The

tiful oak-openings on the Kalamazoo, the fertile tracts on the borders of Grand River, the prairies of the St. Joseph, and the rich and inviting slopes along the shores of Lake Michigan, were traversed only by the wild beast and the savage, and the streams navigated only by the bark canoe. feeble settlements on the frontier had been converted into scenes of desolation; no roads through the interior had been constructed; and the only access to the country by land from the East was through the trackless wilderness distinguished by the name of the Black Swamp, and by the military road along the Detroit river. Everything, therefore, was to be done. to develop the resources of the territory, and to secure to it the advantages which, from its position and the fertility of its soil, it was entitled to enjoy. It would appear, however, that the character of the country in regard to the latter particular was at that time but little understood, as is shown by the following fact: In 1812, Congress had passed an act providing for the survey of the bounty-lands to be granted for the soldiers enlisting for the war which had then just commenced, and this survey was directed to be made in the territory of Michigan. The persons employed for this object, however, made so unfavorable a report in regard to the soil, representing it as marshy and everywhere sterile, that in 1816 the act was repealed, and the quantity of land required for this purpose was ordered to be surveyed in Arkansas and Illinois. The surveyors either did not make a thorough examination of the soil, or, what perhaps is more probable, they were deceived by the sandy nature of the oak-lands, which have a yellowish color before they are brought into cultivation, but which, from the quantity of lime they contain, turn black after they are exposed to the action of the sun and air by the plough.

During that year, however, and the two following, the country was more fully explored, and numerous tracts of fertile land, with a rolling surface, variegated by groves and lakes, were discovered. These lands were forthwith surveyed, and in 1817 and 1818 portions of them were offered for sale, showing the superiority of our enlightened and liberal laws, contrasted with the narrow policy of the former possessors of the soil. A great change now took place in public opinion in regard to the value of these lands, and subsequent surveys more fully confirmed the inaccuracy of the impressions which had hitherto prevailed in relation to them.

With the introduction of steam navigation upon its vast inland seas, a new era may be said to have commenced in the history of the progress of the West. This was in 1819, when the first steamboat, the Walk-in-the-Water, made her appearance on Lake Erie, crossing that lake and passing up to Mackinaw,

By the census taken about that time, the population of Michigan was ascertained to be eight thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. Detroit contained two hundred and fifty houses, and fourteen hundred and fifteen inhabitants, independent of the garrison. The island of Mackinaw, which continued to be a central mart for the fur-trade, had a stationary population of four hundred and fifty, which was at times increased to not less than two thousand by the Indians and traders who resorted there from the upper lakes. The settlement at the Saute de Ste. Marie contained only fifteen or twenty houses, occupied by French and English families.

Although, by the ordinance of 1787, lot number 16 was directed to be reserved in every township for the support of common schools, no measures had yet been taken to introduce a system of public instruction, if we except the act passed by the governor and judges in 1817 for the establishment of what was styled in it the Catholepestemiad, or University of Michigan. This

act, which was drawn up by Augustus B. Woodward, Chief Justice of the Territory, is a very curious document. He was a gentleman possessing extensive acquirements, but was not a little eccentric in his character, and the views he entertained on this and some other subjects were certainly not very practical. The phraseology of the act is not its least singular feature, and would seem better suited to the age of my Lord Coke than to the understanding and condition of a race of new settlers engaged in clearing away the forest. This university was to have thirteen didaxia or professorships, each of which was to be liberally endowed, and it was designed to lay broad and deep the foundations for a thorough education.

Indeed, all Judge Woodward's projects seem to have been upon no very moderate scale. Detroit is indebted to him for a plan of the city laid out in the form of a cobweb, with public squares, a circus, a Campus Martius, streets, cross-streets, avenues, &c., more vast in its conception and more complex in its design than ancient Rome, and requiring a longer period to fill it up than from the time of Romulus to our own day. The utilitarian tendencies of his successors, however, have made strange havoc with this magnificent plan, the traces of which are now nowhere visible but on the map.

On the admission of Illinois into the Union in 1818 all the territory lying north of that State and Indiana was annexed to Michigan; and the following year Congress passed an act authorizing the election of a delegate from the Territory to the National Legislature, who should have the right of speaking, but not of voting. This was of great advantage to the inhabitants, as they were thereby provided with a representative through whom they could make known their wants to the General Government.

Michigan, meanwhile, gradually continued to advance in population. The settlers extended themselves along the banks of the rivers Raisin, Huron, and St. Clair, and cleared away the forest from the spots where now stand the villages of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Pontiac, Jackson, and Tecumseh.

