The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-06-23

bHa abt plt1lous lhttdls III oDHlil "a
mcrica and Mexico so occupied the
attention of the Spanish Govern
ment. that this infant colony was
suffered to fall prey To the. Indians
The Evolutionary accounts oil the.
Indians are very plausible, and are
corroborated by many existing aud
olrcumstantial facts. They claimed
this country at their late treaty
at ST. Augustine as belonging to them
by right of conquest, achieved by
their ancestors. They represent.
that it was once dcnsely populated
by a race Of white men, who settled
IN this country, and Incorporated
themselves with the famassce Indi-
ans.-That the Yamassces adopted
but ceased To be fighting men. That
this people had fine houses, carria-
ges. herds Of cattle, &c. and made
wide roads, and bridges over rivers
and streams Of water. That they
also had many forts aud big guns.
AT this time the Creek Indians made
frequent attacks upon them. but were
generally unsuccessful, AZ they then
fought with bows and spears, only,
for they had not learned the use of
the rifle. At length after losing
many war; ors, they associated with
themselves all the tribes between
Georgia and the Missisippi,wilh ma
! ny others far in the North, and came
down unexpectedly into this country.
The white inhabitants generally lied
to their forts, while most of the va
massees fell into their hands. The
men were put to death, but The wo-
men and children were carried Igto
captivity.
They carried universal desoIation
over the face OF the country, as the
surest method OF reducing the forti-
fed places. They had made many
attempts To storm these, and bound
thick pieces of wood before their per-
sons, as a protection from the bu!-
lets, but the big guns broke their de-
fences in pieces, and destroyed H. ~
warriors. At length famine /! 4
war destroyed all save the garrls,
in tort st. Lewis. This after resis-
ting every diversity of attack, was
at last abandoned and destroyed,
and the garrison retired to "A Consi.
dcrable fort near the mouth of the
Okelockony. where was afterwards
fought a great and decisive battle,
which made the Greeks masters of
the country.
The Indians designed, when they
undertook to possess themselves of
the country, to settle aud reside here.
But, as they express it, they were
too foolish and had rendered it un-
inhabitable: They had destroyed
the houses, and there was no wood
to build others. They had de-
stroyed or consumed the domcs-
tic animals and there was no
game to snbsist them. They were
therefore, obliged to retire from the
scenes Of their own desolation, u
small part west Of the Apalachacola
river, and the others to their own
country.
Many Of the leading statements in
the foregoing account are strongly
correborated by circumstances aud
facts within the knowledge Of many
Americans. This is said to be the
country Of the ancient Yamassccs,
and it is fact that the Greeks have
held slave race, descended from
the famassee nation which has but
recently been incorporated TIL their
tribe. Ii is also fact, that forts
were very numerous, aud that fort
ST. Louis bears evident marks of ha-
wing been destroyed by the whites
from the mutilatcd appearance Of the
cannon, which must have been bro
ken by sledge hammers. There is
also said 10 be very considerable
tortilication in the ncighborhood Of
the Okel0ckony. From the growth
OF the forest trees, ii must have been
about two hundred years since the
country was laid waste. BE that as
it may, it is rapidly popuIating anew,
and the power Of the natives is now
broken. We have nothing to fear
tr0m them, and they cannot, if they
would, repeat the desolating scenes
which, once swept over this beautiful
domain.--l III. Intel.
-.eEse".-
INTERE STING LETTER.
DR.. Benjamin Franklin TO his son