Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 1 (of 2) being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his — Context and Discussion

The Author embarks at New York, with his Indian Collection, and cage with two grizly bears, for England, in the fall of 1839--Packet-ship Roscius, Captain Collins--Gale in the middle of the ocean--A ship dismasted and in distress--The Captain and twenty-eight men taken off and saved--The shipwrecked Captain and his faithful dog--"My man Daniel"--Sailor's nose taken off by grizly bear--Dr. Madden--Terrible gale--Sea-sickness of the grizly bears--Alarm on deck--"Bears out of their cage"--Passengers rush below and close the hatches--A _supposed_ bear enters the cabin!--Great excitement--The explanation--The gale subsides--Amusing mistake--The Author in the steerage--Two eccentric characters--Arrival in Liverpool Page 1

Howling of the grizly Bears--Alarm and excitement about the docks--Scuffle for luggage--Scene at the Grecian Hotel--Landing the grizly bears--Author's journey to London--Ibbotson's Hotel--First sally into the streets--First impressions of London--Adventure in the fog and mud--Amusing occurrence in the street--Beggars at the crossings of the streets--Ingenious mode of begging--Rich shops--No pigs in the streets--Soot and smoke of London--Author returns to Liverpool--Daniel's trouble with the bears--Passing the Indian Collection and grizly bears through the Customs--Arrival in London with Collection and bears--Daniel in difficulty--Howling of bears passing through the Tunnel--The "King of New York," and "King Jefferson" 12

Letters of introduction--Driving a friend's horse and chaise--Amusing accidents--English driving--"Turn to the _right_, as the law directs"--A turn to the _left_--A fresh difficulty--Egyptian Hall--Lease for three years--Arrangement of Collection--Bears sold and removed to Regent's Park Zoological Gardens--Their fates 28

Indian Collection arranged for exhibition--Description of it--The Hon. Charles Augustus Murray--Collection opened to private view--Kindness of the Hon. Mr. Murray--Distinguished visitors--Mr. Murray's explanations--Kind reception by the Public and the Press--Kind friends--Fatigue of explaining and answering questions--Curious remedy proposed by a friend--Pleasures and pains of a friendly and fashionable dinner 34

Author's illness from overtalking in his Collection--Daniel's illness from the same cause--Character of Daniel--His labour-saving plan for answering one hundred questions--His disappointment--Daniel travels to Ireland for his health--Author prepares to publish his Notes of Travel amongst the Indians--John Murray (publisher)--His reasons for not publishing the Author's work--His friendly advice--Author's book published by himself at the Egyptian Hall--Illustrious subscribers--Thomas Moore--Critical notices in London papers 45

The Author's wife and two children arrive in the British Queen, from New York--First appreciation of London--Sight-seeing--Author lectures in the Royal Institution--Suggests a _Museum of Mankind_--Great applause--Vote of thanks by members of the Royal Institution--The "_Museum of History_"--Author lectures in the other literary and scientific institutions of London--Author dines with the Royal Geographical Society, and with the Royal Geological Society--Mrs. Catlin's travels in the "Far West"--Her welcome, and kind friends in London 60

The Author dines with the Royal Highland Society--The Duke of Richmond presides--His Grace's compliment to the Author and his country--Sir David Wilkie--His compliment to the Author--Charles Augustus Murray and the Author at the Caledonian Ball (Almack's) in Indian costumes--Their rehearsal--Dressing and painting--Entering the ball--Alarm of ladies--Mr. Murray's infinite amusement (_incognito_) amongst his friends--War-dance and war-whoops--Great applause--Bouquets of flowers--Scalp-dance--Brooches and bracelets presented to the chiefs--Trinkets returned--Perspiration carries off the paint, and Mr. Murray recognised--Amusement of his friends--The "Indians" return to Egyptian Hall at seven in the morning--Their amusing appearance 66

