Indians' visit to the Palace of St. Cloud--The Park--Artificial
lake--Royal Family--Prince de Joinville--Recollected seeing
the Author and Collection in Washington--King and Queen of
Belgians--The _regatta_--The birch-bark canoe and the Prince de
Joinville's "Whitehaller"--War-dance--Ball-play--Archery--Dinner
prepared for the Indians--M. Gudin and the Author join
them--Indians' return--Gossip at night--Their ideas of the
King and Royal Family--Messenger from the King, with gold and
silver medals and money, to the Indians--The War-chief cures
a cancer--Author's Collection in the _Salle de Séance_, in
the Louvre--The Indians and the Author dine with M. Passy,
Member of Deputies--Kind treatment by himself and lady--King
visits the Collection in the Louvre--The Author explains
his pictures--Persons present--An hour's visit--The King
retires--Second visit of the King and Royal Family to the
Collection--The Author's four little children presented to the
King--His Majesty relates the anecdote of bleeding himself
in America, and his visit to General Washington at Mount
Vernon--His descent of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, in a
small boat, to New Orleans--Orders the Author to paint fifteen
pictures for Versailles.
The day, which had arrived, for our visit to the King at St. Cloud,
was a pleasant one, and, all the party being ready, we went off in
good spirits; and on our arrival our carriages were driven into the
Royal Park, and conducted to a lovely spot on the bank of an artificial
lake, where there were a considerable number of persons attached to the
Court already assembled to see the Indians; and in the lake, at their
feet, a beautiful birch-bark canoe from their own tribe, belonging to
the Duchess of Orleans, and by the side of it an elegant regatta-boat,
belonging to the Prince de Joinville, with "_White Hall_," in large
letters, on her sides, showing that she was a native of New York.
The Indians had been told that they were to paddle one of their
own canoes for the amusement of the Royal Family, but had not as
yet dreamed that they were to contend for speed with a full-manned
"_White-Haller_," in a trial for speed, before two kings and two queens
and all of the Royal Family.
Just learning this fact, and seeing the complement of men in blue
jackets and tarpaulin hats, in readiness for the contest, they felt
somewhat alarmed. However, I encouraged them on, and the appearance
of the Royal Family and the King and Queen of the Belgians, in their
carriages, at the next moment, changed the subject, and their alarms
were apparently forgotten.
Their Majesties, and all of the two Royal Families, descended from
their carriages, and, gathering around the Indians in a group, listened
to each one's name as they were in turn presented. (_Plate No. 19._)
Louis Phillipe, and also the King of the Belgians, conversed for some
time with the chiefs, while her Majesty and the other ladies seemed
more amused with the women, and the little pappoose, in its beautifully
embroidered cradle, slung on its mother's back.
After this conversation and an examination of their costumes, weapons,
&c., the targets were placed, and an exhibition of their skill in
archery ensued. And after that, taking up their ball-sticks, "the ball
was tossed," and they soon illustrated the surprising mode of catching
and throwing the ball with their rackets or "ball-sticks."
This illustration being finished, they sounded the war-whoop, and
brandished their shields and tomahawks and war-clubs in the war-dance,
which their Majesties had expressed a desire to see. (_Plate No. 20._)
Every member of the two Royal Families happened to be present, I
was told, on this occasion--a very unusual occurrence; and all had
descended from their carriages, and grouped in a beautiful lawn, to
witness the wild sports of these sons of the forest. I was called upon
at that moment to explain the meaning of the war-dance, war-song,
war-whoop, &c., for doing which I received the thanks of all the party,
which gave me peculiar satisfaction.
[Illustration: N^o. 19.]
[Illustration: N^o. 20.]
The King at this time announced to the chief that he wished to see
how they paddled the birch canoe, that he had two American canoes,
which they had put into the water; one was a canoe, he said, made of
birch-bark by their own tribe, the Ojibbeways, and had belonged to his
son, the Duke of Orleans; and the other, now belonging to the Prince de
Joinville, was made in the city of New York; and he was anxious to be
able to decide which could make the best canoe, the white men or the
Indians.