That portion of the Territory, however, situated upon the borders of the upper lakes was then but little known; and in 1820 an expedition was set on foot for the purpose of exploring it, to ascertain the number and condition of the Indian tribes in that quarter, and to select such positions as might be most favorable for its defence. This expedition, which was under the direction of Governor Cass, was accompanied by a mineralogist, a topographical engineer, and a physician; was provided with an escort of soldiers, and the commanding officers of the posts along the lakes were ordered to afford it every facility in their power. The party started from Detroit on the 24th of May in bark canoes manned by voyageurs and Indians.

Passing up the river St. Clair, they proceeded along the shores of Lake Huron, visited the island of Mackinaw, then maintained as a trading-post by the Northwest Company, and soon arrived at the Saute de Ste. Marie.

This was considered a favorable point for the establishment of a military post. By the treaty of Greenville, concluded in 1795, the Indians had agreed that all the lands which they had granted to the French or English should be transferred to the United States. This place they had ceded to the French, who had formerly maintained a garrison here: it was clear, therefore, that it came within the provisions of that treaty. A council was therefore called, at which the Indian chiefs attended, dressed in fine broadcloths and decorated with trinkets of British manufacture. The savages opposed the occupation, and sought to prevent it by denying all knowledge of the original cession; and when it was fully explained to them they still

F

persisted in withholding their consent, though in less positive terms, suggesting that their young men might prove unruly and kill the cattle which should stray from the post. This being understood as intended for a threat, Governor Cass replied that he would give himself no farther trouble to confer on the subject, but that so sure as the rising sun would set in the west, so sure should an American garrison be established at that place, whatever might be their decision.

The chiefs, who appear to have been under British influence, now spent several hours in discussion. Some of them were willing that the Americans should occupy the post if there were no troops stationed there. At length a chief, who held the rank of a brigadier general in the British service, seized his war-lance and struck it furiously on the ground, intimating thereby that the place would not be given up except to superior force, and the council soon afterward dispersed in a hostile spirit.

The expedition under Governor Cass consisted of sixty-six men, of whom thirty were regular soldiers, and the savages numbered about eighty warriors. The latter occupied the site of the old French fort and the Americans were drawn up upon the bank of the river St. Mary, a ravine separating the two at a distance of five or six hundred yards.

While the Americans were waiting to see what would be the issue of the affair, the British flag was hoisted from the midst of the Indian encampment by the chief who had shown so hostile a disposition in the council. On discovering this, Governor Cass ordered his men to stand by their arms, and, taking an interpreter, proceeded directly to the Indian camp. Here he indignantly tore down the obnoxious flag, telling the chief who had hoisted it that it was an insult of the grossest kind; that the flag was the emblem of national sovereignty; that the ensigns of two different nations could never float on the same soil; that they would not be permitted to raise any other than that of the United States; and that if they attempted it again that Power would set a strong foot upon their necks and crush them to the earth. When he had said this the governor returned to his encampment, and a few minutes after he arrived there the Indian women and children were seen quitting their lodges and getting on board their canoes. No act of hostility, however, was committed; and some of the older chiefs, who had not been present at the council, came forward and made overtures of peace. At seven o'clock the same evening a treaty was concluded with them, by which they ceded to the United States a tract of four miles square around the Saute, including the portage, the site of the old French fort, and the village, reserving to themselves the right of fishing at the falls and of encamping upon the shores. The calumet was smoked, and blankets, knives, silver trinkets, and broadcloths were distributed among them.

Everything having been settled, the expedition started again, and proceeded along the shores of Lake Superior. Here they were struck with the appearance of the Pictured Rocks, which extend for miles along the shores of the lake, stained with a variety of hues by the washing of mineral waters, and which exhibit to the delighted beholder the most singular scene imaginable of Nature's painting. They visited also the Doric Rock, which presents the appearance of a rude though magnificent piece of architecture. chiselled from the solid stone, and examined other curiosities on this part of the coast. The Copper Rock, at the mouth of the Ontonogon river, which has from time immemorial been the subject of Indian superstition in this wild, sequestered region they found particularly worthy of notice.

Having completed its survey, the expedition returned to Detroit by the way of Lake Michigan. The results were a more accurate knowledge of

the geography of the country and of the operations of the Northwest Fur Company, the selection of sites for a line of military posts, and several important treaties with the Indian tribes, ceding valuable tracts of land to the United States. Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft, who accompanied the expedition, afterward published his journal, giving a particular account of the country, and of the incidents which occurred along their route.

Soon after this an important change took place in the government of the territory. In 1823 Congress passed an act abrogating the legislative power of the governor and judges, and establishing a legislative council, to consist of nine members, limiting also the judges' term of office to four years. Two years afterward all county officers, excepting those of a judicial character, were made elective by the people; all executive appointments were required to be approved by the legislative council; and an act was passed empowering the governor and council to divide the territory into townships, to incorporate the same, and to define their rights and privileges.

