The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-16 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

Seven Years in the Great Deserts of North
.eimerica. By the Abbe Em Domenech.
Longman and Co.
The Abbe Em Domenech is no stranger to the
public. His interesting narrative of " Missionary
adventures in Texas and Mexico" must be still fresh
in the memory of all those who take an interest
in the propagatiou of the Gospel and civilisation
among the native children in the far West. The
work before us purports to be a description of the
as yet but very imperfectly explored Desert of
North America and a history of the various tribes
by whom they are inhabited. But before entering
upon the main object of his undertaking, Monsieur
l'Abbe endeavours to prove by various authori-
ties, and conclusions drawn from inferences, that
the continent of America became inhabited by
nomadic races, not springing from the sane
source, and whose migrations were not simul-
taneous. Like a true logician, he does not

propound his dogmas and then endeavour
to vindicate them, but, after laying before the
reader an epitome of all that has been written on
the subject both by the ancients, going as far back •
as tke history of the travels of Votan, whose writ-
ings are contemporaneous with those_of Moses, and
down to the authors of the present day. But after
making Noah circumnavigate the globe, and caus-
ing him to be defeated by the 'Assyrians—surmising
that Solomon's treasures came from Mexico,
and a few other startling revelations, of a
similar nature, the reader finds himself as far
from the truth as ever; it is, after all, only ton-
jecture. There is the red man in the wilds of
America, but how he got there is as yet unknown
and likely to continue so. The races vary accord-
ing to climate, and the nature of the country which
they inhabit. The ruins of fine temples and. mag-
nificent buildings are to be found, and other signs
which prove that at some period now hidden by
the veil of time, civilisation of a much higher
order than is now to be found among the natives
existed among a race of mankind now extinct.
But is the knowledge of this more wonderful than
that Thebes was, but now together with the refined
race who raised its stupendous walls and hundred
gates is not. The author having expatiated on the
migration of eastern tribes to the west at some un-
known date, to his satisfaction, proceeds to furnish
a most lively and interesting description of the
deserts through which he has travelled, and noting
all remarkable objects to be met with on the banks
of the rivers and in the desolate prairies. He draws
a dismal picture of the hardships which the tra-
veller experiences in crossing these wastes, the
want of water, the heat of the sun, the extraordinary
number of reptiles to be met 'with ; frogs with
horns and tails, and snakes, tarentalus, et hoc geniis
omne, is not encouraging to the would-be pioneer
of civilisation in the unknown West :
" The borders of the streams and rivers are always
more or less shaded with a few clumps of willows
(salixiongifolia), and poplar trees of the populus
monilifern, and the populus angulosa. The
shoals are generally peopled with myriads of god-
flies and of mosquitoes who cause •horrible suffer-
ings to both man and horse. These most disagree-
able insects, as soon as they hear or see a horse-
man approaching, leave their swampy and
pestilential dwellings, and fasten on him, ac-
accompanying their hostilities with a sonorous and
continual burring. Then woe to him whose horse
is too fatigued to gallop away, for the winged tribe
will soon cause the blood to flow from all parts of
his body. The starling in this instance becomes
the avenger of .man ; it places itself without cere-
mony on the back of the horse, and darts with
amazing dexterity on the gadflies, which it devours
with extraordinary rapidity. We have sometimes
seen in the prairies considerable numbers of horses
and horned cattle grazing quietly owing to the
protection of three or four starlings, which each
animal carries on his back; without them the gad"
flies would soon have dispersed the herds infuriated
by their stings."
The mirage, he declares, is more singular ill
these wastes than in the East. The prairie doge
are the principal inhabitants of these unhospitable
regions. They.are small animals, about the size ,
squirrels, and form large villages; one which the
Abbe examined was 25 miles in length, and con-
tained an area of about 625 square miles. NearlY
every chapter contains some native legend either
regarding a peculiarity of the country or atale of per;
sonal prowess. The way in which the harbour 01
San Francisco got its name, as handed down in the
traditions of the country, is curious :—" As Father
Junipero, a Spanish missionary of the order of St.
