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 ll THE 
 
 LIFE AND WRITINGS 
 
 OP 
 
 DE ¥ITT CLINTON, 
 
 BT 
 
 WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK, OR ANNALS 
 
 OF TRYON COUNTY." 
 
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 145 NASSAU ST., AND 36 PARK ROW. 
 
 
 1849. 
 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by 
 BAKER & SCRIBNER, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 « I. ii * .) • • 
 
 S. W. BENEDICT; STEREofypfcR and P'rinter, 
 201 William street, cor. of Frankfort. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Sketch of the Family of Clinton. 
 
 Col. Charles Clinton, ...... ix 
 
 Gen. James Clinton, .... xv 
 
 De Witt Clinton, xxv 
 
 Address to the Alumni of Columbia College, 1 
 
 Internal Improvements, ...... 21 
 
 Private Canal Journal, 1810, .... 27 
 
 Schenectady, 30— Valley of the Mohawk, 32— Gen. 
 Herkimer, 42— Little Falls, 42— Inland Lock Na- 
 vigation Company, 45 — Utica, 49, 193 — Rome, 
 53 — Fort Stanwix, 54 — Oneida Lake, 62 — Oswe- 
 go, 76 — Geneva, 103 — Lyons, 105 — Canandaigua, 
 109— Falls of the Genesee, 112— Ridge Road, 
 114— Lewiston, 122— Fort Niagara, 123— Nia- 
 gara Falls, 127— Bufialo, 136— Batavia, 144— 
 Ithaca, 158 — Auburn, 169 — Salina Salt Works, 
 180. 
 
 Address before the New York Historical Society 
 ON THE Iroquois or Six Nations, . . . 205 
 
 Speech in the Senate of the United States on 
 
 THE Mississippi Question, .... 265 
 
 Address before the American Bible Society, . 297 
 
iv: contents. 
 
 Address before the Free School Society in the 
 City of New York, 309 
 
 Address before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of 
 
 Union College, ....... 329 
 
 Appendix — Indian Speeches, , , . 365-381 
 
 -^■ 
 
Charles A. Clinton, Esq. : 
 
 My Dear Sir — I now present you with tliis volume of your 
 father's writings, containing, also, a brief Memoir of him, and a 
 short sketch of the Family of Clinton. I regret that I have not 
 the time and the talent to prepare such a life of De Witt Clin- 
 ton as is required, and which is due to his great abilities and 
 distinguished public services. There are many reasons why such 
 a work would be to me a labor of love. During the long public 
 careers of George Clinton and of De Witt Clinton, my grand- 
 father and my father were their unwavering personal and poli- 
 tical friends. The active agency of Gov. George Clinton was 
 greatly instrumental in procuring the release of my grandmother 
 and her children from Indian captivity during the war of the 
 revolution. It is a source of gratification to me, that we, of the 
 third generation, have for many years been on terms of personal 
 friendship. The lives of George and De Witt Clinton are 
 yet to be written. The hand of time has already removed much 
 of the rugged surface formed by the party politics of their day. 
 The foundation is ready, and the materials are at hand, and the 
 pen of the faithful and impartial biographer will yet rear noble 
 monuments to their memory. 
 
 I am, very truly, your friend, 
 
 WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL. 
 N^w York, March 30, 1849. 
 
New York, March 31, 1S49. 
 My Dear Sir — 
 
 I cheerfully consent to the publication of the writings of my 
 father, contained in the present volume. It is probable that the 
 public may feel sufficient interest in them to justify the issue of 
 other volumes — in which event I will furnish all the facilities in 
 my power. I think it preferable to supply the materials for his 
 biography, to undertaking the work myself, as I might be liable 
 to the imputation of partiality ; and when the ties of consan- 
 guinity are so very close, the charge would generally seem to be 
 justified. 
 
 Jn our last conversation, you made several inquiries, which I 
 now answer as concisely as possible. In reference to the papers 
 of my relative. Gov. George Clinton, I will merely observe that 
 it was my father's intention to have written his biography, but 
 he was unable to procure the materials for the purpose, as the 
 legal representative of his uncle considered them too valuable 
 to be parted with. This is to be regretted, as Gov. George 
 Clinton was not only a prominent soldier during the Revolu- 
 tionary War, but occupied distinguished offices in civil life for 
 many years. His papers, I understand, are voluminous, but have 
 never been accessible to my father or myself. 
 
 There have been several biographical sketches of my father, 
 but only two that have any pretension to the character of a bio- 
 graphy. One, an elaborate and well-written Memoir by that 
 
DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Vll 
 
 eminent physician, Dr. David Hosack, and a small volume vi^rit- 
 ten by my friend, Professor Renwick, of Columbia College, for 
 the use of the Common Schools of this State. The latter is 
 necessarily very brief and imperfect, but as far as it goes is cred- 
 itable to the author. 
 
 You ask which is the best portraiture of my father } There 
 have been several. One by Col. Trumbull ; a full length, by 
 Catlin ; one by Jarvis ; and others by distinguished artists. I 
 must not omit to mention an admirable miniature by Rogers, 
 which was painted several years before his death. His friends, 
 however, have adopted Ingham's portrait as the most faithful. 
 It is certainly a very strong resemblance, although the expres- 
 sion is somewhat stern. The original is in the possession of Mr. 
 Philip Hone, of this city. There have been three copies of it — 
 one by Mr. Ingham, and two by that accomplished artist, the 
 late Mr. Henry Inman. There have been several busts, one of 
 which is in the Governor's Room in the City Hall, an admi- 
 rable work of art, but an imperfect resemblance. One has re- 
 cently been made for a gentleman of this city by Launitz & 
 Frazee ; but the best is probably by Coffee. The original me- 
 dallion was engraved for Dr. Hosack's Memoir. There was, 
 also, a cast taken during his life by Browerre, at least one copy 
 of which remains. 
 
 The Address before the Alumni of Columbia College, contained 
 in this volume, is now printed for the first time. You will ob- 
 serve by the manuscript that it is written currente calamo, and 
 was not even transcribed. It is a rou2:h draft without revision 
 
 o 
 
 or emendation. I had some doubts in reference to the pub- 
 
VIU DB WITT CLINTOPr. 
 
 lication of the Canal Journal ; but upon the whole thought it 
 sufficiently curious to justify me in giving it to the public. It 
 is written in the careless and familiar manner which usually 
 characterizes a diary. It is curious, as presenting a picture of 
 Western New York, in 1810 ; and will probably be interesting 
 to the inhabitants of the particular localities described. The 
 contrast between the almost western wilderness of New York in 
 1810, and the western garden of New York in 1849, is a strik- 
 ing commentary on the utility of the system of Internal Improve- 
 ments, which this State has so successfully adopted. Probably 
 there is no district of country in the whole United States which 
 presents so pleasing a picture of prosperity and happiness, ac- 
 complished by the sagacity of the few and the enterprise and 
 intelligence of the whole community. 
 
 Having thus briefly responded to all your inquiries, I cannot 
 conclude without assuring you of my esteem and friendship. 
 
 CHARLES A. CLINTON. 
 William W. Campbell, Esq. 
 
Clintfln. 
 
 SKETCH OF THE CLIJNTON FAMILY. 
 
 The name of Clinton has been prominent for the last 
 hundred years, both in the colonial and state history of 
 New- York. For nearly forty years of that period, indi- 
 viduals of that name have held the high and responsible 
 trust of governor, besides filling many other offices of a 
 military, legislative, and judicial character. The different 
 branches of the family were originally from England. 
 The first of the name who was distinguished here was the 
 colonial governor, George Clinton, who was the youngest 
 son of Francis, sixth Earl of Lincoln, and who was gov- 
 ernor of the province of New York from 1743 to 1753. 
 He returned to England, and was afterwards appointed 
 governor of Greenwich Hospital. He was the father of 
 Sir Henry Clinton, who was in command of the English 
 army during a part of the revolution. 
 
 William Clinton, the ancestor of De Witt Clinton, was 
 
 ii 
 
X SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 an adherent to the cause of royalty in the civil wars of 
 England, and an officer in the army of Charles 1. After 
 the death of that monarch he went to the continent, where 
 he remained a long time in exile. He afterwards passed 
 over to Scotland, where he married a lady of the family 
 of Kennedy. From Scotland he removed to Ireland, 
 where he died, leaving one son. This son, James Clinton, 
 on arriving at manhood, made an unsuccessful effort to 
 recover his patrimonial estates in England. While in 
 England he married a Miss Smith, a daughter of a captain 
 in the army of Cromwell, and with his wife returned and 
 settled in Ireland. 
 
 Charles Clinton, the son of this marriage, and the 
 grandfather of De Witt Clinton, was born in the county 
 / of Longford, in Ireland, in 1690. In 1729 he determined to 
 emigrate to America. Being a man of influence, he pre- 
 vailed upon a large number of his neighbors and friends 
 to remove with him. He sailed from Dublin in a vessel 
 called the George and Anne, in May, 1729, and by a re- 
 ceipt preserved among his papers, it seems that he paid 
 for the passages of ninety-four persons. 
 
 They were unfortunate in the selection of a vessel. 
 The captain was a violent and unprincipled villain. They 
 were poorly supplied with stores, and the voyage proving 
 long, they suffered from disease and famine. A large 
 number of passengers died, including a son and daughter 
 of Mr. Clinton. They were finally landed upon the coast 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XI 
 
 of Massachusetts. The captain refused to go to New 
 York, or to Pennsylvania, though the latter was his ori- 
 ginal place of destination. Charles Clinton remained in 
 Massachusetts until 1731, when he removed to the pro- 
 vince of New York, and settled at a place called Little 
 Britain, in a region designated as the precincts ^ of the 
 Highlands, afterwards a part of Ulster, and now a part of 
 Orange county. Though within a few miles of the Hud- 
 son River, and within sixty or seventy miles of the city 
 of New York, the residence of Mr. Clinton was on the 
 frontier of civilization. The virgin wilderness was around 
 him. In the language of some of the inhabitants of 
 Ulster county after this period, in a petition to the Colonial 
 Legislature asking for protection, they say that they are 
 bounded on the west by the desert — a desert where, in- 
 stead of the roaming Arab, the wild Indian erected his 
 cabin, and " made his home and his grave." The inhabit- 
 ants of that district were compelled to fortify their houses 
 in order to guard against inroads of the savages. In the 
 subsequent Indian and French wars Charles Clinton took 
 an active and efficient part. In 1758 we find him in 
 command of a regiment of provincial troops, stationed in 
 the valley of the Mohawk, and in the summer of that 
 year he joined the main army under General Bradstreet, 
 on his way to Canada, and was present with him at the 
 capture of Fort Frontenac. Colonel Charles Clinton was 
 a good mathematical scholar, and frequently acted as 
 
y 
 
 XU SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 surveyor of lands; an employment of considerable import- 
 ance and emolument in a new country. He was also a 
 judge of the court of (/ommon Pleas of Ulster county. 
 He sustained a pure and elevated character, was neat in 
 his person and dignified in his manners, and exerted a 
 great influence in the district of country where he lived. 
 
 In a letter to his son James, who was in the army, dated 
 June, 1759, he says : " My advice to you is, to be diligent 
 in your duty to God, your king and country, and avoid 
 bad company as much as in your province lies ; forbear 
 learning habits of vice, for they grow too easily upon men 
 in a public station, and are not easily broke off Profane 
 habits make men contemptible and mean. That God 
 may grant you grace to live in his fear, and to discharge 
 your duty with a good conscience, is the sincere desire of 
 your affectionate father, Charles Clinton." Among his 
 papers, carefully preserved and written upon parchment, is 
 the following certificate. It was his Christian passport, 
 which he carried with him when he embarked for the New 
 
 World: 
 
 '' Whereas the bearer, Mr. Charles Clinton, and his wife 
 Elizabeth, lived within the bounds of this Protestant dissenting 
 congregation from their infancy, and now design for America ; 
 this is to certify, that all along they behaved themselves soberly 
 and inoffensively, and are fit to be received into any Christian 
 congregation where Providence may cast their lot. Also, that 
 said Charles Clinton was a member of our session, and discharged 
 the office of ruling elder very acceptably ; this, with advice of 
 session, given at Corbay, in the county of Longford, Ireland. 
 
 " Joseph Bond, Minister." 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XIU 
 
 I need scarcely add that Charles Clinton took an active 
 part in the promotion of the cause of religion and good 
 morals. He sometimes also courted the muses, and in the 
 Commonplace-Book of De Witt Clinton, the following 
 lines were preserved : 
 
 LINES 
 
 Written by my grandfather Charles Clinton, and spoken over tht 
 grave of a dear departed sister, who had often nursed and taken 
 care of him in his you7iger days. 
 
 " Oh canst thou know, thou dear departed shade, 
 The mighty sorrows that my soul invade ; 
 Whilst o'er thy mouldering frame I mourning stand, 
 And view thy grave far from thy native land ? 
 With thee my tender years were early trained. 
 Oft have thy friendly arms my weight sustained ; 
 And when with childish fears or pains oppressed, 
 You with soft music luU'd my soul to rest." 
 
 He concludes his last Will, made in 1771, and a short 
 time before his decease, with the following directions : 
 
 " It is my will I be buried in the grave-yard on my own 
 farm, beside my daughter Catharine ; and it is my will, 
 the said grave-yard be made four rods square, and open 
 free road to it at all times when it shall be necessary ; and 
 I nominate and appoint my said three sons, Charles, 
 James, and George, executors of this my last will, to see 
 the same executed accordingly ; and I order that my said 
 executors procure a suitable stone to lay over my grave, 
 whereon I would have the time of my death, my age, and 
 coat of arms cut. I hope they will indulge me in this last 
 piece of vanity." 
 
xiv SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 He died on the 19th of November, 1773, at his own 
 residence, in the 83d year of his age, and in the full view 
 of that revolution in which his sons were to act such dis- 
 tinguished parts. In his last moments he conjured them 
 to stand by the liberties of America. 
 
 His wife, Elizabeth Denniston, to whom he was married 
 in Ireland, was an accomplished and intelligent woman. 
 She appears to have been well acquainted with the mili- 
 tary operations of the times, and to have shared largely in 
 the patriotic ardor of her husband and her sons. Siie died 
 at the residence of her son James, on the 25th of Decem- 
 er, 1779, in the 75th year of her age. 
 
 They left four sons : Alexander, Charles, James, and 
 George. The two former were physicians of considerable 
 eminence. Charles was a surgeon in the British navy at 
 the capture of the Havana. George Clinton was the 
 youngest son : he was a soldier and a statesman. He was 
 engaged in the French war and in the Revolution ; he was 
 a member of the Provincial Assembly just before the Re- 
 volution, and in that body was a fearless advocate of his 
 country's liberty. He was the first governor of the State 
 of New York, and for twenty-one years was continued in 
 that high and responsible office, and exerted, perhaps, a 
 larger influence than any other man over the then future 
 destinies of the Empire State. He closed his eventful life 
 while fining the chair of Vice-President of the United 
 States. 
 
c^ra. Snnu?3 Clintnii. 
 
 James Clinton, the third son, and the father of Db Witt 
 Chnton, was born on the 9th of August, 1736, at the family 
 residence in Little Britain. It has truly been said of him, 
 that he was a warrior from his youth upward. Born upon 
 the frontiers, with a hardy and vigorous constitution, and 
 accustomed to alarms and Indian incursions, he became in 
 early life attached to the profession of arms. As early as 
 1757, he received an ensign's commission, and in the fol- 
 lowing year he was commissioned first lieutenant by James 
 Delancey, lieutenant-governor of the then province of 
 New York, and empowered to enlist troops; and in 1759, 
 being then twenty-three years of age, he attained the rank 
 of captain in the provincial army. In 1758, a considerable 
 army, under General Bradstreet, passed up the Mohawk 
 valley, and thence to Lake Ontario, and by a well-directed 
 attack, captured Fort Frontenac from the French. Colonel 
 Charles Clinton was at this time in command of Fort 
 Herkimer, near the German Flats, in the Mohawk valley ; 
 and as before mentioned, joined General Bradstreet with 
 his regiment. James Clinton was also in this expedition, 
 and commanded a company ; his brother George being 
 lieutenant. At the attack upon Fort Frontenac, he ex- 
 
XVI SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 hibited an intrepidity of character which gained him great 
 credit. He and his brother were instrumental in cap- 
 turing one of the French vessels. The capture of this fort 
 was one of the brilliant exploits of the French war. 
 
 Colonel Charles Clinton states in his journal, that " the 
 destruction of this place (meaning Fort Frontenac,) and 
 of the shipping, artillery, and stores, is one of the greatest 
 blows the French have met with in America, considering 
 the consequences of it, as it was the store out of which all 
 the forts to the southward were supplied ; and the shipping 
 destroyed there, they employed in that service." The 
 expedition was conducted with secrecy, and the French 
 were taken unprepared. The fort contained but a small 
 garrison, and was carried the second day after the com- 
 mencement of the siege. Similar expeditions were com- 
 mon in that war. Armies plunged into the wilderness 
 and forced their way up streams and over morasses with 
 great labor and difficulty. The province of New York 
 was the principal battle-ground. Fortresses were erected 
 on the whole then northern frontier, extending from Lake 
 George through the valley of the Mohawk, and along the 
 shores of Lake Ontario to the vicinity of the great cata- 
 ract itself. The Englishman and the Anglo-American 
 fought side by side against France and her dependencies, 
 and it seemed at times as if the fate of nations three thou- 
 sand miles removed was to be decided by the hot con- 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. Xvii 
 
 tests of their armies amid the green forests of this western 
 world. 
 
 From 1758 to 1763, James Clinton continued in the 
 provincial army ; now stationed upon the frontier posts, 
 engaged in the border skirmishes, and now enhsting new 
 recruits under orders from the colonial governors, Sir 
 Charles Handy, James Delancey, and Cadwallader Colden. 
 In the latter year, 1763, he raised and commanded a corps 
 of two hundred men, who were designated as guards of 
 the frontier. He continued in the army until the close of 
 the French war, and seems to have enjoyed, in a large 
 degree, the confidence of the government and of his fellow 
 soldiers. 
 
 After the close of the war he retired to his farm at Lit- 
 tle Britain, and married Mary De Witt, a daughter of 
 Egbert De Witt, a young lady^of great respectability, 
 whose ancestors were from Holland. He had four sons 
 by this marriage ; Alexander, who was private secretary 
 to his uncle George ; Charles, who was a lawyer in Orange 
 county ; De Witt, the third son, born in March, 1769 y^ 
 and George, who was also a lawyer and a member of 
 Congress — all of whom are now deceased. 
 
 James Clinton, however, in time of peace, could not en- 
 tirely forget the military life. He entered with zeal into 
 the militia organization, and was a lieutenant colonel of a 
 regiment in Orange county. At the commencement of 
 the Revolutionary War he entered warmly into the conti- 
 
XVlll SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 nental service. His brother George had been for many 
 years a representative in the Colonial Assembly from his 
 native county, and had from the first advocated his coun- 
 try's cause with that fearlessness and energy of character 
 for which he was distinguished. 
 
 The two brothers were not unmindful of the dying in- 
 junctions of their father, and, hand in hand, at the first 
 moment of outbreak, they entered the arena and joined 
 \/ their pledges of faith and support to the colonial cause. 
 
 In 1775, James Clinton was appointed colonel of the 
 third regiment of New York troops, raised by the order 
 of the Continental Congress ; and in 1776, he was promo- 
 ted to the rank of brigadier-general. In the summer of 
 this year he was employed in the expedition against Cana- 
 da, under Gen. Montgomery, and was before the walls of 
 Quebec at the time of the fall of that brave and gallant 
 general. In the summer of 1777, that gloomy period 
 when almost the whole force of the British armies in 
 America was concentrated upon the State of New York, 
 Gen. Clinton was stationed at Fort Montgomery, upon 
 the Hudson River, and together with his brother the go- 
 vernor, made a firm thousfh unsuccessful resistance to the 
 advance of the enemy, under Sir Henry Clinton. 
 
 During the greater part of 1778, Gen. Clinton was sta- 
 tioned at West Point, and for a portion of that year was 
 engaged in throwing a chain across the Hudson to pre- 
 vent the ascent of the river by the enemy's ships. The 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. %1X 
 
 summer of that year has been rendered memorable upon 
 the then frontiers, by reason of the massacres of Wyoming 
 and Cherry Valley, under armies of Indians and Tories, 
 led on by the Butlers and Brant. On the 16th of Novem- 
 ber, 1778, and just after the massacre at Cherry Valley, 
 which occurred on the 11th of that month, Gen. V/ash- 
 ington wrote to Gen. Hand, acknowledging the receipt of 
 his letter containing the information of the destruction of 
 that place, and adds, " It is in the highest degree distress- 
 ing to have our frontiers so continually harrassed by this 
 collection of banditti under Brant and Butler." He then 
 inquires whether offensive operations could not be carried 
 on against them at that season of the year, and if not then, 
 when and how. This letter was probably referred to 
 Gen. Clinton, as it has been preserved among his papers ; 
 and it contains the first intimation which I have seen of 
 that expedition against the Six Nations in the following 
 year, known as Sullivan's expedition, in which Gen. Clin- 
 ton was called to act a distinguished part. 
 
 It was determined to " carry the war into Africa." In 
 other words, it was resolved to overrun the whole Indian 
 country, and thus, if possible, put an end to the constant 
 and harassing inroads of the enemy upon the frontier 
 settlements. For this purpose extensive preparations 
 were made, and after some difficulty in obtaining a com- 
 mander, the expedition was intrusted to Gen. Sullivan. It 
 was decided that the army should move early in the Spring 
 
 1 
 
 -J 
 
XX SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 of 1779. Gen. Sullivan was to cross to Easton, in Penn- 
 sylvania, and into the valley of the Susquehanna, w^hile 
 Gen. Clinton was to pass up the Mohawk Valley, and 
 either unite with Sullivan in the Indian country, or else 
 cross over from the Mohawk River to Lake Otsego, and 
 proceed thence down the eastern branch of the Susque- 
 hanna. The latter route was finally determined upon, 
 though Gen. Washington preferred the former, as did Gen. 
 Clinton. The latter gave as his reasons that the army 
 could move up the Mohawk Valley and enter the Indian 
 country with more ease and less delay, and that a move- 
 ment in that direction would be more decisive and fatal 
 to the Indians. The whole expedition was, however, 
 under the control of Gen. Sullivan, who preferred the 
 other route, and it was adopted. 
 
 On the 1st of June, 1779, Gen. Clinton's detachment, 
 consisting of about two thousand troops, moved from 
 Albany and proceeded up the Mohawk Valley as far as 
 Canajoharie. Here they pitched their camp, and with 
 great labor carried over their boats and stores to the head 
 of Lake Otsego — a distance of nearly twenty miles. 
 
 On the 1st of July, Gen. Clinton broke up his camp at 
 Canajoharie, and crossed over to Lake Otsego, where his 
 boats and stores had previously been carried, and, launch- 
 ing his boats, passed down to the outlet, and again en- 
 camped upon the spot where now is built the beautiful 
 village of Cooperstown, the Templeton of the Pioneers. 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXI 
 
 Two hundred and eight batteaux, and a large amount of 
 provisions and military stores, had been carried across from 
 the Mohawk River. Here, under date of 13th of July, 
 Gen. Clinton writes to Mrs. Clinton, saying that she pro- 
 bably expects that the army is in the midst of the Indian 
 country, but that he is still waiting orders to move ; that 
 he is impatient for them, but that his situation is by no 
 means unpleasant; that he can catch perch in the lake 
 and trout in the streams, and hunt the deer upon the 
 mountains. 
 
 On the 22d of August, this division arrived at Tioga, 
 and joined the main army under Gen. Sullivan. 
 
 On the 26th of August, the whole army moved from 
 Tioga up the river of that name, and on the 29th fell in 
 with the enemy at Newtown. Here a spirited engagement 
 took place, in which the enemy was routed. When it was 
 first announced that an army was marching into their 
 country, the Indians laughed at their supposed folly, be- 
 lieving it impossible for a regular army to traverse the 
 wilderness and drive them from their fastnesses. 
 
 On the 14th of September the army arrived at the Ge- 
 nesee River, and the rich alluvial bottom lands which 
 now constitute the garden of this State had even then 
 been extensively cultivated by the Indians. Scarcely a 
 tree was to be seen over the whole extent. Modern cu- 
 riosity and enterprise had not then rendered familiar the 
 mighty valleys and prairies of the West, and officers and 
 
XXll SKETCH OP THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 soldiers gazed alike with surprise and admiration upon the 
 rich prospect before them. The army, as it emerged from 
 the woods, and as company after company filed off and 
 formed upon the plain, presented an animating and impos- 
 ing spectacle. 
 
 The whole country of the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and 
 Senecas was overrun by this expedition. 
 
 In the early part of 1780, the year following the expedi- 
 tion against the Six Nations, Gen. Clinton was stationed 
 upon the Hudson River. In October of that year, and 
 after the discovery of the treason of Arnold, Gen. Wash- 
 ington wrote to Gen. Clinton, then at West Point, as fol- 
 lows : " As it is necessary there should be an officer in 
 whom the State has confidence, to take the general direc- 
 tion of affairs at Albany and on the frontier, I have fixed 
 upon you for this purpose, and request you will proceed 
 to Albany without delay, and assume the command. You 
 will be particularly attentive to the post at Fort Schuyler, 
 and do everything in your power to have it supplied with 
 a good stock of provisions and stores, and you will take 
 every other precaution the means at your command will 
 permit for the security of the frontier, giving the most 
 early advice of any incursions of the enemy." 
 
 Gen. Clinton repaired to Albany, and took the direction 
 of affairs in the northern department, according to the in- 
 structions of the Commander-in-chief. That post had 
 been one of great responsibility during the whole of the 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXiii 
 
 war, and at the time of Gen. Clinton's appointment it had 
 not lost its importance. 
 
 He continued at Albany until August, 1781, when he 
 embarked the troops immediately under his command, for 
 the purpose of joining the Commander-in-chief, and was 
 succeeded in the command of the northern army by Gen. 
 Stark. 
 
 In the winter or spring of 1782 some promotions were 
 made by the Continental Congress, by which a junior offi- 
 cer took precedence over Gen. Clinton. The veteran 
 soldier could not brook what he deemed a great injury. 
 He solicited and ob'tained leave to withdraw from the 
 active duties of the camp. In a letter dated April 10th, 
 1782, Gen. Clinton says : 
 
 " At an early period of the war I entered into the ser- 
 vice of my country, and I have continued in it during all 
 the vicissitudes of fortune, and am conscious that I have 
 exerted my best endeavor to serve it with fidelity. I have 
 never sought emolument or promotion ; and as the differ- 
 ent commands I have held were unsolicited, I might have 
 reasonably expected, if my services were no longer want- 
 ed, to have been indulged at least with a decent dismis- 
 sion." 
 
 He did not retire from the army entirely, but joined 
 again the Commander-in-chief, and was present at the 
 evacuation of New York, where he took leave of Gen. 
 Washington, and retired to his farm at Little Britain. 
 
XXIV. SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 The war was happily terminated, and peace again reigned 
 along the borders. 
 
 Gen. James Clinton was afterwards called to fill several 
 important stations. He was a member of the Convention 
 called to ratify the Constitution of the United States, he 
 was elected a member of the State Senate, a member of 
 the Convention to revise the Constitution of New York, 
 and was appointed a Commissioner to run the boundary 
 line between New York and Pennsylvania. 
 
 With the exceptions above mentioned, the residue of 
 Gen. Clinton's life, after the war, was spent in peaceful 
 retirement upon his estate at Little Britain. 
 
 He died at his residence in 1812, just at the commence- 
 ment of another war. He had seen his country under all 
 the vicissitudes of good and evil fortune. 
 
 The pen of his illustrious son has recorded his epitaph, 
 and thus beautifully sums up his character : 
 
 " His life was principally devoted to the military service 
 of his country, and he had filled, with fidelity and honor, 
 several distinguished civil offices. 
 
 " He was an officer in the revolutionary war and the 
 war preceding, and at the close of the former was a ma- 
 jor-general in the army of the United States. He was a 
 good man and a sincere patriot; performing in the most 
 exemplary manner all the duties of hfe, and he died as he 
 had lived, without fear and without reproach." 
 
iB Wiii €Mn, 
 
 De Witt Clinton, the third son of Gen. James Clinton, 
 was born on the 2d of March, 1769, at the family i*esi- 
 dence, in Little Britain, in the county of Orange.^ His 
 early education was conducted at the grammar-school of 
 his native town, and he was afterwards sent to the acade- 
 my at Kingston. Education was almost lost sight of dur- 
 ing the revolutionary war, and at that period the academy 
 at Kingston was the only seminary in the State ; here, 
 all the young men desirous of a classical education resort- 
 ed. In the spring of 1784, he entered the junior class of 
 Columbia College ; his address to the alumni of that in- 
 stitution, which will be found in this volume, and which 
 was his last literary effort, contains a graphic description 
 of the college edifice as it appeared at the close of the war, 
 with sketches of its early professors, and an account of his 
 own introduction as the first student after its revival — when 
 the name of King's College was discarded, and that of Co- 
 lumbia substituted. While in college, he commenced that 
 practice of reading with his pen in his hand, which he 
 continued down to the close of his life. During his first 
 
 collegiate year, his common-place book shows that he read 
 
 iii 
 
XXVI SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 and made extracts from nearly one hundred different 
 works. He was graduated in 1786, at the head of his 
 class, and soon after commenced the studv of the law 
 with Samuel Jones, then an eminent lawyer in the city 
 of New York. He was pursuing his legal studies when 
 the Convention assembled, which gave to us as a rule, and 
 to the world as a model, the Constitution of the United 
 States. 
 
 The publications of the members of that Convention, 
 in favor of the Constitution, did not escape the attention 
 of the young student. 
 
 The first Constitution of the State of New York ema- 
 nated from a Convention which sat a portion of the time 
 with arms in their hands ; and, driven from place to place 
 during a dark and stormy period of the revolution, closed 
 its labors in the spring of 1777, at Kingston, in the county 
 of Ulster. On the 17th day of June, 1788, another Con- 
 vention assembled at Poughkeepsie, in the county of 
 Duchess, for the purpose of considering and ratifying the 
 Constitution of the United States. This Convention em- 
 braced almost all the distinguished men of the State, and 
 the mention of whose names can hardly fail to awaken 
 emotions of pride in the bosom of every New Yorker. 
 From the city of New York, the delegates were John Jay, 
 Alexander Hamilton, Robert R. Livingston, Richard Mor- 
 ris, and James Duane ; and they were all in favor of the 
 adoption of the Constitution. From Albany, Col. Peter 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXVll 
 
 Gansevoort, John Lansing, Jr., Robert Yates, and others, 
 with Melancthon Smith from the county of Duchess, Gen. 
 James Clinton from Orange, and Gov. George Clinton 
 from Ulster, were opposed to an unconditional adoption . 
 and a majority of the members, when elected, entertained 
 similar views with the latter gentlemen. From the com- 
 mencement of the session of this Convention to its close, 
 during a period of six weeks, the debates were able, earn- 
 est, and instructive. Gov. Clinton was chosen to preside 
 over its deliberations. 
 
 Hamilton, Livingston, and Jay advocated the adoption 
 of the Constitution with ardor and eloquence, and they 
 enriched their discourses with the learning of ancient and 
 modern times. 
 
 Though a considerable majority of the Convention was 
 elected in opposition, and though Gov. Clinton was num- 
 bered with that majority, and to the last refused to yield 
 his assent, yet, when the vote was finally taken, a majority 
 of the Convention voted for the adoption of the Constitu- 
 tution ; and New York, on the 26th day of July, 1788, 
 entered into the Union of the States. Among the numer- 
 ous citizens assembled at this most interesting and impor- 
 tant Convention, and who watched from day to day the 
 changing phases of thought and opinion, was De Witt 
 Chnton. He was nineteen years of age, and even then, 
 was commanding in person and dignified in manners. The 
 late Chancellor Kent once stated to the writer that he 
 
 ^ 
 
XXviil SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 met De Witt Clinton at that time ; and he described his 
 appearance as he recollected it, on that first meeting of 
 two young men, both of whom were destined to fill such 
 large spaces in the history of their native State. The 
 future Chancellor had just commenced the practice of the 
 law in the village of Poughkeepsie, in partnership with 
 Gilbert Livingston, who was a member of the Convention, 
 and whose political sympathies were with the Clintons. 
 Mr. Kent was in favor of the Constitution, and was a 
 Federalist. In such times of political excitement there 
 was not that close and confidential intercourse which 
 might otherwise have existed between two young and 
 highly gifted men. The visit paid by Mr. Clinton to Mr. 
 Kent was formal, but courteous, and the venerable Chan- 
 cellor at the age of four score spoke with animation of the 
 / fine personal appearance of the youthful statesman ; he 
 y'i remarked that Mr. Clinton even then had a hauteur in his 
 1 manner, which whether arising from pride or from diffi- 
 dence he did not pretend to decide, and which in after life 
 was contrasted strongly with the character and bearing of 
 some of his political competitors. 
 
 De Witt Clinton was an active and observing attendant 
 upon the debates of the Convention, and he communica- 
 ted the substance of the speeches, and his own impres- 
 sions and opinions, to his political friends in the city of 
 New York, through the columns of a journal of that day. 
 He entered zealously into the views of his uncle and his 
 
SKETCH OP THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXIX 
 
 father, and to the last opposed with them the unconditional 
 adoption of the Federal Constitution. With them he gave 
 the Constitution his unqualified support when it was rati- 
 fied and became the supreme law of the land. 
 
 On the death of his brother Alexander, De Witt Clinton 
 about the year 1789 was appointed to succeed him as pri- 
 vate secretary to his uncle. Gov. George Clinton ; he held 
 this situation down to 1795, and during that period was 
 actively engaged in the political controversies of the times. "• 
 In 1797 he was elected to the Assembly, and in 1798 to / 
 the Senate of the State ; of both bodies he was an active " 
 and efficient member, and he took a leading part in the 
 political and legislative movements of New York. He 
 was a member of the Council of Appointment, and differ- 
 ing with the chief magistrate upon the question whether 
 the sole power of nomination to office was vested by the 
 Constitution in the Governor, or whether it was shared 
 also by the members of the Council, a convention was 
 called, and the construction contended for by Mr. CHnton 
 was adopted. Of the wisdom of that decision, it is said, 
 Mr. Clinton himself afterwards doubted ; and in the sub- ^ 
 sequent Constitution of 1822, the exclusive power of nomi- 
 nation was restored to the Governor. 
 
 In 1802, De Witt Clinton, then only thirty-three years ^/ 
 of age, was elected to the Senate of the United States. 
 In the month of February, 1803, a debate arose in the 
 Senate on certain resolutions introduced by Mr. Ross, of 
 
./ 
 
 XXX SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 Pennsylvania, which elicited the talent and the learning of 
 that body. These resolutions authorized the President to 
 take immediate possession of New Orleans, and empowered 
 him to call out thirty thousand militia to effect that object. 
 It was alledged that Spain had given, by treaty, to the citi- 
 zens of the United States the right to deposit their goods 
 at that place, and that she then interdicted it. In this de- 
 bate Mr. Clinton took a prominent part, and he depreca- 
 ted the passage of the resolutions as leading to war, and 
 recommended that peaceable negotiations should be substi- 
 tuted. His speech on that occasion will be found in this 
 volume. It was during that debate that Governeur Mor- 
 ris, also in the Senate, from the State of New York, thus 
 spoke of Mr. Clinton : " I will not pretend, like my honor- 
 able colleague, to describe to you the waste, the ravages, 
 and the horrors of war ; I have not the same harmonious 
 periods, nor the same musical tones ; neither shall I boast 
 of Christian charity, nor attempt to display that ingenuous 
 glow of benevolence so decorous to the cheek of youth, 
 which gave a vivid tint to every sentence he uttered, and 
 was, if possible, as impressive even as his eloquence." 
 
 In the summer of 1803, Edward Livingston, then Mayor 
 of the city of New York, was appointed United States 
 District Attorney for the district of New York ; and he 
 was succeeded in the Mayoralty by Mr. Clinton. The 
 office of Mayor, with the exception of one or two years, 
 Mr. Clinton continued to hold until 1815. The judicial 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY, XXXI 
 
 powers at that period belonging to the office, and the large 
 emoluments which it brought to the incumbent, rendered 
 its possession desirable to the leading men of the State. 
 While holding this office, and especially during the war, 
 the charges of Mr. Clinton to the Grand Juries were able, 
 elo(juent, and patriotic. Though on his appointment he 
 was obliged to resign his seat in the Senate of the United 
 States, yet he was elected to the Senate of New York, 
 and occupied a seat in that body for several years of his 
 Mayoralty, and during that period was the author and 
 advocate of laws covering almost the entire range of State 
 legislation. During the sessions of 1809, 1810, and 1811, 
 " he introduced laws to prevent kidnapping or the further 
 introduction of slaves, and to punish those who should 
 treat them inhumanly ; for the support of the quarantine 
 establishment ; for the encouragement of missionary socie- 
 ties ; for the improvement of the public police ; for the pre- 
 vention and punishment of crime ; for pei'fecting the militia 
 system ; for promoting medical science, and for endowing 
 seminaries of education." It was in the summer of 1810 
 that he and his associates, the first Canal Commissioners, 
 examined the valley of the Mohawk and the western part 
 of the State for the purpose of learning the practicability 
 of constructing a canal from the Hudson to the lakes. 
 The valuable and interesting journal kept by Mr. Clinton 
 during that tour will be found in this volume, and is now 
 first given to the public. It contains a picture of a large and 
 
 y 
 
 / 
 
XXXll SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 most important portion of the Empire State as presented 
 to the eye of a keen and minute observer forty years ago. 
 
 In 1811 Mr. Clinton was elected lieutenant-governor 
 of New York, and in the following year was nominated 
 in opposition to Mr. Madison to the station of President 
 of the United States. He was unsuccessful, receiving 
 eighty-nine electoral votes, while Mr. Madison received 
 one hundred and twenty-eight. 
 
 This event is said by his friends to have produced an 
 unhappy influence both upon his political and private for- 
 tunes. However this may be, he devoted himself with zeal 
 and success to literary pursuits ; and he continued also to 
 press the subject of internal improvements with renewed 
 animation. 
 
 In December, 1811, he read before the New York 
 Historical Society his celebrated discourse on the Iro- 
 quois or Six Nations of Indians, which is republished 
 in this volume. It may be remarked in this connection 
 /that De Witt Clinton was one of the earliest and most 
 efficient friends of that Society which now stands so pro- 
 minent among kindred institutions in our country. In 
 1814, he was requested by the Society to prepare a memo- 
 rial to the Legislature of New York for assistance, and 
 V which was answered by the State in a liberal grant of 
 twelve thousand dollars. This memorial concludes as 
 follows : " We have done much and we are willing to do 
 more in order to preserve the history of the State from 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXXli^ 
 
 oblivion ; we are influenced by no other motive than that 
 of elevating the character and promoting the prosperity of 
 a community to which we are bound by every tie that is 
 deemed precious and sacred among men ; and let it not be 
 said that the exigencies of the times and the pressure of a 
 foreign war render it inexpedient to apply the public 
 bounty to this object. The State is rich in funds, rich in 
 credit, and rich in resources, and she ought to be rich in 
 hberality and public spirit. Genuine greatness never ap- 
 pears in a more resplendent light or in a more sublime 
 attitude than in that buoyancy of character which rises 
 superior to danger and difficulty ; in that magnanimity of 
 soul which cultivates the arts and sciences amidst the 
 horrors of war, and in that comprehension of mind which 
 cherishes all the cardinal interests of a country without 
 being distracted or diverted by the most appalling con- 
 siderations." 
 
 After the termination of the war the subject of a canal 
 from the Hudson to the lakes was pressed upon the at- 
 tention of the people and upon the consideration of the 
 Legislature by Mr. Clinton. In 1816 a large meeting of 
 many of the most influential citizens of the city of New 
 York was held in that city, and a memorial in favor of 
 the construction of the canal, drawn up by Mr. Clinton 
 with great ability, was submitted and adopted. Indeed, 
 his mind directed and his, hand guided all its proceedings. 
 On the 15th, of April, 1817, the Bill was passed, commit- 
 
XXXIV SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 ting the State to the construction of the canals ; and on 
 Ahe 4th of July following the work was commenced. 
 
 The star of Mr. Clinton's fortunes was again in the as- 
 cendant, and in the fall of 1817 he was elected Governor 
 of New York. In 1815 he had been removed by his po- 
 litical opponents from the office of Mayor of the city of 
 New York, and after the lapse of two years he was se- 
 lected by the Republicans as their first man, and almost 
 unanimously elected Governor of the Empire State. In 
 
 V 1820 Mr. Clinton was reelected Governor, and during this 
 and his previous term the prosecution of the works upon 
 the canals was pressed with vigor and success. 
 
 In 1822 a Convention was called to form a new Consti- 
 tution, and in that year Joseph C. Yates was elected Go- 
 yj vernor for the following two years. In 1824 Mr. Clinton 
 
 • was again elected Governor, and was retained in that 
 high office to the period of his death. In his message of 
 January, 1826, he refers to his message of 1818 when he 
 congratulated the Legislature on the auspicious com- 
 mencement of the canals, and he now announces their 
 completion. In October, 1825, the work was completed, 
 and Mr. Clinton passed in triumph from Lake Erie to the 
 Hudson, and in alluding to it he says : " The auspicious 
 consummation of the canals naturally called forth uni- 
 versal expressions of joy, not from a spirit of ostentation 
 or vanity, but from a conviction that the moral impres- 
 sion would have a most felicitous effect in keeping alive a 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXXV 
 
 noble spirit of improvement, in promoting other under- 
 takings, and in elevating the character of the State." 
 
 On the 1st day of January, 1828, Gov. Clinton deliver- 
 ed his last message to the Legislature. He observes, 
 in its commencement : " Peace, plenty, and health have 
 presided over our land; -war is a stranger; and famine 
 and the pestilence that walketh in darkness are never ex- 
 perienced ; instead of a scarcity, there is generally a su- 
 perabundance of subsistence, an excess of production. 
 The cordial anxiety of Henry IV, of France, that every 
 peasant in his kingdom might have a fowl in his pot ; and 
 the benevolent prayer of a sovereign of Great Britain, that 
 his poorest subject might have education sufficient to read 
 the Bible, were, at the times they were uttered, considered 
 chimeras of the imagination. In this fortunate land they 
 are realized, so far as they apply, in the fullest latitude, 
 and to the utmost extent ; these distinguished dispensa- 
 tions of Divine Providence ought, indeed, to fill our hearts 
 with gratitude, and our lives with devotion to the Author 
 of every good and perfect gift." 
 
 In this connection, it may be remarked that Gov. Clin- 
 ton was the first Governor who recommended to the people 
 of this State days of public thanksgiving, a custom which 
 has been happily continued. 
 
 And he concludes that last message with the following 
 beautiful and impressive exhortation : " We are inhabi- 
 tants of the same land, children of the same country, heirs 
 
XXXVl SKETCH OF TOE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 of the same inheritance, connected by identity of interest, 
 similarity of language and community of descent, by the 
 sympathies of religion, and by all the ligaments which 
 now bind man to man in the closest bonds of friendship 
 and alliance. Let us then enter on the discharge of our 
 exalted and solemn duties by a course of conduct worthy 
 of ourselves and our country ; which will deserve the ap- 
 plause of our constituents, insure the approbation of our 
 own consciences, and call down the benediction of the 
 Supreme Ruler of the Universe." 
 
 On the 11th day of February, 1828, De Witt Clinton 
 died suddenly. He had been in attendance during the 
 day in the Executive chamber, had returned home and 
 written several letters, and while in his study conversing 
 with two of his sons he complained of a stricture across 
 his breast, and almost immediately expired. 
 
 His death called forth the warmest feelings of regret 
 from all parts of the State, and of the United States ; and 
 political friends and opponents united in expressions 
 of admiration of his talents and great public services. 
 The people of New York might certainly, with great 
 cause, lament the death of him who had identified himself 
 so closely with all the great interests of the State. Apart 
 from the system of internal improvements, there is scarce- 
 ly an institution of learning or benevolence in the State 
 that he did not advocate, as a private citizen or a ruler ; 
 scarcely a movement or an enterprise for meliorating the 
 
t;-? 
 
 SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXXVll 
 
 condition of the unfortunate, or advancing the prosperity 
 of the State during his active Hfe, that he did not support 
 with his utmost personal and official character. 
 
 Few men had, however, more bitter political enemies 
 than Mr. Clinton ; and it would be worse than idle to^ 
 assert, that there v/as no cause for their animosity. He 
 had his faults of character, and he gave cause for opposi- 
 tion. That opposition and that animosity were, in some 
 instances, carried to extremes, and recoiled upon the heads 
 of their authors and abettors. Such was that hostility 
 which removed Mr. Clinton from the office of Canal Com- 
 missioner — when the people rose in their majesty, and 
 marked their displeasure by placing him in the chair of 
 state, by an overwhelming majority. When the resolu- 
 tion of the Senate directing the removal of Mr. Clinton 
 came into the Assembly, Mr. Cunningham, a member of 
 the latter body, in the course of a speech replete with 
 eloquence, observed : " When the contemptible party 
 strifes of the present day shall have passed by, and the 
 political bargainers and jugglers who now hang round this 
 capital for subsistence shall be overwhelmed and forgotten 
 in their own insignificance — when the gentle breeze shall 
 pass over the tomb of that great man, carrying with it the 
 just tribute of honor and praise, which is now withheld, 
 the pen of the future historian, in better days and in bet- 
 ter times, will do him justice, and erect to his memory a 
 proud monument of fame, as imperishable as the splendid 
 
. / 
 
 XXXVlll SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. 
 
 works which owe their origin to his genius and perse- 
 verance." 
 
 That better day has not yet arrived, though it is a 
 consolation to know that the materials for the pen of 
 the historian are abundant. The mellowing hand of time 
 has even now softened and removed most of the party and 
 political asperities of the times of De Witt Clinton. It 
 was his good fortune^that his fame rested not upon the basis 
 of party success or political triumph. His success was in 
 the efforts of talent, and genius, and perseverance in the 
 promotion of education, the diffusion of benevolence, and 
 the increase of wealth and prosperity. His triumph was 
 that of art over nature — in the creation of new channels 
 of trade, and in opening new fields of enterprise. Neither 
 his successes nor his triumphs were the results of party 
 ascendancy. In reference to the cause of internal im- 
 provements, Mr. Clinton was, doubtless, much favored by 
 an early acquaintance with the condition and prospects of 
 the central and western parts of the State. His grand- 
 father, his father, and his uncle had all been officers in the 
 Provincial army, and the two latter in the Continental 
 army, and from their position and employment, had ex- 
 tensive opportunities of becoming familiar with the na- 
 tural advantages possessed by the State for the construc- 
 tion of canals, and with the probable effect of such 
 improvements upon her trade and population. De Witt 
 ^^ Clinton did not claim to be the originator of these State 
 
SKETCH OF THE CLINTON FAMILY. XXXIX 
 
 works. But it was mainly owing to his energy and per- ^l/ 
 severance that the State entered upon that great career 
 of prosperity. In the language of one of his friends : — 
 "In the great work of internal improvement he persevered 
 through good report and through evil report, with a stead- 
 iness of purpose that no obstacle could divert ; and when 
 all the elements were in commotion around him, and even 
 his chosen associates were appalled, he alone, like Colum- 
 bus on the wide waste of waters, in his frail bark, with a 
 disheartened and unbelieving crew, remained firm, self- 
 poised and unshaken." 
 
If ma Clinton. 
 
 COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ALUMNI, MAY, 1827. 
 
 The commune vinculum, as applied by the great orator 
 of Rome to the Uberal arts and sciences, may be properly 
 extended to their votaries and cultivators, who, whenever 
 they appear and wherever they exist, are combined by 
 kmdred ties and congenial pursuits, into one great intel- 
 lectual community, denominated the Republic of Letters. 
 If this alliance is cultivated with so much zeal and with 
 such distinguished honor to its members, with how much 
 ardor must its principles be cherished, on a more limited 
 scale and with more concentrated power, by those disci- 
 ples of the same great seminary, who have derived their 
 intellectual aliment from a common parent, and who have 
 received their education from the same source ; all who are 
 assembled at this place, and on this occasion must feel the 
 full force and bow to the controlling ascendancy of this 
 sentiment ; and I know of no assemblage which is better 
 calculated to awaken the enthusiasm of our youthful days, 
 and to brighten the rays of our setting sun, than a conven- 
 tion of the members of three generations, constituted like 
 1 
 
2 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 the present, and called to sacrifice under the protecting 
 roof of our Alma Mater, at the altar of science andliterature^ 
 to recal to our recollection the transporting scenes of our 
 Collegiate lives, and to realize and renew those friendships 
 which were formed in youth, and will last as long as the 
 pulsations of the heart and the operations of memory. 
 
 In making my appearance before this enlightened and 
 respectable audience, I might with great truth find ample 
 room for apology in suggesting the little time which my 
 public avocations have left for suitable preparation, but I 
 shall rely on your kind consideration, and I trust that you 
 will judge of me by my motives, not by my performance ; 
 and when I assure you that nothing but an ardent desire 
 to evince my respect and devotion to our Alma Mater 
 could have induced me to comply with your request, I 
 feel persuaded that you will overlook every deficiency, and 
 that, in recognizing those delightful recollections and bril- 
 liant anticipations which surround her, I shall not be deemed 
 in what I say, entirely undeserving of your regard. 
 
 The germ of our Alma Mater is noticed by William 
 Smith in his interesting continuation of our Colonial His- 
 tory, which the public spirit of our Historical Society has 
 given to the world. " This year" (1732), says the histo- 
 rian, " was the first of our public attention to the education 
 of youth ; provision was then made for the first time to- 
 support a Free School, for teaching the Latin and Greek 
 tongues and the practical branches of the Mathematics, un- 
 der the care of Mr. Alexander Malcolm, of Aberdeen, the 
 author of a treatise upon Book-keeping. The measure was 
 patronized by the Morris family, Mr. Alexander, and Mr. 
 Smith, who presented a petition to the Assembly for that 
 object. Such was the negligence of the day, that an in- 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 3 
 
 structor could not find bread from the voluntary contribu- 
 tions of the inhabitants, though our eastern neighbors had 
 set us an example of erecting and endowing colleges early 
 in the last century." 
 
 The Bill for this school, drafted by Mr. Philipse, the 
 speaker, and brought in by Mr. Delancey, had this singu- 
 lar preamble : " Whereas, the youth of this Colony are 
 found, by manifold experience, to be not inferior in their 
 natural geniuses to the youth of any other country in the 
 world, therefore be it enacted, &c.'' It appears that at that 
 early period, it was thought necessary to vindicate our 
 country against the degenerating and debasing qualities 
 which have been since so liberally imparted to it by Buf- 
 fum, and De Rue, Raynal, and Robertson. A legislative 
 declaration, however anomalous, was certainly a sufficient 
 refutation of the flimsy philosophy that brought forward the 
 accusation ; and as manifold experience was opposed to 
 visionary speculation, the capacity of the inhabitants of 
 New York for education was put into a train of high pro- 
 bation, which has terminated in the most pleasing results. 
 Permit me to say, that I cannot reconcile the sensibility 
 which we have manifested under such vituperations with 
 the respect which we owe to our country. Charges so un- 
 founded are beneath the dignity of refutation ; and the 
 country which has been called the land of swamps, of yel- 
 low fever, and universal suffrage, requires no advocate but 
 truth, and no friend but justice, to place it on the highest 
 elevation of triumphant vindication. 
 
 This praiseworthy measure was the harbinger of more 
 enlarged views and more elevated establishments after 
 many struggles. After much controversy about the site 
 and the organization of a college, involving sectional and 
 
DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 local considerations, and referring to party combinations, 
 a charter for King's College in this city, was granted in 
 1754, upon a liberal franchise. In four years afterwards, 
 it was sufficiently matured for the conferring of degrees. 
 The city of New York did not contain at that period, ten 
 thousand inhabitants, and the population of the whole colo- 
 ny did not exceed half the present population of this city. 
 The Faculty of Arts was composed of very able men, and 
 we find among the names of the medical profession, persons 
 who would even in the present improved and exalted state 
 of that profession, rank amongst its most distinguished 
 members. The civil war, which terminated in American 
 Independence, broke up this institution after a brief ex- 
 istence of eighteen years, during which time about one 
 hundred initiatory degrees were conferred, and on a rapid 
 inspection of the printed catalogue with a very limited 
 knowledge of the persons mentioned in it, I am persuaded 
 that the truth of the legislative act is irresistibly estabUshed, 
 and that in no period of time, nor in any country has an 
 institution existed so fertile of enlightened, able, and 
 talented men, within so small a portion of time and in such 
 a small population. 
 
 Among the celebrated Divines, we perceive the names of 
 
 Samuel Provost, Samuel Seabury, Benjamin Moore, Isaac 
 
 Wilkins, and John Verdill. The first three have attained 
 
 the honors of the miter, and have always ranked high as 
 
 profound scholars. Wilkins was a distinguished writer at 
 
 the commencement of the Revolution, and the publications 
 
 ascribed to his pen have the stamp of genius and capacity. 
 
 Verdill was a professor of Natural Law, History, and 
 
 Languages in the college in which he was educated, and 
 
 was also noted for his witty effiisions on the side of roy- 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 
 
 alty. The best imitator of Butler has incorporated their 
 names in his McFingall, as fit subjects for retahation. 
 
 Among the enlightened Jurists sprung from this Semi- 
 nary, we recognise with pride and pleasure, John Jay, Ro- 
 bert R. Livingston, Governeur Morris, Richard Harrison, 
 Peter Van Schaick, and Robert Troup. The first three 
 were distinguished in the public councils at the com- 
 mencement of the Revolution. Livingston was one of the 
 committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, 
 and a man of various knowledge and splendid eloquence. 
 Jay took a leading part in the celebrated State Papers 
 which emanated from the first Congress, and which drew 
 forth the following panegyric from the great Chatham : 
 " When your lordships look at the papers transmitted to 
 us from America, when you consider their decency, firm- 
 ness, and wisdom, you cannot but respect their cause and 
 wish to make it your own. For myself, I must declare 
 and avow, that in all my reading and observation, and it 
 has been my favorite study (I have read Thucydides and 
 have studied and admired the master States of the world), 
 that for solidity of reasoning, force of sagacity, and wis- 
 dom of conclusion, under such a complication of difficult 
 circumstances, no nation or body of men can stand in 
 preference to the general Congress at Philadelphia."* Jay, 
 Livingston, and Morris, were among the most active and 
 enlightened members that formed the first State Constitu- 
 
 * Dr. Samuel Johnson, the Colossus of British Literature and a 
 man of gigantic mind, undertook to answer the address of Congress. 
 Compare this work entitled " Taxation no Tyranny" with the publi- 
 cations it pretended to answer— how great the contrast— the Giant 
 dwindles into a Dwarf, and American talent shines with proud supe- 
 riority above. 
 
6 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 tion. The former was our first Chief- Justice, and a charge 
 of his in that character to a Grand Jury of Ulster County- 
 is, perhaps, one of the most able and impressive papers pub- 
 lished in those eventful times. Morris's intellectual cha- 
 racter was distinguished by versatile and great qualities — 
 his colloquial powers were unrivalled — at the Bar or in 
 the Senate he was pre-eminent — he united wit, logic, pa- 
 thos, and intelligence, and he wielded the passions and 
 feelings of his audience at pleasure. Harrison and Van 
 Schaick are still with us ; and as I despise flattery of the 
 living as much as I do gilding over the tombs of the de- 
 parted, I shall say nothing that can subject me to the for- 
 mer imputation when I say, that no country can produce 
 two men more deeply versed in classic lore or more pro- 
 foundly acquainted with law. Troup was a meritorious 
 soldier of the Revolution, and his transition from the camp 
 to the bar has detracted nothing from his well-earned 
 claims to respect. Alexander Hamilton, so well known 
 for his great talents, was also a student of this college be- 
 fore the Revolution, and before he could attain its honors 
 it was broken up. Although greatly attached to the learn- 
 ed President, Dr. Cooper, yet he had at that, as at all other 
 times, the independence to think and act for himself And 
 he differed from his friend and wrote an article in favor 
 of American Liberty. At that time the peace of the city 
 was troubled by the conflicts of contending parties, and 
 when an assemblage, greatly enraged at the anti-revolu- 
 tionary course of President Cooper, collected before this 
 building and had marked him out as an object of aggres- 
 sion, Hamilton placed himself in the gap between the peo- 
 ple and his preceptor, addressed the former from the ves- 
 tibule of this building, and delayed their measures until the 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 
 
 latter had time to escape from their fury. The poetical 
 effusion ascribed to the President on this occasion, reflects 
 great honor on his sensibility and genius, and commends, 
 in appropriate strains, the merits of his friend and pupil. 
 
 It may be said of learning as of law, " Inter arma, leges 
 silent," — in the clash of contending armies and amid the 
 groans of the wounded and the dying, the interests of edu- 
 cation are sacrificed — the pacific virtues take their flight 
 from the earth — the olive is stained with human blood, 
 and the sanguinary laurel is the emblem and the reward 
 of imputed greatness. This edifice was for many years a 
 hospital for the British army ; and when for the first time 
 I visited the venerable building, it was just abandoned in 
 that state. The genius of calamity and desolation appear- 
 ed to have taken possession of its apartments ; its floors 
 were strewed with medical prescriptions, its walls were 
 tinged with blood, and every echo of your passing foot- 
 steps sounded to the perturbed imagination like the mur- 
 murs of the dying or the complaints of departed spirits. 
 During the Revolutionary War, education was almost to- 
 tally lost sight of. An academy at Kingston was, I believe, 
 the only seminary in the State, and almost all the young 
 men desirous of classical education resorted to that useful 
 institution. 
 
 Having thus, like Grey the poet, taken a distant view 
 of our Alma Mater, we are able, as we approach the times 
 in which we live, and can refer to events and scenes with- 
 in our recollection, to institute a more accurate inspec- 
 tion, and to develop the characters and measures con- 
 nected with its history, gratifying at once to our pride 
 and filial affection. And I trust that whether we look at 
 the qualities of our parent, in the aggregate or in detail, at 
 
8 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 a distance or at near approach, we will have reason to 
 say — 
 
 " Not more rever'd the hallow"d bow'rs, 
 
 Where Truth distiU'd from Plato's honeyed tongue, 
 Nor those fair scenes where TuUy's happier hours 
 In philosophic leisure fled along." 
 
 As soon as the War of Independence terminated, the at- 
 tention of the statesmen and patriots, who had conducted 
 us triumphantly through the storms of the revolution, was 
 turned to the revival of letters, the restoration of the lights 
 of education, and the establishment of the Temple of Li- 
 berty upon the foundation of knowledge. In 1784, a Board 
 was instituted, denominated the Regents of the Univer- 
 sity, with a superintending and visitorial power over Co- 
 lumbia College, and all future colleges and academies in- 
 corporated by that body. This Board was composed of 
 the principal officers of Government and various distin- 
 guished citizens. On the 17th of May of that year, the 
 first student was admitted into Columbia College, under 
 the new order of things. The Regents of the University 
 attended the examination in person, so important at that 
 period did the Fathers of the Republic consider it, to coun- 
 tenance the incipient efforts in favor of intellectual im- 
 provement. I may say, I trust without the imputation of 
 egotism, that I was the first student and among the first 
 graduates of this our Alma Mater on its revival ; and I shall 
 never forget the reverential impression made on my youth- 
 ful mind, by the condescension and devotion to education 
 of the great men who, at that time, presided over the inte- 
 rests of the University. In the course of a few months 
 our numbers were increased. Instructors were appointed, 
 and apartments in the old City Hall were provided for 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 9 
 
 the temporary accommodation of the College, until it was 
 rendered fit for our reception. No President was appoint- 
 ed for some years afterwards ; and in the meantime it was 
 thought expedient to resort to Europe, and William Coch- 
 ran, a native of Ireland, and an Alumnus of Trinity Col- 
 lege, was appointed a professor of the Greek and Latin 
 languages ; and John Kemp, a graduate of Aberdeen Col- 
 lege, professor of Mathematics, and afterwards of Natural 
 Philosophy. Cochran, although an admirable scholar, 
 was at first disliked for hauteur of demeanor, which, in 
 course of time, was softened down into the courteous be- 
 havior of an accomplished gentleman. Kemp was sud- 
 denly transferred from the monastic seclusions of a col- 
 lege life to the busy and arduous engagements of profes- 
 sor ; and he was called upon to act with little experience 
 of the world, with a total ignorance of the American 
 character, and before the angular points and rough pro- 
 tuberances of a scholar were smoothed down by an in- 
 tercourse with the world. His great science sustained 
 him under this load of difficulties, and his popularity and 
 usefulness increased with the progress of time. The Rev. 
 Dr., afterwards Bishop Moore, was appointed professor of 
 Rhetoric and Logic ; and the composition and delivery of 
 his lectures were received with more than usual interest, 
 and with the most respectful attention. All who ap- 
 proached him were enchanted with the sincerity of his 
 manners and with the dignity of his conduct. And few 
 men ever possessed a more controling ascendency over 
 the hearty of his pupils. The Rev. Dr. Gross, a native of 
 Germany, who had received a finished education in her 
 celebrated schools, was a professor of the German language 
 and Geography, and afterwards a professor of Moral Phi- 
 
10 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 losophy. He had migrated to this country before the 
 Revolution and settled near the banks of the Mohawk, in 
 a frontier country, peculiarly exposed to irruptions from 
 Canada and the hostile Indians. When war commenced, 
 he took the side of America ; and, enthroned in the hearts 
 of his countrymen, and distinguished for the courage 
 which marks the German character, he rallied the de- 
 sponding, animated the wavering, confirmed the doubtful, 
 and encouraged the brave to more than ordinary exer- 
 tion. With the Bible in one hand and the sword in the 
 other, he stood forth in the united character of patriot 
 and Christian, vindicating the liberties of mankind ; and 
 amidst the most appalling dangers and the most awful 
 vicissitudes, like the red cross Knight of the Fairy Queen, 
 
 " Right faithful true he was in deed and word." 
 
 This venerable man has long since descended to the 
 tomb. He was' almost idolized by his pupils while hving, 
 and he is now embalmed in their hearts. His lectures 
 on ]Moral Philosophy were substantially sound and useful, 
 although tinctured with the metaphysical subtleties of 
 Leibnitz and Wolfe, from whom he derived the substra- 
 tum of his system. If my memory serves me, it was de- 
 duced from two principles : one denominated the princi- 
 ple of sufficient reason, and the other the principle of 
 contradiction. The foundation was perhaps too feeble 
 for the edifice, and the conclusions more solid than the 
 premises. And when the lecturer undertook to inculcate 
 the comfortable doctrine, that this is the best possible 
 world — a doctrine borrowed from Leibnitz, recognized by 
 Pope in his Essay on Man, and referred to by Voltaire 
 in his Optimist — we can, at this distance of time, dis- 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 11 
 
 tinctly recollect, that although not received with implicit 
 acquiescence, it did not derogate from the profound re- 
 spect of his audience. 
 
 Dr. Samuel Bard, an eminent physician, and who had 
 been professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine 
 under the Royal Charter, undertook to fill, temporarily, 
 the ofiice of professor of Natural Philosophy and Astro- 
 nomy. His professional engagements were numerous 
 and arduous, and years had elapsed since he had been 
 conversant in these sciences ; he, therefore, commenced 
 under peculiar disadvantages, and solely and exclusively 
 to aid the interests of education. The abstractions of a 
 mind thus deeply engaged, were frequently misunderstood ; 
 and it was some time before his amiable character was 
 fully developed, and before he occupied that place to 
 which he was entitled in the love and esteem of his dis- 
 ciples. But as long as literature has a friend, and science 
 an advocate, the name of Samuel Bard will be identified 
 with some of the best and wisest measures to spread 
 the benefits of the healing art, to diffuse the lights of 
 knowledge, and to subserve the essential interests of our 
 country. 
 
 Under the guidance of these eminent professors, our 
 Alma Mater lifted up her head and flourished. In course 
 of time, Peter Wilson was installedjas professor of the 
 Greek and Latin languages. His abilities as a teacher, 
 his profound and critical knowledge of classical literature, 
 his revered character, were the accompaniments of great 
 prosperity to the College ; and the improvements engrafted 
 into this important department, have furnished perhaps 
 the best school for a knowledge of the learned languages 
 on this side of the Atlantic. 
 
12 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 It would perhaps be an unpardonable omission, not to 
 state that Dr. Henry Moyes was also appointed professor 
 of Natural History and Chemistry, although he never 
 officiated in the College. As a lecturer, he was exceed- 
 ingly popular, and although blind from his birth, his ma- 
 nipulations were wonderfully accurate. He came to this 
 country with the new lights of Chemistry, discovered by 
 Black, Priestley, Cavendish, and Lavosiere. 
 
 He adhered, however, to the nomenclature of Chemis- 
 try in its imperfect state, as originally adopted by Priest- 
 ley. But he has the singular merit of sowing the first 
 seeds of this science in this country, redeemed from the 
 follies of alchemy, the visions of elixirs and transmuta- 
 tions, and founded on the experimental science of Bacon, 
 the chief of modern philosophers. 
 
 In 1787, an important change took place in the organi- 
 zation of the University. The Regents were divested of 
 the immediate government of the colleges and academies, 
 which was intrusted to distinct Boards of Trustees, and 
 this arrangement enabled the latter Boards to devote their 
 particular attention to the institutions under their care. 
 On the 11th of April, 1786, the first commencement was 
 held, and the first degrees conferred. At that time, the 
 population of this city did not amount to 24,000 persons. 
 In the course of forty years it has increased to 180,000. 
 And the population of the whole State has augmented in 
 the usual ratio of ten to one, which by a singular coinci- 
 dence, has also occurred in the cities of London and 
 Philadelphia. Our Alma Mater has been increasing in 
 numbers and extending in usefulness ; and although three 
 colleges, and perhaps forty academies, have since been 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. frS 
 
 constituted, still, as true and faithful Alumni, we are 
 bound to maintain, that ours, like the Julian star, 
 
 Micat inter omnes, 
 
 velut inter ignes, 
 
 luna minores. 
 
 Our Alma Mater has, since her origin, been embarrassed 
 by many difficulties, and has had to contend with the 
 most serious opposition. At the first institution, she had 
 to enter the lists with two excellent and pre-established 
 colleges — Yale on the one side, and Nassau Hall on the 
 other. Her endowments were disproportioned to her 
 exigencies. The controversies about our independence 
 entered into her walls, and the horn of civil discord was 
 even sounded in the retreats of science and the temples 
 of education. From the first period of her existence, she 
 was viewed with apprehension by the prying eyes of sec- 
 tarian jealousy — how improperly, we can all testify ; and 
 we also know with what shameful illiberality this spirit 
 was exerted in late years, to defeat the contemplated 
 bounty of the State. And permit me to add, and to add 
 with a most perfect contempt of unworthy prejudices 
 against foreigners, that since our professors have been 
 of native growth, our institution has experienced her 
 present fullness of prosperity. And this must not be 
 understood as proceeding from any defects of character 
 or education, but from ignorance of the American charac- 
 ter, which, like our language, is difficult to be compre- 
 hended by strangers. This knowledge is essential to per- 
 sons engaged in education ; and men, not without great 
 claims to talent and perspicacity, have resided for years 
 among us, and have remained as ignorant of our national 
 
14 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 character, as on the day of their arrival. The sturdy 
 spirit of liberty which distinguishes our youth, and the 
 precocity of manly demeanor which marks them from 
 their first advent into our schools, will not tolerate the 
 stern infliction of exotic discipline. The spirit of educa- 
 tion must be bent to the spirit of its objects, or the paths 
 of instruction will be strewed with thorns and briars. 
 The son of an American citizen will not submit to the 
 same rigor of treatment, that is inflicted on the sons of 
 vassals and subjects. Like the American lawyers de- 
 scribed by Burke, he augurs misgovernment at a distance, 
 and snuffs in the approach of tyranny in every tainted 
 breeze. 
 
 All our professors and our most respectable President, 
 are indigenous plants, and their fostering superintendence 
 and powers of instruction are felt in the flourishing state 
 of our Alma Mater. Never did she stand on higher 
 ground, with a more commanding aspect, and on a firmer 
 foundation. Her prospects are brilliant, and her numbers 
 are increasing, and will increase with the augmented 
 population of the State. In the midst of a populous city, 
 she can derive sufficient support from it alone. During 
 the last year she had under her care 127 students. The 
 three other Colleges embraced 310. 
 
 Situated at the confluence of all the great navigable 
 communications of the State, from the shores of the At- 
 lantic to the northern and western lakes, she presents 
 every facility of economical and rapid access. Placed in 
 the very focus of all the great moneyed and commercial 
 operations of America, where agriculture pours forth her 
 stores of plenty, where manufactures transmit their fa- 
 brics, where internal trade and foreign commerce delight 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. Ifit 
 
 to dwell and accumulate riches, where, in short, every 
 man that wishes to buy or to sell to advantage, will natu- 
 rally resort, what site can furnish a stronger invitation to 
 a participation in education ? Here, too, you will have 
 the most distinguished divines, the most able jurists, the 
 most skilful physicians. Here will men of science and 
 ingenious artists fix their abode, — and also talented men 
 who will devote themselves to vernacular literature. 
 Whoever wealth can tempt, knowledge allure, or the 
 delights of polished and refined society attract, will oc- 
 casionally visit or permanently reside in this great empo- 
 rium. Every inducement that an institution can present, 
 whether for the acquisition of knowledge, the refinement 
 of manners, or the exaltation of character, is here fur- 
 nished with unsparing liberality. 
 
 Unless some extraordinary visitation of calamity, dis- 
 tracts and deranges the natural current of events, and 
 blights the purest prospects of greatness, this city will, ere 
 the lapse of a century, extend itself over the whole island, 
 and cover the shores of the adjacent rivers and bays with 
 an exuberant population of more than a million, and alone 
 will furnish a correspondent number of students ; and 
 with immense means of patronage and endowments, we 
 may fondly anticipate, that before the expiration of a cen- 
 tury, Columbia College will stand upon an equal footing 
 with the most celebrated Universities of the Old World. 
 
 By the last returns, the four Colleges of the State con- 
 tained 437 students ; thirty-three incorporated academies, 
 2,440 ; and 8,144 common schools, 431,601. Add to this 
 last the number taught in private institutions, and we may 
 calculate, without the charge of exaggeration, that 460,000 
 human beings are at this hour, in this State, enjoying the 
 
16 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 benefits of education. From the apex to the base of this 
 glorious pyramid of intellectual improvement, we perceive 
 an intimacy of connection, and identity of interest, a com- 
 munity of action and reaction, a system of reciprocated 
 benefits, that cannot but fill us with joy and make us proud 
 of our country. 
 
 The National School Society of Great Britain, educates 
 but 330,000 children annually ; and there is no state or 
 country that can vie with our common school establish- 
 ment, and the number of its pupils — I wish I could add, in 
 the merits of its teaching. We want an extension of the 
 system, to higher and other objects of instruction. We 
 want a corps of educated instructors — we want gratuitous 
 instruction in our academies and colleges. The dii mino- 
 rum of learning ought to be elevated in the scale of public 
 estimation and intellectual endowment. For from their 
 hands the rude materials of the mind must receive their 
 first polish of usefulness and improvement ; and our depots 
 of general instruction, like the speaking-bird of Asiatic 
 fiction, which gathered around it all the singing-birds of I 
 the land, ought to contain all the youth of the country 
 that are fit for improvement. Like the Indicator of Or- 
 nithology, that leads the way to the collected tenantry of 
 the forest, they must and will conduct us to the higher en- 
 joyments of knowledge ; they will act to us as pioneers 
 to delights, which nothing but intellectual pursuits can 
 communicate. 
 
 With the learning taught in the ancient universities, 
 this seminary has most felicitously adapted its instruction 
 to the improvements and discoveries of modern times, and 
 has embraced the benefits of both within its comprehen- 
 sive arms. The exact sciences are sedulously attended to, 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. j-j- 
 
 as well as classical literature ; Political Economy and 
 Natural Science, are held in merited estimation. And we 
 may feel assured, even if we embark in public life that 
 sooner or later, we will feel the importance and appreciate 
 the value of our college acquisitions. When the pensioner 
 John De Witt, who was in his early life an enthusiastic 
 devotee of the Mathematics, Was tauntingly asked of 
 what use they were to him then, as, in the active scenes 
 in which he had been since engaged, he must have lost all 
 his knowledge of them ; his reply contained a volume of 
 wisdom. They have passed, said he, from my memory to 
 my judgment. When Hamilton was called on to preside 
 over the finances of the United States, he stood in the 
 same position, and he felt relieved by availing himself, in 
 his calculations, of the great science of Professor Kemp. 
 Besides, these abstract investigations strengthen the gene- 
 ral tone of the mind, teach habits of patient and deliberate ' 
 inquiry, and communicate the same vigor to the under- 
 standing, that severe exercise does to the body. 
 
 I am well aware that there is a sect in this country 
 which extends its influence, more or less, into all the rami- 
 fications of society, that explodes all kinds of knowledo-e 
 not founded on personal experience ; which inculcates that 
 Ignorance is the summum honum ; that the less one reads 
 the more he thinks, and that the less he understands, the 
 better he can act ; that education beyond the precincts of 
 common schools is allied to aristocracy, and incompatible 
 with natural equality ; and that the youth who sprino- from 
 our colleges, and who enter into the liberal professions 
 would be more serviceable to mankind, if they had been 
 confined to those habits and acquisitions which distinguish 
 the quacks, the empirics, and the charlatans of the com- 
 
18 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 munity — wiih them, Giles Jacob, the pest of grammar 
 and the blunderbuss of law, is superior to Blackstone or 
 Kent ; and the works of Buchanan or Thompson, to the 
 lucubrations of the great medical men that adorn our 
 country ; — but, above all things, that the true states- 
 man ought to be like the genuine empiric, and rely exclu- 
 sively upon his own experience and observation for his 
 chart and compass ; that he ought to be preferred if his 
 name is " nulla cognicione rerum, nulla scientia ornatus ;" 
 and that a liberal education will be a stumbling-block in 
 the way of his progress, by diverting his attention from 
 the weighty concerns of the republic, to the pursuits of 
 scientific investigation. For the honor of the country 
 the advocates of these heresies are diminishing in number, 
 and insignificant in influence ; and as our country advances 
 «» in her career of light, they will be extinguished by the 
 lustre of her radiated and reflected glory. The benefits of 
 education have been gradually rising in human estimation, 
 from those dark days when kings could not write their 
 names, to the present time. There was a period when 
 writing was confined exclusively to the clergy, and when 
 the man who could write his name was exempted from the 
 punishment of death ; and the value attached to this ac- 
 quisition is well illustrated in the Arabian tale, which ele- 
 vates an unfortunate Prince enchanted into an ape, to the 
 ofiice of a Grand Vizier of an Asiatic Sultan, on account 
 of his chirography. 
 
 That knowledge is power — that education is the citadel 
 of liberty — that national glory and prosperity consist in 
 the cultivation of the sciences, in the elevation of the 
 liberal arts, in the extension of the powers of productive 
 industry, are now considered as admitted truths and ac- 
 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE. jg 
 
 knowledged axioms. Those vampyres of the mind who 
 derive their aliment from human ignorance, are viewed in 
 their true colors ; and as a refulgent light maintains the 
 same splendor when it illumes a wider space, so does in- 
 tellectual improvement, the fountain of national greatness 
 enlarge and extend itself, without being displaced ; and 
 contrary to the general laws of nature, the wider it spreads 
 the stronger it grows. 
 
 The days of delight which sprung from our academic 
 lives, and which may be considered as intercalations of 
 felicity m our varied being of good and evil, have passed 
 away never to return. But they have left us important 
 duties to perform— duties of indispensable obligation and 
 fertile with momentous results. Let us, then, marshal our- 
 selves, like a Macedonian phalanx, in favor of our schools 
 of instruction, from the highest to the lowest. The smallest 
 effort may produce good; and, like the seed mentioned in 
 Holy Writ, although the least of all seeds, may grow up 
 among the greatest of herbs and become a tree, so that 
 the birds of the air may lodge in its branches. 
 
Intrrnnl lm|irotifmmte. 
 
 On the 5th of January, 1791, Gov. George Clinton, 
 in his Annual Message, thus first broaches the subject of 
 Internal Improvements by the State : 
 
 " Our frontier settlements, freed from apprehensions of 
 danger, are rapidly increasing and must soon yield exten- 
 sive resources for profitable commerce ; this consideration 
 forcibly recommends the pohcy of continuing to facilitate 
 the means of communication with them, as well to 
 strengthen the bands of society as to prevent the produce 
 of those fertile districts from being diverted to other 
 markets." 
 
 On the 5th of January, 1792, Gov. Clinton, in his An- 
 nual Message for that year, thus refers to this subject : 
 
 " The Legislature, at their last meeting, impressed with 
 the importance of improving the means of communication, 
 not only to the agriculture and commerce of the State, 
 but even to the influence of the laws, directed the Com- 
 missioners of the Land Office to cause the ground between 
 the Mohawk river and the Wood creek in the county of 
 Herkimer, also between the Hudson river and the Wood 
 creek, in the county of Washington, to be explored and 
 surveyed, and estimates to be formed of the expense of 
 joining those waters by canals. I now submit to you their 
 report which ascertains the practicability of effecting this 
 object at a very moderate expense, and I trust that a mea- 
 
22 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 sure so interesting to the community, will continue to com- 
 mand the attention due to its importance, and especially, 
 as the resources of the State will prove adequate to these 
 and other useful improvements without the aid of taxes." 
 
 On the 7th of January, 1794, Gov. Clinton again recurs 
 to this subject : 
 
 " The northern and w^estern companies of inland lock 
 navigation, having, agreeably to law, produced authentic 
 accounts of their expenditures, I have given the necessary 
 certificate to entitle them to receive from the Treasury the 
 sum of ten thousand pounds, as a free gift on the part of 
 this State towards the prosecution of those interesting ob- 
 jects. Although the care of improving and opening these 
 navigations be committed to private companies, they will 
 require, and no doubt from time to time receive, from the 
 Legislature, every fostering aid and patronage commensu- 
 rate to the great public advantages which must result from 
 the improvement of the means of intercourse." 
 
 Thus was foreshadowed by that sturdy old patriot, the 
 first Governor of our State, and the man who, perhaps, 
 more than any other, exerted the greatest influence upon 
 her then future destiny, that system of improvements suc- 
 cessfully carried out under the administration of his illus- 
 trious nephew. 
 
 It will be remembered that in 1789, that nephew, De 
 Witt Clinton, was appointed the private Secretary of the 
 Governor, and continued to hold that close and confiden- 
 tial relation down to 1795, and during the period of the 
 three annual meetings of the Legislature to whom the 
 Messages were addressed, from which the foregoing ex- 
 tracts are taken. That the thoughts of him who, in the 
 language of an eloquent divine of our State, " was able 
 
v 
 
 INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 23 
 
 not only to fix some impress of his mind on most of the 
 institutions under which we live, but also to grave the 
 memorial of his being on the bosom of the earth on which 
 we tread, and in lines, too, so bold and so indelible that 
 they may, and probably will, continue legible to successive 
 generations," that his thoughts were early, and even 
 then turned attentively upon this subject, there can be but 
 little doubt. 
 
 Who can tell what visions of the future crowded upon 
 the brilliant imagination of the youthful statesman, as his 
 pen copied out the Messages referred to ? In one of his 
 addresses during this period in 1794, De__Witt .Clinton 
 thus speaks : -^ 
 
 " Great improvements must also take place which far / 
 surpass the momentum of power that a single nation can 
 produce, but will with facility proceed from their united 
 strength. The hand of art will change the face of the 
 universe. Mountains, deserts, and oceans will feel its 
 mighty force. It will not then be debated whether hills 
 shall be prostrated, but whether the Alps and the Andes 
 shall be levelled ; nor whether sterile fields shall be fertil- 
 ized, but whether the deserts of Africa shall feel the power 
 of cultivation ; nor whether rivers shall be joined, but 
 whether the Caspian shall see the Mediterranean, and the 
 waves of the Pacific lave the Atlantic.'' 
 
 The act authorizing the construction of the canals by 
 the State was passed in 1817, and the work commenced 
 on the 4th of July in that year. De Witt Clinton was 
 first elected Governor in 1817, and on the 28th of January, 
 1818, delivered his first Message, of which the following is 
 an extract : 
 
 "I congratulate you upon the auspicious commence- 
 
/ 
 
 24 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 ment and successful progress of the contempfeted water 
 communication between the great western and northern 
 lakes, and the Atlantic ocean. Near sixty miles of the 
 Western Canal have been contracted for, to be finished 
 within the present year ; and it is probable that the whole 
 of the Northern Canal will be disposed of in the same 
 manner before the ensuing spring. 
 
 " Notwithstanding the unfavorable season, the inexpe- 
 rience of the contractors, and the late commencement of 
 operations, it is understood that the work to the extent of 
 fifteen miles has already been done on the Western Canal. 
 And it is confidently believed that the aggregate expense 
 will be within the estimates of the commissioners. The 
 enhancement of the profits of agriculture, the excitement 
 of manufacturing industry, the activity of internal trade, 
 the benefits of lucrative traffic ; the interchange of valu- 
 able commodities — the commerce of fertile, remote, and 
 wide- spread regions, and the approximation of the most 
 distant parts of the Union, by the facility and rapidity of 
 communication that will result from the completion of 
 these stupendous works, will spread the blessings of plenty 
 and opulence to an immeasurable extent. The resources 
 of the State are fully adequate without extraneous aid ; 
 and when we consider that every portion of the nation 
 will feel the animating spirit and vivifying influences of 
 these great works ; that they will receive the benediction 
 of posterity and command the approbation of the civilized 
 world ; we are required to persevere by every dictate of 
 interest, by every sentiment of honor, by every injunction 
 of patriotism, and by every consideration which ought to 
 influence the councils and govern the conduct of a free, 
 high-minded, enlightened, and magnanimous people." 
 
