/ TRAVELS THROUGH THE CANADAS. TO WHICH IS SUBJOINED A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF SEVERAL OF THE INDIAN NATIONS OF NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA. BY GEORGE HERIOT. LONDON: printed FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, 6, new bridge street, BLACKFRIARS, By J. G. Barnard, 57, Snow Hill. 1805. ' - . c . \ ANALYSES OF f i MEW VOYAGES AND TRAVELS, LATELY PUBLISHED IN LONDON. Travels through the Canadas; containing a description of the picturesque scenery on some of the risers aud lakes; with an account of the productions , commerce , and inhabitants of those provinces: to which is subjoined a comparative view of the manners and customs of several of the Indian nations of \orth and South America . By George Herioi, Esq. de¬ puty postmaster general of British No? th America . Illus¬ trated with a map and numerous engravings, from drawings made at the several places, by the author .— One volume 4 to± pp.fr 02. Price 2/. J 5s, London, Phillips, J 8 O 7 . ■A. X authentic account of our only remaining settlements in North America, would be, at any period, of considerable in¬ terest : but at the present epoch such a work as the one before us derives additional importance, inasmuch as it exhibits the ac¬ tual aud intrinsic value of those possessions of which we should in all probability be deprived, were we to involve ourselves in a war with the United States. It ought also to be mentioned, that this volume of Travels is not the ephemeral production of an ordinary Tourist; but has been composed from the continual ob¬ servations of a gentleman, who has resided in Canada nearly twenty years. From the author’s preface it appears, that his ori¬ ginal design was to convey an idea of some of the picturesque scenery of the St. Laurence, which is one of the largest and most wonderful bodies of fresh water on the earth ; but when he had resolved to present his remarks and sketches to the British pub¬ lic, he made the text more perfect and interesting, by adding to H ERIOT.] B 2 heriot’s travels the description of the scenes in Canada, an account of the cli¬ mate and productions of the country, of the manners and cha¬ racter of the inhabitants, a3 well as those of the domiciliated Indians, and of the tribes who make excursions to the borders of the extensive lakes. Mr. Ileriot derived great advantage from the documents which he found in the library of the Jesuits, at Quebec; and, he adds, that a considerable portion of the information which he has published, has beeu obtained from living observa¬ tions, communicated by gentlemen of undoubted veracity. It may therefore be imagined, that the work which we are about to analyse, is the most interesting and complete account of Canada which has yet issued from the press. THE AZORES. On his way to America, the author touched at the Azores islands, which have so often been cursorily described, as to leave little room for novel observation; yet, as they are the general rendezvous of ships which cross the Atlantic, such par¬ ticulars as iVlr. Hcriot has noted respecting them, can neither be deemed inappropriate to our purpose, nor prove unaccept¬ able to our readers; many of whom may anticipate an oppor¬ tunity of verifying the statements which we are about to lay before them. It is the general opinion that the rugged precipices of the Azores, which vary in degrees of elevation, as well as in form a^nd extent ot basts, owe their origin to violent volcanic erup¬ tions. The tops ot the most lofty of these mountains, says Mr. Heriot, are usually discoverable above the clouds, which rest or float upon their sides, and w hich their stupendous height at¬ tracts amid the cooler regions of the atmosphere. The accli¬ vities, in proportion to their distance from the sea, iucrease in magnitude and elevation, and in many situations abruptly rise into enormous piles, crowned with cliffs naked and barren, ex¬ cept where the sides are sparingly shagged with stunted trees and brushwood. The soil is in general fertile, abounding in corn, grapes, oranges, lemons, and a variety of other fruits; and is likewise favourable for breeding of cattle, sheep, and other animals, Fish of various kinds are found in great abundance all around the coasts; and the woods and high lands present a mul¬ titude of birds of different descriptions. Animals of a noxious nature are said to be here unknown. Saiut Michael, Santa Maria, Tercera, Saint George, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico, Flores, and Corvo, are the several names by which these islands are distinguished. I he first is by far the most extensive, and lies in a direction a THROfcGH THE CANADAS. 3 from soutli-east to north-west. It is about lifty-four miles in length, but of an irregular breadth, exceeding not fifteen miles, and being at the centre not wider thati six miles. The number of inhabitants is estimated at nearly eighty thousand. Ponta del Gada, the principal town, is situated on the south side, and contains about twelve thousand inhabitants. The streets are regular, and of convenient width, and the churches andVeligioushouses, aswdlas other public edifices, may be termed rather elegant. Convents and nunneries are placed in various situations throughout the country. The town is built along the sea-coast; the land behind it rises at first with gradual ascent, and afterwards more abruptly, the view terminating by a congeries of conical lulls. A mountain on the west towers above these, and is of a handsome form, its summit having a table appearancei In this is an ancient crater filled with water, whose depth has not yet been ascertained. There is no harbour in the vicinity of the town, and vessels are usually'anchored at a considerable distance from shore, in an open and unsheltered road. That part of the island in which the capital is placed, forming a gentle acclivity of considerable extent, is well cultivated, and divided with no small degree of taste into spacious fields planted with Indian corn, wheat, barley, and pulse; two crops of these are annually produced. Country houses are frequently interspersed with orchards of orange trees, whose fruit is superior to that which grows in the southern parts of Europe. Ribeira Grande, the second town in point of magnitude, is placed on the north side of the island, and contains nearly as many inhabitants as the chief city. In it are two convents, one of Franciscan friars, another of nuns. Villa Franca, about eighteen miles east of Ponta del Gada, on the south side of the island, forms the third town. It likewise contains a convent of Franciscan friars, and one with about three hundred nuns. A small island opposite to this place?, and about half a mile from the shore, possesses a basin, with a narrow entrance, where fifty vessels might anchor in security. Smaller towns, and a variety of hamlets are scattered throughout the country. The surf of the sea breaks with considerable violence, and with unceasing agitation, all round the coast. The hot baths are situated in the eastern part of the island, and the road leading from the capital thither, is by Villa Franca; from thence it rises by a gradual ascent for about twelve miles, until it attains the summit of the elevated lands by which these baths are environed. The descent into the valley is by a steep r narrow, and winding path. This extraordinary gulph is abou: twelve miles in circumference, surrounded by, lofty and abrupt b S 4 hrriot’s travels precipices, and accessible only by three way.?, cut with labour out of the cliffs. The soil below is fertile and well cultivated, producing copious harvests of wheat and Indian corn. inclosures are adorned with hedge-rows of Lombardy poplais, which rise in pyramidal shapes, and exhibit a pleasing appeal anc< . The gloomy faces of the surrounding rocks are shaded alia varied by evergreens, consisting of laurels, myrtles, favas, pao-sanguintro, taniujus, uvie de serra, and a number of other shrubs and vines. Streams ot crystalline water, interrupted n> their downward course, dash w ith impetuosity and foaming fury from rock to rock, and collecting in deep, stony basins beneath, thence issue in serpentine rivulets, which intersect the valley m a variety of directions; in some situations, rushing on with murmuring sound ; in others, creeping along w ith a smooth and silver surface. These, together with the appearance of the boiling fountains, from w hence clouds of steam are continually thrown up; a lake, well stocked with water-tow 1; blackbirds, and other feathered songsters of the grove, enlivening by their melody; fruits, and aromatic plants, yielding the most grateful odours, contribute to form a combination of objects, highly pleasing, and wildly picturesque. The valley, which is named Furno, contains a number oi boiling fountains; the most remarkable ot these, the cauldron, is situated upon a small eminence, being a circular basin ot thirty feet in diameter, whose water, boiling with ceaseless- agitation, emits a quantity of vapour. At a few paces distant from hence is the cavern Boca de Inferno, throwing out, for a considerable way from its mouth, quantities ot w ater mixed with inud, accompanied by a noise like thunder. Around this spot, and within the compass of an acre of land, there are upwards of a hundred fountains of the same kind; aud even in the midst of a rivulet which runs by it, are several of these springs, so hot as to be insupportable to the touch. In other places the sulphureous vapours issue with such force from a number of apertures in the overhanging cliff's, as to suggest to the fancy an idea of the place being inhabited by a thousand fabled Cyclops, occupied w ith their bellows and forges, in fabricating thunder. The surface of the ground is covered in many places with pure sulphur, which has been condensed from the steam, and which, like hoar frost, is arranged iu sharp-pointed, stellated figures. Not far distant from these hot springs, there are others of a nature extremely cold, particularly two, whose waters possess a strong mineral quality, accompanied by a sharp, acid ta.-te. About half a mile to the westward of this place, and close by the side of a river, there are likewise several sulphureous fountains, whose waters have been used with eminent success, b>- through tiik Canadas. 5 person? afflicted with scropluilous disorders. Under the declivity of a hill, westward from Saint Ann’s church, are found springs of a similar kind, which are much used by the neighbouring inhabitants. These flow in currents from a precipice, and are some of a hot, others of a cold temperature, although only a few feet asunder. To the westward of these is placed the lake, whose circum¬ ference is only three miles, and whose water is of a greenish colour, being powerfully impregnated with sulphur. On its north side there is a small plain, where the earth, perforated in a thousand places, incessantly emits sulphureous exhalations. Thither, during die heat of the day, the cattle repair to avoid being tortured by flies. The united waters of the springs produce a considerable river, called Ribeira Quente, running for a course of nine miles through a deep rent in a mountain, and discharging, itself into the sea, on the south side of the island. Along the precipices, which confine it on either side, several spots emit smoke; and in the sea at some distance from its mouth, there are springs which boil up so strongly, that their beat is sensibly felt at the surface. * The Furuo contains two parishes and about a thousand inhabitants, whom necessity compelled to pass the moun¬ tains, and to cultivate a spot which was formerly believed to be inhabited by daemons. Many years elapsed before the other inhabitants of the island began to visit it; but, since rhe healing qualities of the waters have been discovered, many invalids, as well as others, have resorted thither; and notable effects have been produced by their use upon those afflicted by the gout, scrophula, and other cutaneous maladies. The pastern and western parts of the island rise into lofty mountaii s; but the center, which is lower, is interspersed with a variety of conical hills, every one of which discovers evident tokens of volcanic eruptions. Their summits are hollowed into basins, containing a quantity of water. On the west side of the island another gulph is to be viewed, not less singular and extraordinary than that already described, which is known by the appellation of Sett Cidades , or the seven cities; and whose extent is double that of the Furno. It surrounded by steep precipices, and contains a fine lake of considerable depth, and two leagues in circumference. No hot springs have been discovered in its vicinity, nor do the waters possess any mineral quality. It has no visible discharge, and ir? on a level with the sea.’ The mountains which form the boundaries of the valley, appear to have 'experienced the most violent and ucconnuou HE riot’s travel# t> changes, TT^Iiey are composed entirely of white pomlce-stone* unmixed with black lava, affording unquestionable indications of itie operations of a volcano, and of its more elevated part* having subsided into the centre of the mountain. r I here are two hills placed in the bottom of the valley, whose craters are yet open, although almost overgrown by shrubs. The lower parts of the island are very fertile, and in a state of high cultivation. The soil in general consists of decomposed pomice-stone, which is easily worked ; and it usually yields two crops every year. A vegetable called tremosa, or blue lupin, supplies the deficiency of animal manure. Jt is sown on the fields with the first rains in Septembr, and from the effects of moisture and warmth, growing to a vcrv ranK state, about the end of Novem¬ ber it is mowed down, left for a few days to flag, aud is afterward* plowed into the ground. Oranges and lemons abound throughout the country ; the first are of an excellent quality, ripen earlier than those produced in Portugal, and are brought sooner to market. The best kind of orange is raised by layers. Water melo; - grow abundant! in the fields. The farms pi oduce wheat, Indian cc i, and cal varices* Vines are also cultivated on tracts of black lava bordering on the sea coast ; but then juice is thin and feeble, soon acquiring an acid taste. The convents and other religious establishmcnts placed ii» various situations along the borders of the island, and constructed of a white coloured stone, produce a pleasing effect when viewed from the sea. r ihe aromatic herbs, trees, and fruits, perfume the atmos¬ phere with their sweets; and the breeze thus impregnated, becomes, when blowing from the land, highly grateful to the traveller in sailing :;!ong the shore. The island of Pico, from the superior altitude of one Of its mountains, is the most remarkable of all the Azores. From the village ofGuindaste to the summit of the peak, the distance is stated to be nine miles, idie road passes through a wild, rugged, aud dihicuit country, winch ns entirely covered with brushwood. When, at seven o’clock m the morning, we arrived attlie 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 foity-sexen. About ten we arrived at the boundary of the ancient ci atci , anti the sun then acquiring power, the thermome¬ ter rose to forty-eight degrees. This appears to have been more than a nnle m circumference. The southern and western boundaries yet remain, but those of the north and east have through the canadas. 7 given way, and have tumbled down the side of the mountain. In the center of the old crater, a cone of three hundred feet in perpendicular height is thrown up, on the summit of which is the present mouth. The ascent of this is very steep and difficult; and it contains several apertures from which smoke is emitted. It is formed of a crust of lava, of the consistence of iron that has once been in a state of fusion. At the hour of half past ten we gained tire top of the peak, which is singularly sharp and pointed, being about seven paces in length, and about five in breadth. The crater is on the north side, and below the summit is about twenty paces in diameter, and is continually emitting smoke. It is almost tilled with burnt rocks. From hence several of the neighbouring islands are presented to the view. Pico, seen from the peak, exhibits an appearance no less singular than romantic ; the eastern part rises into a narrow ridge, along which are many ancient volcanos which have loug ceased to emit smoke, and several of whose craters are now almost concealed by woods, which have sprung up around them. The basis of the peak presents likewise some remains of smaller volcanos, whose fires are now extinguished. The last eruption of the peak, which happened in ] 7 IS, burst forth from its side, and destroyed a great part of the vineyards. It is on elevated situations like this, that is felt that influence which the vast and unbounded theatre, at once laid open to contemplation, is capable of exciting,—Those inspirations of nature, so eloquent and so animated—that attractive impulse w hich attnues the soul to harmony v> ith her works—that distinctive character which the Creator hath imprinted on the heart— innate traces of which peculiar 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. The whole of the low r er 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 have been consi¬ derable. W hen the vines are planted, the surface of the soil is again thinly strew ed with lava, over which the young shoots are buffered to run. The height of the peak from the surface of the water, is about eight thousand perpendicular feet. W hen viewed from the sea the peak assumes the appearance of a cone, almost regular, of immense magnitude, having a smaller cone rising from one side of its summit, which is that already described. This mountain rears its elevated head far above the clouds, which float around its craggy sides, and U visible to the extent of many leagues. s MERIOT S TRAVELS N r.WFOUNDLAND ANO ITS CO fl-FJ SH EKIE9. Having taken onr departure from the Azores, says Mr. Heriot, we proceeded on the voyage to North America, and on arriving at the Banks of Newfoundland, a number of vessels, stationed at various distances, and seemingly at anchor, occurred to our view. These we soon understood to be engaged in the cod fishery. They are, in general, from eighty to one hundred and fifty ions burden, fitted out from several places in England, particularly from the western counties, and from the Islands or Jersey and Guernsey. There are, besides, vessels belonging to the fishermen who w inter in Newfoundland, and at the settle¬ ments on the neighbouring parts of the continent. The Great Bank, which is about forty leagues distant from the island, is an enormous mountain formed beneath the surface of the sea. Jts extent is about a hundred and sixty leagues, and its breadth about sixty, the extremities terminating in points. On the eastern side, towards the centre, a kind of bay is formed, called the Ditch.' The depth of water varies much throughout the whole, being in some situations sixty, in others only five fathoms. During the hottest weather the 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 approach¬ ing the banks the noise of the billows of the ocean become more shrill and loud, an effect which is probably produced by the shal¬ lowness of the waters. The thick fogs which are here more prevalent than in any other part of the Atlantic, exhibit a singular phenomenon, and may be presumed to owe their origin to the stream from the gulph of Mexico, the discharge of waters incessantly accumula¬ ting there by the pressure of the trade winds. The system of philosophy introduced by Sir Isaac Newton, maintains that the combined attractive influence of the sun and moon, and the centrifugal force of the water arising from the di¬ urnal motion of the earth around its axis, elevate that liquid ele¬ ment at the equator to a much greater height than at the poles , and the degree of elevation is in proportion to the alternate ad¬ vancement, 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 w inds ope¬ rating 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 promontory Yucatan. Opposed by the surrounding coasts it pursues its w ay out of the gulph between Florida and the Bahama islands, assumes a course to the northward, and thus runs in the direction o{ the coast of North America, being at the nearest seventy-five 9 tHROtGft TDE CANADAS. . miles distant from it, and receding still further, in proportion to its progress. Its breadth is about fortv-five miles, and its rapi¬ dity is about four miles in an hour. The banks of Newfound¬ land appear to form the limits of its advancement towards the north ; and it diverges from thence, passing through the Azores to the southward, until its impulse becomes gradually lost. Re¬ taining a great portiou of the heat which it imbibed in the tropi¬ cal climate, on its arrival at the banks of Newfoundland, it is from fifteen to twentv degrees of Fahrenheit warmer than the water on each side of it, from which it differs not only in this respect, but in darkness of colour and greater depth of sound¬ ings. Whenever, therefore, the- degree of temperature in the atmosphere becomes colder than that of those waters, a vapour will necessarily arise from them, which is condensed, and fre¬ quently covers these situations with a moist and thick air. The cod-fish, whose abundance in these latitudes has afforded for a series of years an essential object of commercial enterprise, is esteemed much more delicate than that found in the northern seas of Europe, although inferior 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 selection 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 sto¬ mach of this fish, which by inverting itself, has the power of becoming disburdened 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 hands 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, through a second hatch way into the hold, to be salted. When a quantity of fish, sufficient to fill one of the vessels, is caught and salted, she sails from the banks to the island, where, discharg¬ ing 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 European mar¬ kets. In packiug 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 culler or inspector, attends the loading of WF.RIOT.] c 10 rfERXOT S TRAVELS each vessel, in order to see that no fish which is not perfect!" cured, be introduced into the cargo, which otherwise might soon become damaged. The price of Ash cured at Newfoundland, is generally fifteen shillings the quintal, and it neats in Europe about twenty shillings. The expence of its freight to the coast of Spain, is two shillings and sixpence, and to Leghorn three shillings, the quintal. The dried Ash, sent to the West Indies, is packed in casks, and is inferior in quality to that carried to Europe. 1 he fish which is salted without being dried, is termed Core-fish, 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 tho^ owners will be excluded from all claim to the established bounty. The same crew, however, usually procures, during the season, more than double that quantity. The merchants of England who are concerned in these fish¬ eries, supply the fishermen upon credit with every article ot which they may be in want, and are repaid at the fall of the year, with the produce of their industry. Several hundred thousand pounds are thus annually advanced, in speculation, on an object of commerce, before it is extracted from the bosom of the ocean. About four hundred ships, amounting to thirty-six thousand tons burthen; two thousand fishing shallops, of twenty thousand tons, and twenty thousand men, are, in times of tranquillity, usually em¬ ployed 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, consisting of salmon, cod-oil, seal- oil, and furs, exceed annually half a million sterling. Of twenty thousand men from Great Britain and Ireland, employed ia that fishery, eight thousand necessarily continued, when their country, was not at war, on the island all the winter. Several thousand still remain there during that season, and are occupied in repairing or building boats and small vessels, or in erecting the scaffolds for drying fish. These are not properly seafaring men, and are distinguished by the denomination of planters. X N H A BIT ANTS OF NEW FOUN DLA N I). Newfoundland, which in point of magnitude mav be classed among islands of the first extent, is, in fertility of soil as far as it has hitherto been explored, much inferior to any of similar dimen¬ sions. \\ hetner it ever had native inhabitants has not been fully ascertained, and its sterility, were it even as real as is supposed, is not a sufficient reason for asserting that it never had any; as the natives of America, in general, derive their subsistence, not from the vegetable productions of the soil, but from fishing and the cause. 1 lie J^skunaux are the only people who have been* THROUGH THE CANADAS. 11 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 they pass the greatest part of the year ; and, un¬ attached to any particular spot, wander over an immense tract of desert and inhospitable wilds, although their numbers, if collected, would scarcely people two or three villages. Throughout this prodigious and dreary expanse of region, called by the Spaniaids Labrador, and by the French, New Brittany, which is bounded by the river Saint Lawrence and the North Sea, and also bv the coasts of Newfoundland, no savages, the Eskimaux excepted, are to be met with. They are likewise found at a considerable dis¬ tance from Hudson’s Bay, ou rivers which flow from the west¬ ward. Their name is said to he derived from a word in the Abinaquis language, Esquimcuifoie, importing, an eater of raw flesh ; they being the only people known in North America who use their food in that state. They are likewise the only savages who per¬ mit their beards to grow. They assume the appellation of Kera - life, or men. They are of a middling stature, generally robust, lusty, and of a brow n colour. The oil of the w'hale, 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. The nature of their aliment imparts to their constitution that fulness, and to their complexion that greasy sallowness for w hich they are remarked. Their head is large in proportion, and their face round and flat; their lips are thick ; their eves dark, small arid sparkling, but inexpressive; their nose is flat; their hair black, long, and lank ; their shoulders are large ; and their feet uncommonly small. They are disposed to be lively, are subtile, cunning, addicted to theft, irritable, but easily intimidated ; and incapable of long entertaining, or concealing, sentiments of ha¬ tred or revenge. They are the ODly people on the continent of America, who, in character or appearance, exhibit the smallest resemblance to the inhabitants of the northern parts of Europe. Their covering is made of the skins of seals, or of wild ani¬ mals, or of those of the land and sea fowls which frequent 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 mate¬ rials, drawn together before and behind with a cord. Several pairs of socks, with boots, are worn by both sexes, to defend the legs and feet from the penetrating cold. The dress of the wo¬ men is distinguished from that of the men by a tail, which falls a considerable way down, by their capuchins being much larger to- c C Z n heriot’s travels wards 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 seacalf, being sewed together with a needle of bone, the thread being formed of the nerves ol animals, minutely divided. They are averse to industry or exertion, and seldom give them¬ selves 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 are satisfied with the shelter affor¬ ded 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 use of a lamp, formed of a large hollow bone, containing a quantity of oil; but this is only for the convenience of procuring light, as they appear to be ignorant of the application of fire to culinary purposes. Theair proceeding from their lungs is so mephitical and offensive, that two or moreof them shut up in a small and close apart¬ ment, and thus excluded from free air, would probably not long survive. It is only of late years that spirituous liquors have been introduced among them ; and, notwithstanding the severe coid of their climate, a quantity of rum remained for a considerable time in the possession of one of their chiefs, before anv of these natives would hazard an experiment of its effects. Fortunate had it been for them if they still continued in ignorance of that liquor, which has proved so baneful to a great portion of the uncivilized inhabitants of America! Ihe instruments which they use for the chase, and in fishing, are constructed with much neatness and ingenuity. Their bows are composed of three pieces of pine, or larch-tree, which being neither strong nor very elastic, these detects are remedied bv for¬ tifying them behind with a hand of deer’s tendons, which, when Wetted, contract, and at once communicate elasticitv and torce, Evet since they have been visited by Europeans, they have given a preference to the fusil; and whenever that instrument can be procured, the bow falls into disuse. Eike all other men in the savage state, they treat their wives with great coldness and neglect; but their aff'ecliou towards their offspring is lively and tender. Their language is guttural, and contains but few words; so that they express new ideas, or give names to novel objects, by a combination ot term*, indicative Of die qualities of the things w hich they wish to describe. Their ideas of religion are obscure and contracted. They ac¬ knowledge two invisible essences; die one,, they represent as the THROUGH THE CANADAS. KJ origin of good; the other, to whom they pay the most frequent homage, as that of every species of evil. Their canoes are formed with no inconsiderable degree of art, and much industry appears to be bestowed on their construction. They are pointed at each extremity, and are covered with the skims of sea animals. In the upper part, or deck, is an aperture with a bag affixed to it, through which the savage introduces his body, and tying its mouth around his waist, and taking in nis hands a paddle which he uses alternately on each side, he shoots through the waves, by which be is tossed and buffeted, whilst the water is unable to penetrate the slender vessel in which he rides. Newfoundland extends in the form of a triangle, about a hun¬ dred leagues from east to west, and a hundred and twenty-five from north to south ; being situated between forty-six and fifty- two degrees of north latitude. John Gabato, a Venetian, was its first discoverer, under the patronage of king Henry the Seventh of England. No advantage was derived from thence, uutil the lapse of a period of near forty years. Cape Race and Cape Ray are the two promontories which present themselves to mariners sailing on the river Saint Lawrence. Eighteen leagues to the westward of the first, appears Cape Saint Mary, which forms the entrance 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 vessels, and defended by a fort called Saint Louis. The French were the first Europeans who frequented this situation. Between Placentia and Cape Ray, the western point of the island, two other bays, of considerable extent, penetrate some distance into the country. They are distinguished by the appellations of Fortune and Despair. No settlements have yet been made on their coasts, and they are but little frequented. Cape Ray, toge¬ ther 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 one or of the other. Besides the bays already noticed, this island contains a variety of others, particularly on the eastern coast, among which two fire remarkable for their extent; those of Trinity and Conception. Near the latter is the harbour of Saint Joiin, which is secure and well fortified. 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 uninviting 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-the coast is discernible. A white tower raised on a precipitous eminence, seems rather intended as a mark to warn 14 HERiOT 3 TRAVELS vessels of the danger of approaching the rocky shore, than a* a be&con to conduct them to a place of safety. On a nearer exa- initiation of it, its strength becomes apparent, and no hostile vessel can enter with impunity the narrow chasm beneath, 'fliis structure, situated on a part of the precipice, on the south side of the entrance of Saint John, is named hot t Amherst. 1 lie iolet, called the Narrows, exceeds not five 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 elec¬ tion. Heath, juniper, and wild spruce, the offspring of sterility, spa¬ ringly cover the rocky surface. The appearance of the harbour and its environs is, nevertheless, wild and picturesque. In pro¬ ceeding further up the inlet, a battery, called South Fort, is placed on the left; and another, named Chain-rock, on the right. At a considerable elevation above these, several little forts are seen. A rock, in the form of a cone, is crowned with a battery, con¬ structed under the direction of the late Sir James Wallace, who, in 1796, was vice-admiral on the station, and governor of the is¬ land ; and with a fifty-gun ship, two frigates, and two slcops of six¬ teen guns each, made a gallant and successful defence against the attacks of Admiral Richerv, whose force consisted of seven ships of the line, and three frigates. Viewed from the summit of this eminence, the town, and the scaffolds on which the fish are placed to dry present a singular appearance. These scaffolds are generally forty feet high, and consist of several stages, on the rafters of each of which a quantity of brushwood is placed. They are sufficiently strong to support the weight of the green fish, and also, occasionally, of one or two men. These are erected in every situation, as well in the val- lies, as on the margins of the perpendicular rocks. st. John s town.— The town of Saint John borders on the basin, and its situation affords no attractions, except to those whom interest or necessity induces to consult the advantage, ra¬ ther than the pleasure, arising from diversity of local situation. It contains a church, and two chapels, one for the catholic reli¬ gion, the others for persons of the methodist persuasion; also a court house, and a custom-house. An officer of the customs was, until lately, placed at the head of the law department, and decided not only in ci\il, but in cri¬ minal causes* A gentleman who has been bred to the bar, at present tills the situation of judge of the island. The buildings are mean, and the streets narrow and dirty. Fort Tow nshend is placed above the town, and contains the house allotted for the governor, with the store-houses aud magazines which form a square. Horn hence, the entrance, the harbour, the narrows THROUGH THE CANADAS. 15 sunk between elevated precipices ; and the water, covered wiflt small vessels passing and re-passing, form a lively and busy scene; these, together With the town, and the adjacent country, diversi¬ fied by lakes with verdant borders, exhibit, in the midst of a barren wild, a combination which may, for a short period, afford the charms of novelty. Over a place called the Barrens, is a road which leads from Fort Townshend to Fort William, commanding the narrows and the harbour. \\ ith the Tatter, Signal-hill, from whence the ap¬ proach of ships is announced, communicates. Tts perpendicular height from the sea is four hundred and four feet; and it contains, on its summit, two ponds, affording excellent water. The buy 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 cultivated, as neither the soil nor climate are favourable to productions ne¬ cessary for the support of life. The duration of summer is too short; and no kind of grain has sufficient time to arrive at matu¬ rity. The winter breaks up in May ; and, until the end of Sep¬ tember, the air is temperate, during which the progress of vege¬ tation is sufficiently rapid. Hay and grass are here of very indif¬ ferent quality. The land is so sparingly covered with soil, thrtt much labour and expencc are necessary to produce a crop, which but poorly recompences the industry of the husbandman. The quantity of ground used for the purposes of cultivation, is there¬ fore very small; and the prohibjtion of the parent state against attempts to colonize, are, by the sterile nature of the country, ren¬ dered almost unnecessary. The fishermen are in times of war¬ fare, enjoined to return to England: and the merchant is autho¬ rised, to retain from the wages of each person in his employ, a certain proportion as a provision, in case of incapacity from po¬ verty or sickness, for any individual to return to his country. By th^ prudent regulation, no seaman thus engaged, can be lost to the service of the state. The English and French long shared between them, the pri¬ vilege 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 interior is composed of mountains, covered with w oods of an indifferent quality. The animals found here, are foxes, porcupines, hares, squirrels, lynxes, otters, beavers, wolves, and bears. The chase is difficult, and unattended with profit. The land and water-fowl are partridges, snipes, woodcocks, fal¬ cons, geese, ducks, and penguins. In the bays and rivers are found fish of various kinds, such as salmon, eels, herring, mackrel, plaice, trout, and almost every description of shell-fish. The territory which was requisite to prepare the cod-fish, be- 1(5 hERIOT'S TRAVERS longed at first to any person who took possession; and from thr= inconvenience, a source ot frequent discord arose. Ihe piopeitv of that part of the coast, of which he made choice, w as at length, by the interference of government, secured to each fisherman. i>y tins judicious arrangement, expeditions thither were multiplied ,•> greatly, that in l61 5, vessels from the British dominions, equal in all to fifteen thousand tons, were employed in the fishery. -I he value of this island soon became apparent, not only as a source of national wealth, arising from the exchange of fish for the various productions and luxuries, w hich the southern parts of Furope af¬ ford, hut what is still of greater importance, as a principal nursery for the navy. The property of this island was, by the peace of Utrecht, con¬ firmed to Great Britain ; and the subjects of France preserved only the right of fishing from Cape Bonavista northwards, to Cape Rich on the opposite side. This line of demarcation was afterwards altered, and placed at Cape Ray, on the western side of the island. Hie fioatmg 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 aw ful and singular spec¬ tacle. These enormous mounds, the accumulated operation of cold for a series of years, in the arctic regions, are detached from the coasts near Hudson’s Bay, and Davis’s Straits, by storms, and other causes. They sometimes exceed au hundred and forty feet in altitude; and their basis beneath the sea, usually doubles those dimensions. Rivulets of fresh water, produced by their gradual dissolution, distil from their summits. We had ar, opportunity of viewing three of these stupendous piles by the light of the moon, w hose rays, reflected in various directions, from their glassy sur¬ face, produced an efiect no less pleasing than novel. They be¬ come either stranded in shallow w ater, until they are melu d down, or grow so porous, that they subside under the surface of the ocean. J,u fogs, and even in the gloom of night, they are discoverable at some distance, by the cold which they emit, and by their whiteness and effulgence. st. peter’s, miouelon, anti cape breton. The islands of Saint Peter’s and of Miquelon are nothing else than barren rocks, not far from the southern coast of Newfound¬ land. They were ceded to the French by the treaty of 1763, on condition that no fortifications should be erected, lior more than fifty soldiers kept on them to enforce the police. The for¬ mer possesses an harbour, capable of containing thirty small ves¬ sels. They were inhabited, in times of peace, by a few French¬ men, for the purpose of carrying on the fishery. The geographical position of Cape Breton w as, many years ago. