FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR EDVCATION
FOR SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

*

15. BARTRAM (JOHN). Observations on the Inhabitants.
Climate, Soil, Rivers, Productions, Animals, and other Matters
worthy of Notice. Made by Mr. John Bartram in his . Travels from
Pensilvania to Onondaga, Oswego and the Lake Ontario, in Canada.
To which is annex’d, a curious Account of the Cataracts at Niagara.
By Mr. Peter Kalm. Folding chart. 8vo, half roan.

London, 1751

A VERY GOOD COPY OF THIS EXTREMELY SCARCE JOURNAL, which Was
printed without any authority from Bartram. The notes on the native
plants are one of the most interesting and valuable features of the book.

Field says: “This visit of the father of the naturalist, William Bar-
tram, to the Central Council Fire of the Six Nations, is especially interest-
ing, not only as having been made at so early a date, hut as affording us
in this work, a plan and' view of the Long-House, peculiar to the tribes
of that Confederacy.”

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OBSERVATIONS

O N T H E

Inhabitants , Climate , Soil , Rivers, Productions ,
Animals , and other matters worthy of Notice.

Made B y

Mx.JOHN BART RAM,

In^his Travels from

PEN SILVANIA

TO

Onondago, Oswego and the L. Ontario,
In CAN A 'R> A.

% >y %

To which is annex'd,, a curious Account of the

Cataracts at NIAGARA.
By Mr- Peter K a l m,

A Sated Gentleman who travelled there.

LONDON:

Printed for J. Whisto n and B. White, in
Net-Street, i;ji.

.BOOKS printed for John Whiston and
Benj. White, in Fleet-Street.

(In one Volume Oclavo, the fecond Edition , Price 5$. bound.)

I. HP HE Hiftory of the five It. diem Nations of Canada>
which are the Barrier between the Englijb and
French in that Part of the World: With particular Ac-
counts of their Religion, Manners, Cuftoms, Laws and
Government ; their fev'eral Battles- and Treaties with the
European Nations y their Wars with the other Indians ,
and a true Account of the prefent State of our Trade
with them. In which are fhewn the great Advantages
of theirTradeand Alliance to the Britijh Nation , and theln-
trigues and Attempts of the French to difengage them from
us a Subject nearly concerning all our American Plan-
tations . , and highly meriting the Confideration of the Britijh
Nation with Accounts of feveral other Nations of Indi-
ans in North America.

By Cadwal^der Colden, E r q;

One of his Majejlf s Council , and Surveyor General of New -
Fork. Alfo,

(In Eight Volume. -* npleat . Price il. i6r, hound)

II 1 he Modern Hull* ’man, containing the Practice of

F arming, as it is now cai ' on by the moft experienced
Farmers in the feveral Col s of England, for every
Month in the Year. Contai* %

1. The Timber and Fruit Tre 'mproved, or the beft
Practical Methods of improving Ferent Lands with
proper Timber.

2. Agriculture improv’d, or the Prac ofHufbandry

difplay’d, fhewn by Fadts perform’d on ah "s of Land,
according to the old plain, and the new . ’ Way of

Ploughing.

3. Chiitern and Vale Farming explain’d, accox to
the lateft Improvements. By Will. Ellis, Fa.

at / it tie Gaddefiden in Hertfordjhire .

I iL I he Britijh Merchant , containing the Sentiments o
the moft eminent and judicious Merchants of theCity of Lon-
concerning the Trade andCommerceof thefeKingdoms ;
particularly that which relates to France^ Spain and Por-
tugal. Iliuftrated with Notes and Maxims ufeful to Trade
in general. Compos’d by a Body of Merchants, and pub-
liih’d by Mr. C h ari.es King, in three Pocket Volumes*
Price 95.

PREFAC E.

HE following Journal was kept by
Mr. John Bat tram, in his travels

from his own houfe near ‘Philadel-
phia to Own dago, and 0 pa: ego on
the Cadarakin or Ontario Lake. It
is a misfortune to the publick, that this inge-
nious perfon had not a literal education, it is
no wonder therefore, that his ftile is not lo clear
as we could wifli, however, in every piece of
his, there are evident marks of much good
fenle, penetration, and fincerity, join’d to. a
commendable curiofity. It was to gratify this
difpofition, and that of his correfpondents rc-
queft in England, that he undertook, after
other expeditions, to accompany Mr. Hfeijar on
the buiinefs of the government, and was honour-
ed with the encouragement of fome very judici-
ous and generous noblemen here , fince dead, and
the friend Hr i p ofthe ski Iful left botanifts [nLurope.

It may be proper to inform the reader, that
the negotiations fet on foot in the conferences
here related, produced a congrefs at Lancajler
in Penjllvania, begun the 2 ad of June follow-
ing, which was attended with the wifh’d for fuc-
cel's, in an amicable adiuftment of all differences
between the parties, under the mediation of the
governor ol P evahania. This treaty was nrint-

B ed

ii PREFACE,

ed the fame year at Philadelphia, and is to be
found in Mr. Golden's hiftory of the 5 Indian
Nations. A book worthy of the readers perufal.

This journal was by leveral accidents prevent-
ed from arriving in England till June 1 750, and
is now made publick without the author’s know-
ledge, at the inftance of leveral gentlemen* who
were more in number than could conveniently
perufe the manulcript. Had he intended it for
publication he would have made it probably
more entertaining and perhaps have retrenched
fome parts that make the leak figure in it.

The friend to whom he lent it, thought
himfelf not at liberty to make any material
alteration, though as it now appears, many
who leek only amulement in what they read,
will in thofe places be difappointed where only
are treated of the feveral plants with which
nature has bountifully covered the hills and
valleys he travers’d, with the various quali-
ties of the foil and climate.

But when it is confider’d, of how great im-
portance an intimate acquaintance with the na-
tural ftate of this vaft wildernefs, and its capa-
city of further improvement is to Great Britain ,
and how little the endeavours of our country-
men have yet advanced this work, while we are
indebted to our moil dangerous rivals for the
little we do know, who will, if pollible, repay
themfelves by excluding us from all we do not
actually cultivate, and leave us that only while
they want power to take it from us : I cannon

bur

PREFACE. iii

but think this plain yet ienfible piece merits
attention. It is by purfuing the dilcovery of
the interior Rate of this great continent, that
we can fcarcely fail attaining and end, themoft
worthy the aim of a great maritime power,
honoured as well as ftrengthened, by a fair pro-
geny of the moft flourifhing colonies in the
world, and of which a good Emlijhman with
peculiar pleafure will find P. Charlevoix con-
feffing ( however unwilling to own any thing
jnconfiftent with the glory of his country ) that
France cannot behold them without Terror.

Knowledge muft precede a fettlement, and
when Penfilvania and Virginia {hall have ex-
tended their habitations to the branches of the
MiffiJJifp't that water thefe provinces, on the
weft fide of the Blue Mountains , we may rea-
fonably hope to infure a lafe and eafy commu-
nication with the moft remote known parts of
North America , and to fecure the pofleffion of a
dominion unbounded by any prefent difcoveries.

If this defirable profpeft appear chimerical,
becaufe great and diftant, it is at leaft true,
that no obftacle can be pointed out, but what
we may eafily remove.

England already poffeffes an uninterrupted
line of well-peopled provinces on the coaft, fuc-
celTively begun within lefs than 150 years, Ihc
fees them every year augmented by an acceffion
of fubjcfts, excited by the defire of living under
governments and laws formed on the moft excel-
lent model upon earth. In vain do we look for

B 2 an

iv

PREFACE.

an equal profperitv among the plantations of
other European nations becaufe every power has
tranfplanted its conftitution with its people.
This furprizing increafe of people is a founda-
tion that will bear a mighty fuperftruclure, we
need no other proof than in the wonderful
growth of one of the provinces, ( ‘Peujikqania
I mean) which tho’ the youngeft of all, yet
being more particularly founded qn the princi-
ples of moderation {the jirjl of all political Vir-
tues') and every way fam’d for the wifdom and
lenity of its government, is become the admi-
ration of thofe who compare it with any thing
related by hiftory, and the well-known refuge

of -the opp refs’d and perjecuted, who chear-

iully, abandon their native foil to purchale the
incftimabic blefhngs of liberty and peace.

The inhabitants of all thefe colonies have
eminently delerved the character of induflrious
in agriculture and commerce. I could wifn
they had as well defer ved that of adventurous
in inland difeoueries, in this they have been
much outdone by another Nation , whole po-
verty of country and unfettled temper have
prompted them to fuch views of extending
their pofTeflions, as our agriculture and com-
merce now make neceflary for us to imitate.
In this skilful Perfons may employ themfelves ;
but a more accurate obferver than our author
will not readily be found.

The welfare of a colony concerns the country
from whence it derives its origin, in nothing fb

much

PREFACE. v

much as in the quantity of land broke up for
tillage, the natural confequence of extending the
frontier iettlements. This is not only beneficial
in proportion to the increafe of vent, among the
new fettlers of comodities exported from the
mother country • but by preventing the additi-
onal hands from applying themfelves to fuch
manufactures as may interfere with the com-
merce, effectually hinders a michief that might
flop the advantages reaped before. A jealoufy
has long prevailed at home, of manufactures in
America , and it has been ufual for our manu-
facturers on various occalions to exprefs this
opinion in frequent applications to parliament,
vainly hoping to force a confumption abroad
from the weakeft of all refources, prohibit ary
laws : But the vvifdom of the legiflature has
provided the molt effectual, if not the only re-
medy, by encouraging the vent of the growths
of America, and thereby engaging the inha-
bitants to employ themlelves in railing them
a conduct grounded on the invariable obferva-
tion, that perfection in agriculture naturally pre-
cedes manufactures, wherever a country finds a
market for its produce fufficient to provide
itfelf with the latter.

Mr. Kahn’s narrative of his travels to the
Falls of Niagara, is a proper fupplement to the
journey to OJwego, his voyage begins from
that place, and caries us on further in the
fearch of every thing worthy our notice in this
country : This gentleman is well known to be

<4 *

vi PREFACE.

a man of worth and great skill in natural
hi (lory, and his little piece befidcs the candour
and veracity of the writer, derives a great value
from its being the only account in our language
of this ftupendous objed. T. Charlevoix an
Author of good credit, ( 'where the inter ejl af
his nation and religion are unconcerned) has
given us a defer iption perfectly agreeable to
Mr. Malm% tho’ much lefs circumftantial :
It was in 1722, he was on the fpot, and the
heights had not then probably been taken by
inftruments, for he feerns to think it very diffi-
cult if poffible • He gueOes the great Fall to
be, 1 40 or 1 50 feet from a meafure taken by
founding ; and adds, that he has feen finall
birds flutter juft above the fall itfelf we have
likewile an account of this cataract ‘Phil. Trans .
N c . 1. p. rip. from Mi\ Ecrtifjdn tranfmitted
by Mr. Dudley. Mr. BoruJJan relates that the
Governor of Canada's fbn the Marquis de Ca-
vagnal had founded it, a.nd fixed the perpen-
dicular fall at ari fathom, this was alio in 1722.

1 cannot help taking notice of the alarm. Ms,.
Kalm's a rrival gave the French at Niagara. They
are conlcious their enjoyment of this Fort is a.
manifeft violation of the treaty of Utrecht tho*
they know the juftice of the EngliJlj Nation.
will not permit them to com pell the Scneka ' s
againft their inclination to dillodge them.

Among other curious parts of Mr. Bart ram's
journal are his thoughts (thrown together at the
end) on the Origin of the Aborigines of Ame-
rica ;

P k E F A C E. vii

rfca ; thefe conjectures are fhort, and it is like-
ly occurr’d to him cafually, perhaps they are
hot all well grounded* or at molt apply’d to>
any but the Eskimaux , however, the lame len-
timents on this fubjeft have been fupported by
the learned Grotius in his trcatife de Origine Geu-
timnAmericanarm^wd in his reply to J.deLaet.

This queftion has long been agitated with
great warmth, and every folution of it hitherto*
has found oppofors, becanle thofe who have en-
gaged in the controverfy have forgot, or wil-*
fully miftook* that the point in dilpute cannot
realonably be, whether it was actually peopled
from one or more particular places ? but whe-
ther it might probably be peopled confident
with the Mofakk hiftory ; other wife it would
be hard to fay, how all this enquiry has been
lb much confined to America, when the paflage
of the inhabitants to many other parts of the
globe is attended with equal difficulties. / e /7*'

'P. Charlevoix who has with great exactnefi '

abftrabted the opinions and arguments of the
writers on this fubjecl, has obferved, that be-
fides the eafy paflage by lea from the coaft of
Guinea to that of Brazil: If it has not yet
been demonftrated that the new world is con-
tiguous to the old on the South, North-Eaft and
North-Weft, at leaft the contrary lias not been
Ihewn, fo that the principal difficulties to be
encountered, arile not from the want of a Paf-
age, but from colour, manner, and language,
which feem irreconcileablc to any we are ac-
quainted

vlii PREFACE.

quainted with on this fide the Globe. But are
the Negroes in Guinea more fimilar in thefe re-
ipe&s, to the reft of the world ? Let any one tell
me, why moft of the Africans we. black and
woolly-pated, and I will fhew him why the A.-
mericans are red and without hair on their chins*
and many parts of their bodies,. After all are we
fufficiently acquainted with the utmoft powers
of nature ? to be lure the offspring of the fame
pair in 3 or 4000 years might without a fuper-
tural interpofition become of various complexi-
ons, and fuppofe we were convinced of this,
may not the infinite power that created our firft
parents, and miraculouily wrought the con-
fufion of tongues, have thus diftinguilh’d
their pofterity for purpofes only known to his
infinite wifdom. I ought not to omit that P.
Charlevoix recommends a careful obfervation
of thole Amrican languages, that have the
marks of being original, and a companion of
them with thole of Europe , AJia, and Africa ,
and gives very judicious Realons lor depending
on a fimilitude in this, preferable to that of man-
ners; I lira 11 only add, that Mr. Lewis Evans
a companion of our author’s in this journey, and
askilfull lurgeon, has lately publilh'd a map
of New Tork, PenjUvania, and Jerfey , with part -
of Virginia , Maryland and Neve- England,
chiefly founded on a&ual furveys. This map in-
cludes the route here delcribed, which ieems laid
down very 'exadly. And is fold by Mr. Bovs Ids
map and print-leller in Corn hill.

OBSERVA-

OB SERVAT IONS

- MADE BY

Mr .JOHN BARTRJM,

In his Journey from
Pcnjilvania to Onondago , &c,

f|$gHE 3 <2 of July 1743, I fct out
from my houle on Skuylkil River ,
with Lewis Evans , and travelled
fM beyond Terkiomy Creek the fir ft
k day. The weather was exceeding
The 4 th y we fet out before day, and
flopp’d at Marcus Hillin' s by Manatony ; then
crofted Skuylkil , and rode along the weft fide
over rich bottoms, after which we afeended
tire f lying Hill , (fo called from the great num-
ber of wild Turkeys that ufed to fly from them
to the plains) here we had a fine profpeft of
the Blue Mountains , and over the rich Vale
of Tulpchocken ; the delcent into which is fteep
and ftoney. Through this vale we travelled

weft,

hot.

7 3*fo

[ ]

weft, and by the way obferved a large fpring
1 6 feet deep, and above 20 yards wide, which
iflued out of a limeftone rock, the ground
about it pretty level, deicending gradually
towards the lpring which ran eaftward. At
at night we lodged at Conrad JVeifers , who
is the general Interpreter, and who went with
us ; his bufinefs was to fettle an affair with the
Indians at Qnondago.