The Erie Canal, which had been commenced in 1817, was in 1825 opened for navigation from the Hudson to Buffalo; and this event forms an important epoch in the progress of Michigan. The effect of this great public improvement on the interests of the West was twofold; it cheapened the foreign merchandise of which it stood in need, and in the same or a still greater proportion enhanced the value of its agricultual products. Its lands therefore increased in value, new facilities and new motives were offered for settlement, and from this period those vast and fertile regions advanced rapidly in population and general prosperity.

To meet the claims of the increasing population of the territory, new privileges were granted. In 1827 the legislative council was made elective by the people, with the power of enacting laws, subject to the approval of Congress and the veto of the local executive; and upon this footing things remained until the territory was admitted into the Union.

Governor Cass, meanwhile was indefatigable in his efforts to have roads constructed through the interior, and, warned by the experience of the past, to provide effectually for the public defence. His whole administration, indeed, was characterized by a persevering zeal to promote the prosperity of Michigan; to improve its institutions, and to develop its resources.

A new impulse, as we have already remarked, had been given to the progress of the West. It offered a boundless field for enterprise, and began to be considered the proper asylum and retreat for all who would better their fortune by industry. It was emphatically "the poor man's country," where his labor was sure to be rewarded by competence, and eventually by wealth. Hence population flowed in rapidly from the East. The hardy settlers, scattering over the country, made the woods resound with the stroke of the axe; and everywhere the smoke of their cabins was seen ascending from the depths of the forest. The lakes presented a no less animated scene: the white wings of commerce were spread out upon their waters, and the cloud from the distant steamer was seen stretching along the horrizon. The reign of Nature in these hitherto silent and secluded solitudes was at an end, and that of man, with all its life, and bustle, and activity, had begun.

In 1831, General Cass, having been appointed secretary of war, was succeeded by Mr. George B. Porter in the government of the territory, the population of which at this time amounted to about thirty-five thousand. During his administration, Wisconsin, which had before been annexed to Michigan, was erected into a separate territory. Meantime the commerce on Lake Erie was rapidly increasing. A road, which was, to say the least, passable at some seasons of the year, was constructed across the Black

Swamp, and numerous avenues were opened into the interior. In consequence of these improvements, the country became better known, a spirit of speculation was awakened, and, in addition to the actual settlers, the woods were traversed by numbers in search of desirable tracts, which they purchased at the Government price, in the expectation of realizing large'profits from their rapid increase in value.

The method adopted by the Government in making their surveys is one of great accuracy. Two straight lines were drawn across the territory, the one running north and south, the other east and west. The north and south line was denominated the principal meridian, and the east and west line was called the base line. The territory was then divided into townships six miles square, and these were subdivided into thirty-six sections of a square mile each, the townships being numbered in regular order, commencing at the meridian and base lines and increasing as they receded from them. The mathematical accuracy of this method, and the farther circumstance that each section and township, and also the lines of the sections, were blazed or marked upon the trees, enabled the emigrant, even in the depths of the forest, to find clear landmarks to guide his course and to ascertain the actual boundaries of each tract. The smallest lot which could be purchased was one of eighty acres, or a fractional lot made by a township line or by the course of a stream.

Prior to the year 1820, the established Government price for land was two dollars an acre, one-fourth of which was required to be paid at the time of purchase, and the remainder in three annual instalments, the land being subject to forfeiture if these were not punctually paid, while a discount of eight per cent. was allowed if the whole amount was paid in advance This system, however, was found to be productive of serious evils. The expectation of gain induced many to make large purchases, and while some realized fortunes, perhaps, from their investments, others, who were less successful, were without the means of paying their instalments, and thus the whole became liable to forfeiture. These results led to a total change of the tem. The price of the public lands was reduced from two dollars to one dollar and a quarter the acre, the whole of which was required to be paid down at the time the purchase was made. This was attended with the best effects, preventing a vast deal of trouble and loss to the Government, discouraging reckless speculation, and enabling the industrious settler with moderate means to acquire for himself a clear and unencumbered title to his land.

sys

Meanwhile, a controversy sprang up which came near terminating in serious collision with a neighboring State. By the ordinance of 1787 it was provided that any one of the grand divisions within the limits of the Northwest Territory should be entitled to admission into the Union whenever its population amounted to sixty thousand; and Michigan having already that number of inhabitants, claimed the right thus granted. The controversy alluded to was in relation to the boundary-line between the latter and Ohio, as established by the ordinance of 1787. Each government claimed a rich and extensive tract as falling within its limits, which was made still more valuable from the proposed terminus of the Wabash and Erie canal, a work of great promise, being included within it. So much excitement, indeed, prevailed that both parties sent a military force to the disputed frontier.

The people of Michigan, having called a convention and formed a State constitution, petitioned Congress to be admitted into the Union, claiming as a part of their territory the tract in dispute with Ohio. Congress, however, decided in favor of the latter State, and assigned to Michigan, in place of