USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Cincinnati in 1841 : its early annals and future prospects > Part 16
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with the country, have returned and are still returning every day to their several homes, in all parts of the country west, as -well as cast, of the Allegheny mountains, with a view of re- turning to the Miamis in the fall, with their families and ef- fects. These will sufficiently refute all the evil reports that are spread abroad, of the country, and make the truth of the matter clear to the world. I do myself the honor, herewith to transmit to you a map of the purchase, as high as our survey- ors have hitherto been able to traverse the two Miami rivers, and extend the meridian lines north into the heart of the coun- try. By this survey, which has been done by gentlemen sworn to survey with accuracy and truth, you will see how the two Miamis approach each other ; nor need I observe, that so far from there being any overplus land within the limits of my first contract, the truth is, that I shall want some hundred thousand acres, to make up the complement of one million. Hence all will perceive the impropriety of pushing matters so very hastily, and taking for granted, without giving time for in- vestigation, that there is twice as much land between the Mi- amis, as in fact there is. I shall draw no comments, and only beg permission to say, that if Mr. Stites is ousted of the set- tlement he has made with great danger and difficulty, at the mouth of the Little Miami, it cannot be either politic or just.
The business of surveying has been carried on with great spirit and enterprise, by the young gentlemen who have been employed in that service. They plunged into the woods in mid-winter, when the snow was considerably deep on the ground and the cold very severe ; nor were these inconvenien- ces all which they suffered : the stock of flour which I purpose- ly provided for them, in the fall of the last year, was appropria- ted to the use of captain Kearsey's company, nor was it possi- ble to replace it at any rate. The surveyors, therefore, and their attendants, were put to great shifts for bread. Many had their limbs frost-bitten, but none lost their lives by any hard- ships, except Noah Badgley, of Westfield, in New Jersey ; a very worthy young man, who had been for some time an in-
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dustrious citizen of Losantiville. This young gentleman was induced to repair to Kentucky for a supply of bread-corn ; he, with three other inhabitants of the same town with him, em- barked in a canoe with their provisions, near Bourbon, on Licking river, when the water was high and the weather cold. They proceeded down the river for many miles, when coming into a very difficult place, where the stream broke off into sev- eral very crooked channels, the canoe was driven against drift logs and trees with such violence as to overset her. The four men saved themselves from the water by climbing on a tree, one of them soon swam out and escaped; Mr. Badgley next at- tempted to cross the stream by swimming, but was so rapidly hurried down the current that he was not able to gain the shore, and perished. The remaining two men continued on the tree for three days and nights-as one of them informed me-before they were taken off by the people who were fol- lowing them down the river to Losantiville.
I will now, sir, resume the subject of the Indians, who had been so long impatient to see me at Miami. On my arrival at Miami I found no Indians at that place ; they were all out at their camp, about six miles off, and I could not then tarry for an interview. A few days after my arrival at Northbend, I had occasion to send my nephew to Columbia in a keel boat ; with him, George, the interpreter, and an old Shawanese called cap- tain Fig, came down to me. Two days after, several more Shawanese Indians and some squaws came down by land ; and in a few days following, arrived a Shawanese chief with anoth- er man of that nation. The chief communicated to me their wishes to be on friendly terms, signifying that it would be very much to their advantage to have free intercourse with us, and exchange their peltries for the articles which they much wanted. To this you will suppose I readily agreed. The chief (the others sitting around him,) wished to be informed how far I was supported by the United States, and whether the thirteen fires had sent me hither. I answered them in the affirmative, and spread before them the thirteen fires, which I
