A M E 
our reach, I can fpeak of him fomewhat from my own 
knowledge, but more from the information of others bet¬ 
ter acquainted with him, and on whofe truth and judgment 
J can rely. From thefe fources I am able to fay, in-con¬ 
tradiction to this reprefentiftion, that he is neither more 
defeXive in ardour, nor more impotent with his female, 
than the white reduced to the fame diet and exercife : 
that he is brave, when an enterprife depends on bravery ; 
education with him making the point of honour confilt in 
the deftruXion of an enemy by ftratagem, and in the pre- 
fervation of his own perfon free from injury; or perhaps 
this is nature, while it is education which teaches us to 
honour force more than fineffe : that he will defend irim- 
felf againft an hod of enemies, always choofing to be kil¬ 
led, rather than to furrender, though it be to the whites, 
who he knows will treat him well : that in other fituations 
tilfo he meets death with more deliberation, and endures 
tortures with a firmnefs unknown almoft to religious en- 
thufiafm with us : that he is affeXionate to his children, 
careful of them, and indulgent in the extreme: that his 
aft'eXions comprehend his other connexions, weakened, as 
with us, from circle to circle, as they recede from the 
center : that his friendfhips are ftrong and faithful to the 
uttermoft ; a remarkable indance of which appeared in the 
cafe of the late colonel Byrd, who was fent to the Cherokee 
nation to tranfaX fome bufinefs with them. It happened 
that fome of our diforderly people had jud killed one or 
two of that nation. It was therefore propofed in the 
council of the Cherokees that colonel Byrd fhould be put 
t-o death, ip. revenge for the lofs of their countrymen. 
Among them was a chief called Silouee, who, on fome 
former occafion, had contraXed an acquaintance and 
friendfhip with colonel Bird. He came to him every 
night, in his tent, and told him not to be afraid, they 
■fhould net kill him- After many days deliberation, how¬ 
ever, the determination was, contrary to Silouee’s expeX- 
-ation, that Byrd fhould be put to death, and fome warriors 
were difpatched as executioners. Silouee attended them, 
and, when they entered the tent, he threw himfeif between 
them and Byrd, and faid to the warriors, “ this man is my 
friend: before you get at him, you muft kill me,” On 
•which they returned, and the council refpeXed the prin¬ 
ciple fo much as to recede from their determination. 
The fenfibility of the American favage is remarkably 
keen, fince even the warriors weep moft bitterly on the 
lofs of their children, though in general they endeavour 
to appear fuperior to human events : and .his vivacity and 
aXivity of mind is equal to our’s in the fame fituation ; 
and hence his eagerriefs for hunting, and for games of 
chance. The women are fubmitted to unjuft drudgery. 
This I believe is the cafe with every barbarous people. 
With fuel), force is law. The ftrongerlex therefore im- 
pofes on the weaker. It is civilization alone which re¬ 
places women in the enjoyment of their natural equality. 
That firft teaches us to fubdue the felfifh paftions, and to 
xefpeX thofe rights in others which we value in ourfelves. 
Were we in equal barbarifm, our females would be equal 
drudges. The man with them is iefs ftrong than with us, 
but their women ftronger than olir’s ; and both for the 
fame obvious reafon ; becaufe our man and their woman 
is habituated to labour, and formed by it. With both 
Tact-s, the fex which is indulged with eafe is leaft athletic. 
An Indian man is fmall in the hand and wrift, for the 
fame reafon for which a failor is large and ftrong in the 
arms and (houlders, and a porter in the legs and thighs. 
