. Those who have written upon Indian manners,
without personal and long acquaintance with their circumstances, have
made extravagant blunders. The historian of America, Dr. Robertson,
seems to suppose that the Indians cut down large trees, and dug out
canoes with stone hatchets,--and that they cleared the timber from their
small fields, by the same tedious process. Their stone axes or hatchets,
were never used for _cutting_, but only for splitting and pounding. They
burned down and hollowed out trees by fire, for canoes, and never
chopped off the timber, but only deadened it, in clearing land. The
condition of depraved man, unimproved by habits of civilization, and
unblest with the influences and consolations of the gospel, is pitiable
in the extreme. Such was the character and condition of the "Red skin,"
before his land was visited by the "Pale faces." I have often seen the
aboriginal man in all his primeval wildness, when he first came in
contact with the evils and benefits of civilization,--have admired his
noble form and lofty bearing,--listened to his untutored and yet
powerful eloquence, and yet have found in him the same humbling and
melancholy proofs of his wretchedness and want, as is found in the
remnants on our borders.

The introduction of ardent spirits, and of several diseases, are the
evils furnished the Indian race, by contact with the whites, while in
other respects their condition has been improved.

From the second number of the "_Annual Register of Indian Affairs,
within the Indian (or western) Territory_," just published by the Rev.
Isaac McCoy, the following particulars have been chiefly gleaned:

Mr. McCoy has been devoted to the work of Indian reform for almost
twenty years, first in Indiana, then in Michigan, and latterly in the
Indian territory, west of Missouri and Arkansas. He is not only
intimately acquainted with the peculiar circumstances of this
unfortunate race, and with the country selected as their future
residence by the government, but is ardently and laboriously engaged for
their welfare.

INDIAN TERRITORY.

The Indian territory lies west and immediately adjacent to Missouri and
Arkansas. It is about 600 miles long from north to south, extending from
the Missouri river to the Red river, and running westwardly as far as
the country is habitable, which is estimated to be about 200 miles. The
almost destitution of timber, with extensive deserts, renders most of
the country fro