we might as well have spoken to the wind, and addressed our solicitations to the tempest. Yet these people call themselves civilized! "Yes, yes, you may talk of your sovereignty and independence as much as you please: I should feel myself much more independent if I were out of the crowd." We prayed to the gods: but, as prayers alone are generally unavailing, we did not neglect to make use of our personal exertions; and, after being shoved, pushed, squeezed and bruised for the space of fifty minutes, we found ourself breathless and exhausted in the outer skirts of the assembly. We then very devoutly exclaimed, "Thank God"-but we were rather too hasty in making our acknowledgments; for a brawny fellow, in the act of huzzaing, dashed his hat in our face. We are remarkably mild and inoffensive; we have an abundant portion of the "milk of human kindness" in our composition; in our intercourse with the world, we "bear our faculties as meekly" as though we were not a headman and warrior of a great and independent nation; we are harmless as a sucking dove;' it is almost impossible to irritate or offend us-but this insult was so sudden, so unexpected, so violent, that it clicited a few scintillations of anger. We turned round in a rage upon the aggres. sor; but, discovering no marks of respectability about him, our indignation was converted into pity and contempt. "Friend!" said we, "why art thou so outrageously patriotic? What has thy country done for thee? Does she give thee food to keep thee from starving, or raiment to protect thee from the cold?" The man muttered something which we did not perfectly understand; but as he did not mean to offend us, as he appeared to be rather unworthy of our notice, as he was a robust rough-looking dog, and, as we have heard, that in civilized countries, "the better part of valor is discretion," we, influenced by all these considerations, determined to take no further notice of the patriot. Having extricated ourself from this difficulty, we were careful to keep at a cautious distance, lest we should be carried once more into the dangerous vortex. During the time that we buffeted the popular waves, our attention was wholly employed in warding off danger and striving to provide for our personal safety; and, now, when we found leisure for reflection, we could not recollect any thing we had heard, save the words, honor, independence, dignity, sovereignty, war: these had indeed made an impression on our brain that was not completely erased; but these were fully sufficient to afford us a subject for contemplation. Well then, Honor is the subject of our story. What is honor? What is national honor? Why do these people talk continually of their dignity, honor and independence? Does it arise from a secret consciousness that they are destitute of dignity, that their honor is tarnished, that their independence has vanished forever? Captain Bluster boasts much of his honor, his courage, and his power; his conversation is full of swords, pistols, blood, murder, havoc, and destruction; yet no one regards the vaporing of Bluster: his threats pass by as the "idle wind" which is not regarded.-Captain Bluster will not fight. Shall people who continually boast of their warlike abilities, who continually threaten to overwhelm their opponents with war and devastation, yet cautiously refrain from carrying their menaces into execution, be entitled to credit? Miss Tabitha Testy has made so many false steps in her journey through life-has stumbled so often-has fallen so repeatedlythat her moral vesture is at last so begrimed and soiled that it is impossible to tell what may have been its original color; but Tabitha asserts with the most unblushing confidence that it still is white as the snow which is driven by the north wind along the tops of the mountains. "What, do you presume to cast any aspersions on the spotless purity and unsullied whiteness of my character? Do you dare to insinuate any thing contrary to the dignity of my character? I would have you to know that my character is not to be impeached with impunity! My character, founded on the rocks of innocence and integrity, bids defiance to the puny assaults of slander and the impotent at tacks of envious malignity! My character is clear as the sun, fair as the moon, and terrible as an army with banners!" So saying, Tabitha walks so erectly, moves with so much dignity, that one would be diverted with her petulance, if the never-ceasing repetition of the word character did not fatigue and disgust us. Somebody. Why, savage, what do you mean? Would you compare the people of the United States to Captain Bluster, or Miss Tabitha Testy? Savage. Why not? It has long been the practice to compare great things with small, for the sake of illustration. Somebody. Are we not a free sovereign and independent nation? Is not that an established incontrovertible fact? Savage. If it be so, why do you think it necessary to make so many assertions on the subject? Somebody. Because we have been treated as though we were slaves; we have been contemned, insulted, abused, for a series of years; all which we have borne with unexampled patience; shall we not complain of these grievances? shall we not speak of our slighted honor, violated dignity, and outraged independence? . Savage. Does a man really courageous boast of his spirit? Will a man of honor talk forever of his refined feelings, correct principles and elevated sentiments? Complain! shall a highminded nation complain? If this be the way that you seek