CANAL JOURNAL. 25 
 
 In his Message of 1826, he thus speaks of their comple- 
 tion : 
 
 *'In 1818 I had the pleasure to congratulate the Legis- 
 lature on the auspicious commencement and successful 
 progress of the contemplated water communication be- 
 tween the great western and northern lakes and the At- 
 lantic ocean, and I now have the peculiar gratification to 
 felicitate you on their completion. On the 26th of October 
 last, the Western Canal was in a navigable state, and vessels 
 passed from Lake Erie to the Atlantic ocean. In about 
 eight years, artificial communications, near 428 miles in 
 length, have been opened to the Hudson River from Lake 
 Champlain by the Northern Canal ; to Lake Ontario by the 
 Oswego River and the Western Canal ; and to Lake Erie 
 and the other western lakes by the latter (^anal — thus af- 
 fording an extent of inland navigation unparalleled in the 
 experience of mankind. The expense of these works and 
 of some auxiliary, connected, and incidental operations, 
 amounts to $9,130,373 80, exclusive of interest paid on 
 loans." 
 
 Thus the vision of 1794 was substantially realized. The 
 Caspian had not seen the Mediterranean, nor had the 
 waters of the Pacific flowed into the Atlantic ; but he 
 had lived to see results equally important. The energies 
 and resources of a single State, chiefly directed by his own 
 far-seeing policy, had united the waters of our inland seas 
 with those of the Atlantic. The writer remembers well 
 the celebration of that event, for it was then that he first 
 saw De Witt Clinton. He had just entered Union Col- 
 lege at Schenectady, and in the fall of 1825, stood with his 
 College companions upon the banks of the canal in that 
 City, when Governor Clinton landed from the boat in which 
 
26 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 he had passed in triumph from Lake Erie. Allusion is 
 made to this circumstance because it was at Schenectady, 
 as the reader of the following journal will perceive, that 
 Mr. Clinton and his associate Commissioners in July, 
 1810, set sail upon the dangerous Mohawk. 
 
 The most casual observer cannot fail to notice the 
 mighty changes which the forty succeeding years have 
 produced. The western wilderness has literallylbudded and 
 blossomed, and brought forth much fruit. The State of 
 New York has taken her proud position at the head of 
 the Confederacy, and counts her population by millions. 
 Her gigantic Internal Improvements have realized the most 
 sanguine anticipations of their early projectors, and while 
 they have proved sources of great wealth to us, have also 
 furnished models for our sister States — and Jia;ve diffused 
 their influence over vast regions, where in 1810 the wild 
 beast made its lair, and the wandering savage found his 
 home and his grave. 
 
 The traveler, as he now passes up the valley of the 
 Mohawk with almost the lightning's speed, can hardly 
 realize the slow and tedious journeyings of our fathers. 
 
 The following pages contain the interesting private 
 Journal of Mr. Clinton in 1810. 
 
Mb fmk Canal lotirnal— 1810. 
 
 In consequence of representations from the Western 
 Inland and Lock Navigation Company, and from a great 
 number of citizens of Albany, Schenectady, Utica, and 
 other places interested in the internal trade of the State, 
 Commissioners were appointed by the Legislature to ex- 
 plore the country between the Lakes and the navigable 
 waters of the Hudson, and to report upon the most eligible 
 route for a water communication. It was suggested by 
 those representations, as a point deserving of particular 
 attention, that the commerce of the country was diverted 
 in a great degree to Canada. The very able report of 
 Mr. Secretary Gallatin, and the excellent speech of Col. 
 Porter, on the facilitation of the means of communication 
 by canals and roads, had awakened the public attention 
 and excited the public solicitude to that all-important ob- 
 ject. The resolution of the Legislature appointing Com- 
 missioners passed without opposition, the violence of 
 party feelings having yielded to great considerations of 
 national policy ; and, as it fully explains the objects of the 
 appointment, I shall give it at length : 
 
 " State of Neav York : 
 
 " In Senate, March 13, 1810. 
 " Whereas, the agricultural and commercial interests of 
 this State require, that the inland navigation from Hud- 
 
28 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 son's river to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie be improved 
 and completed on a scale commensurate to the great ad- 
 vanta'Tes derived from the accomplishment of that impor- 
 tant object ; and whereas, it is doubtful whether the re- 
 sources of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company 
 are equal to such improvements, Therefore 
 
 " Resolved, (if the Honorable the Assembly concur here- 
 in), That Governeur Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, 
 De Witt CUnton, Simeon De Witt, William North, Thomas 
 Eddy, and Peter B. Porter, be and they are hereby appointed 
 Commissioners for exploring the whole route, examining the 
 present condition of the said navigation, and considering 
 what further improvements ought to be made therein; 
 that they be authorized to direct and procure such surveys 
 as to them shall appear necessary and proper, in relation 
 to the object, and that they report thereon to the Legisla- 
 ture at their next session, presenting a full view of the 
 subjects referred to them, with their estimates and opinions 
 thereon. 
 
 " And Whereas, numerous inhabitants of the counties of 
 Oneida, Madison, and Onondaga, have by their petitions 
 represented, that by reason of the spring freshets the On- 
 ondaga Lake is usually raised so high, as to inundate large 
 tracts of land adjacent thereto, which are thereby rendered 
 unfit for cultivation, and highly injurious to the health of 
 the neighboring inhabitants, and that the said evils may 
 be remedied by removing a bar and deepening the channel 
 of the outlet of the said Lake, Therefore 
 
 " Resolved, (if the Honorable the Assembly concur here- 
 in). That the Commissioners above-named be and they 
 are hereby directed to examine the subject of the said pe- 
 titions, and to report to the Legislature their opinion as to 
 
t 
 
 PRIVATE JOURNAL. 29 
 
 the practicability, the expense, and the effects of removing 
 the bar and deepening the channel at the outlet of the 
 said Lake. 
 
 " By order, 
 
 "S. VisscHER, Clerk. 
 
 "In Assembly, March 15, 1810. 
 " Resolved, That this House do concur with the Honor- 
 able the Senate, in the preceding resolutions. 
 
 " J. V. Ingen, Clerk." 
 
 By the Supply Bill, $3,000 were appropriated to defray- 
 ing the expenses of the Board of Commissioners. 
 
 Messrs. Morris, Porter, Eddy, and myself, met in New 
 York, and agreed to meet the other Commissioners at Al- 
 bany, on the second of July, in order to proceed to the 
 execution of the duties assigned to us. Mr. Eddy was 
 appointed Secretary and Treasurer of the Board, and di- 
 rected to inform the absent Commissioners of this arrange- 
 ment. We were anxious to avail ourselves of the pro- 
 fessional knowledge of Mr. Latrobe ; but this was strenu- 
 ously opposed by Mr. Morris, and the Surveyor-General 
 was authorized to employ such surveyor as he might think 
 necessary. 
 
 On the 30th of June, 1810, 1 left New York for Albany 
 in the steamboat, in company with Mr. Eddy, his son, and 
 Mr. Osgood's son and nephew. A servant by the name 
 of Thomas Smyth, whom I had engaged to attend me, 
 and to whom I paid a month's wages in advance, disap- 
 pointed me, and in waiting for him I had nearly lost my 
 passage. The weather was warm, and the boat crowded. 
 
30 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 We arrived at Albany before daylight on Monday morning, 
 and put up at Gregory's tavern. 
 
 A meeting of the Commissioners was held according to 
 appointment, at the Surveyor-General's office, and all were 
 present except Col. Porter, who did not arrive until even- 
 ing. It appeared that Mr. De Witt had engaged Mr. 
 Geddes to attend us as surveyor from Utica. Morris and 
 Van Rensselaer agreed to make the jaunt by land ; the 
 other Commissioners determined to proceed by water. 
 Mr. Morris was to be accompanied by his wife, and Mr. 
 Sharpless, a painter ; and Mr. Van Rensselaer by his 
 brother-in-law, Mr. Patterson. General North was to take 
 boat with us at Utica. 
 
 We employed ourselves in laying up the necessary 
 stores for our voyage, having previously drawn from the 
 Treasury SI 500, in favor of Mr. Eddy. A mattrass, 
 blanket, and pillow, were purchased for each Commission- 
 er ; but we unfortunately neglected to provide ourselves 
 with marquees and camp-stools, the want of which we 
 sensibly experienced. 
 
 : ; On the 3d July, we set out in carriages for Schenectady, 
 imd put up at Powell's Hotel. We found that Mr. Eddy 
 had neglected to give directions about providing boats, 
 and that Mr. Walton, the undertaker, who is extensively 
 engaged in transporting commodities and merchandize up 
 and down the river, had notice of our wishes only yester- 
 day. He was very busy in making the requisite prepara- 
 tions. He had purchased a batteaux, and had hired another 
 for our baggage. It being necessary to caulk and new 
 paint the boats — to erect an awning for our protection 
 against the rain and sun, and to prepare a new set of 
 sails, we had no very sanguine hope of gratifying our earnest 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 31 
 
 desire to depart in the morning, although we exerted every 
 nerve to effect it. 
 
 July 4th. On consulting v^ith Mr. Walton about our de- 
 parture, he informed us that this being a day of great fes- 
 tivity, it would be almost impracticable to drag the men 
 away. We saw some of them, and found them willing to 
 embark as soon as the boats were ready, and we therefore 
 pressed the workmen with great assiduity. 
 
 The true reason for this anxiety, was the dullness of the 
 place. Imagine yourself in a large country village, with- 
 out any particular acquaintance, and destitute of books, 
 and you will appreciate our situation. Schenectady, al- 
 though dignified with the name of a city, is a place of little 
 business. It has a Bank, a College, and Court-house, and 
 a considerable deal of trade is carried on through the Mo- 
 hawk ; and all the roads which pass to the westward on 
 the banks of that river necessarily go through this place. 
 A great portion of the crowd that visit the Mineral Springs 
 at Ballston and Saratoga also visit Schenectady. With 
 all these advantages it does not appear pleasing, and we 
 endeavored to fill up the gloomy interval between this 
 time and our departure, by viewing the pageantry which 
 generally attends this day. 
 
 There were two celebrations, and two sets of orators — 
 one by the city and one by the College. The feuds be- 
 tween the burghers of Oxford and Cambridge, and the 
 students of those Universities, appear to be acted over 
 here. In the procession of the students, we saw a Wash- 
 ington Benevolent Society, remarkable neither for num- 
 bers nor respectability. The President was a Scotch- 
 man, of the name of Murdoch, and certainly not a warm 
 Whig during the war. 
 
32 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 This place is known in history as the scene of a terrible 
 massacre. On the 9th of February, 1690, it was destroyed 
 by a party of French and Indians from Canada, and its 
 inhabitants murdered. It then contained a church and 
 forty-three houses. Those that escaped would have per- 
 ished in a violent snow-storm, had they not providentially 
 met sleighs from Albany, which of course returned imme- 
 diately with them. This account has reached us by tra- 
 dition, and was given to us by Henry Glen, Esq., an old 
 inhabitant. 
 
 On receiving information that our batteaux were ready, 
 we embarked at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Our boat 
 was covered with a handsome awning and curtains, and 
 well provided with seats. The Commissioners who em- 
 barked in it, were De Witt, Eddy, Porter, and myself ; and 
 the three young gentlemen before-mentioned also accom- 
 panied us. The Captain's name was Thomas B. Clench, 
 and we were provided with three men. Freeman, Van In- 
 gen, and Van Slyck. In our consort, were the Captain, 
 named Clark, three hands, three servants, and about a ton 
 and a-half of baggage and provisions. We called, ludi- 
 crously at first, our vessel the Eddy, and the baggage- 
 boat the Morris. What was jest became serious and 
 when our batteaux were painted at Utica, these names 
 were doubly inscribed on the sterns in legible characters. 
 
 A crowd of people attended us at our embarkation, who 
 gave us three parting cheers. The wind was fair, and 
 with our handsome awning, flag flying, and large sail, fol- 
 lowed by another boat, we made no disreputable appear- 
 ance. We discovered that our mast was too high, and 
 our boat being without much ballast, we were not well 
 calculated to encounter heavy and sudden gusts. These 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 33 
 
 boats are not sufficiently safe for lake navigation, although 
 they frequently venture. A boat went from this place to 
 the Missouri in six weeks. The river was uncommonlv 
 low Goods to the value of $50,000 were detained in 
 Walton s warehouses, on account of the difficulty of trans- 
 portation. After sailing a couple of miles, a bend of the 
 river brought the wind in our faces. Our men took to 
 their poles, and pushed us up against a rapid current with 
 great dexterity, and great muscular exertion. The ap- 
 proach of evening, and the necessity of sending back to 
 bchenectady for some things that were left, induced us to 
 come to, for the night, at Willard's tavern, on the south 
 bank of the river, and three miles from the place of de- 
 parture. 
 
 This tavern is in the 3d ward of the city of Schenec- 
 tady. In the election of 1809, the first after the esta- 
 blishment of the county, a great disproportion was disco- 
 vered between the Senatorial and Assembly votes, which 
 could not be accounted for on fair principles. A greater 
 number of persons testified that they had voted for the 
 Kepubhcan candidates, than there were ballots in the box • 
 and there could not be the least doubt, but that Republi- 
 can tickets had been taken from the box, and Federal 
 ones substituted. This tavern was located as the scene 
 of the fraud. The boxes were kept here one night, and it 
 IS said, locked up in a bureau, left there for the express 
 purpose, as it is supposed. The tavern-keeper and some 
 other accomplices, perpetrated the atrocious deed. The 
 present incumbent looks as if he were capable of anv 
 miquity of the kind. 
 
 The south road leads in front of the house. While 
 here, we had an opportunity of seeing the pernicious ef- 
 
34 DE WITT CLINTON, 
 
 fects of these festivals, in the crowds of drunken, quarrel- 
 some people, who passed by. Among other disgusting 
 scenes, we saw several young men riding Jehu-like to the 
 tavern, in a high state of intoxication, and their leader 
 swinging his hat, and shouting, " Success to Federalism." 
 A simple fellow handed me a handbill containing the ar- 
 rangements for the procession, and was progressing in his 
 famiUarities with the rest of the company, when he was 
 called off by the landlord, who, in a stern voice, said 
 " Come away, Dickup ;" and poor Dickup, alias thick- 
 head, immediately obeyed. 
 
 July 5th. We rose with the sun, expecting to start -ak 
 that time, but we were detained by our Captain, who had 
 gone to Schenectady, until nine o'clock. The high wind 
 then subsided, and it had rained considerably in the night. 
 In the rear of the house, we ascended a high and perpen- 
 dicular hill, from whence we had a delightful view of 
 Schenectady, and the flat lands forming the valley of the 
 Mohawk. 
 
 The advertisements in the tavern indicated attention to 
 manufactures. Two machines, for preparing and carding 
 wool and cotton, were announced as ready for operation. 
 
 In the course of the day we passed three boats and a 
 raft. The general run in going to Utica, and returning 
 to Schenectady, is nine days. One of the boats was from 
 Utica, and could carry ten tons. 
 
 We had with us Wright's Map of the Mohawk, made 
 from an actual survey at the expense of the Canal Com- 
 pany. This map exhibited the distances, the names of 
 places, the rapids, rifts, and currents, with great accuracy, 
 and was singularly useful. 
 
 Between fifteen and sixteen miles from Schenectadv, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 35 
 
 we passed the first settlement made by Sir William John- 
 son, in this country. It is handsomely situated on the 
 right bank of the river, and must have been selected by 
 him on account of its vicinity to the Mohawk Castle. 
 There is here, a handsome two-story brick house, which 
 was recently owned by one Stanton. He had but two 
 daughters, who were courted by a carpenter and mason. 
 He withheld his consent until they had erected this house. 
 Like Jacob, they undertook the service ; and the death of 
 the old man has placed them in the building made by their 
 hands. 
 
 In dried mullen stalks we discovered young bees in a 
 chrysalis state, deposited there by the old ones, and used 
 as a nest. We also saw, on the banks of the river, the 
 shell of the common fresh water muscle. 
 
 About sixteen miles from Schenectady, we saw, on the 
 left bank of the river, a curious specimen of Indian paint- 
 ing. On an elevated rock was painted a canoe, with seven 
 warriors in it, to signify that they were proceeding on a 
 war expedition. This was executed with red ochre, and 
 has been there for upwards of half a century. 
 
 We dined on board the boat, and, after a hard day's 
 work, arrived at Cook's tavern, on the north side of the 
 river, about 8 o'clock, p.m. The wind was violently 
 adverse, the rapids frequent and impetuous. The Morris 
 staid about a mile behind, which was no favorable indi- 
 cation. 
 
 Sir William Johnson had a son and two daughters by a 
 German woman, with whom he cohabited. The son, Sir 
 John, succeeded him in his title, and now resides in Canada. 
 One of his daughters married Guy Johnson, the other Col. 
 Claus, whose estates were confiscated. Sir William gave 
 
36 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 each of his sons-in-law a mile square on the river, and 
 built for them spacious and, in that time, magnificent stone 
 houses, with suitable out-buildings. Cook's tavern was 
 called Guy Park, and belonged to Guy Johnson. The 
 plkce was sold by the Commissioners of Forfeitures, and 
 is now owned by John V. Henry, Esq., of Albany, who 
 rents it for $500 a-year. The house is well kept. 
 
 July Gth. Started at 5 o'clock. About nineteen miles 
 from Schenectady, passed the former seat of Sir William 
 Johnson, on the north bank of the river. It is now used 
 as a tavern. After he erected Johnson Hall, at Johns- 
 town, and resided there, this house was occupied by his 
 son. It is a large, double, two-story stone building, with 
 two stone offices, and other elegant appurtenances. In 
 those days it must have been considered a superb edifice. 
 
 After breakfasting at a log house, occupied by Mrs. 
 Loucks, we proceeded on our voyage, and passed the 
 mouth of Scoharie creek, which discharges itself on the left 
 bank, about twenty-two and a half miles from Schenec- 
 tady. A fort was erected here by Gov. Hunter, the friend 
 and correspondent of Swift, and called Fort Hunter, after 
 him. On the west side of the creek, there is a beautiful 
 flat country, on which was situated the castle, or chief 
 village, of the once powerful tribe of the Mohawks. There 
 is a convenient bridge over the creek at this place. 
 
 We landed here at a fine spring, for a few moments ; and 
 in imagination I was carried back to the time, when this 
 country was occupied by roving barbarians and savage 
 beasts, when every trace of civilization and refinement 
 was excluded. The chief employment and supreme de- 
 light of the savage was to slake his thirst at the spring, to 
 gorge himself with flesh, and to plant the arrow in the 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 3? 
 
 bosom of his enemy. In course of time, he felt the power 
 of the man of Em-ope. He struggled against his arts and 
 his arms, and after the lapse of two centuries, he is banished 
 from the country which contains the bones of his fore- 
 fathers ; and the powerful nation of the Mohawks, which 
 formerly struck terror as far as the Mississippi, is now 
 dwindled down into absolute insignificance. 
 
 On our way up we passed Caughnawaga Village, which 
 is about twenty-nine miles from Schenectady, and contains 
 a church. It is pleasantly situated on the north side of 
 the river. On the south side, opposite to one Docksted- 
 der's, a wooden pitchfork was thrown at our batteaux, 
 from an elevated bank. It just passed over the boat, and 
 if it had struck it, might have killed a man. As it passed 
 close to one of the hands, they felt a proper indignation, 
 and immediately stopped the batteaux. The ruffians, who 
 were making hay on the lowlands, scampered off, and left 
 their rakes and forks to the mercy of the enraged boatmen, 
 who took their revenge in breaking them. 
 
 We lodged this night at Dewandalaer's tavern, thirty- 
 four miles from Schenectady, in Palatine, on the north 
 side of the river. This is a good although a small log 
 house. We had four beds in one room, and although the 
 cotton sheets, which are generally used in the country, 
 were not so agreeable as linen, yet we passed a comfort- 
 able night. The landlord owns a farm of 600 acres, 180 
 of which are on the Mohawk flats. About twenty years 
 ago it cost him $7.50 an acre. He had but twenty sheep. 
 We saw peas, hemp, and flax, growing in one field on 
 the lowlands. The flats must produce excellent hemp, 
 but this profitable commodity is almost entirely neglected. 
 The hard winter has proved nearly fatal to the wheat crop. 
 
38 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Land on the bottoms can rarely be purchased ; it is worth 
 $100 per acre. This place formerly belonged to Major 
 Fonda. His house was burnt by a party Indians and To- 
 ries, during the last war, who came from Canada, and swept 
 the country as low down as Tripe's Hill. Near this place 
 they were defeated by the militia. A short distance be- 
 low De Wandalaer's, you pass a remarkable rock called the 
 Nose. The mountains here are high, and are like the 
 Highlands of the Hudson on a small scale. The river 
 must have burst a passage for itself The opening of the 
 mountains exhibits sublime scenery. 
 
 I saw at this house a pamphlet written by Cheetham, 
 entitled, " The New Crisis, by an old Whig." This 
 family are, it 'seems, connected with the Van Vechtens, of 
 Albany, and the pamphlet was probably transmitted to be 
 used as a powerful political engine. 
 
 1th July. We commenced our journey at 5 o'clock ; 
 and in order to facilitate the passage of our batteaux over 
 Kater's Rapid, which extends a mile from this place, and 
 which is among the worst in the river, we walked to the 
 head of it. And here Mr. Eddy, who was complimented 
 with the title of Commodore and the conduct of expedi- 
 tion, disburthened his pocket of a towel, which he had negli- 
 gently put into it at the tavern w^here we slept, with par- 
 ticular injunctions to deliver it safely. This trifling inci- 
 dent excited some merriment ; and we were happy to 
 catch even at trifling incidents in order to beguile the 
 time, which the slowness of our progress, the sameness of 
 the scenery, and the warmth of the weather, began to 
 make tedious. 
 
 In order to furnish as much amusement as possible, we put 
 our books into a common stock, or rather into a trunk, and 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 39 
 
 appointed one of the young gentlemen keeper of the library. 
 The books, which were most extraordinary, were a treatise 
 on Magic, by Quitman (this I purchased at Albany), and 
 a pamphlet on Religion, by Mr. D. L. Dodge, a respecta- 
 ble merchant in New York, with an answer by a Clergy- 
 man, (these were furnished by Mr. Eddy). Quitman's 
 Treatise is a labored argument against Magicians, and to 
 disprove their existence. Dodge's work is principally 
 levelled against war, breathes a fanatical spirit, and is 
 completely refuted by the adversary's pamphlet. As a 
 specimen of his reasoning, take the following : — 
 
 " If a good man does not resist an assailant and sub- 
 mits to be killed, he will go to heaven. On the contrary, 
 if he kills the assailant, he may probably send a soul to 
 hell, which if spared, may be converted and saved to life 
 everlasting." 
 
 Dodge's pamphlet, weak as it is, has given him a great 
 name among the Quakers ; and, through their recommend- 
 ation, he is now a trustee of the New York Free School. 
 
 We were not, however, without other amusements. A 
 one-horse wagon, driven tandem, came up to Shephard's 
 tavern in great style, and formed an admirable burlesque 
 of the fops of our cities who sport in that style. - 
 
 Shephard's house is thirty-nine miles from Schenectady, 
 on the north side of the river, and close to Canajoharie 
 bridge, which passes over the Mohawk. It is a large 
 handsome house, dirty and unaccommodating, although 
 much frequented. Here is a small village of two or three 
 stores, two taverns, asheries for making pot and pearl 
 ashes, and about eight houses. We relished our breakfast 
 but very indifferently. The swarms of flies which assailed 
 the food, were very disgusting ; and custards which were 
 
40 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 brought on the table, mal apropos exhibited the marks of 
 that insect as a substitute for the grating of nutmeg. 
 
 At the distance of forty-two and a-half miles from 
 Schenectady, passed Fort Plain on the south side and in 
 Minden. It derives its name from a block-house which 
 was formerly erected here. There is a church near it, 
 and it is marked erroneously in Wright's map, Canajo- 
 harie. An occurrence took place, near here, during the 
 war, which excited much sensation among the supersti- 
 tious. A Tory, from Canada, was apprehended and exe- 
 cuted as a spy, in the army commanded by Gen. James 
 Clinton, His friends were gratified with his body for in- 
 terment; and when the company were assembling in a 
 cellar-kitchen, a large black snake darted through the 
 window, and ran under the coffin, and could not be found. 
 This affair made a great noise, and the superstitious Ger- 
 mans interpreted it as an omen favorable to the Whig 
 cause, considering the black snake as a devil, anxious to 
 receive his victim, and anticipating a delightful sacrifice. 
 A mile above Fort Plain, we passed under the third bridge, 
 the Schenectady one included, and a mile above this bridge 
 we passed the Lower Palatine church, on the north side 
 of the river. The Higher Palatine church is a few miles 
 higher up. 
 
 At half after one, and forty-five miles from Schenec- 
 tady, we passed a boat which left Utica yesterday, at 12 
 o'clock ; and five miles further, we overtook and passed a 
 Durham boat, with a load of eight or ten tons, which left 
 Schenectady on Tuesday for Utica. The Eddy can carry 
 but three tons. We purchased a basket of eggs, at one 
 shilling per dozen, and some fine butter, at fifteen cents per 
 pound, also nine fishes taken by a spear, weighing from one 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 41 
 
 pound to one and a-half each, and eighteen inches long, 
 for four shillings altogether. We shot a fine bittern, and 
 one of our men speared a large snapping-turtle. The 
 wind became fair for a while ; the air was cool, the 
 country pleasant, and our epicures were anticipating a 
 fine dinner on shore, when, to evince the fallacy of human 
 wishes, lo ! a black vapor, not larger than a man's hand, 
 appeared in the West, and in a short time magnified itself 
 into a dark, portentous cloud, surcharged with electrical 
 matter, and covering the western horizon. We were 
 compelled to encounter the rain-storm by coming to, un- 
 der the bank, with our curtains down, and in this situa- 
 tion we took our cold dinner and sipped our hot wine. 
 After the rain, which continued until three o'clock, the 
 thermometer stood at 81°. The thighs and fleshy parts of 
 the turtle we caught, were filled with leeches. We pur- 
 sued our voyage through a damp, disagreeable afternoon, 
 and about evening arrived at Pardee's Tavern in Man- 
 heim, on the west side of East Canada Creek. The town 
 on the south side of the river is called Oppenheim. Par- 
 dee's is fifty-one miles from Schenectady. He keeps a 
 store and excellent tavern, also the Post-office. There is 
 a bridge over the Canada Creek near his house, and the 
 Mohawk and Schenectady turnpike run close by it. Here 
 we met Jaspar Hopper and his family going to the Ball- 
 ston Springs. The house was crowded in the evening, 
 by militia on their way from a regimental inspection. 
 They conducted themselves with great decorum. Mr. 
 Pardee says that the expense of land and water trans- 
 portation is about equal, but the former is to be preferred 
 on account of its superior safety and convenience. 
 
 July 8th, Tuesday. We continued our voyage at six 
 
4^ DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 o'clock, and arrived at the Little Falls at ten. It had 
 rained the whole night, and the morning was introduced 
 by the vocal music of the woods. Thousands of birds of 
 different kinds had assembled in a grove near to Pardee's, 
 which they made to ring with their songs. The black- 
 bird and the robin appeared to be the principal performers 
 in this great concert of nature. 
 
 On our way, we were spoken to by James Cochran and 
 brother in a phaeton, and Francis A. Bloodgood and family 
 in a coach, who informed us, that our colleagues were 
 waiting for us at Utica. We passed a loaded Durham 
 boat in its descent from Utica, and fifty-six miles from 
 Schenectady we passed the house of the gallant General 
 Herkimer, who was mortally wounded at the battle of 
 Oriskany, and who died here. His house is on the south 
 side, and was protected by pickets during the war. This 
 brave man is honored in the memory and affections of his 
 country. A county, a town, and a village, are called after 
 him. He was of German descent, and the ground where 
 he received the fatal wound, was covered with the dead 
 and dying of his gallant countrymen. From his house to 
 the Little Falls, the water is deep and still. 
 
 LITTLE FALLS. 
 
 This village is built upon rocks of granite — contains 
 about thirty or forty houses and stores, and a church, to- 
 gether with mills. 
 
 As you approach the falls, the river becomes narrow' 
 and deep, and you pass through immense rocks, princi- 
 pally of granite, interspersed with limestone. In various 
 places you observe profound excavations in the rocks, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 43 
 
 worn by the agitation of pebbles in the fissures, and in 
 some places, the river is not more than twenty yards wide. 
 As you approach the western extremity of the hills, you 
 will find them about half-a-raile from top to top, and at 
 least, three hundred feet high. The rocks are composed 
 of solid granite, and many of them are thirty or forty feet 
 thick, and the whole mountain extends, at least, half-a-mile 
 from east to west. You see them piled on each other, 
 like Ossa on Pelion ; and in other places, huge fragments 
 scattered about in different directions, indicating evidently « 
 a violent rupture of the waters through this place, as if 
 they had been formerly dammed up, and had forced a pas- 
 sage through all intervening obstacles. In all directions 
 you behold great rocks exhibiting rotundities, points, and 
 cavities, as if worn by the violence of the waves or pushed 
 from their former positions. 
 
 The general appearance of the Little Falls indicates the 
 existence of a great lake above, connected with the Onei- 
 da Lake, and as the waters burst a passage here and re- 
 ceded, the flats above formed and composed several thou- 
 sand acres of the richest lands. Rome being the highest 
 point on the Lake, the passage of the waters on the east 
 side left it bare, and the Oneida Lake gradually receded 
 on the west side, and formed the great marsh or swamp 
 now composing the head waters of Wood Creek. The 
 whole appearance of the country, from the commence- 
 ment of Wood Creek to its termination in the Oneida 
 Lake, demonstrates the truth of this hypothesis. The 
 westerly and northwesterly winds drive the sand towards 
 Wood Creek, and you can distinctly perceive the con- 
 tinual alluvions increasing eastward by the accumulation 
 of sand, and the formation of new ground. Near the 
 
44 DB WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Lake you observe sand without trees — then, to the east, a 
 few scattering trees, and as 3'ou progress in that direction, 
 the woods thicken. In digging the canals in Wood Creek, 
 pine-trees have been found twelve feet deep. The whole 
 country, from the commencement to the termination of 
 Wood Creek, bears the indications of made ground. An 
 old boatman, several years ago, told Mr. De Witt, that he 
 had been fifty years in that employ, and that the Oneida 
 Lake had receded half-a-mile within his recollection. 
 -William Culbraith, one of the first settlers at Rome, was 
 arrested, in digging a well, by a large tree which he found 
 at the depth of twelve feet. This great Lake — breaking 
 down in the first place to the east, the place where its 
 waters pressed the most, and then to the west, where its 
 recession was gradual — forms an object worthy of more 
 inquiry than I had time or talent to afford. The Little 
 Falls are the Highlands in miniature ; and the Mohawk 
 here, ought to be considered as the Hudson, forcing its 
 way through the mightiest obstacles of nature. It being 
 rainy the whole day and night, after breakfasting, we con- 
 tinued here until the next morning at four o'clock, when 
 we continued our voyage. 
 
 The Mohawk and Schenectady turnpike passes through 
 this place. It is in the town of Herkimer, and at the com- 
 mencement of the locks, a line of division between 
 the counties of Montgomery and Herkimer runs. The 
 town of German Flatts is on the opposite side of the river, 
 which is connected with this place by an excellent bridge. 
 
 The proprietors of this place were originally Fin and 
 Ellis, Englishmen, who made their fortunes in this State 
 and returned to their native country. The land now belongs 
 to their heirs. They sent a clerk named John Porteus, a 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 45 
 
 Scotchman, who resided here and took care of their con- 
 cerns. He kept a store and mills. He had a daughter 
 who is married to Wm. Alexander, the principal trader of 
 this village. The lots are leased for ever at three dollars 
 per annum, and are 60 by 120 feet. Alexander being the 
 agent of the canal company, we had frequent interviews 
 with him, and were not a little entertained with the bathos 
 he attempted in his conversation. 
 
 The tavern here is kept by one Carr, and is a good one. 
 We saw here the Neio York Spectator, and a federal pa- 
 per called the American, printed in the village of Herki- 
 mer, by J. and H. Prentiss. I had the pleasure of seeing 
 my friend J. C. Ludlow, Esq., on a tour to Quebec, ac- 
 companied by Joshua Pell and Augustus Sacket. They 
 left New York on Tuesday last in the steamboat, and came 
 from Albany in the mail stage. The Inland Lock Navi- 
 gation Company was incorporated in 1792, and has a 
 capital of $450,000, of which the State owns 892,000. 
 They have five locks at the Little Falls, two at the Ger- 
 man Flatts, and two at Rome, besides their works in 
 Wood Creek. 
 
 All their improvements might now be done at less than 
 half the original expense. General Schuyler, the original 
 superintendent, was inexperienced. The locks at the Lit- 
 tle Falls were originally built of wood, which rotting, 
 stone was substituted ; and those at Rome were made of 
 brick, which not standing the frost, were replaced also by 
 stone. There is a fine stone quarry a mile and a half from 
 the Little Falls, of which the locks were made ; and they 
 were first built of wood from ignorance that the country 
 contained the stone. This quarry is no less curious than 
 valuable. The stones divide naturally as if done by tools. 
 The wooden locks here put the Company to an unnecessary 
 
46 
 
 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 expense of 50,000 dollars — 10,000 dollars a lock. An old 
 church at the German Flatts was built of stone taken from 
 that quarry, and yet this escaped the notice of the Com- 
 pany. The artificial bank of the canal was supported in 
 the inside by a dry wall which cost 15,000 dollars. This 
 is found worse than useless. It served as a sieve to carry 
 off the water and to injure the banks, and it has become 
 necessary to remove it. The bridges of the canal are so 
 low that we were obliged to take down our awning. 
 
 In one year the income of the company was 16,000 
 dollars. This, after all expenses, would have afforded a 
 dividend of 5 per cent. There never has been but one 
 dividend of 3| per cent. Alexander supposes that a mil- 
 lion dollars worth of produce may pass down the canal 
 annually, and as much up in goods. The toll is received 
 at the Little Falls by Wm. Alexander, and at Rome by 
 George Huntington. 
 
 The following amount of tolls received at the Little 
 Falls was furnished us by Mr. Alexander : — 
 
 1804, 
 
 • • • • 
 
 9,749 36 
 
 1805, 
 
 
 10,178 05 
 
 1806, 
 
 
 7,235 30 
 
 1807, 
 
 
 10,972 61 
 
 1808, 
 
 
 4,700 08 
 
 1809, 
 
 • ■ • 
 
 4,723 41 
 
 1810, as 
 
 yet. 
 
 4,313 83 
 
 The rates of toll have been reduced since 1808, in order 
 to meet the charges for transportation by land. 
 
 In April and May last there passed the falls, 151 boats. 
 In June, . • • . 91 " 
 
 242 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 47 
 
 Two boats passed through the locks in our presence — 
 one a Durham boat from Ithaca with potash, part of which 
 came from Owego. This boat draws when full loaded, 
 28 inches of water, and can carry 100 barrels of potash, 
 or 240 of flour. It paid in lockage at Rome $16 50. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 The mountain which forms the south-western extremity 
 of the Falls is very elevated and called Fall Hill. A turn- 
 pike runs at its foot adjacent to the river. This mountain 
 is the barometer of the Little Falls ; if covered with fog 
 in the morning, it invariably denotes a rainy day. 
 
 In entering from the east into the narrow part of the 
 river at the Little Falls, we saw on the north side large 
 holes dug, which we were told were made by money- 
 seekers from Stone Arabia. 
 
 We saw excellent window-glass made in a factory in 
 Oneida, and japanned and plain tin-ware is made for 
 wholesale and retail in this place. The rainy weather 
 induced me to procure thicker stockings ; for a pair of 
 coarse worsted I paid lis., and for two pair of cotton 
 half stockings, 6s. 6d. each. 
 
 Qth July. — As before-mentioned we departed from the 
 Little Falls at four o'clock, with an intention of reaching 
 Utica, in which we succeeded, after a laborious day's work, 
 at ten o'clock at night. 
 
 We met two empty boats going down to Schenectady, 
 which had been to Utica with goods ; as the wind was 
 favorable, they probably reached their place of destination 
 this day. We breakfasted at the toll-keeper's at the Ger- 
 man Flatts, 64 miles from Schenectady. 
 
48 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 The canal here is through the Flatts, a dehghtful body 
 of low lands, which look like the flats of Esopus, and were 
 first settled by the Palatines. The canal is 1| mile long, 
 24 feet wide, and 4 feet deep. The land through which it 
 is cut cost the company 120 dollars an acre. It is fur- 
 nished with a guard lock to prevent too great a flux of 
 water. The embankments afford a delightful walk and the 
 expense of cutting the canal could not exceed that of a 
 good turnpike. A lock here cannot, with economy, be more 
 than 6,000 dollars. The lock was filled in five minutes 
 for our boat to pass. The canal here ought to have been 
 extended further to the east, in order to have avoided 
 another difficult rapid, and this could have been done at a 
 trifling expense. 
 
 The village of German Flatts is a small place on the 
 south side of the river and near the toll-house. The first 
 Indian treaty, after the peace, was made at it. It contains 
 a stone house which was picketted during the war and 
 was called Fort Herkimer. The stone church was also 
 used as a fort during that period, and the loop-holes for 
 seeing through are still visible. 
 
 A bridge crosses the river 65 miles from Schenectady, 
 and leads to the village of Herkimer, a flourishing place. 
 The river is narrow at this place, and the West Canada 
 Creek from the north falls into it, on the east side of the 
 bridge. 
 
 We dined on the south side of the river about 71^ miles 
 from Schenectady, in the open air, at a saw and carding- 
 mill owned by a Mr. Meyer ; 74 miles from Schenectady 
 we passed under a new bridge, and a mile further we saw 
 the commencement of Cosby 's manor. This may be con- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 49 
 
 sidered the commencement of a new country ; the hills 
 retreat from the river, the land grovi^s better, the river 
 narrows, and beach and sugar maple supply the place of 
 willow bushes which cover the banks below. About 79 
 miles on the south side, there was a tree 60 feet high with 
 an umbrella top, and two-thirds of the elevation without 
 branohes. It is said to be an unique in this country, and 
 to be visited by strangers who do not know what it is. 
 Mr. De Witt and Col. Porter went out of the boat to ex- : 
 amine it ; the distance of its branches prevented them from 
 determining its kind, but they supposed it to be the Cu- 
 cumber-tree, which is rarely seen on the east side of the 
 Genesee river. 
 
 Wild or Indian Hemp was in great plenty on the branches 
 of the river, also a beautiful wild flower, whose botani- 
 cal name is Oscis, and of which there are six different 
 kinds in the western country. 
 
 There is also abundance of Mandrake or Wild-lemon, 
 a delicious fruit as large as a Love-apple. Its leaves are 
 large, and it is about a foot or eighteen inches high. It is 
 a plant, not a shrub. 
 
 Morris and Van Rensselaer having pre-occupied Baggs' ' 
 tavern, where we intended to quarter, we put up at Bil- 
 linger's tavern in Utica. 
 
 UTICA. 
 
 July 10th. — The Board met, all present, and adjourned 
 to meet at Rome on the 12th instant. 
 
 Utica is a flourishing village on the south side of the 
 Mohawk ; it arrogates to itself being the capital of the 
 Western District. Twenty-two years ago there was but 
 one house ; there are now three hundred, a Presbyterian 
 
 4 
 
50 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Church, an Episcopal, a Welch Presbyterian, and a Welch 
 Baptist ; a Bank, being a branch of the Manhattan Com- 
 pany, a Post Office, the office of the Clerk of the County, 
 and the Clerk of the Supreme Court. By the census now 
 taking, it contains 1,650 inhabitants. Two newspapers 
 are printed here. 
 
 The situation of the place is on low ground, a great 
 part of which is natural meadow. It derives its impor- 
 tance from its situation on the Mohawk, the Seneca turn- 
 pike which communicates with the heart of the Western 
 country, and the Mohawk and Schenectady turnpike, 
 which leads to Schenectady on the north side of the Mo- 
 hawk, independently of a good free road on the south side. 
 
 Produce is carried by land from Utica to Albany for 8s. 
 per 100 lbs. ; by water to Schenectady, for 6s. When 
 the Canal Company reduced the toll, the wagoners re- 
 duced their price, in order to support the competition. 
 Country people owe merchants, and pay their debts by 
 conveyances of this kind, and in times when their teams 
 are not much wanted for other purposes. 
 
 Utica bears every external indication of prosperity. 
 Some of the houses are uncommonly elegant ; the stores 
 are numerous and well replenished with merchandize. 
 The price of building lots is extravagantly high. Lots, 
 correspondent to double lots in New York, sell here from 
 four to eight hundred dollars. The Bleecker family own 
 1200 acres in the village and its vicinity, and by at first 
 refusing to sell, and by leasing out at extravagant rates, 
 they greatly injured the growth of the place. They seem 
 now to have embraced a more liberal policy. They have 
 made a turnpike of two miles, and a bridge over the Mo- 
 hawk, to carry the traveling through their estate ; and 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 51 
 
 they have opened streets for sale. They recently sold 
 2^ acres at auction, for $9,000. The land was divided 
 into 25 lots, fifty by one hundred feet. Judge Cooper of 
 this place bought, about ten years ago, 15 acres for $1,500, 
 which would now sell for $20,000. 
 
 The capital of the Manhattan Bank is $100,000. The 
 building is improperly situated close by stables, and is 
 much exposed to fire. In consequence of the trade with 
 Canada, specie is continually accumulating here. It af- 
 fords a great facility for the transmission of money to and 
 from New York. A small Bank in Connecticut, named 
 the Bridgeport Bank, of which Doctor Bronson is Presi- 
 dent, discounts notes here through a private agent. Hav- 
 ing made an arrangement with the Merchants' Bank of 
 New York, to take its notes, they became in good credit, 
 and had an extensive circulation. As the Branch did not 
 receive their notes in payment, they were constantly ac- 
 cumulating a balance against the institution. With a view 
 to meet this evil, and to turn the tables on the adversary 
 institution, the Branch now take the Bridgeport notes. I 
 found that it is projected by the Directors to increase the 
 stock of the Bank to $500,000 ; to distribute it in the vil- 
 lage, and to maintain its dependence upon, and connection 
 with, the Manhattan Company, in order to prevent it from 
 becoming a federal institution. 
 
 The town of Whitestown contains, besides Utica, two 
 considerable villages. West Hartford and Whitesborough. 
 This district of country has twenty-two lawyers. 
 
 I met here Bishop Moore, on a diocesan visitation to 
 confirm the members of his Church. Also, Col. Curtenius. 
 Dined at Mr. Kip's, who lives in handsome style, and who 
 received us with great hospitality. 
 
52 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 July nth. Morris and Van Rensselaer were to travel 
 by land as before ; here we met Gen. North and the Sur- 
 veyor. We proceeded by land to Whitesborough, four 
 miles from Utica, and there we divided, some of the com- 
 pany continuing to go by land and others taking to the 
 boats. 
 
 Two miles from Utica we visited a famous cheese- 
 maker, named Abraham Bradbury, an English Quaker- 
 He has rented a farm of 163 acres, for $500 per annum. 
 He keeps thirty-six cows, and makes upwards of 400 
 cheeses a-year. Besides the cheese, the milk will support 
 a great number of hogs. He is assisted by his wife and 
 two sisters. His cheese is equal to the best English 
 cheese that is imported, and he vends it for Is. 3d. per 
 pound. Notwithstanding his high rent, he clears upwards 
 of $1000 a-year by his establishment. 
 
 On Sauquoit Creek, a mile from Whitesborough, there is 
 a large manufacturing establishment for spinning cotton. 
 The works go by water. It is owned by a Company, and 
 is denominated the Oneida Manufacturing Society. The 
 stock is said to be profitable, and to be forty per cent, 
 above par. It employs forty hands, chiefly young girls, 
 who have an unhealthy appearance. It is on Arkwright's 
 plan, and contains 384 spindles on six frames. 
 
 Whitesborough contains the Court-House, and is a 
 handsome village. Several lawyers reside here on ac- 
 count of the Court-House. The federal candidate for 
 Governor has a handsome house. Eight miles from Utica 
 we passed Oriskany, where Herkimer's battle was fought. 
 
 We arrived at Rome for dinner, and put up at Isaac 
 Lee's house, which is a large double three-story frame 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 53 
 
 building, called the Hotel. He rents it and ten acres of 
 land from Dominick Lynch, for $250 a-year. 
 
 Rome is on the highest land between Lake Ontario and 
 the Hudson, at Troy. It is 390 feet above the latter ; six- 
 teen miles by land and tvi^enty-one by w^ater from Utica, 
 and 106 miles by water from Schenectady. It is situated 
 at the head of the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, that 
 river running east and the Wood Creek west. You see 
 no hills or mountains in its vicinity ; a plain extends from 
 it on all sides. It has a Court-House, a State Arsenal, a 
 Presbyterian Church, and about seventy houses. Its ex- 
 cellent position on the Canal, which unites the Eastern 
 and Western waters, and its natural communication "(vith 
 the rich counties on Black River, would render it a place 
 of great importance, superior to Utica, if fair play had 
 been given to its advantages. But its rising prosperity 
 has been checked by the policy of its principal proprietor. 
 When he first began to dispose of his lots, he asked what 
 he called a fine of £30, and an annual rent of £7 10s., for 
 each lot for ever. His subsequent conduct has been cor- 
 respondent with this unfavorable indication, and has given 
 Utica a start which Rome can never retrieve. 
 
 Two lots, sixty-six by 200 feet, sell from $200 to $250. 
 Wild land in the vicinity sells from $10 to $12 50 per 
 acre, and improved land for $25. A Company was in- 
 corporated the last session of the Legislature, for manu- 
 facturing iron and glass, and half the stock is already filled 
 up. The place has a Post Office and four lawyers. Rome 
 being on a perfect level, we naturally ask from what has 
 it derived its name ? Where are its seven hills ? Has it 
 been named out of compKment to Lynch, who is a Roman 
 Catholic ? 
 
54 ' DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Rome was laid out into a town, after the Canal was 
 made or contemplated. It derives its principal advantages 
 from this communication. Independent of the general rise 
 it has given to Lynch's property, it has drained a large 
 swamp for him near the village, which would otherwise 
 have been useless ; and yet he demanded from the Compa- 
 ny, at first, $7,000, and at last, $5,000 for his land, through 
 W'hich the Canal was to pass. The appraisers gave him 
 but nominal damages — one dollar. 
 
 The Canal at Rome is 1| miles long; 32 feet wide at 
 top, and from 2\ to 3 feet deep. The locks are 73 feet 
 long and 12 wide ; 10 feet lift on the Mohawk, and 8 feet 
 on Wood Creek. 
 
 July 12th. The Commissioners had a meeting here ; all 
 present. Adjourned to meet in Geneva. At this meeting 
 the Senior Commissioner was for breaking down the 
 mound of Lake Erie, and letting out the waters to follow 
 the level of the country, so as to form a sloop navigation 
 with the Hudson, and without any aid from any other 
 water. 
 
 The site of Fort Stanwix or Fort Schuyler is in this 
 village. It contains about two acres, and is a regular 
 fortification, with four bastions and a deep ditch. The 
 position is important in protecting the passage between 
 the lakes and the Mohawk river. It is now in ruins, and 
 partly demolished by Lynch, its proprietor. Since the 
 Revolutionary War a block-house was erected here by the 
 State, and is now demolished. About half a mile below 
 the Fort, on the meadows, are the remains of an old fort, 
 called Fort William ; and about a mile west of Rome, near 
 where Wood Creek enters the Canal, there was a regular 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 55 
 
 fort, called Fort Newport. Wood Creek is here so nar- 
 row that you can step over it. 
 
 Fort Stanwix is celebrated in the history of the Revo- 
 lutionary War, for a regular siege which it stood. And 
 as this and the battle of Oriskany are talked of all over 
 the country, and are not embodied at large in history, I 
 shall give an account of them, before they are lost in the 
 memory of tradition. 
 
 After having dined on a salmon caught at Fish Creek, 
 about eight miles from Rome, we departed in our boats on 
 the descending waters of Wood Creek. And as we have 
 now got rid of the Eastern waters, it may be proper to 
 make some remarks on the Mohawk River. 
 
 This river is about 120 miles in length, from Rome to 
 the Hudson. Its course is from west to east. The com- 
 mencement of its navigation is at Schenectady. It is in 
 all places sufficiently wide for sloop navigation ; but the 
 various shoals, currents, rifts, and rapids with which it 
 abounds, and which are very perspicuously laid down on 
 Wright's map, render the navigation difficult even for bat- 
 teaux. The Canal Company have endeavored, by dams 
 and other expedients, to deepen the river and improve 
 the navigation, but they have only encountered unneces- 
 sary expense ; the next freshet or rise of the river has 
 either swept away their erections or changed the current. 
 Mr. Weston, the engineer, from a view of the multifarious 
 difficulties attendant on such operations, proposed to make 
 a canal from Schoharie Creek to Schenectady, on the 
 south side of the river ; he only erred in not embracing 
 the whole route of the Mohawk. The valley formed by 
 that river is admirably calculated for a canal. The ex- 
 
56 DK WITT CLINTON. 
 
 pense of digging it will not exceed that of a good turnpike. 
 The river is good only as a feeder. 
 
 The young willows which line the banks of the river, 
 and which are the first trees that spring up on alluviums, 
 show the continual change of ground. No land can be 
 more fertile than the flats of this extensive valley. The 
 settlements here were originally made by migrations from 
 Holland and Germany. The grants under the Dutch 
 Governor were from given points on the Mohawk, em- 
 bracing all the land south or north, meaning thereby to 
 include only the interval land, and deeming the upland as 
 nothing. Chief-Justice Yates said, that he recollected a 
 witness to state in Court that he had travelled from Kin- 
 derhook to Albany and found no land. 
 
 The Mohawk is barren of fish. It formerly contained 
 great plenty of trout — it now has none. The largest fish 
 is the pike, which have been caught weighing fourteen 
 pounds. Since the canal at Rome, chubb, a species of 
 dace, have come into the Mohawk through Wood Creek, 
 and are said to be plenty. A salmon and black bass have 
 also been speared in this river, which came into it through 
 the canal. It would not be a little singular if the Hudson 
 should be supplied with salmon through that channel. 
 The falls of the Cohoes oppose a great impediment to the 
 passage of fish ; but the Hudson is like the Mohawk, a 
 very sterile river in that respect. 
 
 We saw great numbers of bitterns, blackbirds, robins, 
 and bank swallows, which perforate the banks of the river. 
 Also, some wood-ducks, gulls, sheldrakes, bob-linklins, 
 king-birds, crows, kildares, small snipe, woodpeckers, 
 woodcock, wrens, yellow birds, phebes, blue jays, high- 
 holes, pigeons, thrushes, and larks. We also saw several 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 57 
 
 king-fishers, which denote the presence of fish. We shot 
 several bitterns, the same as found on the salt marsh. 
 The only shell fish were the snapping turtle and muscle. 
 
 We left Rome after dinner — five Commissioners, the sur- 
 veyor, and a young gentleman. Morris and Van Rensse- 
 laer were to go by land and meet us at Geneva. 
 
 We went this day as far as Gilbert's Tavern on the 
 north side of the creek, six and a-half miles by water, and 
 four and a-half miles by land, from Rome. 
 
 We saw a bright red-bird about the size of a blue-bird. 
 Its wings were tipped with black, and the bird uncom- 
 monly beautiful. It appeared to have no song, and no one 
 present seemed to know its name. I saw but three be- 
 sides in the whole course of my tour, one on the Ridge 
 Road west of the Genesee River. It is, therefore, a vara 
 avis. 
 
 On the banks of the creek were plenty of boneset, the 
 Canada shrub, said to be useful in medicine, and a great 
 variety of beautiful flowering plants. Wild gooseberry 
 bushes, wild currants, and wild hops were also to be seen. 
 The gooseberries were not good ; the hops are said to be 
 as good as the domestic ones. In the long weeds and 
 thick underwood we were at first apprehensive of rattle- 
 snakes, of which we were told there are three kinds — the 
 large and the small, and the dark rattlesnake. But neither 
 here nor in any part of our tour did we see this venom- 
 ous reptile. The only animals we saw on this stream 
 were the black squirrel and the hare, as it is called in 
 Albany, a creature white in winter, of the rabbit kind, 
 although much larger. 
 
 About a mile from the head of the creek we passed a 
 small stream, from the south, called Black or Mud Creek. 
 
58 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Above Gilbert's the Company have erected four wooden 
 locks, which are absolutely necessary, at a small expense, 
 when compared with their stone locks at the Little Falls, 
 which cost $500. The Company have also shortened the 
 distance on the whole route of the creek about four miles, 
 the whole distance being about 28 miles, by cutting canals 
 to meet the serpentine bend of the stream. It is suscepti- 
 ble of being shortened, so as to make only sixteen miles. 
 The State reserved a thousand acres on the south side, 
 from Gilbert's down to the Oneida Lake, to be applied to 
 the improvement of the navigation. This land is overrun 
 by squatters. From some causes which cannot be satis- 
 factorily explained, unless connected with our mission, 
 the stock of this Company can now be bought for $200 a 
 share — the nominal value is $250. 
 
 We passed, on the north side of the creek, the appear- 
 ance of an old fortification, called Fort Bull. The re- 
 mains of an old dam, to impede the passage of a hostile 
 fleet, and to assist the operations of the fort, were also to 
 be seen. Although there is now a road on that side of the 
 creek, yet in those days there could have been no march- 
 ing by land with an army. The transportation of pro- 
 visions must have been impracticable by land ; and, in- 
 deed, the general appearance of the country exhibits a 
 sunken morass or swamp, overgrown with timber and 
 formed from the retreat of the lake. 
 
 Gilbert's house is a decent comfortable house, consider- 
 ing the little resort of travelers. The grounds around it 
 are overflown by the creek, and the situation unhealthy. 
 He had procured fresh salmon from Fish creek for us, at 
 6d. a lb. We found it excellent. In the neighborhood of 
 Gilbert's there is said to be good bog ore ; we saw speci- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 59 
 
 mens furnished by a man who had come to explore the 
 country for that purpose. 
 
 We rose early in the morning, and breakfasted at the 
 Oak-Orchard, six miles from Gilbert's on the south side of 
 the river. The ground was miry, and in stepping into the 
 boat, my foot slipped, and I was partly immersed in the 
 creek. The captain assisted me in getting out. The 
 dampness of the weather, and the sun being hardly risen, 
 induced me, for greater precaution, to change my clothes. 
 This trifling incident was afterwards magnified by the pa- 
 pers into a serious affair. 
 
 Near Gilbert's, the Canada Creek comes in from the 
 north side, a mile west the Rocky or Black Creek, from 
 the south. At Oak-Orchard the first rapid commences; 
 as the creek was extremely low, we requested the locks 
 to be left open above, two or three hours before we 
 started. This furnished us with a flood of water, and ac- 
 celerated our descent. We found, however, that we went 
 faster than the water, and had frequently to wait. The 
 creek was almost the whole distance choked with logs, 
 and crooked beyond belief; in some places after bending 
 in the most serpentine direction for a mile, it would return 
 just below the point of departure. From Wright's sur- 
 vey, the distance — 
 
 Miles. Cbaics. 
 
 From Gilbert's to the mouth of the creek, by the 
 
 old route— is 21 24 
 
 By the present route, as improved by the Canal 
 
 Company, ....... 17 61 
 
 On a straight line, which is practicable for a 
 
 Canal, . , 9 44 
 
 We stopped at Smith's, a German, who lives on the 
 
60 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 south side of the creek, and about eight miles from the 
 Oneida Lake. The creek is sandy, and very winding from 
 this place, — the sand, accumulated at such a distance from 
 the lake, demonstrates the truth of my theory respecting 
 the formation of the ground from Rome to the lake. 
 Smith is not forty years of age, and has been settled here 
 fifteen years. He has six daughters, five of whom are 
 married ; two sons, twenty-five grand-children, and one 
 great-grand-child, who almost all reside in his vicinity. 
 The female part of his descendants were assembled to 
 rake his hay ; their children were brought with them, and 
 the whole exhibited a picture of rural manners and rude 
 industry, not unpleasing. 
 
 About six miles from the lake we saw the remains of a 
 batteaux, sunk by the British on their retreat from the 
 siege of Fort Stanwix. 
 
 Four miles from the lake we dined at one Babbits', on 
 the north side of the creek. We found, on such occa- 
 sions, our own provisions and liquors, and were only pro- 
 vided with house-room and fire for cooking. The family 
 were obliging and simple. They had been forewarned of 
 our approach, and their attention was turned towards the 
 contemplated canal. As they are the proprietors of the 
 soil, which was purchased from General Hamilton, they 
 were apprehensive that the canal would be diverted from 
 them, and pass through Camden, and the old lady said she 
 would charge us nothing, if we straitened the creek and 
 lowered the lake. The only potable water here is from 
 the creek, which is very bad, and no other can be pro- 
 cured, as the creek is on a level with the surrounding 
 country. The family furnished us with tolerable vinegar, 
 made of maple juice. The old lady, on being interroga- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 61 
 
 ted as to the religion she professed, said that she belonged 
 to the church, but what church she could not tell. The 
 oracle of the family was a deformed, hump-backed young 
 man, called John. On all occasions his opinions were as 
 decisive as the responses of the sybil ; and he reminded 
 us of the Arabian Night's Entertainment, which represents 
 persons hump-backed as possessed of great shrewdness. 
 John told us a story of Irish Peggy, a girl whom he de- 
 scribed as going down in a batteaux, so handsome and 
 well-dressed that she attracted him and all the young men 
 in the neighborhood, who visited the charming creature ; 
 that on her return some weeks afterwards, she looked as 
 ugly as she had been before beautiful, and was addicted 
 to swearing and drunkenness ; that she had been indi- 
 rectly the cause of the death of three men ; that one of 
 them, a negro, was drowned in a lock, who had gone to 
 sleep on the deck of the boat, in order to accommodate 
 her and her paramour ; that another fell overboard, 
 when she had retired with her gallant, and prevented by 
 it assistance that might have saved him; and that the 
 third one experienced a similar fate. The commodore 
 did not fail to extract a moral from John's story, favorable 
 to the cause of good morals ; and admonished him to be- 
 ware of the lewd woman, " whose house is the way to hell, 
 going down to the chambers of death." 
 
 A boat passed us at this house, which speared a salmon 
 with a boat-hook in passing under a bridge. The fre- 
 quent passage of boats, and the shallowness of the wa- 
 ters, terrify the salmon from ascending in great numbers 
 beyond this place. 
 
 We passed James Dean's old house on the right, about 
 two miles from the lake. He first went among the Onei- 
 
62 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 das as a silversmith, vending trinkets. He afterwards 
 acted as an interpreter, and coaxed them out of large 
 tracts of land. He is now rich, a Judge of Oneida coun- 
 ty, has been a member of Assembly, and is a prominent 
 Federalist. 
 
 Fish Creek enters Wood Creek, a mile from the lake, 
 on the north side. It is much larger and deeper, and 
 derives its name from the excellent fish with which it 
 abounds, up to the Falls, which are ten miles from its 
 mouth. It is frequented by great numbers of salmon ; 
 and we saw Indians with their spears at work after that 
 fish, and met two canoes going on the same business, with 
 their pine knots and apparatus ready for the attack. The 
 Indians have reserved the land on each side of this creek, 
 in order to secure themselves the benefit of fishing. 
 
 The confluence of these streams makes a considerable 
 river from this place to the Oneida Lake, deep, wide, and 
 gloomy, and resembling the fabled Avernus. You can 
 see the track of its black and muddy waters a consider- 
 able distance in the great basin into which it discharges. 
 We arrived at Mrs. Jackson's tavern, at seven o'clock, 
 near the mouth of Wood Creek, which enters Oneida 
 Lake from the north-east. To the west, the eye was lost 
 in the expanse of waters, there being no limits to the hori- 
 zon. A western wind gently agitated the surface of the 
 waters. A number of canoes darting through the lake after 
 fish in a dark night, with lighted flambeaux of pine knots 
 fixed on elevated iron frames, made a very picturesque 
 and pleasing exhibition. We walked on the beach, com- 
 posed of the finest sand, like the shores of the ocean, 
 and covered with a few straggling trees. Here we met 
 with an Indian canoe, filled with eels, salmon, and mon- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 63 
 
 strous cat-fish. In another place we saw the native of 
 the woods cooking his fish and eating his meal on the 
 beach. We could not resist the temptation of the cold 
 bath. On returning to the house, we found an excellent 
 supper prepared ; the principal dish was salmon, dressed 
 in various ways. 
 
 The salmon come into this lake in May, and continue 
 till winter. They are said to eat nothing. This is the 
 season of their excellence. They formerly sold for one 
 shilling a-piece ; now the current price is sixpence a 
 pound. The salmon are annoyed by an insect called a 
 tick, and run up into the cold spring brooks for relief. 
 
 Near this tavern there are to be seen the marks of an 
 old fortification, covering about one-eighth of an acre, and 
 called the Royal Block-House. In this place. Col. Porter 
 and the young gentlemen made a tent of the sails and set- 
 ting poles, and, with the aid of a fire and our mattrasses, 
 had a good night's lodging. The other Commissioners 
 slept in the house ; the window panes were out and the 
 doors open. The resort of Indians and the sandy ground 
 had drawn together a crowd of fleas, which, with the 
 musquitoes, annoyed us beyond suflTerance the whole 
 night. Some of the family sat up late ; the creakings of 
 a crazy old building and the noise of voices, added to our 
 other annoyances, completely deprived us of rest. The 
 house was in other respects a comfortable one. The ice, 
 which we used to correct the badness of the creek water, 
 had a pleasant eflfect. 
 
 We found here a new species of mullen, with a white 
 bushy top of flowers. Sometimes the top was yellow. 
 The common mullen was also plenty. , 
 
 July lAth. Although the wind on this lake is generally 
 
64 UE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 easterly in the morning and westerly in the afternoon, yet 
 we had no other resource than our oars. At the entrance 
 of the Wood Creek, and about fifty rods from its mouth, 
 we found a sand-bar forty rods wide. The shallowest 
 part was two feet deep, and the channel between three 
 and four feet wide. 
 
 The Oneida Creek comes in on the south side of the 
 lake. At its mouth it is about as large as Wood Creek, 
 and as you ascend one-third larger. There are no bars 
 at its mouth. The salmon go up as far as Stockbridge. 
 This Creek, Wood Creek, and Canaseragas Creek, are 
 the principal sources which supply the Oneida Lake. 
 According to the general computation, this lake is thirty 
 miles long ; but it does not exceed twenty miles in length, 
 and from five to eight in breath. In winter it freezes, 
 and is passable in sleighs. 
 
 The waters of the lake were saturated with small dark 
 atoms, which render them unsalubrious, and when drank, 
 operate emetically, and produce fever. This, in the 
 language of the boatmen, is termed the lake blossom. 
 Whether it arises from the farina of the chestnut, or any 
 other trees that blossom about this time, the eggs of in- 
 sects, or collections of animalculae, we could not deter- 
 mine. We examined the water by a microscope, and 
 could come to no conclusion. If I were to give an 
 opinion, it would be, that it is not an animal substance, 
 but small atoms swept into the lake by the waters of Wood 
 Creek, from the vegetable putrefactions generated in the 
 swamps and marshes through which that stream runs. 
 
 Independently of several collections of sand and reeds, 
 which can hardly be termed islands, and of an islet about 
 the middle of the lake, which has a single tree, and looks 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 65 
 
 at a distance like a ship under sail, there are two islands, 
 about two miles from the outlet, half a mile from the 
 south shore of the lake. They are within a short distance 
 from each other. One island contains fourteen acres, and 
 the other, called Frenchman's Island, twenty-seven acres. 
 A person can wade from one to the other ; and bears, in 
 swimming the lake, frequently stop here to rest. These 
 islands belong to the State. 
 
 One of the islands is called the Frenchman's Island, 
 from a person of that nation, who took possession of it 
 about fifteen years ago, with a beautiful wife. He resided 
 there until the cold weather came, and then he wintered 
 in Albany, Rome, or Rotterdam. He had a handsome 
 collection of books, musical instruments, and all the ap- 
 pendages of former opulence and refinement. He was 
 apparently discontented and depressed — cultivated a hand- 
 some garden with his own hands, and sowed half-an-acre 
 of wheat, which had a beautiful appearance. His wife 
 bore him children here, and altogether he had three. He 
 became by practice a very expert fowler, hunter, and 
 angler, and was a hard-worker. He lived here seven 
 summers. He spent a winter at the Oneida Castle, and 
 sent his clothes for washing sometimes to Albany. When 
 he first came, he had a considerable sum of money, and, 
 becoming poor, he sold some of his books for subsistence, 
 and he bartered some valuable ones to Major Dezeng for 
 two cows. He was very proud and reserved — went at 
 last bare-headed, and the general suspicion was, that 
 jealousy was the cause of his seclusion. They visited 
 their neighbor Stevens, at the outlet, twice a-year. We 
 were told by Mrs. Stevens, that his name was Devity or 
 Devitzy ; that his countrymen in Albany made a subscrip- 
 5 
 
QQ DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 tion, which enabled him to go to France, with his family ; 
 that she returned the visits of the family, and found them 
 apparently happy ; and that in her opinion, the French- 
 woman had no extraordinary pretensions to beauty. 
 
 We stopped at a house at the north side of the lake, in 
 the town of Bengal. The proprietor bought sixty-six acres 
 from J. Munro, for four dollars an acre. The family were 
 eagerly engaged in the salmon fishing, and they told us that 
 they sometimes caught with the seine one hundred per day; 
 that fifteen fill a large barrel, for which they ask twelve 
 dollars in salt. They also informed us that shad recently 
 came up the lake. The salmon frequently weighs twenty 
 pounds. The black or Oswego bass is a fine fish, some- 
 times weighing eight pounds, and is like our black fish, but 
 harder. 
 
 As we approached Rotterdam, we saw a seine drawn at 
 the mouth of a small cold brook, and six salmon caught at 
 a haul. A kingfisher, as large as a hawk, was also flying 
 about for prey. We amused ourselves on our voyage 
 over the lake, by trolling with a hook and bait of red cloth 
 and white feathers, and caught several Oswego bass, yel- 
 low perch, and pikes. 
 
 We dined at Rotterdam, a decayed settlement of George 
 Sinba's, eleven miles from the outlet, containing eight or 
 ten houses, and exhibiting marks of a premature growth. 
 There are mills on a small creek, and while at dinner, our 
 men speared several fish in it — among others, one eighteen 
 inches long, spotted, the head like a cat-fish, and down- 
 wards resembling an eel, but like a dog-fish in shape. 
 Some called it an eel-pout, and others a curse. It appears 
 to be a nondescript. 
 
 Sinba's agent, Mr. Dundass, was absent at Salina. We 
 
PEIVATE JOURNAL. 67 
 
 were well received by his house-keeper, and dined on 
 chowder, prepared by Gen. North. The thermometer here 
 was at 75°. We were told that fleas infest all new set- 
 tlements for the first two years, particularly in pine or 
 sandy countries, and that we must not expect to escape 
 them. Our Commodore appeared old and decayed, al- 
 though there were two older men among the Commis- 
 sioners. Supporting himself upon a stick, he attracted the 
 commiseration of an old man, seventy years of age, in the 
 log-house this morning, who rose from his seat and said, 
 *•' Old daddy, shall I hand you a chair ?" We were happy 
 to see our chief revive under the potent influence of port 
 and chowder. 
 
 After dinner we continued our voyage with an adverse 
 wind. As the evening shades prevailed, we were saluted 
 with the melancholy notes of the loon. We passed three 
 boats under sail going up the lake. 
 
 This night we slept at Stevens's, at the outlet of the lake, 
 nine miles by land and eleven by water from Rotterdam. 
 Here commences Onondaga or Oneida river, the only out- 
 let of the lake, about as large as the mouth of Wood Creek. 
 The bars at the outlet are rocky, wide, difficult to remove, 
 and so shallow that a horse can easily pass over them. 
 There are two eel weirs here, in which many are caught. 
 Stevens has lived in this place, which is in the town of 
 Constantia, eighteen years ; has rented it for seventeen 
 years, at $75 a-year. He has no neighbors within four 
 miles on this side of the river. On the other side is the 
 town of Cicero, in which there are several settlements. 
 This is a clean house, in which we were as well accommo- 
 dated as the situation of the country would admit. 
 
68 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 There is a small island at the mouth of the river, con 
 taining six acres, and belonging to the State, for sale. 
 
 Several Onondaga Indians were here. Numerous boats, 
 traversing the river at night for salmon, and illuminated 
 with fine flambeaux, made a brilliant appearance. A 
 curious fungus or excrescence of the pine, with thirty rings, 
 denoting thirty years' growth, was shown here. It is used 
 for bitters and is very scarce. Black raspberries grow wild 
 in great abundance. They composed, with fresh salmon, 
 the principal part of our supper. 
 
 Stevens's is twelve miles from Salina by land, and thirty- 
 two by water. The salt used in the country is brought 
 the latter way, and is purchased at the springs for 2s. or 
 Is. 6d. per bushel. 
 
 Land in Cicero or Cato, is worth from three to five dollars 
 per acre. Stevens told us that they had no other preacher 
 than Mr. Shepherd, who lived over the river in Cicero ; 
 that he formerly resided in Goshen, and got three military 
 lots as captain or major of artificers, although not legally 
 entitled to them, — that Judge Thompson, a member of 
 the Senate, and of Orange county, received one lot as a 
 fee for his services in getting the law passed. 
 
 Stevens's house is one quarter of a mile from the mouth 
 of the lake. Deer come close up to it. We saw an adder 
 and another snake sunning themselves on the ramparts of 
 Fort Brewster, in the rear of the house. This was erect- 
 ed in the French War, was a regular work, ditch and bas- 
 tions, all covering about an acre. This must have been 
 an important pass to defend, and would now be an excel- 
 lent site for a town. It belongs to Chancellor Lansing, 
 who asks fifteen dollars an acre. 
 
 On Sunday, about five weeks back from this day, a ter- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 69 
 
 rible tornado was felt at this place, about sundown. The 
 wind was south-west and attended with rain. It had 
 nearly unroofed the house, passed over Camillus, the salt 
 springs, was felt at Rome about nine o'clock, and pro- 
 ceeded down the Mohawk. 
 
 The following questions are worthy of consideration, in 
 reference to lowering the outlet of the lake : — 
 
 1. May it not lower or drain off the waters of Wood 
 Creek ? 
 
 2. May not the draining of the land render the country 
 more unhealthy than at present ? 
 
 July 15th. Sunday. The surveyor being employed 
 in taking the level of the outlet, we did not get out until 
 eleven o'clock. Our object was to reach Three-River 
 Point this day. The distance by land is seven, and by 
 water, eighteen and three-quarter miles. The whole 
 length of the outlet is, then, nineteen miles. In width it 
 varies from forty to one hundred yards. The banks are 
 low, and covered on both sides with nut, oak, and maple, 
 and beach trees, denoting the richest land. 
 
 Four miles from Stevens's, Comeroy Creek enters the 
 river, on the south side. For a considerable distance be- 
 low there is shallow water with a stony bottom, rapid cur- 
 rent and rift, more difficult than the one at the outlet, 
 making a fall of three-and-a-half feet. 
 
 On our way down, I saw several large flocks of ducks and 
 two large eagles. Col. Porter shot one of them on the wing 
 — he was alive, and measured eight feet from the extremity 
 of one wing to another. He was a bald eagle ; his talons 
 were formidable ; head and tail white. At Three-River 
 Point he beat off several dogs in a pitched battle. 
 
 After having dined aboard, near one Vickery's, whose 
 
70 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 house was well filled with Lyons' speeches, we proceeded, 
 and passed the grave of a drowned Frenchman, who once 
 shot a panther when in the attitude of leaping at him, 
 nine feet and eleven inches long. The head is now in 
 Walton's store, at Schenectady. 
 
 Before sundown we reached Three-River Point. This 
 place derives its name from the confluence of the Oneida 
 and Seneca Rivers, and the river formed by this junction, is 
 then denominated Oswego River. It lies in Cicero, 
 on the south side of the Oneida River, is part of a Gospel 
 lot, and an excellent position for a town. All the salt-boats 
 from the Springs, and the boats from the Cayuga and 
 Seneca Lakes, rendezvous at this place ; and we found the 
 house, which is kept by one Magie, crowded with noisy 
 drunken people, and the landlord, wife, and son were in 
 the same situation. The house being small and dirty, we 
 took refuge in a room in which were two beds and a 
 weaver's loom, a beaufet and dressers for tea utensils, and 
 furniture, and there we had a very uncomfortable collation. 
 
 Col. Porter erected his tent and made his fire on the hill, 
 where he was comfortably accommodated with the young 
 gentlemen. I reconnoitered up stairs ; but in passing to the 
 bed, I saw several dirty, villainous-looking fellows in their 
 bunks, and all placed in the same garret. I retreated from 
 the disgusting scene, and left Gen. North, Mr. De Witt, 
 and Mr. Geddes, in the undisputed possession of the Attic 
 beds. The Commodore and I took possession of the beds 
 below ; but previous to this, we were assured by an ap- 
 parently decent girl, that they were free from vermin, and 
 that the beds above were well stored with them. Satisfied 
 with this assurance, we prepared ourselves for a comfort- 
 able sleep, after a fatiguing day. But no sooner were we 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 71 
 
 lodged, than our noses were assailed by a thousand vil- 
 lainous smells, meeting our olfactory nerves in all direc- 
 tions, the most potent exhalation arising from boiled pork, 
 which was left close to our heads. Our ears were invaded 
 by a commingled noise of drunken people in an adjacent 
 room, of crickets in the hearth, of rats in the walls, of 
 dogs under the beds, by the whizzing of musquitoes about 
 our heads, and the flying of bats about the room. The 
 women in the house were continually pushing open the 
 door, and pacing the room for plates, and knives, and 
 spoons ; and the dogs would avail themselves of such op- 
 portunities to come in under our beds. Under these cir- 
 cumstances sleep was impractica'ble ; and, after the family 
 had retired to rest, we heard our companions above rolling 
 about restless in their beds. This we set down to the 
 credit of the bugs, and we hugged ourselves on our superior 
 comforts. We were, however, soon driven up by the an- 
 noyance of vermin. On lighting a candle and examining 
 the beds, we found that we had been assailed by an army 
 of bed-bugs, aided by a body of light infantry in the shape 
 of fleas, and a regiment of musquito cavalry. I retreated 
 from the disgusting scene and immediately dressed myself, 
 and took refuge in a segar. 
 
 Leaving the Commodore to his meditations, I went out 
 on the Point. The moon was in its full orb and blaze of 
 unclouded majesty. Here my feelings were not only re- 
 lieved, but my mind was elevated by the scenery before 
 me. The ground on which I stood was elevated; below me 
 flowed the Oneida River, and on my left the Seneca poured 
 its waters, and uniting together they formed a majestic 
 stream. Flocks of white geese were sporting on the water 
 — a number of boats lying moored to the banks — a white 
 
72 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 tent erected on the right, enlivened by a blazing fire — an 
 Indian hut on the opposite bank, displaying the red man 
 of the forest, and his family, preparing for the sports of the 
 day — the bellowing of thousands of frogs in the waters, and 
 the roaring of bloodhounds, in pursuit of deer and foxes, 
 added to the singularity of the scene. My mind became 
 tranquillized, and I availed myself of a vacant mattrass in 
 the tent, and enjoyed a comfortable sleep of two hours. 
 
 The next day, Gen. North and myself found bed-bugs 
 on our persons. As this is the most frequent and formi- 
 dable enemy to sleep that we encountered, it may not be 
 amiss to state, that a flannel shirt is said to be a good 
 protection against them, and that camphor, put under your 
 pillow, is represented to be more efficacious. 
 
 Salina is thirteen miles by water from this place. In 
 the neighboring town of Camillus, a quarry of gypsum has 
 been discovered, of the grey kind, and said to be very 
 good. A Company, called the Onondaga Gypsum Com- 
 pany, has been established to work it. 
 
 July \Qt1i. We left this disagreeable place as soon as 
 light would permit, and gave it the name of Bug Bay, 
 which it will probably long retain. 
 
 Three-River Rapid commences about two miles from the 
 Point. Here we saw salt-boats below the rapid, which 
 unloaded half their cargoes in order to get over it, — also 
 rafts from the Cayuga Lake, which had been detained 
 four weeks, by the lowness of the water. The rafts in- 
 tended to form a junction at Oswego, and to proceed over 
 Lake Ontario, and thence down the St. Lawrence to 
 Quebec. It is supposed they will bring $20,000 at that 
 place. The attempt is extremely hazardous. Below the 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 73 
 
 rapids, there was an encampment of Onondaga Indians ; 
 some of their canoes were composed of Elm Bark. 
 
 Two or three miles farther we passed a rapid, called 
 the Horse-Shoe Rapid. The Oswego River is about 
 twenty-four miles long. The fall from Three-River Point 
 to Oswego, is about 112 feet. It contains a great many 
 rapids, which I shall specify. Considering that it is con- 
 stituted by the Oneida and Seneca Rivers, which proceed 
 from the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Seneca, 
 theCanandaigua, the Oswego, and the Skeneatelas Lakes, it 
 is surprising that it is not larger. It is about the width of 
 the Mohawk, and appears like that river reversed. The 
 river scenery is delightful. The large and luxuriant trees 
 on its banks form an agreeable shade, and indicate great 
 fertility. 
 
 After proceeding seven miles, we breakfasted at a fine 
 cool brook on the north side, and at the foot of Horse- 
 Shoe Rapid. Our breakfast consisted of common bread, 
 Oswego bread and biscuit, coffee and tea, without milk, 
 butter, perch, salmon, and Oswego bass ; fried pork, ham, 
 boiled pork and Bologna sausages, old and new cheese, 
 wood-duck, teal and dipper. Some of these, luxuries as 
 they may appear on paper, were procured by our guns and 
 fishing tackle, on our descent. We saw plenty of wild 
 ducks, some wild pigeons and partridges, some of which 
 we shot. We were also successful in trolUng for fish. The 
 crane, the fish-hawk, the king-fisher, and the bald-eagle, 
 we saw, but no bitterns on the descending river. At this 
 place we tasted the wild cucumber, the root of which is 
 white and pleasant, with a spicy, pleasant taste. Why it 
 is called the cucumber is not easy to imagine, as there is 
 no point of resemblance. 
 
74 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 In a smart shower we arrived at the celebrated Falls of 
 Oswego, twelve miles from Three-River Point, and twelve 
 miles from Oswego. There is a carrying place of a mile 
 here, the upper and lower landing being that distance 
 apart. At both landings there were about 15,000 bar- 
 rels of salt, containing five bushels each, and each bushel 
 weighing fifty-six pounds. It is supposed that the same 
 quantity has been already carried down, making altogether 
 30,000 barrels. The carriage at this place is one shiUing 
 for each ban'el. Loaded boats cannot with safety descend 
 the Falls, but light boats may, notwithstanding the descent 
 is twelve feet, and the roaring of the troubled waves 
 among great rocks is really terrific. Pilots conduct the 
 boats over for one dollar each ; and being perfectly ac- 
 quainted with the Falls, no accidents are known to hap- 
 pen, although the least miss step would dash the vessels to 
 atoms. The Falls are composed of high rocks, apparently 
 granite. The ascent by boat is impracticable. 
 
 On the south side of the river is Hannibal, in Onondaga, 
 and on the north side, Fredericksburgh, in Oneida County. 
 The State has reserved forty acres at the Falls, on the 
 north side, which Joshua Forman has leased for eighteen 
 years, and has erected a saw and grist-mill, by which he 
 has blocked up the ancient carrying-place, that did not 
 exceed one hundred yards. He is the proprietor of the 
 adjacent land, on both sides of the river. There are a few 
 houses at the carrying-place, and an excellent quarry of 
 free-stone, between the two landings. A little below the 
 Upper Falls, a ravine, the ancient bed of a creek, appears, 
 which falls in just below the Lower. Hei'e a canal might 
 be easily cut round the Falls. 
 
 We left our squadron above the Upper Falls, and hired 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 75 
 
 a boat to conduct us to Oswego, from the lower landing. 
 The wind was adverse, and the weather showery, but the 
 descent was so favorable that we progressed with great 
 rapidity. The river downwards is full of rapids, which I 
 shall notice, and the banks precipitous and rocky. We 
 dined at L. Van Volkenburgh's tavern, two miles on our 
 way, and on the north side. This situation is very plea- 
 sant ; two islands opposite the house. On our way we 
 saw fragments of the rafts before-mentioned, at different 
 places all along the river. 
 
 A strong rapid, eight miles from Oswego, is called by 
 the boatmen Braddock's Rift, by a misnomer. It ought 
 to be denominated Bradstreet's. At the foot of this rapid, 
 there is an island of ten acres, called Bradstreet's island, 
 where, our pilot told us, he was defeated by the Indians, 
 who attacked him from each side of the river. The island 
 is in the center, and the river narrow. Here tradition is 
 contradictory to history. 
 
 We passed a number of salt-boats. The commerce in 
 salt is great between Oswego and the Falls. As we ap- 
 proached the former place the country bore marks of cul- 
 tivation ; the banks became more elevated, the current in- 
 creased in force, and the rapids in number. About seven 
 miles from Oswego we encountered a rapid called Smooth 
 Rock Rapid. Six and a-half miles, the Devil's Horn ; six 
 miles, the Six-Mile Rift ; then the Little Smooth Rock 
 Rapid, the Devil's Warping Bars ; four miles, the Devil's 
 Horse Race ; and one mile from Oswego, the Oswego Rift, 
 a violent rapid, nearly as bad as the Oswego Falls, having 
 a fall of at least five feet. 
 
