^, 1%^ ^.f,% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^>^ ■^ fc 1.0 U£|2^ 12.5 ISO ■^" I^H 1» I.I ■ 2.2 11.25 1^ ■ 2.0 ^ lllllii^ «*»•■ »i» ILLVtTRAT&O WITH A MAP Atra NUMEROUS ENGRAVINOS, FROM DRAWINGS MADE AT TllM SEVERAL PLACES BY THE AUTHOR. ,..*. LONDON : PRINTED FOR RICHARD MULUPS, NO. 6, BHICOE-SratBT, BLACKfRIARS. ^"^ « ' ' 1 807. «y T. OiUrt, Wild-couit. M'^-y ,...:.,.>-" '.<*«s?K' ;.*^'' f c (fi^BB P R E F A C E. * *»^»^^ »r^^#»< •* I'lIFi first ])iut oT the t'ollowiiig uork wav \vi it- ten >vitli the (Usioii of i;unvt'yinuj an iijtii ol" s«)iiir of the pictunsqur .scenery of the Siiin I Lawn.nee, at oner the largest and must wondeiful l)0(ly of frcsh waters on tliLs gl(jl)r. Numbers of tril)utary streams, some of whieh are of umntnse' magnitudt , di.senil)oi;u*.' themselves int.) tins gi- gantic Hood, uhieh, from its principal source, liake Su- perior, to JIkS junction witii the Ocean, parts with none ot," its waters, but rolls timber all tliat it receives. The restless impel »iOsity of many ot these streams has furrowed up the surface of thr land, and piodiired ob- jects of stupendous grandeur. Several of tln-sc awful and sublime o|K'rntJons -of Nature, have liitherto been visited by a small portion only t)f cjvrlized men. Her juosl wild features, her most strikiuii; and attractive ehaniis. are (vit- quently concealed in the midst of unfrequented deserts. To tlie picturesque description of the scenes in Ca- nada, is added that of the cli«iate and productions of A 2 * IV pni'KA<'r. tlu' ct)untry, of the iniUincrH and chiiractcr oftlie iiiiKihiU aiith, also of thoNf of the domiciliated liuliaiis, diid of trilHs which (KTiipy or fre(|iient Hituatioiis on lint !)oiderH uf tht' uri'at lakis. A brief dissfitatiou rosportinn the comiiUTcc and constitution of the Caiiadas is likt.wise suhioiiK'd. An opportunity of visiting the Azores having been pic- scntt'(i to t\n: Author ire Philostjphiquc rt Politique — liiynal. I<<'ltrcs l'>lifiante» rt Cuiit-uws. Voyagcn ile I'.AlMtg. Voyages (le la Hontan. — tlr la Po(l»e pla»;c(l. A residence in (Xa- nadu lor a Scries »>f yearn, lia;* afforded to the author (»p- portuuitics of witncjising the modes of life pursued by sk;- veral of the Indian nations, and has enabled him to adduce what he ha.s himself observed, as well as to reject what lu? deemed improbable in the Mritir.^s he consulted. Amid the multitude of tribes scattered throughout the exttn.sive re«j;ions of America, it appears singular that there should be found in use a distinct language peculiar to each, and freipiently customs which liavr but little allinity to tho.-te of neighbouring iiss . 't ,•'.,'. ii CONTENTS. . 1 / \ CHAPTKll I. i'dg» Azores: orfiirna! discovc'ry k roinantic appoaranco. Island of Saiiil Micharl : Poiita del (judu : vallo_y of Ftinio : cavern of IJocii do lii- letno : gidj>h of Sct«' Cidados : culture : produclions of (he comitr^ : an»enity of sitvralioiis Inland ofPico : view from tlu- suiuinit of thr pcnV- : influcim produced on Ihc miiid hy positions of exlraordinary drvniion : htiglu (?f* tlic |)onk ; staff of tln'rinonieter : grandeur of Ihfit mountain when viewed from (he sea ♦ CHAPTER II. BRnk«! of Njickinflc?\ns. — — % ■/ VIM CONTENTS. ClIAPrKR IV. Qu('l)oo: tl»"sl>lisliiiu*n(!. : s)ii]>-biiildtni; : i.itfr«'.sling sct'Hf (lLs|)laviMi from |Miiiit lj«\i ■ e.vU'iisivo ami u^r.iiul l.«n'l<>oa,>e }>rc- stMJlnl ftom the hoiirlils io (lie westward of the ll : iip]>earaiice ill >t inter. I >laud of ()ile»ii«, ; views fioni thence : soil. North coast of the Saint [i.iwrence. Ciijie Tonrraent. Kivcr Saint Anne : its waterl'ds : lower fall dttjcrilxni. L\l*uce: romantic falls of thai little river : various IaiidsC4i|«cs. Lake Sain^ Charle* : picturesque combinations ViSff G? W if /. CHAPTER VI. Country to the westward of Quebec Lake(>alviere. TlieJarqliesCfarti*^: romantic scenery which it di-tplays. Town of Thr«* Riven, fiakf Saint Peter. Town of William Henry. Hiver ('h»inl»ly. Island of Montreal: rtlii;ions orders, and their establishinenls : view from the summit of the moiiittnin. Indian villajje of the Sault Saint Louis: I.a Chine: Lake S«. I,ouis : cascades: rapids of the Cellars : of the coteau dii Lac : Lake Saint Fiancis : cascades of the Lone^ Sault : muttiltidr of isles -— •— •». ... - CHAPTER VII. De.scription of Kine'^ton in l'p|)er Canada: lake Ontario: bay of Quinte : exdllence of its soil : 'I'oroivto, or Vork, the capital : Bur- linjftrr.i Kiy : river Unonda|^o : romantic cascades: (ieiieMV river: watertal : forts and town of Niagara: 6up(>rior iulvaiitii/^*^ enjoyed by .scltlcrs on the banks of the Saint Lawrente : rapiil increase of |io- pulition, md jrosfxrous state* of the province: Queenstown : the A\hir!jx-n)l : stiij>endoua majesty of the falU of Niajjari : caectules : viUinre of Chippawa — — — 97 V30 fON'TEXTS. IX CHAPTER VII L Sublime s(il)j«ct of the falls further pursued. Lake Trie: Amhersf- burg : the Detroit : Saiulwieli : old town ••!' Detroit : Ixmuly and fertility of the country. Kivcr uiiil lake of St. Cluire : Lii Tianche, or Thames ; settlements on its borders. Lake Huron : i5.iy of Thim- der : Mi( hiliinakijiac : lake Michig'an : fireeii bay : inliabifants : Saint .r«»M-i)h : e iseades of S.iint Mary. Address of the ifndiaiH : flucient llurons, mul other native tribe*i. Lake iSuj)erior : remark- able transparrney of its waters: grand portage : new establishment on the Kamanisli;:ua — — — — Pjgf W9 ClIAPTKU IX. Commerce of (Canada •. I'ur trade : paper money : .sj'iijneurics : rights of tlieir proj>rietors : nuMlerate appoiutnicnts of colonial oflioers : mal- aduiinistralion of finance during tlie French govennnent : state of Canaila at its conquest : progressive improvement: revenue: yearlj ctjuipmerit aud transport in the lur trade: yoyageurs ; hardine^ and mode of life: dillieullies of naviijation oa the Outaouais fiver: ro- mantic waterfals : jwrtage-s — ■ — -— — .208 CIIAPTFJl X. Former state of coU lial government. Intrmluction of the crimuul codf ofLiiirland. QuelK-c Bill. New couslitutiou : sketch of that »yi»- ten\. Division of Canada into two piovina-s ; ami of these intocour'- tie.s : advantiiffes of Caiwulian settlers : state of society ; nunuwrs : charnefer of the habitants, or landholders j mode of clearing lands : acquisition of projx^rty : s«'ign«'uries : produce of soils : agriculture. I 'pjH-r Canada : colil, and cau'^es of its long domination : travelling in winter ; matls : houses — — — — 24-1; f By a mistake of the Cora po* if or?, the following Chapters were mis- numbered.J rONTFNTS. CIIAPTEU XII p-g« Americans iit irnioral. TIic Iroqnoi.-, ; llirir vill;i£r''s ; h;»M(.itions ofv.i- ridiis scili'iUury triU-s : dwdlms^s a«ul (cninlfj* id' ihe !*«'ruvian.s : of tlic iiathcs on tbo 1)ok5<*is M' tlir (^rooiwujiic, fho river of the Ama- zons, &c. : several eiralir liilxs: the C^araihs, Ur;i/ilians : drc* of some South Americans : of (he Moxes : rata^iniiuus : practice of Ui- looiiiiT : mtnle of pa inline: ; natives of Vera Cruz : Te'ons : Cunces : Hic(ians: Dog-ril) Indians : Kni^teneaux; (!hijx'wevans ; native^s of Uie uorlh-wc^t Cu>a.sl : of Darieii or Paniima ; of Yucatan: M«ucaus tiTL CIIAPTKK XIII. Moele of court.ship and maniasfp amoiji;:; several northern irilies r tire Morrs: niarriafjT of the lncn>. of Peru : the passion of love hat faintly prevalrnt amon* the American:* : the Mexir.ins : «evfrnl other na« tions : of divorce : American -women not proUln- : ceh'l>ration ol' maTriatjc amon;ij the Peruvianv : atta< liment of Indium women to their chihln-n: sjhfem of edmiifion : Hpj>earanr<* nnd ( haTactei<> of *oine tribes : anccilofcs . attachment (o tluir mode ot lili' : Baron de :?ftint Ca^teins — — — — — — 321 CIIAPTKH XIV. Ri lief of a future existence (rcneraily prevaU'nt auu>ng savaj»<» ; the siui a principal ot)ir*ct of odoraiiun amonjj nwuiy ot" tJie ualivos. tVr*"- n!i4oeb of the Peruviaiis : of the Mexicans : of some uarlborn tnlx-s : of ihe natives of Hi^paniola : of the natives of Paria : of (varihaua : of rioriUa : (^f Itrazil : the Natchez : the Zeinpocllan>. Crltelti<'^ of the Mexican system of hujx'rstition : of the llurotks. The beaver : admirable economy of that animal : man its onljr enemy. Theorignal or moose deer: chace in the southern parts of Canada : the caribou : the buffalo : practice ft^wed previous to the introduction of fire-arms : dogs used in the chace s modes of fishing 496 CHAPTER XVIII. Maladies of the savages : modes of cure : practice of the Caraibs : fu- nereal rites : northern tribes : Mexicans : natives of New Grenada : idea of un hereafter : grief for the loss of friends : wives ofthelnca of Peru sacrificed on his tomb : respect for the memory of departed relatives — ^— • — — — 521 b2 (> Tiir A7.()ins. The >liip in which ho sailed, liavintj touclied at (he Azores on her passage to Caiuihi, an opportunity was af- fonled hiui of visiting the islands of St. ISIielmel and Pieo, 'I'he A/ores are sitnated in the Atlantic Ocean, nearly at an equal distance from Europe and America, extend- inir iK'tween twenty-iive and thirty-two decrees of west Jon^itude, and thirty-seyen and tbrty des^recs of nortii latitude. r-,, ., ^y f~- ^ , rir^ '"v'- jt • ft They were discoyercd by the Portuguese, who still con- tinue to possess them, in 1149* iit ajx^riod, when the spirit of ad\enture in search of new regions, patronized and di- rected by Henry duke of Vizeo, liad incited the navi- gators of his country boldly to launch into tlie ocean, and to pursue tlteir course far beyond the utmost limits of former geographical knowledge. •' ' ^'-r They are said to have received the appellation of Azores from the number of falcons which inhabit the mountains. The atmosphere enjoys a great portion of clear and serene weather, and the mildness of the climate is highly favour- able to human health. ,. J ...j; ..t *ij.w. , ^w« i The rugged precipices and mountains varying in de^* grees of elevation, as well as in form and extent of bases, many of whose summits are conical, exliibit no dotibtful indication of the violent eruptions aixi convulsions, by which, at several distant ptriods, the country must have been agitated. amUvrx'^hiy in\ \ \ ?.*JA%n\ oi;t i' THK Azonrs. 8 * Th(? tops of tlic most lorty of tiiese inountains ar<' usually (liscovorablo ab«>vc the clouds, wiiicii it'st or Hoiit upon ilioir sides, and whicli their stiipondons hiiiilit at- tracts amid the cooler rei^ioiis of tlit- utiufxphere. 'J'iie a»x:iivities, in pro|)()rtio!i to their distance from the sea, increase in magnitude and elevation, and in many sii na- tions abruptly rise into enormous piles, ir<>\vncd ^\it!^ cliffs i\aked and barren, < \cept v here the sides are spur- itiulv slriLff^cd witli stunted trees and brushwooti. The soil is ifi '^rneral fertile, ahoundin<4 in ci)rn, iji-apes, oraji<2,es, ienions, and a variety of other fruits ; and is lik<'\vi«e favonrablt? for breere unknown. . - . Saint Michael, Santa Maria, Tercera, Saint Geori»e, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico, Flores, and Corvo, art the several names by which tlie^e islantk* are distinsiuished. .> 'I'he hrst is by far the niost extensive, atid lies in a di- rection from south-east to iv>rth-we«t. It is al>out fifty- four miles in kni^th, but of an irreij;ular breadth, exceed- ing not fifteen miles, and In^ng at the centre not wider than six miles. The number of inhabitants is e5>tiinatt d at nearly eighty thousand. >• - c. n i ■ .i^ ..it I \ '.t ■A 4 THK AZORKH. Poiitii (1<1 Guda the priti(i)v.il town, is situat(^«! »»n tlu; stjutli M(lf, mid contuiiiH about hvdvii tlioiisaiKl luliabil- unts. IMu' slrcc'l.s are irmiUn-. and of conv'-MikMiL widtli, and tin: cliurtlk.s ;md riii^n)ii,s houses, its woll a.s otiier j)iddivitii uradual ascent, and alUr- wards nion abruptly, tl)e view terininatin}^ l»y a congeries (»!' ev)niral hilU. A mount. lin on tlie west towers al)()ve tl»es(\. and is oi" a handsome form, its summit liaviug a tal)l«' a])pearanee. In this is an ancient cratei filled witli vater, whose depth has not yet Ix-en ascertained. There is no harbour in tlie \ieinity of the town, and vessels are usually anchored at a <^onsiderablc distance from shore, m an opm and unsheltered road. Tliat part (jf the island in which the capital is placed, forming a g(ntlc acclivity of considerable extent, is mcU culti\ated, ami divi«ied with no small dc fjree of ta.ste into spacious fields planted with Indian corn, wheat, barley, and pulse ; two crops of these are annually produced, ('ountry housc^s are frequently interspersed with on hards of orange trees, whose fruit is superior to liiat w hich gr many iijluibitants as tlio chief city. In it arc two convents, one «)f Fi*anci.scan friars, anothci of nuns. Villa Franca, aliout ciglitccn miles ea^t of Ponta del Gacia, on the south side of the island, ferms the third town. It likewise contains a convent of Fraiu iscan friars, and one with about three hundred nuns. A .small island opposite to this place, and alxjut half a nide IVimi the shore, possesses a basin, with a narrow entrance, M'here fifty vessels niiiihl anchor in security. Smalkr towns, and a variety of hamlets are scattered throui;hout tlu- roimliy- '''•'♦' smf <»t the sea breaks \sitli considerable violence, and with unceasing agitation, all around the coast. The hot baths are situated in the eastern part of the i.sland, and tike road leadini^ from the capital thither, is by Villa Franca ; t.oni thence it rises by a gradual ascent for about twelve miles, until it attain^ the sunnnit of the elrvated lands by which these baths are environeil. The descent into the valley is by a steep^ narrow, euid winding path. This extraordinary gulph is about twelve miles in circumference, surrounded by lofty and abrupt precipices, and accessible only by three ways, cut with labour out of the (^litVs. The soil below is fertile and well cultivated, producing copious harvests of wheat ami Indian corn, 'i'he inclosures are adorned with hedge-rows of Lombardy pop- lars which rise in pyramidal shapes, and exhibit a pleasing V Tin: AZoVEB. app(*araiKtv The gloomy inrcf^ o( thr f.mTc)iin, ronsjxiiiii: of laurels, myrllca, tiiya«, jiao-son^uintro, taimijas, uvac de strra, and a number of of her shrubs ami vines. Streams ol cry *«tal line uater, interrupt(Hi in the ii- down- ward eourse. dasli with impetuosity and toaminu hny from roi'k to roef of boiling fountains ; the most remarkable of these, the cauldron, is fciliiated upon a biuidl < ininenei-, lK*m(» a tir- cular bii^Mii of tliiiiy feel in diamett r, whose water, boiliui? with e4jaseless agitation, emits a (juantity of vaj)our. At a few paA'-th distant from heuex^ is tlu* eavern Boca de In- fejrno, tlirowmg out, lor a considerable way from its lUfHith, of watxT iiiixcd \uUi mud, accompanied by a u, i TUB a:?oih:.^. 7 noise like thuncK-r. Around tliis spot, and witliin ihv com- pa».H of rtii iH'vt' ol' ImikI, there are upwanls of a Imrxlreti i'ojinlain.H of Hit* Hamt* kind ; and cvni in tlu' midst of a rivulft which runs l>y it, art* ?*t'vt'ral of thi^se springs, so hot. sis to lit* insupporiaMt to the tonrh. In otht.'r plarcs tlxj ^ulphurt'ccn[)ied with tlicir bellow* and fori*es, in fabriitatni^ thunder. The surface of the iironnd i^ covered in nvuiy places with pure sulphur, winch luis been condenstronjj;Iy, tiiat their heat is sensibly felt at the surface. The Furno contains two parishes and about a thousand inhabitants, whom necessity compelled to pass tin- moun- tains, and to cultivate a spot w hiclMvas form«'ily lK'lievel( ariic truprioiis. TlK-ir siini- uiiU art* hollou'cd into lui^iiis, C(uituiiMiiuiroundr(J by uteep preei- piees, and contanis a Inu- lake of eoniidt-rablL' depth, and two l;e, and is on a level with the sea. Tlu nionjUains which form th« bonn- dajies of t lie valley, uf^pear to have ex|)erienced the most Tiolent and uncoimuon i han^es. Thiy arc cotnposed en- tirely of white pomice-stone, mnnixid with black lava, n{\\ ordmn niupiestionablc mdicalions ot the operation ol a volcano, and of its moiv elevated parts haviny; subsided into the centre of tlu' mountain. There are two hills placed in the bottom of iIk- \alley, w hose craters arc yet open, althon<.di aimluo lupin, .suj*j)lios thf di'licitncy ot'animul manure. It is sown on the fields with the fust rains in September, and from the eft"ccomcs, when blowing from the land, highly grate- ful to the traveller in saiUng along the shore. After Jiaviri*' been three weeks at sea wc became sensibly impr«^ssed by its enlivening influence, wh'ch feucfgest^ed to recollectiott the following lines in Buchannan's Ode to I\f ay : 6 TIIF: AZORES. 11 ** Talis beads iiuiibit insulis, *' AiiiU' fclicis perpetiius tcpor, " Et ncsciis) campis scncctoi " Diflficilis, queruliquc luorbi." The island of Pico, from the superior altitude of one of its mountains, is the most remarkable of all the Azores. From t!ie village of Guindaste to the summit of the peak, the distance is stated to be nine miles. The road passes through a wild, rugged, and difTicult country, which is entirely covered with brushwood. When, at seven o'clock in the morning, we arrived at the skirts of the mountain, which form the region of the clouds, the wind became extremely cold, attended by a thick mist, the thermometer falling to forty-eight degrees, and at eight o'clock to forty-seven. In alluding to the degrees of cold, I must be understood to speak relatively, an burst forth from its side, and destroyed a great part of the vineyards. ,. , It is on elevated situations like this, that is felt that in- fluence which the vast and unbounded theatre, at once laid open to contemplation, is capable of exci*: !^;. — Those in- spiiatjons of nature, so eloquent and so aniniated — that I THE AZORES. 15 1'J tittractive impulse which attunes the soul to harmony with her works — that distinctive character wliicli the Creator hath imprinted on the heart — innate traces of which pecu- liar minds are delighted in feeling, amid the rude and sublime masses produced by explosions of the globe, or amid the less stupendous ruins of the monuments of hu- man grandeur. I'iie whole of the lower grounds of this island are planted with vines; and having been entirely covered with black lava, the labour in digging and clearing it away must iiuvc been considerable. When the vines arc planted, the fiurlUce of the soil is again thinly strewed with lava, over which the young shoots are suffered to ran. The height of the peak from the surface of the water, is about eight thousand perpendicular feet. Upon a com- }>arison of observations made at the same periods with the thermometer on the pealv, and at Fayal, they were found to be as follows : Morning . Farenheit's Thermometer. Fayal. On the Peak, Eight o'clock — 69^ 47° Ten — -_ 70 49 Ten and a half — 70 53 Twelve — — 71 ^0 r :.l. 14 THE AZonV.ft. When vietred from the sea the peak assumes the apw pearance of a cone, almost regular, of immense magnitude^ having a smaller cone rising from one side of its summit,, tvhich is that already described. This mountain rears its. elevated liead far above the clouds, whicli float around its craggy sides, and is visible to tlie extent of many leagues. ^*-^-'^»fifr^i'»ti ff^i, -f,* ■ ■■• t^.C^^rt^t^' ^'ViZ/i. ■■^.%.... ^..r.- 2^"t'jmit*-' .^.J^iJ. r0r:, iiit'\S^ ..i»n'«v.«5-. /^■■f'" C ■ 'fm^ t^f '■.'.'•. y//.'^:. fttnlalrl-t Kitl^ji.l I'lnlnlJ "m>^'Ky.yHm''i^- / / / / / (".' ('■#,/ ..• >//.• . >'.''////./^ '. ^. ' V/,y,/^ '..^/.j' . ' ^ _ V/fY.' .''Vi.^ fyoitai.\* Ha.KoJ.i rtr.ln|« f' AVi. .Ini^.- .'>r.»f ^.-i^i II m\ NEWFOUNDLAND, 13 ■ 1 .' * ' CHAPTER II. p B.\T4KS OV NEWFOUNDLAND — UNCOMMON APPEARANCE OP TES8EM ENGAGED IN THE FISHERY GREAT BANR-— CAUSE OF THE FOGS COD-FISH — MODE OP CATCHINO AND PREPARING IT— OF DRVrNO AND PACKING VESSELS EMPLOYED IN THE COMMERCE— PRODUCE OF THAT BRANCH- ISLAND OP NEWFOUNDLAND — ESKIMAUX, THE • ONLY NATIVES SEEN THERE— ACCOUNT OF THAT RACE OF MEN— . lORIGINAL DISCeVERY OF NEWFOUNDLAND — HARBOUR OF SAINT JOHN SCAFFOLDS THE TOWN — STERILITY OF BOIL — UNINTITINO CLIMATE — COLONIZATION PROHIBITED^IMPORTANCE IN A FOLI- ' TICAL VIEW ISLANDS OF ICE — SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON^ CAPE SRETON. > .-i.^ HAVING taken our departure from the Azores, iwe proceeded on the voyage to North America, and on arriving at the banks of Newfoundland, a number of ves- sels, stationed at various distances, and seemingly at an- chor, occurred to owr view. These we soon undei*stood to be engaged in the cod fishery. They are, in general, from eighty to one hundred and fifty tons burden, fitted out from several places in England, particularly from the western counties, and from the islands of Jersey and Guernsey. There are, besides, vessels belonging to the fishermen who winter in Newfoundland, and at the settle- ments on the neighbouring parts of the continent. 16 NFWForrvnr.ANn". ■I ■| The Great Bank, wiiich is about forty leagues clislaut from the island, is an enormoas mountain formed beuoatl* the surface of the sea. Its extent is about a hundred and sixty leagues, and its breadth about sixty, the extremities^ teruiinating in points. On the ea,stern side, towards the centre, a kind of bay is formed, called tlu? Ditch. The* depth of water varies nmch throughout the whole, being, m some situations sixt}', in others only five fathoms. During the hottest weather tlie fish do not frequent either the great or the smaller banks, but retire to the deep wa- ters. It has been remarked by many people, that on ap- proaching the banks the noise of tlie billows of the ocean become more shrill and loud, an effect which is probably produced by the shallowness of the waters.. The thick fogs which are here more prevalent than in; any other part of the Atlantic, exhibit a singular plieno- menon> and may l>e presumed to owe their origin to the stream from the gulph of Mexico, the dischargv, of waters- incessantly accumulating there by the pressure of the trade winds.. ' • " The system of philosopliy introduced by Sir Isaac New- ton, maintains that the combined attractive influence of the sun and moon, and the centrifugal force of the water arisini; from the diiunal motion of the earth around ita axis, elevate that liquid element at the equator to a mucit greater lieight than at the poles ; and the degree of eler ii M KEWFOUNDLAND. JiJ vation, is in proportion to the alternate advancement, or decline, of the power of these luminaries. This immense collection of waters, impelled by its own gravitation, by the attraction of the earth, and by the force of the winds operating with those causes, moves onwards in a western direction, flows through the chain of Caribbean islands, and enters the Mexican gulph between the island of Cuba and the piomontory of Yucatan. Opposed by the sur- rounding coasts, it pursues its way out of the gulph be- tween Florida and the Bahama islands, assumes a course to the northwards, and thus runs in the direction of tlic coast of North Americsji, beiog at the nearest seventy-five miles distant from it, aud receding still further, in propor- tion to its progress. Its breadth is about forty-five miles, and its rapidity is about four miles in an hour. The banks of Newfoundland appear to form the limits of its advance- ment towards the north ; and it diverges from thence, passing through the Azores to tlie southward, until its *m- pulse becomes gradually lost. Retai/iing a great portion of the heat which it imbibed in the tropical climate, on its arrival at the banks ol NcM'foundland, it is from fifteen to twenty degrees of I'abrenheit, warmer than the water on each side of it, from which it differs not oi>ly in this re- spect, but in darkness of ,colour and greater depih of sowjdings. Whejfteyer, tlierefore, the degree of trmpera- .1 4 ' ii |v' (I n 18 NEWFOUNni.AN'D. ture in the atinosplierc becomes colder than lliat of those waters, a vapour will neceasarily arise from them, which is conflensed, and frequently covers these situations with a moist and thick air. . ...... The cod-lish, whose abundance in these Iatit.udes has afforded for a scries of years an essential object of com- mercial enterprise, is esteemed much more delicate than that found in the northern seas of Europe, although in- ferior to it in whiteness. The length of this fish usually exceeds not three feet, and the conformation of its organs is such, as to render it indifferent with regard to the se- lection of its aliment. The voracity of its appetite prompts it indiscriminately to swallow every substance which it is capable of gorging ; and even glass and iron have been found in the stomach of this fish, which by in- verting itself, has the power of becoming disburthened of its indigestible contents. ' ; ••■.;,.''"' "The fishermen arrange themselves along the side of the vessel, each person being provided with lines and hooks. When a fish is caught, its tongue is immediately cut out, and it is delivered to a person, in whose hUnds it having undergone a certain degree of preparation, is dropped through a hatchway between decks, where part of the back bone is taken out, and the cod is thrown in this state, througK a second hatchway into the hold, to be NEWFOUNDf,ANt>. 19 salted. When a quantity of fish, suflficient to fill one of the vessels, is caught and salted, she sails from the banks to the island, where, discharging her cargo, she returns to her station, and, in the course of the season, thus renews four or five different freights. ,_ . . ., , The cod-fish is dried on the island, and larger vessels arrive from England, to convey it from thence to the Eu- ropean markets. In packing the fish in bulk, in the hold of the vessel, much care and attention are requisite ; and the greatest precautions are used in loading, to preserve them from exposure to the moisture of the atmosphere, by spreading sails and cloths over the boats in which they are contained, and over those fish already in the vessel, if the smallest degree of dampness in the air be observable. A person, denominated cttiier or inspector, attends the load- ing of each vessel, in order to see that no fish which is not perfectly cured, be introduced into the cargo, which other- wise might soon become damaged. .. ;y/^ ^",;,':;j<.^ The price of fish cured at Newfoundland, is generally fifteen shillings the quintal, and it neats in Europe about twenty shillings. The expt iice of its freight to the coast of Spain, is two shillings and sixpence, and to Leghorn three shillings, the quintal.^^^^ bnc.Mu.!: vn.w) '.O ^n.i _. The dried fish, sent to the West Indies, is packed in c^sks, and is inferior in quality to that carried to Europe. ^'hc fish which is salted without being dried, is termeci d2 ' - I •, lA > tjiL- ^ i ..J *.u ; , i' m id KEWFOtrNDLAND. t. I -;j .f Coi*e-lish, or green cod. A vessel with twelve men, from the middle of April to July, must catch, salt, and bring into port, ten thousand fish, otherwise the owners will be excluded from all claim to the established bounty. The same crew, however, usually procures, during the season, I 'l _ • f; ^ • _i ' ■ ^ \' , 1-1-1 more than double that quantity.' ' ' ' ' Tlie merchants of England who are concerned in thes* fisheries, supply the fishermen upon credit with every ar- ticle of which they may be in want, and are repaid at tlie fall of the year, with the produce of their industry. Seve- ral hundred thousand pounds are thus annually advanced, in speculation, on an object of commerce, before it is ex- tiracted from the bosom of the ocean. About four hundred ships, amounting to tTiirfy-six thousand tons l)urthen ; two thousand fishing shallops, of twenty thousand tons, and twenty thousand men, are, in times of tranquillity, usually emplojred every year in this fishery. About six hundred thousand quintals of fish are annually taken, which, upon an average of seven years, are worth, at the island, fifteen shillings per quintal. These, with the other amounts, <;onsisting of salmon, cod- oil, seal-oil, and furs, exceed annually half a million ster- ling. Of twenty thousand men from Great Britain and Ireland, employed in that fishery, eight thousand neces- sarily continued, when their country vas not at war, on the island all the winter. Several thousand still i-emain MXWFOVKDLAND. fi there during that season, and are occupied in repairing or l>uikling boats and small vessels, or in erecting the scaf- folds for drying fUh. These are not properly seafering men, and are distinguished by the denomination of plan' terSt ' ' VK,.,-. ri. , ,. ...,:, ..,v-_.,. ,.... ( .-.V. I . Newfoundland, which, in point of magnitude, may be classed among islands of the first extent, is, in fertility of soil, as &r ias it h&s hithiertio been explored, mueh inferior to any of similar dimensions. Whether it ever had native ifibabitaiits has not beenfuUy ascertained, and its sterility, were it even m real as is supposed, is not a sufficient f ea^ 9on for asserting that it never Itad »ay ; as the natives of iunerica, in general, derive their subsiMei^ce, not firom tl>e vegetable productions of the soil, but from fishing and the chas£. The £skimaux are the only people who have been found there, and they are by no means to be accounted aborigines of the country. The neighbouring territory of Labrador is their native land, where tliey pa3s the greatest part of the year ; and, tmattaeheid to any particular spot, wander over an immeoise tract of desert and inhospitable wilds, although their xmmbers^ if collected, would scarcely people two or three villages. Throughout this pirodigious and dneary escpanse of ragion, called by the Spaniards Xabrador^ and by the French, New JBrittaoy, which ift bounded by the river Saint X^wrence and the North »Sear and also by the ooaats of Newfoondlaud^ no eavflges^ the . ^='.:>l^' '•< t: I #■? ■ • '! '■''•-\ ' i ' ii W' i.'y <, 22 KEWFOUNDLAND. £skimaux excepted, are to be met with. They are hke- wise found at a considerable distance from Hudson's Bay,- On rivers which flow from the westward. • Their name is said to be. derived from a word in the Abinaquis language, Esquimantsic, importing, an eater of raw flesh ; they being the only peop!*; known in North America, who use their food iu that state. They are like- tvise the only savages who permit their beards to grow. They assume the appellation of Keralite, or men. They are of a midling stature, generally robust, lusty, and of a brown colour. The oil of the whale, and that of the sea- cow and porpus, constitutes the most essential part of their food, contributing to defend the stomach from the penetrating effects of cold, i'*^ -•%'>** ^. i^Ku.iUiW ijiil;^^*^;,,^ The nature of their aliment imparts to their constitu<« tion that fulness, and to their complexion that greasy sal- lowness for which they are remarked. Their head is large in proportion, and their face round and flat ; their lips are thick ; their eyes dark, small and sparkling, but inex- pressive ; their nose is flat; their hair black, long, and lank ; their shoulders are large ; and their feet uncom- monly small. They are disposed to be lively, are subtile, cunning, addicted to theft, irritable, but easily intimi- dated ; and incapable of long entertaining, or concealing, sentiments of hatred or revenge. They are the only people on the continent of America, who, in character or NEWFOUNDLAND. 23 appearance, exhiait the smallest resemblance to the inha- bitants of the northern parts of Europe, ii {i^ii-ui r; '>a4 Their covering is made of the skins of seals, or of wild animals, or of those of the land and sea fowls which fre- quent their territory, and which they have acquired the art of sewing together. A species of capuchin, or coat with a hood, fitted closely to the body, and descending to the middle of the thigh, forms a principal part of their dress. They wear also trowsers of the same materials, drawn tosether before and behind with a cord. Several pairs of socks, with boots, are worn by both sexes, to de- fend the legs and feet from the penetrating cold. The dress of the women is distinguished from that of the men by a tail, which falls a considerable way down, by their capuchins being much larger towards the shoulders, in order to cover their children, when they wish to carry them on their backs ; and by their boots being much wider, and ornamented with whalebone. In these they ' frequently place their infants for safety, and for warmth. Some of the men wear shirts made of bladders of the sea- calf, sewed together with a needle of bone, the thread being formed of the nerves of animals, minutely divided. ' They are averse to industry or exertion, and seldom give themselves the trouble of constructing wigwams, or huts. The warmth of their stomach, and the nature of ' their cloathing, producing a sufficient degree of heat, they ';!>; )i ;i & ■ n- ' t f .. ' f. II KEWPOUNDLAMp, mre satisfied with the shelter aftbrded by tents made of hides loosely thrown together, by the rocky caverns of the sea-coast, or by placing themselves to the leeward of a bank of snow. In the caverns they sometimes make tise of a lamp, formed oi a large hollow bone, containing a quantity of oil ; but this is Only for the convenience of procuring liglit, as they appear to be ignorant of the ap» plication of fire to cuUnary purposes, The air proceed- ing from their lungs is so mephitical and offensive, that two or more of them shut up in a small and close apart* ment, and thus excluded from free air, would probably not loiig survive. It is only of late years that spirituous liquors have been introducx^d among tliem ; and, notwith^ standing the severe cold of their climate, a quantity of rum remained for a considerable time in the po&session of one of their chiefs, before any of these natives would Uasixrd an experiment of its effects. Fortunate had it beeti for them if they still continued in ignorance of that liquor, which has proved so baneful to a great portion of the iintivilized inliabitants of America ! . The instruments which th("y use for tl»e chaise, and in fisliiug, are constructed with much neatness tnli\ ingenuity. Their bows are composed of three pieces of pine, or larch- tree, which being neittier strong nor very elastic, these detect* are remeilietl by fortifying t^em behind with a bond of deei-'s tendons, which, when wefcttd, conti'act, a^d 8 NEWFOUNDLAND. n- ^ Jit oiice communicate elasticity and force. 3'*ver since they have been visited by Europeans, tlicy have given a pjceferciu:c to the fusil. ; antl wheuevei' tliat iiistrunicut can be procured, tlie bow falls into disuse. ■•■■''■' • ' ' •"'■ • ^ Like; all other mea iia the savage state, they treat their wives, with great coldness and neglect ; but their affection toAvarda thjeir offspring is lively aiwl teiider. Their lan- guage is guttm-al, and contains but few word* ; so that they express new ideas, or give names to novci objects, by a combination of teems, indicative o£ the qi^Utk:s of the tilings which they wish t(« describe. '* ' * ' Their kleas of reUgkHi are obscure and contracted. They acknowledge two iuvisible essences ; the oiie, they represent as the origin of good ; the otlier» to whom they pay the most frequent homage, as tliat of every species of evil. Their canoes are formed with no inconsiderable degree of art,, and nmch iiidufttry appears be be bestowed on their construction. Tliey are pointed at each extremity, and are covei^d with the skins of sea-animals. In the upper part, or deck, is an aperture witji a bag affixed to it, through which the savage introduces his body, and tying its mouth; uroiuid liis waist, and taking in his liands, a paddle which he ti^es ait^nately ou each side, he shoots through the waves, by which he is tossed and buffeted, wliilst the water is unable to penetrate the slender vessel hi which he rides. Newioundlaud extends in the form of a triangie, about i,' : t :^-1 26 NEWPOUNDT.AND. a huiulreil leagues from rast to west, and a luintlred and twenty-five from north to south ; being situated between forty-six and fifty-two degrees of nortli latitude. John Gabato, a Venetian, was its first discoverer, under the pa- tronage of king Henry the Seventh of England. No ad- vantage wa,s derived from thence, until the lapse of a pe- riod of near forty years. Cape Race, and Cape Ray, are the two promontories which present themselves to ma- riners sailing for the river Saint Lawrence. Eighteen: leagues to the westward of the first, appears cape Saint Alary, which forms the eiiliauce of the bay of Placentia' towards the east. This bay is sixteen leagues in breadth, and twenty in depth. Towards its head is the harbour, capable of containing in safety one hundred and fifty ves- sels, and defended by a fprt called Saint Louis. The French were the first Europeans who frequented this situ- ation. Between Placentia and Cape Rry, the western point of the island, two other bays, of considerable extent, penetrate some distance into the country. They are dis- tinguished by the appellations of Fortune and Despair. No settlements have yet been made on their coasts, and they are but little frequented. Cape Ray, together with the island of Saint Paul, about fifteen leagues distant from it, forms the entrance into the gulph of Saint Lawrence ; and vessels sailing thither, must pass, in clear weather, in sight of the onCi or of the other. Besides the bays already NEWFOUNDLAND. aj noticed, this island contains a variety of others, parti- cularly on the eastern coast, among which two are re- markable for their extent ; those of Trinity and Con- ception. Near the latter is the harbour of Samt John, vhich is secure and well fortified. .^'^^fVi-^m^j-j^rt.-f :;^ii^7i: . .^Bordered by dark and gloomy rocks, which exhibit a barren, inhospitable appearance, the country, on a nearer view of its soil, belies not the character of its rude unin- viting features, which, amid their nakedness, display neither grandeur nor sublimity. At a league distant from the entrance of Saint John's harbour^ no opening in tlie coast is discernible. A white tower, raised on a precipit- ous eminence, seems rather intended as a mark to warn vessels of the danger of approacliing the rocky shore, than as a beacon to conduct them to a place of safety. On a nearer examination of it, its strength becomes apparent* and no hostile vessel can enter, with impunity, the nar- row chasm beneath. This structure, situated on a part of ^ the precipice, on the south side of the entrance of Saint John, is named Fort Amherst. The inlet, called the Nar- rows, exceeds not live hundred feet in width. On each side, towards the north, the rocks rise to the altitude of four hundred feet ; but on the south shore, they are of less elevation* "-.^/t',^^li-. .^ i?V'.*''»<---*M>5v'' -»i-'ii<.».<.4jifti^4 ** A\sti.».j».,.i!.. Heath, juniper, and wild spruce, the offspring of steri- lity, sparingly cover the rocky surface. The appearance E 2 If m ■J.'' 28 NEWFOUNDLAND. of the harbour and its environs, is, ' nevertheless, wild an5 picturesque. In proceeding further up the inlet, a bat- teiy, called South Fort, is placed on tlic left ; and an- other, named Chain-rock, on the right. At a consider- able elevation above these, several little forts are seen. A rock, in tin form of a cone, is crowned with a batteiy, con- st nicted under the direction of the late Sir James Wallace, who, in 17!^, was vice-admiral on the station, amd go- vernoi" of the island ; and with a fifty-gun sliip, two fri- l^atos, and two sloops of sixteen guns each, made a gallant Mid successful defence agaiiwt tlie attacks of Admiral -Rklieiy, whose force tconsisted of seven fihifj^B t)f the line, •and ihYce frigates, f^-^i '"''♦^i^'t > w? ^m ^■'f^rrra , i'mfmam^ i^ui' ' Viewed from the summit of this eminence, t?he town, *nd the scaffolds on which the fish ^re placed to dry, pre* sent a singular appea*rance. These scaffolds are generally forty feet -high, -and consist of several stages, on the rafters of each of which a qvtantity of iTFwshwood is placed. They «re sufficiently stiong to support the Wf ight of the green ^sh, and also, occasi<>nally, of one o^r two men. These are (erected in every situation, as well in the vallies, as on the margins of the perpendicular rocks. - -— ^ .. . „, ,, ' The town-ef Saint John borders f>n the basin, and its situation affords no attractions, except to those whom in- terest oi' necessity induces to consult the advantage, ratlicr than the ipleastrre, aristng frorm i3iversity of local situation. *KWrOUNDtAND. '2^9 It contains a church and two chapels, one for the catliolic religion, the others for persons of tlie niethoJist-persua- sion ; also a court-house, and a custom-house. ■ ' ' '. An officer of the customs was, until lately, placed at the head of tiic law department, and decided not only in civil, but in criminal causes. A gentleman who has been t)red to the bar, at present fills the situation of judge of the island. The buildings are mean, and the streets nar- row and dirty. Fort Townsliend is placed above the town, and contains the house allotted for the governor, with the store-houses and magazines, which form a square. From hence, the entrance, the harljour, the narrows sunk between elevated precipices ; and tlie water, covered with small vessels, passing and re-passing, form a lively and busy scene ; these, together with the town, and the adja- cent country, diversified by lalces with verdant borders, exhibit, in the midst of a barren wild, a combination •which may, for a short period, afford the charms of novelty. ^ •..-/ h^r,-, .:.,., -, V.i^ . .-«^ , * Over a place called the barrens, is a road which leads from Fort Townsliend to Fort William, commanding the narrows and the harbour. With the latter, Signal-hill, from whence the approach of ships is announced, com- municates. Its perpendicular height from the sea, is four hundred and four feet ; and it contains, on its summit,, two ponds, affording excellent water. ■': •1 k ^.lirS Jr. I": I I' I ;■ •if. ,11 • U :S 1 r- 1:-;- \ m 9$ 2f KW FOUND tA NO:. The bay of Bulls lies about twenty-eight miles from Saint John's. The internal parts of the island have never yet been explored by the English. A very small portion of land is at present eultivated, as neither the soil nor climate are favourable to productions necessary for the support of life. The duration of summer is too short ; and no kind of grain has sufficient time to arrive at ma- turity. The winter breaks up in May ; and, until the end of September, the air is temperate, during which the progress of vegetation is sufficiently rapid. Hay and grass are here of a very indifferent quality. The land is so sparingly covered with soil, that much labour and expence are necessary to produce a crop, which but poorly recom- pences the industry of the husbandman. The quantity of ground used for the purposes of cultivation, is therefore very small ; and the prohibition of the parent state against attempts to colonize, are, by the sterile nature of the comitr}^ rendered almost unnecessary. The fishermen are, in times of warfare, enjoined to return to England ; and the merchant is authorized, to retain from the Avages of each person in his employ, a certain proportion as a pro- vision, in -ase of incapacity from poverty or sickness, for any individual to return to his country. By tliis prudent regulation, no seaman, thus engaged, can be lost to the service of the state. y: - . ' ' » The English and French long shared between thera, the ; ? U-.^Krr::r:. <|. y;:i i t'^ AV u . I ' NEWFOUNDLAND. 31 'A privilege of drying their fish on the coasts of this island ; the latter occupying the southern and northern parts, and the former the eastern shores. The iiiterior is composed of mountains, covered with woods of an indifferent quality. The animals found here, are foxes, porcupines, hares, squirrels, lynxes, otters, beavers, wolves, and bears. The ciiace is difficult, and unattended with profit. The land a,nd water-fowl are, partridges, sniper, woodcocks, falcons, geese, ducks, and penguins. In the bays and rivers arc found fish of various kinds, such as salmon, eel ., herring, mackarel, plaice, trout, and ahiiost every description of shell-fish. '» • ' ' ■ ' '- ^ • ■ The territory which was requisite to prepare the cod- fish, belonged at first, to any person who took possession ; and from this inconvenience, a source of frequent discord arose. The property of that part of the coast, of which he made choice, was at length, by the interference of go- Ternment, secured to each fisherman. By this judicious arrangement, expeditions thither were multiplied so greatly, that in 1615, vessels from the British dominions, equal in all to fifteen thousand tons, were employed in the fishery. The value of this island soon became apparent. Dot only as a source of national wealth, arising from the exchange of fish for the various productions ieind luxuries, which the southern parts of Europe afford, but what is still of greater importance, as a principal nursery for the navy. Ill i«rd- 1:1 'li'^^l^ ir rm It . ] I 3'i NFWPOtJNDLAiVD. The proptMty of t)us islainl was, by the peace of Ulrecht,, coiifirim'd to Great Britain ; and the subjects of France preserved only ti>e n^ht of lushing iVoni cape Honavista northwards, and to cape Rich on the opposite side. Tliisj Une of demarcation was afterwards altartd, and placed at cape riay, on tlie western side of tlie island. • •' /^ -♦ • ■ Tlie floating masses of ice, which pass> in the vicinity of the eastern coast, and sometimes enter the straits of Belisle, in the summer months, exhibit to mariners an awful and singular spectacle. These enormous mounds, the accmnulated operation of cold for a series of years, in the arctic regions, are detached from the coa«ts near Hud- .son's Bay, and Davis's Straits, by stonns, and other causcsc^ They sometimes exceed an hundred and forty feet in alti- tude ; aiul their basis beneath the .sea, usually doubles those diuiei-k^ions. Jlivulets of fresh water, pro by the British forces under General Wolfe. The inhabitants are at present not numerous ; and the officer who com- mands the troops, usually a brigadier-general, in time of war, is invested also with the powers of civil governor. His residence is at Sidney, the capital. The subjects upon which I have now so long dwelt, are> * * i m ♦ ' ' f ■r ■0\ '■ •'-♦ NEWFOUNDLNAD. f>., 3^ 'i. I am afraid, from their barrenness, but little interesting ; nor can I, at present, indulge the hope of affording infor- mation or entertainment which will appear much more gratifying. Of rude, uncultivated regions, there can be few descriptions but such as are merely geographical, or relating to natives, equally unimproved with the wilds and forests which they traverse or inhabit. - ,;*;>.-- . • Canada presents few objects which can occupy the en- quiries of an antiquarian ; and it contains, perhaps, in less variety than many other portions of the globe, produc- tions which can recompence the researches of the natu- ralist. Its lakes and rivers, it is true, are the vast and principal objects wliich are calculated to inspire wonder and gratification. The inunense volumes, the irresistible weight and velocity of the latter, tearing through and overpowering the o]l]stacles opposed to their course, by the rugged and unequal territories amid whinh they roll, pro** duce falls and cataracts of singular sublimity, and of com- manding beauty ; these, although in some degree similar in effect^ are, notwithstanding; inexhaustible in variety, . '%' • ->-,. . F % :f^'^'^H^;!- W^^.<^'-M- ■'^:- mmi ]'7t 'J.^'.-C- '2.i^m -.it I. " r ■ % a tjS I I' f ,«!; ']': n.. ■i Ml ■1; ili OULPH OF 8AINT LAWXENCB. t* j CHAPTER III. .,, .;■ 6ULPH OP 8AINT LATfRENCE— PRINCE EDWARD's ISLAND-— BIRD ISLE* — CHALEUR'b BAY ; ITS COMMERCE, AND THAT OP GASPs' — STATE OP AGRICULTURE— ROUTE TO THE CAPITAL— PEEFORATED BOCK— ' THE GANET— MOUTH OP THE GREAT AIVER — ANTICOSTI — WILD ASPECT PRESENTED BY THE COASTS ON EITHER SIDE THE RIVER RIVER SA6UENAY— WATERFAL — BOLDNESS OP SHORES — IMMENSE »PPTH— -king's POSTS — ACCOUNT OF THE MOUNTAINEERS--— MALBAIT •— C0UDRE8 — SAINT FAUL's BAY— <:AM0URASCA — ISIJiNO OF PR> " ^ ^ '■ THE Gulph of Saint Lawrence, as well as the great river which there disembognes its waters, received its name from Jacques Cartier, who in 1535 ascended as far as Montreal. Its boundaries are the coasts of Labrador, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Newfoundland. Tlie island of Saint John, whose name is now changed to that of Prince Edward's island, was first settled by Acadians, in 1749> and their number soon nmounted to three thou- sand. When the English took possession of it, the former people retired to the continent. Its present condition is flourishing, and its inhabitants amount to about seven thousand. The soil, which is level, is in general fertile, is watered by rivulets and springs, is diversified with mea- dows for pasture, and with situations which would be welL «%'"■ % ,s 4' W : : -A .■»i f ■% "M a- ^; t, OULPH OF 8AIVT LAWRENCE. «r % -«*!* -■4^' v.V* adapted for the culture of grain, were it not, that from the frequency of fogs, that article is liable to be destroyed by mildew. The climate is likewise subject to dry weather,. when insects and vermin, hostile to vegetable productions, are abundantly propagated. The island is upwards of an hundred and ten miles in length, and its greatest breadth does not much exceed nine. It bends in the form of a crescent, each extremity terminating in a sharp point. The harbours ai^ commodious and safe. Cod-fish is found • in great plenty all around its coasts. A channel, five leagues in width, sep&,rsites it from the continent ; and Green Bay, nearly opposite the center of the island, enters the country more than four leagues, forming, with the bay of Fundy, the isthmus, whose breadth is about five leagues, that connects the peninsula of Nova Scotia with the main iand. At the bottom of Green-bay the French had some jKttlements, and a small fort. Several families are now ^tablished on that part of the coast, and a road of com^ munication from Pictou to Halifax, has lately been opened. Not fiair from the entrance of the gulph^ and somewhat to the northwards, the Magdalen isles, which ire seven in number, and of smail extent, present themselves in a clus- ter. They are inhabited by a few fiimilies, whose princi- pal support b derived from fishing. The Bird isles, situ- ated in the gulph, consist of two rocks, elevated above the water, upwards of an himdred feet ; their flattened '^if - ,' » » % f » ' ..* ^<- ^ ¥ ,^ • V. ^- \ i - ♦ . . * ■*'"*■-> „* '■■'-. •* ■ . • . ■ •■ r t; ■• • ^ • . r ■ti « ■' ■ 4 mi uh': 1^ ;i ^ • %''■ i # 38 GULPH OF SAINT LAWRBNCE. summits, whose circumference exceeds not, each, three hundred paces, exhibit a resplendent whiteness, pro- duced by the quantities of ordure, with which they ar6 covered, from immense flocks of birds, which, in summer, take possession of the apertures in their perpendicular cliffe, where they form their nests and produce their young. When alarmed, they hover above the rocks, and over- shadow their tops by their numbers. The abundance of their eggs affords to the inhabitants of the neighbouring coast, a material supply of food. -^ .. . .^ . ^^ ,.; * A vast inlet, penetrating into the country for a great many leagues to the westward, is called the bay of Cha- leurs, which being advantageously placed for carrying on fisheries, has, on its borders, a considerable number of in* habitants. Jacques Cartier, in 1534, sailed into this bay, and from the heat which he there experienced in the mid- dle of summer, ga^e it the name which it still itetains. Notwithstanding the more northerly situation of this ba.y, the cold is not so intense here as at Quebec, being mode- rated by the sea air. The depth of snow in the woods, during the winter season, is from six to eight feet ; but varying according to the different situations, and the de- grees of severity in the weather. It is not before the be- ginning of May, that the influence of the sun upon vege- tation is faece materially felt ; nor is it before that tinier that the woods a,re entirely cleaiaed of snow. i I!! -V- i'.^ i ?. 5 ,* .; *• ♦ # ■ V * . ■ ^ ' ■ ■ •r 4 ,■ • ! '>■ ,; '■ t* - ' . ■\* ' !» *- .. *■ i> ?A- •1» ■A .:i' ■ »; \s GULPli aP SATNT LAWHENCE. 39 . It may be observed as a curious circumstance, that for six, eight, and ten leagues from the shores of this bay, in proceeding into the woods, travellers and huntsmen fre- quently meet with spots of about two or three acres in surface, entirely bare, and yet surrounded with seven or eight feet depth of snow, which, in times of bad weather, melts as it falls, both on those situations, and on the trees, to which they afford growth. Tliose spots, in their relative position to the head of the bay, extend from east to west, being usually found in that direction ; and their denuda- tjion of snow may probably be occasioned by subterraneous Iieat, which approaching nearer to the surface of the ground, produces the eflfect which has been described.^*^" >. Neither minerals, nor mineral waters, have yet been discovered in this district. The timber which grows here consists of spruce fir, white and black birch, beech, elm> and oak, which being porous, is of little value. f The island of Bonaventure, is about a league from the north shore of the entrance into the bay, and a small num- ber of persons winter on it, for no other purpose than to retain possession of their fisheries. About twenty-one leagues up the bay, there is a parish of the same name with the island. Cod-fish, salmon, and herrings, are the only productions of commerce derived from the bays of Gasp6 and Chaleurs. Ship-building has of late yiears been here tried with suc-v T -■^.a;. > i I r. I • ■X \ ... i i1'^ >f-;.« <^ * »" ■•;*' •(. -»« 40 GULPH OP SAINT LAWRENCE. cess ; but whether or not it will answer in time of peace, is uncertain. There are about three hundred fiimili&i set- tled all along the coast of the district of Gasp6» who are chiefly of the Roman Catholic religion, and whose sole occupation is fisliing. The produce of their industry is transported to foreign market8> in from eight to ten square- rissed vessels, besides smaller craft. *i The natives of this district are of the Micmac tribe. A few Malicites come thither at times, from the river Saint John and Madawaska. Upon the banks of the river Bis* tigouche, which empties itself into the bay of Chaleurs, and about eight leagues from its mouth, there is a church, and an Indian village. At Tracadigash, and at the settle^ ment of Bonaventure, there are likewise churches, besides some chapels in the smaller settlements, where the eccle- siastical functions are performed by two, and sometimes by three missionaries. Agriculture 's wicoramonly neglected, and in an entire »tatc of in&ncy. It has of late years been somewhat more attended to than formerly, because the want of salt, an article ever scarce in th<»se parts in time of war, and othei causes, gave to the fisheries a temporary check, and obliged the inhabitants to secure the means of subsisting their families, by tillage and husbandry. But, if is pro- bable they will, as they have ever done, resume the hook and line, as soon as they have a prospect of encouragement in that their favourite pursuit. 8 ?«■■* .S GITLPH OF SAINT LAWRENCE. 'Ml ■»*•" *. ' The roads of intefc^ourse between the adjoininp; settle-i ments are very inrUfferent ; but, wherever there is any in- terruption, by extensive, unsettled parts of the coast, the traveller must have recourse to water communication. >«• on Three different routes are pursued by those whom busi- ness obliges to travel to Quebec, in the winter season. One of these is by the coa^t of the Saint Lawrence, the other two by the river Ristigouche. In adopting the se- cond, the traveller ascends that river about twelve leagues, imtil he reaches the Matapediach, which empties it elf therein, and whose course he traces upwards to a lake of the same name, from whence it derives its source ; hence lie continues in the same direction, about ten leagues along an Indian path, to the river Mitis, flowing into the Saint Lawrence. The third route is, by ascending the Kistigouche, to near its source, as far as a brook, called by the natives Wagancitz ; and from thence, by crossing the land to the Saint John, about eight leagues above the great falls ; by following this river, until its junction with the Madawaska, and the latter river to lake Tamiscuata ; and by proceeding along that lake to the grande partagCy or road opened by the late Greneral Haldimand, through which, after walking about thirty miles, the traveller gains the river Saint Lawrence, near the riviere des Caps, two leagues and a half below the parish of Camourasca. Tlie first of these routes is the Ion ;est, and may be com- 1' I 'I ^S •!■ .r^- . ' *■ ■* :. il 48* aVLVn OF SAINT LAWRENCE. puted, from the iniddle of Chaleurs bay, at about one hundred and forty leagues to Quebec. The two latter mUst be nearly ecjual ; it would appear, however, from the coiu'ses, that the road by Matapediach, must be somewhat shorter than the other. The distance of either, from Car- lisle, in the middle of the bay, to Quebec, does not exceed • one hundred and twenty leagues. '^* *' ' ""• ' *** -^ * The only object in this part of the country, which may be considered as a natural curiosity, is the rock called Perce, perforated in three places in the form of arches, through the central and largest of which, a boat with sails set, may pass witli great facility. This rock, which, at a distanct^ exhibits the appearance of an aqueduct in ruins, rises to the height of nearly two hundred feet. Its length, ivhich is at present four hundred yards, must have been once much greater, as it has evidently been wasted by the sea, and by the frequent impulse of storms. * ' ''^* " "^ The shell-fish procured, in the month of August, from the rivers, and from their mouths near the coast, in the vi-t cinity of Clmleurs bay, are so highly impregnated with a poisonous quality, as to occasion almost instantaneouis death to those who eat them. The cause of this circum- stance remains yet to be ascertained. Not only in the dis- trict of Gasp^, but in Hiost settl^nent» orv the Gulph of Saint Lawrence, similar effects have beeii experienced. The period of the year has apparently no otlier share in » W-. ■: V. GULPU OK SAINT LAWUENCK, ^^ producing them, than by the reduction of the quantity of waters which generally takes place in summer. The greater the diminution of waters, the stronger, of course, becomes the proportion of poisonous matter with which these wa- ters are endowed ; and this being imbibed, especially dur-f ing ebb tides, by the shell-fish, they are thus productive of consequences, £ital to those who use them as an article of food*ii iHu'ii cii SI »{jjc ;iu7*:x 4*^0^^^ «^*^^*" J"^*^^^'-''**^*'*! Not only the Bird isles, already described, but the island of Bonaventure, and, Perc6 rock, abound in summer with ganets, which, in prodigious flocks, arrive early in May from the southward. They lay and hatch their eggs, not only on those islands, but on various parts of the coast, trhere adventurous sportsmen, often with eonsiderable risque, ascend and plunder their nests, amid the steep and threatening cliffs. These birds, at that period very fierce, will sometimes, by the severity of their bite, directed chiefly at the eyes of the despoiler, foi'ce him to retreat. • The bay of Gasp6 is more than two leagues in depth, and its coasts are inhabited by settlers engaged in the fisheries. ' ' ?'>w ,: ;.^^t The Gulph of Saint Lawrence is about eighty leagues in length ; and \^hen the winds and curreiits are fatourable, its passage does not usually exceed tirenty-fbtlr hours. The Saint Lawrence is one of the greatest, most noble, and beautiful rivers, and^ at the same time, the furthest G 2 I- ! 1 «,-. - ! «! I i '' 'J: (if n 44 BIVEU SAINT LAWRENCE. navigable for vessels of a large size, of any in the universe. From its mouth to the harbour- of Quebec, the distance U one hundred and twenty leagues ; and vessels from Europe ascend to Montreal, which is sixty leagues higher up its course. :Ui ;» u <»• Cape Hosiers, at a snoall distance to the northwards of the point of Gasp^, is properly the place which limits the fkrthest extent of this gigantic river ; and it is from thence that the breadth of its mouth, which is ninety miles, must be estimated. They who pretend that its width is one hundred and twenty miles, measure it apparently from the eastern extremity of Gaspe. The mouth of the Saint Lawrence is separated into two channels, by the island of Anticosti, extending from south east to north west, about a hundred and twenty miles, and in its utmost breadtli about thirty miles. The north channel is little frequented, although safe and of great depth ; it is much narrower than the south channel, which is near sixteen leagues wide at its entrance. The island is of little value ; the wood which grows upon it is small, the soil is barren, and it possesses not a single harbour where a vessel may with safety enter. The country is flat towards the coasts, rising a little in the centre, but no where into hills. Flat rocks extend at each extremity, a to considerable distance from the shores, rendering the approach hazardous. A few savages some- times winter there, for the purpase of the chace. On RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. '4ib passing this island, the land becomes visible on both sides of the river, .iumiiuj iAJrw lva4» «*.i'iifi . ' . The mountains of Notre Dame and Mont Louis, be- hind which the former are placed, are part of a chain on the south side of the river, the vallies between which are occasionally frequented by savages. The environs of Mont Louis afford lands fit for cultivation, and some families are there settled. On the northern and opposite coast of the river, the bey of seven islands is placed, where a fleet un« der the command of Admiral Walker was, in 171 1 > lost on an expedition against Quebec. An eminence, named La pointe de Mont PeieCy is situated seventeen leagues to tlie south west of these islands. Along tlie extent of the north coast, the river Moisie, and several other considerable streams, roll dQ^fvn to, the Saint Lawrence, the tribute of their waters:" h*>r^:y% i*;: .;^f Cape Chatte; on the south shore, exhibits a bold ap- pearance ; between this and a point on the north coast, which terminates the bald mountains, the channel of the river becomes considerably ccmtracted. • - « .:* < • . Two conical elevations, upon a mountain, called Les Mammeiks de Matane, about two leagues distant from the coast, present themselves to view. No country can ex- liibit a more wild aspect than that which here extends on either side the river. Stunted trees, rocks, and sand, compqse. thje. inhospitable and desolate territory, which iiilM ^'it . ll J- ' :i 4^ HIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. •^ ^cannot boast of an acre of soil capable of yielding any useful production. Birds and wild animals are, indeed, iierc to be found ; but the chace is practicable only to savages, lo ^tui.:>tii ^h-^-mlti l.ia 'i^iiiii-l oiiJ fiouJw Itnit The shoal of Maniagoagan advances from the north shore, upwards of two leagues into, the river. It receives its appellation from a stream which has its source in the territory of Labrador, and here discharges itself into the Saint Lawrence. This considerable body of water is also called the Black- river. Towards the east there is a bay of the same name as the shoal, and on the west the bay of Outardes. '. •— • v, . , The small island of Saint Bamaby is placed rifear thfe south shore, opposite to an inconsiderable river, upon the banks of which is a settlement called Rimouski; From Mont Louis to this island, the distance is forty leagues, throughout whicii, there is neither on the south or the north shore, any station which can have the merit of being termed a harbour ; and some anchoring places only pre>- sent themselves ; these are principally on tlie ndrth shore, and are distinguished by the names of port La Croix, the river Saint JVIarguerite, the cove of Trinity, the port Qf Saint Nicholas, and the bay ef Maniageagan', already mentioned. In proceecling faiiilier up. Gape Original, a promontory of a rugged and singular form, attracts the jeye, in whose viciuity is the isle of Bique, well known to niVER SAINT LAwnr.ycE. 47 navigators f^r its excellent harbour, and as being the place at which pilots are landed from vessels proceeding down the river. To the southwards of the cape, the stream of Trois Pistoles empties itself into the Saint Lav/rence, and the isle of Basque lies opposite to its mouth. ^' A considerable number of rivers flowing through long channels from the northwards, pour their waters into the Suint I'^v. tcnce. The chief (if these is the Saguenay, drawing its source from lake Saint Jolm, and running to the eastward through a mountainous and l)arren region. The lake is about thirty leagues in circuit, and its bor- ders, as well as the surrounding country, are covered >\ ith piiie trees of a small growth. The Saguenay, which sweeps along a profligious body of waters, is interrupted in its course by abrupt precipices, over which it dashes its foam- ing current ; and, being bounded by banks of great eleva- tion, is remarkable for the depth and impetuosity of its flood, long before it mingles with the great river. The fkll, which is about fifty feet in altitude, is ninety miles distant from the mouth of the river, and is chiefly strik- ing, fcr the immense sheet of water, which is perpetually broken hi ijs rugged course, and assumes a resplendent whiteness. When viewed from below, the scene is stupend- ous and terrific. The incessant and deafening roar of the rolling torrents of foam, and the irresistible violence and fnry with which the river hastem down its descent, tend. ,i ^ 48 * RIVER SAGUENAY. to produce on the mind of the spectator an impression awfully grand. The picturesque and rudely wild forms of the lofty banks, exhibit a gloomy contrast to the lively splendour of the cataract. - ' ' • The impetuous torrent of the Saguenay, when the tide is low, is sensibly felt in the Saint Lawrence, which, for a distance of many miles, is obliged to yield to its impulse ; and vessels apparently going their course, have thereby been carried sidelong in a different direction-.^A .. '. Besides the fall now described, this river is broken into several rapids or cataracts of lesser height. In many places the banks are rugged and steep, and at intervals, consist of almost perpendicular cliffs of astonishing eleva- tion, some rising to a thousand, and some to six or seven hundred feet. The length of the course of this river is a hundred ijnd fifty miles ; its breadth is generally near three miles, except near its mouth, where it contracts to one- third of that extent. An attempt has been made, in the centre of its mouth, to sound the depth with five hundred fathoms of line, but no bottom wa.s found. A mile and an half higher up from thence, the depth has been ascertained at one hundred and thirty-eight fathoms ; and sixty miles further, in ascending the course of the river, the depth is uear sixty fathoms. j J. Notwitlistauding its immense breadth, and the stupend- ous elevation of its rocky shores, the course of this river RIVER SAOUENAY, ^19 k rendered extremely crooked, by points of land Mliich appear to interlock each other ; and thus prolong its navi- gation. The tide ascends to the peninsula of Chicoutami, and, intercepted in its retreat, by these frequent promon- tories, is much later in its ebb, thaii that of the Saint Lawrence. The level of the former river, becomes thus, many feet higher than that of the latter, into whose bosom it rushes, with the boundless unpetuosity already re- Uiarked. / i '>: ^ i' r-- t- t: .iv: * On the north side of the mouth of the Saguenay, is the harbour of Tadoussac, capable of aftbrding shelter and anchorage, for a number of vessels of a large size. Previ- ous to the establishment of a colony in Canada, this place was frequented, for the purpose of carrying on the fur trade. Several small settlements belonging to government, are placed along the northern coast of the Saint Lawrence. These are usually known by the appellation of the King's Posts, and are let, for a term of years, to commercial people, for the design of conducting a traffic for peltry with the savages, and also for the salmon, whale, seal, and porpus fisheries. Their several names are, Tadoussac, Chicoutami, seventy-five miles up the Saguenay ; a post on Lake Saint John, Ashuabmancluian, JNIistashni, les Isles de .Teremie on the sea. Seven Islands, and Point De- Monts. At these various situations, previous to the year 1802, about eighty Canadians were employed in luinting,^ H 1 ( i. n. J i i f!ii il 'I Ir. 10 RiVJiR SAOUENAY. t \ I ;^nil purchasing furs from the Indians in winter, and, dur- ing summer, in the salmon fishery, for which the river Moisie, eighteen miles below Seven Islands, aft'ords a most productive field. rl.v -....,., t „. Chicoutami is the only situation on the Saguenay, where the soil is fertile, and abounds with timber of an excellent growth. It has been found by experiment, that grain will ripen much sooner there than at Quebec, although placed considerably to the northwards of that city. The vicinity of the sea, to the former, disanns the winter of a portion of its severity, and produces an earlier spring. .^.-;.^ - The natives in possession of the tract of country around- Lake Saint John, and on the borders of the Saguenay, are nanied Mountaineers, and are descended from the Algon- quins. They are neither so tall, nor so well formed, as the savages that range throughout the north-west country, and aje also strangers to that sanguinary ferocity, by Avhich many of the Indian tribes are characterized. They are remarlcable for the mildness, and gentleness of their manners, and are never known to use an offensive weapon against eacli other, or tx) kill, or wound, any person what- ever. Nor can tlie effects of spirituous liquors, so bane- ful tp other natives, excite them to cruelty, or' vindictive passion. Their beluiviour is uniformly orderly and de- cent ; their mode of dress is tlie samt* as that which now prevails, among the other savages who have intercourse a ,i ■^ RIVEll SACUENAY. ^ 51 •MdtJfKiifojJeans ; a^ut^tlre stuffs, and silks, for which they exchange their furs, are often rich and costly. ;•- • r'-* - i .*aij Their whole number is about thirteen hundred ; nearly one-half beinsj converted to the Christian faith, and the other half being Pagans. A missionary sent from Quebec, resides among them ; and chapels, where divine service is performed, are er(«^ed at the principal posts. Repeated efforts, and much pei-suasion have been used, to prevail on these savages to cultivate the lands, and to plant Indian corn, or potatoes. They have not, hoM'ever, been able to overcome their projiensity to indolence, or their ufter aversion and abhorrence to that species of labour. They appeared to relish these articles of food, when offered, and would eat them with avidity, if accompanied with a little grease ; yet, even the incitement of reward, stiperadded to the prospect of a constant and wholesome supply of nou- rishment, failed in producii^g any inclination for industry. -r. Although, like other tibes in a barbarous stale, each in- dividual is solely dependent, for support and defence, on the strength of his own arm, and the resolution of his mhid ; they are, notwithstanding, so pusillanimous, thai at the appearance of an enemy, however sniaH in numbers, they betake themselves to flight, and retire for safety intt) the wdods. n « .-^^^iAvijii Ji'i ^^ The furs procured in this qnaitei', ale, in general, of a superior quality ; and great attention is bestowed by the II ? i :.r-V' ' ■ i ■ ' i :>.''" 4 J ■■■ , m. 'Br 52 RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE. liunters, in scraping and cleaning the parchments. These posts, which produced to government a rent of no more than four hundred pounds a year, have lately been let on a lease of thirty years, to the North-west Company, a so- ciety of merchants at Montreal, for the yearly rent of one thousand and twenty-five pounds. -rr ij? -^^ir^ ? Near the island of Bique, the settlements on the south coast of the Saint Lawrence may be said to commence. Green Island, about seven leagues higher in ascending the river, exhibits a pleasing appearance, and affords luxuri- ant pasturage for a number of cattle. Some of the low grounds on the island, and on the continental shore, being frequently overflown by the salt water, during high tides, are clothed with herbage. The river in this part, abound- ing in shoals, there is a channel, or traverse on the north «ide of Green Island, where, at low tide, the current de- scends with rapidity, and through which vessels hold their course. The coast on tlie south shore, from hence, up- wards, as umes a flat appearance, the hills rising at some distance from the river. The north coast, althou^^,h of no great elevation, is abrupt, rocky, and sterile, for an ex- tent of several leagues ; and the islands towards that side, exhibit a like desolate character. ^fl *f*^^ Between Point d rAigle, a mountainous promontory on the north coast, and a congeries of other eminences called Us Ebouiemenfs, there is a considerable settlemer.t situated rivp:r ,s\int iawrence. 53 at the bottom of an inlet, which recedes about three miles from the great river, and is called Mal-bay. Here the Jand is cultivated and inhabited for an extent of six miles, in a rich and romantic valley, through Mhich a river, abounding in salmon and trout, winds its course into the bay. The soil, which consists of a black mould upon sand, is fertile ; and the inhabitants, whose comnmnication with other settled parts of the country is not frequent, possess, within their own limits, an abundance of the ne- cessaries of life. ,^j, • ' ', ■ .** Cattle, sheep, some hoi-ses, wheat, bats, and boards, are exported from hence to Quebec. This bay is freciuented by porpuses of a milk-white colour, which in some seasons yield a handsome profit, to those concerned in the fish- eries. Wliales seldom ascend higher than the mouth of tlifO ■ oaguenay. .rr .,.,.- .j,.:.i*, ^if«;,rj>:y i.^-.'^^^r, •^,. ■■.:;.- ., :.L The entrance to this bay, presents to tlie eye, a land- scape, at once singularly romantic and beautiful, being terminated by mountains, whose varied and elevated sum- mits, sharpen into cones of different magnitudes. ,. In ascending the Saint Lawrence, the country on either side affords pleasure and amusement to the traveller, by the exhibition of a profusion of grand objects. Amid tlie combination of islands, promontories, and hills cloathed with forests, some scenes, more strikingly than others, at- tract the attention. On the north side, after passing Mal- {'n^ if , ) Hi p 1 ", J 11 ; : 1 54 niVEH 8A1NT LAWnENCE. t. bay, a bold and interesting scene is formed, by huge massm of rock, interspersed m ith shrubs, and by the east side of the hills, called les EOouk/n&its, which with majestic elevation project into the river. The settlement of Caniourasca, with the mountains Ixnond it, forms the opposite coast. . Tlie island of Coudres, situated at the distance of about a league from tiie north shore, rises gradually from the water, except in a few places, where its borders, although of no great height, arc almost perpeiidiculai-, and covered with small trees. It contains one parish, and about thirty families, each of which derives its support from its own lands. The extent of this island, is about seven miles in length, and about three in extreme breadth. Its name arose from the quantity of hazel-trees, which Jacques C artier, in his voyage to Quebec, found growing in its woods. The river, oh the south side of the island, is of no great depdi, and forms a winding channel of about two miles in width, deeper timii any other part of its bed in this situa- tion, and known by the appellation of the Traverse. When the wind is uniuvourable, the navigation is here difficult ; and tlx^ breadth of the river from C'oudres to the* south shore, being fourteen miles, great attention is ne- cessary, in order to steer within the Traveree, which, if it be overshot by a large vessel, she will inevitably be .set aground ; but, as the bottom consists of mud, or sand, niVEn SAINT LAWnESCE. 55 damage is, in that event, seldom sustitiiied; any further than the delay in ^raiting for a. high tide. . The channel between Coudres and the north shore, is upwards of a league in bi-eadth, and of considerable depth ; but as the anchorage there is by no meauK good, the bottom being rocky, a vessel in endeavouring to pass through it, would not be in full security, should the wind and tide cease to operate in her favour. For this reason, the southern passage is prefeired by pilots. • The Eboidements, already noticed, consist of a small chain of mountains, suddenly rising from the water ; and, towards the east,, bounding the entrance into Saint Paul's bay. On their sides, are several cultivated spots, and the settlements appear one above another, at different stages of height. The houses, corn-fields, and woods, ir- regularly scattered over the brow of the hills, produce an effect, luxuriant and novel. ' ^ ^.PrtM" Saint Paul's bay is formed by mountains, which, on either side, recede from the coast of the river, towards the north, inclosing a valley of nine miles in extent, through which, two small rivers pursue their serpentine courses. The mountains are heaped upon each other, and their rugged and pointed summits, boldly terminate the view. The valley is well cultivated, and thickly inhabited. A great proportion of the soil is rocky and uneven, and some spots, on tfic sides of the hills, are so precipitous, that I "M'Sbi ; V %i I € liii f\ fl, . i6 lUVKH (»\INT lAWIIKNCr. they are unfit for the purpose of pasturage. The inhabit- ants, however, cultivate; those spots by manual labour, and sow them with wheat or oats. The dwelling-houses are, in general, large, are built of stone, and shew an ex- ternal neatness, which is indeed, common to almost the whole of tlie habitations of the peasantry in Canada, the roofs and walls bein . The vicinity of Cainourasca presents a scene, wild and romantic, being varied by iblaiidt), by level laaids, and by rocky acelivitieit. The aulphureoiu springs iovsui here,, and the immense masses of broken rock, which a{)pear td hwve been thrown together by some violent and uncom- nion effort of nature, aftbrd groiiniU fur supposing, tliat this part of the country has undergone material changes. From tliis settlement, in ascending the coast of the great rirer, the country is fertile, and thickly inhabited*, beiiig, in some places, settled to the depth of several aoi>* cessions. The cultivated lands are level, and watered by a variety of fine streams, among which ths .Quelle, the Saint Aim, and. the Saint Thoinas, are the chief. The latter falls into the Saint Lawrence in a, beautiful manner ». over a perpendicular nock, whose altitude is twenty-five feet Gn^at quantities of grain are produced in the parishe» of the same names as these rivers ; and the soil surpasses in fertility, any of the settlements around Quebec. The coasts of the great river afford excellent meadow lands. The chuixihes, and settlements which are placed thicklji? un'SK lAINT LAWHB^CU. !)9 together, prtxluoc an agreeaWc contrast, witTi iA\c foretitt unci distant mountains. The fare of tlie coimtry on tlic north is clevatcosed by the eastern extremity of that island, cloathed with trees, tlie I^le de Mad4imi, the Cape, and the mountains which recede from it towards the wf«t and north, with tlie cultivated meadows which spread themselves under its rocky basis. When the at- mosphci^ is VM-ied by clouds, whiol^i frequently enveIoi)e the summits of thoMt mofintains, and which, by suddenly bursting open, present tliem partially to the eye, the spec- tator becomes improssed with the sublimity and grandeur of the scene. Cape Tourment is throe himdred and thirty milei dis- tant from the mouth of th>e river. After pasf>ing the island of Coudr^g, thtt water Assumes a whitish hue, and h I ^ H' l:^ 60 Rtvrn SAIST TVWnENCE. brackish to the taste, the mixture of salt continuing to diminisli, until ll»c ti»lc reaches the lower extremity of Orleans, vvhc rt it Ik'coitks pertlctly fresh. Tlic hitU'i' island, rises in gradation, from its steep- banks on the coast, towards its centie, presenting a pleas- ing and fertile appearance. Beyond it, the mountains of the north coast exalt tiieir towering summits. Its cir- cumference is about forty-eight miles. It was, in 1676> erected into an Earldom, under the title of Saint Laurent, which has long been extinct. Of the two channels formed by this island, that of the .south, po.s.sessing much greatcF depth and breadth, is the course through which all vesg<;'ls of burden are navigated. About the center of this island is an anchoring ground, called Patrick's hole, protected by lofty banks, and atYording shelter, when necessary, for a great number of ships. The channel on the north, i.s navigable for sloops and schooners only, and appears to be gradually dinuni.shing in deptJK Wild vines are found in the woods of Orleans, which induced Jacqiies Cartier, on hi^ first landing there, to be- stow on it the ap|;)ellation of the hlc 'e Bacchus. Consider- able qua itities of grain are here produced ; and in several situations, there are orrliiids alTording apples of a good quality. At the loM'cr extremity of the island, the river is sixteen mdes in breadth ; and at the upper extremity, a bajsiii, extenc'i.ig in every direction, about six milgs, is- • 1 \ ■ ^• .5 c s 1 f V ' \ 2 .ihj '1 . h ' '¥ ' it If" ■ ' 1 I I>^ RIVER SAINT LAWRENCE, CI formed. At the approach to this basin, a number of ob- jects combine to produce a Hvely and interesting prospect. Tlie foaming clouds of the Montmorenci, pouring over a / _ gloomy precipice, suddenly open on the eye. The rocks of Point Levi, and the elevated promontory, on whosv^ ' I sides the city of Quebec is placed, seem to bound the ' , channel of the great river. The north side of the town is , terminated by the Saint Cliarles. The settlement of Beau* port, in extent about seven miles, intervenes between the Montmorenci and Quebec, and is situated on a decUvity, extending from the hills to the Saint Lawrence, whose banks gradually slope towards the little river of Beau- port, from whose western borders the land becomes leveL A chain of mountains towards the north intercepts the ':V • '■ JU m 'Va ■A.,'. I* 62 QCEHKC. t' CHAPTER IV^ '•.^^CEBEC— DF-rnn'TioH of that city — romantic situation — na- tural STKKNCiTH UKI.If.lOL'S OHDERS, AND THinn KSTAUMSH- m4wts — siiip-nt ir-ni?Niii — i!iTBRE,nTi:fo scr.Tie disitayed from rOINT LEVI — EXTEKslVi: AND CHANtt LAIHWrAI'E PTIE8ENTKD FUOH TI|« HEIGHTS TO THE WESTWARD OF THE CAHRISON RIVER MONTMORENn NATU8AI, STEPS— SUBLIME WATBRFALI.— BASIN, AND * QUEBEC* m wfcertsted views, after having lurveyed the borelcm of the river, for the choice of a Mt«ati«Hn presenting the greatest coiiyeniences for a settlemefht, gave the preference to an elevated promontory, iMtweea the Saint Lawrencei and the smaH riT^r Saint Charles. It is asserted, that some of his. attendants, having pronounced at first view of this point of land, the words ** Qnel bee !" Champlain bestowed that name on his projected town. After erect- m^i, some huts foe tbo shdter of his pcopk, he Ixgan to dear the enviipns, firom tlie wt>od» with which they were eoveicdc Tbe spot w&ich Champlain diesigned as the foundation of a ftitu«« city, did no les^ credit to his judgment than to his taste, its superior altitudie and natural strength, allbrded the advantage of its being itl time rendered, by the labours of engineers, a respectable and formidable foitpess. Cape Diamond, the summit of the promontory, rises abruptly on the south, to the height of three hundred and fifty perpendicular feet above the river, advances from iho tine of the banks on tlie w«st, «nd fornui the Ance de Ai. > , a> small harbour, occupied for the purpose of ship-buiit*«« ing. Some uneven ground subsides into a valley, between the works and the heights of Abraham ; on the latter there are natural elevations, which are higher by a few feet, than vay of the grounds iucl^ided within the fortifications. J iill •1 I 64 QUEnEc. In l()90, Quebec was first fortified with eleven stone re- doubts, which served as bifjtions, connnunicating with each other, by curtains composed of palhsades ten feet in height, strcngthenetl iii the interior with earth. No otlier defence was, for nrany years, provided against the hostile attempts of the Iroquois, and other savage tribes who were inimical to the French settlers. The ruins of five of these redoubts are yet extant. ........ »...fi i,,...„,» ,../ The citadel is now construct'^d on the highest part of Cape Diamond, composed of a whole bastion, a curtain and half-bastion, from whence it extends along the sum- mit of the bank towards the north-east, this part being adapted with Hanks, agreeably to the situation of the ground. There are, towards the south-west, a ditch, counter-guard, and covered-way, with glacis. The works Jiave, of late years, been in a great measurere built, and raised to a pitch calculated to command the high grounds in the vicinity. ? f-i i w hti vti*'- u't ./tsv-ietiiilAJ *«?• ""j When viewed from a small distance, they exhibit a handsome appearance. A steep and nigged bank, about fifty feet ill height, terminates the ditch and glacis, on the 'lorth, towards which the ground slopes tkjwnwards from Cape Diamond, nearly three hundred feet, in a distance ot" about nine hundred yards. Along tlie summit of the bank a strong wall of stone, nearly forty feet high, having a half and a whole Hat bastion with small Hanks, occupies • ^ 1 M m . V ■• ? - % -" .' "» t • " ■ <' - .' - • , QURBEC. 