The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-04 00:00:00

INDIAN DEPUTATION TO WASH-

INGTON.

(From the Correspondent of the Morning Chronicle.)
PHILADELPHIA, OCT. B.—There are at the present time
in Washington not less than 150 Indian chiefs, warriors,
and prophets, whose grotesque attire, and warlike and
savage appearance, excite much attention, as well as the
important mission on which they had been sent by their
tribes. will devote a large portion of my letter to Indian
affairs, especially as they are, I believe, but little under-
, stood in Great Britain.

Within the territory of the United States the aboriginal
or Indian population is estimated at 400,000 or 410,000 ;
all of whom are, in their general character, wild and war-
like. They live by hunting and fishing, worship the Great
Spirit, and many of the tribes are constantly at feud with
each other. They have no idea of individual property in
land ; but each tribe or nation possesses a right, derived
from the most remote antiquity, to certain regions, over
which they hunt in common, and remove their tents and
wigwams from one location to another, according as the
animals upon which they feed, and with whose skins
they are clothed, happen to be abundant or scarce.
To sell some of these hunting-grounds is the object
of their visit to Washington, and it is the true policy
of America to buy them, in order that their savage
neighbours might either be reduced to live within narrow
limits, or be compelled to emigrate beyond the Mississippi,
and out of the jurisdiction of the Republic. The latter
alternative is always preferred by the whites, while the
Indians, tired of the constant encroachments of the pale-
faces, are fast becoming of the same opinion. Apart
from the treachery, cunning, and cruelty with which they
carry on their wars, there is something dignified and
noble in the Indian character. They are natural philoso-
phers ; and so would any one say who had seen the depu-
tations pass, a few days since, through this city. Neither
curiosity nor wonder were depicted in their countenances,
or betrayed in their deportment, as they surveyed the noble
marble and classic edifices that in so many quarters met
their view ; but, on the contrary, their looks betokened a
proud indifference to all around them—a consciousness of
superior freedom, and partly, too, of sovereign scorn. They
folded their crimson blankets or buffalo robes around their
tall and majestic forms with the grace of Romans. They
marched along the streets—eagles' feathers decorating their
coal-black hair, and disdainful glances beaming from their
eyes—to the admiration and almost awe of a great multi-
tude, who followed them in every part of the city. But to
their proceedings at Washington.
Arrived at the capital, they soon held " a_ grand talk"

with Martin Van Buren, (their great father) the President.
Before the proceedings were opened some of the oldest
chiefs exclaimed, after gazing intently for a few minutes
upon the President, and holding up their hands—" Our
great father is a little fox—a little fox !" " A
little fox—a little fox"--repeated the other chiefs in
the rear. This they did in accordance with the
Indian custom of naming their chiefs, after some animal
he most resembles in appearance and expression of feature,
or some attribute of Nature that may be typical of his mind

or courage.
When the interpreter had explained the matter the Pre.

