Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-09-24

Their D1rsuCESt " SNS~~Ne
fer the risque, returned home
The nations among whom the Wyan-
,,o,. now found themselves, VIZ. the 70
,,w.;tamies, O,lawas and Chipewas, re-
cej,ed hem with friendship, and gave
or Tent them land to settle on. AT the
solicitation Of the strangers, they even
went so tar as TO st out fleet OF large
and excelicnt birch canoes, with We"
IN meet the Senecas whom they expect
ca ON with a Acct from the cast hese
canoes were chiefly built on the strsigntS
sati higher lakes, and came to a renuez'
~,us about where Maiden now is. It's
sid they made grand sbcw The Be
prcas rot having as good materials, were
Obliged 10 make use of log canoes, hol
bwcd out Of the trunks oftrees. These
we're Tar more clumsy and unhanagea-
hle than those made of the birch bark
the latter being superior TO our Sest
skisf- aud may safely brave the sdrees
OF the likes
'rhe Wvandots and their allies set out
from their rendezvous, coasting the north
side of Lake Erie till they came to Long
,a;nt, within % or so rifles OF the East
ern ems OF the Lake. Here they made
:, halt, not, 5eeming it prudent to double
ths poigt ,ili they had looked around 1t.
Fos his purpose they dispatched a few
men across the point, who happened 10
nice, midway, with about the same nun.
bcr OF ,he enemy, dispatched Tor a sl'ni-
lar object. Each party retreated to
their ficet, except one or two Wlaadots
who ascendyd trees TO ascertain the 81
+, tuation aud namberof their enenfy and
the nature of their craft. which they
found to be LOGS ~
NDw a grand nanGuvre was SCI on
fno,-.he birch canoe party proceeded
70 the end of the point, and in iull view
Of ,hcir enemy, pat out directly into the
like. The Scnecas lmmedia,cly pur-
sued, aud when they had reached about
midway Of the lake the Birch canoes,
turned upon them and gave them such
battle rs could not be wiihstood. All
the ecaetas were slain but one man, who
pretended TO be dead, but was afterwards
found alive, and was permitted to go
ho.se to tell the catastrophs to his ma
lion.
Thus closed the war, and the WAN
dots remained in peace in their new sta
ton. This is supposed to have been
the first naval action on the lakes.
Several circumstances conspire to gain
credit TO this relation.
One i. the inveterate prejudice and
haired existing between the Wyandots
and Scnecas to this day. The cause OF
this hatred has recently assumed other
forms than the ancient war; the former
accuses the latter of administering bad
medicine, by which they mean kind OF
inexnlicable witchcratt or COMPUTATION.
But since the Genessee country New
Connecticut have been settled by the
whites, there has net been much con-
necuon between them. The above cir
cumstance, however, may go some way
10 account for the readiness of the Indian
tribes in the Gennessee country Tor the
six naiioDs, of whom the Senecas are
party to unite in present war against the
British aud their allies. For the Wyan.
dots are tho right hand men OF the Bril-
,isA, though few in number, they are
FIRST in council and first in the held, or
rataer woods, and deservstiy so too on
account of their superior Inflammation x
talents.
AGAIN, I have often heard the chiefs
Of those nations by W HON the Wyandots
were so Hospitality received and assist
cd, apbraid the latter. in their anger, OF
want o. cra,itude-teliing them they
were strangers and they took them In,
thot The ground occupied BY them was
theirs, SC.
Taelaoguage of the Wyandots has no
affinity to that at the nations around them
WHEREAS the latter al speak one Ian
yusgc, though with considerable dialec-
tic va-iaiians one interpreter serves
well for all these but he understands
nothing of the language OF the FORMER,
nor do these nations understand each D.
,hcr any better than the Europeans and
CEisesc, unless it be few words ac-
CARED hy long Intercourse. But the
language OF the Wyandots IS nearly or
Quite ,hc same as .hat OF the Cognewa-
goes low down in Canada, and also OF
Mohawks. as I am told Arcmarka6ie
sincularitv in U is, tina. ii has no laoiats
their lips are always apart IN speak
ing, & they have macy cultural SOUNDS,
Indeed the Wyandots Expressly Claim
relationship to the Canadian Cognewa
goes above mentioned, and ! Know tAat
visits were exchanged between them
WHAT was still more remarkable, they
assured me a part of the Greek nation
were their relations. and visits bad been
interchanged with them also. Ihey say
4