92 LEAVES THEY HAVE TOUCHED. 



States in 1812-13-14. He assisted at tlie capture of Detroit ; lie was 

 present on Queenston Heights when Brock was killed ; he entered 

 Fort Niagara when surprised and taken by Colonel Murray in 

 December, 1814 ; and again, at the famous night-attack on the 

 United States' camp at Stoney Creek, he was also present. Norton's 

 association with the British officers on these and other occasions gave 

 rise to some wild stories, believed in the United States. One writer 

 reports that Colonel Murray, when he surprised Fort Niagara, 

 entered the fort at the head of 400 British and Indians. James, in 

 his "Military Occurrences of the Late War," &c., corrects the state- 

 ment by saying there was but one Indian, and he was a Scotchman : 

 meaning, of course, Norton. But doubtless, wherever Norton was, 

 his savages were not far off. 



As a companion-piece to Norton's letter, I give another, written 

 also by our educated Indian chief, Caj)tain John Bijant, son of 

 Joseph, and his successor as Tekarihogea, or Head Chief of the 

 Mohawks. Its date, however, is so late as 1825. I transcribe from 

 the original. Application is made therein to Colonel Givins, of the 

 Indian Department, for his friendly intervention in behalf of Thomas 

 Davis, Susannah Johnson and Lvicy Brant, Grand River Indians, 

 who had suffered losses during the War of 1812. " Their respective 

 claims," Captain Brant says, " have been legally authenticated before 

 William Holme, Esq., of Dumfries ; and I believe that they have 

 proceeded in every respect according to the. rules of the Commis- 

 sioners. These claims were transmitted to J. B. Macaulay, Esq., 

 Clerk to the Commissioners, nearly a year since. It is in consequence 

 of the bad state of health of the Hon. Col. Claus," Brant adds, "that 

 Thomas Davis intends to solicit your assistance, and to inquire of 

 Mr. Macaulay if the Commissioners have examined those claims : 

 and also the result of such examination. Any assistance you can 

 render to these' people will be gratefully acknowledged by. Dear Sir, 

 your very faithful servant, J. Brant." The letter is dated at 

 Wellington Square, July 5, 1825. This is the J. Brant who, when 

 visiting England in 1821, called on the poet Campbell to retract the 

 language he had used in " Gertrude of Wyoming" in regard to hia 

 father, Joseph Brant. Campbell's elaborate reply can be seen at the 

 end of Stone's Life of Joseph Brant. The Mohawk name was 

 Ahyouwaeghs. 



The Hon. Col. Claus long filled a large space in the Canadian, 

 public view, as Chief Superintendent of Indian affairs. Here is a 



