THE dispositions and feelings of the inhabitants of the different portions of the United States have been modified by a great variety of circumstances. Difference of descent has operated with its usual power. The stern Puritan, the open-hearted and honest Dutchman, the light-hearted and easy Frenchman, the German, the Spaniard, the Catholic, the Huguenot, all have their representatives in various portions of the country. The distinctive national peculiarities have in some measure been worn off, and the varying elements have been amalgamated by constant intercourse, intermarriage, removals from one part to another, and the gradual effects of time. Still the national character is very distinct in distinct sections of the country, and in the following account of the various manners and customs, we have uniformly followed what we consider the best authority.

The people of New England are grave, though they are not without humor; many of their amusements are of a reflecting kind, and their conversation tends rather to useful than to light or gay subjects. They are moral and pious, and the descendants of the Puritans retain much of the strictness of their fathers. If not ardent, they are to a great degree persevering, and though inquisitive, they are equally communicative. They are shrewd and calculating, yet not deceitful. They are no ‘granters of propositions;’ with them almost all things are subjects for discussion, in which they manifest much ingenuity. They have a caution that prevails in all things, and they seldom answer directly an abrupt question, without knowing why it is asked. They have the impress of Franklin; Poor Richard’s maxims of thrift fall upon a congenial soil, and no proverbs are oftener quoted, or more followed. They are like Franklin, to a great degree inventive in practical things, and far the greater number of inventions in the patent office are from New England. It is peculiar to these people, that they are seldom found without a pocket knife, which they use with dexterity; and boys at school are frequently seen whittling, or cutting wood into some shape, for a wind-mill or other toy. It is a universal trait, and it is said that a gentleman in Havana, who invited a large company to dine, gave each man from New England a shingle to cut, that they might not carve his furniture.

One of the first traits developed in the New England character is, if not a love of gain, at least a disposition to traffic. It commences at an early age, and children at school not only exchange or ‘swap’ knives, and other things, but make lotteries, in which the prizes are paid in gingerbread and raisins, and which leave a little profit to the manager and proprietor. The farmers too, though not the most industrious kind, sometimes bring up horses and cattle for a ‘swap’ to the village inn; and the tin pedlars, whose wheels are in every road in the United States, are to a man from New England.

Another trait of character is the readiness with which the people of New England admit the equality of all men with themselves, and the steadiness with which they deny, both in theory and practice, that any are superior. It would raise a tempest in the breast even of a female domestic, to ask for her mistress, nor would she be satisfied to be called a servant, or even a domestic. Help is the word by which servants reconcile their pride with their interest or employment, as it denotes, that though the assistants, they are the equals of their employers. Aforeigner probably finds some ground for dissatisfaction on the score of domestics, for among house-wives it is a subject of universal complaint at home; the best servants are English, who have been more familiar with the distinction of classes.

The people of New England are distinguished for their celebrations. They are interlocked with each other by innumerable societies and associations, and one man is a member of many. These have their anniversaries, which, with the national and other holidays, make a great many processions, public dinners, and addresses. It is also usual to offer public dinners to those who have done acceptable services in high public stations.

A town meeting is perhaps the best place wherein to see the self-control of the people, when highly excited on questions of general or local interest. Every town is within certain limits a pure democracy, and its doings are attended with perfect decorum under the moderator, who is chosen, as the word implies, to mollify any over-zealous excitement. If, on these occasions, any citizen becomes turbulent, or abusive in language, the sense of the assembly is so strongly expressed against him, that he is at once reduced to order. Generally speaking, there are no mobs or riotous assemblies. The interference of a few constables, or the reading of the ‘riot act’ by a magistrate, is sufficient to disperse any tumultuous throng. Atumult at a town meeting or election, is a thing unheard of among us.

Some of the most peculiar manners and customs of New England are found in the island of Nantucket, and the neighboring part of the continent. Nantucket is a happy settlement; not that it has precious metals in its bosom, or fertility in its soil, but because the people are simple, innocent, and contented. The sea is their patrimony, and they gather its bounties in the most distant ports. The whale fishery in New England was commenced by six persons in Nantucket; one watched on an eminence for the spouting of the whale, and when he discovered it, all would pursue in a small boat, and they seldom failed to tow the leviathan ashore. Gains extended the adventure, ships were fitted out, and the whale was chased from the temperate regions to the arctic seas, and followed to the remotest shores of the Pacific ocean.

