ed all authorities, and has given us all the strong ascertained points of the histories of the tribes he describes, leaving unimportant matters unnoticed. In a word, he has collected all that was worth preserving in the old historians, and has made a continuous, interesting history, of materials which appeared like useless, disjointed lumber, in such hands as Mather's and Hubbard's. He has selected and arranged them well. We could wish, indeed, that he had so enlarged his work as to include what is known of the Natches, who were probably the most civilized Indians within the present limits of the United States. And we do not think he would have subtracted from its value by inserting some notice of the Choctaws and Creeks, the most wronged races at present within the federal jurisdiction. We are also much tempted to wish that its publication had been deferred a few weeks longer, so that it might have compassed the life and achievements of the present "Lion of the West," Black Hawk. He certainly deserves a place among the knights of the Indian Round Table.

The style of this book has been carefully studied. Of course it is good. It is concise and spirited. As to invention, there can be little in such a work; much would be a blemish. The only part of it that savours of this quality, is the life of the celebrated Prophet, brother of Tecumseh. It is probably known to some of our readers, that after his failure at Tippecanoe, this personage passed for an idiot with the whites. Mr. Thatcher thinks this opinion a fallacy, and considers the Prophet's whole conduct, and his assumption of the gift of inspiration, as the results of a deep laid scheme of policy. His theory is not susceptible of proof; but he supports it by several very ingenious arguments, which, if not conclusive, are at least quite plausible. As to the rest, whatever remarks the author appends to his text are pertinent. The volumes are well written throughout, and may be considered an acquisition to our literature. We particularly recommend to the notice of our readers the biographies of King Philip, Pontiac, Tecumseh, and a very spirited life of Red Jacket. A specimen or two of Mr. Thatcher's pleasant manner of telling an Indian story, we will now present to them. The following is an account of a trade between Powhatan and Captains Newport and Smith.

--

"Newport, it seems, had brought with him a variety of articles for a barter commerce, such as he supposed would command a high price in corn. And accordingly the Powhatans, generally of the lower class, traded eagerly with him and his men. These, however, were not profitable customers; they dealt upon a small scale; they had not much corn to spare. It was an object therefore to drive a trade with the emperor himself. But this he affected to decline and despise. 'Captain Newport,' said he, 'it is not agreeable to my greatness to truck in this peddling manner for trifles. I am a great Werowance,* and I esteem you the same. Therefore lay me down all your commodities together; what I like I will take, and in return you shall have what I conceive to be a fair value.' This proposal was interpreted to Newport by Smith, who informed him at the same time of the hazard he must incur in accepting it. But Newport was a vain man, and confidently expected either to dazzle the emperor with his ostentation, or overcome him with his bounty, so as to gain any request he might make. The event unluckily proved otherwise. Powhatan, after coolly selecting such of Newport's goods as he liked best, valued his own corn at such a rate, that Smith says it might as well have been purchased in old Spain; they received scarcely four bushels, where they had counted upon twenty hogsheads.

"It was now Smith's turn to try his skill; and he made his experiment, more wisely than his comrade, not upon the sagacity of the emperor, but upon his simplicity. He took out various toys and gewgaws, as it were accidentally, and contrived, by glancing them dexterously in the light, to show them to great advantage. It was not long before Powhatan fixed his observing eye upon a string of brilliant blue beads. Presently he became importunate to obtain them. But Smith was very unwilling to part with these precious gems; they being, as he observed, composed of a most rare substance, of the color of the skies, and fit to be worn only by the greatest kings in the world. The savage grew more and more eager to own such jewels, so that finally a bargain was struck, to the perfect satisfaction of all parties, whereby Smith obtained between two and three hundred bushels of corn for a pound or two of blue beads. A similar negotiation was immediately after effected with Opechancanough at Pamunkey. He was furnished with a quantity of this invaluable jewelry at very nearly the same price; and thus the beads grew into such estimation among the Indians far and near, that none but the great werowances,

"A Powhatan term of general signification, answering to the Northern Sachem, the Basheba of Maine, and the English Chief."

and their wives and children, dared to be seen wearing them. They were imperial symbols of enormous value." - pp 25, 26.

The stratagem by which Powhatan was deprived of his daughter, the celebrated Pocahontas, who afterwards married Mr. John Rolfe, is thus related.

"Peace was finally effected with Powhatan through the intervention, or rather by the mere medium of Pocahontas, in the following manner. Early in 1613,* two ships arrived at Jamestown with supplies for the colony. These being insufficient, Captain Argall, who commanded one of them, was sent up the Potomac river to trade with the natives for corn. Here Argall formed a particular acquaintance with Japazaws, the chief sachem of the Potomacs or Patawomekes, and always a stanch friend of the English. He informed the captain, among other things, that Pocahontas was at this time in his territories, and not far distant, keeping herself in seclusion, and known only to a few trusty friends. What were the reasons which induced her thus to forsake her father's dominions for a foreigner's, does not appear. Stith supposes it was to withdraw herself from being a witness of the frequent butcheries of the English, whose folly and rashness, after Smith's departure, put it out of her power to save them. And very probably, as a later historian suggests,† she had already incurred the displeasure of the emperor by these repeated and futile, though highly honorable attempts.