01 » ft space of two hundred yardn. to palace-gate, at which / there is a gnard-house. From hence to the new works ■ • at Ilope-gate, is a distance of about three hundred yard^. Tiie rocky eminenoe increases in steepness and elevation as fur as the bishop's palace, near which there is a strong battery of heavy cannon, -extending a considerable way along the brow of the precipice, and commanding the basin, and part of the river. Between tlie edifice now mentioned, and the lower town, a steep passage, partly formed by na- ture, inten'enes, over which there is a barrier, with a gate- way of stone, surmounted by a guard-house, and this com- munication is otherwise defended by powerful works of stone, under the palace on one side, and on the other stretching upwards towards the government-house, where tlie bank becomes considerably more elevated. This build- ing, which is dignified with the appellation of chateau, or castle of St. I^ouis, is placed on the brink of a precipice, inaccessible, and whose altitude exceeds two hundred feet. The building is supported by counterforts, rising to half its height, and sustaining a gallery. The apartments arc occupied us offices for the civil and military brandies, act- ing immediately under tlie orders of the govemor-generai of Brii'ish America, who likeM'ise con\mand'i the troops, tvnd who8v«i residence is in a building of laore modern con- struction, forniing the opposite side of k square. The i^artuients an tpucious and plain, but the structure has i.Si : H V ^ QUEBEC. nothing external to recommend it. Upon the brink of the precipitous rock, a stone wall is extended from the old chateau, for a distance of about three hundred yards to the westward, which forms a line of defence, and serves as a be undary to the garden, within which are two small batte* ries, one rising above the other. ^ . » . • « l > Cnpe Diamond, nearly two hundred feet higher than the ^ o ground on which the upper town is situated, presents itself to the westward. From tlie garrison there are five gates^ or outlets to the neighbouring country, the highest^. Port Saint Louis, opens to the westward, and towards the heights of Abraham ; Port Saint John, towards Saint Foix,. through which is the road to Montreal; Palace and Hope- gate open towards the river Saint Cliacles and the north» and Prescott-gate affords a communication to the lowec town on the south-east. .4' In most of the public boildu^gs, no great degree ol taste or elegance can be discovered, although mach laboup and expenee must have been bestowed on their construe* tiou. The architects seem principally to have had in view,, {strength and durability, and not to have paid much regard* to tliose rules of their art, which combine symmetry witk Htility. • .. . . ; ^ t. ri r The cathedral church of the catholics, is a long, ele- vated, and plain building of stone, with the spire on one side of its front ; the internal appearance is neat and sp&- I i cious, and it is capable of containing a1>out three thousand persons. A good organ has here kitely been introduced. The Jesuits' college, originally founded at Quebec in 1635, has been, since that period rebuilt, and is a large stone edifice of three stories high, of nearly a square figure, containing an area in its centre. The garden is of sonie extent, and has, at one end, a grove of trees, part of trhicli is a remain o( the original woods, with which tlie promon^ tory was once covered. Tlie society of Jesuits wliich became established in Ca« nada, formerly composed a nmnerous body, and their col- lege was considered tm the first institution, on the continent of North America, for the instruction of young men. The advantages derived from it, were not limited to the better classes of Canadians, but Were extended to all whose incli- nation it was to participate them, and many stiidents camo thither, from the West Indies. From the period of the expulsion of the Jesuits from the states of Europe, and the consequent aboKtion of their order on that continent, this establishment, although protected by the British go* vemntent, began rapidly to decline. The httt member of that fraternity died a few years ago, and the boildings, as well as lands which form an extensive domain, devolved to the crown, '^ ^"* . The landed property was designed by the sovereign as a lecompence for the services of the late Lord Amherst, who K 2 > .; ?>l ■ ^i ' i-l IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) *' ^ Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145M (716) •72-4503 ' ,1 68 Quebec. commanded the troops in North America, at the time of the conquest of Canada, and who completed the rediiction of that province, under the British government. The claim to these estates has been relinquished by his successor, for a pension The revenue arising from them, has been ap- propriated by the legislature of Lower Canada, for the purpose of establishing in the different parishes, schools for the education of children. The Jesuits' college is now converted into a commodious barrack for the troops. The seminary^ a building of some extent, forming three sides of 8. square open towards the north-west, contains a variety of apartments^ suited lor the accommodation of a certain number of ecclesiastics, and of young students, who> are of the Roman Catholic religion. This institution owes its foundation to M. de Petr^, who, in 1605, obtained from the King of France* letters patent for that purpose. Tythe* were enjoined to be paid by the inhabitants, to the diiec- tors of the seminary, for its support, and a thirteenth in addition to what was already the right of the church, was levied. This regulation being found too oppressive, was altered to a twenty-sixth part of the produce,, to be paid in grain, from which tax newly cleared lands were ex- empted, for a space of five years. - t^V Hn'^^v^ *tM«ri ?*. Mm.^ The members of the seminary are composed of a supe- rior, three directors, and six or seven masters, who are appointed to instruct young men in the different branches U a 4)UEBEC7 69 of edacationi professed by eadh^ Since the decline and extinction of the order of Jesuits, the seminary, which was at^rst exclusively designed for the education of priests, and, excepting the college of Montreal, is the only public establishment of the kind in the province, is now open to all young men of the catholic faith, although they may not be destined for the sacerdotal function. The north-east aspect of this building is agreeable in summer, having under it a spacious garden, which extends to near the precipice on the east, and overlooks the lower town, i J The monastery, with the church and garden of the Re- collets, which occupied the western side of the spot called Place ^ArmeSy are now rased to the foundation, the build- ings having been destroyed by fire in 1796, and the order to which they were appropriated, having since that period, become extinct. w . ^ s , ,; . Two newedifices have lately been erected, upon that site ; the one, a protestant metropolitan church, the other a house for the courts of law. They are both constructed with the best materials, which this part of the country affords, and ex- ecuted in a neat and handsome stile. The church, although not much ornamented, may be pronounced elegant, the rules of architecture having been adhered to in its structure. Considered as ornamenti to the city of Quebec, it is to be regretted, that separate situations have not been allotted for them, and that in a country where public biiildingi 1 1,' m i; «TV'" ■? \y w.- f ^:-'%' QUEBEC^' capable of attracting notice are canely to be met with, two edifices of such consequence should have been placed so near to each other. ; ; *; :;-^.,i: vi-':^:«-:.r • u' i; - . > The Hotel Dieu, with its gardens, occupies a large ex- tent of ground. It was founded in 1638 by the Duchess d'Aiguillon, who sent from the hospital at Dieppe three nuns, for the purpose of commencing this charitable and useful institution ; it consists of a superior, and twenty- seven sisters, whose principal occupation is to assist, and to administer medicines and food to invalids of both sexes, who may be sent to tlie hospital, and who are lodged in wards, wliere much regard is paid to cleanliness**'*' ^'^*' •• The convent of the Ursulines waa instituted in 163^, by Madame de la Peltiie, a young widow of condition, ux France. It is possessed by a superior, and thirty-six. nuns„ who are chiefly engaged in the instruction of young ¥ro- meu. The building is spacious, and lias extensive gar- dens- -annexed* to it. - ■ ^^--> W^ '^K^i^- 'i*^'- ^ifih^fm- ^^y^^'-c: -a- ■ "■' i The bishop's palace already oientioned, situated near the commimication with llie lower town, has been, for se- veral years, occupied for publie offices, and liar a Kbrary. The chapel has becda converted intQ a room, fbv the meet-k^ iug of the provincial a6semb%« of representatives. ^^ 'v**^ '-t Another edifice oi$t the north side of the town,, extending in leogith from: palace-gate to the ramparts on the west,* upwards of ^VQ bundled feet in Jength, eontaiiis a numbei^ QUEBECr 71 of vaulted apartments, and is occupied for the office of ordnance, for barracks for the royal artillery, for an ar- moury, store-house* and work-shops, and for a public goal, which forms the east end of the building. The ruins of a large house which was formerly that of the intendant, remain on a flat ground on the banks of the river Saint Charles, and in the suburbs of Saint Roc. This was once called a palace, because the council of the French government in North America there assembled. The apartments, which were numerowis and spacious, were furnished with magnificence and splendour. On one side of the court, were placed the king's storehouses, which, together with the palace, were consumed by fire, occasioned by a shell thrown from the garrison in 1775, when the town was blockaded by the Americans, with a view to dis- lodge some of the hostile troops, wlio had taken shelter in these buildings. ; , , w. ^ <. The general hospital, on the banks of tlie Saint Charles, about a mile westward from the garrison, and surrounded by meadow lands, was founded in 1(593, by M. de Saint Vallier, Bishop of Quebec, with the benevolent design of affording support and relief to the poor,, the infinn, the sick, and the wounded ; nop have the ptn*poses of its ori- ginal founder at any tune been defeated, with regard to the most scrupulous exactitude in their fulfilment. The ex- tent of tlie building, whose form is that of a parallelogram,. 79 QVEBEC. is considerable, and it contains a variety of apartments, neat and commodious. A superior and thirty-seven sis- ters compose the community. Tlieir time which remains from the occupations of the duties of religion, and the offices of humanity, is employed in gilding ornaments for the decoration of churches, and in several other Morks, at tir . h-* fL. 4 1 •i«I!-,.. solata hills. The channel of the I'iver, faithca: down* is bounded by precipitous rocks, its breadth becomes ex*« ireinely contracted, and tbe rapictity of its current is pro* portionably augmejited . At a place called the natural iteps^ there 9xe cascaded of the heiglit of ten, or twelve feet. These steps have be^en gradually formed, by the accessioii of waters whidi the river receives in its progress, at the breaking up of winter, and by the melting of snows. From the middle of April, to the end of May, its waters roll along with an increasing i\eight and rapidity. The banks* from the natural steps, downwards to the Saiint Lawrence^ l2 .1 ■my'i ri^: ; ' 70 inVER MON'TMOnF.NCr. ■.} 1 t m I I i i li . I r ■; .Uf coiiiposed of a Imu- slate, placed iti horizontal strata, tVotn the d< pth of five to twenty-four inclies eacli, eon- iieeted bv fibrous jiypsiun of a uliitish colour. The Maters, at the season already mentioned, powerfully impelled in their course, insinuate themselves between the strata, dis- solve the gypsum, and tear the horizontal rock, which gives way, in fragments of various sizes, yielding to the rushing violence of the sweeping torreiit. The regularity displayed in the formation of some of tlieso steps, is well deserving of observation^.-itj u^^Ai' In r.A">it /iicn'.i ,■ fl ,iii /,♦ . On the east side, the bank is almost perj)endieular, i:* nearly fifty feet in altitude, and is covered at the summit, with trees. The south-west bank rises beyond the steps; in looking downwards it appears also wooded, and termi- nates in a precipice. The bank on the opy)osite side, as- suuies a regularity of shape, so singular, as t^ resemble the ruins of a lofty wall. Somewhat below, the banks on each side, are cloatlied with trees, which, together with the ef- fect produced by the foaming currents, and the scattered masses of stone, ciunpose a scene, wild and picturesque. From hence, takiiig a soutli diix»ction, the s.tream' is augi- nieiited in velocity, and forms a cascade interrupted by- huge rocks ; and at a distance farther down, of five hun- dred yaixis, a sipiilas eflfect is produced. After thus exhi- biting a grateful variety throughout its couiTse, the river is precipitated in an almost perpendicular direction, over a 'l' ■f! ■ 1 ;.- .'■ m: ;,! V (| ^H ■ f , 70 are c* Nf-'VN 'f ■'*?' ( 4 ' ^«TV4^j.Tt of II whitish colour. Xhi;w»t<.n>. ^'iln^'i^ uH*nUoiRMl, powerfully impelled iij yir, iir»i»*j.v*t«; ihemsc'lves lK;t'.vteu tiit htiatu, ilis- jdji.^ ^y^mn. aiwl tear the horix:out;U rock, wlik.li "(» H\\v, m, , : .t iits of viinouft hwox, yicUiiti,t^ ti) tbu l^^it,)^ t i#kw» ol lite !»vec'piu)5 torrent. Thv renuUniy n'd ill U¥i f(U*il«wion of some of thi^o *U ps in well di'n*.-.'-,^ WW "")£ oU^rvdlwa . , i..'-i-„.- <; '<;>.■" . vm ibj eu«t Hide, tht bank i'i almost perpendivular, U ^.mrt'lv iV^ » iti altit.*uk, and ts covered at tin' hiuumit, ''* ;, V u: south- w<*Ht baidw rises beyond the stepn; *ii .«»»k»:ij^ Uvnynwards it api)ears also voodcd, and uvnu^ ( r" 'i^ice. The bank on the opposite side, as- tsamen ' •< ^i^larity of shaw, so singular, as to resemble the Hyiti,* wU\ wall. Somewhat lielow, the banks oncoeli ftuit , ..levlwith trfr«e,s, -vrtuch, t«.»^> Iher witli the et^' ■ ! ; M i bv Uie fuaiuing ciirrent*., aiid the scattered. ;uW:ji.5C5. ut '.tA.»^ie eimipuse a »teii*, wi^d and pi(.ture«que. ].*'v0m. ijcnee, t,iiiitijiig a soufcli-tlir<3ctiorH t)ie sftrcani" is aii^- .,; !■ .;i ( /T'ity. atsd lbri|j»V^ *'»'^<^^''**^*' mterruptetl by K: • • ,.i a d*ists|*€C tlirfcher, dov'n, of five liuii«4 N u6imj.ia^«i^p ',i ijt au. i^.ife«^>■•^ t>f"'pemli*;':Hf: Um:Vi^on, over 5| U' /' A i • •*¥ f f X 4 1: Iff ■. ?i W4 ''I* I i im''' >\ 1, m I, . t , i 1 ■;'> . ■*r !'':* ■-; ^» <,;^ •■»-. *.-,:.i- ^^' •_.-. i..' RIVER MONTMORENCI. 77 rock of tlie height of two hundred and forty-six feet, fall- ing, where it touches the rock, in white clouds of rolling foam, and underneath, where it is propelled with uninter- rupted gravitation, in numerous flakes, like wool or cotton, which are gi-adually protracted in their descent, until they aie received into the boiling, profound abyss, below. * Viewed from the summit of the cliif, from \vhence they are thrown, the waters, with every concon)itant circum- stance, produce an effect awfully grand, and wonderfully sublime. The prodigious depth of their descent, the brightness and volubility of their course, the swiftness of their movement through the air, and the loud and hollow noise emitted from the basin, swelling with incessant agita- tion frorn the wci-'ht of the dashing waters, forcibly com- bine to attract the attention, and to impress with senti- ^ ments of gi*andeur and elevation, the mind of the spectator. The clouds of vapour arising, and assuming the prismatic . colours, contribute to enliven the scene. They fly off from the fall in the form of a revolving sphere, emitting with velocity, pointed flakes of spray, which spread in re- ,- ceding, until hitercepted by neighbouring banks, or dis- solved in the atmosphere. t The breadth of the fall is one hundred feet. The basin is bounded by steep cliffs, compased of grey lime slate, lying in inclined strata, which, on the east and west sides, are subdivided into innumerable thin shivers. , -"i-^-i .'.'■',c:'^f '_^5 ;;i4':.::l ill- ,1 tiii,tj^« ^'^ An advantageous view of the fall may be obtained from the beach, when the tide of the great river is low. In this are included^ the cast bank of the river, tlte point of Ange Gardien, and Cape Tounnent. Tlie south-west point of the basin, becomes the nearest object, beyond which ap- pears the cataract of resplendent beauty, foaming down the gloomy precipice, whose siifikmits are crowned with woodsl Its reflection from the bed beneath, forms a contrast t6 tlie shade thrown by the neighbouring cliffs. TIte diffu- sion of the stream, to abrM.dth of five hundred yards^, with the various small 4:;ascades pt«dduced by the inequalities in its rocky bed, on its way t6 the Saint Lawrence, display a singular and pleasing combination. It mils for about four hundred yards, through a wide and stseep gulph, which it is generally supposed that its waters have excavated. One circumstance seems, however, to controvert this conjec- ture. The bed beneath, over which the river flows, is inva- riably composed df a solid stratum of rock, over several parts of which, there are fordij for the pilssage of carriages. t, . • ■ * Soft stone, of which tie heads of pipes, are sometimes formed. -*..., i , '\ I- BIVSB ltONTMOB£KCI. T9 m;; ■>'*? The general depth of water, does not here exceed eight inclies, but partial channels, have been worn by the stream, few of which are above three or four feet in depth. There appears no vestige of any deep excavation, except in the vicinity of the fall> which, if it had ever receded from the Saint Lawrence, must have formed in the solid bed of rock, basins of cmwiderable depth. The ford being, in most places, rugged and unequal, its passage is unpleasant, and not altogether safe. . ' !^ ^i^ii< ■in-': rvi 'l'^ JEUNE LORETTE. nr . i*A. '^1^ iVi |!4gi^ Y!^*'^^ ' ^/y^i",JK;■^^•. , CHAPTER V. i^i:'-Y Oil a'ft;:H|C(Ji n. JEUNE LORETTE — DOMICILIATED NATIVES — MODE OF DANCING — THE SAINT CHARLES — CASCADES ON THAT RIVER — THE CHAUDIERE-^- i DESCRIPTION OF ITS FALL^ — APPEARANCE IN WINTER— ISLAND O^F « ORLEANS— VIEWS FROM THENCE — SOIL — NORTH COAST OF THE SAINT LAWRENCE — CAPE TOUUMENT RIVER SAINT ANNE ITS WATER- FALLS—LOWER FALL DESCRIBED — LA PUCE ROMANTIC FALLS OF THAT LITTLE RIVER VARIOUS LANDSCAPES — LAKE SAINT CHARLES —PICTURESQUE COMBINATIONS. ; ^ JEUNE LORETTE is situated nine miles to the north-west of Quebec, upon a tract of land which rises to- Avardsthe mountains. Itcommands, by its elevated position, an extensiAC view of the river Saint Lawrence, of Quebec», of the intermediate country, of the southern coast, and of the mountains Avhich separate Canada from the United States. The village, which contains upwards of two hun- dred inhabitants, consists of about fifty houses, constructed of wood and stone, which have a decent appearance. The chapel is small, but neat, and the parish extending to a considerable way around, the Canadians, who form the greatest number of parishioners, have lately procured a church to be erected for their accommodation, about a quarter of a mile from the village. The Indians attend. %^: ii( s. . '• s r < V 1 ^ .1? ■n ^ ■^ •s J ^ 'c. J '5; ^ ^N, 1 i V, r '■•n '; i. •ij. • 1 ; : ' 1 ?^' F . 1 ■; • 1 r; •} *■■' ■ >•: * S' - T Sv- 'f ^,'' ' i I 11' fe?! * • If'''' If 4!* §n Wfi .^f m f^' V' i) u !m * '•I I ■Ji i: li i:i ■ill J F!7 NFT^-OK ETTF. . i ^,:r-ciiAFj:Eii v.. ■«^> .-VsV ■ ■ '.■ ;. i i- : '( . ', ? %- •-..vi« ,Ti ?«£ LaJ4}TTK — DOMIC n,lArii,l> NATIVES — MOOfc OF DASTINO— Ti HJ. -THfi CHAlDIERK«~ SVlNTEIt— ISLAND OT ^|fiinP,,4J|KRLKSWvytADES H THi:\( E— ^(Olii NO«TU.<0A9Tor THE JiAINT b44. APK ti^ KME'«.r-~RIVEB HMSt ANNE — ITS W ATliR- l',\yjfi"fi»d^' y.il \ \ii% OI'.SCWiRRO — i.-. i'XCK ROMANTIC FAMS Olh n-HAT^mi'TfE KfVl'R^"- V \(ll '( «. LANDSCAPES — I AK.K SAINT CilARLKit ^^.' m te'N'IJ LORirTE IS situated nijie iniies to the )Hij.--|(l-^T>f Qul*lx:<. , upoj^.^ ti'actonuiKl Ml)i- l*'|ti:*i#lm;^auit«^^^^ It cdmmandis, by tts elevated p<}sitioii, iai.jti|teiii|i> s: v'mw of the river Saint Lawrence, ol Quebt'C,. •'^ iTili^^M.jnttrnu'.liiifcf^ comitiy, ot' the southern coa-jt, and of tIi^''inoimtuni.) winch separate Ciinada iVom the Unih;d I ,■ l^tigi;:* Tlie viUajie, which contauis upwards of tn-o Ijun- - f . li^t^'ttTllsbdants, coTisists of about fifty houht^, constructed : j^IMSkki mid stone, which have a decent appearance. ^. 'The cliajH ! is small, but neat, and the parish extending te » coj^.siderabli: way around, the Canadians, wl.o ionn ! ;k jv ,L imiufer uf parishioners, have lately procured * i f <* »ij b«: lyrc'ted for their accoinmodation, about a ii<.:l' '$fk mihf'ii'om the viiiage. The Indians attend. ' ■ ■'i'. •W.-'JTt..-"'. ' i ■ 4 -t-l^ . ..I i 1 rt' ii ■ '.■• 'i ■*;■! Inft'! J"^? r:.,r ill' ' 1 :' I ■\i ! PI - 1 si' ' I'M '■' ! ; \- ' ' > . -■ I ;. 1 I If ^ "!■- f*' ^r,v^ .< I itif w i B I I' s \'\ ■v.. ■jJll ,.-^1 JETTNE LOHETTC. « -s. A •with scrupulous observaiKe, to the performance of their devotions. The women are placed in the centre of the x:ha})el, and the men arrange tliemselves on each side, and pn the rear. The former have in general good voices, and both sexes seem to evince a considemble degree of fei-vency, in the exercise of their religious duties. ■' " ^ They live together in a state of almost uninterrupted fiairmony and tranquillity ; the missionary has a great in* fluence over them, and they have exchanged, in some de- gree, the manners of savage life, for those of the Canadians, in whose vicinity they reside. ^^^ ViisiJt:* r The quantity of land they occupy in cultivaUon, is about two hundred acres, which they plant with Indian com, ot maize. A number of the men pursue the chace, during the winter season. The French language is spoken by them •with considerable ease, and tlie men, in general, notwith- standing their partial civilization, maintain thfet independ- ence, wliich arises from the paucity and limitation of their wants, and which constitutes a principal feature in tlie savage chamcter. .. -.. ,,....- .f This nation originally frequented the vicinity of lajte Huron, near a thousand miles from Quebec. It was onc^ the most formidable and 6erce, of any tribe that inhabited those quarters, dreaded even by the Iroquois ; who, how^ ever, found means to subjugate^ and almost to extirpate i<| by pretending to enter into an alliance ; the Hurons, too .*' I! I ; ' . :-H »l ..^1 ■1 "*'♦.• \ 6t \ JRUKS LOBBTTB. blindly relying on the prottrstations of the Iroquois, the latter seized aa opportunity, to surprise and slaughter them. The village now described, was composed of a part of the Hurons who escaped from Uie destruction of tlieir tribe, and is occupied by the descendants of that people. tinct cataracts^ the largest of which is on the western side> xt k !• ¥. i. ;1 r. i^m m til if' A- ' i v-Hr. ■ 1 '■k -I •:1 'A I : |:'- h 1 '*f ^ 1 ^.^ -' '. » -^ « J- ^ VITEH CHAVDICRB. %S and they unite, in the basin beneath, their broken and agitated waves. The form of the rock forces a part of the waters, into an oblique direction, and advances thenr beyond the line of the precipice. The cavities worn itf the rocks, produce a pleasing variety; and cause the de^ scending waters to revolve with foaming fury, to whoser whiteness the gloomy cliffs, present a strong opposition of colour. The vapour from each divbion of the falls, quickly mounting through the air, bestows an enlivening beauty on the landscape. ^-.?t----- The wild diversity displayed by this banks of the stream, and the foliage of the overhanging woods, the brilliancy of colours richly contrasted, the rapidity of motion, theefful-* gent brightness of the cataracts, the deep and solemn sound which they emit, and the various cascades further down the river, unite in rendering this, such a pleasing exhibi- tion of natural objects, as few scenes can surpass. On descending the side of the river, the landscape be- comes considerably altered, and the fitlls appear to great advantage. Masses of rock, and elevated points of land covered with trees, together with the smaller cascades on the stream, present a rich assemblage, terminated by the &Ils. The scenery in proceeding down the river, is rug- ged and wild. The gratification derived, in the beginning of summer; from the contemplation of such scenes as that which liaa r^ A u '' ! ! fit ■I II , * i t \. i^Q,w ^en 4escrilied, i» cQps^r«bly dsimped by a r^fleo.^ t^op^ Pfi the $hort doration of Ihe period aUotfced forb&^ Iji^dkig tliem with anks, iii others with more gentle ascent, presents to the eye an agreeable object. Its nearest point, is six miles to the north-east of Quebec. A favourable view of the neigh- bouring country is afforded from its higher grounds, par- ticularly of the scenery on the north, which is diversified; bold, and extensive. The fall of Montmorenci discloses itself from hence, amidst a rich and enchanting combina- tion of features. The central part of this island is clothed with trees, and tlie ground sloping from it on either side, few eminences occur, to interrupt the view. The parishes of Ange Gardien and Chateau Richer, are there seen to great advantage. From hence the river la Puce, on the opposite roast, at the distance of live miles, by an engaging dis- play of natural attractions, invites the attention of the tra- veller ; it rolls its current, broken into a refulgent white- jiess equalling that of snow, from the summit of a lofty hill, and afterwards conceals itself midway, behind an in- tervening eminence of inferior altitiftde, cloathed with trees. The motion of its waters is perceptible, and the reflexion of light arising flrom the fall, glistening with tlie rays of the sun, produces a powerful contrast with tlie deep ver* dure of the forests by which it is enviioned,fi'fJ&**^^-*ff^rr -Vidi At the lower extremity of the island, there are situations- no less hold tlian picturesque ; the north shore is inter- spersed with inunense masses of detaclied limestone-rock ;; 'v hen, by their destructive ravages, the island became so denuded of verdure, as no longer to aiford them the means pf sustenance, they assembled on the water in clusters, resembling small rafts, and floated with the tide and wind, aiong the basiu of the Saint Lawrence, to Quebec, where they filled the decks and cordage of the vessels at anchor, and afterwards betook themselves, through the town to the ramparts, which, having stripped of grass, tliey proceeded in separate columns, through the country to the southward. A considerable part of their number pro- bably perished in the voyage from the island, and the re- mainder, having a greater extent of territory over which to spread, their depredations becaii' less perceptible, vi . .-^v ■J' ';^f ^.- ISLAND OF ORLCAKS^. 89 Orleans contains five parishes, two of which, Saint Piere, and Saint Famille, are on the north side ; and three on the south, Saint Fran<;ois, Saint John, and Samt Law- rent. The number of its inhabitants amounts to about two thousand. The channels which separate the island from tlie conti- nent, are each about a league in breadth. The banks, on its western side, coasist, for a considerable way down the coast, of black lirae-slate, covered with soil, generated from the decomposition of that substance, and the annual decay of vegetable productions. The rocks of those on the eastern extremity ,are mixed with grey quartz, reddish lime- stone, and grey limestone, combined with pale grains of sand. From the parish of Ange Gardien, to the base of Cape Tourment, throughout an extent of eighteen miles, tlje coast is composed of fertile meadow land, varying in breadth, bounded on the north by steep and lofty banks, from whence the ground rises in gentle acclivities to the bases of the hills. By the reflux of the tide, a swamp of a mile in width, is here left uncovered ; and on some parts of the coast of Orleans, there are simitar muddy grounds. In spring and autumn, these situations are fiequented by ^reat numbers of snipes, plover, and wild ducks. r In the midst of meadows, near Cape Tourment, a nar- row hill, about a mile in length, and flat on its summit, rises to the height of about a hundred feet. A large dwell- it;: f)0 NOnTII rOAST OK TITt; *'l *.i. .if ' ii \^ 1 .(. ■1 1 '1 ■»; • I £ \ hi. \jf^ i !(■*;«'! : ,1 < i^iS'. 1 1 •., ) « •ic '> " ■* ^ II f '* * ■'* *-'• , ■; . ",*•' • ■ •♦, f' •c«< *• hi, I i IM '. - ■) '»"j ' ^ •< i-;- .:' 1. f •'* . I * , . ' , .* •t^ SAINT LAWRENCE. 9' than in the lower parts, sometimes check the vegeta- tion of grain, and impede its advancement to maturity, there is notwithstanding, no appearance of indigence among the inhabitants. On turning his eyes towards the comitry he hag already passed, the traveller is gratified by a luxuriant and diversi- •fie^ descent. The environs of this river display, in miniature, a succession of romantic views. The banks near its mouth, are almost perpendicular, and partly denuded of vegeta- tion, being composed of a dark lime slate-like substance, which is in a state of continual decay. In vain would the labours of art, endeavour to produce in the gardens of palaces, beauties, which the hand of na- ture scatters in the midst of unfrequented wilds. The ■!' i Ml (■ ' 1 1 i '; 'll i I. 94 NORTH COAST OP TUZ river, from about one-fourth of the height of the moun- tain, discloses itself to the contemplation of the spectator, and delights his eye Mith varied masses of shining foam, which suddenly issuing from a c^eep ravine hollowed out by the waters, glide (town the almost perpendicular rock, and form a splendid curtain, which loses itself amid the foliage of surrounding Woods. Such is the scene which the fall of La Puce exhibits, when viewed from the summit of a bank on the eastern side of the river. • i ' ; ^. '» Tlie settlement of Chateau Richer, derives its name from the ruins of an edifice situated on a small rocky point, on the borders of the Saint Lawrence. It was A Fran(riscan monastery, when the army under General Wolfe encamped on the eastern bank of tlie JMontmo- renci. As the monks used their intluence among the inhabitants in their vicinity, to impede a supply of provisions for the English army, it was deemed necessary to send thither a detachment to make them prisoners. They had so fortified tliemselves within their mansion, that field picc(;s were requirefl to compel them to a sur- render. The house was destroyed by fire, atid nothing now remains, except a part of the walls, and the ruins of an adjoining tower, which wa« formerly a wind-mill. By an inscription above the door, it appears to have been built one hundred and twelve years ago. The parish church is placed on a bank, immediately behind tlte chateau, and * " t " " " .S ■ . \P 1 !'! *' ■ai t ' i- ':•( , , V",, ^ , ■ . ■ * ■ IS I i.-f'S-' :t;^ >:':*■, "I'^Sj- ';; '"!/V't=? A^ ■ . »■ I j t i.' ■h: ;% .'.. ;'!5 ,, ''--'iu'",;' '': t *•■ »^i ■■ ■.■•> .<■?<:' I \ -v *. ' '. ' -■ • .* -0' ■ • - •■n%:-,'- .SAINT LAWHENCE*; T 9* has two spires. The ruins alretkdy described, tl»e great river, the island of Orleans, the point of Ange Gardien, and Cape Diamond in the diatauce, compose an agreeable scene. ■" . o wii i|f , ' Toward the east, a yet happier combination of objects presents itself. On the left, are the ruins of the monas- tery, the dhurch/ banks cloathed with foliage, and the lower grounds studded with white cottages ; over which jQdi\)G Tourment, and the chain of mountains whose terr mination it fonns, tower with exalted majesty. ' Th«» rocks which in part compose the mountains, consist of a quartz, of the co.lour of amber, mixed with a black, small-grained glimmer, black horn stone, and a few minute grains of brown spar. The stone is generally compact, .and resists the operation of fire. Some of these rocks, are a mixture of white quartz and black glimmer, with grains of brown spar. , Lake Saint Charles is supplied by the riwr of the same jiame, and diffuses itself over an extent of flat lands, bounded by mountains, about fourteen miles to the north- ward of Quebec. In going thither, the road passes over a mountain, from whence is opened, an extensive view of the great river and its banks. On arriving at the vicinity of the lake, the spectator is delighted by the beauty and picturesque wildness of its banks. It is, around small collections of water like 1 ■ I 1^ 1r^i . t *. • 96 LAKE SAINT CIIAntRS. ■■h nn. ■? M this, that nature is displayed to the highest advantage. The extent of the lake is about fire miles, and it is almost divided into two, by a neck of land, which forms a narrow passage, nearly at the center. Trees grow immediately on the borders of the water, which is indented by several points advancing into it, and forming little bays. The lofty hills which suddenly rise towards the north, in shapes, singular and diversified, are overlooked by mountains which exalt beyond them, their more distant summits. / The effect produced by clouds, is here solemn and sulv- lime, particularly during thunder storms, when they float in rugged masses, around the tops of the hills, whose caverns, and defiles, re-echo to the trembling forests, the hoarse and awful roar. ' - ' Abou^. three miles from tlie lake, in a valley amid preci- pitous mouutaias, a settlement was begun a, few years ago. Its situation is highly romantic, being watered by several streams, and likewise by tlie Saint Charles, whose banks, throughout its winding course, to the lake, are adorned IT' I,' with a variety of scenery. - i!^ -'-# ■i-J, '»>«W|^*»««■* M ii^: V . .' >ii 'H -f.(^":f \l' THE SAI^^^ laweence. 97 Ic^ir / ♦ ^ . *) ■' ^•v-V CHAPTER VI. •OONTRY TO THE WESTWARD OF QUEBEC — LAKE CALTICRE'HrHB ' JACQUES CARTIER—- ROMANTIC SCENERY WHICH IT DISPLAYS— » -4 TOWN OF THREE RIVERS— LAKE SAINT PETER— TOWN OF WILLIAM J HENRY— RIVER CHAMBLV ISLAND OF MONTREAL — RELIGIOUS OR- DERS^ AND THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT OF ' TUE MOUNTAINS INDIAN VILLAGE OF THE SAULT SAINT LOUIS— : LA CHINE — LAKE SAINT LOUIS — CASCADES— RAPIDS OF THE CEDARS J* — OF THE COTEAU DV lAC LAKE SAINT FRANCIS — CASCADES OF TUE LONG SAULT — MULTITUDE OF ISLES. s:-i*-^ .' l^ ascending the Saint Lawrence from Quebec to Montreal, the country on either side that river, becomes less diversified, but more rich in soil, and more improved in cultivation, as the traveller advances. The banks, which are abrupt and precipitous, open into several little bays, intermixed with rocks, woods and settlements. On the north side, at the distance of two miles from the town, is Wolfe's Cove, the place at which the celebrated General of that name disembarked his army, previous to the battle on the heights of Abraham. On the summit of the western bank of this little bay, stands a handsome house, built by General Powell, whose situation, together with the shady walks by which it is. surrounded, rendei^ it a pleasing re- treat. mi. 98 BAVKS OF THE ti ? ( 1 i i I It, From hence to Cape Rouge, the scenery, on accoimt of its beauty ami variety, attracts the attention of the pas- senger. At SiUery, a league from Quebec, on the nortlt shore, are the ruins of an establishment, which was begun, in l(i37 '> intended as a religious institution for the con- version and instruction of natives of the countrj-, it wa» «t one time inhabited by twelve French fiuniJies. The buildings are placed upon level ground, sheltered by steep lianks, and close by the borders of tlie river. They now consist only of two old stone-liouses, fallen to decay, and of the remains of a small chapel.* In this vicinity, the Algonquins once had a village ; several of their tumuli, or Jwrying-places, aje still disoovenable iu tlie woods, and i)ieroglypliic$ cut on. the trees, remain, in some situations^ yet i«effiiQed» '.- _i'..^;-' :•'■':■. . •:,^..:r r:..;5^;; -.Vt..' ,.._.r C»pe JRouge i^ a lofty bank, suddenly declining to a vaiky, tlirongh whid> a small river, the discliarge of a kke, 6>tu(wted among the mountaijas on tlie north, run* into the Saint Lwwnmee, A §lftte-6tone, of a reddish co- Vjuar, easily mouldering int^ tlun shivers, is found at ti^ sur&ce, on tine ^i^mxuit of the btnk. A part of the bor- ders of the river Ctb^iidicre^ cm tiie oppd^ite 4'QtkSdt, consists «f the saijie sidbstance^ ,,.... , ; ^•jakk 7>*?ij it^ ,./%Xif 4^V)l ^»^^^^wyii^iy»y»tWW»1i^ i« ■ i» I ^r^mw% m * Tfcf! «bfipfl hm «f m$ bieen ]sp|iair«d sMd fitted Dp fur a n»U-bouae^ and some of the other buildings have been conveited into a btewery.. , ^ SAllUME^ hkWRBhCE, 9Q £ 11*116 dl.<»ten€e^ AtimQuel^o^ to this capo, 'i& eij^ht miles ; a04«Uihvat' and interiapted bed, its broken and sonorous current. The distance thither from Quebec, is thirty miles. The navigator who first explored the Saint Lawrence, as^ iar as Montreal, here wintered in 1536, and from this oc- currence, his name has been givea to the stream. The breadth of its mouth is about three hundred yards, and, eontiguous to it, there are extensive corn mills, worked by water, conveyed from a considerable distance, along an aqueduct, under which. the road to the ferry passes. Tlie fenymen traverse the boats from one side to the other, by >,t- I,:' I 'i .' . ij %r^, I, li > I * -J>'-. i-ii • •;. ^V. "■■■ ''■■■■ !*-■%- ..V f- V J?* »/ ' ' ■ ; -■" ' . ■ * , , ■ • j .;-. -;i::-^v ,i -'i ■ I ,> -. ^ t^-r.'- -V.-\! rj ^.„^.-. . ^.^''''-V, ., '" Ik m . ■ / I 1 SAINT LAWRENCE. lai / a strong rope fixed to posts, on account of the rapidity of the waters. On the summit of the hill, at the western side of the ferry, are the remains of an earthen redoubt, which was constructed by the French in 176O. Here, as well as higher up the course of the river, an uncommon wildnes* is displayed, and the stream is frequently broken into cas- cades, particularly in the vicinity of the new bridge, where its channel is confined by rugged rocks, some of which are excavated in a singular manner, by the incessant operation? of the furious torrent. During the summer months, salmon are here cauglit in abundance. %i The church of Gape Sant6, with the opposite coast, which assumes a singular shape, together with the point of Dechambault, and the vast sheet of water intervening, ex- hibit a pleasing combination of distant objects. At the latter situation, the principal bed of the Saint Lawrence is confined to a narrow, winding, and intricate course, which, at the reflux of tlie tide, has a considerable descent,- At high water, much caution is required, in conducting through it, a vessel of burthen, as the channel on either side is shallow, and abc^nds with cQiicealed rocks. The Saint Anne is of considerable width, but of no great depth, and its current is scarcely perceptible, at the place where it is crossed by travellers. The want of bridges over most of these streams, is a great inconvenience, their passage in the spring and at the com^mencement of winter. 1\ I- :'i ,')'••' . S' 1 ■ *■ ■.-u ;■ toa ^(yvN or bei^ s<^N«6ti$nes} attended wth poffiU foosa the^ (madatxtk^ Thie IftattiscftHf c€witWP<* not so m)ti>Ui^ex as, Ul^lferitij th^e tew yettrs, been est^blishedk on it» banksj. g^ : i Th« town of Three Eivers. is situated Btpon apoinli o£ land, neac the conflnence witfai the Saixtt Lawrence, of tlie^ atres^EQ fiom wJbkfa it: derives iiss iiaxne. It extends aibout tJiree qiiartlecs of a iniie, alw -' ,s i ■s 1 ■s ^^ 1 ■ 'i^;' V. i ^ ^v. i' 1% "V. ■ T ■,' -n"^ Jt % ^ "t , Fr V , ^ is ■''*■' ^ (U ',;. . N ' i' ' ^ 1 . ;/■: :^ ^ '■i ■g 4!; V 1 ifl 1 ■ S -2<, ; ---^ 'I, •liir kk te rt- .-.• I !' ^1 >:s> ' ■!l ... j,,,.., . ,^,. -,y.,. .>..;, i ■ -.\ I' ■■ •• • \ ■' •■• ;>«■- ' .-v-j-. , •■'#, ■' * ili i • .■ :|i ', ' /- ,.*",-' ■' \ :*'%'^ f'^jii^ 'i"f^\ " •' t" M ■! 1' ^ ^ • . -■;^;^'-*-^' . _^ ■■■••v" . ^,. ,,■,< ,.' '• .' • i ■ ■■ . " ^ '^'^ ' . ■■: ',;:. "^tfy"i'^V.. ^^'- ■- • , A. Jj ♦ , . ■ . tt • ■ ''>'.•■' ' '■■■' ' ". : - ♦ V 1 ■ ■ . .''>• 1 ' L 1- ' > ' ^ '"•*'■ 1' ^ -.'.-■ i'i' '*'■■?-■ iU' "■>■ y (y ■'■ '*■ •iS 1 ■ 1 i i . "^ ' . ■ - ,:'•''■ ■■' ■ '^*' /t -'-,-■■;. ■? '■' •'■J'^^r- r ^-'Jl . ■ ' ;^" ■ ■- !-' y' 1 ■ i" * - ■ ;' V. V ,.;■--■ ^■■^■h. , ■■.' ■i L •«» Jf ; _^v , twhei: ittvEits. 103 h-PecJoncileafele hostility to the Freiicli, suggested the ne- cessity of constructing a fort, and the district of Three Rivei's became, at length, a separate government. After a lapse of some yearft, the natives who traded to this place, harassed and exposed to continual danger, from the fre- quent irruptions of that warlike nation, discontinued their accustomed visits. ^ . The town contains a oon^'^en*^ of (Jrsulines, to wliich is idjoined a parochiai church, and an hospital. It was fDunded in 1677 by M.de Saint Vallier, bishop of Quebec, for tlie education of young women, and as an asylmn for the poor and sick. A superior and eighteen nuns now possess it, and discharge the functions of this kuiT\ane institution. '<- A monastery of Rsecollets Ibrmed also, one of the reli- gions edifices of this place, but tlmt order lias been for some lime extinct. i As there are sevettU protestimt inhabitants in the town, Tt is the residence of a tector, and divine service is regu* iarly peiformeA agreeably to the rites of the established church of Englamd. ,**>*«««./ w On the banks of the river already mentioned, and abeqit nine miles wp its course, an iron foundry, which was first worked in 1737, is situated. The manufacture of ost into cast, as well as hammetied iron, is hefe carried on to a con** «iderable extent. The woH&s, and the soil in which the 8 :''.f ' ii|¥ I I! V t -a *; if ; 'IS' I ¥ i ■ 104 LAKE SAINT PETER. ore is found, are the property of government, and they are rented l)y a company at Quehec, on lease, at the rate of eight hundred pounds per annum. The ore lies in hori- zontal strata, and near the surface. It is composed of masses, easily detached from each other, perforated, and the holes filled with ochre. It possesses softness, and fria- bility, and for promoting its fusion, a grey limestone, found in its vicinity, is used. The hammered iron is soft, pliable, and tenacious, and has the quality of being but little subject to the influence of rust. The latter pro- perty, is probably derived from the materials employed in its fusion. For this purpose, wood only is applied, which is highly preferable to mineral coal. , >, , ^ vr.f . Lake Saint Peter is formed by an expansion, of the wa- ters of the Saint Lawrence, to the breadth of from fifteen to twenty miles, and its length is twenty-one miles. It is in general, of small depth, many parts of the channel, being not more than ten or eleven feet deep, and it sometimes occurs, that large vessels here run aground. The tide scarcely extends as far up as the town of Three Rivers, which is near tAVO leagues farther down than the lake, and the current in the latter is extremely faint. Several small rivers here discharge their waters, among which are the Machiche, Du Loup, and Masquenong^, on the north, and the Nicolet and Saint Francis, on the south ; on the banks f)f tlie latter, an Indian village of the same name, is situated. mVER CHAMBLT. 105 peopled by part of the Abinaquis tribe, among whom a nii«i.sionary and an interpreter reside. At the upper end of the lake, a variety of small islands is interspersed, some of which are partly cleared of their woods, and aftbrd rich pasturage for cattle. In the spring, and autumn, they abound in wild fowl, particularly in ducks. These are the only islands that occur in the chan- nel of the great river, from Orleans, to this situation, a distance of about a hundred and seventeen miles. From lience to lake Ontario, it is frequently varied by clusters of islands, some of which are of great beauty and fertility. J The town of William Henry, or Sorel, in latitude 45° 55„ longitude 73° 22', is agreeably situated at the confluence of the Sorel or Chambly river, with the Saint Lawrence, and contains a protestant, and a Roman catholic church. The Sorel takes its rise from lake Champlain, and directing its course towards the north, runs through a fertile and pleas- ant country, where its borders are adorned by several va- luable and productive farms. On the site of the town, a fort was constructed in 1665, by M. de Tracy, viceroy of New France, as a defence against the irruption of the Iro- quois. M. de Sorel a captain, superintended its execution, and from him this part of the river received its name. Between lake Champlain, and the junction of this stream ■with the Saint Lawrence, there are two forts situated on its banktr, the one called Saint John, composed of cedar 3 p.)''- !.?-.•:» ■' i '^1 i ;l 106 mvER CHAMBLY. pickets and earth, the other, Chambly, built of stone in & quadrangulai- form, and having the appearance of a castle. It is the only ediHce in North America, which has any re- semblance to that ancient mode of structure. Saint John is a frontier garrison, and a company of infantry, and some artillery, are generally stationed in it. As the channel of intercourse between Montreal and the United States of America, is principally through this post, a collector, and" comptroller of the customs, always reside here. The country around Chambly, exhibits a romantic aspect ; the river, vi this part shallow, broken and diffused, rushes^ down a declivity, interrupted by rocks ;. an extensive and elevated mountain, of a pleasing shape, rears itself aloft, ia the midst of level lands, and confines between its conical suipmits, a lake of pure water. In the months of June and July, great quantities of timber and boards formed into rafts, frequently of twa or three hundred feet in length, are floated down this river, from the borders of lake Champlain. These materials are \imed m sbiit-build- ing, and are also exported to England. ' „. Berthier, a settlement on the north banks of the great jciver^ is extensive, populous, and rich in soil. The nu- merous islands, which afford pasturage and shade in sum- jwer to horses ajid cattle, contribute much to the beauty of the situation. Some of these islands are of considerable aij5e, and contain a number of inliabitants. Tlie country THE SAINT LAWRENCE, 107 is here not diversified by inequalities of surface/ but tlie bounty of the soil compensotes for the absence of grandeur in scenery. .~-'^--.,j;« i.i -;..;. . ^» ic; ^^:..i.j i,;.^ ,,::.-,:s>j The village of Vercheres presents itself on the south bank, and about tu'o leagues farther, in ascending, an- other settlement, named Varennes, is placed on a point of land, and contains a handsome church with two spires. The country in this quarter, increases i'.i popu^ 4ation, and villages are more frequent. Some of the islands in this part of the river are so flat, that in the spring they are oVerflown by the waters. Those whose elevated situation exempts them from this inconvenience, are cultivated and inhabited. In some seasons, the build- ings are subject to be injured by enormous masses of ice^ which meet with obstruction in their passage. They then become accuihulated, one upon another, oometimes tb an astonishing height, and the pieces which are uppermost, impelled by the impetus of the current acting upon tho^e in their rear, are thus carried for a considerable way upon ' the islands, bearing down, of cutting ksunder in their pro- gress, every inter\^^ning object. In thb manner, houses, as well as barns, have been destroyed. . - ../;^ _ ^ , ■ A particular species of grass which is long and rank, called by tlie Canadians, fkerbe au lien, grows upon some of the islands. This forms a very durable covering for stables and barns, and a roof composed of jt, will la^t fir many p2 \f mi< * !' W- 1 108 MONTREAL. !1IT years, without the want of repair. At a few miles distant from Varennes, near a hill which rises in the midst of plains, the village of Boucherville is situated. It is inha- bited by people of the most ancient families in the coun- try, whose means are not affluent, but who, in this retreat, enjoy among themselves an agreeable society. <:■ On the north side of the Saint Lawrence, the road to Montreal is interrupted by a branch of the Outaouais^ or grand river, which is about a mile in width between Repentigni, and the point of the island.* It encompasses with its waters the isles de Jesus, Perrot, Bissart, and washes the northern coast of the island of Montreal, which is surrounded by it, and the Saint Lawrence. The first of these isles was formerly named Montmagny^ after one of the governors of the province, but on its being conceded to the Jesuits, it received its present appellation. From that order, it passed to the members, of the seminary, by whom it was first settled. The channel which separates the islands, is denominated la riviere des Prairies, being on either side,, bordered by meadows^ 'iVinfif *\i1i c i The stream^ towards the centie. of the island becomes J.' '»■ J. tij=U'<>'. )li3ji}'A '-■u* A wooden bridge on the model of that whicb was baiTt over the Rhine at Schauffhauscn, has lately been constructed from Repentigni to an isle in ' the channel^ and another bridge of the same description is now erecting, to form a communication between the other side of that isle, and the north-east end of the island of Montreal. '' \ ' MONTREAL; 109 rapid and broken* and this particular place is distinguished by the name ofSauIt au RecoUet, a member of that fraternity having there perished. The ecclesiastics of the seminary of Montreal, had fortnerly, in this vicinity, a mission for the conversion of the natives, but they afterwards removed it to the Lake of the Two Mountains. i • The third branch of the river on the north, is inter- spersed with such a number of isles, that there appears as much land as water. At the head of the isle Jesus, is the small island Bizart, called after a Swiss officer, to whom it belonged. Somewhat higher, towards the south, stands isle Fenot, deriving its name from the first governor of Montreal : it is almost round, and is six miles in diameter. The former isle terminates the lake of the Two Moun- tains, and the latter separates this lake from that of Saint Louis, whiclHk only an extension of tlie river Saint Law- rence, and was, for a series of years, the limit of the French colony towards the west. '* * * ,; uj The length of the island of Montreal is thirty miles, and its mean breadth about seven, its circumference being seventy miles. It may be said to owe its ordinal settle- ment to the Abb6 Quetus, who, in 1657, arrived from France, accompanied by deputies of the seminary of Saint Sulpicius, to take possession of this spot, and here to found a seminary. The other inhabitants of the colony were gratified to find, that a body of wen so respectable. fr -W > r I E tii I- 1 tlO montrial; had undertaken to clear, asid settle an Uland, the cflfortn of whose first possessors, hftd hitherto been too tanguid. Tlie setgnorial rights of that fertile and yaluable traot of territory, are still vested in Uie representatives of the oRJer of Saint Suipiciui, which, in France, was swept away in the revolutionary torrent. l' oiU la o'Aed mis oi it The city of Montreal, in latitude 45" 35, longitude 73* 37', is placed on the south side of the island of. tliie saii^e name, whose banks are here from ten to fifteen feet high, from the level of the water. It is built in the form of a parallelogram, extending from north to south. A deep and rapid current flows between the shore and the island of Saint Helen ; a strong north^^ast wind is therefore ne- cessary, to carry vessels up to the town, and when that' is wanting, tliey remain at author, at the loVrer end of tlie stream. This inconvenietice might have been ob* viated, had tlie city been built about a mile below its present site, at a place called the Cross. The original founders were ei\ioined by the government of Franc^i to make choice of a situation as high up the river, asldrge vessels could be navigated; and it appears that the ii\)un(>* tion was literally obeyed. ,i>/ ,ui',jijyi,j^l<»A atii oJ SuMd I The 8treet$ aee airy, and regubrljl' disposed^ one of thehd extending neariytpari»llelto:thie river, tfairdugh the wHol^ leugtJ) otf ; the place I. Chey aite of ^tffictent width, being interseeted atri^itoanglei^sby; severd jstiialli^l;. j|treet8h 11 MONTREAL 111 vhich descenil from west to east. The upper street is di- • vitled into two, by the Roman Catholic church, a(\ioining *. to which, there is n laige open aquaiv, called the P/ace d'Armn. -nij ,it o«jqu The habitations of tlic principal merchants are neat anct commodious, and their storehouses are spacious, and se- cured against risque from fires. They are covered with sheet-iron or tin ; without this precaution, as the roofs of dwellings in Canada are usually formed of boards, and sometimes with the exterior addition of shingles, they would, in summer, become highly combustible from with- o out, ajid liable to ignition from a small spark of fire. The ° hoases which are protected in the former manner, will last, without need of repairs, for a considerable number of The town was inclosed by a stone fbrtrfication, which, having long fallen to ruins, is now in a great measure le- velled, or removed. It wa« thus fortified, to guard its in- habitants against tlie ii'equent irruptions of the Iroquois, and the walls were never in a state to resist the attack of a regular army. An act of the colonial legislature, wa* some time ago passed, for their total demolition. This has in a great degree been carried in :o effect, and the ° place is now rapidly improving in extension, as well as \rr neatness of edifices. ^"^t -;'%:-r.r~-"' ■:•■'»■ '^- • -"- » Montreal is divided into the upper and lower towns, ot I , ri 'i .* ', 112 MOKTREAt. I ': I I I, although the difference of level between them, exceeds not twelve or fifteen feet. In the latter are the public marf ket, held twice in the week, and the Hotel Dieu. The upper town contains the cathedral, the English church, the convent of Recollets, that of the sisters of Notre Dame, the Seminary, tlie Government house, and the new Court of Law. The religious edifices are constructed wit!i more solidity than taste, and all of them are possessed of extensive gardens. *»b The Hotel Dieu, founded by Madame de Bouillon in 1644, have a superior anr'i thirty nuns, whose prin- cipal occupation consists in administering relief to the sick, who arc received into that hospital. A large room in the upper part of the building, is appropriated as a ward for female, and one immediately under it, for male patients. As the institution was intended for public be- nefit, the medicines were, during the French government, supplied at the exj^ence of the crown. The fund by which it was supported, being vested in Paris, was 'ost in con- secjuence of the revolution. Its present slender sources, are chiefly derived from some property in land. v n The General Hospital stands on the banks of the river, and is separated from the town by a small rivulet. It owes its establishment, in 1753, to a widow lady named You-» ville : it contains a superior, and nineteen nuns. »«!' MONTREAL. m A natural wharf, very near to the town, is formed by the depth of tiie stream, and the sudden declivity of the bank. T' e environs of Montreal, are composed of four streets extending in different directions. That of Quebec ou the north, Saint Lawrence towards the west, ar.<* the RecoUet and Saint Antoine towards the south ; in the latter is placed tlie college, whicJi has been lately rebuilt. These, together with the town, contain about twelve thousand inhabitants. The mountain is about two nulcs and a half distant from the town. The land rises, at first by geutle gra- dations, and is diiefly occupied for gardknu and orchards, producing apples and pears of a superior quality. The more steep parts of the mountain, continue to be sliaded by their native woods. The nortliem extremity, which is the most lofty, assumes a more abrupt acclivity with a conical form, and the remains of the ci'ater of a volcano, are found among the rocks. This elevate ,T ,!^;'\' '.■%'-*»■. ■ **nH , /; -• *^ 33*r MONTBBAX.. 11^ price, especially during winter, wtien the iuhabitaiits of the United States, who reside upon lands bordering on IlK)wer Canada, bring for sale, a part of the produce cA their forms ; quantities of cod, and of other fish, in a frozen state, are likewise conveyed thither in- slays, from Boston. The island contains nine parishes, Saint Laurent, Saint Genevieve, Saint Anne, Pointe Clare, Pointe aux Trem- bles, Longite Pointe, Sault au RecoUet, Riviere des Prai- ries, and La, v>htne. - . La Chine, situated on the sooth-east side of the island, is the place from whence all the merchaiHiise, and stores for Upper Canada, are embarked in bateaux, to pi'oceed up tlte course of the Saint Lawrence, and in bircli canoes; to ascend the Outaouais, or Grand River. The store- iiouses which belong to the commissary department, ar^ situated at the upper part of the Sault Saint Louis. Tho&e of the merchants, and of the Indian department, are placed about two miles higher up, on the borders of the river. During the summer season, bateaux ane frequently passing between this ^lace, and Kingston in Upper Canada. The settlemeut of La Chine, received its name, from a plan wliicli had been projected, of penetrating through the continent of North America, to China, the person* engaged in the entt?rprize, having enj'jft>'k<»d at this spot. ^^The chief barrkrs of- Montreal and its environs, fbt , many years after tlie date of its establishment, werr t^r6 a 2 *a- .;fl T rj! ^ i V ) 116 MONTREAL. I ',. <_,■■ y villages of Iroquois Christians, and the fort of Chambty.. The fii-st, and most considerable A'illage, is that of the Saiilt Saint Louis, situated on tlie border of the river, op- posite La Chine, and about four leagues from the city. It has twice changed its site, but has never been removed more than four miles from its former position. The church, and the dwelling 6f the missionary, are protected towards the north and 80uti>, by a stone wall, in which there are loop-holes for musquetry. The village, which is composed of about a hundred and fifty houses, built of stone, con- tains upwards of eight hundred inhabitants, who- are not kss dirty and slovenly in their persons, than in their lia- bitations. This mission is considered as the most exten- sive of any of those among the domiciliated natives, in Canada. Its original settlers, belonging to the tribe of Iroquois^ or Mohawks, were converted to Christianity, and fixed there by missionaries, when the French colony in Canada was feeble in population, and circumscribed in extent. The principal support of these Indians, is derived from the cultivation of their grounds, and breeding hogs and poultry, more than from fishing and the chace. Their natural indolence will not, however, permit them to ac- quire habits of regular industry and labour. This insuper^ able aversion to a life of activity, they dignify with the title of independence, annexing to most of the employ- ffients of civilji^4Uli^> the idea of slavery. ^ MONtREAt.' 117 • Their hunting grounds are at a considerable distance from their settlement, lying^n the territory of the United States^ around Fort George, Ticonderago and Crown I'dint, and extending sometimes along the coast of the Saint Lawrence, as far as the bay of Chaleurs ; about one- third of the inhabitants of the village, descend in winter, to hunt in those quartern. The wild animals, with which these regions formerly abounded, have 'now become ex- tremely rare, not onlyfrom the immense numbers that have l)een killed, but on account of the increase of settle- ments and population ; multitudes which the chace had yet spared, were driven in quest of a secure retreat, to the more remote forests. -:^;^v'^o^-^« "^ mr i ( • The transport of merchandise, and other articles, from the island of Montreal to Kingston in Upper Canada, is» it has been remarked, condlucted by means of bateaux, or flat-bottomed' boats, narrow at each extremity, and con- structed of fir planks. Each of these being about forty- feet in length, and six feet across the widest pavt, generally contains twenty-five barrels, or « proportionate number of bales of blankets, doths, or linens, and is capable of con- veying, nine thousand pounds weight. Four men and a guide^ compose the number of hands allotted for working a bateau.. These are supplied wfth provisions, and with rum, and are allowed from eight to eleven dollars each>, ibr the voyage to Kingston^, and irom thenc« down agaii> to ■!;'■ I; If s < i »[ N \ V ► iia MOIfTAEAL. ^t' rf m La Chine, the time of perforiniug which, is from ten to twelve (lays. The wajfes of the pilot or f^ide, amount to^ twelve or fourteen dollars. Each bateau is supplied with^ a mast and sail, a grappling iron, with ix)peK, setting poles, and utensils for cooking. The bateaux when loaded, take their departure from La Cliine, in number, of from four, to eight or ten together, that the crews may be enabled to adbrd aid to each other, amid the difficulties, and labo« rious exertions required in effecting thia voyage. About fifty bateaux arc employed on this route, and bring down for the objects of commerce which are coiiveye4 up, wlieat, flour, Baited provisions^ peltry and potash. v h':T"r" *-^Y From twenty to thirty bateaux are likewise kept in thu service of government, for transporting necessaries for the troops, and stoi>es for the engineer department ; likewisd articles of European manu£BM:ture, which are every year distributed in presents to the Indian tribes. There are thug engaged about three hundred and fifty men,, whose occu<^ pation it is, during the sultry montlis of summer, to} struggle against the m(»t tremendous rapids. Beside^ * ihe.se, poar four huadi*ed men, ascend in Ixu'k canoe», by ' the grand river of the Outaouais, in a direct course to ^ iSaint Joseph?s on Lake Huron, and from thence to thtf '* new establishment on Iiake Superior, called Kamanas- tigua. ... ,uu.;' ? i . I;S/^ 130 THB CEDkUM, tf I f'' M Jh ;'( n »''.. ♦1/ pclied. The wind of a stranger is filled witli adiniratioit, on beholding, in tlie cahnest, and finest weather, all tiie noise, effectf and agitation, which the most violent conr- flict between the winds and waters, is capable of ex- liibiting. • / , .:: -^ . i-.^* r . vi In a branch of these cascades, near the locks on tlie western shore, several bateaux, loaded with soldiers be- longing to the army under the command of the late Lord Amherst, were lost in IJGO, through ignorance of the pi- lots who undertook to conduct tliem. Somewhat higher up, on the same roast of the river, and not far from tlie laud, is the Split liock, close to whicJi, the boats pass, in descendiug. The current sweeps along the side of this rock, and great attention in steering is required, for, on a too near approach, the bateau would be subject to the danger of being los(u; K«r ,/,.«.> vil no L- ./ohnmD /i5twi The rapids of the Cedars, are /about three miles distant from the highest part of the Cascades, and Are formed anud a cluster of islands. The river, for about a mile and a half above, assumes a sudden xleclivity and a winding course. An awful and solemn eiFect is produced, by tlie incessant sound, and mpid motion of the ever-swelling M-aves, which., covered with effulgent whiteness, drive along with irresistible fury. The empty bateaux are here dragged successively with ropes, by the joint efforts of eight or ten mcin to each, who walk up the shore, until thpy arrive at ■ ! 1 t if m t .■"*i '' ' i 1 .. -"-f. ^ , f '■4»,^ . - C*' II ,■:* 1 I ^'l'^' ■Vy- .'^TMK CrOARS. 'W^y flic vlllni»f , n( . .. -^ .; • iV rl- « " . • ^ • * w 12« COTEIU DU lie. k: I- I t space of sCATral lioiir«>. When the current is tre, a singular appearance, as tViey are only partially disccv^rable, while dwting aloirf, amid the swelling %nd ag'tated torrent. After pas.sing a point of land «il)(Wd the rapids, Lake Hairit Francisdisirloscsit^lf to the eye. On the north sifle, and about the middle of its extent, is situated Poinfe nu Ihdit, fclu- b«njndtuy betwreu tlw two provinces, which wat> lieic iix&ii, m oidcr to comprehend willuii Lower Ca- :t LA«jB #7> iPB^C^S. }n jati4M» all 0eignori»l gmntifi un4w tlie French tetiMve, ao4 (that the new ioirnfybi{>» wMch wore l^id ^ikt ilpr ^e lf>y- iili»t0« «lio«id Vie iHiihin ¥9p«r Ca^aaida^ io wMU aU land^ Are granteil/ »ta firoe jui4 eoMHiMMi «QCicag9. Tihe iengjbli of •ti»f Ukfi i» ffcbout bwonlijr'iftye rmiiei^ wnd iU greatest vwltH. Abomt ltfteen> its Ijorders are flat, Aod hi 8»me sfttvat^ns, 4.beJUcid on either fliide «ia scaiofly )be sdbtwgoi^hefi iby 4«»vdUer»fMasuig«longiAs denier*!'? 5'?^»»rn t^'-ff «! ""••• Tbe ladiaai settlement* fiiilled iSt. EogM* lis ftoed QU jthe Muth iside, at ihe uppiir esKtrfintity of tiie Iftkcu in la- titude focty«^ye degnees, is a cich)aikd lieawti^l (CiPWitfy ; ifae iMviidary Uat Aietwfiea C«n»da and the (United Skatiea, {itises tbnou)^! it. A «iisM»aaiy Scum ilie jeinwiM^y oi Quebec is stationed among the Indians. .- ' . The first towasbip^ ka Upper Cnmdf^ is called Lun- caater. fupmi the north ilton^ fif .liake iS^^nt jFxanois, ivn- tered by tUnee small rivens, eKteiaiding nitie miles in Cpp9t» towards the lake, and twalye VV^ in 4(^th. Ttie a^yiain- ing isettiement lOf Chfir^lojtitenUaiig. hM, in it9 ir«0At, temsral «mall ifldaiids, and is . . :^ '' it •1 j . [• (. ■'t 1 ■ ' c ■hi, f I '. 'i. ■■ i, 1 1 J i i ■ I 1 ■ i . ! '1 .1 .1 *: h'. 4- 124 LONGtTE SAULT. latter settlement, and CornTKall, a narrow tract interveheff^ which is the property of the Indians of Saint Regis. An island, named Petite Isle, is situated opposite to their vil^ lage, and another more considerable, named Grande hte Saint Regis, lies somewhat higher up, and in front of the township of Cornwall. This village or town, as it is termed, is, intended to be a mile square, and tlie houses already built, extend along the banks of a branch of the Saint Lawrence, which here forms a bay. In this vicinity are several islancj besides the two already nKntionedf. These are ctenominated Isiet aux millet Roches, and det Cheneaux Ecarties ; the township of Kenyon, is in the rear of the former settlement, and Roxburgh, in that of the latter. yu^}^:^y.im^t■. . .mzi u\xa^'w%0 ' In the adjoining township of Qsnabrucky the river aux^ Raisins has its- source ; and in the vicinity of . this set- tlement, are the Ik au Longue Sault, lies des trois Oieneaua Ecarties, Iks au Diabk, and lie au Chat. ' The channel of the river becomes in this utuation^ very steep, and the waters, intersected and contracted between these islands, rush along with prodigious velocity. The bateaux, in. ascending, are always conducted by the north shore, and through the more shallow parts, that the men. may use their setting poles^ and in many places, it be- comes necessary to disembark, and di-ag them by ropes.. The noise, the continual motion, and magnitude of it9« # '}' LONQtTE SAULT. 125 contending waves, render the Longue Sault, at once an ob- ject of terror and delight ; these burst upon each other, and tossing aloft their broken sjMray, cover the stream with a white and troubled sur&ce, as £u* as the eye can extend. From a point of land, on the north 3hore, formed by the 'sinuosities of the stream, nmch grandeur is displayed. The bank is here about fift/ feet high^ and commands a view of the principal Inanch of the river, for a distance of two «r three miles^ in which the effulgence of the impetuous current, is beautifully contrasted^ with the bordering shades of the woods. Tluroughout the same distance, much la- bour and exertion i» required in dragging forward the bateaux, after they have passed through a mill-stkeam on the bank. Towards the south shore, which is separated by islands from the branch now described, the stream is xnuch less broken, and its- depth precludes the use of poles.. It is through this channel that the bateaux pass, in their return from Kingston. The length of the Longue Sauli is estimated at nine miles, and a boat usually descends it, in about twenty miuutes, which is at the rate of twenty-seven miles an hour, u., ^^ ,., i ^ The south sliore is, in general, covered with its native woods, and it is only at considerable distances from each other, that settlements are interspersed. Williamsburg on the north shore, is the adjoining township to Osna^ bi'uck, and has before it Jk ati rapid Plat, the west end o£ jrs I \ I ; > 'i '¥ I ■ f' ? i*, . 126 THE «jlfKT lAWaiPNCE. wliicb is opposite to tbe next settlemetit, H^Hda. Ilieff are ako iK>me amailer islands, aiid a peoinwiJa, which, wjten die Ttvcr is yeiy full, hecomes siMrounded by winter. « The village of Johnstoiva, which it near a mile m ifiogth, and designed to extend a mile in ihreadth, is ^ced in the township of Edwardsbucg. From hence, decked vessels of considerable burthea may be nayigatedtto Kiagstoa, from tlience to Niagara, or to taiy part of XialEie Ontario. The islands opposite to this township are numeffOtM; the principal are H4>spital island, and Isie du Forte Lev^, wliere the Fi-cnch foi^ierly liad a small garrison, to defend the lower «ettlem£;nts, fiom the irruptions of die Iroquois. La Calotte, is a part of ihe great river, in which the current flows with much rapidity, although the waters are, in very few places, broken. "^ " *• ' Osw^'gatdiie, formerly a militaiy post belonging to tlie British government, was given up to that of the United States in 1796. It stsuids e only a prolongation of Lake Ontario. - - ;-...., ... The river Gamansquc, deri^nng its source from a lake of the same name, takes its course through the township of Leeds, and possesses, at its mouth, a good harbour for vessels. BetWn thfe lasf riam(?9 ^ettfement and Kingston, Pitts- burg intervenes. Howe island stretches, in a long, and narrotv fortii, near the front of these two townships. From Pointe au Bodct to Kingston, the distance is one hundred and twenty miles, and in that space are contained above eighty water mills, the most considerable of which are erected upon the river Gananoque. Roads hare, some years ago, been opened, and worjden bridges constructed over the intciTcning creek!^ and rivers. From Point an Bodtf dotnitvards, a way for travellers ofi hor-icback, has bcerr exit through the woods, which is yet scarcely practi- J'' h ' x i ■I I it t *.'!'; ; ■••If ; '» 128 THE SAINT I.ATniENCI!.' cable for wheeled carriages. Many parts of this road, os: well as of tliose in the vicinity of Kingston, are at times- rendered almost impassable by considerable falli of rain, the altitude of the trees on each side precluding the rays of the sun. After a fall of snow, in winter, travelling by, land is rendered much more easy. ♦ Settlements have been commenced, in upwards of tliirty other townships, situated in the rear of those already men- tioned, and on the southward of the Outaouais, or Great River, upon whose margin, many of them terminate. Others are watered by the river Rideau, and by that of Petite Na- tion, with the lakes and streams of the Gananoque, afford- ing a variety of places, convenient for the erection of mills. These rivers abound in carp, sturgeon and perch ; the ponds afford green, and other turtle, likewise fiah of different species. The soils in their vicinity produce timber, whose quality depends on position and fertility. The dry lands, which are usually the most elevated, afford growth to oak, and hickory : the low grounds produce walnut, ash, pop- lar, cherry, .sycamore, beiech, maple, elm, and other woods, and in some places, tliere are swamps, covered by cedar and cypress trees. * 5ff t , The banks of the sniall rivers and creeks abound i^ pine timber of an excellent kind, and present several situ- ations for water-mills, as well as materials for their con- struction. The sources of the rivers Rideau and Petite Nation, both of which flow into tlie Outaouais, commu- • /• »#, THR SAINT LAWRJ:N0E. •Pl^i nicate, by short carrying places, with the streams which fell into the Saint Lawrence, and offer to settlers the advantages of an inland navigation. The forks of the. Eideau, in whose vicinity are the townships of Oxford, Marlborough, and Gowcr, seem calculated to facilitate, at some future period, an interior commerce. * "^ U^t!!^. I a •, «fini: ■ "-' '1 •• m J r -^ ■ '■*-.|t.- ■^.^-* f i ■ m. 1 ^9.Jm - ^: ■ /•I^H K^ •* ' -tj. H* ■, r 150» jniTGSTOli; CHAPTER VII. •nCRIPTION or KIMMTOM IM VPPER CAMABAr— LA&S ONTARIO— BAT OF QVINTE — EXCELLENCE OF ITS SOIL — TORONTO, OR YORK, THf> CAPITAL — BVRLINGTON BAY^RIVBR ONONDAGO—- ROMANTIC CAS- CADES — GENESEE RIVER — WATERFALL— FORTS AND TOWN OF NIA' OARA— 4UPBRIOR ADVANTAGES ENJOYED BY SETTLERS ON THE BANKS' OF THE SAINT LAWRENCE — RAPID INCREASE OF POPULATION, ANIV PROSPEROUS STATE OF THE PROTINCE— ^UEENSTOWN— -THE WHIRL-' POOL — STUPENDOUS MAJESTY OF THE FALLS OF NiAuARA— CASCADES- — 'YILLAOE or CHIPPAWA. KINGSTON is charmingly situated on the northern coast of the Saint Lawrence, not far from Lake- Ontario, in north latitude, forty-four degrees, eight mi- nutes, and in west longitude from Greenwich, seventy- five degrees, fcwrty-one minutes This town was begun ia the year 1784, upwards of twenty-one years ago, and has- continued, ever since that period, to advance in a progres- iive state ot improvement, to which the judicious choice of situation, and the fertility oi the lands in its vicinity,, have, doubtless, greatly contributed. Besides several com- modious dwellings, constructed of stone of an excellent quality, it contains a barrack for troops, a gaol and court- house, an episcopal church, an hospital, and «evecaL m ftlNOSTOV. 151 fxtcnsive storehouses. At tliis place the vef^els belonging to government, used in navigating Lake Ontario, are constructed ; and from hence, merchandise and other ar» tides which are conveyed from the lower province, ia ba- teaux, are embarked to be transported to Niagara, York, and atlier fiettlements bordering on tlie lake. The largest yessels ^employed in this aeryice, do not exceed two hun- dred tons btu'tlien, but tlie usual sixe, is from eighty to » hundred tons. At Kingston, there are two coves or inlets« where vessels come to anchor, and on which wharfs are constructed, for loading, or discharging their cai^oes. That appropriated for the vessels of govemmauit, is at aome distance from the town, and is formed by a promon- tory on the east, and a peninsula, called Point Fredericks On tiliits are placed the nuval stare, and yard for buildii^ these vessels. A master, builder, 'wit^ some artiiicers, !««• sides upon the spot, and is kept in constant employ. The house of the deputy eommifisary* and those of £ome other persons in the semrtce, sttftd likewise upon this f>eains«Uu The other cove, jnudb more oonaidenible thaa the last* is 'Imied between the tomu and jdie poifit already mentioned. Both of these u^ts are exposed^ when the wind blows with violence frovi the soutli, or south-west, and drives before it from than tliree, two of which are appropriT ; J1 m KtNOStOi^. * ■ 1 r» ■l. :, I ■I ■in , I- I ■ Hi I 1 i i 1 :^*, ated for the military, and one for the civil department. Each vessel carries from ten to twenty guns. The senior commander is stiled commodore. As all kinds of timber have a tendency to decay, much sooner in fi-esh, tlian ii( salt water ; a vessel navigating the lakes, will not last above six years, unless she be made to undergo considerable re- pairs. As those in the employ of government receive no repairs in their hulls, they are generally laid up at the ex- piration of that period, and are replaced by other vessels entirely new. -.«-,,' ./ The rapid advancement of the countiy in population and improvements of every description, has proportionally extended the commerce ; the number of vessels in the employ of the merchants is considerable. These are usually built about ten miles below Kingston, and the timber used for their construction is red cedar or oak. 'iHffrfn nwimo'y ill iif!*;M*f imi» vmcjf* mi-r Grande Isle, now caued Wolfe Island, not far from the town, is the largest which occurs between Montreal and Lake Huron. Th% timber found here, and on the south shore of the main land, is red oak, butternut, maple, ash, ehn, and small pine. Carleton island, of small extent, in- tervenes between the latter and the south shore, and was formerly occupied as a military station ; it has on either side a channel of sufficient depth for vessels, and two ex- cellent harbours. It now properly belongs to the United States, as the boundary line of that government passes KIJIORTON. 133 through the centre of Grande Isle. It contained a stone fort, with barracks of the same materials, Ntorehuuses, and other structures. •. -*»*iwj»4»»»«^'r-f»f-r*if*>«y»»»''i 131 tXKZ ONTARIO. j i I tween tUc mare northern and western tribes, txwd the in- habitants of New York, who could supply for that pur- pose various articles of European manufacture, on term;* much more reasonable than the former colonists. The fort was originally built of stone, by M. de la Sale, celebrated for his discoveries, but yet more for his misfor- tunes, who was Seigwur of Catarotjuoy, and governor of the place. This establishment was not of lonj* duration, and was of little avail towards impeding tlie ravages of the iroquois. Lake Ontario is in length, one hundred ai>d siKty miles, and in circumference, about four hundred ajwl fifty. Its depth in many places, remains unascertained. The center Jias been sounded, with a line of three hundred and fifty fathoms, without finding botton . The islands whkh it contains are Amlierst island, Basqwe, Carteton, Petit Ca- tarocjuoy. Cedar island, Isle Cauchois, Isle au Cochon, Isle du Chene, Duck islands, Grenadier Island, Isles au Galloo, Isle la Force, Isle au Foret, Gage island, Howe island, Nicholas island, Orphan island, Isle de Quints, Isle Tonti, Isles aux Tourtes, Wolfe island or Grande isle, ond Wapoose island. The land on the north-east coast of Lake Ontario, is low, and in some situations marshy. The inlets, or little bays, are, fmm thehr position, consi- derably exposed to the ^\M\ of the watci's, and the influ« cuce of the winds. I ^: LAKE ONTARIO. 135 The vicinity of Kingston affords valuable quarries of durable white stone, and the soil in general is intermixed iritli rocks, a circumstance which, however, is not prejudi- cial to its producti^'e quality. Ernest town is opposite to Amherst island, and is wa-^ tered by two small livers. Camden lies on its north side, and Richmond on its west ; the river Appenee, on which there are excellent mills, runs through the two last town* shfp». The bay o^ Quints is formed by the penhisula of Prince Edward, by another peninsula, containing part of the townships of Adolphus and Frederick, and by the con- tinent on the north, comprehending the townships of INIo- hawks, Thnrlow, and Sidney. This bay affords, through- out its winding extent, a safe and commodious harbour, sheltered from the storms by which the lake is frequently agitated. The river Moira here empties itself, after having traversed the township of Thurlow ; the Trent, formerly called the Quints, the outlet of several small lakes, flows into the head of the bay, at the eastward of the isthmus, or carrying place. Part of one of the tribes of Mo- hawks, or Iroquois, has a settlement in the township. This tract is nine miles in front on the bay, and about twelve miles in depth. A chief, named Captain John, is at the head of those natives, who, preferring tliis situation, separated fi-om the rest of their tribe, whose village is on the Grand River, or Ouse, which 8 % iM." 136 LAKE ONTARIO. J" ■ •• n \: .. I I \-} 'W f » ;l (■ J'' r ■ cUsembogncs its waters into the north-east side of Lake Erie. On the south side of the Trent, there are salt-springs ; waters impregnated with salt have hkewise been found in other situations in tliis province, but the salt which has been produced from them was found by no means to pos- sess the properties of that procured from the water of the ocean, and a great part of the provisions which have been cured witli it, and sent in barrels to Quebec, for the use of the troops, has been found, on inspection, unfit for use. The exuberance of the soil around the Bay of Quinte, amply regards the toils of the farmer ; it is worked with facility, and produces many crops, without the application of mamue. The usual produce is twenty-five bushels of wheat, for one acre. The timber consists of oak, elm, hickory, maple, and pines of different species. The bay is narrow throughout its whole extent, which is up- wards of fifty miles, and is navigable for those vessels which are used upon the lake. An apparent tide is fre- quently observable here, as well as in some parts of the upper lakes, a circumstance probably occasioned by the impulse of the winds. Great quantities of wild fowl are found in this situation, and excellent fish of different spe- cies ; salmon is caught in the river Trent, but of an in- ferior quality, on account of its immense distance from the sea. Tlie isthmus of the peninsula of Prince Edward il i :a' m I if i i^ LAKE OKTAIUO. 137 being extremely narrow, it is intended that a canal shall be cut across it, between the bay already described, and a small and beautiful lake, ^hich communicates with I^ake Ontario. The harbour of Newcastle, is formed by the township of Cramahe, and Presque Isle. Between the township of Sidney, and the latter, tliat of Murray intervenes. Those of Ilaldiniand, Hamilton, and Hope, are beautified and fertilized by a variety of little streams, upon some of M'hich, mills are erected. Clarke, DarUngton, Whitby, and Pickering, follow in succession, in proceedhig to the westward ; at the latter, there is a productive salmon and sturgeon fishery, in a river called Duffin's Creek, which is usually open, and large enough for the reception of boats, at most seasons of the year. The township of Scarbo- rough presents banks of much greater elevation toward* the lake, than any part of tlie northern coast of that vast collection of waters. All the townships already noticed, are copiously watered by rivulets, at whose mouths there are ponds, and low lands, caj^able of being drained, and converted into meadows. In the rear of the township of Murray, is that of Seymour ; and Cramahe, Haldimand, and Hamilton, have contiguous to them on the northward, the townships of Percy, Alnwick, and Dives. Behind Scarborough, there is a German settlement upon the river T 158 YOUK. :!•:;• •■J*. I i ;l Nt'w, wliich, flowing- tlirouglj Pitkcring, (lisciiibogucs it- self into tho lake. '■ YoH-i, or Toronto, the seat of jj^overnnK^nt in Upper Ca- nada, is plaied in forly-tliree degrees and thirty-live mi- nutes of north hititnde, near the bottom of a harbour of the same name. A long and narrow jx'ninsula, distin- guished by the appellation of Gibraltar Point, forms, and embraees this hai'tjoin-, seeming it from the storms of the lake, and rendering it the safest of any, around tiie eoasts of that sea of fresh 'waters. Stores and bloek-houscs are constructed near tht^ extremity of this point. A spot called the garrison, stands on a bank of the main land, opposite to the point, and consists only of a wooden block- house, and some small cottages of the same mate- rials, little superior to temporary Imts. The house in which the Lieutenant-governor resides, is likewise formed of wood, in the ifigure of a half stpiare, of one story in height, with galleries in the center. It is suliiciently com- modious for the present state of the province, and is erected upon a bank of the lake, near the mouth of To- ronto bay. The town, according to the plan, is pro- jected to extend to a mileand a half in length, from the bottom of the harbour, along its banks. Many houses are already com{)leted, some of which display a consider- able degree of taste. The advancement of this place to its present condition, has h'etn effected within the lapse 11 m YORK. 139 of six or seven years, and persons who have formerly travelled in this part of the country, are impressed with sentiments of M'onder, on beholding a town which may be termed handsome, reared as if by enchantment, in the midst of a wilderness. Two buildings of brick at the eastern extremity of the town, which were de- signed as wings to a center, are occupied as chambers for the upper and lower house of assembly. The scene from this part of the basin, is agreeable and diversified ; a block-house, situated upon a wooded bank, forms the nearest object; part of the town, points of land cloathed with spreading oak-trees, gradually receding from the eye, one behind another, until terminated by the buildings of the garrison and the spot on which the go- vernor's residence is placed, compose the objects on the right. The left side of the view comprehends the long peninsula which incloses this sheet of water, beautiful on account of its placidity, and rotundity of form.; the distant lake, wliich appears bounded only by the sky, terminates tlie whole. A rivulet, called the Don, runs in the vicinity of the town, and there are likewise other springs by which this settlement is watered. Yonge-street, or the military way leadhig to Lake Simcoe, and from thence to Glopester- ., bay on Lake Huron, commences in the rear of the town. This communication, which, in time, will be productive t2 140 YOUK. ^ it I .'I of great utility to tlie commerce of the countiy, is opened as far as Lake Simcoe, and as it is considerably shorter than the circuitous rou^e, by the straits of Niagara, Lake Erie, and Detroit, must become the great channel of in- tercourse from this part of the province, to the north-west county. Lots of two hundred acres are laid out on each side of Yonge-street, every lot having the width of four hundred yards on the street. Gwillimbury, a settlement in the inte- rior part of the country, is thirty-two miles to the northward of York, and communicates with Lake Simcoe, through Holland river, which runs into Cook's bay on that lake. Somewhat to the westward, there are plains thinly planted with oak-trees, where the Indians cultivate com. As the lake opens on the eye of the traveller, some small islands disclose themselves, of which Darling's, in the eastern part, is the most considerable. To the westward, there is a large, deep bay, called Kempenfclt's, from whose upper extremity ii a short carrying-place to the river Nottuasague, which discharges itself into Iroquois bay, on Lake Huron. Fran- cis island is placed on the north end of the former lake, and a safe anchorage for vessels is presented between it and the shore. The shortest road to Lake Huron, is tcfoss a small neck of land, which separates Lake Simcoe from a smaller lake. The Matchedash river, which has its soutte in the former, aiTords a more circuitous passage to the northward and w^estward, and is, in every part, YORK. 141 navigable for boats of any size, excepting at the rapids, which present situations for mills. The soil, on either side of this river, is of an inferior quality. It discharges itself into a bay of the same name, to the eastward, which receives also. North and South rivers, and forms a junc» tion with a yet larger basin, already noticed, called Glo» cester, or Sturgeon bay, in the mouth of Avhich lies Prince William Henry's island, open to Lake Huron. On a pe- ninsula, in this basin, ruins of a French settlement are yet extant ; the harbour of Penetangushene, is formed be- tween two promontories, around which there is soil well suited for cultivation. This harbour possesses suffi- cient depth of water, and the anchorage for vessels, is safe. The township of Markham, in the rear of York and Scar- borough, is settled by Germans. To the westward of the garrison of York, are the re- mains of an old French fort, called Toronto ; adjoining to this situation there is a deep bay, receiving into it the river Humber, between whicl^ and the head of Lake On- tario, the Tobyco, the Credit, and two other rivers, with a number of smaller streams, join that immense body of waters. These abound in fish, particularly in salmon, for which the Credit is celebrated ; a house of entertain- Aent for passengers, is established on the banks of this liver. » The tract of territory between the Tobyco, and the ' !