A 
 
 o- 
 
 ILLINOIS HiSTOSICAl SURVEY 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 9n,3

 
 '^■i'. te 
 
 I 

 
 \ 
 
 \
 
 EECOLLECTIOI^S 
 
 OF 
 
 PERSONS AND PLACES 
 
 IN 
 
 THE WEST. 
 
 BY 
 
 H. M. BRACKENRIDGE, 
 
 A NATIVE OP THE WEST; TRAVELER, AUTHOR, JURIST. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, ENLARGED. 
 
 PniLADELPniA: 
 
 J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 
 186 8.
 
 Entered, aeeordii:^ :; :.ir A:: of Congress, in the year 1S6S, by 
 
 H. M. BP.ACKEXRIDGE, 
 
 In tie Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and for 
 the "Western District of Pennsylvania,
 
 TO THE READER. 
 
 . In this volume we present you with the Kecollections 
 
 J of the Author, of the earlier part of a life somewhat out 
 
 »*of the common track up to the age of twenty-three or 
 
 ^four, with an outline of his course of preparation for the 
 
 IP 
 
 —bar, and of his first attempt at professional advancement. 
 
 Nowadays, since truth is only sought in romance, this 
 
 volume may be thought somewhat dull and uninteresting. 
 
 The reader will find nothing marvelous in its incidents, 
 
 nothing improbable, nothing that is not strictly true Per- 
 
 *~ haps this very circumstance may cause it to be thought 
 
 '^ an invention of the brain, only remarkable for its verisi- 
 
 ^militude. I solemnly protest against this idea, and assure 
 
 the reader that it is nothing more nor less than what it 
 
 r 
 
 (^pretends to be. 
 
 fN, 
 
 The Author. 
 
 (iii) 
 
 >r 
 
 >^o 
 
 ^
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Author begins with his Birth, where Men generally he- 
 gin — Incidents of Childhood — First Yoyage down the 
 Ohio River 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival at Hopson's Choice — The Yoyage continued to Lou- \^ 
 isiana — Placed in a French Family — Learns the French 
 Language, and entirely forgets the English . . .17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Residence at St. Genevieve — Departure from that Place . 24 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 Yoyage up the Ohio — Great Hubbub among the Fishes — 
 Sufferings from the want of Provisions — Buffaloes — 
 Naval Fight with a Bear— Left at Gallipolis . . 28 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Residence at Gallipolis — Character of Dr. Saugrain, and 
 some Account of the Place — Distresses experienced 
 there — Arrival of General AVilkinson and Family — De- 
 parts with him and arrives at Pittsburg . . .34 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 The Author's Education — Narrowly escapes the Dangers 
 
 from Wicked Associates 43 
 
 (V)
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Pittsburg Thirty Years ago — Eeminiscences . . .59 
 
 CHAPTER VII I. 
 
 Account of the Author's Education continued — Is placed as 
 
 a Clerk in an Office — Various Studies . . . .68 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Legal Studies — First Court held in a new County . . 76 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Author continues his Study of the Law — Dcistical Fal- 
 lacies — Spends some time at Jefferson College — Death 
 of Mr. Bates in a Duel 83 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Returns to Pittsburg — Joins a Law Society, and gives an 
 Account of his Process of Preparation for a Speech — 
 Admission to the Bar and Debut — Character of the 
 Pittsburg Bar — Aaron Burr 91 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Author leaves Pittsburg — Adventure of the Bee-Hun- 
 ter — Arrives at Carlisle and resumes his Studies — Mys- 
 terious Voice — Goes to Baltimore 105 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 Arrives in Baltimore — Visits the Theater — Introduction to 
 the Bar — The Difficulty of getting into Practice — 
 Moyens d'y Parvenir 118 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Author gives up all Hope of getting into Practice — He 
 
 becomes a Man of Fashion and of Pleasure . . .127
 
 CONTENTS. vii 
 
 CHAPTEE XY. 
 
 The Bar of Baltimore Twenty Years ago — Political Excite- 
 ments — The Author hears of a Place with but one Law- 
 yer, and immediately resolves to set out for it . . 137 
 
 CHAPTEE XYI. 
 
 The Author surveys the New Scene of Action — Begins a 
 
 Professional Career — Useful Hints to Young Lawyers. 147 
 
 CHAPTEE XYIL 
 
 The Author finds Somerset but a Eesting-place — Eesolves 
 to seek the Great West — Eeminiscences — Philip Dod- 
 dridge — Digression about the Capitol at "Washington — 
 A Nondescript Frenchman ...... 161 
 
 CHAPTEE XYIII. 
 
 Yoyage down the Ohio — Disappointment at Gallipolis . . 172 
 
 CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 A Disturbance in the Wigwam — New Madrid — An inter- 
 esting Family — Late News of Braddock's Defeat — St. 
 Genevieve — An Incident worthy of Eomance . ,184 
 
 CHAPTEE XX. 
 Scenes of Childhood 202 
 
 CHAPTEE XXL 
 
 Journey to the Lead Mines — Mode of settling Disputes a 
 
 I'amiable .... .... 209 
 
 CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 Journey from the Mines to St. Louis . \^. . . . 216
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 Touch of Knight-errantry and Adventures — Arrives at St. 
 
 Louis 222 
 
 CHAPTEE XXI Y. 
 
 A slight Survey of the Coast — Herr Shewe / . . . 229 
 
 CHAPTEE XXV. 
 
 The Circuit — Incidents — Eevisits New Madrid . . , 235 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVI. 
 
 The Indian Culprit— The Trial— The Defense . . .242 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVII. 
 
 The Author adopts a Literary Freedom — Western Antiqui- 
 ties — Singular Coincidence of certain Passages of Differ- 
 ent Authors 253 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVIII. 
 
 Bad Consequences of Good Society — A Constructive Quarrel 
 
 and Eatal Duel between two Friends .... 260 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIX. 
 
 . Departure from St. Louis — The Place revisited after an In- 
 terval of Ten Years — Shewe — Melanthy . . . 267 
 
 Appendix 275
 
 RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 PLACES AND PERSONS IN THE WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Aiit.bor begins with his Birth, where Men generally begin — 
 Incidents of Childhood — First Yoyage down the Ohio Kiver. 
 
 Every one thinks the story of his own life more curious 
 and better worth relating than that of his neighbor ; per- 
 haps, because he is more intimately acquainted with its 
 incidents, and more fully impressed with their importance. 
 Jean Jacques Rousseau only deceived himself when he so 
 eloquently announced that, if not better than other men, 
 he was at least different from them. Originals, very like 
 the copy he has given, may be found in the possession of 
 many others of the children of Adam. There is, doubtless, 
 a great diversity in human character, as well as in occu- 
 pations and pursuits ; but monsters and prodigies are rare, 
 and it is that which makes them such. Yet, the most 
 humble and common subjects, when delineated by the pen 
 of a Goldsmith, may be rendered classical ; according to 
 Boileau : 
 
 II n'y a point de serpens, ni monstre hideux, 
 Par I'art imite ne puisse plaire aux yeux. 
 
 There is no snake, there is no monster vile, 
 Pictured by art, that may not please the while. 
 
 2 (9)
 
 1 BRA C KEN RID GE'S 
 
 I shall, therefore, offer no apology for this attempt, although 
 not possessed of the magic pen of Goldsmith, but I foresee 
 no small inconvenience from the frequent recurrence of the 
 personal pronoun ego. 
 
 To begin with my birth, where men generally begin : that 
 event took place about the year 1786, at the very fountain 
 or source of the noble River Ohio (that is, if we consider 
 such the spot where its name first attaches), where stood 
 the village of Fort Pitt, now Pittsburg. My father was 
 an eminent lawyer, although thought to be somewhat ec- 
 centric, with what justice I shall not take upon me to say ; 
 but he always denied the charge, and asserted that he was 
 the only one of his acquaintance that was like everybody 
 else. My memory does not recall to me the features of my 
 mother, having lost her before I was eighteen months old ; 
 and in consequence, my infan€y was cast upon the cbarit}^ 
 of an uncharitable world. Accident placed me in charge 
 of the wife of a respectable cobbler, my father's tenant, 
 in an adjoining log-cabin, where the Bank of Pittsburg now 
 stands, and where I fared as well as might have been ex- 
 pected : that is, I was half starved, half clad, and well 
 scorched and meazled in the hot ashes and embers. Her 
 son Joe was my nurse ; that is, it was his particular 
 l)usiness to attend to me, and he became much attached to 
 his nursling. He had a genius for all kinds of mischief, 
 and loved the busy idleness of marble-playing, or hustle- 
 cap, generally taking me along with him, while he defended 
 me from all harm with the affection and ferocity of a 
 tiger, 
 
 A lady (whom I must always remember with more 
 than gratitude), at whose house my father had taken up 
 his abode, called to see me, was touched with compassion 
 for rny situation, and, with the consent of my parent, re- 
 solved to take charge of me herself, and accordingly had
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. H 
 
 me brouGrbt to her house. My appearance was at first so 
 unpromising' that she ahiiost repented the step she had 
 taken ; but a favorable change was soon effected by a 
 course of gentle treatment. Having no children of her 
 own at that time, she conceived for me the affection of a 
 mother. My father's time was chiefly passed at his office 
 in the village ; and being entirely devoted to books and 
 business, he took little notice of me, until he heard 
 very favorable accounts of my capacity. When turned 
 of two years old, I was one day carried to church, and 
 being struck with what I saw, attempted on my return to 
 imitate the clergyman, putting my hands together, shut- 
 ting my eyes, and repeating some of his words. My 
 father, who was too much of a philosopher to be moved 
 by the mere yearnings of nature, was delighted with the 
 discovery of an improvable intellect. As I came playing 
 about his chair, he took his eyes from his book and 
 addressed me as follows: "Well, boy, can you do any- 
 thing for your living ?" " I can make shoes," was my 
 reply, and then went through the motions of my foster, 
 father the cobbler. "You must learn to read," said he, 
 and accordingly procured me a horn-book. But, alas! the 
 inconsiderate cruelty of forcing a playful child, not three 
 years old, to the hard task of constant application ! A dis- 
 gust to letters might have been occasioned,- as lasting as 
 life. My screams on these occasions generally summoned 
 my generous protectress, who interposed and saved me 
 from the rod, but not from the terror, or from that feeling 
 too closely allied to fear. Parents usually err on the side 
 of indulgence, and it is seldom necessary to caution them 
 against that harsh and unkind treatment whose tendency 
 is to destroy the bud of filial love. 
 
 Three of my infant years thus glided away, like a fount- 
 ain rivulet, in that delightful spot on Grant's Hill, where
 
 1 2 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 the ancient Indian mound, with its summer-honse, over- 
 looks the pellucid current of the Alleghany, uniting with 
 its turbid Ijrother, the Monongahela, to form the source of 
 the Ohio. These beautiful rivers, and the varied and 
 charming landscape to the east, and the mountain-like 
 appearance of Coal Hill, made the first, as well as the 
 most lasting impressions on my memory. Before the 
 surrounding atmosphere was obscured by those volumes 
 of smoke, the whole world might have been challenged to 
 produce a more ^beautiful scene. Yet, in general, the 
 recollections of infancy are but few — I mean the recol- 
 lections of maturer j'ears, of what transpired in infancy. 
 I remember the bite of a large dog, directly under my left 
 eye, and the application of some of his hair to the wound. 
 1 remember an alarm of Indians, and people running to 
 and fro in the night. I remember the lonely, mournful 
 sound of the cow-bells in the little valley of Suke's Run ; 
 and I remember a few doses of nauseous doctor's stuff, 
 administered to me by Dr. Nathaniel Bedford, and his 
 partner Dr. Mowry, — but as to everything else, they are 
 scarcely as distinct as the traces of a forgotten dream. 
 
 When I was five years old, my parent espoused the 
 daughter of a respectable German farmer, and justice of 
 the peace or 'squire (according to the Pennsylvania idiom), 
 and I was taken from the good lady who had adopted me. 
 It was not long after this, before my travels began. My 
 step-grandfather carried me to the country, and there I 
 was placed at school, or rather went to school, at the dis- 
 tance of two or three miles. I soon learned to speak the 
 German language like the rest of the family, that is to 
 say, not in its greatest purity. The good old squire was 
 very fond of me, and once, when my fingers and toes were 
 frost-bitten in coming from school, took me to his dis- 
 tillery and thawed them by immersion in cold water. I
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 13 
 
 will here, by way of parenthesis, stop to relate that which 
 does him much credit. Lon«»' before the establishment <»f 
 temperance societies, he shut up his distillery, from a 
 conviction that he could not conscientiously manufacture 
 a liquid which tempts so many to destroy their health 
 and morals. The most prominent incident which fixed 
 itself in my memory was the barring out of the school- 
 master at Christmas, in order to bring him to terms on 
 the subject of the holiday. He made many and fearful 
 attempts to take the castle by assault, but without success, 
 and at last essayed to come down the wooden chimney of 
 the log-cabin, but the fire below, showers of hot ashes, 
 and pointed firebrands soon caused him to reascend. He 
 finally yielded to the demand of two weeks, doubtless 
 much against his will. 
 
 The good squire brought me back to Pittsburg, riding 
 behind him on horseback 1 remember the smell of the 
 coal-smoke in coming down Coal Hill, and was pleased 
 with the appearance of the sycamores growing along the 
 bank of the Monongahela, with the milk-white bark of 
 their trunks and branches. My father seemed pleased 
 with my speaking the German, which would not have 
 been the case if he had understood the language. He 
 always entertained a very high idea of the imiK>rtancc of 
 this kind of acquirement, and would often repeat the say- 
 ing, which I think is ascribed to Louis XIV., "that a 
 man doubles himself by learning another language." 
 For this reason, or perhaps in consequence of some origi- 
 nal plan of education, he conceived the idea of sending me 
 to a French village in Louisiana, in order to pass the time 
 in acquiring that important language, which might other- 
 wise have been spent in rolling hoops or playing marbles 
 in the street. A French gentleman of his acquaintance 
 was about to visit St. Genevieve, a village on the Missis- 
 
 2*
 
 14 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 sippi, and consented to take me with him. Without re- 
 garding the distance, which was fifteen hundred miles, 
 through a wilderness, and at that time the theater of a 
 bloody Indian war, it was resolved to seize the oppor- 
 tunity which presented itself of executing his design. It 
 was therefore settled that I should accompany the French 
 gentleman, who engaged to place me in a French family, 
 where I might learn the language vernacularly. Although 
 nothing could have been better intended than this meas- 
 ure, it is one which few persons will approve. It is true 
 I learned the French language, from which I afterward 
 derived both pleasure and advantage, and it was my for- 
 tune to fall into good hands ; but it might have been 
 otherwise. The risk I ran was certainly great, both to 
 my future character and personal safety ; and it is very 
 questionable whether the advantages to be expected were 
 equivalent to that risk. Although I escaped many 
 dangers, both physical and moral, yet I think it probable 
 that a direction was given to my feelings rather unfavor- 
 able to my success in life. 
 
 It must have been in the spring of the year when I 
 left Pittsburg, for the water was high, and I recollect 
 seeing some garden-flowers growing wild, at a place 
 called Legionville,* where General Wayne had passed 
 the summer the year before. When I went into the flat- 
 boat, poor Joe could with difficulty be prevented from 
 accompanying me ; he wept bitterly and embraced me 
 affectionately. 
 
 With the exception of the French gentleman in whose 
 charge I was placed, my companions, at least for a con- 
 sideraljle part of the way, were, of all others, the most 
 likely to be pernicious to a child of my age; they con- 
 
 "^ Now occupied by the followers of Kapp.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 16 
 
 sisted of common sokliers, to the number of thirty, under 
 the command of an ensign, and were on their way to the 
 army. The danger from Indians was diminished, but this 
 was scarcely sufficient to compensate for such familiarity 
 and contact with vice. It was fortunate for me that, owing 
 to the high waters, this part of our voyage was short in 
 its duration, although the distance was five hundred miles. 
 A little incident also happened shortly after our depart- 
 ure, which placed me at some distance from my com- 
 panions of the voyage. My trunk was broken open, and 
 six shillings in silver, which had purchased my consent 
 to depart from my native spot, were taken out by one 
 unknown. The soldiers were suspected ; the ensign, who 
 was indignant, made strict search to no purpose, and on 
 receiving some insolent language from a corporal or ser- 
 geant, drew his sword, struck him over the head — the 
 purple stream followed the blow. Such circumstances 
 stamp themselves strongly on the infant mind, and I 
 ascribe to it a dislike which I have to military discipline. 
 I can recollect but few particulars of the voyage. In 
 my childish simplicity, I thought we had reached the end 
 of the river when we came to a part where the stream 
 turns suddenly to the left, apparently presenting a baiTier 
 of hills athwart its course. Being by this time tired of 
 the voyage, I asked them to take me back. In the even- 
 ing I was put to a new trial ; a piece of fat pork, choco- 
 late in a tin cup, and some ship-biscuit were given to me 
 for supper. The fat meat disgusted me ; the chocolate 
 was unpalatable ; but being afraid to make known these 
 anti})athies, the offensive mess was privately thrown over- 
 board. I soon found, however, that there is no cure like 
 starving for an overdelicate appetite; and after awhile 
 my disgust was gradually placed under control. I con- 
 sider this a valuable practical lesson. How many a spoilt
 
 16 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 child have I seen, who might be cured by the discipline 
 of the flat-boat ! 
 
 If we anal3^ze the unhappiness of most men, we shall 
 find that these miseries of life, a bad breakfast, a dis- 
 agreeable bed, or an uncomfortable chair, form the greater 
 part of it. How important then to learn, in early youth, 
 to diminish, as much as possible, the number of its essen- 
 tials. To endure with resignation, to bear patiently, to 
 be content in the midst of privation, — in short, to make the 
 best of the worst situations, are obligations which belong 
 to the wretched ; yet their practice will place the wretched 
 above those who are unhappy in the midst of all the 
 pleasures of life. Adversity — 
 
 like the toad, 
 Ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious 
 Jewel in its head. 
 
 I do not mean the deeper anguish of the mind, the dis- 
 appointments of the heart, — philosophy herself can do 
 but little for these ; but the everyday sufferings, from 
 what the French would call les desagremens de la vie. 
 By the former a morbid sensibility is occasioned, which 
 may render us less contented and humble, and less fitted 
 to perform our moral and religious duties. There is, how- 
 ever, much in the power of every one, in cultivating a 
 cheerful temper, which has been called " a perpetual hymn 
 of thanksgiving to the Creator."
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. H 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival at Hopson's Choice — The Yoyage continued to Louisiana 
 — Phiced in a French Family — Learns the French Language, 
 and entirely forgets the English. 
 
 In ten days we reached the encampment of General 
 Wayne, at a place called Hopson's Choice, now a part of 
 the City of Cincinnati. I have no distinct recollection of 
 the appearance of the Ohio River in the course of our de- 
 scent, except that, instead of being enlivened by towns 
 and farms along its banks, it was a woody wilderness, 
 shut in to the water's edge. At that time, the fair city, 
 which now vies with the most ancient seats of civilization 
 and the arts on this continent, ivas not. Excepting the 
 openings and clearings made for the camp, the ground 
 was covered by lofty trees and entangled vines. 
 
 My recollections of the army are also indistinct: the 
 beating of drums, the clangor of trumpets, and the move- 
 ments of horse and foot, still pass through my memory, 
 but not so clearly distinguishable as the shadows of the 
 phantasmagoria. In fact, we remained here but a few 
 days, when we floated off again into the stream ; our 
 party now consisting of my guardian (as I will call him) 
 and another man, and a little boy about my own age. We 
 now proceeded as silently as we could, keeping, as near 
 as possible, on the Kentucky side of the river, from ap- 
 prehension of the Indians. How deep a solitude at that 
 day reigned along the beautiful banks of the Ohio! The 
 l)assage to Louisville from Pittsburg at that period was 
 dangerous, and frequent murders were committed by In-
 
 r 
 
 1 8 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 dians on whole families descending the river, — a danger 
 which was not sufficient to repress emigration. 
 
 I do not remember Louisville, or " the Falls" as the 
 place was then called ; the waters being high, the rapids 
 were probably not visible, and the boat passed over them 
 as over any other part of the river. From this place to 
 the mouth of the river, about five hundred miles, the 
 banks presented an uninterrupted wilderness ; the soli- 
 tude was not disturbed by a single human voice out of 
 our boat. We encountered a river storm, not many miles 
 from the Mississippi ; the waves tossed us about, and 
 dashed over the sides of the boat, threatening either to 
 overwhelm us, or to cast us on a desert shore. What a 
 contrast to the gentle Ohio, was presented when we en- 
 tered the current of the mighty "father of rivers," with 
 his prodigious volume rolling in turbid eddies and whirls, 
 with whole forests of driftwood on his surface ! We were 
 swiftly hurried along, and soon reached L^ance a la 
 Gresse, or New Madrid, the termination of our voyage. 
 This place was then a small Spanish military post ; as wc 
 approached the landing, a soldier or officer made his ap- 
 pearance on the bank, and flourished his sword with a 
 fierce, consequential air ; all this for the purpose of indi- 
 cating the place for us to land. 
 
 I was placed in a French or Spanish family for a cou- 
 ple of weeks, during which time I saw nothing of my 
 guardian. Although it was an agreeable circumstance 
 to be once more on firm land, and have room to run 
 about, yet I was among strangers, whose language I did 
 not understand, and my fare was not as good as that I 
 might have expected il" I had been apprenticed to an an- 
 chorite. Coarse black bread, a kind of catfish soup, hot 
 with pepper, and seasoned with garlic, was almost the 
 only food they gave me. When I look back, the time
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 19 
 
 spent at this dreary place seems to be a black speck in 
 my past life. In the mean time, my guardian was proba- 
 bly making preparations for a journey through the wil- 
 derness, to the settlements of Upper Louisiana, or the 
 Illinois, as they were called, and I was glad when he 
 came to take me away. 
 
 He had procured horses for himself and his guide, and 
 a small pony for me. A supply of provisions was pro- 
 vided, a part packed on each horse, with a coffee-pot, tin 
 cups, and a hatchet, the usual outfits of travelers through 
 the wilderness. A blanket for each was all our bedding, 
 and, there being no houses on the way, we took our chance 
 for the weather. Many years afterward I traveled over 
 the same way, passed the same swamps, and swam the 
 same streams, and a more disagreeable country to travel 
 over cannot easily be found in the United States. Our 
 path lay through an Indian village of Shawanese, who 
 treated us well ; but I trembled at the sight of them, 
 having learned to look upon these people as demons. 
 Being on Spanish ground, they would not have molested 
 us, even if they had known that we were not Spaniards. 
 After a week or ten days, we arrived, without any mate- 
 rial incident, at the village of St. Genevieve, situated on 
 the Mississippi, although not immediately on its bank. 
 
 My guardian carried me directly to the house of M. 
 Beauvais, a respectable and comparatively wealthy inhab- 
 itant of the village, and then took his departure the same 
 evening. Not a soul in the village, except the curate, 
 understood a word of English, and I was possessed of 
 but two French words, oi(,i and 7wn. I sallied into the 
 street, or rather highway, for the houses were far apart, 
 a large space ])eing occupied for yards and gardens l)y 
 each. I so(jn found a crowd of boys at play; curiosity 
 drew them around me, and many questions were put by
 
 20 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 them, which I answered alternately with the aid of the 
 before-mentioned monosyllables. "Where have you come 
 from?" "Yes." "What is your name ?" "No." To 
 the honor of these boys be it spoken, or ratheY to the 
 honor of their parents, who had taught them true polite- 
 ness, — instead of turning me into ridicule as soon as they 
 discovered I was a strange boy, they vied with each other 
 in showing me every act of kindness. 
 
 M. Bcauvais was a tall, dry, old French Canadian, 
 dressed i^ the costume of the place: that is, with a blue 
 cotton handkerchief on his head, one corner thereof de- 
 scending behind and partly covering the eel-skin which 
 bound his hair, a check shirt, coarse linen pantaloons on 
 his hips, and the Indian sandal or moccasin, the only 
 covering to the feet worn here by both sexes. He was 
 a man of a grave and serious aspect, entirely unlike the 
 gay Frenchman we are accustomed to see ; and this seri- 
 ousness was not a little heightened by the fixed rigidity 
 of the maxillary muscles, occasioned by having his pipe 
 continuall}^ in his mouth, except while in bed, or at mass, 
 or during meals. Let it not be supposed that I mean to 
 speak disrespectfully, or with levity, of a most estimable 
 man ; my object in describing him is to give an idea of 
 many other fathers of families of the village. Madame 
 Bcauvais was a large fat lady, with an open cheerful 
 countenance, and an expression of kindness and affection 
 to her numerous offspring, and to all others excepting her 
 colored domestics, toward whom she was rigid and severe. 
 She was, notwithstanding, a most pious and excellont 
 woman, and, as a French wife ought to be, completely 
 mistress of the family. Iler eldest daughter was an inter- 
 esting young woman ; two others were nearly grown, 
 and all were handsome. I will trespass a little on the 
 patience of the reader to give some account of the place
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 21 
 
 where I was domiciliated ; that is, of the house in which 
 I lived, and of the village in which it was situated. 
 
 The house of M. Beauvais was a long, low building, 
 with a porch or shed in front and another in the rear ; 
 the chimney occupied the center, dividing the house into 
 two parts, with each a fireplace. One of these served for 
 dining-room, parlor, and principal bed-chamber ; the other 
 was the kitchen ; and each had a small room tak^n off at the 
 end for private chambers or cabinets. There wds no loft or 
 garret, a pair of stairs being a rare thing in the village. 
 The furniture, excepting the beds and the looking-glass, 
 was of the most common kind, consisting of an armoire, a 
 rough table or two, and some coarse chairs. The yard was 
 inclosed with cedar pickets, eight or.ten inches in diameter 
 and seven feet high, placed upright, e^arj^ened at the top, in 
 the manner of a stockade fort. In front the yard was nar- 
 row, but in the rear quite spacious, and containing the l)arn 
 and stables, the negro quarters, and all the necessary offices 
 of a farm-yard. Beyond this there was a spacious garden 
 inclosed with pickets in the same manner with the yard. 
 It was, indeed, a garden — in which the greatest variety 
 and the finest vegetables were cultivated, intermingled 
 with flowers and shrubs: on one side of it there was 
 a small orchard containing a variety of the choicest fruits. 
 The substantial and permanent character of these inclo- 
 sures is in singular contrast with the slight and temporary 
 fences and palings of the Americans, The house was a 
 ponderous wooden frame, which, instead of being weather- 
 boarded, was filled in with cla}^, and then whitewashed. 
 As to the living, the table was provided in a very differ- 
 ent manner from that of the generality of Americans. 
 With the poorest French peasant, cookery is an art well 
 understood. They make great use of vegetables, and 
 prepared in a manner to be wholesome and palatable. 
 
 3
 
 22 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Instead of roast and fried they had soups, and fricassees, 
 and gumbos (a dish supposed to be derived from the 
 Africans), and a variety of other dishes. Tea was not 
 used at meals, and coffee for breakfast was the privilege 
 of M. Beauvais only. 
 
 From the description of this house some idea may be 
 formed of the rest of the village. The pursuits of the 
 inhabitants were chiefly agricultural, although all were 
 more or less engaged in traffic for peltries with the Indians, 
 or in working the lead-mines in the interior. But few of 
 them were mechanics, and there were but two or three small 
 shops, which retailed a fewgrocei'ies. Peltry, beaver skins, 
 and lead constituted almost the only circulating medium. 
 All politics or discussions of the affairs of government 
 were entirely unknown : the commandant took care of 
 all that sort of thing. But instead of them, the processions 
 and ceremonies of the church, and the public balls, fur- 
 nished ample matter for occupation and amusement. 
 Their agriculture was carried on in a field of several 
 thousand acres, in the fertile river-bottom of the Missis- 
 sippi, inclosed at the common expense, and divided into 
 lots separated by some natural or permanent boundary. 
 Horses or cattle, depastured, were tethered with long 
 ropes, or the grass was cut and carried to them in their 
 stalls. It was a pleasing sight, to mark the rural popu- 
 lation going and returning, morning and evening, to and 
 from the field, with their working cattle, carts, old- 
 fashioned wheel -plows, and other implements of hus- 
 bandry. Whatever they may have gained in some re- 
 spects, I question very much whether the change of gov- 
 ernment has contributed to increase their happiness. 
 About a quarter of a mile off, there was a village of 
 Kickapoo Indians, who lived on the most friendly terms 
 with the white people. The boys often intermingled
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 23 
 
 with those of the white villag:o, and practiced shooting 
 with the bow and arrow; here I got a little smattering of 
 the Indian language, which I forgot on leaving the place. 
 
 Such was the place, and the kind of people, among 
 whom I was about to pass some of the most important 
 years of my life, and which would naturally extend a 
 lasting influence over me. A little difficulty occurred 
 very soon after my arrival, which gave some uneasiness 
 to Madame Bcauvais. She felt some repugnance at put- 
 ting a little heretic into the same bed with her own chil- 
 dren. This was soon set right by the good curate, Pere 
 St. Pierre, who made a Christian of me, M. and Madame 
 Beauvais becoming my sponsors, by which a relationship 
 was established almost as strong as that formed by the 
 ties of consanguinity. Ever after this, they permitted 
 me to address them by the endearing names of father 
 and mother ; and more affectionate, careful, and anxious 
 parents I could not have had. It was such as even to 
 excite a kind of jealousy among some of their own chil- 
 dren. They were strict and exemplary Catholics ; so in- 
 deed were all the inhabitants of the village. Madame 
 Beauvais caused me every night to kneel by her side, to 
 say mj pater noster and credo, and then whispered those 
 gentle admonitions which sink deep into the heart. To 
 the good seed thus early sown I may ascribe any growth 
 of virtue in a soil that might otherwise have produced 
 only noxious weeds. 
 
 But a few days elapsed after my arrival before I was 
 sent to the village school, where I began to spell and 
 read French before I understood the language. My pro- 
 gress was such that, in a few weeks, I learned to read 
 and speak the language, and it is singular enough that 
 half a year had scarcely elapsed before I had entirely 
 forgotten my native tongue, a consequence which had
 
 24 BRACKENRTDGE'S 
 
 not, most certainly, been foreseen by my father, who ex- 
 pected that I should be possessed of two langua^ues in- 
 stead of one, and who could not have supposed that I 
 should be sent home a French boy to learn English. So 
 completely had every trace disappeared from my memory, 
 with the exception of the words yes and no, that when 
 sent for occasionally to act as interpreter to some stray 
 Anglo-American, the little English boy, le j^etit Anglais, 
 as they called me, could not comprehend a single word 
 beyond the two monosyllables. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Kesidence at St. Genevieve — Departure from that 'place. 
 
 During the remainder of my sojourn at St. Genevieve, 
 very little else occurred than the ordinary incidents of 
 boyhood. At school, on a public examination, I was de- 
 clared the best reader, and the prize, consisting of minia- 
 ture teacups and saucers, awarded me. From the nature 
 of the prize, the presumption is it was intended for the 
 other sex. No displeasure was manifested by the parents 
 who were present ; on the contrary, they caressed me in 
 the most affectionate manner. In spite of my outlandish 
 origin, I had become a general favorite or pet. The priest 
 had chosen me as one of the boys appointed to serve at 
 the altar, which was no small honor, and besides, entitled 
 me to a larger share of the pain heni, or blessed bread. 
 I carried my prize home, and gave it to little Zouzou, a 
 child in the cradle. 
 
 Alter the afternoon mass, I sometimes went v.ith other
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 25 
 
 children to the ball, which was by no means a place of 
 frivolity, but rather a school of manners. The children 
 of the rich and poor were i)laced on a footing of perfect 
 equality, and the only difference was a more costly, but 
 not a cleaner or neater dress. The strictest decorum and 
 propriety were preserved by the parents who were pres- 
 ent. There was as much solemnity and seriousness at 
 these assemblies as at our Sunday schools; the children 
 were required to be seated, and no confusion or disorder 
 was permitted. The minuet was the principal dance. 
 I think it is in some measure owing to this practice that 
 the awkward, clownish manners of other nations are 
 scarcely known among the French. The secret of true 
 politeness, self-denial, or the giving the better place to 
 others, was taught me at these little balls, but which I 
 have not always found practically useful when it has 
 not been met by a corresponding self-denial in others. I 
 do not hesitate to give the preference to our Sunday 
 schools, which are justly ranked among the greatest im- 
 provements of the age. The Sunday balls of St. Gene- 
 vieve were, however, comparatively ii\nocent, and, in 
 other respects, the people of the village, and particularly 
 Monsieur and Madame Beauvais, were rigid Sabbatarians. 
 The intense interest excited by the processions, and the 
 affairs of religion, can scarcely be imagined by the reader 
 who has not resided in Catholic countries, where the 
 people are not permitted to concern themselves about 
 other matters of a public nature. This religion is admira- 
 bly adapted to prevent them from becoming discontented 
 under a despotism, as it is calculated to occupy so miich 
 of their time and attention as to leave little for any but 
 their private concerns. I remember how my feelings 
 were interested along with the rest, and how intensely 
 they were excited on these occasions. And yet, amid 
 
 a*
 
 20 ' BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 these scenes I was occasionally troubled with a rebellious 
 spirit of inquiry, which, in spite of myself, carried me to 
 strange conclusions. Whether it was the case with other 
 boys, I know not ; perhaps the frequent change of place 
 and scene had produced a habit of observation beyond my 
 years. I am about to relate an incident which gave rise 
 in me to something like what Cobbett calls *' a birth of in- 
 tellect" — at least of original thought or reflection. 
 
 At Christmas eve it was the custom to keep the church 
 open all night, and at midnight to say mass. On this 
 occasion, I found myself alone for nearly an hour before 
 that time, seated on a high chair or stool, with a cross in 
 my hand, in front of the altar, ^yvhich was splendidly 
 decorated, and lighted with the largest wax candles the 
 village could afford. My imagination was at first filled 
 with an indescribable awe at the situation in which I 
 was placed, and I gazed upon the sacred images about 
 the altar as if they were in reality what they represented ; 
 but after the first impression had passed away, I began 
 to reflect upon what I was doing, and asked myself many 
 questions, to ivhich I could find no satisfactory answers. 
 
 During the second summer of my residence at this 
 place I was overtaken by a bilious fever, which had well- 
 nigh put an end to all my wanderings, together with the 
 many sufferings and disappointments, as well as gratifica- 
 tions, of after-days ; but such was not the will of Provi- 
 dence. The village had no physician, and, after the com- 
 mon family remedies were exliausted, the disease was 
 permitted to run its course, until there was scarcely suf- 
 ficient vitality left for it to feed upon. The almost ex- 
 tinguished spark was again nursed into life by the extraor- 
 dinary attentions of Madame Beauvais and her eldest 
 daughter. To the latter I had conceived a singular at- 
 tachment; during my paroxysm of fever, I could not be
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 27 
 
 satisfiod until she canio and reclined by my side. I was 
 continually calling for her when absent, and would take 
 nothing but from her hand. This amiable girl seemed to 
 be affected by the fondness of my partiality. It was 
 some time after the fever left me before I could walk, but 
 afterward my recovery was rapid. This was a season- 
 ing which I have no doubt was of service to me after- 
 ward; subsequent attacks of fever, at different periods 
 of my life, appearing in a mitigated form, and yielding 
 more readily to medicine. 
 
 The time now approached when I was to take my de- 
 parture from the place where I had passed nearly three 
 happy infantile years ; my recollections of my father had 
 more in them of terror than of love, and my affections, 
 like the young tendrils of the vine, had fastened on nearer 
 objects, from which they could not be separated without 
 being torn. The same gentleman who had before brought 
 me here came to take me away, and with many tears, I 
 left the kind people to whom I owed so much. I owed 
 them much for the care they had taken of my person, and 
 still more for the pains with which they had preserved 
 the health and purity of my mind. I left them with a 
 heart innocent and virtuous, and with impressions which, 
 if not indelible, were yet sufficient to carry me a long dis- 
 tance through the temptations of vice and folly. 1 was 
 taught to reverence my parents, to respect the aged, to 
 be polite to my equals, and to speak the truth to every 
 one. I was taught to restrain my temper, to practice 
 self-denial, to be compassionate to man and beast, to re- 
 ceive without murmur or complaint what was provided 
 for me, and to be thankful to God for every blessing.
 
 2 8 BRA C KEN RID GE ' S 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 Voyage up the Ohio— Great Huhbub among the Fishes— Suffer- 
 ings from the want of Provisions — Buffaloes — ISTaval Fight 
 with a Bear — Left at Gallipolis. 
 
 The voyage before us was of fifteen hundred miles, 
 two hundred down the Mississippi, the remainder of the 
 distance against the current of the Ohio. Our boat was 
 of the description commonly used for ascending the 
 western rivers, but of a small size, and laden with lead 
 and peltries. My guardian, having some furs to take in 
 at Kaskaskia, stopped at the mouth of the river of that 
 name, took out the more bulky articles, which he left on 
 the rocky shore, and then proceeded up the river with his 
 boat and boatmen, leaving me, and a gentleman of the 
 name of Power, in charge of the goods. This was the 
 same Power who figured in the annals of the West at 
 that day, and who was employed as an agent, by Spain, 
 to bring about a separation of the western country from 
 the rest of the Union. He was a remarkably handsome 
 man, and a perfect gentleman in his manners. He spoke 
 the French and Spanish languages fluently. Of his his- 
 tory I know but little. On reading Mr. Jefferson's Me- 
 moirs, I found that, about this time, information had 
 been communicated to the government, by my father, of 
 the business Power was engaged in ! 
 
 It was now about the middle of summer; the air was 
 d(!lightfully mild and clear,* while nature was clad in her 
 most luxuriant robes. The shore, for some distance, was 
 a smooth rock. We gathered the wild pea-vine and
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 29 
 
 made ourselves soft beds under the shade of the trees, 
 which stretched their giant vine-clad arms over the 
 stream. Flocks of screaming paroquets frequently lighted 
 over our head, and the humming-birds, attracted by the 
 neighboring honeysuckles, came whizzing and flitting 
 around us, and then flashed away again. Mr. Power 
 had a handkerchief full of dollars, which he permitted 
 me to take out and jingle on the rock. My companion 
 slept much of the time, and oh how lonesome it ap- 
 peared to me, while the stillness of the wilderness rung 
 in my ears ! In fact, the two days and nights I passed 
 here appeared among the longest of my life. 
 
 On our way to the mouth of the Ohio, we were de- 
 tained one day, from some cause or other, and during 
 that time I witnessed a phenomenon which I have never 
 observed since, and have always been at a loss to account 
 for. The day was excessively hot and calm ; on a sudden, 
 the river appeared to be alive with fish of all kinds, jump- 
 ing out of their element, darting in every direction, and 
 actually lashing the water into a foam. They appeared 
 all around our boat, and, in their frantic capers, sometimes 
 dashed themselves against it, or almost ran aground. A 
 number were shot with rifles. I have frequently related 
 this fact, but could never find any one to explain it. 
 
 In ascending the Ohio, as the banks were uninhabited, 
 and there were no boats going down, we often suffered 
 severely from the want of provisions. Excepting two log- 
 cabins, at Red Bank, there was no habitation until we 
 reached the Falls. I shall never forget the painful sen- 
 sations of hunger which I endured, when we were a day, 
 or sometimes two days, without anything to eat. A suf- 
 ficient supply of provisions had not been laid in before 
 starting, and our hunters frequently disappointed us. 
 Not far from the Wabash, on the Indian side of the
 
 30 BRA C KEN RID GF'S 
 
 river, a small herd of buflfaloes was one clay observed, 
 perhaps among the last ever seen on the banks of the 
 Ohio. Our boat landed, in order to afford an opportunity 
 to those who had guns to approach the game through 
 the woods. Four of the men slipped up through the 
 bushes, and, selecting a buffalo bull, fired their rifles at 
 once at his head ; but they either missed, or their bullets 
 could not penetrate his skull. Another was more fortun- 
 ate, or more judicious, in choosing out a large calf, which 
 he shot and secured, and brought us a most acceptable 
 supply of fi'esh meat. Once, having encamped some- 
 what later than usual, in the neighborhood of a beautiful 
 grove of sugar-trees, we found, after kindling our fires, 
 that a large flock of turkeys had taken up their night's 
 lodgings over our heads: some ten or twelve of them 
 were soon taken down for our supper and breakfast. But 
 it was not often we were so fortunate; and one afternoon 
 in particular, after having suffered much from hunger, the 
 men bethought themselves of trying the river mussels : 
 they were fried, and covered with pepper and salt, but 
 they could not be eaten, or were instantly rejected by 
 the stomach. In speaking of the sugar-tree, it may be 
 remarked that this beautiful tree is the pride of the 
 banks of the Ohio; nothing can surpass the dark rich 
 green of its well-formed top, surmounting a tall, clean 
 shaft, perfectly straight, and free from lateral branches. 
 The towering pacane is the pride of the Mississippi, but 
 is usually found in detached growth, not in magnificent 
 groves like the former, excluding all undergrowth, and 
 presenting a cool, grassy shade underneath. The. gigan- 
 tic sycamore is the most remarkable tree on the up})er 
 part of the Ohio. These wonderful productions of na- 
 ture are, however, fast disappearing before the axe of the 
 settler; and, in time, these plantations of groves and
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 31 
 
 trees, wliich may be ranked among the i)roU(le.st of her 
 works, will only be known to tradition, like the race of 
 the giants. 
 
 I must not omit an incident of our voyage of some- 
 what unusual interest, which was nothing more nor less 
 than what may be called a naval combat with a bear. 
 One afternoon bruin was espied crossing the river from 
 the Indiana to the Kentucky side ; every exertion was 
 made, and with success, to cut him off from the shore. 
 We now had him fairly in the middle of the river. All 
 the guns we had on board were leveled at him ; but such 
 is the extraordinary tenacity of life in this animal, that, 
 although severely wounded, he not only continued to 
 swim, but now enraged, and finding his retreat impracti- 
 cable, made directly for the boat, champing his teeth, and 
 his eyes red with rage. Before the fire-arms could be re- 
 loaded, he laid his paw on the side of the boat, as if to 
 try the last desperate experiment of boarding; and if he 
 had succeeded, the probability is he would have cleared 
 the decks. Some one had the presence of mind to seize 
 an axe and knock him on the head ; after which, he was 
 dragged into the boat, and proved to be of enormous 
 size. We encamped early, and fires were joyfully kin- 
 dled along the rocky shore, in anticipation of the feast: 
 one of the paws fell to my share, and, being roasted in 
 the ashes, furnished a delicious repast. 
 
 Our boat was very badly contrived to encounter in- 
 clement weather. At the stern there was a small cabin, 
 if such it might be called, formed by a canvas drawn over 
 hoops something like those of a covered wagon. But the 
 space it covered was too narrow to shelter more than four 
 or five persons. The hull of the boat was entirely filled 
 with peltries. One night, when it rained incessantly, so 
 many crowded in that 1 was fairly crowded out, and lay,
 
 32 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 until daylight, on the running-board (a plank at the edge 
 of the boat, on which the men walk in pushing with the 
 pole), exposed to the falling torrents of rain, accompanied 
 with incessant thunder and lightning. We little know 
 what we can bear until we try, although one might think 
 this would deserve to rank among the experiments of 
 Peter the Great, who attempted to accustom his midship- 
 men to drink salt water ! I did not sleep, but drew myself 
 as nearly into the shape of a ball as I could, with no other 
 covering than a thin capote. Shortly after my arrival at 
 Louisville, I was seized with a fever and ague, occasioned 
 either by my exposures and sufferings, or by impru- 
 dently eating some unripe watermelon, or both together. 
 It was nearly a year before I was entirely cured of the 
 ague, and I felt the effects long after. 
 
 My guardian, having disposed of the principal part of 
 his cargo at Louisville, purchased a canoe or peroque, 
 which he loaded with some valuable furs remaining unsold, 
 and employed a stripling from the Monongahela to assist 
 him in pushing with the pole. Thus far, I have said lit- 
 tle of my guardian. The reader must have discovered 
 that he was engaged in trade between Pittsburg and 
 Upper Louisiana ; but he will hardly suspect that he 
 was a French gentleman of education, and bred to the bar 
 in his own country, and of a distinguished family there. 
 Among the strange vicissitudes of employments and for- 
 tune in this country, the reader need not be surprised to 
 find that this gentleman was afterward a member of 
 Congress, elected as the successor of the celebrated Albert 
 Gallatin ; and that he was subsequently a judge of the 
 superior court ; and that, in due season, I had the honor 
 of addressing him, in the village of St. Genevieve, in my 
 capacity of lawyer! But not further to anticipate the 
 events of this pleasant narrative, I will simply say that
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 33 
 
 he might now be seen, pole in hand, pushing at the stern, 
 and his man Duncan at the bow, while rill-garlick was 
 deposited among the skins, half way between them. 
 When the unfortunate ague came on I disturbed the equi- 
 librium of the canoe, or rather of those standing up in it, 
 to the no small displeasure of monsieur, whose temper 
 was none of the sweetest. 
 
 As the season was advanced, and also rainy, I suffered 
 much from constant exposure. Duncan took care of me; 
 we slept together, and the few blankets we had were dis- 
 posed in the most judicious manner. One of these was 
 drawn over bent twigs, each end in the ground ; another 
 was laid on leaves, or fresh boughs, and a third was used 
 for covering. In this way, the night was passed more 
 comfortably than the day ; although, on one occasion, we 
 had to shake off the snow which had fallen upon us some- 
 what early in the season. Having a regular return of the 
 ague every day, and growing weaker, my guardian consid- 
 ered it most prudent to leave me at the first settlement, 
 where T could be safely deposited and taken care of. Ac- 
 cordingly, on our arrival at Gallipolis, I was taken to a 
 house in the village and left there.
 
 34 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Kesidence at Gallipolis— Character of Dr. Saugrain, and some 
 Account of the Place — Distresses experienced there — Arrival 
 of General Wilkinson and Family — Departs with him and 
 arrives at Pittsburg. 
 
 Behold me once more in port, and domiciliated at the 
 house, or inn, of Monsieur, or rather Dr. Saugrain, a 
 cheerful, sprightly little Frenchman, four feet six English 
 measure, and a chemist, natural philosopher, and physician, 
 both in the English and French signification of the word. 
 I was delighted with my present liberation from the irk- 
 some thraldom of the canoe, and with the possession of 
 the free use of my limbs. After wrapping my blanket 
 round me, which was my only bedding, I threw myself 
 into a corner for a couple of hours, during the continuance 
 of the fever and ague, and then rose up refreshed, with 
 the lightness of spirits which I possessed in an unusual 
 degree. I ran out of the house, and along the bank, 
 where I met a boy about my own size ; I laid hold of him 
 in mirth, but he, mistaking my vivacity, gave mc a sound 
 beating. 
 
 The next day the doctor tried his skill upon me, or^ 
 rather upon my ague, and pretty much on the plan of that 
 other celebrated physician, whose name begins with the 
 letter S ; whether on the principle of the solvienfe uni- 
 vernal, I do not so well know, but certain it is, he repeated 
 the very words recorded by Gil Bias, " hehe agua, Ivijo 
 mio, hebe agua in almndaiicia,'^ — drink water, my son, 
 drink plenty of water. I drank a gallon or two of tepid
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 35 
 
 water, and threw it up airain, thus rinsinjr out tlie stomach 
 as one might rinse a bottle ; but the ague was not to be 
 shaken oflf so easily ; it still continued to visit me daily, 
 as usual, all that winter and part of the next spring. 
 
 I was but poorly clad, and was without hat or shoes, 
 but gradually became accustomed to do without them : 
 like the Indian, I might in time have become all face. 
 My guardian left no money, perhaps he had none to leave ; 
 M. Saugraiu had none to spare, and, moreover, had no 
 certainty that he would be reimbursed ; besides, as this 
 was the period when the French Revolution was at its 
 height, sans culotiism was popular with those who favored 
 that breaking up of all social economy. Dr. Saugrain, 
 however, and many others in Gallipolis were not of that 
 party; they were royalists who bitterly lamented the 
 condition of their native country. 
 
 Gallipolis, with the exception of a few straggling log- 
 houses, of which that of Dr. S. was one, consisted of two 
 long rows of barracks built of logs, and partitioned off 
 into rooms of sixteen or twenty feet wide, with what is 
 called a cabin roof and wooden chimneys. At one end 
 there was a larger room than the rest, which served as a 
 council chamber and ball-room. This singular village 
 was settled by people from Pari^ and Lyons, chiefly arti- 
 sans and artists, peculiarly unfitted to sit down in the 
 wilderness and clear away forests. I have seen half a 
 dozen at work in taking down a tree, some pulling ropes 
 fastened to the branches, while others were cutting round 
 it like beavers. Sometimes serious accidents occurred in 
 consequence of their awkwardness. Their former employ- 
 ments had only been calculated to administer to the luxury 
 of highly polished and wealthy societies. There were 
 carvers and gilders to the king, coachmaket-s, frizeurs and 
 perukemakers, and a variety of others, who might have
 
 36 BRA CKEXR ID GE' S 
 
 found employment in our larger towns, but who were 
 entirely out of their place in the wilds of the Ohio. Their 
 means by this time had been exhausted, and they were 
 beginning to suffer from the want of the comforts and 
 even necessaries of life. The country back from the river 
 was still a wilderness, and the Gallipolitans did not pre- 
 tend to cultivate anything more than small garden spots, 
 depending for their supply of provisions on the boats 
 which now began to descend the river ; but they had to 
 pay in cash, and that was become scarce. They still as- 
 sembled at the ball-room twice a week ; it was evident, 
 however, that they had felt disappointment, and were no 
 longer happy. The predilections of the best among them 
 being on the side of the Bourbons, the horrors of the 
 Revolution, even in their remote position, mingled with 
 their private misfortunes, which had at this time nearly 
 reached their acme, in consequence of the discovery that 
 they had no title to their lands, having been cruelly de- 
 ceived by those from Avhom they had purchased. It is 
 well known that Congress generously made them a grant 
 of twenty thousand acres : from which, however, but few 
 of them derived any advantage. 
 
 As the Ohio was now more frequented, the house was 
 occasionally resorted to, and especially by persons looking 
 out for land to purchase. The doctor had a small apart- 
 ment which contained his chemical apparatus, and I used 
 to sit by him as often as I could, watching the curious 
 operations of his blowpipe and crucible. I loved the 
 cheerful little man and he became very fond of me in 
 turn. Many of my countrymen used to come and stare 
 at his doings, which they were half inclined to think had 
 too near a rescml)lance to the black art. The doctor's 
 little phosphoric matches, igniting spontaneously when 
 the glass tube was broken, and from which he derived
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 87 
 
 some emolument, were thought by some to be rather 1)C- 
 yond mere hunum power. His barometers and thermom- 
 eters, with the scale neatly painted with the pen, and the 
 frames richly carved, were objects of wonder, and some 
 of them are probably still extant in the West. But what 
 most astonished some of our visitors was a large peach 
 in a glass bottle, the neck of which could only admit a 
 common cork ; this was accomplished by tying the bottle 
 to the limb of the tree, with the peach when young in- 
 serted into it. His swans, which swam round basins of 
 water, amused me more than any of the wonders exhibited 
 b}' the wonderful man. 
 
 The doctor was a great favorite with the Americans, 
 as well for his vivacity and sweetness of temper which 
 nothing could sour, as on account of a circumstance which 
 gave him high claims to the esteem of the backwoodsmen. 
 He had shown himself, notwithstanding his small stature 
 and great good nature, a very hero in combat with the 
 Indians. He had descended the Ohio in company with 
 two French philosophers, who were believers in the prim- 
 itive innocence and goodness of the children of the forest. 
 They could not be persuaded that any danger was to be 
 apprehended from the Indians : as they had no intention 
 to injure that people, they supposed, of course, that no 
 harm could be meditated on their part. Dr. Saugrain 
 was not altogether so well convinced of their good inten- 
 tions, and accordingly kept his pistols loaded. Near the 
 mouth of Big Sand}^, a canoe with a party of warriors 
 approached the boat ; the philosophers invited them on 
 board by signs, when they came rather too willingly. 
 Tlie first thing they did on entering the l)oat was to salute 
 the two philosophers with the tomahawk; and they would 
 have treated the doctor in the same way, but that he used 
 his pistols with good effect: killed two of the savages, 
 
 4^
 
 38 BRACKENRIDOE'S 
 
 and then leaped into the water, diving like a dipper at 
 the flash of the guns of the others, and succeeded in 
 swimming to shore, with several severe wounds whose 
 scars were conspicuous. 
 
 The doctor was married to an amiable young woman, 
 but not possessing as much vivacity as himself. As 
 Madame Saugrain had no maid to assist in household 
 work, her brother, a boy of my age, and myself, were 
 her principal helps in the kitchen. We brought water 
 and wood, and washed the dishes. I used to go in the 
 morning about two miles for a little milk, sometimes on 
 the frozen ground, barefoot. I tried a pair of sabots, or 
 wooden shoes, but was unable to make any use of them, 
 although they had been made by the carver to the king. 
 Little perquisites sometimes, too, fell to our share, from 
 blacking shoes and boots : my companion generally saved 
 his, while mine would have burnt a hole in my pocket if 
 it had remained there. In the spring and summer, a good 
 deal of my time was passed in the garden, weeding the 
 beds. While thus engaged, I formed an acquaintance 
 with a young lady of eighteen or twenty, on the other 
 side of the palings, who was often similarly occupied. 
 Our friendship, which was purely Platonic, commenced 
 with the story of Blue Beard, recounted by her, and with 
 the novelty and pathos of which I was much interested. 
 This incident may perhaps remind the reader of the story 
 of Pyramus and Tiiisbe, or perhaps of the hortical eclogue 
 of Dean Swift, " Dermot and Shela." 
 
 Connected with this young lady, there is an incident 
 which I feel a pleasure in relating. One day, while stand- 
 ing alone on the bank of the river, I saw a man who had 
 gone in to bathe, and who had got beyond his depth 
 without l)eing able to swim. lie began to struggle for 
 life, and in u few seconds would have sunk to rise no
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 39 
 
 more. I shot down the bank like an arrow, leaped into 
 a canoe, which fortunately hai)pened to be close by^ 
 pushed the end of it to him, and as he rose, perhaps for 
 the last time, he seized it with a deadly convulsive grasp, 
 and held so firmly, that the skin afterward came ofif the 
 parts of his arms which pressed against the wood. I 
 screamed for help; several persons came, and took him 
 out perfectly insensible. He afterward married the young 
 lady, and they raised a numerous and respectable family.- 
 One of his daughters married a young lawyer, who now 
 represents that district in Congress.* Thus at eight years 
 of age I earned the civic crown by saving the life of a 
 human being. 
 
 If my occupations were of a menial character, they 
 were not rendered, or received, as such ; for I was treated 
 as if I were the child or brother of my landlord and land- 
 lady. Money had been sent for my keeping, but unfor- 
 tunately it never reached its destination. The doctor 
 once took me with him to a small town at the mouth of 
 the Kenawha River, where w^e were treated in a very hos- 
 pitable manner by Colonel Lewis. It was here that for 
 the first time I tasted wine, and I confess that I have 
 liked it ever since, while, in an equal degree, it created a 
 dislike to brandy, rum, and whisky. I saw a venerable- 
 looking man of the name of Vanbiber, with a long snow- 
 white beard, and deprived of sight, who related the man- 
 ner in which he and his family had been saved by the 
 fidelity of a negro man, who had repelled an attack made 
 by a party of Indians ; I have forgotten the circumstances, 
 but they were thought very extraordinary. By this time 
 I had learned to speak my native tongue ; we soon regain 
 what has been once known and forgotten ; it was a long 
 
 * Mr. Vinton.
 
 40 BRA CKENRID GE ' S 
 
 time, however, before I was entirely freed from my 
 French idiom. 
 
 Toward the Latter part of summer, the inhabitants suf- 
 fered severely from sickness and want of provisions. 
 Their situation was truly wretched. The swamp in the 
 rear, now exposed by the clearing between it and the 
 river, became the cause of a frightful epidemic, from 
 which few escaped, and many became its victims. I had 
 recovered from my ague, and was among the few exempted 
 from the disease ; but our family, as well as the rest, suf- 
 fered much from absolute hunger, a most painful sensa- 
 tion, as I had before experienced. To show the extremity 
 of our distress, on one occasion the brother of Madame 
 Saugrain and myself pushed a light canoe' to an island 
 above the town, where we pulled some corn, took it to 
 floating mill, and, excepting some of the raw grains, had 
 had nothing to eat from the day before, until we carried 
 home the flour and made some bread, but had neither milk 
 nor meat. I have learned to be thankful when I had a 
 sufficiency of wholesome food, however plain, and was 
 blessed with health ; and I could put up with humble fare 
 without a murmur, although accustomed to luxuries, 
 when I have seen those, who had never experienced abso- 
 lute starvation, turn up their noses at that which was 
 very little worse than the best they had ever known. 
 Such are the uses of adversity. 
 
 I had been nearly a year at Gallipolis when Captain 
 Smith of the United States Army came along, in advance 
 of the barge of General Wilkinson, and, according to the 
 request of my father, took me into his custody for the 
 purpose of bringing me once more to my native place. 
 He remained two or three days, waiting for the general, 
 and in the mean while procured me hat, shoes, and clothes 
 befitting a gentleman's son, and then took me on board
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 41 
 
 his boat. Shortly after the general overtook us, and I 
 was transferred on board of the barge as a playmate and 
 companion for his son Biddle, a boy of my own age. The 
 general's lady, and several ladies and gentlemen were on 
 board of the boat, which was fitted up in a style of con- 
 venience, and even magnificence, scarcely surpassed by 
 the present steamboats. It was propelled against the 
 stream by twenty-five or thirty men, sometimes with the 
 pole, by the cordelle, and often by the oar. There was 
 also a band of musicians, and the whole had the appear- 
 ance of a mere party of pleasure. My senses were over- 
 powered — it seemed an Elysium ! The splendor of the 
 furniture — the elegance of the dresses — and then the 
 luxuries of the table, to a half-starved creature, produced 
 an effect which cannot be easily described. Every re- 
 past was a royal banquet, and such delicacies were placed 
 before me as I had never seen, and in sufficient abund- 
 ance to satiate my insatiable appetite.* I was no more 
 like what I had been, than the cast off skin of the black 
 snake resembles the new dress in which he glistens in the 
 sunbeam. The general's countenance was continually 
 lighted up with smiles, and he seemed faire le honheur 
 of all around him, — it seemed to be his business to make 
 every one happy. His countenance and manners were 
 such as 1 have rarely seen, and, now that I can form a 
 more just estimate of them, were such as better fitted 
 him for a court than a republic. His lady was truly a 
 most estimable person, of the mildest and softest man- 
 ners. She gave her son and me a reproof one day, which 
 I never forgot. She saw us catching minnows with pin 
 hooks^made us desist, and then explained, in the sweet- 
 
 pcnetrer 
 
 Le lieu impenetrable. — J. B. Rousseau.
 
 42 BRA C KEN RIB GE'S 
 
 est manner, the cruelty of taking away life, wantonly, 
 from the humblest thing in the creation. 
 
 Our arrival at Pittsburg was announced by the thunder 
 of artillery, many times repeated by the echoes of the 
 surrounding hills. I trembled at the thought of appear- 
 ing before the being whom I held in so much awe — my 
 father ! The boy who had taken care of me in childhood, 
 and of whom I have already spoken, watched the landing 
 of the boat, immediately took me in his arms, and then 
 led me home. We found my father sitting in his office, 
 unmoved by the uproar which had disturbed the whole 
 village. I thought he looked more severe than ever. 
 Raising his spectacles from his clear and polished fore- 
 head, he accosted me as follows : " Well, boy, can you 
 read French ?" Then taking down a copy of Telemachus, 
 put it into my hands. I stammered, perhaps a little rusty 
 from my residence at Gallipolis, where there was no 
 school — perhaps my faculties were benumbed with fear. 
 " Sir," said he, " your progress does not equal my expec- 
 tations ;" then, turning round, said, "Joe, take him to 
 Fenemore, the tailor, to get a suit of clothes, and then to 
 Andrew Willocks, to have his measure for a pair of shoes." 
 
 I was now in the tenth 3^ear of my age. In general, 
 few persons under ten or twelve go through anj^thing 
 worth the trouble of relating : and it is only the boyhood 
 of those who have become distinguished in after-life, that 
 can afford a subject of interest without it. The boyhood 
 of Milton, Shakspearc, Newton, or Napoleon excites 
 curiosity in consequence of the magnitude of the space 
 filled by these illustrious names in the history of man- 
 kind ; like the first rise of the great rivers of the world, 
 which we delight to trace, and, like Bruce, to bestride, on 
 account of the contrast with their subsequent grandeur.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 43 
 
 CHAPTER YL 
 
 The Author's Education — Narrowly escapes the Dangers from 
 Wicked Associates. 
 
 Ix a few days after my return, my education com- 
 menced. Before breakfast two hours were given to M. 
 Yisinier, the teacher of French. He was a small man, 
 with a brown coat, long nose, and gold snufif-box. Tele- 
 machus, and a poetic prose translation of the ^neid, 
 were the books I read, and with which I was pleased, 
 perhaps, in part, from having been a traveler also, and 
 perhaps from possessing a natural relish for what is 
 beautiful in composition, and elevated in sentiment. 
 These works were admirably calculated to awaken taste 
 where it existed ; and as to Yirgil, I must say that the 
 French served rather to heighten the interest of the orig- 
 inal, which I never relished as much. With my father I 
 read English after breakfast, beginning with Robinson 
 Crusoe, and then the Adventures of Teague 'Regan, a 
 production of his own, intended as a satire upon some of 
 the defective points of our excellent popular government. 
 Possessing a lively sense of the ridiculous, I could not 
 restrain my laughter, at some of the incidents of " Modern 
 Chivalry," at which, instead of being displeased, he 
 frequently joined me, and I believe the circumstance 
 served to confirm him in the opinion he already enter- 
 tained of the brilliancy of my intellect. Don Quixote, 
 Gil Bias, Tom Jones, the Yicar of Wakefield followed. 
 I then read Goldsmith's Animated Nature, and his 
 abridged histories of Greece, Rome, and England, and
 
 44 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 afterward some volumes of the Spectator, with other 
 reading, which occupied the winter and the best part of 
 the spring and summer. There was little or no interrup- 
 tion in my studies, which continued from the time I rose 
 in the morning until bedtime. I was occasionally allowed 
 an hour before dinner, to saunter about the town, but was 
 kept so closely to my books, that I had scarcely time to 
 become acquainted with the boys in the streets. 
 
 Lessons in handwriting were given me by Mr. Tod, 
 the inventor of a new method of teaching to write like 
 copper-plate. His price was high, but such was his sup- 
 posed excellence, that even elderly ladies were seized with 
 a desire, through his assistance, to attain the accomplish- 
 ment of caligraphy. One of the students, a relative of 
 my father, undertook to teach me arithmetic, and devoted 
 an hour or two, for this purpose, every day, in the study, 
 where clients were usually introduced. This was a 
 laborious and painful part of my education, for I had little 
 aptitude for numeral figures. The committing to memory 
 the multiplication table cost me infinite labor. I galloped 
 through fractions, square root, and through Euclid, Grib- 
 son's Surveying, and Fenn's Algebra, with sensations of 
 disgust rather than of pleasure ; and excepting Euclid, 
 which I have admired as furnishing the anatomy of the 
 reasoning powers, have recurred to them but little since, 
 except while at Jefferson College. But I am here 
 anticipating the course of education marked out for me. 
 
 A love of reading was, however, kindled, which has 
 never been extinguished, and has been my chief employ- 
 ment and solace through life. That parent may consider 
 himself happy, when he finds that his child is fond of 
 reading. I have crept out of my bed, and have lain a 
 great part of the night, before the slacked coal fire, using 
 the faint light emitted through the bars of the grate, in
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF TILE WEST. ^ 45 
 
 order to follow the unfortunate Baron Trenck through his 
 singular sufferings and persecutions. My temperament 
 was pecuHarly ardent, and when engaged in anything 
 con amove, my whole soul entered into the pursuit. This 
 disposition for intense application in some things, and 
 rapidity of apprehension, was not inconsistent with a love 
 of boyish plays and sports in an equal degree ; it was the 
 same temperament differently excited. 
 
 My father undertook to instruct me in the Latin and 
 Greek. He was himself a most finished classical scholar, 
 having been a tutor at Princeton, and afterwards the 
 principal of an academy on the eastern shore of Maryland ; 
 and he was as proud of the success in life of his pupils, 
 and took as much credit to himself for it as Porson. He 
 considered the classics all in all, and thought no person 
 could be esteemed a scholar without them. According to 
 his estimate, even Franklin had no higher claim than that of 
 a strong-minded, imperfecth'-edueated man, who would 
 have been much greater if he had been bred at a college, 
 which I think very questionable. We are apt to overrate 
 the importance of those pursuits in which we excel, or to 
 which we have devoted much of our time and application. 
 This I think was the case with him, and he was inclined 
 to place too high a value on the talents of those who were 
 critically versed in the master-pieces of Greece and Rome. 
 It is, therefore, not surprising that in his desire to give 
 me a complete education, he considered my proficiency in 
 the classics as paramount to every other study — that if 
 accomplished in these, everything else would be added 
 unto me. But the course adopted by him to effect this 
 all-important object was unfortunate, as it tended some- 
 what to disgust me with studies which accorded with my 
 natural taste, and which disgust was never altogether 
 
 5
 
 46 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 subdued. I acquired the Spanish, German, and Italian 
 languages, at a subsequent period, without difficulty, and 
 with very little assistance ; but as to the learned lan- 
 guages, as they were imposed upon me as a task, 
 unpleasant sensations have always been associated with 
 them ; and, excepting some of the odes of Horace and 
 the prose of Cicero, the translations offered me more 
 pleasure than the originals. This is a circumstance which 
 I have most sincerely regretted. I ascribe it principally 
 to the disgust occasioned by the lessons which I had to 
 commit to memory. It was only when self-taught, that I 
 relished the classics. My father was of a hasty temper, 
 and this, with the awe which overshadowed my mind, 
 frequently caused me to lose my recollection. Perhaps 
 he did not make sufficient allowance for the plastic nature 
 of the youthful memory, which receives an impression, as 
 on wax, but which is again easily effaced. I had to com- 
 mit to memory grammar after grammar, and whole 
 vocabularies and conjugations of irregular verbs, in which 
 I took no pleasure ; while I could pursue with ardor those 
 things I understood, and which captivated my mind. His 
 object was to give me a good foundation for the super- 
 structure he was about to erect. The Philadeli)hia Gram- 
 mar almost obliterated Ruddiman's Rudiments, and Ross's 
 the Philadelphia. My memory was always bad. It was 
 painful to me to accomplish an ordinary task. My per- 
 ception and my recollection were quick, and my imagina- 
 tion peculiarly lively; but as to recalling facts in an 
 arbitrary manner, it required a painful effort. 
 
