waves broke in softer murmur on the shore. The treetops now began to revel in the beams, and then the highlands to drink in the falling glory, till the entire circuit of the heavens was full of the tempered splendors of this Sabbath morn!

Yet all this silence was broken in upon this morningfor just between the time when the eastern sky was made mellow with the sun's light, and when the light began to tip the tops of tree and mountain, and all was so quiet, my ears were greeted by sweet sounds of music! They came from a lodge of Christian Indians, which was hard by, in the woods. They had risen with the day, to "worship God!" They sang in three parts, base, tenor, and treble, and with a time so true, and with voices so sweet, as to add harmony even to nature itself. Notes of thrush and nightingale sound sweeter when poured forth amidst the grove; so sounded those of these forest warblers, in the midst of the green foliage, and in the stillness of the woods. I attended their worship, and was present again with them in the evening; and as I listened to their songs of praise, and their prayers, I felt humbled, and ashamed of my country, in view of the wrongs it had inflicted, and yet continues to inflict, upon these desolate and destitute children of the forest. There were flowers and gems there which needed only to be cultivated and polished, to insure from the one, the emission of as sweet odors as ever regaled the circles of the civilized; and from the other, a brilliance as dazzling as ever sparkled in the diadem of queenly beauty. And yet they were, and are, neglected, trodden down, and treated as outcasts!

At twelve o'clock on Monday, the signal gun for the assembling of the council, was fired-when were seen coming in from all directions, the great multitude of the sons of the forest, to hear what their fathers had to say to them. The bands represented were Chippewas, Menomonies, Winnebagoes, Wabanackies, &c., &c.—in all, about one

thousand-all attired in their best apparel, ornamented and painted after the most approved Indian fashion.

The council square, towards which all who were entitled to a seat in it were wending their way, was covered with boughs of evergreen, resting on a frame-work of timber, supported by posts inserted in the ground. Seats of any sort would have been useless appendages; for Indians, who are not civilized, prefer the ground to sit on, and knowing nothing of the luxury of a sofa, or chair, or of the "threelegged stool," on which, as Cowper sings

66

-The immortal Alfred sat,

And swayed the sceptre of his infant realms,"

would have studiously avoided enjoying either, had the ground been covered with them.

A few slabs, resting on pungeons driven in the ground, served to accommodate those who were not so familiar with the earth's surface as are the Indians. These were placed around a rude table, at one end of the square, on which the necessary papers and writing apparatus were placed, and where the minutes of the proceedings were taken by the secretary, and at the head of which sat the commissioners.

Everywhere over the ground, in the woods, and on the open plain, were seen moving about in all directions squaws, and papooses, and dogs; of the two first, some were busy with their fires, over which kettles were slung, for boiling their pork and beans; others were nursing, whilst others again were running every way after the more than half-naked children of larger growth, to bring them in, preparatory to the breaking up of the council, to In readiness for the meal that was to be caten; whilst

ogs were not idle, some fighting, and others busy in pore agreeable occupation of smelling about for the nents of the last meal-all of them gaunt as halfved wolves, and not unlike them in form and action.

Everywhere, outside of the council square, there was life, and bustle, and confusion; all within was quiet and respectful. I could not help thinking how much many of our public assemblies, from the Capitol at Washington, through the States, all over the Union, might profit by observing the dignified silence and attention observed by these untutored savages, and following their example, at least in this particular.

The governor delivered the opening address, explaining the leading objects for which the council had been called. These embraced the adjustment and fixing of boundary lines between the different tribes, and to peace and harmony among them-the rupture of the last being almost always, and having been so from time immemorial, conscquent upon the uncertainty of the first. A war of over a hundred years' duration had continued between the Sioux and Chippewas, which was terminated by the treaty of Fond du Lac, of the previous year, in which the boundaries were established between them.