<>'■*, 142 LAKE ONTARIO; }■ t i:, ■4 •■•»: liead of tlie lako, is frequentctl only by erratic tribes of Missasagiit's, \vhich descend from the northward. Burling- toji bay is fornu'd by a point of land extentUnij; from south to nortii, leaving only a small outlet, which connects it with the lake. Over this a wooden bridge is constructed; and at the south end of the beach, an inn, called the King's-head, is kept for the accommodation of travellers. The bay. now mentioned, presents a combination Of objects, as beautiful and romantic ia their kind, as any which the interior of America can boast. A bold, rocky, and picturesque promontory, separates it from a marshy lake, called Coot's Paradise, which abounds in game, and pours thither the tribute of its waters. Between Bur- lington bay and Niagara, a multitude of small rivers join the lake, the most distinguished of which, are those called the Twelve and the Twenty. These rivers, previous, to their departure from their channels, spread themselves behind elevated beaches which impede their courses, and finding only a small opening through which to flow, become dammed up, and form spacious basins within ; their banks are elevated, but not rugged, and are generally covered with pine-trees of a large growth. The tract bordering on this part of the lake, is denomiuatied the county of Lincoln ; and contains twenty townships which are well settled, and rapidly increasing in popii* lation, , : . • ) . Mi LAKE ONTAHIO. 143 Tlic traveller, by enterint Ingh, is beautifully romantic. The bril- liancy of the foaming waters, which throw themselves with the most rapid motion over the perpendicular rock^, pro- duces an eft'ect magnificent and channing, and sheds a gleam of delight over the mind of the wearied traveller. Amid the variety of sensations, which scenes like this con- tribute to excite, is that of smprise, that a fluid body US tAKE ONTAHIO, ■V HI:.: I i f* *'(, 1 I- 1 I tfct to- ' I' should for ages have continued to move with such a veIo-» cit}% witliout a failure of the sources from whence it is suppHed. r ** Rnslicns expectat dum defluit amms, ast ilia «< Volvitur^ et volvetur, ia omne volubilis jevwm.'* r The timber in tJiis vicinity consists principally of white and red oak, and chesnut, Th^ soil above is level, and of a fo'tile nature. Fort Oswego is erected on a lofty bank, on the eastern side of this river, and is upwards of forty-live miles from Kingston. The old fort, of which no- vestige remains, was built in 1722, by a gentleman named Burnet, son of the celebrated bishop, who obtained for this purpose, permission of the Irociois in whose ter- ritory it was situated. It formed a key to Hudson's river,, on the north, and protected against the French, the trade with the Indians who inhabited ^he borders of the lake. The bar between the spot where this defence stood, and the new fort, is eighty feet in width, and twelve feet in deptli. The fort was delivered over to the American go- vernment in 1794. It was taken by the French in 1756> when a great part of the garrison was massacred by the savages. Beyond the fort, for about a mile, the depth of water is from four to five fathoms, augmenting further up to nine fathoms. ^ ^ , ,. .; ,: . •. Pursuing our voyage, we arrived at a large bay with ;> V LAKE ONTARIO. U7 yf V tieautiful entrance from the lake, and ascended in quest; of a river, but found only swampy grounds. This bay is two miles deep, having four and a half feet of water on the bar at the entrance, and from three to four fathoms, with a muddy bottom within. The points facing the lake are steep, and of considerable altitude, composed of strata of .stone and earth. The depth about half a mile from the shore is eight fathoms, Avith a sandy bottom. The bay of Goyogouin lies about sixteen miles to tlie westward of Onondago, and exhibits an aspect of fertility. It is five miles in extent, and two miles and a half in width, w^ithin the points of entrance. Near the west point, there are twelve and thirteen feet water on the bar, but the center has no more than seven and a half feet, A peninsula well wooded, elevated, and in the form of a crescent, advances into the bay, and on entering it on the left there is a small island. No river was found in this situation. - Irondiquet bay is four miles to the eastward of the Ge- nesee river. The depth at the distance of three miles from the coast is eighteen fathoms. The entrance of the bay is flat, with four feet of water on its bar. The eastern side has many branches, and terminates in swamps. The river, at the southern extremity, discharges itself with a very gentle current. The Genesee or Casconchiagon, by some persons called u 2 V ■(■■ M8 LAKE ONTARIO. Jy^, ■ !• »r^i'^^ the New River, is narrow, and contains not; much water at its nioutli on I^ke Ontario ; it however enlarges itself above, and forms a basin of suificient depth to Hoat ves- sels of two hundred tons. On ascending its course about two leagues, a fall of sixty feet in altitude, and occupying the whole breadth of the liver, obtrudes itself on the view, and commands the admiration of the traveller. It pours, with plaintive sound, over a rock almost perpendicular, and, broken amid the variety of its movements, produces a curtain of resplendent whiteness. On pursuing the chan- nel still highei 'ip, many rapids and cascades present them- selves throughout the numerous sinuosities of its course. From the source of this river, which runs upwards of three hundred miles, the Ohio is distant only thirty miles. The timber produced in the vicinity of the mouth of the Ge- nesee, consists chiefly of white and red oak and chesnut. The .soil above the fall is rather flat, and is of a fertile nature. ► At Poi7itL aux Tow'tes there are two large swamps, into each of which two small rivers flow. A stream of the same name as the point is forty feet wide at its entrance, and the land around it is swampy. The river aux Bceuf, has an entrance of forty feet wide, with three feet of water, on a rocky and gravelly bottom ; the bed, for four miles up its course, is three fathoms in depth, but diminishes by degrees until cascades are met with ; it flows in a serpen- NIAGAHA. 149 tine course from the south-west. The banks prochice red pine fit for the masts of small vessels, and there are white oak-trees near its embouchure. Johnson's creek is about three mile^ from the last river, and its banks are well cloathed with ash, aspin, and cherry-trees. The entrance of aux Ec/usen is broad and shallow, the depth being sufficient to admit bateaux only. The scenery here exhibited is agreeable ; the land assuming a gentle slope, and being of great fertility, produces large oak tim- ber without any imderwood. On exploring about two miles, we found cascades, the iirst of which forms three branches, resembling sluices of considerable height. At the bar there were no more than two feet of water, and at half a mile from the coast, the soundings were three fathoms. The old fort of Niagara, which was erected by the French in 17>51j is placed in forty-three degrees and fifteen minutes of north latitude, on an angle which is formed by the east side of the Saint Lawrence and the vast diffusion of its waters into the lake. It is erected in the country of the Iroquois, and was for a series of years considered as the key to those inland seas of fresh water, which oc- cupy so vast a portion of this part of North America. The ramparts of the fort are composed of earth and pickets, and contain within them a lofty stone building, which is occupied for barracks and for store-rooms. The Ame- f 4 ii '6^^ 1; 11 150 NI/VGAKA. B ; ■ I :*:■ :h 4 ■ "1 ' I ■ 1'^ f ,i\t r 'f!; ' ' :i ' t ricans are in possession of it, but seem to take no mea- sures either for its n pair or enlargement. As tlie v aters ol' the lake make progressive encroachments on tiie sandy- bank whose sunnnit it occupies, the foundations of the buildings will, in a shoit time, be undermined. Tliis fort was taken from the French in 1739 by Sir William Johnson. On the western bank, about a mile higher up the river, the British fort is situated on ground several feet more elevated than the last. It is likewise constructed of earth and cedar pickets, and the buildings contaired in it are executed with much neatness, taste, and accommodation. On the border of tlie river, and beneath the fort, there are several buildings consistiuiif of store-houses and barracks, one of wliich is called Navy Hall, and is contiguous to a Vh«*i'f>^vhere vessf^ls load and unload, A swamp in the vi- cinity becomes, at particular seasons, from the stagnated vapours exhaled from it, prejudicial to the health of those whose residence is by the river, and sometimes to that of troops iii tiM; garrison. A plain, whose extent in every direction is near a mile, intervenes between the town of Kiagara and Fort Cieorge, the name of the fortress already described. The houses are in general composed of wood, and have a neat and elean appearance ; their present num- ber may amount to near two hundred. The streets are ,spacious, and laid out at right angles to each other, so M l-K ''' 'y' Jf.lifjjt'iyii.: I,',. . I :'J-'i^- '^, i- ■ •r«Rf" \.A) !?i hiiAiik. ^i:& '■► S , x i, It i ' ! ^ •;*! ^.■OjPetjiJ^lvv.tiiM'.Sfiwa f?i'4|;>4»ut-*«i«^-to take no inra- cit^'T ■• ;■ irjs,*t'^i]r or,."- f>v Sir \Vill.rdni ^^^fk^-i:^ xvcstetu bank, ribDiit a niilo his/her up the river, ^^%-?^^l^°"**>'"' ^'^ ^iHiatiid <>\\ ■^miind scveial tcet inorr tf^^^il^ ''*" ^'i^^^^'- ^' i^ hkt'wisc constructed ofi-artli a^ilpi^''i^ pnket.s, au(i the l)UiMlin_ij;s cunluiicd m it are 'Ml|^iK«ii uith much ncuiuv'.ss, ta^vtc, mid actominodation. I I V ^ i^iw l)or(!or ort)i«' nviv. ar,d beneath the tort, there are il^^S*'-'' 'niihhn.^^ consistiii!/ o( storc-huuscs and barracks^ 4w'^'j:»i *ujjrh is caHed iS'u\y Mali, and ci contijj.'nous to a WfybT w'lu'ix- s'cssris load jind (inlo-ad, 4 swanin in ilw vi- f(||[ rj; b**c. at partu ukir .st.;asoii.-j„ troni tlie stagnattd l^^l^tt^ e^cn^lt'd from it. pnjudicia! to the htaitJi n*Th t. to ni'ar two hundred. The streets are -'>!|>.* ^ , , , }jad ^^it^i^i'^ljt angles to eacii other, ao .''i". ¥t 1 8 "•' i ■f. \ NIAGARA. 151 ^ that the town v hen coin[)letctl will be healthful and airy. On Missisague Point, which is on the west side of he mouth of the liver, a light-house, for the guidance of ves- sels whieli navigate the lake, has lately been erected. Near this point, white fish and black bass arc caught in great abundance. In proceeding from the town of Niagara to the south- ward, along the banks of the great river, many attractions combine to present pleasure and amusement to the mind of an observant traveller. The soil, the variety of situa- tions, and the improvements of that part of the country, seem to surpass every impression which information alone might produce in its favour. The population is already- considerable, and is rapidly augmenting. Families iVom the United States are daily coming into the province, bringing with them their stock and utensils of husbandry, in orde? to establish themselves on new lands, invited by the exube- rance of the soil, the mildness of the government, and an almost total exemption from taxes. These people either purchase lands from the British subjects, to whom they have been granted, or take them ufwn lease, paying the rent by a certain p • ^ ^ ■■ ■■ ■ • About the year 1800, before tlie means of transport to the lower province became facilitated and improved, the inhabitants were at a loss to dispose of tlie produce of their farms. Since that period many thousand barrels of flour, quantities of salted beef and pork, butter and cheese, pot-ash, and numbers of live cattle, have annually been conveyed to Lower Canada, through the rapids and cas- cades of the Saint Lawrence, upon rafts of timber, con- taining from five hundred to eight hundred barrels each, and upon scows, a superior species of raft constructed of plank, without receiving from the waters any material in- jury. The conducting of that mode of transport, although at first difficult and unwieldy, has now become more fami- liar, and immense quantities of produce continue to flow every year into the lower province. X I 1 ' 'I i V : 1 1J4 NIAGARA. There are attached to scttlcnicntt» on the borders of the Saint Lawrence^ advantages of tranitport 8U{)erior to those of any inland country in America. I'he soil is unquestionably of the Arst quality, and is sufllici^ntly varied by swells and ridges, to take off tliat samenes* of effect which would result from a dead level country. Winter wheat is produced with the greatest certainty. The grain is heavier and more plump than any that is raised in the territories of the United States, except such as border upon this inunense river. Grass is very natural to this country, and cattle fatten in summer upon the wild growth. Hemp and flax are produced in great perfection. The timber consists of oak, pine in all its varieties, sugar and curled maple, beech, basswood, hickory^ black and white ash, sassafras, black and white birch, elm, walnut-tree, butternut^tree, cherry-tree, and a variety of other wDods. , , , ,. The winter season is employed by the firmer in making staves for casks, squaring timber, or preparing pkink and boards, all of which may be disposed of to advantage at Montreal In the spring the timber is formed into rafts, which are loaded with produce, and conducted down the river with great certainty, at any period during the summer season, without the inconvenience of waiting for a freshet, or an increase of the waters by nias*, which can have .4 j '.■ .(-i .»-«; ( ^Hi NTAOABA. 15* but small influence on so vast a body. This circumstance aiune adds a value to tlic (stablishmentH on its borders ; for on all other rivers, except those of the first magnitude, tliey who mean to conduct raft» down tlieir stream are compelled to be ready at the moment of a swell of th(» waters ; and if they l>e so unfortunate as not to be pre- pare 156 NIAGARA. :^l :'■:(■ 1 •, ? J 1 t» is sown, the harrow is again used, and thus left without any farther trouble, the newly-cleared ground yields a co- pious increiise, ■•■' • i; • ■ • 1 f ? A stranger Is here struck with sentinients of regret on viewing the numbers of fine oak-trees which are daily con- sumed by fire, in preparing the lands for cultivation. The houses, with few exceptions, are here constructed of wood, but with a degree of neatness and taste, for which we in vain might look among the more ancient settlements of the lower province. ' • . . ♦ The improvements of every description, in which for a few years past the province has been rapidly advancing, liave, in some situations, already divested it of the appear- ance of a new-settled colony, and made it assume the garb of wealth, and of long-established culture. The roads in the settled parts of the country are, in the summer season, remarkably fine, and two stage-coaches run daily between Niagara and Chippawa, or Fort Welland, a distance of eighteen miles. • * , - • • ,;"*■■ t The scenery from Niagara to Queenstown is highly pleasing, the road leading along the summit of tlie banks of one of the most magnificent rivers in the uni- verse ; and on ascending the mountain, which is rather a sudden elevation from one immense plain to another, where the river becomes lost to the view, the traveller pro- ceeds throiigh a forest of oak-trees, until he becomes sur- QtJEENSTOWN. m prised, and his attention is arrested by the falls presented to the eye through openings now cut in the woods, on the steep banks by M'hich they are confined. V < f*^ -^ ? " -> Queenstown is a neat and flourishing place, distinguished by tlie beauty and grandeur of its situation. Here all the merchandise and stores for the upper part of the province are landed from the vessels in which they have bei.n con- veyed from Kingston, and transported in waggons to Chip- pawa, a distance of ten miles, the falls, and the rapid and broken course of the river, rendering the navigation im- practicable for that space. Between Niagara and Queens- town the river affords, in every part, a noble harbour for vessels, the water being deep, the stream not too power- ful, the anchorage good, and the banks an eitlier side of considerable altitude. The mountain already noticed is formed by the land assuming a sudden acclivity of upwards of three hundred feet from one horizontal plain to another, and extends from east to west for a considerable way, the river holding its course through its center, and cutting it asunder. The perpendicular banks on either side are near four hundred feet in height, from the level of tlie water below to their summit. Their strata are similar, not only in altitudes but in substance. A httle way below the bank on which the town is placed, there is a spot rising about twenty ieet from the side of the river, upon M'hose surface a quan~ ' i: 158 THE WHIRLPOOL. f i' . ■ '< ■ i ■ I . t ; ' *'i"'v >i\'H M ^ i tity of stones is placecl, which appear to have been depo« sited there for a series of years, and which have been evi- dently formed in currents of water. Since the settlement of the country, the river has not been perceived to rise to that height. These circumstances ^ ^#eem ta afford probable ground for conjecture, tlmt the stream which now flows tbrougli tlic deep chasm of the mountain, did at some former period, throw itself from ^^ near the summit, and after sweeping away the i*ocks and |W soil, form its present profound and rugged channel, ex- ^.piending upwards of nine miles from tlie precipice^ whence I / the wide and stupendous flood continues now to fall. 1^; In tracing the course of the river higher up from Queeuijtown, many singular and romantic scenes are exhi- ■S;: bited : the whirlpool, which is about four miles from that place, is a basin formed by the current in the midst of li[^fty precipices clothed witli woods. Previous to its en- tering this bay, tlie stream drives witli awful roar, its broken interrupted waters over a s^idden slope upwards of fifty feet in height, and thus »»roceeds foaming past the bed it afterwards takes, which being around the angle of A precipitous promontory, its weight and velocity oblige it to pass on, and to make tloe circuit of the basin l)efore it am tlow through that channel. It has apparently made an eftort to break through the bank to the w :t . I! 9ALLS Oil- NIAGARA. 15.^ ward were found more penetrable, and through these it has forced a passage. A tide rising to the height of two and half feet, and again falling every minute, is observable all around the basin ; this phenomenon may be produced by the impulse communicated to it from the torrent, vhich causes it alternately to swell, and to recoil from the beach. ' ' '^^ ^ ■^"^- This gulph usually contains a quantity of floating tim-> ber, which continues to revolve in the eddy about once in half an hour, and will sometimes remain in this state for months, until it be drawn off by the current. At one particular part» all floating substances are made to rise on one end, after which they are swallowed down by the vor-^ tex, and for a time disappear. The falls of Niagara surpass in sublimity every descrip- tion which the powers of language can afford of that cele- brated scene, the most wonderful and awful which the ha- bitable world presents. Nor can any drawing convey an adequate idea of the magnitude and depth of the precipi- tating waters. By the interposition of two islands, the river is separated into three falls, that of the Great Horse- shoe on the west or British side, so denominated from its form, and those of Fort Slausser and Montmorenci, on the eastern or American side. The larger island is about four hundred yards in width, and the small island about ten yards. The three falls, with the islands, describe 8 ' I mi I i\ xii 160 FALLS OF NIAGARA. a crescent, and the river beneath becomes considerably contracted. The breadth of the whole, at the pitch of the waters, including the curvatures which the violence of the current has produced in tlie Horse-shoe, and in the Ame- rican falls* may be estimated at a mile and a quarter, and the altitude of the Table Rock, from whence the precipi- tation commences, is one hundred and fifty feet. Along the boundaries of the river, and behind the fells, the elevated and rocky banks are every where exca- vated by sulphureous springs, the vitriolic acid uniting with Uie limestone rock, and forming plaster of Paris, which is here xmd tliere scattered amid the masses of stone which compose tjie beach beneath. .: - ■ - - . These excavations extend in many places to a distance of fifty feet underneath the summit of the bank. * Casting the eye from the Table Rock into the basin be- neath, the . effect is awfully grand, magnificent, and sublime. No object intervening between the spectator and that profound abyss, he appears suspended in the at- mosphere/ . I ii f», I it'iTt vs.hu -ini 'j'.'i .■■'.T'-Uitr ^ui:^i'i ♦ The lofty banks and immense woods which environ tliis stupendous scene, the irresistible force, the rapidity of motion displayed by the rolling clouds of foam, the uncommon brilliancy and variety of colours and of shades, * A part of this description vrta published i(i 1801 in the Sun> and after* wards copiod from that paper into the Moolt -..u at Paris. FALLS (jF M.VGARA, \6\ tlie ceaseless intuniesscnce,, and swift agitatio-t of thff clashing waves below, the solemn ami tremendous noise, wlHi tlie volumesof vapour darting upwards into tiie air. mIiIcJi tlie simultaneous mport and smoke of a thousand camion could scarcely equal, irresistibly tend to impress the ima- gination with such a train of sublinj<; sensations, as few other combinations of naUiral objects are capable of pn)- ducing, and which terror lest the treacherous rock crunibl« beneath the feet by no means contributes to diminish. The height of the descent of the rapids above the great fall is fifty-seven feet eleven inches. The distance of tlie conmienceineut of the rapids above the pitch, measured by the side of tlie island is one hundred and forty --eiglit feet, and the total altitude from the bottom of tlie falls to the top of the rapids, is two hundred and seven feet. The projection of the extreme part of the Table Rock is iifty feet four inches. The large island extends up the river about three quar- ters of a mile, and the rapids between that and the western banks are much diversitied ; in one situation near the island, there is a fall of about sixteen feet in height, the vapowr from which is distinctly visible. Several small islands are formed towards the west side of the river. From a settlement called Birch's Mills, on level ground below the bank, the rapids are displayed to great advan- tage ; they dash from one rocky declivity to another, and ', > ? 162 FALLS OF NIAOAnA. 7 s. . ,1 1: 1 i Iiasten with foaming fury to the precipice. Tlie bank along whose summit the carriage-road extends, affords many rich, altliough partial views of the falls and rapids. 'J'hey are £i:om hence partly excluded from the eye by trees of difterent kinds, such as the oid^, the ash, the beech» fir, sassafras, cedar, walnut, and tulip-trees. About two miles further down the side of the rivQr^ at a situation called Bender's, an extensive and general prospect of the falk, with the rapids and islands, is at once develo{)ed to the eye of the spectator. On descending the bank which in several places is precipitous and diffi- cult, and on emerging from the woods at its base, a won- derful display of grand and stupendous objects is at once expanded to the view. From amid immense fragments of rock, and lacerated trees which have descended in the cur- rent of the waters, the eye is directed upwards toward the falls, that of Fort Slausser being on the left, and the Great Horse-shoe fall immediately in front. On the right is a lofty bank profusely covered with diversity of foliage, beyond which the naked, excavated rock discloses itself. As the river here contracts to the breadth of about half a mile, the fall on tlie American side becomes nearest to the eye, and its waters tumble over a rock which appears to be perpeiKlicular, and nearly in a straight line across to the island, the curvatures being, from the point now described, not perceptible. The loek is, however. -it v: ,1' I I; iii FALLS OF NIAGARA. 165 excavated, and at the pitch has been worn from continual abrasion by the fall, into a serrated shape, whence the masses of foam pour down in ridges which retain their figure from the summit to the bottom. Numbers of stones which have been torn away from the precipice, are accu- mulated throughout the whole extent below, and receive the weighty and effulgent clouds of broken waters, which again dash from thence into the basin. The Horse-shoe Ml is distinguished not only by its vasU ness, but by the variety of its colours. The waters at the edge of the Table Rock are of a brownish cast, fur- ther on of a brilliant white, ind in the center, where the fluid body is greatest, a transparent green appears. Around the projection, which is in the form of a horse- shoe, the water is of a snowy whiteness. A cloud of thick vapour constantly arises from the center, part of which becomes dissolved in the higher regions of the at- mosphere, alid a part sp'":ads itself in dews over the neighbouring fields. This cloud of vapour has frequently, in clear weather, been observed from Lake Ontario, at the distance of ninety miles from the falls. The bed of the river is so deep, that it undergoes not such a degree of agitation as the reception of those bodies of water perpetually pouring down into it might l)e sup- posed to produce. Except at the places immediately un- derneath each of the falls, there are no broken billows ; V 9 T' 164 FALLS OP NIAOAnA. I I! I f- t the stream is comparatively tranquil, but the water con- timies for a long way down its course, to revolve in miiiierous whirlpools. Its colour is a deep blue ; quanti- ties of foam float upon the surface and almost cover a large bay formed between projecting points, containing several insulated rocks. Proceeding along the beach to the basis of tlie Table Rock, the distance Is about two miles, and the way thither is over masses of stone which have been torn from the bank above, and over trees which have been carried down the falls, and have been deposited in the spring by bodies of ice, in situations above twenty feet in height from the level of the river. , The projection of the Table Rock, it has been re- marked, is fifty feet, and between it and the falls a lofty and irregular arch is formed, which extends under the pitch, almost without interruption, to the island. To enter this cavern, bounded by the waters and rock, and to turn the view towards the falls, the noise, the motion, and the vast impulse and weight exhibited, seem to cause every thing around them to tremble, and at once occupy and astonish the mind. Sudden and frequent squalls, accompa- nied by torrents of rain, issue from this gloomy cavern ; the air drawn down by the waters is in part reverberated by the rock, and thus discharges itself. , » • At this situation is illustrated the effect of an immense FAILS or NIAGARA. \C)5 mass of waters, thrown from a prodigioiiH height, after being forcibly propelled. The projectile, cx)unteracted by the gravitative power, obliges the falling body to describe at first an ellip^ie, and then to assume the pcrpendiculai' di- rection in Mhich it is received into the basin. The salient groups in which, with gradations almost re* gular, the tumbling waters are precipitated, excite the awe and admiration of the spectator ; the eye follows with delight the masses of lustrous foam, varied by pris- matic hues, and forming a wide and resplendent cur-^ tain. About half a mile from hence, in descending the course of the river, and behind some trees which grow upon the lower bank, is placed the Indian ladder, composed of a tall cedar tree, whose boughs have been lopped off to within three inches of the trunk, and whose upper end is attached by a cord of bark to the root of a living tree ; the lower end is planted amid stones. It is upwards of forty feet in length, and trembles and bends under the weight of a person upon it. As this, is the nearest way to the river- ide, many people descend by the ladder, led either by cu- riosity, or for the purpose of spearing fish, which in the summer are found in great abundance in this vicinity. • ' The spear in use is a fork with two or three prongs, with moving barbs, and fixed to a long handle. The fisher- man takes possession of a. prominent rock, from whence 166 FALLS OF NIAGARA. i\\n I ■ '.^ r he watches for liis pr^y, and when it approaches within his reach, he pierces it with his uistrument, with an almost inevitable certainty. The village of Chippawa or Fort Welland, is situated on each side. of a river of the same name, which here joins tlie Saint Lawrence. A wooden bridge is thrown across this stream, over which is the road leading to Fort Erie. The former fort consists only of a large block- house near the bridge, on the northern bank, surrounded by lofty pickets ; it is usually the station of a subaltern officer and twenty-five men, who are principally engaged in conducting to Fort Erie the transport of stores for the service of the troops in the upper part of the province, and for the engineer and Indian departments. After being conveyed by land from Queenstown, the provisions and other articles are here embarked in bateaux. There are in the village some mercantile store-houses, and two or three taverns. The waters of the Chippawa are always of a deep brown colour, and are very unwholesome if used for culinary purposes. They enter the Saint Law- rence about two miles above the ialls, und although they be frequently broken, and rush into many rapids in their course thither, they seem •bstinately to resist being mixed with the purer waters of that flood, and retain their colour in passing over the precipice. The foam produced in their precipitation is of a brownish hue, and forms the edge of 4 FALLS or NIAGARA. iGj the sheet which tumbles over the Table Rock. Their weight, and the depth of the descent, minole them eflfec- tualiy with the waters in the basin beneath. The coU)ur of the Chippawa is derived from that river passing over a level country, in manj' places sAvanipy, and from quan- tities of decayed trees \rhich tinge it. with their biuk. It is also impregnated with bituminous matter, Avliith pre- vents it, until it has suffered the most violent agitation and separation of particles, from incorporating with the more transparent and uncorrupted stream of the Saint Lawrence. Opposite to the village of Chippawa the current be- comes so powerful, that no boat i an be ventured into it, without imminent danger of l)eing swept away, and lost in the rapids. Between the village and tlie fialls there are three mills ; the lower for the manufacture of flour ; the two upper mills, which are near to each other, and adjoining to the road, are for the purposes of sawing timber into boards, and for manufacturing iron. The latter scheme has hitherto failed of success : the logs for the saw-mill are conveyed down the current to this situation in a very singular manner. They are cut upon the borders of th.e Chiapawa, and floated down to its mouth, where a reser- voir, formed by a chain of hog-pens, is made to contain them. In proceeding downwards, in order to avoid being drawn into the vast vortex of tht falls, small poles have 163 ¥ALLS OP NIAGARA. been fixed together, from the reservoir to the mill, fioatinjj at the distance of eighteen or twenty feet from the shore. They are retained in their places by poles projecting from the land ; and thus the chain of poles, rising and falling with the waters, and always Hoating on the surface, forms a species of canal, into which the logs are separately hiunched, and in this manner carried from the reservoir to the mill, a distance of more than a mile. In the vicinity of this mill there is a spring of water, whose vapour is highly inilammable, and is emitted for a time witii a considerable degree of force. If collected within a narrow compass, it is capable of supporting com- bustion for near twenty minutes, and of communicating to water placed over it, in a small, confined vessel, the de- gree of boiling temperature. FALLS OF NIAGARA, 169 CHAPTER Vlir. SUBLIME SUBJECT OP THE FALLS FURTHER PURSUED — LAKE ERIE— AMHERSTBUHG— >THE DETROIT— SANDWICH OLD TOWN OF DE- _ TROIT BEAUTY AND FERTILIXV OF THE COUNTRY RIVER AND LAKE OF SAINT CLAIRE LA TUANCHEj OR THAMES — SETTLEMENTS ■ ON ITS BORDERS LAKE HURON BAIT OF THUNDER — MICHILIMA- U.INAC— LAKE MICHIGAN— «REEN BAY— INHABITANTS — RAINC, JO- . KEPH — CASCADES OF SAINT MARY ADDRESS OF THE INDIANS- ANCIENT UURONSj AND OTHER NATIVE TRIBES—- LAKE SUPERIOR- REMARKABLE TRANSPARENCY OF ITS WATERS GRAND PORTAGE ' ■ — NEW ESTABLISHMENT ON THE KAMANISTIGUA. • ! . ...... TO those who are admirers of the picturesque beauties of Nature, it will be ahuost unnecessary to apologize for the prolixity of description with which the last communication was filletL The subject of the latter part of it, upon which we have already so long dv/elt, is at once noble and unn/ne. Let us therefore attempt to pur* sue it still furtlu^r, although without the hope of being able to do it justice. ' » The Saint Lawrence at the conftuence of the Chippa- wa, is upwards of a league in widtii, and is passed to the opposite shore in boats or Ivateaux, about three-(|uarters of a mile higher up than the village, and by the lowei' 170 FAILS OF NIAGARA. I i i ? end of Navy island Tlic transport of goods by land to Fort Slaussor, two miles above the east side of the falls, was formerly conducted fj'om a place opposite to Qneenstown. In passing through the cultivated grounds on this border of the liver, innnense mounds of earth, thrown up by multitudinous colonies of large black ants, are every where observable. The rapids on this branch of the river, al- though not so extensive, are nevertlteless equally beautifd and romantic with those of the western branch. A spot at the distance of fifty yards from the pitch affords a most advantageous and pleasing display of a scene, which in every point of view is accompanied with sublimity. Trees and ro( ks form the nearest objects, and between these and the islands a lively picture is exhibited of broken rapids. dashing over the slippery rocks, which are hidden beneath the foaming torrents. Amid tlie sinuosities of the pitch, a part of the American fail is developed to the view of the spectator, and the JNIontmorenci fall is exposed about half way down its depth ; the other parts of the eastern fall are concealed, whilst a portion of the waters beneath be- comes disclosed. The inequalities of the precipice, which have been formed by the current, are here fully discover- able. Several small isles covered with woods appear near the central island, and add to the variety of the scene, which foliage of diversified verdure, overtopped here and there by the towering cedar, contributes to enliveu FALLS of NlAGAllA. 171 and to adorn. Tlie Hoi..>e-shoc fall beyond the whole, de- lights the mind with tlie rapidity of its movements, and the animated effulgence of its hues. From the station which we have now endeavoured to d'^scribe, is afforded the most perfect idea of the orescent formed by the three falls, the islands, and the Table Rock. To descend the perpendicular cliff on the eastern bank is attended with ditliculty, and with some degree of peril. Few of the roots and vines which formerly hung down- wards from the trees, any longer remain. In descending the craggy steep, the adventurer must cling to the rock with his hands and feet, moving onward with great caution. On his arrival at the base of the cliff, he is struck by a developement of scenery, yet more awfully stupendous than that which had before been presented to his contemplation. Here nature, agitated by the struggles of contending elements, assumes a majestic and tremen- dous wildness of form. Here terror seems to hold his ha- bitation. Here brilliancy, profundity, motion, sound, and tumultuous fury, mingle throughout the scene. The waters appear to pour from the sky with such impetuosity, tJiat a portion is thrown back in clouds of vapour. The mind, expanded by the immensity and splendour of the sur- rounding objects, is disposed to give issue to the sensa- tions of awe and wonder by which she is impressed, in i . 7.1 fr..« k '\ -' 172 FALLS OF NlACAnA. ejaculations similar to that of tlu; Psalmist of Israel, •' Great and marvellous art; thy works ! ! !" TIk; huge iViigmonts of rtx-k which havi: been thrown from tlio summit of the precipice, by the irresistible htreiii2;th of the torrtMit, and wliich liave fall(Mi upon each other in toweriui; heaps beneath, suj^gest to the imagina- tion an idea of what may take place previous to tiie gene- r^U consummation of this tenx'strial scene, when ancient monuments of marble, under which princes of the earth ha\e for ages .slept, shall be burst asunder, and torn up from their foundations. Can so vast, so rapid, and so continual a waste of water never drain its sourc-es ? These are inexhaustible ; and tiic body which throws itself down these clitls, ♦arms the sole discharge of four immense inland seas. The eftect proiiuced by tJie cold of winter on these sheets of water thus rapidly agitated, is at once singular and splendid. It ich ;» of great thickness and length are formed along the banks, from the springs which flow over them. IXhe sM.mrr.es, impregnated uith sul})hur, which drain ti'oni the liollow of the rocks, are congealed into transparent blue columns. Cones are formed by the spray, particu- larly on the American sieen partially frozen. The boughs of the treCvS in the surrounding woods are hung with purest icicles formed from the spray, and reflecting in every di- rection the rays of the sun, produce a variety of prismatic h^es, and a lustre almost too refulgent to be long sustained by the powers of vision. This part of the Saint Lawrence, which is called the Niagara river, issues from the eastern extremity of Lake Erie, and discharges itself into Lake Ontario, at the end of thirty-six miles, after undergoing the most violent agi- tations through an interrupted and sinuous channel. At its commencement from the former, its breadth is not more than half a mile, but it becomes afterwards enlarged, and separated into two branches by an island of fifteen miles in length. The current is powerful, and the navigation for vessels is rendered intricate, by innumerable hidden rocks. In tlte vicinity of Navy island there are two. smaller isles.. The western bank between Chippawa and Lake Erie is almost entirely settled, and the road is level and in most places good. The Americans have on their side the river, a road extending trora Fort Slausser to Buffalo creek, a settlement which contains several Indian and some 'white fcimilies. At a spot called the Black Rock, at the lower end of the rapids, a fort has been traced, and partly con- 8trui:tcd, within tJlic iijiaits of tbe Ujiited J^tates.. 174 J.AKF KRII::. ■k li fi .". Lake Krie is near three hmulix'cl miles in length, and f^even hundred and ten miles in eireiimference. It derives its name from llie Erie's or Cuts, a native tribe Avhieh onee dwelt on its borders. The landscape at the entrance exhibits a pleasnig variety, consisting ot' water, points of land, level countries, and distant mountains. Tlie coasts are cloathed with oak, qsh, chcsnut, aj)ple, and cherry- trees. The south-east sIkm-c abounds in game and wild animals. The islands which it contains are Bass islands, Iiile Bois blanc, Isle Celeron, Cunningham's island, East Sister, Grose isle, Aliddle island, Middle Sister, Pointe Pelee isle, Saint George's island, Ship island, Sandusky feland, Turtle island, and West Sister. The old fort on the Mest side of the entrance into the lake, consists of no more than a few houses, a block-house of logs, with some habitations for commercial people, and one or two store-houses. A new stone fort, in the form of a quadrangle, is now constructing on rising ground behind the block-house. A company of soldiers is usually stationed here, and the men are chiefly employed in assisting to conduct the transport of stores. Two vessels in the service of the British government are used in na- viaatinrj this lake. The bottom of the lake consists of lime- stone rock of a blueish colour, with which are mingled many petrified substances, animal as well as vegetable. The lake is LAKE ERIE. 175 much exposed at its northern extremity, to galea of wind which occasion its waters to rise to a very considerable height. Vessels are at these periods in some danger of being driven ashore, their cables being often cut asunder by the sharp and flinty edges of the rocks which compose the anchorage. At ten miles and a half from the fort, in pursuing the northern coast, is found a promontory which advances into the wat ^r about three hundred and fifty yards, and ij named Pointe d Beneaut, or Abino, affording for vessels a safe anchorage in its neighbourhood. From hence to tlie gi*and river tlie distance is twenty-four miles ; a hill in the form of a sugar-loaf intervenes, and pre- sents a good land-ma rJc. The townships in this vici- nity are rapidly advancing in population and improve- ment, and several water-mills have been constructed. The Chenette, or river Waveny, is eighteen miles more to the westward, and Pointt a la Bichc; now Turkey Point, lies •about fourteen miles further along the coast. In the town- ships of Woodhouse and Charlotteville, which are situ- ated on this part of tlie lake, there is a considerable ex-- tent of coimtry thinly timbered, whose cultivation is faci- litated from the want of imderwood. It exhibits more the appearance of a royal forest in Europe than that of an American wilderness. Long Point is a peninsula wJiich extends itself into the 176 I-AKf. I.1UE. ^vator for a rli^fniue of twf'nty miles, soparatec! almost from the main land, the isthimi^ Ikmdij; littU^ mmv than t'i<»litet*n feet ill l)niultli. Iti atlvaiuinj:; towards the south-east, it forms an 'ellipse, ami 1 1 avellers in canoes, in order to Hvoid a lenj^th of cwast so eiretiitous, carry their vessels ucross tlie neek, to which, if the shoals be added, the breadth \a about forty paces. The waters at certaiti seasons flow over this neck, an•:' •:•• ' =. The lake gives a passage to tlie waters of the three im- mense lakes beyond it, receiving them through a long channel, extending from north to south, called the river Saint Claire. The river la Tranche, or Thames, disem- bogues its waters on the south-east side ; its banks are varied by natural meadows and tracts of wood-lands. The projected town of Chatham is designed to be placed on a fork of this stream, about fifteen miles from its lower ex- tremity, and is intended as a depot for building vessels. Its greatest disadvantage is a bar across its embouchure^ in lake St. Claire ; but this is of sufficient depth for vessels of a sroaller description, and for those of a larger size when lightened. A village of Moravians, under the guidance of four LA TRANCHE. 181 missionaries from the United Brethren, is placed twenty miles above the intended site of Chatham. They estab- lished themselves in that situation with a design of con- verting the Indians, and their conduct is peaceable and inoffensive ; their chief occupation is in cultivating their corn-fields, and making maple sugar. A chapel is erected in the village. Not for from hence there is a spring of petroleum. ' In proceeding upwards, the sinuosities of the river are frequent, and the summits of the banks are rather ele- vated, but not broken ; on either side are villages of the Delawars and Chippawas. Somewhat higher up, at the confluence of two forks of this river, is the site of Avhich General Simcoe made choice for a town to be named Lon- don. Its position, with relation to the lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario, is centrical, and around it is a fertile and inviting tract of territory. It communicates with lake Huron by a northern, or main branch of the same river\, and a small portage or canying-place. One of the branches of the Thames is not for distant from the Ouse, or Grand River. But the prospect of being en- abled to embrace the advantages of this inland navigation can only be contemplated at a distance. A period of many years must necessarily elapse before the population and improvements shall have attained that progressive state o£ 4 m . ■ 'I m . *; i V i t 132 LAKE HURON. prosperity, which will enable the inhabitants to bestow attention and expence on the modes of facilitating the more interior communication. • 7^ .; .. > j .^r - Along the banks of the Thames there are now several rich settlements, and new establishments are every week added to this, as well as to other parts of the neighbouring country, by the emigration of wealthy farmers from the United States, who bring with them their stock, utensils, and the money received for the sale of the lands they possessed. - / '• , ■. •.• . •• 1 Level grounds intervene to break the uniformity which would predominate on this river, were its borders all of equal height. These situations were formerly cul- tivated by native tribes. On the east side of the fork^ between the two main branches, on a regular eminence, about forty feet above the water, there is a natural plain, denuded of woods, except where small groves are inter- spersed, affording in its present state the appearance of a beautiful park, on whose formation and culture, taste and expence had been bestowed. ^ • /, , ; Lake Huron is, in point of magnitude, the second sea of fresh waters on the continent of America, and it may be added, on this terraqueous globe. Its form is trian- gular, its length is two hundred and fifty miles, and its circumference, including the coasts of the bays, is onq > ! t( I' i \i LAKE HUnON. 183 thousand one hundred miles. The islands which it con- tains are, La Cloche, Duck islands. Flat islands. Isle la Crosse, Isle Traverse, Manitoualin islands. White wood island, Michilimakinac, Nibish island. Prince William's islands, island of Saint Joseph, Sugar island. Thunder- bay islands on the south, and a multitude of isles on the north coast. The channel between lakes Saint Claire and Huron is twenty-five miles in length, and presents on either side a scene no less fertile than pleasing. It runs almost in a straight direction, lined by lofty forest-trees, interspersed with elegant and extensive meadows, and studded with islands, some of which are of considerable size. On the south side of lake Huron is the bay of Saguina, whose mouth is eighteen miles in width, whose lengtli is forty-five miles, and into whose bottom two rivers empty themselves. On that which comes from the south, the Outaouais have a village, and the soil is reputed to be fertile. Six miles above the bay, two considerable rivers present themselves. , The bay of Thunder lies to the eastward of Cabot's head, and is nine miles in width, but of small depth. It is so denominated from the frequent thunder-storms which there take place, generated by vapours issuing from the land in its vicinity. Travellers, in passing this part of the lake, almost never escape the encounter of these awful pheno- Mi 184 hkKE HURON. I i :ll mena. The storm at first appears like a small round cloud, which enlarges as it rapidly approaches, and spreads its gloom over a considerable extent. The vivid light- nings flash their forked fires in every direction, and peals of thunder roar and burst over the head, with a noitie more loud, and more tremendous in this, than in any other part of North America. Michilimakinac is a small island, situated at the north- west angle of lake Huron, towards the entrance of the channel which forms the communication witli lake Michi- gan, in latitude forty-five degrees, forty-eight muiutes, thirty-four seconds, and upwards of a thousand miles from Quebec. It is of a round form, irregularly elevated, and of a barren soil ; the fort occupies the highest ground, and consists of four wooden block-houses forming the angles, the spaces between them being filled up with cedar pickets. On the shore below the fort, there are several store-houses and dwellings. The neighbouring part of the continent, which separates lake Superior from lake Huron, derives its name from this island. In 1671, Father Mar- quette came thither with a party of Hurons, whom he prevailed on to form a settlement ; a fort was constructed, and it afterwards became an important post. It was the place of general assemblage for all the French who went to traflSc with the distant nations. It was the asylum of all savages who came to exchange their furs for merchan- n ! LAKE MUMON. 1 R'i dise. Wlien individuals belonging to tii)3es at war with each other, came thither and met on conlmercial aunty, and entreat them to continue their protec- tion to their families. They demand of them to preserve their nets and canoes from the swelling and destructive bil- lows, when the lakes are agitated by storms. All who as- sist ill tlie ceremony lengthen their voices together, which i hXK£ MICHIGAN. an is an act of gratitude. In the observance of this duty of their ehgion, they were formerly very punctual and scrupuloi.s, but the French rallied them so nmcli upon the subject, that they became ashamed to [iractise \\ openly. They are still, however, remarked to mutter s(jme- thing, which has a reference to tiie ceremony which their forefathers were accustomed to perform in honour of their insular deities. ; . Lake Michigan is two hundred and sixty miles in length, and nine hundred and forty-five in circumference. Its dis- charge is into Lake Huron, through the strait already men- tioned, and it consequently forms a part of the Saint Lawrence. Its breadth is about seventy miles ; on the right of it 5 entrance are the Beaver islands, and on the left those of the Pouteouatamis, in travelling from south to north. The eastern C(jast is full of rivers and rivulets near to one another, which have their source in the pe- ninsula that separates Lake Huron from this lake. '''Ii'- principal of these are Marquette's river, the Saint Ni- cholas, the great river whose source is near the bay- of Sa- guinaon Lake Huron, the Raisin, the Barbue, the jNIaramey, the Black river, on whose borders there is inuch j/inseiiir, and the river Saint Joseph, which is the most considenible jf the whole, and which, through its various sinuosities, may be ascended near a hundred and lifty miles. At sixty miles from its mouth, the French had a fort and mivsion, « n i? I 'P 188 LARK MirnifiAN. .r„ ,: :i 1 iifar a village of the Pouteouatamis. At nine or ten miles fioni tiie Saint Joseph are found the sources of the Thea- kiki, navigable for canoes, and which falls into the river of ttie Illinois. The western coast of the lake has been but little frtquented ; towards the north is found the en- tranct; of the bay des Puans, a name given by the French to a savage nation residing there, but it is more generally tlistinguished by the appellation of the Green bay. Upon its borders stood a French fort, and a mission called Saint Francois Xavier wa« e«tablished in this vicinity. Thelx)t- toni of the bay is ternnnated by a fall of water, beyond which there is a small lake, called Winnebago, receiving the Fox river flowing from the west. After making a portage of tMO miles, the traveller may proceed along its course to the Ouiscousin, which unites with tlie Missi- sippi. The wateiTi in Green bay have a flux and reflux, and from the quantity of swampy grounds, and of mud some- times left exposed to the sun, and causing an unpleasant vapour, it originally received the name of Puanfe. This agitation of the waters proceeds, doubtless, from the pres- sure of winds on the center of the lake. The bay is one hundred and twenty miles in depth, and its width is from iwenty-four to thirty miles at its entrance, which, by the islanrls already noticed, is separated into several channels. On the borders of the Malhominis river, whose waters LAKE MICHIGAN. 189 flow mto this bay, there is a vilhige composed of natives collected from several tribes, who tnipioy thrmsrlvts in ftshiiig and in cultivating the giound. Tliey are giatifu-d by eutcrtaining iiassengnrs, a q\iality which among .savages is iu the highest estimation ; for it is the cnstoni of the chiefs to bestow all th(7 possess, if they wish to a«!quire any pre-eminent degree of consideration. The pre- dominating propensity of these savages is hospitality to strangers, who find here, in every season, all kinds of re- freshment which these territories produce, and the prin- cipal return which is expected, is a commendation of their generosity. The Sakis, the Pouteouatamis, and Malhominis, here reside ; there are also about four cabins or families of se- dentary Nadouaicks, whose nation was exterminated by the Iroquois. The Ouenibegons, or Puans, were formerly the possessors of this bay, and of a great extent of the neigh- bouring country. The tribe was numerous, formidable, and fierce. They violated every principle of nature. No ktranger Avas suffered to enter their territorj' with impimity. The Malhominis, who dared not to complain of their ty- ranny, were tlie only people with whom they had any in- tercourse. They believed themselves invincible ; they declared war on tveiy tribe they could discover, although their arms consisted only of hatchets, ttnd of knives formed of stone. They refused to have any commerce with the • 1 I » I4I ; 1 i I IfK) LAKE MfCHiaAN.' Frencli. Tlio Outaouais sent to them einbassay rivniets and rivers, wiiuh descend from several small lakes, the most consideral)le of wiiiih is Toronto, already de- scribed under the name of Simcoe ; this, it has l)een re- marked, has a eoniniunieation with Lake Ontario, after u very short carryini^-place. Tiake Michigan is separated from Lake Superior by a tonjTjue of land, at least ninety miles in leirj;th and twenty- four in breadth. The sterility of the soil renders it inca- pable of affording sustenance to any inhabitants. It may be denominattd an island, as it is intersected by a river, connnunicating with both of these lakes. Saint Joseph is an island of about seventy-five miles in circumference, situated near the Detour, or passage for vessels, at the northern extremity of Lake Huro.i. It was made choice of in 1795 as a military post, when Michilimakinac should be no longer in possession of the British government. The fort, which is one of the handsomest of the kind in North America, is situated at the southern extremity, upon a peninsula about fifty feet above \.hc level of the water^, and connected with the island by a low isthmus of sand, about three hundred yards in breadtlu - •. A company of infantry, and some artillery soldiers, are 192 TASCADES OF ST. MARV. # there stationed. Althougl) more than a dcgn^e of laLitude t'j the. soutliward of Quebec, th<' winters we of equal du- ration and severity as at that place. Tlie soil consists of a black mould of about filteen inches in depth, upon a stratum of san(i, and is not of a very fertile nature. Tile route for canoes is betwren the JManit(Jualins it^laiidi, also the uortiierji coast of Saint Joseph, and nortJi main- land, in their voyage ujiWiirds to Lake Superior. The na- N iiifrtble clMinnd for vessels is thit>ugii the centre of the lake, and bctwveu the western extremity of the IVIanitou- alin8 islands and the south-west main-land, through a nar- row passage called the Iktvur, and between the (>mall isle la Crosse and the same and hares of an micommon size. The lofty grounds abound in bhr^^ or huckle-berries, which they collect and dry, to eat in times of scarcity ; but as these regions are in general ste* rile, many of the inhabitants perish by famine. ; ^ i They whose hunting grouinls are towards the north- west are more favoured by the productions of the soil. A species of rice, and wild oats, grow naturally in the marshes^ and supply the deficiency of maize. The forests and plains are filled with bears and cattle, and the smaller islands, lakes, and rivers, abound with beavers. These people frequented the vicinity of Lakes Superior and Nipissing, to traffic with the natives who had intercourse with the French. Their principal commerce was, how- ever, at Hudson's-bay, where they reaped a greater profit. They were pleased to receive iron and kettles in exchange for their worn peltry, of the value of which they were for some time ignorant. I CASCADES OF ST. MAHY. 197 The Nepicirenians and the Ameliouest inhabited the coasts of Lake Nipissing. A great part of them were con- nected with the tribes of the north, from whom they drew much peltry, at an inconsidei-able value. They rendered themselves masters of all the other natives in those quar- ters, until disease made great havock among them, and the Iroquois, insatiable after human blood, compelled the re- mainder of their tribe to betake themselves, some to the French settlements, others to Lake Superior, and to the; Green bay on Lake Michigan. * The nation of the Otter inhabited the rocky caverns on Lake Huron, where they were sheltered by a labyrinth of islands and of capes. They subsisted on Indian corn, on fish, and on the produce of the chace. They were simple, but courageous, and had frequent intercourse with the na- tions of the north. The Missasagues, or Estiaghics, are situated on the same lake, on a river generally called by the latter name. They, as well as the Saulteurs of Saint Mary, spread Uiemselves along the borders of Lake Huron, where they procure the bark of trees to form canoes, and to construct their huts. The waters are so transparent, that fish can be seen at the depth of thirty feet. Whilst the women and children are collecting berries, the men are occupied in darting sturgeon. When their grain is almost ripe, they return hoLie. On the approach of win- ter they resume their stations near the lake, for the pur- fl 198 CASCADES OF ST. MARY. I' . if, pose of the chace, and forsake it in the spring, to plant their Indian corn, and to fish at the falls. Such are the occupations of these people, who, if thejr were acquainted with economy, might live in abundance, which but a small portion of labour is here required to secure. But they are so habituated to gluttony and waste, that they take no thought for their subsistence on the following day. There are thus several who perish from hunger. They seldom reserve any provisions, and if a part happen to be left, it is from their being incapable of consuming the whole. When a stranger arrives among them, they will offer him their last moi-sel of food, to impress him with a persuasion that they are not in in- digence. The forefathers of these natives were brave, but they have been so long in the enjoyment of indolence and tranquillity, that they have degenerated in valour, and make war only on the beasts of the forest, and the inha- bitants of the M'aters. • The Hurons, more prudent, look forward to the future, and support their families. As they are in general sober, it. is seldom tliey are subject to distress. The tribe i6 artful, political, proud, and of greater extent of capacity than most of the other natives. They are liberal, grave, decent in discourse, in which they express themselves with accuracy, insinuating, and not subject to be duped in their dealings. I I > " CASCADES OV ST. MARY. 199 The Otitaouais have endeavoured to assume the man- ners and maxims of this people. They were formerly ex- tremely rude, but, by imtercourse with the Ilnrons, they have become more intelligent. They imitated their va- lour, and made tbeoaselves formidable to all the nations with whom they were at enmity, and respected by those with whom they were in alliance. The factory of the company of merchants of INfontreal is situated at the foot of the cascades of Saint IVIary, on the north side, and consists of store-houses, a saw-mill, and a bateaux-yard. The saw-mill supplies with plunk, boards, and spars, all the posts on Lake Superior, and particularly Pine point, which is nine miles from thence, has a dock-yard for constructing vessels, and is the resi- dence of a regular master-builder, with several artificers. At the factory there is a good canal, with a lock at its lower entrance, and a causeway for dragging up the ba* teaux and canoes. The vessels of Lake Superior approach close to the head of the canal, where there is a wharf; those of Lake Huron to the lower end of the cascades. These rapids are much shorter on the north than on the south side, a circumstance occasioned by the interposition of small islands. The company has lately caused a good road to be made, along which their merchandise is trans- ported on wheeled carriages from the lower part of the cascades te the depots. The houses are here constructed 4 fi'" • ii 1200 LAKE SUPERIon. of squared timber clap-boarded, and have a neat ap- pearance. On the north side of the rapids, about six famiUes, consisting of Americans and domiciliated Indians, are established. The taxes imposed by the government of the United States upon all kinds of merchandise, are unfavour- able to the commerce of its subjects with the Indians in these regions. Lake Superior, to which was formerly given the name of Tracey, and likewise that of Cond6, composes a col- lection of fresh waters of the first magnitude in the known world. Although several posts in its vicinity were long occupied by French traders, and by missionaries, yet only a small portion of geographical information was obtained through their means. The length of this lake is four hun- dred miles, and its circumference one thousand five hun- dred and twenty miles. It is subjected to frequent storms, and a swell, similar to that of the tide of the ocean, rolls in upon its coasts. The navigation is here dangerous M'hen the wind blows with strength, and travellers, for this reason, keep near to the north shore, which, being bordered throughout by barren rocks of considerable ele- vation, nature has provided at no great distances from each other, a variety of small harbours, and places of safe retreat. Pine point and Point au Foin form the entrance into U i LAKE SUPERIOR. 201 the lake. White-fish point is on the south shore, oppo- site to which, on the north coast, and at the distance of fifteen miles across, there is a mine of copper, fonnerly worked by the French. That metal is here found in na- tive purity, uncontaminated by mixture with any extra- neous substances. The cape, about nine miles from hence, is in latitude forty-six degrees, thirty-two minutes, fifty-eight seconds, and in longitude eighty-four degrees, nineteen minutes, fifty-seven seconds. The traveller, on passing White-fish point, is agreeably astonished by the developement of a vast and unbounded expanse of crystalline waters. A great evaporation must here necessarily take place, and in sum- mer this is dissolved in the dry and warm atmosphere ; except during the prevalence of an easterly wind, which by the coolness and humidity it cames with it,, condenses the vapour into fogs, and collects it into torrents of rain. The waters of this lake appear to be subject, at particular periods, to a great increase, succeeded by a gradual dimi- nution ; and along the rocks of the eastern coast lines are observable, which indicate the rise and fall. The greatest distance between these horizontal marks impressed by the waters, is not more than five or six feet. The greater or less quantities of snows, which in winter cover to a con- siderable depth immeasurable regions, and which on their dissolution flow into this pellucid ocean, may probably be D D 202 LAKE SUPERIOR. productive of this phenomenon. The soil in the vicinity of the eastern shore is rocky and shallow, yielding only stunted trees, brambles, strawberries, rasplierries, and other fruits of humble growth, the feeble tribute of steri- lity. The bears find in them a grateful food, and are at- tracted thither. ]\Ioose and fallow deer also range along tliese coasts. ' ' * The islands in this lake are isle aux Erab/es, isle of IVfi- chipicoton, Carribou island, isles ance a Bouteille, Peek island, Mi/Its isles, isle Roi/ale, isles of the twelve Apostles, and JNIontreal island on the south-west coast. The most re- markable bays are Michipicoton bay, Black bay, Thunder bay, Fond du Lac or West bay, Ance de Chagoumegon, whose point is in latitude forty-seven degrees, two minutes, twenty seconds, and longitude ninety-one degrees, four minutes ; Quieounan bay, formed by a large peninsula, situated on the south, and bay des isles au pais plat. '. The river Michipicoton communicates with the ter- ritory of the Hudson's bay company, and the society of merchants at JNIontreal, who trade to the north-west re- gions, have considerable posts established on it. A fort, consisting of a stockaded square, with a dwelling-house and two small store-houses, are erected at the mouth of the larger Peek, there being two rivers of that name, which foil into the lake on the northern coast. The rapids on this river are numerous, but the carrying-places are in general short. 1 LAKE SUPERIOR. 20.J Beyond Otter Head, in latitude forty-eight, four, six ; longitude, eighty-live, fifty-two, twenty-nine ; at the bot- tom of a bay formed by that point, a waterfall of se- venty feet in height, presents itself, and contributes b) its sound, splendour, and movements, to enliven the stil- ness and solitude which prevail in these distant and deso- late regions. The river Nepigon, or Lemipisake, flows into the wide and extensive bay of the isles au pais plat, and has a near communication with Hudson's bay. It has several posts established on its borders ; it forms the discharge of Lake Alimipigon, and at its north-east source travellers may arrive, by means of a portage, at the Perray, which runs into Hudson's bay. The commerce of the Hudson's bay company posses- sing many advantages over that which is conducted from Canada \)y means of the lakes, might be rendered much more productive than it is at present. The articles which are exchanged with the natives for their furs, can be af- forded at a much cheaper rate through the route by the bay, than by the tedious, difficult, and circuitous way of the rivers and lakes of Canada, and the Indians, for this reason^ give a preference to the commerce of the former. A place named the Grande Portage is situated on a river at the western side of the lake, in a bay which forms a D D 2 . I :[ !|' 4 S04 LAKB IVPIRIOS. crescent, and whose borders are cleared and enclosed. It is now in possession of the government of the United States, and was until lately a place of great resort for the trading companies of Montreal, as the principal dep6t for these regions, was here established. The defence, placed under a hill of upwards of four hundred feet in elevation, surmounted by a congeries of others, consists of a large picketed fort, with three gates, over which are two guard- houses. The ranges of buildings for stores and dwelling- houses, which were occupied tor the accommodation of the different persons engaged iji the north-west trade, are very extensive. The canoe-yard, for constructing canoesi used for penetrating into the interior parts of the country, is upon a great scale, seventy canoes per annum having been contracted for. The number o£ persons encamped in tents and in huts, on the outside of the fort, was, at certain periods, very great, and tended to excite surprise that so considerable an assemblage of men, under no mi- litary restraint, should be retained in obedience, and in a state of tolerable regularity, so far beyond the limits of all civil jurisdiction. The fur trade was for some time conducted by two rival associations, who are now united. The establishment of the new company was about a quar- ter of a mile from that of the old, and consisted of a fort, picketed, and of buildings on the same plan as those of the latter, but upon a more circumscribed scale. y LAKE lUFfimOII. 205 Fort Charlotte is placed upon the river la Tourttt which has a communication with the interior country ; it consists of a stockaded quadrangle, with buildings and stores within it. The first carrying-place, in ascending that com- munication, is called the Perdrixt about three hundred and eighty yards in length ; at the uppermost extremity, an elegant and romantic waterfall appears, throwing, like a moving white curtain, from the summit of a cliff of sixty feet in perpendicular altitude, revolving groups of resplen- dent foam. The river Kamanastigua, which discharges its waters into Thunder bay, is abont two hundred yards in width, and from ten to twelve feet in depth in the southern branch, tliere being three channels. The shore for about half a mile from the lake is low and swampy, after which it rises, and presents a soil of the richest quality. The first branch is found three miles up the river. The middle branch is about half a mile in length, and very narrow, the third i» the largest, and about half a mile from the lake. Upon this branch the company of merchants of Montreal have established their new posts. A square of five hundred and twenty feet is inclosed with lofty pickets, within which are structures uniformly arranged, fitted for every purpose and accommodation. Half a mile above this post there is the site of an old fort, which, during the French government, was the prin- '2{)G LAKE SUPERIOR. fipal ccMiuneioial dt-pot in this remote region. The first lapitl is six niiles up the liver, the lirst carrying-place is twenty miles, liie mouth of this river is sheltered by a rocky islamJ, and the entrance is perfectly secure. The bar has seven I'eet of water over it, and ten or twelve feet both within and without, and the bay itself is protected by islands. Lake Superior receives into its bosom near forty rivers, some of which are of considerable magnitude. It is well stored with a variety of rish, the largest and best of which are the trout, the white lish, and the sturgeon, of a quality superior to that caught in the lower parts of the Saint Lawrence. The waters are more pure and pellucid than those of any other lake upon this globe, and the fish, as well as the rocks, can be distinctly seen at a depth incre- dible to persons who have never visited those regions. The density of the medium on which the vessel moves appears scarcely to exceed that of the atmosphere, and the traveller becomes impressed with awe at the novelty of his situation. The southern coast is in many places flat, and the soil is of a sandy and barren nature. Althouglt the course of the Saint La.wrence is usually computed at no more than about two thousand Ave hun- dred miles, yet the distance of country through which a river flows is by no means a just criterion of its grandeur; and the rivers Amazon and la Plata, from the greater LAKE SUPERIOR. 207 length of their courses, have been allowed, in the order of magnitude, to usurp a preference to the former, which, notwithstanding, is the most navigable upon earth. Ships of considerable size, which every year arrive from Great Britain, ascend with ease this river as far as Montreal, a distance of five hundred miles from the sea. In advancing higher up its course, instead of diminishing, like almost all other rivers, in width as well as depth, the traveller is impressed with astonishment at its majesty ; and, in many places, its apparently unbounded extension. At the dis- tance of two thousand miles from its mouth, vessels of the first class might be constructed and navigated, a pro- perty hitherto undiscovered in any other flood of fresh waters, and which, therefore, has a claim to precedence, as the largest and most stupendous in this world. SOS CANADA. .1 CHAPTER IX. COMMERCB OF CANADA) — FUB TRADE— PAPER MONEV — SEIGNEURIEf •—RIGHTS OP TUEIR PROPRIETORS— MODERATE APPOINTMENTS OF COLONIAL OFFICERS— MAL-ADMINISTRATION OF FINANCE DURINO THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT — STATE OF CANADA AT ITS CONQUEST — raOGRESaiVE improvement— revenue — yearly EflUIPMENT AND TRANSPOI'T IN THE FUR TRADE—- VOYAOEURS — HARDINESS AND MODE OF LIFE — DIFFICULTIES OF NAVIGATION ON THE OUTA- OUAIS RIVEK— ROMANTIC WATERFALLS —PORTAGES. THE original source of all the misfortunes, and of all the obstacles to the advancement and prosperity of the provinces, which were formerly distinguished by the ap- pellation of New France, was the report, that at a very early period spread itself over the parent kingdom, that no mines were to be found in that part of North America. Little attention was therefore bestowed on the advantages which might have been derived from the colony, by en- couraging and augmenting its commerce. Population made but a slow progress, and the inducement presented to the inhabitants of France to remove thither was not very alluring. The sole objects for commercial enterprise, which C?nada and Acadia at that time afforded, were the fisheries and the fur trade. Had it been the fortune of CANADA 20{) these countries to liavo attracted in a <»reaicr dejiroc the attention of thi. court to their intrinsic vahie and import- ance, the settlements would have advanced with Greater rapidity, and reciprocal advantaapp0(l.s afforded, and he- canie acquainted with their value, only from the avidity with which the furs were sjiatchcd from their hands. Fn exchange; for articles o( no value Mhatcver, prodigious ()uantities were ac{]uired from them. When they liad even hecome more ac(iuajnted uith tlie importance of this spe- cies of commerce, and more attentive to their own inter- ests, it was still for a long time easy to satisfy them at a small expence. With some degree of prudence, therelbre, it wouM not have been diDicnIt to have continued tlii-? traflic upon an advantageous footing. Coiisidernblc for- tujies were made with rajiidity ; hut they were almost as quickly dissipaterl as they had lieen acquin ; and although they committed not, at Uast so open'y, the disordi^rs vhich had brought such discredit on this oceu|nition, vet they failed r»ot to eontixict a liabit of liUrtmism. of uhieh they could nevtM* wholly divest themselvts. Tluy there lost all relish for iiuhistry, they exhausttd their strength, they btT/ame impatient of all restrain^ nv i when no- longer able to undergo the fatiguf ' u; :ii was retarded. r • ■< ■ It M'us repeatedly j)ro[>oscd to abolish these licener«i, so prejudicial to the a(l\ancenient of improvement, in such a manner as thaf the ccMMmcni' iniij[ht not sutler, aud with a view of renibly pc(»{)l(Ml, and that tlie sava«:es, attracted by tin; a.»i.staMC( anil kmdness which they would expcriemv from the rreuch, would perhaps abandon tlu'ir erratic mode of life, woidd then by be c\po>)eil to less misery, wouhl nnil- tiply iustiad ofdiminisli in nund)cr.s, and would form such an attacluneui to tlu se Europeans, as perhaps wouhl in- duce them to become ti How-subjects. Tlh' several settlementi of Loreltc, of the saiilt Saint liOui>, and others of the Al£;onquins and of the domici- liated Abina(juis, exhibited examples of the [)robable suc- cess of that undertaking. It was, howiver, never put m execution, and the natives have rapidly de( reused in num- bers. An extended chain of settlements, at <'onveuifnt distances from each ollur, mi;^hl have been made, and the colonies of (^t^ilda and Louisiiina beirui thus con- CANADA 21.') nectod, would Imve htcu cnaUItd to have aftordcd to auli other mutual assistance. By imiiiis like thc»c, the Enii- lish, in leRs tlian a century and a half, peopled more than fitVen hundred mik's of territory, and thus created a power on this continent not less formidable than dreaded by the French. -^ Canada has for many years carried on with the islands in the i^ulph of Mexico, a eoinmerc-e in flour, planks, and other wood adapted for huildings. As there is !iot, per- haps, another country in the Aorld which produces a jjjreater variety of woods, sofue of which are exc«'llent in tht'ir Unul, considerable a }K.'rniitt<'d to circulate there a small coin, whoso number was not to exceed the value of a liundnd thou- sumi francs, and wliose us.- in any other country was proliibited. But. dirticnlties arising from the want of $p«cie, the cr)uncil publl^hrd a decree, by which it was ordametl, that lhi5 com. and all other money which ^vas m circulation in F'raiue, should not only be used in the ihUind.v, but also in the provimes on the ronlment, on , } m :! I I ' ,' *■ . 216 C A N A I) A . augiiUMitin*^ the viiluf one-touith. The decree eiijoineil, that all notes of hiuul, aeeoiints, purchasos, and payinents, should be made by every person uitliout exception, at the rate of exchange thus settled. It liad likewise a re- trospcelive operation, and stated, that all stipulations ft>r eontraets, notes, debts, rents, an 218 CANADA. year, by which means they became so multiplied, that their value was annihilated, and no person would receive them in payment. Commerce, by this injudicious system of finance, was entirely deranged ; and the inconvenience rose to such a height, that in 1713 the inhabitants pro- posed to lose one- half, provided the government would pay them the other in money. This propasal was in the following year agreed to, but the orders given in conse- quence were not carried into compleat execution until four years afterwards. A declaration- abolisliing the paper money was then published, and the expences of the colony were again paid in cash. The augmentation of one-fourth was at tlie same time abolished, experience having sug- gested, that the increase of value in money in a colony is not an effectual n ;eans of retaining it there ; and that it cannot remain long in circulation, unless the articles im^ ported from the parent state be repaid in produce. The commerce of the colony was, in 1706, carried on with a fund of six hundred and fifty thousand livxes,* which for several years afterwards did not much augment. This sum distributed among thirty thousand inhabitants* could not place them in affluent circumstances, nor afford them the means of purchasing the merchandise of France. The greatest part of them were, therefore, almost in a * 26,000/. sterling.. '• I . i .' '■< CANADA. 219 state of nature ; particularly they whose residence was in the remote settlements. Even the surplus of their produce and stock they were unable to sell to the inhabitants of the towns, because, in order to subsist, the latter were necessitated to cultivate farms of their own. When the King withdrew Canada from the hands of the company of the Indies, he for some time expended on that province much larger portions of money than he did at any future period, and the colony then remitted in beaver skins,, to the value of a million of livres, a greater quantity than was afterwards exported. But articles were every year imported from France, amounting to a much greater value than could be paid, and the inhabitants acted like inconsiderate individuals, whose expences far exceed their income. Thus fell the credit of the colony ; and, in falling, it occasioned the ruin of commerce, which, in 1706, con- sisted only of furs of an inferior quality. The merchants were, notwithstanding, emulous of purchasing them ; this circumstance tended to accelerate their overthrow, because they frequently paid to the savages a higher price than these articles were sold for in France. When the French began their settlements in Canada, the country exhibited one vast and unbounded forest, and property was granted in extensive lots, called Seigneurics, stretching along either coast of the Saint Lawrence, for a F F 2 '.I '" > L r i: ■■^'i v. t ■I i. *'^"^ ' 1 ■ '< ;:ti V .. * I,-. ,.uj. : *' vi 1 .■:■ ' , li .f .' !iH '^ i ' •f' 'i ) (, i I 220 CANADA. distance of ninety miles below Quebec, and thirty mile* above Montreal, comprehending a space of three hundred miles in lena;th. The seigneuries each contain from one hundred to five hundred square miles, and are parcelled out into small tracts, on a freehold lease to the inhabitants, as the per- sons to whom they were granted had not the means of cultivating them. These consisted of officers of the army, of gentlemen, and of communities, who were not in a state to employ labourers and workmen. The portion to each inhabitant was of three acres in breadth, and from se\'enty to eighty in depth, commencing on the banks of the river, and running back into the woods, thus forming an entire and regular lot of land. To the proprietors of seigneuries some powers, as well as considerable profits, are attac4ied. They are by tlieir grants authorized to hold courts, and sit as judges in what is termed haute and basse justice, which includes all crimes committed within their jurisdiction, treasons and murder excepted. Few, however, exercised this privilege except the ecclesiastical seigneurs of Montreal, whose right of jurisdiction the king of France purchased fromt them,, giving them in return his droit de change. Some of these seigneurs have a right of villain service fi^om their tenants. At every transfer, or mutation of proprietor, the new f)urchaser is bound to pay a sum equal to a fifth part of 4 If \ '. ,' CANADA. 221 the purchase-money to the seigneur, or to the king ; but if this fine be paid immediately, only one-third of the fifth is demanded. Tliis constituted a principal part of the king's revenues in the province. When an estate falls by inheritance to a new possessor, he is by law exempted from the fine. The income of a seigneur is derived from the yearly rent of his lands, from lots et vents, or a fine on the disposal of property held under him, and from grist-mills, to "whose profits he has an exclusive right. The rent paid by each tenant is inconsiderable ; but they who have many inhabitants on their estates enjoy a tolerably handsome revenue, each person paying in money, grain, or other produce, from five to twelve livres per annum. In the event of a sale of any of the lots of his seigneurie, a pro- prietor may claim a preference of re-purchasing it, which is seldom exercised, but with a view to prevent frauds in the disposal of the property. He may also, whenever he finds it necessary, cut down timber for the purpose of building miWsy and making roads ; tythcs of i^l the fisheries on his domain likewise belong to him. . Possessed of these advantages, seigneurs might in time attain to a state of compamtive aMuence, were their estates allowed to remain entire. But, by the practice of divisions among the different children of a family, they become, in a few generations, reduced. The most ample share, which ' ','/ '.I • ( t . I I t ' I u^ f!ni « 1 v; • . i" . • ' I. • 'i \ i M 'I 'i ■;'' i. •* i-' 222 CANADA. ( retains the name of seigneurie, is the portion of the eldest son ; the other partitions arc denominated /cqfs. These are, in the next generation, again subdivided, and thus, in tlie course of a few descents, a seigneur is possessed of little more than his title. Tiiis is the condition of most of tiiose estates that have passed to the third or fourth generation. The inhabitants in like manner make divisions of their fcmall tracts of land, and a house will sometimes belong to fccveral proprietors. It is from these causes that they are in a great measure retained in a state of poverty, that a barrier to industry and emulation is interposed, and that a spirit of litigation is excited. There are in Canada upwards of an hundred seigneu- ries, of which that at Montreal, belonging to the seminary of Saint Sulpicius, is the richest and most productive. The next in value and profit is the territory of the Jesuits. The members of that society who resided at Quebec were, like the priests of Montreal, only agents for the head of their community. But since the expulsion of their or- der from France, and the seizure, by the catholic sove- reigns of Europe, of all the lands of that society within their dominions, the Jesuits in Canada held their seigneurie in their own right. Some of the domiciliated savages hold, also, in the pro- vince, lands in the right of seigneyrs:. CANADA. 223 Upon a representation of the narrow circumstances to which many of the noblesse and gentlemen of the colony were reduced, not only by the causes already assigned, but by others equally powerful, Louis the Fourteenth was in- duced to pennit persons of that description to carry on commerce by sea or land, without being subjected to any enquiry on this account, or to an imputation of their having derogated from their rank in society. To no seigneurie is the right of patronage to the church attached ; it was upon the advancement of the pretensions of some seigneurs, founded on their having built paro^ cliizd churches, that the king, in 1685, pronounced in council, that this right should belong to the bishop, he being the most capable of judging concerning the qualifi- cations of persons who were to serve, and the incomes of the curacies also- being paidfromthe tythes, which belonged to him alone. The right of patronage was, at the same time, declared not to be reputed an honour. The salaries allotted to the officers of the civil depart- ments in the French, colonial governments were extremely moderate, and inadequate to support their respective situ-^ ations. In 1758, that of the Marquis de Vaudreuilj go- vernor and lieutenant-general of Canada, amounted to no more than 272/. \s. Sd. sterling, out of which he was to cloath, maintain, and pay, a guard for himself, consisting «f two Serjeants and twenty-five soldiers, furnishing them \ ■'■! * 1 v i ' ■ ■■ J ! , r r ■» .J,l, < '■! t 1 . ;l l1 ; ii' II' (I ! : ■■.■ ■• -! '•«■ ■u ,^'-- ii •;. ■■iv- *^ "■■■r; '>:i*% I • ; ' J- ! xMi r.. I::! ii > ■if ' • >■■ M;:fi:i n; ? ;5, ,!*' ■; I 11 . ( ' f^ J, •I >■ t^ 3' I- 224 CANADA. with firing in winter, and with other necessary articles. Tlie pay of the whole officers of justice and police was 514/. lis. sterling, and the total sum appropriated for the pay of the established officers, composing the various branches of the civil power, exceeded not 3809/. 8s. sterling. At the period when this arrangement of pay was settled, these sums might, perhaps, have been considered as suffi- ciently ample. To increase the salaries of the various officers of a government, when an augmentation of the value of the articles of life, disproportionate to their means, shall render it expedient, is a measure of ministerial policy, upon the vhole not unprofitable to a state. A partial adherence to ancient regulations, with a view of concealing the public expenditure, is a system of economy founded in error. This has in many instances, but particularly with regard to the country of which we are speaking, been productive of a torrent of genei-al peculation, whose de-^ structive course drew along with it embarrassments, which it required the strongest efforts of political wisdom to re- medy and to overcome. The paper money in Canada amounted^ in 1754, to so large a sum, that the government was compelled to remit to a future period the payment of it. The quantity every day acquired an increased accumulation, and this money fell at length into total disrepute. Merchandise rose in I] : I - f i, ; Canada. 00 \ proportion as the medium of exchange became decried. Tlie officers of government and the troops were the principal consumers, and the evil of scarcity, and the dis- credit of the paper money, were chiefly derived from that cause. In 17a9 the minister was obliged wholly to sus- pend payment of tJic bills of exchange, whose amount was enormous. Considerable sums were, at the conclu- sion of the war, due by the government of France to the Canadians, and Great Britain, whose subjects they were become, obtained for them an indemnity of M2,()00l. in bonds, and of 24,0001. sterling in money. They there- fore received in payment at the rate of fifty-five per cent, upon their bills of exchange, and thirty-four per cent, on account of their ordonnances or paper money. The derangement and default which we have stated, arose likewise in a great degree, from the mal-administ ration of fmance, and from a total dereliction of principle in tiiosc to whom that department was committed. From the foregoing facts it may easily be conceived, that when the English took possession ot Canada, they found its inhabitants to have made but little progress in commerce or in agriculture. The long continuance of warfare might have tended to depress the former, but the latter had never attained to any stage of improve- ment. One article of commerce the Canadians had, by their G G 1 .i ■ . '■■'. ; • A. ■' ' i I » , • ' ' '. ' .: . , • l; 1 .