Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-11-18

duOul CCOO'
There is little information from Kentucky, but
it is principally of the first days ballot only, and is
not of decisive character. In Virginia it is thot
there will be majority of $4,000 for the jackson
Electors.
THE INDIANs-coNTINUEp The Indians are
no doubt fast depopuatng, with the exception ofthe
Cherokees and Choctaws, which increase rapidly
proof of the advantage of habits over theirs,
these tribes having made great progress in the arts
of civilization The various tribes inhabit variety
of climates speak different languages, and are diff
ferent in their character intellect, habits &c. They
are generally of fine forms, with few instances Of
deformity which is accounted for by two facts viz
all feeble children unable to endure the hard
ships to which they are exposed, and die therefore
in their infancy and the shape and strength of
children are not ruined or impeded in their natural
growth by swathing and tight acing, too apt to
be the case with the more civilized and fashionable
people of the world. Corpulent Indians are very
rare. In walking the Indians are remarkable for
placing one foot in right line before the other.
They never walk abreast, but one directly behind
the other in what is Indian file. They are remarka-
bly, INDECENT though they will endure the seyerest
privations, travel great distances and perform al
most incredible exploits of activity and daring in
their wars and in the chase The whole appear
of their villages is sufficiently indicative of
their laziness. As race, they are generally sui
len, moody, and thoughtful; they seldom jest, and
when they are heard to laugh it is pretty safe to
conclude they are intoxicated. The squaws may be
excepted in this remark, for when they are out of
sight of their husbands parents they generally
ready to laugh and converse. The Indians endure
suffering and pain with the greatest forttude They
have the same conceptions of the character of
respectable man that the whites have the same
traits of character that entitle man to the appel
laton of vrtuous and good among us, have the same
bearing upon the estimation of the Indians. 1t is
universal custom to marry many wives as the In
dian pleases. He spends his time in regular por-
tons between them but if he happen to spend
more time with than another, the neglected one
will manifest her dislike when he returns by kick
ing his dog, throwing his food on the ground and by
frankly giving him her opinion of him and his IA
vourite.
Mr.. Flint states that it beyond all question that
some of the tribes now occasionally practice cann-
balism; and that before they were visited by the
whites, 1t was custom generally if not universally,
prevalent among them Hunting is the serious bu-
siness of the Indian, and war the amusement and
pleasure of his life The greater portion of them,
as regards their habtations, aim at nothing more
than the frailest and rudest cabins Some of these
however, are framed with an ingenious andperse-
verng reference to comfort and utility and there is
great difference in the internal arrangement ofheir
cabins. In most instances however, the lnrerour Is
filthy and uncomfortable to excess. They are all
superstitious and the warriour who braves death
-lre-7-iii with. ii.zz etro
little charmed bag of filthy and disgusting ingredi-
ents, in which he places much reliance as security
against balls and arrows. There are some Indians
who atheists, but almost all admit, in some shape
other, the being of God, and the immortality of
the soul. Storm and thunder they consider as
manifestations of the wrath of the Great Spirit
termed in many of the languages tsWachonda,' or
Master of Life. Many of the tribes have forms of
prayer in the use of which they are regular and
earnest They concern themselves very little about
a future state.
All the Indians of the Mississippi Valley are hos
pitable, even to their enemies. They are not con-
slant, however, and their feelings one day are no
pledSe Tor what they Will be the next. Their thirst
for ardent spirit is uncomfortable. In all their trea
ties with the whites whiskey is indispensable ar
tlcle. A noted Pottawattome chiefo once presented
himself to the American agent at Chicago, as good
man, and friend to the Americans, and concluded
with the usual request for whiskey The agenttold
him he only gave whiskey to bad Indians that good
Indians neither asked for nor drank it when offer
ed The Indian replied, with great quickness
g Me id rascal" Whiskey is the heaviest curse
which the intercourse fthe Indians with the whites
has entailed upon them. Their constant regard to
and trinkets about their dress is sufficient
evidence of their vanity.
lTo BE CONCLUDED IN OUR NEXT
The Boston Daily Advertiser, the best, has be-
come the largest, of the Daily newspapers of the
In Drac onfir ;,,. 4