he age of twenty-eight, is said to
have been more in compliance with the wishes of others than in
obedience to the unbiassed impulse of his feelings or the dictates of
his judgment. Mamate, his wife, was older than himself, and possessed
few personal or mental qualities calculated to excite admiration. A
son, called Pugeshashenwa, (a panther in the act of seizing its prey,)
was the only fruit of this union. The mother died soon after his birth,
and he was left to the care of his aunt, Tecumapease.[A] This son is
now residing with the Shawanoes west of the Mississippi, but is not
distinguished for talents, or renowned as a warrior. The British
government, however, since the death of Tecumseh, has recognized its
obligations to the father by the extension of an annual stipend to the
son.

[Footnote A: Recollections of John Johnston, and Anthony Shane.]

From his boyhood, Tecumseh was remarkable for temperance and the
strictest integrity. He was hospitable, generous and humane; and these
traits were acknowledged in his character long before he rose to
distinction, or had conceived the project of that union of the tribes,
on which the energies of his manhood were fruitlessly expended. He was,
says an intelligent Shawanoe, who had known him from childhood, kind
and attentive to the aged and infirm, looking personally to their
comfort, repairing their frail wigwams when winter approached, giving
them skins for moccasins and clothing, and sharing with them the
choicest game which the woods and the seasons afforded. Nor were these
acts of kindness bestowed exclusively on those of rank or reputation.
On the contrary, he made it his business to search out the humblest
objects of charity, and in a quick, unostentatious manner, relieve
their wants.

The moral and intellectual qualities of Tecumseh place him above the
age and the race in which his lot was cast. "From the earliest period
of his life," says Mr. Johnston, the late Indian agent at Piqua,
"Tecumseh was distinguished for virtue, for a strict adherence to
truth, honor, and integrity. He was sober[A] and abstemious, never
indulging in the use of liquor nor eating to excess." Another
respectable individual,[B] who resided for near twenty years as a
prisoner among the Shawanoes, and part of that time in the family of
Tecumseh, writes to us, "I know of no _peculiarity_ about him that
gained him popularity. His talents, rectitude of deportment, and
friendly disposition, comm