• mi .- ■; 5 '- 5 I ^^AW m «M1>■^iafcJ^r■^■l^<^«rf^i th>6 CANADA. r. • . ; ,fi '• f !•. I i own iinpnuIciu'O, rciukied alto^rtlier iinprotU;\bl(r. diii- seng was first di^covcrtd in the woods of Canada in 17i^. It was from that country exported to Canton, wlu re its quality was pron()um.<'d to l)c < (jual to that of tlie ijjin.seng procured in Corca or in Tartary, atul a pound of this plant, wliii.h bclorc sohi in Quebec for twentypcnco, be- came, when its vahu; was onc(,' ascertained, worth one povuid and tenpencc sterhng. The export of this article alone is said (o have amounted, in 17-»2, to twenty thou- sand pounds sterling. But the Canadians, eager suddenly to enrich themselves, leaped this plant in JM;iy, when it should not have been gathered until September, and dried it in ovens, when its moisture should have been gradually evaporated ia the shade. This fatal mistake arising from cupidity, and in some measure from ignorance, ruined the sale of their ginseng, among the only people upon earth who are partial to its use, and at an early period cut off from the colony a new branch of trade, which, under proper regulations, might have been essentially pro- ductive. The imports of Canada, during seven years of its most flourishing trade, previous to tJie conquest of the country, amounted annually to about 16(),(XX)/., and sometimes to 240,000/. sterling. I'he exports seldom exceeded 80,000/^. sterling, and frequently less than that sum. This deficif cncy was in a Gonsidcral)Ie degree supplied every year by It / ^ CANADA. 227 tho French government, Avliioh expended larj^c sums it» building ships, and on the tortitieiitions, to Avhich was added the payment of tlie troops, Ijesiiies other dishnrse- Kunts. These, it lias already betni noticed, wre settled by bills drawn on the treasury in France, and, vliilst th(7 were punctually paid, sullfieiently supplied tlie balance. The traders who f^migrated thither from Great Britai-n found, for the fu'st two or three years after the reduction of the country, a considerable advantage in the great cjuantities of furs then in the colony, in bills drawn by those inhabitants w ho were determined to remain under the Britisli government, and who had money in France, in bills drawn on the paymaster-general of the forces, in London, for the subsistence of five or six regiments, and in what were termed Canada bills. But these resources became in a a great degree exhausted, and commerce fell into a state of progressive languishment and decline. Tiie inhabitants for upwards of a century had been ac- customed to manufacture in their own families, druggets, coarse linens, stockings, and worsted caps knitted with wires. For the men, and for themselves to wear dur- ing the summer months, the women fabricated hats and bonnets of straAv. Few European articles were at that time required by this people, who observed in their modes of living the most rigid frugality. The wool produced from the breed of sheep is, from the coldness of the cli- G G 2 ; ''s ' I X t I j . * .. ' • ■ ! I , » 'it.. . ' ■ 'I'f ; 'I'r ; '1' •' I ' 3 t28 CANADA. P I ' : t ;. I i I,' ; t I I: " I- I ina':e, of a nature too coarse to enter into the composition of fine cloths. The Hnt, tobacco, and hemp, raised by the inhabitants, are principally designed for the use of their families. Until the arrival in the colony of some farmers from Great Britain, they were but little acquainted with the science of agriculture. No sooner were the fields become exhausted, than the inhabitants betook themselves to clear, and to cultivate new lands ; they were ignorant of the application of manure, and of the amelioration which its introduction can effect, in the productive quality of soils. Their natural aversion to industiy, their pro- pensity to ease, and their disposition to vanity, induced a great part of the colonists to raise a larger proportion of horses than of cattle ; the labour of the latter being found in tillage equally useful with that of the former, the sources of provision were thus unnecessarily stinted. The quantity of produce exported in 1769 amounted in value to 163,1051. sterling, and was shipped in seventy vessels belonging to Great Britain and to her subjects in the different colonies in North America. Rum, coffee, brown sugar, and melasses, were brought thither from the West Indies ; Spain, Italy, and Portugal, supplied brandy, wines, oils, and salt, in return for grain. Cloths, linens, muslins, silks, household furniture, teas, refined sugars,, tools, glass, utensils, colours, hard and crockery-ware^ weie supplied by England. i *■ .. i- CANADA. 229 Not more than twelve small vessels were at this period engaged in the fisheries on the river Saint Lawrence, and abou six were sent to the West Indies. The construc- tion of vessels was for a long time laid aside. This might, in some degree, be attributed to the scarcity of artificers, and to the high wages which were consequently demanded. In the course of two or three years after the period we have now mentioned, the debts due to the colony were paid, and paper money entirely disappeared. The com- merce of Canada remained long in a state of fluctuation, caused by the increase or decrease of demand in European countries, for the productions which it supplied. It seems, however, in a course of ten years, to have considerably augmented, and the number of vessels employed in 1775 was ninety- seven, containing ten thousand eight hundred and forty-one tons. At the end of ten years more, the trade appears not to have been so extensive, fifty-seven ships only having been then entered at the port of Quebec. But the lapse of another period of ten years had contri- buted, in a great degree, to enlarge it ; and in 1793 not less than a hundred and twenty-eight vessels, amounting to nineteen thousand, nine hundred and fifty-three tons, navigated by one thousand and sixty-seven men, arrived in the Saint Lawrence. This increase may be attributed to the scarcity of grain which at that period prevailed in Great Britain, and in most of the other countries of Eur- ' 'S > » ■ t < ' . .' r 'I I. ■ ' '' ■ ; I ..: V t. ■':• ■iJe.lf? I'. ■ ♦• m I i1^;*'* r" '■■.. M'.":!!, ■' r. :''n,; ■ '': • r." -1. . „ rA- . 1 ' i 1 !■ ' ' tr- '-■ 1' , 'r' /*: '■ ■It. '>■> ■ ,.''^ ' ''IVf i ■ .. .' "?:. ^^■■^^ 4 ,'; 1 .•! k :' ■ ■ ■■ ii,i 1? ' > : J, ■ »;. 1. 1' •1; . i , ° ■> ii ;i ■ r' !?1 *■! 1 ■ f;. . ;- :M ■ . .[ ■ 'If 1i ■ i -H ■ \ V ^ - 1 1 ^ ■■^ ■! • ■ : t r ■ !■'-. ■; 1 h lj f i 'i -J i <1 ■ ■ ^ 'M' i; ■' if : i'l- ; IS ', i • ■ 1 :'i ' ' , ' 230 CANADA. rope. Three hundred and ninety-five thousand busliels of wheat, eighteen thousand barrels of flour, and twenty tliousand cwts, of biscuit were that year exported from Canada. " The advanced prices which were then given for wheat and other grain tended to enrich the inhabitants, and had an influence in augmenting tlie value of all the articles of life. IVIany of the Canadians, even at a distance from the capital, began, from that period, to lay aside their ancient costume, and to acquire a relish for the maniifactures of Europe. Tiiis revolution in dress has not a little contri- buted to the encouragement of commerce. The construction of vessels at Quebec had begun, in the course of the foregoing year, to be carried on with spirit and success, by a company of London merchants, who sent to Canada an agent for conducting that branch. Several builders have since established themselves there, and from the demand which, in consequence of the war, has prevailed for vessels, they have reaped considerable profits. ' A large exportation of grain took place in 1799, and the three following years. The quantity in 1802 was one million and ten thousand bushels of wheat, thirty-eight thousand barrels of flour, and thirty-two thousand cwts. of biscuit. The number of vessels engaged in the export of these, and other productions of the colony, was two !:(,> h CANADA. 231 Inindred and eleven ; the quantity of tonnage was near tlnrty-six thousand, and the nunibiu' of sailors was one thousand eiglit hundred and fifty. The exports from Canatla consist of wheat and other grain, (lax-seed, beef and pork, butter and lard, soap and candles, grease and tailovv, balsam, ale, porter, essence of spruce, sahnon dry and pickled, fish-oil, timber, plank, boards, hemp, horses, cattle, sheep, pot and pearls ashes, utensils of cast iron, furs of various descriptions, castoreum and ginsen«;. These articles amounted in value, in the year mentioned above, to five hundred and sixty- three thousand four hundred pounds sterling. The imports were, wine of various kinds, rum, sugar, melasses, coffee, tobacco, salt, coals, and different articles of the manufacture of Great Britain. The colonial revenues in that year amounted to thirty- one thousand t\vo hundred pounds, and were derived from imposts, duties, lots et vents, and rents of property belong- ing to the king. The expenditures Avere forty-three thou- sand two hundred pounds. The forges of Three Rivers and Battiscan not only sup- ply the colony with utensils and stoves of cast iron, but likewise afford a quantity of those articles for exportation. At the former of these manufactories, hammered iron of the best (Quality is made. The fur trade had, for a long period after the settlement ■ ^f if ■„ * ■ ■ JV ■ t; . 0'm ■■ ■ -1 -h:-; '' , I ■i I , -f J 'i ' ^ » >. ' t .\ »'• Mr *4 ^ i ? I i ^ 4 f I ' ^^'4lr .: il V'^ ' ' '■■"*•. ' '!( !V !.:■ it' ' -V it ■ f T ! ">■ ■: n-ii B ■ ! -i i'.! J .-e: I ■'•• ; 'I: -1 ' i. ■■'■\.. 232 CANADA. of the English in Canada, been conducted by a variety of individuals, and the interruption which it experienced, during the war between Great Britain and lier colonies, cut off for a time the profits which formerly flowed into the province from that source. At length, about the year 1784, a gentleman * of INIont- real, whose mind was active and enterprising, formed an association of several merchants of that place, for the pur- pose of pushing this branch of commerce to a greater ex- tension than it had ever before acquired. The associates stiled themselves the Company of the North-west, as it is from that quarter that the objects of their pursuit are prin- cipally derived, and for which the vast and immeasurable tracts of territory, yet unexplored by Europeans, seemed to present a productive and inexhaustible field. Several individuals, actuated by a spirit of adventure and disco- very, as well as by the hoj^ of profit, traversed an immense tract of wilds, to the westward and towards tiie north. One gentleman, t upwards of twelve years ago, particularly distinguished himself as the first who ever travelled across the continent of America, in these high latitudes, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean ; an undertaking whose ac- complishment demanded the greatest stretch of resolu- tion, prudence, firmness, and exertion. More than one * Mr. Mactavisli. f Sir Alexander Mackenzie. CANADA. 233 attempt lias since been made to perform t lie same journey, but without success. Although, previous to the year 1790, immense quanti- ties of furs were every year exported from Canada, yet the profits were not at that time by any means equal to those afterwards arising from this branch of commerce. A great proportion of peltry, particularly that of beaver, enters into the composition of some manufactures ; but the price of furs is in a great measure influenced by fashion. By this standard, which constitutes the in- crease or decrease of demand, the market is principally regulated. The consumption of peltry for dress has, fortunately for the fur merchants, prevailed for many years past, and several have from this cause acquired independ- ent fortunes. The company trading to the north-west sends every year, to the posts on Lake Superior, about fifty canoes loaded with merchandise. These are dispatched about the begin- ning of May, from La Chine, a distance of nine miles above Montreal. The canoes are formed of tlie bark of the birch-tree, and closely lined with thin ribs made of a toui^h wood. The seams are sewed with radical libies, called watape, and they are afterwards carefully covered over with gum to exclude the water. The bottom of the vessel is nearly flat, the sides are rounded, and either end terminates in a sharp edge. The price of one of these is H H • i- 1^^ ::;;,-i ': '\i 1 h '*! • V i 'M 1 f.- -. '■^ ■ U ill ^1 IM •1^ f" fi i ; ' I't T p I, ( < i ■ i V : ^1- *• s. *' : 1 ■,* 'f ■ '!■ ' . '' 1 'i \ , ;- ■ 1 ■; ii'' :..! ■l.]:^ i !ij^ ^t 'n. ; k; I ;;i ■ I •III J' if 2M CANADA. about twelve pounds sterling, and it ia calculated to con- tain, on the perilous voyage for whicli it is destined, a weight equal to that which follows ; Sixty-five pieces of nieiehandise of ninety pounds each ; eight men, euch weighing at least one hundred and sixty pounds ; baggage allowetl to these men, at forty poimds each, together with tlie weight of their provisions. The whole cargo of a canoe is, therefore, not less than eight thousand three hundred and ninety pounds, exclusive of two oil cloths to cover the goods, a sail and an axe, a towijig-line to drag the canoe up the rapids, a kettle, a spunge to bail out the water imbibed by leakage ; with gum, bark, watape, and utensils for repairing any injury which may be sustained on the voyage. The men are engaged at Af ontreal four or five months before tliey set out on their journey, and receive in advance their equipment, and one-third of their wa^fes. Each man holds in his hand a large paddle ; and the canoe, although loa.,i i,i/"i t ■ \. , ,: 1^ ' . 1 ■ |V • : t , i .• *=/i,).f:.j S!i A'i ,1 ',•*)«« ■ i: ■i ' ' 1' ■ "If I /' '' ■• : '-' '•!: i ' i' r!' -^^ .' j. ■i 1. (I 1 .;i ')'■ J '1 4 'i 1 'i ■ . ; it if 1; ■■/ 1, .'f ^'f i'V: 1 ■ ■» !■; i .1- !i is' t ' I f. ' 236 CANADA- lourd besides, a suitable equipment. The wages of the person who sits in the front of the canoe, and of him •wliose office it is to steer, are about twenty-one pounds sterling each ; those of the other men, about twelve pounds ten shillings of the same money. To each man, a blanket, shirt, and pair of trowsers are supplied ; and all are maintamed l)y their employers dur- ing the period of their engagement. The advantage of trafficking with the savages is likewise permitted, and some individuals procure by this means a profit aanounting: to more than doable their pay. From lia Chine, the voyagers proceed with the little fleet of canoes, to the parish of Saint Ann, where the river becomes so rapid and broken, that they are necessitated to take out a part of their lading. TIms situation, con- taining the last cliurch which is met with on the voyage, excepting those belonging to Indian missions, it is dedi- cated to the tutelar saint of voyagers, and the commence~ inent of the route i^ reckoned from hence. The lake of the two mountains is an enlar£;ement of the Grand, or Qutaouais river, immediately behkid the island of Montreal, and is nearly twenty miles in length, but of unequal width. As in many parts it is not much above three miles broad, its borders are distinctly seen on each side, and present to the view fields in a state of cul- tivation, intermingled with woods. Two gently swelling ■1.,; ' ' ':. r." T ';> CANADA. 237 hills, which rise on its noitli-east coast, and have been dignified with the appellation of mountains, give to the lake its name. On a ponit of land stretching from lujiier these, an Indian village, called Canasadago, is situated, composed of two associations of domiciliated natives, one of the Algonquin, and the other of the Irotjuois tribe. The village is separated by the church into two parts, the Algonquins possessing the east, and the Iroquois the western extremity. The whole of the inhabitants may- amount tQ about two thousand. Each tribe has its dis- tinct missionary, and the rites of tlie Roman Catholic religion are, in the same chapel, regularly and alternately performed in the respective tongues of these natives. The tract of land on which the village is built, belongs to the seminary of Montreal ; and these Christian Indians ar(^ permitted by that community to retain it in their posses- sion. A small portion of il only is cultivated by the women, and they reap from thence a moderate supply of Indian corn, tobacco, and culinary herbs. Like the other domiciliiited natives of the colony, a considerable part of the men and women spend the winter in the woods, and in the occupation of the chace. Lake Chaudiere is distant about one hundred miles from tliat of the two mountains. Here a waterfall occu- pies the breadth of the river, and dashing over a rug;j,ed and irregular cliff, of about thirty feet in altitude, exhibit? .-"';•;> ■■.■ .:■„■. ( '.v- >t ,if :.^-<.| ;■ ■ -a ■ '■I \ ■ led. At the portages, wliere waterfalls and cataracts oblii^e them to unload, the men unite in aidin*^ each otlier to convey the canoes and goods across the land, by carrying tlie fonuer upon tlie shoul- ders of six or eight men, and tlic latter upon the back. A package of merchandise fonns a load for one man, and is sustained by a belt which he places over his forehead. They form their encampments at niglit upon islands, or upon the borders of the river. The murmuring sound of the streams, the wildness of the situation, and remoteness from the Iiabitations of men, added to the nocturnal gloom, powerfully invite the imagination to indulge itself in a train of melancholy reflections. On the north-east shore, about sixty miles higher up than tlie falls last d»> scribed, is the site of an old French fort called Coulogne ; and six miles fartlier is that of ^.nother, named Defon. At a distance of seventy-two miles from the latter, is point mi Bapthhne, so denominated, because the rude ceremony is here performed of plunging into the waters of the Ou- taouais, such persons as have never before travelled thus far. An ordeal from which exemption may be purchased, by the payment of a fine. T'le land here rises into hills, whose summits are conical, presenting a scene rugged and romantic. The torments inflicted by legions of miisquitos and : H \ ' ',9 ' LiifM' VI. ihbiyi »'i 2-10 r ANAn\. if 1 '• I-: i i 1 ■) •'I » 'i ri;:fc li' ! T. ^'1 ' 4 '.'}■ •■ii. Hi«!s, in jonrncviuj; tliroiinh tlu-se wiItl; pi ti 4 I ! 1}| :, ' ■ 1 ■■4 m 242 CANADA. for one or two years, and have attached to them about seven hundred Indian women ii^nd children maintained at the expence of the company ; the chief occupation of the latter is to scrape and clean the parchments, and to make up and arrange the packages of peltry. The period of engagement for the clerks is five or seven years, during which the whole of tha pay of each is no more than one hundred pounds, together with cloathing and board. When the term of indenture is expired, a clerk is either admitted to a share in the company, or has a salary of from one hundred to three hundred pounds per annum, until an opportunity of a more ampit provision presents itself. The guides, who perform likewise the functions of in- terpreters, receive, besides a quantity of goods, a salary of about eighty-five pounds per annum. The foremen and steersmen who winter, have about fifty pounds sterling ; and they who are termed the middle men in the canoes, have about eighteen pounds sterling per annum, with their cloathing and maintenance. The number of people usually employed in the north- west trade, and in pay of the company, amounts, exclusive of savages, to twelve hundred and seventy or eighty men, fifty of whom are clerks, seventy-one interpreters and un- der clerks, eleven hundred and twenty are canoe-men, and thirty- five are guides. Canada* 243 The beaver skin is, among the savages, the mediam of barter, and ten beaver-skins are given for a gun, one for a pound of powder, and one for two pounds of glass beads. Two martin skins are equal in value to one beaver skin, and two beaver to one otter skin. L lU' ', ; ;i!,M<- ' i '' • : .1-. j.r : >' I ' .' ■ .•/ ■ ■ ^' .: a i 1 12 ! I i t s ■ } 1 ''■ > - 5 • ■'%'' H^ CANADA* ."'> ;»!!! '■ "r.. 'I j/L': : ■> ii i FORMER STATE OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENT— INTRODUCTION OP THE CRIMINAL CODE OP ENGLAND QUEfBEC BILL-«-NEW CONSTITUTION SKETCH OF THAT SYSTEM — DIVISION OF CANADA INTO TWO PRO- VINCES — AND OF THESE INTO COUNTIES — ADVANTAGES OP CANA- DIAN SETTLERS— STATE OP SOCIETY — MANNERS— CHARACTER OP THE HABITANTS, OR LAND-HOLDERS — MODE OP CLEARING LANDS- ACQUISITION OP PROPERTY-T-SEIGNEURIES— PRODUCE OP SOILS AGRICULTURE— UPPER CANADA — COLD, AND CAUSES OP ITS LONG DOMINATION — TRAVELLING IN WINTER ROADS— HOUSES. THE white inhabitants of Canada amounted, in 1758, to ninety-one thousand, exclusive of the regular troops, which were augmented or diminished, as the cir- cumstances and exigencies of the country might require. The domiciliated Indians who were collected into villages, in different situations in the colony, were about sixteen thousand, and the number of Frenchmen and Canadians resident at Quebec was nearly eight thousand. Previous to the year 1^60, the influence of law was al- together unknown in Canada. The authority was entirely military, and the will of the governor, or of his lieute- nant, was submitted to without ever being questioned. The sole power of bestowing pardon, of inflicting punish- 8 h: V. ■It r CANADA. 245 ment> of distributing rewards, of exacting fines, was vested in him alone. He could imprison witliout a shadow of delinquency, and cause to be revered as acts of justice all tlie irregularities of his caprice. • In the year mentioned above, a tribunal, to decide de- finitivdy on all law-suits of the colonists, was established in the capital. The coutume de Paris, modified by local combinations, formed the code of these laws. During the first four years after Canada came into pos- session of the British, it was divided into three military governments. At Quebec, and at Three Rivers, officers of the army became judges in causes civil as weU as cri- minal. These important functions were, at Montreal, committed to the better order of inhabitants. An equal want of legal information appears to have been the lot of all parties, and the commandant of the district, to whom an appeal from their sentences could be made, was no less defective in jurisprudence. The coast of Labrador was, in 1764, dismembered from Canada, and added to the government of Newfoundland ; and Lake Champlain, with all the territory to the south- ward of the forty-fifth degree of north latitude was joined to the province of New York. The extensive regions to the north, and west of Michi- limakinac, in Lake Huron, were left without any juris- diction. The territory from the mouth of the Saint Law- t r o ■ ' • ■ 'i-t *•:•.• ; 'H , '■• J ': '■'f-r'- ,1 m: mm. >'■ "..If .... 1 i S : »'. ■i I: n:' : ''.* 114 245 CANADA* rence, as far as that island, was placed under the authority of one chief. The laws of the admiralty of England were, at the same time, established there, but these could only have a re- ference to the subjects of that country, into whose hands the whole of the maritime commerce necessarily flowed. To this improvement, beneficial to the interests of the colony, another of yet greater importance was added. This- Was the criminal code of England. Before the introduction of this equitable mode of admi"- nistering justice, a criminal, real or supposed, could be seized, thrown into confinement, and interrogated, without a knowledge of his crime or of his accuser ; without being able to call to his aid, or to the alleviation of his distress, either friends, relatives or counsel. He was compelled upon oath to declare the truth, or, in other words, tH> accuse himself, without any validity being attached to his solemn affirmation. It was the pra- vince of the lawyers or judges to embarrass him with cap- tious questions, which could be more easily evaded, or more successfully answered, by effrontery and hardened villainy, than by innocence involved and confounded in a labyrinth of false accusation. The function of judge ap- peared to consist in the art of finding out the greatest number of persons whom he might accuse. The witnesses who liad made depositions against the criminal were not I'i CANADA. ut introduced to his presence until the instant before judg- ment was pronounced, by which he was either acquitted or delivered over to immediate punishment. In the former case, the person innocent obtained no indemnity ; and a sentence of capital punishment was followed by confisca- tion of property. Such is the abridgment of the French^ crimirial law. The Canadians readily conceived, and felt, in a lively manner, the inestimable advantage of a system of jurisdic- tion too equitable to admit of any of the tyrannical modes of procedure which they had before been accus- tomed to witness or experience. These people viewed not, however, with an equal de- gree of satisfaction the introduction of the civil code of England. They were prompted by habit and prejudice to give a preference to the ancient system under which their property had been protected. The magistrates, and other adniinistrators of justice, found it, therefore, expe- dient to depart from the letter of the law, and to incline, in their decisions, to the maxims which had before pre- vailed. By an act called the Qubec act, passed in the British legislature in 177^» Canada was extended to its ancient limits, and its former system of civil law, the coHtume de Paris, was restored. The criminal and maritime regula- tions of England were retained, ^ee exercise of the Roman : :h ■f ■,t ;v . I !i i.r, . ./f;U- •.h J*. ; ?' ' '' , ■ >.'.- ■■ ■ ■■ ' ■ 1 •; : i 1 ! ■?1 Ai UQ CANADA. i h ' w "4 \, . ', 1 { ■ " '•"I i' 1 1 V. ': 4- ll.:' ■4 V 1 '^ *'» ' ■': li i %m ^Q-r !■ ■ catholic religion wa3 allowed, and the profession of that faith was declared to be no impediment to the rights of the subject, or to his holding any office under the colonial government. Ecclesiastical dimes, and feodal obligations, j-esumed their validity. . A council formed by the sovereign might annul these arrangements, and exercise any power except that of im- posing taxes. This body consisted of the lieutenant-go- vernor, chief justice, secretary of the province, and of twenty other members chosen indifferently from the two nations, and subject only to an oath of fidelity. Each of these received a salary of an hundred pounds sterling a year. The expences of the civil government of the colony amounted, at that period, to twenty-five thousand pounds sterling a year, exclusive of the governor's salary. The amount of the colonial revenue exceeded not nine thou- sand pounds sterling. This plan of vesting in the same individuals the exe- cutive and legislative powers was not, by any means, pro- ductive of satisfaction. The subjects who had emigrated thither from Great Britain, and who had established them- selves in the colony, were displeased to behold a portion of their most valuable privileges withdrawn from their reach ; and the Canadians, who had begun to relish the advantages of a free government, and Mho were encouraged, to look forward for the introduction of tlie English con- CAN AT* A '>i9 stitutioii, viewed with concern a barrier intei-posed to IIk* accGinpiishinent of Uieir expectations. Tlie system was not contemplated with paitiahty, even on tlie part of th>,'. statesman by whom it was originally trained. But its teni- porajy operation was considered as expedient, on account of the symptoms of discontent which had then appeared in several of the Britisli provinces on the continent of North America. Tlie country continued to be governed in this mode until 1792. By an act of tlie thirty-first year of his present majesty's reign, the Quebec bill already mentioned, was repealed, and all the advantages of the British constitution extended to this part of the empire. Agreeably to tliis hiw, Quebec was divided into two separate provinces, the one called Upper, the other Lower Canada. A legislative council and an assembly were at the same time consti- tuted to each, and tliesc bodies Mere empowered, witii the assent of the governor, to pass such laws as should not be repugnant to the act to wliich they owed their polifical existence. The legislative council of Upper Canada consists of not fewer than seven members, and that of liOwer Canada of not fewer tlian j'U'teen, subject to bo augmented accordinii to the royal pleasure. The mem- bers must be natural born subjects, persons naturalized,' or such persons as became subjects by the conquest and cession of the country. B}-^ a residence out of their K K. ■f' i •■! !*" V 'hi\' ti' ,< mIh ■ '^ ' ■'1 ' '< 1 ■ 1 S| < 1 ' t '),' , ' t 1 / «^ ' ' 1 ' 1 A l^ 1 \ '■ i ' ' r- ,* 250 CANADA. .>■;.■ 1 n r\ ' ,4 r i •> respective provinces lor u period ot" four entire successive years, without leave from his niajesty, or for the space of two continued years without leave from the governor, or by taking an oath of allegiance to any foreign power, the seats of any members of the legislative council become vacated. These olHees are otherwise lield during life. The rii^ht of api)ointuig or of renioviuij; the speaker of the Icgislutive council is vested in tlie governor. His majesty reserves to himself the power of creating,, w henever he may think it expedient, digiiities or titles iiv these provinces, descendable to heirs male, who may have the privilege of being summoned, vhen of age, to a seat ill the legislative council. But thic», on account of certain incapacities, may be si«>pended during life, and be resumcri by tlie next lawful heir, on the death of the party who* had l)een .so deprived of his privilege . Tlie governor, by the king's autliority, is empowered to call a house of assembly, who.se members must t>c cho.sen» for the counties or circles, by persons possessed of lande. .^s . . i r.;^ . -^^ o ..... • The king in council may declare his disallowance of any provincial act within two years from thie time of its receipt in England ; and all bills reserved for his majesty's pleasure, are to have no operation or validity until the royal assent be communicated to the colonial legislature. A court of civil jurisdiction, composed of the governor with the executive council, for tlie purpose of hearing and deciding on appeals from the courts of law, was, by the same act, established in both provinces. From hence a further appeal may be made to the king in council. The lands in Upper Canada must be granted in free and common soccage ; and those in the lower province must likewise be bestowed according to the same mode of te- nure, if required by the grantee. The governor of either province, upon being so autho- rized by his majesty, may, with the advice of his council, erect parsonages, and endow them ; he may also present incumbents, all of whom must be subjected to the eccle- siastical power of the protestant bishop. • ' K k2 '; i n «',;r . t ■J.' '■t...j \ ; • ' ■• ! » .» ■| J V ; , ;i , ( 1>! :.i'.i ■ :l V-'i '.':, ^•: ..'. ■''r ' '0 V ,'••■■. ¥ • »'i . 1 •m: I ■ p ■ ' " ■ t t-' ■ ' » *. if \ ■ -1 ■ ; .. I' : ': .'-•■<■*) ' . ■.f) 1; T r. \ 'i, '•r#j 'r" ?^n\ '■')■ '■-■ i(^ 1 4' '■ '?' 'V: , , ' 1 fi ' -.1 Vvill i'^ i'i ^d *. : ^ ;-H k.; i^ .' :■/!.! ! 1 ' :^: -if > ■ ; T ■ ;''■ : n\\ 'l , '■ A-^ ;S 1: nk ! . tV; ♦i i5t CANADA. ' '. \ >•■ 1, t^l'i /I : T- t- :E vi t'l The operation of this act of the British legislature was; by proclamation of the lieutenant-governor, declared to take effect in both provinces on the twenty-sixth day of Decerabeu 1791 ; and another proclamation wa« published on the seventh of May in the following year, for tJie divi- sion of the province of Lower Canada into, counties, cities, and borougiis. On tlie fourteenth of the same monthr writs were issued, returnable on tire tenth of July. The names of the counties arc ; Gaspe, Cornwallis, Devon, Hertford, Dorchester, Buckinghamshire, Richelieu, Bed- ford, Surrey, Kent, T(untingdon, York, Alontreal, Ef- fingham, Leinster, Witrwick, Saint Maurice, Hampshire, Quebec county, Northumberland, Orleans. The cities, Quebec, upper and lower town, Montreal, eastward and westward divisions ; boroughs, William Henry or Sorely and Three Rivers. An act wi>» passed in 1794 for the division of the pro- vince of Lower Canada into three districts, and for aug- menting the number of judges ; in consequence of which, the courts of judicature at Quebec are now composed of a chief justice and three puisne judges. Those of Mont- real of a chief justice and three puisne judges ; tliat of Tlw?ee Rivers, of one judge ; and that of Gaspe, of one judge. ' ■ '- Every person in Canada may have within his power the means of acquiring a subsistence. The necessaries- of life 'it\ H^l CANADA. 2j3 nrc, ill general, there to be procured at a cheaper rate than ill most of the other parts of North America. The climate, although frequently inclining to extremes, both in cold and in iK'at, is nevertheless favourable to human health, and to the increase of population. The number of iwhksse born in the province amounted, during the French government, to more than that of all the other colonies. This circumstance originated from several families there having been ennobled by the sove- reign, and from several officers of the regiment of Carig- iian-Salieres having *-3mained in the colony after the reduc- tion of their corps. The population thus consisted, in a considerable proportion, of gentlemen who found them- selves in situations by no means affluent. They became, therefore, necessitated to avail themselves of the privilege granted by Louis the Fourteenth to persons in their con- trition, and had rf^ourse, for their support, to the occupa- tion of retailers of merchandise. The right of tlie chace and of iishing is here extended to all persons. The taxes, chiefly derived from wine and spirituous liquors, can by no means be considered as bur- tkensome. . . . . j,.. . .r The inhabitants of Canada may be divided into four dosses. Those belonging to the church and to religious orders, the noblesse or seignetirSy the mercantile body, and tke landholders, stiled habitants. . Y-f 'i ' '-('t -'■ ; '. li -.i^' \ I '■! i !• I '1 srf*ar"*'r-—- ^ 2J4 CANADA. ^i' The Koman catholic clergy of the province are more distinguished by devotion, benevolence, inoffensive con- duct, and humility, than they are by learning or genius. They are regular and rigid in the practice of their religious ceremonies, and more devout, with perhaps less bigotry, thin the ecclesiastics of any other country M'here the same religion prevails. ; , .. ♦ _ ,1 . > The merchants are of two kinds, the importers and the retailers. The latter receive the merchandise on credit, ;ukI being settled in different parts of tlie province, give produce in return for their goods. In 1783 an account was taken of the number of inhabit* ants in the province; it was found to amount to one hundred and thirteen thousand of English and French, exclusive of the loyalists who settled in the upper pro- vince, and were in number about ten thousand. The po- pulation of Lower Canada may at present be admitted, by moderate computation, to be not less than two hundred and Afty thousand persons, and tliat of the upper provmcc eighty thousand. ^ The secular and regular priests in the country exceed not a hundred and eighty, and the number of nuns of dif- ferent orders may amount to two hundred and fifty. There are upwards of a hundred and twenty churches, and seven convents. n v ■ ; » . Aj ^ >d' jLa* The habitants, or landholdecs> are honesti hospitable^ hij-f CANADA. 2.0.1 rp1i<»ious, inoftV'nsivo, uiiintbrmofl, pftssessinu; niuch sini- pli- , In Lower Canada, acquisition of property of two kinds may be made ; the one in the dependence on a seigneur, the other from government, in free and common soccage. Lands of the last description are divided into townships, and each township into lots of two hundred acres each, re- ceding in depth from the front line. When a person ob- tains twelve hundred acres he pays half the expence of the survey, and his proportion of fees, and two-seventlis of the land are reserved for the disposal of government. The borders of the great river, and those of most of the rivers which disembogue themselves into it, are occupied by seigneurieSy under the regulation of the French laws. The lands at tlie disposal of government, part of which are conceded, lie retired in tlie depths, between the rivers Chaudiere> Saint Francis, Yamaska, and Chambly, ex- tending to the forty-fifth parallel^ and are subject to Eng- lish riglits. . V The usual conditions adopted in letting fkrms are, that the proprietor should funiish the cattle, and incur the ! ^t I-. iM 4 I i . li' ' \ "I •' I- fi ' i! 'i:>(« :a>ai>.\. , I culUv.it II .11. T^;-' i'diicv is svtbject to have been exhausteti by 'irj bad 'lii.'cie oi" furoing praotisied in the countjy, '['hi Mclds ;.:< gtruvtallv laid o\it uirh little taste , and ife 1;;; '-frtaiiiiv moic agS'."eab!.e An )ni)i to ai'i-ani/c. after iiis ivv:) |;i:,it, hi-, iiou-.e, his offices, his tieltb, and his ave- In L(;ner Canada, acqibsition of propcii;y' of two kirul^ iy><*.) I.v. .made ; the omt m ihi dependence on a .seigneur, iht oihvt tVotn ;4<)veninu:nt, in free and coninion s(>cca4i;c. Lai^t.N of the ta^t tii'seription ar>.; divided into towmhipn, ant! eacli to^vr.^.sh)p nito ]ot.s of t^vo hundred acres each, re- ce^bng m (\<\n\\ from the front line. When a person ob- tiiii.s tweiv^» atnidred aer s he pays half the ex})enee of tlir NWivcy and !ns propojt on of fees, and iwo-.sevenths of .'ht; Umd aif: re.sev\ed for the disposal of government, 1 je borders of the great rivc.T, and lho.se of most of the !.>\ti;'r which di:einbojj!;ae themselves into it, are octnipietJ" !<)' Mi:incurn>', under tiie res^'ulation ol" the French laws. Tiif; btit'is ut. i\\i- iiisposal of ♦,';overnnient, j[)art of winch are eon- < i\i^xi lie ivljied in Jhe dtptlis, Ixdween the riven* Chaudu i.', ^v"!inr !'raneiLS, Yuniabka, and Chambly, ex- tencUitg to rhe 'brty-tifth parallel, and are subject t(> Y.v.^- lish rii!;hts. The u.sual <"oo>iilJons .nlopted ui letting farnv are, that ihe prOj>rietoi bhcnld tunii.sh the cattle., and nieur ilu,' ^ \ I />,.■,•,■,,( ,,/ I'l^-I, II. I l'hiH!| ;. (■ V^ ./■-;:■. .<;i'„- /,- ./.■ / / ,-■'/ // v/' _ ' ■'' ///v y f '///,■ ( y />///// /', t njr>ri-.i . -^ . '.. -.l.U^f. .■>.///,,//,/ Hi.l. U<1 !'hiJii| ;i i' y.-.. .tr:(.: X'/'r! /."..L-: ■r:'': ■: 1 . ■.■:*.• I'- :[l P ' J ; ' ) I 1-. ■* . ih (" :;'■ hi * J .1 *Ai .•^t' r* CANADA. 259 expence of clearing, of making new ditches and fences, and of supplying utensils of husbandry. The produce of every description is afterwards equally divided between him and the farmer. The public charges are, a contribu- tion of labour, or of money, for the repair of roads and bridges, and the payment of the ecclesiastical dime, at a twenty-sixth part on wheat, oats, barley, rye, and pease. The average produce of the soils in Lower Canada may be estimated at fifteen to one for oats, twelve for barley, six for pease, and eleven for summer wheat. The Cana- dian farmer generally allows after wheat, a natural layer, which is pastured on by cattle, and consists of small white clover and grass. This mode is highly uneconomical for breeding of these animals. In the following autumn the land is ploughed, and in the spring gown with wheat or oats, ■''.','■■ The twentieth of April is the usual time at which the sowing commences in Lower Canada, and the whole of the seed is usually in the ground before the fifteenth of May. The season for beginning the harvest is early in August. I The Canadians have, for several years past, adopted the practice of British husbandmen, by introducing ma* Bure into their lands, and they are now convinced of the utility and profit attending that mode of culture. ' u * A considerable proportion of the lands in Lower Canada ll2 '■ i ', •■.» ,:i ':l I I •' I i 1 > ! 2(30 CANADA. is of a light soil, and it is an opinion generally received, that these arc soon exhausted. The rains, which fall heavily upon a mountainous country, will more readily carry away a sandy than a clayey soil, the particles of which adhere more strongly to each other. A soil may btcome impoverished by the loss of those earthy particles into which the plants which grow upon it arc at length re- duced, and of which it is deprived when they are not al- lowed to decay upon the spot where they have been reared. Plants do not take away any sensible weight from the soil, and it is the moisture with which the earth is watered that is the sole cause of vegetation. The soil, it appears, ifi nothing more than a matr'u: in which the gcrmina of plants receive their growth, and which they seem only to derive from heat and moisture. Water alone may contain all the salts, and all the principles that are to concur in producing this growth. A light soil is tilled by the most trifling labour, and is easily penetrated by rains ; but a heavy rain will press it togetlier, and thereby prevent it from imbibing moisture to any considerable depth ; in thl>i state, if wet weather be soon succeeded by sunshine, the humidity is evaporated, and it is deprived of llie nourish- ment whkh it should have otherwise supplied to its vege- tables. Prej'idice then determined the soil to be exhausted and ruined : it was abandoned, when nothing more was i i I » 4 ) '/'/•■> / i, ^/ .//r--/,-.' 'i .' .tfi"t/u ^/ ,'//frr,'/ t '„,fi,n://tf. '('■''.'./'/'•■• ' I' ' ' h M ' ' i t- if !•' , !■' ■■Hr- {. •If ■> i I ■''I • '' i ' I ■ « i ♦ 'i ,1 I ( ' i' "/i. r. 1 *%'• /.I CANADA. 261 wanting, to reward with ample returns the proprietor by whom it was neglected, than the appHcation of a proper mode of agriculture. . A somewhat less degree of friability constitutes what is termed a strong soil, which requires tillage of a more labo- rious nature. But this species of land, when once pre- pared, manured, and watered, preserves for a much longer time its moisture, which is a necessary vehicle of the salts, whether they be conveyed and successively renewed by ■ft rains or by artificial watering. Manure separates the soil, and raises it for a time, either by its antive particles, which, in compact soils, can only unfold themselves by degrees, or by its oily particles, which fettening land of the former species render it capable of retaining, for a longer time, the moisture, which its too great laxity, and the incoherence of its particles would otherwise soon allows to escape. >• ■: -'■■ -r.^j,- .uA ty. . Manure,, therefore, properly applied, supplies in a cer- tain degree, and according to its quality, the deficiency of tillage. But no expedient cau be an equivalent for rain. In America there is no rainy season which is not fruit- Uih whilst, in a dry season, Uie Income diminishes some- times one-half. From the position of the settled part of Upper Canada, the cllmftte is comparatively mild in winter, which, is 4. 'f 'i . 1, « , H -1. ,1.^'* k\ 1 1 f 1.' ,"1 :-\ I'; ■;■■ I- I , "I )'. I ' 1 •1 il- I- f !•> ■ f » 262 CANADA. there but of short duration, and frequently without much frost ; it sometimes indeed happens, that in i\\e course of that season there is hardly any snow. Neither Lake On- tario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, or Lake Michigan, are subject to be frozen at any great distance from their coasts ; but Lake Superior, from its northerly situation, is usually covered by a solid body of ice, for an extent of seventy miles from land. To attribute the predominance of cold in Canada to the multiplicity and extent of its rivers and lakes, appears to be an hypothesis not altogether correct. The humidity of the earth, and the abundance of water every where diffused througlwut its surface, contribute, doubtless, in the summer months, to produce a coolness, by the eva- poration which then takes place, in consequence of the dry and Avarm state of the atmosphere. But, in winter, when the degree of cold has once attained the freezing point, it can receive no augmentation from water ; that element, considerably warmer than the part of the atmo- sphere to which it is contiguous, continues to emit warmth until its surface becomes congealed. The energy of heat, and that of cohesive attraction, acting in constant opposition to each other, enter inti- mately into every operation, by which changes are pro- duccxl in the properties of substances. These mutationft CANADA, 263 of capacities seem essentially requisite to the preservation of a more equal temperature, than otherwise might take place in the elements, of which our bodies form a j)art, and by which we arc environed. The evaporation from water mitigates the solstitial warmth, and the quantity of heat which escapes previous to the congelation of that body, restrains the donnnalion of frost from attaining that degree of exacerbation, at wliich it might otiierwiso arrive. Were the power of cold capable of pervading with a ve- locity equal to that of light, ever) part of an immense body in a liquid state, the consolidation not progressive, and in a great measure superficial, would take inunediate effect, whenever the whole could be brought to the tem- perature of thirty-two degrees of Fahrenheit's thermome- ter. The thawing of mountains of ice and snoM", were heat to act in the same manjier, would with equal rapidity take place. The long continuation of frost and snows, wliich ibr a period of near six months in the year prevails in Lomci Cana'7>f ' 1 ■<*'. ►'" ! iu ♦ ^ : I . 'It ( I , : t i i f < i QGi CANADA. of the sea, the current of cold air drives before it the vapours emitted from theuce, which become immediately converted into snow. Whilst tlie wind contimies in that direction, and wliilst the snows are falling, the degree of <'()ld IS diininislicd ; hut no sooner does it ehanjije its po- sition to the north-west, tlian the cold is considerably augmented. The evaporation of the snows contributes much to render so keen the winds of the west, and north- west, which, previous to their arrival in Lower Cwuida, traverse immense countries, and a prodigious chain of mountains env( loped in that fleecy coverinj]j. The elevation of the earth is not the least inij>ortant. cause of the suhtilty of the air, an■ It. ; «•, I J i^''^ !*, -^ 1m H' ■ (■ ■[id lii!^' i i'l !•■ : i 1^ i , -' , ! " i; ,'.! hi : ♦, r 266 CANADA. The clearing and cultivation of lands have much con* tributed to the amelioration of the climate of Canada ; and the number of fires kept up in the habitations in different parts of the country, may likewise have a share in pro- ducing tliis change. Certain however it is^ that the win- ters in those parts of Lower Canada, in the vicinity of Quebec, have remitted several degrees of their former se- verity. An intelligent priest in the island of Orleans,, kept, for half a century, a correct meteorological table ; and his successor continued it for eight years longer. The result of their observations tended to prove, that the me- dium of cold in winter had diminislied eight degrees within, that period. The mercury in the thermometer sometimes descends in winter to the thirty-sixth degree below zero in Fahren- heit's scale ; but the atmosphere rarely continues long in that dry and intense state. The river Saint Lawrence is seldom frozen so far down its course as Quebec, although immense bodies of ice crowding upon each other, continue to float up and down with the tides. The winter of 1799 was the last in which what is called the Pont was formed, and when carriages passed across the ice from Quebec to Point Levi. The ice in these regions is of a much harder nature than that of climates less subject to the influence of severe frost ; it CANADA. 2t>7 contains more air, and its contexture is much stronger, from the great degree of cold by wliich it is congealed ; being suddenly formed, it is less transparent, as well as harder, than that which is more tardy in its formation Although the congelation of water be rapid in its process, a considerable time is required for its solution when con- gealed. If ice, formed in the space of six minutes, be placed in such air as has acquired the temperature of forty- five degrees of Fahrenheit, it will be some hours in re- suming its fluidity. In weather perfectly calm, water will frequently acquire a degree of cold beyond what is suffi- cient for its congelatior?, without any change in its liquid state ; but if a breeze ruffle its surface, it becomes imme- diately solid. The ice on the rivers in Canada, acquires a thickness of two feet and upwards, and is capable of supporting any degree of weight. That on the borders of the Saint liaw- rence, called the bordage, sometimes exceeds six feet. The ice on the center of the stream, where it is frozen over, is the thinnest part, occasioned probably by the convexit}' of the river. In great bodies of water wliich run with ra- pidity, the center is higher frequently by some feet than the surface towards either of the shores. Horses and carriages are driven with great rapidity along the ice, and an accident seldom happens, except M M 2 .11 .. .'■■•;i : ■,■1: ■ 1 ' k' 'I , I ■'' > ■ I J. ■ n^^' « : I ' ( ' I )i > » i i '7 «.: 2G8 CANADA. sometimes towards the spring, when it becomes rotten and insecure. The accumulation of snow in the woods, where it is not subject to be drifted by the winds, is usually six or seven feet in depth about the end of February, when it has at- tained its greatest quantity. The influence of the sun, after that period, gradually consumes it, although fresh supplies continue at intervals to fall, sometimes for six weeks after that period. Tiie relative proportion of the snow to water, may be ascertained by means of a long, cylinder closed at one end, and immersed until it reach the surface of the ground. It will thus contain a column of snow equal ta the depth that has fallen ; and on its being dissolved, will shew the quantity of water to which it is equal. The mode of travelling in winter is no less rapid thaii convenient. A vehicle, called a cariole, is drawn by one or two horses, which arc harnessed in the same manner a» for any other carriage. The body of the more fashionable kind is like that of a curricle, and is fixed upon a slay shod with iron. It lias an apron of bear-skin or leather, and within it is placed a buffalo-skin, called a robe, with which the legs and feet are kept warm. A person may thus travel, or drive about for his pleasure, without much inconvenience from cold, particularly if he employ a ser- * ii CANADA. 269 1 1 vaiit to drive the horses. In bad weather, slays with tops or covers made of leather, are in use. When the roads are level and good, the draft of one of those carriages is very little fatiguing for a horse, as a small degree of im- pulse is then required to retain it in rapid motion. After a lieavy fall of snow, the loaded slays which pass along in the vicinity of the towns, alternately take up in their front, and deposit a quantity of snow, and thus form in the roads furrows and ridges in a transverse position, which are called cahois ; until these are filled up, travelling becomes fatiguing and unpleasant. There is scarcely a habitant in Lower Canada who pos- sesses not one or two slays, and much time is consumed during the winter season in driving from one place to an- other. The horses are of the Norman breed, and are rather small, but stout, hardy, fleet, and well calculated for draft. Notwithstanding the little care that is bestowed on them, and the ill treatment which many of them experience, they in general possess their strength to a grea*^ a^c.. The houses are kept warm in winter by means of cast metal-stoves, in which wood is burnt, and which, through pipes formed of sheet-iron, communicate an equable por- tion of heat to every part of a chamber. By this mode, and by the precautions which are taken on the part of the inhabitants, in wearing suitable cloathing when they expose i I •;l ■ 1 t ■VA n ,f 1 t V I :r ^^ ."M. ': 270 CANADA. 1 ■ 1 t \ ■ J ■' : 1 1 1 1 1 1 I- V i ' t ■»'■; h i I ' ! I ' H ( . i themselves to the air, the severity of the climate is but little felt or regarded. The dry cold, by contracting the pores of the skin, seems in some degree to present a remedy for its own in- tenseness, and to counteract those impressions, of which the human frame would otherwise become more suscep- tible, and be perhaps unequal to sustain. The French language, which is that of the inhabitants of Lower Canada, is spoken without any provincial accent. The proceedings of the legislature, and also those of the courts of law, are both in the English and French tongues. M b X t V. ■ I I .. 1 \ t ' It ( «71 ) PART THE SECOND. :i MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. i*^**^»*>»»#**#^^ CHAPTER XII. AMERICANS IN GENERAL — THE IROQUOIS — THEIR VILLAGES — HABITA- TIONS OF VARIOUS SEDENTARY TRIBES— DWELLINGS AND TEMPLES OF THE PERUVIANS OF THE NATIVES ON THE BORDERS OF THE OROONOQUE, THE RIVER 4>F THE AMAZONS, &C.— SEVERAL ERRATIC TRIBES — THE CARAIBS, BRAZILIANS— DRESS OF SOME SOUTH AME- RICANS OF THE MOXES— PATAGONIANS PRACTICE OF TATOOING MODE OF PAINTING — NATIVES OF VERA CRUZ — TET0N8 — CANCES — HIETIANS — DOG-RIB INDIANS KNISTENEAUX— CHIPEWEYANS NATIVES OF THE NORTH WEST COAST — OF DARIEN AND PANAMA OP YUCATAN — MEXICANS. IN many situations on the continent of America, the human race is found to approach nearer to a state of nature, than in any part of the ancient world. The con- dition of ijome of its inhabitants seems but little removed from that of the animals which range the gloomy and boundless woods. Man may here l)e contemplated. . 4 . . .' ' 1 "* '! ...... r 1 572 MAN'NEUS AND CUSTOMS OF ; 1 1 i! I ! I ' li M r. eitlicr emrrging from a rude slate of liberty, or unitoil into small communities, or in astute of comparativi' civi- lization. Although many of the Americans differ from each other in stature and in t'catines, yet in complexion there is very little variation. The tawny colour verging towards that of copper, is peculiar to the native inhabitants of the mIioIc of this continent. This effect cannot be attributed to the degrees of temperature in the climate, to the air vshieh they respire, or to the nature of their aliment ; for in no part of this extensive region has the European com- plexion, throughout a descent of uiany generations, un- dergone any change from its original colour. The features of the Americans, when allowed to retain the shape which nature has designed them, would be by no means irregular or disgusting. Their hair is coarse, lank, and black ; their eyes are of the same hue ; and a prominence in the bones of the cheek seems to form an almost general characteristic. Intercourse with Europeans has effaced many of the ancient customs, ajid changed in a considerable degree the manners of a great number of the Indian tribes. To ac- quire a knowledge of their original state, we must endea- f vour to trace their history in the works of the mission- aries, and in those of other writers who have directed their researches to different parts of this continent. \ 4 « I. />.-,'...., K;. l..ii.ll"lHlli|.».i. \,.. .'i./.f 'tr.;-l.!..-n.l.:i. <..., ..,./> / . ///v, ■/-- )■'' // //, ' Kirl^ ll(ll'ltlllli>>.< \, . .IjJ.lf ifr.v7. /."/-/.'■/ . r '; i y> .1?:;, ■** f . 1 I? i :'■^^t . t THE AMEHlcAV INDIANS. LT.i In delineating; the manners of people \\hose sphere of observation is eonlined to the ol))eets ol" luilnie by which they are snrronnded, it will be nec(;ssary to de8 ,1 ■ ■A *! ^n. V'4 II 1-1 .!.'•♦ . . ;., ''■X i M' i i ' , t ! i' if It I ! . i •1 1 ! \ i t .. I f ' i f f ■ r •d'.-,' ■J - I i, n^ MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP the social stale, assert, that for a series of years they wandered from one situation to another, under the con- duct of a ftniaie. By her they wore led over a great por- tion of th(^ continent of Nortli America, until they ma■► i . ■< 1 , • I ! , i .' f '. ! '1 ri: 276 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF supply them. The same objects will allure, the same passions will animate tliem, ami the same ideas and senti- ments will arise in their minds. In every part of the earth the progress of man hath been nearly the same, and we can trace him in his career, from the rude simplicity of savage life, until he attains the industry, the arts, and the elegance of polished society. There are, it is true, among every people, some customs, which, as they do not flow from any natural want or desire peculiar to their situ- ation, may be denominated usages of arbitrary institution. If, between two nations settled in remote parts of the earth, a perfect agreement with respect to these should be discovered, one may be led to suspect that they were con- nected by some affinity. America may have received its first inhabitants from our continent, either by tlie north- west of Europe, or the north-east of Asia ; but there seems to be good reason for supposing, tliat the progenitors of all tl^ American nations, from Cape Horn to the north, migrated from the latter rather tlian the former." The savages preserve their skin free from all excre- scences of liair, excepting that on tlie head and eye-brows, and even this some of them are at the trouble to eradi- cate.* On the fir^t arrival of Europeans on their coasts. • The truth of this assertion, the author has had occasion to usci'rtain, not only from his own jwrsonal observation, but from the testimony of a great number of gentlemen Mhi>havc travclfcU into the iulciior, and remote J I s THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 277 their surprise at the uncommon appearance of these strangers became excessive ; and the long beard, which at that period was tlie prevailing mode, gave them, in the eyes of the natives, an air of hideous deformity. Many of the Americans are endowed with considerable capacity, with a lively imagination, a facility of concep- tion, and strong powers of recollection. Some of the northern natives retain traces of an ancient hereditary re- ligion, and of a species of government. They reason justly on thf ir own aflairs, and direct themselves with consider- able certainty to the attainment of the ends they have in view. With a flegmatic coolness inconsistent with the more active dispositions of civilized men, they enter upon the most serious concerns ; they are seldom touched with anger ; but when under the influence of that passion, ap- pear to have no possession of tlieir faculties. A certain degree of haughtiness, a disregard of the opinions of others, and a total independence, seem to predominate in the savage character. An American would act and speak, parts of the American continent. He has also seen several Indians with lieanls, and he is folly convinced there can be no questioB, that in this re- spect the natives of Ibis continent difler not from the other inhabitants of the earth. An instrument made of %vire, for plucking out the hair which grows on the face and body, composes oiie of the European articles of traffic nv'ith the Indians. The same aversion to the <^rowth of hair upon the face, or any part of the body, prevails among both t>exe& of the inhabitants of Sumatra. Marsde.n'a- HLstory. of Sumatra. • ' < ■ ■( . 1 tf ' !■ I, ... ... ' i ;,(■ ■llA '. •'< h ► '■ »■ 'I. 5 ! !,< 'I H I ■ 15 '^P i i »■. ft It ' / !■ 278 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF with the same freedom and arrogance, in an assembly oif the most powerful chiefs, as among his own tribe. Their education is ahnost entirely limited to the knotr- Icdgo of making war hy stealth, and to the habitual exer- cise of patience and fortitude in enduring the most severe trials of misery and pain. The condition of their life, and the state of their society, are the irresistible reasons which guide their conduct in either of those situations. Their courage does not appear inferior to that of the rest of mankind, and it is only the mode of exercising it, which constitutes the difference in this respect, between them and more civilized nations. In the manners of all the inhabitants of the western con- tinent, although a strong similitude is discoverable, almost every nation has, nevertheless, certain usages peculiar to itself. Among the Illinois, the Sioux of Louisiana, the in- habitants of Florida and of Yucatan, there were young men who assumed the dress of women, which they retained during their lives, and were satisfied with executing the lowest drudgeries of the other sex. They never married, they assisted in all the ceremonies in which superstition appeared to be concerned, and this extraordinary mode of life made them pass among their countrymen as persons of a superior order, and above the common classes of mankind. Customs similar to these formerly prevailed .imong the nations of Asia who adored Cyb^le, and among 8 ^^■' ». THE AMERICAN INDIANS^ 279 the more eastern tribes, who consecrated to tlic Phrygian Goddess, or to Venus Urania, priests habited like \\^onien, whose countenances were effenunate, who painted them- selves, and who made it their study to dis^juise their real sex. As the latter degenerated among their countrymen into subjects of derision and cimtcmpt, ti\e I'ormer were also, from the debauchery ol their lives, regarded with aversion and disguht. Many of them were cut off by the Spaniards, who, conceiving tliat tliey were suljservicnt to the most sliamefol passions, delivered them over a prey to furious dogs, which were made also the instruments of de- struction to a great part of tlit^ naked Indians. In the savage state, where ijidolence and sloth are con- jjidered a.s enjoyments, a disposition to activity is rarely to he discovered. To prepare pallisades for their forts, to construct or to repair their cabins, to dress tlie inside oi the skins with which they cloath themselves, to fabricate ^onie articles of domestic furniture, to mend or to renew the simple instruments in use among them, to paint and ornament tliemselves after tlieir own rude and fantastical taste, form, next to those of war and the cliace, the most laborious occupations of tlie men. Having an imnurns-e extent of territory over which to range, tlie more sedentary tribes have learnt by experi- ence to choose, with sullicient judgement, situations for tjjieir villages. These are usually placed in the midst ot « . I /■•< r ' '■•..; , 1 '1 >*' ' i ( ^.i. 280 MWNFnS ANn rtfSTOMS OP tlv* bt^st soil, and upon iin einnicncp, if Ru«h can h-* found, to ooMiinnn«l a pros|H('t of the neii»l)l)(>iiriiii( coiip- trv, an(l to inal>l<* the inlv>il>itants thereby to una n I iijuainst 5nr[)ri?»f. They vinUavour to crMnhino with thoso looal advantaujcs. the rlioice of a spot on the hanks of a river which glides in a serpentine eourse, in order to forn> a dit< li aromul tliose fort ifuat ions, whieh innniproved art rnnhiv's thenj to H in a slantmg position, and the whole is thickly lined to tin- heior, whieh was extremely low and con- tracted. A mode of areliitecture, equally uniform and simple, was ])ra(li>eil in raisini^ their consecrated edi- fices. 'J'Ik'sc varied onlv with reijard to their dimensions. The tem)»le of I'achacainae, to which a jialace of the Iiicas, and a fortress were conjoined, formed a structure who.se extent was considerable, its circumterence being more than hall a icaLnie, and its heit'ht about twelve feet. () o ) I 1 . \ i ■•', If pf -'-■: ii I 'f ;■ '! A f ll«' of 1 his ina«.^nitiKle, tnay doubtless be rfjMitn! to Luvf ljuV froaj tin: doors, tiki interior of the bnildin^ nvusl have Ixen ilhnninated by some artilieml means. Cn/e.o wiLH tlie only place m the ennnre of Feru whii h cjiuld rlaini the appellaiifHi of city. In every other part of llie country the natives resided in huts detached from t aeh other, 'and in some si \ial ions eoinposinj; small vdlaiif.'K The natives of Davis's Straits, of Nova Zembia, an a. loni,' win- ter, little ililUrent from the wdd animaU whuh diir tor themselves dwellini^s in the eaitlu 'Ihty repi^se in th^ Mimnur uiuUt the slunle of tlk- turests, ov luuUr eniamp- ueM»t"> uvmL' with iht skins oCseuls. On the borders of tlu- (.>r()(>iK)(pLe, on those oi the river vi ihe Amazons, and in countries liable to peruulieal iii- uiidations, villages are exalted into the air over ihe mid- dle ot waters and marshes. Their inhabitants form post."v Qi the palna-tree of ;i considerable heijtht. and erossin^- eacli (oilier, iMinii <'OMn\ir(if»ii«ii ViiUi tiie*r (:liil(Jr«4 MANNKllS AMI CUSTOMS OF iiiMiK lice of tlie sun. 'I'lir Iiwiians near Montcrry in nortli- \tc'!>t AiHoiica, an^ in person under the niitldle .si/,e, unci ill ])!')}) jrlloned. They also e(in.>trui:l their tinnporary lodj^- ings of wattles arran-^ed in a conieal fonn, lnter^v^)V(in Mith nhs, like ba->k,et-work ; iiiey are about eiy;ht feet in heii^ht; liavjng aji aperture at the suniinil, fur the issur of the inio' e. The txterior istliiekly thatched with dried reeds, t;rai.s, or rudies. Tiie dwcllinj^s of .sonie of t!»c oilier tribes of I lie lUirlh-W'i'st, are eoniposed of j»Janks ; tlity are of tw.eaty.-five feet u\ it ngth, an canijcs appropriated for its u*>c, and each its individual c hief.* Tile .vedeiitury tribes liave habitations more c apaciou* aixl solid. Tlu eabiiii of tli*; Caiaibs are of threat lengtli. cxttndin*; from ^ixty to tiffhty tl^t', and composed iA' fork( (I posts twenty or thirty feet hi«:;h, over which, ti) i<.>rm the ridi^es of thi' roofs, ppbn«tree^^ or ( abbilge-trec^ are laid, 'llie cabbajic-tuH.' fie^.nu nllv attains the altitudt' vf two hundndfeet, ia perfectly btiaiij;ht, decreasinj; birf Untie in duimet«r, destitute of branches, unless at its suiii-r "1- • Voyages lit la Ff rouse- -::^f THE AMERICAV INDIANS. 23.5 ' I, mit, which i5 surrouji(I(iiliaik> are made nearly in the same muruiei as those of the Car- aibs ; Ining of great dimension.s, five or j(ix only compose a ronsiderable vilfaji;e. Kach cabin contains frctui sixty to eighty persojis, dividetl into dij^tinct fanulie.s. The Iro(piois have btien with propriety distinguished by the apjH.'llatioTi of cunstnu'tors of cabms-, being of all tlit- \incivjiized natious on. the conlincjit of .iuneriea, tiiat • i \y r. 1: t : i i t. » 'I; :-tt^ ' if ■■ H i * ' I ( \S() MANNERS A\n CUSTOMS OF uiiirh is tlv' most cominodiously lo«Ji;V(l Tliese ruljin;-; are in the tonn of a bower, live or six tiiUioins in hroadth. hifj;h m proportion, and in Jcn«rth according to the nnin- !>.■! o!" tilts, iVn- cacij ol w hi<:ii a ,sp;ux: of tucnty-tivc feet J', iilotTctl. Thionghout tht; whole length, and at tji(* end. pickets ;irc ]>l,intr(|. which are fnnily connected hv hnes made of the inner bark of treen ; on these are fixed, sls an outward coveiini;, the bark of the beecli or <*lni-tree, worked together \Mtii bands Ibrnied of tlie sanie niateriaJs as tile hnes. A s([uiire, or a j)aral]eloiviani I)tin^ tlins jii- ihulrd, the an h is made willi bent pok\s, which an; also <"ovi red Vith hark, and externally secured l)y other poh^s bent over ii , and interwoven throu<^hout the wliole Icn^tb of tin.' caljin, \M\\\ vouni; trees split into hoops, whose «i» Is un' st>cureil hv wooden hooks, disposed alonj^ tiir >ides and at t ach evtremity. TIk middle space within is appropriated for tiie tire, the smoke ascending throuirh an aperture in the roof, which serves not only for a cdiinmey, but for the admission «)f liijht. In bad wrather the open- ing IS securi'd witii bark. An elevated platform <»f tMclvr or thirtecfi feet in length, and six m depth, which is used for beds as w't II as seats, is placed on <;aci» side of the tire. On this couch, whicJi i?» not calculaltd to promote eajw or fffeminicy, the natives ^tretcll themselves without any other covcrmii: than llie liabilimentfi whuli thev wear d«r iiig tiie day. Th<' u*iv. of a jxilovr is kuowa to but ft*w, I 4- THE AMKinCAN INIUANS. 2H7 I i ! and tlicy wlio have st'on that atticle in tlie possession of Eurr>{M^ans accommodate tlienis:ilves with a billet <;f wood, with d mat rfdled up, or \nth skiivs sLidVcd wilii hair. The natives uf South America generally make use of hanun(K:k> of cotton, or of the interior bark of trees, manufactured uith e.on.sideiablc skill. IMiese thev suspend in thcii cabins, and soiutttnus on the boughs of trees. The ndikbitants of this part of the continent are in <;eneiul of a good stature, and are altrt and active vluii roused from llieir Irabituai indolence. The features of tluir eoun- tenanco are little dilVeient from tiiose of Europeans. Anioni; some peculiarities, there is one ui which they dif- fer in general from the natives t a belt composed ot feathers of various eoKuirs, which produces an ag'ceable etVict. The women wear a kind of .shift, culled tepoi/, with short, sleeves. They who ate luokst exposed to the weaihei*. oi must scn- .sibk- ot tin t tlt'et> ok"i:(d, aiKi m winter next to tht body. Under the apptdlatu)^ of JMoxis was coinpitlveLuied an •.s-semblaw of several dilfereut nati^mi vf uitidt-is ui. i^cvutb. ) I I il.; I I ; > I' ) . 'JiiS MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF AinoiM'a, to whom it Avas generally I'ivcMi, boraiise ilie tribe ot" the Moxcs was tlie first on that part of the conti- nent, to which the evanireUc doelriiic of salvation wjs iinpartcd. Thoe people inhabit an innnensc tract of eouatry, wliieh bt.retehes fjoui Sainl Croix de la Sierra, along tli( ba>is of an ext€nsiv<' ehain of niountanis, lot>y and [)recipitous, which rnns from north to soutli. It is sitnate^l under the Torrid "Zone, and sjwead.s from tiie tentli to the lifteenth deLrrce of sonth latitude. A considerable p.)rtion -jf this vast territory consists of a plain, which is subject to iVeriuent innwdatifjiiji, for want of sntlicient chaimels to give issue to the collection of waters, whose abundance is produ(!ed by continued rains, by torrents, which at particular season-s descend from the mountains, aiid by the swcliinij of rivers, no longer coiifined to their accustomed barriers. Daring more than four montiisof the year, all conununicalion between the inhabilants is im- peded by t!ie necessity to vrhich they are driven, of dis- persing in search of high situations, in owlcr to avoid the Hoods, and their cabins are at that period very remote fioin eai h othei- 15esi»les this infctnvcuieuce, they have to encounter that of the climate, whose heat is intense ; it is however, at tinu s moderat<(i, partly by the abnufi-" anee of ram and the overtlowings of tlic rivers, ani( , almost naketl, and l)adly fed, liave not strenji^th to sustain this nnmense change of tempc raturc, tins sudden derangement of the seasons, especially when accompanied hy inundations, which fail not to generate famiiu; and other nwful scourges 4)f the human race. The dress of the AToxes, whicli consists of many iKlirul- ous ornaments, adds to the natural wildness of then ap- pearance, They blacken one side of the face, and stain the other with a dirty red colour. Their lips and nostrils are pjerced, and a variety of haubU's which c(Mnribut.c to rendtr tHie spectacle yet more hid:,'Ous, i.s at tad it d to those organs. Some wear upon the breast a plate of metal., others tie around the body strnii;s of glass beads, mingled with pieces of leather, and the teeth oi animals which they liave slain in the chace. Tiiere are some of these natives who tix upon the girdles the teeth of their enemies whom they have kdkd in battle, and the greater tlie number of marks of prowess they can wear, tlie more respectable are th« y accounted among their tribes. They are the least disgusting in appearance, who cover the head, fix arms, and the knees, with a variety of plumage, which is th'^- posed in an agreeable manner. r\ I*' .(. •• ♦•'■ , ,j. I I" : -.1 i i i ! ' I •] U- ! s ? ,1 • i?90 MANNKnS AND CUSTOMS OF 'I'lie Ptitiii^oniaiis .seldom exceed in staluiv the lui:;1it f)f hi\ i'vcU having a larj;(* head, j»(|uarr sliouldors, and nuis- mokini,'. and thei('l)y rendered for a time impervious to moisture. I'hey adorn the inside of the skins of buffaloes aud of dciM", by delint atin<^ upon them figures of men and animals painted with black and red colours, and also by workini; them with porcupine quills, stained with vari< gattMl tints. From tlie borders of some of the smaller lakes and rivers, they procure a species of red paint resembling minium, and Vdvcwise yellow ochres, which are found near the surface of till ground. With these they ornament their faces and those parts of the body which are uncovered, without be- stowing much pains or attention m their applieatuw. A desire of rendering pejuianeiit these decorations of thi lK)dy, suggested the practice of tatooing, or of impressing on the human skin various fantastical figures, first sketched with coal or chalk, and afterwards prick(>d witii the shar[)- «ned point of a bune, tlie puiutures being rublx'd with whatt ver colour seems most to please the fancy. I'lu^se operations arc always painful, aud often attended with some decree of fever. 'Tf ^ y/.>^/////.- .. . -'^, ///AV/X//;,/, /;v/>l,,, r>t>>.^, ■. H:, i,„r,i I'l.ii .,, , ,i'.„ ., .'«//./.»i '<;. iiM.-.! I'i .11 ,.. . ''•■• ' •.<•■■ ."■■' ..'..■: .«iu ^ rX. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 145 ■ 50 2.5 u 1^ I 1^ 1 2.2 2.0 ^^^^s 1.25 1 1.4 IL 4 6" - ^ '/I K. '/ /A Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. U5S0 (716) S72-4503 o .^ % id. A i/.. k ! >1 HI ^\^ k ''ii THE AMERICAN INHIANS. 293 The figvires thus engraved on the face and body, become distinguishing marks of the individual. Whe-^ a savage re- turns from war, and wishes to make known to the tribes through whose territory he passes, a victory which lie has gained ; when he has made choice of a new situation for hunting, and would signify to others the spot he has marlved out, he supplies the deficiency of an alphabet, by the characteristic figures which personally distinguish him ; he delineates upon bark which he fix-es upon the end of a pole, or cuts Avith his hatchet upon the trunk of a tree, such hieroglyphics as he conceives sufficient to explain his sentiments.* .» ..v;/;^; • The natives employ for the purpose of colouring, the juice of particular plants, and the berries of shrubs and trees. They extract, with considerable dexterity, the co- lours of European cloths, which they transfer to the leather and to the porcupine quills, with which they fabri- cate their little works. ^.*k - ^^ '^ ' .-■ ■- * The practice of tntooing is of great antiquity, and has been common to numerous nations in Tarlary, Asia, the southern parts of Eurojic, and per- haps to a great portion of the inhabitants of (he earth. It is still retained among some of the Moorish tribes, who are probably descendants of those •who formerly were subj^^cted t» the Christians of Africa, and who to avoid pacing taxes like the Moors, thus imprinted crpsscs upon their skins, that fliey might pass for Christians. Tliis custom, which originally might serve to distinguish tribes by tlicir religion, or from each other, beotmc afterwards a mode of decoration, that was habi(uaHy retained, wlien all remembrance of i(s origin was efFaced. C»e.vier. ■j*i • \ ^.iU-'u.i\y' ■':M * \ . : t'} ••II ': ' 'fwf ■..' '' M|rli:!! v.;i:v' .'I l.i M f:,:;i! ( ' i •■■ i , 'i i , ' « I?!. m pi ! (1: i. n - m; Vt ' iji ■1' f f. .; i;f 'i !:■: 294 MANNER* AND eUSTOMS OF Many of the North American tribes cut their hair ac- cording to difCerent forins ; one of the modts is, to shave- the head, and to lea-ve only a small tuft on the centre. The fashion of trinunini^ the hair, varies in a great de- gree, and an enemy nuiy by this means be discovered at a considerable distance. The practice of wearing long hair, prevailsj however^ among the greater number of the American tribes^ and is- unquestionably that which nature has pointed out, Tiie- ancient Europeans, and particularly tiie Gauls, followed^ that fashion ; and the territory of the latter ti^s distin- guished by the appellation of Gallia comata. To the first race of monarchs among, the Franks, a Ger- man people who inhabited the banks of the rivers Maine, and Salii, the privilege of wearing long hair was alone per- mitted, and subjects of every description were limited to- the general fashion of the tonsure. The renunciation of all hope of succession to the crown was publicly, declared, if a prince of the blood allowed his hair to be cut off. Before the invasion and conquest of their country by the Tartars^ the Chinese wore their hair in its full and; natui-al growth, in the hope tliat after death, they should. by that means be conducted to heaven. Li the earlier stages of every human association, it appears from, the most remote memoirs which can l^ found, that no covering was worn upon the head. The Jews, the Carthaginians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans wore no^ St|. ^"ttf. AMEftlCAN INDIAN'S. $55 covering in the original state of their societies. The Goths permitted their hair to hang in large carls on their shoul- liers. TJie Swabians, a people of Germany, were ac* tuslomed to knot their hair, and to attach tlie extremity to tlie crown of the head, TJie Arymphians, however, who fonnerlj' frequented the bases of the Ilipliean moun- tains, and from whom the Muscovites are descended, prac- tised among both sexes the fashion of shaving the head ; to allow the hair to tiow in its full natural growth, was considered as infamous. Red and various other colours, mixed with bear's grease^ are by the Americans used for the purpose of tinging the hair, as well as tlie countenance and body. The Caraibs and other tribes of America betv<^een the tropics, after -bathing, are attended by their wives who cany calibashes filled with colours mixed with the oil of the palm-tree, particularly rocou, a vegetable red produced from the ber- ries of a tree fotmd in those latitudes, whose effects are extremely baneful to flies. To denote the chief whom they obey, the Virginians have certain distinguishing characters delineated on their back. In Europe, in the period at which Constantine the Great was emperor of Rome, the people bore upon their shoulders the imperial designation, which was a crdss, to indicate the country to which they belonged. Allured by a principle of devotion for the divine founder ■ n ■ ' •' . • .• ' H , ^4\': 'I 1 .. ' < •■•■ '# i ■'-I'M 1 :* i -Ik'..' • K-iJij I f ) '■■■■ .- »ij ' 4 ^i! ■ 1 ■ • . i i;Hl '^'' .it:-. 1 >:f ff 1 . r ' :i t ■t ^ ' ;) ,1 . til i 296 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS ©F of their faith, tlie priinltivc Christiaiw imprinted on their boihes the figure of the cross. The Brajsilians, in order to distinguish their warriors wlio liiwl destroyed a number of ihc enemy, cut eliaraeteristie figures on their arms and thighs, filling the ineisions with a corroding powder. The natives in the vicinity of La Cruz on the Western coast of America, are of a clear olive coiiiplexion, ap- proaching in some individuals to a white ; their features are regular and well-formed, their figure is robust, and^ their address arrogant and bold. The skins of otters, f,ea-calves^, deer,, or bears, coj]ipose the coveiings by. which their bodies are sheltered from the changes of the elements ; these habiliments extend from the neck to the leg, and some persons add to them boots of skins. Their personal orjiameiits consist of the common appendages of necklaces and bracelets, formed of pieces of copper, or of tlie teeth of fishes, and of animals slain in the chace. Pen- dants of motlier of peai-l, or of copper, dangle from their ears. Their long hair is queued with a species of ribband, plaited from the inner filaments of bark, the back bone of a particular fish, serving for a comb.. The blanket of skina which is used as a covering, they enrich, with vegetable or leathern fringes, attached to the lower extremity. The dress of the female extends from the neck to the feet, and the sleeves are of such a length as to reach down to the waist, which is surrounded by a belt. The hair of th«j. ■m THE AMERICAN INDIANS. $97 women is plaited in tresses, and tlieir countenance, if al- lowed to retain its natural appearance, woiild be by no . means disagreeable. But an alVectation of singularity, vliich discloses itself in every state of Inuiian society, in- duces tiie married women, in order to render themselves pleasing to their husbands, although hidious and disgust- ing to strangers, to divide the lower lip from the clun by a large transverse incision, filled up with a piece of wood, whose diameter at the widest part is nearly an inch, and whose shape is oval ; in proportion to the advancement in years, tiie extension of the orifice is enlarged, and some of the elderly ^vomen exhibit an appearance, calculated to inspire the strongest aversion in a spectator. To preserve an o[)ening for the introduction, at a more advanced period of life, of this fantastical instrument of deformity, the females undergo the operation in their infancy, and wear in the wound a small piece of w- ood, to prevent its borders from re-uniting. The married women seem to express much ditTiculty und embarrassment at the removal of this extraordinary appendage, by the absence of which, no additional charms are displayed. This wooden ornament is concave on each side, from two to three inches and a half in length, and at the utmost an inch in width, a groove for the reception of the lips of the artificial moutjj, U cut all around the edges. • The huts of the Indians resemble a cone, and are com- .' ■<■• I ... « . j1 I ' .,i',U' ^ :-^' 1 '3' )' '-- '■ I / / ' -IW :' ■!■ ■«, I, • ■I i ■ ■ ' '*'■ ■ ■ .' ' 'i if' .1^1 $98 ItfANNERS AND CUSTOMS dP ■V. •A: posed of boughs of trees, covered with, mats of plaited riislu'S, or of the interior bark of tlie elm, or of the birch-tree. The Tetons consist of four tribes, who roam over an inuuense extent of plains denuded of timber, except ou the banks of the river by which these territories are inter- sected. The land is fertile, and the situation is favour- able for culture. The soil is strongly impregnated with salts, ahun, copperas and .sulphur, and, during the rainy seasons, torrents of water, saturated with these substances-, rush down from the more elevated lands, mingle with the stream of the IMisouri, and communicate to it a deep brown tint. The Cances are composed of various tribes, occupying' different parts of the country, which extends from the bay St. Bernard across the river Grande towards Vera Gruz. They are unfriendly to the Spaniard.**,, and when. an opportunity presents itself, make no .scruple of putting to death any of that people. They are expert in the chace, and chiefly make use of the bow. Their habili- ments are composed of leather, neatly dressed. Those of the women are made in the form of the robe worn by friars^ and their hcaxis and feet are alone exposed. licather pun-' taloons, >tinft tribes. Their tents are formed in tlie shape of a rone, of prepared skins, and suffieiently eapaeions to contain ten or twelve per- (sons ; those of tJie cliiefs will hold sometimes to the num- ber of sixty. These tents they piteh, when they halt, in the most exaet order, forming regnlar and jxuallel lines ; ulien a signal is given for removal, the tents are struek with expedition an•'.'!'' : ir- ♦ • ,1' ■ ■. ■ , . * .m 1 soo ill. 1 l.t ■t "if! f ' f' ■ t\ MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF is extensive, and affords a variety of rrgrtablcs, and friiit« of spontaneous prodne.tion. It strctehes fioni tiie Trniity and Braces, across the Red liver to the hea;ls of Akansa and IMisouri, to the river Grand, to the vicmity of Santa Fe, and over the dividing ridge towards tiie Pacific Ocean. A tribe of natives, who range over a certain tract of countiy situated on the Internal parts of jVorth America, are distinguished by the appellation of the Dog-rib In- dians. Their complexion is fairer tlum that of most oi the other inhabitants of this part of the continent, but. their person Is short, badly proportioned, meagre and nn- pleasing. The cheeks of the im;n are tatooed from the nose to the ears with double lines of a blueish tint. Through an aperture formed in the gristle of the nose, part of a quill, or small piece of wood, is introduced : their liair, except on each side, where it is cut, in order to expose the eai's, is allov/ed. to remain in its natural growth. Tlieir dress, like that of most of the other natives who have no intereouj^e with Eiuopeans, is formed of the skins of M'ild animals, and ornamented with hair and porcupine's quills, of a variety of hues, alternately embroidered in straight, m waving^ or in angular borders. Their upper garment guards them from the cold, whether when asleep or awake, and is decorated with a long fringe. Their hands are pro- tected by mittens, suspended by thongs from tlie neck, TIIE AMERICAN INDIANS. SOI and their feci and legs by a species of boot, whose searas are worked v itli much neatness, care, and ingenuity. Tlio women wear in warm weather but little coverinjf, and content themselves with tying around the waist a long tassel of leatlicr, whose vibration, when they walk, serves in part to defend them from tliei> and nmsquitoes They fringe with the claws of bears or of wild fowl, perforated at the extremities, and inverted, cinctures of leather, for the head, the waist, and the knees. Pieces of bone or of horn compose their bracelets, and necklaces or goi six gallons. A piincipal part of the food of tliese natives is derived from the produce of the rivers, which al)nnd- antly water the ungenial and thinly peopled region^ through whicli they flow. A twine, composed of fibres from the LnteLTUiTH^nts of tlie willow, serve's them as the fittest material for weaving th.eir nets, wiiich are from thir- teen to thirty-six me^iltes in depth, and from three to forty fcithoms in length, and are fach calculated for use, agree- aubly to tlie depth or extent of the waters. Tlie nets as i V J'«' v.^ "■!'■ 'Ira ,) r^:- I ^ ■'•■1 •, f v.:hJ « 1- 'J. ' k,, 1 " 1 '''■•' 1 ,' 1* : ' 1 yo2 MANNERS 4ND CUSTOMS OF i!; •1 : i 4,' U art VV) H %vv\\ as Ihu's, and apponda^t.'S of onuiimnt, are t ransportcly to the suggestions of fancy. Their iiabiliuients aie nc-arly the same witli those of tlie natives already deseribed. Tlfcc women wear a eap juadc of leatlier or of cloth, sewed only at the end, whicli is placed over the forehead, and covering the temples and the ears, is tucked beneath the cliin ; the extremity of tlie cap hangs down the back, and is atlixed to tlie girdle. Three perpencJicular tatooed lines, not unfrequently double, disfigure the visages of several of the females, the central lines being from the chin to the inoulb, those of the sides reai:li no higher than the corners of the mouth. The manners of the Chipeweyan Indians are yet more open and free than those of the tribes of whom we have now given a description. Their disposition appears more mo- derate and settled ; and they are influenced by neither of the alternate extremes of languor nor activity. Their THE AMPftlCAN INDIAN'S. 303 i>tMnl>€r8 arc ronsidt rul)lt.