 We arrived at Oswego at seven p. m., and put up at a 
 tolerable tavern, kept by E. P^irsons, called Colonel. He 
 
76 RE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 was second in command in Shay's insurrection, and for- 
 merly kept an inn in Manlius-Square. He was once se- 
 lected as foreman of the Grand Jury of Onondaga County. 
 He appears to be a civil man of moderate intellect ; deter- 
 mined, however, to be in opposition to government, he is 
 now an ardent Federalist. He gives two hundred dollars 
 rent for an indifferent house. Another innkeeper gives 
 three hundred for a house not much superior ; and this 
 little place contains already three taverns. 
 
 July \lth. Oswego is a place celebrated in our colonial 
 history as one of the great depots of the fur trade. It 
 was strenuously contended for by the French and Eng- 
 lish, in their American wars. During the Revolutionary 
 contest it was occupied by the British, who held it in de- 
 fiance of the treaty of peace, until it was delivered up 
 under Jay's treaty. As an important post, commanding 
 the communication between the lakes and the waters that 
 communicate with the Hudson, it must ever claim the 
 attention of Government. 
 
 It is situated on the south side of the Oswego River, 
 near its entrace into Lake Ontario, in latitude 43° 27' 52", 
 as ascertained by the Surveyor-General, in 1797, with 
 great exactness, when he laid out a town here. The 
 State reserved No. 1, in the military township of Hanni- 
 bal, as public property. The streets are laid out one hun- 
 dred feet wide, and their course is determined astronomi- 
 cally, north-west and south-east, 22« 12', and northeast and 
 southwest, 67° 48'. Those running parallel with the river 
 are denominated First, Second, Third, &c., and the streets 
 intersecting them are called after the signs of the Zodiac. 
 The blocks are 396 feet long, and 200 feet wide. It is 
 contemplated by the plan, to have a fish-market, and a 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 77 
 
 common market on the river. Ground is reserved for a 
 public squai'e of fourteen acres, for an Academy, a Prison, 
 Court-house, and Cemetery. 
 
 The houses are not built on this plan, and are huddled 
 together in a confused manner. There are at present 
 fourteen houses, s)x log-houses, six warehouses, and five 
 stores, and five wharves, covered with barrels of salt, at 
 which were four square-rigged vessels. A Post-oflice, 
 Custom-house, three physicians ; no Church, or lawyer. 
 
 The salt trade seems to be the chief business of this 
 place. There was a brig on the stocks. There belono- 
 here eleven vessels, from eighty-two to fifteen tons, the 
 whole tonnage amounting to 413. To Genesee River, one 
 of twenty-two tons ; to Niagara, two — one of fifty, and one 
 of eighty-five, making 135 tons ; to Oswegatchie, two, of 
 fifty tons each ; to Kingston, in Upper Canada, eight, from 
 ninety to twenty-eight tons ; and to York, two, of forty 
 tons each, all engaged in the Lake trade. 
 
 In 1807, 17,078 barrels of salt were shipped from this 
 place. In 1808, upwards of 19,000, and 3,000 were not 
 carried away for want of vessels. In 1809, 28,840 bar- 
 rels were sent directly to Canada, and this year it will 
 exceed 30,000. Salt now sells at Kingston, at $4 50 per 
 barrel, and at Pittsburgh at from $8 50 to $9. 
 
 A barrel of salt at Oswego costs $2 50 in cash ; and 
 at Salina $2, probably $1 50. By a law of the State 
 salt cannot be sold by the State lessees for more than 62 
 cents per bushel. 
 
 The conveyance of a barrel of salt from Salina to the 
 Upper Falls of Oswego is, in time of good water, two shil- 
 lings — in low water, three shillings. The same price is 
 asked from the Lower Falls to Oswego. 
 
78 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 The distance from Oswego to Niagara is 160 miles. 
 It takes a fortnight to go up and return. The vessels 
 carry from 170 to 440 casks, and the conveyance of a 
 cask costs fifty cents. The lake can be navigated six and 
 a half months in the year. The wages of a common sai- 
 lor are $20 per month. If the inland navigation was 
 perfected, salt could be conveyed to Albany for three 
 shillings per bushel. Two-thirds of the salt that is ex- 
 ported from Oswego, is consumed on the Ohio. 
 
 Two men of the name of Alvord, in partnership, manu- 
 facture 4,000 barrels of salt at Salina, annually, which 
 have been sold at Pittsburgh for $10 per barrel, until re- 
 cently. The Collector says that the value of property ex- 
 ported from Oswego in 1808, amounted to near $536,000. 
 In the time of the embargo, the value of property carried 
 out of a district was known. None of this went directly to 
 Canada. In 1807, it was $167,000 more. Upper Canada 
 is supplied with teas and East India goods through this 
 place. The press of business is in spring and fall. In 
 winter this is a place of no business, and all the stores 
 are shut up. Now two of their merchants intend to 
 carry on trade in the winter. There is no fur trade. 
 The value of the carrying trade from Oswego Falls here, 
 last year, amounted to $40,000. 
 
 Sturgeon have been caught in the lake that weigh 100 
 pounds. The Muscalunga, a very fine fish of the pick- 
 erel kind, is sometimes got of 45 pounds weight. The 
 white fish, a very delicious fish, is also had here in the 
 fall. Salmon have been caught at Van Valkenburgh's, in 
 the open part of the river, in every month of the year. 
 They sometimes weigh 37 pounds. The boats frighten 
 them away, and as they are very shy, they are not so nu- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 79 
 
 merous as formerly. In the spring of the year they are 
 in the best order. Big Salmon Creek is their favorite 
 haunt. There are tw^o kinds of bass in the river — black, 
 or Oswego bass, and rock bass. They differ in shape. 
 The salmon pass Oswego in April, in great numbers, and 
 are caught at that time. In September and October, when 
 they return to the lake, they are again caught ; but at this 
 season none are to be procured. 
 
 In Oswego and Seneca Rivers, and I think in Oneida 
 River, considerable circular collections or piles of gravel 
 are to be found, in the water near the shore, and some- 
 times on the mai'gin of the water. Many are to be seen 
 at very short distances, and they are evidently the work 
 of some animal, exhibiting uniformity and design. As 
 they appear the latter end of June, or beginning of 
 July, when there are no freshets, and when the salmon 
 and bass ascend, it is supposed they are erected by fish. 
 By some they are called bass-heaps, and by others they 
 are imputed to lamprey eels. 
 
 The river at Oswego is twelve chains wide. All the 
 lake rivers have bars at their mouths. The bar in this 
 river is eight and a half feet deep, the channel is about 
 two rods wide, and the mouth of the bar is about 150 feet. 
 Whei'e the river enters the lake its course is to be traced 
 by the blackness of its waters. The lake water is green, 
 transparent, and fit to drink. 
 
 In walking on the banks of the lake, we should have 
 thought ourselves on the shores of the Atlantic, were we 
 not stepping on immense piles of granite and schistic, which 
 defend the land against the inroads of the water. The 
 eye is lost in the immensity of the waters. Ontario is as 
 large as the Caspian. It never freezes throughout. Its 
 
80 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 length varies from 120 to 180 miles, and its breadth is 
 about 60. It has been observed that the lake diminishes ; 
 and this is attributed by some to the removal of the ob- 
 structions, bars and rocks, at the outlet. We saw a brig 
 from Kingston enter the port with a fine north-easterly 
 wind. Here is a brig of the United States, mounting 16 
 guns, and one thirty-two pounder, which was driven on 
 the beach last winter by the ice. As soon as the British 
 heard of the building of this vessel they immediately 
 built a thirty gun brig, in order to have a superiority on 
 the lake. 
 
 On the south-west side of the river, and on the banks 
 of the lake, are the ruins of an old French fort, with 
 ditches and bastions, and stone buildings in ruin, which 
 were probably magazines. The side bounded by the lake 
 is level, and not ditched, so that unless it was defended 
 here by wooden erections, it was only intended to protect 
 against attacks from the land. This fort has covered four 
 or five acres. There is a burying-ground near, and a few 
 head-stones. The only one inscribed has the following : — 
 "Roger Cor Bert, 1742." 
 
 Quere. — May not there have been an ancient Indian 
 fort, adjacent to the French fort? Appearances may 
 warrant this surmise. 
 
 The French had another fort to the south of this some 
 distance, and not far from the lake. 
 
 In the village, commencing at Parson's tavern, the seat 
 of the contemplated Fish Market, and extending between 
 three and four hundred yards up on the river, are to be ob- 
 served the remains of old Dutch trading houses. The 
 stone foundations yet remain even with the ground. The 
 doors opened inside, and there was another tier of houses 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 81 
 
 in the rear, forming an oblong square. The whole was 
 intended as a safe depository for goods, and to keep off 
 the Indians. 
 
 Fort Oswego is on the north side of the lake. Its lati- 
 tude, as astronomically determined, is 43*^ 28' 5". It was 
 erected by the English, and abandoned as a garrison by 
 the government, about ten years ago, and is now little 
 better than a heap of ruins. The State have reserved a 
 mile square, including the fort, for such works of defence 
 as may be necessary. It is a regular fort, and has been 
 strong. It had bastions, ditch, palisadoes, and bomb-proof 
 castle. It covered, with all its appendages, about ten 
 acres, and the interior contained three. The barracks 
 are pulled down or burnt. The stone with which this 
 work was erected was taken from the French forts and 
 Dutch houses at Oswego, where the Dutch had erected 
 stone houses for trading, and from whence they were ex- 
 pelled by the French. On one of the stones in the dry 
 mason work of the fort, is " 1711," supposed to be taken 
 from a Dutch house. Another stone, cut in two, from the 
 half letters it probably had " 1727." On another is in- 
 scribed "St. Hyde— Clarke, Serjeant 3d Regt., 1742." 
 On another, " Robert Hutton, 1742 ;" on another, " 1741 ;" 
 on another, " A. L. 1742 ;" another, "1749." There are 
 two stones reversed : on one is inscribed, " Rosiol Thomas, 
 the black Dane, 1742 ;" and on the other, " A. H. Philips^ 
 1761." These inscriptions being reversed, show that 
 they were cut before the stones were put in the walls. 
 
 Near the fort, a large stone was dug, two feet under 
 ground, marked " Nicholas Schuyler, Esq., 21 August," 
 the year effaced. This the collector, Joel Burt, Esq., 
 has on the outside of his chimney back. 
 6 
 
83 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 When the Indians are interred, their guns, kettles, and 
 wampum are buried with them. An Indian grave was 
 dug up on the banks of the lake a few days ago; the 
 bones were in a high state of preservation. His wampum 
 and kettle were found with him, but no gun. This inter- 
 ment must have taken place seventy years ago. 
 
 Grind-stones are procured here, and answer very well, 
 called Oswego grind-stones. I found a curious pumice 
 stone on the lake shore, like a wasp's nest, and as if perfo- 
 rated by that insect. 
 
 The first house erected here since the evacuation by 
 the British, was built by Mr. Joe I Burt, of Orange county, 
 who has been settled here seven years. He has six sons 
 here, with families, and none have experienced any con- 
 siderable sickness. He had not a single neighbor. He 
 had to go forty miles to mill, and 100 for other provisions. 
 He has considerable land in this country, and intends to 
 augment by purchasing No. 6 in Hannibal, which runs 
 back of the village, and which he believes can be pro- 
 cured for six dollars per acre, from one Cunningham, in 
 Orange. One of his sons is Collector and Post-master. 
 We saw in the post office, several County Columbians, 
 and the Guardian, of Upper Canada, printed at Niagara, 
 by one Woolwich. 
 
 The embargo enriched the frontier settlements, and the 
 impediments to a free intercourse with Canada became 
 very unpopular. In this place there was a combination 
 to resist the execution of the embargo laws. The Col- 
 lector was menaced, and his life jeopardized ; and he is 
 now harassed with suits for refusing clearances for ves- 
 sels to go to Sackett's Harbor, with potash, &c. 
 
 The owner of a wharf, of the name of Wentworth, an- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. ^ 
 
 nounces to the public that he shall charge no wharfage 
 for vessels that load at his wharf, but that others coming 
 to it must pay — the one nearest the wharf fifty cents per 
 day ; the one next, twenty-five ; the third, twelve and 
 one-half, and the fourth, six and one-fourth. One hour to 
 be considered a day. 
 
 At this place we saw a Yankee, whom we had before 
 seen at Three-River Point, exploring the country for land. 
 He journeyed on foot, appeared to be acute, and was not 
 a little forward. He expressed an anxiety to travel with 
 us, and said he had bargained for No. 6 Camillus, at 
 three dollars per acre. He was particularly anxious about 
 the title. His whole behavior was characteristic, and 
 he no doubt intended to squat on the first choice land he 
 could select, belonging to the State. As a contrast to the 
 Yankee, we saw a Frenchman, his wife, and children, and 
 another Frenchman on his voyage from Niagara to Mon- 
 treal, in a small boat, twice the size of a common canoe. 
 He was a mason and cooper, and on the look out for 
 better times. He had been three and a half days on his 
 way here. His blankets were sails ; two of his three boys 
 rowed ; he coasted along the lake. He had four chairs, a 
 kettle, pans, &c., three or four barrels, two dogs, a fishing 
 spear, and iron frame for pine lights, a crab net, fishing 
 lines and gun. With these accommodations he provided 
 for his large family — the whole exhibiting poverty, filth, and 
 happiness. With his blankets and sails, he had, in conse- 
 quence of high winds, encamped here for a day or two. 
 
 At Parson's house there was a girl making straw hats. 
 She could make one worth six dollars in nine days. In 
 various places people make their own hats of coarse 
 straw. 
 
84 DE WITT CLINTON, 
 
 We were informed here that five hundred American 
 wood-cutters had gone over to Canada to cut wood, and 
 that after they had completed their operations, their tim- 
 ber and staves were seized by two persons to whom the 
 King's right had been sold by the Government. A re- 
 servation of all pines for the use of the King is contained 
 in his patents or grants. The general opinion was that 
 the King was entitled to none, except such as were marked 
 " G. R." by his surveyor. 
 
 Mr. Kibbie, a salt merchant, informed us that salt 
 works were erected on the Great Kenhaway, seventy 
 miles from Pittsburgh, which would undersell us at that 
 place, for seven dollars per barrel. On subsequent in- 
 quiry, we had reason to suppose that this was a false alarm, 
 raised for speculating purposes ; that the Kenhaway navi- 
 gation is almost impracticable ; and that the water is of a 
 very inferior quality, and the salt works, if any, on a very 
 limited scale. 
 
 The Surveyor-General injured one of the bones of his 
 arm in a fall ; and this very unpleasant accident, which we 
 were fearful would deprive us of the benefit and pleasure 
 of his company, at first threw us into a gloom. But in the 
 course of the day he was greatly relieved by medical aid, 
 particularly by the application of opodeldoc. Our Sur- 
 veyor is fond of poetry and botany, and in other respects 
 a man well-informed, considering his opportunities ; of 
 considerable sagacity, well-behaved, and a very clever 
 fellow. The commodore's son was unfortunately deaf 
 from his infancy. He has read a great deal ; his memory 
 is tenacious, his mind not discriminating, and his temper 
 bad. There is no other way of communicating with him 
 but by signs or writing. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 86 
 
 July I8th. We left Oswego in the morning, and in 
 order to facilitate the passage of the boat over the worst 
 rapids, we walked on the south side of the river five miles, 
 to Pease's Tavern, where we took a collation. During 
 the walk, Mr. Geddes showed us the place of the canal 
 and locks, as proposed by him. We dined, and put up 
 for the night at Van Valkenburgh's Tavern. About four 
 miles from this tavern north, there is a new beaver dam, 
 inhabited by beavers. I regret that we had not heard of 
 this in time, as I should have undoubtedly visited this sin- 
 gular building. There is also an excellent trout stream 
 near this house. 
 
 This must have been the night of the great frost, which 
 destroyed so much corn in the western country. We 
 rose at three o'clock, and found it cold, although we 
 walked three miles to the Upper Falls. The Commodore 
 had a quarrel with the landlord, who wanted to extort 
 four shitlings too much for carrying our baggage to the 
 Upper Falls. The landlord was appointed a Justice last 
 winter, and says he does not thank the Council for it ; be- 
 cause he says he is a Republican. He pertinaciously in- 
 sisted on his charge, and said, " What odds does it make 
 to you — the State pays for it !" 
 
 We embarked, after this important dispute was accom- 
 modated, in our own boats, at five o'clock, and breakfasted 
 after going two miles, at the widow Van Waggoner's, on 
 the north side. On the south side, and half-a-mile from 
 the Upper Falls, there is a fine lake for fishing, two miles 
 long and one broad, called Fish Lake. 
 
 During our absence there was a ball at the Upper Falls, 
 and one of the boatmen broke it up by cutting off a dog's 
 tail, and letting the animal loose among the young women, 
 
dd 
 
 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 whose clothes it besmeared with blood. This exhibits a 
 picture of barbarous manners that would hardly be prac- 
 tised at Kamschatka. 
 
 When we arrived at the foot of Three-River Rift, we 
 got out on the south side, and walked to the head of the 
 rapid. We passed in our walk an Indian encampment, 
 of four families. There was a babe naked in a blanket ; 
 another fastened to a board ; and an Indian boy of some 
 size destitute of clothes. Between two divisions of the 
 dwelling, and in the center, there was a fire to accommo- 
 date each department, if it may be so called. Venison and 
 fish of different kinds were hung for drying or roasting. 
 Indian girls were making wampum, and the men actively 
 employed on the river spearing fish. 
 
 We arrived at Three-River Point at three o'clock, and 
 found all the family sober. Most of them were sick with 
 the dysentery, although the house was comparatively clean 
 and decent. The Captain says that he has seen Ann, the 
 girl of the house, drink three glasses of whisky, succes- 
 sively, although the commodore was so much pleased 
 with her that he gave her a dollar. We had a hearty 
 laugh at our Federal friends, when we understood that 
 Magie is a violent Federalist, and probably will soon esta- 
 blish a Washington Benevolent Society. 
 
 The commodore insisted upon chowder for dinner. 
 This detention, and the consequent dilution of port, in a 
 very hot afternoon, detained us till five o'clock, and ex- 
 posed us to great danger in traversing the waters of the 
 Seneca at night. 
 
 There is a rapid near the confluence, called Ganseris 
 Rift ; beyond this the river is deep and black, apparently 
 without a current until you arrive at Jack's Rift. The 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 87 
 
 banks are low and covered with wood. This river is 
 nearly as wide as the Mohawk. On the approach of 
 night it has a very unpleasant smell, and fever seems to 
 hover over you. It looks like the Valley of the Shadow 
 of Death, to borrow an idea from Gen. North. There is 
 no house until you progress seven miles, to the cold spring 
 on the right bank, where there is a log dwelling, and a 
 cooper's shop for supplying Salina with salt barrels. A 
 mile farther, the outlet of the Onondaga Lake falls into 
 the river, on the left side. It is said there are muscles 
 here as large as clams. 
 
 At eleven o'clock at night we arrived at Dr. Jonas C. 
 Baldwin's, who has erected a dam across the river, cut a 
 canal round the rift, and made two locks at this place. It 
 is distant twelve miles from Three-River Point by water, 
 and four by land. We were detained for a considerable 
 time, before we could find our way into the mouth of the 
 canal. The Doctor has laid out his village on Lot 85 
 Lysander, and called it Columbia. It is distant thirteen 
 miles from Onondaga Court-house. There is a grist-mill 
 and a saw-mill at this place. 
 
 Geddes had left us in the course of the day, and had 
 walked home across the country. In his way he stopped 
 here, and gave the Doctor notice of our approach, and 
 luckily found his wife there on a visit. The family had 
 sat up for us, but being tired out, had gone to bed, except 
 a daughter, who had gone to a neighboring house which 
 exhibited lights. We knocked the Doctor up, but the 
 Commodore and one of the young gentlemen had gone to 
 the house which was lighted, and being apprised of their 
 mistake, returned over the bridge conducted by Miss 
 Baldwin and her friend, and as the night was dark, they 
 
88 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 were accompanied by lights. Their appearance at a dis- 
 tance was hke that of mortals who had gone astray, re- 
 turning into the right road guided by genii. Our recep- 
 tion here was very friendly. The hands of the Morris 
 had refused to proceed from the cold spring, until Capt, 
 Clark agreed to give them an extraordinary compensation. 
 It appears that we had mollified ours, by giving them four 
 dollars as footings, being a collection made by those who 
 had never before passed the Oneida Lake and Oswego 
 Falls. On the Doctor's chimney we saw excellent stone, 
 brought from the head of Seneca Lake, which is deemed 
 so handsome and valuable for chimney-pieces that a long 
 piece has sold here for two dollars. 
 
 July 20th. The day being showery, we spent this day 
 and night here. During an interval of fair weather, the 
 Surveyor took the level of this part of the rift, and found 
 the descent at the locks eight and a-half feet. The width 
 of the river at the dam is about twenty-three rods, and 
 below the dam a toll-bridge is nearly completed over the 
 river. The length of the canal is 100 rods, the width 
 twenty feet, and its depth six feet. There are two locks ; 
 the left one is six and a-half feet ; the other, three and 
 a-half feet. The length of the upper lock is eighty feet, 
 and its breadth twelve and a-half The length of the 
 lower lock is eighty-five feet, and its breadth thirteen. 
 The rapid, where the canal is located, is called McNarry's 
 Rift, but it composes part of Jack's Rift. What renders 
 it peculiarly bad is the rocky bottom, which defies the 
 setting-pole. Jack's Rift extends ten miles above Colum- 
 bia, and is very shallow and bad at the upper end. The 
 canal and dam have been erected under a law of the 
 State. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 89 
 
 In November, 1809, there passed through the canal 65 
 vessels; in December, 15; in April, 1810,51; in May, 
 1810, 73 ; in June, 1810, 59. Several vessels pass over the 
 dam in seasons when the water is high. The proprietor 
 says that the whole establishment cost 812,000 or $13,000. 
 The locks and canal probably did not exceed $3,000. 
 
 The saw-mill in this place is owned by Burr, the cele- 
 brated bridge builder, who has a house here, and is con- 
 cerned in the establishment. It is intended to have 23 
 saws. The tolls received here amounted — 
 
 In April last, to . . . $115 49 
 
 In May » . . . . 167 91 
 
 In June " . . . . 141 40 
 
 Total, . . . $424 80 
 
 The Doctor keeps a small store. Several frames of 
 houses are rising. Lots of half an acre each have been 
 sold from $50 to $150. He lives in two or three log 
 houses connected together, with monstrous chimneys, and 
 two beds in a room. 
 
 The river was never so low ; the apron of the dam 
 does not appear to be calculated to promote the passage 
 of fish. No. 7 Camillus, is on the opposite side of the 
 river, and belongs to the Company. A fine pit of potter's 
 clay is at this place. We saw a plant called Indian straw- 
 berries, headed like the strawberry, and not good to eat. 
 It looks like the flower called Prince's Feather. 
 
 The blackness of the Oneida lake, and the insalubrious 
 quality of its waters, are owing to its being fed by streams 
 originating in swamps. The other lakes, which are pure 
 and transparent, are supplied by rivers which rise on hills. 
 
90 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Dr. Baldwin is of opinion tiial the blossom of the Oneida 
 lake arises from wood. 
 
 July 2\st. — Breakfasted at Columbia this day, and de- 
 parted at seven o'clock. The family would receive no com- 
 pensation, and behaved with great hospitality. The Doc- 
 tor sent on board of our boat a saddle of fine lamb. Col. 
 Porter left as a present with the young lady the " Domini- 
 can," a novel in two volumes, and the Commodore slipped 
 into the hand of a little girl a bank bill. While here we 
 amused ourselves in having a cockade made, and put in 
 the commodore's hat, but as soon as he discovered it he 
 pulled it out as a forbidden badge. The hands on board 
 of the Morris evinced a mutinous spirit yesterday, and 
 threatened to leave us, complaining that they were pushed 
 too hard. On being treated with proper spirit, they took 
 wisdom for their counsellor, and behaved well to-day. 
 
 The river maintained the same gloomy, dark appear- 
 ance, with low sunken sides, as we progressed. The peo- 
 ple were now taking in their wheat harvest, which was 
 abundant. We saw a beautiful flower called an Indian 
 Pink. We passed No. 8 Camillus, on the south side, be- 
 longing to me, about seven miles from Columbia. It cor- 
 ners just below a bridge intended to be built, and a ferry. 
 Its situation on the river is low, and is what is called a 
 narrow lot : that is, the narrowest part is on the river. 
 Land on the opposite side, has sold for $5 an acre. 
 
 We stopped in No. 35 Camillus, where there is a settle- 
 ment made by one Simpson, and an Indian orchard of 40 
 old apple trees. On the right side, for a great distance, 
 there are extensive groves of pine trees. We met a Dr. 
 Adams crossing the river in a canoe, with his saddle-bags 
 under his arm, and clothed in a dark home-spun gown, to 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 
 
 ^ 
 
 visit a patient. He describes the country as healthy, al- 
 though he states that Baldwin's dam has raised the river 
 six inches, at the distance above of eight miles. Mr. 
 Geddes says that he saw a trout killed which had in its 
 belly two field mice and a ground squirrel. Black is the 
 color of squirrels in the western country ; you see few 
 gray ones. 
 
 We dined in the woods, ten miles from Columbia, on the 
 north side, and at the head of Cross Lake. Visiting an adja- 
 cent house, and seeing three lusty women at the wash-tub, 
 none of whom was older than forty, we thought we would 
 involve the commodore in a scrape, through the medium of 
 his curiosity, and told him there was a woman at the house 
 100 years old, with gray eyebrows, and that her faculties 
 were remarkably good. He immediately left the boat in 
 a great hurry, and paced with uncommon rapidity through 
 a hot sun, to the house, and inquired with great earnest- 
 ness for a sight of the old woman. Instead of meeting 
 the fate of Orpheus, he was received with laughter, and 
 returned completely hoaxed. 
 
 Cross Lake is five miles long, and one broad ; in some 
 places it is very deep, and in others contains large reeds 
 and high grass. It abounds with ducks, and is formed by 
 the passing of the Seneca river through a large swamp. 
 We quartered at Wordworth's, a small log house, fourteen 
 miles from Columbia, on the right side of the river, which 
 is here twenty-four rods wide from Cross Lake, and near 
 fifty feet deep. The insalubrious appearance of the coun- 
 try, and the heavy fogs on the river, added to the sickness 
 of Captain Clark of the Morris, frightened me from taking 
 a matrass with Col. Porter in his tent, although I knew 
 that sleep could not be expected in the house. This place 
 
92 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 is in the town of Cato, and in the military township of 
 Brutus. There is scarcely any population on the river, 
 owing to its unhealthiness. The settlements are back. 
 Woodworth gave for his land four dollars an acre, four 
 years ago, and his family have been afflicted with fever 
 every year but the present. Three of us spread our ma- 
 trasses on the floor ; three slept in two beds in a little 
 room, and three in the tent. In the common sitting room 
 there were, besides, the family bed and a trunnel-bed for 
 the children. We were not deceived in our expectations 
 with regard to sleep. The crying of children, the hard- 
 ness of the boards, the chirping of crickets, the flying 
 of bats, clouds of musquitoes, and a number of other nui- 
 sances, effectually prevented repose. We rose at four, 
 and found that our medicinal prescriptions had rendered 
 Capt. Clark much better. 
 
 July 22d. — The river being clouded with a thick, heavy 
 fog, we thought it prudent to take breakfast before we 
 moved. 
 
 Between Woodworth's and Musquito Point, there are 
 three shallows, principally with rocky bottoms. One at 
 the mouth of Skeneatelas outlet, two miles from Wood- 
 worth's, one at Hickory island, five miles, and the other at 
 Musquito Point, on the right side of the river. These 
 shallows vary in depth from four to six feet. The mouth 
 of Owasco outlet is nearly opposite JMusquito Point. The 
 Canada thistle is at Woodworth's ; it is not so tall as the 
 common thistle, and is spread over the country. There 
 are several ferries on the river, and the farmers were 
 busily engaged in their harvest. 
 
 The wind became favorable part of the way, and we 
 arrived at Musquito Point, eight miles, at eleven o'clock 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 93 
 
 William Lyon keeps the tavern, v^^hich has a masonic 
 sign, and appears to be a decent house. It is on thirty- 
 seven Brutus, and two years ago he bought it of an uncle 
 for seven dollars an acre. He thinks that Baldwin's dam 
 has injured the salmon fishery. There is a good road from 
 here to Oswego ; the distance is thirty miles. 
 
 After leaving Musquito Point we encountered a baffling 
 wind, and were compelled to drop our sails. We saw on 
 the river the white and yellow lily in great beauty, to- 
 gether with the cat-tail and the wild eglantine on the 
 bank. I had a sight of another red bird ; the first, I saw 
 on Wood Creek. There were also cranes and fish-hawks, 
 but no bitterns. 
 
 About three-quarters of a mile from Musquito Point, 
 there is a large island of 2,000 acres, on which are some 
 military lots, in the township of Brutus. On a north-west 
 bay, to the north of the island, and four miles from Mus- 
 quito Point, are the Galen Salt Works, a Company incor- 
 porated at the last session of the Legislature. There is a 
 salt-spring on Hickory Island, before-mentioned; and there 
 are others on the north side, a mile and a half below the 
 mouth of Skeneatelas outlet, owned by S. N. Bayard, but 
 whether worked or not, I am uninformed. 
 
 A squall took us in the bay, and we halted at Bluff Point, 
 nearly opposite the Galen Salt Works, where there is a 
 great turn in the river. Here is an old clearing, and the 
 grass has been recently cut. The site is an elegant one 
 for a house. Here we met a bare-headed man, shooting 
 ducks for some sick people in Galen ; he said that he had 
 seen deer within an hour. 
 
 The Cayuga marshes commence at Bluff Point and 
 extend to the Cayuga Lake, so as evidently to have formed 
 
94 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 but one lake. In coming up to Seneca River, we saw, ten 
 or twelve miles below, small pieces of the marshes, which 
 had been carried down by a violent freshet some time be- 
 fore. The marshes are principally composed of grass, 
 and they look like the salt-marshes on the seacoast, being 
 overgrown with high grass, sometimes eight or ten feet 
 high, in which were many wild ducks. The distance from 
 Bluff Point (where high lands on each side of the river 
 approach, and which may be considered as the eastern ex- 
 tremity of the original lake), to Montezuma, is four miles. 
 The lake here has been filled up, and the marshes formed 
 by depositions of mud, carried down the Seneca and 
 Canandaigua Rivers. The bottom is muddy throughout, 
 and the soundings averaged four feet. Mud Creek, which 
 forms a junction with Canandaigua outlet, at Lyon's, comes 
 into the Seneca a little below Montezuma, on the right 
 side. When about a mile from Montezuma, a violent 
 squall arose, and we had great difficulty in balancing the 
 boat. We arrived at Montezuma at three o'clock, and 
 put up at I. H. Terry's, physician and tavern-keeper, 
 where we dined and lodged. 
 
 Montezuma is in No. 80 Brutus, in the town of Mentz, 
 and is situated on a strip of land between the river and 
 Cayuga marshes and marsh in the rear, and cannot there- 
 fore be healthy. It contains a few houses, which have 
 sprung up in a short time. The hill furnishes a beautiful 
 prospect of the marshes, and the Seneca and Canandaigua 
 Rivers winding through them. A few scattering trees of 
 willow and elm are to be seen. The whole was clearly a 
 lake, choked up by alluvions. The channel of the river is 
 said to be in the tract of the greenest grass. Dr. Clark, 
 one of the present proprietors, formerly of New York, and 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 95 
 
 John Swartwout, the former proprietor, have handsome 
 houses on this hill. 
 
 The salt w^orks, and whole establishment, are owned by 
 a company, of whom Mr. Andrews, a very fat man, 
 formerly a tavern-keeper in Skeneatelas, is the manager ; 
 and his intelligence and activity qualify him for the trust. 
 Gen. North and myself slept at his house, and were hand- 
 somelyf accommodated. 
 
 It takes from 80 to 100 gallons to make a bushel of V. 
 Salt here. Near 2,000 barrels have been made since 
 November last. Salt sells for three shillings a bushel, and 
 twenty shillings a barrel, at the works. There are several 
 springs. The principal one that supplies the establishment 
 is in the middle of a fresh water creek. The salt water is 
 extricated from below the waters of this stream. 
 
 The Indians had discovered a spring near the marshes, 
 by digging twelve or fourteen feet, where they made salt. 
 On the site of this old spring a well is now digging for the 
 fossil salt, and has been sunk to the depth 102 feet. The 
 lower they go the Salter the water is found. This manu- 
 factory contains eighteen kettles and twelve pans ; each 
 arch contains two kettles, and consumes a cord of wood 
 in twenty-four hours. Excellent basket salt is also pre- 
 pared here. 
 
 There is also a manufactory of red earthen ware ; four 
 or five kilns have been burnt. Two men can burn one in 
 forty days. The principal artizan gets four shillings for 
 every dozen pieces he makes, which remunerates him for his 
 labor about $30 a-month, he however finding himself The 
 other hand is found, and his wages are $10 a-month. A 
 stone factory is also to be established here. 
 
 On an adjoining lot, No. 81 Brutus, there is a large 
 
 / 
 
96 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 button-wood tree, entirely hollow, seventeen feet in diame- 
 ter, and forty feet high. It is alive, is inhabited by swal- 
 lows, and will contain twenty-five men. Dr. Mitchell is 
 quoted for saying, on his visit here, that this is the largest 
 tree in the world. Some years ago there was a ridiculous 
 publication about the size of this tree, directed, " To all 
 who disbelieved." This lot is valuable, and is claimed by 
 one James Sacket. It is said to have been drawn by a 
 foreigner, who, having no heirs, it has escheated to the 
 State. Sacket is an itinerant hunter of claims, and boasts 
 that he has made $ 1 5,000 by it. There are several persons 
 in possession ; and on his instituting suits against them 
 they have all but one acknowledged his title. His object 
 is to get the land cheap from the State under color of re- 
 muneration for improvements. Heard the whistling of 
 quails for the first time in the western country. 
 
 July 23d. It rained all night, and the morning continu- 
 ing so, we breakfasted before we departed. We were 
 amused with a quarrel between the landlady and the 
 Commodore, about his not giving a night's notice of his 
 intention to breakfast, as she requested ; he had, indeed, 
 sent word that he would not. In vain did he state that 
 he could not foresee that the morning would be rainy. 
 She was not to be appeased with this apology, and we 
 took care to fan the flame. 
 
 The old bridge, called the Cayuga Bridge, was over the 
 lake, and a mile long. Being carried away by ice, the 
 present one is erected on the outlet, two miles from the 
 former one. It is six miles from Montezuma to the new 
 bridge. We had a view of the village of Cayuga, on the 
 east side of the lake, and a settlement on the other side, 
 where is Harris' Ferry. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 97 
 
 The Cayuga Lake is a beautiful expanse of water, forty 
 miles long, and in some places, as at Aurora, three wide. 
 In passing the fresh marshes, I heard the noise of the 
 meadow-hen, which, with the general appearance, re- 
 minded me of the salt meadows on the sea-coast. 
 
 We penetrated the Seneca River on the north-west 
 corner of the lake, and found its course north. It is nar- 
 row and deep, and not more than four miles wide. It is 
 four miles from the mouth of the river to Mynderse's 
 Mills ; one and a-half from the new Cayuga Bridge to the 
 entrance of the river, and one and a-half miles from the 
 entrance to a bridge over the river, on the route to Myn- 
 derse's Mills. We saw on the margin of the river a plant 
 with a beautiful white flower, composed of a single long 
 flower like a grain of wheat, and several smaller ones 
 attached to it, its leaves being nearly triangular. It was 
 called here a polly-whog. Quere — if at Newtown. 
 
 We could not but admire the benignity of Providence, 
 when we beheld boneset {Eupatorium perfoliatum) scat- 
 tered profusely over the unhealthy, fever-generating 
 country which borders on this river. The like we ob- 
 served on Wood Creek. Boneset, from its being a power- 
 ful sudorific, is considered as a sovereign remedy for 
 agues and Fall fevers, and has been even recommended 
 for the yellow fever. 
 
 We arrived at Mynderse's Mills, which are situated in 
 , Junius, Seneca county. The grist mills are celebrated for 
 making the best flour in the State, and it sells for four 
 shillings more per barrel in New York, than any other 
 flour. This is principally owing to the superior excellence 
 of the Seneca wheat. The mode of manufacturing flour is 
 also superior ; indeed, it would appear to be impossible to 
 7 
 
98 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 make bad bread of it. Wherever it is used, we saw white 
 nutritious bread. Here we saw a machine for cleaning the 
 wheat of furze, before it is put in the hopper. Here is a 
 dam across the river, and a bridge — a carding and fulling 
 machine, and store. Our boat passed through a small 
 aperture in the dam. The authority by which this has 
 been effected, requires some explanation. 
 
 The falls at this place, called the Seneca Falls, are thirty 
 feet, and extend a mile. The Seneca Lake is fifty feet 
 higher than the Cayuga. Last session a petition was pre- 
 sented to the Legislature for leave to dam up and improve 
 this river, by incorporating a company for the purpose^, 
 with power to cut canals round this rapid and the Schoys. 
 This was a speculating scheme with a view to hydraulic 
 works, and ought never to be granted. 
 
 At this place we were visited by Mr. Rees, Sheriff of 
 Ontario county, and the Rev. Mr. Chapman, a Presby- 
 terian clergyman of Geneva. We put up at Samuel 
 Jack's tavern, where we dined and slept. Jack's sign is 
 that of a field-piece. In his best room was suspended a 
 certificate of his being a member of the Tammany Society 
 of New York, and his house was liberally supplied with 
 profiles of himself and family, cut in paper. I asked him 
 what he followed in New York ? He answered, he had 
 been in the clothes line. The weather being rainy, we 
 determined, as we found this house comfortable and the 
 men civil, to stay here for the night. Indeed, several of^ 
 us were indisposed with head- ache, and the commodore's 
 had increased to a sick head-ache and vomiting. Our in- 
 disposition we imputed to the miasmatic exhalation of the 
 lakes and Cayuga marshes. 
 
 Here we saw marine shells in flint stones, found on the 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 99 
 
 highest land between the lakes. Marble is supposed to be 
 made of shells called Madrepores. The principal shell 
 was the scallop. 
 
 We this day dismissed all our hands, and sent back the 
 Morris. We hired a new set of hands to proceed with 
 the Eddy to Geneva We had no great reason to be dis- 
 pleased with the men of the Eddy, until we discovered in 
 the morning that they had taken away our trumpet and 
 part of the laths that supported the awning. The captain 
 was civil and decent, but conceited. His name was on 
 every house and lock on the route. 
 
 July 24,th. We were all better, and the morning was 
 cool and pleasant. We walked to the head of the Seneca 
 Falls on a turnpike which passes Mynderse's, runs parallel 
 with the Seneca turnpike, passes south of Salina, and joins 
 the former turnpike near Manlius square. 
 
 Four Commissioners and the Surveyor embarked in the 
 Eddy, at seven o'clock. Colonel Porter, the young gen- 
 tlemen, and servants, went to Geneva by land. Our boat 
 had been pushed over the falls by the new hands. The 
 river was very low, and about three chains wide. Our 
 men were good-natured, sagacious coopers from New 
 England, who understood nothing about boating. Their 
 names were Bellows, Cotton, Arnold, Rudd, and Resolved 
 Waterman. 
 
 Schoy's Rapid is six miles from Mynderse's, and extends 
 three-quarters of a mile. The fall is sixteen feet. There 
 is a bridge over the river here. The ground on the left 
 bank is laid out into a village, by one Baer, who married 
 a niece of Governor Snyder, on a lot of 100 acres, pur- 
 chased from the State, and part of No. 4 Romulus. Lots 
 on one-quarter of an acre sell from $45 to $50. Here are 
 
100 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 mills, a store, post-office, tavern, and a few houses. The 
 distance by land or water to Geneva is seven miles. 
 
 It being a considerable rain, we stopped at Samuel W. 
 Smith's tavern. He appeared to know us all. Smith's 
 daughter had seen the commodore at Pleasant Valley, in 
 Dutchess County. The family were decent. Smith is a 
 freemason, and paid me particular attention. I discovered 
 in his bar some violent Federal hand-bills, principally 
 against me ; and as I took one of them in my hand, he 
 was so disconcerted that he broke a decanter. In his 
 garden I saw short corn, which comes to maturity in 
 seven weeks. The corn, however, of the most rapid 
 growth, is the Mandane from the Missouri. Quere — 
 Gelston ? 
 
 My father owns No. 14 Romulus, adjoining the Schoy's 
 lot, which is said to be worth at least 814 per acre. 
 A Dutchman from New Jersey, of the name of Van 
 Riper, who was anxious to purchase this lot, was talking 
 to me about it, and he recognized the commodore as a 
 clerk in the factory at Patterson, to our great amusement 
 and to his great mortification. We were told at Schoy's, 
 that before the erection of Mynderse's and Baldwin's mill- 
 dams, salmon was in considerable plenty, but that since, 
 they have been scarce. 
 
 We left Schoy's at eleven o'clock, and walked to the head 
 of the rapid where we again embarked. From this place 
 to the Seneca Lake the river is one and a-half chains wide, 
 and from eight to ten feet deep. The color is a cerulean 
 or a beautiful sea-green. Until you arrive at Schoy's the 
 country is well settled on both sides. Above it there is a 
 prodigious swamp, and on the left side, four miles from 
 Geneva, a large creek opens into the river. When we 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 101 
 
 arrived near the lake we left the boat, and after a delight- 
 ful walk on its margin arrived at Geneva at two o'clock, 
 and put up at Powell's Hotel, where we found our com- 
 pany that had proceeded by land. 
 
 Having now concluded our voyage, and intending to 
 proceed from this place by land, it may not be amiss to 
 look back and reflect upon the means which we took to 
 guard against sickness during a voyage of twenty -one 
 days, through the most insalubrious waters, exposed to the 
 alternations of heat and rain, the miasmata of marshes, 
 the exhalations of swamps, the fogs of rivers, the want of 
 sleep, and frequently of good water. 
 
 In the first place, we were well provided with good vic- 
 tuals. Our appetites were generally good, and our prin- 
 cipal drink w^as port wine, which was recommended to us 
 by the senior Commissioner. 
 
 In the second place, we took medicines when we found 
 ourselves indisposed. Dr. Hosack had provided us with 
 James's Fever Powders, Elixir Proprietatis, Bark and 
 Emetics; and we had got at Albany Lee's Anti-bilious 
 Pills — pills recommended by Mr. G. Morris, and some 
 mentioned by Ellicott, when he was a Commissioner to 
 run the boundary line between the United States and the 
 Floridas. He says in his journal that it was given to him 
 by Dr. Rush, and that as long as his stock lasted he was 
 free from fever, but as soon as he quit the use of it he was 
 seriously attacked. The receipt is as follows : " Two grains 
 of calomel with half a grain of gamboge, combined by a 
 little soap." These pills we used liberally and found them 
 very efficacious. 
 
 In the third place ; although w^e passed through places 
 where people were taken down with fever, and although 
 
102 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 one of our captains was seriously sick, and from the aspect 
 of the land and water it appeared to be impossible for a 
 stranger to escape their deleterious influence, yet w^e main- 
 tained a uniform flow of good spirits. The song and the 
 flute, the jest and vive la bagatelle, more than our most 
 powerful medicines, were the best antidotes to sickness. 
 
 We here received a letter from M. and V. R., apologizing 
 for leaving this place, and promising to meet us on the 
 Niagara River. Jackson, the British Minister, passed 
 through this village on the 19th. 
 
 The Yankee coopers who brought our boat from Myn- 
 derse's, asked $15 instead of 810 for their services, which 
 last was the usual and proper price. The commodore 
 objected to the demand, but finally gave them $12 50. He 
 stated that they did not know how to row, and that they 
 were continually running the boat zig-zag from one side of 
 the river to the other. To which one of them immedi- 
 ately replied, that their object in so doing was to give the 
 Commissioners the most ample opportunity of exploring 
 and examining the river. The Eddy was here sold for 
 $30 without the sails. 
 
 The principal obstructions in the Seneca River are the 
 Seneca Falls and the Schoy's Rapid. Towards the source 
 there are some shallows. From the Schoy's to the lake it 
 runs through a swamp. The distance between the lakes 
 is in general fourteen miles. The narrowness of this and 
 the Cayuga Lake renders the view of them different from 
 that of the Oneida Lake, for in the latter, looking length- 
 ways, you cannot see land. The Seneca Lake is forty 
 miles long from north to south, and on an average three 
 miles wide. It is a beautiful expanse of water, good to 
 drink, of a sea-green color, warm in winter and cold in 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 103 
 
 summer, and never freezes. Delicious trout are caught 
 in it, one weighed eighteen pounds ; the most common 
 weight is from three to five pounds. Its neighbor, the 
 Cayuga Lake, far surpasses it in fish. The only outlet is 
 the Seneca River, which is narrow at the point of exit. 
 There is a bar at the mouth of the lake. 
 
 Geneva contains about one hundred houses, and its 
 prosperity appears to be stationary, as no new ones are 
 building. An Episcopalian and a Presbyterian Church, a 
 Post-office, a printing-office, and a number of stores and 
 mechanics' shops are here. It is delightfully situated on 
 the north-west end of Seneca Lake. To the west of Ge- 
 neva there is a natural marsh or meadow, also a great 
 deal of low land to the north. On the east is the lake. 
 One would think it to be unhealthy, but it is said not to 
 be so. The woods around are cleared, and probably the 
 meadows are drained. Lots here, consisting of three 
 quarters of an acre with a front of twenty rods, sell for 
 about two hundred dollars — on the main street, from four 
 to five hundred dollars. 
 
 Geneva is in the town of Seneca, which turns out five 
 hundred votes. The leading republicans are Septimus 
 Evans, Supervisor and Member of Assembly ; Dr. Good- 
 win, and Mr. Dox, a merchant, originally from Albany. 
 The town is republican, notwithstanding a federal paper, 
 called the Geneva Gazette, is published here every Wed- 
 nesday, by James Bogert. 
 
 Powell's Hotel was built by Capt. Charles Williamson, 
 the agent of the Pulteney estate, who also laid out the 
 south part of this village. It is a very large and expensive 
 wooden building, and has, besides an ice-house and the 
 other appendages of a great establishment, a descending 
 
104 fE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 hanging-garden on the side of the lake. The fruit-trees, 
 particularly the peach, apricot, and plum, look remarkably 
 vigorous and healthy. The Alta Frutex, Syringa, Moss 
 Locust, Persian Lilac, Jessamine, etc., and a number of 
 other shrubs, are also in fine order. Grapes appear to do 
 well. The peaches this year blossomed in February, and 
 through the whole western country have been destroyed 
 by a frost. 
 
 Capt. Williamson was a great benefactor to this coun- 
 try, although not to the Pulteney estate. No man has 
 contributed more to the population, the wealth, and the 
 general improvement of this country than he. He ex- 
 pended, by drafts on his employers, £600,000. In order 
 to keep up the price of lands he frequently purchased them 
 at a high rate. He was a gentleman, a man of honor and 
 intelligence. He is now no more. 
 
 Phelps and Gorham gave for the Massachusetts land, 
 two or three cents an acre. Not being able to make good 
 their payments, they surrendered the country west of the 
 Genesee river, to their grantors, and R. Morris gave for 
 it one shilling per acre. The value is now incalculable. 
 
 July 25th. — We left Geneva to view the confluence of 
 Mud Creek and the Canandaigua outlet, at Lyons. We 
 traveled in two wagons, and sent our baggage and two of 
 our servants to Canandaigua by the usual route. About 
 two miles from Geneva we passed a place once famous as 
 an Indian castle, and called Canadusaga. This was de- 
 stroyed by Sullivan's army, together with an old Indian 
 orchard, which has now grown up and is flourishing, and 
 which, if not destroyed, would have been useless, on ac- 
 count of the age of the trees. There is an Indian mound 
 or barrow for interring the dead at this place. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 105 
 
 The country is well settled, fertile, and abounding in 
 wheat, which is now gathering. We halted at T. Oaks' 
 tavern, in Phelpstown, near which is a Presbyterian church, 
 six miles from Geneva. Here, according to appointment, 
 we conferred with Jonathan Melvin, a plain, illiterate far- 
 mer, respecting a route projected by him, from Galen salt 
 works on the Seneca river, to Port Bay, on Lake Ontario. 
 He has property on Port Bay, and says, that he has ex- 
 amined the route personally. The result of his informa- 
 tion, reduced to writing on the spot, is as follows, to wit: — 
 
 Half a mile above Galen Salt Works, Crusoe Creek 
 empties into Seneca river, opposite Bluff point ; from 
 thence to Crusoe Lake, dead water, navigable by a Dur- 
 ham boat. From the outlet to the head of the lake, one 
 and a half or two miles ; from the head of the lake to the 
 inlet of Port Bay, three miles through a swamp ; down 
 the said inlet four and a half miles, to the great falls, 
 which are forty feet perpendicular ; from thence to where 
 the waters are dead, and seven or eight feet deep, one 
 mile and a half; from thence to the head of the bay, one 
 mile and a half; a bar at the entrance of the bay may be 
 removed ; thence to the outlet of the bay, one mile and a 
 half; the bay a mile wide, the outlet three-quarters of a 
 mile wide ; the whole distance eighteen miles. 
 
 July 25th, continued. — We proceeded to Lyons, ten 
 miles north, through a violent shower, having left the 
 commodore, who accompanied Mr. Reese, in his chair, at 
 Oaks' tavern. This village is near the confluence of 
 Mud Creek and Canandaigua outlet ; the latter contains 
 four times as much water as the first, and both together 
 are about as large as the Mohawk. This village was laid 
 out by Captain Williamson, and contains two taverns and 
 
106 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 twenty or thirty houses, principally occupied by Metho • 
 dists. Lots of a quarter of an acre sell for forty or fifty 
 dollars. After viewing the rivers, we dined here and re- 
 turned. 
 
 On our return, a mile from Lyons, and a mile from the 
 road in a thick wood, we stopped to see a camp-meeting 
 of Methodists. The ground was somewhat elevated ; the 
 woods were cleared, and a circle was made capable of 
 containing several thousands. The circle was formed of 
 wooden cabins, tents, covered wagons, and other vehicles. 
 At one end of the circle a rostrum was erected, capable 
 of containing several persons, and below the rostrum or 
 pulpit, was an orchestra fenced in. We arrived at this 
 place before the meeting was opened, and we found it ex- 
 cessively damp and disagreeable, from the heavy rains. 
 Here, eating and drinking was going on ; there, people 
 were drying themselves by a fire. In one place, a man 
 had a crowd around him, to listen to his psalm singing ; 
 in another, a person was vociferating his prayer. And 
 again, a person had his arm around the neck of another, 
 looking him full in the face, and admonishing him of the 
 necessity of repentance ; and the poor object of his solici- 
 tude, listening to his exhortations with tear-sufFused eyes. 
 At length four preachers ascended the pulpit, and the 
 orchestra was filled with forty more. The people, about 
 two hundred in number, were called together by a trum- 
 pet, the women took the left and the men the right hand 
 of the ministers. A good-looking man opened the service 
 with prayer, during which groans followed every part of 
 his orisons, decidedly emphatical. After prayer he com- 
 menced a sermon, the object of which was to prove the 
 utility of preaching up the terrors of hell, as necessary to 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 107 
 
 arrest the attention of the audience to the arguments of 
 the ministers. And this was undoubtedly intended as a 
 prelude to terrific discourses. Capt. Dorsey, who was a 
 member of the Assembly last session, and who is a devout 
 Methodist, was kind enough to show us seats, and to in- 
 vite us to breakfast in the morning, at his house ; but the 
 dampness of the place, and the approach of night, com- 
 pelled us to depart before the sermon was completed, 
 which we did singly, so as to avoid any interruption. We 
 were mortified at the conduct of our drivers in turning the 
 carriages, so as to draw off the attention of the people 
 from the sermon. We sent an apology for it to Capt. 
 Dorsey, they were expressly directed to do this on our 
 arrival. As far as we could hear, the voice of the 
 preacher, growing louder and louder, reached our ears as 
 we departed, and we met crowds of people going to the 
 sermon. On the margin of the road, we saw persons with 
 cakes, beer, and other refreshments for sale. 
 
 We returned to Oaks' tavern, where we slept. The 
 commodore had proceeded with Mr. Reese after dinner, 
 and we did not meet him. In the course of the evening 
 the Surveyor-General mentioned the singular death of the 
 Rev. Mr. Hartman some years ago. He was a Lutheran 
 minister, far advanced in life. He took passage from New 
 York for Clermont, and the wind being adverse part of 
 the way, he became very uneasy. On his arrival at the 
 place of destination, he told Mrs. Livingston, the chan- 
 cellor's mother, that he had come to lay his old bones 
 there, and expressed great anxiety to have his will written, 
 as he was to die the next day at 12 o'clock at night. The 
 chancellor wrote his will ; he appeared to be composed, 
 and in his usual state of health. The family considered 
 
108 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 his prediction a whim, but appointed a person to watch 
 him. When the clock struck twelve he expired. 
 
 July 2Gth. We departed at five o'clock in the morning 
 for the Sulphur Springs, in Farmington, six miles distant, 
 where we found the commodore and Mr. Reese, We 
 breakfasted here, in a handsome house. 
 
 We passed through the principal part of Farmington, 
 a republican town. The first settler here was from Ver- 
 mont, who brought with him a four-pound cannon, which 
 he had taken from the British during the war. A number 
 of Marylanders are settled here, as may be seen from their 
 large crops of corn and tobacco. An emigrant from Fre- 
 dericks county says, that the land here does not produce 
 more than there, but that his inducements to remove were 
 his large family, and the cheapness of the land. The 
 country from Oaks' to the Springs is thickly settled, and 
 covered with wheat, which yields twenty-five bushels an 
 acre. Four parallel roads run in this direction, which are 
 full of people, and one of them is a turnpike. 
 
 As you approach the Springs, the smell of sulphur re- 
 minds you of the Stygian lake, of the heathen mythology. 
 There are two springs, a quarter-of-a-mile distant. The 
 water is very cold, and a considerable stream runs from 
 the principal spring. You see sulphur in its virgin state 
 lying around, with concretions of stone formed by it, and 
 gypsum mingled with the sulphur, forming in some places 
 beds, into which you can penetrate a pole of five feet. 
 There is a bathing-house adjacent to the spring, for the 
 accommodation of invalids. It is supposed that there is 
 some arsenic in the waters. Having before seen a sul- 
 phur spring at Cherry Valley, my curiosity was not much 
 excited. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 109 
 
 The road is populous and thickly settled to Canandaigua, 
 the County town, in which all the roads in the country 
 center, as radii from a common center. It is nearly the 
 center of territory, as well as of population. 
 
 Half-a-mile north of the village we perceived the remains 
 of an old fortification. A mound of earth two feet high 
 runs round two acres, and, as far as I could judge, it is 
 nearly of an eUiptical form. A ditch surrounds the whole ; 
 there were the appearances of two gates or entrances, on 
 the north and south side. The ditch is nearly filled and 
 narrow ; part of the ground has been ploughed. On the 
 side of the ditch and in the fort there are oaks upwards 
 of 150 years old. This work is on the highest ground 
 in its vicinity. There are two others near the village. 
 Munro attributes these and similar works to the French, 
 but he is unquestionably mistaken. 
 
 We reached Canandaigua at twelve o'clock, and put up 
 at Taylor's hotel ; an indifferent house. This village is 
 pleasantly situated at the north end of Canandaigua Lake, 
 a fine body of water, eighteen miles long, and from one to 
 two miles wide. There are more fish in it than in Seneca 
 Lake. A trout weighing twenty-eight pounds has been 
 caught in it, which had in its belly a whole fish of two 
 pounds weight. There are here a Court-house, Jail, 
 Academy, Post-office, two printing-presses, and about one 
 hundred and fifty houses. The main street strikes the 
 outlet of the lake at right angles, and has a great many 
 elegant houses. The Academy is not painted, and ap- 
 pears to be in a decaying situation, although it is endowed 
 with property to the value of $20,000. This is a place of 
 great business, and the society is agreeable. The lots 
 were so laid out in the main street, as to contain origin- 
 
110 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 ally forty acres in the rear. A very handsome house 
 and five acres, on a commanding situation in this street, 
 were sold lately for $4,000. There are eleven lawyers 
 here. The Indians had considerable settlements in this 
 place, w^hen Sullivan's army passed through and destroyed 
 them. The mill-dams near the outlet render the low^er 
 part of the village unhealthy. Butter here sells for one 
 shilling per pound ; the best beef, five cents ; common 
 beef and mutton, four cents. 
 
 A plain coachee with leather curtains, belonging to Je- 
 mima Wilkinson, or the Friend, as she is called, was here 
 for repairs at the coach-maker's. On the back of it are 
 inscribed in large letters, V-j-F, and a star on each side. 
 She resides with thirty or forty followers at Crooked 
 Lake, in this county. She is opposed to war, to oaths, 
 and to marriage ; and to her confidential friends she repre- 
 sents herself as Jesus Christ personified in the body of Je- 
 mima Wilkinson. 
 
 I saw Judge Atwater, Mr. Phelps, Mercer, and other 
 respectable Republicans, and I gladly availed myself of a 
 polite invitation of J. C. Spencer to take a bed at his 
 house, having first rode with him in his chaise through 
 the village and its vicinity. 
 
 July 27th. Young Eddy being indisposed with fever, 
 the other two young gentlemen agreed to stay with him, 
 and join us at Buffalo. We hired two wagons for the 
 conveyance of five commissioners, a surveyor, and two 
 servants ; one servant rode on horseback, and we had a 
 baggage-wagon besides. The commodore left us with an 
 intention of joining us in the evening, after visiting some 
 Quakers. At Col. Porter's request, we stopped at Col. 
 Norton's, in Bloomfield, six miles from Canandaigua. A 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. Ill 
 
 genteel house and family, but the proprietor being absent 
 our visit was short. 
 
 We dined on our own provisions at Dryer's tavern, 
 in Bloomfield. The country so far was very populous, 
 fertile, and delightful, particularly that part of it called 
 Broughton Hill, an elevated portion, affording an exten- 
 sive prospect. After leaving Dryer's inn, the country 
 changes for the worse. There is no underwood, and the 
 predominant timber is oak. We crossed Gerundigut Creek 
 at Mann's mills, where Mr. Geddes proposes a great em- 
 bankment for his canal, from the Genesee River to the 
 head waters of Mud Creek. He crosses Gerundigut Creek 
 here, in order to attain the greatest elevation of ground 
 on the other side. Adjacent to this place were indications 
 of iron ore and red ochre, which often accompany each 
 other. 
 
 We arrived at Perrin's tavern, in the town of Boyle, 
 twenty-one miles from Canandaigua, four and a-half from 
 Gerundigut or Irondequot landing, and fourteen from 
 Charleston. A vessel of thirty tons cargo comes to the 
 head of this landing. The sign of the tavern contains 
 masonic emblems, and is by S. Felt & Co. Felt is a man 
 in the employ of the landlord, and the object of this marked 
 sign is, as the landlord says, to prevent his debtors from 
 seizing the house. Perrin is a violent Federalist. He be- 
 haved to me with great civility, conversed about masonry, 
 and presented me with a masonic sermon. We drew lots 
 for the choice of beds ; and it turning out in my favor, I 
 chose the worst bed in the house. I was unable to sleep 
 on account of the fleas. At this place we ate the cele- 
 brated white fish salted. It is better than shad, and cost 
 at Irondequot landing 812 per barrel. 
 
112 DE WITT CLINTON, 
 
 July 28th. We departed from here at seven o'clock, 
 after breakfast, and after a ride of eight and a half miles 
 arrived at a ford of the Genesee river, about twelve miles 
 from the Great Falls, and seven and a half miles from 
 Lake Ontario. This ford is one rock of limestone. Just 
 below it there is a fall of fourteen feet. An excellent 
 bridge of uncommon strength is now erecting at this 
 place. We took a view of the upper and lower falls. 
 The first is ninety-seven and the other seventy-five feet. 
 The banks on each side are higher than the falls, and ap- 
 pear to be composed of slate, cut principally of red free- 
 stone. The descent of the water is perpendicular. The 
 view is grand, considering the elevation of the bank and 
 the smallness of the cataract or sheet of water. 
 
 From the ford to the lake is seven and a half miles ; 
 from the great falls to the lake, seven miles ; from the 
 great to the lower falls, one mile and a half ; from the 
 lower falls to Hanford's tavern, where we put up, one mile 
 and a half; from Hanford's to Charlottesburgh, on the 
 lake, four miles. There is a good sloop navigation to the 
 lower falls. 
 
 These falls, as also those of Niagara, and perhaps of 
 Oswego, are made by the same ridge or slope of land. 
 The Genesee river, in former times, may have been dam- 
 med up at these falls, and have formed a vast lake, cover- 
 ing all the Genesee Flats, forty miles up. The navigation 
 above the ford is good for small boats to the Canaseraga 
 Creek, and ten miles above it, making altogether fifty 
 miles. 
 
 We dined and slept at Hanford's tavern ; he is also a 
 merchant, and carries on considerable trade with Canada. 
 There is a great trade between this country and Montreal, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 113 
 
 in staves, potash, and flour. I wsis informed by Mr, Hop- 
 kins, the officer of the customs here, that 1000 barrels of 
 flour, 1000 ditto of pork, 1000 ditto of potash, and up- 
 wards of 100,000 staves had been ah-eady sent this season 
 from here to Montreal ; that staves now sold there for 
 il40 per thousand, and had at one time brought $400 
 that the expense of transporting 1000 staves from this 
 place to Montreal is from $85 to $90 ; across the lake., 
 from $45 to $50 ; of a barrel ^of potash to Montreal, 
 twenty shillings ; of pork, sixteen shillings ; of flour, ten 
 shillings ; but that the cheapness of this article is owing to 
 a competition, and is temporary. A ton of goods can be 
 transported from Canandaigua to Utica, by land, for 
 twenty shillings. 
 
 Notwithstanding the rain, we visited in the afternoon 
 the mouth of the river. On the left bank a village has 
 been laid out by Colonel Troup, the agent of the Pulteney 
 estate, and called Charlottesburgh, in compliment to his 
 daughter. He has divided the land into one acre lots. 
 Each lot is sold at ten dollars per acre, on condition that 
 the purchaser erects a house in a year. This place is in 
 the town of Genesee. The harbour here is good. The 
 bar at the mouth varies from eight to eight and a-half feet, 
 and the channel is generally eleven feet. There were 
 four lake vessels in it. We had an opportunity of seeing 
 the lake in a storm, and it perfectly resembled its parent, 
 the ocean, in the agitation, the roaring, and the violence of 
 its waves. 
 
 The commodore overtook us at the ford, and subdued 
 a severe sick head-ache by strong potations of tea. 
 
 July 29th, Sunday. We set off at six o'clock, and 
 breakfasted at Davis's tavern, in Parma, nine miles from 
 8 
 
114 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 the place of our departure. Our baggage wagon con- 
 tained our provisions, on which we generally fared. 
 Davis lives on the Pulteney lands, in a two-story log 
 house. He has been here four years, and gave three 
 dollars an acre on a credit of five years. 
 
 Shortly after leaving the Genesee river, we entered a 
 remarkable road called the Ridge Road, extending from 
 that river to Lewiston, seventy-eight miles. The general 
 elevation of the ridge is from ten to thirty feet, and its 
 width varies. Sometimes it is not more than fifteen or 
 twenty yards, and its general distance from Lake Ontario 
 is ten miles ; at Davis's it is nine miles. This ridge runs 
 from east to west. About from three to half a-mile south, 
 and parallel with this ridge, there is a slope or terrace, 
 elevated 200 feet more than the ridge, with a limestone 
 top, and the base freestone. The indications on the 
 ridge show that it was originally the bank of the lake. 
 The rotundity of the stones, the gravel, &c., all demon- 
 strate the agitation of the waters. When the country 
 between it and the lake is cleared, it will furnish a charm- 
 ing view of that great body of water. 
 
 We saw along the road great quantities of ginseng, a 
 beautiful convolvulus, or vine, with a delicate jessamine- 
 like flower, which General N. has naturalized in his gar- 
 den. Wherever there have been clearings in the wood, 
 by the agency of fire, we saw the weed called fire-weed, 
 which is always to be seen in such situations, and is made 
 use of as an argument in favor of spontaneous or equivo- 
 cal vegetation. 
 
 I saw for the third time the beautiful red-bird, before 
 mentioned. He derives, from the singular redness of his 
 plumage, the appellation of the Cardinal Bird. We also 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 115 
 
 saw numbers of robins, blue birds, blue jays, three kinds of 
 wood-peckers and hawks, and a great number of black- 
 birds. We also observed that all the squirrels we met 
 with were black, which is the case all over the western 
 country. 
 
 Our ride to Davis's was unpleasant. It had rained all 
 night, and this morning for two hours. The day, how- 
 ever, became pleasant. In this sequestered spot we had 
 the satisfaction of seeing a bower, where forty persons 
 had assembled to celebrate the birth-day of our nation. 
 And this pleasure would have been more lively if we had 
 not perceived a great number of electioneering hand- 
 bills. 
 
 Land on this road is excellent, and is clothed with va- 
 luable and heavy timber. It produces in wheat, twenty- 
 five bushels an acre, and corn in the same ratio. It sells 
 on the road for five dollars per acre, and is but thinly 
 settled. 
 
 We rode seven miles to dinner, and dined on cold ham. 
 The house was kept by R. Abby, justice, tavern-keeper, 
 and proprietor of a saw-mill. His only library was a 
 Conductor Generalis ; and a crowd of drunken people 
 were collected about the house. In excuse for the justice, 
 it might be remarked, that he was not at home ; he was 
 met on the road by some of our company, and expressed 
 an intention of calling upon me at our lodgings, in the 
 evening, of which pleasure we were, however, deprived. 
 His house is on the tract of land called the Triangle, in 
 the town of Murray. About a mile and a half from here, 
 we saw a man who had been settled two years in this 
 country, and who had purchased 300 acres for $600. 
 About three miles west of Abbey's, there is a fine nur- 
 
116 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 sery of young apple-trees and a good orchard. The land 
 in this town sells for five dollars an acre, on the road ; 
 back of the road it is sold for four. 
 
 We met to-day a man going to Charlottesburgh, on the 
 Genesee River, with tvs^o barrels of potash, drawn by two 
 oxen in a cart. He must have gone twenty-six miles to 
 market. Potash works are numerous over the coast, and 
 appear to be the great resource of the people for raising 
 money. We observed a man reaping wheat to-day, and 
 others patrolling the woods with guns, so that Sunday does 
 not appear to be held in high veneration. Natural mea- 
 dows were frequent on both sides of the ridge. The wheat 
 was good, and the corn bad. The frost, which happened 
 on the night we lodged at Van Valkenburgh's tavern, on the 
 Oswego River, appears to have affected corn-fields par- 
 tially, from here to Canandaigua, as if it had proceeded like 
 a current of cold air, avoiding the highlands, and scatter- 
 ing devastation among the corn on low grounds. 
 
 The driver of our baggage-wagon is named Finch, and 
 is a fugitive from Vermont. He commanded the mam- 
 moth raft that escaped from Lake Champlain during the 
 embargo, and got it safe to Quebec, where he would have 
 realized a handsome fortune, had it not been swept away 
 and totally destroyed by an extraordinary flood. It was 
 owned by seventeen people ; he was before worth $6,000. 
 Being ruined by the failure of this enterprise, he now re- 
 lies upon his team and industry for subsistence, and appears 
 to be a civil, sober, industrious, and intelligent fellow. 
 
 Six miles from Abbey's we put up for the night at 
 Matteson's tavern, an open log house, in the town of Mur- 
 ray, where we suffered the want of sleep, and encountered 
 every other privation. Two slept in the garret, three on 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 117 
 
 the floor on mattrasses, and I thought myself happy in 
 putting mine on a wooden chest, where I avoided the 
 attacks of kittens. The night was very damp and rainy — 
 the musquitoes abundant ; and we were serenaded by the 
 jingling of cow-bells, and the screaming of drunken clowns. 
 
 July 20th, Monday. We left this disagreeable place at 
 half-past five, and after a ride of four hours through a 
 wilderness, we arrived at one Downer's, a private house, 
 and nine and a half miles from where we slept. Downer 
 emigrated from Vermont two years ago, and purchased this 
 farm, which is in the town of Batavia, for eighteen shillings 
 per acre. It is twenty miles from the village of Batavia, 
 eight miles from lake Ontario, and by measurement, thirty- 
 two and a half from the Genesee ford, where the bridge is 
 erecting. Here we partook of a comfortable breakfast on 
 our own provisions, assisted by the cheerful hospitality of 
 our talkative landlady, who informed us that they had, in 
 a time of scarcity, been obliged to give twenty shillings 
 per bushel for Indian meal. 
 
 The rain discontinuing, we proceeded to Sibley's tavern, 
 fifteen miles from Matteson's, twenty-five from Batavia, 
 and eight from the lake. Here we halted awhile. The 
 land along this route has been sold by the Holland Land 
 Company for from eighteen to twenty shiUings per acre. 
 The Ridge Road was laid out by their agents about two 
 years since, and may be considered as a great natural turn- 
 pike. In imagination, one might suppose that this ridge 
 was a great road, created some thousand years ago, by the 
 powerful emperor of a populous State, to connect the lakes 
 with the interior country ; or, like the wall of China, a 
 great breastwork, erected by a mighty State, to protect 
 the country against incursions from the lakes. Such as it 
 
118 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 is, the lashing of the waves of the lakes has spread this 
 ridge with gravel ; and if the stumps of the trees are eradi- 
 cated, and the cavities filled up, it may be made the best 
 road in the United States — the expense of which will not 
 exceed $200 per acre. It is twenty feet wide, but in- 
 tended to be five rods. The Company have laid out their 
 land in farms of 160 acres, twenty chains fronting the 
 road, and 100 back, and they are now worth, in this situa- 
 tion, four dollars per acre. 
 
 Mr. Sibley says that there is a gentle descent from here 
 to the lake, and he can give no account of a ridge or slope 
 between this place and Batavia. Can there be a break in 
 the slope here ? 
 
 About nine miles south-west of Sibley's there are salt- 
 springs, worked by Mr. Ellicott, the agent of the Holland 
 Land Company. A considerable deal is made, and salt is 
 sold for a dollar a bushel. Eighteen miles from here, on 
 the Triangle, and north of the road, salt is also manufac- 
 tured, by Mr. Stoddert. Perhaps a range of salt springs, 
 arising from a mine of fossil salt, may be traced from 
 Salina to Kentucky, and from thence to Louisiana. 
 
 From Sibley's we proceeded to the Oak-Orchard, three 
 miles. It is a great plain, of six miles in extent, from east 
 to west, covered by oak-trees, with little or no underwood. 
 Through it the road is much improved. Oak-Orchard 
 Creek runs through here ; the banks are fifty feet steep. 
 Five miles up the creek, there is a fall of thirty feet, which 
 must be made by the upper ridge or slope. We could not 
 learn the condition of the stream above the falls. There 
 is a bar at the mouth, about knee deep in dry seasons. 
 In the Spring and Fall, boats can ascend this creek twelve 
 miles. For three miles above the bar, it is very deep. At 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 119 
 
 the mouth it is about thirty feet wide, and then widens 
 for the three miles, from thirty to forty rods. If the bar 
 could be removed, it would form an excellent harbor. 
 Salmon, muscalunga, and other fish, run up it. Any num- 
 ber of mills may be erected on this stream, which is the 
 only one in this country that will work a mill in all sea- 
 sons. The people here have to go forty miles, to Stod- 
 dert's mill, in this dry seasom, which certainly reflects no 
 honor on the Holland Land Company. Before Ellicott's 
 salt-works were erected, which are five miles up the creek, 
 Onondaga salt sold here for five dollars a bushel. On the 
 margin of the creek we found excellent wild onions ; wild 
 leeks are also in the woods. 
 
 We dined at one Johnson's, a private house, five and a- 
 half miles from Sibley's, and three from EUicott's salt 
 works. It is a perfect wilderness from here to Sibley's. 
 Johnson settled here in the spring, and gave three and a- 
 half dollars per acre. There was another family here, and 
 the father of it has languished with fever and ague the 
 whole season without making an effort to relieve himself. 
 Our commodore, like the Good Samaritan, left some 
 medicines to meet his case. 
 
 We proceeded seven and a-half miles from here to Stu- 
 art's tavern, in the town of Cambria, in Niagara County, 
 where we lodged, making in the whole twenty-seven 
 miles this day's journey. We had intended to stay at a 
 tavern two miles back, but were prevented by a person 
 languishing with fever, who represented himself to be a 
 physician from Peekskill, of the name of Robert Thomp- 
 son Owens, the son of a farmer and* on his way to New 
 Orleans. I slept in company with the commodore, under 
 Col. Porter's tent or sail, and made out extremely well. 
 
120 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 July 31. Tuesday. The people at Stuart's have mi- 
 grated from Washington county, and are decent and well- 
 behaved. There is an abundance of bears in this country ; 
 one of our servants saw one near the house. We break- 
 fasted here, and on our departure the landlord missed his 
 razor strop, when it appeared that the commodore, after 
 shaving himself, had put it up accidentally in his trunk. 
 The commodore's mistake afforded considerable merri- 
 ment, in which he heartily participated. 
 
 We halted at Brown's tavern, three miles from Stuart's, 
 seven miles from the great slope, and seven from the lake, 
 Six years ago Brown gave fourteen shillings per acre for 
 this farm. He says he would not sell it now for ten dol- 
 lars. 
 
 We travelled ten miles on the Ridge Road without seeing 
 but a very few houses. Here, to our great mortification, 
 a heavy rain came on, and we found an interruption of 
 the road on the ridge. For four miles we travelled 
 through the worst road we ever encountered, it being off 
 the ridge, and about two miles from each other passed 
 two considerable streams, branches of the Eighteen Mile 
 Creek. About a mile from Forsyth's tavern we regained 
 the ridge road ; and just before we arrived there, which 
 was at two o'clock, the road from Batavia to Lewiston 
 joins the Ridge Road, and from this place to the latter the 
 travelling is good. 
 
 Forsyth keeps a good house ; we dined here. He lives 
 fourteen miles from Stuart's, seven from the lake, fifteen 
 from Lewiston, thirty-five from Batavia, and sixty-two 
 and a-half from the Genesee river. So that the Ridge 
 Road, when completed, which it is intended to do, will be 
 seventy-seven and a-half miles long. Forsyth gave for 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL, 121 
 
 his land twenty-two shillings per acre, five years ago, and 
 being an intelligent man and an old settler, was asked 
 his opinion as to the formation of this ridge. He is of the 
 decided opinion that it was the bank of a lake, and besides 
 assigning the reason before-mentioned to support his opin- 
 ion, he stated the following facts : 
 
 1st. That the fish-banks, being heaps of gravel before- 
 mentioned, and commonly called bass-banks, are, on dig- 
 ging, found in a complete state at the foot of the ridge. 
 
 2nd. That all streams which enter the lake from the 
 east have their mouths filled up with sand in a particular 
 way, arising from the prevalence and power of the wes- 
 terly winds, and that the points of the creek which break 
 through this ridge correspond precisely with the entrance 
 of the streams into the lakes. 
 
 The road from Forsyth's is excellent, and through a 
 thick settled country. We stopped at Howell's Tavern, 
 ten miles from Lewiston, where we saw the Columbian. 
 Land here sells for three dollars per acre. At this place 
 we were told that in digging a well twenty-six feet, strata 
 of different kinds were penetrated, and among others, one 
 of lake sand and another of gravel. In digging a dam for 
 a saw mill, several lake shells were found at the depth of 
 four feet. As shells and bones are only preserved in clay 
 and are destroyed in sand, it is no evidence that the lake 
 has not overflown a country if no shells can be found in 
 particular situations. 
 
 Lake Ontario (which was originally called by the Eng- 
 lish Cadarackin), must have been dammed up at its en- 
 trance, and on its bursting a pass, assisted probably by an 
 earthquake, the terrible rupture must have created the 
 
122 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Thousand Isles. The lake would then recede from its 
 ancient boundaries. 
 
 After leaving Howell's Tavern, we turned from the 
 Ridge Road and ascended the great slope which approaches 
 it here. The bottom of it is composed of a ledge of lime- 
 stone, and its elevation is two hundred feet. On this hill 
 we had a sublime view of immense forests towards the lake, 
 like one prodigious carpet of green, and a distant glimpse 
 of the great expanse of waters. 
 
 Three miles from Lewiston we passed through a village 
 of Tuscarora Indians, containing 300 souls. Their territo- 
 ry consists of three miles square — one given them by the 
 Senecas, and two by the Holland Company. They follow 
 agriculture and keep a number of hogs and neat cattle. 
 They also plant corn and cultivate wheat, which looks 
 poor. I saw a chief with a cross on his back. When 
 Jackson was at Queenstown, they were sent for to play 
 ball for his amusement. They frequently visit the British 
 and receive presents. 
 
 We put up at a tavern kept in Lewiston, by T. Hurtler, 
 an old sergeant in the army. The vSurveyor General and 
 I slept at Mr. Barton's, one of the house of Porter, Barton 
 & Co., where we were kindly accommodated. 
 
 Lewiston contains but a few houses. It is within the 
 State reservation of a mile, on the east side of the Niagara 
 reservation, and is laid out into a town by the State. The 
 portage round the Falls commences here, and is eight miles 
 on the American, and ten on the British side. The port- 
 age has been leased from the State by Porter, Barton & 
 Co., and the principal article conveyed is salt ; three yoke 
 of oxen can carry twelve barrels of salt, and make one 
 trip a day. There are twenty-two teams of various kinds 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 123 
 
 employed in this portage. The distance from here to the 
 Falls is seven miles ; to the outlet of the river into Lake 
 Ontario, seven and a half miles. A vessel will float this 
 distance by the current in three hours. The w^hole length 
 of Niagara river, or rather the distance from lake to lake, 
 is thirty miles. There is a ferry between this place and 
 Queenstown, and the width of the river is one quarter of 
 a mile. 
 
 Mr. Barton is building an elegant stone house, on a 
 commanding situation. At his house I saw a large horned 
 owl, with the head like a cat, and with talons. He had 
 committed great trespasses on the poultry, biting off their 
 heads and sucking their blood ; he was shot on the poultry- 
 house. 
 
 August 1st, Wednesday. The brig Ontario, of ninety 
 tons, belonging to Porter, Barton & Co., being on her way 
 to Oswego, we took our departure in her about ten o'clock, 
 on a visit to Fort Niagara, having previously apprised the 
 officers of the garrison of our intention. This is a hand- 
 some vessel, cost $5,000, can carry 420 barrels of salt, 
 and is navigated by a captain and seven men. The month- 
 ly wages of a sailor is $20. We saw six British and 
 American vessels, five of which were square-rigged, as- 
 cend the river at the same time. The business transacted 
 here is principally on the American side, and is the trans- 
 portation of salt. There are two merchants and a lawyer 
 in this village ; also a spacious warehouse, and a good 
 wharf belonging to this company : the road to the wharf 
 is down a steep hill, and is badly contrived, as only one 
 team can load at a time. The color of the river is a 
 beautiful sea-green, and its depth from 40 to 100 feet; the 
 current descends at the rate of three miles an hour. The 
 
124 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 banks of the river are steep, and principally formed of a 
 stone, composed of indurated red clay, which is friable on 
 exposure to heat or frost. About two years ago, the ice 
 accumulated some two miles below Lewiston, to the ele- 
 vation of seventy feet, from bank to bank, and created a 
 rise of water above, which swept away with the besom of 
 destruction every thing between the banks of Lewiston 
 and Queenstown. 
 
 We landed at the Fort from the brig, which hauled close 
 up to the dock, and were received with a national salute, 
 and other military honors. Capt. Leonard and Dr. West 
 and families reside here, and Lieut. Gansevoort, a single 
 man. The garrison consists of an artillery company. We 
 dined with the commanding officer, in the large stone 
 house, which is 105 by 47 feet. It is in itself a complete 
 fortification — has a well, prisons, and only one door. It 
 had iron window shutters, which were taken away by the 
 British, when they surrendered the Fort, under Jay's 
 treaty. There are marks of shot in the rafters from a six- 
 pounder, and which were fired at the siege under Sir Wm. 
 Johnson. It is said that the French asked permission of 
 the Indians to build a trading-house, and that they erected 
 surreptitiously this work ; it is further stated that the stone 
 were brought from Fort Fontenac. Considering the dis- 
 tance, and the monstrous mass of stones, one would think 
 this impossible. As the stones about the windows are 
 different, and more handsome than those which compose 
 the building, the probability is, that the former only were 
 brought from Fort Fontenac, and that the latter are the 
 common stones of the country. Niagara Fort is in a 
 ruinous condition. There are two block-houses at the 
 east and west end ; and an old stone house, which was 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 125 
 
 built by the French, constitutes the magazine. The only 
 pleasant thing to the feelings of an American are the new 
 barracks which are building. 
 
 The bar of the Niagara River at its entrance into the 
 lake is twelve feet. From the north room in which we 
 dined, we had a superb view of the lake. We understood 
 here, that Gen. Dearborn, the late Secretary of War, had 
 represented as an excuse for not erecting a fort at Black 
 Rock, that the State had asked twelve dollars per acre for 
 the ground — an assertion totally destitute of truth. 
 