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 17 ascertained with tolerable accuracy. A narrow passage of about tour leagues in length, and scarcely half a league in breadth, named the gut of Canso, separates it from the eastern extremity of the peninsula of Halifax or Nova Scotia. It forms, with the islands ot Newfoundland and Saint Paul, the boundaries of the entrance into the gulph of Saint Lawrence. Its figure is very irregular, •and it is so intersected by bays and small rivers, that the two prin¬ cipal parts join, only by a neck of not more then eight hun¬ dred, paces wide. The soil, in many places swampy, and covered with light moss, is, generally, ill adapted for cultivation. On the lands towards the south side, corn, hemp, and flax, are raised. Coal-mines, and likewise plaster of Paris, are here found. All the harbours are, on the east, open to the sea; the north coast is elevated, and almost inaccessible. The harbour of Louis- bourg, once among the linest in North America, is on the east¬ ern coast, and extends into the country four leagues, in a win¬ ding direction, containing good anchorage, and every where at least seven fathoms of water. The entrance, between two small inlands, is four hundred yards wide ; and by means of Cape Lorem- buc in its viciuity, is discoverable at sea for a considerable dis] tance. On the fortifications of this harbour, the French expend ed near a million and a half pounds sterling. The island, denominated by the French lie Roy ah , contained, liile in their possession, upwards of four thousand inhabitants, whose industry was almost wholly applied to the fisheries; as, from the sterility of the soil, neither agriculture nor breeding of cattle could succeed to any extent, and from the paucity of wild animals, peltry could never become an article of commerce. The island is about thirty-six leagues in length, and twenty-two in its greatest breadth. It is environed by rocks; and the climate, al though sufficiently healthy, is not agreeable, being subject to fre¬ quent and thick fogs. It was conquered in 1738, by the British forces under General Wolfe. The inhabitants are at present not numerous; and the officer who commands 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. Canada presents few objects which can occupy the enquiries of an antiquarian ; and it contains, perhaps, in less variety than many other portions of the globe, productions which can recom- pence the researches of the naturalist. Its lakes and rivers, it is true, are the vast and principal objects which are calculated to inspire wonder and gratification. The immense volumes, the ir¬ resistible weight and velocity of the latter, tearing through and overpowering the obstacles opposed to their course, by the rugged ajid unequal territories amid which they roll, produce falls and cataracts of singular sublimity, and of commanding beauty; these, ueriot,] u 18 HERIOTS TRAVELS although in some degree similar in effect, are, notwithstanding, inexhaustible in variety. 0 GULPH OF ST. LAWRENCE. The Gulph of St. Lawrence, as well as the great river which there disembogues its waters, received its name from Jacques Cartier, who in 1535 ascended as far as Montreal. Its bounda¬ ries are the coasts of Labrador, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Newfoundland. The island of St. John, whose name is now changed to that of Prince Edward’s island, was first settled by Acadians, in 1749, and their number soon amounted to three thousand. When the English took possession of it, the former people retired to the continent. Its present condition is flourish¬ ing, 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 meadows for pasture, and with situations which would be well 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 pro¬ ductions, 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 are com¬ modious and safe. Cod-fish is found in great plenty all around its coasts. A channel, five leagues in width, separates 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 tins main land. At the bottom of Green Bay the French had some' settlements, and a small fort. Several families are now establish¬ ed on that part of the coast, and a road of communication from Pictou to Halifax, has lately been opened. Not far from the entrance of the gulph, and somewhat to the northwards, the Magdalen isles, which are seven in number, and of small extent, present themselves in a cluster. They are inha¬ bited by a few families, whose principal support is derived from fishing The Bird isles, situated in the gulph, consist of two rocks, elevated above the water, upwards of an hundred feet; their flattened summits, whose circumference exceeds not, each, three hundred paces, exhibit a resplendent whiteness, produced by the quantities of ordure, with which they are covered, from immense flocks ol birds, which, in the summer, take posseision of the aper¬ tures in their perpendicular cliffs, where they form their nests and. produce their young, \\hen alarmed, they hover above the rocks. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 19 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 chaieurs, which being advan¬ tageously situated for carrying on fisheries, has, on its borders, a considerable number of inhabitants. Jacques Cartier, in 1534, sailed into this bay, and from the heat which he there experienced in the middle of summer, gave it the name which it still retains. Notwithstanding the more northerly situation of this bay, the cold is not so iutense here as at Quebec, being moderated bv the sea air. The depth of snow in the woods, during the winter sea¬ son, is from six to eight feet; but varying according to the differ¬ ent situations, and the degrees of severity in the weather. Jt is not before the beginning of May, that the influence of the sun upon vegetation is here materially felt; uor is it before that time, that the woods are entirelv cleared of snow. •/ 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 frequently meet with spots of about two or three acres in surface, entirely bare, and yet surroun¬ ded with seven or eight feet depth of snow, which, in limes of bad weather, melts as it falls, both on those situations, and on the trees, to which they afford growth. Those spots, in their relative posi¬ tion to the head of the bay, extend from east to west, being usually foundi n that direction ; and their denundation of snow may pro¬ bably be occasioned by subterraneous heat, which approaching nearer to the surface of the ground, produces the effect which has been discribed. 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 po¬ rous, is of little value. The island of Bonaventure, is about a league from the north shore of the entrance into the bay, and a small number 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 pa¬ rish of the same name with the island. Cod lish, salmon, and herrings, are the only productions of commerce derived from the bays of Gaspe and Chaieurs Ship¬ building lias of late years been here tried with success; but whe¬ ther or not it will answer in time of peace, is uncertain. There are about three hundred families settled all along the coast of the district of Gaspe, who are chiefly of the Roman Catholic religion, and whose sole occupation is fishing. The produce of their in- D 2 20 JIERIu J i> 1 KA v tLJ clustry is transported to foreign markets, in from eight to ten square-rigged vessels, besides smaller craft. The natives of this district are of the Micmac tribe. A few Malicites come thither at times, from the river Saint John and JVladawaska. Upon the banks of the river Ristigouche, which empties itself into the bay of Clialeurs, and about eight leagues from its mouth, there is a church, and an Indian village. At Tracadigash, and at the settlement of Bonaveuture, there are like¬ wise churches, besides some chapels in the smaller settlements, where the ecclesiastical functions are performed by two, and some¬ times by three missionaries. Agriculture is uncommonly neglected, and in an entire state of infancy. It has of late years been somewhat more attended to than formerly, because the want of salt, an article ever scarce in those parts in time war, and other 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, it is probable 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. The roads of intercourse between the adjoining settlements are very indifferent; but wherever there is any interruption, by exten¬ sive, unsettled parts of the coast, the traveller must have recourse to water communication. Mr. Heriot then describes the routes, after which he observes 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 with great facility. This rock, which, at a distance ex¬ hibits the appearance of an aqueduct in ruins, rises to the height of nearly two hundred feet, its length, which is at present four hundred yards, must have been once much greater, as it has evi¬ dently 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 vicinity of Chaleurs bay, are so highly impregnated with a poisonous quality, as to occasion almost instantaneous death to those who eat them. The cause of this circumstance remains yet to be ascertained. Not only in the district of CJaspe, but in most settlements on the Gulph of St.Lawrence, similar effects have been experienced. The period of the year has apparently no other share in producing them, than by the reduction of the quantity of waters which genei> ally takes place in summer. The greater the diminution of w aters, the stronger, of course, becomes the proportion of poisonous flatter with which these waters are endowed; and this being im* THROUGH THE CANADAS. 21 bibed, especially during ebb tides, by the shell-fish, they are thus productive of consequences, fatal to those who use them as an article of food. Not only the bird isles, already described, but the island of Bonaventure, and Perce rock, abound in the summer with ganets, which, in prodigious docks, arrive early in May from the south¬ ward. They lay and hatch their eggs, not only on those islands, but on various parts of the coast, where adventurous sportsmen, often with considerable risque ascend and plunder their nests, amid the steep and threatening clilfs. These birds, at that pe¬ riod very fierce, will sometimes by the severity of their bite, direct¬ ed chiefly at the eyes of the despoiler, force him to retreat. The bay of Gaspe is more than two leagues in depth, and its coasts are inhabited by settlers engaged in the fisheries. GULPH AND RIVER OF ST LAWRENCE. The Gulph of St. Lawrence, says Mr. H. isabout eighty leagues in length; and when the winds and currents are favourable, its passage does not usually exceed twenty-four hours. The Saint Lawrence, is one of the greatest, most noble, and beautiful rivers, and, at the same time, the furthest navigable for vessels of a large size, of anv in the universe. From its mouth to the harbour of Quebec, the distance is one hundred and twenty leagues; and ves¬ sels from Europe ascend to Montreal, which is sixty leagues higher up its course. Cape Hosiers, at a small distance to the northwards of the point of Gaspe, is properly die place which limits the farthest 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 tire Saint Lawrence is separated into two channels, by the island of Anticosti, extending from sonth east to north west, about a hundred and twenty miles, and its utmost breadth 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 grow r s upon it is small, the soil is barren, and 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, to a considerable distance from the shores, render¬ ing the approach hazardous. A few savages sometimes winter there, for the purpose of the chase. On passing this island, the land becomes visible on both sides of the river. A considerable number of rivers flowing through long channels flERi^AO llirt ♦ LL5 tl from the northwards, pour their waters into tiie Saint Lawrence. The chief of these is the Saguenay, drawing its source from lake Saint John, and running to the eastward through a mountainous and barren region. The lake is about thirty leagues in circuit, and its borders, as well as the surrounding country, are covered with pine trees of a small growth. The Saguenay, which sweeps along a prodigious body of waters, is interrupted in its course by abrupt precipices, over which it dashes its foaming current; and, being bounded by banks of great elevation, is remarkable for the depth and impetuosity of its Hood, long before it mingles with the great river. The fall, which is about fifty feet in altitude, is ninety miles distant from the mouth of the river, and is chiefly striking, for the immense sheet of water, which is perpetually broken in its rugged course, and assumes a resplendent whiteness. \\ hen viewed from below, the scene is stupenduous and territic. The incessant and deafening roar of the rolling torrents of foam, and the irresistible violence and fury with which the river hastens down its descent, tend to produce on the mind of the spectator an impression aw¬ fully 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, w hen the tide is low, is sensibly felt in the St. 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 iu a dif¬ ferent direction. 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 perpen¬ dicular cliffs of astonishing elevation, some rising to a thousand, and some to six or seven hundred feet. The length of the course of this river is a hundred and 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 was found. A mile and a 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 near sixty fathoms. Notwithstanding its immense breadth, and the stupendous ele¬ vation of its rocky shores, the course ot this river is rendered ex¬ tremely crooked, by points of land which appear to interlock each other; and thus prolong its navigation. The tide ascends to the peninsula of Chicoutami, and, intercepted in its retreat, by these frequent promontories, is much later in its ebb, than that of the Samt Lawrence, 'i he lcvcl'of the former river, becomes thus, THROUGH THE CANADAS. 23 irtiny feet higher than that of the latter, into whose bosom it rushes, with the boundless impetuosity already remarked. On the north side of the mouth of the Saguenay, is the harbour of Tadoussac, capable of affording shelter and anchorage, for a number of vessels of a large size. Previous to the establishment of a colony in Canada, this place was frequented, for the purpose of carrying on the fur trade. Several small settlements belong¬ ing to goverment, 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, Ashuabman- chuan, Mistashni, les Isles de Jeremie on the sea, Seven Islands, and Point De-Monts. At these various situations, previous to the year 1802 , about eighty Canadians were employed in hunt- - ing, and purchasing furs from the Indians in winter, and during summer, in the salmon fishery, for which the river Moisie, eigh¬ teen miles below the Seven Islands, afford a most productive field. Chicoutami is the only situation on the Saguenay, where the soil is fertile, and abounds with timber of an excellent grow th. 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, disarms the winter of a portion of its severity, and produces au earlier spring. AMIABLE SAVAGES. The natives in possession of the track of country around Lake Saint John, and on the borders of the Saguenay, are named Mountaineers, and are descended from the Algonquins. They are neither so tall, nor so well formed, as the savages that range throughout the north-west country, and arc also strangers to that sanguinary ferocity, by which many of the Indian tribes are cha¬ racterized. They are remarkable for the mildness, and gentleness of their manners, and are never known to use an offensive weapon against each other, or to kill, or wound, any person whatever. Nor can the effects of spirituous liquors, so baneful to other natives, excite them to cruelty, or vindictive passion. Their behaviour is uniformly orderly and decent; their mode of dress is the same as that which now prevails, among the other savages who have intercourse with Europeans; and the stuffs, and silks, for which they exchange their furs, are often rich and costly. Their whole number is about thirteen hundred; nearly one- half being converted to the Christian faith, and the other half 24 he riot’s travels being Pagans. A missionary sent from Quebec, resides among them ; and chapels, where divine service is performed, are erect¬ ed at the principal posts. Repeated efforts, and much per¬ suasion have been used, to prevail on these savages to cultivate the lands, and to plant Indian corn, or potatoes. I hey have not, however, been able to overcome their propensity to indo¬ lence, or their utter aversion and abhorrence to that species of labour. They appeared to relish these articles of food, mIicii offered, and would eat them with avidity, it accompanied with a little grease; yet, even the incitement of reward, superaddecl to the prospect of a constant and wholesome supply ot nourish¬ ment, failed in producing any inclination for industry. Although, like other tribes in a barbarous state, each individual is solely dependent, for support and defence, on the strength of his own arm, and the resolution of his mind; they are, notwithstanding, so pusillanimous, that at the appearance of an enemy, however small in numbers, they betake themselves to flight, and retire for safety into the woods. The furs procured in this quarter, are, in general, of a su¬ perior quality; and great attention is bestowed by the hunters, 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 society of merchants at Montreal, lor the yearly rent of one lliousmd and twenty-five pounds. In ascending the Saint Lawrence, the country on either side affords pleasure and amusement to the traveller, by the exhibi- bition of a profusion of grand objects. Amid the combination of islands, promontories, and hills clothed with forests, some scenes, more strikingly than others, attract the attention. On the north side, after passing Mai-bay, a bold and interesting scene is formed, by large huge masses of rock, interpersed with shrubs, and by the east side of the hills, called les Ebontemenfs, which with majestic elevation project into the river. The settlement of Camourasca, with the mountains beyond it, forms the opposite coast. The island of Coudres, situated at the distance of about a league from the north shote, rises gradually from the water, except in a few places, where its borders, although of no great height, are almost perpendicular, 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 Car- tier, in his voyage to Quebec, found grow ing in its woods. The part of the country round St. Paul’s bay, as well as Mal-buy, is subject to caithquakes, particularly in the winter THROUGH THE CANADAS. 25 season, when they are sometimes so alarming, as to threaten de¬ struction to the buildings. No serious accident lias, however, of late years occurred, although apprehension frequently com¬ pels the inhabitants to forsake their dwellings, during the reite¬ ration uf the shocks. The breadth of the Saint Lawrence from Mal-bay to Ca- mourasca on the south shore, is about twenty miles, and a clus¬ ter of rocky islands is situated about a league from the coast of that settlement. Between these islands and the shore, the in¬ habitants place, every spring, a fence, formed of the straight and slender boughs of trees, firmly stuck into the sandy bottom, at about two feet distance from each other. When the tide as¬ cends, the white porpusses, with which the river abounds, enter those snares, and the violence of the current, causing a tremu¬ lous motion in the branches, they are afraid to repass the fences; when the tide has retired, they are left upon the dry beach. These fishes, which are of a snowy whiteness, are to be seen playing, in great numbers, near the surface of the water, from the mouth of the river, as high up as the island of Orleans, and frequently in the basin of Quebec. They often follow, in mul¬ titudes, vessels sailing in the river, and many of them are twelve, or even fifteen feet in length. One of the smallest will yield upwards of a barrel of oil. The fisheries of seals and sea-cows, are likewise profitable. The vicinity of Camourasca presents a scene, wild and ro¬ mantic, being varied by islands, by level lands, and by rocky acclivities. The sulphureous springs found here, and the im¬ mense masses of broken rock, which appear to have been thrown together by some violent and uncommon effort of nature, afford grxmnds for supposing, that this part of the country has under¬ gone material changes. From this settlement, in ascending the coast of the great river, the country is fertile, and thickly inhabited, being, in some pla¬ ces, settled to the depth of several concessions. The cultivated lands are level, and watered by a variety of fine streams, among which the Ouelle, the Saint Ann, and the Saint Thomas, are the chief. The latter falls into the Saint Lawrence in a beautiful manner, over a perpendicular rock, whose altitude is twenty-five feet, Great quantities of grain are produced in the parishes 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 affprd excellent meadow’ lands. The churches, and settle¬ ments which are placed thickly together, produce an agreeable contrast, wjth the forests and distant mountains. The face of the country on the north is elevated and bold, being composed of a succession of hills, rising abruptly from the water, and Hi? RIOT.] E HEIUOTS TRAVELS 20 terminating towards the west, by cape Tourment, whose per¬ pendicular altitude is two thousand feet. Between Saint Paul s bay and that cape, at the basis of one of the mountains, stands the parish of la Petite Riviere. The centre of the river is diversified by clusters of small is¬ lands, some of which are settled, and partly cleared of their na¬ tive woods. They supply good pasturage for cattle, and great quantities of hay. On approaching the island of Orleans, a rich and interesting view displays itself; it is composed by the eastern extremity of that island, cloathed with trees, the Isle de Ma¬ dame, the Cape, and the monntains which recede from it to¬ wards the west and north, with the cultivated meadows which spread themselves under its rocky basis. When the atmosphere is varied by clouds, which frequently envelope the summits of those mountains, and which, bv suddenly bursting open, pre¬ sent them partially to the eye, the spectator becomes impressed with the sublimity and grandeur of the scene. Cape Tourment is three hundred and thirty miles distant from the mouth of the river. After passing the island of Coudres, the water assumes a whitish hue, and is brackish to the taste, the mixture of salt continuing to diminish, until the tide reaches the lower extremity of Orleans, where it becomes perfectly fresh. The latter island, rises in gradation, from its steep banks on the coast, towards its centre, presenting a pleasing and fertile appearance. Beyond it, the monntains of the north coast exalt their towering summits. Its circumference is about forty-eight miles. It was, in 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, possess¬ ing much greater depth and breadth, is the course through which all vessels of burden are navigated. About the centre of this island is an anchoring ground, called Patrick's hole, protected by lofty banks, and affording shelter, when necessary, for a great, number of ships. The channel on the north, is navigable for sloops and schooners only, and appears to be gradually diminish¬ ing in depth. Wild vines are found in the woods of Orleans, which induced Jacques Cartier, on his first landing there, to bestow on it the appellation of the Isle de Bacchus. Considerable quantities of grain are here produced; and in several situations, there are or¬ chards affording apples of a good quality. At the lower extre¬ mity of the island, the river is sixteen miles in breadth; and at the upper extremity, a basin extending in every direction, about six miles, is formed. At the approach to this basin, a number of objects combine to produce a lively and interesting prospect. THROUGH THE CANADAS. £7 The foaming clouds of the Montmorenci, pouring over a gloo¬ my precipice, suddenly open on the eye. The rocks of Point Levi, and the elevated promontory, on whose 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 Charles. The settlement of Beauport, in extent about seven miles, in¬ tervenes between the Montmorenci and Quebec, and is situated on a declivity, extending from the hills to the Saint Lawrence, whose banks gradually slope towards the little river of Beauport, from whose western borders the land becomes level. A chain of mountains towards the north intercepts the view. ACCOUNT OF OUEBF.C. From the period at which Jacques Cartier visited and ex¬ plored the river Saint Lawreuce, until the year lf> 03 , no serious efforts were made by Europeans for the formation of a settle¬ ment in Canada. A space of nearly a century was suffered to elapse, without any other advantage having been derived from the discovery of this part of the continent of North America, than that of the precarious profits which accrued to some ad¬ venturers, by carrying on with the native inhabitants, who fre¬ quented the coasts of the great river, an inconsiderable traffic in peltry. At length, in the ajra mentioned above, Samuel de Champlain, a man of enterprize and talent, actuated by liberal sentiments, and by patriotic, more than by interested views, after having surveyed the borders of the river, for the choice of a si¬ tuation presenting the greatest conveniences for a settlement, gave of five of these redoubts are yet extant. The citadel is now constructed on the highest part of Cape Diamond, compo¬ sed of a whole bastion, a curtain and half-bastion, from whence it extends along tjie summit of the bank towards the north-east, this part being adapted with flanks, agreeably to the situation of the ground. There are, towards the south-west a ditch, coun¬ ter-guard, and covered-wav, with glacis. The works have, of late years, been in a great measure built, and raised to a pitch calculated to command the high grounds in the vicinity. When viewed from a small distance, they exhibit a handsome appearance A steep and rugged bank, about fifty feet in height, terminates the ditch and glacis on the north, towards which the ground slopes downwards from Cape Diamond, nearly three hun¬ dred feet, in a distance of about nine hundred yards. Along the summit of the bank a strong wall of stoue, nearly forty feet high, having a half and a whole flat bastiou with small flanks, occupies a space of two hundred yards, to palaee-gatc, at which there is a guard-house. F'rom hence to the new works at Hope-gate, is a distance of about three hundred yards. The rocky eminence in¬ creases in steepness and elevation as far 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 com¬ manding the basin, and part of the river. Between the edifice now mentioned, and the lower town, a steep passage, partly form¬ ed by mture, intervenes, over which there is a barrier, with a g te-way of stone, tu; mounted by a guard-house, and its commu¬ nication is otherwise defended by powerful works of stone, under the palace on one side, and on the other stretching upwards to- . wards the government-house, where tiie hank becomes consider¬ ably more elevated. This building, which is dignified with the appellation of chateau, or castle of St. Lonis, is placed on the brink of a precipice, inaccessible, and whose altitude exceeds two hun¬ dred feet. The building is supported by counterforts, rising to half its height, and sustaining a gallery. The apartments are oc¬ cupied as offices for the civil and military branches, acting imme¬ diately under the orders of the governor general of British Ame¬ rica, who likewise commands the troops, and whose residence is in a building of more modern construction, forming the opposite THROUGH THE CANADAS. 29 side of a square. The apartments are spacious and plain, but the structure has nothing external to lecommend it. Upon the brink erf the precipitous rock, a stone wall is extended from the old cha¬ teau, lor a distance of about three hundred yards to the westward, which forms a line of defence, and serves as a boundary to the garden, withiu which are two small batteries, one rising above the other. Cape Diamond, nearly 200 feet higher than the ground on w Inch the upper town is situated, presents itself to the westward. From the gai risen there are five gates, or outlets to the neighbouring coun¬ try, the highest, Port Saint Louis, opens to the westward, and to¬ wards 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 Charles and the north, and Prcscott-gate atiords a communication to the lower town on the south-east. In most of the public buildings, no great degree of taste or elegance can be discovered although much labour and expence must have been bestowed on their construction. The architects seem principally to have had in view, strength and durability, and not to have paid much regard to those rules of their art, which combine symmetry with utility. The cathedral church of the catholics, is a long elevated, and plain building of stone, with the spi?e oil one side of its front; the internal appearance is neat and spacious, and it is capable of containing about tluee thousaud persons. A good organ has here lately been introduced. The J esinls’ college, originally founded at Quebec in i t)o 5 , has been, since that period rebuilt, and is a large stone edifice of three sto- sics high, of nearly a square figure, containing an area in its centre. The garden is of some extent, and has at one end, a grove of trees, part of which is a remain of the original woods with which the promontory was once covered. The society of Jesuits which became established in Canada, formerly composed a numerous body, and their college was con¬ sidered as the first institution, on the continent of North America, for the instruction of young men. The adv antages derived from it, were not limited to the better classes of Canadians, but were ex¬ tended to all whose inclination it was to participate them, and many students came thither, from the West Indies. From the period of the expulsion of the Jesuits from the states of Eu¬ rope, and the consequent abolition of their order on that continent, this establishment although protected by the British government, begun rapidly to decline. r I he last member of that fraternity died a few years ago, and the buildings, as well as the lands which form an extensive domain, devolved to the crown. The lauded property w as designed by the sovereign as a recom- heriot’s travels pence for the services of the late Lord Amherst, who comman¬ ded the troops in North America, at the time of the conquest ot Canada, and who completed the reduction of that province, under the British government. The claim of these estates has been re¬ linquished by his successor, for a pension. Ihe revenue aris.ng from them, lias been appropriated by the legislature of Lower Ca¬ nada, for the purpose of establishing in the different parishes, schools for the education of children. I he Jesuits college is now converted into a commodious barrack for the troops. The seminary, a building of some extent, forming three sides of a square open towards the north-west, contains a variety of apart¬ ments, suited for the accommodation of a certain number of eccle¬ siastics, and of young students, who are of the Roman Catholic religion. The institution owes its foundation to M. de Petre, who, in lGGS, obtained from the King of France, letters patent for that purpose. Tithes were enjoined to be paid by the inha¬ bitants, to the directors of the seminary, for its support, and a thirteenth in addition to what was already the right ot the church, was levied. This regulation being found too oppressive, was al¬ tered to a twenty-sixth part of the produce, to be paid in grain, from which tax newly cleared lands were exempted, for a space of five years. The members of the seminary are composed of a superior, three directors, and six or seven masters, who are appointed to instruct young men in the different branches of education, protested by each. Siiice the decline and extinction of the order ot Jesuits, the seminary, which was at first exclusively designed for tiie educa¬ tion of priests, and, excepting the college Montreal, is the only public establishment of the kind in the province, is new 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 over¬ looks the lower town. The monastery, with the church and garden of the Recollets, which occupied the western side of the spot called Plact d' Armes, are now rased to the foundation, the building having been destroyed by fire in 1796, and the order to which they were ap¬ propriated, having since that period, become extinct. Two new edifices have lately been erected, upon that scite; the one a pro- testaut metropolitan church, the other a house for courts of law, '^’hey are both constructed with the best materials, which this part of the country affords, and executed in a neat and handsome stile. Tlie church, although not much ornamented may be pro¬ nounced elegant, the rules of architecture have been adhered to in its structure. Considered as ornaments to the city of Quebec, THROUGH THE CANADAS. 31 it is to be regretted, that separate situations have not been allot¬ ted for them, and that in a country where public buildings capable of attracting notice are rarely to be met with, two edifices of such consequence should have been placed so near to each other. The Hotel Dieu, \vi:h its gardens, occupies a large extent of ground. It was founded in lf)38, bv the Duchess d* A ignition, 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 occupa¬ tion is to assist, and to administer medicines and food to invalids of both sexes, who may be sent to the hospital, and who are lodged in wards where much regard is paid to cleanliness. The convent of the Ursulines was instituted in 1639, by Madame de la Peltre, a young w idow of condition, in France. It is possessed by a superior, and thirty-six nuns, who are chiefly engaged in the instruction of young women, The building is spa¬ cious, and has extensive gardens annexed to it. The bishop 7 * palace already mentioned, situated near the communication with the lower town, has been for several years, occupied for public offices, and for a library. The chapel has been converted into a room, for the meeting of the provincial assembly of repre¬ sentatives. Another edifice on the north side of the town, extending in length from palace-gate to the ramparts on the west, upwards of 5 ©<) feet in length, contains a number of vaulted apartments, and is occupied for the office of ordnance, for barracks for the royal artillery, for an armoury, store-houses and work-shops, aud for a public goal, which forms the east end of the building. The ruins of a large house w hich was formerly that of the in- tendant, remain on a flat ground on the banks of the river Saint Charles, aud 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 numer¬ ous and spacious, were furnished with magnificence and splen¬ dour. On one side of the court, were placed the king’s store¬ houses, which, together with the palace, w ere consumed by fire, occasioned by a shell thrown from the garrison in 1773, when the town was blockaded by the Americans, with a view to dis¬ lodge some of the hostile troops, who had taken shelter in these buildings. The general hospital, on the banks of the Saint Charles, about a mile westward from the garrison, and surrounded by meadow lands, was founded in l693> by M. de Saint Vallier, Bishop of Quebec, with the benevolent design of affording support and re¬ lief to the poor, the infirm, the sick, and the wounded; nor have the purposes of its original founder at any time been defeated. 32 heriot’s travels* with regard lo llie most scrupulous exactitude in their fulfilment* The extent of the building, whose form is that of a parallelogram,, is considerable, and it contains a variety of apartments, neat and commodious. A superior and thirty-seven sisters compose the community. Their time which remains from the occupations of the duties of religion, and the offices of humanity, is employed in gilding ornaments for the decoration cf churches, aud in several other works, at which they are expert. The streets of Quebec are, in consequence of its situation, irre¬ gular and uneven, many of them are narrow, and but very few are paved. The houses are built of stone, are of unequal heights, and covered, in gtneral,with roofs of boards; the roughness of the ma¬ terials of which they are constructed, gives them a rugged aspect, and the accommodations are fitted up in a stile equally plain and void of taste. The frequent accidents which have happened, and the extensive damage which the town has repeatedly sustained from conflagrations have suggested the expediency of covering the public buildings, and many of the dwelling-houses with tin, or painted sheet-iron. The lower town, which is the principal place of commerce, occupies the ground at the basis of the promontory, which has been gradually gained from the cliffs on one side, by mining, and from the river on the other, bj the construction of wharfs. The channel is here about a mile in breadth, to Point Levi, on the opposite shore, aud its greatest depth at high water, is thirty fathoms, the anchorage being every w here safe and good. Since the year 1793, ship-building has been carried on with con¬ siderable success, and vessels of every description and dimension, from fifty to a thousand tons burthen, have been constructed. The materials are found in abundance in the country, but the anchors, sails, and cordage, are generally imported. As the tide rises eighteen feet, and at spring tides twenty-four feet, there is no difficulty in finding situations for dock-yards. The rock of which the promontory of Quebec is composed, consists of a species of black lime slate, varying in thickness; which, although apparently compact, may, by the stroke of ^ hammer, be shivered into thin pieces, and, by exposure to the influence of the weather, it moulders iuto soil. A consi¬ derable number of the houses of the town, is built of this stone, and tlieie is a mode of placing it, by which, in masonry, its durability may be considerably prolonged. The inhabitants, comprehended in Quebec, and in the suburbs of Saint John, and Saint Roc, may be computed at about J5000. When viewed from Point Levi, on the opposite coast of the river, an interesting variety of objects is exhibited,, by massy rocks, interspersed with shrubbery, by Cape Diamond, boldly Til TTorre II THE CANADAS. 