eankke, which signifies coward and slave. This epithet of yankee was bestowed upon the inhabitants of N. England by the Virginians, for not assisting them in a war with the Cherokees, and they have always been held in derision by it. But the name has been more prevalent since [1775] the commencement of hostilities; the soldiery at Boston used it as a term of reproach; but after the affair at Bunker's Hill, the Americans gloried in it. Yankee-doodle is now their pean, a favorite of favorites, played in their army, esteemed as warlike as the grenadier's march—it is the lover's spell, the nurse's lullaby. After our rapid successes, we held the yankees in great contempt; but it was not a little mortifying to hear them play this tune, when their army marched down to our surrender."* But Mr. Heckewelder thinks that the Indians, in endeavoring to pronounce the name English, could get that sound no nearer than these letters give it, yengees. This was perhaps the true origin of Yankee.

A singular Stratagem to escape Torture." Some years ago the Shawano Indians, being obliged to remove from their habitations, in their way took a Muskoge warrior, known by the name of old Scrany, prisoner; they bastinadoed him severely, and condemned him to the fiery torture. He underwent a great deal without showing any concern; his countenance and behavior were as if he suffered not the least pain. He told bis persecutors with a bold voice, that he was a warrior; that he had gained most of his martial reputation at the expense of their nation, and was desirous of showing them, in the act of dying, that he was still as much their superior, as when he headed his gallant countrymen: that although he had fallen into their hands, and forfeited the protection of the divine power by some impurity or other, when carrying the holy ark of war against his devoted enemies, yet he had so much remaining virtue as would enable him to punish himself more exquisitely than all their despicable ignorant crowd possibly could; and that he would do so, if they gave him liberty by untying him, and handing him one of the red hot gun-barrels out of the fire. The proposal, and his method of address, appeared so exceedingly bold and uncommon, that his request was granted. Then suddenly seizing one end of the red-hot barrel, and, brandishing it from side to side, leaped down a prodigious steep and high bank into a branch of the river, dived through it, ran over a small island, and passed the other branch, amidst a shower of bullets; and though numbers of his enemies were in close pursuit of him, he got into a bramble swamp through which, though naked and in a mangled condition, he reached his own country."

An unparalleled Case of Suffering.-"The Shawano Indians captured a warrior of the Anantoocah nation, and put him to the stake, according to their usual cruel solemnities: having unconcernedly suffered much torture, he told them, with scorn, they did not know how to punish a noted enemy; therefore he was willing to teach them, and would confirm the truth of his assertion if they allowed him the opportunity. Accordingly he requested of them a pipe and some tobacco, which was given him; as soon as he had lighted it, he sat down, naked as he was, on the women's burning torches, that were within his circle, and continued smoking his pipe without the least discomposure: On this a head warrior leaped up, and said, they saw plain enough that he was a warrior, and not afraid of dying, nor should he have died, only that he was both spoiled by the fire, and devoted to it by their laws; however, though he was a very dangerous enemy, and his nation a treacherous people, it should be seen that they paid a regard to bravery, even in one who was marked with war streaks at the cost of many of the lives of their beloved kindred; and then by

* This derivation is almost as ludicrous as that given by Irving in his Knickerbocker.

way of favor, he with his friendly tomahawk instantly put an end to all his pains."*.

Ignorance the Offspring of absurd Opinions. The resolution and courage of the Indians, says Col. Rogers, "under sickness and pain, is truly surprising. A young woman will be in labor a whole day without uttering one groan or cry; should she betray such a weakness, they would immediately say, that she was unworthy to be a mother, and that her offspring could not fail of being cowards."+

A Northern Custom.-When Mr. Hearne was on the Coppermine River, in 1771, some of the Copper Indians in his company killed a number of Esquimaux, by which act they considered themselves unclean; and all concerned in the murder were not allowed to cook any provisions, either for themselves or others. They were, however, allowed to eat of others' cooking, but not until they had painted, with a kind of red earth, all the space between their nose and chin, as well as a greater part of their cheeks, almost to their ears. Neither would they use any other dish, or pipe, than their own.‡

Another Pocahontas.-While Lewis and Clarke were on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, in 1805, one of their men went one evening into a village of the Killamuk Indians, alone, a small distance from his party, and on the opposite side of a creek from that of the encampment. A strange Indian happened to be there also, who expressed great respect and love for the white man; but in reality he meant to murder him for the articles he had about him. This happened to come to the knowledge of a Chinnook woman, and she determined at once to save his life: therefore, when the white man was about to return to his companions, the Intian was going to accompany him, and kill him in the way. As they were about to set out, the woman caught the white man by the clothes, to prevent his going with the Indian. He, not understanding her intention, pulled away from her; but as a last resort, she ran out and shrieked, which raised the men in every direction; and the Indian became alarmed for his own safety, and made his escape before the white man knew he had been in danger.

