enduring hardihood, by which the rights of Kentucky have been confirmed and sealed in the blood and by the arms of her sons. The right of arms and of conquest are parts of the law of nations; and the people of Kentucky are entitled to their operation, as much as every other body politic. Such indeed, is the uncertain condition of even civilized society, that helpless are the plainest rights of men, which are not supported and vindicated when necessary, by the courage and the manly firmness of their possessors. To the fruits of this courage and endurance of suffering in every appalling form, no portion of the western country has superior claim to that of Kentucky. She has been the nursing mother of the west, the blood of her children has flowed freely on every battle field; and now, let them and their posterity enjoy the honors so manfully won.

CHAPTER II.

Policy of the British Government--Proclamation of 1763-Violations of it-Visit of Dr. Walker in 1747-Names the Shawanee river, Cumberland-Visit of John Finley-of Daniel Boone--Long hunters-Visit of Capt. Thomas Bullitt and McAfees-Surveys of Louisville-Simon Kenton-Burning of Hendricks-Adventures of the McAfees— James Harrod settles Harrodsburg-Battle of Point Pleasant-Treaty of 1774-Treaty of 1775-Settlement of Boonesborough and St. Asaphs-Indian method of siege.

The British government seems to have suspected the policy of extending her colonies freely, on this side the Alleganies; though several large grants of land had been made to different land companies.* The proclamation of the king, however, in 1763, expressly prohibited the granting warrants of survey, or passing "patents for any lands beyond the heads or sources of any of the rivers, which fall into the Atlantic Ocean from the west of north-west." But so irresistible is the love of adventure in the early state of society, so irrepressible is its fondness for new and unexplored scenes of enterprise, that as was once said in the senate of the United States, "you might as well inhibit the fish from swimming down the western rivers to the sca, as to prohibit the people from settling on the new lands."

* 4th vol. Franklin's Works; Ohio Settlement; Marshall's Colonial History, p. 281.

B*

The whole history of our country, and particularly of its western section, is an exemplification of this enterprising spirit: nor could tenfold the energies of the British government have repressed this darling passion of society. Accordingly it was found seeking its gratification, by numerous pioneers, who Sometimes singly, and at other times in parties, little stronger, (considering the fearful odds of enemies and distance, opposed to them,) engaged in exploring this new region of the West. No doubt the military conflicts of our countrymen with the French and Indians, in the war of '55, and the distinguished success with which it closed, must have brought many gallant spirits acquainted imperfectly with the country on the lower Ohio; and as far as it was imperfect, so much more would their ardent imaginations enhance its interest, and would their curiosity be stimulated. Indeed, the actual occupation of the country acquired by the peace of 1763, obliged the British officers to pass through the western country to St. Vincents, as Vincennes was then called, to Kaskaskias and Cahokia.

Previous to this time, as early as* 1747, Dr. Walker, of Virginia led an exploring party through the north-eastern portion of the State and gave the name of Cumberland, after the "Bloody Duke," of that name, to the present river, formerly called Shawanee river, and likewise Louisa, to the Big Sandy river on the east, a name now confined to one of its upper forks; but which was at first applied to the Kentucky. This party, having unfortunately fallen upon the most mountainous portion of the State, did not effect much, in favor of Kentucky by their report. John Finley, of North Carolina, and his companions, are said by Daniel Boone, to have visited the country, in 1767, without however leaving, it is believed, a trace of their expedition beyond their names; now so briefly, but unavoidably recorded. Two years after the return of Finley, Daniel Boone tells us in his meagre narrative, that "on the first of May,1769, he left his peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North-Carolina," in quest of the country of Kentucky,

* Dr Walker so informed John Brown, Esq., of Frankfort. † McAfee and Ray. Com posed by John Filson, from the dictation of Boone, in 1784.

in company with John Finley, John Stewart, and three others. To a philosophic observer in the ancient and ripened states of society, could any thing appear more forlorn and quixottic, than thus to abandon peaceable habitations in the very spring and seed time of the year; to go in quest of a distant and unknown country, infested with wild beasts and enemies not less savage; a region beset with every variety of difficulty and hardship! Yet while these difficulties deter the quiet and industrious, they only stir the blood and string the nerves of the enterprising and the restless. Both characters have their appropriate periods and sphere of social utility.

