ancient scenes, or any of the circumstances attending them, are here depicted with historic accuracy. They are just as fanciful as Raphael's painting of St. Cecilia singing so divinely, that the heavens above her open and display a choir of seraphs, duly equipped with fiddles and psalm-books, who sing and play an accompaniment. Equally impertinent for the ostensible objects of this work are the engraved views of the Valley of the St. Peters, the Ruins of Old Fort Mackinac, Esopus Landing on the Hudson River, Pittsburg as it appeared in 1790, and Humboldt Landing, California.

As to the relations preserved between the author and the engravers, we are compelled to believe, in most of the cases, that the text was written in order to illustrate the plates, instead of the plates being designed to elucidate the writer's meaning. Some account has already been given of the manner in which heterogeneous topics are huddled together in the first volume. But the method therein pursued seems order itself when compared with the "confusion worse confounded" of the Second and Third Parts. The want of system is the more conspicuous, as Mr. Schoolcraft seems to have a clear idea of the benefits of a scientific arrangement, and prints, at the commencement of the volumes, a list of the generic divisions of the subject, to which the subsequent matter is to be referred. But the arrangement seems to be made only for the purpose of being departed from. The whole work forms only a huge repertory, in which are jumbled together all the materials that the editor can lay his hands upon,-letters from correspondents, abstracts of old books, vocabularies, statistics, independent essays on general subjects, any matter to illustrate a fine engraving, etc. A reference, near or remote, to the North American Indians is generally perceptible, but not always. Here, for instance, is an essay three pages long, by the editor himself, on the " Importance of the Pastoral State on Races of Men;" and it is followed by one, four pages in length, from the pen of John Johnston, Esq., on the "Means of Melioration." Some notices of the natural caves in the Sioux country, taken from the posthumous papers of Mr. Nicolet, precede a diary kept by Lieut. Whipple while surveying the southern boundary line of California. What distinct

information respecting the "History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes" can be gathered from so miscellaneous a selection, or collection, of papers as this, we leave our readers to imagine.

As Mr. Schoolcraft has passed a large portion of his life among the aborigines of this continent, with whom he has also connected himself by marriage, we were led to hope that he might at least have gathered from them some interesting traditions of their former state and the vicissitude+rough which they have passed, and some distinct knowledge of their religious belief and modes of worship. But even this hope was disappointed, the information given upon these points being meagre and fragmentary to the last degree. The few legends and mythical stories that are narrated, seem to have received so much factitious embellishment in the translation, that they throw little light upon the history or the intellectual habits of those among whom they originated. But our readers shall judge for themselves, as the following is one of the best that is reported. It is entitled "Mondamin, or the Origin of the Zea Maize, a Chippewa Allegory," and purports to have been gathered from the oral traditions of this tribe during the author's residence among them at the Sault Ste. Marie.

"A poor Indian was living with his wife and children in a beautiful part of the country. His children were too young to give him any assistance in hunting; and he had but ill luck himself. But he was thankful for all he received from the forest, and although he was very poor, he was very contented.

"His elder son inherited the same disposition, and had ever been obedient to his parents. He had now reached the age at which it is proper to make the initial fast, which the Indian lads all do at about fourteen or fifteen. As soon as the spring arrived, his mother built him a little fasting-lodge in a retired spot, where he would not be disturbed; and when it was finished, he went in and began his fast. He amused himself for a few mornings by rambling about in the vicinity, looking at the shrubs and wild-flowers, (for he had a taste for such things,) and brought great bunches of them along in his hands, which led him often to think on the goodness of the Great Spirit in providing all kinds of fruits and herbs for the use of man. This idea quite took possession of his mind, and he earnestly prayed that he might dream of something to benefit his people; for he had often seen them suffering for the want of food.

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"On the third day he became too weak and faint to walk about, and kept his bed. He fancied, while thus lying in a dreamy state, that he saw a handsome young man, drest in green robes, and with green plumes on his head, advancing towards him. The visitor said: 'I sent to you, my friend, by the Great Spirit, who made all things. He has observed you. He sees that you desire to procure a benefit to your people. Listen to my words, and follow my instructions.' He then told the young man to rise and wrestle with him. Weak as he was, he tottered to his feet and began, but after a long trial, the handsome stranger said, friend, it is enough for once; I will come again.'

He then vanished.

"On the next day the celestial visitor reappeared, and renewed the trial. The young man knew that his physical strength was even less than the day before; but as this declined, he felt that his mind became stronger and clearer. Perceiving this, the stranger in plumes again spoke to him. To-morrow,' he said, will be your last trial. Be strong and courageous; it is the only way in which you can obtain the boon you seek.' He then departed.

"On the third day, as the young faster lay on his pallet weak and exhausted, the pleasing visitor returned; and as he renewed the contest, he looked more beautiful than ever. The young man grasped him, and seemed to feel new strength imparted to his body, while that of his antagonist grew weaker.

