22d.  Two half-breeds from the upper lakes, whom I shall designate Holyon and Alholyon, made their way to the seat of government during the winter of 1840.  Holyon had been dismissed for improper conduct from the office of Indian interpreter at Mackinack about May.  Alholyon had been frustrated in two several attempts to get himself recognized as head chief by the Ottawas, and consequently to some influence in the use of the public funds, which were now considerable.  One was of the Chippewa, the other of the Ottawa stock.  Holyon was bold and reckless, Alholyon more timid and polite, but equally destitute of moral principles.  They induced some of the Indians to believe that, if furnished by them with funds, they could exercise a favorable influence at Washington, in regard to the sale of their lands.  The poor ignorant Indians are easily hoodwinked in matters of business.  At the same time they presented, in secret council, a draft for $4000 for their services, which they induced some of the chiefs to sign.  This draft they succeeded in negotiating to some merchant for a small part of its value.  No sooner had they got to head-quarters, and found they were anticipated in the draft matter, and the project of a chieftainship, by letters from the agent, than they drew up a long list of accusations against him, containing every imaginable and abominable abuse of office.  This was presented at the Indian office, where its obvious character should have, it would seem, been at once suspected.  The head of that Bureau, who began to see from the strong political demonstrations around him, “how the cat was about to jump,” acceded to a request of Holyon and Alholyon, that the matter be referred for local examination to one or two of their personal advisers inland.  This step (in entire ignorance of the private relations of the parties, it must be presumed,) was assented to.  In a letter of Holyon to J.L.S., of May 19th, 1840, he says:  “The department was predisposed against him (the agent), and wanted only a cause to proceed against him.”  But it left a stain on its fairness and candor by omitting the usual course of furnishing the agent a copy of the charges and requesting his attention thereto, or even of informing him of the pendency of an investigation.  As the charges were entirely unfounded, and had been the diseased imaginings of disappointed and unprincipled minds, it only put the agent to the necessity of confronting his assailants, and with every advantage of accusers, examiners and the appellant power against him, he was triumphantly acquitted, by an official letter, of every charge whatever, and of every moral imputation of wrong.  “Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?” (Job xi. 3.)

24th.  I left Washington for the north, taking my children along from their respective schools at Philadelphia and Brooklyn, for their summer vacation, and only halting long enough at Utica and Vernon, to direct a marble monument to be erected to the memory of my father.  The site selected for this was the cemetery on the Scanado (usually spelled without regard however to the popular pronunciation Skenandoah), Vernon.  It appeared expedient to make this a family monument, and I directed the several faces to be inscribed as follows:—­