SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 825 



among the Sauks, &c. but it is quite unknown to the Sioux, 

 to whom it is attributed by this writer. It is, we believe, 

 clearly proved at present, that the land which he claimed 

 by virtue of a grant from the Indians, was never conveyed 

 to him by them. Attempts were made in 1817, by two 

 of his grandsons, to have the claim recognized by some of 

 the Indians now living ; they ascended the river at the 

 same time that Major Long did, but were not successful. 

 An instrument purporting to be the original treaty was af- 

 terwards sent to Canada, and placed in Renville's hands by 

 those who had an interest in the claim ; he was requested 

 to show it and explain its nature to the Indians, and to en- 

 deavour to obtain a confirmation of it from them ; but, as 

 he informed us, he could find no individual among them, 

 who had the least recollection or tradition of this convey- 

 ance, or even of the names which are purported to have 

 been affixed to the deed ; the Indians have no hesitation 

 in asserting that there never were among them any Dacota 

 chiefs of the name. When chapter 5th of Carver's work 

 was read to Renville and the oLher men, they denied the 

 truth of its contents ; but immediately recollected the de- 

 signs of a snake and a tortoise, which were affixed to the 

 treaty, no doubt to make it tally with the account of their 

 family distinctions contained in that chapter of his travels. 

 His vocabulary appears certainly to have been taken from 

 the Dacota language ; it may have been obtained from the 

 Indians along the banks of the Mississippi, but was more 

 probably copied from some former traveller, for a refer- 

 ence to old works will prove that Carver derived much of 

 his information from them, though no credit is given to 

 their authors for it. A comparison of his account of the 

 manners of the Indians with that given by Lahontan, 

 shows that he was familiar with that author. His state- 