The claim to lands set up by the New York Indians was also brought before the council, and finally adjusted; and another appeal was also made to the Winnebagoes, of a warning character, in which they were admonished to bring in the murderers, and save their people from the consequences of a war. The council closed, and the Indians retired to deliberate, &c.

Thump-thump-thump. A drum! It was the medicine-man's drum over a sick child, accompanied by the usual pow-wowing, which was begun at four o'clock, P. M., and continued till eleven at night. Rev. Mr. Flavell, a Roman Catholic priest, and the Rev. Mr. Jones, a Protestant Episcopal clergyman, the first settled at Green Bay, last destined to the St. Peter's, offered up prayers. The Christian Indians sang again this evening, their hymns being made more strikingly sweet by the yelling and whooping of the wild Indians by whom they were surrounded. What

a contrast! The woods made vocal on the one hand by Christian music, and startled on the other by the wild yells of the uncivilized! And yet both proceeding from the

same race.

From the 6th to the 11th we were busy with the details of the treaty, which, being adjusted and read, was agreed to, and signed. The Chippewa and Menomonie lines were designated, whilst the Winnebagoes and Menomonies agreed to have theirs in common.

Meantime, incidents were not wanting to give excitement, some of these being quite alarming. We were aroused at ten o'clock at night, on Wednesday, the 8th July, by Major R., who came to inform us that a Chippewa had given information of the intention of the Winnebagoes to rise upon and murder us. In confirmation of this purpose, another messenger came to say that a Winnebago squaw had been to a Wabanackie, to borrow some musket balls. The guard was doubled, and everything put in readiness for the attack, but all remained quiet. The 10th brought with it a violent storm of wind, rain, lightning and thunder. It seemed as if it would sweep us, with our log huts and tents, away. It continued until four, P. M. Our flag-staff, that was planted on the apex of Le Butte de Morts, was bent into a bow by it, but was neither broken nor uprooted.

Beside this Petit Butte de Morts, there is another on the western shore of Winnebago lake, and some ten miles above this, which the French call Le Grand Butte de Morts. The French having been the first to traverse these regions, have given names to almost everything that is distinguishable by a name. All mounds that I have seen, that are conical in form, as are these two hills of the dead, are full of the bones of men. I sought of aged Indians their tradition in relation to this little, as well as the great hill of the dead, and learned that a long time ago a battle was fought, first upon the spot upon which is Le Petit

Butte de Morts, and the grounds adjacent, and continued upon that, and the surrounding country, upon which is found Le Grand Butte de Morts, between the Iroquois and Fox Indians, in which the Iroquois were victorious, killing an immense number of the Foxes at Le Petit Butte de Morts; when, being beaten, the Foxes retreated, but rallied at Le Grand Butte de Morts, and fought until they were nearly all slain. Those who survived, fled to the Mississippi, and down that river to the country about the Des Moine Rapids, Rocky Island, Du Buques, &c., where they multiplied, and again became a formidable people. In those two mounds, it is said, repose the remains of those slain at those two battles.

Despatches were received from General Atkinson, bearing date July 31. At breakfast, Captain B. informed the general and myself that he had reasons for suspecting the Winnebagoes, and was under arms all night. In every direction were seen moving stealthily about, these irritated and war-loving people. It then occurred to me that I had heard some one busy in the night at our grindstone, which was near my tent, sharpening knives. Possibly the captain mistook the object of the movements of these people. We commended his vigilance.

After breakfast, Priest Flavell came to me, saying in broken English-"I have been, sair, to de governor, to say that one grand medicine-man be dead; and to ask him for someting to make shroud-and for some candle-and to say how much please I shall be, if he will give order for de band of music to play, while we march to de grave to bury him. He told me, sair, you would answer dese questions." I did, of course, answer them in the affirmative; when the good priest rubbed his hands, made his bow, saying, "Dis will be grand affair." He had not been gone an hour before he came back in haste, saying with great animation, "Tree more Indians be dead! It will make one grand procession. Will you give order, sair, if you