Letters from Francis Parkman to E.G. Squier : with bibliographical notes and a bibliography of E.G. Squier

Edition of two hundred copies from the Torch Press. The Torch Press was founded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa by Luther A. Brewer (1858-1933) in 1907. In 1909, Brewer also opened The Torch Press Book Shop. The shop was a natural outgrowth of Brewer's book collecting interests. By 1911 it was the biggest and most successful bookstore west of Chicago, offering new publications and some astonishing antiquarian pieces, including Abraham Lincoln ephemera. The Torch Press imprints varied widely, including a Christmas series, a nature series, histories, homespun philosophies, bibliographies, and book sales catalogs.LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER DON C. SEITZ ; i 4 ie ‘ RE ea % LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER LETTERS FROM FRANCIS PARKMAN TO E. G. SQUIER WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF E. G. SQUIER A BY DON C. SEITZ LIBRARY 0. NIVERS] IY OF U TAH CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA THE TORCH PRESS NINETEEN ELEVEN Two hundred copies only of this jirst edition printed EPHRAIM GEORGE SQUIER, M. A. £3 1821 - 1888 A. Member of the Society of Antiquities of France; Royal Society of Antiquities of Denmark; Royal Society of Literature, Great Britain; Archzological Institute of London; American Ethnological Society; Academy of Natural History of Philadelphia; President of the Anthropological Institute of New York; Chargé d’Affaires, Central America, April 2, 1849, to September 13, 1850; Member Mixed Commission under Claims Convention of Jan. 12, 1863, between United States and Peru, July 17 to Nov. 27, 1863; Consul for COPYRIGHT 1911 BY THE TORCH PRESS Honduras in New W eekly, etc., etc. THE TORCH CEDAR PRESS RAPIDS IOWA York, 1869; Editor Leslie’s * Pet ENT IE iat cites eas Ginette , neces tentt ile ET 4 IOG yeh Ac. nin OIF fry © qo DA S58 a = EE ©) an 1840-1908 SITeTa a a ty oe ee a ‘ RS a eeeed INTRODUCTORY HIS handful of letters from Francis Parkman to E. G. Squier represents the remains of a correspondence, covering a relationship of more than thirty years, between the historian and the scientist and explorer. Mr. Squier carried on an extensive correspondence with many of the great minds of the last century, beginning with Humboldt. This, with the exception of the Parkman letters, was deposited in the Library of Congress in 1908 by the late Frank Squier, of Brooklyn, New York, his younger brother, who acted as his executor. 5s Dt Biss Be a | fs i. oY :a i a . # ‘i ; ‘| Fc . ee ne dei aaitiagnideas Tia A al Se see ea a8 bod Fe tpn ade Ce eee Ei eee I NT INEen TT mesma, an é Ephraim George Squier was born in the town of Bethlehem, Albany county, New York, June 17, 1821, sixth in line of descent from Samuel Squier, who was the friend and auditor of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, and later his first lieutenant. Two sons of Samuel Squier, Samuel and Philip, emigrated to America after the Restoration, and settled for a time in Boston, removing Here the family made a thence to Connecticut. Philip Squier the place and a name for itself. second, great-grandfather of E. G. Squier, was an officer under Wolcott in the Colonial expedition against Louisburg, and his son Ephraim of Ash- ad i ICT ne aN err Ee Be er sper ¥ Lee oe ee eae 5: ae 7 mvs ee seit: eee cere eheheeeiianemiaie ee ee ee ae rare : om a ee om |t A rf ee. 1 . : al ees = Seep y cae 3 Ske my M ait he ee ae en sr eainieseriimmesiancl evimemateieasi Sennen TT ee ga ic asin aes ls i ee a de. sae eR Ts a * i eee eg Le ae ee ae and took part in Montgom- — to Quebec, ery’s luckless assault. With what was left of this same regiment, he followed Arnold again at Stillwater in that famous charge that altered the fortune of the day and led to the surrender of Burgoyne. Putnam, Parsons, and Webb were his friends, and he was a trusted agent on more than one difficult detail from General Washington himself. He served until the end of the war, and, returning to his farm, lived until he had passed his ninety-seventh year in 1842. Joel Squier, father of E. G. Squier, was a Methodist clergyman, and the income of a wandering minister of that faith did not permit much outlay for tuition, so the boy educated himself between periods of farm labor and attended such schools as the rural districts afforded. He became a teacher first and then qualified as a civil engineer, but the panic period of 1837-’38-'39 rendered this Occupation unprofitable. He turned to literary work and in 1841 became a special writer on the hewspapers at Albany, and as his first independent venture edited “The Poets’ Magazine; a Repository of Original and Selected American Poetry,” . But two numbers, April and May, 1842, were issued. = of Maine There was at the time a considerable agitation for prison reform, the organ of which was The New York State Mechanic. Mr. Squier wrote vigorously for the cause and soon became practically editor of the paper. He also wrote many of the documents prepared by the State Mechanics’ Association to influence public sentiment regarding prison conditions, which eventually accomplished He also solid results in doing away with abuses. throughorganized branch Mechanics’ Associations out the state and caused them to play an important part on the political side of the work. His success deprived him of employment. The