[Illustration: ALTAR-PIECE, TEMPLE OF THE CROSS, PALENQUE.]
TRAVELS AMONGST
AMERICAN INDIANS
THEIR ANCIENT EARTHWORKS
AND TEMPLES;
INCLUDING A JOURNEY IN
GUATEMALA, MEXICO AND YUCATAN,
AND A VISIT TO
THE RUINS OF PATINAMIT, UTATLAN, PALENQUE
AND UXMAL.
BY
VICE-ADMIRAL LINDESAY BRINE,
(_Member of Council of the Royal Geographical and Hakluyt Societies._)
_Author of “The Taeping Rebellion in China; a Narrative of its Rise
and Progress.”_
LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY,
_LIMITED_,
St. Dunstan’s House,
FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1894.
LONDON:
FARMER & SONS, PRINTERS, 295, EDGWARE ROAD, W.;
AND AT KENSINGTON.
PREFACE.
The attention of archæologists and students of the ancient Mexican
hieroglyphs has latterly been directed to the mysterious subject of the
origin of the astronomical and architectural knowledge that existed
in Mexico, Guatemala, and Yucatan before the discovery of America.
In the United States researches have also been made for the purpose
of establishing, upon a scientific basis, conclusions respecting the
tribes who made the extraordinary ramparts and geometrically planned
inclosures in Ohio.
It is a remarkable fact that although, since the period when Mexico was
conquered by Cortes, an almost uninterrupted series of investigations
have taken place into the peculiar conditions of civilization of the
Mexican and Central American Indians, nothing satisfactory has yet been
ascertained which explains the manner in which that civilization could
have arisen amongst those exceptionally instructed races.
Las Casas who, in the sixteenth century, lived for many years amongst
the Indians in his diocese of Chiapas and Yucatan and saw several of
the temples in that region, declared that the land contained a secret.
That secret may possibly be discovered if the hieroglyphs and symbolic
characters of the Toltecs and Aztecs can be interpreted. But until
trustworthy methods of decipherment are determined, all conclusions, in
default of other evidence, must necessarily be conjectural.
It was with the vague expectation that I should observe, either amongst
the earthworks in the North or in the constructions at Palenque and
Uxmal, analogies with the works of other races in Asia or Polynesia,
that the travels described in this volume were undertaken. After my
arrival in England a brief paper upon the subject of those travels,
so far as they related to Guatemala and Mexico, was read before the
British Association in Edinburgh and was afterwards published in 1872
under the title of “The Ruined Cities of Central America.”
More than twenty years then elapsed before the approaching termination
of my naval career gave me sufficient leisure to examine my journals
with that exclusive attention which the complicated and perplexing
nature of the subject required. This interval of time has enabled
me to obtain a more vivid perception of the relative proportions
of the problem, and to bring together in a more defined focus the
impressions and observations which had been written during the journey.
The theories then adopted have been modified or strengthened by the
knowledge that has been subsequently acquired in other quarters of the
world.
It will be observed, upon an examination of the illustrations of the
ruins of Uxmal, that the Indians in Yucatan must have possessed great
architectural capacities. Pyramids, Temples, Monasteries and other
religious structures were built under most difficult circumstances, in
a manner which commands admiration.
But it is not only the later civilization of the Mexican Indians that
has to be taken into consideration in any attempts that may be made
to solve the difficult and complex problem of this Indian advance
towards higher conditions of life. Underlying the whole question
are the native proclivities based upon the strange and significant
practices of earlier forms of Pagan superstitions and sacrifices. Some
of the profoundly interesting characteristics of these developments of
the aboriginal Indian belief in supernatural influences have formed
the subject of that chapter which relates to the ancient religious
observances of the North American Indians.
ATHENÆUM CLUB, _May_ 15, 1894.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE.
New York. — Mr. Grinnell. — Search for Sir John Franklin. —
Southern States. — The Negroes and their prospects. — Naval
Academy at Annapolis. — Military Academy at West Point. —
Shakers. — Boston. — Professor Agassiz. — Prairies and
Glacial Action. — Coral Reefs in Florida. — Mr. Ticknor. —
Shell Mounds in Florida. — Schools. — Dr. Howe’s Institution
for the Blind. — Laura Bridgman 1
CHAPTER II.
Professor Wyman. — Indian Antiquities. — Concord. — Mr. Ralph
Waldo Emerson. — Margaret Fuller. — Note upon a visit to Mr.
Longfellow. — Saturday Club. — Dinner at Harvard
University. — Shell Mounds at Concord and Damariscotta. —
Note upon the Ancient Inscription upon the Dighton Rock 19
CHAPTER III.
Indian Reservations. — Lake Superior. — Beavers and their
works. — The Forest. — Houghton. — Ancient Indian mining pits
and trenches. — An Indian battle ground. — The Glacial
Drift. — Note regarding the Dauphin 34
CHAPTER IV.