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke of Coburg and Prince Ernest visit the Collection--His Royal Highness the (little) Duc de Brabant visits the Collection with the Hon. Mr. Murray--The Author presents him an Indian pipe and pair of mocassins--Visit of His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex to the Collection--His noble sympathy for the Indians--He smokes an Indian pipe under the wigwam--The Author takes breakfast with the Duke of Sussex in Kensington Palace--The Duke's dress and appearance--John Hunter, the Indian traveller--The Duke's inquiries about him--Monsieur Duponceau--Visit to the Bank of England--To Buckingham Palace--To Windsor Castle--Author visits the Polish Ball with several friends in Indian costumes 79

Consequent troubles for Daniel in the exhibition-rooms--Daniel's difficulty with an artist making copies--Takes his sketch-book from him--Tableaux vivans commenced--List of the groups--Hon. Mr. Murray attends, with His Royal Highness the Due de Brabant--The Author presented to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Albert, by the Hon. Mr. Murray--Indian Collection removed to Liverpool--Biennial exhibition of Mechanics' Institution--22,000 children admitted free to the Indian Collection in one week--The Indian tableaux vivans in the provincial towns for six months--Collection opened in Sheffield--In Manchester--Nine Ojibbeway Indians arrive, in charge of Mr. Rankin--His proposal to the Author 90

Difficulty of procuring lodgings for the Indians--The Author pays them a visit--Is recognised by them--Arrangement with Mr. Rankin--Crowds around their hotel--First visit of the Ojibbeways to the Author's Collection--Their surprise--Council held under the wigwam--Indians agree to drink no spirituous liquors--The old Chiefs speech to the Author--Names of the Indians--Their portraits--Description of each--Cadotte, the interpreter 103

Ojibbeways visit the Mayor in Town-hall--They refuse wine--Distress of the kind and accommodating landlord--Indians' first _drive_ about the town of Manchester--Their curious remarks--Saw some white people drunk--Many women holding on to men's arms and apparently not sick--Saw much smoke--Vast many poor people--Indians commence dancing in the Author's Collection--Effects of the war-dance and war-whoop upon the audience--Various amusements of the evening--A rich present to the old Boy-Chief--And his speech--Numerous presents made--Immense crowd and excitement--Indians visit a great woollen-factory--Casts made from their heads by a phrenologist--Visit to Orrell's cotton-mill at Stockport--Their opinions of it--The party kindly entertained by Mr. Hollins and lady 111

Indians on the housetops--Great alarm--Curious excitement--People proposing to "take them" with ropes--Railway to London--The "Iron-horse"--"The Iron-horse (locomotive) stops to drink"--Arrive in London--Alarm of the landlady--Visit from the Hon. Mr. Murray--Interview with His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge--Old Chief's speech--War-dance--The Duke gives them ten sovereigns and ten pounds of tobacco--Indians ride about the city in an "omnibus and four"--Remarks on what they saw--The smoke--"Prairies on fire"--Lascars sweeping the streets--Visit from the Reverend Mr. S.--Impatience to see the Queen--Great medicine-feast to gain Her Majesty's consent--Curious ceremony--Hon. Mr. Murray's letter comes in--The Queen's appointment to see them--Great rejoicing 123

Preparations for visiting the Queen--Amusing interview with Sykes, the porter--Mistaken by the old Chief for Prince Albert--Meet the Hon. Mr. Murray--The waiting-room--The Author conducts the party before Her Majesty and the Prince in the Waterloo Gallery--Their reception--Introductions and conversations--Indians give the war-dance--A smoke--The old Chief's speech to the Queen--Pipe-dance--Her Majesty and the Prince retire--Indians at a feast in the waiting-room--Drinking the Queen's health in Champagne--Indians call it "_Chickabobboo_"--Story of _Chickabobboo_, and great amusement--Indians return to London--Evening-gossip about the Queen and her _Chickabobboo_--First evening of the Indians in Egyptian Hall--Great excitement--Alarm--Tremendous applause--Old Chiefs speech--Hon. Mr. Murray's letter to the old Chief, enclosing £20 from the Queen and other presents--Speech of the War-chief--Pipe-dance--Shaking hands--Curious questions by the audience--Ale allowed to the Indians at dinner and after supper--Their rejoicing--They call it _Chickabobboo_ 134