% and thiy claim as their territory the tracts extending between the parallels of latitude sixty and sixty-five north, and tVom one hundred to one hun- dred and ten de<]froes ot" western longitude. Their langiiagtt is copious, and tVoni the number of emij^rant tribes, has branclied into a variety of dialects. In warfare tliey j2,iva no quarter, and with indi^criniinatinif vengeance they put all their enemies to death. They spare none of the enemy* either for the purposes of adoption, or for the exercise of deliberate cruelty and torture. The Eskimaux, on whom they make war, are less active and less ])o\^ertul tlum themselves, and. generally encounter them with ninch dis- advantage. Although more numerous in point of warriors than the Knisteneaux, the Chipeweyans aj>pear to be less courageous, and sulimit to that people wlu never a causj of mutual hostility arises.* In the latitude of fifty-two degrees, on the nortli-west coast of America, there exists a tribe whose heads iire moulded into a wedge-lil\je form. Their colour is bet\ve<"» the olive and copper, and their faces are bi'oiul, wiHi tlift general characteristic of high, check bones. The hnir is o€ a less deep black than that of the other iidiabitants of tliis continent, and their eyes are small and "rev, intermixoci with a reddish tinge. The women wear their hair short ; they are inclined to corpulency, and to a . '.veiling in the tegs, caused probably by a sedentary mode ot life, as they .% , ••• ■•, • ■■■': ,': t I t .* » * Mackenzie's Voyages. * i • I I ! ' .1 At •^' i. ■ A '. ' .h, and nursing their children. The hair of the men is worn tied in knots over the temples, the hind part being combed, und allowed to flow over the .shoulders. The cloathing of the women consist.s only of a robe, of an apron witli fringe, and a round cap for the head. The men dress themselves nearly in the san^ie fashion, adding in rainy weatiier a mat with an opening in the centre sulTi- cient to admit the head, and which, extending over the back and .slioulders, preserves them in a dry .state. They procure from the .sea and from the neighbouring rivers, the principal part of their su.stenance ; bein^^ therefore in a great degree attached to one settlement ; the men are en- gaged in the more toilsome occupations, and the condition of the wom^'i seems to be far less severe and laborious, than among tfibes who are dependent on the more pre- carious produce of the chace. The natives of Daricn and Panama arc cloathed in a caUico vestment ->vhirh floats over their shoulders. Upon the thighs a scarf is worn, a ring is aflixed to the extre- mity of the nose, and a collar of teeth surrountls the neck. These articles are not in common use, but are conveyed !)y the women to the councils, where they are put on. Here the menilx^s first move in a dance, after v hich they seat themselves. One of the young men lights a roll of tobacco previously moistened, that it may not be rapidly ^-lll' ( ' t ■ il THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 30.^ consumed ; he places one end of it in his mouth, and smokes in the faces of the several councillors, who leceive the whiff with peculiar satisfaction, and consider them as tokens of high respect. The natives of Yucatan are yet more addicted to an inclination for ornament ; they carry about with them mirrors of polished stone ; upon these they frequently di- rect their eyes, and take a singular pleasure iu contem- plating and adorning their heads and faces. Among the Panches, a tribe of new Grenada, the distinction of wearing ornaments was permitted to warriors alone. The Caraibs are of a, stature rather above tlie common height ; they are well made and proportioned, and their features are agreeable. Their eyes are black and naturally small, but the figure and disposition of the forehead makes them appear of a proj>ortionate size. Their teeth are in general wl;ite and regularly arranged, their hair is long, flowing, and black. The colour of their skin is olive, but they communicate to it a red tii ge, by means of rocou dipt in oils, which serves them not only for dress, but for A defence against the attacks of flies and musquitoes, which have an antipathy to the smell of this colour, and which, without this precauticn, would become an insup- portable torment. When tlu y go to war expeditions, to a festival, or to perform some visit which they deem of conM^quence, their wives are employed to make them n R •:>!i ■U':.: ■.■■ \ ! .ii -A'ft ■ I nv* % ■ . i I I 30G MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ■! : I ■ ' .'i .1 4 i^ it )'•'■■ :-^ ' m -if- li /■I Hf n :. 4| I wliisfcer.s, aii' 1 :•. ■ J" . 'i : rp' ^ ^ il'' if', ■' ij i i 'Vr n- i '!! ■ill' m. 510 M.4NN'E«a AND CUSTOMS OF regarded willi some do^rpce of estimation ; and they acquire a wish to conciliate the affections, and a taste for dress and ornament. . «. -. ' Wlicn tribes are attached to certain situations, and are •united in villages, it is the peculiar province of tlie avo- men to cultivate the ground, and tu plant maize and other herbs, in which tobacco, a most essential article among aH the natives of America, is included. In the more northuin climates, as soon the earth becomes divested of the load of snow by Avhich, for nearly half the year, its surface is concealed, the women betake themselves to their labour in the lields, which they first clear from all weeds and rul)* bisli, bv collecting these in heaps, and burninn them. They afterwards loosen the soil with a wooden harrow, which scratches it to a small depth, and form hillocks at a little distance from each otlier, in each of which are de- posited a few grains of Indian corn. Beans, pompkins, and water melons, are likewise planted. This Mas the ut- most extent of tlieir agriculture, as they had no metal ulensils for that purpose, and were totally ignorant of the mode of subduing wild anijnals, and of rendering them subservient to tlie purposes of man. Before the arrival of Europeans amongst them, they were, in this essential respect, unconscious of the superioiity of their nature; Over no one species of the animal creation, the dog ex- cepted, wa > their authority established ; every otiier they allowed to range in full possession of its native freedom. I i 1 51 J !i ; THE AMEHICAN INDIANS. 311 The mode of lite pursued by the savages, renders, how- ever, the aid to be dt;rivt;d tVom the rstrein^th of aniiua'.s but httle necessary. It is only wlien man l)as attained a considerable degree of improvement in society, that he learns to estimate tiit; value of the stronger animals, by ei]iploying them to simplify and alleviate human labour, AVhen the time of harvest arrives, the women pluck with the hautl tlie Indian corn, tie it by its leaves in bunches, and suspend it to be dried by the sun. It is aft(!rwards stored in pits dug in the sides of a declivity, and lined with mats. It is thus preserved uninjured by moisture, and from being consumed by vermin. This constitutes a material part of the food of many of the northern sedentary tribes. A fur- ther ofiice of the women is to grind the corn when dried, into a coarse flour, by means of stones, or of wooden uten- sils ; and to fan it, that it may be freed from particles of chatV, When boiled, and mixed with grease or similar substances, it is called sagcniiifi. A quantity of this food is every morning prepared for breakfast of tlie families. Be- fore the use of iron or of copper kettles was introduced among some of the native-s, tlie absence of these utensils was supplied by a vessel formed of clay, of a spherical shape, and wide at top, which having been dried in the sun, was afterwards hardened in a slow fire made with bark. The viands M'ere cooked bv throwini:; into the vessel a number of stones made red-hot, which by degrees ■>iir^ .':Vij '■^- -i I \i I."* fj ^' V.tt 'A. it I < '! ■ Jl '#'H I' iii^ ' J! ''. rt ' it^ i}^. ■? I' j' •li? .^'S m I •:i: I ■:1! ■■,IN: ■ J ^ '''i 'I $12 MANNERS AWD CUSTOMS OP raised the M'ater to a boiling temperature. Their meat and tlieir fish tliey generally roast or broil upon the char- coal of wood. Feasts are frequent among the savages ; on these occa- sions they consider it a point of honor, not only to pro- duce all the provision in their possession, but generally to consume the whole. The abundance and profusion which prevail at these assembUes are not favourable to the accu- mulation of stores for future subsistence, and the necessity to which, in consequence, they are frequently reduced, compels them to eat, without discrimination, every spe- cies of food which accident may throw within their reach. The dried intestines of animals they eat without any other preparation. Tlie oil of bears, of seals, of porpoises, and of other fish, whether in a fresh or rancid state, form a part of their food. They are strangers to the use of salt or pei)per, or of any othei species of seasoning. The flesh of dogs is for them a luxurious repast. The Algonquins and other tribes who do not practise agriculture, are often reduced to a yet greater degree of wretchedness, and are necessitated to eat the interior bark of trees, and a species of moss nourished in the crevices of rocks, denominated by the Canadians, tripe de rocher. Besides Indian corn and other plants, whicii the natives who cultivate the soil use for their food, a kind of bread is made of the seed of the *un-flower, which contains a sjpecies of oil. As the lands THE AMEBIC AN 1ND1AK«. 513 .«re neither manured, nor allowed to remain Fallow, their fertility becomes in time exhausted^. To remedy this in- convenience, the savages make choice of fresh situations for their villages, and clear new lands from the woods with which they are covered. Another cause contributes also to urge them to a change, particularly where the severity of the climate during winter requires a large consumption of firewood, an article from which they become more re- mote the longer they remain in a fixed situation. To trace out the extent of the new ground, and to remove the trees, becomes tlie peculiar task of tlie men. Although Euro- peans have instructed them in the use of the axe and saw> yet they seldom avail themselves of these tools, preferring their original mode of stripping the trees of their bark not far from the roots, and when the trunk is somewhat dried, of placing tire around it. Their axes were made of a very hard stone of a greenish hue, which it required much la- bour and perseverance to reduce to a sharp edge. The vine grows wild in America, but the natives no where cultivate that plant, being ignorant of the process of converting into wine the juice of its fruits. Their dis- position to intoxication is so powerful, Ihat they would, iloublless, have otherwise availed themselves of the use of that beverage, there being many climates on that conti- nent favourable for the culture of vineyards. The people of Sauth America, and also the Mexicans, s s vA f'l '••''■^ ,'** • • 1, ■ I* ■ * .'it' ■.S'i i ,J •■ 1 ■'■"■ i'-t'? "■'. II t It ■) ■ <23 ,Lf 314 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP ■it • I 1 ■♦•■ >j ■ I- ■% if 4? f 'S.:)! ii? possess the knowledge of extracting from certain rootSj. grains, and fruits, strong and intoxicating liquors. * ..xt.i Tobacco is much used upon all occasions by the sa- vages, who conceive that they derive sustenance from cliewing or smoking it. The acids of the stomach may thereby, indeed, be weakened, and the sensations of huiv- ger rendered less powerful, but it cannot certainly afford: any real degree of nourishment..... , * .m \. ,. . . ■ •. i In the Mexican empire, where distinction of ranks, anda« separation of crafts had taken place, the greater part of the lower orders of people wore no garment. A piece of square cotton attached to the neck and shoulders was the only mantle with wliich the emperor himself* and. the nobles, were covered. A shift with half sleeves, open at the bosom,, and- falling to the knees, formed the whole apparel of the lower class of women. Tlieiu houses were built of earth, dried bricks, and sometimes of stone, covered with pieces of wood, without doors or windows, except a small aperture at the entrance, and their height was limited to sevem or eij^ht feet from the ground; mats^ were spread upon the floors within, and aUhongli. the inliabitants could procure oil and wax, and were not unacquainted with their use, as applied to the support of light, they employed no other illunvinatioa than burning torches of fir-wood. Tliey ge- nerally sat upon the ground, and took their victuals in: tliat postoie ; they had, notwithstanding, seats formed of THE AMIiRICAN INDIASS. ]r> bags filled uith the leaves of the palm-tree ; their beds weru of grass, with coverlets of cotton. Their principal article of food, like that of many of the more northern nations, consisted of maize or Indian corn, ground, and made into a paste, which they mixed with other substances, such as grease or oils, or particular herbs. Their drink was sometimes cocoa diluted with hot water, and seasoned with pimento or honey. They were prohibited, under the most wgid penalties, the use of intoxicating liquors, which could be drank only by particular permission, granted to tlie sick and to the aged. Qi\ certain public solemni- ties, and when the people were occupied on the public works, a quantity of liquor, proportionate to his age, was allowed to each person : intoxication was branded as the most shameful of humaji vices, and persons found in that condition were punished by the demolition of tlieir dwell- ings, by shaving their heads in public, and if they enjoyed any office under the emperor., by being dismissed from the service, and pronounced incapable of any future em- ployment. Of all the nations of Canada, the Iroquois are not only the most civilized, but the most ingenious and prudent. They reap every summer a much greater quantity of grain tlian is sufficient for tlie consumption of one year, and sometimes of double that period. After a certain preparation to guard it from putrefiiction, they deposit the grain in s s2 .*:: ■■■! 1 ' •l.rt. «.|* ' •♦.13 ^fli; 'm i^itf> ;:■;( '* 316 MANNERS AND CTSTOMS (XF >> 1 ,i V'l: , 1 i 1 ■ , , , '■'i " ■ ■•) ' ' ' "1 r •^'' 1*> .< .•I . '3*.' I I P!«, • (J pits of considerable depth, dug in situations where the soil' is perfectly free from moisture. They are therefore seldom reduced to extremity, neither are they entirely dependent on the success of the chace. No inconsiderable ad van- tJige in warfare is likewise derived from this prudential* conduct. The degree of culture around the villages of the Iro- quois was found, on the expedition of Sullivan in 1779» to be considerably higher than could be supposed, fronii former observations and opinions relative ta tlie customs and manners Of that people. The beauty- of their situa- tion indicating, in many instances, choice and design, to- gether with the size, the construction, and the neatness of their dwellings, were the first objects of admiration to the colonial army in this new country. Many of the houses were built of frame-work. The corn fields were of con- siderable extent ; and the Americans destroyed in. this expedition one hundred and sixty thousand bushels of grain. But tlie number of fruit-trees which they found, and cut down, with the size and antiquity of their or- chards, exhibited an object of yet greater wonder. It is assei'ted that fifteen himdred. fruit-trees were destroyed in one orchard, some of which carried the appearance of great age. In this expedition no less than forty Indian towns were burnt, of which, Genesee, the largest, con- tained one hundred and twenty-eight houses. THE AMVHTCAN INDIANS. 317 The predominating virtue in tlie bosom of a savai^c is a sincere and unalienable attachment to the tribe among which he was born. For the welfare and protection of it he will forego every enjoyment, and freely surrender his existence as a sacrifice. This principle of aifeciion arises not, in the present instance, from a sense of reason or of duty, but is tlie secret operation of the hand of nature, which rivets the inclinations of mankind to those friends, and to those objects, from whence the infancy of the dawning mind imbibed its earliest impressions. The prepossession in favour of their native soil is,, among civilized people, not merely constitutional, but is fortified by reason, as well as education and habit. They who travel into distant countries experience for a time the powerful influence of this attachment. The desire to re- visit their native land operates so forcibly on the mind* of some men, as to produce real indisposition. This, like other similar propensities, is too deep rooted to be sub- dued by argument, or even by the lapse of time. This regard for country, which in former ages, as AvelL as in modern times, has been productive of the most dig- nified virtues, is not less prevalent among the inhabitants ef the new, than among those of the ancient hemisphere. In the memorable struggles which the ISiexicans made against the Spaniards on the invasion of their native land,- •xtiaordioary efforts of valour and patience were dis-> 4 r, • \ .' -i':\ il 1 • ^ }• . i ■ ' t 1 « 1 .'4 '1 t 1 '■"h 1 318 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS -Or ,H»i; "■■?^;r played. After every ineffectual trial of resistance, M'hich the dictates of the most just revenge, aided by resolution, could inspire, the Peruvians, althougii distracted by in testine broils, submitted with reluctance to the Spanish The Chilians, ^lio inliabit the western coast of Soutlii America, JiJive hitherto maintained agahist the Spaniards ail almost incessant warfare, nor has the courage of the present Barbarians, degenerated from that of their proge- nitors. By the introduction amongst them of the Euro- pean horse, and by the rapid multiplication of that animal, of whose utility to man they have acquired the perfect knowledge of availing themselves, they have become more than ever formidable. The numerous herds of cattle and other animals, to whose increase the climate and soil have been not less favourable tlian to that of horses, supply them with ample sources of subsistence. , -. , , ;> The freedom of manners, and the uncertainty of life,, from the various hazards to which it is inevitably exposed,, imparts to the character of savages a species of liberality, under which are couched many benevolent principles ; a respect for the aged, and in several instances a deference to their equals. The natural coldness of their tempera- ment, admits of few outward demonstrations of civility. They are, however, affable in their mode, and are ever disposed to shew towards strangers, and particularly to- THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 319 wards the unfortunate, the strongest marks of hospitality. A savage will seldom hesitate to share with a fellow-crea- ture oppressed by hunger, his last morsel of provision. ' • Numerous are the defects which contribute to counter- balance these laudable propensities in the disposition of savages. Caprice, volatility, indolence beyond expression, ingratitude, suspicion, treachery, revenge, cruelty to their enemies, brutality in their enjoyments, are the evil quali- ties by which they are weighed down. They are, however, strangers to that restless versatility of fashion, which, while it contributes ta enliven, tor- ments at the same time a state of polished society. They are ignorant of those refinements in vice, which luxury, and superfluity, and satiety have engendered. It appears somewhat unaccountable, that, possessing*: capacity and address to execute with neatness and dex- terity many little works wliich are peculiar to themselves, so many age* should have elapsed, without the invention, of any of those arts, which in other parts of the world have- been carried to a high degree of perfect ion v This disre- gard of improvement, ought not perhaps to be imputed to- them as a great defect. They liave frequently expressed sentiments of surprise^ that Em'opeans^ sliould- construct edifices, and midertake works intended to* endure for ages, whilst existence is so lunited and insecure, that tliey might not live to witness the completioa o£ tlieic enterprise. '%■/ I j; i .*■ in. ■ <:-> r ■i .< ■ j ':, >»■' I ,■ •I . ,t :■ V it 's : w U, • i ■ m ' •-it: <.^ i V ,. r.f.m , '4V It J - J I 1 : 1; H' u ■ ,'.H' " ; '''.. n >J *il i i' i 1 i !■ ■ ; I ll I I" W ■» % 1 V' l;!^ ::ii 320 THAIINEHS AND CUSTOMS OP Their natuitil indolence is am effect of apathy, and in- duces them rather to forego the advantages which thejr might envy us, than give themselves the trouble necessary to procure them. From whatever source, however, this aversion to innovation may proceed, certain it is, that since their acquaintance witli Europeans, the prospect of •advantage to be derived from tiience, has not in any de- gree tendf^d to promote their indnstry. They have evinced a decided attachment to their ancient habits, and have gained less from means which might have smoothed the asperities of their condition, than they have lost by copy- ing the vices of thuse, who exhibited to their view the Arts of civilization. "*^** i J ■■;■. ti ,> * ■ t t , _ •• V V,- ■ • '< ■ ■ '■■ ^ •-' ' " . - - «^ 'J^^ '3^iii'i iA b /hii^Ji'ii e;i. . !? rf4'>ij ^mtt him ''Clin* '. ♦■ 'item w ii*'' : III;}- THE AMKRICAN INDIANS. 321 V.A C-t ifc. ■ ■'> ,t'. CHAPTER XIII. ^ ^ 'ii' >'.j, <^ ■' liT' MODE OP COURTSHIP AND MJiRRIAGE AMONG SEVERAL NORTHERN TRIBES THE MOXE8 — MARRIAGE OF THE INCAS •>)• VKRL THE PAS810X OF LOVE BUT FAiNTLV PREVALENT AMONG THE AMERI- CANS — THE MEXICANS— SEVERAL OTHER NATIONS OF DIVORCE — AMERICAN WOMEN NOT PROLIFIC—CBLEBR \TION OF MARRIAGE AMONG THE PERUVIANS—ATTACHMENT OF INDIAN WOMEN TO THEIR CHILDREN SYSTEM OF EOl'CATlON APPEARANCE AND CHARAC- TERS OF SOME TRIBES ANECDOTES ATTACHMENT TO THEIR MODP, OF LIFE — BARON DE SAINT CASTFINS. '■ .' ' .-.-., , ■ •**>> *■ IT has already been remarked, that among asso- ciations which have made but Httle advancement in the arts of Hfe, the condition of women is servile and de- graded. The men alone may be said to be properly free, and the women, invested with the most laborious and do- mestic emplo3'ments, are almost universally their slaves. In the women, notwithstanding, the property of the tribe, the distinction of blood, the order of generation, and the preservation of lineal descent, are, by several of the nor- thern tribes, reputed to be inherent. In them is vested the foundation of all real authority. They give efHciency to the councils, are the arbiters of peace or war, and the keepers of the public stock. The country, the fields and T T f ml i^tvm' iifi i:« f); i. i I I f'.l ( ■ I '... S22 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF their produce, belong to them alone. It is to their disposal that the captive slaves are committed. The rearing and educating infants to a certain age, is their peculiar pro- vince ; they are consulted in all marriages, and in their blood is founded the order of succession. The men, on the contrary, seem to fonu a distinct class amongst themselves ; their children arc strangers to them, and when they die, ever}'^ thing they possessed is destroyed, or is deposited with their bodies in the tomb. Tiie family and its privileges remain with the women. If males only are left in a family, and should their number, and that of their nearest male relatives be ever so great, the race be- comes nominally extinct. Although by custom the leaders are chosen from among the men, and the affairs which concern the tribe are settled by a council of ancients, it would yet seem that they only repn ented the women, and assisted in the discussion of subjects which principally related to that sex. . ,. : - ,.i Among the Iroquois, marriages are formed in such a manner, that the pai'ties leave not their relatives and their cabin to h5»ve a separate dwelling and family, but each re- mains as before, and the children produced from the mar- riage, lielonging to the mother, are accounted solely of her cabin or family. The property of the husband is kept apart from that of the wife, and the females inherit in pre- fercace to tiie males. The consideration of the childrcm THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 323 being dependent entirely on the mother, and forming the future hope of the nation, was the real cause, among many tribes, of the women having in a political sense, acquired a degree of consequence superior to that of their husbands. Like the Lycians, the Iroquois and Hurons take their fa- mily names from the women, who alone are charged with preservuig the race of their ancestors, by transmission to tJieir children, of the name bom by tliemselves. When a warrior dies, the appellation by which he was distinguish- ed is buried in liis grave, and is not renewed until the lapse of several years. The isavages in addressing each other, seldom make use of their adopted name. They ap- ply even to strangers the titles of kindred, such as brother, sister, uncle, nephew, and cousin, observing the distinc- tions of subordination, and the relative proportions of age between themselves and the persons whom they accost. The pmctxce of marrying a plurahty of wives« is more ^nerally prevalent among the natives of t!ie southern, than among those of the more nortliern parts of America. Tlie Ilurons and the Iroquois restrict themselves to one wife ; and what appears singular, polygamy, which is not permitted to the men, is extended to the women among the Tsonnonthouans, where many instances occur of one iemaJe having two husbands.* .. ., ...,.^, » . ^ *.>. * " The system of polyandry is permitted to the inhabitants of Tilxjt, one tvoman being often made the wife of four or five brothers at the same time, T T 2 ■ K 'Mi': ' •: *^' '1 i mi.. A '■'I' ■ '" I ti. , ! if'-)' ,sl 324 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ! " i ■■■' ^'i' 1 * ■ If .5ili 'it! ■'% ii r 'V In the nation of the Algonquins, where two wives arc permitted to one husband, the one is considered of a rank superior to the other, and her children alone are accounted legitimate. They both inhabit the same cabin with the husband. ■ " *' The custom of marrying more than one wife, is no where to be met with among nations in a state of refine- ment ; and the rules of virtue, as well as the precepts of the Christian religion, tend to its prohibition. Wherever it prevails the women are less valued, and their mode of education is calculated to retain them in a state of mental darkness. ^ • . . , ' In regular and limited governments, where property is secured to the possessors, legitimacy of descent becomes a consideration of the highest and most essential import- ance. In proportion, therefore, as their conduct is regu- lated by propriety and virtue, women are held in estima- tion. The passion of love is of too delicate a nature to admit of divided affections, and its real influence can scarcely be felt in societies where polygamy is tolerated. That refined impulse of tender and respectful attachment, the offspring of sentiment, is productive of the most ex- and the original choice becomes the privilege of the elder brother. It is aiBerte(% that a Tabetiaa's wife is as jealous of her connubial rites, though thus joined to a numerous party of husbands, as the despot of an Indian Zenana is of the favours of his imprisoned fair." — Turner's Embassy to the Court of Teschoo Lama. THE AMERICAN INDIANS. S25 alted gratifications of civilized life, and its absence can by no means be compensated by the libertinism of Barba- rians, nor by the unrestrained indulgence of Mahometans. The Apalachites of North America were permitted to marry in every degree of consanguinity next to that of brother and sister. Their children usually bore names which tended to commemorate the exploits of their fa- thers ; those of the enemies they had slain in battle, or of villages which they had burnt, were transferred to their sons. Among the inhabitants of New Mexico polygamy is allowed, but those of Cibola take only one wife. The natives of California inflict on the persons who are guilty of the crime of adultery, a capital punishment. The women mourn six months for the death of their husbands, and are permitted to re-marry at the expiration of that period. The custom of espousing a plurality of wives prevails among the natives of Darien, and the husbands have the privilege of selling their partners, whenever they cease to be agreeable. Prostitution before marriage is said to be frequent ; but as pregnancy in that state would be deemed ignominious, every endeavour is practised to counteract it. Attachment to each other by mutual af- fection is not necessary for forming engagements between the sexes ; their gallantry extends no farther than to a proposal of marriage on the part of the man, or of the woman ; and it is considered no mark of forwardness in >l«r 'i^, K'-i" 'i, 1'., I m '- -i If'. . .'-.If- I'i i;:<(1 ,r-^ \ . 1 .1, i , ;^f- ; hf- -..f L^ ^1 }iy ri H {;: 326 MAKNSRS AND CUSTOMS OF '».:'• ■ :' II ([•• i1 f'1 i ' ^ a. .tip : t I the latter openly to avow her inclination. A present is brought to the door of the cabin of the bridegroom, by each guest invited to the marriage. The parties are con- ducted by their fathers into the cabin, the father of the bridegroom commencing the ceremony by an oration. He holds in his hand a bow, and arrows with tlie points directed towards the young couple ; he dances until he becomes heated and fatigued, and afterwards kneeling down, pre- sents his sou to the bride, whose father also perfonns tlie same gestures which were already exhibited. When the ceremony is concluded, a party of men immediately begin to cut down trees, and to clear a spot, where they plant a quantity of Indian corn for the provision of the new mar- ried persons. Although polygamy is permitted among the Moxes, it seldom happens that a man takes more than one wife at a time, his natural indolence rendering hifia inculpable of supporting two. Incontinence in a married state is here considered as a crime of the first enomiity ; and if a wo- man is so forgetful of her duty as to be unfeithful to her husband, she is reputed as infamous, and is frequently punished with death. ^ ^ ^ -' - A total disregard of external forms seems to prevail in the celebration of marriages among the Moxes, The whole ceremony consists in the mutual consentof the rela- tions of the parties, and in some presents made on the part THE AMERICAN INTIAXS. 327 of tlie intended liusband to the father, or to the nearest connection of her whom he is to espouse, lleciprocal rc«i;ard is by no means deemed essential. After marriage, the luisband follows iiis wife to wliatevcr spot or situation she may chusc to inhabit. Aniong some other natives of South America, the Ca- ciques or chiefs are permitted to have several m ix^es, whilst all the other members of their coinnmnity are allowed to possess only one. But should they be dissatisfied Avith their wives, they can repudiate theni, and make another choice. A father consents not to the marriage of his daughter, until her lover has given unequivocal proofs of his address and courage. He betakes himself to the chace, kills as much game as he is able, brings it to the entrance of the cabin, where she whom he is to espouse resides, and retires in silence. By the species and the quantity of game, the parents form a judgement of his talents and of his merit. An inhuman practice prevails among some of ihese nations ; when a mother who lias young children, dies, they are put to death and interred witli her ; and when a woman is delivered of twins, she destroys one of them, assigning for a reason, tliat she cannot nourish two children at tlie same time. In Peru, marriage between persons in the first degree of consanguinity in the direct line, or even in the colla- teral, was never permitted except to the Incas, the legiti- ;>t.^ -: i}^r si' <' •'I ■ t ( <■*. ) \p a. wai s 'I * a ;|v' '\ "1 •J y '1 ■' 1 ' f i: .'• 1, 4 1 hi' < 1 323 MANNlinS AND CUSTOMS OF « U „ • i' ii. '1 k '#■ mate heirs of tlie empire, and the soverei<(ii alone espoused his own sister. The vanity of those princes, wlio consi- dered themselves little inferior to divinities, induced them to establish this law, to the exclusion of tlie rest of the family, that the race of the iSun might always be more pure in the blood of the monarch. The Inca Crarcilagso de la Vega ])retends that this law was as an- cient as the monarchy, and that it had been institute^- terwards branded with general detestation. Sons not un- frequently married the widows of their fathers, provided they were not their own mothers. The practice of espous- ing stepmothers appears to have been prevalent in Scot- land so late as the eleventh century, and is supposed by Lord Hailes to have originated from motives of interest, that tUe estate might be exonerated from the payment of a jointure. ;,.The ancient Persians entertained a persuasion that they IJ TJ '■i-:\ :r^'/, 'V-'j 1 •I I n : •.> .H 4** * ] ru I t. 'i I ■! ! ' J 4\^.\ M .rl 330 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Of A\ ho were married enjoyed a peculiar degree of happiness in a future state, and therefore, frequently liired persons to be espoused to sueh of their relations as had died in a state of celibaey. . , ' An institution of a very sin had long been dead, wiis frequently p rformed, and hostile tribes were, by these imaginary mtans, .sometimes recon- ciled to each other, when every other mode of pacitication had been attempted in vain. This ideal contract was re- garded with superstitious veneration, and any breach of treaty, where it had taken place, was considered as draw- ing on themselves the vengeance of these departed spirits. The Iroquois, the Hurons, and other nations among whom polygamy is not in use, espouse, after the death of their first wife, one of her sisters ; they of the family of the deceased failing not to propose to the husband this fresh alliance, especially if they have been satisiied with his conduct during the first marriage. The same custom is followed with respect to a vsidow, luid the brothers of her deceased husband. The state of marriage is not entered into, on the part of the man, at an early period of life. His assistance in the chace being useful to the cabin or family in which he ■ 1 THE AMERICAN iNDlAKk. 531 dwelt, it waa, doubtless, with regret that he was permitted to form an alliance, which would alienate his services and the fruits of his industry. The men, however, were ge- nerally so much attached to the family in which they had been reared, and of which they were members, that they seldom discovered any impatience to forsake it, by form- ing, in wedlock, a new engagement ; and the habit of their marrying at an advanced period of life may be at- tributed, perhaps, more to their own inclination than to interested motives on the part of those among whom they resided. * ' . The passion of love, feeble unless aided by imagination, is of a nature too refined to acquire a great degree of in- fluence over the mind of savages. Their erratic mode of life, their dependance for support on the precarious sup- plies which the cliace affords, and theii natural disposi- tion to indolence, tend in a great degree to abate the ar- dour for the sex. This impulse, which bestows energy and comfort on mankind, they possess in a much fainter degree than the inliabitanU of the eastern hemisphere. Many of the Indians are, notwithstanding, subject to jealousy, and often carr;^ that passion to fatal extremes. The females appear, however, to be much more sensible oi nder impressions. > - »• It is common among the Iroquois, for a man who in- tends to marry, to leave to the principal matron, or to u u 2 I I .^••t^ ' »■ ' .. rl !'■ S32 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 0F lit. • I ■I!! ' •(. V some of his own relations, the selection of his future spouse. The choice having been fixt, and the consent of the female procured, a proposal is made to her relations^ .who hold a consultation upon the occasion, and should it be agreeable, delay to return a positive answer. The mar- riage being resolved on, the friends of the bridegroom send to the cabin of the young woman, a present consist- ing of porcelain, peltry, some blankets of skins, and othei useful articles of furniture, which are intended for the pa- rents or near relations of the bride, with whom no dowry is demanded. When the presents are accepted, the mar- riage ceremony is considered to be concluded", and the contract to be passed. Men advanced in years frequently espouse young girls, as being more easily moulded to theit own disposition.* In Mexico, marriages were celebrated by the authority of the priests, and an instrument was drawn up, specifying the particulars of the wife's fortune, which the husband^ in case of separation, was by law obliged to return. When the articles were fully arranged, the parties went to the * Of a nature cold and- unsocial, the bosom of a savage feels but little sa- tisfaction at thtt sight of his nearest relatives, even after a long separation. Neither the husband nor the wife are on these occasions actuated by the emotions of joy which naturally arise in generous bosoms. If they meet or the way, they proceed along as strangers, without seeming to take the smallest notice of one another ; and it is not until they have been at home a. considerable time that they appear to renew their acquaintance. * ^ ■ ^ ^- • • I ' 1 iir THE AMERICAN INDIANA. 333 temple, where they communicated to the sacrificing priest the tenor of their resolutions. He thereupon laid hold of a comer of the woman's veil, and of the husband's mantle, and tied them together, to indicate that they should re- main inseparable. They afterwards approached a fire kindled for the purpose, which was considered as the me- diator of all family discontents > Having followed the priest in procession seven times around it, they seated themselves, in order to be equally warmed by its heat, which was conceived to give perfection to matrimony. In the early part of the night, the bride, conducted by a ma^ tron accompanied by some others of her sex, with each a torch in her hand, went to her husband's abode, where a marriage festival was prepared. Among the inhabitants of Nicaragua, the priest, in performing the ceremony of marriage, takes the parties by the little finger, and leads them to a fire which is kindled for the occasion. He in- structs them in their duty, and in such particular conduct as he tlunks requisite to be observed by them in the tran-- sition from the one state to the other. When the fire be- comes extinguished, the parties are looked upon a,s hus- band and wife. . . _ Among the Tlascalans, it was the practice to shave tlie heads of a new-married couple,, to denote that all youth- ful sports ou-^ht in that state to be abandoned. In a neigll*- bouring province of the Mexican empire, it was customary '■:.;■, At •" ■*, ,:' *■ ''..Pi ' ,"■•* ■; ■■\!<| ' r , -' ' '■ ' , ,i u H'lt' ,*! .4 I: 4 - V, •'lai 'lid' t V !'> > 1 > i < t -■ t 1'' 'j \ ■* i 1 t 'I fM H ■Ii' s ' 41. n ■ I" ' i '■ 334 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Oi' to carry the bridegroom, that he might be supposed to marry against his inclinations. Among tlie natives of the province of Panuco, a husband purchased his wife, and the father did not speak to his son-in-law during the first year of the marriage. The husband and wife abstained from all kind of commerce with each other for the space of two years after the birth of their first child. The Macatecas, another tribe subject to the Mexican empire, fasted, prayed, and sacrificed to their gods for the space of twenty days after their marriage, and likewise drew from themselves blood, with which they sprinkled their idols. . ;; . ' o-^ •. • ; -^^j u^a>'i . v j The mutual consent of both parties was all that Mas required for a separation among the Mexicans. The young men were retained by the father, and the young women by the mother, and were, on pain of death, prohibited from a re-union. A statute, whose penalties were so severe, rendered divorces unfrequent. Female chastity was held in great estimation, and a deviation from it was regarded as highly criminal. In new Grenada, where polygamy is allowed, the ties of consanguinity are respected. The Cacique has usually a greater number of wives than any of the people, and his successors are chosen from among the children of her to whom he was the most attached. The Caribanians indulged the practice of polygamy t6 THE AMEniCAN INDIANS. ' 335 its utmost extent, ..nd a Cacique distributed his wives into different parts of the country. Feasting and dancing was introduced at the marriage ceremony, and tlie hair of the parties was cut off. The bride was obliged to pass the first night witli the priest, as a form essentially neces- sary to constitute the legality of the marriage. If that part was omitted she was considered only as a concubine. Among the natives of America, it does not appear cus- tomary for a father to bestow any portion with his daugh- ter. The practice of receiving a dower with a wife, which is not always productive of felicity in wedlock, prevails in a great degree in societies that have made considerable progress in the arts af civilization, and in a taste for luxury. The Athenian legislator, with a view to preserve regu- larity and domestic happiness among his countrymen, prescribed that no portions should be given with women on their marriage. Avarice on the part of the husband, and a sense of independence on that of the wife, might be conceived to be inimical to the welfare and tranquillily of a married state. The marriage ceremony among some of the northern tribes, usually concludes with a feast, in which is exhibitcMl a profusion of every species of food most in esteem among the natives, and the assembly is always numerous, "'he song, the dance, and other amusements, contribute to H.'V ^•^ ''d f'Kn 1 J . .: i 1! • : ■■:. yi 1 .-ff t- 1 K- ; \ .■ \"U ■(I. i :-f? 336 MANNERS AND CVSTOMb OF i\ I- I ! il . I : 1 1 ! ■' i ,; f ,: 1 f ) 1 ] .1 t vary the occupations of the day. At night, all the rela- tives of the bridegroom withdraw, excepting four of the eldest, who remain to accompany him. The bride is at- tended by a like number of aged females, one of w}iom presents her to her husband ; the couple then standing upon a mat, hold the end of a rod placed horizontally be- tween them, whilst the oldest man present delivers a short harangue. In this attitude they alternately address each other, and sing and dance together, keeping hold of the rod, which is afterwards broken into as many pieces as there are witnesses present, to each of whom a piece is distributed. On the conclusion of the ceremony, the bride is led out by young women, who ve-conduct her to the cabin of her father, where her husband occasionally visits her, until her first child is born ; on this event her effects ai'e carried to tlve cabin of her spouse, in which she after- wards continues to reside. ' ! ' Mutual separation takes place whenever it is the wish of the parties, M'ho generally give a week's previous no- tice, each of them assigning reasons. The small pieces of rod which were distributed among the relations, are col^- lected and brought to the place where the ceremony of marriage was performed, to be there consumed in the pre- sence of the husband and wife. These divorces are effected without dispute, quarrel, or contradiction. The women become equally at liberty with the men, to re-marrj'^ when THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 537 th6y are inclined. Tlie children forming the wealth of the savage tribt^s, are, at the period of separation, eqnally di- vided between the father and mother. Should the number be unequal, the greatest share falls to the mother. Al- though the privilege of changing is unrestricted, there are many savages who have never had more than one wife. In many parts of Asia, temporary marriages are com- mon, and are contracted by means of a written indenture witnessed by the Cadhi ; on the expiration of the term, a certain sum is paid to the wor^.an, and the engagement thus becomes dissolved. The children are not accounted lawful, and cannot succeed to any inheritance. Of some of the nations of South America, the men al- ways sleep and live together in the same cabin ; this prac- tice extends even to those who are married, who camiot enter the cabins where their wives reside, but under the obscurity of night. Their ancient customs did not permit them to speak to the relations of the spouse. They took eveiy means of avoiding them, as if the alliance contracted had been injurious, and they had something to apprehend from their resentment. . ^ The new married couple, in the Iroquois tribes, belong- ing always to the cabin of their respective mothers, the femilies contract new obligations towards each other, on account of the alliance. The wife is not only bound to give food to her huiiband, to cook his provisions wJien he X X ' ,» ■ 1 . . , 'i ■* * 1'' .i ■! -i 1 « ! ■ 1 1 to. t! ; ■ ,i ||. ' ; ')■ ' # ! i ' Vi\ ■ l,\ 1 i !f; ■ , I ■ j I' m !| ■f ivIH' ■fi ■'• \i S38 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF sets out on expeditions, but likewise to assist those of his family when they cultivate their fields, and to provide wood for tlie fires, during an allotted period. All the women of her own family, assisted by a great part of those of the village, carry to the husband's cabin several bundles of wood, intermixed with small and short pieces. The wife, to recompense such as have aided her in this toil, suspends a kettle over the fire, and distributes from thence a large portion of boiled maize to each person. This form- ality prevails only among the more stationary tribes of North America, and is termerl the nnpt'tal wood. It becomes the office of the husband in his turn, to make a mat, to repair the cabin of his wife, or to con- struct a new one. The produce of his hunting expedi- tions, during tlie first year of marriage, belongs of right to his wife ; he afterwards shares it equally with her, whether she remains in the village, or ac ompanies him to the chace. The Hurons, w^hose customs are in many respects simi- lar to those of the Iroquois, are much more irregular in their conduct. When the former were defeated by the latter, those prisoners who were incorporated with the so- ciety of the conquerors, could never venture to propose at Agniers, or at Tsonnonthouan, a festival of debauch which they celebrated in their country, afraid of exciting disgust in the Iroquois, whose minds were not sufficiently cor- '■-^ THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 339 rupted to tolerate such a spectacle. Although their mo- rals have since declined, and they are become less scru- pulous with respect to the observance of chastity, they preserve, however, many of the exterior requisites of de- corum. Their language is chaste, and possesses appro- priate terms. In their mode of dress they preserve an in- violable regard for decency. The young women studiously avoid speaking in public with persons of a different sex, whose conversation would not foil to render them sus- pected. They walk with much seeming modesty ; and, except the women that are totally abandoned, tliey are sedulously vigilant to preserve their reputation, afraid that they would otherwise forfeit all hope of an establish- ment by marriage. None of the native tribes in America are populous ; the smallness of their numbers may be attributed to their mode of existence, and to a principle in their nature which cherishes not a disposition to multiply. Their desolate and joyless condition, is productive of a proportionate de- pression of spirit. The length of time employed by the women in rearing their children, whom they nourish for three or four years, during which period they cohabit not with their husbands ; the excessive fatigue they undergo, together with the practice among many tribes of licensing prostitution before marriage, and the misery and want to which they are frequently reduced, contribute also to XX 2 " V ' HI ■:>r.i}; ' Ml r ,i:i --■ - } J, * : w ■ ■■': ,ii ■■■•4, j'li •I ; ,,•1 A. m^ ^ ■ ■ !' « 340 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP M ■ \ V render their state unpropitious to the impulse of love, and combine to produce sterihty. ■ , . .,..,...,>, The nations among which prostitution is allowed before marriage, alledge in its Justification, tliat a young woman is mistress of her person, and a free agent. When, liow- ever, she enters into a state of wedlock, she becomes the property of the man whom she has espoused, and resigns her liberty. ^ > . i u - z..*-.):^ - .;. .-,,-,... . *c . The ancient Thracians entertained, with respect to the chastity of women before mamage, the same indifference as some of the American tribes, and like them also con- sidered as an unpardonable offence, the violation of con- jugal fidelity. , , , . ; / ^ The celebration of marriage among the Peruvians, took place in the following public manner. The Inca, in whose person were vested the highest dignities, of chief priest of the sun, and king of men, convocated annually at Cusco, all the marriageable young men and maidens of his family. The stated age for the former was twenty-four years, for the latter that of eighteen. They were not permitted to marry at an earlier peiiod, as they were conceived in that case incapable of regulating their families. The Inca being seated, the parties who had agrv>ed on their union, stood one by the other around him. After calHng them by name, he joined their hands, exacted from them a promise of mutual fidelity, and delivered them to their parents. The THE AMEfilCAN INDIANS. 341 4 celebration of the wedding, wliich was held at the house of the .bridegroom's father, continued for two or three days. Such marriages among that class wei^e alone deno- minated lawful. The sons and daughters of citizens were married by priests, according to the division of the several districts in hidier and lower Cusco. • The moveables and utensils for the house of the new married couple, were supplied by their relations, every one bestowi'.^ according to his circumstances. The governors and curacas, were, by their offices, obliged to marry after the same formalities, the young men and maidens of the provinces over which they pre- sided. In quality of lords and fathers of the districts, they were bound to assist in person, and to solemnize those marriao;es. The houses of the married citizens, were by law pro- vided at the expence of the community among which they were born. The inhabitants of one province or city, were not permitted to intermarry with those of another, but like the tribes of Israel^ were restricted to marrying among themselves, and with their own relations. Tribes and na- tions were by tliis means prevented from being blended with each other. The inhabitants of the same city, or of the same province, speaking the same dialect, were ac- counted relations, and were prohibited going from one /district to another. •;.s ; I--, « • % i.! ,, i:) -41 , i f, u lit ',i^- s'r , V ;>ir,tv. ill iV .*^ 342 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP 'if % ''■ ■ )'■ f.:> ■ The lover, previous to the ceremony of marriage, vi- sited his mistress, and placed upon her feet the otoia, a species of shoe or sandal . The shoe for a young woman was formed of wool or cotton, but that for a widow was fabricated only of reeds. A widow never went abroad during the first year after her husband's death, and even if she had no children, seldom married again. But if she was a mother, she passed her days in perpetual coiiti- nence, and never entered a second time into the married state. Widows usually acquired, from this adherence to virtue, such universal esteem and respect, that they were allowed to enjoy several privileges. There were existing laws by which it .was enacted, that the lands of widows should be cultivated sooner than tbose of the curacas or caciques, and even than those of the Inca. . . '^i t/Miii The females of the northern nations who are in a state of pregnancy, approaching perhaps to the hour of partu- rition, continue to labour at their ordinary tasks, to cul- tivate the fields, and to carry home burthens, conceiving that fatiguing exercises tend to facilitate delivery, and to render the children more robust. The ease with which they bring forth their children is wonderful ; they are as- sisted indifferently by any person of the same cabin. If the event take place in the woods, or in the fields, they undergo alone that trial. They wash their infants in the first stream at which they arrive, return to their cabins^ THE AMKniCAN INDIANS. 343 and seem capable, on the same day, of engaging in llieir accustomed labours. ' • . In some parts of South America, if women suNtaiii not with fortitude the pains incident to a state of labour, the apprehension which the relations entertain that the child will inherit the weakness of its mother, prompts them to destroy it, that none of their race may incur the turpitude of degenerating from the courage of his ances- tors. The same rigour is practised w ith re"»pect to those tiiat are deformed, and the mother is frecpiently put to death together with the child. If the infant be a male, the mother undergoes a kind of purification during thirty days, and if a female during forty, and returns not to the cabin of her husband until the expira- tion of that period. The new-born infant is plunged into wa- ter, and afterwards swaddled to little boards, lined with cot- ton, and more frequently with moss. The Brasilians, and several other nations in South America, pursue, in this re- spect, the same custom as the northei:n tribes ; after dip- ping the child, they paint its body, and lay it in a ham- mocji, placing by its side, if a boy, a bow, arrows, and a knife. Among the nations bordering on the south-east coast of the river Saint Law rence, it Miis the practice, so soon as an infant was born, and before it was allowed to taste its mother's milk, to pour down its throat grease or oil. The eldest son bore the name of his father with the addi- ».••* '•:•:. !••, :':' ^., 'I. *''■ -'1 j:. .. .... I-"^ 4: 311 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF |!: tion oi' one .syllable, to that ot" tlie second sou another syl- lable was added, and lor tlu- third and fourth sons the name Mas pnjportionably augmented. , - • ••• The savaj^e women are attaehtd to their ehildren hy tlu; most ardent and alVeetionate regard, nourishing tlu'Ui us long as they arc able, and separating Irom them only through necessity, and with regret. Thiii tender care for their young is an innate principle, derived from nature, and not from reason. The powerful attachment and anxious solieitu;, • . !.^ A • • . f . ^ ' . * if''. ■. ;! U '; • V/ 1 ' • v|.: I ' 1 i I ; . M6 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF i (■,■■■ 1 ; !■:■ j , ;. 'I ' tr \ li!'; H In whatever station of life a person was placed,io inure a son to hardships became his indispensable duty. ...,, The manners of the youth were regulated by a sect of philosophers, called Amantas, who instructed them in the ceremonies and precepts of religion, in the laws of the empire, and in the duty which man owes to his fellow- creatures. At the age of six or seven years, employments suitable to their slender capacities were allotted to the rJiildren. Indolence and inactivity were reprobated as vices, and a taste for luxury was no less discouraged. .,,.,. Among the Mexicans, when an infant was born, it was immediately carried to the temple, where the priest re- cited over it a discourse on the miseries and troubles to which, by its entrance into life, it became exposed. If it was the child of a tecuitle or noble, a sword was put into its right hand, and a shi^d into the left ; if tlie child of a mechanic, the same ceremony was performed with tools. The priest then carried the child to the altar, where he drew from it a few drops of blood, and afterwards threw water on it, or plunged it into a ci^itern. Four days after tbe birth of the child, it was carried naked to a, place whiere some rushes were deposited ; a vessel filled with water was plaoed upon Uiem, a woman plunged the iniant into it, md three little boys called aloud its nanie. At the expiration of twenty days from its birth, it was carried, together with an oblation, to the temple ; it was TUB AMEniCAN INDIANS. 34r presented to tlie priest by its parents, and from that day was devoted to whatever profession became their choice. From their earliest infancy children were accustomed to sobriety and moderation, and the quantity of their food was every year augmented. A child was initiated in such tasks and amusements as were deemed suitable to its age, and the growth of idleness was tliereby checked and overcome.i — • ^w . ' -tt . 1 f •^ : j! 1 .: 1 ■'•''• h ''4 li .. .1 , f ' ]' .■.^' ' 'A- H i 1 i ■-' i' u *-■ '^ fc i'V. 11 *v *"' m ' !, t) M \ I P'i!r< ''I' i./:. »tr 1.' J. ..H;: i^-' 348 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Ot teachers were derived from tradition, from living memory, and from the force of example. And they who were thus engaged to inculcate the more sacred duties, and the ex- pediency of the practice of morality, as they formed the dispositions of the succeeding generation, and taught the elements of those sciences which fitted members for the future guidance of political affairs, were allowed in the nation the same respect as the ministers of the prince. Some of the tribes in Louisiana flatten th6 forehead of their children, and cause the summit to terminate in a point. The taste of some of the natives of Canada is di- rected in a similar manner, but beauty, in their concep- tion, consists in moulding the head to a round form. The Caraibs have their foreheads flattened, and sunk behind their eye-brows. They are not born in this state, but the head of the infant is compressed into this shape, by placing upon its brow a piece of board tied with a bandage, which is allowed to remain until the bones have acquired consistence. It ever afterwards retains its flat- ness in such a degree, that without raising or bending back the head, the eyes may b ^ directed to objects per- pendicularly above them. " -"-' We have already noticed that the children of savages are early inured to hardships, and although their 'former system of education does not in general prevail in some of the countries where Europeans have e&tablished them- fii" '■ u THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 349 selves amongst them, yet the same spirit, the same dispo- sition, and the same austerity, are still observable. The instructions imparted to them by their parents consist in animating their courage by the example of their ancestors, in urging them to follow their footsteps, and by endea- vouring to impress them with a love of the glory which may be acquired by address and bravery. They place in their hands, as soon as they can hold them, the bow and the arrow, which for some years serve them as instru- ments of amusement, but when their strength begins to ripen into manhood, are applied to more useful and more important purposes. The children of the Floridians were instructed by means of emblems and hieroglyphics, in every thing which re- lated to their families and their tribe ; and their history, by this means, aided by oial tradition, was transmitted from one generation to another. Among some of the nor- thern tribes, the mothers who have charge of the educa- tion of their children, allow them to act as inclination di- rects, under a pretence that they have not yet acquired reason, and that when it is bestowed by age, they will pursue its dictates, and correct and discipline their habits. They are, therefore, subjected to no restraint ; but still they are docile, and have sufficient respect for those of their cabin, and likewise for the aged, which they ever continue to entertain. s .^ -im*;' i^i ,j '■V V ■*^ ':;i|' ^ ■m:H: W" •i"')' !'. ■■«j ■ ■ I I. t.. 4 1 1 J, 1 ' 1 • : ;M^ wif. '■Hi ■ ■ , ', ..1 :)■■' SjO MAHNteRS AND ClTStOMS OF The natives of Canada are in general tall, and well made. The Iroquois, who are of a high stature, are the most valiant of all the North American tribes ; but in- ferior to many in swiftness, in skill in wai-fare, and in the chace. Neither of these occupations they individually pursue, but always engage in them in considerable bodies. The Illinois, tire Oumamis, the Outagamis, and some other nations, are of a middle stature, and swift footed ; the Outaouais, and the greater part of the other savages of the North, except the Saulteurs and Clistinos, are no less deficient in courage, than in appearance and due pro- portion of form. The Ilurons are brave, enterprising, and sprightly, resembling the Iroquois in figure and coun- tenance. • ^ '-■■ -■- ■■' ^-■■- .*•■■-= ,r^.-,;,, .■.h.-.^^-.::r-^J • The North Americans are in general robust, and of a healthful temperament, calculated to live to an advanced age, were it not for the great iiTegularity in their mode of Hfe. Their constitutions are ruined by long and rapid joumies, by extraordinary festing, and by great excess in eating. They are neither so vigorous nor so strong as most of the Europeans, but they are indefatigable, patient of disappointment, ill-fortune and hardship, braving with- ttiit inconvenience either heat or cold. It is fiabit alone in the earlier part of life, Vhich fortifies the hinnan frame, and enables it to encounter \rith ease, not oniy tixcrtion, but the severities of climate. - Wh^^mim .&> /^^limm^ THE AMERICAN INDIANS. S5\ The women exceed not in stature the tniddle size, antj they are in geneml so lusty, and so auk ward in their air and manner, as to render them but Uttle attractive. Tli§ men hold themselves in high estimation, aUed<^ing that they are all equal, and have no subordination among them. They pretend that their contentment of mind far surpasses riches, that the satisfaction derived from the sciences, fall$ infinitely short of an exemption from care, or ratlier of that ignorance of refinement, and that absence of emula-i* tion, which enables them to pass their life in unambitious obscurity. Man is, they affirm, of no estimation in a state of polished society, unless he be rich ; but among them, talent consists in swiftness of foot, in being skilled in the chace, in conducting a canoe with dexterity, in the scir- cnce of warfare, in ranging the forests, in living on little, in constructing cabins, in cutting down trees, and in being able to travel hundreds of leagues in the woods, without «ny other guard or provision Umn the bow and arrow. Th^ enjoy, in a superior degree to Europeans, the per^ lection of the senses. In spite of the snow which dazzles their «ight, ftod the smoke in whjch they are involved fo^ nearly six months of the year, their oi^ans of vision re-^ tsmn to a |(veat age, unimpairefl. They possess an acute*- ness of hearing, and a sense of smelling so strong, that tliey can ascertain their distance from fire, lopg before the ^moke beco»es visible . Their olfactory nerves are so ex- 5 ^ ■ .■yk f 'V^ '. ► ■ « '■ ■.. t ■■«. I 1 '•'1 , * 'i i t I iri'' ■% i I, ''i ! 1 i i ! ',1 1 ' ' 1 : !; ; 1 / 1 .*» 352 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP quisite, that they cannot sufter the smell of musk, or of any strong perfume. They assert, that they find no odour agreeable but that of food. Their imagination is powerful and just. It is sufficient for them to have been once in a place, to form a correct idea of it, which appears never to be effaced. They traverse, without deviating from their course, the vast and unfrequented forests. In the most cloudy and obscure weather, they will for many days fol- low the course of the sun, without being misled ; the most perfect quadrant cannot give more certain information of the course of this luminary, than they are able to do by looking at the heavens. They seem to be born with a talent, which is neither the result of experience nor obser- vation. Children, when they depart from their village to perform their first journey, preserve the same undeviating course as they who have repeatedly traversed the M'hole country. ' ' ' ' - ' ■' ' ^ '^ ■' "■ ^ '■-■ ■■■'* ■ ' -^-*'- In vivacity of imagination, many of the sav^ages are by no means a efective. They have the faculty of replying with readiness, and their harangues frequently abound with luminous points. Nor is the eloquence of some of their orators destitute of that force, that conciseness, that nature, and that pathos, which the Greeks formerly ad- mired in the Barbarians ; and although it appears not to be sustained by action, which is sometimes a violation of the propriety of language, although they use few gestures. I u. THK AMERICAN INDIANS. 353 and seldom raise or vary the modulation of their voice, they appear to be penetrated with the force of every thing they utter, and rarely fail to persuade. The correctness of their recollection is in no decree pro- portioned to the liveliness of their imaginations. Although destitute of the aids which civilized nations have invented to ease tlie memory, they can in some degree supply its defects. They can discourse upon many subjects, with a long detail of circumstances, and with considerable or- der and method. They use, on the most serious and im- portant occasions, belts of wampum, or little" sticks, to re- mind them of subjects which they are to discuss, and thereby form a local memory so unerring, that they will speak for hours together, and produce a variety of pre- .sents, each of which requires a particular discourse, Avitli- out forgetting a circumstance, and even without hesitation. Their narrative is neat and concise, and although they in- troduce into it many allegories and figures, it appears spi- rited, and possessed of all the energy which their language can bestow. , .^ - . ,' , , Their replies are not only ready, but often ingenious. An Outouai being asked by the Count de Frontenac of what materials he conceived rum, of which he was so fond, to be formed, answered, that it was the spirit and quint- essence of hearts and tongues ; ** for," continued he. .".-rj.M- z z ^' .i]> * , ft ■ '."• . ■!»'' 1 •■•^ '1 . B • 1 *:'.! '1' • V ■ t ' J ■ ■ ,*' -4:.. 4'. , t 'il I I ,\ ■i' t \A i r 1'. • 1 ■ ; ': il I i. 1 '' \i :n ' tfi J m • J 354 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF •' when I have drank of it, I tear nothing, and I speak with more than usual facility and boldness." A chief of Virginia having been captived by a gover- nor of that colony, was, to gratify the curiosity of the co- lonists, exiiibited in public. The chief, whose eyes were so much weakened by old age, that he was necessitated to employ one of his people to open them, hearing the noise of a number of persons around him, ordered his eyes to be uncovered. The sight of so great a multitude excited his anger and surprise. He reproached the governor for his ungenerous treatment, and added with a haughty air : " Had my fate been the reverse of what it now is, and had the chance of war made you my prisoner, I would wot have violated your feelings, by exposing you as a spectacle to the derision of the people." The attachment which savages entertain for their mode of life, supersedes every allurement, however powerful, to change it. Many Frenchmen have lived with them, and have imbibed such an invincible partiality for that inde- pendant and erratic condition, that no means could pre- vail on them to abandon it. On the contrary, no single instance has yet occurred of a savage being able to recon- cile himself to a state of civilization. Infants liare been taken from among the natives, and educated with much care in France, \vhere they could not possibly have inter- course with their countrymen and relations. Although THE AMEWICAN IlTDIAN*. 5J55 they had remained several years in that countiy, and could form not the smallest idea of the wilds of America, the force of blood predominated over that of education ; no sooner did they find themselves at liberty than they tore their cloaths in pieces, and went to traverse the forests in search of their countrymen, whose mode of life appeared to tliem far more agreeable than that which tliey had led among the French. - The Baron de Saint CasteJns,* a gentleman of Oleron in Berne, having lived among the savages for upwards of twenty yeai's, made himself so beloved by the Abinaquisj that they looked up to him as to a father. He was for- jnerly an officer of the regiment of Carignan, in Canada, but fro-m tlie period at wfckh that corps was reduced, he joined the savages wliose la»i>guage he had acquired. He marfied after their manner, preferring the forei :ts of Aca- dia to the Pyneneafln mountains, with which his country is environed. Dnring tJse first ye,ars of his restdence amongst these natives, he conducted himself in a manner that con- ciliated their most cordial esteem. He was appointed their grand chief, or sovereign of their nation, and he amassed by degrees a fortune, of which any person except himself would have profited, by remitting to his native home a hundred thousand crowns in gold, which he possessed in his coffers. He, liowever, employed them in purchasing * Voyages de la Ilontiin. z z 2 »' '>i I ^■1 J ■ /: t^: i !U ^ i ■ . t 1 t 1 i • 1 * »■ •' 35t> MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF Mil I h i ■ ■ \ the manufactures of Europe, which he bestowed in pre- sents on the savages, who, on their return from the chace, amply repaid him in furs. He was courted by the govern- ors-general of New France, and likewise by the governor of New England. He had several daughters, who were all advantageously married to Frenchmen, each having a considerable dowry. To shew by his example that he thought incontinence displeasing in the sight of lieaven, he never put away his wife, nor was known to change his attachment. lie attempted to convert the savages to his religion, but his endeavours were without effect. The pious and ardent zeal of the Jesuits was likewise unaccom- panied by any great degree of success, and they often, in vain, inculcated the truths of Christianity. Their perse- verance continued, notwithstanding, unrelaxed, and they accounted that the office of administering baptism to dying children, counterbalanced in a tenfold degree the inconveniences and mortifications attending a residence among these people. f^V , 4'J H ll:. -'J 'I, ■» •"'■^■«!; » , THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 8o7 CHAPTER XIV BELIEF OF A FUTURE EXISTENCE GENEKALLY PREVALENT AMONG SA- VAGES — THE SUN A PRINCIPAL OBJECT OF ADORATION AMONG MANY OF THE NATIVES CEREMONIES OF THE PERUVIANS — OF THE MEX- ICANS — OF SOME NORTHERN TRIBES OP THE NATIVES OP U 8- FANIOLA— OF THE NATIVES OF PARIA OF CARIBANA— OF FLORIDA OF BRAZIL THE NATCHEZ THE ZEMPOELLANS — CRUELTIES OF THE MEXICAN SYSTEM OF SUPERSTITION OF THE HURONS, &C. OF THE IRO(jUOIS — OF A NUMBER OF OTHER TRIBES — INITIATIO»( OF PRIESTS AND WARRIORS — INSTITUTIONS OF THE JESUITS IS SOUTH AMERICA. . . ' THE helpless and uncertain condition of man has, in every country and age of the world, incited him to look for protection and support to the agency of super- natural power ; and few nations are to be found, among whom some traces of religion are not discernible. If a conclusion may be drawn from the care with which the Americans bury their dead, they appear to entertain the persuasion that the soul perishes not with the body. They deposit with the remains of their departed friends, food as well as instruments of the chace, that they may be enabled to provide for their subsistence in the region of spirits, and that they may not be compelled by hunger to ^1 ^ k tt . ,?i i '1 .'•h . .-* I' I ■>v t/ 1i _ , 1 I ' '1 1 1 » } 1 " ' . I 'i' ! i li: ■li:: 358 MAVKKRA AVn CUSTOMS OF revisit the abodes of the living. Tliis principle, ahnost universally received among the Indians, Mas of great uti- lity, by enabling many of the tribes of that people to ad- mit with less dilViculty th(^ doctrines of the christian faith. Respecting the condition of souls after death, they gave themselves but little anxiety. The tenets of religion, which faintly irradiate the minds of savages, are confused and indistinct, and the apprelien- ftion of impending evil, ntore than the .suggestions of a grateful remembrance of good, seems to urge them to the practice of the ceremonies of worship. To their deities they assign characters correspondent to the bias of their own propensities, and proportionate to the strength of their own conceptions. Each individual ascribes to the divinity whom he worships, inclinatioug and practices conformable to his own. His power is be- lieved to consist in bestowing whatever may gratify the wish, his felicity is involved in the fruition of such ima- ginary objects, as may be affixed to happiness by those who adore him, and they confound with the idea of his perfec- tions* certain errors, which ignorance has taught them to appreciate as amiable qualities. Among many of the native tribes of America, neither temples, altars, nor idols, nor any external form of wor- ship, were discoverable by the Europeans who first visited r k 10 'i. THE AMEniCAN INDIANS. 350 thcin, uiul it was coiuluded that llic ultiaiuU- hope of their existence was Hinited to the gratiticatioii of liunj^er, and of other sensual appetites. It was, therefore, too hastily pronouneed, that, hving hke the animals of the forests, without the exix'ctation of an hereafter, they offered no worship, and paid no religious rites, either to visible or to invisible deities. An aversion, or, jxrhaps, an incapacity to attain any high degree of improvement in the arts of civilization, or in subje'ta of theology, seems to prevail in the character of the natives of this continent. Among such of them as had attained to the exercise of religious ceremonies, were observed rites, which bore a strong resemblance to those of the barbarians who first occupied the country of Greece, and spread themselves over Asia, to those of tlie people who serveil Bacchus in his military expeditions, to those, in fine, which aft(Twards became the foundation of tlie whole system of pagan mythology. t Even in the most barbarous state, man is not destitute of the moral principle. If influenr ed by passion, he is urged to the perpetration of a deed, which, on cool refkc- ikion, his heart afterwaixb condemiLs, he is led to suppose ^hat such conduct muja be highly offensive to the Deity, as well as injurious to the tribe of which he is a member. iHe has, thertfoce., recourse to some mode of expiation, to effect a reconciliation, and to procure forgiveness. \i * " ^ It' IT' i. » ' if" ;l ■ ■ :\.; • ' 1 \4-' ■ ■% pr 't:, . i 1 4!t .* , I '« ;■< ;-*' 'i, ''*:* ►i'. # .'^60 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP Jlenot; tiic iiitro(liicti.)n of sacrifice, and atonement by ob- lation. 'J'he reconciliation thus obtained implies a reso- lution to avoid former errors, and to pursue the practice of virtue, M'hicb exhibits the prospect of reward. IVfany of the natives of America, like other uncivilized nations, worship the sun as a principal divinity, and it is not in Peru alone that he has been honoured by particular adoration, and that the sovereign regarded him as the au- thor of his origin. Some of the natives believe that they first derived their existence from animals ; they entertain a faint idea of a deluge, and pretend that the commencement of the world which they inhabit is to be dated fiom that event. They celebmte feasts in honour of their deities, and on these oc- casions all tlie viands thus appropriated must be consumed. They erect posts painted of a red colour, to which the victims are atfixed. Dogs are the holocausts, by which they conceive their divinities are most easily propitiated, and wiien they betake themselves to the chace, they add to these sacrifices the dressed skins of deers and elks. When they intend to set out on war expeditions, they attach to a post a bow and arrow painted red, and make a festival, during which they use every species of invocation, recommending to the care and guidance of their tutelar gods, their families, and the success of their enterprises. , , . iM THE AMERfCAN INDIANS. 361 • ]\Iany of the Indian nations believe that the soul, after its separation from the body, enters into a wide path, crowded by spirits, which are jour: jying towards a region of eternal repose. That in the way thither an impetuous river must be crossed by means of a bridge made of wicker, which contiimally trembles under the feet, and from whence the passengers incur much hazard of falling into the cur- rent. They who are so unfortunate as to be tlirown from this passage are swept away by the stream, and can never return. The spirits which have passed the river direct their course for a considerable way along its banks, mak- ing provision of fish, which they dry, until they gain an extensive meadow, whose extremity is terminated by pre- cipitous rocks, over which there is a long and narrow path, with a barrier of two large logs of wood, alternately raised and depressed. Tliese are intended to crush the living who might attempt to force a passage, but not as an impediment to tlie progress of the dead. The soul af- terwards arrives at a beautiful meadow, boundless to the sight, filled with every species of animals, and abounding with the most delicious fruits ; here is heard the sound of drums, and of other musical instruments known to sa- vages ; from hence it is ushered into the abode of happi- ness and joy, where its journey is concluded, where it i» invested with beautiful raiment, and where it mingles with an assembly of kindred spirits in the dance. •i A : 1 ■ ' 'it ' -ill 1 'll ' \ >i*';. 1^. ' r 362 STANlTEnS AND CUSTOMS OP rv'\'^ ^.:rl- ■ H 1 '■ M ■ i ■I 1 '■ I If : 1 * il! t 1 , 1 : ■i 1 1 * > ( i I ! i ! 4 J Ik... 1 .1 1 The Apalacliites, a tribe of Florida, believe that they who have lived a life of virtue are admitted into Heaven, and are assigned a place amoitg the stars. They suppose the habitation of the wicked to be upon the precipices of lofty mountains in the North, surrounded by bears, and other ferocious animals, and chilled by perpetual frost and snows. Tlie Indians of CaroHna believe in the transmigration of souls; and whenever any one of tlieir tribe dies, they bury along with him provisions and utensils for his use. The Mexicans, who believed in the immortality of the .soul, placed the habitation of the good not far from the sun. Their countrymen who had been slam in battle, or they who had been sacrificed to the gods, were, by the sanctions of their religion assigned the first station among the happy. To departed souls, according to the different modes in which they left this life, they apportionetl various degrees of felicity or of wretchedness. The Tlascalans paid adoration to a multitude of divi- nities, among which the goddess of love was allotted a dis- tinguished rank. A temple was appropriated for the ce- lebration oi her rites, and the whole nation assisted at her festivals. Every misfortune in life is, by the savages, attributed to the influence of evil genii, and the dispensation of good they coni»ider,.on the contrary, to 0ow from the upe- THr AWSRSCAN INDIAK3. 56» ration of benevolent spirits. To the former they offer nj^ living sacrifices, to the latter they present furs, or Euro- pean merchandise received for these articles. A day unclouded and serene is chosen for this cere- mony, when each savage carries his oblation, and places it upon a pile of wood reared for the occasion. When the sun lias attained his meridian altitude, children arrange themselves around the pile, and apply to it flambeaux of lighted bark, whilst the warriors dance and sing, encom- passing it with a circular figure mitil it is consumed. The old men deliver harangues to Kitchie Monitou, the good spirit, holding up at the same time, towards the sun, lighted pipes of tobacco. These songs, harangues, and; dances, are contini^d until the evening, not however, without some intervals of relaxation. The priests of Hispaniola offered tobacco as the in-, cense which they supposed most agreeable to their idols. When these ministers had intoxicated themselves with the fumes of this plant, they persuaded the people that the incoherent rli psodies which they uttered in this state of dehrium, were the oracles with which they were inspired. When they worshipped their demons, the solemnity was previously proclaimed ; and on the day of the ceremony, the cacique walked in procession at head of both sexes of his subjects, arrayed in their best attire. The whole train moved by beat of drum towards the temples of those de-. 3 a2 * ,;■., ,■1 »4 , t i • ':'. . li' m.1 * :• f 4 't; 1 1 ' <( 1 \^ v| 4 ■ A.\ 1 „ ■ h s: *• ' 3 ■A . I 1;)' ;i " , !•! : ,■ .- '. ' , > ' ■1 1 1 1 ' 1'- ■ . ' i, ■' "1^ 1 li ^■ ' ■ »1 364 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ihons, who were there represented in the most hideoii« and disgusting shapes. Oblations were offered, which con- sisted of cakes brought by the women in baskets, adorned with flowers ; and on a signal from the priests, the devotees began to dance, and sing the praises of Zemes, their prin- cipal spirit of evil, concluding with eulogies on their former caciques, and with prayers for the prosperity of the nation. The cakes were afterwards broken in pieces, and divided among the men, who carefully kept them in their houses for twelve months, as preservatives against various accidents. When the procession had readied the door of the temple, the cacique, who marched at the head, seated himself at the entrance, whilst the people went in, singing all the way, and passing in review before him. Their gods were said to reveal themselves to the priests, and some- times to the people. If the priest, after consulting the oracle, danced and sung, he announced a favourable omen. But if he betrayed a sorrowful air, the people were sad and dejected, and abandoned themselves to grief and iasting. - . ••■ •.'.■' /> . ;- j,**,^ .:•-<.,., ii,,?'.^ >;,; t i, a. .s Some of the natives of South America bestowed on the moon the title of mother, and honoured lier in that qua- lity. During an eclipse, they went in crowds from their cabins, sending forth cries and lamentable bowlings, and launching into the air a prodigious number of arrows, to defend that luminary from dogs, which they conceived had thrown themselves upon it. 'M > THE AMERICAN ISDIANSv 36& These people imagine when it thunders, that the storm is raised by some of their departed enemies, who would thus revenge their defeat. They are extremely inquisitive and superstitious with respect to a knowledge of the fu- ture. They frequently consult the songs of birds, the cries^< of certain animals, and the changes which take place on the trees of the forest. These are their oracles, and they* believe that they can draw from thence no doubtful indi-» cations of unfavourable events which may threaten them. Their conjectures concerning the nature of thunder, are no less whimsical than singular. They say, that a species of men with wings like those of butterflies, and whose voice produces that awful sound, seat themselves, on these occasions, upon the clouds, and hover amid the regions of the atmosphere. Some of the tribes assert, however, that thunder is the effect of a bird of uncommon magnitude. In this opinion may be discovered an analogy to the em- blematical arrangements of the ancient pagan nations, who consecrated the eagle to Jupiter, and represented that bird as the faithful minister and guardian of his thunder. The savages of Paria worship the skeletons of their an- cestors, and believe that the sun moves in a chariot drawn by tigers ; they therefore preserve a veneration for those animals, and feed them with the flesh of the dead. The inhabitants of Caribana, receive in a solemn man- ner the spirit of valour ^ which is nothing else thai, the :: I % > Hi 1-i .. i. ,. j. ?- .}» i I: ■ /..*■ i > ' . 1 .<:! ■'■■W'k 1 'r; ' ■ 1 ' '.1 1 1 i i 1 , ■i ',; ■ ■ ;i t > 'I ; -I * •"i B -» , ! I ii J. f\ r f t 36« MANNBHS AND CUSTOMS OF smoke of tobacco blown upon them from the end of a long tube, by a priest, as they pass him severally in tlie dance^ They who are desirous of participating in this ceremony, join in a circular dance, which they perform with an in- clination of the head and shoulders, and violent contor- tions of the body. Three or four priests rush into the center of the circle, and separately whiff the dancers with the smoke of tobacco from their tubes, saying at the same time to each, ** receive the spirit of force, that thou mayst be enabled to overcome thine enemies." • • - The natives of North America, pay no honours to the stars and planets, nor to fire, which has generally been held sacred by most of those nations accustomed to its use ; nor to any animated divinity which they might be obliged to nourish. They speak, nevertheless, of Tha- ronhiaouagon as a being who once lived amongst them, but they have no multiplied Apotheosis. It is in propor- tion only to the diffusion of science, and to the expansion of the mental faculties, that the catalogue of any system 4 of Pagan mythology becomes augmented. The Apalachites worship the sun and moon, but offer to these luminaries no living sacrifices. Their temples are used only as receptacles for the dead, and as depositaries for those articles wliich they appreciate the most. The I - ^ II - , I Ti-i . _ 11 !■ -M-wir ■- — "^ * La/Ueau. MfBun des SauTagrs. TWE AUTEItlCATI IITDIANfl. tW •entrances are adorned witli trophies taken from tlie enemy. 'they eutertain some faint idea of a general deluge, and ibelebrate festivals in honor of Toia, who, they conceive, possesses Uie power of dispensing evil to mankind. The Spaniards found in some of the temples of Florida, wooden trunks or chests, placed near the "walls upon plat- forms or benches, raised two feet from the ground. In these trunks dead bodies were embalmed and deposited. There were besides boxes aiid baskets of reed, curiously wrought, the former containing dresses of men and women, tlie latter a quantity of pearls. The Americans, like the ancient heathens of the eastern hemisphere, entertain a respect hx high places, for stones of a conical form, and for certain groves and trees, wliich they esteem sacred. Iji some of the tenlples of the Nat- chez of Louisiana, these conical stones were carefully de- posited, enveloped in a nunvber of coverings of the skins of deer. Tiic Abinaquis, who frequent the coasts of the Saint Lawrence, between ^ova Scotia and Canada, are said to have' had a sacred tree, of wliieh they relate many extraordinary circumstances, and which was always charged with their vows. This trtie having biat()ry monu- ments similar to this, it appears that almost the whole of the Barbarian tribes avail themselves. Statues and idols of a rude form, have been found among some of the north- ern nations, as well as in the temples of Mexico and Peru. The savages of V^irginia preserved among them symbolical idols of hideous deformity, under which shapes they af- firmed, the demon whom they worshipped often appeared to them. In Louisiana, the Natchez kept in their temple an in- cessant watch for the preservation of the perpetual fire, of wiiich they were at great pains never to allow the extinc- tion. This fire was committed to the care of a kind of priests, who slept in the temple upon hides stretched on the ground. Three pieces of wood were employed to nourish it, and this number was never augmented nor di- minished. \\\ this tentple, the bodies of tlieir departed chiefs, and of their families, were deposited. The great chief went at state INDIANS.