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HALIFAX, JV. C. Fllll) AY, APRIL 30, 182 l
F0L I.
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THE "FREE PRESS,"
By (feorge Howard,
Is published every Friday, at
THREE DOLLARS per year,
consisting of 52 numbers, and in the
ame proportion for a shorter pe
riod. Subscribers at liberty to dis
continue at any time, on paying ar
rearages. Advertisements inserted at fifty
cents per square, or less, for the
first insertion, and twenty-five cents
each continuance.
Letters addressed to the Editor
must be fwst paid.
DOMESTIC.
Cherokee Legislature. John
Ridge, an Indian, writes to the
editor of the Boston Recorder,
from the Cherokee Nation, that
the Cherokee Legislative Coun
cil assembled on the 1st October
last, to transact business. The
agent and commissioners from
the United States, and commis
sioners from Georgia, attended
and presented their credentials,
and were received with a re
spect equal to the importance of
their commissions. The object
of the commissioners of Geor
gia was to impress the Chero
kees with a conviction that the
&tate which they represented
had long standing claims against
that nation, which they endea
vored to authenticate by old
treaties. A reply was made in
writing by the Cherokee legisla
tors, that these claims were long
since adjusted, of which the 9th
art. of the treaty of Tellico was
conclusive evidence, which sti
pulates, that "all animosities,
plunderings, &c. prior to that
date, shall cease, and be no long
er remembered or demanded on
either side." The subject was
thus closed with the commis
sioners of Georgia both parties
maintaining different construc
tions of the treaties.
A discussion then commenced
wi h the commissioners from
the United States, who demand
ed a cession of the land, which
was met and rejected with can
dor and deliberate determina
tion. "Gentle, brilliant, and
forcible periods of eloquence,
backed with large sums of mo
ney 'as presents, were spent in
vain." The legislators decla
red that they would never again
cede one foot ofjarid,? "A pre
cious trust was confided to their
care the happiness and care of
their sires, mothers, wives and
children and no consideration
should violate it." An unsuc
cessful attempt was made by M'
Intosh, a chief of the Creek Na
tion, who was present at the
Council, to bribe the President
of the Cherokee National Com
mittee, and one of the most dis
tinguished chiefs. The offer of
pecuniary reward was brilliant,
and a less sum has tempted more
civilized people to betray their
trust. "If the chiefs (said P
Intosb to the Cherokee Presi
dent) feel disposed to let the U
uued States have the land, I will
make the commissioners give
you two thousand dollars, A.
M Coy the same, and Charles
Ilicks three thousand dollars,
or presents, and nobody shall
know it." The offer was re
ceived with detestation ; and jF
lntosh was summoned before
the Council while the President
addressed that body on the sub
ject, and read the letters con
taining the offers of the Creek
chief. "A traitor," said the
President, "is looked upon by
all nations in the darkest color,
and is more despicable than the
meanest reptile that crawls upon
the earth. Ail honorable and
upright character is more valua
ble than the filthy lucre of the
whole world." The Speaker
of the Cherokee Nation then
addressed the Council concern
ing the conduct ot MMntosh.
who, though a Creek chief, ap
pears to have had considerable
influence with the Cherokee's
for the last twelve years. The
Speaker stated that it was a
maxim with the Cherokees ne
ver to trust a man who had vio
lated the confidence reposed in
him; and as MTntosh had done
this, he was now divested of his
trust, and permitted to retire in
peace to his own nation.
From the Mobile (Ala.) Register,
March 23.
Cherokees. Wc learn that
Ilicks, the principal Chief of
the Cherokees, accompanied by
thirteen other chiefs, started a
few weeks since as commission
ers to Washington City, for the
purpose of procuring an acknow
ledgment of their independence
as a nation, or of selling their
whole territory. Ilicks, how
ever, was laboring under the
pain of a white swelling, and be
came so very ill that he was un
der the necessity of returning,
but gave strict and positive in
structions to the other chiefs,
either to bring home an acknow
ledgment of their National In
dependence, or to negotiate a
transfer. It is nossiblc that a
'portiop of their country will
j shortly be added to this state.
From the Raleigh Register, 23d inst.
