The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-07 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICE.

NARRATIVE of an EXPEDITION to the SOURCE of
ST. PETER'S RIVER, &c. 2 vols. Bvo.
It appears that the success which attended the
expedition of Captains Lewis and CLARKE to the
River Columbia has induced the American Go-
vernment to prosecute the exploration of its
northern territory. The existence of the River
St. Peter, situate to the north of the Upper Mis-
sissipi, rested upon the authority of Carver, who
visited it in 1778, but his account was not gene-
rally considered as accurate. To set this ques.
Lion at rest, the American Government, in 1823,
dispatched an expedition under the command of
Major Say, an account of which is contained in
the volumes now before us. By those among
our readers who delight in geographical and geo-
logical pursuits, they cannot fail of proving high-
ly interesting. Mr. Keating has given a plain,
but satisfactory narrative of the various objects
that fell under his own observation, and that of
his fellow travellers. It contains several pleas-
ing and interesting traditionary tales of the na-
tives, from which we select the following for the
amusement of our readers—it relates to the Maiden
Rock, upon the Banks of the Mississipi :
" There was a'time," our guide said, as we
passed near the base of the rock, 44 when this
spot, which you now admire for its untenanted
beauties, was the scene of one of the most me-
lancholy transactions that has ever occurred
among the Indians. There was in the village of
Keoxa, in the tribe of Wapasha, during the time
that his father lived and ruled over them, a young
Indian female, whose name was Winona, which
signifies first-born. She had conceived an at-
tachment for a young hunter, who recipro-
cated it. They had frequently met, and
agreed to an union, in which all their hopes
centered ; but, on applying to her family,
the hunter was surprized to see himself de-
nied ; and his claims superseded by those of a
warrior of distinction, who had sued for her.—
The warrior was a general favourite with the na-
tion ; he had acquired a name by the services he
had rendered his village when attacked by the
Chippewas; yet, notwithstanding all the ardour
with which he pressed his suit, and the counte-
nance lie received from her parents and brothers,
Winona persisted in preferring the hunter. To
the usual commendations of her friends in favour
of the warrior, she replied, that she had made
a choice of a man, who being a professed,
would spend his life with her, and secure for her
comfort and subsistence ; while the warrior would
be constantly absent. Winona's expostulations
were, however, of no avail, and her parents,
having succeeded in driving away her lover,
began to use harsh measures to compel her to
unite with the man of their choice. To all her
intreaties that she should not be forced into an
union so repugnant to her feelings, they turned a
deaf ear. Being a favourite with her brothers,
they expressed a wish that her consent should be
obtained by persuasive means, rather than that
she should be compelled to it against herincli-
nation. With a view to remove some of her ob-
jections, they took means to provide for her fu-
ture maintenance, and presented the warrior all
that in their simple mode of living an Indian
might covet. About that time a party was
formed to ascend from the village to Lake Papine,
to lay in a stock of the blue clay found upon its
banks, and which is used by the Indians as a fig-
ment. Winona and her friends were of the com-
pany. It was on the very day they visited the
lake that tier brothers offered their presents to
the warrior. Encouraged by these, he again ad•
dressed her, but with the same ill success.—
Vexed at what they deemed an unjustifiable obsti-
nacy on her part, her parents remonstrated in
strong language, and even used threats to compel
her to obedience. 46 Well," said Winona, 64 you
will drive me to despair. I said I loved him
not ; I wished to remain a maiden, but you will
not. You say you love me—that you are my
father, my brothers, my relations ; yet you have
driven me from the only man with whom I wish-
ed to be united ; you have compelled him to
withdraw from the village. Alone he now
ranges through the forests, with no one to assist
him—none to spread his blanket—none to build
his lode—none to wait on him : yet he was the
man of my choice. Is this your love ? But even
it appears that this is not enough—you would
have me do more ; you would have me rejoice in
his absence—vou wish me 'to unite with another
man, with one I do not love—with whom I can
never be happy. Since this is your love, let it
be so ; but soon you will have neither daughter,
nor sister, nor relation, to torment with your
false professions of affection." As she uttered
these words she withdrew ; but her parents,
heedless of her complaints, resolved that this
very day Winona should be united to the
Warrior. While all were engaged in busy pre-
parations for the festival, she wound her
way slowly to the top of the hill. When site
had reached the summit, she called out with a
loud voice to her friends below ; she upbraided
them for their cruelty to herself and her lover ;
" You," said she, " were not satisfied with op.
posing my union with the man I had chosen, you
endeavoured, by deceitful words, to make me
faithless to him ; but when you found me re-
solved upon remaining single, you dared to
threaten me. lou knew me not, if you thought
that I would be terrified into obedience ; you
shall, soon see how well I can defeat your de-
signs." She then commenced to sing her dirge ;
the light wind which blew at the time wafted her
words towards the spot where her friends were.
They immediately rushed, some towards the
summit of the hill, to stop her ; others to the foot
of the precipice, to receive her in their arms;
while all, with tears in their eyes, entreated her
to desist from her fatal purpose. Her father
promised that no compulsive measure should be
resorted to ; but she was resolved, and, as she
• concluded the words of her song, she threw her-
self from the precipice, and fell a lifeless corpse
near her distressed friends. " Thus," added our
guide, " has this spot acquired a melancholy
ce-
lel►rity ; it is still called the Maiden's Rock, and
no Indian passes near it without involuntarily
casting his eye towards the giddy height, to con-
template the place where this unfortunate girl fell
a victim to the cruelty of her relentless parents."