* S6& and the princes of the blood;, whenever they addressed them ; to honour, by tlHs exterior indication of reverence^ the sun, from whom that family was supposed to be de- Hcendeda »'»'■— • - ,• m- » »i jj f»y.;t- i« .^i fii'ss-i**-,- The Zempoellans, who inhabited the eastern coast of Xew Spain, were so much attached to tlieir system of superstition, that when Cortes threw down the idols of their temple, and erected in their place a qrucitix and an image of tiie Virgin, they were impressed with sentiments of horror and resentment. Excited to arms by their priests, they were about to take revenge on the Spaniards, had not Cortes exerted his utmost authority and address to appease them.* Tlie Peruvians, previous to the arrival of Manco-^Capac in their country, paid religious adoration to an infinite multitude of divinities. Mountains, caverns, trees, flowers, herbs, plants, and various animals, became the objects of their worship. They offered in sacrifice, not only the fruits of the earth, but also captives procured in warfare ; and when these were wanting, young children were devoted for this service. ^ •- . - Manco-Capac and his sister, who was also his wife, pre- tended to be the offspring of the sun, and to have derived from that luminary their mission and authority. To con- • ■■ ■■■■ IMfca !■— — — I ■■ ■■ ■ ■■- —^M. - ■ ■ ■■ !■■■ ■■11 — ■■■■ ^■ll.■ ' ■■■IW ■ '- • . * Robertson's History of America. 3 B 1 ■ t' .):4-. II ,' f ■i 1 ; f ( ■H' II It '\ 370 MANNRBS AKD CUSTOMS OF duct them to the place of their destination, they received? from him a golden rod, with whicli they travelled from north to south, until it sunk in the valley of Cusco. In this situation they fixed the seat of their empire, and in- structed the inhabitants in the principles of their doctrine. Until he could establish his authority by conquest, Manco Capac availed himself of the ablest of his converts, for the purpose of diffusing his influence. He was at length en- abled, by the extension of his power, to enforce among all his subjects the worship of the sun, and to communi- cate to them a code of political institutions, calculated to improve their system of society, and to promote in a greater degree, the general happiness. The Peruvians dii-ected a considemble share of their worship to the sun ; but they entertained a yet higher degree of veneration for a god, whom they denominated Pachacamac, and who was supposed to possess the princi.* pal pawer in animating and prolonging the existence of the universe. . The spirit of eviF, whom they called Gupaiy was conceived to be the reverse in disposition to the deities already men^ tioned. Although they feared him, they paid him no re- ligious honours, and. regarded him with aversion, and dis- gust. . It was customary for the master of a feast, before he drank, to dip the tip of one of his fingers in the vessel, to THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 371 raise his eyes in a submissive manner, and as an offering of gratitude, to shake the drop from the finger on which it hung. lie at the same time gave three kisses to the air, and after this oblation every guest was allowed to drink at pleasure. '-:>.. i: i ; .«: /. - ir *nj . < AVhcn they entered their temples, the person of the first rank, or the oldest man in the company, laid his liand on one of his eye-brows, and plucking some of the haits from it, blew them into the air as an oblation. Tiiere were in the temple of Cusco, several idols be- longing to nations subdued by the Incas, which were wor- shipped by the captives, upon condition of their adoring the sun as the first divinity. A regard was thus paid to the .religion of a vanquished people, whose attachment to their forms of superstition became feebler, when contrasted with a worship which was less absurd, and supported by the laws of the nation. The worship of the sun was thus rapidly diffused, and would have superseded that of all the strange idols, had not the Spaniards invaded and desolated the country. . The month of June was ; 372 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF I. li m his rays in a small concave vessel, Mliose surface wa« smooth and polished. The converging rays were thrown upon some cotton, which was thereby ignited, and applied for kindling the great fires for burning the oblations. A portion of this fire was after^vards conveyed to the temple of the sun, where it was carefully preserved all the year. If, on the day of the festival, the sun was obscured by clouds, it was coasidered as an evil omen, and deep afllic« tion was testified by the priests. As a substitute for the celestial fire, the effect was produced by the frictioa of two pieces of hard wood. '■ ' ' The festival of C/Vm, held by the Peruvians after the equinox, was considered as a general lustration, to purify the soiil by sacrifice, from those pollutions which it con* tracts by its connection with the body, and to preserve the latter from the maladies and accidents to which it is exposed. They on this occasion rubbed various parts of the body, and likewise the doors of their houses, with a kind of dough, and left a part adhering to the posts, to indicate that the house was purified.. The nocturnal lustration was performed by the Inca and four nobles of his family, who perambulated the city with burning torches, which they threw, half consumed, into a river in whose waters the people had washed themselves. These feasts concluded with rejoicings, prayers, thanks- givings, and s^rifices to the sun. The Peruvians con- THE AMRniCAN INDIANS. 073 liessed their sins to the priests appointed fur tiiut purpose, whenever the divine assistance was deemed necessary, and a chastisement proportioned to the magnitude of (he of- fence, was imposed. Certain women liad also a share in tills rehgious function. When the Inca fell sick, a great and solemn confession was luade by all the people. lie confessed himself to the sun only, and afterwards washed himself in a stream of pure water, to which he addressed these words, ** Receive and convey to the ocean, tlie sins which I liave confessed to the sun." The inhabitants of the valley of Rimac, afterwards dis- tinguislied by the name of Lima, worshipped an idol which vas supposed to pronounce oracles, and to answer tlic en- «[,uiries of those who consulted it. The religion of these idolaters gave place to that of the Incas. To Pachactunac hunan sacrifices were offered, and he was regarded with the most profound veneration. The ministers of his temj^e walked backwards when they en- tered, and retired in tlie same manner, without lifting up their eyes towards the idol. The Antis, who inhabited the territory at the basis of the mountains of Peru, worshipped tygers and serpents. The nations of the province of M this idol. . * . ■ The city of Cholula is said to have contained a great number of temples of tlie gods, and to have been con- sidered as consecrated ground. The chief temple was composed of a mound of earth above forty fathoms in height, and a quarter of a league in circumference. Thi- ther the Mexicans frequently repaired in pilgrimage. The 1 \ti..,iiimimh ill Tm AMERICAN INDIANS. S81 idol of riches and industiy, whose forms of worship have beeti described, was at that place adored as the gud of air, the founder of the city, the institutor of penance, and the inventor of sacrifices. His devotees, to render themselves acceptable to him, drew blood from their tongues and ears. He was likewise worshipped as a god of war, and five boys, and the same number of girls, of three years old, were, before the army took the field, sacrificed to his honour. The grand chief, or priest of sacrifices, was denomi- nated Topilzin, whose office was hereditary, and always went to the eldest son : his robe was a red tunic bordered with firinge. He wore upon his head a crown of feathers of a green or yellow colour, and rings of gold enriched: with precious stones, were suspended from his ears. In his mouth he carried a pipe of stone of an azure blue co- lour. His face was painted black ; he had tlie sole privi- lege of putting to death human victims. Tlie instrument jEor tliis horrible ceremony was a sharp knife formed of flint. In this barbarous function he was assisted by live other priests of an inferior order, who secured and held the victims. These, who were clothed in blac^k and white tunics, wore artificial hair, fixed by bands of leather. The Hurons, before they were converted to cliristianit) paid little worship to any divinity, although the sentiment of a deity, and of a first cause of all things, was faintly 1 ii :i »'» •> f ,'■■' ( 'ii ■i Tr; 'rr i' rf * 1 i ' \ r i ! 1, 1 li ilj; 1 382 MANNERS AND CUSTOAfS OF 11 'I >% imprinted on their hearts. Whilst in the occupation of the chace, or when exposed to danger, they implored his aid under the appellation of Areskoui Sauiamtitcn. In their war expeditions, and in the midst of tlieir combats, they distinguished him by the name of Ondoutaetd, and believed that the distribution of victory or defeat was made by him alone. They often addressed themselves to heaven, and invoked the sun to witness their courage, their misery, or their innocence. But principally in the arrangement of their treaties of peace, or alliance with other tribes, they called upon the sun and the )>eavens as arbiters of their sincerity, and as powers, who, penetrating the most secret recesses of the heart, punished the perfidy of those who disregarded their 'most solemn engagements, and violated the fidelity of their promises. The Ondataouaouat, a people speaking tlie Algonquin tongue, always invoked, on their festivals, and other so- lemn occasions, him who created the heavens, demanding iiealth, long life, a fortunate issue to their wars, success in tile chace and in fishing, and in all their trafficking voy- ages ; and for this purpo^ made an oblation of part of the viands prepared for the feast. With tlie same view they threw into the fire tobacco, as an offering to that supreme power, whom they conceived to be different in es.sence fiom him who formed tfie earth. They added, that there was a distinct genius, -who produced the cold and the THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 583 winter, who, inhabiting the regions of the north, sent foi tir from thence hivs snows and p^-netrating frosts. Another poM'er they believed to Imve the disposal of the waters, and occasionally to excite tempests on tliat element. The winds, they said, are produced by seven other g« nii, who, inhabiting the rej^ion between the heaven and the earth, cause at pleasure an agitation in the atmosphere. Although the latter barbariiins thus invoked, under vari- ous names any implored his assistance, they addressed him without any forms of respect or of re- ligious adoration. Ihis was no more than a practice, cold and UTiimpressive, which they afTirmed to have been de- rived from tht'ir aiicistors, which made no traces upon the mind, but to wliich, however, some of the missionaries E'l'^iiined the credit of having predisposed thc>e natives to receive with greater facility the sat red mysteries of the- christian faith. The priests of Florida wcr« usually consulted on the fkte of expeditions in war. He to whom application was made for this purpose, after having riest pro- nounced tl'.e oracles, unseen by the devotees. 'J'he inhabitants of Nicaragua adored the sun and a niiiiil)tr of other ' .'i 1 I ; :* M ', I n f. *■ ■ ..r ':''1;' ill 1 .■!> t ■ ■ .!i' 1 ^ r. 1 . f. ■!'. '.. ' .':^ ^ p « i' ,-»' .11 n I t Is 388 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF with horrific cries present themselves before the hut, which they enter with their arrows on their bows, and carrying hini out in his hammock, suspend him between two trees, where he prepares himself to receive from each chief, a cut with his whip. On replacing himself in his bed, a fire is made under it, so that the heat and smoke, but not the flame, may reach him. Whilst the unhappy subject of their inflictions is thus suffering, the chiefs are occupied in feasting. When he is almost dead, they make for him a necklace, and girdle of palm leaves, which are filled with large ants, whose acute punctures compel him to distort his body, and to spring upon his legs, on which a sieve is- used to sprinkle liquor over his head. Having purified himself in the waters of a neighbouring stream, he returns to his hut. He must undergo yet another period of fast- ing, but of shorter duration than the first ; and when it is ended, he is proclaimed a captain, and a new bow and arrows, with other necessary implements of war, are de- livered to him. The government of the natives of Guaiana was monar- chical, there being only one chief to whom they yielded obedience. This personage was usually elected from among, the most experienced of tlie nation, being required ta possess, not only the ordinary qualities of courage, pa- tience, activity, and strength, but an intimate knowledge of the country, and of the roads which led to the sur- ■ffv 'U THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 389 rounding nations. lie was obliged, during nine months, to observe a rigorous fast, during wliicii, his daily suste- nance was no more than an handful of millet. To cany enormous burthens, and to stand as sentry at night, was another part of his duty. Detachments were sent on dis- covery, upon whose return, he set out, and endeavoured to trace their footsteps to the utmost extent of their route, without any previous information respecting the direction in which they had proceeded. To accustom himself to pa- tience under sufferings, he remained for a considerable time buried as far as the middle in hillocks formed and inha- bited by the large ground ants, whose bite induces a fever to Europeans. When he was thought to be sufficiently tried in this manner, the whole nation assembled, and )vent in quest of the intended chief, who concealed him- self under the leaves of trees, to indicate his aversion to the honour which was destined him, or as an emblem of his being elevated from a low station, to be placed in the highest estate. Each of the assistants advanced in the attitude of dancing, and placed his foot on the head of the candidate for sovereignty, who being afterwards raised from his posture of prostration, all the assembly knelt before him, and placed their bows and arrows at his feet. The chief, in his turn, successively raised his- foot upon theheadof each individual present, and was led in triumph to a cabin, where a feast was prepared by women, who I',. ^ •'■> •■■; \ \ '.r : i 1 *■ i?^ if. ■I 1,-1 . :) • i^K V .'■■ rl , • I ■■I ■I * ■ 1; ! i ' ••f^. 'iUf. 590 MANKSRS AND CUSTOMS OP awaited him. Before he partook of it, he shot an arrow from his bow into a cup of the size of an egg, attached to tjie pummit of his hut. He partook with avidity of the festival, but was thereafter obliged to hve for thirty days in the most abstemious manner, t i ^ -^ The ceremony being ended, tlie captaiii was considered to have full power and authority over the whole nation, which was guided by his orders and his movements i at his sole pleasure it was, that war or peace were made. The forms of adoption into the class of warriors among several of the North American Indians, comusts in pre- |>aring a feast of dog's flesh, boiled in the grease of bears, to which huckle berries are added as an ingi^dient. Of this, all the warriors of the tribe are invited to partake. The repast being finished, a war song to the fo)lowing purport, is vociferated by all who are present. - — ^- ** Look down upon us, O great Master of Life \ and permit us to receive into our class a warrior > who appears ta possess courage, whose arm is powerful, and wh& fears not to expose his body to the enemy." The noviciate is then presented with a pipe of war, out of which he smokes and passes it to the guests. A belt of wampum is placed on his neek ; he is introduced by two- chiefs mto a sudatory, prepared with long poles fixed in the grotind, and pointed at top in the form of 9 oone, over which skins and blankets are thrown to exclude the air. This species 2 ■f: ' ;•» THS AMERICAN INDIANS. S91 of tent is sufficiently large to contain three persons. Two large stones made red hot are brought into it, and water is from time to time sprinkled upon them. A profuse perspiration is produced by the steam, and the pores ar« thereby relaxed, for the performance of another part of the ceremony. Leaving the hut, he immerges himself into a stream of water ; on his coming out, a blanket is thrown over him, and he is conducted to tlie dwelling of the chief, where lie is extended on his back. With a pointed stick dipped in water mixed with gunpowder, the chief delineates on his skin, a figure which is afterwards more durably impressed. For this purpose, an instrument formed of a number of needles fixed in a small wooden fran^e, and dipt in vermilion, is used for pricking the lines Already traced. Where it becomes necessary to impress bolder outlines, an incision is made with a flint. The parts wliich have not been marked with red, are rubbed with gunpowder, and produce a variety in the colouring, To prevent the wounds from festering, they are generally seared with pink wood. Two or three days elapse before -the operation i&Jnally performed. The wounds are every morning washed with tlie cold infusion of an herb, named by the natives Poquesegan. The war songs are frequently repeated, and accompanied by tlie chicbicou^ and other noisy instruments, wliich tend to stifle the groans pro- duced by so acute a mode of torture. : : ; .^ r' • I <■, 1 !■.«• ^ ) t I'l ■» '1 f ■ ! < ] ; ..i ■ Jil "* \\ $-\'^ it' 1 ; ■ ; I : \ m '■4i 39J MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ■ « f.«. I In Peru, the branches of the blood royal were numerous in the state, and none but the children of the sun were permitted to undergo the ceremony of initiation. At the age of fifteen years, they were paid the marks of honour %,nd respect bestowed on men, and enjoyed the privileges of manhood, by being at that early age habituated to the use of arms, and entrusted with some charge in the em- pire. They underwent the most rigorous probation, in which they were practised in supporting all kinds of hard- ship, to render them capable of sustaining with becoming fortitude, every reverse of fortune. It was requisite to encounter these trials M'ith honour ; for if any symptom of imbecility was betrayed, disgrace was not only attached to the noviciate, but to all his relations. He therefore ceased not, by prayer and oblation, to make addresses to the sun, that he would endow him with courage to ter- minate with honour that necessary career of pauiful pro- bation. Young princes fit to be initiated, were chosen every two years. They were placed in a structure allotted for their use, under the conduct of experienced old men, who were charged with proving and instructing them. The proof commenced by a fast of several days duration, that they might be inured to hunger and thirst ; they became thereby reduced to a state of absolute inanition, having 5tene«'. In like manner as they were disciplined to .-.nlxlue the body b) hun<;er anil thirst, they were aeeu^tonled to long and exhaust iiij;- w.iteluis. They were posted as eentiuels for several successive days, during which they were regu- larly visited. \\'hen the saffering» of the fust trinl were ended, they were conduced to another consecrated place, where they were to display their dexterity in the course. The distance to he run over Mas a league and a half; a standard was erected, and allotted as a reward for him who first arrived, and who was thereu])on chosen as chief of the remaining youths. The last in the course was stigma- tized M'ith disgrace. The relati')iis, to avoid this misfor- tune, either accompanied tlieir children in running, or placed themselves at different stages on the course, in or- der to stimulate them by motives the most cogent, to rouse and to fortify the sentiments of honour, and to promote the utmost exertions of emulation. They were instructed in fabricating the dilierent parts of the dress and aims worn by a soldier, and in all the exercises of that j)rofession. Far from being exempted from any of these trials, the presumptive heij' of the enjwn m as treated with still greater rigour, lie was taught, tiiat a monarch's authority over 3 E fi»'! V 1 /Vi V •'r ■:'<:-'• .-i^* St '** • I ■*. . ;■ i U ^ n -1 - •' '\ • i' i,S ' t , ' ■ ^1^ :h^„ ; ,, ^-i : • >.'') ■ • if ■' i.xN r\i*XM- t -m hh'. tir T-'- E f |;' f ; ■ 394 MANNEH* AVn riTSTOM^ OF fli't . •,'■ '■. 'i I his subjects, nutiht to be dorivrd raHifr from his virtues than from his elevated rank, which eoiiM bestow on liiin no personal merit. IF*' was made to .sitM:>p np(Mi the Irani ground, to watch, to fast, to labour, and to endure paiji. (Equally with the most inconsderable subject of the realm Hi>> prin, and he wore the meanest and worst of ijannents, that, when placed upon the throne, and surrounded with tlu splendour of majesty, he nii<»;ht be alive to the impressions of distress and miseiy ; that his experience of huinan ca- lamity might urge him to relieve the unfortunate, and to merit the appellation Ixistowed on t\\e sovereigns of Peru, that of friends and benefactors of the needy and the poor. Having accomplislied this rigorous probation, he under- went the operation of having his nostrils and ears pertbr- ated by tlit- sovereign himself. The chief princes of the court who assisted, conferred on him other marks of dig- nity. He was then declared a true Inca, or real child of the sun, and the solemnity was terminated by sacrifice and rejoicing, the ordinary conclusion of every important event. Besides the proofs which all the Mexicans, of both sexes of a certain age, generally underwent in their tem- ples, there were other probationary sufferings established for the nobility, according to the different degrees of ele- vation to vrhich they would aspire, even as high as tl»e 10 iiwi > ! ■SKJast ' :'■ P^raB' ' t '% ■ > ^ .]. HIK AMrniCAN INDIVNS. 3f)5 J I tluone, tluMliijnity of \vliich was elictive, not licreditai^. Tlie >t;»^fs of niiik tor th(! military were, like the orders kiiiiiilitliood, .superior out; to uuother, and di^Linguislkd by ptiiiliar title:*, and by enibku>s or habits allottini to each i'lass, 'J l>t;se ordiis had also their several iriodf^a of ini- tiation. To beeouie 'J'nnk/c, \vhi( h wah of the ordk»r of n(d)les the first after the inonareh, it was nf;ee.vs»ry to br re'aled to the most dignified nobles of the state, and to bo distinguished by une()ttu«au acts of prowess. He who aspired to this (liiz;iuty declared his intention to» al' ins friend.s and rehttives, and to all the tecuitles of the empire, three years btefore the jieriod of the quuhfication was to take place. The augurs, at the time of tlieir assembling, having made choice of the most propitious day, accompanied the candidate to the most superb temple of the city, which is dedicated to the goti uf armies. He Mas led by the arm to the altar, and placed in an attitutie of piety and humi- liation. The high priest presented himself before him with the painted bone of a tyger, or the claw of an eagle, with which he pierced his uos(% putting a piece of amber into the hole, to prevent the flesh from re-unit n^i;. He then made use of the most odious appellations, and iuiiominious expressions towards him ; and not satl^t"ied by ilJl^nltM)g hi ua with words, he stripped him almost iiak to wound him- self, and incense to offer to the idols. lie was eonnnitted to the care of three persons, who were to instruct him in the ceremonies of his profession. Some heads of Indian corn were allowed him for sustenances and he was per- mitted, for a limited time, to sleep in a sitting posture, but was afterwards kept awake by the attendants, who pricked his flesh with awls formed of hard wood. At mid- night he presented before the idol, incense mingled with drops of his own blood. ■ . • -.• :,r ^ • • On the expiration of the four days, he M'ent from one temple to another, during the period of a year, subjecting himself in each to new trials ofmurtiiication and pain. The year being exi)ired, a propitious day was chosen houi the calendar, and set apart for the ternunation of the cere- mony, when the tecultles, with other nobles and relations of the candidate, washed him, and conducted him to the saiiie temple which he had at first entered. There, at the uT^ THE AMERICAN INDIANS. m i'i foot ot'tlM^ altar, lie ilivostcd hiinst'If of liis old attire, and his hair wa,'> ih'tSM d, aiwl tiiMl Ixhind witli a ynvcc of red father, iVoni which \\\vc siispciuU'd stvrral luaiitit'iil tVa- tl icrs. Ill' was clothed in a robe ot' tine cotton, and over it was laid anotlur, the investiturt: of his order. A l)( )\\' and arrows were put into his hand, and the hi^h priest, addie.ssinii; the new knight in a long di.seourse upon the nature ol his obligations, exhorted him to entertain srnti- uients suitable to the dignity of the station to whu h lie V as raised, lie then liestowed on him a new name ac- companied by his benediction, and the cen niony was crowned with sacritices, feasting, dancing, and other de- monstrations of public joy. The kingdom of Mexico being elective, no sooner were the customary honours paid to the memory of the de- parted monarch, than the iuicrior kings, and electoral princes, assembled to make choice, frt)m among persons of military rank, of a .sid)ject projxr to be elevatid to the supreme dignity. The election liaving been made, two lestivals were api)ointed, the one to celebrate the ad- vancement, the other, the coronation of the new sove- reign. lie was stripped naked, and conmpany, consi-»ting of all the classes of the kingdom. Two nobles u.s->isted him in mounting the steps whole system, louring his eonfmement he vas in- structed by olfl magicians, in the art of raising and con- sulting demons. His probationary toils being completed, he was sup})osed to be invested with the power of curing maladies, and of ))enetrating into the womb of futurity. That he might be- rendered more perfect in his profession, a fast of three years was assigned him, during the iirst year of vvhi<]i he was allowed only millet or bread ; but in the last two, he experienced somewhat more of indulgence : if he conformed not strictly to the regulations established for admission to the order, he was believed neither to have power in curing maladies, nor in the evocation of spirits. These men, the attainment of whose profession was at- tended with such difficulty and pain, were from time to time ol)lige ff ^ * 1 1 It m mt m •■ '.I \ .) 1 ', 1 1 It ■ t V J uV. 402 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF visible tyger, who protected them agahist the attacks of the ferocious animal witJi which they had contended. . After liaving continued for a certain period in the exer-* cise of an inferior function, they are elevated to the high- est rank. But in order to be rendered wortliy of this new situation, they must fast for another year witli the same rigour, and their abstinence must exhibit outward indi- cations of its reahty, by a ghastly and extenuated visage. Their eyes are anointed with the juice of certain pun- gent herbs, from wliich they suffer the most acute pains> and this is the last impression of penance necessary to ac- complish the sacerdotal character. They pretend, that by this means, their sight is rendered more clear and pene- trating, and hence they assume the title. of Teharaugui^ which, in their language, imports a sharp-sighted person. It has ever been tlie practice of the ministers of super- stition, to aim at an influence over their fellow-creatures. They endeavour to persuade their countrymen, that by the sanctity of their character, their abstinence, and mor- tifications, they have gained the favour of heaven, from whence they can obtain whatever may be the object of l!ieir prayers. They assert, that they are not only able to procure victory over their enemies, but that the fertility or barrenness of the earth, is effected by their inter- position. . t ,: At stated seasons of the year, and particularly towardi* THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 405 the new moon, these ministers assembled the people upon a hill not far from the village. On the dawn of day, all the inhabitants proceeded in silence to this place, and when a certain time had elapsed, the silence was suddenly interrupted by a burst of frightful cries, intended by them to mollify the hearts of their divinities. The whole day was occupied in fasting, and in the ebullition of confused and lamentable bowlings ; and it was not until the ap- proach of night, tliat they concluded with the following ceremonies. The priests began by cutting off their hair, which, among these people, was an indication of great chearful* ness, and by covering their bodies with feathers of a yel- low and red colour. Large vessels, containing an intoxi- cating beverage, prepared for the occasion, were presented to them. They received them as the first fruits offered to their divinities, and after having drank without mea* sure, abandoned them to all the people, who, following the example of the priests, drank also to excess. The Moxes have some idea of the immortality of the soul, but this ray of reason is much obscured by the dark- ness which envelopes their mental faculties. These nations are distinguished from each other by the different languages which they speak. Thtrty-nine of these tongues are reckoned, no one of which has any ana- logy to another. _ ' 3 f2 •'1! \. i't : J. V 1i ' ' 1! ■ 1 • » ' 404 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF •|:ti .1 i . .» ' ■ .'«.■ ■'■• ."■■:' v-^ I • ♦ The Aloxes, at certain seasons, subsist Only by fishing, and on particjular roots, which the country abundantly supplies. The cold is at some periods, so penetrating, that a part of the fish in the smaller rivers is destroyed by it ; and the borders, on a change of temperature, become sometimes infected by their putrefaction. The Indians hasten thither, to procure provisions. In. vain did the missionaries endeayour to dissuade them from eating the fisli in a state of putrescence ; they were told in reply, that the influence of the fire rendered all food equally sweet. ■ -:' • ."■ -' .'■;'. .:;..--..-.-..» x ::. -n -. It has already been remarked, that for a considerable pact of the year, tluy arc necessitated to retire to thje t'^ . 1 ^ ■i my^ \ t* ; .«1' THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 405 mountains, and there to subsist by the chace. On these elevated regions is found an abundance of bears, leopards, tygers, goats, wild hogs, besides a number of other animalw whose species exists not in Europe. Monkies of various sizes and descriptions are also seen there, the flesh of which, when it is dried and smoked, constitutes for the Indians a delicious food» . , .. The Moxes appeared to possess neither laws nor govern- ment, nor civil polity ; no person seemed either to com- mand or to obey. If any difference arose among them, each individual did himself justice by his own arm. As they were compelled, from the sterility of the soil, to dis- perse into difterent countries, in search of the means of subsistence, their conversion became attended with almost insurmountable diflficvilties^. They built low cabins in places which tlicy chose for tjjeir retreat, and each cabin was inhabited by all those of the same family. They slept on the ground, upon mats, or in hammocks, which they slung to stakes, or which tliey suspended between two trees, and there lay exposed to the injuries of the air, the insults of animals, and the •bites of musquitoes. Against the latter inconveniences they usually endeavoured to guard themselves, by kind- ling a fire on each side of the hammock ; the flame gave ^them warmth, the smoke drove away the musquitoes, and the light terrified the animals of prey. But their sleej^ \ii ■^1 •ft It .-■.. ■li ■4 .''' 4 406 IIANNEBS AND CUSTOMS OF ii !' 1^ ■i'.: ■ Mill f was frequently interrupted by the care M'hicli was neces- sary for feeding the fire. They had no regular periods of repast ; when in the possession of food, to them all hours were alike. As their aliments M'ere gross and insipid, it was seldom that they ate to excess ; but they failed not to supply this deficiency by drinking. They have ac- quired the secret of making a strong liquor from fermented roots, which they infuse in water. This beverage intoxi- cates them in a short time, and inspires them with the utmost excess of fury. It is principally used in the feasts which they celebrate in honour of their gods.| Although subject to almost continual infirmities, they seldom use any medical applications. They are even ig- norant of the virtues of certain healing plants, which in- stinct alone points out to animals, for the preservation of their health. What seems yet more deplorable, they are skilled in the knowledge of poisonous herbs, which they use on every occasion, to inflict vengeance on their ene- mies. When they prepare for war, they empoison their arrows, whose effects are so deleterious, that the smallest wounds become mortal. The only consolation which they receive in their mala- dies, is derived from certain sorcerers, whom they imagine to have received a peculiar power to administer super- natural relief. These quacks visit the persons afflicted with disease, recite over them a superstitious prayer, pro- 5 THE AMKHICAN iNniANS. m lit into alUance, rehgion aud interest, had prompted the monarclis of Spain to wisli for the coiw version of these Indians. By becoming catiioUcs, they would in a certain degree be civilized, and a vast and fertile tract of territory, would thus be subjected to the Spanish dominion. . . .^ .. .. , These views the Jesuits undertook to fulfil, but at the same time represented, that, to fkcilitate the success of an enterprise at once so difficult and toilsome, they must be made independant of the governors of the province, and that not a Spaniard should be permitted to enter into theit country. The motive on which this demand was founded originated ivom the apprehension that the vices of Euro- peans would diminish the fervour of their Keophytes, and detach them from the christimn religion, and that the haughtiness of the natiyes of Spain might render odious the burden of a yoke already too weighty. Tlie court of Madrid approved of these reasons, ordered that the autho- rity of the governors should not be extended to the mis- sionartes» and that sixty thousand dollars should be issued to them every year> from the treasury, for the expenoc of clearing the soil, upon condition that, in proportion to the increase of population, and tlie value of the lands, the In* 3g 1 t J. f '; ,'* ' •I :t;|; M.".;- '..'l- 4*' :;i ( \ i !« 410 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF '-! ill i ^ '; dians, from the a«e of sixteen to that of sixty, should an» nually pay a dolJar each, as a tribute to the sovereign. It was also stipulated that the missionaries should teach the Indians the Spanish language ; but this condition, pro« bably from its impracticability, was, it appears, never ex- ecuted. The natives, charmed by the eloquence and manners of the Jesuits, cheerfnlly obeyed men, whom tliey conceived as sacrificing themselves to their happiness. . . j.ii ' The extent of territory which comprehends these mis- sions is about two hundred leagues from north to south, and one hundred and fifty from east to west, and the po- pulation is nearly three hundred thousand souls. The im- mense forests produce timber of every species, and the vast plains of pasturage contain not less than two millions of cattle. Large rivers enliven and beautify the interior of this country, and invite thither the active and imr proving influence of commerce and circulation. The territory was divided into parishes, each of which was regulated by two Jesuits, the one the cur6, the other- the vicar. The total expence for the support of the vil- lages amounted to no more than a moderate sum, the Indians being fed, clothed, and lodged, by the exertion of their own industry. The most considevable charges weFe incurred on account of the churches, which were con^ structed and ornamented with splendour. The rest of the TIlR AMTRICAN INDIAN.4. 411 produce of the lands, and all the animals, belonged to the Jesuits, who imported from Europe, utensils for different trades, gloss, knives, sowing needles, images, lieads, {:;un- powder, and fusils. Their annual revenue consisted of cotton, leather, honey, tallow, and mati, or the herb of Paragua, of which the society retained the whole com- merce, and whose consumption is great in the Spanish In- dies, where it is substituted for tea. Corregidors and capitularies, charged with the details of administration, were annually elected by the natives from among themselves. The ceremony of their election was performed with pomp, on the first day of the year, in the portico of the church, and was announced to the pub- lic by the sound of bells, and of every kind of musical instrument. The persons elected approached to the feet of the father, to receive the marks of their dignity, which, however, did not exempt them from a share of merited fla^ gellation. Their greatest distinction was to wear an upper garment, whilst a shirt of cotton composed the only habi- liment of the other Indians of both sexes. The fchtival of the parish, and that of the curi, were celebrated by public rejoicings, and by representations of subjects taken from the scriptui^s, which resembled the ancient pieces called mysteries. , ; , .. ^ ...... . ... The mode of cultivating and distributing the lands re- sembledy in some degree, that oi the Incas oi Peru. Par^ 3«2 *''i , I 'i * i fl "«■:! .'^t H J fl Ms; , I:- if,. if ■■•'•' . ^fj. J ;'» n?1 ':;^ : * ! * .t,/, 412 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ticular portions were allotted for individuals for the pur- poses of religion, and for the service of the community . For the support of the aged, the infirm, and the orphan, a certain provision was instituted. The morals of the people became a principal object of attention, and means -were adoptetl to influence them in a powerful degree, by the sanctions of religion. The Indians were so completely- subjected to the authority of their cnr^s, that the men and women not only submitted to punishment for public of- fences, but voluntarily came before the magistrate to so- licit chastisement for mental aberrations. "' r : : ' No part of their time was permitted to pass in indo- lence. Activity as well as industry were grafted on the functions of devotion. Warlike exercises, and games cal- culated to give action and strength to tlie body, were in- troduced. As the natives were instructed to be guided in their conduct by tiie dictates of conscience alone, few punishments were necessary. The government of the Je- suits possessed a powerful advantage, that of the practice of confession, wliich, if properly managed by ecclesiastics, may be conrerted to the highest utility of the state. Its application was directed by these fathers to influence mo- rality. And to preclude the necessity of penal laws, «nd the multitude was restrained from evil, and prompted to good, by the fear (^ censure or the progped; of reward. The oi;^ inhabited ahouseof coosiderabic extcjsty near P.|- THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 413 >'l the church ; in this were two separate apartments for public uses ; one of which was allotted for masters an^ scholars in different branches of art : tlie other containecj a number of young women, occupied in various works, under the inspection of matrons. The rooms destined for tlie curd had a communication with these two halls. At eight o'clock of the morning the people were distributed to different works, whether of agriculture or manufacture, and the corrcgidors superintended the employment of their time. The women were occupied in spinning cot- ton, a certain quantity of which was given to each every Monday, and was returned on the (Saturday, made intp yarn. The daily allowance for every family, which wa^ supposed to consist of eight perspns, was au ounce of m(fM, and four pounds of beef- Tlifi rapral conduct of the people, regulated by the in- fluence of religion, reiidered civil q\i crit^iinal junsdic* tion in a great degree unnecessary, and a specie^ of tliep*- cjracy thus became e^tablisli^d JMnong theni. The Chiqaiteanx iwe endowed with «> greater degree of Iwdily et^ength, a^nd are more active, more iabprioj^s, wore wsidMotis, md w^m temj^eratie, than Ihp Quaranis. The territory which they possess extends froi» the foui"'- Uimih io ti»e i;wf nty-first degree ^f fspnth latitude, *nd is fertile, ftnd vm^ i« smrf^ce, by plains, and i^ piowntains of considerable altitude. It is intersected on the west by . '1 ,v . S •I-^ ' 1 1' 1'' . ' 1} V: iV ' u a. 1^ ^ v*-^ .■■ ■'-■^ >1 U!' ■ii!i I' : B f ■;i ■if •I I. V ■■ t 4 \v ■,i ■ ' 414 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP three rivers, ^vhich unite and receive the name of Ma- deira, mingling its waters, after a considerable extent of course, with the vast flood of the Amazons. This people, composed of several tribes, dispersed over that immense tract of country, were found to be so warlike and so brave, that the Spaniards attempted in vain to reduce them by open force. The persevering zeal of the Jesuits at length succeeded, in forming among them six communities, sepa- rated by immense forests. The inhabitants, after the ex- ample of the Guaranis, submitted, in 1746, to the domi- nion of Spain, and were allowed the same conditions. These two nations composed one extensive conmionwealth, and a community of goods was established among them. The population of the Chiquitaux amounted to upwards of forty thousand, and they cultivated tobacco, sugar, cotton, fruits, and a variety of esculent plants. Horses and cattle, as well as other European animals, have there abundantly multiplied. - - ■^--- -^ - • -- ■ ' . Whilst the company of Jesuits ♦was occupied in ex- tending the missions, the unfavourable events which took place in Europe tended to reverse, in the New World, the labours of a number of years, and of uncommon industry, patience, and perseverance. . - The court of Spain having adopted the resolution of expelling these fathers from every part of its dominions, « Voyages de Bougainville. THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 415 'i'^i-'^ was inclined that this operation of state policy should be carried into execution, at the same time, throughout the whole extent of its vast possessions, and their expulsion from the province of La Plata was effected in the following manner. To avoid the danger of alarm and insurrection, the governor wrote to the different missionaries, desiring that the corregidor, and a cacique of each village, might immediately be sent to him, that he might communicate to them certain instructions which he had received from the king. This circular order he dispatched with the greatest celerity, that the Indians might be on their way to the seat of government, and beyond the limits of the Reductions^ before the intelligence of the intended expul^ sion of the Jesuits could there be knoAvn. Two purposes were by this means fulfilled. The one, of procuring hos- tages, which would in a great degree insure the fidelity of the villages when the Jesuits should be withdrawn ; the other, of gaining the affection of the principal Indians, by the favourable treatment they would receive at Buenos- Ayres, and by procuring time to explain to them the new footing on wluch tliey should be placed, when they should enjoy the same privileges and property as the other subjects of the king. The Jesuits, on bemg seized, testified the most perfect resignation, and humbled themselves under the hand which smote them. The fathers of Cordoue, amountiUj, to ,•>.. •if ."■ '■ ■ ■ * • ?■■ -I •i '. : ii vt W 1". 'if •ft 1r ij 1 1- V !'• '*'■' h '\ /H i I, U;'- l-t m j^i! i i| I 1 li'f 1 i < u '• 4* 41(5 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Ol- more than a hundred, of Buenos-Ayres, and of AJontt: Video, were embarked for Europe towards the end of Sep- tember 1767. The rest, during this period, were on their way to Buenos-Ayres. :• • r The greatest part of the members of the society in America, did not enter into the temporal vicMS of their t3rder. If, in this body, some individuals were disposed to intrigue, the greater number, sincerely religious, sa^ in the institution, nothing inconsistent with the piety of its founder, and servld, in spirit and in truth, the God to whom they were devoted. \^ - ,. - - - . The Marquis de Bucarelli entered the missions in 17^8, and met with no obstacle, nor any resistance to the exe- X!tttion of the orders of the catholic king. The regulations established by the Jesuits, for the conduct and government of the Indians, have, since their expulsion, been changed ; and the distribution of produce, and other articles, is principally vested in the commandant, f he magistrates who were formerly selected by the cur^s, are now suboiv. dinate to m litary officers, appointed by the governor af the province ; and the people, no longer under the direc- tion of Indian chiefs, are subjected to t Spanish com- mandant and fiscal) to whom the cures themselves are made responsible.* ''^^ .Wi:i^v^.-\.j»»£r;>d' --i^'^i^l -^i* i' n 1 1 I « llta^riMi^ >«MMM« * L«(tenlTofli Paraguaj. 10 ^1 THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 417 *''i. ^ The offices of priest and doctor, are, among the In- dians, ahnost always vested in the same person. He car- ries with him, a bag containing herbs and drugs, for the use of his patients ; likewise his penates or manitous, and other articles, in which certain virtues are reputed to re- side. Every word which these impostors utter, makes an impression upon the minds of the people. They fre-7 quently withdraw from their society, and reside far remote f^om any habitation. They are difficult of access, and give themselves little concern for their foo^, which is generally provided for them. To them recourse is always had, whether respecting affairs of the community, or the state of human health. When any article of value is lost, or when rain is wanted, they are applied to by the people. Their supposed knowledge of nature, stamps them with the character of physicians, and with qualifications con- ceived necessary for the cure of maladies. In every occur- rence of importance, it is found expedient to consult them, and they have a considerable influence in the decision con- cerning peace or war. The office of soothsayer is allied to that of priest, not only in practising deception, but in a participation of profit. The same union of these functions prevailed in Asia and Africa, so strongly disposed are mankind to believe, that Heaven bestows in a peculiar manner, the healing art on those who are the depositaries of religious worship. 3h '^|;--^ ■>■ ; ■ >{!■ ■•'H ■ .i* ill' U t. "i ■u k<::, *. ' ?rT^ w^ i- ^1 . ( 1 i » ' < '. 4 '.i 1 "t: ■ J V-'H. ;'% 418 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF The superstition of the ancient Pagans, imputed to tlie- gods the invention of medicine ; and men who practised that science, were sometimes nr .»'; i i'v-ff-r i.> .v?!,^ ;!!■:> lia ■i' i I . >* J ft .• -• V ;:''- ' 'J> ■■vii't-rv m.,^a'- .'j'??;' la 'h->A,-V» J^ :"?«■!'' :,-.i 1 ■ " THS AMERICAN INOtAKS. 41^ i^' «. i' ♦';>- vii..'.. in CHAPTER XV. ; '"•'•■■■' ■' ' •' ■' ; ■"■ -■ •;. ' '■■"..- '^ y. - .. ., , ; ■. ■;,:.;• ';.: .: REFLECTIONS ON A STATE OF WARFARE MOTIVES WHICH URGE SAVAGES TO WAR— THE MEXICANS—- THE IROQUOIS — MODE OF RAIS- ING A PARTV OF WARRIORS—- CEREMONIES PREVIOUS TO A MARCH —THE FLORIDIANS THE MICMACS AND ABINAQUIS— MODE OF • TRAVELLING IN THBIR EXPEDITIONS— DIFFUSION OF WATERS , THROUGHOUT THEIR COUNTRIES— ENCAMPMENTS — MILITARY FES- TIVAL OF THE ALGONQUINS AND ABINAQUIS-'-CEREMONlES ON RE^ TURNING FROM WAR — RECEPTION GIVEN TO PRISONERS. IN no stage of his association, will the passions which actuate his mind, suffer man to remain long in si state of tranquillity. The most ferocious beasts of prey attempt not to destroy each other, nor does any one spe* cies of the animal creatimi counteract the progress of its multiplication. For man alone it is reserved to make war against his race, and to occupy himself either in active hostility, or in the exertion of his faculties to invent, and improve instruments of destruction. Among civilized nations which have attained to an equal degree of improvement, war is carried on without any private animosity, or motives of individual vengeance ; the moment a prisoner becomes captived, the enmity of his opponent is disarmed. ' 3h2 «:? ^ .1* ■I 'i J m u 5 y m is' 1. i i * :t^ ^ * ,!• 420 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP ■11 14 In the former ages of Europe, it was by the spirit of conquest that countries were discovered, and made known to eacli other. The productions, arts, and improvements^ peculiar to each, were mutually borrowed and adopted ; and warfare, in a great degree effected, what commerce and the extension of navigation have since enlarged and rendered more complete. From the mode of conducting hostilities among civi- lized nations, countries whose resources are not easily ex- hausted, may contend against each other for a series of years, without the attainment of any very decided ad- vantage on either side ; and, if the nature of their govern- m^nts be permanent, the prospect of lasting and uninter- rupted tranquillity, may in some d^ree compensate for the calamities of war. In the savage state, the motives of vengeance are often pursued, to the inevitable dispersion, or extirpation of one of the hostile tribes. Warfare is, doubtless, a misfortune arising from the cupidity of the human mind, and incident to tlie condition of man ; and although numberless are the miseries which it occasions, there are yet advantages which flow from it. The most powerful energies of the soul are in that state excited, and the most heroic actions are performed. It is in the animating calls to danger and hardship, that man is exhibited to advantage. It is when his faculties are drawn forth^ to the full stretch of their exertion, when he is> THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 421 busily engaged in the vehemence of combat, and exposed to indiscriminate peril. In the recital of tlie deeds of the hero, the poet hath made his verse to glow with more impassioned warmth. On subjects like these, the painter hath displayed the noblest efforts of his genius and skill ; and history hath unfolded to posterity, characters which, amid the toils of ambition, and the struggles of contending nations, have merited a lasting monument of fame. ■*■ Address in war and in the chace, and fortitude and per- severance in suffering hardship and pain, are the principal qualities of which savages can boast, and those only in which they place any estimation. To draw the bow, and to handle with dexterity the arms in use amongst them, forms a principal part in the education of their youth, and there is scarcely one who is ndt expert at these exercises. The men who remain unoccupied in the villages, glory in their indolence, and consider themselves as fitted only for great enterprises, and for displaying to advantage the dignity of their nature, the unshaken firmness and heroic greatness of their mind. The chace, which next to war engages their attention, is only agreeable to them, as recalling in some degree the image of that more noble employment ; and they would perhaps abandon even this occupation to the women, did it not present them with an exercise which accustoms tlieir i# J* A, ! ■■<■■ h'; ■« !l : ■J (U<. . ^ -I'' f 1 'i i S i. 1 •'. i''t- r ■ .t ! a; if n I' r t : 1 ■ 'f ' 'i ■ ■. I ,' ' :'< ■ ■■ t y \. ■■' \.< : i.-'i ■' '". : I ^.? . ■ • i^ J 422 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Olf frame to fatigue, and enables them with greater facility td encounter the toils of warfare. Besides the usual motives which urge them to hostility against troublesome neighbours, who give them just sub- ject of complaint, war is also indispensable to them, as a fundamental principle in the rules of their association. When by loss in former expeditions, or by natural death., the number of men in a family becomes diminished, the savages have recourse to warfare, in order to replace the deficiency, by prisoners to be afterwards a,dopted. The member of a tribe who wishes to commence a war, shewed as a signal of engagement, a necklace, or string of M'am- pum, to those persons whom he desires to enrol in his party, vithout disclosing the names of the deceased who are to be replaced. ' ; ; . - The petty wars of the natives of America, are carried on either by small parties, or made in the ' r ^ 1 - The wars which are entered into by neighbouring na- tions, originate, in general, from more justifiable causes ; from mutual jealousies and disgust, and from advantages which they frequently take of each other, by intercepting, or killing those strangers whom they meet on their hunt- ing-grounds, or who may be accidentally travelling across the country. ^' - . When a discovery is made of these acts of injustice, the nation which is in fault endeavours to extenuate the in- jury, and to deprecate the fury of tlie offended. They justify themselves by advancing the most plausible ex- cuses, accompanied by presents, witli a view to fortify the ties of mutual intelligence, which had been thus unhap- pily weakened. If the conjuncture is not entirely conve- liient, or favourable for the purpose of retaliation, the present* are accepted, but the injury is not forgotten. The application which has been made to the wound con- Ixibtttes not to doee it. Whilst the enemy has not re- '■il V , V ■■• 1(1'. m : ^r H ' n '*!* t fir 'Ill . 'it ! ■ i' 1 *i,' ':■■!■ . I I 42t MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 01 reived all ilie chastisement wliicli resent nicnt inspires, it <:()ntinues to bleed internally. The council retains an ex- act register of siich persons as have been killed, in order to refresh the recollection, until circuuistanccs present an opportunity of taking the most ample satisfEictioii. ' - ' The passions of savages, confined to few objects, be- come, M lien excited, lively and strong, and entirely occupy the mind. The death of the assassin can alone be an atonement for the murder of a countryman or relation. In every object which contributes to inspire melancholy, they conceive the beloved shades of their friends calling aloud for vengeance ; their voices are heard in the hollow roar of the distant cataract, in the mournful screechings of the bird of night, in the sounding storm which agitates the summits of the forests— their evanescent forms are be- held in the flash of the lightning, or in the more spreading blaze of phosphoric exhalations. The remembrance of their departed friends is strengthened by these phenomena, and their incensed and afflicted bosoms are inspired with the ardour of revenge. ' ^^ ' ' ^vii ?? '^ Previous to entering on a war, the motives for and against that measure are weighed and deliberated in their councils. When an equal division of opinions takes place, the hatchet is publicly raised, and solemnly carried to the nations in alliance. '■ ' *>^ i^'^ J, >u r ; ]' s^-:^ iH* Instances have occurred of savages having declared war TUB amehican Indians. i2:i in fonn, but these have been but rare. Little scrupulouM ■respecting the justice of their cause, they are less no in the observance of formalities. Their only object is to -overpower the enemy, and to endeavour-to fall upon him by stratagem and surprise. When they declare war in form, they send back to the tribe with whom they intend to enter on hostility, one or more prisoners, charged with an axe, the handle of which is painted red or black. The Mexicans proclaimed war by the sound of a sacred trumpet, which none but the sacrificing priests were al- lowed to use, in order to animate, by the command of the gods, the hearts of the soldiers, and to consecrate as a religious motive, tli/e contempt of life. Among the troops strict discipline was observed ; the taking of a prisoner was esteemed an act (f greater heroism than the slaughter of an enemy, and he was considered the most valiant who brought the greatest number of victims to be sacrificed. The whole strength of the Iroquois nation exceeded not seven thousand combatant . They alone, however, alter- nately excited jealousies, or spread desolation and terror from the mouth of the Saint Lawrence, and the borders of the sea, even to the banks of Missisippi. This circumstance "ill not appear surprising to those w'ho are acquainted^with America, and with the barbarians who inhabit that part of the continent. Although there is an infinite number of 3 I 4 .-Ml 1 ■* ' a •y' M 'f \ ■■'i . (1 ■■ f 1! ■ 1 'i . ( 426 ATANNERS AUti CUSTOMS OF ! il? i "■l .1 'k.,. i ■ i , I .>.; vr ' '' ■ ■ ■' '*'"''. |i Ja:'-, 1'; ■ ^ i : : .1; nations, yet each of these is reduced to a small ifumber of villages, and many tribes to one village only, which does not, perhaps, supply more than thirty warriors. They occupy immense tracts of gloomy forests, or of unculti- vated meadows and swamps, and are so remote from each other, that they are frequently obliged to travel a distance of three hundred leagues without meeting a human being. The length 'of a march is, for this reason, accounted no- thing in these immeasurable solitudes, where a small body may travel a long way without fear, and where a journey of seven or eight hundred leagues, is thought as little difficult as to travel two or three hundred miles in Eu- rope. Small tribes, which beins near to each other oujjht to lend mutual aid, have very little intercourse on account of their jealousies. They are not even on such terms as to afford assistance, in case of surprise, against a formid- able enemy who may unexpectedly approach to the gates of their fort. They are on this account necessitated to form alliances with nations very remote from them, in or- der to create a division, and to enfeeble the enemy by obliging him to separate his fDrce. "^ ir/s :-. «, t m, -» It is from the double disadvantage of extent of terri- tory, and smallncss of the numbers of which each nation is composed, that we must account for the long journeys and emigrations, and alliances of distant nations, which 11 ' '•' THE AMEitlCAN INDIANS. 427 without tills previous explanation might not, perhaps, ap- pear intelligible. ...,,.» ;,♦.<•,', ; Y , The hatchet, the emblem of hostility, is no sooner raised, than the chiefs of war dispose themselves for as- sembling their people. Every one who is inclined to fol- low them raises a piece of wood, ornamented and painted- .with vermilion, and marked with an emblematical figure. This he delivers to the chief, as a symbol representing his person, and as the link of his engagemen t . : - ^ / ■ " • That the savages, from their state of independence on each other;, can break their engagements, and retire froni an expedition as their own caprice or want of courage may dictate, is an idea not entirely founded on facts. N^either can an individual break a general contract, or commit, in ' violation of it, any act of hostility. The song of war is raised in tlie cabin of council, where all assemble, and it is the chief of the nation who giws the festival. Dogs, whose flesh forms a principal part of the viands on this occasion, are used also for the sacrifice wliich they make to the god of war. > ■ /. The warriors who attend this assembly are painted in the most frightful and fantastical manner, and dressed in their arms. The chief who elevates the hatchet has his face, shoulders, and breast, blackened with coal. Having sung for a certain time, he raises his voice, and signifies iVi . }),:*<,'.'■.[ .>"f'. ■♦;. 3i2 .■^ r:^ r ft .'nf •'J; hi ft r ■'■•\ ,ir. 'U h4: I: t; I": 4|; 4 V J : ■ <, ■■■ 1' i;- ; r ti 3 ' : ) ' !, • //;. j';T'; 1 / r ■ h '>•'''! ' 1 :'7*,;, .' ^t'■ '''i" ' ' ^ ': ■, '! ■ ! It ■4 .4 n , . i :>; 42d MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ta all his assistants that he offers a isacrifice to the god of war, whom he thus addresses : * . • *' I invoke thee, that thou wouldst be favourable to my enterprise, and have compassion Mpon me and my tribe* I likewise supplicate all the good and evil spirits, those who inhabit the air, who perambulate, and who penetrate the earth, to preserve me and those of my party, and to grant, that after a prosperous journey we may return to our own country." The whole of the assembly replies by ho / ho / and accompanies with these reiterated exclama* tions, all the vows which it forms, and all the prayers which it offers. The chief raises the war song, and begins the dance, by striking with his club one of the vessels in the cabin ; at different periods of the song all join in chorus by enoun- cing the syllables he, he. Every person who elevates the signal of war, strikes the vessel in bis turn, and dances in the same manner. This is a public manifestation of the engagement into which they had before entered. Among the natives of Florida, the chief, before going to the field of battle, arranged all his people in warlika order, and having advanced to the side of a river, halted to perform a ceremony, with which the religion of these tribes does not permit them to dispense. He began by sitting down upon the ground, and all his attendants placed themselves around him in the same posture. He TSE AMERICAN INDIANS. 429 then demanded water to be brought him in a vase, and scarcely had he taken it into his hand, when he appeared to be seized with violent agitations, such as the poets de^* scribe in the Pythons and Sybils. His eyes rolled in his head in a terrific manner, and for half an hour he kept turning incessantly towards the sun, with a violence which it is impossible to describe. Having become less agitated, he sprinkled a portion of the water upon the head of each of his followers ; then, seized with a sudden impulse of fury, he threw the remainder into a fire which had been kindled for the purpose, crying out with all the strength of his voice. He Timagoa ! The whole army likewise re- peated the same cry, and at this signal they arose, and be- gan their march. The chief, during his state of enthu- siasm, had not ceased to demand of the sun victory over liis enemies, and from the fervor of his prayer arose that extraordinaiy state of emotion in which he appeared. In pouring water upon the heads of his vassals, he prayed that they might return with the scalps of their ad- versaries, and by throwing the remainder upon the fire was indicated the desire which he felt to shed the last drop of the blood of the Sachem against whom he was about to contend. - ,••!-'-' • ,. Among the Micmacs and Abinaquis, a singular cere- mony took place previous to their going to war. On this ijtc^asion the chiefs fought with their wives, and if the hus- '-yt' ;!!,:*^ si m m^. . i 4- 'i< ■:vM M ■ I ' ■ ■i f I i "I :''r; (. .'1 i il - ! i , "", 1.-.* '>' 430 MANNEBS AND CUSTOMS OP baud was^ tdirown jdown in the struggle, he doubted not of the succc^ij of his expedition ; but if, on the contrary, tlie woman proved the weakest in the contest, an unfa- vourable omen was. drawn from tl:ence. di^H :*♦ t.J '»dr!:>r. The warriors of maaiy of the tribes redigiowsly abstained from all intercourse with women for tlie space of three days and nights previous to their march, and likewise durini' th same time after their return. Amonsj some of the tribes a custom totally different prevails ; their con* cubines, or captive slaves, accompany them on their ex- peditix>ns, to banish from their mind the recollection of being far from their country. The same practice prevailed among the heroes of ancient Greece, whose female attend- ants on their campaigns, W/cre likewise such as had been acquired in warfare. The Americans frequently drink the blood of their enemies. Tlie ancients of the eastern he- misphere cut off the heads of their foes, carried them to the camp as trophies of victory, and afterwards exposed them on the gates or temples of the god of war. The Boiens adorned the sculls of their enemies with ornaments of gold and silver, and ased them as vessels for containing wine at their entertainments. These vestiges of barbarism originated from certain ideas attached to valour, or rather from that sanguinary ferocity which is peculiar to uncivi- lized nations in every climate of the world, f^^! ^ "«> 'nu.,.^ On the day chosen for tlieir departure, all the warriors, ' 'A if THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 431 i' arrayed in their best attire, and armed in every point, as- semble in the cabin of their ehief, who is himself painted and accoutred in the most formidable manner. In the mean time the women, laden with their provisions, pro- ceed before tliem, and await them at a certain distance &'om the village. On assembling the warriors, the chiefs deliver a short harangue, and advance in front, singing alone the death song in the name of all the others, who follow in silence and in files. In leaving the village, they fire a shot from a fusil, or let fly an arrow from a bow, and the chief continues the song during their march until the cabins become lost to the view. ' The number of warriors who set out together on an ex- pedition seldom exceeds fifty, that they may be the less subjected to fall into an ambuscade. If they can find a swamp or a piece of water, they usually post themselves in its vicinity, that they may be guarded from surprize on one side, and may direct their attention more closely to every occurrence. They separate themselves as far as they suppose their voices can be heard, and again rendez- vous by certain signals, which often consist in mimicking birds or the sounds of animals. When they have ascer- tained that the enemy with whom they are to contend does not greatly exceed them in number, they post themselves in the form of a half moon, in the most advantageous po- sition which they can find. Here they will remain for se- :-{ n'' ■•'..« . [I » ■R . ^r rr ■■'■ 432 MA^^^ERs ATfo customs ov ' f ■ ■ , .' : 1 I'':. . 5 M 'V ' H I i '■•St. i I .'if f ■ veml hours, and the enemy probably riins into tlie snare, where he is surrounded and defeated. Wiien the warriors, on their return, arrive at the place where the women await them, they divest themselves of their warlike apparel and ornaments, and are cloathed in the habiliments of peace, delivering to their wives, and other relations, these articles, which are no longer useful. The natives of America generally travel by water, on account of the convenience afforded by the rivers and lakes, which so much intersect both the northern and southern parts of this continent, that there is scarcely a spot to be found where that element is not copiously dis- tributed. The rivers of the ancient hemisphere caimot maintain, in point of magnitude, a comparison with those on the western continent. In South America, the river of the Amazons, of the Madeira which flows ir*^o that flood, of La Plata, of Oronooque, may be classed as seas of fresh water, on account of their stupendous breadth, and the immense length of their course. In North America the country abounds with rivers and lakes of the most pel- lucid waters, some of which are of prodigious extent, and almost the whole discharge themselves by the Saint Law- rence, the most navigable river in the world. On ascend- ing that river, and on arriving at the heights of land to the westward, where the different streams flow in a con- j-j.i. >■'.* THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 433 trary direction, in their way to the Pacific Ocean, tliere are many fine rivers, whicli liold their course both to the north and south-west. O^^hers running from the north- cast and north-west unite with the Missisippi, tvliich di- recting its course from north to south, seems to divide that part of the continent into two equal portions, re- ceiving into its bosom from every quarter numerou» streams, which pour through its channel, and continue to swell its waters until it mingles with the Mexican gulf. This river runs through an extent of nineteen degrees from north to south, or about four hundred and twenty- five leagues ; but, on adding its sinuosities to the direc- tion of its course, which is not always under the same me- ridian, the least length which can be given to it, is nine hundred leagues. The Misouri, whose course is also of prodigious extent from the westward, rolls into the latter an immense body of water, totally changing the original colour of the Missisippi. It has by some travellers been doubted^ whether the former- does not absolutely contain a greater quantity of water than the latter, which seemi to liave usurped over it the denomination of Great River. The manner in which the earth is separated by the dif- fusion of its waters, which tend to beautify and fertilize it, rendered navigation the most necessary, as well a« early fesource oltlie natives of the New World. : fc ■'•■) .'4 ■ ■■?' . .,;' .'f .. i^t ; iiV. '^1 ■i I 1 i..-.T. 3 K '!* •■' 434 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ('' ( • ::\ I I f 1 The vessels in use among the savages for transpotfkr*? themselves from one situation to another are canoes, com- posed of the bark of trees, or excavated from the solid timber, or constructed with boughs covered over with / .1 i 1.- .i T -ift.l M • : v » :U*? I skins. The Eskimaux, and some other of the northern na- tions, have preserved the model and figure of the canoes of hides, which are of two kinds ; the first, for a single person, is of the length of from twelve to fifteen feet, co- vered every where with skins, having an opening in the centre of the upper part, into which a man, iiltroducitig his body, is half concealed when in the attitude of sit- ting. He draws around him, like a bag, the loose skin which is connected with the aperture, fixing it with a belt; and throws over his head and shoulders a leathern cloak, which covers every part but the face, so that the canoe and the man appear as one piece, and not a drop of water can enter. He uses, with promptitude and dexterity, a double paddle, so that the vessel seems to dart with great velocity through the water. A javelin, attached to th« side of the canoe by a long cord, is the instrument with which the Eskimau spears the fish, which he devours in a raw state. Thus equipped, people of that tribe often make Jong voyages. i4v. J K>.;, , . j^ ^;, * ^i ;.„ .'>^* .^..^m— . The other species of canoe is made in the same form as the latter, the inside being composed of ribs of wood'well 'I '. THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 435 iiiortoised and secured together, and afterwards covered with skins. This is of considerable length, and capable of containing several persons. In calm weather the sa- vages make use of paddles, and when the wind is favour- able, they raise a mast, on which they spread sails of lea- ther or of bark. , . .. ■I'l; .:t «-■'•'•> Primum cana silcx, madefacto viminc, parvam Texihir in puppim, caeso induta juvenco, Vcctoris patiens, tumidum supernatot amnem. Sic Venetus, stagnante Pado, fusoquc Britannus ' Navigat oceana Sic, cum tenet omnia Nilns, (Conscf itur bibi^U M«inpbilis cjmba papyro. LucAN, Lib. 4. ■'1/ -Ti' f. In the same slender vessels our daring ancestors en- countered the billows in the British channel, and the Venetians navigated their Gulf. In vessels of a similar form, but of less strong materials, the inhabitants of Egypt, during the inundations of the Nile, move from one situation to another along tlie surface of his oozy flood. /..•... .«»-,: 'J-f^.TT i-t-.'. SI ■: • 1 ■' I li :f''' • ii . ■''• . The lightest, as well a,s most handsome canoes, are formed of the bark of birch trees, cut into oblong pieces, and neatly sewed together with twine made of the interior integuments. They are lined with flat ribs of tough wood closely placed together, having underneath long pieces of the same, which extend throughout the whole length of V ■'■'^1 .-.i.i' '■}} ■ii %■ .rlr... t 1 ■i l-l i. ■lirHn i • 436 It S^r 1- ,f MANNEflS AND CCSTOMS Cff r '■ the canoe. The interior is thus protected from injury, but tlie outside is liable to be broken by touching stones, or parts of trees, which niay happen to be entangled in the bed of the waters. The bottom is of a round form, and the vessel terminates in sharp edge». These canoes are constructed of various dimensions, and some are cal- culated to contain a considerable number of persons. They who work them, either sit down in the bottom, or place themselves on their knees ; but when they encounter a stream they stand upright, in order to push the canoe for- ward by means of poles. In water whose course is not rapid, paddles are used for putting them in motion. Their buoyancy and flatness retain them almost upon the sur- face, and they move onwards with wonderfu) swiftness. If the canoe be worked by one person only, with a single paddle, he applies both his hands to it, and immerses it in the water on each side alternately. Should two or more persons be embarked, they work not abreast, but one before the other. Great caution is necessary, not to give the canoe a bias by any sudden movement, as it » easily overturned. Gum, pieces of bark, moss, and wa- tape, jr the inner filaments of trees, are usually carried iu the canoe, that in case of accidents it may be readily repaired.* : w • p ' * A single savage, in one of these bark vessels, rowed a few years ago against the stream of the Saint Lawrence, opposite to Quebec, much faster than the barge of a frigate, with six oan constantly plying. i"- THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 437 >Vhen a savage arrives at a rapid stream, which he con- ceives too hazardous or difficult to be ascended, he lays hold of his canoe by a small piece of wood fixed across the gunnels, throws it over his head and shoulders with tlie bottom uppermost, and thus transports it with con- siderable case. In these slender conveyances convenient for their lightness, but unsafe on account of their fragility, long and difficult voyages are made by the coasts of rivers and lakes, during which the natives land, whenever they find it necessary, as they steer their course at no great dis- tance from the shores. On a part of the coast of North-west America, the in- habitants form their canoes of ropes made of rushes, or long grass. These are sometimes of the length of ten feet, and three or four in breadth. The ropes are woven so closely together, that in calm weather, they appear to re- sist the penetration of water ; the nature, however, of the materials of which they are constructed, renders them ill calculated to be used at any distance from shore, or \o be launched when the sea is in the smallest degree agitated.* ' ■ ; « The Caraibs have two kinds of boats or canoes for tra- velling by water, both excavated from the solid trunk, one of which, pointed at each end, is nearly the same in shape as the birch canoe ; the other is pointed at the head, with .hi I 1 1 , ■ ♦ Vancouver. .' >'' m 438 MANNEnS AND CVSTOMS OF ■ i ■ a square stern. These they ornament witli paints of differ- ent colours. Neither of them has any rudder, ^nd they are governed by a person using a paddle, who bends forwards, plunging it in the water, and drawing it backwards as he regains an erect position. He thus pushes tlie water vio- lently behind him, and impels the vessel forward with considerable velocity. The Caraibs have usually in their canoes two masts, and two sails for each. The bacassds or sterned canoes, have three masts. • hw,i .» vU i f. When the Caraibs embark on the sea for some warlike expedition, they only take one or two women in each ves- sel, to paint their persons, and to prepare tlieir repast. But when they make voyages of pleasure, or of traffic,' they travel with tlieir wives and children, and carry with them, besides their arms and hammocks, the whole of their utensils.* - - », -i , .r r .> . i- ' i To convey to a person who has never been in the forests of America, some idea of the difficulties to be en- countered, in travelling through those wild and unculti- vated regions, v t shall here introduce the description of a journey by land, and also of a voyage on the Missisippi, where, on account of its magnitude and breadth, perhaps fewer inconveniences occur than on many of the smaller rivers. . . , - ; The journeys which are made in this country, are some- * L'AbtUs. THE AMKRICAN INI)IAX9. 4.1f> what more diiricult atuJ tUtij^iiin^r tiuiii those wliich arc pciformctl in Kiiropc In iii«)st parts of that continent, are found at short distances from each other, itms, villaj^es, hamlets and towns, conviMiient houses at which to rest, necessary refreslnnents, hridijes, or ferries to pass the fivers, beaten roads which lead to every place, j^ersons to point out the way to the traveller, should he go astray, regular carriages, horses, bateaux, or barges with good accommodations. In the wilds of America none of these comforts are to be found. A march of twelve days may be performed without meeting a human being. The traveller is sometimes obliged to cross meadows, whose boundaries are lost to the eye, which are also intersected by currents and rivulets, without the smallest tract to guide him on his way. At ather times he must open a passage across thick forests, in the midst of brambles full of thorns and pricklejf, and hold his course over marshes full of slime. After the fatigues of the day, he must repose at night on the grass or on foliage, exposed in some situations to the winds, the rain, the dews, and all the injuries of an unwhole- some atmosphere ; happy if he find himself near a rivulet, otherwise, whatever thirst he may experience, the night must be passed without its being quenched. A fire is kin- dled, and, if in journeying along, he have slain a wild ani- mal of the forests, parts of it are roasted, and eaten with Indiau corn, or meal, if fortunately any of that aitiele iA « •jii it :| f 1 5 ' M ■i ■ I I ^'11 i » 440 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ; li If i .'! : I i H 1 remain. Besides these inconveniencies, common to all who proceed througli those deserts, it often occurs that some travellers are obliged to undergo long intervals of inanition on the journey. Numbers of wild animals, such as deer, stags and buffaloes, are frequently to be seen ; but unless a suitable provision of fire-arms, powder and ball is made, it is difficult to procure them by any other V means, as the arrow is not sufficient to kill them imme- diately ; for, although pierced with several wounds, they will continue to fly, and will expire at a great distance^ perhaps far beyond the reach of the hungry huntsman. .,.-. At certain seasons of the year, particularly in the spring, tlie river Missisippi rises to tlie height of thirty or forty feet, and overflows its banks and part of the adjacent country, which is in general extremely kvel. Travellers £nd it, at this period . difficult to land in order to cook victuals, and to repose themselves. When they effect a landing, they sleep nearly in the following manner. If the earth be umddy on the surface, which happens when the waters begin to subside, they commence by making a bed of foliage, that their mattrasses or skins may not be sunk in the slime ; the bedding is then deposited, and ever this three or four canes are bent in the form of a parabola, the extremities of each of which are run into tho ground ; some slender pieces of cane being fixed across, a large sheet or cloth, whose extj^mities are folded under the matt:iiss, is 11 THE .tMEnrCAM INDIANS. 441 extended over tliis little frame. Under tliis species of tomb, ill wliicli lie is stifled witli heat, must the wearied traveller repose. The first occupation, wherever he lands, is to form this hut with exp<;dition, as the musquitoes will not allow him to bestow much time ou it. If he could sleep in tiie -open air, he mi«ifht enjoy the coolness of the night ; but this felicity is not permitted. He has nuich more reason to be dissatisfied, when he finds no place on which to raise Jiis hut. The pirogue, or wooden canoe, is then fixed to a tree, and if a quantity of fallen timber, which has been carried down, and heaped together by the current, be found, the victuals are cooked in a kettle, by making a fire upon its surface. These masses of floating trees, col- lected at certain places of the river, by a stump whose root is in the ground, or by a point of land, and forming an enormous raft, w(;re denominated by the French in America, des cmharraK. Their extent is often so prodigi- ous, that they might supply to several thousand families, a quantity of fuel Siifticient for twelve months consump- tion. These situations it is difllcult and dangerous to pass. The rapidity (if the current, at the outer extremity of the v/nharms, is usually considerable ; and if the pirogue should accidentally encoimter one of the extremities of the fioat- .ing trees, it will inevitably be upset. If no such situation he found in the course of the day'h journey, the traveller must remain without supper^ and ■ \ i r t .) L t », { I- in ' >\ t.; ■' ■ •1 ■i' •?;■ ■' 1 1 i 1)^ I-, ,. ,** H- 44« MANNEKS AND 01TST0M8 OP also without sleep, as the night affords no respite or reiitaf from the torment of the musquitoes. The height of the trees, and the luxuriant thickness of the woods, which- tIu'ouij:hout almost the whole extent of its course, cloa.th the level borders of this river, exclude the refreshment of the smallest breath of air, notwithstanding its channel i& above half a league, and often a league in breadth. The air is felt only in the center of the stream, when it becomes necessary to cross over to shorten the length of the journey. The hordes of musquitoes which hosier over the travellei-s and their baggage, whilst the canoe is kept near the coasts of the river, continue even here to persecute them ; and when again it hapjiens to pass near the willows and canes, another cloud of these winged insects throws itself «pon it, and never forsakes it. They who are not employed in rowing, exert themselves in endeavouring to ward off the baneful attacks of the flies, which after a small retreat, re- turn to the cf large, and the arm engaged in this office, be* comes fatigued sooner than these tormentors. Here are likewise innumerable small flies, called bm/ots, whose punc- ture is so sensible, or rather so Surning, that it seems' as if a small spark of fire had fallen upon the place they have bitten. There is a smaller species of the same fly, called mousfiffues, scarcely visible, whose province it is to attack, the eyes. Wasps, and every species of fly which the effects of heat and moisture can generate, likewise infest these re- u THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 445 gions. But tlie muftquitoes swarm in greater abundance than any other, and their effects are more serious and an- noying. On landing to cook the victuals, and to dine, which is generally from twelve to two or three o'clock, the travellers are attacked by innumerable armies of these in- sects. A large fire is made, which is kept under with green leaves to produce a greater quantity of smoke, but in or- der to avoid the intolerable persecution of the flies, the traveller is compelled to enter into the midst of it, and the remedy then becomes little better than the malady. The hours destined for repose are wasted in ineffectual struggles against tb6 musquitoes, which enter the mouth, 4.he nostrils, aiid the ears. Wherever the flesh is exposed to their bite, it swells immoderately ; and, when it is pos- sible totally to witlidraw from their attacks, the effects will remain for several days. Such are the inconveniences attending a Voyage on the Missisippi, and, indeed, through any of the unsettled parts of this continent. When a savage has no canoe, and wishes to pass a deep or rapid river of no great breadth, he walks along its banks until he finds a tree that has fallen across it. The cata- racts of the Andes, rolling from beneath the region of con- gelation, fall, by different directions, into vallies and chasms deeply excavated by the rapid carrents ; they are the barriers which the sport of the waters has placed be- tween those stupendous masses, broken and piled aloft, in 3 l2 •':'>.! ■ ~ .' '♦I ' If! ^.■J ■4 A- h'«;; ' i ^1 .1 , 4 i , H B . if( . I,. 1 ■ ■ ti 444 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS^ OF the awful struggles of nature, agitated by terrible coovut- sions. ■' "'■'-.:■ '•.,-■• The Peruvians pass these torrents, which roll through those deep and impracticable defiles, by means of wicker baskets suspended on ropes stretching from one side to the other, and well secured at each extremity. A double sliding rope is fixed to each side of the basket, extending also to both banks of the torrent. If the basket should be on the opposite side, the passenger draws it towards him by the sliding rope, he then enters it, and pulls him- self across. iy.^lri:^f *iz-: ■M'.im ;uA Umiiji'ih niUiAl sil i The bridges are constructed of vines ; five or six of which, of vast length, are laid across a river in a parallel di- rection, distant from each other eight or ten inches. They are made fast on either side by ropes of the same mate- rial. The spaces between are interwoven with wicker, upon which boughs of trees and moss are laid, forming a strong, secure, and convenient passage.' % . ' The natives, when on their long voyages, are seldom de-- ceived with respect to the distance they imagine then>- selves from the sea. If, in following the course of a large river, the stream holds a straight direction for a length of fifteen or twenty leagues, they conclude that they are far from the ocean ; and, on the contrary, from the frequent curvatures in the channel, they determine that tlie sea is not very remote from them, r H T4IE AMERICAN INDIANS. 