Self-command in Time of Danger.-There was in Carolina a noted chief of the Yamoisees, who, in the year 1702, with about 600 of his countrynen, went with Col. Daniel and Col. Moore against the Spaniards in Florida. His name was Arratommakaw. When the English were obliged to abandon their undertaking, and as they were retreating to their boats, they became alarmed, supposing the Spaniards were upon them. Arratommakaw, having arrived at the boats, was reposing himself upon his Dars, and was fast asleep. The soldiers rallied him for being so slow in his retreat, and ordered him to make more haste: "But he replied, 'NoThough your GOVERNOR LEAVES YOU, I WILL NOT STIR TILL I HAVE

SEEN ALL MY MEN BEFORE ME.'

Indifference.—ARCHIHAU was a sachem of Maryland, whose residence vas upon the Potomack, when that country was settled by the English in 1633-4. The place of his residence was named, like the river, PotoInack. As usual with the Indians, he received the English under Gov. Calvert with great attention. It should be noted, that Archihau was not head sachem of the Potomacks, but governed instead of his nephew, was a child, and who, like the head men of Virginia, was called werowance. From this place the colonists sailed 20 leagues farther up the river, to a place called Piscattaway. Here a werowance went on board the govern

who

The two preceding relations are from Long's Voyages and Travels, 72 and 73, a book. of small pretensions, but one of the best on Indian history. Its author lived among the Indians of the N. West, as an Indian trader, about 19 years.

t Concise Account of N. America, 212.

Journey to the Northern Ocean, 205.

or's pinnace, to treat with him. On being asked whether he was willing the English should settle in his country, in case they found a place convenient for them, he made answer, "I will not bid you go, neither will I bid you stay, but you may use your own discretion."*

Their Notions of the Learning of the Whites.-At the congress at Lancaster, in 1744, between the government of Virginia and the Five Nations, the Indians were told that, if they would send some of their young men to Virginia, the English would give them an education at their college, An orator replied to this offer as follows:-"We know that you highly esteem the kind of learning taught in those colleges, and that the maintenance of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced, therefore, that you mean to do us good by your proposal, and we thank you heartily. But you who are wise must know, that different nations have different conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same with yours. We have had some experience of it: several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were instructed in all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad runners; ignorant of every means of living in the woods; unable to bear either cold or hunger; knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy; spoke our language imperfectly; were therefore neither fit for hunters, warriors, or counsellors; they were totally good for nothing. We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we decline accepting it: and to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take great care of their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them.Ӡ

Success of a Missionary.—Those who have attempted to Christianize the Indians complain that they are too silent, that their obsequiousness is the greatest difficulty with which they have to contend. Their notions of propriety upon matters of conversation are so nice, that they deem it improper, in the highest degree, even to deny or contradict any thing that is said, at the time; and hence the difficulty of knowing what effect any thing has upon their minds at the time of delivery. In this they have a proper advantage; for how often does it happen that people would answer very differently upon a matter, were they to consider upon it but a short time! The Indians never answer a matter of importance the same day, lest, in so doing, they should be thought to have treated it as though it was of small consequence. We oftener repent of a hasty decision, than that we have lost time in maturing our judgments. Now for the anecdote; and as it is from the Essays of Dr. Franklin, we wish to hear it told in his own way.

"A Swedish minister, having assembled the chiefs of the Susquehannahı Indians, made a sermon to thein, acquainting them with the principal historical facts on which our religion is founded; such as the fall of our first parents by eating an apple; the coming of Christ to repair the mischief; his miracles and sufferings, &c.-When he had finished, an Indian orator stood up to thank him. 'What you have told us,' said he, 'is all very good. It is indeed bad to eat apples. It is better to make them al into cider. We are much obliged by your kindness in coming so far to tell us those things, which you have heard from your mothers.'