ANCIENT INDIAN MOUNDS AND EARTHWORKS IN OHIO. — Earthworks of the
Mound Builders and their geographical position. — Miamisburgh
Mound. — Grave Creek Mound. — Ages and contents of burial
mounds. — Rectangular, circular and octagonal Inclosures near
Newark. — Marietta Earthworks. — Discoveries made in a burial
mound. — Fortifications near Portsmouth. — Encampments in the
valley of the Scioto 55
CHAPTER V.
MOUNDS AND EARTHWORKS IN OHIO. — Ancient Fortified Inclosures at
Circleville. — Discoveries in a Burial Mound. — Alligator
Totem near Newark. — Fort Ancient. — Age of Trees growing
upon the Ramparts at Fort Hill. — Traditions. — Geometrical
Ground Plans of Indian Inclosures. — Conclusions 79
CHAPTER VI.
The burning of the Steamer Stonewall. — Indian Mounds and
Earthworks at Cahokia. — Confluence of the Mississippi and
Missouri. — Sacs and Foxes. — Education of Indians. —
Nauvoo. — Winona. — Sioux Encampment. — Ancient Mounds near
St. Paul’s. — The Sioux War in Minnesota. — Note upon the
Ogallalas 104
CHAPTER VII.
Prairies in Minnesota and Iowa. — Boulders. — Glacial Drift. —
Wild Rice. — Snow Storm. — Nebraska. — The Pawnees. — Human
Sacrifices. — Note on Indian Customs in War and
Cannibalism. — Prairie Fires. — Prairie-Dog Villages. —
Rattlesnakes. — Variations in the succession of growths of
Trees. — Causes of absence of Trees upon Prairies. — Shoshone
Indians on the Western Deserts. — Note upon Ute Indians and
Fuegians 124
CHAPTER VIII.
North American Indians. — Diversity of Languages. — The
Iroquois. — Dialects. — Descent of Iroquois chiefs through
the female line. — Pagan Indians. — Belief in a Great
Spirit. — Ceremonies. — Dakotas. — Superstitions. — Dreams. —
Fasts. — Sun worship. — Medicine men. — Customs of mourning
by widows. — Supernatural influences. — Lightning. —
Transmigration. — Worship of Spirit rocks. — Serpent
worship. — Human sacrifices. — Burial customs. — Method of
curing sickness by steam. — Note upon analogies between the
customs of the Indians, Maoris, and the natives of the
Sandwich Islands 149
CHAPTER IX.
The Golden City. — Coast of California — Cape San Lucas. —
Manzanillo. — Alligators and Sharks. — Acapulco. — San José
de Guatemala. — Escuintla. — City of Guatemala. — Indian
pilgrims from Esquipulas. — Ancient mounds on the plains of
Mixco. — Insurrection of Indians. — Decapitation of their
leader. — Preparations for the journey across the Continent
to Palenque and Yucatan 176
CHAPTER X.
Mixco. — La Antigua Guatemala. — Volcanoes of Fire and Water. —
Comolapa. — Ancient Indian Ruins of Patinamit. — Kachiquel
Indians. — A Dominican Priest. — Barrancas. — Las Godinas. —
Panajachel. — Human Sacrifices to the Lakes and Volcanoes. —
Lake Atitlan. — Sololá. — Orchids. — San Tomas. — Quiché
Indians 194
CHAPTER XI.
Barrancas. — Santa Cruz del Quiché. — Padre Andres Guicola. —
Ruins of Utatlan. — Report of Don Garcia de Palacio upon
human sacrifices to the gods in Central America, Statement
of Bernal Diaz, about the sacrifices in Mexico. — Burning of
the Quiché Caciques at Utatlan. — Worship of idols by the
Quichés. — Sierras. — Gueguetenango 216
CHAPTER XII.
The Sierra Madre. — Todos Santos. — Evening Prayer (La
Oracion). — Indian domestic habits. — Religious devotion. —
Goitre. — Jacaltenango. — Indian Festival. — A Temblor. —
Indian Idolatry. — Custom of ancient inhabitants to serve the
parents whose daughters they wished to marry. — Doubtful
fidelity of my guide. — Condition of Mule. — Mexican
Frontier. — Comitan. — Note on President Juarez, and the
Execution of the Emperor Maximilian 238
CHAPTER XIII.
Camping on the plains. — A night amongst the hills in Chiapas. —
Lopez. — Indian Sun worship. — Ocosingo. — An ancient idol. —
Proposed expedition through the unknown region occupied by
the Lacandones to British Honduras. — Bachajon. — Tzendal
Indians. — Chilon. — Indian Carnival. — Yajalon. — Carnival
amongst the Tzendales. — Drunkenness. — Dances. — Horse
races. — Ruined Churches and Convents. — Influence of the
Priests over the Indian Tribes. — Las Casas. — Forced
labour. — The Presbitero Fernando Macal 259
CHAPTER XIV.
