The Newhampshire gazetteer — Exeter, N.H., 1792-03-14 00:00:00, page 4

On the INDIAN WAR.
[B, H. H. Backenridge, of Pittfour g.°\
I CAN easily excuse those, who,
from motives of humanity, call
in question thejuftnefs of our cause
in the war against the Indians. But
could I make my observations theirs
with refped to the ruthful dipofiJon
of a favage,that is not soothed continu
ally by good offices, or kept down by
fear ; could I give my knowledge,
recolledion, aalimpfeffion; of the
accumulated instances of homicide
committed by the tribes with whom
we are at war, the humane, would be
more humane,for their feelings would
be more awake, not ip favour of
these people, but of the persons but
chered by them in 'cold blood, or
dragged to that pole seen by th'e iol
diers under General Harmer, by the
Miamia village, where the ground
was beat like a pavement by the mi
fenble vidims moving round the
flake to avoid the Hill putfuing tor
tures, which the circle of black coals,
at a distance from the piles burned,
ffiewed whence they thought their
brands or heated goo-barrels to af
flid the obje&. All this, though
there have been but three instances
face the conclusion of the war with
Britain, where an Indian has been
hurt on our part ; one on the Susque
hanna, and two on the Ohio ; with
refpeft to one of which instances,
t?.nt of M'Guire and Brady, it is a
doubt whether the, were hostile or
peaceable.
I confider men who are anaeqaaiu
'ted with the savages, like young wo
men who have read romances, and
have as improper an idea of the In
dian character in the one case, as
the female mind has of real life in
the other. The philosopher, weary
of the vices of refined life, thinks to
find perfect virtue in the simplicity
of the unimproved state. He fees
green fields and meadows in the cus
toms and virtues of the savages. It
is experience only can relieve from
this calenture of intelleft. All that
is good and great in man results
from educations ; and an uncivilized
Indian is but a little way removed
from a beast, who, whenincenfed,can
only tear and devour, but the savage
applies the ingenuity of man to tor
ture and infli& anguiffi.
Some years ago, two French gen
tiemen, a Baatanill and Mineralift,
Monsieur Sograin and M. Pike, the
Botanist a very learned man, and
truly a philosopher—but his brain
turned with Jean Jacques Roffea*\,&
other rhapsodies — the man of nature
was his darling favourite. He had the
Indians with him at his chamber e
very day. Fitting outa small boat on
the Ohio, with only three other per
sons on board, and without arms he
defeended. It waejri vain to explain
the danger and dissuade him. He
was confeious to himfelf of loving
Indians, and doubtless they could
with him no harm. But approaching
the Scioto river, a party came out in
a canoe, as he thought to pay their
refpeds to him ; but the firll circum
stance of ceremony when they came on
board, was to impress the tomahawk,
and take off the scalp of the philoso
pher.
A great dependence feemg to be
placed, on Cornplanter and his party,
i know Cornplanter, and Big-Tree,
and Half-Town ; they are good, as
Indians, and are well disposed to us,
because they can be of little or no
account on the other fide. Brandt
treats them with contempts and ad
hears to the British.Jnftead of bring
ing^hem down at a great expense,
and presenting them in Philadelphia,
and appropriating, 800 dollars for
From the NATIONAL GAZEETTE.
MISCELLANY.
THOUGHTS
Os the vast nations of Indians that
are ready to trade with us, were the
vliami aad Wabash Indians, peacea
ble there is no conception. It will
cost but one effective armament to ac
complin this obje&, and why employ
years in doing that which may be
done at once ? No longer any starved
campaign !—Bat I am disposed to
believe that Prifq'ifle is the. route.
Let others calculate and explain the
saving of expence by this route, I
only touch the advantage of begin
ning with the Six Nations in our
redraft is said. that the persons inter
ested in our funds are against an ef
festive armament, as it may turn a
way the revenue from the payment of
their interest. I could give them a
small hjnt on this head. Be careful not
to check the spirit of the people. It is
electrical, and if confined may burst.
Let it have egress in acquisitions to
the weft-ward, and you may rest fafe.
It is considered as a great facrifice
to publick credit, to have provided
for the difeharge of the publics ^ht,
without discrimination, and it is a
prevailing opinion, that the monied
interests thus conftiteted, are a dead
weight, by their extracts of letters
and paragraphs in the papers, on the
wheels of government, and all this to
fecurethe "payment of their interest.