for redress, you deserve the contempt you experience. Complain! no won der you are treated as slaves. You defend your sovereignty, independence and honor by complaint! do you? A savage nation manages the business dif. ferently: Our warriors in a hunting excursion were insulted and robbed by a party of Chick asaws. We sent, and DEMANDED immediate restitution of the property, and punishment of the malefactors. Our demand was disregarded. What did we? complain? No! by the souls of our fathers, no! we burnished our arms, and took vengeance on our enemies; we taught the robbers, by our deeds, to respect the dignity, honor, sovereignty and independence of our nation. Complain! The sons of Alknomak will never complain. Somebody. The sons of Alknomak are savages; we are a civilized nation. They are barbarous pagans; we are polished christians. Therefore, their conduct can never seriously be proposed as an example for us. Their contests are on too small a scale to bear any resemblance to ours. What comparison can be drawn between the petty squabbles of naked hordes, and the mighty battles of conflicting empires? Our love of peace, our love of justice, our humanity, have been the causes of our forbearance. We are not cowards, O thou il natured savage! we are not cowards. Savage. An avaricious, luxurious, moneyworshipping nation must necessarily be cowardly.-Permit a savage, an American savage, to give it as his opinion that your courage is noise; your honor-air; your independence nominal; your virtue-extinct. Your fathers, indeed, possessed courage; but your fathers were not so highly civilized as their patriotic descendants. Yes, your fathers were courageous who has not heard of Bunkers-hill, Saratoga, Guilford, Eutaw, and Yorktown?-but your fathers were virtuous, patriotic, just; when these heroes pledged their fortunes, lives, and sacred honor, it sounded as a voice from on high; but you!-far hence, ye profane! Approach not the temple of honor! Wealth is the god of your idolatry! Ye have but one motive to action-money Speak rather of things ye are able to understand: of the establishment of banks, of the price of stocks, of policies of insurance, of ledgers, bales, hampers, counters, the art of shaving notes, and the science of calculation. Your fathers were independent: one of them proudly declared, when tempted by a bribe, that the wealth of Great Britain could not induce him to forfeit his honor; but you!—your avaricious desires, your luxurious wants, your commercial, speculating, degrading pursuits, have reduced you to slavery, so low, so con. temptible, that you would sell your country and your posterity to George,Napoleon, or the Devil, in order to gratify your sordid propensities. Has Britain insulted and mal-treated you ever since you were a nation? Did she hold your frontier posts many years in open defiance to positive stipulations ?-Has she captured your vessels, impressed your seamen, murdered your citizens, attacked your frigates, and insulted your government? Well: what have you done in the mean time? You have uttered piteous and whining complaints, and sometimes indulged yourselves in idle threats, and boasted of your sovereignty, independence and valor! Is this the way to be respected among the nations of the earth? If a private man should act in this manner, would he not be universally and justly despised? would not his name be covered with obloquy, and his person insulted wherever it should appear ? would such a one talk of his courage, his honor, his dignity? would he lay claim to the character of a gentleman? Somebody. We wish, if possible, to avoid the horrors of war. We would rather submit to many indignities than bring upon humanity the afflictions of war. Savage. I am not ignorant of the calamities usually occasioned by war. But when a nation becomes the slave of avaricious desires, nothing but some mighty commotion can save her. Any thing which could divert your attention from your present pursuits,-an earthquake, famine, war, pestilence,-would be a national blessing. Any thing that would destroy the canker of avarice-any thing, that would mow down the rank weeds of luxuryany thing that would give virtue an opportunity to flourish-any thing that would present an object for honorable emulation, would be a national blessing. When a patient labors under a painful and dreadful disease, any change is desirable-even death itself. We tremble at the evils of war, because they are rather uncommon; but we pass over un. noticed the evils of peace. War prevents the human race from sinking into the lowest state of degeneracy and corruption. War, by interrupting the progress of civilization, prevents the extinction of virtue, and keeps alive the holy fire of honor, friendship and patriotism. Has it not been proved that refinement and luxury increase, with unwearied assiduity, the vices and miseries of man? and may it not be demonstrated that they would eventually destroy the human family from the face of the earth? One thousand years of calm uninterrupted peace would nearly depopulate the globe. Somebody. You are fond of paradoxes: how can war, which destroys men by thousands, operate as the means of their preservation? Savage. In the same manner that amputation of a limb may prevent the mortification of the whole body, and save the life of a man who is wounded. The stroke of lightning that kills one may preserve the life of a million; and the earthquake which destroys a city may save a continent from desolation. War, by arresting the progress