The gth, We crofted Tulpehockeu Creek
which runs eaft, and emptieth itfelf into
Skuylkil, and a little after a fmall branch of
Swataro which runs Weft into Sufquehanah.
Thefe two large creeks receive moft of the
water of that great rich vale between the
F Lying Hills and Tulfehockcn Hill front which
the vale and creek receive their names, and
is itfelf lo called from the Indian word figni-
fying a tortoife, unto which the natives of
the country have conceived it bears feme fimi-
litude. And thefe two hills are the fouthern
houndary of this fine limeftone vale, many
hundred miles long, and from 10 to 20 miles
broad to the northern boundary formed by the
Croat Blue Mountains.

Having called on a man who was to go
with us and carry part of our provifions to
Sbamokii <*, he could not get his horfe fhod
that day, but we rode to William Par Jons’ 5
plantation, who received and entertained us

very

[ ” ]

very Madly ; his houfe is about fix miles from
the blue Mountains.

The 6 th, we let forward and afeended the
firffc Blue ridge, from the top of which we
made an obfervation, Conrad H eifers Hill bear-
ing fouth ao degrees eaft, the northern prol-
pect to two gaps, thro’ which we were to pals
to the North Hill, N. 50 deg. W about 10
miles diftant. The top and fouth fide of this
ridge is midling land, half a quarter of a
mile broad, and produced lome wild grals,
abundance of fern, oak and chelnut trees.
Delcending the North fide we found it more
poor, fteep and ftony, and came foon to the
filft branch of Ssvataro which runs between
the ridges, and is 3 miles from the next branch,
all very poor land ; but on this fecond branch
it is good low land, with large trees of 5
leaved white pine, poplar, and white oak,
here we dined by a fpruce lwamp.

After dinner we patTed the openings of two
ridges, the laft of which was by the bank of
the principal branch of Swataro , the foil poor
and Honey; then we afeended a great ridge
about a mile fteep, and terribly ftoncy moft
of the way : near the top is a fine tho’ fniall
Tpring of good water. At this place we were
warned by a well known alarm to keep our
diftance from an enraged rattle fnake that
had put himfelf into a coiled pofiure of de-
fence, within a dozen yards of our path, but

C a we

/

[ 1 1 ]

we punifhed his rage by ftriking him dead on
the lpot : he had been highly irritated by
an Indian dog that barked eagerly at him, but
was cunning enough to keep out of his reach,
or nimble enough to avoid the lhake when he
lprung at him. We took notice that while
provoked, he contracted the mufcles of his
leaks lo as to appear very bright and fhining,
but after the mortal ft-roke, his Iplendor be-
came much diminilhed, this is likevvile the
cale of many of our fnakes.

The north fide of the Hill is not lo ftony as
the fouth, but yet very poor. Thence we
traveled 7 miles over feveral hollows, fwamps
and fimall ridges, full of lerubby bulhes,
and ftill poor and Honey to the laft great
ridge, which is compoled chiefly of large
gravel, as big as pidgeons or pullets eggs, and
even the rocks leemed but heaps of the lame
materials; the delcent on the north fide is very
fteepand rocky, large craggy rocks are dilpofed
on all fides, moft part of the way down, which
brought us to a fine vale, where we lodged by
a creek called Saurel , and were grievoufly
Hung all night with fmall gnats, lb that I llept
very little.

The 7 th> we let out weft from Saurel creek
and traveled down the vale, which is pretty
good land ; and leaving the creek, loon crofled
another runing along the north fide of the vale,
by the bank of which we rode through a grove

of

[ *3 ]

of white Pine, very lofty aiid lo dole, that
the San could hardly fhine through ; at the
end of this the two branches joined. Riding a
little farther, we pafled through a gap of a
moderate hill, north by the creek fide, where
we found a filhing place, moftly a deep hole
near a rock ; there we went weft on the north
fide of the creek, and dined at what is called
the Double Eagle. The land hereabouts is
middling white oak and huckleberry land,
and by the creek fide pretty good wild graft,
and the 3d branch enters about 30 rood below-
having crofted this, we went up a vale of
middling foil, covered with high oak Timber,
nearly weft to the top of the hill, (moft of
the way being a white clay under a fhallow
furface), where we firft obferved the imprel-
fion of fhells in Ibme of the loole ftones, and
from whence we had a fair profpccl of the
river Su(quehanah.

The defcent from hence foon brought us to
Mohony, our lodging for this night. Here the
foil is very good throughout the neck, formed
by the river and the creek, which is about 3
poles wide. It rained this night through our
old, tho’ newly eroded lodging, which was
an Indian Cabin that we took the liberty to
remove, knowing they ufually leave behind
them a good flock of fleas on the ground they
inhabit; however, the wet deprived me cf mv

reft that I had taken fo much pains to fccure
againft the vermin.

July 8 . We crofted the creek and rode along a
rich bottom near the river for two miles, pro-
ducing moft kinds of our foreft trees, and a
large fpecies of Scutelaria two feet high :
thence along the river fide, near a mile N. 20
deg. E. to the foot of a fertile hill, where
leaving the river, our way N. E. through
leveral narrow valleys and over fmall hills,
generally middling land, yielding oak, hickery,
chefnut, and fome pine, to the fommit of a
high hill, where we faw Shamokin Hill, dilu-
tant four miles only ; going down we came
to uneven ftony ground producing pitch pine
and oak, as far as the point of Shamokin Hill ,
whence we had a plealant profped of the fall
of the river, quite crofs without any great
Rocks. The ftream runs very fwift, but
canoes or flat-bottomed boats may go up or
down well enough : the bottom of this deft-
cent is vvafhed by Shamokin Creek three rods
wide , this we forded to a fruitful bottom half
a mile wide, beyond which, two miles good'
oak land brought us to the town of Shamo-
kin. It contains eight cabbins near the river’s
bank right oppofite the mouth of the weft
branch that interlocks with the branches of
Allegheny. It is by means of this neighbour-
hood that we may reafonably hope, when
thcfe parts fhall be better known, that a verv

beneficial

C *5 J

beneficial Trade may be extended through
the Hokio into the MiJfiJJtfyi and its branches
among "the numerous nations that inhabit their
banks It 'were to be wifhed, that the En~
glijh government in thefe parts had been more
diligent in learching and furveying the heads
of their own rivers and the fburces of the
others that run wefhvards from the backs of
their refpective provinces. Yet enough is al-
ready kqown to juftify the furmifes of Mr.
4e La Sale , who in his Journal addrefled to
the Count de Froutenac expreffes his fears, left
the Englijh , from their lettlements, fhould
poffefs themfelves of the trade on the Mijjif-
Jifyi. I quartered in a trader’s cabbin, and a-
bout midnight the Indians came and called up
him and his fquaw, who lay in a feparate part
where the goods were depofited, whether to-
gether or no I did not ask. She fold the
Indians ruin, with which being quickly in-
toxicated, men and woman began firft to fing
and then dance round the fire; then the wo-
men would run out to other cabbins and fbon
return, leaving the men hinging and dancing
the war dance, which continued all the next
day. An Engljhman when very drunk will
fall faft afleep for the moft part, but an In-
dian, when merry, falls to dancing, running,
and fhouting, which violent action probably
may difperfc the fumes of the liquor, that
had he fat {till or remained quiet, might have

made

[ ]

made him drowfy, and which is even carries
off by continued agitation.

As foon as we alighted they fhewed us
where to lay our baggage, and then brought
us a bowl of boiled fquafhes cold ; this I then
thought poor entertainment, but before I came
back I had learnt not to defpile good Indian
food. This hofpitality is agreeable to the
honeft fimplicity of antient times, and is fo
punctually adhered to, that not only what is
already drefled is immediately let before a
traveller, but the mod: prefting bufinefs is
poftponed to prepare the bed they can get for
him, keeping it as a maxim that he mull al-
ways he hungry, of this we found the good
effects in the flelh and bread they got ready
lor us.

July After breakfaft Lewis Evans and
my lei f went to the point of the mountain clofe
to the N. E. branch, a mile and half up the
river from our lodging, and good level rich
land ail the way ; we walked thither, carrying
our blankets with us, and flcpt near three hours.
Here we regulated our journey, and having
taken a plealantview of the range of mountains,
and the charming plane of Shamokin , a miles
long and above one broad, skirted on the Weft
and North by the river, and encompafted Eaft,
and partly South, with lofty hills, befides a
line vale bordering the North Weft branch
we returned to the town and dined. In the

afternoon

[ J

afternoon. In the afternoon we borrowed a
canoe, and paddled up the Weft branch. It is
near two-thirds as broad as the North Eaft or
main river ; I went afliore on the fouth fide
to the point of a hill to look for curiofities,
but found none ; the rock confifted of a dark
coloured fhelly ftone. Then we diverted our
felves with fwimming, the water was chin
deep moft of the breadth, and fo clear one
might have feen a pin at the bottom. At
night I hung up my blanket like a hammock,
that I might lie out of the reach of the fleas,
troublefome and conftant guefts in an Indian
hut ; but I found my contrivance too cool for
a place open on all fides, tho covered with a
kind of granary, efpecially the wind blowing
cold from the N. W.

io. We departed in the mqrning with
Shickcalamy and his Ion, he being the chief
man in the town, which confifted of Delaware
Indians , he was of the fix nations, or rather
a Frenchman, born at Mont-real, and adopted
by the Oneidoes , after being taken prifoner;
but his fon told me he was of the Cayuga na-
tion, that of his mother, agreeable to the
dian rule Far tvs fe quit nr ventrem , which is as
reafonable among them as among cattle, fince
the whole burthen of bringing up falls on her ;
therefore in cafe of feparation the children fall
to her fhare.

D

Wc

[ *8 ]

We had many advantages from the company
of thefe guides, were perfe&ly acquainted
with that part of the country, and be-
ing of the fix Nations they were both a
credit and protection ; and, alfo as we went
to accommodate the differences, and allay the
Heart-burnings that had been railed by a late
skirmifh on the back of Virginia, between fome
of thefe nations and the Lnglifb , we could not
but derive a confidence from the company of a
chief.

We coafted the river near a mile to the ford,
where we had a good bottom not above 3
feet deep 3 this brought us to an Ifland near
2 miles long and a quarter broad, pretty rich
at the lower end,' and near the river, but the
higher end fandy, from the drift left there by
the floods, it therefore produces little but fitch
fine. After leaving the lower end where we law
ieveral cabbins, we once more took water for
the oppofite fliore, but- the bottom is lels e-
ren, though not above half as wide as the faff,
which is about 400 yards.

Hence leaving the weft branch about half
a mile on our left, and rich low ground be-
tween with gravel, oak and pitch-pine land
on our right, we reached a pretty 1'pring of
good water, fituated between the fivarnp and
dry ground. This, fince our pallage over the
Blue Mountains , was the only one we met
with till we came near Onoudago , lor on that

fide

L J

fide the currents and creeks are chiefly formed
by the water oufing and draining from the
bottoms of the mountains and hills, and are
gradually collected in this manner into rivu-
lets But on the louth of this great ridge, it
gulhes out between the rocks in ftreams
big enough to turn a mill, in other places
rifing and bubbling out of the earth in quan-
tity iufficient to fill a pipe an inch fquare, or
thereabouts.

Our journey now lay through very rich
bottoms to a creek 6 miles from Shamokin , a
great extent of fruitful low ground Bill con-
tinuing. Here we found a fine meadow of
grals on our fight, and rich dry ground on
the left. In our path lay a large Rattle-
fnake, but he civilly crept into the grals, and
let us pals by without danger. Our way from
hence lay through an old Indian field of ex-
cellent foil, where there had been a town, the
principal foot Reps of which are peach-trees,
plumbs and excellent grapes. A great flood
came down this branch a few years paft, and
drove abundance of land over this ground a
great depth among the trees. It role 20 feet
perpendicular, wafhing away many yards of
the bank, which was compofed of gravel and
land, and doubtlefs had been railed to that
heig’nth by former inundations, for the wood
ground 30 rod from the river is leveral feet

D 2 lower

[ 20 ]

lower than the bank ; a little above this deva-
luation we dined.

And now leaving the river we held a new
courle over a fine level, then down a rich
hollow to a run, where we law a fummer
duck ; and fo down the rim , a little beyond
this turns a path to JViomick , a town on
the eaft branch, hence N. N. E. then N. after
W. to a rich bottom near the river, where
Shickcalamy formerly dwelt, at the upper end
of which refiftlels torrents had carried abun-
dance of fand into the woods. With this bot-
tom we left the river for the prelent, and kept
a variable courle through the gap of the
mountain N. and N. W. over middling cham-
pion land, producing fome pitch pine, and
large white and black oak, fome fwamps and
brooks, by one of which we lodged in a
fertile valley, that we reached before night.

ii. About break of day it began to rain,
and the Indians made us a covering of bark
got after this manner : They cut the tree
round through the bark near the root, and
make the like incifion above 7 feet above
it , thele horizontal ones are joined by a
perpendicular cut, on each fide of which they
after loolen the bark from the wood, and
hewing a pole at the fmall end, gradually ta-
pering like a wedge about 1 feet, they force
it in till they have compleated the lepa ra-
tion all round, and the bark parts whole

from

[ » ]

from the tree, one of which, a foot dia-
meter, yields a piece 7 feet long and above
3 wide .• And having now prepared four forked
flicks, they are fet into the ground the longer
in front ; on theie they lay the crols-poles,
and on them the bark. This makes a good
tight fhelter in warm weather. The rain was
quickly over, but as it continued cloudy, we
did not care to leave our fhed. Here our In-
dians foot a young deer, that afforded us a
good feaft.

12. We let forward and travelled up the
Run, bearing N. W. along a narrow valley,
moderately rich, the hills hung with lofty
timber, the ftones generally flat, then up a fleep
hill, where I found foflil fteel in many flones,
the foil middling oak land • and here had a
view of a Bluf point N. by the river fide ;
then defcending down a fleep hill N. E. we
came to a rich bottom by the river ; hence N.
after N. W. to a creek, and lb through a grove
of white walnut and locuft, and exceeding rich
land, half a mile broad, and now lome higher
level land, affording oak, hickery, walnut, locuft,
and pitch pine, our courfe generally N. N. W.
till riding over a hazel plane we met eight
Shawaneje Indians on horfeback coming from
Allegheny, and going to Wiomick upon an im-
portant account, as they fa id. We turned
back with them to the adjacent wood, and
fate dow n together under a fhady oak j the

[ *2 ]

fquavJ which they brought to wait upon,
them kindled a fire to light their pipes ; our
Interpreter and Shickcalaniy let down with
them to fmoke, the cuftomary civility when
two parties meet ; Conrad IVeijar underftand-
ing they were fbme of the chiefs of the Sba'W-
anefe , acquainted them with our bufinels at
Onondago , a compliment they were lo well
pleafed with, that they gave_ us th elohay, a
particular Indian expreffion of approbation, and
which is very difficult for a white man to imi-
tate well • after half an hour’s grave dilcourfe
ieveral of them went to catch the horfes, and
one of the principal men made a handfome
fpeech, with a pleafant well compoled coun-
tenance, to our interpreter, to the following
effeft : 4 That they were lenfible with what
4 an unwearied diligence lie had hitherto been
4 inftrumental in preierving peace and good
4 harmony between the Indians and White
4 Teople, and that as they could not but now
4 commend the prudence and zeal with which
4 he had effe&ed this laudable purpole, lo
4 they earneftly entreated and fincerely hoped
4 he would Hi 11 perlevere in the fame endca-
4 vours and with the fame fuecels, and that his
4 good offices may never be wanting on any
4 future occafion.