 The most essential part of my education thus became 
 a disagreeal)le employment to me, as well as to my father, 
 who was often greatly discouraged, excepting on those 
 occasions when he turned my attention to something 
 which required the exercise of original thought and
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 47 
 
 observation. I read Tooke's Pantheon, Kennett's and 
 Potter's Antiquities, with Hume's History of England, 
 Bruce's Travels, Cook's Voyages, Anson, etc., and these 
 often called forth observations from me, and answers to 
 his questions, which caused him to suspend his unfavor- 
 able prognostics of my capacity. But in my opinion, by 
 far the most valuable portion of my education consisted 
 in his conversation, or rather lectures, for he spoke to me 
 always as to a man. He was near fifty years of age, had 
 been a remarkable student from his childhood, and was 
 surpassed by few in the depth and variety of his attain- 
 ments. He appeared to live more in the world of books 
 than of men, and yet his natural genius was of such high 
 order, that it is questionable whether he would not have 
 been greater by depending more on his native resources. 
 His conversation abounded with wit and eloquence, and 
 original views on every subject, and besides, he had a 
 most remarkable faculty of communicating knowledge, 
 perhaps owing to the clearness of his own conceptions. 
 The advantages derived from constant association with 
 such a man can be imagined, but can scarcely be appre- 
 ciated. Although there is no royal road to science, yet 
 the road may be shortened, and rendered more accessible, 
 by the assistance of such a teacher. I had all the benefit 
 of his matured intellect, and highly-refined ideas upon a 
 thousand sul)jects ; but at the same time my mind, by 
 being forced in my tasks, became averse to the ordinary 
 helps to the acquirement of knowledge, and my attention 
 was thus often called off from the sufferings within doors, 
 to the consolations of hoops and marbles without. This 
 would have been prevented by the emulation of school- 
 fellows, but alone the task was irksome. My father 
 resorted to harsh measures, which increased the dislike. 
 It is cruel to deprive a boy of all the happiness which
 
 48 BRACKEXRIDGE'S 
 
 belongs to his time of life, when there is so little certainty 
 of his enjoying any other, at least in this world. 
 
 The neglect of my lesson was often followed by severe 
 punishment, which gave rise to deception, evasion, and 
 other tricks on my part, little consistent with the truth 
 and innocence of mind which had been taught me at St. 
 Genevieve. I became, at least in my own estimation, the 
 most wretched being on earth. In the various modes 
 devised to counteract this disposition to idleness and in- 
 attention, which it was supposed had seized me, and for 
 the purpose of enabling me to get my lesson without 
 being distracted by surrounding scenes, I was sent to the 
 garret, where I would be entirely alone. Here, unfortu- 
 nately, there was a neglected deposit of old books, which 
 furnished me ample occupation. With the natural ardor 
 of application, which I have already remarked, where the 
 subject fixed me, I ran through, or rather devoured, four 
 folio volumes of the State Trials (the admirable defense 
 of Eugene Aram was fixed in my memory, and even then 
 fully appreciated), twenty-four of the European, and 
 twelve of the Literary Magazine, beside an enormous 
 pile of the Hibernian, before my occupation was dis- 
 covered. I was then taken into the office again, and placed 
 at my desk. Having nothing else, I secreted a small 
 pocket Bible; and, whenever I could escape from the eye 
 of my father, pored over the sacred volume, but not with 
 the spirit in which it ought to be read. By this time, 
 with great labor and up-hill work, I had got as far as the 
 fourth book of Virgil, not led up the steep ascent by the 
 gentle hand of Minerva, but driven like a laden ass with 
 a cudgel. Part of my time was occupied in transcribing 
 Jones on Bailments, in order to practice handwriting. 
 
 I need not remark upon this course of education, which 
 was certainly not the best. This constant confinement
 
 RECOLLf:CTWXS OF TIIF WFST. 49 
 
 and unceasing" application, while other boys were playing, 
 became insupportable; and, when I obtained a moment 
 of liberty, it jiroduced intoxication or delirium, and I 
 knew not when to resign it for my state of slavery. On 
 such occasions, after having been away for half a day, I 
 lingered about the door, afraid to enter ; and, when I 
 summoned courage for the purpose, resorted to artifice 
 and to deceit, corruptive of the moral sense. A child 
 should never be placed in a situation where slavish fear 
 may tempt him to frame a lie, in order to escape the pun- 
 ishment of his fault. I became, in fact, a bad boy, and a 
 fit subject for the corrupting influence of any depraved 
 associate. 
 
 The course of education just related was crowded into 
 the short space of three years, and much of the latter was 
 passed in idleness. My voluntary reading was, however, 
 singularly strangely extensive for one of my years, and 
 for the short space of time during which I could read at 
 all. My father became disheartened at the slow progress 
 I made in the forced part of the instruction given by him, 
 and very wisely concluded to send me to the academy of 
 the town, where there were two excellent teachers, Mr. 
 Mountain, of the Greek and Latin, and the Rev. John 
 Taylor, of the other branches, who was particularly an 
 excellent mathematician, and as good a man as there is 
 any use for in this wicked world. My progress here was 
 like that of other boys, although there was not one more 
 idle or more impatient of school hours. I was placed in 
 the second class, and my progress must have been great 
 for the time I had been under tuition, for the boys of the 
 class were of my own age, and had been more than twice 
 the same length of time constantly at the academy. I 
 joined, with extravagant deli.L'-ht, all their juvenile games, 
 
 5*
 
 50 BRA CKENR ID GE'S 
 
 and excelled in most of them ; and 3'et, from the pecul- 
 iarity of the circumstances of my life, would often pass 
 hours entirely alone, or in rambles over the hills, enjoying 
 a kind of dreamy solitude, deeply tinged with sadness. 
 Upon the whole, I am convinced that a public school 
 would have been better for me from the first ; private tui- 
 tion may have its advantages, and perhaps a combination 
 of both is necessary to form a perfect system of education. 
 Emulation was always a powerful stimulant with me, 
 and on that account alone a public education would have 
 been better. A sense of shame was, if possible, a still 
 more powerful agent. There is a great diiference in the 
 character of the scholar, it must be admitted, and there is 
 a difference also in the qualifications of the teacher — the 
 soft and plastic disposition of one may be moulded as the 
 potter moulds his clay, the fiery and ardent temper of 
 another will require a different management. The chances 
 are in favor of the public school, if for no other reason, 
 because it better accords with the natural disposition of 
 most boN^s. Man is a social creature, and there is no 
 period of life when society is not of advantage in the de- 
 velopment of the faculties and affections. There may not 
 be so much precocity, but the mind has its regular growth 
 and maturity as well as the body, and I am an enemy to 
 all kinds of forcing, which can only produce an unsavory 
 fruit, while it seriously injures the stock. The boy among 
 his playfellows, even while at pla}^, is not uselessly em- 
 ployed ; he is rehearsing, in miniature, the part he will 
 be called to act on the more extended theater of life. 
 
 My religious and moral principles were left to spring 
 up spontaneously, the cultivation of the intellect being 
 most erroneously considered all-sufficient. I have often 
 admired that expression of Curran, "the morality of the 
 parental board." Vice and impiety may be regarded as
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 51 
 
 follies in the eye of reason, and the mind riirlitly trained 
 may be suj)posed to view them in that linht ; and sucii 
 was the philosophy of my father, who was a perfectly 
 honest man, — so much so that he scarcely allowed more 
 than a netjative merit to mere honesty, but thundered the 
 most terrific denunciations ag-ainst the opposite quality. 
 He had had the benefit of an education strictly religious 
 from his mother, who was not only a very pious woman, 
 but remarkably intelligent. Common honesty itself is not 
 to be regarded as a mere negative virtue; it ought to be 
 fostered and cultivated by the just reward of praise and 
 approbation. I will relate a trifling circumstance, which 
 will show the propriety of approbation properly bestowed. 
 I «mce found in the garret a six-cent piece in the pocket 
 of an old pair of breeches; I ran with it to ni}" father, 
 delighted with the opportunity of giving a proof of my 
 honesty, but, to my great mortification, he put it in his 
 pocket without saying a word. I instantly resolved to 
 make a different use of the next that should fall in my 
 way, and even to indemnify myself when an opportunity 
 might offer. 
 
 The idea he meant to convey was, that honesty is a 
 thing of course, and deserving no praise ; for no one de- 
 spised money, and the lovers and getters of money, more 
 heartily than he did. He was, in fact, continually in- 
 veighing against speculators, misers, and avaricious peo- 
 ple, and was a perfect example of the philosophy which 
 he taught. Toward the close of his life he became sen- 
 sible of his error, and if he could have lived it over again, 
 he would have taken some of the frugal maxims of Frank- 
 lin as his guide, not for the sake of the i)elf itself, but in 
 the language of poor Burns, who was the model of im- 
 providence, "for the glorious privilege of independence." 
 The having imbibed his erroneous worldly wisdom was a
 
 5 2 BRA C KEN RID GE'S 
 
 serious injury to me, who have been all my life culpably 
 careless in money matters. 
 
 There is a sequel to the foregoing which must be related. 
 One morning as I ascended our hayloft to throw down some 
 fodder to the horse, a big negro's head was popped up out of 
 the hay, at which I started in alarm, when it said in a low 
 voice, '' Don't be scared, young massa, I'se a po' nigga run 
 away last night from de boat, come down from Figginy on 
 de Monigehale, and gwine to Kentuck ; pray, massa, only 
 let me stay, and tell nobody till de boat go away." The 
 creature was starving, and I contrived to procure him some 
 bread and meat until the danger was past ; he then came 
 forth, and got a situation as a hostler. In a week or ten 
 days he returned, and asked if there was such a thing as an 
 old pair of pants, and remembering the old shorts whence 
 I had abstracted the six-cent piece, I brought them to him. 
 He offered me a dollar, which I was tempted to accept. 
 But unfortunately the affair did not end here. Never 
 having handled quite so much money before, I was at a 
 loss to know what to do with it ; but soon after presented 
 it to my friend Christy Magee, the bravest boy in the 
 town. Christy had cured me of timidity in river swim- 
 ming, by taking me beyond my depth, and then saving 
 me from drowning. I was a bold swimmer ever after. 
 The dollar was given him under a promise of secrecy, 
 but he was so imprudent as to display his wealth, on 
 which his father, a rigid Presbyterian, conceiving that it 
 was impossible for him to come by so much money hon- 
 estly, charged him with theft, and insisted on his disclos- 
 ing how he had obtained it ; but Christy refused to tell, 
 although subject to several severe whippings. He said 
 they might take the money, but they might whip him to 
 death before he would let them know how he had obtained 
 it. At length, through fatigue or intercession, the inflic-
 
 BECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 53 
 
 lion was discontinued, but the money was retained, in 
 order that it mig-lit be restored to the right owner, uho, 
 to my certain knowledge, never claimed it. I must own 
 that I felt sore at heart when informed of the suffering of 
 the generous boy, who became in time one of the most 
 esteemed citizens of the place. I seemed to feel the stripes 
 on my own body, and which had the good efTect of modi- 
 fying very considerably some of my incipient views of 
 morality, as to selling old breeches that did not belong to 
 me, and harboring runaway negroes. 
 
 I have mentioned my grandmother ; I used to pass a 
 week or two with her in the country, two or three times 
 in the course of the year. I thought my father had de- 
 rived all his genius from her. She doated on him — he 
 was the constant theme of her discourse, excepting when 
 it turned on Scripture and religion. She related numer- 
 ous anecdotes of his early indications of extraordinary 
 capacity. I learned the Scotch dialect from her, and read 
 to her " The Gentle Shepherd,-' and other poems of Ram- 
 say and Ferguson, and often listened with admiration 
 while she described the Duke of Argyle's castle and its 
 scenery. My father had a curious collection of the Scot- 
 tish poets, from James, author of the "King's Quair" and 
 "Gavin Douglass," down to Burns. The two greatest 
 and best of Britain's kings, Alfred of England and James 
 of Scotland, were minstrels like the man after God's own 
 heart, and children of genius. They will forever live in 
 the hearts of their respective countries, while the iron- 
 souled Edwards and Henrys will be remembered with 
 mingled feelings of hate and admiration. My father was 
 a perfect enthusiast in everything that related to Scotland, 
 although but five years old when he left that country I 
 His Scotch poems are among the most felicitous of his 
 productions; and the character of Duncan, in "Modern
 
 64 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Chivalry," will lose nothing- in the comparison with simi- 
 lar characters drawn by Walter Scott : Andrew Fairser- 
 vice, for instance. Duncan Ferguson was prior to Scott's 
 Andrew Fairservice. 
 
 My father's love of letters was such, that he always 
 begrudged the time devoted to the drudgery of business ; 
 and nothing so eflfectualh^ tried his patience as the idle 
 delay of a client after his business was accomplished. 
 Although of refined and polished manners, a gentleman 
 of the old school, he could not contain himself on such 
 occasions, but frequently requested the client to leave him, 
 as he had other business to attend to of great importance. 
 As I sat in his study, and not in the outer office with 
 the students, I was present at his conferences with his 
 clients, and had constant occasions to admire his love of 
 justice, his sterling integrity, and perfect disinterestedness. 
 People may cry out against the profession of the law, but 
 an honest lawyer may be a most useful personage, and 
 many lawyers are so who are included in the general 
 denunciation against the profession. We hear much more 
 about dishonest lawyers than of disJionest clients, and yet, 
 without such, there would be very little business for law- 
 yers. I will not deny that there are pettifoggers who 
 encourage suits, but few persons are aware how many 
 are prevented from engaging in them, and how many do 
 go to law against the most earnest advice of their lawyer. 
 My father always made it a point to discourage litigation. 
 I have often heard him say: "Go away, sir; no man of 
 sense goes to law — did you ever hear of my going to law?" 
 If a defendant wished him to procrastinate a just demand, 
 he sternly refused. "Pay your debts, sir; did a^ou ever 
 hear that I refused to pay my debts?" The most lucrative 
 practice at that day, when there were no banks, was the 
 collection of money for the Eastern merchants ; his strict
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 55 
 
 punctuality and integrity gavo him the oomniand of this 
 business. His remarkable eloquence and learning, also, 
 gave him the first practice as an advocate, so that lucra- 
 tive business was rather forced upon than sought by him. 
 
 It would be a fruitful theme to speak of my school- 
 fellows at the academy, but it would occupy too much 
 space for the plan of these memoirs. I will, however, 
 name Morgan Neville, "William Robinson, William O'llara, 
 and Charles Wilkins, of the first class. The first of these 
 was the first of the first; the story of the "Last of the 
 Boatmen," "Chevalier Pubac," etc., are of themselves 
 suflicient to stamp him as a man of genius. But his ac- 
 complishments in everything which can form a perfect gen- 
 tleman leave him no superior in this country, and few 
 equals. It is wonderful that such a man should not be 
 sought after, and tendered the highest official stations in 
 this pure government of wisdom and virtue, where the 
 beau ideal of Fenelon might be expected to be realized! 
 In the second class I will name James O'Hara, Fayette 
 Neville, Wilkins Tannehill, and his cousin James C. Wil- 
 kins. Mr. Tannehill resides at Nashville, and is one of 
 the best writers in our country. 
 
 The usual accomplishment of dancing was bestowed 
 upon me; and such was the degree of my attainments, 
 that after the second quarter the professor of the dance 
 cho.se Morgan Neville and myself to exhibit a horn[>ipe, 
 which was then considered the ne plus ultra of the sal- 
 tatory science. I also took lessons in fencing with the 
 small sword from M. De Lisle, for aught I know to the 
 contrary, a cousin of the Abbe De Lisle. It is, perhaps, 
 unnecessary to say that I never had occasion to wear or 
 to use my weapon. In another art I was entirely self- 
 taught, and on that account placed the more value on 
 the acquisition. This was the art of walking the wire
 
 56 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 and slack rope! An cxhil)ition of ground and lofty tum- 
 bling, slack rope and wire came to our town and awakened 
 a new ambition in the minds of the more aspiring am6ng 
 the boys. I was one of a society who fixed up a wire in 
 a stable, and after many bruises and narrow escapes, at 
 length, although forsaken by my companions, I sur- 
 mounted every difiBculty. That one so exceedingly vola- 
 tile and unsteady in general should possess more perse- 
 verance than others has been a matter of surprise to 
 myself; and I have sometimes thought that I was alto- 
 gether indebted to this contradictory quality in m}' nature 
 for an}' superiority 1 ma}^ have evinced in any particular 
 pursuit, — that is, to the capacity to persevere, and not to 
 any peculiar aptitude. Such was the degree of proficiency 
 I attained, that Avhen the showman returned to the village 
 at the end of half a vear, I was actually able to take his 
 place on the wire, to the infinite amusement of the spec- 
 tators. This happened when Passamonte was called out 
 of the room, in consequence of an attempt of some boys 
 to break in, in order to witness the exhibition gratis ; 
 when he returned, and saw me like an usurper on the 
 throne, he could not contain his fury, while I made good 
 my retreat behind the benches. 
 
 The reader will expect to hear something of my kind 
 benefactress, who had been so much afflicted by my de- 
 parture for Louisiana. Joe carried me to see her, on the 
 evening of my return from that eventful peregrination, 
 and the joy which she manifested, and the caresses with 
 which she overwhelmed me, can be better imagined than 
 described. She placed in my arms her infant daughter, 
 her first and last born child, and caused my face to be 
 suffused with blushes, by telling me that the innocent 
 babe was to be my icife; and yet this wish, formed by her 
 perhaps at the moment of the birth of her daughter, has
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 57 
 
 been aetiially realized — she is my wife, and the mother of 
 my cliikh-en ! The story wouhl be too lon«r for a di- 
 gression, whiU' its incidents are too much like those of 
 romance for this grave narrative. And poor Joe, what 
 became of him ? I am sorry that I can give no favorable 
 account of the devoted, passionately, the fiercely-devoted, 
 friend of my childhood. My hither endeavored to make 
 him a good man, and a great one if nature had permitted; 
 but, alas ! his mind was cast in another mould. All the 
 pains taken to elevate his soul and enlarge his intellect 
 were lost. The ])hysiognomist might attribute this to the 
 low, narrow, wrinkled forehead, his thick lips and pug 
 nose; the phrenologist would say that the animal organs 
 in the rear of the skull were too largely developed. Ho 
 was brave to excess, and loved me to such a degree that 
 he would have rushed through flames and floods for me, 
 and woe to the boy who dared to offer me an insult. But 
 be also loved whisky and tobacco, and was the leader iu 
 every wicked and mischievous prank. His propensities 
 were almost entirely animal, and, except the history of 
 tlie Irish "Rogues and Rapparees," the story of Donald 
 M 'Donald, and other obscene things, I could never dis- 
 cover that he had much relish for books; and yet his 
 opportunities were excellent ; no pains or expense w^ere 
 spared to give him an education. Next to General Ne- 
 ville's black Andy, he was the greatest marble-player in 
 the town; and such was his bold and commanding charac- 
 ter in the field and in the street, that when the boys of 
 the town carried on a mimic war, Joe was chosen the 
 commander-in-chief of the upper town, while a son of 
 Colonel William Butler (a noble race of people) was the 
 captain of the lower. Joe would have risen to be the 
 greater hero of the two. The too close as.sociation with 
 this lad was unfortunate for me. From pure affection, he 
 
 G
 
 58 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 endeavored to instruct me in all the ways of vice. I am 
 not about to make confessions — they would not be edify- 
 ing. I have suffered many an inward pang, and have 
 blushed for my faults when no human eye rested upon me. 
 Whether I was naturally not inclined to evil, or whether 
 the lessons impressed upon me at St. Genevieve con- 
 tributed to my safety, I am not able to ^aj. I was pos- 
 sessed of a keen, moral sense, which caused me to feel a 
 painful sting- of self-condemnation for every aberration 
 from truth and virtue. If, from the temptation of passion, 
 or other cause, I have fallen into vice, it has never ceased 
 to be odious and disgusting in my sight. If I had but 
 few virtues, I may almost say that I had no vices. On 
 one occasion Joe carried me to a midnight club of youth- 
 ful outlaws, who collected their stores of plunder, of every 
 description, chiefly from gardens and orchards, at their 
 place of rendezvous. They had whisky ; it was put to 
 my lips, and if I had relished the circean draught, it is 
 probable I should at once have joined the swinish herd ; 
 but I put away the cup — the tincup — with disgust, and 
 never afterward assisted at the meetings of the /ra^e?'>i%. 
 My father became acquainted with the wicked ways of 
 the unfortunate lad, and saw the necessity of separating 
 him from me — gave him a sound drubbing, a new suit of 
 clothes, a purse of money, and then turned him adrift, 
 
 As a weed, 
 
 Flung from the rock, on ocean's foam to sail, 
 
 Where'er the surge may sweep, the tempest's breath prevail. 
 
 I never saw Joe but once afterward. He had been a 
 constable in some new settlement. If there had been 
 war, he would have acquired imfading military renown, 
 and, like othei\^, would have filled higher civil offices than 
 greater and better men.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 67 
 
 history is full of curious incident, which it niij^ht he worth 
 while to rescue from oblivion.- My esteemed friend, Mor- 
 gan Neville, in his admirable productions, "Mike Fink," 
 the "Last of the Boatmen," "Chevalier Dubac," and 
 others; has clearly proved this. I must, however, correct 
 an inaccuracy he has fallen into in relation to the Cheva- 
 lier Dubac. It was not a monkey which he consulted, in 
 presence of his country customers, about the lowest price 
 of his goods — it was a raccoon. What should we think 
 of the historian who would write that Scipio Africanus 
 consulted a sheep instead of an antelope ? It ought also 
 to be put on record that the raccoon used sometimes (like 
 a sans calotte as he was) to aspire to be free; on these 
 occasions the Chevalier was much annoyed by the boys, 
 who would run to him, crying out, "M. Dubac, M. Dubac, 
 your raccoon has got loose — your raccoon has got loose ;" 
 to this, he would rather pctulantl}^ yet slowly, and with 
 a most polite motion of the head and hands, repeat, "Late 
 eem go — late eem go.^^ 
 
 This town, being the key or rather the gate of the West, 
 was frequently visited by travelers of distinction, who 
 remained a few days making preparations for their voy- 
 age. This circumstance, together with others which I 
 might enumerate, gave a peculiar character and interest 
 to the place. I have a distant recollection of the present 
 king of France and his two brothers, who were on their 
 way to New Orleans. They w^ere plain, modest young 
 men, whose simplicity of manners was favorably con- 
 trasted with those of the showy city gentlemen, with 
 fair top-boots and ratan, and who found nt»thing good 
 enough for them at the tavern, although at home content 
 with an undivided portion of an attic chamber, and a meal 
 hastily snatched. It is invariably the wisest and best- 
 bred man that finds the fewest things to complain of, and
 
 68 BRACKEN RIDGE'S 
 
 who is most easy to please. But such is the desire of 
 being noticed that some would rather pass for cub bears 
 than be disappointed in their endeavors to attract attention. 
 
 . CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Account of the Author's Education continued — Is placed as a 
 Clerk in an Office — Various Studies. 
 
 Befoee I had completed my classical studies at the 
 academy, I was taken from it, and again placed under the 
 private tuition of my relation, Mr. John Gilkison. This 
 gentleman was passionately devoted to letters, had given 
 up the idea of pursuing the profession of the law, and, by 
 the aid of my father, had set up a bookstore and circu- 
 lating library in a wing of the house, perhaps the first 
 establishment of this kind west of the mountains. As 
 the business of the store furnished only occasional em- 
 plo3anent, he had abundant leisure and opportunity to 
 pursue his studies. His favorite reading was history 
 and the Scotch metaphysical writers, Reid, Stewart, and 
 such authors as Locke, Paley, Hutchison, as well as New- 
 ton and Bacon. Much of his time was devoted to natural 
 philosophy and the higher mathematics, for which he 
 seemed to possess an extraordinar}^ aptitude. He sat up 
 until midnight, ''exhausting the lamp of life in feeding 
 the lamp of science." In consequence of intense applica- 
 tion to his abstruse studies, he fell a victim, in the thir- 
 tieth year of his age, to a rapid consumption. I was 
 always at his side, and trimmed tlie same lamp, but in 
 very different reading. I luxuriated on the sweetmeats
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST 69 
 
 of the bookstore, running through novel after novel, and 
 searehing- out every liglit or amusing work in the store 
 or library, until at last I became completely surfeited. 
 I then took to poetry, belles-lettres, biographical works, 
 and politics. The various writings brought forth by the 
 French Revolution took up much of my time. For a lad 
 of fifteen my reading was singularly various, but far 
 from being the most suitable. 
 
 My lessons, in the mean time, were but little attended 
 to ; my instructor would not resort to coercion, and be- 
 sides, as I was almost his only companion, treated me 
 too much on a footing of equality for a scholar. It was 
 quite amusing to hear us disputing and discussing a 
 thousand topics, in which he was profoundly versed, and 
 of which I could know but little ; but being earnest and 
 obstinate, with a most fertile invention, and a flow of 
 words, it was not easy to silence me. One evening in 
 particular, in a very learned discussion, I astonished him 
 and several others who happened to drop in, by my ve- 
 hemence of manner, eloquence of language, and fertility 
 of thought, but which proceeded from a ludicrous cause. 
 I had taken ofl" my shoes, and was standing on the 
 hearth, which had become heated, so that the unusual in- 
 spiration was communicated through the soles of my 
 feet. I have since thought that a hot griddle would be 
 an excellent thing to give animation to some of our pub- 
 lic speakers! 
 
 At this time my father was unhappily plunged so deep 
 in party politics that he almost lost sight of me. Fede- 
 ralism and Democracy were then at their height. He 
 was a supporter of Jefferson and M'Kean, an enthusiast 
 in the cause of France, and, from his high temperament, 
 incapable of pursuing anything in moderation. He was 
 also involved in a personal difterence, growing out of 
 
 1
 
 10 BRAVKENRIDGE'S 
 
 politics, with the presiding judge of the court in which 
 he practiced, and fearful that he might be provoked to do 
 something which might he taken advantage of, he resolved 
 to retire from practice. He wrote with the pungency and 
 force of a Junius, and spoke with the inspired eloquence 
 of a Henry ; it is, therefore, .not to be wondered at that 
 he soon became a formidable politician. He purchased 
 types and press, and set up a young man as editor of a 
 paper, which he previously named the '* Tree of Liberty," 
 with a motto from Scripture — "And the leaves of the 
 tree shall be for the healing of the nation." At this 
 period, with very few exceptions, the professional men, 
 persons of wealth and education, and those in public of- 
 fices, were on the Federal side ; and such was the vio- 
 lence of party dissensions that it put a stop to all the 
 pleasures of social intercourse ; party differences and per- 
 sonal animosity almost signified the same thing. He 
 wrote a number of things, sometimes in prose, some- 
 times in verse, which I read with great delight, and often 
 committed to memory, being of course a violent Demo- 
 crat as well as himself. The great majority, both in town 
 and country, was then on the Federal side ; but fifty 
 Democrats could be mustered in Pittsburg, and not all 
 these were entitled to put a ticket into the ballot-box. 
 The success in the elections of M'Kean and Jefferj^on 
 soon effected a numerical change: according to the usual 
 course of things, the strongest side is apt to grow still 
 stronger on that account ; and the rising party is apt to 
 continue to rise, as revolutions never go backward. The 
 enthusiasm of my father in the cause of France, has ap- 
 peared to me something unaccountable, since I have 
 thought upon the matter for myself. Instead of repub- 
 licanizing the universe, the glorious vision of his mind, 
 their wild, plundering, military dehorduge has ended in
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WFST. 71 
 
 fixing the foundations of regal government more firmly, 
 while their misnamed deliberative assemblies at home 
 were vile mobs, and their patriots atroeious cut-throats. 
 Their atrocious excesses soon changed his opinions. The 
 writings of Burke, even at the time when I considered 
 my father's opinions as gospel, produced a strong impres- 
 sion on my mind. At fifteen I read his pamphlet on the 
 French Revolution, and was captivated Ijy the splendor 
 of the diction, and much inclined to adopt his views. 
 The writings of Cobbett created disgust, but an anony- 
 mous book, styled "Jean Jacques Couteau,"* excited 
 within me a dee}) horror of the monsters quickened into 
 life by the putrescent fermentation of the Parisian ca- 
 naiUe. The Journal of Dr. Moore, the author of Zeluco, 
 View of Manners, etc., and father of Sir John Moore, 
 who fell at Corunna, appeared to me the most just and im- 
 partial account of the passing scenes of those awful days. 
 Walter Scott has borrowed freely from this work, in his 
 Life of Napoleon, but has not improved upon what he 
 has thus appropriated. 
 
 It was aljout this time I first saw myself in print in the 
 " Tree of Liberty." My production was copied and re- 
 copied at least twenty times: the change of a word, the 
 transposition of a sentence, or member of a sentence, 
 caused me to write it all over, to satisfy my taste, which 
 was excessively fastidious. The original conception cost 
 me no trouble, but it was the after i)olish which I found 
 so arduous. The performance was at last sent anony- 
 mously to the editor, and no unfortunate dramatic adven- 
 turer ever awaited his fate with more trepidation. The 
 paper came from the press, and my two columns occupied 
 a conspicuous place, with an editorial remark that the 
 
 * Perba])S alluding to the revolutioiiarv monster, Cuui/ion.
 
 72 BRACKENRIDGES 
 
 communication evinced uncommon depth of thought and 
 mature reflection in the author, although he was appar- 
 ently unused to political discussions, and his present ap- 
 pearance might be ascribed to the importance of the 
 subject! I trembled like an aspen leaf as I cast my eyes 
 over the first-born of my brain, while my vision was ac- 
 tually obscured by something like a mist. I passed over 
 it with such rapidity that its periods seemed as destitute 
 of euphony as the catalogue of an auctioneer ; and I dis- 
 cerned a thousand faults in the print which had escaped 
 me in the manuscript, and wiiich occasioned much cha- 
 grin, as I supposed that others would see them as I did 
 — but the secret was my own. From that time I became 
 a writer, and if all the forgotten and fugitive things which 
 have come from my pen since that first attempt, could be 
 collected, they would make many volumes. When I look 
 over a few of them which I have preserved, I find that 
 my improvement is less than I could have expected. 
 Perhaps what I have gained has been in the facility of 
 execution ; perhaps I may have lost in the delicacy of 
 taste, for I was then seldom satisfied with less than the 
 tenth or twelfth edition, and never with what was written 
 currents calamo. I have at least ninety per cent, less of 
 the enthousia.^me exalte which then caused me to throw 
 my whole soul into the work; but the teuiperament of 
 fifteen is different from that of fifty. 
 
 There being a vacancy on the supreme bench of the 
 State, after the election of the chief justice, M'Kean, to be 
 governor, my father was appointed to fill it. In conse- 
 quence of this, he removed with his family from Pittsburg 
 to the town of Carlisle, so as to be nearer the center. It 
 was determined that I should remain wlirrc 1 was, with 
 Mr Gilkison, who was a])pointed prothonotary, and serve 
 an apprenticeship of a year or two in the ollice preparatory
 
 RECOLLECTWXS OF TIIi: ]\'i:ST. 73 
 
 to the commencement of the study of the hiw. My rela- 
 tive survived his appointment but a short time, ami was- 
 succeeded by Mr Hates, the ^'•entleman who was employed 
 to assist him. As both appointments were made tlirough 
 my father's influence, it was but reasonable to expect the 
 friendship of Mr Bates toward me. lie continued mv in 
 the office, and furnished me board -and clothinir for my 
 services; and I fear the agreement was not as faithfully 
 performed toward him as it was on his part to me. I 
 was a very indifferent clerk, a wretched copyist ; my head 
 was so niueh of a beehive, so full of projects of my own, 
 that I made continual blunders. If he had not been one 
 of the mildest and most indulgent men in the world, he 
 would have knocked me down twent}' times a day. I 
 detested the dull labor of transcribing names, indexes, and 
 dates, and I believe injured my memory by learning to 
 forfjet, as the only way I could copy without making mis- 
 takes. I was really anxious to correct my defects, and 
 felt much mortifieation from them. In copying a deed, 
 whenever I came to the words, " woods, ways, and water- 
 courses," it was impossible to restrain my imagination; 
 and in writing names, the associations called U}) bv them, 
 threw me into a reverie, from whieh I did not awaken, 
 until I found that for the name of Smith I had substituted 
 that of Pocahontas. This dull routine interfered with my 
 habits of reading, and these, exceeding my industry as a 
 clerk, interfered with my habits of business, I read every- 
 thing that came in my way. Mr Bates often remonstrated 
 with me, in the most mild and delicate manner, which 
 touched my feelings more powerfully than if he had treated 
 me harshly. He agreed, at last, to com}>romise the mat- 
 ter, by allowing me to keep the Elegant Extracts in Prose 
 and Verse in mv desk, as also Blair's Lectures, Abbe 
 Maury on Eloquence, and Curran's Speeches, Cicero's 
 
 7*
 
 74 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Oratur on his de Officiis ; — any others were to be read at 
 •our lodgings. I will mention an instance of my almost 
 instinctive discrimination of works of taste. I once picked 
 up, in the bar-room of a tavern, a volume, with the title- 
 page and a few of the first, and a number of the conclud- 
 ing pages torn off; I read but a few sentences, until I 
 felt myself chained down upon a bench, and ran through 
 the whole with the greatest avidity : it was the Rasselas 
 of Dr. Johnson. 
 
 I ^yas seized with a singular passion for drawing and 
 painting. With my usual ardor, I devoted every moment 
 I could spare to this new pursuit Sometimes I sat up 
 the greater part of the night, and I even thought I would 
 be willing to spend the remainder of my life in prison if 
 I could be allowed to do nothing else but copy drawings. 
 I ransacked the whole town for these, and for works on 
 the subject of painting, for the biography of painters, for 
 Indian ink, crayons, and water-colors. Yet, I believe, I 
 had nothing but a passion for this elegant art; nature 
 had given me no original aptitude. By extraordinary 
 diligence I acquired a singular facility in copying the out- 
 lines of drawings and engravings ; but as to shading, or 
 the production of anything original, I was very deficient. 
 Mr.^ Bates had a splendid copy of Lavater, with three 
 hundred engravings : these I copied at night, at the same 
 time poring over the study of physiognomy. The only 
 thing original, if it might be called such, which I could 
 produce, was a rough sketch of striking faces, generally 
 caricature. It was thought that I had a genius for paint- 
 ing, but this was a mistake ; all the instruction in the 
 world would not have made me anything more than 
 a copyist. After awhile I found it out, and gave my 
 attention again to my books, which was never entirely 
 remitted. As I have mentioned the subject of physiog-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 75 
 
 nonw, I will remark, that, in ray opinion, four-fifths of 
 Lavater's system is fancy; something, it is true, may be 
 inferred from the predominant use of certain, muscles or 
 nerves, called into action by particular passions or propen- 
 sities ; but the only part of it which has any foundation 
 in nature is that which it has in common with phrenol- 
 ogy. Can there be anything more fanciful than the idea 
 that prominent eyes indicate a propensity for drink, and 
 that that prominence is occasioned by the protruding of 
 the eyeballs in gloating on the favorite beverage ! There 
 is, doubtless, much admirable philosophy in the work of 
 Lavater, in exhibiting the power of education in correct- 
 ing evil propensities and in cultivating virtues ; but as 
 to his furnishing a scheme by which the characters and 
 fitness of men can be determined with anything like cer- 
 tainty, it is out of the question. I have seen all his rules 
 repeatedly contradicted, so far as relates to the passions 
 and shades of passions ; as to the powers of the intellect, 
 I think favorably of his theory of the line of the forehead 
 and the other features, usually spoken of as the facial 
 angle, and first suggested by Blumenbach. 
 
 I was also seized with a desire to play on some instru- 
 ment of music, and took lessons on the violin, and then 
 on the flute. But I found that I had a very bad ear, and 
 was advised to give it up. Yet, I was passionately fond 
 of music ; it has always had a powerful effect on my feel- 
 ings. It soothes the mind, and tames the ferocious heart. 
 At church the music has often reconciled me to a dull 
 sermon, in which bad reasoning and bad language were 
 rendered almost torturing, by bad voice and bad delivery.* 
 
 * Phrenology has caused a revolution in metaphysics, or more 
 properly f;? tlie philosophy of mind ^ and has superseded Locke, and 
 the greater part of the Scottish school of metaphysics. There are 
 still bigots who reject it, as they do the theory of Malthus, from 
 ignorance of what they reject.
 
 7 6 BRA C KEN RID GE'S 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 Legal Studies — First Court held in a new County. 
 
 During the latter part of my apprenticeship in the 
 office I attended the court, kept the minutes, swore the 
 juries and witnesses, and listened to the speeches of law- 
 3^ers, and the charges of the judge, by means of which I 
 picked up much law, in the way a child acquires its ver- 
 nacular tongue. The bar was a very able one, and the 
 lawyers were in the habit of handling every subject in the 
 most elalx)rate manner. 
 
 It was now determined that I should begin a course 
 of regular legal study, being in my eighteenth year. I 
 had gone through a great deal of literary and miscellaneous 
 reading, had some knowledge of history, and was well 
 versed in the English classics, but had not yet read any 
 law book. Mr. William Ayres, who had been a student 
 of my father, was appointed prothonotary of a new county 
 called Butler, and, as he did not intend to give up his 
 practice in other courts, wanted some person to attend to 
 the duties of his office. I was engaged by him, and was 
 to read law, excepting when my time would be required 
 by the business, which would not often be the case. It 
 was thought by my father that the solitude of Butler 
 would be more favorable to application than the society of 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 On my arrival at Butler there were a few log-houses 
 just raised, but not sufficiently completed to be occupied. 
 It was not long before there were two taverns, a store, 
 and a blacksmith's shop ; it was then a town. The coun-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 77 
 
 try around was an entire wilderness, with the exception 
 of a few scattered settlements, as far removed from each 
 other as the kraals in the neigh))orhood of the Cape of 
 Good Hope. I took with me a good supply of books, 
 together with the library of Mr. Ayres, and immediately 
 tasked myself with Blackstone's Commentaries. I had 
 also some books selected for lighter reading, such as 
 Shakspeare, Ossian, the Henriade, Pope's Homer, Dacier's 
 Horace, the Comedies of Moliere, Plutarch's Lives, the 
 Travels of Anacharsis, Cicero's de Officii and his orations, 
 and other classical productions. I was also provided with 
 a light fusee for exercise and amusement. The business 
 of the office requiring but little of my time, and having 
 an unbounded liberty, with a most exquisite relish for its 
 enjoyment, no small portion of it was passed in wild and 
 uncertain ramljles through the romantic hills and valleys 
 of Butler. The mornings and evenings were devoted to 
 study, but generally the day was sacred to liberty. For 
 months, and especially during autumn, always my favor- 
 ite season, when the face of nature is covered with a soft 
 veil of pleasing sadness, I wandered forth, without know- 
 ing whither I was going or when I should return. It 
 was my practice to have my gun in my hand and my 
 book in my pocket. I should have felt at a loss without 
 them, although I seldom used either. My favorite i)lace 
 of resort was Glade Run, which was more i)icturesque 
 and romantic than the fertile valleys of the Conequenes- 
 sing. The scenery was such as Ossian loves to describe; 
 the rocks, the grassy glades, the steep hills crowned with 
 oak, "the l)lue windings of a stream." Often have I sat 
 for hours on the edge of a precipice, as if personating the 
 genius of solitude. I gazed on the silent waste, giving wing 
 to fancy, and weaving a thousand rainbow tissues of the 
 brain. I have imagined incidents and events enough to
 
 78 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 form volumes of Arabian tales. And will any one say 
 that this was not happiness ? Let him first define exactly 
 wherein happiness consists. I followed the impulse of 
 nature, for I had not then read either Beattie's Minstrel 
 or Zimmerman on Solitude. Much of my life has been 
 passed in the open air, and to this I ascribe, in a 
 great measure, the health and spirits with which I have 
 been generally blessed. Confinement has always been 
 insupportably irksome to my feelings. The Peripatetic 
 school for me, except at night, which was my time for 
 study. On one of my excursions, while reclining beneath 
 an oak, near a descending natural meadow, musing on 
 the fate of empires, a noble buck, with branching antlers, 
 walked leisurely up the hiirtoward me. My gun lay by 
 my side, but the majestic appearance of the beautiful 
 creature riveted my attention, until raising his head he 
 caught my eye, lifted his white tail, wheeled about, and 
 bounded away to the thicket. 
 
 The first court held in Butler drew the whole popula- 
 tion to the town, some on account of business, some to 
 make business, but the greater part from idle curiosity. 
 They were at that time chiefly Irish, who had all the 
 characteristics of the nation. A log-cabin just raised and 
 covered, but without window- sash, or doors, or daubing, 
 was prepared for the hall of justice. A carpenter's bench 
 with three chairs upon it was the judgment-seat. The bar of 
 Pittsburg attended, and the presiding judge, a stiff, formal, 
 and pedantic old bachelor, took his seat supported by the 
 two associate judges, who were common farmers, one of 
 whom was l)lind of an eye. The hall was barely sufficient 
 to contain the henvh., bar, jurors, and constables. But few 
 of the spectators could be accommodated on the lower 
 floor, the only one yet laid ; many therefore clambered up 
 the walls, and placing their hands and feet in the open
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 79 
 
 iiitorsticos between the loirs Iiuiig: there, suspendcMl like 
 enormous Madagascar l)ats. Some had taken })o.s.session 
 of the joists, and l|ig- John M'Juukin (who until now had 
 ruled at all public gatherings) had placed a foot on one 
 joist and a foot on another, directly over the heads of their 
 honors, standing with ou+stretehed legs like the Colossus 
 of Khodes. The judge's sense of propriety was shocked 
 at this exhibition. The sheriff, John M'Candless, was 
 called, and ordered to clear the walls and joists. He went 
 to work with his assistants, and soon pulled down by the 
 legs those who were in no very great haste to obey. 
 M'Junkin was the last, and began to growl as he prepared 
 to descend. "What do you say, sir?" said the judge. 
 "I say I pay my taxes, and his as good a reete here as 
 iny mon." " Sheriff, sheriff," said the judge, "bring him 
 before the court !" M'Junkin's ire was now up, and, as 
 he reached the floor, began to strike his breast, exclaiming, 
 "^ly name is John M'Junkin, d'ye see — here's the brist 
 that niver flunched, if so be it was in goode caase. I'll 
 Stan iny mon a hitch in Butler County, if so be he'll clear 
 me o' the la'." "Bring him before the court!" said the 
 judge. He was accordingly pinioned, and if not gagged, 
 at least forced to be silent while his case was under con- 
 sideration. Some of the lawyers volunteered as amici 
 ciunae, some ventured a word of apology for M'Juukin. 
 The judge pronounced sentence of imprisonment for two 
 hours in the jail of the county, and ordered the sheriff to 
 take him into custody. The sheriff, with much simi)licity, 
 observed, "May it plase the coorte, there is no jail at all 
 at all till put him in." Here tlie judge took a learned 
 distinction, upon which he expatiated at some length for 
 the benefit of the bar. He said, "There were two kinds 
 of custody: first, safe custody; secondly, close custody. 
 The first is, where the body must be forthcoming to answer
 
 80 BRA CKENRID GE ' S 
 
 a demand or an accusation, and in this case the body may 
 be delivered, for the time being, out of the hands of the 
 law, on bail or mainprize; but wheregthe imprisonment 
 forms a part of the satisfaction or punishment, there can 
 be no bail or mainprize. This is the reason of the common 
 law, in relation to escapes under capias ad satisfaciendum, 
 and also why a second ca. sa. cannot issue after the de- 
 fendant has been once arrested and then discharged by 
 the plaintiff. In like manner, a man cannot be twice 
 imprisoned for the same offense, even if he be released 
 before the expiration of the term of imprisonment. This 
 is clearly a case of close custody — arcta custodia, and the 
 prisoner must be confined, body and limb, Avithout bail 
 or mainprize, in some place of close incarceration." Here 
 he was interrupted by the sheriff, who seemed to have hit 
 upon a lucky thought: "May it plase the coorte, I'me 
 just thinken that may be I can take him till Bower's pig- 
 pen, — the pigs are kilt for the coorte, an it's empy." "You 
 have heard the opinion of the court," said the judge ; 
 "proceed, sir; do your duty, sheriff!" 
 
 The sheriff accordingly retired with his prisoner, and 
 drew after him three-fourths of the spectators and suitors, 
 while the judge, thus relieved, proceeded to organize the 
 court. But this was not the termination of the affair. 
 Peace and order had scarcely been restored when the 
 sheriff came rushing to the house, with a crowd at his 
 heels, crying out, " Mr. Jidge, Ak. Jidgc ; may it plase 
 the coorte." "What is the matter, sheriff?" "Mr. Jidge, 
 Mr. Jidge, — John M'Junkin's got aflf, d'3^e mind." 
 " A¥hat ! escaped, sheriff? Summon \\-\q posse comitatus .^^ 
 " The pusse, the pusse — what's that, may't plase your 
 honor ? Now, I'll jist tell ye how it hapi)ent. He was 
 goiii along quee-etly enough, till we got till the hazzle- 
 j)tik'h, an' all it once he pitched aff iiitil the bushes, an' I
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 81 
 
 after him, but a lunib of a tree kitched me fut, and I 
 l>it(hc(l three rail oft", but I fell forit, and that's good luck, 
 ye minte." The judge eould not retain his gravity ; the 
 bar raised a laugh, and there the matter ended, after 
 which the business proceeded queetly enough. 
 
 I continued a year at Butler, read Blackstone, Reeves's 
 History of the jLaw, and some other elementary works, 
 when I returned to Pittsburg, for the purpose of entering 
 the ofl&ce of Mr. Mountain, and there to begin a regular 
 course of study for three years. I went to board at the 
 house of Mrs. Earl, where I had been during part of my 
 stay with Mr. Bates. The kindness of Mrs.. Earl toward 
 me was that of a mother, and I should be ungrateful in- 
 deed if I could ever forget it. During my absence the 
 friend and companion of my youth, John Nicholson, had 
 gone down the river to seek his fortune as a physician. 
 He had not the advantage of a regular education, but 
 had a strong, original mind, and a natural aptitude for 
 the science of medicine, which he cultivated under the 
 instruction of an experienced old physician, and with 
 great assiduity. He had a warm and affectionate heart. 
 "We had become so much attached to each other that we 
 almost renounced all other society. We walked, and 
 read, and talked together, and even kept up an epistolary 
 corre.spondence, once a day, while he was confined to the 
 shop and I to the office. The friend.ship of some individual 
 of- similar views and feelings had become an absolute 
 want. The solitude of the crowd has always been pain- 
 ful to me, and I have felt more alone in the streets of a 
 great city, or in the whirl of the ball-room, tlian when 
 surrounded by nothing but forests. I was fortunate, 
 shortly after my arrival, in finding a friend and companion, 
 who became more than a brother to me. Stepping into 
 
 8
 
 82 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Mr. Baldwin's office, while he was absent, I observed a 
 young' man, with broad shoulders, long visage, and head 
 of uncommon mould, poring over a law book. It was 
 unnecessary to inquire whether he was a student. We 
 soon entered into conversation, and then proceeded to 
 argument. Finding myself somewhat worsted, I became 
 vehement, and vociferated until people were drawn to the 
 window. This was the beginning of a friendship which 
 has lasted, with no interruption, for thirty years.* I 
 have been tossed about all over the world, and have 
 encountered every vicissitude of fortune, while he has 
 steadily pursued his course, and has risen to the head of 
 his profession. Yet his commencement was attended 
 with unusual and most discouraging circumstances. This 
 success shows what a bold adventurous spirit may accom- 
 plish, and how genius can overcome difficulties which 
 appear invincible to the common mind. He set out from 
 the State of Ohio for Pittsburg-, for the purpose of study- 
 ing law, without funds, and without the least acquaint- 
 ance or introduction. He had just money enough to 
 carry him across the river, and take up his lodgings at 
 the ferry tavern, which he was not able to quit without 
 making a discovery of the state of his purse. Hearing of 
 Mr. Baldwin, he went to his office ; found that gentleman 
 just about to mount his horse to go on the circuit ; made 
 known his intentions ; and, without further ceremony, 
 the key was given to him, and he was told to remain in 
 possession of the office, take a volume of Blackstone, and 
 go to work. Here I found him. Although urged on by 
 a powerful ambition, he felt keenly the straitened circum- 
 stances in which he was placed. We took a walk on 
 Saturday afternoon, and descended into one of the deep 
 
 * Walter Forward, Esq.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 83 
 
 romantic glens east of Grant's Hill.'*' We took a shower- 
 bath under my favorite cascade, after which my com- 
 panion washed the garment unknown to the luxury of 
 the Greeks and Romans, and laid it in a sunny spot to 
 dry; while seated on a rock,f we "reasoned high of fate, 
 foreknowledge." He had the good fortune, soon after, to 
 obtain the editorship of the ''Tree of Liberty," which 
 enabled him to complete his studies with comparative 
 ease and independence. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Author continues his Study of the Law — Deistical Fallacies 
 — Spends some time at Jeflerson College — Death of Mr. Bates 
 in a Duel. 
 
 There is no life which furnishes so few incidents, or is 
 so little diversified, as that of the mere student. He has 
 his regular hours for study, and must not encroach upon 
 them by directing his attention to other pursuits. For 
 three years after my return to Pittsburg I led this kind 
 of life. The whole of my time was not, however, de- 
 voted to the reading of law books ; I read also historical 
 works, such as Robertson's Charles the Fifth, Gibbon's 
 Decline and Fall, Marshall's Life of Washington, the 
 Federalist, and others, to fill up my reading hours, when 
 
 * Mr. F. has asserted that he was the possessor of two shirts. 
 I was not aware of this, or would have made the correction. 
 
 f At Minersville — the spot is now the residence of my brother, 
 Alexander Brackenridgc.
 
 84 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 the attention began to grow weary of the law. At that 
 da}" the attention of the student was chiefly directed to 
 the law of tenures and the old books of reports ; a course 
 which I need not detail, as it would be unnecessary to 
 the professional man, and uninteresting to the unprofes- 
 sional reader. The course of study, 1 will remark, em- 
 braced the more al)struse branches of the profession, such 
 as are almost obsolete at the present day, and perhaps 
 required a more intense strain upon the reasoning powers. 
 They may be called the arcana of the law — far too deep 
 for the reach of common sense — distinctions so refined 
 and subtle as to require to be seen through the micro- 
 scope of mental vision. It is the business of the lawyer 
 to discern distinctions — the common mind can perceive 
 resemblances, for all objects in nature have some points 
 of similarity; but to mark an essential characteristic dif- 
 ference, where the resemblance almost approaches iden- 
 tity, requires all the acuteness of perception. Perhaps 
 this observation may be made of all sciences which pro- 
 ceed by subdivisions of classes, genera, species and anom- 
 alies. I have often seen a 3"oung lawyer adduce a case 
 from a book of reports, point blank in support of his posi- 
 tion, where one more experienced has immediatel}' pointed 
 out some small, almost imperceptible difference, which 
 changed the whole face of things, and turned the battery 
 against him who erected it! It is wonderful what a sys- 
 tem has been woven by the sages of the law in relation 
 to the tenure of real estate in England; it reminds me of 
 the march of the army in Lucian's true story, on a high- 
 way of cobwebs, drawn from the earth to the moon! I 
 have bothered my brain over Coke on Littleton, and 
 Coke's Reports, reading the page again and again, to 
 catch the meaning, or to retake it in ivitliernam, after it 
 had committed an escape from the prison of the memory,
 
 RECOLLECTIONFi OF Tin-: WEST. 85 
 
 where I thonirht it lind been safely lodfred. Aiul often 
 have I been compelled to follow the advice of Coke, that 
 is, to pass it over, in order that at some other time, in 
 some other place, perad venture it niiiiht be made i)laiii. 
 I have found the advice to be good. As a general ob- 
 servation, it is correct, that a legal enigma, which no 
 ett'ort will enable us to solve at one time, by dropping 
 it for a few days, will be found perfectly easy on a second 
 trial. 
 
 I have not mentioned that in the course of my miscel- 
 laneous reading, previous to entering on the study of the 
 law, and I mention it with regret, for the purpose of giv- 
 ing a caution to others, I perused the writings of Voltaire, 
 D'Alembert, Helvetius, Mirabeau,* Hume, Yolney, and 
 Tom Paine. The impressions they left were far from 
 being beneficial or happy, but the reverse. I have en- 
 deavored to make some atonement by never reading 
 works of that description, and earnestly dissuading my 
 young friends from looking into them. Hume, and writers 
 of that class, have entirely failed to build up any system, 
 which, upon their own plan of referring all things to 
 human reason, can bear a scrutiny. If they have pulled 
 down religion, they bave put up nothing in its place. 
 They have merely left us in the desert. But those who 
 wish to see the other side, and then give an impartial de- 
 cision, will read Grotius on the Christian Religion, Cicero 
 Ue Nalurse Deorum, Paley's Evidences, Addison's, and 
 lastly Locke on Christianity. They will then be prepared 
 to take up the more liberal and enlightened of the pro- 
 fessed theologians. I have reflected with some satisfac- 
 tion, on having once furnished an argument to a lady, 
 who had been half converted by reading " Mirabeau's 
 
 * Religion of Nature. 
 8*
 
 8 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Rolig-ion of Nature." "T will begin, madam," said I, 
 " by showing the fallacy of his own theory, by means of 
 which he attempts to assail other religions. His proposi- 
 tion, and that of all deistical writers, is this, that all the 
 judgments of men must be founded upon the evidence of 
 their senses, and of their experience. That which con- 
 tradicts these is incomprehensible to human reason, and 
 consequently no man can truh^ believe that which he does 
 not understand. If this proposition be true, then the 
 theory may be sustained, but if not true, it must fall to 
 the ground. Xow I deny at once the proposition that we 
 cannot believe that which we do not understand ; or, in 
 other words, I deny that we cannot believe a thing to 
 exist, whose existence we cannot comprehend. Will any 
 one deny the infinite divisibihty of matter ? I presume 
 no one will do this. Yet it is incapable of absolute prac- 
 tical demonstration. A cubic inch of matter may be di- 
 vided into a thousand parts, each of these into a thousand 
 more, these again into as many. Is there any stopping- 
 place ? Can the mind at last, by traveling on, reach the 
 end of these divisions and subdivisions ? No, the distance 
 increases at every remove — the work is infinite. Yes, 
 infinite ! The defect is in our own mind, which, being 
 finite, cannot comprehend an infinite suljject. We believe, 
 then, that there is such a thing as infinity; and yet this 
 idea, in which we believe, is incomprehensible to our 
 finite reason. Again, what is the world in which we ex- 
 ist? It is a part of a system of worlds. What is that 
 system of worlds ? A part of other systems, existing in 
 the regions of infinite space. Here then we establish with 
 mathematical certainty the existence of one of the chief 
 attributes of the Deity — here is an idea which we believe, 
 and yet cannot comprehend. Is it difficult to pass from 
 this to an acknowledgment of another of the attributes
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. gt 
 
 of the Creator, whieli is equally certain — his eternity — 
 something- that has had no beginning-, and can have no 
 end ? Can our minds comprehend such an idea ? No, 
 and yet we believe that there is an eternity! Two of the 
 attributes of the Deity are thus acknowledged, and beyond 
 our comprehension ! What then becomes of the position 
 of the philosophers, who hold that we can believe nothing 
 which we cannot comprehend ? The formidable battery 
 is thus crumbled into dust. Let this advantage be fol- 
 lowed up, and will it not end in the firm establishment of 
 the Christian faith over all others as most consonant to 
 truth, as most beautiful in itself, and as best calculated to 
 advance the happiness of mankind ? I speak of Chris- 
 tianity in its purity; such as it was taught by its Author, 
 who must be admitted, by those who deny his divine 
 nature, to have been wiser than Socrates or Plato, and in 
 purity, unlike any other who ever wore the human form, 
 for he was spotless." 
 
 While at Mrs. Earl's I enjoyed the society of a num- 
 ber of gentlemen, my fellow-boarders, whose characters 
 and education were such as to form an excellent school. 
 Excepting occasionally an officer of the army, or a dis- 
 tinguished stranger passing through Pittsburg, they 
 were professional men. The reader may judge of their 
 standing by the following fact : out of about fifteen who 
 formed the mess during the greater part of the three 
 years, two of them have been members of Congress and 
 judges, one of whom is now in the United States Senate, 
 and the other on the supreme bench of the Union ; two 
 others have been judges, one a member of Congress, and 
 nearly all the others distinguished in some public employ- 
 ment. The conversation at dinner was almost always 
 interesting, turning on general politics, history, military 
 events of Europe, or public characters; while the most
 
 88 BRA CKENRID GE ' S 
 
 rigid observance of good breeding prevailed, and the most 
 gentlemanly tolerance of opposing opinions. It was not 
 a hasty meal snatched at a table dliofe, but the "feast of 
 reason and the flow of soul." If the TroUopes, or Fear- 
 ons, or Ashes, who pretend to give an account of Ameri- 
 can society, into which they were never admitted, were 
 to be introduced to a table like that of Mrs. Earl, they 
 would very soon have been compelled to feel their in- 
 feriority in point of information at least. Foreign travel- 
 ers have rarely had much intercourse with the best edu- 
 cated and best bred Americans. I was at an evening party 
 once, where Captain Hall was the lion of the occasion, 
 and where I saw some of the best educated men of Phila- 
 delphia. But there were also others calculated to impose 
 on a stranger by their forwardness; they were that kind 
 of vacant minds, who so frequently asked Captain Hall 
 how he liked this, and how he was pleased with that, and 
 which led him to suppose they were fishing for compli- 
 ments instead of using unmeaning commonplace. Folly 
 and impertinence are always obtrusive, while real merit 
 is chary of its familiarity. I presume, the best society in 
 England is, exclusively, neither among the nobility and 
 fashion, nor among the mere people of business. The in- 
 dividuals who compose it are not to be sought for in any 
 particular occupation or station or class. 
 
 During the second winter of my apprenticeship in the 
 law a Thespian corps was set on foot, and our house 
 furnished the principal dramatis j^^^^sonae. The large 
 room in the court-house was fitted up as a theater. It 
 cost several hundred dollars for music from Philadelphia; 
 it was, in fact, an affair vastly superior to the common 
 burlesque attempts at enacting plays. We had among 
 us an actor in genteel comedy equal to Wood, a Mon- 
 sieur Bagentail equal to Blis^set, and a Falstuff that rivaled
 
 RECOLLECTWyS OF Tiff: WEST. 89 
 
 all but Warren.* I had the honor of deliverin.u" a letter to 
 Captain Glenroy, and of appearing as a Scotchman in Dick 
 the Apprentice. My father, who had the greatest con- 
 tempt for village play-acting, and no great respect for 
 actors on any stage (although he possessed the talents to 
 be one of the greatest both in trasfedv and comedy), was 
 displeased with hearing of my performance, no doubt 
 exaggerated by some who thought they were giving him 
 some agreeable news. In consequence of this I received 
 a very strict injunction to attend to my law books, "as 
 the law ii< a jealout^ mit<(ress, and icill not abide a rival" 
 Shortly after, he gave me orders to repair to Jetferson 
 College, and to remain there six mouths, in order to place 
 myself under the instructions of a celebrated mathema- 
 tician and philosopher (that is, natural philosopher), Mr. 
 Miller; and, at the same time, to join the other college 
 exercises. 
 
 The six months passed at Jefferson College were chiefly 
 devoted to Euclid, Nicholson's Natural Philosophy, Geog- 
 raphy, etc. Mr. Miller was a most extraordinary man, 
 entirely self-taught, but possessing a perspicuity in ex- 
 plaining himself which I have rarely seen equaled. He 
 never took a book in his hand while we were demonstra- 
 ting on the board, or when examining us in the most ab- 
 struse branches. I never saw any one who had a science 
 so completely at his finger ends ; and there was a benevo- 
 lent cheerfulness which rendered his instruction extremely 
 -pleasing. I had three roommates : two of them were 
 agreeable young men, — Mr. Graham, who fell in a duel 
 some years afterward, and Mr. Coulter, now a distin- 
 guished member of Congress. The third was a young 
 
 * William Wilkins, Morgan Neville, George Wallace, Thomas 
 Butler.
 
 9 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 man from Xcw England, a bore of the first order, and the 
 most annoying asker of silly questions I ever met with, 
 except another, who once asked me the following: 1st, 
 "Where have you been?" "At the auction." "Were 
 those things sold?" "Yes." "Who bought them?" 
 "Ask the auctioneer." Xothing is so disgusting to me 
 as a question which betraj^s no endeavor on the part of the 
 questioner to inform himself; or which can elicit no use- 
 ful or pleasing information ; or which presupposes great 
 ignorance on the part of the interrogator. A foolish ques- 
 tion always irritated me ; while an intelligent one afforded 
 me an opportunity of being civil, at least, if I could not 
 give satisfaction. It was our custom to rise an hour or 
 two before day : the students of this college were not 
 young men of fortune, who came to obtain some gentle- 
 manly accomplishments — they came to get the worth of 
 their money in useful knowledge. I attended the debating 
 society, and wrote my essays. The society to which I 
 belonged chose me to contend for the palm of superior 
 composition with one chosen by the rival society. The 
 decision was given in my favor unanimous!}". During 
 my stay at the college an incident occurred which affected 
 me deeply — the death of my friend Mr. Bates in a duel. 
 He was one of the most perfect gentlemen I ever knew, 
 and a philanthropist whose heart was the ready and sure 
 refuge of the unfortunate. There were few handsomer 
 men ; and when brought from the field into the dining- 
 room where we had passed so many delightful social 
 hours, and laid upon the carpet, he seemed to be asleep, 
 his countenance having undergone no change, as the ball 
 had passed through his heart, and his death was instant- 
 aneous. Many a tear of genuine feeling was shed by those 
 who came to take a last look at the once -elegant Tarleton 
 Bates !
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 91 
 
 CllAPTKll XL 
 
 Returns to Pittsburg — Joins a Law Society, and gives an Ac- 
 count of his Process of Prejiaration for a Speech — Admission 
 to the Bar and Debut— Character of the Pittsburg Bar- 
 Aaron Burr. 
 
 On my return to Pittsburg my studies were resumed 
 with greater assiduity than ever. During the last year 
 the examination was constantly before me, and occasioned 
 anxiety and apprehension. This was no idle form ; «>n 
 the contrary, it was exceedingly strict, conducted in the 
 presence of the judges, and by a committee of al)le law- 
 yers. There were three others beside myself candidates 
 for admission: Mr. Forward and Mr. M'Donald ; the 
 other I will not name, as he was unfortunately rejected. 
 The two former and myself met almost daily, to puzzle 
 each other with questions, so that we might be the better 
 prepared for the all-important trial. 
 
 Shortly after my return a law society was formed, com- 
 posed of the younger members of the bar and the stu- 
 dents, consisting in all of ten or twelve. Mr. William 
 Wllkins was chosen president. Mr. Forward, Charles 
 Wilkins, ^nd myself, framed the constitution. It was 
 organized on Saturday, and a question was fixed upon 
 for discussion on the Saturday following : all the mem- 
 bers were arranged on the one side or the other, to speak 
 seriatim. The point to be mooted was one of those in 
 which such prodigies of the law as Mansfield and Cam- 
 den may be fairly allowed to differ, and where the law is 
 settled, or rather made, by the most })lausible and in-
 
 92 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 genious reasoner. It was either the question which arose 
 in the case of Windham vs. Chetwyntle, or that of Jordan 
 and Lashbrooks. The subject of the admissibility, or 
 credibility of the witness, was involved. At the debat- 
 ing society of Jefferson College I had felt my deficiency 
 in sustaining a regular connected argument. A few 
 rapid thoughts, a brilliant flight, or a stroke of wit, were 
 about the extent of m}^ oratory ; and I even admired 
 those dull, methodical speakers, who could divide their 
 speeches into as many heads and horns as belong to the 
 beast in the Revelation, and descant upon them without 
 end. 1 felt the want, however, of method and arrange- 
 ment, and was determined, on my first appearance in the 
 society, to make an effort to exhibit something more 
 solid and better sustained than my associates would ex- 
 pect. 
 
 My first step- was to make myself perfect master of the 
 case which gave rise to the question, and to study the 
 cases to which it referred ; following, like an antiquarian, 
 or rather explorer, every little streamlet to its source. 
 After this, I ran over all the topics connected with the 
 question collaterally, which might serve for explanation 
 or illustration. Besides this exercise, which was chiefly 
 performed at night, in the morning I repaired every day 
 to my ijrivate study, the oak grove which crowns the 
 summit of Watson's Hill, at that time a most unfre- 
 quented place, where I could walk about and declaim 
 without fear of interruption. At first my ideas went 
 away as fast as they came, and after a da}^ passed in 
 this sort of drumming, I had only a few shabby recruits 
 enlisted and enrolled for the war. It was a discouraging 
 operation ; but I was not discouraged ; the same perse- 
 verance which enabled me to triumph over the difficulties 
 of the slack-rope, sustained me on this occasion. I again
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 93 
 
 read over everything, and then went to work to make a 
 digest in writing of all the cases. After this, my l^ooks 
 were again closed, my notes put away, and 1 repaired to 
 the hill to hammer out my speech, which I was deter- 
 mined to frame word by word, sentence by sentence, 
 without putting pen to paper. My success the second 
 and third day was more encouraging. I scarcely slept 
 or ate during the week. By degrees I found myself the 
 owner of a number of ideas, which I could call up 
 at pleasure, with a variety of expressions, like shifting 
 notes in music, which I had tried by the ear and com- 
 pared, so as to fix upon the most appropriate. The 
 method, an*angement, or division of my subject cost me 
 some trouble. I had read Watt's Logic with little bene- 
 fit. Quintilian, Blair, Kaimes, Cicero's Brutus, improved 
 the judgment and taste. Euclid's mode of reasoning was 
 too dry and exact for moral topics ; amplifications, figures, 
 and even repetitions 2iiid pleonasms are necessary in what 
 is addressed to the ear. Euclid, however, w'as my model, 
 as my object was to convince the understanding by rea- 
 soning. The orations of Demosthenes I considered the 
 model of deliberative or popular eloquence, and had read 
 them again and again, admiring the noble simplicity and 
 symmetry of their structure, in this resembling the other 
 monuments of Grecian art. Thus, instead of a number 
 of short speeches strung together, I was enabled to unite 
 them as the different parts, in the demonstration of a 
 proposition. When my entire speech was thus collected 
 together, I found it necessary, for the sake of symmetry 
 and proportion, to curtail some parts, and enlarge others, 
 so that the porch might not be too large for the front, nor 
 the length of the edifice too great for its height. It was 
 repeated again and again ; every word and sentence tried 
 

 
 94 BRACKEN RIDGE'S 
 
 by the ear, occupying about an hour in the delivery. I 
 had no jumping-off or jumping-up place, like those who 
 prepare their exordium and perorations,, and leave the 
 body of the speech to take care of itself. 
 
 My task was accomplished on Saturday forenoon, and 
 the society met after dinner. When my turn came to 
 speak, I had only to open my mouth, and my words 
 seemed to run out of themselves like the water from a 
 Dutch pump, for I knew nothing of gesture, or the 
 management of the voice. I could see that my speech, 
 such as it Avas, exceeded the expectations of my asso- 
 ciates, and perhaps they formed a higher opinion of my 
 mind than they would have formed if they had known 
 how much the effort had cost me. I Avas obliged to con- 
 tinue the practice in order to sustain my reputation ; but 
 afterward it was not attended with difficulty. The prac- 
 tice of solitary declamation was pursued by me for many 
 years. The greater part of the speeches I have delivered, 
 on subjects I deemed important, were perfectly prepared 
 without writing a single word. The speech on the Jew 
 bill, while I was a member of the Legislature of Mary- 
 land, and that on the chancery powers, were composed 
 in this way. 
 
 I will remark, that in the process of forming my speech 
 I was induced to form the habit of tracing my subject to 
 its origin, in what may be called a philosophic manner, 
 and was continuallj^ in search of the reason : and when 
 the last was found, I did not stop there, but entered upon 
 an examination of its soundness. For instance ; when 
 master of the distinction between the admissihilitj and 
 credibility of witnesses, I inquired the reason of the dis- 
 tinction, and the reason given appeared to me proper for 
 the law-maker rather than the laiv-expoundei' — that is to 
 say, the temptation to commit perjury ! And is not the
 
 RECOLLECTIOKS OF THE WEST. 05 
 
 same reason as strong in equity, wiicre plaintifif and 
 defendant file their bills and answers on oath ? And is it 
 not so as respects witnesses, who are under the influence 
 of circumstances which aifect their credibility? I do not 
 see any sufficient reason in the distinction. Let the re- 
 sponsibility of the perjury rest on the party or witness 
 whose conscience is not proof against the temptation ; or 
 let the oath be dispensed with, and let the parties tell 
 their stories under the same obligation as the witness, 
 and I am confident it will promote the ends of justice. 
 The idea that the guilt falls upon the judge, who permits 
 the party to testify, is ridiculed by Butler : 
 
 " 'Tis he that makes the oath that breaks it, 
 Xot he that for convenience takes it." 
 
