Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1845-03-06


munication to them-and after giving the best ex-
planaton of his discovery that he could stripping it
of all supernatural influence, he proceeded to de-
monstrae to them in good earnest, that he had made
dis scovery. His daughter, who was his only pupil,
was ordered to go out of hearing, while he requsted
his friends to name word or sentiment which he
put down, and then she was called in and read it
to them; then the father retired, and the daughter
wrote the Indians were wonder struck, but not
entirely satisfied. See-quah-yah then proposed
that the tribe should select several youths from
among their brightest young men, that he might
communicate the mystery to them. This was at
length agreed to, although there was some lurking
suspicion of necromancy in the whole business
John Nav, (hs Indian name / have forgotten) a
full-blood, with several others, were selected for
this purpose. The tribes watched the youths for
several months with anxiety; and when they Of
fered themselves for examination, the feelings of
all were wrought up to the highest pitch. The
youths were separated from their master, and from
each other, and watched with great care. The
uninitiated directed what the master and pupil
should write to each other, and these tests were
varied in such manner, as not only to destroy
their infdelity, but most firmly to fix their faith
The Indians, on this, ordered great feast, and
made See quah-yah conspicuous at it. How near
ly is man alike in every age! Pythagoras did the
same the discovery of an important principle in
geometry. See e-quah-yah became at once school
master, professor, philosopher, and chief His
countrymen were proud of his talents, and held
him in reverence as one favoured by the Great
Spirit. The inventions of early times shroud-
ed in mystery. See-quah-yah disdained all quack
cry. He did not stop here, but carried his dis
coveries to numbers. He of course knew nothing
of the Arabic digits, nor of the power of Roman
letters in the science. The Cherokees had men,
tai numerals to one hundred, and had words for
all numbers up to that but they had no signs or
characters to assist them in enumerating, adding,
substractlng, multiplying, or dividing. He re-
llected upon this until he had created their ele-
mentaiy principle in his mind but he was at first
obliged to make words to express his meaning,
and then signs to explain it. By this process lie
soon had clear conception of numbers up TO
million. His great difficulty was at the threshold,
to fix the powers Of his signs according to their
was in adding up his different numbers IN order
to put down the fraction of the decimal, and give
the whole number to his next place. But when
knew him, he had overcome all these difficulties,
and was quite ready arithmetcian in the funda-
mental rules This was the result of my inter-
view, and l can safely say, that have seldom
met man of more shrewdness than See-quah-
81, ocl l.;
try and when his associate chiefs on the mission
assumed our costume, he was dressed in all re-
spects like an Indian. See-quah-yah is man of
diversified talents; he passes from metaphysical
and philosophical investigation to mechanical oc-
cupations with the greatest ease. The only prac-
tical mechanics he was acquainted with, were a
few bungling blacksniths, who could make rough
tomahawk, or tinker the lock of rife; yet he
became a white and silver smith, without any in
struction, and made spurs and silver spoons with
ncaness and skill, the great admiration of peo-
pie of the Cherokee nation. 3ee-quah-yah has
also a great taste for painting. He mixes his
colours with skill; taking all the art and science
of his tribe upon the subject, he added to it many
chemical experiments Of his o@n, and some oi
them were very successful, and would be worth
being known to oar painters. For his drawings
| he had no model but what nature furnished, and
he ofteyl copied them with astonishing faithfuness
His resemblance of the human form, it is true, are
coarse, but often spirited and correct and he gave
action, and sometimes grace, to his representations
of animals lie had never seen camel hair PEN
Gil, when he made use of the hair of wild animals
for his brushes. Some of his productions dscov-
er considerable practical knowledge of perspec
tive but he could not have formed rules for this
The painters in the early ages were many years
coming TO knowledge of this part of the art
and even now they are more successful in the art
than perfect in the rules of it. The manners o
the American Cadmus are the most easy, and hi:
habits those of the most assiduous scholar, ant
his disposition is more lively than that OF any In
dian ever saw He understood and felt the ad
vantages the white man had long enjoyed, OF hav
r ling the accumuations of every branch of -knowl
edge, from generation TO generation, by means o
7 a written language, while the red man could onl
: commit his thoughts to uncertain tradition. III
: reasoned co~rectIy when he uraed t.iiS 10 hi