cause won, the Association disbanded. The British occupation of Canton aroused interest in China, and he wrote his first book—a compilation of facts In 1844 he estababout the Celestial Kingdom. Connecticut, with Hartford, at Journal the lished and only choice,” last one first, one Clay, “Henry campaign of that Whig great the in as a platform but reorganpaper, the edited only He not year. with such state the in party the ized and revivified routwere battalions trained skill that Van Buren’s disheartened nation the in Clay ed. The defeat of Mr. Squier’s Whig backers and he left Hartford in 1845, to become editor of the Scioto Gazette, published at Chillicothe, Ohio. Here his first scientific aspiration took form. The ancient mounds of the Ohio caught his interest, and the leisure of a weekly newspaper office enabled a ford, Windham county, was an active factor in the American Revolution. He was second in command to Colonel Knowlton at Bunker Hill, and commanded a company in the Connecticut regiment that followed Benedict Arnold through the woods II na INTRODUCTORY es cee eee TO SQUIER Lae PARKMAN a LETTERS FROM >. 10 TO SQUIER INTRODUCTORY the scanty relics of knowledge concerning the red forbears of the Empire state. membership in the learned societies and became at once an authority upon aboriginal America ata time in the middle forties when “America” did not extend beyond the Mississippi Valley and was so new that the study of antiquities seemed almost amusing. Mr. Squier gathered knowledge for the world and stored it with infinite care. From the aboriginal monuments of the west he turned to those of New York, and under the auspices of the Smithsonian produced Aboriginal Monuments of New York, whi ch ranks with Lewis H. Morgan’s League of the Iroq uots in preserving EE ema ith . eres age eee eer " Ee ee x me Se Boao iar arr aE AL se bao l ere gam nies et Ssaed err ar aa ss An ee ERE ee ne eS 6 a ae or SYa Ean Seema tes aoe e ceBAse = a oe . 7, VION! PR neem cae SRR OO Rea, OY as habe tia OS ia The election of Gen. Zachary Taylor as Presi- dent in 1848 gave the Whigs a chance, and in the distribution of offices the position of Chargé d’ Affaires in Central America was given to Mr. Squier, April 2, 1849. The Whigs rather prided themselves on favoring men of letters. Washington Irving was sent to Spain after having indorsed Squier for Central America. Other indorsers were Prescott, the historian of Mexico; Sparks, who edited the letters of Washington; Gallatin, Edward Everett, John L. Stephens, himself a pioneer explorer in Central America; H. B. Anthony, of Rhode Island, long a dear and intimate friend; Bradish, Butler, Trumbull, and Potter, an array of supporters, as the National Intelligencer remarked, ‘at once imposing and irresistible.” Then began that long and invaluable relationship with Central and South America that has since been coined into volumes of standard authority. The tropics made a lasting impression on his observing mind; nor did he see them romantically or with the eye of the adventurer. He looked beneath the verdure and the sky into the antiquities and utilities of the land, heedless of discomfort and with untiring energy, until he knew and had written down his knowledge. He came to the shattered remains of what had promised to be a prosperous Central American ee a Aide _— wd 2. SRR i, e eats. es ei “n Ss Fp ae Tn - nates ate we * sft e ae SP ee a S e ms. , = Z him to make the researches in company with Dr. E. H. Davis that in due time culminated in that rare and valuable volume, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, the first publication issued by the Smithsonian Institution. In 1846 Mr. Squier was elected clerk of the Ohio House of Representatives and was then able to devote more attention to science and exploration. His contributions to the literature of the Smithsonian Institution were so considerable as to bring him to the instant notice of savants here and abroad. Albert Gallatin became his intimate friend and gave him constant encouragement. Then began his correspondence with Humboldt and Jomard. Humboldt wrote of him: “With Dr. Morton’s Crania Americana, the work of Mr. Squier constitutes the most valuable contribution ever made to the archeology and ethnology of America.” He was elected to 13 treet PARKMAN pt FROM ant LETTERS ye 12 most 3 The great war between the states shut out Amer- ‘can interest in externals, and Mr. Squier became the editor of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, 15 when that pictorial was at the height of its success, and remained in the employ of the house of Leslie in editorial positions until illness incapacitated him for active labor, about seven years before his death. He died in Brooklyn, New York, April 17, 1888. The bibliography appended to this volume is a better story of Mr. Squier’s life than any biographer can write. He put his career into his books. The volumes have become rare, and are treasured by collectors and libraries. D.C, &. teenage unity. The patriot Morazan had not long before been driven out and later shot by the half-breed Carrera. Morazan had really established a United States of Central America, but the greed of the adventurer overcame patriotism and self-sacrifice. The confederation was disrupted and returned to its former parts, but Carrera remained for more than twenty years the brutal master of the situation, guiding affairs from his stronghold in Guatemala. He