before I had obtained that copy, or a knowledge of that map and its relative journals, I had completed a map of my own compiling, on a larger scale; one which I have no reason yet to doubt, which satisfied my scrutinies, and which I have found corroborated by my personal investigation of our country in part; and by an evident and honourable coincidence in truths, agreeing with the results of my several inquiries.

The Spanish government permitted, as I understood in Madrid, fifteen copies only of this important and accurate journal to be printed for its own purposes-and one of these getting into the hands of the British ministry, was permitted to reach the English language, on similar conditions and views. It was from one of those impressions, in the library of my friend, Dr. Benjamin Smith Barton, of Philadelphia, that I made many conclusive camparisons, and derived much information.

Gen. de Soto landed in East Florida, marched to the present Chickesaw country, then a fortified place, having emigrated from L'Escalia in consequence of cruelties and injustice practised against them by Cortez, after they had helped him in the reduction of Mexico and Montezuma. Notwithstanding, the aspect (and I believe the heart) of De Soto was so far above that of Cortez, that the Chickesaws permitted them to enter their fort, and stable their cavalry in their

empty barracks. In the course of that night, however, or shortly after, the soldiers found a pretext to quarrel with the natives; they fought bravely on both sides, but through this treachery the place was burnt, with the loss of many lives and horses.

De Soto remained in possession, did all in his power to conciliate the Indians, and detached farther north such troops as he could spare. The left of them, no doubt under Indian guides, which that great general could not have neglected to secure in his interest, made for the head of the Muscle Shoals, crossed the river, and fortified ten acres of ground on the north bank of the Tennessee, below the mouth of Chowahala, or Elk river, into which Salole or Squirrel river falls on the east.

The centre line was left as a rear guard, and fortified themselves on the south bank of the Tennessee, below Penshee, and a river, till all was safe.

The right division took the Creek war path, which leads from the Creek country to the place where Nashville now stands; passing the head branches of Elk river, the upper forks of Duck_river at the mouth of Rock-house river, (where De Soto's advance wintered (dropping their høgs (sequitiae signifying a hog) in the fine range of what still retains the appellation of the Soquitiae barrens, comprehending the heads of Duck river, Elk river, Crow and Sequehae creeks, a district of a hundred miles square, where the Indians have told me, within these fifty years, many of the breed of hogs

still existed; and I have seen many killed between there and the Appalachia mountains.

There can certainly be nothing extraor dinary when we advert to the Romans having over-run Spain, or to the intercourse between Rome and the higher Spaniards which still daily exist, that a Spanish officer, on duty there, through the whole winter of 1544, should drop a Roman coin, in a work where he remained on duty; but I am more conclusive; I have no hesitation in pronouncing this relic to have been conveyed thither by De Soto's army.

I have no doubt that all the other precious relics belonged to his command.

I have many reasons for being tolerably positive, that the Rock-house station on Duck river was the farthest northern point of expedition.

I am desirous to save my country from hasty conclusions and ignorant decisions. I know somewhat of Europe, personally much of Spain, but more of America.

When the health and strength of a man advanced in years, and in a sick room, will permit, I shall endeavour to throw new lights on our more northern fortifications.

A Soldier of 1775-yes, 1764.

SENECA INDIANS.

Extract of a talk of the Six Nations to the President of the United States, sent by mail, January 4, 1818, to the Secretary of War, for him to communicate to the President.

TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR.

Brother-It is the desire of the Six Nations, assembled at their council fire, in their village near Buffalo, that you would be pleased to lay the following talk before our father, the President of the United States.

Father-From the fatherly care the Presidents of the United States have exercised towards their red children, we speak to our father in confidence, believing he will not turn away his ears from his red children. Having no agent through whom we might speak, we are persuaded that our father will not be displeased that we speak directly to him, as it were, face to face.

Father-We need not tell you that we are a poor, ignorant people, unacquainted with the great affairs and wise management of our enlightened white brothers. We are

distressed and alarmed-we have no where to look but to our father, whom, we trust, will bear with his children, should their fears appear to him to be groundless.