 ' I hope to see the day when the distinction will be 
 abolished, and the whole question resolv^e itself into that 
 of credibility and probability, to be determined by the 
 court or jury. It is wonderful how many cases are to be 
 found in the books which turn upon these questions, and 
 how^ much time is consumed in the trial of causes, in set- 
 tling the admissibility of witnesses, on the ground of their 
 supposed interest. The modern rule is, however, an 
 improvement of that in the time of Lord Coke, when the 
 father, son, brother, and even uncle and nephew could 
 not testify for each other. And here I will remark, that 
 a large portion of juridical philosophy is not more re- 
 spectable. Lord Brougham thought he was doing won- 
 ders in proposing improvements which we adopted a 
 hundred years ago, and there are many that we may yet 
 adopt. 
 
 The reader may desire that this dull nan-ativje be dashed 
 a little with romance ; at least, he may be curious to know
 
 96 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 whether, during the susceptible period of my life, the soft 
 image of some dulcinea did not sometimes* 
 
 " Steal between my book and me," 
 
 and I have avoided it hitherto, in order to give a proof of 
 my discretion, by informing him that I mean to be silent 
 on the subject. I leave it to his own imagination, whether 
 one who had a heart in the right place and possessed the 
 most ardent feelings, with a disposition to admire Avhat- 
 ever is admirable, could be insensible ? Although natu- 
 rally excessively diffident in the company of the fair, and 
 an admirer in secret, those delightful visions too often 
 took possession of my mind. Once for all, I will make 
 this precious confession of my feelings on this interesting 
 subject : if, in traveling, I had arrived at cross-roads, and 
 the right hand led to the place, half a mile off, where 
 Napoleon Bonaparte was to be seen, and the left hand, 
 at the distance of ten miles, had an assemblage of young 
 ladies, Avhere the Cynthia of the time, I will not say of 
 the moment, happened to be, I should have gone to the 
 left. In the situation of Paris, I should certainly have 
 given the apple to Yenus, and let the other goddesses do 
 their worst. 
 
 I have not mentioned that I made some progress in the 
 German language, under the instruction of Mr. She we, a 
 Prussian, and one of the greatest oddities I have met 
 with. He lodged in the same house, and taught French 
 at the academy. He had been a traveler all his life, 
 having begun by making the tour of Europe, as tutor to the 
 young Count Feltenstein ; and was in Paris during the first 
 scenes of the revolution. He used to show a mark on his 
 leg, occasioned by a shot at the taking of the Bastile. 
 
 * Sweet Nea,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 97 
 
 He related many anecdotes of the great Frederick, and of 
 his generals, which he had picked up at I^erlin. I after- 
 ward improved myself in the German, which I found 
 useful in order to a proper understanding of the English. 
 The acquaintance with the Saxon gave Home Tooke, in 
 his ''Diversions of Purley," a decided advantage over 
 the great Johnson, who had no knowledge of the lan- 
 guage. Mr. Shewe officiated at the Dutch church as a 
 preacher ; whether he was ever ordained I know not, 
 but he certainly was not remarkable for his piety, although 
 as good-hearted a creature as Strap in Roderick Random. 
 I knew him afterward as a mineralogist, as a miniature 
 painter, and as a keeper of a huckster's shop. The last 
 was the occupation he loved best, for he had always be- 
 fore him the two objects upon which his affections w^ere 
 finally concentrated, tobacco and beer. He used to ex- 
 press philosophically, the same sentiment which I have 
 heard from Achilles Murat in jest, that whisky was the 
 BEST PART of the American government. 
 
 The time at length arrived for my admission to the bar.. 
 The examination was considered creditable to us, and the 
 next day the oath was administered in open court. 2sow 
 thought I to myself, I am at length on the great stage of 
 action, and must soon perform wonders. Sad mistake! 
 I soon found that I had hardly touched the threshold, and 
 that what I had learned was, in comparison", nothing to 
 what I had yet to learn, before I could realize even the 
 least of those expectations suggested by youthful vanity 
 and impatience. I made my debut in the evening, with- 
 out any previous preparation, in a case of libel. Being 
 exceedingly diffident, I thought the sooner the ice was 
 broken the better; for I have known some young men 
 put off this crisis, so overpowering to a sensitive mind, 
 until they could never muster courage enough to meet it. 
 
 9*
 
 98 BRACKENRIDGWS 
 
 The candles were lighted, and unexpected!}^ to any one, 
 I rose amid the bustle and confusion which followed the 
 opening speech of the opposite lawyer, who happened to 
 be my preceptor, Mr. Mountain. I was seen by the 
 judges, although I could not see them ; some goddess, 
 perhaps, had wrapt them in a cloud, like ^neas and his 
 companion in the palace of Dido. I fixed my eye on a 
 black patch of one of the juiymen, and was beginning to 
 get on when a sudden silence in the hall almost overpow- 
 ered me. But happening to see the opposite party enjoy- 
 ing a malicious pleasure at my embarrassment, I broke 
 forth, at once, into a tremendous philippic against him 
 and his counsel. It was admitted that I had acquitted 
 myself with success; and my master, so far from being 
 displeased with the liberty I had taken with him, called 
 upon me next morning, shook me by the hand, and invited 
 me to take part in some of his cases. To keep the ice 
 open, I took a half-dozen cold plunges during the week, 
 and was never after alarmed by the sound of my own voice, 
 although always nervous when 1 began. 
 
 I have been compelled, by a sense of propriety, to avoid 
 everything in relation to my contemporaries which might 
 tend to wound their feelings; and in doing this have, of 
 course, passed over some of the most interesting scenes 
 of which I have been a witness. The public characters 
 of public men are, in some measure, exceptions; they are 
 public property, and a fair and candid examination of 
 their merits and defects ought not to give ofl'ense. I 
 shall, therefore, venture to speak of the leading members 
 of my profession who, at the time to which this narrative 
 refers, figured in my native town, and I feel some pride 
 in the opportunity of speaking of my masters in the pro- 
 fession to which 1 had dedicated my life. 
 
 Mr. Jam(!s Ross was decidedly at the head of the bar.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 99 
 
 His reputation was not confined to the town of Pittsburjj;- 
 or State of Pennsylvania; ho had occupied tlie point of 
 disphiy on the hirg-est theater America affords, the Si-natc 
 of the United States, and he ranked there as the equal at 
 least of Bayard, Guverneur Morris, Giles, and Breckenridge 
 of Kentucky, He had a large and noble frame, and a 
 head of Homcrian cast, indicating his capacious mind. 
 His voice was clear and full, while his thoughts and dic- 
 tion flowed in a majestic stream. He was remarkable 
 fcT the clear and perspicuous manner of treating his sub- 
 ject, and he possessed a perfect command over his hearersi 
 by the self-possession which he always displayed. Some- 
 times he would thunder, — sometimes indulge a vein of 
 pleasantry ; but he must be classed among those prodigies 
 of mind, who like Webster and the orators of the present 
 day, who bend the will of men by appealing to their 
 reason, and who instruct where they do not convince, by 
 the depth of their thoughts and the extent of their knowl- 
 edge. He never tripped, or appeared at a loss for an ex- 
 pression ; every sentence might be written down as it was 
 spoken — the result, probably, of careful preparation at 
 first, which became a second nature. I have heard some 
 of the best speakers in America, and I cannot say that I 
 have heard his superior; some allowance is, however, to 
 be made for the impression on my youthful mind. 
 
 Mr. Woods, who stood next to Mr. Ross, had the repu- 
 tation of a skillful lawyer. His person was fine, and his 
 dress and manner bespoke the gentleman, although there 
 was a touch of aristocratic pride about him which lessened 
 his popularity. His voice was rather shrill and unpleasant, 
 especially when contrasted with his manly appearance; 
 but, like John Randolph, his ear-})iercing voice often gave 
 effect to a powerful invective. l\*w lawyers could man- 
 age a case with more skill. He was deeply versed in all
 
 100 BRA CKEXR IDGE'S 
 
 the subtleties of the law of tenures and ejectment causes. 
 Being- possessed of a handsome fortune, he rather shunned 
 than courted practice; but in a difficult case the suitor 
 thought himself fortunate when he could secure his assist- 
 ance. 
 
 But the great favorite of the younger members of the 
 bar was Steel Semple, who ought to be considered at the 
 head of the corps of regular practice. In stature he was 
 a giant of "mighty bone," and possessed a mind cast in 
 a mould like that of the illustrious writer from whom I 
 have borrowed this expression. But he was not of "bold 
 emprise," for he was personally timid and sluggish. As 
 a speaker his diction was elegant, sparkling, and classical. 
 His wit was genuine. He was at the same time a prodigy 
 of memory, a gift imparted to him in kindness to supply 
 the want of industry, although it is not every indolent 
 man who is thus favored. Mr. Semple was conversant 
 with all the polite and fashionable literature of the day, 
 and was more of a modern than his distinguished com- 
 petitors. It is no less strange than true, that for the few 
 first years of his appearance at the bar his success was 
 very doubtful. His awkward manner, his hesitation and 
 stammering, and indolent habits, occasioned many to 
 think that he had mistaken his vocation. My father was 
 almost the only person who saw his future eminence. Ho 
 was unfortunately carried off when he had just risen to 
 distinction. He fell a victim to that vice which unha})pily 
 has too often overtaken the most distinguished in every 
 profession. He died when a little turned of fort}' His 
 fame had not traveled far from the theater of the display 
 of his powers, which is usually the case in i)rofessions. 
 which nmst be seen and felt to l)e justly ai)preciat('d. 
 
 Judge Addison possessed a more; extended reputation 
 than any member of the bar, except Mr. Ross, in conse-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 101 
 
 queiico of his writinprs, and his having* boen on the bench. 
 He was considered an able, learned, forcible speaker, 
 often keenly sarcastic, but his broad Scotch dialect was 
 against his popularity as an orator. 
 
 Mr. Mountain, my preceptor at the academy and after- 
 ward in the law, may be mentioned as an extraordinary 
 instance of what maybe accomplished invitd naturse, by 
 great application and perseverance. Nature had left him 
 to do everything for himself. His person and physiog- 
 nomy were of the most common kind; and his mind, 
 although exhibiting nO remarkable defect, did not rise 
 above the common level. Perhaps he might be allowed 
 judgment, taste, and discrimination; or these may have 
 been the result of cultivation, and his familiarity with 
 the best models, and the most correct precepts. He had 
 dug deep in the mines of learning, and laid up a rich 
 store. With my father he was a great favorite, partly 
 on account of his classical scholarship, and having been 
 like himself the principal of an academy, which he used 
 as the stepping-stone to his profession. At the bar he 
 was pedantic, displaying his stores of learning at unsuit- 
 able times, and on inappropriate occasions. He was no 
 favorite with the bar or bench, for the reasons just men- 
 tioned — but after being a few years in practice his manner 
 became more natural, better suited to the occasion, and 
 he was rising rapidly in public esteem. TJnhapi)ily, like 
 Steel Seniple, he fell, when he was just beginning to as- 
 cend the hill. Had he lived to be fifty, he would have at- 
 tained a celebrity which his early career did not promise. 
 
 Two younger members of the bar were rapidly rising 
 and taking the lead in the practice of the court. These 
 were Mr. IJaldwin and Mr. Wiikins ; the first now on the 
 Supreme Bench of the United States, the other in the 
 Senate. The first appearance of both these gentlemen
 
 102 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 was attended with brilliant success, although they were 
 entirely unlike each other. Mr. Baldwin was a deeplv- 
 read lawyer, and an excellent scholar, but in his person 
 and manner remarkably plain and unstudied. He was a 
 warm, rapid, and cogent speaker, at the same time close, 
 logical, and subtle ; he invariably exhausted his subject, 
 but studiously avoided all ornament or unnecessary ver- 
 biage. He entered at once in medias res, and ended 
 without peroration when he had nothing more to say. 
 Mr. Wilkins was more than genteel in his person ; his 
 features were cast in the Roman mould, and his dress al- 
 ways neat, and even elegant. His manner was excellent 
 — his voice and enunciation clear and distinct. He was 
 diffuse in his speeches, and wanted method, argument, 
 and depth of philosophical acumen — but he knew those 
 whom he addressed, as the musician knows the instru- 
 ment he touches. He was therefore a successful and a 
 justly popular advocate. 
 
 Such were the principal workmen in the shop where 
 I served my apprenticeship — and no bad place for an ap- 
 prentice in the law it was. I have not mentioned my 
 father. I was quite young when I heard him, and must 
 speak principally from the information of those who 
 knew him. He was considered an extraordinary man — 
 different from those I have described. Nature had done 
 everything for him, and yet he had labored as if she had 
 done nothing. His person, voice, and manner — his eye, 
 would have rendered him a star of the first order on the 
 stage, where he would have rivaled Cook or Talma. His 
 glance — the sound of his voice, would sometimes make 
 the blood run cold in the veins. His mind was of the 
 highest poetic order, but of the most astonishing versa- 
 tility, as Bruce in his fable attempts to describe it:
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST 103 
 
 " In an auld bigging dwalt a starling, 
 Wlui was o' ilka bird the darling." 
 
 He could, at perfect command, excite a tragic horror, or 
 occasional peals of laughter, but he seldom attempted the 
 pathetic. His imagination ascended the " highest heaven 
 of invention." When he began to speak he frequently ap- 
 peared to labor under great embarrassment, like an eagle 
 rising from the level ground ; but as he proceeded he rose 
 by degrees, and when he poured himself upon his career, 
 he seemed, per omnes terrasque, tractumaque maris, 
 coclumque profundum, to range through heaven, earth, 
 and sea. Some of his flights were as wonderful as those 
 of Bridaine, or Bourdaloue, or Curran. The fame of his 
 wonderful powers is confined to the few who witnessed 
 them, and to a feeble tradition. It was his misfortune to 
 display his talents on an obscure and circumscribed thea- 
 ter, and on subjects seldom fitted to call them forth. 
 
 Aljout the time of my admission the supposed treason 
 of Burr w^as set on foot, and some of my companions, 
 friends, and fellows-students w^ere drawn into it. I saw 
 Burr in Pittsburg.* His projects were discussed in our 
 little senate, and at the dinner-table, for months, before 
 the attemjit was made to carr}' them into execution, and 
 were as well known to us, as any one else, except Burr 
 him.self or Wilkinson. Whatever subordinate plan Burr 
 may 'have had, I am well satisfied that the main object 
 was the liljeration of Mexico, and the splendid fortunes 
 which would be acquired by success. I saw many of his 
 agents ; all were engaged in obtaining and communica- 
 
 * I met him on the street, in company with one of my friends. 
 I knew him at a f;;hincc. After passing, he inquired who 1 was. 
 That i.s youn<;- Jiraclcenridge, said hi.s coniiiunion. Ho must be 
 one of us, said he.
 
 104 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 ting information respecting the Spanish provinces. The 
 revolution of Mexico was the idea held out by Burr. It 
 is absurd to suppose that a separation of Western States 
 entered into his plan, when the bare suggestion of it 
 would have excited universal indignation. Before the 
 acquisition of Louisiana it might have found partisans, 
 but at this time it w^as impossible. This could not, there- 
 fore, have formed any part of his plan — at least, of his 
 immediate design ; what he might have placed before his 
 view, in case of the conquest of Mexico, no one but him- 
 self can tell. Whether he had an}^ design on New 
 Orleans and its banks, for the means of carrying on the 
 war, I do not know — but if he had, he concealed it, and 
 would have been deserted by the best part of his follow- 
 ers if attempted. Burr must have been too well acquainted 
 with the feelings of those he attempted to enlist to have 
 entertained such intentions. The inducement constantly 
 held out was the liberation of Xew Spain, an enterprise 
 surpassing in brilliancy the conquest by Cortez. It was 
 asserted that it was to be undertaken with the knowledge 
 and tacit approbation of Mr. Jefferson, and that the army 
 and navy of the United States would be ready, in case of 
 war with Spain, to render assistance. Circumstances 
 rendered this highly plausible General Wilkinson was 
 at that time encamped on the north side of the Sabine 
 with two regiments of American troops, and Cordero, the 
 Spanish general, on the other side with an equal force, 
 and they were expected to come to blows. The situation 
 of Burr, in relation to Mr. Jefferson, seemed to favor the 
 idea that his voluntary expatriation would be encouraged, 
 and the official station of the former, as Vice-President of 
 the United States, was such as to enable him to impose 
 upon individuals by false representations if he chose to 
 make them. Whether he made them as to General Wil-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 105 
 
 kinson, I do not pretend to say ; but he certain!}' did hold 
 out the idea that he had a perfect understanding with 
 that ofl&cer, and that his arrival on the Red River in Octo- 
 ber, with a few thousand men, would be the signal for the 
 commencement of hostilities with the Spaniards, when 
 Burr would join Wilkinson, and then raise the standard 
 in the Mexican territories. Burr did not reach Smith- 
 land until November, and even then had not more than 
 three hundred men. His partisans say that it was owing 
 to this failure that Wilkinson took his measures, and dis- 
 covered the treason of Burr and his followers. Light 
 may be thrown upon the subject by Burr himself; for 
 the present, I can only say, that the truth is not yet be- 
 fore the public. 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 The Author leaves Pittsburg — Adventure of the Bee-Hunter — 
 Arrives at Carlisle and resumes his Studies — Mysterious Voice 
 — Goes to Baltimore. 
 
 On a cold, frosty morning of November, a youth might 
 be seen on a stout Canadian pony, issuing from the busy 
 town of coal smoke and coal smell, wrapped up in a great- 
 coat, with Avell-stuffed saddle-bags, and otherwise equip- 
 ped for a journey over the mountains. Our knight-errant 
 appeared at one moment in deep thought, and in the next 
 without any thought at all. He was quitting the busy 
 little world and its scenes, where he had received his 
 earliest and most lasting impressions, while the great 
 world rose in vision before him, with all its imaginary 
 
 10
 
 106 I^RA C KEN RID GE ' S 
 
 shapes and towers. The thoughts of youth are like the 
 waves of the sea: every breath of ah- gives a new impulse 
 to the moving mass, not of waters, but of ideas, that chase 
 each other to the shore. Our adventurer dashed a tear 
 from his eye when he thought of the kind friends he had 
 left, and the many days of pleasure he had passed ; but 
 when fancy pointed to the fairy scenes of the future, his 
 morning face shone with joy, and anon he fell to kicking 
 the sides of his heavj^-gaited nag. In the language of 
 the Abbe Du Pradt, cet liomme, cetait moi. 
 
 The situation just described may be ranked among the 
 few happy periods of our existence. As we ascend the 
 hill, and the novelty which invests the distant prospect 
 with an azure hue begins to wear away, we lose at the 
 same time the fine sensibility which makes the charm of 
 life. There were circumstances in my destiny Avhich 
 made me sometimes feel alone in the world, and may 
 have contributed to render my disposition an alternation 
 between melancholy in the one extreme, and delirious 
 vivacity in the other. I admired the juste milieu; but 
 like the pendulum of a clock, it could only be attained by 
 me by becoming entirely motionless. There were times 
 when the face of nature appeared to be '' hung with black ;" 
 at other times, "every sport could please." Perhaps I 
 am only describing the feelings common to all my fellow- 
 men. We are apt to think there is something peculiar in 
 ourselves This was the mistake of Rousseau, to which 
 I have already made an allusion. 
 
 A truce to moralizing. As I advanced in my journey, 
 the love of novelty and incident gave way to the gayer 
 genius ; I thought of Gil Bias, and Tom Jones, and even 
 of Don Quixote, and began to cheer the solitary road by 
 a ditty not worth the price of an op(>rn ticket. The plans 
 and prospects of my future life gradually took possession
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 107 
 
 of my thouglits. I was to remain some time at Carlisle, 
 and then either return to take up my residence in the 
 JV^est, or go to the blooming South in search of fortune. 
 And then, what wonders to be wrought by me at the bar I 
 Here I began a speech to the jury, and in the midst of it 
 popped upon a string of wagons, and then roared out, 
 
 "The glasses sparkle on the board." 
 
 But finding that the jingling of the horse bells prevented 
 the lords of the road from hearing me, I ceased my music, 
 taking care to nod my head with civility as I passed, 
 which was only noticed by surly looks from them. The 
 idea of settling east of the mountains had not entered into 
 my plans, for this would be reversing the course of emigra- 
 tion and enterprise ; but my father had also formed his plans, 
 to which I conformed through respect, although against 
 my instinct, which drove me to the West, as the young 
 turtle, after being hatched by the sun, takes to the water. 
 My journey across the mountains produced no very 
 important incident until I passed Bedford. At a stream- 
 let named Bloody Run, on account of some murder com- 
 mitted in early times (a name calculated to call up un- 
 pleasant associations), as I stopped, to let ray horse drink, 
 there suddenly emerged from the woods a tail man of 
 ferocious appearance, with a bushy head, a butcher knife 
 hanging to his girdle in a leathern sheath, an axe held 
 on his shoulder by one hand, while the other was slung 
 in a handkerchief tied round his neck. He laid down his 
 axe, and then stooped to drink with the hollow of his 
 hand. While 1 was gazing upon his uncouth frame, a fit 
 subject for the pencil of Salvator Rosa, he suddenly ac- 
 costed me in the Pennsylvania dialect — "Well, stranger, 
 I kilt seventeen o' them." Mercy, what will become of 
 me ? 'j Seventeen, did you say ?" " Yes, seventeen ; but
 
 108 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 I safe't the life o' one o' them." There is some hope yet, 
 thought I. " An I pit 'im intill the crown o' my hat, and 
 tuck 'im aleeve, for I've a charm, dVe see; so he can't 
 bayte me." "0 — yes — yes," muttered I, "you found a 
 den of rattlesnakes and killed them all but one." " That's 
 jist what I was tillen ye — I tuck hoult of 'im, an' he jist 
 scratch't my arum with his tooth; but it was jist a 
 chance, like, for I have the charm, d'ye mind, an' the like 
 niver happent me afore since I was a bay [bee] hunter ; 
 but its gitten well Kow, I'll tell ye a good joke. I goes 
 down till the tavern where the gran' jidge was stoppin, 
 an' I axed 'im till come in the yard till see something, an' 
 when he came out, I tuck aflf my hat an' throwt the sar- 
 pent on the groun', an' he begun till shake his tail, an' 
 the jidge jumpt an' run, an' I thought I would ha' died 
 laughin." Here he suited the action to the word, and 
 gave a sample of a mountain laugh, enough to frighten 
 all the echoes in their caves, on the circuit of half a mile. 
 My danger past, I found the mysterious apparition a 
 harmless fellow, who followed hunting bee-trees on the 
 mountains for a living. He had been very near losing 
 his life by a mistaken confidence in his charm. 
 
 At this time the roads over the "big hills" were 
 wretched. A stage traveled at the rate of thirty or forty 
 miles in twenty -four hours ; that is, during daylight and 
 part of the night. But even this was a vast improve- 
 ment compared to the traveling a few years before. The 
 magnificence of the mountain ocencry filled my imagina- 
 tion. I viewed with delight the beautiful valleys which 
 lay below, highly cultivated — the farms from the distance 
 appearing to consist of miniature fields and woods. On 
 coming to the last mountain, and looking down on the 
 noble plain in which Chambersburg is situated, it seemed 
 as if the whole world was unrolled before me. I gazed
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 109 
 
 with ccsta?;y on the rich and varied prospect of this 
 American Pisgah, and I philosophized on the probability 
 of permanent prosperity in a country divided among so 
 many proprietors, and where wealth is distributed in such 
 equal proportions. There were no castles, domains, or 
 even manors. There were no serfs, boors, slaves, or even 
 peasantry. There is, perhaps, no part of the world where 
 there is so much wealth distributed among so many hands, 
 and in such equal proportions, as in Middle and Western 
 Pennsylvania ! The great wall was now passed by me — 
 the barrier which 1 hope will never separate anything 
 but the waters of the Atlantic from those of the Gulf of 
 Mexico. It was then I felt that I was in feelings as well 
 as birth, a native of the Ohio — a Western man — and I in- 
 voluntarily resolved within myself that this should not 
 be the last time of my crossing the mountains. At Ship- 
 pensburg I determined to sell my pony and take the 
 stage. The landlord, after finding as many faults with 
 him as on a similar occasion was found with the mule of 
 Gil Bias, agreed at last to give me twenty-five dollars for 
 him, in order, I suppose, to bestow him as a charitable 
 donation to the crows of the neighborhood. 
 
 On my arrival at Carlisle I found my father very uneasy 
 about me. lie had heard of the movements of Aaron 
 Burr at Pittsburg, and was apprehensive that I had 
 joined the expedition with other young men of the place. 
 In the course of a few days he oftered his views to me. 
 He considered Baltimore the best opening in America for 
 a young lawyer. It was rapidly increasing, and would 
 be one of the first commercial cities in the Union. By 
 proper industry I could not fail, in the course of a few 
 years, to get into a handsf)me practice, and, with a little 
 assistance, would be enabled to live, along with what little 
 business I could obtain, until 1 became established, lie 
 
 10*
 
 1 1 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 thong'ht he had committed an error in going to a new 
 country, and regretted not having remained in a city. He 
 painted the unfavorable side of the society and the profes- 
 sion in villages and country courts. " If you have but a 
 pig," said he, "carry it to the middle of the market. The 
 vicinity of Baltimore to Washington must open a great 
 theater for the display of forensic talents. If it should be 
 your lot," said he, "to become eminent, here is a prospect 
 worthy of ambition. But 3"ou are not yet prepared to 
 appear upon such a stage ; although you have gone 
 through the usual course of legal education, there are 
 particular branches of the law which are indispensable 
 for city practice, and with which a general acquaintance 
 will not suffice. You must devote a year or eighteen 
 months to the study of the law of nations — the law mer- 
 chant, such as insurance, bills of exchange — the law of 
 admiralty; and then, as the chancery practice and the 
 science of special pleading are not so much in use in 
 Pennsylvania as in Maryland, you must endeavor to 
 make yourself master of these. You can, at the same 
 time, pursue such general reading, by way of relaxation 
 from severer study, as will tend to enlarge and polish the 
 mind." 
 
 I cheerfully acquiesced in this proposal; for, by this 
 time, my own reflection had satisfied me that, notwith- 
 standing my four years' apprenticeship to the law, I had 
 much to learn ; or rather, that I had learned comparatively 
 but little, although by no means an idle student. As to 
 the other plans of success on the great theater of the law, 
 I did not feel so confident — there were misgivings in my 
 mind, and perhaps there was also some of that kind of 
 false pride which prevents us from pursuing the path 
 pointed out to us by another, with the same ardor as if it 
 had been chosen by ourselves.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. HI 
 
 I DOW became a student in earnest, devoting at least 
 thirteen or fourteen hours out of the twenty-four to my 
 books, under the instruction of my father, when he was 
 permitted by the duties of his circuit to remain at home. 
 All my wants were kindly attended to by my step- 
 mother, leaving me nothing to think of but my books. 
 Our house was but little resorted to, except by literary 
 men; in fact, books and reading formed the occupation of 
 its inmates. My little sister read the newspapers at three 
 years old, my youngest brother was learning his Latin 
 and French at six or seven, and the elder, at fourteen, 
 was translating Longinus, and the two works of Xeno- 
 phon — the Anabasis and Cyropedia — into literal English, 
 line for line, and word for word, and then putting it into 
 idiomatic English, writing sentence by sentence, under 
 the direction of my father, who considered this, with his 
 lectures and instructions, a practical course of rhetoric. 
 As to himself, he never dined out or invited to dinner, 
 and was unwilling to see company until after tea ; when 
 persons dropped in to hear his conversation, in which 
 none excelled him, although during the day it was difficult 
 to get him to say a word except on business. It was, 
 indeed, a treat to hear him speak when he chose to un- 
 bend. He was an improvisateur of the first order. I 
 have heard him relate a story, when the illusion was so 
 perfect that the hearer would suppose there were half a 
 dozen characters on the stage. Jeffrey, in one of the 
 numbers of the Edinburgh Beciew, says that Matthews 
 was inferior to him in relating a story. He was entirely 
 different ; there was no buffoonery or broad humor, either 
 in the choice of his subject or in his manner. Compared 
 to the stories of Matthews, it was genteel comedy or 
 tragedy compared to broad farce. He generally walked 
 about, and seemed to require this, in order to give full
 
 112 J^R^ CKENRIDGE'S 
 
 play to liis powers. It is remarkable that what he said 
 on the bench while seated had nothing- of his usual elo- 
 quence; and when he was eloquent there, which was but 
 seldom, he rose upon his feet. 
 
 He frequently dictated to me, sometimes chapters foe 
 "Modern Chivalry," sometimes essays for various news- 
 papers, chiefly on European politics, with which he was 
 singularly conversant. It was difficult to keep pace with 
 him. He directed the punctuation of every sentence as 
 he went along. He had been in this habit for a great 
 many years. His handwriting had become so bad that it 
 was almost impossible for any one to decipher it ; so much 
 so that a trick was once played upon him by a gentleman, 
 who sent back one of his letters which he could not read, 
 first tearing off the signature and putting his own in the 
 place of it; my father attempted in vain to make out the 
 scrawl ! He would have been an overmatch for Napo- 
 leon in bad handwriting. He often dictated his verse as 
 well as his prose. I remember, when a small boy, having 
 committed to memor}^ some lines on General Wayne, 
 which were composed in bed, and dictated in the morning 
 to one of the students. They were the first lines of poetry 
 I ever committed. No one was ever more careless in 
 preserving his compositions. He troubled himself as little 
 about them as he did for the fugitive effusions of his dis- 
 course. He once dictated to me a Pindaric ode on hearing 
 a report of the death of Governor M'Kean, which turned 
 out to be false. 
 
 The lines on Wayne have been much admired: as they 
 will occupy but little space, I will transcribe them. Some 
 of the thoughts are like Byron's. Indeed I have often 
 thought there was a remarkable resemblance in some of 
 the features of their minds, and modes of thinking on a 
 variety of subjects. It is curious that they both chose
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 113 
 
 the same subject for a poem, and a very oiit-of-tlie-way 
 subject it was — tlie judgment upon poor George the Tliird 
 in the other world ! The lines on Wayne are as follows : 
 
 " The birth of some great men, or death, 
 Gives a celebrity to spots of earth: 
 "We say that Montcalm fell on Abraham's plain ; 
 That Butler presses the Miami bank ; 
 And that the promontory of Sigeum 
 Has Achilles's tomb. 
 Presqu' Isle saw Wayne expire. 
 There the traveler shall see his monument ; 
 At least his grave. For this, 
 Corroding jealousy will not detract; 
 But allow a mound — 
 Some little swelling of the earth, 
 To mark the interment of his bones. 
 Brave, honest soldier, sleep — 
 Arid let the dews weep over thee, 
 W^hile gales shall sigh across the lake ; 
 Till man shall recognize thy worth. 
 And coming to the place will ask, 
 ' Is this where Wayne is buried ?'" 
 
 My course of study began with waiters on general law, 
 such as Burlamaqui, Rutherforth and others. I then read 
 Yattel, Martens, Azuni, Puffendorf, and the common 
 writers on the law of nations. After this I proceeded to 
 Beaux's Lex Mercatoria, Park on Insurance, Abbot on 
 Shipping, Chitty on Bills of Exchange and Promissory 
 Notes. I read the British Reports of Cases in Admiralty, 
 and the Decisions in the Courts of the United States as 
 far as the books then published, which form but a small 
 portion of what is now extant. My next course was 
 Fonblanque, the various works on the law of equity, and 
 the Chancery Reports. I concluded the year by reading 
 Sergeant Williams's edition of Saunders's Reports : Chitty 
 on Pleading not having appeared at this time. This did
 
 114 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 not, however, occupy the whole of my time. I read a 
 great deal of miscellaneous matter, both in prose and 
 verse. Two works which I read opened a new view to 
 my mind, Gerard on Genius, and the same author on 
 Taste. I am surprised that these two admirable produc- 
 tions should be so little known. They are now out of 
 print, yet ''their sterling bullion" shines through the pages 
 of may a modern author. I found time also to improve 
 myself in the German, and was enabled to read some of 
 their best authors, such as Gellart the German Addison, 
 some of the works of Schiller and of Goethe. I com- 
 mitted to memory the beautiful tale of Selim and Selima. 
 I sometimes wrote for the German newspaper, which was 
 conducted by a clergyman, who translated my English, 
 thus facilitating my acquisition of the German. I was 
 also enabled to learn the Italian grammar, and make 
 some progress in the pronunciation, with the assistance 
 of a Catholic priest, a native of Rome. 
 
 It was my constant practice when the weather was 
 fine, after early tea, to saunter out to a place west of the 
 town, where the plain is encumbered with rude masses 
 of rock, bearing some resemblance to the rains of an 
 ancient city; for which reason I gave it the name of the 
 Ruins of Palmyra — a name it still retains. Here I de- 
 claimed and read, and committed to memory passages 
 from the English poets ; often continuing to mutter them 
 over and over for an hour or two after the last rays of 
 the sun had disappeared. One dark night, while thus 
 employed in this lonely spot, a fit retreat for robbers and 
 runaways — if there had been such, a voice suddenly cried 
 out to me to stop ! I did so, and listened for a moment, 
 until the words were repeated, and I fancied that foot- 
 steps were heard — but my curiosity was satisfied; and, 
 resembling Achilles at least in one particular, swiftness
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 115 
 
 of foot, I was soon in the streets of the town. The mys- 
 tery was never exphiined. It could not have been a mis- 
 chievous trick, or it would have been made known. After 
 this my rambles and spoutings were confined to more 
 seasonable hours. 
 
 I attended the courts at Carlisle, where there were two 
 very able lawyers, Mr. Watts and Mr. Duncan. The 
 former was possessed of a powerful mind, and was the 
 most vehement speaker I ever heard. He seized his sub- 
 ject with an Herculean grasp ; at the same time throwing 
 his Herculean body and limbs into attitudes which Avould 
 have delighted a painter or sculptor. He was a singular 
 instance of the union of great strength of mind, with 
 bodily powers equally wonderful. Mr. Duncan was one 
 of the best lawyers and advocates I have ever seen at 
 any bar; and he was perhaps the ablest judge that ever 
 sat on the supreme bench of the State. He was a very 
 small man, with a large but well-formed head. There 
 never was a lover more devoted to his mistress than Mr. 
 Duncan was to the study of the law. He perused Coke 
 on Littleton as a recreation, and read new books of re- 
 ports as a young lady reads the new novels. His educa- 
 tion had not been very good, and his general reading was 
 not remarkable. I was informed that he read frequently 
 the plays of Shakspeare; and from that source derived 
 that uncommon richness and variety of diction by which 
 he was enaljled to embellish the most abstruse subjects, 
 although his language was occasionally marked by inac- 
 curacies, even violation of common grammar rules. Mr. 
 Duncan reasoned with admirable clearness and method on 
 all legal subjects ; and, at the same time displayed great 
 knowledge of human nature in the examination of wit- 
 nesses, and in his addresses to the jury. Mr. Watts merely 
 selected the strong points of his case, and labored them
 
 116 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 with an earnestness and zeal approaching to fury; and, 
 perhaps, his forcible manner sometimes produced a more 
 certain effect than that of the subtle and wily advocate 
 opposed to him. 
 
 Judge Hamilton, who presided, was a learned and 
 elegant lawyer; remarkably slow and impressive in his 
 manner, and in his charges to the jury too minute. He 
 was an Irishman by birth, and had received his education 
 in Dublin. Among the younger members of the bar, Mr. 
 Gibson, now chief justice of the State, was the most 
 conspicuous. He, even then, had a high reputation for 
 the clearness and soundness of his judgment, and the 
 superiority of his taste. 
 
 I had been upwards of twelve months pursuing this 
 course of preparation, when I began to grow impatient — 
 the fault of youth. My father would have wished me to 
 remain longer, and put a work into my hand, extremely 
 well written, but anonymous, on the study of the law. 
 The work has been attributed, I think erroneously, to Sir 
 James Mackintosh. The writer was of opinion that thirty 
 years of age was soon enough to come to the bar ; and 
 as I was only turned of twenty-one, nine years would 
 have to be passed in preparation! It might do in Eng- 
 land, I thought; but the plan w^as not suited to America, 
 at least to me. My father yielded to my impatience, but 
 not without good advice. "The profession of the law," 
 said he, "is the road to honor and preferment in this 
 countr}"; but in a city you cannot expect to succeed 
 without the utmost diligence and application to business. 
 You must always be in your office ; and until you are 
 enabled to lay up something, let that be the only office 
 you will seek ; at least, avoid everything connected with 
 politics. When you shall attain the age of forty-five or 
 fifty, and have secured a moderate independence, you may
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. in 
 
 amuse yourself with politics, or in au}^ other lawful way ; 
 but until then your attention must be constantly directed 
 to your business. I will make you up a small library 
 and a purse of a hundred dollars or so. As my salary is 
 almost my only dependence, for I have committed a great 
 error in not attending sufficiently to the main chance, you 
 must now swim without a cork jacket. As you write a 
 good hand, you may find support for awhile by assisting 
 some lawyer in extensive business, and doing the drudg- 
 ery of the office. You may assist as clerk of the court, 
 or a notary. But, above all things, beware of going in 
 debt; the man who is in debt is no longer free — he is a 
 slave." 
 
 Such was the paternal advice ; some of it excellent — 
 and some of it too much like that given to Gil Bias by his 
 reverend uncle and by his affectionate parents, who en- 
 joined him to be honest to every one, but never hinted 
 that he must also be on his guard against the dishonesty 
 of others. If I had been one of those thrifty creatures 
 which, like a cat, will fall upon his feet even if tossed 
 from a three-story window, the advice would not have 
 been necessary; but as I was the reverse of this character, 
 it was like to be of little use unless favored by some lucky 
 turn of fortune — a giant overcome in his castle, or one of 
 those incidents which lie within the scope of romance, 
 but which are not very common in real life. 
 
 11
 
 118 BRACKENRWGE'S 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Arrives in Baltimore — Visits the Theater — Introduction to the 
 Bar — The Difficulty of getting into Practice— Moyens d'y 
 Parvenir. 
 
 It was about the begiuning" of December, about eight 
 o'clock in the evening, that I stopped at the Indian Queen 
 in the City of Baltimore, having arrived in the stage in 
 company with a young gentleman of Carlisle. It was 
 the first time in my life I had ever been in a large town, 
 and compared to the villages where I had passed my 
 early days, this city was a London. The reader's imag- 
 ination will better furnish him an idea of the effect upon 
 the mind of a countr}' youth of his first entry into a great 
 city, than can be given by the most faithful description. 
 Although I could see but little except the glare of the 
 lights in every direction, the illuminated shops, and the 
 croAvds hastening- along the sidewalks, nor could hear 
 anything but the mingled rumbling composed of a thou- 
 sand different sounds, I was lost in amazement. 
 
 My companion, after supper, proposed a visit to the 
 theater. As he was no stranger to the ways of the town, 
 I put myself under his guidance. We accordingly re- 
 paired to this place of amusement, which was much more 
 fashionable than it is at the present day. On entering 
 the row of boxes I was almost blinded by the blaze of 
 light which burst upon me. Add to this, the pealing 
 sounds of the orchestra, the sea of heads below, and the 
 multitude of persons of both sexes in costly and fashion- 
 able dress, and the reader may imagine the effect produced.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 119 
 
 After the first moments of wonder were passed, I felt op- 
 pressed by a sense of the solitude of the scene. I had 
 never felt so lonesome in the midst of the wildest forests. 
 When I considered the mass of human beings among 
 whom I was thus cast, the addition of my person or its 
 withdrawal would produce about as much effect as the 
 addition or subtraction of a single drop of water to or 
 from the ocean. Among all this multitude not a single 
 eye or thought rested upon me. Suddenly the curtain 
 rose, my attention was at once arrested, and my mind 
 relieved from this unpleasant mood. The play was Ham- 
 let, and the players were Cooper and Wood, Mrs. Warren 
 and Mrs. Wood. This was indeed new to me, and de- 
 lightful. Mrs. Warren, although somewhat emibonpoint, 
 had a beautiful hand and arm ; her voice was full, and as 
 soft as velvet. Cooper was then considered the perfection 
 of acting, and certainly possessed that extraordinary com- 
 bination necessary to form a great actor — fine person, 
 countenance, and voice, with intellect and feeling. I had 
 no idea before of what could be done by the voice and 
 gesture. Although the stage manner does not suit the 
 bar, yet I was convinced there was room for cultivation 
 even there. Correct pronunciation, distinct articulation, 
 and proper emphasis are requisite in all public speakers, 
 and a thousand faults, which shock a person of taste, are 
 studiously shunned by the masters of the scenic art. It 
 is a school in which much may be learned by the orator. 
 It was thought so Ijy the ancients. Demosthenes was 
 listened to with indifference until he was taught by an 
 actor how to deliver his speeches; and Cicero received 
 the benefit of similar tuition. 
 
 It was nearly twelve o'clock before we got back to the 
 hotel, where we found a cold supper prepared for us. I 
 paid my respects to the wing of a boiled fowl, while my
 
 120 ^^^4 CKENRIDGE'S 
 
 companion gobbled up a dozen or two of horrid-looking 
 things called oysters ! I slept but little that night — every 
 sound was strange, especially the cry of the watchmen, 
 and 1 began to fear that, like Macbeth, I was to " sleep 
 no more." The next morning I found the office of Mr. 
 Nisbet, son of the great Doctor Nisbet, former president 
 of the College of Carlisle. Mr. Nisbet was then in good 
 practice as a lawyer, highly respectable in his profession, 
 and possessed of every good and noble quality of the 
 heart. He received me in the most friendly manner ; of- 
 fered to introduce me to his friends, which I soon found 
 to be almost every man in the city, to move for my ad- 
 mission to the bar ; and told me in the mean time to 
 make myself at home in his office. All this was well so 
 far. It was a good beginning, and if improved might 
 lead to something. 
 
 I will pass over my admission to the bar, my introduc- 
 tion to the members and to many other persons, and my 
 gradually becoming familiarized with the scene — say for 
 a month or two after my arrival. It was now time to 
 look a little into the future, and to see whether I had 
 brought my goods to a fair market. I attended daily at 
 the office of Mr. Nisbet ; and found that the practice of 
 the courts, and a thousand other things, were different 
 from what I had been taught. There were, it is true, 
 the same common law, equity, and admiralty systems, 
 and pretty much the same model of conducting the trial 
 of a cause; but then the preparatory steps and the local 
 statutes required at least a year's apprenticeship in a 
 lawyer's office. I had been looking to the higher branches 
 of the profession, and was much more at home there than 
 in the drudgery according to the Maryland practice; 
 while it was only the older lawyers of established reputa- 
 tions who could find employment in the first, and in the
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 121 
 
 latter I was not sufficiently versed. If I had listened to 
 the advice of prudence I would have sat down to ijie 
 desk for at least a year, doing all the labor of the office, 
 as a special favor to me, studying the laws of the State, 
 and picking up any crumb of knowledge as it fell from 
 those who were skilled in the local laws and practice. 
 The common law of England has undergone a modifica- 
 tion in almost every State, and without a perfect knowl- 
 edge of these variations and conflict of laics, it is im- 
 possible for the mere practitioner, or rather attorney or 
 solicitor, to get along ; although the advocate might, if 
 his profession were separated from that of the attorney; 
 but it is by means of the attorney's docket that a begin- 
 ner may hope to climb up to the more honorable rank. 
 In the new States the difficulty is not so great, because 
 the local statutes are less numero-us, and the pleadings 
 and practice are more careless, loose, and unsettled : and 
 what is more than all, there are none of those deeply- 
 rooted reputations, which, like spreading oaks, keep 
 down all the young growth about them. But no lawyer 
 can practice in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New 
 York, or Massachusetts, without being much embarrassed 
 at every step, unless he has served an apprenticeship in 
 those States. 
 
 Such was the first difficulty which presented itself to 
 me in Baltimore ; it was unexpected and discouraging, 
 but it was not the only one. I found my situation al- 
 most as awkward as that of poor George in the Vicar of 
 Wakefield, who found that he had another language to 
 learn before he could teach his own to foreigners. 
 
 I very soon gave up the idea of taking an office of my 
 own. The rent would have to be secured — say one hun- 
 dred dollars ; it would have to be furnished at an expense 
 
 II*
 
 122 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 of at least two hundred ; both beyond my means. And 
 if once established in it, was there any certainty of busi- 
 ness ? A barber's pole might attract customers ; a shop 
 for the sale of small wares would attract buyers ; but 
 people shun the office of an unknown lawyer or attorney 
 almost as instinctively as they do a bog or quagmire. I 
 found it would not do to remain longer at an expensive 
 hotel, so that my only course was eitlier to decamp as 
 soon as possible, or find some place where I could live. 
 The idea of finding any employment as a clerk was out 
 of the question; and any professional business of my 
 own, or partnership with another, at present at least, was 
 hopeless. Fortunately for me, I had a cousin, Mr. James 
 Clark, who had been a printer, but who had sold out, and 
 established a small retail store in the suburbs. I put 
 into his hands nearl}^ all my remaining cash, and became 
 a boarder, having a small room in his little tenement for 
 myself and my books. Here I felt myself as snug as a 
 squirrel in his hole ; and when 1 chose to peep out into 
 the great world, it was no longer with the horror of want, 
 misery, or starvation, which I had begun to feel. Having 
 now secured the main chance, I could go forth and study 
 the stage on which I was placed ; I could play that part 
 which Cicero considers as the most honorable — that of 
 the spectator. 
 
 I first directed my attention to what related to my pro- 
 fession, and to the moyens Wy parvenir adopted by those 
 who had succeeded or who had failed in their attempts 
 
 " to climb 
 
 The steep where Fame's proud temple shines afar." 
 
 The first thing that struck me was the extraordinary 
 number of the corps, and the small portion of it who 
 seemed to be earning a living by their practice. At this
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 123 
 
 time, the courts of Baltimore were full of business, but 
 still more full of lawyers. The admiralty had the most 
 important, and this was confined to four or five of the 
 oldest and most experienced ; the county court afforded 
 employment for a greater number, but the argument of 
 cases was also engrossed by a few ; the criminal court 
 was also monopolized by four or five popular lawyers. 
 Those who were successful in getting into practice 
 appeared to be overwhelmed with business ; they were 
 constantly called for in all directions, and one would sup- 
 pose that it was necessary in consequence of some privi- 
 lege or positive regulation. No matter what ability was 
 displayed occasionally by others, as an accidental oppor- 
 tunity presented, the clients, as if led by a charm, still 
 followed the lawyer who had the largest practice, and 
 who, on that account, was often less able to do justice to 
 the case. I found that those Iaw3^er3 who had not a 
 regular and growing clientele were in this curious dilem- 
 ma — that is, to get business it was necessary for them to 
 have business, and to have business it was necessary to 
 get business. Sir William Jones, in his preface to the 
 translation of Isseus, gives a melancholy picture of the 
 situation of the members of the profession in London who 
 are waiting for briefs, and of the smallness of the number 
 of those who are in full practice at any one time in the 
 different courts, and yet inferior to many who wait for 
 years for their promotion. It is pretty much the case in 
 our cities, and ought to be a serious consideration to per- 
 sons who have marked out for themselves or their children, 
 a career so difficult and uncertain. Those who are for- 
 tunate have the advantage of being able, by unremitted 
 and almost slavish assiduity, to secure their good fortune; 
 this is one reason why the new candidates for practice do 
 not succeed so readily, for they cannot do it without 
 
 k
 
 124 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 taking away the clients of others. In a city a lawyer or 
 a physician is as jealous of his client or patient as he 
 would be of any encroachment on his vested rights. In 
 cities it is perhaps more common in all pursuits or occupa- 
 tions, for persons to have the run of custom in particular 
 kinds of business, without any real superiorit}' ; perhaps 
 the idea is best expressed by the word fashion. It js the 
 force of imitation and habit, or perhaps of opinion, which 
 operates so powerfully on multitudes. Judge Cooper 
 once told me there was a sort of niche near London 
 Bridge which rented for a hundred guineas a year, merely 
 for the sale of walking- canes, because it was the fashion 
 to bu}^ them there ! 
 
 The bar might be divided into the following classes : 
 first, those engaged in lucrative practice, about five or six 
 in each of the courts, and who made from two to five 
 thousand dollars per annum ; secondly, those who were 
 beginning to get into business, and who, with economy, 
 might clear their way — say double the number of the 
 former ; in the third place, came the " dark cloud — that 
 hung upon the rear of the bar," as Mr. Wirt calls them 
 in his " Spy. " These constituted at least two-thirds of the 
 whole number. Some of this cloud were pursuing the right 
 course to get into business. They were constantly in 
 court, whether they had anything to do or not ; they 
 endeavored to appear ])usy ; and if they had oflSccs, were 
 always there when the court was not in session ; avoided 
 general literature, or parties of pleasure ; and were by 
 degrees getting the character of promising business men. 
 If in the course of years they could get clients, and at the 
 same time possessed bar talents, they would become 
 advocates ; if not, take in some one into i)artnership who 
 happened to be better gifted. There were others, how- 
 ever, who thought they could break down all difficulties
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 125 
 
 by a few brilliant displays of eloquence — but without 
 success ; the display was admired for the time, and that 
 was all ; no clientele followed. Some were young men 
 of respectable families of the city, politely educated, 
 placed in genteel apartments, but who could not submit 
 to constant confinement, either in their offices or in the 
 court-house. Their profession was, in short, a name. 
 The saying of my father, in one of his books, applies to 
 them: "It is as hard for a rich man's son to succeed in 
 the law as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a 
 needle." 
 
 There were many others who could not well be included 
 in these divisions. One young lawyer of very moderate 
 parts, had got into a handsome practice by the aid of his 
 father, who was a justice of the peace, and who sent him 
 clients. Others, by constant attendance on the courts, 
 making acquaintances with bailiffs, chatting with jurors, 
 witnesses, or parties, and then following up the acquaint- 
 ance, had contrived to collect a little string of clients, 
 which, if properly nursed, might increase. This was like 
 fishing for small fry. A few, by pursuing a course not 
 regarded as reputable, such as talking to suitors, affecting 
 to take a personal interest in their affairs, making sugges- 
 tions, and rendering themselves useful, contrived in the 
 end to filch a client from some lawyer in practice. 
 Others, by taking those clients who had been already 
 picked to the bone, and using them as stool pigeons, con- 
 trived to draw a few into their nets. There were other 
 moyens d^y parvenir, not disreputable ; such as an 
 attendance on the criminal court, which sometimes 
 enabled young lawyers who possessed a popular manner 
 and address, to make themselves known. Some were 
 patronized by particular portions of the population, such 
 as the Scotch, Germans, or Irish ; and I knew a young
 
 126 BRA CKEXRID GE'S 
 
 lawyer of very common capacity, who contrived to get a 
 decent living by becoming a Roman Catholic — of course, 
 in consequence of an honest conversion. The young 
 lawyers who came from abroad, and had no friends or 
 relations to push them forward, were in a worse condition 
 than the natives. A poor fellow, 
 
 "Whalpit some place far abroad, 
 Where sailors gang to fish for cod," 
 
 wiiom I shall not name, had a neat office, well furnished 
 with desks, tables, chairs, and book-cases, which he con- 
 trived to procure on credit. 
 
 He told me that his plan was to establish the relation- 
 shijy of debtor and creditor; that is, to become in debt to 
 as many as he could, and by this means make it the in- 
 terest of his creditors to patronize him and push him into 
 practice, in order to secure the payment of their debts. 
 He advised me to follow his example, but I thought it 
 best to see the result of the experiment in his case. It 
 was not long before he was patronized to a troublesome 
 extent. He soon found it convenient to absent himself 
 as much as possible from his office, except on Sunday; 
 or, before venturing to it on week-days, he made it a 
 practice to look round the corner to see that the coast 
 was clear. One morning, happening to pass that way, I 
 saw a little Frenchman thundering at the door, and, as I 
 stopped, he inquired of me in an angry tone, "Where is 
 
 Mr. S ?" " I suppose, at court," said I. " No, sair — 
 
 not at court, I can ncvair find him." " I have no doubt," 
 
 said I, '' that Mr. S would be very sorry to lose a 
 
 client — a good fee is an acceptable thing, sir, to us young 
 lawyers." "Yat dat you say, sair — good client — good 
 
 FEE — foutre — no client — no fee, sair — Mr. S owe me 
 
 nionay — he muss pay me." Poor S was soon after
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 12t 
 
 obliged to run, in order to save — not his life — but what 
 is more valuable — the great boon for which Washington 
 
 fought — his LIBERTY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 The Author gives up all Hope of getting into Practice — He 
 becomes a Man of Fashion and of Pleasure. 
 
 The reader may readily conceive that the difficulties 
 which stood in the way of my professional success were 
 such as to discourage me. Yet, if I had set my heart on 
 it, I should have persevered, and, by some road or other, 
 have attained my object. But when I looked at the situa- 
 tion of the young lawyers in small practice, and who had 
 fair prospects of getting into the higher rank of their pro- 
 fession at the age of thirty-five or forty, which to a young 
 man of twenty-two appeared almost the end of life and 
 its enjoyments, I could see but little to captivate my am- 
 bition or desires. To be chained to an office from morn- 
 ing till night, or to sit in court, without anything to do 
 for hours in succession, while case after case was called 
 over, judgment taken, continued, or struck off, was iusup- 
 portably irksome. I was learning nothing when causes 
 were not tried, and when they were it was vexatious to be 
 compelled to take no part in the war. I had a touch of the 
 wilderness about me, and hated slavish confinement and 
 routine. I was therefore not enamored of the practice in 
 the city, except as a school. The court of appeals and 
 the court of chancery were held at Annapolis, so that the 
 admiraltv court was the onlv school where I could learn
 
 128 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 much, and this was a court occupied only by a few law- 
 yers of the very first eminence. The county and criminal 
 courts afforded me little novelty or instruction, and the 
 display of talents did not come up to what I had witnessed 
 at Pittsburg and Carlisle. 
 
 My observations also led me to see that the professional 
 men were only in moderate circumstances ; at least, it may 
 be safely asserted, that no lawyer made anything more 
 than a very moderate independence by the fruits of his 
 practice; and the few who succeeded thus far, did not 
 accomplish it by the mere fees they received, but by in- 
 vestments in stocks, or in other dealings and speculations. 
 The truth is, that after a life spent in a most laborious 
 and vexatious pursuit, very few lawyers have been able 
 to leave more than a very moderate support for their 
 wives and children for a few years. Even Webster had 
 for many years to rely on a life insur^ance, the premium of 
 which cost him half his yearly earnings. In the country, 
 opportunities offer for speculations in land, and by in- 
 vestments in the new States, where the rapid increase 
 in value sometimes lays the foundation of considerable 
 fortune. The profession of the law in the United States 
 may be the road to honor and preferment, but it is far 
 from being the certain road to wealth — it is often " the 
 road to ruin." 
 
 Having made up my mind that professional success in 
 Baltimore was neither practicable nor desirable, I de- 
 termined to occupy myself in attending the courts as 
 places of instruction and amusement, and to make myself 
 better acquainted with the ways of the world by extend- 
 ing my intercourse with all kinds of people. My literary 
 pursuits were never intermitted, although my law reading 
 was irregular. I had the privilege of the city library, 
 and was on such intimate terms with the booksellers that
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 129 
 
 I could obtain any new publication, and pass an hour or 
 two in their shops as a convenient lounge. I read much 
 at night; the mornings were generally devoted to the 
 Italian language, also to the Spanish. My practice of 
 declamation was still continued in solitar}^ places out of 
 the city, especially in a kind of heath or common near 
 "Ferry Branch," the least frequented place I could find. 
 For some months I studiously avoided any introduction 
 to fashionable life, further than a morning call or an even- 
 ing visit at a few houses, having been warned by my 
 father against the seduction of social amusements and 
 pleasure — especially of convivial parties. The beginning 
 of my career in the road of fashion was in some measure 
 accidental. I sometimes passed an evening at Judge 
 Chace's, with whom my father had read law. The 
 venerable judge was then nursing his gout, but his gigan- 
 tic person and equally gigantic mind were still the objects 
 of admiration. He was fond of the society of young 
 men, and talked to them with great familiarity, and some- 
 times very bluntly; his conversation was, however, highly 
 instructive. He invited me to dine with him, which I 
 ought to have considered a high compliment if I had not 
 been much of a novice in the grand monde. The time 
 fixed was a few days ahead, and unfortunately escaped 
 my recollection. Some evenings after this sin of omission, 
 I dropped in before tea, and had scarcely taken my scat, 
 when he inquired, in a stentorian voice, why I had not 
 accepted his invitation. In my simplicity I told the truth. 
 " What, sir, forget an invitation to dine with me ; I admire 
 
 your candor, sir, but d n your politeness!" I saw the 
 
 blunder I had committed; it was too late to repair it; but 
 I resolved after this to feign sickness, death, or captivity, 
 anvthino: rather than mv own forgetfulness. His daugh- 
 ter Mary (now Mrs Barney) laughed heartily at my em- 
 
 12
 
 130 ^^-4 CKENRID GE'S 
 
 barrassment, and the judge was no doubt more amused 
 than offended. I never think of this violation of hiense- 
 ance, without calling to mind a delicate hint once given 
 me by General Wilkinson, who might be styled the 
 American Chesterfield. The general, happening once to 
 recognize me in a ball-room, or being told by some one 
 who I was, came up to me where I was seated, and took 
 me by the hand; instead of rising, as was proper for me 
 to do, I sat still. He gave me a gentle squeeze of the 
 hand, at the same time lifting it up ; the hint was enough, 
 I sprang upon my feet and stood upright before him. 
 
 To return to my adventure at Judge Chace's: Miss 
 Mary Chace, either to indemnify me for the mortification 
 just experienced, or perhaps for the sake of some harm- 
 less mischief, informed me that she had chosen me to be 
 her beau that evening to a party given by Miss Camp- 
 bell. I thanked her for the honor she intended me, but 
 observed that I had not been invited. She told me that 
 made no difference; that it was the custom for ladies to 
 introduce the gentlemen who accompanied them on such 
 occasions. Seeing that I was fairly entrapped, I asked 
 leave to retire for an hour, in order to make my toilet, 
 and on my way home put myself under the hands of a 
 frizeur, and when rigged out in black satin inexpressibles, 
 silk stockings, and pumps, became, to use a Western 
 phrase, quite popular ivith myself. I felt highly de- 
 lighted Avith the idea of escorting the celebrated Mary 
 Chace, her eye sparkling with intelligence, and her con- 
 versation full of wit and sense, envied by her own sex, 
 and feared and admired by the other. On my return I 
 handed the lady into the carriage, and we drove to Gay 
 Street, where all the fashion of the town was assembled 
 that evening. I shall not take the trouble to give a de- 
 scription of a ball, or to make an inventory of the belles
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 131 
 
 and beaus. It is sufficient to say, that Miss Chace in- 
 troduced me in the handsomest manner to the elegant 
 lady who gave the party — to the Miss Catons — who 
 have since becorne so distinguished on a much more mag- 
 nificent theater of display, and to many others. My in- 
 troduction to Madame Bonaparte, the wife of Jerome, 
 may be noticed separately. All eyes were directed to- 
 ward her as to the queen of the evening, as she stood 
 leaning upon a marble slab under a large looking-glass, 
 and although quite small and delicate, was Tenus her- 
 self.* She gave a gentle inclination of the head as I 
 made my bow, while I immediately backed my topsails, 
 filled away, and fell to leeward. From that evening I 
 was regularly invited to all parties, and invitations to 
 dine came every day; being thus fairly drawn into the 
 vortex of dissipation. 
 
 How changed is Baltimore since then ; changed in its 
 manners, its hospitality, its wealth, and in its appear- 
 ance. The change is that from a great commercial mart, 
 full of enterprise, speculation and adventure, where for- 
 tunes were accumulated as if by magic, to one compara- 
 tively of sober, orderly, and calculating industry. Her 
 ports were then filled with her own ships, and those of 
 the few neutral nations that ventured upon the ocean. 
 Fell's Point was crowded with seamen. There was the 
 carrying trade, the West India trade, including importa- 
 tions for reshipment, and exports unlimited. There was 
 the East India trade, and a thousand other roads of en- 
 terprise, which, in the course of twenty-five or thirty 
 years, had built up this city from a second-rate village to 
 its present importance. The whole of that immense 
 
 ^ I met her thirty years afterward, hut how changed! She 
 was then short and dumpy, and very unlike the famous statue.
 
 132 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 capital, which has since been seeking investment in facto- 
 ries, turnpikes, raih'oads and canals, and in the improve- 
 ment of real estate, was then in constant and active 
 circulation. Colossal fortunes were amassed in a few 
 years ; the Olivers, the Smiths, the Patersons, rivaled 
 the '' merchant princes of Tyre" in their fortunes, and in 
 the noble palaces which rose up, for the gratification of 
 their pride and pleasure, as if by means of the lamp of 
 Aladdin. 
 
 My dissipation did not grow to habits of intemperance, 
 irregularity, or disregard to the sober plans of life. There 
 was a certain uneasiness and dissatisfaction in my feel- 
 ings, arising from the uncertainty of my future course, 
 and a disappointment in the object which had brought me 
 to the city, which prevented me from engaging heartily 
 in the passing scenes. My mind had been fixed upon a 
 different course of life ; dancing parties and coteries soon 
 became insipid; and feasts, to one who was neither an 
 epicure nor a lover of the bottle, more frequently pro- 
 duced disgust than pleasure. Those large dinner parties 
 especially, which are more properly feasts than social 
 meetings, where there is no conversation except the most 
 stupid and commonplace, were attended more for the sake 
 of observing men and manners than for any enjoyment 
 they afforded. Nothing annoyed me so much as to be 
 called upon for a song or a story; and when compelled, in 
 order to escape ill-bred miportunity, to render myself in 
 this way ridiculous in my own estimation, and perhai)S 
 in that of others, it always affected my spirits. Unfor- 
 tunately I had a talent for telling a story, and could set 
 the table in a roar, when my own feelings were often 
 those of disgust or indignation. The practice of drink- 
 ing healths, with tlie usual address, "the pleasure of a 
 glass of wine with you, sir," was particularly disagree-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. I33 
 
 able to me. I was fond of society, and even of the con- 
 vivial board ; but when the latter was not too large for 
 conversation, where the guests were properly assorted, 
 and where every one was at liberty to eat or drink as he 
 pleased. The French understand this matter ; their din- 
 ners are not large, and they are careful in the selection of 
 their guests to avoid mingling discordant materials, fol- 
 lowing the classical receipt for making a nosegay. I had 
 the misfortune on one occasion, when harassed to do or 
 say something for the amusement of the company, to take 
 it into my head to give the celebrated speech of Logan in 
 the original Indian. What was still more unfortunate, 
 my Indian happened to take wonderfully, and as long as 
 I remained in the city it was a continual tax upon me, at 
 the same time that it probably procured me numerous in- 
 vitations which I should not otherwise have received. 
 It is true, I had heard the speech recited by General 
 Gibson, by whom it was taken from Logan and delivered 
 to Lord Dunmore, but I only recollected a few words of 
 it ; the rest was an imitation of the sounds, with which 
 I used to amuse my playfellows when a boy. 
 
 I formed some acquaintances, however, whose society 
 was truly delightful; the most intimate was with Mr. 
 John M 'Henry, a young lawyer, who had been abroad as 
 secretary to our minister, Mr. Murray, one of my father's 
 pupils, of whom he used to speak with a kind of pride 
 similar to that of Professor Porson. Mr. M'Henry was 
 not in practice, although he kept his office, but was en- 
 gaged in preparing reports of cases in the court of ap- 
 peals, since published. He was a most intelligent man, 
 and as amiable and as innocent as a child. This intimacy 
 made me acquainted, I may say almost domiciliated, at 
 his uncle's. Dr. M'Henry, Secretary at AVar under General 
 Washington. The doctor was easy in his circumstances, 
 
 12*
 
 1 3 4 J^RA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 had a fine library, and was an ardent lover of letters. I 
 was also intimate at the house of General Strieker, a revo- 
 lutionary officer, a man of strong intellect, of a generous 
 character, and of a noble and soldierly appearance. These 
 two houses Avere my chief places of refuge when I felt 
 myself in the world alone and solitary, and when my star 
 seemed to be dimmed by clouds and darkness. I loved 
 to walk the street for the purpose of studying characters, 
 and have paced up and down for half a day, making many 
 curious observations, which would have filled volumes if 
 I had taken the trouble to record them. I was not ex- 
 actly one of those, in the words of Cowper, "whom the 
 world calls idle," but I was not engaged in business of 
 any kind. A law society, of which I was a member, met 
 at the office of Luther Martin, who had several students, 
 and among them Mr. Richard Magruder, now an eminent 
 lawyer in Baltimore, and one of the best and most sincere 
 friends I ever had. Mr. Heath, and Mr. Maxcy, now 
 Solicitor of the Treasury of the United States, were dis- 
 tinguished members of the club. 
 
 The county and criminal courts sat in the old court- 
 bouse, which had stood on a hill or mound, but in level- 
 ing the streets it had been found necessary to go below 
 it some fifteen or twenty feet, and an ingenious mechanic 
 had contrived to prop it up by arches underneath, so that 
 it was now raised up on stilts, which rendered the old 
 building still more ugly and mean in appearance. The 
 monument now occupies its place. When filled with 
 people it was often the cause of alarm, and certainly not 
 without reason. One day, when unusually crowded, a 
 German merchant of great respectability, of large stature 
 and coarse voice, rose up and said, in a slow, deliberate 
 manner, "May it please de court, I tink dere is de most 
 imminent danger ; de sthofe pipe has sunk very conshider-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 135 
 
 ably." Suave qui peut became the order of the day; 
 spectators, witnesses, parties, lawyers, bailiffs, judges, 
 went pell-mell, tumblin<,^ over each other, into the street. 
 One of my most intimate friends was Mr. James Sloan, 
 the son of an extensive manufacturer of boots, and shoes, 
 who accumulated a handsome fortune, principally from 
 shipments to the West Indies. His father lived in a house 
 that, in point of elegance, might vie with the palaces of 
 the Baltimore medici ; and feeling the want of education 
 himself, spared no pains or expense on that of his son, 
 which was fully seconded by the fine natural parts, and 
 devotion to letters, and elegant accomplishments of young 
 Sloan. I thought him decidedly the most accomplished 
 young man I had met with in the city, both as to his mind 
 and manners. He was a graduate of Princeton, but this 
 he had considered as the mere commencement of his edu- 
 cation, which he followed up by the assistance of private 
 tutors, and his own unremitted application. He spoke 
 the French and Italian with perfect ease, and even ele- 
 gance, and had at his finger ends the works of Alfieri, 
 Goldoni, Ariosto, Tasso, Dante, and other classics in that 
 elegant language. He was then learning the Spanish 
 with the assistance of a Catholic priest. I was among 
 the few he was willing to see in the forenoon, which was 
 dedicated by him to study, in his handsome suite of apart- 
 ments, where he had a splendid library. We used to walk 
 up and down these rooms for hours, discoursing on all 
 subjects as they suggested themselves. "The Pursuits 
 of Literature" w^as his favorite book, and the gorgeous 
 style of Bolingbroke appeared to be his model. His edu- 
 cation was not suited to this country, or to any of the 
 professions which must be pursued for a livelihood. It 
 was that of a young gentleman of fortune, who had no 
 other aim than to display elegant accomplishments of
 
 136 ^^-4 CKEXRID GE'S 
 
 mind and person. His fate was unfortunate; lie died 
 under thirty, after making the tour of Europe. His work, 
 entitled "Rambles in Italy," has been neglected. It is 
 written with uncommon elegance, and shows a profound 
 knowledge of the Italian classics, very different from those 
 travelers who sprinkle a scrap here and there, in order to 
 display their literary cockscombery. His book was not 
 w^ell received by some of our reviewers, and the fashion 
 being set, it fell almost "dead born from the press." 
 