35 rising from the water, by the houses along its base, contrasted with overhanging cliffs, by a confused cluster of buildings over¬ topping each other up the side of the hill, and by the fortifica¬ tions which crown the summit. The Saint Lawrence flowing oit one side, and the Saint Chailes on the other, give to this spot, the appearance of an island. The bridge across the latter is likewise visible from hence, and remote mountains terminate the prospect. The scene, in winter, becomes amusing to strangers, particularly, it the ice on the great river, between Quebec, and the opposite coast of Point Levi, be closely fixed, a circumstance w hich de¬ pends more upon accident, than on the severity of cold, and does not frequently occur. When the ice becomes consolidated and stationary, it is called, by the Canadians, they?o;//, which affords, not only to the country people inhabiting the neighbouring pa¬ rishes on the south side, a facility of conveying their produce to market, aud thereby of rendering provisions and provender more abundant in the town, but likewise presents to the citizens, a large field for gratification and exercise, w ho then are constantly driving their horses and carriages, upon the solid surface of the stream. From the heights to the westward of the garrison, an extensive and beautiful view is developed, in summer, to the eye of the spectator .It is composed of the works, part of the loftier build¬ ings of the town, the basin, point Levi, the island of Orleans, the south and north channels, the parishes of Leauport, Ange Gardien, and Chateau Richer, w ith the mountains on the north¬ east, stretching to Cape Tourment. IVER MONTMOTtENCl. The river Montmorenci, which empties itself into the Saint Lawrence, at the distance of eight miles to the north-east of Quebec, was called after a mareclial of that name, who was vice¬ roy of New France. Passing through a course from the north¬ east, of considerable length, the first settlement through which it •flows, is called La Motte, situated on the northern extremity of a sloping ground, which gradually descends from the mountains, to the coast of the great river. At La Motte, the waters, diffuse themselves into shallow' currents, interrupted by rocks, which break them into foam, accompanied by murmuring sounds, tend¬ ing to enliven the solitude and solemn stillness, which prevail throughout the surrounding forests, and on the desolate hills. The channel of the river, farther down, is bounded bv precipitous rocks, it becomes extremely contracted, and the rapidity of its current is proportionally augmented. At a place called the mi-* lural steps, there are cascades of the height cf ten, or twelve feet. These steps have been gradually formed, by the accession UEP.IOT.] F 31 heriot’s travels of waters which the river receives in its progress, at the breaking up of winter, and by the melting of snows. From the middle ot April, to the end of May, its waters roll along with an encreasing height and rapidity. The banks from the natural steps, down¬ wards to the Saint Law rence, are composed of a lime slate, placed in horizontal strata, from the depth of five to twenty-four inches each, connected by fibrous gypsum of a whitish colour. The waters, at the season already mentioned, powerfully impelled in their course, insinuate themselves between the strata, dissolve the gypsum and tear the horizontal rock, which gives way in frag¬ ments of various sizes, yielding to the rushing violence of the sweeping torrent. The regularity displayed in the formation of some of these steps, is well deserving of observation. On the east side, the bank is almost perpendicular, is nearly fifty feet in altitude, and is covered at the summit, with trees. The south-west bank rises beyond the steps; in looking down¬ wards it appears also wooded, and terminates in a precipice. The bank on the opposite side, assumes a regularity of shape, so sin¬ gular as to resemble the ruins of a lofty wall. Somewhat below, the banks on each side, are cloathed with trees, which, together with the effect produced by the foaming currents, and the scat¬ tered masses of stone, compose a scene, wild and picturesque. From hence, taking a south direction, the stream is augmented in velocity, and forms a cascade interrupted by huge rocks; and at a distance farther down, of 500 yards, a similar effect is produced. After thus exhibiting a grateful variety throughout its course, the river is precipitated in an almost perpendicular direction, over a rock of the height of 246 feet, falling where it touches the rock, in white clouds of rolling foam, and underneath, where it is pro¬ pelled with uninterrupted gravitation, in numerous flakes, like wool or cotton, which are gradually protracted in their descent, until they are received into the boiling, profound abyss, below. Viewed from the summit of the cliff, from whence thev arc thrown, the waters, with every concomitant circumstance produce an effect aw fully grand, and wonderfully sublime. The prodigi¬ ous 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, sw elling with agi¬ tation from the weight of the dashing w aters, forcibly combine to attract the attention, and to impress with sentiments of gran¬ deur and elevatit.ii, the mind of the spectator The clouds arising, and assuming the prismatic colours, contribute to enli¬ ven the scene. They fly off from the fall iu the form of a revolv¬ ing sphere, entitling with velocity, pointed flakes of spray, which spread in receding, until intercepted by neighbouring banks, ox dissolved in the atmosphere. TN ROUGH T1IE CANADAS. 35 The breadth of the fall is 100 feet. The basin is bounded by steep cliffs, composed of grey lime slate, lying in inclined strata, which on the east and west sides, are subdivided into innumerable thin shivers, forming with the horizon, an angle of forty-five degrees, and containing between them, fibrous gypsum and pierre a calumet . Mouldering incessantly, by exposure to the air, and action of the weather; no surface for vegetation remains upon these substances. An advantageous view of the fall may be obtained from the beach, when the tide of the great river is low. In this are includ¬ ed, the east bank of the river, the point of Ange Gardien, and Cape Tourment. The south west point of the basin, be¬ comes the nearest object, beyond which appears the cataract of resplendent beauty foaming down the gloomy precipice, whose summits are crowned with woods. Us reflection from the bed beneath, forms a contrast to the shade thrown by the neighbouring cliffs. The diffusion of the stream, to a breadth of ,>00 yards, with the various small cascades produced by the inequalities in its rocky bed, on its way to the Saint Lawrence, display a singular and pleasing combination. It runs for about 400yards, through a wide and steep gulph, which it is generally supposed, that its waters have excavated. One circumstance seems, however, to controvert this conjecture. The bed beneath, over which the river flows, is invariably composed of a solid stratum of rock, over several parts of which, there are fords for the passage of carriages. The general depth of water, does not here exceed eight inches, but partial channels have been worn hy 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 form¬ ed in the solid bed of rock, basins of considerable depth. The ford being, in most places, lugged and unequal, its passage is un¬ pleasant, and not altogether safe. The next subject which engages the attention of our author, is Jeune Lorette, a village nine miles to the north-west of Quebec, upon a track of land which rises towards the mountains. It commands by its elevated position, an extensive view of the river Saint Lawrence, of Quebec, of the intermediate country, of the southern coast, and of the mountains which separate Canada from the United States. The village, which contains upw ards of 200 inhabitants, consists of about fifty houses, con¬ structed 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 erect¬ ed for their accommodation, about a quarter of a mile from the V 2 HFRIOTS THAYERS kJ t) village. The Indians attend, with scrupulous observance, to the performance of their devotions. The women are placed in the centre of the chapel, and the men arrange themselves on each side and on the rear. The former have in general good voices, and both sexes seem to evince a considerable degree of fervency, in tiie exercise of their religions duties. They live together in a state of almost uninterrupted harmony and tranquillity; the mis¬ sionary has a great influence over them, and they have exchanged, in some degree, the manners of savage life, for those of the Cana¬ dians, in whose vicinity they reside. The quantity of land they occupy in cultivation, is about 200 acres, winch they plant with Indian corn, or maize. A number of the men pursue the chase, during the winter season. The French language is spoken by them with considerable case, and the men in general, notwithstanding their partial civilization, maintain that independence which arises from the paucity and and limitation of their wants, and which constitutes a principal feature in the savage character. This nation originally frequented the vicinity of lake Huron, near a thousand miles from Quebec. It was once the most for¬ midable and fierce, of any tribe that inhabited those quarters, dreaded even by the Iroquois; who, how ever found means to sub¬ jugate, and almost to extirpate it, bv pretending to enter into au alliance; tiie Unions, too blindly relying on the protestations of the Iroquois, the latter seized an opportunity, to surprise and slaughter them. The village now' described, w as composed of a part of the Unions who escaped from the destruction of their tribe, and is occupied by the descendants of that people. We assembled together in the evening a number of males and females of the village, who repeatedly performed their several dances, descriptive of their manner of going to w ar, of watching to ensnare the enemy, and of returning with the captives they were supposed to have surprised. The instrument cbidlv m use in lite dances, i a calibash filled with small pebbles, called chic/ucouc, which is shaken by the hand in order to mark the ca¬ dence, for the voices and the movements. They are strangers to melody in their songs, being totally unacquainted w ith music. The syllables which they enounce, are //o, he, naze. Those are inva¬ riably repeated, the beholders beating time with their hands and feet. The dancers move their limbs but a little way from the ground, which they beat with violence. Their dancing, and their music, are uniformly rude and disgusting, and the onlv circum¬ stance which can recompense a civilized spectator, for the pe¬ nance sustained by his ear, amid this boisterous roar, and clash of discordant sounds, is, that to each dance is annexed the represen¬ tation of suine action, peculiar to the habits of savage life, an.l. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 37 that by seeing their dances performed, some idea may be acquir¬ ed, of the mode of conducting their unimproved system of war¬ fare. The river Saint Charles, called by the natives, Carbir Coubat , on account of the curvatures of its channel, after winding for a few miles to the south-west of the lake of that name, passes the Indian village, and rolls over a steep and irregular rock, of the altitude of thirty feet, forming a beautiful and lomantic cataract! In passing a mill, w hicb is under the fall, the current becomes ex¬ tremely narrow, and for a space of three miles, is bounded by woody banks, on which, there are frequent openings cut through the trees, disclosing the rushing waters. The rapidity of the stream opposed by rocks, produces quantities of white foam upon its gloomy surface, accompanied by murmuring sounds. The waterfall, with the smaller cascades above it, the mill, the bridge, and the distant hills, present an agreeable landscape. About three leagues to the eastward of Lorette, the village of Charlebourg is situated; this parish is populous and well cultiva¬ ted, being one of the oldest settlements on that side of the river Saint Charles. The church stands on rising ground about a league to the north of Quebec, and the village, from the alti¬ tude of its position, commands a rich and extensive prospect. Th6 lands are six miles in depth, and form part of the seig- nanie of the^ Jesuits. The river Chaudiere empties itself into the Saint Lawrence, about eight miles to the south-west of Quebec. Its mouth is confined by woody bar^s, and contains depth of water to admit a ship of considerable size. This stream flows from Lake Me- gantic, through a course, north, and north-west, for a distance of one hundred and twenty miles. The falls are about four miles from its mouth, and the road thither being, for the greatest part through woods, it is neces¬ sary, even for those that have already visited them, to take as a guide, one of the neighbouring inhabitants. The summit jof the falls is about one hundred and twenty yards in breadth, and, in tiie spring of the year, the waters flow abundantly, swoln by the increase which they receive, from the dissolving snows of the country through which they run, and from tributary streams, which, at this season, are likewise augmented by the same causes. The month of May appears to be the most advantageous period, at which to contemplate this interesting scene, the ap¬ proach to which ought first to be made from the top of the banks, as, in emerging from the woods, it conducts at once to the summit of the cataract, where the objects which instanta- 38 heriot’s travels neously become developed to the eye, strike the mind with sur¬ prise, and produce a wonderful and powerful impression. The waters descend from a height of one hundred and twenty feet, and being separated by rocks, form three distinct cata¬ racts, the largest of which is on the western side, 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 ob¬ lique direction, and advances them beyond the line of the pre¬ cipice. The cavities worn in the rocks, produce a pleasing va¬ riety, and cause the descending waters to revolve with foaming fury, to whose whiteness the gloomy cuffs, present a strong op¬ position of colour. The vapour from each division of the falls, quickly mounting through the air, bestows an enlivening beauty on the landscape. The bold diversity displayed by the banks of the stream, and the foliage of the overhanging woods, the brilliancy of colours richly contrasted, the rapidity of motion, the effulgent brightness of the cataracts, the deep and solemn sound which they emit, and the various cascades further down the river, unite in render¬ ing this, such a pleasing exhibition of natural objects, as few scenes can surpass. On descending the side of the river, the landscape becomes considerably altered, and the falls 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 falls. The scenery in proceeding down the river, is rugged and wild. The gratification d rived, in t\fe beginning of summer, from the contemplation of such scenes as that which has now been described, is considerably damped by a reflection, on the short duration of the period allotted for beholding them with comfort. Myriads or winged insects, hostile to the repose of man, will shortly infest the borders of this river; when the warm weather, which consists not ot one halt the year, is expired, the unge- nial winter will resume its domination, and the falls themselves, except an inconsiderable p u t ot them, must, notwithstanding the rapidity of their course, become a solid bodv. \ lowed m the winter season, the falls exhibit an appearance more curious than pleasing, being, for the greatest part con¬ gealed, and the general form ot the congelated masses, is that of a concretion of icicles, which resembles a cluster of pillars in gothic aichitectuie, and may not improperly be compared to the pipes ot an organ. 1 ne spray becomes likewise consoli¬ dated into three masses, or sections of a cone, externally con¬ vex, but concave towards the fails. The west side, bein<>- usually THROUGH THE CANADAS. 39 the only place in which the waters flow, the aspect is infinitely inferior to that displayed in summer, and the sound emitted, is comparatively faint. The surrounding objects, covered alike with snow, present one uniform glare. The rocks, and the bed of the river, disguised by unshapely white masses, produce a reflection, which gives, even to the waters of the cataract, an apparent tinge of obscurity. ISLAND OF ORLEANS. The island of Orleans, rising from the river Saint Lawrence, in some parts with steep and wooded banks, in 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 neighbouring country is afforded from its higher grounds, particularly of the scenery on the north, which is diversified, bold, and extensive. The fall of Mont- morenci discloses itself from hence, amidst a rich and enchant¬ ing combination of features. The central part of tins island is clothed with trees, and the ground sloping from it on either side, few eminences occur, to interrupt the view. The pa¬ rishes of Ange Gardien and Chateau Richer, are there seen to great advantage. From hence the river la Puce, on the oppo¬ site coast, at the distance of five miles, by an engaging display of natural attractions, invites the attention of the traveller; it rolls its current, broken into a refulgent whiteness equalling that of snow, from the summit of a lofty hill, and afterwards con¬ ceals itself midway, behind an intervening eminence of inferior altitude, cloalhed with trees % The motion of its waters is per¬ ceptible, and the reflection of light arising from the fall, glis¬ tening with the ra\s of the sun, produces a powerful contrast with the deep verdure of the forests by which it is environed. At the lower extremity of the island, there are situations no less bold than picturesque; the north shore is interspersed with immense masses of detached limestone-rock; the south side is cloathed with trees to the borders of the great river; from either, are seen cape Tourment, the isles and the mountains named Les Eboulements, which pierce the clouds with their pointed sum¬ mits. The soil of the island is, in general fertile, affording more produce than is necessary for the consumption of its inhabitants. Not many years ago, it was, for two successive seasons, visited by a scourge, which swept away, in its pi ogress, the whole productions of the land. The grasshoppers, which are in a great degree multiplied by the too long continuance of dry weather, appeared in such redundancy of swarms, as to consume every vegetable substance, and almost totally to cover the surface of the ground : when by their destructive lavages, the island became so denuded 40 HE R!OT ? S TRAVELS of verdure, as no longer lo afford them the means of sustf nance, they assembled on the water in clusters, resembling small rafts, anei floated with the tide and wind, along the basin of the St. Lawrence, to Quebec, where they filled the decks and cordage ot the vessels at anchor, and afterwards betook themselves, through the town to the ramparts, which, having stripped of grass, they proceed in separate columns, through the country to the soulc- ward. A considerable part of their number probably perished in the voyage from the island, and the remainder, having a gieatei extent of territory over which to spread, their depredations be¬ came less percptible. Orleans contains five parishes, two of which, Saint Piere and Saint Famille, are on the north side; and three on the south, Saint Francois, Saint John, and Saint Lawrent. i he number of its inhabitants amounts to about two thousand. The channels which separate the island from the continent, are each about a league in breadth. The banks on its western side, consist, for a considerable w ay down the coast, of black i:me-siate, covered with soil, generated from the decomposition of that sub¬ stance, and the annual decay of vegetable productions. 1 he ro'cks of those on the eastern extremity, are mixed with grey quartz, reddish limestone, and grey limestone, combined with pale grains of sand. From the parish of Ange Gardien to the base of Cape Tour- mcnl, throughout an extent of 18 miles, the coa^t is composed of fertile meadow laud, varying in breadth, bounded on the north by steep and lofty banks, from w hence the ground rises :n gentle accli¬ vities to the bases of the hills. By the reflux of the tide, a sw amp of a mile in width, is here left uncovered ; on some parts of the coast of Orleans,'there are similar muddy grounds, in spring, and autumn, these situations are frequented by giant numbers of snipes, plover and wild clucks. in the midst of meadows, near Cape Tourment, a narrow hill, about a mile in length, aud flat on its summit, rises to the height of about a hundred feet. A large dwelling-house, w ith chapel and other buildings, are placed towards the eastern extremity; thither, the ecclesiastics of the seminary of Quebec, to whom lauds belong, retire in autumn. north coast of tiie saint Lawrence. Between the cape and the adjoining mountains a lake is form¬ ed, the height of whose situation is several hundred feet above the Saint Lawrence. The parish of Saint Joachim is populous, and the soil is rich, being equally adapted to pasturage, and to cultivation. It is separated from the parish of Saint Anne by a THROUGH THE CANADAS. 41 stream of considerable magnitude, called la Grande Riviere, or the Saint Anne. In travelling to the interior settlements after having ascended two steep and lofty banks, or elevations from one plain to another, the road is continued for upwards of four miles through a forest composed of poplar, birch, beech, fir, and ash trees, in which there are some openings, disclosing an elevated mountain. The settlement of Saint Feriole extends itself for near nine miles over a country gradually ascending, whose superior alti¬ tude contributes to encrease the cold of the climate, and to reif- der the land less productive. Necessity has induced an hundred families to fix their abode in this remote situation, where, if their industry be less copiously rewarded, and if the cold which predo¬ minates longer in winter, and commences much earlier in autumn than in the lower parts, sometimes check the vegetation of grain, and impede its advancement to maturity, there is notwithstanding no appearance of indigence among the inhabitants. On turning his eyes towards the country he has already passed, the traveller is gratified by a luxuriant and diversified assemblage of objects, which, like a chart, seems to expand itself beneath. After descending a hill cloathed with trees, and of about seven hundred feet in perpendicular elevation, we gained the side of the river which flows through this settlement, and of which we have already spoken. 'There are no less than seven falls of this river, which are near to each other, and are formed in its cur¬ rent from the summit, to the basis of a steep and lofty mountain, after having held its course fora distance of several miles, along a ridge of high lands. The stream does not exceed forty yards in width, and the principal and lower fall, which is on the north¬ east, is one hundred and thirty feet high. It has formerly flowed through another channel, in which it has been obstructed by fallen rocks, and also partly by a dam or dyke, w hich the industry and sagacity of the beaver, teach it to form, frequently across the channels of rivers. The ancient bed is plainly discoverable, by the deep ravines, worn, at different stages, on the side of the mountain, and by a valley near the lower fall. Although, in almost the whole of the cataracts in Low^er Canada a certain similarity of effect is discoverable, the precipices over which they pour their waters being nearly perpendicular ; and although these sublime objects so frequently occur, that the impression which novelty produces on the mind, is thereby in a great degree weakened, yet each is distinguishable by peculiar features. /JThe accumulated waters in the spring of the year, by abrading, and sweeping down portions of the solid rock, inces¬ santly produce alterations, and thuq enlarge the channel or render it more deep. H ERIOT.] G 42 HE RIOTS TRAVEtS The landscape which environs this tall, is grand and romantic* The banks are rugged, steep, and wild, being covered with a va¬ riety of trees. Below, large and irregular masses of limestone rock, arc piled upon each other. Not one half ot the mountain can be seen by the spectator, when stationed by the side of the river. The whole of the waters of the fail, are not immediately received into the basin beneath, but a hollow rock, about fifteen feet high, receives a part, which glides from thence, in the form of a section of a sphere., The river, throughout the remainder of its course, is solitary, wild, and broken, and presents other scenes worthy of observation. The parishes of Saint Anne and Chateau Richer, are situated under a bank varying m height, extending from Saint Joachim to Ange Gardien, and from thence to the fall of Montmorenci. At the summit of this bank, the land rises by degrees, until it gains the mountains, and is in a state of cultivation. A stream called Dog river, divides Saint Anne from Chateau Richer, and in the latter parish the small river La Puce joins the Saint Lawrence. The former, would scarcely deserve to be mentioned, if it were not for the curious and pleasing objects, which disclose them¬ selves in ascending its course. Ihe lower tali is 112 feet in height, and its banks, formed by elevated acclivities, wooded to their summits, spread around a solemn gloom, which the white¬ ness, the movements, and the noise of the descending waters, contribute to render interesting and attractive. Besides the last, tw 7 o other falls are formed by the higher stages ot the mountain, where the river, confined in narrower compass, glides over less steep declivities. At the distance of two miles, in ascending the channel, another cataract appears pouring over masses ol lime¬ stone rock, and assuming different directions in its descent. The environs 6f this river display, in miniature, a succession of ro¬ mantic views. The banks near its mouth, are almost perpen¬ dicular, ar.d partly denuded of vegetation, 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 nature scatters in the midst of unfrequented wilds. The river from about one- lourth of the height of the mountain, discloses itself to the con¬ templation of the spectator, and delights his eye with varied masses of shining foam, which suddenly issue from a deep ravine hollowed out by thj waters, glide down the almost perpendicular rock, and form a splendid curtain, which loses itself amid the foilage of surrounding w oods. Such is the scene w hich the fall ot La Puce exhibits, when viewed from the summit of a bank on the eastern side of the river. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 43 The settlement of Chateau Richer, derives its name from the ruins of an edifice situated on a small rocky point, on the bor¬ ders of the Saint. Lawrence. It was a Franciscan monastery, when the army under General Wolfe encamped on the eastern book of Montmorenci. -As the monks used their influence 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 for¬ tified themselves within their mansion, that field pieces were re¬ quired to compel them to a surrender. The house was destroyed by fire, and nothing now remains, except a part of the walls, and the ruins of an adjoining tower, which was 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 the chateau, and has two spires. r l he ruins already described, the great river, the island of Orleans, the point of Ange Gardien, and Cape Diamond in the distance, compose an agreeable scene. Tow ard the east, a yet happier combination of objects pre¬ sents itself. On the left, are the ruins of the monastery, the church, banks clothed with foliage, and the lower grounds studded with white cottages ; over which Cape Tourment, and the chain of mountains whose termination it forms, tower w ith exalted ma- The rocks which in part compose the mountains, consist of a quartz, of the colour of amber, mixed w ith a black, small-grained glimmer, black horn stone, and a few 7 minute grains of brown spar v 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 river of the same name, and diffuses itself over an extent of flat lands, bounded by moun¬ tains, about fourteen miles to the northward 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 de¬ lighted by the beauty and picturesque wildness of its banks It rs, around small collections of water like this, that nature is dis¬ played to the highest advantage. The extent of the lake is about five miles, and it is almost divided into two by a neck ot 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, sin¬ gular and diversified, are overlooked by mountains which exalt beyond them, their more distant summits. The effect produced 44 ueriot’s travels by clouds, is here solemn and sublime, particularly during thun¬ der 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. About three mlies from the lake, in a valley amid precipitous mountains, a settlement was begun a few years ago. Its situa¬ tion is highly romantic, being watered by several streams, and likewise by the Saint Charles, whose banks, throughout its wind¬ ing course, to the lake, are adorned with a variety of scenery. BANKS OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. In 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 preci¬ pitous, 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 Wolfes Cove, the place*at which the celebrated General of that name disembarked bis army, previous to the battle on the heights of Abraham. On the summit of the western bank of this little bay, stands a hand¬ some house, built by General Powell, whose situation, together with the shady w r alks by which it is surrounded, renders it a pleasing retreat. ' From hence to Cape Rouge, the scenery, on account of its beauty and variety, attracts the attention of the passenger. At Sillery, a league from Quebec, on the north shore, are the ruins of an establishment, which was begun in 1GJ7; intended as a religious institution for the conversion and instruction of natives of the country: it was at one time inhabited by twelve French families. The buildings are placed upon level ground, sheltered by steep banks, and close by the borders of the river. They now consist only of two old stone-houses, fallen to decay, and of the remains of a small chapel. In this vicinitv, the Algou- rjuins once had a village; several ot their tumuli, or bin ding- places, are still discoverable in the woods, and hieroglyphics cut on the trees, remain, in some situations, yet uneftaced. Cape Rouge is a lofty bank, suddenly declining to a valley, through which a small river, the discharge of a lake, situated among the mountains on the north, runs into the Saint Law¬ rence. A siate-stone, of a reddish colour, easilv mouldering into thin shivers, is found at the surface, on the summit of the bank. A part ot the borders ot the river Chaudiere, on the opposite coast, consists of the same substance. "Ihe distance from Quebec to this cape, is eight miles; and. Vow aids the north, a bank parallel to that on the great river, but THROUGH THE CANADAS. 45 of inferior elevation, extends throughout that space, ami joins the promontory The mean interval between these acclivities, is about a mile and a half. The level, and in some situation*, swampy lands, on the north of this eminence, which in many places abound in stones, apparently formed in the bed of a river, afford probable grounds for conjecture, that a portion of the waters of the Saint Lawrence, formerly flowed between die heights of Saint Augustin and Cape Rouge* directing their course along the valley, insulating the parishes of Quebec and Saint Foix, and re-uniting at the place where the Saint Charles empties itself into the basin. The low space between the high grounds now mentioned, is about half a mile in breadth, and, by a disclosure of the distant mountains, presents to the eye an agreeable variety. On the opposite coast, at the mouth of the small river Saint Nicholas, a charming combination of picturesque objects is afforded. A part of the bank here rises to the height of about 500 feet, and is cloathed with trees. The little river rolls with foaming swiftness into the Saint Lawrence, and turns, with a portion of its waters, corn mills of considerable • extent. Two beautiful waterfalls, at no great distance from each other, are to be seen upon this river. At point Levi, and likewise at the Etchemin, on the south side of the great river, there are corn mills upon an enlarged scale, which belong to the same proprietor, as those of Saint .Nicholas. Through a contracted valley formed by acclivities steep and abrupt, the Jacques Cartier sweeps with impetuosity, over a rocky and interrupted bed, its broken and ^sonorous current. The distance thither from Quebec, is thirty miles. The na¬ vigator who first explored the Saint Lawrence, as far as Mon¬ treal, here wintered in 1536, and from this occurrence, his name has been given to the stream. The breadth of its mouth is about 300 yards, and contiguous 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. The ferrymen traverse the boats from one side to the other, by 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 con¬ structed by the French in 1760. Here, as well as higher up the course of the river, an uncommon w ildness is displayed, and the stream is frequently broken into cascades, particularly in the vicinity of the new bridge, where its channel is confined by rug¬ ged rocks, some of which are excavated iii a singular manner. 4 <» hertot’s travels by the incessant operation of the furious torrent. During the summer months, salmon are here caught in abundance. The church of Cape Saute, with the opposite coast, which assumes a singular shape, together with the point of Decham- bault, and the vast sheet of water intervening, exhibit 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 the tide, lias 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 abounds with concealed rocks. TOWN' OF THREE RIVERS. The town of Three Rivers is situated upon a point of land, near the confluence with the Saint Lawrence, of the stream from which it derives its name. It extends about three quar¬ ters of a mile, along the north bank of the former, lire sur¬ rounding country is Hat, and its soil is composed of sand, mixed with black mould. In the mouth of the stream, there are two islands, which divide it into three branches. On ascending its course, the borders become wild and picturesque. The town was indebted for its original establishment to the profits arising from the commerce for peltry, which in the infancy of the colony, was carried on by the natives, through the course of this river, which flows from the north-east, for a distance of three hundred miles. Thither, various tribes of these savages, descended from the vicinity of Hudson’s bay, and the country intervening be¬ tween that and the Saint Lawrence. Attracted by the advantages which the agreeable situation of the place, and the rendezvous for traffic, presented, several French families here established themselves. The proximity of the Iroquois, a nation which cherished au irreconcileable hos¬ tility to the French, suggested the necessity of constructing a fort, and the district of Three Rivers became, at length, a se¬ parate government. Alter a lapse of some years, the natives who traded to this place, harassed and exposed to continual clanger, from the frequent irruptions of that warlike nation, dis¬ continued their accustomed visits. The town contains a convent of Ursulines, to which is ad¬ joined a parochial church, and an hospital. It was founded in J677 by M. de Saint Yallier, bishop of Quebec, for the edu¬ cation of young women, and as an asylum for the poor and sick. A superior and eighteen nuns now possess it, and discharge the functions of this humane institution. A monastery of Recollects THROUGH THE CANADAS. 47 formed also, one of the religious edifices of this place, but that order has been for some time extinct. As there are several protestant inhabitants in the town, it is the residence of a rector, and divine service is regularly per¬ formed agreeably to the rites of the established church of Eng¬ land. On the banks of the river already mentioned, and about nine miles up its course, an iron foundry, which was lirst worked in 1737, is situated. The manufacture of ore into cast, as well as hammered iron is here carried ou to a considerable extent. The works, and the soil in which the ore is found, are the pro¬ perty of government, and they are rented by a company at Que¬ bec, on lease, at the rate of eight hundred pounds per annum. The ore lies in horizontal strata, and near the surface. It is composed of masses, easily detached from each other, perfo¬ rated, and the holes filled with ochre. It possesses, softness, and friability, and for promoting its fusion, a grey limestone, found in its vicinity, is used. The hammered iron is soft, plia¬ ble, and tenacious, and has the quality of being but little subject to the influence of rust. The latter property, is probably de¬ rived from the materials employed in its fusion. For this pur¬ pose, wood only is applied, which is highly preferable to mine¬ ral coal. LAKE OF ST. PETER. Lake Saint Peter is formed by an expansion of the waters 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 two 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 Maehiche, Du Loup, and Masqueuonge, on the north, and the Nicolct and Saint Francis, on the south; on the banks of the iatter, an Indian village of the same name, is si¬ tuated, peopled by part of the Abinaquis tribe, among whom a missionary and an interpreter reside. At the upper end of the lake, a variety of small islands is in¬ terspersed, some of which are partly cleared of their woods, and afford 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 channel of the great river, from Orleans to this situation a distance of about 117 miles. From 48 TtEBlOf’s TftAVEtS hence to lake Ontario, it is frequently varied by clusters of islands, some of which are of great beauty and fertility. The town of W illiam Henry, or Sorel, in latitude 45° .5.5', lon¬ gitude 73° 22', is agreeably situated at the confluence of the Sorel or Chamhly river, with the Saint Lawrence, 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 pleasant country, where its bor¬ ders are adorned by several valuable and productive farms. On the site of the town, a foit was constructed in 1665, by M. de Tracey, viceroy of New France, as a defence against the irrup¬ tion of the Iroquois. 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 banks, the one called St. John, composed, of cedar pickets and earth, the other, Chambly, built of stone in a quadrangular form, and hav¬ ing the appearance of a castle. It is the only edifice in North America, which has any resemblance to that ancient mode of structure. Saint John is a frontier garrison, and a company of infantry, and somfe artillery, are generally stationed in it. (n the months of June and July, great quantities of timber and boards formed into rafts, frequently of two or three hundred feet in length, are floated down this river, from the borders of lake Champlain. These materials are used in ship-building, and are also exported to England. A particular species of grass which is long and rank, called by the Canadians, Hierbe an lien, grow's upon some of the islands. 1 ids forms a very durable covering for stables and barns, and a roof composed of it, will last for many years, without the want of repair. At a few miles distant from Va- rennes, near a hill which rises in the midst of plains, the village of Boucherville is situated. It is inhabited by people of the most ancient families in the country, whose means are not affluent, but who, in this retreat, enjoy among themselves an agreeable society. After a description of several small isles, of no importance, our author comes to MONTREAL. The length of the island of Montreal, he observes, is thirty miles, and its mean breadth about seven, its circumference being seventy miles. It may be said to owe its original settlement to the Abbe Quetus, who, in 16,57, arrived from France, ac¬ companied bv deputies of the seminary of Saint Sulpicius, to take possession of this spot, and here to found a seminary. The THROUGH THE CANADAS. 