The Sbazvanefe , or Shaounons , as they are
called by the French, are the fame people, the
^nations :and at A fee lork arecalled Stiauas ,

they

[ 2 3 ].

they dwell upon the Hoklo and to th e
fouthward of it, between whom and that of the
Cherokees is a river lbmetimes called by that
name. It was againft this people the fix na-
tions firft turned theif Arms with fuccels,
after they had fled before warlike Adaron-
dacks , and having thus learri’d to conquer, ven-
tured to attack the'r hitherto victorious ene-
mies, who could not have lupportcd this war
without the unexpected alfiftance they received
from the French.

After taking our leaves, we continued our
journey to a large creek 4 or j rod wide which
wafhes on each fhore a charming country
of rare foil as far as the river. On the other
fide of this creek we rode through a deferted
Town in the neck between them \ a few miles
more brought us to our dining place, and in
the afternoon we turned our backs on this
branch, and rode N. W. down a valley 20
rods wide, wooded with pitch pine on the
right hand and white on the left, the Run be-
tween • then N. W. by W. by the fide of a
hill and bottom of white pine, down which
we rode 1 hours, upon better land, the N. W.
middling land, now up a hill N. W. to a point,
a prolpeCt of an opening bearing N. then down
the hill to run, and over a rich neck lying be-
tween it and Tiadanghton bearing N. W. where
we lodged within about 50 yards of a hunting
cabin, where there were 2 Men, a Squaw and a

[ *4 3

child, the men came to our fire and made us®
prefent of l'ome venifon, and invited Mr IVeifar,
Shtckalamy and his fon, to a feaft at their cabin.
It is incumbent on thole who partake of a feaft
of this fort, to eat all that comes to their
fhare or burn it : now Weifar being a traveller
was intitled to a double fhare, but he being
not very well, was forced to take the benefit of a
liberty indulged him, of eating by proxy,
and called me, but both being unable to cope
with it, Lewis came in to our a Hilda nee, not-
withftanding which we were hard let to get
down the neck and throat, for thele were
allotted us ; and now we had experienced the
utmoft bounds of their indulgence, for Lewis
ignorant of the ceremony of throwing the
bone to the dog, tho’ hungry Dogs are gene-
rally nimble, the Indian more nimble, laid
hold of it firft, and committed it to the fire,
religioufly covering it over with hot afhes.
This leems to be a kind of offering, perhaps
firft fruits to the Almighty power to crave
future fuccels in the approaching hunting lea-
fon, and was celebrated with as much decency
and more filence, than many fuperftitious ce-
remonies: the bigotry of the popifh miftiona-
ries tempt them to compafs fea and land to
teach their weak Prolelites what they call the
chriftian religion. To this I may add another
ceremony at bear hunting, as related by a
celebrated author, this dtverfion being in the

winter,

[ 2 5 ]

winter, when this animal is very fat, the greale
that fwims on the broth becomes a perfect oil,
which the Indians frequently drink untill
they burft — — - As loon as the bear is
killed, the hunter places the Imall end of
his pipe in its mouth, and by blowing in
the bowls, fills the mouth and throat full of
fimoak, then he conjures the departed Spirit
not to refent the injury done his body, nor to
thwart his future Iport in hunting, but as he
receives no anfvver to this, in order to know
if his prayers have prevailed, he cuts the liga-
ment under the bear’s tongue, if thele ligaments
contract and lhrivel up, being call into the
fire, which is done with great folemnity and
abundance of invocations : then it is efleemed a
certain mark (as it rarely fails) that the manes
are appealed. It was now time to return to
our fire where we laid us down to reft.

The 13//?, in the morning, the Indians re-
paid our vifit, and entertained us with a fa-
miliar converfation for half an hour at the fire.
We then let out up the creek, where I oblerved
three noble white pine trees, with many large
green cones hanging on the top and fide branches
over the creek, which was three rods broad and
pretty deep, had thefe been ripe I know not
how we Ihould have got at them, as they
were at the extremity of large branches, that
hung over the Water, on which part of the
branch they generally grow. Soon after we

E came

c

came to a Ipacious level of m Idling land,
oak, and pine, next to a large rich bottom,
and at the upper end o an extenfive grove of
white pine, after this a graffy plain of ao acres,
then round the end of a hill, and along a val-
ley, and run N. by W. high timber and good
land on the hill fide N. then W. and lafbly , at
half an hour after 8 N. here our Indians fhot a
young deer. The land and timber good, brown
loil, and the Hones flat and gritty. From
hence going over a hill we law a gap N. N.W.
and delcending down a fieep part of the hill
to the head of a Honey brook and hollow,
we made our way through it, it was full of
fpruce and white pine ; at the bottom we
killed a rattle fnake, then crolfed the brook
and traverled a rich bottom N. N. E. the
upper end pine, fpruce, oak, laurel, poplar
and chefnut, fome limes, Honey and brown
foil, Icveral times crolfed the creek and over
rich bottoms and Honey hill fides with laurel,
pine, lpruce and fivamps, till towards night.
On the north fide of a deep Honey yet rich
foil, I found roots of Ginfeng ; at night we
lodged by a creek; and the two Indians that
feaficd with us, who accompanied us to the
Cnyv.ga branch.

The 1 4ib, Having lorded the creek we
kept generally a N. N.'E. courle, moHly along
■rich bottoms interlperled with large ” lpruce
and white pine, oak, beach and plane tree,

ginleng,

[ 2 7 ]

ginfong, and many more. We frequently pafie^
the creek (which was very ftrong) for r!i e
mountains often clos’d on one fide • it was big
enough to turn two mills. At p o’clock the
Indians fi fired for trout, but caught none, be-
ing provided with no other means of taking
them but by poles fliarpened at the end to
fixike them, and the water deep : at the foot
of a hill we crofted the creek once more, and
rode along a fine bottom, full of great wild
nettles. The timber was fugar birch, fugar
maples, oak and poplar, our courle N. W.
continued till after 1 2 ’clock, then followed
the eaft branch N. N. E. about a mile, all a
rich bottom where we found a Licking Pond,
where we dined, the backs parts of our coun-
try are full of thefo liching ponds, fome are
of black fulphureous mud, fome of pale clay,
the deer and elks are fond of licking this clay,
fo that the pond becomes enlarged to’a rood or
hall an acre, the foil, I fuppofe contains fome
laline particles agreeable to the deer, who
come many miles to one of thefe places, there
had been a great elk there that morning, but
the Indians told us that many years ago fome
Indians quarrelled there, in the fquablc one
loft his life, and that this made the deer keep
from thence for many years.

Now traveling up the run eaft, we left it on
the right hand, to go up a hill covered with
Iprucc, oak fpruee, lawrel, opulus, yew, with
E 2 ginieng

[ *s ].

ginfeng and atalialhum in abundance, then
kept generally an eaft cotirfe, having feveral
hollows and fteep alcents and over many
boggy rotten places, lome laurel and very
high timber, then down the fide of a hill to
an old beaver dam, over which we palled,
and then over a large level of very good
ground, tall timber and abundance of leather-
bark or thy me lea , which is plentiful in all this
part of the country. Our lodging was in this
ipacious flat.

The 15th, We fet out aN. E. courle, and
pa fled by very thick and tall timber of beach,
chelhut, linden alii, great magnolia, fugar-
birch, fugar-maple, poplar, fpruce and fome
white pine, with ginfeng and maidenhair ;
the foil black on the furface, and brown un-
derneath, the Hones a brown grit, the way very
uneven over fallen trees, abundance of hollows,
and heaps of earth, turned up by the roots
of proftrate timber : hence it is that the fur-
face is principally conrpofed of rotten trees,
roots, and mols, perpetually fhaded, and for
the raoft part wet, what falls is conftantly
rotting and rendring the earth loole and Ipungy ,
this tempts abundance of yellow walps to
breed in it, which were very troublelome
to us throughout our journey, on the branches
of Sufqnehanab our courle this day was gene-
rally eaft, and we got through this dilmal
wildcrnefs about two hours before funfet, and

came

[ *p]

came to oak and hickery land, then down *
keep hill producing white pine to a creek called
Comma a branch of Tomntohow, where we
lodged in a bottom producing ginieng, farea-
parilla mediola, maidenhair, darallia, panax,
rnitela, chrihophoriana, with white, red and
blue berries , we had a fine warm night, and
one of the Indians that had fio generoufly
feafled ns, fung in a folemn harmonious man-
ner, for feven or eight minutes, very different
from the common Indian tune, from whence
I conjectured it to be a hymn to the great
fpirit as they exprefs it. In the morning I
asked the Interpreter what the Indian meant
by it, but he did not hear him, and indeed I
believe none of the company heard him but
myfelf, who wake with a little noife, rarely
Deeping found abroad.

The 1 6th, We began our journey up a little
hill, fteep and fomewhat honey, and then
through oak, chefnut, huckleberries, and
honeyfuckl'es, the land poor, fometimes white
pine, fpruce and lawrel ; thus far N. but at
half an our after feven N. E. through a great
white pine, fpruce fwamp full of roots, and
abundance of old trees lying on the ground,
or leaning againft live ones, they flood fo
f thick that we concluded it almoft impoffible
to fhoot a man at ioo yards diftant, let him
hand never fo fair. The hraight bodies of
thefe trees hood fo thick, a bullet muh hit
one before it could fly ioo yards, in the moll

open

[ 30 J

open part. At half an hour after nine, we rode
down a fmall hill, and crofted a fmall run^
then climb’d a fteep hill of oak land, and by
ten to a large creek called Uskoho , then round
the point of a hill, midling land, and up
the fide thereof which was good, and
down the other fide very fteep to a Run,
with good corn land to the top of a hill in
fight of the eaft branch of Sufquehanah , fo far
we had pale clay land from the vvildernels,
though blackifh on the furface, for 2, 3 or 4
inches, then down half a mile on a moderate
defeent, good oak and hickery land to a large
rich grafty and weedy bottom, 40 rood wide,
producing elm:, birch, linden, lotus, white-
walnut, and very large white pine, where the
land is a little higher than common ; at the
upper end of this bottom we dined at half an
hour after 12, we let out again at 3, courfeN.
along a fteep hill fide, full of excellent flat
whet-ftones of all fixes, from half a foot, to 4
feet long, and from 2 inches to a foot wide,
and from half an inch to a foot thick ; I brought
one home which I have ufed to whet my ax,
feythe, chizzels and knife, and is yet very little
the vvorfe for wear, it is as fine as the Engl'jb
rag, but of a blackifh colour : this lafted two
miles clofe to the river which is here 100 yards
wide, and deep enough for flat-bottomed boats,
then we came to a very rich low land, moft of
the way N. N. E. to the Cayuga branch, near
100 yards wide which wc crofted, then rode

near

[ 3*3

near a mile to the town-houfe, bearing N. this
town is called Tohicon , and lies in a rich neefc
between the branch and main river: the Indians
welcomed us by beating their drum, as loon as
they faw us over the branch, and continued
beating after the Englijb manner as we rode to
the houfe, and while we unfaddled our Horfos,
laid in our luggage and entered our felves : the
Houle is about 30 foot long, and the fined
or any I law among them. The Indians cut
long grals and laid it on the floor for us to fit
or lie on ; leveral of them came and lat down
and linoaked their pipes, one of which was
fix foot long, the head of done, the flem a
reed , after this they brought victuals in the
ufual manner : here I oblerved for the firfi
time in this journey, that the worms which
had done much mifohiefin leveral parts of our
Province, by deflroying the grals and even
corn for two fummers, had done the lame thing
here, and had eat off the blade of their maize
and long white grals, fo that the Aems of both
flood naked 4 foot high ; I faw dome of the
naked dark coloured grubs half an inch long,
tho’ moft of them were gone, yet I could
perceive they were the fame that had vifited
us two months before ; they clear all the grals
in their way, in any meadow they get into,
and feem to be periodical as the locufls and
caterpillar, the latter of which I am afraid
will do us a great deal of milchief next dim-
mer. Here one of our hofts at the hunting

cabin

[30

gabin left us to go up this branch to his own
country, that of th zCayagas, this night it rained
a little, and the morning was very foggy.

xyth. Day, we croffed the neck to the eaft
branch of Sujqu$hanah, up which we travelled
along a rich bottom of high grals and woods of
a fine creek, then over oak and pitch pine land
to a fwampy run and fine meadow ground,
then eaft through white and pitch pine, oak,
hickery and hazel bottom, and fo N. E. to
the river, where grew, a white pine dole to the
water, with four green cones on. ftill we kept
N. E. at io bore S. Here the river turned
thus, occafloncd by fome high barren moun-
tains on the other fide, whole lides came dole
to it, and turned the ftrearn in this crooked
manner. We travelled through a fine vale of
pine land. Here was a place where the Indi-
ans had been a pawawing. They cut a parcel
of poles, which they flick in the ground in
a circle, about the bignels of hop poles, the cicrie
about five foot diameter, and then bring them
together at the top, and tie them in form of
an * oven, where the conjurer placeth himfelf-
then his adiftants cover the cage over clofo
with blankets and to make it ftill more
fuffbeating, hot ftones are rolled in • after
all this the prieft mull cry aloud, and agitate

his

* Vide Capt. Beverley's hii! of Virginia, $vo. a curious and
ufeiul work, and the Daren Labontans entertaining voyages
in theft parts,

c 33 ] _

his body after the moft violent manner, till
nature has almoft loft all her faculties before
the ftubborn fpirit will become vifible to him,
which they fay is generally in the fliape of
fome bird. There is ufually a ftake drove into
the ground about four foot high and painted.
I fuppofe this they defign for the winged any
Being to perch upon, while he reveals to the
invocant what he has taken fo much pains to
know. However, I find different nations
have different ways of obtaining the pretended
information. Some have a bowl of water,
into which they often look, when their
ftrength is almoft exhaufted, and their fenles
failing, to lee whether the fpirit is ready to
anfwer their demands. I have feen many of
thefe places in my travels. They differ from
their fweating coops, in that they are often
far from water, and have a ftake by the cage,
yet both have a heap of red hot ftones put in.
at ii we d veiled our dinner, and found an
Indian by the river fide, refting himfelf ; all
his provifion was a dried eel • this he made us
a prcfent of, and we gave him a lhare of our
dinner. Their way of roafting eels is thus ;
they cut a ftick about three foot long, and as
thick as one’s thumb, they fplit 'it about a
foot down, and when the eel is gutted, they
coil it between the two fides of the ftick,
and bind the top clofe, which keeps the eel
flat, and then ftick one end in the ground be-
fore a good fire.

F

At

[ 34 ]

At half an hour after one we let out, mid-
dling oak land but ftony, yet no great rocks ;
at a N. E. then N. good land, a rich bottom
and flat Hones on rifing ground ; we croffed
the Owagan branch about thirty yards wide.
Then half a mile to the town fo called, where
we lodged, there is very good land in this
neck between the branch and main river. A
little before fun-fet I walked out of town to
regulate my journal ; but the gnats were fo
troublefome I could not reft a minute. They
bit my hands fo cruelly I was forced to give
over my purpofe. Thefe are lb troublefome
from fun-rifing to fun-fetting that we could
not reft while we were eating our victuals
without making feveral fires of wet leaves
round us to keep them off.

iS. This morning we lent an Indian with
a firing of Wampum to Onondaga, to acquaint
them with our coming, and the bufinels we
came about, that they might lend meflengers
to the ieveral nations to haften their deputies
to meet them as loon as polfible, for this
town ferves the five nations as Baden does the
thirteen cantons of Switzerland, with this
difference, that Onondago is at the lame time the
capital of a canton.