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had in a flag then in my camp. I pointed to the troops in uniform-then on parade-and informed the chief, that these were the warriors which the thirteen fires kept in constant pay to avenge their quarrels, and that though the United States were desirous of peace with them, yet they were able to chastise any aggressor who should dare to offend them ; and to demonstrate this, I showed them the seal of my com- mission, on which the American arms were impressed, observ- ing, that while the eagle held a branch of the tree, as an em- blem of peace, in one claw, she had strong and sharp arrows in the other, which denoted her power to punish her enemies. The chief, who observed the device of the seal, with great attention, replied by the interpreter, that, "he could not see any intimation of peace from the attitude the eagle was in, having her wings spread as in flight, when folding her wings denoted rest and peace. That he could not understand how the branch of a tree could be considered as a pacific emblem, for rods designed for correction were always taken from the boughs of trees. That to him the eagle appeared, from her bearing a large whip in one claw, and such a number of ar- rows in the other, and in full career of flight, to be wholly bent on war and mischief." I need not repeat to you my argu- ments to convince him of his mistake ; but I at length succeed- ed, and he appeared entirely satisfied of the friendship of con- gelis (for so they pronounced congress,) to the red people. Captain Blackbird-for so the chief was called-assured me, that I need be under no apprehensions of mischief from the Shawanese nation. He even asked me permission, to come down with his tribe and settle on a prairie or plain in the pur- chase, about thirty miles from this place up the Great Miami, which I assented to. After they had sold to me all their furs and skins, which were several hundred, and almost stripped me of all the linen and cloth that I had brought out for the use of the surveyors and my workmen, which almost ruined me as to those articles, so much were wanted, and having lived chiefly at my expense (nor was it a very small one, as they had whis-
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key at their pleasure gratis,) for about four weeks, they took leave in a most friendly manner, promising to return to North- bend again by the third new moon, which is already some days past. Those Indians which had continued in the neighbor- hood of Columbia all this while, moved off about the same time ; not without being somewhat offended by the treatment they met with from the traders who came down the Ohio with whiskey and some other articles. They had sold the In- dians whiskey that had frozen in the cask, before they reached their camp ; they made an Indian pay for a rifle gun thirty, the Indians say forty, buck-skins, which they value at one dol- lar each, besides a horse of fifteen pounds price. A worth- less gunsmith, who undertook to put a new chop-worth one and six pence-for the flint, to the cock of an Indian's rifle, made the Indian leave two bucks for the work, before he would undertake it; another Indian calling for the gun, was forced to pay two bucks more before the smith would give up the gun. This ill usage the Indians complained of very much to me; the consequence was, that in a short time after the In- dians left Columbia, several of the horses were stolen from that place ; and it was not long before another attempt was made on their horses, and some more carried off ; again, a third time, horses were stolen from Columbia, when a party under the command of lieutenant Bailey went in pursuit of the felons. They followed the trail of the horses about eighty miles, and came up with fresh signs of Indians being very near. Mr. Flinn went forward in order to reconnoitre and make discoveries. He soon espied an Indian camp, as he thought, and creeping out softly to inform himself more par- ticularly, he did not perceive three Indians that were as softly creeping behind him, until one of them clapped him on the shoulder, crying out, yo ho! yo ho! Flinn looking round, not a little dismayed to see himself a prisoner, yielded with- out resistance. They led him to their camp, the Indians set- ting their guns, together with Flinn's, beside a tree. No inter- preter being present, they could not converse together. They
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had not stood long at the Indian camp, before Mr. Flinn ob- served one of them go to some tugs-so they called straps made of raw hide-and supposing they intended to bind him therewith, conscious of his own agility, he sprang from them and made his escape; they did not fire at him. Returning to his party, with whom, seizing five horses belonging to the In- dians, they made precipitately for Columbia, and came in safe with only the loss of Flinn's gun. They had not been long at Columbia, before the same party of Indians (Wyandots) came there with their squaws, bringing Flinn's gun, and requested of Mr. Stites the horses which had been taken from them by lieutenant Bailey and party; assuring Mr. Stites, that they were innocent of the robbery of those horses previously taken from Columbia. Several of the Indians were of those who had been formerly at Columbia. The matter was soon com- promised, and the horses restored. One of those Indians, a Wyandot chief, demanded of Mr. Stites twenty dollars, which colonel Morgan, on his way to Mississipi, had promised should be paid to him, for his trouble in carrying