Among the people, there are none idle, and few destitute. The vices of commercial places are hardly known, and it is admitted all over New England to be a great presumption in favor of a man’s honesty, that he comes from Nantucket. The Friends or Quakers give to the language a simplicity of diction truly Doric, and though they take some liberties with the commonwealth’s English, yet in a person brought up with them, to speak in a more classic manner would be held to savor of affectation and pretension. The various relationships, and the kindly feelings, have introduced the custom of calling elderly people uncle or aunt, and the younger, cousin. Even a stranger soon falls into this habit. The people generally marry young, and few live in celibacy. They are social to a great degree, and are eminently distinguished for their frequent visitings, to sup at each other’s houses. They live more as though they made a large family, than a small community.

The following tribute to the New England character is from Captain Hall, whom no one can accuse of a desire to overpraise what he saw in this country. ‘Ihad, however, many sharp amicable discussions with my friends at Boston, on the thousand and one topics that arose between us, but Imust do them the justice to say, that Inever met a more good-natured, or perhaps Ishould say, good-tempered people; for, during the whole course of my journey, though Inever disguised my sentiments, even when opposed to the avowed favorite opinions of the company, Inever yet saw an American out of temper. Ifear Icannot say half so much for myself, for Iwas often a good deal harassed by these national discussions, when the company and Itook our station on the opposite poles of the question. But it is pleasant to have it in my power to say that Icannot recall a single instance in which any thing captious, or personally uncivil, was ever said to me, though Irepeated openly, and in all companies, every thing Ihave written in these volumes, and a great deal more than upon cool reflection Ichoose to say again.’

In general, the amusements are of a thoughtful rather than a gay character, and games of skill are preferred to those of chance. The character of the Puritans has given some tone to the amusements and holidays. Theatres are seldom even fashionably attended, and there are many who hold it unlawful to enter them. There are places, too, in the country, where dancing is considered to be a ‘vain, idle, and sinful amusement.’

The active sports are principally games of ball, and sometimes running and wrestling; formerly, different towns and parishes had their champions in wrestling, to try their superiority by matches, in which several fatal accidents occurred; but the sport is now almost entirely disused. Boxing, which is so universal in England, is almost unknown, and horse-racing and cock-fighting are seldom seen. In winter, when there are delightful moonlight nights, sleigh-rides are a favorite amusement. Parties of both sexes sit in large sleighs, as closely as they can be packed, and sometimes in each others’ laps, scour over several miles at a rapid rate, and at some hotel, find not only a supper but a fiddler in attendance, whose gains are much enhanced in the season of sleighing. There are several holidays, but none that are observed in England. Election day is that on which the governor is declared to be elected, and has heretofore been one of the most ‘time-honored’ days in the calendar. On this day, the young men often take sides, in what is called a ‘bird shoot,’ to destroy the birds most mischievous to crops, and the party bringing in the least number of heads is vanquished, and gives a dinner to the other.

Fast day is an observance that has descended from the pilgrims, and is kept with a decent solemnity. The governors appoint one day in the year, in all the New England states, for ‘fasting, humiliation, and prayer;’ there is little business transacted, and the people generally attend in the churches, which are called more generally, from an old dislike to Episcopacy, meeting-houses. Thanksgiving is also a day appointed by the same authorities, and the intent of the edict or proclamation is carried into full effect by the disposition of the people. It is always appointed in the fall or autumn, after the harvests, when the garners are full; and poor indeed is the inmate of the hovel that has not on that day plenty and luxury on his board. The preparations for thanksgiving continue several days, and for many more the prepared viands are not exhausted. It is the day for family meetings, and it is then that members of the same family often come hundreds of miles to meet again, to renew the bands of affinity and affection under the paternal roof. It is at this feast that the simplicity and patriarchal character of a New England grandsire is pre-eminent.