445 During winter, when the snow is generally three, and sioinetimes five feet deep in the fprests of Canada, the savages travel upon snow shoes j and, for carrying their provisions and baggage, make use of small slays formed of two thin pieces of hard wood joined together, whose breadth exceeds not a foot or fifteen inches, and whose length is about six or seven feet. These boards are bent upwards in the front, to the heiglit of six inches, to keep them clear of snow. Two spars of about two inches in width are attached to the upper edges, throughout the whole length, which serve in some degree to keep the bag- gage from rubbing against the snow, and also for securing it by means of thongs, at equal distances from each other. The savage, having fixed a band to this slay when loaded, drags it after him without difficulty. Dogs are not unfre- quiently used in forwarding this conveyance. The form of the snow shoe approaches to an ellipse on each side ; the front is nearly round ,^ but sometimes point- ed and bent upwards. The hinder extremity terminates in a point. The largest raquets are two feet and a half long, and about eighteen inches in the broadest part. The frame, which is of ash, bent by means of heat, an 'i! -11 I ■4 m !:-■ 446 MANNSR8 AHD CtTSTdMS OF it into three parts, the middle of which is the largest. An opening for the motion of the joints is left, that the toes may not touch the front bar in walking. At each end of the opening are two small holes for passing the leather cords, by which the raquets are attached to the feet. These are crossed over the toes, passing along each dide of the foot, then through the raquet, and crossing again over the heels, are tied on top of the foot, near tlie ancle. Without these machines, any attempt to travel on the snow would prove abortively v» «^ inunvisH Oij^ mi'i%r Warriors, during their route, travel by short jour-* neys. A savage is never in haste, nor does any accident disconcert him, except when superstition induces him to draw an omen unpropitious to the success of his enter-' prise. rj^.^vi- .i^^^iiy <»i>t •..■'■.i4,'it Mrtil T?^tS*?if ",ijcm The natives move with little precaution through their own country, and through thase places wherein they sus- pect not any danger. Whilst some conduct the canoes in summer, o** drag the slays in winter, tlie rest of tlie party disperses into the woods, for the purpose of hunting. That they may not fall upon the same prey, each person pursues a different direction. In the evening they as- semble without any difficulty, at the spot fixed on fi>r rendezvous. -.,.;.: „ . . The knowledge which these people discover at a very early period of life of the different quarters, resembles in 11 THE AMERICAN INDIANS. ' 44? some degree the instinctive principle of animals. In the thickest forests, and during the most obscure weather, they never stray from their intended course. They travel to whatever situation they wish, through the most unfre- quented country, j^erhaps before untrodden by human footstep. In most places in the woods of North America, the surface of the earth is covered with rank vegetation, with shrubs, with bj-ambles, or with tall plaiits, whicli impede the progress of the ordinary traveller, and tend to perplex, bewilder, and mislead. To the savage, these present no impediniients ; he brushes, with his accustomed pace, through the twigs and entwining brambles, and at- tains with unerring certainty the object of his march. The bark of certain trees in the forests is cloathed with moss towards the north, as a defence against the wintry storms ; many of them have a natural bend towards the .south, in order to receive a greater portion of the sun's warmth, and the bark is thicker on the north than on the south side. These peculiarities in the nature of trees, tend in a great measure to guide the undeviating course of the savage. ■***' ^•- • ""' " "- " ' *' ' '"■ '■ ' ■ ' ■'' ''" When arrived at the intended place of rest, the savages very soon form their encampments. They upset their canoes to guard their bodies from the wind, or they fix small branches with leaves on the shore, and strew thcni on their mats. Some carry with them bark of the beech- H* 1 • • " 1 'A .1 r •'■ i ! ] i. ■' ;ih i.* I • , I i ^r 1 ! Il r w i: ij ''l' '< I ii*4' .lit. 448 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF tree rolled up, uitii whicli they quickly erect a kind of tent. The youngest of tlie party, when no women arc at- tending, light the tire, and are charged with the office of cooking, and other preparations of food. i**'. »• vMi.iiw r.t • Tlie manner in which the Indians conduct their petty expeditions is, by endeavourhig through stratageui to take advantage of the enemy, by falling upon them suddenly, when divided into hunting parties, when occupied in cul- tivating the fields, or when wrapped in profound sleep. The success in these predatory ex'jursiuns depends on the secrecy of their march, and on using every means without being themselves exposed to view, to discover the detached parties of the tribe which they propose to attack. ;■( , ? i The loss of a single warrior is, on account of the sniall- ness of their numbers, sensibly felt, and is of so much con- sequence to the chief of a party, that his reputation is in- volved in it ; skill as well as good fortune being esteemed the requisite qualifications of his character. .. ; The Sieur de Champlain* with some of his countrymen, having accompanied the Algonquins and mountaineers, who went to Mar against the Iroquois, gives the following description of a rencontre with that people, in which he was personally engaged. , , ; i , . Having embarked with his party, in canoes, on the lake * Voj^ages de Gliamplain, lib. iii. c. 9. :# A THIS AMRRICAV IVDlKNa. 449 now distinguished by \m name, atid having cautimied \m voyage in silence, he discovered at niglit, near the extre* jnity of a cape, a party oi" Irociuois, wlio were also pro. cceding on a war expedition. On jKirceivi'Jig each otlxM-, the Indians nuitually raised a loud cry, and made prepar- ation for coniUit. The Iroquois disembarked with speed, and arranged their cjinoes on tlie beach, to be in readiness for escape, in case of necessity, and barricadoed themselves with wood which they cut down with their hatchets. Chauiplain's party also placed themselves out of the reach of the arrows of the enemy, fastened their canoes toge- ther in the water, ajid put thenvselves in a condition to enj^age. Wlien they were sutBciently prepared, they dis- patched two canoes with heralds, to offer battle to tlwj <;nemy» who i^iadily accepted the challenge, saying, that they would commence the action with the dawn of day. In the mean time the night was passed by both parties, in singing songs of death, hi boasting of the heroic deeds of individuals of their respective nations, and in uttering, according to the custom of savage tribes, many expressions of contempt for the enemy, over whom each individual promised himself an easy victory. When morning began to appear, the Iroquois, to the number of two hundred warriors, came out of their en- trenchments, marching in order of battle, with three chiefs at their head, distinguishable by plumage which they wore 3 M 'A 'A ' t| ' m ■ n ,11, ;i • • I • 41 3 • ,;') ' 450 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP V on their temples. The opposite party being drawn up to receive them, and Champlain advancing, the Iroquois halted to recover from their surprise ; and, after having contemplated him for a moment, they made a signal to let fly Iheir arrows, on which the action immediately com- menced. Champlain having killed two of their chiefs, and mortally wounded a third of their band, by the first shot from his arquebus ; and another Frenchman having at the same time fired from behind a tree, the unexpected effect of these arms, which were entirely new to the barbarians, wholly disconcerted them. They remained not to dispute the victory, which, without the aid of the Frenchman, could not have been gained by the Algonquins. They abandoned the entrenchments, and the field of battle, and fled for safety into the woods, whither they were pursued.' Several were killed, some were made prisoners, and the remainder escaped by dispersion. The Algonquins, Abinaquis, and Nipissings, practise the following military festival previous to a march against their enemies.* These savages are loaded with ornaments, which in the eyes of Europeans tend to disfigure the hu- man face. Vermilion, white, green, yellow, black made from the soot of pots or kettles, form the different tints, which, methodically applied with a mixture of grease. * Lettrei edifiantes et curieuses. •:t» If- •i I THE AMEHICAN INDIANS. 451 serve to adorn the physiogaomy and the body of a savage. The head is shaved, and only a small lock is allowed to remain on its sunmiit, for the convenience of attaching to it the feathers of birds, or pieces of porcelain or of metal. Every part of the head has its allotted trinkets, and even the nose is not left destitute of an appendage. The ears are slit in early youth, and, elongated by weights with which they are surcharged, they touch and flap upon the shoulders. In the lower extremity of the ears they fix rings of considerable length and size. The rest of their equipment is not by any means discordant M'ith this whim- sical mode of decoration. A shirt bedaubed with vermi- lion, collars of porcelain, bracelets, a large knife suspended by the side, a cincture of various colours, shoes of the skin of the elk, form the dress of these savages. The members of the assembly thus arrayed are seated in the form of a circle. In the centre, large kettles filled with provisions of every kind are placed, already cooked and cut into small portions, to be more easily distributed among the guests. After a respectful silence, which de- notes the majesty of the assembly, some chiefs, deputed by the different nations who assist at the feast, begin to sing in succession. Their notes are generally formed by accident, and resemble the cries and howling of the wolf. This, however, is not the overture of the entertainment, it is only a preparation or tuning of the voice, and serves 3m 2 1 * r ■J Mil ti.' Ji f ' '■ ^ h " iii 452 MANNERS AND CUStOMS Of fR 'I \\i u] ,«i I * n '4: ■■ M 1 as a prelude to invite those barbarians who may hate dis- persed, to repair to the general rendezvous. When th«* assembly is completely convened, the orator arises, and addresses the company in a solemn harangue. This is the most rational part of the ceremony. They then proceed to the nomination of the captains who are to command the party. No sooner is one of them chosen, Ihan he rises from his place, and seizing the head of one of the animals which forms a part of the viands, raises it sufficiently high to be perceived by the whole assembly, crying out at the same time, '* Behold the head of an enemy." Shouts of joy and applause are then sent forth from all quarters, tes- tifying the general satisfaction. The captain marches around the circle within, holding the head in his hand;^ and singing aloud his war song, in which he exhausts hi» eloquence in boasting, in insulting defiance of his enemies^ and in extravagant praises of his own valour. In the vaunting moments of enthusiasm, he endeavours to im- press all present with an idea of his supposed heroism „ and invincible conduct. Whilst he is passing in reviev^' before the circle, he is answered by hollow^ interrupted: cries, drawn from the bottom of the chest, and accompa* nied with grotesque movements. Me conclttdes his part by throwing down the head which he held in his hand, to mark, by this affected disdain, that his military appe- tite must be allayed -with food of a different description. -,■ a'- THB AMERICAN INDIANS. 453 Oft resunitiig his seat, his head is covered with a kettle of hot cinders, a^'i for this mark of distinction he is usually indebted to some of his nearest friends. To him succeed other warriors, who prolong the period of the assembly, especially when it is intended to form a number of them, as it is by ceremonies like these that they must all be en- rolled. The festival is terminated b]^ the distribution and consumption of the provisions. When a village is taken by an enemy, the most barba- I'ous Ci uelties are exercised on its inhabitants, who, con- scious of what they must suffer should they be compelled to yield, defend themselves to the last extremity. As the conquerors cannot preserve a great number of prisoners, their policy, which has for its object to prevent the con- quered from ever again acting agkinst them, prompts them to select those whom they intend to sacrifice to military tengeance from others whom they reserve to incorporate with their nation. Thus the old, the chiefs of warriors, the children of tender age, and infirm, who would be' too troublesome on the route, fall victims to their fury. Before they abandon the village which they have taken, they bum se^veral of its inhabitants, and sacrifice every evening on their journey homewards, when not under an apprehchsioii of being pursued, a part of the uWhappy captives wh6m th6y carried away. '^'' ' ''" ' " The w&rriors, when assembled in a body, before' they' "i 1-5 1 I 1 ^ u ^i'V: ' i i? h''. •It: C'u ; I I 1 :i 454 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP give battle, or attack a place, cut off the heads of such of their enemies as they may have killed or surprised on the way, and carry them into their camp, where they are ex- posed on the end of a pike to the view of the inhabitants of the fort which they mean to assail. But in retreating, or on other occasions, they only take off the scalps of such as they may kill in action, or whom they suppose to be dead. Many persons who have been stunned for a time by a blow from the war club, and have been scalped ' immediately afterwards^ have recovered, and survived for several years. '....,./. ,^ .; The prisoners who have been taken by small parties are much less unfortunate during their march, than those who ' have been captived by the body of an army, because the victors, unsupported by numbers, only think of saving themselves, and of conducting their prisoners in security to the village. For this end their arms are pinioned with ropes, so that their hands may be free, but without th& power oi^ anbinding themselves, or of being able ifl escape by flight, which witn the Indians depends on a certain balance of the body, of the means of exercising which they are by this mode of pinioning, completely de- prived. Every evening they arc stretched, almost naked, on their backs, without any other bed than the earth, the arms and legs of each being extended, and tied to four •J 8mB^' S> i 'i THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 455 Stakes driven for the purpose into the grouiui. • A belt is also fixed around the waist of each, with a double cord attached to it, the ends of which ne who has charge of the captives ties to some part of his own body, that he may be warned should they make any movement for their escape. The constrained attitude in which they remain during the night, is, doubtless, of itself a most severe punish- ment ; but it becomes almost insupportable in the summer season, when the air is filled with tormenting tlies and musquitoes, which with unceasing importunity renew their attacks. They dart to the quick their minute proboscis, and suck the blood through its tube, leaving at each puncture a poison, which causes an inflammatory irri- tation. On approaching their own village, or that of their allies, the warriors detach some of their band to carry the news of their return. He who is entrusted with this office, as soon as he appears in sight of the village, and is within the hearing of its inhabitants, begins to set up the cry of death, repeating the word A:o/?^as many times as the num- ber of persons whom they have lost in action, or during the expedition. This cry is peneti-ating, and at the same time lugubrious and melancholy. During night, or. upon a river, it can be heard at a great distance. At this signal of alarm, each pers'ni in the village forsakes his cabin, and runs towards the quarter from whence the cry pro- • ( ^ ' '5 I' *: 5 I t 1^ * ;. t • i, 'I I. ■ 1 It 456 M^NNEUS AND pUSTpMS <>F ceeded. The messeiiger, in the mean time, coutinues his route, redoubliii*; at intervals liis mournful shouts, ceasing not until he arrives in the centre of the village, where a circle is quickly formed around him. Having paused to take breath, he relates to one of the ancients, in a low tone of voice, the history of the expedition, tlie names of those whom they have lost, and the species of death which befcl them, without omitting the most miimte circum- stance. The ancient, havitig heard his detailed report, repeats with a loud voice all that had ^een related, after which each person retires to his cabin. The members of this small community entertain such an attachment for each other, that however complete may be the victory over the enemy, the first sentiment which breaks forth is that of grief for such of their people as have been slahi in combat. The joyful tidings of their success are not listened to, until they have paid to the dead that tribute of respect and regret which they con- ceive to be due to their memory. • When this indispen- sable office is performed, the society is invited by a diffe- rent cry to participate in the general festivity and rejoicing for the victory gained over the enemy. If on the side of the conquerors, no person has lieen killed, which frequently occurs in the case of small pai'^ ties, whose object is rather plunder than waifiire, the mes- senger, instead of the death cry, sends forth a shout of TUG AMERICAN INDIANS. 457 triumph, with the same word which he had before used, by pronouncing it in a different tone. It is repeated as often as there are prisoners or scalps, and the inhabitants, aban- doning themselves to the pleasure excited by this cry, run with avidity to learn a detail of the fortunate exploits. . 'The march of the prisoners, who are for some time detained at a small distance from the village, that the ce- remony of their entry may be previously arranged, is be- gun by some of the victors, who carry as trophies, at- tached to the ends of long poles^ the scalps of their dead enemies. They proceed in files, and at regular distances ffom each other ; the captive slaves follow in the centre of the files, making the noise of the chichicou^ accord with the sound of the death song. They are met by the inhabitants of the village, who cause them to halt, and dance around them, the double he he, which is vehemently thundered forth, constantly marking the cadence of their song. After thus stopping the captives, they compel them to run, and it is then that the emulation for exercising torment begins to display itself. The horrible cruelties which were formerly practised are now discontinued among the tribes known to Europeans. To the unremitted la- bours of the missionaries humanity is principally indebted for the abolition of these diabolical ceremonies. And al- though the traces of Christianity are among many tribes worn out, yet its influence, by having mitigated the feror 3n : ;> ' 1 r '.'■ >. • ■» % -V .! 1 h ,>' 5; ' ' 1 ^•i **5 .^i •1 ' ,fl ' . \ ■ \ ' 1> 458 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF city of the savages, affords reason to conclude that the ex- ertions of the missionaries have not been applied in vain. • * To decide on the distribution and fate of tlie prisoners is, among the North Americans, the province of the coun- cil, and the resolutions of that assembly are declared by one of the ancients, who notifies the persons to whom any of them are given, and the names of the dead whom they are intended to replace. The slaves are afterwards con- ducted to the cabins of their future owners, where food is immediately given them. In the mean time the family of the cabin deplores the loss of its members whom the slaves are brought to reinstate, Ett if they were but lately dead. Iii this ceremony, it sh^ds unfeigned tears at the sad recollection of its departed friends, which the sight of the slaves reiiCws, and the former sources of grief over- flow in recent torrents. - ■ ----j-^^ trf-« ( must operate equally in beings of simitar organization. Weakness or firmness of mind, re- sultiiig from habit, tend in a great degree to heighten or THE AMBJllCAN INDIANS, r' dbO to reduce the effects of swffcrinjf. The aftUcted party thu» learns to stifle the efforts of nature, and to display'; under the moat protracted and acute tortures, an outward indif- ference and unconcern. '* — .^j.-*^ » - .« ;u...y ..; t^. *.» In these exhibitions of horror, the women became the principal agents, and seemed fertile in the execrable in- vention of new modes of communicating paiiu The demon of vengeance appeared to take full possession of their hearts, and to exclude the introduction of the smallest ray of pity. This ferocity, so abhorrent to the sex, must have been imbibed and conftnned by a false standard of education and example. ,. jm^hi ■• < ' - rsii".: ;;> i/«;'i.'v »i.u>j ^itt-ttii The law of retaliation prevails among all the natives of America. They conceive that by this means they render themselves formidable to others, and command respect. Were they not to exercise towards their captives the same inhumanity which in similar circumstances is practised throughout the neighbouring tribes, they would only be- come their dupes, and tend to increase the insolence and ferocity of their adversaries. The most mild people are necessitated to depart from the limits of their natural mo- deration, when they see that it encourages their neigh- bours to become more bold and intractable. The French exhibited an example of this kind, when, to avenge them- selves on the Iroquois, they were permitted to treat their prisoners as those captived from their own nation were 3 N 2 'h ' I k ■' ■ ■■ t ■ > t •■ ' ■. i'i ■ •■ i ii^ y, ■.r ( « I :' 460 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF treated by these barbarians. They exercised this power with the same thirst of vengeance and cruelty, as charac*^ terises a people which delights in blood. They even sur- passed in refinements of torture the most experienced and veterah executioners among the savages. This rigour they asserted to be necessary, in order to subdue, in some de- gree, the enterprising spirit of the enemy, and a.«( a motive for retaining them in peace. It is, says a learned Jesuit, mortifying to civilized nations, that such Frenchmen as were naturalized among the savages adopted so readily the worst of their habits, without the same partiality for imi- tating their good qualities, that the former became more wicked and cruel than the latter. - t 1 ; ■ .,:■;< ^ . ' fit!/' rv'fi' ,.»';J ii,i> .. , » , I •,J i • ■ - .. f .!1 -• t •i i'*>». *.'»k.A bi.l I i'-J .y.y % THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 461 ■••v.*n \3fk' t-rr. ■■" I- :.'■' 'i \:' *t 'ti ■• ' r • M' •') ♦ ri ; «' »i ; CHAPTER XVI. f -*;■ r.= ' I. ■I; W '■ /i62 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF families by deaths, is essential to maintain the strength ol' a savage nation. The person adopted, becomes in every respect a member of the tribe, to which he is habituated, and naturahzed by cquahty of treatment. The Iroquois, who by this system of poHcy have ahvays supplied their losses, continued long to maintain their consequence, and to be formidable to the enemies by which their territories were environed, :* ■ The arms principally in use among the natives of Ame- rica, consist of bows and arrows, spears, war clubs, and darts. Since their intercourse with Europeans, by far the gVeatest number of the tribes have adopted the fusil and the iron hatchet, whose use they discovered from experi- ence, to be far more efficacious and destructive, than that of their own simple weapons. The war-club of the North Americans is formed of a hard and tough wood, the handle being thin and flat, somewhat curved, with sharp edges, having at its extremity a ball of about three inches in diameter. With this, the blow upon the hexd is generally given, previous to the operation of scalpi.ig. The clubs used by the South Ame- ricans in combat, are of hard and heavy wood, sharp on the two sides, thick in the center, and terminating in points. To these offensive arms, some Indians, when they go to war, add a buckler of bark, to defiend themselves from the arrows of the enemy.' . >.* , \.j >iv'<-'i j^t 'I- i I" THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 463 ' Tlie natives of North-west America, bordering on tlie sea coast, make use of cuirasses and shoulder pieces, com- posed of ribs of wlialebone closely sewed between skins of animals, and parallel to each other. This vestment of war is of a flexible nature, and allo^vs to the person who wears it, the unrestrained use of his arms. A coarse and large gorget, which protects the throat and face as far as the eyes, forms another part of their warlike apparel. The head is defended by a species of liclmet, made of the scull and hide of some animal of {Mrey. A species of apron, of the same fabric and materials as the cuirass, is worn from the waist downwards, and a fine skin adapted to the twofold purposes of ornament and warmth, reaches from the shoulders to the knees. Invested with this armour, they bid defiance to the arrows of assailants, but are less^ capable of moving with agility. The strings of their bows consist of thongs of leather. Their lances are twelve feet in length, and shod with iron. Their knives of the same metal, are upwards of two feet in length ; their axes are of flint, or of a green stone, so hard, that they cleave the most compact wood without injuiy to the edge. .- - The arms of the Caraibs are much the same as those already described. These people pass whole days in their hammocks, and their indolence and apathy are unequalled. The bows which they use are about six feet ki length, the ends are romided to an inch in diameter, with notches to i- ''.M i ,^l ri I- I; i ' • 1: 1 i 46^4 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF I I m- % i i i i : -I h stop the cord. The thickness gradually augments from each end towards the center, which is round on the out- side, and flattened on the inner part, so that the middle of the bow is an inch and a half in diameter. It is gene- rally fabricated of a green wood, or of a brown mixed witJi stripes of a reddish hue. It is heavy, compact, stiff, and of neat workmanship ; tlie cord is of leather. The arrows are about three feet and a half in length ; the ex- tremities are bound with cotton thread to prevent them from splitting. The point is made of green wood, notched, and fonned in such a manner, that it cannot be extracted from the flesh which it enters, but by considerably en- larging the wound, or by pushing the arrow in a fonvard direction, and clausing it to come out at another part. The arrows are ornamented with feathers of various hues, split, and glued to the lower end. The points are impoi- soned M'ith the sap of tlie Manchineal tree, which grows upon the sea coast, the exudation of whose bark and foli- age is of a nature so acrid, that drops of rain falling from thence upon the human skin, cause it to swell and blister in a painful mimner. The arrows in use for killing birds, are rounded at the ends, so as not to enter the flesh, but only to stun or bruise. ,,.»v « / • ; >^^y ; /r: f . The Caraibs ensnare the fish by a kind of wooden spear, with a cord attached to the lower end, with a piece of light wood to serve as a buoy. As soon as the fish is TJIK A mi: lU CAN INDIANS. 4C.1 slrmk, it chiiU a\vii\, aiul Iho Caraib swiinminL; afu-r the piece of wood, lays liold of it and drags it on shore. The war chib is about three and a lialf feet in lenglli, Hat, two inches thick, except at the handle, wliero it ch- iiiinishes, and four inches at tlie extremity, of a wood l)onden)US and iiard. The broadest sides are engraven, and tiie hollows are fdled with different colours. They use thi* instrument with no less strengtli than address, and every blow aimed with it, fails not to take effect, by breaking (he bones of the body, or splitting the head asunder. When these barbarians ii<4;ht aj^ainst each otiier, they make with a knife two notches at the end of each arrow, that when it enters the body the point may break off and remain, ami the arrow may fall to the ground. Although they generally carry their knives naked ui tiieir hands, it is rarely that they wound one another, except wlien in- toxicated. In these moments they are dangerous ; for they rccal to remembrauce an injury they may have received from any person present, and take inmiediate mvenge. If the person against mIiojii an individual entertained re- sentment is thus slain, and if nojie of his relations survive to revenge his death, the affair is concluded. But if he have relations, or if he have only been wounded, the ag- gressor must change his place of abode, or expect retali- ation Oil the lirst opportunity. Sti angers to i'ecK)ncilia- tion or forgiveness, no person among them ever under- r. ^^^1' 466 MAN N LOS AND CUSTOMS OF li: W : • 'I f fjt i" take.H tlu* orticc ol' mediator between imlividuaU liostilc to cacli ollu:r.* . • - .. Tlie TlascalaiiH, a nation of New Spain, picv io\is to en- ga^mii an enemy, let fly mnon^ tlnnj two an«)ws, on the head of eaeli of uliieli was (Carved an linage of tlu.- god of ■war. Oi' tluse it beeame an aet of ix'li«;ion, as well as a point of honour, to eiuleavonr to regain the possession. The iiifit onsect to their encam^Miients at night, even in an enemy's territory. They place no sentries to guard them froin stnprise, and often fall a sacrifice to their indolence and false ideas of security. They alledge as an exemptioii from this fatigue, that tliey who have toiled all day ought to enjoy repose during the night, i • •• «» .' i.-.-.*'-. .■«...- The Iroquois appear to be the only people who are eiv- * Voyages dc L'AUati. "Si'i' /I w» I'u; '. I TIIR AMErtlCAN IXniAXS. 4()t tilled to an cx(!C[)li»)ii in this respect. They pluee ad^ vanced j^iianU, and scouts in their front ; tliesc are always in motion, and convey timely intelligence of the approach of an enemy. They are, therefore, almost never surprised or interrupted, during the period of their hunting expe- ditions. *i 1 ' i. * . . . . , I . ... Tiie chief grounds of warfare among savages are usually derived from pursuing the chace over territories, whose boundanes arc established, and which are considered as the property of particular tribes ; each member of a tribe being perfectly well acquainted M'ith the limits of his countiy. ^ii; ' vJ .1 M^fiifc. . r . ' J ' • .^ ..; . If reproached by £uro}>eans, on account of their fero- city, they will coldly reply* that human existence is as nothing, that they do not avenge themselves of their ene- mies, when they immediately deprive them of life, but by inflicting on them torments, protracted, acute, and severe ; and that, if in warfare, death were the only object of dread, women might as freely engage in it as men. *' '^ At the age of twenty-one, a warrior usually commences his career, which he terminates at fifty. If he bear arms at an earlier, or at a later period* it is only on predatory expeditions, which arc not the regular occupations of a When an invading party arrives within about forty leagues of the encmy^ the chace is laid aside, and the 3o 2 'it 468 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF I. • * 1. I I' 3l! if 1- waniois are satisfied with <'ariying, each a small' bag of flour, or meal, made from Indian corn, of about twenty pounds weight, wliich they eat mixed with water, as they are cuulious of lighting fires, lest they should be disco- vered by the snutll, or by the smoke. ;i i .:•.)•,; i.i.*»HM •" The Illinois, Ontaguniis, Ilurons and Sanlteurs, tlic Ounianiis, the Outiiouais, the Aigomiuins, the Abinaquis, and Micniacs, are the nations generally at war with the Iroquois, and they do not hesitate sometimes to advance in small paities of thirty or forty, even to the villages of the enemy, trusting, in case of detection, to their speed in ruiming. They liave the precaution to march in files, and the ollice of him who is the last in retreat, is care- fully to sprinkle leaves over the footsteps of the party. When arrived within the territory of the enemy, they travel all night, and pass the day in laying with the face towards the ground, among brushwood or brambles, either in company or dispersed. Towards evening, oi* as soon as the sun has gone down, they forsake their ambuscade, attacking, without distinction of age or sex, all whom they meet ; their custom being, to spare neither women nor children. When they have comp!sated their massacre, and takcii the scalps of tlie dead, they have the hardi- ness to put forth a mournful cry. Should they perceive at a distance any of the enemy, they give them to under- stand^ that they have killed some of their people, naming THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 469 the particular nations and persons by whom the deed was performed. They then betake themselves to flight, witli all possible swiftness, in different directions, until tiicy reach a certain rendezvous at the distance of many leagues. ... ^^ The party to which a state of warfare becomes most burdensome, and which feels in a greater degree than its opponent, the evil effects resulting from it, omits no mea- sure for endeavouring to quiet the tempest, and to restore tranquillity. It takes advantage of every opening for ne- gotiation which presents itself, ami when a prospect of success appears, ambassadors are sent to make proposi- tions of peace. The victor, on his part, generally re- ceives tliese overtures with avidity, because war, always onerous to those engaged in it, wastes the population and resources of his tribe ; and, conceiving that he is in a con- dition to procure by negotiation considerable advantages, is not Mnfrequently the first to take secret measures iov promoting the object of peace. ' ' -^ -- - Ambassadors from neutral tribes are usually previously dispatched to smooth by presents the way for those of the hostile party, and when it is conceived they may with safety be sent, men of known capacity for that function are selected from among the ancients, who, after much de- liberation in council, are instructed in the business of their mission. Their orders are recorded on collars of warn- ■ \ ■! ■ ' ! I, m^^^ ;■» 470 »t.\NNt«S AM) C't'STOMS OT" pum, or on small pieces ot' wood of different ligiircs, which are calculated to convey distinct meanings ; that on the one hand nothing may be forgotten, and on the other, tiiat the envoys exceed not the limits of their charge. - w "-^ : Having received their instructions, the anibassadoi-s set out with presents to be offered, which 31*6 always taken fnnn the public stock ; and they are accompanied by u certain number of young men, to do honour to the cha- racter with which they are invested. ....... i. An ambassador among the Mexicans was distinguished by a mantle of cotton embroidered witu gold, and oma« inented M'ith fringe. In his right liand he heli a broad arrow M'ith the feathers upwards, and in his left a shell in the sha)^ of a buckler. The subject of the embassy wa« denoted by the coloui- of the feathers, red being a symbol of war, and white indicating peace. He was by these tokens entitled to respect, but was not permitted to turn out of the royal roads of the province through which he passed, but upon penalty of forfeiting his privileges and immunities. - i Before their arrival at the village of the enemy, the am- bassadors halt, and dispatch one or two young men to announce their approach ; on which a party of old men is sent out to meet and to welcome them, by acquainting them that a cabin is provided for their receptioii, and that of their attendants. On reaching the village, they find in the cabin into which they are coadiicted, a kettle on tlic 10 THE AMKRICAN INDIANS. 47 i fire, and young men occupied in preparing food, of which none but the .strangers are allowed to pailake. After one or two days of repose, tlie andjassadors dis- close their propositions, and present their wampum belts in public council, which is convened not only for the pur- pose of hearing what they have to adxance, but also for that of singing and festivity. They ate, in the mean time, vigilant of their interests, and avail tin lusulves of the pe- riod allotted for secret negotiation; thr rtsult of their mission Mill depend on their ability and address. AfU-r due deliberation on the propositions, the ambassadors are sent home with definitive answers, or are immediately fol- lowed by envc»ys from the other party, who reply by a number of belts equal to that of the articles contained in the scheme of pa«NEn» ANn rn.sTr)MN ns- tlk'.v arc more gencniUy disniisse-..■.. . ^:. > The calumet has the same influence among savages that a flag of truce has among civilized nations. They would conceive themselveh highly criminal, and that they should draAv misfortune on their nation, were they to violate the privileges which the presence of this venerable pi^e is air •SHB 4\ltRlCAN INDIAN'*!. 47^ lo\vi!(l ti^]y^0w. The red plmnaae M'hirlj (K'O.ks the. ca- iumet (ieiiottjs ttS(siT.tanct! to be ^ivfu. Tlie wlutv and grey mi:|kC lUem y^ whom the calumet is presented, but aUo to their allies, : .i^inoug «oine of the iialiom iuhabitim; the iiorth-wesl ijf this cQutiiMJiit, the ceremony uf i^uiokini; is practised with much Holeiumty, previous to the discubsion or eK«-^ cutiow of aiiy transaction of iniporlance. Wlien any di!- fercnces arising between members of the same tri))e are to be derided ov accommodated by the chief, he announws his intention of .smoking in tiie sacred steai, and no per- son who entertains eumity to any of the company assem- li^lcd for tXiii purpose can smoke from this pipe, as tiuit ceremony is suppof^ed to bury in obhviyn ail former eanses of batiied. Although %h Uui tueip^ers of the tribe aie sup- posed to be present, it is not absolutely necessaiy that ea< h Individual shouUi iissist, aiid many are exem})ted by as- serting that tiu'y ifave not jjiepured themst'lves by purifi- cation. Coutracts confirmed by this ceremony are fulfilled with the most scrupulous puiu tuaiity, and per.soris ^oing a journey, antl leJiving tin; fc»icred stem as a pledi^e of their re- lurn, fail not, if it be in their power, to peitorm the promise The nations on tlie borders of the j^fissisippi are ser- I I '1 ;. I , \> 474 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF !!'• . I 'Hi \l formed the calumet dance, uliicli among these people is celebrated only by the most considerable persons. It is sometimes practised for confirming peace, or for uniting themselves in war against the enemy. At other periods it is in use for public rejoicing. Having made choice of a cleared spot, they surround it with small trees and branches, cut, and placed perpen- dicularly in the ground, to afford a shade for those who are to compose the band. A large mat is spread, on which is placed the god of the person who gives the dance. This deity is generally a serpenL, a bird, or any other thing of which he may have dreamt. On the right of the manitou are placed the calumet, vith the trophies of war- tare, the club, the hatchet, the bow, the quiver and ar- rows- The singers, consisting of both men and women, are seated under the foliage upon mats. The first part of the dance is performed by one person, who throws him- self into various attitudes, and exhibits gesticulations with the calumet in his hand. In tlie second part he invites some warrior to join him in the dance ; tl»e latter ap- pwaches with his bow arwl arrows, and hatehet or clnb, and commences a duel against the other, who has no in- strument of defence but the calumet. The one attacks, the other defends, the one aims a blow, the other parries it ; the one flies, tlie other pursues ; their he w ho flies wheels about, and m his turn puts his adversary to flight. THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 475 All these movements are perfiinnccl with set steps, and in cadence, accompanied by the sound of voices and druniii, and in civilized countries might pass lor the commence- ment of a bullet, -i. '->-!' , • • L . .• • . ' The dance, among the natives of America, is not con- sidered as a simple relaxation from the more essential duties of life, or as an amusing exercise. Witii them it is regarded as a ceremony of religion, and practised upon occ!ision.i the most serious and solemn. Without the intervention of lljc dance, no public or private transaction of moment can 1uk<; effect. It setnis to operate as a charm, in rousing tlie natives from their habitual indolence and tor- pidity, and in inspiring tliem w'tii activity and animation. These ceremonies vary in figure, according to circum- *tanres, or tlit occasions on which they arc in use, and differ considerably from each other. For tlie calumet, for the chi< 's, for war, for marriage, and for public sacrifices, distinct dances are appropriated. Timt of the calumet is tlie most striking, and appears to be the most serious. It is danced only on particular occurrences, when strangers pa.ss through the country, or when the enemy sends ambassa- dors tt> offer conditions of peace. If it be by land that either the one or the other approach the village, the inha- bitants depute one of their people, who advances, ex- claiming that he carries the calumet of peace, whilst the «tran<'ers halt until they arc invited to approach. Some 3 F 2 11. ^i ii 476 MklfNYTS AN'O CVS»t6M«J OP of the young 'men then go out of the village, arrange theinselve* in an oval figure neaf the gate, and daiicing whilst tlie strahgers proceed, form a second oval, in the centre of which they place the bearer of the calumet. Tins dance continues for half an hour, at the expiration of which the performers approaoli in cereinoity, to receive the strangers, and to conduct them to the feast that hai been prepared for Uie ociciwion. With regard to strangers who travel by water, tJw same formalities are ob'served, witli this difterence only, that a canoe with two or three persons in it, is dispatched to the extremity of the vil- lage, bearing the calumet of peace raised like a mast in the prow. 'i,'fl";f; :!*r.v - '* '"'h''""^ * "? hmt -'tibi'i The war dance is performed by the whole C4>mpany in turji, all but the acto(r being seated on the ground in a circular figure ; he moves from right to left in the daiioe, singuiig at the same time iiis own exploits, aaid those of his ancestors. At the conclusion of the naiTation of each warlike feat, he gives a blow with a club, on a post planted in the centre of the cirt^le near to certain ])ersons, who beat time on pieces of bark, or on a k<^ttle covered Avith a dres.sed fcrkin. t; .'^*Mit} to minSiiHw') i*m\^ « » i^^v^. In this pautomimitfHl display, he explains what he has witnessed in ^.tpeditions agaiiist tiie enemy, without omit- iiug any o( the * rjr^imi;sitttnces. Ttwy who are present at this recital rise in a hoily, and join in tlie dance ; and THE AMERICAN IN()I\N.<4. 477 witliont aiiy previous concert or preparation, exiiibit these actions with as much vivacity as if they liad actually as- sisted ill them. They tiius dchntate witli C()nfjideral)lc animation, and a multiphoity of gosliircs, any occurrence which they have witnessed, placing it in a certain dej^rce before the eyes of th< spectator : an art in which some of their orators liave acquiixid an at»toni.'jliin<:j decree of per- fection.. •...- .-v-: - • . . ^ , During the intervals of song, frequent disttibulions of tobacco, and of other articles, are made anions tlie {lucsts. and the whole ceremony generally concludes by ati imme- diate partition and consumption of the remainder of tlie provisions in the cabin. . When it is resolved to engage in any particular dance, a person is sent around tlic village, to give notice to each cabin or family, which deputies one or two of its members te be present. In the centre of the place M'here the dance is to be held, a small scatYold is prepared, where a bench is placed for the singers. One holds a kind of drum, an- other a chiehicou6, or the skeleton of a tortoise filled with {.Hobbles. VVlnlst t\v*\ sing, and make a noise with tliesc instruments, they are joiiM?d by the spectators, who strike with stidks against pots and kettles, or dried p»ece6 of bark which they hold Ivfore them. The dancers turn in a circuitous figure withoirt joining hands, each ni^kuig diikrent gestures with his arms and legs, and, al- I 478 MAN VERS AND CUATOMS OP l.( ' 1i • 1 ■ thniigli, perl laps, noiio of llie movciiienU are similar, but wliiinsicul, ai)(i acconlini^ to caprice, yet the cadenro tit never violated. TJiey billow tlie voices of the singers by the continued enunciation of he he, which is concluded by a general cry of approbation still more elevated. ; " r The dwcovery danee is a natural represmtation of wliat j[)a:>ses ill a war exixfdition, ami the principal object of Ihos*' engaged in it is to search for an opportunity of sur- prising their sui>po!»ed enemies. It is practi.sed ))v only two persons at a lime, who represent the departure of the uarriors, their man li, and encan)))ments. They go forth to descry the euenjy, they make approaches in ihe most clandestine and concealed m:inner, stop a^ if to brea^ie, thcji of a sudden blaze forth into anger, as if they in- tended to tkstroy every one v^ithin their reach. The pa- roxysm (»f fury being somt-wJiat exhausted, they seize on one of the company present, as if he were a pris^uier of war, and pretend to break his head and strip ft' his scalp. The principal actor then runs a sj)ort distance, and abruptly stops, when his j)a«sion seems to snbside, and his intellects to resume tht u ordinary state of composure. This stage of the exhibition represents the retreat, made at first with rapidity, and afterward* with moix; leisure. He expres.st?« ])y difteient cries tlu; various degrees of elevation to which his courage was raised during the campaign, and finishes with a recital of the valorous deeds which he achieved. -^ ^ THE AM£RICAN INDIANS. 479 The music and liauces of tlio Ainencaiis, so ii'regulur» so rude, so hui.sturouH and terrific, afford no pleasun.' to u cultivated ear, and appear to civilized persons barbarous and di.Hgu.ecta(;les can form but a faint idea of them. In the inxpetuous violence of their songs and dances, liekher art, melody, nor delieacy, can be trft<,vd. The natives, how- ever, discover, according to. tlkir conceptions, suHlcient rharins jji tlieui, and derive from thein tiie most lively cjitertainment. Their youth are more pasniiinately fond of these than Eufo(x;aiis are of tlieatricul enhibitions. Ihi tlie etwlier sta^jos of society, and among every bar- barous nation, daiieir>g is alone exhibited as an imitative aurt.. Among societies which have made considerable ad- vances in civilization, it loses, in a great degree, this cha- racter, and degenerates iiito a set ol ujiiibrru, unmeaning movements. TJie calumet is not only an f mbleni of peace or war, but it is likt wise used in coinuieree, to inKiire safety on a journey. The conunerce of savages consists only in the exchange of on< ue(essary article for another of which they may be in want. The territory of one nation sup- plies some productions jH*culiar, perhapn, to itself, and of wlvtch another situation may be destitute ; the object of their traffic is, tlu.'iefore, to circulate and diflfus*' the over- plus of their several commodities. These are pniuipally * I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT~3) /Iv:^. 1.0 I.I 1.25 Si 122 1.8 ^ m km U 111116 V <^ e^m,. ' o\ '■'■ ^ o^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^N^ \ iV N> rv 6^ -^J^ .f. (/. 4r>o MAN NEWS AJJD CUSTOMS Of •*., ;'^ it , . PI'. 'Jh maiz,e or Indian corn, tobacco, porcelain, t\ir<^, dressed hkin.s, muts, canoes, baskets, works composed of tlie haif of the ovignal or moose deer, of that of the buflulo, and of the stained quills of the porcupine, haunnocks of cot- ton, mats of various kinds, household utensils, calumets, and all that their unimproved ingenuity hath suggested for mitigating the asperities of their mode of existence. • Tlie festivals and dances wliich the savages celebrate in going to trade with distant nations, render tiieir commer- cial intercourse agreeable and pleasant. Tlieir traffic is conunenced by presents, which are offered to the chief, or to the whol-e body of a tribe, by whom an equivalent is returned, and accepted without scrupulous investigation. This species of gift may be considered as a general tax le- vied on the merchandise. The exchange is then carried on between indi\ iduals, and from one cabin to another. The article to be disposed of is sent to one of the families; from whom something is brought back supposed to be of equal value. If the vender be dissatisfied, he enquired from whence the thing given in barter was brought, and withdraws his merchandise, })rovided he receives not the price he has afllxed to it. 'J'he estimation in which the seller holds his property, and the degree of avidity on the part of the purchaser to possess it, are the only regula-^ tions of exchange. . , ' • . ic; t A singular mode of commerce prevails among some of o THE AMEBICAN INDIANS. 48l the Indians of Chili who border on the mountains of the Andes, and is somewhat characteristic of the general prac- tice of savages. When the Spanish tiaders arrive at a place, which they fix on as the mart of their commodi- ties, they immediately address themselves to the chief of the village, by making presents to him, and to every member of his family ; after which the chief pnblislies to his dispersed countrymen, by sound of a sheH, the arrival of the merchants witli whom they may trade. Having assembled, they examine the merchandise, con- sisting of stuffs, looking-glasses, knives, hatchets, combs, needles, buttons, buckles, silver ornaments, and a variety of other manufactures. When all has been carefully ex- hibited and inspected, and the rate of barter agreed on, every one carries to his home that which he wants, with- out paying for it, so that the whole of the goods for sale are distributed without its being known to the merchant by whom they were taken, or his ascertaining any of his debtors. When he expresses his intention of departing, the chief, by a second sound of the shell, gives an order for payment, and each person returns to the appointed spot of rendezvous, faithfully carrying with him whatever value was affixed to the articles of his choice. One savage nation pays to another, in passing through its territory on a commercial expedition, a certain tax for permission to proceed quietly. However disinterested the 3q f . I f f ' it f 1 I i 1 1 " ! } * \ ■■;-^^ 1 i.''»:^ ;i 'i' 'i'i . 'I' , ' ■ ' 'I I irr 482 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF , i I '■ savage may appear, he is not really so, and can conduct his own affairs with sufficient cunning and address. As the pro- perty of Europeans is not always in safety whilst engaged in commercial intercourse with many of tiie savage tribes, who are frequently addicted to theft, so the savages, on the other hand, are liable to be overreaclied by those who are inclined to deceive them, or who flatter themselves with deceiving them, when a species of violence has been exercised towards them, to Mhich opposition would be vain. The Europeans who traded with the inhabitants of TiOuisiana, in imitation of those nations, availed them- selves of the calumet, and participated in all the ceremo- nies which they practise in the reception of strangers, in obtaining liberty of passage through a country, hi main- taining tranquillity of commerce, in lamenting the dead, and in strengthening the ties of alliance which they had contracted. The natives of America rcckon tlie lapse of time by nights * rather than by days, and divide it into lunar months. This mode is, however, corrected by the course of the sun, whence their years are regulated, and distri- * The Hebrews, i( appears by the sacred writings, began their nucthe* mcrou by the evening. The Saxons, as well as the Canls, reckoned by uiglits ami not by days ; and hence tlie se'nnight and fortnight .>tin in use amongst the Btitons. it ■?■.' THi: AMERICAN' INDIANS. 483 buted into the four seasons, and into twelve months. Tlu» solar years are destined to mark the age of man, m hieli is denoted by the attainment of a certain number of natal days. The same turn of expression is in use respecting the sun, who is said so many times to liave regained the point; from whence he commences his course. Tlie number of years to be specified is frequently marked by the name of one of the seasons, and a person is said, in referenc^e to his age, to have survived so many winters. Those inha- bitants of America who had attained to a considerable de- gree of refinement, regulated also their years by the pro- gress of the sun. The Peruvians computed tiieir years by the summer and winter solstices ; and for this pur- pose, towers and pillars were erected in difterent parts of the city of Cusco, and of the empire; the space be- tween two towers, through which the sun passed at his rising and setting, determined the exact period of the sol- stices. The Inca, in order to make this observation wutli accuracy, placed himself in a convenient situation, from whence he viewed with attention whether the sun rose and set between the two towers which stood east and west. Some of the most intelligent amongst their amanfas, or philosophers, made in another situation the same lyind of observations, and from the result of these together, the time of the solstice Avas determined with a tolerable degree of accuracy. At the approach of the vernal equinox, the 3 q2 : i K ! Vi 't . '' 1 I i 484 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF •J (,. f inhabitants of Cusco made great rejoicings, particu- larly on a spot denominated CokamparUy or the Garden of the Sun. One of tJieir principal festivals was celebrated at the brumal equinox, which was ascertained by the shadows of certain pillars placed before tiie temple of that luminary. When tlie shadows projected by these columns reached to particular points, upon a line drawn from east to west, experience had taught them to determine the proximity or distance from the equinox. If when the sun attained his meridian there was no shadow from the pil- lar, the true equinox was concluded to be on that day. The Peruvians reckoned as many days in the year as fvre admitted by Europeans, dividing them into twelve lunar months, each distinguished by a name, and the eleven remaining solar days were again subdivided. The solar year of the IVIexicans consisted of three hun- dred and sixty days, distributed into eighteen months of twenty days each. As, however, the course of the sun alloAved them five supernumerary days, they considered these in the same light as tliat in which they were held by the Egyptians. They were prescribed as days of exemp- tion from all laborious pursuits, and on which the priests made no oblations. They were occupied only in visiting and amusements. After this intercalation, the new year commenced with the spring. The Peruvians at first ac- counted their year to begin from January, but afterwards THE AMERICAN IXDIANS. 485 ia tlie month of December, when their calendar was re- formed by one of the Incas. The ^Mexicans, besides the arrangement ah'eady men- tioned, divided the year according to the seasons, into four equal parts ; these had each a distinct name, and a different symbol, by which it was denoted. Neither their months nor their weeks were regulated like ours ; the lat- ter consisted of thirteen days. They also joined together a period of years, similar to the number of the days in their M'eeks, four of which composed an age, or fifty-two years. The form of this secular calendar was represented by a wheel, or by a cross with four equal branches, the sun being painted in the center. Every branch or spoke had its distinct colour, and was divided into thirteen parts, to specify the nmnber of years. On the outer rim the principal events which had occurred in each year, were delineated in hieix)glyphics. In order to transmit to posterity the event of the con- (luest of their country^ they painted on this wheel a man in the Spanish costume, with a hat on his head. But as this could not give a detail of the various occurrences which took place at that period, they supplied the defect by Gommittin*; to memory, and retaining by frequent re- cital, several pieces of poetiy or prose, composed by their liearned men. These commentaries to the hieroglyphics were transmitted from father to son, and thus descended to posterity. . ;*.: ..■;i iH-ii i V '■ t. ^. i \ : -^ } I) f m .i It' ■ 1- i I 4nG MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ■ 0» I !• I' I 1; ^^ TIr V had also a species of calico on which they ileliiic- ntcd certain objects, in order to rccal the recollection of memorable incidents, and to these delineations they added signs or numbers, so dispf)sed as to assist in expressing a thought, or forming an argument. They had books drawn up in this manner, in which were preserved the memoirs of anticpiity. The ceremonies of religion Avere also by this means recorded, and the books which concerned them were deposited in the temples. As, like the Peruvians, they believed that the world should perish on the lapse of a certain number of ages, they extinguished, on the expiration of the last year of each secular period, the sacred fires in their temples, as well as those in their own houses ; broke in pieces all the utensils which they liad in use for food, as if they should no longer have occasion for nourishment, and seemed per- suaded that the earth was about to fall into chaos, or to be finally dissolved. Impressed witli this conviction, they passed the night in darkness, agitated between hope and fear. AVhen they beheld the dawn of the morning an- nounce the return of the sun, the air was every where heard to re-echo with acclamations of joy, swelled and ex- tended by the sound of a variety of instruments of music. They kindled new fires in the temples, and in their dwell- ings, a festival was celebrated by sacrifices and solemn processions, and they returned thanks to tli^ir God, who THE AMEniCAN INDIANS. 487 ill his bounty had revisited thein with his light, and had introduced them to the coiiimencenient of another aiic. The Peruvians had a mode of registering, by means of quipos, or strings of cotton, the important events which took place in their government. Tliese appear also to have been used for the purpose of facilitating and render- ing more accurate and expeditious, the modes of calcula- tion. The objects of enumeration were represented by the colours, and the numbers were specified by the knots, and by means of them they were capable of forming a great variety of combinations. The care of these instru- ments of record and account was committed to certain persons, called Quipocamayusy whose number was regulated by that of the inhabitants of the cities and provinces. These officers kept similar reckonings, and operated as checks upon each other. One person might have trans- acted the business of the whole ; but it was thought ne- cessary, for the prevention of fraud or collusion, to di- vide that otficc into several branches. By means of these f/i(ipos, the annual tribute payable to the Inca was com- puted, a register of the army, of those who were slain in battle, and of births and deaths, was retained. In apply- ing them to the purpose of historical records, they were found extremely defective ; and, to explain them, songs and poems were composed, which were recited ou certain ,'A i' ■ in i 1 1 ■ fit ]i\ -■■ i' •I '.■1 ■ 1 ■ t '1 *1 i 1 1 488 MANNERS AND CtTSTOMS OK 'I \i;ii'".fi il occasions, in order to diffuse a knowledge of them, and to refresh the recollection. They were thus tiansmitted from one generation to another. When the Camibs wish to remind themselves of some future transaction, in which they are to be engaged at a stated period, they take a certain number of peas, accord- ing to that of the days which ai-c to elapse, and regularly every morning put one into a calibash, until the whole have been thus disposed of. They use also cords, similar to the (juipos of the Peruvians, with which they aid the me- mory by tying a number of knots. They regulate their months by moons, and their years by harvests. They like- wise compute them by the course of the pleiades. The twenty-four hours are divided into sun-rise, mid- day, sun-set, and night. The year of many of the na- tives of North America is composed of twelve synodic months, with this distinction, that at the end of every thirty moons, they allow one supernumerary to pass, which they term the lost moon, and their reckoning is afterwards continued in the usual manner. They apply to every month a particular name. They know with tolerable ex- actness the hour of the day or night, even Avhen neither sun nor stars are discernible. The number ten, is, among the savages, a complete and perfect quantity. They reckon the units to the amount "I f: THE AMEKICAN INDIAN'S. 4ftelled the canoe, if on a smooth surface. If they move down a stream of water, they judge of the distance by tlie rapidity with which they are carried along by its current. Their geographical charts are formed on the bark of birch trees. ^ Besides tlieir ordinary and necessary occupations, the (•avages have games of amusement and of exercise, which tend to strengthen and give play to the muscles of the body. One of their most celebrated games of hazard is conducted with nuts, or small ovals cut from bones, which Bre twice the size of cherry stones, and nearly of the same form, the sides being somewhat flattened. Their number consists of six or eight, one half being painted black, and 3r : : !(.- ^.•; ■> .:.l t ". ! * ■>'» \ ■-; V- ii ■-: ■V '4 f'' -^Wi ;i !■■■. rJ! i.' ''^' 490 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP the other half of a yellow colour. They are put into a wooden bowl, which is kept in motion for some time, and then suddenly knocked against the ground, to cause the nuts to spring upwards. Sometimes the hand only is used, when the nuts are shaken like dice, and thrown upon a smooth skin, sprea>■■ m f «■ ^i . •' I If \:1 '.. f^'ii'' . i f fiv •( -J ' ■' ■.J, i , ■^ J i'h m I I i:" '4 t }* 494 MAKNEltS AND CUSTOMS OF from the centre of the ground, and in a direct line between the two extremities ; it is kept up for a considerable time, and flies to and fro from the raquets, without ever touch- ing Uie earth, as it must not be cauglit in the hand. The Californians are less favoured by nature, both with respect to mental endowment, and to figure "and appear- ancf', than almost any nation on the continent of America. They are small in stature, destitute of bodily strength, and of that love of independence which characterises the nor- thern nations. Their whole leisure seems to be dedicated to two games. The first, which is called takersiuy consists in throwing and rolling a small hoop of three inches in diameter, within a space of teo square toises, cleared of grass, and surrounded with fascines. It is played by two persons, each holding a stick of the size of a common cane, five feet in length. Whilst the hoop is in rapid motion, they endeavour to catch it with the stick, and to raise it from the ground, by which two points are gained ; stop- ping the hoop with the stick is equal to one point : three are the whole number of points allotted to this game. To the other amusement the name of toussi is given. It is played by four persons, each having in his turn a piece of wood in his hand ; his partner, in order to withdraw from the play the attention of the opponents, exhibits a variety of odd and whimsical contortions. It must be •ill m THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 495 ri!- ■.'■ guessed in Mrhich hand the wood is concealed, and if the conjecture is realized one point is gained ; but if the con- trary a point is lost. He who gains conceals the piece of wood in his turn. The number of points is five, and the prize consists of beads, or the favours of particular wo- men.* • * ■ . - ( y » > . . — :m ,/ J iu -n • Yeyage de la P^rouae. -,:.,■_.!/! Vi ■ ■;• i ' -■ •■ •' ■ ■ ,' ; ,'ir';::j 'ivJ .... I \i i'tiHr''- i A " ' . . . ;■■ ... ■ • ■» - ■ ■ ■ i . , . ' -.,:;.(." '',.: I iu 'i-oi ::'■;.:'■ '''! "f ■ , • . ' .':''-■ • . . , . %». • -;m •(. :' ■ •'■ ' ■ ' •■•.:: _ - ^ • i . ■ J ;. :,V .-, . • ;;: tl-'.' V ':'• ' -••••;■ • ,i.4 ,:i<( 1 ^ <>■■ 'li^ ., !l ■ I' i;. ! ■ i! 1. ; \r' :'1v ■< ' II '•I •fti J *■ 4i the other animals, and forms a principal object of the chace of savages. It has a ftat, oval tail, shaped like .« tongue, an(.l covered with scales, wliich directs its move- ments when it lK?.takes itself to the \i^ater. Its hinder feet contain betwtv,a the toes, membranes like those of a(4uatic birds, to accelerate ita progress m swimming ; and tlie f(.re feet, which are found without tlw^se substances, it oc- casionally applies in tlie same manner as the monkey, but to more useful and more admii-able purposes. This sin- gular (combination, in the same animal, of terrestrial and aquatic organs, is an endowment peculiar to itself, and renders it capable of extraordinary and no less astonishing efforts. The beavers a,ssociate in bands to the luunber of about an hundred in each, and are supposed by several who have witnessed tlM'ir economy, to possess a certahi jargon, by means of wiiich they communicate their sentiments to each otl>er. Certain it is, that they have a mode of consulting together resi>ccting the construction of their cabins, thcic 3 s •' I - -' i. ! ''i !' *! i -■ >l«J- i i d.'. i 't A '*«, I! .-t' X': 498 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP dykes, Iheir artificial lakes, and many other things wliicii concern the preservation and safety of tlieir republic. 'I'liey are said to station centinels, whilst they are occupied in cutting down with their teeth, trees as large in circum- ference as casks, on the borders of the lakes ; anil these centinels, by a cry or by knocking their tail against the surface of the water, give warnhig of the approach of men or animals, when the others instantly forsake their labours^ and plunging into tlie water> save themselves by swimming to their cabins* When beavers liave made choice of a meatlow traversed by a rivulet, they construct, by their joint operation, dams or causeways, which, impeding the course of the water, produce an inundation over the whole meadow, sometimes several leagues in circumference. The dam is composed of trees, which these animals cut down with their four incisive teeth, drag along through the water, and arrange across the river, in tlie situation most conve- nient for stopping its course. They afterwards bring grass, small wood, and clay, in their mouths and on theh* tails, which they deposit between the wood with so much industry and art, that a wall of masonry of greater strength could scarcely be constructed. They labour during the night with diligence and perseverance. Their tails supply the want of trowels, their teeth serve them for axes, and tJieir fore feet for hands. Dykes, two or three hundred 'I r THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 499 feet in length, twenty feet high, and seven or eight in thickness, are thus completed in the space of five or six months, although not more than a hundred of these little animals have assisted each other in the operation. The savages never destroy these dykes, but, from a principle of superstition, allow them to remain entire, and are satis- fied with making only a small passage for the draining of the water. Besides the faculty which the beavers iX)S8ess of cutting down trees; the judgment which they have ac- quired, in directing the fall of these immense masses upon tiie water, appears still more singular. They pay atten- tion to the direction of the wind, and carry on the process in such a manner, as to derive aid from thence, and there- by to insure the falling of the tree upon a lake, or across a rivulet. - The neatness and convenience of their habitations seem to evince a greater portion of skill and ingem^ity than even the dykes, both strength and address being neces- sary to enable them to plant six stakes in the bed of the water. These are arranged exactly in the centre of the pond, and upon them their house is erected, in the form of an oven, being composed of clay, of grass, and of branches of trees, to the height of three stages, in order to possess a retreat, by ascending from one to the other when the waters are increased by inundations, caused by the meltins of the ice and snows. The floors are made of 3s 2 *j ^ ;' 4i ;t :;;! :• 11' ' 1 i 'I *-. ' .U ' ■ ■ >> .'4 '* 1 f- ' '•> * ' .'■:^': \ ■ t 1 I.; i K • ■' ■ i! ■i ■'; .4^ f' M'C doo MANNRRS AMD CUSTOMS OF t^'^ :M' ■f 1 %■■ jiinks of trees, and each beaver has a distinct apartment. The entrance is from beneath the water, where a large hole is made in the first floor, surrounded by tender branches cut into small pieces, that they may be more easily drawn into the cells when they are inclined to eat, for, as these constitute their principal food, they have the foresight to lay in a great store, pailicularly in autumn^ before the frosts congeal their lake, and confine tliem ta tlieir cabins for two or tliree months. The precaution which they use to establish and main* tain order in their republic, and to guard against pursuit^ is admirable. All other animals upon earth,, however strong, however swift, vigorous or armed by nature, stand in awe of creatures tliat are capable of injuring them. The beaver, however, seems to have no other foe than man to appreliend. The wolves, the foxes, and the bears, are little solicitous to attack it in its cabin ; had they even the faculty of diving, they would not find the event greatly to their profit, for the beaver, witl> his in- cisory and penetrating teeth, is capable of maintaining a formidable defence. It is generally at the end of autumn that the savages leave their villages in canoes, to post themselves in situa- tions favourable for the chace, and they assign for each taniily a certain district ; the huntsman establishes his^ cabin in the centre of the si>ace allotted him. There are im THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 501 ^acli family eight or ten huntsmen, who for their district have the ranging of five or six lakes. On each lake there is at least one beaver lodge, and sometimes two or three. These huntsmen, as soon as they have erected their huts, employ themselves in making snares for otters, foxes, bears, land-beavers, and martins, on the borders of the lakes ; which, when placed, they regularly visit every day. But they would sooner perish with hunger than exceed the boundaries- prescribed, or pillage the snares of their fellow- huntsmen. During the season of the chare, which con- tinues for four months, they live in abundance, finding a quantity of fisli, animals, and birds, greater than they ai-e able to consume. The beavers are seldom taken in snares, unles^ they are baited M'ith a species of willow which is rare, and of whiclv they are very fond. The mode of taking them in autumn is by making a liole of three or four feet in diameter in the foundation of the dyke, to draw off the water ; and the beavers being left dry, the savages find tJjem an easy prey ; tliey generally spare about a dozen of females, ai\d half a dozen of males. They afterwards carefiilly repair the hole which they made, and the pond is again filled. In winter, when the waters are frozen, they make holes in the ice around tlie lodges of tlie beavers, in which nets are fixed from the one to the other, and when they are properly extended, they uncover with axes the cabins of: 4 I 1 ' I ■ ; ikjt- . . i V % '<■ -\ (1 ,t, ;> I m 1 - t 'is *;- '^ •I'M: I ■ ill i 5()2 MANXERS AND CUSTOMS OP !■('■ . 1. If.i ^ these poof animals, mIhcIi throwing themselves into thr water, and returning to breathe at the holes, are entanglcil in the snares, from whence none escape but such as the savages are inclined to exempt from the general liavock. Otters have been known to assemble in a considerable Humber towards the month of May, and to have the bold- ness to attack the beavers in their lodges ; but they have always been repulsed with damage. One beaver, by uieans of its teetli and tail is said to be a match for three otters. Beavers whicli have their liabitations in ponds or lakes are seldom taken in the snares which are placed in the woods. The martin, the lynx, and some other animals of a smaller class, are generally such as are there caught. The savages visit tlieir traps regularly every day, bringing to their huts the prey which they find. The slaves strip the animals of their skins, which they extend in the open air to dry. This process is continued until tlie termination of the hunting season, whicli takes place on the general thaw, when the furs are arranged in packets, and trans- ported to the situation where the canoes were left on the first arrival of the savages in the country of the chace. The white beavers are much esteemed on account of their rarity, although their fur is neither so abundant, nor of such a quality as that of the common beaver. They are as seldom to be met with as those which are perfectly THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 503 black. From the tail of tlu' beaver resemblinii, ii\ tl'^? use to wliic h it is applied, that of the fi>h, this aiiiuuil vus piououiiced by the physieiaiis oi Paris, to belong to that class, and in consequence of tiiis declaratio^i the theologists decided, that its Hesh niii^ht be eaten on days of mnigrc or of ahstineuce from the ilesh of ani- mals. In preparing the Ix^aver for table, it otight first to be boiled to a certain degree, to deprive it of a peculiar ta^te which is disagreeable, and then it ought be roasted. Dressed after this manner, it constitutes a dish by no means mipalatable. These aninitds, in prosecuting their labours, are said to have no chiefs to direct thein, but eacli is acquainted with the task it ought to perform, and the whole is con- ducted without embarrassment or confusion, and with a wonderful degree of regidaiity. Our astonishment in ct)n- templating tlie extraordinary and powerful instinct of these animals, may be in some degree abated wlien we reflect tluit the Supreme Intelligence is perhaps pleased, in these beings devoid of reason, to display his wisdom and power, in order to evince to mankind^ that reason itself, from the presumption with which it is accompanied, is frequently the source of human error and misfortuae- It is by the store of tender boughs which the beavers collect for their food during the winter, tiiat the savages. form a conjecture concerning the probable duration o£ " ■ «lf u f ■ i, >1 .J >• 'ir? 1 ,•'': If !' .:' lihi ■J : r /)04 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF 11 that season, aiui in tliis respect they aro sckloui luiul quarter*! sire low, tin- |)(i>iti()n of the »li()uld«rs in liij^h, tlie iei^^j and feet are like tliuse of the stag, ami the tail is about four inches long. A coarser kind of hair, of couNidcrahle Kniitli, covers the withers, tlu: neck, and the .stnnniit of the shoulderH, like those of the huft'alo. Tiie heaM V throwing himself into the water as soon as he is seized on j the carcajou, unable to live in that element, instantly relin- quishes his hold. But if water be too distant, he has suf- ficient time to destroy the orignal. ( ' ' The stag of Canada is the same with that of Europe, but in general somewhat larger. It is not much disturbed by the savages, who do not hunt it with their usual forms, or with any preparation. ■■■■n j The case is different with respect to the caribou, an animal somewhat less in size than the orignal, and equal to the hind in agility. Its hoofs are remarkably large in proportion to its legs, and spread when placed upon the ground, which give it great facility in travelling, particu-> larly on the surface of the snows. Caribous are not found in any great numbers in those parts of Canada which are frequented by huntsmen. The skins of these animals are, when dressed, of uncommon toughness and pliancy, and being at the same time very soft and thin, can be con- verted to the purpose of fonning many useful articles of apparel. - In hunting wild cattle, the savages generally surround a considerable extent of land, and set fire to the woods with- in it. These animals, terrified by the flames, endeavour to effect their escape, and are tlien encountered and killerl. -' - The buffalo of North America is larger than that of THE AMERICAN INDIANS. :o9 Europe ; it has short horns, of a shining black colour, and handsome shape, rising biit little from the forehead, being more pointed and thicker at the root than those of Euro- pean cattle. The legs are thick and short, and covered with long hair. A large beard hangs down from the muz- zle, and a quantity of long hair falls from the summit of the head, over the eyes, which gives it an hideous appear- ance. It has upon its back a hump or rising, which aug- ments until it reaches the top of the shoulders. Towards the neck it is suddenly elevated to the height of about eighteen inches, and narrows at the summit, being covered with long dark hair. The remaining parts of the body are invested with a dusky wool, which is of a quality ex- b-emely fine, is much valued, and can with great facility be used in manufactures. The quantity usually contained on one skin, is about eight pounds. The breast of this animal is very broad, the hind parts small in proportion, the tail short, and the neck almost lost in the immense shoulders. The head is rather large. As soon as it per- ceives a human being it betakes itself to flight, and one do2 will chaee a whole herd. The sense of smellincj is in this animal acute, and in approaching him it is necessary to go against the wind. When wounded, he becomes out- rageous and turns upon his pursuer. The flesh of the temale is excellent, but that of the bull is hard and tough. The skin is of a good quality, easily dressed, and although to r »! I *: ■ '' . ill- ' ' ■1: ■■ II H 'f il '%■ * 1 ]■■«■ olO MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF i.\ i i't I! ( ■fi' >1 I ..\ I li A strong, becomes pliant and soft like that of the caribou, or of the doe. When dressed in the inside with the wool and hair remaining on the outer part, it is used by the Canadians for the purpose of wrapping around the legs, when they travel in their carioles or winter vehicles, and is then called a robe. With this precaution, the most in- tense cold, in travelling, may be for a considerable time kept from the extremities. •. . In autumn the buflfalos are very fat, because, during summer, they feed in luxuriant meadows, where the grass reaches to their necks. The vast countries bordering on the Missisippi, and to the westward of that great river, so abound in meadows, that they seem to be the element for cattle and deer. At intervals, and not far remote from each other, there are woods, into which these animals re- tire to ruminate, and to shelter themselves- from the heat of the sun. The buffalos change their country according to the revolution of the seasons, and the diversity of cli- mates. When iji the northern latitudes, they begin to per- ceive the approach of winter, they pass towards the south, following one another, forming files of sometimes a league in length, ahd the whole halt at one place to rest them- selves. The roads along which they move become beaten., and the grass appears not to grow theseon. They swim over the rivers which intercept their progress. The cows, to avoid the danger of being attacked by wolves. 4*' THE AMF.UICAS INDTAN'S. 511 2^0 to the isliiiuls on the Missisipj)! to bring forth their young. Tliat they may not exterminate tlies»j animals from their country, the savages usually pursue such only as have been wounded by arrows. I'iie rest arc allowed to escape by flight. They multiply M'illi such rapidity, that whatever havock mav have been made among tiieir nam- her, it will appear on the ensuing season to have suffered no diminution. The savage women manufacture thread of the wool of the buffalo, and weave it into a cloth, for the purpose of making bags to transport their provisions, which are smoked, or dried in the sun. When the nations bordering on the IVIissisippi discover a herd of buftalos, tliey avail themselves of the use of fire in the same manner as the savages of Canada. They as- seml)le in great numbers, and set fn^e on all sides to the dry grass which surrounds these animals, leaving a few narrow passages. The buffalos run along the places cx- tMupted from the fire, and pass nigh the savages, who with their bows and arrows sometimes kill a hundred and twenty in one day. A distribution of them, according to ihe number of persons eniployed in the chace is made ; and the huntsmen returning to their village, send out the women to transport the carcases thither. With seeming content and satisfaction tliey accordingly repair to the . 11' 11 . ', ■* ■ t 1 V '.ii' u V .".".i'l. ' IB' i, '': ' , 1 I 1 ^tM /)12 MAN'N'KHS AND CUSTOMS O^^ fli^l''". * ; . \:': place where the buffalos were slain, and with fiu:ility con- vey them to their respective al)odes. The natives on the banks ot'tiie river de la Plata, hunt the wiki cattle and other animals which abound in these regions, by means of thoDgs formed of leatiier, one end of which is attaclied to the saddle of a horse, and the other forms a runninii; knot. Tims etjuipped, several persons as- semble, and chace, through tlie midst of the herds, the particular animals which they wish to ensnare. The first ■who can reach them throws his snare, and seldom fails thus to sei;«e one ot them by the horns. A second person, whilst the bullock follows the horse of him who has se- cured it, endeavours to fix his own snare on one of its hind legs. The moment he has succeeded, the horses, trained to this mode of hunting, turn swiftly round, each on tlie op{)osite side, and the .^hock thus given in stretching the snares, throws t\\e animal upon the ground. In this state the riders dismount, and easily dispatcli it, thus secured and unable to defend itself. In the same manner they also frequently overcome tigers. The facility of procuring food » in these vast plains, induced the dogs which were brought from Europe, to leave the habitations of men, and they have multiplied in prodigious numbers. They often assem- ble m bodies to hunt the cattle, and will sometimes even attack a man on horseback.* * Voyage de Bougainville. %, THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 5l;i Before the introduction of fire-arms amonp; tlie savages, the following mode of hunting the deer and oilier wild animals, was practised. Twenty or thirty men having set out upon a party of tlie chace, erected for tliemseives huts composed of branches and of the bark of trees, and after- wards constructed an enclosure in tlie form of an equila- teral triangle, but with the base open. It was composed of long pallisades of nine feet, the two sides were five hundred paces each, in length, and at the upper angle there was a snuiil aperture of about five feet iinvidth. The whole of this structure was usually compleated in eight or ten days. Having made the necessary preparations, they set out half an hour before daj-break, to enter into the woods to the distance of about half a leasue from the in- closure, separating from each other about twenty-four paces ; each person had in his hand two sticks, which he struck incessantly one against the other, marching at the same time with a slow pace until he arrived at the triangle. The deer, roused and astonished by the noise, fled before the savages until they reached the snare, which tliey were compelled by the huntsmen behind them to enter. They ran along the pallisades towards the angle, to which the sa- vages quickly pursued them with their bows and arrows in their hand, ready to shoot, crying aloud at the same time, and counterfeiting the howling of wolves. Alarmed 1)y this formidable noise, they were constrained to pas* ! 'i\ ■V J 514 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OT^ \m 'i ' r». ''i ■:■ \ ! U *lt ' r : v , t]iroin>'h the nnrrow aprrtnrc at the aTi«*I(% towiirds trMch thc'v were briskly folloM'td hy the arehrrs, arid wefe all tiikeii. there being scarecly any means by whicli they roiilcl eKeape. ' ' ' ' ' •'■''^--- ^' •" ' '^* ' This mode of hnnling, whicli was productive of amiise- nient as well as profit, was genernlly Repeated every two rlays alternately, so that in a few veeks ah inimoiise ninn- ber of these animals were procured. ' '' -"^^ ■■ "^ • Few of the animals on the continent of America are torniidable to man, nor do they equkl in Uny'dt^gree the ferocity of tho<;e beasts of prry which inhabit tile wilds of Asia and of Africa. The tiger of Soiith Am- ricu is com- paratively imioxions, but this mildness of disposition is perJjaps only negative, and may arifee from the quantity of food always within his i-each. ■' '' ' '' -?*i^ •* -^ .' :; - > The dogs in u:^e among the savages for the purposes of the chace, are of the size of a s^t.11 pointer, with erect ears, having somewhat the appearance of the wolf. They are faithful and attached to their mastfe-fs, although thcy are never caressed and ai*e sparingly supplied with food; ' The reddish coloured bears are extremely vicious, and approach boldly to attack the huntsmen, whereas the black bears generally fly from them, unless they be vound- ed, when they become furious, and turn with ferocity upon their pursuers. The first are smaller and more active than the latter. ' ' ' •\l ^'C iUi, *ii'J • ' t .Pif !ri|E AMERICAN INOIA^^* ^1^ The white bears have a monstrous appearance, and arc of an extraordinary length ; their head is territic, and their hair strong and thick. They arc so fierce, that they will boldly approach to attack a boat with several men in it. They can swim without resting, for a very long period. Their food is fish, and they seldom forsake the coasts of ihe sea. .• , , m. .-i ,^. .:,■;•■ ■ , .' •• The crocodiles of America differ not from those of othei- w?trm climates in ,the eastern countries of the globe. They are ensnared by the natives, with cords made of the inner bark of trees, and axe dragged to an inclosed place on the confines of the waters, where they are turned on their ^backs, and attacked in the most vulnerable part. As they seldom proceed far from the water in search of food, they i^re by no qieans forpiidable to man, unless lie enters into tjieir eleiiient fqr ^he purpose qf bathing or swimming. Jt is th§n that danger is to be apprehended from them. ; ^lie silver idiS well as the black foxes arc of the same form with tl^Qse of Europe. The latter kind, which js ,^pund in tl)ecol4es|; countries, ^s extremely rare, ^nd the ;Skijis sell at a yery.