49 other inhabitants of the colony were gratified to find, that a body of men so respectable, had undertaken to clear, and settle an island, the efforts of whose first possessors, had hitherto been too languid. The seignorial rights of that fertile and valuable tract of territory, are still vested in the representatives of the order of Saint Sulpicius, which, in France, was swept away in the revolutionary torrent. The city of Montreal, in latitude 45° 33', longitude 73° 37', is placed on the south side of the island of the same 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 noth to south. A deep and rapid current flows between the shore and the island of Saint Helen; a strong north-east' wind is therefore necessary, to carry vessels up to the town, and when that is wanting, they remain at anchor, at the lower end of the stream. This inconvenience might have been obviated, had the city been built about a mile below’ its present site, at a place called the Cross. The original founders were enjoined by the government of France, to make choice of a situation as high up the river, as large vessels could be navigated, and it appears that the injunction was literally obeyed. The streets are airy, and regularly disposed, one of them ex¬ tending nearly parallel to the river, through the whole length of the place; they are of sufficient width, being intersected at right angles, by several smaller streets, which descend from west to east. The upper street is divided into tw f o, by the Roman Catholic church, adjoining to which there is a large open square, called the Place cT Armes . The habitations of the principal merchants are neat and com¬ modious, and their storehouses are spacious, and secured 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 addi¬ tion of shingles, they w ould, in summer, become highly combus¬ tible from w ithout, and liable to ignition from a small spark of fire. The houses which are protected in the former manner, w ill last, without need of repairs, for a considerable number of years. The town was enclosed by a stone fortification, which, hav¬ ing long fallen to ruins, is now in a great measure levelled, or removed. It was thus fortified, to guard its inhabitants against the frequent 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, vyas some time ago passed, for their total de¬ molition. This has in a great degree been carried into effect, HERIOT.] H 50 tt£ riot’s travels and the place is now rapidly improving in extension, as well as iff neatness of edifices. Montreal is divided into the upper and lower towns, although the difference of level between them, exceeds not twelve or fif¬ teen feet. In die latter are the public market, held twice in the week, and the Hotel Dien. The upper to\Mi contains the cathe¬ dral, the English church, the convent of Recollets, that ot the sisters of Notre Dame, the Seminary, the Cover men t house, and the Court of Law. The religious edifices are constructed with more solidity than taste, and all of them are possessed of exten¬ sive gardens. The Hotel Dieu, founded by Madame de Bouillon in 1644, have a superior and thirty nuns, whose principal occupation con¬ sists in administering relief to the sick, who are received into that hospital. A large room in the upper part of the building, is ap¬ propriated as a ward for female, and one immediately under it, for male patients. As the institution was intended for public benefit, the medicines were, during the French government, sup¬ plied at the, expence of the crown. The fund by which it was supported being vested in Paris, was lost in consequence of the revolution. Its present slender sources, are chiefly derived from some property in land. The General Hospital stands on the banks of the river, and is separated fiom the town by a small rivulet. It owes its estab¬ lishment, 1733, to a widow lady named Youville: it contains a superior, and ninteen nuns. A natural wharf, very near to the town, is formed by the depth of the stream, and the sudden declivity of the bank. The environs of Montreal, are composed of four streets ex¬ tending in different directions. That of Quebec on the north, Saint Lawrence tow aids the west, and the Recollet and Saint Antoine towards the south; in the latter is placed the college, which has been lately rebuilt. These, together with the town, contain about twelve thousand inhabitants. The mountain is about two miles and a halt distant from die town. The land rises, at first by gentle gradations, and is chief¬ ly occupied for gardens and orchards, producing apples and pears of a superior quality. The more steep parts of the mountain, continue to be shaded by their native woods. The northern extremity, which is the most lofty, assumes a more abrupt acclivity with a 'conical form, and the remains of the crater of a volcano, are found among the rocks. This elevated spot, about 700 feet above the level of the river, is of a long shape, and extends upwards of two miles from north to south, subsiding towards the center, over which a road passes, and THROUGH THE CANADAS. 51 again rising in rugged masses, clothed with trees. A house and gardens, belonging to, and occupied by the members of the Se¬ minary, are agreeably situated on the eastern declivity. The scene displayed from the summit of the mountain, which is the only eminence on the island, is, on every side, extensive and rich. The city of Montreal, the cultivated lands, the ha¬ bitations interspersed among trees, the great river rapidly dashing into clouds of white foam, over the rocks of La Chine, and sweeping its silver course around a variety of islands; the lofty mountain of Chambly, with those of Beleuil, and Boucherville, compose the scenery towards the east. That on the north, though of equal fertility, is less diversified. • The most favourable view of the town, is from the opposite island of Saint Helen, where the mountain appears in the back ground. The eastern coast of the river, on which is Longucuii Saint Lambert, and la Prairie dela Mudelene, is well cultivated and thickly inhabited. At the breaking up of the winter, the buildings of the town, which are situated near the river, are sometimes subject co da¬ mage, by the accumulation of large fragments of ice, impelled by the rapidity of the current, already described. Montreal being placed one degree and sixteen minutes south from Quebec, enjoys a more favourable climate. The soil is richer, and the duration of winter is not so long at the former place, as at the latter, by the space of six weeks. This supe¬ riority, with respect to climate and soil, renders it preferable to Quebec, as a place of constant residence. The markets are more abundantly supplied, and the articles of living, are sold at a more reasonable price, especially during winter, when the in¬ habitants of the United States, who reside upon lands bordering on Lower Canada, bring for sale, a part of the produce of their farms; 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 Ge¬ nevieve, Saint Anne, Pointe Clare, Pointe aux Trembles, Lon¬ gue Pointe, Sault au Recollet, Riviere des Prairies, and La Chine. The first, and most considerable village, is that of the Sault Saint Louis, situated on the border of the river, opposite L^ 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 of the missionary, are protected towards the north and south, by a stone wall, in which there are loop-holes tor musquetry. The village, which is composed of about 150 houses, built ot stone, contains upwards of S00 inhabitants, who are not IX 2 52 heriot’s travels dirty and slovenly in- their persons, than in their habitations. This mission is considered as the most extensive 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 iudoience will not, however, permit them to acquire habits of regular in¬ dustry and labour. This insuperable aversion to a life of ac¬ tivity, they dignify with the title of independence, annexing to most of the employments of civilized life, the idea of slavery. Their hunting grounds are at a considerable distance from their settlement, lying in the territory of the United States, around Fort George, Ticonderago and Crown Point, and ex¬ tending 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 quarters. The wild animals, with which these regions formerly abounded, have now', become extremely rare, not only from the immense num¬ bers that have been killed, but on account of the increase of settlements and population; multitudes which the chace had yet spared, were driven in quest of a secure retreat, to the more remote forests. The transport of merchandise, and other articles, from the island of Montreal to Kingston in Upper Canada, is conducted by means of bateaux, or flat-bottomed boats, narrow at each cxtreiriity, and constructed of fir planks. Each of these being about forty feet in length, and six feet across the widest part, generally contains twenty-five barrels, or a proportionate number of bales of blankets, cloths, 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 with provisions, and with rum, and areal- lowed from eight to eleven dollars each, for the voyage to King¬ ston, and from thence down again to La Chine, the time of per¬ forming which, is from ten to twelve davs. The wages of the pilot or guide, amount to twelve or fourteen dollars. Each ba¬ teau is supplied w ith a mast and sail, a grappling iron, with lopes, setting poles, and utensils for cooking. The bateaux when load¬ ed, take their departure from La Chine, in number, of from four to eight or ten together, that the crews may be enabled to afford aid to each other, amid the difficulties, and laborious exertions required in effecting this voyage. About fifty bateaux are em¬ ployed on this route, and bring down for die objects of com- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 33 rfterce which are conveyed up, wheat, flour, salted provisions, peltry and potash. From twenty to thirty bateaux are likew ise kept in the service of government, for transporting necessaries for the troops, and stores for the engineer department; likewise articles of European manufacture, which are every year distributed in presents to the Indian tribes. There are thus engaged about three hundred and fifty men, whose occupation it is, during the sultry months of summer, to struggle against the most tremendous rapids. Besides these, near four hundred men, ascend in bark canoes, by the grand river of the Otaouais, in a direct course to Saint Joseph’s on Lake Huron, and from thence to the new establishment on Lake Superior, called Kamanastigua. Lake Saint Louis, formed by the junction of part of the Ou- taouais river with the Saint Lawrence, is about ten miles hi w idth, and contains the isle Perrot, already noticed, surrounded by the waters of the former, which, for a considerable way dow n, mingle not with those of the latter, a circumstance which is evinced by the difference in their colours. The parish of Chateau-gave, and several small islands, occupy the south-east side of the lake, into w hich the cascades furiously pour their bil¬ lows, and seem to prohibit to the traveller, any further progress by water. The bateaux are conducted to the western side, and ascend the first locks, at the top of which they are unloaded, and the goods are carted from thence, along a road on the borders of a river, as far as the village of the Cedars, a distance of live miles. Artificers and labourers, under the direction of a royal engineer, have, for some time past, been employed on the extension and improvement of these locks, which, when completed, will much tend to facilitate the transport, and communication with the up¬ per country. The cascades are about two miles in length, and flow among three different islands. The rapidity and force of the stream, arising from the great declivity of its bed, and the number of rocks and cavities which it contains, causes it to break into mass¬ es of white foam, moving in a direction the reverse of that of waves produced in a troubled ocean, by the agency of storms. They curl their resplendent tops, towards the quarter from whence they are impelled. The mind of a stranger is filled with admiration, on beholding, in the calmest, and finest wea¬ ther, all the noise, effect, and agitation, which the most violent conflict between the winds and waters, is capable of exhibiting. In a branch of these cascades, near the locks on the western shore, several bateaux, loaded with soldiers belonging to the army under the command of the late lord Amherst, were lost in 1760, through ignorance of the pilots who undertook to conduct them. 54 heriot’s travels Somewhat higher up, on the same coast of the river, and not. far from the land, is the Split Uoek, close to which, the boats p iss, in descending. The current sweeps along the side o! 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 lost. The rapids of the Cedars, are about three miles distant from the highest part of the Cascades, and are formed amid a cluster of islands. The river, for about a mile and a half above, assumes a sudden declivity and a winding course. An awful and solemn effect is produced, by the incessant sound, and rapid motion of the ever-swelling waves, which, covered with effulgent white¬ ness, drive along with irresistible fury. The empty bateaux are here dragged successively with ropes, by the joint etforts of eight or ten men to each, who walk up the shore, until they arrive at the village, near which these rapids commence. In descending, the bateaux are steered near the western shore, to avoid the tre¬ mendous and more bioken swell, which in some places, is inter¬ spersed with rocks. Although this course is not unaccompanied by danger, the Canadians are in general so experienced and ex¬ pert, that an accident almost never occurs. CEUAS VILLAGE. The village of the Cedars is charmingly situated on the banks of the Saint Lawrence; it contains a church, and about tifty houses. The appearance of the waters, and of the rich and ver¬ dant islands around which they wind their course, exhibits an assemblage uncommonly interesting, and the glistening rapids of the Cuteau du Lac, give a lively termination to the scene. The current from the latter place, to the Cedars, is, in most si¬ tuations so powerful, that the bateau men are necessitated to make use of their setting poles, which are about seven feet in length, and shod with iron. As the current impels the vessel towards the shore, the men place them along that side which is inwards, and push it forward, bv the pressure of each upon his pole, at the same instant; the bateau, by these united efforts, is forced up the stream, and the impulsive movement is continu¬ ed, by thus setting the poles in the bed of the waters, and by a reiteration of the same exertions. This operation, although fatiguing and laborious in the extreme, they will prolong for the space of several hours. V* hen the current is too powerful for the use of poles, the bateau is dragged by a long rope, the men engaged in this offire, walking, as has been before described, along the banks of the river, in the less rapid streams, ti.e oars arc used, and when the wind is favourable, and the current not strong, recourse is had to the sail. / (i TIIKO TGIl THE CANADAS. 5.3 At the Coteau du Lac Saint Francois, the bateaux again ascend by locks, where a certain duty is payable on spirituous liquors, wines, and some other articles imported into Upper Canada, although the limits of that province are placed some miles higher up. The first township in Upper Canada is called Lancaster, upon the north shore of Lake Saint Francis, watered by three small rivers, extending nine miles in front, towards the lake, and twelve miles in depth. The adjoining settlement of Charlottenburg, has, in its front, several small islands, and is watered by two branches of the river (tux Raisins, which winds its course through a considerable part of the township, until it joins the lake, lie- tween the latter settlement and Cornwall a narrow tract inter¬ venes, which is the property of the Indians of Saint Regis. The river Gamansque, deriving 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. Between the last named settlement and Kingston, Pittsburgh intervenes. Howe island stretches in a long and narrow form near the front of these two townships. From Pointe au Bodet to Kingston the distance is one hundred and twenty miles, and in that space are contained above eighty water-mills, the most con¬ siderable of which are erected upon the river Gananoque. Roads have some years ago been opened, and wooden bridges con¬ structed over the intervening creeks and rivers. From Point au Bodet downwards a way for travellers on horseback has been cut through the woods, which is yet scarcely practicable for wheeled carriages. Many parts of this road, as well as of those in the vicinity of Kingston, are at times rendered almost im¬ passable by considerable falls 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 thirty town¬ ships, situated 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 Nation, with the lakes and streams of the Gananoque, affording a variety of places convenient for the erection of nulls. These rivers abound in carp, sturgeon, and perch; the ponds afford green and other turtle, likewise fish of different species. The soils in their vici¬ nity produce timber, w hose quality depends on position and fer¬ tility. The dry lands, w hich are usually the most elevated, afford growth to cak and hickory : the low’ grounds produce walnut, ash, poplar, cherry, sycamore, beech, maple, elm, and other woods, and in some places there are swamps covered by cedar aud cypress trees. TIERIOTS TRAVELS 5G DESCRIPTION OF KINGSTON. Kingston is charmingly situated on the northern coast of the- Saint Lawrence, not far from Lake Ontario, in north latitude, 44° 6', and in west longitude from Greenwich 7 o* 41'. This town was begun in the year 17S4, and has continued ever since that period to advance in a progressive state of improvement, to which the judicious choice of situation, and the fertility of the lands in its vicinity, have doubtless greatly contributed. Besides several commodious dwellings constructed of stone of ail excel¬ lent quality, it contains a barrack for troops, a gaol and court¬ house, an episcopal church, an hospital, and several extensive storehouses. At this place the vessels belonging to government, used in navigating Lake Ontario, are constructed; and from hence merchandise and other articles which are conveyed from the lower province in bateaux are embarked to be transported to [Niagara, York, and oilier settlements bordering on the lake. The largest vessels in this service do not exceed two hundred tons burthen, but the usual size is from eighty to a hundred tons- At Kingston there are two coves or inlets where vessels come to anchor, and on which wharfs are constructed for loading or dis¬ charging their cargoes. That appropriated for the vessels of government is at some distance from the town, and is formed by a promontory on the east, and a peninsula called Point Frederick. On this are placed the naval store and yard for building these vessels. A master builder with some artificers resides upon the spot, and is kept in constant employ. The house of the deputy commissary, and those of some other persons in the service, stand likewise upon this peninsula. The other cove, much more con¬ siderable than the last, is formed between the town and the point already mentioned. Both of these inlets are exposed, when the wind blows with violence from the south or south-west, and drives befoie it from the lake, a succession of swelling billows. The number of \cssels here, in the king’s service, is at present not more than three, two of which are appropriated for the mili¬ tary and one for the ci\il department. Each vessel carries from ten to twenty guns. The senior commander is stilcci commodore. As all kinds of timber have a tendency to decay much sooner in fresh than in 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 expiration of that period, and are replaced by other vessels entirely new. The rapid advancement of the country in population and im- provements of every description has proportionally extended the commerce ; the number of vessels in the employ of the merchants THROUGH THE CANADAS. *7 is considerable. These are usually built about ten miles below Kingston, and the timber used' for their construction is red cedar or oak. Grande Isle, now called Wolfe Island, not far from the town, is the largest which occurs between Montreal and Lake Huron. The timbei found here, and on the south shore of the main land, is red oak, butternut, maple, ash, elm, and small pine. Carleton island, of small extent, intervenes 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 excellent harbours. It now properly belongs to the United States, as the boundary line of that government passes through the centre of Grande Isle. It contained a stone fort, with bar¬ racks of the same materials, storehouses, and other structures. One of the smaller islands opposite to Kingston abounds with insects called ticks, resembling the little animal of the same name found upon cattle in Europe, but of a much larger size. In sum¬ mer these insects spread themselves over the surface of the ground, over the trees, the herbage, and the rocks. They climb upon every object in their way, and to man their effects are highly dis¬ agreeable, particularly if they gain the head, from whence they are with difficulty dislodged. Without producing any degree of pain they will gradually insinuate themselves beneath the skin, and there establish their quarters. To horses or cattle which have been sent to graze on this island, the ticks, from their mul¬ titudes, have been frequently fatal. * « LAKE ONTARIO. Lake Ontario is in length lGO miles, and in circumference about 450 Its depth in many places remains unascertained. The center has been sounded with a line of 350 fathoms without finding bottom. The islands which it contains are, Amherst island, Basque, Carleton, Petit Cataroquoy, Cedar island, Isle Cauchois, Isle au Cochon, Isle du Chene, Duck islands. Grena¬ dier Island, Isles au Gallon, Isle la Force, Isle au Foret, Gage island, Howe island, Nicholas island, Orphan island, Isle de Quinte, Isle Tonti, Isles aux Tourtes, Wolfe island or Grande isle, and 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, from their position, considerably exposed to the swell of the waters and the influence of the winds. The vicinity of Kingston affords valuable quarries of durable white stone, and the soil in general is intermixed with rocks, a circumstance which, however, is not prejudicial to its productive quality. Erntst town is opposite to Amherst island, and is watered by 11EHI0T.] ' i 58 HE RIOT’S TRAVELS two small rivers. Camden lies on its north side, and Richmond on its west; the river Appeiiee, on which there are excellent mills, runs through the two la st townships. The bay of Quinte is formed by the peninsula o* Prince Edward, by another pen¬ insula, containing part of the townships of Adolphuc and Frede¬ rick, and by the continent on the north, comprehending the town¬ ships of Mohawks, Thurlow and Sidney. This bav affords, throughout its winding extent, a safe and commodious harbour, sheltered from the storms by which the lake is frequently agi¬ tated. ’Pile river Moira here empties itself, after having traversed the township of Thurlow ; the Trent, formerly called the Quinte, the outlet of several small lakes, flows into the head of the bay, at the eastward of the isthmus, or earning place. Part of one of the tribes of Mohawks, 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 these natives, who, preferring this situation, sepa¬ rated from the rest of their tribe, whose village is on the Grand River, or Ouse, which disembogues its wateis into the north-east side of the Lake Erie. On the south side of the Trent, there are sal t-springs; waters impregnated with salt have likewise been found in other situations in this province, but the salt which has been produced from them was found by no means to possess the properties of that procured from the water of the ocean, and a ureat part of the provisions which have been cured with it, and sent in bar¬ rels to Quebec, for the use of the troops, has been found, on in¬ spection, unfit for use. The harbour of Newcastle, is formed by the township of Cramahe, and Presque Isle. Between the township of Sidney, and the latter, that of Murray intervenes. Those of Iluldimand, Hamilton, and Hope, are beautified and fertilized by a variety of little streams, upon some of which, mills are erected. Clarke, Darlington, Whitby, and Pickering, follow in succession, in pro¬ ceeding to the westward; at the latter, there is a productive salmon and sturgeon fishery, in a river called Duflin’s Creek, which is usually open, and large enough tor the reception of boats, at most seasons of the year. The township of Scarbo¬ rough presents banks of much greater elevation towards the lake, than any part of the northern coast of that vast collection of waters. Ail the townships already noticed, are copiously wa¬ tered by rivulets, at whose mouths there are ponds and low lands capable of being drained and converted into meadows. In the rear of the township of Murray, is that of Seymour; and Cra- * malic*, Haldimnnd, and Hamilton, ha\e contiguous to them ou the northward, the townships of Percy, Alnwick, and Dives. , * l THROUGH TUC CANADAS. •59 Behind Scarborough there is a German settlement upon the river New, which, (lowing through Pickering, disembogues itself into the lake. YORK, Tin: SKAT OF GOVERNMENT. \ork, or Toronto, the seat of government in Upper Canada, is placed in forty-three degrees and thirty-live minutes of north latitude, near the bottom of a harbour of the same name. A long and narrow peninsula, distinguished by the appellation of Gibraltar Point, forms and embraces this harbour, securing it from the storms of the lake, and rendering it the safest of any around the coasts of that sea of fresh waters. Stores and block¬ houses are constructed near the extremity of this point. A spot called the garrison stands on a bank of the main laud, opposite to the point, and consists only of a w ooden block- house?, and some small cottages of the same materials, little superior to temporary huts. The house in which the Lieutenant-governor resides is likew ise formed of wood, in the figure of a half square, of one story in height, with galleries in the center. It is sufficiently commodious for tiie present state of the province, and is erected upon a bank of the lake, near the mouth of Toronto bay. The town, according to the plan, is projected to extend to a mile and a half in length, from the bottom of the harbour, along its banks. ?%iany houses are already completed, some of which display a considerable degree of taste. The advancement of this place to its present condition has been effected within the lapse of six or seven years, and persons who have formerly travelled in this part of the country, are impressed with sentiments of wonder, on be¬ holding a town which may be termed handsome, reared as if by enchantment, in the midst of a w ilderness. Two buildings of brick at the eastern extremity of the town, which were designed as wings to a center, are occupied as chambers for the upper and low r 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 cloatbed with spreading oak-trees, gradually receding from the eye, one behind another, until terminated bv the build¬ ings of the garrison and the spot on which the governor's resi¬ dence is placed, compose the objects on the right. The leftside of the view comprehends the long peninsula which incloses this sheet of water, beautiful on account of its placidity, and rotun¬ dity of form ; the distant lake, which appears bounded only by the sky, terminates the 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 wav leading to Lake i 2, hertot’s travels (j() Simcoe, and from thence to Cloucester-bay on Lake Huron, commences in the rear of the town. This communication, which, in time, will be productive of great utility to the com¬ merce of the. country, is opened as far as Lake Simcoe, and as it is considerably shorter than the circuitous route, by the straits of Niagara, Lake Erie, and Detroit, must become the great channel of intercourse 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 ot four hun¬ dred yards on the street. Gwillimbury, a settlement in the inte¬ rior parts 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 corn. As the lake opens on the eye of the traveller, some small islands disclose themselves, ot \viiich Darling’s, in the eastern part, is the most considerable. To the westward there is a large deep bay, called Kempenrelt’s, from whose upper extremity is a short carrying-place to the river Not- tuasague, which discharges itself into Iroquois bay, on Lake Huron. Francis 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 across a small neck of land, which separates Lake Simcoe f rom a smaller lake. M he Mafchedash river, which has its source in the former, affords a more circuitous passage to the northward and westward, and is, in every part, 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 junction with a yet larger basin already noticed, called Glocester or Sturgeon bay, in the mouth of which lies Prince William Henry’s island, open to Lake Huron. On a peninsula, in this basin, ruins of a French settlement are yet extant; the harbour of Penetangushene is formed between two promontories, around which there is soil well suited for cultivation. This harbour possesses sufficient depth of water, and the anchorage for vessels is safe. The town¬ ship of Markham, in the rear of York and Scarborough, is settled by Germans. To the westward of the garrison of York are the remains of an old French fort called Toronto; adjoining to this situation there is a deep bay, receiving into it the river Humber, between which and the head of Lake Ontario, the Tobyco, the Credit, and two other rivers, with a number of smaller streams, join that immense body of waters. These abound in tish, particu- THROUGH THE CANADAS. Gl larly in salmon, for which the Credit is celebrated; a house of entertainment for passengers is established on the banks of this river. The tract of territory between the Tobyco and the head of the lake, is frequented only by erratic tribes of Missasagues, which descend from the northward. Burlington bay is formed by a point of land extending from south to north, 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 tra¬ vellers. The bay now mentioned, presents a combination of objects, as beautiful and romantic in their kind, as any which the interior of America can boast. A bold, rocky, and picturesque promon¬ tory, separates it from a marshy lake, called Coot's Paradise, which abounds in game, and pours thither the tribute of its waters. Between Burlington 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 How , become dammed up, and formed spacious basins within ; their banks -Are elevated, but not rugged, and arc generally covered with pine-trees of a large growth. The tract bordering on this part of the lake, is deno¬ minated the county of Lincoln ; and contains twenty townships which are well settled, and rapidly increasing in population. The traveller, by entering Lake Ontario on the east, meets with Grenadier Island, at the distance of eighteen miles from Kingston, and near the southern coast; which is, properly speak¬ ing, the right bank of the Saint Lawrence, in its course towards the ocean ; this island is a leai^ue in length from east to west, and is about sixty yards from the shore. In pursuing this route, the first river which presents itself, flows into the lake from a north¬ east direction, in ascending whose course about two leagues and a half, a w ater-fall of twenty-five feet in height becomes dis¬ closed to the view; a swamp is found near its summit. The depth of water in the river is from three to one fathom ; the banks are rocky, but the soil above them gives sufficient indica¬ tions of fertility. The entrance of the river is six acres w ide, contracting by degrees to oue acre, and becoming yet more nar¬ row i at the fall. Somewhat to the westward, the largest of the Isles au Gailoo is situated, which, with a peninsula on the main coast, forms a harbour for vessels, having a depth of frQiil five to seven fathoms of water, and a good bottom for anchorage. Pro¬ ceeding around the coast to a bay running east-north-east, we GC HERIOT S TRAVELS sounded from the north point to a small island, and found its breadth three acres, having from live to ten fathoms of water, ■with a muddy bottom. 1 .argo vessels might anchor near the shore on either side, but that on the south is most secure, on account of a peninsula which precludes the effects ot stormy wea¬ ther. Two miles and a half from hence, another bay occurs, in ascending which there is a river with islands of rock at its en¬ trance, whose rapidity increases in proportion to the distance from its mouth, and renders it necessary to have recourse to setting- poles, to push the canoe up the stream. For fifteen acres up its course, the water is three fathoms deep, but decreases to four feet in the rapid parts. The rocks on each side are at least forty feet in altitude. On the south shore the land rises vet more con¬ siderably, and gives growth to forests of fine oak timber. \ iiliers bay is about two miles wide at its entrance, and contains from six to seven fathoms of water, with a clayey bottom. .Not far from hence there is yet another bay, whose position is towards the south, being half a mile in breadth, with live fathoms iu depth of water. The land here assumes a bolder aspect, rising for near a mile of extent, info cliff's of upwards of eighty feet' high, and afterwards gradually ^declining. The soil on their sum¬ mits is fertile, producing woods of a hard nature. 1 he name ot the last mentioned bay, is Hungry bay, or Baye de la Famine, so called by M tie la Barre, Governor-general of Canada, w ho in 1684, on an expedition against the Iroquois, lost in this situa¬ tion, a great part of his army, which perished from hunger and sickness. A considerable stream, called Black river, pours itself into this bay, and about two leagues further to the southward, another branch of the same liver joins its waters with the lake. The channel between the first or most easterly isle of Galloo, and the south shore, being large, with from eight to ten fathoms of wafer, vessels may with safety be steered through it. To llie westward of this, there are two other isles of the same name, and between these, two smaller isles, with a good channel interven¬ ing. Several rivulets occur in coasting between the western promontory of Hungry bay, and the river Onondago, which is placed near thirty miles from thence, and falls into the lake in latitude 43° 20' The channel at the entrance is twelve feet in depth, and twenty-four within. It is the discharge of several small rivers and lakes, of w hich the most considerable is that of Onedia. On ascending the river, whose channel is bounded bv banks of great elevation, a water-fall, eighty feet high, and half a mile in breadth, presents itself to the view. At the distance of two acres above, there is a second fall, which, although not more than twenty five feet high, is beautifully romantic. The brilliancy of the foaming waters, which throw themselves with THROUGH THE CANADAS. (i3 the mast rapid motion over the perpendicular rocks, produces an effect magnificent and charming, and sheds a gleam of delight over the mind of the wearied traveller. Amid the variety of sensations, which scenes like this contribute to excite, is that of surprise, that a fluid body should for ages have continued to move with such a velocity, without a failure of the sources from whence it is supplied. “ Rusticus cxpectat Hum defluit auinis, ast ilia “ Voivitnr, et volvetur, in omne volubiiis aevum.” The timber in this vicinity consists principally of white and red oak, and chesnut. The soil above is level, and of a fertile nature. Fort Oswego is erected on a lofty bank, on die eastern side of this river, and is upwards of forty-five miles from King¬ ston. The old fort, of which no vestige remains, was built in 1722, by a gentleman of the name of Burnet, son of the cele¬ brated bishop, who obtained for this purpose, permission of the Iroquois in whose territory 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 the 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 depth. The fort was delivered over to the American government in 179-B It was taken by the French in 17^6, 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, augment¬ ing further up to nine fathoms. Pursuing our voyage, we arrived at a large bay with a beautiful entrance from the lake, and ascended in quest of a river, but found only swampy grounds. This bay is two miles deep, hav¬ ing 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, with a sandy bottom. The bay of Goyogouin lies about sixteen miles to the west¬ ward of Onondago, and exhibits an aspect of fertility. It is five miles in extent, and two miles and a half in width, within 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 Genesee liver. The depth at the distance of three miles from the coast fi4 her tot’s travels $ is eighteen fathoms. \ he entrance or the bay is fiat, 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 w ith a very gentle current. The Genesee or Cascouchiagon, by some persons called the New* River is narrow, and contains not much water at its mouth on Lake Ontario; it however enlarges itself above, and forms a basin of sufficient depth to float vessels of two hundred tons. On ascending its course about two leagues, a fall of sixtv feet in altitude, and occupying the whole breadth of the river, obtrudes itself on the view 7 , and commands the ad¬ miration of the traveller. It pours, with plaintive sound, over a rock almost perpendicular, anc, broken amid the variety of its movements, produces a curtain of resplendent whiteness. On pursuing the channel still higher up, many rapids and cascades present themselves throughout the numerous sinuosities of its course. From the source of this river, which runs upw ards of three hundred miles, the Ohio is distant only thirty miles. The timber produced in the vicinity of the mouth of the Genesee, consists chiefly of white and red oak and chesnut. I he soil above the fall is rather flat, and is of a fertile nature. The old fort of Niagara, which was erected by the French in 1751, is placed in 43° J.3 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 occupy so vast a portion of this part of North America. The ramparls 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 Americans are in possession of it, but seem to take 110 measures either for its repair or enlargement. As the waters of the lake make progressive encroachments on the sandy bank whose summit it occupies, the foundations of the buildings will, in a short time, be undermined. This fort was taken from the French in 1739 by Sir William Johnson* The winters in this part of the country are inconsiderable, either for duration or severity, the snow seldom remaining on the ground for a longer period than five or six w'eeks. About the year 1800, before the means of transport to the lower province became facilitated and improved, the inhabitants were at a loss to dispose of the 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 cascades of the Saint Lawrence, upon rafts of THROUGH TIIE CANADAS. 