Before and after thanksgiving, there are held all over the country ‘shooting matches,’ which are announced by printed placards, headed ‘sportsmen attend,’ and which set forth that geese, turkeys, and fowls, will be set up for marksmen. They are shot at, generally after they are killed, with rifles, at certain distances, and rates are paid for every shot. If they are hit, the marksman has the game. These sports are commonly held in some retired spot, or at some deserted house, by which there is little passing, and where a day or two is spent as in an encampment. Abear or deer is sometimes shot at in the same way.

Autumn also brings other holiday observances, one of which is ‘husking,’ when the men of a neighborhood meet to husk the Indian corn of one of the number, that is, to separate it from the sheaf. Agood supper, and sometimes a dance, ensues. The females have also similar meetings, called ‘quilting bees,’ when many assemble to work for one, in padding or quilting bed coverings or comforters. Militia musters or reviews collect many people, but they are happily growing out of date; they generally display the most repulsive traits of the New England character. An ordination of a clergyman over a society discloses better characteristics. It is a time when every house in the society is invitingly open, when the master generally ‘provides’ for more guests than he has the good fortune to secure; and when he may be seen forestalling his neighbors, by asking visiters to dine, before they arrive at the church. Persons of all creeds and conditions are pressed, nothing loath, to the feasts that smoke upon a hundred tables.

Ploughing matches and cattle shows are held only in autumn; they attract many people, and give a favorable impulse to the interests of agriculture. The celebration of the fourth of July, or, as it is called, Independence, is not peculiar to New England; it is the great national holiday, honored by salutes of cannon, fireworks, processions, addresses, dinners, in all cities, and in the most secluded corners of the republic.

In the middle states there is little general or peculiar character. In Pennsylvania, society takes a tone from the Friends, particularly in Philadelphia and some other towns; in the interior, German influence is equally perceptible. New York has the air and character of all great commercial cities. One abominable custom deserves to be mentioned with reprobation. Swine are by law permitted to range at large, and these quadruped scavengers are, of course, intolerable nuisances. Philadelphia and Baltimore seem to have escaped, in some measure, from the moral evils which appear almost inseparable from great cities. In these places, the manner of life is far more quiet and domestic than in New York, and in the former city the arts and sciences meet with a more assiduous cultivation. The Wistar parties of this city, assemblies held at gentlemen’s houses, where the conversation is chiefly on literary and scientific subjects, are much praised by intelligent strangers.90

The amusements of the middle states are more various than the other sections of the country. As the three largest cities in the union are distant one from the other but about a hundred miles, there are of course greater facilities and encouragement for scenic exhibitions; and the theatres, especially in New York, are much attended. The actors are generally English, and the best English performers often come over for a season. There is a French opera company, also, who at times perform in the cities, where they give general pleasure, and a splendid opera house has been recently erected in New York. In the latter city, there are several expensive public gardens, in which a great variety of costly fireworks, shows, and amusements, are offered in the warm seasons; when lighted up at night, they are very brilliant, and they attract crowds of people. There are many small gardens, where refreshments are sold; and in Philadelphia the number of these is considerable, though some of them contain little else than a few alcoves, covered with creeping plants.

Horse racing, which in New England is almost unknown, is more honored in the middle states; and some of the matches on Long Island and in Dutchess county, have been attended by vast crowds of people. Boat races also are sometimes held in the calm waters about New York.

Skating is practised with great animation, and thousands of people collect on the Delaware, at Philadelphia, when the stream is frozen. An ox, on such occasions, has sometimes been roasted on the ice, near the Mariners’ hotel, which is the hull of a large vessel, moored in the river. Skating is very general amusement in the northern parts of the United States, and there are few boys who have not a pair of skates. Coasting is another winter pastime, in which, as in many other games, the labor seems to be at least equal to the pleasure. When the snow covers the earth, a troop of joyous boys assemble on the top of a long and steep hill, and each one sitting upon a little sled, gives it an impulse which carries him to the bottom with accelerating velocity, and far into the plain below. The motion is sometimes so swift that it is like the sweep of an eagle. In the cities, fatal accidents occur in following this amusement, and there are generally penalties imposed by law for pursuing it there.

