MOHICANS.

The Mo-hee-con-neughs (or Mohicans) are now almost extinct, though the "last of the Mohicans," as far as purity of blood is concerned, may be said to have expired some years ago. They are a remnant of the celebrated tribe of Pequots, in Massachusetts, having separated from them, owing to quarrels arising out of their wars with the whites.

ONEIDAS.

These exist only as remnants-small-pox and whisky, as elsewhere, having done their work among them. The few who remain are living in Wisconsin.

THE TUSKARORAS

were also another of the tribes which composed the confederacy of the six nations, but are now almost extinct.

SENECAS.

This tribe is still, to some extent, living on reservations in the State of New York,* along with the Tuskaroras, Onondagas, Cayugas, and the remnants of a few other tribes. Most of them are of mixed blood, and all partially civilised. They are good farmers, and some of their young men have followed various civilised pursuits. In one of the last reports sent me by their agent, I find that at their meetings various gentlemen belonging to the learned professions spoke as members of these tribes, and that "Henry Silverheels, Esq.," is "President of the Seneca nation, Irving, Chautaugue County, New York."

At one time they lived on the banks of the Seneca and Cayuga lakes, but as civilisation advanced they repeatedly bargained away their lands. When first known to the civilised world. the Senecas numbered 8,000 or 10,000, and from their position in the centre of the State of New York hold an important place in history. As one of the confederacy of the six nations (composed of the Senecas, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Mohawks, and Tuskaroras) they

Some removed to Canada some eighty or ninety years ago, while others emigrated, "under treaty," to the westward of the Mississippi. That these people have not yet altogether abandoned their ancient customs may be inferred from what a western paper published at St. Louis tells us in regard to their dances :-"These dances occur four times a year at stated periods, and are unlike anything of the kind to be found among other civilised tribes. The four dances are called the 'dog-dance,' the 'strawberry-dance,' the 'green corn-dance,' and the ‘breaddance,' each one lasting from a week to ten days. The dog-dance occurs in January, and is the grandest dance of the year. A white dog, as near spotless as can be found, is first carefully fattened and then hanged to some convenient tree. The whole tribe then assemble round the suspended animal and offer up the sacrifice to the Great Father. It is a matter of etiquette that the chiefs and dignitaries of the tribe should appear in "full dress" on the occasion. After the dirge is finished, the chief adorns the dog's nose, cars, and joints with gaudy ribbons. The people then disperse, but the dog hangs on the tree three days longer, when the whole tribe again assemble round him; fires are lighted to heal the sick and afflicted, and the time is beguiled by dancing, singing, and smoking. After a while the first chief cats the dog down, and then each member of the tribe comes forward and throws a bunch of ribbons on hin until he is completely covered. This done, they build a fire over him, and when that dies out everybody goes up and snuffs the smoke from the ashes to ensure future prosperity. The ceremony completed, all solemnity disappears, and jollity is the order of the day. There are always a goodly number of white spectators-men and women-who join with the Indians in their feast and dancing as wildly as any of the redskins."

carried victory, terror, and dismay wherever they warred, even into Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Carolinas. But a greater than they came with the white men. They soon got decimated and powerless before whisky and small-pox.

SHAWNEES

(or Shawanos) are closely connected with the history of the United States, and especially with that of the revolution. They once inhabited a great part of the States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and parts of the States of Ohio and Indiana, but are now living to the west of the Missouri, alongside the Delawares. They were once a brave and powerful people. The celebrated Tecumesh was a chief of this tribe. He had purposed had not death cut short his plans, to have enlisted in one great army, powerful enough to drive back the whites, all the Indian tribes from Mexico to the great lakes. Had he been successful in forming this confederacy, doubtless for a time it would have inflicted great carnage, and added another to the many sickening chapters of Indian warfare in the United States. The Shawnees have made considerable progress in the arts of civilisation, and I was presented with some copies of a monthly periodical published in their language, called the Shauwanone Kesauthwan (Shawnee Sun).

THE CHEROKEES.

The name of this people is sometimes, among those unacquainted with the history of the Indian race, looked upon as synonymous with savagedom. "As uncouth as a Choctaw or Cherokee," is a phrase used not uncommonly in English journalism. Unfortunately, however, for the truth of this idea, the people mentioned are now, perhaps, the most civilised of all the tribes in North America. Originally they inhabited the State of Georgia, but they are now located not far from Fort Gibson, on the Arkansas. They numbered a few years ago about 22,000, and afford an instance of an aboriginal people not getting much reduced in number. Possibly they may be now about 20,000, or even more. They own a large tract of land, and are well advanced in the arts of civilisation; some of them are even wealthy. Numerous salt springs are owned and worked by them, and two lead mines are (or were recently) owned and worked by the same people.

