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    492 Mr . Brookes on the Civilization of the American Indians .

    Untitled Article

    with the conveniencies of life , which improves their condition while it secures-their attachment . ( P . 800 . )

    But upon lookirrg into the laws of the United States , I find one relative to trade with Indians , &c . passed 1 . 9 May , 1796 , which stares that in order to promote civilization among the friendly tribes , and to secure the continuance of their friendship , it shall

    be lawful for the President of the United States , to cause them to be furnished with useful domestic animals , and implements of industry , and with goods or money as he shall think proper , and to appoint such persons from time to time as temporary agents to

    reside among the Indians as he shall think fit : provided that the . whole amount of such presents and allowance to such agents shall not exceed 15 , 000 dollars a year , equal to 33751 . sterling ; which law has been continued in force to the present time , if it has not been enlarged and improved .

    Having now stated the law , it comes next to be considered what has taken place under it . This I am unable to state so fully as I could wish , because the govern - ment has not to my knowledge , published any reports of their proceedings as the . Quakers have

    done : various reports have been made to Congress at the different meetings of that body , of the progress and of the application of the money ; short accounts of some of these have been stated in some of

    the American newspapers , but I have not seen an } 7 of them in the English ones . To assist in this part of the inquiry 1 would refer to a letter , inserted in the Mon . Mag . for June , 1800 " , of R . J .

    Untitled Article

    Meiers , who was an agent , or siu perintendant of Indian affairs , relative to the improvements of the Cherokee nation through the as * sisfancc of the government , i \ which he states that all their improvement had taken place since

    1794 , when there was not a pair of cards , a spinning-wheel , a loom , or a mechanic in their nation : that they had then ( Jan . 1806 ) above 1000 spinning-wheels , and upwards of 100 looms , that they raise the cotton and indigo , spin and dye the

    yarn , and weave it into handsome cloth , with which they clothe their families like the white people : that among them are silversmiths , blacksmiths , coopers , sadlers , tanners , shoemakers , and wheelwrights : that these

    mechanics are principally self-taught , part of their tools are furnished by the United States and part by themselves : that the plough and hoe are in common use among them : that by tho assistance of the whites they make saltpetre and

    gunpowder ; that there are several gristmills and < ne sawmill : that they have large stocks of black cattle , horses , and other domestic animals , and make some butter and cheese of a good quality : that since agriculture and the

    domestic arts have become the principal objects of pursuit , their population has evidently increased : that there were then seven schools in their country where more than 100 children are taught reading * writinc ; , end some arithmetic .

    In the course of one of my jcuniics . in the United States in 180 v ! , I met with a committee of three Quakers going from the Quakers in Philadelphia on this errand , to vjbit the JMiamis ami

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Sept. 2, 1808, page 492, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2396/page/36/