"But whatever her motives might be, Argall had no sooner received intelligence of her situation, than he resolved on obtaining possession of her person, as a means - which he had

no doubt the colony would thank him for- of effecting a peace with Powhatan. Japazaws seems to have been a well-meaning and honest fellow in general; but the temptation of a large, new copper kettle, which Argall held out before him as the promised recompense for his aid and abettance in the case, the consideration of the praiseworthy object proposed to be accomplished by the measure, and last, though not least of all, the captain's pledge that Pocahontas should not be harmed while in his custody, were sufficient to overcome his scruples. The next thing in order was to induce the princess, as this amiable and talented Indian female has generally been styled to go on board Argall's boat. To that end, Japazaws, who

"This date is mentioned by all the Virginian historians; but Prince, in his Annals,' says that the voyage took place a year afterwards. Belknap (Am. Biog.) is of the same opinion."

Burk's History of Virginia, Vol. I. p. 167.

had himself seen many of the English vessels before this, induced his wife to affect an extreme curiosity upon the subject, so intolerably importunate that he finally threatened to beat her. The good woman on the other hand actually accomplished a few tears. This happened in the presence of Pocahontas, and the scene was frequently repeated, until at last Japazaws, affecting to be subdued by the manifest affliction of his wife, reluctantly gave her permission to visit the vessel, provided that Pocahontas would have the politeness to go with her.

"The princess, always complaisant, and unable to witness any longer the apparent distress of her kind friend and hostess, consented to go on board the ship. There they were civilly welcomed, and first entertained in the cabin. The captain then found an opportunity to decoy Pocahontas into the gunroom, on pretence of conferring there with Japazaws, but really because the kind-hearted Sachem, who had received ere this the brilliant wages of his sin, and began perhaps to relent, was unwilling to be known by the princess to have been concerned in the plot against her liberty. When Argall told her, in his presence, that she must go with him to the colony, and compound a peace between her father and the English, she wept indeed in the bitterness of her soul; as for Japazaws and his wife, they absolutely howled with inconsolable and inconceivable affliction. But the princess recovered her composure on finding herself treated with kindness; and while she turned her face towards the English colony, (which she had not seen since Smith's departure) with something even like cheerfulness at the prospect of doing good, her distressed guardian and his pliant spouse, with their copper kettle filled with toys, trudged merrily back to their own wigwam.” Vol. I. pp. 42-44.

The security which the truly Christian principles and conduct of that lover of freedom, truth, and peace, Roger Williams, procured for him, in the midst of the desolations of King Philip's war, is recorded in the following terms.

"The manner in which the Narraghansett Sachems treated Roger Williams, at this period, amid all the excitement of suffering on the one side and success on the other, is worthy of everlasting remembrance. That gentleman was one of the few English who remained at Providence, exposed to the full torrent of war, and with no other security than such as he attributed to long acquaintance, friendship, and good faith, with those who were now become the inveterate enemies, and were openly calculating upon the utter extermination, of his race. He had even the hardihood to reproach some of the Sachems 50

VOL. XIII. N. S. VOL. VIII. NO. III.

who frequently came to converse with him, for their cruelties ; and to threaten them with the sure, though it might be lingering vengeance of the English. 'Massachusetts,' said he, 'can raise thousands of men at this moment; and if you kill them, the King of England will supply their place as fast as they fall.' 'Well!' answered one of the chieftains, let them come. We are ready for them. But as for you, Brother Williams, – you are a good man, you have been kind to us many years, not a hair of your head shall be touched.' This noble pledge, bearing upon the face of it the mark of the chivalrous spirit of Canonchet, was regarded throughout the war with the most sacred fidelity. It was not in vain that the young Sachem remembered the warm affection which his father had entertained for his English neighbour and confidant." — Vol. I. p. 309.

We hope that this "Indian Biography" may attain extensive circulation in the Western and Southern sections of the Union, as it cannot fail to be useful there. It will give the people authentic accounts of events concerning which they have hitherto been obliged to rely in a great measure on tradition and hearsay; and may, perhaps, teach them more humanity than they are wont to display in their intercourse with Indians. If we cannot but regard our fathers' treatment of their red neighbours with disapprobation, they certainly will not withhold their blame, for the mote in our brother's eye always appears a beam to ourselves. Thus those of them who have treated the Cherokees or Saques with rigor may be made to see the exceeding ugliness of their conduct, and peradventure, to change it. There are many serious persons who are of opinion that there is ample room for improvement.

ART. X.- Cheering Views of Man and Providence, drawn from a Consideration of the Origin, Uses, and Remedies of Evil. By WARREN BURTON. Boston. Carter, Hendee, & Co., 1832. 12mo. pp. xii and 264.

THIS book was evidently written, as intimated in the Preface, after much thought, and but little reading, on the important and deeply interesting topics discussed. The consequence is, as might have been expected, that the au