THE WESTERN COUNTRY. 141 



for the Kanhawa and its tributary streams are hemmed in by 

 high and craggy hills, often approaching to mountains, and 

 beyond which, to a considerable extent, the country in general 

 is fit only for the habitation of wild beasts. 



It is true, that on the N. W. side of the Ohio, there are 

 works, which seem to claim higher pretensions, to the rank as- 

 signed them. They present more elevated parapets, deeper 

 ditches, with other indications of military art. Perhaps, how- 

 ever, when more accurately examined, in all their aspects, 

 they will be found to be only the habitation of a chief of some 

 powerful tribe. The love of distinction prevails with no less 

 force in the savage, than the civilized breast. M'Kinzie, in 

 his unadorned narratives, mentions frequently the habitation 

 of the chief or king, as much larger, and even as commodi- 

 ous, when compared with those of inferior rank. In latitudes 

 so high as those which he traversed with heroic perseverance, 

 necessity compelled the savage to contrive more warm and 

 durable habitations; but the same principle which would give 

 marks of distinction to the residence of the chieftain in one 

 climate, would produce the same effect in any other, though 

 they might assume different appearances. Besides, it might 

 not be improper to recollect in an examination of those works, 

 that the French began to build forts in the Miamis, and Illinois 

 country, as early as the year 1680; and that they were after- 

 wards systematically continued until the loss of Canada. 



I cannot conclude this letter, already, I fear, too long, with- 

 out mentioning another curious specimen of Indian labour, 

 and of their progress in one of the arts. This specimen is 

 found within four miles of the place whose latitude I endea- 

 voured to take, and within two of what are improperly called 

 Burning Springs, upon a rock of hard freestone, which lies slo- 

 ping to the south, touching the margin of the river, and pre- 

 sents a flat surface of above VI feet in length and 9 in breadth, 

 with a plane side to the east of 8 or .9 feet in thickness. 



Upon the upper surface of this rock, and also upon the side, 

 we see the outlines of several figures, cut without relief, ex- 

 cept in one instance, and somewhat larger than the life. The 

 depth of the outline maybe half an inch; its width three 



