The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-01-22


accounts accordingly have been pubi,hcd with
in the .sa so years of perions who 10 conie-
quence either OF accident or tie ariiour OF cSri-
City have made themielves acquainted with a
nation OF men on the Hiiiouri, poheiiing the
completion OF Europeans, and the language OF
Welchmen. Couldt the fact be we'll eftabiihed,
it would afford, perhaps, the mott fltSia6tory
iolution of the difficulty occadoned hy view
OF the various ancient fortifcatiCns with which
the Ohio country abouRds, Of any that has ever
been offered. ThoCc Notifications were evident
~ never made By the Indians. The Indian art
Of war prefents nothing of the kind. The pro-
liability too is that the perions who contracted
them were al ibaf time acquainted with the ufe
of iroa: the iituation of thoie Notifications,
which are uniformly in the moa fertile land of
the country, indicates that thoie who made
them, were an agricultural people, and the re-
markabe care and f>ill with which they were
executed, afford traits of the genius of people,
who relied more on their military fsill than on
their numbers. The growth of the trees upon
them, is very compatible with the idea that it is
not more than 500 years ago that they were a.
bandoned.
Thefe hints, however, are thrown out rather
to excite enquiry, than by way of advancing ~
ny decided opinion on the fubject. Having ne
yer met with any of the perions who had feen
thefe white Americans, nor even received their
teftimony near the fource, have always enter
tanned comfortable doubts about the fact. Lat
evening however, Mr.. John Childs of Jalfamine
county, gentleman, with whom / have been
long acquainted, and who is we'll known to be a
man of veracity, communicated a relation to
me, which at all events, appears TO merit feri-
Gus attention. After he had related it in con-
verfation, requefted him to repeat it, and COM
mitted it to writing. Il has certainly fome in
ternal marks of authenticity. The country
which is defcribed was altogether unknown in
Virginia, when the relation was given, and was
probably very little known to the Shawanefe In
dams. Yet the account of il agrees very. re-
markedly with later discoveries. On the other
hand, the ftory OF the large animal, though by
no means incredible, has fomethrg of the air of
fable; and it does not satisfactorily appear how
the long period which the party were abfcnt
was fpent,-though Indians are however, 70
much accuftomed to loiter away their time, that
many weeks and even months, may probably
have been fpent in indolent repofe.
Without OBTAINING you any more with preli-
minary remarks, will proceed TO the narration
as received it from Mr. Childs.
Maurice Griffith, a native of Wales, which
country he left when he was about is years of
age, was taken prifoner bya party of Shawn
neie Indians, about 40 years ago, near VOTES
fort, on the head ofRoaDokc river, in Virginia,
and carried TO the Shawanefc nation. Having
ttald there about two years and a half. he found
that five young men OF the tribe, had defire of
attempting 70 explore the fources of the Miifou-
ri. He prevailed upon them to admit him as
one of the party. They fet out with FIX good
rifles, and with fix pounds ofpowder piece, of
which they were of courie very careful. On
reaching the mouth of the MilIouri they were
truck with the extraordinary appearance occa-
k,rt 10, Al
tiers of the Mitfouri, and the clear, tranfparent
ftream of the Mfifippi. They haid two or
three days aInuiing themfelves with the view of
this novel fight: they then determised on the
courlc which they thould purdue, which hap
pened to be 10 nearly liz the courie of the river
that they frequently came within fight of it as
they proceeded on their journey. After ira
Yelling about thirty days through pretty farming
wood land, they came into fine open braiyicJ,
on which nothing grew but long, luxuriant
gratis. There was a fuccefiion &C thefe, varying
in fizc, fonle being eight or ten miles acrofs,
but one OF them 70 long, that if occupied three
days to travel through it. In pa(Iing through
this large prairie they were much difrencd for
water and providons, for they feidom faw eli
Their beail or bird, and though there was an a.
bundance OF tat iprings, freih wafer was very
fcarce. In one OF theie Prairie5, the falt iprngs
ran into imall ponds, in which as the weather
was hot, the :;te had hit funk and Jeff 1he edees
of the ponds 70 covered with falt, that they full
ly iupplied themfeves with that article, and
might eafly have collected buihss of it. As
they were travelling through the praries, they
had llkewife the good fortune TO kill an animal
which was nine or ten feet high, and of bulk
to its height. They had feen
two OF the fame fpecies before, and they faw
four of them afterwards. They were fDift foot
ed, and they had neither turks nor horns. At
ter having pailed through the long prairie, they
made it rule never TO enter on one which they
could not fee acrofs, till they had flppliedthem-
felves with Efficiency of jerkcd venifon, to laf
ieveral days. After having travelled a conf
derable time through the praires, they came to
very extenfve lead mines, where they fnclted
the ore and furnfhed themfeives with what lead
they wanted. They afterwards came 10 two
copper mines, one of which was three miles
through, and in feveral places they met with
rocks of copper ore as large as houfcs.
When about fifteen days journey from the fe-
cond copper mine, they came in fight of white
mountains, which though it was in the heat of
Summer, appeared TO them TO be covered with
inow. The fight naturally excited comfortable
aifonihment, but on their approaching the
mountains, they diicovered, that inaead offnow,
they were covered with immenfe bodies of
white fand. They had, in the mean time pafIcd
through about ten nations of Indians, from
whom they received very friendly treatment.
Il was the practice ofthe party to exercife the
Office of fpokefinar1 IN rotation . ,,,L.o Al.