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Show TPAVELS Tll OUGII UPPER CANADA: as I before mc1 tioncd, about [,. roo,ooo flcrling, on an av r.tJ;C, J'Cl' annum. ' Vhen we firil: g:1incd poffi ·Hion o( Cln<vb, the cxp nee of the pr~..'il:nts vvas much greater, as the Incli ~ws w 'JT d,cn more numcro 1 ·, nd as it was alio found ncccfl~uy to b~..Ho\ upon the11, inJi;idu.l1ly, much brger prcfl.!nts than ar now given, in order to ovcrcoiilC the viol 'llt prejudices :1gainil u · which had been inflilkd into their minds by the French. Thefe prcju3iccs ]uving hap pily been removed, and the utmort ba.rmony having been cfb bli!hcd between th ' lll ani the p..:oplc on our fronti ·rs, pr ·t;.:nt of a leis value ev n than wh: t ar · now ddtributcd amongrt them would pcd1a1 s be found futlicient to keep up that good undc rfla ncling which nov fubfi(l.s between us; it could not, howcv ' r, be deemed a very adviCtblc mc.1fme to curtail them, as long as a pofijl ility r maincd th::.t the lois of their friemHhip migh t be incurrltl thereby; and, indeed', when we confid·~r what a happy and numcr u people th .. Indians were b >fore Europeans intruded thcmfelvcs into the territories allotted to them by nature; when \\C con!irlcr how many thouf.mds have pcr.i!hcd in O:lttlc, embroiled in our contcfls for power and dominion, and how many thoufan j m rc ktve p rilhcd by the ufc of the poifonous b"verages which we have introduced amongrt them; when we confi(kr how nany artifici;ll want., have been raifed in the minds of the few n< tions of them that yet remain, and how Cadly the moral_, of t1 fc t ations have been corru pt·..:d by their intercourk with the vvhitcs; when we confider, fina lly, that in the courfc of fifty years more 1 o vcfligc even of thdl: once virtuous and amiable peoJ)lc will probably be f oll!l l in the whole oft 1at extenflvc terri tory wt ich lies between the IilliOlppi and the Atlantic, and vas forme rlv jnha- • bitcd folcly by them; infi.ead of ifhing tu lcGl:n the value ur the number of the few tri11c!l that we find arc aclcpt<tb1e tv them in their pre Cent fb.tc, we Ollf,ht rather to be dd"Jrous of cunt ·ibuting fiill lllorc Jar gel y to thci r comfort an l ha Pl indi . Acc_c pt~ble pre(cnts arc g ·nerally f, u1 d very e11icacioL s in conciliating the affections f any uncivilized n.ltion : they h,tvc \'cry <rrcat influence over the min s of the lnd;<ll1'>; but to concili.tte their aff..:c~:l'ons to the .utmoll:, p.n.:fcnts alone arc not fuflilicnt ; you 111u l <1 )pe.t to h. \'C their jntcrcfi MODE OF CONCILIATING THE INDIA1 ~ intcrefi: at heart in every rcfpcet; you mufl: af1ociate wit 1 them; VOlt mufl: treat them as men th:Jt arc your cqu lls, and, in fome r 1caf~m.:, even adopt their native manners. It was by fuch fl:eps as thc(c th , ~he Fr..!nch, ~hen they had pof1c0ion of Canada, gained their f.tvour in { c:f1 a v ry cmmcnt manner, and acquired fo wonder ul an afccnJcncy over th m. The old Indians flill :Gty, that th ·y ncvl.!r were fo happy as when the I• rench 1 ad poiTdEon cf the country; n11d, ncked, it is a very r _ mark:tl>lc faCt, which I before mentioned, th.tt the InJians, if they arc fick:, 1f they arc 11Llngry, if they want !l1 ·It 'r ii·o 1 a florm, or th~ like will always go to the houfes of the old French ii.:ttlcrs in preference l~ thofc of the Driti1h inhabitant . ThL: neceO!ty of tr ating the Indian. with refpcet and attention is firongly inculcated on tbc minds of the Engli{h fe~tlcrs, and they endeavour to aQ accordingly; but fl:ill they cannot b ~mtlh wholly fi-om their mind , a. the French Jo, the idea that th Indians Jre an inferior race of p.:.ople to them, to which circumfiance is to be attributed the prcdilcClion of the Indians for the I• rcnch rather than them; they all live together, how~vcr, on very ami ·abk terms, :-~nd many of the Englif11 on the frontiers have indeed told me, th.tt .if they were but half as honert, and half as well conduCted towards one another, as the Indian arc towards them, th flatc of iocicty in the country would be truly cnvi.tb ·. On the frontiers of the United States little pains J1avc hitherto been taken ~1y the goven~mcm, and no pains by the people, to gain he good w1ll of the Inc.hans; and the latt:.:r, indeed, intle~l'! of rcfpetl. ing the Indians as an independent neiph[.>ouring mtion, h,lvc in too mally inflances violated their rights as men in the moll fl::wrant b manner. The confcq ucnce has been, that the people on the fi-ontiers have been involved in all the c.damitics that they could have fuffcrcd from an a vengeful and rm;l enemy. Ninhtly mllrders, robberic ·, maffitcrc,, and conflagrations have been common. hey have hardly ventured to flir, at times, beyond the wall of their little habitati >n ; and for whole ·nights together have tl ey been 1 ept on the watch, in arms, to refifl: the onfet ot the Indians. They have never dared to vilit thL:ir neighbours unarmed, nor to proceed alone, in open d.1y, on a j ourney of 3 A a ft.:w |