 Mr. Robert Walsh, who was spoken of as the most 
 promising young man of Baltimore, was at this time in 
 England. I read with admiration his wonderful produc- 
 tion, the letter " On the Genius of the French Govern- 
 ment," which gave my mind a new direction, that is, to 
 statistical studies. I had not the pleasure of a personal 
 acquaintance with him until some years afterward. Since 
 that time he has been considered at the head of the litera- 
 ture of the United States. His mind was of a very dif- 
 ferent order from that of Sloan ; it was one which could 
 cause itself to be felt in " the business and bosoms of 
 men," and but for a defect of hearing, he would have as- 
 sumed the first rank among the advocates of this country, 
 without the trouble of working his way by means of a 
 docket and clientele.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. I37 
 
 CHAPTER XVt 
 
 The Bar of Baltimore Twenty Years ago — Political Excite- 
 ments — The Author hears of a place with but one Lawyer, 
 and immediately resolves to set out for it. 
 
 The reader may feel a wish to read what I may have 
 to say of the bar of Baltimore at the period to which qiy 
 narrative refers.* Mr. Pinkney was then in Europe; it 
 was not until my second residence in Baltimore that I 
 became acquainted with him. General Harper, although 
 inferior to Luther Martin, and perhaps several others, as 
 a mere lawyer, was, notwithstanding, generally considered 
 as the head of the profession. In the admiralty court he 
 was unrivaled ; there his political information and general 
 knowledge had a field for display, while his mind was not 
 cramped by that technicality and dry precision which was 
 necessary in the courts of common law. He was by no 
 means a thorough-bred, acute, discriminating lawyer — 
 his oratory had been formed in Congress, where he had 
 figured for several years before he came to Baltimore, in 
 order to attempt the profession, and for some time with 
 poor success. He was an elegant debater; a finished 
 scholar, with a mind stored with various reading, and per- 
 fect command of language ; but his manner was not of 
 that earnest, vehement kind, which is most popular at 
 the bar. His deportment and manners were those of a 
 dignified gentleman, his bust and features extremely fine, 
 and if I may so express it, a Vantique. I was honored 
 with the personal acquaintance of General Harper, as far 
 as one of my age could possess it, and my feelings were 
 
 * 1808.
 
 138 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 those of great respect, notwithstanding the continual 
 abuse that was poured upon him by the presses of the 
 party to which I belonged. 
 
 Luther Martin was a being sui genejns. In his ap- 
 pearance there could be nothing more common. His 
 dress was generally filthy and vulgar, while his counte- 
 nance indicated nothing beyond mere mediocrity. His 
 voice was thick and disagreeable, his language and pro- 
 nunciation rude and uncouth. With all these defects he 
 possessed extraordinary powers. He had the finest ca- 
 pacity for discrimination and analysis, the faculty which, 
 perhaps more than any other, distinguishes the lawyer. 
 He had also wit, philosophy, a prodigious memory, and 
 stores of learning, which were unsuspected until the oc- 
 casion called for their display. On thedifi"erent occasions 
 on which I have heard him speak, he seemed to blunder 
 along for an hour or two, as if he were merely medita- 
 ting his subject, which was perhaps the case, for nothing 
 could be more confused and obscure. It was in his re- 
 capitulation that he appeared to be great. He became 
 warm, his language more happy, his leaden eye seemed to 
 kindle, and for fifteen minutes or half an hour he spoke 
 with admirable force and power. This would probably 
 have been his speech if he had prepared himself in his 
 closet. But his usual preparation was drinking enor- 
 mous quantities of brandy. For twenty or thirty years 
 he was a perfect sot, and it is wonderful how both his 
 constitution and intellect could withstand the destructive 
 habit. I was informed by a friend that his masterly de- 
 fense of Judge Chace, which is, perhaps the finest speci- 
 men of forensic eloquence preserved in this country, was 
 written after it was delivered, with an eye to his fame, 
 and thus reduced to its quintessence. 
 
 Among the younger advocates, Mr. Winder was de-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 139 
 
 cidedly the most popular. He would have been a Cicero 
 if he had been properly educated and trained in the arts 
 of the orator. But he was not sufficiently imbued with 
 literature, learning, or philosophy. His language and 
 taste wanted cultivation, and his imagination needed 
 that kind of elevation which the study of the poets 
 would have given. He was little better than a first-rate 
 slang-wh anger, with natural powers that would have ren- 
 dered him a prodigy of eloquence. The form of his feat- 
 ures was Roman, but his eyes and eyebrows were light 
 and unexpressive. His person was that of an Apollo. 
 Nothing could be more vehement than his manner ; his 
 voice was strained to its highest pitch, and his person 
 thrown into a thousand elegant distortions. It is not 
 this kind of muscular effort which makes the animated 
 speaker, who kindles the passions of his hearers. 
 Speeches delivered in a fury, when read in the closet 
 may appear cold and dull. The thought must be anima- 
 ted as well as the gesture Mr. Winder was by no means 
 a ranting declaimer, but his manner was too uniformly 
 vehement. He lived to improve it ; and if his career had 
 not been cut short almost in the prime of life, he would 
 have risen to great eminence. In private life he was a 
 noble fellow, his heart was as big as a mountain. His 
 military career was unfortunate — his defense of Wash- 
 ington has- been censured, but the fault was that which 
 he displayed at the bar — too much vivacity, too mer- 
 curial — he wished to be vedette, aid, soldier, corporal, as 
 well as general, instead of being the stationary pivot 
 upon which everything ought to have turned. 
 
 If Mr. Winder might have been the Cicero of this coun- 
 try, Mr. Jennings may be regarded as the American De- 
 mosthenes — spoiled at least in the attainment of the fame 
 which generally follows the display of extraordinary gifts.
 
 1 40 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 He was the son of a celebrated orator of that name who 
 flourished before the revolution. Mr. Jennings was then 
 turned of forty; and his talents were brought into sudden 
 and unexpected display by the appointment of public 
 prosecutor for Baltimore. He had not been suspected of 
 possessing uncommon eloquence. His life had passed in 
 the ga}^ and elegant society of Annapolis, and he was re- 
 garded as a young man of fashion and pleasure. He had 
 studied in the Temple, and had made the tour of Europe 
 like Goldsmith on foot. His person, somewhat below the 
 ordinary size, was of the most perfect symmetry, and his 
 dress peculiarly neat and tasteful. His head was uncom- 
 monly fine; it might pass for a copy of that which is 
 generally considered the head of the great orator of Greece 
 — the rounded compact head and full forehead, like that 
 of Napoleon and Alexander Hamilton, and the large 
 muscular upper lip, considered by Lavater as the mark 
 of the orator, which is so conspicuous in Mr. Clu}', and 
 which I have observed to be an almost invariable prog- 
 nostic. The brilliancy of his first displays in Baltimore 
 would have enabled Mr. Jennings to have leaped at once 
 to the first rank in his profession, and he would have been 
 the orator with whom Pinkney would have had to grap- 
 ple on his return to this country. From some cause or 
 other he did not seize the opportunity presented to him. 
 His speech against Baptist Irvine is generally conceded 
 to be the finest forensic display ever witnessed in Balti- 
 more. He occupied five hours in the delivery, and held 
 his audience enchained. In the course of it he thrice 
 drew an involuntaiy burst of ai)plause from the whole 
 audience, similar to- those by Curran on the trial of Fin- 
 erty. The speech was not preserved. 
 
 Mr. Purviance was a perfect model of a practicing law- 
 yer. One who was desirous of exhibiting the favorable
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 141 
 
 side of bis profession might point to Mr. Purviance. 
 Well read in the law, almost to a fault, his duty as an 
 attorney and advocate was performed with a degree of 
 fidelity to the "client as well as to the court," and I may 
 add, to his conscience — as if the oath were continually 
 present to his mind. He had the most extensive docket 
 of any one in practice, and was engaged in almost every 
 cause of importance. He spoke well; was perfectly 
 master of his subject; and neglected nothing which his 
 duty required. His character was truly estimable in 
 public and in private. 
 
 I might make a book if I were to give the characters 
 of all the members of the bar. Few of them, I have 
 already observed, were in full business. Mr. Kell, Mr. 
 Gwynn, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Donaldson and Mr. M'Meckin 
 ruled the roast in the different courts. 
 
 The difficulty of success in the profession is strongly 
 exemplified in the case of Winder, as he related it to me 
 himself. After practicing with flattering success on the 
 eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, he was tempted to 
 try his fortune in Baltimore. After remaining here nearly 
 three years, and expending the little money he had made, 
 and having during that time received but thirty dollars, 
 he' resolved to return w^hence he came, and actually placed 
 his movables on board a sloop, and was about to embark 
 with his family, when a friend was elected sheriff, and 
 persuaded him to try it awhile longer. This friend en- 
 abled him to get a docket and clientele, and then came 
 repeated opportunities of display; and this established 
 his reputation, which could not have been done by half a 
 dozen speeches, however brilliant. Mr. Rodney informed 
 me that Wells, who died a few years ago at the head of 
 the New York bar, tried the profession seven years in 
 Philadelphia without being able to pay his otlice rent. 
 
 13
 
 ] 4 2 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 He probably attempted to get business without a docket 
 or clientele, and found himself in the dilemma I have de- 
 scribed. It must be noted that in this country the bar- 
 rister and attorney are united in the same person. It 
 was necessary to liave business to get business, and it 
 was necessary to get business to have business. Those 
 who think to get forward by mere dint of oratory rarely 
 succeed, unless, from some cause or other, great reputa- 
 tion has preceded them to the bar. They are like a ma- 
 son who would begin at the top to build a chimney. The 
 young lawyer must have the patience of the angler — he 
 must watch the nibble ; be content with his little string 
 of minnows before he can expect to find larger fish on his 
 hooks. 
 
 Political excitement was at this period very high. Tl^e 
 Embargo had been laid, and all commercial enterprise and 
 pursuits suddenly arrested. Thousands of persons were 
 thus suddenly thrown out of employment, and ships lay 
 rotting at the wharves. As I was of the Jefferson school 
 of politics, I of course thought it all right, and was neither 
 competent nor disposed to judge for myself as to the con- 
 stitutionality or policy of the measure. Its repeal seemed 
 to prove that it had failed to produce the eff"ect intended ; 
 but our commerce had in the mean time received a death- 
 blow, whereas it might have struggled for some years 
 longer under the many disadvantages under which it la- 
 bored. If the peace of Europe could have been foreseen, 
 which put an end to the carrying trade, it might have 
 been well to have made preparations in time for a change 
 of circumstances and the rivalry of other nations. The 
 constitutionality of the law was questionable — the power 
 to regulate commerce or provide for the common defense 
 could not, without a great latitude of construction, author- 
 ize the putting an end to commerce altogether for an in-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 143 
 
 definite period. If the policy of incidental protection to 
 American industry, by the regulation of imports, is a 
 questionable power, this was much more so. But it orig- 
 inated with Jefferson — the idol of our political faith — 
 and we thought it all right. 
 
 I witnessed, for the first time, what is called a barbecue, 
 an assemblage of the people for the purpose of giving ex- 
 pression to political opinion. This took place in a grove 
 about two miles to the east of the town. Here an ox 
 was roasted whole, while hillocks of bread, and barrels 
 of whisky and beer were placed under the shade of the 
 trees. The swilling of the liquor, and the pulling and 
 tearing of the half raw beef, would have done honor to a 
 feast of Abyssinians. The people were addressed by 
 General Smith, a tall, fine-looking man, with a strong 
 clear voice well suited to field oratory ; and in a strain 
 well adapted to please the audience, who frequently in- 
 terrupted him by shouts of applause. It was a defense 
 of the embargo, and of the administration generally, with 
 a long detail of the injuries experienced from Great Britain. 
 The speech was not without some strokes of unpolished 
 eloquence, exhibiting the natural talents of the orator, who 
 was unrivaled on the stumj). The term stump oratory is 
 probably derived from the practice in early times of speak- 
 ing from a stump or log of wood ; instead of a temporary 
 scaffold, or tribune, such as that provided on this occa- 
 sion. I cannot say that I entered heartily into the feel- 
 ings of those who formed this assemblage ; my habits of 
 inquiry and reflection rather led me to make unfavorable 
 conclusions from what I saw and heard. One idea of the 
 orator, which was received with thunders of applau.se, 
 appeared to me nothing more than a figure of rhetoric, a 
 mere antithesis, without any soundness of. reasoning. 
 AUudino; to the entire stagnation of commerce, and the
 
 144 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 decay of our ships and cargoes in port, he said, it was 
 "better to ct?/ over than to cry after them." Will the 
 argument intended to be conveyed in this figure bear a 
 dispassionate and candid investigation ? I think it will 
 not. 
 
 We, the people, are often courted and flattered by those 
 who despise us. Why is the monarch flattered? It is 
 on account of the power he possesses. Why do men dig 
 into the bowels of the vile earth ? It is for the sake of 
 the gem or the metal they expect to find there. The 
 demagogue, the courtier of the people, flatters them to 
 obtain the possession of their scepter, in order to use it for 
 his own purposes. He no more loves the people than 
 the courtier loves the monarch ; it is the power — the 
 power that is worshiped — it is this — which is sought to 
 be used for the profit of the actual possessor. When will 
 the people awake to a true knowledge of the design of the 
 demagogue ? When they shall become enlightened ; and 
 when they shall be convinced, that of all their enemies, 
 the demagogue, professing exclusive patriotism, and ex- 
 travagant love for them, is the most to be distrusted. 
 
 Another political exhibition which I witnessed filled 
 me with disgust and even horror. This was the burning 
 of the gin on a hill to the east of the city. The gin had 
 been imported under a British license ; it was purchased 
 by subscriptions, and condemned to form a bonfire. The 
 casks which contained it were piled up, and then sur- 
 rounded with tar-barrels and other combustible materials. 
 The casks soon burst, and the liquor ran out in blazing 
 streams, like the lava of a volcano, and in some places 
 stood in puddles or ponds. The dregs of Fell's Point, 
 and of the town, were gathered in a short time, and might 
 be seen endeavoring to appropriate the liquor in such 
 vessels as they could hastily procure. I actually saw
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 145 
 
 some of them prostrate on the gTound, doing reverence 
 to their deity, and the whole exhibiting a scene which 
 might have heightened the imaginations of Milton or 
 Dante. The blaze of the burning liquid shed its light 
 over the city, occasioning sad reflections to some, while 
 others danced with joy. Crowds of idle sailors and 
 drunken vaorabonds filled the streets : and this was the 
 commencement of those unhappy scenes which took place 
 after I had left the city. It was the natural fermentation 
 of a mass of idle people, deprived of their usual employ- 
 ments, discontented and restless, goaded almost to mad- 
 ness, and willing to vent their fury upon anything in their 
 way. 
 
 I was introduced to a sort of Jacobin club, where Bap- 
 tist Irvine was the principal personage. He would have 
 rivaled Santerre or Danton. I was heartily disgusted 
 with the low and illiberal ideas, and the merciless cruelty 
 of this priest of Democracy. Nothing could be more in- 
 tolerant and mercenary than the greater part of this 
 society, let them call themselves Federalists, Democrats, 
 what they please. What a blessing it would be to the 
 people if they could only look behind the curtain and see 
 the motives of these vile party jugglers and swindlers! 
 How their pride would be mortified to find themselves 
 used as the instrunients of the vilest of men, for the most 
 sordid purposes ; while they believe they are rewarding 
 by their confidence the most sincere patriots — their 
 " countrymen and lovers." The remedy is with the people 
 themselves. The remedy must be by setting their faces 
 against all combinations, or clubs, or organized party 
 schemes. Elections ought to be the spontaneous act of 
 the people, no man should dare to influence their choice, 
 under the pretense of giving them correct information, 
 and keeping them in the ranks of a party, or rather of a 
 
 TV* 
 
 1 'J
 
 146 ' BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 faction. I was once unfriendly to the extension of pop- 
 ular elections to all offices. My opinion has changed. 
 If offices are to be distributed as party rewards, let them 
 be at the disposal of the sovereign, the people, instead of 
 being the perquisites of successful leaders and their fol- 
 lowers, and their infamous clubs. If the power of elec- 
 tions is to be abused, let it be by those who have a right 
 to abuse it. In short, the coi^ruption of the times rendet^s 
 it necessary that all offices should be iinmediately filled 
 by the people, or their salaries so reduced as to cease to 
 be the objects of political scrambles. 
 
 The time had arrived for me to take leave of Baltimore. 
 I might have remained some time longer, but, falling in 
 with a Western man, he informed me that there was but 
 one Pennsylvania lawyer in the town and county of Som- 
 erset, where he lived. There had been three, but one 
 was made a judge, and the other had fallen a victim to 
 intemperance. A place with but one lawyer, on the road 
 to the West, on the summit of the Alleghanies ! This 
 was too tempting to be rejected. In a week I was pre- 
 pared to take my departure, and in a week more was in 
 Somerset. My failure in Baltimore was painful to me, 
 on account of the mortification it would give my father. 
 I should otherwise have rejoiced at my escape from 
 scenes of which I had become heartily tired. I had, be- 
 sides, an uncle there — Mr. Reed, a farmer, and grand- 
 father of Judge Black, since of the Supreme Court.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. I47 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 The xVuthor surveys the New Scene of Action — Begins a Pro- 
 fessional Career — Useful Hints to Young Lawyers. 
 
 The next morning I put on ray best suit, and strutted 
 on the pavement l)efore the tavern-door. In a short time 
 the no longer sole lawyer of the place made his appearance 
 also, before the opposition tavern, on the other side of the 
 way. Like chanticleer, prompted by instinct, he felt bis 
 empire invaded, at least insulted, by the proximity of a 
 rival bird, and made ready to crow defiance. In the 
 course of the forenoon, however, he politely called upon 
 me, with many offers of friendly assistance, information 
 and good will : perhaps more sincere than the professions 
 of a rival belle ; for two lawyers in a place are in some 
 measure necessary, if not for the breed of lawyers, at 
 least for the breeding of lawsuits. 
 
 My antagonist, rival, or rather opponent, gave me to 
 understand that the business of the county was but small, 
 and that the best, or most lucrative, was monopolized by 
 himself; such as that of collecting debts, stating accounts 
 in the orphan's jcourt for executors and administrators, 
 presenting petitions for roads and tavern licenses in the 
 quarter sessions. There would be little left for me ex- 
 cept the appearances in civil suits, and the defense of 
 persons indicted, with a little occasional conveyancing. 
 But I, who had Demosthenes and Cicero, Curran, Mar- 
 tin, Ross and Harper in my head, and was more pleased 
 with the tropes and figures of the imagination than with
 
 148 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 the figures of arithmetic ; who thought of nothing but 
 occasions and opportunities for displayiug the orator, was 
 well satisfied with the portion of the practice which fell 
 to mj share ; and was perfectly willing to leave to him 
 the more lucrative rdZe of the attorney, in order to be the 
 Cicero of the place, for which he did not care a farthing. 
 He hinted, with some self-complacency, that he hooked 
 about five hundred dollars a year ; of course I must be 
 content with a much smaller sum. This I could much 
 more readily do than get over the shock occasioned to me 
 by the use of such a word as hooked in connection with 
 the liberal profession of the law, which is iwesumed to 
 lend its aid to the distressed, in the spirit of chivalry, 
 without fee or reward ; or if anything is accepted, it is 
 merely quiddam honorarium, and not for the mere "lucre 
 of gain " In the course of^ time I was cured of this 
 romantic folly and presumption. I found it would not 
 do to look only into the clouds — there were things at my 
 feet which also claimed attention ; in other words, he that 
 aspires to climb must not disdain the humble helps which 
 are necessary to his elevation. The young lawyer should 
 think more of picking up his crumbs than of soaring like 
 a balloon. He must be content to become a hudness 
 man, and leave the rest to fortune. If he possess the 
 gift of the orator, this course will afford the opportunity, 
 indue season, of enabling him to bring it forth; if he 
 have it not, all the oratorical aspirations imaginable will 
 not procure it. I speak from my own experience, from a 
 knowledge of the shoals and quicksands I encountered, 
 and not from any feeling of disappointment. That I did 
 not take a permanent stand as an orator at the bar, was 
 owing to my dislike to the routine of business. I may 
 safely use the words of the old metrical "last will and 
 testament:"
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 149 
 
 "Sound in memory and mind, 
 And to hip not inclined." 
 
 I give and bequeath it as my last advice to the young 
 lawyer and attorney, to be diligent in his business — this 
 being as necessary in his as in that of the shoemaker or 
 barber. 
 
 On the same day, not entirely regardless of worldly 
 economy, I looked over my wardrobe, and picked out 
 sundry garments which had been condemned as unfit for 
 city use, although not a great deal the worse, and took 
 them to one skilled in the subject-matter, according to the 
 law maxim, cuique sui perito credttur arte. Although 
 my prospects appeared to be good, at least in one sense, 
 beinAnow on the summit of the mountains; yet, the 
 oppominity of wearing out my old clothes was not to be 
 despised. After depositing such articles as required 
 sastrical advice and assistance, I continued my walk to 
 the outskirts of the town. The street in a short distance 
 became a lane, with a fence on each side. A rapid mount- 
 ain stream brought me up ; the opposite side presenting 
 a forest of gloomy pines, with close thickets and under- 
 growth, and probably inhabited by snakes. Finding here 
 a good place for declamation, and fancying myself in the 
 presence of a splendid audience, 
 
 "Concedere duces et vulgi stante corona," 
 
 I gradually raised my voice to its highest pitch, and did 
 not perceive my mistake until I had alarmed half the 
 village, and was about to have the vulgi stante corona in 
 earnest. My tailor and his journeyman led the van, run- 
 ning toward me as fast as their legs would carry them, 
 actuated perhaps as much by interested motives as by 
 humanity. Finding myself in this ludicrous situation, I
 
 150 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 had the presence of mind to turn my orator}^ into a song, 
 and gave ''Hail Cohimbia, happy land!" in a style not 
 unworthy of the Fourth of July, at the same time boldly 
 advancing to meet the posse. On seeing this, they stood 
 still a few moments, then leisurely turned on their steps, 
 ever and anon looking back over their shoulders. The 
 same evening Thimble called with a pair of pantaloons in 
 a state of repair, and inquired for "the young mon that's'' 
 — ''Who?" said the landlord. "Why, the young mon 
 that's trouhVt in mind.^^ I paid him his fee, yyhich seemed 
 to Avork a sudden change in his countenance, and doubt- 
 less opinion, as he went satisfied, that instead of being a 
 yelling madman I was only a very bad singer. 
 
 In a few days I procured a comfortable office, w^hich 
 had been occupied by the deceased lawyer; his cliairs, 
 tables, and book-case had been left, and as my books soon 
 arrived, I was established without much trouble. Con- 
 sidering that "time is the stuff that life is made of," I 
 was determined to turn it to advantage, and follow^ the 
 advice of Sir William Jones, by making a proper division 
 of the hours of the day. In the forenoon I was engaged 
 in revising the elementary writers w^hich I had read 
 w^hile a student, referring to the leading cases ; and in 
 the afternoon I read over again the great English histo- 
 rians, together with other literary works of a more ele- 
 mentary character, such as the travels of Anacharsis. 
 The waitings of Hume, Gibbon, Robertson, Gillies, Mid- 
 dleton, now read for a third or fourth time, presented to 
 me that kind of novelty which might be expected from 
 the greater maturity of my own intellect; for, after all, 
 the profit or pleasure derived from reading must chiefly 
 depend on the reader's own reflections. This course was 
 pursued during my residence at Somerset, excepting when 
 engaged in the study of causes in the course of my prac-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 151 
 
 tiec. My studies in Baltimore had been very general or 
 miscellaneous, and perhaps more of my time and thoughts 
 had been occupied by men 'and society than by books; a 
 year or tAvo of quiet and regular application and disci- 
 pline could not fail to be of service to me. 
 
 The court sat four times a year, Judge Young pre- 
 siding, a gentleman of extensive reading and of a most 
 amiable character. He was an intimate friend of my 
 father, and manifested to me the greatest kindness. My 
 friend Forward had married his niece, while I was still 
 fi-ee as air, and almost as unsettled. ^larriage produces 
 a wonderful change in the character of a young lawyer. 
 It makes him a man of business imr force, at the same 
 time that it clips the wings of his fancy, and in a few 
 years settles him down to the level of the society in 
 which he moves and has his being. The one who changes 
 his theater of action, almost mechanically makes a new 
 effort on the new stage ; and it is only by successive 
 and repeated efforts a greater elevation can be attained. 
 The new impulse hurries him forward beyond the point 
 he would reach if he were to continue the "even tenor of 
 his way." And here I am unconsciously raising an ar- 
 gument in favor of my own course, while I have just 
 given different advice to the young lawyer — such, alas! 
 is the frailty of human nature. 
 
 I waited with some, anxiety for the first court, and 
 prevailed on my friend Forward, who was settled forty 
 miles off, to attend it. In the mean time, my cases were 
 carefully prepared by revolving all the questions or topics 
 of law which might arise in them and the examination of 
 witnesses, while I stood ready to defend any unfortunate 
 wight who might fall under the notice of the grand jury. 
 As there were but two lawyers in the place, that is, 
 another beside mvself, our names were marked to every
 
 152 SRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 suit on the docket, not quite a thousand in number. Dur- 
 ing- the term, which lasted the greater part of the week, 
 I made four or five speeches a day, and learned how much 
 I needed a course of practice to acquire the habit of 
 speaking at the bar with ease to myself, and in a way 
 suited to the occasion. Instead of speaking in the pres- 
 ence of the assembled universe, I addressed a very hum- 
 ble audience of German farmers, and American Scotch- 
 Irish ; my speeches were, therefore, entirely too elaborate 
 and magnificent, and altogether too vehement. Mr. For- 
 ward, being engaged with me on the same side, opened 
 the case, and with his calm, self-poised, deliberate, yet 
 animated argument, made the subject plain to the under- 
 standings of the jurymen. He marked out the course, 
 filled up the valleys, leveled the mountains, paved the 
 way, while I drove my vehicle over it with a thundering 
 noise. I was glad when the court was over, for it kept 
 me in a painful and feverish state of excitement. The 
 bar has its commonplace, which forms no small part of 
 its ordinary display; it requires time and repeated efibrts 
 to attain it, and to overcome by habit a large portion of 
 that sensibility which disturbs the young and unpracticed 
 advocate. The 3-oung surgeon, no doubt, of fine feeling, 
 is all sensitiveness at first, even in the most ordinary use 
 of the lancet, which he soon learns to use with indifler- 
 ence ; and yet the sensibility is by no means destroyed — 
 it is still alive for cases of new and peculiar interest. The 
 art of orator}^ or public speaking at the bar, requires 
 practice on real sul)jects; reading, and the sham-fights of 
 the debating club will not suffice. The dullest practiced 
 speaker is at home compared to the young lawyer of 
 genius, whose wire edge is not yet worn off, and who 
 has acquired nothing of the ordinary iiJnnfj-u'hang. I 
 cannot give better advice on this occasion than to request
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 153 
 
 the stiulent to ponder over the words of Bacon: "Read- 
 ing makes the full man, writing the correct man, and 
 speaking the ready man.^^ 
 
 At the succeeding term of the court I had an interest- 
 ing case, in which I took as much pains as if I were to 
 appear before the Areopagus of Athens, or the Supreme 
 Court of the United States. It was an indictment against 
 a money lender for taking more than legal interest. My 
 speech occupied three hours, to the great annoyance of 
 the judge ; it was afterward written out by me, and filled 
 upwards of a hundred pages. According to my habit of 
 tracing every subject to its fountain, I inquired what mat- 
 ters are in themselves the subjects of prosecution in the 
 criminal forum ; that is to say, mala in se as the law 
 terms them, as they inflict an immediate and direct injury 
 to society, as such, although they may at the same time 
 involve a private wrong. In the next place, I pursued 
 the same inquiry as to those acts which are placed on the 
 same footing as to the mode of the prosecution, and are 
 called mala prohibita, — matters indifferent in themselves, 
 but declared criminal in consequence of the extent and 
 nature of the injury to society. On this account the 
 legislator has thought it good policy to place them in the 
 same rank, and to affix the same sanction. Xext I ex- 
 amined the nature of what is called usury, and the good 
 policy of laws limiting the amount of interest for the 
 use of money, or of anything else ; and this with a view 
 to the inquiry whether usury could be considered malum 
 in se. I then traced the history of the laws on the sub- 
 ject, beginning with Leviticus, and coming down to our 
 act of assembly copied from the statute of Anno. I re- 
 viewed the English legislation and decisions, and endeav- 
 ored to establish the proposition, that usury was not 
 malum in se ; that the mode of prosecution by indictment 
 
 14
 
 154 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 had never been sanctioned, excepting in cases where the 
 amount of interest was forty pe?^ cent.; that it was malum 
 lyrohibitum only in a quahfied sense, being the subject of 
 a qui tarn action, and not to a prosecution in the criminal 
 forms. The learned judge, in his charge to the jury, was 
 of a different opinion. There was a verdict against my 
 client; but on a writ of error it was set aside, and acquittal 
 followed. 
 
 The foregoing synopsis will be dull enough to the gen- 
 eral reader, but the law student may possibly think 
 differently. I treated the first part of the subject as a 
 philosopher, referred to Beccaria, and reasoned on the na- 
 ture of society and government. The second I endeavored 
 to discuss like a statesman and legislator, and was after- 
 ward gratified to find that I had fallen upon all the argu- 
 ments on the subject of usury, with scarce an exception, 
 advanced by Jeremy Bentham, and the committee of the 
 House of Commons. I then traced the origin of the 
 notion among Christian people, that usury is sinful, and 
 read the passage in Scripture which places the loan or 
 use of all other articles on the same footing with usury of 
 money, and confined the prohibition to the Jews them- 
 selves, while they were permitted to take usury of the 
 stranger. Usury did not mean the taking more than was 
 reasonable or moderate interest fixed hj law, but any 
 compensation for the use of money ; and it was this which 
 was denounced by the monks, perhaps from interested 
 motives, as a mortal sin. The first British statutes were 
 permissive and not prohibitory, and originated in the ex- 
 igence of commerce; they were subsequently repealed by 
 bigoted princes, in the reign of Mary, as being contrary to 
 the Catholic tenets of that day, but were re-enacted by 
 Elizabeth and Anne. Before this, no interest whatever 
 was allowed for the use of the money. In all other mat-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 155 
 
 ters, persons capable of contracting were permitted to 
 make their o\Yn bargains, and to be the judges for them- 
 selves whether the bargain was to their advantage or not : 
 whether this exception is absolutely necessary for the good 
 of society, is a problem not yet solved. I think the law of 
 Louisiana, making a distinction between conventional and 
 legal interest, will be ultimately adopted by all the States ; 
 without, however, limiting the amount of conventional in- 
 terest. Where the interest is excessive, the courts of equity, 
 where they exist, ought to relieve, or the juries should do 
 it where there are no such courts, provided the excess be 
 such as to be unconscionable, and allied to fraud.* 
 
 The bar has its tactics as well as war. The manage- 
 ment of a cause requires judgment and experience — the 
 battle is often won or lost before a word is addressed to 
 the jury, although the by-standers think of nothing but the 
 speech. This is not the place to touch on a subject which 
 would require a volume to do it justice : and, besides, it 
 is a kind of war which I consider justifiable, only so far 
 as it tends to defeat the designs of the unjust, and enable 
 the injured to obtain redress. The most common defect 
 in the management of a cause is in the introduction and 
 management of testimony. There is nothing so prejudi- 
 cial or injudicious as foolish questions, or even an unneces- 
 sary number of them, or the frequent repetition of the 
 same question. But the most silly thing of all is to try, 
 after a witness has answered well, to make him answer 
 better. A previous knowledge of the case will enable a 
 man of good sense to know the points which require ex- 
 planation, and that is all that is necessary. How vexa- 
 tious to see a case overloaded with a mass of testimony 
 
 * Thi^, even, is doubtful. The subject of protectio7i is admira- 
 bly discussed by the great work of Buckel.
 
 156 ^^-4 CKENRID GE'S 
 
 on the same point, varying in no essential circumstnce, 
 tendiug to produce confusion and to bewilder the jury 1 
 Most cases turn upon two or three matters of fact, and 
 the business of the lawyer and judge is to free these from 
 what is irrelevant. A kind of moral chemistry is to be 
 applied to reduce the mass to its elements, and to cast 
 aside what is useless : and here is the occasion for the 
 exercise of the power of discrimination or analysis, which 
 proves the skill and intelligence of the advocate. Leave 
 to those who can do no better to pad over the raw material 
 of the testimony, to repeat again and again the stories of 
 the several witnesses; varying the language, and attempt- 
 ing to substitute a phrase or two in order to give an un- 
 fair coloring to what has been said. This is easier than 
 the process of systematizing, condensing, or compressing; 
 the analytic and synthetic, by which a bulky thing is 
 made to occupy a small space, and a thing of weight 
 is expanded to larger dimensions. The first requires 
 nothing more than habit or practice, the commonplace 
 slang-whang; the latter, deep thinking, and the exercise 
 of all the acumen of the mind. Things are to be com- 
 pared, to be carefully scrutinized; inferences and deduc- 
 tions are to be made from pregnant facts ; while an op- 
 portunity is afforded of drawing from that common stock 
 of information, which may be freely used without calling 
 on the testimony of witnesses. 
 
 An orator, according to Cicero, ought to know every- 
 thing; for there is no subject on which he may not be 
 called to speak. Experts, or persons skilled in particular 
 subjects, are often called to help out the ignorance of the 
 lawyers, judges, and jurors — such as engineers, physicians, 
 etc. etc.; but this does not preclude the advocate from 
 drawing from his own store, I once knew a lawyer, of 
 very common talents, to obtain a complete triumph in a
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. I57 
 
 cause where the question related to the effect produced 
 on a mill, by raising the dam eighteen inches higher, at 
 another mill, lower down the stream ; but the lawyer 
 had previously been a millwright ! The common practice 
 of the bar for a few years will enable the most ordinary 
 lawyer to bawl an hour or two over his volume of notes 
 of unimportant testimony ; but it requires knowledge, 
 original thought, and sharpened perception, to enlighten 
 and surprise by ingenious arguments, by reducing the 
 bulky mass to a few simple propositions, or by building 
 up an imposing structure from a few materials. 
 
 But of all the impudent, cowardly, and cruel things in 
 life, there is nothing worse than the practice of some 
 lawyers, in harassing and insulting witnesses with pro- 
 voking interrogatories and insolent bearing. Some are 
 silly enough to think, that by treating with rudeness the 
 witness of the opposite party, they are are merely show- 
 ing their zeal for their client ; and that to seem to take it 
 for granted that they have come prepared to commit per- 
 jury is professionally their duty. Here is a great mis- 
 take ; no one ever lost auA'thing by treating witnesses, 
 while under examination, with civility, and but little is 
 ever gained bv a contrary course. It is sometimes neces- 
 sary to question a witness closely; but it may be done 
 without insulting him. I once received a lesson on this 
 subject which I shall never forget. My client persuaded 
 me that the only witness who could testify to the assault 
 and battery with which he was charged was subject to 
 habitual intoxication, and was in liquor at the time of the 
 occurrence, although once a highly respectable man; but 
 on this occasion, from enmity to my client, was determ- 
 ined to give evidence to convict. He therefore insisted 
 on my putting the (juestion to him, as to whether he was 
 sober or not, at the time, in the plainest and most offeu- 
 
 14*
 
 158 ^^-4 CKEXRID GE'S 
 
 sive manner. My inexperience led me to comply with 
 his desire, and the poor witness, an elderly man, was 
 grossly insulted by me ; he looked at me with surprise 
 for a moment, and then coolly observed, " Young man, I 
 knew your father well, he was a gentleman" — a tear then 
 moistened his eye ; I immediately rose and made my 
 apology in the best manner, and with much feeling, for I 
 w^as deeply affected. It was a lesson to me on other occa- 
 sions ; I cannot say that I have had frequent cause to 
 repent of my civility or moderation, but I have suffered 
 more from my own acts of rudeness than I have done in- 
 jury to others by them. 
 
 Perceiving that I have fallen into a sort of dissertation, 
 I may as well continue it to the end of the chapter, for 
 the benefit of those whom it may concern ; while the gen- 
 eral reader may skip over to where he will find more 
 amusing matter. The advocate should be careful not to 
 identify himself with the cause of his client ; he must not 
 act as if he were the partner or accomplice of his client. 
 He should take the part of his client 2^^ofessionaUy, and 
 after having done his duty, leave the judge and jury to 
 do theirs, as if the result no more concerned him than a 
 by-stander. It is not easy to do this, I confess, and at 
 the same time be zealous in the cause : but in pursuing a 
 different course he is apt to forget himself as a lawyer 
 and a gentleman. As to the charge of defending indis- 
 criminately right and wrong, this has been sufficiently ex- 
 plained away by Paley. It is a very natural idea, but 
 on a close examination it will be found to be incorrect. 
 There is an obvious diil'erence between defending indis- 
 criminately right and wrong, and defending or sustaining 
 persons who are sometimes right and sometimes wrong, 
 and which cannot be known with certaint}^ until after the 
 trial; and the counsel may be as unprepared to form a
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 159 
 
 correct opinion, until after tlie investij^ation, as the judge 
 or jury. It is impossible to know bow tbe testimony will 
 turn out, and new and difficult questions of law are con- 
 stantly arising. Tbe lawyer does not pretend to change 
 his system of ethics with the causes in hand, or to make 
 injustice and falsehood pass for right and truth. The 
 standard of moral or legal rectitude remains tbe same in 
 bis mind ; but in bringing particular actions to the test 
 of the fixed rules of right, there is a boundless latitude 
 for honest difference of opinion. Besides, it seldom hap- 
 pens that one party is entirely right, and another entirely 
 wrong; and in tbe latter- case, if left without defense, 
 there might be excess in the measure of retribution — or 
 those safeguards provided by tbe laws for every citizen 
 might be violated. It would be uncandid not to ac- 
 knowledge that tbe practice of defending persons some- 
 times in the right and sometimes in the wrong, has a 
 tendency to weaken the moral sense, especially where the 
 duties of the attorney and the barrister are combined ; 
 yet looking at the profession as a body, I think it will be 
 found that they contain as large a proportion of men of 
 strict integrity and honor as in any other pursuit. In 
 England, if I am correctly informed, the barrister has 
 much less intercourse with his client than the advocate 
 of the United States. There the case is prepared by the 
 attorney, who hands the barrister his brief and his fee ; 
 and consequently the barrister appears only i)rofessionally. 
 It is perhaps more frequent there to abandon a cause in 
 the progress of it, as a player throws u\) a bad band in a 
 game of cards; and it ought to be honorable everywhere 
 to do so. The honest lawyer always bears in mind that 
 his duty extends no further than to maintain the rights 
 of his clients, not to aid their iniquity. 
 
 I had my scruples of conscience on the subject of the
 
 100 BRA CKEXR TDGF/S 
 
 profession for several years, but they did not proceed from 
 an}^ necessity of defending indiscriminately right and 
 wrong, but from the idea that it was wrong to derive 
 emolument from professional advice and assistance. It 
 seemed to me unjust that one who had a right to call 
 upon the aid of the law to afford him redress, should, in 
 addition to the vexation arising from this necessity, be 
 obliged to pay for professional aid ; and, on the other 
 hand, that he who was already persecuted by a false 
 clamor should further suffer by being compelled to pay 
 for the privilege of defending himself. In time I was 
 enabled to reconcile these discrepancies. Our condition 
 of life is imperfect, and full of misfortune. A man Avho 
 loses his horse pays the finder for his trouble, and this 
 adds to his loss. When disease overtakes him, he must 
 augment the misfortune by impoverishing himself to ob- 
 tain the aid of a physician. In a country of laws some 
 persons must take the time to make themselves acquainted 
 with them, so that others may pursue their ordinary avo- 
 cations without interruption ; and it is not unjust that a 
 compensation should be allowed for their assistance. By 
 this kind of reasoning my mind was reconciled, but I was 
 always a very bad stipulator for fees ; and yet, this is one 
 of the things to be learned by the lawyer, who must live 
 as well as others. In general, the worst lawyers are the 
 most skillful in this matter ; yet in this, as in many others 
 of the profession, it may be justly said, — 
 
 Inest sua gratia parvis.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. IGl 
 
 CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 The Author finds Somerset but a Kesting-phice — Resolves to 
 seek the Great West — Reminisceuces — Philip Doddridge — 
 Digression about the Capitol at Washington — A Nondescript 
 Frenchman. 
 
 It is not a subject which can afiford any great cause to 
 boast that in such a place as Somerset I soon reached the 
 topmost round of the ladder of ambition, for the ladder 
 was short, and the rounds were few. I speak as a law- 
 yer ; for, if politics had been my aim, it is possible that 
 a much higher point of elevation might have been within 
 my reach. But having accomplished the object of my 
 present ambition, it may be supposed that I will here lay 
 down my pen, after writing j^/h's on the last page of my 
 book. Not so. Scarcely had eight months rolled away, 
 and with all their deeds been numbered with the past, 
 before I began to be restless and uneasy in my present 
 situation. The very thought of being settled anywhere, 
 much less in this dull and sleepy place, to one who so 
 passionately loved his liberty, and whose imagination was 
 ever on the wing, was a sufficient motive to prepare for 
 another flight in reality, if it were but to prove that his 
 feet had not become roots, and thus fastened him to the 
 ground. Vanity! oh, vanity! thou dear delight of youth- 
 ful minds ! it was thou that didst whisper to me that else- 
 where I might fill a larger space, while ambition urged 
 me to try my fortune on a more extensive field. Perhaps 
 the reader may think, when he casts a glance backward
 
 162 BRA CKEXRID GE'S 
 
 on the course of my life, that a restless disposition may 
 have been generated by the frequent changes of place 
 from early infancy. I have thought differently; but alas! 
 we are prone to self-deception ; and we frame a thousand 
 excuses, and produce a thousand reasons in preference to 
 the one adopted by the rest of the world. And yet, will 
 it be thought very unnatural, or any evidence of a want 
 of steadiness of purpose and pursuit, that in my dreams 
 and waking reveries the cords of feeling drew me power- 
 fully toward the scenes of my childhood, and toward 
 those from whom my infant ties of aifection had been 
 violently severed ? Whatever the real motives, it is cer- 
 tain that Somerset grew each day more tiresome to me. 
 I mused continually on the project of seeking the distant, 
 magnificent West, and of attaining, on the Ohio or Missis- 
 sippi, distinction and wealth with the same rapidity, and 
 on the same scale, that those vast regions were expand- 
 ing into greatness. 
 
 During the winter I passed a considerable part of the 
 night in the study of the French literature.* I had be- 
 come possessed of a handsome collection of French books, 
 which had belonged to a French gentleman lately de- 
 ceased, and who had unfortunately for himself been en- 
 gaged in iron works. Among these were the Cours de 
 Litterature of La Harpe, and the Theatre Francais — 
 the latter a treasure to me. I pored over it with inex- 
 pressible delight, and compared the Introductions of Yol- 
 tairc to the similar writings of Dryden. ^ gave the 
 preference to Corneille over Racine, which, according to 
 Bourrienne, was the case also with one whom I am not 
 so vain as to name on the same page with myself I 
 would rescue the Cid from destruction, even if in doing 
 
 * I was always a niglit student.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 103 
 
 SO all the rest of tlie French drama and half of Shak- 
 speare should perish ! 
 
 I have said that the society of Somerset was dull, with- 
 out meaning, however, to cast any reflection on the people 
 of that place — many of whom I remember with g-rateful 
 feeling's. I was both social and antisocial ; that is, I 
 loved both solitude and society. But almost the only 
 social people were a few who met now and then to drink 
 apple-toddy and sing songs, Irish, Dutch or Welsh. 
 Strange as it may seem, I, who had gone through the dis- 
 sipation of a city unscathed, was occasionally enveloped 
 in the fumes of tobacco, which I never used in anyway — 
 among card players, whose cards I never touched ; and 
 more than once went home reeling, and with difficulty 
 could steer my way to the sign-post ! The reflections of 
 my serious moments suggested to me the danger to which 
 I was exposed, in a place where all motives to higher ac- 
 tion seemed already exhausted. It was time, I thought, 
 to seek other pastures. Alas ! how many young profes- 
 sional men of promise have fallen unhappy victims to vices 
 like these, without even the excuse of temptation or seduc- 
 tion! Flight, a change of scene, new men, new incentives, 
 must be sought, with a firm determination to abjure such 
 conviviality in future. In my case a higher passion Re- 
 gained possession of me — this was the desire to excel as 
 an orator, and my asi)irations after fame still vague and 
 undelined ; yet, so strong was the latter, that to exist 
 without notoriety or fame, seemed the next thing to non- 
 existence itself. When this was afterward attained, in 
 a comparative degree, I was surprised that I should have 
 set my heart upon such a bauble, or rather bubble. The 
 love of wild adventure, to which I have alluded, also in- 
 fluenced me. This love had been nourished by the read- 
 ing of travels, real or iictitious adventures, biography, and
 
 164 BRA G KEN RID GE'S 
 
 romance, in all of which I had taken an extraordinary de- 
 light, and had dipped deep. My mind was stored with 
 everything of this kind. Had I been a prudent piece of 
 still life, I might have done very well in Somerset; I 
 might have laid up a few hundred dollars, have purchased 
 land sold for less than its value at sheriffs sale, and thus 
 laid the foundation of a fortune ; have married a blowsy 
 country lass, and become the father of a dozen big boys 
 and girls, a generation of people like the children af Israel. 
 But it pleased the fates to spin the thread of my life in a 
 different way. 
 
 For the sake of variety, I made occasionally an excur- 
 sion to the neighboring counties, to Cumberland, in Mary- 
 land, Greensburg and Bedford, in Pennsylvania. At 
 Cumberland I had a taste of Maryland hospitality and 
 refined manners, especially among the female part of the 
 socety. At Bedford I saw a motley collection at the 
 Springs. At Greensburg I spent a week at Judge 
 Young's, at his sweet little villa of ^'Skara Glen"— the 
 subject of one of my father's poetic effusions. Here I 
 enjoyed the society of the judge, and of my friend For- 
 ward, and the kind attentions of the best of women, Mrs. 
 Young. 
 
 The stage passed twice a week through Somerset, and 
 stopped at " mine inn." An opportunity was thus afforded 
 me of seeing and conversing, and even of forming ac- 
 quaintance with persons bound from east to west, or 
 from west to east. The Sabbath was usually a day of 
 rest, not on account of religious scruples against travel- 
 ing on that day, as in some parts of the Union, but, 
 from the arrangements for the delivery of the mail, the 
 contract requiring it to be done in six days; and as mine 
 host was interested in the business, his house was voted 
 the most suitable place to pass the supernumerary day,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF TUE WEST. 165 
 
 much to his benefit, but to the great discontent of the 
 passengers. I approved of the arrangnient, for it seldom 
 failed to bring me the relief of society, which lessened the 
 ennui I experienced. They were glad in turn to find 
 some one who was willing to afford them some amuse- 
 ment during a detention so tedious to persons impatient 
 to reach the end of their journey. There was no remark- 
 able cascade, or rock, or scene, or place where wild fruits 
 might be gathered, with which I was not familiar ; and 
 when the weather did not permit, I sat with them at the 
 fireside, and endeavored by conversation to make the time 
 pass less wearily. It would have been curious to look 
 back upon a register of the persons and characters I hap- 
 pened to encounter ! I was often amused and instructed 
 by these brief friendships. It was here that I first became 
 acquainted with Philip Doddridge, one of the few prodigies 
 I have met with in the course of my life. He was at 
 least a prodigy of memory; but this gift was by no means, 
 as is usually the case, at the expense of the other faculties, 
 for his imagination was as forcible as his memory was 
 retentive, and his judgment was as finely balanced as the 
 golden scales of Milton. How much have all students 
 lamented the want of such a memory as Doddridge pos- 
 sessed ! Mine is little better than a panierperce, although 
 I have undertaken to write Recollections. It is painful 
 to reflect that the deportment of this great man, great 
 even in ruins, did not in one particular correspond in 
 gravity with his high order of intellect. Public opinion 
 now attaches odium to what in former days was regarded 
 as only a venial error ; and, alas ! too common in a profes- 
 sion where reason ought to rule supreme. How painful 
 — how awful must be the sorcery of intemperance, to en- 
 slave, to subdue such a mind! A curious incident is con- 
 nected with this subject, which I hope I may be permitted 
 
 15
 
 166 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 to relate without offense to any survivor. He was once 
 laid out for dead, and remained three days in that state, 
 his wife not permitting him to be buried, from a belief that 
 he had still some life in him. She bethought herself of 
 pouring a spoonful or two of brandy down his throat, 
 which brought him to. He used to declare, that during 
 this fit of catalepsy he was perfectly sensible of every- 
 thing transpiring around him, and often thought "what 
 d — d fools they were" for not applying the remedy re- 
 sorted to at last by his wife. 
 
 The last time I saw him was in the rotunda at Wash- 
 ington. He had been sent to Congress from Western 
 Virginia. His back was to me ; but I knew his voice 
 and his square figure as well as I should have known his 
 prodigious head and immortal chin, if I had seen him in 
 the midst of a million of men. He was holding forth in 
 his peculiar and original way, half in jest and half in 
 earnest, on the subject of the relievos (alto or basso) 
 which are intended to adorn the panels in this vast en- 
 ceinte, whose appropriate uses yet remain to be discov- 
 ered. "Look at that Puritan — the Indian, kind-hearted 
 soul, is giving him an . ear of corn, and what return did 
 he make for this charity? Why, this is a satire upon us. 
 And here is that white Indian, Boone, killing a couple of 
 red ones in a canebrake; this, I suppose, is to show our 
 justice and humanity — as the first our gratitude ! But 
 what is this ? Pocahontas and that rascal Smith ; I 
 have no patience with the scoundrel ; his conduct to Po- 
 cahontas was infamous. More Indians ! There is that 
 jjypocrite, Pcnn, cheating them of their lands by buying 
 them for trinkets and baubles. You have heard of the 
 walking bargain, I presume?" Here he related the story 
 with singular minuteness of detail. " This is too much ; 
 can it be possible that we have paid thousands of dollars
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 167 
 
 to those Italians to scandalize us in this manner? I am 
 almost ashamed of my country. "Why have they omitted 
 the burning of the witches ? But I see there is room left 
 for other caricatures." 
 
 I certainly did not ag-rce with him as to two of these 
 works — the treaty of Pcnn and the representation of 
 Smith and Pocahontas; both subjects are noble, and are 
 great events in the history of two of the most important 
 States. As to the family of pilgrims, it is a mere fancy 
 sketch, nothing of the kind having actually occurred. 
 The Landing of the Pilgrims is a different attair from 
 this beggarly group receiving the charity of the Indian 
 as from their good angel. The rencounter between Boone 
 and the savages, in the canebrake, might be well enough 
 as a subordinate affair, and among minor subjects ; but 
 is not more striking than a hundred other occurrences of 
 the same kind. 
 
 I cannot believe that Mr. Jefferson would have been 
 satisfied with our great national building, council-house, 
 capitol, or whatever we may cho^e to call this vast 
 structure, if he had seen it after being fully completed. 
 The exterior is undoubtedly sublime ; but with the ex- 
 ception of the handsome library-room, some of the com- 
 mittee-rooms, and the cook-shops below, it is a melancholy 
 failure.* Every one is sensible of the defect of the rep- 
 resentative hall, a place for debating and speaking, so 
 contrived as to prevent the voice from conveying any 
 distinct sound! For my part, I object to it for a more 
 serious reason: the want of sufficient and suitable accom- 
 modations for spectators. The representatives of the 
 people, alone, seem to have been considered, — the people 
 altogether neglected. The first are splendidly seated in 
 
 * Nearly the whole has been changed since, this was written.
 
 Igg BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 their mahogany chairs, while any sort of rookery was 
 thought good enough for that portion of sovereignty 
 Avhich might, from time to time, honor the deliberations 
 of the puhlic servants, agents, or counselors, with its au- 
 gust presence. There is nothing analogous here to our 
 political institutions; if there is any resemblance to the 
 ancient Greek theater in the plan, there is the singular 
 absurdity of assigning the places of the spectators to the 
 actors— exactly reversing the order of arrangement. I 
 always felt indignant when I entered the gallery of the 
 representative chamber. In my opinion, instead of a vast 
 pile reared for people to gaze upon and to wonder at, 
 separate buildings ought to have been provided for the 
 great branches of the government, where the appropriate, 
 as well as the sublime and beautiful, might have been 
 consulted. 
 
 If the want of suitable galleries be objectionable in the 
 representative hall, what shall we say of the senate 
 chamber ? It might do for a conclave of cardinals, but 
 not for the deliberations of a popular assembly. The 
 little bird-cage galleries near the ceiling, with swallow 
 holes to creep into them, are an insult to the majesty of 
 the people. The architect, who seems to have begrudged 
 even these fixtures at the expense of his beautiful elliptical 
 vault, had better at once have inscribed on the door of 
 the chamber: 
 
 Procul, procul este profani, 
 
 Totoque absistite luco. 
 
 Away! away! ye vulgar herd away! 
 
 The place pollute not by a moment's stay. 
 
 The deliberations of the Senate, if it were possible, ought 
 to be in the presence of the whole nation. It now sits, 
 on too many occasions, with closed doors ; they should
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 100 
 
 be open in everything relating exclusively to ourselves; 
 and the public servant, styled president by the Constitu- 
 tion, but who has become a sort of king by tacit consent, 
 ought to be made to attend, whenever what is called 
 executive business happens to be under discussion, and 
 with the privilege of explaining. There were no closed 
 doors at Athens; the six thousand voters always sat in 
 public. In this way he might be reached by the only 
 kind of impeachment he is likely to incur. By this means 
 he would be made to feel that he is only the prime min- 
 ister of the nation, and, like a British minister, be taught 
 that his responsibility is not merely ideal. 
 
 As to the den called the supreme court-room, it might 
 have done for the Areopagus of Athens, which sat in the 
 dark; or perhaps it might do for those gloomy regions 
 where chief justice Minos sits, with his associate justices, 
 .iEacus and Rhadamanthus ; but it is unworthy the most 
 luminous branch of the American government. My 
 strictures may be thought more bold than just, especially 
 since the evils, if they exist, are now remediless until 
 another generation or two shall pass away, and it may 
 be the will of the sovereign people to build another coun- 
 cil-house or capitol, west of the Alleghany Mountains, 
 and near the source of the Ohio, which may serve a few 
 generations, until another may be required farther west. 
 
 I was summoned one evening, by " mine host," to serve 
 as interpreter between him and a French gentleman, who 
 had just aiTived with his lady, and seemed to be " troubPt 
 in mind." I found him walking in a frenzied way up and 
 down the long room, ejaculating, gesticulating, striking 
 his forehead, kicking the carpet, and occasionally stop- 
 ping to look at himself in the glass. His "better half," 
 and I use no complimentary phrase, was meekly seated 
 by the fire, apparently unconscious of his fury. His 
 
 15*
 
 170 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 parrots were perched on the backs of chairs ; his monkey 
 was skipping about and chattering in one corner ; and 
 his bird-cages Avere placed on the table. I judged at once, 
 from his associates and favorites, that he must be some 
 nobleman. When I was announced as a person who 
 spoke French, he turned round to me, and exclaimed, in a 
 furious manner, "Ah ! monsieur, vous avez un vilain paya.''^ 
 "You have a vile country, sir, you are all a set of cut- 
 throats, canaille." This salutation he followed up by a 
 volley of abuse against everything he had yet seen in 
 America. Our government was that of a banditti ; our 
 citizens thieves, robbers, incendiaries, brutes, monsters. 
 I was too much amused with the oddity of his character 
 to be offended, and besides, he was an object of curiosity, 
 for your real noblemen seldom condescend to visit us. It 
 was the first one I had seen alive. After relieving him- 
 self by this discharge of bile, he was so kind as to attempt 
 to convince me by sober argument that he had spoken 
 nothing but the truth, breaking out every now and then, 
 however, in his former strain. According to his incohe- 
 rent account, and what I afterward learned from others, 
 he had encountered several dire misfortunes in this land 
 of the Anthropophagi, unheard of, or unequaled in Orlando 
 Furioso. His barouche had stuck fast in the mud, and 
 the wagoners, instead of assisting him when he com- 
 manded them by signs, when he showed them money, 
 and cocked pistols, drove past him, and one of them broke 
 a wheel of his vehicle. But for the interference of some 
 travelers on horseback they would have robbed and 
 murdered him. He had been obliged to walk two miles 
 to a tavern and blacksmith's shop His vehicle being 
 patched up, he came on to Somerset to get it repaired, his 
 rage still unap})eased. He had a variety of other griev- 
 ances to relate ; in one place he was seized by some per-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 171 
 
 sons and detained, because he beat his servant and threat- 
 ened to shoot him; in another a landlord had shown him 
 a bed with dirty sheets, which he had the impudence to 
 say was only soiled by pigeon-dung while drying on the 
 fence, when his own senses told him it proceeded from a 
 different biped. "Pigeon-dung," said the landlord. "Xo, 
 sare, man-dung," said the nobleman. The dispute grew 
 high, and the vile plebeian had the insolence to threaten 
 to turn him out of his house. He consented at last to 
 show him another bed. " This is indeed one infamous 
 country," said he; "in Russia, where I have lived until 
 lately, which has the character of being barbarous com- 
 pared to civilized Europe, if a gentleman is insulted he 
 can order the knout at his pleasure, but here you are 
 worse than Hottentots — you have not a spark of civiliza- 
 tion — no government, sir — it is no country for a gentle- 
 man — I will take my monkey, I will take my parrots, I 
 will take my wife, and go back to Russia." 
 
 From what I could learn, he was the son of an emigre 
 brought up in Russia. Of the old stock it has been said 
 that they have neither learned nor forgotten anything ; of 
 the young brood, brought up in such a country as Russia, 
 a part of the observation may not ap})ly. This being 
 was certainly part ape, a good deal touched with the bear. 
 He called at my office, happened to see an elegant copy 
 of Tasso, which he admired, said it was of no use there, 
 and actually put it in his pocket! I never saw, in one out 
 of a strait jacket, such extraordinary manifestation of fury. 
 The irse furor brevis was well exemplified in him ; he 
 would have been a useful study to youth, on the principle 
 of the Spartans, who exposed their drunken helots to the 
 contempt and deri.sion of their children. There is no vice 
 more odious than this habitual indulgence of a furious 
 temper ; it is equally injurious to him who feels it, and
 
 1'72 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 painful to those who witness it. I wondered that this 
 man had ever attained his present age : although not 
 above five and twenty, I had a presentiment that soon or 
 late he would come to a violent end. Such was his fate ; 
 he was shot down like a mad dog in one of the West 
 India islands, while the perpetrator of the deed was 
 thought to have rendered a public service. He had pre- 
 viously lost his unhappy wife and child at Louisville, 
 Kentucky, and also his monke}' and birds, who equally 
 shared his affections with nearer objects. His countenance 
 was remarkable — a narrow forehead, square face, light 
 eyes, a large bushy head, and sharp teeth, as if born to 
 
 " Snarl and bite, and play the dog." 
 
 CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 Voyage down the Ohio — Disappointment at Gallipolis. 
 
 With the reader's permission, I will now change the 
 scene to the banks of the Monongahela at Pittsburg, — 
 time, a fine morning in April. The shore is lined with 
 the various kinds of keels, flat-bottoms, or arks, of all the 
 sizes and forms used in the growing trade of the West, 
 and a bustling set of people playing different parts; but 
 no leviathan steamboats are seen proudly asserting their 
 conquest over the Western waters. The object to which 
 our attention will be more immediately attracted is a 
 keel about ten or fifteen tons burden, with a sort of deck 
 at each end, affording a cabin sufficiently roomy for two 
 men to lie under by coiling themselves up. Both bow
 
 RECOLLECTTOXS OF THE WEST. 173 
 
 and stern were pointed alike, and distinguished only by 
 the bow-rope on the one, and the long" tail of a steering- 
 oar on the other. The open spaee aniid-ships was occu- 
 pied by barrels, bales, and castings, part on freight, and 
 part owned by the captain, as he of the steering-oar is 
 usually denominated. The captain, a swarthy, ill-looking 
 man of forty, inclining to fat, dressed in a leathern doub- 
 let, blue broadcloth pantaloons, and Suwarrow boots, 
 gave the w^ord to push off, which was promptly obeyed 
 by Rali)h Higginbotham, son of the ** Squire" up the 
 Monongahela (so justices of the peace are styled in 
 Pennsylvania), and Bill Hulings, neither the first nor the 
 "last of the boatmen." It might be easily seen that this 
 was the first voyage of Ralph, a w^ell-set, broad-shouldered 
 little fellow, with silver w^atch in fob, a fortune of four- 
 teen dollars in cash, and dressed in home-made cloth, 
 cut out and made up by his good mother, in burlesque of 
 the mode which had prevailed in tOAvn a few years before. 
 As this was a voyage of experience to whet his faculties, 
 so that he might take the management of a boat himself 
 in due time, he was to work his passage, which was not 
 tlie case with Bill, in his tow shirt and trowsers, and 
 handkerchief on his head, who had performed many such 
 voyages, and who, in consequence, now appointed him- 
 self captain of the forecastle, seized a pole, bade Ralph 
 do the same, and in a moment the boat was adrift in the 
 current. 
 
 But pray, who are those two young men of rather 
 slender make, seated on a chest on the after-deck, and 
 somewhat in the way of the sweep of the steering-oar? 
 They are only passengers. The one in the Quaker garb, 
 with blue eyes, and comi)lexion of strawberry and cream, 
 is just six weeks from the Emerald Isle, on his way to 
 the "Sunny South," to take charge of a cotton plantation.
 
 1'74 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 which had bj some means become the property of a per- 
 son in Ireland. The other, dressed in black, with dark 
 hazel eyes, complexion more of the sun than of the rose, 
 with auburn locks, and organs of veneration and ideality 
 unusually developed, but not harmonizing with the round 
 laughing face, might have passed, notwithstanding, for a 
 young missionary bound to the far West — Encore cet 
 homme. 
 
 When our boat reached the broad expanse where the 
 two rivers unite, and thence pursue their course to the 
 Mississippi, under the name of the Ohio, and sometimes 
 of La Belle Riviere,"^ I turned to take a " long and linger- 
 ing look" at my native town, to which I had just paid a 
 short visit, and was about to bid a long farewell. Let 
 the imagination of the reader assist me in passing in re- 
 view the variety of thoughts and emotions which crowded 
 upon my mind, as the boat glided away, and the town 
 receded from my view. It was the beginning of my 
 second voyage down the Ohio, after a three years' ab- 
 sence from Pittsburg. My short visit to my friends and to 
 the scenes of my childhood was a period of delirium — for 
 my attachments were ardent, I had visited, with something 
 like religious enthusiasm, every spot, every rock, every 
 tree, and every hill, where I loved to wander when a boy. 
 I witnessed with pride and pleasure the rapid increase of 
 the town, become almost a third larger during my ab- 
 sence, which had not been so long as to render me a 
 stranger in my native land ; on the contrary, I was 
 greeted at every step by man, woman, and child, with 
 looks and words of welcome. I was now leaving them, 
 perhaps forever — a tear came to my eye — but the spirit 
 
 * La-ga-ne (beautiful) was the name of the Alleghany, which 
 the French translated as above, and was considered the true 
 Ohio.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST 175 
 
 of wild adventure controlled nic. Pittsburg exhibited an 
 appearance of melancholy beauty (for it was not then 
 obscured by coal smoke) as it slowly disappeared — its 
 hills on the background rising higher in the clouds. 
 Grant's Hill, the spot endeared by infant recollection, and 
 the grove on Watson's Hill, my alma mater, were the 
 two last o1)jects to fade from my sight. Farewell, my 
 native town ! Should all my aspirations fail, and mis- 
 fortune attend my steps, the hope of revisiting thee may 
 still remain — the pleasure, if it be a melancholy one, of 
 reviving on the spot the feelings of sorrow and delight 
 which I can never know in the same degree anywhere 
 else, for it was here I was first conscious of them. 
 
 Mr. Graves, the young Quaker, was one of my Somerset 
 Sunday acquaintances. I had made all my preparations, 
 and was waiting for the season to be a little more ad- 
 vanced, when he came along; and from the desire of 
 having such a companion, I determined to take my de- 
 parture without further delay. He w^as about my own 
 age, a little turned of twenty-three ; had received an edu- 
 cation to fit him for mercantile life; was of a lively, cheer- 
 ful disposition ; and that he was moral and discreet may 
 be presumed from his belonging to the Society of Friends. 
 The captain of the boat at first declined any stipulation 
 for our passage, but finally consented that we should lay 
 in the provisions of the voyage, which we did so liberally, 
 trtat we had reason afterward to repent it, inasmuch as 
 it was the means of reducing us almost to starvation, as 
 he locked up our stores toward the latter part of the voy- 
 age for the purpose of speculating on them. 
 
 My books and the principal ])art of my baggage had 
 been sent to St. Genevieve, to an acquaintance, to whom 
 I had communicated my intended migration. I reserved 
 a small collection, and \\x it, what was then a new work,
 
 1^6 BRA CKENRID GF'S 
 
 "Malthus on Population," which I determined to peruse 
 with care, as it seemed to open a new vista in political 
 economy, although the greater part is little more than the 
 expansion of one of those pregnant hints of Dr. Franklin, 
 whose mental vision, like that of Bacon, in so many in- 
 stances shot far ahead of his contemporaries. I was also 
 well provided with maps, and had ransacked the town, 
 and the onl}^ bookstore then in it, for publications relating 
 to the regions through which I was about to pass. I pro- 
 cured " Imlay's Kentucky," with Boon's Narrative, said 
 to have been revised by Mary Wolstoncroft ; I mean the 
 first of these works. I also procured Harris's Tour, 
 Ashe's lying book, Yolney's philosophic work, Humboldt's 
 New Spain, and some other French, English, and Ameri- 
 can productions. I had a deistical work by Monday, the 
 keeper of a circulating-library in Baltimore, who presented 
 it to me ; but which I had not read. He was a j^ious 
 man — had prayers in his family night and morning, and 
 )^et took the pains to print a book to prove that Chris- 
 tianity was all an imposture, and was zealous in his en- 
 deavors to make converts ! He went much further than 
 the Theophilists of France, who only exhibited a kind 
 of dramatic public worship; he even said grace at meals. 
 Strange vagar}^ of the human mind 1 I now took out 
 the volume, informed my companion of its character, and 
 after some deliberation we decided to throw it into the 
 river, not in the scriptural spirit of cai^ting our bread 
 vpnn tJir ivalcrs in the hope of finding it after many 
 dag.^. Tlius perish every fragment of such pernicious 
 barren knowledge, which, like the fruit of the forbidden 
 tree, can bring nothing but death and misery to the par- 
 takers ! 
 
 Tlie river was in fine order for navigation ; the sky 
 unclouded blue ; winter had passed oil', and " recalled his
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 177 
 
 ruffian blasts," yet the forests still appeared naked and 
 leafless. As we glided swiftly along, my companion, to 
 whom everything was new and striking, amused me by 
 his remarks, while I endeavored to catch some recollec- 
 tion of my first voyage ; but excepting Legionville, the 
 camp of General Wayne in 1T92, I saw nothing I could 
 remember. In place of the interminable wilderness, cul- 
 tivated spots, cottages and farms, pleasantly situated, 
 frequently attracted our attention. Not thinking it pru- 
 dent in this part of the river to float during the night, it 
 was resolved to encamp, which was accordingly done, 
 and fire kindled in order to prepare our evening meal. 
 It fell to me to make tea ; but to my surprise, when I 
 made the attempt, I actually found that I did not know 
 how. I filled the coffee pot with boiling water, and then 
 put a handful of leaves into it, but they remained on the 
 top, and refused to sink in spite of all I could do. The 
 captain discovering my embarrassment made me empty 
 the vessel, and try the experiment under his directions ; 
 and for the benefit of young gentlemen of the bar, who 
 may not be practically acquainted with the process, I 
 will explain it. The tea, about two tablespoonfuls to a 
 quart, mu.st first be put in the vessel, and then a small 
 quantity of boiling water poured on it ; the tea is never 
 so good unless the water is boiling. After drawing a few 
 minutes, water may then be poured upon it, as the infu- 
 sion may be wanted for use, and in the proportion re- 
 quired. As to the rest, each one cooked his own beef- 
 steak, which was placed on the end of a sharp-i)ointed 
 stick ; and in my opinion this primitive broil is sui)erior 
 to the best ragout, roast or fry, or fricassee or fricandeau 
 in the world. 
 
