CHAPTER IX.
_Productions—Animals—Fowls—Country for Sporting—Mode of Selling Land—Unsold Public Land—Number of Indians—Government policy towards the Indians— War with Indians—Decrease of Population—Agriculture—Wages of Labour—Illinois and Upper Canada._
The productions of Illinois are numerous, including wheat, Indian corn, tobacco, Irish and sweet potatoes, and the castor bean from which oil is expressed. Cotton and wine are said to be productions of the southern parts. Almost every kind of fruit attains perfection. Honey is obtained in great quantities both from wild and domesticated bees, which gather sweets from the prairie flowers.
The wild animals include bears; grey, black, and prairie wolves; two varieties of the fox; rabbits, &c. &c. Deer are very numerous throughout the state. The hare is not found in North America.
The wild-fowl embrace geese, ducks, turkeys, and quails in endless numbers. The ruffed grouse, or prairie hen, is very plentiful, and one of the finest of game birds. While walking from Chicago I observed them often singly, and seldom more than two or three together. In the neighbourhood of Springfield they were in flocks of from sixty to seventy, scattered over a considerable space while feeding, and, when disturbed, rising on wing without concert, in the manner of the British pheasant.
The prairies of Illinois seem to me the only good sporting country I saw in America. The ruffed grouse, in size and mode of flying, resemble the black-cock of Britain, and are every where in great numbers. Quails may be as easily shot as sparrows in England, and there are abundance of deer. Fox-hunting might be pursued at a rattling pace over the prairie, which does not present an interruption of any description, and would literally form a fox-race. The deer and prairie wolf might be hunted with dogs, or shot, according to fancy. I recommend the upper Mississippi valley to British sportsmen, as a country likely to afford them amusement and instruction. A person may cross the Atlantic with a brace of dogs in one of the best vessels, and travel to the prairies, and devote a year to the excursion, living in the best style the country affords, for the sum of L.200 sterling. If he were economical in crossing the ocean, and living with settlers, and serving himself while in Illinois, the expense would be under L.120.
The mode of selling government land in Illinois, is the same as in the other parts of the Union. When a tract has been surveyed, and brought into the market for settlement, it is advertised, and a day and place of sale fixed. Lots are put up and sold to the highest bidder for ready money. The tracts generally consist of millions of acres, and the sale is continued from day to day while individuals call for particular lots. When purchasers are satisfied, a public land-office is opened for the sale of the remainder, the price of which is invariably $1¼, or 5s. 3¾d. sterling per acre. A person wishing land goes to the land-office and selects any lot which pleases him. There is no form of application or interest necessary, title-deeds and possession being immediately obtained on payment of the purchase money. Government land is never sold on credit, and there is no fee of office, nor any other expense, on receiving titles.
Formerly the price of land was $2 per acre; one-fourth was paid at the time of purchase, one-fourth at the end of two years, one-fourth at three years, and the remaining fourth at four years. It was, however, found that much of the price of land sold on credit could not be recovered. An act of Congress was passed, limiting the price in future to $1¼ per acre, ready money, and the purchasers in arrears were dispossessed of a part of their lands. With this example on record, it may appear somewhat singular that land should continue to be sold on credit in Canada. It seems, however, the policy in that country to enrich the aristocracy at the expense of the poor; and selling high-priced land on credit is one of the most effectual means that could be adopted.
There were 28,237,850 acres of unsold public land in Illinois in 1832, and upwards of 3,000,000 acres recently sold by the Pottowatomy Indians have since come into the market. By far the greater portion of this extensive surface is prairie, on which cattle and sheep might be pastured without challenge, and the whole is open to the selection of settlers.
The following estimate of unoccupied land, belonging to the United States Government, is taken from Mellish’s View, published in 1822.
ACRES. Ohio, 9,000,000 Indiana, 10,000,000 Illinois, 30,000,000 Missouri, 15,000,000 Alabama, 12,000,000 Mississippi, 6,000,000 Louisiana, 10,000,000 Michigan territory, 4,000,000 North-west territory, 2,000,000 Arkansas territory, 15,000,000 ——————————— Total, 113,000,000
In addition to the public lands above stated, the United States hold the preemption right, or exclusive right of purchasing from the Indians tracts lying in several of the States and territories mentioned, and in the immense territory of Missouri, the aggregate extent of which may be stated at not less than 1,000,000,000 acres.