called himself president, but he was a dictator— barefooted, sullen, andsavage. With all the mixed conditions Mr. Squier came into quick harmony, and while his official term ended September 1 2, 1850, unofficially he became the great authority on Central American affairs, and remains such still in his published works. His chief activity covered the period from the date of his appointment until he saw Walker, the filibuster, buried in the reddened sands at Truxillo in 1860. ) Mr. Squier had profound faith in the possibilities of material development in Central America — where every prospect pleased and only the politicians were vile. He organized the Honduran Railroad, exploited a canal via the Nicaragua route, wrote clearly of the valuable native products, and, in short, was the exponent of the distracted little land. INTRODUCTORY aber TO SQUIER een PARKMAN 0 FROM iy ee tt LETTERS Ye a ey ne ee siete aa PEE ceeeciemeaneemeeaa, ale i. ak caisaeaiadaeibadl Ss UE das. es td ee ee, ot EN iea . Se a * rg Fe Gk a eae. Be - onaney oe a Le be Rae a ilo. 14 meee Tm nr eer ees ST — Fae NE NIE EEN iis ee NE SO a Ragrneste 0 “tence F’, PARKMAN 1 Prof. * = I am much obliged to you for the pamphlet which you sent me with a sketch of the New York earth works. I read it with much interest, but hope before long to see a fuller account embracing all the plans, etc. I was glad to see the Delaware picture writing in the last American Review. By this time, I suppose you have changed your quarters as you told me you were going to do, on the morning when I smashed a bottle of Elliott’s damnable compound in your room. A friend of mine, a Mr. Charles Norton,* who is going to review you in the next North American, is coming to New York and will callon you. He takes an interest in ethnology, and though I do not think your ideas and his are in all respects congenial—as his education has been rather of the strict and precise sort—yet you will find him a most capital fellow and well able to appreciate all that you have done. Who published Denonville’s Expedition? Was it Marshall? Ifso I want to know him. | Believe me, Very faithfully yours, poem eS PRTG ios ree a A A ene ee DEAR SQUIER: 4 date, but evidently early in 1849) Norton. ee (No et I 20 LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER LETTERS IT (On the publication of the Oregon Parkman’s Trail historial and the beginning of Mr. work) BosTON, MARCH 165, 1849 DEAR SQUIER: I beg you will excuse my being silent so long, which was in consequence of being a good deal below par in point of health as well as an occurrence of some interest to myself which has just taken place. I was very sorry that I did not hear from Copway* until he was on the point of leaving. I liked him very much and wanted to see more of him. Some time ago, I told Putnam to give you, in my name, a copy of the redoubtable Oregon Trail, which is just out. This is rather an awkward way of conveying it to you and perhaps after all you have not got it yet—if so, pray drop in upon Putnam the next time you pass there. I have been writing a little, but only a very little. Let me have the particulars of the Guatemala scheme -—that is, what position it is you are anxious to reach, as it is possible that I may be able to make some influence in your favor. Norton wrote me that he had seen you. I think you will find him an acquaintance worth having, not only as a good fellow but because he stands among a set of literary men whose opin1ons and influence are worth having. The unfortunate T'rail seems likely to be choked under a mass Se * George Copway, the Ojibway historian and poet. FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER 21 of California books. If you can give it a push, you will do it a favor. I am at present grubbing into the history of the collision of the French and English in America, and tracing the effects which resulted therefrom to the Indian tribes, all this being considered as a sort of introduction to the history of the subsequent wars among the Indians themselves. I think I shall be in New York before the Spring is out, and till then, Believe me, Very faithfully, F. PARKMAN, JR. iit (Written after receiving notice of Mr. Squier’s appointment to his post in Central America) BosTON, MAY 13TH, 1849 MY DEAR SQUIER: I was very glad indeed to get a line from you before your departure for the land of El Vomito, not however, that I augur for you any unpleasant visitations from that source. I have heard of your visitation from the measles, an infantile weakness, of which I should hardly have suspected you. This infliction together with the cares of science and of state which are weighing upon you, would be enough to smash any man who was not bound to go ahead. This latter destiny is, I flatter myself, 22 LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER the one marked out for you, though I infer that you will have need of all your grit, as I am led to presume that Uncle Sam has burdened your shoulders with a greater load than you had bargained for:—that you will carry it through in safety, I do not doubt, nor do I doubt that the result of success will be such as to repay you for all your toil and trouble. Only don’t let Politics swallow up science. They will pull together well enough and make a strong team—one however, which will require a hand as strong as yours to manage it. I hope you will find an opportunity to send me a line now and then, though I, poor