 A knowledge of cookery is not to be despised by the 
 
 16
 
 1Y8 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 most independent traveler ; and who knows where it may- 
 be necessary for him to travel ? French gentlemen often 
 consider it an accomplishment to make a good soup or 
 ragout ; but there are some exceptions, according to an 
 anecdote which I heard that amiable and accomplished 
 officer, General Bernard, relate. A French general in the 
 unfortunate campaign of Russia was taken prisoner by a 
 Cossack chief, who recognized in him his host on some 
 former occasion. "Ah!" said he, "you are the officer at 
 whose table I partook of so many good things." "Do 
 not speak of it," said the French officer, delighted with 
 the recognition, and supposing it would insure him favor- 
 able treatment. " But I will," said the chief, " and you 
 shall be my cook." " Your cook !" exclaimed the French- 
 man. "Yes — and so show him to the kitchen." The 
 poor officer demurred ; declaring upon his honor that he 
 had no knowledge of cookery, and could not prepare the 
 simplest dish. But the Cossack, not disposed to lose time 
 in argument with a mere prisoner, ordered the knout to 
 be administered, when the French officer agreed to make 
 a trial, but with so little success that when his cookery 
 made its appearance the number of blows on the soles of 
 his feet was doubled — and so on a second and third time; 
 when at last, finding it a matter of life and death, he was 
 so fortunate as to please the savage epicure. 
 
 Before the dawn of day the boat was again adrift, and 
 before evening we reached the town of Wheeling. The 
 intermediate space between this place and Pittsburg will 
 long continue to be the wildest and rudest part of the 
 Ohio. The hills are high and steep, the river bottom 
 comparatively narrow, and the river itself rapid and tor- 
 tuous On the Rhine, in such places, terraced vineyards 
 and ancient castles would exhibit those romantic scenes 
 depicted by Mrs. Radcliffe. There are, however, a num-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. If 9 
 
 ber of beautiful islands, whfch in time will be highly cul- 
 tivated and ornamented. 
 
 From Wheeling-, the river and its borders undergo 
 an almost instantaneous change. The hills rapidly sub- 
 side, the flat lands become wider, the current of the 
 river more gentle and regular, and cultivation smiles on 
 its banks. Peace, civilization, and the cheerful sound 
 of the human voice have taken the place of the frightful 
 savage wilderness, of the nightly howling of the wolf, and 
 the mid-day terrors of the Indian scalping-knife. After 
 all that has been said about the children of nature and the 
 ])oauty of the primitive forest, may it not be more agreea- 
 ble to the Divinity, as well as more conducive to human 
 happiness, that the earth shall be inhabited by rational 
 creatures, cultivating all the arts that elevate the human 
 character ? If this be answered in the afi&rmative, then I 
 will say we ought not to regret that the somber forest has 
 given way to cheerful landscapes, and that ferocious 
 beasts of prey and the exterminating Indian have retired, 
 while their places have been supplied by Christian people 
 and domestic herds. 
 
 When we left Pittsburg, the spring had not yet begun, 
 in the language of Burns, " to unfold her robes ;" but as 
 we descended, and gained a milder climate, both by less- 
 ening our elevation and by the southern direction of the 
 course of the river, we were continually meeting some in- 
 dication of the vernal season. One morning the buds of 
 the sugar-tree seemed swelled and of a reddish hue — the 
 next, the red-bud* displayed its delicate pink blossom 
 among the naked trees. As the moon shone brightly, 
 and the air was mild and soft, we passed the night on the 
 little deck, the boat gliding gently along like a summer 
 
 * Red-bud is the common name of a beautiful shrub.
 
 180 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 evening's dream in ladj^'s bower, the mocking-bird the 
 while enchanting the listening silence with his matchless 
 notes. It is a mistake to sa}^ that in this country, poetrj, 
 like the silkworm, has nothing to feed upon, from which 
 it can produce its rich and glossy thread. A Burns or a 
 Byron would tell a different tale. Wilson the ornitholo- 
 gist has shown it ; as to Chateaubriand and Tom Moore, 
 the one bedizened the subject like a coxcomb, and the 
 other is a cracked diamond, in whose sentiment or nature 
 we shall always find a flaw. For instance, how could he 
 talk of the "hollow beech-tree," when such a thing is 
 never known,'and the sumach dipping its red berries in 
 the gush of the fountain, when, instead of dipping, it 
 stands up as straight and as stiff as the cockade of a gren- 
 adier ? 
 
 The borders of the river had already put on the livery 
 of Robin Hood before we arrived at Marietta, a pretty 
 town, situated on a point at the mouth of the Muskingum ; 
 and at this time one of the most important on the Ohio. 
 It was a handsome town when I first saw it, but it had 
 much improved both in the style and number of its build- 
 ings. Some ten or twelve miles below this, we came in 
 sight of the Island of Blennerhasset. There was a purple 
 haze upon the waters and on the land, softening the scene 
 into the mellow landscape, but cither bank of the river was 
 destitute of any striking natural objects, there being neither 
 rocks nor hills: the giant sycamore and lofty sugar-trees 
 may be considered exceptions to my remark. The island 
 and its embellishments were seen to the greatest advant- 
 age. The clean, naked pebbly beach divided the stream 
 in nearly equal parts; and beyond it the elegant mansion, 
 painted white, was half hidden among the trees, partly 
 native, which had submitted to the hand of art, and partly 
 exotic, such as the Lombardy poplar and weeping willow.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 181 
 
 The larg-e gateway and the tasteful shrubbery heightened 
 the scene, looking like what the islands of the Ohio may 
 be a century hence. It looked more like a vision of the 
 future than a real landscape in the yet infant West, and 
 in keeping with the wild scenery of nature. Such im- 
 provements are too far in advance of the state of society ; 
 they are costly to the owner, because they add nothing to 
 the intrinsic value, and wealth is yet too scarce to pay so 
 high for the gratifications of taste and the love of elegance. 
 The fifty thousand dollars expended on this property 
 would not have produced more than two or three thou- 
 sand on the sale of it, unless by mere accident some other 
 person of wealth happened to come, who wa.4 possessed 
 of the same fancy, and was equally regardless of calcula- 
 tion. It was said by a witness, on the trial of Burr, who 
 was questioned as to the character of Blennerhasset, ''that 
 he had every kind of sense but common sense." The re- 
 mark is true so far, that he had not directed his attention 
 sufficiently to the business of common life ; and having 
 formed his habits in a country which had already attained 
 the highest degree of advancement in social polish and re- 
 finement, with aristocratic feelings at war with his demo- 
 cratic opinions, he did not correctly estimate the differ- 
 ence of places and persons. The unfortunate family had 
 left the place where they had passed several years in pur- 
 suit of happiness by embellishing nature, having been 
 disappointed in finding it in the taste and polish and 
 refinement of society, at least in accordance with their 
 notions and preconceived opinions. The spot will alwa3"s 
 recall the passage in the speech of the elegant Wirt; 
 which, as to the character and motives of Blennerhasset 
 and his lady, is almost entirely fanciful, while his descrip- 
 tion of the place, which he had never seen, is a beautiful 
 touch of the romantic, drawn from his own teeming imag- 
 
 16*
 
 182 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 ination. The situation of the accomplished pair was not 
 that of Adam and Eve in Paradise, nor was Burr a Satan 
 as to them. He found them discontented ; unpleasant feel- 
 ings had been experienced by them, and disappointment 
 had ensued. The error was in their own minds ; in 
 their preconceived notions of the people and country of 
 America, and in their uncongenial habits and ideas. 
 
 Blennerhasset resided in Pittsburg a year before he 
 went down the Ohio, and was more intimate with my 
 father than with any other person in America. They 
 thought alike in politics, and the politics of Blennerhasset 
 were such as almost to exclude him from the society of 
 the first families in town, to whom the ver}^ name of a 
 United Irishman, at that time, was hellebore. He was 
 undoubtedly a fine sample of the polished Irish gentle- 
 man, and his lady was both beautiful and accomplished. 
 When I last saw him, some years afterward, at the vil- 
 lage of Gibsonport, Mississippi, in company with his lady, 
 he appeared to have changed his opinions entirely ; she 
 was always aristocratic in her feelings, and I believe they 
 both sincerely regretted ever having touched the shores of 
 America. The English nobility and gentry, if they will 
 come, should remain in our cities, and keep away from 
 the backwoods ; they are as little fitted for the situation 
 as the wild Indian is for city life. 
 
 The next morning we passed Letart's Falls, having 
 passed several villages during the night, and also some 
 considerable streams, and among others that one which 
 bears 
 
 " The name so shocking 
 Of IIock-Hock-Uocking." 
 
 As this was the Sal)bath, the banks, chiefly on the Ohio 
 side, were alive with people going to or returning from 
 places of worship, or seated in groups in their best apparel.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 183 
 
 On the Virginia side, instead of seeing dwellings, we saw 
 occasionally houses of more ambitious structure, but un- 
 finished, and already showing marks of decay; while 
 much of the river bottoms was still unimproved. What 
 a contrast with the uninhabited banks of the beautiful 
 river when I first saw them, — when the howl of the wolf, 
 or the hooting of the owl, were enough to strike terror into 
 the heart of the voyager, fearing that these might be the 
 telegraphic sounds of Indians preparing to attack him ! 
 
 As we passed Point Pleasant, and the little island 
 below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for with anxious 
 feelings, hove in sight. I thought of the French in- 
 habitants — I thought of my friend Saugrain, and I 
 recalled, in the liveliest colors, the incidents of that 
 portion of my life which was passed here. A year is a 
 long time at that period — every day is crowded with new, 
 and great, and striking events. When the boat landed, 
 I ran up the bank, and looked around ; but, alas ! how 
 changed ! The Americans had taken the town in hand, 
 and no trace of antiquity, that is of twelve years ago, re- 
 mained. I hastened to the spot where I expected to find 
 the abode, the little log-house, tavern, laboratory, and 
 garden of the doctor; but they had vanished like the 
 palace of Aladdin. After some inquiry I found a little 
 Frenchman, who, like the old woman of Goldsmith's 
 Village, was " the sad historian of the deserted plain" — 
 that is, deserted by one race to be peopled by another. 
 He led me to where a few logs might be seen, as the only 
 remains of the once happy tenement which had sheltered 
 me — but all around it was a common ; the town had taken 
 a different direction. My heart sickened ; the picture 
 which ray imagination had drawn — the scenes which ray 
 meraory loved to cherish were blotted out and obliterated. 
 A volume of reminiscences seemed to be annihilated in
 
 184 BRACKENRIDGWS 
 
 an instant ! I took a hasty glance at the new town as I 
 returned to the boat. I saw brick houses, painted frames, 
 fanciful inclosures, ornamental trees! Even the pond, 
 which had carried off a third of the French population 
 by its malaria, had disappeared, and a pretty green had 
 usurped its place, with a neat brick court-house in the 
 midst of it. This was too much ; I hastened my pace, 
 and with sorrow once more pushed into the stream. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A Disturbance in the "Wigwam — Xew Madrid — An interesting 
 Family — Late News of Braddock's Defeat — St. Genevieve — 
 An Incident worthy of Eomance. 
 
 As I am not writing a tour, minute descriptions of 
 every duck puddle or broken pane of glass will not be 
 looked for. It Avill be expected, however, that I should 
 take some notice of Cincinnati, which, thirteen years 
 before, was covered with the native forest, excepting the 
 space occupied by a rude encampment. I now found it 
 a beautiful little city in the midst of a highly cultivated 
 country. I went up to the market, which I found equal 
 in goodness to that of Philadelphia, but much cheaper. 
 A turkey may be had for sixteen cents, and if thought 
 too high, a goose will be offered into the bargain. The 
 wonderful and ahnost magical change which had taken 
 place here gave me pleasure ; for there were no objects 
 which, as at Gallipolis, were associated with the deep 
 impressions made on my l)oyish mind. Louisville had 
 also become a handsome town ; and thus far the curtain
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 185 
 
 of the wilderness may be said to have been lifted up ; 
 but farther down, the Ohio was still the abode of solitude 
 and gloom. 
 
 I will describe a phenomenon which we beheld a few 
 days after Teaving Louisville, but which, I fear, will tax 
 the credulity of the reader. It was not a sea-serpent, 
 but something almost as difficult to believe. In a part 
 of the river where the vision extended at least ten miles 
 down, after daybreak (weather rainy the night before, 
 and then drizzling), the whole heavens to the edge of the 
 horizon were covered and concealed bv a flis-ht of wild 
 pigeons, and remained so for upwards of two hours, until 
 we readied the lower part of the long view. During the 
 whole of the day immense flocks continued to pass. Ac- 
 cording to my computation the principal flock was at least 
 (if we allow a mile a minute to the flight of the pigeon) 
 ten miles in width, by one hundred and twenty in length! 
 If each pigeon occupied one foot square, there will be 
 sufficient data to compute the number of the whole. I 
 leave the matter in the hands of the schoolmaster, who 
 may give it as an exercise to his scholars. 
 
 The captain stopped at the mouth of the "Wabash, 
 where he expected to find a boat ready to take part of his 
 freight intended for Vincennes, an old French town up 
 this river. We were detained here three or four days and 
 nights — but such nights and days may I never see again! 
 The mosquitoes fell upon us like a shower of burning 
 coals. We stewed ourselves under blankets, and tried 
 the virtue of smoke to no purpose. The very next morn- 
 ing after our arrival, poor Greaves's face was swollen as 
 if he had taken the small-pox ; and from that moment the 
 strawberry and cream left his cheeks — his mother's son 
 became as sallow complected and as spotted as a H(junder. 
 The captain's tough hide, leathern doublet and Suwarrow
 
 186 ^^-4 CKENRID GE'S 
 
 boots rendered their attacks harmless to him ; and I 
 escaped much better than I otherwise should by having 
 the young Irishman as a bed-fellow, as the cannibals 
 found his flesh more tender, and more appetizing. 
 
 It was a joyful moment when we took leave of the 
 Wabash, and w^ere again on the bosom of the majestic 
 Ohio, now occupying a broad expanse ; the banks lined 
 with unbroken forests ; the tre^s occupying ground per- 
 fectly level ; and their tops as even as a clipped hedge — 
 but such a hedge as might be looked for in the country 
 of the Brobdignags. Our captain now made known his 
 intention to settle at New Madrid, and open a store or 
 shop ; and became all at once exceedingly desirous to 
 save us the trouble of preparing our food, which duty 
 he took entirely on -himself. Under this pretense he took 
 possession of the provisions; and, instead of tea and 
 coffee, thenceforth gave us nothing but insipid cakes of 
 indian-meal, fried with a little fat bacon. When we ven- 
 tured to murmur, he showed us his teeth and his pistols. 
 The remainder of the voyage, which was fortunately not 
 long, proved very uncomfortable. Greaves was pacific 
 from principle ; and the case being remediless, I was 
 obliged to submit to this piece of petty roguery in silence. 
 If we had resolved to resort to violence, we were both 
 unarmed. I had made a determination never to carry 
 .arms about me in a peaceful country, not even a dirk, the 
 common accompaniment of the young men of the West at 
 that time, although a happy change has since taken place. 
 If attacked, I trusted to Providence for weapons of 
 defense ; and if unsuccessful, the blame must rest on the 
 civil institutions of the country, which would have failed 
 to do their duty. I could not reconcile it to my notions 
 of propriety to invite an attack by appearing to be pre- 
 pared to meet it. The despicable meanness and low cun-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 187 
 
 ning of our commander put an end to all conversation 
 between us ; and when we reached Xew Madrid, 
 Greaves and I instantly leaped on shore, and took our 
 baggage to a public house, without saying a word to him. 
 He, no doubt, laughed in his sleeve at us ; although a 
 stupid boor, he chuckled at the idea of having outwitted 
 a lawyer and a young merchant ! Cunning is the wisdom 
 of fools ; but it is only a quarter nag — it may run its little 
 race, but will not stand the heats : it cannot repeat. My 
 young friend w^as so fortunate as to obtain a passage the 
 next day, and we took leave of each other with sincere 
 regret. 
 
 In a day or two after the boat had been discharged, the 
 young farmer, and Bill Hulings, who had expressed a 
 wish to accompany me through the wilderness, called 
 upon me with a serious complaint against their employer. 
 He refused to refund to the first the small sum of money 
 placed in his hands, in my presence, for safe keeping, and 
 had also refused to pay Bill his wages. I advised them 
 to go once more to him, and to tell him plainly they 
 would repair to a justice of the peace, unless he did them 
 justice of his own accord. They followed my directions, 
 and meeting nothing but abuse and insult, proceeded to 
 the oflBce of the cadi, alcalde or justice, who acted so 
 promptly that I was summoned almost instanter as a 
 witness on the trial. It was a plain case, the facts were 
 scarcely denied, and but for the insolent and ruffianly 
 deportment of the captain, and the presence of a crowd 
 which, on account of this or some other affair had been 
 collected before the justice, the cause would have passed 
 off without further difficulty. But the decision had no 
 sooner been pronounced, than the defendant, who had 
 been grinilLng his teeth all the while like an enraged bear, 
 broke out upon me in the most abusive manner, assailing
 
 188 BRACKENRTDGE'S 
 
 me with a volley of vulgar epithets, to the surprise and 
 disgust of every one present. When checked by the 
 magistrate, he left the office, and returned in a few 
 moments, and met me a few paces from the door, with 
 two large butcher-knives, which he placed at my feet, and 
 bade me make choice. My feelings had been those of 
 pity and contempt ; I now felt disgust mingled with hor- 
 ror, at the infamous proposal. The justice in the mean 
 time came out, commanded him to depart on pain of being 
 sent instantly to prison, and called his officer to carry his 
 order into execution. Our hero now sneaked off, and the 
 justice took me by the arm and led me into his house. 
 He insisted on my remaining to breakfast, which was a 
 little later than usual, in consequence of the business of 
 the morning. Mr. Humphreys, such was the name of 
 the gentleman, treated me on this occasion in the hand- 
 somest manner, and among the things treasured up in my 
 memory this is one which I recur to with real pleasm-e. 
 We had a neat and comfortable breakfast; in the course 
 of it an incident occurred which was truly gratif3dng to 
 me. " From your name, sir," said he, " may I ask 
 whether you are related to the author of 'Modern 
 Chivalry?'" I felt an indescribable emotion when the 
 question was put, and replied with a degree of satisfac- 
 tion which was not concealed, "Sir, I am his son." — 
 "What!" said he, "the son of the author of 'Modern 
 Chivalry I' " The exclamation reminded me of the honor 
 done to Grotius, although that sage had the satisfaction 
 of enjoying it in person. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys then made various friendly inquiries, 
 gave me his advice, tendered me his purse, and insisted 
 on my taking his horse, although the distance was up- 
 wards of two hundred miles, and there was no certainty 
 of returning him. The oiler of the horse was gratefully
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 189 
 
 accepted; 'I sent for the two boatmen and transported my 
 bag'g^age to the bouse of the generous magistrate. We 
 made two bundles with as many blankets, filled with such 
 articles as were most needed, and slung them on the 
 horse; I then shook hands with my new friend and 
 walked forward, leaving my companions to follow me 
 with the baggage. 
 
 As I walked along, my mind reverted to the scenes of 
 the morning, and instead of being calmed by reflection 
 gradually became heated, while a feeling of resentment 
 sprang up in my bosom which I had not felt before. This 
 was, doubtless, the mechanical effect of motion under a 
 warm sun. The challenge to fight, be it with the murder- 
 ous knife, stuck in my throat, and I began to reproach 
 myself for not having accepted it. In this mood, after 
 having proceeded a few miles, I was overtaken by the 
 men, who immediately communicated to me exaggerated 
 accounts of the proceedings of the captain, who had gone 
 before the tavern door and proclaimed me pettifogger, 
 swindler, and coward! Yes, coward! that term of re- 
 proach which, in the West, included at that time every 
 other. I threw down my cloak and hastened back to the 
 town ; and by the time I reached it, what with the heat 
 of the sun, the quickened circulation of the blood, and the 
 workings of the mind, my brain was on fire. Fortunately, 
 the first person I met was Mr. Humphreys, who instantly 
 perceived my situation, and almost by force led me into 
 the public house and detained me until I drank a cool 
 glass of lemonade and became a little composed. He 
 then represented to me the impropriety of my placing 
 myself on a footing with a ruffian, who had shown him- 
 self unworthy the notice of any man who had a proper 
 respect for himself "As to his denunciations and his 
 declarations that you had suddenly left town through 
 
 17
 
 190 BRA CKENRID GU'S 
 
 fear of him, they will be set right by your dining" at my 
 hoQse, and taking a walk with me round the town, while 
 I will introduce you to some particular friends." I was 
 induced to place myself entirely in the hands of one who 
 had shown me so much friendship on so short an acquaint- 
 ance, and I had no reason to repent of my determination. 
 I was aware that I was now in a country where every 
 transgression, every defect of character, could more 
 readily be passed over than a deficiency of personal 
 courage, and I was but too well convinced that such a 
 stigma would put an end to all my hopes of profesisional 
 and political advancement. Better to come with " twenty 
 mortal murders" on my head — with fifty burglaries, than 
 be suspected of that one weakness, of not being able *' to 
 look on blood and carnage with composure." 
 
 The dinner party, which Avas a mixed one of French 
 and Americans, passed off pleasantly ; the cup of coffee 
 being the signal to retire to the porch, according to the 
 Creole custom, to smoke the cigar, I made my excuse, 
 and set out on my journey, after shaking hands with my 
 host and his company. 
 
 Relieved fi'om the burden which had pressed on my 
 mind almost to madness, like Telemachus on quitting the 
 infernal regions, I proceeded in pursuit of my companions 
 with a light elastic tread. It had been agreed that they 
 should wait for me at a new settler's house eight miles 
 off, which had been indicated to us at our departure in 
 the morning, there being no stopping-place beyond it for 
 twenty-five miles. It was now near the latter part of May — 
 the weather in this latitude exceedingly warm, although, 
 as the day declines, the air grows cool and fresh. At 
 night, fires are found necessary to comfort. On leaving 
 the town, for the first mile or two, my course lay through 
 woods of surprising luxuriance, over a level plain of loose
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 191 
 
 rich loam, where there was nothing to enliven the scene 
 but the endless variety and exuberance of the vegetable 
 kingdom. Just as the sun was sinking below the horizon, 
 I entered one of those beautiful glades, or natural 
 meadows, or prairies, often seen in this part of the world, 
 and never without producing an agreeable feeling. The 
 storm of the passions had entirely subsided in my breast, 
 and I felt that calmness and serenity of the soul most in 
 unison with such a scene. The objects which had at- 
 tracted ray attention in passing along, had contributed to 
 calm my mind, and glad fancy plumed her wing for a 
 flight to scenes of ideal enjoyment and pleasure. In this 
 state of mind, I suddenly emerged from the dark forest 
 of towering trees and interwoven vines. I gazed with 
 delight on the smooth, soft grass, on the rich variety of 
 flowers, on the scattered shrubberies of sumach, retaining 
 the red berries of the preceding year, and on the embow- 
 ering woods, at some distance on either hand, which 
 inclosed this garden of the Dryads and Hamadryads. 
 The open space, too, in which I now found myself, 
 seemed to impart a corresponding feeling of freedom and 
 expansion to the thoughts and feelings. How serene 
 the heavenly vault above my head ! How rich and 
 varied the tissues of the carpet under my feet, woven by 
 the fantastic hand of nature ! Cold is the heart which 
 does not sympathize with our universal mother, when 
 thus she seems to smile upon her children. 
 
 It was night when I reached the farther end of the 
 glade, and then entered a deep wood, where the massy 
 foliage almost shut out the twinkling light of the stars. 
 There w^as no risk of straying from the beaten track, for 
 the trees and vines on each side formed an impervious 
 hedge. After traveling, as I supposed, a couple of miles 
 in this way, I heard the barking of dogs, which had
 
 192 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 scented my approach ; and it was heard with the pleasure 
 which the sound always gives to the benighted traveler. 
 As I drew near the cabin, I discovered a group of persons 
 of different ages and sexes, seated round a fire which was 
 burning under an enormous tree. " Here he comes," 
 cried out several voices at once — for the whole party had 
 been looking for me with some anxiety. The settler 
 came forward and led me to the circle, with every expres- 
 sion of welcome, while the dogs, fierce at first, now 
 whined as if they would second the benevolence of their 
 master. The invitation was gladly accepted ; for by this 
 time I was chilled by the cold dews of the night. I 
 found my companions seated in the midst of the family, 
 and quite at home. The family consisted of the mother 
 and fourteen children ; the oldest a young woman about 
 eighteen, the youngest an infant ; all apparently glowing 
 with health. I made an acquaintance in a few minutes 
 with some half dozen flaxen-haired rogues, answering 
 their questions, and requiring them to answer mine. 
 The primitive innocence and simplicity which prevailed 
 in this family seemed almost without alloy. ^\\qj were 
 neatly dressed, and looked more like a party of pleasure 
 than a family taking refuge in the wild from the gripe of 
 poverty and want. Looking around, I found myself in 
 the midst of the woods, with the exception of the small 
 space which had been cleared to make room for the cabin, 
 which was built of rough logs, the spaces still open. 
 
 Our horse had been tethered, and a bundle of reeds cut 
 for him. I entered into conversation with our host, who 
 appeared much better informed than the generality of 
 settlers. He was a native of the State of Connecticut, 
 where he had sold a small i)roperty for the i)urpose of re- 
 moving to Ohio, in order that he might be better able to 
 provide for his growing family ; but finding his means
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 193 
 
 inadequate, or hearing very favorable accounts of the new 
 countries west of the Mi.ssiHsii)pi, had continued his mi- 
 gration to this spot. Here he had settled, or according 
 to the common phrase squatted, on public land, in the 
 hope of enjoying the bounty of the government for his 
 enterprise, or at least of being able to secure a sufficient 
 quantity of fertile land at a low price. In the mean time 
 he had neither rent nor taxes to pay, and was exempt 
 from many of those duties which are necessary in old set- 
 tlements and close neighborhoods. 
 
 Being called to supper, we all entered the cabin, where 
 the table was spread and rough benches placed around it. 
 A tin cup full of rich milk was placed before each of us, 
 while cakes of the indian-meal were smoking on the 
 board. The good man said grace in a reverent manner, 
 and we did ample justice to the simple and wholesome 
 fare. Surrounded hy health, innocence, and benevolence, 
 who, unless it were Satan himself, or some of his emissa- 
 ries, could fail to be pleased and thankful for this hospi- 
 tality ? 
 
 When the repast was finished and thanks returned, we 
 took our seats once more beneath the spreading tree, and 
 wbiled away an hour in conversation. The Yankee girls 
 were chatty, and the whole family were delighted with 
 our company in this lonely place — which they had begun 
 to find so, although not two months since they reached 
 it. The bears and wolves were their nearest neighbors 
 and most frequent visitors ! The time for retiring to rest 
 having arrived, our host rose and said: "Friends, it is 
 the practice of our family to give half an hour every even- 
 ing to religious worship ; if you think i)roj>er you will 
 join us, otherwise remain where you are." Who could 
 have declined such an invitation ? Politeness alone, with 
 me, would have been a sufficient motive ; Ualph assented
 
 1 94 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 from habit, as well as religious feeling ; and even the 
 hardened boatman was overawed into an appearance of 
 sanctity. I must do myself the justice to say, that I felt 
 a sincere desire to join the family in their good work. 
 We again entered the cabin, now, for the time, the house 
 of God. The family joined in a sacred hymn, after which 
 a chapter in the Bible was read, and the whole was con- 
 cluded by an extempore prayer by the father of the 
 family. The scene will never pass from my memory — it 
 was a scene of moral beauty which I have never seen 
 surpassed. We were shown our place of rest in the loft, 
 and I addressed myself to rest, in the hope that the 
 guardian angel of the family might shelter me also under 
 his protecting wing. 
 
 I envy not the feelings of t^iat being who is incapable 
 of reverential awe, in approaching the shrine, where, 
 with decent humility, the sinner makes an offering to his 
 God of an humble and grateful heart! May I never 
 entertain any other sentiment of the salutary and blessed 
 influence of the Christian worship, and of its intrinsic 
 value to the human race, however I may differ from 
 others as to creeds and modes of faith.* The Christian 
 belief is the still but not silent monitor which speaks in 
 gentle whispers, where even conscience might be lulled 
 to rest, and where the force of human laws cannot pene- 
 trate. To millions of my fellow-creatures it is the fount- 
 ain of bliss, of fortitude, of consolation, of hope, of resig- 
 nation, Avhich philosophy cannot supply nor insensibility 
 procure ; and which sheds its benign influence alike on 
 the weak and on the strong, on the enlightened and 
 unlettered, on the mighty and the humble, on the rich 
 
 " For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight, 
 His can't bo wrong whose life is in tho right."
 
 RECOLLECTIOXS OF THE WEST. 195 
 
 and on the poor — on all who seek it and cherish it in their 
 hearts. What shall we say of the wretched man who 
 attempts to annihilate this golden chain which binds the 
 human soul to the throne of the Almighty? He is worse 
 than the traitor, for he does not rebel against an epheme- 
 ral potentate, but conspires against society itself ; he is 
 worse than the robber or the murderer, for he filches 
 away that which wealth cannot purchase, and destroys 
 the hope of a life eternal in the heavens! 
 
 We rose with the sun, and took leave of the hospitable 
 settler. During the whole of the day we traveled over 
 a perfect plain, alternately prairie and open parks of tall 
 trees — oak, walnut, hickory, mulberry and sassafras. 
 The shrubbery was arranged in borders, as if by design, 
 intermingled with the catalpa, the dogwood, and sumach. 
 The enameled meads were pastured here and there by 
 groups of cattle, the ground in places red with ripe straw- 
 berries. A few cabins were seen at a distance, near the 
 edge of the wood. We contrived to keep away hunger 
 until night, by means of some biscuit and a little dried 
 venison we had procured at New Madrid, and we stopped 
 DOW and then to eat strawberries. After crossing the 
 Bis: Prairie, we came to a house, and were well accom- 
 modated for the night 
 
 The next day, after traveling about thirty-five miles 
 over a country somewhat hilly — at least comparatively 
 so, we made a halt at the house of a solitary settler, ap- 
 pearances promising but little, although the settlement 
 bore the marks of some antiquity. He could not be called 
 the old man of the hill, like the character in Tom Jones ; 
 he had a family, and he informed us there were several 
 sprouts from it not far off. He might be named the old 
 man of the canebrake, having cut his way through one, 
 some ten or fifteen years before, from tiie Mississippi.
 
 19G BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 He gave us some hog-meat and coarse hominy for supper, 
 threw a bearskin on the ground for us, and in the mean 
 time entertained us with the latest and freshest news. 
 " You hearrin tell, I 'spose, of Braddicks defeat. Well, I 
 was one o' them what font there. I was from Maryland, 
 but most o' the melishy was from Figinny — and there was 
 Washington, he font like a man — and ye hearrin arter 
 that, I 'spose, how he got head gineral o' the whole army. 
 Then he got president o' the 'Nited States' — and arter 
 that I hearrin tell o' one John Adams — but he never 
 font — whose president now, I don't know." The names 
 of Jefferson, or Madison, or even of Franklin, had 
 never reached him, because they neve?^ font I Where 
 mere notoriety is popularity, can a man of sense feel him- 
 self flattered by it — when military fame, the lowest of 
 all kind of fame, yet, from its being on a level with the 
 vulgar understanding, raises its possessor higher than 
 those qualities which might lift a man to a rank with the 
 angels! Take away from it the share which belongs to 
 fortune, or the merit of others w^hich it has had the 
 luck to appropriate to itself, and then bring into view 
 the vices, the ferocity, the crimes which may disgrace 
 the possessor ; and what is its intrinsic value ? Wash- 
 ington was great, but it was not on account of the 
 attributes ascribed to him by the vulgar, but for those 
 qualities which gained the applause of the virtuous and 
 enlightened. That which I have related may be con- 
 sidered an extraordinary instance of ignorance for this 
 country — but the stock of knowledge possessed by the 
 great body of the people is less than we are disposed to 
 believe. There is still need for the schoolmaster. 
 
 After leaving the hero of ]3raddock's war, we passed, 
 or rather waded, a dismal swamp about seven miles across, 
 where we had some difficulty now and then in following —
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 107 
 
 what was neither road uor path. About noon wc passed 
 Cape Girardeau, and came in sight of the "father of 
 rivers." We continued on, in hopes of reaching a Shaw- 
 anese village, about twelve or fifteen miles farther. It was 
 dusk when we reached it, much fatigued, and repaired to 
 the wigwam of the chief to solicit lodgings, confiding in 
 the Indian good name for hospitality — but in this instance 
 very undeserved. We were unexpectedly denied, but were 
 directed to another village a mile ofi". It was dark by the 
 time we reached it, bayed by some fifty dogs, as we went 
 from cabin to cabin, soliciting hospitality to no purpose. 
 Each one made some excuse, and directed us to his neigh- 
 bor. At last, we entered a cabin where we found a fine- 
 looking Indian, who was at first inclined to receive us, 
 when his wife raised such a clatter, that he started forth 
 to show us some other place; but after going a few paces, 
 he suddenly turned back, saying, *'No, you stay my 
 house." No hatching hen driven from her nest ever 
 made such a noise as did Madame Sauvagesse at this dis- 
 obedient conduct of her helpmate. He lighted a fire and 
 laid bearskins on the floor for us; but, in consequence 
 of the ill humor of his spouse, we were afraid to ask for 
 anything to eat, although hungry enough to digest nails. 
 We rose the next morning by daybreak, and were shown 
 the road by our host. 
 
 About noon we reached the next village, and went 
 immediately to the house of the old chief, who received 
 us hospitably, and set before us a large kettle full of 
 hominy.* 
 
 Having fasted since the day before, we ate of this until 
 our jaws ached without satisfying our hunger, until one 
 of his hunters brought in the carcass of a deer, of which 
 
 * Boiled indian-corn.
 
 198 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 Steaks were made, and these " appeased the rage within 
 us," like Homer's heroes. I could not but remark the 
 difference in point of intellig-ence between this chief and 
 the soldier of Braddock's war ! He not only knew the 
 name of the President, but even made particular inquiries 
 respecting our affairs with England and France, and the 
 prospect of peace or war with either ! He was one of the 
 Nine Brothers, a curious institution, which creates a kind 
 of masonic influence over the tribe. Whether it began 
 with nine persons who were really brothers, I do not 
 know ; but at present it is kept up by choice among the 
 most distinguished Indians. If in any of our cities, or 
 even States, an association were to be formed by nine 
 of the most considerable citizens, each one bavins: his 
 sphere of influence, yet concentrating the whole for some 
 common object, the power which the association would 
 possess would be almost absolute ! 
 
 As we were fatigued and found ourselves in good quar- 
 ters, we passed the rest of the day among the Indians, 
 and. sallied forth next morning, refreshed and in high 
 spirits, expecting to reach the end of our journey that 
 night. About half way we came to a stream, which, 
 being filled by back water from the Mississippi, was not 
 less than a hundred yards wide, and we were obliged to 
 cross it as we could, there being no ferry. The only thing 
 we could find, was a raft made of three logs fastened 
 together by grape vines ; upon this slender conveyance 
 we placed our baggage and clothes ; Bill swam the horse 
 and returned ; and as Ralph could not swim he was 
 seated on the raft, while Bill and I pushed it before us. 
 
 A thousand little recollections were awakened, and I 
 felt my heart beat, as we approached St. Genevieve. 
 The disappointed feelings at Gallipolis taught me to check 
 expectations of too pleasing a nature. I knew not whether
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 199 
 
 the family of the Beauvais was still there, or whether on 
 this side the grave ; and then what kind of reception 
 should I receive from them, and from those who were my 
 school-fellows, and who must now be the men and women 
 of St. Genevieve! Did they still preserve in remem- 
 brance, le petit xinglais, who was then vara avis among 
 them ? In spite of better judgment, busy fancy was at 
 work, and, nolens volens, framed a variety of pleasing 
 and amusing scenes. As I approached the rocky stream 
 which winds round one side of the village, and the com- 
 mon field of vast extent between it and the river, it was 
 pleasing to find that the place had not undergone an en- 
 tire change, although the appearance of a different style 
 of building intermingled with the old abodes, showed that 
 Americans had already set their feet in it. There was 
 enough left to answer to the landscape preserved by 
 memory, and which I had dwelt on so often, that it was 
 as familiar as "household words." The large dwelling 
 of the commandant. Monsieur Yalle, was still there ; the 
 inclosures of pickets, the intermingled orchards and gar- 
 dens, still gave a character distinct from the American 
 villages; while cattle, horned and without horns, were 
 the chief occupants of the streets and highways. A sign 
 on the other side of the Gabarie having caught my eye, I 
 resolved to make for it — in former times private hospi- 
 tality was the only recourse of the traveler. It was just 
 dark when we reached the inn — the landlord, after giving 
 us a glance, for we made a very shabby appearance, took 
 our horse to the stable, where he was placed in a decent 
 stall, while he pointed out to us a kind of out-house where 
 we might deposit our baggage, and seek repose for the 
 night on some miserable ^/•a?)^^^'. The place was infested 
 with rats, and so impudent were they, that in the morn- 
 ing poor Bill found they had carried off his greasy pan-
 
 200 BRACKENRIDOE'S 
 
 taloons ; and on fresh pursuit after the thieves, the frag- 
 ments were found in a hole in one corner. I was obliged 
 to give him mine to prevent his appearance sans culotte. 
 I dressed myself in a neat summer suit, with silk stock- 
 ings and pumps: for I always made it a point to take 
 some pains in my toilet "on my first appearance on any 
 stage," in order to make a favorable impression; and 
 therefore was careful to have a suitable dress when it was 
 necessary to assume the disguise of a gentleman. The 
 landlord was surprised when I entered and he was in* 
 formed that I was one of the three footmen ; he apologized 
 for his mistake, and gave me the choice of his rooms. 
 Soon after, my correspondent called on me, and introduced 
 me to other persons. I had already been expected, and 
 had been preceded by some reputation, — like a second or 
 third rate performer on the London boards, who is to ap- 
 pear on a provincial theater. My baggage, books, etc. 
 had arrived safely. 
 
 I now directed my inquiries to obtain information of 
 the good people who had kindly taken care of me when a 
 boy, and had the satisfaction to learn that they w^ere still 
 living, and in health ; but that all their children had been 
 married off, except the youngest, Zouzou, who was in the 
 cradle when I bade them adieu, and that she was to be 
 married that very evening. Although impatient to see 
 these friends once more, I determined to w^ait until even- 
 ing and prepare an agreeable surprise for them by volun- 
 teering as a guest to the wedding. It was gratifying to 
 find that, instead- of being forgotten in the place, the re- 
 collection of me had grown with the young generation ; 
 that I was the suliject of many inquiries; and that my 
 arrival would be a holiday to the village as well as to my- 
 self. Accordingly, I repaired in the evening to the 
 house, which, from having seen much larger edifices, was
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 201 
 
 not the spacious mansion I used to think it, although it 
 had undergone no change — the change was in myself, in 
 mv own ideas. Our native town or village, and the 
 abode of our childhood, when seen after visiting larger 
 places and seeing more spacious dwellings, are apt to 
 dwindle in their size and importance. The throb of 
 anxiety which I felt may be imagined — it was like the 
 return of a rhild absent from its parents in the interval 
 between infancy and manhood. The house was filled 
 with people, and lighted up with all the gayety on such 
 occasions customary in French villages, where nearly all 
 the inhabitants are related to each other. I stepped to 
 the door and told the servant a person wished to speak to 
 Madame Beauvais, who soon made her appearance, much 
 older in her looks than when I saw her last, but still 
 a hale old woman of sixty, with the same open, cheerful 
 countenance. " Madame," said I, " do you recollect the 
 little English boy ?" She looked at me a moment, and then 
 screamed, " Comment — est il j^o.^^ible? Qui — oui — c^est 
 lui — c'e.s-/ lui — c'e.s/ Henri P^ She threw her arms round 
 my neck, while her exclamations brought out the company, 
 grandchildren, cousins, uncles, neighbors, bride and bride- 
 groom ; and when the matter was explained, such a buss- 
 ing frolic took place as was never surpassed even in St. 
 Genevieve. I was conducted in, and placed by the side 
 of the old people. Monsieur Beauvais was more lively 
 and cheerful than I had ever seen him before — the rigid 
 muscles of his face appeared to have relaxed almost into 
 a grimace. The cups ai\d saucers I had presented the 
 bride, and which were the reward of my literary progress, 
 were produced on the table, to show that neither le petit 
 Anglais nor his gift had lj<ien forgotten. 
 
 The next morning the servants of Monsieur Beauvais 
 came and carried oil' my baggage, and 1 was obliged to 
 
 18
 
 202 BRA CKENRID GE ' S 
 
 follow. ''Henri,^^ said Madame Beauvais, "you are now 
 our only child, let this be your home ; stay with us, Henri ; 
 we are rejoiced that we have found a child we thought 
 was lost ; you have come to console us in our old age — 
 restez, Henri; restez avec nous.^^ 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ^ Scenes of Childhood. 
 
 I PASSED the first week after my return to St. Genevieve 
 in comparing the real scenes with the ideas fondly pre- 
 served in my memory. Two years of boyhood had been 
 passed here, equal in importance to thrice the number at 
 any subsequent period, especially when from circum- 
 stances, as in m}^ case, there had been an early develop- 
 ment of the intellect. My years, indeed, were few, 
 although the incidents of my life, as the reader must by 
 this time have discovered, were many ; and there was 
 consequent upon them a greater maturity of reflection 
 than is usual with persons of my age. But this was not 
 the case with the gallop of my animal spirits. I had 
 nearly all my wild oats yet to sow ; I was persecuted by 
 a half-cracked vivacity, which extracted joy from every- 
 thing, like " sunbeams from cucumbers ;" yet there was 
 occasional short transition of madness, not inconsistent 
 with the disposition to look upon the " gayest, happiest 
 attitude of things." 
 
 In this mixed, or rather tinged feeling, I ran over the 
 flinty hills or cotes west of the village, which still had 
 the same uncultivated appearance, a (fording nourishment
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 203 
 
 to shrubby trcus, and viiit's uf the .suiiiiiier grape, of 
 which the inhal)itants used to fabricate their choicest 
 Burgundy. It was on this spot, when eight years of age, 
 I first noticed the misty purple blush on the distant hills 
 beyond the Mississippi ; a beauty of nature which I have 
 elsewhere dwelt upon with delight, for it called to my re- 
 membrance the hours of my childhood. 
 
 From this spot, the wide and fertile plain stretched out 
 before me, extending to the margin of the mighty among 
 the rivers of the earth. It was the common field of the 
 village, whose fertile soil for seventy years had yielded 
 its teeming harvests of spring wheat and indian-corn. 
 To the north of the village forming its boundary, lay the 
 course of the deep and muddy Gabarie, overhung with 
 thick foliage and grape-vines of interminable but barren 
 luxuriance, or at most yielding a scanty vintage of 
 winter grapes for the birds who linger here until blown 
 away by the rude breath of the season. And here let me 
 note that it is only the dwarf vines of the poor hills that 
 are fruitful, and I must therefore put in a demurrer to 
 the case stated by ^[onsieur de Chateaubriand, of the in- 
 toxication of his imaginary bears on the rich must of the 
 giant vines, which he saw on the Mississippi. I can excuse 
 liis Messieurs and Mesdames Sauvages et Sauvageses, and 
 the violin of Monsieur Friquette, for manners change, but 
 nature is ever the same. 
 
 A little higher up, the Gabarie occupies a rocky bed, 
 and forms occasional pools of deep water, in one of which 
 I received my first lessons in the useful art of swimming 
 from Monsieur Baptiste Yalle, brother to our much- 
 re.spected commandant. Below the village, outside of the 
 great common field, near a stream which joins the Gaba- 
 rie, whilom stood the village of the Kickapoo Indians, 
 long since evaporated without leaving a trace behind.
 
 204 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 The streets, the gardens, the houses, the old weather- 
 beaten church of St. Genevieve, told me of a thousand 
 things, some fresh in my recollection, others partly for- 
 gotten. But the sight of the " human face divine" 
 awakened a deeper interest, as well on account of those 
 who still remained, as of those who had passed away. I 
 have already spoken of my venerable foster-parents. The 
 good curate, St. Pierre, had gone to Lower Louisiana, his 
 place being supplied by an Irish priest, who took more 
 pleasure in his dog and gun than in the celebration of the 
 mass and the spiritual concerns of his flock. The school- 
 master, who used to flog me sometimes for the edification 
 of his other scholars, had paid the debt to nature. The 
 commandant, Monsieur Yalle, was no more, " and had 
 not left his peer." What changes in the course of ten 
 years, in our short span of life! 
 
 My godmother Avas not long in exhausting the chronicle 
 of all important events in the history of the village, and 
 many were the digressions and episodes slipped in by 
 Monsieur Beauvais! And then he asked me a hundred 
 questions in turn. '* It is a large place, that Pennsyl- 
 vania, close by Boston." G^est une grand ville, cette 
 Pensilvayii, tout pre s de Boston! 
 
 I must here take notice of the agreeable party of 
 pleasure made by the young friends of the new-married 
 couple, the youth of both sexes of the village, accompanied 
 by a few elders and matrons to preserve order. We 
 ascended in two barges to the old Forte de Chartre, on the 
 bank of the Mississippi. Here we danced and strolled about 
 until evening. The noble ruin was already half-buried in 
 the Mississippi : the mossy walls which remained, hidden 
 by a forest of trees and tall shrubs, were highly pictur- 
 esque : while the moral associations were such as are not 
 often awakened in the New World. The sprightly village,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 205 
 
 which hud once nourished near its walls, had disappeared, 
 without leaving a single trace of its former existence. 
 After spending a day of youthful merriment and joy, we 
 returned in the evening, enlivening the lonely banks of 
 the river with the sound of flutes and violins, accom- 
 panied by the human voice. 
 
 Another week brought with it other thoughts and 
 other occupations. If my heart was light, my purse was 
 not heavy. The session of the superior court of the 
 Territory, held alternately at this place and at St. Louis, 
 was expected in the course of ten days after my arrival. 
 The hope of gain, and the vanity of display in my pro- 
 fession, now occupied my thoughts. 1 was engaged as 
 the counsel of a French lady, who claimed a considerable 
 sum out of the estate of her husband, who had died much 
 involved. The creditors claimed the whole, which she 
 contested, under a marriage contract executed before the 
 change of the government. The law of the case I dis- 
 covered to be the coutume de Paris, which was the com- 
 mon law of the French colonies, and which had not been 
 changed by the Spanish king. An old copy of the cus- 
 tom of Paris, in two quarto volumes, happened to be in 
 the possession of Monsieur Beauvais, and to this I now 
 devoted my days and nights. The day for the display of 
 my learning and oratory at length came ; and now, gen- 
 tle reader, who do you think was the chief justice before 
 whom I was about to appear ? Do you recollect the 
 French gentleman pushing his canoe up the Ohio, with 
 his skins and lead, and the little boy shaking with the 
 ague, who was afterward dropped at the house of Mon- 
 sieur Saugrain ? That gentleman and our chief justice are 
 the same individual, and the little boy is the grave law- 
 •yer, now expounding before him the laws of France, and 
 making nice distinctions between the douaire and the dot 
 
 18*
 
 206 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 — reading pages in French, and urging the rights of his 
 client, as a privileged claimant, in the English language, 
 before an American court! Such occurrences are not 
 common in other countries, but in ours they have nothing 
 of the romance even of real life. The associate justice 
 was a German, who had touched our shores about eight 
 years before, and A^^ho, after learning the English 
 language, had applied himself to the law, in the town of 
 Somerset, my late abode. He was a man of good educa- 
 tion, and, by perseverance, had made himself a respecta- 
 ble lawyer, married the daughter of an influential citizen, 
 at whose instance the member of Congress from the dis- 
 trict had recommended him to Mr. Jefferson. I was 
 listened to with profound respect by the judges, both of 
 whom spoke French, and my former guardian could 
 hardly contain his satisfaction, especially when I indulged 
 in some compliments to the sagacity of the President of 
 the United States in selecting men so peculiarly qualified 
 to decide a case like that before the court. The opposite 
 counsel passed by my French law with contempt — per- 
 haps a sneer was the utmost, in their estimation, it 
 deserved — but dwelt with confidence on the doctrine laid 
 down by Blackstone and some other common law writers. 
 They, in turn, were treated by the judges with equal in- 
 difference, who took no notice of Blackstone, and pro- 
 nounced a decision in favor of my client. 
 
 I had other clients, and among them the sons of Colonel 
 Perry, who had been client of my father thirty years 
 before. They resided at the lead mines, and had law- 
 suits about the right of soil where lead ore was found ; I 
 was also successful in their cases. In the course of the 
 term I was appointed to defend an unfortunate man in- 
 dicjted for a murder, which had occurred in the mine 
 district. A field was presented for declamation, and little
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 207 
 
 else, as the evidence was too strong to hang a reasonable 
 doubt upon. The unhappy man stood as unmoved as a 
 statue ; his rugged frame and harsh features were those 
 of a bravo. He was found guilty, and sentenced to pay 
 the forfeit of his crime. 
 
 At the termination of the court my success was quite 
 equal to my expectations. I found myself the owner of a 
 good horse, and had some cash in my purse. When I 
 looked before me, the world seemed a store-house of in- 
 exhaustible pleasure, and life, and immortality — such are 
 the flattering illusions of youth. But when I surveyed 
 the scene of my present display, there were some things 
 which grated harshly on my habits and feelings. On 
 the first day of the term I remarked the number of armed 
 people about me — some with pistols behind them, under 
 their coats; nearly all with dirks peeping from their 
 bosoms ; even the judges on the bench had their pistols 
 and ataghans by their sides! What a state of society! 
 thought I. On inquiry, I found that the blood and 
 slaughter was less than might be expected from the 
 belligerent attitude of every one — perhaps for the very 
 reason that all were armed. But such occurrences were 
 undoubtedly more frequent than in the old settlements, 
 and were sufficient to diffuse a painful feeling of insecu- 
 rity. Few persons of any note had escaped personal 
 difficulties ; and those newly come must make up their 
 minds to be placed, soon or late, in a situation to commit 
 murder, or to be murdered. By affecting the bully, and 
 bearding some weak disciple, like the merchant in Iladji 
 Baba, one might escape for awhile ; but woe to the 
 unfortunate wight who should be suspected of any 
 Christian abhorrence for scenes of blood! And what, 
 after all, was the great prize to be gained by encounter- 
 ing those worse than dangers ? The golden fleece of
 
 208 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 Jason would be no reward for the agonizing tortures of a 
 guilty conscience ! 
 
 I will relate a little incident, which was the occasion of 
 some mirth at iwj expense. My friend Perry undertook 
 to return the horse, so kindly lent me by Mr. Humphreys, 
 which was to be by the postrider. He went to the 
 stable, where he found but one horse, a hay instead of a 
 black. I suddenly recollected that I had tied a silk thread 
 about his fetlock, so as to be able to identify him. Sure 
 enough, it was there — buc it was the thread that was 
 black, not the horse. 
 
 I had not yet made up my mind to remain permanently 
 in Missouri: New Orleans offered me, in perspective at 
 least, much more brilliant prospects. I had a friend there 
 who was in a situation to place me in practice ; besides, 
 I wished to see a little more of the world before I became, 
 to use a legal phrase, glebae adstrictis. Mr. Perry had 
 given me a friendly invitation to pass a few weeks at the 
 mine in Burton, which I cheerfully accepted, intending 
 to pass from that place to St. Louis, where I had some 
 acquaintance. My attention had been turned to the study 
 of geology and chemistry, and the natural sciences.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Journey to the Lead Mines — Mode of settling Disputes a 
 
 I'amiable. 
 
 At early dawn Mr. Perry appeared in the court-yard 
 of Monsieur Beauvais, with our horses saddled and ready 
 for the journey. As the distance was forty miles, and no 
 house on the road, Madame Beauvais had provided a suit- 
 able nooning, besides a substantial breakfast, to begin 
 with. 
 
 With light and youthful hearts we began our journey 
 of forty miles without expecting to meet with mile-stones, 
 or " human face divine," by the way; but we knew of no 
 dangers excepting such casualties as might attend the 
 traveler anywhere. It was not so during my first abode 
 at St. Genevieve, when the terrible Osages kept the in- 
 habitants in constant fear. Since the change of govern- 
 ment, they had committed but one outrage upon the white 
 people, which was the seizure of a new-married couple 
 and their cortege, on the way '.o town from the Mine a 
 Burton, depriving them of their horses and fine clothes, 
 but without any other injury than reducing them to the 
 condition of our first parents in the garden of Eden. It 
 was the boast of the Osages that, in all their robberies 
 and alarming inroads, they had never shed the blood of 
 white men; but for my part I would be very unwilling 
 to trust them. 
 
 The first twenty miles of our journey lay over flinty 
 hills and along narrow ridges, whose oaks were not of 
 the usual towering western growth, but in the deep hoi-
 
 210 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 lows, which frequently appeared, there were gloomy 
 forests of pine, and sometimes, in close proximity, fine 
 groves of sugar-trees, and other growth indicating a better 
 soil. The country became less hilly and less broken as 
 we receded from the Mississippi and approached a broad, 
 shallow stream flowing over a gravelly bed, and called la 
 Grande Riviere, anglice, BigPdver, for what cause I know 
 not, for it neither suited the name given it by the French 
 nor the American translation. Without making any 
 further objection to the name, we thought it a very suit- 
 able place to rest ourselves and our horses. Accordingly, 
 taking off the saddles, we spread the saddle blankets, on 
 which we gave to each horse a feed of corn, and then 
 turned them loose to graze ; after which we betook our- 
 selves to the shade of a noble sycamore on the bank of 
 the wizard stream — perhaps the very scene of the Osage 
 incivility just related — a spot of such beauty as might 
 have warmed the fancy of Ariosto. Here we visited our 
 wallet, and, seasoned with health, hunger, and youthful 
 spirits and mirth, sat down to a repast which would not 
 suffer by a comparison with the golden age, so eloquently 
 described by Don Quixote in his speech to the goatherds! 
 Reader, you may well smack your lips, for such a feast 
 docs not befall you every day, — and there the ruby wine 
 diluted with water from the limpid current, and reflecting 
 its sunny hues on the sides of the new tin cup ! This 
 was before the day of temperance societies. I am no 
 enemy to them, — I wish them well, and have made 
 speeches at their meetings, and bless everything they 
 have done against those great infernal spirits, whisky, 
 rum, and brandy; and against the lesser imps, in the 
 shape of gin, julep, toddy, cock-tail, and fog-matic; but 
 with respect to the pure, genuine juice of the grape, I 
 confess that I am not orthodox, for I do religiously be-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 211 
 
 lieve that the vine and its fruit are the gift of Heaven, in- 
 tended for the use of man, although not to be abused by 
 him. Enthusiasm in a good cause is apt to run into fa- 
 naticism. I have heard of people cutting down fine 
 orchards of apple-trees, because the apples might be 
 made into cider, and this innocent liquor converted into 
 an intoxicating drink by distillation. The Tartars make 
 a strong drink of their camels' milk by fermentation, and, 
 on the principle of the destroyers of the apple-tree or the 
 vine, they ought to kill their camels, lest they should give 
 milk which might be converted into the means of drunk- 
 enness, instead of serving as a healthful nourishment. 
 
 After resuming our journey, we entered a country of a 
 less fertile appearance, the timber dwarfish, the surface of 
 the land uneven but less hilly, and abounding with spots 
 where the limestone showed itself in naked masses on 
 the surface, and near them, frequently, small grassy glades, 
 with rich herbage, and abounding at the time with ripe 
 strawberries. As we approached the diggings, as the 
 mines were called, we passed over numerous flinty hills, 
 where the mineral blossom, or spar, glittered on the 
 ground, indicating the mineral region. The name of dig- 
 gings was much more appropriate than that of mines, for 
 they were nothing more than numerous pits, with the 
 red earth thrown out near them, like newly dug wells. 
 These covered a space in some places of ten or twenty 
 acres, with the remains of hastily constructed cabins, the 
 superficial search after the ore having J)een accomplished, 
 and the explorers having gone in pursuit of other dis- 
 coveries ; for such is the name given to the latest diggings 
 where some one has been so lucky as to find an abundance 
 of ore near the surface. The divining rod, I was in- 
 formed, was pretty generally used ; but I presume the 
 more observing and experienced formed their opinions
 
 212 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 from the appearance and color of the clay, the deposits 
 on the surface, and other peculiarities in the configura- 
 tion of the land. 
 
 We entered the villa s^e of Mine a Burton in the evening, 
 situated in a long, narrow defile, on the banks of a small 
 stream, the houses being on each side and far apart ; such 
 was its appearance at that day, — it is perhaps very dif- 
 ferent now. It was a very humble village, the dwellings 
 more properly cabins than houses, with the exception of 
 that of Colonel Austin, the nabob of the place, whose 
 dwelling, situated on an elevated point, had compara- 
 tively something of a castle-like appearance. I was wel- 
 comed to the abode of my companion by his venerable 
 parents, Colonel Perry and Mrs. Perry, and two sons, 
 who were at home. I recollected to have seen them be- 
 fore, and they were overjoyed to meet with one fi'om the 
 same part of Pennsylvania. Here I made a sojourn of 
 some weeks, enjoying the hospitality of this estimable 
 family, and making frequent excursions through the 
 mining district. In my "Views of Louisiana," I have 
 given something of the statistics and geography of this 
 portion of Missouri, and to repeat it here would not ac- 
 cord with this ''personal narrative." The course of my 
 previous studies had not led me into the new field which 
 now presented itself. I had general notions of chemistry 
 and geology, and, finding here a volume of Cuvier's 
 " Theory of the Earth," and a copy of the American 
 p]n cyclopedia, with Sir Humphry Davy's Agricultural 
 Chemistry, I applied myself with considerable ardor, and 
 laid the foundation of at least a taste or relish for such 
 studies, although only followed up afterward at intervals. 
 
 Of the manners of the inhabitants, or rather sojourners, 
 I shall only say that I met here some of the rudest and 
 most savage of the uncivilized portion of civilized society.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 213 
 
 Perpetual wrangles and many bloody quarrels took place 
 about their natural rights, as they were here almost in a 
 state of nature, the arm of the magistracy being power- 
 less, and the whole face of the country common property. 
 From necessity, they had to adopt a code of laws de- 
 fining — in a very rude manner, however — their respective 
 rights and privileges, but which were mostly sullied by 
 the arbitrament of the fist, the bludgeon, the dirk, or rifle. 
 For instance, the common digger or laborer who first 
 struck on a deposit of ore, had a right' to follow it up as 
 lonir as he pleased, and was entitled to the distance {usque 
 ad infernum) of one rod in every direction from the brink oi 
 his pit. The smelters, a kind of sutlers who furnished 
 supplies, received the ore, and extracted the lead, had also 
 their laws to prevent interference with each other, which 
 were not always faithfully observed, and this, of course, 
 gave rise to petty wars, in which their followers on each 
 side sometimes engaged. Among the more respectable 
 families, there was little harmony, some claiming exten- 
 sive grants from the Spanish government, which had not 
 yet received the final sanction of Congress, and which 
 the rest resisted on the ground of their conflicting with 
 the natural rights of man. The mining pursuits in gen- 
 eral were unfavorable to morals, being of an uncertain, 
 unsettled, and irregular character, tending to create a 
 gaming spirit, which awakened passions that produced 
 bloodshed and violence when not sufficiently restrained 
 by public opinion, or the interference of civil authority. 
 Vice and immorality are very apt to be the attendants of 
 gaming, whether carried on by roulette tables, by lotte- 
 ries, by fictitious banks, or by the art and mystery of 
 politics. 
 
 An anecdote was related to me of Colonel Smith in this 
 neighborhood, who had been on friendly terms with the 
 
 19
 
 214 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 young Penys, while they \Yere both at variance with Mr. 
 Austin, the father of Colonel Austin, afterward celebrated 
 in Texas. It happened, unfortunately, that Colonel Smith 
 and the Perrys fell out about something connected with 
 their mining pursuits, prol)ably in consequence of a. float- 
 ing grsLut which had been purchased by the Colonel; that 
 is, a grant without a determined locality, but susceptible 
 of being detached in parts and parcels, so as to cover 
 any new diggings which might be of sufficient importance 
 to justify the experiment, which may be readil}" imagined 
 could not be a very safe one. The Perrys were not the 
 kind of men to concede such a right, even to their old 
 friend ; for, although not disposed to encroach on the 
 rights of others, yet they could not be easily made to 
 surrender their own. They were young, athletic, brave 
 — they were brothers, and as true as steel to each other, 
 and, besides, had their followers, so that they were not 
 to be alarmed into measures ; and here a coolness took 
 place between them and Colonel Smith, who was one of 
 the most determined and intrepid men ever known in our 
 frontier settlements. One day, about half way from the 
 Mine a Burton to St. Genevieve, Mr. Samuel Perry was 
 overtaken by Colonel Smith, and, after riding some dis- 
 tance together, conversing on indifferent subjects, the 
 Colonel suddenly addressed him-in the following manner: 
 "Mr. Perry, we have been friends for a long time, and 
 I feel great regret that any misunderstanding should have 
 arisen between us; here we are entirely alone, and there 
 is no one to interrupt us — let us settle the matter in an 
 amicable way. You know my aversion to law and law- 
 yers, and their quibbles; I have here a couple of friends 
 that have no mistake in them. Here, take your choice — 
 they are both loaded and equally true." Mr. Perry, with- 
 out losing his presence of mind, politely thanked him,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF TUE WEST. 215 
 
 and declined the proffered civility, as he had some business 
 of importance at St. Genevieve, which could not be so well 
 transacted by his ghod. The Colonel was sorry the dis- 
 pute could not be settled in this i-ational manner, after 
 which they jogged on together, changing the subject of 
 discourse to matters of a different nature. 
 
 It was my intention to proceed from the mines to St. 
 Louis, the capital of the Territory, without returning to St. 
 Genevieve, the former being at the distance of a day and a 
 half journey on horseback. I had some letters of introduc- 
 tion to deliver — one to the governor — and was personally 
 acquainted with Mr. Bates, the secretary of the Territory, 
 and brother of my lamented friend, with whom I had 
 served a part of my apprenticeship in the law. I ex- 
 pected also to meet a gentleman of the name of Graham, 
 w^ho had been my roommate at Jefferson College, and 
 who had recently gone to St. Louis for the purpose of 
 engaging in the practice. There was, besides, my old 
 landlord. Doctor Saugrain, who was in good practice as 
 a physician at that place, and of whose success I had 
 keard a very satisfactory account ; there w^as, also, my 
 old German teacher, that singular oddity and original, 
 Herr Shewe, who, I learned, had flourished for awhile as 
 a painter, — but that occupation failing, had opened an 
 establishment for the sale of small wares, beer, soap, can- 
 dles, sal^fish, and a variety of other huckstery; yet I 
 knew, let his occupation be what it might, he could not 
 cease to be the same philosopher, original genius, and 
 inimitable jester, whether over a tankard of beer or in 
 the pulpit. The latter situation he honestly and consci- 
 entiously renounced, from a belief that he was not suited 
 for it, and of this there could not be a doubt. I have 
 heard him say tliat, when he first pro})osed to his father 
 to let him study divinity, the old man indignantly said to
 
 216 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 him : *' You bo a minister ! — you rasbkel, you have not an 
 ounce of minister's flesh on your rashkelly pones." Thus, 
 in repairing to the headquarters of the great capital of this 
 future State, I would not be entirely a stranger. I would 
 meet at once acquaintance, and perhaps /?'ie?if/s/?ip, or at 
 least something resembling that name, even if it be but a 
 
 name, — 
 
 ''A shade that follows wealth and fame, 
 But leaves the wretch to weep." 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Journey from the Mines to St. Louis. 
 
 I HAD received a polite invitation from Colonel Smith 
 to spend a day with him, as his residence lay in my way 
 to St. Louis. The invitation had been accepted, and now 
 taking leave of my hospitable friends, I set out alone on 
 horseback, following the road pointed out to me. After 
 riding about ten miles, without passing a single house, I 
 was at the Colonel's gate, before I suspected that his resi- 
 dence was near, fur it was not indicated by the slightest 
 appearance of cultivation or improvement. It was situ- 
 ated on a dry poor ridge, with a few scattered stunted 
 oaks ; the spot probably chosen on account of its barren- 
 ness. The situation was clean and airy, and supi)iied 
 with a good spring of water. I found afterward that 
 such spots are usually preferred in tlie Southern State 
 wh(;nce the Colonel had migrated. Tiie great baronial 
 ])];Hiters of the Soulli i)refer these out-of-the-wa}^ situa- 
 tions, at a distance from interfering and pi'ying neighbors,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 217 
 
 and the vexation of intermin.irling cattle. It was a saying 
 of the venerable Macon of North Carolina, the American 
 Cato, that he never wished to live so near another as to 
 be within hearing of the hark of his dog / A space of 
 five or six miles is considered quite near enough for a 
 next door neighbor. 
 
 I was met at the gate by the Colonel, in the free and 
 open manner of Southern hospitality, and led through the 
 well-swept yard to his dwelling ; for, after the manner of 
 the Southern States, the yard was carefully kept clean of 
 weeds and grass, so as to afford no shelter for mosquitoes 
 or snakes ; at the same time rendering the walking more 
 agreeable, as the dews which fall in this climate render a 
 grass-plat more pleasing to the eye than to the feet. The 
 dwelling was a double log-cabin ; that is, two cabins 
 joined by a passage under the same roof: one of these, 
 being the parlor, dining and bed-room of the family ; the 
 other, intended for the accommodation of strangers. 
 There were other detached buildings, some in the yard 
 and others out of it ; serving for kitchen and other offices. 
 Such are very commonly the hasty buildings of the new 
 settlers, which in time are replaced by structures more 
 expensive and commodious. 
 
 Such was the castle of Colonel Smith, one of the most 
 famous and really formidable men, in his way, in the 
 Western States and Territories, and who, for the number 
 and success of his personal rencounters, stood unrivaled. 
 Nothing was wanting but a more extended sphere of ac- 
 tion to have equaled or surpassed the fame of Marion or 
 Putnam. There was nothing in his ai)pearance, how- 
 ever, to denote the ferce belligerent. He was a small 
 man, of a delicate frame, even somewhat effeminate in his 
 appearance — mild blue eyes, fair hair, fair complexion — 
 his face smooth and youthful, although he was not less 
 
 19*
 
 218 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 than forty years of age. His manners, in his family, were 
 mild and gentle ; kindness and benevolence appeared to 
 be the natural growth of his heart. Mrs. Smith seemed 
 to be one of the most amiable of her sex, and their only 
 child, a daughter, about ten years old, seemed to possess 
 the modesty and sweetness of disposition of her mother. 
 
 The next morning, after breakfast, the Colonel con- 
 ducted me to his armory, for I will not lessen its dignity 
 by calling it his gunsmith-shop ! Here was a surprising 
 number of fire-arms of all descriptions, from the blunder- 
 buss to the pocket pistol ; and no small number of swords 
 and dirks. Two negro men and a boy were at work; 
 they had been taught by first-rate artists, and the Colonel 
 himself was not only an unrivaled connoisseur, but an 
 amateur artist of superior skill. At the present day, the 
 guest would be conducted into the library ; but I am 
 writing of the fifteenth century, of the days of chivalry 
 which followed the Crusades. 
 
