t enfold
New matter to its bosom, and the sky
New nations arch beneath its canopy,
Ere this misshapen thing, the world, be rolled
And sphered to perfect freedom, ere the old
Incrusted statutes that our God defy
Be crushed in its rotation, and those die
That lived defiance through them. Then man's gold
No more shall manhood buy, or men be sold
For pottage messes. We may not be nigh
To see the glory, but if true and bold
Our hands may haste what others shall behold.

THE GREEN-CORN DANCE.

FROM AN UNPUBLISHED MS. BY JOHN HOWARD PAYNE, AUTHOR OF "HOME, SWEET
HOME"

[The following letter was written by the late JOHN HOWARD
PAYNE to a relative in New York, in 1835. The Green-Corn Dance
which it describes was, it is believed, the last ever celebrated by
the Creeks east of the Arkansas. Soon after, they were removed to
the West, where they now are.]

MACON, GEORGIA, ----, 1835.
MY DEAR ----.

... I have been among the Indians for a few days lately. Shall I tell
you about them? You make no answer, and silence gives consent;--so I
will tell you about the Indians.

The State of Alabama, you may remember, has been famous as the abode of
the Creek Indians, always regarded as the most warlike of the southern
tribes. If you will look over the map of Alabama, you will find, on the
west side of it, nearly parallel with the State of Mississippi, two
rivers,--one the Coosa and the other the Talapoosa,--which, descending,
unite in the Alabama. Nearly opposite to these, about one hundred miles
across, you will find another river,--the Chatahoochie, which also
descends to form, with certain tributaries, the Apalachicola. It is
within the space bounded by these rivers, and especially at the upper
part of it, that the Creeks now retain a sort of sovereignty. The United
States have in vain attempted to force the Creeks to volunteer a
surrender of their soil for compensation. A famous chief among them made
a treaty a few years ago to that effect; but the nation arose against
him, surrounded his house, ordered his family out, and bade him appear
at the door after all but he had departed. He did so. He was shot dead,
and the house burned. The treaty only took effect in part, if at all.
Perpetual discontents have ensued. The United States have assumed a sort
of jurisdiction over the territory, leaving the Creeks unmolested in
their national