We fet out at half an hour after p, and
travelled till 6 ; this day our general courle
was N. and N. W. having fine level rich land
moll of the way, and rail timber oak, birch,

beech

[ 35 J

beech, afti, fpruce, linden, elm and herb
hierophilon, hepatica and maidenhair in abun-
dance. We lodged by Front Creek in a fpa-
tious vale, and it looking like rain, we made
us a cabbin of lpruce bark, but no rain
came.

i p. We rode over good level land : after
we came to very fwampy bottoms, thickets
and hills of fpruce, and white pine ; here
were three ridges of fteep hills that run nearly
E. and W „ and with difficulty we rode over
their fteep cliffs, which projected clofe to the
creek. We were feveral times obliged to
ford it backwards and forwards. Several runs
come into the creek on both ftdes from be-
tween the mountains, Now we came to moft
excellent level ground, than which nothing
can be more fruitful, full of tall timber, fugar,
maple, birch, linden, afti, and beech, and
fhrubs, as opulus, green maple, hornbeam,
hama m elis, folanum, goofterries and red cur-
tans triphilum in abundance. Here we dined
by a pleafant creek and choice land. Alter
dinner we foon began to mount up a pretty
fteep hill, covered with oak, birch, afti, and
higher up abundance of chefnut and lome
hickery. This is middling land, the produce
the fame for three miles as our land bears
with us. It lies very high, and when cleared
will have an extenftve profpect of fertile
vales on all ftdes. We then rede down a long

F a rich

C 36 ]

rich hill of moderate delcent, where grew abun-
dance of goofeberries , all the trees were
crouded with wild pigeons, which, I fuppofe,
breed in thefe lofty fhady trees. I found ma-
ny fbflils on this hill.

Another fertile valley welcomed us at the
bottom, over which travelling a mile we
lodged at a Run, which our Indians told us
emptied into the lake Ontario ; if fo, it muft
run into the Cayuga river, and fo to Ofwego.

20. We continued our journey in this plea-
sant vale until we afcended a hill, beyond
which a flant brought us to two ponds that
run into a branch of Sufquehanah ; croffing
this we joined a part from the Carugas coun-
try; then over a rich level to another branch
big enough to turn a mill where we crolfed it.
It was now three-quarters after 10, then
good land to half an hour after x 2 yet no
hickcry nor oak, but elm, fugar, maple,
beech, birch, white walnuts, hop, hornbeam,
and abundance of ginfeng. After dinner we
palled a branch of the great Sufquehanah ,
down which lake canoes may go quite to where
the river is navigable for boats. On the
banks I found the gale like the European.
This is the neared branch of Sufquehanah
river to that of Onondago. Leaving this on
our right, on our left we perceived a hill
where the Indians fay Indian corn, tobacco
and fquafhes were found on the following oc-
casion :

[ 37 ]

call on : An Indian (wbofe wife bad eloped)
came hither to hunt, and with his skins to
purchale another here, he efpied, a young
fquaw alone at the hill ; going to her, and
enquiring where Ihe came from, he received
for anfwer, that lhe came from heaven to
provide fuftenance for the poor Indians , and
if he came to that place twelve months
after he fhould find food there. He came-
accordingly and found corn, fquafhes and to*
bacco, which were propagated from thence
and fpread through the country, and this filly
ftory is rcligioufly held for truth among them.
Our way hence, lay over fine rich level land
as before, but when we left it, we enter’d a
miferable thicket of Ipruce, opulus, and dwarf
yew, then over a branch of Sufquehanah , big
enough to turn a mill, came to ground as
good as that on the other fide the thicket ;
well cloathed with tall timber of lugar birch,
fugar maple, and elm. In the afternoon it
thunder’d hard pretty near us, but rained little :
We obferved the tops of the trees to be lo dole
to one another for many miles together, that
there is no feeing which way the clouds drive,
nor which way the wind lets : and it leems
almoft as if the fun had never Ihone on the
ground, fince the creation. About fun let
it cleared up, and we encamped on the laft
branch of Sufquehanah, the night following it
thundred and rained very fall, and took us

at

r 5? j

at a difad vantage, for we had made no fhelter
to keep off the rain, neither could we fee it
till juft over our heads, and it began to fall.

One of our Indians cut 4 fticks 5 feet long,
and ftuck both ends into the ground, at 2 foot
diftance, one from another; over thefo he fpread
his match coat and crept through them, and
then fell to hinging : in the medn time we were
fetting poles flantwifo in the ground, tying
others crols them, over which we . fpread our
blanket and crept dole under it with a fire
before us and fell faft afleep.

I waked a little after midnight, and found
our fire almoft out, fo I got the hatchet and
felled a few faplings which I laid on, and made
a roufing fire, tho’ it rained ftoutly, and laying
down once more, I flept found all night.

2.1 ft, In the morning when we had dry’d our
blankets, we kept along the fide of a hill,
gradually afcending, the foil good, timber
tall, and abundance of ginfeng ; here the mui-
quetoes were veryltroublefome, it being foggy,
thence proceeding down a long gradual defcent
on good rich foil with tall timber, fugar, ma-
ple, chefnut, cherry, linden^and elm, we tra-
veled a large valley and rivulet, then rode up
a little fteep hill where we flopped at half an
hour after eleven, this hill was a little fandy,
with forae large pines growing upon it ; here
we walked and looked about us, having not
nad luch an opportunity for two davs, during

which

[ 39 1

which time we had a fine profpeCt over the
vale of the great mountain we had juft crofted,
and which differed fo remarkably from all I
had ever been upon before, in its eafy and fruit-
ful afcent and defcent, in its great width,
every where crowned with noble and lofty
woods, but above all, in its being intirely free
from naked rocks and fteep precipices.

From thefe remarks, one might be naturally
led to imagine, that the Waters at the flood
gradually ebbed and retired on each fide, to-
wards the river St. Lawrence and Sufqnehanah ,
the very next ridges on either fide being nar-
rower, fteeper, and fome rocks wafhed bare,
and fo all the adjacent ridges the farther they
are from this, appear to be more wafhed, more
compofed of great banks of craggy rocks and
tremendous precipices, the foil more carried off,
mighty rocks tumbled down, and thole leftap-
pearing as if piled up in a pyramid and hereby
preferved from a fhare in the awful ruin below
among their fellows ; the foil being fo per-
fectly wafhed from their root, as evidently no
longer to fupport them- After having enjoyed
this enchanting profpect and entertaining hypo-
thefis, we delcended eafily for foveral miles,
over good land producing lugar-maples, many
of which the Indians had tapped to make
fugar of the fap, alfo oaks, hickery, white
walnuts, plums and fome apple trees, full of
fruit ; the Indians had fet long bufhes all round

[ 4 o ;j

the trees at a little diftance, I fuppofe to keep
the final! children from ftealing the fruit before
they were rjpe’ here we halted and tinned our
horfes to grafs, while the inhabitants cleared a
cabin for our reception ; they brought us
victuals, and we difpatched a meffenger im-
mediately to Qmndago to let them know
how near we were, it being within 4 miles.
All the Indians , men, women and children
came to gaze at us and our horfes, the little
boys and. girls climbed on the roofs of their
cabins, about ten in number to enjoy a fuller
view, we let out about ten, and travelled over
good land all the way, moftly an ealydefcent,
ibrue lime-ftone, then down the eaft hill, over
ridges of lime-ftone rock, but generally a mo-
derate defeent into the fine vale where this
capital (if I may lo call it) is fituated.

We alighted at the council houle, where
the chiefs were already aflembled to re-
ceive us,, which they did with a grave chear-
ful complaifance, according to their cuftom ;
they fhew’d us where to lay our baggage, and
repofe ourielves during our ftay with them ;
which was in the two end apartments of this
large houle. The Indians that came with us,
were placed over againft us : this cabin is about
80 feet long, and 17 broad, the common
paflage 6 feet wide, and the apartments on
each fide 5 feet, railed a foot above the palfage
by a long fapling hewed fquare, and fitted

tvith joifts that go from it. to the back of the
houie ; on thefe joifts they lay large pieces of
hark, and on extraordinary occafions lprcad
marts made of rallies, this favour we had ; on
thefe floors they let or lye down every one as
he will, the apartments are divided from each
other by boards or bark, 6 or 7 loot long,
from -the lower floor to the upper, on which
they put their lumber, when they have eaten
their homony, as they let in each apartment
before the fire, they can put the bowel over
head, having not above 5 foot to reach ; they
let on the floor fometimes at each end, but
modify at one : they have a fhed to put their
wood into in the winter, or in the fummer,
to flat to converfe or play, that has a door
to the fouth; all the fides and roof of the cabin
is made of bark, bound fall to poles let in the
ground, and bent round on the top, or fet
afiatt, for the roof as we let our rafters ; over
each fire place they leave a hole to let out the
imoak, which in rainy weather, they cover
with a piece of bark, and this they can eafily
reach with a pole to pufh it on one fide or
quite over the hole, after this model are molt
of their cabins built, figure annexed.

The fine vale of Gnoudaga runs north and
fouth, a little inclining to the weft, and is
near a mile wide, where the town is fituated
and excellent foil, the river that divides this
charming vale, is 2, 3 or 4 foot deep, very

G full

[- 4*3

full of trees fallen acrols, or drove on heaps
by the torrents. The town in its prelent Hate
is about 2 or 3 miles long, yet the fcattered
cabins on both Tides the water, are not above
40 in number, many of them hold 1 families,
but all Hand fingle, and rarely above 4 or j
near one another ; lb that the whole town is a
ftrange mixture of cabins, interfperfed vvithgreat
patches of high grals, bulhes and fhrubs, lome
of peale, corn and fquafhes, lime-ftone bottom
compoled of foffils and lea fhells.

It leems however, to have been more con-
fiderable when it became a conqueft to the
arms of Lewis 14th, at which time it muft
have been more com pad, for hiftory relates
it to have been llockadoed. The Count k
Frontenac governor of Canada , at the head
of the moft numerous army the French ever
drew together in N. America , had the fatis-
faction in 1696 of triumphing over the alhesof
Onondago , whole inhabitants terrified with
what they had heard of bombs, and generally
unwilling to hazard a fet battle, had already
abandoned their houfes after letting them afire,
whatever glory the grand monarque might
reap from this exploit, it is certain he gain-
ed no other advantage, as a longer Hay
muft have inevitably ftarved the army, fo its
precipitate retreat helped our Indians to an
opportunity of taking their revenge by cutting

[ 43 ]

of every firagling canoe, in their return by
water to Monreal,

At night, loon after we were laid down to
Jleep, and our fire almoft burnt out, we were
ep pertained by a comical fellow, difguifed in
as odd a drels as Indian folly could invent ;
he had on a clumfy vizard of wood colour’d
black, with a nole 4 or ,5 inches long, a grining
mouth fet awry, furnifhed with long teeth,
round the eyes circles of bright brals, fur-
rounded by a larger circle ol white paint,
from his forehead hung long trefles of buffaloes
haif, and from the catch part of his head ropes
made of tire plated husks of Indian corn ; I
pannot recoiled the whole of his drefs, but
that it was equally uncouth : he carried in one
hand a large ftaff, in the other a calabafh with
i'mall Hones in it, for a rattle, and this he
rubbed up and down his Haff- he would
fometimes hold up his head and make a hide-
ous noife like the braying of an afs ; he came
in at the further end, and made this noife at
firft, whether it W S3 becaufe he would not.
l'urprife us too fuddenly I can’t fay : I ask d
Conrad JVeifer , who as well as myfelf lay
next the alley, what noife that was? and Shic-
kalamy the Indian chief, our companion, who
I fuppofed, thought me fomewhat feared,
called out, lye Hill John , I never heard him
fpcak fo much plain Englijh before. Thejack-
pudding prefently came up to us, and an Indian
'• G a boy

[ 44 ]

bov came with him and kindled our fire, that

„ might lee his glittering eyes and antick
poftures as he hobbled round the fire, fometimes
he would turn the Buffaloes hair on one fide
that we might take the better view of his ill-
favoured phyZ, when he had tired himfelf,
which was fometimb after he had well tired us,
the boy that attended him ftrucfc 2 or 3 fmart
blows on the floor, at which the hobgoblin
feemed furprifed and on repeating them he
jumped fairly out of doors and diiappeared.
I luppofe this was to divert us and get fome
tobacco for himfelf, for as he danced about
he would hold out his hand to any lie came
by to receive this gratification which as often
as any one gave him he would return an awk-
ard compliment. By this I found it no new
diverfion to any but my felf. In my whim
I faw a vizard of this kind hang by the fide
of one of their cabins to another town. Af-
ter this farce we endeavoured to compote our-
felvcs to Beep but towards morning was again
difturbed by a drunken Squaw coming into
the cabin frequently complimenting us. and
finging.

iid. w'as a fhowery dav, and we Birred
little out. ■

iT>d. we hired a guide to go with us to the
fait Ipring, 4 or 5 miles off, down the river,
on the weft fide of it’s mouth 3 being molt of
the way good land, and near the mouth very

rich:

[ 4.5 ]

rich : from whence it runs wefhvard near a
quarter ol a mile, a kind of a landy beach ad-
joining to the bank of the river, containing 3
or 4 acres. Here the Indians dig holes, about
2 foot deep, which foon filling with brine, they
dip their kettles, and boil the contents, until
the fait remains at bottom ; there was a fami-
ly refiding at this time. The boys in the
lake fifhing, the Squaw fetching water, gather-
ing wood, and making a fire under the kettle,
while the husband was basking himlelf on the
land, under the bufhes. We filled our gallon
keg full of water and brought it to Town,
where we boiled it to about a pound of fait.
Our guides took their arrows, made of reed and
down to fhoot fmall birds. About half way
there is an excellent fpring of water, and by it
a grove of Curboroita’. joining to a green fwamp,
producing very high grafs. About a mile up
the river from the lake, it runs by a ftecp bank
at the end of a high hill. The bank was landy,
and out of it run’d a brackifh water, which
inclines me to think that there is a body of
fofSl fait here abouts, by which the plain is
fmnifhed with its intenle fait brine, and that
it is the vapour thereof that congealj to the
trafh and bufhes that lye on the bank, and
glitters like flakes of Ice, or Snow, in a Sun-
fininy day. This day a deputies arrived from
the Cqyugas Country.

44 th. Lewis and I hired a guide to go with-

us

[ 4 * ]

0.4th. Lewis and I hired a guide to go with
us to Ofwego for 1 6s. our intention was more
to get provifions for our journey home, than
to ^gratify our curiolity. In the mean time,
Cowad flayed at Onondaga, to treat with the
Indian chiefs about the skirmifh in Virginia ;
with a view to incline them fingly in favour of
our application, before they affembled in coun-
cil: and here I cannot help obferving, it was
Scarcely ever known, that an Indian Chief or
Conncellor , once gained fo far as to promife
him intereft, did break his promife, whatever
prefen ts have been offered him from another
quarter.