An Indian steam bath. — Tumbalá. — Sierras and Forests. — San
Pedro. — Desertion of guide. — Alguazils. — Construction of
Indian huts. — Habits of Indians. — Cargadores. — Crossing a
River. — Forests beyond San Pedro. — Powers of endurance of
Indians. — Arrival at San Domingo del Palenque 278
CHAPTER XV.
Palenque. — The Forest. — The Palace or Monastery. — Night at
Palenque. — Brilliancy of the light of the fireflies. —
Pyramidal Mounds and Temples. — Tablet of the Cross. —
Hieroglyphs. — An Indian Statue. — Antiquity of the
Buildings. — The Tower. — Stucco Ornamentation. — Action of
the tropical climate upon the Ruins. — Note upon the
decipherment of the hieroglyphic characters 297
CHAPTER XVI.
Mounds in the valley of the
Usamacinta. — Lacandones. — Catasaja. — Canoe voyage. —
Rivers and Lagoons. — Alligators. — Jonuta. — Cortes’s March
to Honduras. — Cannibalism. — The Mexican Emperor
Guatimozin. — Palisada. — Laguna de Terminos. — Island of
Carmen. — Campeachy. — Yucatan. — Pyramidal Altar. — Human
sacrifices. — Tzibalché. — Maya Indians. — Arrival at Uxmal 318
CHAPTER XVII.
Uxmal. — Extent of ground occupied by the Ruins. — Teocallis. —
Burial places at the foot of the Pyramid of the Dwarf. —
Evening Service at the chapel of the hacienda. — Casa del
Gobernador. — Sacrificial customs. — Preservation of the
wooden lintels. — The Nunnery or Casa de las Monjas. —
Religious customs of the Indians. — Emblem of the Serpent. —
Sculptures. — Conjectures respecting the possibility of
Moorish, Spanish, or Oriental influence upon architectural
design. — Methods of construction. — Note upon a fall of rain
supposed to be caused by the fires of the Indians 339
CHAPTER XVIII.
Departure from Uxmal. — Indian officials at Abalá. — Indian
Ceremonies. — Worship of demons. — Baptismal customs. — Laws
of the Emperor Charles V. for the government of the natives
in Yucatan. — Superstitions. — An Indian Well. — Halt at
night. — Merida. — Convent of the Conceptionistas. — Sisal. —
The Basque brig Aguinaga. — Departure for Cuba and Florida. —
Tampa. — Cedar Keys. — Buccaneers. — Shell Mounds. — Ancient
Burial Mounds. — Florida Indians 360
CHAPTER XIX.
Mounds and Earthworks in North and Central America. — Migrations
of the Toltecs and Aztecs. — The Quichés. — Aboriginal
races. — Palenque. — Hieroglyphs. — Temples. — Desertion of
the Temples and stone buildings in Yucatan. — Conquest of
Yucatan by the Aztecs. — Antiquity of Palenque and Uxmal. —
Aztec custom of imprisoning captives in cages and sacrificing
them to the gods. — Civilisation of the Toltecs. — Note upon
the symbol or Totem of the Serpent 378
CHAPTER XX.
Conjectures respecting the descendants of the tribes who built
the Temples. — Knowledge and education of the Caciques and
Priests. — Traditions of the arrival of white strangers from
the East. — Las Casas. — Quetzal-Coatl. — Crosses found in
Yucatan. — Gomara. — Legend of the flight of Spaniards by sea
towards the West after the conquest of Spain by the
Saracens. — Fabulous island of Antilia. — Columbus on his
outward voyage steers for Antilia. — Trade-winds. —
Considerations upon the probabilities of vessels being driven
across the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans towards America 400
INDEX 423
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PLATES.
PAGE.
ALTAR-PIECE, TEMPLE OF THE CROSS, PALENQUE _Frontispiece_.
