256 INDIAN MIGRATIONS. 
ness to remove, has been a reluctance to 
abandon their native homes and the ‘graves 
of their fathers.’ Many fabulous legends are 
told of the attachment of the Indian to his 
native soil, yet but few who are acquainted 
with their habitudes, will place much stress 
onthis. Their own traditions, as well as ex- 
perience, have shown, that, when left to them- 
selves, they incline to migrate; of which the 
Azteques of Mexico, and the Osages, with 
others of our border, afford striking examples: 
in fact, there is scarcely a tribe on the fron- 
tier which has not its traditions of migrations 
at some period. The Shawnees say their fore- 
fathers emigrated from the south to the regions 
north of the Ohio—the Creeks, as well as 
many of the Choctaws, that they were origin- 
ally from west of the Mississippi—besides 
many other cases. 
But, with regard to this passage of our 
country’s history, I will merely say, in addi- 
tion, that, so far as I am able to judge, the 
condition of the ‘red man’ has been very ma- 
terially bettered by the change. The lands 
they at present occupy are, for the most part, 
of a more fertile character than those which 
they have left. The climate is equally, or per- 
haps more healthy, in general; notwithstand- 
ing the dreadful mortality which afflicted many 
of them shortly after their removal—a calamity 
which wasattributable, primarily, to the change 
of climate, as well as to the change of habits 
which their new dwelling-places involved ; 
and secondarily, to the too abundant use of 