Their cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep are numerous, and of good quality, while on their farms are the best agricultural implements. Several have as much as 500 or 600 acres under cultivation, and until recently they owned a great many negro slaves. Numbers of looms are worked by them, and all are now clad in articles of civilised manufacture. Their houses are well built of wood, and furnished plainly but well-quite equal to those of the white people in their immediate neighbourhood. There are several native merchants and physicians, though I believe the law has as yet, fortunately or unfortunately, no representative among this latest desertion from barbarism. Hotels of a comfortable character are found throughout their territory. They have also a regular though simple form of government, modelled on that of the United States. When first the Indians were visited by Europeans none of them had any written language—unless, indeed, we except the hieroglyphics known as picture-writing, which we shall presently notice; but now they have also one or more printingpresses, in which various books and newspapers are printed, not only in the Cherokee language, but in the Cherokee character, which was invented some years ago by a Cherokee Indian-or

rather half-breed-named Sequoyah, alias George Guess. This man did not, until a year or two before he conceived the notion of his alphabet, understand a single letter. He was a poor man, living in a retired part of the nation, and accordingly when he told the chiefs that he could "make a book," he was severely reprimanded for his blasphemous vanity. "It was impossible," they said; "the Great Spirit at first made a red and a white boy; to the red boy he gave a book, and to the white boy a bow and arrows; but the white boy came round the red boy, stole his book, and went off, leaving him the bow and arrows, and therefore an Indian could not make a book." George Guess was of a different opinion, the sages and the traditions notwithstanding. "He shut himself up to study; his corn was left to weeds, and he was pronounced a crazy man by his tribe. His wife thought so too, and burnt up his manuscripts whenever she could lay her hands on them. But he persevered. He first attempted to form a character for every word in the Cherokee language, but was forced to abandon it. He then set about discovering the number of sounds in the language, which he found to be sixty-eight, and for each of these he adopted a character, which forms the alphabct, and these characters, combined like letters form words. Having accomplished this, he called together six of his neighbours and said, 'Now I can make a book.' They did not believe him. To convince them he asked each of them to make a speech, which he wrote down as they spoke, and then read to them, so that each knew his own speech, and they then acknowledged he could make a book; and from the invention of this great man the Cherokees have become a reading people." Such is the account given us by one of themselves. The Cherokee language contains twelve consonants and six vowels, with a nasal sound, ung. Multiplying, then, the twelve consonants by the six vowels, and adding the vowels which occur singly, he acquired seventy-seven characters, to which he added eight-representing the sounds, 8, ka, hna, nah, ta, te, ti, tla— making altogether eighty-five characters. This alphabet is superior to the English one, though not applicable to other languages. Though the characters in this alphabet are more numerous than in the Roman one, yet a Cherokee boy will learn to read by means of it in two months; while if ordinary letters were used he would take two years to do so.* The Cherokees thus stand alone among modern nations in having invented an alphabet. The only approach to this feat of George Guess is in the invention of the stenographic code of signs, which, indeed, is something very similar in idea to the Cherokee alphabet. Can civilisation commence from within; must it not always come from without? has been a hotly-contested question among philosophers. Does the story of George Guess, the Cherokee Cadmus, and his alphabet, add anything to the solution of the problem?

CHOCTAWS.

This, like the former tribe, is practically civilised. They have well-cultivated farms, large quantities of live stock, several flour-mills, cotton-gins, looms, and abundance of farming utensils. The "Choctaw Nation," as the tribe styles itself, has, like the Cherokees, a written constitution, very similar to that of the United States. Into the Choctaw nation have become merged the Chickasaws, who may now be ranked as members of the same nation. White men, who have married Choctaw or Cherokee women, are eligible for admission into this

*Lubbock, "Origin of Civilisation," p. 332.

confederacy, supposing that their characters will bear investigation. Many have availed themselves of this privilege (sic), but exercise by no means a controlling influence over the people, who, rightly remembering the somewhat dubious character of the frontier whites, keep these admirers of an aboriginal form of government at a safe distance from the public treasury. Like the Cherokees, the Choctaws were, during the late civil war, divided in their allegiance; regiments of their young men being in both armies, but in every case acquitting themselves well.

CREEKS (OR MUSKOGEES).

Until recently this tribe occupied a large extent of country in Mississippi and Alabama; but their present lands are near the Canadian River, adjoining those of the Cherokees. They are also semi-civilised, but have not so perfect a government as the Cherokees or Choctaws. The

Creeks are good agriculturists and also owned slaves. Like all the tribes mentioned, most of them are, nominally at least, Christians.

SEMINOLES.

The people composing this powerful tribe originally inhabited Florida, but were only removed beyond the Mississippi after a most sanguinary struggle, costing the United States Government some thirty-six million dollars and an infinitely greater amount of dishonour.* Since then small-pox has thinned their ranks, and they are now united with the Creeks.

The Government actually hunted them with bloodhounds imported for the purpose, a course adopted by the Minnesota State Government a few years ago against the Sioux, for whose scalps rewards were given, just as rewards were given for the heads of wolves. France also hunted the natives with bloodhounds in St. Domingo, and the atrocities of the Spaniards against the wretched Indians are a disgrace to that unhappy nation. Comment on the facts stated in this note would be useless, even if called for; the nineteenth century is of course an "enlightened and humane age."

The Osages, Kaskaskias, Weeahs, Potowatomies, Quapaws, Peorias, Kauzaus, Sauks, Foxes, Puncahs, &c., are the names of the other less important or smaller tribes located in the Indian country.

THE CIVILISATION OF THE INDIANS.

Does the condition of these semi-civilised tribes hold out any hope of the eventual civilisation of the remnant of the aboriginal American races still existing? With sorrow I am compelled,

after studying the question anxiously and thoughtfully, under peculiarly excellent circumstances for arriving at a sound conclusion, to give an answer in the negative. Independently of the fact that more than one-half of these semi-civilised Indians are half-breeds, they are in their habits entirely different from the vast number of the Indians of the plains and north-west. The north-eastern tribes have always been a stationary people, and have from time immemorial cultivated maize and other vegetables to a small extent. The other tribes have done no such thing, and any attempts to make them take to agriculture only show, by the paucity and barrenness of the examples of success, how utter is the failure. The prairie Indian must