BEAVER DAM, LODGE AND POND, NEAR ISHPEMING 36
CHIPPEWA CHIEF (West of Lake Superior) 50
INDIAN MOUNDS, CAHOKIA 108
CHIPPEWA ENCAMPMENT 116
SIOUX ENCAMPMENT 116
SPIRIT ROCK 118
PAWNEE, (SHA-TO-KO) Blue-Hawk 132
PAWNEE WOMAN 136
PRAIRIE AND BOULDERS, NORTH IOWA 142
PRAIRIE DOGS, NEBRASKA 142
INDIAN, SALT LAKE VALLEY, UTAH 146
CHIEFS OF THE OGALLALAS (Dakotas) 174
ANCIENT INDIAN MOUNDS NEAR GUATEMALA 190
CATHEDRAL AND SQUARE, LA ANTIGUA GUATEMALA 196
QUICHÉ INDIAN HOLDING THE OFFICE OF ALGUAZIL 216
BARRANCA, CENTRAL AMERICA 238
INDIAN HUTS 238
INDIAN WOMAN GRINDING CHOCOLATE, (Central America) 288
PALACE OR MONASTERY, PALENQUE (EAST FRONT) 297
†UXMAL 339
†PYRAMID AND TEMPLE OF THE DWARF 340
†AN ANGLE OF THE CASA DE LAS MONJAS 342
†CASA DEL GOBERNADOR 342
†AN ANGLE OF THE CASA DE LAS MONJAS 344
†CASA DE LAS MONJAS 344
SERPENT EMBLEM, CASA DE LAS MONJAS 350
†INTERIOR OF THE CASA DE LAS MONJAS AND ITS ADJOINING PYRAMID
AND TEMPLE, UXMAL 352
†QUADRANGLE, CASA DE LAS MONJAS 356
PART OF THE ALTAR-PIECE IN A TEMPLE AT PALENQUE 390
MEXICAN CACIQUE MAKING AN OFFERING 398
MEXICAN CALENDAR STONE 408
MAPS AND PLANS.
LAKE SUPERIOR 35
REGION OF THE MOUND BUILDERS 54
INCLOSURES NEAR NEWARK 66
INCLOSURES AT MARIETTA 71
INCLOSURES AT CIRCLEVILLE 81
FORT ANCIENT 88
OCTAGONAL AND CIRCULAR INCLOSURES, NEWARK 97
ANTILIA (from Ruysch’s Map of the World, 1508) 418
CENTRAL AMERICA AND YUCATAN
UNITED STATES AND MEXICO
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.
THE GOLDEN CITY PASSING THE SEAL ROCKS 177
VOLCAN DE AGUA AND VOLCAN DE FUEGO 200
APPROACH TO UTATLAN 227
INDIAN STATUE, OCOSINGO 264
INDIAN STATUE, PALENQUE 311
ENTRANCE TO THE CASA DE LAS MONJAS 348
NOTE.—The illustration of the Serpent Emblem in the Casa de las
Monjas is reproduced from a large photograph taken at Uxmal by
William D. James, Esq. It will be observed that the details of
the sculpture of the rattlesnake are very clearly defined.
The illustrations marked † are from a series of valuable
photographs, also taken at Uxmal, by Captain Herbert Dowding,
Royal Navy, who placed at my disposal such of them as I
considered to be required for the purposes of this work.
I wish to call particular attention to the representation of
that part of the Casa de las Monjas where the adjacent Temple
of the Dwarf is seen. In comparing the structures with the
pyramid, it has to be remembered that the Casa de las Monjas is
placed upon a raised platform not less than seventeen feet in
height. The Pyramid of the Dwarf is completely detached.
Upon an examination of the frontispiece it will be noticed that
the centre stone which, when I saw it lying on the ground at
Palenque, was uninjured, is there shown in two portions which
are kept in position by iron clamps.
It was accidentally broken when being removed from Palenque to
the museum in the City of Mexico.
The left slab, upon which is graven the smaller figure, is from
a photograph of a moulding made by M. Desiré Charnay. The right
slab is from a photograph of the original stone now placed in
the museum at Washington, and which was represented in the
Memoir upon the Palenque Tablet written by Professor Rau, and
published by the Smithsonian Institution. The photographs of
the right and left slabs have been reduced to the size of that
of the centre, and thus an exact reproduction of the whole of
the Tablet of the Cross has been obtained. The representation
in the frontispiece is, approximately, upon the scale of one
inch to the foot and is therefore a twelfth of the size of the
original tablet when it was in its position within the temple.
The illustrations of Indians are from photographs collected by
me during my travels and were selected as being typical of the
respective tribes. My small sketch of the entrance to the Casa
de las Monjas at Uxmal is drawn to scale, and the character of
the Indian horizontal arch is delineated in its architectural
proportions.
TRAVELS AMONGST AMERICAN INDIANS:
THEIR
ANCIENT EARTHWORKS AND TEMPLES.
CHAPTER I.
New York. — Mr. Grinnell. — Search for Sir John Franklin. —
Southern States. — The Negroes and their prospects. — Naval
Academy at Annapolis. — Military Academy at West Point. —
Shakers. — Boston. — Professor Agassiz. — Prairies and Glacial
Action. — Coral Reefs in Florida. — Mr. Ticknor. — Shell Mounds
in Florida. — Schools. — Dr. Howe’s Institution for the Blind.—
Laura Bridgman.
Upon my return to England, after having completed several years of
foreign service, I obtained permission from the Admiralty to proceed
upon a journey into North and Central America.