letters from Little Miami to Muskingum and Sandusky. He promised the Indian forty dollars; but a Mr. Magee at Sandusky had paid him twenty, and he now came down to Miami for the other twenty. Mr. Stites brought the Wyandot chief to me, on the 30th of April. I endeavored to show him, that for what colonel Morgan had promised him I was not accounta- ble. I gave him a new calico shirt, telling him, by the inter- preter, that as he had worn out his shirt in colonel Morgan's service, I would replace it with a new one. He seemed dis- satisfied that he was not likely to get his twenty dollars, and could not be made otherwise sensible, but that what one white owed an Indian, every white man was bound to pay until the debt was discharged. I informed him that I could not part with money; he replied that he would take the value thereof in whiskey, which I agreed to give him whenever he might call for the same. He had left his horses at Columbia, and came down by water with Mr. Stites. On his return to that
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place, they freighted their horses with whiskey, and set out for their towns, leaving behind the whiskey I told him I would pay for colonel Morgan : since which I have not heard one syllable from them. About three weeks previous to this transaction, as several parties of surveyors were surveying in the neighborhood of Mad river, Mr. John Mills, with his party, as they were rising out of their camp early one morning, were fired upon by a party of Indians, three or four in number ; two men, Mr. Holman, of Kentucky, and Mr. Wells, of Dela- ware state, were killed; Mr. Mills, with three others, escaped unhurt. This is the only instance wherein violence has been done by the Indians to any man in the purchase, since the death of Mr Filson, in September last. It remains yet un- known to us, of what tribe they were who fired on Mr. Mills. The Indians who came in after that tragedy, pretended to be en- tirely innocent and ignorant of the murders. Some of the set- tlers at Columbia, were for detaining a few of the Indians, un- til the rest would bring in the offenders: but I thought this measure not warrantable and forbade it. Our living hitherto in the friendly manner we have with the Indians, has excited the jealousy and ill will of many of our neighbors on the Kentucky side of the Ohio, and some even threaten to cross the river, and put every Indian to death which they find on the Miami pur- chase : this, however, I believe is only a threat, and will not be executed. I am very sorry, that the people of Kentucky cannot enjoy equal peace and quiet from the savages ; perhaps if they would act as moderately towards them, they might live in as much safety as the people of this purchase. As to the quality of soil throughout the purchase, it is generally good, with very few exceptions. The military range is held to be equal, if not better, land, than any range in the tract. There are very few hills after one leaves those of the Ohio, but large bodies of meadow land of excellent quality in many places. It is gen- erally very well watered, as you will perceive by the map, not a stream being laid down therein but what the surveyors noted down under oath in their field books, as they ran the
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lines. A variety of stone is met with in the purchase, such as millstone rock, limestone, and a gray stone, flat and well formed for building. The timber is in many parts excellent, in some others but indifferent, owing to the soils being too rich. This may seem a paradox to you ; but in this country, on the richest soil grows the least useful timber. But what I call the beauty of the country is, the many prairies which lie in the neighborhood of Mad river. These are at once, with- out labor, proper for plowing or mowing. Mad river itself is a natural curiosity, about six poles wide on an average, and very deep, gliding along with the utmost rapidity ; its waters are beautifully clear and deep, but confined for the most part within its banks. What can give its current such velocity in the midst of so level a country, is matter of astonishment to all who behold it. Some of the surveyors and others, who went out about three weeks ago, returned lately to this place and reported to me, that they had explored the country as high as the tenth range ; that it was a most agreeable country and tract of land from one Miami to the other, interspersed with the plats of old Indian towns, and fine streams of water proper for mill building ; and that the head branches of the Little Mi- ami were nearly run down by them, being nothing larger than good mill-streams. As to the latitude and climate, I find that we are situate half a degree more northerly than I had ima- gined, being in 38° 30' north ; I am fully of opinion that the climate is a healthy one ; there has been no complaint of agues or fever since the first lodgment was made in November last; very little stagnant water is to be met with, and where the land is a little wet, it may be drained without difficulty.
