morning witnessed the separation of the various nations, and
the departure'of each to their respective hotoes.
The 'writer would like to have; said -a word or twoinrelh-
tion to the present condition and prospects ‘of the Indians*
hut* the/original design, in Regard to hoth the topics and
breYi%,df -this^ writing, having been already greatly transcended,
it ;must he defeired.- The once-powerful confederacy
of the: Six’Hatiohs, ‘occupying ip;,its palmy days the. greater
portion of New York state, now number only a little, pver
3,000.* JSveb this remnant will soon be gone^f Ifi.view of
this, as well as of the known fact that die Indian rack is
every wheje gradually diminishing in numbers,, The writer
eannot close without .invoking’ for this unfortunate people,
renewed kindliness, sympathy and benevolent attention.’ ,It
is true that with some few exceptions, ., they ■ possess habifs-
and characteristics which render them diflaeukT6':approaeh;
but still, they are only, what the Creator of -us all has made
them. And, letdt be remembered, it must be a large measure
of kindliness and benevolence, that wilk-repay the- injustice
and wrong that have been inflicted upon'them.
THE INDIAN FORT AJ POMPEY^
r Agreeably to ydur request, (says Mr. Clark of
Manlius, in a letter to the author),' I hjive Vhkefi u^^,the
grounds in our vicinity oflee occupied as -forts and*, pfeces'oi
defence. * So devastating has been the hafidb'f- 'tinae' and the
works of civilized men, that little can now bb-possibly-gleaned
by'observation. Our main reliance in thcSe friatters must
depend almost entirely upon the tecolleClionsbf early'Settlers
and traditions. Many of these accounts, as you are aware,
are differently related by different individuals, and hot un-
frequently in material points contradictory; A locality in
the. town of 'Cazenovia, Madison 'County, near the county
, "* .3 ,7 5 3 , v id e p r e c e d in g c e n sd s , p . 32, e t. seq .
line, and on lot 33, township of Pompey, Onondaga county,
ha? been called the Indian Fort. It is about four miles southeasterly
from Manlius villag^ situated on a slight eminence,
which .is nearly surrounded by a deep ravine, the banks of
which, are quite steep, and somewhat rocky- The ravine is
ih^shape like an ox-bow, made by two, streams, which pass
nearly around.it and uni-tp; J Across this bow at the opening,
was aji .earthen wall running southeast and nprthwest, and
when .first noticed,^; the e.ariy settlers, was four or five feet
high, straight, with something of a ditch in front, from two
fp, three.feet deep; Within this enclosure may he about ten
or. twelve acres; of-land. A part of- this ground, when first
occupied in these, lattef tirnes, was,called the Prairie, and
^ pqted riqw amqng-^fbe old men as the place where the
first battalion' militia training, was held in the county of
'Onondaga. But that portion -near,the wall, and m front
qf ife. has recently,, say, five years ago, been cleared of a
, heavy growth of black dak timber. Manyof the trees were
fer^ec and were,. probably-png j hundred- and fifty or two
hundred years .old- So^e were standing in the ditch, and
others pn the top of 0the embankment. There! is a considerable
burying -place vrithvfi tfie enclosure. The plough has already.
done jnuch towards leveling, the wall and ditch; still
they,can - be e,asily, traced the whole extent. A few more
plougKings ^nd-'-harrowings and no .vestige -of it will remain.
The Specimens of fiarje hrown pottery I send with this are
■' feom this locality. I picked them* up at this visit. These
' specimens ^are somewhat ..numerous Upon this ground now.
Almost, eyery, variety o f Indian r e l i c t s been found about
here, hut so fastidious1 afie?; the holders of them, that I have
not been able fp;pr(?hufe .#jy- for you, and, cannot, except at
a prim. ^ Howet#g|thoy can be of littfe, consequence, as they
are described in- p a r t ic le above referred to. One fact, will,
I think, apply ho this locality; that doks.not belong fe any
,-other of the kind in this region, .that I know of. Two ean-
non balls, of -about three pounds each, were found in the