of those arts which brutalize the human family, may stretch out the period of its existence; but the time must come when men shall be no more: and their extinction will be occasioned by the progress of civilization. Somebody. Whatever you may say, I cannot conceive that it is your serious opinion, that civilization is really an evil. Savage. What is civilization? It would be difficult to give a satisfactory definition of the term; but what I mean by the expression may be easily understood. I use it as a general term to signify the progress of society from the simplicity of nature to the corrupt and factitious refinements of art. Were it possible for all mankind to partake of its unnatural enjoyments, it would still be an evil; as it multiplies the miseries even of the superior ranks of society: but the fact is, its pleasures are confined to the few, while it renders the many poor, miserable and wicked. It is true, that when humanity becomes extremely degenerated, nature generally produces a fermentation which purifies the mass of society, and throws off the dregs of corruption. Men, in a luxurious age, are preserved from total annihilation by some barbarous convul. sion, some savage agitation, some tremendous commotion, which startles into life the palsied energies of nature. But still something is lost : men never appear to regain the elevation from which they have fallen. Where is the northern hive which formerly emitted swarms of haughty and restless barbarians? Where are the empires of Asia, the kingdoms of Africa, and the millions of America?-They are no more! Pronunciation: from Crito. There is a great propensity among the vulgar, in Pennsylvania, to give the sound of oo to the diphthongal u: thus, instead of blue lure lute luminous due duty nuisance nudity numerous supine supreme tutor tumor tune tube, &c. we hear bloo loor loot loominous doo dooty noosance noodity noomerous soopine soopreme tootor toomor toon toob; and this anomalous pronunciation is not only tolerated, but defended by many of our American word-mongers. Their orthoepical canons would be unworthy of attention, did not every year witness the emission of some five or six spellingbooks under the auspices of eminent booksellers: these productions of genius meet with a ready sale, and are dispersed over the continent to confirm old errors and propagate new ones. Any man is supposed to be qualified to write books for children: and it seems to be altogether forgotten that these children may one day become men; and that errors planted in childhood are not casily eradicated. Nothing more is necessary than to make a collection of words, invent new rules for the division of syllables, give tables of words, the same in sound, but different in spelling and signification, and of words spelled in one manner, and pronounced in another, not forgetting to add a compendious system of English grammar; and the business is done. Recommendations of sapient schoolmasters are easily procured; nor is it difficult to find booksellers sufficiently intelligent to discover that the thing may sell. These are trifles, I acknowledge; but, If literary men be honorably employed in correcting a vitious pronunciation, certainly it must be commendable to take notice of those who contribute to the existence of error. Sometimes, however, we are too headstrong to be led away by an American philologist; but if an English author issue his mandates, who will refuse an immediate acquiescence? Well then, Sheridan has informed us that we should not say toon toob tootor, nor yet tune tube tutor, but choon choob chootor: and thousands in America have made themselves ridi culous by following Sheridan. This orthoepist was long supposed to be an infallible guide: and any one, some years ago, who, in this wilderness of ours, should have had the presumption to oppose his own ideas of propriety to the dicta of Sheridan would have exposed himself to ridicule and contempt. But Walker has appeared, and convicted his predecessor of innumerable errors. Must we revolt from Sheridan, and transfer our allegi ance to Walker? Certainly: Sheridan was an Irishman; he was not born within the sound Of merry merry Bow Church bells; he had not snuffed up the smoke of the British metropolis for a sufficient length of time; nor had his ear acquired refinement from the harmony of London cries or the musical voice of the cockneys. But Mr. Walker-who will dissent from the opinion of Mr. Walker? from the "born within a few opinion of a man who was miles of the capital;" and who has "resided in the capital almost the whole of his life :" who "understands the tune of the language to which the ear of a native is set;" and who feels that "vernacular instinct" which prevents the possibility of error? What! shall one bred in the wilds of America, who never saw the white cliffs of Albion, or breathed the sweet air of The Capital; who understands not the tune of the language, nor feels that infallible vernacular instinct, set up his opinion in opposition to that of Mr. Walker? I have no desire to detract from this gentleman's merits; but I have promised to point out certain errors into which 1 conceive he has fallen, and to show that the English pronunciation, taking Walker as the standard, is, in many instances, less analogical than the American. Mr. Walker is so fond of aspirations, as he calls them, that he says pitch-e-ous rather than piteous, petch-u-lant rather than petulant, plench-e-ous rather than plenteous, &c. This is not only contrary to