INDIAN NOTICES. 155 



its loveliness, A romantic fancy may suppose this tint of the 

 setting- sun an affectionate evening adieu to nature ; and such 

 are its effects on vegetation, that I have seen the Scottish 

 farmer stalk forth, and gaze on the beauty of his crops, although 

 perhaps insensible of the cause of his pleasure. The un 

 ruffled waters, beneath a cloudless sky, reflected objects on the 

 surrounding banks ; while Indian cots, situated on the most 

 prominent points of the terrace, occasionally met the eye. 

 When contemplating a landscape, where several small islands 

 seemed reposing on the surface of the river, and on which 

 grew luxuriant Indian corn, overtopped with magnificent sun 

 flowers in full blossom, gentle ripples issuing from beneath a 

 bush on the bank of an island, led me to expect waterfowl, 

 but a squaw, standing erect, came gracefully paddling a canoe 

 filled with children, who had been cultivating the sunflower. 

 Swan never guided her brood with more majesty and care 

 than this female did her offspring. 



I met some Indians, and a plain-looking white woman, with 

 fair hair, dressed in Indian attire, and carrying a child of 

 Indian hue. She was said to be a native of Ireland, and a 

 solitary instance of a white female living with the Indians. 



My friends were at a loss to conjecture the cause of my 



absence, as I engaged to dine at Mr N s, where I joined 



them a little after seven o clock. Next day we dined with 



Mr W. N . These invitations came opportunely after 



the loss of the mutton bone ; and I have no doubt were the 



means of saving the lives of several of Mr W s fowls. 



It was gratifying to see the old settlers so attentive to Mr 

 W on this emergency, and I was glad of the oppor 

 tunity of witnessing the manners and customs of the descend 

 ants of the first inhabitants of this part of the country. Mr 

 N is pretty well advanced in life, a shrewd and well- 

 informed person, and has let his farm in shares to an Eng 

 lishman. Mr W. N is a very active middle-aged person, 



with a wife and family, and cultivates his farm personally. 

 He lives in a small frame-house, with plain furniture, and 



every thing we saw was plain and neat. Mrs W. N was 



also a native of Canada, cousin to her husband ; had four or 



