Art. VII. A Sabbath among the Tuscarora Indians. 32mo. pp. 69. Price 6d. 1819. VE do not often notice Sunday School literature, to which, according to its original intention, this very interesting little Tract is to be referred; but the information which it contains, relative to a very remarkable people and an important field of missionary exertion, gives it a much better title to notice in our Journal than many publications of loftier pretensions; while, from the bumble shape in which it appears, it may seem to stand more in need of being brought before the attention of our readers. The narrative is given as a faithful relation of facts which came under the Writer's personal observation, when recently in America. For the purpose of authenticating the account, the name of John Morrison Duncan, the very respectable publisher, is affixed to the Advertisement, as that of the Author of the Tract. 6 The true character of the North American Indians,' he remarks, is, in this country, very little known. We have heard 'much of their cruelty, their treachery, and their love of revenge; but,' he adds, we mistake them very much.' The Indians, except in so far as they have been degraded by the wickedness of Europeans, are possessed of many of the most engaging qualities of human nature. Humanity, benevolence, and honesty, are, in peaceful times, their distinguishing characteristics.' Their habits of industry and sobriety were first destroyed by the wickedness of Europeans. This, we believe, is a generally admitted fact. The conduct of the Whites to the Indians, has been, with few exceptions, an unvaried scene of aggression, 'treachery, and cold-blooded cruelty. Not content with dispossessing them of their territory, Europeans, in their wars with each other, have not ceased to engage the Indians in disputes in which they had no interest, and which, whatever 'party was successful, only hastened the ruin of their unhappy 'race.' To these wrongs, an affecting allusion is made in the speech of an Indian Sachem, when questioned respecting the cause of his marked dejection on taking a view of the city of New York. "I will tell you brother. I have been looking at your beautiful city-the great water-your fine country-and see how happy you all are. But then I could not help thinking, that this fine country, and this great water, were once ours. Our ancestors lived herethey enjoyed it as their own, in peace-it was the gift of the Great Spirit, to them and their children. At last the white people came here in a great canoe. They asked only to let them tie it to a tree, lest the waters should carry it away-we consented. They then said some of their people were sick, and they asked permission to land them and put them under the shade of the trees. The ice then came, and they could not go away. They then begged a piece of land to build wigwams for the winter—we granted it to them. They then asked for some coru to keep them from starving-we kindly fur. nished it to them, they promising to go away when the ice was gone. When this happened, we told them they must now go away with their big canoe; but they pointed to their big guns round their wigwams, and said they would stay there, and we could not make then go away. Afterwards more came. They brought spirituous and intoxicating liquors with them, of which we became very fond. They persuaded us to sell them some land. Finally, they drove us back, from time to time, into the wilderness, far from the water, and the fish, and the oysters. They have destroyed the game; our people have wasted away; and now we live miserable and wretched, while you are enjoying our fine and beautiful country. This makes me sorry, brother, and I cannot help it!” “We are driven back," said an aged warrior, on another occasion, “ until we can retreat no farther-our hatchets are broken-our bows are snapped-our fires are nearly extinguished -a little longer, and the white men will cease to persecute us, for we shall cease to exist." , pp. 10–12. In the Letters from Susquehanna country, noticed in our last Number, there is an apologetical and panegyrical reference to the conduct of General Jackson at the expense of the character of the Indians. The following account, which completely reverses the statement there given upon hearsay authority, will show with what caution it is necessary to receive the reports of British refugees. • This work of death is still going on. The conduct of General Jackson, in his late wars with the Creeks and Seminoles, has been that of a fiend rather than a man. Rapine and devastation have tracked his footsteps. He boasts, in his despatches, that “things were executed in style;” and one of his subordinate officers blushes not to avow, that every village they took was burned, that all the warriors were put to the sword; and so indiscriminate was the butch. ery, that even women and children were cut off without mercy. At another time, one of Jackson's officers, lying off the mouth of a river, in a schooner, was eager to entrap two Indians of considerable iné Auence, who had hitherto eluded his grasp: to effect it, he