142. CHEROKEE NATION OF INDIANS. 
miles west-southwest from the Katahba Nation,—and almost 200 miles 
to the north of the Muskohge or Creek country. They are settled nearly 
in an east and west course about 140 miles in length from the lower 
towns, where Fort-Prince-George stands, to the late unfortunate Fort- 
Loudon. The natives make two divisions of their country, which they 
term ‘Ayrate’ and ‘Otarre,” the one signifying ‘low’ and the other 
‘mevntainous.’” ; 
POPULATION. 
In point of numbers the Cherokee population now considerably exceeds 
that first enumerated by the early colonial authorities. As early as 1715 
the proprietors of the South Carolina Plantation instructed Governor 
Robert Johnson to cause a census to be taken of all the Indian tribes 
within that jurisdiction, and from his report it appears that the Chero- 
kee Nation at that time contained thirty towns and an aggregate pop- 
ulation of 11,210, of whom 4,000 were warriors. Adair alleges that in 
1735, or thereabouts, according to the computation of the traders, their 
warriors numbered 6,000, but that in 1758 the ravages of the small-pox 
reduced their population one-half within one year. Indeed, this disas- 
ter, coupled with the losses sustained in their conflicts with the whites 
and with neighboring tribes, had so far wasted their ranks that a half 
century after the census taken by Governor Johnson they were estimated 
by the traders to have but 2,300 warriors.1. By the last report of the 
Commissioner of Indian Affairs the total population is estimated to num- 
ber 22,000.22 It is true that considerable of this increase is attributable 
to the fact that several other small tribes or bands, within a few.years 
past, have merged their tribal existence in that of the Cherokees. In- 
dependent of this fact, however, they have maintained a slow but steady 
increase in numbers for many years, with the exceptien of the severe © 
losses sustained during the disastrous period of the late southern rebel- 
lion. j 
OLD CHEROKEE TOWNS. 
It is perhaps impossible to give a complete list of the old Cherokee 
towns and their location; but in 1755 the authorities of South Carolina, 
in remodeling the old and prescribing new regulations for the govern- 
ment of the Indian trade, divided the whole Cherokee country into six 
hunting districts, viz: 
1. Over Hill Towns.—Great Tellico, Chatugee, Tennessee, Chote, 
Toqua, Sittiquo, and Talassee. 
2. Valley Towns.—Euforsee, Conastee, Little Telliquo, Cotocanahut, 
Nayowee, Tomatly, and Chewohe. 
3. Middle Towns.—Joree, Watoge, Nuckasee. 

1 Adair’s American Indians, 
2 Report Commissioner Indian Affairs for 1883, p. 272. 