Rev. Mr. S---- and friend visit the Indians again--A day appointed for a _talk_ about religion--Indians go to the Thames Tunnel--Give the medicine-dance (wabeno) under it--Kind treatment there, and _Chickabobboo_--The exhibition--Egyptian Hall--Debate about the propriety of the Indians dancing to make money--Great crowd--Woman screaming and lifted on to the platform by Cadotte (afterwards called the "_jolly fat_ dame")--She gives Cadotte a beautiful bracelet--Her admiration of Cadotte--Evening gossip after their exhibition--The amusements of the evening and sights of the day--A clergyman asks an interview with the Indians and gets offended--Exhibition rooms at night--Great crowd--The "jolly fat dame" in full dress--She talks with Cadotte--Indians meet the Rev. Mr. S---- and friend by appointment--Old Chief's speech to them--Gish-ee-gosh-e-ghee's speech--Reverend gentlemen thank them and take leave 150

Exhibition rooms--Great crowd--The "jolly fat dame"--Her interview with Cadotte--She gives presents to all the Indians--Excitement in the crowd--Women kissing the Indians--Red paint on their faces and dresses--Old Chief's dream and feast of thanksgiving--An annual ceremony--Curious forms observed--Indians invited to the St. George's archery-ground--They shoot for a gold medal--They dine with the members of the club--The "jolly fat dame" and Cadotte--She takes him to his lodgings in her carriage--Cadotte (or the "Strong-wind") gets sick--Is in love with another!--Daniel unfolds the secret to her--Her distress--She goes to the country--The "jolly fat dame" returns--Cadotte's engagement to marry--Rankin promotes the marriage--The Author disapproves of it 167

Mr. Rankin resolves to take the Indians to the provincial towns--Exhibition advertised to close--the wedding in St. Martin's church--Great excitement--Its object--Grand parade through the streets in omnibuses--Rankin advertises "the beautiful and interesting bride" to appear on the platform at the Indians' exhibitions--Public disgust and indignation--Condemned by the Press--Rankin begins his exhibition--Denies Cadotte admission to the Indians' rooms, and dismisses him from his service--Rankin leaves London with the Indians---Author getting out his large work--The Indian portfolio--The "jolly fat dame" makes a visit to Daniel in the exhibition rooms--A long dialogue--Illustrious subscribers to the Author's large work--Emperor of Russia and Duke of Wellington review 10,000 troops at Windsor--The Emperor presents the Author a gold box--Author takes out a patent for "disengaging and floating quarter-decks, to save lives on vessels sinking or burning at sea" 185

Opinions of the Press Page 205

Museum of History 246

A Descriptive Catalogue of Catlin's Indian Collection 248

CATLIN'S NOTES IN EUROPE,

The Author embarks at New York, with his Indian Collection, and cage with two grizly Bears, for England, in the fall of 1839--Packet-ship Roscius, Captain Collins--Gale in the middle of the ocean--A ship dismasted and in distress--The Captain and twenty-eight men taken off and saved--The shipwrecked Captain and his faithful dog--"My man Daniel"--Sailor's nose taken off by grizly bear--Dr. Madden--Terrible gale--Sea-sickness of the grizly bears--Alarm on deck--"Bears out of their cage"--Passengers rush below and close the hatches--A _supposed_ Bear enters the cabin!--Great excitement--The explanation--The gale subsides--Amusing mistake--The Author in the steerage--Two eccentric characters--Arrival in Liverpool.

