The Delaware register, or, Farmers', manufacturers' & mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1829, 1829-08-29

cripple for life, by shortening the diseased leg De-
pryed of the excitements of and the pleasures
of the chase, the long night of his confinement his
mind was again directed to the mystery of speaking
by letters the very of which, of course, was NOT
to be found in his language. From the cries of wild
beasts, from the talents of the hooking bird, from
the voices Of his children and his companions, he
knew that feelings and passions conveyed by d.
rect sounds from one intelligent being to another
The thought struck him to try to ascertain all the
sounds in the Cherokee language. His own ear was
not remarkably discriminating, and he called to his
aid the more acute ears of his wife and Children
He found great assistance from them. When he
thought that he had distinguished all the different
sounds in their language, he attempted to uss pictorial
signs, images Of birds and beasts, to convey these
sounds TO others or to mark them in his own mind.
He soon dropped this method, as difficult or mpossi
BILE, and tried arbitrary signs, without any regard to
appearances, except such might assist him in re-
collecting them, and distinguishing them from each
other. AT first these signs very numerous and
when he got far think his invention was near.
ly accomplished he had about two hundred charac-
ters in his alphabet. Fly the aid of his daughter, who
seemed to enter into the genius of his labors. he c-
dnced them at last, to eighy-sX, the number he nov
uses. lie then set TO WORK TO make these characters
more comely to the eye and succeeded-as yet he
had not the knowledge of the pen as an instrument;
but made his characters piece of bark, with
knife nail. At this time he sent to the Indian a.
gent, trader in the nation, for paper ard pen.
His ink easy made from some of the bark Of the
forest trees, whose colorlng properties he had prey
ously known-and after seeing the construction of the
pen, he soon learned to make one but at first he made
it without slit this Inconvenience was, however,
quickly removed by his sagacity. His next difficulty
was to make his invention known to his countrmcn;
for by this time he had become so distracted from his
tribe and their usual pursuits that he was viewed with
an eye of suspicion His former companions passed
his wgwam without entering it, and mentioned his
name as one who practising improper spells, for
notoriety or mischievous purposes, and he to
think that he should have been hardly dealt WITH if
his doce and unambitious disposition had not been
so generally acknowledged by his tribe-at length he
summoned some of the most distinguished of his ma
ton, in order to make his communication to them
and after giving the best explanation of his discovery
that he could, stripped it of all supernatural inAu-
ence, he proceeded to demonstrate TO them in good
earnest, that he had made discovery. His daughter,
who was now his only pupil, ordered to go out OF
hearing, while he requested his friends to name
word or sentiment which he put down, and then she
was called in and read it to hem then the father re-
tired and the daughter wrote the Indians were