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General View of the County

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After this general intoxication had ceased, for they say that while it lasted the whites had confined themselves to their vessel, the man with the red clothes returned again, and distributed presents among them, consisting of beds, axes, hoes, and stockings, such as the white people war. They soon became familiar with each other, and began to converse by signs. The Dutch made them understand that they would not stay here, that they would return home again, but would pay them another visit the next year, when, they would bring them more presents, and stay with them awhile; but as they could not live without eating, they should want a little land of them to sow seeds, in order to raise herbs and vegetables to put into their broth. They went away as they hail said, and returned in the following season, when both parties were much rejoiced to see each other; but the whites laughed at the Indians, seeing that they knew not the use of the axes and hoes they had given them the year before for they had these hanging to their breasts as ornaments, and the stockings were made use of as tobacco pouches. The whites now put handles to the former for them, and cut trees down before their eyes, hoed up the ground and put the stockings on their legs. Here, they say, a general laughter ensued among the Indians, that they had remained ignorant of the use of such valuable implements, and had borne the weight of such heavy metal hanging to their necks for such a length of time. They took every white man they saw for an inferior Mannitto attendant on the Supreme Deity, who shone superior in the red and laced clothes. As the whites became daily more familiar with the Indians, they at last proposed to stay with them, and asked only for so much ground for a garden spot as, they said, the hide of a bullock would cover or encompass, which hide was spread before them. The Indians readily granted this apparently reasonable request: but the whites then took a knife, and beginning at one end of the hide, cut it up to a long rope not thicker than a child’s finger, so that by the time the whole was cut up it made a great heap; they then took the rope at one end, and drew it gently along, carefully avoiding its breaking. It was drawn out into a circular form, and being enclosed at its ends, encompassed a large piece of ground. The Indians were surprised at the superior *wit of the whites, but did not wish to contend with them about a little land, as they had still enough themselves. The white and red men lived contentedly together for a long time, though the former from time to time asked for more land, which was readily obtained, and thus they gradually proceeded higher up the Mahicannittuck, until the Indians began to believe that they would soon want all their country, which in the end proved true.

We do not know that our paper suffers much for its lack of information relative to Indian habits, customs and manners, for we are not aware that the Indians of this County differed in these respects is much from others in the State to which they were related. We are twenty-five years too late to know much about them. There is not one man living in the County who has seen an Indian resident, and the knowledge of them died with the last generation. We have not seen one line printed, and all the traditions which have come down to us from aged inhabitants and early settlers, who saw and knew them as far as concerns the above particulars, upon enquiry, are not worth gathering to relate. The Indian character in this State is well known, and we have no reason to believe the character of the Indians of Orange was materially different. If you know one, you know the general character of those who compose his wigwam, and knowing these you know that of his tribe. They are all alike—dirty, slothful and indolent, trustworthy and confiding in their friendships, while fierce and revengeful under other circumstances. Their good will and enmity are alike easily purchased. All have the war dance before starting upon and after returning from the war-path; and bury the dead standing, with their war instruments. Their known rule of warfare is an indiscriminate massacre of men, women and children; cruel to their captives, whom they usually slay with the tomahawk or burn up at the stake. They believe in a future state of rewards and punishments, and sacrifice to a Good Spirit—an unknown god.

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*These Dutchmen were probably acquainted with what is related of Queen Dido in ancient history, and thus turned their classical knowledge to good account.