rogue and dissolve the legislature, at pleasure. An application of the people themselves, or their representatives, forms one of the few occasions on which I would consent to use this power; and, although the propriety of the measure at this time is not altogether apparent to my mind, yet, in compliance with your wishes, I have thought proper to determine, and do now declare that this present legislature is, from this moment, dissolved, and the powers delegated to it by the people again revert to them."

The members of the legislative council, thus dissolved, were, Solomon Manwaring, of Dearborn county; Thomas Downs, of Clark county; Harvy Heth, of Harrison county; and William Prince and Luke Decker, of Knox county. The members of the house of representatives were, Richard Rue and Ephraim Overman, of Dearborn county; James Beggs and John Work, of Clark county; Moses Hoggat, of Harrison county; and Genl. W. Johnston, John Johnson, and John Hadden, of Knox county.*

On the 22d of May, 1809, an election for a delegate to Congress, was held in the territory of Indiana, in which, at this period, the only organized counties were Knox, Harrison, Clark, and Dearborn. At this election, Jonathan Jennings, a native of Pennsylvania, received 428 votes, and Thomas Randolph, a native of Virginia, received 402 votes. In the counties of Knox and Harrison, Mr. Randolph received 314 votes, and Mr. Jennings received 66 votes. In the counties of Clark and Dearborn, Mr. Jennings, who was opposed to the institution of domestic slavery, received 362 votes, and Mr. Randolph received 88 votes. In Knox county, John Johnson received 81 votes-making the aggregate vote of the territory nine hundred and eleven.

According to the census tables of 1810, the population of the Indiana territory, in that year, amounted to 24,520; and there were, in the territory, 33 grist-mills, 14 saw-mills, 3 horse-mills, 18 tanneries, 28 distilleries, 3 powder-mills, 1,256 looms, and

* Among those who served, as legislators for the Indiana territory between the year 1805 and the close of the year 1810, were William Biggs, Shadrach Bond, John Caldwell, B. Chambers, John Harbison, John Rice Jones, William Jones, Peter Jones, John Massinger, Pierre Menard, John Paul, Dennis Pennington, John Templeton, Jesse B. Thomas, and Walter Wilson.

1,350 spinning-wheels. The value of Indiana manufactures, as reported to the United States Treasury Department, for the year 1810, was estimated as follows: Woolen, cotton, hempen and flaxen cloths, and mixtures, $159,052.-Cotton and wool, spun in mills, $150?—Nails, (20,000 pounds,) $4,000.-Leather, tanned, $9,300.- Products of distilleries, (35,950 gallons,) $16,230.-Gunpowder, (3,600 pounds,) $1,800.- Wine, from grapes, (96 barrels,) $6,000?-Maple sugar, 50,000 pounds, manufactured-value not stated.

CHAPTER X X X V.

INDIAN AFFAIRS-GOVERNOR HARRISON-THE PROPHET AND

TECUMSEH.

THROUGHOUT the course of the year 1810, various rumors of the growing power and hostile intentions of the Shawanee Prophet, produced a state of some alarm among the people, and retarded the progress of settlements and improvements in the several counties of the Indiana territory. In the summer. of this year, a small party of Indians stole four horses from one neighborhood, in the northern part of Knox county, and committed some depredations on the property of a few pioneers who had made a settlement on the east fork of White river.

In order to defeat the hostile designs of the prophet, to counteract the influence of British traders, and to maintain pacific relations between the United States and the Indian tribes of the west, Governor Harrison frequently sent confidential messengers to the Prophet's Town, and to the principal villages of the Miamis, Delawares, and Pottawattamies. Francis Vigo, Toussaint Dubois, Joseph Barron, Pierre Laplante, John Conner, M. Brouillette, and William Prince, were the most influential persons among those who were, at different times, sent with messages from the governor to the Miamis and Delawares; and they were authorized and instructed to

assure those tribes of the protection and friendship of the government of the United States, and to warn them of the danger of encouraging the claims and pretensions of the Shawanee prophet.

In the latter part of the month of May, 1810, a considerable number of the chiefs and head men of the Pottawattamies, Chippewas, and Ottawas, met in a council, at a place called "the Cow Pasture," on the banks of the St. Joseph of lake Michigan. By the advice of Governor Harrison, deputies from the Delawares were present at this council; and their remonstrances, supported by the influence of Win-a-mac, a distinguished Pottawattamie chief, prevented the Indians, who were assembled in council on that occasion, from placing themselves under the control of the prophet. Soon after the breaking up of the council, it was believed, by the chief Win-a-mac, and by other persons who had visited the Prophet's Town, that the number of warriors among the followers of the prophet, did not exceed six hundred and fifty; and this force was composed of restless bands of Kickapoos, Pottawattamies, Winnebagoes, Shawanees, and a few warriors from other

tribes.

