Notwithstanding all that was said and done by the opposition, the Marshpee Deputation left the field of battle with a song of triumph and rejoicing in their mouths, as will presently be seen.  I shall give a brief sketch of the proceedings of one of the most enlightened committees that ever was drafted from a legislative body.  Every thing was done to sour their minds against the Indians that could be done, but they were of the excellent of the earth, just and impartial.

The Committee was composed of Messrs. Barton and Strong, of the Senate, and Messrs. Dwight of Stockbridge, Fuller of Springfield, and Lewis of Pepperell, of the House.  Benjamin F. Hallett, Esq. appeared as Counsel for the Indians.

Lemuel Ewer, Esq. of South Sandwich, was a witness, and the only white one who was in favor of the Indians.  The Indian witnesses were Deacon Coombs, Daniel B. Amos, Ebenezer Attaquin, Joseph B. Amos, and William Apes.

On the other side appeared Kilburn Whitman, Esq. of Pembroke, as Counsel for the Overseers; Messrs. J.J.  Fiske of Wrentham, and Elijah Swift of Falmouth, both of the Governor’s Council; the Rev. Phineas Fish, the Marshpee missionary, sent by Harvard College; Judge Marston, Nathaniel Hinckley and Charles Marston, all of Barnstable; Gideon Hawley of South Sandwich, Judge Whitman of Boston, and two Indians, Nathan Pocknet and William Amos, by name.  It was a notable piece of policy on the part of the Overseers, to make a few friends among the Indians, in order to use them for their own purposes.  Thus do pigeon trappers use to set up a decoy.  When the bird flutters, the flock settle round him, the net is sprung, and they are in fast hands.  Judge Whitman, however, could not make his two decoy birds flutter to his satisfaction, and so he got no chance to spring his net.  He had just told the Indians that they might as well think to move the rock of Gibraltar from its base, as to heave the heavy load of guardianship from their shoulders; and, when he first came before the committee, he said he did not care a snap of his finger about the matter, one way or the other.  But he altered his mind before he got through the business, and began to say that he should be ruined if the bill passed for the relief of the Indians, and was, moreover, sure that Apes would reign, king of Marshpee.  The old gentleman, indeed, made several perilous thrusts at me in his plea; but, when he came to cross-examination, he was so pleased with the correctness of my testimony, that he had nothing more to say to me.  I shall now leave him, to attend to his friend Judge Marston.

This gentleman swore in court that he thought Indians an inferior race of men; and, of course, were incapable of managing their own affairs.