of fouls. The day for this ceremony is appointed in the council of their chiefs, who give orders for every thing which may enable them to celebrate it with pomp and magnificence; and the neighbouring nations are invited to partake of the entertainment. At this time, all who have died fince the preceding feast of the kind are taken out of their graves. Even those who have been interred at the greatest distance from the villages are diligently fought for, and conducted to this rendezvous of the dead, which exhibits a fcene of horror beyond the power of defcrip. tion. When the feaft is concluded, the bodies are dreffed in the finest fkins which can be procured, and after being expofed for fome time in this pomp, are again committed to the earth with great folemnity, which is fucceeded by funeral games.

Him they invoke before they

Their tafte for war, which forms the chief ingredient in their character, gives a strong bias to their religion. Arcfkoui, or the god of battle, is revered as the great god of the Indians. go into the field; and according as his difpofition is more or lefs favourable to them, they conclude they will be more or lefs fuccefsful. Some nations worship the fun and moon; among others there are a number of traditions, relative to the creation of the world and the hiftory of the gods: traditions which resemble the Grecian fables, but which are still more abfurd and inconfiftent. But religion is not the prevailing charaeter of the Indians; and except when they have fome immediate occafion for the affiftance of their gods, they pay them no fort of worship. Like all rude nations, however, they are ftrongly addicted to superstition. They believe in the existence of a number of good and bad genii or fpirits, who interfere in the affairs of mortals, and produce all our happinefs or mifery. It is from the evil genii, in particular, that our difeafes procced; and it is to the good genii we are indebted for a cure. The minifters of the genii are the jugglers, who are alfo the only phyficians among the favages. Thefe jugglers are fuppofed to be infpired by the good genii, most commonly in their dreams, with the knowledge of future events; they are called in to the affiftance of the fick, and are fuppofed to be informed by the genii whether they will get over the difeafe, and in what way they must be treated. But thefe fpirits are extremely fimple in their fyftem of phyfic, and, in almost every disease, direct the juggler to the fame remedy. The, patient is inclofed in a narrow cabin, in the midft of which is a ftone red-hot; on this they throw water, until he is well foaked with the warm vapour and his own fweat. Then they hurry him from this bagnio, and plunge him fuddenly into the next river. This coarfe method, which cofts many their lives, often performs very extraordinary cares. The jugglers have like

wife the ufe of fome fpecifics of wonderful efficacy; and all the favages are dexterous in curing wounds by the application of herbs. But the power of thefe remedies is always attributed to the magical ceremonies with which they are administered.

Though the women generally bear the laborious part of domeftic economy, their condition is far from being fo flavish as it appears. On the contrary, the greatest refpect is paid by the men to the female fex. The women even hold their councils, and have their fhare in all deliberations which concern the ftate. Polygamy is practised by some nations, but is not general. In moft, they content themselves with one wife; but a divorce is admitted in cafe of adultery. No nation of the Americans is without a regular marriage, in which there are many ceremonies; the principal of which is, the bride's presenting the bridegroom with a plate of their corn. The women, though before incontinent, are remarkable for chastity after marriage.

Liberty, in its full extent, being the darling paffion of the Indians, their education is directed in such a manner as to cherish this difpofition to the utmoft. Hence children are never upon any account chastised with blows, and they are feldom even reprimanded. Reafon, they fay, will guide their children when they come to the ufe of it, and before that time their faults cannot be very great: but blows might damp their free and martial fpirit, by the habit of a flavish motive to action. When grown up, they experience nothing like command, dependence, or fubordination; even ftrong perfuafion is induftriously with-held by those who have influence among them. -No man is held in great esteem, balefs he has increafed the ftrength of his country with a captive, or adorned his hut with a scalp of one of his enemies.

Controverfies among the Indians are few, and quickly decided. When any criminal matter is fo flagrant as to become a national concern, it is brought under the jurifdiction of the great council; but in ordinary cafes, the crime is either revenged or compromifed by the parties concerned. If a murder be committed, the family which has loft a relation prepares to retaliate on that of the offender. They often kill the murderer; and when this happens, the kindred of the last person flain look upon themselves to be as much injured, and to have the fame right vengeance as the other party. In general, however, the offender abfents himself; the friends fend compliments of condolence to those of the person that has been murdered. The head of the family at length appears with a number of prefents, the delivery of which he accompa nies with a formal fpeech. The whole ends, as ufual, in mutual feast. ings, fongs, and dances. If the murder is committed by one of the No. II.

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fame family or cabin, that cabin has the full right of judgment within itfelf, either to punifh the guilty with death, or to pardon him, or to oblige him to give fome recompence to the wife or children of the flain. Inftances of fuch a crime, however, very feldom happen; for their at tachment to thofe of the fame family is remarkably ftrong, and is faid to produce fuch friendfhips as may vie with the most celebrated in fabulous antiquity.

Such, in general, are the manners and cuftoms of the Indian nations; but every tribe has fomething peculiar to itself. Among the Hurons and Natchez, the dignity of the chief is hereditary, and the right of fucceffion in the female line. When this happens to be extinct, the moft refpectable matron of the tribe makes choice of whom the pleases to fucceed.

The Cherokees are governed by feveral fachems or chiefs, elected by the different villages; as are alfo the Creeks and Chactaws. The two latter punish adultery in a woman by cutting off her hair, which they will not fuffer to grow till the corn is ripe the next season; but the Illinois, for the fame crime, cut off the womens nofes and ears.

The Indians on the lakes are formed into a fort of empire; and the emperor is elected from the eldest tribe, which is that of the Ottowawaws. He has the greateft authority of any chief that has appeared on the continent fince our acquaintance with it. A few years ago, the person who held this rank formed a defign of uniting all the Indian nations under his fovereignty; but he mifcarried in the attempt.