sident laughed at the joke, and no small merriment was ex-
cited amongst the bystanders. It is, however, just one of
those jokes, though intended as a compliment by the chil-
dren of Nature, that will probably last during the worthy
President's life.
The Indians required about 1,600,000 dollars for lands
worth thousands of millions—for a domain rich and pro-
ductis e, and large as an European kingdom. The Govern-
ment wished to give no more than 1,000,000 dollars. Such
at least had been the decision in the capitol, which noble
budding the Indians call " their Great Father's Talking
llouse." Calumets were smoked, presents given, and all
the usual ceremonials of the wild men strictly and solemnly
observed during the Council. The superior sagacity of the
pale faces, however, prevailed ; and at length the broad
lands, the limiting grounds of the poor savages, rendered
sacred to them by the bones of their fathers, and endeared
by ten thousend legends and traditions of love and war,were parted with for 1,000,000 of dollars ! This sum is
to be paid pai tly in money, partly in stocks bearing inte-
rest, partly in goods, partly in interest and annual instal-
ments, and not finally before the expiration of 9.0 years.
Other tribes etc coming from the far west on a similar
mission, ami the bargains made with them will no doubt be
quite-as profitable and paternal..
Except a few Seneca Indians in the state of New York,
the Creeks of Georgia, and the ever-savage Seminoles of
Florida, there are now no Indians east of the Ohio. All
are banished to distant regions. They have disappeared
from before civilized men, as weeds disappear by the culti-
vation of a garden. Yet they are an interesting race, most
of their vices arising from the (to them) contaminating
proximity of the whites. These latter, by selling their ar-
dent spirits, have introduced amongst the tribes, to a degree
of violence unknown amongst Christians, all the evil pro-
geny of that mother of iniquity—Drunkenness.
Having been personally amongst,them, slept in their wig-
' warns, and smoked the " calumet of peace" in their coun-
cils under the great trees of the western forests; I feel an
interest in their fate ; for, alas ! they are fast fading away
from the face of the earth. Permit me, then, to indulge
in a few characteristic anecdotes of their present visit to
Washington, and transactions on the border. I feel con-
vinced they will prove interesting to the British reader.
A friend at Washington writes thus, under date of Oc-
tober the Ist :—" Among the distinguished guests' who
arrived to-day was a deputation of Sac and Fox Indians ;
and I do not hesitate to say that a more savage body of
of savages' never came among a civilised people. They
comprised some fifty in number, composed of both sexes,
and whilst his Royal Highness, in a state of almost nudity,
paced up the avenue, her Majesty the Queen trudged
along, carrying her papose in a case on her illustrious back,
snugly eseonced in a blanket. His Majesty, to show the
might and dignity of his distinguished person, wore in his
quoif a pair of horns quite large enough to answer all the
ambitious wishes of the old gentleman who resides down,
down below.' His Majesty in the fullness of his Royal
pleasure, suffered his blanket to hang about his loins so
as to display the full length in print of an enormous pair of
human hands, painted white, on his sinewy back. The heads
of all were shaven, with the exception of a small tuft on the
crown, which was ornamented with snake skins and feathers.
Each man bore the implements of savage warfare, and, taken
for all in all, they were the most fierce-looking fellows
man ever beheld. When the band of savages reached the
neighbourhood of Gadsby's Hotel they came in contact with
a body of Sioux, who had placed themselves in elevated
situations to receive them. The Sioux were clad in
second-hand military coats and mocassins, which Mr. Poin-
sett, the Secretary of War, yesterday gave them. As the
Sacs and Foxes approached the Sioux would have saluted
them ; but the new comers eyed their strange costume with
scorn, and passed them with contempt. The Sioux evi-
dently felt the keenness of the rebuke, and held down their
heads in silence."
They visited the theatre. The piece was -The deep,
deep Sea. When Miss Nelson sprang upon the stage,
the Indians seemed struck with wonder at her beauty.
An lowa Indian arose, and, with a joyous shout, threw
his head-dress of feathers upon the stage, which the inter-
preter explained was in compliment to her beauty. The
play went on, and Miss Nelson gracefully received the
present. A bewitching song brought another present from
another lowa upon the stage. But in the succeeding
scene, when the (to them) radiant creature appeared again
with their feathery presents arranged as wings, their
enthusiasni knew no bounds, notwithstanding that the
Sioux (their rivals) looked .on with cold contempt. A
third lowa chief stepped on the stage and laid his splendid
buffalo robe at her feet, with a brief remark, which the
interpreter translated thus :—" I give this to slim my
pleasure at seeing the beautiful of Washington." The other
Indians
.began to take off their robes and head-dresses,
when Miss Nelson, in the most graceful manner, waved
her hand and spoke to the following effect :—" I regret
my want of ability to speak in your native tongue. But
I esteem you as much as I do the sons of my own King."
She then handed to each of her Indian admirers a white
ostrich plume, with which they crowned their warlike
brows. . As soon as the interpreter had rendered her
speech into Indian, all the Indian tribes, together with all
the ladies and gentlemen in the boxes, arose and gave a
shout of applause that shook the very walls of the thea-
tre ; while high and shrill above the rest arose the wild
war-cry of one tribe of noble-looking savages, that gave
an almost unearthly character to the whole scene, which
will never, never he forgotten by those who were present.
Forthwith began a shower of buffalo robes, snake and
opossum skins, snake rattles, head costume, war clubs, mo-
cassins, scalping knives, and wampum, that threatened to
leave the Indians in a few seconds as naked as their father
Adam, out of pure gallantry and politeness to a beautiful
girl. Fortunately for the ladies, Miss Nelson was supposed
at that moment (in the play) to ascend into Heaven ; and
she rose, " upborne on clouds," accordingly, and was lost
in " sky theatric," amidst the wildest, most unique, gro-
tesque, enthusiastic, and exciting scene and circumstances
ever yet witnessed on the dramatic stage.
Every day these wild guests have danced their svar
dances, sung their war songs, and made the forests ring
with their dreadful and thrilling " whoop," in the presence
of thousands of the fair and gentle citizens and sojourners
of Washington.
Judge how terrible these savages must be in war by
the fact that the Seminoles in Florida are nut yet con-
slovadri,ffitchualtt dtolietyhebasvl
em ear! ct
ua na y findapplied the
con-
quered
prosecution Ino(fletebdi's
(in defiance of the Earl of Chatham's memorable speech) to
the Indian tribes of Missouri for 500 warriors. One of
these border nations they asked for the loan of 160
braves." The chief of that nation replied to the agent,
"My people are at war with the Ozages. Will our Great