to form his own character: hence the various systems called by the name of religion, codes of law, and punishments: hence, also, the angry passions entertained by individuals and nations toward each other; 2d, That the affections are at the command of the individual: hence insincerity and degradation of character: hence the miseries of domestic life, and more than onehalf of all the crimes of mankind; 3d, That it is necessary a large portion of mankind should exist in ignorance and poverty, in order to secure to the remaining part such a degree of happiness as they now enjoy: hence a system of counteraction in the pursuits of men, a general opposition among individuals to the interests of each other, and the necessary effects of such a system-ignorance, poverty, and vice. Facts prove, however-1st, That character is universally formed for and not by the individual; 2d, That any habits and sentiments may be given to mankind; 3d, That the affections are not under the control of the individual; 4th, That every individual may be trained to produce far more than he can consume, while there is a sufficiency of soil left for him to cultivate; 5th, That nature has provided means by which population may be at all times maintained in the proper state to give the greatest happiness to every individual, without one check of vice and misery; 6th, That any community may be arranged on a due combination of the foregoing principles in such a manner as not only to withdraw vice, poverty, and, in a great degree, misery from the world, but also to place every individual under circumstances in which he shall enjoy more permanent happiness than can be given to any individual under the principles which have hitherto regulated society; 7th, That all the fundamental principles on which society has hitherto been founded are erroneous, and may be demonstrated to be contrary to fact; and, last, That the change which would follow the abandonment of those erroneous maxims which bring misery into the world, and the adoption of principles of truth, unfolding a system which shall remove and for ever exclude that misery, may be effected without the slightest injury to any human being.”* The efforts which were made to establish, on these principles, a community at New Harmony, were of course defeated. * Address delivered to the inhabitants of New Lanark, by Robt. Owen. Neither philanthropy, nor learning, nor energy, nor wealth, nor all of these combined, could save the experiment of Mr. Owen from a failure which was painful to him, and disheartening to his followers. PEACE CONCLUDED WITH GREAT BRITAIN-INDIAN AFFAIRS-STATE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZED. A TREATY of peace and amity between the United States and Great Britain was signed at Ghent, by the plenipotentiaries of the respective nations, on the 24th of December, 1814, and ratified by the president of the United States, with the consent of the senate, on the 17th of February, 1815. The ninth article of the treaty contains an agreement, on the part of the United States, to put an end to hostilities with all the tribes or nations of Indians with whom the general government was then at war; and to restore to such tribes or nations, respectively, all the rights and possessions to which they were entitled in 1811, previous to the commencement of the war-on condition that such Indians should agree to desist from all hostilities against the United States. The same article of the treaty of peace contains a similar agreement to be performed on the part of Great Britain. Early in February, 1815, before the ratification of the treaty of peace, the governor of the Indiana territory obtained information, through various channels, which induced him to believe that many of the Pottawattamies, and some of the other northwestern tribes, were receiving from the British large supplies of powder, lead, and flints, and that the main body of these tribes were making preparations to attack the frontier settlements of Indiana. A general order was therefore issued, requiring all the commandants of regiments, battalions, companies, etc., throughout the territory, to "hold themselves in readiness to march at the shortest notice," and to "be prepared to meet the enemy, as occasion might require, either by whole corps, or by detail from each."* The issuing of this general order was an act of prudence; but the hostile tribes of the northwest were neither prepared nor inclined, at that time, to invade the settlements of the Indiana territory. In the early part of the year 1815, however, a few small war parties, composed probably of refugees from different tribes, skulked about the borders of the Wabash river, and perpetrated some acts of savage warfare, which have been mentioned in a preceding chapter. Immediately after the ratification of the treaty of peace with Great Britain, the government of the United States adopted measures which were designed to disseminate, among the several Indian tribes, certain information of the conclusion of the war, and of the stipulations which the treaty of peace contained with respect to the treatment of those Indians who had been engaged in the contest between the two nations. In June, 1815, Major-general William Henry Harrison, Brigadier-general Duncan McArthur, and John Graham, esq., were appointed commissioners, on the part of the United States, for holding a treaty with the northwestern Indians, "at Ft. Wayne, or at any other place that might be more convenient." The commissioners were instructed to remind the tribes of their existing relations with the United States; to explain to