I now, sir, beg leave to ask why it is that we are so neglect- ed on the score of troops, at the settlements on the Miami purchase ? Is it a matter of no moment to the United States, whether we are saved or destroyed by the savages ? It is true the Indians have hitherto been unexpectedly pacific, but who can vouch for a continuance of peace. They are a subtile en- emy, and all their boasted friendship may be only to learn our
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numbers, and what state of defence we are in. The Shawa- nese nation (and they are nearest to us) would not treat with governor St. Clair, at Muskingum; and why should they re- fuse him peace, and observe it with us ? There are several companies of troops at Muskingum, even so many that all the surveyors of the Ohio company have always been escorted with a guard : what guards have the Miami surveyors had ? nothing more than their own vigilance and courage to carry them into the very midst of danger. When general Harmar was so kind as to send captain Kearsey to our protection, he came without supplies for his men, which gave me more con- cern (not to mention the expense, which was not much differ- ent of an hundred pounds specie) than the fear I should have labored under to have been wholly without them. To the settlers the name of soldiers gives confidence and boldness, which is of use to the design of peopling a country ; but when those soldiers start at a little difficulty, as captain Kearsey did when he was in some danger of wanting a piece of bread, they are of more detriment than use; for the news immediately spread through the country that the settlements were broken up, and it was long before we recovered this stroke, given us by the very officer who was sent by general Harmar with ex- press orders to protect and promote the settlement which he so wilfully almost ruined. Kearsey left me at this place with- out even a block-house, with only five men on the ground, though he had been here with his whole company from the second day of February to the eighth day of March ; in which time he had not thrown two logs together by way of defence, though a child would have been sensible of the necessity of such a measure. Captain Kearsey had been gone but eight days before a contractors' boat arrived with plenty of supplies for him. By this opportunity I wrote to major Wyllis (a co- py of the letter I enclose, together with the major's answer) for some protection ; the major was so kind as to detach Mr. Luce with eighteen men to my assistance, who reached me on the 30th or 31st day of March ; since which the village has
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made very rapid increase, as those who came down the river were induced to settle, considering themselves safe. Mr. Luce, with eighteen men only, built a good block-house in one week after his arrival. I am sorry that captain Kearsey gave me occasion to accuse him of mal-conduct in leaving the place ; but if ever an officer's conduct ought to be inquired into, I think his ought; and I hope, sir, you will lay the matter be- fore general Knox. It has furnished an occasion to our ene- mies to spread a thousand reports (some true, but more false) to our great injury. They most industriously asserted to strangers who came down the river to Limestone, that the troops had left the place; that the settlers who remain are starving ; that the settlement is given up by congress as of no moment to the United States; that the Indians are in full ca- reer to cut us off; and sometimes they will have it that the tragedy is already performed. These are mortifying circum- stances to me, as I am obliged to admit that they have too much ground whereon to found such reports. Great numbers are hence discouraged from proceeding further down the river, and turn aside into Kentucky. From appearances, govern- ment is indeed indifferent about our being supported. Major Wyllis at the falls of Ohio, in my opinion might, with much greater use to the United States, be stationed here with his command. Was it of detriment to the public that eight boats, with great amount of property, and many lives, were sacrifi- ced by the Indians before this time last year, in the very pla- ces where our villages now stand. Has one boat been capti- vated this year ? No. Has any person on the river, within the limits of the purchase, been disturbed or injured ? Surely not. Is it not then worthy the attention of congress and gen- eral Knox, to make it a point to support us ?
I have now a few observations, my dear sir, to make on the subject of the city business. I had the honor to receive from you the copy of a resolution whereby the proprietors had mu- tually bound themselves to build each an house in the city by the first of November next. This I was much pleased to see.
