Captain Stewart and Mr. Beatty's account are nearly of the same Date, though related by the Captain in March 1782.
The Riches of the Country I take no Notice of, as they do not concern my Subject, which is only the Manners, Customs, Traditions, and Language of the Inhabitants.
The Information given us by the Captain and Mr. Beatty, seems to confirm, I may almost say, establish, the Truth of Llwyd's and Powel's History, and of Mr. Jones's Narrative. The latter says that in the Year 1660, some Indian Tribes spoke Welsh; and his Testimony appears to me unquestionable because he understood it. Messrs. Stewart and Beatty say that it was the Language of some Indian Tribes about the Years 1766 and 1768.
This is said by Mr. Beatty on the Testimony of Four different Persons, Benjamin Sutton, Levi Hicks, Jack (who was himself a Delaware Indian) and Joseph the Interpreter, who each of them had lived a long time in the Country, and were acquainted with the Traditions that prevailed among the Inhabitants. These Persons declared that they know Tribes of Indians who used the ancient British Tongue.
There is not the least reason to call their Veracity in question, or even to charge Them with Credulity, for they could have no Interest in propagating such a report among Persons who were not Welsh, if it were not true. Captain Stewart seems to have visited parts of the Country to the West, and South West, far beyond the Extent of Mt. Beatty's Tour.
From these accounts, accurately compared together, it would seem that the Welsh Tribes are now divided into three Tribes, separate from one another. The Tuscoraras, on the South side of Lake Erie, between the Ohio and Mississipi Rivers, behind Pensylvania. The Delawares, whom I take to be the same with the Doegs, lower down on the Ohio, and Delaware Rivers; and the other Tribe to the West of the Mississipi, from whose Country, we are told the Rivers flow to the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. The Account which the above named Persons gave to Mr. Beatty is the more credible, as it is not at all probable, I may say, possible, that either of these had ever heard of Llwyd and Powel's History; and very little if any thing of Mr. Jones's Narrative. Of Mr. Jones, however, there seems to have been some Tradition in the Country, perhaps, among the Indians; for he must have been the Clergyman alluded to by Mr. Beatty.
A Tradition supported by such corroborating Circumstances must have had some foundation of Truth, and as the Language was evidently Welsh, it appears to me, beyond all reasonable Doubt, that these Tribes are descended from Prince Madog's Colony. That the Language was Welsh cannot be denied; for one Lewis a Welsh-man conversed with Indians in their own Language. It is observable also that they had a Book among them upon which they set a great Value, though they could not read it. This Book, I conclude was a Welsh Bible, which Mr. Jones could read and understand. The Book which Captain Stewart saw seems also to have been a Welsh Bible, for it was found in the Hands of a people who spoke Welsh; and we are told by Mr. Beatty that Mr. Jones's being able to read this Book, much recommended him to the Indians. The Captain says that the "Welsh-man was not acquainted with Letters, even, those of his own Language." This seems rather surprizing to me; for whatever may have been the original alphabetical Characters of the Ancient Britons, they used the Greek Characters in the Days of Julius Cæsar.[mm] which I presume, the Captain could read; and it is almost certain, that the Britons used the Roman Characters in the twelfth Century when Madog emigrated.
[Footnote mm: Græcis Literis utuntur. Com. Lib. VI. As the Gauls and the Britons at this period, were Friends and Allies, and of the same Origin, without doubt, they made use of the same alphabetical Characters.
Drych y prif Oesoedd. p. 25 and 35.]
I have no authority positively to assert it, but it is possible that the Scriptures, translated into Welsh, might be written in Creek Characters, for the Welsh-man could not read them. Those Characters might be thought Sacred, because in these Characters, the Gospel was first written. Had they been Roman, as they had been long in use, the Welsh-man, if he knew any Letters at all, could not be ignorant of them. Some parts of North Wales, till of late Years, were far behind other parts, in every kind of Knowledge; but as Charity-Schools were opened in South Wales, above fifty Years ago, and in North Wales, above thirty, the Country is very much improved in this respect.[nn] Or, perhaps, the Book was written in the Ancient Greek Characters, of the same Form with those of the Alexandrian Manuscript in the British Museum. In that Case it is not at all surprizing that neither the Captain, nor the Welsh-man could read them.