The coasting is performed, however, in the country, upon a grander scale; the great ox sled, or sledge, is carried up with commendable perseverance and toil, and so covered with youth of both sexes, that little of the timber appears. When fitted, it is launched; but when adrift it is more difficult to be guided than the single sledge, and the whole freight is sometimes turned topsy turvy into a snow bank half way down the hill. This, however, seems to increase the enjoyment. This practice of coasting is even more common in New England than in the middle states.

There are some traits of character which run through the southern states, modified by a variety of circumstances, but most obviously and generally by the system of domestic slavery. The character of Virginia and South Carolina is perhaps, in many respects, superior to that of the Southern states, yet the principal characteristics are common to all. In Virginia, many of the old English modes of life are retained, and the domains of the landed proprietors have the extent of English baronies. Attachment to home, family connections, and profuse hospitality, eminently distinguish this high-minded and honorable class.

The people of Carolina, who dwell in the lower country, are annually compelled to leave their homes, however attached to them. None can travel without gaining knowledge, and losing prejudices, and the Carolinians are, to a great degree, liberal and intelligent. To remain in summer on the plantations, is at the risk of life; they are therefore found, at that season, in the northern and eastern states, and in Europe. They are social, and in general closely united. In New England, gentlemen of neighboring towns are often unacquainted with each other; but in Carolina, the acquaintance extends over the state. This arises from the intercourse of the capital, where all are found in spring, and from the fellowships that are formed in packets, or while residing or travelling in other states.

It may be thought that the life of a southern agriculturist is one of indolence and ease. It is the very reverse; it is one of far greater activity than is led by gentlemen of wealth elsewhere. The cares of a plantation are sufficient to consume the day, and the planter is often on horseback in his fields, till evening. His notions of space are so liberal, that he will readily ride a dozen miles to dine, and he engages in the chase with his characteristic ardor. No men ride so fearlessly; and the game is followed at full speed in thick woods, among holes, horizontal branches, and prostrate trunks. The social relations are admirable. The season for visiting is never over, and as the social is as much increased as any other principle, by cultivation, here it attains to its best growth. There is, among relatives, great kindliness of feeling, and the circle it embraces is wider than in New England. Any one may, as far as affinity can be traced,

Gentlemen meet at frequent intervals in club houses, often built in the woods, where the entertainment is furnished by each one in turn.

The people of the south have more haughtiness, courtesy, and a higher estimation of personal dignity, than those of the north. Pride is the natural consequence of superiority of station, though it is generally incompatible with meanness. Aplanter would be more apt to do what he would be sorry for, than what he would be ashamed of. Aslight wound of pride is more strictly avenged, than a greater injury to property; and a lack of courtesy is perhaps as much reprobated as a breach in morals. Duelling is the natural growth of such a state, and though it is not frequent, it is but too well established by custom. The challenged is held to fight, even if he feel no resentment, or has done no injustice; and he sometimes perils his life for mere expediency: as he would put it to some risk to preserve his property, he is led to believe that he must do it also to save his character.

‘The poles,’ says a recent traveller, ‘are not more diametrically opposed, than a native of the states south of the Potomac, and a New Englander. They differ in every thing of thought, feeling, and opinion. The latter is a man of regular and decorous habits, shrewd, intelligent, and persevering; phlegmatic in temperament, devoted to the pursuits of gain, and envious of those who are more successful than himself. The former—I speak of the opulent and educated—is distinguished by a high-mindedness, generosity, and hospitality, by no means predicable of his more eastern neighbors. He values money only for the enjoyments it can procure, is fond of gayety, given to social pleasures, somewhat touchy and choleric, and as eager to avenge an insult as to show a kindness. To fight a duel in the New England states would, under almost any circumstances, be disgraceful. To refuse a challenge, to tolerate even an insinuation derogatory from personal honor, would be considered equally so in the South.

