18th.  Visited by the Little Pine (Shingwaukonce), the leading chief on the British shore of the St. Mary’s, a shrewd and politic man, who has united, at sundry periods, in himself the offices and influence of a war chief, a priest, or Jossakeed, and a civil ruler.  The giving of public presents on the 5th had evidently led to his visit, although he had not pursued the policy expected from him, so far as his influence reached among the Chippewas on the American shores of the straits.  He made a speech well suited to his position, and glossed off with some fine generalities, avoiding commitments on main points and making them on minor ones, concluding with a string of wampum.  I smoked and shook hands with him, and accepted his tenders of friendship by re-pledging the pipe, but narrowed his visit to official proprieties, and refused his wampum.

22d. Magisanikwa, or the Wampum-hair, renewed his visit, gave me another opportunity to remember his humane act in the spring, and had his claims on this score allowed.  The Indians never forget a good act done by them, and we should not permit them to surpass us in this respect.

CHAPTER XXXII

Natural history of the north-west—­Northern zoology—­Fox—­Owl—­Reindeer—­A dastardly attempt at murder by a soldier—–­Lawless spread of the population of northern Illinois over the Winnebago land—­New York Lyceum of Natural History—­U.S.  Ex.  Ex.—­Fiscal embarrassments in the Department—­Medical cause of Indian depopulation—­Remarks of Dr. Pitcher—­Erroneous impressions of the Indian character—­Reviews—­Death of John Johnston, Esq.

1828. July 24th.  The ardor with which I thought it proper to address myself to the Indian duties of my office, did not induce me, by any means, to neglect my correspondence or the claims of visitors to Elmwood.

This day Lt.  Col.  Lindsay and Capt.  Spotts, U.S.A., being on court martial duty at Fort Brady, paid their respects to me, and the Col. expressed his pleasure and surprise at the taste, order, and disposition of the grounds and the Agency.

Nor did the official duties of my position interfere with the investigation of the natural history of the country.

A large box of stuffed birds and quadrupeds, containing twenty-three specimens of various species, was sent to the Lyceum of Natural History at New York, in the month of April.  Mr. William Cooper writes, under this date, that they have been received and examined.  “The lynx appears to be the northern species, different from that common in this part of the country, and very rarely seen here even in the public collections.  Several of the birds, also, I had never had an opportunity of examining before.  The spruce partridge, Tetrae Canadensis, is very rare in the United States.  There is no other species in this city besides yours.  It was entirely unknown to Wilson; but it is to appear