Father-We are alarmed lest we lose our seats. Those men that say they have a right to purchase our lands, have been distressing us for a number of years, with their plans to possess our lands, offering us, in exchange, land to the westward. We decidedly told them that we did not wish to part with our lands, desiring they would be at no more expense in visiting us on this errand-if we

should alter our minds we would send them word. Some months after, a deputation of our brothers to the west visited us, offering us a large tract of their land as a free gift, if we would accept it. We thanked our brothers for their generous offer, and promised, at some future time, to send men to view the land. The war took place the next year-nothing more was done or heard of by us, of this land, until the spring after the peace, when our brothers again visited us, making the same offer. It never entered our hearts of leaving our present seats, and going to the westward ourselves; but, as there were many of the Six Nations in the western country, who had no seat to rest on, but was liable to be sold under them any day the owners chose, we rose up to consider the offer of our brothers, that we might provide for our scattered children. Through the assistance of our brothers Jones and Parrish, and another great friend, who advised and assisted us, we laid our circumstances and views before our father, the President of the United States, acquainting him with our offer that, with his approbation, we would accept this land, provided the United States would make it sure to us. Our father, the President, was pleased to certify his approbation, and that the land should be made sure to us, agreeably to our request. On receiving this information from our father, the President, we sent eight men to view the land and take its dimensions. Our brother, Captain Parrish, went with them to do the writing, that it might be made sure to uz, according to the word of our father, the President. Our men found no land. Colonel Ogden (who is said to hold the right to purchase our land), recommended us to send to Detroit, and Governor Cass would put us in a way to find our land. We sent six men to Detroit. Governor Cass informed our men, that in September there would be a large council of Indians, of different nations, met at Fort Meigs; the Six Nations would do well to have a deputation there; they would then douhtless find their land. We sent twelve men to Fort Meigs; instead of our western brothers having lands to give the Six Nations, they sold the seats from under those that were among them.

you?-We doubt not but many of our white brethren fear God, and ought to be trusted, but how shall we find them?

Father-We are distressed. Captain Parrish has informed us that we could now exchange our lands for lands to the westward; he advised us to do it, or we should certainly lose them, for it was the determination of the government of the United States, that the Indians should lose their present seats; those that did not exchange them would lose them.

Father-We are astonished and amazed! Our old friend, Colonel Ogden, has altered bis address to us; he has for years talked to us as a man that wished to purchase our lands, if we were pleased to sell; He now writes to us how we shall conduct on his lands which we occupy.

Father To whom shall we go, but unto

Father We fear that we have been deceived, and your predecessor imposed on. Strange things have come to our ears-that our message to your predecessor, which we signed, was very different from what was read to us-that it said we were desirous of leaving our seats here and going to the west

provided we obtained land to the westward, we relinquished our reservation here. If any thing like this was in our message we were basely deceived. We had but these objects in view, to inform our father, the President, of this offer of our western brothers, the opportunity that it offered for our scattered children-to obtain his approbation and assurance that the land should be affirmed to us by the United States; any thing more, except providing provisions for our men while transacting the business, was as base an imposition as ever was practised.

Father-We declare to you, we desire you to publish to all our white brothers, that it is our fixed and determined purpose to live and die on our present seats. It is sealed to us by the bones of our fathers. They obtained it by their blood. Our bones shall lie besides theirs. It is the heritage of the Almighty. He gave it us. He it is must take it from us.

Father-We mean no threat by this. We know we are in the hands of our white brothers, they can destroy us with ease. But they need not think to persuade us to part with our lands. As free men, we claim the right to choose between being killed outright, or a lingering execution, by being driven a thousand miles into the wilderness. Where, father, where would our white brothers have us go? The Indian claim to land is put out for more than a thousand miles to the west, except little plots for particular nations.

Father-We have confidence in you: you cannot see your red children, with their little ones, driven off their land by stealth and fraud, leaving the sepulchres of their fathers, their farms, their farming tools and cattle, dying by families on the road, through hardship and privation; exchanging all their advances to civilization, and all its comforts, for the hardships of the chase, without house or friend.

Father-We have confidence in you: that if you see any device formed against us, you will frustrate it, and succour your red children. We have deceived no man; we have wronged no man. Our language has been one; we choose not to part with our land. If we have been needlessly alarmed, you will pity our ignorance, and forgive our childish fears.

