The Iris: An Illuminated Souvenir for MDCCCLII — John Shaqi
The Iris: An Illuminated Souvenir for MDCCCLII
General
The Iris: An Illuminated Souvenir for MDCCCLII
Gift books; Indians of North America -- Literary collections
"On the 27th of October, nine weeks after the departure from Deal, the
_Welcome_ moored off Newcastle, in the territories lately ceded by the
Duke of York, and William Penn first set foot in the New World.[1] His
landing made a general holiday in the town; young and old, Welsh,
Dutch, English, Swedes, and Germans, crowded down to the landing-place,
each eager to catch a glimpse of the great man who had come amongst
them, less as their lord and governor than as their friend. In the
centre of the foreground, only distinguished from the few companions
of his voyage who have yet landed, by the nobleness of his mien, and a
light blue silken sash tied round his waist, stands William Penn; erect
in stature, every motion indicating courtly grace, his countenance
lighted up with hope and honest pride,--in every limb and feature
the expression of a serene and manly beauty.[2] The young officer
before him, dressed in the gay costume of the English service, is his
lieutenant, Markham, come to welcome his relative to the new land, and
to give an account of his own stewardship. On the right stand the chief
settlers of the district, arrayed in their national costumes, the light
hair and quick eye of the Swede finding a good foil in the stolid look
of the heavy Dutchman, who doffs his cap, but doubts whether he shall
take the pipe out of his mouth even to say welcome to the new governor.
A little apart, as if studying with the intense eagerness of Indian
skill the physiognomy of the ruler who has come with his children to
occupy their hunting-grounds, stands the wise and noble leader of the
Red Men, Taminent, and a party of the Lenni Lenapé in their picturesque
paints and costume. Behind the central figure are grouped the principal
companions of his voyage; and on the dancing waters of the Delaware
rides the stately ship, while between her and the shore a multitude of
light canoes dart to and fro, bringing the passengers and merchandise
to land. Part of the background shows an irregular line of streets and
houses, the latter with the pointed roofs and fantastic gables which
still delight the artist's eye in the streets of Leyden or Rotterdam;
and further on the view is lost in one of those grand old pine and
cedar forests which belong essentially to an American scene."
I take much pleasure in quoting also, in this connexion, another scene
of somewhat similar character, though greatly misrepresented in the
ordinary pictures of it heretofore given. Penn's personal appearance
has been even more misapprehended than his character. He was, indeed,
one of the most handsome men of his age, and at the time of his first
coming to America he was in the very prime of life. West makes him an
ugly, fat old fellow, in a costume half a century out of date. So says
Mr. Dixon. The passage referred to, and about to be quoted, is from a
description of the celebrated Treaty with the Indians at Shackamaxon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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