‘In point of manner, the southern gentlemen are decidedly superior to all others of the union. Being more dependent on social intercourse, they are at greater pains, perhaps, to render it agreeable. There is more spirit and vivacity about them, and far less of that prudent caution, which, however advantageous on the exchange, is by no means prepossessing at the dinner-table, or in the drawing-room. When at Washington, Iwas a good deal thrown into the society of members from the South, and left it armed, by their kindness, with a multitude of letters, of which Iregret that my hurried progress did not permit me to avail myself. Many of them were men of much accomplishment, and Ithink it probable that Englishmen, unconnected with business, would generally prefer the society of gentlemen of this portion of the union, to any other which the country affords.’

The amusements and occupations of the people inhabiting the valley of the Mississippi afford no great scope to the pen of the true chronicler, though they have often furnished materials for the foreign traveller and the novelist. Anew country, inhabited by what may be called, in some sort, a new people, must, however, present some scenes which may serve to amuse, if not to instruct.91

New Orleans seems, by common consent, to be the focus in which the eccentricities of Missouri, Kentucky, and the rest of the western country concentrate. Here are seen the Spaniard with his lazo, the Kentuckian with his broad-horn, or flat-bottomed ark, the merchant from Europe or the New England states, stepping stately from the deck of his ship, the slave with his burthen on his shoulders, and the gambler looking out for his prey. Not the least interesting of the classes of this heterogenous population, are the women who have not the pure white complexion of the Atlantic coast, or the crisp locks and bent limbs of their remote African ancestors. These females hold an anomalous position among the races by whom they are surrounded, which will require some further comment. They are called quadroons, mustees, mulattoes,&c. as the purity of their parentage or the circumstances of their birth may require.

These women, being generally the offspring of white men of standing and respectability, are left in singularly unfortunate circumstances. They have the feelings, and, in a considerable degree, the education and sentiments of their more pure-blooded countrywomen. Nevertheless, the prejudice, or feeling, be it natural or not, which inclines every free white American to view the whole African race as an inferior order of mankind, prevents any legitimate union with them. So situated, they make the best of the condition into which the accident of birth, and not their own fault, has thrown them. They form temporary connections with such respectable whites as are able to maintain them in ease, and attachments are often formed, which are not surpassed, or scarcely equalled, by any of which we read in romance. However, the connection is generally considered in the light of a bargain. The mother promenades with her fairer daughter on the levee, till some white stranger, smitten with the charms of the latter, makes a proposal. Abargain is made, limited in time, or unlimited, according to circumstances, and a breach of faith, thus plighted, rarely occurs. This connection, infamous as it seems, involves no disgrace in New Orleans. It is the most respectable condition to which a female, who is conscious of the taint of black blood, can aspire. She is neither shunned nor scorned, and may hold up her head in any company into which she may happen to enter.

Strange scenes sometimes occur, in consequence of the mixture of races on the banks of the levee of New Orleans. The small trader tries to take advantage of all with whom he is thrown in contact. The Indian begs, the over-wrought slave groans, the backwoodsman bullies. ‘Twenty dollars,’ cried a Kentuckian boatman, stepping upon the levee, ‘to any man who stops my moderate head-way.’ AMexican hunter of wild horses, who rode quietly behind him, threw his lazo over his head, wheeled his horse short round, and gallopped up the levee, dragging the boaster after him.

Gaming is practised in New Orleans, probably to a greater extent than in any other part of the United States. The vice being considered little or no shame, houses are kept openly. This may be considered one great well-spring of social corruption.