65 timber, containing from five hundred to eight hundred barrels each, upon stOKS, a superor species of raft constructed of plank, without receiving frftm the waters any material injury. The con¬ ducting of that mode of transport, alt! < uuh at first difficult and unwieldy, has now become more familiar, and immense quan¬ tities of produce continue to flow evtry year into the lower province. There are attached to settlements on (lie borders of the Saint Lawrence, advantages of transport superior to those of any in¬ land country in America. "Hie soil is unquestionably of the first quality, and is sufficiently varied by swells and ridges, to takeoff that sameness of effect which w ould result from a dead level country. \\ inter wheat is produced with the greatest cer¬ tainty. The grain is heavier and more plump than any that is raised in the territories of the United States, except Mich as bor¬ der upon t'his immense river. Crass is very natural to this coun¬ try, and cattle fatten in summer upon the wild growth. Kemp 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 woods. The winter season is employed by the farmer in making staves for casks, squaring timber, or preparing plank 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 rains, which can have but small influence on so vast a body. This cir¬ cumstance alone adds a value to the establishments on its borders ; for on all other risers, except those of the first magnitude, they w ho mean to conduct rafts down their stream are compelled to be ready at the moment of a sw ell of the waters ; and if they be so unfortunate as not to be prepared, an opportunity of carrying to market the productions of their farms becomes lost to them for tha whole year : it likewise not unfrequently happens with many rivers, that the spring freshets are not sufficiently high to render it safe to venture down them. The farmer on the Saint Lawrence is assured he can send a barrel of flour for four shillings, and a barrel of potash for eight shillings, to the ship which comes from Lurope. in many branches of husbandry, the settlers of this country seem to display a superior degree of skill, and fields of corn are here to be seen as luxuriant and fine as in any part of the uni¬ verse. HUBIOT.] K 66 heriot’s travels The mode of commencing a settlement is by cutting down the smaller wood and some of the large trees, collecting them into heaps and burning them. Some of the remaining trees are girdled, by cutting a groove all around through the bark, to im¬ pede the sap from mounting, and thus deprived of nourishment the branches cease to grow, and the leaves decay and tall to the ground. After passing a harrow over the soil, in order to turn it up, the grain is sown, the harrow is again used, and thus left without any further trouble the newly-cleared ground yields a copious increase. A stranger is here struck with sentiments of regret on viewing the numbers of fine oak-trees winch are daily consumed by fire, in preparing the lands foi cultivation. The houses, with few ex¬ ceptions, are here constructed of wood, but with a degree of neatness and taste for which we m vain might look among the more ancient settlements of the lower province. The improvements of every description, in which fnr a few years past the province has been rapidly advancing, have, in some situations, already divested it of the appearance of a new-settled colony, and made it assume the garb of \Vealth and of long-esta¬ blished 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 nines. The scenery from Niagara to Queenstown is highly pleasing, the road leading along the summit of the banks of one of the most magnificent nvers in the universe; 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 proceeds through a forest of oak-trees, until he becomes surprised, and his attention is arrested by the falls presented to the eye through openings now cut in the woods on the steep banks by which they are confined. QUEENSTOWN. Queenstown is a neat and flourishing place, distinguished by the beauty and grandeur of its situation. Here ad the merchan¬ dise and stores for the upper part of the province are landed from the vesseis in winch they have been conveyed from Kingston, and transported m w aggons to Chippaw a, a distance of ten miles, the tails and the rapid and broken course of the river rendering the navigation impracticable foi that space. Between Niagara und Queenstown the river affords, in every part, a noble harbour for vessels, the water being deep, the stream not too powerful, ihe anchorage good, and the banks on either side of considerable altitude.- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 67 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 cast 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 the water below to their summit. Their strata are similar not only in alti¬ tudes but in substance. A little way below the bank on which the town is placed, there is a spot rising about twenty feet from the side of the river upon whose surface a quantity of stones is placed which appear to have been deposited there for a series of \^ars, and which have been evidently formed in currents of water. Since the settlement of the country the river has not been per¬ ceived to rise to that' height. These circumstances seem to afford probable ground for conjecture that the stream which now flows through the deep chasm of the mountain did at some for¬ mer period throw itself from near the summit, and after sweep¬ ing away the rocks and soil from its present profound and rugged channel, extending upwards of nine miles from the precipice, whence the wide and stupendous flood continues now to fall. THE WHIRLPOOL. In tracing the course of the river higher up from Queenstown many singular and romantic scenes are exhibited : the whirlpool, which is about four miles from that place, is a basin formed by the current in the midst of lofty precipices clothed with w'oods. Previous to its entering this bay the stream drives with awful roar, its broken interrupted waters over a sudden slope upwards of fifty feet in height, and thus proceeds 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 the circuit of the basin before it can flow through that channel. It has apparently made an effort to break through the bank to the westward, but the rock was probably too solid. The strata to the northward were found more penetrable, and through these it has forced a passage. A tide rising to the height of two and a 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 which causes it al¬ ternately to swell and to recoil from the beach. This gnlph usually contains a quantity of floating timber, which continues to revolve in the eddv about once in half an hour, and will sometimes remain in this state (or months, until it be drawn off by the current. At one particular part all floating substances k2 68 heriot’s travels are made to rise on one end, after which thev are swallowed dow» by the vortex and for a time disappear. / FALLS OF NIAGARA. The falls of Niagara surpass in sublimity every description which the powers of language can afford of that celebrated scene, the most wonderful and awful which the habitable world pre¬ sents. Nor can anv drawing convey an adequate idea of the magnitude and depth of the precipitating waters. By the inter¬ position of two islands the river is separated into three falls, that of the Great Horse-shoe on the west or British side, so deno¬ minated from its form, and those of Fort Slausser and Mont- morenci 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 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 the Horse-shoe and in the American falls may be estimated at a mile and a quarter, and the altitude of the Table Rock, from whence the precipitation commences is one hundred and fifty feet. Along the boundaries of the river, and behind the falls, the .elevated and rocky banks are every where excavated by sulphu¬ reous springs, the vitriolic acid uniting with the limestone rock jand forming plaster of Paris, which is here and there scattered amid the masses of stones which compose the 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 beneath, the effect is awfully grand, magnificent, and sublime. No object intervening between the spectator and that profound abyss, he appears snsp* nded in the atmosphere. 1 lie lofty banks and immense woods which environ this stu¬ pendous scene, the irresistible force, the rapidity of motion dis¬ played by the rolling clouds of foam, the uncommon brilliancy and variety of colours and of shades, the ceaseless intumescence, and swift agitation of the dashing waves below, the solemn and tremendous noise, with the volumes of vapour darting upwards into the air, which the simultaneous report and smoke of a thou¬ sand cannon could scarcely equal, irresistibly tend to impress the imagination with such a train of sublime sensations, as few other combinations of natural objects are capable of producing, and which terror lest the treacherous rock crumble beneath the feet by no means contributes to diminish. The height of the descent of the rapids above the great falls is fifty-seven feet eleven inches. The distance of the commence- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 69 nicnt ot the rapids above tbe pitch, measured by the side of (be island is one hundred and forty-eight feet, and the total altitude liom the bottom of the tails to the top of (he rapids is two hun- drt d and seven feet. The projection of the extreme part of the lahle Hock is tilty feet four inches J he large island extends up the river about three quarters of a mile, and the rapids between that and the western banks are much diversified ; in one situation near the island there is a fall of about sixteen teet in height, the vapour from which is distinctly visible. Several small islands are tunned 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 advantage ; they dash from one rocky declivity to another, and hasten w ith foaming fury to the precipice. The bank along wliqse summit the car¬ riage-road extends, affords many rich although partial views of the falls and rapids. They are from hence partly excluded from the eye by trees of different kinds, such as tbe oak, the ash, the beech, hr, sassafras, cedar, w alnut, and tulip-trees. About two miles further down the side of the river, at a situa¬ tion called Bender's, an extensive and general prospect of the falls, with the rapids and islands, is at once developed to the eve of the spectator. On descending the bank, which in several places is precipitous and difficult, and on emerging from the woods at its base a wonderful display of grand and stupendous objects is at once expanded to tbe view, loom amid immense fragments of rock and lacerated trees which have descended in the current of the waters, the eye i3 directed upw ards 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 lofiv bank profusely covered with diversity nf foliage, beyond which the naked excavated rock discloses itself. As the river here con¬ tracts to the breadth of about half a mile, the fall on the Ameri¬ can side becomes nearest to the eye, and its w aters tumble over a rock which appears to be perpendicular, and nearly in a straight line across to the island, the curvatures being, from the point now described, not perceptible. The rock is, however, exca¬ vated, 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 accumulated throughout the whole extent be¬ low, and receive the weighty and effulgent clouds, of broken waters which again dash from thence into the basin. Tbe Horse-shoe fall is distinguished not only by its vastness but by the variety of its colours. The, water# gt the edge of th$ 70 heriot’s travels Table; Rock are of a brownish cast, further on of a brilliant wnite, and in the center, where the fluid body is greatest, a transparent green appears. Around th'e projection, which is' in the foim ot a horse-shoe, the water is of a snowy whiteness. A cloud ot thick vapour constantly arises from the center, part of which be¬ comes dissolved in the higher regions of the atmosphere, and a part spreads 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 per¬ petually pouring down into it might be supposed to produce. Except at the places immediately underneath each of the falls there are no broken billows; the stream is comparatively tranquil, biit the water continues for a long way down its course to revolve in numerous whirlpools. Its colour is a deep blue ; quantities ot foam float upon the surface and almost cover a large bay formed between projecting points, containing several insulated rocks. Proceedin': along the beach to the basis of the Table Rock, the distance is about two miles, and the way thither is over masses of stone w hich 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 iu height from the level of the river. The projection of the Table Rock, it has been remarked, i$ fifty feet, Kind between it and the falls a lofty and irregular arch is formed, which extends under the pitch almost without inter¬ ruption 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 accompanied by torrents of rain issue from this gloomy cavern; the air drawn down by the waters is in part reverberated bv the rock and thus discharges itself. At this situation is illustrated the effect of an immense mass of waters, thrown from a prodigious height, after being forcibly propelled. The projectile, counteracted by the graviiative power, obliges the falling body to describe at first an ellipse, and then to assume the perpendicular direction in which it is received into the basin. The salient groups in which, with gradations almost regular, the tumbling waters are precipitated, excite the awe and admira¬ tion of the spectator; the eye follows with delight the masses of THROUGH THE CANADAS. 71 lustrous foam, varied by prismatic hues, and forming a wide and resplendent curtain. About hall a mile from hence, in descending the course of the liver, and behind some trees which grow upon the lower bank; is placed the Indian ladder, composed of a tall cedar tree, whose bows have been lopped oft to within three inches of the trunk, and whose upper end is attached bv a cord of bark to the root of a living tree; the lower end is planted amid stones. It is upwards ot forty feet in length, and trembles and bends under the weight of a person upon it. As this the nearest way to the river side, many people descend by the ladder, led either by curiosity, or for the purpose of spearing tish, w hich in the summer are found in great abundance in this vicinity. The spear in use is a fork with tw'o or three prongs, with mov¬ ing baro.'v and fixed to a long handle. The fisherman takes possession ot a pro mnent rock, from whence he watches for his prey, and when it approaches within his reach, he pierces it with lus instrument, with an almost inevitable certauitv. I he village of Chippawa or Fort Welland, is situated on each side of a river of the same name, which here joins the Saint JLawrence. 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 b'oek-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 con¬ ducting to Fort Erie the transport of stores for the service of the troops in the upper part of the prov nee, and for the engineer and Indian departments. After being conveyed by land from Queens¬ town, the provisions and other articles are here embarked in ba¬ teaux. There are in the village some mercantile store-houses, and two or three taverns. The waters of the Chippawa are always of a deep brow n colour, and are very unwholesome if used for culi¬ nary purposes; they enter the St. Lawrence about two miles above the falls, and although they be frequently broken, and rush into many rapids in their course thither, they seem obsti¬ nately 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 oi the sheet which tumbles over the Table Rock. Their weight, and the depth of the descent, mingle them effectually with the waters in the basin beneath. The colour of the Chip¬ pawa is derived from that river passing over a level country, in many places swampy, and from quantities of decayed trees which tinge it with their bark. It is also impregnated with bituminous matter, which prevents it, until it has suffered the most violent 72 JSERIOTS TRAVELS violent agitation ami separation of particles, from incorporating with the more tiansparent and nncorrnpted stream ot the Saint Lawrence. Opposite to the village of Chippawa the current becomes so powerful, that no boat can be ventured into it, without imminent danger of being swept away, and lost in the rapids. Between the village and the falls there are three mills; the lower for the manufacture of Hour; 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 lias hitherto failed of success: the logs for the saw¬ mill are conveyed down the current to this situation in a very sin¬ gular manner. They are cut upon the borders of the Chippawa, and floated down to its mouth, where a reservoir, 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 the falls, small poles have been fixed together, from the reservoir to the mill, floating at the distance of eighteen or twenty feet from the shore. They are retained in their places bv poles pro¬ jecting from the land; and thus the chain of poles, rising and falling with the waters, and always floating on the surface, forms a species of canal, into which the logs are separately launched, and in this manner carried from the reservoir to the mill, a dis¬ tance of more than a mile. In the vicinity of this mill there i? a spring of water, whose vapour is highly inflammable, and is emitted for a time with a con¬ siderable degree of force. If collected within a narrow compass, it is capable of supporting combustion for near twenty minutes, and of communicating to water placed over it, in a small, con- fined vessel, the degree of boiling temperature. The Saint Lawrence at the continence of the Chippawa, is up¬ wards of a league in width, and is passed to the opposite shore in boats or bateaux, about three-quarters ot a mile higher up than the village, and by the lower end oi Navy island. The transport ot goods by land to Fort Slausser, two miles above the east side / ot tlie tails, was formerly conducted from a place opposite to Queenstown, in passing through die cultivated grounds on this border of the river, immense mounds of earth, thrown up by -multitudinous colonies of large black ants, are every where ob¬ servable. The rapids on this branch o the river, although not so extensive, are nevertheless equally beautiful 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 scenes "hich in every point of view is accompanied with sublimity. Trees and rocks form the nearest objects, and, Letweeu these and the islands, a lively picture is exhibited uc THROUGH THE CANADAS. broken rapids dashing over the slippery rocks, which are hidden beneath the foaming torrents. Amid the sinuosities of the pitch, a part of the American fall is developed to the view of the spec¬ tator, and the Montmorenci 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 becomes disclosed. The inequalities ot the precipice, which have been formed by the cur¬ rent, are here fully discoverable. 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 enliven and to adorn. The Horse-shoe fall beyond the whole, delights the mind with the rapidity of its movements, and the animated eff ul¬ gence of its hues. From the station which we have now endea¬ voured to describe, is afforded the most perfect idea of the cre¬ scent formed by three falls, the islands, and the Table Rock. To descend the perpendicular cliff on the eastern bank is at¬ tended with difficulty, and with some degree of peril. Few of the roots and vines which formerly luma: downwards 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 developemeiit of scenery yet more awfully stupendous than that which had before been presented to his con¬ templation. Here nature, agitated by the struggles of contend¬ ing elements, assumes a majestic and tremendous wildness of form. Here terror seems to hold his habitation. Here brilliancy, profundity, motion, sound, and tumultuous fury, mingle through¬ out the scene. The waters appear to pour from the sky with such impetuosity, that a portion is thrown back in clouds of vapour. The mind, expanded by the immensity and splendour of the surrounding objects, is disposed to give issue to the sensa¬ tions of awe and wonder by which she is impressed, in ejacula¬ tions similar to that of the Psalmist of Israel, “ Great and mar¬ vellous are thy works!!!” The huge fragments of rock which have been thrown from the summit of the precipice, by the irresistible strength of the torrent, and which have fallen upon each other in towering heaps beneath, suggest to the imagination an idea of what may take place pre¬ vious to the general consummation of this terrestrial scene, when ancient monuments of marble, under which princes of the earth have 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 sources i These are inexhaustible; and the body which HERiot.] l 74 heriot’s travels throws itself down these cliffs, forms the sole discharge of four immense inland seas. The effect produced by the cold of winter on these sheets of water thus rapidly agitated, is at once singular and splendid. Icicles of great thickness and length are formed along the banks, from the springs which How over them. The sources, impreg¬ nated with sulphur, which drain from the hollow of the rocks, are congealed into transparent blue columns. Cones are formed by llie spray, particularly on the American side, which have in se¬ veral places large fissures disclosing the interior, composed of clusters of icicles, similar to the pipes of an organ. Some parts of the falls are consolidated into fluted columns, and the river above is seen partially frozen. The boughs of the trees in the surrounding woods are hung with purest icicles formed from the spray, and reflecting in every direction the rays of the sun, pro¬ duce a variety of prismatic hues, and a lustre almost too reful¬ gent to be long sustained by the powers of vision. This part of the Saint Law rence, which is called the Niagara river, issues from the eastern extremity of Lake Erie, and dis¬ charges itself into Lake Ontario, at the erd of thirty-six miles, after undergoing the most violent agitations through an inter¬ rupted 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 bv innumerable hidden rocks. In the vicinity of Navy Island there are two smaller isles. The western bank between Cbippawa 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 from Fort Slausser to Buffalo Creek, a settlement w hich contains several Indian and some white families. At a spot called the Black Rock, at the lower end of the rapids, a fort has been traced, and partly constructed, within the limits of the United States. LAKE ERIE. Lake Erie is near 300 miles in length, and 710 miles in cir¬ cumference; it derives its name from the Eries or Cats, a native tribe which once dwelt on its borders. The landscape at the entrance exhibits a pleasing variety, consisting of water, points of land, level countries, and distant mountains. The coasts are cloathed with oak, ash, chesnut, apple, and cherry-trees. The south-east shore abounds in game and wild animals. The islands which it contains are Bass islands, Isle Bois blanc, Isle Celeron, Cunningham’s Island, East Sister, Grose Isle, Middle Island, i (/.' V, U,'/ d*y, r yttfjkrf >*//■ t>> r //^ ’///////’A‘//f / 7 / 24o.Fc,:tJfi£h > «. t(Ue# s m* tflf. Printed for Richard Mps.^W' Ftnxi-.Z^bLm GMn.S.&y.'y, fhx r M/mmxa/ at/ ''rfiiz&rr' ftmted ter Richard Flnllip *.6 yew Brut* Slroajondon THROUGH THE CANADAS. 7 3 Middle Sister, Pointe Pelee Isle, Saint George’s Island, Ship Island, Sandusky Island, Turtle Island, and West Sister. The old tort on the west side of the entrance into the lake, con¬ sists 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 com¬ pany of soldiers is usually stationed here, and the men are chiefly employed m assisting to conduct the transport of stores. Two vessels in the service of the British government are used in navi¬ gating this Jake. The bottom of the lake consists of lime-stone rock of a blueish colour, with which are mingled many petiified substances, animal as well as vegetable. The lake is much exposed at its northern extremity, to gales of wind, which occasion its waters to rise to a very considerable height. Vessels are at these periods in some danger of being driven on shore, their cables being often cut asunder by the sharp and flinty edges of the rocks which compose the anchorage. Miamis river empties itself into a bay of the same name, at the s mill-west end of Lake Erie. It was upon the banks of this ri\er, at a short distance from its mouth, that a fort was con¬ structed in *794, and a garrison posted in it, to stop the progress of General Wayne, who, with an arm) of Americans, was march¬ ing against the fort of Detroit. Some of the sources of this river are not far from YVabache, which falls into the Ohio. The navigate >\\ of Lake Erie, whose greatest depth dots not exceed fiity fathoms, is frequently more tedious than that of the other lakes, on account of the changes of wind that are required to carry a tssel through it, and to enter the strait, which runs nearly bom north to south. In some of the beautiful isles at its mouth there are remarkable caverns, abounding in stalactites* THE DETROIT. The old tow n and fort of Detroit, which, in 1796, was trans¬ ferred to the government of the Lin ted States, is situated on the western border of the river, about nine miles below Lake Saint Claire. It contained upwards of two hundred houses; the streets were regular, and it had a range of barracks of a neat appear¬ ance, with a spacious paiade on the southern extremity. The fortifications consisted of a stockade of cedar-posts, and it was defended by basuons made of earth and pickets, on which were mounted pieces oi cannon sufficient to resist the hostile efforts of the i udians, or of ... < 1 emy unprovided with artillery. The gar- ri , times oi p < e, consisted of about three hundred men, comma idecl by a field-officer, w ho discharged also the functions L 2 76 heriot’s tpavels of civil magistrate. The whole of this town was lately burnt to ashes, not a building remaining, except one or two block¬ houses. In the month of July, 1762, Pontiac, a chief of the Miami's Indians, who preserved a deep-rooted hatred to the English, en¬ deavoured to surprise the garrison of Detroit, with an intention of massacring the whole of the inhabitants; but an accidental dis¬ covery having been made of his plot, he and his people were spared by the commandant, who had them in his power, and were permitted to depart in safety. Far from entertaining any senti¬ ment of gratitude for the generous conduct which had been shewn him, Pontiac continued for a considerable time to blockade the place, and several lives were lost on both sides by frequent skir¬ mishes. The strait above Hog Island becomes enlarged, and forms Lake Saint Chtire, whose diameter is twenty-six miles, but whose depth is inconsiderable. Its islands are Chenal tcarte , Harsen’s Island, Hay Island, Peach Island, and Thompson's island. On the western side of this lake were two numerous villages of natives, not far from each other. The first of these, called Huron Tson- nontatex, was the same which, having long wandered towards the North, formerly fixed itself at the cascades cl Saint Mary, and at Michilimakinac. The second was composed of Pouteoua- tarnis. ( hi the right, somewhat higher up*, there was a third vil¬ lage, consisting of the Ontaouais, inseparable companions ot the Hurons, ever since both these tribes w ere compelled by the Iro¬ quois to abandon their native territories. The lake gives a passage to the waters of the three immense lakes beyond it, receiving them through a long channel, extending from north to south, called the river burnt Claire. The river la Tranche, or Thames, disembogues 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 extremity, and is intended as a depot for building vessels, its greatest disadvantage is a bar across its embouchure , in lake Saint Claire ; but this is of sufficient depth for vessels of a smaller de¬ scription, and for those of a huger size when lightened. A village of Moravians, under the guidance of four missionaries from the United Brethren, is placed twenty miles above the in¬ tended site of Chatham. They established themselves in that situation with a design of converting the Indians, and their con¬ duct is peaceable and inoffensive; their chief occupation is in cultivating their com fields, and making maple sugar. A chapel is erected in the village. Not fiir train hence there is u spring gf petroleum. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 77 In proceeding upwards, the sinuosities of the river are frequent, and the summits of the banks are rather elevated, but not broken; on either side arc villages of the Delawarsand Chippawas. Some¬ what higher up, at the confluence of two forks of this river, is the site of which General bimcoe made choice for a town to be named London. Its position, with relation to the lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario, is centrical, and around it is a fertile and in¬ viting tract of territory. It communicates with lake Huron by a northern, or main branch of the same river, and a small portage or carrying-place. One of the branches of the Thames is not far distant from the Ouse, or Grand River. Hut the prospect of being enabled to embrace the advantages of this inland navigation, can only he contemplated at a distance. A period of many years must ne¬ cessarily elapse before the population and improvements shall have attained that progressive state of prosperity, which will enable the inhabitants to bestow attention and expence on the inodes of facilitating the more interior communication. 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. Level grounds intervene to break the uniformity which would predominate on this river, were its borders all of equal height. These situations were formerly cultivated 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 na¬ tural plain, denuded of woods, except where small groves are interspersed, affording in its present state the appearance of a beautiful park, on whose formation and culture taste and expence had been bestowed. LAKE HURON. 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 triangular, its length;is ( lo® miles, and iis circumference, including the coasts of the bays, is 1,100 miles. The islands which it contains are. La Cloche, Duck islands, Hat islands, Isle la Crosse, isle Traverse, Mani- toualin islands, Whitewood island, Michilimakinac, Nibisli island, Prince W illiam’s islands, island of Saint Joseph, Sugar island, Thunderhay islands on the south, and a multitude of isles on the north coast. The channel between lakes Saint Claire and Huron is twenty- 78 heriot’s travels 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 ol consi¬ derable size. On the south side of lake Huron is the bay of Saguina, whose mouth is eighteen miles in width, whose length is forty-live 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, gene¬ rated by vapours issuing from the land in its vicinity. Travellers in passing this part of the lake scarce ever escape the encounter of these awful phenomena. 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 Hash their forked tires in every direction, and peals of thunder roar and burst over the head, with a noise 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 with lake Michigan, in latitude forty- five degrees, forty-eight minutes, thirty-four seconds, and up¬ wards 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 form¬ ing the angles, the spaces between them being tilled up with cedar pickets. On the shore below the fort there are several store-houses and dwellings. The neighbouring part of the cou- tinent, w hich separates lake Superior from lake Huron, derives its name from the island. In 1 f>71 Father Marquette came thither with a party of Hurons whom he had prevailed on to form a settlement; a fort was constructed, and it afterwards be¬ came an important post. It was the place of general assemblage for all the French who went to traffic w ith the distant nations. It was the asylum of all savages who came to exchange their furs for merchandise. When individuals belonging to tribes at war with each other came thither and met on commercial adventure, their animosities were suspended. The natives who reside there have no occasion to betake them¬ selves to li e fatigut s of tl echace in order to procure a subsistence. W hen they are inclined to industry they const, act cauoes of THROUGH THE CANADAS. 79 the bark of the birch tree, which they sell for from two hundred to three hundred livres each. They catch herrings, white fish, and trout, of from four to five feet in length, some of which weigh seventy pounds. This fish, which is bred in lake Michigan, and is known by the name of Michilimakinac trout, affords a most delicious food. It is extremely rich and delicate, and its fat, resembling the nature of spermaceti, is never cloying to the appetite. The young men, notwithstanding the abundance of food de¬ rived from the quantities of fish, employ a great part of the sum¬ mer in the chace, for which they travel to the distance of forty or fifty leagues, and return loaded with game. In autumn they depart for the winter chase, which is the most valuable and pro¬ ductive for the furs, and return in the spring with skins of beavers, martins, foxes, and other animals, with bear’s grease, and with provision of the flesh of that animal, and of stags, buffaloes, and elks, cured by smoke. Their tradition concerning the name of this little barren island is curious. They sav that Michapous, the chief of spirits, so¬ journed long in that vicinity. They believed that a mountain on the border of the lake was the place of his abode, and they called it by his name. It was here, say they, that he first instructed man to fabricate nets for taking fish, and where he has collet ted the greatest quantity of these finny inhabitants of the waters. On the island he left spirits named Imakinakos, and from these aerial possessors it has received the appellation of Michilimakinac. This place came into the possession of the American govern¬ ment in I79t>, the period of delivering overall the other forts within its boundaries. The strait between lakes Huron and Michigan, or the lake of the Illinois, is fifteen leagues in length, and is subject to a ilux and reflux which are by no means regular. The currents flow with such rapidity that, when the wind blows, all the nets which are set are drifted away and lost; and sometimes during strong winds the ice is driven against the direction of the currents with much violence. When the savages in those quarters make a feast of fish, they invoke the spirits of the island, thank them for their bounty, and entreat them to continue their protection to their families. They demand of them to preserve their nets and canoes from the swel¬ ling and destructive billows when the lakes are agitated by storms. All who assist in the ceremony lengthen their voices together, w hich is an act of gratitude. In the observance of this duty of their religion they were formerly very punctual and scru¬ pulous, but the French rallied them so much upon the subject that they became ashamed to practise it openly. They are still. so heriot’s travels however, remarked to mutter something which has a reference to the ceremony which their forefathers were accustomed to per¬ form in honour of their insular deities. LAKE MICHIGAN. Lake Michigan is 2()0 miles in length, and 945 in circumfer¬ ence. Its discharge is into Lake Huron, through the strait al¬ ready mentioned, and it consequently forms a part of the Saint Lawrence. Its breadth is about 70 miles; on the right of its entrance are the Beaver islands, and on the left those of the Ponteouatamis in travelling from south to north. The eastern coast is full of rivers and rivulets near to one another, which have their source in the peninsula that sepaiates Lake Huron from this lake. The principal of these are Marquette’s river, the Saint Nicholas, the great river whose source is near the bev of Saguina en Lake Huron, the Raisin, the BarLue, the Maramev, the Black river, on whose borders there is much ginseng, and the river Saint Joseph, which is the most considerable of the whole, and which, through its various sinuosities, may be ascend¬ ed near a 1.30 miles. At sixty miles from its mouth the French had a fort and mission near a village of the Pouteouatamis. At nine or ten miles from the Saint Joseph are found the sources of the Theakiki navigable for canoe, and which falls into the river of the Illinois. The western coast of the lake has been but little frequented ; towards the north is found the entrance of the bay dcs Puans, a name given by the French to a savage nation resid¬ ing there, but it is more generally distinguished by the appellation of the Green bay. Upon its borders stood a French fort, and a mission called Saint Francois Xavier was established in this vicinity. The bottom of the bay is terminated 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 two miles the traveller may proceed along its course to tha Ouiscousin, which unites with the Mississippi. Tiie waters in Green bay have a flux and reflux, and from the quantity of swampy grounds, and of mud sometimes left exposed to the sun and causing an unpleasant vapour, it originally re¬ ceived the name ol Puante . This agitation of the waters pro¬ ceeds, doubtless, from the pressure of winds on the center of the Jake. The bay is one hundred and twenty miles in depth, and its width is from twenty-four to thirty miles at its entrance, which, by die islands already noticed is separated into several channels. On the borders of the Aialhomims river, whose wa¬ ters llow r into this bay, there is a village composed of natives col¬ lected from several tribes, w ho employ themselves in Ashing and cultivating the ground. They are gratified by entertaining puis- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 81 sengers, a quality which among savages is in the highest estima¬ tion ; for it is the custom of the chiefs to bestow all they possess, if they wish to acquire any pre-eminent degree of consideration. The predominating propensity of these savages is hospitality to strangers, who find here, in every season, all kinds of refresh¬ ment which these territories produce, and the principal return which is expected is a commendation of their generosity. The Sakis, the Pouteouatamis, and Maihominis, here reside ; there aie also about four cabins or families of sedentary Na- douaicks, 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 neighbouring country. The tribe was numerous, formidable, and fierce. They violated every principle of nature. No stranger was suffered to enter their territory with impunity. The Maihominis, who dared not to complain of their tyranny, w ere the only people with whom they had any intercourse. They believed themselves invincible ; they declared war ou every tribe they could discover, although their arms consisted only of hatchets and of knives formed of stone. They refused to have any commerce with the French. The Outaouais sent to them embassadors, whom they had the ferocity to devour. This instance of atrocity roused w ith indignation all the neighbouring tribes, who joined with the Outaouais, and re¬ ceiving arms from the French made frequent irruptions on the Puans. The numbers of the latter became thus rapidly dimi¬ nished. Civil wars at length arose amongst them ; they re¬ proached each other as the cause of their misfortunes, by having perfidiously sacrificed the Outaouaisian deputies, who were bringing them knives and other articles for their use, of whose value they were ignorant. When they found themselves so vigor¬ ously attacked they were constrained to unite into one village, where they still amounted to five thousand men. They formed against the Outagamis a party of five hundred warriors, but these perished bv a tempest which arose during their passage on the waters. Their enemies compassionated their loss, by saying that the gods ought to be satisfied with such reiterated punishments, and ceased to make war against the remainder of their tribe. The scourges with which they had been afflicted awoke not, however, in their minds, a sense of the turpitude of their con¬ duct, and they pursued w ith renovated vigour the practice of their former enormities. The north coast of Lake Huron is intersected by several rivers which flow thither. A chain of islands, called the Mauitoualins, extends about a hundred and fifty miles from east to west, oppo¬ site to the low'er or eastern extremity of which French river dis¬ embogues itself. The eastern coast of the lake is studded with UEujot.J M heriot’s travels 82 isles, and cut by rivulets and rivers, which descend from several small lakes, the most considerable of which is Toronto, already described under the name of Simcoe ; this, it has been remarked, has a communication with Lake Ontario, after a very short carry¬ ing-place. Luke Michigan is separated from Lake Superior by a tongue of land, at least SO miles in length, and 24 in breadth. The ste¬ rility ol the soil renders it incapable of affording sustenance to any inhabitants. It may be denominated an island, as it is intersected by a river, communicating with both of these lakes. Saint Jo¬ seph is an island of about 75 miles in circumference, situated near the Detour, or passage for vessels, at the northern extre¬ mity of Lake Huron. It was made choice of in 1795 as a mili¬ tary post, when Michilimakinac should be no longer in posses¬ sion ot 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 the level of the water, and connected with the island by a low isth¬ mus of sand, about 300 yards in breadth. A company of infantry, and some artillery soldiers, are there stationed. Although more than a degree of latitude to the south¬ ward of Quebec, the v. inters are of ecpial duration and severity as at that place. The soil consists of a black mould of about fifteen inches in depth, upon a stratum of sand, and is not of a very fertile nature. The falls, or rather cascades, of Saint Marv, are nothing else than a violent current of the waters of Lake Superior, which being interrupted in their descent by a number of large rocks that seem to uispute the passage, form dangerous rapids of three miles in length, precipitating their white and broken waves one upon another in irregular gradations. These cascades are nine miles below the entrance into Lake Superior, and about fifty miles from the Detour already mentioned. The whole of this distance is occupied by a variety of islands, which divide it into separate channels, and enlarge its width in some situations beyond the extent of sight. METHOD OF FISHING ON THE RAPIDS. It is at the bottom of the rapids, and even among their bil¬ lows w hich foam with ceaseless impetuosity, that innumerable quantifies of excellent fish may be taken from the spring until the winter; the species which is found in the greatest abundance is denominated by the savages, atticameg, or white fish; the Michilimakinac trout and pickerell are likewise caught here. These afford a principal means of subsistence to a number of native tribes. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 83 No small degree of address, as well as strength, is employed t>y the savages in catching these iish ; they stand in an erect at¬ titude in a birch canoe, and even amid the billows they push with force to the bottom of the waters a long pole, at the end of which is fixed a hoop, with a net in the form of a bag, into which the fish is constrained to enter. They watch it with the eye when it glides among the rocks, quickly ensnare it and drag it into the canoe. In conducting this mode of fishing much practice is required, as an inexperienced person may, by the efforts which he is obliged to make, overset the canoe, and inevitably perish. The convenience of 1 aving fish in such abundance attracts to tins situation, during summer, several of the neighbouring tribes xvbo are of an erratic disposition, and too indolent for the toils of husbandry. They, therefore, support themselves by the cliace m winter, and by fishing in summer. The missionaries stationed at this place embraced the opportunity of instructing them in the duties of Christianity, and their residence was distinguished by the appellation of the Mission of the Falls of Saint Mary, which became the center of several others. The original natives of this place were the Patrouiting Dach- Irini , called by the French, saulteurs , as the other tribes re¬ sorted but occasionally thither. They consisted only of one hundred and fifty men; these, however, afterwards united them¬ selves with three other tribes, who shared in common with them the rights of the territory. Their residence was here established except when they betook themselves to the chace. The natives named Nouquet ranged throughout the southern borders of Lake Superior, which was their natal soil. The Outchibons, with the Mara megs, frequented the northern coasts of the same lake, which they considered as their country. Besides these four tribes there were several others dependent on this mission. The Achiligouans, the Amicours, and the Missasagues, came likewise to fish at the fall of Saint Mary, and to hunt on the isles, and on the territories in the vicinity of Lake Huron. ACCOUNT OF THE HURON’S. The ancient Hurons, »from whom the lake derives its name, dwelt on its eastern confines. They were the first natives in this quarter who hazarded an alliance with the French, from whom they received Jesuit missionaries to instruct them in the Christian religion. These Europeans were sliled bv the natives. Masters of Iron, and they who remained in those regions taught them to be formidable to their enemies. Even the Iroquois courted the the alliance of the Hurons, who, with too great facility, relied on the pretended friendship and professions of that guileful people. 84 heriot’s travels The Iroquois at length found means to surprise them and to put them in disorder, obliging some to fly to Quebec, and others to¬ wards different quarters. The account of the defeat of the Ilurons spread itself amoug the neighbouring nations, and consternation seized on the greater part of them. From the incursions which the Iroquois made when least expected there was no longer any security. The Nepicirenians fled to the north ; the Saulteurs and the Missa- sagues penetrated to the westward. The Outaouais and some other tribes bordering on Lake Huron retired to the south. The Ilurons withdrew to an island where their late disaster only tended to endear the remembrance of their commerce with the French, which was now frustrated. After an attempt, attended with peril, they, however, again found their way to these Euro¬ peans. By a second irruption of the Iroquois they were driven from their island, and took refuge among the Pouteouatamis. Part of the Ilurons descended to Quebec, and formed a settle¬ ment to the northward of that place, of which an account has already been given. The tribes frequenting the northern territories are savage and erratic, living upon fish and the produce of the chace; often upon the inner bark of trees. A kind of dry grey moss grow ing on the rocks, called by the Canadians tripe de rockers, not un- frequently supplies them with food. They ensnare and shoot beavers, elks, cariboos, and hares of an uncommon size. The lofty grounds abound in blue or huckle-berries, which they col¬ lect and dry, to eat in times of scarcity; but as these regions are in general sterile, many of the inhabitants perish bv famine. They whose hunting grounds 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 de¬ ficiency of maize. The forests and plains are tilled 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 inter¬ course 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 ex< h mge for their worn peltry, of the value of which they were for some time ignorant. The Nepicirenians and the Amehoeest inhabited the coasts of Lake Nipissing. A great part of them were connected w ith the tribes of the north, from whom they drew much peltry at an in¬ considerable value. They rendered themselves masters of all the other natives in those quarters, until disease made great havock among them, and the Iroquois, insatiable after human blood. THROUGH THE CANADAS. S3 compelled the remainder 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 bv 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 nations 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 themselves 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 transpa¬ rent that fish can be seen at the depth of thirty feet. Whilst the women and children are collecting berries, die men are oc¬ cupied in darting sturgeon. When their grain is almost ripe they return home. On the approach of winter they resume their stations near the lake for the purpose 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 they were acquanted 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 provi¬ sions, and if a part happen to be left, it is from their being in¬ capable of consuming the whole. When a stranger arrives among them they will offer him their last morsel of food, to impress him with a persuasion that they are not in indigence. The fore¬ fathers of these natives were brave, but they have been so long in the enjoyment ©f indolence and tranquillity that they have degene¬ rated in valour, and make war only on the beasts of the forest, and the inhabitants of the water. The Hnrons, more prudent, l»ok forward to the future and support their families. As they are in general sober it is seldom they are subject to distress. The tribe is artful, politicat, proud, and of greater extent of capacity than most of the other natives. They are liberal, grave, decent in discourse, in which they ex¬ press themselves with accuracy, insinuating, and not subject to be duped in their dealing.. The Outaouis have endeavoured to assume the manners and maxims of this people. They were formerly extremely rude, but by intercourse with the Hurons they have become more in¬ telligent. They imitated their valour, and made themselves for- midable to all tlic 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 Montreal is situated at the foot of the cascades of Saint Mary on the north side, and consists of store houses, a saw-mill, and a hatraux-yard. The saw-mill supplies with plank, 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 residence 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 bateaux 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 ou the north than on the south side, a circumstance occasioned by the inter¬ position 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 to the deptos. r I he houses are here constructed of square timber clap-boarded, and have a neat appearance. On the north side of the rapids, about six families, consisting of Americans and domicialiated Indians are established. The taxes imposed by the government of the United States upon all kinds of merchandise arc unfavourable to the commerce of its subjects with the Indians in these regions. LAKE SUPERIOR. Lake Superior, to which was formerly given the name of Tracey, and likewise that of Condo, composes a collection of fresh wa¬ ters of the first magnitude in the known world. Although several posts in its vicinity w ere long occupied by French traders, and by missionaries, yetor.lv a small portion of geographical information was obtained through their means. The length of this lake is lour hundred miles, and its circumference one thousand five hundred and twenty miles. It is subjected to frequent storms, and a sw ell, similar to that of the tide of the ocean rolls in upon its coasts The navigation is here dangerous when the wind blows with strength, and travellers for tills reason keep near to the north shore, which, being bordered throughout bv barren locks of considerable elevation, 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 the lake. \\ bite-fish point is on the south shore, opposite to which on the north coast, and at- the distance of fifteen miles acioss, there is a mine of copper formerly worked by the French, 'lhal metal is THROUGH THE CANADAS. 87 here found in native purity, uncontaminated by mixture with any extraneous substances. Ttie cape, about nine miles from hence, is in latitude forty- six degrees, thirty-two minutes, fifty-eight seconds, and in lon¬ gitude 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 crys¬ talline waters. A \ this standard, which constitutes the in¬ crease or decrease of demand, the market is principally regu¬ lated. The consumption of peltry for dress has, fortunately for the fur merchants, prevailed for many years past, and several have from this cause acquired independent fortunes. The company trading to the north-west sends every year, to the posts on Lake Superior, about liftv canoes loaded with mer¬ chandise. These are dispatched about the beginning of May, from La Chine, a distance of nine miles above Montreal. The canoes are formed of the bark of the birch-tree, and closely lined with thin ribs made of a tough wood. The seams are sewed with radical iibres, called watape, and they are afterwards care¬ fully covered over with gum to exclude the water. The bottom of the vessel is nearly tlat, the sides are rounded, and either end terminates in a sharp edge. The price of one of these is about twelve pounds sterling, and it is calculated to contain, on the perilous voyage for which it is destined, a weight equal to that which follows: Sixty-five pieces of merchandize of ninety pounds each; eight men, each weighing at least one hundred and sixty pounds; baggage allowed to these men, at forty pounds each, together with the weight of their provisions. The w hole 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 towing 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. r l he men are engaged at Mon¬ treal four or five months before they set out on their journey, and receive in advance their equipment, and one third of their wanes. Each man holds in Ins hand a large paddle; and the canoe, al¬ though loaded within six inches of the gunw ale, is made to move, along with wonderful expedition. The roi/ageurs, or navigators, are of constitutions the strongest and most robust; and they arc at ail early period inured to the encounter of hardships. The fare on which they subsist is penurious and coarse. Fortified bv habit against apprehension from the species of difficulties and perils with which they are about to struggle, they enter on their toils with confidence and hope. \\ liilst moving along the sur¬ face of the stream, they sing in alternate strains the songs and music of their country, and cause the desolate w ilds on the banks of the Outaouais, to resound with the voice of chearfulness. They adapt in rowing their strokes lo the cadence of their strains, and redouble their efforts by making them in time. In drag;*in<>* the canoes up the rapids, great care is necessary to prevent them 104 heriot's travels from striking against rocks, the materials of which they are com¬ posed being slight and easily damaged. V hen a canoe receives an injury, the aperture is stopped with gum melted by the heat of a piece of burning charcoal. Fibres of bark bruised, and moist¬ ened with gum in a liquid state, are applied to larger apertures; a linen rag is put over the whole, and its edges are cemented with gum. The total number of men contained in the canoes, amounts usually to about three Hundred and seventy-three, of which three hundred and fifty are navigators, eighteen are guides, and five are clerks. When arrived at the grand depot, on Lake Superior, part of these ascend as far as the Rainy Lake, and they are usu¬ ally absent from Montreal about five months. The guides are paid for this service thirty seven pounds sterling, and are allowed besides, a suitable equipment. The wages of the person who sits in the front of the canoe, and of him whose office it is to steer, are about twenty-one pounds sterling each ; those of the other men, about twelve pouuds ten shillings of the same money. To each man, a blanket, shirt, and pair of trowsers are sup¬ plied; and all are maintained by their employers during the period of their engagement. The advantage of trafficking w ith the savages is likewise permitted, and some individuals procure bv this means a profit amounting to more than double their pay. From La Chine, the voyagers proceed with the little fleet of canoes, to the parish of Saint Aun, where the river becomes so rapid and broken, that they are necessiated to take out a part of their lading. This situation, containing the last church which is inet w ith on the voyage, excepting those belonging to Indian mis¬ sions, it is dedicated to the tutelar saint of voyagers, and the commencement of the route is reckoned from hence. The lake of the two mountains is an enlargement of the ft rand, or Outaouais river, immediately behind 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 miies broad, its borders are distinctly seen on each side, and present to the view fields in a state of cultivation, intermingled with woods. Two gently swelling lulls, which rise on its north-east coast, and have been dignified with the appellation of mountains, give to the lake its name. On a point of land stretching from under these, an Indian village, called Canasadago, is situated, composed of two associations of domiciliated natives, one of the Algonquin, and the other of the Iroquois 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 in¬ habitants may amount to about two thousand. Each tribe hits » ,^Ct-Zcrtv* tHxrfe. ^a// ,y '///c (/ rtrftt/r f/rf/r/t/c>Y, on///<• { ( '/i'/tf/.vn//\, /?//vv: ■) J>mfrd /or Richard HiilKp a. io Jiriest, or north-east. When blowing from the former quarter, they pass over a long tract of territory, and the surface of the earth within the limits of their course, becomes deprived of a portion of its heat to mitigate the air. But, on continuin'? to blow in tiie same direction, they will sweep over a surface 118 heriot’s travels already cooled, and will tlience receive no abatement of their severity. Advancing in this manner, they produce in their course the intenseness of frost. When the winds pass over large collections of water, the surface becomes cool, and the air pro- portionubly mitigated; the colder water, more weighty than that beneath, descends; its place is supplied by that which is warmer, and a continued revolution thus takes place, until the surface becomes solid, and the further developement of warmth is res¬ trained. The vast and immeasurable forests which overspread the face of Canada, essentially contribute to the domination of cold. The leaves and branches of the trees are thickly interwoven with each other, and the surface of the ground, particularly in the northern parts, is covered by shrubs, brambles, and the more rank productions of vegetation. Into these gloomy recesses the rays of the sun can with difficulty penetrate, and can visit them but during a transient portion of the long summer’s day. The earth overshadowed during the prevalence of heat, and covered by snow in winter, can emit but a small degree of warmth to temper the piercing winds; and the leaves of the trees which are exposed to the sun, possess not a sufficient quantity of matter to imbibe, or to retain the effect of his rays. The winds, in passing over these forests, can therefore undergo but little alteration in their temperature. The snows are there retained in the spring, to a much later period than on the cleared grounds, and tend to the prolongation of cold. The clearing and cultivation of lands have much contributed to the amelioration of the climate of Canada; and the number of fires kept lip in the habitations in different parts of the country, may likewise have a share in producing this change. Certain however it is, that the winters in those parts of Lower Canada, in the viemity of Quebec, have remitted several de¬ grees of their former severity. An intelligent priest in the island of Orleans, kept, for half a century, a correct meteoro¬ logical table; and Ins successor continued it for eight years longer. The result of their observations tended to prove, that the medium of cold in winter had diminished eight degrees w ith- • i • O O iu that period. The mercury in (lie thermometer sometimes descends in win¬ ter to the 3Gih degree below O in Fahrenheit’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 crow ding upon each other, continue to float up and down with the tides. Ihe winter of was the last in w hich w hat is called the THROUGH the CANADAS. 119 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 in¬ fluence of severe frost; it contains more air, and its contexture is much stronger, from the great degree of cold bv which it is congealed; being suddenly formed, it is less transparent, as well as harder, than that which is more tardy in its form¬ ation. 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 Lawrence, 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 convexity of the river. In great bodies of water which run with rapidity, the center is higher frequently bv 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 sometimes to¬ wards the spring, when it becomes rotten and insecure. The accumulation of snow in the woods, where it is not sub¬ ject to be drifted bv the winds, is usually six or seven feet in depth about the end of February, when it has attained its great¬ est quantity. The influence of the sun, after that period, gra¬ dually consumes it, although fresh supplies continue at intervals to fall, sometimes for six weeks after that period. The rela¬ tive 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 co¬ lumn of snow equal to 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 than con¬ venient. A vehicle, called a cariole, is drawn by one or two horses, which are harnessed in the same manner as 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 has an apron of bear-skiu or leather, and within it is placed a buffalo-skin, called a rt>be, 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 servaut 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 impulse 1G0 heriot’s travels is then required to retain it in rapid motion. After a heavy 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 road^ furrows and ridges in a transverse position, which are called cahots; until these are tilled up, travelling becomes fatiguing and unpleasant. There is scarcely a habitant in Lower Canada who possesses not one or two slays, and much time is consumed during the winter season in driving from one place to another. 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 great age. 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 portion 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 suit¬ able cloathing when they expose themselves to the air, the seve¬ rity 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 intenseness, and to counteract those impressions, of which the human frame would otherwise become more susceptible, and be perhaps un¬ equal 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. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. We have now arrived at the most interesting part of our Analysis, that which describes the manners and customs of the natives; and we intend to be as copicus in our extracts as we have been in those descriptive of the country. In many situ¬ ations on the continent of America, observes Mr. Heriot, the human race is found to approach nearer to a state of nature, than in any part of the ancient world. The condition of some of its inhabitants seems but little removed from that of the ani¬ mals which range the gloomy and boundless woods. Man may here be contemplated, either emerging from a rude state of liberty, or united into small communities, or in a state of compa¬ rative civilization. 4 1HR0UGH THE CANADAS. i'2T Although many of the Americans differ from eadi other in stature and in features, yet in complexion there is very little vari¬ ation. The tawny colour verging towards that of copper, is peculiar to the native inhabitants of the whole of this continent. This effect cannot be attributed to the degrees of temperature in the climate, to the air which they respire, or to the nature of their aliment; for in no part of this extensive region has the European complexion, throughout a descent of many generations, undergone any change from its original colour. The features of the Ameri¬ cans, when allowed to retain the shape which nature has designed them, wotdd 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, and changed in a considerable degree the manners of a great number of the Indian tribes. To acquire a knowledge of their original state, we must endeavour to trace their history in the works of the missionaries, and in those of other writers who have directed their researches to different parts of this continent. Ind elineating the manners of people whose sphere of obser¬ vation is confined to the objects of nature by which they are sur¬ rounded, it will be necessary to describe customs which may appear tinctured with folly and absurdity. An acquaintance, however, with the nature of man, can alone be gained by an observation of his conduct in the various situations in which he is placed. The origin of the inhabitants of this continent, cannot be traced with any degree of certainty. As the straits between Asia and America, in the latitude of sixty-six degrees north, are not many leagues in breadth, it is not improbable, that emigration from the old to the new hemisphere, first took place in this part of the globe. Several of the natives have derived from their ancestors a con¬ fused tradition, in which the primitive descent of no particular race of men is described. It seems to regard the general ori gin of mankind, which being the most striking of all subjects of enquiry, lias made an impression even on the minds of men who have attained but little progress in improvement* The Indians seem not, in general to be ignorant that their forefathers were strangers in the country which they now inhabit. They-assert, that they migrated from a distant region towards the west. The Iroquois, who, of all the nations of Noith America, the inhabitants of Mexico excepted, had made the greatest ad¬ vancement in the social state, assert, .that for a series of years they wandered from one situation to auother, under the conduct ii ERi O T. 1 K i2a heriot’s travels of a female. Bv her they were led over a great portion of thg continent of North America, until they made choice of the tract which they now occupy, whose climate was more temperate, and whose soil was more adapted to the purposes of cultivation than that of any place they had before visited. She there distributed lands among her followers, and thus founded a colony which has ever since retained its station. The inhabitants of Agnier differ somewhat from the rest of the Iroquois, in the account which they give of their origin, and claim an exemption from the appellation of Agonnomionni, or constructors of dwellings, which is applied to the other tribes of that nation. The natives of the neighbour¬ ing territories, blend under one name the five tribes of the Iroquois, although each is possessed of its peculiar dialect. They inhabit the country on the north and south of lake Ontario, bounded on the east by lake Champlain. They are divided into Upper and Lower Iroquois, and into five cantons; the former distinguished by the appellations of Tsonnonthouans, Goyogouens, and Onon- tagues; the latter by those of Agniers Onoyouths. By extending their wars far beyond the limits of their domains, they found a nation in Virginia which differed but little from them in lan¬ guage, and which, although formerly connected with them by some affinity, had long been unknown to them or forgotten. Of this conformity of language they availed themselves, by combi¬ ning the interests of that people w ith their own, aud thus strength¬ ened their association. These tribes, notw ithstanding a variety of causes for jealousy, have ever maintained an union among themselves, which they express by saying, that they compose only oue cabin or family. In many of the customs of the savages in America, a similarity to those of people in very different quarters of the globe is disco¬ verable ; and some words in their languages appear likew ise to have sounds, as well as applications, in which an analogv may be traced to languages that existed, or do still exist, among people of the ancient continent. From accidental sources like these, some writers have pretended to trace the countries from whence the natives of America first emigrated. It is observed by an eminent historian, that the dispositions and manners ot men are formed by their situation, and arise from the state ot society m which they live. It we suppose tw 7 o bodies oj men, though in the most remote regions of the globe, to be placed in a state ot society similar in its degree of improvement, they must teel the same wants, and exert the same endeavours to supply them. 1 he same objects w ill allure, the same passions will animate them, and the same ideas aud sentiments will arise in t ieir minds. In every part ot the earth the progress of man hath been nearly the same, and we can trace him in his career. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 123 from the rude simplicity of savage life, until he attains the indus¬ try, 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 situa¬ tion, may be denominated usages of arbitrary institution. If, between two nations settled in remote parts of the earth, a per¬ fect agreement with respect to these should be discovered, one may be led to suspect that they were connected by some affinity. America may have received its first inhabitants from our conti¬ nent, either by the north-west of Europe, or the north-east of Asia; but there seems to be good reason for supposing that the progenitors cf all the American nations, from Cape Horn to the north, migrated from the latter rather than the former. The savages preserve their skin free from all excrescences of hair, excepting that on the head and eve-brows, and even this some of them are at the trouble to eradicate. On the first arrival of Europeans on their coasts, their supiise at the uncom¬ mon appearance of these strangers became excessive; and the long beard, w hich at that period w as the prevailing mode, gave them, in the eyes of the natives, an air of hideous deformity. Many of the Americans are endowed with a considerable ca¬ pacity, with a lively imagination, a facility of conception, and strong powers of recollection. Some of the northern natives retain traces of an ancient hereditary religion, and of a species of government. They reason justly on their own affairs, and direct themselves with considerable certainty to the attainment of the ends they have in view. With a flegmatic coolness incon¬ sistent 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, appear to have no possession of their faculties. A certain degree of haughtiness, a disregard of the opinions of others, and a total independance, seem to predominate in the savage character. Au American w ould act and speak, with the same freedom and arro¬ gance, in an assembly of the most powerful chiefs, as among his ow n tribe. Their edijcation is almost entirely limited to the knowledge of making war by stealth, and to the habitual exercise 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 m 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 ali the inhabitants of the western conti- R 2 124 H eriot’s travels nent, although a strong similitude is discoverable, almost every nation has, nevertheless, certain usages peculiar to itself. Among the Illinois, tire Sioux of Louisiana, the inhabitants of Florida and 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 w hich super ¬ stition 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 among the nations of Asia who adored Cybele, and among the more eastern tribes, who consecrated to the Phrygian Goddess, or to Venus Urania, priests habited like women, whose countenances were effeminate, who painted themselves, and who made it their study to disguise their real sex. As the latter degenerated among their countrymen into subjects of derision and contempt, the former weie also, from the debauchery of their lives, regarded with aversion and disgust. Many of them were cut off by the Spaniards, who con¬ ceiving that they were subservient to the most shameful passions, delivered them over a prey to furious dogs, which were made also the instruments of destruction to a great part of the naked Indians. In the savage state, where indolence and sloth are considered as enjoyments, a disposition to activity is rarely to be discovered. To prepare pallisades for their forts, to construct or repair their cabins, to dress the inside of the skins with which they cloath themselves, to fabricate some articles of domestic furniture, t * mend or to renew the simple instruments in use among them, to paint and ornament themselves after their own rude and fan¬ tastical taste, form, next to those of war and the chace, the most laborious occupations of the men. Having an immense extent of territory over which to range, the more sedentary tribes have learnt by experience to choose, with sufficient judgement, situations for their villages. These are usually placed in the midst of the best soil, and upon an eminence if such can be found, to command a prospect of the- neighbouring country, and to enable the inhabitants therebv to- guard against surprise. Ibey endeavour to combine with these local advan¬ tages, the choice of a spot on the banks of a river which glides in a serpentine course in order to form a ditch around those for¬ tifications w hich unimproved art enables them to add to the con¬ veniences supplied by nature. 1 be villages which are most exposed to an enemy, are for¬ tified with pallisades from fifteen to thirty feet in altitude, placed closely together, and composed of a triple range, the center of THROUGH THE CANADAS, 125 ■which is planted perpendicularly, the others in a slanting posi¬ tion and the whole is thickly lined to the height of twelve feet, with bark of trees. \\ ithin the fort, there are certain situations tilled with stones to throw upon an enemy, and likewise reservoirs of water for extinguishing tires. The inhabitants ascend to their forts bv means of trees or logs full of notches. The general form of pallisaded defences, is round or oval, with only one en¬ trance. About a hundred cabins, with seven families in each, form the general size of an Iroquois village. These people seldom reside in their forts, unless when threatened with danger, or in a state of actual warfare. The habitations of all the native tribes of America, evince the poverty, simplicity and frugality of men born in the infancy of a new world; and if we except the inha¬ bitants of Peru and Mexico, who construct small hovels of stone, in which neither art, regularity, nor convenience are displayed, fGme other people in their vicinity, who finish their huts with a kind of plaister or cement, almost the w hole of the other Indian nations possess but wretched cabins, calculated to convey an idea of the greatest misery. The dwellings of the natives of Tlascala, of Tapeaca, and the greater part of those of Mexico, were composed of branches of trees covered with turf or mud. The entrance was extremely low, and several families dwelt under the same roof. Vessels made of clay w T crc the only culinary utensils of these people. The houses of the Peruvians were in general eight feet high, the materials of which they were constructed being stone or bricks dried in the sun. They were in the form of a quadrangle, without any aperture for the admission of light except the door, w hich w as extremely low and contracted. A mode of architec¬ ture, equally uniform and simple, was practised in raising their consecrated edifices. These varied only with regard to their dimensions. The temple of Paehacamac, to which a palace of the Incas, and a fortress were conjoined, formed a structure whose extent was considerable, its circumference being more than half a league, and its height about twelve feet. A pile of this magnitude, may doubtless be reputed to have been a monu¬ ment of industry among a people totally ignorant of the uses of the mechanical powers. The bricks and stones of which it was composed, were laid upon each other without the intervention of mortar, which was unknow n to the Peruvians, and joined with such nicety and precision, that the interstices were not discover¬ able, except on a near approach of the beholder. As no light entered but from the doors, the interior of the building must have been illuminated by some artificial means. Cuzco was the only place in the empire of Peru which could 126 HE riot's TRAVELS claim the appellation of city. In every other part of the country the natives resided in huts detatched from each other, and in some situations composing small villages. The natives of Davis’s Straits, of Nova Zernbla, and of California, retire into caverns prepared by nature, or excavate the sides of hanks, in which they pass a long winter, little diffe¬ rent from the wild animals which dig for themselves dwellings in the earth. They repose in the summer under the shade of the forests, or under encampments made with the skins of seals. On the borders of the Oroonoque, on those of the river of the Amazons, and in countries liable to periodical inundations, villages are exalted into the air over the middle of waters and marshes. Their inhabitants form posts of the palm-tree of a considerable height, and crossing each other, being connected by transverse beams. On these, whose altitude is from twenty to thirty-five feet, habitations are erected, which appear designed rather for vultures than for men. The women when burdened with their children, or with domestic baggage, will ascend with admirable facility to these aerial abodes, by ladders formed of trees rudely notched. It is not only against the dangers of the floods that these people guard thenmselves by such extraordinary asylums; they are thus protected from the sudden incursions of their enemies, from being surprised by crocodiles or tigers, and from the torment of musquitoes and other flies which seldom elevate themselves so far from the earth, and whose attacks would, without this precaution be insupportable. The conquerors of New Spain found several nations lodged in this manner, whom they experienced great difficulty in subduing, and who killed many of their people. Wandering nations, such as the Algonquins, who remain but for a short time in one situation, are satisfied with making their huts extremely low, and with placing them in a confused man¬ ner. They generally carry w ith them large rolls of the bark of the birch-tree, and form the frames of the cabins of wattles or twigs stock inlo the earth in a circular figure, and united near their upper extiemities. L pon the outside of this frame the bark is unrolled and thus affords shelter from rain and from the influence of the sun. The Indians near Mon terry in north-west America, are in person under the middle size, and ill proportioned. They also construct their tenipory lodgings of wattles arranged in a conical form, interwoven with ribs, like basket w ork; they are about eight feet in height, having an aperture at the sum¬ mit, for the issue of the smoke. The exterior is thickly thatched with dried reeds, grass, or rushes. The dw ellings of some of the other tribes ot the north-west, are composed of planks; they are of twenty-five feet in length, and fifteen in breadth, secured from THROUGH THE CANADAS. 137 !he weather with bark. The iire is always made in the center *1 hese sheds contain trom eighteen to twenty people, the men be¬ ing separated from the women anJ children. Every cabin ap~ pears to form a small colony independent of the others; each has canoes appropriated tor its use, and ea< h its individual chief. The sedentary tribes have habitations more capacious and solid. The cabins of the Caraibs are of great length, extending trom sixty to eighty feet, and composed of forked posts twenty or thirty teet high, over which, to form the ridges of the roofs, palm-trees or cabbage-trees are laid. The cabbage-tree fre¬ quently attains the altitude of two hundred feet, is perfectly straight, decreasing but little in diameter, destitute of branches, unless at its summit, which is surrounded by ten or twelve green boughs, with long and narrow leaves thickly growing on each side, extending to the extremity ; these bend downwards with elegance and resemble in appearance the feathers of an ostrich. On each side of the cabbage-tree thus placed along the ridge of the frame, small trees are adjusted at proper intervals, slopiug to the ground, which they are made to enter with their lower ends. The whole is thatched with palm-leaves, with reeds, or with the tops of canes, so well secured as to defend the inhabitants for a long period against all injuries from the weather. No light i* admitted but from the door of the cabin, which is so low, that they who euter creep upon their hands and knees. The interior part is extremely dark, and although kept very neat and clean by the women, appears comfortless on account of the smoke which proceeds from a number of fires kept continually burning, every person being allowed to kindle one under his hammock, to pro¬ tect him from the bites of the musquitoes. The cabins of the Brasiliaus are made nearly in the same manner as those of the Caraibs; being of great dimensions, five or six only compose a considerable village. Each cabin contains from sixty to eighty persons, divided into distinct families. The Iroquois have been with propriety distinguished by the appellation of constructors of cabins, being of all the uncivilized nations on the continent of America, that which is the most commodiously lodged. These cabins are in the form of a bower, £ve or six fathoms in breadth, high in proportion, and in length according to the number of fires, for each of which a space of twenty-five feet is allotted. Throughout the whole length, and at the end, pickets are planted, which are firmly connected by lines made of the inner bark of trees ; on these are fixed, as an outward covering, the bark of the beech or elm-tree, worked together with bands formed of thr same materials as the lines. A square, or a parallelogram being thus included, the arch is made with bent poles, which are also covered with bark, and externally $e~ heiuot’s travels. 