1760-1763.] NATIVE POPULATION. 151 



the Scioto and its branches. Farther towards the 

 west, on the waters of the Wabash and the 

 Maumee, dwelt the Miamis, who, less exposed, 

 from their position, to the poison of the whiskey- 

 keg, and the example of debauched traders, re- 

 tained their ancient character and customs in 

 greater purity than their eastern neighbors. This 

 cannot be said of the Illinois, who dwelt near the 

 borders of the Mississippi, and who, having lived 

 for more than half a century in close contact with 

 the French, had become a corrupt and degenerate 

 race. The Wyandots of Sandusky and Detroit far 

 surpassed the surrounding tribes in energy of 

 character and in social progress. Their log dwell- 

 ings were strong and commodious, their agriculture 

 was very considerable, their name stood high in 

 war and policy, and they were regarded with 

 deference by all the adjacent Indians. It is need- 

 less to pursue farther this catalogue of tribes, 

 since the position of each will appear hereafter as 

 they advance in turn upon the stage of action. 



The English settlements lay like a narrow strip 

 between the wilderness and the sea, and, as the sea 

 had its ports, so also the forest had its places of 

 rendezvous and outfit. Of these, by far the most 

 important in the northern provinces was the frontier 

 city of Albany. From thence it was that traders 

 and soldiers, bound to the country of the Iroquois, 

 or the more distant wilds of the interior, set out 

 upon their arduous journey. Embarking in a 

 bateau or a canoe, rowed by the hardy men who 

 earned their livelihood in this service, the traveller 



