MY DEAR FRIEND: WILDERNESS 4th May 1786. I wrote you by Mr. Coburn in Febry, since which period I have not received a scrip of your pen. I wish to open my mind to you respecting the policy and politicks of this country, but believe me I am afraid, what are you? Separatist or anti-Separatist? As a warm Democrat & a friend to equal Liberty I should suspect you to be the former, but from your silence on the subject, I have some apprehensions that you may be the latter, for it was not usual with you to be silent on any subject which met your support or appro bation. Independent of these doubts, I realy have not time to enter upon the subject-you know that I was originally opposed to the measure, but circumstances have occurred to alter my opinions, the Conduct of Congress & particularly of the State of New York, respecting the navigation of the Mississippi, is disgraceful, dishonest and indeed hostile to this Western World. Congress by not asserting the right of the Union to the navigation of the Mississippi, a right derived from Nature & founded on Treaty, betray the trust reposed in them. 'Tis a pity we have so soon lost sight of those principles of general Justice & that tenacity of private Right, which produced the American Revolution. Should our federal Rulers fail in their duty from want of virtue, I hope policy will admonish them, that there are certain immutable Laws, which operating on the minds of Freemen, would prompt them to seek for Security to their Interests, by every means within their reach. The people here from ignorance of the subject, & from that blind obeyance which used to Characterize the Colonies, are divided in sentiment -but they shall be inform'd or I will wear out all the Stirups at every Station-pray watch Congress for me, & give me your full & candid opinion of what we have to expect from them, with respect to the navigation of the Mississippi, & the reasons on which you formed your opinion. . . . & believe me always your unalterable Friend. JAMES WILKINSON. MY DEAR HUTCHINSON. same. KENTUCKY Augt 18th 1786. I have addressed you several short letters lately on subjects of Business, & I now beg leave to write you on the I have just brought my Acct. with Wickoff & Clark to a close, the amt of cargo & expenses £898.17.6. Virginia money-of which they were bound by solemn obligations to pay me by the 1st June last, of which they totaly failed. Wickoff is now I expect with you, & Clark gone to N. Orleans-the Burden is too much for me to stand under unless I derive assistance from you thro' the aid of the Land which you have for sale, & of this I have strong confidence as Mr Marshalls writes on the 6th July that he had been empowered to draw, & you write me the 6th June-"I have every prospect of disposing of them, (as the patents are received) to great advantage, & expect very speedily to part with the 20,698 acre patent." I however obey the Dictates of necessity, & draw upon you with Terror, particularly as my drafts will be heavy-they will all be at 30 Days Sight, & I trust if it is within the reach of your finances, that my Bills will be honored. My ruin I fear will follow a disappointment, I trust in God & in your exertions, that you will be able should the land not be sold, to fund upon it. The 32,000 Acre Tract is alienated to you & the patent will Issue in your name-it is clear of all dispute, & the Tract is realy valuable. The 20,000 & odd acres of J. H. Craigs which I put you in June, lies near the Big Bone & is really worth a Dollar per acre. I did not inclose you the power of attorney, promised in my last, but I now have it by me, signed, acknowledged, & certified by the Clerk of our Court. I will send it in the 1st next month by Mr. Gordon-you may therefore sell the Land without hesitation. I look forward to Independence & the highest Reputation in this Western World. But God knows I toil, I pay dear for itthe hazard I am in drawing on you occasions me sensations, which I would not voluntarily encounter for £1000 Guineas. I have as yet drawn on you only for £40.0.0.-but in the course of this & the next month, I shall I fear be obliged to swell this sum to £400.0.0.-You will observe that I want no Goods, unless you can send me a few articles, by Gordon of which I shall write you. My Brother in Maryland having promised to Import me immediately from Europe any Cargo I may want. The one moiety of the product of Fowler & Marshalls Land must be reserved subject to my orders, the other is Marshalls. I shall by next May have Patents for 100,000 Acres, which I shall be able to sell at 6d. per Acre, tell me what chance they will stand for a market & tell me what Mr. Moylan has done with the patent forwarded Him for 29,000 & odd Acres. Our Convention will send an Agent to Congress in November, to sollicit our admission into the confederacy, & to Imploy the abelest Council in the State to advocate our Cause. I could be this Man, with £1000 for the Trip, if I would take it, but I have other Business to attend. The Gentleman, will I expect be Col. T Marshall, Mr. Sebastian, Mr Brower, or Col. Bullett. I expect Sebastian will be the man-whoever he is he will be particularly recommended to you. I carried my Election 240 ahead & I find by the observation of several Bystanders, that I spoke 3 Hours, instead. of 13 as I think & before mentioned to you. I pleased myself, &, what was more consequential, every Body else, except my dead opponents-these I with great facility turned into subjects of ridicule & derision. I have experienced a great change since I held a seat in the Pennsylvania Assembly-I find myself now, much more easy, prompt, & eloquent in a public debate, than I ever was in private conversation, under the greatest flow of spirits. . . . Believe me very affectionately & Sincerely your Friend J. WILKINSON. ESSAY OF AN ONONDAGA GRAMMAR, OR A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO LEARN THE ONONDAGA AL MAQUA TONGUE. BY REV. DAVID ZEISBERGER. CONTRIBUTED BY JOHN W. JORDAN. (Continued from Vol. XI. page 453.) 10.) Of Comparison. The Onondaga make use of the usual 3 Degrees, the Positive, Comparative and Superlative, but they are all indeclinable. a.) The Positive signifies the quality of a Thing simply and absolutely; as: hětke, high; ojaneri, good; Inu, far; ostwiáha, few. b.) The Comparative heightens or lessens that quality and is signify'd by the addition hagà or tschihha. Hetkehaga, higher. Ojanerechtschihha, better. Goános, great, big. Goanohaga, greater, bigger. Inuhaga, not very far. Ostwikhaga, fewer. c.) The Superlative heighten or lessen it to a very high or low Degree, and is express'd by adding the syllable tschik to the positive: Hetkechtschik, the highest. Ojanerechtschik, the best. Oqueki, has: Oquektshi. Some have no superlative but instead of it the adverb aquas, very, is used, as : VOL. XII.-5 as: e.) They often express the Comparative with a positive, Inuhága, not very far off. Inu, far off. Inuhaga ganochseráge, to Ganochserage is it not far? Inu Anajota, to Anajot it is far, I.E. it is farther to Anajot than to Ganochserage; or tochsgéhha, near; Inu, far. Tochsgehha Onokaris Inu Zeninge, Onokaris is near Zeninge is far, or it is farther to Zeninge than to Onokaris. Tachioni, the Wolf, ostwi, little or small. Ochquari, the Bear; goáno, big. Hostwi Tachióni gagóano Ochquari; Small is the wolf, big is the Bear, or the Bear is bigger than the wolf. Positiv. Inuhága ne Cajugu, it is not far to Cajugu. as: f.) They use often the Positive instead of the Superlative, Schung, who; gagóano, great; I.E. who is the greatest? I gagóano, I great or I am the greatest. his sagóano, thou art the greatest. raŭha hagoano, he is the greatest. schung óstivi, who is the least? I/gástivi. his sastivi. ranha hostivi. Some Adverbs have Degrees too, as : háchsa, directly, immediately. Superl. hachsátschik néto Superl. netóchtschik schihoquàdi, thither. |