Cherokee Lands. We learn
that his Excellency Governor
Holmes has appointed James
' Iredell, Esq. of Edenton, and
Dr. Benjamin Robinson, ofj
Fayetteville, Commissioners, j
under the act of the last session
of our General Assembly, enti
tled "An act respecting the re
servations ot certain Indians in
the lands lately acquired by
treaty from the Cherokee Na
tion," to enquire into the titles
of certain tracts of land claimed
by individuals of the Cherokee
Nation of Indians, under certain
provisions made in the treaties
concluded between the United
States and . the said Nation in
the years 1817 and 1819, and to
contract with any ol said In
dians, or with any agent or a
gents duly authorised by them,
for the purchase of the. tract or
tracts to which the said Com
missioners shall believe the said
Indians, or any of them, shall
have a good and valid title un
der the provisions of said trea
ties: sard contracts to be subject
to the ratification of the General
Assembly. The Commission
ers are to meet at Franklin, in
Haywood county, on the 1st of
August next.
From the Indianapolis Gaz.SOth ult.
Horrid barbarity. It be
comes our painful duty to record
one of the most outrageous
transactions that has occurred
since the settlement of the state.
We have been enabled to collect
the following particulars, from
the information of a traveller
who has just passed through the
neighborhood, and in whose ve
racity we place the Utmost con
fidence: It seems that a party of In
dians, ten in number, consisting
of three men, three women, two
girls about half grown, and two
small boys, were encamped on
Fall creek, in Madison county,
about eight miles above the
Falls, and 35 miles above this
place, for the purpose of hunt
ing. Un Monday, 22d inst, a
party of five white men and two
boys went to the camp and de
coyed the three men away from
the camp, for the ostensible pur
pose ot assisting them to hunt
some cattle. After they had
gone some distance from the
camp, two of the Indians were
shot dead; the third made his
escape, badly wounded. In the
evening of the same day, the
same party returned to the
camp, and, after making some
professions of friendship, mur
dered the whole of the women
and children. Their bodies
were most shockingly mangled,
for the purpose of producing an
impression that it was the work
of indians, and thrown into a
hole of water occasioned by the
falling of- a tree. One of the
men killed one of the children
by taking it by the heels and
beating its brains out against a
tree. On Tuesday, the place
was visited by a party of men,
when one of the women was
found still alive, but died on the
evening of the next day. At
the time the camp was first vi
sited, after, the massacre, the
property of the Indians, consist
ing of guns, skins, furs, &c. was
still at the camp and was left
there unmolested, but on the
succeeding day, when the place
was visited by a party of men
from the falls of Fall creek, the
bodies were found entirely strip
ped, and every species of pro
; perty carried away.
We are further informed, that
one of the lads concerned in the
murder, (and who was compel
led to assist, by the threats of
his father,) soon after the trans
action gave information, and five
of the party concerned were im
mediately arrested, and are now
in custody at the falls of Fall
creek; one made his escape, and
the youth who gave the infor
mation is said to be at liberty in
the neighborhood. Since their
arrest, it is said that these per
sons have made a full confession
All the families composing
the settlement, in the neighbor
hood of the scene of this horri
ble transaction, have removed to
the mills, at the falls on Fall
creek, to avoid the retaliatory
vengeance of the Indians.
Wild pigeons. The immense
number of pigeons that inhabit
the western regions of the Uni
ted States have excited the ad
miration and astonishment of
travellers, and occasioned from
some of them very wonderful
accounts, which many who hav
not been eye witnesses, have
considered as tabulous. Altho
the pigeon is decidedly a bird of
the wilderness, yet it does not
hesitate to encroach on the set
tlements of man, and often
proves destructive to his wheat
and cornfield. A western pa
per of the 27th Feb. says that
there were at that- time vast
numbers scattered over the cen
tral and northern frontier towns
of Kentucky. Thev sween the
forests in such immense fl1rc
that they keep up a noise, thro'
the day, somewhat resembling
a continual thunder; and not un
frequcntly in such peals as to
very much impede the eques
trian traveller, if he has not a
very gentle horse. From
computation it appears there are
upon a square mile, every day,
5000 that they embrace a tract
of country 70 miles square; so
that allowing one half of this
area to be filled at the rate above
mentioned,there would be above
twelve millions. Pigeons are
great gormandizers, and it ap
pears, from calculation, that al
lowing their food equal to one
gill of wheat per day, which is
supposed to be short of the
quantityof nutriment they would
require, they would consume a-
bout 115,327 bushels per day -
this, at fifty cents per bushel,
would amount to 57,663 dollars.