Our daring explorer continues; "we proceeded successfully, and after a long and fatiguing journey, through a mountainous wilderness in a western direction, on the 7th day of June following, we found ourselves on Red River, the northernmost branch of the Kentucky river; where John Finley had formerly been trading with the Indians, and from the top of an eminence, we saw with pleasure, the beautiful level of Kentucky." Let us attend to the first recorded impressions, which, this new country made upon its hardy and fearless explorers; "we found" says the narrative "every where abundance of wild beasts of all sorts through this vast forest." "The buffaloes"(or the bison of the naturalist)"mere more frequent than I have seen" says Boone, "cattle in the settlements, browzing on the leaves, or cropping the herbage on these extensive plains." The party continued "hunting with great success until the 22d of December following." Soon after this, John Stewart was killed, the first victim, as far as is known, in the hecatombs of white men, offered by the Indians to the god of battles, in their desperate and ruthless contention for Kentucky. Our author or pamphleteer then says, that he and his brother Squire Boone, who had reached the country some time before in pursuit of his roving relative, continued during the winter undisturbed, until the first of May; when the former returned to the settlements, as the more densely inhabited parts of the country were called.

During this same year,* a party of about forty stout hunters,

Marshall, 1, 9.

"from New River, Holston and Clinch” united in a hunting expedition west of the Cumberland Mountains.

Nine of this party, led on by Col. James Knox, reached Kentucky; and, from the time they were absent from home, they "obtained the name of the Long Hunters." This expedition reached "the country south of the Kentucky river,” and became acquainted with Green river, and the lower part of the Cumberland.

In addition to these parties, so naturally stimulated by the ardent curiosity incident to early and comparatively, idle society, the claimants of military bounty lands which had been obtained from the British crown, for services against the French, furnished a new and keen band of western explorers. Their land warrants were surveyed on the Kenhawa and the Ohio; though most positively against the very letter of the royal proclamation of '63. But at this distance from the royal court, it was nothing new in the history of government that edicts emanating, even from the king in council, should be but imperfectly regarded. However, this may be, land warrants were actually surveyed on the Kenhawa as early as 1772, and in 1773, several surveyors were deputied to lay out bounty lands on the Ohio river.

Amongst others Thomas Bullitt, uncle to the late Alexander Scott Bullitt, first lieutenant governor of Kentucky; and Hancock Taylor, engaged in this adventurous work. These gentlemen with their company were overtaken on the 28th of May, 1773, by the McAfees, whose exertions will hereafter occupy a conspicuous station in this narrative.

On the 29th, the party in one boat and four canoes, reached the Ohio river, and elected Bullitt their captain.

There is a romantic incident connected with this gentleman's descent of the Ohio, evincing singular intrepidity and presence of mind; it is taken from his journal, as Mr. Marshall says, and the author has found it substantially confirmed by the McAfee papers. While on his voyage, he left his boat and went alone through the woods to the Indian town of Old Chillicothe, on the Scioto. He arrived in the midst of the town undiscovered by the

Indians, until he was waving his white flag as a token of peace. He was immediately asked what news? Was he from the Long Knife? And why, if he was a peace-messenger, he had not sent a runner? Bullitt, undauntedly replied, that he had no bad news; was from the Long Knife, and as the red men and the whites were at peace, he had come among his brothers to have a friendly talk with them, about living on the other side of the Ohio; that he had no runner swifter than himself; and, that he was in haste and could not wait the return of a runner. "Would you," said he, "if you were very hungry, and had killed a deer, send your squaw to town to tell the news, and wait her return before you cat?" This simple address to their own feelings, soon put the Indians in good humor, and at his desire a council was assembled to hear his talk the next day. Captain Bullitt then made strong assurances of friendship on the part of the whites and acknowledged that these "Shawanees and Delawares, our nearest neighbors," "did not get any of the money or blankets given for the land, which I and my people are going to settle. But it is agreed by the great men, who own the land, that they will make a present to both the Delawares and Shawanees, the next year, and the year following, that shall be as good." On the ensuing day, agreeably to the very deliberate manner of the Indians in council, Capt. Bullitt was informed, that "he seemed kind and friendly, and that it pleased them well." That as to "settling the country on the other side of the Ohio with your people, we are particularly pleased that they are not to disturb us in our hunting. For we must hunt, to kill meat for our women and children, and to get something to buy our powder and lead with, and to get us blankets and clothing." In these talks, there seems a strange want of the usual sagacity of the Indians as to the consequences of white men settling on their hunting grounds; so contrary to their melancholy experience for a century and a half previous; yet, the narrative is unimpeachable. On the part of Bullitt, too, the admission of no compensation to the Delawares and Shawanees, appears to be irreconcilable with the treaty at fort Stanwix with the master tribes of the confederacy, the Six Nations. However this may