The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1858-03-10
INDIAN HISTORY.

Indian History by The Book Editor Of the
National lntelligeucrr.
Congress in ls47 directed the names,
numbers, and condition of the Indian tribes to
be collected and published. The inquiry was
placed in the hands oil II. r.. Sehoolcratt, who
has just completed tie sixth and closing yol-
ume.
Prior TO Mr.. Schoolcraft's volumes our
knowledge Of the Indian tribes was seanty,
and spread over a vast surface, aud no
small part of it vague and unreliable. For
more than three centuries they had been re.
garded as an enigma in history. Every con-
siderable deyelopement Of tribe was deem-
ed to be separate nation, though having
little more claims TO independently OF origin
than the Highland clans have Of the Gaelic
stock. Their languages had not been classl.
fed; their opinions, rites, religion, superstl'
tiOns, and manners remained mass oi con
luson and obscurities; their very existence,
in violation Of all the maxims Of political
economy was paradox their very ignorance
and want of refinement was deemed = crime,
and new principles Of human nature and Of
the human heart were supposed TO have been
implanted in their breasts BY the Creator 10
account Tor manners, sentiments, motives,
and acts, which are common, under like cir.
cuRstances, 10 the whole Ad4niic race. hut
there is a class Of charatans and skeptics
who are not willing TO leave the poor tribes
here, but who ignore their claims TO the very
brotherhoodof the human family aud IN order
| to reach an acme OF wit, paraiieied OILY by
the maxims OF infdelity in France in 1898,
deny the oracles uf truth and Revelation, pic
ture Moses as a demagogue and Hebrew
chronology as 4 fable.
Mr.. Schoolcrait restores the Indian 10 our
sympathies. aud depicts him as msn who
j has heart and affections, which have Only
been biunted BY lung and severe vicissituaes.
/ lie exhibits him as one Of the distinct Sarie-
/ ties OF the human race, Who have declined
i from their original type into barbarism, but
are worthy OF the noblcst Efforts Of mOlern
beneyol.nce aud education. Superior, ia
the structure gl their miuds, to the parb!ind
1 IlindOOs, who fall PROSTATE before elemental
matter, aud sell their lives IN defence Oi the
ten thousanlih part Of an erroneous dogma
the North American Indian has no temple
but the canopy Of Heaven. aud bcholds ID,
glorious symbols oi his Creator in tie magni
iicence Of the sunlight aud the awful nahii >.
tatiOns Of torHados aud thuGders.
10 show that the image d God can b,
restored to the Indian mind, the plain an'
tangible results Of teaching, arts, ,HllaslF,
and letters, and Divine truth ~ the removes
tribes uf tie West are exhibited 10 authrn
tic and elaborate tables Of mural aud indus
!. trial statistics llurses, cattle. domestic ana
mails of every name are reared. Fields az
pluurhed, house. are built, SCHOOLS arr rstaD
iished, churches are erected, and illled WIT
deeply interested listeners. The Word q
. God Is asknualedged as the oracle 81 @i'
dom tile examples ol good government an
laws are initiated. Tie principal tribes ar
| the germs ui future republics.
The statistics are ol = character mhie
!, could nnIy have been attained hy rrierenc
. 10 the highest sources u Official information
! Ii is shown that while tue Indian populd
; ti0n ul the Uniau is under i9O,0OO, 9. Mhie
u the census returns from the GUSetuaieI
: AGENTS recognize bat three hundred and tliit
teen thausand two hundred and siAtt.lua
excluding the SYNONYMS. 4 distinction
/ made between tie sRmi.risliZed tribes 1b
i have been cul0aiIed aud tle wild hanie
tribe. II Texas. New Mexico. Calllornit
i. Oregon, Washington aud Nebraska. TWei
j. ty.luar tribes, comprising the Dslemare
Il ShaWncts. &C., gathered from the 51uhdari'
Il If lie old States east Of the Mississippi. al
a located on fertile tracts 10 kansas. III
1 Etur large Sun'tsrn tribes ul tie ChiCkasAw
i Cherokees, aud Greeks. the latter inelusi'
e Of the seminoIes, were located bctwern q
ii south boundary line ~ Kansas and Rtdfi'e
.Wl.rre ihey have made great advances III r'y'
element ul civil zatiun. These four ttib
alone number 1850, nearly the fai'o ol
RI Ksurrsentatlyc in Congress. u appears "
ii NJ thp total number II $50 tribes aud bin
d reported by the agents. IS tribes are ine
: ,ynonsms. or tribes Ui the Imagination. u'e
lc being scarcely tribe which has not three
II luur distinct names. Tue deduction q tie
ID sinks the census returns greatly. Oar
le tereourse since the existence oi the Gn'el
4, ,nent has been with sixty tribes lVtaied g
II or,hc Rocky Mountains. rWrnty.ivgr ir'I
is atc lneatcd 10 kansas.
ire rhe fiscal statistics are exhibited "
a ..t .l.stttass 'Ihr amount III Indian