The number of Indians in the valley of the Mississippi, which includes nearly all that reside on the United States’ territory, is not accurately known. The following estimate is taken from a Philadelphia publication of 1832, entitled, “View of the valley of the Mississippi.”
Creeks, 22,500 Choctaws, 18,000 Cherokees, 14,500 Seminoles, 4,000 Chickasaws, 3,500 Sioux, 25,000 Chippeways, 6,000 Blackfeet, 5,000 Assinaboins, 8,000 Pottowatomies, 6,500 Pawnees, 6,500 Omahas and Otoes, 3,180 Delawares, 1,600 Shawanese, 6,350 Kansas, 1,500 Osages, 6,500 Senecas, 400 Senecas and Shawanese, 320 Miamis, 1,000 Wyandots, 450 Kickapoos, 1,800 Peorias, Piankashaws, Weas, and Kaskaskias, 1,000 Wimebagos, 5,300 Sacs, 6,300 Menomonies, 4,000 Crows, 4,500 Arripahas, 4,000 Crees, 3,000 Ottawas, 4,000 Algonquins, 3,000 And about twenty other small tribes, including Mandans, Arickarees, &c. &c., 25,000 ——————— Total, 202,700
As the settlement and future prospects of Illinois are connected with the Indians, the policy of the United States Government towards them may be explained by extracts from a report of the Secretary of War to the President, dated November 25, 1832:—“In the practice of European states,” says President Adams, “before our revolution, the Indians had been considered as children, to be governed as tenants at discretion, to be dispossessed as occasion may require, as hunters to be indemnified by trifling concessions for removal from the grounds upon which their game was extirpated. In changing the system it would seem as if a full contemplation of the consequences of the change had not been taken. We have been far more successful in the acquisition of their lands than imparting to them the principles, or inspiring them with the spirit of civilisation. But in apportioning to ourselves their hunting grounds, we have brought on ourselves the obligation of providing them with subsistence; and when we have had the rare good fortune of teaching them the arts of civilisation and the doctrines of Christianity, we have unexpectedly found them forming, in the midst of ourselves, communities, claiming to be independent of ours, and rivals of sovereignty, within the territories of the members of the Union. This state of things requires that a remedy should be provided—a remedy which, while it shall do justice to the unfortunate children of nature, may secure to the members of our confederation their rights of sovereignty and of soil. As an outline of a project to that effect, the views presented in the report of the Secretary of War are recommended to the consideration of Congress.
“The most important feature in the present policy of the Government, as connected with this people, is to be found in the efforts that are making to remove them beyond the limits of the States and organized territories. A very extensive tract of country, lying to the west and north of the Arkansas territory, has lately been set apart for the colonization of the Indians.
“Let such of the emigrating Indians as choose it, continue as heretofore to devote themselves to the chase in a country where their toils will amply be rewarded. Let those who are willing to cultivate the arts of civilisation be formed into a colony, consisting of distinct tribes or communities, but placed contiguous to each other, and connected by general laws, which shall reach the whole. Let the lands be apportioned among families and individuals in severalty, to be held by the same tenures by which we hold ours, with perhaps some temporary and wholesome restraints on the power of alienation. Assist them in forming a code of laws, adapted to a state of civilisation.
“In regard to such Indians as shall still remain within the States and territories, and refuse to emigrate, let an arrangement be made with the proper authorities of the States in which they are situated, for partitioning out to them into severalty as much of their respective reservations as shall be amply sufficient for agricultural purposes. Set apart a tract proportioned in size to the number of Indians, to remain, in common, as a refuge, and subject to all the municipal laws of the state in which they reside. Let the remainder of the reservation be paid for by those who hold the paramount right, at such prices as shall be deemed, in reference to the uses which Indians are accustomed to make of it, reasonable, and the proceeds to be applied for the benefit of those of the tribe who emigrate after their establishment in the colony; or be divided between those who emigrate and those who remain, as justice may require.
“To the views herein presented, of the condition of the Indians, of the prospects which await them, and of the only efficient remedy in their power to seek, or in that of the government to apply, I take the liberty of adding my own testimonial, founded on an intimate intercourse with them for eighteen years, both personal and official, under every variety of circumstances, in peace and war, and in very remote regions, as well as within our own settlements. The principles laid down in these extracts, are substantially the same as those which now regulate the government in all their transactions with the Indians, when the question of their permanent establishment, or removal, is brought under discussion. So far as respects the emigrating Indians, this will clearly appear by reference to the instructions of the commissioners now engaged in the adjustment of all the unsettled matters connected with the great plan of colonization.