Father-We have many things to say. The character of our agent is of infinite importance to us. If any come to you for the office, having our request to recommend

them, we wish to withdraw that request. We see so little into white men, that we feel incapable of choosing for ourselves. We desire our father to choose a man that he can trust, and we will confide in him. Father-We trust that you will pardon the multitude of our words, and let none deceive you, that this is the voice of a few individuals, and not the voice of the Six Nations. It is the united voice of the Six Nations in the State of New-York. The chiefs of Buffalo, Catarraugus, Gennessee and Onondaga are now in council; we have the message of Alleghana and Oneida with us, desiring that we should speak to our father, the President, entreating him to consider and help us.

Our Father-Will not be deceived; our words will find his heart. He will receive them. They are the words of truth and soberness. We ask nothing but, wherein we have been mistaken, we may be better informed wherein we may have been wronged, we may be righted-wherein we may be in danger, we may be protected-and that our white brothers may know our fixed purpose of living and dying on our present

REASON AND REVELATION.

In his admirable poem on Reason, Superstition, and Infidelity, the great Haller says, "Vernust kan, wie der Mond, ein Trost der dunkeln Zeiten, Uns durch die Craune Nacht mit halbem Schimmer Citen; Der Wahrheit Morgen-Roth Zeigt erst die wahre Welt, Waun Gottes Sonnen-Licht durch unsre Dämmrung fällt."

Reason like the moon, a consolation in dark times, can guide us with its faint rays through the dusky night. "Tis, however, the morning dawn of truth that shows the real world, when the light of the divine sun falls through our twilight.

ANCIENT OPULENCE OF BRUGES.

In the year 1301, Joanna of Navarre, the wife of Philip le Bel, king of France having been some days in Bruges, was so much struck with the grandeur and wealth of that city, and particularly with the splendid appearance of the citizens' wives, that she was moved by female envy (says Guicciardini) to exclaim with indignation, "I thought that I had been the only queen here, but I find there are many hundreds more !"

INTRODUCTION

OF THE SILK-WORM INTO

THE GREEK EMPIRE, DURING THE REIGN
OF THE EMPEROR JUSTINIAN.

The frequency of open hostilities between the emperors of Constantinople and the monarchs of Persia, together with the increasing rivalship of their subjects in the trade with India, gave rise to an event which produced a considerable change in the nature of that commerce. As the use of silk both in dress and furniture, became gradually more general in the court of the Greek emperors, who imitated and surpassed the sovereigns of Asia in splendour and magnificence; and as China, in which, according to the concurring testimony of Oriental writers, the culture of silk was originally known, still continued to be the only country which produced that valuable commodity: the Persians, improving the advantages which their situation gave them over the merchants, from the Arabian gulf, supplanted them in all the marts of India to which silk was brought by sea from the East. Having it likewise in their power to molest or to cut off the caravans, which, in order to procure a supply from the Greek empire, travelled by land to China, through the northern provinces of their kingdom, they entirely engrossed that branch of commerce. Constantinople was obliged to depend on the rival power for an article which luxury viewed, and desired as essential to elegance. The Persians, with the usual ra pacity of monopolists, raised the price of silk to such an exorbitant height, that Justinian, eager not only to obtain a full and certain supply of a commodity which was become of indispensable use, but solicitous to deliver the commerce of his subjects from the exactions of his enemies, endeavoured, by means of his ally, the Christian Monarch of Abyssinia, to wrest some portions of the silk trade from the Persians. In this attempt he failed; but when he least expected it, he, by an unforeseen event, attained in some measure, the object which he had in view, A. D. 55. Two Persian monks having been employed as missionaries in some of the Christian churches, which were established (as we are informed by Coomas) in different parts of India, had penetrated into the country of the Seres or China. There they observed the labours of the silkworm, and became acquainted with all the arts of man in working up its productions into such a variety of elegant fabrics. The prospect of gain, or perhaps an indignant zeal, excited by seeing this lucrative branch of commerce engrossed by unbelieving nations, prompted them to repair to Constantinople. There they explained to the emperor the origin of silk, as well as the various modes of preparing and manufac turing it, mysteries hitherto unknown, or very imperfectly understood in Europe; encouraged by his liberal promises, they undertook to bring to the capital a sufficient number of those wonderful insects, to whose