 We returned via Newark in our carriages, which we 
 had sent to that place for the purpose. The river here is 
 about thirty chains wide. It was formerly the seat of 
 government of Upper Canada, which has been transferred 
 to York, and Newark is now called Niagara. " It contains 
 about eighty houses, a court-house, and two churches. 
 
 As we walked through the town we saw a dozen people, 
 whom we were told were the principal men of the place, 
 looking at us. Some years ago I got acquainted with Dr. 
 Ker, Deputy Grand-Master of Upper Canada, whom I 
 was told resides in this place, and intended to pay me par- 
 ticular attention if he saw me. The British fort is a little 
 farther up than ours, and is said to be fourteen feet higher. 
 Its condition is not much superior ; it is under the com- 
 mand of a Major. Jackson was received at this place 
 with military honors, and complimented with a ball. 
 
 I observed an uncommon number of musquito hawks 
 flying over the plains adjacent to this town ; they are cer- 
 tainly different from whip-poor-wills. They were in pur- 
 suit of insects, and their cry was squah, in a sharp note. 
 
 The road from Niagara to Queenstown is pleasant and 
 well-cultivated, and the country has plenty of young or- 
 
126 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 chards of apple and peach trees. I am told, however, that 
 improvements are stationary, and that the country does 
 not look better than it did eleven years ago. The differ- 
 ence between the American and British side, in every at- 
 tribute of individual and natural improvement, must strike 
 the most superficial eye. It is flattering to our national 
 pride, and to the cause of republican government ; indeed, 
 Mr. Morris insinuated that Jackson recognized it with no 
 little spleen. 
 
 The politics of Upper Canada are tempestuous. A great 
 majority of the people prefer the American government, 
 and on the firing of the first gun would unite their desti- 
 nies with ours. The Irish and emigrants from the United 
 States are opposed to the Scotch, who have monopolized 
 the government. There are two newspapers printed in 
 the province. The editor of one is an Irishman of the 
 name of Willcocks, whose paper is called the Guardian. 
 It is printed at Niagara, has an extensive circulation in 
 Canada, and a limited one in this State. He is bold, but 
 not possessed of great talents. He leads the opposition, 
 and is a member of their parliament as it is styled, and 
 has been prosecuted by the Government. Jackson sent 
 for him and was closeted some hours with him. He com- 
 plains bitterly of the abuses of government, particularly 
 in exacting oppressive fees. The other press supports the 
 Government. 
 
 Queenstown contains about forty houses. I saw two 
 square-rigged vessels taking in salt. It does but little 
 business, when compared with its opposite rival. Eigh- 
 teen thousand barrels of salt were conveyed by the portage 
 at Lewiston last year, and but four thousand on this side. 
 We crossed the ferry at Queenstown, which affords a cu- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 127 
 
 rious phenomenon. An eddy runs up on each side, and 
 facilitates a passage against a very impetuous current in 
 the center of the river. In passing the river here, we had 
 a full view of the great ridge, which passes to the banks 
 of the river on the American side, is interrupted by the 
 river, and is renewed on the British side, bending off to- 
 wards the west, and running to the north end of Lake On- 
 tario. The large rocks where the break of the great ridge 
 opens, and the whole aspect of the water and the sur- 
 rounding country, evidently show that this was the an- 
 cient seat of the Great Cataract. 
 
 We again availed ourselves of the hospitality of Mr. 
 Barton. 
 
 August 2d, Thursday. Messrs. Morris and Van Rens- 
 selaer arrived here from Chippeway, and after breakfast 
 at Mr. Barton's, we all proceeded to a village near the 
 Falls of Niagara, along the carrying road where Judge 
 Porter resides. 
 
 On the top of the slope at Lewiston, we observed the 
 old way in which the French drew up their goods. A 
 crane was fixed on the hill, and an inclined plane down 
 the descent in which sleighs were fixed, and as goods 
 were conveyed up in one sleigh, others were let down in 
 another. 
 
 After two miles we saw the Devil's Hole, which is a 
 monstrous chasm or ravine, close to the road, and is 150 
 feet deep, where the hill is upwards of 300 feet perpen- 
 dicular above the center of the river. It is formed by a 
 small creek, called Bloody Run, precipitating itself into 
 the bank. This name is derived from this circumstance : 
 After the capture of Niagara by Sir William Johnson, an 
 escort of thirty English with wagons were driven down 
 
128 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 the precipice by an ambuscade of French and Indians, 
 and all killed except two — one who broke through the 
 enemy, and the other who was caught by a tree in his de- 
 scent, and although miserably wounded, is yet alive and 
 tells the story. 
 
 Two miles from this place, we saw, from Major Bro- 
 ther's house, the whirlpool, which exhibits the power of 
 water in the most astonishing manner. When the largest 
 trees of the forest are caught in the vortex of this fresh 
 water maelstrom, such is the fury of its vertiginous mo- 
 tion, that they are whirled round with inconceivable ve- 
 locity, and after being precipitated into the great abyss of 
 waters, and lost to the eye for a considerable time, they 
 are ejected in fragments from their prison, or entirely de- 
 molished. We arrived at the village, one-quarter of a 
 mile above the Falls, and three-quarters of a-mile from Fort 
 Schlosser. It was established by Porter, Barton & Co., and 
 is the best place in the world for hydraulic works. Here 
 is a carding-machine, a grist-mill, a saw-mill, a rope- walk, a 
 bark-mill, a tannery, Post-office, tavern, and a few houses. 
 An acre-lot sells for fifty dollars. The rope- walk is sixty 
 fathoms long ; is the only establishment of the kind in the 
 western country, and already supplies all the lake naviga- 
 tion. The hemp used in this manufactory is raised on 
 the Genesee Flats, and costs there from $280 to $300 per 
 ton, and when brought here, it amounts to $380. Tar is 
 procured from New York, there being no pitch pine in 
 this country, and the price there and transportation here 
 bring it in cost to nine dollars. It constitutes in price a 
 twenty-fifth part of the rope. 
 
 You recognize, at a considerable distance, the Falls, from 
 the ascent of vapors, and the clouds which are always 
 
' PRIVATE JOURNAL. 129 
 
 hanging over the place, and you hear the roaring of the 
 waters hke the noise of thunder. At Fort Schlosser, up- 
 wards of two miles by water above the Falls, the river 
 narrows, and a Rapid commences of irresistible force and 
 immense velocity, and extends to the Falls. The noise 
 and agitation and fury of these rapids constitute as great 
 a curiosity as the Cataract itself. An island, denominated 
 Goat Island (from the circumstance of Mr. Stedman, the 
 former possessor of Fort Schlosser, keeping his goats 
 there), and containing about eighty acres, runs up to the 
 Falls and divides the waters. Here the whole river pre- 
 cipitates itself 162^ feet, according to the report of an 
 engineer, over a mass of calcareous stone and shistic. 
 The greater part of the mighty mass passes over on the 
 west side, and, viewed from the American bank, appears 
 green in the thickest part of the Cataract, whereas the 
 volume of water on our side, when seen from Table Rock, 
 looks white, which is imputable to its inferior density. 
 There are cataracts which exceed this in altitude, but 
 there is none in the world which approaches it in volume 
 of water. The elevation of the banks of the river detracts 
 greatly from the sublimity of the spectacle. Below the 
 Cataract there are huge rocks, which have been torn and 
 hurled from their foundations by the Rapids. Two or 
 three years ago, an immense mass of the rocky stratum 
 was precipitated over, and shook the country around like 
 an earthquake. If it be true, as is suggested, that the 
 rock below the limestone is soft, if the river should ever 
 succeed in carrying off the superior stratum, the whole of 
 the upper lake will rush into Lake Ontario, and deluge 
 whole counties below. I felt the agitation of the Falls in 
 slightly shaking Judge Porter's house, after I had retired 
 
 9 
 
130 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 to bed. It is generally supposed that every animal which 
 passes over the Falls is killed ; but this a mistake. Tame 
 geese frequently pass over alive. There is a dog at Chip- 
 peway which escaped with a broken rib ; and two sheep 
 were once found below the Cataract, one of which was 
 alive. Fish often go over safely. On the other hand, the 
 chance is greatly against life. Wild geese, fish, deer, and 
 other creatures are to be seen dashed to pieces. A tragi- 
 cal story is told of a poor Indian, which would form a 
 good subject for a poem. He tied his canoe to the shore 
 at Chippeway, and fell asleep. A British soldier, it is sup- 
 posed, loosened his fastening and he floated down. When 
 he got involved in the great Rapid, he was awakened by 
 the noise, and rising up and perceiving his situation, he 
 tried to paddle himself out. But finding his efforts use- 
 less, he wrapped himself up in his blanket, and sat down 
 in the canoe, yielding himself to his fate with Roman for- 
 titude. In this short and dreadful interval between life 
 and death, the rich fancy of a poet might conceive and 
 delineate the ideas which passed through the mind of the 
 poor Indian, and the feelings which agitated his bosom, 
 when on the eve of his final separation from his family 
 and sacred home, and when the ties which united him to 
 this world were about to be forever dissolved. 
 
 A beautiful white substance is found at the bottom of 
 the Falls, supposed by some to be gypsum, and by the vul- 
 gar to be a concretion of foam, generated by the force of 
 the Cataract. But it is unquestionably part of the lime- 
 stone dissolved and reunited. 
 
 Goat Island belongs to the State, and must be extremely 
 valuable for hydraulic works. The general idea is that it 
 would answer for a State Prison, being impracticable to 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 131 
 
 pass from it. But this is a mistake ; it can be easily reach- 
 ed by a canoe from above. I saw a man who had pota- 
 toes planted on it, and who visited it frequently. Sted- 
 man used to ride there on horseback. The land is very 
 fertile. As well for its nearness to the dead carcasses below 
 the Falls as its seclusion, eagles build their nests on this 
 island, which is covered with wood. Last autumn, a year, 
 a large buck-deer was seen for two or three weeks, wad- 
 ing a short distance into the Rapids from this island and 
 retreating. He had probably drifted down from above, 
 and not knowing the safe passage to the shore he no doubt 
 perished at the Cataract. After an elegant dinner we rode 
 to Fort Schlosser, and here M. and V. R. left us and pass- 
 ed over to Chippeway. Near Fort Schlosser is the old 
 English landing, and the fort was probably made to pro- 
 tect it. The French landing is half a mile lower down, 
 just at the head of the Rapids, where there are the remains 
 of stone buildings. Fort Schlosser was surrounded by 
 palisadoes and a ditch, and contained two wooden houses 
 and a Block-house, some of which buildings remain. This 
 place is a little above Chippeway, and is the termination of 
 the portage. Near it are the remains of an old fort, sup- 
 posed to be French, covering half an acre, with four bas- 
 tions and a ditch. Near this place are very large ant- 
 hills. 
 
 We passed the young gentlemen to-day on their way to 
 Lewiston and the Fort, and returned to Judge Porter's, 
 where we slept. This place is 300 miles from Detroit, and 
 470 from New York ; 90 miles to Presque Isle, and 190 to 
 Pittsburgh. 
 
 August 3c?, Friday. We arrived at Chippeway for 
 breakfast. The river here is two miles wide. After 
 
132 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 breakfast the Commissioners had a conference, in which 
 they directed Mr. Geddes to take levels and distances on 
 a variety of points, and adjourned to meet at the City 
 Tavern, in New York, on the 28th July. 
 
 Chippevvay is in the town of Willoughby, in the county 
 of Lincoln. The most opulent man does not pay more 
 than three dollars a year in taxes. Street, the Speaker of 
 their Parliament, lives near here, and migrated from Con- 
 necticut. Chippeway is a mean village of twenty houses, 
 three stofes, two taverns, a wind-mill, and a distillery. 
 There are also barracks here, surrounded by demolished 
 palisadoes, in which a lieutenant's guard is stationed. 
 Chippeway creek or river intersects the village. The 
 race of a mill-dam here conceals a boiling- spring, which 
 will boil a tea-kettle. Two or three miles back of Queens- 
 town there are two springs a few yards from each other — 
 one impregnated with sulphur, and the other with vitriolic 
 acid. On Lake Erie there are petrifying waters which 
 run into it, at which you can see petrified substances dis- 
 tinctly marked by the feet of Indians. 
 
 One Stevens keeps a tolerable inn here. Jackson and 
 Morris had a contest in this house for rooms. The former 
 sent out an avant courier, who engaged a room with two 
 beds. Morris followed, and after reconnoitering both 
 taverns, took a room in the rear of Jackson's, to which he 
 could not go without passing through Jackson's. When 
 the parties met, Jackson and wife remonstrated against 
 the arrangement. The former was insolent to Morris 
 who, however, soon induced the Briton to take refuge in 
 the adjacent house. 
 
 Jackson has been received with distinguished attention 
 in Canada. The ball at Niagara Avas attended by forty 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 133 
 
 girls, collected from the town and the whole adjacent 
 country, and arrayed in various fashions. Jackson ap- 
 peared in his diplomatic suit, and was received by a band 
 of music playing " God save the King." His lady was 
 complimented in a similar way, and by the rising of all 
 the company. She told a gentleman that she was well 
 accommodated here ; that there was no Mr. M. here to 
 oust them of their rooms. 
 
 Having seen the Cataract from the American side, we 
 took this opportunity of viewing it from the opposite side, 
 and we proceeded to Table Rock, from whence we had a 
 fair view. The spray of the waters enveloped us with a 
 mist as penetrating as rain. The clouds of vapor generat- 
 ed here must have a considerable agency in producing the 
 frequent showers which are experienced in this country. 
 
 I could not but observe the number of taverns in Cana- 
 da and the western country, which contained emblems of 
 Free-Masonry on their signs. 
 
 Near Chippeway, a house had a sign marked small-pox, 
 to apprise people of the disease. 
 
 One of the hands who rowed us over the river here is 
 named Cowan. Although seventy years old, he can now 
 make two pair of shoes a day ; for each pair he charges 
 four shillings. He has had two wives ; seven children by 
 one and fourteen by another, of whom fifteen are girls. 
 
 We returned and slept at Judge Porter's, where we also 
 dined. 
 
 The cold Friday of last winter was experienced all over 
 the country, and at Fort Niagara with extreme severity. 
 
 We saw wine and jelly glasses here, of excellent quahty, 
 which were manufactured at Pittsburgh. The common 
 window-glass used here is also brought from that place ; 
 
134 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and also lead, from the mines on the Missouri, which cost 
 at Pittsburgh eight dollars per hundred pounds, and in this 
 place nine dollars and a-quarter. 
 
 Lake Ontario never freezes over, although Lake Erie 
 does. The former is generally much deeper, although in 
 some places the latter is sixty fathoms deep. Lake Erie 
 is 230 miles long and sixty wide ; Lake Superior is 300 
 miles long ; Michigan 300 ; Huron 200 ; Ontario 180. 
 The smallest of these lakes is larger than the Caspian 
 sea. 
 
 August 4th, Saturday. After breakfast we set out 
 from Fort Schlosser, in a Durham salt boat, drawing two 
 feet water, twenty-five tons burthen, and able to carry 150 
 bushels of salt, between seventy and eighty feet long, and 
 seven and eight feet wide. She had six men, who pushed 
 her up against the stream. But notwithstanding she had 
 been lightened for our accommodation, our situation was 
 unpleasant. The weather was uncommonly warm, and 
 the captain being absent, the hands were very noisy, in- 
 temperate, and disorganizing. The current was some- 
 times three miles an hour — on an average, two and a- 
 half 
 
 Navy Island is in view of Fort Schlosser, and is sup- 
 posed to be within the British dominions, although this is 
 not certain. It contains 300 acres, and has one squatter. 
 
 Grand Island is in our jurisdiction, and contains 23,000 
 acres. The Indian right is not extinguished, and the 
 Indians will not tolerate any intrusions or trespassers on 
 it. It is full of deer, owing to the absence of wolves and 
 settlers. It is about twelve miles long, and its greatest 
 breadth is six miles. At the foot of this island there are 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 135 
 
 the remains of two French vessels, which were formerly 
 burnt, on account of their not being able to escape. 
 
 The jurisdictional line between Great Britain and the 
 United States ought to have run through the center of 
 the channels of the lakes and ri"\^rs, instead of the center 
 of the waters, in order to have effectually secured equal 
 advantages of navigation to both nations. 
 
 Gill Creek enters the river on the left bank, about 
 half a-mile above Fort Schlosser, and is considered as the 
 probable place for the commencement of a canal. It has 
 a good bay and landing, is deep, and about twenty yards 
 wide. Cayuga Creek enters the river on the same side, 
 about three miles higher up. 
 
 Tonnewanta Island contains ninety acres, and is ten 
 miles from Fort Schlosser. It commences at the mouth 
 of the creek of that name. Elicott's creek enters Tonne- 
 wanta Creek, about 300 yards above its mouth, and just 
 above a bridge erected by General Wilkinson. There is 
 a Rapid sevefi miles from the mouth of Tonnewanta, and 
 falls about thirty. To the Rapids the navigation is good, 
 and to the falls you may ascend [in a canoe. Sturgeon 
 weighing eighty-two pounds have been speared at the 
 Rapids, where there are several good mill seats. The 
 country above them is a wilderness. The Tonnewanta 
 Reservation is twenty-four miles from the river, on this 
 creek. The creek has no bar at its mouth. This inform- 
 ation I received from one of our boatmen. 
 
 We took a cold dinner on board. Despairing of reach- 
 ing Black Rock with our disorderly fellows, we landed at 
 a tavern about a mile above Tonnewanta Creek, and took 
 to our carriages. The disorderly spirit of our boatmen had 
 extended itself to the driver, and I had to silence his im- 
 
136 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 portance. In a short time we passed a considerable 
 stream ; the road was bad, but the country pleasant. The 
 meadows on the river were fine, and the land improved 
 on both sides, after you pass the upper end of Grand 
 Island. One Dayton, w^o keeps a tavern four miles from 
 Black Rock, purchased two years ago eighty acres, at four 
 dollars per acre. 
 
 I saw a fish-hawk flying with a very large fish in his ta- 
 lons, and a strange bird with a large head, his body speckled, 
 and wings appeared touched with red when he flew. He 
 was not quite the size of a blue-bird. 
 
 At Black Rock we saw a great number of barrels of 
 salt, and several square-rigged vessels, and had a beautiful 
 view of Lake Erie. 
 
 We arrived in the evening at Buffalo, or New Amster- 
 dam, and put up at Landon's tavern, where we were in- 
 differently accommodated in every respect. The young 
 gentlemen had preceded us, and enjoyed the best accom- 
 modations. 
 
 August 5th, Sunday. Buffalo village contains from 
 thirty to forty houses, the court-house of Niagara county, 
 built by the Holland Land (Company, several stores and 
 taverns, and a Post office. It is a place of great resort. 
 All persons that travel to the Western States and Ohio, 
 from the Eastern States, and all that visit the Falls of 
 Niagara, come this way. A half-acre lot sells from $100 
 to $250. Buffalo Creek runs in from the East, between 
 the village and the lake. It is a deep stream, about ten 
 rods wide, and has a large bar at its mouth. It is navi- 
 gable about five miles. 
 
 Large oil stones are found at the Indian saw mill, 
 twelve miles up the Buffalo Creek, strongly impregnated 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 137 
 
 with Seneca oil ; also large petrified clam shells, on the 
 eighteen mile creek. There are five lawyers and no 
 church in this village. 
 
 The great desideratum in the land of the Holland Com- 
 pany, is the want of water. We saw on the ridge several 
 dry mills. Windmills must be used for grain. The 
 population of their lands has doubled in a year. 
 
 The chief seat of the Seneca's is about four miles from 
 Buffalo. 
 
 Lake Erie abounds with excellent and various fish : 
 
 1 . White Fish. — The head and mouth exactly like our 
 shad, and so is the fish generally. It is superior in flavor. 
 
 2. Herring. — Thicker through the body, and nearly the 
 same length as those on the sea-coast. Much like the 
 Nova Scotia herring. 
 
 3. Sheep's Head. — Like ours, but no teeth ; a hard, dry 
 fish. 
 
 4. Black or Oswego Bass. — Like our black fish. Bass 
 is a Dutch word, and signifies perch. 
 
 5. Rock Bass. — Like our sea bass. 
 
 6. White Bass. — In shape like our white perch, but 
 rather longer. The tail resembles that of the streaked 
 bass, and it has stripes on its sides. 
 
 7. Sturgeon, is the largest fish in the lake. They have 
 no dorsal fin, and are not so large as those in the Hudson. 
 In respect to shape they are similar, and have the same 
 habit of vaulting. 
 
 At the time the French possessed Niagara, the commander 
 of that fort took four live sturgeon from Ontario Lake, and 
 put them in lake Erie. Lake Erie before had none ; now 
 it and all the upper lakes have plenty of them. This was 
 
138 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 told ^Mr. Wigton by the captain of a sloop that sails on 
 lake Erie. 
 
 8. Sunfish. 
 
 9. Muscalunga, or pickerel ; a fine fish. 
 
 10. Pike. 
 
 11. Very large snapping turtle. 
 
 No shad go up the Mississippi. Now and then a meagre 
 herring is caught at Pittsburgh, which has struggled 2,200 
 miles against a strong current. The streaked bass or rock 
 fish go above Albany after the sturgeon's spawn, and sub- 
 sist principally on it. The superior flavor and excellence 
 of Atlantic sheeps-head may be owing to its delicious food 
 of clams and muscles, on the coast. The sturgeon of the 
 lake have no scales. 
 
 At the Niagara Falls, eels have ascended the rocks 
 forty or fifty feet, but cannot get up, and are not to be 
 found above, or in lake Erie. Eels have communication 
 with the sea, and perhaps generate there. In a pond above 
 the Passaic Falls, no eels have been seen until within a 
 few years, and they have found a communication round 
 the Falls. In the fall, eel-weirs are placed with their mouths 
 up against the current, and in the spring, the reverse. In 
 the f^ll they go to the sea, and in the spring return. The 
 only small fish in lake Erie, are the muscle and cray fish. 
 Dr. Mitchell's notice, that sea-fish, such as sturgeon, are 
 shut by the falls from the ocean, and have become natu- 
 ralized to fresh water, is ridiculous ; 
 
 1. They can escape by vaulting over the falls. 
 
 2. By the Illinois in the spring, down the Mississippi. 
 
 3. The above story explains how they came into the 
 lake. 
 
 We rode on the beach of the lake, from Buffalo to 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 139 
 
 Black Rock. There is an upper and a lower landing 
 here, about a mile apart. At the latter is the village, the 
 ground of which belongs to the State ; and it has been 
 laid out in lots, which have not been as yet sold. A ferry 
 and tavern are kept at the upper landing, by F. Miller, and 
 a store by Porter, Bartow & Co. 
 
 Bird Island is a mile above the upper landing ; the chan- ' 
 
 nel runs on each side of it ; it derives its name from the 
 number of birds which formerly crowded on it. It is 
 nothing but a collection of large calcarious and silicious : 
 
 rocks. A store built on it by Porter, Bartow & Co., was ! 
 
 swept off by the ice. A block has been sunk here by them, 
 on the North side of the island, (by which it is protected 
 from the ice), to receive and lade vessels, and it will an- \ 
 
 swer for any burthen. It cost $2,000, Vessels can come \ 
 
 up the Rapids to it, with 100 barrels of salt, but have to 
 leave the remainder of their lading for another trip. A 
 vessel with salt can push up against the current, from 
 Fort Schlosser to Black Rock, twenty miles, in one day. 
 To remedy the communication here, it is proposed to cut ; 
 
 a canal round the Rapids, from Bird Island to the lower 
 landing. ,Mr. Geddes says that the Rapid in one place here 
 is six and three quarters miles an hour, as tested by actual ' 
 
 observation. In one place it is five miles ; and the boat- i 
 
 men say in one place seven miles, and that the general ] 
 
 current is three miles per hour. J 
 
 Lake Erie is four feet seven inches above the level of ! 
 
 Niagara River, below these Rapids. 
 
 The following statement was furnished to me by Judge 
 Porter ; , 
 
 The price of transporting a barrel of salt from Oswego 
 
140 DE WITT CLINTON. n 
 
 to Lewiston is five shillings, payable in salt at Oswego, at 
 twenty-four shillings per barrel. 
 
 From Lewiston to Black Rock, six shillings per barrel, 
 payable in salt at Black Rock, at forty-eight shillings per 
 barrel. 
 
 From Presque Isle to Pittsburgh, fourteen shillings, paya- 
 ble in salt at Presque Isle, at fifty-four shillings per barrel. 
 
 The following are the cash prices of salt at the above 
 places : At Osw^ego $2 50 ; Lewiston, $3 50 ; Black Rock, 
 $4 50 ; Presquille, $5 50, per barrel. 
 
 Seneca grass growls near Buffalo Creek, and is sold by 
 the Indians in small bunches. It is fragrant, and useful as 
 the bean in perfuming segars. 
 
 The Commissioners gave the name of Grand Niagara 
 to the village where Judge Porter resides. Grand is pre- 
 fixed, to distinguish it from British Niagara, and the Ameri- 
 can fort, and on account of its vicinity to the Falls. 
 
 We visited the Adams, a brig of 150 tons and four guns, 
 belonging to the United States, commanded by Commo- 
 dore Brevoort, who appears to be a worthy officer. This 
 is the only vessel we have on the lakes, and she is em- 
 ployed in transporting military stores. She can make a 
 voyage to Fort Dearborn, upwards of 1000 miles, on lake 
 Michigan, and return, in two months. The British have 
 two armed vessels on this lake, one pierced for sixteen, 
 and the other for tw^elve guns, and a fort to the south-west 
 of Black Rock, called Fort Erie, and garrisoned by a 
 Lieutenant and twenty men. 
 
 Commodore Brevoort says that vessels drawing seven 
 feet w^ater, can at some seasons go from Fort Dearborn or 
 Chaquagy, (Chicago) up a creek of that name, and to the Illi- 
 nois River, whose waters in freshets meet, and so down the 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 141 
 
 Mississippi ; he thinks he can effect it in his brig, which 
 draws but six feet when lightened. A brig of 150 tons, 
 sailing from Black Rock to Hudson, would seem incredible. 
 
 On a commanding eminence at. Black Rock, Gen. 
 Wilkinson has designated a proper site for a fort. 
 
 Black Rock was crowded to-day with people from all 
 quarters ; it looked like an assembly for divine service. 
 We saw Erastus Granger, Le Latteaux, a French gentle- 
 man, Andross, and others, and dined at Miller's tavern, 
 whose sign is surmounted with masonic emblems. Here 
 we left Mr. Geddes to commence his surveys, and parted 
 from Col. Porter with great regret, who, on every occa- 
 sion, exhibited himself in an amiable and respectable man- 
 ner, and whose countenance brightened with a benignant 
 smile, whenever he could contribute to our comfort or 
 pleasure. We left the young gentlemen here, to follow, 
 and after dinner proceeded, with our two carriages, three 
 servants, and baggage-wagon, eight miles, to Ransom's 
 tavern, in the town of Buffalo, where we lodged, and 
 which is a bad house. Three miles from Black Rock, 
 there is a manufactory of red earthen ware. The coun- 
 try is well cultivated and settled. 
 
 August 6th, Monday — We departed from Ransom's at 
 half-past five. Seven years ago he purchased this farm of 
 330 acres, at $3 50 an acre, amounting to $1,113 ; and 
 last May he sold it for $5,650, being about $17 an acre. 
 It has 300 fruit trees, 110 cleared acres, good out-build- 
 ings, and a small frame house. Land produces twenty 
 bushels of wheat to an acre. The general price is eight 
 shillings per bushel ; now it sells for twelve shillings at the 
 door. This is owing to the great influx of settlers. 
 
 We observed from here to Vandewater's, uniform oak 
 
142 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 plains, without any underwood, only one hill and one mill 
 creek, called the Eleven Mile Creek. It is a lime-stone 
 country. 
 
 Six miles at Harris' tavern, we observed a considerable 
 collection of people. A rrian of the name of Woodward 
 was under examination on a charge of rape, committed 
 on his wife's daughter, a girl of sixteen. The crime was 
 twice perpetrated, and the mother connived at it, as was 
 alleged. 
 
 We passed a store with three inscriptions on its sign, in 
 English, French, and German. Store, in English ; Bou- 
 tique, in French. This indicates the settlers in its vicinity. 
 We breakfasted at Vandewater's tavern, in the town of 
 Clarence, fourteen miles from Ransom's, after a ride of 
 three hours. 
 
 Vandewater gave twenty -two shillings an acre, for 400 
 or 500 acres, seven or eight years ago ; he now says it is 
 worth 820 per acre. He has a tolerable frame house. 
 
 Two hundred yards south of his house, is a slope, or per- 
 pendicular descent, which he says extends from the Genesee 
 River to Black Rock. Between it and the stone ridge or 
 slope, which runs from the Genesee River to Lewiston, 
 there is an immense valley, twenty miles across, called 
 Tonnewanta Valley. The precipice at this slope is from 
 100 to 200 feet, composed principally of lime-stone and 
 flint, combined like those on Bird Island, and bearing 
 every mark of the lashing and wearing of the waves ; 
 the rocks are, indeed, scooped and hollowed out by water. 
 On digging a cellar here, a great stratum of lake sand, 
 and another of gravel, were found. The opinion here is, 
 that Lake Erie formerly covered the Tonnewanta Valley, 
 forming an immense bay, when the Niagara Falls were at 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 143 
 
 Queenstown ; and that on the receding of the cascade.. 
 Lake Erie receded from the valley, leaving the Tonnewanta 
 Creek ; and perhaps the stone ridge was the boundary be- 
 tween Lakes Erie and Ontario. Some suppose that Lake 
 Erie formerly discharged itself by the Tonnewanta Valley 
 into the Genesee River. 
 
 Between the house and the slope we collected some 
 fossil shells and petrifactions, which are not to be found in 
 the lakes, as well as of snakes and horns, imbedded in 
 lime-stone. We also saw flint or silex, in calcareous or 
 lime-stone, as at Bird Island. The same appearances exist 
 at Cherry Valley, which country, like this, experiences a 
 dearth of water. In the village of Buffalo, the whole vil- 
 lage is supplied by hogsheads from a great spring, as tea 
 water was formerly distributed from New York. 
 
 Vandewater supposes that the canal from Lake Erie 
 ought to be on the south side of this precipice, not on the 
 north side by the Tonnewanta Creek. Lobelia cardinalis, 
 the cardinal flower, grows in marshy ground, a beautiful 
 scarlet flower, on a plant about two feet high, the flower 
 on the top of a conical form. 
 
 The road from here to Batavia, eighteen miles, is bad ; 
 it runs through swampy ground, and is sand with bogs. A 
 dead level country, stagnant water, no appearance of 
 stone, and every indication of an alluvial country. There 
 is no free circulation of air, and the country must be in- 
 salubrious, although at Richardson's tavern, seven miles 
 from Vandewater's, where we stopped to bait, they say 
 they have lived in good health for five years. The country 
 abounds with meadow larks, robins, blue jays, and various 
 kinds of woodpeckers. 
 
 Five miles from Vandewater's we crossed Murder or 
 
144 HE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Sulphur Creek, a small stream with a saw-mill. It is so 
 called from sulphur springs, and from the circumstance of 
 a crazy man, who had gone from the United States to 
 Canada, being sent back under the care of some Indians, 
 who tomahawked him here in his crazy fits. The county 
 line of Genesee commences three miles west of Genesee. 
 Richardson lives in the town of Batavia. 
 
 We arrived at Batavia about six o'clock, eleven miles 
 from Richardson's, having traveled thirty-two miles to- 
 day. We put up at Keyes' tavern, a good house, and in 
 the evening we were visited by Joseph Ellicott, Stevens, 
 Brisban, Col. Rumsey, and Judge Jones. 
 
 The latitude of Batavia is 43° north. It contains a 
 Court-house, built by the Holland Land Company for 
 $10,000 ; a Post-office, and fifty houses, and several stores 
 and taverns. A republican newspaper, called the Cornu- 
 copia, is published here. Tonnewanta Creek runs in front 
 of the town, and has on its waters an excellent grist and 
 saw-mill. We crossed this stream by a bridge, four miles 
 back. It is a considerable turn, and as wide as Canandai- 
 gua outlet, at its confluence with Mud Creek. The office 
 of the Holland Land Company is kept here, and three 
 attornies already occupy this village. The situation of 
 this village, with a mill dam in front, and surrounded by 
 marshes, must be unhealthy, although the inhabitants deny 
 the fact. This is invariably the case ; the commodore 
 asked an old woman on the miasmatic banks of the Seneca 
 River, whether the place was healthy. " Very much so," 
 says she, " we have only a disease called typhus." 
 
 The ridge, properly speaking, is the ground where the 
 Ridge Road runs. The elevation back of it, and the ele- 
 vation north of Vandevvater's, are not ridges, but slopes, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 145 
 
 because Mr. Ellicott says there is a descent only on one 
 side. But a slope contains a gradual descent like an in- 
 clined plane, and here the descent is perpendicular, and 
 precipitous in many places. The face of the country is 
 a flat plain, and when you descend from the slope or ridge 
 at Vandewater's you stand on another plain, which runs 
 across the Tonnewanta Valley, until you come to the ridge 
 or slope back of the Ridge Road ; and then you again de- 
 scend on a plain, until you come to the ridge on which the 
 ground is inclined greatly to Lake Ontario. The level coun- 
 try is the cause of the scarcity of water, together with the 
 great quantity of calcareous stone, the fissures of which 
 absorb the water. Mr. Ellicott says that the Oak Orchard 
 Creek is the most considerable stream in the country. The 
 upper slope that passes by Vandewater's tavern, forms 
 the falls of the Genesee River. (See its course traced on 
 the map by Benjamin Ellicott.) The distance between 
 the slopes varies from 12 to 20 miles. North of the Ridge 
 Road, he says, there are no fortifications ; between it and 
 the lower slope there are several, and in other parts of the 
 country they are numerous. Two important inferences 
 may be drawn from this striking fact : — 
 
 1. That the ridge was the ancient boundary of Lake 
 Ontario. 
 
 2. The great antiquity of the fortifications. They must 
 have been erected before the retreat of the Lake. 
 
 The outlet of Lake Ontario ought to be examined, in 
 order to ascertain the breaking of the watei's by the St. 
 Lawrence. The Thousand Islands there must have been 
 then formed. The bay of Lake Erie which run up into 
 the Tonnewanta Valley, covered, of course, the country 
 between the slopes, and formed the Genesee Flats. 
 
 10 
 
146 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 As the antiquity and great population of the Aborigines 
 are undoubted, Gen. North inquires whether the sudden 
 retreat of the lakes may not have produced a wide-spread- 
 ing pestilence, which may have depopulated this country. 
 
 If, as Volney fancifully suggests, Lake Ontario was the 
 crater of a volcano, all these speculations are visionary ; 
 but they are probably better founded than his. I saw no 
 traces of basalt on the borders of the lake — nothing to in- 
 dicate the existence of a volcano. 
 
 In the tavern there was an advertisement of William 
 Wadsworth, dated Geneseo. He proposes to let out half- 
 blooded merino rams, to be delivered on the first of Sep- 
 tember, each ram to be put to fifty ewes, and no more, 
 before the 1st of October, and to be returned on the 1st 
 of June, unsheared. All the ram progeny to be returned, 
 and he is to have all the ewe lambs except two (from each 
 ram), for each of which he is to pay eight shillings cash, 
 on the 1st September, 1811. He charges nothing for the 
 use of the rams. 
 
 Atigust 1th. After breakfast we visited Mr. Ellicott, 
 who keeps the office of the Holland Land Company. He 
 has five clerks, a salary of $2,000, and a commission of 
 five per cent, on his sales. The management and method 
 of his office are admirable. He has a large map in which 
 is laid down every lot, and a memorandum book giving 
 the character and value of it, to which he can refer in- 
 stantly. The whole bespeaks great intelligence and ta- 
 lents for business. The sales of the Company are made 
 by contracts only, on credit of ten years, — two without 
 interest. 
 
 In Ellicott's garden there grew capers and cammomile, 
 and the largest poppies I ever saw. We examined, at his 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. l47 
 
 house, a clock made by his father, Joseph Elh'cott, a self- 
 taught man, who was brought up a mill-wright. On one 
 side was a clock which designated the second, the minute, 
 the day, the month, and the year. On another an orrery, 
 working out the revolutions of the planets and their satel- 
 lites. On another a musical machinery, which can play 
 twenty-four tunes. The mechanical execution was ad- 
 mirable, and so also were the mahogany case and the paint- 
 ing of the faces of the machine, and strange to tell, they 
 were both made by persons who took up the business 
 without any previous instruction. 
 
 The Court-house erected by the Company is, perhaps, 
 the best in the Western District. The Court-room has a 
 gallery for the audience, and the building also contains an 
 hotel. 
 
 A quarter of an acre lot in the best part of the village 
 sells for $160, and lots of forty acres, in more retired 
 parts, for #600. 
 
 Who has the preemptive right to the Indian reserva- 
 tions in the Holland Land Company's territories ? Mr. 
 Ellicott says the Company, not the State. 
 
 Six miles from Batavia we stopped to water at Chequa- 
 ga Creek, at Marvin's tavern. 
 
 Eleven miles from Batavia we passed Allen's Creek, a 
 considerable stream, which runs into the Genesee River ; 
 on it are mills. In the bottom of this stream is found a 
 black inflammable stone, of which I have specimen. Is 
 this black stone connected with a coal mine ? Is it not 
 schistic or slate ? 
 
 We took a collation at Ganson's tavern, twelve miles 
 from Batavia, in the town of Caledonia, which is divided 
 from Batavia by the transit line, which runs a little to the 
 
148 UE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 east of Marvin's tavern. The roads so far, except four 
 miles, are good, and the country well settled. 
 
 The usual passage of small fish is down a river to the 
 sea. Young eels are seen at Albany going up the river in 
 swarms. Probably they are produced in the ocean. They 
 have no visible organs of generation, nor has their spawn I 
 ever been observed. Why are there not eels in Lake 
 Erie ? If they cannot ascend the Falls, cannot they get 
 into the lakes by the Illinois River and Chequaga Creek ? 
 Are they ever seen at the head of those streams ? 
 
 At Cameron's tavern, five miles east from Ganson's, we 
 saw perennial springs, which rise out of the ground and 
 immediately fill a mill pond. 
 
 Pedlars from Connecticut sell wooden clocks all over 
 this country, for $20, and they answer very well. We 
 met tin pedlars in all directions, dickering (a Yankee word 
 for barter) for feathers. 
 
 Brom Buffalo Creek eastward, we perceived streaks of 
 corn-fields on the low land blighted by the frost of the 
 18th of July. The high grounds escaped. 
 
 On the west side of the Genesee River there is an ex- 
 tensive oak forest, with no underwood, but various shrub- 
 bery, and on the Genesee Flats the prairies or savannah 
 appear. Within two miles of this river, on the west side, 
 the country from being an apparent flat level, descends 
 towards the river, and from Avon you can see the upper 
 slope running up and down the west side of the river. 
 
 We crossed a bridge over this river. It contains but a 
 small body of water, about two feet deep. The banks are 
 fifty feet high. Sullivan proceeded with his army as far 
 this river. As you approach the bridge you pass the 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 149 
 
 Caughnawaga reservation, a mile square. The land is 
 fine, and it was filled with horses, neat cattle, and hogs. 
 
 We slept at Avon, on the east side of the river, in On- 
 tario County, at Maria Berry's tavern, a good house. This 
 place is laid out for a village, by Mr. James Wads worth. 
 He sells his lots for $50 an acre. It contains a few houses. 
 
 We got a young Indian here to shoot at a silver piece, 
 by blowing through a reed of six feet long, a small arrow 
 surmounted with hair. He hit the mark with great ex- 
 actness, ten paces, and in this way they kill small birds. 
 
 August 8th. We set out at six, and breakfasted at 
 Frost's (formerly Warner's) tavern, in Lima, eight miles 
 from Avon. At this place there is a Post-office, store, and 
 two or three houses. 
 
 The country has departed from the flat level on the 
 west side ; is better watered, and is varied by hill and dale 
 — fertile and populous. 
 
 The highest falls of the Genesee river ought to be seen 
 (and they were out of our course), in order to have a just 
 idea of the great ridge or slope. 
 
 Frost had reaped thirty acres of wheat, so extraordi- 
 narily productive, that he estimates it at forty bushels an 
 acre. But he says, that in consequence of the heavy rains 
 after it was cut, and before it was gathered, it had grown 
 in the sheaf, and cannot be manufactured into flour, but 
 that he can make more of it by converting it into whiskey. 
 He rents seventy acres of Warner's farm, (which consists 
 of 400) and the tavern, for $300 a-year. 
 
 Two miles from here to Honeyoe Creek, a handsome 
 stream which proceeds from the lake of that name, and 
 four miles farther, we entered West Bloomfield, which 
 contains a brick Presbyterian church, post-office, stores, 
 
150 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and several houses. General Hull resides here, in an 
 humble house, and since he has become a member of the 
 Council of Appointment, has abandoned tavern-keeping. 
 
 From the high hills here, ranges of high land are to be 
 seen, running south and south-east at the distance of ten 
 miles, as far as the eye can reach, forming spurs of the 
 Alleghany mountains, from whence proceed, in opposite 
 directions, the Genesee, Tioga, and Alleghany rivers ; 
 probably the upper slope or ridge territories in these 
 high lands. 
 
 Bloomfield is a succession of hills and valleys, and is a 
 populous and fertile country. 
 
 In East Bloomfield there is a handsome frame Presby- 
 terian church, with a high steeple, and surrounded by 
 sheds, for the accommodation of horses and carriages ; 
 also a Post-office, stores, and a few houses. This fertile 
 conntry is stored with fruit trees. 
 
 Five miles from Canandaigua we passed Mud Creek, a 
 low, small stream. 
 
 We arrived in that village between one and two, where 
 we found the young gentlemen, Rees, the Sheriff, Bates, 
 and Spencer. We dined here. 
 
 One mile south of Canandaigua, on a hill, there is a fort, 
 larger than the one before described. Twenty or thirty 
 rods from it there is a burying ground, where, for 
 the sake of the things found, great numbers of graves 
 have been dug up, and gun barrels, copper kettles, and 
 wampum found. 
 
 Morris gave $150 here for a horse, seeing him acci- 
 dentally as he rode along, for which the proprietor would 
 willingly have taken $70. This affair made a great 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 151 
 
 noise here, and the dealers in horses declare that he has 
 ruined the market. 
 
 After the commodore had hired and dismissed two 
 wagons, in order to carry us to Geneva, and after a scene 
 of great confusion we left Canandaigua in an extra stage, 
 two servants coming on in a baggage wagon (one being 
 dismissed here), and the young gentlemen to join us in the 
 moniing. We traveled on the Seneca turnpike, which 
 extends from this place to Utica, 112 miles ; and then the 
 Mohawk and Schenectady turnpike extends ninety-six 
 miles to Albany. A great concourse of travellers on this 
 road. 
 
 The distance from Canandaigua to Geneva is sixteen 
 miles. Half way we passed over Flint Creek, a fine 
 stream that empties into Canandaigua outlet, as all creeks 
 or rivers proceeding from lakes are denominated in this 
 country. 
 
 We arrived at Geneva in the evening, where we 
 supped and slept. The house was full, and a dancing 
 school was at work. We, however, made out as well as 
 we had a right to expect. The inns at such a place as 
 this will always be crowded at this season. A tour to 
 Niagara, like one to Ballston Spa, is now common, and 
 considered a mere pleasurable excursion. 
 
 August 9th. The Rev. Mr. Chapman called on me 
 with a subscription for the Presbyterian church, erecting 
 here. I subscribed $20. I also purchased a pamphlet 
 relative to Jemima Wilkinson, and one describing this 
 country, by Mr. Munn. 
 
 A glass manufactory is erecting about two miles from 
 this village. It was incorporated last winter, and a little 
 village is already rising up around it. 
 
152 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Here we separated. North and S. Osgood were to pro- 
 ceed in the stage to-morrow. The commodore and son 
 were to join us at Auburn, and Mr. De Witt, myself, 
 and a servant set out after dinner, at three o'clock, with a 
 view of going to the head of the lakes, passing Ithaca, and 
 returning on the east side of the Cayuga Lake to Auburn, 
 to which place we sent the heavy baggage wagon, under 
 the care of a servant. We proceeded fourteen miles to 
 John Dey's, in Apple Town, where we lodged, and were 
 hospitably received. 
 
 Our road lay between the lakes on the east side of the 
 Seneca Lake, which runs north and south, and much re- 
 sembles the Hudson in its appearance. Its Indian name 
 was Canadisaga, a beautiful name, which it ought to have 
 retained. 
 
 Sullivan's army, after defeating the Indians at New- 
 town who were 2,500 strong, one section of it having 
 formed a junction with the main body by the damming 
 of the Otsego Lake, passed through the country between 
 the lakes. The marks of an old road are still to be seen 
 at Apple Town ; pack horses and light field pieces were 
 all that were brought, and no wagons were used. The 
 first traces of white clover in this country were exhibited 
 on this road, which shows that it does not grow naturally, 
 but was introduced by the pack horses. There was a 
 great village of the Senecas at Apple Town, named Cona- 
 dagh. Here was an Indian orchard, which was cut down 
 by Sullivan. This has eventually turned out for the 
 benefit of the orchard. Those cut down have grown up 
 and make a fine orchard of eighty trees, while those that 
 were passed over are antiquated and good for nothing. 
 They generally grow irregularly. In one place, on a hill, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 153 
 
 they appear as if regularly planted out. The Indians had 
 plenty of peach trees. Great heaps of the stones have 
 been found, the shell in good condition, but the nucleus 
 dead. Sullivan's army also destroyed an Indian village, a 
 mile or two from Geneva and the before-mentioned Cana- 
 desaga, where there were a number of fruit trees. When 
 it approached Canandaigua, where several settlements 
 were also destroyed, the Indians concealed their families 
 on a small island in the lake, which is now, from the cir- 
 cumstance, denominated Squaiv Island. The men con- 
 cealed themselves armed in the woods. 
 
 On our way we saw an eagle, cranes, and several 
 ravens, as black, and at least twice as large as crows, of 
 which latter there are none in this country. 
 
 We halted at Benjamin Day's, in Fayette, eight miles 
 from Geneva. He is an old bachelor, with an estate here 
 of 2400 acres. He says that eight acres of his land has 
 produced this year fifty bushels of wheat each. The 
 Seneca wheat is the best in the State. The average pro- 
 duce is thirty bushels an acre. Mynderse's Mills, which 
 manufacture the best flour in the State, owe their cele- 
 brity, in a great degree, to the excellence of this wheat. 
 Two miles farther is a tavern, kept by John Sayre. Our 
 driver left at it a letter, directed " To the Honorable John 
 Sayre, Romulus.'' , 
 
 The road to Apple Town was tolerable, near the lake, 
 and in a beautiful fertile country ascending gently from 
 the lake. Apple Town is in Romulus, in which town 
 wild lands sell from $5 to 820, and improved land from 
 820 to 830 per acre. Apple Town was formerly owned 
 by Elkanah Watson, 200 acres of which was reserved by 
 him for a town, which he called New Plymouth. It is 
 
154 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 now all owned by Day, who gave $13 an acre for it eight 
 years ago. The lakes here are only seven miles distant. 
 Day's place is in the same latitude as Albany, and much 
 warmer. Seneca Lake does not freeze. The people on 
 the margin sometimes complain of cold in the winter, but 
 it is owing to the humidity acquired by the wind in pass- 
 ing over the lakes. The water is always warmer than 
 the air, and in passing over the water, the severity of the 
 air is mitigated. This lake is very deep. The frost of the 
 18th July did not injure the corn within two or three 
 miles, and snow does not continue long within that dis- 
 tance. It is a vulgar prejudice that the great lakes are 
 the source of cold. Canandaigua Lake freezes ; Cayuga, 
 only fourteen miles up. May not one reason of Erie's 
 freezing, and not Ontario, be, that the former is more in 
 the line of the north-west wind, which comes from the 
 frozen deserts beyond Lake Superior ? The scarcity of 
 fish in the Seneca Lake is attributable to the obstructions 
 at the outlet, and perhaps to the transparency of the wa- 
 ters, and the paucity of weeds to conceal them. This 
 lake is remarkably healthy. 
 
 A copper medal was dug up here from an Indian grave, 
 and was accompanied by wampum. Mr. Davis gave it 
 to me for the Historical Society. 
 
 On one side is the sun with a cross in the center, shin- 
 ing on an altar, and an Indian and European with hands 
 united at the altar ; and on the other the Virgin Mary, 
 with this inscription on the edge, and filling the exterior 
 part of the medal, which is circular : " B. virgo sine para 
 originali concepta." There is a hole for a ribbon to pass 
 through, and to suspend this medal round the neck. The 
 Indian in whose grave it was interred was probably a 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 155 
 
 Roman Catholic. There are five brothers of the name of 
 Day, who migrated from near Paterson's Falls, in New 
 Jersey, and are settled here near each other. J. Day is 
 lame, as is also his son, from a slight cut in the knee-pan, 
 who is a fine young man, studying law with Mr. Howell, 
 of Canandaigua. The family were very kind, and Mr. 
 Day would be much more estimable, if he did not apolo- 
 gize too often for working, which ought to be his pride. 
 
 There is a cranberry marsh a few miles from here, 
 which contains 700 acres. A considerable stream runs 
 from it into the Seneca outlet. It has the indications of 
 being an ancient lake, and may be converted into hemp 
 land. The Messrs. Porters bought 1000 acres on the 
 ridge road, a few miles from Lewiston, for twelve shillings 
 an acre, from the Holland Land Company, for that pur- 
 pose, and are now draining it with great facility. 
 
 It is said that there is near here a quarry of oil-stone, and 
 also a salt spring, formerly worked by the Indians. 
 
 August lOth. After breakfast, we left Mr. Day's at 
 seven o'clock, and passed by Bailey Town two miles, 
 where the road leaves the Seneca, and turns oflf to the 
 Cayuga Lake. This place has about twenty houses, two 
 taverns, and a store. The Seneca Lake is four and a-half 
 miles wide at Apple Town. 
 
 It is six miles from Day's to the Court-house, in Ovid. 
 This is built on the central part of the land between the 
 lakes, and is the most elevated. We ascended the steeple, 
 and had a fair view of the two lakes, and the villages of 
 Aurora and Geneva. The Court-house is a mean build-- 
 ing. Three buildings that have the appearance of Attor- 
 nies' oflSces, a tavern, and a few houses, compose the vil- 
 lage, in which quarter-acre lots sell for from 620 to $30. 
 
156 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Seneca county extends from the head of the lakes to Lake 
 Ontario, and in some places is not more than seven miles 
 wide. Mr. Halsey, the chief agitator for this long and 
 narrow county, lives a few miles from the court, and has 
 secured the office of clerk for himself, and of surrogate for 
 his son-in-law. Near this place, saw a field of common 
 thistles in blossom, which looked at a distance like red 
 clover. Mandrakes, pennyroyal, Oswego bitters, and this- 
 tles, appeared in great plenty along the road. Of birds 
 we saw quails, robins, bluejays, woodpeckers of several 
 kinds, and numbers of the smaller birds. 
 
 Three miles from the Court-house, went half-a-mile out 
 of our way, to visit No. 29 Ovid, on the same ridge of 
 highland as the Court-house, where we saw an old fort six 
 miles from each lake. Mr. Bandowine, the owner, has 
 several flourishing nurseries of peach and apple trees. 
 His house is in the fort, the shape of which appears to be 
 an irregular ellipsis, and it contains about two acres. The 
 place where the south gate or passage was, we could ob- 
 serve directly, and by the compass it stood directly south. 
 The ditch was around the fort, and in some places nearly 
 choked up, and the breastwork was sunk within about 
 three feet from its top to the bottom of the ditch. 
 
 Bandowine savs, that there is another in Romulus four- 
 teen miles distant, in which has been dug up a chalky sub- 
 stance, supposed to be calcined bones. Another in Ulys- 
 ses twelve miles, at Jonathan Owen's ; and another four 
 miles from the last, in the same town. He says that he 
 has discovered on his farm of three hundred acres six dif- 
 ferent places in which, by digging three feet, he found 
 stones that had the appearance of having caved in ; burnt 
 ashes and coal at the bottom, and sand. He supposes 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 157 
 
 them to have been Indian potteries, or places for cuHnary 
 purposes. In some of these ancient forts trees 200 years 
 old have been seen, and also trees dead with age. It is 
 said that there is a chain of these ancient forts, from 
 Geneva to the Genesee River, and from thence to Lake 
 Erie. A person told me that those about Canandaigua 
 were circular and had four gates, corresponding to the 
 four cardinal points of the compass. Robert Munro in his 
 description of the Genesee country, published in 1804, 
 says, " There are many remains of ancient fortifications, 
 a chain of which appears to extend from the lower end of 
 Lake Ontario, to the west of the Ohio River. These forts 
 afford much speculation concerning their origin ; but the 
 most probable conclusion is, that they were erected by the 
 French upon their first settlement of America, about 200 
 years ago." I quote this writer for the facts, not for the 
 opinion, which I believe to be incorrect. 
 
 We dined at Tremain's Village, so called from the sol- 
 dier who owns the lot for military services. He resides 
 here, and is proprietor of the mills, and in good circum- 
 stances. The village has several houses, three taverns, 
 and two or three stores, and mills in a ravine or hollow, 
 formed by a creek which runs through it. It is in the 
 town of Ulysses, and was formerly called Shin Hollow, by 
 some drunken fellows, who, on the first settlement, fre- 
 quented a log-tavern here, and on their way home broke 
 their shins on the bad roads. Dr. Comstock and another 
 physician reside here. The contemplated turnpike, from 
 Ithaca to Geneva, will pass through this place. We 
 dined here at Crandall's tavern. 
 
 Ten miles north of Tremain's Village, we passed a 
 Presbyterian Church with a small wooden frame, and two 
 
158 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 miles north an uncommonly fine nursery of fruit-trees, 
 principally peach. 
 
 From here to Ithaca it is eleven miles, and the road is 
 extremely bad, except four miles from the former village. 
 We passed through an uncommonly fine wood of pine-trees. 
 The road in several places appeared to be diverted re- 
 cently, either by new settlers, in order that it might pass 
 by their houses, or for the purpose of avoiding' sloughs 
 and fallen trees. On descending to the head of the lake, 
 we had a beautiful view of a large fall of water, of thirty 
 feet, on the east side of the lake, which appeared in per- 
 spective, like a surperb white house. This fall is on Fall 
 Creek. We also perceived the lake and the village of 
 Ithaca in a valley. We arrived there about sun-down, 
 and put up at Gere's tavern. 
 
 Some of the new settlers clear the lands by beginning 
 at the tops of trees, and cutting the limbs. The upper 
 ones break off the lower, and they soon strip the loftiest 
 hemlock. We saw' some of those trees trimmed in that 
 way. Others prefer making a road where the trees have 
 not been cut down, as they can root them up, and the 
 weight of the trees in falling will remove the roots, which 
 cannot be got rid of in cutting. 
 
 The distance from Ithaca to Newburgh, by turnpike- 
 roads nearly completed, is 166 miles. To Kingston, about 
 the same. To Albany 210; but if a road is opened by 
 Sherburne, the distance will be reduced to 165. Sixty- 
 five of it is now so bad, that it can only be traveled on 
 horseback. To New York, via Powles's Hook, when the 
 contemplated roads are finished, 200. To Philadelphia, 
 the same distance. The road in both cases will go as far 
 as Milford, on the Delaware, which is about twelve miles 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 159 
 
 from Sussex court-house. To Baltimore about 300 miles. 
 The navigation is good from Owego to Wilkesbarre 
 (Wyoming), 118 miles, at which the Philadelphians intend 
 to divert the trade from Baltimore, by a good turnpike- 
 road to Philadelphia, and by establishing houses there to 
 purchase the produce that goes down the Susquehannah. 
 From Ithaca to Owego, twenty-eight miles, a good turn- 
 pike-road will be finished this fall. 
 
 The price of a barrel of salt at Ithaca is twenty shil- 
 lings ; conveyance to Owego by land, six shillings ; from 
 Owego to Baltimore, by water, eight shillings. Allowing 
 a profit of six shillings on a barrel, salt can be sent from 
 here to Baltimore, for one dollar per bushel. Packing-salt 
 sold there last spring for six shillings. Each 100 lbs. car- 
 ried by water from Ithaca to Schenectady, cost 81,26 ; by 
 land, $1,50. A barrel of potash will cost, to carry to 
 Schenectady, 86,50, and from thence to Albany fifty cents. 
 To New York via Albany, storage, commission, and all 
 other expenses, $7,75. 
 
 Salt is taken down the country from this place by 
 water, as far as Northumberland, Pennsylvania, 150 miles 
 from Owego. It is 120 miles from here to the head- waters 
 of the Alleghany. There is no road but a sleigh-road, in 
 winter, by which salt is conveyed in small quantities ; 
 3,500 barrels will be distributed from Ithaca this season. 
 
 Flour will be sent from this place to Montreal, via 
 Oswego, or to Baltimore via Owego. There is no great 
 difference in the expense of transportation. It will proba- 
 bly seek Montreal as the most certain market. 
 
 A boat carrying from 100 to 140 ban'els, will go to and 
 return from Schenectady in six weeks. An ark carrying 
 250 barrels, costs $75 at Owego. It can go down the 
 
 / 
 
160 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 river to Baltimore, in eight, ten, or twelve days, and when 
 there, it will sell for half the original price. The owner, 
 after vending his produce, returns home by land with his 
 money, or goes to New York by water, where, as at Al- 
 bany, he lays out his money in goods. The rapids of the 
 Susquehannah are fatal to ascending navigation. 
 
 Cattle are sent in droves to Philadelphia. Seneca 
 County, it is estimated, will send 2000 head this year. 
 Upwards of 200 barrels of beef and pork were sent from 
 this place last spring, by arks, to Baltimore from Owego, 
 by Buell and Gere, and sold to advantage. 
 
 We were told here, that the deep well which was digging 
 at Montezuma, when we were there, is finished, and that 
 when the workmen had penetrated to the depth of 105 
 feet, they struck something hard, supposed to be the fossil 
 salt, and the water ascended with such rapidity, that they 
 were compelled to escape as soon as possible. That it 
 now overflows the well, is stronger than any other, and 
 that fifty gallons will make a bushel. 
 
 Ithaca contains a post office, two taverns, stores, tan- 
 nery, mills, etc., and near fifty houses. It is one and a-half 
 miles from the Cayuga Lake. Boats can come up, about 
 one quarter of a mile from the compact part of the village, 
 in an inlet, which is dead water. It is in a valley, is sur- 
 rounded by hills on three sides, and on the north by the 
 lake and its marshes. A creek runs through Ithaca, that 
 turns a mill, supplies a tannery, etc., and contains good 
 trout. The situation of this place, at the head of Cayuga 
 Lake, and a short distance from the descending waters to 
 the Atlantic, and about 120 miles to the descending waters 
 to the Mississippi, must render it a place of great import- 
 ance. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 161 
 
 The cucumber and coffee-trees, and plenty of pitch-pine, 
 grow in the adjacent county. One hundred barrels of tar 
 are brought here yearly, at $4 cash. 
 
 The proprietor of this village is the Surveyor-General. 
 He has a merino ram of the y|, who has by thirty-three 
 common ewes, forty-four lambs this year, twenty-eight of 
 which are rams, and sixteen ewes. He intends to sell the 
 rams at 810 a piece ; to purchase 100 ewes at nineteen or 
 twenty shillings a piece ; and as he has procured a full- 
 blooded ram from the Clermont breed, his stock will then 
 consist of the two rams and 150 ewes. He has selected 
 a beautiful and very elevated spot, on the east hill, for a 
 house, on which there is a small grove of the white pine, 
 from which you have a grand view of the lake and coun- 
 try. On the north of this mount, you see below you a 
 precipice of 100 feet, at the foot of which there passes 
 through the fissures of the rock a considerable stream. 
 The remains of the first mill in this country are there visi- 
 ble. It is not much larger than a large hog-pen and the 
 stones were the size of the largest grind-stones ; a trough 
 led the water to the wheel. It ground about forty or fifty 
 bushels a-day ; was the first mill in this country, erected 
 about sixteen years ago, by one Hancock, a squatter, and 
 was resorted to by people at a distance of thirty miles. 
 From the western side of the mount, a spring of water 
 issues, that can supply the house by aqueducts. 
 
 August 11th. — We spent this day at Ithaca. It rained 
 heavily in the night, and was showery in the morning, 
 after which it became very close and warm. It felt as if 
 divested of oxygen, and destitute of a vital principle. The 
 sun shone in the afternoon, and you could not sit in a room 
 
 11 
 
162 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 without perspiration. It was undoubtedly the hottest day 
 this season. 
 
 I saw here Abraham Johnson, formerly a sergeant in 
 Gen. Clinton's brigade, and who wrote a song on the 
 storming of Fort Montgomery, which was afterwards) 
 printed. He lives near here and is doing well, 
 
 Salmon frequented this lake the latter end of August, 
 and continued until cold weather. Last year, since the 
 erection of Baldwin's mill dam across the Seneca River, 
 they did not appear until October, and then not in the 
 usual number. Some have always continued over the 
 winter, and are caught by openings in the ice, with a hook 
 and bait of pork or white worm. Shad come up the 
 Susquehannah, and are caught at Owego, and week-fish 
 at Tioga Point. 
 
 Baldwin's dam, it is said here, does not pi'omote the 
 navigation. Boats are frequently detained there several 
 days, and are often forced to take out part of their lading. 
 At the last court, a boatman recovered $100 in damages 
 against him for detention. The boatmen and people in- 
 terested in the navigation were prevailed on by him to 
 petition in favor of the dam, in consequence of which the 
 law was passed, and they now bitterly regret it. 
 
 The Surveyor-General has sold out many lots, not quite 
 a quarter of an acre each, for $25 or $30, but has stopped 
 the sales, to see whether the conditions of improvement 
 will be fulfilled. Four years ago there were but two or 
 three houses, and when the contemplated canal into the 
 center of the village is completed, it must increase with 
 great rapidity. 
 
 A republican newspaper called " The American Far- 
 mer^' is printed at Owego, Tioga county, by Stephen 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 163 
 
 Mack. There is a fine tree in this country called the Bal- 
 sam Poplar, which is the same as our Balm of Gilead. 
 The botanic name of the Button-wood, is the plane tree ; 
 it is falsely called the Sycamore, which does not exist in 
 this country. The Bass is a Dutch name, its true name 
 is Linden. 
 
 There are in the western woods five or six different 
 kinds of plum and the crab-apple, which in blossom emit 
 a fragrant smell, and the fruit makes good sweetmeats. 
 I saw here a species of wild balm and of wild mint. The 
 Oswego bitters or tea grows all over this country, and has 
 a flower at the extremity somewhat resembling a poppy. 
 
 It is said that there are salt lakes in this country, and 
 one near this place, formerly much frequented by deer, 
 who were in great plenty when the country was first 
 settled, and on being pursued by dogs, immediately took 
 to the lakes, in which they were easily shot. About twelve 
 miles south-west of the great bend of the Susquehannah 
 in Pennsylvania, there is a salt spring to which the Indians 
 formerly resorted. This is probably a link in the chain of 
 fossil salt, extending from Salina to Louisiana, like the main 
 range of the Alleghany mountains. 
 
 There is said to be iron ore near Utica. About 200 
 yards from Gere's tavern, a gun barrel and kettle were 
 dug up from a supposed Indian grave. 
 
 It was pleasing to see all over the country advertise- 
 ments of machines for carding wool. 
 
 Mr. Gere has finished, for $2,300 in stock of the Ithaca 
 and Owego Turnpike Company, three miles of that turn- 
 pike, from the 10th of April to the 10th of July, with 
 eight men, four yoke of oxen, and two teams of horses. 
 Scrapers are a powerful engine in making roads. He is 
 
164 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 also building an elegant frame hotel, three stories high, 
 and 50 by 40 feet, with suitable out-buildings and garden. 
 The carpenters' work was contracted for at $1,500 ; the 
 whole will not cost more than $6,000. Travelers from 
 New York, Philadelphia, etc., will find this a much nearer 
 route to Geneva, Genesee, the Lakes and Upper Canada, 
 than by Albany, and the road very accommodating when 
 the Ithaca and Geneva turnpike is made. Gere is a very 
 enterprising man, and vastly superior to his brother-in-law 
 and partner. Judge B., who appears to have exhausted 
 his genius, in giving his children eccentric names, as Don 
 Carlos, Julius Octavius, Joanna Almeria. 
 
 Fourteen miles from Ithaca, in the town of Spencer, 
 Tioga county, is a settlement of Virginians called ^peed ; 
 they are all Federalists. An old man of the name of 
 Hyde belonging to it, spent at least five hours in the tavern 
 to-day, and went off" so drunk that he could hardly balance 
 himself on his horse. Behind him was a bag, containing 
 on each side a keg of liquor, and his pockets were loaded 
 with bottles. In the bar-room he abused Jefferson, Madi- 
 son, and a number of other leading Republicans. 
 
 Does it make any essential diflTerence to the community 
 where its produce is sold, if sold to profit ? If a bushel 
 of wheat can be carried to Baltimore for six shillings less 
 expense than to Albany, ought not this to be encouraged ? 
 Here the profit to the farmer competes with that of the 
 merchant. But the importing merchant is not injured ; 
 the money is carried to New York and expended in mer- 
 chandize, and more is expended in consequence of the in- 
 creased price of the commodity. How does this doctrine 
 bear on the Montreal trade ? This idea deserves farther 
 reflection. 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 165 
 
 About Ithaca there is more pine than in any other part 
 of the western country. Several hundred barrels of tar 
 are made of the pitch pine. The best land is denoted by 
 the presence of the black walnut and beach ; oak, maple, 
 and bass come next, and the last in order are hemlock and 
 pine. 
 
 August 12th, Sunday. We left Ithaca at five. The 
 house was good and the bill moderate. We were accom- 
 modated with the family sitting-room, as a mark of respect, 
 but we were not a little surprised to find it occupied at 
 the same time by a sewing girl, and we were frequently 
 disturbed by noisy debates on politics, from the adjacent 
 bar-room. 
 
 We passed Fall Creek, and had a near view of its fall, 
 before described. A large volume of water tumbles per- 
 pendicularly over a precipice of fifty feet. After seeing 
 the Falls of Niagara, every object of this kind loses its in- 
 terest and its grasp on the attention. 
 
 x\bout six miles we were overtaken by a shower, and 
 sheltered ourselves for a few minutes in a farmer's house, 
 in Geneva, formerly Milton. He lives on No. 91 Milton, 
 and has lived there four years. He bought sixty acres for 
 88, thirty for $17, and ten for $20. 
 
 Nine miles from Ithaca we passed Salmon Creek, a con- 
 siderable stream, on which are mills, built by one Ludlow ; 
 and a mile farther we ascended a very elevated hill, from 
 which we had a prospect of Ithaca, the lake, and a great 
 part of Seneca county. Here are some houses, and a 
 Post-office. 
 
 Sixteen miles from Ithaca we breakfasted at Conklin's 
 tavern, at nine o'clock. Here a road leads along the Pop- 
 lar Ridge, the Seneca turnpike, and another to Aurora, by 
 
166 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 the lake. The country so far is well settled, and the 
 houses good. 
 
 Conklin was formerly overseer of Gen. Van Cortland, 
 and lives on 42 Milton. He says that no land in this vi- 
 cinity can be purchased by the 100 acres, under $20 per 
 acre. 
 
 The whole morning we had light showers, blowing up 
 to the head of the lake. We took the Poplar Ridge road, 
 as the nearest and best. The country is well settled ; we 
 could see houses intermixed in all the stages of improve- 
 ment, from the rough cabin to the elegant villa, and stumps 
 and fruit-trees in the same field — spectacles not to be seen 
 in any other country. In the first stage of cultivation, 
 when the trees are cut down a cabin is erected. In the 
 second stage a neat log-house, with sometimes two stories. 
 The third erects a frame house ; and the fourth, a large 
 painted or brick-house. A Yankee lays out his money on 
 his house, the inside of which he never finishes — a Dutch- 
 man on his barn. The former always builds on roads, the 
 latter on flats, or in vallies. We found the road good, and 
 lined wath May- weed. Thistles, and uncommonly large 
 sumach, hollyhocks, and poppies, in every garden, and 
 small sun-flowers wild in the field. We also perceived 
 marsh black-birds in flocks, high-holes, woodpeckers, and 
 bluejays, in great number. 
 
 At the distance of every mile we passed cross-roads 
 running to the lake, and at convenient intervals, black- 
 smith's shops and school-houses. The corn was excellent, 
 and the harvest-fields of wheat, either in shocks or clean, 
 abundant. We passed a handsome Presbyterian church, 
 four miles from Conklin's, where we saw twelve covered 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 167 
 
 carriages of different kinds, and a number of plain wagons 
 and horses. 
 
 Nine miles from Conklin's we stopped at Augustus Chid- 
 sey's to rest. This is a well-improved, pleasant place, is 
 in the town of Scipio, and was sold last May to William 
 L. Burling, of New York, for $23 50 an acre, who intends 
 to reside here, and who has purchased a merino ram and 
 ewe. 
 
 In various orchards along the road we saw from 100 to 
 300 apple trees. Seven miles from Chidsey's, there is an 
 orchard containing upwards of 1000 fruit-trees, planted by 
 Wells, from Vermont, one of the oldest settlers. Half-a- 
 mile from Chidsey's, at Watkins's Corner, we passed a 
 Baptist church, and several houses. The Poplar Ridge 
 road is, generally speaking, excellent, and is on an aver- 
 age about four miles from the lake. 
 
 We dined at Henry Moore's tavern, four miles from the 
 Cayuga Lake, fourteen from Musquito Point on the Seneca 
 River, where his son-in-law, Lyons, keeps the tavern : 
 eleven miles from Chidsey's tavern, and four and a-half 
 from Auburn. He migrated from Southhold, in Suffolk 
 county, to this place, about eighteen years ago, and pur- 
 chased 500 acres, in 62 Aurelius where he lives, for $150. 
 He now owns upwards of 1000 acres of land, is opulent 
 and respectable. Moore is a Republican, as all emigrants 
 from Suffolk county are. He takes the Albany Register. 
 
 About half-a-mile from his house, and three and a-half 
 from the Cayuga Lake, there is on Lot 69 of the Cayuga 
 Reservation, containing 240 acres and owned by him, a 
 ledge of rocks and stones extending a mile in a parallel 
 direction with the lake. The higher stratum is composed 
 of limestone, and the next adjoining one of sandstone em- 
 
168 ' DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 bedded with marine substances. There is but one stratum 
 of sandstone, of the thickness of two or three feet, and be- 
 low and beneath as well as above it, there is limestone. 
 The sandstone contains several marine shells, which ap- 
 pear to be strange, and I should therefore pronounce them 
 oceanic. There are littoral ones also, such as scallops, 
 and in one instance a periwinkle was found and sent to 
 Peale's Museum in Philadelphia. One strange substance 
 is larger than a scallop, and one is like a horse-shoe in 
 miniature. From the propinquity to the limestone, I 
 should suppose that the sand and marine substances were 
 connected by a solution of the calcareous matter. Some 
 of the stones are ejected probably by torrents, from the 
 regular layer. The sandstone is easily broken, and when 
 pounded or burnt is converted into a fine marine sand. 
 This collection of sandstone demonstrates the existence of 
 the ocean here. These sandstones are found singly, all 
 over the field in this place. We have now seen shells 
 and other marine substances in limestone, in sandstone, 
 and in flint, at Mynderse's Mills. Moore's cellar is partly 
 dug out of a slate rock, and the walls of it are made of the 
 sandstone. When the women of the family want sand, 
 they reduce the stone by ignition. 
 
 The ground adjacent to the road is covered from here 
 to Auburn with May-weed, w^hich is a species of camo- 
 mile used by old women in medicine. The seed was 
 sown and brought into the country by them. The Oswe- 
 go bitters is denominated wild balm in this country. 
 
 The large wagons carrying forty or fifty hundred 
 weight, go from Geneva to Albany for $3 a hundred, car- 
 rying and returning with a load, which makes about six 
 dollars a day, as they consume twenty days out and home 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 169 
 
 They make thirteen trips in a year, and find it pro- 
 fitable two-thirds of the time. They generally use five 
 horses ; the rims of the wagons are six inches broad, and 
 one has nine inches, and six horses. They have selected 
 taverns by the way, which furnish them with provender 
 nearly at prime cost. From Auburn the charge is twenty- 
 two shillings per cwt., twelve shillings in going and ten in 
 returning, with a load. This mode of transportation is 
 said to be as cheap as water-carriage, and safer. 
 
 A mile from Moore's we entered the great Seneca turn- 
 pike. At the junction of these roads there is a Presby- 
 terian Church. We arrived at Bostwick's tavern, in 
 Auburn, where we found the commodore and son, and 
 baggage. The turnpike was not so good as the upper 
 Ridge Road, the ground being sunk and wet. 
 
 August \Zth. Here we engaged a coachee and com- 
 mon wagon, owned by Fitch, a tavern-keeper, to convey 
 us to Utica. Here the surveyor-general learned from a 
 newspaper the burning of some of his out -houses at 
 Albany, and took passage in the stage, in which were 
 O. L. Phelps and wife, and William Ogden of New York, 
 &c. 
 
 Auburn derives its name from Goldsmith. It contains 
 three tanneries, three distilleries, one coachmaker, two 
 watchmakers, four taverns, two tailors, six merchants, 
 three shoemakers, two potasheries, two wagon makers, 
 three blacksmiths, two chair-makers, three saddlers, three 
 physicians, a Presbyterian clergyman, and an incorporated 
 library of 220 volumes. It is the county town, and has 
 about ninety houses, three law offices, a Post-office, the 
 Court-house, and the county clerk's office. It is a fine 
 
170 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 growing place, and is indebted to its hydraulic works and 
 the Court-house for its prosperity. 
 
 There are sixteen lawyers in Cayuga county. Auburn 
 has no church. The Court-house is used for divine wor- 
 ship. 
 
 It is situate on the outlet of Owasco Lake, on Nos. 
 46 and 47 Aurelius ; 100 acres of 46 belongs to W. Bost- 
 wick, inn-keeper, and the remainder to Robert Dill. The 
 former has asked $150 for half- acre lots, the Court-house 
 being on his land ; and the latter has asked $300 for a 
 water-lot on the outlet, which is not navigable. No. 47 
 belongs to the heirs of John L. Hardenbergh, and covers 
 the best waters of the outlet, and a fine rapid stream. 
 Auburn is eight miles from Cayuga Lake, three from 
 Owasco Lake, and not seventy-five from Utica. Owasco 
 Lake is twelve miles long and one wide. The outlet is 
 fourteen miles long, and on it are the following hydraulic 
 establishments : — nine saw mills, two carding machines, 
 two turner's shops, one trip hammer and blacksmith's 
 shop, two oil mills, five grist mills, three fulling mills, one 
 bark mill, and several tanneries. At the lower falls, Mr. 
 Dill has a furnace, in which he uses old iron, there being 
 no iron ore. 
 
 At this place there is a Federal newspaper, published 
 by Pan, the former partner of James Thompson Callender. 
 Pan settled first at Aurora, being allured there by Walter 
 Wood, and being starved out there, he came here, and is 
 principally supported by advertisements of mortgages, 
 which must, if there be a paper in the county where the 
 lands lie, be printed in it, and this is the only one in 
 Cayuga county. 
 
 The machine for picking wool is excellent. The card- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 171 
 
 ing machine is next used, and turns out the wool in com- 
 plete rolls. It can card 112 pounds per day, and one man 
 attends both. Four shillings per pound is given for wool. 
 Carding, picking, and greasing wool (the grease furnished 
 by the owner of the wool), is eight pence per pound. 
 There are upwards of twenty carding machines in this 
 county, and great numbers of sheep are driven to the New- 
 York market. 
 
 The linseed oil mill can express fifteen gallons of oil in 
 a day, and with a great effort a barrel. The flax .seed is 
 broken by two mill stones, placed perpendicularly, like 
 those of bark mills, and following each other in succession. 
 Seed costs from two to seven shillings per bushel, and 
 each bushel produces three or four quarts. The oil sells 
 at the mill for nine shillings a gallon. Oil is also express- 
 ed from the seed of the sunflower. One bushel makes 
 two gallons ; it is excellent for burning, and makes no 
 smoke. Oil is also made here from Palma Christi. 
 
 At a mill north-west from Auburn, on 37 Aurelius, a 
 spring rises perpendicularly out of the level earth. It 
 produces two hogsheads a minute, and immediately forms 
 a mill stream. A few yards below it is a fulling mill. 
 The water is uncommonly good and cold. I found in it 
 a honeycombed fossil, like those at the Sulphur, at Cherry 
 Valley, and near Geneva. This spring is called the Cold 
 Spring. There are two or three others near it, and the 
 creek formed by them, called Cold Spring Creek, contains 
 excellent trout. About a mile from the cold spring there 
 is a sulphur spring. From the fossil found at the cold 
 spring, and the coldness of the water, it must run over 
 sulphur. There is a sulphur spring on the margin of the 
 Cayuga Lake. 
 
172 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Old Forts. Half a-mile south of Auburn, there is an 
 old fort on very high ground, which is surrounded to a 
 considerable extent with deep ravines and precipitous 
 valleys. A ditch is to be distinctly traced on the outside 
 of the breastwork, on the level ground, but it appears to 
 be lost when it reaches the precipices, where there is no 
 occasion for it. There are large trees in and about the 
 ditches, and some in the fort, dead with age. The North 
 Gate can be distinctly traced. It contains between two 
 and three acres, and covers the most commanding ground 
 in the country. We saw several holes which appeared 
 to have been dug within a few years, by superstitious per- 
 sons, in search of money. 
 
 One mile north from Auburn, and on ground equally 
 elevated, there is a similar work, covering four acres. 
 Pieces of Indian earthenware have been found in it. It 
 has a very high breastwork. It contains a north gate, the 
 entrance of which must have been from the west, and 
 produced by the lapping of the breast-work. A large oak 
 tree, three and a half feet diameter, was cut down on the 
 breastwork, which, from the circles on it, must have been 
 260 years old. The whole is surrounded by a ditch. 
 
 Eight miles from Auburn, in Camillus, there is another 
 fort, which has a breastwork seven .feet high, a ditch four 
 feet deep, and it is twenty-five feet from the extremity of 
 the ditch to the top of the breastwork. It is a perfect 
 ellipsis, and has an east and west gate only. There is an 
 oak tree on the breastwork, which is three feet diameter, 
 and which, from its circles, has been there upwards of 300 
 years, and its roots show that it was not left standing 
 when the work was erected. Six miles from Auburn, in 
 Scipio, there is another fort with a ditch, and breastwork 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 173 
 
 on one side only. It is situated at the confluence of two 
 streams, and the ditch and breastwork form the base of 
 the triangle. Twenty-five rods from the ditch, and 
 in the interior of the fort there is a trench. In digging 
 into it two or three feet, the remains of bones in a calcined 
 form are found. The remains of stone walls are to be 
 seen along the streams in the inside of the fort, erected 
 there in lieu of breastworks, and the creeks serving as 
 ditches. 
 
 Near VandewerUer's tavern, in Niagara county, the 
 Seneca turnpike runs through an old fort, in which is Mr. 
 Asahel Clark's house. 
 
 A survey and map ought to be taken of these forts be- 
 fore all traces of them are obliterated by the plough. 
 
 The idea that these works were erected by the French 
 or any other Europeans is erroneous. First, from their 
 number ; second, from their antiquity ; and third, from their 
 slope. They are not like European forts — they have no 
 bastions to clear the ditches. The ditch being on the out- 
 side precludes the idea of habitation, although in times of 
 alarm they were doubtless used for that purpose, and they 
 may have served as places of refuge against wild beasts 
 as well as human enemies, or as asylums for their families 
 when they went to war or hunt. The mammoth would 
 alone, if carnivorous, render necessary such erections. 
 The difficulty of reaching the gate in the Auburn Fort, 
 evidently shows that it was intended to annoy and be- 
 wilder an enemy in his approaches. 
 
 At the Oneida Reservation I saw Louis Dennie, a 
 Frenchman, who was born on the Illinois, and when eigh- 
 teen came up in the French war with a French officer to 
 fight the Five Nations, and was taken prisoner by the 
 
174 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Mohawks, among whom he married. His wife talks 
 Dutch, retains her primitive manners, and is decent and 
 clean. Dennie is upwards of seventy. He appears to be 
 anxious for war, and wishes to engage in it. He is a per- 
 fect Indian in dress, manners, and behavior ; his color is 
 somewhat whiter. On being asked about the old forts, he 
 says, that from the traditions of old Indians with whom he 
 has conversed, in Canada as well as here, he is of opinion 
 that they were erected by the Spaniards, who first appear- 
 ed at Oswego, passed into Manlius, and^progressed through 
 Onondaga, Pompey, to the lakes, and from thence through 
 the country down the Ohio and disappeared, leaving the 
 country by the Mississippi. That they frightened the In- 
 dians by their fire-arms, who being thickly settled, were 
 engaged in continual warfare with them and obliged them 
 to fortify. That their object was searching for the precious 
 metals ; that they staid in the country upwards of two 
 years ; that the iron instruments of agriculture dug up in 
 various parts of the country, were left by them ; that the 
 Indians being afraid of fire-arms made way for them to 
 pass ; that the Spaniards were very numerous ; that there 
 is a large fort in Onondaga, one in Manlius, another in 
 Pompey ; and that they were all over the country. That 
 the first Europeans seen by the Indians were Spaniards ; 
 the next French. He farther states, that the Indians say 
 that they erected many of the forts themselves ; but he 
 does not see how they could do it without the use of iron 
 tools. Dennie is not very intelligent ; he prefers the savage 
 life ; his character is good, and what he represents he 
 believes. 
 
