146 



qI;1)c JTarmcv's i^lontlili) iHsitor. 



lie plough ? Do iiol, tlieii, let us feel auy appre- 

 hensions lest onr soil bIiouUI liiil ns, or Itms ihiit 

 science will leave us heiiind in her uiaiih on- 

 ward. With our ears mid eyes open, and our 

 hands busy, we may hope still to fret alons; pros- 

 perously ; and if we hut apply the Unowledye 

 within our reach, our crops will he ahnndanl 

 allhoimh we never auulised the soil npou which 

 thev may grow, wilhont ituzzling our heads 

 aho'ut hlow pipes, exhausted receivers, or any 

 other curious contrivances, teaching us the lesson 

 that too much wisdom is as wasting a companion 

 as idleness itself. ^• 



N. B.— It is a sid.ject of regret to P. that he 

 has occasioned so juuch loss of time and trouhle 

 to ihe compositors and proof readers of the Vis- 

 itor. Me acknowledges the reproof as being de- 

 served, and has fouiul no small diflicully in read- 

 ing his own writing, aided hy memory. This 

 bad penmanship idmv be set down to careless- 

 less in part, and for the rest, perlm])S the excuse 

 may be granted, th.it the writer appears to more 

 advantage in the farmer, which is the nobler, 

 than in the scholar. Be that as it may, he feels 

 his conscience bear him out in his object, which 

 was to throw in his mile to the general stock of 

 a meritorious publication, that dlftnses valuable 

 knowledge— a fountain of pure good without the 

 alloy of evil, that brings ns all as it were into 

 onegreat circle aioimd the intellectual fireside 

 of th.e land, where each [Jiotiis as a donor or 

 receiver, and where no enemies are awakened, 

 or contentious feelings kept alive. If he has 

 succeeded in any way iu adding auy thing, he 

 has his reward ; if he has not in this, he has his 

 reward in what has been done by oihers, in the 

 contributions they have made, and is withal so^ 

 jieiiitent that he iinpes the compositors and proof 

 readers will lake him into charitable favor, and 

 have compassion, and extend fc.rgiveness. Should 

 this be too much to expect, and llie request 

 deemed too uiire.-!.sou.ible. then, at least, some 

 benefit may be hoped, as thc-e worthy youths 

 can never be expected to forget the lesson, and 

 will of course be careful ne\ er to give others 

 the trouble I may have occasioned them, and 

 will write so very lej-ibly that he that runs may 

 read. 



Sept. 5, 1843. P- 



Costume of a Maudaa Chief. 



FROM CATLIN'3 N0TE5 ON THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 



Mah-to-toh-pa had agreed to stand before me 

 for his portrait at an early hour of the next uiorn-_ 

 ing; and on that d.-iy I sat wiili my palette of 

 colors prepared, ami w.iited till twelve o'clock, 

 before he could leave his mileite with feelings of 

 satisfaction as to the propriety uf his looks, and 

 the aiTangement of his eipiipiiKMits; and at tliat 

 time it was anmuiiirei! that " .Aiah-io-lcih-pa was 

 coming in full dress !' 1 looked out of tlie door 

 of the wigwam, and saw him approaching witha 

 firm and elastic step, accompanied hy a great 

 crowd of women :iiul children, who were gazing 

 on him with admiraliou, and escorling him to 

 my room. No tragedian ever trod the stage, nor 

 gliulialor ever entered the Rom.-in Fonim, with 

 mine gr;:ce and niairly dignity than did Mali-to- 

 toli-pa enter the wigwam, where 1 was in readi- 

 ness to receive him.. He^'iook his attitude before 

 me ; anil, with the slern!;ess of a Briitns and 

 the slillness uf a slaiiie, lia stood until the dark- 

 ness of night broke npois tthe solitary slillness. — 

 His dress, which was a very splendid one, was 

 complete ill all its parts, and consisted of a shirt 

 or tunic, leirgings, moccasii«J, head-dress, neck- 

 lace, shield, bovv mid ipiiver, lance, tobacco-sack, 

 ami pipe; rohe, belt, and knife; medicine-bag, 

 tomahawk, and war-eluh, or po-ko-mo-kon. 