In the spring of the year 1810, the Indians who resided at the Prophet's Town refused to receive their proportion of "annuity salt," and the boatmen who offered to deliver the proper quantity of salt, at that place, were called "American dogs,” and treated with great rudeness. About this time, Governor Harrison sent, successively, several messengers to the Prophet's Town in order to obtain exact information of the feelings and designs of the prophet, and to warn him, especially, of the danger of maintaining an attitude of hostility toward the government of the United States. In an interview with one of these messengers, who visited the Prophet's Town in the month of June, 1810, the prophet declared that it was not his intention to make war on the white people; and he said that some of the Delawares, and some other Indians, "had been bribed, with whisky, to make false charges against him.” When pressed by the messenger, Mr. Dubois, to state the grounds of his complaints against the United States, the prophet said that "the Indians had been cheated out of their lands; that no sale was good unless made by all the tribes; that he had set

tled near the mouth of the Tippecanoe, by order of the Great Spirit; and that he was, likewise, ordered to assemble as many Indians as he could collect at that place."

In the month of July, 1810, Governor Harrison sent to the prophet a letter that was intended to convince him of the folly of his hostility to the government of the United States, and to give him assurance of the disposition of the national government to promote the welfare of the Indian tribes. In this letter Governor Harrison said to the prophet: "What reason have you to complain of the United States? Have they taken any thing from you? Have they ever violated the treaties made with the red men? You say they have purchased land from those who had no right to sell. Show the truth of this, and the land will be instantly restored. Show us the rightful owners of those lands which have been purchased. Let them present themselves. The ears of your father will be open to their complaints; and, if any lands have been purchased from those who did not own them, they will be restored to the rightful owners. I have full power to arrange this business. But if you would rather carry your complaints before your great father, the president, you shall be indulged. I will instantly take the means to send you, and three chiefs, to be chosen by you, to the city where your father lives. Every thing necessary shall be prepared for your journey, and means taken to insure your safe return.”

When Mr. Barron, who was the bearer of this letter, arrived at the Prophet's Town, his reception was somewhat remarkable. He was conducted, in a ceremonious manner, to the place where the prophet, surrounded by a number of Indians of different tribes, was sitting. Here the attendants of Mr. Barron left him standing before the prophet, at the distance of ten or twelve feet from him. "He looked at me," said Barron, "for several minutes, without speaking or making any sign of recognition, although he knew me well. At last he spoke, apparently in anger. For what purpose do you come here?' said he. Brouillette was here: he was a spy. Dubois was here: he was a spy. Now you have come. You, too, are

a spy. There is your grave!-look on it!' The prophet then pointed to the ground near the spot where I stood." Tecumseh, at this moment, came out from one of the Indian lodges.

He spoke to Mr. Barron in a cold, formal manner; told him that his life was in no danger, and requested him to state the object of his visit to the Prophet's Town. The contents of the letter of Governor Harrison were then communicated to the prophet. Mr. Barron received no definite answer to this letter, but he was told that Tecumseh would, in the course of a few days, visit Vincennes for the purpose of holding an interview with the governor.

On the 12th of August, 1810, Tecumseh, attended by seventyfive warriors, arrived at Vincennes. From this time until the 22d of August, Governor Harrison was almost daily engaged in the business of holding interviews and councils with this celebrated Shawance Indian. The conduct of Tecumseh was haughty; and his speeches were bold, and, in some degree, arrogant. In one of his speeches, addressed to Governor Harrison on the 20th of August, which was taken down, by the order of the governor,* the following passages are found:

"Brother, I wish you to listen to me well. As I think you do not clearly understand what I before said to you, I will explain it again. **Brother,-Since the peace [of Greenville, in 1795,] was made, you have killed some of the Shawanees, Winnebagoes, Delawares, and Miamis; and you have taken our lands from us; and I do not see how we can remain at peace

with you, if you continue to do so. You try to force the red people to do some injury. It is you that are pushing them on to do michief. You endeavor to make distinctions. You wish to prevent the Indians to do as we wish them, to unite and let them consider their lands as the common property of the whole. You take tribes aside, and advise them not to come into this measure; and, until our design is accomplished, we do not wish to accept of your invitation to go and see the presi

"His [Tecumseh's] speeches, the two first days, were sufficiently insolent, and his pretensions arrogant, but that of Monday I inclose to you entire, as it was taken down by a gentleman whom I employed for that purpose, and is as correct as could be expected, considering the interpreter speaks very bad English, and is not very remarkable for clearness of intellect, although faithful in the highest degree, and in knowledge of the Indian language unrivalled."-[LETTER FROM GOVERNOR HARRISON TO HON. WILLIAM EUSTIS, SECRETARY OF WAR, DATED "VINCENNES, 22D AUGust, 1810."

Meaning the white people of the United States.