 Jemima Wilkinson. Mr. Eddy, who visited her at the 
 Crooked Lake, says, that she is about fifty-seven years 
 
^ PRIVATE JOURNAL. 175 
 
 of age, of Rhode Island, but of what sect he could not 
 learn. That she has about forty or fifty adherents, the 
 principal of whom is Rachel Miller, aged upwards of 
 forty, formerly a Quaker seamstress, of Philadelphia, in 
 whose name the title deeds of the property are held. That 
 she lives in a handsome, plentiful style, and is about 
 completing a very large and elegant house, on a com- 
 manding position. That a large tract of land was pur- 
 chased from Gorham and Phelps for eighteen cents an 
 acre, but what proportion is held by Rachel, for the Friend, 
 as she is called all over the country, he does not know, as 
 some of her followers have receded from her and appro- 
 priated part of the land to their exclusive use. That her 
 dress, countenance, and demeanor are masculine in a great 
 degree ; and that her conduct is marked by garrulity and 
 vanity ; and that when closely questioned she evinces great 
 irritation. That she adopts the Quaker style of preach- 
 ing ; like them is opposed to oaths and war, and does not 
 prohibit, although she discountenances, marriage. That 
 her discourses, as well set as conversational, are texts of 
 Scripture combined without regularity or connection, but 
 indicative of a retentive memory. That she has no pecu- 
 liar creed, unless in relation to herself; that in this respect 
 she veils herself in mystery, and does not distinctly say 
 what being she is, although she represents herself as a 
 spirit from heaven, animating the defunct body of Jemima 
 Wilkinson. But what kind or order of divine being, whe- 
 ther the soul of a departed saint, an angel, or a second 
 Christ, she does not communicate to the profane. Her 
 power is founded on the extreme ignorance of her fol- 
 lowers, operated on by her impudence and cunning. Vain, 
 ignorant, and talkative, but shrewd to a degree, she will 
 
176 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 maintain her dominion, notwithstanding, over some of her 
 sect — a dominion tottering, however, with the decadence 
 of her mind and the failure of her personal charms. When 
 interrogated as to her doctrine, she referred to a book 
 published by Bailey, of Philadelphia, of five or six pages, 
 consisting merely of salutary advice written by her, and 
 full of Scripture quotations, but containing no peculiar 
 creed or dogmas. 
 
 We saw Joseph L. Richardson, Peter Hughes, and 
 others, at Auburn. He interrogated me seriously, and 
 with real or affected alarm, about the existence of French 
 influence in our councils. The negative I gave conveyed 
 a severe reproof 
 
 The rage for erecting villages is a perfect mania. It 
 appreciates the value of land, but such establishments will 
 not prosper unless predicated on manufactures. 
 
 Mr. Coe, of Scipio, had a full-blooded merino ram, which 
 he sold for 81,000 ; — he has a full-blooded ewe. A sheep 
 can be wintered on 400 lbs. of hay. The time for putting 
 a ewe to ram is about the 1st of November. The period 
 of gestation is five months. The sexes must be separated 
 from September to the proper period. It appeared to me 
 that the sheep in the western country are larger, and the 
 hogs worse, than in other parts of the State. It is said 
 that Chancellor Livingston has made $22,000 by the sale 
 of his sheep and wool this year. 
 
 David Thomas, a Quaker from Pennsylvania, is settled 
 on a farm in Scipio ; he is a poet and great botanist, and 
 careless in his dress. He corresponds with Dr. Barton. 
 
 This place is eleven miles from Montezuma : and the 
 landlord contradicts the Ithaca report about the rapid as- 
 cension of the salt well, and its overflowing. He says 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 177 
 
 that the water has risen to the level of the river, and is 
 strongly saturated Vi^ith salt. This shows how the tongue 
 of Rumor will magnify objects. We afterwards heard at 
 Skaneatelas, that the water is four feet above the level of 
 the river ; that it is the strongest water yet discovered ; 
 and that it will be used next week ; — that one gallon of 
 Montezuma water will make 18 oz. of salt, and one of 
 Salina, 15 oz. 
 
 August 14:th. Being detained in Auburn yesterday, by 
 the fitting of our vehicles, we did not leave it until this 
 morning. The commodore and son and myself traveled in 
 the coachee ; two servants and the baggage went in the 
 common wagon. We were near two hours in reaching 
 Skeneatelas village, seven miles, owing to the frequent and 
 heavy rains on the Seneca turnpike. The morning was 
 unpleasant and rainy. There is no very extraordinary 
 improvement between Auburn and Skaneatelas ; the coun- 
 try is full of hills and swamps. 
 
 This village has a handsome Presbyterian church, but 
 no settled minister ; three taverns, some stores, and a few 
 houses. It is situated at the outlet of the lake of that 
 name — a delightful body of water, sixteen miles by one 
 to one and three-quarters. The outlet runs into Seneca 
 River, from which this place is distant twelve miles ; there 
 are rapids and falls in the outlet, and it is not navigable. 
 This lake contains trout, salmon trout, and white perch of 
 a delicious kind ; they are angled for at the depth of 100 
 feet. 
 
 We breakfasted at S. Giddings' tavern, a good house. 
 This place, with four acres, sold for $4,000, and rents for 
 $400 per annum. It is in the town of Marcellus. 
 
 At Aurora, in Scipio, there is an incorporated academy, 
 12 
 
178 DE WITT CIJNTON. 
 
 to which is attached a boarding school for young ladies, 
 by Mrs. Barnard. Boarding and tuition in the lower 
 branches come to $18 a quarter. Geography, etc., $20. 
 
 We stopped at E. Chapman's six miles from Skeneatelas, 
 at a place called the Nine Mile Creek, where there is a 
 small village, containing a Presbyterian church, a Post- 
 office, two taverns, and several houses. We found the road 
 bad, and the country diversified with great hills and valleys. 
 A large valley, which assumes the name of the Onondaga 
 Hollow, at the Court-house, appears to run all through this 
 country, and to form a subject worthy of investigation. 
 Limestone appears to be predominant through here. Al- 
 most all the day was showery and disagreeable. 
 
 Chapman keeps a book to record the names of travellers 
 to Niagara. There appeared on it but few inconsequen- 
 tial names. He has also printed lists of taverns and dis- 
 tances from Albany to Buffalo, and from Buffalo to Niagara 
 He has omitted the rival tavern in his own village. 
 
 One of our baggage horses failed, and we stopped at 
 Lawrence's tavern, still in Marcellus, and two miles farther 
 to procure another. The old man, the father of the tavern- 
 keeper, migrated with his sons here in 1795, from Hun- 
 tington, Long Island, on land purchased for $1 75 an 
 acre, which is now worth $20. The landlady says that 
 her father, of the name of Whippo, was the brother of 
 Mrs. Butler, the mother-in-law of James Desbrosses, and 
 that she is the half-sister of the celebrated Isaac Whippo, 
 and of John Whippo, tavern-keeper in New York. She 
 was ignorant of Desbrosses' death, and appeared to be 
 proud of the connexion. She has had eight children, 
 seven of whom are alive. 
 
 Two miles farther we procured a horse at Leonard's 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 170 
 
 tavern ; Mrs. L. has had four children in two births, two 
 only living. Land on the turnpike is here worth $20 an 
 acre ; and back and unimproved, $6 or $7. 
 
 Four miles farther we arrived at the Court-house of 
 Onondaga county. From the West Hill, as it is termed. 
 we had a grand view of Onondaga Lake, the village oi' 
 Salina, the great valley of Onondaga, and a great expanse 
 of country. We put up at Bronson's tavern about 5 p.m. 
 The Court-house is a large building, but not painted. A 
 Post-office and several houses compose a little village. 
 The country is very rich, but not so well cultivated as in 
 Milton, Scipio, and Aurelius. 
 
 We found a fire comfortable this evening. A new cli- 
 mate commences somewhere about the Onondaga Hills 
 to the north and east the temperature of the air is colder- 
 and more snow falls than to the south and west. May 
 not the waters of Lake Ontario, which do not freeze, have 
 a mollifying influence on the surrounding country ? And 
 may not this influence be lost or counteracted by the pas- 
 sage of air over frozen waters, to the north and east of 
 the above line. May not the progress of the warm wind of 
 the south-west be arrested by this line of hills ; or may 
 not its influence here be spent and counteracted by cold 
 winds from the north-east and north-west ? In very cold 
 countries some springs do not congeal. The absence of 
 ice in some lakes may be owing to powerful springs, as 
 well as to their great depth. 
 
 In several places we saw curious streaks of flint, em- 
 bedded in limestone and slate, forming in some places a 
 singular appearance, as if the silex was pointed, narrowed, 
 or worn, by an aqueous or igneous power. 
 
 The commodore drops the thee in a curious way ; Dost 
 
180 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 know — Hast heard, like old Briggs, in Cecilia. But the 
 moment a Friend appears, this important pronoun is lib- 
 erally used ; the teazing interrogatories put by him to the 
 Friend must have afforded cause of irritation, particularly 
 when he asked her if she was married. 
 
 August 15th. We sent on the baggage wagon and 
 servants, to meet us at Manlius Square, and deviated from 
 the turnpike, in order to see the great manufactory of salt 
 at Salina, at which place we arrived at eight, having taken 
 the wrong road ; we went at least four miles out of our 
 way. The day was fair, the country fertile, but the road 
 very bad. At last we reached the turnpike that runs near 
 Mynderse's mills, and runs nearly parallel with the Seneca 
 turnpike, for a considerable distance. When we first 
 rose we found a fire again comfortable. The distance 
 from Bronson's to Salina is five and a half miles ; Bron- 
 son's is in the town of Onondaga. Salina is a town as 
 well as a village. We had a sublime view of the Hollow 
 this morning covered with a thick white fog, and looking 
 like a vast lake, which it probably was in ancient times. 
 
 From the 14th June, 1809, to 1st January, 1810, 
 there were inspected at Salina 128,282 bushels, and the 
 revenue arising to the State was $4,879 44. At different 
 times, thirty-three salt-lots have been laid out under the 
 authority of the State, nineteen at Salina, ten at Liver- 
 pool, and four at Geddes. Add to this, that the Superin- 
 tendents have usurped the authority of granting leases, or 
 of disposing of the lands by contracts, by which means they 
 have created such confusion and embarrassment that a 
 law was passed last session, appointing Commissioners to 
 adjust the business. 
 
 At those different places, there were in November last 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 181 
 
 eighty-two salt-houses, in which there were 106 blocks of 
 kettles. In the blocks were 807 kettles, generally of three 
 sizes, containing in the whole 61,000 gallons. The wood 
 on the reservation is cut without any regard to economy, 
 and no adequate measures have been taken to prevent this 
 evil, or to provide for the growth of young timber. Con- 
 siderable land here is reserved by the State, for the purpose 
 of securing the benefit of these great salt-springs to the 
 public. 
 
 Before the law of last session, salt was inspected. For 
 each gallon, the lessee was to pay two cents, and the con- 
 sumer four cents, for every bushel of salt. The salt was 
 inspected by the Superintendent; but this being found 
 useless and nominal, the inspection of salt was abolished 
 by that law, and the manufacturer was made his own in- 
 spector. He is to provide a half bushel, to be approved 
 by the Superintendent, and to be used in measuring his 
 salt, and is to brand his name at full length on the head of 
 each barrel put up by him ; and also marks on it the tare 
 of the barrel, and the weight of. salt, fifty-six pounds of 
 which shall be estimated a bushel. And every future les- 
 see or manufacturer must erect at least two kettles, con- 
 taining 340 gallons, on each lot leased by him, and shall 
 pay quarterly an annual rent of five cents per gallon, for 
 each kettle employed. Salt cannot be sold by any manu- 
 facturer at the springs for more than six and a-half cents 
 per bushel. The Superintendent of the salt-springs is an 
 office of great importance. His salary is respectable. 
 He is appointed by the Legislature, and gives security in 
 the sum of $25,000 for his good behavior in office. The 
 style of his office defines his duties. He is to report within 
 the first ten days of every session, to the Legislature, the 
 
182 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 names of the possessors of lots ; the number of houses on 
 each, the number of blocks of kettles in each house, the 
 number of kettles in each block, the capacity of each ket- 
 tle, and the quantity of salt manufactured for the year. 
 
 Salina is a short distance from the Onondaga Lake. 
 Boats come up to the factories. It contains about eighty 
 houses. Liverpool and Geddes are within three miles. 
 
 One man can attend a block of eight or ten kettles. 
 Each block consumes two cords of wood a day, through 
 two fire-places. Each kettle may make three bushels a 
 day. It takes sixty or ninety gallons of the brine to make 
 a bushel of salt. The process of manufacturing is simple. 
 The water is exposed to a hot fire ; and when it is suf- 
 ficiently boiled down, the salt is taken out by a large ladle 
 and put into a basket, from whence the water exudes into 
 the kettles. The ladle is kept, during the whole process, 
 in the kettle, and it is said, collects all the feculent matter, 
 which appears to be a species of gypsum. Most of the 
 brine is forced up by hand pumps, and conveyed by lead- 
 ers to the kettles. There are two hydraulic machines that 
 pump up the water. One of them is worked by water, 
 conveyed by a small acqueduct that extends two miles. 
 By digging a pit anywhere in the marsh, salt-water is 
 found. This is an unhealthy place. In entering it, we 
 saw an uninclosed burying ground, which indicates great 
 mortality. Three of the Superintendents have died. The 
 people complain already of dysentery ; but the sickly 
 season has not yet arrived. 
 
 We breakfasted at a large brick hotel, three stories high, 
 kept by E. Roe. It is owned by one Aldest, a salt mer- 
 chant, and rents for $600 per annum. There is a great 
 resort of strangers to this place, summer as well as winter, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 183 
 
 to speculate in salt. Here we were much amused at seeing 
 a pretty girl of seventeen smoking segars. 
 
 i{ salt is manufactured on the great Kenhawa, it can- 
 not be conveyed with facility to Pittsburgh, because the 
 river is full of rapids. The information that Gerge Kibbe 
 gave at Oswego, about a great salt establishment there, 
 and that it was agreed to undersell Salina merchants, by 
 vending it at seven dollars per barrel, was considered by 
 Judge Porter, of Grand-Niagara, and Mr. Rees, of Geneva, 
 as fabulous, and as a speculating scheme to prevent com- 
 petition with him, in the Pittsburgli mai'ket, in which he is 
 a dealer in salt. 
 
 Mr. Rees is concerned in the Galen Salt Works, and 
 showed us at Geneva a specimen of basket-salt manufac- 
 tured there, superior to any imported. About a mile from 
 Salina, we crossed the inlet of Onondaga Lake, which is 
 a considerable stream. 
 
 Handsome furniture is made in the western country, of 
 curled maple, wild cherry, and black walnut, some of 
 which is superior to mahogany. Some of the furniture is 
 inlaid, or veneered with white wood, in New York. 
 
 Besides the usual indications of clean taverns, you may 
 feel confident when you see decent girls neatly dressed. 
 
 Yankees here rarely finish the inside of their houses. 
 They almost always have, except in the first stages of set- 
 tlement, a specious, imposing exterior. 
 
 We were pleased with seeing so many houses painted. 
 It adds much to their beauty as well as duration. There 
 is a painter at Skeneatelas. 
 
 Five and a-half miles from Salina, Butternut creek, a 
 fine stream flows near a little village in Manlius, without 
 a name, which has a school-house, store, bark -mill, and 
 
184 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 tanneries, and a few houses. B. Booth, the tavern-keeper, 
 who removed from Orange county, purchased 100 acres 
 here last spring, for fourteen dollars an acre. The road 
 we travelled is no turnpike east from Salina, although so 
 delineated in JMcCalpin's map. It is good in dry seasons, 
 but is now bad. The country is rich, pretty well settled, 
 and is covered with fine woods of oak. 
 
 Eleven miles from Sahna we arrived at Trowbridge's 
 tavern, in Manlius Square, at twelve o'clock. We reach- 
 ed the Seneca turnpike, a little west of the Square, so that 
 we missed a sight of the country on the Seneca turnpike 
 from the Court-house to this place, being twelve miles, 
 and went round seventeen miles by Salina ; but having 
 gone four miles astray, we travelled twenty-one miles this 
 day. 
 
 We dined at Trowbridge's tavern, a tolerable house. I 
 saw Perry Childs, Esq., here, who says that the site of the 
 Court-house is fixed at Cazenovia, and that no one is dis- 
 pleased with the position except Peter Smith, the first 
 Judge, who is trying to excite disturbance. Cazenovia is 
 eight miles from this place. Fourteen roads from different 
 quarters run into it. It lies on a beautiful lake, six miles 
 long and one mile wide. A republican paper, called the 
 Cazenovia Pilot, is printed here. Peter Smith has esta- 
 blished a Federal newspaper at Peterborough. The 
 Manlius Times, a Federal paper, is published by Leonard 
 Kellogg, at Manlius Square. 
 
 Manlius Square contains about forty houses. A hand- 
 some stream runs near it. It is partly on 97 Manlius, and 
 another lot claimed by Capt. Brewster, of the Revenue 
 Cutter, which is now in a course of litigation. The 
 Seneca turnpike ; the Great Western turnpike by Cherry 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 185 
 
 Valley and Cazenovia; a road to Oxford, and the road to 
 Salina by which we came, run into this place. Two 
 quarter-acre lots which corner on the Cazenovia and 
 Seneca turnpikes, are worth $500 each. 
 
 We set off from this place at four, and arrived at Dr. 
 Stockton's tavern, fifteen miles in Sullivan, on the verge 
 of the Oneida Reservation, at eight o'clock. We met 
 Asher Moore and Dr. Kemp, of New York, on their way 
 to Niagara, who mentioned the death of the Lieutenant- 
 Governor, on Saturday a-week. Four miles from Man- 
 lius Square we entered the town of Sullivan, in Madison 
 county. About five miles we passed the Chittenango 
 Creek, a large fine body of water which unites with the 
 Canaseraga Creek. 
 
 Seven miles from the Square is the Canaseraga Hollow, 
 which, like the Onondaga Hollow, is surrounded by very 
 high hills. The creek of that name runs through it, and 
 falls into the Oneida Lake fourteen miles distant. It is 
 not so large as the Chittenango where we passed it. The 
 deep spring is three and a-half miles west from this place 
 on a hill near the road. A great battle was fought near 
 here, during the Revolutionary war, between the Ameri- 
 cans and Indians, in which the latter were defeated. The 
 land on the turnpike here sells from $100 to $125 per acre. 
 A farm a mile distant is estimated at $16 an acre. Here 
 are fine flats owned by the heirs of John Dennie, a hybrid, 
 or half-Indian, the son of a Frenchman from Illinois, and 
 a squaw. Cady's tavern where we stopped to rest, is a 
 good two-story house, and was built by him, and close by 
 is his original log-house. He left a widow and several 
 children. 
 
 From this place to Stockton's we found the country 
 
186 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 fertile and uncommonly well settled ; good houses, taverns, 
 stores, mechanics' shops, farm-houses, composing in some 
 places a street, and every indication of rising prosperity. 
 
 August IGth. Slept at Stockton's last night, and break- 
 fasted there this morning. We found it the best tavern 
 on the road. He lives in Lenox, Madison County, and 
 migrated from Princeton, New Jersey. He is styled Doc- 
 tor. He lives on the borders of the Oneida Reservation, 
 twenty-five miles from Utica, and fourteen miles from 
 Lake Oneida. Opposite to him is the settlement of the 
 Oneida Indians called the Squalone village ; and a little 
 west is the Squalone Creek, a handsome stream, which 
 empties in the Canaseraga. 
 
 We found the morning chilly, although we set out after 
 seven. The change of climate from the Onondaga Hills 
 is very perceptible. I experienced this kind of weather 
 last summer at Cherry Valley. 
 
 The Seneca turnpike passes through the Oneida Reser 
 vation, which is five miles from east to west. Oneida 
 Creek is a fine stream, about eight miles from Oneida 
 Lake. Salmon run up it eight miles higher, as far as 
 Stockbridge. At the end of the bridge over it there 
 stood a beautiful Indian girl, offering apples for sale to the 
 persons that passed. The Missionary church, in which 
 Mr. Kirkland formerly preached, and an Indian school- 
 house, are here. We saw Indian boys trying to kill birds ; 
 others driving cattle over plains. Some Indians plow- 
 ing with oxen, and at the same time their heads orna- 
 mented with Avhite feathers ; some driving a wagon, and 
 the women milking and churning, — all the indications of 
 incipient civilization. 
 
 About four miles from Stockton's we stopped at Skenan- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 187 
 
 do's house. He was formerly the Chief Sachem of all the 
 Oneidas; but since the nation has been spht up into 
 Christian and Pagan parties, he is only acknowledged by 
 the former. The Chief of the latter is Capt. Peter, a very 
 sensible man. The morals of the Pagans are better than 
 those of the Christians. The former still practice some 
 of their ancient superstitions. On the first new moon of 
 every new year, they sacrifice a white dog to the Great 
 Spirit, and devote six days to celebrate the commence- 
 ment of the year. The Christian party are more nume- 
 rous, by one hundred, than the Pagan. They are entirely 
 separated in their territory, as well as in their God. 
 
 Skenando is one hundred and one years old, and his 
 wife is seventy-four. He is weak, and can hardly walk. 
 His face is good and benevolent, and not much wrinkled. 
 He is entirely blind ; but his hair is not gray. He smokes ; 
 and can converse a little in English. He was highly de- 
 lighted with an elegant silver pipe, that was given to him 
 by Gov. Tompkins. His wife was afflicted with the bron- 
 chocele, or goitre. It is like a wen, promulging from the 
 neck, near the thorax. There were some cases near Utica 
 some years ago. A number of his children and grand- 
 children were present. His daughter looked so old that 
 at first I took her for his wife. Some of the females were 
 handsome. His house is one hundred yards from the 
 road, situated on the margin of a valley, through which a 
 pleasant stream flows. It is a small frame building, paint- 
 ed red ; and adjoining it is a log house. Before the settle- 
 ment of the country he kept a tavern, like the first Gover- 
 nor of Vermont, for the accommodation of travellers. 
 There were four bedsteads in the room, composed of 
 coarse W'ooden bunks, so called, and covered by blankets 
 
188 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and pillows, instead of beds. A large kettle of corn was 
 boiling, which was the only breakfast the family appeared 
 to have. It was occasionally dipped out from the pot into 
 a basket, from which the children ate. The fm'niture 
 and farming utensils were coarse, and those of civilized 
 persons. 
 
 His eldest son, Thomas, came in, spruced-up like an 
 Indian beau. The expression of his countenance is very 
 malignant ; but his features are handsome. He ate out of 
 the basket. It is said, that on his father's demise, he will 
 succeed him as Chief Sachem ; but if I understand their 
 system right, the office of Sachem is personal, and not he- 
 reditary. It is said that Skenando is opulent, for an Indi- 
 an ; and that Thomas has frequently attempted to kill him, 
 with a view of enjoying his property ; alledging, too, that 
 his father is not liberal, and that he has lived long enough. 
 Such is the mode of living of the first Chief of an Indian 
 nation. In England he would be recognized as a king — as 
 were the five Mohawk Chiefs that went there with Col. 
 Schuyler, in the reign of Queen Anne, and who are men- 
 tioned in the Spectator. 
 
 Abraham Hatfield and his wife (Quakers), have resided 
 here sometime ; having been sent by that Society princi- 
 pally with a view to teach the savages agriculture ; for 
 which they receive $200 a-year. Hatfield was sick ; his 
 wife appeared to be a kind, good woman ; well qualified 
 for the duties allotted to her. They are amply provided 
 with oxen and the instruments of agriculture, to adminis- 
 ter to the wants and instruction of the Indians. The 
 Oneida's are much attached to the Quakers. They teach 
 morals — not dogmas — agriculture, and the arts of civilized 
 life. Those of England have divided £8,000 among the 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 189 
 
 Friends of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, in order 
 to ameliorate the condition of the Indians. The means 
 adopted by the Quakers are the only competent ones that 
 can be adopted. They indicate a knowledge of human 
 nature ; and if the Indians are ever rescued effectually from 
 the evils of savage life, it will be through their instrumen- 
 tality. The Missionary Societies have been of little use 
 in this nation. The morals of the Christians are worse 
 than those of the Pagans. The clergyman at Stockbridge, 
 of the name of Sergeant, notwithstanding the goodness of 
 his intentions, has not been able to effect much. 
 
 In this village we observed several very old Indian wo- 
 men ; and there was an old Indian, named the Blacksmith, 
 recently dead, older than Skenando, who used to say that 
 he was at a treaty with William Penn. There was a boy 
 far gone in a consumption — which was a prevalent disease 
 among them. Last winter they were severely pressed by 
 famine ; and, admonished by experience, they intend to put 
 in considerable wheat — to which they have hitherto been 
 opposed — and they now have large crops of corn. They 
 appear to be well provided with neat cattle and hogs. 
 Some of the Indians are very squalid and filthy. I saw 
 several take lice from their heads. They evince great 
 parental fondness, and are much pleased with any atten- 
 tion to their children. An Indian child in Skenando's 
 house took hold of my cane : to divert him I gave him 
 some small money ; the mother appeared much pleased, 
 and immediately offered me apples to eat — the best thing 
 she had to give. 
 
 In passing the Oneida Reservation we saw some white 
 settlers, and it is not a little surprising that they receive 
 any encouragement from the Indians, considering how 
 
190 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 often they have been coaxed out of their lands by their 
 white brethren. I shall give a few prominent illustrations. 
 
 1. Peter Smith, a former clerk of Abraham Herring — 
 he established a store in their country — called a son 
 Skenando, after their Chief, and by wheedling the 
 Legislature as well as the Indians, he has succeeded in 
 acquiring an immense body of excellent land at a low 
 price, and he is now very opulent. 
 
 2. Michael Wemple, a Dutch blacksmith, sent among 
 them by Gen. Washington. 
 
 3. James Dean, formerly a toy-maker, interpreter among 
 them. 
 
 4. The Rev. Mr. Kirkland, missionary and interpreter. 
 Lastly, Angel De Ferriere. He left France in the time 
 
 of Robespiere. His mother is rich, and has written for 
 him to return to his country ; but he declines on account, 
 as he says, of his red wife. He first lived with Mr. Linck- 
 laen, at Cazenovia ; and at sometimes exhibited symptoms 
 of mental derangement. He then went to reside among 
 the Oneidas, and married the daughter of Louis Dennie, 
 before-mentioned, by a squaw — a w ell-behaved woman of 
 civilized manners and habits, and resembling an Indian in 
 nothing but color. He has by her three children. He has 
 been among the Indians twelve years. Being a man of 
 genteel manners, sensible, and well-informed, he acquired 
 a great influence over them, and has prevailed on them to 
 confer on him donations of valuable land — which have been 
 sanctioned by the State. At the last session, the Chris- 
 tian party sold for $3,050 02 and an annuity, a part of 
 their Reservation, and in the treaty made with them they 
 
 appropriated acres for De Ferriere. He owns 1700 
 
 acres of the best land — a great deal of it on the turnpike — 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 191 
 
 the tavern occupied by Dr. Stockton, a large two-story 
 house, grist mill and saw mill on the creek, and distillery, 
 and is supposed to be worth $50,000. He lives in a log- 
 house about a half mile from Stockton's ; and, I am told, is 
 always involved in law suits. At present, he has no more 
 particular intercourse with the Indians than any other white 
 in their vicinity. His father-in-law, Louis Dannie, is quite 
 proud of his opulent son-in-law. He is a savage in all 
 respects ; and says it is hard times with the Indians ; the 
 game is all gone — that he recollects that deer were as 
 thick as leaves in Schoharie before it was settled. That 
 country belonged to the Mohawks. John Dennie, before- 
 mentioned, was Louis's son. His wife was of the half- 
 blood, and did not treat him well. He was addicted to in- 
 temperance, and their children are said to be the worst- 
 tempered of any in the nation. 
 
 August 16th, 1810, continued. After the Oneida Re- 
 servation we entered the town of Vernon, in which three 
 glass-houses are in contemplation ; one has been in opera- 
 tion some time. It is rather to be regretted that this busi- 
 ness is overdone. Besides the glass introduced from Pitts- 
 burgh, and from a glass-house in Pennsylvania, on the 
 borders of Orange county, and the glass imported from 
 Europe, there are ten manufactories in the State already, 
 or about to be established — one in Guilderland, Albany 
 county ; one in Rensselaer county ; three in Vernon, Onei- 
 da county ; one in Utica, do. ; one in Rome, do. ; one in 
 Peterborough, jMadison county ; one in Geneva, Ontario 
 county ; one in Woodstock, Ulster county. 
 
 The village of Mount Vernon is eight miles from Stock- 
 ton's. It is by a fine creek and celebrated mills of that 
 
192 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 name, and has a Post-office, several stores, and about 
 twenty houses. 
 
 We passed on the road Elias Hicks, a Quaker preacher, 
 Isaac Hicks and another Friend, Mrs. Haydock and an- 
 other female Friend, on a mission from a yearly meeting 
 of New York, to open a half-yearly meeting in York, Up- 
 per Canada. 
 
 We dined at Noah Leavins' tavern, in Westmoreland, 
 twelve miles from Utica. He gave for this house and a 
 farm of 150 acres, last May, 85,000. His house is well 
 kept ; but he says he is determined to make it among the 
 best on the road. We advised him to buy a demijohn of 
 the best Madeira wine, $25 ; two dozen claret, $20 ; a cask 
 of porter, $15 ; and half a box of segars, $9 ; and to have 
 these for select guests, who understood their value, and 
 that his house would soon acquire a great name. That 
 he ought to have his house painted ; to establish an ice- 
 house, and to be very particular in having good and clean 
 beds ; for that after all a traveler was perhaps more solici- 
 tous about good lodging than anything else. His vv^ife, 
 although from Connecticut, in dress looks like and appears 
 to be a Dutchwoman. This shows the power of imitation ; 
 she resided in a Dutch village for some time. 
 
 The country out of the Oneida Reservation to this 
 place is fertile, no bad land, and well settled ; the road 
 good, and as populous as a village. 
 
 About a mile from Leavins' we passed a church ; a plain 
 framed building, not painted. We saw in some places 
 men pounding limestone, with which to imbed the turn- 
 pike, and part of the way this has already been accom- 
 plished, and resembles the road between Bristol and Phila- 
 delphia. This great turnpike, from Canandaigua to Utica, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 193 
 
 is the vital principle of the latter place, and yet it has 
 been so recently made, that in some places you can per- 
 ceive the remains of stumps. Nine miles from Utica we 
 passed the Oriskany Creek, a considerable stream. Six or 
 seven miles from Utica, there is a string of houses extend- 
 ing a considerable distance, forming a village called the 
 Middle Settlement. Three or four miles from Utica is 
 New Hartford, a flourishing and prosperous village ; a 
 fine stream runs by it, on which are mills, and it contains 
 a Presbyterian church. As you pass to the east end of 
 the village, and look up the valley to the south, you behold 
 a delightful, populous country. 
 
 In reflecting on Louis Dennie's information about the 
 Spanish Expedition, two reflections occurred : — 
 
 Are there any Indian Forts north of Oswego, or east of 
 Manlius, or generally speaking out of the line designated 
 by him ? 
 
 May not the Spaniards have come into Canada, and so 
 on to Oswego, by the way of the Mississippi, up the Fox 
 or Illinois River, and returned by the Ohio, independently 
 of the usual route by the St. Lawrence ? 
 
 We passed a school taught by a young woman ; this is 
 a common practice in the western country. 
 
 August llth. Utica. The day being rainy we spent it 
 at Utica ; we put up at Bellinger's inn, but I staid at 
 James S. Kip's, Esq., who has a very large elegant stone 
 house, that cost ^9,000. I saw at his house Walter 
 Bowne, on his way to Niagara ; Mr. Hunt, the cashier of 
 the bank ; Mr. Arthur Breese, Mr. Bloodgood, Mr. Walker, 
 the printer. Dr. Wolcott, Judge Cooper, and several 
 others. And this day Mr. Kip had to dinner, besides our 
 company, Walker, Breese, Bloodgood. and Brodhead. 
 13 
 
194 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 The report of the quarrel between Jackson and Morris 
 had reached this place much exaggerated ; and my slip- 
 ping into Wood Creek, was represented as a hair-breadth 
 escape. The death of the Lieutenant-Governor was con- 
 firmed here : this worthy man took his final departure on 
 the eighth of August, in the fullness of years and honor. 
 He had just engaged his quarters at Albany for the ensuing 
 legislative campaign. 
 
 A map of the northern part of this State was published 
 in 1801, by Amos Lay and Arthur J. Stansbury, and said 
 to be compiled from actual survey. 
 
 Botany is cultivated in the Western District. A man 
 at Palmyra has established a garden, in which he culti- 
 vates poppy, palm a Christi, and a number of our native 
 plants. 
 
 It is not perhaps too exaggerated to say, that the worst 
 lands in the western country are nearly equal to the best 
 in the Atlantic parts of the State. There appears to be 
 a great deal of alluvial land in the former. 
 
 Ashes boiled down in order to be portable, are termed 
 Mack salts, and are purchased by the country merchants, 
 in order to manufacture into potash. 
 
 I amused myself to-day in reading a curious speech, 
 delivered before a proposed Agricultural Society in Whites- 
 town, and published in 1795, by F. Adrian Vanderkemp, 
 an emigrant from Holland, abounding with bad style, but 
 containing some good ideas. He proposes premiums for 
 certain 'dissertations, and among others, " for the best 
 anatomical or historical account of the moose $50, or for 
 bringing one in alive $60." The moose now exists in the 
 northern parts of the State, as does the elk in the southern. 
 Dr. Wolcotl, the Post-master at Utica, says that out of 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 195 
 
 twelve cases of Spotted fever which came under his cog- 
 nizance, he has cured eleven by the speedy application of 
 tonics, such as bark and wine ; that he considers it a dis- 
 ease rising from specific contagion, and operating by a 
 dissolution of the fluids. 
 
 Seneca River is the best for navigation ; Oneida the 
 next ; Wood Creek the next, and the Mohawk the worst. 
 A canal can be made along the valley of the latter for 
 $2,000 a mile. 
 
 Mr. Kip has a pump which works with amazing facility ; 
 the handle is iron, and goes by a lever on the side, instead 
 of the center of the pump. It would be very useful in 
 New York. 
 
 Whiskey manufactured from grain, is the purest spirit 
 drank in this country, and when strained through charcoal 
 is freed from empyreumatic oil. 
 
 I met Joe Winter here, who is styled Judge Winter 
 when over the brandy bottle with his low companions. 
 He told me that he owns a farm at Springfield, in Otsego 
 county, worth $4,000 ; that he brought an action of tres- 
 pass by Seeley, an attorney of Cherry Valley, and was 
 non-prossed, owing to his negligence ; and that this farm 
 is advertised to be sold for the costs, on Monday next, 
 which cannot exceed $20 ; that he has had no notice of it 
 from the Sheriff", with whom he is intimate, or his attorney ; 
 and that in all probability the property would have been 
 designedly sacrificed, if it had not been for the zeal of a 
 friend, who gave him notice at Utica. 
 
 Part of the capital of Boston has been transferred to 
 Montreal, and particularly two rich commercial houses. 
 Last year 1300 barrels of potash were sent by three mer- 
 
196 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 chants from Black River to Utica. This year not one — 
 it has all gone to Montreal. 
 
 August 18th. We left Utica at six o'clock, in a 
 coachee and baggage wagon, for which we were to pay 
 $50 to Albany, and breakfasted at Maynard's tavern, an 
 excellent house, fifteen miles from Utica, in the village of 
 Herkimer. 
 
 On the north side of the Mohawk we entered the Mo- 
 hawk and Schenectady turnpike, which reaches seventy- 
 eight miles to Schenectady. The country to Herkimer is 
 pleasant and fertile. You pass along the river. On the 
 south side there is a good free road. The turnpike is in- 
 excusably bad, as there are great quantities of gravel and 
 stone near the road, which leads along elevated ground, to 
 avoid the flats. 
 
 Near Herkimer we saw an encampment of Indians, 
 manufacturing brooms and baskets. No other Indians, 
 except the Stockbridge and Brothertown Indians, make 
 brooms. Stockbridge is tw^enty-five miles oft'. These 
 Indians are now the gipsies of our country. 
 
 Herkimer is a flourishing village, about a mile from the 
 Mohawk. It contains several taverns and large stores, a 
 Post-office, church, the Court-house of the county, and 
 about fifty houses. A lot on the main street can scarcely 
 be purchased at all, but is worth $500. A half-acre lot 
 on the back streets sells for $200. The fine flat or bot- 
 tom lands sell from $50 to $80 per acre. 
 
 The traveling to Niagara is very great. Besides the 
 ordinary stage, we met two extra stages, crowded with 
 travelers. One contained young gentlemen from the 
 South, and an Englishman, recently arrived. The strut 
 of self- consequence, taking notes and observations, and 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 197 
 
 poring over maps, were amusing. They inquired after 
 us, and stared witii eagerness. 
 
 We passed West Canada Creek, a fine stream, a mile 
 east of Herkimer. East Canada Creek is about as large. 
 The distance between them is thirteen miles. 
 
 The pine flats at Herkimer, called the German Flats, 
 contain several thousand acres. After leaving this place 
 we entered on a ridge, more elevated than the Genesee 
 Ridge road. On one side was the Mohawk, on the other 
 a small stream. This peninsular road extends two or 
 three miles. 
 
 We entered the Little Falls between the river and 
 canal. Little Falls is seven miles from Herkimer. We 
 dined at Pardee's, on East Canada Creek, seven miles 
 from Little Falls. At this house we lodged, in ascending 
 the river. The farmers are now cutting their oats. 
 
 Oppenheim church is four miles east of Pardee's, and 
 Palatine church six miles. The latter is a stone building, 
 erected in 1770, and Majors Cochran and Fox reside in 
 its vicinity. Gayoga Creek, a fine stream, enters into the 
 Mohawk at this place. A string of taverns is to be ob- 
 served all along this road. 
 
 The turnpike was hitherto so bad that two gates were 
 thrown open. We met three men with two yoke of oxen, 
 drawing a machine for smoothing the road. It filled up 
 the ruts as rapidly as the oxen could draw it. This, and 
 the scraper, afford great facilities for making and mending 
 roads. The river affords excellent ground for a canal, on 
 one side or the other. 
 
 Nine miles from Palatine we put up at D. Wandaler's 
 inn, where we had lodged in coming up. 
 
 There is a lead mine opposite to this place, on the right 
 
198 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 or south side of the river, which is said to furnish excel- 
 lent lead, and to be worked by a company. It was 
 formerly resorted to by the Indians, and the old white 
 people knew it, but it had been forgotten until recently 
 discovered. 
 
 August 19th. We saw at this place a young porcu- 
 pine, which was caught near Lyons, in Ontario county. 
 The quills are very sharp, and seem to be fastened to the 
 hair or bristles of the animal. They cannot be ejacu- 
 lated. The tail appears to be the principal seat of them. 
 The head is like that of the skunk, and the body is about 
 the size of the ground-hog. The claws are formed for 
 climbing. It was exhibited as a show by an old man who 
 was carrying it to Chester, in Pennsylvania, where he had 
 engaged to sell it for $50. One was caught in a meadow 
 at this place, a few years ago ; and at Lewiston a dog was 
 covered with the quills of the animal. 
 
 We passed the mountain called the Nose. The country 
 near it is covered with great ant-hills. The rocks are 
 composed of granite and limestone — the mountains are 
 very steep. 
 
 We breakfasted at Major Henry Fonda's, in Johnstown, 
 eight miles from De Wandaler's, and four from the village 
 of Johnstown. This road goes along the Mohawk the 
 whole distance. A considerable stream called the Canada 
 Creek, enters the river a little west of Fonda's. The 
 name of Canada Creek is given to a great number of 
 streams, and it is derived from their running from that 
 quarter. 
 
 This is a fine country. It is called Caughnawaga. 
 Fonda was a member of Assembly two years ago, and is 
 brother-in-law to the Veeders. John, who lives near, 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 199 
 
 called to see us. Sammons lives two miles ofF. Close by 
 Fonda's are a church, stores, and several houses. We 
 met several people going to church, of a very decent ap- 
 pearance. This place is forty miles from Albany. 
 Taking a barrel of flour from this to that place, by land, 
 costs five shillings. 
 
 The Mohawk country is greatly deficient in fruit trees. 
 We saw no peach trees, but wild plum trees in great 
 abundance. The great frost of the 18th of July was not 
 experienced in this country. Fifty acres of low land, 
 with upland in proportion, are considered a good farm. 
 The low lands are worth $100 per acre. They are some- 
 what exhausted in some places, and are better for manure 
 in such case, although generally very rich. 
 
 Fonda's windows are hooked by a small bar of iron, 
 gently rising like a spring, and is a good device. 
 
 We saw profile likenesses cut in paper all over the 
 country — even at Magic's tavern, at Three River Point. 
 
 Sir John Johnson came here during the last war by 
 Queensburgh and Lake George, with 500 Tories and 
 Indians, and carried arson and murder in his train. He 
 killed a great many of his old acquaintance, captui'ed 
 Major Fonda's grandfather and father, and stood near and 
 did not prevent the Indians from tomahawking the former 
 near the house. The Major pointed to the spot with tears 
 in his eyes. Sir John divided his band into two parties, 
 at Johnstown, and went down as far as Tripe's Hill, care- 
 fully avoiding any injury to the tories, and re-assembling 
 at Johnstown. Peter Hansen, an uncle of Major Fonda's, 
 was taken prisoner on that occasion, and detained in Ca- 
 nada three years. He is eighty-eight years old ; can walk 
 well, and does not appear more than sixty. He could, 
 
200 DE WrTT CLINTON. 
 
 when young, lift a barrel of pork with a finger. Sir John 
 married a Miss Watts, the sister of John. He must have 
 been a great villain in murdering his old neighbors and 
 the friends of his father. Hansen's brother was scalped 
 on this expedition. Sir John marched with the Indians 
 on foot. All the Tories from this part of the country 
 were with him, disguised like Indians, and they constituted 
 the majority of the party. Since the war, several have 
 returned, and they are Federalists, except one, who was 
 then too young to form fixed principles, 
 
 A few miles from Caughnawaga we passed Sir William 
 Johnson's first elegant house after his greatness, now a 
 tavern. It is a large, double-stone building with two sto- 
 ries, with stone offices. After he erected Johnson Hall, 
 at Johnstown, his son lived here. Johnson Hall was 
 at one period owned by Abraham Morehouse, a complete 
 villain, who was pardoned when under sentence of death. 
 He is now in the Orleans Territory, a member of their 
 Legislature, and worth $200,000. Sir William was a 
 great man ; from a small Indian trader he rose to great 
 eminence- He made his way in some measure to the af- 
 fections of the Indians, through the embraces of the squaws. 
 He kept a sister of the celebrated Brandt. " He asked," said 
 old Mr. Hansen, " my wife how many children she had." 
 She replied, "three. How many have you?" "That is 
 a question," said he, smiling, " that I cannot answer." 
 
 Four miles from Fonda's is Tripe's Hill, a ve:"y elevat- 
 ed eminence, which the road ascends and keeps on for 
 some distance. From this elevation you have a most 
 beautiful prospect of Schoharie Creek and bridge, the Mo- 
 hawk River, the lowlands and the mountains. About this 
 hill and the adjacent country, there are prodigious ant- 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 201 
 
 hills. There is one two feet high and three feet in dia- 
 meter. 
 
 Seventeen miles from Schenectady we passed the ruins 
 of Col. (>laus's house. It was a stone building, and burnt 
 down during the war. He was a son-in-law of Sir Wil- 
 liam. A mile farther we passed Guy Park, owned by 
 another son-in-law. Both their estates were confiscated. 
 
 Fifteen miles from Schenectady is the village of Am- 
 sterdam, consisting of two framed churches, (one large 
 and elegant, the other small and not painted), taverns, 
 stores, and several houses. The road along here exhibited 
 granite, limestone, and freestone. In this place we saw a 
 sign, Benedict Arnold & Co.'s Store, in large characters, 
 and another B. Arnold, who appeared to be a chairmaker. 
 I was informed that the traitor Gen. Arnold, has two sons 
 resident in this country, who behave well. 
 
 We halted at Gonsaulis's tavern in Amsterdam, twelve 
 miles from Schenectady, with this motto on the sign, 
 " Where liberty dwells, there is my country." This place 
 is four miles west of the line of division between Mont- 
 gomery and Schenectady counties. 
 
 We saw here a three-horse team from Albany, loaded 
 with a species of sandstone for a glass-house in Utica. 
 The intelligent driver could not tell us from where it 
 came, nor what it was, nor to what use applied. It is a 
 peculiar kind of sandstone, infusible, obtained in Bolton, 
 Connecticut, and used for the hearths of glass-houses. 
 No other but infusible ones will answer for this purpose. 
 When at Oswego, we saw some stones of a similar de- 
 scription, which it was supposed would resist fire, and 
 were also intended for a glass-house in Oneida county. 
 When on this subject, it may not be irrelevant to add, that 
 
202 DB WITT CLINTON. 
 
 a species of asbestos has been found in the highlands in 
 Dutchess county. 
 
 There went up the river when we were at this place, a 
 boat from Schenectady laden with bales of cotton. The 
 river now is not mujch higher than when we ascended. 
 Van Slyck and one other of our ci-devant boatmen were 
 on board. 
 
 We stopped at Vedder's tavern, seven miles from Sche- 
 nectady. This place was considered a frontier during the 
 war. The Indians burnt and killed in its vicinitv. 
 
 We arrived at Powell's tavern in Schenectady, about 
 five P. M., where we dined and lodged. The low-lands 
 within three miles of the city, are extensive and fertile. 
 There is a very grand bridge over the Mohawk, a quarter 
 of a-mile in length. The former was blown down. 
 
 August 20th. Alha7iy. We arrived at one o'clock ; 
 put up at Judge Spencer's. The rest of the company 
 went to Gregory's. The turnpike from this place to 
 Schenectady is excellent. It cost <S8,000 a-mile. 
 
 The Supreme Court is in session. Had the pleasure of 
 seeing, this day and the next, several friends. Judge Yates, 
 Taylor, Weston, G. A. Worth, R. Skinner, S. Hawkins, 
 Dr. Dewitt, Southwick, F. Bloodgood, M. V. Van Beu- 
 ren, and Dr. Cooper. 
 
 August 21 5^. The day was rainy. I dined at Mr. 
 Jenkin's. 
 
 August 22d. Left Albany at half after eight, in the 
 North River Steamboat, and arrived at New York on the 
 23d, at half after twelve. 
 
 There are already six boats of this description in North 
 America ; two from New York to Albany ; one from New 
 York to Brunswick ; one from Philadelphia to Burlington ; 
 
PRIVATE JOURNAL. 203 
 
 one from Whitehall to St. Johns, by Lake Champlain ; one 
 from Quebec to Montreal. 
 
 In this route, I have become acquainted with the most 
 interesting part of the State. There are four more which 
 I would wish to take, and which would render my know- 
 ledge of it complete : 
 
 1. From Albany to Black River, and thence down the 
 St. Lawrence, returning through the northern counties by 
 Lake Champlain. 
 
 2. By the Great Western Turnpike to Buffalo, and on 
 the south shore of Lake Erie to Pittsburgh, etc. 
 
 3. By Cattskill turnpike to Oxford, from thence to 
 Owego and down the Susquehannah. 
 
 4. By Delaware and Kingston turnpike in the interior, 
 and returning by the Newburgh turnpike. 
 
 Omissions. Vegetable Productions. There are six 
 different kinds of wild plums in the western country, 
 which come to maturity at different times. Some are 
 large and others small ; some are very fine. 
 
 The Tamerick-tree is the only species of deciduous pine 
 in this country. It is a very fine ornamental-tree. 
 
 On the Ridge Road, about sixteen or seventeen miles 
 from Lewiston, we saw a black- walnut, which we esti- 
 mated to be six feet in diameter. 
 
 The cuttings of Nasturtium, put in a bottle of water, 
 luxuriate very handsomely. 
 
 Silver-Pine is a fine tree for planting, and so is the white - 
 pine. The former can be procured at Livingston's Nursery, 
 Westchester county. 
 
 It is said that Le Rey de Chaumont, of Jefferson county, 
 has sold 3,000 trees, standing, to the British Government, 
 for five dollars a-piece. 
 
204 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Mineral Productions. Excellent black sand, the prin- 
 cipal ingredient of which is iron, can be procured at the 
 Little Falls, and on the shore of Lake Erie. 
 
 Seneca oil is procured from a spring at Olean, on the Alle- 
 ghany River, by dipping a blanket on the surface, which 
 attracts the oil, and then brushing it into a receiver. 
 
 Col. Porter says that he saw a single specimen of copper 
 from Lake Superior, weighing twenty pounds. The thunder 
 on the bay of that name, on Lake Huron, is supposed to 
 arise from immense beds of iron. 
 
 There is a quarry of gypsum in Camillus. This manure 
 does not answer in argillareous or calcareous soils. It is 
 excellent in sandy soils, in pine-barrens. Two-thirds of 
 the Camillus gypsum is dark gray. 
 
 An inexhaustible quarry of gypsum has been discovered 
 in Sullivan, Madison county, but a few^ feet below the 
 surface. The greater part is of the gray kind ; but there 
 are some veins of the transparent. 
 
 There is a sulphur-spring in Genesee county. 
 
 The celebrated oil-stones are found on Buffalo creek. 
 
€^t IroquDiB, 
 
 ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE NEW YOEK HIS- 
 TORICAL SOCIETY, DEC. 6, 1811. 
 
 Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Historical Society: 
 
 There is a strong propensity in the human mind to trace 
 up our ancestry to as high and as remote a source as pos- 
 sible ; and if our pride and our ambition cannot be grati- 
 fied by a real statement of facts, fable is substituted for 
 truth, and the imagination is taxed to supply the deficiency. 
 This principle of our nature, although liable to great per- 
 version, and frequently the source of well-founded ridi- 
 cule, may, if rightly directed, become the parent of great 
 actions. The origin and progress of individuals, of fami- 
 lies, and of nations, constitute Biography and History — two 
 of the most interesting departments of human knowledge. 
 Allied to this principle, springing from the same causes, 
 and producing the same benign effects, is that curiosity 
 we feel in tracing the history of the nations which have 
 occupied the same territory before us, although not con- 
 nected with us in any other respect. " To abstract the 
 mind from all local emotion," says an eminent moralist, 
 " would be impossible if it were endeavored, and it would 
 be foolish if it were possible."* The places where great 
 * Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides. 
 
206 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 events have been performed, where great virtues have 
 been exhibited, where great crimes have been perpetrated, 
 will always excite kindred emotions of admiration or 
 horror. And if ." that man is little to be envied whose 
 patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Mara- 
 thon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the 
 ruins of lona," we may, with equal confidence assert, that 
 morbid must be his sensibility, and small must be his ca- 
 pacity for improvement, who does not advance in wisdom 
 and in virtue from contemplating the state and the his- 
 tory of the people who occupied this country before the 
 man of Europe. 
 
 As it is, therefore, not uninteresting, and is entirely 
 suitable to this occasion, I shall present a general geo- 
 graphical, political, and historical view of the red men 
 who inhabited this State before us ; and this I do the more 
 willingly, from a conviction that no part of America con- 
 tained a people which will furnish more interesting infor- 
 mation and more useful instruction ; which will display 
 the energies of the human character in a more conspicuous 
 manner, whether in light or in shade, in the exhibition of 
 great virtues and talents, or of great vices and effects. 
 
 In 1774 the government of Connecticut, in an official 
 statement to the British Secretary of State, represented 
 the original title to the lands of Connecticut as in the 
 Pequot Nations of Indians, who were numerous and war- 
 like ; that their great sachem Sasacus had under him 
 twenty-six sachems, and that their territory extended from 
 Narraganset to Hudson's River, and ever all Long Island.* 
 The Long Island Indians, who are represented as very 
 savage and ferocious, were called Meilowacks, or Meito- 
 * Collections of Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 7, p. 231. 
 
THE iRoauois. 207 
 
 wacks, and the Island itself Meitowacks.* The Mohic- 
 cons, Mahatons, or Manhattans, occupied this Island and 
 Staten Island. f The Mohegans, whose original name was 
 Muhhekanew, were settled on that part of the State east 
 of Hudson's River and below Albany, and those Indians 
 on the west bank from its mouth to the Kaats' Kill moun- 
 tains, were sometimes denominated Wabinga, and some- 
 times Sankikani, and they and the Mohegans:|: went by 
 the general appellation of River Indians ; or, according to 
 the Dutch, Mohickanders. Whether the Mohegans were 
 a distinct nation from the Pequots§ has been recently 
 doubted ; although they were formerly so considered. One 
 of the early historians asserts that the Narragansets, a 
 powerful nation in New England, held dominion over part 
 of Long Island. II The generic name adopted by the 
 French for all the Indians of New England, was Abena- 
 quis ; and the country from the head of Chesapeake Bay 
 to the Kittatinney mountains, as far eastward as the 
 Abenaquis, and as far northward and westward as the Iro- 
 
 * Smith's History of New York, p. 262. ' 
 
 f Staten Island was purchased from the Indians by Col. Lovelace, 
 second governor under the Duke of York, between the years 1667 
 and 1673. {Chalmers's Political Annals of the Colonies, p. 509.) He 
 refers to different manuscripts in the Plantation Office, called New 
 York Entries, New York Papers, which appear to be voluminous. If 
 we could ascertain from those papers the nation that sold Staten 
 Island, it might produce some interesting inferences. 
 
 X Jefferson's Virginia, p. 310. Collections of New York Histori- 
 cal Society, vol. 1, p. 33, 34. Barton's Views of the Origin of the 
 Indians, p. 31. Trumbull's History of the United States, p. 42. ^ 
 
 § TrumbulPs History of Connecticut, p. 28. 
 
 II Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 1, p. 144, &c. Daniel 
 Gookins. 
 
208 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 quis, was occupied by a nation denominated by themselves 
 the Lenni-lenopi ; by the French, Loups ; and the EngUsh. 
 Delawares.* Mr. Charles Thompson, formerly Secretary 
 of Congress, supposed that this nation extended east of 
 Hudson's to the Connecticut River, and over Long Island, 
 this Island, and Staten Island ; and Mr. Smith, in his His- 
 tory of New York, says, that when the Dutch commenced 
 the settlement of the country, all the Indians on Long 
 Island and the northern shore of the Sound, and on 
 the banks of the Connecticut and Hudson Rivers, were 
 in subjection to and paid an annual tribute to the Five 
 Nations.f Mr. Smith's statement, therefore, does not ac- 
 cord with the fact of the tribute paid to the United Colo- 
 nies of New England, nor with the alleged dominion of 
 the Pequots and Narragansets over Long Island. New 
 York was settled before Connecticut, and the supremacy 
 of the Iroquois was never disturbed ; and it probably pre- 
 vailed at one time over Long Island, over the territory as 
 far east as Connecticut River, and over the Indians on 
 the west banks of the Hudson, The confusion on this 
 subject has probably^ arisen from the same language being 
 used by the Delawares and Abenaquis ;. but, indeed, it is 
 not very important to ascertain to which of these nations 
 the red inhabitants of that portion of the State may be 
 referred. They, in process of time, became subject to the 
 
 * Barton's Views, p. 25. Jefferson's Notes, p. 310, &c. 
 
 f It is certain that the Montacket Sachem, so called in former times, 
 on the east end of Long Island, paid tribute in wampum to the Con- 
 federated Colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and 
 New Haven, for at least ten years previous to 1656. Hazard's Col- 
 lections of State Papers, vol. 2, p. 361. 
 
THE iRoauois. 209 
 
 Iroquois, and paid a tribute in wampum and shells * Their 
 general character and conduct to the first Europeans they 
 probably had ever seen, have been described in Hudson's 
 voyage up the North River.f And it is not a little remarka- 
 ble that the natives below the Highlands were offensive 
 and predatory, while those above rendered him every as- 
 sistance and hospitality in their power: Of all these 
 tribes, about nine or ten families remain on Long Island • 
 their principal settlement is on a track of one thousand 
 acres on Montauk Point. 
 
 The Stockbridge Indians migrated from Hudson's River 
 in 1734, to Stockbridge, in Massachusetts, from whence 
 they removed about the year 1785, to lands assigned to 
 them by the Oneidas in their territory. J The Brother- 
 town Indians formerly resided in Narraganset, in Rhode 
 Island, and in Farmington, Stonington, Mohegan, and 
 some other towns in Connecticut, and are a remnant 
 of the Muhhekanew Indians, formerly called the Seven 
 Tribes on the Sea Coast. They also inhabit lands pre- 
 sented to them by the Oneidas. These Indians and the 
 Stockbridge Indians, augmented in a small degree by mi- 
 grations from the Long Island Indians, have formed two 
 settlements, which by an accurate census taken in 1794, 
 contained four hundred and fifty souls. But the greater 
 part of the Indians below Albany retreated at an early 
 period from the approach of civilized man, and became 
 merged in the nations of the north and the west. As far 
 
 * Smith's History of New York. Colden's History of the Five 
 
 Nations. 
 
 t Purchas' Pilgrim, vol. 3, p. 58. New York Historical Collec- 
 tions, vol. 1, p. 102. 
 
 X Massachusetts Historical Society, Vol. 4, p. 67. &c. 
 14 
 
210 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 back as 1687, just after the destruction of the Mohawk 
 Castles by the French, Governor Dongan advised* the 
 Five Nations to open a path for all the North Indians and 
 Mohickanders, that were among the Ottawas and other 
 nations, and to use every endeavor to bring them home. 
 
 The remaining and much greater part of the State was 
 occupied by the Romans of this western world, f who 
 composed a federal Republic, and were denominated by 
 the English, the Five Nations, the Six Nations, the Con- 
 federates ; by the French, the Iroquois ; by the Dutch, 
 the Maquas, or Mahakuase ; by the southern Indians, the 
 Massawomacs ; by themselves, the Mingos, or Mingoians, 
 and sometimes the Aganuschion, or United people, and 
 their confederacy they styled the Kenunctioni.J 
 
 The dwelling lands of this confederacy were admirably 
 adapted for convenience, for subsistence, and for conquest. 
 They comprise the greatest body of the most fertile 
 lands in North America ; and they are the most elevated 
 grounds in the United States — from whence the waters 
 run in every direction. The Ohio, the Delaware, the 
 Susquehanna, the Hudson, and the St. Lawrence, almost 
 all the gi'eat rivers, beside a very considerable number of 
 i^condary ones, originate here, and are discharged into the 
 Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River, into the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence by the St. Lawrence River, or into the At- 
 lantic Ocean by various channels. Five great inland seas 
 
 * Colden's History of the Five Nations, vol. 1, p. 85, &c. 
 
 t Volney's View of the United States, p. 470-476. Colden"s Five 
 Nations, vol. 1, p. 4, 5. 
 
 X Massachusetts Historical Collections, vol. 1, p. 144, &c., Daniel 
 Gookins. Pownall on the Colonies, vol. 1, p. 235. Smith's History 
 of New Jersey, p, 136. Morse's Gazetteer, title Six Nations. Jef- 
 ferson's Virginia, p. 140. Smith's History of New York, p. 45. 
 
THE IROQUOIS. 211 
 
 reach upward of 2,000 miles through a considerable part 
 of this territory, and afford an almost uninterrupted navi- 
 gation to that extent. By these lakes and rivers, the con- 
 federates were enabled, at all times, and in all directions, 
 to carry war and destruction among the surrounding and 
 the most distant nations. And their country also abounds 
 with other lakes, some of great size ; Lake Champlain, 
 formerly called the Sea of the Iroquois, Lake George, the 
 Saratoga, the Oneida, the Canadesaga or Seneca, the 
 Cayuga, the Otsego, the Skeneatelas, the Canandaigua, the 
 Cross, the Onondaga, the Otisco, the Owasco, the Crooked, 
 the Canesus, the Hemlock, the Honeyeo, the Chatauque. 
 the Caniaderaga, and the Canasaraga — composing in num- 
 ber and extent, with the five great lakes, the greatest mass 
 of fresh water to be found in the world. In addition to 
 the fertility of the soil, we may mention the mildness of 
 the climate to the west of the Onondaga Hills, the salu- 
 brity and the magnificent scenery of the country. The 
 numerous waters were stored with the salmon, the trout, 
 the masquinonges, the white fish, the shad, the rock fish, 
 the sturgeon, the perch, and other fish of various kinds ; 
 and the forests abounded with an incredible number and 
 variety of game. The situation of the inhabitants was 
 rendered very eligible from these sources of subsistence, 
 connected with a very productive soil ; for they had pass- 
 ed over the pastoral state, and followed agriculture as well 
 fishing and hunting. The selection of this country for a 
 habitation was the wisest expedient that could have been 
 adopted by a military nation to satiate their thirst for 
 glory, and to extend their conquests over the continent ; 
 and if they preferred the arts of peace, there was none 
 better calculated for this important purpose. In a few 
 
212 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 days their forces could be seen, their power could be felt, 
 at the mouth of the Ohio or the Missouri, on the waters 
 of the Hudson or the St. Lawrence, or in the bays of 
 Delaware or Chesapeake. 
 
 It is not a little difficult to define the territorial limits of 
 this extraordinary people,* for on this subject there are 
 the most repugnant representations by the French and 
 English writers ; arising from interest, friendship, preju- 
 dice, and enmity. While the French, on the one hand, 
 were involved in continual hostility with them, the Eng- 
 lish, on the other hand, were connected by alliance and by 
 commerce. By the 15th article of the treaty of Utrecht, 
 concluded in 1713, it was stipulated "that the subjects of 
 France inhabiting Canada, and others, shall hereafter give 
 no hindrance or molestation to the Five Nations, or can- 
 tons, subject to the dominion of Great Britain. "f As be- 
 tween France and England the confederates were, there- 
 fore, to be considered as the subjects of the 'latter, and of 
 course the British dominion was co-exten^ive with the 
 rightful territory of the five cantons, it then became the 
 policy of France to diminish, and that of England to en- 
 large this territory. But, notwithstanding the confusion 
 which has grown out of these clashing interests and con- 
 tradictory representations, it is not perhaps very far from 
 the truth to pronounce, that the Five Nations were enti- 
 tled by patrimony or conquest to all the territory in the 
 
 * Rogers' Concise Account of North America, p. 6. Golden, vol. 
 1, p. 87. Pownall on the Colonies, vol. 1, p. 235, &c. Smith's New 
 York, p. 58, 179, &c. Douglass', Summary, p. 11, &c. Pownall's 
 Geographical Description, &c. Charlevoix Histoire Generale de ta 
 Nouvelle France, &c. 
 
 t Chalmers' Collection of Treaties, vol. 1, p. 382. 
 
THE iRoauois. 213 
 
 United States and in Canada, not occupied by the Creeks, 
 the Cherokees, and the other southern Indians, by the 
 Sioux, the Kinisteneaux, and the Chippewas, and by the 
 English and French as far west as the Mississippi and 
 Lake Winnipeg, as far north-west as the waters which 
 unite this lake and Hudson's Bay, and as far north as Hud- 
 son's Bay and Labrador. The Five Nations claim, says 
 Smith, " all the lands not sold to the English from the 
 mouth of Sorel River, on the south side of Lakes Erie and 
 Ontario, on both sides of the Ohio, till it falls into the Mis- 
 sissippi ; and on the north side of these lakes, that whole 
 territory between the Outawas River and Lake Huron, 
 and even beyond the straits between that and Lake 
 Erie." The principal point of dispute between the Eng- 
 lish and French was, whether the dominion of the con- 
 federates extended north of the Great Lake : but I think it 
 is evident that it did. It is admitted by several French 
 writers, that the Iroquois had several villages on the north 
 side of Lake Ontario ; and they are even laid down in the 
 maps attached to Charlevoix, and it cannot be denied but 
 that they subdued the Hurons and Algonkins, who lived 
 on that side of the Great Lakes, and consequently were 
 entitled to their country by the right of conquest. Dou- 
 glass estimated their territory at about twelve hundred 
 miles in length, from north to south, and from seven to 
 eight hundred miles in breadth. This was either heredi- 
 tary or conquered. Their patrimonial, and part of their 
 conquered country, were used for the purpose of habitation 
 and hunting. Their hunting-grounds wer ; very extensive, 
 including a large triangle on the southeast side of the St. 
 Lawrence River, the country lying on the south and east 
 sides of Lake Erie, the country between the Lakes Erie 
 
214 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and Michigan, and the country lying on the north of Lake 
 Erie, and northwest of Lake Ontario, and between the 
 Lakes Ontario and Huron. All the remaining part of 
 their territory was inhabited by the Abenaquis, Algonkins, 
 Shawanese, Delawares, Illinois, Miamies, and other vassal 
 nations. 1 
 
 The acquisition of supremacy over a country of such 
 amazing extent and fertility, inhabited by warlike and nu- 
 merous nations, must have been the result of unity of de- 
 sign and system of action proceeding from a wise and 
 energetic policy, continued for a long course of time. To 
 their social combinations, military talents, and exterior ar- 
 rangements, we must look for this system, if such a system 
 is to be found. 
 
 The Confederates had proceeded far beyond the first 
 element of all associations — that of combination mto fami- 
 lies : they had their villages, their tribes, their nations, and 
 their confederacy ; but they had not advanced beyond the 
 first stage of government. They were destitute of an ex- 
 ecutive and judiciary to execute the determinations of 
 their councils ; and their government was therefore merely 
 advisor}', and without a coercive principle. The respect 
 which was paid to their chiefs, and the general odium that 
 attached to disobedience, rendered the decisions of their 
 legislatures, for a long series of time, of as much validity as 
 if they had been enforced by an executive arm. 
 
 They were originally divided into Five Nations — the Mo- 
 hawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the 
 Senecas. In 1712, the Tuscaroras, who lived in the back 
 parts of North Carolina, and who had formed a deep and 
 general conspiracy to exterminate the whites, were driven 
 from their country, were adopted by the Iroquois as a Sixth 
 
THE iRoauois. 215 
 
 Nation, and lived on lands between the Oneidas and Onon- 
 dagas, assigned to them by the former.* 
 
 The Mohawks had four towns and one small village, 
 situated on or near the fertile banks of the river of that 
 name. The position of the first was at the confluence of 
 the Schoharie Creek and Mohawk River, and the others 
 were farther to the west. This nation, from their propin- 
 quity to the settlements of the whites, from their martial 
 renown and military spirit, have, like Holland, frequentlv 
 given their name to the whole confederacy, which is often 
 denominated the Mohawks in the annals of those davs ; 
 and it may be found employed in the pages of a celebrated 
 periodical writer of Great Britian, for the purpose of the 
 most exquisite humor.f This nation was always held in 
 the greatest veneration by its associates. At the important 
 treaty of 1768, at Fort Stanwix, by Sir William Johnson, 
 they were declared by the other nations "the true old 
 heads of the confederacy. "J The Oneidas had their 
 principal seat on the south of the Oneida Lake, the Onon- 
 dagas near the Onondaga, and the Cayugas near the Cayu- 
 ga Lake. The principal village of the Senecas was near 
 the Genesee River, about twenty miles from Irondequoit 
 Bay. Each nation was divided into three tribes — the 
 Tortoise, the Bear, and the Wolf; and each village was, 
 like the cities of the United Netherlands — a distinct re- 
 public ; and its concerns were managed by its particular 
 chiefs. § Their exterior relations, general interests, and 
 
 * Smith's New York, p. 46. Douglass' Summary, p. 243. 
 
 t Spectator. 
 
 X The proceedings of this treaty were never published. 1 have seen 
 them in manuscript, in the possession of the late Vice President 
 Clinton. 
 
 ^ See Charlevoix, Golden, &c. 
 
216 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 national affairs, were conducted and superintended by a 
 great council, assembled annually in Onondaga, the central 
 canton, composed of the chiefs of each republic ; and 
 eighty sachems were frequently convened at this national 
 assembly. It took cognizance of the great questions of 
 war and peace ; of the affairs of the tributary nations, and 
 of their negotiations with the French and English colonies. 
 All their proceedings were conducted with great delibera- 
 tion, and were distinguished for order, decorum, and 
 solemnity. In eloquence, in dignity, and in all the charac- 
 teristics of profound policy, they surpassed an assembly of 
 feudal barons, and were perhaps not far inferior to the 
 great Amphyctionic Council of Greece. Dr. Robertson, 
 who has evinced, in almost every instance, a stiong pro- 
 pensity to degrade America below its just rank in the scale 
 of creation, was compelled to qualify the generality of his 
 censures in relation to its political institutions, by saying, 
 " If we except the celebrated league which united the Five 
 Nations in Canada into a Federal Republic, we can discern 
 few such traces of political wisdom among the rude Ameri- 
 can tribes as discover any great degree of foresight or ex- 
 tent of intellectual abilities."* 
 
 A distinguished feature in the character of the confed- 
 erates, was an exalted spirit of liberty, which revolted 
 with equal indignation at domestic or foreign control. 
 •" We are born free, (said Garangula, in his admirable 
 ■speech to the governor general of Canada,) we neither de- 
 pend on Ononthio, or Corlear ;"t on France, or on England. 
 Baron Lahontan, who openly avowed his utter detestation 
 
 * Robertson's America, vol. 1.. p. 435. 
 
 t See this speech in Appendix, No. 1 ; taken from Smith's History 
 of New York. 
 
THE iRoauois. 217 
 
 and abhorrence of them, is candid enough to acknowledge, 
 that " they laugh at the menaces of kings and governors, 
 for they have no idea of dependence ; nay, the very word 
 is to them insupportable. They look upon themselves as 
 sovereigns, accountable to none but God alone, whom they 
 call the Great Spirit." They admitted of no hereditary 
 distinctions. The office of sachem was the reward of 
 personal merit ; of great wisdom, or commanding elo- 
 quenc ; of distinguished services in the cabinet or in the 
 field. It was conferred by silent and general consent, as 
 the spontaneous tribute due to eminent worth ; and it 
 could only be maintained by the steady and faithful culti- 
 vation of the virtues and accomplishments which pro- 
 cured it. No personal slavery was permitted :* their 
 captives were either killed or adopted as a portion of the 
 nation. The children of the chiefs were encouraged to 
 emulate the virtues of their sires, and were frequently ele- 
 vated to the dignities occupied by their progenitors. From 
 this source has arisen an important error with respect to 
 the establishment of privileged orders among the Confed- 
 rates. 
 
 There is a striking similitude between the Romans and 
 the Confederates, not only in their martial spirit and rage 
 for conquest, but in their treatment of the conquered. 
 Like the Romans, they not only adopted individuals, but 
 incorporated the remnant of their vanquished enemies 
 into their nation, by which they continually recruited 
 their population, exhausted by endless and wasting wars, 
 and were enabled to continue their career of victory and 
 desolation : if their unhappy victims hesitated or lefused, 
 they were compelled to accept of the honors of adoption. 
 
 * Golden, vol. 1., p. 11 
 
218 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 The Hurons of the Island of Orleans, in 1656, knowing 
 no other way to save themselves from destruction, solicited 
 admission into the canton of the Mohawks, and were ac- 
 cepted ; but at the instance of the French, they declined 
 their own proposal. On this occasion the Mohawks con- 
 tinued their ravages, and compelled acquiescence ; they 
 sent thirty of their warriors to Quebec, who took them 
 away, w^ith the consent of the governor general ; he, in 
 fact, not daring to refuse, after having addressed him in 
 the following terms of proud defiance ; which cannot 
 but bring to our recollection similar instances of Roman 
 spirit, when Rome was free.* " Lift up thy arm, Onon- 
 thio, and allow thy children, whom thou boldest pressed 
 to thy bosom, to depart ; for if they are guilty of any im- 
 prudence, have reason to dread, lest in coming to chastise 
 them, my blows fall on thy head." Like the Romans, 
 also, they treated their vassal nations with extreme rigor. 
 If there were any delay in the render of ihe annual tri- 
 bute, military execution followed, and the wretched delin- 
 quents frequently took refuge in the houses of the English 
 to escape from destruction. On all public occasions they 
 took care to demonstrate their superiority and dominion, 
 and at all times they called their vassals to an awful ac- 
 count, if guilty of violating the injunctions of the great 
 council. At a treaty held on the forks of the Delaware, 
 in 1758, by the governors of Pennsylvania and New Jer- 
 sey, with the Six Nations, several claims of the Munseys, 
 Wapings, and other Delaware Indians, for lands in the 
 latter province, were adjusted and satisfied under the cog- 
 nizance of the Confederates, who ordered them to deliver 
 
 * Heriot's History of Canada, p. 79. {This work is a compilation 
 principally from CJiarlevoix.) 
 
THE iRoauois. 219 
 
 up their prisoners, and to be at peace with the English, 
 and who assumed a dictatorial tone, and appeared to ex- 
 ercise absolute authority over the other Indians.* At a 
 former conference on this subject, a Munsey, or Minisink 
 Indian had spoken sitting, not being allowed to stand, 
 until a Cayuga Chief had spoken ; when the latter thus 
 expressed himself: " I, who am the Mingoian, am by this 
 belt to inform you that the Munseys are women, and can- 
 not hold treaties for themselves ; therefore I am sent to 
 inform you, that the invitation you gave the Munseys is 
 agreeable to us, the Six Nations." 
 
 At a treaty held at Lancaster in 1742, by the govern- 
 ment of Pennsylvania with the Iroquois, the governor 
 complained of the Delawares, who refused to remove 
 from some lands which they had sold on the River Dela- 
 ware, f On this occasion a great chief called Cannassa- 
 teegoo, after severely reprimanding them, and ordering 
 them to depart from the land immediately to Wyoming or 
 Shamokin, concluded in the following manner : " After 
 our just reproof and absolute order to depart from the 
 land, you are now to take notice of what we have further 
 to say to you. This string of wampum serves to forbid 
 you, your children, and grand-children, to the latest pos- 
 terity, from ever meddling in land affairs ; neither you, 
 nor any who shall descend from you, are ever hereafter to 
 sell any land. For this purpose you are to preserve this 
 string, in memory of what your uncles have this day 
 given you in charge. We have some other business to 
 transact with our brethren, and therefore depart the 
 council, and consider what has been said to you." The 
 
 * Smith's New Jersey, 466, &c. 
 t Golden, vol. 1. p. 31. 
 
220 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Confederates had captured a great part of the Shaw- 
 anese Nation who lived on the Wabash, but afterward, 
 by the mediation of Mr. Penn, at the first settlement of 
 Pennsylvania, gave them liberty to settle in the western 
 parts of that province ; but obliged them, as a badge of 
 their cowardice, to wear female attire for a long time : 
 and some nations as low down as 1769, were not per- 
 mitted to appear ornamented with paint * at any general 
 meeting or congress where the Confederates attended, 
 that being an express article in their capitulations, t This 
 humiliation of the tributary nations was, how^ever, tem- 
 pered with a paternal regard for their interests in all ne- 
 gotiations with the whites ; and care was taken that no 
 trespasses should be committed on their rights, and that 
 they should be justly dealt with in all their concerns. 
 
 War was the favorite pursuit of this martial people, 
 and military glory their ruling passion. Agriculture, 
 and the laborious drudgery of domestic life were left to 
 the women. The education of the savage was solely 
 directed to hunting and war. From his early infancy he 
 was taught to bend the bow, to point the arrow, to hurl 
 the tomahawk, and to wield the club. He was instructed 
 to pursue the footsteps of his enemies through the pathless 
 and unexplored forest ; to mark the most distant indica- 
 tions of danger ; to trace his way by the appearances of 
 the trees and by the stars of heaven, and to endure fatigue, 
 and cold, and famine, and every privation. He com- 
 menced his career of blood by hunting the wild beasts of 
 
 * Roger's Concise Account, &c. p. 209, &c. 
 
 t This is the Shawanese nation of Indians, who, under r. ; auspices 
 of their prophet, have lately had an engagement with the . ;ny under 
 the command of governor Harrison. 
 
THE iRoauois. 221 
 
 the woods, and after learning the dexterous use of the 
 weapons of destruction, he lifted his sanguinary arn» 
 against his fellow-creatures. The profession of a warrior 
 was considered the most illustrious pursuit ; their youth 
 looked forward to the time when they could march against 
 an enemy, with all the avidity of an epicure for the sump- 
 tuous dainties of a Heliogabalus. And this martial ardor 
 was continually thwarting the pacific counsels of the 
 elders, and enthralling them in perpetual and devas- 
 tating wars. With savages in general, this ferocious 
 propensity was impelled by a blind fury, and was but 
 little regulated by the dictates of skill and judgment ; on 
 the contrary, with the Iroquois, war was an art. All their 
 military movements were governed by system and policy. 
 They never attacked a hostile country until they had sent 
 out spies to explore and to designate its vulnerable points, 
 and whenever they encamped, they observed the greatest 
 circumspection to guard against surrprize ; whereas the 
 other savages only sent out scouts to reconnoitre ; but 
 they never went far from the camp, and if they returned 
 without perceiving any signs of an enemy, the whole band 
 went quietly to sleep, and were often the victims of their 
 rash confidence.* 
 
 Whatever superiority of force the Iroquois might have, 
 they never neglected the use of stratagems : they employed 
 all the crafty wiles of the Carthagenians. The cunning of 
 the fox, the ferocity of the tiger, and the power of the lion 
 were united in their conduct. They preferred to vanquish 
 their enemy by taking him off his guard ; by involving him 
 in an ambuscade ; by falling upon him in the hour of sleep ; 
 but when emergencies rendered it necessary for them to 
 
 * Golden, vol. 1. p. 110. Heriot, p. 15. 
 
222 UE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 face him in the open field of battle, they exhibited a cour- 
 age and contempt of death which have never been sur- 
 passed. 
 
 Although we have no reason to believe that they were, 
 generally speaking, Anthropophagi, yet we have no doubt 
 but that they sometimes eat the bodies of their enemies 
 killed in battle, more indeed for the purpose of exciting 
 their ferocious fury than for gratifying their appetite. Like 
 all other savage nations, they delighted in cruelty. To 
 inflict the most exquisite torture upon their captive, to 
 produce his death by the most severe and protracted suf- 
 ferings, was sanctioned by general and immemorial usage. 
 Herodotus informs us, that the Scythians (who were, in 
 all probability, the ancestors of the greater part of our red 
 men), drank the blood of their enemies, and suspended 
 their scalps from the bridle of their horses, for a napkin 
 and a trophy ; that they used their sculls for drinking ves- 
 sels, and their skins as a covering to their horses.* In the 
 war between the Carthagenians and their mercenaries, 
 Gisco, a Carthagenian General, and seven hundred pri- 
 soners, according to Polybius, were scalped alive ; and in 
 return, Spendius, a General of the mercenaries, was cru- 
 cified, and the prisoners taken in the war thrown alive to 
 the elephants.f From these celebrated nations we may 
 derive the practice of scalping, so abhorrent to humanity ; 
 and it is not improbable, considering the maritime skill 
 and distant voyages of the Phoenicians and Carthagenians, 
 that America derives part of its population from that 
 source by water, as it undoubtedly has from the northeast 
 
 * Beloe's Herodotus, vol. 2. p. 419. 
 t Polybius, b. 1. chap. 6. 
 
THE iRoauois. 223 
 
 parts of Asia by land, with the exception of a narrow 
 strait. 
 
 But the Five Nations, notwithstanding their horrible 
 cruelty, are in one respect entitled to singular commenda- 
 tion for the exercise of humanity : those enemies they 
 spared in battle they made free ; whereas, with all other 
 barbarous nations, slavery was the commutation of death. 
 But it becomes not us, if we value the characters of our 
 forefathers ; it becomes not the civilized nations of Europe 
 who have had American possessions, to inveigh against 
 the merciless conduct of the savage. His appetite for 
 blood was sharpened and whetted by European instiga- 
 tion, and his cupidity was enlisted on the side of cruelty 
 by every temptation. In the wars between France and 
 England and their colonies, their Indian allies were en- 
 titled to a premium for every scalp of an enemy. In the 
 war preceding 1703, the government of Massachusetts 
 gave twelve pounds for every Indian scalp ; in that year 
 the premium was raised to forty pounds, but in 1722 it 
 was augmented to one hundred pounds.* An act was 
 passed on the 25th February, 1745, by our colonial legis- 
 lature, entitled " An act for giving a reward for such scalps 
 and prisoners as shall be taken by the inhabitants of (or 
 Indians in alliance with) this colony, and to prevent the 
 inhabitants of the city and county of Albany from selling 
 rum ]to the Indians."! In 1746, the scalps of two French- 
 men were presented to one of our colonial governors at 
 Albany, by three of the confederate Indians ; and his ex- 
 cellency, after gratifying them with money and fine 
 
 * Douglass' Summary, p. 199. 586. Holmes' American Annals, 
 vol. 2. p. 116. 
 
 t Journals of Colonial Assembly, vol. 1. p. 95. 
 
224 DE WITT CLIJVTOIV. 
 
 clothes, assured them how well he took this special mark 
 of their fidelity, and that he would always remember this 
 act of friendship.* The employment of savages, and put- 
 ting into their hands the scalping knife during our revolu- 
 tionary war, were openly justified in the House of Lords 
 by Lord Suffolk, the British Secretary of State, who vin- 
 dicated its policy and necessity, and declared " that the 
 measure was also allowable on principle ; for that it was 
 perfectly justifiable to use all the means that God and na- 
 ture had put into their hands.f" The eloquent rebuke of 
 Lord Chatham has perpetuated the sentiment, and con- 
 signed its author to immortal infamy. It were to be wish- 
 ed, for the honor of human nature, that an impenetrable 
 veil could be drawn over these horrid scenes ; but, alas ! 
 they are committed to the imperishable pages of history, 
 and they are already recorded with the conflagrations of 
 Smithfield, the massacres of St. Bartholomew, and the 
 cannibal barbarities of the French revolution. 
 
