Ports. Miss. Valley') has also received
several generous and laudatory notices; one from the _U.S. Literary
Gazette_, printed at Boston. I saw Gov. Clinton, also, who spoke very
highly both of the book and the author. He thought that Mr. W.'s
ill-natured critique would not do any injury either here or in Europe."

_Oct. 23d_. C.C. Trowbridge, Esq., sends me a copy of "Guess' Cherokee
Alphabet." It is, with a few exceptions, syllabic. Eighty-four
characters express the whole language, but will express no other
Indian language.

Maj. John Biddle communicates the result of the delegate election. By
throwing out the vote of Sault Ste. Marie, the election was awarded by
the canvassers to Mr. Wing.

New views of Indian philology. "You know," says a literary friend, "I
began with a design to refute the calumnies of the _Quarterly_
respecting our treatment of the Indians, and our conduct during the
recent war. This is precisely what I have not done. My stock of
materials for this purpose was most ample, and the most of the labor
performed. But I found the whole could not be inserted in one number,
and no other part but this could be omitted without breaking the
continuity of the discussion. I concluded, therefore, it would be better
to save it for another article, and hereafter remodel it."

_28th_. Mr. C. writes that he has completed his review, and transmits,
for my perusal, some of the new parts of it. "I also transmit my rough
draft of those parts of the review which relate to Hunter, to Adelang's
survey, and to ----. These may amuse an idle hour. The remarks on ----
are, as you will perceive, materially altered. The alteration was
rendered necessary by an examination of the work. The 'survey' is a new
item, and I think, you will consider, the occasion of it, with me, a
precious specimen of Dutch impudence and ignorance. Bad as it is, it is
bepraised and bedaubed by that quack D. as though it were written with
the judgment of a Charlevoix."

This article utters a species of criticism in America which we have long
wanted.

It breaks the ice on new ground--the ground of independent
philosophical thought and inquiry. Truth to tell, we have known very
little on the philosophy of the Indian languages, and that little has
been the re-echo of foreign continental opinions. It has been written
without a knowledge of the Indian character and history. Its allusions
have mixed up the tribes in double confusion. Mere synonyms ha