2799.) © 
Onondagos, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tufea- 
foras, inhabit various {pots to the wett- 
ward. Ot the exact time when their 
‘league (denominated by the Indians the 
firong houfe) originated, we have no cer- 
tain account. The Mohawks are ac- 
knowledged to be the eldeft of the contfe- 
derate tribes: the Seneeas and Ononda- 
gos have the next, and, I believe, equal 
claims to feniority: the reft are properly 
the younger tribes. ‘Their languages, 
though not precifely fimilar, have been 
confidered as dialeéts of one radical tongue. 
Theie nations, from the part they have 
aéted in the Britith and French conten- 
tions for territory in America, and laftly 
in the revolutionary war, will be entitled 
to fome notice by the future hiftorians of 
this country. In general the Indians in- 
habiting the United States, according to 
their traditions, have come trom the Weft. 
It is probable, I think, that the ancef- 
tors of the Six Nations crofled the Mifiif- 
fippi, and firft inhabited fome part of the 
Carolinas. But to refume my journey-— 
We entered on the Oneida Reiervation, 
now for the moft part belonging to the 
ftate of New York, about an hour before 
fun-fet. I was amuiing myfelf in the 
contemplation of a fine colonnade of the 
ftems of majeftic trees, which linea road 
from forty to feventy feet wide, when we 
were overtaken by darknefs ; and we had 
the faticue of {pending a great part of the 
night mm the woods, labouring with the 
dilficulties of our way over an almoft im- 
pafiable clayey foil. In the midit of the 
night we-pafled through the Oneida vil- 
fage, and I deferred. any examination of it 
till my return. The Oneidas ‘have made 
fome faint advances to civilifation, as 
might be expested from their vicinity to 
the European fettlers. Their caffle (as it 
is termed) is Guite a pitturefque village. 
Tt lies on the North fide near the foot of a 
hich range of fylvan hills, and firft pre- 
fents the eye of the traveller, as he emerges 
from the wootis,with a few cultivated {pots 
ef corn, backed by a grove of pines and 
white poplars. Their huts, covered with 
bark, are feattered over a large green of 
uneven ground, watered by a clear rivulet, 
and furrounded by a flight wooden fence. 
It wears an air of novelty in fome flight 
ea ep which, to a perfon who has 
ived al] his life withai the pale of civi- 
Hifed fociety, is extremely curious and in- 
terefting. I had underftood it was their 
cuftom to protect their dwelling-places 


* See Barton’s New Views of the, Origin of 
_ the Tribes and Nations of America, publifhed at 
Philadelphia, 1798. : 
' Monruzry Mage. No, xvii. 
Country South of Lake Onhaxte, 
ca Sg 
with palifadoes, in refemblance of the 
block-houfes furrounded with ftockades, 
which were ereéted as places of fatety and 
retreat in moft of our early fettlements— 
But the Indians of thefe parts have now 
entirely neglefted the habits and ftudy of 
war. ee 
From Oneida we continued out courfe 
through the woods, and over the Castafa-~ 
raga Creek, running towards the Oneida 
Lake to the confines of the next fettlertients 
called the Military Bounty Lands. ‘Here 
we were gratified with the fight of the 
growing labours of thofe enterprifing 
emigrants who have recently eftablithed 
themfelves on their farms. The progrefs 
of every fettler is nearly the fame. The 
firt year he begins with clearing a fmall 
{pot of ground, on which he ereéts-a tem- 
porary dwelling of the logs of wood. He 
then proceeds to deftroy the trees by fell- 
ing them, ringing the barks, and burning 
the bodies and branches when they be« 
come dry. His ¢catule in the mean while 
find fubfiftence in the woods. After a 
few years, if his neighbourhood fhould be 
induftrious, he finds himfelf in another 
ftate of exiftence. The woody country 
becomes converted into open fields. He 
generally is enabled, with the affiftance of 
a faw-mill, to complete ‘his barn and « 
farm houfe ‘for his habitation.—He lays 
out his garden, and commands all the con~ 
veniences of life. The length of time ia 
which this is effected by ordinary exertion. 
depends a great deal, as maybe fuppofed, 
upon the quantity, fize and quality of the 
timber.. The oak is eafily fubdued; but 
the beech, which abounds in this pawt of 
the country, demands a much greater pro- 
portion of time and labour in its demcli- 
tion. Tt is remarkable that the New« 
England farmers fele&t their lands in the 
heavily-timbered beechen traéts which are 
generally beft fuited to pafture : the Penn- 
fylvanians almoft uniformly give-a pre~ 
ference to the dry and light foil in whick 
the oak predominates, and which is’ pre- 
ferred for the cultivation of grain. In the 
military tra@, we found on the road fide 
numerous inftances of families in the frft 
ftage of fettlement: in other places they 
had advanced much further in their Ja- 
bours ; and examples were not wanting’ 
particularly in the diftrict of Maniius, 
of fome complete and refpectable farms. 
In {peaking of the Military Bounty 
Lands, I muft give you a fhort account 
of fome re{peétable brethren in arms; who 
were the firf proprietors of this tra&t. At 
the conclufon of the revolutionary*war, 
the ftate of New-York, finding itfelf in- 
3x dehted 
\ 
