a certainty of defeat. During this blockade, Com. Perry had no alternative but to ride at anchor at Erie; but early in September the enemy relaxed his vigilance and withdrew to the upper end of the lake. Perry then slipped out beyond the bar and fitted his vessels for action. The British fleet opposed to Com. Perry consisted of the ships" Detroit," carrying 19 guns; the "Queen Charlotte," 17 guns; the schooner "Lady Prevost," 13 guns; the brig "Hunter," ten guns; the sloop "Little Belt," three guns; and the schooner "Chippewa," one gun and two swivels; and this fleet was commanded by a veteran officer of tried skill and valor.

At sunrise, Sept. 10, while at anchor at Put-in-Bay, the Commodore espied the enemy toward the head of the lake, and he immediately sailed up and commenced action. His flag vessel, the Lawrence, was engaged with the whole force of the enemy for nearly two hours before the wind permitted the other vessels to come in proper position to help. The crew of this vessel continued the fight until every one of them was either killed or wounded, all the rigging torn to pieces and every gun dismantled. Now comes the daring feat of the engagement which makes Perry a hero. He caused his boat to be lowered, in which he rowed to the Niagara · amid the storm of shot and shell raging around him. This vessel he sailed through the enemy's fleet with a swelling breeze, pouring in her broadsides upon their ships and forcing them to surrender in rapid succession, until all were taken. The smaller vessels of his fleet helped in this action, among which was one commanded by the brave and faithful Capt. Elliott. This victory was one of the most decisive in all the annals of American history. It opened the lake to Gen. Wm. H. Harrison, who had been operating in Indiana and Ohio, and who now crossed with his army to Canada, where he had a short campaign, terminated by the battle of the Moravian towns, by which the enemy were driven from the northwestern frontier. A detachment of his army occupied Detroit Sept. 29, 1813, and Oct. 18 an armistice was concluded with the Indians, thus restoring tranquillity to the Territory of Michigan. Soon afterward Gen. Harrison left Gen. Cass in command at Detroit and moved with the main body of his army down to the Niagara frontier.

Perry's brilliant success gave to the Americans the uncontrolled command of the lake, and Sept. 23 their fleet landed 1,200 men near Malden. Col. Proctor, however, had previously evacuated that post, after setting fire to the fort and public storehouses. Com. Perry in the meantime passed up to Detroit with the "Ariel" to assist in the occupation of that town, while Capt. Elliott, with the "Lady Prevost," the "Scorpion," and the "Tigress," advanced into Lake St. Clair to intercept the enemy's

Thus Gen. Harrison, on his arrival at Detroit and Malden, found both places abandoned by the enemy, and was met by the Canadians asking for his protection. Tecumseh proposed to the British commander that they should hazard an engagement at Mal

den; but the latter foresaw that he should be exposed to the fire of the American fleet in that position, and therefore resolved to march to the Moravian towns upon the Thames, near St. Clair lake, above Detroit, and there try the chance of a battle. His force at this time consisted of about 900 regular troops, and 1,500 Indians commanded by Tecumseh. The American army amounted to about 2,700 men, of whom 120 were regulars, a considerable number of militia, about 30 Indians, and the remainder Kentucky riflemen, well mounted, and mainly young men, full of ardor, and burning with a desire to revenge the massacre of their friends and relatives at the River Raisin.

During the following winter there were no military movements, except an incursion into the interior of the upper province by Maj. Holmes, who was attacked near Stony creek, and maintained his ground with bravery.

CLOSE OF THE WAR.

The war with Great Britain was now (November, 1813) practically closed, so far as the Northwest was concerned, but the post at Mackinaw yet remained in the hands of the enemy, and active steps were taken to dispossess the English of this point and drive them wholly from the domain of the United States. The first effort to start an expedition failed; but in the summer of 1814 a wellequipped force of two sloops of war, several schooners and 750 land militia, under the command of Com. Sinclair and Lieut.-Col. Croghan, started for the north. Contrary, however, to the advice of experienced men, the commanders concluded to visit St. Joseph first, and the British at Mackinaw heard of their coming and prepared themselves. The consequence was a failure to take the place. Major Holmes was killed, and the Winnebago Indians, from Green Bay, allies of the British, actually cut out the heart and livers from the American slain and cooked and ate them! Com. Sinclair afterward made some arrangements to starve out the post, but his vessels were captured and the British then remained secure in the possession of the place until the treaty of peace the following

winter.

The war with England formally closed on Dec. 24, 1814, when a treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. The 9th article of the treaty required the United States to put an end to hostilities with all tribes or nations of Indians with whom they had been at war; to restore to such tribes or nations respectively all the rights and possessions to which they were entitled in 1811, before the war, on condition that such Indians should agree to desist from all hostilities against the United States. But in February, just before the treaty was sanctioned by our Government, there were signs of Indians accumulating arms and ammunition, and a cautionary order was therefore issued to have all the white forces in readiness for an attack by the Indians; but the attack was not made. During

the ensuing summer and fall the United States Government acquainted the Indians with the provisions of the treaty, and entered into subordinate treaties of peace with the principal tribes.