"When the Indian had told the missionary one of the legends of his nation, how they had been supplied with maize or corn, beans and tobacco, he treated it with contempt, and said, 'What I delivered to you were sacred truths; but what you tell me is mere fable, fiction and falsehood.'

* Oldmixon, [Hist. Maryland.]

t Franklin's Essays.

The Indian felt indignant, and replied, 'My brother, it seems your friends have not done you justice in your education; they have not well instructed you in the rules of common civility. You say that we, who understand and practise those rules, believe all your stories: why do you refuse to believe ours ?' "

Curiosity." When any of the Indians come into our towns, our people are apt to crowd round them, gaze upon them, and incommode them where they desire to be private; this they esteem great rudeness, and the effect of the want of instruction in the rules of civility and good manners. 'We have,' say they, as much curiosity as you, and when you come into our towns, we wish for opportunities of looking at you; but for this purpose we hide ourselves behind bushes where you are to pass, and never intrude ourselves into your company.'

Rules of Conversation." The business of the women is to take exact notice of what passes, imprint it in their memories, (for they have no writing,) and communicate it to their children. They are the records of the council, and they preserve tradition of the stipulations in treaties a hundred years back; which, when we compare with our writings, we always find exact. He that would speak rises. The rest observe a profound silence. When he has finished, and sits down, they leave him five or six minutes to recollect, that, if he has omitted any thing he intended to say, or has any thing to add, he may rise again, and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in common conversation, is reckoned highly indecent. How different this is from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where scarce a day passes without some confusion, that makes the speaker hoarse in calling to order; and how different from the mode of conversation in many polite companies of Europe, where, if you do not deliver your sentence with great rapidity, you are cut off in the middle of it by the impatient loquacity of those you converse with, and never suffered to finish it!"-Instead of being better since the days of Franklin, we apprehend it has grown worse. The modest and unassuming often find it exceeding difficult to gain a hearing at all. Ladies, and many who consider themselves examples of good manners, transgress to an insufferable degree, in breaking in upon the conversations of others. Some of these, like a ship driven by a north-wester, bearing down the small craft in her course, come upon us by surprise, and if we attempt to proceed by raising our voices a little, we are sure to be drowned by a much greater elevation on their part. It is a want of good breeding, which, it is hoped, every young person whose eye this may meet, will not be guilty of through life. There is great opportunity for many of mature years to profit by it.

Singular Fraud.-The following story, M. Bayard says,* was told him by Corn-planter. We have often heard a similar one, and as often a new origin; but never before that it originated with William Penn. However, as our author observes, as we have more respect for truth than great names, we will relate it. Penn proposed to the Indians to sell him as much land as he could encompass with the hide of a bullock. They, supposing he meant only what ground would be covered by it, when it was spread out, and looking upon what was offered as a good price, consented to the proposition. Penn, like Didon, cut the skin into a line of immense length, to the astonishment of the venders, who, in silent indignation, religiously observed their contract. The quantity of land encompassed by the line is not mentioned; but, more or less, the Indians had passed their word, and they scorned to break it, even though they would have been justified by the discovery of the fraud. We do not vouch for the truth of this matter, and indeed we do not believe William Penn ever practised a trick of the kind. No doubt some person did; and perhaps Corn-planter had been told that it was Penn.

*

Voyage dans l'Intérieur des Etats-Unis, et cet. ps, 206, 207.

BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN

OR NEW ENGLAND INDIANS.

An account of such as have been carried away by the early voyagers.— Donacona-Agona-Tasquantum, or Squanto-Dehamda-Skettwarroes -Assacumet-Manida-Pechmo-Monopet-Pekenimne-Sakaweston

Epanow-Manawet-Wanape-Coneconam.

THE first voyagers to a country were anxious to confirm the truth of their accounts, and therefore took from their newly-discovered lands whatever seemed best suited to the objects in view. The inhabitants of America carried off by Europeans were not, perhaps, in any instance, taken away merely for this object, but that they might, in time, learn from them the value of the country from whence they came. Besides those forcibly carried away, there were many who went through overpersua sion, and ignorance both of the distance and usage they should meet in a land of strangers; which was not always as it should have been, and hence such as were ill used, if they ever returned to their own country, were prepared to be revenged on any strangers of the same color, that chanced to come among them.