1782. fpurious inflammation of the lungs, accompanied with

an epidemic remitting fever.-The character of this
person is full of abfurdities and qualities of a most ex-
traordinary nature. His understanding was great, his
memory capacious, and his fancy brilliant. His mind
was stored with a variety of knowledge, which he col-
lected from books, converfation and travels. He had
been in most European countries. He was a correct
and elegant claffical scholar; and both wrote and spoke
his native language, with perfpicuity, force and beauty.
From thefe circumftances he was, at times, a moft agree-
able and inftructive companion. His temper was `na-
turally four and fevere. He was feldom feen to laugh,
and scarcely to fimile. The hiftory of his life is little
else, than the history of difputes, quarrels and duels, in
every part of the world. He was yindictive to his ene-
mies. His avarice had no bounds. He never went
into a public and feldom into a private house, where he
did not discover fome marks of ineffable and contemp-
tible meanness. He begrudged the
He begrudged the expence of a nurse
in his last illness, and died in a small dirty room in the
Philadelphia tavern called the Canastoe-waggon, [de-
figned chiefly for the entertainment and accommodation
of common countrymen] attended by no one but a
French fervant, and Mr. Ofwald the printer, who once
ferved as an officer under him. He was both impious
and profane. In his principles he was not only an infi-
del, but he was very hoftile to every attribute of the
Deity. His morals were exceedingly debauched. His
manners were rude, partly from nature and partly from
affectation. His appetite was fo whimfical as to what
he eat and drank, that he was at all times, and in all
places,

.

places, a most troublesome and disagreeable gueft. He 1782.

had been bred to arms from his youth; and ferved as

lieut, colonel among the British, as colonel among the Portuguese, and afterward as aid de camp to his Polish majefty, with the rank of major general. Upon the American continent's being forced into arms for the prefervation of her liberties, he was called forth by the voice of the people, and elected to the rank of third in command of their forces. He had exhausted every valuable treatise, both ancient and modern, on the military art. His judgment in war was generally found.-He was extremely useful to the Americans in the beginning of the revolution, by infpiring them with military ideas, and a contempt for British difcipline and valor. It is difficult to fay, whether the active and useful part he took in the contest, arose from perfonal refentment against the king of Great Britain, or from a regard to the liberties of America. It is certain he reprobated the French alliance and republican forms of government, after he retired from the American fervice. He was, in the field, brave in the highest degree; and with all his faults and oddities was beloved by his officers and foldiers. He was devoid of prudence, and used to call it a rafcally virtue. His partiality to dogs was too remarkable not to be mentioned in his character. Two or three of these animals followed him generally wherever he went. When the congrefs confirmed the fentence of the court martial, fufpending him for twelve months, he pointed to his dog and exclaimed, "Oh! that I was that animal, that I might not call man my brother." -Two virtues he poffeffed in an eminent degree, viz. fincerity and veracity. He was never known to deceive

N

1981. or defert à friend; and he was a stranger to equivocation, even where his fafety or character were at stake."

A difpofition to misreprefent and blacken the Indians, in order to juftify, or palliate the practice of cruel measures toward them, has particularly appeared in the cafe of the Moravian Indians, fettled on the Mufkingum, a branch of the Ohio; who early in the last spring fuffered deeply on account of what, they thought, the peaceable fpirit of the gospel required of them. The first gathering of thofe Indians into a degree of civil and religious order, was about 30 years ago. The place of their refidence was then at Whihaloofing, on the Sufquehanna, about 200 miles from Philadelphia. In a visit to that city, about the year 1756, when the province was diftreffed by the Indian war, they declared their particular difapprobation of war, and fixed refolution to take no part therein; apprehending it to be difpleafing to the Great Being, who, as one of them expreffed it, did not make men to destroy men, but to love and affift each ether. About 13 years paft, these Indians meeting with difficulty, from an increase of white fettlers near them, by which fpirituous liquors were brought to their towns, removed to the Muskingum; and were accompanied by fome of the Moravians, who have long refided among them, carefully attended both to their civil and religious concerns, and never left them in the times of their greatest danger and difficulty. Thefe Indians refufed to take any part in the prefent war; notwithstanding repeated abuses on that account from other tribes, particularly thofe parties which paffed through their towns, in their way to the American frontiers, whom they fometimes diffuaded from their hoftile intentions,

and

and prevailed upon to go back again. They alfo warned 1783. the inhabitants of their danger. This conduct being. confidered as obstructive to the hoftile proceedings of the tribes at war, was at length made the plea for carrying them off. In the beginning of Auguft, 1781, the chief of the Wyondats arrived with 220 warriors; and acquainted them, that they were come to take them away, rendering for a reafon, that they were a great obftruction to them in their war-path. The Wyondats, after committing many outrages, about the beginning of September forced them from their three towns, in all between 3 and 400 perfons. After a tedious journey in the wilderness, they arrived at a branch of Sandusky creek, where the body of them were ordered to remain. Some of their principal men were fent to the British commander at Fort Detroit, who commended them as a peaceable people, and exhorted them to remain fuch; but added, that many complaints had been made of them, and that they had given intelligence to his enemies, wherefore he had fent for them. He faid, that his inftructions had been exceeded in the ill treatment they had received, and that he would provide for them. Thus the matter refted till the fpring of 1782, when thefe Moravian Indians finding corn fcarce and dear at Sandusky, defired liberty to return to their fettlements, to fetch fome of their corn, of which they had left above 200 acres ftanding. When it was granted, many of them went, arnong whom were feveral widows with their children.

When the people at and about the Monangahela, understood that a number of Indians were at the Moravian towns, they gave out, that the intention of those

X 3

people

1782. people was, to fall upon the back inhabitants, which

ought to be prevented. Upon this about 160 men got
together, and swimming their horfes over the Ohio,
came fuddenly upon the chief Moravian town. The
first person who appeared, they fhot at and wounded,
when coming up to him they found he was an half In-
dian, fon to one of the Moravians by an Indian woman,
who had been regularly married. They killed and
scalped him, and proceeded to the town. The Indians
who were moftly in the fields pulling corn, did not run
off as they might, had they been conscious of any of-
fence; but came of their own accord into the town, at
the call of the white people, who at first expreffed friend-
ship to them, and foon after violently feized and bound.
them. The Indians who affift the miffionaries in keep‐.
ing good order among their people, and upon occafion
give public exhortations, are called Helpers. Five of
the moft refpectable of these, and other Indians, ex-
horted the younger to fubmiffion and patience; telling
them, that they thought their troubles in this world.
would foon be at an end, and they would be with their
Saviour. They then fung and prayed together, till they.
were led out one after another, and inhumanly flaugh-
tered; firft the men and then the women.
Two boys,
who made their efcape, related these particulars. One
of them lay in the heap of the dead, in a house, and
was fcalped; but recovering his fenfes escaped. The
other hid himself under the floor; was an eye-witnefs of this
tragic scene; and faw the blood of the flain running in
a ftream. These Indians, before they were bound, were
fo fenfible of their own innocence, that they informed
the white people, that more of their brethren, were at
another

5