129 cured by other poles bent over it, and interwoven throughout th£ whole length of the cabin, with young trees split into hoops, whose ends are secured by wooden hooks, disposed along the sides ami at each extremity. The middle space within is appro¬ priated for the fire, the smoke ascending through an aperture in tire roof, which serves not only for a chimney, but for the admis¬ sion of light. In bad weather the opening is secured with bark. An elevated platform of twelve or thirteen feet in length, and six in depth, which is used for beds as well as seats, is placed on each side of the fire. On this couch, which is not calculated to promote ease or effeminacy, the natives stretch themselevs without any other covering than the habiliments which they wear during the day. The use of the pillow is known but to few, and they who have seen that article in possession of Europeans acco¬ modate themselves with a billet of wood, with a mat rolled up, or with skins stuffed with hair. The natives of South America generally make use of ham¬ mocks of cotton, or of the interior bark of trees, manufactured with considerable skill. These they suspend In thc-ir cabins, and some¬ times on the boughs of trees. The inhabitants of this part of the continent are in general of a good stature, and are alert and active when roused from their habitual indolence. The features of their countenances are little different from those of Euro¬ peans. Among some pcculiarites, there is one in which they differ in general from the natives of the more northern latitudes. They allow their hair to grow to a great length, which in their Estimation is a point of beauty. By far the greater numbers wear no cloaths; certain brilliant stones are fixed to the neck. On occasions of ceremony, they attach around the waist a belt com¬ posed of feathers of various colours, which produces an agreeable effect. The wonieu wear a kind of shift, called tepoy, with short sleeves. They w ho are most exposed to the weather, or most sensible of the effects of cold, cover themselves with the skins of wild animals, wearing in summer, the fur or hair outwards, and in winter next to the body. THE MOXE3 Under the appellation of Moxes was comprehended an assem¬ blage of several.different nations of infidels in South America, to whom it was generally given, because the tribe of the Moxes was the first on that part of the continent, to which the evan¬ gelic doctrine of salvation was imparted. These people inhabit an immense tract of country, which stretches from Saint Croix de la Sierra, along the basis of an extensive chain of mountains* lofty and precipitous, which runs from north to south. Jt is si¬ tuated under the Torrid Zone, and spreads from the tenth to the THROUGH THE CANADAS. J?9 fifteenth degree of south latitude. A considerable portion of this vast territory consists of a plain, which is subject to frequent in¬ undations, for want of sufficient channels to give issue to the collection of waters, whose abundance is produced bv continued rains, bv torrents, which at particular seasons descend from the mountains, and by the swelling of rivers, no longer confined to their accustomed barriers. During more than four months of the year, all communication between the inhabitants is impeded by the necessity to which they are driven, of dispersing in search of high situations, in order to avoid the floods, and their cabins are at that period very remote from each other. Besides this incon¬ venience, they have to encounter that of the climate, whose heat is intense; it is however, at times moderated, partly by the abun¬ dance of rain and the overflowings of the rivers, and partly by the north wind which continues to blow throughout a considerable portion of the year. But at other periods, the south wind which sweeps along the sides of the mountains covered with snows, bursts forth with such impetuosity from its barriers, and fills the atmosphere with a degree of cold so piercing, that these people, almost naked, and badly fed, have not strength to sustain this im¬ mense change of temperature, this sudden derangement of the seasons, especially when accompanied by inundations, which fail not to generate famine and other awful scourges of the human race. The dress of the Moxes, which consists of many ridiculous ornaments, adds to the natural wildness of their appearance. They blacken one side of the face, and stain the other with a dirty red colour. Their lips and nostrils are pierced, and a va¬ riety of baubles which contribute to render the spectacle yet more hideous, is attached to these organs. Some wear upon the breast a plate of metal, others tie around the body strings of glass beads, mingled with pieces of leather, and the teeth of animals which they have slain in the chace. There are some^ of these natives who fix upon the girdles the teeth of their enemies whom they have killed in battle, and the greater the number of marks of prowess they can wear, the more respectable are they accoun¬ ted among their tribes. They are the least disgusting in appea¬ rance, who cover the head, the arms, and the knees, with a va¬ riety of plumage, which is disposed in an ageeable manner. THE PATAGONIANS. The Patagonians seldom exceed in stature the height of six feet, having a large head, square shoulders, and muscular limbs. Following the impulse of nature, and enjoying abundance of ali¬ ment, their frame receives all the aggrandisement of which it is capable. Their features are neither hard nor disagreeable and in heriot.] s 130 heriot’s travels many tliey are pleasing. The visage is rouud and somewhat flat; the eyes are lively; the teeth, although large, are white; and the hair is worn long, and attached to the summit of the head. Sonic wear moustaches; some have their cheeks painted red. Their language appears soft, and they exhibit no indications of a feroci¬ ous character. Their habiliments consists of a piece of leather fixed about the waist, and a large robe of skin attached around the body, descending to the heels; the part intended for covering the sholders being allowed to fall behind, so that notwithstanding the rigour of the w eather, they are usually naked from the girdle upwards. r l hey have a kind of short boots of horses leather, open behind, and some w ear round the calf of the leg a ring of copper, of about two inches in breadth. Their principal food is derived from wild cattle; aud when they travel, they lix pieces of flesh to the saddles of their horses. They frequently eat their food raw. Their horses are slender and small, and their dogs are of a feeble breed. They are some¬ times reduced to the necessity of drinking sea-water, as' springs and rivers are very rare on that part of the coast. This nation seems to lead an erratic life, roaming throughout the vast plains of South America; men, jvomen, and children, are continually on horseback, pursuing the game, or w ild animals, with which these territories are covered. ' They cloath themselves, and form their tents with skins. THE IROQUOIS. 1 he habiliments of the Iroquois consist of several pieces, being a kind of tunic, an apron, a robe calculated to cover the whole, and shoes for the feet. The apron is made of skin well dressed, or of European cloth ; it passes under the body, and is fixed on either side by a girdle which surrounds the waist, it ii usually of sufli- cient length to fold over at each end, and to hang downwards. The stockings, or leggings, are of skins sewed on the outside, having beyond the seam a double selvage ot three inches in breadth, which guards the limbs ironi being injured by brushing against the underwood and boughs, in passing through the forests. The women wear the same articles of dress, and flx them by gar¬ ter') under the kuee; the men attach them by strings to the belt around the waist. These leggings have no feet, but enter into the shoes made of soft leather, generally of deer-skin, and frequently neatly embroidered with the quills of porcupines, stained of dif¬ ferent lines. A species of buskin ascending to the calf of the leg, is sometimes worn. The robe is a kind of blanket of about five or six feet square, made of the skins of buffaloes, deer, elk, or of several beaver or martin skins sewed together. AH the natives in the neighbour- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 131 liood of European*, preserve the fashions of their ancient dress, changing the materials only. For the tunic, linen or cotton shirts are worn, and the remainder of the dress is of woolh n shift. The leather of which the shoes are made, is prepared by smoking, and thereby rendered for a time impervious to mois¬ ture. They adorn the inside of the skins of buffaloes and of deer, by delineating upon them figures of men and animals pain¬ ted with black and red colours, and also by working them with porcupine quills, stained with variegated tints. From the bor¬ ders of some of the smaller lakes and rivers, they procure a spe¬ cies of red paint resembling minium and likewise yellow ochres, which are found near the surface of the ground. With these they Ornament their faces and those parts of the body which are unco¬ vered, without bestowing much pains or attention in their appli¬ cation. A desire of rendering permanent these decorations of the body, suggested the practice of tatooing, or of impressing on the hu¬ man skin various fantastical tigures, first sketched with coal or chalk, and afterwards pricked with the sharpened point of a bone, the punctures being rubbed with whatever colour seems most to please the fancy. These operations are always painful, and often attended with some degree of fever. The figures thus engraved on the face and body, become distin- guishing marks of the individual. When a savage returns from war, and wishes to make known to the tribes through whose territory he passes, a victory which he has gained; when he has made choice of a new situation for hunting, and would signify to others the spot he has marked out, he supplies the deficiency of an alphabet, by the characteristic figures which personally distinguish him; he delineates upon bark w hich he fixes upon the end of a pole, or cuts with his hatchet upon the trunk of a tree, such hieroglyphics as he conceives sufficient to explain his sentiments. The natives employ for the purpose of colouring, the juice of particular plants, and the berries of shrubs and trees. They ex¬ tract, with considerable dexterity, the colours of European cloths, which they transfer to the leather and to the porcupine quills, with which they fabricate their little works. Many of the North American tribes cut their hair according to different forms: one of the modes is to shave the head, and to leave only a small tuft on the centre. The fashion of trimming the hair, varies in a great degree, and an enemy may by this means be discovered at a considerable distance. The practice of wearing long hair, prevails, however, among the greater number of the American tribes, and is unquestiona¬ bly that which nature has pointed out. The ancient Europeans, s 2 132 heriot’s travels and particularly the Gauls, followed that fashion : attd the territory of the latter was distinguished ‘by the appellation of Gallia comata . To the first race of monarchs among the Franks, a German people who inhabited the banks of the rivers Maine and Salii, the privilege of wearing long hair was alone permitted, and sub¬ jects 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 Tar- tarsfthe Chinese wore their hair in its full and natural growth, irt the hope that after death they should by that means be conducted to heaven. In the earlier stages of every human association, it ap¬ pears from the most remote memoirs which can be found, that no covering was worn upon the head. i he Jews, the Carthagi¬ nians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans wore no co¬ vering in the original state of their societies. The Goths per¬ mitted their hair to hang in large curls on their shoulders. The Swabians, a people of .Germany, were accustomed to knot their hair, and to attach the extremity to the crown of the head. The Arymphians, however, who formerly frequented the bases of the Riphean mountains, and from whom the Muscovites are descen¬ ded, practised among both sexes the fashion of shaving the head; to allow the hair to How in its full natural growth, was consi¬ dered 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 the countenance and body. The Caraibs and other tribes of America between the tropics, after bathing, are attended bv their \vives who carry cahbashes filled with colours mixed with the oil ot the T palm-tree, particularly rocou, a vegetable red produced from the berries of a tree found in those latitudes, whose effects are>xtremeiv baneful to Hies. T o denote the chief whom they obey, the Virginians have certain distinguishing characters delineated on their back. In Europe, m tbe period at which Constantine the Great was emperor ot Rome, the people bore upon their shoulders the im¬ perial designation, which was a cross, to indicate the country to winch they belonged. Allured by a principle of devotion for the divine founder of their faith, the primitive Christians imprin¬ ted on their bodies the figure of the cross. The Brasilians, in order to distinguish their w arriors who had destroyed a number of the enemy, cut characteristic figure on their arms and thigbs> filing the incisions with a corroding powder. ‘THROUGH THE CANADAS 133 PEOPLE OF THE WESTERN* COAST. The natives in the vicinity o/ La Cruz on the western coast of America, are of a clear olive complexion, approaching 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, sea-calves, deer, or bears, compose the coverings by.which their bodies are sheltered from the changes of the ele- ments: these habiliments extend from the neck to the leg, and some persons add to them boots of skins. Their personal orna¬ ments consist of the common appendages of necklaces and brace¬ lets, formed of pieces of copper, or of the teeth of lishes, and of animals slain in the chace. Pendants of mother of peart; 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 skius 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 sur¬ rounded by a belt. The hair of the women is plaited in tresses, and their countenance, if allowed to retain its natural appear¬ ance, would be by no means disagreeable. But an alfectatiou of singularity, which discloses itself in every state of human so¬ ciety, induces the married women, in order to render themselves pleasing to their husbands, although hideous and disgusting to strangers, to divide the lower lip from the chin by a large trans¬ verse 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 ad\ancement in years, the extension of the ori¬ fice is enlarged, and some of the elderly women exhibit an appear¬ ance, calculated to inspire the strongest aversion in a spectator. To preserve an opening 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 wood, to prevent its borders from re¬ uniting. The married women seem to express much difficulty and embarrassment at the removal of this extraordinary appen¬ dage, 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 mouth, is cut ail around the edges. T he huts of the Indians resemble a cone, and are composed of boughs of trees, covered with mats of plaited rushes, or of the in¬ terior bark of the elm* or of the birch-tree. 154 hertot's TRAVELS THE TETONS. The Tetom consist of four tribes, who roam over an immense extent of plains denuded of timber, except on the banks of the river by which these territories are intersected. The land is fer¬ tile, and the situation is favourable for culture. 7’he soil is strongly impregnated with salts, alum, 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 Missouri, and communicate to it a deep brown tint. THE GANCES. The Cances are composed of various tribes, occupying differ¬ ent parts of the country, which extends from the bay St. Ber¬ nard across the river Grand, towards VeraCruz. They are un¬ friendly to the Spaniards, and when an opportunity presents it¬ self, make no scruple of putting to death any of that people. They are expert in the chace, and chiefly make use of the bow. T heir habiliments are composed of leather neatly dressed. Those of the women are made in the form of the robe w orn by friars, and their heads and feet are alone exposed. Leather pantaloons and a frock of the same material, are worn by the men. The Hietians, or Comanches, have no fixed habitations, and are divided into several distinct tribes. Their tents are formed in the shape of a cone, of prepared skins, and sufficiently capacious to contain ten or twelve persons; those of the chiefs w ill hold sometimes to the number of sixty. These tents they pitch, when they halt, in the most exact order, forming regular and parallel lines; when a signal is given for removal, the tents are struck with expedition and dexterity. To every family two horses or mules are allotted, one of which carries the tent, the other, the poles made of red cedar; the tribes travel on horse¬ back. Their horses are strong, docile, and serviceable; when the party halts, these are seldom put at large, but are confined to certain limits, by thongs of leather tied to trees. The men hunt the buffalo on horseback, and kill that animal, either with the bow or with a spear ot hard wood. Their persons are strong and athletic, with a tendency to become lustv tow ards the decline ot life. Like several other Indian tribes, they drink the blood ot their prey as it flows warm from the bodv. Thev are disposed to cleanliness. The women clothe themselves in a long loose robe, extending from the chin to the feet, tied round the waist with a girdle, and ornamented with painted figures. The dress of the men consists of leathern pantaloons, and a shirt of tne same substance. As ibis nation is of an erratic disposition, no attention is paid to agriculture. The country throughout THROUGH THE CANADAS. 135 which they range is extensive, and affords a variety of vegetables, and fruits of spontaneous production, it stretches from the .Trinity and Braces, across the Red river to the heads of Akansa and Misouri, to the river Grand, to the vicinity of Santa Fe, and over the dividing ridge towards the Pacific Ocean. THE DOG-RIBBED INDIANS. A tribe of natives, w ho range over a certain tract of country situated on the internal parts of North America, are distin¬ guished by the appellation of the Dog-rib Indians. Their com¬ plexion is fairer than that of most of the other inhabitants of this part of the continent, but their person is short, badly pro¬ portioned, meagre and unpleasing. 'Hie cheeks of the men 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 hair, except on each side, where it is cut, in order to expose the ears, is allowed to remain in its natural growth. Their dress, like that of most of the other natives who have no intercourse with Europeans, is formed of the skins of wild animals, and or¬ namented with hair and porcupine’s quills, of a variety of hues, alternately embroidered in straight, in waving, or-in angular bor¬ ders. Their upper garment guards them from the cold, w hether when asleep or awake, and is decorated with a long fringe. Their hauds are protected by mittens, suspended by thongs from the neck, and their feet and legs by a species of boot, whose seams are worked with much neatness, care, and ingenuity. The women wear in warm weather but little covering, and content themselves with tying around the waist a long tassel of leather, whose vibration, when they walk, serves in part to de¬ fend them from flies and musquitoes. 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 brace¬ lets, and necklaces or gorgets. These people differ not from the other erratic nations in the construction of their huts, nor in their culinary utensils, or mode of cookery. These vessels are made of. excavated pieces of wood, or of bark sewed together, or of w attape, which is the divided roots of the spruce or fir-trees interwoven with a degree of compactness calculated to coutine any fluid substance, and containing from two to six gallons. A principal part of the food of these natives is derived from the produce of the rivers, which abundantly water the ungenial and thinly peopled regions through which they flow. A twine, composed of fibres from the integuments of the willow, serves them as the fittest ma- heriot’s travels i&6 tcrial for weaving their nets, which are from thirteen to thirty- six meshes in depth, and from three to forty fathoms in length, and are each calculated for use, agreeably to the depth or ex¬ tent of the waters. The nets as well as lines, and appendages of ornament, are transported when the natives move from one situation to another, in bags of leather appropriated for that use. THE KNISTENEAUX. Tiie Knisteneaux Indians are distinguished by an open and agreeable countenance, a mild and affable address, and by a generous and hospitable disposition. In all their dealings they are scrupulously just. THeir language has an affinity to that of the Algonquins. The hair of the head is left by some of the tribes in its natural growth, whilst by others it is cut into va¬ rious fashions, agreeably to the suggestions of fancy, i heir habiliments are nearly the same with those of the natives already described. The women wear a cap made of leather or of cloth, sewed only at the end, which is placed over the forehead, and covering the temples and the ears, is tucked beneath the chin ; the extremity of the cap hangs down the back, and is affixed to the girdle. Three perpendicular tatooed lines, not unfrequently double, disfigure the visages of several of the females, the cen¬ tral lines being from the chin to the mouth, those of the sides reach no higher than the corners of the mouth. THE CHIPEWEYAN. 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 moderate and set¬ tled ; and they are influenced by neither of the alternate extremes of languor nor activity. Their numbers are considerable, and they claim as their territory the tracts extending between the parallels of latitude sixty and sixty-five north, and from one hun¬ dred to one hundred and ten degrees of western longitude. Their language is copious, and from the number of emigrant tribes, has branched into a variety of dialects. In warfare they give no quarter, and with indiscriminating 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 Eskinvuux, on whom they make war, are less active and less powerful than themselves, and generally encounter them with much disadvantage. Although more nu¬ merous iu point of warriors than the Knisteneaux, the Chipe- weyans appear to be less courageous, and submit to that people whenever a cause of mutual hostility arises. THROUGH THE CANADAS. 137 In the latitude of fifty-two degrees, on the north-west coast of America, there exists a tribe whose heads are moulded into a wedge like torn). Their colour is between the olive and copper, and their faces are broad, with the general characteristic of high cheek bones. The hair is of a less deep black than that of the other inhabitants of this continent, and their eyes are small and grey, intermixed with a reddish tinge. The women wear their hair short; they are inclined to corpulency, and to a swelling m the legs, caused probably by a sedentary mode of life, as they are chiefly engaged in the occupation of spinning, weaving, prepar¬ ing fish, and nursing their children. The hair of the men is worn tied in knots over the temples, the hind part being combed, and allowed to flow’ over the shoulders Hie cloathing of the women consists only of a robe, of an apron with fringe, aud a round cap, for the head. The men dress themselves nearly in the same fashion, adding in rainy weather a mat with an open in the centre sufficient to admit the head, and which, extending over the back and shoulders, pre¬ serves them in a dry state. They procure from the sea and from the neighbouring rivers, the principal part of their sustenance; being therefore in a great degree attached to one settlement: the men are engaged in the more toilsome occupations, and the con¬ dition of the women seems to be far less severe and laborious, than among tribes who are dependent on the more precarious produce of the chace. PEOPLE OF DARIEN, &C. The natives of Darien and Panama are cloathed in a callico vestment which floats over their shoulders. Upon the thighs a scarf is worn, a ring is affixed to the extremity of the nose, and a collar of teeth surrounds the neck. These articles are not in com¬ mon use, but are conveyed by the women to the councils, where they are put on. Here the members first move in a dance, after which they seat themselves. One of the young men lights a roll of tobacco previously moistened, that it may not be rapidly con¬ sumed; he places one end of it in his mouth, and smokes in the faces of the several councillors, w ho receive the whiff with pecu¬ liar 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 direct their eves, and take a singular pleasure in contemplating and adorning their heads and faces. Among the Punches, a tribe of new Grenada, the dis¬ tinction of wealing ornaments was permitted to warriors alone. HEPvtOT] t T36 keriot’s travels the caraibs. The Caraibs are of a stature rather above the common height; they are well made and proportioned, and their features are agreea¬ ble. Their eyes are black and naturally small, but the tigure and disposition of the forehead makes them appear of a propor¬ tionate size. Their teeth are in general white and regularly ar¬ ranged, their hair is long, flowing, and black. The colour of their skin is olive, but they communicate to it a red tinge, by means of rocou dipt iu oils, which serves them not only for dress, but for a defence against the attacks of flies and nmsquitoes, which have an antipathy to the smell of this colour, and which, without this precaution, would become an insupportable tor¬ ment. When they go to war expeditions, to a festival, or to per¬ form some visit which they deem of consequence, their wives are employed to make them whiskers, aud several black stripes on the countenance and on the body. These marks remain for many clays. The whole of the men wear around their waist a small cord, in which a Dutch knife is tixed with the blade unco¬ vered, and touching the thigh; it likewise sustains a piece of cloth six inches wide, which hangs a considerable way down both behind and before. The male children of ten or twelve years of age, have nothing upon the body, except the band in order to contain the knife, which however, they frequently hold in the hand. Their physiognomy is tinctured with melancholy; they are reputed inoffensive whilst unprovoked; but it they receive an injury, they are implacable and vindictive. They are much ad¬ dicted to the use of intoxicating liquors. The women are not so tall in proportion as the men, but are of a fulness of habit, and well shaped. The contour of their visage is round, the mouth small, the teeth white. Their manners are more gay, more open and agreeable, than those of the men; they at the same time preserve an air of modest reserve and decorum. Like the men, they adorn themselves with paint, but iu a stile more uniform and simple. The hair is attached behind the head with a line of cotton. They wear around the waist a piece of cotton cloth, worked and embroidered with minute grains of shells of different colours, decorated in the lower part with fringe of three inches in depth. The camisu , a name applied to tins article of dress, is eight or ten inches in length, and about five in breadth, besides the fringe. At each extremity there is a small cord of cotton, to keep it attached to the body. They in general wear necklaces of shells of various hues and sizes, which iu double rows hang down upon the bosom; the bracelets for the arms and wrists are composed of the same materials, and their ear-lings are of blue stones or shells. The infants of both se.\e$ THRODGH THE CANADAS 159 wear bracelets, and a girdle of porcelain around the middle of the body, A part of dress peculiar to the women, consists of a kind of buskin of cotton, about four or five inches in height, reaching somewhat higher than the ancle. When girls attain the age of ten or twelve years, they assume the camisa instead of the girdle; and the mother, or some other near relation, fabricates the bus¬ kin for the legs, which is never removed until absolutely worn out, or torn by accident. It is so closely woven to the leg, that the calf thereby acquries more thickness and solidity than it would naturally possess. The extremities of the buskin have each a border of about half an inch wide, which in the upper partis double, and so strong, that it retains its outward form, and has a handsome appearance. When girls are thus attired, they no longer live in familiarity with the males; they constantly accompany their mothers, and assume a greater degree of reserve. It is seldom a female at¬ tains this period of life without being engaged to a young mau, who, from the time he has revealed his inclination for her, con¬ siders her as his future spouse. They marrv in any degree of con¬ sanguinity, except that of sister or daughter; and pretend that the nearer the ties of blood are before marriage, the more per¬ manent the felicity of that state will prove. Their wives are re¬ tained in a condition of servitude, and whatever regard the hus¬ bands may entertain towards them, it extends not to any relaxa¬ tion of the toilsome offices which they are obliged to perform, nor of that respect which is exacted from them. Wives are not permitted to eat with their husbands, nor even in their presence. Many of the natives pierce the cartilage between the nostrils, and suspend from thence porcelain, or silver ornaments. The women always wear long hair, divided from the centre of the crown to¬ wards each side, and falling luose upon the back, or plaited and tied into a long club. The oils with which both sexes anoint themselves, communicate an offensive odour; but this practice is indispensibly necessary to guard the skin against the swarms of flies and insects, with which, during the summer months the regions in North America are incessantly infested, in tropical coun¬ tries, these torments of the human race suspend at no time their goading attacks. Some of the men have their ears siit, when young, weights being suspended to the lower extremity, in order to lengtheu them; ornaments of silver or porcelain are fixed to the apertures, and hang down upon the shoulders. I he same kind of trinkets are strung in a necklace, to which a breast-plate is supended. Some of the warriors wear long tails, reaching from the crown of the head more than half way down the back, and interwoven with porcelain, or chains of silver, or round T 2 140 heriot's travels plates of the same metal, of various sizes. A tobacco pouch of the skin of some animal, a pipe, a knife, and a tomahawk, form other appendages of their dress. They make caps for the head, of the skins of birds, the beak being placed towards the front, and the wings on each side. Among every uncivilized people upon earth, it is the peculiar misfortune of the female sex to be degraded and despised, and to be loaded with the most laborious and toilsome duties. The men conceive themselves formed soley for the occupations of the chace and of warfare, and glorying in the display of strength and cou¬ rage, the only qualities entitled to pre-eminence among savages, they consider the females as greatly inferior to themselves, and fitted only to discharge offices of domestic drudgery. It must, however, be confessed that in situations where food can be procured without much bodily exertion, the treatment of the women becomes more mild. The men assist in alleviating the burden of their toils ; they are regarded with some degree of estimation ; and they acquire a wish to conciliate the afFections, and a taste for dress and ornament. W hen tribes are attached to certain situations, and are united in villages, it is the peculiar province of the women to cultivate the ground, and to plant maize and other herbs, in which tobacco, a most essential article among all the natives of America, is in¬ cluded. In the more northern climates, as soon as the earth be¬ comes divested of the load of snow bv which, for nearly half the year, its surface is concealed, the women betake themselves to their labour in the fields, which tliev first clear from all w eeds and rubbish, by collecting these in heaps, and burning them. 1 hey afterwards loosen the soil with a wooden harrow*, which scratches it to a small depth, and form hillocks at a little distance from each other, in each of which are deposited a few grains of Indian corn. Beans, pompkins, and water melons, are likewise planted. 1 his was the utmost extant of their agriculture, as they had no metal utensils for that purpose, and were totally ignorant of the mode of subduing wild animals, and of rendering them subservient to the purposes of man. Before the arrival of Europeans amongst them, they w ere, in this esential respect, un- concious of the superiority of their nature. Over no one species of the animal creation, the dog excepted, was their authority es¬ tablished; every other they allowed to range in full possession of its native freedom. I he mode of life jm sued by the savages, renders, however, the aid to he derived n om the strength of animals but little ne¬ cessary. It is only when man has attained a considerable decree of improvement in society, that he learns to estimate the valuta THROUGH THE CANADAS. 141 of the stronger animals, by employing them to simplify and al¬ leviate human labour. \\ hen the time of harvest arrives, the women pluck with the hand the Indian corn, tie it by its leaves in bunches, and suspend it to be dried by the sun. It is afterwards 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 nor¬ thern sedentary tribes. A further office of the women is to grind the corn when dried, into a coarse flour, by means of stones, or of wooden utensils: and to fan it, that it may be freed from par¬ ticles of chatF. When boiled and mixed with grease or similar substances, it is called setgamite. A quantity of this food is every morning prepared for breakfast of the families. Before the use of iron or of copper kettles was introduced among some of the natives, the absence of these utensils was supplied by a \^ssei formed of clay, of a spherical shape, and wide at top, which having been dried in the sun, was afterwards hardened in a slow lire made with bark. The viands were cooked by throwing into the vessel a number of stones made red-hot, which by de¬ grees raised the water to a boiling temperature. Their meat and their lish they generally roast or broil upon the charcoal of wood. INDIAN FESTIVALS. Feasts are frequent among the savages; on these occasions they consider it a point of honor, not only to produce all the pro¬ vision in their possession, but generally to consume the whole. The abundance which generally prevails at these assemblies are not favourable to the accumulation of stores for future subsis¬ tence, and the necessity to which, in consequence, they are fre¬ quently reduced, compels them to eat without discrimination, every species of food which accident may throw within their reach. The dried intestines of animals they eat without any other preparation. The 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 pepper, or of any other species of seasoning. The flesh of dogs is for them a lux¬ urious 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, deno¬ minated by the Canadians, tripe dc rocker . Besides Indian com and other plants, which the natives who cultivate the soil use for their food a kind of bread is made of the seed of the sun-flower, which contains a species of oil. As the lauds are neither ma- 142 hcuiot’s travels ntired, nor allowed to remain fallow, their fertility becomes in time exhausted. To remedy this inconvenience, 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 iirewood, an article from which they become more remote the longer they remain in a fixed situation. To trace out the extent of the new ground, and to remove the trees, becomes the peculiar task of the men. Although Europeans have instructed them in the use of thp 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 fire around it. Their axes were made of a very hard stone of a greenish hue, which it required much labour 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 disposition to intoxication is so powerful, that they would, doubtless, have otherwise availed themselves of the use of that beverage, there being many climates on that continent favourable for the culture of vineyards. The people of South America, and also the Mexicans, possess the knowledge of extracting from certain roots, grains, and fruits, strong and intoxicating liquors. Tobacco is much used upon all occasions by the savages, who conceive that they derive sustenance from chewing or smoking it. The acids of the stomach may thereby, indeed, be weakened, and the sensations of hunger rendered less powerful, but it can¬ not certainly afford any real degree of nourishment. In the Mexican empire, where distinction of ranks, and a se¬ paration 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 which the emperor himself, and the nobles, were covered. A shift with halt sleeves, open at the bosom, and falling to the knees, formed the whole apparel of the lower class of women. '1 heir houses were built of earth, dried bricks, and sometimes ot stone, covered with pieces of wood, without doors or win¬ dows, except a small aperture at the entrance, and their height was limited to seven or eight feet from the ground; mats were •spread upon the floors w ithin, and although the inhabitants could procure oil and w ax, and were not unacquainted with their use, a- appiied to the support of light, they employed no other iliu- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 143 initiation than burning torches of fir-wood. They generally sat upon the ground, aud took their victuals in that posture; they had, notwithstanding, seats formed of bags filled with the leaves of the palm-tree ; their beds were 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 ligid penalties, the use of intoxicating liquors, which could be drank only by particular permission, granted to the sick and to the aged. On certain public solemnities, and when the people were occupied on the public works, a quantity of liquor, proportionate to his age, was allowed to each person: intoxica¬ tion was branded as the most shameful of human vices, and per¬ sons found in that condition were punished by the demolition of of their dwellings, by shaving their heads in public, and if they enjoyed any office under the emperor, by being dismissed from the service, aud pronounced incapable of any future employ¬ ment. THE 1ROOUOIS. Of all the nations of Canada, the Iroquois are no* only the most civilized, but the most ingenious and prudent. They reap every summer a much greater quantity of grain than is sufficient f or the consumption of one year, and sometimes of double that period. After a certain preparation to guaid it from putrefac¬ tion, they deposit the grain in pits of considerable depth, dug iu situations where the soil is perfectly free from moisture. 