The inhabitants of the states on the Ohio and Mississippi raise great quantities of grain, not to speak of pork and other commodities which bring profit to American agriculturists. New Orleans is the mart where these articles find a vent, and the principal object of a western farmer is to get them thither. To this effect, he builds what he calls a flat boat, that is to say, a large square box, without a lid, capable of containing and transporting many tons. The materials of this vehicle are found in abundance all over the valley of the Mississippi, and the cost of building it is therefore small. In this bark the farmer commits himself to the waters, and if he escapes snags, sawyers,&c. which usually happens, he arrives in New Orleans, where he disposes of his produce. Keel boats are also used for the transportation of goods and produce, but since steamboats have become common on the Mississippi waters, they have in a great measure superseded the aforesaid means of conveyance. Still, the keel and flat boats may merit a description. The former were nearly in the form of the packets used on the Erie and Middlesex canals, and were propelled by poles, oars, and sails. The latter were unmanagable hulks, which floated at the mercy of the current, and could only be diverted from rocks, snags, and other perils of river navigation, by the use of sweeps, which, however, could only move them in a lateral direction. On arriving at New Orleans, their owners broke them up, as no human power could have taken them up stream, and sold them for fire wood. They then returned to their homes by land. Flat and keel boats are now rarely seen on the western waters; but when they were the only means of transportation, they reared a hardy class, fit to fight with Indians, or to subdue the wilderness. This class, thanks to steam navigation, is now on the verge of extinction, and the valley of the Mississippi has seen ‘the Last of the Boatmen.’

‘King balls’ are still in vogue in this region, both in the white and free colored classes. Aball is given, precisely like those known in other parts of the United States, excepting in one particular. He who gives the ball, singles out a lady whom he designates his ‘queen,’ to whom he gives, and who receives, his exclusive attention, for the remainder of the season. The other guests do likewise, and the queens frequently receive presents to a large amount, before the temporary connection is dissolved. Evil is seldom, if ever, known to come of this custom.

Rough athletic sports, racing and shooting matches, are the most common amusements of the men of the west. It is common for parties to test their marksmanship by squirrel shooting, with the western weapon, the rifle. The hunter aims solely at the head of the little animal, and the shot which takes effect in any other part is reckoned as nothing. The rifle used in this and other sports, is very different from those used by volunteer companies in the eastern states, the barrel being very heavy, the bore small, and the sights adjusted with scrupulous accuracy. Hence the proverbial marksmanship of the backwoodsmen, so apparent at New Orleans and elsewhere. The feats of individual hunters almost transcend belief. Some have been known to throw two apples into the air, and strike them both with a single bullet as they crossed each other, and it is not uncommon for one man to hold up a small object for another to shoot at. The celebrated ‘Mike Fink’ used to amuse himself by shooting off the tails of swine, as they ran, and hitting his wife’s comb upon her head.

A pastime is sometimes practised at weddings and other high festive occasions, which is called a goose or gander pulling. The manner is this. The toughest goose is selected from the flock, and its neck is stripped of its feathers, and then well soaped or greased. Asuitable tree is next selected, an oak or hickory being preferred. The feet of the fowl are then made fast to the extremity of a pliant limb, about as high as a man on horseback can reach. Bets are made, and a prize proposed. The first sportsman rides under the tree at full speed, and snatches at the neck of the devoted fowl as he passes. If he succeeds in pulling off its head, he gains the prize; but this rarely happens at the first trial. The neck is too slippery, the animal sees and avoids the horseman’s grasp, and the swaying branch aids its efforts. Besides, the exploit requires no little strength of arm, and is seldom accomplished without sundry falls and bruises; all of which are considered matter of merriment.

The slaves of that section have little amusement, save what they derive from their constitutional good humor. Dances and corn huskings, or shuckings, are their chief pastimes. After laboring hard all day, the negro will cheerfully run to a dance, half a score of miles off, and get back to his toil before morning. Acorn shucking is a matter of more importance. The sable helots sit in a circle round the heap of maize, keeping time with head and hand to some rude ditty like the following:—

This is sometimes accompanied by the banjoe, a kind of rude fiddle. ‘Possum up a gum stump,’ is a great favorite with these choristers.

Buffalo hunting was once, as deer hunting is now, a favorite amusement of the backwoodsmen. The wild cattle have long since receded beyond the Mississippi, and now furnish sport only to the wandering Indians, their traders, and the no less hardy bands of trappers and hunters. Some account of the manner of taking this huge animal may not be out of place here.