“With regard, however, to those Indians who refuse to remove, it has not been deemed expedient for the government, by its own act, either to partition out to them the land necessary for their support, or to decide upon the consideration to be allowed for the residue, and to direct its appropriation. This, so far as regards the general government, has been, and continues to be, the subject of conventional arrangement, in which the parties, by mutual discussion, and compromise of opinion, arrive at a satisfactory result. In these arrangements, where the parties desire it, adequate tracts of land, in fee, with temporary and wholesome restraints upon the right to sell, are secured to all who desire to remain. That this system of guardianship is, however, founded upon a just and intimate knowledge of Indian character, no one acquainted with that character will question. I need not now enquire whether a practical resort to the principles resulting from it will ever become necessary. If it should, no doubt every arrangement which justice and humanity call for, will be liberally made.
“In your message to the Senate, of February 22d, 1830, you explained your views of the question of jurisdiction over the Indian tribes living within the respective States and territories, and stated, that in your opinion, and in the words of the above report, they were subject to the municipal laws of the State in which they reside, in all cases where such laws are extended over them.
“The progress of events, since 1828, has confirmed, if confirmation was wanting, the correctness of these principles, and their adaptation to the actual and prospective condition of the Indians. The circle of civilisation and improvement has extended, and various tribes have retired, or are retiring before it. The experience of the four years which have intervened, does not afford one consolatory hope that the insulated bands who have reserved and occupy tracts surrounded by our settlements can permanently retain these possessions and prosper. There are moral, political, and physical causes all in operation, which cannot be counteracted, and which forbid such an expectation. And, in fact, the whole history of our intercourse with our primitive people teaches no one lesson more important than this; and it will be fortunate for their posterity, and for our responsibility, if, in its practical application, both parties should become satisfied that the system provided by the act of May 28th, 1830, offers the only rational prospect of a durable and happy residence for the Indians. A few individuals, almost always half-breeds, and their connexions, engrossing the intelligence and means of these small communities, may become assimilated to our institutions, and eventually planted amongst us with safety. But this should never be permitted at the sacrifice of more important interests, and to the utter disregard of the fate which awaits the unfortunate mass of these tribes, persuaded or almost compelled to remain where they must rapidly decline, and at length disappear. And the causes which enacted this law are not less obvious in their origin, than they are certain in their operation. Their progress is onward, and regret them as we may and must, no human power can arrest their march, or avert their consequences. These efforts have been made for generations, and in every mode which wisdom and philanthropy could suggest; and yet, in not one solitary instance has it produced any permanent or general beneficial effect. And we may survey our whole cultivated territory in the vain expectation of discovering one aboriginal community, however small, which has withstood the ceaseless pressure of civilisation, and which holds out the slightest prospect of moral or physical improvement, or even of eventual subsistence, for the great body of the individuals composing it. If such a community exists, it is unknown to me; and, in fact, if one is believed to exist, it is only by those who are unacquainted, with its actual condition, and with the internal history of its wants, its dissensions, and its oppressions.
“The Choctaw treaty of 1830, allowed that tribe three years to emigrate. In 1831, about 5000 of them removed to their new possessions between the Canadian and Red rivers. They are highly gratified with the climate and country, and satisfied with the exchange they have made. From the returns which have been received, it is estimated that about 7000 more will cross the Mississippi this season, and the residue of the tribe, amounting to about 6000, will follow the next.
“General Coffee has succeeded in concluding a treaty with the Chickasaws, which will lead to their entire removal, and to their location in the west. The basis of this treaty is different from any heretofore assumed in our negotiations with the Indians. The whole value of the country ceded is assigned to the Chickasaws, and the United States become, in fact, trustees to make the necessary arrangements for their benefit.
“It is stipulated that the ceded territory shall be surveyed and sold, and the whole proceeds, deducting only the actual expenses, applied to the various objects enumerated, connected with the temporary subsistence, removal, and permanent establishment of these Indians. A residuary fund is to be invested in some productive stock, and the income to be annually appropriated for the public and private objects stipulated in the treaty. A country for the residence of the tribe is to be provided by themselves, and it is probable they will be able to make a satisfactory arrangement for that purpose with the Choctaws, a kindred people, who are in possession of a much larger district than is required by their numbers.