Francis, was about to return to Lower California;
he received instructions from the Inspecter-General
concerning the names of the saints that were to be
given as patrons to the new missions. The Siaoll3,
of St. Francis was not in the list. II hat,
said the good missionary, surprised at z the
omission, is there to be no mission
teat"
cated to our dear founder, St. Francis ?
which the Inspector replied--` If St. Francis
for a mission, let him find a good port for; _
1'
then you can call it after him." The fir st
discovered after this conversation was tthe Inagnai
cent bay.of St. Francisco, and the eceMesiasties 0
seeing it at once exclaimed in tran4sports of jol;
" Behold the port the inspector, desired; and
las ! Blessed be
towards which St. Francis has led
his name !" There is an Indian tradition that this
bay was once a fresh water lake, and became sub'
sequently joined to the sea by an earthquake.: the
wanderings having led him to thO‘Salt Lake, the
Abbe gives a long account of the doings of the
Mormons, and a sketch of their early history. 118
describes the country as magnificent, and the people
on the whole as orderly and industrious. Although
the Indians have many customs common among
the eastern nations, they have also peculiar dogmas
of their own, which show that whatever region
their ancestorsbelonged to time has wrought sue'
material changes in their manners and customs
to render them practically a distinct race'
In his history of the Canadas and that region, Or
Abbe animadverts in strong terms on the cowardly
policy of Louis XV. in ceding that fine territory to
the British, and on the conduct of Napoleon 111
selling the wide and rich state of Illinois to the
United States. The simple inhabitants, who lulu
been living contentedly in their own primitive waYl
little heeding how the rest of the world went, and
little troubled by religious or legal forms, were,
amazed when they had freedom and constitutional
rights forced upon them by their 'new rulers.
Having led the reader over the wild prairies and
rugged mountains, and through the fertile vales of
the glorious West, the author next proceeds to intro-
duce him to the inhabitants. He furnishes a list of all
the tribes at present extant, and blames the whites
with great truth for the unfair way in which they
have treatedthe aboriginal inhabitants. That than"
diens feel the degradation to which they have been
reduced by the fatal consumption of ardent spirits
,
is shown by the vehement way in which some 0'
.he chiefs execrate the poiscn which prostrates their
bodily powers, depraves their mind, and foments in-
tern e cin e conten t ion.Th at they resisted theforeigners
as long as, aye,'and longer than, there was any hope
of success, has been proved on many a well fought
field, but what can courage avail against science
and courage combined. The Indians felt that they
were destined to be crushed by the whites, but
notwithstanding forced migrations one after the
other, each driving them farther back into the wilds,'
and the severing of all ties from country a"'
ancestral associations, the Indians maintained their.
pride and fortitude, and will continue to do so till
1
the last of the race is exterminated. There ise
something almost sublime in the conduct of
Weatherford, who had caused great trouble and
loss to the Americans, and defeated General Jack'
son in several pitched battles. But the Americans
being at length successful, took a horrible revenge
destroying nearly the whole of the tribe—the.
lesser chieftains then submitted ; but General
Jackson, to prove their sincerity, ordered them to
bring Weatherford to him bound hand and foot.
This order they told to their chief, who, rather
than that they should commit such an act of tree'
chery, or excite the anger of their conqueror by re
fusal, voluntarily presented himself before the,
astonished General, who demanded how he dare,'
to come before him after his late conduct, to which
the undaunted chief replied
I am Weatherford' who commanded at the taking °f
Fort Mimers, and Nvhowighe s- or peace for:my people.
come to ask for it. On hearingrequest
his Jackson Sala
to him, I amsurprised that you have dared to appear
after your conduct, which deserves death; and if you hat
been brought in the wa I had ordered, I know hoc'
y ,
would have treated on." Then Weatherford replied,
am in your power, do with me whatever you please. I ail
a soldier; I have done the Whites all the harm I could.
fought against them, and I fought bravely. If I had Cal:
army I would fight again; I would fight to the last; but
have one no longer. My people are no more. I can only
Weep over the misfortunes of my nation.' Gen. Jackseli
was touched by this noble courage. Ho told the Indian
chief that although he had him in his power he would talo
no advantage of it, and that he allowed him to choose be'
tween submission without condition, or liberty with Noll
but without quarter or pity. Whereupon the celebrate
a
sachem replied, in a dignified tone, yet moved with indig!
nation, You can with all security offer me such conditions:
There was a time when I could have answered you, thet:
was a time when I might have had a choice. Now I hale
none, I have even no hope. Formerly I could encourag,.
my warners to combat ; but I cannot animate the des
My warriors can no longer hear my voice, their bones ress
at Talladega, Jellushatces, Emuakfau, and Tahopelsoael
I have not given myself up without reflection. Whenever
I had the slightest chance of success I never quitted mui
post nor asked for peace. But my people are gone, and ,
sue for peace; it is for those who yet live, but not for
self. I look upon the past with profound sorrow, and,,
desire to avoid greater calamities. If I had had only, t,‘
combat the army of Georgia I should have cultivated mal4_:
on one side of the river and fought on the other. But You
people have destroyed my nation. You are a brave in,alsi
and I rely on your generosity. You will only demantrt
a vanquished people what they can give you. No Into'