In the fall of the year 1839 I embarked at New York on board of the packet-ship Roscius, Captain Collins, for Liverpool, with my Indian collection; having received a very friendly letter of advice from the Hon. C. A. Murray, master of Her Majesty's household, who had formerly been a fellow-traveller with me on the Mississippi and other rivers in America; and who, on his return to London, had kindly made a conditional arrangement for my collection in the Egyptian Hall, in Piccadilly.

Mr. George Adlard, an Englishman, residing in the city of New York, had also exerted a friendly influence for me in procuring an order from the Lords of Her Majesty's Treasury for passing my collection into the kingdom free from the customary duties; and under these auspices I was launched upon the wide ocean, with eight tons freight, consisting of 600 portraits and other paintings which I had made in my sojourn of eight years in the prairies and Rocky Mountains of America--several thousands of Indian articles, costumes, weapons, &c., with all of which I intended to convey to the English people an accurate account of the appearance and condition of the North American tribes of Indians.[1]

On board also, as a part of my heavy collection, and as a further illustration of the rude inhabitants of the "_Far West_" I had, in a huge iron cage, two _grizly bears_, from the Rocky Mountains; forming not only the heaviest and most awkward part of my freight, but altogether the most troublesome, as will be seen hereafter.

The wind was kind to us, and soon drove us across the Atlantic, without more than an incident or two worth recording, which I had minuted down as follows:--About the middle of the ocean, and in the midst of a four or five days' heavy gale, we came suddenly upon a ship, partly dismasted, with signals of distress flying, and water-logged, rolling about at the mercy of the merciless waves. We rounded-to with great danger to our own craft, and, during the early part of the night, succeeded, with much difficulty, in taking off the captain and crew of twenty-eight men, just before she went down. This was a common occurrence, however, and needs no further notice, other than of a feature or two which struck me as new. When the poor, jaded, and water-soaked fellows were all safely landed on the deck of our vessel, they laid down upon their faces and devoutly thanked God for their deliverance; and last of all that was lifted on board from their jolly-boat was their keg of rum, the only thing which they had brought with them when they deserted the ship. "This," good Captain Collins said, "you will not want now, my boys," and he cast it into the sea.

[1] If the reader has forgotten to read the Preface, it will take him but a moment to run his eye over it, and by turning back to it he will find it an useful key to what follows.--_Author._

Captain James, a bland and good-natured Scotsman, commander of the Scotia, the unfortunate vessel, was invited by Captain Collins to the cabin of the Roscius, and into his state-room, where he was soon put into a suit of dry and warm clothes, and afterwards seated at the table; where, suddenly, a sullen resistance to food, and contemplative tears rolling over his cheeks, showed his rough shell to contain a heart that was worthy of the fondest affections of a dear wife and sweet little ones--none of which was he blessed with, if I recollect aright. But when his grief found utterance, he exclaimed, "My God! I have left my poor dog tied to the mast of my old craft. There he is, poor fellow! When we took to the jolly-boat I never thought of my poor Pompey!"

The briny tears seemed to burn this veteran's hardened features as they ran over his cheeks; and hunger and fatigue, and all gave way to them and grief, until sleep had dried them up, and taken the edge from his anguished mind.

The next morning, his recital of the affectionate deeds of the life of his faithful dog, "who had made eighteen voyages across the Atlantic with him, and who would always indicate land a-head by his nose sooner than the sailors could discern it from the mast-head--whom he had, in kindness, lashed to the mast for his safety, and in carelessness abandoned to his unavoidable fate," brought tears of pity in my own eyes. Poor man! he often wept for his faithful dog--and I as often wept for him, on our way from the middle of the ocean to Liverpool. We were, at this time, still in the midst of the terrible gale, which was increasing in its fury, and had already become quite too much for the tastes and the stomachs of the _grizlies_--a few words more of whom must go into this chapter.