 As preparations had been made for a hunt, or drive, 
 as it is called, he took down 2i favorite rifle, and placed 
 another in my hands, with a high recommendation of its 
 good qualities. We proceeded to mount our horses, while 
 the black huntsman struck into the woods in a different 
 direction. After proceeding about half a mile the Colonel 
 suddenly stopped, and taking a deliberate aim, brought 
 down a hawk from a high tree, but before proceeding to 
 the spot, to ascertain the accuracy of the shot, he wiped 
 his rifle and then loaded, carefully examining the flint. 
 About a mile farther we took our stand near the junction 
 of two streams, and it was not long before we heard the 
 approach of the hounds in full cry. Before I could dis- 
 cover the game, the Colonel's gun went off, he rushed 
 forward with his hunting knife, and by the time I over- 
 took him, he was already bleeding a deer. It is wonder-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 219 
 
 fill what steadiness, self-possession, and quickness are ac- 
 quired by the practiced hunter, and I may add the prac- 
 ticed in any art. The Indian hunter, whose senses of 
 hearing and smelling are exercised from early infancy, 
 seem to equal the instinct of animals; he will discern the 
 slightest movement in the thicket, almost impervious to 
 the common e3^e ; the head, or even the bill of a turkey, 
 although perfectly motionless, will be discovered by him 
 through the long grass of the prairie. 
 
 On our return, the dogs raised a bear, who after a short 
 chase took refuge in a cave at the foot of a high rocky 
 cliff. The hounds barked furiously at the entrance of the 
 low-browed cavern, but did not dare to venture in. We 
 must have this fellow, said the Colonel, and immediately 
 proceeded to kindle a fire, after which he formed several 
 torches by twisting the inner fibers of dry bark, which he 
 placed on the end of a stick. One of them being lighted, 
 the hunter w^as ordered to crawl into the cave as far as 
 he could, in order to reconnoitre. Cuffee obeyed, but had 
 gone but a little way in, when he uttered a scream and 
 crawled back much faster than he had entered. "He's a 
 snorter, massa, 1 tell you," said Cufi'ee; "he'd jump at 
 me like a porpus, and sneeze out de light, z' quick as tun- 
 der." The Colonel now determined to venture in himself. 
 Preparing a new torch he entered with it in one hand, 
 and his rifle in the other. In a few seconds, we heard a 
 shot, and out rushed the bear ; he was instantly seized by 
 the dogs, appeared to be badly wounded, and w^as soon 
 dispatched Ijy the hunter, while in the mean time the 
 Colonel joined us. According to his account, the bear 
 had again extinguished the torch, either by a puff or a 
 blow with his paw, and then retreated to his bed in the 
 back of the cave, but not before the place had been noted 
 by the Colonel, who now fired at iiiml>y guess, on which
 
 220 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Bruin rushed to the entrance ; the Colonel lay flat, and 
 the bear, squeezing himself over his back, got out of the 
 cave. I asked whether he had whispered in his ear as he 
 passed. " Yes," said he, " he told me, w^henever I wished 
 to have a thing well done, I must do it myself." 
 
 We returned for late dinner, which was excellent, with 
 the addition of fresh venison steaks. The Colonel pressed 
 me to stay some days longer, but I had made up my mind 
 to proceed to St. Louis next morning, and with that true 
 hospitality which welcomes the coming and speeds the 
 parting guest, he insisted no further. 
 
 In the evening he took me again to the armory, instead 
 of the library, where I might find instruction and amuse- 
 ment ; yet it was not without some association of literary 
 ideas, for I found myself mechanically repeating the first 
 line of the -^neid, 
 
 " Arma, virumque cano " 
 
 My thoughts ^vere soon recalled by the following speech : 
 "I perceive, my dear sir, that you are badly provided 
 for traveling in this wilderness country — you have no 
 arms that I can see, not even a jack-knife — this won't 
 do — you can't always have a friend to stand by you ; so 
 I will provide you with one or two, that will never miss 
 fire in time of need. Take these, sir," said he, handing me 
 a pair of plain pistols ; " I'll warrant them good — there is 
 no mistake in them." I declined the gift at first, but he 
 insisted, and in addition pressed the rifle on me which 
 I had not used that day. So thus I am armed cajy-a-pie, 
 as it were while asleep, and contrary to all my resolu- 
 tions ! Perhaps there was a little of the devil at the bot- 
 tom, tempting me to the possession of articles rather 
 much in the way of our nature, especially when youth 
 and a spirit of adventure prevail. I was glad he did not
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 221 
 
 offer me a dirk, for I should have positively refused, by 
 which I ini<,^ht have lost something iu his good opiuiou. 
 
 To enable the reader to form an idea of the desperate 
 intrepidity of my host, I will select from a hundred in- 
 stances the following. One of the diggers at the mines, 
 a man of ferocious character and herculean frame, either 
 of his own accord, or instigated by some of the imps 
 of Satan about the mines, resolved to assassinate the 
 Colonel, and thus get rid of the floating grant and the 
 great monopolist. Taking his rifle, for he was a great shot, 
 he went to the house of his intended victim, and chal- 
 lenged him to a trial of skill at a mark, that is to say, the 
 best in three, at the head of a nail, at the distance of sixty 
 yards. The challenge was of course promptly accepted, 
 and they proceeded to some distance from the house, 
 where the ruffian seized the first opportunity, when the 
 Colonel was off" his guard, to turn the muzzle of his rifle on 
 his unsuspecting companion ; but in the haste which at- 
 tended guilt, his ball passed through the Colonel's left 
 shoulder without inflicting a mortal wound. He fell, the 
 assailant rushed upoii him, and fell with him to the 
 ground, although uppermost ; while the Colonel, whose 
 presence of mind never forsook him, drew his dirk, but 
 missing his aim, drove it into his own thigh ; he drew it out, 
 struck the assassin on the ribs ; the weapon bent, and as 
 a last desperate eff"ort, he drew it across the stomach of 
 the ruffian, inflicting a mortal wound. The assassin, who 
 had been endeavoring to seize the Colonel l)y the throat, 
 now released his hold, and they both lay for some time 
 bathed in l)lood. The slaves coming up, carried them 
 both into the house. And here it may be mentioned as 
 a proof of the magnanimity of the Colonel, that by his or- 
 ders every attention was paid to his treacherous enemy 
 until he died of his wounds.
 
 222 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 I think it is Talleyrand who says, that in traveling 
 westward from the Atlantic cities of the United States, 
 one seems to be traveling up through modern times to 
 the middle ages of feudal barbarity. The incident just 
 related bears a strong resemblance to those times, when 
 the bold Baron either above the laws, or without the laAVS, 
 or respect for the civil magistracy, appealed on all oc- 
 casions of difference with his fellow-man, to God and his 
 good siuord. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Touch of Knight-errantry and Adventures — Arrive at St. Louis. 
 
 Forbear your smile, gentle reader, as you behold the 
 author on his solitary way, transformed, all at once, into 
 the appearance of a knight-errant, armed with one long 
 rifle gun and two short pistols! What a change from a 
 man of peace, a book-worm, a philosopher ! Here we 
 have another proof how difficult it is to avoid falling into 
 the ways of the people among whom we have to live, how- 
 over repugna^nt to our previous opinions of what is agree- 
 alile to reason, and however revolting to our former feel- 
 ings they may be. At Rome we become Romans, among 
 the Abyssinians we eat raw beef cut from the flank of a 
 living cow, among the Mandans we luxuriate on stewed 
 dog's flesh, and in our new remote settlements we cany 
 tnurderous weapons about us, and imbibe a savage spirit 
 which instigates the use of them. 
 
 I have already mentioned that I had formed the reso- 
 lution not to carry arms about my person, being of opin- 
 ion that the very circumstance of being armed has a tend- 
 ency to invite attack, and, on the contrary, that the cir-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 223 
 
 cumstancc of bcin^ without arms is often a protection. 
 A brave man will not attack a woman, a priest, a coward, 
 or the unarmed. When I was challenged by our unprin- 
 cipled captain of the boat at New Madrid, who placed 
 two butcher-knives at my feet, and bade me take choice, 
 I was struck with horror rather than with fear ; perhaps 
 if we had both been armed with dirks, in a moment of 
 mutual rage and insult they might have been as readily 
 used as if they had been rattans. In analyzing my feel- 
 ings, I confess that the idea of being thought a coward, 
 the most degrading imputation which could attach itself 
 to a man in this state of society, almost goaded me to 
 madness. Scarcely a day had passed since the occur- 
 rence referred to without my calling it to mind ; some- 
 times in wayward fancy I seemed to grasp a knife, at 
 another time pointed a pistol, and the hateful subject was 
 never entirely mastered, or dismissed from my mind, until 
 six months afterward, when I returned to the spot where 
 1 had been thus insulted, and flourished around my foe ; 
 who had, in the mean time, sunk into such general con- 
 tempt that it was enough to act on the defensive, in case 
 he should dare to molest me, which was not the case. 
 Such is the fiendish spirit which appears to take pos- 
 session of this state of society, as though it were its own I 
 I think it was a wise law of Solon, at Athens, which yb?*- 
 hade the canying arms, excepting while engaged in war 
 or hunting ; and this restraint is considered b}' the author 
 of Anacharsis as one of the first principles of civilization. 
 Without being an Achilles, to throw aside the distaflf 
 and handle the sword and buckler with delight, I must 
 say in candor that I took no small pleasure in alternately 
 examining my arms. It was not long before an opportunity 
 offered for making a trial of my pistols ; this was neither 
 a bandit, an Osage, nor a bear or jyanther; it was a poor
 
 224 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 polecat, quietly squatted near a log by the roadside. 
 Here, thought I, is my first adventure as a knight-errant, 
 and drawing one of my pistols, and without being an ex- 
 traordinary shot, in a country where every one shoots as 
 soon as he is born, I laid her dead on the spot, before she 
 had time to use her defensive artiller}'". Soon after, a 
 raccoon made his appearance, crouched in the fork of a low 
 tree, and my other pistol was tried with equal success. 
 Without anything further worth relating, I reached the 
 Maramec River early in the afternoon, after a ride of 
 thirty miles, having passed but one cabin about half way, 
 and having met no one in the course of the day. 
 
 The ferry flat and skiff were on the other side of the 
 river, which was about three hundred yards wide, filled 
 from bank to bank by back water from the Mississippi, 
 and of course without any perceptible current. The land- 
 ing-place where I stood was at the mouth of a deep, nar- 
 row creek, also full to the brim. No house was to be seen 
 on the opposite side, and after calling for half an hour, no 
 one appeared. I began to be apprehensive that the place 
 bad been abandoned, or the person attending the ferry 
 was absent from home, as his custom probably did not 
 require his daily and hourl}'- attention. To return fifteen 
 miles did not suit my inclination ; a fire might be kindled 
 to keep off wolves or panthers, but I was hungry, and 
 had nothing for my horse. As it was growing late, and 
 my situation becoming more unpleasant, the bright idea 
 entered my head to swim my horse across, and return 
 with the skiff for my effects, or, as it is expressed, for my 
 plunder. Without taking time to give a full examination 
 to this prefect, which was attended with dangers I have 
 often thought of since, I took off my clothes, and leaving 
 them with the rest of my things at the root of a tree, 
 mounted my horse after the manner of the ancient cen-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 225 
 
 taiirs, and forced him to plunge into the water, probably 
 not less than twenty feet in depth. Unfortunately, not 
 being aware at that time that, in swimming a horse, he 
 must not be checked by the rein, I caused him to rear up 
 and throw me off; for an instant we were tete-a-tete, like 
 the picture of the lion and the unicorn ; but being afraid 
 of his fore feet, I dashed water into his eyes, which caused 
 him to turn, and, instead of swimming across the river, 
 he contented himself with gaining the opposite bank of 
 the creek, and which, after some difficulty, he succeeded 
 in ascending. When on firm land, he took to his heels up 
 the bottom, over logs and among vines and briers. I fol- 
 lowed after, and perhaps not knowing me in my present 
 disguise, he )vas unwilling to be taken, until his bridle 
 getting fast in a bush, I got possession of him once more. 
 The plunge into the river was now repeated, from neces- 
 sity, with the same bad success ; but this time he tame 
 out where we first entered, and there ensued another chase 
 after him down the river bottom ; he was not overtaken 
 until manv a bruise and scratch had most feelinirlv taught 
 me the folly of this mode of crossing rivers. If any one 
 had seen me in this flight, he might have made a fine 
 story of it — either a nondescript animal, resembling the 
 human species, or a wild man chasing a horse; perhaps 
 amphibious, perhaps part horse and part alligator ! 
 
 When my original position was thus regained, and 
 when I reflected on the incidents of the last half hour — 
 for they had transi)ired very rai)idly — my mind was com- 
 pletely reconciled to my lot ; I began to look about me for 
 materials to make a fire and encamp for the night. At 
 this juncture, happening to look up at one of the trees 
 which stood near the landing, a horn suspended by a 
 string caught my eye, and with a sagacity for which some 
 credit is due to me, without further reflection, it was taken 
 
 20
 
 226 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 down, and, giving a few blasts on it, to my great joy it 
 was iustantl}^ answered by a similar instrument on the 
 other side of the river. A dapper little fellow, who might 
 be of the tribe of the fairies, in order to complete the ro- 
 mance of the scene, made his appearance, and without 
 saying a word, in vrhich he showed a sagacity equal to 
 my own, brought over his flat and ferried me across, and 
 thus ended my adventure, without rendering it necessary 
 to. perform the ceremony of watching mv arms in the 
 open air before receiving the honor of knighthood ; yet I 
 have known some who performed their novitiate with less 
 danger. 
 
 The ferryman led me to his abode, a cabin made of 
 poles, and so low that I could scarcely get in without 
 crawling. A small dog and a cat were the only inmates 
 besides their master ; and all he could furnish for my sup- 
 per was a few cakes of indian-meal and some fried bacon 
 skins, the meat having been, as we say in Congress, 
 "specially appropriated." My poor horse fared, if pos- 
 sible, still worse, a half dozen ears of corn being all that 
 he could give him. My saddle served me for a pillow, 
 and saddle-blanket and great- coat for a bed, while the 
 exertions and fatigue of the day enabled me to sleep as 
 soundly as if I had been placed on a bed of down. I 
 could not refrain from asking mine host what had induced 
 him to choose this hermitage fifteen or twenty miles from 
 any neighbor, and thus pass his days in so comfortless 
 and solitary a manner. He gave me his reasons at such 
 length, and in such minute detail, that I fell asleep while 
 he was talking; and as he was still talking when I awoke 
 in the morning, it is probable that he might have been 
 thus engaged during the whole night. 
 
 I continued my journey earl}^, having ten miles to ride 
 before breakfast. The Mississippi once more made its ma-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 227 
 
 jo.^tic appearance at Yukle Pocbc, or empty pocket, better 
 known among my countrymen as Wheat Bush, although 
 its true name is Carondelet. This is one of those poor 
 villages consisting of twenty or thirty hovels, with trifling 
 fjardeus, and no surrounding fields, which might have 
 been seen at that day in these parts of Upper Louisiana. 
 At the public house, w^iich was distinguished from the 
 rest by a long pole and a bunch of cedar boughs fastened 
 to the top, I obtained a good breakfast, not a little im- 
 proved by the best of all seasoning, a good appetite. 
 After this I set out on my last stage for the capital of 
 Missouri, or Upper Louisiana, as it was called, which was 
 distant about seven miles. The road was good but sol- 
 itary, no house or habitation appearing until I came in 
 sight of the town. This, I could perceive at the first 
 glance, was a noble site for a city, occupying a splendid 
 plain, rising in two stages from the bold rock-bound 
 shore of the river. 
 
 After crossing a stone bridge in a dilapidated state, I 
 approached a long and straggling suburb, each side of the 
 road, for it could scarcely be called a street, with some 
 tolerable gardens and orchards. As I entered the more 
 populous i>art, I lifted up mine eyes and beheld a glo- 
 rious spectacle : a splendid procession was advancing to 
 meet me. The mingled voices of males and females filled 
 the air with inspiring music. What shall I say to these 
 people ? They take me b}' surprise — they do me great 
 honor — it is more than I can bear. It was thus that Gen- 
 eral Washington was received, after the Revolution, when 
 he entered Philadelphia ; Petrarch, when he received the 
 laurel-crown, was thus welcomed on his entrance into 
 Rome ; and Cicero, after his banishment, when he modestly 
 said: Unus ille dies mihi quidam instar immortalitatis 
 fuit — cum senatum egressum mdi,populumque Bomanum
 
 228 BRACKENRIDO 'S 
 
 universum cum mihi ipsa Roma, j^rope convulsa sedibus 
 suis, ad comjjlectendam conser^vatorem suum procedere 
 visa est — " when Rome seemed to leap from her founda- 
 tions to embrace her deliverer."* But how the deuce did 
 they find out that I was coming, or was to be here at this 
 exact time ? Perhaps they had heard of my speeches at 
 St. Genevieve, and some had been dispatched before me 
 post haste from Yuide Poche ; and besides, they might 
 have taken the trouble to obtain exact information of all 
 my movements ! Such were the idle vagaries, half hu- 
 morous and half vanity, which passed through my mind 
 as I met one of those ancient religious processions, com- 
 posed of the whole population, in their best apparel, and 
 led by the most splendid beauties of the town. Those 
 who took the lead on this occasion were two young ladies 
 of extraordinary beauty, holding silver plates in their 
 hands, for the purpose of receiving charitable donations 
 at the church door. I retired into a little cross alley until 
 the procession passed by, and then spurred my horse to 
 the only public house in the place, which was kept by a gen- 
 teel Frenchman in the building which had formerly served 
 as the palace of the Lieutenant-Governor. And now, for 
 the present, gentle reader, — 
 
 Vale, 
 Valefef 
 
 * " That day was to mo an immort.ality — when the Senate and 
 the wliole of the people of Home came forth to meet me, and the 
 city itself seemed to leap from her foundations to embrace her 
 preserver."
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF TUE WEST. 229 
 
 CHAPTER XXI y. 
 
 A Slight Survey of the Coast — Herr Shewe. 
 
 The reader may have observed that in the incident 
 related in the last chapter a fine scene was presented for 
 one of those happy mistakes which occur in Don Quixote, 
 or in my father's Modern Chivalry ; a work second only 
 to that of Cervantes in the seasoning of genuine wit, 
 sprinkled over the solid substance of true philosophy. 
 For my part, I was not quite so far gone in folly and 
 conceit as to be deceived in this palpable manner, yet I 
 had vanity enough to be very highly gratified with the 
 real attentions paid me the day after my arrival. But 
 the visits of strangers to St. Louis, at that day, were 
 angels' visits compared to what they are now, and it was 
 therefore not very wonderful that many of the respect- 
 able resident Americans, Secretary Bates among the rest, 
 honored me with a call. I was glad to meet with my 
 friend Graham, who by this time had made himself at 
 home in this place, and was generally esteemed. 
 
 I found Dr. Saugrain comfortably established in a 
 neat cottage at the lower end of the town, with a pretty 
 shrubbery in front, and a kitchen-garden and orchard in 
 the rear. I was delighted with his family, his pretty 
 little daughters, and amiable wife ; took soup with him, 
 drank a glass of claret, and talked over old, and hard 
 times too, at St. Genevieve. It was worth to me a jour- 
 ney to St. Louis to see him thus surrounded by his in- 
 teresting family, and after all his mishaps and worldly 
 
 20*
 
 230 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 tribulations, thus safely anchored amid the blessings of 
 dulce domum. 
 
 One of the very first I went to ex2-)lore was my old 
 preceptor, Herr Frederick Shewe, named after the great 
 Frederick of Prussia, and of whom I have already spoken. 
 But, alas ! quantum mufatus ah illof Instead of the black- 
 coated, ruffle-shirted, and silk-stockinged (and Avell-shapen 
 was that leg, and well did its owner know) professor of 
 the French and German languages, and sometime pastor 
 of the Dutch Lutheran church, I beheld a little man with 
 a high forehead and bald — the head of a sage, adorned 
 with grizzly locks, standing in his shirt sleeves, meanly 
 half clad, behind a sort of counter, and surrounded with 
 barrels and boxes, and things of all sorts on shelves, in a 
 very dirty shop filled with a commingled smell of fish, 
 molasses, soap, and onions. But the meeting was not the 
 less joyous on his part ; he leapt from behind his counter, 
 threw his arms around me, and applied his unshaven, 
 and perhaps unwashed face, to mine, with a warmth of 
 aflfection which I could have readily excused. And then 
 he capered, and danced, and sung, and laughed, and cried. 
 In truth I was always among the few who could appre- 
 ciate the merits of Shewe. He was an original — but 
 that was not all ; with many things to render him ridicu- 
 lous, and very little to command the respect of society, 
 he had some qualities in the eyes of a man above preju- 
 dice, and who does not scorn to pick up a gem out of a 
 humble place, which caused him to be better thought of, 
 than a better man. 
 
 At that day the population of St. Louis consisted of 
 Canadian French, a few Spaniards, and other Europeans, 
 with a somewhat larger proportion of Americans. It 
 had less of the appearance of a rural village than St. 
 Genevieve, the inhabitants not depending on agriculture
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 231 
 
 for their subsistence, but on trade, chiefly with the Indians 
 for furs, and on the employment under the government. 
 A few individuals had acquired wealth ; among them the 
 family of the Chouteau were the most distinguished, and 
 their dwellings, which by comparison might be called 
 palaces, towered above the more humble abodes of the 
 plebeians, and less wealthy burghers. They were large 
 stone edifices with galleries in front, and self-inclosed 
 with massive stone walls like demi-fortresses. I made a 
 visit to the elder Chouteau, a venerable-looking man, 
 with a fine intellectual head, and was introduced to one 
 of the largest private libraries I had seen, chiefly con- 
 sisting of folio and quarto, from which circumstance I 
 conjectured they had once belonged to the Jesuits, who, 
 half a century before, had a college at Kaskaskia. 
 
 Monsieur Chouteau offered me the free use of this 
 library, of which I gladly availed myself. Here I found 
 several of the early writers of travels and descriptions of 
 Louisiana and Illinois, such as Lahonton, Lafiteau, Hene- 
 per, Charlevoix, etc., which I took to my lodgings to read 
 at night, being always a night student; but I spent some 
 hours in the day in examining, and in perusing this fine 
 collection. Although still but a youth, my book knowl- 
 edge was more than commonly extensive ; having adopted 
 the advice of Bacon, viz.: " Some books are to be per- 
 used, some to be read, and some to be studied." The 
 drudgery and sameness of mere business, I felt as waste 
 of time, and interference with reading, and the solitary 
 meditation in my walks.* 
 
 * One day that truly good and wise man, Bisnop Carroll, 
 happening to be in the Baltimore Library (a place which I much 
 frequented), observed me reading " Eousscau's Confession," and 
 said: " My son, that is not a proper book for j-ou to read." Aha! 
 thought I, yoH have read it then ! My reply was, "I know it, 
 sir, but I shall only read U once;'' and I kept my word.
 
 232 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 My chief amusement for some time consisted in saun- 
 tering over the open country, west of the town, where 
 there was nothing to interrupt the pleasing solitude of my 
 rambles, except a small grist-mill belonging to Monsieur 
 Chouteau, near a pretty artificial lake, formed as a reser- 
 voir to supply the mill. At this time the whole of Upper 
 Louisiana, that is Missouri and Arkansas, contained only 
 about ten thousand souls, besides Indians, and in the 
 whole of Illinois there were not more. It was " a little 
 cloud not bigger than a man's hand," appearing in a clear 
 sky ; or like a little green island of a few acres, amid the 
 vast expanse of a surrounding ocean. 
 
 It was ni}^ good fortune to form an acquaintance with 
 General Clark, the Indian agent, and celebrated as the 
 companion of Captain Lewis, in the eventful and perilous 
 voyage of the Missouri, the passage of the Rocky Mount- 
 ains, and the descent of the Columbia River to the Pacific 
 Ocean. He was extremely friendly and communicative, 
 exhibited to me his collection of Indian curiosities, of 
 which he had quite a museum, and took pleasure in re- 
 lating many very interesting particulars. His office, and 
 that of Mr. Bates, who had an extensive library, and 
 whose mind was richly stored with literature, became my 
 favorite resorts. Intending to pass a couple of months 
 here, I thought it a good opportunity to apply myself to 
 the Spanish language, having met with a gentleman who 
 was master of it, and who consented to give me daily 
 instruction. This constituted my chief regular occupa- 
 tion, and 1 made rni)id progress in a language destined 
 to be of great use to me at a future period. 
 
 There was no l)ookstore or public library, but a news- 
 paper had been established by Mr. Joseph Charless, 
 with whom I l)ecame acquainted, and who favored me 
 with the perusal of his exchange papers, while in turn
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 233 
 
 I communicated a numl)or of original articles for his 
 Gazette. 
 
 The shop of Shewe was often resorted to by me, not 
 as a customer, but for the purpose of hearing him talk, 
 and at the same time of whetting- my own faculties, as 
 we rub a razor on a strap. He had a little back room in 
 which he kept his l)ooks, a curious collection, though not 
 large, where he had also some chemical apparatus, and a 
 small cabinet of minerals, a subject on which I was de- 
 sirous of obtaining some knowledge. Although not very 
 perfect in anything, he pretended to have some acquaint- 
 ance with every subject; his reading was various l)ut 
 not deep ; but he had traveled much, and notwithstand- 
 ing his love of humor, his mind was stored with original 
 and profound observations, to which a certain grotesque 
 character was imparted by his singular language, a mix- 
 ture of German, a little Latin, bad French, and worse 
 English, which rendered it unintelligible to most persons, 
 but which to me only made it the more piquant and 
 graphic. lie had followed the occupation of miniature 
 painter for some time after his arrival ; he was well ac- 
 quainted with the principles of drawing, and in landscape 
 was pas.sable, but his attempts on the human countenance, 
 to say the least, were not successful, being deplorably 
 deficient in resemblance, and the coloring execrable. The 
 consequence was that some of his very best works, at 
 least in his own estimation, were left on his hands. 
 Shewe could not submit to this without .seeking some 
 mode of revenge, which would at the same time satisfy 
 his anger and avoid the necessity of going to law, or 
 shedding blood. He took a large sheet of paper, drew 
 a circle in the center of it, and then surrounded this cir- 
 cle with the most hideous figures he could conceive, — 
 devils with horns and pitchfork.s, dragons with forked
 
 234 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 tongues, crocodiles with open jaws, and other monstrous 
 things, and which was then stuck on the wall. In the 
 midst of these, in the open space, he placed the unfor- 
 tunate portrait which happened to be disowned : '' Tere 
 you rashkel, paff, shtay in Purgatortum until I have can 
 get my ten tallars, jon rashkel, paff — tere ish no retemp- 
 tion, you neet not go to te priest, he cannot you take out 
 fon dat place — paff, te voila coquin ; tere you must shtay, 
 and if you dont pring te money soon by and by, tere is 
 an odor place, paff — fiel varmer, mit primshtone and fire!" 
 This was followed up by one of his tremendous cachina- 
 tory explosions ; which showed much more gratification 
 at the contemplation of his own humor and ingenuity 
 than malignity of revenge. 
 
 I thought of a plan to raise my old friend a little in 
 public opinion, and which might possibly be of service 
 to him on some future occasion ; this was to confer on 
 him the title of Doctor. When I proposed it, he made 
 some objections — ''From what shall I pee tocktor — paff, 
 it ish enough for me to pee a honest man." I explained 
 to him the advantages, as well as the honor to be derived 
 from it, and assured him it would be merely assuming 
 his proper rank, when every one was endeavoring to 
 obtain titles to which they had no just claim, while he 
 was a scholar, a chemist, a painter, a divine, a philoso- 
 pher, a professor of languages, raised and educated as a 
 gentleman, while many of those who were figuring away 
 as great men, had been originally shoeblacks, hostlers, 
 constables, negro traders, gamblers, and horscjockeys. 
 He appeared to feel the justice of my remarks, and after 
 some persuasion — "Paff, you shall see my tiplomas, I 
 have six from tern, four in Latin — one from te Eliziac 
 Acatemy from Paris, one from te colleche from Perlin, 
 one from te shool of Mines from Saxony, one from te free
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 235 
 
 mason society." "Enough, my friend," said I, "you 
 have enough to doctorize the whole town of St. Louis. 
 I will take a turn or two around the town, and by to-mor- 
 row you shall be known as Doctor Shewe, and no one 
 will stop to inquire whether you are a doctor of laws, of 
 medicine, or divinity." This was accordingly done by 
 me ; I spoke of him to about a dozen persons as Doctor 
 Shewe ; in two days he was universally known by that 
 title, and I had the satisfaction to perceive that he was 
 spoken to after this by persons who scarcely took notice 
 of him before. It is in this manner that so many majors 
 and colonels are made or promoted every day in the new 
 settlements. A foreigner once in argument with me, on 
 the stability of our democratic institutions, referred to 
 this love of title as a proof of the tendency of the people 
 toward aristocracy and monarchy. I told him he w^as 
 mistaken, for it only proved the mutual good will of the 
 people to each other, like the man who bequeathed a 
 hundred pounds to a friend, himself not worth a shilling, 
 merely to show his good will. 
 
 CHAPTER XXY. 
 
 The Circuit — Incidents — Kevisits New Madrid. 
 
 After two months of busy idleness at St. Louis, pur- 
 suing some things with enthusiasm, which, unless fortlie 
 pleasure they afforded, left me only m}^ labor for my 
 pain,s, I found my purse (the truest friend to a traveler 
 in a strange place) sunk to a low ebb. The study of the 
 Spanish language would not, however, be regarded as
 
 236 BRACKEN RIDGE' 8 
 
 an idle pursuit ; it would be a valuable acquisition, even 
 as connected with any profession, as I still harbored the 
 design of going to New Orleans. But in my ardent in- 
 quiries into the history, geography, curiosities, and 
 antiquities of the country, there was nothing of worldly 
 thrift, and in fact it was a sheer loss of precious time. 
 The utilitarian, or cui bono man, must look upon my 
 enthusiasm in such occupations as little better than a 
 silly trifling, and as I grew older I was surprised to think 
 that I should have engaged heart and soul in pursuits 
 which could not afford the slightest pecuniary gain. Yet, 
 I must candidl}'" admit, that fame was a more powerful 
 motive with me than avarice, and that I have been more 
 gratified by the praise of Humboldt, and the little noto- 
 riety I have acquired, than by the best fees I ever received 
 from my clients. But this is not a common fault among 
 my countrymen, few of whom are neglectful of what is 
 called "the main chance." Warned by the low state of 
 my finances, I proposed to follow the county courts, 
 which were held in each of the four or fiv^e counties of 
 the Territory twice a j^ear, while the Supreme Court 
 only sat in two places, St. Genevieve and St. Louis. I 
 set out on horseback about the latter end of September, 
 in company with a young lawyer of the name of Allen, 
 from Virginia, and intended to go to St. Genevieve, Cape 
 Girardeau, and New Madrid, where I had landed on my 
 first arrival in the country. This gentleman, although 
 not profound as a lawyer, was possessed of considerable 
 talent for pu))lic si)eaking, especially on political subjects; 
 but he was constitutionally inert, wanting perseverance 
 in what he undertook, commencing fifty things and 
 finishing nothing. I found him a very pleasant com- 
 panion, and lamented his fate, when ho was some time 
 afterward killed in a duel; he had failed in this ordeal,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 037 
 
 through which so many are compelled to pass in the new 
 States and Territories. 
 
 On arriving at St. Genevieve, I once more experienced 
 the kindness of Monsieur and Madame Beauvais, with 
 whom I took up my abode during the court week, and to 
 whom I rendered some service in my profession. This ex- 
 cellent couple, toward whom I felt the affection of a son, 
 having raised a family of thirteen children, had parted 
 with the last of them, and although she resided with her 
 husband in the village, yet that hearth, once so cheer- 
 ful, had become solitary. More for the sake of society 
 than emolument, they had agreed to take a lively, young 
 European French merchant as a boarder ; but he had not 
 been long enough in the country to find out that the 
 people were not so much his inferiors in information and 
 intelligence as he imagined. I was amused one evening 
 with the tartness of Madame Beauvais, when the young 
 man, adapting his discourse to the ignorance of his hear- 
 ers, informed them, "there was once a certain man called 
 Mohammed, who pretended to have received direct revela- 
 tions from heavbn, who wrote a book called the Koran, 
 but that he was a great impostor." "My friend," said 
 the old lady, "I believe you Europeans look upon us 
 Creoles (country born) as no better than .ravages, as you 
 regard the savages as baboons. As you have given us a 
 piece of news, I must return the favor by informing you 
 that there is such a place as Rome, somewhere on the 
 other side of the great ocean, and that a person called the 
 Pope, of whom, I i)resume, you have never heard, resides 
 there, and is consklered by all good Catholics as tiie 
 bead of their church." Monsieur Beauvais and I laugiied 
 heartily at this sail}', while the coxcomb was not a little 
 mortified. The truth is, this fancied superiority is often 
 displayed by Eurojjeans among us, who, in })utting a 
 
 •21
 
 238 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 finger in Jonathan's mouth, to feel for a soft tooth, have 
 been sometimes severely bitten. 
 
 The business of the court, held by two judges unlearned 
 in the law, with the aid of a jury, was chiefly of that 
 routine kind which is profitable to the common practicing 
 attorney, but affords little interest or instruction. The 
 members of the bar were young men, but already old in 
 their profession, where there were none older than them- 
 selves. They had that kind of confidence and boldness 
 which arises from there being no older barristers to over- 
 top them ; they felt themselves the cocks of the walk, and 
 perhaps managed their cases with as much tact as the 
 generality who had been twenty years at the bar. What 
 they might have wanted in old experience, they made up 
 by youthful fire and energy ; and what they wanted in 
 polish, was fully supplied by earnestness and boldness. 
 When Napoleon was told that he was sneered at by some 
 older officers, on account of his youth, he said, " Let them 
 sneer, in six months I will be as old a general as any of 
 them." The court, however, did not pass off without the 
 occurrence of one of those incidents characteristic of a 
 state of society, of which the reader may have formed 
 some idea from what has been already related. An 
 important case of slander was tried at the beginning of 
 the week, in which the plaintiff was a young man who 
 had been a clerk in a store, but dismissed for embezzling 
 three hundred dollars belonging to his employer. The 
 latter had acted with delicacy in consequence of the re- 
 spectability of the young man's connections, but the cause 
 of the dismissal (such things cannpt be kept secret) 
 having been whispered about, he was compelled to give 
 his reasons, and well had it been for the clerk if he had 
 suffered the matter to rest here, but his brother, a physician 
 of respectable standing, cither believing his younger
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 239 
 
 brother innocent, or determini'il to .silence public oijjnion 
 by compulsion, took the matter up, and instituted the 
 action before alluded to. The injured merchant was for- 
 tunately well prepared, and on the trial, the i)roof was so 
 full and satisfactory, that there was no room for the 
 sliii'htest doubt, and the jury without hesitation ^-ave a 
 verdict in his favor. The plaintift", or his brother, had 
 secured all the bar, but there happened to arrive that 
 very week a younp; lawyer from Kentucky, who was 
 desirous of distinguishing- himself, and possessing first- 
 rate talents, handled the subject in such a manner as to 
 do full justice to his client, and at the same time over- 
 whelm the defendant with shame. A challenge ensued, 
 which was borne by the elder brother ; but as it could 
 not be accepted in consequence of the recent disgrace of 
 the principal, the second insisted on taking his place. 
 The young lawyer and his friends did all they could to 
 avoid the duel, but in vain. He considered the alterna- 
 tive of fighting easier to encounter than the certain 
 di-sgrace which would attend his refusal in the false judg- 
 ment of public opinion. The meeting took place before 
 the close of the week, and the physician fell at the first 
 fire, leaving a widow and seven children to lament his 
 loss, and followed by the regret of his friends, and the 
 community in general. The young lawyer, who was a 
 man of feeling and i)r(»mising talents, was no doubt ren- 
 dered unhapi)y fur life, thus making many victims to false 
 honor, and to a vitiated state of public morals. This 
 event, it may be readily supposed, was not likely to hold 
 out any additional inducement to my becoming a perma- 
 nent resident in this Territory. 
 
 The court after this was held at Cape Girardeau, and 
 I retraced the road, in company with my brethren of the 
 bar, which I had traveled on foot with Bill Uulin":s aud
 
 240 J^RA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Mark Higginbottom, but without stopping to pay my re- 
 spects to the Sbawancse chiefs, by whom we had been so 
 civilly treated. Nothing remarkable occurred at Cape 
 Girardeau, excepting a ludicrous scene with the two 
 unlettered sages on the bench. A question of law having 
 arisen, the court was requested to decide, and after a full 
 argument they took a moment to confer, after which the 
 presiding judge announced, with some pomp of manner, 
 that they were ready to decide ; the attorneys requested 
 that the decision might be pronounced as the judge seemed 
 to hesitate, notwithstanding the announcement. " May 
 it please the court, did we not understand that your honor 
 had decided ?" '' Yes — yes — ahem — the court's split !" 
 I thought the lawyers would split their sides with 
 laughter, and no attempt was made to restore, or rather 
 to establish order, until each one resumed his gravity of 
 his own accord. 
 
 On approaching New Madrid, I felt a desire to see the 
 interesting family where I had passed the night, and the 
 fine children with whom I had whiled away the evening 
 so pleasantly, around the fire beneath the spreading tree. 
 As I approached the cabin, everything seemed to wear a 
 waste and deserted appearance ; but little progress had 
 been made in clearing, and the spots already cleared 
 seemed to be abandoned to coarse weeds. The settler 
 crawled out of the still unfinished dwelling more dead 
 than alive, with a sad and wretched expression of coun- 
 tenance. He soon recognized me, pressed my hand, and 
 the tears stole down his cheeks as he spoke: "Ah! \\\j 
 friend, things are much changed since that pleasant even- 
 ing you ])assed with mo ; I was then happy, indeed : but 
 God's will be done ; we nmst kiss the rod without a mur- 
 mur. My wife and four of my beautiful children have 
 fallen victims to the bilious fever, and three of the survi-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 241 
 
 vors have been kindly taken by some of my neighbors, 
 who live in the Big Prairie. My oldest daughter and my 
 boys are with me, but like myself just recovering from a 
 severe attack. It is only a few months since I was sur- 
 rounded by fourteen fine children ; their mother is now 
 laid in the grave, and my family, in which all my earthly 
 hopes were centered, has been scattered like chaff before 
 the wind. It is an awful lesson of the instability of all 
 things here below, and teaches us that this is not our 
 home." I bade adieu to the worthy but unfortunate man, 
 with a heavy heart, and was still meditating upon this 
 incident, so well calculated for deep reflection, when I 
 entered the town of Xew Madrid. 
 
 I repaired to the house of Madame Peyroux, the widow 
 of Monsieur Pe3Toux, the former commandant of the place. 
 I had been engaged by this lady in some claims to land 
 in different parts of the Territory, and besides the advant- 
 age of a very comfortable lodging, my spare time was 
 agreeably employed in the fine library left by her husband, 
 who had been a man of no mean literary reputation. 
 Monsieur Peyroux was the author of several publications, 
 chiefly gcolugical, of considerable merit. In one of his 
 essays, he maintains the opinion, with much ingenuit}^ 
 that the northern lakes formerly discharged themselves 
 into the Mississippi, by the Illinois as well as by the 
 St. Lawrence. His strongest reason is drawn from the 
 present width of the channel of the Illinois, which appears 
 to have once contained a much larger river, and the 
 appearance of the naked rocks which bound the valley of 
 the Missi.ssippi, below the Illinois, as far down as the 
 mouth of the Ohio, and the immense alluvion which 
 stretches thence to the ocean. At no distant day, the 
 labor and ingenuity of man will restore the connection 
 between the lakes and the Mississippi, by means of an 
 
 21*
 
 242 BRACKEXRIDGE'S 
 
 artificial canal, thus affording the greatest extent of in- 
 land navigation in the world. 
 
 After the court was over at New Madrid, I retraced 
 my steps to St Genevieve, and thence to St. Louis, for 
 the purpose of attending the Supreme Court of the 
 Territory ; and by this time I had fully resolved it should 
 close my professional career in Upper Louisiana. 
 
 CHAPTER XXYL 
 
 The Indian Culprit— The Trial— The Defense. 
 
 One day while sauntering along the high ground, or 
 second bank, which overlooked the narrow plain at that 
 time containing the town of St. Louis, my attention was 
 attracted to one of the towers near the old Fort (in one of 
 whose ruined barracks the court was still held), by an 
 Indian who sat near the iron grate, confined as a prisoner 
 for some high offense. The poor fellow beckoned to me 
 to approach, which I accordingly did. He sat between 
 the iron door and the grating, with a checker-board be- 
 fore him, to which he directed my attention, and then 
 asked me with a few broken words, part French and part 
 English, to take a game with him. Willing to gratify 
 him in a request so harmless, I stepped forward and took 
 a seat on a large st(»ne, which did not appear to have 
 come there of itself, first taking a glance at the person 
 from whom I received this polite invitation. His only 
 covering was the l)lanket fastened round liis waist, leav- 
 ing his breast and lower limbs perfectly bare. There was 
 no paint on liis body, his head had none of the adorn-
 
 , RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 243 
 
 mcnts of the warrior, but his wire tweezers had not been 
 idle, for his beard was i)lucked as clean as usual. Ilis 
 complexion was that of very light olive, in some Euro- 
 pean countries it might pass for white, the consequence 
 of long confinement, shut out from the summer sun 
 and winter wind. The countenance had nothing in it 
 peculiar. 
 
 The game was plaj^ed, and lost by me. It was played 
 again and again, and still the same result. Although I 
 was not remarkably expert, yet I had never been beaten 
 quite so easily. Thinking I had done enough to gratify 
 3Ionsieur le Sauvage, it was now my turn to be amused. I 
 wished to know something of his story, and the reason of 
 his being here, but after a variety of interrogations I 
 found that without the assistance of an interpreter I was 
 not likely to make much progress. The Indian directed 
 me to a half-breed, who acted in this capacity, and having 
 prevailed upon him to accompany me, I returned to the 
 charge. On the way to the prison I had obtained nearly 
 all the information that could be expected. The Indian 
 was of the Mascontin tribe, now nearly extinct, and gen- 
 erally living among the Kickapoos: he had married a 
 woman of that tribe, who had gone off with another In- 
 dian and left him, but he met her accidentally in the 
 street of St. Louis ; she fled — he pursued, overtook her, 
 and in his fury stabbed her to the heart. He was imme- 
 diately seized, and committed by the magistrate to this 
 prison. In the mean time the Indian agent had given 
 information of the affair to the government, and requested 
 to be informed whether he should be brought to trial. 
 Eighteen months had elapsed before it was determined to 
 turn him over to the court of the Territory to be tried 
 for the murder. In the mean time, in order to pass away 
 the listless hours, he amused himself with the game of
 
 244 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 checkers, and by dint of practice had acquired such skill 
 in it, that persons came on purpose to play with him. 
 When he saw an}'" one passing by he solicited the favor of 
 a game, and thus continued to lessen a little the tedium of 
 his confinement. The time for his trial was now fast ap- 
 proaching, as the court would sit in a week or two. I 
 informed him that it was my business to speak in favor of 
 people in his situation, when brought before the chiefs at 
 the council about to be held over him, and wished to know 
 whether he wished me to speak for him. He nodded his 
 head, with a smile, and said he was thankful, but I could 
 see there was but little faith on his part in my proffered 
 services. '^ Tell the chiefs," said he, "that I am a war- 
 rior, and wish to be shot, and not hung like a dog." It 
 was impossible to explain to him the nature of the trial ; 
 he firmly believed that it was already determined to take 
 his life, and the only thing left was as to the mode. I 
 took leave of him with assurances that I would do my 
 best to save him, and that probably he might be set at 
 liberty without being either shot or hung. 
 
 The case afforded me an opportunity of appearing be- 
 fore the court, and of introducing myself to public notice. 
 It presented some new and highly interesting topics, and 
 I applied myself to it with more than usual zeal. I had 
 the curiosity to inquire the cause of his particular dislike 
 to be hung rather than shot. He said that the breath, or 
 spirit,^ which was to live in the other world, not being 
 able to come out of the mouth, the windpipe being choked 
 up, would be obliged to make its escape in another direc- 
 tion, and that it would then be ashamed to appear among 
 other spirits! The idea may remind one of a celebrated 
 passage in IIudil)ras, of which there has been a Latin 
 
 * Lat. spiro — afflatus.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 245 
 
 translation, not more decent than the original, excepting 
 to those who do not understand the language. 
 
 By the time fixed for the trial, no little interest had 
 been excited, numbers attended from a distance, and 
 among them several Indians. The chief of the tribe to 
 which the murdered woman belonged made a formal de- 
 mand of the prisoner, in order that the lex talionis might 
 be executed upon him in their own way ; and the poor 
 creature, still impressed with the belief that he must un- 
 dergo the ignominious death of the gallows, seconded the 
 application. It was in vain, — as it was alleged that the 
 offended laws of the white man must first be satisfied. 
 No one seemed to entertain a doubt of his conviction ; 
 the fact of killing in the street of St. Louis, within the 
 presence of many witnesses, would not be denied ; the 
 circumstances were such as to make it murder in the first 
 degree, in any other responsible creature. I gave it as 
 my opinion, that he would be acquitted, and it may be 
 mentioned as one of the singular inconsistencies we some- 
 times meet with, that the same persons who treated my 
 opinion with perfect incredulity, actually expressed, a 
 few hours after the trial, their wonder that any man 
 should think of putting an Indian on his defense ! No 
 one seemed to suspect, or, at least, was willing to admit, 
 that the acquittal was owing to the original yet common 
 sense view which I took of the case, although when first 
 presented by me it was treated as an absurdity. I felt 
 both pleasure and mortification at the result. I consoled 
 myself with the words of Samson, " If ye had not 
 plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my rid- 
 dle." — The jury did not even leave the box; yet Indians 
 have been tried and executed under similar circumstances, 
 before and since. The reader I hope will pardon me for 
 any little display of vanity on this occasion, for there is a
 
 246 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 positive pleasure in doing justice to one^s self, if it can be 
 done without offense to others. The course of reasoning at 
 that time was new and original with me ; since then, it has 
 been assumed by one of the most enlightened and impartial 
 judicatures in the world, the Supreme Court of the United 
 States. Lawj^ers, as well as others, know how deeply 
 gratifying it is to have their suggestions, at first deemed 
 speculative, afterward fully sanctioned by the enlight- 
 ened, and finally become the common opinion of mankind. 
 I will here place before the indulgent reader a sum- 
 mary or outline of the speech which I addressed to the 
 court and jury. It will be brief, for it is free from all the 
 repetition, and leaves out all references or quotations and 
 the illustrations which were used in the deliver)^ There 
 is very little doubt that if every two hours' speech were 
 thus reduced to its quintessence, the uninitiated would 
 wonder how they could be lengthened out ; in the words 
 of Churchill, 
 
 " The sterling bullion of one English line, 
 Dr^wn to French wire, will through whole pages shine." 
 
 THE SPEECH. 
 
 May it please the court. Gentlemen of the jury, we 
 do not pretend to deny that the unfortunate human being, 
 now on his trial before you, has been guilty of the wicked 
 act of which he stands charged, although under the influ- 
 ence of passions which, even in the case of a civilized man, 
 might plead some mitigation of the offense. It is ad- 
 mitted, however, that there are no circumstances in the 
 case amounting to legal justification or excuse. If one 
 of this jury were placed in his situation, and the same 
 facts established against him as clearly as they have been 
 against the prisoner, there can be no doubt but that a
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 247 
 
 verdict of guilty would and ought to be given against 
 him. 
 
 On what ground, then, are you called upon to render a 
 verdict of acquittal ? Whence can his counsel derive the 
 slightest hope of success ? Gentlemen, we are perfectly 
 satisfied that the moment you take this case under serious 
 consideration, you will be convinced that the laws of the 
 land do exempt you from the painful responsibility, in 
 this instance, of condemning a fellow-creature to suffer 
 death — that fellow-creature a poor ignorant savage, the 
 slave of his passions, infuriated by a sense of the deepest 
 injury, unrestrained by moral or religious feelings, and 
 even actuated by a belief that he had the lawful power of 
 life and death in his hands. 
 
 Writers hav^e been correctly cited to prove that aliens 
 are subject to the laws of the country in which they hap- 
 pen to sojourn, because they have taken upon themselves 
 a temporary allegiance. Having come of their own ac- 
 cord, claiming protection while they remain, they may be 
 considered as tacitly consenting to abide by our laws. 
 As ignorance of these is not to be admitted, it is the duty 
 of every one to make himself acquainted with our penal 
 enactments. The idiot, the madman, and persons under 
 duress, or too young to know the nature of crime, are the 
 only exceptions. All others are liable to the penalties of 
 the law, whether in point of fact the laws be known to 
 them or not : and no matter how low thev mav stand 
 in the scale of intellect. But this arises from the ar- 
 tificial reasoning, and the positive enactments of the law; 
 the legislator may establish a different rule, where the 
 reasons and the circumstances vary. Unless the law be 
 modified in such cases, the most glaring injustice may be 
 perpetrated in the name of justice. We contend, gentle- 
 men, that the case of the prisoner is one of these ; we
 
 248 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 contend that the plainest principles of justice require a 
 peculiar legislation in his case, and we will show that this 
 has been done. 
 
 The common law of England which has been adopted 
 in this Territory, and which has been read to you by the 
 counsel for the prosecution, speaks of the different classes 
 of persons who are amenable to the laws ; these are 
 aliens, denizens, subjects or citizens. So far as the law is 
 applicable, it must govern here ; but we have other classes 
 of persons, not known or distinctly recognized in England; 
 one of these is the Indian. 
 
 Is the Indian an alien ? It cannot be contended for a 
 moment that he answers the description of an alien in a 
 single particular. He is a native of the soil ; he was here 
 when we first set our foot on it — he and his forefathers 
 time immemorial. As respects him, we are the aliens.- 
 By no stretch of fiction, can he be said to have submitted 
 to a temporary allegiance ; by no forced presumption can 
 he be said to have giv^en a tacit assent to the laws we 
 brought with us, or which we have enacted here. On the 
 contrary, ^we are the strangers, who have claimed his 
 hospitality, and a share of his soil, and according to 
 the reasoning by which we claim the dominion of our 
 laws over him, his laws ought to rule over us. 
 
 He is neither a citizen nor a denizen. By our acts of 
 Congress, he is expressly excluded from the tax list, mi- 
 litia roll, from the census, and of course from all the du- 
 ties, as well as privileges, of citizenship. He may set up 
 his wigwam on a common in the vicinity of a town, or 
 he may establish his village or his hunting camps in the 
 body of a country, without any more notice being taken 
 of him than if he were a i\\\\v^ ferre naturae. So long 
 as he does no injury to the white nfan, he may live and 
 die in his own way, without attracting the least notice, 
 or incurring the slightest responsil)ility.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 249 
 
 There are several Indian villages in this county ; there 
 are many, in different parts of the United States, sur- 
 rounded on all sides by settlements of white people. Has 
 any grand jury ever thought of examining and inquiring 
 into their doings and actings in those villages ? Have there 
 been no murders, no acts done among them contrary to 
 the laws of the white man, and which, if done by white 
 men, would subject them to prosecution? Every one 
 must know that the Indians have their penal laws, that 
 among each other they inflict the punishment of death for 
 various offenses, some of them imaginary. It is not long 
 since, in one of the villages on the Maramec, two women 
 were put to death by the order of an Indian council, on 
 the charge of sorcery ! Is it not a common thing for them 
 to punish with death those who have been guilty of mur- 
 der ? There is now before your eyes a deputation of In- 
 dians, with a distinguished chief at their head, waiting to 
 seize this man, in order to bring him to justice according 
 to their laws ! 
 
 Our penal code, gentlemen, makes no difference with 
 respect to the place where the murder has been com- 
 mittted; that is to say, whether it has been done in the 
 populous street or in the depth of the forest ; for, in either 
 case, if we take jurisdiction at all, it is because the offense 
 has been committed, in legal phrase, within the body of a 
 county; and it does not vary the case whether the 
 offense has been committed in a populous or thinly in- 
 habited district. We found the Indians existing in socie- 
 ties, in their tribes, and villages, under their rude but 
 well-established laws and usages ; we have permitted 
 them to remain in the midst of us, and within the limits 
 ■ of our local jurisdictions. Never until now have they 
 been told that their ^intercourse with each other must be 
 regulated by the same laws that the white men have es- 
 
 o->
 
 250 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 tablisbed for themselves, and with which the poor Indian 
 has no possible means of becoming acquainted. The case 
 of the foreigners who come among us from abroad, 
 from different nations, who bring no law with them, and 
 who have no distinct organization from that established 
 by the laws of the land, is entirely unlike that of the 
 Indian. 
 
 If the Indian be amenable to our penal laws in the case 
 of murder, is he not on the same principle subject to the 
 ichole penal code, including every offense, from treason 
 down to the smallest misdemeanor ? A white man would 
 be liable to indictment for walking the street in a state of 
 nudity, thus outraging public decency ; but before it could 
 be an offense in the Indian, he must be furnished with 
 clothes, and be persuaded to wear them ! The Indian, on 
 the same principle, would be liable to indictment for 
 bigamy, for assault and battery, for Sabbath-breaking, for 
 a hundred offenses, the bare suggestion of which, in con- 
 nection with him, carries with it a degree of absurdity. 
 
 Is the Indian, then, when he comes among us, perfectly 
 lawless and perfectly outlawed? By no means. The 
 relation in which he stands to the white population is 
 clearly defined by law. If an Indian commit a murder 
 on a white man, his tribe is rendered responsible, and it is 
 required to surrender him to us ; it is declared that in this 
 case, the accused shall have the same trial as the white 
 man. If the Indian commit a theft or robbery, his tribe 
 is again made liable, and where they receive an annuity, 
 it is deducted from the amount; but this is all that is re- 
 quired ; the offender is not demanded to be surrendered, 
 that he may be indicted for the offense. In the case of 
 murder, blood for blood is required in accordance with 
 the well-known law of the savage himself, with this differ- 
 ence, that it is on the principle of the law of retaliation,
 
 RECOLLECTIOXS OF THE WEST. 251 
 
 and if the real offender cannot be had, an innocent person 
 may be compelled to expiate his offense. The form of 
 trial is more out of respect to our own institutions than 
 for the sake of the culprit who cannot comprehend it — the 
 substance is the lex talionis, and according to the Indian's 
 idea of justice, the offense may be expiated by some one 
 who can be better spared than the guilty. For the injury 
 done to the Indian by the white man, the latter is liable to 
 punishment on a different principle. 
 
 The Indian, in short, as to his liability, is just what the 
 laws have expressly made him, and no more. He is not 
 an alien, a citizen, nor a denizen, but subject to a peculiar 
 legislation. He is not placed on a footing with the idiot, 
 or the infant who is not yet doli capax, for in the case of 
 the murder of a white man, he is liable to punishment. 
 He is, in a word, just what the law has thought proper 
 to make him by a course of legislation adapted to his 
 case. 
 
 And was this impolitic or unjust ? We found him liv- 
 ing in societies under his own rude laws, and attached to 
 what seems to us his barbarous practices. It would be 
 more easy to exterminate him, than to eradicate his 
 habits. We introduced ourselves and laws into his 
 country, and from the beginning we occupied the same 
 land, in distinct communities — rather, they were obliged 
 to submit to our living thus among them. Under these 
 circumstances, to expect them to conform to our laws 
 would have been doing violence to every sentiment of 
 justice and humanity, as well as contrary to sound reason- 
 ing. They were totally deficient on the very ground- 
 work of our social order, in our state of civilization, ex- 
 alted by Christianity. The very first ideas of the savage 
 are at total variance with everything inculcated in our 
 3'outhful minds. The law, therefore, which separates the
 
 252 BRA CKENRID GE'S 
 
 Indian fi'om other classes of persons is not without sound 
 reason in its origin. But the law is so — and your verdict 
 must be rendered in conformity to law. The question of 
 guilty or not guilty does not depend alone on the proof of 
 particular acts done, it depends upon the intentions of the 
 doer, and upon the responsibility imposed by law. In 
 acquitting the prisoner, gentlemen of the jury, you do 
 not pronounce him innocent — you simply declare that the 
 punishment of his offense, and the responsibility of that 
 punishment, do not devolve on you. He will not escape 
 the punishment due to his crime. He will find it in the 
 mode most consonant to his ideas of justice, and from the 
 hands of those whom he thinks have the best right to in- 
 flict it. Those persons would conceive themselves deeply 
 aggrieved by being deprived of the right to Avork out the 
 crime of the prisoner, and appease the troubled spirit of 
 the deceased, in offering up the sacrifice with their own 
 hands, and in their own way. 
 
 Yerdict — Not Guilty. 
 
 The Indian was remanded to prison for a few days, as 
 a place of safety from the vengeance of his people. He 
 was afterward liberated, but what became of him I 
 know not.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXYIL 
 
 The Autlior adopts a Literary Freedom — Western Antiquities 
 — Singular Coincidence of certain Passages of Different Au- 
 thors. 
 
 After the triail of the Indian culprit recounted in the 
 last chapter, I determined to hang up my forensic arms 
 and armor during the remainder of my sojourn in !Mis- 
 souri, and devote my time to literary occupations. Tiie 
 series of numbers published in the newspaper of St. Louis 
 had attracted attention abroad, insomuch that Mr. Jeffer- 
 son, in a manner very flattering tome, had requested that 
 the whole already published, and to be published, should 
 be transmitted to him. The wonderful mineral wealth of 
 this region, not merely in lead ore, but in iron and in 
 others, embraced under this head, I may almost say was 
 first made known by me. I had met with an intelligent 
 hunter who gave me a surprising account of the country 
 near the sources of the Maramec, the Osage, and White 
 Rivers, the latter emptying into the Arkansas. These 
 essays were afterward collected in a volume, with the 
 title of "Views of Louisiana," thus aspiring to the am- 
 bitious distinction of authorship. I may perhaps be par- 
 doned for saying that this youthful production was favor- 
 ably mentioned both ])y the London Quarterly and the 
 Edinburgh Review, and that an extract from it in one of 
 them, relating to Colonel Boon and his companions settled 
 around him in the Missouri wilderness, gave the hint to a 
 beautiful passage in the Don Juan of Lord I5yron. Wiiut- 
 ever deficiencies I might have felt in other respects, I was 
 
 22*
 
 254 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 at least not wanting in industry, and I had the satisfac- 
 tion to find that my occupations did not bring me into 
 angry collision with an}^ one. 
 
 Nothing interested me so much as the remains of an- 
 tiquity, the evidences of a more numerous and more civil- 
 ized people throughout the great valley of the Mississippi. 
 Besides the chapter on this subject, I made a special com- 
 munication to Mr. Jefferson, who, as President of the 
 American Philosophical Society, transmitted it to that 
 enlightened body, who published it among their transac- 
 tions. This probably led to my being chosen a member of 
 the Antiquarian Society of Boston, and of a similar Society 
 at Copenhagen, in Denmark. About this time I met with 
 two very interesting men, Nuttall and Bradbury, botanists 
 and naturalists, and very enthusiastic in their pursuits ; 
 and I will here remark, that enthusiasm is the natural 
 stimulant to action, where men are not actuated by mere 
 sordid interest or desire of gain. Mr. Bradbury was some- 
 what advanced in life, while his companion was about my 
 age, and he has since become one of the most celebrated 
 in his line in the world. 
 
 I examined with great care the mounds near St. Louis, 
 and hearing of others of a more remarkable character on 
 the eastern side of the river, in what is now the State of 
 Illinois, I took my rifle and crossed over intending to pass 
 a day or two among them, and was highly delighted with 
 what I saw. They were situated in a vast alluvial plain 
 about six miles in width, stretching to the river hills, and 
 the first were about two miles from the Mississippi, and 
 then continued at intervals in a diagonal direction, until 
 I reached the principal mound and group near the margin 
 of a narrow but deep stream, which traverses the im- 
 mense body of fertile land usually called the American 
 bottom, and not less than eighty or a hundred miles in
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 255 
 
 length. I was seized with astonishment as I ascended 
 the large mound, and then stepped around its base, not 
 surpassed in magnitude by the pyramid of Cholula in 
 Mexico, or those other wonders in Egypt ! The whole 
 plain was marked by spots on its surface, which had for- 
 merly been occupied by dwellings, whose perishable ma- 
 terials had crumbled down, leaving nothing but small 
 elevations of incumbent mould. Many of the ancient 
 cities of Asia and Africa do not exhibit any vestiges 
 more conspicuous ; even the site of Troy is only distin- 
 guishable at this day by the two little mounds supposed 
 to be the tombs of Achilles and Patroclus. In imagina- 
 tion I peopled this now silent plain with the numerous 
 human beings who once animated it, busily engaged in 
 the occupations of peace, or more deeply agitated by 
 the thrilling incidents of pestilence and war. In my book, 
 which may now be found in some public library, there 
 will be seen a full account of these mounds ; and in the 
 mean time hath not my friend Caleb At water, in his 
 curious and interesting volume on these antiquities, made 
 honorable mention of me, of my theories on this subject, 
 and descriptions of those which came under my personal 
 observations ? Mr. Jefferson, and Bishop Madison of 
 Virginia, were among the first to notice the western an- 
 tiquities, and afterward a Mr. Harris, in his journal, gave 
 a particular account of those at Marietta. 
 
 At the time of my first visit, there was no one living 
 within many miles of the place, but on a second visit, the 
 year following, I found a colony of the monks of La 
 Trappe established in the midst of them, their dwellings 
 occupying a smaller mound, a hundred yards west of the 
 great mound of Cohokia. As it was now late in Novem- 
 ber, and of course too cold to pass the night in the open 
 air, I was about to strike fire, when I observed a smoke
 
 256 ' BRACKENRIDOE'S 
 
 toward the bluffs near some ponds: I made mj way 
 thither, and found a young Canadian Frenchman, who 
 had come here for the purpose of shooting wild fowl, which 
 at this season frequent these places in great numbers. 
 His design was to remain here until daylight, when the 
 wild ducks, brandt, geese, and swans begin to fly from 
 one pond to another, over the place he had chosen, thus 
 affording him an opportunity of shooting them on the 
 wing. We soon established a cronyship, shared our 
 scanty meal, and endeavored to keep awake, for it was so 
 cold that one side was freezing while the other was burn- 
 ing, so that we needed continual turning like the ducks 
 themselves when placed on the spit. The next day, after 
 spending the greater part of it in pursuing my examina- 
 tion, and picking up some curious Indian utensils, re- 
 crossed the river to St. Louis. 
 
 Meanwhile I rented no office, or rather stall, where my 
 hands and feet might find that kind of repose which is en- 
 joyed by those who are placed in the stocks. My limbs 
 and my fancy were alike as free as the commoners of air. 
 I was a gentleman at large chained to no particular occu- 
 pation, yet no idler. Of a restless and mercurial nature, 
 it was impossible for me to remain inactive, although 
 there was more of the dulce than XhQ utile in my pursuits. 
 The abundant leisure on my hands was not dissipated in 
 the pleasures of society ; neither cards, wine, nor any of 
 the common amusements of young men had the least at- 
 traction, and as I was no groat sleeper, nearly the whole 
 twenty-four hours were at my disposal. Reading, writ- 
 ing, wandering, and solitary declamation constituted my 
 chief employment, and I have often thought how much 
 time a young man may have for all these, who engages 
 in no frivolous amusements, who })asses but a few hours 
 in bed, and who never stops to lounge at an idler's cor-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 257 
 
 nor. Books of travel at this time formed my principal 
 reading-, and I soon devoured everything of the kind I 
 eouhl lay my hand on, or ferret out in St. Louis. When 
 a man sets his whole heart and soul upon the accom- 
 plishment of any object, he will either find or create the 
 means. Even the drunkard may afford us a lesson on 
 this head ; for what toper, however penniless or despica- 
 ble, ever failed to obtain by hook or by crook his dearly 
 loved inebriating glass? 
 
 I will conclude this rambling chapter, or chapter of 
 rambling, with some remarks on the subject of plagiarism, 
 which have suggested themselves in consequence of a pas- 
 sage in my chapter on American antiquities in the "Views 
 of Louisiana. " A writer has attempted, in a small volume, 
 to convict Sterne, whose reputation as an Original is as 
 high as that of any English author, of this dishonorable 
 practice. The proof of his depredations on Burton's Anat- 
 omy of Melancholy are certainly very strong, and per- 
 haps one of the strongest is that which relates to the 
 melancholy disappearance of some of the most flourishing 
 cities of ancient times. Mathew Carey has defended 
 Sterne, and if not to the perfect satisfaction of the reader, 
 he has at least given sufficient reason against taking the 
 mere resemblance of certain passages as conclusive evi- 
 dence. Why may not the same objects strike different 
 persons in the same manner ? and if so, is it to be won- 
 dered that in describing their respective impressions in 
 the same tongue, that there should be a resemblance, and 
 even identity in their language ? I can safely say that 
 I had not read the passage in Tristram Shandy, which 
 book was never a favorite of mine, at the time I wrote my 
 chapter, nor had I the slightest recollection of the pas- 
 sage in Washington Irving's Salmagundi, if I had ever 
 read it at all ; yet the charge of plagiarism might be
 
 258 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 broug-ht home to us, as well as to Sterne, and perhaps in 
 
 many others who, looking at nature, may have written 
 
 on the same subject. 
 
 The following is the passage in Sterne : 
 
 "Kingdoms, and provinces, and towns, and cities, have 
 
 they not their periods ? Where is Troy, and Mycene, and 
 
 Thebes, and Delos, and Persepolis, and Agrigentum ? 
 
 What is become, brother Toby, of Xineveh and Babylon, 
 
 of Cyzicum and Mytelene ? the fairest towns that ever 
 
 the sun rose upon, are now no more." 
 
 The supposed original in Burton runs thus : 
 
 " Kingdoms, provinces, cities, and towns have their 
 
 periods, and are cansumed. In those flourishing times 
 of Troy, Mycene was the fairest city of Greece — but 
 
 it, alas ! and that of Assyrian Nineveh, are overthrown. 
 The like fate hath that Egyptian and Boeotian Thebes, 
 Delos, the common Council house of Greece, and Babylon 
 the greatest city the sun ever shone on, hath now nothing 
 but walls and rubbish left. And where is Troy itself 
 now, Persepolis, Carthage, Cyzicum, Sparta, Argos, and 
 all those Grecian cities ? Syracuse and Agrigentum, the 
 fairest towns of Sicily, which had sometimes seven hun- 
 dred thousand inhabitants, are now decayed." 
 
 AVashington Irving uses the following beautiful lan- 
 guage : 
 
 "Alas! how futile are all human efforts to evade the 
 obliterating hand of time ! As I traversed the dreary 
 wates of Egypt, on my journey to Grand Cairo, I stopped 
 my camel for awhile, and contemplated in awful admira- 
 tion the stupendous pyramids. An appalling silence pre- 
 vailed around, such as reigns in the wilderness when the 
 tempest is hushed, and the beasts of prey have retired 
 to their dens. The myriads that had once been em- 
 ployed in rearing those lofty mementoes of human vanity,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 259 
 
 whoso busy hum once enlivened tlie solitude of the desert, 
 had all been swept from the earth, by the irresistible arm 
 of death. All were mingled with their native dust. All 
 were forgotten. Even the mighty name which these 
 sepulchers were designed to perpetuate had long since 
 faded^ from remembrance. History and tradition afford 
 but vague conjectures, and the pyramids only impart a 
 humiliating lesson to the candidate for immortality." 
 