hoisted, by Jackson's orders, the British fag at the mast head; the Indians hailed with joy the friendly ensign, and hastened on board, fondly hoping to escape from the destroyer. No sooner had they set their foot on deck than ropes were put round their necks, and they were hanged at the yard arm. Such are the men who stun our ears with outcries about liberty and the rights of man; and such is the humanity of those who call the Indians cruel! Men may palliate and excuse these enormities, • But many a crime, deemed innocent on earth, • Is it cause of wonder, that the Indians, thus goaded on to madness and despair, have sometimes turned with fury upon their persecutors; and when an opportunity ofiered, exacted blood for blood ?' pp. 14–16. . It may be thought somewhat out of place, but I cannot avoid stating here, in justice to the Americans, that this man's character is execrated by all well informed people, whether Federalists or Republicans. He became deservedly popular for his defence of New Orleans during the last war, but his subsequent conduct makes it appear that he considers himself elevated by his success there, far above the influence of all law. His execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister, took place while I was in America, and excited among the well.disposed throughout the Union, the most decided abhorrence; the general feeling respecting this transaction was, that Great Britain would have been perfectly justifiable had she marked her indignation at it in a much more decided way than she did. The few who defended Jackson's conduct, were either the leaders in party politics, or those whose vir nt antipathy to this country knows no bounds; and of these by far the greater proportion are disaifected refugees from different parts of Great Britain. The Americans have wronged and traduced the Indians, but many among us, no less maliciously wrong and misrepresent the Americans. Note, pp. 14, 15. It is for the interest of both nations, that the true state of things in the United States should be known; that both the delusive pictures of sanguine adventurers, and the distorted views of dissatisfied speculatists, as well as the still grosser or more malignant misrepresentations of party writers, should receive correction. In the present destitution of authentic and competent information, the only plan we can adopt, is, to receive accounts from each of these quarters with equal caution, and to let them correct or negative each other. Thus, Johnson and Cobbett may serve to expose the fallacies of Birkbeck, and Fearon, to expose Cobbett, as, in this instance the Susquehanna Secretary receives a direct contradiction to one of his statements, from a witness whose accuracy we see no reason to doubt. The present Narrative, however, relates almost exclusively to one of the aboriginal nations of America. The Tuscarora Indians were once a numerous and powerful race, and possessed an extensive traot of country in North Carolina. A small tract of land, about four miles from the banks of Niagara on the American side, and about eight miles below the Falls, is now their only remaining nominal possession; and their number has dwindled down to about three hundred. During the recent war between Great Britain and the United States, this settlement shared in the desolation of all the villages on either side of the river ; but these villages had been rebuilt some time before the Writer's visit, and the Indians had been again collected from their wanderings. Mr. Duncan beard at New York, that a missionary and a schoolmaster had been stationed among them; Vol. XIII. N.S. Z and the favourable report which was given of their success, determined him on passing a sabbath at their village. It was on Sunday, the 18th of October, 1818, that this wish was realised. On entering the first log-house he came to, he inquired for the Church, and was directed to it by an old Indian who knew just enough of English to understand and satisfy his inquiry. He found it a log-house also, but larger than most of the others; it is a church on the sabbath, and, during the rest of the week, a school house. The Indians, together with some white people, were just beginning to assemble; some of them were sitting round on trunks of trees; I scated myself beside them, and looked round me with much interest, on a scene such as I never before saw, and in all probability may never see again. The landscape was altogether American; the view was bounded by thick forests stretching far in every direction; round us the axe had been at work, and for a considerable extent, the ground was covered by the stumps of trees; part of it was divided into fields, surrounded by the zigzag rail fences, and crops of Indian corn had been partly gathered, and were partly ripe for it. Scattered around were the log huts of the natives, and before me was one devoted to the worship of God and the instruction of the young. No bell was ringing, but an Indian at the door was sounding a horn, and as it echoed through the woods, a congregation was assembling, different from any this country can