There were certain subjects that I particularly wished to examine,
especially those that were connected with the mounds or earthworks in
the valley of the Ohio, and the ruined temples of the southern regions
of Mexico and Guatemala. In the lands inhabited, at the time of the
Spanish Conquest, by Indian tribes who had reached a singular form
of civilisation, the origin of which has not yet been traced, it is
probable that some discovery will be made which will throw light upon
the manner in which their knowledge was obtained.
The problems which have yet to be solved with respect to the ruins
at Palenque, and in Yucatan, have a fascination for those who are
interested in the endeavour to seek an explanation of the strange
events that must have happened amongst the Indians who inhabited that
part of the world. It is possible that evidences may be found which
will lead to the conclusion that at some period, not very remote, there
has been an introduction amongst the aboriginal races of influences
derived from Europe or Asia, and it is not unreasonable to expect that
when the hieroglyphs within the altars of Palenque are interpreted,
much that is now unintelligible will be made clear. The investigations
of Mr. Stephens, in 1840, together with the earlier reports of Del
Rio and Dupaix, directed attention to the extraordinary character of
the pyramids and stone structures that were found deserted and ruined
within the tropical lands and forests.
In the North the field of research has been carefully examined by
competent explorers, but, even in that region, there is much that is
open to theory or conjecture with regard to the purposes for which the
great earthworks in the interior of the Continent were raised. There is
also an almost complete absence of definite knowledge respecting the
race and subsequent migrations of the tribes that dwelt within those
embankments. The extensive shell heaps or kitchen middens found near
the seacoasts, have been partly excavated, and, judging from the
implements of bone and the weapons which they contain, it has been made
evident that the Indians must have had customs singularly corresponding
with those of the tribes who formed the shell mounds in Europe.
I had no theories to establish, but I expected to find that the tribes
in the West and North-West resembled the Manchu race I had seen in the
North of China, and that the Indians in Central America would show
traces of kindred with the Malays. I also thought that, in the ruined
temples, there would be seen architectural affinities with the Buddhist
monasteries in Upper Burmah and Cambodia. These were however only
surmises, and I was prepared to recognise that it would be necessary to
adopt other conclusions.
It was difficult to arrange for any decided plan of travel, but I
intended, in the first instance, to visit the Navy Yards and observe
what progress was being made with respect to ships and their armaments;
and then to proceed to those parts of America where the principal works
of the aboriginal tribes still remain. Finally, I hoped to be able to
cross the Continent and go down the Mexican and Guatemalan coasts, and
from one of the ports on the Western seaboard, cross Central America
from the Pacific to the Atlantic towards Yucatan. Such was the outline
of the direction that I proposed to follow, but which would be varied
or changed as circumstances might require.
We left Liverpool in the Samaria on the 15th of March, 1869, and
reached New York late in the evening of the 28th, after having
experienced a continuation of head winds and stormy weather, which
made our passage across the Atlantic long and tedious. My first care,
upon arrival, was to call upon Mr. Henry Grinnell,[1] whose exertions
and services in prosecuting, at his own expense, the search for Sir
John Franklin and the ships beset in the Arctic ice, are so well known.
In the year 1850 Lady Franklin sent her appeal to the President of the
United States, in which she urged the Americans, as a kindred people,
to help in the enterprise of rescuing our sailors from perishing from
cold and starvation in those Northern latitudes. The appeal was not
unanswered, but in consequence of the unavoidable delays incidental to
obtaining the sanction of Congress for the necessary expenditure, there
was much risk of the season becoming too advanced for reaching the
channels in time, and that, consequently, a whole year’s work would be
lost. It was then that Mr. Grinnell, a leading merchant and shipowner,
prepared and fitted out for Arctic service two of his own vessels.
These ships, respectively called the “Advance” and the “Rescue,” were
officered and manned by the Naval Department and reached the ice in
time to do useful work. The fate, however, of Sir John Franklin and his
crew was not ascertained, although traces of his winter quarters were
discovered.
At Washington, I found that Congress was sitting. Political affairs
were in an unusually excited condition in consequence of the state of
things resulting from the Civil War and the admission of negroes to
the franchise. Soon after my arrival I attended the Levée of President
Grant, and in the evening dined with our Minister, Mr. Thornton, at the
Legation. Several members of the Diplomatic body were present, some of
whom I had previously met in Europe.
The question of the capacity of the negroes with respect to their
taking an equal share with the white citizens in the management of the
government policy occupied the attention of politicians. It was thought
impossible to foresee what would be the effect of the emancipation of
over three millions of slaves. It seemed certain that the Americans
would have eventually a complicated problem to deal with, presenting
grave difficulties.
From Washington I went into the Southern States. In the districts
where large numbers of slaves had been employed, the subject of their
education was being seriously considered, and schools were established
for the purpose of advancing the intelligence of the black children.
