TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES NORTH-WEST OF THE RIVER OHIO. [Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by 1854.. AMONG the Historical Notes which constitute the introduction to this History of Indiana, I have inserted many official documents relating to the early affairs, civil and military, of the vast region which was formerly called the Territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio. From a very great number of printed authorities, and from many thousand pages of old manuscript records and letters, I have selected only those statements which appear to be well authenticated, and connected, either directly or remotely, with the origin and progress of civilization in that large domain. With a sincere desire to cast from my mind those popular prejudices which have had their origin in ambitious contentions between distinguished individuals, or in national partialities and antipathies, or in improbable narratives and fanciful conjectures, or in conflicting political systems, or in different creeds of religion, I have labored for several years, with constant and careful perseverance, to find out and to perpetuate all the important facts which properly belong to an impartial history of Indiana from its earliest exploration by Europeans to the close of the Territorial Government in 1816. Many interesting particulars concerning the discovery and settlement of the northwestern territory have been gleaned from the voluminous writings of divers Catholic missionaries, and French travellers, who visited the valley of the Mississippi at different periods in the course of the eighteenth century: and here it is proper to say that my thanks are especially due to the Rev. Mr. MARTIN, of Vincennes; to J. W. RYLAND, Esq. of Cincinnati; to J. B. DURET, Esq. of Logansport; and to Dr. MUNSELL, of Indianapolis; from whom, collectively, I have received essential assistance in the examination of a large collection of French records, and in the task of translating sundry French ordinances, and other public documents. A list of the names of persons from whom I have received rare and valuable manuscripts, and aid and encouragement in the midst of perplexing difficulties, shall be published in the form of an appendix, at the close of the second volume of this work. The following is a list of the titles of the principal authorities which I have examined, carefully, in the course of a laborious investigation of confused traditions, contradictory narratives, and questionable records: American Archives: Fourth Series: Containing a Documentary History of the English Colonies in North America, from the King's message to Parliament, of March 7, 1774, to the Declaration of Independence by the United States.-Published at Washington, by M. St. Clair Clarke and Peter Force, under authority of an act of Congress, passed on the 2d of March, 1833. American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States, from the first session of the first to the third session of the thirteenth Con. gress, inclusive: Commencing March 3, 1789, and ending March 3, 1815.-Selected and edited, under the authority of Congress, by Walter Lowrie, Secretary of the Senate, and Matthew St. Clair Clarke, Clerk of the House of Representatives. An Historical and Chronological Deduction of the Origin of Commerce, from the earliest accounts: Containing an history of the great commercial interests of the British Empire, &c.-By Adam Anderson. 4 vols. quarto; London, 1801. Reports from Committees of the [British] House of Commons, from 1715 to 1801: Or dered by the House of Commons to be printed. 15 vols. quarto. Meres' Annual "Historical Register, containing an impartial relation of all transactions, Foreign and Domestic," from 1714 to 1737. 22 vols. 12mo.; London. Dodsley's Annual Register, from 1758 to 1819. 61 vols. 8vo.; London. Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania, from 1683 to 1736. 3 vols. 8vo. A collection of all the Laws of Virginia, from the first session of the Legislature in 1619 to the year 1792: By William Waller Hening. 13 vols. 8vo. The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution: Published under the direction of the President of the United States, from the original manuscripts in the Department of State, conformably to the resolutions of Congress, of March 27th, 1818: Edited by Jared Sparks. 12 vols. 8vo. Secret Journals of the Congress of the Confederation: Published under the direction of the President of the United States, conformably to resolution of Congress of March 27, 1818, and April 21, 1820. Journals of the American Congress, from 1774 to 1778. 4 vols. 8vo. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, from the commencement of the first to the termination of the nineteenth Congress: Printed by order of the Senate of the United States. Journals of Congress. Elements of General History: Translated from the French of the Abbe Millot. Part second-Modern History. 3 vols. 8vo.; London, 1779. The Writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts, by Jared Sparks. 12 vols. 8vo. The works of Benjamin Franklin, containing several political and historical tracts, not included in any former edition, and many letters official and private not hitherto published, with notes and a life of the author: By Jared Sparks. 10 vols. 8vo.; Boston, 1840. History of the Political Systems of Europe and its Colonies, from the discovery of America to the independence of the American continent: By A. H. L. Heeren, professor of History in Gottingen, and member of the Royal French Academy of Inscriptions. [Trans. lated from the German, by George Bancroft.] 2 vols. 8vo. The History of the United States of North America, till the British Revolution in 1688: By James Grahame, Esq. 2 vols. 8vo. The Annals of America, from the discovery of Columbus, in the year 1492 to the year 1826 By Abiel Holmes, D. D. 2 vols. 8vo. The Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States of America, from the signing of the definitive treaty of peace, 10th September, 1783, to the adoption of the Constitution, March 4, 1789: Published under the direction of the Secretary of State. Transactions and Collections of the American Antiquarian Society. 2 vols. 8vo. Tracts and other Papers, relating principally to the origin, settlement, and progress of the Colonies in North America, from the discovery of the country to the year 1776: Collected by Peter Force. 2 vols. 8vo. A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, arranged in systematic order, forming a complete history of the origin and progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Conmerce, by sea and land, from the earliest ages to the present time; By Robert Kerr, F. R. S. and F. A. S. 18 vols. 8vo.; Edinburgh, 1816. The History of the discovery and settlement of America: By William Robertson, D. D., Principal of the University of Edinburgh, &c. &c. &c. 1 vol. 8vo. The History of Louisiana, particularly of the cession of that Colony to the United States of America: By Barbe Marbois. 1 vol. 8vo. Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies from the papers of Thomas Jefferson: Edited by Thomas Jefferson Randolph. 4 vols. 8vo.; 1830. The History of New Hampshire, comprehending the events of one complete century, from the discovery of the river Piscataqua: By Jeremy Belknap, A, M. 3 vols. 8vo. The History of Pennsylvania, in North America, from the original institution and settlement of that Province, under the first Proprietor and Governor William Penn, in 1681, till the year 1742; and a brief description of the said Province, and of the general state in which it flourished, principally between the years 1760 and 1770: By Robert Proud. 2 vols. 8vo. History of the Colonization of the United States: By George Bancroft. 3 vols. 8vo, A History of the Colonies planted by the English on the continent of North America, from their settlement to the commencement of the war which terminated in their independence: By John Marshall. 1 vol. 8vo. Laws of the Colonial and State Governments relating to Indians and Indian Affairs, from 1633 to 1831, inclusive. 1 vol. 8vo. |