men
elected themselves to be arranged, and that ardent spirits, as a
beverage, were wholly unnecessary to a healthy constitution.

Transmitted to Mr. Palfrey a review of Mr. Gallatin's "Synopsis of the
Indian Tribes of America."

_Feb. 1st_. Mr. William A. Aitkin writes from Sandy Lake: "Since I left
you at St. Peter's I have had a severe trial to go through. I came up by
Swan River, but heard nothing there of the melancholy event which had
taken place during my absence at Upper Red Cedar Lake. My eldest son had
been placed at that place last fall, in charge of that post. You saw
him, I believe, last summer; he was in charge of Leech Lake when you
were at that place. He was a young man of twenty-two years of age, of a
very amiable temper, humane and brave, possessed of the most unbounded
obedience to my will, and of the most filial affection for my person.
This, my son, was murdered in the most atrocious manner by a bloody
monster of an Indian. My poor boy had arrived the evening previous to
the bloody act, from a voyage to Red Lake. Early the next morning he
sent off all the men he had to Lake Winnipeck, excepting one Frenchman,
to bring up some things which he had left there in the fall. A short
time after his men had gone, he sent the remaining man to bring some
water from the river; the man returned into the house immediately, and
told him an Indian had broken open the store, and was in it. He went
very deliberately to the store, took hold of the villain, who tried to
strike him with his tomahawk, dragged him out of the store and disarmed
him of his axe, threw him on the ground, and then let him go--and was
turned round in the act of locking the store-door. The villain stepped
behind the door, where he had hid his gun, came on him unawares and shot
him dead, without the least previous provocation whatever on the part of
my poor lost boy. When arrived, I found the feelings of every one
prepared for vengeance. I immediately, without one moment's loss of
time, proceeded to Leech Lake. In a moment there were twenty half-breeds
gathered round, with Francis Brunette at their head, full-armed, ready
to execute any commands that I should give them. We went immediately to
the camp where the villain was, beyond Red Cedar Lake, determined to cut
off the whole band if they should raise a finger in his defence. Our
mutual friend, Mr. Boutwell, joined the party, with his musket on his
shoulder, as a man and a Christian, for he