The ignorant and hopeful parents were speculating upon the brilliant
future that seemed to be opening before them. They had vague dreams
that some new and prosperous destiny was going to be granted to their
race. They thought that, as a result of freedom and education, their
children would become active and useful citizens, equal, if they had
fair opportunities, to those who had been their masters.
Such was the universal belief amongst the elders, and great will be the
disappointment amongst the children upon growing up into manhood to
discover, that, in obedience to an unexplained law, there seems to be a
limit to their power of reaching the standard of proficiency to which
they aspired.
I had seen the emancipated negroes in the islands of the West Indies,
and the extraordinary condition of Hayti when under the rule of the
black emperor Soulouque. It was therefore not possible to think that
there was any probability of these school children rising to an
equality with the white races around them. There was something almost
painful in listening to the faith of the fathers in the prospects of
their sons, and the earnest manner in which they spoke of their future
career, if they worked hard and did their best to deserve success.
After passing through the low-lying lands near the coast, which had
in previous years been cultivated by this race, I proceeded up the
Chesapeake Bay, and stopped at Annapolis for the purpose of looking
at the Naval Academy. The system of training officers for sea service
is, in many respects, radically different from that which is followed
in England. With regard to the comparative results it is difficult to
form an opinion. It is presumable that the English system is the best
for developing the naval capacity of English lads, and the regulations
carried out at Annapolis may be more suitable for the Americans. Both
schools succeed in producing efficient young officers.
The principle underlying the policy of the training system in England
is youth. It is thought that in order to make a good sailor, officer
or man, the future seaman must be entered when young, and thus begin
his sea life while he is still capable of being naturally accustomed to
the performance of his duties. In America and also with the maritime
powers on the European continent different conclusions are held. At
Annapolis the age for entry is between fourteen and sixteen, and as the
entries usually take place at the latest period, the age upon passing
out into sea service is about twenty. The preliminary training is
thoroughly carried out, and the Academy is exceptionally fortunate in
being situated on the shores of a large and well-sheltered bay where
there is room for practising the necessary gunnery exercises.
The Military Academy at West Point is placed in a very beautiful
situation. Nothing can be finer than the scenery at that part of
the Hudson river. The site has been well selected with regard to
the various requirements for training officers for general service,
with reference to drills, cavalry exercises, and topographical and
engineering studies. Professor Bartlett, to whom I had a letter of
introduction from Professor Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, did
everything that was in his power to make my stay agreeable. I was also
much indebted to General Pitcher, the officer in command, who made me
acquainted with all the details of the system in operation.
The Cadets are chosen in the same manner as at Annapolis. Ten are
appointed annually by the President, and the remainder are usually
nominated by members of Congress from their respective states. Private
allowances are discouraged, and the Government make a grant of 500
dollars a year for each pupil, or the same allowance that is given to
the midshipmen at Annapolis. General Pitcher told me that about one
half of the candidates usually failed at the preliminary examination,
and that, upon the average, one-third of the remainder were rejected at
the succeeding examinations, a proportion of failures which corresponds
with that at the Naval Academy. They rise at five, clean their rooms,
place everything in order, attend early drills, and are constantly
at work throughout the day. The series of drills and studies is very
continuous, and there is only just sufficient time allowed for meals,
and very little time for recreation. The average age of the lads
is over twenty-one; the term is for four years. Many distinguished
officers have graduated here and habits of self-reliance are strictly
enforced. The principle which governs the system which is maintained
during the earlier part of the training is that of accustoming each
cadet to be independent of help.
In proceeding from West Point, I visited the Shakers at their
settlements, near the village of Lebanon. I was received by their chief
Elder, a man named Evans, who, by his energy and firmness of will, had
obtained much personal influence over the community. The Shakers had
been successful in securing for themselves a considerable degree of
financial prosperity which was the result of their economy and industry.
Evans was acquainted with the scheme of life contemplated by Mr.
Harris, near Brocton. The community established there had been joined
by Mr. Laurence Oliphant,[2] and I was interested in hearing the
opinions of the Shakers about them. Evans thought that they could not
long keep together, because marriage was permitted amongst its members.
Marriage, he said, meant personal property and where that existed a
communistic society could not succeed.
A few days after arriving at Boston, I dined with Mr. Charles Francis
Adams, who had for many years been the United States Minister in
England. I had met him frequently at the house of Sir Charles Lyell in
London. The conversation turned chiefly upon the conduct of the troops
in the Civil War,[3] all the details of which were eagerly discussed.
An officer present, who had commanded a brigade with distinction
throughout the campaign, gave us some information with regard to the
behaviour of the troops of the Northern army under fire, from the point
of view of their respective nationalities. Of the negroes he spoke
highly from personal knowledge, for during a part of his service, a
regiment of those troops was placed under his command. He said that
they were not intelligent, but were easily disciplined and controlled.