devil, am compelled to lay disabled in port, while others are prosperously voyaging on the high seas. Damn the luckperhaps my turn will come some time. I have sent your letter to Mr. Marshall and am expecting his answer. Norton sails in a week or two, to my great regret. I hope that the map of the Iroquois country is not spoiled by your departure, if so, I shall mourn over it as a lamentable casualty. Perhaps by the time your volume on the Guatemala is out, I shall come down with a narras that all depends tive of backwood scrimmage -— but on my luck. My eyes I don’t mind. I can get along without them, but to have one’s brains stirred up in a mush, may be regarded as a decided obstacle in the way of intellectual achievements. Give me the tithe of a chance, and I will do it. LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER 23 If I can do anything for you here, you will of course, make use of me, and meanwhile believe me, with the warmest wishes for your success. Very faithfully yours, F’. PARKMAN, JR. IV MY DEAR SQUIER: BosTON, OCT. 15, 1849 I heartily congratulate you on the reception you met with at Leon, and particularly on the distinguished success of your negotiations and a pledge of future success, should your ambition lead you deeper into Politics. The affair is much talked of here and seems to excite very general attention everywhere as indeed it necessarily must. As for those fellows who have obligingly taken the kingdom of “Musquetia,” under their protection,’ I trust you will lose no opportunity of snubbing them on every possible occasion. I am very glad that your political work has not suspended your researches and I shall look anxiously for a forthcoming volume on the Antiquities of Central America. As for me, I am rather inclined to envy you less for your success and your prospects, than for your power of activity. From a complete and ample experience of both, I can bear witness that no amount of physical pain is so intolerable as the position of being stranded and doomed to be rot1 The seizure of Tigre by the British, which made some stir. , ee ee eee a a ec ee So Da ss ue ue os ae ee TERA I ATR eT TAT Ne se 24 LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER ting for year after year. However, I have not abandoned any plan, which I have ever formed and I have no intention of abandoning any until I am made cold meat of. At present I am much better in health than when you last saw me, and I do not suffer from that constant sense of oppression on the brain which then at times annoyed me beyond enI find myself able to work a little aldurance. though my eyes are in a totally useless state, and excessively sensitive. The eyes are nothing to the other infernal thing which now seems inclined to leave me alone, good riddance to it; so I contrive to dig slowly along by the aid of other people’s eyes, doing the work more thoroughly no doubt, and digesting my materials better than if I used I have just obtained the papers which my own. were wanting to complete my collection for the illustrative work on the Indians which I told you about. The manuscripts amount to several thousand pages. I am inclined to think the labor of collecting them might have been better bestowed, but I was a boy when I began it, and at all events it will be done thoroughly. The commission which you charged me with will be duly attended to, at an early opportunity. Charley Norton is I suppose by this time at Madras. I saw his family the other day. They have several times spoken about you and will be very glad to hear of your luck. Mr. Gallatin’s death is a blow to the Ethnologicals, and they will hardly LETTERS FROM PARKMAN TO SQUIER 25 find such a rallying point as his house was. If I can serve you in any way of writing or otherwise, I wish you would let me know and I shall be very glad to do anything in my power. By some practice I have caught the knack of dictating and find it as easy as lying. Drop me a line when you get a chance, and believe me, Very truly yours, F, PARKMAN V Boston, Nov. 18TH, 1849 MY DEAR SQUIER: Your last note reached me a few days ago, and I shall certainly keep a bright look out for the publications which will throw any further light on your proceedings. I was in New York the other day where I saw at the Historical Society’s rooms, a number of boxes of antiquities marked with your name and apparently sent there by Mr. Cotheal. Your communications published in the Literary World and elsewhere have attracted considerable attention. Copway has recently come back from his Western tour and is now in New York pre- paring to publish the Traditional History of the Ogibhewas, and a collection of their legends. Between you and me I shall have no great faith in them. Copway is endowed with a discursive imagination and facts grow under his hands into a Preposterous shape and dimensions. His scheme : er 2 Se SST AS aa ea ORE ; aa Se Br HB, eee OM Ray cana ae nd we Biker SPR TPET riage SS hie car Se “ih aig — > piacere 3, sad a oa IR “4 i ea ASSES RO a pe eS eer tessa stoke eerie RS a en et ieee BS ele eaten tac bs ES A ‘ eee aE ge See Schoolcraft. ey R. were on the same plan. be 1 Henry now in a fair way to recover, especially since two days ago letters were received from Charley, announcing his safe arrival in Madras. | Believe me, Very truly your friend, F’. PARKMAN, JR. by C. S. B. PS. When you write me again, which I hope will be very soon, tell me what was the upshot of you