We travelled on foot to the Onondaga lake,
whence we had fetched the fait water the day
before, there we procured a hark canoe at half
an hour after eleven, then paddled down
the lake, and reached the lower end in two
hours courle, N. W. This lake the French
call Ganentahd ; hence we went down the
river a mile N. big enough to carry a large
boat, if the trees fallen into it where but car-
ried away, this brought us to the river from
the Cayuga country, near ioo yards wide, very
flill, and fo deep we could fee no bottom, the
land on both fides very rich and low to with-
in a mile of the Oneido. river , where the river
began to run fvvift, fand the bottom became
vifible, tho’ at a good depth. At three o’clock
we came to the laft mention’d river, down
which the Abb any trader come to Ofcuego, half

a mile

t 47 ]

a mile farther we came to a rippling, which
carried us with prodigious fwiftnefs down the
ftream, foon after we encountered a iecond,
and a mile farther a third, very rough. In
about an hour by the fun, after many other
ripplings, we found our felves at the great fall,
the whole breadth of the river which is above
ioo yards wide and is eight or ten feet per-
pendicular: here we hawled our canoe afhore,
took out all our baggage, and carried it on our
back a mile to a little town, of about four or
five cabins • they chiefly fubfift by catching
fifh and alfifling the [/lie any people to hawl
their Bateans , and carry their goods round the
falls • which may be about tenor twelve poles,
then they launch again into the river, and
down the foaming flream that furioufly on all
fides dalhes one half againfi the rocks, near a
mile before they come to ftifl water, and in-
deed, it runs pretty fvvift all the way to Oj-
zveso. Thefe Indians were very kind to us,
and gave us boiled corn and water melons,
while they and our guide who was a relation
fat over againfi us in the fame cabin, chewing
raw Indian corn flalks, fpitting out the lub-
flance alter they fucked out the juice. But
we could not yet underftand whether we were
to go to the fort by land, or by wafer. In
the morning they had catched fonie flout eels,
and a great fifh two feet long, it was round
and thick, they ftrike them with long fiender

fhafts

[ 4 § ]-

fnafts 1 8 or a o feet long, pointed at the end
with iron fee the Ihape. The i fplints of wood
fpreading each fide, directs the point into the
filh, which at a great depth it would be other-
wife difficult to hit. I law upon one of their
canoes in the morning a large piece of bark
Ipread a-crofs. On this lay gravel and fand,
and on thefe coals and allies, which I luppoled
had been a fire, and the gravel placed there
to lave the bark. And I took it to be a de-
fign both to allure and lee to ftrike the fiffi.

25th. Our guide, and leveral other Indians ,
lead us to the canoes belonging to the town,
into one of which we got full of hopes of go-
ing by water, but were much chagrin’d to find
ourfelves only paddled crols the water, where
we unwillingly took out our cloaths, victuals
and blankets, and carried them on our backs
following our guides, who were now increaled
to three. We had 1 2 miles down the river by
land, ' molt of the way middling land, fome
white pine and fpruce groves to pals through,
but moft of the way in fight of the river,
which is very rapid moft of the way to the
lake. On the point formed by the entrance
of the river. Hands the fort or trading caftlc,
it is a ftrong ftone houfe, incompaffed with a
ftone wall near 20 feet high, and 1 20 paces
round, built of large lquared ftones; very cu-
rious for their loftneft, I cut my name in it
with my knife. The town confifts of about

70 log-

[ 49 ]

yo loghoufes, of which one half are in a row
near the river, the other halfoppoflte to them,
on the other fide of a fair were two ftreets di-
vided by a row of pofts in the midit. Where
each Indian has his houfe to lay his goods, and
where any of the traders may traffick with him.
This is furely an excellent regulation for pre-
venting the traders from impofing on the In-
dians, a pradife they have been formerly too
much guilty of, and which has frequently in-
volved the Englijh colonies in difficulties, and
conftantlf tended to depreciate us in the efteeni
of the natives } W ho can fcarcely be blamed
for judging ofa nation, by the behaviour of thole
with whom they have the moft intercourfe.
a judgment I am lorry to confels that has (till
lately) tended much to the making them in
favour rather of the French, than Englifh. I
ipeak of private perfons, not of the relpedive
government. The chief officer in command
at the caftle, keeps a good look out to Ice
when the Indians come down the lake with
their poultry and furrs, and lends a canoe to
meet them, which conduds them to the callle,
to prevent any perlon inticing them to put a-
lhore privately, treating them with lpirituous
liquors, and then taking that opportunity of
cheating them. This officer fcems very care-
full that all quarreling, and even the leal, nuf-
underftanding, when any happens, be quickly
made up in an amicable manner, fince a Ipeedy
1 H accom-

[ 50 ]

accomodation can only prevent our country
men from incuring the imputation of injuftice,
and the delay of it would produce the difagree-
able confequences of an Indians endeavouring
to right himfelf by force.

Ofwego, is an infant fettlement made by the
province of New-lork , with the noble view
of gaining to the crown of Great Britain the
command of the 5 lakes, and the dependence
of the Indians in their neighbourhood, and to
its fubjects the benefit of the trade upon them,
and of the rivers that empty themfelves into
them. At prefent the whole navigation is carried
on by the Indians themfelves in bark canoes,
and there are perhaps many reafons for defirihg
it fhould continue fo for fbme years at leaf!: •
but a good englifhman cannot be without
hopes of feeing thefe great lakes become one
day accuftomed to Englijb navigation. It is
true, the lamous fall of Niagara , is an infur-
mountable bar to all paflage by water, from
the lake Ontario, into the lake Erie, in fuch
veffels a3 are proper for the fecure navigation
of either ; but befides, that bark canoes are
carried on mens fhOulders with eafe, from one
to the other, as far as the paflage is impracti-
cable : It will be much more ealy to carry the
goods in waggons, fiom the upper lake,
mto the Huron or guatoghie lake, the flrait
1S rendered unnavigable by the Saute St. Marie
but a veffel of confiderable burthen may fail

[ 1

from the hither end of the Erie lake, to the
bottom of the lake Michigan , and for ought
vve know, through all parts of the 3 middle
lakes. Tliefe lakes receive the waters of many
rivers, that in fome places approach lb near the
branches of the vaft river that a

fhort land carriage fupplies the communication.
And here to ufe the words of a moft judicious
writer, “ He that reflects on the natural Hate
“ of that continent muft open to himlelf a
a field for traffick in the fouthern parts of N.
“ America , and by the means of this river
u and the lakes, the imagination takes into
“ view fuch a feene of inland navigation; as
cannot be paralleled in any other part of
u the world. ”

The honour of firft dilcovering thele ex-
tenfive frelh water Teas, is certainly due to the
French , who are at this time in pofleffion of
fettlements at Fort Fonchartrian , on the ftrait
between Lake Erie and the Lake Huron and
at Mijlltmahinac between the latter and the
upper lake, but as thefei can give them no ti-
tle againft the original inhabitants or the five
nations. Conquerors of all the adjacent na-
tions, lo it is difficult to conceive by what ar-
guments thele fmall pofts, inhabited by no fub-
jecitsof France but l'oldiers, can be extended to
mark any pofiefiion beyond the reach of
their gun’s, or land actually cultivated, ex-
cept by Inch as muft intitle the crown of Great
H % Britain

[ 5 2 1

Britain to all North America , both as trior
difcoverers and prior planters, without a fubfe-
quent defertion. ..

The traders from New Tork come hither,
up the Mohawks river, which difcharges itfelf
into Uudfons river ;but generally go by land
from Albany , to Schenectady about 10 miles
from the Mohawks river, the carriage is but
3 miles into the river that falls into the 0-
neido lake, which difcharges itfelf by the Onei do
river, into the Onondaga river, and brings their
goods to Ojwego in the manner I have before
related.

W e came to the town about i a o’clock, the
commiffary invited us to the caftle where we
dined, together with the Do&or and Clerk.
After dinner we had the fatisfaflion of fwim-
mingin the la ke Ontario, which is fbme times
called by our Indians Cadarakin , this is alio
the name of a french fort upon it, almoft op-
pofite to Ofwego , N. it has 4 baftions built
of Hone, and is near half a mile in circumference;
it Hands where the waters of this lake are al-
ready formed into the river St. Lawrence, which
makes a good road for great barks under the
point of Cadarakin Bay. The famous and
unfortunate .Mr. De la Sale had two barks
which remains funk there to this day.

Thefe lakes are faid to have a kind cf flux
and reflux peculiar, fince it is affirmed to be fen-
fiblv ebb and flood ieveral times in a quarter
of an hour, tho’ it be perfectly fmooth and

fcarce

C S3}

fcarce any wind.', But it is evident from the
face of the earth, that the water of the lake
Ontario is confiderably diminifhed and has loft
ground a great number of years, for the
fhores above a mile within land, are abun-
dantly more low, as well as of a loofer tex-
ture then the foil beyond, whether this effedl
is in common to all the waters on the
earth, according to a conjefture of the
great Sir Jfaac Newton : Or whether it be
not at (leaft in parO owing to the removal
of fome great obftru&ion, which by caufing
a fall in the river St. Lawrence , might for-
merly pen the waters up to a greater height
than now ; or only to the gradual wearing
away by the perpetual paflage of the water
over thole falls that ftill fubfift : or to a ca-
sual ruin of fome part of one of them, I
lhall leave to the determination of a more
«ble naturalift than myfelf.

The water was very clear and as cold as
our river in May, it is well tailed and fup-
pofed to he rao miles broad, and near aoo
long, ftreachipg N. N. W. but thismuft be an
error, the common maps giving it a bearing
to the Northward of the lake, but Mr. Beilin
thews us it lies E. and W. from the obferva-
tions oOP. Charlevoix, on the exa&nefs of which
he thinks he cannot too much relie, and Bel-
lm in his map of thefe lakes has given it this

bearing

I 54 3

bearing. We lodged in the caftle in the
captains chamber.

i 6 ih. Early in the morning I walked out
looking for plants, as I had done the evening
before. I oblerved a kitchen garden and a
grave yard to the S. W. of the caftle • which
puts me in mind that the neighbourhood of
this lake is efteerned unhealthful, we were
entertained by one of the traders, with whom
wc breakfafted ; and bought of him fbme
dryed beef. And a gallon of Rum we got at
the caftle. The traders had difpofed of moll;
of their bifcuit and had packed up their
provifion, in order to return directly to Al-
bany : however, one of them went about to
the reft and collected us a good parcel of bif-
cuit, a kindnefs we were very lenfible of.
After breakfaft I regulated my journal, having
a convenient private room to ao it in. We
dined at the caftle, and at 3 o’clock fet out
for Onondago. Two Indians helped to carry
tome of our baggage 5 the day was warm, the
Indians walked faft. our load was heavy and
we were fufficiently weary before we readied
the town near the falls, which was about fun '
let. Indeed we had the favour of fhady woods
all the way, we lodged where we did before.
The Indian Squaws got very drunk and made
a fad noife till morning. My fear leaf! our guide
was drunk alio, added a good deal to an indil-
pofition I was fciz’d with in the evening,

but

[ 55 . ]

but in the morning I found him and his com*
punion, to my great joy, foft afleep by the
Outfide of the cabin.

a yth. We fet out early and found our
canoe fafe where we left it, and it was with
much fatisfadion that I entered it. At half
an hour after ten, we got to the firft fall, above
the great one, the Indians brought the canoe to
fhore and made lign for us to difembarfc and
wa Ik along afhore, while they flept into the
fiver, and bawled the canoe up the foil about
a quarter of a mile, by good land. We reim-
barked again, and at twelve came to the Onei-
do* branch, up which the Albany traders re-
turn, after a or 3 months trade at Ofwego-
Caftle At 3 o’clock we entered the Onondaga
lake, the upper end of which we gained by hve,
the land about the lake is pretty good and fome
large marlhes and rich low ground moftly on
each fide, but here and there the hills come
dole to the water: I think it mull be eight
miles long and above one broad, very brackilh
at the fait plain; very deep in fome planes
hear the middle, but fllallow lor 100 yards
from the fhore. The Indians paddled the ca-
noe a little way higher up the ftrearn and might
have brought us to the town, if the fallen
trees had been removed ; but whatever nature
has done for them ( and file is no where more
bountiful ) they are too lazy by any trou-
ble of their own to improve; but when com-
pelled by the molt urgent necelHtv, We

[.5« i

We reached the town about fun-let, equally
pleafed with our having improved the oppor-
tunity lb well by feeing Ontario lake, and
that we were returned fafe to the interpreter
and Indian Chiefs ; thole two laft days had
been pretty warm : our Indian guide was a
fullen , illnatured, and I believe, a luperftitious
fellow. Every now arid then as we paddled
up the river, he would with a compofed coun-
tenance utter loiiiewhat pretty loud for about
the ipaCe of two minutes at a time, whether it
was a magical incantation, ora prayer, I can’t
tell ; I am latislied it was no long, nor any
fpeech directed to us, or the Indian with him,
for he feemed intirely unmoved all the time.

28 thj This was a rainy thundering warm
day, and two deputies arrived from the Onei-
does. News came that the worms had de-
ftroyed abundance of corn and grals in Canada.
This night we were troubled with fleas, and
what was worfe, our men exceeding drunk and
noify • our grievances iri the day were more
tolerable, being only women infefting us with
their company and bawling, in great good
humour, indeed I perceived to no quarrel
while among them.

2 pth, Several more deputies arrived from
the Tnjcaroroes , we went to vifit a poor ema-
ciated Indian , who they laid was bewitched,
he lived about a mile from the Council-Hoitfc.

This

[ ST J

This day was warm, and feveral fihowers palled
by to the fouthward.

30 tb, Three of the Mohawks arrived, this
nation dwells fartheft within the province of
New-Tork, and to the fouthward of the river
(cnown by their name abundance of whites
live among them, and as they are the heft
acquainted with the manners of the Englijh ,
lo they have at all times (hewn the raoft fteady
attc&ion to our people. I am forry to fay,
their morals are little if at all mended by
their frequent intercourfe with us Chriftians,
tho’ I am pcrfuaded it is not the fault of our
religion but its profelfors, perhaps this may
be e (teemed a principal caufe why they are
become lefs numerous than any of their con-
federates.

This morning after breakfaft, I went to
the eaft hill, and found a fine fpring on the
weft fide, furrounded with Arbor Vita., lome
a foot diameter, this water is of fuch a petri-
fying nature, that as it runs among the fallen
leaves it incrufts them and petrifies in great
(tones as big as one can well lift } there was
a great piece of ground coverea with them,
which had turned the water-courfe feveral
times, I have feen three of thefe fprings in my
travels • one on the other fide of Totomack
and one up Dclawars at Mctisjluks j this hill
is good limeftone land, producing fugar ma-
ple elms, beech, and fome white pine, which
4 ’ I ' laft

[ 3

laft had then 3 or 4 cones, on 1 or 3 trees, but
they Were quite green.

This afternoon the chiefs met in council,
and three of them fpoke for near a quarter of an
hour each, two of thefe while fpeaking, walked
backward and forward in the common pa£>
fage, near 1 thirds of its length, with a flow
even pace, and much compofure and gravity
in their countenance; the other delivered what
he had to fay fitting in the middle, in a grace-
ful tone exhorting them to a clofe indifloluble
amity and unanimity, for it was by this per-
fect union their forefathers had conquered their
enemies, were refpe&ed by their allies, and
honoured by all the world ; that they were
now met according to their antient cuftom,
tho’ feveral imminent dangers flood in their
way, mountains, rivers, brakes and evil fpirits,
but that by the afliftance of the great Sprit
they now faw each others faces according to
appointment.