"At length the stranger cried out, It is enough, I am beaten. You will win your desire from the Great Spirit. To-morrow will be the seventh day of your fast, and the last of your trials. Your father will bring you food, which will recruit you. I shall then visit you for the last time, and I foresee that you are destined to prevail. As soon as you have thrown me down, strip off my garments, and bury me on the spot. Visit the place, and keep the earth clean and soft. Let no weeds grow there. I shall soon come to life, and reappear with all the wrappings of my garments and my waving plumes. Once a month cover my roots with fresh earth; and by following these directions your triumph will be complete.' He then disappeared.

Next morning the youth's father came with food, but he asked him to set it by, for a particular reason, till the sun went down. Meantime the sky-visitor came for his final trial, and although the young man had not partaken of his father's offer of food, he engaged in the combat with his visitor with a feeling of supernatural strength. He threw him down. He then stripped off his garments and plumes. He buried his body in the earth, carefully preparing the ground, and removing every weed; and then returned to his father's lodge. He

kept every thing to himself, revealing nothing to denote his vision or trials. He partook sparingly of food, and soon recovered his perfect strength. But he never for a moment forgot the burial-place of his friend. He carefully visited it, and would not let even a wild-flower grow there. Soon he saw the tops of the green plumes coming out of the ground, at first in spiral points, then expanding into broad leaves, and rising in green stalks; and finally assuming their silken fringes and yellow tassels.

"The spring and summer had now passed; when one day, towards evening, he requested his father to visit the lonely spot where he had fasted. The old man stood in amazement. The lodge was gone, and in its place stood a tall, graceful, and majestic plant, waving its taper leaves, and displaying its bright-colored plumes and tassels. But what most attracted his admiration was its cluster of golden ears. 'It is the friend of my dreams and visions,' said the youth. It is Mon-damin, it is the spirit's grain,' said the father. And this is the origin of the Indian corn." Part ii. pp. 230-232.

Various statistical returns occupy a portion of each of these volumes. We turned to these with some curiosity, hoping that they might contain definite and precise information, specially collected for the purposes of the work, on which interesting conclusions might be founded, or which might serve at any rate as specific facts for record in the history of the red race. But again we were wholly disappointed. A plan seems to have been drawn out, of great pretensions and even absurd minuteness, for taking a census of all the Indian tribes within the limits of the United States, together with their "Vital and Industrial Statistics." But the courage and patience of the investigator seem to have failed him, after completing the easiest and smallest portion of his task,- the census of the feeble remnant of the Iroquois confederacy, amounting in all to less than 6000 souls, most of whom still reside within the limits of New York and Pennsylvania. A few particulars are also given respecting some members of the Algonquin Group. But the skeleton of the plan is printed at great length, even for those tribes or bands, and in those particulars, in respect to which no information has been obtained. Thus we have page after page of blank columns, or of statistical returns in which the statistics are omitted. For what purpose these were inserted in the volume, if not to give "a fat job" to the printer

or compositor, we cannot imagine. We find, for instance, 176 different columns, or specific heads of inquiry, arrayed against each member of the Algonquin Group; and in reference to twenty-seven such members, just five of these columns are filled up, and 171 are left blank. To obtain space for arraying these blank columns in proper order, the names of the twenty-seven Algonquin tribes or bands are printed ten times over, on as many distinct pages. Thus we have one third of a page of actual statistics, and nine pages and two thirds of blanks. Perhaps these numbers indicate very fairly the ratio between the information promised, and the information actually supplied, by these three ponderous quartos. The second and third volumes of the work do not indicate that any progress has been made in completing this magnificent plan of a Census of the Indians; the statistical portion of them consists mainly of a reprint of some forgotten papers, fished up in great part from old Congressional documents, containing estimates or very imperfect enumerations of the Indian Tribes at different epochs.

But we need not carry the examination of these bulky and pretentious volumes any farther; the reader can now form a fair judgment of their character and merits. We have spoken very plainly about them, but not from any feeling of unkindness towards their author or editor, who has gained some reputation for his extensive acquaintance with Indian affairs, and some credit for his former publications. If Mr. Schoolcraft alone had been responsible for the work, and had defrayed its expenses from his own resources, we should have allowed him and his publisher to obtain wisdom by experience; it would have been quite superfluous to caution the public against purchasing the book. Even if this had been an ordinary case of the abuse of government patronage, we should not have meddled with it; as it is no business of ours to look after the peccadilloes of politicians or the peculations of public contractors. But this is a work of lofty pretensions upon a matter of great interest to men of science. If allowed to go forth to the world unchallenged, it will be the means of casting a reproach upon American science, or of impeaching the faithfulness or the fearlessness of those who are set to guard