Just before the treaty of Spring Wells (near Detroit) was signed, the Shawanee Prophet retired to Canada, declaring his resolution to abide by any treaty which the chiefs might sign. Some time afterward he returned to the Shawanee settlement in Ohio, and lastly to the west of the Mississippi, where he died, in 1834. The British Government allowed him a pension from 1813 until his death.

POLITICAL.

Previous to the formation of the Northwestern Territory, the country within its bounds was claimed by several of the Eastern States, on the ground that it was included within the limits indicated by their charters from the English crown. In answer to the wishes of the Government and people, these States in a patriotic spirit surrendered their claims to this extensive territory, that it might constitute a common fund to aid in the payment of the national debt. To prepare the way for this cession, a law had been passed in October, 1780, that the territory so to be ceded should be disposed of for the common benefit of the whole Union; that the States erected therein should be of suitable extent, not less than 100 nor more than 150 miles square; and that any expenses that might be incurred in recovering the posts then in the hands of the British should be reimbursed. New York released her claims to Congress March 1, 1781; Virginia, March 1, 1784; Massachusetts, April 19, 1785, and Connecticut, Sept. 4, 1786.

Under the French and British dominion the points occupied on the eastern boundary of what is now the State of Michigan were considered a part of New France, or Canada. Detroit was known to the French as Fort Pontchartrain. The military commandant, under both governments, exercised a civil jurisdiction over the settlements surrounding their posts. In 1796, when the British garrisons at Detroit and Mackinaw were replaced by detachments by Gen. Wayne, Michigan became a part of the Northwestern Territory and was organized as the county of Wayne, entitled to one Representative in the General Assembly, held at Chillicothe.

In 1800, Indiana was made a separate Territory, embracing all the country west of the present State of Ohio and of an extension of the western line of that State due north to the territorial limits of the United States; in 1802, the peninsula was annexed to the Territory of Indiana, and in 1805 Michigan began a separate existence. That part of the Territory that lies east of a north and south. line through the middle of Lake Michigan was formed into a distinct government, and the provisions of the ordinance of 1787 continued to regulate it. Under this constitution the executive power was invested in a governor, the judicial in three judges, and the

legislative in both united; the officers were appointed by the general Government, and their legislative authority was restricted to the adoption of laws from codes of the several States. This form of government was to continue until the Territory should contain 5,000 free white males of full age. It then became optional with the people to choose a legislative body, to be supported by them; but subsequent legislation by Congress more liberally provided a Legislature at the expense of the general Government and also added to privileges in the elective franchise and eligibility to office; as, for example, under the ordinance a freehold qualification was required, both on the part of the elector and of the elected.

The first officers of the Territory of Michigan were: Wm. Hull, Governor; Augustus B. Woodward, Chief Judge; Frederick Bates, Sr., Assistant Judge and Treasurer; John Griffin, Assistant Judge; Col. James May, Marshal; Abijah Hull, Surveyor; Peter Audrain, Clerk of the Legislative Board. May 5, 1807, Joseph Watson was appointed Legislative secretary; in November, 1806, Elijah Brush was appointed treasurer, to succeed Mr. Bates, and the books of the office were delivered over on the 26th of that month; and William McDowell Scott was appointed marshal in November, 1806, to succeed Col. May. The latter never held the office of judge of the Territory, but about 1800-23 he was chief justice of the court of common pleas.

Augustus Brevoort Woodward was a native of Virginia; was appointed a judge of the Territory in 1805, his term of office expiring Feb. 1, 1824. He was soon after appointed judge of the Territory of Florida, and three years after that he died. The grand scheme of "Catholepistemiad," or State University of Michigan, with its numerous details described under sesquipedalian names from the Greek, owed its origin to Judge Woodward.

John Griffin was appointed assistant judge in 1807, his term of office expiring Feb. 1, 1824. He was a native of Virginia, and died in Philadelphia about 1840.

James Witherell was a native of Massachusetts; was appointed a judge of the Territory April 23, 1808, his term of office expiring Feb. 1, 1824, when he was re-appointed for four years, and Feb. 1, 1828, he was appointed Territorial secretary.

When in 1818 Illinois was admitted into the Union, all the territory lying north of that State and of Indiana was annexed to Michigan. In 1819, the Territory was authorized to elect a delegate to Congress, according to the present usage with reference to Territories; previous to this time, according to the ordinance 1787, a Territory was not entitled to a delegate until it entered upon the "second grade of Government," and the delegate was then to be chosen by the General Assembly.

In 1823 Congress abolished the legislative power of the governor and judges, and granted more enlarged ones to a council, to be composed of nine persons selected by the President of the United