, and scarcely less
successful in his endeavors to obtain the mitigation of the slave laws
in Maryland. Some of the most repulsive of these were repealed or
altered, particularly those restricting manumissions. Thus the condition
and the prospects of the whole body of slaves was improved, in addition
to _more than two thousand_ delivered by his immediate instrumentality
from illegal bondage. Hundreds of free and happy families have cause at
this day to bless the memory of "Father Tyson."

He also deeply interested himself on behalf of the Indian tribes; and
once in company with another individual, as a deputation from the
Society of Friends in Baltimore, undertook a dangerous journey to visit
several tribes 1000 miles distant, to the north-west of the Ohio. The
main object of the mission was to induce the Indians to refrain from the
use of ardent spirits--of whose destructive effects the chiefs were
themselves fully sensible. The following affecting address was made to
an assembly of "Friends" in Baltimore, by Little Turtle, a chief famous
for courage, sagacity and eloquence:

"Brothers and Friends:--When our forefathers first met on this
great Island, your red brethren were very numerous! But since
the introduction among us of what you call spirituous liquors,
and what we think may justly be called poison, our numbers are
greatly diminished. It has destroyed a great part of your red
brethren.

"My Brothers and Friends:--We plainly perceive, that you see the
very evil which destroyed your red brethren; it is not an evil
of our own making; we have not placed it among ourselves; it is
an evil placed among us by the white people; we look to them to
remove it out of our country. We tell them, 'Brethren, bring us
useful things; bring goods that will clothe us, our women and
our children; and not this evil liquor, that destroys our
reason, that destroys our health, and destroys our lives.' But
all we can say on this subject is of no service, nor gives
relief to your red brethren.

"My Brother and Friends:--I rejoice to find that you agree in
opinion with us, and express an anxiety to be, if possible, of
service to us, in removing this great evil out of our country;
an evil which has had so much room in it; and has destroyed so
many of our lives, that it causes our young men to say, 'we had
better be at war with the white people.' Th