They were found to be useful in covering an assault as they did not
appear to be shaken in their courage or firmness by any great slaughter
in their ranks.
The Germans were expected to be cool and phlegmatic, but it was found
that they were excitable and easily startled and unsettled. The Irish
were always ready to fight, but they were soon depressed by any
reverses. The Americans were excellent as cavalry, as infantry they
were steady and deliberate.
I mentioned that, at West Point, I had met General Vogdes, who had
commanded a negro regiment, and that he considered his men to have
proved that they were reliable and obedient, and capable upon occasions
of showing that they were not wanting in daring. In the operations
around Nashville, a great proportion of the losses in the army fell
upon the coloured troops in consequence, as the general commanding
reported, of the brilliant manner in which they charged the enemy’s
earthworks. This kind of dashing courage on the part of negroes, who
had been bred in slavery, was surprising. I was deeply interested in
hearing the details of the war, particularly such of them as related to
the conduct of the black troops when under fire.
I had seen in the South, the emotional side of the character of the
American born negroes, as shown in their political meetings and their
religious services, but I had not been previously aware that these
apparently lethargic people had by nature, the capacity for becoming
brave and impulsive soldiers. It is obvious that they felt they were
fighting for freedom, and for the emancipation of their wives and
children, the most powerful incentives that could stimulate their
actions. They were ready and willing to face the risk of death in order
to obtain that freedom which, to those that have it not, must be the
most coveted prize that this world can give.
One afternoon I went to Cambridge for the purpose of meeting Mr.
Bartlett, a partner in the publishing firm of Messrs. Little and Brown.
I was indebted to him for many kind acts in assisting me in visiting
the museums, and we had arranged to go to the Harvard University
together, in order to have an interview with Professor Agassiz, who
had returned from Florida, where he had been engaged in the examination
of the coral reefs.
After looking at the extensive collection of corals and shells which
had been placed in the Museum, we walked across the college grounds
to the Professor’s house. I delivered my letter of introduction, and
was received with great courtesy. Agassiz for some time talked about
his varied experiences in many parts of the world and his recent
researches, but upon hearing that I was going to visit the prairies in
the North-west, he showed much interest in the details of the journey
that I proposed to take.
He said that he had been in many parts of those prairies, and had made
several careful investigations with the object of establishing certain
facts with regard to their formation, and had come to the conclusion
that they were caused by glacial action. He thought that the theory
that they were once sea beaches was erroneous, for he was convinced
that the sea had never been in those regions. He also spoke about the
consequences of the habits of the numerous herds of buffaloes that had
roamed, in remote times, over those lands and had made their wallows
there. These shallow depressions collected large quantities of water,
and influenced the manner in which many of the streams originated.
After having drawn my attention to the chief objects of geological
interest that might possibly come within my notice in the region to the
south of Lake Superior, Agassiz mentioned his work in Florida. He had
given much consideration to the outlying banks fringing the southern
coasts of that promontory. The facts he had established were not in
accordance with the views of Darwin and Lyell. “If,” he said, “the
Pacific formations were as described by Darwin and others, those on
the coast of Florida were entirely different. In no way could Darwin’s
theory explain the Florida formations.” He had ascertained that the
corals grew up from great depths, for he had dredged to a depth of
eight hundred fathoms and had brought up live corallines; thus proving
that they existed and worked in very deep waters. It was his opinion
that Darwin’s coral theories had not had a sufficient study of evidence
given to them.
In the evening, at Mr. Ticknor’s house, there were present at dinner
Commodore Rogers, Superintendent of the Navy Yard; Mr. Francis
Parkman, author of several historical works relating to the early
European settlements in North America; Mr. Hillard, also an author of
considerable reputation, and Mr. Frank Parker. Mr. Ticknor[4] told us
anecdotes of his travels in Europe soon after the restoration of Louis
XVIII. He had known many of the celebrities of that time, and spoke of
Sir Walter Scott, Sir Humphrey Davy, Mrs. Siddons, Lord and Lady Byron,
Talleyrand, Madame de Stael and Madame Récamier.
There was a long discussion upon the uncertain future of the republic.
It seemed to be considered that as America became more populated, it
was much to be feared that universal suffrage, freedom and equality
of race, would lead to disorder. Mr. Ticknor mentioned that Prince
Metternich, when speaking to him about this subject, remarked that
there was a great difference between old Austria and America. In
Austria he had always to look out for mischief and prepare to meet
it or contrive a remedy. In America, he said, a mischief, if it
exists, takes time and grows until it gradually forces itself upon the
attention of the people. Finally, if it becomes alarming, the mass
deals with it and arrests its progress as it best can, and then things
go on as before.