 The conquests and military achievements of the Iro- 
 quois were commensurate with their martial ardor, their 
 thirst for glory, their great courage, their invincible per- 
 severance, and their political talents. Their military ex- 
 cursions were extended as far north as Hudson's Bay. 
 The Mississippi did not form their western limits ; their 
 power was felt in the most southern and eastern extremi- 
 ties of the United States. Their wars have been supposed, 
 by one writer, to have been carried near to the Isthmus 
 of Darien.J And Cotton Mather, in his Magnalia, which 
 was probably written in 1698, describes them as terrible 
 
 * Golden, vol. 2. p. 120. 
 
 t Belsham. 
 
 t Rogers's America, p. 209. 
 
THE iRoauois. 225 
 
 cannibals to the westward, who have destroyed no less 
 than two millions of other savages.* 
 
 The ostensible causes of war among the Indians were 
 like many of those of civilized nations ; controversies about 
 limits, violations of the rights of embassy, individual or 
 national wrongs : And the real and latent reasons were 
 generally the same ; the enlargement of territory, the ex- 
 tension of dominion, the gratification of cupidity, and the 
 acquisition of glory. According to a late traveler, a war 
 has existed for two centuries between the Sioux and the 
 Chippewas.f For an infraction of the rights of the calu- 
 met, the Confederates carried on a war of thirty years 
 against the Choctaws. J For a violation of the game laws 
 of the hunting nations, in not leaving a certain number of 
 male and female beavers in each pond, they subdued and 
 nearly destroyed the Illinois ;§ and they appeared to have 
 accurate notions of the rights of belligerents over contra- 
 band articles ; for they considered all military implements 
 carried to an enemy as liable to seizure ; but they went 
 farther, and, conceiving this conduct a just ground of war, 
 treated the persons supplying their enemies, as enemies, 
 and devoted them to death. But the commerce in furs 
 and peltries, produced by their intercourse with the Euro- 
 peans, introduced a prolific source of contention among 
 them, and operated like opening the box of Pandora. 
 Those articles were eagerly sought after by the whites, 
 and the red men were equally desirous of possessing iron, 
 arms, useful tools, cloths, and the other accommodations 
 
 • Roger's America, p. 728. 
 
 t Smith's New York, p. 52. 
 
 I Pike's Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi, &c.. p. 64. 
 
 § See Garangula's Speech, in Appendix, No. 1. 
 
236 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 of civilized life. Before the arrival of the Europeans, furs 
 were only esteemed for their use as clothing ; but when 
 the demand increased, and an exchange of valuable arti- 
 cles took place, it became extremely important to occupy 
 the most productive hunting grounds, and to monopolize 
 the best and the most furs. And it was sometimes the 
 policy of the French to divert the attacks of the Iroquois 
 from the nations with whom they traded, by instigating 
 them to hostilities against the Southern Indians friendly 
 to the English colonies ; and at other times they excited 
 wars between their northern allies and the Iroquois, in 
 order to prevent the former from trading with the Eng- 
 lish, which they preferred, because they could get their 
 goods cheaper. On the other hand, the English entangled 
 the Confederates in all their hostilities with the French and 
 their Indian allies. The commerce in furs and peltries 
 was deemed so valuable that no exertion or expense 
 was spared in order to affect a monopoly. The goods 
 of the English were so eagerly sought after by the 
 Indians, and so much preferred to those of the French, 
 that the latter were compelled to procure them from the 
 colony of New York ; from which they were conveyed to 
 Montreal, and distributed among the savages. It was 
 then evident, that the English had it in their power, not 
 only to undersell the French, but by a total interdiction of 
 those supplies, to expel them from the trade. The en- 
 lightened poUcy of Gov. Burnet dictated the most ener- 
 getic steps, and a colonial law was passed for the purpose.* 
 He also established trading houses, and erected a fort at 
 Oswego, at the entrance of Onondaga river into Lake 
 
 * Colden's Five Nations, vol. 1., p. 95. Smith's New York, p. 224, 
 &c. Herriot's Canada, p. 174 
 
THE IROQUOIS. 227 
 
 Ontario. This position was judiciously selected, not only 
 on account of its water communication with a great part 
 of the IroquoJs territory, but for the facility with which 
 articles could be transported to and from Schenectady ; 
 there being but three portages in the whole route, two of 
 which were very short. It had another decided advan- 
 tage. The Indian navigation of the lakes being in canoes, 
 is necessarily along the coast. The southern side of Lake 
 Ontario affording a much more secure route than the 
 northern, all the Indians who came from the great lakes, 
 would, on their way to Canada, have to pass close by the 
 English establishment, where they could be supplied at a 
 cheaper rate, and at a less distance. Oswego then became 
 one great emporium of the fur trade ; and its ruins now pro- 
 claim the vestiges of its former prosperity. The French 
 perceived all the consequences of those measures, and 
 they immediately rebuilt the fort at Niagara, in order that 
 they might have a commercial establishment two hundred 
 miles nearer to the western Indians than that at Oswego. 
 Having previously occupied the mouth of the Lake Ontario 
 by Fort Frontenac, the fort at Niagara now gave them a 
 decided advantage in point of position. The act passed 
 bv Gov. Burnet's recommendation was, under the influ- 
 ence of a pernicious policy, repealed by the British king. 
 The Iroquois had adopted a determined resolution to ex- 
 terminate the French. " Above these thirty years," says 
 La Hontan, '■ their ancient counsellors have still remon- 
 strated to the warriors of the Five Nations, that it was 
 expedient to cut off all the savage nations of Canada, in 
 order to ruin the commerce of the French, and after that 
 to dislodge them from the continent. With this view 
 they have carried the war above four or five hundred 
 
228 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 leagues off their country, after the destroying of several 
 different nations."* Charlevoix was impressed with the 
 same opinion : " The Iroquois," says he, " are desirous of 
 exercising a species of domination over the whole of this 
 great continent, and to render themselves the sole masters 
 of its commerce."! Finding the auxiliary efforts of the 
 English rendered abortive, their rage and fury increased, 
 and the terror of their arms was extended accordingly. 
 At a subsequent period, they appeared to entertain differ- 
 ent and more enlightened views on this subject. They 
 duly appreciated the policy of averting the total destruc- 
 tion of either European power ; and several instances 
 could be pointed out, by which it could be demonstrated 
 that the balance of power, formerly the subject of so much 
 speculation among the statesmen of Europe, was thorough- 
 ly understood by the Confederates in their negotiations 
 and intercourse with the French and English colonies. 
 
 To describe the military enterprises of this people, would 
 be to delineate the progress of a tornado or an earth- 
 quake. J 
 
 •'Wide-wasting Death, up to the ribs in blood, with giant stroke 
 widow' d the nations. "§ 
 
 Destruction followed their footsteps, and whole nations 
 subdued, exterminated, rendered tributary, expelled from 
 their country, or mersed in their conquerors, declare the 
 superiority and the terror of their arms. When Cham- 
 
 * Vol. 1. p. 270. 
 
 t Charlevoix's Histoire Generale de la Nouvelle France, vol. 1. b. 
 11. p. 480. 
 
 X For the military exploits of the Iroquois, generally speaking, see 
 De la Potheire, La Hontan, Charlevoix, Colden, Smith, and Herriot. 
 
 § Cumberland's Battle of Hastings. 
 
THE iRoauois. 229 
 
 plain arrived in Canada, in 1603, he found them at war 
 with the Hurons and Algonkins. He took part and head- 
 ed three expeditions against them ; in two of which he 
 was successful, but in the last he was repulsed. This un- 
 just and impolitic interference, laid the foundation of con- 
 tinual wars between the French and the Confederates. 
 The Dutch, on the contrary, entered into an alliance with 
 them on their first settlement of the country, which con- 
 tinued without interruption ; and on the surrender of New 
 York to the English in 1664, Carteret, one of the com- 
 missioners, was sent to subdue the Dutch at Fort Orange, 
 now Albany ; which having effected, he had a conference 
 with the Confederates, and entered into a league of friend- 
 ship; which continued without violation on either part.* 
 
 The conquests of the Iroquois, previous to the discovery 
 of America, are only known to us through the imperfect 
 channels of traditions ; but it is well authenticated, that 
 since that memorable era, they exterminated the nation of 
 the Eries or Erigas, on the south side of Lake Erie, which 
 has given a name to that lake. They nearly extirpated 
 the Andastez and the Chouanons ; they conquered the 
 Hurons, and drove them and their allies, the Ottawas, 
 among the Sioux, on the head waters of the Mississippi, 
 " where they separated themselves into bands, and pro- 
 claimed, wherever they went, the terror of the Iroquois."t 
 They also subdued the Illinois, the Miamies, the Algon- 
 kins, the Delawares, the Shawanese, and several tribes of 
 the Abenaquis. After the Iroquois had defeated the Hu- 
 rons, in a dreadful battle fought near Quebec, the Neper- 
 
 * Golden, vol. 1, p. 34. Smith's New York. p. 3. 31. Douglass's 
 Summary, vol. 2. p. 243. 
 t Herriot, p. 77. 
 
230 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 ceneans, who lived upon the St. Lawrence, fled to Hud- 
 son's Bay to avoid their fury. In 1649, they destroyed 
 two Huron villages, and dispersed the Nation ; and after- 
 ward they destroyed another village of six hundred fami- 
 lies. Two villages presented themselves to the Confede- 
 rates, and lived with them. " The dread of the Iroquois," 
 says the historian, " had such an effect upon all the other 
 nations, that the borders of the river Ontaouis, which 
 were long thickly peopled, became almost deserted, with- 
 out its ever being known what became of the greater part 
 of the inhabitants."* The Illinois fled to the westward, 
 after being attacked by the Confederates, and did not re- 
 turn until a general peace; and were permitted in 1760, 
 by the Confederates, to settle in the country between the 
 Wabash and the Scioto rivers.f The banks of Lake Su- 
 perior were lined with Algonkins, who sought an asylum 
 from the Five Nations ; they also harassed all the northern 
 Indians, as far as Hudson's Bay, and they even attacked 
 the nations on the Missouri. When La Salle was among 
 the Natchez, in 1683, he saw a party of that people, who 
 had been on an expedition against the Iroquois. J Smith, 
 the founder of Virginia, in an expedition up the bay of 
 Chesapeake, in 1608, met a war party of the Confederates, 
 then going to attack their enemies. § They were at peace 
 with the Cowetas or Creeks, but they warred against the 
 Catawbas, the Cherokees, and almost all the southern In- 
 
 * Herriot, p. 70. 
 
 t Pownall's Topographical Description of such Parts of North 
 .\inerica as are described in Evans' Map, 1776, p, 42. 
 
 X Tontis' Account of De la Salle's Last Expedition. Printed in 
 London from the French in 1698, p. 112. 
 
 ? Jefferson's Notes, 310, &c. 
 
THE iRoauois. 231 
 
 dians.* The two former sent deputies to Albany, where 
 they effected a peace through the mediation of the Eng- 
 Hsh. In a word, the Confederates were, with a few ex- 
 ceptions, the conquerors and masters of all the Indian na- 
 tions east of the Mississippi. Such was the terror of the 
 nations, that when a single Mohawk appeared on the hills 
 of New England, the fearful spectacle spread pain and 
 terror, and flight was the only refuge from death. f Char- 
 levoix mentions a singular instance of this terrific ascen- 
 dency : Ten or twelve Ottawas, being pursued by a party 
 of Iroquois, endeavored to pass over to Goat Island, on the 
 Niagara River, in a canoe ; they were swept down the 
 cataract ; and, as it appeared, preferred, to the sword of 
 their enemies,^ 
 
 The vast immeasurable abyss, 
 
 Outrageous as a sea, dark, wasteful, wild, 
 Up from the bottom turn'd.§ 
 
 In consequence of their sovereignty over the other na- 
 tions, the Confederates exercised a proprietary right in 
 their lands. In 1742, they granted to the province of 
 Pennsylvania certain lands on the west side of the Sus- 
 quehannah, having formerly done so on the east side.|| 
 In 1744, they released to Maryland and Virginia certain 
 lands claimed by them in those colonies ; and they de- 
 clared at this treaty, that they had conquered the several 
 nations living on the Susquehannah and Patowmac rivers, 
 
 * Adair's History of the Indians. 
 
 t Golden, vol. 1, p. 3. 
 
 X Charlevoix, vol. 3, let, 15, p. 234. 
 
 I Milton's Paradise Lost, b. 7. 
 
 II Golden, vol. 2, p. 20. 
 
232 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and on the back of the Great Mountains in Virginia.* In 
 1754, a number of the inhabitants of Connecticut pur- 
 chased of them a large tract of land west of the river 
 Delaware, and from thence spreading over the east and 
 west branches of the Susquehannah River.f In 1768, 
 they gave a deed to William Trent and others, for land 
 between the Ohio and Monongahela. They claimed and 
 sold the land on the north side of Kentucky River. J In 
 1768, at a treaty held at Fort Stanwix with Sir William 
 Johnson, the line of property, as it was commonly de- 
 nominated, was settled, marking out the boundary be- 
 tween the English colonies and the territory of the Con- 
 federates. § 
 
 The vicinity of the Confederates was fortunate for the 
 colony of New York. They served as an effectual shield 
 against the hostile incursions of the French, and their 
 savage allies. Their war with the French began with 
 Champlain, and continued, with few intervals, until the 
 treaty of Utrecht, which confirmed the surrender of Ca- 
 nada, Nova Scotia, and Acadia, to Great Britain. For 
 near a century and a half they maintained a war against 
 the French possessions in Louisiana and Canada, some- 
 times alone, and sometimes in conjunction with the Eng- 
 lish colonies. During this eventful period, they often 
 maintained a proud superiority ; always an honorable re- 
 sistance ; and no vicissitude of fortune, or visitation of ca- 
 lamity, could ever compel them to descend from the ele- 
 vated ground which they occupied in their own estima- 
 
 * Massachusetts Historical Collections, vol. 7, p. 171, &c. 
 t Massachusetts Historical Collections, vol. 7, p. 231. 
 X Holmes's Annals, vol. 2, p. 287. Jefferson's Notes, p. 296. 
 5 Jefferson's Notes, p. 296. 
 
THE iRoauois. 233 
 
 tion, and in the opinion of the nations, Their expeditions 
 into Canada were frequent ; wherever they marched ter- 
 ror and desolation composed their train. 
 
 " And Vengeance, striding from his grisly den, 
 With fell impatience grinds his iron teeth ; 
 And Massacre, unchidden, cloys his famine, 
 And quaffs the blood of nations.* 
 
 In 1683, M. Delabarre, the Governor-General of Cana- 
 da, marched with an army against the cantons. He land- 
 ed near Oswego, but finding himself incompetent to meet 
 the enemy, he instituted a negociation, and demanded a 
 conference. On this occasion, Garangula, an Onondaga 
 chief, attended in behalf of his country, and made the cele- 
 brated reply to M. Delabarre which I shall presently no- 
 tice. The French retired from the country with disgrace. 
 The second general expedition was undertaken in 1687, 
 by M. Lenonville, Governor-General. He had treacher- 
 ously seized several of their chiefs, and sent them to the 
 gallies in France. He was at the head of an army ex- 
 ceeding two thousand men. He landed in Irondequoit 
 Bay, and when near a village of the Senecas, was attack- 
 by five hundred, and would have been defeated, if his In- 
 dian allies had not rallied and repulsed the enemy. After 
 destroying some provisions, and burning some villages, he 
 retired without any acquisition of laurels. The place on 
 which this battle was fought has been within a few years 
 owned by Judge Porter, of Grand Niagara. On plough- 
 ing the land, three hundred hatchets, and upward of three 
 thousand pounds of old iron were found, being more than 
 sufficient to defray the expense of clearing it. 
 
 * Glover's Baodicea. 
 
234 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 The Confederates, in a year's time, compelled their ene- 
 mies to make peace, and to restore their chiefs. It was 
 with the French the only escape from destruction. Great 
 bodies of the Confederates threatened Montreal, and their 
 canoes covered the Great Lakes. They shut up the 
 French in forts, and would have conquered the whole of 
 Canada if they had understood the art of attacking forti- 
 fied places. This peace was soon disturbed by the arti- 
 fices of Kondiaronk, a Huron chief; and the Iroquois 
 made an irruption on the Island of Montreal with one 
 thousand two hundred men, destroying everything before 
 them. 
 
 The third and last grand expedition against the Confed- 
 erates, was undertaken in 1697, by the Count De Fron- 
 tenac ; the ablest and bravest governor that the French 
 ever had in Canada. He landed at Oswego, with a power- 
 ful force, and marched to the Onondaga Lake ; he found 
 their principal village burnt and abandoned. He sent seven 
 hundred men to destroy the Oneida castle, who took a few 
 prisoners. An Onondaga chief, upwards of one hundred 
 years old, was captured in the woods, and abandoned to 
 the fury of the French savages. After sustaining the most 
 horrid tortures, with more than stoical fortitude, the only 
 complaint he was heard to utter was when one of them, 
 actuated by compassion, or probably by rage, stabbed him 
 repeatedly with a knife, in order to put a speedy end to 
 his existence, " Thou ought not," said he, " to abridge my 
 life, that thou might have time to learn to die like a man. 
 For my own part, I die contented, because I know no 
 meanness with which to reproach myself." After this 
 tragedy, the Count thought it prudent to retire with his 
 army ; and he probably would have fallen a victim to hi-' 
 
THE iRoauois. 235 
 
 temerity, if the Senecas had not been kept at home, from 
 a false report that they were to be attacked at the same 
 time by the Ottawas. 
 
 After the general peace in 1762, an attempt was made 
 by a number of the western Indians to destroy the British 
 colonies. The Senecas were involved in this war, but in 
 1764, Sir William Johnson, styling himself his Majesty's 
 sole agent and superintendent of Indian affairs for the 
 northern parts of North America, and colonel of the Six 
 United Nations, their allies and dependents, agreed to pre 
 liminary articles of peace with them. In this treaty, the 
 Senecas ceded the carrying place at Niagara to Great 
 Britain. The Confederates remained in a state of peace, 
 until the commencement of the Revolutionary War.* 
 On the 19th of June, 1775, the Oneidas and some other 
 Indians, sent to the convention of Massachusetts a speech, 
 declaring their neutrality ; stating that they could not find 
 nor recollect in the traditions of their ancestors, a paralled 
 case ; and saying, " As we have declared for peace, we 
 desire you would not apply to our Indian brethren in New 
 England for assistance. Let us Indians be all of one 
 mind, and live with one another ; and you white people 
 settle your own disputes betwixt yourselves. f These good 
 dispositions did not long continue with most of the Indian 
 nations ; all within the reach of British blandishments and 
 presents were prevailed upon to take up the hatchet. If 
 is calculated that twelve thousand six hundred and ninety 
 Indian warriors were employed by the British during the 
 Revolutionary War, of which one thousand five hundred 
 
 " Tnomas Mante's History oi the late war in North America &c, 
 printed, London, 1772, p. 503. 
 
 f Williams' History of Vermont, vol. 2., p. 440. 
 
236 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and eighty were Iroquois.* The influence of Sir WiUiam 
 Johnson over the savages was transmitted to his son, who 
 was most successful in alluring them into the views of 
 Great Britain. " A great war feast was made by him on 
 the occasion, in which, according to the horrid phraseology 
 of these barbarians, they were invited to banquet upon a 
 Bostonian, and to drink his blood."t 
 
 General Burgoyne made a speech to the Indians on the 
 21st of June, 1777, urging them to hostilities, and stating 
 " his satisfaction at the general conduct of the Indian 
 tribes, from the beginning of the troubles in America." 
 An old Iroquois chief answered, " We have been tried and 
 tempted by the Bostonians, but we have loved our father, 
 and our hatchets have been sharpened on our affections. 
 In proof of the sincerity of our professions, our whole vil- 
 lages, able to go to war, are come forth ; the old and infirm, 
 our infants and our wives, alone remain at home." J They 
 realized their professions. The whole Confederacy, ex- 
 cept a little more than half of the Oneidas, took up arms 
 against us. They hung like the scythe of death upon the 
 rear of our settlements, and their deeds are inscribed, with 
 the scalping-knife and the tomahawk, in characters of 
 blood, on the fields of Wyoming and Cherry Valley, and 
 on the banks of the Mohawk. 
 
 It became necessary that the Confederates should re- 
 ceive a signal chastisement for their barbarous and cruel 
 incursions ; and accordingly, general Sullivan, with an 
 army of nearly five thousand men, marched into their 
 country in the year 1779. Near Newtown, in the present 
 
 * Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 10, p. 120, &c. 
 
 t Belsham. 
 
 X Williams, as before quoted, vol. 2. 
 
THE iRoauois, 237 
 
 county of Tioga, he defeated them, and drove them from 
 their fortifications ; he continued his march between the 
 Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, and through their territory, as 
 far as the Genesee River, destroying their orchards, corn- 
 fields, and forty villages ; the largest of which contained 
 one hundred and twenty-eight houses. This expedition 
 was nearly the finishing blow to savage cruelty and inso- 
 lence ; their habitations were destroyed ; their provinces 
 laid waste ; they were driven from their country, and 
 were compelled to take refuge under the cannon of Niaga- 
 ra ; and their hostility terminated with the pacification 
 with Great Britain. 
 
 The Confederates were as celebrated for their eloquence, 
 as for their military skill and political wisdom. Popular, 
 or free governments have, in all ages, been the congenial 
 soil of oratory. And it is, indeed, all important in insti- 
 tutions merely advisory ; where persuasion must supply 
 the place of coercion ; where there is no magistrate to ex- 
 ecute, no military to compel ; and where the only sanc- 
 tion of law is the controlling power of public opinion. 
 Eloquence being, therefore, considered so essential, must 
 always be a great standard of personal merit, a certain 
 road to popular favor, and an universal passport to public 
 honors. These combined inducements operated with 
 powerful force on the mind of the Indian ; and there is 
 Httle doubt but that oratory was studied with as much 
 care and application among the Confederates, as it was in 
 the stormy democracies of the eastern hemisphere. I do 
 not pretend to assert that there were, as at Athens and 
 Rome, established schools and professional teachers for the 
 purpose ; but I say that it was an attainment to which 
 they devoted themselves, and to which they bent the whole 
 
238 DE WITT Cf.INTON. 
 
 force of their faculties. Their models of eloquence were 
 to be found, not in books, but in the living orators of their 
 local and national assemblies ; their children, at an early 
 period of life, attended their councils fires, in order to ob- 
 serve the passing scenes, and to receive the lessons of wis- 
 dom. Their rich and vivid imagery was drawn from the 
 sublime scenery of nature, and their ideas were derived 
 from the laborious operations of their own minds, and from 
 the experience and wisdom of their ancient sages. 
 
 The most remarkable difference existed between the 
 Confederates and the other Indian nations with respect to 
 eloquence. You may search in vain in the records and 
 writings of the past, or in events of the present times, for 
 a single model of eloquence among the Algonkins, the 
 Abenaquis, the Delawares, the Shawanese, or any other 
 nation of Indians, except the Iroquois. The few scintilla- 
 tions of intellectual light — the faint glimmerings of genius, 
 which are sometimes to be found in their speeches, are evi- 
 dently derivative, and borrowed from the Confederates. 
 
 Considering the interpreters who have undertaken to 
 give the meaning of Indian speeches, it is not a little sur- 
 prising that some of them should approach so near to per- 
 fection. The major part of the interpreters were illiterate 
 persons, sent among them to conciliate their favor, by 
 making useful or ornamental implements ; or they were 
 prisoners who learnt the Indian language during their 
 captivity. The Reverend Mr. Kirkland, a missionary 
 among the Oneidas, and sometimes a public interpreter, 
 was indeed a man of liberal education ; but those who 
 have seen him officiate at public treaties must recollect 
 how incompetent he was to infuse the fire of Indian ora- 
 tory into his expressions ; how he labored for words, 
 
THE lEoauois. 239 
 
 and how feeble and inelegant his language. Oral is more 
 difficult than written interpretation or translation. In 
 the latter case, there is no pressure of time, and we have 
 ample opportunity to weigh the most suitable words, to 
 select the most elegant expressions, and to fathom the 
 sense of the author ; but in the former case, we are called 
 upon to act immediately ; no time tor deliberation is 
 allowed ; and the first ideas that occur must be pressed 
 into the service of the interpreter. At an ancient treaty, 
 a female captive officiated in that capacity ; and at a 
 treaty held in 1722, at Albany, the speeches of the Indians 
 were first rendered into Dutch, and then translated into 
 English.* I except from these remarks, the speech of the 
 Onondaga chief, Garangula, to M. Delabarre, delivered 
 on the occasion which I have before mentioned. This 
 was interpreted by Monsieur Le Maine, a French Jesuit, 
 and recorded on the spot by Baron La Hontan — men of 
 enhghtened and cultivated minds, from whom it has been 
 borrowed by Golden, Smith, Herriot, Trumbull, and Wil- 
 liams. I believe it to be impossible to find, in all the effu- 
 sions of ancient or modern oratory, a speech more appro- 
 priate and more convincing. Under the veil of respectful 
 profession it conveys the most biting irony ; and while it 
 abounds with rich and splendid imagery, it contains the 
 most solid reasoning. I place it in the same rank with 
 the celebrated speech of Logan ; and I cannot but express 
 astonishment at the conduct of two respectable writers, 
 who have represented this interesting interview, and this 
 sublime display of intellectual power, as " a scold between 
 the French generals and an old Indian."! 
 
 * Oldmixon's British Empire, vol. 1. p. 254. 
 t Golden and Smith. 
 
240 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 On the 9th of February, 1690, as we are informed by 
 the tradition of the inhabitants, although history has fixed 
 it on the 8th, the town of Schenectady, which then con- 
 sisted of a church and forty-three houses, was surprised 
 by a party of French and Indians from Canada ; a dread- 
 ful scene of conflagration and massacre ensued ; the 
 greater part of the inhabitants were killed or made priso- 
 ners ; those that escaped fled naked toward Albany, in a 
 deep snow that fell that very night, and providentially met 
 sleighs from that place, which returned immediately with 
 them. This proceeding struck terror into the inhabitants 
 of Albany, who were about to abandon the country in 
 despair and consternation. On this occasion several of 
 the Mohawk chiefs went to Albany, to make the cus- 
 tomary speech of condolence, and to animate to honorable 
 exertion. Their speech is preserved in the first volume of 
 Colden's History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada ; 
 and even at this distant period, it is impossible to read it 
 without sensibility, without respecting its affectionate 
 sympathy, and admiring its magnanimous spirit, and with- 
 out ranking it among the most respectable models of elo- 
 quence which history aftbrds.* 
 
 In 1777 and 1778, an association of our own citizens, 
 in violation of law, contracted with the Six Nations for 
 the greater part of their territory, on a lease of nine hun- 
 dred and ninety-nine years, at an insignificant annual rent. 
 These proceedings were, on the motion of the President 
 of this Society,! declared void in March, 1788, by the 
 authorities of the State ; and when their true character 
 was made known to the Indians — when they found that 
 
 * Appendix, No. 2. 
 t Egbert Benson, Esq. 
 
THE jRoauois, 241 
 
 their country, in which were interred the bones of their 
 ancestors, was sacrificed to the overreaching cupidity of 
 unauthorized speculators, the greatest anxiety and con- 
 sternation prevailed among them. The Senecas and 
 Cayugas repaired to Albany to confer with the governor, 
 but having no speaker at that time of sufficient eminence 
 and talents for the important occasion, they employed 
 Good Peter, or Domine Peter, the Cicero of the Six Na- 
 tions, to be their orator, and he addressed the governor 
 and other commissioners in a speech of great length and 
 ability. It was replete with figurative language : the 
 topics were selected with great art and judgment. I took 
 down the speech from the mouth of the interpreter, and 
 notwithstanding the imperfect interpretation of Mr. Kirk- 
 land, consider it a rare specimen of Indian eloquence. 
 
 Within a few years, an extraordinary orator has risen 
 among the Senecas, his real name is Saguoaha, but he is 
 commonly called Red Jacket. Without the advantages 
 of illustrious descent, and with no extraordinary talents 
 for war, he has attained the first distinctions in the nation, 
 by the force of his eloquence. His predecessor in the 
 honors of the nation, was a celebrated chief, denominated 
 The Cornplanter. Having lost the confidence of his 
 countrymen, in order to retrieve his former standing, as 
 it is supposed, he persuaded his brother to announce 
 himself as a prophet, or messenger from Heaven, sent to 
 redeem the fallen fortunes of the Indian race. The su- 
 perstition of the savages cherished the impostor, and he 
 has acquired such an ascendancy, as to prevail upon the 
 Onondagas, formerly the most drunken and profligate of 
 the Six Nations, to abstain entirely from spirituous liquors, 
 
 * Appendix, No. 3. 
 16 
 
242 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and to observe the laws of morality in other respects. He 
 has obtained the same ascendancy among the Confeder- 
 ates, as another impostor had acquired among the Shawa- 
 nese, and other western Indians ; and like him, he has also 
 employed his influence for evil, as well as for good pur- 
 poses. The Indians universally believe in witchcraft ; the 
 prophet inculcated this superstition, and proceeded, through 
 the instrumentality of conjurers selected by himself) to 
 designate the offenders, who were accordingly sentenced 
 to death : and the unhappy objects would have been ac- 
 tually executed, if the magistrates at Oneida and the offi- 
 cers of the garrison at Niagara had not interfered. This 
 was considered an artful expedient to render his enemies 
 the objects of general abhorrence, if not the victims of 
 an ignominious death. Emboldened by success, he pro- 
 ceeded, finally, to execute the views of his brother, and 
 Red Jacket was publicly denounced at a great council of 
 Indians, held at Buffalo Creek, and was put upon his 
 trial. At this crisis he well knew that the future color of 
 his life depended upon the powers of his mind. He spoke 
 in his defence for near three hours. The iron brow of 
 superstition relented under the magic of his eloquence ; 
 he declared the prophet an impostor and a cheat. He 
 prevailed : the Indians divided, and a small majority ap- 
 peared in his favor. Perhaps the annals of history cannot 
 furnish a more conspicuous instance of the triumph and 
 power of oratory, in a barbarous nation, devoted to su- 
 perstition, and looking up to the accuser as a delegated 
 minister of the Almighty. 
 
 I am well aware that the speech of Logan will be tri- 
 umphantly quoted against me, and that it will be said that 
 the most splendid exhibition of Indian eloquence may be 
 
THE iRoauois. 243 
 
 found out of the pale of the Six Nations. I fully subscribe 
 to the eulogium of Mr. Jefferson, when he says, " I may 
 challenge the whole orations of Demosthenes and Cicero, 
 and of any more eminent orator, if Europe has furnished 
 more eminent, to produce a single passage superior to the 
 speech of Logan." But let it be remembered that Logan 
 was a Mingo chief, the second son of Shikellemus, a cele- 
 brated Cayuga chief, and consequently belonged to the 
 Confederates, although he did not live in their patrimonial 
 territory. The Iroquois had sent out several colonies ; 
 one of them was settled at Sandusky, and was estimated 
 to contain 300 warriors in 1768. Another was established 
 on a branch of the Scioto, and had 60 warriors in 1779.* 
 
 To this I may add the testimony of Charlevoix, who 
 may be justly placed in the first rank of able and learned 
 writers on American affairs, and who entertained all the 
 prejudices of his country against the Confederacy. Speak- 
 ing of Joncaire, who had been adopted by the Senecas, 
 and who had obtained their consent for the establishment 
 of a fort at Niagara, he says, " II parla avec tout I'esprit 
 d'un Fran9ois, qui en a beaucoup et la plus sublime elo- 
 quence Iroquoise." He spoke with all the energetic spirit 
 of a Frenchman, and with the most sublime eloquence of 
 an Iroquois. t 
 
 It cannot, I presume, be doubted, but that the Confeder- 
 ates were a peculiar and extraordinary people, contra- 
 distinguished from the mass of the Indian nations by great 
 
 * Jefferson's Notes. 
 
 t Charlevoix, letter 15, p. 243. Quere. Is this the Captain Jon- 
 caire who is mentioned in General (then Colonel) Washington's jour- 
 nal of his mission to the Ohio ■? ^ee Marshall's Life of Washing 
 ton, vol. 2, note 1. 
 
244 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 attainments in polity, in government, in negotiation, in 
 eloquence, and in war. La Hontan asserts that " they 
 are of a larger stature, and withal, more valiant and cun- 
 ning than the other nations.''* Charlevoix derives their 
 name of Agonnonsioni, from their superior skill and taste 
 in architecture. t The perspicacious and philosophical 
 Pennant, after fully weighing their character, qualities, and 
 physical conformation, pronounced them the descendants 
 of the Tschutski, who reside on a peninsula which forms 
 the most north-easterly part of Asia, who are a free and 
 brave race, and in size and figure superior to every 
 neighboring nation. The Russians have never been able 
 to effect their conquest. They cherish a high sense of 
 liberty, constantly refuse to pay tribute, and are supposed 
 to have sprung from that fine race of Tartars, the Kabar- 
 dinski, or inhabitants of Kabarda.f 
 
 But there is a striking discrimination between this na- 
 tion and the great body of the Indian tribes, which re- 
 mains to be mentioned. Charlevoix has the singular merit 
 of having rejected the common mode of ascertaining the 
 identity of national origin, from a coincidence in customs 
 and manners, and of having pointed out a similarity of 
 language as the best and the surest criterion. As far back 
 as La Hontan, whose voyages were published in 1703, and 
 who was well acquainted with the Indian languages, it 
 was understood by him, that there were but two mother 
 tongues, the Huron and the Algonkin, in the whole extent 
 of Canada, as far west as the Mississippi ; and in a list 
 which he gives of the Indian nations, it appears that they 
 
 * Vol. 2, p. 4. 
 
 t Charlevoix, vol. 1, b. 6, p. 271. 
 
 X Pennant's Arctic Zoology, vol. 1, p. 181, 186, 262. 
 
THE IROQUOIS. 245 
 
 all spoke the Algonkin language in different dialects, ex- 
 cept the Hurons and the Confederates ; the difference be- 
 tween whose languages he considers as not greater than 
 that between the Norman and the French. This opinion 
 has been supported and confirmed by the concurring tes- 
 timony of Carver, Charlevoix, Rogers, Barton, Edwards, 
 Mackenzie, and Pike, with these qualifications, that the 
 Sioux, or Naudowessies, and the Assiniboils, together with 
 many nations of Indians to the west of the Mississippi, 
 speak a distinct original language ; and it is not perfectly 
 settled, whether the Creeks, and the other southern Indians 
 in their vicinity, use a parent language ; or under which 
 of the three great parent ones theirs must be classed. 
 Carver speaks of the Chippewa ; Edwards, of the Mohe- 
 gan ; Barton, of the Delaware ; Rogers, of the Ottaway, 
 as the most prevailing language in North America; but 
 they all agree in the similarity. Dr. Edwards asserts, 
 that the language of the Delawares, in Pennsylvania; of 
 the Penobscots, bordering on Nova Scotia ; of the Indians 
 of St. Francis, in Canada ; of the Shawanese, on the 
 Ohio ; of the Chippewas, at the westward of Lake Huron ; 
 of the Ottawas, Nanticockes, Munsees, Minonionees, 
 Misiuagues, Sasskies, Ottagamies, Killestones, Mipegois, 
 Algonkins, Winnebagoes, and of the several tribes in 
 New England, are radically the same ; and the variations 
 are to be accounted for from the want of letters, and of 
 communication. On the other hand, that the Confederates 
 and the Hurons were originally of the same stock, may be 
 inferred, not only from the sameness of their language, but 
 from their division into similar tribes.* From this, we 
 
 * Trumbuirs Connecticut, vol. 1, p. 43. Henry's Travels in Cana- 
 da, p. 250, 299, 325. Carver's Travels, p. 170. Mackenzie's Voya- 
 
246 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 may rationally conclude, that those nations were descended 
 from an Asiatic stock, radically different from that of the 
 great body of Indians who were spread over North 
 America ; and that the superior qualities of the Iroquois 
 may be ascribed, as well to the superiority of their origin, 
 as to the advantages of position, the maxims of policy, 
 and the principles of education, which distinguished them 
 from the other red inhabitants of this western world. And 
 they were, indeed, at all times ready and willing to cherish 
 the sentiment of exaltation which they felt ; and believing 
 that they excelled the rest of mankind, they called them- 
 selves Ongue-Honwe, that is, men surpassing all others.* 
 
 It is extremely difficult to speak, with any precision, of 
 the ancient population of the Indian nations. The Pow- 
 hatan confederacy, or empire, as it was called, contained 
 one inhabitant for every square mile ; and the proportion 
 of warriors to the whole number of inhabitants was three 
 to ten.f If this is to afford a just rule for estimating the 
 Confederates, it would be easy to ascertain their number, 
 and to adjust the relative proportion of their fighting men. 
 Supposing their patrimonial or dwelling country to be 
 three hundred miles in length, and one hundred m breadth, 
 the whole number of square miles would be thirty thou- 
 
 ges, p. 280. Charlevoix, vol. 3, Letters 11th and 12th. Jeffery's 
 Natural and Civil History of the French Dominions in North and 
 South America, p. 45, 50. Rogers's North America, p. 246. Barton's 
 Views, p. 470. Pike's Expedition, p. 65. Edwards' Observations on 
 the Language of the Muhhekanew Indians. La Hontan's New Voya- 
 ges, vol. 1, p. 270, vol. 2, p. 287. 
 
 * Colden, vol. 1, p. 2. 
 
 t JefTerson's Notes, p. 141, &c. 
 
THE iRoauois. 247 
 
 sand; and the number of souls the same.* Some writers 
 state the number of their warriors, at the first European 
 settlement, to be fifteen thousand, which would make a 
 population of fifty thousand. La Hontan says, that each 
 village, or canton, contained about fourteen thousand 
 souls; that is, one thousand five hundred that bear arms, 
 two thousand superannuated men, four thousand women, 
 two thousand maids, and four thousand children ; though, 
 indeed, some say, that each village has not above ten or 
 eleven thousand souls. On the first statement they would 
 have seven thousand five hundred, and on the last about 
 five thousand three hundred and sixty fighting men. 
 
 Col. Coursey, an agent of Virginia, had in 1677 a con- 
 ference with the Five Nations at Albany. The number of 
 warriors was estimated, at that time and place, as follows : — 
 Mohawks, - - - - - 300 
 
 Oneidas, .. ... 200 
 
 Onondagas, ..... 350 
 
 Cayugas, - . - - . 300 
 
 Senecas, ..... 1,000 
 
 Total, 2,150 
 which would make the whole population near seven thou- 
 sand two hundred. t 
 
 * On this subject see Trumbull's History of the United States, vol. 
 1, p. 30, &c. Williams's Vermont, vol. 1, p. 215, &c. Douglass's 
 Summary, vol. 1, p. 185. Mass. Historical Society, vol. 5, p. 13, 16, 
 23, &c. Mass. Historical Society, vol. 10, p. 122, &c. Morse's Ga- 
 zetteer of the Six Nations. La Hontan, vol. 1, p. 23, &c. Jeflferson's. 
 Notes, p. 151. Holmes' American Annals, vol. 1, p. 45 ; vol. 2, p. 137. 
 
 t Vide Chalmer's Political Annals, p. 606, which contains the jour- 
 ney of Wentworth and Greenshulp, from Albany to the Five Nations,, 
 begun 28th May, 1677, and ended 14th July following. The Mo- 
 hawks had four towns and one village, containing only one hundred 
 houses. The Oneidas had one town, containmg one hundred houses. 
 
248 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Smith says, that in 1756, the whole number of fighting 
 men was about one thousand two hundred. Douglass 
 says, that in 1760 it was one thousand five hundred. In 
 the first case, the whole population would be four thou- 
 sand ; and in the last, five thousand. 
 
 In 1764, Col. Bouquet, from the information of a French 
 trader, stated the whole number of inhabitants to be one 
 thousand five hundred and fifty. Captain Hutchins, who 
 visited most of the Indian nations for the express pur- 
 pose of learning their number, represents them to be two 
 thousand one hundred and twenty in 1768 ; and Dodge, an 
 Indian trader, says, that in 1779 they were one thousand 
 six hundred. These three estimates are taken from Jef- 
 ferson's Notes on Virginia ; and, although they apparently 
 relate to the whole population, yet I am persuaded that 
 the statements were only intended to embrace the number 
 of warriors. 
 
 During the revolutionary war, the British had in their 
 service, according to the calculation of a British agent, 
 
 Mohawks, - - • - - 300 
 
 Oneidas, . - . - . 150 
 
 Tuscaroras, . - . . . 200 
 
 Onondagas, .... 300 
 
 Cayugas, ..... 230 
 
 Senecas. - - - - - 400 
 
 Total, 1,580 
 
 The Onondagas, one town, one hundred and forty houses, and one 
 village, twenty-four houses. The Cayugas, three towns of about 
 one hundred houses in all. The Senecas, four towns, containing 
 three hundred and twenty-four houses. The warriors the same pre- 
 cisely as in Col. Coursey's statement. (Cours. p. 21,) In the whole, 
 seven hundred and eighty-four houses ; which would make nearly 
 three warriors and ten inhabitants for each house. 
 
THE iRoauois. 249 
 
 If to these we add two hundred and twenty warriors who 
 adhered to the United States, the whole number of fight- 
 ing men would be one thousand eight hundred. 
 
 In 1783, Mr. Kirkland, the missionary, estimated the 
 number of warriors in the Seneca nation, at six hundred. 
 This would make the whole population two thousand ; and 
 as the Senecas then composed nearly one half of the whole 
 Confederacy, the fighting men would be about one thou- 
 sand two hundred, and the total number of inhabitants, 
 upwards of four thousand. In 1790, he calculated the 
 whole population of the Confederacy, including those who 
 reside on Grand River in Canada, and the Stockbridge 
 and Brothertown Indians, to be six thousand three hundred 
 and thirty. This would make the number of warriors 
 near one thousand nine hundred. 
 
 In 1794, on the division of an annuity of four thousand 
 five hundred dollars, given to them by the United States, 
 their number was ascertained with considerable precision ; 
 each individual in the Confederacy (except those residing 
 in the British dominions) receiving an equal share. 
 
 IN THE UN1TF.0 STATES. 
 
 
 BRITISH LINES 
 
 Mohawks, 
 
 . 
 
 - 300 
 
 Oneidas, 
 
 - 628 
 
 460 
 
 Cayugas, 
 
 40 
 
 - 
 
 OnondagaS; 
 
 ' 450 
 
 760 
 
 Tuscaroras, 
 
 400 
 
 
 Senecas, - 
 
 - 1780 
 
 
 3298 
 760 
 
 Total, 4,058 
 The Stockbridge and Brothertown Indians are not includ- 
 
250 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 ed. This would make the number of fighting men one 
 thousand three hundred and fifty-two. 
 
 These various estimates evince the great uncertainty 
 prevaihng on this subject. While La Hontan exaggerates 
 the population of the Confederacy, Smith evidently un- 
 derrates it. We know that in their wars they often sent 
 out considerable armies. They attacked the Island of 
 Montreal with one thousand two hundred men ; and in 
 1683, one thousand marched, at one time, against the Ot- 
 tagamies. The first was in 1689, twelve years after Col. 
 Coursey's estimate. Supposing that one thousand two 
 hundred warriors were at that time at home, and other- 
 wise employed, the whole number would then be about 
 two thousand four hundred ; which show a considerable 
 coincidence between the two statements. On one point 
 there is, however, no uncertainty. Ever since the men of 
 Europe landed on the shores of America, there has been a 
 diminution of the number of Aborigines ; sometimes rapid, 
 at other times gradual. The present condition of the Con- 
 federates furnishes an admonitory lesson to human pride ; 
 and adds another proof to the many on record, that na- 
 tions, like individuals, are destined by Providence to dis- 
 solution. Their patrimonial estates, their ancient dwelling 
 lands, are now crowded with a white population, except- 
 ing some reservations in the Oneida, Onondaga, and Se- 
 neca countries. The Mohawks abandoned their country 
 during the war ; and the Cayugas have since the peace. 
 A remnant of the Tuscaroras reside on three miles square, 
 near the Niagara River, on lands given to them by the 
 Senecas and the Holland Land Company. The Oneida 
 Reservation does not contain more than ten thousand 
 acres ; and the Onondaga is still smaller. The Senecas 
 
THE iRoauois. 251 
 
 have their principal settlement at Buffalo Creek. Their 
 reservations are extensive and valuable, containing more 
 than one hundred and sixty thousand acres ; and they pos- 
 sess upwards of one hundred thousand dollars in the stock 
 of the late Bank of the United States. 
 
 The Six Nations have lost their high character and ele- 
 vated standing. They are, in general, addicted to idle- 
 ness and drunkenness ; the remnant of their eloquence 
 and military spirit, as well as national strength, is to be 
 found only among the Senecas. Their ancient men, who 
 have witnessed the former glory and prosperity of their 
 country, and who have heard from the mouths of their 
 ancestors, the heroic achievements of their countrymen, 
 weep like infants, when they speak of the fallen condition 
 of the nation. They, however, derive some consolation 
 from a prophecy of ancient origin and universal currency 
 among them, that the man of America will, at some fu- 
 ture time, regain his ancient ascendancy, and expel the 
 man of Europe from this western hemisphere. This flat- 
 tering and consolatory persuasion has restrained, in some 
 degree, their vicious propensities ; has enabled the Seneca 
 and Shawanese prophets to arrest in some tribes the use 
 of intoxicating liquors, and has given birth, at different 
 periods, to certain movements toward a general confede- 
 racy of the savages of North America. That they con- 
 sider the white man an enemy and an intruder, who has 
 expelled them from their country, is most certain ; and 
 they cherish this antipathy with so much rancor, that 
 when they abandon their settlements, they make it a rule 
 never to disclose to him any mineral substances or springs 
 which may redound to his convenience or advantage. 
 
 The causes of their degradation and diminution, are 
 
252 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 principally to be found in their baneful communication 
 with the man of Europe, which has contaminated their 
 morals, destroyed their population, robbed them of their 
 country, and deprived them of their national spirit. In- 
 deed, when we consider, that the discovery and settlement 
 of America, have exterminated millions of the red men, 
 and entailed upon the sable inhabitants of Africa, endless 
 and destructive wars, captivity, slavery and death, we 
 have reason to shudder at the gloomy perspective, and to 
 apprehend that, in the retributive justice of the Almighty, 
 " there may be some hidden thunder in the stores of Hea- 
 ven, red with uncommon wrath ;"* some portentous 
 cloud, pregnant with the elements of destruction, ready to 
 burst upon European America, and to entail upon us those 
 calamities which we have so wantonly and wickedly in- 
 flicted upon others. 
 
 A nation that derives its subsistence, principally, from 
 the forest, cannot live in the vicinity of one that relies 
 upon the products of the field. The clearing of the coun- 
 try drives off the wild beasts ; and when the game fails, 
 the hunter must starve, change his occupation, or retire 
 from the approach of cultivation. The Savage has inva- 
 riably preferred the last. The Mohawks were, at one pe- 
 riod, the most numerous canton ; but they soon became 
 the smallest. This was on account of their propinquity 
 to the whites ; while the Senecas, who are most remote, 
 are the most populous. There are two other causes which 
 have contributed to the destruction of the Mohawks ; their 
 extreme ferocity, which distinguished them from the other 
 cantons, and which exposed them to greater perils ; and 
 the early seduction of a part of their nation by the French, 
 
 * Addison's Cato. 
 
THE IROQUOIS. 253 
 
 who prevailed upon them to migi'ate to Canada. The 
 scarcity of food has also been augmented by other causes, 
 besides that of cultivating the ground. Formerly they 
 killed for the sake of subsistence : the Europeans insti- 
 gated them to kill for the sake of the furs and skins. The 
 use of fire-arms has had the effect, by the explosion of 
 powder, of frightening away the game ; and at the same 
 time, of enabling the savage to compass their destruction 
 with greater facility, than by his ancient weapon, the bow 
 and arrow, whose execution was less certain, and whose 
 operation was less terrific. 
 
 The old Scythian propensity for wandering from place 
 to place, and to make distant excursions, predominates 
 among them. Some, after an absence of twenty years, 
 have again shown themselves, while others never return. 
 
 Many of the Iroquois are amalgamated with the western 
 Indians. In 1799, a colony of the Confederates, who had 
 been brought up from their infancy under the Roman 
 Catholic Missionaries, and instructed by them at a village 
 within nine miles of Montreal, emigrated to the banks of 
 the Saskatchiwine River, beyond Lake Winnipeg.* 
 
 The endless and destructive wars in which they have 
 been involved, have also been a principal cause of dimin- 
 ishing their population. The number of births among 
 savage is always inferior to that among civilized nations, 
 where subsistence is easier, and where the female sex are 
 considered the companions, the friends, and the equals of 
 man ; and are associated and connected with him by the 
 silken ties of choice and affection, not by the iron chains 
 of compulsion and slavery. In times of war, the number 
 of deaths among the Indians generally exceeded that of 
 * Mackenzie, vol. 1, p. 298. 
 
254 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 the births ; and the Iroquois, for the last fifty years, not 
 having been able to execute to any great extent their sys- 
 tem of adoption, have experienced a correspondent dimi- 
 nution. The manner of savage warfare is also peculiarly 
 destructive. Among civilized nations, great armies are 
 brought into the field at once ; and a few years, and a 
 great battle, decide the fortune of the war, and produce a 
 peace. Among Indians, wars are carried on by small de- 
 tachments, and in detail, and for a long time. Among the 
 former they operate like amputation; a limb is cut off, 
 and the remainder of the body lives ; but with savages, 
 they resemble a slow and wasting disease, which gradually 
 undermines the vital principle, and destroys the whole 
 system. 
 
 Before their acquaintance with the man of Europe they 
 were visited by dreadful diseases, which depopulated 
 whole countries. Just before the settlement of New 
 England, some whole nations were swept off by a pesti- 
 lence. The whites introduced that terrible enemy of bar- 
 barous nations, the small pox, as well in the north of Asia 
 as in America. Kamschatka was very populous until the 
 arrival of the Russians ; a dreadful visitation of the small 
 pox, in 1767, nearly exterminated its inhabitants.* In 
 1779, and 1780, the small pox spread among the Killisti- 
 noes, or Kanistenaux, and Chepewyans, " with a baneful 
 rapidity that no flight could escape, and with a fatal effect 
 that nothing could resist."! Nine-tenths of the northern 
 Indians, so called by Hearne, were cut off by it. J In 
 
 * Pennant, vol. 1, p. 215. 
 
 t Mackenzie, vol. 1, p. 17. 
 
 X Hearne's Journey to the Northern Ocean, p. 178. 
 
THE iftoauois. 255 
 
 1670, this disease depopulated the north of Canada.* A 
 whole nation, called the Attetramasues, were destroyed. 
 The vicinity of the Confederates to the European settle- 
 ments, and their constant intercourse, have exposed them 
 continually to its visitations ; and their method of cure 
 being the same in all diseases, immersion in cold water 
 after a vapor bath, has aggravated its ravages. Their 
 imitation of the European dress, has also substituted a 
 lighter mode of clothing in lieu of warm furs ; by which, 
 and their exposure to the elements, they are peculiarly sub- 
 jected to consumptions and inflammatory complaints. 
 Longevity is, however, by no means uncommon among 
 them. In their settlements you see some very old people. 
 Need I add to this melancholy catalogue, the use of 
 spirituous liquors, which has realized among them the 
 fabulous effects of the Bohon Upas, which has been to 
 them " the Hydra of calamities ; the sevenfold death,"t 
 and which has palsied all their energies, enfeebled their 
 minds, destroyed their bodies, rendered them inferior to 
 the beasts of the forest, and operated upon them as de- 
 structively as 
 
 " famine, war, or spotted pestilence, 
 
 Baneful as death, and horrible as hell."| 
 
 At the treaty held in Lancaster in 1744, the Five Na- 
 tions addressed the colonies of Pennsylvania, Virginia, 
 and Maryland, as follows : " We heartily recommend 
 union and a good agreement between you our brethren. 
 Never disagree, but preserve a strict friendship for one 
 another ; and thereby you, as well as we, will become the 
 stronger. Our wise forefathers established amity and 
 
 * Jeffrey, before quoted, p. 110. Herriot, p. 132. 
 
 t Young's Revenge, J Rowe's Jane Shore, 
 
256 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 friendship among the Five Nations. This has made us 
 formidable, and has given us great weight and authority 
 with the neighboring nations. We are a powerful Con- 
 federacy ; and by your observing the same means which 
 our wise forefathers pursued, you will acquire fresh 
 strength and power. Therefore, whatever befalls you, 
 never fall out with one another."* This ancient and ce- 
 menting principle of union and fraternity, which has con- 
 nected them in friendship, and which was the basis of their 
 power and the pillar of their greatness, has been entirely 
 driven from them. The fury of discord has blown her 
 horn, and rendered them the prey of the most ferocious 
 and unrelenting passions. Party, in all its forms and vio- 
 lence, rages among them with uncontrolled sway. Their 
 nations are split up into fragments ; the son is arrayed 
 against the father ; brother against brother ; families 
 against families ; tribes against tribes ; and canton against 
 canton. They are divided into factions, religious, politi- 
 cal and personal ; Christian and Pagan ; American and 
 British ; the followers of Cornplanter and Sagoua-Ha ; of 
 Skonadoi and Capt. Peter. The minister of destruction 
 is hovering over them, and before the passing away of the 
 present generation, not a single Iroquois will be seen in 
 this State. 
 
 It would be an unpardonable omission not to mention, 
 while treating on this subject, that there is every reason 
 to believe, that previous to the occupancy of this country 
 by the progenitors of the present nations of Indians, it was 
 inhabited by a race of men much more populous and much 
 further advanced in ^civilization. The numerous remains 
 of ancient fortifications which are found in this country, 
 * Colden, vol. 2, p. 113. 
 
THE iRoauois. 8W 
 
 commencing principally near the Onondaga River, and 
 from thence spreading over the Military Tract, the Gene- 
 see country, and the lands of the Holland Land Company, 
 over the territory adjoining the Ohio and its tributary 
 streams, the country on Lake Erie, and extending even 
 west of the Mississippi, demonstrate a population far ex- 
 ceeding that of the Indians when this country was first 
 settled. 
 
 I have seen several of these works in the western parts 
 of this State. There is a large one in the town of Onon- 
 daga, one in Pompey, and another in Manlius ; one in 
 Camillus, eight miles from Auburn ; one in Scipio, six 
 miles ; another one mile, and one, half a mile from that 
 village. Between the Seneca and Cayuga Lakes there 
 are several ; three within a few miles of each other. 
 Near the village of Canadaigua there are three. In a 
 word, they are scattered all over that country.* 
 
 * On the subject of these ancient fortifications, see Charlevoix, vol. 
 1. b. 11, p. 533. Charlevoix letter 23, vol. 3, p. 333. American Mu- 
 seum, vol. 6, p. 29, 233. Massachusetts Historical Collections, vol. 
 4, p. 101, 107. Imlay's Kentucky, p. 379. Herriot's Canada, p. 14 
 to 26. Belknap's American Biography, vol. 1, p. 194-196. History 
 of Virginia, anonymous, published in London, 1722, p. 149. Carver's 
 Travels, p. 37. Volney's United States, p. 486. Barton's Medical 
 and Physical Journal, vol. 1. part 1, p. 97. Ibid, part 2. p. 80. Ibid, 
 vol. 2. part 1, p. 187. Adair's Indians, p. 377. New York Maga- 
 zine, January, 1793, p. 23. Michaux's Travels to the Westward of 
 the Alleghany Mountains in 1802, vol. 1. Columbian Magazine for 
 1787, vol. 1, No. 9. Shultz's Inland Voyage, vol. 1, p. 146. Ame- 
 rican Philosophical Transactions, vol. 6, p. 132. Medical Reposi- 
 tory, 3d Hexade, vol. 2, No. 2, p. 146. Rogers's Concise Account of 
 North America, p. 247. Harris's Tour in 1803, into the State of 
 Ohio, p. 149, &c. Hubbard's Narrative of the Indian Wars in New^ 
 England, p. 32, 106. Williamson on the Climate, &c. of America, 
 
 p. 189. 
 
 17 
 
258 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 These forts were, generally speaking, erected on the 
 most commanding ground. The walls or breastworks 
 were earthen. The ditches were on the exterior of the 
 works. On some of the parapets, oak trees were to be 
 seen, which, from the number of concentric circles, must 
 have been standing one hundred and fifty, two hundred 
 and sixty, and three hundred years ; and there were evi- 
 dent indications, not only that they had sprung up since 
 the erection of those works, but that they were at least a 
 second growth. The trenches were in some cases deep 
 and wide, and in others shallow and narrow ; and the 
 breastworks varied in altitude from three to eight feet. 
 They sometimes had one, and sometimes two entrances, 
 as was to be inferred from there being no ditch at those 
 places. When the works were protected by a deep 
 ravine, or a large stream of water, no ditch was to be 
 seen. The areas of these forts varied from two to six 
 acres, and the form was generally an irregular ellipsis, 
 and in some of them fragments of earthenware and pul- 
 verized substances, supposed to have been originally hu- 
 man bones, were to be found. 
 
 These fortifications, thus diffused over the interior of 
 our country, have been generally considered as surpassing 
 the skill, patience and industry of the Indian race ; and 
 various hypotheses have been advanced to prove them of 
 European origin. 
 
 An American writer of no inconsiderable repute pro- 
 nounced, some years ago, that the two forts at the conflu- 
 ence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, one covering 
 forty and the other twenty acres, were erected by Ferdi- 
 nand de Soto, who landed with one thousand men in Flo- 
 rida, in 1539, and penetrated a considerable distance into 
 
THE iRoauois, 259 
 
 the interior of the country. He allotted the large fort for 
 the use of the Spanish army ; and after being extremely 
 puzzled how to dispose of the small one in its vicinity, he 
 at last assigned it to the swine, that generally, as he says, 
 attended the Spaniards in those days ; being in his opinion 
 very necessary, in order to prevent them from becoming 
 estrays, and to protect them from the depredations of the 
 Indians. 
 
 When tv^o ancient forts, one containing six and the 
 other three acres, were found near Lexington, in Ken- 
 tucky, another theory was propounded, and it was sup- 
 posed that they were erected by the descendants of the 
 Welch colony, who are said to have migrated under the 
 auspices of Madoc to this country, in the twelfth century ; 
 that they formerly inhabited Kentucky ; but being attack- 
 ed by the Indians, were forced to take refuge near the 
 sources of the Missouri. 
 
 Another suggestion has been made, that the French, in 
 their expeditions from Canada to the Mississippi, were the 
 authors of these works : but the most numerous are to be 
 found in the territory of the Senecas, whose hostility to 
 the French was such, that they were not allowed for a 
 long time to have any footing among them.* The fort at 
 Niagara was obtained from them, by the intrigues and 
 eloquence of Joncaire, an adopted child of the nation. f 
 
 Louis Dennie, a Frenchman, aged upward of seventy, 
 and who has been settled and married among the Confe- 
 derates for more than half a century, told me, that accord- 
 ing to the traditions of the ancient Indians, these forts 
 were erected by an army of Spaniards, who were the first 
 
 • Golden, vol. 1. p. 61. 
 
 t Charlevoix, vol. 3. letter 15. p. 227. 
 
260 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Europeans ever seen by them ; the French the next ; then 
 the Dutch, and finally the English : that his army first ap- 
 peared at Oswego in great force, and penetrated through 
 the interior of the country, searching for the precious 
 metals ; that they continued there two years, and went 
 down the Ohio. 
 
 Some of the Senecas told Mr. Kirkland, the missionary, 
 that those in their territory were raised by their ancestors 
 in their wars with the western Indians, three, four or five 
 hundred years ago. All the cantons have traditions that 
 their ancestors came originally from the west, and the 
 Senecas say that their's first settled in the country of the 
 Creeks. The early histories mention, that the Iroquois 
 first inhabited on the north side of the great lakes ; that 
 they were driven to their present territory in a war with 
 the Algonkins or Adirondacks, from whence they expelled 
 the Satanas. If these accounts are correct, the ancestors 
 of the Senecas did not, in all probability, occupy their 
 present territory at the time they allege. 
 
 I believe we may confidently pronounce, that all the 
 hypotheses which attribute those works to Europeans, are 
 incorrect and fanciful : First, on account of the present 
 number of the works. Second, on account of their anti- 
 quity ; having, from every appearance been erected a long 
 time before the discovery of America; and finally, their 
 form and manner are totally variant from European forti- 
 fications, either in action or modern times. 
 
 It is equally clear that they were not the work of the 
 Indians. Until the Senecas, who are renowned for their 
 national vanity, had seen the attention of the Americans 
 attracted to these erections, and had invented the fabulous 
 account of which I have spoken, the Indians of the present 
 
THE iRoauois. 261 
 
 day did not pretend to know anything about their origin. 
 They were beyond the reach of all their traditions, and 
 were lost in the abyss of unexplored antiquity. 
 
 The erection of such prodigious works must have been 
 the result of labor far beyond the patience and perse- 
 verence of our Indians ; and the form and materials are 
 entirely different from those which they are known to 
 make. These earthen walls, it is supposed, will retain 
 their original form much longer than those constructed 
 with brick and stone. They have, undoubtedly, been 
 greatly diminished by the washing away of the earth, the 
 filling up of the interior, and the accumulation of fresh 
 soil ; yet their firmness and solidity indicate them to be 
 the work of some remote age. Add to this, that the In- 
 dians have never practised the mode of fortifying by in- 
 trenchments. Their villages or castles were protected 
 by palisades ; which afforded a sufficient defence against 
 Indian weapons. When Cartier went to Hochelaga, now 
 Montreal, in 1535, he discovered a town of the Iroquois, 
 or Hurons, containing about fifty huts. It was encom- 
 passed with three lines of palisadoes, through which was 
 one entrance, well secured with stakes and bars. On the 
 inside was a rampart of timber, to which were ascents by 
 ladders ; and heaps of stones were laid in proper places to 
 cast at an enemy. Charlevoix and other writers agree, in 
 representing the Indian fortresses as fabricated with wood. 
 Such also were the forts of Sasacus, the great chief of the 
 Pequots ; and the principal fortress of the Narragansets 
 was on an island in a swamp, of five or six acres of rising 
 land : the sides were made with pahsades set upright, en- 
 compassed with a hedge, of a rod in thickness.* 
 * Mathers Magnalia, p. 693. 
 
262 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 I have already alluded to the argument for the great an- 
 tiquity of those ancient forts, to be derived from the num- 
 ber of concentric circles. On the ramparts of one of the 
 Muskingum forts, four hundred and sixty-three were ascer- 
 tained on a tree, decayed at the center ; and there are 
 likewise the strongest marks of a former growth of a simi- 
 lar size. This would make those works near a thousand 
 years old. 
 
 But there is another consideration which has never be- 
 fore been urged, and which appears to me to be not un- 
 worthy of attention. It is certainly novel, and I believe it 
 to be founded on a basis which cannot easily be subverted. 
 
 From near the Genesee River to Lewiston, on the 
 Niagara River, there is a remarkable ridge or elevation of 
 land, running almost the whole distance, which is seventy- 
 eight miles, and in a direction from east to west. Its 
 general altitude above the neighboring land is thirty feet, 
 and its width varies considerably : in some places it is not 
 more than forty yards. Its elevation above the level of 
 Lake Ontario is perhaps one hundred and sixty feet, to 
 which it descends by a gradual slope ; and its distance 
 from that water is between six and ten miles. This re- 
 markable strip of land would appear as if intended by 
 nature for the purpose of an easy communication. It is, in 
 fact, a stupendous natural turnpike, descending gently on 
 each side, and covered with gravel ; and but little labor is 
 requisite to make it the best road in the United States. 
 When the forests between it and the lake are cleared, the 
 prospects and scenery which will be afforded from a tour 
 on this route to the cataract of Niagara, will surpass all 
 Competition for sublimity and beauty, variety and number. 
 
 There is every reason to believe, that this remarkable 
 
THE IROQUOIS. 263 
 
 ridge was the ancient boundary of this great lake. The 
 gravel with which it is covered was deposited there by the 
 waters ; and the stones every where indicate, by their 
 shape, the abrasion and agitation produced by that ele- 
 ment. All along the borders of the western rivers and 
 lakes, there are small mounds or heaps of gravel, of a con- 
 ical form, erected by the fish for the protection of their 
 spawn : these fish-banks are found in a state that cannot 
 be mistaken, at the foot of the ridge, on the side toward 
 the lake ; on the opposite side none have been discovered. 
 All rivers and streams which enter the lake from the south, 
 have their mouths affected with sand in a peculiar way, 
 from the prevalence and power of the north-westerly 
 winds. The points of the creeks which pass through this 
 ridge, correspond exactly in appearance with the entrance 
 of the streams into the lakes. These facts evince, beyond 
 doubt, that Lake Ontario has, perhaps one or two thousand 
 years ago, receded from this elevated ground. And the 
 cause of this retreat must be ascribed to its having en- 
 larged its former outlet, or to its imprisoned waters (aided, 
 probably, by an earthquake,) forcing a passage down the 
 present bed of the St. Lawrence ; as the Hudson did at 
 the Highlands, and the Mohawk at the Little Falls. On 
 the south side of this great ridge, its vicinity, and in all 
 directions through this country, the remains of numerous 
 forts are to be seen ; but on the north side, that is, on the 
 side toward the lake, not a single one has been discovered, 
 although the whole ground has been carefully explored. 
 Considering the distance to be, say seventy miles in length, 
 and eight in breadth, and that the border of the lake is the 
 very place that would be selected for habitation, and con- 
 sequently for works of defence, on account of the facilities 
 
264 1>E WITT CLINTON. 
 
 it would afford for subsistence, for safety, for all domestic 
 accommodations and military purposes ; and that on the 
 south shores of Lake Erie these ancient fortresses exist in 
 great number ; there can be no doubt but that these works 
 were erected, when this ridge was the southern boundary 
 of Lake Ontario, and, consequently, that their origin must 
 be sought in a very remote age. 
 
 A great part of North America was then inhabited by 
 populous nations, who had made considerable advance in 
 civilization. These numerous works could never have 
 been supplied with provisions without the aid of agricul- 
 ture. Nor could they have been constructed without the 
 use of iron or copper ; and without a perseverance, labor, 
 and design, which demonstrate considerable progress in 
 the arts of civilized life. A learned writer has said, " I 
 perceive no reason why the Asiatic North might not be 
 an officina virorum, as well as the European. The over- 
 teeming country to the east of the Riphaean mountains, 
 must find it necessary to discharge its inhabitants. The 
 first great wave of people was forced forward by the next 
 to it, more tumid and more powerful than itself: succes- 
 sive and new impulses continually arriving, short rest was 
 given to that which spread over a more eastern tract ; 
 disturbed again and again, it covered fresh regions. At 
 length, reaching the farthest limits of the old world, it 
 found a new one, with ample space to occupy, unmolested, 
 for ages."* After the north of Asia had thus exhausted 
 its exuberant population by such a great migration, it 
 would require a very long period of time to produce a co- 
 operation of causes, sufficient to effect another. The 
 first mighty stream of people that flowed into America, 
 * Pennant's Arctic Zoology, vol. 1., p. 260. 
 
THE IROQUOIS. 265 
 
 must have remained free from external pressure for ages. 
 Availing themselves of this period of tranquility, they would 
 devote themselves to the arts of peace, make rapid pro- 
 gress in civilization, and acquire an immense popula- 
 tion. In course of time, discord and war would rage 
 among them, and compel the establishment of places of 
 security. At last, they became alarmed by the irruption 
 of a horde of barbarians, who rushed like an overwhelming 
 flood from the North of Asia. 
 
 A multitude, like which the populous North 
 Poured from her frozen loins, to pass 
 Rhene or the Danaw, when her barbarous sons 
 Came like a deluge on the South, and spread 
 Beneath Gibraltar to the Lybian sands.* 
 
 The great law of self-preservation compelled them to 
 stand on their defence, to resist these ruthless invaders, 
 and to construct numerous and extensive works for pro- 
 tection. And for a long series of years the scale of victory 
 was suspended in doubt, and they firmly withstood the 
 torrent : but like the Romans, in the decline of their em- 
 pire, they were finally worn down and destroyed by 
 successive inroads and renewed attacks. And the fortifi- 
 cations of which we have treated are the only remaining 
 monuments of these ancient and exterminated nations. 
 This is, perhaps, the airy nothing of imagination, and may 
 be reckoned the extravagant dream of a visionary mind : 
 but may we not, considering the wonderful events of the 
 past and present times, and the inscrutable dispensations 
 of an over-ruling Providence, may we not look forward 
 into futurity, and without departing from the rigid laws of 
 
 * Milton's Paradise Lost, book 1, p. 62. 
 
266 DE WITT CLINTON, 
 
 probability, predict the occurrence of similar scenes, at 
 some remote period of time. And, perhaps, in the de- 
 crepitude of our empire, some transcendent genius, whose 
 powers of mind shall only be bounded by that impenetra- 
 ble circle which prescribes the limits of human nature,* 
 may rally the barbarous nations of Asia under the stand- 
 ard of a mighty empire. Following the track of the 
 Russian colonies and commerce toward the north-west 
 coast, and availing himself of the navigation, arms, and 
 military skill of civilized nations, he may, after subverting 
 the neighboring despotisms of the old world, bend his 
 course toward European America. The destinies of our 
 country may then be decided on the waters of the Mis- 
 souri, or on the banks of Lake Superior. And if Asia 
 shall then revenge upon our posterity the injuries we 
 have inflicted on her sons, a new, a long, and a gloomy 
 night of gothic darkness will set in upon mankind. And 
 when, after the efflux of ages, the returning effulgence of 
 intellectual light shall again gladden the nations, then the 
 wide-spread ruins of our cloud-capp'd towers, of our 
 solemn temples, and of our magnificent cities, will, hke 
 the works of which we have treated, become the subject 
 of curious research and elaborate investigation. 
 
 * Roscoe's Lorenzo De Medicis, p. 241. 
 
Mi5i3k0i|ip{ (l^ne0tion. 
 
 The extraordinary manner in which the subject now 
 under consideration has been introduced, the extraordi- 
 nary manner in which it has been treated, and the extra- 
 ordinary nature of the proposition itself, would justify a 
 latitude and severity of remark, which, however, I am not 
 disposed to indulge upon this occasion. I know that 1 
 address myself to a very respectable portion of the col- 
 lected wisdom and patriotism of my country. I will 
 therefore leave the honorable members from Pennsylvania 
 and Delaware, (Mr. Ress and Mr. White,) in the undis- 
 turbed possession of their inflammatory appeals and de- 
 clamatory effusions, and will manifest a becoming respect 
 for the high authority to which I have the honor to speak, 
 by moving on the ground of argument and of fact. To 
 prevent losing myself in so spacious a field I will con- 
 sider the subject under three distinct heads : 
 
 1. The injuries alleged to have been committed on the 
 part of Spain. 
 
 2. The nature, character, and tendency of the remedy 
 proposed. 
 
 3. Its justice and policy. 
 
 The importance of a free navigation of the Mississippi 
 has been duly appreciated by the Government, and a con- 
 stant eye has been kept upon it, in our negotiations with 
 
268 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 foreign powers. An attempt was indeed made under the 
 old confederation to barter it away for twenty-five years ; 
 which, however, was efficiently controlled by the good 
 sense and patriotism of the Government. By the treaty 
 
 of peace with Great Britain in 1783 by the treaty of 
 
 amity, commerce, and navigation, with her, in 1794.. ..and 
 by the treaty of friendship, limits, and navigation with 
 Spain, in 1795, the right of a free navigation of the Mis- 
 sissippi is recognized, and declared to exist, from its source 
 to the ocean, in the citizens of the United States. By the 
 22d article of the treaty with Spain, it is declared. That 
 " in consequence of the stipulations contained in the 4th 
 article, his Catholic majesty will permit the citizens of the 
 United States, for the space of three years from this time, 
 to deposit their merchandize and effects in the port of 
 New Orleans, and to export them from thence without 
 paying any other duty than a fair price for the hire of the 
 stores. And his majesty promises either to continue this 
 permission, if he finds during that time that it is not preju- 
 dicial to the interests of Spain ; or if he should not agree 
 to continue it there, he will assign to them, on another 
 part of the banks of the Mississippi, an equivalent esta- 
 bhshment." The 22d article granting the right of deposit, 
 is, therefore, founded upon the 4th article recognizing the 
 right of free navigation, and is intended to give full and 
 complete efficacy to it. By a proclamation of the Inten- 
 dant of the province of Louisiana, dated the 16th of Oct. 
 last, the right of deposit is prohibited. The reason assign- 
 ed for this daring interdiction is, that the three years for 
 which it was granted having expired, it cannot be con- 
 tinued without an express order from the king of Spain. 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 269 
 
 And at the same time no equivalent establishment is as- 
 signed, according to the stipulations of the treaty. 
 
 There can be no doubt but that the suspension of the 
 right of deposit at New Orleans, and the assignment of 
 another place equally convenient, ought to have been con- 
 temporaneous and concurrent ; that the conduct of the 
 Intendant is an atrocious infraction of the treaty, and that 
 it aims a deadly blow at the prosperity of the western 
 States ; but it is extremely questionable whether it was 
 authorized by the Government of Spain or not. On this 
 subject I am free to declare that I entertain great doubts, 
 which can only be cleared up by the course of events, or 
 perhaps it will ever be enveloped in darkness. On the 
 one hand, the terms of the proclamation, indicating a mis- 
 understanding of the treaty, the remonstrances of the Go- 
 vernor of the province, whose authority does not extend 
 to commercial and fiscal affairs, over which the Intendant 
 has an exclusive control, and the prompt and decided as- 
 surances of the Spanish Minister near the United States, 
 would induce a belief, that the act of the Intendant was 
 unauthorized. On the other hand, it cannot readily be 
 believed that this officer would assume such an immense 
 responsibility, and encounter an event so big with impor- 
 tant consequences, not only to his country but to himself, 
 without knowing explicitly the intentions of his Govern- 
 ment. Such, then, is the true state of the Spanish aggres- 
 sion : an important right had been secured to our citizens 
 by the solemnity of a treaty ; this right had been with- 
 drawn by an officer of the Spanish Government; and whe- 
 ther this aggression was directed by it or not, is not as yet 
 known. Other aggressions have indeed been stated by 
 the honorable gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rosa), 
 
270 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 in order to darken the picture, and with the manifest de- 
 sign of exasperating our feelings, inflaming our passions, 
 and prompting an immediate appeal to the sword. That 
 gentleman had mentioned that great and unwarrantable 
 spoliations have been committed upon our commerce by 
 Spain, and that redress is refused. The depredations pre- 
 vious to the treaty of 1795 were satisfactorily provided for 
 in it, and those subsequent are in a favorable train of ne- 
 gotiation and adjustment. If it were permitted to me to 
 draw aside the veil which covers our executive proceed- 
 ings, I could establish, to the satisfaction of every person 
 present, that the honorable mover has wandered widely 
 from candor and the convictions of his own knowledge, 
 in his representations on this subject. I will at present 
 content myself with giving an unqualified contradiction 
 to his declarations, and do cheerfully appeal to the infor- 
 mation within the power of every member of the Senate, 
 for the accuracy of my assertion. I am fully satisfied that 
 the court of Madrid has not only entertained, but has 
 manifested in her negotiations, every disposition to main- 
 tain inviolate the relations of amity with this country. 
 When, therefore, the honorable mover proceeded to state 
 that several of our citizens had been seized and imprisoned 
 by the colonial authorities of Spain, I might ask, whether 
 any Government in the world pretended to protect her 
 citizens in the violation of the laws of other nations ? 
 Whether our citizens in the situation he has represented, 
 had not been concerned in illicit trade, and in violating 
 the laws of the Spanish colonies ? Instances may have 
 indeed occurred where innocent persons have been un- 
 justly dealt with; and whenever representations to this ef- 
 fect shall be made to our Government, I have no doubt 
 
MISSISSIPPI QUESTION. 271 
 
 but that ample redress will be instantly demanded and in- 
 sisted upon. Nothing has been laid before us which can 
 authorize the assertions made on this subject. Whenever 
 such conduct shall be brought home to Spain, and prompt 
 and complete satisfaction denied, I shall then consider it 
 the duty of the Government to vindicate the rights of our 
 citizens at all hazards ; and I cannot but congratulate the 
 honorable mover, and the other side of the house, on the 
 resurrection of that ardent zeal in favor of their oppressed 
 countrymen which has so long and so soundly slept over 
 British and French enormities. 
 
 As to the nature, character, and tendency of the reme- 
 dy proposed, there can be but one opinion. It proposes to 
 enter the country of a foreign nation with a hostile force, 
 and to a seize a part of its territory. It is not preceded 
 by a formal declaration, and cannot, therefore, come under 
 the denomination of a solemn war ; but it partakes of the 
 character of a war not solemn. It answers to the defini- 
 tion of vt'ar, by Bnrlamaqui, " a nation taking up arms 
 with a view to decide a quarrel ;" to that given by Vat- 
 tel, who represents it to be " that state in which a nation 
 prosecutes its right by force." A state of general hostili- 
 ties would as necessarily follow as an effect would follow 
 a cause ; no nation would submit to the irruption of a hos- 
 tile army without repelling it by force ; the proud Casti- 
 lian, as described by the gentleman from Delaware, would 
 revolt at the insult ; the door of negotiation would be ef- 
 fectually closed ; and as the appeal would be to arms in the 
 first instance, so the controversy must be finally decided 
 by the preponderance of force. It would therefore not 
 only have impressed me with a more favorable opinion of 
 the honorable mover's candor, but also of his decision and 
 
272 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 energy as a statesman, if he had spoken out boldly, and 
 declared his real object. War is unquestionably his de- 
 sign — his wish. Why then mask his propositions ? Why 
 combine it with considerations connected with negotia- 
 tion ? Why not furnish the American people at once with 
 the real and the whole project of himself and his friends ? 
 If it is bottomed on patriotism, and dictated by wisdom, it 
 need not shrink from the touch of investigation — it will 
 receive their approving voice, and be supported by all 
 their force. The resolution is then to be considered as a 
 war resolution ; in no other light can it be viewed, in no 
 other light ought it to be viewed, and in no other light will 
 it be viewed by the intelligence of the country. 
 
 In this point of view, I will proceed, said Mr. C, to con- 
 sider its justice and policy, its conformity with the laws 
 and usages of nations, and the substantial interests of this 
 country. 
 
 I shall not attempt to occupy your attention by thread- 
 bare declamation upon the evils of w&,r ; by painting the 
 calamities it inflicts upon the happiness of individuals, and 
 the prosperity of nations. This terrible scourge of man- 
 kind, worse than famine or pestilence, ought not to be re- 
 sorted to until every reasonable expedient has been adopt- 
 ed to avert it. When aggressions have been committed 
 by the sovereign or representatives of the will of a na- 
 tion, negotiation ought in all cases to be first tried, 
 unless the rights of self-defence demand a contrary 
 course. This is the practice of nations, and is enjoin- 
 ed by the unerring monitor which the God of nature 
 has planted in every human bosom. What right have 
 the rulers of nations to unsheath the sword of destruc- 
 tion, and to let loose the demons of desolation upon 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 273 
 
 mankind, whenever caprice or pride, ambition or avarice, 
 shall prescribe ? And are there no fixed laws founded in 
 the nature of things which ordain bounds to the fell spirit 
 of revenge, the mad fury of domination, and the insatia- 
 ble thirst of cupidity ? Mankind have, not only in their 
 individual character, but in their collective capacity as 
 nations, recognized and avowed in their opinions and ac- 
 tions, a system of laws calculated to produce the greatest 
 happiness of the greatest number. And it may be safely 
 asserted, that it is a fundamental article of this code, that 
 a nation ought not to go to war until it is evident that 
 the injury committed is highly detrimental, and that it 
 emanated from the will of the nation charged with the 
 aggression, either by an express authorization in the first 
 instance, or by a recognition of it when called upon for 
 redress, and a refusal in both cases to give it. A demand 
 of satisfaction ought to precede an appeal to arms, even 
 when the injury is manifestly the act of the sovereign ; 
 and when it is the act of a private individual, it is not 
 imputable to his nation, until its Government is called 
 upon to explain and redress, and refuses ; because the 
 evils of war are too heavy and serious to be incurred 
 without the most urgent necessity ; because remonstrance 
 and negotiation have often recalled an offending nation to 
 a sense of justice, and a performance of right ; because 
 nations, like individuals, have their paroxysms of passion, 
 and when reflection and reason resume their dominion, 
 will extend that redress to the olive-branch which their 
 pride will not permit them to grant to the sword ; because 
 a nation is a moral person, and as such is not chargeable 
 with an offence committed by others, or where its will has 
 not been consulted, the unauthorized conduct of indivi- 
 
 18 
 
274 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 duals being never considered a just ground of hostility 
 until their sovereign refuses that reparation for which his 
 right of controlling their actions, and of punishing their 
 misconduct, necessarily renders him responsible. These 
 opinions are sanctioned by the most approved elementary 
 writers on the laws of nations. I shall quote the senti- 
 ments of some of them. 
 
 Vattel says: " Two things, therefore, are . necessary to 
 render it (an offensive war) just. First, a right to be as- 
 serted ; that is, that a demand made on another nation be 
 important and well grounded : 2d, That this reasonable 
 demand cannot be obtained otherwise than by force of 
 arms. Necessity alone warrants the use of force. It is 
 a dangerous and terrible resource. Nature, the common 
 parent of mankind, allows of it only in extremity, and 
 when all others fail. It is doing wrong to a nation to 
 make use of violence against it before we know whether 
 it be disposed to do us justice, or to refuse it. They who, 
 without trying pacific measures, on the least motive run 
 to arms, sufficiently show that justificative reasons, in their 
 mouths, are only pretences ; they eagerly seize the oppor- 
 tunity of indulging their passions, and of gratifying their 
 ambition, under some color of right." It is subsequently 
 stated by this admired writer, that " it is demonstrated in 
 the foregoing chapter, that to take arms lawfully, 1. That 
 we have a just cause of complaint. 2. That a reasonable 
 satisfaction has been denied us, &c." 
 