The .S/i;r(, ot' w Inch I have spoken, was made 

 of two skins of the niouniain sliee)), beautifully 

 dressed, and sewed together by seams which 

 resleil upon the arms ; inie skin hanging in ti'onl 

 Ujioii the breast, and iheoiher falling down upon 

 the back; the head being passed between them, 

 and thev lalling over and resting on the should- 

 ers. Across each shonkler, and somewhat iu 

 the Ibrm of an epaulette, was a beanliful band; 

 and down each arm from the neck to the band 

 was a similar one, of two inches iu width (and 

 crossin;r the other at liiilit angles on the should- 

 er.) heainifully embroidered willi porenpioe quills 

 worked on the dress, and covering the seams. — 

 To the losver edge of these baiid.'i the whole 

 way, ai intervals of half an inch, w re attached 



long locks of black liHir» which be had taken 

 with his own liHlid from the heads of his ene- 

 mies whom lie had slain in battle, and wiiich he 

 thus wore as a trophy, and also as an ornament 

 to his dress. The front and back of the shin 

 were curiously garnished in several parts with 

 porcupine quills and paintings of the battles be 

 had tbiight, and also with representations of the 

 viclims that had liillen hy his hand. Theliollom 

 of the thess was bound or hemmed w ith ermine 

 skins, and tassels of ermine's tails were suspend- 

 ed from the rtrms and the shoulders. 



The Leggings, w Inch were made of deer skins, 

 heantifnily dressed, and fitting tight to the leg, 

 extended from the feet to the hips, and were 

 liistened to a belt w hich was fastened around the 

 waist. These, like the shirt, had a similar band, 

 worked with porcupine quills and richest dyes, 

 passing down the seam on the outer part "of the 

 leg, and tiinged also the whole length of the leg, 

 with the scal[i-locks taken from his enemies' 

 heads. 



The .Moccasins were buckskin, and covered iu 

 almost every part with the beautiful embroidery 

 of porcupine's quills. 



The Head-dress, which was superb and trulj 

 magnificent, consisted of a crest of war-eagle's 

 quills, gracefully lalling hack from the forehead 

 over the back (lart of the head, and extending 

 quite (low 11 to his feet; set the whole way in a 

 profusion of ermine, and surmounted on the 

 top of the head, with the horns of the buffalo, 

 shaved thin and highly polished. 



The .\ecklace was made of fifiy huge claws or 

 nails of the grizzly hear, ingeniously arranged 

 on ihe skill of an oiler, and worn, like the scalp- 

 locks, as a trophy — as an eviiience unquestion- 

 able, that he luul contended with and overcome 

 that desperate enemy in open combat. 



His Shield was made of the hide of the luifTa- 

 lo's neck, and liardeued with the glue that was 

 taken from its hoofs; ils boss was the skin of a 

 pole-cat, and its edges were fringed with rows of 

 eagle's quills and hoofs of the antelope. 



His Bow was of bone, and as white and as 

 beautiful as ivory ; over its back was laid, and 

 firmly attached to it, a coating of deer's sinews, 

 which gave it its elasticity, and of course death 

 to all that stood inimical before it. Its string was 

 three stranded and twisted of sinews, which 

 many a time had twanged and sent the whizzing 

 dealii to animal and to human victims. 



The (-laiver was made of a panther's skin, and 

 hung upon his back, eli;irged with its deadly ar- 

 rows; some were poisoned and some were not; 

 lliey were fealheied with hawk's and eagle's 

 quills; pome svere clean and innocent, and pure, 

 and others were stained all over, wilh animal and 

 liinnaii blood that wa.s dried upon them. Tlieir 

 blades or points were of flints, and some of steel; 

 and altogpiher were a deadly magazine. 



The Lance, or spear, was held in his left hand; 

 ils blade was two-edged, and of polished steel, 

 and the blood of several human victims was seen 

 dried upon it, one over the other; ils shall was 

 ot the toughest ash, and ornamented at intervals 

 with tufts of war-eagle's quills. 



His ToinccowcA- was made of the skin of an 

 oiler, and tastefully garnished with quills of the 

 porcupine, in it was carried his k'nick-k'neck (the 

 iiaik of the red willow, which is smoked as a 

 substitule for lob:icco;) it contained also his flint 



atid steel, and spunk for lighting 



His Pipe, which was ingeniously carved out of 

 red sleatile (or pipe-stoue,) the stem of which 

 was tlii-e« feet long and two inches wide, made 

 from the stalk of the young ash ; about half ils 



Ihs .Medicitif-bag was the skin of a beaver, cu- 

 riously oiuainented with hawk's bills and ermine. 

 It was held in hi^ right hand, and his po-/ro-»io- 

 /fon (or war-club) which was made ot a round 

 stone, lied up in a piece of raw hide, and attach- 

 ed to the end of a stick, somewhat in the form 

 ol a sling, was laid with others of his weajions 

 at his feet. 