Professor Jeffries Wyman,[5] who had discovered several extensive
shell banks on the eastern coasts of Florida, gave me, at his house at
Cambridge, an interesting account of his investigations. He thought
that the mounds were entirely formed by the refuse of the food eaten by
the tribes dwelling near the sea; but, whether by a large settlement
of tribes in a comparatively short time, or by a small tribe in a
long time, it was difficult to determine. Some of the banks were from
fourteen to twenty-five feet high. They varied in length from one
hundred to five hundred yards. On the tops of several of them he had
seen large trees, whose age he estimated to be not less than eight
hundred years. It did not appear that the mounds followed the outlines
of any particular plan of encampment, except in an instance where one
of the longest of them had the shape of an amphitheatre.
He also examined some fresh water shell heaps. These, he thought, were
made in the same manner as the sea shell mounds, by the Indians eating
the fish and piling up the shells. In all of them he had discovered
fragments of pottery and other marks of human life. The Professor
proposed that I should make an appointment with him in order to have a
thorough examination of his collection, not only from the shell heaps,
but also from the tumuli of the mound builders and other Indian tribes.
A day for this purpose was accordingly fixed. In the meanwhile my time
was occupied in visiting the public schools: Mr. Frank Parker, who was
interested in educational work, usually went with me.
From a national point of view it was considered of great importance
that the children of the emigrants should receive a sound education
so as to enable them to become useful and self-respecting citizens.
The majority of the parents upon their arrival at New York or Boston,
do not attempt to seek their fortunes away in the West, but settle in
those quarters of these cities where they find that others of their
race are already established. The elder members of the emigrating
families are quite aware that their age or other circumstances
practically debar them from all hope of success in any attempts to
gain a livelihood by their own work. Thus their attention is directed
to the training of their children, so that these may have a fair start
in life. For this purpose, the free and thoroughly practical system of
education carried out in the schools seems to be excellent.
It is needless to dwell upon the methods adopted in American cities
for raising the standard of knowledge among the boys and girls of the
poorer classes, for they are well known. Nothing can be more pleasing
than to observe the development of the minds of these young wanderers
from other lands, where their fate was adverse and their lives were
without hope. They appear to seize with eagerness the chances that are
given them to attain, by their own intelligence, higher and more secure
positions, and thus break away from the discouraging conditions into
which they were born. The construction and size of the school buildings
were well adapted for their purpose. The health and attention of the
students are, therefore, not affected by close confinement or the
insufficiency of pure air.
There was an institution in Boston, devoted to the work of teaching
the blind, which had an especial interest of its own, and I was
therefore glad to accept Dr. Howe’s invitation to dine with him and
then see Laura Bridgman,[6] the blind girl, whose education had been so
successfully managed, and whose history had, for many years, attracted
observation.
After dinner Laura came into the room. I noticed that she was of
average height and looked thin, pale and delicate. She had a shy and
peculiar manner. Mrs. Howe placed herself in communication with her,
and Laura immediately became more assured. When I was introduced she
expressed, by the movements of her fingers, that she was much pleased
to have my companionship. I asked if she wished to inquire about any
English friends? She replied, “Yes. Do you know Dickens, how is he?”
Then suddenly, before I had made any answer, she felt Mrs. Howe’s
sleeve and said, “You have a new dress,” and named the material—a
sort of French silk. Mrs. Howe said that the guess was correct. She
then became more animated and bright, but showed a singularly quick
impatience when wanting Mrs. Howe to listen to her. When not occupied
in maintaining a conversation she became quiet and looked sad.
Mrs. Howe asked in what way she amused herself and what was her
greatest pleasure. She replied, “reading.” “What reading do you like
best?” To this question Laura replied, “Bible, hymns and psalms.” Mrs.
Howe turned round to me and said this answer was very curious as Dr.
Howe had brought her up without any religious training, because he did
not wish to give her mind any especial bent in that matter; but owing,
it was supposed, to the influence and teaching of some friend, she had
been made acquainted with the Bible and had become intensely attached
to it.
It was said that Laura was able to articulate two words—“Doctor” and
“Grandmother”—and I asked her to say them. “Doctor,” was pronounced in
a distinct manner giving the sound “Dok-tá.” The word “Grandmother”
was not so clearly spoken and she gave the sound very rapidly. It
was however sufficiently expressed to be understood. I was told that
these words had in some manner been learnt by feeling the throats of
other people who pronounced them, and finding that certain expansions
of the muscles occurred when the sounds were made. She conversed by
holding out one hand and moving the fingers. Mrs. Howe held her wrist
and communicated her remarks by touch upon it. In this manner an
intelligent conversation was carried on. Laura evidently enjoyed the
excitement caused by this interchange of ideas, for when thus engaged
she looked very happy.
She was blind, deaf and dumb.