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But I wish you had proceeded, in your letter, to inform me how these buildings were to be effected. The few carpenters who came out with me from Jersey are scattered in different parts of the country, and are mostly engaged for the season. But though there were a plenty of carpenters, unless some person come out from Jersey in order to superintend the busi- ness, this season will steal away and little or nothing will be done. As for me, I am directed by governor St. Clair, to hold myself in readiness to go with his excellency to Kaskaskia, which will take me from the purchase until late in the year: so that I fear I shall not have it in my power to build for my- self this season any thing better than cabins ; but with these I am comfortably provided already. Whenever workmen are sent out, let them make it a point to bring a sufficient quanti- ty of tools with them, as every article of that kind is exceed- ingly scarce here. I do myself the honor of enclosing you a map of your four sections on the Ohio, as nearly as I can, with a description of the land, which I have done on the map itself. As Mill creek discharges through your land into the Ohio, and a great part of the year is deep and difficult to pass, so that the traveler has been obliged, ever since last fall, to go several miles up the stream in order to ford it; I submit to you the propriety of sending out some persons to settle on each side of the creek's mouth, where the bank is most excel- lent both in point of soil and elevation : here, in a few years, will be a valuable ferry. If you cannot procure persons to come from Jersey to settle at the mouth of the creek, propose your terms and I will try to put some person thereon. You cannot at present calculate on the emoluments of a ferry, in these new settlements ; not a penny has yet been paid for crossing the Ohio, though many persons who come from, and go to, Kentucky are frequently passing. While I am men- tioning ferries, I beg leave to inform you that I have caused a road to be laid out from this place to Lexington, on a direct course through the woods ; the distance is about eighty miles : for this service I gave to captain Isaac Taylor one hundred
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acres of land in the reserved township: the price was rather high, but he did it in February when the weather was so cold that they all froze their feet, and had liked to have perished. I have it also in contemplation to employ a number of hands in the fall of the year, to lay out a road from the east end of the sixth range of townships in this purchase, on or near a due east course, across the Scioto country and Muskingum to Wheeling or Grave creek on the south-east side of the Ohio. This road, for the most part, will go through a level country, and save two hundred miles riding, it being so much nearer to Jersey than either of the routes through Kentucky and new Virginia. This work will be attended with considerable expense ; but when finished it will be of great use to the peo- ple inhabiting this purchase.
I have transmitted, herewith, an exact copy of the list of certificates which I paid at the treasury of the United States, which will give you a sufficient clue to find the true sum of indents due every purchaser. There are several that are not to draw any indents, which I will point out hereafter, as they agreed to let me have the benefit of their facilities. I hope that doctor Downer, Mr. Stelle and Mr. Witham will not fail to make their stipulated payments in season, according to agreement. Mr. Matthias Denman, and Mr. Joseph Halsey, jr. assured me that they would make very considerable remit- tances to you for the lands which they elected while in this country ; they are to have lands in quantity according to the effect of their payments. Daniel Hunt, esquire, of Lebanon, Benjamin Vancleve, esquire, of Maidenhead, and a Mr. Na- thaniel Hunt, somewhere in Hunterdon, sent their obligations to me last fall, by captain Ralph Hunt, promising to see me paid at six shillings per acre, proc .* in certificates, for all the lands which captain Ralph Hunt should locate, or take war- rants for. I enclose to you their obligations to me, together with the account of what Ralph Hunt contracted for; these
* Supposed, proclamation money.
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certificates, I expect, will be paid to you immediately by these gentlemen, as I know many people have bought a part of the land from them, and have actually made their payments to captain Hunt therefor; though I fear it is in such property as will not avail them much in procuring the necessary certifi- cates : cattle, iron, and farms on the Monongahela, have made up the most of their remittances to captain Hunt.
Captain John Stites Gano, in company with captain Benja- min Stites, and some others, have agreed to purchase the sev- enth range ; this may be the contents of two townships, or so much as they can raise the certificates wherewith to effect the payment of, at the rate of five-sixths of a dollar per acre, and office fees, by the first of July or August next : no allowance of interest to be made to them on their certificates after the first day of next month, (June,) nor can interest be allowed after that time to any purchaser, as I must pay interest on the residue of the purchase money after the second payment is made.
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