Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/193

 SECT. V.] GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 157 their political or social state, and which disclaims any inter- ference or alliance with the powers that may regulate the machinery of human affairs. Had the Five Nations, or any other conquering Indian tribe, instead of murdering or adopting prisoners of war, reduced them to a state of slavery and made them their helots, they might have attained a Spartan civilization. That of Peru and Mex- ico was avowedly the result of conquests, and, in both cases, had for its foundation the abject servitude or submission of the many, the military power of the conquerors, and the yoke imposed by a false religion. The only well ascertained instance, amongst our own Indians, of their having, at least in part, become an agricultural nation, meaning thereby that state of society, in which the men them- selves do actually perforin agricultural labor, is that of the Cherokees. And it is in proof, that, in this case also, cultiva- tion was at first introduced through the means of slavery. In their predatory incursions they carried away slaves from Caro- lina. These were used to work, and continued to be thus employed by their new masters. The advantages derived by the owners were immediately perceived. Either in war, or in commercial intercourse, slaves of the African race became objects of desire ; and gradually, assisted by the efforts of the government and the beneficial influence of the missionaries, some amongst those Indians, who could not obtain slaves, were induced to work for themselves. Accounts vary as to the extent of that true civilization. It is believed that it embraces nearly one third of the male population ; and the following statement of an actual census of that part of the nation which remained on this side of the Mississippi, taken in the year 1825, corroborates this opinion. Free males. 6883; do. females. 6900; total 13,783 Slaves, male. . 610 ; do. female. . 667; total 1,277 15,060 White men married to Cherokee women. 147 Cherokee men married to white women. . 68 33 grist mills; 13 saw mills ; 1 powder mill. 69 blacksmith shops; 2 tan yards. 762 looms ; 2486 spinning wheels. 172 wagons ; 2923 ploughs. 7683 horses; 22,531 black cattle; 46,732 swine; 2566 sheep.