The whole party now assembled on the shore, and the sailors and the
Indians took their seats in their respective boats, with oars and
paddles in hand, and the race soon took place. (_Plate No. 21._) It was
a very exciting scene, but it seemed to be regretted by all that the
Indians were beaten, but which I think might not have been the case if
they had put two in their canoe instead of four, sinking it so deep as
to impede its progress; or if they had put two squaws into it instead
of the men, as they are in the Indian country much superior to the men
in paddling canoes.
I had much conversation on this occasion with H.R.H. the Prince de
Joinville relative to the Indian modes and his travels in America, when
he recollected to have seen me and my collection in Washington city.
Whilst these amusements were thus going on, my friend M. Gudin had
prepared his canvas and easel near the ground, where he was busily
engaged in painting the group, and of which he made a charming picture
for the King.
These curious and amusing scenes altogether lasted about two hours,
after which their Majesties and all took leave, the King, the Queen,
and the Duchess of Orleans successively thanking me for the interesting
treat I had afforded them. Their carriages were then ordered to drive
back empty, and all the royal party were seen strolling amidst the
forest towards the Palace.
The Indians and ourselves were soon seated in our carriages, and, being
driven to a wing of the palace, were informed that a feast was prepared
for us, to which we were conducted, and soon found our good friend M.
Gudin by our side, who took a seat and joined us in it. The healths
of the King and the Queen and the little Count de Paris were drunk in
the best of _chickabobboo_, and from that we returned, and all in good
glee, to our quarters in the city.
The reader by this time knows that this interview afforded the Indians
a rich subject for weeks of gossip in their leisure hours, and charged
their minds with a burthen of impatience to know what communications
there might yet be from the King, as they had heard that gold and
silver medals and presents of other descriptions were sent to the
Ioways after their interview.
They proceeded with their exhibitions, as usual, however, and on the
second day after the interview there came a messenger from the King
with medals of gold for the two chiefs, and silver ones for each of the
others of the party, and also 500 francs in money, which was handed
to the head chief, and, as in the former instances, equally divided
amongst them.
This completed all their anxieties, and finished the grandest epoch of
the poor fellows' lives, and of which they will be sure to make their
boasts as long as they live, and give me some credit for bringing it
about--their presentation to the Kings and Queens of France and Belgium.
A curious occurrence took place a few days after this, as I learned
on inquiring the object for which two ladies and a gentleman were in
daily attendance on the Indians, and occasionally taking the War-chief
away for an hour or two in their carriage and bringing him back again.
Daniel told me that the young lady, who was one of the party, had
dreamed that _Say-say-gon_ could cure a cancer on the face of her
father, which had baffled all the skill of the medical faculty and was
likely to terminate his life; and in consequence of her dream, the
relatives and herself were calling on him to induce him to make the
attempt, which he had engaged in, and in their daily drives with him
they were taking him to the Garden of Plants and to various parts of
the country, where he was searching for a particular kind of herb or
root, with which he felt confident he could cure it.
[Illustration: N^o. 21.]
These visits were continued for some weeks, and I was informed by
Daniel and by the Indians that he succeeded in effecting the cure, and
that they handsomely rewarded him for it.
About this time, my lease expiring, I closed my exhibition, removing my
collection to the _Salle de Séance_, in the Louvre, where Daniel and I
soon arranged it for the inspection of the King and Royal Family; and
it being ready, I met his Majesty in it by appointment to explain its
contents to him.
The King entered at the hour appointed, with four or five of his
orderly officers about him, and, on casting his eyes around the room,
his first exclamation was that of surprise at its unexpected extent and
picturesque effect.
