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then, I say, do justice to our English friends, even if they have not always done justice to us.

Now it happens to be the fact, that Hunter's book was genenerally received, even in our own country, as an authentic work. The North American Review itself, so late as October, 1824, did not venture to pronounce it to be a fabrication, but spoke of it in the following safe and cautious terms; that it was referred to by Mr. Buchanan, in his Sketches, "with more respect, we imagine, than it deserves as a well authenticated performYes, if it had not been for the decided opinion of our learned and distinguished fellow-citizen, Mr. Du Ponceau, to the contrary, (which has been lately published at Washington, by Mr. Sampson, but was not very generally known before,) I have no doubt that Hunter's book would have been considered as in the main authentic till this time, by every body who should not have happened to meet with the present review.

ance."

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Besides, I happen to know," if I may use an expression of the Quarterly Reviewers, (upon which this critic has rung the changes often enough to glut the rabid appetite of an Indian for revenge,-) I say, I happen to know, from the best sources, that this same John Dunn Hunter carried out to England letters of recommendation of the highest authority, from the United States, to Mr. Rush, our ambassador in that country, and by this means was introduced to people of distinction there. Now, when I "happen to know" such things as these, it does not at all excite any surprise, much less my gall, that the Quarterly Reviewers should have given credence to this man. On the contrary, it would have astonished every body, if Hunter and his work had not been favourably received in England. Suppose, for one moment, that the Quarterly Reviewers, instead of commending his book, had attacked it with their powerful weapons, and had pronounced it to be a fabrication, while Hunter was travelling in England with his American letters of recommendation in his pocket. How would he at once have confounded his critics, and blasted the reputation of their journal, by the simple production of his American credentials.

Let us imagine, that some George Psalmanazar of the present day, had arrived in this country from England, with the fictitious history of his island of Formosa, and its fabricated dialect; that he had brought with him recommendations from Englishmen of distinction, to the British ambassador in the United States; that he had thus been introduced into the first circles of our society; and then that his work should have fallen under the notice of our North American Review. Would it have been thought at all extraordinary, if under such circumstances that journal had

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liarly disagreeable" to this reviewer to have done it, I cannot discern. That the omission does not proceed from any " peculiar" friendship to Major Long and his associates, is very clear. The next subjects of this writer's animadversions, are the Reverend Mr. Heckewelder's Historical Account of the Indians, and the Correspondence between him and Mr. Du Ponceau relative to the Indian languages.

It has given pain to every liberal mind, that this reviewer should have indulged himself in remarks calculated to make the impression which this part of his article has done; for, notwithstanding some formal expressions of general civility and commendation, his observations upon several particulars discussed by those writers, if the reader gives any credit to what he states, cannot fail to diminish the weight of their authority, and lessen the respect now entertained, and justly I believe, for their publications. Every man who happens not to know their real merit from any other sources than this review, will inevitably conclude, that Mr. Heckewelder was an extremely weak and credulous man, and therefore not to be relied upon in his statements, either respecting the Indian character, or even the Indian languages, though he was conversant with both for about forty years; and, that Mr. Du Ponceau, though possessed of much learning, was an "ecstatic philologist," bent on making beau. tiful, but shadowy theories, and destitute of sober judgment enough to keep his imagination under restraint, or to entitle his opinions to our confidence.

Remarks of this tendency, however adroitly or gracefully arrayed in a thin veil of general praise, even if justifiable in any case, on the part of a reviewer, who is supposed to be an impartial judge, are not often to be thus resorted to; but when, as in the present case, they are unsupported by facts, I hardly dare characterize them in the terms they deserve.

I may observe here, by the way, that I have been much surprised to meet with them at all in the pages of the same journal, which only a short time since, spoke of this very work of Mr. Heckewelder's, in the following strong language: "that it abounded in facts and anecdotes, calculated not merely to entertain the reader, but to lay open, in the most authentic and satisfactory manner, the character and condition" of the Indians; and that "from the extensive philosophical views of Mr. Du Ponceau, and the thorough practical knowledge of Mr. Heckewelder, the learned have now a rare opportunity of knowing accurately the real character of the Indian dialects of this country. 99* In a subsequent number of this journal, also,

VOL. II.

*N. A. Rev. for June, 1819, vol. 9. p. 178, 180, 181.
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which the editors believe to be right, I do not pretend to decide. But if, like an individual, a journal may, for good reasons, change its views, and, of course, at one time condemn what at another time it approves, then we must presume, that, of two conflicting opinions, the latest is that which the conductors of the work hold to be the soundest. If this rule is to be applied in the present instance, the editor has been unfortunate; for it is evident that in certain points his correspondent, who furnished this article, has misled him.

I am one of those who have lived long enough in the world not to place reliance upon a writer's assertions, just in proportion as he is dogmatical and confident. On the contrary, the least indication of those qualities invariably, as by a natural instinct, puts me on my guard, and makes me look on all sides, to see that I am not in hazard of being deceived. And I must frankly say, that this article of the North American, with all its real merit, which I am as ready as any man to acknowledge, does display so much of that undoubting manner, which in its greatest excess, is denominated charlatanism, that it immediately excited my suspicions; and these suspicions, I am sorry to add, were not at all diminished upon a more deliberate perusal of it.

The reviewer in the outset admits, that Mr. Heckewelder's "entire life was passed among the Delawares;" but he seems to place little reliance upon his opinions, because "he thought and reasoned like an Indian, and a Delaware ;" and "in all the contests between the whites and their neighbours, he adopted the train of feeling of the latter." Now, it is true, that the circumstance of his passing his "entire life" with one tribe of Indians might give him a strong partiality for that tribe, and lead him to give credit to their tales and traditions, respecting their own prowess, rather than to those of other tribes, especially hostile ones; just as we white men should naturally place more reliance upon any statements relative to our " red brethren," however erroneous or unjust, from a white reviewer, than we should upon the declarations and opinions of an Indian, however just and well authenticated they might be. Yet it must be admitted, that constant familiarity with any one tribe of Indians, could not but qualify Mr. Heckewelder in an eminent degree, to describe the Indian character, manners and customs, which have many resemblances in every tribe; and, above all, to give accurate information in respect to the language of that particular nation with which he was thus domesticated. But, strange as it may seem, our reviewer has discovered at this late day, that Mr. Heckewelder was a mere novice and blunderer, even

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