them the nature of the reciprocal stipulations in the treaty of peace and amity; to "inform them of the measures that had been taken to carry the treaty of peace into effect; to warn them against any improper practices that might involve them in hostilities with the United States; to promise a punctual performance of all [engagements of the United States] with them; and to insist on the observance of good faith on their part." The commissioners were further instructed to inform the Indians, distinctly, that the United States did not then wish to obtain from them any new cession of land, or any grant or privilege whatsoever; but "merely to manifest their disposition * General orders, dated "Head-quarters, Jeffersonville, February 25, 1815," signed by Allan D. Thom, Adjutant-general. † Letter of instructions to commissioners. + Ibid. INDIAN TREATY-TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE. 553 to cultivate peace and good-will," and to secure the advantages of the treaties which existed at that time. On the 22d of August, the commissioners held a preliminary meeting at Detroit, with some of the chiefs and head men of the Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa, and Pottawattamie tribes; and on the 25th of August, a regular council, for the negotiation of a treaty, was opened at the Spring Wells, in the vicinity of Detroit. The negotiations were prolonged until the 8th of September, 1815, when a treaty was concluded between "the United States of America and the Wyandot, Delaware, Seneca, Shawanee, Miami, Chippewa, Ottawa, and Pottawattamie tribes of Indians, residing within the limits of the State of Ohio, and the territories of Indiana and Michigan."* These tribes agreed to renew and confirm all former treaties with the United States, to which they were, respectively, parties; and to place themselves under the protection of the United States, "and of no other power whatsoever." The Shawanee prophet, who attended some of the sessions of the council at the Spring Wells, retired, with a few of his followers, across the river Detroit, to the British territory, before the treaty was signed. They professed, however, "in open council, before they went away, the most pacific intentions, and declared that they would adhere to any treaty made by the chiefs who remained."† Sometime afterward, the Prophet returned to the Shawanee settlement in the State of Ohio, whence, with a band of Shawances, he removed to the Indian country, on the western side of the river Mississippi, where he died, in the year 1834. It seems that the British government allowed him a pension, from the year 1813 until the time of his death. Tecumseh, the distinguished brother of the Prophet, was killed at the battle of the Thames, on the 5th of October, 1813. On the first Monday in December, 1815, the general assembly of the Indiana territory met at Corydon. The sickness of Governor Posey, who resided at Jeffersonville, prevented his attendance, at the seat of government, on the opening of the * American State Papers-Indian affairs, vol. ii, p. 12. Letter from commissioners to secretary of war, September 9, 1815. Drake's Life of Tecumseh, p. 222.—London "United Service Journal. Dawson's Life of Harrison, p. 439. session; and he sent his message to the two houses, by his private secretary, Colonel Allan D. Thom. In this message, which was very brief, the governor congratulated the members of the legislature on the termination of the war by an honorable peace. He alluded to the tide of immigration which was then flowing into the territory, and advised the levying of taxes as light as might be compatible with the public interest. He invited the legislators "to turn their attention to the promotion of education and the state of roads and highways;" and he recommended a revision of the territorial laws and an amendment of the militia system. The legislature, during the course of its session, which lasted about a month, passed thirty-one laws and seven joint resolutions. These acts were not, however, designed to make any material change in the existing laws of the territory. The attention of the members of the general assembly was, indeed, engaged chiefly in the making of public and private efforts to change their territorial institutions for those of a State government. A memorial which was adopted by the legislature of the Indiana territory, on the 14th of December, 1815, and laid before Congress by the territorial delegate, Mr. Jennings, on the 28th of the same month, contains the following passages:"Whereas, the ordinance of Congress for the government of this territory has provided that whenever there shall be sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, this territory shall be admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States;' and whereas, by a census* taken by the authority of the legislature of this territory, it appears from the returns, that the number of free white inhabitants exceeds sixty thousand-we, therefore, pray the honorable senate and house of representatives, in Congress assembled, to order an election, to be conducted agreeably to the existing laws of this territory, to be held in the several counties of this territory on the first Monday of May, 1816, for representatives to meet in convention, at the seat of government of this territory, the of — -, 1816, who, when assembled, shall determine, by a majority of the votes of all the members elected, whether it day *Official returns of the population of the territory of Indiana, certified by the clerks of the various counties, and forwarded to the house of represen |