In general, the American Indians live to a great age, although it is not poffible to know from themselves the exact number of their years. It was asked of an Indian, who appeared to be extremely old, what age he was of? I am above twenty, was his reply. Upon putting the ques

tion in a different form, by reminding him of certain circumstances in former times, My machu, faid he, fpoke to me when I was young of the Incas; and he had feen thefe princes. According to this reply, there muft have elapfed, from the date of his machu's (his grandfather's) remembrance to that time, a period of at least 232 years. The man who made this reply appeared to be 120 years of age: for, befides the whiteness of his hair and beard, his body was almoft bent to the ground; without, however, fhowing any other marks of debility or fuffering. This happened in 1764. This longevity, attended in general with uninterrupted health, is probably the confequence in part of their vacancy from all ferious thought and employment, joined alfo with the robust texture and conformation of their bodily organs. If the Indians did not destroy one another in their almoft perpetual wars, and if theis

habits

habits of intoxication were not fo univerfal and incurable, they would be, of all the races of men who inhabit the globe, the most likely to prolong, not only the bounds, but the enjoyments, of animal life to their utmoft duration.

Let us now attend to other pictures which have been given of the aboriginal inhabitants of the New World. The vices and defects of the American Indians have by feveral writers been moft unaccountably aggravated, and every virtue and good quality denied them. Their cruelties have been already described and accounted for. The following anecdote of an Algonquin woman we find adduced as a remarkable proof of their innate thirst of blood. That nation being at war with the Iroquois, fhe happened to be made prifoner, and was carried to one of the villages belonging to them. Here she was ftripped naked, and her hands and feet bound with ropes in one of their cabins, In this condition fhe remained ten days, the favages fleeping round her every night. The eleventh night, while they were afleep, fhe found means to difengage one of her hands, with which she immediately freed herself from the ropes, and went to the door. Though fhe had now an opportunity of efcaping unperceived, her revengeful temper could not let flip fo favourable an opportunity of killing one of her enemies. The attempt was manifeftly at the hazard of her own life; yet, fnatching up a hatchet, the killed the favage that lay next her; and, fpringing out of the cabin, concealed herself in a hollow tree which she had obferved the day before. The groans of the dying perfon foon alarmed the other favages, and the young ones immediately fet out in purfuit of her.-Perceiving from her tree, that they all directed their course one way, and that no savage was near her, she left her fanctuary, and, flying by an oppofite direction, ran into a foreft without being perceived. The fecond day after this happened, her footsteps were discovered, and they pursued her with such expedition, that the third day fhe discovered her enemies at her heels. Upon this fhe threw herself into a pond of water; and, diving among fome weeds and bulrushes, fhe could juft breathe above water without being perceived. Her purfuers, after making the moft diligent fearch, were forced to return. For 35 days this woman held on her courfe through woods and defarts, without any other fuftenance than roots and wild berries. When the came to the river St. Lawrence, fhe made with her own hands a kind of a wicker raft, on which she crofied it. As fhe went by the French fort Trois Rivieres, without well knowing where fhe was, the perceived a canoe full of favages; and, fearing they might be Iroquois, ran again into the woods, where fhe remained till funfet. Continuing her courfe, foon after fhe faw Trois Rivieres; and was then difcovered

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difcovered by a party whom the knew to be Hurons, a nation in alliance with the Algonquins. She then fquatted down behind a bush, calling out to them that she was not in a condition to be seen, because she was naked. They immediately threw her a blanket, and then conducted her to the fort, where the recounted her story.

Perfonal courage has been denied them. In proof of their pufillanimity, the following incidents are quoted from Charlevoix by Lord Kames, in his sketches of the History of Man. "The fort de Vercheres in Canada, belonging to the French, was, in the year 1690, attacked by fome Iroquois. They approached filently, preparing to scale the palifade, when some musket fhot made them retire. Advancing a second time, they were again repulfed, wondering that they could discover none but a woman, who was feen every where. This was Madame de Vercheres, who appeared as refolute as if fupported by a numerous garrifon. The hopes of ftorming a place without men to defend it occafioned reiterated attacks. After two days fiege, they retired, fearing to be intercepted in their retreat. Two years after, a party of the fame nation appeared before the fort fo unexpectedly, that a girl of fourteen, daughter of the proprietor, had but time to fhut the gate. With the young woman there was not a foul but one raw foldier. She showed herfelf with her affiftant, fometimes in one place and fometimes in another; changing her drefs frequently, in order to give fome appearance of a garrifon; and always fired opportunely. The faint-hearted Iroquois decamped without fuccefs."

There is no inftance, it is faid, either of a fingle İndian facing an individual of any other nation in fair and open combat, or of their jointly venturing to try the fate of battle with an equal number of any foes. Even with the greatest fuperiority of numbers, they dare not meet an open attack. Yet, notwithstanding this want of courage, they are fill formidable; nay, it has been known, that a fmall party of them has routed a much fuperior body of regular troops: but this can only happen when they have furprised them in the faftneffes of their forefts, where the covert of the wood may conceal them until they take their aim with their utmoft certainty. After one fuch difcharge they immediately retreat, without leaving the smallest trace of their route. It may eafily be fuppofed, that an onfet of this kind muft produce confufion even among the steadieft troops, when they can neither know the number of their enemies, nor perceive the place where they lie in ambush.

Perfidy combined with cruelty has been alfo made a part of their character. Don Ulloa relates, That the Indians of the country called Natches, in Louisiana, laid a plot of maffacring in one night every indi