My friend M. Vattemare, and also another friend, Maj. Poore, from
the United States, were by my side, and greatly amused and pleased
with the remarks made by the King during the interview, relative to
my paintings, and also to incidents of his life amongst the Indians
of America during his exile. His Majesty soon recognised the picture
of an Indian ball-play, and several other scenes he had witnessed on
the American frontier, and repeatedly remarked that my paintings all
had the strong impress of nature in them, and were executed with much
spirit and effect. He seemed pleased and amused with the various Indian
manufactures, and particularly with the beautiful Crow wigwam from the
Rocky Mountains standing in the middle of the room, the door of which I
opened for his Majesty to pass under.
After his visit of half an hour he retired, appointing another
interview, telling me that the Queen must see the collection with him,
and also commanding the director of the Louvre to admit my little
children to his presence, having heard of their misfortune of losing
their mother, for which he felt much sympathy.
At the time appointed, a few days after, I met his Majesty again, with
a number of his illustrious friends, in my collection; and after he had
taken them around the room awhile to describe familiar scenes which
he had met there on his former visit, I continued to explain other
paintings and Indian manufactures in the collection. (_Plate No. 22._)
In the midst of our tour around the hall his Majesty met something that
again reminded him of scenes he had witnessed in his rambling life in
the backwoods of America, and he held us still for half an hour during
his recitals of them. He described the mode in which he and his two
brothers descended the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in an old Mackinaw
boat which they purchased at Pittsburg, and in which they made their
way amongst snags and sawyers and sandbars to the mouth of the Ohio,
six hundred miles, and from that down the still more wild and dangerous
current of the Mississippi, one thousand miles, to New Orleans,
fifty-two years ago, when nearly the whole shores of these rivers, with
their heavy forests, were in their native state, inhabited only by
Indians and wild beasts. They lived upon the game and fish they could
kill or purchase from the various tribes of Indians they visited along
the banks, and slept sometimes in their leaking and rickety boat, or
amongst the canebrake, and mosquitos, and alligators, and rattlesnakes
on the shores.
I took the liberty to ask his Majesty on this occasion whether the
story that has been current in the American prints "of an Indian
bleeding him" was correct; to which he replied, "No, not exactly; it
had been misunderstood. He had bled himself on one occasion in presence
of some Indians and a number of country people, when he had been
thrown out of his waggon, and carried, much injured, to a country inn;
and the people around him, seeing the ease and success with which he
did it, supposed him, of course, to be a physician; and when he had
sufficiently recovered from his fall to be able to start on his tour
again, the neighbours assembled around him and proposed that he should
abandon his plan of going farther west; that if he would remain amongst
them they would show him much better land than he would find by
proceeding on, and they would also elect him county physician, which
they stood much in need of, and in which capacity he would meet no
opposition. He thanked them for their kindness, assuring them that he
was not a physician, and also that he was not in search of lands, and,
taking leave, drove off."
[Illustration: N^o. 22.]
He also gave an account of their visit to General Washington at Mount
Vernon, where they remained several days. General Washington gave them
directions about the route to follow in the journey they were about to
make across the Alleghany Mountains on horseback, and gave them also
several letters of introduction to be made use of on their way.
While we were thus listening to the narrations of his Majesty, my kind
and faithful nurse was approaching from the other end of the room and
leading up my little children (_Plate No. 22_), whom he immediately
recognised as my little family, and in the most kind and condescending
manner took them by their hands and chatted with them in language and
sentences suited to their age.
His next object was to designate the paintings he wished me to copy and
somewhat enlarge, and soon pointed out the number of fifteen, which I
was commanded to paint for the palace at Versailles.
During the time that my collection was thus remaining in the Louvre
many distinguished persons about the Court had access to it, and
amongst the number an excellent and kind lady, Madame Passy, the wife
of one of the distinguished members of the House of Deputies. This
charming lady sought an acquaintance with the Indians also, and, taking
a deep interest in their character and situation, invited them all to
dine at her house, where they were treated with genuine kindness and
liberality, which they will never forget.