They raife fewer children than we do. The caufes of 
this are to be found, not in a difference of nature, btitof 
circumftitnce. The women very frequently attending the 
men in their parties of war and hunting, child-bearing 
becomes extremely inconvenient to them. It is faid, there¬ 
fore, that they have learnt the praXice of procuring ab¬ 
ortion by the ufe of fome vegetable ; and that it even 
extends to prevent conception for a confiderabie time 
after. "During-thefe parties they are expofed to numerous 
hazards, to .exceffive exertions, to the greateft extremities 
R. I C A. 423 
of hunger. Even at their homes die nation depends for 
food, through a certain part of every year, on the gleanings 
of the forelt: that is, they experience a famine once in 
every year. With all animals, if the female be badly 
fed, or not fed at ail, her young perifh : and, if both male 
and female be reduced to like want, generation becomes 
lefsaXive, lefs produXive. To the obftacles then of want 
and hazard, which nature has oppofed to the multiplica¬ 
tion of wild animals, for the purppfe of reftraining their 
numbers within certain bounds, thofe of labour and of 
voluntary abortion are added with the Indain. No won¬ 
der then if they multiply lei's than we do. Where food' 
is regularly fiipplied, a (ingle farm will (hew more of cat¬ 
tle, than a whole country of forefts can of buffaloes. The 
fame Indian women, when married to white traders, who- 
feed them and their children plentifully and regularly, 
who exempt them from excelTive drudgery, who keep 
them ftationary and unexpoled to accident, produce and 
raife as many children as the white women. Inftances are 
known, under thefe circumftances, of their rearing a 
dozen children. An inhuman praXice once prevailed in 
this country of making (laves of the Indians. It is a faX 
well known with us, that the Indian women, fo enflaved, 
produced and railed as numerous families as either the- 
whites or blacks among whom they lived. It has been 
faid, that Indians have lefs hair than the whites, except 
on the head. But this is a faX of which fair proof can- 
fcarcely be had. With them it is difgraceful to be hairy 
on the body. They fay it likens them to hogs. They 
therefore pluck the hair as raft as it appears. But the 
traders who marry their women, and pre/ail on them to 
difeontinue this praXice, fay, that nature is the fame with 
them as with the whites. Nor, if,the faX be true, is the 
confequence neceffary which has been drawn from it. 
Negroes have notorioufly lefs hair than the whites; yet 
they are more ardent. But, if cold and moifture be the 
agents of nature for diminifhing the races of animals, how 
comes (he all at once to fufpend their operation-as to the 
phyftcal man of the new world, and to let loofe their in¬ 
fluence on his moral faculties ? How lias this combina¬ 
tion of the elements and other phyftcal caufes, fo contrary 
to the enlargement of animal nature in this new world, 
thefe obftacles to the developement and formation of great 
germs, been arrefted and fufpended, fo as to permit the 
human body to acquire its juft dimenfions; and by what 
inconceivable procefs has their aXion been direXed on his 
mind alone ? To judge of the truth of this, to form a- 
juft eftimate of their genius and mental powers, more 
faXs are wanting, and great allowance to be made for 
thofe circumftances of their fituation which call for a 
difplay of particular talents only. This done, we fhall 
probably find that they are formed, in mind as well.as in 
body, on the fame model with the “.Homo fapiens Eu- 
ropasus.” The principles of their fociety forbidding all 
compulsion, they are to be led to duty and to enterprife 
by perfonal influence .and perfuafion. Hence eloquence 
in council, bravery and addrefs in war, become the foun¬ 
dations of all confequence with them. To thefe acquire¬ 
ments all their faculties are direXed. Of their bravery 
and addrefs in war we have multiplied proofs, becaufe 
we have been the fubjeXs on which they were exercifed. 
Of their eminence in oratory we have fewer examples, 
becaufe it is difpayed chiefly in their own councils. Some, 
however, we have of very fuperior luftre. I may chal¬ 
lenge the whole orations of Demofthenes or Cicero, and 
of any more eminent orator, if Europe has furnifhed a 
more eminent, to produce a (ingle paffage fuperior to the 
fpeeeh of Logan, a Mingo chief, to lord Dunmore, when 
governor of this ftate. ^And, as a teftimony of their ta¬ 
lents in this line, I beg leave to introduce it, firft Hating 
the incidents neceffary for underftanding it. In the fpring 
of the year 1774, a robbery and murder was committed 
on an inhabitant of the frontiers of Virginia, by two In¬ 
dians of the Shawanee tribe. The neighbouring whites, 
according to their cuftonp undertook to punifli- this outrage 