general usage in the United States but contrary to the analogies of the language. And this eminent orthoepist is betrayed into repeated inconsistencies, by his attempts to establish the coincidence of his theory with the polite usage of the British metropolis. Mr. Walker has laid it down as a rule, that whenever t precedes u, and the accent immediately follows it, then t preserves its simple sound; but when the accent precedes the t, then the t is sounded like ch: consequently, he will not agree to say choon choob chooter choo. mult, choonic, &c. with Mr. Sheridan instead of tune tube tutor tumult tunic, &c.; nevertheless, he insists upon nachure misforchune forchune virchue ligachure signachure forfeit chure, &c. instead of nature misfortune fortune virtue ligature signature forfeiture, &c. This monstrous pronunciation may prevail in Britain, and it may likewise sometimes be heard in New England, as we find it is countenanced by Webster; but I will venture to af firm that it is not the pronunciation of the well educated natives of the middle and southern states. And it introduces such horrible irregu. larity into the language, I am surprised that it should be advocated by any one who makes pretensions to literature. That it is not universal, even in England, appears from Scott's pronouncing dictionary, and from the writings of several other orthoepists. He remarks in one place, that "if we analyse the u we shall find it commence with the squeezed sound of e, equivalent to the consonant y. This produces the small hiss before taken notice of, and which may be observed in the pronunciation of nature, and borders so closely on natshure, that it is no wonder Mr. Sheridan adopted this latter mode of spelling the word to express its sound." Now if this sentence have any signification, it must mean that the true pronunciation of nature adventure, &c. is nate-yure advent-yure, &c; yet we are directed to say nachure advenchure, &c. We would desire to inquire of Mr. Walker, if it be possible to retain the diphthongal sound of the u when the t is sounded as ch: does not the น, in that case, degenerate into oo? Aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus. Again: Mr. Walker lays it down as a rule, that "when i is succeeded by r and another consonant, not in a final syllable, it has exactly the sound of e in vermin vernal, &c." Therefore if we choose to follow Mr. Walker, we must no longer say virtue virgin firkin mirthful, but vertue vergin ferkin merthful. We are also directed to say merrh mertle mermidon, &c. instead of myrrh myrtle myrmidon, &c. And we must no longer indulge ourselves in aying mirth birth gird girt skirt whirl girl; M but be particular to pronounce these words thus, merth berth, &c. Shall we leave the analogical sound of thei and the y which is habitual to us, and learn the anomalous and barbarous pronunciation of Britain! Who ever heard the word vertue in the U. States unless among the lowest of the vulgar? who would dare to say vergin in any genteel company on this side of the Atlantic? who, that has any ideas of propriety, is heard to say gerl instead of girl? LETTER II, From Chotahowee, a warrior of the Cherokee nation, to Piomingo, a headman and war rior of the Muscogulgee confederacy. Father! Many of our Cherokees are mad: Blackcoat has taken away their senses. They neither plant corn in the fields nor hunt for the deer in the mountains; but spend their time in singing, shouting and weeping. When they pray, they fall down on their knees or lie prostrate in the dust. They hold up their hands and turn up the whites of their eyes, whining and begging for mercy. Will not the Great Spirit despise them for their meanness? Again they leap on their feet and dance furiously, clapping their hands and singing, "Glory, Jesus! glory! glory! glory!" What are our powwows and war dances? Nothing: they are calm and tranquil when compared with these christian amusements. They say all this uproar is occasioned by the presence of a good spirit in their assemblies. Would a good spirit make people mad? would he take away the senses of men? They sing songs of praise, and call the Master of our breath great, good, holy, wise, just, merciful: will not the Great Spirit be dis pleased with their flattery? The great OEWA can hear the thoughts of their hearts as well as the words of their mouths: will he not be angry at their deceit, fatigued with their noise, and turn away his face from their folly? Father! We have had no rain for two moons: no black clouds rise up in the west; nor cool breeze passes over our land. The springs are become dry in the heads of the valleys; the earth is laid open with drought; and the corn that was green droops down and is withered. Our prophets, our priests, and holy men, wander over the hills muttering prayers to the spirits of the air: they repeat their sacred charms in the morning, and powwow at the close of the day. But all in vain : they cannot awaken a breeze on the river, or call up a cloud in the sky. We are no longer the beloved people that we were. OEWA has forsaken us; and we are no longer the objects of his fatherly care: when he returns again to look for the Cherokees, they will not be found. Once we were a powerful nation: our warriors were terrible; our hunters returned loaded with game; and our prophets brought us rain at the proper season. But now a strange people have crossed the great water, and spread over our country. They have seized upon our land; they have cut down our woods; they have driven