Such was the dress of M.di-to-toli-|)n, when 

 he entered my wigwam to stand for his picture ; 

 but such I have not entirely represented it in his 

 portrait; having rejecled such trappings and or- 

 naments as interfered wiili the grace and sim- 

 plicity of the figure. He was beautifully and 

 exii'avaganllv dressed ; and in this he was not 

 alone, lor hundieds of others are equally ele- 

 gant. Jn plumes, and arms, and oruameius, be 

 is not singular ; hut in laurels and wreaths he 

 stands unparalleled. His breast has been bared 

 and scarred in defence of his country, and liis 

 brows crowned wilh honors that elevate him 

 conspicuous above all ol' his nation. There is 

 no mall amongst the Mandaiis so generally loved, 

 nor any one who wears a robe so justly finned 

 and honoiahle as that of Mah-to-loli-pa. 



I said his robe was of the skin ofa young buf- 

 falo bull, and that Ihe bailies of his life w ere em- 

 blazoned on il ; and, on a former occasion, Ihat 

 he presenleil me a beautiful robe, containing all 

 the battles of his life which he hud spent two 

 weeks' time in copyiiiir from his original one, 

 which he wore on his shoulders. 



This rohe, wilh his tracings on it, is the chart 

 of his military file; and, when explained, will 

 tell more of Alah-lo-ioh-pa. 



Some days after this robe was presented, he 

 called upon mo wilh Mr. Ki|ip, the trader and 

 interpreler for the Mundans, and gave me of each 

 battle there ponrlrayed the tbilovving history, 

 which was interpreted by Mr. Kijip, from his 

 own lips, and written down hy nie, as we three 

 sat upon the robe. Mr. Kipp, who is a gentle- 

 man of respectability and trnlli, and who has 

 lived with ihese people ten year.s, assured me, 

 that nearly every one of these narrations were 

 of events ihat lia[>pened whilst he had lived 

 with them, am! had been familiarly known to 

 him; and that every word Ihat he asserted was 

 tine. 



And again, reader, in this country where, of 

 all countries I ever was iu, men are the most 

 jealous of rank and of standing; and in a com- 

 niimity so smidl also, that every man's deeds of 

 honor and chivalry are familiarly known to all; 

 it would not be reputable, or even safe to life, for 

 a warrior to wear upon his back the representa- 

 tions of battles he had never fmight; professing 

 to have done what every child in the village 

 would know he never had done. 



So Iheii I lake the records of battles on the 

 rohe ol .'\!aii-to-toh-pa to be matter of historical 

 fiict ; and 1 proceed to give ihenias I wroie theni 

 down from his own lips. Twelve battle-scenes 

 are there re|iresented, whore he has contended 

 wilh his enemy, and in which he has taken four- 

 teen of their scalps. 



[We need only add, that the original rohe now 

 hangs in Mr. Catliii's Indian gallery, where also 

 may be seen every article of the costume above 

 tiescribed. not only of the Maiulan, but of many 

 other tribes of North American Indians; the 

 same article of dre.ss exiiihiliiig (leculiarities of 

 material and construction, that make the dress 

 of one tribe distinguishable from every other.] — 

 English Paper. 



length was wound with delicate braids of the 

 porcupine's quills, so ingenioiisly wmuglit as to 

 represent figures of men and aniiiials upon it. 

 It was also ornamented with the skins and beaks 

 of wood-pecker's heads, and the hair of the 

 while buflalo's tail. The lower half of the stem 

 was Jiainled red, and on ils edt'es it bore Ihe 

 notches he luul recorded for the snows (or years) 

 of his life. 



His Robe was made of the skin of a young 

 buflMo bull, with the fur on one side, and the 

 other finely and delicately dressed ; with all the 

 battles of his life emblazoned on it by his own 

 band. 



His Be//, w hich was of a substantial piece of 

 buckskin, was firmly girded around his waist; 

 and in it were worn his tomahaw k and scalping- 

 kuife. 



Importance or draining. — When we liave 

 got a piece of good loamy land lying on a dry 

 subsoil, or well chained, it is our own fault if we 

 have not good crops, or if the vicissitudes of 

 the seasons affect us to any great extent. The 

 lasl two years have been trying years fin- had 

 larmeis; and we may look upon it as a warn- 

 ing to keep our land dry iu winter. Whoever 

 has ob.served the difference between the pro- 

 duce of two fields, both of nearly the sainecpial 

 ily, hut the one drained and the subsoil ploughed, 

 and the other merely phiuglied up in bigli and 

 narrow stretches, must be fully convinced that 

 the capital which is laid out in thorough draining 

 often pays a better interest, w idioiit risk, than ihe 

 most usurious discounter of short bills could have 

 the conscience lo desire. This year it has been 

 100 per cent, and more, in some heavy wet soils, 

 now laid dry. Draining, in the best manner, 