 I will now give my own words, without pretending to 
 place them in competition with the foregoing illustrious 
 writers, but merely to exhibit the striking similarity in 
 some of the ideas : 
 
 "But the human race has everywhere experienced ter- 
 rible revolutions. Pestilence, war, and the convulsions 
 of the globe have annihilated the proudest works, and 
 rendered vain the noblest efforts of man. Ask not the 
 sage, by whom, and when, were erected the originals of 
 those lingering ruins, 'the frail memorials' of ages which 
 have long since been swallowed up in the ocean of Time. 
 Ask not the wild Arab, where may be found the owner 
 of the superb palace, within whose broken walls he casts 
 his tent. Ask not the lisherman as he spreads his nets, 
 or the plowman who whistles over the ground, where 
 is Tyre, where is Troy, of whose splendor historians and 
 poets have so much boasted. Alas ! they have vanished 
 from the things that be, and have left only the melancholy 
 Ic.-^son of the instability of the most stupendous labors, 
 and of the vanity of immortality on earth."
 
 260 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 CHAPTER XXYIII. 
 
 Bad Consequences of Good Society — A Constructive Quarpel and 
 Fatal Duel between two Friends. 
 
 I HAVE said that I took iio office, having determined to 
 go farther south before entering in earnest on the labors 
 of my profession ; yet some portion of m}^ time was daily 
 passed in the office of my friend Graham, who was well 
 satisfied with his present situation. Having more expe- 
 rience in the law, although some years younger, my as- 
 sistance was useful to him in preparing his cases and in 
 hunting up applicable authorities. He was peculiarly 
 well adapted to the routine of office business, and would 
 have been successful, although he did not aspire to any 
 high degree of eminence, much less to the palm of elo- 
 quence. He inherited from his father, a revolutionary 
 officer, an exalted sense of honor, with not a little of mil- 
 itary instinct, which rendered him less averse than I was 
 to duels and personal rencounters. These would have 
 formed no obstacles in his way. His person was fine, 
 and his taste for dress and fashion was great, while he 
 had no relish whatever for mere literary abstractions or 
 enthusiasm, for he actually refused to accompany me to 
 visit the great mound at Cohokia, although I had just be. 
 fore ridden with liim to the cantonment of a regiment at 
 Bellefontaine on the Missouri, where there was nothing but 
 the great river itself worth seeing; for the mere parade of 
 a few soldiers, and the music even of a good band, were no 
 objects of curiosity to me. My friend sought that kind of 
 society which I avoided, often passing his evenings with
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF TUE WEST. 261 
 
 the young officers of the army, and others, who killed 
 time with a social game of cards, — not to the extent of 
 gaming, yet far enough to disqualify a young lawyer for 
 the business of the day by sitting up too late at night, not 
 to speak of the demoralizing tendency. But these were not 
 the worst consequences of such habits, as will appear 
 from the unhappy occurrence I am about to relate. It 
 would have been well for my poor friend if he had had as 
 little relish for good society as I had. 
 
 One evening, looking on as an unconcerned spectator 
 while a party was playing a game of cards, Graham saw one 
 of those engaged commit an act deemed highly dishonor- 
 able among players, and following only the momentary 
 impulse of correct feeling instead of consulting the pru- 
 dential advice of La Rochefoucauld, si favais la main 
 pleine de verites, je rrt'en garderais bien de Vouvrir — 
 which may sometimes render prudence the accomplice of 
 guilt — he at once proclaimed the disgraceful act, regard- 
 less of consequences. The party was immediately broken 
 up, and the person thus implicated, who was a lieutenant 
 in the anny, a man of honor by profession, gave notice 
 that for this insult he should demand the satisfaction due 
 to him as a gentleman. The officer was of that caste of 
 persons not often nowadavs met with in tlie armv, since 
 the military school at West Point has furnished it with 
 young men trained to nobler feelings ; at the same time, 
 I do not mean to say that some of our best officers, both 
 of the army and navy, have not been taken at once from 
 among the citizens ; I merely make it as a general remark 
 that the character of our officers has been raised by the 
 pains taken with our cadets and midshipmen. 
 
 The next morning the challenge came, and it was borne 
 by the individual, a physician, with whom Graham had 
 
 23
 
 2G2 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 been more intimate than with any other in the town. This 
 gentleman and the officer had married the daughters of 
 the same person, a respectable citizen of St. Louis ; he 
 considered himself thus imperatively called upon to act 
 as the friend of his brother-in-law. The challenge was at 
 once refused, on the ground that the challenged party 
 could not place himself on a footing with one whom he 
 had denounced as a cheat and a swindler. On this, the 
 second declared that the consequence was that he must 
 stand in the place of his friend — that the insult was, by 
 a necessary inference, transferred to him, for if his friend 
 was unworthy the notice of a gentleman, he must be no 
 better for taking up the cause of such a person. Graham 
 assured him that he had every possible respect for him, 
 and disclaimed all intention to call in question his stand- 
 ing as a gentleman. But the other insisted that, accord- 
 ing to the laws of honor, and according to correct rea- 
 soning, the refusal of the challenge on the ground that 
 the principal was not a gentleman was an insult to the 
 second. The difficulty of the case appeared to both insur- 
 mountable, and they separated with mutual expressions of 
 unabated esteem, notwithstanding the unpleasant position 
 which they were now forced to occupy. This kind of 
 reasoning was not altogether new to me ; the duel related 
 in another part of this volume, of which Tarleton Bates 
 was the victim, turned on a similar point of honor. 
 
 The colonel of the regiment happening to be in town, 
 was applied to by Graham, and, as a matter of course, the 
 delicate and responsible office was, without hesitation, ac- 
 cepted. The colonel was a man of tried courage, and 
 possessed of the ]U'udence and experience of mature years, 
 qualities deemed very important in a second to a duel. 
 There was no possiljility of an accommodation. Nothing 
 short of an acknowledgment that the officer accused of
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 263 
 
 bein<i: a cheat, was a geiitlenian, could lie received; and 
 this Graham could not give without acknowledging him- 
 self a slanderer. The challenger could not yield, because 
 in doing so he would acknowledge himself to be no gen- 
 tleman, by carrying a challenge for a blackguard. In or- 
 dinary cases the principal may, after the first fire, ac- 
 knowledge himself satisfied for the supposed insult, but 
 in this case nothing short of the surrender of the point in 
 dispute could arrest the progress of the duel ; so that it 
 necessarily must be a combat jusqiCd, la mort, or until 
 one of the parties be disabled, and even then to be re- 
 newed as soon as that party should be able again to take 
 the field. 
 
 All the preliminaries of this deadly duel between two 
 friends, on a constructive insult, under the laws of honor, 
 were now arranged, and the time fixed for the meeting 
 three days ahead. Ifi the mean time, all possible dili- 
 gence was used by the colonel and his principal in pro- 
 viding the best pistols for the occasion ; and, in order to 
 place them in the most perfect condition, they went in 
 search of a celebrated gunsmith, who lived in an obscure 
 place in Illinois, almost in a secluded hermitage, a creat- 
 ure of whim and singularity, of the name of Cramar, 
 famous for his gunlocks, and originally from Lancaster, 
 Pa. I have known a pair of his pistols, perfectly plain, 
 sell for two hundred dollars, and a rifle for one hundred 
 and fifty, on account of the su})}josed superiority of his 
 workmanship. Afterward they retired to a ravine to 
 practice; but in none of these excursions did I accom- 
 pany them. All I can say is that the colonel proclaimed 
 Graham one of the best shots he had ever known, which 
 I did not doubt, for I knew him to be well skilled in the 
 use of almo.st every kind of weapon ; at the same tinje, I 
 placed more confidence in coolness and firmness of nerve
 
 264 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 in real danger than the mere correctness of the eye when 
 aiming at a dead mark. 
 
 The fatal morning having arrived, the whole party pro- 
 ceeded, after daylight, in the same boat, across the river to 
 Illinois, Excepting a surgeon, no one accompanied them. 
 I was the only person who attended them to the boat, 
 where I shook hands with Graham with all the earnest 
 and anxious feelings which can be better conceived than 
 described. I remained for an hour and a half, waiting the 
 result, and felt that sickness of the heart occasioned by the 
 dread of some deep calamity, rendered more intense by 
 glimpses of hope. I listened in vain to hear the reports of 
 the pistols, the river being too wide for this purpose. At 
 length the boat appeared, and my heart beat audibly as 
 she came near enough to enable me to distinguish per- 
 sons. I was in a short time enabled to count the whole 
 party, seated on their benches ; there might be wounds, 
 but there was no one actually dead. I ran to the boat, 
 and helped my friend Graham out ; I saw him pale and 
 bloody, but he set his foot on the ground with a firm step. 
 I soon found, however, that he required the aid of the 
 colonel, as well as mine, to enable him to reach his lodg- 
 ing. He was undressed and placed on his bed, while the 
 surgeon examined his wounds. At the first fire he had 
 received the ball of his antagonist in his side, passing 
 round the back bone, and lodging in the flesh beyond, and 
 when extracted the wound measured nine inches in length. 
 The other party, at the same time, had received a slight 
 flesh wound in the hip ; but, after this wound, Graham's 
 nervous system must have been so much affected as to 
 prevent him from firing with any certain aim. The next 
 fire the ball passed through the calves of both his legs, 
 and at the third his hand was so severely lacerated that 
 he could no longer hold the pistol. In the mean time, he
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF TUE WEST. 265 
 
 said nothing- of his other wounds, and they were only- 
 discovered by the loss of blood, ami after he was disa- 
 bled. The seconds now decided that the combat should 
 cease for the present, to be renewed again whenever 
 Graham should be in a condition to do so. After the 
 wounds were dressed, the surgeon directed that he should 
 be left alone, that he might take some repose. The col- 
 onel related to me the particulars of the combat, and 
 spoke in raptures of the perfect coolness and firmness of 
 my unfortunate friend. 
 
 The next day the other party to the duel called to see 
 the person who had thus suffered by his hand, and offered 
 his services to attend him, which were accepted ; and 
 during the whole of his attendance he manifested as much 
 tenderness and solicitude as if he had been a brother. 
 These may be regarded as curious contradictions, but 
 human life is made up of strange compounds of motives 
 and actions. Graham was confined four months to his 
 room. The wound in his back first healed, and then 
 opened afresh, while he gradually sunk, and there is little 
 doubt that the spine was injured. Toward the spring he 
 attempted to return to his native place on horseback, but 
 only succeeded in going one hundred miles, when he was 
 found dead in his bed in the morning. I shall not attempt 
 to moralize on the foregoing; I dislike commonplace, 
 and I should probably not be able to say anything that 
 would not suggest itself to the reflecting mind on reading 
 this unadorned narrative of facts. 
 
 I cannot but remark, however, that all this false honor, 
 this barbarous and irrational morality, was in obedience 
 to the public opinion of the place, public opinion possess- 
 ing little or no influence in assigning to individuals their 
 proper stations in society according to merit or demerit, 
 or frowning down conduct really disreputable and im- 
 
 23* 
 \
 
 266 ^^^ CKENRID GE'S 
 
 moral, yet so powerful in what related to the exhibition 
 of mere animal coinage. Nothing could more strongly 
 prove the savage state of society. It was exactly that 
 degree of the point of honor which I have witnessed 
 among the Indian tribes, where a warrior will voluntarily 
 travel a thousand miles, at the requisition of his chiefs, to 
 surrender himself to death, under penalty of being de- 
 graded from his station as a brave man ; and I have seen 
 the willing victim, vrhile singing his death-song, take his 
 measure in the newly-dug grave, surrounded apparently 
 by his friends, who, after manifesting the greatest regard 
 for him, have dealt the fatal blow on the spot pointed out 
 by himself. As Mr. Clay justly said, on a late occasion, 
 " It is public opinion which is wrong ; it is public opinion 
 which restrains a man, in certain sections of the Union, 
 from resorting to this mode of resenting insults and inju- 
 ries ; and it is the same public opinion which, in other 
 sections of the country, exacts from individuals a resort 
 to this practice, in order to settle their disputes. In these 
 latter sections of the country the only alternative offered 
 to a man who had been injured or insulted is whether he 
 will live in ignominy and disgrace, or expose himself to 
 the loss of life in personal rencounters ; and under this 
 alternative there are but too few that feel able to refuse 
 that expense of human life."
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 20 1 
 
 CHAPTEll XXIX. 
 
 Departure from St. Louis — That Place revisited after au Interval 
 of Ten Years — Sliewe — Melanthy. 
 
 The time had arrived for my departure from St. Louis, 
 and my destiny called me to Lower Louisiana. I had 
 been furnished with many and warm letters from the old 
 inhabitants to their friends on the Lower Mississippi, 
 which, in due time, rendered me good service. My pas- 
 sage was taken on what was called a '' keelboat;" steam- 
 ers were then unknown on the " Father of Waters." 
 Shewe accompanied me to the river with a basket of 
 apples from his little huckster-shop ; but the poor fellow, 
 in his haste, stumbled and fell on the gravelly beach, cut- 
 ting his face, and scattering his farewell present. As he 
 ro.se he presented a ludicrous yet touching appearance, 
 when I bade him a sorrowful farewell, his visage be- 
 grimed with tears, blood, and dirt. I had other friends, 
 but none more sincere and true than this kind-hearted, 
 inoffensive old man. 
 
 A decade, that is to say a period of ten years, the 
 most eventful of my life, had pas.sed away, from the year 
 1811 to 1821, and I am again in St. Louis, not determ- 
 ined whether to remain or take advantage of the new 
 opening afforded by the acquisition of Florida, or return 
 to New Orleans, where I had met with brilliant success, 
 and which place, perhaps, I should never have left. Those 
 ten years with their connected series of incidents will be 
 left blank l)y me ; for the repetition of so much egotism
 
 2G8 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 will hardly be tolerated; although, possibly, of much 
 greater importance than the boyish freaks related in the 
 foregoing chapters. If the life of Dr. Johnson, by Bos- 
 well, had been written in the first person instead of the 
 third, it would not have been pronounced one of the 
 greatest books that ever issued from the press. Short 
 autobiographies of Hume, Franklin, Gibbon, sketching 
 only the earliest portion of their lives, are not only tol- 
 erated but read with unceasing interest, while the tedious 
 egotisms of Rousseau, Marmontel, and Cumberland are 
 thrown aside in disgust. Perhaps in our own eyes the 
 incidents of our lives appear to grow in importance as 
 we advance in years, while in reality they become more 
 and more insignificant. 
 
 Among the many subjects of my inquiries, one of the 
 first, on my return to St. Louis, was about Shewe, but 
 at first with little success, for he had almost passed away 
 from the memory of the oldest inhabitant, and was but 
 a fossil as respected the new. I found him, after consid- 
 erable search, in a back alley, the occupant of a miserable 
 board shanty, without floor or windows, and in the low- 
 est degree of poverty and destitution, and almost in rags. 
 He was of course surprised, and expressed as much joy 
 as the low condition of his mind and body would allow. 
 Giving him some immediate aid, and promising to do 
 more, I left him for the present. 
 
 I am now in St. Louis, after having pla3'ed my part 
 as a public man in New Orleans, Baltimore, and South 
 America; as author, judge, legislator, diplomatist; I am 
 here, then, for the second time, the world before me where 
 to choose. Instead of the old-fashioned French village, 
 it was now a rising city of five or six thousand inhabit- 
 ants, with many fine buildings of brick and wood, and 
 carrying on an extensive trade on the noble Rivers Missis-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 2G9 
 
 sippi and Missouri ; still, the day of steamboats had only 
 just dawned, and compared to what it is at this time, the 
 rising city would scarcely deserve to rank as one of its 
 suburbs. The mau-nificeut site which it occupies, I pro- 
 phesied, would render it at some future day " the Mem- 
 phis of the American Nile ;" the immense advantages 
 of its geographical position even surpassing the magnifi- 
 cence of its locality. 
 
 The reader will pardon the vanity of my saying that 
 I found myself a man of some note at this time in St. 
 Louis, having reached the mature age of thirty-three, 
 and I will take the liberty of introducing him to a very 
 different character from the one of which I have been 
 speaking; this was no less a person than the St. Louis 
 millionaire, Mr. John Melanthy. I had been slightly 
 acquainted with him, but knew him well by reputation. 
 He had speculated largely in cotton during the war. In 
 the defense, his cotton bales had been taken for the 
 breastwork, and Melanthy applied to General Jackson. 
 " This is your cotton," said the general; "then no one 
 has a better right to defend it, so take a musket and stand 
 in the ranks." Melanthy had been a soldier, and I have 
 no doubt a good one. I have not been authentically in- 
 formed, but from my knowledge of the two men, I will 
 not hesitate to say that he accepted the situation. It is 
 certain that after the peace was established he dug out 
 his cotton, loaded several ships for Liverpool, and cleared 
 a million of dollars. He then went to St. Louis, operated 
 in town lots and lands around, expended large sums in 
 buildings, realizing a second fortune. One day he called 
 on me after my arrival, and invited me to dine with him. 
 He was about sixty-five years of age, a large coarse look- 
 ing man, with a rough red face, a carbuncled nose, show- 
 ing his habits of life to incline more to the liquids than
 
 210 BRA CKENRID GU'S 
 
 the solids. His daughters were then at Rome for their 
 religion and education, for he was a true and zealous son 
 of the church. I found him in a large brick house, per- 
 haps the largest in the town, unfurnished and untenanted, 
 with the exception of a back room, of which he was the 
 sole occupant. Here I found him seated before a wood 
 fire (coal was not in use at that time), while two catfish 
 heads were broiling on two chips of wood. " There," 
 said he, "you see your dinner; that head is yours, and 
 this is mine; we must each do the cooking." It was a 
 Barmecide feast, and I determined to humor it. We had 
 some excellent bread and butter, and to make amends for 
 the dishes, drank exquisite Madeira out of dirty tumblers. 
 The flow of conversation in the mean time was most 
 animated ; he was a man of large experience, consider- 
 able reading, and powerful mind. On my part I exerted 
 my conversational abilities to the utmost, and at that 
 day they were not considered small, both in the serious 
 and the humorous. It was ''the feast of reason and the 
 flow of soul " " atwixt us twa," — for there was no one to 
 witness or to share our enjoyment. I recollect, among 
 other things related by him, he was once asked by the 
 celebrated Kentucky lawyer, Col. Joe Davis, who fell at 
 the battle of Tippecanoe, to tell him the secret of his 
 success in his transactions and speculations. He told 
 Davis that he had laid it down as a safe rule, that the 
 mass of the people, or multitude, was gencrall}^ wrong, 
 and seldom right in their opinions and actions, unless by 
 chance, or compulsion ; and, therefore, he always en- 
 deavored to move in a contrary direction from the crowd. 
 If he saw everybody going up stream, he went down ; 
 and if every one appeared to be going down, he went up. 
 If everybody was buying, he sold ; if every one was 
 selling, he bought. This was in fact the rule of Roths-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 271 
 
 child, the greatest financier in the world ; whether 
 original with Melanthy, or borrowed from this sugges- 
 tion, I will not undertake to say. 
 
 The dessert, I must add, was the most substantial and 
 satisfactory part of the entertainment ; going to his safe, 
 he brought forth a bag of dollars, and placing it on the 
 table, — '' There," said he, "is a retaining fee, if I should 
 want your professional services." I need not say that 
 we parted (at least I can speak for myself) in a very good 
 humor ; and I certainly had a very good reason to en- 
 tertain a high opinion of the good sense of Mr. John 
 Melanthy. 
 
 It was a shocking December evening out of doors, — 
 while I was seated in my comfortable office before a 
 cheerful wood fire, my office table, books, and papers 
 behind me. I was alone — but busy thoughts passing 
 through my mind. I thought of the " poor wretches, 
 their unfed sides, their looped and windowed raggedness." 
 I thought of Shewe, — and the resolve was no sooner 
 made than executed. Procuring a lantern, I waded 
 through mud on my devious way to his cabin, and push- 
 ing open the door, for it had no lock, found him in his 
 bunk dozing among his buffaloe skins or robes as they 
 are called. He seemed at first indifferent to the intrusion ; 
 having no fear of robbers, as he had nothing to be robbed 
 of, and to murder him would be doing him a favor. Be- 
 ing roused and made to put on his duds and old surtout, 
 he was led out, as it were, as a prisoner. Parsing near 
 a barljer's shop, the operation of shaving and ablution 
 Avas performed ; and then at my room he underwent the 
 disguise of a clean shirt, and such garments as I could 
 spare. The next thing was to order a supper from a 
 neighboring restaurant, with bottles of ale. The half- 
 starved, and half-forgotten, and half-frozen i)hilosopher
 
 212 BRACKENRIDGE'S 
 
 was placed before a comfortable table, along with me as ' 
 my guest. After the first glass or two of ale, and feeling 
 the warmth of the fire, and unexpected transition, the 
 effect was as if some magician had suddenly waved his 
 wand over the scene. " She we was himself again." His 
 heart was unlocked — then came his hearty laugh, — then 
 his tongue was loosened, and in his triangular language, 
 a mixture of German, French, and English, with a gar- 
 nish of Latin, he fought over his battle of the taking of 
 the Bastile, reopened his budget of anecdotes of the great 
 Frederick and his generals, and called back the years 
 that had fled. Who could help rejoicing at seeing a fel- 
 low-creature thus gloriously transformed I 
 
 " Care, mad tae see a chiel sae happy, 
 E'en drown'd hersel amid the nappy." 
 
 For my part, the taste of genuine pleasure, snatched 
 by me on that occasion, surpassed the enjoyment of many 
 a gorgeous feast, where everything was contrived to 
 enchant the senses. Call it benevolence — call it selfish- 
 ness — what you please ; I am not ashamed to own that 
 the incident was grateful to my heart. The next day my 
 resuscitated friend, in his disguise, was introduced to some 
 of my acquaintance as Professor Shewe, from Berlin ; 
 which I could safely do, for he had diplomas both from 
 Berlin and from Paris. He was soon better lodged, and 
 had French scholars, or rather Americans desirous of 
 learning Fi'ench, — among others, Mr. Benton, afterward 
 a distinguished member of the U. S. Senate. 
 
 The story docs not end yet — it has a sad sequel. My 
 old friend in the autumn found his way to me at Pcnsa- 
 cola, where I had become a judge, and was residing 
 across the bay at St. Rosa, at my pleasant retreat on the 
 seashore. The yellow fever had broken out in the town,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WEST. 273 
 
 anrl in one week had carried off five hundred persons. 
 Shewe sought, with some others, a refuge with me ; he 
 had had a few French scholars, but his school was then 
 broken up. For some daj^s I had observed a strange ex- 
 pression in his countenance. In the cool of the evening 
 he set out to take a walk on the smooth beach. It was 
 late, and he did not return. We proceeded to look for 
 him, fearful that something might have happened ; we 
 shouted and fired guns in vain. There came on a terrific 
 storm of wind and rain, which continued the greater part 
 of the night. The next morning, which was without a 
 cloud, the search was resumed. When looking up, high, 
 high in the empyrean, three specs were seen circling 
 each other — it was ominous, and I knew its mean- 
 ing. The gyrations became nearer and nearer, until a 
 vulture lighted on a tree. We hastened to the spot; and 
 there, his umbrella on one side and his Bible on the other, 
 lay all that was mortal of Frederick Sheice ! The last 
 funeral rites, as well as circumstances would permit, were 
 paid ; and then we left him to his last repose. May the 
 God of Mercy forgive us our trespasses as we for- 
 give THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US. 
 
 24
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 VIAM VENIAS, AUT FIAS. 
 
 LETTER TO WALTER FORWARD. 
 
 Washington City, Sept. 29th, 1817. 
 Walter Forward, Esq. 
 
 My dear Friend, — Nothing gives me more pleasure than to 
 hear of your continued success in your profession. During the 
 three years we pursued our legal studies, we were inseparable, 
 as if we were possessed of but one mind, although in two bodies. 
 The difiference, now, is very great ; after some years of success- 
 ful practice, you became attached to the soil, glebce adstrictis ; 
 became the father of a family, became deeply rooted, and grew 
 like the noble " green bay-tree by the water side ;" while I con- 
 tinued an unsettled wanderer, without local attachments, with- 
 out root, with but little weight or influence in any society. Per- 
 haps early habit, perhaps accidental circumstances, perhaps 
 natural propensity, have shaped my destiny so different from 
 yours. 
 
 In your last and most friendly letter, prompted by kindly in- 
 terest, and also by curiosity, you put a number of questions to 
 me, relating to myself, to my habitual pursuits, to my occupa- 
 tions, my studies, and particularly to my intercourse with books, 
 those silent and interesting friends to whom we have both been 
 so much devoted. My father was once asked by a friend, during 
 ray first sojourn in the City of Baltimore, where he should find 
 me; he was told he had only to go to any bookstore or public 
 collection of books, and there he would have no difTiculty in dis- 
 covering my whereabouts. In fact, the fine city lil)rary, and the 
 
 (275)
 
 276 APPENDIX. 
 
 largest bookstores were resorts as natural to me as the water- 
 brook to the thirsty wild deer of the forests. The first year in 
 Baltimore, I took no office, but passed a few hours, in the morn- 
 ing, in the ofiice of a friend, applying myself to the chancery 
 practice, and making myself useful to him with my pen, at the 
 same time adding to my professional knowledge. The rest of 
 the time was passed in sauntering about the town, observinsr 
 and thinking. Being on the most friendly terms with all the 
 booksellers, they gave me the free use of their books, by which 
 means I had the benefit of all the latest publications ; and in 
 return endeavored to make myself useful generally. My lawyer 
 friend gave me the benefit of his share in the public library, con- 
 taining some fifteen or twenty thousand volumes, and you may 
 be sure that I greedily availed myself of it. This, also, gave 
 the right to take a particular book to my lodgings for a certain 
 period. Being always a night student, I employed in this way 
 much waste time, although the greater part of the day was 
 passed in thoughtful idleness out of doors. To economize time, 
 the interval between daybreak and breakfast was passed reading 
 in bed. We are told by Bacon that some books are to be 
 studied, some to be read, and others to be perused. One who 
 has read many books acquires a faculty of reading rapidly. 
 The books to be studied are comparatively the fewer number, 
 especially to one who has already made the circle of general 
 reading: many books contain the same things, repeated, or pre- 
 sented in different forms; others may be mastered by simply 
 reading the table of contents, and a facility can be acquired 
 from much practice, by reading a page at a time, by simply dip- 
 ping into it, and catching a few words here and there. There 
 is also a species of book knowledge, or knowledge of books, 
 acquired from the catalogue, and becoming familiar with the 
 names of the authors who treat on different subjects, or simply 
 turning over the leaves and title-page. I have run over octavos 
 in a few minutes, where the subject was familiar, while a single 
 page lias occupied my attention for an hour. Reading and 
 thinking are very different things. Some books are so fascina- 
 ting that I could not desist without a sigh of chagrin and dis- 
 appointment.
 
 APPENDIX. 2V'7 
 
 T attended the courts occasionally where important cases 
 were tried, but could not bear the dull routine, either of the 
 court or the olBce, where the same thing was repeated over and 
 over again, from which I learned nothing. Like a blind horse in 
 a bark-mill, although in motion there was no progress. It was 
 different where there was an opportunity to listen to the able 
 speeches of lawyers ; these were carried with me, and formed 
 matter for solitary declamation in some out-of-the-way place, 
 which could always be found. 
 
 The Baltimore Library was particularly rich in the ancient 
 Greek and Eoman writers, or classics. I could read the Latin 
 with vernacular fluency. One cannot be said to be proficient 
 in a language until he can throw aside the dictionary and gram- 
 mar, and construe words and passages by the context, and the 
 force of reasoning. As to the Greek, my proficiency was only 
 such as is made by the usual course of the classics at our schools, 
 while I was at home in eight languages. If I had come across 
 such a treasure as this at an earlier period of life, I should have 
 been the poorer by many thousand pages, or even volumes of 
 general reading. It was now too late — I could not spare the time, 
 with the exception of select portions of the Greek tragic authors, 
 with aid of Potter, etc. I was, therefore, obliged to be content 
 with the best translations of the Greek dramatists, vEschj-lus, 
 Euripides, and Sophocles. Of the latter, I found a fine French 
 translation, and an Italian one of Aristophanes. Thus, although 
 it could not be said of me that I had only " small Latin and less 
 Greek," yet I could not pretend to be a great proficient in the 
 classics. The classical reader will discover from the frequent 
 allusion in my writings (like Freemason signs) that my mind 
 was, notwithstanding, tolerably well imbued with the master- 
 pieces of Greece and Rome. 
 
 When I left Baltimore, I went to Somerset, as a place of study 
 and practice. You know, personally, this part of my history. 
 On leaving Somerset, my next stopping-place was St. I^ouis, in 
 Missouri. My correspondence will tell you the rest. You have 
 my book on Louisiana, and the account of my voyage or trip up 
 the Missouri, as the Fidus Achafcs of Manud Lisa. lie was a 
 raan of *• bold emprise," like some of the Spanish heroes of the 
 
 24*
 
 278 APPENDIX. 
 
 conquest. It was a good opportunity to improve my Spanish, 
 as we spoke the language exclusively, and read Don Quixote 
 together, at such intervals as we would snatch for the purpose. 
 You must remember the anecdote related of Walpole. An 
 adventurer applying to him for employment, was advised by the 
 great statesman to learn the Spanish language. After a time, 
 the applicant returned, and informed him that he had succeeded 
 in making the desired acquisition: "Then, sir," said Walpole, 
 "you can enjoy the pleasure of reading Don Quixote." 
 
 But to pursue my book chronicle. My next step was New 
 Orleans. This was a place of wild confusion, of all nations and 
 tongues — a pluce of speculation, dissipation, debauchery, and 
 revel ; but not much for books. Yet I found a library, and a good 
 one ; at least an extensive one, occupying the old government 
 house, but consisting of old, second-hand books, like the con- 
 tributions of a thousand private libraries, or the mingled trash 
 and drift of her great river. There was no information to be 
 had of its history, although it was modern, having sprung into 
 existence since the change of government. I was almost the 
 sole visitor, and roamed through it in pursuit of old authors re- 
 lating to the colonization of Louisiana, to garnish the work on 
 which I had been engaged in St. Louis, and some valuable ones 
 were found, unknown to me before. I refer you to my statement 
 in " Walshe's Register," of the question of the boundaries of 
 Louisiana, under the treaties between the different nations, who, 
 at various periods, in succession, were the owners of the province. 
 
 Now, for a more active life — through horrid swamps and 
 dreary regions, on the circuit, as deputy attorney-general for the 
 Territory, an office which no one else would undertake, just be- 
 fore the spring floods, when half the country would be under 
 water. 'J'here were no books here, but much ugly traveling on 
 horseback, and some dangerous work in prosecuting robbers 
 and outlaws, especially on the west side of Red River, and the 
 border of Texas. This circuit of a thousand miles was repeated 
 after the water had subsided, in the autumn, wilh a plentiful 
 accompaniment of mosquitoes and bilious fever, of which I took 
 my share. The winter was passed in assisting to organize the 
 new State government, in which 1 took my part in the new legis-
 
 APPENDIX. 279 
 
 lative act, establishing the new judiciary system, partly com- 
 piled from that of the State of Pennsylvania, and partly from 
 that of the Federal system. In this alluvial region people rise 
 very suddenly, at least they did so at that time, and thus, when 
 little more than a boy, they made me one of the judges of the 
 six districts into which the State was partitioned by me, for it 
 was my work, that is to say, through others. 
 
 My domicile became Baton Rouge, a quiet and pleasant place 
 for a student, and abundant leisure from business. Even here 
 books could be had ; the ruling passion will be gratified, whether 
 it be for books, or wine, or billiards. A close intimacy was soon 
 formed with an enlightened Spaniard, Don Juan Lopez, an old 
 bachelor, who resembled Don Quixote in person, and had the 
 same passion for spending a considerable portion of his income 
 in the purchase of books, not of knight-errantry, but embracing 
 general literature in its various branches. Here was my first 
 introduction to Fe^joo, the Spanish philosophical monk, and the 
 counterpart of the celebrated Dr. Browne, the author of the work 
 on " Vulgar Errors." Here were some splendid editions by the 
 " Spanish Academy," one of the first in ability in p]urope. There 
 was Mariana, the national historian ; there was Ercila, the 
 national epic ; and Ckrvantes, the world-renowned, with noble 
 illustrations by the first Spanish masters. I dined almost every 
 day with Sefior Lopez, and, as he did not understand English, I 
 was forced to speak Spanish. But I had now a difficult task 
 before me, having to study a new system, the Roman civil law, 
 with its offsjirings of France and Spain, and laying aside, for the 
 present, the good old common law of Coke and Blackstone. In 
 addition to these, there were the Code Frederick and the Code 
 Napoleon, 'i'his was no child's play — two years of close appli- 
 cation was the least that was required. It was different from 
 learning a new language; yet, as in this case, the ac(|uinng of 
 one greatly facilitates the acquisition of another ; so I plunged 
 into the Corpus Juris and the Institutes, and then into Domat, 
 FoTHiKR, the Partidas, Febrero, and the Recopilation. 
 
 Now came on the war of 1812 ; all movement or business in 
 Louisiana was at an end for the present — it appeared almost a 
 solitude. The grass grew in the streets of New Orleans. The
 
 280 APPENDIX. 
 
 seat of war was in the Nortli ; but no one could tell how soon 
 it might be transferred to the South, the weakest part of the 
 Union. I made a public address to the people in the city in 
 favor of the war. There was no enthusiasm or American feel- 
 ing. Among the French, the European portion seemed to take 
 the lead. They were crazy Napoleonists. Some of them even 
 called him " our emperor." This made me hate him. The ma- 
 jority of the native French were either indifferent or had never 
 entertained any American feelings. There were some, however, 
 of the more intelligent who preferred American independence to 
 foreign colonial vassalage. But, on the downfall of the great 
 embodiment of military aristocracy, all this was changed, and 
 with the first military movement a patriotic feeling began to 
 show itself in every class. Even the European French, from 
 deadly hatred to Britain (with the exception of a small number 
 of Bourbonists), rallied round the standard of the Union. After 
 Waterloo, England was at liberty to turn her attention to the 
 remote and defenseless outskirt of the Union ; and during the 
 last year of the war an invasion began to be looked for. Hav- 
 ing little to do, and my opportunities aff'ording me considerable 
 means for acquiring information, I began a correspondence with 
 the government. I mean I volunteered my communications re- 
 specting the condition of the country ; that is, with respect to 
 the apprehended invasion and movements of the enemy. Al- 
 though these communications were not directly noticed, yet Mr. 
 Madison, through our delegate in Congress, expressed his ap- 
 probation, and desired me to continue them, at the same time 
 intimating a desire to engage my services in a diplomatic capa- 
 city. I believe that on more than one occasion I imparted im- 
 portant and valuable information.* In the year 1814, at the 
 request of General Shaler, I was joined with him in the mission 
 to Mexico, which almost immediately fell through, in conse- 
 quence of the counter-revolution in that country, which for a 
 time restored power to the royalists. Tempted by the prospects 
 of a diplomatic career, I repaired to Washington, and was iu- 
 
 *" Some of it obtained through R. R. Keen, then an exile from Balti- 
 more.
 
 APPENDIX. 281 
 
 troduced to Mr. ^[adison, and by him to the Secretary of State, 
 Mr. Monroe. Mr. Madison repeated personally what he had 
 authorized Mr. Boling Robertson to say. I shall not forget the 
 compliment he was pleased to pay to my father : " Your father 
 and I," said he, "were in the same class at Princeton; he was 
 the first and I was the last." Having no words for a suitable 
 reply, I could only make a very low inclination of the head and 
 remain silent. After passing a few months in Philadelphia, 
 enjoying a glorious feast in the Franklin Library and Mathew 
 Carey's extensive bookstore, I resolved to return to Paltimore to 
 await the events which might follow the general peace, and in 
 the mean time make another attempt to engage in the practice of 
 the law, with the additional experience and knowledge which I 
 had acquired with somewhat maturer years. My old habits of 
 frequenting the Baltimore Library and the bookstores were re- 
 sumed, but with a more frequent attendance on the courts. Mr. 
 Pinkney had returned from Europe, and was now the head of 
 the bar. Peace was restored, and the war terminated in the 
 glorious victory of New Orleans. 
 
 My finances began to run low, without certain supply from 
 stated salary or profession ; and the dark cloud of debt began 
 to show itself at a distance. One of my bookseller friends made 
 me a proposal, which I was tempted to accept, although it put 
 my mental powers to a severe trial. He was desirous of getting 
 up an early history of the war, so as to meet the fiiU sales, and 
 offered me six hundred dollars for one, provided it could be writ- 
 ten and put through the press in six weeks, lie procured for 
 me all the requisite documents, files of papers, pamphlets, official 
 reports, etc. Having procured a suitable place (a kind of gar- 
 ret), I set to work. I read and arranged in the daytime, and 
 then wrote at night. My task was thirty pages of foolscap, 
 which I had ready in the morning with the corrected sheets 
 (sixteen pages octavo) when the printer's devil paid me his 
 visit. The task was accomplished within the time, but the con- 
 sequences were terrible. I thought I would never be able to 
 dismiss the subject from my tortured brain. For weeks and 
 weeks I labored to bring back my mind to its healthy state, and 
 it seemed to me that I must go mad. 'i'he ideas of blood, and
 
 282 APPENDIX. 
 
 battles, and politics, had taken possession of my head to the 
 exclusion of all other thoughts. One of my symptoms was a 
 nervous twitching, like St. Vitus's dance. By slow degrees, 
 these symptoms became weaker; but it was long before I recov- 
 ered entirely from this overexertion. I realized a handsome 
 sum for so short a period of labor. Two thousand copies, being 
 the first edition, disappeared almost immediately. Another 
 edition of four thousand was called for, for which I received 
 half the amount I got for the first. 
 
 My old practice of solitary declamation was renewed, and in 
 my wanderings I discovered a spot peculiarly adapted to the 
 purpose. It was on Whetstone point, a long, narrow peninsula, 
 with what was called the Ferry branch on one side, and the 
 inner harbor or basin on the other, and terminating at Fort 
 McHenry (the defense of the city), and from a quarter to half 
 a mile wide. It was bare and naked, or only covered with a 
 very short grass. About half way down, and nearer the Ferry 
 branch, there was a very curious spot : it was a sort of natural 
 quickset hedge, covering a few acres of ground, the shrubbery 
 five or six feet high, and apparently impervious ; but what was 
 singular, in the interior it was separated by five or six small 
 glades or grassy apartments, each separately inclosed, as if de- 
 signed to be private or secret. It was a bushy dell or thicket, 
 worthy of the pastorals of Theocritus. In these solitary re- 
 cesses, I often practiced declamation, going from the one open- 
 ing to the other, on fine mornings and evenings. I am about to 
 relate a curious incident, which I think will probably amuse 
 you. As the spot was entirely unfrequented, and at least a 
 mile from any habitation, it was altogether private and free 
 from the risk of interruption. One morning, as I was entering 
 this sanctum, I thought I heard a voice, and approaching cau- 
 tiously, and peering through the thicket, who should I discover 
 but my friend, William Pinkney, ventilating his oratory accord- 
 ing to my own practice ! Aha ! thought I, you are stealing 
 my thunder, are you ? or rather, you have a thunder manufac- 
 tory of your own ! Determined to take advantage of this acci- 
 dental rencounter, I chose a favorable spot where I could see 
 and hear without being seen. And here the great orator was
 
 APPENDIX. 283 
 
 hammering out, or rather rehearsing, a speech. For a full hour 
 the outline was traced, and certain passages repeated and elabo- 
 rated with every variety of emphasis and intonation, 
 
 I did not fail to be at the court-house the next morning. The 
 court and bar were waiting impatiently for Mr. Pinkney. They 
 were all out of humor ; a messenger had been sent for him. 
 He came at length, with a somewhat hurried step. He entered, 
 bowing and apologizing : " I beg your honor's pardon, it really 
 escaped my recollection that this was the day fixed for the 
 trial. I am very sorry on my own account, as well as on ac- 
 count of others ; I fear I am but poorly prepared, but as it can- 
 not be avoided, I must do the best in my power." He was 
 dressed and looked as if he had just set out on a morning walk 
 of pleasure, like a mere Bond Street lounger. His hat, beauti- 
 ful and glossy, in his hand, his small rattan tapping the crown. 
 He drew off his gloves, and placed them on the table. He was 
 dressed most carefully, neatly but plainly, and in the best fash- 
 ion. His coat was of blue broadcloth, with gilt buttons ; his 
 vest of white Marseilles, with gold studs, elegantly fitting pants 
 and shining half boots ; he was the polished gentleman of leis- 
 ure accidentally dropped down in a motley group of inferior 
 beings. He was of the middle size, rather full in person, but 
 not too much so for his years, verging on sixty. His appear- 
 ance was even younger. His hair was without a single touch 
 of gray, of a light brown, and dressed d la coxcomb ; the heavy 
 massive brow rose above the clear blue eye, and formed a well- 
 marked abutment to the nose, which Lavater in his physiog- 
 nomy designates by name, and regards as the indication of in- 
 tellectual strength and power, although the straight forehead is 
 not always an indication of weakness, for the statue of Apollo 
 has such a one, except that it is not retreating, the facial angle, 
 according to Blumenbach, leaving ample space for the higher 
 intellectual organs. The face of the orator was large, and 
 somewhat coarse, the skin by no means delicate, but rather the 
 reverse ; the lips somewhat thin, but firm and muscular, cover- 
 ing the teeth even when speaking ; the chin rather small, and 
 the other features in perfect harmony, although he could not be 
 considered handsome. Such was the general appearance of the
 
 284 APPENDIX. 
 
 greatest orator of the American bar, and I doubt whether he will 
 ever have his superior in these States. When he began, his tones 
 were low and even somewhat plaintive, like the sound of the com- 
 ing wind through a forest, or the humming of a swarm of bees. As 
 he proceeded, his musical voice gradually rose with the subject ; 
 there was an occasional swell, and then a lull, with but little 
 gesture or effort. By degrees he warmed, but without those oc- 
 casional bursts in which the speaker seems to lose himself, but 
 still subdued, yet not permitting the listener to remit Iris atten- 
 tion for a moment. The distinctness of his articulation was 
 most remarkable, and was, in fact, the chief beauty of his de- 
 livery, but free from all theatrical rant or fury. The speech 
 was lawyer-like throughout, and chiefly addressed to the under- 
 standing. The subject of the present speech did not admit of 
 the terrific or of the pathetic, but was interspersed with some 
 beautiful passages, which shed their brilliancy over the whole. 
 His voice was not of the clear and ringing kind, which often 
 draws off the attention from the matter, but rather the softened 
 sound of the piano when the pedal is applied. The words 
 and sentences seemed to flow into each other in perfect musical 
 harmony, without sudden break or abruptness, but rising and 
 falling, or changing with the subject, still retaining an irresisti- 
 ble hold on the attention of the listeners. No one stirred ; all 
 seemed motionless, as if enchained or fascinated, and in a glow 
 of rapture, like persons entranced — myself among the rest, al- 
 though some portions of the speech were already familiar to 
 me, having heard them before, and this circumstance threatened 
 to break the spell : but the efi'ect was complete with the audi- 
 ence, and the actual delivery was so superior to the study, that 
 the inclination to risibility was checked at once, and my feelings 
 were again in unison with those around me. It was a most won- 
 derful display, and its effect long continued to master my feel- 
 ings and judgment. I had the vanity to think that the same 
 divinity stirred within me, and mentally exclaimed, ancli'' io sono 
 anche inttore — I, too, am a painter — but not from the vain hope 
 of ever equaling what I had seen and heard, but from pure ad- 
 miration and desire to do homage to the glorious gift, or rather 
 art, of eloquence.
 
 APPENDIX. 285 
 
 You wish me to explain how I came to be elected to repre- 
 sent the great City of Baltimore in the legislature of the State, 
 almost a perfect stranger, and no stake or interest in society. 
 In my idle walks I had made many personal acquaintances; and 
 there was my recent History of the War, with a variety of other 
 publications. But still more important was the practice of 
 stump speaking among candidates, which had recently been in- 
 troduced, and it so happened that I became almost immediately 
 successful aiiJ popular in that line. The place of display was 
 the elevated area in front of the court-house, and the open space 
 in the Monumental Square, for the reception of the hearers. I 
 shall not speak of my own oratory, except to say that it was suc- 
 cessful beyond my expectations, and you may say its merits. I 
 was astonished at my own popularity. Among six candidates I 
 carried the election by fifteen hundred of a majority. I lost no 
 popularity in the legislature, but before the second election, the 
 Missouri question arose, and as 1 took the side of Missouri 
 against restriction, my Quaker friends left me, and in conse- 
 quence my majority fell oflf to one thousand. 
 
 I now come to the most important period of my life. Shortly 
 after the rise of the legislature (my second term), I received a 
 letter from the Secretary of State, requesting my presence at 
 Washington, as the government had in contemplation an im- 
 portant diplomatic mission in which, if it should take effect, Mr. 
 Monroe, then President, wished to engage my services. It was 
 this which brought me to Washington, where I have now been 
 three months, waiting the maturity of events, in the proposed 
 mission to South America, in which I am to act as secretary, 
 with three commissioners, only one of whom has yet been se- 
 lected — to wit, Mr. John Graham of the Department of State. 
 My hunger for books was here indulged in the library of Con- 
 gress, with the recent addition of the library of Mr. Jefferson, 
 purchased by the government, — the librarian and myself being 
 about the sole occupants for several months. This was indeed 
 a feast for me. The library of Mr. Jefferson was particularly 
 rich in the works of contemporary periods of the American 
 and French revolutions ; and these I attacked like a ravenous 
 wolf. I have just published, in pamphlet form, an anonymous 
 
 25
 
 286 APPENDIX. 
 
 letter, addressed to Mr. Monroe, on the subject of the recogni- 
 tion of the independence of the South American States, which 
 is the great question of the day. In this I have availed myself 
 of the extensive course of reading which my present opportu- 
 nities have afforded me. I transmit to you a copy of it, and 
 will now close this long and tedious letter, with the request that 
 you will give my best respects to Mrs. Forward, and all our 
 friends. Yours sincerely, 
 
 H. M. Brackenridge. 
 
 " Previous to the sailing of the mission, an anonymous pam- 
 phlet was published at Washington, in the shape of a letter ad- 
 dressed to Mr. Monroe by ' an American,' warmly advocating 
 the recognition of the South American republics, regardless of 
 the policy of the European nations. The pamphlet being known 
 as the production of the secretary of the mission, was supposed 
 to express the views of the administration. It was republished 
 in London in a periodical entitled the ' Pamphleter,' a kind of 
 repository of the most remarkable pamphlets or ephemeral pro- 
 ductions of the day, deemed worthy of preservation as materials 
 for history. The Spanish Minister, Don Carlos, employed an 
 English writer to draw up a reply, which was actually printed, 
 as stated by Mr. Rush, the American Minister, but never pub- 
 lished. The pamphlet was translated by the Abbe du Pradt 
 (afterward Archbishop of Malines), the negotiator and diplo- 
 matist of Napoleon, at Vienna and other Courts. This trans- 
 lation "pays the highest complimeiit that was ever bestowed by a 
 HJwropean on an American author.'^ 
 
 " La lettre k M. Monroe est I'ouvrage de M. Brackenridge, 
 secretaire de la commission que Ic gouvernement americain 
 vient d'envoyer dans I'Am^riquc Meridionale. 
 
 " L'interet de cette pi6ce est fort grand, par les considerations 
 qu'elle pr^sente sur I'^tat de rAm6rique, ainsi par la manifes- 
 tation de la manifere dont en Ameriquc on envisage cette grande 
 question. En Europe, on en juge en Europ6un; en Amerique, en 
 americain, il doit y avoir entre les deux jugements la distance qui
 
 APPENDIX. 281 
 
 sc remarque entre les deux hemispheres et les deux interets. 
 Les id6es les plus saines sur les causes de la revolution de rAm^- 
 ri(iue, les apergus les plus judicieux sur les germes de I'ind^pen- 
 dance, qui en se d6veloppant I'oni fait §clore, les principes les 
 plus g4n6reux de politique de peuple il peuple, les effets les 
 plus 6vidents du succ^s de la revolution pour I'Europe, comme 
 pour rAmerique, Tindication la plus claire du systJime federatif 
 des diverses parties de 1' Amerique, pour se soutenir mutuellement 
 dans leur independance, tels sont les divers caracteres qui rendent 
 cet ecrit infiniment rccommandable. Justesse dans les aper- 
 Qus et les jugenients, hardiesse dans les vues, originalite dans 
 I'id^e et I'expression, tout se trouvc dans cet ecrit, et montre k 
 TEurope qu'il existe au-dela des mers des penseurs qui ne le 
 cedent point a ceux qui, en Europe, se font remarquer par I'eclat 
 et variete de leurs talents." 
 
 " The letter to Mr. Monroe is the work of Mr. Brackenridge, 
 secretary of the commission which the American government 
 has just sent to South America. 
 
 " The interest of this piece is of great moment, as well on ac- 
 count of the considerations which it presents on the condition 
 of America, as by the manifestation of the manner in wliich this 
 great question is viewed in that country. Tn Europe, we judge 
 of it as Europeans; in America, it is seen through American eyes: 
 and there must necessarily be as much difference between the 
 two judgments, as there is between the distance and interests of 
 the two hemispheres. Ideas the most sound on the causes of 
 the American revolution, the most judicious perceptions of the 
 germs of independence, which, in developing themselves, caused 
 them to break forth — the most generous principles of political 
 policy between nations — the most palpable effects following the 
 success of those revolutions, not only for Europe, but for 
 America — the clearest indication of the federative system of the 
 •different parts of America, for the purpose of mutually sustain- 
 ing each other in their independence, — such are the various char- 
 acters which render this production infinitely rccommendablo. 
 Correctness in the perceptions and judgments, boldne-s in the 
 opinions and views, originality in the ideas and expressions, — 
 all these are found in this production, and show to Europe that
 
 288 APPENDIX. 
 
 on the other side of the ocean there are thinkers who do not 
 yield to those of Europe most distinguished for the variety and 
 brilliancy of their talents." 
 
 SPEECH ON THE JEW BILL, 
 
 In the House of Delegates of Maryland, 1818. 
 
 The following correspondence is given as an introduction to 
 the speech on the Jew Bill, or rather on the Rights of Con- 
 science. 
 
 The letter of Judge Young comprises all that could be urged, 
 with any sound reason, against the passage of the bill to repeal 
 the test which excluded the Jews from most of the essential 
 rights of citizenship. The letter of the judge was very briefly 
 answered by me, but my speech, in fact, contains the answer 
 in full, and was indeed mainly prompted by that letter. The 
 judge was a learned and good man, but behind the age, like the 
 great majority of the enlightened men of his day, while I was 
 borne on the current which floated past them. I give my 
 speech, also, as a sample of my habit of mental composition ; 
 that is, without putting pen to paper, for it was not written until 
 after the delivery, and almost verbatim. Tried by the prevail- 
 ing opinions of the present day, the learned judge's sentiments 
 might be pronounced the most narrow and illiberal ; but if we in- 
 quire what were the thoughts of the enlightened men of the day, 
 it will be seen that he was only on a par with his contempora- 
 ries. A half a century has produced a wonderful change, in our 
 way of thinking, on a thousand subjects — some, perhaps, for the 
 worse, but most of them for the better. I am one of those who 
 think that, on the whole, the world has improved and grown 
 wiser.
 
 APPKNDTX. 289 
 
 LETTEPw FROM JUDGE YOUXG OX THE JEW BILL. 
 
 Greexsburg, Jan. 13, 1819. 
 To H. M. Brackexridoe, Esq. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have thought of writing to you since your re- 
 turn from South America, for information of your travels. 
 The details of the commission relating to objects of a civil and 
 political nature are not so interesting to me as those which relate 
 to the state of morals and religion. In fact, T have not taken 
 time to read what has been published respecting the former. 
 An intelligent friend of mine has lately communicated to me 
 some facts, and concludes that from an experience of five years 
 in South America, the natives were, as yet, incapable of enjoy- 
 ing civil liberty, because their morals were too perverted, and 
 their information too confined. He is also of opinion that the 
 assent of Catholicism, where it prevails, cannot agree with civil 
 liberty. 
 
 On reading, yesterday, the '* Baltimore Telegraph," I found 
 the report of a committee in favor of Judaism, which is infinitely 
 more disagreeable to my feelings than either Catholicism, Moham- 
 medanism, or gentilism. It has occurred to me that you were 
 one of that committee, and probably drafted the report. I have 
 also read the remonstrance, supposed to have been written by 
 the late President Madison,* the pupil of his predecessor (Mr. 
 Jefferson), and who it may be fairly presumed adopted the same 
 religion and political sentiments. And truly it may be said that 
 neither were Christians in any sense of the word ; it must be a 
 matter of indifference to them whether there be any religion in 
 their own, or in any other country. Believing all human affairs 
 to be regulated with prudence, and without any connection with 
 the universal ('reator, or any dependence on his continual 
 providence, persons of this turn of thinking consider religion, 
 whether it be called the true or false by Epictetes and the dis- 
 ciples of Epicurus, to be mere superstition. They were in 
 some degree excusable, because the idolatry which prevailed at 
 
 After the Revolution. 
 25*
 
 290 APPENDIX. 
 
 that time among mankind was altogether irrational, and wisdom 
 from heaven had been corrupted in human inventions. It is 
 otherwise now when divine revelation has been propagated 
 among civilized nations, and although it has also been grossly 
 perverted, there have been in every one that has received it many 
 who without fully comprehending its divine sanctity have made 
 its precepts the rule of their lives. Thus the leaven of heavenly 
 truth, little as it may have been, has leavened the whole mass 
 of the human race. It ought to be taken for granted that the 
 members of your Assembly were elected by those citizens who, 
 at least, profess Christianity, and would not if they had known 
 have chosen those to represent them who think there is no real 
 distinction between themselves and the most determined enemies 
 of their religion. For it cannot be denied that they persecuted the 
 Saviour, and put him, as they vainly imagined, to a cruel death, 
 in consequence of which, and of the continual contempt of his 
 name, they have remained a distinct nation, and are literally 
 vagabonds in the world. As human beings, let them live, and 
 be protected in the peaceable enjoyment of their property, 
 which they too often acquire by knavery, and the most sordid 
 avarice. But while they remain in this unconverted state (and 
 few, it is to be feared, are capable of shaking off the prejudice 
 which has possessed their souls for so many generations), I 
 can discover no just reason for amalgamating them with pro- 
 fessing Christians in political life. 1 do not entertain the least 
 idea of persecuting them, or any others, on account of their evil 
 heart of incredulity, which is termed by some their conscientious 
 persuasions. It is my opinion they do not possess conscience, 
 if by this be meant a just conception of right, which must be 
 attended by an acknowledgment of our own ignorance, frailty, 
 and corruption in a state of nature, and of the consequent neces- 
 sity of wishing and acquiring light and life from a supernatural 
 of celestial origin. The Jews have rejected, and while they con- 
 tinue such, will reject and despise that light and life, and are 
 not, therefore, as I humbly conceive, to become members of 
 the lowest order of any body or community that is willing to be 
 ranked among Christian countries. It is true that some of the 
 United States require no test; but does it follow that their inhab-
 
 APPENDIX. 291 
 
 itants are either better or worse by this seeming' liberality ? It is 
 equally true that minibers of those who profess Christian doc- 
 trines, or what are usually considered such,* are not much better 
 than Jews, and some worse than heathens. This only verifies 
 the ancient maxim — corruptio optimifU pessima — which is ranch 
 the case with a congregation in Baltimore, who have lately 
 erected a temple to an unknown divinity under the title of 
 Unitarians. It is no miracle that the sacra fames has become 
 so general with the wealthy of that place. I view this to be 
 more injurious for its reputation than its mobism, with which it 
 was infected several years ago. Their practice of slavery, 
 privateering, carrying off negroes from Africa, inflict disgrace 
 on the whole land. Endeavor to put a stop to these practices 
 of enormities, and although you may be censured by those con- 
 cerned, and their friends, you will deserve well of the public, and, 
 what is greatly more to be appreciated, gain the favor of Heaven. 
 You will, I hope, not be offended with anything I have said. 
 Be assured it has not sprung from a want of charity for that 
 unfortunate, stiff-necked, rebellious people, to any one of whom 
 I will be ready to do any act of kindness and humanity. The 
 expression of nil humani a me alienum puto is a noble one, but 
 like charity it ought to be exercised with prudence, and for good 
 ends, or it may do more harm than good. 
 
 1 remain, dear sir, yours respectfully, 
 
 John Young. 
 
 EEPLY OF H. M. BRACKENRIDGE. 
 
 Annapolis, Jan. 2d, 1819. 
 Hon. John Yocng. 
 
 Dear Sir,— I return you my grateful thanks for your IViendly 
 
 letter. There is nothing which can give so much pleasure as to 
 
 be remembered by old and respectetl friends, whom we have 
 
 been taught to esteem in our youth. 1 regret that my time will 
 
 not permit me to answer your letter as fully as I could desire ; 
 
 the business of Baltimore occupies my time in such a manner as 
 
 scarcely leaves me a moment to spare. 
 
 The judge was a Swedcnborgian.
 
 292 APPENDIX. 
 
 With respect to the state of morals iu South America, bad as 
 it may be, it cannot be worse than it was before the revolution ; 
 if there be any change it must be for the better. As to religion, 
 it never had in that country any important influence in favor of 
 morals. The Catholic faith still predominates with the mass of 
 the people ; but the more enlightened care very little about it, 
 and think still less. Toleration exists only so far as they are in- 
 different about religion, for the zealofs are all intolerant and 
 narrow of heart; they say that their country is a Catholic country, 
 and that none have any right to worship God in that country 
 but according to the forms of the Catholic church; all other sects 
 of Christians are disowned by them : they are indiscriminately 
 called Jews. 
 
 I have warmly advocated the Jew bill iu this house, because 
 I believe that government is tyranny, whenever it intermeddles 
 with religion. In this I am supported by the wisest assemblage 
 of men this country ever witnessed ; the framers of the Consti- 
 tution of the United States. If I err, I will err with them. I 
 am convinced that all religious tests have a tendency to encour- 
 age hypocrisy and perjury. To the believer they add nothing, 
 while the unbeliever is made criminal. I consider them not 
 more irrational, but impious. A few of the States, some two or 
 three, have provided, or rather retained the tests, but the re- 
 mainder have had the good sense to reject them ; those tests 
 were, however, adopted or retained at the period when we had 
 just begun to think that it was wrong for Christians to perse- 
 cute Christians; since that time, we have been convinced that 
 the same liberality should be extended to all religions— that is, 
 to all who believe in God and a future state of rewards and 
 punishments. Speculative or practical atheism, I believe no- 
 where exists in any society of men ; should any unhappy indi- 
 vidual be thus afflicted, wc should pity him as an unfortunate 
 madman, provided his actions are harmless. I have known 
 honest and religious Turks, and I know there are in the world 
 many scoundrels who profess to be Christians. 
 
 I am respectfully yours, etc., 
 
 H. M. Brackexrtdge.
 
 APPENDIX. 293 
 
 SPEECH.* 
 
 Mr. Speaker, — Could I, for a moment, suppose it possible for 
 the bill on your table to lessen, in the slightest degree, by its pas- 
 sage, the attachment we all profess for the religion in which we 
 have been educated; or could I bring myself to believe that even 
 those innocent and harmless prejudices, which more or less in- 
 fluence the opinions of the most liberal, are treated with disre- 
 spect by bringing the subject before this house, I should be the 
 last person to urge it on your consideration. 
 
 But, sir. I feel a firm conviction that there is no room for any 
 such apprehensions. The known public and private worth (if 
 I may be allowed thus to express myself in this place), as well 
 as the firm and fixed religious principles of the gentleman with 
 whom the bill has originated, and who has supported it in a 
 manner so becoming the enlightened American statesman and 
 the tolerant Christian, must necessarily repel the suspicion of 
 any but the most generous, disinterested, and philanthropic mo- 
 tives. In the theological view he has just taken of this interest- 
 ing subject, he has most satisfactorily proved to my mind that 
 there is nothing in the religious faith which we profess that en- 
 joins us to hold to the arbitrary test engrafted as a principle on 
 the constitution of this State, at this day, when it is converted 
 into a stain by the progressive wisdom of the political world. 
 To the test of that wisdom I will, nevertheless, endeavor to 
 bring the question now before the house. I will endeavor to 
 show that the objectionable provision in our constitution is at 
 variance with all the sound and well-established political creed 
 
 * This speech was published in pamphlet form by the Jews of Bal- 
 timore, and widely circulated. The bill had been lost, but public atten- 
 tion was awakened to the subject, both in Marj'Iand and other States, 
 and the matter was afterward brought before the legislature, at each 
 succeeding session. It gained strength, and after a struggle of si.x or 
 seven years, jtrevailcd. In Baltimore, it became a nine qua uon of the 
 election of the delegate to avow himself in favor of it.
 
 294 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the present enlightened age. For this, I will refer to the opin- 
 ions publicly avowed, and successfully maintained, by every dis- 
 tinguished statesman not only of America, but throughout the 
 civilized world. In addition to this, I will show that the prin- 
 ciples for which I this day contend have received the unequivo- 
 cal sanction of the most enlightened and respectable political 
 bodies of our country. The subject, although of a most fruitful 
 nature, properly resolves itself into three questions. 1. Have 
 the Jews a right to be placed on a footing with other citizens ? 
 2. Is there any urgent reason of state policy which requires 
 that they should be made an exception ? 3. Is there anything in- 
 compatible with the respect we owe to the Christian religion, in 
 allowing them a participation in civil offices and employments ? 
 In ascending to first principles (and in examining institutions 
 supposed to be founded upon them we must often do so), I find 
 that we have duties to perform to our Creator as well as to 
 society, but which are so distinct in their nature that unless 
 their corresponding obligations be clearly understood, we shall 
 in vain attempt to lay the foundation of a solid and satisfactory 
 argument. It is unquestionably the right of society to com- 
 pel every one who enjoys its protection, to conform to its ordi- 
 nances and laws. It is its right so to restrain his actions as to 
 conduce to the general happiness and prosperity. But I con- 
 tend that after having exercised this control over his actions, 
 the temporal power has reached its limit ; and when it dares to 
 pass that limit, it opens the way to oppression, persecution, and 
 cruelty, such as the history of the world has furnished but too 
 many melancholy examples — not for our imitation, but abhor- 
 rence. Opinion, when merely such, when prompting to no act 
 inconsistent with the laws and peace of society, should be en- 
 countered only by opinion ; and on such occasions the inter- 
 position of the temporal arm is improper, however mildly inter- 
 posed. For it is not the extent or degree of com])ulsion which 
 renders it improper, but the unjust and arbitrary interference 
 itself. If, as members of society, we have duties whose perform- 
 ance the temporal power may justly enforce, we have, as rational 
 beings, other duties of a much higher nature, to our Creator, of 
 which he is the judge, and to whom alone should be referred the
 
 APPENDIX. 295 
 
 punishment or reward of their fulfillment or neglect. Religion, 
 therefore, merely as such, is a matter entirely between man and 
 his God. If my position, then, be correct, it will follow that 
 it must be left to every citizen, as he is to stand or full by his 
 own merits or demerits, to entertain that belief, or ofler that 
 worship, which in his conscience he thinks most acceptable; and 
 should any of his fellow-citizens desire to release him from what 
 he conceives to be the bondage of error, let it be by an appeal 
 to the reason, and not by a resort to coercion — a coercion which 
 can only affect outward actions, and serve to exhibit power on 
 the one side, and weakness on the other. He that is thus con- 
 vinced, will be of the same opinion still. The human frame 
 may be bound in chains; it may be imprisoned and enslaved; it 
 may yield to the dagger of the assassin, or the murderer's bowl; 
 but the immortal mind soars beyond the reach of earthly vio- 
 lence. Upon the self-evident truths which I have spoken (and 
 on no others can they safely rest) are built the rights of con- 
 science, so little understood, or at least respected, in most 
 countries, not so well, I confess it with regret, in Maryland as 
 they ought to be, but perfectly so in the Constitution of the 
 United States— an instrument for which we are indebted, as a 
 nation, to the high estimation of enlightened men, and which 
 has conferred on our country the reputation of being the land 
 of freedom and toleration. 
 
 And here I find it necessary to encounter an argument of 
 those gentlemen who oppose the passage of the bill; they tell 
 us that no force or coercion is resorted to by the constitution 
 of Maryland, in consequence of religious faith— that every one 
 is secured in his civil rights, no matter what religion he may 
 l)rofess— that no one can be molested on account of his religious 
 belief— that no one has a right to complain of being denied 
 some common benefit, or being excluded from holding offices, 
 when he does not think proper to conform to the prevailing re- 
 ligious tenets of the community of which he is admitted a mem- 
 ber. Sir, I contend that in conformity to the reasons I have 
 advanced, ei-er^/ citizen is entitled to all the privileges of citizen- 
 ship ; that the religious opinions of no one can be justly visited 
 upon him, either directly or indirectly, as the immediate or re-
 
 29G APPENDIX. 
 
 mote consequence of that opinion. If, on account of my relig- 
 ious faith, I am subjected to disqualifications, from which others 
 are free, while there is no paramount reason drawn from a re- 
 gard to the safety of society why I should be thus excepted, I 
 cannot but consider myself a persecuted man. The persecution 
 may be but slight in its character, but still it must bear the de- 
 tested name of persecution. It is true, it is not the fagot or the 
 wheel, but it is applied for the same reason — because my opin- 
 ions do not conform to those of the more numerous, or more 
 powerful. 
 
 An odious exclusion from any of the benefits common to the 
 rest of my fellow-citizens, is a persecution, differing only in de- 
 gree, but of a nature equally unjustifiable with that whose in- 
 struments are chains and torture. In our land of equal rights 
 and equal pretensions to the dignity and emolument of office, 
 to be subjected to a degrading exception is by no means a 
 nominal punishment. 
 
 Sir, in the sentiments which I have uttered on this occasion, 
 I have done nothing more than repeat what has already been 
 so often and so much better expressed by the enlightened states- 
 men of our country. There is hardly a distinguished American 
 who has not in some mode or other given to these ideas his de- 
 cided approbation. They are deeply engraven on the tablets of 
 those political doctrines which are considered as eternal and im- 
 mutable. They are among the first lessons inculcated on our 
 youthful minds ; they are interwoven in the texture of our politi- 
 cal constitutions; and so deeply are we impressed with their 
 truth, that every American who aspires to the character of liber- 
 ality, as well as to a proper knowledge of the spirit of our insti- 
 tutions, must subscribe to this proposition as the test of the 
 progress of his attainments — that relioiox is a matter be- 
 
 TWKKN MAN AM) HIS (JOD — THAT THE TEMPORAL ARM SHOULD BE 
 INTKRl'OSED TO DIRECT THE ACTIOXS OF MEN, AND NOT THEIR 
 THOUGHTS. 
 
 I will now take the liberty of reading some pages from differ- 
 ent authors of this country, who have expressed their ideas in 
 language much more clear and inii)ressive. [Here Mr. 13. read 
 Beve.al passages from Mr. Madison's memorial on the test laws
 
 APPENDIX. 297 
 
 of Virginia, from Judge Tucker's works, and also from a num- 
 ber of other writers.] 
 
 Sir, after what I have read, I would ask whether I am not 
 warranted in saying that a just criterion might be formed of the 
 degree of proficiency of any one in those political doctrines 
 which so justly and peculiarly deserve the name of American, 
 by the willingness or unwillingness with which he yields assent 
 to the reasoning contained in those papers ? The masterly re- 
 port of Mr. Madison, doubtless, in its day had to encounter 
 opposition ; it came forth at a moment when we were just strug- 
 gling to free ourselves from the errors of our political educa- 
 tion ; it was then regarded as the effort of a bold spirit, declar- 
 ing a daring truth to his countrymen. And where is the man 
 at this day so rash, so mad, as to stand up against it? That 
 truth has triumphed over bigotry and prejudice ; it has planted 
 its victorious standard on that noble monument, the Federal 
 Constitution ; it has prevailed in every member of the Confed- 
 eracy, unless the enemy of toleration, driven from every other 
 place of refuge, should have found a last iutrenchraeut in the 
 Constitution of Maryland — which God forbid. 
 