^igh,p<-ice, ,;/WhentheiSayagc^ go inchace of deer, they frequently disguise theii^^^lyes in the s^ins of those animals, and thus ivpprpaeliii^ ruear to a herd, make x^nsiderable havock amongst it, by firing with fusils, or shooting with bows j^jdj arrows. Th^ deer .when pursued will throw them- 3 u 2 * . ' II I ,,, j Jii' I'M' 516 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF selves into the first river or lake they cart reach, but the savages, who generally have canoes in readiness, rapidly overtake them. • • • ' ; • t' ' • . * > The animals of the south parts of Canada consist of buf- falos, small red deer, roebucks of three different species, wolves, lynxes, small tigers, ferrets, weasels, squirrels of an ash colour, hares, rabbits, tessons, beavers, bears of a. brown colour, musk rats, and red foxes^ /o..l^„' . . ^ Those of the northern regions are, orFgnals, caribous,. black, silver, and red foxes, polecats, carcajoux, porcu- pines, bacjgers, martins, racoons, wolves, bears, black and white beavers, minxes, fishers, otters, musk rats, elks, large stags, siffteurs, or whistlers of the wood, squirrels of va- rious kinds, and ermines. - '^^ ff"^'^ ""'^ b:,XKvt«i uubi .. The birds of the southern parts of Canada are, eagles of two kinds, vultures, huards or loons, swans, black geese, black ducks, plungers, water rails, pelicans, tun- keys, red partridges, pheasants, cranes, blackbirds, thrushes, pigeons, parrots, crows, hawks of various kinds, owls, snipes, plover, swallows, kingfishers, woodpeckers, and birds of prey of a great variety of species. Nightingales differing from those of Europe, mocking birds, and many little birds of exquisite beauty and splendour of plumage, to which may be added two or three kinds of humming, birds. .'»<';^ '[<> .^Ihnii ilt'/^ mi\d vo ,Ji J^)^io*n;. The northern parts of Canada are visited in the milder V 1 THE AMEHICAN INDIANS. ^IT seasons by bustards, wild geese, ducks of ten differ- ent species, teal, magpies, robins of a large size, star- lings, parrots, moyaqucs, cormorants, herons, gulls, wood- cocks, snipes, plovers, plungers, gannets, lapwings, corbi- joux, chevaliers, pigeons, white partridge, red partridge, large brown partridge, wood partridge, turtle doves, or- tolpn or snow bird, woodpeckers of various kinds, king- fishers, etoumeau, gulls, crows, vultures, hawks, owls, swallows, merlins, sawbeak a kind of duck, water rails, sparrows, recollets, yellow birds, goldfinches, and nightin- gales. The huard or loon is a bird larger than a goose, whose feathers are almost impenetrable, and which frequents the great rivers and lakes of Canada. Its plumage consists of black and white feathers, its beak is strong and pointed, and. its neck is uncommonly short. In summer it con- tinues alti^nately to dive and to remain on the surface of the water, as it. is unable to fly to any great distance, ^ The wood-pigeons are so multitudinous, that at certain seasons they obscure the atmospliere in parts of the coun- try which are not much settled, and are frequently knock- ed down in great numbers, by means of long poles. Their flight is so rapid, that when two columns, moving in op- posite directions at the same height in the atmosphere, encounter each other, many of them fall to the ground, stunned by the rude shock communicated by this sudden .«* ■ 'I Am MANKIiinfl AKD CUSTOMS OP •i^olllsiaii. Shot, if fired as {hoy approach, will seldom make any impression on them ; the only certain method of bringing them to the ground is by firing inimediatt^ly after they pass. A considerable po-rtion of the i>ro *i great part of the trees of tlie forest* ■" >. -wi The i*eptiles and insects of this country arc, snakes of various kinds, Hzards, asps, lowing frogs, ox-Hies, ilies of various sorts, musqtiitoes, brulots oi* sand-ilies, butterflies in great variety, some of wiiich are remarkable for thoir sisie and beauty of colouring, beetles of di^erant magnitudes Jind shapes. •• • >'•• - > h\>».:a >. , ,•..«♦ ^.v '•?;• ^ .fi^s t*^j>i.* ' The fish prodticed in the river Saint Lawnmce nve^ whales of difterent kinds, soa-cows, porpusscs white ray or tbornback, tencU congar, smelt, roach, bartisfh, wliite fish, chub, ' oysters, citiwfish, lobsters, and other shell-fiifh. In the smaller rivers are trout of dillertJrtt specves, and of a superior quality. • ' ' • »i I'. > * •' . ii »ii >. ^.ktUi ,Wiif»i »■:: Ti jiv^.i.» The savages cutch the fish in the- rivers and lakes either by spearing them with a long wooden fork sliarponed at Ihe (>oints, or siiod with iron, or by pkaciBg nets where a !'■' \l\ THE AMERICAN INDIANA. .Jiy iiv»»I«'f, or ^^>r^^*i; of (;ool witter oin|>ti«\s itstli' into a river or a liikc. Aerows iU inoiUli tin y plant stakes, leaving a small openiiifj; lor the tisii lo tnl(M-, w Ium i\)c\ htcometn- tansi;U«l in tin- .snai'es. Tlie tront in the suiall lake.n, and leis eonsiderable rivers, resort (luring the iu:at ul Minuner to the sprinjj(S utiil rivnUMs, wlio.se wntcrs Howniij; tinonmh the shadowy anil ij^looiuy lorests, remain always eool and limpid. The; natives pioenre fish in I he winter season hy makintc holes in thi' iee, and eanyinj,^ (hilherat nii^ht Haudx'aii'X oC hireh hark, Uy whose light tlu lish are al- traetcd to (he opcninuis, and are there taken hy means ol' the spear, or entangled in nets. The lar^e partriduc of Canada ivsembles in a mneii l^iTaler dt^if c tlu' ])hc*isant than i\ . .,; ? ' . .> J/" 'i---' . 1 522 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP inanition, and should he have been so fortunate as to procure abundance, he gives a loose to his appetite, and devours an immoderate quantity of food. The fatigues which he encounters, and the little precaution which he uses, to guard his body from tlie vicissitudes of the wea- ther, being sometimes exposed to scorching heat, at other periods to the most rigorous severity of cold, tend, in some degree, to render his constitution vigorous and robust. There is scarcely to be found among any of the tribes a person that is 'deformed. They are strangers to the gout, the gravel, apoplexies, and sudden death ; and they probably never would have known the small-pox and some other epidemical disorders, but for their com- merce with Europeans. Whatever exemption from many maladies known to ci- vilized societies they may derive from their mode of life, the natives of North America are, nevertheless, subjected to several severe afflictions, among which are scrophulou» complaints, caused by the crudity of snow-water, which they are frequently necessitated to use in the hunting countries, not only for drink, but for boiling their food* It is, perhaps, partly from the same cause, and from the exposure of their stomacb and breast, that they contract a species of consumption to which they are unable to> apply a remedy, and which undermining the constitution^ cuts off many at an early period of life. THE AMERICAN INI)IA>atients are re- stricted to abstinence in diet, and bleeding is sometimc.i employed. Should the recovery of a sick person be de- spaired of, he is carried to a distance from the dwellings, and suspended in a lianimock between two trees. Provi- sions for three or four days are left with iiim, and he is abandoned to his destiny. If he retiini to liis village, hio restoration to health is celebrated witii rejoicing, and if he die, his loss is lamented. The savages in general eat their food little more than half cooked, excepting fish, wJiich they thorouglily roast or boil. They never make use of salt, nor of food that has been preserved by its means, nor do they drink water of a cold temperature, conceiving that it enfeebles the stomach and retai-ds digestion. A gangrene is seldom occasioned by wounds, a circum- stance which may perhaps be attributed less to the elTi- cacy of their remedies than to the salubrious air of their country, and to their temperament. The persons whose peculiar profession it is to administer to the cure of wounds, fractures, and diseases, as well as the priests who are skilled in divination, and undertake, by their supposed knowledge of supernatural causes to remedy a disordered imagination, are, if successful in their prac- 3 V :-\ V < I :■ *i • MO MANNEnS AND TUSTOMS OF :J.;i' V I I ■i. M' 'it Vif tire, entitled to Iil)eral rewards, and the value Mliicfi they reeeive in furs on aeeount of tees, is inimcnse. l^nt if, on tlie (contrary, tlnir eiideuvour«i he nimeef)mpanit;tj h}' snceess, their liiihn'e truin su|){)Ofsed waiil of skill ean only l)e atoned lor [)\ ihr ris(|ue of their lives. The j)ro.spe(t of snih enonnous i^ain which presents itself to them, is a j)owerinl nuhieenient to end)raee the exer- cise of an oIKiee at once so hazardons and so profit- able. ; In natnral piety and tenderness toMard.s those of their relations whost^ career of existenee is approaehinj^ towards its latest nionKids, many of the natives of America appear not by any means to be detieient. This solenni crisis of nature has ever been eonseeiatcxl by the i^eneral eonenr- renee of inankmd in every age. To die near those j)ersons wlio are most dear, that they may catch the partin;^ breath, and clojie the c^yes when motion liath forsaken them, seems to be a powerful wish universally impressed on the human heart. The singular apprehension, how- ever, of being unable to perform as they ought, this latter oflliee to the dend, and of the visage remaining disfigured after death, induces the zeal of .some to approach to cruelty towards persons in the last agonies. The atten- tion and anxiety which prompt them to render these final duties, hasten the deatli of many, without alarm- ing the tenderness of relations, because they no longer '■ ill ■u THE AMr.niCAN INDIANS. 531 entertain any liopc of recovery, and conceive that they cause an abridgement of their sufferings. Some of the missionaries have asserted, that they often found great difficulty in preventing mothers from cutting short the lives of their cliildren, for whom, doubtless, they enter- tained the most powerful attachment. To what has already been advanced of the belief of the Americans in tiie immortiUity of the soul, another proof may be drawn from those ceremonies which they practise towards their dead. • :► . • .? I Each family appropriates a separate cabin for the pur- pose of performing the last offices towards their deceased parents or friends. The body is anointed with oil, and the head and the visage are painted. It is then cloathed from head to foot and adorned with collars of wampum and different ornaments : it is placed in the attitude which is to be given it in the tomb, enveloped in a robe of furs and raised on a scaffold, where it is allowed to continue exposed until the day of interment. ; * t The Tlascalans of New Spain entertained so powerful a veneration for their dead, that they were induced in the heat of action to suspend Uieir operations, that they might carry off the slain and perform the last honours to their manes, A practice which afforded to the Spaniards a de- cided advantage over them in battle. - - . ' r n f: 3 Y 2 1 6St MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF '■ 1 % ' 1 J, , t f ' i 'i .t- 'H ■; .11 : if i 11 f|^ Among the Souriquois, Micmacs, and Abinaquis, when the father of a family difv ^ody was removed from his cabin, which was bu. ' -ry thing contained in it. Each person of the viliajt- then presented to the dead some article which he possessed, and the tomb was adorned both without and within. . ...ij ^ ... ... .,..^ , ,,# ■...- ....... Tlie regulation of funereal rites became, among the Mexicans, a particular function attached to the sacerdotal office. The dead bodies were usually deposited in gardens, in houses, or in areas, and sometimes iu situations allotted for the purpose of sacrificing to their dirinities. The cus- tom of burning the dead was not unfrequent, and the ashes, together with a quantity of treasure, and .such other articles as were deemed useful to the departed spirit in its journey to the regions of eternity, were deposited in the tomb. The bodies of persons of rank weire conveyed to the temples by numerous attendants who marched in great *pomp, and contintied, during the proce8.sion, to sing and play upon musical instruments. The priests, who walked cepal, and uttered plaintive and mournful sounds. During the sacrifice, the ho^ was several times elevated ■' ' •• ' •- ■' '' •" When the emperor of Mexico was sick, the faces of all the idols were covered with masks, which were allowed to remain until he either died or recovered his health. All his subjects were, at his death, enjoined by a public edict to testify their sorrow and regret. An emerald was put into the mouth of the royal corpse, which, on the fourth day was washed and enveloped in sixteen mantles of costly manufacture ; on tlie outermost was worked the figure of that divinity which had been the peculiar object of the monarch's devotion. A mask was placed on the face of the corpse, and it was conveyed to the temple of the idol where it was received by the priests who sung at the gate. if< 'I '■■ '. 'I r' 534 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OT 'i u . ', A discourse adapted to the solemn occasion-, wds pro- nounced by the high priest, after which the body, toge- ther with the articles appropriated for its future use, Avas thrown into a fire provided for the purpose. Several of his slaves, destined to accompany the departed monarch, were sacrificed ; and a dog was strangled, that this animal,- ever faithful to man, might serve as his guide to the region of spirits. The ashes of the emperor were carefully col- lected, and, together with a tuft of his hair, which had been cut off immediately after his decease, were de- posited in a case adorned with representations of various idols. '" t..-...- f ■!,. ^i. ' ■ '-1-. ■ »iV/ ;.'-.-T-;ii- _V4.1 '/ii-:i;.;:t; ' :.i' t . Previous to the arrival of Europeans in the territory of New Grenada, the inhabitants of that country ornamented the bodies of their departed caciques with necklaces of gold and emeralds ; and these, with whatever they pos- sessed during their lives, together with victuals and drink, were buried in the tomb. The women not unfrequently allowed themselves to be put to death on the decease of their husbands. When a woman died and left behind her a young child, it wa destroyed, that the difficulty of rear- ing it might be avoided. To the souls of their chiefs, or to such of their tribes as were sacrificed to accompany them, they allotted the enjoyment of a future state ; and, like most of the other nations who had made little pro- gress towards civilization, they assigned as the most essen- THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 53.5' tial gratifications, the fruition of those pleasures, to which, whilst living, they bore the strongest aitachmcnt. It is sometimes customary anion" the inhabitants bor- dering on Hudson's Bay, for sucl; as have become nearly exhausted by old age, to make choice of a voluntary deatli. Tlie father usually emj)loys as his executioner, the son who is most dear to him. lie assembles his relations, and after addressing them upon the subject of concord, and of their mutual interests, ties a rope around his own neck and commanUs his sou to strangle him, as he con- siders himself a burden to the society. These [)eople esteem it roi withstanding, the greatest felicity to attain an advanced age. They cherish the idea of being regener- ated and born into a new life, where they shall enjoy eternal youth. A contrary allotment they conceive to be the portion of those who die young, who are destined to enter into futurity in an old and infirm condition. . Some of the inhabitants of North America have found the means of i)reserving from corruption the bodies of their chiefs, without using lor that < nd thr; balms and aro- matics, which were employed by some of the inhabitants of Asia, and which have given sucli a degree of durability to the mummies of Egypt. This practice of preserving dead bodies was practised in Virginia, in Florida, among the Natchez, the Oumas, and among other nations of Louisiana and the Spanish Indies., •'V ' . VI ,.y- V 'r:¥m 111 I •: . ■ I * ' 4- i r ' Im a I ' 15 i..i'' ;' m^¥'\^ II 536 M.VXNEKS AND CUSTOMS OF where the government of a chief prevailed, and where he was possessed of absohite authority. These people placed their paradise, as well as their re- gions of torment, towards the west. The souls of the vir- tuous they conceived to enjoy eternal repose, to be crown- ed with feathers, to be painted, to receive the full gratifi- cation oi every desire, and to join with their ancestors in the dance and song. Some of the natives of South America carried to battle by way of standards, the skeletons of their ancestors, to animate their own courage by the sight, and to impress with awe and terror the hearts of their enemies. The Illinois of North America buried their women, but suspended to trees the bodies of their men sewed up in the skins of buffalos or of other animals which they had slain in the chace. The llurons and some other tribes in their vicinity placed the bodies of their dead in shrines which were elevated upon four posts about twelve feet in altitude. By Tui the greater number ol' savage nations burv their dead, and raise over the <;rave a tunuilus or round heap of earth or stones. '■'■'" •. It is the general practice to place with the bodies, par- ticularly with tliose of the chiefs, or to consume Avith them upon the funeral pile, articles of value as offerings to their manes, viands in abuuflance, and, in a word, all that they formerly owned. Among the ancient Greeks the same t 4 tHIi: AMERICAN INDIANS. 5V custom prevailed. Upon the funeral pile of hi* friend Pa- troclus, Homer describes Achilles to have placed armour, warlike instruments, and other articles of value, and to have sacrificed to his manes twelve young men, together with dogs, horses, and other animals, which he conceived might be serviceable to the departed spirit in those re- gions to which it had fled. To the due performance of the obsequies of their departed friends and relations, the Ilomans paid likewise much attention. ' Several of the Indian tribes, especially in the north-west parts of America testify their grief for the loss of friends, by blackening their faces, cutting off their hair, or by piercing tmd wounding their extremities with knives and arrows. The females upon tliese oceasions undergo much greater degrees of suf&ring in the practice of voluntary inflictions, than the men. Upon the death of a favourite child, of a husband, or of a father, they will cut off the joints of their own fingers ; and, regardless of pain, will repeat the operation on every similar occasion.* It was customary among the Natchez of Louisiana, on the death of the great chief, or of his mother, aunts, or sisters^ for a certain number of persons, attached by habit, as well as religious duty to either of those personages, and to whom was given the epithet of devoted, to accompany 1 iil i" ;f»t.. * Mackenzie's Journal. 3z il 1 1 1 :; ,1 j . . • ¥> 540 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF J, i I ; ( • » h' '.,' In..' V ?f ^ 1 i ■ ■ ( ' 4 P 1.1 ■ ■ -' ■ it.: ■♦: f > support in the world of spirits, was conveyed in solemn procession to the place of interment. While it was tliu» moved along, one of the nearest rela4:ives mounted the platform, and shot through a long tube, into the mouth of the deceased, a certain substantial liquid, to nourish him on his pilgrimage to futurity. \i. ,:j-\^ ii> • . h • A statue indicating, tlie rank or occupation which he r filled in tlie life through which he had passed, was erected over the grave of each of these departed Indians. With the rude statue of the artificer, were represented the em- blems of his trade, and his arms with that of the warrior. Before the figure of the sun, embossed on an immense plate of gold in the temple of Cusco, were placed the embalmed bodies of the Incas^ and divine honours were paid them as the children of that luminary. The subjects, during the first month after the decease of the monarch testified the deepest sorrow and regret. Th^ obsequies of the Inca were honoured by an assemblage of all the people of the various districts of Cusco, and trophies, banners, weapons, and cloaths, were conveyed to his tomb. The days of mourning were, for the first year, renewed and conducted in the most solemn manner on every new moon. The virtues and warlike atchievements of the deceased Mere then recited by a certain number of hired mourners, who visited every spot which had been distinguished by the royal favour or presence, and hitennixed with sighs .il THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 541 and lamentations the enumeration of his bounties and generosity. - The practice of immolating themselves as voluntary victims on tlie funeral piles of their husbands, is generally prevalent among the women of Uindostan. This singular and revolting ceremony of being burnt aUve, originated in the east, from the wives of Bramah, the great Hindoo lawgiver and prophet. The wives of other distinguished personages, unwilling to be thought deficient in fidelity and affection, followed the heroic example of the wives of Bramah. The spirits of those women were pronounced by the Bramins immediately to cease from their transmi- grations, and to enter into a state of purification. The enthusiastic flame pervaded the whole of the women of Uindostan, and a general custom was established on the heroic actions of a few. It received the stamp of religion, and forms and ceremonials were instituted for this species of sacrifice. These, however, were accompanied by re- strictions, and it was reputed a voluntary act of piety, fortitude, and glory.* i r r The Floridian women, when their husbands were slain in battle, cut off their hair and strewed it on the graves of the deceased, where, by lamentations and weeping they gave vent to their afflictions. They were not permitted to ,\ >■' ■ ■>: * Holwell's Historical £vcnts. M ,. i :UI MAXNKRf AND CUSTOMS OF ospoust' a second Im^band until tlieir Imir Imcl attained it;* usual k'ngth. Ceremonies not less splendid than costly were exhibited at the interment of their chiefs. The tombs were surrounded by a fence of arrows stuck into the «rmni(l, and on the summit of these eminences were placed I he conk-slujlls out of which the chiefs durin*' theii* life- time, had drank. They passed three days in niourning and lusting over the grave ; and every article whicii had been the property of the dead was consumed by fire upcm the summit of the tombs. At the interment of their priests similar observances were practised.* . .b.ir; .-.t The Apalachites embalmed the bodies of their ileceased relatives, and having wrapped them in fur», and deposited them in shrines of cedar, kept them in their houses during the space of twelve moons. On the expiration of that tei-m they were conveyed into the forests where they were inhumed. '^ -^ '/fiM.) i ., • , . ;; They preserved the bodies of their chiefe for the space of three years in the place where they died, after which they were carried in ceremony with all their ornaments, to be laid in the sepulchres of their predecessors on the side of the mountain Olaimy. The mouth of the cavern in which they were placed, was shui up with flint stonesi and the instruments which they formerly used in war wer4 suspended on a neighbouring tree. • Hist, of Conq. of Florida. THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 54:3 f From the pious care and the costly tributes, with which it appears that a great proportion of the Indian nations of America celebrate and honour the obsequies of their dead, it may reasonably be concluded, that all their labours, customs and commerce, are principally directed with a view to tliis object. Nothing whicli they possess, is, in theii' estimation too precious to be bestowed on this im- portant duty. Their beaver robes, their corn, their hat- chets, their porcelain, are on these occasions lavished in such abundance, tha.t it would sesm no value was at- tached to them, although these articles constitute the chief ridies of the North American savages. During the moit rigorous and inclement months of win- ter, many of them are seen to go almost najted, w.hilst they reserve in thieir chests robes of furs or stuffs whicli they destine for funereal duties, it bemg customary upon these occasions to be liberal even to prodigality or muni- ficence. It may tlierefore be asserted, that no impression is so deeply grafted on the minds of rude and uncivilized people, as that of respect for their dead and for tlie me- mory of their ancestors. ; TJie graves of the Americans in general, are small pits hollowed out and dug like wells, which are lined all around with bark and matts. The body is there lodged in the attitude of being seated, stakes and bark are elevated over it to a certain height, and tlie whole is covered witli U 1; i 'i ,1 ^^^ ■ :.'i '/> >• ' ■ i iv. #. If! J i !^ ; bii MANNERS ANT> CUSTOMS OF stotics and earth. This place is afterwanls shut up by a huiUUng of planks and bark, or of logs wliith meet at the summit in the form of a cone. This simple model of the origin of moiluments, hath, by the progress of luxury aiid tlie vanity of families, gradually been improved ; and the 8uj)erb mausoleum has been erected, which, as well as the bodies it contains must yield to the operations of time, and crumble into 'dust. - * ■ ?■/ ;• ♦ .' i\ • .;•' • -< -» j; i The North Americans add to the tomb a species of trophy, to which, if the body of a warrior is there de- posited, some arms and a paddle or an oar are attached ; but if it be the body of a female, belts fop carrying bag- gage or other articles appertaining to the sex are sus- pended on a post. '- >' 1 ♦. ^ * ' <''' One of tlie chiefs who presided at the ceremony of in- humation, threw from above the tomb into the midst of a crowd of young men, a stick of a foot in length, of which each person struggled to gain possession, and which he who caught it, endeavoured with all his power and address to retain. It thus passed, perhaps, through several hands, but he who fortunately was the last possessor, was entitled to a prize, which being bestowed, every one retired to his home. ,,..,,,-„.-._, . When a warrior is slain, or dies at a distance from his village, the band whom he had accompanied, if not pur- sued by the enemy, place the corpse upon 9i scaffold co- ^■ii TlIK AMKHK AN l\DIi\» .Vi/> Vffc'd with iiotchctl logs, to secure it from Ixini" torn l»y wild beasts or fowls of prey ; when the tlesh is eonsmned or total! V decayed, and tlie bones become dried, Ins conn- trynien return to the place, convey tlie skeleton to tlu* villaH;e, and inter it witli the usual solenuiities. The funeral rites of the Caraibs were performed by placing the corpse in a pit dug for the purpose ; a lire, around which e\ery person present placed himself, was kindled on a spot adjoining ; the whole assembly burst fortli into repeated bowlings and lamentations, and de- manded of the deceased to declare the cause of his de- [)arturc from this world. They conceived that the human body was tlie habitation of more souls than one, and as- signed to tiiat which they supposed to occupy the iieart, a place in the regions of bliss, and a body ever youthful and blooming. The other spirits which aided in actuating the material frame upon earth, were supposed lo enter the bodies of animals, or to be converted into evil genii. The principal soul, although immortal, consisted according to their tenets, of a refined and delicate species of matter, which could not be renovated and supported without the «iid of food. The privation of sepulture is considered by tli ; Ameri- cans as a stain of infamy, and as a cruel punishment. Certain regulations were established for the funerals of in- fants who had but a short time survived tho period of 4 a i i> •' t 'I 'V/ ■■: .1;! '!) I' ; ■, 'ii'" ^- f ! iAG MAN NEBS AND CUSTOMS Of rill, . 1, li m u i ' t 11 ^ i ■/ ( their birth ; for those also of such persons as perished in the snow, or were (h'owiied. AVhen either of the latter nvtnts took place, the}- apprehended that the tribe to \rhich they l^elongcd was threatened by some impending disaster, and that tlie displeasure of heaven was directed against it. No endeavours to appease tliat awful power were therefore omitted. Great cave was employed in searching for the body, and when it was found, a numer- ous concourse was assembled from all the neighbourin£f villages. The quantity of presents for tl»e dead was aug- mented, and that of viands for the festival was doubled. 'I'he body was carried to the burying-ground, and was there exposed on an elevated platform near one side of the grave. „ ; , . ,; .1 :;,..,' ., i^' '.,,..:* During the cei-emony, young women, among whom uere the relations of the deceased, moved in procession and danced around the grave. If tlie |)erforraance of this ceremony was neglected, every unfortunate event whicli Rfterwanls < curred to them was consideit^;d as a mark of the displeasure of their deities. ' ' . In the isthmus (jf Darien, tlie natives provided fooeUeved in the rewards and punishments of an hereafter, as sanctions prescribed for the iTuidancc of their conduct in life. a!: - i|i THE AMEBICAN INDIANS. m The Brasilians wash and comb their dead, wrap the body in calico, place it in a shrine, and set it in an up- right attitude in 9 grave resembling a well, that tlie earth may not touch tne body. Provisions are brought tliither every day, until the corpse has mouldered into dust, that the hunger of the spirit of evil may be satisfied, who would otherwise, they imagine, infallibly devour it. They sow upon the grave the seeds of jwnrfo a plant of Brazil, that they may again be enabled to discover the sacred spot, and pay, on their approaching it, the melancholy rite of their bowlings. : .. The funereal honours which in all ages of the world have been rendered to the dead, and the precautions used among uncivilized nations for the omission of nothing which custom hath established as essential to those rites, have had no other foundation than in the general opinion of mankind, that the soul reposed not in tranquillity if any circumstance was neglected in the tribute which they conceived to be due to its manes. ' « •:)ih to i^Tr>nUiil L>1} i-lA; h-i^ii ./, :v? <■■■■'. ■■■[ '• ',^'\-{ „ •!%nrf bii:; ^'(*"«^r»nti} VmI-' ;.' J^- • .^ *• /' ■• /•').,;;n;* ' ■, . Vr,Oii*^»qrr^ '>,;*■ ; u -.^1;, • * - .-:> ■ J- ■■V'boxv -^^ ■ -- •; ' >: ;.t 'i' 348 I'i'l ■ 'I-'. i 1 ;; •-., *; '^ . ^1: j I 1 IIANNKRS AND CUSTOMS 09 CHAPTER XIX. ORIGINAL CAUSES OF ASSOCIATIONS— -TRIBES INHABITING THE COLDER LATITUDES — ^JEALOUSY OF EACH OTHER— AUTHORITY OF THEIR: CHIEFS EXTREMELY FEEBLE^— CHIEFS. OF THE SOUTHERN TRIBE* ABSOLUTE — FUNCTIONS OF CHIEF-— COUNCILS — SUBJECT TO NO MORAL RESTRAINT — THE MEXICANS — THE PERUVIAN EMPIRE — SYSTEM OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT — MODE OF AGRICULTURE— DISPO^ SAL OF PRODUCE. ..,. .', .. . ,; ; ?:* -ail THE wants of man and the constitution of his frame have destined him for society, and the faculties with which he is endowed could never be called forth or would remain latent in a state of solitude v , .; . , Bodies of men however inconsiderable in number, who may have united with a view of affording to each other mutual aid and protection^ cannot remain long in a state of perfect equality » Some individual among them, more artful or stronger than others, will gradually ac- quire an ascendancy. The dispositions and capacities of mankind are no less diversified than the features of the countenance, or the degrees of bodily strength, and men taise themselves to pre-eminence either by the superiority of the one or by some fortunate exertion of the other. In THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 549' ! M the origin of society distinction of rank is the reward and proof of some superior natural endowment. Almost every tribe on the continent of North America has its chief whose authority is exercised only in conjunc- tures of emergency, and is generally so feeble, that on the occurrence of an omen which is deemed unpropitious, it i» insuiEcient to keep together a band of warriors upon a march against an enemy. These chiefs are so jealous of each other, that, afraid of losing the whole, or a part of their influence, they would sooner expose themselves to death than unite their tribes. The greatest part of these tribes differ from each other in language, and the extent of their territories is usually from one river to another. But it i» only ijn cold or temperate climates where man procures his subsistence by considerable exertions of bo- dily strength, that these small and independent associa- tions are to be found.. .;. ^.'TO.* .. 'i.i av* !■■ ij . ,.ij..j*.JU .M . In the more southem regions, where nature pours forth with exuberant abundance all that is requisite for the sup-^ port of human existence, the most powerful incitement for bodily exertion ami address in the cliace ceases to eperate. The frame becomes enervated by the warmth of the climate, the mental faculties remain dormant, and in*- Uolence and inaction are lield as essential to enjoyment. Jn climates like these, the faculties of the mind are in a state of degradation and obscurity, and men submit, al~ *■ .ft! i 1 t I.. t1 i'. i-l \ ] 1 ,i ■ 1 . I-,' \ *■ 5 'A IIV I' \ ': ' _ \ 1 i' 550 MANNEHS AND CUSTOMS OF most without a struggle, to tlie person whom •ambition has prompted to assume the superiority. Wiierever chiefs have risen to absolute autliority, the engine by which it has been obtained and preserved was invariably that of superstition, which acquires its greatest vigour in the com> .mencement of society, and in the most obscured condition ^f the human mnid, nuv^ ji. ■: niixxid'-^i cprwi cJ JinuiiiiUin; On the north-west coast of x\merica where tlie rivers present a copious supply of food, some of tlie chiefs have 4:cquired a greater degree of poM'er than is observable among those of the tribes who roam throughout the in» Jand countries, or those of such as frequent the eastern 4:oasts of that continents ' * ' r* ^': ',.M>i,,t,i .• i; <.. The Iroquois or Five Nations, to which a sixth was afterwards joined, had formed among themselves a league resembling a republic, and every transaction of moment to any individual tribe of their association became a subject of general interest. That people, as well as the Hurons, subdivided every village into three families, those of the Wolf, the Bear, and the Tortoise. Each family had its ancients, its chiefs, and its warriors. The wlwle of these united composed one of the estates of the republic, which consisted of several villages regulated after the same man- ner, and which, in times of war or of danger, arranged themselves under one chief. The dignity of chief was perpetual and hereditary in his cabin or family. Wlien 4 I.' I ; THK AMERICAN IXDIAX5. bbl t\\\i line bt'camc OKti'ict, or, to iist* the native expres- sion, the tree was lallen, an(/thi r was iiiinu'diutely resorted t^). The sueee.s,sor was eho.sen by the matron wlio helil the greatest rank amongst the tribes or villages, and wJio usually selected a person, not only distinguished by figure and bodily strength, but who was capable also, by his good qualities, of supj)ortnig the state of elevation in which he was to be placed. ^.Vjien the choice was fixed, and the person elected was introduced, he was acknow- ledged and proclain\eJ throughout all the villages. The fasts, solemnities, and probationary ceremonies were pearly the same as those already described. Among the Souricjuois, the Micmacs, and Albinaqiiis, ■who inhabited Acadia and the southern coast of the river Saint Lawrence^ the dignity of chief was elective, and the choice usually fell upon him who had the most numerous offsprhig, and who was therefore considered as the person most deeply interested hi the w«.'ltare of the tribe. .Every village had its own chief independent of others, but main- tained, notwithstanding, an intercourse which united the whole nation. The chief of a village decided on the dis- putes of individuals, and if his sentence was deemed not satisfactory, the party offended had a right to do himself justice, and what they conceived to l>e the rule of equity was strictly observed. ■ - •^ Polygamy is alloAVcd amongst these tribes, but Mtfcly . *'• h"-<' ff ■! ■ U" i.ir •^ I, 5.W MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF any other pei-sons except the chiel's avail thenvselvcs of this privilege. These ciiiefs assume no emblciiis of di^tiiu;- tioii aiul superiority by which they may be kuoMii iVom the crovvd of their nation, and it is only on some paiticului oceasions that marks of uncommon respect are bestowed on them. In councils, and in assemblies on public af- fairs, their superiority becomes apparent. By their com- mand the councils are convened in their cabins, or in structures set apart for that purpose. They preside in aU public meetings, and have the principal share in all feasts and general distributions. Tluy frequently also receive presents, and have certain other prerogatives attached to their situations; but they are, on the contrary, subjected to functions the most onerous and severe, which are suffi- cient to counterbalance those advantages. -^/^ • ^ " "- Besides the chiefs, an inferior rank was established, called Agoiaudcrs, who with them participated in the ma- nagement and division of the lands appertaining to tlie nation. ■*-'ir-;:j't /^. hi '' -j-;^.' :.v' .: The senate, composed of ancients, or ageil persons, con- stituted another class denominated Jgokstenha, whose number was iiKieterminate, and who enjoyed the privilege of sitting and voting in the council, i .,j ,. , , r;^j,j . ^-a i The third and last bcxly was that of the wariiors, termed Agoskenrhagctc, consisting of ycnmg men capable of bearing arms, ^n-1 ^t'l\i\ 'y^'^Af ♦»^.t')/T'« i>^W'v!k ^ vn-ay.^vi./X '! ■ - !l THE AMKIUCAN INHiAN'S. 55.1 In the councils the ancients uloiie assUt, und poit.ess tlie right of discussion and decision. F.ven those chicts, who on account of their a'4e and services arc most re- apectcd, entertain such a deference for the authority oi tile senate, that tiiey eitlier themselves or by means of persons M'hom tliey select lor that olUce, })ropose the sub- ject of deliberation, aft(M vhich they conclude by saying, *' Consider, ye ancients, the bui-iness now laid before you ; it remains with you to decide thereupon, and the result of your decision must be carried into effect." Each of the members, after liaving stated his arguments in support of, or in opposition to the measure, concludes by saying, *• Such are my sentiments respecting the subject in agita- tion." To which the ^\hole assembly replies, " lloo, or eMo," it is well. , . In public councils and acts of solemnity, the orators appear with advantage. Their oliice properly consists in announcing all affairs which have been ay:itated in the secret assemblies, in explaining the result of all deli- beratit;ns, and in proclaiming it by the authority, and in the name of the village or of the whole nation. Among tribes where a distinction of property may scarcely be said to have taivcn place, and where the in- ceativt s tc/ cupidity and ambition are unknown, there are few vices to be punished as hurtful to the community, and the re^straiiit of legal sanctions is rendered in some degree 4 B \^ t ■^'^■'1 if ( >i 554 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ••;*■ .v' iiimoccssary. Contests between persons of the same na- tion seldom arise, and arc without ililfienlty arran<^ed. Savages are, however, far from lieing exempted front tliose vices whieh deform human nature; ; when actu- ated by a spirit t>f i)rivate vengeance, tliey either give way to mtoxication, or pretend to be under its inlluence, before they attempt to execute their purpose. In exte- nuation of the most sanguinary deeds, they plead a tem- porary privation of reason ; an argument, among them so powerful as generally to insure a pardon. AVhen an indi- vidual has put to death a person belonging to the same cabin Avith liimself, the degree of criminality must be de- termined by the remaining members of tlie family. The other iidiabitants of th«^ village take no interest in the crime which has been committed, conceiving that they who are more innnediately concerned, should have the sole jK)wer of intlicthig punishment, or of bestowing for- giveness. When, in onV'r to satiate the fury of private vengeance, a person belonging to a different tribe, village, or nation, hai been assassinated, his death is made a subject of pub- lic concern ; every individual becomes interested, and con- tributes something towards comforting the relations wlio liave sustained the loss. All the members of the tribe to wliich he belongs are alike solicitous to preserve the life of the aggressor, and to screen his relations froiu the re-* THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 556 venge of those of the deceased, which, sooner or later, fails not to blaze forth, if not extinguished by the degree of satisfaction which their customs have prescribed. Of other oflfences which tend to the injury of their society, they en- deavour to arrive at a discovery, by competing the persons who are suspected to draw lots, or by applying to the ex- tremities burning wood or heated metal, in order to extort a confession. The fear of suffering, or the hope of deli- very from it, forces them to declare their innocence or their guilt. When the real culprit is thus ascertained, he is either put to death by the most cruel torments, or more hastily dispatched through the compassion of some of hit friends. ^, .. . The natives of America, subjected in general to no moral restraint, are guided solely by the dictates of their passions, and murders are so frequently perpetrated amongst them, that unless they are attended by circum- stances of peculiar atrocity, the perpetrator usually eludes punishment. The only danger he has to apprehend is the resentment of the relatives of the deceased, for there is no existing law by which he can be punished. In the com- mencement of government, whilst public justice is yet feeble, private revenge receives the sanction, and is placed under the guidance of the law. When a member of an association becomes in a certain degree judge in his own cause, cruelty, violence, and oppression, are not only more 4 n 2 "i .• f' •.) •'\ f 1 liU > ■ [ h. . , yr r" lili > ^:V?; '• li^ !• ■? 1^' u T. i- j5G manners and customs op frequent, but are less criminal than in a state o^ civiliza- tion, where inilividual resentment is entrusted to the com- munity, or to a few unprejudiced persons, and private in- jury receives satisfaction from public justice. Unpro- tected by the engagement of any public law for his per- sonal Security, the savage avails himself of the means which present themselves, of injuring or destroying the person w ho would injure or destroy him. Bodily strength, courage, duplicity, craft or surprise, must in this case effect a decision. " — ' " '"' "'' '^"'''^^ '-*'"''' ^^""^ Among tribes which are stationary, and which derive their subsistence principally from agriculture, the autho- rity which the chiefs have acquired appears more arbitrary and efficient than that of the chiefs among the wan- derers, who are dependant on the produce of the chace alone. The inhabitants of Bogoto in New Grenada, were nu- merous, and had made considerable advancement in civi- lization. To particular individuals certain portions of land were assigned, which they cultivated, and the produce became their own. A knowledge of the rights of pro- perty had been introduced amongst this people, whose feiws were traditionary only, but sufficiently respected to promote its security. They associated together in large villa<:^es, and a distinction of dress as well as of classes was obser\'ed among them. Their chief had acquired ab- THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 55J solute authority over his countrymen ; when he appeared on public occasions, much ceremony and pomp were ob- served, and particular modes of address were prescribed for his subjects when they approached his person. The Natchez, who formed once a considerable tribe of Louisiana, inhabited a fertile tract of territory on the bor- ders of the Missisippi. The principal chief, whose au- thority was despotic, was stiled the Sun. His subjects implicitly submitted to his will, and their lives as well as property were at his disposal. A distinction of rank in a certain degree prevailed, and was confined principally to the officers of the chief and the connections of his fa- mily ; the multitude submitted to a state of the utmost degradation. The sun was the object of adoration among this people, and the regulations by which they were go- verned were grafted on, and formed a part of their system of superstition. The grand chief, who was also master of the temple of the sun, as he knew of no superior to him- self, assumed the appellation of brother to that luminary. His dignity was hereditary, but not in the direct line of succession. It descended to the eldest son of his eldest sister, as the libertinism which prevailed among the women rendered it a subject of doubt whether or not the chil- dren of his wives might be of the royal blood ; but those of Iiis sisters were so at least by the female side. Among the Tlascalans, whose country was divided into t^ '[ if :V| 1 :' «■: ■ 'if t I . '\ 558 MANKERS AND CUSTOMS OF provinces, and who were superior in improvement to the tribes who surrounded them, a species of aristocratic go- vernment prevailed. Each district was ruled by a chief called cacique, who led his people forth to battle, who ad- ministered justice, and raised contributions for the support of his administration. A controuling power was, how- ever, vested in the senate of Tlascala, and no decrees could have operation until confirmed by that authority. Their progress in morality is said, by the Spanish writers, to have been so considerable, that capital punishment was iniicted for offences hurtful to the welfare of society. Such persons as wcrc addicted to intoxication, false- hood, and dishonesty, were banished from their coun- try. The fidelity and sincerity of their rulers in the ob- servance of public treaties, was uncommon among per- sons so little advanced in civilization. The inhabitants of Mexico are said to have migrated from the coasts of the Californian gulf about the com- mencement of the thirteenth century, and to have settled on the borders of a lake, which is surrounded by fertile and extensive plains. At the expiration of about fifty years, they fuunded upon an island in the lake, a town which rapidly increased to a great extent, and at the pe- riod when it was attacked by the Spaniards, was, in po- pulation and riches, inferior to few cities in the world. The Mexicans were for a considerable time under the i;! THE AMEHTCAN INDIANS. 5,y) guidance of chit'fs, wlio, on a<'(;oiml of tln'ir supiM'ior lul- tlrcss or vuloiir in IkiUIc, IukI Ihcm r;iiM«l to tliis [)iv- eiuini'iice. Monari'liy lucanu', at length, I Ik- prevailing form of ^ovcrnnunt. It was ckrtivf, n(it licnditary, and Montrzunui, at tlic ixiiod vvlicn Coitis invadi'd lus tcrii- torit's, \vas tlu; ninth niipcior wlio cxriciscd tliat dignity, wlii( li liad Ix'in (ujoyi^d by liiin and In* priwIotL'Ssors about a iiundrrd and fifty years from it.s first cstablislnncnt. A distinction of ordt rs amonii ll>*' {><'oplc,as well as the riiiht of property, had Iwen fully introdneed. 'J'hc discriniina- tion between real anil niovealile posse ssions was sntTicicn itly understood, and either minlit Iw transferred l)y sale, or acquired by inheritance or by industry. In ord» r, how- ever, to enjoy a property in land, it was necessary that per son siujuld be a free man. Tiie nature of t) le tenures of real property (Uft'ered'in two resjxTts ; the one was accjuired by descent ; the other, derived from some oflici' or di^j^nity in the state, was transferable at the ]>leasure of the sovereign. To the hij»hest class of citizens alone, the privilege of occupying land according 1o these modes was confmed, and entitled them to the rank of no- bility. For the support of the body of the people, wIk) were distributed into een established in JVIexico, was overturned by the ambition of IVIontezuma, the order of nobles, whose tmmber amounted to thirty, was the most considerable body in the state. Their rank differed in degrees, and each pre- sided over a district contauiing a hundred thousand iniia- bitants. The number of nol)Us of a lower rank is said to have been three thousand. Similar to the practice of the feudal government in Europe, eacii of these nobles levied taxes from his vassals, over wiium lie exercised territorial jurisdiction. They paid tribute to the head of the eminrc as their superior lord, and in times of Mar joined his stan- dard with a body of men proportionate to the nund)er of inhabitants in their respective domains. No affair of ge- * Ilistoirc Philosopliiqac et Politique. 4 c 563 SrANNESS AND CUSTOMS OF :{ f< t neral importance could be arranged without the appn^ba-* tion of a council composed of these chie&. The pu'>lic revenue was appropriated by law for defraying the ex- pence of certain services, and could not, even by the command of the sovereign, be otherwise applied, nor could the nation be engaged in war without the concurrence of the council. In each department, persons were appointpd for the ad- ministration of justice. The government was supporied by revenues derived from mines, from salt works, tiie la- bours of the artificer, ihe productions of the earth, and from every species of article expovsed to public sale. Tiie alms of mendicants, the produce of fistieries, and of the chace, became also subject to taxation. These im(K)sition8 were, however, exacted agreeably to established laws, and each individual was acquainted with the proportion of contribution towards the exigencies of the state, which it was his duty to supply. These contributions were levied in kind, and the pro- ductions of the soil, as well as of industry and art, were deposited in the public storehouses. The supreme authority in the Mexican government, descended not in a direct liixi by inheiitance, but was conferred by election upon him, who from capacity and qualities, became the most distinguished object of choice. A person of a distant or collateral branch of the bloods 1 TUB AMERICAN INDIANS. 565 royal, was thus frequently elevated to the dignity of em- peror, and to this policy, Mexico was probably indebted for a succession of able and warlike princes, which con- ducted the empire to that pitch of strength and grandeur, which at the period of the invasion of Cortes, it is reputed to have attained. ♦ . ' The Mexican policy had, in conveying intelligence from the most distant quarters to the capital, arrived at a de- gree of improvement, of which nations much more ad- vanced in refinement, were, at |he period of the conquest of that kingdom entirely ignorant. Public couriers were stationed at proper intervals from each other, and a chain of posts to any extent ^vas thus established. The principal city, which is stated by Spanish writers to have contained sixty thousand inhabitants, was situated in a lake, sor- rounded by dikes of considerable solidity ; causeways of great length were raised above the surface of the water, forming, from every outlet of the city, an easy communi- cation with the neighbouring country. From a want of the knowleilge of the use of iron, the Mexicans had made \\\t little progress in agriculture. The inhabitants of the province of Chiapa, who were indebted to the humane and generous interposition of Las CasaK, for an exemption from the general oppression of tho Spanish yoke, possessed a soil not more fertile by na- fnre than that of Mexico, but which yielded in mud» 4 r 2 'f , .n 564 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF I. ■ ■if ;| more abundance, every production necessary for the sus" tenance of life. The beneficent care of that father in- structed thern, as the first gradation to a higlier state of refinement, to improve their mode of cultivating the soil, and for this end introduced among them European in- struments of husbandry. Chiapa dos Indos, situated on the banks of a considerable river, was their principal vil- lage, and is said to have contained four hundred families. The inhabitants spoke a language more agreeable and re- fined than that of the Mexicans, and in some arts, had made greater progress towards perfection. By weaving the vai'iegated feathers of birds upon cotton cloth, tiiey produced a diversity of shades as well as colours, and re- presented, with tolerable correctness, the figures of men and animals. They were dexterous in the management of boats ; they displayed astonishing address in the use of the cudgel, in dancing, and in the chace of cattle and other wild animals. In every part of the kingdom of Peru, which extended over all the countries to the westward, from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean, and to the southward from Quito to Chili, the authority, policy, and religious institutions of the Incas, were fully established. The dominion of that family is said to have subsisted four hundred years previ- ous to the invasion of Pizarro, and the twelfth monarch reigned at the period of the subversion of the empire. As THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 565 it was chiefly through tradition that the events of the mo- narchy were handed down to posterity, the earlier part of its history is involved in obscurity and doubt. ..•* The system of civil government, like that of all tho countries in America where any shadow of subjection or subordination prevailed, was founded on superstition alone ; and the Inca as the spiritual minister of Heaven, possessed in his legislative capacity the most absolute, uncontrouled authority. The principal persons of the state approached his presence with every indication of the most abject humility. The inhabitants of the most dist- ant parts of the empire, yielded him the most implicit obedience. The messengers of his will, on producing a fringe from the royal Rorda, could command the hvcs and fortunes of any of his subjects. The state was separated into decuries, or divisions of ten families in each, which were committed to the guid- ance of an officer. Over five of these decuries, or fifty families, an ofiicer of superior rank presided, and thes<' ascended in pre-eminence and gradation, to the command of an hundred, fivehundud, ^,nd a thousand families. It was the duty of each of the subordinate superintendants of police, to report to his immediate superior, all actions whether good or bad, which had occurred within the limits of his observation ; for the former he solicited rewards, for the latter, piuushments. He likewise rendered an accouat Ir? m 566 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF of the state of provisions and other necessaries. The sc- reral reports wei'e laid before the Iiica by the superior of- ficer of eacli district, whose jurisdiction extended over a thousand families. . ' Landed property in Peru was portioned into three allot- ments. The produce of one was appropriated for religi- ous purposes ; the second was destined for the support of the Inca and his government ; and the third and most extensive share, was reserved for tlve sustenance of the community. To each individual during the period of a year, a share, in proportion to the number of persons in his family, and to the rank which he held, was assigned. The lands were cultivated by the indiscriminate labour of all the members of the state, who were led out to their common task by an officer appointed by the Inca, whilst instruments of music and songs enlivened their spirits, and gave energy to their toils. In this useful and essential employment, men as well as women were associated. The instrument of agriculture used for this purpose, was a spade or hoe, formed of hard wood. Nor was the employ- i^ent deemed degrading, even to the family of the Tncas, who, by cultivating a field in the vicinity of the capital, exhibited to their subjects an example of industry, and gave to this operation the title of their triumph over the earth. ' ' • » ' ' ' ' * The produce of the lands, which was set apart for the " i|i: TirR AMF.UUAN INDIANS. 507 purposes of reli«jioii, nml lor tl)c service of the IiKa, was deposited in public mai4;izii,je.s, aixi was distributed in J^ea* sons of scai-city, for the gemrul relief of the inhahitauts. The extent of soil in cultivation, was, accordinj^ to the g* '- iiei-dl exigencies, itguiatod by the authority of the Iwca. Agriculture had here attained to a hij/her (lejrree of iiu- provenient, than on any part of the w hole American coji- tinent. Tiie Peruvians had a mo •f - 568 MANNERS AND C UStoMS OV i^Mi 1: r 1 ^ f f ■ 1 -: ' agriculture, and of some of the piore ncccsSiiry arts, yet tlieir wants were so eireumseribed, and so readily supplied by the parental care of the iiovernnient, that they Mere less acquainted with commeive than several of tiie more uncivilized tril)es around them. In conseynients. The intercourse between the provinces was therefore limited, and the atlvancement of knowledge and invention remained in a state of embarrassment and obstruction. * t 1 » I ; '■'•' * 1 f . ,■ ■ •/ '. 1 '.» VI .'> Ji ^ A ^f TlIK AMEIUCAN INDIANA. y^o ■I i CIIAPTKR XX. OUIOIN OF I.\Nr.U\fiF. — INDIAN I.ANOrAfiES IN nENKUAL CAPARLIu OV UKINO ARRANGED UNDbR IllJLLS Ol" GRAMMAR — INFINITE DIVER- Srrv 01" TONGLES IN AMEItU A— EXA.Ml'LES OV lOUR DllFBRENT LANGUAGES. LANCfUAGE, wliirh is necosHary to man for formiu!:; tlie ronncction of society, may he termed the mode of comniimicatiiig to f>thers by moans of certain sounds, ideas le or disagreeable, it became essential for the intercourse of men, and for tlie eonmiunieation of ideas, which are at first nearly tlie same in all men, and whJ :h in ajii uncivUized state eiubracc nearly ihc same objects. <. Between the sense? theye exists 4 ceitaiu connection. 1^ THE AMEHfCAN lNDI.4S^. ATI whicli is displayed in a peculiar degree with r('c;:ird to the objects of sight and uf hearing. Tiie abrupt and craggy precipice, the rolling thunder, the foaming cataract, or tiie deafening roar of the stupendous waterfal, tlic mind will naturally associate with such human somids, as arc indicative of the impressions Mrhich these sublime objects are calculated to inspire, or of the broken and interrupted noise which they produce. , It appears somewhat singular, that amid the multitude of tongues which exist among mankind, there should pre- vail even among those of the most uncivilized people, some degree of order and regularity, which never could have been introduced by principles or by art, but which are not discovered or comprehended by the nations among whom they are rn use. They are therefore not subjected to the rules of grammar, but are nevertlielcss caj)ablc of being arnmged under tlwse rules. - The diversity of languages spoken among the various tribes of America, formed a great obstacle for the mission- aries to surmount, and afforded ample means of exertion for the industry, patience and fortitude of these evangelical labourers. It is a singidar fact, that on the southern part of that continent, there were found at very small distances fmm each other, little villages of about a hundred families, whose language bore no analogy to that of the people who surrounded them. When, by order of Philip the Fourth, 4 D 2 I' ; IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■so 2.5 1^ I Sr u& 12.0 u ■UUi. L25 il.4 m 1^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation >^^^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 "^^ 572 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF two Jesuits travelled through all the nations which border ou the river of the Amazons, they found a hundred and fifty tongues, differing more from each other than the Spanish is different from the F ench. In the villages established among tlic IMoxes, where more than thirty thousand Indians were converted to the Christian faith, fifteen different languages were spoken, which had no resemblance to each other. Among the villages of the Chiquites formed by the Jesuits, there were converts who spoke several different tongues, and, that their instructions might be understood by all, these fathers were obliged to teach them one general lan- guage, that of the Chiquites. , ' , The natives of America, previous to their intercourse with Europeans^ were ignorant of every thing not in use among themselves, or which fell not under the observation of their senses, and their language was defective in terms to express new ideas. As they had in general no regulated form of worship, their notions of religion were extremely confused, their minds were occupied upon sensible objects alone, and having neither arts, sciences, nor laws, they could not easily be accustomed to discourse concerning a variety of subjects, of the knowledge of which they were before entirely deprived, and an inconceivable void was found in all their tongues. It therefore became necessary, in order to be understood, and . to communicate the im- pressions of new objects on the mind, to employ at first embarrassing circumlocutions. THE AMLUICAN INDIANS. 673 ' As they who were destined to labour in the office of in- structing the savages, had to develope tlieir language, they encountered difficulties whic i would appear insur- jnountable, not only in learning the names of things in common use,, and which frequently entered into discourse, but in undergoing a study more particular, and much more troublesome and perplexing, that of drawing from the foundation of those tongues, a new species of language to express the doctrine of Revelation and of abstract truths. This new . language coiisisted not in factitious words, or in expressions grafted on the native tongue, but only in periphrases, and in compositions drawn from the source, and from the turn of their language, which the savages without difficulty comprehended. Young men whose genius and apprehension appeared the most lively, were selected. To them, the missionaries with unabated zeal imparted the language tlius new modelled and ren- dered more copious, together with the subjects which it was calculated to explain. These assisted in diffusing it in this more polished state throughout the nation. The languages of the Americans have no characters^ and the natives sometimes convey their ideas to each other when absent by a species of hieroglyphics. Nothing ap- peared at first to excite in them so much wonder as to see Europeans, either by means of speaking or writing, ex- plain themselves with equal facility. ■■< 'I ! \ m ti 674 * MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF Europeans who have resided many years among the natives, for commercial purposes, have never been able to acquire tlieir language with any tolerable degiec of suc- cess, probably from a want of that learning, that system, and that undeviating application, for which the mission- aries were distinguished, ^f : The same difficulty which Europeans experience in pro- nouncing some of the wwds in the languages of the native Americans, is also felt by the latter with respect to the languages of the former. . ' v . ,;' r A barbarous language is extremely difficult to be ac- quired by a person accustomed to speak a regulai* and systematic language ; he can never attain a thorough knowledge of it without assiduous application, and a practice of many years. It may be added that he will be unable to accomplish his object, if he poissess not talents to supply the defect of the entire privation of books, by establishing a method which may smooth the difficulties, and shorten the path of labour. When two people of the most remote nations, who speak languages totally dif- ferent from each other, approach fbr the convenience of conmierce, or for any other necessary cause, they are obliged, in order to make themselves mutually understood, to accommodate themselves with an analogy in their nK>des of expression. The commencement is sufficiently perpleining to both, but they at length acquire by habit the means of . i THE AMlcniCAN INDIAN'S. 57r> comniuiiicating their thoughts, partly by gestures, and partly by certain corrupted words, which are recoiicileable neither to the latiguygo of the one nor of the other. There Avas in tliis niaimer formed Jiu Canada, in the Aniiv vicau isles, and in various other phux^-s of llu: western conti* iient wiiere Europeans traded, a jargon whose vocabulary was brief, and regartled only coiiiaiercial objects. The lan- guage of the Chiquites is understood by several tribes of South America in tlu: same manner as the Algon(puiL tongue is in the nortlurn ])art of tlwit contuient, or that of tile Malais ni the East Indies. Every nation has, besides, one peculiar to itself, diiltering iVom that of othei*s. Of the savage nations in gonetal, each pos- sesses three difterent styles of speecli; one adapted to the council, is so elevated and so obscure, that it is fre- ipiently not perfectly miderstood by the |]tersoai who utters it. The second style is peciiliiir to the nie^i, imd tti£ tUijrd to the women. All the languages of the natives of North America, tlie Sioux, and a few others excepted, Avho inhabit the western borders of the Missisippi, aie related to the Algonquin and Huron tongues. I'beso are subdivi^led into a»s many dialects as there are dLstiivct nations. Although few of the descendants of either of those tribes now remain, they having been almost totally extirpated by the baneful eftects id spixituous U<:iuor.^, the small pox, and the hostihties of i ' :i7() MANNERS AXn CUSTOM.^ OP J!j' t! I I;. I . : |: f^ll the Iroquois, tiie lancjiia^os hare been able to survive the nations, and are in extensive use. The Huron tongue Avas formerly very widely diffused. Father de Brebeuf leekoned about thirty thousand of true liurons, distributed into twenty villages. There were be- sides these, twelve sedentary tribes who were luuneious, and spoke the sauK? language. Tlic real Ilurons aie now reduced to the small mission of Jeune Lorette in the vi- cinity of Quebec, to the tribe of the Tsonnontates near Detroit, and to anotlier which took refuge in the South, The five nations of the Iro(|uois make use of an equal number of different dialects of the Huron language, M'hich are nearly as remote; from each other as the French, the Spanish, and the Italian. The Huron tongue is more re- gular than that of the Iroquois. The dialect of the Onnon- tagues approaches most to the Huron by its accent and terminations, and is, on this account, more esteemed than that of any of the other tribes of tliat nation. In pro- nouncing it, there is used atone knd cadence by no means disagreeable. ■ v ; ' The language of the Agniers is more soft and less gut- tural, and consists ahnost entirely of fine aspirations. The Onneyoutli a}>pears to be formed from the latter, and in pronouncing it a certain delicacy is affected. To soften it yet more, the letter ;• is changed into /, and half of the word is cut oft*, so that the last syllable must be THE AMEniCAN INDIANS. 57T guessed at. This affectation, is however, disagreeable, and the tone accompanying it is destitute of animation. The Goyogouan and the Tsonnonthouau dialects ap- pear rude, and the tliree other tribes assert that it is harsh. All these languages are subject to fluctuation, new words are introduced, and others become obsolete. The greater part of these western natives, although speaking languages very different, have, however, the same pursuits, the same mode of thinking, and the same turn of expression. In the Huron language, every word is conjugated, and yet the pronouns, verbs, nouns substantive and adjective, as well as adverbs, are distinguished. The simple verbs have a double conjugation, the one absolute, the other re- ciprocal. These languages have only two genders, the noble and the ignoble. With regard to numbers and tenses, the same differences as exist in the Greek are found. For instance, in making the recital of a journey, the mode of expression varies according to its having been perform- ed by land or by water. The active verbs are multiplied as many times as there are things which fall under their action. The verb signifying to eat varies as frequently as there are species of food. A distinction is observed in the verb between animate and inanimate objects ; thus to see a man, and to see a tree or a stone, form separate verbs. When a thing is used by the otvner himself, or is 4 E "» 578 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP :'!■■. \- i borrowed from another, a particular verb is applicable to each of these circumstances. Father Rasles, a French missionary, who confined him- self ten years in a village of the Abinaquis, and studied their laniiiiajie with all the ardour and zeal M'ith which a sin- cere desire to make converts had inspired him, asserted the difficulty of acquiring that language, in which there are many sounds expressed by the throat without any move- ment of the lips ; ou was among that number, and the missionaries agreed that it should be marked by the Greek «, to distinguish it from the other characters. The same learned Jesuit, who was employed in four different missions, the Abinaquis, the Algonquin, the Huron, and the Illi- nois, among whom he acquired their several tongues, pro- duces an example of each to shew how little analogy there is between any of these tongues. For this purpose, he makes choice of the first stave of the hymn, *' / sa-- lutaris Hostia, 8{c'* ! Abina«juis AlG0]!«2UIN. Kigbist si-nuanurvi nus Spem kik papili go ii damek, Nimiani si ksi aanghabcnk Tapa sau grihine. Kscrais Jesus tagasenatn Nera kcuI ka stisiam Ka rio Ulliglie miang Yos muina vik umona:. Huron. Illinois. THE AMERICAN INDIANS. JcsBS »to ctti X'iclrie Outoc tti Skuaalicbi-axc I. Chierche axcraoucasta • D'Aotierti xeata-aien. Pekisianc maiiet tte Piaro nile hi nanghi Keninama hc h kangha^ Mero xinang vsiang hi. 579 *'**.^* ^'^^^^^^^ *<*^*.*^rfi*i^ VOCABULARY OF THE ALGONQUIN TONGUE. ■ r "' , A. Abae winikan «i The brain Aki win se ^ An old man Ajak - Pheasants Abo:ce - Heat Abinont-chen - Infant Appoue r A paddle Aajycntagan c "'1' ' >•' . ■♦-.;//* ■ Ashes Alouiii - - H . • A ball Achindach - ; •♦■ ■, > Well ! then ! ' Amik * - A beaver Apiminikoue ,■« The ^kin of a beaver Aj^er-chin - Small, or little Akih - A kettle or pot Awes-wabang - After to-morrow Aouaskcch * - A deer 4 F, 2 A II' 580 VOCABULARY OF THIS 0, 1 !■' m\ u* {I '■i' (•? ' *! *' Atick * •• - Rein deer Akichatte . Warm Awoh^ •■ That way Alim m A dog Alimousc - A little dog An&ng, or Alank - A star. Constellation Agackouet - A large hatchet Agackoueton - A small hatchet Alisanape - Man Achonda - Here Anamai M Below Alokatchigan - Merchandise Amon - A wasp Agankitchigaminck - A sea or large lake Anoa-tine - A calm An .' •-/;;..,' >!;- . / Cou»try - ::i,i..'r.}i,r.i. ) -' •j:t 'ouUf. .' It h-l II; AJi,;;<«h.i:'": ,•);!•»;.;•'. Lay -liold. Tak« .iluoj .,i.'i ;: .fj'iw ■; J - - ;).i' • f/iiW c.d Ij'j G. -/>4,ij,' Of the other side Gayc, or Mipigsye ; f;;? - ' ' And- qiiiTir » •: -..,.' JO- - .«J..-' I. , I o':fe: To preserve yW:) >'/ To speak .(>!>..: i To regret ^ Streight on - U'l' > ■> .•'.-,.„!. ..I.)") lii/i ,';.'> 'K?:h.;.:j ) To vex. I am vexed '/'^'t*".', Ickoue, or Ichquois " 7"- ' Woman " jC.';^"'^^> Ickouessens ■ - '^ ''' :^-" A girl " J^uii: nu. -uD Irini - •^^^^"^^':., Nation. Tribe. Pebnfe ^■''^^''^'* In - *. .^-n-H'^i Yes '''^^-> Ganoucrinia Galoula Goiiiloma Goi-ack Gas-ga tin Iskatissi ^ i) r Frost ALOONQUIN TONGUE, 689 (clia qiiiso Iniiii Ka>HTikatos!i Kakiho-chai Ka kali Kisicliiwoin Kimiwoini KiUlii-kitchi gaming Kikijip Kcv.'torinack Kc(clic'-pisou Kasqucpctagan Kiiiiwa Kissinan Kicliatai Kitcliionichi shin Kin Kitayam Kegoi nin Kilchi Kitclii Onodis Kitthi Okinia simaganich Kissin Kissina magat Kaouicka Kiquaidiwine Ka Maschi Kitlimi Kagoiiitch, or Kaouia Kawika Kawiiie ,' To burn < Man. . K. Lean . . Deaf A crow A currant bcrrjr Rain Tlu! great water or lake, the oceav Morning The north Bolt, cincture Tobacco bag Long Cold . Hot Best Thou or you Yours Whom. Great. Valourous. Brave • , Chief. Supreme ruler Great cajilain of war, or leader o£ • warriors •..!■■, To freeze It freezes hard . Never To cavil. To dispute Not yet Lazy. Indolent Nobody. Not at all Never No ■ 2 1' 'i m VOCABULARY OF TrtE^ If Kikons - Fish Kamamenda - Not at all Kak - ^ A porcupine Kekouanan - Who is there ? Who comes ? Kakegou - Nothing Kaquinic - Always Kisis - The sun Kakeli . Ever, always Kakina, or Kakenan > All . Kakikit^ - Lame Kenonge - Pike, a species of fish Kemoutiske - Thief Kemouch - In secret. Clandestinely Kipokitie-koasab - The leggings, or cloth for covering Kitteganink - Fields of corn Kimoutin > To strip naked Kitchi Maniton - Great Spirit. The Supreme Being Koket - In truth Kikatch - To feel cold Kitcbi chimap - A large canoe. A vessel Kiouecheins - Old Kikerindan, or Kikerima - To know Kouelatch - Good Kiousse - To chace Kitchi Gaminck - A great lake Ka M No Kegatch - Soon, by and by Kinabick A snake. L. Lumek - - - Sturgeon lissis - Hair Loutin - The wind. ALGONQUIN TONGUE, t)^S Matnoud gikisi Maouiucoua Mirouerindam Meguisses Mississay Mikinac Magose - • Metticaiiouiiis Maneton Misquisean Miticoum Masquosi Misqui meinac Micanui Mequa Meusan Mequam Missi achki Mishiwai aski Minoka ming Maneto weguin Medjicawine Mescowa Mous-counu-gouse Messha Mitasswois Mitasswois hachi pecheic - Mitas'^wois hachi nige Mitassv/ois hachi niswois - Mitasswois hachi ne au Mitassvfois hachi ncnan Mitasswois hachi negoutawaswoia Sixteen Mitasswois liachi nigi waswois Seventeen 4 F Joy To aid. To assist To agree. To plea-te An eagle A turkey A tortoise An awl An arrow A fish-hook A tree Grass Raspberries A road Hail Ice The world The whole world Spring Cloth Mittens Red Ugly Big. Large. Great Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen i, : !i .'■ \'i V^l M 'i M 586 VOC ABU LAKY OF THE III: pitii ■k''] 1^! ' ■31 f t '« i *!?' ! 1 i. MItasswois Iiachi sbiwaswois Mitiisswois liaclii sliaug as wois Mitayoclie JNIissi Imiiui >voc Mina wa Mill IMa wi - Minawa - . - Mimilic - Maloniiii Mischiton Malamck Mitass Missane Mitlik Mitamin Minikone Mitaininabou \Iappe iMichiouCj or Michaiwois Maiida Maba Micau Miscoutch Mockoniaii - ' Miskoasab Muskimout Mickouan Mila Makbi Manitou Mamaoue iVIipidacli Kightcon Nine(c4iAtVt Miiockamink - 'l"he spring - i?,^ ^/^Rt^K-' Mitigou, or Kitchi Okima The great chief t • U^ ' Mai^ikimont -'"■ A bag Miscoue - Blood - • Mackaoula - To salute Makissin -■> Shoes Mataton m To perspire Mitni m A turtle dove Magat » Powerful. Strong Missoute W . All, the whole. N. Napitch » . Evil, Worth nothing Nongom ■m At present Ningom ' To day Nibila, or Nibiwa - Much Nitchcj or Nitchikioue - Companion. Friend. Comrade Nantaouerima - To search Nimic - To dance Nipan •' <•' To sleep Nipi m Water Nisitolaoua - To hear. To understand Napitch ■ - Entirely, or of- no use Nopeinenk m Advanced in the woods Napitilima • *• To honour. To esteem Nibouacka - Sensible. To have •ense. Under standing Nassaoukouat - A fork Nicanich *• • - - - Brother Nitianis W, Child. Infant Nantobali . »■■ War Nantobalichi - *• Wjirriori * •' - « , ALOONQriN TONOtJI. 589^ -._-'•*' " Nadouek w Nikik, or Niguick NirimousoHs Nape *^ Napema Nip Kipouin Nabal Nousce, or Nossai Nigah Nopinala Nantouueoua Negao Naatoubalima Nissa, or Nisbi wois Noutcliiinou Noutchemouia Non gense • Nide-niguom ' Nibit Nigon dagane Ni nid gines Nipi quoini Nimisat Niguitick Nigatte Nigouisses Nidaniss Niayen - . Nimisain Nimichomiss Nocomiss Ninimichomea .V'^rf. .^<^. ,« '■?■><•.- > The Hurona An otter « A female friend. A mistress A mate •• Husband - ^ To die Death. Dead Half Father Motlier To pursue To meet. To encounter Sand. Gravel To make war. To go to >vai* To kill To live Life A female The nostrils The teeth The throat The fingers The back The belly The knees The legs - My boy , My girl. Daughter My eider brother . My elder sister My grandfather My grandmother My uncle 590 VOCABULARY OF THK M * Nedojiin - My nephew Nidojimeqiiois m My niece '. ; ■A Nisitjjousiss .*.; m , i My mother in hiw , ;?)»';! a, • Nitali ' "*;■ My brother in hiw . Miwitchiwajyaii . - My companion Niuabcn ,^ My husband / TSiit katissiwiiie .- I am angry „; . ,.j ^ Niscst guse - Hear . ,;, Nocliiua pichik m^. '} Buffalo cow « Nic kack '.-' .' A wild goose , . - Na mo bine «. Carp .- Na main *^ Sturgeon ■ ,., Na men goiisc . Trout Naba kcgoumau tft.- A dagger • Nabechibcsoun tm An ear-ring, an ear-boU Nibichi -. A leaf JSaockquoi ~ . Mid-day Negawe - Sand Niniiki * - Thunder Notine - ^AVind Nepaiwinc - Bed Nigaske-tascbessoun - Gartefs ^ \> c \ ,-' Nambissa r T • Handsome . „. / Nibiqui «• Sumn»er t ' , _.^ Nitam 1>' '. Ml" First - ;.' ." ;,,.,; ,'," IN in, or Nit *»,' ' a \, or me ■. ►., - .' Nina wa ••# •'We . \,r ^ Nida yam - My, or mine . . ., ,, ,-\ Nanigoutengue 1 .■♦ « Now and then ji , Nagam - • ■ i nj To sing I Namatape win tm To set down • ' Non gum y To day - .:' , ' Nedawache - Truly ;:,,•. Niguim - Make haste. ALGONQUIN TONGUE. 591 Oiiafsakiinink ducherini Olichicliin OiH'ouelim Ouabi Olakich Ouaboii Ouikiouam Okinia Ouipima Oiiabiouian • Ouibach Ouabank Oiisouabank Ouakan Ouakaigan Ouachaike Ouzao Ouebinan Ouskinckissi Okonogat Ouebatch Ouskouebi Outon, or OutainanI Ouatsadabi - s Ouapous Ovalatissi Ouatsa Ouiouin Ouissiti Outineous Ouabimo o. English. Engli.ilimon Fine Good. It is good White The bowels Juice, or soup AVigwam. Calnn Chief, or captaiu To lay down A blanket of white wool Then Tomorrow After tomorrow Slave A fortress To fortify Yellow To repudiate \ oung Day ^ Incontinent Drunken Tongue By far. By above ' A hare . Liberal , ., ; Far To take a wife. To marry To cat Sick A mirror ; > :f If." M i ■V ■> 592 Ouaaacolcndmaoiia Oiiabilouclicins Ouiiniouiae -' « Ouaniouine maba Oustikoucs Ockola Ochiti-goine Ocatick Ochcngewaue Otonne Omichitoun Otawagane Oquoigan Onic Oskenge * Opikegan Obouame Otbai Odawagan Otchitamon Odjiso Oinimis Obga Onidjigan Omakaki Onaguege Otaieininac Ouinigan Onaguche Ockan Oska pimitais Ouininoe Otabanac tocabulaut o» rtn i To snuff a candle Little Who is thi« Who's that A root A robe The head - ! . The forehead - The nose Tlie mouth ^ ; The beard The ears The neck The arms Nails The side The thigh - i The heart Hearing A squirrel A fisher. An amphibious animal A dove Pickerell - . Fins- . - ■•■ !'•.';.;/ A frog .'i , The bark of a tree /^ . Strawberries . ;.;;:. Portage. Carr^'ing- place I . s Evening - :'.... A bone i . ;.: : Fat or marrow ;. . Fat ;■■ ••:,s^ A sledge - t, ., O %■ , ALGONQUIN TONGUE. 59.^ O-jawes-cowa O-jawa OJawes rowa Oiiicliislviii OiiiHcli Oskiiiigui Otaynm mis Ogitoune Okitchiai Oulainar Outagami Oulagan, or Onagaii Oustikouan Ossam Ossam mangis Ouelibik Oudenack Ouias Oueouelini Ouabeino Ouskincliie • ni.io Yellow • , Green Good naturcd To will. To be willln|f A youtija; man His or her« To do Above Red poM'der, or paint A fox A dish made of bark The head Too much Too little Swift Village Provisions. Food It is well To see The ej^es 1 I ■yP i Packitan Pitchiba Pimisca Piraouego Pilaoua Packite Packit-ais Paskingoe Packakoa To abandon. To forsake ' ; To run towards - . . ; To go by water ■ i -i ; Formerly ;; » : ? r Excellent ! Admirable ! (used iro- nically) tu. ; , ' To beat - , ,^/ ' Beaten .' '• >)-«,i Blind of an eye *- i * A shield -■..-: 4 G 594 VOf ABULAHY OF THE I: ■; I Piiipoe - Pupukiouian Pcpegik Pitchibal Pniious-sai Putchipnoiia Peccal)()g;«» iVocate Poiiteauu^ Piouahick Paskisigau Ponlakoe • Pckita Piiuitais Pipouii Pitcliilago Pipouuicliin Packigouc •• Piinousse Pilcj or Pinasy Peiiiatis Paboucliikaii Pcca Pec ate hi Pilesioue, or Penainse Packikin ^ Pou lagan Paogan Pecliou Postakisk Pin acwan Piwoine Powder. Dust A Hhirt Eacli To run T.) walk To dart, to throw a Hpeur Softly Hunger. I am hungry To cook Iron A fusil To smoke tobacco To win. To gain at play Fat W inter Yesterday To winter To play To march. To travel A bird Bread JBread Peace To make peac« A pavtridge The skin A wooden mortar for shceling In* dian corn A pipe A lynx An outarde. A grey gooM A comb Drift ALOONQUIH TONGUE. 595 Panguiscliiino Poitdig m Peinatinan^ Papise cowagan Pechcck ' • Pepichic • r' Pitchima • Pitchinago Paishon • Paiiima • Piouel Pieou, or Pita Pingoe Mackate Pechouotch Paekilaguo Papi Pankissin •> Pimatclia, or Pittaui-mouni Pima^'ttssa Quin quoagkt Quoi Natch Qui qui jan Quimiwoin Sakia Sasakissi Scoutican Sonquitaig6 Simagainis Siminkakouin West Within A cap A coat One Some Presentljr Yesterdaj Near Bj and by The hair of animal To carry Gunpo\i'der Near To loose at ploy To laugh To fall To come To paj a viiit A woolverine Beautiful To cut It rains I IK, ■ ■I'IM'J II' 'iM •• f J' } ^ To love. To cherish Misar. Covetous Flint, or steel for striking fire Brave Bold warriors ' Heaven 4g2 mil » I ! 596 Scoutiouabon Sinm^un Scoiitecliu Sag'usMoa Spimink Saxcga Sankcma Soule Mickoan Sepim Sainaganitch Scma Shingousse Shikae Shangouch Shabonigaa Schiinan Sagatagan Shomcnac Sagayigan Soquips Sipi Sipiwescliin Shawanawang Scouandam Shaquoiyanqui Saisaigaun Shaibas Shashai Tackosi Tapia VOCABULARY OF THR I . Hot soup. Brandy. Spirits A sword - To strike fire from stonei Fire I To smoke On high. High Handsome. Well made YcSj truly A dish formed of maple wood A river A soldier^ or warrior Tobacco • A ferret • A polecat A minx A needle A canoe - ' <• Touchwood, or punk grapes A lake . Snow A river A rivulet South A door Last It hails This morning Already T. ., . ' li . . Short t r To be. To remain. To exist . f ALGONQUIN TONGUE. 597 Taiiipi Tanincnticii Tabiscoutch Tukousi Takouchin - , Taiii •• Tagouannissi Taiitas8ou, or Taniniilik Tapou6 Tanipi api Tanipi cndaj'cnk Taga Kitija Ta Taouema Talimissi • Taniueiitien Talainika Talamia Kitcki Manitou Tatouan • Tiga Tichinica Tindala Tikcrima, or Taiboitam Tibelindan Tibit Tita Tochiton • Tiberima Tepatchimou Kan Tepatchimou Tipaham Tilelindam Tirerigan Tepoa 3 i From whencp. Place. In some place And well P What then ? Equal ' To fatigue • » To arrive , How Courage. To be brave How many To swim. To row or paddle On what side is it ? Whence come you ? Whither do'st thou go ? Where Relation To sufter pain Why. Wherefore To respect To adore the Supreme Being To exchange. To traffic To go by land To call. To name To have. To possess To believe To deliberate. To resolve Teeth To tell. To speak To do. To act To govern. To dispose News To bring news To pay To think. To have an opinion Persuasion Right. To be right 'i* Ji I' ;,1 i; ■' • f-ii 11 1 *;.( P- ^' 4da Undach Undachaibi Vcndao Wawasquesh ^ Wapouce •< Wabichinse Wagouch Wajack Wai wabogounagc Wiass » Wapesy Waweni Waquoch Wagagvette Watchivc » Wabananotine Wabang Wabin •. Wassa * Waquigan • Wapeweyan Wabisca Waiwebe Wian Wica acko Woinimika Wiuessi VOCA»UlARV pF TH« tf. On this gide On that side .fH.t ! > ■ ♦■V' The light. Transparenejp W. Fallow deer A hare A martin A fox ■ A musk rat A mouse Flesh meat A swan Eggs Spawn An ax A mountain East To morrow ' To sec Far A fort A blanket White The heart 8kin Seldom To forget The hair \( W(»i wois AT.OONQUTN TOWGUF. <'onquiwitic Yao Youa t>99 Birdi ri sd, or bark Al wliifc JfOOSO A least A lodge A body IlV c did lov« ii 1 600 Ki sakiaouaban Ki sukiniinaouabaM Sakiaoaaik VOCABULAKV OF TUB - • Yc did love We and ye did love * « They did love. fi m 'I :^i :>'\ Nekisakia Ki kisukia On kisakia Ni kisiikiamiii Ki kisakiaoua Ki kisakiaininaoua KisakiaouBck Nin gasakia Ki gasiakia Ow gasakia Nin gasakianiin Ki gasakiadiia Ki gaifiakiaminaoua Oasukiaouak Asakia Asakiata PRETER PERFECT. I liave loved Thou hast loved He hath loved We have loved Ye have loved Ye and we have loved They have loved FUTURE. I shall love Thou shalt love He shall love We shall love Ye shall love We and ye shall love They shall love. IMPERATIVE. Love thou Ijct us love Substantives are not declined ; the plural is formed by adding the letter k to the vowel terminating the word. Thus, Almnape, Plural, Ali.>inapch\ men. But if the substaLtive terminate a man. with a consonant, the letters ik are added. For example, J[Iinis, an islanJ : plural, Minisik, islands. Likewise, Paskisigaii, a fusil ; plural, Paskisigniuk, fusils, Taocvia, a rclatioH ; Taoemik, rela- tions. ^7/)/m, a river ; Sipimik, rivers, &c. &c. • ... Ar.CW)XQUlN' TONGUE, im NUMERATION, ACCOKDING TO THE ALGONQUINS. Plgik - " ' Ninch - - . " NIssoue, or Niswois Ncou . - * Naran - - ' Niiiijatouassou Nincbouassou Nissouassou Chaugassou INIitasswois Mitasswois aclii pigik Mitasswois achi much Mitasswois achi nissout'; Mitasswois achi neon Mitasswois achi nanaii Mitasswois achi ningotouassou Mitasswois achi ninchoassou Mitasswois achi nissoua«soii MitasswoU achi chaugassou Nirichtana Niuchtana achi pigik Niiichtana achi ninch Niuchtana achi nissoue Niiichlaiui achi ucou Ninchtana achi naran Ninchtana achi nigatouasson Niuchtana achi uinchouassou One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twcnt> Twenty-one Twenty-two Twenty-three Twcnty-iour Twenty- live Twenty-six T-wenty^scvcn 4h t r i* ' H Ct)2 NUMERATION, &C. li: Ninclifatia uclu nissonassou Twenty-right Ninchtana achi cliauga^sou Two Illy- nine Ni;soui'uii(aiia - Thiity Nissoiiciiiitana achi |)ip:ilv - Thirty- one, ; IJay Qur!)('( from lln; Cihulol Qiichcc from llcaiiport Fall of IMonlniorcnri Fall of Moiitmoinui in \\ itUor Jruiic LoiL'tlj; Falls of (liau(li('r(\ near (^uobt'C Fall of La Piicc Fall of I^a PiJte from the Eastern llaak lliiins of Cliatraii U ichor Lake St, Charles Front ispiect to front page J I C? 7G 7(J HtJ H4 9J 9f D^t 9(i 100 101 111 I'iO L')0 158 Kil Falh of Niagara from beneath the hank on the Fort Slausser side 17 i 2j7 257 - 271 292 505 V lew on tlie Kiver Ftehemiu Briilj^e on tlie Jae(iues Carder Montreal (rum the Mountain CascaiK's of tin* Saint Lawrenee Fort of Niaifara \\\ iirl )0(H o fth am Falls of Niagara, l"i \ L W awrenee ronj iSireh s Milh Grande Chaiidiere on the Oiitaouaiji River La Danse llonde Miniiels of (he (Canadians Eneampment of Domiciliated Indians Costunu' of Doumiliated Indiums M oose I) eer Chait of the Saint Lawrence at the cud of the Book, •I /;/ iJif /'jisv, niid fo he pnhU'^hcd in Ayril and ^'^Lnf, ls«»i, r TUWr.I.S 'nmOlfni HOM-AND ami tl.c adj.-lniuir l)i:PAinMi:\T^()l' FILVNCET') MKMZ, ^^\[\^ Mtu. of niMiirlvuhle rhuiV"* un Ihe Ilhino, rx([i.iHi(ol\ cii^raM'd tVoin ilir Oiii'.iiiMl Drawini;-^ of llii* A"\illjor, Piiiitod hi Quarto. IMcr Two CuiintM> in }5oiirf]- nV SIR Jf^lIN I AUK. •\i;l!ior of ilic Ncrlbciii Siimtm-i, tlic Sirautci in Irebnd, \c \c. II Ti: VVKLS.uthr Vr.i {►ioe, from ITAL^ 'r\r<»l, Stvria. HolnMiiia (Jallicia. Folaml, and Iltissin, foiilaiiiiu^ tin- l*arti< idnrs of lln- I.ibrration of Mr^ Hrrvcru SviTii from tlu' hiiids (»f the V'rcnrli l*oli<«'. hikI of hrr ^ulxscqucnt riiulit through I'u' Conntrits iiho\( luculioi.fd, in hii ili'gant small \ uluinc, Triti' (m. in IJoardt*, olfcrtrd and >\riililv ]»iaiititu) Fograv- illJr^ ; two Euition-. oho on lari^v I*aj)cr, with Proof Inij)rfs>;oiis of i\\v Plates, price *Zl. 'iv. ; the otlur on ^mal!('r Paper, prin- 1/. Ss. in lioard.^. ^ IV. AlU ll.EOI.OCi! V fiR.E( A; or tlio AMtiquiiir<;, Afannor^, Rrliprion. &r. &c. of \\\e (»rf»'k<*, intmdr'ti ,ts « ('oin|)nniop in Tcudinii: tlic (ircf'k Cla«isi«'s, and (ilrd from tin- l,it(Ht and Wa Anllioritio • in one large Volumt- Sso. price Vlx. n\ Bttards. HV TITK HEV. JOHN H0B1\«.0\. M;!»ier ofihc Frtr Grniiur, u bciiool i\ Havcii-iuiietl.tlf, in \\'»»iinoifli(i)