 Burlamaqui says : " However just reason we may have 
 to make war, yet as it inevitably brings along with it an 
 incredible number of calamities, and often injustices, it is 
 certain that we ought not to proceed too easily to a dan- 
 gerous extremity, which may perhaps prove fatal to the 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 275 
 
 conqueror himself. The following are the measures which 
 prudence directs sovereigns to observe in these circum- 
 stances : 1. Supposing the reason of the war is just in it- 
 self, yet the dispute ought to be about something of great 
 consequence to us ; since 'tis better even to relinquish part 
 of our right, when the thing is not considerable, than to 
 have recourse to arms to defend it. 2. We ought to have 
 at least some probable appearance of success ; for it would 
 be a criminal temerity, and a real folly, wantonly to ex- 
 pose ourselves to certain destruction, and to run into a 
 greater, in order to avoid a lesser evil. 3. Lastly, there 
 should be a real necessity for taking up arms : that is, we 
 ought not to have recourse to force but when we can em- 
 ploy no milder method of recovering our rights, or of de- 
 fending ourselves from the evils with which we are men- 
 aced. These measures are agreeable not only to the prin- 
 ciples of prudence, but also to the fundamental maxims of 
 sociability, and to the love of peace ; maxims of no less 
 force with respect to nations than individuals. By these 
 a sovereign must, therefore, be necessarily directed ; even 
 the justice of the Government obliges him to it, in conse- 
 quence of the very nature and end of authority. For as 
 he ought always to take particular care of the state, 
 and of his subjects, consequently he should not expose 
 them to all the evils with which war is attended, except 
 in the last extremity, and when there is no other expe- 
 dient left but that of arms." In addition to these great 
 authorities, permit me to refer severally to the opinions of 
 two more modern writers. Martens and Paley. The former 
 says that amicable means for redress must be tried in vain 
 before an appeal to arms, unless it is evident that it would 
 be useless to try such means ; and the latter is of opinion 
 
276 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 that the only justifying causes of war are deliberate inva- 
 sions of right, and maintaining the balance of power. It 
 is not necessary to decide upon the justice of the last ob- 
 servation, because it does not apply to the case before us. 
 But can any man lay his hand upon his heart and declare 
 that he believes the present case a deliberate invasion of 
 right by the Spanish Government ? Can any man say, 
 that it would be fruitless to attempt amicable means of 
 redress, and that the sword alone can restore us to our 
 rights ? 
 
 The opinions of these celebrated writers are corrobora- 
 ted by the general usage of nations. A demand of redress 
 before the application of force, has been almost uniformly 
 practiced by the most barbarous, as well as the most civi- 
 lized nations. Instances may indeed be found to the con- 
 trary ; but they are to be considered as departures from es- 
 tabUshed usage. The ancient Romans, who were a mili- 
 tary nation, and who marched to empire through an ocean 
 of blood, always demanded satisfaction from the offending 
 nation before they proceeded to war ; and fixed upon a 
 certain time in which the demand was to be complied with, 
 at the expiration of which, if redress was still withheld, they 
 then endeavored to obtain it by force. It has been the 
 general practice of the civilized nations of Europe to pro- 
 mulge manifestos, justificatory of their conduct in re- 
 sorting to arms. These manifestos contain a full state- 
 ment of their wrongs, and almost always declare that they 
 had previously endeavored by negotiation to obtain a 
 friendly adjustment of their complaints. What is this, 
 but a declaration that the law and the sense of nations 
 demand this course ? What is it, but an appeal to the 
 intuitive sense of right and wrong which exists in every 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 277 
 
 human bosom ? The reign of the present King of Great 
 Britain has been emphatically a war reign. In 1760 he 
 ascended the throne, and found the nation at war with 
 France. Besides his wars in the East and West Indies, al- 
 most half of his reign has been consumed in wars with 
 this country, and some of the nations of Europe. He has 
 been three times at war with France ; three times with 
 Spain ; twice with Holland, and once with the United 
 States. The most strange events — events which have 
 pleased and dazzled, astonished and terrified mankind — 
 have passed upon the theater of the world in his time. The 
 ordinary maxims of policy, and the cardinal principles of 
 action have been reversed and prostrated. The world 
 has seen the revival of the crusades, and all the great 
 powers of Europe in arms, and a destroying and desola- 
 ting spirit go forth, unknown to past times. Portentous 
 as a portion of this reign has been, when a deviation from 
 the established laws of nations might naturally be expect- 
 ed, and degraded as the power and condition of Spain is 
 represented to be, I am willing to stake the whole contro- 
 versy upon the reciprocal conduct of these Governments 
 to each other. Of all wars, one with Spain is the most 
 popular in England, from the opportunities it affords for 
 maritime spoliation, and lucrative enterprise : for the same 
 reasons it is anxiously deprecated by Spain ; and it has 
 even grown into a Spanish proverb, " Peace with Eng- 
 land, and war with the world." Notwithstanding the pre- 
 ponderating force of Great Britain, the allurements of 
 popularity and cupidity, her great and extraordinary ac- 
 quisition of maritime power, and the martial temper which 
 has marked her character during the present reign, we 
 find the very power with whom we are now called upon 
 
278 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 to measure swords, meeting her propositions for negotia- 
 tion or arms on the ground of perfect equality, maintain- 
 ing a steady posture and an erect attitude, passing through 
 her colUsions with unspotted reputation and unsullied dig- 
 nity, and teaching us an instructive lesson, that while we 
 ought never to bend into degrading compliances, we are 
 not to expect that a nation which has not yielded impro- 
 perly to the power in the world most able to injure her, 
 will tamely submit to the insulting and imperious measure 
 recommended so earnestly to our adoption. Six contro- 
 versies have occurred between Great Britain and Spain, 
 during the reign of the present king ; three have termi- 
 nated amicably by negotiation, and three have resulted in 
 war. In 1761, when Great Britain was at war with 
 France, a memorial was presented by the French Ambas- 
 sador at London to the English Minister, which implica- 
 ted some demands of Spain upon Great Britain, and which 
 gave great offence to her ministry. A negotiation took 
 place, which being attended with an insolent demand for 
 a sight of a treaty concluded between France and Spain, 
 and which being very properly refused, a war ensued. 
 Notwithstanding the conduct of Great Britain in the 
 course of this transaction was precipitate and unjust, ne- 
 gotiation was attempted before an appeal to arms ; and 
 the future disclosure of the real transaction furnished her 
 with a salutary lesson ; for it was afterwards found that 
 the treaty did not refer to the existing state of the bellige- 
 rent powers, but that the guarantee it contained was not 
 to operate until the termination of the war. 
 
 In the year 1770, the remarkable case of the Faulkland 
 Islands occurred. Six years before a settlement was made 
 and a fort erected by the British Government on one of 
 
MISSISSIPPI QUESTION, 279 
 
 them, with a view to accommodate navigators in refitting 
 their ships and furnishing them with necessaries previous 
 to their passage through the Straits of Magellan, or the 
 doubling Cape Horn. This settlement gave great um- 
 brage to Spain ; not only upon account of its interference 
 with her claim of sovereignty to almost the whole south- 
 ern Continent of America, and the adjacent islands, but 
 also on account of the facility it would afford in case of a 
 future war, to an attack upon her South-Sea Territories. 
 Ineffectual remonstrances were made on the part of Spain ; 
 and at last, notwithstanding the claim of Great Britain by 
 discovery and occupancy, an armed force was sent ; the 
 fort was taken ; the settlement was broken up, and the 
 honor of the British flag violated by the taking off of the 
 rudder of a king's ship, and detaining it on shore twenty 
 days. What course did the British pursue on this occa- 
 sion ? In this case the insult was flagrant ; the honor of 
 their flag, the dignity of their crown, and the commerce 
 of the nation were implicated. Was the sword imme- 
 diately unsheathed, and the door to peace effectually closed ? 
 No ! negotiations ensued ; a convention was formed ; Spain 
 disavowed the violence and engaged to restore the pos- 
 sessions ; but with an express declaration that the restitu- 
 tion should not affect the question concerning the prior 
 right of sovereignty. The islands were also evacuated 
 three years afterwards by Great Britain, in consequence 
 of a secret agreement. 
 
 In 1779, Spain declared war against Great Britain, al- 
 ledging unredressed depredations on her commerce, and 
 that she was insulted in an attempt to negotiate between 
 France and Great Britain. It is evident that this step on 
 the part of Spain was in pursuance of the family com- 
 
280 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 pact, and was not justifiable by the laws of nations. It 
 appears, however, that previous to taking this measure, she 
 had attempted to attain her objects by negotiation. 
 
 In 1786, the long disputes respecting the English settle- 
 ments on the Musquito shore, and the coast of Honduras, 
 were settled by negotiation. The English abandoned 
 their Musquito settlements, and many hundreds of fami- 
 lies, who had inhabited them under the protection and 
 faith of the British Government, were peremptorily com- 
 pelled to evacuate that country. The boundaries of the 
 English Honduras settlements were enlarged, but in such 
 a manner as to leave Spain in full possession of her terri- 
 torial rights and exclusive dominion. 
 
 In 1790, the controversy about Nootka Sound arose : 
 two years before a settlement was made there by an asso- 
 ciation of British merchants, on land purchased from the 
 natives, with a view to caiTy on the Fur trade. This in- 
 terfering with the commercial rights of Spain, a Spanish 
 frigate was dispatched by the Viceroy of Mexico, which 
 seized the fort, and captured the English vessels trading 
 there. A negotiation took place, the vessels were re- 
 stored, and the settlements agreed to be yielded back. 
 But there was an express reservation on the part of Spain 
 of the right of sovereignty for ulterior discussion. 
 
 In 1796, Spain, in pursuance of a treaty of alliance of- 
 fensive and defensive with France, declared war against 
 Great Britain. From this short narrative it will appear 
 that in almost every case negotiation was attempted, 
 even when indignity and violence had been committed ; 
 that in many instances it was successful ; that in two of 
 the three cases where hostilities were commenced, Spain 
 was unequivocally the aggressor ; that in most of her ad- 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 281 
 
 justments she stood upon ground at least equal, and in 
 some, superior to Great Britain ; that in all of them she 
 maintained a high sense of character and independence, 
 and that in points affecting the most dehcate considera- 
 tions of national honor, interest, and right, and where oc- 
 currences of a very irritating nature had taken place, and 
 more aggravated than the one of which we justly com- 
 plain, the path of negotiation was deemed the path of 
 honor, by two of the great nations of Europe. 
 
 The practice of our Government has been uniformly 
 conformable with the principles I have endeavored to es- 
 tablish, and I trust I shall be excused for bestowing par- 
 ticular consideration on this subject. We have heard 
 much of the policy of WAsmNCTON. It has been sounded 
 in our ears from all quarters. And an honorable gentle- 
 man from Delaware (Mr. White), has triumphantly con- 
 trasted it with that adopted by the present administration. 
 1 am not disposed to censure it in this case : on the con- 
 trary, I think it a high and respectable authority. But 
 let it be properly understood in order to be rightly appre- 
 ciated, and it will be found that the United States under 
 his administration, and that of his successor, have received 
 injuries more deleterious, insults more atrocious, and in- 
 dignities more pointed than the present, and that the pa- 
 cific measure of negotiation was preferred. If our national 
 honor has survived the severe wounds it then received, it 
 may surely outlive the comparatively slight attack now 
 made upon it ; but if its ghost only now remains to haunt 
 the consciences of the honorable gentlemen who were 
 then in power, and who polluted their hands with the foul 
 murder, let them not attempt to transfer the odium and 
 the crime to those who had no hand in the guilty deed. 
 
282 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 They then stood high in the councils of their country. 
 The reins of government were in their hands ; and if the 
 course they at that time pursued was diametrically op- 
 posite to that they now urge for our adoption, what shall 
 we say of their consistency ? What will they say of it 
 themselves ? What will their country say of it ? Will 
 it be believed that the tinkling sounds and professions of 
 patriotism which have been so vehemently pressed upon 
 us, are the emanations of sincerity, or will they be set 
 down to the account of juggling imposture ? Although 
 but an infant nation, our career has been eventful and in- 
 teresting. We have already had very serious collisions 
 with three of the most powerful nations of Europe, who 
 are connected with us by treaty, by neighborhood, and by 
 commerce. Great Britain, France, and Spain, have suc- 
 cessively committed very great aggressions upon our na- 
 tional rights. In stating these I have no intention of re- 
 viving feelings which I trust have ceased with the causes 
 which gave them birth, nor of aspersing the characters of 
 nations who certainly hold the most important and re- 
 spectable station in the civilized world. Our differences 
 with Great Britain were coeval with the treaty of peace. 
 The detention of the Westei'n posts was a direct violation 
 of that treaty ; it diverted a considerable portion of the 
 fur trade from the United States, and disabled us from 
 bridling the hostile Indians, which was a source of im- 
 mense injury. This evil continued for twelve years, un- 
 der every circumstance of aggravation and insult. Brit- 
 ish soldiers issued from those forts into parts of our terri- 
 tory, where we exercised jurisdiction, and seized the per- 
 sons of deserters without the aid or sanction of the au- 
 thorities of the country ; and these possessions served as 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 283 
 
 asylums for the savages who were in hostile array against 
 us ; and as store-houses and magazines to supply them 
 with arms, ammunition, and provisions. The seat of 
 Government of Upper Canada was also held for a time at 
 Niagara, in the State of New York, an indignity of the 
 most marked character. Many thousands of negroes 
 were also carried off in violation of the treaty, and a very 
 serious injury was thereby inflicted on the agricultural 
 pursuits of our southern citizens. On the other hand, it 
 was stated on the part of Great Britain that the treaty 
 was violated by the United States ; for that impediments 
 had been interposed against the recovery of British debts 
 by legislative acts and judicial decisions in several of the 
 States. As there were mutual reclamations and recipro- 
 cal complaints, let us balance the account, and set off 
 these grievances against each other. Let us suppose that 
 both parties acted right, and that no real cause of crimi- 
 nation existed, still I contend that the conduct of Great 
 Britain, independent of the inexecution of the treaty of 
 peace, was much more aggravated than the case before us. 
 It is well known that we were engaged in a bloody and 
 expensive war with several of the Indian tribes ; that 
 two of our armies had been routed by them ; and that we 
 were finally compelled to make great efforts to turn the 
 tide of victory. These Indians were encouraged and aid- 
 ed by the emissaries of Great Britain. British subjects 
 were seen disguised fighting in their ranks, and British 
 agents were known to furnish them with provisions, and 
 the implements of war. The Governor-General of Cana- 
 da, a highly confidential and distinguished officer, deliver- 
 ed a speech to the Seven Nations of Lower Canada, excit- 
 ing them to enmity against this country ; but in order to 
 
284 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 furnish the savages at war with sufficient aid, a detach- 
 ment of British troops penetrated into our territory, and 
 erected a Fort on the Miami River. Here the Indians, 
 dispersed and defeated by Wayne, took refuge, and were 
 protected under the muzzle of the British cannon. A vio- 
 lation of territory is one of the most flagrant injuries 
 which can be offered to a nation, and would in most cases 
 justify an immediate resort to arms, because in most cases 
 essential to self-defence. Not content with exciting the 
 savages of America against us, Great Britain extended her 
 hostility to the eastern hemisphere, and let loose the bar- 
 barians of Africa upon us. A war existed at that time 
 between Portugal and Algiers. The former blocked up 
 the mouth of the Straits, by her superior naval force, and 
 prevented the pirates from a communication with the At- 
 lantic. Portugal has been for a long time subservient to 
 the views of Great Britain. A peace was effected through 
 the mediation of the latter. Our unprotected merchant- 
 men were then exposed, without defence, to the piracies 
 of Algiers. Thus in three-quarters of the globe we at one 
 time felt the effects of British enmity. In the meantime 
 our commerce in every sea was exposed to her rapacity. 
 All France was declared in a state of siege, and the con- 
 veyance of provisions expressly interdicted to neutrals. Pa- 
 per blockades were substituted for actual ones, and the sta- 
 ple commodities of our country lay perishing in our store- 
 houses, or were captured on the ocean, and were diverted 
 from the lawful proprietors. Our seamen were pressed 
 wherever found. Our protections were a subject of derision, 
 and opposition to the imperious mandates of their haughty 
 tyrants was punished by famine or by stripes ; by imprison- 
 ment, or by the gibbet. To complete the full measure of our 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 285 
 
 wrongs, the November orders of 1792 were issued; our 
 ships were swept from the ocean, as if by the operation of 
 enchantment ; hundreds of them were captured ; ahnost all 
 our merchants were greatly injured, and many of them were 
 reduced to extreme poverty. These proceedings, without 
 even a pretext, without the forms of justice, without the 
 semblance of equity, were calculated to inflame every 
 American feeling, and to nerve every American arm. 
 Negotiation was however pursued ; an envoy extraordi- 
 nary, in every sense of the word, was sent to demand re- 
 dress ; and a treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, 
 was formed and ratified. These events took place under 
 the administration of Washington. The Spanish treaty, 
 concluded on the 27th October, 1795, stipulated for a set- 
 tlement of boundaries, and an adjustment of spoliations 
 on commerce, and contained a declaration of the free navi- 
 gation of the Mississippi, and a grant of the privilege of 
 deposit at New Orleans. This treaty for more than two 
 years afterwards was not executed on the part of Spain. 
 In January, 1698, a report was made to Mr. Adams, by 
 Mr. Secretary Pickering, and submitted to Congress, 
 which charged Spain with retaining her troops and garri- 
 sons within the United States ; with evading to run the 
 boundary line ; with stopping, controlling, and regulating 
 the passage of our citizens on the Mississippi ; and with 
 sending emissaries among the Indians residing within our 
 territories, in violation of the treaty and the relations of 
 amity. Here then, a treaty securing the important bene- 
 fit of deposit, was in a state of inexecution for a long pe- 
 riod. Our citizens were also interrupted in the free navi- 
 gation of the Mississippi ; and other aggressions, aflfecting 
 our territorial rights, and our internal peace, were super- 
 
286 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 added. Was it at that time proposed by the honorable 
 gentlemen who were then in power, as it now is, when 
 they are deprived of it, to seize New Orleans with an 
 armed force ? Were they then so feelingly alive to the 
 wrongs of our western brethren ? Did they manifest that 
 irritable sensibility for national honor which is now thun- 
 dered in our ears with such extraordinary emphasis ? If it 
 is right for us to act now in the way they propose, what 
 will excuse them for not pursuing the same system then ? 
 Was their political vision darkened by the eminence on 
 which they stood ? And does it require the ordeal of ad- 
 versity to open their eyes to a true sense of their country's 
 honor and interest ? Let them answer to their constitu- 
 uents, to their consciences, and to their God. 
 
 An amicable explanation was had with Spain, and our 
 wrongs were satisfactorily redressed. This took place in 
 the administration of Mr. Adams, and when most of the 
 honorable gentlemen who support this war resolution, ex- 
 cept such as were dangling in the courts of Europe, held 
 prominent stations in the councils of the country. 
 
 Our differences with France were of a more serious na- 
 ture, and of a longer duration. They commenced in the 
 administration of Mr. Washington, and were adjusted in 
 that of his successor. Great and enormous depredations 
 were committed upon our commerce by France, and our 
 merchants were fraudulently robbed of compensation for 
 provisions supplied her in the hour of distress. The treaty 
 and consular convention were violated. The right of em- 
 bassy, a sacred right, respected even by the ferocious sava- 
 ges, was wantonly trampled upon ; and the representative of 
 our national sovereignty was refused a reception, and igno- 
 miniously ordered out of France. A fresh attempt at ne- 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 287 
 
 gotiation was made : three ministers were sent, armed 
 with all the powers, and clothed with all the honors of 
 diplomacy. They were also refused a hearing, and were 
 forced to leave the country without experiencing the forms 
 of common civility. The treaty was then annulled, and 
 reprisals directed ; and when the honorable gentlemen 
 and their friends, then in power, had worked up the pas- 
 sions of the nation to the highest pitch of exasperation ; 
 when war, blood}^ war, was expected from all quarters ; 
 when the war-worn soldiers of the Revolution were gird- 
 ing on their swords, and preparing to stand between their 
 country and the danger that menaced her, the scene sud- 
 denly changed ; the black cloud passed away ; and we 
 again beheld three ministers at Paris, extending the olive- 
 branch, burying all animosities, and returning with a trea- 
 ty of "firm^ inviolable; and universal peace, and true and 
 sincere friendship." I shall not press this subject any 
 further upon the feelings of the honorable gentlemen. I 
 read in their countenances the emotions they experience. 
 
 I have thus shewn that the course recommended for our 
 adoption is not warranted by the laws and usage of na- 
 tions, nor by the practice of our Government. I shall 
 now examine whether it is not repugnant to the best in- 
 terests of the country. 
 
 A vast augmentation of our national debt would be the 
 certain consequence of this measure. It is a moderate 
 estimate to say, that our annual expenditures, over and 
 above our surplus revenue, would be 20 millions of dol- 
 lars ; and we cannot reasonably expect that the war would 
 continue a shorter period than five years. Hence 100 
 millions would be added to our debt, and the great experi- 
 ment which we are now trying of extinguishing it in four- 
 
288 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 teen years, would certainly fail ; — an experiment which 
 has been defeated in Europe, by war and prodigality ; and 
 for the success of which, in this country, every friend of 
 republican Government looks with the greatest anxiety. 
 But this is not all : heavy and oppressive taxation would 
 be necessary, in order to pay off the interest of the ac- 
 cumulating debt, and to meet the other exigencies of 
 Government. We are now a happy nation in this respect. 
 Neither the temper nor the habits of our citizens will pa- 
 tiently submit to severe burdens ; and happily the posture 
 of our financial arrangements does not require them. 
 Give the rein, however, to chimerical notions of war ; 
 embrace the proposition now submitted to us ; and the 
 weight of your impositions will be felt in every nerve and 
 artery of our political system. Excises, taxes on houses 
 and lands, will be reintroduced, and the evils of former 
 administrations will be multiplied upon us. But the mis- 
 chief will not stop here : with the increasing calls for 
 money from the people, their means to satisfy them will 
 be diminished. The superior naval force of the enemy 
 would cripple our commerce in every quarter of the globe. 
 Great Britain and Spain hold the keys of the Mediterra- 
 nean : we should therefore be entirely shut out of that sea, 
 unless we could persuade the former to unite her exer- 
 tions with ours. With the decay of our commerce, with 
 our exclusion from foreign markets, the labors of our far- 
 mers would be palsied ; the skill of our manufacturers 
 would be rendered useless; and with the fruits of their 
 industry perishing on their hands, or greatly undersold, 
 how would they be able to meet the augmented wants of 
 Government ? What in the mean time would become of 
 the claim of our merchants upon Spain, for at least five 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 289 
 
 millions of dollars ; and to what perils would your com- 
 mercial cities be exposed ? These certain evils would be 
 encountered, without producing the least benefit to our 
 western brethren. The seizure of New Orleans would 
 vest us with a place of deposit. But a place of deposit 
 without the free navigation of the Mississippi would be 
 entirely useless. As long as the enemy holds the country 
 below New Orleans, and possesses a superior naval force, 
 so long we will be excluded from the Mississippi. Sup- 
 pose, however, this obstacle removed ; suppose we are 
 enabled to pass into the Gulf, without molestation ; is it 
 not necessary for vessels to hug the island of Cuba on 
 their passage to the Atlantic States ? And will not this 
 expose them to certain capture, as long as Spain retains 
 that important possession. To secure the great object 
 said to be aimed at by this resolution, and to establish be- 
 yond the reach of annoyance, a free communication be- 
 tween the Atlantic and western States, we must sieze not 
 only New Orleans, but the Floridas and Cuba ; and we 
 must immediately create a formidable navy. It is need- 
 less to mention that the Atlantic States are, with few ex- 
 ceptions, the carriers of western produce. Three-fourths 
 of that trade is managed by the merchants of the State I 
 • have the honor to represent. I therefore view this mea- 
 sure as pregnant with great mischief to the commerce of 
 Atlantic America, and as a certain exclusion of the west- 
 ern States from market, as long as the war shall continue. 
 It is no shght objection in the minds of the sincere 
 friends of republicanism, that this measure will have a 
 tendency to disadjust the balance of our Government, by 
 strengthening the hands of the executive, furnishing him 
 with extensive patronage, investing him with great discre- 
 
 19 
 
890 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 tionary powers, and placing under his direction a large 
 standing army. It is the inevitable consequence of war 
 in free countries, that the power which wields the force 
 will rise above the power that expresses the M^ill of the 
 people. The State Governments will also receive a se- 
 vere shock. Those stately pillars, which support the mag- 
 nificent dome of our national Government, will totter un- 
 der the increased weight of the superincumbent pressure. 
 Nor will the waste of morals, the spirit of cupidity, the 
 thirst of blood, and the general profligacy of manners, 
 which will follow the introduction of this measure, be 
 viewed by the great body of our citizens without the 
 most fearful anxiety and the most heartfelt deprecation. 
 And if there are any persons in this country, and I should 
 regret if there are any such in this house, who think 
 that a public debt is a public blessing, and that heavy 
 taxation is expedient in order to produce industry ; who 
 believe that large standing armies are essential to 
 maintain the energy, and that extensive patronage is in- 
 dispensable to support the dignity, of Government ; who 
 suppose that frequent wars are necessary to animate the | 
 human character, and to call into action the dormant en- 
 ergies of our nature ; who have been expelled from au- 
 thority and power by the indignant voice of an offended* ^ 
 country, and who repine and suffer at the great and un- I 
 exampled prosperity which this country is rapidly attain- j 
 ing under other and better auspices — such men, whoever ' 
 they are, and wherever they be, will rally round the pro- ; 
 position now before us, and will extol it to the heavens, as , 
 the model of the most profound policy, and as the offspring | 
 of the most exalted energy. I 
 
 If 1 were called upon to prescribe a course of policy 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 291 
 
 most important for this country to pursue, it would be to 
 avoid European connections and wars. The time must 
 arrive when we will have to contend with some of the 
 great powers of Europe ; but let that period be put off as 
 long as possible. It is our interest and our duty to culti- 
 vate peace, with sincerity and good faith. As a young 
 nation, pursuing industry in every channel, and adventur- 
 ing commerce in every sea, it is highly important that we 
 should not only have a pacific character, but that we 
 should really deserve it. If we manifest an unwarrant- 
 able ambition, and a rage for conquest, we unite all the 
 great powers of Europe against us. • The security of all 
 the European possessions in our vicinity will eternally de- 
 pend, not upon their strength, but upon our moderation 
 and justice. Look at the Canadas ; at the Spanish territo- 
 ries to the south ; at the British, Spanish, French, Danish, 
 and Dutch West India Islands ; at the vast countries to 
 the west, as far as where the Pacific rolls its waves. Con- 
 sider well the eventful consequences that would result, 
 if we were possessed by a spirit of conquest. Con- 
 sider well the impression which a manifestation of that 
 spirit will make upon those who would be affected by it. 
 If we are to rush at once into the territory of a neighbor- 
 ing nation, witk fire and sword, for the misconduct of a 
 subordinate officer, will not our national character be 
 greatly injured ? Will we not be classed with the robbers 
 and destroyers of mankind ? Will not the nations of 
 Europe perceive in this conduct the germ of a lofty spirit, 
 and an enterprising ambition which will level them to the 
 earth, when age has matured our strength, and expanded 
 our powers of annoyance — unless they combine to cripple 
 us in our infancy ? May not the consequences be, that 
 
292 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 we must look out for a naval force to protect our com- 
 merce. That a close alliance will result. That we will 
 be thrown at once into the ocean of European politics, 
 where every wave that rolls, and every wind that blows, 
 will agitate our bark ? Is this a desirable state of things ? 
 Will the people of this country be seduced into it by all 
 the colorings of rhetoric and all the arts of sophistry ; by 
 vehement appeals to their pride, and artful addresses to 
 their cupidity ? No, sir. Three-fourths of the American 
 people, I assert it boldly and without fear of contradiction, 
 are opposed to this measure. And would you take up arms 
 with a mill-stone hanging round your neck ? How would 
 you bear up, not only against the force of the enemy, but 
 against the irresistible curreM of public opinion. The 
 thing, sir, is impossible ; the measure is worse than mad- 
 ness : it is wicked, beyond the powers of description. 
 
 It is in vain for the mover to oppose these weighty con- 
 siderations by menacing us with an insurrection of the 
 western States, that may eventuate in their seizure of 
 New Orleans without the authority of Government ; their 
 throwing themselves into the arms of a foreign power — or 
 in a dissolution of the Union. Such threats are doubly 
 improper : improper as they respect the persons to whom 
 they are addressed — because we are not to be terrified from 
 the performance of our duty by menaces of any kind, from 
 whatever quarter they may proceed ; and it is no less im- 
 proper to represent our western brethren as a lawless un- 
 principled banditti, who would at once release themselves 
 from the wholesome restraints of law and order, forego 
 the sweets of liberty, and either renounce the blessings of 
 self-government, or like the Goths and Vandals, pour down 
 with the irresistible force of a torrent upon the countries 
 below, and carry havoc and desolation in their train. A 
 
 I 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 293 
 
 separation by a mountain, and a different outlet into the 
 Atlantic, cannot create any natural collision between the 
 Atlantic and western States. On the contrary, they are 
 bound together by a community of interests, and a simi- 
 larity of language and manners ; by the ties of consan- 
 guinity and friendship, and a sameness of principles. 
 There is no reflecting and well-principled man in this 
 country who can view the severance of the States with- 
 out horror, and who does not consider it as a Pandora's 
 box which will overwhelm us with every calamity ; and 
 it has struck me with not a little astonishment, that on 
 the agitation of almost every great political question, we 
 should be menaced with this evil. Last session, when 
 a bill repealing a judiciary act was under consideration, 
 we were told that the eastern States would withdraw them- 
 selves from the Union if it should obtain ; and we are now 
 informed, that if we do not accede to the proposition be- 
 fore us, the western States will hoist the standard of re- 
 volt, and dismember the empire. Sir, these threats are 
 calculated to produce the evils they predict ; and they may 
 possibly approximate the spirit they pretend to warn us 
 against. They are at all times unnecessary — at all times 
 improper — at all times mischievous — and ought never to 
 be mentioned within these walls. If there be a portion of 
 the United States peculiarly attached to republican Gov- 
 ernment and the present administration, I should select 
 the western States as that portion. Since the recent elec- 
 tions, there is not a single senator, or a single representa- 
 tive in Congress, from that vast country, unfriendly to the 
 present order of things ; and except in a part of the Mis- 
 sissippi Territory — and its whole population did not by the 
 last census reach nine thousand souls — there is scarcely the 
 appearance of opposition. To represent a people so re- 
 
294 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 publican, so enlightened, and so firm in their principles, as 
 ready, without any adequate cause, (for no Government 
 could watch over their interests with more paternal solici- 
 tude than the present upon the present question), to vio- 
 late their plighted faith and political integrity ; to detach 
 themselves from the Government they love, and to throw 
 themselves under the protection of nations whose politi- 
 cal systems are entirely repugnant to their own, requires 
 an extent of credulity rarely equalled — certainly never 
 surpassed. If we examine the indications of public sen- 
 timent which have reached us, we see them breathing 
 quite a contrary spirit. The legislatures of Kentucky 
 and the Mississippi Territory have expressed full confi- 
 dence in,.the conduct of the Government respecting the 
 infraction of the treaty. Virginia, which embraces a re- 
 spectable portion of western population, has done the same. 
 The legislature of Tennessee has not been in session ; but 
 from the most recent and authentic accounts, we have 
 every reason to believe that that State and the Indiana 
 Territory are entirely satisfied with the position our Gov- 
 ernment has taken. The infant State of Ohio has pre- 
 sented us with an address, couched in the warmest terms 
 of affectionate attachment, equally honorable to her and 
 to us ; and her recent elections have manifested the same 
 decided spirit. Out of forty-five members returned to her 
 first legislature, there are only five to be found in the op- 
 position. Pennsylvania is the only remaining state which 
 possesses any western territory, and I need only refer you 
 to her elections to demonstrate the extraordinary attach- 
 ment to the Government which prevails in that great and 
 respectable State. In the next Congress there will not be 
 a single member in opposition from Pennsylvania, and her 
 State elections have been attended with nearly the same 
 
MISSISSIPPI aUESTION. 295 
 
 distinguished unanimily. Under the influence of such 
 honorable principles, and under the auspices of the great 
 character who so deservedly holds the reins of her govern- 
 ment, and so extensively possesses the confidence of his 
 fellow-citizens, we have nothing to apprehend on her part 
 from the evils with which we have been so liberally men- 
 aced. Delaware — which has no western country, which 
 carries on little or no trade with the western States, and 
 which has no immediate interest in the present question — 
 has indeed lifted up her voice against the measures of the 
 general Administration, and has demanded a more ener- 
 getic course. I shall be the last man to speak disrespect- 
 fully of any of the State Governments. I mean not to 
 disparage the conduct of Delaware ; and I trust I do not, 
 when I say that New York, which has a greater interest 
 in the Spanish infraction than any of the Atlantic States, 
 is entitled to equal attention ; and she has, through her 
 Legislature and executive, declared her warmest approba- 
 tion of the course pursued by the general Government on 
 this interesting occasion. 
 
 It is equally in vain for the honorable mover to declare 
 that the seizure of New Orleans will facilitate negotiation, 
 and avert war; that we will lose our character if we do not ; 
 that delay will give Spain time to prepare ; that our execu- 
 tive lias taken no course that we know of; and that the oppo- 
 sition will lend us their aid if we follow their advice. In 
 opposition to these suggestions, we say that the seizure of 
 New Orleans is war in fact, and will shut out negotiation; 
 that character is to be lost, not by firm and honorable mo- 
 deration, but by rash and boyish precipitation ; that delay 
 is an evil that cannot be avoided, if we pursue the path of 
 negotiation, which is the course our Goverment has taken; 
 and that if it gives our adversary time for preparation, it 
 
296 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 will also furnish us with the same advantage ; that how- 
 ever desirable it may be to produce an union of sentiment 
 and action among our fellow-citizens, we are certain that 
 it will not result from the adoption of the present measure ; 
 that the great body of the people will consider it rash and 
 unjust ; and that in gaining the transient and doubtful 
 support of a small minority, we will alienate the affections, 
 and lose the confidence of our best friends — who will cer- 
 tainly desert us when we desert the laudable principles which 
 ought alone to entitle us to their esteem and attachment. 
 
 If negotiation shall prove successful — and of this I have 
 no doubt — all the evils resulting from war will be averted. 
 If, on the contrary, it shall eventuate unfortunately, and 
 we shall be compelled to face all consequences, and risk 
 all dangers in the maintenance of our national honor and 
 national rights, great and abundant advantages will still 
 result from the pursuit of this course ; and we will be ena- 
 bled to appeal to the swoi'd, with a full conviction of the 
 justice of our conduct ; with the unanimous suffrage of 
 our country ; and to the perfect satisfaction of the world. 
 In the mean time, we can form some necessary prepara- 
 tions, and we can ascertain the feelings and bearings of 
 foreign Governments. Every day of procrastination will 
 find us better prepared, and will give us more people, more 
 resources, more treasure, more force, with less debt. Our 
 national character will stand high for moderation and jus- 
 tice ; our own citizens, and foreign nations, will entertain 
 but one opinion on the subject ; and we can then confi- 
 dently appeal to that great and good Being, who holds in 
 his hands the destiny of nations, to smile upon our cause. 
 But, if in the inscrutable decrees of His providence it is or- 
 dained that we must perish, we will at least fall with dignity, 
 and maintain our character when we lose our existence. 
 
1823. 
 
 " On Thursday, May 8tli, 1823, was held at the City Hotel, 
 New York, the Seventh Anniversary of the American Bible So- 
 ciety. The Hon. John Jay, President of the Society, by reason 
 of his advanced age and infirmity, not being able to be present, 
 the chair was taken by Gen. Matthew Clarkson, senior Vice 
 President, who was supported by the Hon. De Witt Clinton and 
 Richard Varick, Esq., Vice Presidents." 
 
 Such was the announcement at the commencement of the Re- 
 port of proceedings of the Seventh Anniversary of the American 
 Bible Society. The venerable and distinguished men, alike the 
 pride and the ornament of the State of New York, who then 
 constituted its officers, and who are named above, have all gone 
 to their rest ; but their names will be remembered while liter- 
 ature and law, philosophy and religion, have their votaries 
 among us. 
 
 The aged and honored President sent a written address to the 
 Society, which was read by the Rev. James Milnor, D.D., then 
 the Secretary for Foreign Correspondence ; and who has also 
 joined the great company of the redeemed, and whose name is 
 associated with almost all the enterprises of benevolence in the 
 land ; and who, by his talents and his exalted Christian charac- 
 ter, commanded the respect and received the afifection of all 
 who knew him. 
 
 On this occasion De Witt Clinton delivered the following 
 Address : 
 
298 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 When I had the satisfaction to attend, some years since, 
 an Anniversary Meeting of this Society, it was honored, I 
 beheve for the last time, by the presence of its venerable 
 President, who has been since numbered among the illus- 
 trious dead. His mortal remains are mouldering in the 
 grave ; but it is humbly hoped that his immortal spirit is in 
 heaven, enjoying the rewards of a well-spent life, the com- 
 munion of saints and angels, and the smiles of the Almighty 
 Father of the universe. His worthy successor is, I learn 
 with deep regret, disabled by bodily infirmity from attend- 
 ing in his place, but he has favored us with an emanation 
 from his highly-gifted mind. Like his predecessor, he was 
 a statesman of the revolution, and has rendered eminent 
 services to the Republic. After a life devoted to patriot- 
 ism, illuminated by talents, and distinguished for inde- 
 pendence and integrity, he has dedicated his setting sun 
 to the diffusion of the light of the Gospel, and has given 
 all the weight of his elevated character to the support of 
 an Institution, which embraces within its purview the 
 highest interest of the human race. He too, will, in the 
 course of nature, follow, ere long, his distinguished prede- 
 cessor. Let us render him, when living, the honors due 
 to his high office in this Institution — to his exalted merit — 
 to the purity of his private, and the usefulness of his pubhc 
 life : And under this impression I have the honor to pro- 
 pose the following resolution : — 
 
 " Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be given to the Presi- 
 dent, for the address with which he has favored the Society on the 
 present occasion, and for the lively interest which he manifests in its 
 prosperity and success." 
 
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 299 
 
 On this occasion, and as intimately connected with this 
 subject, I shall endeavor, with great diffidence, to illustrate 
 the principles, enforce the objects, and elucidate the merits 
 of associations established for diffiising the Holy Scrip- 
 tures. If it be admitted that the Bible is a revelation 
 from God, intended for the benefit of man in this world, 
 and for his happiness in a future state, it follows, as an in- 
 evitable corollary, that its extensive circulation is a duty 
 of the most imperative nature, and an interest of the high- 
 est character. However the various members of the 
 Christian community may differ about doctrine or dis- 
 cipline, they must all, notwithstanding, recognize the di- 
 vine origin, and the sacred character of the Bible ; like the 
 radii of a circle, they must all emanate from a common 
 center, and all terminate in the same periphery. 
 
 As this place is neutral ground, on which all the con- 
 tending sects of Christendom may assemble in peace, for 
 the purpose of diffusing with pious zeal the knowledge of 
 the Holy Scriptures, and of promoting, with concentrated 
 effort, the great cause of religion, how deeply is it to be 
 regretted that different views should be taken of this sub- 
 ject, and that controversy should be excited as to the dis- 
 pensation of the highest charity. For alas! it has been 
 contended that the Revelation of God to man should be 
 modified or restrained by human agency. While this op- 
 position proceeds from quarters entitled to the highest 
 respect, and is enforced by the most ingenious appeals to 
 sectarian feeling, to the passions and the imagination, it is 
 our incumbent duty to resist all attempts to intercept the 
 light of heaven from striking the earth. In maintaining 
 the preeminent merits of Bible Societies, let us not, how- 
 ever, lose sight of that charity which is the brightest 
 
300 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 ornament of the Christian character ; and let us not min- 
 gle acrimonious imputations in our vindication of a great 
 and glorious cause. The citadel of benevolence and 
 Christian charity may be defended without the use of 
 poisoned weapons, and we may refute the arguments 
 without impeaching the motives or wounding the feelings 
 of our opponents. And let it be indelibly impressed on 
 our minds, that the errors of wise men are, at least, en- 
 titled to sympathy, and that even the obliquities of good 
 men incline towards heaven. 
 
 Whatever glosses may be thrown on this subject, and 
 whatever disguises may be adopted, it is obvious that the 
 opposition must finally entrench itself in the obsolete ex- 
 ploded doctrine of the danger of illuminating mankind. 
 And no person can take this ground without entertaining 
 erroneous views of the fabric of human society and of the 
 high destinies of religion. In its full latitude and unquali- 
 fied extent, it compels us to consider the ruler every thing 
 and the people nothing, and to substitute the exposition of 
 the priest for the will of the Deity. As ignorance is the 
 patron of error and the enemy of truth, the diffusion of 
 knowledge is friendly to the propagation of religion and 
 the ascendancy of good government. If it teach man his 
 rights, it also teaches him his duties. " Truth and good- 
 ness," said an illustrious philosopher, " differs but as the 
 seal and the print ; for truth prints goodness, and they be 
 the clouds of error which descend in the storms of pas- 
 sions and perturbations." 
 
 To deny the full benefit of the Scriptures, in the most 
 unlimited and unsophisticated shape, to all the family of 
 mankind, is to assume the ground of our incapacity for the 
 full reception of the revealed will of heaven ; and the 
 
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 301 
 
 whole assumption is predicated on the most untenable pre- 
 mises. If the Almighty, in the plenitude of his goodness, 
 has graciously condescended to promulgate his will to the 
 human race, we cannot deny our capacity to understand 
 the revelation without charging Divine Providence wdth 
 an useless dispensation. And if we take refuge in the 
 pale of sectarian pretensions, and insist that the light of 
 the Gospel shall only reach us through the refracting 
 medium of human illustration, is not this a virtual aban- 
 donment of the controversy ? The Deity, in declaring his 
 will, announced that man was able to receive, and ought 
 to enjoy the full benefit of the revelation. And in con- 
 tending that it must be conveyed in an exclusive channel, 
 or only through certain selected organs, we fully concede 
 that human nature may be rendered a fit depository as 
 well as channel of divine truth. And to borrow the lan- 
 guage of a great philosopher, " to say that a blind custom 
 of obedience should be a surer obligation than duty taught 
 and understood, is to affirm that a blind man may tread 
 surer by a guide, than a seeing man can by a light." 
 Within this narrow compass is comprised the whole phi- 
 losophy of the debate. 
 
 I believe that it is not generally understood that human 
 reason cannot in itself furnish certain demonstration of a 
 future state. The aspirations of the soul after im- 
 mortality — the general impressions of mankind — the con- 
 stitution of the human mind, and the benign attributes of 
 the Deity, render it highly probable that our existence is 
 not bounded by the narrow limits of this world. But it is 
 well known that every link in this concatenation of rea- 
 soning, every circumstance in this enumeration of consid- 
 eration has been assailed with no inconsiderable force. 
 
302 DE WITT CLINTOW. 
 
 And it must be admitted that the highest efforts of the 
 human mind have been unable to afford suitable and dis- 
 tinct views of our mode of existence in a future state. 
 Even the end of our creation has been the subject of 
 doubt and debate : and the powers of philosophy, the 
 fictions of mythology, and the subtilties of metaphysics 
 have been unsuccessfully .employed in dispelling the clouds 
 and darkness that rested for ages over the destinies of 
 mankind. Some have supposed that this world was cre- 
 ated to punish man for the sins committed in a pre- 
 existent state. Others have imagined that it sprung from 
 a fortuitous concourse of atoms, or an infinite series of 
 causes, and that man is the creature of chance, has no 
 fixed destination, and will experience the fate of other 
 organic matter. Some have considered him as created to 
 afford amusement to superior beings, and to be " the 
 standing jest of heaven," while others have contended 
 that his existence is essential to complete the series of 
 created substances, and to supply a necessary link in the 
 chain of being. 
 
 If the end and aim of our being in this world have ap- 
 peared so obscure to the benighted vision of human reason, 
 what may we not expect from its views of a future state ? 
 The most sublime flights of poetry, and the most profound 
 elaborations of philosophy have altogether failed in fur- 
 nishing luminous, distinct, and cheering prospects of 
 immortality. The most alluring views of heaven were 
 entirely derived from the earth ; and the final allotment of 
 the virtuous was only a transit from this world to a ma- 
 terial paradise. 
 
 Some safer world in depth of woods embrac'd, 
 Some happier island in the wat'ry waste. 
 
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 303 
 
 In the bowers of bliss ; in the gardens of dehght ; in the 
 fields of Elysium ; in the seats of the illustrious and beati- 
 fied dead, there was always a retrospective longing, linger- 
 ing look, at the superior fascinations of this world. The 
 great epic bard of Rome, after he had exhausted the 
 powers of his creative mind in describing the delights of 
 the Elysian Fields, asserts the return of the souls of the 
 departed to this world, in order to reanimate other bodies. 
 And the father of heroic poetry, " whose magic muse 
 soared to the topmost heaven of gandeur," describes his 
 heroes as dissatisfied with their portion in the regions of 
 blessedness. When Ulysses congratulates Achilles on his 
 supremacy over the mighty dead, the latter indignantly 
 exclaims, that he would rather be a servile hind, and ea^ 
 the bread of poverty on earth, than exercise imperial au- 
 thority over all the Shades. 
 
 Whole nations were ignorant of a future state ; and 
 others had but feeble glimmerings of light on this subject. 
 The ancient philosophers were divided in their views. 
 Many of them utterly discredited, and some openly ridi- 
 culed an hereafter. The consequences of this state of 
 things were in every respect most deplorable : they were 
 felt in every vein and artery of social combination, and in 
 every aspect and conformation of conduct and character. 
 The ancients, who disbelieved in a future state, were utterly 
 unable to account for the moral phenomena of this world. 
 When they considered the events and vicissitudes of life — 
 when they beheld the accumulation of laurels on the brow 
 of the tyrant, the oppressor rolling in affluence, and the 
 murderer defying punishment — when they perceived the 
 wise and the virtuous shrouded in obscurity and over- 
 whelmed with calamity — when they saw Cato driven to 
 
304 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 suicide, Socrates to hemlock, an Aristides in exile, and 
 heard the dying Brutus exclaim, that virtue was an empty 
 name — in what a dreadful position did they stand? A 
 knowledge of a future world would have elucidated all in- 
 congruities, solved all doubts, dispelled all darkness. They 
 sometimes, indeed, endeavored to vindicate the ways of 
 God to man, by alleging that in this sublunary state virtue 
 was its own reward ; that vice was attended by an appro- 
 priate punishment, and that a man's enormities were at 
 least visited on his posterity ; and when forced from the 
 full extent of their positions by the testimony of daily ex- 
 perience, they took refuge in atheism, or inculcated that 
 the Deity had no agency in the concerns of this world, or 
 adopted the system of polytheism, and believed in 
 
 Gods partial, changeful, passionate, unjust ; 
 Whose attributes were rage, revenge, or lust. 
 
 In this state of moral darkness, Jesus Christ appeared, 
 pointing out the way to heaven, and shedding light over 
 the world. What was before uncertain he rendered cer- 
 tain : for to adopt the words of the great apostle, "he hath 
 abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to 
 Ught through the Gospel." And herein consists a charac- 
 teristic feature and a peculiar excellence of the Christian 
 dispensation. It lifted the vail which concealed futurity 
 from view, and that separated time from eternity ; and it 
 afforded clear demonstrations of the life to come. All doubts 
 on this subject have vanished, for a belief in the Chistian 
 religion is utterly incompatible with a disbelief of a future 
 state. Christianity not only ascertains its existence, but 
 points out our destinies in it. Instead of the sensual enjoy- 
 ments of a Mahometan Paradise — instead of the Elysian 
 
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 305 
 
 Fields of Pagan superstition, or the transmigrations of the 
 Metempsychosis, " our minds are lifted up from the dun- 
 geon of the body to the enjoyment of the divine essence 
 of the Almighty," and we are endowed with 
 
 Perfections absolute, graces divine, 
 And amplitade of mind to greatest deeds. 
 
 Christianity may be contemplated in two important 
 aspects. First, in reference to its influence on this world ; 
 and secondly, in reference to our destiny in the world to 
 come. And whatever may be intimated to the contrary by 
 the sneers of infidelity, or the cavils of scepticism, it may 
 be asserted boldly, and can be demonstrated conclusively, 
 that to its celestial influence we are indebted for the bless- 
 ings of civilization, the elevation of the female character, 
 the enjoyment of domestic happiness, the successful 
 cultivation of knowledge, the establishment of free go- 
 vernment, and the dominion of good order and peace, 
 wherever they prevail in the great communities of man- 
 kind. 
 
 Had I the time and the talent, I would proceed with 
 pleasure to establish these positions ; but restricted as I am 
 in both respects, I can only glance at some of the leading 
 topics. 
 
 We are governed by our hopes and our fears — by the 
 desire of happiness and the dread of misery. The laws 
 which regulate our conduct, are the laws of man, and the 
 laws of God. To which may be added, as exercising a 
 strong influence, and in many instances, a controlling 
 power over our actions, an anxious desire to acquire the 
 good will, and to avoid the contempt of our fellow crea- 
 tures by a conformity to the general sense of right and 
 wrong. This is denominated by Mr. Locke the law of 
 opinion. The sanctions of laws, in order to be complete, 
 
 20 
 
306 I>E WITT CLINTON. 
 
 ought to comprise rewards as well as punishments. The 
 inefficacy of human laws for their intended objects, is 
 palpable from the daily operations of society, and the ac- 
 cumulated experience of ages. Secret crimes are of course 
 unpunished ; and how many of the guilty escape from the 
 want of testimony — from casualties — and from the imper- 
 fect or perverse dispensation of justice and mercy : and 
 there are many aberrations from virtue which do not 
 come within the cognizance or the policy of human legis- 
 lation. Violations of what are termed the duties of im- 
 perfect obligation answer to this description. Ingratitude 
 — infidelity in friendship — the want of charity — an infrac- 
 tion of hospitality — are not punished by the tribunals of 
 men. And deeds of the most dangerous character, which 
 strike at the very foundation of private happiness and 
 public prosperity, are sometimes not considered criminal. 
 Lying and adultery, for instance, escape with impunity. 
 The complex machinery of government, the arduous ad- 
 ministration of justice, and the embarrassment and dif- 
 ficulties w^hich surround the operations of legislation, fre- 
 quently produce crimes peculiar to the social combinations 
 of man, and generate evils unknown in a state of nature. 
 But in addition to these considerations, it may be remarked, 
 that the innocent are frequently punished instead of the 
 guilty, and that human laws are entirely destitute of the 
 sanction of rewards. To confer honors for obedience 
 would be as ridiculous as unavailing. The honor of many 
 would resolve itself into the honor of none. To dispense 
 pecuniary rewards would be nugatory or impracticable. 
 In an unqualified extent, no government would be able to 
 supply the funds ; and even in a restricted form, its opera- 
 tion would be to receive money with one hand as a 
 
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 307 
 
 premium, and to pay it back with the other in the shape 
 of a tax. 
 
 The efficacy of the law of opinion is also limited, and 
 has all the imperfections attached to humanity. It cannot 
 reach those who are hardened in infamy and plunged in 
 iniquity ; and its sanctions do not extend beyond the limits 
 of this world. Hypocrisy braves its denunciations ; ex- 
 alted rank and great opulence feel, in some degree, supe- 
 rior to its terrors ; and the stoic in his apathy, the anchor- 
 ite in his seclusion, and the misanthrope in his hatred, look 
 with ineffable contempt on the men and the things of this 
 world. And to this it may be added that the law of opin- 
 ion does not always present an immutable standard of 
 virtue, and an unnerring criterion of excellence ; but some- 
 times connives at departures from the rules of morality. 
 • The sanctions of the Divine law supply all these defi- 
 ciencies, cover the whole area of human action, reach 
 every case, punish every sin, and recompense every vir- 
 tue. Its rewards and its punishments are graduated with 
 perfect justice; and its appeals to the hopes and fears of man 
 are of the most potent character and transcendant influence. 
 
 The codes of men and the laws of opinion derive a great 
 portion of their weight from the influence of a future 
 world. Justice cannot be administered without the sanc- 
 tity of truth ; and the great security against perjury is the 
 amenability of another state. The sanctions of religion 
 compose the foundations of good government ; and the 
 ethics, doctrines, and examples furnished by Christianity 
 exhibit the best models for the laws of opinion. 
 
 The imperfect views which the Pagan religion afforded 
 of futurity, had, notwithstanding, considerable influence on 
 the interests of mankind. Herodotus represents the peo- 
 ple called the immortal Getae, on account of their belief in 
 
308 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 a future state, as the bravest and most upright of the 
 Thracian nations. And Juvenal ascribes the horrible de- 
 pravity of the age to the reigning infidelity which had ex- 
 ploded from the public creed the Stygian Lake, and other 
 terrors of the ancient mythology. 
 
 The Christian religion, armed with power, endowed 
 with light fortified by truth, and revealed by God, fore- 
 told in the prophecies, attested by miracles, sealed with 
 the blood of the saints, and sublimed by the morality of 
 Heaven, is thus presented to man, exhibiting him in a state 
 of probation, and enforcing his good conduct in this tran- 
 sitory state in order to secure his felicity iu the regions of 
 eternal bliss. It places what Archimedes wanted, the 
 lever of power on another and a better world, and con- 
 trols all the operations of man in union Avith the prescrip- 
 tions of Divine love. 
 
 Feeble and imperfect as this view is, it notwithstand- 
 ing presents powerfuil inducements to encourage your ani- 
 mated perseverance and redouble exertions in the cause of 
 philanthropy and religion. Institutions like this unite in 
 the bonds of friendship and charity all their cultivators, 
 without regard to kindred, sect, tongue, or nation. In this 
 place an altar is erected to concord — peace is declared 
 among the most discordant sects — and the parti-colored 
 coat of Joseph is exchanged for the seamless garment of 
 Christ ; and in such a holy cause, be assured that the vi- 
 sitations of Divine approbation will attend your proceed- 
 ings — that opposition will prove like the struggles of a 
 river with the ocean — and that although mountains of so- 
 phistry may be piled on mountains of invective, like Ossa 
 on Pelion, yet that all such attempts will terminate like 
 the fabled wars of the Titans, and can never prevail 
 against truth and Heaven. 
 
1809. 
 
 The cause of popular education was ever near to the heart 
 of Mr. Clinton. He was an early friend of the Free Schools, 
 and was President of the Society, and delivered the following 
 address to the benefactors and friends of the Society in the city of 
 New York, on the 11th of December, 1809. The occasion was 
 " the opening of that Institution in their new and spacious build- 
 ing." It will be remembered that he was at this period Mayor of 
 the city of New York. In connection with this address, it may 
 be interesting to give an extract from the last Message of Gov. 
 Clinton to the Legislature, 1st January, 1828. In the following 
 address, and in the message, the subject of classical or collegiate 
 education for the most promising and talented of the children of 
 poor parents is considered and earnestly recommended. 
 
 Thus in his Message, he says : — " Permit me to solicit your at- 
 tention to the two extremes of education, — the highest and the low- 
 est ; and this I do in order to promote the cultivation of those whom 
 nature has gifted with genius, but to whom fortune has denied 
 the means of education. Let it be our ambition (and no ambi- 
 tion can be more laudable), to dispense to the obscure, the poor, 
 the humble, the friendless, and the distressed, the power of ris- 
 ing to usefulness and acquiring distinction. With this view, 
 provision ought to be made for the gratuitous education in our 
 Colleges of youth eminent for the talents they have displayed, 
 and the virtues they have cultivated in the subordinate Semi- 
 
10 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 narics. This would call into activity all the facultip.a of genius ; 
 — all the efforts of industry, all the incentives to ambition, and 
 all the motives to cnterprize — and place the merits of transcend- 
 ent intellect on a level, at least, with the factitious claims of 
 fortune and ancestry." 
 
 The Free Academy in the city of New York, will accomplish 
 this object. The following is the Address of 1809, above re- 
 ferred to : 
 
 On an occasion so interesting to this Institution, when 
 it is about to assume a more respectable shape, and to ac- 
 quire a spacious and permanent habitation, it is no more 
 than a becoming mark of attention to its patrons, bene- 
 factors and friends, assembled for the first time in this 
 place, to delineate its origin, its progress, and its present 
 situation. The station which I occupy in this Associa- 
 tion, and the request of my much respected colleagues, 
 have devolved this task upon me — a task which I should 
 perform with unmingled pleasure if my avocations had 
 afforded me time to execute it with fidelity. And I trust 
 that the humble objects of your bounty, presented this day 
 to your view, will not detract from the solemnity of the 
 occasion — " That ambition will not mock our useful toil, 
 nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile the simple an- 
 nals of the poor." 
 
 In casting a view over the civilized world, we find an 
 universal accordance in opinion on the benefits of educa- 
 tion ; but the practical exposition of this opinion exhibits a 
 deplorable contrast. While magnificent Colleges and 
 Universities are erected, and endowed, and dedicated to 
 hterature, we behold few liberal appropriations for diffusing 
 
FREE SCHOOLS. 311 
 
 the blessings of knowledge among all descriptions of peo- 
 ple. The fundamental error of Europe has been to con- 
 fine the light of knowledge to the wealthy and the great, 
 while the humble and the depressed have been as sedu- 
 lously excluded from its participation as the wretched 
 criminal, immured in a dungeon, is from the light of Hea- 
 ven. This cardinal mistake is not only to be found in the 
 institutions of the old world and in the condition of its in- 
 habitants, but it is to be seen in most of the books which 
 have been written on the subject of education. The cele- 
 brated Locke, whose treatises on government and the hu- 
 man understanding have covered him with immortal glo- 
 ry, devoted the powers of his mighty intellect, to the elu- 
 cidation of education — but in the very threshold of his 
 book, we discover this radical error — his treatise is pro- 
 fessedly intended for the children of gentlemen. " If those 
 of that rank (says he), are by their education once set 
 right, they will quickly bring all the rest in order ;" and 
 he appears to consider the education of other children as 
 of little importance. The consequence of this monstrous 
 heresy has been, that ignorance, the prolific parent of 
 every crime and vice, has predominated over the great 
 body of the people, and a corresponding moral debasement 
 has prevailed. " Man differs more from man, than man 
 from beast,"* says a writer, once celebrated. This re- 
 mark, however generally false, will certainly apply with 
 great force to a man in a state of high mental cultivation, 
 and man in a state of extreme ignorance. 
 
 This view of human nature is indeed calculated to ex- 
 cite the most painful feelings ; and it entirely originates 
 from a consideration of the predominating error which I 
 have exposed. To this source must the crimes and ca- 
 
 * Montaigne's Essays. 
 
312 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 •amities of the old world be principally imputed. Igno- 
 rance is the cause as well as the effect of bad govern- 
 ments, and without the cultivation of our rational powers, 
 we can entertain no just ideas of the obligations of moral- 
 ity or the excellencies of religion. Although England is 
 justly renowned for its cultivation of the arts and sciences, 
 and although the poor rates of that country exceed five 
 millions sterling per annum, yet (I adopt the words of an 
 eminent British writer), "there is no Protestant coun- 
 try where the education of the poor has been so gross- 
 ly and infamously neglected as in England."* If one- 
 tenth part of that sum had been applied to the education 
 of the poor, the blessings of order, knowledge, and inno- 
 cence would have been diffused among them, the evil 
 would have been attacked at the fountain head, and a 
 total revolution would have taken place in the habits and 
 lives of the people, favorable to the cause of industry, 
 good morals, good order, and rational religion. 
 
 More just and rational views have been entertained on 
 this subject in the United States. Here, no privileged or- 
 ders — no factitious distinctions in society — no hereditary 
 nobility — no established religion — no royal prerogatives 
 exist, to interpose barriers between the people, and to cre- 
 ate distinct classifications in society. All men being con- 
 sidered as enjoying an equality of rights, the propriety and 
 necessity of dispensing, without distinction, the blessings 
 of education, followed of course. In New England the 
 greatest attention has been invariably given to this impor- 
 tant object. In Connecticut, particularly, the schools are 
 supported at least three-fourths of the year by the interest 
 of a very large fund created for that purpose, and a small 
 tax on the people ; the whole amounting to seventy-eight 
 
 * Edinburgh Review. 
 
FKEE SCHOOLS. 313 
 
 thousand dollars per annum. The result of this beneficial 
 arrangement is obvious and striking. Our Eastern breth- 
 ren are a well-informed and moral people. In those 
 States it is as uncommon to find a poor man who cannot 
 read and write, as it is rare to see one in Europe who can. 
 
 Pennsylvania has followed the noble example of New 
 England. On the fourth of April last, a law was passed 
 in that State, entitled " An act to provide for the educa- 
 cation of the poor, gratis." The expense of educating 
 them is made a county charge, and the county commis- 
 sioners are directed to carry the law into execution. 
 
 New York has proceeded in the same career, but on a 
 different, and perhaps more eligible plan. For a few years 
 back, a fund has been accumulating with great celerity, so- 
 lemnly appropriated to the support of common schools. 
 This fund consists at present of near four hundred thou- 
 sand dollars in bank stock, mortgages, and bonds; and 
 produces an annual interest of upwards of twenty-four 
 thousand dollars. The capital will be augmented by the 
 accumulating interest and the sale of three hundred and 
 thirty-six thousand acres of land. When the interest on 
 the whole amounts to fifty thousand dollars, it will be in a 
 state of distribution. It is highly probable that the whole 
 fund will, in a few years, amount to twelve hundred and 
 fifty thousand dollars, yielding a yearly income of seventy- 
 five thousand dollars. If population is taken as the ratio 
 of distribution, the quota of this city will amount to seven 
 thousand five hundred dollars, a sum amply sufficient on 
 the plan of our establishment, if judiciously applied, to ac- 
 commodate all our poor with a gratuitous education. 
 
 On a comparison of the plan of this State with that of 
 Pennsylvania, it will probably be found that we are enti- 
 
314 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 tied to the palm of superior excellence. Our capital is 
 already created, and nothing more is requisite than a judi- 
 cious distribution — whereas the expense of school esta- 
 blishments in that State, is to be satisfied by annual bur- 
 dens. The people of Pennsylvania are therefore interest- 
 ed against a faithful execution of the plan, because the less 
 that is applied to education, the less they will have to pay 
 in taxation. Abuses and perversions will of course arise 
 and multiply in the administration of the public bounty. 
 And the laws of that State being liable to alteration or re- 
 peal, her system has not that permanency and stability to 
 which ours can lay claim. It is true that our Legislature 
 may divert this fund, but it would justly be considered a 
 violation of public faith, and a measure of a very violent 
 character. As long as the public sentiment is correct in 
 this respect, we have no reason to apprehend that any 
 Legislature will be hardy enough to encounter the odium 
 of their constituents, and the indignation of posterity. 
 And we have every reason to believe, that this great 
 fund, established for sinking vice and ignorance, will 
 never be diverted or destroyed, but that it will remain 
 unimpaired, and in full force and vigor to the latest 
 posterity, as an illustrious establishment, erected by the 
 benevolence of the State for the propagation of knowledge, 
 and the diffusion of virtue among the people. 
 
 A number of benevolent persons had seen, with con- 
 cern, the increasing vices of this city, arising in a great 
 degree from the neglected education of the poor. Great 
 cities are at all times the nurseries and hot-beds of crime. 
 Bad men from all quarters repair to them, in order to ob- 
 tain the benefit of concealment, and to enjoy in a superior 
 degree the advantages of rapine and fraud. And the 
 
FRFR SrTIOOT,g, 315 
 
 dreadful examples of vice, which are presented to youth, 
 and the alluring forms in which it is arrayed, connected 
 with a spirit of extravagance and luxury, the never-fail- 
 ing attendant of great wealth and extensive business, can- 
 not fail of augmenting the mass of moral depravity. " In 
 London, says a distinguished writer on its police, above 
 twenty thousand individuals rise every morning, without 
 knowing how, or by what means they are to be supported 
 through the passing day, and in many instances even 
 where they are to lodge on the ensuing night."* There 
 can be no doubt that hundreds are in the same situation in 
 this city, prowling about our streets for prey, the victims 
 of intemperance, the slaves of idleness, and ready to fall 
 into any vice, rather than to cultivate industry and good 
 order. How can it be expected that persons so careless 
 of themselves, will pay any attention to their children ? 
 The mendicant parent bequeaths his squalid poverty to 
 his offspring, and the hardened thief transmits a legacy of 
 infamy to his unfortunate and depraved descendants. In- 
 stances have occurred of little children, arraigned at the 
 bar of our criminal courts, who have been derelict and 
 abandoned, without a hand to protect, or a voice to guide 
 them through life. When interrogated as to their connec- 
 tions, they have replied, that they were without home and 
 without friends. In this state of turpitude and idleness, 
 leading lives of roving mendicancy and petty depredation ' 
 they existed a burden and a disgrace to the community. 
 
 True it is, that Charity Schools, entitled to eminent 
 praise, were established in this city, but they were attach- 
 ed to particular sects, and did not embrace children of dif- 
 ferent persuasions. Add to this that some denominations 
 
 * Colquhoun on Police of London. 
 
31 B DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 were not provided with those establishments, and that 
 children, the most in want of instruction, were necessa- 
 rily, excluded, by the irreligion of their parents, from the 
 benefit of education. 
 
 After a full view of the case, those persons of whom I 
 have spoken, agreed that the evil must be corrected at its 
 source, and that education was the sovereign prescription. 
 Under this impression, they petitioned the Legislature, 
 who, agreeably to their application, passed a law on the 
 9th of April, 1805, entitled, " An Act to incorporate the 
 Society instituted in the city of New York for the Esta- 
 blishment of a Free School, for the education of poor chil- 
 dren, who do not belong to, or are not provided for, by 
 any religious society." — Thirteen Trustees were elected 
 under this Act, on the first Monday of the ensuing May, 
 with power to manage the aflfairs of the Corporation. On 
 convening together, they found that they had undertaken 
 a great task, and encountered an important responsibility ; 
 without funds, without teachers, without a house in which to 
 instruct, and without a system of instruction; and that their 
 only reliance must be on their own industry, on the liberality 
 of the public, on the bounty of the constituted authoj ities, 
 and on the smiles of the Almighty Dispenser of all good. 
 
 In the year 1798, an obscure man of the name of Joseph 
 Lancaster, possessed of an original genius and a most saga- 
 cious mind, and animated by a sublime benevolence, de- 
 voted himself to the education of the poor of Great-Britain, 
 Wherever he turned his eyes, he saw the deplorable state 
 to which they were reduced by the prevalence of igno- 
 rance and vice. He first planted his standard of charity 
 in the city of London, where it was calculated that forty 
 thousand children were left as destitute of instruction as 
 
FREE SCHOOLS. 317 
 
 the savages of the desert. And he proceeded by degrees, 
 to form and perfect a system, which is in education what 
 the most finished machines for abridging labor and ex- 
 pense are in the mechanic arts. 
 
 It comprehends reading, writing, arithmetic, and the 
 knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. It arrives at its ob- 
 ject with the least possible trouble and at the least possi- 
 ble expense. Its distinguishing characters are economy, 
 facility, and expedition, and its peculiar improvements are 
 cheapness, tfictivity, order, and emulation. It is impossi- 
 ble on this occasion to give a detailed view of the system. 
 For this I refer you to a publication entitled, " Improve- 
 ments in Education, &c., by Joseph Lancaster," and for 
 its practical exposition, I beg you to look at the operations 
 of this seminary. Reading in all its processes, from the 
 alphabet upwards, is taught at the same time with writing, 
 commencing with sand, proceeding to the slate, and from 
 thence to the copy-book. And to borrow a most just and 
 striking remark, " The beauty of the system is, that noth- 
 ing is trusted to the boy himself — he does not only repeat 
 the lesson before a superior, but he learns before a supe- 
 rior."* Solitary study does not exist in the establish- 
 ment. The children are taught in companies. Constant 
 habits of attention and vigilance are formed, and an 
 ardent spirit of emulation kept continually alive. Instruc- 
 tion is performed through the instrumentality of the 
 scholars. The school is divided into classes of ten, and 
 a chief, denominated a Monitor, is appointed over each 
 class, who exercises a didactic and supervisional authority. 
 The discipline of the school is enforced by shame, rather 
 than by the infliction of pain. The punishments are 
 
 * Edinburgh Review. 
 
318 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 varied with circumstances ; and a judicious distribution of 
 rewards, calculated to engage the infant mind in the dis- 
 charge of its duty, forms the keystone which binds toge- 
 ther the whole edifice. 
 
 Upon this system, Lancaster superintended in person a 
 school of one thousand scholars, at an annual expense of 
 three hundred pounds sterling. In 1806, he proposed, by 
 establishing twenty or thirty schools in different parts of 
 the kingdom, to educate ten thousand poor children, at 
 four shillings per annum each. This proposition has been 
 carried into effect, and he has succeeded in establishing 
 twenty schools in different parts of the kingdom, all of 
 which are under the care of teachers, educated by him' 
 few of whom are more than eighteen years old. Several 
 of the schools have each about three hundred scholars — 
 that at Manchester has four hundred — his great school in 
 Borough-Road, London, flourishes very much — it has 
 sometimes eleven hundred children — seldom less than 
 one thousand. 
 
 When I perceive that many boys in our school have 
 been taught to read and write in two months, who did not 
 before know the Alphabet, and that even one has accom- 
 plished it in three weeks — when I view all the bearings 
 and tendencies of this system — when I contemplate the 
 habits of order which it forms, the spirit of emulation 
 which it excites — the rapid improvement which it pro- 
 duces — the purity of morals which it inculcates — when I 
 behold the extraordinary union of celerity in instruction, 
 and economy of expense — and when I perceive one great 
 assembly of a thousand children, under the eye of a single 
 teacher, marching with unexampled rapidity, and with 
 perfect discipline, to the goal of knowledge, I confess that 
 
FREE SHOOLS. 319 
 
 I recognize in Lancaster, the benefactor of the human 
 race — I consider his system as creating a new era in edu- 
 cation, as a blessing sent down from Heaven to redeem 
 the poor and distressed of this world from the power and 
 dominion of ignorance. 
 
 Although the merits of this apostle of benevolence have 
 been generally acknowledged in his own country, and he 
 has received the countenance and protection of the first 
 men in Great Britain, yet calumny has lifted up her voice 
 against him, and attempts have been made to rob him of 
 his laurels. Danger to the Established Church and to 
 Government, has been apprehended from his endeavors to 
 pour light upon mankind. This insinuation has been 
 abundantly repelled by the tenor of his liie — his carefully 
 steering clear in his instructions of any peculiar creed, and 
 his confining himself to the general truths of Christianity. 
 " I have," says Lancaster, " been eight years engaged in 
 the benevolent work of superintending the education of 
 the poor. I have had three thousand children, who owe 
 their education to me, some of whom have left school, 
 are apprenticed or in place, and are going on well. I 
 have had great influence with both parents and children, 
 among whom there is, nevertheless, no one instance of a 
 convert to my religious profession." That knowledge is 
 the parent of sedition and insurrection, and that in pro- 
 portion as the public mind is illuminated, the principles of 
 anarchy are disseminated, is a proposition that can never 
 admit of debate, at least in this country. 
 
 But Lancaster has also been accused of arrogating to 
 himself surreptitious honors, and attempts have been 
 made to transfer the entire merit of his great discovery to 
 Dr. Bell. Whatever he borrowed from that gentleman, 
 
320 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 he has candidly acknowledged. The use of sand'in teach- 
 ing, undoubtedly came to him through that channel, but it 
 has been practised for ages by the Brahmins. He may 
 also be indebted to Bell for some other improvements, but 
 the vital leading principles of his system, are emphatically 
 an original discovery. 
 
 The trustees of this institution, after due deliberation, 
 did not hesitate to adopt the system of Lancaster, and in 
 carrying it into effect, they derived essential aid from one 
 of their body, who had seen it practised in England, and 
 who had had personal communication with its author. 
 A teacher was also selected who has fully answered 
 every reasonable expectation. He has generally fol- 
 lowed the prescribed plan. Wherever he has deviated, 
 he has improved. A more numerous, a better governed 
 school, affording equal facilities to improvement, is not to 
 be found in the United States. 
 
 Provided thus with an excellent system and an able 
 teacher, the school was opened on the 6th of May, 1806, 
 in a small apartment in Bancker street. This was the 
 first scion of the Lancaster stock engrafted in the United 
 States ; and from this humble beginning, in the course of 
 little more than three years, you all observe the rapidity 
 with which we have ascended. 
 
 One great desideratum still remained to be supplied. 
 Without sufficient funds, nothing could be efficiently 
 done. Animated appeals were made to the bounty of our 
 citizens, and five thousand six hundred and forty-eight 
 dollars were collected by subscription. Application was 
 also made to the Legislature of this State for assistance, 
 and on the 27th of February, 1807, a law was passed, ap- 
 propriating four thousand dollars, for the "purpose of 
 
FREE SCHOOLS. 321 
 
 erecting a suitable building, or buildings, for the instruc- 
 tion of poor children, and every year thereafter, the sum 
 of one thousand dollars, for the purpose of promoting the 
 benevolent objects of the Society." The preamble of this 
 liberal act contains a legislative declaration of the excel- 
 lence of the Lancaster system, in the following words : — 
 " Whereas the trustees of the Society for establishing a 
 Free School in the city of New York, for the education 
 of such poor children as do not belong to, or are not pro- 
 vided for, by any religious society, have, by their memo- 
 rial, solicited the aid of the Legislature ; and whereas 
 their plan of extending the benefits of education to pooi- 
 children, and the excellent mode of instruction adopted 
 by them, are highly deserving of the encouragement of 
 Government." 
 
 Application was also made to the Corporation of the 
 city for assistance, and the tenement in Bancker-street, 
 being in all respects inadequate to the accommodation of 
 the increasing establishment, that body appropriated a 
 building adjacent to the Alms-house, for the temporary 
 accommodation of the school, and the sum of five hun- 
 dred dollars towards putting it in repair; the Society 
 agreeing to receive and educate fifty children from the 
 Alms-house. To this place the school was removed on 
 the 1st of May, 1807, where it has continued until to-day. 
 
 The Corporation also presented the ground of this edi- 
 fice, on which was an arsenal, to the Society, on condi- 
 tion of their educating the children of the Alms-house gra- 
 tuitously ; and also the sum of fifteen hundred dollars, to 
 aid in the completion of this building. The value of this 
 lot and the old building, may be fairly estimated at ten 
 thousand dollars ; and the Society have expended above 
 21 
 
322 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 thirteen thousand dollars in the erection and completion 
 of this edifice and the adjacent buildings. The income of 
 the school, during the last year, has been about sixteen 
 hundred dollars, and its expense did not much differ from 
 that sum. This room will contain near six hundred 
 scholars, and below there are apartments for the family of 
 the teacher, for the meeting of the trustees, and for a fe- 
 male school, which may contain one hundred scholars, 
 and may be considered as an useful adjunct to this insti- 
 tution. This seminary was established about twelve years 
 ago, by a number of young women belonging to, or profess- 
 ing with, the Society of Friends ; who have, with merito- 
 rious zeal and exemplary industry, devoted much of their 
 personal attention, and all their influence, to the educa- 
 tion of poor girls in the elementary parts of education and 
 needle-work. The signal success which attended this 
 free-school animated the trustees with a desire to extend 
 its usefulness, and to render it co-extensive with the wants 
 of the community, and commensurate with the objects of 
 public bounty. A statute was accordingly passed, on 
 their application, on the 1st of April, 1808, altering the 
 style of this corporation, denominating it " The Free 
 School Society of New York," and extending its powers 
 to all children who are the proper objects of gratuitous 
 education. 
 
 From this elevation of prosperity and this fruition of 
 philanthropy, the Society had the satisfaction of seeing 
 that the wise and the good of this, and the neighboring 
 States, had turned their attention to their establishment. 
 A number of ladies of this city, distinguished for their 
 consideration in society, and honored and respected for 
 their undeviating cultivation of the charities of life, esta- 
 
&R£fi SCHOOLS. §2g 
 
 biished a society for the very humane, charitable, and lau- 
 dable purposes of protecting, relieving, and instructing 
 orphan children. This institution was incorporated on 
 the 7th of April, 1807, under the style of "The Orphan 
 Asylum Society in the City of New York," and at a sub- 
 sequent period the Legislature, under a full conviction of 
 its great merits and claims to public patronage, made a 
 disposition in its favor, which will, in process of time, prO' 
 duce five thousand dollars. 
 
 A large building, fifty feet square and three stories high, 
 has been erected for its accommodation, in the suburbs of 
 the city, and it now contains seventy children, who are 
 supported by the zeal and benevolence of its worthy mem- 
 bers, and educated on the plan of this institution, at an 
 annual expense of two thousand dollars. 
 
 An economical school, whose principal object is the in- 
 struction of the children of the Refugees from the West 
 Indies, was opened some time since in this city^ where, in 
 addition to the elementary parts of education, Grammar, 
 History, Geography, and the French languagCj are taught. 
 It is conducted on the plan of Lancaster, with modifica- 
 tions and extensions, and is patronized and cherished by 
 French and American gentlemen, of great worth and re- 
 spectability, who are entitled to every praise for their be- 
 nevolence. Children of either sex are admitted, without 
 distinction of nation, religion, or fortune. This Seminary 
 is in a flourishing condition, and contains two hundred 
 scholars. There are two masters in this Seminary, and 
 two women who teach needle-work, and there is a print- 
 ing-press, where sUch as have any talents in that way are 
 taught that important art. 
 
 We have also the satisfaction of seeing the benefits of 
 
824 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 this system extended, either in whole or in part, to the 
 Charity Schools of the Dutch, Episcopal, and Methodist 
 Churches, and of the Presbyterian Church in Rutger's- 
 street ; and also to the school founded by the Manumis- 
 sion Society, for the education of the people of color ; 
 which has, in consequence of this amelioration, been aug- 
 mented from seventy to one hundred and thirty children. 
 
 In Philadelphia, the same laudable spirit has been mani- 
 fested. Two deputations from that city have visited us, 
 for the express purpose of examining our school. One of 
 these made so favorable a report on their return, that a 
 number of the more enterprising and benevolent citizens, 
 composed of members belonging to the Society of Friends, 
 immediately associated under the name of the " Adelphi 
 Society," and raised, by private subscription, a sum suffi- 
 cient to purchase a suitable lot of ground, to erect a hand- 
 some two story brick building, seventy-five feet in length, 
 and thirty-five in breadth, in which they formed two spa- 
 cious rooms. The Adelphi School now contains two hun- 
 dred children, under the care of one teacher, and is emi- 
 nently prosperous. The other deputation made also a fa- 
 vorable report, and " the Philadelphia Free School So- 
 ciety," an old and respectable institution, adopted, in con- 
 sequence, our system, where it flourishes beyond expec- 
 tation. 
 
 Two female .schools, one called the " Aimwell School," 
 in Philadelphia, and another in Burlington, New Jersey, 
 have also embraced our plan with equal success. 
 
 I trust that I shall be pardoned for this detail. The 
 origin and progress of beneficial discoveries cannot be too 
 minutely specified ; and when their diffusion can only be 
 exceeded by their excellence, we have peculiar reason to 
 
FREE SCHOOLS. 325 
 
 congratulate the friends of humanity. This prompt and 
 general encouragement is honorable to our national char- 
 acter, and shows conclusively that the habits, manners, 
 and opinions of the American people, are favorable to the 
 reception of truth and the propagation of knowledge.— 
 And no earthly consideration could induce the benevolent 
 man, to whom we are indebted for what we see this day, 
 to exchange his feelings, if from the obscure mansions of 
 indigence, in which, in all human probability he now is, 
 instilling comfort into the hearts, and infusing knowledge 
 into the minds of the poor, he could hear the voice of a 
 great and enlightened people pronouncing his eulogium, 
 and see this parent seminary, and the establishments which 
 have sprung from its bosom, diffusing light, imparting joy, 
 and dispensing virtue. His tree of knowledge is indeed 
 transplanted to a more fertile soil, and a more congenial 
 clime. It has flourished with uncommon vigor and beauty 
 — its luxuriant and wide-spreading branches afford shelter 
 to all who require it — its ambrosial fragrance fills the land 
 — and its head reaches the heavens ! 
 
 Far be it from my intention to prevent future exertion. 
 For although much has been done, yet much remains to 
 do, to carry into full effect the system. It would be im- 
 proper to conceal from you, that in order to finish this 
 edifice we have incurred a considerable debt, which our 
 ordinary income cannot extinguish ; and that, therefore, 
 we must repose ourselves on the public beneficence. It 
 has been usual to supply the more indigent children with 
 necessaries to protect them against the inclemencies of 
 winter — for without this provision, their attendance would 
 be utterly impracticable. This has hitherto been accom- 
 
326 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 plished by the bounty of individuals, and to no other 
 source can we at present appeal for success. 
 
 The law from which we derive our corporate existence 
 does not confine us to one seminary, but contemplates the 
 establishment of schools. A restriction to a single insti- 
 tution would greatly impair our usefulness, and would ef- 
 fectually discourage those exertions which are necessary 
 in order to spread knowledge among all the indigent. 
 