But the maxim is, ne quidmimis, no
• thing too much : They-may oveilhoot
themselves and cause the people to
revolt, and call in question the ori
ginal justice of their claim.
As these are desultory observations,
I remark and conclude that some
think me rather rash in presuming
that the,king of Britain has given
any countenance, dire&ly to the In
dian' depredations or armaments. I
should sorry tpdp injustice to any
power, and it was with great difficul
ty that I admitted the idea, but I
their maintenance and veftment,were
things put, upon a right footing, and
Pxefq'iile garrisoned, we Ihould have
no more occasion for Corn planter, or
Big-T r ee, or Half-Town, than they
would have for us ; and if we gave
them,goods, they would give us furs.
As to Cornplante's speech 1 have
known myfelf,a speech st^lc for him
that he never heard. I knew a little
of the mystery of ag\a-craft and the
mummery oflndian Ipeechifying. Afi
Indian Chief in the hands ot a good
interpreter and agent, is a more pro
ii.able property, than a tame bear
or a lion preferred for a show. 1
have seen Indian princes inPr.tfburg,
as plenty as in the time ofAJor.ihengk,
who had three score and ten kings
under his table. . Many a Chief 1
have seen driven out of a kitchen by
a maid with a broomstick, lell he
Ihould deal a tin cup or a table spoon.
I have seen a certain blind Sam, so
called, because blind of an eye, taken
down to this city, passed for a
warrior, dining with clubs, and have
heard of him preferred at a ball on
his way down; the favoured ladies
looking upon themftlves as beautified
in receiving the salute of a king.
When he returned, with a laced
waillcoat, the vulgar Indians that be
fore thought him one of them,laughed
immoderately mt the farce.
I fay, the bulk efs with the Indians
is war and reduction. Let them ft ay
in their woodsand negotiate an c
qual trade. Thi, trade may cer
tainly be a very greatobject When
the line of savages, that are at pre
sent hostile, is removed, our «iy is
Open to peaceable and remote nations,
I have conversed with those, who, in
behalf of great trading companies,
had been four years on difeovery for
the perpofes of trade, had penetrated
many thousand miles, traversed the
country beyond the source of theMif
foari, but were delicate in their com
munications of the route and advan
tages of trade with the myriads of
the natives in those woods: they,
however gave me to understand, that
mol of the trading companies of
Britain were turning their attention
to it.
planter and his people, of shaking him
by the head; and the like, unless he
joins them in their warfare. Pref
g'ifle, Prefq'ifle is the objed, and
ought to be seized instantly, and
made the foothold from whence as
with the mechanism of an Archime
des, the whole system of the western
affairs may be moved and directed.
It may be thought that I am inhu
mane in my sentiments towards the
savages: It is a millake ; lam inhu
mane to no man or men ; but in or
der to be humane, let me have it in
my power. Let myfelf fixft be fafe,.
and then I can ffiew what humanity
dictates. The question is, Whether
we Shall fu btriit ourselves to the sava
ges or they to us ? I fay, let us con
quer because we cannot depend upon
them, for the weaker ever distrusts
the mightier, and the unlightened
man, the fenMble ; but when we Shall
have it in our power, let us dispense
treaties on ' principles of reciprocity
(to use the terms of the diplomatics)
and let them know that we are not a
bout to purchase a treaty,but to make
1c is in spite of nature ; and could
they have the least chance of success
in revolt, they would join their bre
thren, and the long confined indig
nancy of their referttment would
bgrft forth. I think this is the occa
sion, and I am disposed to believe
they will think so. A force in their
front, a garrison at Prefq'ifle is the
talifinanic charm in this case. It
will intercept the communication of
the Indians, who are at pr,cfent open
and avowed enemies, and we shall
hear no more of council fires at Buf
faloe-Creck ; or talks sent to Corn-
have been convinced of it, and can
have no doubt, because that govern
ment could not but have heard of the
hostilities, and by one tingle ^ord of
the commandant of Detroit to M'Kee
and Brandt,we should have had a per
fect peace. .But M'Kee and. Brandt,
when mefengra were lent to call the
Indians to the treaties at Mu&ingbm
and at the Miamia, advised them not
to goWixnefs :— — I shall fopprefs my
authorities. It may perhaps injure
thefc men in their future trade with
the Indains or connexions at Detroit,
Good God 1 that an inland where I
drew my firft-breath, where a Milton
and a Hume have lived,where a Ho
ward has facrificed to humanity—
there can be thofc who can aid, at
least not disarm, what may be in
their power, the savages of his axe,
battered on the skulls of their species,
in the cottage or the field of the fet
flements adjoining their province—
they could do this by the surrender of
the posts; for at that moment I pro
claim peace to the weft-ward, and
ensure fafety.