This the interpreter told me was the opening
of the diet, and was in the opinion of thefe
people abundantly fufficient for one day, fince
there is nothing they contemn fo much as
precipitation in publick councils ; indeed they
efieem it at all times a mark of much levity in
any one to return an immediate anfwer to a
ferious queftion however obvious, and they
coniequently fpin out a Treaty, where many
points are to be moved, to a great length of

time.

[ .59 1

time, as is evident from what our conference
with them, produced afterward at Lancajkr
begun the 22d of 'June 1744.

This council was followed by a feaft, after
4 o’clock we all dined together upon 4 great
kettles of Indian corn loop, which we loon
emptied, and then every chief retired to his
home.

31//, In the morning, as foon as light, I
walked out to look at our horfes as ufual,
and clofe by a cabin fpied a knife almoft
covered with graft; I fuppofed it loft, but
the Indians being not yet Hiring let it lie :
a little after fun-rife I walked there again,
and the Squaw being at the door, fhcwed
her where it lay, at which fhe feemcd ex-
ceeding pleafed, and picked it up immediately.
As I came back to our cabin, I fpy’d 2 Indian
girls at play with beans, which they threw-
from one to the other on a match coat fpread
between them ; as they were behind our ca-
bin, I turned to fee how they play’d, but
they feemed much out of countenance, and
run off in an inftant: I obferved that the In-
dian women are generally very modeft.

About noon the council fat a zd time, and
our interpreter had bis audience, being charge
by the governor with the conduct of the treaty.
Conrad iVeif r had engaged the Indian fpeakcr
to open the affair to the chiefs alTembled in
council ; he made a fpeecK near half an hour,

I a and

[ *> ]

and delived 3 broad belts arid J firings of
IVampum to the council, on the proper occa-
fions. There was a pole laid a-crols from
one chamber to another over the paflage, on
this their belts and firings were hung,
that all the council might fie them, and here
have the matters in remembrance, in confirma-
tion of which they were delivered : The con-
ference held till 3, after which we dined , this
repaft confifted of 3 great kettles of Indian
corn loop, or thin homony, with dry ’cl eels
and other fifh boiled in it, and one kettle full of
young lquafh.es and their flowers boiled in
water, and a little meal mixed 3 this difh was
but weak food, la ft of all was firvecl a great
bowl, full of Indian dumplings, made of
new loft corn, cut or fcraped off the ear, then .
with the addition of fbme boiled beans, lapped
well up in Indian corn leaves, this is good
hearty provifion. After dinner, we had a
favourable anfiver, coroborated by fiveral belts
of IVamptm , with a ihort lpeech to each, thele
we carried away as our tokens of peace and
friendlhip, the harangue concluded with a
charge to fit ftill as yet, for tho’ they had
dilpatched our bufinefs firft, it was not be-*
caule they were weary of us, but to
make us eafy. This complement preceded
other bufinefs, which failed till near fun fit,
when we regaled on a great bowl of boiled’
cakes, 6 or 7 inches diameter, and about 1

thick.

[ *1 ]

thick, with another of boiled fquafh ; food
after, the chiefs in a friendly manner took their
leave of us, and departed every one to his
lodging: this night we treated two of the
chiefs that lived in the council hall, which as
I mentioned, was our quarters; they drank
chearfully, wifhing a long continuance of un- '
interrupted amity between the Indians and
Englijh.

Augufi i. Six of the Antkoque Indians had
an audience, but when they came to it, could
not make rhemfelves underflood, tho’ provided
with ah interpreter brought near 700 miles,
(they faid more) but he could not underhand
the Mohawk Language, but only the Delawar
and middling Englijh , * fo they contrived he
fhould diretl his fpeech to Conrad Wei far in
EngliJJjj and interpret this to the council. They
gave broad belts of Watnjmnt, 3 arm belts
and 5 firings; one was to wipe clean all the
blood they had fpilt of the five nations , another
to raife a tumulus over their graves, and to

pick

r

* P. Charlevoix, perhaps from his own knowledge and the
Information he has received from his brother miilionaries, tells
ns, that the languages of the northern part of North Amenta,
are properly 3 , the Sioux or A adouiffiour , called by th c Englijh
Norway, the Algonquin or Adirondack, and the Huron or %u4-
toghie of which laft he makes the Iroquois called by ouf author
the Mohawk, a dialed* ; but adds, he knew not what language
is talked by the Cberokees, whether the language of the Ante-
toques be a dialeft of the laft which is very poffible, <jr of the
Adirondack which I take the Delawar to be, I can’t deter-
mine.

[ tfi ]

pick out the flicks, roots or ftones, and make,
it flnooth on the top^ a third, to cleanfo the
ftomach of the living from gall or any thing
clfe that made them fick ; a fourth vvafc a
cordial to chear up their fpirits , a fifth, to
cloath their bodies and keep them warm,
a fixth, to join them in mutual friendfhip, a
ievcnth, to requeft them to let them fettle on
a branch of Sujqehanah^ another to intreat the
5; nations that they would take a little care
to protect their women from infults while out
a hunting, and the reft for fuch like purpofes.
This bufinels lafted 4 hours, then we dined
on Indian corn and fquafh foop, and boiled
bread. In the afternoon, I went on the
vveftern mountain as I had the day before on
the eaflern ; it was very rich and full of tall
timber quite to the top, the trees were linden,
elm, fugar-maple, white walnut, oak, hickery
and chefnut, befides ginfeng, and moft fort of
herbs that grow on our rich lime-ftone land.

Thele 2 days the wind was fouth and warm
and leveral fhowers to the S. E. The council
met at 9 o’clock, and the kettles of foop and
a basket of dumplings were brought in for
our dinner ; after dinner the Antkoques de-
livered a belt and a firing of Wampum, with
a complaint that the Maty landers had depoled
their king, and defired leave to chufe one for
thcmfelves : to this, as well as all the articles
opened ycftcrdav, the chiefs returned plaufible

[ ]

bat fubtil anfwers ; then they gave us a firings
withal, telling us, that now they had thrown
water on our fire, and we were at liberty to
return home when we pleafed, they all took
their leave, and bid us adieu by ftiaking hands
very kindly, and ieemingly with much affec-
tion. This night the young men getting into
liquor, kept fhouting and finging till morn-
ing.

3^/, We prepared for letting forward, and
many of the chiefs came once more to take
their’ farewell } forne of them brought us pro-
vifibn for our journey, we Ihook hands again
and fet out at 9.

It was greatly to my mortification^ that I
was forced to return for the moft part the
fame way I came. Wc had intended to go
through the Mohawks country to Albany , but
our 2 Indians could not be perfuaded to go that
way, tho' wc offered to bear their chaiges,
and the chiefs were not willing we Ihould leave
them' to pais through the wilderneis alone,
as they came to gratify us and further our
bufmefs. This day was fair, and the wind b.
In the afternoon, we alcended that lovely
mountain S. W. which divides the waters that
render tribute to the great ftreams of St-
rence and Sufquehanah. We did not directly
crofs the mountain, but rode a fmall way on
its fummit under the grateful fhade of thole
lofty trees that every way adorn it, ^and

[ ]

afterwards we traveled feveral miles on its
S. W. fide, where we enjoyed a fine profpect
of a fpacious rich vale on our left hand. On
this hill we faw a lime ftone a little bigger
rhan my head, which is rare in thefe parts.

We entered the vale at 5, then croffed a
run and rode along a rich level for feveral
miles, and under the delightful protection of
very tall trees that brought us to a creek, a
branch of Sufquehanah , where we lodged fur-
rounded by ginleng-

4 ih. This was a fine day, and our traveling
cool, becaufe lhady, and the goosberries being
now ripened, we were every now and then
tempted to break off a bough and divert our-
lelves with picking them, tho' on horfe-
back.

This morning was clear and cool, and
now our journey was truly charming, it is
icarce poffxble to think the advantage we had
in returning from the fingle circumftance of
being free from rhofe fmall gnats that tor-
mented us. in our going fo grievoufly. But
our return being moftly in the fame path, it
will, be needlefs to delcribe the land or its
productions again.

W e fet out an hour before funrife, the
morning clear, at half an hour after ten we
reached Owagan, and turned our horfes to
grals, while we flopped at a cabin. The
A'quaw brought in a bowl of buckle-berries,

to.

C *5 ]

to flay our ftomachs, and loon after a large
kettle full of fmall honiony boil’d in ftrong
venilon broth • this was noble entertainment,
and too good to leave any of. I heartily
pityed the poor Squaw, for I believe fhe had
drelfed it tor herfelf and levcral children : ihe
alfo obliged us to accept of a fine piece ol
venifon to carry away. Here we killed a rat-
tle fnake, the lecond we had teen to day : at
one we continued our journey through groves of
pine of a ftupendous ftature ; the land mid-
ling for 2 miles S. W. to the river, then a
variable courfe over land of equal goodnefs,
oak and hickery, fome bottoms rich j and by
three we crois’d a fine creek, where we fpyed
a grey fquirrel which our Indian would have
thor, had it not been on the top of a white
oak : here we found very ttony ground, great
Hones having been drove by one common
force, into a form like that of fith feales,
yet this was a mile from the river, and many
yards perpendicular above the bed of it, this
may be the effects of the univerlal deluge, or
l’ome mighty torrent of water fince that, muft
have flowed over thefe {tones and walhed them
thus bare. We travelled till about two hours
by the fun, and then pitched by the river,
which run full W. there was high barren
mountains on the upper fide, here the river
was deep and finooth enough for flat bottom’d
veflels, which made us heartily wilh that we

K were

[

were in a canoe, and our horfes at Shamokin,
for we dreaded the difmal wildernels between.
We obferved here an old log, which the
bears had cunningly turned to pick up the
fnails, beetles, and grubbs, that had crept under
it for fhelter.

7 th. We rod over middling land, producing
oak, pine, and great magnolia, to the Tohicon
town on the Cayugo branch • this place we ar-
rived at by noon but flayed there all night,
lrighted by feveral fhowers that paffed over the
mountains in fight : indeed it rained a little
here, I walked to the branch after dinner,
and found abundance of foffils on the banks,
but the diftance of the way, and heavy load
of our baggage, were an inlurmountable bar
to my bringing any home. This day the
yliltkoque interpreter that travelled with us from
Onondaga , who left the path a little to hunt,
misd our trad! and hit upon an Indian town,
3 miles up the branch, and there picking up a
Squaw brought her with him. The chief
man of the town came to vifit us in a very
friendly manner, and our interpreter telling
him where we had been, what about, and how
well we had fucceeded ; he teftified abundance
of fotisfadlion that peace was not like to be
interrupted, he added, when he came home
his people told him, we had paffed through
their town, but that we had not informed
them of our bufinefs.

This

[ *7 ]

This furni flies us with an inftance of the
‘Punfftlio the Indians conftantly treat travellers
with, the people though earneftly defiring to
know our commiffion, would not take the
liberty to ask us. This night our fellow
traveller lodged with his occafional wife in a
corner of our cabin, and in the morning
would have taken her with him at our ex-
pence, to the great vexation of Mr IVeifar, who
thought it intolerable that an intruder fhould
gratifie his private inclinations to the fhort-
ning of our necdlary provifions, already in-
fufficient ; as we did not take much pains to
conceal this refentment, he had determined to
part with her, though with much regret, and
accordingly left her when we croflfed the
branch, giving her a farewell fhout ; we
heard this with much joy, and I believe it
was as well for the parties.

8fZ>,Wc continued our journey without meet-
ing any thing worth remarking, the ground we
had palTed rode over in our way out, and had
lodged at the very creek we fpentthis night at.

$th. W e travelled to a fine creek big enough
to drive two mills, we ftoped for this night at
the foot of a great hill, cloathed with large
Magnolia , a feet diameter and x oo feet high ;
perfectly ftraight, fhagbark-hickery, chefnut
and chefnut oak. This is like a bridge be-
tween the N.E. and N.W. branches of Suf-
qttehanah : here is alfo a fpring from whence
the water runs to both branches.

K 2 i otfy

[ 6S ]

io th Auguft, We fet ouf, the fiin half an
ourhigh, travelled along a rich hill fide, where
weobferv’d a pretty many rocks, then down to a
Licking-place by 8, where our intruder who was
a good C wavbeforeus fhotatan Elk, and having
wounded him, purfued him feveral hours. We
waited his return till i o'clock, Lewis Evans
took an obfervation here, and found the lat.
41. a naif Set out again at 3, and travelled
over fine rich ground by a creek where we
lodged. I took a fancy to afcend a thirds of
the height of a neighbouring hill, in the way I
came to abundance ofloofefton:s,and very crag-
gy recks, which feemed to threaten impending
ruin , the foil was black and very rich, full
of great wild flinging nettles, as far as I went
I roiled down feveral loofe ftones to make a
path for my more expeditious return. This
I found the Indians much difturbed at, for
they laid it would infallibly produce rain the
next day, I told them I had fufficient experi-
ence, it ftgnified nothing, for it was mv com-
mon pradice to roll down ftones from the top
of every fteep hill, and could not recoiled: that
it ever rained tire next day, and that I was al~
fnoft fine to morrow would' be a very fair day.

1 1 th. We got out before fun rife, and rode
pver very good bottoms of Linden , Poplar and
j E/w, we killed a rattle fnake, and loon after
found a patch of Cbamerododendron , at 8 we
came to a creek winding from between the

mountains

C 69 1

mountains on the left, then along a level to
another from the right, which we crofted to
our former cabin. Quickly after we reached
a bad hill, where I firft found the Ginfeng in
th's journey, the foil was black and light, with
flat ftones facing the eaft, there we palled by
p, then over a bottom of laurel and pine to a
creek we had feveral times crolfed, when ob-
ftruefed as frequently we were by hills, keep
ing clofe to the water on the flde we were ri-
ding. At 10 we left this creek for the fake
oa Ihorter way than we came, for this pur-
pole we kept a S. courfe to the top of a high
bat very poor hill, which we reached about a qr.
after eleven, and had a profped ftill to a gap
we were to pafs to the river j the northflde of
this hill was cloathed with tall fpruce, while
pine and beech, the top with chefout, ferubby
oak, and hupkle berries, the S. fide with lhrub,
honey fuc Icles Our way was now over a

poor pebble ftoney vale of laurel, Ipruce firr,
pine, chefnut, and huckle berries, to a Run ol
water } where we dined on parched meal
rpixed with water. We left that place at half
an hour after one, and foon found ourlelves
much dill re fled by the broad flat ftones on the
fide of the hill, our way lay over. Our horfes.
could hardly ftand, but even flipt on their fides
on our left a rivulet rufhed from a precipice,
and the mountains were fo fteep and clofe to
;fs fides, that we were oblidged to climb to the

[ 70 ]

top of that on the weft • here we fuffered our
horfes to reft while we gathered huckle berries
to eat, we travelled on the top a good way all
ftony to the point, which was very narrow, and
the flat ftones on each fide turned up like the ridge
of a houfe, this reminded me of Dr. Bur nets
Theory , and his ingenious Hypothecs , to account
for the formation of mountains. The defcent
v/:;-' moderate, the land middling, oak, chelnut
and buckle-berries : we found a Run here and
repofed ourfelves for this night, having lupped
on venifon, fhot by our Indians who left us
on t,he hill that evening. It was fair and plea-
fiant, and tire great green grafs-hopper began
to fing ( Catedidijl ) thefe were the fir ft I ob-
lerved this year. Before day break it began
to rain, it lafted about an hour and then ceaf-
cd. The Indians infilled that was caufed by
the ftones I rolled down a days ago, I told the
Antecoque Indians if their oblervations bad
any truth it fhould have been the day before,
which was remarkably fair. To this he cuningly
replyed, that our Almanacks often prognofti-
rated on a day, and yet the rain did not come
within two days.

i ith , This day, the land produced middling
oak, pitch, pine, and huckleberries, lometimes
pebblesand a fhailow foil. Wedined on venifon
(partly our own, and partly given us by the
Indians) at a deferred town about 7 miles off':
this is called the trench town, from a French

woman

[ 7i ]

woman who married a Delawar Indian, and
conformed to their manners • fhe left fcycral
children behind her, who were now come to
look after their horfes and break the young
ones. It rained very fall for an hour, and in
the mid ft ot it about half a fcore of the
5 Nations , who had been on the back of S.
Carolina to fight the Catawba's , palled very
faft through the town with one poor female
prifoner, they fbouted couragioufly, but we
learnt no particulars of this great enterprize:
about 3 it cleared up, we crofted the creek and
travelled about io miles, moft of the way
good rich land, extenfive bottoms and high
grafs : I faw one lovely white Ly chnus 5 feet
high. Near night it began to rain, and we
made a bark cabin, which kept us prettv dry,
the rain continued all night with thunder.