 I have hitherto, Mr. Speaker, considered rather what ought 
 to be the right of the citizen, than what it really is, as guaran- 
 teed by the recorded monument of his liberties ; for it is our 
 pride that for these we are not indebted to the charter of a 
 sovereign. And here I do not hesitate to assert, that could 
 this question be brought before some tribunal competent to de- 
 cide, I would undertake to maintain that the right, which this 
 bill professes to give, is already secured by our national com- 
 pact; I would boldly contend that the State of Maryland has 
 deprived, and still continues to deprive, American citizens of 
 their just political rights. If we cannot find it in the express 
 letter of the instrument, can we hesitate for a moment in be- 
 lieving that it has at least virtually abrogated every part of 
 State laws or constitutions whose tendency is to infringe tho 
 BIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE? But first, let me ask, what says your 
 own declaration of rights on this subject? It emi)hatically de- 
 clares not merely that it is the right, but that it is the duty 
 of every man to worship God in such a manner as he thinks 
 
 26
 
 298 APPENDIX. 
 
 most acceptable to him. It is true, this is narrowed by the sub- 
 sequent clause of the sentence, which would seem to confine 
 that worship to the professors of Christianity ; and I will not 
 trouble you with a vindication of the enlightened men who drew 
 up that declaration, from the charge of narrowness of mind, in 
 supposing it impossible for any one conscientiously to worship 
 God, excepting through the medium of Christianity. I firmly 
 believe that the subsequent expressions were intended to apply 
 to all who worship the Deity, and that it was not the intention 
 to discriminate as to the mode : ivherefore no person ought ly 
 any law to he molested in his person or estate, on account of 
 his religious persuasion or profession, or for his religious prac- 
 tice, unless, under color of religion, any man shall disturb the 
 good order, peace, or safety of the State, or shall infringe the 
 laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil, or 
 religious rights. I will ask, whether the religious test in the 
 constitution of this State can stand for a moment, when con- 
 strued by the spirit of this declaration? No, sir, they are 
 utterly incompatible. Let us now turn to the first amendment 
 of the Constitution of the United States ; we find that Congress 
 is expressly forbidden to pass any law respecting an establish- 
 ment of religion. Does not this speak volumes? And is it not 
 morally certain that, if a declaration of rights had preceded 
 that instrument, the right to worship God, free from all human 
 control or reflection, would have been unequivocally declared ? 
 No test oath is required in that instrument; and can there be 
 a clearer, although but a negative exposition ? 
 
 It is true, the Constitution of the United States, as a form of 
 goverumcnt, is confined in its operation to the specific objects 
 for which it was instituted. But there are certain broad and 
 fundamental principles entitled to universal respect; and with- 
 out respecting them, it is impossible for the general and State 
 governments to move in harmony in their respective orbits. 
 This, I contend, is one of them, and not the least important. 
 Let us look at the consequence of the contrary in the practical 
 operation. The citizen who cannot hold the most trivial office 
 in the State of Maryland may be chosen to preside over its 
 destinies as the chief magistrate of the nation ! He may be
 
 APrEXDIX. 299 
 
 called to the command of your armies, and lead you to battle 
 against the enemy who has dared to invade your shores ; and 
 yet he cannot be an ensign or a lieutenant of the smallest com- 
 pany in the mighty host ! He may sit on the bench, and in the 
 Federal courts be called to decide upon the fortune or the life 
 of the citizen of Maryland ; and yet your constitution forbids 
 him, as a justice of the peace, to decide the most trifling dis- 
 pute ? He may be juror in the circuit courts of the United 
 States, and be the arbiter of the reputation, the life, or the 
 liberty of the first among you ; yet, under the laws of Mary- 
 land, he cannot sit in the same box, to deal out the measure of 
 justice to the pilfering slave ! He may be marshal of the dis- 
 trict, and in th*it highly respectable and responsible situation 
 be intrusted with your most important interests, at the same 
 time that he is disqualified from performing the duties of a con- 
 stable ! Can it be believed that such glaring inconsistencies 
 could have been foreseen or imagined, when our political system 
 was put in motion, attuned, as it was supposed, to move in uni- 
 son and harmony? This clashing discord, of general and State 
 government, could not have been foreseen. Still less could it 
 have been supposed that discord would have been produced by 
 such a cause. Supported, then, by the spirit of the law, and 
 the strong argument of inconvenience, I would contend in be- 
 half of the citizen, that in requiring him to subscribe to a re- 
 ligious test, for ani/ purpose, his just, constitutional rights are 
 infringed and violated. 
 
 Sir, the history of the American colonies, unpolluted with 
 intolerance, as it has been sup[)Osed, compared to the fruitful 
 narratives of the persecutions which deform the annals of 
 Europe, is, after all, but comparatively pure. Even in this 
 country, the scourge of real persecution has been felt ; and, as in 
 every other, it has done more injury to genuine religion than 
 could ever be effected by its avowed enemies. With humility 
 and mortification be it spoken, the page of our pure history is 
 stained with persecutions, on account of religious opinion, al- 
 though the day has arrived when, in the face of the world, we 
 assume for our country the proud title of the asylum of the 
 PERSECUTED ! In somc of the colonies, it is well known that
 
 300 APPENDIX. 
 
 denominations, even of Christians, were persecuted unto death. 
 The cloudy atmosphere of error and prejudice, it is true, had 
 begun to be illumined by the blaze of the Revolution, and then 
 it was that the framers of our State constitutions believed it 
 wise and just that all sects of Christianity, in every part of the 
 Union, should enjoy the most perfect equality of civil and po- 
 litical rights. And at this day do we discover any great effort 
 of liberality in assenting to this self-evident truth ? But are 
 we certain that the enlightened men of those days had not stub- 
 born prejudices to encounter? The wisdom of nations, like that 
 of individuals, is progressive. What is universal error to-day is dis- 
 putable to-morrow, — and the next receives the no-longer-to-be- 
 questioned seal of wisdom. The probability is that they led 
 the way to the salutary reform, and triumphed by the force of 
 reason and the weight of their influence. But the reformers of 
 abuses in society have generally been compelled to compromise 
 with error. Their enlightened minds outrun the times and coun- 
 try in which they live ; hence it is that something was still left 
 to be done by our forefathers at a future and more favorable 
 period. Let any one contemplate the rapid advancement of 
 statesmen between the recent epoch of our emancipation and 
 the adoption of the Federal Constitution, when the sages of our 
 land were intrusted by the general voice with the awful duty of 
 framing for a nation of the most elevated destinies a form of 
 government that would secure its peace, prosperity, and happi- 
 ness, and he will be ready to admit that our political wisdom 
 had not been stationary. An eulogium on the great men who 
 composed the Federal convention, and on the work of their 
 hands, would be necessary, for it is written on the heart of every 
 American, and next to the gifts of Divine Providence it con- 
 stitutes his greatest blessing. And among the greatest achieve- 
 ments of that work, in my humble estimation, was that of put- 
 ting a finishing hand to that which they found much advanced, 
 it is true, but still incomj)]ete — the final separation of force and 
 opinion — the entire dissolution of the unnatural union between 
 Church and State, whose offspring were monsters, born only to 
 feed on the vitals of society. The citizen was declared respon- 
 sible only for his actions; for his religion he was left to account 
 to his Creator.
 
 ArPEXDIX. 301 
 
 Independently of the reflections which led to this decisive 
 course, as one of abstract and positive rijjht, it is to be pre- 
 sumed they had in their minds the evils experienced even in our 
 own country from religious persecution, which, previous to the 
 Revolution, had not unfrequently disturbed the peace and good 
 will of the different provinces. For the purpose of preventing 
 the recurrence of these evils, it was intended to secure to every 
 citizen of the Union his personal rights, among the most pre- 
 cious of which are those of conscience. I believe that any un- 
 biased man, who will read the Federal Constitution, must per- 
 ceive that it does not consist merely of articles of confederation 
 between independent States, but that it is a compact entered 
 into by all the citizens with each other in their individual ca- 
 pacity. The Federal Constitution, therefore, in respect to civil 
 and political rights, holds forth a guarantee to all and to each. 
 The rights of conscience are unalienable and imprescriptible; 
 they are not susceptible of being even voluntarily surrendered ; 
 the only oflBce, therefore, which the laws can perform is to pro- 
 tect and save them from violation. My argument, Mr. Speaker, 
 leads to this : that no State government has a right to encroach 
 upon what is thus sacredly guarded by a superior authority. 
 Sir, I do contend that the Constitution of the United States 
 has guaranteed to every American citizen the right of worship- 
 ing God in the manner he deems most acceptable, and that this 
 right is violated whenever the citizen is made to feel the conse- 
 quences of his opinions, either hy direct bodily inflictions or hy 
 disq ualifications. 
 
 But, sir, even admitting that I have not been able to maintain 
 my position on the strict ground of constitutional right, at least 
 it must be acknowledged that the negative disapprobation of 
 the test by that constitution furnishes a powerfiU argument in 
 favor of its positive rejection from that of Maryland. For the 
 sake of decent conformity, for the sake of obviating the glaring 
 inconsistencies which have been exhibited, if for no other rea- 
 sons, the bill ought to pass. And I would respectfully ask 
 whether, even on subjects purely abstract, some respect is not 
 due to the opinions of the enlightened statesmen who framed 
 
 2(5*
 
 302 APPENDIX. 
 
 the Federal compact ? T know, sir, that to err is in the nature 
 of man ; but, if I must err, let it he with men like these. 
 
 And, let me ask, what is the rational object which this test 
 proposes to accomplish ? Does it propose to do that luhich can 
 he done hy Omniscience alone ? Does it propose to discover the 
 inward thoughts of man, to lay open to view the workings of his 
 mind ? Does it propose to discover who is the Christian and 
 who is not? If such be the object, and I can discover no other 
 just or natural one, I will appeal to any man of common experi- 
 ence to say whether he really expects, in this way, to discover 
 the true sentiments and opinions of any one ? The atheist (if 
 there be such) and the deist will laugh at this mode of detect- 
 ing their errors. They will not hesitate to subscribe what they 
 will consider an idle form. The Jew and the infidel, unless 
 governed, the one by his religion, the other by an abstract love 
 of truth, can be placed under no constraint by a test, which, if 
 they abuse, no earthly power can call them to account. Is it 
 necessary to the Christian? Is he the better Christian for avow- 
 ing his belief before he can be allowed the enjoyment of a tem- 
 poral benefit? No, sir, to hini*such a test is useless ; to others, 
 it is worse than useless ; it may make hypocrites, and I believe 
 it requires no great stretch of casuistry to say that the sin of 
 this hypocrisy must rest upon the heads of those who are the 
 authors of the temptation. If any one can seriously flatter him- 
 self that the test can accomplish a rational object, it must be as 
 a mode of propagating the faith among those unbelievers whose 
 love of truth will not allow them to be guilty of deception. To 
 these it holds out the reward of offices and dignities for their 
 conversion, or denounces the penalty of partial degradation from 
 the common benefits of citizenship, while they persist in their 
 unbelief. Can it be possible, sir, that, in this enlightened age 
 and country, we have not renounced the practice of propagating 
 religion by the sword ? Or can it be regarded as anything else 
 when temporal rewards and imnishmcnts are resorted to as the 
 means of establishing or nuiintaining religious opinions? It is 
 impossible for any one seriously to contend that this was ever 
 in the contemplation of the framers of our constitution. The 
 very clause in the bill of rights, by which the test is supposed to
 
 APPENDIX. 303 
 
 be countenanced, shows the stru«rgle in the minds of those men 
 between their own opinions and the necessity of compromising 
 with the prejudices of the times. They could not but have seen, 
 that, having once destroyed the union between Church and 
 State, to require a religious test for political purposes was worse 
 than absurdity. Even English writers acknowledge that, in 
 England, the test is founded upon this union, and on nothing 
 else. It is well known that, in that country, the struggle be- 
 tween Catholics and Protestants was a struggle for the govern- 
 ment; the test was therefore resorted to for the purpose of secur- 
 ing political power, and not as a mode of ascertaining religious 
 sentiments. We have borrowed it, as we have many other 
 things, from that country, without sufiBcieutly examining their 
 application to a different state of society and manners. And I 
 hope, Mr. Speaker, it will be renounced, in the same manner that 
 we have renounced other things derived from that source, but 
 unsuited ta our present situation. Let us substitute the only 
 real test of the qualifications for public ofiice : that of public 
 and private worth, character, and reputation. 
 
 Let me not be understood, sir, to contend that there may not 
 be sound reason and policy for withholding from certain classes 
 of citizens, or people, the rights or benefits of citizens in their 
 utmost latitude. The existence of servitude, an evil beyond our 
 power to remedy, has given rise to certain ideas and policy, 
 which it would be useless in us to attempt to counteract. On 
 this subject, and that of not throwing open to naturalized citi- 
 zens the whole career of public ofiBces. there are reasons of 
 state policy, so fully established by our laws and received opin- 
 ions, that it would be presumptuous in me to call them in ques- 
 tion. But I have seen no reason of state, nor has any been 
 suggested, why the naturalized Jew should not be placed on the 
 same footing with any other naturalized citizen ; or why a. native 
 Jew should be cast into a lower order tlian even the naturalized 
 foreigner of any country on the globe ! Is it because there is 
 something in the nature of his race which necessarily renders 
 the Jew a less valuable citizen ? Then, sir, ought we to form 
 a graduated scale for the different nations of the world, and 
 regulate the term of their admission, or the extent of their
 
 304 APPENDIX, 
 
 privilege, according to the merits or demerits of their national 
 character? And would it not, on the same principle, be neces- 
 sary to establish different castes among our own citizens, and lay- 
 aside that wholesome republican respect for individual merit 
 which has hitherto been our guide? No, sir, such odious dis- 
 crimination is practically impossible. The citizen of Jewish 
 origin, whether naturalized or native, ought to be entitled to all 
 the rights of citizenship that may be claimed under like circum- 
 stances by an Englishman, a Frenchman, or a Spaniard. 
 
 But, sir, is there really such inferiority in the Jewish race or 
 character which renders it necessary to inflict on them such a 
 degradation ? The sacred book on which we ground our faith 
 teaches that they are not an inferior people. Else, wherefore 
 should they have been the chosen people of God, the favored 
 depositaries of the sacred law and holy prophecies? Do we 
 forget that to them we are not only indebted for these, but even 
 for the blessings of Christianity ? Its author was a Jew, his 
 apostles were Jews.* On the contrary, there is every reason to 
 believe that, as a race, they are entitled to the first rank among 
 nations. If a portion of this race was unwilling, or unable to 
 believe, we are told it was permitted by Providence for purposes 
 greater than we can comprehend. That their descendents, 
 eighteen hundred years afterward, should still persevere in the 
 belief, or unbelief, of their forefathers, we are taught to look 
 upon as a miracle ; but we are also taught that the same peo- 
 ple will believe at last, and be restored to divine favor. Their 
 nature, then, has not changed, although they labor under the 
 displeasure of our common Father. That displeasure has scat- 
 tered them over the world, and has exposed them to the perse- 
 cutions of the wicked — foul persecutions, which, it must be con- 
 fessed, according to the natural tendency of things, has had, in 
 many countries, a most unhappy influence on their character. 
 And, let me ask, is it to be wondered at, when surrounded by 
 the most malignant enemies, their remorseless oppressors and 
 persecutors, that they should feel indignation and resentment ? 
 Can we expect them to exhibit elevation of character, when a 
 
 * The first Christians wero Jews.
 
 APPENDIX. 305 
 
 mark of opprobrinm has bceD set upon them ? Can we expect 
 to see them display universal benevolence, when they are uni- 
 versally scorned ? Can we expect to see them engaged in sober 
 and industrious callings, when they are forbidden to be owners 
 of the soil, or to exercise the common mechanic arts? Can we 
 expect them to love their Gentile neighbors and brethren, when 
 the very name is used as a by-word — when those neighbors and 
 brethren teach their children to scoff even at their misfortunes ? 
 If the Jew be such as his enemies represent him, it is their 
 cruelties which have made him so. That this should be, I own, 
 is the will of Heaven ; but before we take part in the persecu- 
 tion, let us solemnly pause, and recollect that when God afflicts 
 his children, the ixstrumexts of his wrath are often his ene- 
 mies ALSO. 
 
 If there is nothing in the Jewish race, is there anything in the 
 Jewish religious doctrines which necessarily disqualifies the Jew 
 from discharging the duties and fulfilling all the obligations of 
 a citizen of Maryland ? Sir, I do boldly maintain that there is 
 not. If there be such, I call upon the gentlemen who have 
 risen in opposition to the bill to point it out. I should be the 
 last to deny that a belief in a future state of rewards and pun- 
 ishments is the sheet-anchor of all civilized governments. And 
 has the Jew no religion to enforce the performance of his 
 moral duties by sanctions beyond the grave? Yes, sir, he has. 
 He worships the same God that we do — the God of Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob. The same law which was given to him we 
 profess to obey ; and excepting that law, which was from the 
 beginning imprinted on the conscience by our Creator, for 
 thousands of years the chosen people had no other. "We are 
 taught, as Christians, that the whole of the sacred volume must 
 stand or fall together, and consequently that the religion of the 
 Jew, so far as he believes, is a part of oufs. We are, however, 
 taught that the Author of our religion came not to govern the 
 earth, but to unbar for us the gates of heaven. Can the Jew be 
 said to have no religion which renders him accountable here- 
 after? He has. In his youth he is taught the same precepts for 
 the government of his life that we are ; in his infancy he learns 
 to lisp the same prayer of universal benevolence and morality
 
 306 APPEXDIX. 
 
 that the Christian mother teaches her child. The decalogue was 
 his before it was ours. He believes in the coming of a Messiah, 
 with great power and glory, to judge the earth. This is our be- 
 lief also. On that day we shall all be Christians, The ultimate 
 conversion of the Jews is a part of our belief; why, then, this 
 intolerant and persecuting spirit ? Are we apprehensive that 
 there will be a scarcity of persecutors ? Are we apprehensive 
 that in ceasing to be persecuted, and therefore ceasing to be a 
 peculiar people, the Jews will no longer be the living miracle 
 now exhibited to our eyes ? Then the will of Heaven shall have 
 been fulfilled. It is with reluctance, sir, I have pursued this 
 train of thought. It is my wish to steer clear of anything like 
 theological discussion, and to consider the present question as 
 purely political. 
 
 Were it necessary for the support of this bill, I would under- 
 take to vindicate the Jewish character from its commonly im- 
 puted vices and defects. But the question before the house has 
 nothing to do with these considerations. I will ask those Chris- 
 tians who now hear me candidly and dispassionately to examine 
 their own minds, and to say how much of their opinions on the 
 subject of the Jewish character is the offspring of prejudice ? Most 
 of us have been taught from earliest infancy to look upon them 
 as a depraved and wicked people. The books put into our hands, 
 and even the immortal Shakspeare himself, have contributed to 
 fix in our minds this unchristian hatred to a portion of our fel- 
 low-raen. It is true, we have witnessed some honorable excep- 
 tions. A modern writer* (I rejoice to say it for the honor of 
 Christendom) ventured to be their advocate, and, what is more, 
 with success. We have seen, sir, that in the same country, in 
 proportion as science and civilization have advanced, the condi- 
 tion of the Jew has improved, while his moral character has as 
 uniformly risen to the level of that condition. Will any one 
 seriously compare the Jews of England, of the present day, with 
 the same peoj)le a few centuries ago, when degraded and op- 
 pressed by the British kings ? Will the Jews of Portugal or 
 Ti^rkey bear a comparison with those of the more liberal gov- 
 
 * Cumberland.
 
 APPENDIX. 307 
 
 ernments of Europe ? To come nearer home, I will ask whether 
 the American Jew is distinguislied by those characteristics so 
 invidiously ascribed to his race by his enemies ? Sir, I have had 
 the honor of being acquainted with a number of American Jews, 
 and do not hesitate to say that I have found at least an equal 
 proportion of estimable individuals to that which might be ex- 
 pected in any other class of men. None, sir, appeared to me 
 more zealously attached to the interests and happiness of our 
 common country; the more so as it is the only one on earth 
 they can call by that endearing name. None have more gal- 
 lantly esj)oused its cause, both in the late and revolutionary war ; 
 none feel a livelier sense of gratitude and affection for the mild 
 and liberal institutions of this country, which not only allow 
 them, publicly and freely, the enjoyment and exercise of their 
 religion, but also, with the exception of the State of Maryland, 
 have done away all those odious civil and political discrimina- 
 tions by which they are elsewhere thrown into an inferior and 
 degraded caste. ,In the city which I have the honor to repre- 
 sent there are Jewish families which, in point of estimation and 
 worth, stand in the first rank of respectability — who are scarcely 
 remarked as differing from their Christian brethren in their reli- 
 gious tenets, and whose children are educated in the same 
 schools with our youth, and, like them, glory in being Ameri- 
 cans AND FREEMEN. Ilavc wc hithcrto had any cause to repent 
 of our liberality — rather of our justice ? Sir, I abhor intolerance, 
 tvhether it he political or religious ; and yet I can scarcely re- 
 gard religious tolerance as a virtue. What ! has weak and 
 erring man a right to give permission to his fellow-mortal to 
 offer his adorations to the Supreme Being after his own manner ? 
 Did I not feel myself somehow restrained from pursuing this 
 subject, I would endeavor to deniDnstrate'that the idea of such 
 a permission or toleration is no better than impiety. But I con- 
 tent myself with calling your attention to what has been the 
 effect, in this country at least, of leaving religion to be taught 
 from the pulpit, or to be instilled by early education. Is there, let 
 me ask, less genuine Christianity in America than in any other 
 Christian country? For, if the interference of government be 
 necessary to uphold it, such ought to be the natural conse-
 
 308 APPENDIX. 
 
 quence. Certainly we are not disposed to confess an inferiority 
 in this particular. Sir, I believe there is more. And I am well 
 convinced that if the success of true religion were the only end 
 in view, other nations would follow our example of universal 
 toleration. I believe that in no countries are there more athe- 
 ists and deists than in those where but one mode of worship is 
 sanctioned or permitted. In my opinion, it is the natural in- 
 clination of man to seek support and refuge in religious feel- 
 ings ; and if he finds a religion which his judgment approves, 
 or to which his affections attach him, he ■will cling to it as his 
 brightest hope. The man who cannot subscribe to all the doc- 
 trines and discipline of Catholicism may still be a Protestant ; 
 the Protestant may be a Churchman, a Presbyterian, a Friend, 
 or a Methodist. But the despot allows him no choice ; he must 
 either embrace that which is tendered him, or be nothing. No, sir, 
 it does not enter into the duties of this body to guard and pre- 
 serve the religious faith of Maryland from schism and innova- 
 tion ; otherwise, we have been grossly remiss in the performance 
 of that duty. I do not recollect a single statute or resolution 
 on the records of this house for this purpose. Sir, the propa- 
 gation of error has never been prevented by force ; but force has 
 sometimes given permanence to what would otherwise have 
 been ephemeral. 
 
 Were we about to attempt the conversion of the Jews to 
 Christianity, the true mode, in my opinion, would be to treat 
 them with kindness, and to allow them a full participation of po- 
 litical and social rights. When men are proscribed for their 
 opinions, those opinions become dear to them ; like the traveler 
 in the storm, they draw the mantle closer about them, but on the 
 return of the warm and genial sun, they cast it carelessly away. 
 
 Some reasons have been urged against the passage of this 
 bill whose force, I must own, I can scarcely comprehend. We 
 are told that it will hold out inducements to the Jews to migrate 
 to this country from abroad. Without stopping to inquire into 
 the nature of this supposed evil, I will simply reply that the in- 
 ducement already exists. If it can seriously be supposed that 
 i\i(i pru^ptct of ohtauiing officea would invite the Jews to this 
 country in such numbers as to endanger its safety, I would ask
 
 APPENDIX. :50<) 
 
 whether that invitation has not been already j,nven i)y tlic Con- 
 st itutiou of the Union, as well as those of the neijrhborinjr 
 States ? On the other hand, it has been objected that the num- 
 ber of Jews is too inconsidorable to call for an alteration of the 
 Constitution on their account. I shall not attempt to show how 
 far these two proposition can be reconciled ; but, sir, in relation 
 to the latter, 1 entertain a very different opinion. The nature of 
 the injustice is not chang-ed by the greatness or smallness of the 
 number of those who sutler. If but one American citizen be 
 deprived of the least of his just constitutional rights, or feel 
 the hand of tyranny and oppression, and it be in our power to 
 afford him redress, it is our sacred duty to interpose. If we 
 leave him to his fate, we break down the barrier which gives se- 
 curity to ourselves, and, by indifference to the violation of his 
 rights, we invite the tyrant to trample on our own. 
 
 It has been asserted and repeated that there is no intolerance 
 in withholding from the Jews the common privileges of citizen- 
 ship. It is asked, are they not protected in the free exercise of 
 their religion ? Are they not permitted to hold property, and 
 to pursue the occupations most agreeable to them, with one 
 only exception, that of the legal profession, which requires 
 them to sign the test ? Are the^i^not permitted to vote at elec- 
 tions, and thus to have a voice in the formation of the laws ? 
 I own, sir, that this is true ; but why allow them even these 
 privileges? It is the principle against which I contend, and 
 not the extent of the injustice. Suppose the Jews were allowed 
 one privilege /ess than they at present enjoy ; lur instance, the 
 right to vote at elections (and now, for the first time, it was 
 sought to be given them), would not the same argument be 
 urged in opposition to that just request, that we have heard 
 this day against placing them entirely on a footing with their 
 fellow-citizens ? To go further, let us suppose them on a foot- 
 ing with the Jews of England, and an attempt were now made 
 to extend to them some trivial i)rivilege of citizenship, would 
 not the same arguments still be urged against it ? Pursuing 
 this train of thought, to what result would it conduct us? Sir, 
 it would end in consigning the .Jews to the dungeons of the in- 
 
 27
 
 310 APPENDIX. 
 
 quisition. The self-same arguments that have been arrayed 
 this day against the passage of the bill on your table, have been 
 heard from the lips of those who were engaged in preparing the 
 rack, the chains, the fires, for the persecuted Jew. Such argu- 
 ments are unworthy of free Americans, and ought to be ab- 
 horred, if for no other reason that they are the constant theme 
 of such as perpetrate the most horrid crimes in the name of re- 
 ligion — of those, to use the words of a celebrated orator, luhose 
 banner is stolen from the altar of God, and luhose forces are 
 congregated from the abysses of hell. 
 
 Even the illiberality of other nations should afford us a lesson. 
 In countries w^hich groan under the tyranny of the inquisition, 
 the stranger who professes Protestant Christianity is held in 
 no higher estimation than the Jew— is even designated by that 
 very name ; and there is but little doubt that his only safety 
 depends on the protecting arm of his country; without this, he 
 would be treated with the same cruelty and opprobrium as the 
 outcast Jew ! As far as epithets will go, the heretic is not more 
 respected than his unfortunate companion. This is not the spirit 
 of Christianity. If man errs in his belief, is there no judge ? 
 There is ; but that Judge has emphatically declared to man, 
 "judge not, lest you be judged." Far be it from me to express 
 the remotest disrespect of any Christian denomination. I speak 
 of what I conceive to be the abuses of that admirable system ; 
 and those abuses have rarely failed to be practiced whenever 
 there is an exclusive religion maintained by coercion of any 
 kind. If we look abroad, and even glance around on our own 
 country, we shall find that the practice of persecution and the 
 spirit of intolerance are not the inseparable attendants on 
 Catholicism ; nor does history prove that American Protestants 
 cannot he intolerant. 
 
 It has been said, and I own I heard it with some surprise, that 
 the evil proposed to be remedied by this bill is of a nature 
 purely abstract, and accompanied by no real and serious griev- 
 ance. It is true, sir, that there has been no deputation from the 
 people called Jews, to solicit in person, or to make known to 
 you their feelings and wishes in relation to this matter. Far 
 from this circumstance being construed to their disadvantage,
 
 APPEXDIX. 311 
 
 there is a delicacy in thus declining to weary you with importu- 
 tuuity, which deserves to be admired. But can any one for a 
 moment suppose that any native American citizen, whatever 
 may be his religion, is insensible to the privation of liberties 
 and privileges, so highly prized by all his fellow-citizens ? Is it 
 possible for him to be insensible to the indignity of being set 
 apart, as belonging to a caste unworthy of a full participation 
 of civil and political rights ? No, sir. although the Jews are 
 silent on this occasion, they are not insensible I will say more 
 — they look to the decision of this house with the deepest inter- 
 est, as to one which may restore them to that rank under the 
 spirit of the bill of rights, and the constitution, ^which they have 
 never forfeited, and to which they have a just claim, in reason 
 and sound policy, as well as by the paramount principle of 
 the Federal compact. It is but a few days since I read, in 
 one of the newspapers of Baltimore, an account of a public ex- 
 amination at the principal seminary of learning at that place. 
 To the son of a Jew, a youth but little turned of twelve years of 
 age, was awarded ih^ first prize in every branch of education ; 
 and to crown all, he was declared to have surpassed his compan- 
 ions in good conduct and morality, as he had in the superior en- 
 dowments of his mind. I own I feel a mortification, when I 
 reflect that the talents, learning, and meritorious deportment of 
 this youth can lead him to none of the offices or honors of his 
 native State. That he cannot apply himself to the study of the 
 law, or aspire to a rank in the volunteer company in which he 
 may. have signalized his valor. Is it possible, let me ask, for 
 this youth, or his parents, to feel no mortification at a distinc- 
 tion so invidious? Those enlightened foreigners, who have been 
 in the habit of praising the liberality of our institutions, will 
 with difficulty give credit to the fact I have related. The feel- 
 ing I have for the honor of my country, for the character of 
 Maryland, is a much more powerful motive with me. in voting 
 for the bill, than a sense of what is due to the Jews, however 
 strong that sense may be. I feel mortified that any one can say 
 that the government of a community of which I am a member, 
 possesses the power or inclination to exercise a control over 
 opinion, whether that opinion be political or religious. Nothing
 
 312 APPENDIX. 
 
 has so great a tendency to elevate our character among the 
 wise men of foreign countries as our supposed exemption from 
 all intolerance. Our neighboring States deserve this praise — 
 and so inseparably did I suppose the principle of toleration 
 connected with our political institutions, that when Maryland 
 was first mentioned to me as an exception it excited my aston- 
 ishment. I hope for the honor of the United States, and of the 
 State of Maryland, the bill on your table will pass. 
 
 I call upon any gentleman to produce the dictum or opinion 
 of an American statesman of note or celebrity, in favor of a 
 religious test for political purposes ; or the example of any 
 State of the UiiJ,on, whicli withholds from American citizens of 
 Jeivish origin all eligibility to office. In one of the States 
 (Massachusetts) we find something like a test, but confined to 
 a few of the higher offices ; but I entertain no doubt that it will 
 be done away in that enlightened republic, whenever it shall be 
 proposed. From every State constitution, formed since that of 
 the United States, the test has been rejected — and some of them 
 have gone so far as to say that none shall ever be required. In 
 the State of North Carolina, there is a memorable instance on 
 record, of an attempt to expel Mr. Henry, a Jew, from the 
 legislative body, of which he had been elected a member. The 
 speech delivered on that occasion I hold in my hand ; it is pub- 
 lished in a collection called the American Orator, a book given 
 to your children at school, and containing those republican truths 
 you wish to see earliest implanted in their minds. I will take 
 the liberty of reading some passages from it. [Here Mr. B. 
 read a part of the speech.] Mr Henry prevailed, and it is 
 a part of our education, as Americans, to love and cherish the 
 sentiments uttered by him on that occasion. 
 
 In turning over the pages of the same book, I find at least 
 ten speeches on the subject of religious toleration, from the most 
 celebrated orators of Great Britain. The names of Chatham, 
 Fox, Sheridan, Grattan, Erskine are here recorded as the cham- 
 pions of universal toleration. As the generous advocates of the 
 Catholic and the dissenter, they speak "in words that burn and 
 thouglits that breathe"— they denounce w^th the irresistible 
 energy of truth, the unnatural union of Church and State, and
 
 APPEND IX. 313 
 
 the interference of earthly power in matters of reljfrion. "Why 
 put this book into the hands of your chihlren, if it be not to in- 
 still into their minds the sentiments that American citizens 
 oujrht to entertain? And where is the distinction between the 
 struggle of the Catholic and the dissenter, for the liberty of con- 
 science in England, in which we all sympathize, and the effort 
 now making in favor of the persecuted Jews? Is not the pro- 
 scription equally unjustifiable? Do they not both claim the 
 same right, that of offering their worship to the Deity, free from 
 all animadversion of the temporal government? The case is the 
 same — it cannot be distinguished. 
 
 Some remarks have fallen from gentlemen that, in my mind, 
 go further to discredit the opposition to the bill than anything 
 that can be urged by its supporters. It was, indeed, with sur- 
 prise I heard it. seriously asserted that if this bill passed, we 
 should shortly have Chinese or Turks in office, that we shall 
 have the processions of Juggernaut crushing to death its vic- 
 tims in our highways ! I cannot suppose that gentlemen were 
 serious in these ideas. I contend for the freedom of tlunlcing, 
 and not for the liberty of acting, as we may think proper; and 
 if Juggernaut should happen to come among us, and attempt to 
 disturb the peace of our towns, I should be the first to hand 
 him over to the constable. So long as my actions neither con- 
 travene the laws nor disturb my neighbor, no one has a right to 
 molest me. This is the right I desire as an American citizen; 
 and I proclaim it persecution when any one forcibly interrupts 
 the free enjoyment of my opinion in matters of religion, politics, 
 or science, provided they lead me to do no act which insults my 
 neighbor, or violates the laws of the land. Where the matter is 
 a mere difference of opinion, I hold my rioht uxquestioxable 
 
 TO DIFFER from ANY OTHER MAX, OR FROM ALL MAXKIXD, BE THE 
 SUBJECT WHAT IT MAY. 
 
 Is any gentleman really afraid that Chinese or Turks may be 
 elected to offices of honor or profit in this State ? 1 see no reason 
 why they should not be, if the people think them deserving of 
 their confidence. But is the danger really so great as to require 
 them to be excluded by constitutional provision? I never saw 
 but two Chinese in the United States, and they were the servants 
 
 •27*
 
 31 4 APPENDIX. 
 
 of an eminent merchant in New York, and one Turk, who exhib- 
 ited as a jug-gler. But the irresponsible ivfidel may be allowei^ 
 to hold office, if the test be repealed ! If the term infidel be ap- 
 plied to those individuals among us who deny the Sacred Scrip- 
 tures altogether, I assert that no religious test can have any effect 
 upon them. As to them, the only test is a knowledge of their 
 opinions, character, and habits of life, among their fellow-citi- 
 zens. The religious test places it in their power to acquit or 
 condemn themselves as they may think proper; there can, there- 
 fore, be no greater absurdity than to subject them to such a trial. 
 Nay, its effects would be worse ; for suppose the case of one 
 whose misfortune it might be to disbelieve, yet of known honor 
 and integrity, perhaps unconsciously di practical Christian, and 
 such, it must be admitted, there are — such a man, abhorring a 
 falsehood, will, of course, decline the test ; and if any one should 
 deny this to be an evil, 1 might not be disposed to dispute the 
 point — yet is there any one who will not concur with me in dis- 
 approving, in the strongest terms, the possibility of the 7'eal in- 
 fidel, the man who has neither regard to honor or religion, de- 
 riving every benefit of office, from his willingness to take up a 
 convenient mask ? Will he hesitate to subscribe to the test, if 
 anything is to be obtained by it ? vSuch is the character of this 
 test, which excludes the man of truth and integrity, and admits 
 the unprincipled knave ! If a witness swear falsely as to fact, 
 his testimony can be disproved by other witnesses ; but, in this 
 instance, it is only omniscience which can convict him. If ac- 
 cused of having acted falsely, or in contradiction to sentiments 
 expressed on other occasions, he can say that conviction has 
 reached his mind, or that it has been shaken ; and who is to de- 
 termine the truth or falsehood of that which is necessarily con- 
 fined to his own breast? The test I consider as utterly useless 
 for any temporal purpose. If the term infidel be applied to the 
 unconverted aborigines of this country, I must again reply that 
 there is not the remotest probability of the test acting upon them 
 in any way. But, sir, the bill on the table is confined to the 
 Jews, and is intended specifically for their benefit ; it is not in- 
 tended for the infidel, Turk, or Chinese; tind surely the Jewish 
 religion is not to be placed on a footing with barbarous sui)er-
 
 APPENDIX. 315 
 
 stitions. It has been impressed on my mind, that the Jewish 
 religion is divine; that we should believe in the books of the 
 Old Testament as well as they, although we believe also in those 
 of the New. We concur in the belief of that which constitutes 
 the base and foundation of Christianity — take away that founda- 
 tion, and where is the superstructure ? And why should we be 
 displeased with them, because they think proper to continue 
 their abode in the darker apartments below, while we have as- 
 cended to the higher parts of the dwelling, and breathe a freer 
 air, and are surrounded by a clearer light ? The provisions of 
 the bill, I confess, are not exactly what I would wish them to 
 be — they do not go far enough. Instead of providing merely for 
 the case of the Jews, I could wish the test entirely expunged 
 from the constitution. 
 
 I am sensible that I have trespassed much on the patience of 
 this house, on a subject in which the reputation of this State is 
 more deeply involved than its interests ; it is one which seems 
 to be remote from the ordinary business of legislation ; but I 
 feel for the character of those whom I represent, as I feel for my 
 own ; and the character of justice and a proper regard for the 
 rights of my fellow-citizens is far dearer to me than any con- 
 sideration of interest ; and I see no reason why the State in its 
 represented assemblage should not be actuated by those mo- 
 tives which are regarded as generous and noble when they in- 
 fluence individual actions. 
 
 There is but one remaining objection to the passage of the 
 bill, and this I will endeavor also to meet, and yet it is not with- 
 out reluctance. It has been repeated that the passage of the 
 bill is incompatible with the respect we owe to the Christian re- 
 liirion : that this is a Christian land; that the Christian reli- 
 gion ought here to be, at least legally, avowed and acknowl- 
 edged ; and that the respect which is due to that institution 
 may be weakened by abolishing the test. Sir, I can see no dis- 
 respect offered to any system of religion, where the government 
 simply declares that every man may enjoy his own, provided he 
 discharges his social duties ; and that the only support of re- 
 ligion should be derived from the zeal, affection, and faith of 
 those who profess it. Sir. T d.) firuily b-'lieve that it is an insult
 
 310 APPEND IX, 
 
 to the Christian religion to suppose that it needs the temporal 
 arm for its support. It has flourished in despite of temporal 
 power — by the interference of temporal power in its behalf, has 
 its progress ever been retarded or its principles perverted. 
 
 But, we are told, that this is a Christian land, and that we 
 are Christians ! I rejoice to hear it, and I hope we will prove 
 ourselves worthy of the name, by acting on this, and on every 
 other occasion, with Christian spirit. The great Author of that 
 sublime religion teaches us charity and forbearance to the 
 errors and failings of our fellow-men. To his followers, he 
 promised no loorldly benefits, but crowns of glory in heaven ; 
 for he emphatically declared that his kingdom teas not of this 
 world. Far from inculcating unkindness and resentment to 
 those of the Jews who did not believe in him, he even forgave 
 those among them who were his persecutors and enemies. Do 
 we find any injunction bequeathed to his followers to pursue 
 those enemies with vengeance ? No — his last words was a prayer 
 for their forgiveness ; and shall we dare to punish where he has 
 been pleased to forgive? 
 
 But this is a Christian land! And let me inquire of the 
 page of history, by what means it became so? Was it through 
 the instrumentality of peace and good will to our fellow-men? 
 Perhaps we may say with a clear conscience, that we violated 
 no principle of justice or Christianity in our dealings with the 
 poor heathen, whom we found in possession of the soil. But if 
 there is a beam in our own eye, at least we can see the mote in 
 the eye of our Christian brethren of the South. Let us cast a 
 glance toward the bloody Christian conquests of Cortez and 
 Pizarro— they are now Christian lands, and by what means did 
 they become so? lean fancy to myself the wretched Guati- 
 mozin, stretched on burning coals, his only crime that of being 
 suspected of unrevealcd treasures, and I hear him rebuke his 
 less patient companion in misery, by the simple but heroic 
 question, Am I on a bed of roses? Who was the Christian oh 
 that occasion? No, sir, the soil we inhabit yields its fruit to the 
 just and to the unjust; the sun which gives us life, sheds his 
 glorious beams impartially on all. But the great majority of 
 the dwellers in this land are Christians; therefore is it a Chris-
 
 APPENDIX. 317 
 
 tian land! For the same reason, it Tnisfht be a Catholic, Epis- 
 copal, or Presbyterian land. Our political compacts are not 
 entered into as brethren'of the Christian faith — but as men, as 
 members of a civilized society. In looking back to our struggle 
 for independence, I find that we engaged in that bloody con- 
 flict for the RIGHTS of max, and not for the purpose of enforcing 
 or defending any particular religious creed. If the accidental 
 circumstance of our being for the greater part Christians 
 could justify us in proscril)ing other religions, the same reason 
 would justify any one of the sects of Christianity in persecuting 
 the rest. But, sir, all persecution for the sake of opinion is 
 tyranny — and the first speck of it that may api>ear should be 
 eradicated, as the commencement of a deadly gangrene, whose 
 ultimate tendency is to convert the body politic into a corrupt 
 and putrid mass. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, if I were required to assign a reason why, in 
 the course of events, it was permitted by Providence that this 
 continent should have become known to Europe, the first and 
 most striking, according to my understanding, would be, that it 
 was the luill of Heaven to open here an asylum to the perse- 
 cuted OF EVERY NATION ! We arc placed here to officiate in that 
 magnificent temple; to us is assigned the noble task of stretch- 
 ing forth the hand of charity to all those unfortunate men whom 
 the political tempests of the world have cast upon our shores. 
 "SVe Americans should feel a generous exultation when we be- 
 hold even the Jew, to whom the rest of the world is dark and 
 cheerless, find in this Christian land a home at last.
 
 318 ' APPEND IX. 
 
 JUBILEE ORATION. 
 
 Delivered Fourth of July, 1826. 
 
 Fellow-Citizens, — We are about to celebrate the fiftieth re- 
 turn of the first and most important day in the annals of our 
 country. The first, because on this day her existence as a nation 
 began ; the most important, because on this day she received the 
 mighty impulse by which she still moves. 
 
 To the philanthropist of every country this is a day of rejoic- 
 ing, for it is the day of liberty. To despots it is a day of de- 
 spair, for its spreading beams will illumine the earth ; tyrants 
 will then disappear, and the nations will spring up elastic from 
 beneath the foot of oppression. To us, the inhabitants of this 
 favored land, it is a day of confidence, for it is our 'political 
 jubilee. Time, who tries and proves every human scheme, has 
 now, on a structure supposed to be too beautiful for permanence, 
 affixed his seal. Majestic and sublime it glides along the stream, 
 strong from success — bold from experience — and buoyant with 
 every hope. 
 
 Is it not the dictate of the heart to love and venerate those 
 days which recall the recollection of great benefits conferred, or 
 of great calamities averted? They are hallowed and conse- 
 crated by gratitude and religion. In the mighty events, to us 
 and to our fellow-men, which have sprung from the declaration 
 made by our ancestors on this day, we cannot but discover tlie hand 
 of the Great Dispenser of every good. Our first obligation is, 
 therefore, gratitude; first, to' that great being whom we acknowl- 
 edge as our universal benefactor, and, secondly, to the sages and 
 warriors through whose instrumentality we have become the 
 most fortunate of nations. For is there any people less afilicted 
 by public calamity, or more richly endowed with national bless- 
 ings ? No scenes of domestic feud deform the face of our land. 
 Our sword sleeps in its scabbard. Where shall we find a people
 
 APPEND IX. 319 
 
 more safe from rapacity and violence, or better protected in 
 their pursuit of liappini^ss? We sit down under our own vine 
 and fig tree, and there is no one to make us afraid. Let not 
 these comparisons be made as incentives to arrogance and pride. 
 Let them rather be as lessons of humility and wisdom. Let our 
 hearts be filled with benevolence when we compare our situation 
 to that of millions groaning under oppression, the victims of 
 misery and want. Let us bethink ourselves how we can share 
 with them a portion of our abundant blessings. 
 
 It becomes us, then, by all human means to prolong the pros- 
 perity which has fallen to our lot. Far easier is our task than 
 that of our fathers. It is ours to celebrate, to enjoy, and to 
 preserve; it was theirs to encounter the dangers of the doubtful 
 conflict, where ruin, ignominy, and death awaited their defeat ; 
 and where, to many, even success could afford but a glimpse of 
 that promised land they were not destined to enter. 
 
 Let the historian carefully record everything which relates to 
 the great day we are about to commemorate. The painter, the 
 poet, and the orator will endeavor, and in vain, to give a just 
 conception of the spectacle which our country exhibited to the 
 world in the bold appeal of this day. Trusting to the justice of 
 her cause, with the principles set forth in the Declaration of 
 Independence as her guide, inexperienced, and at first unaided, 
 without military art, or arms, or men to encounter an invasion on 
 the land, or ships to meet the enemy on her coast, our infant 
 country engaged in conflict with one of the most powerful and 
 warlike nations of the globe. It was the will of Heaven that our 
 cause should prevail; and, before the return of another jubilee, 
 the truths contained in the Declaration of Independence will be 
 received as revelation by every civilized people. Despots will 
 tremble to hear them, and finding a response in the human heart, 
 they will become universal. 'J'he enthusiasm enkindled by the 
 celebration of this day will excuse the expression of a wish, that 
 Liberty, icilh arms as capacious as the ocean, shall embrace 
 every land, and her voice be heard on every sJiore ! 
 
 Our gifted countrymen, and the sons of genius of other na- 
 tions, have attempted the mighty theme. The historian has 
 traced the incidents of the eventful struggle; the poet has tuned
 
 320 APPENDIX. 
 
 his harp to the song of American glory ; the painter has thrown 
 upon the canvas the living features and the moving scenes of 
 American heroes and American history. The names of Wash- 
 ington, Franklin, Adams, Otis, Henry, Warren, Green, Putnam, 
 and a thousand others are associated with whatever is happy to 
 our Republic. Would to Heaven those illustrious men, who 
 fought, who wrote, who spoke^ who counseled on that day, and 
 in the events which sprung from it, who staked their lives, their 
 fortunes, and their sacred honor on the result, could be per- 
 mitted to revisit us on each succeeding return of its celebration, 
 be the witnesses of our gratitude, and, if but for a moment, 
 share the well-earned fruits of their toils, their sacrifices, and 
 their dangers ! Happy, thrice happy, surviving patriots of the 
 Revolution: *Lafayette, Adams, Jefferson, Carroll, and your 
 few companions still preserved to us, that we may long be 
 blessed with the sight of, those whom we call the Fathers of our 
 Country! Venerable men! You will this day receive the 
 warm and enthusiastic gratulations of the millions of freemen 
 who owe to you their political existence. And who can esti- 
 mate the searching and expansive power of the great moral 
 truths you have taught? The rights of nations and of men are 
 no longer the subjects of vague surmise. They are at length 
 fixed on immutable and unassailable foundations. They are now 
 as certain as the attributes of human nature. The celestial, the 
 inextinguishable light is fast spreading to the farthest boundary 
 of civilization, Europe is already half illumined. Its noontide 
 blaze has burst upon France, and although dazzled she is not 
 blinded; she believes that political improvement, to be perma- 
 nent, must be gradual. Germany feels it warm and animating. 
 In Greece, where we find at once the cradle and the grave of 
 liberty, it has 
 
 "Kindled a soul under the ribs of death." 
 Spain has been roused and awakened. Yes, my countrymen, 
 
 » The orator did not know that Adams and Jefferson expired on the 
 very day this oration was delivered. He afterward pronounced a eulogy 
 on them.
 
 APPENDIX. 321 
 
 the spreading circle of your example will embrace every nation, 
 and the day will come when you will be revered not only as the 
 fathers of your country, but as the chief benefactors of mankind. 
 
 The effect of that example is still more deeply traced in coun- 
 tries toward which we feel a near and almost inseparable interest. 
 The descendants of Iberia, on this side of the Atlantic, have 
 given proofs that the ancient fire of chivalry, of heroic enter- 
 prise, is not yet extinguished. It burns with increased bright- 
 ness in a pur. r atmosphere. Eighteen millions of people, spread 
 over the territory of six great republics, each almost equal to 
 ours in extent, have declared and maintained their independence. 
 After nearly twenty years of bloody and exterminating war, sus- 
 tained by them with heroic constancy, they are at length com- 
 pletely masters of their own soil, and to the friends of liberty 
 present the cheering prospect of settling down under free and 
 enlightened institutions. 
 
 Mexicans, Columbians, Peruvians, Chilians, United Provinces 
 of La Plata, we look to you with anxious hope to see the triumph 
 of republican principles in the new world. Let me conjure you 
 to disappoint the prediction of your enemies, who declare you to 
 be unfit for self-government, and who wish to see you broken up 
 into petty States, affording a hundred theaters for civil wars, the 
 nurseries of military despots. Let us hope that, having won 
 your independence, you will achieve a still more noble conquest 
 over yourselves, through mutual conciliation and concession, 
 so that war may become the least honorable road to honors 
 and distinction. To my countrymen I will say, indulge not in 
 narrow feelings of jealousy or unkindness toward the new-born 
 republics of the south. Neither Washington nor Franklin ever 
 encouraged a narrow, selfish policy. Their great and enlight- 
 ened minds, instead of viewing the neighboring American States 
 as foreign to us as the monarchies of Europe, would have re- 
 garded them as our natural allies. They would proclaim that 
 the spell of European colonization on the continent of America 
 was broken, and that the attempt to set a hostile foot on its 
 shores would strike a nerve that would vibrate from St. Croixr 
 to La Plata. 
 
 Fellow-citizens, this day and year is the political jubilee of 
 
 28
 
 322 APPENDIX. 
 
 America. Ft)r fifty years our favored country has pursued the 
 uninterrupted march of prosperity, and, iu spite of sinister pre- 
 dictions, this confederacy has attained a rank among the nations 
 of the earth as high and commanding as it was once humble and 
 unpromising. Our success in our revolutionary struggle was 
 great ; our success in the subsequent management of our affairs 
 has not been less, and both, in despite the forebodings of de- 
 sponding friends and the denunciations of enemies. To the list 
 of the names of heroes, statesmen, and patriots, who laid the 
 foundation of this great Republic, many others have been added, 
 not less deserving to live in the hearts of a grateful people. We 
 have met the lords of the ocean, and we have proved that it 
 was destined by Heaven that the highway of nations should be 
 free. We have won trophies on the land which we hold as a 
 warning to those who shall have the temerity to invade us ; and 
 we have won the palm in many of the arts of peace. But while 
 we duly appreciate the advantages of our peculiar position, 
 which entitle us to assume a station so proudly independent, let 
 us never forget what is due to others, however inferior to us in 
 power and importance. A haughty and arrogant spirit would 
 not accord with the liberty of sentiment proclaimed to the world 
 when we appealed to it for the justice of our cause. Our/ 
 national policy, firm and steady, should be just and honorable 
 to all. Far from us every thought of war for the sake of con- 
 quest or the gratification of vain glory; and, happily, there is 
 no ^Carthage, which our enmity, or ambitions, or policy urge us 
 to destroy, or which in its turn has sworn to us an eternal 
 hatred ! Even with that great people from whom we have 
 separated, of whose injustice we have had so often reason to 
 complain, it behooves us to cultivate the most friendly feelings, 
 and to leave to the record of the historian the memory of the 
 past. Let us not seek, fellow-citizens, amid the scenes of vio- 
 lence,-of war, of desolation, for the seeds which have been scat- 
 tered over our land by the events of the day we celebrate. No. 
 
 •:■ The cry of the Romans was "dclenda est Carthage," Carthago must 
 be destroyed. Hannibal, at ten years of age, was led by his father to 
 the altar and made to swear eternal hatred to Rome.
 
 APPENDIX. 323 
 
 Let us hope that we may find them over the wide space of our 
 EepubliCjin the general happiness they have diffused, in tlie vast 
 increase of happy human beings, and in the harmony and tran- 
 quillity which pervade its ample bosom. These are the delight- 
 ful fruits of equal rights, of equal laws, and of representative 
 government. The boasted miracle of Alfred's scepter is almost 
 realized over a surface of territory as extensive as Europe."^ 
 
 May we not hope, fellow-citizens, that it is the will of Provi- 
 dence that a scheme of government so favorable to human hap- 
 piness shall endure ? State after State has been admitted within 
 the circle of the confederacy, and the sublime system, true to its 
 principles, still goes its harmonious round. Or must we say 
 with Ossian in his address to the sun, " Thou, too, shall have 
 an end, whether thy yellow hair stream on the eastern clouds, 
 or thou tremble at the gates of the west ?" Let not this truth 
 appear as a writing on the wall to occasion our despair, but to 
 warn us as a friend ; to warn us against the vain belief that we 
 have attained perfection, or that our body politic has put on in- 
 corruptibility ; to warn us that everything human is imperfect, 
 and, partaking of our nature, has within it the seeds of decay ; 
 to warn us that as the blessings we enjoy were not obtained 
 without countless sacrifices, neither can they be retained without 
 unceasing watchfulness and toil. Let it then be our duty, and 
 our sacred obligation to turn aside from us everything which 
 endanger our precious inheritance, and especially let us shun all 
 sectional dissensions. Let us guard with vigilance against the 
 slightest perversion of our republican system, and, above all, 
 let us observe attentively whether those to whom we have in- 
 trusted the administration of the laws have attempted to restrain 
 the freedom of our lawful thoughts and actions. In a word, 
 the only safe foundation of our government is the virtue and 
 intelligence of our fellow-citizens ; without these, our political 
 scheme, the more perfect in theory, the worse will be in prac- 
 tice ; it will only add to our misfortune, as it will serve the arts 
 
 of corruption and conceal the iniquity of our public agents. 
 
 '. • 
 
 * That a child might travel from one end of the kingdom to the 
 other with a purse of gold in its hand.
 
 324 APPENDIX. 
 
 Far from us be such a deplorable conjuncture ; but should such 
 a calamity happen, let us cherish the pleasing thought that na- 
 tions possess within them the principle of renovation as well as 
 of decay. And in the mean time there is a precious inheritance 
 to which we should cling as the mariner clings to the last plank 
 of the shipwreck. Let no momentary distrust, disappointment, 
 inconvenience, or supposed partial operation of measures, 
 adopted for the common good, weaken our devotion to the palla- 
 dium of our national safety, the ark of our national greatness 
 and felicity, our Federal Union. Dark and portentous that 
 day to America, when the glorious confederacy shall be dis- 
 solved ! Never until then shall we know its full value, nor the 
 evils of separation. But, alas ! when dissolved, it will be dis- 
 solved forever ! It was not brought about by each contending 
 for extreme pretentions or opinions, but was the blessed fruit of 
 mutual concession and conciliation, and accomplished by a 
 miracle ; and it is only by the same means that it can be main- 
 tained. Let there be no strife or contention between us, except 
 the friendly contest of which shall yield the most. 
 
 We have everything in the soil and climate and position 
 which we can desire, and so long as the Federal and State gov- 
 ernments shall continue to move in their respective orbits, it 
 will be to us a common country. At home the confederacy is 
 felt in preserving peace and harmony, in providing for the com- 
 mon defense, and in effecting great public improvements. To 
 the rest of the wDrld we appear in the imposing attitude of a 
 mighty nation. A system so admirable in its structure, so ines- 
 timable in its uses, so broad in its foundations, like an Egyptian 
 monument, bids fair to be lasting. And it will stand, until the 
 Federal government s7ta^/ become regardless of the rights of the 
 States, and the States regardless of the paramount author iti/ of 
 the Unio7i, and the rights of each other ; until passion, distrust, 
 and coemption shall poison every heart and darken every 
 mind! May that unhappy day be distant, or, if it must come, 
 may no one of us be living to witness the desolation. Rather 
 let us indulge the pleasing hope, that from the great diversity 
 of our soil, climate, and occupations, a mutual dependence will 
 arise, and that we shall become a world within ourselves, that
 
 APrEXDTX. 325 
 
 our internal trade, increasing each day by new channels and 
 new products, and by augmented facilities of intercourse, will 
 bind us together by iununieruble and indissoluble ties. Far from 
 us the mad ambition of Rome, to extend the bounds of the em- 
 pire. Let it be ours to preserve them unaltered, or only extended 
 by slow and inevitable destiny ; and within those bounds let us 
 conquer and subdue, but let our conquests be those of peace ; 
 let them be seen in roads, in canals, in great internal works and 
 in wise government, thus increasing the "foundations of public 
 and private felicity;" and let them be blessings to the con- 
 quered as well as the conquerors. And in time the enlightened 
 stranger, who reads the Declaration you have heard this day, 
 on visiting our shore, may behold its commentary wherever he 
 moves over the wide surface of our continent. 
 
 REMARKABLE JOIJRXEY FRO:\r PHILADEL- 
 PHIA TO FLORIDA IX TWELVE DAYS. 
 
 Letter Addressed to a Friend. 
 
 July, 1832. 
 
 If I had been without some enemies in Florida, I should have 
 been much more fortunate than other men in public office. 
 Those who were enemies to me were chiefly in the politics of 
 the Territory, in which I took no active part. To some of these 
 persons it was desirable to have a pliant judiciary. I did not, 
 therefore, suit them. They knew that under Mr. Adams, their 
 eflbrts against me, without just Cause, would be unavailing. An 
 opportunity, however, on one occasion did offer itself to make 
 the attempt. During ten years I had never missed a court, 
 although over an extensive district, thinly inhabited, I had to 
 travel hundreds of miles regardless of floods and tempests. In 
 1827 the yellow fever broke out in Pensacola, and at the request
 
 326 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the bar, and the officers of the court, I gave notice that the 
 October court would not be held. I thought I would take 
 advantage of the intervening time to cross the tier of Southern 
 States to visit my family, then in Philadelphia. In doing so, I 
 knew it would be almost impossible to return in time to hold the 
 next court at Jackson, one of the interior counties. The tempta- 
 tion was so strong that I determined to run the risk. I had 
 scarcely reached Philadelphia, when I was informed that a 
 strong remonstrance had been sent to Washington against my 
 expected absence from Jackson court, headed by the district 
 attorney, who, under other circumstances, would have felt per- 
 fect indifference. 
 
 A copy of the remonstrance was transmitted to me from the 
 State Department; it was, therefore, a very serious business. I 
 was informed that unusual preparations were making to attend 
 that court, so that the disappointment, and my failure, might 
 appear the greater. I had but twelve days to make a journey 
 in winter of a thousand miles, the quickest trip of the mail not 
 being less than thirty days by stages and on horseback. But I 
 did not refrain from making the attempt from despair, believing 
 that there is a special provideiice in favor of those who exert 
 themselves to do their duty. I first took my passage in the 
 stage in the usual way, and then went down to the Delaware to 
 look among the shipping. Here, after much search, I had the 
 good fortune to find a small sloop, or rather fishing smack, 
 loaded with Yankee notions for a southern port — Savannah in 
 Georgia, with her skipper, and another man and a boy, consti- 
 tuting her whole crew. They had been waiting for a fair wind 
 for some days, and were ready to sail at any moment. As the 
 wind had been from the east, the next change would come from 
 the northwest, and would probably be a fierce one. After giv- 
 ing directions how to find me, I gave orders to call me up the 
 moment the wind changed, if -tt should be midnight. Accord- 
 ingly this was done before daybreak, and by noon we were off 
 the Capes of Delaware, running almost under bare poles, the 
 wind freshening to a gale. The little craft seemed to me like 
 the small diving duck, under water half its time. I ventured 
 but once to look out, and then hastily drew in my head. The
 
 APPEND IX. 32t 
 
 third morning, we were in sight of Savannah, being almost be- 
 calmed. When we reached the wharf, most fortunately for me, 
 there was a small steamboat just about to take lier departure for 
 Augusta, and leaping on board, I reached that place after a very 
 short passage. There now remained only the journey on horse- 
 back of three or four hundred miles. I went at once to a livery 
 stable to purchase a horse; I selected two at the same price (one 
 a bright showy bay, the other a stout arched necked, or godol- 
 phin), with the privilege of trying them in a ride fifteen miles, 
 accompanied by a stable-boy, who was to take back the one I 
 should reject. Before going five miles, the Arabian godolphin was 
 chosen, being satisfied that he was good for at least fifty or even 
 seventy miles a day. After swimming two rivers (it was a time 
 of high water), the Sunday afternoon of the court week founa 
 me within fifteen miles of the court-house. Taking things now 
 at my leisure, I rode up at the usual hour of the meeting of the 
 court, gave my horse to an attendant, and took my seat as if 
 there was nothing unusual. The district attorney had been con- 
 versing with a friend, and had said : " I should not be surprised 
 if the d — d old rascal would make his appearance yet !" ''That 
 is impossible," said the other. "I do not know," said the attorney ; 
 *'he cannot be judged by others; he acts on different principles 
 from most men." At that moment they saw me ride up. I do 
 not relate this incident to boast of it, as a feat to compare with 
 those of Lorenzo Dow, or of others who have done something 
 unusual in this way ; but I humbly think that in no instance 
 has the exploit been attended with a more useful moral* 
 
 H. M. Brackenridge. 
 
 *Twenty ye.irs after this I received a voluntary letter from the gen- 
 tleman most active against me, on this occasion, written in very elegant 
 terras, which did honor to his head and heart. In this he expresses his 
 regret at the injustice done mo by him and the Jackson favorites 
 unfriendly to me in Florida.
 
 328 APPENDIX. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM WASHINGTON IRYIXG'S 
 ASTORIA. 
 
 " In a little while the barge of Lisa made its appearance. It 
 came sweeping gently up the river, manned by twenty-six stout 
 oarsmen, and armed by a swivel-mounted old bow. The whole 
 number on board amounted to twenty-six men ; among them was 
 Mr. Henry Brackenridge, then a very young enterprising man, 
 who was a mere passenger, tempted by notions of curiosity to 
 accompany Lisa. He has since made himself known by various 
 writings, among which may be noted a narrative of this very 
 voyage. 
 
 " The high words between Dorion and Lisa ended by the for- 
 mer dealing him a blow, on which the latter returned to his 
 boat to procure a weapon. He now reappeared on the field 
 with a knife stuck in his girdle. Mr. Brackenridge, who had 
 tried in vain to mollify his ire, accompanied him to the scene of 
 action. Dorion's pistols [the pistols of Mr. Hunt] gave him 
 the advantage, and he maintained a most warlike attitude." 
 This is a part of the one-sided statement — there is another side. 
 
 "Now came the delicate point of management, how the two 
 rival parties were to conduct their visit to the village with 
 proper circumspection and decorum. Neither of the leaders 
 had spoken to each other since their quarrel. All communica- 
 tion had been through the ambassador. Seeing the jealousy 
 entertained of Lisa, Mr. Brackenridge in his negotiation had 
 arranged that a deputation from each party should cross the 
 river at the same time, so that neither should have the first 
 access to the ear of the Anicaras."* 
 
 * At eight years of age I won the civic crown by saving a human 
 life at Gallipolis. On the above affair I stood twice at the risk of my 
 own life between Lisa and his antagonist.
 
 APPENDIX. 320 
 
 THE MOUNDS OR PYRAMIDS 
 
 Opposite St. Louis, on the American Bottom, were visited by 
 rae in 1811, and which I was the first to mention or notice. The 
 following is a notice by a recent traveler (1868), extracted from 
 a St. Lous paper : 
 
 Pre-Historic Remains in the Mississippi Valley — Mounds on 
 the American Bottom. 
 
 " The mounds on the American Bottom, in Illinois, are com- 
 prised in two separate groups, constituting one grand and im- 
 posing system. They number nearly two hundred, including 
 those on the adjacent bluff; they are of various sizes and 
 shapes, rising from the scarcely distinguishable elevation to the 
 imposing structure of over ninety feet ; they are conical, ellip- 
 soidal, truncated, square, and tetragonal ; they are entirely of 
 earth, and raised with as much regularity and symmetry as a 
 potter would mould a mode in clay ; they have all been formed 
 from material taken from the adjacent plain or bluff — vegetable 
 mould, clay and soil — and present a marked mottled appearance, 
 identical with the mounds in the Ohio valley. Every mound 
 has been elevated by human labor, and he who denies this self- 
 evident fact simply acknowledges himself ignorant of the sub- 
 ject. The evidence, externally and internally, position, struc- 
 ture, character, and contents, clearly, positively, and unmistaka- 
 bly prove this. 
 
 " The tumuli under consideration were probably all erected by 
 the same people. We cannot here, as in the case of the ancient 
 Britons, determine from the character of the mounds the type 
 of race they cover. There the long or elliptical barrow contains 
 the long or dolichocephalic head ; and per contra, the round or 
 conical barrow contains the round or hrachocephalic head. 
 Here we have the long and round mounds, but not human crania 
 of corresponding type confined to those forms. "SVe have here
 
 330 APPENDIX. 
 
 the semi-prognathous and pyramidal heads, but not confined to 
 any particular form of mounds. 
 
 " The fictilia from these western mounds consist of distinct 
 qualities. One is fine, compact, close-grained, kiln-burned, 
 painted and tastefully ornamented, moulded for a breccia com- 
 posed of clay, and proved much skill. The other is coarse, 
 rude, of irregular thickness, sun-dried, ornamentative without 
 taste, and composed of clay and small rhomboidal fragments of 
 white epathic carbonate of lime, and some of simple clay. Some 
 of the finer quality occasionally show a polishing or glazing, 
 leaving minute stri«, as if done with a blade of grass dipped 
 into ar barbotte. 
 
 "■ In making some excavations on the plain, a short distance 
 west of the large mound, I discovered large quantities of pot- 
 tery in connection with human remains. Some of them were 
 rude and quite heavy. One was clearly a ciniary urn. 
 
 ''The implements, ornaments, and weapons in stone indicate 
 two classes — one representing thepa/acoe(^e/izc or undressed stone 
 age ; the other, the neotithic or polished stone age of Sir John 
 Lubbock. Some of the specimens of the finer quality are of 
 exquisite skill and workmanship. They are of porphyry, horn- 
 blende, granite, serpentine, nephrite, and the hardest varieties 
 of amphabolic rock. 
 
 " One of the most interesting classes, is agricultural. They 
 are unlike any implements or utensils in store found in the Ohio 
 valley or any other part of the country. They were undoubt- 
 edly used in tilling the soil. One represents the modern hoe, 
 and our domestic implement is but little improvement on that of 
 the mound builders. A specimen before me is of limpid quartz, 
 of faultless workmanship. Their smaller quartz weapons are 
 very fine, ranging from the common horn stone up through all 
 the varieties to the present chalcedony. The celts or axes rep- 
 resent an extensive class, and are of almost every style and 
 finish. Some are very large, weighing over ten pounds. A 
 granitic implement far surpasses these in size, some weighing 
 over twenty-five pounds. The use of this was probably to dress 
 hides or crush corn. Their mortars and pestles have been re- 
 covered — their pipes, disks, and porphyritic rings for games.
 
 APPENDIX. 331 
 
 "The household goods — Lares and Penates of a people forever 
 lost — are among- the contents of mounds added to the fine col- 
 lection of early art which I have made in this interesting region. 
 
 "The ornaments with which they decorated their persons, the 
 weapons with which they fought, the implements with which 
 they slew their game, and the vessels with which their domestic 
 board was served with viands, have all been recovered, with a 
 large number of miscellaneous articles in stone, which consti- 
 tute, with those from other antiquarian localities, one of the most 
 extensive and valuable collections of early American art yet 
 made. 
 
 " The object sought in these researches is to make a full col- 
 lection of ancient art, representing the archaeology of the north- 
 ern division of the western continent."
 
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