, But the posts are not surrendered,
and the Indians are supported.—Nay
more ; ( would not wonderif the Bri
tish geld has found its way into our
fates ;, and some of these sentiments
against effectual measures, that are
thrown out, may come from this
source. We are thusj between two
fires, feduaion at home and invasion
from abroad 1
The cheifs of the weftern nations,
elated with their vidory, are at. this
moment at the mouth of Buffaloe-
Creck, running into lake Erie, at no
great distance from the post of Nia
gara, under the auspices of the go
vernment of Canada, Soliciting and
convening the chiefs of the Six Nati
ons to a council. The chiefs are ac- T
tually convening, and the populace
are clamorous for a war. They- talk
with irony and sarcasm of the attach
ment, of Cprnplanter, Half-Town,
and Big,-Tri? to these States. They
exult in the vinery obtained : For
Indian loves Indian, and like a bone
out of joint, they wifi to find their
proper place, and coalesce with a
like people. It is true, the nothern
and wellern Indians have been for
merly hoftite to each other ; but it is
well known that the Six Nations
were reduced by the campaign under
Gen. Sullivan, and ever tince fubir.it.
AVOID^/^ff/hg j'^
felf with charaffert
whose good and bad Jides are
not unmixed, and bare not
fermented together ; they re^
femble phials of vinegar and
oil, or pallets set with colours
—lbty are either excellent at
home and tollerable abroad,
or insufferable within doori
'and excellent in publick—
jThey are unfit for friendship,
merely because their fiamina,
tbeir ingredients of cbardfid,
are too tingle,too much apart ;
let them be finely ground up
with each other, and they will
be incomparable.
He weo is aJhamed of the
poor in the presence of the
rich, and of the unknown in
presence of the celebrated, may
become abase enemy, but ne- 1
ver a jaft friend.
*4<@os @ssOTCsoOs,
• frf PublifeM,
By Mess. George & Jon n Osbornb
And for sale at this Office,
Observations eccafioned by'
Writngs sgainft Alterations,
proposed in the CONVENTION, to
be made in the JUDICIARY SYS
TEM—^ a Member oft be Cohuratto.
one and preserve it. These principles,
founded io nature and truth, will
ftiike the mind of the savage, that
we ilk no more than he ocgbt to
give, or that we give mere than, he
has a right to alk. By the immortal
gods !(a Roman oath, but foorra
with Chriliian devotion) If this prin
ciple could be made the basis of our
negotiations, we fhduld govern not
only these people, but all the world
with whom we have to dp. When I
fay govern 1 mean cemma^i of them
all, that is our right on principles of
the laws of nations or of nature. But
in our affairs with the Indians, we
have for a series of years pinfeed a
sickly tampering fyffem of half peace,
half war, from which nothing could
refuk but half success. A held and
decisive at? of effective hoftilny at
the eonclifion of the war with Bri
tain would have composed these Indi
ans. and preferred in existence tire
counsels numbers that have fallen
viaims to torture or death on the
bourne of th, wildemefs. It was
therefore inhumane not to have a
dopted this fylteni, which would
I have been effectual. But 1 law, and
Ilamented the ciicumftance of rhe
ICongrefs besieged with candidates
for agencies and commiffionfhips, and
messengers and runners, to negotiate
with these tribes.
There was rot a thirg that had
ever seen a squaw, or a half king, or
a chief, or had heard the guttural
found of a Kickapco, or a Delaware,
but would have it that he underwood
fifty Indian languages, and could in
terpret, and could draw all the tribe©
after him just as a boy would whiffle
pigeons. Hence, treaty and net
war. It is not to be supposed that
men at the helm know every thing;
they are just as ignorant, with re
seed to affairs beyond their reach,
as other people, 't is the man on
the extremity of any government, ^
I have been, that fees the most abfur*
dities. 1 ihall lay no thereat prefen?;
for I wiffi all things conduced well
and would father help forward what
ought to be done, than blame wffiat
has been tranfaded.
Philadelphia Feb. 4.
HPHO RISMS.