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dren, they have no right to say that one of your father's traders among you, should carry no liquor among his children.

"My children, your father, King George, loves his red children, and wishes his red children supplied with every thing they want; he is not like the Americans, who are continually blinding your eyes and stopping your ears with good words, that taste as sweet as sugar, and getting all your lands from

you.

66 "My children, should you yet have any of the liquor that you took from the Englishman, I wish you to return it to him immediately.

"My children, I am told that Wells (an American), has told you that it was your interest to suffer no liquor to come into your country; you all well know that he is a bad man; you all well know the injury he done you before you made peace with the Longknives, by taking and killing your men, women, and children."

On another occasion he said to them:

"My children, I have always told you that I would give you the earliest information of any danger that threatened you. There is now a powerful enemy of yours to the east, on his feet, and looks mad at you, therefore, you must be on your guard; keep your weapons of war in your hands and have a look out for him."

The moral turpitude of addressing to savages sentiments directly tending to incite them to intoxication and war, and neutralizing the efforts of the benevolent, who were endeavoring to dissuade them

from both, is sufficiently obvious. But the offense becomes greatly aggravated, when we recollect that these Indians resided within our territorial limits; that the interference of an agent of a foreign government was gratuitous, unauthorized, and in contravention of the principles of the laws of nations, and that we were at that time at peace with these Indians and with the British.

We have no wish to multiply the evidences of this unjust interference with our rights and policy. We could trace it through the whole history of our western settlements, from the revolution down to the war with Great Britain, which terminated with the close of the year 1814; and we have seen it manifested, though less frequently, and far less openly, on a few occasions since the latter period. This state of things, was the most unfortunate for the interests of the pioneers, that could possibly have occurred, and its practical operation was peculiarly disastrous and oppressive. Had they been left to contend alone against the savages-had the contest been simply for the possession of the country, without any reference to questions of right, and without the interference of the government on the one hand, or of adverse political machinations on the other, the conflict would easily have been decided. The first adventurers to Kentucky were thus unembarrassed, and were uniformly successful. At a later period, the government, while it afforded little protection to the frontiers, imposed restraints which crippled the exertions of the inhabitants of the borders, while they encouraged the Indians to become more auda

cious in their hostility. It was determined, that the lands of the Indians should not in any case be taken from them without their consent, nor without giving them an equivalent. Hostilities against them were discouraged and the invasion of their territory forbidden, while the Indians were making frequent incursions into our country, and ravaging the whole border with fire and sword. On our side, there was forbearance and restraint; on theirs, active and unremitting hostility; the government of the United States was continually mediating between the actual parties, the Indians and the settlers, and withholding the latter from what they considered a just vengeance, while the agents of a foreign government were arming our foes and inciting them to new acts of murder and depredation.

It is perfectly obvious, that these transactions must have been injurious to all concerned, but especially to the inhabitants, both civilized and savage, of this region. The Indians were sacrificed without mercy, by a destructive policy of their allies, who reaped much odium, but gained no ultimate benefit by the operation; the settlers endured the most dreadful calamities, while the beneficent intentions of the government were frustrated.

We do not mean to insist that all the outrages committed on our frontiers by the Indians, are justly attributable to the direct action of the British government; many of the atrocities of which we complain, were undoubtedly the unauthorized acts of private individuals, perpetrated for the accomplishment of their own purposes of emolument or revenge; but

some of them have been shown to have been the of ficial acts of public men, and the cabinet of St. James is responsible for the effects of a system of which it was the author, and which was in itself unjustifiable. The fur trade, although insignificant when compared with the other branches of the commerce and industry of either nation, has always been a source of contention between the traders of the United States and Great Britain; and the Indians have been tampered with by persons who have had no higher object in view than the securing of the trade with a particular tribe. The late Indian war in Illinois, was in part brought about by the machinations of the Canadian traders, who expected, by embroiling the Americans with the Indians, to prevent our traders from passing in safety up the Mississippi, and thus to monopolize to themselves the traffic of one year.

Having pointed out a prolific source of disturbance, without a proper understanding of which, the ensuing narrative would be obscure, we shall proceed to speak of the settlements west and north of the Ohio.

CHAPTER XIV.

CLARKE'S EXPEDITION.

ONE of the earliest expeditions of the Americans beyond the Ohio, which then constituted the western frontier, was that of Colonel George Rogers Clarke against Kaskaskia, in 1778. This place, as well as the posts upon the lakes, was then in the possession of the British, with whom we were at war; and being one of the points from which the Indians were supplied with munitions, and enabled to harass the settlements in Kentucky, its capture was deemed so important, that the legislature of Virginia was induced to raise a regiment for the purpose. The command was given to Colonel Clarke, who planned the expedition, and who is spoken of by Chief Justice Marshall, as "a gentleman, whose great courage, uncommon hardihood, and capacity for Indian warfare, had given him repeated successes, in enterprises against the savages." He was a man of extraordinary talents and energy of characterpossessed of a military genius, which enabled him to plan with consummate wisdom, and to execute his designs with decision and promptitude. Having visited Kentucky during the previous year, he was satisfied, that in order to curb the Indians effectually, it was necessary to strike at the powerful, though distant allies, by whom they were supported. His great mind readily comprehended the situation of the country; he made himself acquainted with the to

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