Providence has given them
peculiar power of seeking far
and wide through the fertile fo
rests of the west, to gratify the
appetite, and gather up the sur
plus fruits of the earth, which
would otherwise waste, like the
leaves, to enrich the soil that
produces them.
Fire. The
dwelling house
of Mr. James Peace,
in Gran
ville county, was entirely con
sumed by fire, with all its con
tents, on the 17th inst. while the In y.ar,?u? Partof hls, empire,
family were at church. 0 wingj Part'cuJarly in those ot Poland,
to some circumstance, a negr?11 d asfaJount Caucasus, he
fellow, the wife of whom Mr. -V, V V vl"d&T
Peace had hired, was suspected Lriese yiIIaS are built on lands
as the author of the foul deed, ! b?longmg to the crown, and di
and he was consequently ar. yided into farms of about forty
rested. The negro confessed nllsh acr.cs' Each of these
himself guilty of the charge, and Tm contains two houses, one
tut u fftno ;t frtiorthe master colonist, the other
revenge his ill-treatment, in be-
ing prohibited from visiting his
wife. The negro is confined in
jail to await his trial.
Sinsru lar advert isement.
The following ad vertisement ap
peared in a late Boston paper.
For the honor of our country,
we hope, that there are but few
"parents'
who have
children they "would wish to
conceal:"
"A woman in the country
would take an infant child, such
as the parents would wish to
conceal, with a sum of money
sufficient for its maintenance till
able to provide for its own sup
port. For further particulars
inquire at this office."
jLioeria. ine loiiovvins: is
an extract of a letter from Cape
Coast Castle, dated October 24,
published in the Edinburgh
Star:
"Certain Americans have pur
chased a small tract of land on
the coast of Africa, somewhere
near Cape Misouado, and have
colonised it with a black and
yellow population from the Uni
ted States, where the slave po
pulation has increased to a de
gree which has not a little alarm
ed the government These un
fortunate wretches, amounting
to about 400 in number, the mo
ment they landed, found them
selves, in the first place, expo
sed to the dishonesty and extor
tion of the agents of the origi
nal purchasers of the Colony.
The latter were furnished with
the necessary supplies for their
colonists, but their agents had
bartered these supplies away
with the natives for their own
profit, and the colonists were
irving. In addition to this
scene of misery, the natives,
nceivins: the Americans to
have cheated them in the pur-
cnase ot the lands, had made war
upon them, and were hunting
them down ii ri;
111 , Ull U11V.V,UU110(
When the last accounts came a
way, these miserable people, de
serted by the parent country,
which had thus thrown them
upon a barbarous coast to pe
rish, were erecting some works
round the wretched collection
of huts which they called a town
and named it Monrowa, after
the President of the United
States. They entertained no
hope, however, of being able to
oppose any effectual resistance
to the black swarms which sur
rounded them, and had literally
shut them up in their dwellings.
This primary colony the Ame
ricans had named Liberica."
RUSSIA.
We arc informed, by an arti
cle in the Encyclopedia, of the
manner in which the Emperor
Alexander trains his subjects to
arms. The project is, to orga
nize, and to preserve a large
military force, without an ex
pense to the imperial treasury.
Ior tne reseP'e; 1 ne ormcr 1S
a Peasant f fi years of aSc
who receives his land and house
u" conaiiicm oi lurnisning a
fujuici duu luanuiae, wuu is it?
assist him when not engaged on
military duty in the cultivation
of the earth. At the end of
twenty-five years, if a Russian,
twenty if a Pole, the reserve is
free from military duty. This
reserve is to be the successor of
the master colonist women Ji
ving within, are not allowed to
marry out of those villages.
The children are taught, as a
part of school education, to ride
and use the sabre, and at the age
of thirteen, they join the regi
ment, where they are formed
into military corps, and the most
promising made officers. Each
military district is under the
command of a colonel, subjected
to military law, and from the
decision of the commanding of
ficer no appeal lies but to the
Emperor. Eighty thousand
have been thus enrolled already.
Such is the formidable plan,
which the modern Alexander,
who seems descended in a di
rect line from the Macedonian,
has adopted for the aggrandize
ment of Russia: but will this
power, so raised up, serve to
prolong or to overthrow the
royal government, for it is equal
ly powerful for the accomplish
ment of either. A nation when
thus disciplined to arms, has no
thing to fear from standing ar
mies, and in case me monarcn
should prove a tyrant, he has
provided them with arms, and
disciplined them to his own de
struction. Ball. Morn- Chron.