Great part of
their lives in the habits of Indian fighting; that the general is forming
a body of cavalry, on principles entirely new, from which much is
expected; in short, that Wayne will oblige the Indians to _bury the
hatchet_ on his own terms. The Indian war is not popular. It has met
with much opposition both in the General Assemblies of the States, and in
Congress.
The devastation that has (even within the present century) taken place
among the brave and independent aborigines of this continent, is really
shocking to humanity[Footnote: The Cherokees are by no means the
formidable body of warriors they were 40 years ago. The original
possessors of the vast tract of land which forms North Carolina, are
reduced to a single family; and several tribes of the eastern Indians
actually exterminated.].
I spent the evening at the Pioli, with a surgeon of the american army
lately from the scene of action; he gave me a disgusting account of the
misunderstanding that subsists between the american citizens on the
frontiers, and their neighbours in Upper Canada. It seems the Canadians
are accused of assisting the indians in the decisive action against St.
Clare.
As many of the descendants of the original french settlers have indian
blood in their veins, the charge is not improbable, as far as relates to a
few _individuals_, but that they received either the connivance, or
protection of _government_, (as the Americans assert) is totally
without foundation.