 Col. Henry Rutgers, with his characteristic benevo- 
 lence, has made a donation of two lots in Henry-street, 
 worth at least twenty-five hundred dollars, to this Corpo- 
 ration. By a condition contained in one of the deeds, it 
 is necessary that we should erect a school-house by June, 
 1811 ; and it is highly proper, without any reference to the 
 condition, that this should be accomplished as soon as 
 possible, in order to meet the wants of the indigent in that 
 populous part of the city. If some charitable and public- 
 spirited citizen would follow up this beneficence, and make 
 a similar conveyance on the opposite side of the city, and 
 if the liberality of the public shall dispense the means of 
 erecting the necessary buildings, then the exigencies of all 
 our poor, with respect to education, would be amply sup- 
 plied for a number of years. 
 
 After our youth are instructed in the elements of useful 
 knowledge, it is indispensable to their future usefulness 
 that some calling should be marked out for them. As 
 most of them will undoubtedly be brought up in useful 
 trades, pecuniary means to facilitate their progress to this 
 object would, if properly applied, greatly redound to the 
 benefit of the individual as well as to the good of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 In such an extensive and comprehensive establishment. 
 
FREE SCHOOLS. 327 
 
 we are to expect, according to the course of human events, 
 that children of extraordinary genius and merit will rise 
 up, entitled to extraordinary patronage. To select such 
 from the common mass — to watch over their future des- 
 tiny — to advance them through all the stages of education 
 and through all the grades of knowledge, and to settle 
 them in useful and honorable professions, are duties of 
 primary importance and indispensable obligation. This, 
 however, will require considerable funds : but of what es- 
 timation are pecuniary sacrifices when put in the scale 
 against the important benefits that may result ; and if we 
 could draw aside the veil of futurity, perhaps we might 
 see in the offspring of this establishment, so patronized and 
 so encouraged, characters that will do honor to human 
 nature — that will have it in their power — 
 
 " The applause of list'ning senates to command, 
 The threats of pain and ruin to despise ; 
 To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land, 
 And read their hist'ry in a nation's eyes. ' 
 
f^i %Mn lappa. 
 
 On the 22d of July, 1823, Mr. Clinton delivered the Annual 
 Address before the Alpha of the Phi Beta Kappa Society 
 of Union College, of Schenectady, which is given below. 
 
 Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Society — 
 
 In accepting the honor of your renewed invitations to 
 appear at this place, I have not been insensible of your 
 kind preference ; and when you were pleased to intimate 
 that the deep interest of scien ce, in exh ibitions of this na- 
 ture, might be promoted by my cooperation, I considered 
 it my imperative duty To yield a cheerful compliance. 
 When I endeavor tcPehforce those considerations which 
 ought to operate upon us generally, as men, and particu- 
 larly as Americans, to attend to the cultivation of know- 
 ledge, you will not, I am persuaded, expect that I shall 
 act the holiday orator, or attempt an ambitious parade 
 and ostentatious display, or a gaudy exhibition, which 
 would neither suit the character of the Society, the dispo- 
 sition of the speaker, the solemnity of the place, or the 
 importance of the occasion. What I say, shall come 
 strictly within the purview of the Institution ; shall be 
 
330 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 comprised in the language of unvarnished truth, and shall 
 be directed with an exclusive view to advance the interests 
 ' of literature. I shall not step aside to embellish or to daz- 
 1 zle ; to cull a flower or to collect a gem. Truth, like 
 beauty, needs not the aid of ornament ; and the cause of 
 knowledge requires no factitious assistance ; for it stands 
 on its own merits, supporting and supported by the pri- 
 mary interests of society, and deriving its effulgent light 
 from the radiations of heaven. 
 
 Man, without cultivation, differs but little from the ani- 
 mals which resemble him in form. His ideas would be 
 few and glimmering, and his meaning would be conveyed 
 by signs or by confused sounds. His food would be the 
 acorn or locusts — his habitation the cave — his pillow the 
 rock — his bed the leaves of the forest — his clothes the 
 skins of wild beasts. Destitute of accommodations, he 
 would roam at large, seeking for food, and evincing in all 
 his actions, that the state of untutored nature is a state of 
 war. If we cast our eyes over the pages of history, or 
 view the existing state of the world, we will find that this 
 description is not exaggerated or over-charged. Many 
 nations are in a condition still more deplorable and de- 
 based ; sunk to the level of brutes ; and neither in the 
 appearance of their bodies, or in the character of their 
 minds, bearing a resemblance to civilized humanity. 
 Others are somewhat more advanced, and begin to feel 
 the day-spring from on high : while those that have been 
 acclimated to virtue, and naturalized to intelligence, have 
 passed through a severe course of experiments, and a long 
 ordeal of sufferings. 
 
 Almost all the calamities of man, except the physical 
 evils which are inherent in his nature, are in a great 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 331 
 
 measure to be imputed to erroneous views of religion, or 
 bad systems of government; and these cannot be co- 
 existent for any considerable time with an extensive dif- 
 fusion of knowledge. Either the predominance of inteUi- 
 gence will destroy the government, or the government 
 will destroy it. Either it will extirpate superstition and 
 enthusiasm, or they will contaminate its purity and 
 prostrate its usefulness. Knowledge is the cause as 
 well as the effect of good government. No system of 
 government can answer the benign purposes of the social 
 combinations of man which is not predicated on liberty ; 
 and no creed of religion can sustain unsullied purity, or 
 support its high destination, which is mingled with the 
 corruptions of human government. Christianity is in its 
 essence, its doctrines, and its forms, republican. It teaches 
 our descent from a common parent ; it inculcates the 
 natural equality of mankind ; and it points to our origin 
 and our end, to our nativity and our graves, to our im- 
 mortal destinies, as illustrations of this| impressive truth. 
 But at an early period it was pressed into the service of 
 the potentates of the earth ; the unnatural union of church 
 and state was consummated ; and the scepter of Constan- 
 tine was supported by the cross of Jesus. The light of 
 knowledge was shut out from the general mass, and con- 
 fined to the select organs of tyranny ; and man was for 
 ages enveloped in the thickest gloom of intellectual and 
 moral darkness. At the present crisis in human affairs, 
 we perceive a great and portentous contest between 
 power and liberty — between the monarchical and the re- 
 presentative systems. The agonies and convulsions of 
 resuscitating nature have agitated the nations, and before 
 they are restored to their rights, and the world to its re- 
 
332 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 pose, the hand of famine, the scythe of pestilence, and the 
 sword of depopulation, will fill up the measure of human 
 calamity. 
 
 The present state of the world exhibits an extraordinary 
 aspect. In former times it was the policy of the sovereign 
 to encourage eminent merit in literature, science, and the 
 arts. The glory that was radiated on intellectual excel- 
 lence was reflected back on the government ; but these 
 dispensations of munificence were confined to the Ai'isto- 
 tles, the Virgils, and the Plinys of the age. The body of 
 the people were kept in a state of profound ignorance, and 
 considered as the profanum vulgus ; to be employed as 
 hewers of wood and drawers of water, and to be used as 
 beasts of burden or of prey, as the policy or the caprice of 
 the despot should prescribe. 
 
 The revolution effected by the invention of firinting has 
 created a corps of literary men in the cities, the universi- 
 ties, the academies, the lyceums, and philosophical socie- 
 ties of the most arbitrary governments of Europe, which 
 have exercised an influence over public opinion almost 
 irresistible. Man is the creature of imitation and sympa- 
 thy ; and however callous the sovereign might be to public 
 opinion, yet it predominated over his ministers, who in 
 reality wielded the sceptre. The consequence was, that 
 a more extensive diffusion of knowledge was promoted, and 
 the blessings of instruction visited the cottage as well as 
 the palace. Monitorial schools and religious societies 
 were generally established, and the sunshine of mental 
 and moral illumination penetrated the darkness which co- 
 vered the nations. To know our rights is to assert them. 
 The principles of the American revolution became the 
 text-book of liberty, and its practical commentaries are to 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 333 
 
 be read in the events now occurring in various parts of 
 the globe. Greece has unfurled the hply standard of li- 
 berty, and M^aves it in defiance over the crescent of Ma- 
 homet. Spanish America is breaking the chains of ty- 
 ranny : Spain and Portugal have drawn the sword in 
 vindication of the rights of man ; public opinion is opera- 
 ting with magic influence in Great Britain in favor of the 
 oppressed nations ; and the result will show that the phys- 
 ical strength of Europe must follow the train of its moral 
 power. It is in vain to say that the people now in com- 
 motion are unfit for free government. Conceding the fact, 
 it avails nothing in the argument. The human character 
 is principally moulded by knowledge, religion, freedom, 
 and government. The free States of Greece exhibited dif- 
 ferent aspects of mind, of manners, and of morals. But 
 we no longer remark as a distinguishing characteristic, 
 the etherial spirit of the Athenian, the pastoral simplicity 
 of the Arcadian, the stupidity of the BcEotian, or the laco- 
 nic brevity of the Spartan.* The sweeping hand of des- 
 potism has confounded in one mass all the delicate color- 
 ing, the lights and shades of the picture. In revolutionary 
 times great talents and great virtues, as well as great vices 
 and great follies, spring into being. The energies of our 
 nature are put into requisition, and during the whirlwind 
 and the tempest, innumerable evils will be perpetrated. 
 But all the transient mischiefs of revolutions are mild 
 when compared with the permanent calamities of arbitrary 
 power. The one is a sweeping deluge, an awful tornado, 
 which quickly passes away ; but the other is a volcano, 
 continually ejecting rivers of lava — an earthquake bur}'- 
 ing whole countries in ruin. The alleged inaptitude ol 
 
 * Hughes's Travels in Greece. 
 
§34 be Witt cLiNTOpf* 
 
 man for liberty is the effect of the oppressions which he 
 has suffered ; and until a free government can shed its 
 propitious influence over time— until, perhaps, a new ge- 
 neration has risen up under the new order of things, with 
 new habits and new principles, society will be in a state 
 of agitation and mutation ; faction will be the lord of the 
 ascendant, and frenzy and fury, denunciation and proscrip^ 
 tion, will be the order of the day. The dilemma is inevit-" 
 able. Either the happiness of the many or the predomi-* 
 nance of the few must be sacrificed. The flame of liberty 
 and the light of knowledge emanate from the same sacred 
 fire, and subsist on the same element : and the seeds of 
 instruction widely disseminated will, like the serpent's 
 teeth, in the pagan mythology, that were sown into the 
 earth, rise up against oppression in the shape of the iron 
 men of Cadmus. In such a cause, who can hesitate to 
 make an election ? The factions and convulsions of free 
 governments are not so sanguinary in character, or terrific 
 in effects, as the animosities and intestine wars of mo- 
 narchies about the succession, the insurrections of the 
 military, the prosciptions of the priesthoodj and the cru- 
 elties of the administration. The spirit of a republic is 
 the friend, and the genius of a monarchy is the enemy of 
 peace. The potentates of the earth have, for centuries 
 back, maintained large standing armies, and, on the most 
 frivolous pretexts, have created havoc and desolation. 
 And when we compare the world as it is under abitrary 
 power, with the world as it was under free republics, what 
 an awful contrast does it exhibit ! What a solemn lesson 
 does it inculcate ! The ministers of famine and pestilence, 
 of death and desJtruction, have formed the van and brought 
 up the rear of despotic authority. The monuments of the 
 
Pm BETA KAPPA. 335 
 
 arts, the fabrics of genius and skill, and the sublime erec- 
 tions of piety and science, have been prostrated in the 
 dust; and the places where Demosthenes and Cicero 
 spoke, where Homer and Virgil sang, and where Plato and 
 Aristotle taught, are now exhibited as mementos of the 
 perishable nature of human glory. The forum of Rome 
 is converted into a market for cattle ;* the sacred fountain 
 of Castalia is surrounded, not by the muses and graces, 
 but by the semi-bararous girls of Albania ;t the laurel 
 groves, and the deified heights of Parnassus, are the asy- 
 lum of banditti ; Babylon can only be traced by its 
 bricks; the sands of the desert have overwhelmed the 
 splendid city of Palmyra, and are daily encroaching on 
 fertile territories of the Nile ; and the malaria has driven 
 man from the fairest portions of Italy, and pursued him to- 
 the very gates of the Eternal City. 
 
 Considerations like these announce to us, in the most 
 impressive manner, the importance of our position in the 
 civiHzed world, and the necessity of maintaining it. The 
 reciprocal action of knowledge and free government on 
 each other, partake in some measure of the character of 
 identity ; for wherever liberty is firmly established, know- 
 ledge must be a necessary concomitant. And if we desire 
 to occupy this exalted ground — if we wish to improve, to 
 extend and to perpetuate the blessings of freedom, it is 
 essential, absolutely essential, to improve, to extend, and 
 perpetuate the blessings of education. Let us not 
 deceive ourselves by the delusions of overweening con- 
 fidence, and the chimeras of impregnable security, and 
 fondly suppose that we are to rise superior to the calami- 
 ties of other nations. Our climate is salubrious, and we 
 
 * Eustace's History, t Hughes's Travels. 
 
336 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 are free from pestilence — our soil is fertile, and famine is 
 a stranger — our character is pacific, and war is a rare oc- 
 currence ; but if we only suppose a relaxation of the 
 sinews of industry, and the presence of a tiger-like thirst 
 for human blood, then the consequent neglect of produc- 
 tive industry, and the vast accumulation of taxes, would 
 drain the resources of individuals, and impoverish the 
 public treasury, and plague and famine, poverty and de- 
 population would follow in the train of preexisting cala- 
 mities. Nor is it to be concealed, that dangers of the 
 most formidable nature may assail us from other sources : 
 some peculiar to our situation, and others that are com- 
 mon to all free States. 
 
 Faction and luxury — the love of money and the love of 
 power — were the hydra-headed monsters that destroyed 
 the ancient republics. At the time that the Roman 
 commonwealth was overturned, all ranks of men were so 
 corrupted that tables were publicly set out upon which the 
 candidates for offices were professedly ready to pay the peo- 
 ple the price of their votes ; and they came not only to give 
 their voices to the man who had bought them, but with all 
 manner of weapons to fight for him. Hence it often 
 happened that they did not part without polluting the 
 tribunal with blood and murder, and the city was a per- 
 petual scene of anarchy.* The justice of heaven pursued 
 the perpetrators of these enormities, and Rome was 
 scourged with a series of the most detestable tyrants that 
 ever disgraced the character of humanity. Although cor- 
 ruption will not at first present itself under such hideous 
 forms, yet its approaches will be insidious, undermining, 
 and dangerous. It will appeal to cupidity and to ambition, 
 
 * Plutarch. 
 
IfBi BEfA KAPPA. 331^ 
 
 by magnificent promises and by donatives of office, if not 
 by largesses of money. Good men are too often lethargic 
 and inactive— bad men are generally bold and adventu- 
 rous. And unless arrested by the vigilant intelligence and 
 virtuous indignation of the community, faction w^ill, in 
 process of time, contaminate all the sources of public 
 prosperity ; a deleterious poison will be infused into the 
 vital principles of the body politic ; intrigue, ignorance, 
 and impudence will be the passports to public honors ; and 
 the question will be, not whether the man is fit for the 
 office, but whether the office is fit for the man. In this 
 crisis of the republic, its degenerate and unprincipled sons 
 will unite in a common crusade against the public good, 
 and will encircle the land with a cordon of corrupt and 
 daring spirits, like the peccant humors of the body, which, 
 in a dangerous disease, collect in the morbid part of the 
 svstem. 
 
 There are also peculiar circumstances in our situation, 
 which ought to silence high-toned arrogance, and admonish 
 us of the danger which surround us. The experiment of 
 a great empire, founded on the federative principle, has 
 not been fully tested by the efflux of time and the pressure 
 of events. The ancients democracies, where the people 
 legislated in person, were ruined by the smallness of their 
 area. The impulses of faction were sudden, unchecked, 
 and overwhelming. An extensive republic, like ours, may 
 be destroyed by a conspirac}'^ of the members against the 
 head, or the power of government may be spent as it ex- 
 tends, like a circle in the water which is lost by its own 
 expansion. And an apprehension of this occurrence may 
 induce the establishment of standing armies in the eX'* 
 tremities of the empire, which, as in the days of ancient 
 
 22 
 
338 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 Rome, will rush to the capital, to divide the spoils of 
 power and wealth. Nor is it to be concealed that a 
 spirit is active in the community which tends to the de- 
 struction of the Union, and the consequent subversion of 
 the best hopes of man. It may be considered as giving 
 too much in to refinement to intimate that the sectional 
 prejudices which prevail in certain parts of the Union 
 may be derived from hereditary antipathies and feelings, 
 and that as the eastern States were chiefly settled by the 
 Puritans or Roundheads of England, and the principal 
 southern States by the Cavaliers or Royalists, a diversity 
 of manners was entailed on their progeny, which has 
 tended to increase and exasperate the ancient animosities 
 that were at the same time transmitted. I shall not, 
 although I should be fortified by the great names of Aris- 
 totle, Bacon, Berkeley, Buflbn, and Montesquieu, reply on 
 the operation of physical causes : although, perhaps, they 
 are not without their influence. It was the opinion of the 
 Stagyrite, that the climate of Greece was the best possi- 
 ble one for the production of great men. The Greeks, 
 said he, hold a middle place in physical and moral quah- 
 ties, as well as topographical situation, between the north- 
 ern Europeans and the southern Asiatics ; possessing the 
 courage of the former, without their torpor of intellect, and 
 the ingenuity of the latter, without their abject disposition. 
 Lord Bacon has observed, that the inhabitants of the south 
 are in general more ingenious than those of the north, but 
 that where the native of a cold climate has genius, he 
 rises to a higher pitch than can be realized by the southern 
 wits. And Bishop Berkeley* has illustrated this opinion 
 by comparing the southern wits to cucumbers, which are 
 
 * Berkeley's Minute Philosopher. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 339 
 
 commonly all good in their kind, but at best are an in- 
 sipid fruit, while the northern geniuses are like melons, of 
 which not one in fifty is good, but when it is so it has an 
 exquisite relish. However pertinent this doctrine maybe 
 where it was intended to apply, it can have but little 
 weight in reference to us. The difference of latitude and 
 temperature is not so great as to produce the predicated 
 results ; and so far as facts can be ascertained, they will 
 not bear out the ascription. It is probable that the causes 
 so much to be deprecated come under the denomination 
 of moral, and are to be found in slavery ; for wherever it 
 prevails, it generates an anti-commercial and an anti-manu- 
 facturing spirit, and at the same time it produces a lofty 
 sense of independence — which is among the strongest pre- 
 servatives of our republican governments. In the other 
 States, where commerce and manufactures are cultivated 
 as well as agriculture, there is no real collision of interest 
 with the States purely agricultural. There is, on the con- 
 trary, an identity ; and although the prosperity of each is 
 the prosperity of all, yet jealousies will spring out of the 
 legislative encouragement and protection of these great 
 interests. To encourage the fabrics of art is to encour- 
 age the fabrics of nature ; to protect manufactures is to 
 advance the growth of the raw materials of which they 
 are made ; to countenance commerce is to countenance 
 cheapness of transportation and goodness of market ; and 
 to promote the wealth of any member or section of the 
 Union, is to enhance its abilitiy to use the fabrics and to 
 consume the productions of the other. The growing ex- 
 pansion of liberal feelings, and the illuminating progress of 
 political philosophy, have had a salutary tendency in 
 checking prejudices and antipathies, which have too much 
 
840 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 prevailed. But little to our honor, I speak it with regret, 
 they have been recently excited by a contest of equestrian 
 swiftness. In the Olympic games, where enlightened Greece 
 assembled, where Homer recited his poem, and Thucidides 
 his history, the laureled crown, the " palma nobilis"* was 
 awarded to the man, not to the beast ; but the late display 
 reminds us of the degenerate days of Rome, when a horse 
 was raised to the honors of the consulship ; and of the 
 Prasini and Veneti, the green and blue factions, which 
 arose from those colors of livery in horse-races, and 
 which accelerated, if not occasioned the ruin of the Greek 
 empire.! 
 
 The necessity of counteracting the tendency of all hu- 
 man institutions to debasement ; of guarding with effica- 
 cious circumspection against the advances of anarchy and 
 tyranny, and of preventing the evils to which we are 
 peculiarly exposed, from expanded territory and geograph- 
 ical prejudices, must be obvious ; and for this purpose, 
 it is essential to attend, with increased zeal, to the great 
 interests of education, ^and to promote, with unrelaxed 
 fervor, the sacred cause of science. Education includes 
 moral as well as intellectual culture — the georgics of the 
 heart as well of the head ; and we must emphatically look 
 up to a general diffusion of knowledge as the palladium of 
 a free government — the guarantee of the representative 
 system, and the aegis of our federative existence. 
 
 Is it necessary, on this occasion, to show the important 
 connection between science and all the arts, which con- 
 tribute to the sustenance, the accommodation, and the 
 embellishment of human life ? The analytic researches of 
 chemistry have opened to us a knowledge of the constitu- 
 
 * Horace. f Gibbon. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 341 
 
 ent parts of soils, minerals, vegetables, and other sub- 
 stances, and have developed their useful application. 
 From the first conception of the propulsion of vessels by 
 steam, by the Marquis of Worcester, to its consummation 
 by Fulton, how slow was the progress — how difficult the 
 accomplishment ! And this could never have been 
 effected had it not received the aids of chemical dis- 
 covery, of mathematical calculation, and of mechanical 
 philosophy. All that relates to the economy of labor by 
 machinery — to the facilation of intercourse by canals and 
 bridges — to naval, civil, and military architecture — to the 
 improvement of agriculture — to the advancement of the 
 mechanic arts — must be derived directly or indirectly 
 from scientific research. 
 
 It is an ordinance of heaven, that man must be em- 
 ployed or be unhappy. Mental or corporeal labor is the 
 destination of his nature ; and when he ceases to be active, 
 he ceases to be useful, and descends to the level of vegeta- 
 ble life : and certainly those pursuits which call into ac- 
 tivity his intellectual powers, must contribute most to his 
 felicity, his dignity, and his usefulness. The vigorous 
 direction of an active mind to the accomplishment of good 
 objects, forms its most extatic delights. " Haec studia 
 adolescentiam alunt, senectutum oblectant, secundas res 
 ornant, adversis perfugium ac solatium praebent, delectant 
 domi, non impediunt foris, pernoctant nobiscum, peregri- 
 nantur, rusticantur."* 
 
 The honor and glory of a nation consists in the illus- 
 trious achievements of its sons in the cabinet and in the field, 
 in the science and learning which compose the knowledge 
 of man, in the arts and inventions which administer to his 
 
 * Cicero. 
 
342 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 accommodation, and in the virtues which exalt his charac- 
 ter. Scarcely two centuries have elapsed since the settle- 
 ment of these United States, and in that period we have 
 seen a Washington, a Henry, a Franklin, a Ritten- 
 HousE, and a Fulton — the most splendid names in war, in 
 eloquence, in philosophy, in astronomy, and in mechanics, 
 which the world has ever witnessed. The congress of 
 patriots who proclaimed our independence in the face of 
 an admiring world, and in the view of approving heaven, 
 have descended, with three exceptions, to the grave ; and 
 in this illustrious band were comprised more virtue, and 
 wisdom, and patriotism, and energy, than in any association 
 of ancient or modern times. I might proceed, and pro- 
 nounce an eulogium on our savans who have illustrated 
 philosophy and the exact sciences ; on our literati, who 
 have explored the depths and ascended the heights of 
 knowledge ; on our poets, who have strung the lyre of 
 Appollo ; on our painters, who have combined the sublime 
 and the beautiful in the graphic art ; on our statesmen, 
 who have taught the ways and the means of establishing 
 the greatest happiness of the greatest number ; and on our 
 theologians, who have vindicated the ways of God to man. 
 But I forbear. The task of selection is at all times invidi- 
 ous ; and most of the distinguished men to whom I allude 
 are still living, and probably some of them are now pres- 
 ent ; and I ought certainly neither to offend their modesty 
 nor violate my sense of self-respect by the obtrusion of 
 praise which is not required by the occasion, and which 
 will be more suitably, and unquestionably most liberally, 
 dispensed by future times. 
 
 When we consider the small areas in which the insignia 
 of human greatness have been displayed, we will find 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 343 
 
 equal cause for astonishment and exultation. Attica was 
 not more extensive than some of our counties, and the 
 whole of Greece did not exceed this State in dimensions. 
 Rome, for a long period, did not cover as great an extent ; 
 and the Swiss Cantons, the United Netherlands, and Eng- 
 land, when compared with the illustrious men and the 
 illustrious deeds of which they can boast, are of a very 
 limited space. The United States contain more tlian a 
 twentieth part of the land of this globe, and not 600,000 
 square miles less than the whole of Europe. The Deity 
 has placed us on a mighty continent ; the plastic hand of 
 nature has operated on a stupendous scale ; our rivers and 
 lakes, our cataracts and mountains, our soil and climate, 
 bear the impress of greatness, of fertility, of salubrity. 
 In this spacious theater, replete with the sublime and the 
 beautiful, let us act a coi'respondent part. This State, 
 which now has a population of a million and a half, is 
 capable of supporting ten millions of souls; and before this 
 century closes, this maximum will be attained. And if 
 in the councils of the Almighty it is decreed that we shall 
 continue to advance in all that can render a people intelli- 
 gent and virtuous, prosperous and happy, with what rever- 
 ence will posterity regard the memory of those who have 
 laid the foundation of such greatness and renown ! 
 
 The elementary parts of education in common schools 
 are the substrata of the studies of the academy and the 
 college — and then again, the acquisition of those institu- 
 tions become the basis of professional pursuits in divinity, 
 law, or medicine, and the foundation of that information 
 which leads to more momentous advances in the cabinet, 
 the senate, or the field — which penetrates the regions of 
 discovery and invention, and which enlightens the world 
 
344 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 by literary disquisition and scientific investigation. Giving 
 full credit to all the benefits derived from the prescribed 
 courses of collegiate studies, perhaps the faculties of young 
 men are more powerfully evolved by institutions like the 
 present, which generate habits of observation and reflec- 
 tion, and which produce ability in composition and facility 
 in public speaking. And equally striking are the benefits 
 of the extensive libraries within reach, where the " relics 
 of the ancient saints of literature, full of true virtue and 
 without delusion or imposture,"* and the oblations and 
 offerings of the votaries of learning in other times are 
 preserved. 
 
 The field of honor and usefulness is now before you. 
 Whatever direction you take, whatever course you adopt, 
 it is in your power to become eminent. The first man in 
 his profession is often absolutely, and always relatively, a 
 great man. In this country particularly, every man has it 
 in his power to be the architect of his own fortune. And 
 M^hen he rises, let him ascend the pyramid of greatness, 
 not by the creeping tortuous windings of the reptile, but 
 by the sublime flight of the bird of Jove. The eagle erects 
 his eyrie on the mountain top, looks at the sun with un- 
 dazzled eyes, and defies the thunder and the storm. The 
 serpents creeps on the earth, hides in the cavern, and sinks 
 into torpidity. 
 
 Without referring to the inducements for exertion arising 
 from the successful enterprise of our citizens at home, it 
 must be sufficient to animate you to active industry by 
 pointing out the harvest of profit and glory which has been 
 reaped abroad. West, of Pennsylvania, has delighted and 
 astonished the world by his pictorial peformances. Alur- 
 
 * Bacon. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 345 
 
 ray, of New York, has written the best work on Enghsh 
 Grammar, evincing a mind of the most lucid, discrimina- 
 ting, and arranging constitution, and he is now enjoying 
 the rewards of his piety and erudition, in the smiles of an 
 approving conscience and the plaudits of good men. 
 Perkins, of Massachusetts, is now pushing that wonderful 
 invention, the steam-engine, to the utmost verge of per- 
 fection. Many of our enterprising youth are now tra- 
 versing sea and land in the pursuit of science : some are 
 seated in the celebrated schools of medicine and natural 
 science — some are in the great cities, examining the 
 fabrics of art, the machinery and process of manufactur- 
 ing, the movements and evolutions of commerce, and the 
 complex relations of political economy. Others are mov- 
 ing in different directions ; improving their information in 
 agriculture, their taste in the fine arts, and adding to their 
 knowledge of men and things. A late writer* mentions 
 that at a popular point of his tour in Swizerland, it ap- 
 peared from a register which he consulted, that even in 
 that sequestered region the proportion of American travel- 
 ers was respectable. 
 
 The revolution in navigation is the most astonishing 
 portion of history. Wherever great communications can 
 be maintained by water, the seats of commerce and navi- 
 gation, of dense population and extensive dominion, will 
 be established at those places. Before the discovery of 
 the magnet, navigation was generally within sight of land. 
 Who does not smile when he reads of the ten years wan- 
 derings and sufferings of Ulysses from Ilium in Asia Minor 
 to the little island of Ithaca — which, within a few years, 
 has been taken possession of by a British sergeant and 
 
 * Simond. 
 
346 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 his guard* — and of the terrific and appalling adventures of 
 the pious iEneas in a voyage from the former place to 
 Italy ? If an epic poem were now written, conceived by 
 the sublime genius of Homer, and matured by the embel- 
 lished taste and correct judgment of Virgil, describing in 
 " thoughts that breathe and words that burn,"t the voyage 
 of a hero, full of emprise and pregnant with danger, from 
 the city of New York to the island of St. Domingo, or 
 the mouth of the Mississippi^ (the full distance of the pro- 
 gress of Ulysses and ^Eneas), although it might be sus- 
 tained by all the interest arising from important episodes 
 and preternatural machinery, yet the essence of the poem 
 would be so absurd that no genius or management could 
 protect it from the hue and cry of universal contempt. 
 The Mediterranean Sea was the locus of ancient naviga- 
 tion, and on its borders sprung up in succession the four 
 great monarchies — the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, 
 and the Roman : and " all our religion — almost all our law 
 — almost all our arts — almost all that sets us above sav- 
 ages, have come to us from the shores of the Mediterra- 
 nean. "J The mariner's compass has opened the gates of 
 the great oceans, and the enterpising spirit formerly im- 
 prisoned in a small space has spread over the globe, car- 
 rying with it the riches of commerce and the refinements 
 of knowledge. A voyage to Europe is now considered an 
 excursion of pleasure : a voyage to China is viewed as a 
 common occurrence ; and even a voyage of circumnaviga- 
 tion round the globe, which was formerly contemplated 
 with more apprehension than all the labors of Hercules, 
 passes without much observation. This spirit has ex- 
 tended to all modes of travelling, and all objects of dis- 
 * Hobhouse's Travels. t Gray. J Dr. Johnson. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 347 
 
 covery. The application of steam to the propulsion of 
 boats, the establishment of swift packets, the improve- 
 ment of natm-al and the creation of artificial water cour- 
 ses, have produced the approximation of remote places, 
 and substituted contiguity in lieu of distance. In former 
 times, and within the recollection of some who hear me, 
 a voyage to Oswego, or a journey to Niagara, was con- 
 sidered a difficult and bold enterprise, and the island of 
 Michilimackinack was viewed as the ultima Thule of 
 of America. All parts of the world are now explored by 
 American enterprise : and if we reap so nobly the fruits 
 of our industry and capacity in exertions abroad, a much 
 more extensive harvest of glory remains for our operations 
 at home. 
 
 Linneeus has truly observed, that " what we know of 
 the Divine works are much fewer than those of which 
 we are ignorant." The first edition of his Species Plan- 
 tarum contained only 7300 plants, and now upwards of 
 50,000 are enumerated ; and it is almost certain that our 
 forests, our marshes, and our mountains, contain the most 
 interesting nondescripts. Zoology has been very partially 
 cultivated. Almost all our mammalia, many of our fishes, 
 amphibia and birds, have been arranged and described. 
 Entomology has been, I may say, altogether overlooked ; 
 and mineralogy and geology present unbounded scope for 
 investigation. In some of our great seminaries of instruc- 
 tion, the elements of natural science are taught, and our 
 young physicians generally go into active life with initia- 
 tory information. We have lyceums estabhshed in va- 
 rious places, which will serve as schools of natural history, 
 and as depositories of its treasures. Wherever a subject 
 has been properly and scientifically described, it can 
 
348 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 always be recognized from the description. But here the 
 functions of the philosopher do not terminate. The spe- 
 cies is, to be sure, determined — its generic character as- 
 certained, and it is enrolled by a name in its appropriate 
 order and class ; but a still more expanded field of observa- 
 tion and inquiry remain : you are introduced to a stranger ; 
 his name is announced, and you have observed his ex- 
 ternal form and manners ; but can you be said to under- 
 stand his character until you have sounded the depths and 
 shallows of his mind, and examined the good and bad 
 qualities of his heart — the variations of his conduct — the 
 impulses, predilections and prejudices which tinge the color 
 of his life, and the variety of lights and shades which en- 
 ter into the composition of his character ? In like man- 
 ner, you see a mineral, a plant, or an animal — may learn 
 its name, and understand its scientific arrangements ; but 
 your knowledge of it would be very imperfect, and almost 
 altogether useless, unless you proceed further, and investi- 
 gate its. habitations and localities — 'its properties and uses ; 
 and, if an organized being, its manners, its morals, and 
 its habits. And owing to the neglect of these obvious and 
 important considerations, natural science has not attained 
 its merited rank in the scale of utility, and in the estima- 
 tion of the public. The prodigal creation of genera, the 
 preposterous multiplication of species, the adoption of 
 new nomenclatures, the augmentation of synonymes, 
 and the conversion of varieties into species, and of species 
 into genera, have darkened the science with myriads of 
 useless and barbarous terms — have sullied its lustre, and 
 depreciated its sterling merits. " If every minute differ- 
 ence, every trifling variation," said Linnaeus in a letter to 
 
J>H1 BETA KAPPA. 840 
 
 Haller, " is to establish a new species, why should I delay 
 to exhibit ten thousand such species ?" 
 
 Vanity furnishes a sufficient fund of inducement for this 
 ridiculous course. A new species, or a new genus, enti- 
 tles the noraenclator to the honors of a discovery ; and in 
 acting the godfather, he will probably select the name of 
 a friend, and expect in time the return of the compliment. 
 The dealers in specimens have also a direct interest in 
 the increase and confusion of nomenclature. For every 
 new name of the same substance, an addition may be 
 made to the stock of their commodities, and the range of 
 their sales, But the honors of a new system of arrange- 
 ment are too flattering and transcendant not to be at- 
 tempted ; and the consequence is, that the system of Lin- 
 naeus has been mutilated, and in a great degree displaced, 
 and new ones substituted, which have introduced the reign 
 of chaos and old night into natural science. It has in- 
 deed in some instances been judiciously modified, and 
 greatly meliorated. But better for the cause of knowledge 
 to have an uniform system with many defects, than to be 
 perplexed and embarrassed with a diversity. We can 
 travel on one highway without losing ourselves, but if we 
 are bewildered by many roads and bye-paths, our progress 
 will be slow, uncertain, and erroneous. When philosophy 
 consists Jn words and not in things, it loses its body and 
 becomes a shadow — it changes the real for the nominal. 
 And it is not too uncharitable to say, that the philosophers 
 of terminology assume the physiognomy of knowledge 
 and conceal the absence of ideas by the use of hard 
 words, as the cuttle-fish merges itself in concealment by 
 the dark fluid which it emits. 
 
350 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 This endless jargon of nomenclature — ihis " rudis indi- 
 gestaque moles"* of science, has imposed a moral duresse 
 upon the freedom of the mind, and the votary of nature 
 cannot penetrate the adytum of its holy temple without 
 encountering the same obstacles which the knight of 
 chivalry had to sustain when he endeavored to force his 
 way into an enchanted castle, through the opposition of 
 dragons, lions, giants and genii, gorgons, hydras, and chi- 
 meras dire ; and the human mind, borne down with a load 
 of verbiage, is doomed to suffer an intellectual torture, 
 like prisoners in England, who, on their arraignment, re- 
 fusing to plead, and standing mute, were sentenced to un- 
 dergo the peine forte et dure, and to be smothered to death 
 under weights piled on their recumbent bodies. And un- 
 questionably these innovations are as deteriorating as the 
 scholastic philosophy introduced by the commentators on 
 Aristotle ; a philosophy of words and notions, distinctions 
 and subtleties, abstract ideas and occult qualities, that 
 either covered the intellectual world with darkness, or 
 glimmered like shadows in the twilight, which the eye 
 could hardly distinguish from the surrounding gloom. All 
 such proceedings would indicate " as if there were sought 
 in knowledge a couch whereupon to rest an uneasy spirit ; 
 or for a terrace for a wandering mind to walk up and down 
 with a fair prospect ; or a tower of state for a proud mind 
 to rest itself upon ; or a fort, or commanding ground, for 
 strife and contention ; or a ship for profit or sale ; and not 
 a rich store-house for the glory of God and the benefit of 
 man."f 
 
 Shall we then call on some transcendant genius to dis- 
 pel the darkness ? some intellectual Hercules, to purify 
 
 * Ovid. f Bacon. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 351 
 
 the Augean stable ? some mighty Bacon to act the great 
 deliverer ? 
 
 The great deliverer he ! who from the gloom 
 Of cloister'd monks and jargon-teaching schools, 
 Led forth the true philosophy — here long 
 Held in the magic chain of words and forms, 
 And definitions void : He led her forth, 
 Daughter of heaven : — that, slow ascending, still 
 Investigating sure the chain of things, 
 With radiant finger points to heav'n again* 
 
 This gloomy representation must not, however, produce 
 despondence, and the amateur need not take the Leuca- 
 dian leap, in despair of attaining the object of his fond de- 
 votions. The leading savans of France have combined to 
 restore the botanical part of the Linnaean system. A 
 general disgust is rising up against the mummery of sci- 
 ence, and time and light will soon exercise a sanative 
 power over the disease. 
 
 Some foreign governments have now in this country 
 agents to collect our productions. Scientific foreigners 
 are now exploring it with microscopic eyes ; and some 
 standard works have proceeded from their pens. Pursh, 
 and the Michaux in botany, and Wilson in ornithology, 
 may be mentioned as peculiarly meritorious. 
 
 Mineralogy has also attracted great attention from 
 abroad, as well as at home. And we can boast of Cleave- 
 land, whose work gives an admirable view of the science ; 
 and of Silliman, in natural history generally, whose pe- 
 riodical publications reflect lustre on the investigating 
 spirit of our country. It requires more practice than 
 genius to detect the nature of minerals ; and no person 
 
 * Thompson. 
 
352 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 need despair of success, whether he proceed to the de- 
 velopment by external appearance, chemical anal3'sis, 
 crystalline structure, or optical character. Geology treats 
 of the structure and .relative position of the substances 
 which compose the crust of the earth ; forms an admira- 
 ble illustration of the power, wisdom, and benevolence of 
 the Deity, and so far as it rests on ascertained phenomena, 
 is in perfect accordance with the cosmogony of Moses. 
 In cultivating it, we ought particularly to follow the in- 
 ductive mode of Bacon, and to attend exclusively to facts- 
 It may amuse the imagination to read the romances of 
 scientific men, in the shape of theories of the earth. 
 Whether this earth is an extinguished sun, or a vitrified 
 globe, or an animal possessed of living faculties, or a 
 splinter of the sun, or a concoction of chemical affinities 
 and mechanical deposition, or, by falling into the great 
 deep, has been split into a thousand fragments, or been 
 disorganized and shattered by the impingement of a comet, 
 are inquiries little calculated to instruct the understanding. 
 The specious figments of genius, and the erratic flights of 
 philosophy, may excite our wonder, but they cannot stand 
 the ordeal of scrutiny, or the Lydian touch of experiment. 
 Time will scarcely permit even a short allusion to the 
 exact sciences, agriculture and the mechanic arts, polite 
 literature, the fine arts, and political philosophy : all of 
 which open subjects of the most interesting character, 
 that bear directly upon the general welfare : and all of 
 them present the strongest incentives to the love of fame,* 
 which is the great principle of the noble mind, and the 
 last that it resigns. It is a common remark, that, " nihil 
 dictum quod non dictum prius," and some are even so 
 
 * Tacitus* 
 
JPfll BETA KAPPA. S53 
 
 absurb as to suppose, that the stock of original ideas is ex- 
 hausted. Much, no doubt, has been anticipated, but it is 
 equally true that much remains untouched and unnoticed. 
 Some of the greatest discoveries have been so contempo- 
 raneous that it has been impossible to establish a charge 
 of plagiarism. Many ideas are original, as it respects the 
 author, and yet are not new : in which case the concep- 
 tion is more vivid, and the impression more powerful than 
 when of a derivative character. The infinite combina- 
 tions of which the mind is susceptible— the lights and 
 shades which the imagination can cast upon all subjects, 
 and the powerful action of the understanding, in measur- 
 ing the relations of ideas, in surveying the constitutions of 
 things, in penetrating the secrets of nature, and developing 
 the properties of mind and matter, furnish conclusive evi- 
 dence of the progressive improvement of our faculties, and 
 of their capacity to elicit new ideas on all subjects, and to 
 make discoveries of all kinds. Some inventions are the 
 offspring of accident— as gunpowder, printing, and the 
 mariner's compass. Others are the result of a happy im- 
 pulse. Some assume maturity at the first inception, like 
 Pallas, who sprung from the head of Jove, completely 
 armed with the panoply of wisdom. While most dis- 
 coveries have proceeded gradually to perfection, like our 
 majestic Hudson, which, although small in its origin, yet, 
 by the addition of fresh streams in its career to the ocean, 
 becomes at last able to bear ships of the greatest burden. 
 We are as prone to shoot beyond as to shoot short of the 
 mark ; and nothing is more pernicious to the discovery of 
 truth, than a refining and sophisticating spirit, which in- 
 fects every subject with its perverse and diminutive views, 
 
 23 
 
354 DE WITT CLINTON, 
 
 An illustrious writer* has well observed, that " men are 
 are accustomed to take a prospect of nature from some 
 higher tower, to view her at a distance, and to be too 
 much absorbed in generalities. Whereas if they would 
 vouchsafe to descend, approach nearer to particulars, and 
 more exactly and considerately look into things them- 
 selves, there might be a more true and valuable compre- 
 hension and discovery." And let it be understood, " that 
 the wonders of nature lie out of the high road and beaten 
 paths, so that the very absurdity of an attempt may some- 
 times be felicitous."* The mind, matured by deep and 
 continual meditation, enlightened by wise and learned 
 conversation, and fertilized by judicious and extensive 
 reading, resembles that splendid metal which was formed 
 from the fusion of many minerals in that great conflagra- 
 tion at Corinth. Like the crucible of the alchymist, it 
 will indeed aspire to creative power : like the deflagrator 
 and the galvanic battery, it pursues nature into the most 
 occult recesses, and tortures her into a confession of her 
 most important secrets ; and like the poet's eye, it glances 
 from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven, and as ima- 
 gination bodies forth the forms of things unknown, turns 
 them to shape, and gives to airy nothing a local habitation 
 and a name.f 
 
 Let us then be vigilant and active in the great and holy 
 cause of knowledge. The field of glory stretches before 
 you in wide expanse. Untrodden heights and unknown 
 lands surround you. Waste not, however, your energies 
 on subjects of a frivolous nature, of useless curiosity, or 
 impracticable attainment. Books have been multiplied to 
 designate the writer of Junius ; the man in the Iron Mask 
 
 * Bacon. f Shakspeare. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 355 
 
 has exercised the inquisitorial attention of Europe ; and 
 perpetual motion, the philosopher's stone, and the immor- 
 tal elixir, have destroyed the lives and fortunes of thou- 
 sands. Genuine philosophy has sometimes its abera- 
 tions, and like the Spartan king or Roman emperor, min- 
 gles in the amusements of children. The sceptre of science 
 is too often surrounded by toys and baubles, and even 
 Linnaeus condescended to amuse his fancy with the crea- 
 tion of vegetable dials and oriental pearls. Innovation 
 without improvement, and experiments without discove- 
 ries, are the rocks on which ingenuity is too often ship- 
 wrecked. 
 
 "Omne ignotum pro magnifico,"* said the profound 
 historian of Rome. Wonder is the child of ignorance, 
 and vanity is the offspring of imbecility. Let us be aston- 
 ished at nothing but our own apathy ; and cease to be 
 vain even of our virtues. The fragrance of the humble 
 lilly of the valley, and of the retiring eglantine of the 
 woods, is more grateful to genuine taste than the ex- 
 pressed odor of the queen of flowers, or the most costly 
 products of the chemical alembic. 
 
 In our literary pursuits, let us equally reject a blind cre- 
 dulity that believes every fable, and a universal pyrrhonism 
 that repudiates all truths — a canine appetite which de- 
 vours every thing however light, and digests nothing 
 however alimentary — and a fastidious taste, which de- 
 lights not in the nutritious viand, but seeks its gratifica- 
 tion in the aromatic dessert. 
 
 The waters of ancient learning ought to be drunk at 
 the fountain head in preference to the streams. We are 
 too prone to rely on references, quotations, abridgments 
 
 * Tacitus. 
 
356 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 and translations. The consequence is, that the meaning 
 of the original frequently reaches us in a perverted or er- 
 roneous shape — its ethereal spirit evaporates by a change 
 of conveyance, and we lose our acquaintance with the 
 learned languages. A fault equally common, and more 
 humiliating, is an idolatrous veneration for the literary 
 men of Europe. This intellectual vassalage has been 
 visited by high-toned arrogance and malignant vitupera- 
 tion. Harmless indeed is the calumny, and it recoils from 
 the object like the javelin thrown by the feeble hand of 
 old Priam ; but it ought to combine with other induce- 
 ments to encourage a vernacular literature, and to cause 
 us to bestow our patronage upon more meritorious works 
 of our own country. We have writers of genius and eru- 
 dition, who form a respectable profession. Some have 
 ascended the empyreal heights of poesy, and have gather- 
 ed the laurel wreaths of genius ; others have trodden the 
 enchanted ground of fictitious narrative, and have been 
 honored by the tears of beauty and the smiles of virtue ; 
 while several have unfolded the principles of science, lite- 
 rature, philosophy, jurisprudence, and theology, and have 
 exalted the intellectual glory of America. Let us cherish 
 the hope, that some at least will devote their faculties to 
 improve those arts and sciences on which the substantial 
 interests of our country so greatly depend. I refer par- 
 ticularly to agriculture, civil engineering, and naval archi- 
 tecture. Let us also trust that some vigorous minds will 
 apply their powers to the illustration of our history. It 
 has been said, with more point than truth, that the annals 
 of modern colonies afford but two memorable events — the 
 foundation, and the separation from the parent country.* 
 
 * Humboldt. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 357 
 
 If this observation had been so qualified as to refer to 
 those occurrences as the most memorable, not as the only 
 memorable events, it would undoubtedly have been cor- 
 rect. The colonial history of New York, although imper- 
 fectly executed, and brought down only to 1732, is fertile 
 of instruction and replete with interest. The translations 
 of the erudite Vanderkemp, and the collections of the His- 
 torical Society of New York, have furnished the most 
 ample materials ; and whenever it is given to the world 
 by a master hand, it will be a complete refutation of the 
 remark which I have quoted. Is it too much too say 
 that we have no good history of the United States, and 
 that the best account of our independence is written by 
 Botta, an Italian ? At this moment, a respectable me- 
 chanic of the city of London is collecting the materials 
 for writing our history. He is favorably noticed by dis- 
 tinguished members of Parliament ; and although his mind 
 has not been disciplined by a liberal education, yet its 
 productions display vigorous and cultivated powers. Let 
 this stimulate us to similar and animated exertions, and 
 let not our writers despair of ultimate success, even if 
 their efforts are attended with partial failures. Experi- 
 ence certainly brightens the vista of futurity ; but they 
 must expect that their fate will be determined sooner or 
 later by intrinsic merit. Those writings that emit no ef- 
 fulgence and communicate no information will fall still- 
 born from the press, and plunge at once into the abyss of 
 obscurity. Others again will dazzle as they glide rapidly 
 over the literary horizon, and be seen no more. Some, 
 after basking in the meridian sunshine, will gradually un- 
 dergo a temporary eclipse ; but time will dispense justice, 
 and restore thir original splendor. 
 
358 DE WITT CLINTON. ' 
 
 1 
 
 So sinks the day-star in the ocean's bed, ! 
 
 And yet anon repairs his drooping head, 
 
 And tricks his beams, and with new spangled ore. 
 
 Flames in the forehead of the morning sky.* 
 
 A fortunate few are always in the full blaze of sublime ' 
 glory ; they are the phoenixes of the age, the elect of j 
 genius, and the favorites of nature and heaven. ' 
 
 There is nothing " under Heaven's wide hollowness,"t | 
 which does not furnish aliment for the mind. All that 
 we observe by the organs of sense, and all that we per- i 
 ceive by the operations of the understanding — all that we | 
 contemplate in retrospect, at the present or in the future, j 
 may be compounded or decomposed in the intellectual ' 
 laboratory, for beneficial purposes. The active mind is i 
 always vigilant, always observing. The original images j 
 which are created by a vivid imagination, the useful 
 ideas which are called up by memory, and the vigorous 
 advances of the reasoning power into the regions of dis- 
 quisition and investigation, furnish full employment for the | 
 most powerful mind ; and after it is fully stored with all 
 the productions of knowledge, then the intellect has to ; 
 employ its most important functions in digesting and 
 arranging the vast and splendid materials. And if there 
 be any thing in this world which can administer pure de- | 
 light, it is when we summon our intellectual resources, | 
 rally our mental powers, and proceed to the investigation 
 of a subject distinguished for its importance and com- 
 plexity, and its influence on the destinies of man. 
 
 If science were to assume a visible form, like the fabled 
 muses of the ancient mythology, all men would be ready 
 to exclaim with the poet — ' 
 
 •* Milton. t Spenser. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 359 
 
 Her angel's face, 
 
 As the great eye of Heaven shined bright, 
 
 And made a sunshine in a shady place ] 
 
 Did never mortal eye behold such heavenly grace.* 
 
 But alas ! it is a blessing not without its alloy. Its seden- 
 tary occupations, and its severe exercises of the mind, im- 
 pair the health ; and hypochondria, the Promethean vul- 
 ture of the student, poisons for a time all the sources of 
 enjoyment. Add to this, the tortures of hope deferred, 
 and of expectation disappointed. After nights without 
 sleep, and days without repose, in the pursuit of a favorite 
 investigation — after tasking the mind, and stretching all 
 its faculties to the utmost extent of exertion, when the 
 golden -vision of approaching fame dazzles the eye in the 
 distance, and the hand is extended to taste the fruit and 
 to reap the harvest, the airy castles, the gorgeous palaces 
 of the imagination, vanish like enchanted ground, and dis- 
 appear like the baseless fabric of a vision. 
 
 From such perversities of fortune, the sunshine of com- 
 fort may, however, be extracted. In the failure of a scien- 
 tific investigation, collateral discoveries of great moment 
 have been made. And as an eminent philosopherf has 
 well remarked, " What succeeds pleaseth more, but what 
 succeeds not, many times informs no less." And in the 
 worst position, the mind is improved, sharpened, expand- 
 ed, brightened, and strengthened, by the processes which 
 it has undergone, and the elaborations which it has expe- 
 rienced. 
 
 We must not then expect 
 
 A perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets, 
 
 Where no crude surfeit reigns. | 
 
 * Spenser. f Bacon. % Milton. 
 
360 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 But we may confidently pronounce that a cornucopia of 
 blessings will attend the diffusion of knowledge ; that it 
 will have an electrifying effect on all sources of individual 
 happiness and public prosperity ; that glory will follow in 
 the train of its felicitous cultivation, and that the public 
 esteem, in perennial dispensation, will crown its votaries. 
 
 This State enjoys a temperate climate and a fruitful 
 soil, and, situate between the great lakes on the north 
 and west, and the ocean on the south and east, ought 
 always to be the seat of plenty and salubrity. It requires 
 nothing but the enlightened evolution of its faculties and 
 resources to realize the beau-ideal of perfection ; and the 
 cooperation of man with the bounty of Providence will 
 render it a terrestrial paradise : and this must be effected 
 through the agency of intellectual, operating on physical 
 exertion. 
 
 In this grand career of mind, in this potent effort of 
 science, in this illustrious display of patriotism, contribu- 
 tions will flow in from all quarters. The humble mite 
 will be acceptable as well as the golden talent. And the 
 discriminating, perspicacious, and comprehensive eye of 
 intellect will find 
 
 Tongues in trees : books in the running brooks ; 
 Sermons in stones; and good in every thing* 
 
 Indeed, the very ground on which we stand affords 
 topics for important consideration and useful application. 
 This city was among the earliest seats of European set- 
 tlement. It was at the head of a great portage, reaching 
 from the termination of the navigable waters of the west 
 to the head waters of the Hudson, It was the great en- 
 
 * Shakspeare. 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 361 
 
 trepot of the valuable trade in furs and peltries, and the 
 thoroughfare of commercial adventurers, of scientific ex- 
 plorations, and of military expeditions. In 1690, it was 
 destroyed by an irruption of French and Indians. The 
 lives of many of its inhabitants were saved as it were by a 
 special interposition of Providence : and the sympathiz- 
 ing and pathetic speech of the faithful Mohaws on that 
 melancholy occasion, may be ranked among the most 
 splendid effusions of oratory.* The alluvial lands of the 
 river, rich as the soil formed by the overflowings of the Nile, 
 were the principal residence of that ferocious and martial 
 race, the true old heads of the Iroquois — a confederacy 
 which carried terror, havoc, and desolation from the Gulf 
 of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico ; and which aspir- 
 ed to universal empire over the savage nations. How as- 
 tonished would that people be, if they could be summoned 
 to life, to witness the flowing of the waters of the west 
 through this place, seeking, in a navigable shape, a new 
 route to the Atlantic Ocean — carrying on their bosom the 
 congregated products of nature and art, and spreading, as 
 they proceed, wealth and prosperity. 
 
 All alluvial ground formed by streams emanating from 
 a distance, and reinforced in their transit by auxiliary wa- 
 ters, must; he fertile not only in soil, but abundant in the 
 various productions of the vegetable kingdom. The germs 
 of plants will be transported from remote quarters ; and 
 the gorges and ravines, formed in many places by inter- 
 secting streams, will not only protect particular spots 
 from the ravages of the plow, but open the treasures of 
 the mineral kingdom by the profound excavations of the 
 water and the transportation of distant fossils. Here, 
 
 * Colden's History of the Five Nations. 
 
362 DE WITT CLINTON. 
 
 then, is a proper region for interesting discovery. Strange 
 trees now flourish on the banks of the river ; many a 
 flower is born to blush unseen, and many a curious pro- 
 duction has never undergone scientific scrutiny. 
 
 Here has been estabUshed a great seminary of educa- 
 tion, which in less than thirty years has risen to an extra- 
 ordinary altitude of excellence ; which unites the ardor of 
 youthful enthusiasm with the w^isdom of experienced lon- 
 gevity, and the celebrity of confirmed usefulness, and 
 which, by an able diffusion of the light of knowledge and 
 a dexterous management of the helm of government, has 
 already produced scholars who adorn and illumine the 
 walks of science and literature, the pursuits of profes- 
 sional life, and the councils of our country. 
 
 In this vicinity flourished Sir William Johnson, one of 
 the extraordinary characters of our colonial history. He 
 settled near the banks of the Mohawk, and from humble 
 beginnings he acquired great celebrity, particularly in war; 
 immense wealth, and the favor of his sovereign. Auspi- 
 cious events, in concurrence with a paramount influence 
 over the Indians, and great energy of character, laid the 
 foundation and erected the superstructure of his fortunes. 
 In this place Hved and died that eminent servant of God, 
 the Rev. Dr. Romcijn, the fragrance of whose virtues is 
 still cherished in your hearts and felt in your lives. His 
 venerable form, his dignified deportment, his eye beam- 
 ing goodness, and his voice uttering wisdom, are still fresh 
 in your minds ; so impressive is the power of combined 
 virtue and intelligence. Dr. Dwight, the greatest theolo- 
 gian of the age, has pronounced his eulogium ; and it re- 
 mains for biography to perform its functions, and to fill 
 up the outlines so ably drawn by one of the most acute 
 
PHI BETA KAPPA. 363 
 
 observers and profound thinkers which our country has 
 produced.* 
 
 Finally, whatever may be our thoughts, our words, our 
 writings, or our actions, let them all be subservient to the 
 promotion of science and the prosperity of our country. 
 Pleasure is a shadow, wealth is vanity, and power a pa- 
 geant ; but knowledge is ecstatic in enjoyment, perennial 
 in fame, unlimited in space, and infinite in duration. In 
 the performance of its sacred offices, it fears no danger, 
 spares no expense, omits no exertion. It scales the moun- 
 tains, looks into the volcano, dives into the ocean, perfo- 
 rates the earth, wings its flight into the skies, encircles the 
 globe, explores sea and land, contemplates the distant, 
 examines the minute, comprehends the great, and ascends 
 the sublime. No place too remote for its grasp — no hea- 
 vens too exalted for its reach, " Its seat is the bosom of 
 God — its voice the harmony of the world. All things in 
 Heaven and earth do it homage — the very least as feeling 
 its care, and the greatest as not exempt from its power. 
 Both angels, and men, and creatures, of what condition 
 soever, though each in diflerent sort and manner, yet all 
 with uniform consent, admiring it as the parent of peace 
 and happiness."! 
 
 ' Dwight's Travels. t Hooker. 
 
APPENDIX, NO. 1. 
 
 (From Smith's History of New York, page 46.) 
 
 Monsieur De La Barre''s Speech, addressed to Garangula, an 
 Onondaga Chief, the Indians and French officers at the same 
 time forming a circle round about him. 
 
 " The king, my master, being informed that the Five Nations 
 have often infringed the peace, has ordered me to come hither 
 with a guard, and to send Ohguesse to the Onondagas, to bring 
 the chief sachems to my camp. The intention of the great king 
 is, that you and I may smoke the calumet of peace together ; 
 but on this condition, that you promise me, in the name of the 
 Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, and Mohawks, to give entire 
 satisfaction and reparation to his subjects, and for the future 
 never to molest them. 
 
 " The Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks, 
 have robbed and abused all the traders that were passing to the 
 Illinois and Miamies, and other Indian nations, the children of 
 my king ; they have acted, on these occasions, contrary to the 
 treaty of peace with my predecessor. I am ordered, therefore, 
 to demand satisfaction ; and to tell them, that in case of refusal, 
 or their plundering us any more, that I have express orders to 
 declare war. This belt confirms my words. The warriors of 
 the Five Nations have conducted the English into the lakes, 
 which belong to the king, my master, and brought the English 
 among the nations that are his children to destroy the trade of 
 
366 APPENDIX. 
 
 his subjects, and to witlidraw these nations from him. They 
 have carried the English thither, notwithstanding the prohibi- 
 tion of the late Governor of New York, who foresaw the risk 
 that both they and you would run. I am willing to forget those 
 things ; but if ever the like should happen for the future, I have 
 express orders to declare war against you. This belt confirms 
 my words. Your warriors have made several barbarous incur- 
 sions on the Illinois and Miamies. They have massacred men, 
 women, and children ; they have made many of these nations 
 prisoners, who thought themselves safe in their villages in time 
 of peace. These people, who are my king's children, must not 
 be your slaves : you must give them their liberty, and send them 
 back into their own country. If the Five Nations shall refuse 
 to do this, I have express orders to declare war against them. 
 This belt confirms my words. 
 
 " This is what I have to say to Garangula, that he may carry 
 to the Senecas, Onondagas, Oneidas, Cayugas, and Mohawks, 
 the declaration which the king, my master, has commanded me 
 to make. He doth not wish them to force him to send a great 
 army to Cadarackui Fort, to begin a war, which must be fatal to 
 them. He would be sorry that this fort, that was the work of 
 peace, should become the prison of your warriors. We must 
 endeavor on both sides to prevent such misfortunes. The 
 French, who are the brethren and friends of the Five Nations, 
 will never trouble their repose, provided that the satisfaction 
 which I demand be given ; and that the treaties of peace be 
 hereafter observed. I shall be extremely grieved if my words 
 do not produce the effect which I expect from them ; for then I 
 shall be obliged to join with the Governor of New York, who is 
 commanded by his master to assist me, and burn the castles of 
 the Five Nations, and destroy you. This belt confirms ray 
 words." 
 
 Garangula, after walking five or six times round the circle. 
 
APPENDIX. 367 
 
 answered the Frencli Governor, who sat in an elbow chair, in 
 the following strain : 
 
 " YONNONDIO, 
 
 " I honor you, and the warriors that are with me ^likewise 
 honor you. Your interpreter has finished your speech : I now 
 begin mine. My words make haste to reach your ears ; hearken 
 to them. 
 
 " Yonnondio, you must have believed, when you left Quebec, 
 that the sun had burnt up all the forests which render our coun- 
 try inaccessible to the French, or that the lakes had so far 
 overflown the banks that they had surrounded our castles, and 
 that it was impossible for us to get out of them. Yes, Yonnon- 
 dio, surely you must have dreamt so ; and the curiosity of see- 
 ing so great a wonder has brought you so far. Now you are 
 undeceived, since that I and the warriors here present, are come 
 to assure you that the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, 
 and Mohawks, are yet alive. I thank you in their name for 
 bringing back into their country the calumet which your prede- 
 cessor received from their hands. It was happy for you that 
 you left under ground that murdering hatchet which has been so 
 often dyed in the blood of the French. Hear, Yonnondio : I do 
 not sleep ; I have my eyes open, and the sun which enlightens 
 me, discovers to me a great captain at the head of a company 
 of soldiers, who speaks as if he were dreaming. He says that 
 he only came to the lake to smoke on the great calumet with 
 the Onondagas ; but Garangula says that he sees the contrary ; 
 that it was to knock them on the head if sickness had not weak- 
 ened the arms of the French. 
 
 " I see Yonnondio raving in a camp of sick men, whose lives 
 the Great Spirit has saved by inflicting this sickness on them. 
 Hear, Yonnondio : our women had taken their clubs, our child- 
 ren and old men had carried their bows and arrows into the 
 heart of your camp, if our warriors had not disarmed them, and 
 
368 APPENDIX. 
 
 kept them back, when your messenger Ohguesse came to our 
 castles. It is done, and I have said it. Hear, Yonnondio : we 
 plundered none of the French but those that carried guns, pow- 
 der, and ball to the Twightwies and Chictaghicks, because those 
 arms might have cost us our lives. Herein we follow the ex- 
 example of the Jesuits, who stove all the kegs of rum brought to 
 our castles, lest the drunken Indians should knock them on the 
 head. Our warriors have not beaver enough to pay for all these 
 arms that they have taken ; and our old men are not afraid of 
 the war. This belt preserves my words. 
 
 " We carried the English into our lakes to trade there with 
 the Utawawas and Quatoghies as the Andirondacks brought the 
 French to our castles to carry on a trade, which the English say 
 is theirs. We are born free. We neither depend on Yonnon- 
 dio nor Corlear. 
 
 " We may go where we please, and carry with us whom we 
 please. If your allies be your slaves, use them as such. Com- 
 mand them to receive no other but your people. This belt 
 preserves my words. 
 
 " We knocked the Twightwies and Chictaghicks on the head 
 because they had cut down the trees of peace which were the 
 limits of our country. They had hunted beavers on our land. 
 They had acted contrary to the customs of all Indians ; for they 
 left none of the beavers alive : they killed both male and female. 
 They brought the Satanas into the country to take part with 
 them, after they had concerted ill designs against us. We have 
 done less than either the English or French, that have usurped 
 the lands of so many Indian nations, and chased them from their 
 own country. This belt preserves my words. 
 
 Hear, Yonnondio ; what I say is the voice of all the Five 
 Nations : hear what they answer. Open your ears to what 
 they speak. The Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and 
 the Mohawks say, that when they buried the hatchet at Cada- 
 rackui (in the presence of your predecessor) in the middle of 
 
APPENDIX. 369 
 
 the fort, they planted the tree of peace iu the same place, to be 
 there carefully preserved, that in place of a retreat for soldiers, 
 that fort might be a rendezvous for merchants ; that in place of 
 arms and ammunition of war, beavers and merchandize should 
 only enter there. 
 
 " Hear, Yonnondio : take care for the future, that so great 
 a number of soldiers as appear there, do not choke the tree 
 of peace planted in so small a fort. It will be a great loss if 
 after it had so easily taken root you should stop its growth, and 
 prevent its covering your country and ours with its branches. 
 I assure you, in the name of the Five Nations, that our warriors 
 shall dance to the calumet of peace under its leaves, and shall 
 remain quiet on their mats, and shall never dig up the hatchet 
 tiU their brother Yonnondio, or Corlear, shall, either jointly or 
 separately, endeavor to attack the country which the Great 
 Spirit has given to our ancestors. This belt preserves my words ; 
 and this other, the authority which the Five Nations have given 
 me." 
 
 Then Garangula, addressing himself to Monsieur La Main, 
 said: " Take courage, Ohguesse ; you have spirit, speak — ex- 
 plain my words ; forget nothing ; tell all that your brethren 
 and friends say to Yonnondio, your governor, by the mouth of 
 Garangula, who loves you, and desires you to accept of this 
 present of beaver, and take part with me in my feast, to which I 
 invite you. This present of beaver is sent to Yonnondio on the 
 part of the Five Nations. 
 
 24 
 
APPENDIX, NO. II. 
 
 Speech of the Mohawk Chiefs to the Magistrates of Albany^ on 
 the 25th of March, 1689-90, after the destruction of Sche- 
 nectady. 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " The murder of our brethren at Schenectady, by the 
 French, grieves us as much as if it had been done to ourselves, 
 for we are in the same chain ; and no doubt our brethren of 
 New England will be likewise sadly affected with this cruel 
 action of the French. The French on this occasion have not 
 acted like brave men, but like thieves and robbers. Be not 
 therefore discouraged. We give this belt to wipe away your 
 tears. 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " We lament the death of so many of our brethren, whose 
 blood has been shed at Schenectady. We don't think that 
 what the French have done can be called a victory, it is only a 
 farther proof of their cruel deceit. The governor of Canada 
 sends to Onondaga, and talks to us of peace with our whole 
 house ; but war was in his heart, as you may now see by woeful 
 experience. He did the same formerly at Cadaracui, and in 
 the Senecas country. This is the third time he has acted so 
 deceitfully. He has broken open our house at both ends, formerly 
 in the Senecas country, and now here. We hope, however, to be 
 revenged of them. One hundred of our bravest young men are 
 
APPENDIX. 371 
 
 in pursuit of them : they are brisk fellows, and they will follow 
 the French to their doors. We will beset them so closely that 
 not a man in Canada shall dare to step out of doors to cut a 
 stick of wood ; but now we gather up our dead to bury them, by 
 this second belt. 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " We came from our castles with tears in our eyes, to be- 
 moan the blood shed at Schenectady by the perfidious French. 
 While we bury our dead murdered at Schenectady we know 
 not what may have befallen our own people, that are in pursuit 
 of the enemy : they may be dead. What has befallen you, may 
 happen to us ; and therefore we come to bury our brethren at 
 Schenectady with this third belt. 
 
 " Great and sudden is the mischief, as if it had fallen from 
 Heaven upon us. Our forefathers taught us to go with all 
 speed to bemoan and lament with our brethren, when any dis- 
 aster or misfortune happens to any in our chain. Take this 
 belt of vigilance, that you may be more watchful for the future. 
 We give our brethren eye-water, to make them sharp -sighted. 
 (Giving a fourth belt.) 
 
 " We now come to the house where we usually renew the 
 chain ; but alas ! we find the house polluted with blood. All 
 the Five Nations have heard of this, and we are come to wipe 
 away the blood and clean the house. We come to invite Cor- 
 lear, and every one of you, and Quider, (calling to every one 
 of the principal men present by their names) to be revenged of 
 the enemy by this fifth belt. 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " Be not discouraged ; we are strong enough. This is the 
 beginning of your war, and the whole house have their eyes 
 fixed upon you at this time, to observe your behavior. They 
 
372 APPENDIX. 
 
 wait your motion, and are ready to join in any resolute mea- 
 sures. 
 
 " Our ctain is a strong chain ; it is a silver chain ; it can 
 neither rust nor be broken. We, as to our parts, are resolute 
 to continue the war. 
 
 " We will never desist, so long as a man of us remains. Take 
 heart ; do not pack up and go away ;* this will give heart to a 
 dastardly enemy. We are of the race of the bear ; and a bear, 
 you know, never yields while one drop of blood is left. We 
 must all be bears. (Giving a sixth belt.) 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " Be patient 5 this disaster is an affliction which has fallen 
 from Heaven upon us. The sun, which hath been cloudy, and 
 sent this disaster, will shine again with its pleasant beams. 
 Take courage, courage — (Repeating the word several times as 
 they gave a seventh belt.) 
 
 ( To the English.) 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " Three years ago we were engaged in a bloody war with the 
 French, and you encouraged us to proceed in it. Our success 
 answered our expectation ; but we were not well begun when 
 Corlear stopped us from going on. Had you permitted us to go 
 on, the French would not now have been able to do us the mis- 
 chief they have done — we would have prevented their sowing, 
 planting, or reaping. 
 
 " We would have humbled them effectually, but now we die. 
 The obstructions you then made now ruin us. Let us after this 
 be steady, and take no such false measures for the future, but 
 prosecute the war vigorously. (Giving a beaver skin.) 
 
 " The brethren must keep good watch, and if the enemy 
 
 * This was spoken to the English, who were about removing from 
 Albany. 
 
APPENDIX. 373 
 
 come again, send more speedily to us. Don't desert Schenecta- 
 dy. The enemy will glory in seeing it desolate. It will give 
 them courage that had none before. Fortify the place ; it is 
 not well fortified now ; the stockadoes are too short ; the Indians 
 can jump over them. (Gave a beaver skin.) 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " The mischief done at Schenectady cannot be helped now ; 
 but for the future, when the enemy appears any where, let no- 
 thing hinder your sending to us by expresses, and fire great guns, 
 that all may be alarmed. We advise you to bring all the River 
 Indians under your subjection, to live near Albany, to be ready 
 on all occasions. 
 
 " Send to New England ; tell them what has happened to 
 you. . They will undoubtedly awake, and lend us their helping 
 hand. It is their interest, as much as ours, to push the war to 
 a speedy conclusion. Be not discouraged ; the French are not 
 so numerous as some people talk. If we but heartily unite to 
 push on the war, and mind our business, the French will soon 
 be subdued." 
 
 The magistrates havino; returned an answer on the 27th, 
 to the satisfaction of the Indians, they repeated it aU over, 
 word by word, to let the magistrates see how carefully they 
 minded, and then added : 
 
 " Brethren, 
 
 " We are glad to find you are not discouraged. The best and 
 wisest men sometimes make mistakes. Let us now pursue the 
 war vigorously. We have a hundred men out ; they are good 
 scouts. We expect to meet all the sachems of the other na- 
 tions, as they come to condole with you. You need not fear our 
 being ready at the first notice. Our ax is always in our hands ; 
 but take care that you be timely ready. Your ships, that must 
 
374 APPEN'DIX. 
 
 do the principal work, are long a fitting out. We do not design 
 to go out with a small company, or in skulking parties ; but as 
 soon as the nations can meet, we shall be ready with our whole 
 force. If you would bring this war to a happy issue, you must 
 begin soon, before the French can recover the losses they have 
 received from us, and get new vigor and life ; therefore send in 
 all haste to New England. Neither you nor we can continue 
 long in the condition we are now in : we must order matters so 
 that the French be kept in continual fear and alarm at home ; 
 for this is the only way to be secure, and in peace here. 
 
 " The Scatikok Indians, in our opinion, are well placed where 
 they are (to the northward of Albany ;) they are a good out-guard ; 
 they are our children, and we must take care that they do their 
 duty : but you must take care of the Indians below the town ; 
 place them near the town, so as they may be of more service to 
 you." 
 
APPENDIX, NO. Ill 
 
 Substance of the Speech of Good Peter to Governor Clinton 
 and the Commissioners of Indian Affairs, at Albany, on the 
 occasion referred to in the discourse. 
 
 Brother governor of the State of New York, and all the other 
 great chiefs of the State of New York, open your ears, and all 
 you chiefs of the Five Nations here assembled, open your ears. 
 
 The business we have now met about is of the greatest im- 
 portance ; how happy must we all be if we can arrange it for 
 our mutual good. 
 
 We have this day assembled, and smoked our pipes in peace. 
 That you may know the reason of my addressing you, I would 
 inform you that my brethren, the Cayugas, and my children, 
 the Senecas, requested me to be their mouth on this solemn oc- 
 casion, and understanding that it is agreeable to the great chief 
 of New York, I now stand here. You will possess your minds 
 in peace, for I have no disposition to oppose you in any respect, 
 but shall move forward in the strait path. 
 
 Brother Chief, 
 
 In the first place, I would inform you that last Spring we were 
 invited to a treaty at Muskingum — where your voice also called 
 upon us to attend : some of our nation went there, and have not 
 yet returned. 
 
 When our uncles, the chiefs, left our council-fire, their only 
 
376 APPENDIX. 
 
 business at Muskingum was the establishment of a good peace. 
 This mission was agreeable to us all — even the warriors ; for al- 
 though the clouds blacken in the south, and the winds sometimes 
 blow, yet as long as our sachems labor for a peace, the minds of 
 our young men are composed. 
 
 This, great chief, I only observe, to open the way for what is 
 to follow. Shortly after, the cloud from the south began to 
 rise ; we again saw the effulgence of the sun ; but as soon as 
 we saw it, an evil spirit commenced its work, threatening the 
 annihilation of our territory. 
 
 Brother Governor, 
 
 Althouf^h I observed to you that an evil spu-it had invaded 
 our peace, yet do not suppose that the Five Nations were dis- 
 posed to cherish this enemy ; we were deceived : we believed it 
 to be a good spirit, sent by the great council of the State, and 
 we thought that we should not injure ourselves by opening our 
 ears to their voice. This was indeed new to us, for never be- 
 fore had the Five Nations such a meeting with any of our 
 brethren of this island. We had invariably conferred together 
 according to ancient and settled usage. 
 
 It would be tedious to go into detail, and state at large the 
 means by which we were misled. We cannot see but a small 
 depth into the heart of man, and can only discover the work of 
 his tongue. It appears that you then sensibly sympathized 
 with us in our situation, and looking back to ancient times, en- 
 deavored to discover a method of recovering our sinking terri- 
 tory. 
 
 Soon after this the Oneida nation heard your voice. Although 
 it was small at first, yet it gave us life to find that you would 
 extend your arm and save our country. It informed us that 
 you would kindle a council fire at Fort Stanwix, inform us of 
 our situation, and relieve us of our difficulties. It also directed 
 us to send it on to the other nations — which we did. At the 
 
APPENDIX. 377 
 
 council fire at Fort Stanwix, but one nation, the Onondafas, 
 attended ; there was a strange bird that flew about your voice, 
 and related strange stories. This bird kept flying about whilo 
 you held this council fire. After your patience had been ex- 
 hausted in waiting several days, you then determined to take 
 us, one by one, as we came to the council fire — and with this 
 we were content. 
 
 When you had finished with the Onondagas, you then showed 
 the agreement to us, the Oneidas, pointed out the true path, 
 and opened our eyes. We then comprehended your sentiments 
 as they were laid before us. You raised us from sinking into 
 an unfathomable gulph, and placed us on a high mountain ; you 
 erected a fortification around us, so that no evil spirits or 
 strange birds could fly over and disturb us ; you completed an 
 agreement to our mutual satisfaction : it is firm and unalter- 
 able — no evil spirit shall be able to erase the lines. We are 
 now fixed, and dwell in peace. 
 
 I need not enlarge upon the council at Fort Stanwix, and the 
 proceedings at that place. You remember you saw a few 
 Senecas there. You welcomed them., although they were 
 neither invited, nor sachems, but little children ; they then told 
 you with what difficulty they leaped over the mound at Cana- 
 sake. 
 
 You also remember, that when those Seneca young men left 
 you, you gave them good advice. As your patience was not 
 yet exhausted, and your love for the Five Nations continued in 
 full force, you invited the Senecas, through them, to meet you 
 at Albany this winter, to consult upon subjects connected with 
 their welfare. You also requested their attendance from the 
 remotest parts of the nation They again heard your voice : 
 you opened their eyes, and it pierced them to the heart to see 
 their territory sinking, and that by and by the warriors would 
 not be at liberty to hunt upon their land, and to provide for 
 their women and children. 
 
378 APPENDIX. 
 
 Soon after this, the headmen and warriors deliberated on 
 our message, and determined that it would be for the good of the 
 Five Nations, and prevent our utter destruction to repair to 
 this place. Although some of our sachems have not returned 
 from the southward, yet we are persuaded that our deliberations 
 and proceedings will meet their approbation. 
 
 After frequent conferences with our brethren, the Senecas, 
 we determined to repair to this ancient council fire ; we thought 
 it agreeable to ancient usage to take with us two brothers of 
 the Onondagas and Oneidas, as witnesses, to this place, where 
 our ancestors kindled their council fires, the smoke of which 
 reached the heavens, and round which they sat and talked of 
 peace. I observed at first, that I should only touch upon one 
 event after another. But need I call your attention to the 
 councils and treaties held here by your and our forefathers. 
 They then had but one head and one heart ; the chain of friend- 
 ship was made of silver, so that it could not rust. Our ances- 
 tors, you know, frequently met to brighten this chain, with a 
 design to see whether any evil spirit, that disturbs the peace of 
 brethren, shook at it or sat upon it. 
 
 But I must leave this pleasant subject, the paths of our 
 ancestors. You have seen some of our brethren of the Five 
 Nations, the Cayugas ; you have opened your mind, and en- 
 couraged us to believe that you can save our sinking country ; 
 and that if any of your people have overleaped the bounds 
 prescribed, you can erase the lines. This has given us great 
 encouragement and universal pleasure. 
 
 Brother Governor, 
 
 The Cayugas and Senecas here present, thank you from the 
 bottom of our hearts, that you have communicated freely with 
 us. When we heard your first and second voice we were glad ; 
 but now we are quite rejoiced. It convinces us that you 
 remembered and cherished the treaties between you and our 
 
APPENDIX. 379 
 
 forefatliers. The great spirit gave our ancestors and us this 
 island, and we know that you are anxious to promote his design 
 that we should have a place whereon to live. We love our 
 country, and our fathers loved their country. 
 
 We said we were glad to meet you and hear your voice, and 
 to feel assured that you are able to save our sinking territory : 
 we now put it all under your power : put your hands over the 
 whole, reserving to us such a dish as you shall prescribe for us. 
 This is perfectly agreeable to the usages of our ancestors, who 
 loved peace, and loved their land ; and why } because they 
 loved their women and their children ; and while they loved 
 peace and their land they enjoyed happy days. 
 
 We repeat that we rejoice in this meeting and in these pro- 
 ceedings. Those we have left behind, and those that will retm-n 
 from the south, will also rejoice at the result of our conferences. 
 Our little ones can now look with pleasure for fish in the 
 streams, and our warriors can hunt for wild beasts in the woods, 
 and feel confident that they will not be driven from their 
 country. (A string of black wampum with six rows.) 
 
 Brother, 
 
 I have repeatedly said that I was glad to hear your mind ; 
 your words have sunk deep into my heart, and have raised up 
 my land and country, that were about to sink. I entreat you, 
 by this string, to keep firm to your word, and to reach out your 
 hand over my country. Our dish we will reserve. This trans- 
 action will rejoice not only our absent friends, but our children's 
 children, to the latest generation. They will declare, with joy, 
 that Aquilanda,* the governor of New York, has rescued their 
 country from destruction. (A string of white wampum with six 
 rows.) 
 
 * An Indian name given to Governor Clinton, wliich signifies rising 
 sum,. 
 
380 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 You have heard our voice ; we now entreat you to open your 
 ears, and hear a speech from our sisters, the governesses. 
 
 Brother, 
 
 Our ancestors considered it a great offence to reject the coun- 
 sels of their women, particularly of the female governesses. 
 They were esteemed the mistresses of the soil. Who, said our 
 forefathers, bring us into being. Who cultivate our lands, 
 kindle our fires, and boil our pots, but the women .? 
 
 Our women say, that they are apprehensive their uncles have 
 lost the power of hunting, as they were about destroying their 
 country ; but they take this opportunity of thanking you for 
 preventing their fall down the precipice to which their uncles 
 had brought them. 
 
 They entreat that the veneration of their ancestors, in favor 
 of women, be not disregarded, and that they may not be de- 
 spised : the Great Spirit is their maker. 
 
 The female governesses beg leave to speak with that freedom 
 allowed to women, and agreeable to the spirit of our ancestors. 
 They entreat the great chief to put forth his strength and pre- 
 serve them in peace ; for they are the life of the nation ; your 
 power cannot be disputed. Those that disturb them are your 
 subjects, and you can punish them. They rejoice that while 
 their counsellors are settling a peace at Muskingum, and you 
 are here laboring for their good, tranquillity will spread over the 
 whole country. (Six strings of wampum.) 
 
 Then Good Peter added : 
 
 Brother, 
 
 Possess your mind in peace. You are sensible that in affairs 
 of importance omissions may be made, and that a person is al- 
 lowed afterward to correct them. 
 
 You have greatly encouraged us, by promising to watch over 
 
APPENDIX. 381 
 
 our peace, and to provide for our welfare. It is probable that 
 when we have completed our business here, some bad men may 
 break over the fence you have set around us. There are, 
 excuse us brother, some bad men among the white people 
 of this island ; they may not hear your voice as far as our coun- 
 try : we therefore propose that Peter Ryckman, our child, may 
 live among us in your behalf, look at our affairs, and watch over 
 
 our interests. 
 
 • 
 
 You have now heard our minds, and the resolutions we had 
 formed before we left our country. I only act here as an agent, 
 by the request of my brothers, the Cayugas, and I am now re- 
 leased from my engagements. 
 

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