These two awkward voyageurs from the base of the Rocky Mountains, which I had reared from cubs, and fed for more than four years--for whose roughness in clawing and "chawing" I had paid for half a dozen cages which they had demolished and escaped from, and the prices of as many dogs "used up" in retaking them, had now grown to the enormous size of eight or ten hundred pounds each; requiring a cage of iron so large that it could not be packed amongst the ship's cargo below, but must needs occupy a considerable space on the deck, in the form and size somewhat of a small house.

The front of this cage was formed of huge iron bars, kindly indulging the bruins to amuse themselves with a peep at what was progressing on deck, whilst it afforded the sailors and steerage passengers the amusement of looking and commenting upon the physiognomy and man[oe]uvres of these rude specimens from the wilderness of America. This huge cage, with its inmates, had ridden into and partly through the gale with us, when the bears became subjects of more violent interest and excitement than we had as yet anticipated or could have wished. What had taken (and was taking) place amongst the sick and frightened group of passengers during this roaring, whistling, thrashing, and dashing gale, was common-place, and has been a thousand times described; but the sea-sickness, and rage, and fury of these two grizly denizens of the deep ravines and rocky crags of the Rocky Mountains, were subjects as fresh as they were frightful and appalling to the terrified crew and passengers who were about them, and therefore deserve a passing comment.

The immediate guardian of these animals was a faithful man by the name of Daniel Kavanagh, who had for several years been in my employment as curator of my collection, and designed to accompany me in my tour through England. This man has occupied a conspicuous place in my affairs in Europe, and much will be said of him in the following pages, and the familiar and brief cognomen of "Daniel" or "Dan" applied to him. On embarking with this man and his troublesome pets at New York, I had fully explained to Captain Collins their ferocious, and deceitful, and intractable nature, who had consequently issued his orders to all of his crew and to the steerage passengers not to venture within their reach, or to trifle with them. Notwithstanding all this precaution, curiosity, that beautiful trait of human nature, which often becomes irresistible in long voyages, and able to turn the claws of the Devil himself into the soft and tapering fingers of a Venus or a Daphne, got the better of the idle hours of the sailors, who were amusing themselves and the passengers, in front of the iron bars, by believing that they were wearing off by a sort of charm the rough asperities of their grizly and grim passengers by shaking their paws, and squaring and fending off the awkward sweeps occasionally made at them by the huge paw of the _she_ bear, which she could effectually make by lying down and running her right arm quite out between the iron bars. On one of these (now grown to be amusing) occasions, one of the sailors was "squared off" before the cage, inviting her grizly majesty to a sort of set-to, when she (seemingly aware of the nature of the challenge) gradually extended her arm and her huge paw a little and a little further out of her cage, with her eyes capriciously closed until it was out to its fullest extent, when she made a side-lick at his head, and an exceedingly awkward one for the sailor to parry. It was lucky for him, poor fellow, that he partly dodged it; though as her paw passed in front of his face, one of her claws carried away entirely his nose, leaving it fallen down and hanging over his mouth, suspended merely by a small piece of skin or gristle, by which alone he could claim it.

Here was a sudden check to the familiarity with the bears; the results of which were, a renewal of the orders of non-intercourse from Captain Collins, and a marked coolness between the sailors and steerage passengers and the grizlies during the remainder of the voyage.

The sailor was committed to the care of Dr. Madden, in the cabin, the distinguished traveller in Africa and the West Indies, and now one of our esteemed fellow-passengers, who skilfully replaced and arranged his nose with stitches and splints, and attended to it during the voyage. The poor fellow continued to swear vengeance on the bears when they should reach the land; but I believe that when they were landed in Liverpool, his nose was not sufficiently secure to favour his design. This unlucky affair had happened some days previous to the gale which I have begun to describe; and with the unsociable and cold reserve with which they were subsequently treated by all on board (visited only at stated periods by their old, but not yet confiding friend Daniel, who brought them their daily allowance), they had, as I have mentioned, become partakers and sufferers with us in the pangs and fears of the hurricane that was sweeping over the vessel and the sea about us.