1 y.h. It cleared up early in the morning. We
moved forward to our hrft cabin, where wc
dined on parched meal, which is dome of the
beft Indians travelling provifion. We had of
it 2 bags, each a gallon,' from the Indians at
Onondago , the preparation of it is thus. They
take the corn and parch it in hot aihes, till
it becomes brown, then clean it, pound it in a
mortar and fift it; this powder is mixt with
fugar. About 1 qr. of a pint, diluted in a pint
of water, is a hearty traveling dinner, when
100 miles from any inhabitants ; about 2 hours
after letina; out we came near the riyer. Here

.5

I 72 ]

5 of us rode over a great rattle fnake unfeen
and unhurt. I perceived him juft as my
mare was over him ; a little further we
faw another juft by us. We travelled till near
fun fet, when i of our Indians were taken
with a bad fit of an ague, this obliged us to
encamp by the river, where our horles had
- excellent food. At about 20 rods from it I faw
a bank much higher up, being near 30 feet
perpendicular above the furface of the water,
raifed gradually to this height by the frequent
floods, which this vveftern branch is much fubject
too. Thus by land continually heaped upon the
firm fand, it is become a ftrong fand bank.

14th, We palled through an old town,
where we found plumbs, peaches, and noble
clufters of large grapes growing, very deep in
fand, left about them by the flood t menti-
oned juft now; a little farther the land was
rich and low, covered with high weeds
and grals, with locuft, linden, walnut and elm,
the higher land with elm and oak. At 1 1
o’clock we reached Shamokin , here we boiled
dumplins and had plenty of water melons ; we
flayed all night.

r j/Z\ Next day by noon we came to Moho-
nyoy, where we flayed dinner, in the afternoon
we rode over fome ftony poor land, then pi-
ney, white oak, and fome middling land.

i6ib, This morning I was entertained with
the Mufical howling of a wolf, which I had

not

I

[ 73 ]

not heard for many years, but my companions
were too faft afleep to hear it, we let out early
and by one had croffed the 3 ridges of the blue
mountains, and the 2 fpruce vales, were the
branches of Swatara ran, and dined in St.
Anthony s Wtldernefs, as Count Zinzendorf has
named it. We mounted again at 2 and climb-
ed up the S. ridge, and at the top let our horf-
es reft, for they were cover’d with fweat. In
the mean time we look’d for water, but found
none, in this learch we found an Indian Squaw
drying buckle berries. This is done by let-
ting 4 forked flicks, in the ground, about 3
or 4 feet high, then others a-crols, over them
the ftalks of our common Jacea or Saratula,
on thefe lie the berries, as malt is fpread on
the hair cloth over the kiln. Underneath fhe
had kindled a fmoke fire, which one of her
children was tending. The quantity of their
buckle berries growing on and between thefe
ridges, is prodigious, the top of the S. ridge is
pretty good land, and affords a fine prolpeef of
the great and fertile vale of Tulf'thocken, the
ridge itfelfis pleafant. When we had refted
ourfelves and our poor tired horles, we lead
them moft of the way for 20 miles, this gave
us an opportunity of gathering what quantity
we pleafed of their berries, tho we eat lather
more than 1 thought we might lately venture
on, yet we found no ill conlequence from our
excels. When we were defeended wc had but

L a miles

[ 74 3

a miles to a houfe, where we lodged, it rained
faft in the evening and great part of the night
itfelf. And we heartily congratulated our-
fclves on the enjoyment of good bread, butter
and milk, in a comfortable houfe, and clean
ftraw to fleep on, free from fleas.

1 yth, Though my mare was fo lame, Ihe had
not ftirred ao yards all night, yet we got this
day by noon to Mr Conrad Vrcij'ars \ but under
the difficulty of carrying my baggage good
part of the way on my back, befides being
fcarcely able to get her along : when lhe came
into the pafture, fhe ftretched herfelf at full
length and role no more for 2.4 hours. In the
afternoon I lpcntmy time on Mr TVei far’s high
hill, Catherine; of leeds: here the great vale
and blue mountains form a lovely profpect.

18 lb, 1 borrowed a horfe of Mr fVe'ijar,
and lot up all night at Mon it as; any.

\yth, Before lunlef, I had the pleafure of
feeing my own ho die and family : I found
them in good health, and with a fincere mind,
I returned thanks to the almighty power,
that, had prderved us all.

In this journev into the heart of a country,
foil in the pofleflion of it’s origiml inha-
bitants : I could not help lometimes to

divert the length ol the way by reflecting
on_ their manners, their comple&ion lo
ditterent from ours, and their Traditions :
thr; led me to conjecture at their origin, or

whence

[ 75 ]

whence they came into America , and at what
time. Perhaps it may be equally hard to dif-
prove or to prove that they were originally-
placed here by the fame creator who made the
world, as foon as this part of it became ha-
bitable, for it is reafonable to fuppole the
almighty power provided for the peopling
of this, as well as of the other fide of tire
globe, by a heritable ftock of the human
lpecies.

However if we are to account for their
palling from what is called the old world,
there are many relations of voyages hither
from the North of Europe, previous to that of
Columbus , which though dark and uncertain,
are neither evidently fabulous, nor even im-
probable from either the length or difficulties
of the way. That the Norwegians , the poi-
feffiors of Iceland, for many ages paft had
colonies in Greenland, is a fail too well
attefted to admit a doubt, from Greenland
the ffiort palfage crofs Dam’s Str eights brings
us into the continent of America. If thcle
colonies be put out of the queftion, it is fcarce
poffible to think, that of the numerous fleets
with which the Danes and Norwegians ter-
rified continually the reft of Europe , none
tempted by the hopes of grin, or drove by llrcf s
of weather, fhould ever fall in with the coalls
of Newfoundland or Gulf b of Si. Lawrence.
If it be objected that the navigators of thole
J tiittes

JL a

•[/*]

times were too unskilful! to attempt fuch a
dilcovery, does it not furnilh us with a reafon
to account for its being made by chance. If
this paftage was ever publickly known, which is
more probable it was not, might not the know-
ledge of it be loft as that to Greenland , and
can we be fure that the Greenland of the Nor-
wegians was not more to the louthward of
that country now fo called. I am not ignor-
ant that thcfe traditions of the Norwegian
colonies, as well as many others to the fame
point, particularly that of prince Madoc has
been treated as meer fiftion • but let us not
forget that Herodotus’s account of the doub-
ling the Cape of Good Hope has been treated fo
Jikewile too, tho’ the faft be now eftabliflied to
the degree of moral certainty.

Again, it is not unlikely but there may be
lind raoft of the way from America to Japan,
at leaft iflands, leparated only by narrow chan-
r els, and in fight, or nearly fo, of one another.
I have been lately informed cf an Indian wo-
man, well known by a perlon in Canada , and
after an interval of many years met again by
the fame perlon in Chinefe Tartary • he could
not be convinced fhe was the fame, till by
difeourie he had with her, Ihe told him, that
being made captive by a neighbouring nation,
fhe had during many years been tranl-
ferred by captivity, fale, or gift, from one
nation to another till die was brought where

he

[ 77 ]

he found her. If this be true it mud be,
Continent moft of the way.

Another manner of peopling this fide of the
earth, particularly S. America, might be by
lome veflels of the Egyptians , Eh/eniciaus, or
Carthaginians being blown off the coaft of
Guinea to that of Brazil , or the Antilles in
their courle, to or from the cape of Good-
Hope \ in which cafe, for want of thole Arts
and Sciences which are not to be found in
America, before it’s plantation by the whites,
and which are leldom to be met with in a
Ihips crew, they mull take to that way of life
our Indians now follow. This conje&ure is tire
more probable, as even in the Hate of perfecti-
on, the art of navigation is now arrived at,
this accident is often unavoidable.

But whatever was their origin, our fix nati-
ons may be now thus characteri fed : they are
a fubtile, prudent, and judicious people in
their councils, indefatigable, crafty, and re-
vengeful in their wars, the men lazy and in-
dolent at home, the women continual flaves,
modeft, very loving, and obedient to their
husbands. As to the natural difpofition of
thefe Nations, they are grave, folid, and dill
in their recreations, as well as in their councils.
The Delawar's and Suj'qnehanah’s, on the
contrary, are very noify in their recreations,
and loud in dilcourfe ; but all when in liquor,
whether men or women, take the liberty of

[ 7* 3

fhouting, finging, and dancing at an extrava-
gant rate, till the operations of the liquor
ceafe •, or being wearied they fall aflcep.

The fix nations enjoy the charadler of
being the raoft warlike people in N. America,
this they have acquired by the uninterrupted
Hate of war, they have continued in probably
near aoo years, and which has been attended
with filch fuccefs, that has made them the dread
of people above 1000 miles diftant. It can-
not however be l'uppofed, but they have fre-
quently met with fevcral checks, efpecially
fince the French affifted all their enemies open-
ly near thefe ioo years pall.

Their wars were formerly carried on with
much more cruelty then of late, their prilon-
ers who had the misfortune to fall into their
hands, being generally tortured to death, now
their numbers being very much diminilhed by
conflant wars, with both diftant and neigh-
bouring nations, and perhaps a good deal part-
ly by the Ipirituous liquors, and dileales the
Europeans have brought among them. They
very politically ftrive to ftrengthen themfelves
not only by alliances with their neighbours,
but the prifoners they take • they are almoft
always accepted by the relations of a warrior
llain in his place, and thus a boy of 15, is
fometimes called father by men of 30. This
naturalizes them of courfe, and unites them
into the tribe the decealcd belonged to. This

cuftom

[7 ? 3 __

cuftom is as antient as our knowledge of them,
but when their number of vvarriours was more
than twice as many as now, the relations would
more frequently refute to adopt the prifoner,
but rather chufe to gratify their thirft of
revenge.

Their religious notions are very confuted
and much mixed with fuperftition. Yet they
feem not only to acknowledge a deity, but e-
ven to worfhip him in unity and lpirit. What
benefits they receive, they afcribe to a di-
vine power. They have ftrange notions
of fpirits, conjuration, and witchcraft : thete
are agreeable to their blindnels, and want of
proper education among them, for I have al-
ways obferved, that the belief of fupernatu-
ral powers in a nreer man, generally prevails
in proportion to a Pcrfon's ignorance.

A Letter from Mr. Kalm, a Gentleman of
Sweden, now on his Travels in America,
to his Friend in Philadelphia • containing a
particular Account of the Great Fall of
Niagara.

S 1 i?, Albany , Sep. a, 1750.

A Fter a pretty long journey made in a fhort
time, I am come back to this town. You
may remember, that when I took my leave of
you, I told you, I would this fummer, if time
permitted, take a view of Niagara Fall,

efteemed

[ So J

cfteemed one of the greatcft curiofities in the
World. When I came laft year from .Quebec,
you enquir’d of me feveral particulars' concern-
ing this fall ; and f told you what I heard of
it in Canada , from feveral French gentlemen
who had been there : but this was flill all
hearfay ; I could not affufe you of the
truth of it, becaufe I had not then feen it
myfeif, and fo it could not fatisfy my own,
much lets your curiofity. Now, fince I have
been on the Ipot,' it is in my power to give
you a more perfect and fatisfactory defeription
of it.

After a fatiguing travel, firft on horleback
thro’ the country of the Six Indian Nairn,
to Qfwego, and from thence in a Canoe upon
lake Ontario, I came on the i ath of Av.ad
m the evening to Niagara fort. The trench
there teemed much perplexed at my firft coni,
ing, imagining I was an Englijh officer,
who under pretext of feeing Niagara Falls,
came with lomc other view j but as loon as I
flrcw d them my palTports, they chang’d their
-behaviour, and recewed me with the greatcft
civility. Niagara Fall is fix French leagues
hona Niagara Fort, you firft go three leagues
by water up Niagara river, and then three
leagues over the carrying place. As it was late
ai 1 * v d at, the Fort, I could not the
lameuay go to. the Fall, bur I prei ’d
• o o i L tuv. next morning. The commandant
. . j of

[ Si ]

of the Fort, Monfr. Beaujon s invited all the
officers and gentlemen there to'fupper with
him. I had read formerly almoft all the
authors that have wrote any thing about this
Fall ; and the laft year in Canada , had
made fo many enquiries about it, that I
thought I had a pretty good Idea of it , and,
now at fupper, requefted the gentlemen to tell
me all they knew and thought worth notice
relating to it , which they accordingly did.