The scent of the buffalo, though otherwise it is a very stupid animal, is exceedingly acute. It will scent a man more than a league, and flee in alarm, though it is not terrified at the sight of the human race. Hence it is necessary for the pedestrian hunter to get to leeward of the object of his pursuit. Having approached the animal as nearly as he well may, he stoops, then gets upon all fours, and finally drags himself along prone, pushing his firelock before him. If there be long grass, or if, in winter, the snow be deep, the circumstance much facilitates his operations. If the animal ceases to feed to look at him, he stops and remains motionless till it begins to graze again. By observing these precautions, the buffalo may be approached to within a few yards. When the hunter is nigh enough, he directs his aim behind the beast’s fore-shoulder, and inflicts a mortal wound. This, however, is but a slow and unsatisfactory mode of hunting, inasmuch as it consumes much time, and only one buffalo can be killed in many hours. The best and most experienced hunters follow the chase on horseback.

The mounted sportsman dashes into the thick of the herd, and singles out the best and fattest. The buffalo, when frightened, runs fast, but awkwardly. His gait is that of a swine, and this peculiar gait the trained horse acquires, and assumes when beside the game, obeying the least pressure of the rider’s foot or knee. The hunter takes care to keep at least his horse’s length from the buffalo, in order that, if the latter should turn upon him, which he will certainly do if wounded, he may have time and space to escape. All precautions being duly taken, the horseman throws the reins on his steed’s neck, holds his gun stiffly with both hands, and fires. The horse swerves at the flash, and the rider directs him to new game, himself loading at full speed. An expert huntsman will kill as many as half a score of buffaloes at one race, and rarely misses the heart.

When an Indian wounds a buffalo, he leaves it to die or separate from the herd, and his companions never interfere with what has thus become his property. Few of the skins of the animals so killed are taken, and the greater part of the flesh remains a prey to the wolves and ravens. When the cattle are in plenty, they are slain merely for their tongues, humps, and other delicate morsels. Vast havoc is made of them every year.

The more remote Indians, not being provided with fire arms, use bows and arrows in the chase, and with great effect. Asingle arrow is often known to go through and through a buffalo, and it is seldom a shaft stops short of the feather. But whether it strike deep or not, if it does but stick, the animal’s fate is sealed. It works inward as he runs, and eventually reaches the vitals.

It is a cheering sight to see an Indian buffalo hunt. The tread of the herd shakes the solid earth; the hunters animate each other with loud shouts, and the guns flash incessantly. Here a rider is seen fleeing for life before some infuriated animal; there a buffalo stands at bay. Altogether, the scene produces an excitement which those only who have felt can conceive. The passion for this chase increases with time, and few professed buffalo hunters leave it before age disables them.

There are many apparent dangers in buffalo hunting. The prairies are full of holes dug by badgers and other burrowing animals, in which the horse may stumble, and there is some risk from the horns of the chase. Nevertheless, it is seldom that any serious accident occurs.

Another mode of taking the buffalo was formerly in use among the Indians of the Mississippi. Two rows of stakes were planted in the prairie, gradually converging, till at their extremity they barely left a passage into an inclosure of a few yards in area. These rows were a league or more in length, and on the top of each stake was placed a piece of turf, which frightened the cattle, and prevented them from attempting to escape in a lateral direction. The herd, being pursued by horsemen to the entrance of this artificial defile, were driven onward till they reached the pound, when the entrance was closed, and the work of destruction began. Few ever escaped, for the buffalo has little sagacity, and, being thus shut up, will run round and round, without attempting to break through the barriers which inclose them. This mode of hunting is still practised by some of the more remote tribes.92

Deer are hunted on the Mississippi, both by whites and Indians, in a way unknown in the eastern states. In the hot nights of summer, the deer resort to streams and ponds, to escape from the myriads of mosquitoes with which the woods teem, and stand immersed in the water for hours. Sportsmen take advantage of this habit to destroy them. Aboard is placed in the front of a canoe, before which burns a torch. The board serves to deflect the light from the person of the hunter, who paddles as silently as possible along the margin. The devoted deer seems to be fascinated by the glare of the torch, and suffers the canoe to approach within five yards of him. Nay, even the sound of a gun close at hand will scarce startle him. Two or three are often killed within a stone’s throw of each other.

We are not aware that, besides the particulars already noticed under this head, there are any occupations or amusements peculiar to the people of the west, of sufficient importance to require description.