possession of a British garrison the great "Northwest Company" could control the fur trade. As soon as they learned of the treaty, they protested vigorously against giving up Mackinac at all, and found a willing and zealous abettor of their designs in Colonel McDonall, the commander of the post. Their influence was sufficient to wring from Sir Gordon Drummond, the British commander-in-chief, the promise that the post would not be given up until the question of its surrender could be referred to the king. This would mean a delay of months, perhaps of years. But the old game would not work now. Colonel Anthony Butler, who had been left in command at Detroit, refused to withdraw his troops from Malden until possession of Mackinac was given, and held the place even after the British force to occupy it had reached Sandwich. Then President Madison sent a letter to General Drummond at once so frank and conciliatory that the British officers scheming in the interests of the great fur company had not a pretense on which to base their machinations. Nevertheless it was the 18th of July when Colonel Butler finally got possession of the fort at Mackinac, and this was the last American fort in British hands. At last Michigan was again at peace, and hostile forces have never since crossed her borders.

Original: Laws of the Territory of Michigan. Passed by fifth Legislative Council, Detroit, 1833. Contains Ordinance of 1787, the Amendments of 1789 and 1792; the Act of May 7, 1800, dividing Northwest Territory, the Act establishing Michigan Territory of January 11, 1805, the Act for laying out Detroit and granting 10,000 acres of land, the Act authorizing delegate from Michigan, 1819, and the other Michigan Amendments to the Ordinance, the Act confirming land titles, and granting school lands.-Territorial Laws of Michigan, four volumes published by the state, Vol. I., 1871, Vols. II. and III, 1874; Vol. IV., 1884.—Lanman's History of Michigan, chapters XII-XVII., New York, 1839. — Historical and Scientific Sketches, Paper IV.-Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections: Papers from Archives at Ottawa, 1815 ff., Vol. XVI. Letters of Lucius Lyon, Vol. XXVII., pp. 412-604.

Secondary: Campbell's Political History, chapters XIII.XVI.-Cooley's Michigan, chapters X.-XI.-Hinsdale's Old Northwest, chapter XVII.-McLaughlin, A. C., "Influence of Governor Cass on Development of Northwest," Papers of the American Historical Association, 1888, New York, 1889.-McLaughlin's "Cass" in American Statesmen Series, Boston, 1891. -Cooley, Principles of Constitutional Law, chapter IX.-"An Account of the cessions of lands by the Indians," by Hon. Alpheus Felch; Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections, Vol. XXVI., pp. 274-296.—Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections, Vol. XXVII.: The Michigan-Indiana Boundary, by Annah May Soule, p. 341. The Southern and Western Boundaries of Michigan, by Annah May Soule, p. 346. This Article constitutes, also, Vol. II., No. 2, of the Publications of the Michigan Political Science Association.-"Toledo War," Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections, Vol. XII., pp. 409-414. -On the Method of Admission of Michigan as a state, see Jameson, Constitutional Conventions, chapter IV. §§ 194-209.

102.

After having recovered the lower part of Michigan by his victory at the Thames, General Harrison, on the 14th of October, 1813, appointed General Lewis Cass as provisional governor of the Territory. Cass was soon appointed the regular governor by President Madison. A better selection could scarcely have been made, "and it was a great and lasting boon to Michigan when it was given a governor at once so able, so patriotic, so attentive to his duties, and so worthy in his public and private life of respect and esteem."" The Territory also got a new secretary in the person of William Woodbridge, another excellent appointment, and the new chapter in our history is to be very different from the last.

103. When Governor Cass entered upon his new duties, conditions here were critical and the situation was very trying. War is always terrible and its ravages are always great, and Michigan suffered more from it than any other part of the country. But the evils here were greatly aggravated by Proctor's year of rule. His own acts had been the source of much misery to the people, and much greater misery came from his wilful neglect to exercise any restraint upon the Indians. In the Raisin Valley especially (to a less extent in the other settlements) the ravages by the natives had been very great. The cattle had all been driven off or had become so wild that they could not be reclaimed, and could only be hunted and shot as one might hunt the deer. Provisions of every kind had been carried away or destroyed, and the inhabitants were reduced to actual distress. They had to be aided to prevent starvation. Moreover at the best they were poor, and lacked self-reliance and enterprise, and 1 Cooley, Michigan, p. 204.

instead of rousing themselves to unusual exertions to overcome their difficulties, they yielded to their misfortunes, settled back in despair, and were utterly helpless. Hence they not only needed aid, but they needed much more to be encouraged and aroused, and besides they needed to be taught better methods of agriculture than they had ever known. The direct aid given was very slight, as Congress allowed but $1,500 for this purpose, but by good judgment and energy on the part of the governor all the difficulties were gradually overcome, and the Territory was placed on the sure road to prosperity.

104. With the treaty of Ghent Indian difficulties did not entirely cease. But in 1814 and again in 1815 treaties were made with those in and about Michigan securing nominal peace. Outrages, however, continued, and these were usually followed up and punished by the inhabitants of the territory. The hanging of two Indians at Detroit proved to be a much needed lesson, and outrages soon ceased. Nevertheless, there was one continuous source of trouble. The English still did everything they could to maintain their influence over the Indians. Every year the Indians flocked in great numbers to Malden and Drummond's Island to receive the presents which England bestowed upon them, and in the drunken orgies that followed these visits serious outrages were sometimes committed. This exceedingly dangerous practise the United States again took no steps to prevent. Had another war come with England, and once or twice we were very near it, the frontiers of Michigan would again have been exposed to all the horrors of the War of 1812.

105. Just before the War of 1812 John Jacob Astor had appeared in the fur trade of Michigan, and was try

ing to purchase the American interests of the Northwest Company. The war came before he had succeeded. After the war Congress passed a law in his interest forbidding foreign traders from operating within the limits of the United States, a perfectly justifiable act when we remember the pernicious activity of the Northwest Company during the war. Mr. Astor soon established himself at Mackinac, and his agents were soon everywhere gathering that wealth which still continues. to give prominence to the Astor family.

106. For some years after the war also, British officials were exceedingly exasperating. Their communications were overbearing and supercilious in tone, they were constantly attempting to assert their authority on this side the line, and even dared to assert the right of search of American vessels on the lakes. In spite of the fact that he had been left with but little military force in the Territory, and that his province was weak as compared with the Canadian province opposite him, and the Indians were still virtually hostile, the governor spiritedly resisted all attempts at invasion of our rights as an independent nation, and in the end successfully put a stop to all encroachments. The tampering with the American Indian he could not stop, mainly because of the entire indifference of the central government.

107. The first necessity for the development of Michigan was more people. But before people could come in any considerable numbers lands must be available, and none had yet been surveyed or put on the market. In 1812 Congress had offered lands as a bounty to soldiers, and 2,000,000 acres of these were to be located in Michigan. As soon as the war closed surveyors were sent to lay out these lands. They