away our buffaloes and deer. They have chased us from mountain to mountain, and from river to river. Theyhave surrounded us with their cities and their fields, until they have left us no place to which we can fly. They have made us as wicked and as base as themselves our old men are fools; our warriors are cowards; and our young men are drunkards. Our war dances are neglected; our sacred songs are despised; and our holy feasts are forgotten. : Father! Have you read the holy book of which the christians are so proud? Do, I beseech you, take out some of the talks and send them to me. Does it not give directions how to make gunpowder, iron and rum? Does it not teach how to lie, and to steal, and to swear, and to cheat the poor Indians out of their land? Blackcoat affirms that the book teaches truth, peace, honesty, kindness; but this cannot be the case, or we should not find white men to be such liars and villians as they are. Father! How do you live amid the smoke and noise and stink of a crowded city? Come to us, and taste the sweet breeze of the forest: we will range together over the hills, and lie down to sleep by the fountains. Is not the buffalo superior to the ox? is not the fleet buck more lovely than the goat? and is not the wild Indian of the mountain ten thousand times more noble than he tame man of the town? Piomingo! come away. How can you be contented among the little creamcolored raccoonfooted maulfisted bandylegged bigbellied stoopshouldered hunchbacked wrynecked thicklipped woolly haired bleareyed doubletongued people of the town? May my knife become rusty if I do not pay back your white friends a few compliments in return for those they bestow upon us! Shall they call us savages, heathens, barbarians, coppercolored brutes, without receiving a few appropriate appellations in return? They call themselves civilized! Why? because they are crammed together in cities, labor like brutes,and burthen their bodies with unnecessary clothes? If we dwell in smoky huts, we do not, like them, live surrounded by filth and inhale the thick odor of corruption. We do not eat poisonous food to make ourselves sick, and then eat pois. onous physic to make ourselves well. We do not wear the yoke of slavery nor groan beneath the lash of oppression. We do not live, like white men and fishes, by devouring each other. Father, attend! I made a journey last year to the city of Washington in company with several headmen and warriors of the Cherokee nation; and I made it my business to pay particular attention to the appearances and pursuits of the creamcolored people. I was, at first, much amazed at the deformity of their shapes and the hideous cast of their countenances; but I, at last, came to this conclusion: that incessant labor and the continual practice of deceit had deformed their persons and im pressed on their faces that mixture of stupidity and malignity which may be discovered by any attentive observer. Their unceasing ef forts to impose on each other has totally destroyed all the original dignity, candor and simplicity of their nature, and produced a strange composition of folly, imbecility and cunning. They hate each other, with the most virulent hatred, yet they are mutually dependent no man can live a day, scarcely an hour, without receiving assistance from his fellows. Place one of these civilized men in the desert, and he would be as helpless, as a child. Indeed they exhibit in their conduct all the properties of childhood but innocence: they are made miserable by the most trifling occurrences; and they are diverted by the most insignificant toys. The least pain imaginable occasions them to utter the most piteous lamentations; and they are convulsed with idiot laughter when there is nothing to excite the merriment of a man. Wherever we came the inhabitants discovered symptoms of childish curiosity; our persons excited their awkward astonishment; and our dress was the object of surprise and admiration. Their ignorance is amazing: they appear to have no knowledge of any thing without the bounds of the village they inhabit. Upon our arrival at a tavern, some rustic booby would be sure to proclaim the wonderful intelligence; and in less than five minutes we would be surrounded by thirty or forty natives who would regard us with open eyes, gaping mouths, and the idiot stare of mental imbecility. They appear to have no idea of politeness: for if they had, they certainly would not treat strangers with such glaring indecorum. But they are not satisfied with gazing: if they meet with the smallest encouragement, they will proceed to handle our arms, ornaments and the different parts of our dress. Luckily, they are as cowardly as they are insolent: for if one of us chanced to put his hand to his belt or take hold of his rifle, the whole troop would start back with as much precipitation as a man would do at the hiss of a viper or the generous defiance of the rattlesnake. When a white man arrives at one of our villages, he is received with attention and respect. He is invited into the ne: rest hut, and receives the food of friendship and the calumet of peace. We supply his wants, anticipate his desires, and vie with each other in extending to the stranger the duties of hospitality. When we have offered all those refreshments which his situation requires, we make no inquiries relative to his business, but spread a couch for the weary traveller and invite him to repose. He is not distressed by a multitude of impertinent questions, "who are you? whence do |