of Indian Affairs at
York. Littlehales was afterward Sir E. B. Littlehales, Secretary of War
for Ireland, during the Lord-Lieutenancy of the Marquis of Cornwallis;
he married in 1805 the Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of the Duke
of Leinster and sister of the unfortunate Lord Edward Fitzgerald.[17]

[17] Dr. Scadding's notes to his reprint of Littlehales' Journal.

The journey was made partly in sleighs, but chiefly on foot. Littlehales
kept a diary of the occurrences on the way. The route was by Ten-mile
Creek, Nelles' house at the Grand River, the Mohawk Indian village (a
little below Brantford), the portage route to the Forks of the Thames
(London), and then down or along the River to Detroit. Joseph Brant with
about a dozen of his Indians accompanied the party from the Mohawk
Village to Delaware, doubtless to furnish them with game and guide them
over the long portage. The Indians excited admiration by their skill in
constructing wigwams of elm bark to lodge the company. After leaving the
Grand River the trail passed a Mississaga encampment, a trader's house,
fine open deer plains, several beaver dams, "an encampment said to have
been Lord Fitzgerald's when on his march to Detroit, Michilimackinac and
the Mississippi," a cedar grove; crossed a small branch of the La
Tranche, and the main branch soon afterwards; "went between an irregular
fence of stakes made by the Indians to intimidate and impede the deer,
and facilitate their hunting;" again they crossed the main branch of
the Thames,[18] and "halted to observe a beautiful situation, formed by
a bend of the river--a grove of hemlock and pine, and a large creek. We
passed some deep ravines and made our wigwam by a stream on the brow of
a hill, near a spot where Indians were interred. The burying ground was
of earth raised, nearly covered with leaves; and wickered over--adjoining
it was a large pole, with painted hieroglyphics on it denoting the
nation, tribes and achievements of the deceased, either as chiefs,
warriors, or hunters." This was on the 13th February. The food of the
party consisted of soup and dried venison, to which squirrel and racoon
meat added variety. Littlehales remarks about the latter: "The three
racoons when roasted made us an excellent supper. Some parts were
rancid, but in general the flesh was exceedingly tender and good." On
the 14th they encamped a few miles above the Delaware village. During
the day the diarist had "observed m