I oblerved that in many things they all
agreed, in fome things they were of different
opinions, of all which I took particular
notice. When they had told me all they
knew, I made feveral queries to them , con-
cerning what I had read and heard of it,
whether luch and fuch a thing was true or,
not? and had their anfwers on every circum-
ftance. But as I have found by experience,
in my other travels, that very few obferve,
nature’s work^with accuracy, or repoit the
truth precifely , I cannot now be entirely latisficd
without feeing with my own eyes whenever
’tis in my power, Accordingly the next
morning, being the 13th of Angujt , at break
of dav^ I fet out for the Fall. The com-
mandant had given orders to two of the
Officers of the Fort to go with me and
ffiew me every thing, and alfo lent by
them an order to Monfr. Jonqueire, who had

liv’d ten vears by the carrying-place and
J . \jt knew

[ 8 * 1

knew every thing worth notice of the Fall,
better than any other perfon, to go with
me, and Ihew and tell me whatever he knew.
A little before we came to the carrying-place,
the water of Niagara River grew lo rapid,
that four men in a light birch canoe, had
much difficulty to get up thither. Canoes can
go half a league above the beginning of the
carrying-place, tho’ they mull work againft
a water extremely rapid • but higher up it is
quite impoffible, the whole courle of the
water for two leagues and a half up to the great
Fall, being a leries of fmaller Falls, one under
another, in which the greatelt canoe or Battoe
would in a moment be turn’d upfide down.
We went afhore therefore, and walk’d over
the carrying-place, having bcfides the high
and fteep fide of the river, two great hills to
afcend one above the other. Here on the
carrying-place I faw above aoo Indians , moft
of them belonging to the Six Nations, buly in
carrying packs of furs, chiefly of deer and
bear, over the carrying-place. You would
be furpriz’d to lee what abundance of thele
things are brought every day over this place.
An Indian gets 20 pence for ever pack he
carries over, the diftance being three leagues.
Half an hour pafl: 10 in the morning we came
to the great Fall, which I found as follows,
to the river (or rather flrait,)runs here from
S. S. E. to N. N. W and the rocks of the preat

Fall

- [ §3 ]

Fall crofies it, not in a right line; but form-
ing almoft the figure of a femicircle or horfe
flioe. Above the Fall, in the middle of the
river is an illand, lying alfo S. S. E. and
N. N. W. or parallel with the fides of the
river; its length is about 7 or 8 french arpents
(an arpent being 180 feet.) the lower end of
this Illand is juft at the perpendicular edge of
the Fall. On both fides of this illand runs all
the water that comes from the lakes of Canada ,
viz. Lake Superior , lake Mifchigan , lake
Huron , and lake Erie, which you know are
rather fimall leas than lakes, and have befides
a great many large rivers that empty their
water in them, of which the greateft part comes
down this Niagara Fall. Before the water
comes to this illand, it runs but llowly, com-
par’d with its motion when it approaches
the illand, where it grows the moll rapid
water in the World, runing with a [furprizing
fwiftnefs before it comes to the Fall; it is
quite white, and in many places is thrown
high up into the air ! The greateft and ftrongeft
battoes would here in a moment be turn’d
over and over. The water that goes down on
the weft fide of the illand, is more rapid, in
greater abundance, whiter, and leems almoft
to outdo an arrow in fwiftnefs. When you arc
at the Fall, and look up the river, you may
fee, that the river above the Fall is every
where exceeding fteep, almoft a$ the fide of a
M 3 hill

JAAAAAJJa.

[S 4 ]

hill. When all this water comes to the very
Fall, there it throws itlelf down perpen-
dicular ! It is beyond all belief the furprize
when you lee this ! I cannot with words,
exprelshow amazing.it is! You cannot fee
it without being, quite terrified ; to behold
lb vaft a quantity of water falling headlong
from a lurprifing height ! I doubt not
but you have a defire to learn the exaft
height of this great Fall. Father Hennepin,
fuppoles it 600 Feet 'perpendicular ; but
he has gained little credit ‘in Canada ; the
name of honour they give hini' there, is un
grand Merit cur, or The great Liar ; he writes
of what he law in places where he never was.
tis true he law this Fall .• but as it is the way
of fome travellers to magnify every thing, lo
has he done with regard to the fall of Nia-
gara. This humour of travellers, has occa-
fioned me many difappointments in my tra-
vels, having leldom been fo happy as to find
the wonderful things that had been related by
others. For n:y prarf, who am not fond of
the Marvellous, I like to fee things juft as
they are, and fo to relate them. Since Father
Hennepin’ s time, this Fall by all the accounts
that have been given of it, has grown lefs and
lefs ; and thole who have mca lur’d it with
mathematical infhumersts find the perpendi-
cular fall of the water to he cxadlly / 37 f cc! - f
Mooli. Mordndrier , the king’s engineer in

Canada ,

[ 85 1

Canada, a flu red me, and gave it me alio under
his hand, that 137 Feet was precilely the
height of it- and all the French Gentlemen
that were prelent with me at the Fall, did
agree with him, without the leaft contradi&ion :
it is true, thole who have try’d to meafure it
with a line, find it lbmetimes 140, fometimes
150 feet, and lbmetimes more ; but the realbn
is, it cannot that way be mealured with any
certainty, the water carrying away the

Line.- When the water is come down to

the bottom of the rock of the Fall, it jumps
back to a very great heighth in the air - in
other places it is white as milk or fnow, and

all in motion like a boiling chaldron. You

may remember, to what a great diftance He-
nepn fays the nolle of this great Fall may be
heard. Ail the gentlemen who were with
me, agreed, that the iart heft one can hear if,
is 1 5*" leagues, and that very feldom. When
the air is quite calm, you can hear it to Nia-
gara Fort • but feldom at other times, becaufe
when the wind blows, the waves of Lake
Ontario make too much node there againft

the Shore. They inform’d me, that when

they hear at the Fort the noife of the Fall,
louder than ordinary, they are fare a iNoith
Fall Wind will follow, which never fails:
this leems wonderful, as the Fali is South Weft
from the Fort : and one would imagine it to
be rather a fign of a contrary wind. Some-
times,

[ 8 *]

times, ’tis faid, the Fall makes a much greater
noife than at other times ; and this is look’d up-
on as a certain mark of approaching bad wea-
ther, or rain ; the Indians here hold it always
for a fure fign. When I was there, it did not
make an extraordinary great noife : juft by
the Fall, we could eafily hear what each other V
laid, without fpeaking much louder than com-
mon when converfing in other places. I do
not know how others have found fo great a
noife here, perhaps it was at certain times,
as abovementioncd. From the Place where
the water falls, there rile abundance of vapours,
like the greateft and thickeft fmoak, fome-
times more, fometimes lefs: thefe vapours
rife? high in the air when it is calm, but are
difpers’d by the wind when it blows hard. \
If you go nigh to this vapour or fog, or if
the wind blows it on you, it is fo penetrat-
ing, that in a few minutes you will be as wet
as if you had been under water. I got two
young Frenchmen to go down, to bring me
from the fide of the Fall at the bottom, lome
of each of the feveral kinds of herbs , ftones
and fhells they fhould find there; they re-
turned in a few minutes, and I really thought
they had fallen into the water : they were
obliged to ftrip themfelves quite naked, and
hang their clothes in the fun to dry. When
you are on the other Eaft fide of the Lake
Ontario , a great many leagues from the Fall,

YOU

[ «7 ]

you may, every clear and calm morning lee
the vapours of the Fall riling in the air ; you
would think all the woods thereabouts were let
on fire by the Indians , fo great is the apparent
fmoak. In the lame manner you may lee it on
the Weft fide of the lake Erie , a great many
leagues off.

Several of the French gentlemen told me,
that when birds come flying into this fog or
fmoak of the fall, they fall down and perifh in
the Water; either becaufe their wings are be-
come wet, or that the noile of the fall aftonifh-
es them, and they know not were to go in the
Dark : but others were of opinion, that
feldom or never any bird perilhes there in that
manner; becaufe, as they all agreed, among
the abundance of birds found dead below the
fall, there are no other forts then fuch as live
and fivim frequently in the water ; as fwans,
geefe, ducks, water-hens, teal, and the like.
And very often great flocks of them are feen
going to deftruciion in this manner : they fwim
in the river above the fall, and fo are carried
down lower and lower by the water , and as
water-fowl commonly take great delight in
being carry’d with the ftream, lo here they in-
dulge themfelves in enjoying this pleafure fo
lon^, till the fwiftnefs of the water becomes fo
great, that ’tis no longer poflible for them to
rife but they are driven down the precipice,
and perifh- They are oblery’d when they

draw

[ SS J

draw nigh the fall, to endeavour with all their
might, to take wing and leave the water, but
they cannot. In the months of September and
Ocfobcr, fuch abundant quantities of dead wa-
terfowl are found every morning below the
Fall, on the fhore, that the garrifon of the fort
for a long time live chiefly upon them • befides
the fowl, they find alfb ieverai forts of dead
fifh, all'o deer, bears, and other animals which
have tried to crofs the water above the fall ;
the larger animals are generally found broken
to pieces. Juft below the fill the water is not
rapid, but goes all in circles and whirls like a
boiling pot ; which however doth not hinder the
Indians going upon it in finall canoes a ft thing;
but a little lower begins the lmaller fall.
When you are above the fall, and look down,
your head begins to turn: the French who have
been here ioo times, will feldom venture to
look down, without at the lame time keeping
fall hold of lome tree with one hand.

It was formerly thought impoffible for any
body living to come at the Iftand that is in
the middle of the fall : but an accident that
happen’d 1 1 years ago, or thereabouts, made it
appear othervvile. The hiftory is this. Two
Indians of the Six Nations went out from
Niagara fort, to hunt upon an illand that is
in the middle of the river, or ftrait, above the
great fall, on which there uled to be abundance
of dccr. They took lome French brandy with

them

[ Sc; 1

them, from the fort, which they tailed feveral
times as they were going over the carrying
place ; and when they were in the canoe,
they took now and then a dram, and fo went
along up the ftrait towards the Ifland where
they propos’d to hunt but growing, fleepy,
they laid themfelves down in the canoe, which
getting loole drove back with the ftream, far-
ther and farther down till it came nigh that
ifland that is in the middle of the fall. Here
one of them, awakened by the noife of the fall,
cries out to the other, that they were gone !
yet they try’d if poflible tolavelife. This ifland
was nigheft, and with much working they p
on fnore there. At far ft they were glad;
when they had confider’d every thing, they
thought themfelves hardly in a better ftale
than if they had gone down the fall, fince they
had now no other choice, than ei her to throw
themfelves down the fame, or to perilh with
hunger. But hard neceffity put them on in-
vention. At the lower end of the ifland the
rock is perpendicular, and no* water is running
there. This ifland has plenty of wood they
went to work direaiy and made a ladder or
fhrouds of the bark of lindentree, ( winch ,s
very tough and ftrong, ) fo long till they
could with it reach the water below one end
of this bark ladder they bed 68 to a great
tree that grew at the fide of the rock a-
h/v.e' the 'tali, and let the other end down

C JO 1

to the water. So they went down along
their new-invented flairs, and when they came
to the bottom in the middle of the fall,
they refted a little ; and as the water next
below the fall is not rapid, as beforementi-
oned, they threw themfelves out into if,
thinking to fvvim on fhore. I have faid be-
fore, that one part of the fall is on one fide
of the iiland, the other on the other fide.
Hence it is, that the waters of the two ca-
taracts running againft each other, turn back
againft the rock that is juft under the ifland.
Therefore, hardly had the Indians began to
fwim, before the waves of the eddy threw
them with violence againft the rock from
whence they came. They tried it fcveral
times, but at laft grew weary; and being
often thrown againft the rock they were
much bruis'd, and the skin of their bodies
torn in many places. So they w^ere oblig’d
to climb up their flairs again to the ifland, not
knowing what to do. After lome time they
perceived Indians on the fhore, to whom they
cried out. Thele law and pity’d them, but
gave them little hopes of help.- yet they made
hafte down to the fort, and told the comman-
der where two of their brethren were. He
perfuaded them to try all pollible means of
relieving the two poor Indians ; and it was
done in this manner. The water that runs on
the eaft fide of this ifland is ihallovv, eipecially

a

[ 5 >‘ ]

a little above the illand towards the eaflera
Ihore. The commandant cauled poles to be
made and pointed with iron : two Indians
determined to walk to this illand by the
help of thele poles, to fave the other poor
creatures, or perifh thcmfelves. They took
leave of all their friends as if they were going
to death. Each had two fuch poles in his
hands, to fet againft the bottom of the ftream,
to keep them heady. So they went and got
to the illand, and having given poles to the
two poor Indians there, they all returned lafely
to the main. Thole two Indians who in the
above mentioned manner were firft brought to
this illand, are yet alive. They were nine
days on the illand, and almoftftarved to death.*
— Now lince the way to this illand has been
found, the Indians go there often to kill deer,
which having tried to crofs the river above the
fall, were driven upon the illand by the
llream : but if the King of France would give
me all Canada , i would not venture to go
to this ijland ; and were you to fee it, Sir, I
am lure you would have the lame lentiment.
On the weft fide of this illand are fome lmall
i {lands or rocks of no confequence. The eaft

* Thefa Indians had better fortune than to or 12 Uttnvaiva's
who attempting to efcape here the purfuit of their Enemies
of the Six Nations, were carried down the Cataraft, by the

violence of the ftream and every one perifhed. No part

even of their Canoe being ever feen again.

N 1

fide

[ 9 > 1

r ic of" the river is nearly perpendicular, the
weft fide more Hoping. In former times a
part of the rock at the Fall which is on the
weft fide of the ifland, hung over in fuch a
manner, that the water which fell perpendi-
cularly from it, left a vacancy below, lo that
people could go under between the rock and
the water ; but the prominent part fome yedrs
fince broke off and fell down ; fo that there
is now no polfibility of going between the
falling water and the rock, as the water now

runs dole to it all the way down. The

breadth of the P'all, as it runs into a femicircle,
is reckon’d to be about 6 Arpents. The ifland
is in the middle of the Fall, and from it to
each fide is almoft the fame breadth : the
breadth of the ifland at its lower end is two

thirds of an Arpent, or thereabouts. -Below

the Fall in the holes of the rocks, are great
plenty of Eels, which the Indians and French
catch with their hands without other means ;
I lent down two Indian boys, who directly

came up with about twenty fine ones.

Every day, when the Sun fhines, you fee here
from io o’clock in the morning to 2 in the
afternoon, below the Fall, and under you,
when you Hand at the fide over the Fall, a
glorious rainbow and fometimes two rainbows,
one within the other.

I was

[ 93 ]

I was fo happy to be at the Fall on a fine
clear day, and it was with great delight I
view’d this rainbow, which had almoft all
the colours you fee in a rainbow in the air.
The more vapours, the brighter and clearer
is the rainbow. I faw it on the Eaft fide of
the Fall in the bottom under the place where
I flood, but above the water. When the
wind carries the vapours from that place, the
rainbow is gone, but appears again as foon as
new vapours come. From the Fall to the
landing above the Fall, where the canoes from
Lake Erie put on Ihore, (or from the Fall to
the upper end of the carrying-place) is half a
mile. Low r er the canoes dare not come, left:
they fhould be obliged to try the fate of the

two Indians, and perhaps with lefs fuccefs.

They have often found below the Fall pieces
of human bodies, perhaps of drunken Indians,
that have unhappily came down the Fall. I
was told at OJwego , that in October , or there-
abouts, fuch plenty of feathers are to be found
here below the Fall/that a man in a days
time can gather enough of them for feveral
beds, which feathers they faid came off the
birds kill’d at the Fall. I ask’d the French ,
if this was true ? They told me they had never
feen any fuch thing \ but that if the feathers
were pick’d off the dead birds, there might
be fuch a quantity. The French told me,
they had often thrown whole great trees into

[ 94 ]

the water above, to fee them tumble down
the Fall. They went down with furprifing
fwiftnefs, but could never be feen afterwards ;
whence it was thought there was a bottomlefs
deep or abyfs juft under the Fall. lam alfo
of Opinion, that there muft be a vaft deep
here; yet I think if they had watched very
well, they might have found the trees at fome
diftance below the Fall. The rock of the
Fall conftfts of a grey limeftone.

Here you have, Sir, a fhortbutexa&defcrip’
tion of this famous Niagara cataract : you may
depend on the truth of what I write. You
muft excufe me if you find in my acccount,
no extravagant wonders. I cannot make na-
ture othervvife than I find it. I had rather it
Should be faid of me in time to come, that
I related things as they were, and that all is
found to agree with my Delcription ; than to
be efteem'd a falle Relater. I have feen
fome other things in this my journey, an ac-
count of which I know would gratify your
curiofity ; but time at prefent will not permit
me to write more; and I hope Shortly to
fee you. I am, &c.

REFER KALM.

F I N 1 S.

r'

AMNH LIBRARY