tural History," he writes, "is going on prosperously in
the collection of articles and in the publication of intelligence. The
museum is enlarging and the annals progressing. The intercourse of New
York city with almost numberless parts of the globe, aided by the
enterprise and generosity of our navigating citizens, is productive of
an almost constant supply of natural productions, some familiar, some
known to naturalists, but not before seen by us, and others new to the
whole class of observers."

_Dec. 1st_. Much leisure during the four years I have been at this
agency, added to an early developed distaste for the ordinary modes of
killing time, has enabled me to give no little of my leisure to literary
pursuits. The interesting phenomena of the Indian grammar have come in
for a large share of my attention. This has caused me to revise and
extend my early studies, and to rummage such books on general grammar
and philology as I could lay my hands on. Every winter, beginning as
soon as the navigation closes and the world is fairly shut out, has thus
constituted a season of studies. My attention has been perpetually
divided between books and living interpreters. This may be said to be my
fourth year's _course_ with the Johnstons on the languages.

I have also resumed, as an alternate amusement, "The Literary Voyager."
I wrote this year "The Man of Bronze," an essay on the Indian character,
which has contributed to my own amusement, nor have I determined to show
it to a human eye.

Let others write what others deftly may,
I aim with thought to fill my wintry day.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Mineralogy--Territorial affairs--Vindication of the American policy by
its treatment of the Indians--New York spirit of improvement--Taste for
cabinets of natural history--Fatalism in an Indian--Death of a first
born son--Flight from the house--Territorial matters--A literary
topic--Preparations for another treaty--Consolations--Boundary in the
North-west under the treaty of Ghent--Natural history--Trip to Green
Bay--Treaty of Butte des Morts--Winnebago outbreak--Intrepid conduct of
General Cass--Indian stabbing--Investment of the petticoat--Mohegan
language.

_1827. January 10th_.--Mineralogy became a popular study in the United
States, I believe, about 1817 or thereabouts, when Professor Cleveland
published the first edition of his _Elements of Mineralogy_, and
Silliman began his _Journal of Science_. It is true Bruce had