show. It was not such an assemblage as crowd the streets of our populous cities, or the lanes of a country village; but the Red Indian of the forest. stately in his figure, and with a countenance and dress unknown in our native country, forsaking the superstitions of his forefathers, was assembling with his wife and children, to worship the Christian's God. Surely here was a scene calculated to awaken in the thinking mind, the most lively sensations of delight; and produce a powerful conviction of the advancing accomplishment of the Divine promise, that " His name shall be known in all the earth, his saving health among all nations." The personal appearance of these Indians, was very different from that of almost all those whom I had previously seen. The scattered remnants of these ancient proprietors of the soil, which are to be seen among the settlements of the Whites, present in general a pitiable appearance. Habitual drunkenness has ruined among them all that was noble in the Indian character; and they are often to be seen in rags and wretchedness, squandering at the tavern doors the little money they acquire; a deplorable picture of moral degradation. The Tuscaroras, however, who were gathering to church, presented a very different appearance. They were clean and decent in their dress-they bore every mark of sobriety and good behaviour-the men walked with the conscious independence of those who know and do their duty; and the aspect of the women and children, was such as betokened industry, frugality, and domestic comfort. They talked but little to each other when they were assembling, for the Indians are remarkable for their quietness and decorum. Some of the men awaited round the door the minister's arrival; the women walked in and took their seats. In a short time, the minister Mr. Crane, with Mrs. Crane, arrived; some other white people accompanied them, and all followed them into the church. Within, it had a respectable appearance. Round the walls were hung the boards used in Lancasterian schools, containing the Alphabet and Spelling Lessons; from which the Indian children are taught during the week. Near the head of the room stood a desk for the minister, and forms were ranged round to accommodate the congregation. The appearance of the Indians was, in every respect, pleasing: they sat sedate and attentive, with their eyes fixed on the ground. The women, without exception, kept their cloaks wrapped closely round them; and with their left hand brought it over their mouth, leaving only the upper part of their face uncovered. This is their customary attitude before strangers, and has a singular but very becoming appearance. The exercises of the day commenced by the Indians singing a hymn in their native language. The tune was one of our common psalm tunes. Some of them had the music books before them, and they sang the different parts. Their voices were good; those of the females particularly sweet; and the effect was very pleasing. It was to me indeed an unknown tongue, yet I heard it with emotions of much pleasure. It was the first time in my life I had heard those who speak another language than myself, celebrating the praise of Jehovah in their native tongue; and reminded me of the day of Pentecost, when the strangers from foreign countries, collected at Jerusalem, heard the disciples declare to them in the various languages, the wonderful works of God. It produced on me a feeling very dif ferent from that with which I have sometimes heard the Papists, in one of their week-day services, chanting a Latin anthem;-that, suggested nothing but pity mingled with horror; for they, poor creatures, knew not the meaning of the words put in their mouths by the priests, which, for any thing they knew, might contain curses in place of blessings-what delusion, to suppose that such service can be acceptable to God! But these Indians understood what they sung; and, from what I afterwards learned, I have no doubt it was with some of them, the acceptable praise of a renewed and a grateful heart. When the hymn was concluded, Mr. Crane addressed them on the nature and importance of religion-he spoke in English, and an old Indian, whose name, as I afterwards learned, was Kusack, stood beside him, and interpreted sentence by sentence. He told them that the object of God in sending the gospel to any nation, was to enlighten the people; to teach them their true character;-to make known to them how their sins might be forgiven ;-and to leave utterly without excuse, those who should refuse to hear; those who wilfully persisted in rejecting the offers of mercy which were sent to them. The old interpreter made this address intelligible to his Red brethren, and it was listened to with the most profound attention. On its being concluded, they united in singing another hymn; and after the hymn, Mr. Crane offered up a fervent prayer for the presence and blessing of God. He prayed, that his Indian auditory might understand and accept the offer of salvation ;-that the careless might be awakened ;that believers might be strengthened;--that White and Red might |