“No pecuniary benefit will result to the United States from this treaty; but should it be ratified, it will constitute an important era in our Indian relations. It will probably lead to the establishment of the principle that, in future cessions of land, the full value shall be secured to the grantors, with such deductions only as may be necessary to carry into effect the object of the treaties. The advantages to be derived by the United States from these arrangements will be limited to the removal of the Indians from their present unsuitable residences, and to their establishment in a region where we may hope to see them prosperous, contented, and improving. And it cannot be doubted but that a course so consistent with the dictates of justice, and so honourable to the national character, would be approved by public sentiment. Should we hereafter discard all expectation of pecuniary advantage in our purchases from the Indians, and confine ourselves to the great objects of their removal and reestablishment, and take care that the proceeds of the cessions are appropriated and applied to their benefit, and in the most salutary manner, we should go far towards discharging the great moral debt which has come down to us as an inheritance from the earlier periods of our history, and which has been unfortunately increased during successive generations by circumstances beyond our control. The policy would not be less wise than just. The time has passed away, if it ever existed, when a revenue derived from such a source was necessary to the government. The remnant of our aboriginal race may well look for the value, and that usefully applied, of the remnant of those immense possessions which have passed from them to us, and left few substantial evidences of permanent advantage. One great objection to a removal that has been urged by the more discreet Indians, and by many of our own citizens, who are honestly seeking their improvement, is the prospect, judging by the past, that their location west of the Mississippi would be temporary, as they would be soon pressed for new cessions, and would yield, as they have heretofore yielded, to successive applications for this purpose. Although the nature and objects of their removal, and the spirit of the act of Congress which introduced the system, are opposed to such attempts, still the apprehension is entertained, and has proved injurious. Probably no course would better satisfy them upon this subject than the introduction of a principle which would secure to them the full value of the property, under all circumstances, thus lessening in their view any wish on our part to acquire it, and ensuring to them, if not the power and disposition to retain it, at least the means of converting it to the greatest advantage.”
The policy of the United States with regard to the Indians is to place them to the west of the Mississippi, and it has been so successful, that a treaty, for the removal of the last body, was concluded at Chicago in September, 1833, and in 1836 there will scarcely be a resident Indian to the east of the Mississippi.
The Indians are a quiet inoffensive race, and generally conduct themselves well towards the white people. The united tribes of Sacs and Foxes, which inhabit the banks of the Mississippi north of Illinois, are an exception, being a restless fierce people. They made war on the United States in 1831, commencing hostilities in the neighbourhood of Prairie des Chien. They created a good deal of alarm in the northern part of Illinois and Michigan, but were easily subdued. Their chief, Black Hawk, noticed at page 29, was taken prisoner, and, after two years’ confinement, suffered to depart. The Sacs and Foxes have retired beyond the Mississippi, and even ceded some territory to the west of the river. The chastisement they got, and the increase of population at Galena, will keep this tribe in subjection in time to come.
What the ultimate effect will be of removing the Indians to the west of the Mississippi, I am at a loss to conjecture, and doubt if it will be so beneficial as the United States’ Government seem to contemplate. Not being fully aware of the causes alluded to in the report of the secretary of war, which decrees the poor Indians residing amongst white men to certain annihilation, it is unnecessary to speculate on their removal, or what effects may come into operation in their new territories. I believe, however, it is a fact that the Indians are decreasing in number in the Canadas, as well as in the United States, even after considerable advances in civilisation have taken place, and Christianity obtained a footing amongst them. It is a common opinion that the Indian tribes were extremely numerous in former times, but there is no very good evidence of the fact. The French penetrated from Detroit to New Orleans between 1670 and 1719, establishing trading ports and villages in many parts of the valley of the Mississippi. At the commencement of the eighteenth century the Sacs and Foxes made a desperate effort to take the fort at Detroit from the French, and for forty years subsequent to that period they caused great trouble and embarrassment to them, which was terminated by a successful expedition into the remote regions west of Green Bay.[9]
Footnote 9:
Secretary of War’s Report.
Had the Indians been very numerous in the valley of the Mississippi when it was first discovered, they would not likely have established villages, more especially when engaged in war with the Sacs and Foxes, who reside still in the same regions, and are now, perhaps, more powerful than at the time alluded to. The progress of the Indians towards annihilation does not seem to have been rapid for 160 years, and it is a melancholy reflection to think it is connected with civilisation and the intercourse of the whites, and that their removal to the wilderness and exclusion from white people, has been adopted as the means of preserving the race. Leaving naturalists to determine the properties belonging to colour, I shall simply remark, the dark man of North America, like the dark rat of Britain, seems destined to be exterminated by the light-coloured species.