Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-10-13
DAILY EVENING STAR.
A BOOK IN A THOUSAND.

- ~U1AA AN "a 442oSocNo.
Mrs. Mary Fl. Eastman, the wife of
Captain Seth Eastman, U. S. A., and
daughter of our former fellow citizen, DIR.
Thomas Henderson, of the army, has just
issuing hom the prolific press of Lippin-
colt, Grambo & Co., of Philadclphia, the
first of series of ANIMALS, styled " The
American Aboriginal Portfolio, ," wherein
we find more solid information concern
ing the hitherto almost unknown Gus
toms, lawsytraditions and domestic hab-
its of the Sioux, and some other Indian
tribes, than is to be found elsewhere; told,
too, with the artlessness, grace, good
taste and naivetc, which have already
won for the fair authoress high reputation
indeed, as one of the galaxy Of American
female writer's. 1t will be remembered
that she is the authoress Of Aunt Phillis's
Cabin" by long odds the best reply to
Mrs. Beecher Stoves celebrated tissue of
imaginary stories concerning slavery; of
which reply, ythe-bye, twenty-five thou-
sand copies were sold in single season.
Mrs. E. is also the writer of one third of
the Iris, published in 1851, by her pub
fishers above named, to which, it will be
remembered, Miss Bremen, and other dis
tinguished lady-writers contributed. But
our main business is with this last Indian
story-book from Mrs. Els. pen. 1t en-
braces multitude of beautifully told
legends of the Sioux and other tribes,
which serve at once to unfold to the
reader the sealed book of their very
thoughts, as it were, as well as Of their
history.
The first article is sketch of the life of
Red Jacket, "The Last of the Senecas,"
the most remarkable, perhaps, of the
North American Indians. There is
portrait of him, fine steel engraving
attached to the sketch "Striking the
Post" the curious Indian mode of re-
cruiting for war, is the subject of another
article. One of the most beautiful of the
plates, is the Gathering Wild Rice"
which is done by the Indian women, the
whole process of which is described by
Mrs. E. In the number called " Spear
ing Fish from a Canoe" the beautiful
tradition of the twin-sisters is given.
Thus are called two mounds that tower
before the eye of the traveller, as he ex-
plores the new country of the Upper
Mississippi. The plate called "Guarding
the Corn-fields, is one of the best, and
it is most truly Indian, as illustrating
one of the modes to which the Indian is
driven by his ignorance of art and asri-
culture, to provide himself with food and
to preserve it. Indian Lynch law, is
illustrated in the article called Dacota
village. a battle scene is described in
the sketch attached to the picture of the
Death Whocp. Anecdotes illustrative of
Indian legislature are given in the last
sketch, called Indians in Council" The
second sketch in the book is called "Itasca
Lake" The incidents connected with its
discovery are here given by Mrs. F.: also
the tradition of the Chippewas concern
ing the origin of the Mississippi. We
shall to morrow extract from this article
the latter part, which embraces legend
marked with more interest and beauty
than almost any other sketch of tie kind
we have ever read.
The illustrations of this work are all
from the artistic pencil of Captain East
man, which, upon such subjects, is with
out rival, as the plates of Schoolcraft's
magnificent History of the Indian Tribes,
published by the Government, testify; all
of them being his handicraft.
LATER FROM TEXAS.
The n. o. Picayune of the 7th inst. has
come to hand. containing Texas news to