labours man is so much indebted. This they accomplished by conveying the eggs of the silk-worm in a hollow cane. They were hatched by the heat of a dunghill, fed with the leaves of a wild mulberry tree, and they multiplied and worked in the same manner as in those climates where they first became objects of human attention and care. Vast numbers of these insects were soon reared in different parts of Greece, particularly in the Peloponnesus. Sicily afterwards undertook to breed silk-worms with equal success, and was imitated from time to time in several towns of Italy. In all these places, extensive manufactures were established and carried on, with silks of domestic production. The demand for silk from the East diminished of course, the subjects of the Greek emperors were no longer obliged to have recourse to the Persians for a supply of it, and a considerable change took place in the nature of the commercial intercourse between Europe and India.

The first communication which this great Pennsylvanian philosopher made to the American Philosophical Society, was a calculation of the transit of Venus, as it was to happen June 3, 1769. He was one of those appointed to observe it in Norristown township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This phenomenon had never been seen but twice before by any inhabitant of our earth, and would never be seen again by any person then living. The day arrived, and there was no cloud in the horizon; the observers, in silence and trembling anxiety, waited for the predicted moment of observation. It came; and in the instant of contact between the planet and sun, an emotion of joy so powerful was excited in the breast of Rittenhouse, that he fainted.

TOBACCO.

The following facts respecting tobacco were taken from a work by professor Beckman, of Gottingen:

1496.-Romanus Pane, a Spanish Monk, whom Columbus, on his second voyage, left in America, published the first account of Tobacco, under the name of Cohoba.

1535. The negroes on the plantations in the West-Indies began to use it.

1559.-Jean Nicot, envoy from France to Portugal, sent some of the seeds to Paris; from him it acquired the name of Nicotiana. When it was first used in France it was called herbe du grand Prieur, of the house of Loraine, who was very fond of it. It was also called herbe de St. Croix, from Cardinal St. Croix, who first introduced it into Italy. It obtained the name of Tobacco from the Island of Tobago, from whence it was first obtained.

1570.-In Holland, at this time, they smoked out of conical tubes of palm leaves plaited together.

1575.-First appeared a print of the plant in Andre Thevet's Cosmographie.

1585.-The English first saw the Indians of Virginia use clay pipes, from which time they began to be used in Europe.

1604. James the first endeavored to abolish the use of tobacco, by very heavy imposts on it.

1610.--The smoking of tobacco was known at Constantinople. To render the custom ridiculous, a Turk, detected using it, was led through the streets with a pipe transfixed through his nose.

1615.-Began to be cultivated in Holland. 1619. James the first ordered no planter to cultivate more than 100lb. 1620-Smoking first introduced into Ger

many.

1631-first introduced into Austria by the Swedish troops.

1634.-Forbidden in Russia under the penalty of having the nose cut off.

1653. First used in Switzerland. The magistrates at first punished those found smoking, but the custom at last became too general to be taken notice of.

1690.-Pope Innocent XII excommunicated all who should take snuff or use tobacco whilst at church.

1724.-Pope Benedict revoked the bull, as he himself used tobacco immoderately. Since this time the use of tobacco has become almost universal.

Mr. Argcula, of Golnitz, in Altenburg, has in his garden an apple tree, which in the year 1816, bore 268 sorts of apples and other fruits; in fact, the tree has on it above 300 sorts, but those last grafted have not yet borne. This gentleman has effected this curiosity for his amusement by inoculating and grafting, and has fastened to every branch a little board with the name of the sort of apple it bears. The tree has a strange appearance, from the various shapes and colours of the leaves, blossoms and fruits. years ago, the Russians bivoacked near this tree, and were surprised at the strange shape of it, and the number of little boards, that they did not injure it, though they cut down other fruit trees for firewood.

Some

Periodical Journals and Newspapers published in the Austrian Empire: The number of periodical journals (not newspapers) published in the whole Austrian Empire, is 34. Of, these, 13 are published at Vienna, 9 in Italy, 2 at Prague, 3 at Saltzburg, 1 at Grätz, 2 at Pest, and 1 at Presburg :—20 in the German language, 8 in the Italian, 1 in the Hungarian, 1 in the Slavonian, 1 in the new Greek language-2 are dedicated to theology, 2 to jurisprudence, 3 to medicine and surgery, 2 to natural philosophy,