NYYM_scrapbook_195

to work; and they are so very happy in keeping to thier old habits of living, that any attempts to induce a change only serve to make them unhappy--they argued aga- inst educating the Indians altogether either within or without thier borders; saying that they have as much knowledge as is necessary for an Indian to possess. There were also other men associated with these traders either by friendship or otherways; men of high standing in the Public Community, who were for- ward in sustaining these traders in these selfish and erroneous statements. And what is most to be deplored is, that the Indians will more readily lis- ten to the Council of these men than to those who are disinterstedly engaged for their good. The only hope (according to our conception of things) for these Indians is, that when they shall be removed to their new homes, all intercourse with their old ad- visers will be broken off, and they as we hope, will be left to receive better council from men who are not so intently bent upon thier own aggrandize- ment at the expense of the life and happiness of the Indian. This Tribe numbers about Twenty Two hun- dred in all. They are a large stately race particular- ly the men. There are none of these Indians who to our knowledge cultivate the soil; but are in general hunters--they however have a large pattern farm carried on for the benefit of the Indians by a Govern- ment farmer. Thier annuities are large, not dif- fering materially from the Winnebagoes. They live in wigwams or lodges similar to all the uncivilized Indians. They have no schools and no civil or religious instruction amongst them; but in other respects thier manners and customs are about the same as the Winnebagoes. Some few of their children have recieved some instruction at the Chactaw academy in Kentucky; but for the want of suitable opportunity to apply what little learning they may have obtained, and in consequence of the jealousy and prejudice of thier own nation against civilization; soon after thier return they fall into the destructive habits of thier uncivilized brethren. There was little opportunity while there of conversing with them, owing to thier engagements in making their Treaty. We visited most of their tents and took a view of them as they were encamped on the open prairie. After collecting what facts we could in relation to this Tribe, we returned to Salem a distance of about fifty miles, where we staid two or three days with Friends and gave them an account of the Indians. We then returned to the Mississippi where we took stage at Fort Madison for Kecookuk, and from thence by Steam Boat went to St. Louis--while there, we called on D. D. Mitchel superintendent of Indian affairs. He received us kindly, we presented him with our Documents from the War Department as well as our Certificates from our friends at home. He gave us a passport to travel through all the Tribes with- in his superintendence. Here again the same lamentable tale was told respecting the devastation that whiskey was making amongst all the diferent Tribes within his jurisdiction. He informed us that they were annually diminishing in numbers, and that unless something more effectual could be devised for their benefit, by way of putting a stop to this iniquitous trafic in whiskey, they would soon be all wasted away. He gave us copies of Reports recieved from the several schools within his superintendence, for our perusal. We left St. Louis by Stage for St. Charles a distance of twenty miles, thence took Steam Boat for Westport nearly five hundred miles up the Missouri River where we landed in safety; we then proceeded by land about nine miles to Friends school in the Shawnee nation. The navigation of the Missouri at this time was considered very precarious on account of the low stage of water, and the nu- merous snags and shoals in the river: which caused great anxiety to us as well as to the officers of the Boat, both by night and by day; yet through