'They are therefore seldom reduced to extremity, neither are they en¬ tirely dependent on the success of the chace. No inconsiderable advantage in warfare is likewise derived from this prudential conduct. The degree of culture around the villages of the Iroquois was found, on the expedition of Sullivan in 1779, to he considerably higher than could be supposed, from former observations and opinions relative to the customs and manners of that people. The beauty of their situation indicating, in many instances, choice and design, together with the size, the construction, and the neatness of their dwellings, were the first objects of admira¬ tion 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 the num¬ ber of fruit-trees which they found, and cut dow n, with the size heriot’s travels 1 44 and antiquity of their orchards, exhibited an object of yet greater wonder. It is asserted that fifteen hundred fruit-trees were de¬ stroyed in one orchard, some of which carried the appearance of great age. In this expedition no less than forty Indian tow ns w ere burnt, of which, Genesee, the largest, contained one hun¬ dred and twenty-eight houses. The predominating virtue in the bosom of a savage is a sin¬ cere and unalienable attachment to the tribe among whom 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 affection arises not, in the present instance, from a sense of reason or of duty, but is the 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 impression*. 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 influ¬ ence of this attachment. The desire to revisit their native land operates so forcibly on the minds of some men, as to pro* duce real indisposition. This, like other similar propensities, is too deep rooted to be subdued by argument, or eveu by the lapse of time. This regard for country, which in former ages, as well as ir, modern times, has been productive of the most dignified virtues, is not less prevalent among the inhabitants of the new, than among those or the ancient hemisphere. In the memorable struggles which the Mexicans made against the Spaniards on the invasion of their native land, extraordinary efforts of valour and patience were displayed. After every ineffectual trial of resist¬ ance, which the dictates of just revenge, aided by resolution, could inspire, the Peruvians, although distracted by intestine broils submitted with reluctance to the Spanish yoke. THE CHILIANS. The Chilians, who inhabit the w estern coast of South America, have hitherto maintained against the Spaniards an almost inces¬ sant warfare, nor has the courage of the present Barbarians, de¬ generated from that of their progenitors. By the introduction amongst them of the European horse, and by the rapid multipli¬ cation of that animal, of whose utility toman 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 beep THROUGH THE CANADAS. 145 less favourable that to that of horses, supply them with ample sources of subsistence. Tlie freedom of manners and the uncertainty of life, from the various hazards to which it is inevitably exposed, imparts to the character ui savages a species of liberality, under which are couched many benevolent principles : a respect for the aged, and several instances a deference to their equals. The natural cold¬ ness of their temperament, admits of. few outward demonstra¬ tions of civility. They are, however, affable in their mode, and are ever disposed to shew towards strangers, and particularly to¬ wards the unfortunate, the strongest marks of hospitality. A sa¬ vage will seldom hesitate to share with a fellow-creature oppres¬ sed bv hunger, his last morsel of provision. Numerous are the defects which contribute to counterbalance these laudable propensities in the disposition of savages. Ca¬ price, volatility, indolence beyond expression, ingratitude, suspi¬ cion, treachery, reveuge, cruelty to their enemies, brutality in their enjoyments, are the evil qualities by which they are weigh¬ ed down. They are, however, strangers to that restless versatility of fashion, which, while it contributes to enliven, torments at the same time a state of polished society. They are ignorant of those refinements in vice, which luxury, and superfluity, and sa¬ tiety have engendered. It appears somew hat unaccountable, that, possessing capacity and address to execute with neatness and dexterity many little works which are peculiar to themselves, so many ages should have elapsed, without the invention of any of those arts, which in other parts of the w orld have been carried to a high perfec¬ tion. This disregard of improvement, ought not perhaps to be imputed to them as a great defect. They have frequently ex¬ pressed seutiments of surprise, that Europeans should construct edifices, and undertake works intended to endure for ages, w hilst existence is so limited and insecure, that they might not live to witness the completion of their enterprize. Their uatural indo¬ lence is an effect of apathy, aird induces them the rather to fore¬ go the advantages which they might envy us, than give them¬ selves the trouble necessary to procure them. From whatever source, however, this aversion to innovation may proceed, cer¬ tain it is, that since their acquaintance with Europeans, the pros- peetjof advantage to be derived from thence, has not in anv degree tended to promote their industry. They have evinced a decided attachment to their ancient habits, and have gained less from means which might have smoothed the asperities of their con¬ dition, than they have lost by copying the vices of those, who exhibited to their view tire arts of civilization. u heriot’s travels IAS CHARACTER OF THE AMERICAN FEMALES. It has already been remarked, that among associations which have made but little advancement in the arts of life, the condition of women is servile and degraded. The men alone may be said to be properly free, and the women, invested with the most laborious and domestic employments, are almost universally their sliives. 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 northern tribes, reputed to be inherent. In them is vested the foundation of all real authority. They give efficiency to the councils, are the arbiters of peace or war, and the keepers of the public stock. The country, the fields and their produce, belong to them alone. It is to their disposal that the captive slaves are com¬ mitted. The rearing and educating infants to a certaiu age, is their peculiar province ; they are consulted in all marriages, and in their blood is founded the order of succession. The men, on the contrary, seem to form a distinct class among themselves; their children are strangers to them, and when they die, every thing they possessed is destroyed, or is deposited with their bodies in the tomb. The family and its privileges remain with the women. If males only are left in a family, and should their number, and that of the nearest male relatives be ever so great, the race becomes 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 an¬ cients ; it would yet seem that they only represented tiie women, and assisted in the discussion of subjects which principally related to that sex. ~ Among the Iroquois, marriages are formed in such a manner, that the parties leave not their relatives and their cabin to have a separate dwelling and family, hut each remains as before, and the children produced from the marriage, belonging to the mo¬ ther, are accounted solely of her cabin or family. The pro¬ perty of the husband is kept apart from that of the wife, and the females inherit in preference to the males. The consideration ot the children being dependent entirely on the mother, and forming the future hope ot the nation, was the real cause, among matiy tribes, ot 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 family liames from the women, who alone are charged with preserving the race of their ancestors, by transmission to their children, of the name born by themselves. When a warrior dies, the appellation by which he was dislingished is buried iu liL* grave, THROUGH THE CANADAS. 147 and is not renewed until the lapse of several years. The savages in addressing each other, seldom make use of their adopted name. Fliey apply even to strangers the titles of kindred, such as brother, sister, uncle, nephew, and cousin, observing the dis¬ tinctions ot subordination, and the relative proportions of age between themselves and the persons whom they accost 1 he practice of marrying a plurality of wives, is more gene¬ rally prevalent among the natives of the southern, than among those ot the more northern parts ot America. The Hurons and the Iroquois restrict themselves to one wife ; and what appears singular, polygamy, which is not permitted to tlie men, is ex¬ tended to the women among the I sonnonthouans, where many instances occur ot one female having two husbands. In the nation ot the Algonqums, where two wives are per¬ mitted to one husband, the one is considered of a rank superior to the other, and her children alone are accounted legitimate, i hey 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 refinement; and the niles of virtue, as well as the precepts of the Christian religion, tend to its prohibition. \\ herever it prevails the women are less valued, and their mode of education is calculated to retain them in a state ot mental darkness In regular and limited governments, Where property is se¬ cured to the possessors, legitimacy of descent becomes a con¬ sideration of the highest and most essential importance. In proportion, therefore, as their conduct is regulated by propriety and virtue, women are held in estimation. 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 attach¬ ment, the offspring of sentiment, is productive of the most exalted gratifications of civilized life, and its absence can by no means be compensated by the libertinism of Barbarians, nor by the unrestrained indulgence of Mahometans. The Alpalachites 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 fathers ; 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 polvgamy 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 wo¬ men mourn six months for the death of their husbands, and are permitted to re-marry at the expiration of that period. The herioTs travels X48 cuslom 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. Pros¬ titution before marriage is said to be frequent; but as pregnancy in that state would be deemed ignominous, every endeavour is practised to counteract it. Attachment to each other by mutual affection 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 con¬ sidered no mark of forwardness in the latter openly to avow her inclination. A present i$ brought to the door of the cabin of the bridegroom, by each guest invited to the marriage. '1 lie parties are conducted 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 the points directed towards the young couple ; be dances until he becomes heated and fatigued, and afterwards kneeling dow n, presents his son to the bride, whose father abo performs the same gestures which were already exhibited. When the ceremony is con¬ cluded, a party of men immediately begin to cut dow n trees, and to clear a spot, where they plant a quantity of Indian coin for the provision of the new' married persons. Although polygamy is permitted among the Moxes, it seldom happens that a man takes more than one wife at a time, bis na¬ tural indolence rendering him incapable of supporting two. In¬ continence in a married state is here considered as a crime of the first enormity; and if a woman is so forgetful of her duty as to be unfaithful to her husband, she is rtputed as infamous, and is frequently punished with death. A total disregard of external forms seems to prevail in the celebration ot marriages among the Moxes. The whole cere¬ mony consists in the mutual consent of the relations of the par¬ ties, and in some presents made on the part of the intended hus¬ band to the lather, or to the nearest connection of her whom he is to espouse. Reciprocal regard is by no means deemed es¬ sential. Alter marriage, the husband follows his wife to what¬ ever spot or situation she may chuse to inhabit. Among some other natives of South America, the Caciques or chiefs are permitted to have several wives, whilst all the other members <*f their community are allowed to possess onlv one. IJut should they be dissatisfied with their w ives, they can repu¬ diate them, and make another choice. A fcther consents not to the marriage ol his daughter, until her lover lias given unequi¬ vocal pioois ot his address and courage. He betakes himself to w^e chucc, kills as much game as he is able, brings it to the en- entiance of the cabin, where she whom he is to espouse resides, m HOT Gil THE CANADAS. 149 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 these nations- when a mother who has young children, (lies, they arc put to death and interred with her; and when a woman is delivered of twins, she destroys one of them, assigning for a reason, that she cannot nourish two children at the same time. In Peru, marriage between persons in the first degree of consanguinity in the direct line, or even in the collateral, was never permitted except to the Incas, the legitimate heirs of the empire, and the sovereign idone espoused his own sister. The vanity of those princes, who considered themselves little inferior to divinities, induced them to establish this law, to the exclusion of the rest of the family, that the race of the Sun might always be more pure in the blood of the monarch. The Inca Garcilasso de la Y 7 ege pretends that this law was as ancient as the monar¬ chy, and that it had been instituted by Manco Capac, the foun¬ der of the Peruvian empire. Acosta, on the contrary, attributes it to one of the latest kings, and, with a zeal dictated by reli¬ gious, but perhaps more by interested motives, in wishing to ex¬ tenuate the cruelties inflicted bv his countrymen on this innocent people, says, that it drew upon the royal family, and upon the different branches of the empire, the wrath of Heaven, which delivered them over a prey to the Spaniards, the instruments of its vengeance. The Caraibs, among whom a plurity of wives is permitted to an unlimited degree, have a right to espouse 1 heir cousins, by the mother’s side, who are considered as betrothed the mo¬ ment they are born. The marriage does not, however, take place without the consent of the parents, and is considered as au obligation of so trivial a nature, that it may at any time be dis¬ pensed with on the part of the women. With respect to the degree of consanguinity iu matrimonial engagements, the Iroquois are more scrupulous. The ties of blood in the family of the mother are reputed so strong, that re¬ lations reared in the same cabin canot marry among themselves, unless they be so remote as to be no otherwise connected than by being members or the community. An attention less strict, with respect to the tics of affinity, prevails among the A’gonquins, who espouse without ceremony several sisters, and when one is pregnant, successively cohabit with the Olliers, it being the general practice, of these natives not to visit their wives when they arc declared to be in a state of pregnancy. Among the Jews, when a husband died, leaving ao issue by 1 30 THROUGH TIIE CANADAS. his wife, it was, in some cases, incumbent on the unmarried brother of the husband, if such there was, to espouse the widow. Among the Arabians a practice prevailed which was much more abhorrent to nature, and afterwards branded with general detes¬ tation. Sons not uufrequeutly married the widows ot their fathers, provided they were not their own mothers. The prac¬ tice of espousing stepmothers appears to have been prevalent in Scotland so late as the eleventh century, and is supposed by Lord Hailes to have originated from m'otives of interest, that the estate might be exonerated from the payment of a jointure. The ancient Persians entertained a persuasion that they who were married enjoyed a peculiar degree of happiness in a future state, and therefore, frequently hired persons to be espoused to such of their relations as had died in a state of celibacy. An institution of a very singular nature, but probably to serve political views, was, by Jengiz Khan, introduced, or revived, among the Moguls and Tartars. The ceremony of uniting in wedlock young men and women who had long been dead, was frequently performed, and hostile tribes were, by these ima¬ ginary means, sometimes reconciled to each other, when every other mode of pacification had been attempted in vain. T his ideal contract was regarded with superstitious veneration, and any breach of treaty, where it had taken place, was considered as drawing on themselves the vengeance of these departed spirits. The Iroquois, the Uurons, and other nations among whom polygamy is not in use, espouse, after the death ot their first wife, one of her sisters; they of the family ot the deceased tailing not to propose to the husband this fresh alliance, especially it they have been satisfied with his conduct during the first mar¬ riage. The same custom is follow ed with resj>ect to a widow, and 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. Ills assistance in the chace being useful lo the cabin or family in which he dwelt, it was, 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 generally 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 forming, in wedlock, a new engagement; and the habit of their marrying at an advanced period of life may be attributed, perhaps, more to their own inclination than to interested mo¬ tives on the part of those among w hom they resided. The passion of love, feeble unless aided by imaginatien, is of heriot’s travels 1J1 a nature too refined to acquire a great degree of influence over the mind of savages. Their erratic mode of life, their depend- ance for support on the precarious supplies which the chace affords, and their natural disposition to indolence, tend in a great degree to abate the ardour for the sex. This impulse, which bestows energy and comfort on mankind, they possess in a much fainter degree than the inhabitants of the eastern hemisphere. Many of the Indians are, notwithstanding, subject to jealousy, and often carry that passion to fatal extremes. The females appear, however, to be much more sensible of tender im¬ pressions. It is common among the Iroquois, for a man who intends to marry, to leave to the principal matron, or to some of his own relations, the selection of his future spouse. T he choice having been fixt, and the consent of the female procured, a proposal is jnade to her relations, who hold a consultation upon the occa¬ sion, and should it be agreeable, delay to return a positive answer. The marriage being resolved on, the friends of the bridegroom send to the cabin of the young woman, a present consisting of porcelain, peltry, some blankets of skins, and other useful articles of furniture, which are intended for the parents or near relations of the bride, with whom no dowry is demanded. hen the presents are accepted, the marriage ceremony is con¬ sidered to be concluded, and the contract to he passed. Men advanced in years frequently espouse young girls, as being more easily moulded to their own disposition. In Mexico, marriages were celebrated by the authority of the priests, and an instrument was drawn up, specifying the parti¬ culars of the wife’s fortune, which the husband, in case of sepa¬ ration, was by law obliged to return. When the articles were fully arranged, the parties went to the temple, where they com¬ municated to the sacrificing priest the tenor of their resolutions. He thereupon laid hold of a corner of the woman’s veil, and of the husband’s mantle, and tied them together, to indicate that they should remaiu ieseparable. 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 matron 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 152 HE RIOT S TRAVELS to a fire which is kindled for the occasion. He instructs them in their duty, and in such particular conduct as he thinks re¬ quisite to |>e observed by them in the transition from the one state to the other. When the lire becomes extinguished, the parties are looked upon as husband and wife. Among the Tlascalans, it was the practice to shave the heads of the new-married couple, to denote that all youthful sports ought in that state to be abandoned. In a neighbouring province of the Mexican empire, it was customary to carry the bride¬ groom, that he might be supposed to marry against his inclina¬ tion. Among the natives of the province of Paimco, 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 them¬ selves blood, with which they sprinkled their idols. The mutual consent of both parties was all that was 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 iu 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 w hom he was the most attached. - The Caribanians indulged the practice of polygamy to its utmost extent, and a Cacique distributed his w ives into different parts of the country. Feasting and dancing was introduced at the marriage ceremony, and the hair of the parties was cut off. The bride \va< obliged to pass the first night with the priest, as a form essentially necessary to constitute the legality of the mar¬ riage. If that part was omitted she was considered only as a concubine. Among the natives of America, it does not appear customary for a father to bestow’ any portion with his daughter. The prac¬ tice of receiving a dower with a wife, which is not always pro¬ ductive of felicity in wedlock, prevails in a great degree in so¬ cieties that have made considerable progress in the arts of civilization, and in a taste for luxury. 5 THROUGH THE CANA 1>AS. 153 The Athenian legislator, \\ ith a view to preseve regularity and domestic happiness among his countrymen, prescribed that no portions should be given with women on their marriage. Ava¬ rice 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 tranquillity of a married state. The marriage ceremony among some of the northern tribes, usually concludes with a feast, in which is exhibited a profusion of every species of food most in esteem among the natives, and the assembly is always numerous. The song, the dance, and other amusements, contribute to vary the occupations of the day. At night, all the relatives of the bridegroom withdraw, excepting four of the eldest, who remain to accompany him. The bride is attended by a like number of aged females, one of whom pre¬ sents her to her husband; the couple then standing upon a mat, hold the end of a rod placed horizontally between them, whilst the oldest man present delivers a short harrangue. In this atti¬ tude 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 cere¬ mony, the bride is led out by young women, who re-conduct her to the cabin of her father, where her husband occasionally visits her, until her first child is born; on this event her effect? are carried to the cabin of her spouse, in which she afterwards continues to reside. Mutual separation takes place whenever it is the wish of the parties, who generally give a week’s previous notice, each of them assigning reasons. The small pieces of rod which were distributed among the relations, are collected and brought to the place where the ceremony of marriage was performed, to be there consumed in the presence ot the husband and wife. These divorces are effected without dispute, quarrel, or contradiction. The women become equally at liberty with the men, to re¬ marry when they are inclined. The children forming the wealth of the savage tribes, are, at the period of separation, equally divided between the father and mother. Should the number he unequal, the greatest share tabs to the mother. Although 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 common, 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 woman, and the engagement thus becomes dissolved. The children are not accounted lawful, and cannot succeed to any inheritance. heeiot.] X 154 heriot’s travels Of some of the nations of South America, the men always sleep and live together in the same cabin : this practice extends even to those who are married, who cannot enter the cabins where their wives reside, but under the obscurity of night. Fheir ancient customs did not permit them to speak to the relations of the spouse. They took every 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, belonging always to the cabin of their respective mothers, the families contract new obligations towards each other, on account of the alliance. The wife is not only bound to give food to her hus¬ band, to cook his provisions when he sets out on expeditions, but likew ise to assist those of his family when they cultivate their fields, and to provide wood for the fires, during an allotted pe¬ riod. 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 formality prevails only among the more stationary tribes of North America, and is termed the nuptial zcoocl. It becomes the office of the husband in his turn, to make a mat, to repair the cabin of his w ife, or to construct a new one. The produce of his hunting expeditions, during the first year of marriage, belongs of right to his wife; he afterwards shares it equally with her, whether she remains in the village, or accom¬ panies him to the chace. The Ilurons, whose customs are in many respects similar to those of the Iroquois, are much more irregular in their conduct. When the former w ere defeated by the latter, those prisoners who w ere incorporated with the society of the conquerors, could never venture to propose at Aguiers, or at Tsonnonthouan, a festival of debauch which they celebrated in their country, afraid of exciting disgust in the Iroquois, whose minds were not suffi¬ ciently corrupted to tolerate such a spectacle. Although their morals have since declined, and they are become less scrupulous with respect to the observance of chastity, they preserve, how¬ ever, many of the exterior requisites of decorum. Their lan¬ guage is chaste, and possesses appropriate terms. In their mode of dress they preserve an inviolable regard for decency. The young women studiously avoid speaking in public with persons of a different sex, whose conversation w ould not fail to render them suspected. They walk with much seeming modesty ; and, except the women that arc totally abandoned, they are sedu- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 15 lously vigilant to preserve their reputation, afraid that they \yould otherwise forfeit all hope of an establishment by mar¬ riage. None of the native tribes in America are populous; the small¬ ness of their numbers may be attributed to their mode of exis¬ tence, and to a principle in their nature which cherishes not a disposition to multiply. Their desolate and joyless condition, is productive of a proportionate depression of spirit. The length ot 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 licen¬ cing prostitution before marriage, and the misery and want to which they are frequently reduced, contribute also to render their state unpropitious to the impulse of love, and combine to produce sterility. The nations among which prostitution is allowed before mar¬ riage, alledge in its justification, that a young woman is mistress of her person, and a free agent. When, however, she enters into a state of wedlock, she becomes the property of the man whom she has espoused and resigns her liberty. The ancient Thracians entertained, with respect to the chastity of women before marriage, the same indifference as some of the American tribes, and like them also considered as an un¬ pardonable offence, the violation of conjugal 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 tsventy-four years, for the latter that of eighteen. They were not permitted to marry at an earlier period, as they were conceived in that case incapable of regulating their families. The Inca being seated, the parties who had agreed on their union, stood one by the other around him. After calling them by name, he joined their hands, exacted from them a promise of mutual fidelity, and delivered them to their parents. I he celebration of the wedding, which was held at the house of the bridegroom’s father, continued for two or three days. Such marriages among that class were alone denominated lawful. The sons and daughters of citizens were married by priests, accord¬ ing to the division of the several districts in higher and lower Cusco. The moveables and utensils for the house of the new married x 2 156 ueriot’s travels couple,were supplied by their relations, everyone bestowing ac¬ cording 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 presided. In quality of lords and fathers of the districts, they were bound to assist in person, and to solemnize those marriages. HOUSES OF THE INDIANS. The houses of the married citizens, were by law provided at the expence of the community among which they were born. The inhabitants of one provioce 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 nations were by this means prevented from being blended w ith each other. The inhabitants of the same city, or of the same province, speaking the same dialect, were accounted relations, and were prohibited going from one district to another. The lover, previous to the ceremony of marriage, visited 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 w as fabricated only of reeds A wi¬ dow never went abroad during the first year after her husband’s death, and even if .she had no children, seldom married agaiu. But if she was a mother, she passed her days in perpetual conti¬ 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 se¬ veral privileges. There were existing laws by w hich it w as enact¬ ed, that the lands of widows should be cultivated sooner than those of the curacas or caciques aud even than those of the Inca. The females of the northern nation w ho are in a state of preg¬ nancy, approaching perhaps to the hour of parturition, continue to labour at their ordinary tasks, to cultivate 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 assisted indifferently by any person of the same cabin. If the event take place in the woods, or in the fields, they un¬ dergo alone that trial. They w ash iheir infants in the first stream, at which they arrive, return to their cabins, and seem capable, on the same day, of engaging in their accustomed labours. In some parts of ISputh America, if w omen sustain not with THROUGH THE CANADAS. 157 fortitude li e 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 ot their race may incur the turpitude of degenerating from the courage of his ancestors. The same rigour is practised with respect to those that are deformed, and the mother is frequently put to death together with the child. It 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 expiration of that period. The new-born infant is plunged into water, and afterwards swaddled to little boards, lined with cotton, and more frequently with moss. The Brazilians, and several other nations in South America, pursue, in this respect, the same custom as the northern tribes; after dipping the child, they paint its body, and lay it in a hammock, placing by its side, if a boy, a bow, arrows, and a knife. Among the uations bordering on the south¬ east coast of the river Saint Lawrence, it was 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 addition of one syllable, to that of the second son another syllable was added, and for the third and fourth sons the name was proportionably augmented. The savage women are attached to their children by the most ardent and affectionate regard, nourishing them as long as they are able, and separating from them only through necessity, and with regret. This tender care for their young is an innate principle, derived from nature, and not from reason. The powerful attachment and auxious solicitude of a mother towards her offspring appears, therefore, to be in many instances, stronger in the savage than in the civilized state of mankind. The allurements of pleasure and of fashion assume a seducing influence over the mind, oc¬ cupy the passions, weaken the affections, and tend in some degree to obliterate a propensity, which nature had designed to be scarcely less powerful than that of self-preservation. The practice of giving suck to their children to the age of six or seven years, appears to be universal among the women of America, who allow them also all kinds of food from the period of a year old. The free air to which they are expossd, the fatigues to which they are gradually habituated, in a measure proportioned to their age, together with simple and natural food, tend to render them capable of supporting incredible fatigues, whose excess occasions the death of many, long before the age of maturity. hetuot’s travels i 58 It was custotnary even in Mexico, whose inhabitants had at¬ tained a considerable degree of improvement, for women to nourish their children for several years, and to abstain during that period from all intercourse with their husbands. The birth of twins in a family, was by the Peruvians considered as an event that portended evil; and to mitigate or avert the mis¬ fortune with which they conceived themselves threatened, the parents performed acts of rigorous mortification. At the weaning of their eldest children, the Incas generally made feasts and rejoicings, the right of seniority being held in great estimation. Less formality was used in the case of daugh¬ ters or younger children. When they arrived at the age of two years they were weaned, and their hair was cut off. For the performance of this ceremony, all the relations assembled, and part of the hair of the infant was shorn by the godfather, who used for this purpose a sharp flint ; each individual of the com¬ pany followed in the same manner his example; when the name was given to the child various articles were presented to it. The dance, the bowl, and the song, were prolonged in rotation until midnight. In proportion to the quality of the person whose child had received its name, these acts of festivity were repeated, and continued sometimes for several days. Jn whatever station of life a person was placed, to inure a son to hardships became .us indispensable duty. The manners of the youth were regulated by a sect of philo¬ sophers, 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 children. Indolence and inactivity were reprobated as vices, and a taste for luxury was no less dis¬ couraged. Among the Mexicans, when an infant was born, it was imme¬ diately carried to the temple, where the priest recited over it a discourse on the miseries and troubles to which, bv 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 shield into the left; if the child of a mechanic, the same ceremony vvas per¬ formed 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 cistern. Four days after the birth of the child, it was carried naked to a place where some rushes were deposited; a vessel filled with w ater was placed upon them, a woman plunged the infant into it, and three little boys called aloud its name. At the expiration of twenty days from THROUGH THE CANADAS. 1 59 its birth, it was carried, together with an oblation, to the temple; it was presented to the 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 aug¬ mented. A child was initiated in such tasks and amusements as were deemed suitable to its age, and the growth of idleness was thereby checked and overcome. Before the dawn of reason in children, no severe chastise¬ ment was used, and threats and advice were repeatedly applied before recourse was had to that remedy. At the age of nine years, a stubborn or rebellious child was punished with rigour. Greater tenderness w as shew n in the punishment of females. A youth guilty of a crime after he had arrived at ten years was beat with a stick; if lie lived to a greater age, a smoke which gave him excessive pain was applied to his nostrils, and if these inflictions did not effect reformation, he was carried with his feet and hands tied, and exposed in a swampy situation, during a w hole day, to the torture of flies, the inclemencies of the ele¬ ments, and the scorching heat of the sun. For instruction in the principles of religion, and the consti¬ tution of the state, seminaries were instituted, into which young men of different ages in life were received. As the use of letters was unknown, the precepts of the 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 expediency 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 the forehead of their children, and cause the summit to terminate in a point. The taste of some of the natives of Canada is directed in a similar manner, but beauty, in their conception, consists in moulding the head to a round form. The Caraihs have ther 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 lied with a bandage, which is allowed to remain until the bones have acquired consistence. It ever afterwards retains its flatness in such a degree, that without raising or bending back the head, the eyes may be directed to objects pespendicularly above them. VVe have already noticed that the children of savages 1(50 h Eli jot’s travels are early inured to hardships, and although their former system of education does uot in general prevail in some of the countries where Europeans have established them¬ selves amongst them, yet the same spirit, the same disposition, 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 endeavouring 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 instruments of amusement, but when their strength begins to ripen into manhood, are applied to more useful and more im¬ portant purposes. The children of the Floridians were instructed by means of emblems and hieroglyphics, in every thing which related to their families and their tribe; and their history, by this means, aided by oral tradition, was transmitted from one generation to an¬ other. Among some of the northern tribes, the mothers who have charge of the education of their children, allow them to act as inclination directs, 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 do¬ cile, and have sufficient respect for those of their cabin, and likewise for the aged, which they ever continue to entertain. 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 inferior to many in swift¬ ness, in skill in warfare, -and in the chace. Neither of these occupations they individually pursue, but always engage in them in considerable bodies. The Illinois, the Oumamis, the Outa- gamis, 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 Saufreurs and Clistinos, are no Jess deficient in courage, than in appearance and due proportion of form. The Hurons are brave, enterprising, and sprightly, resembling the Iroquois in figure and countenance. Fhe North Americans are in general robust, and of a health- ful temperament, calculated to live to an advauced age, were it not for the great irregularity in their mode of life. Their con¬ stitutions are ruined by long and rapid journira, by extraordi¬ nary fasting, 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, ilk-fortune and hard¬ ship, braving without inconvenience either heat or cold. It is THROUGH THE CANADAS. 1G1 habit alone in the earlier part of life •which fortifies the human frame, and enables it to encounter with case, not only exertion, but the severities of climate. The women exceed not in stature the middle sire, and they are in genetal so lusty, and so aukward in their air and manner, as to render them but little attractive. The inert hold them¬ selves in high estimation, alledging 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, falls infinitely short of an exemption from care, or rather of that ignorance of refinement, and that absence of emulation, which enables them to pass their life in nuambitious obscurity. JSlan 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 science 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 any other guard or provision than the bow and arrow. They enjoy, in a superior degree to Europeans, the perfection of the senses, in spite of the snow which dazzles their sight, and the smoke in which they are involved for nearly six months of the year, their organs of vision remain to a great age, unim¬ paired. They possess an acuteness of hearing, and a sense of smelling so strong, that they can ascertain their distance from fire, long before the smoke becomes visible. Their olfactory nerves are so exquisite, that they cannot suffer 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 ob¬ scure weather, they will for many days follow' the course of the sun, without beiug misled; the most perfect quadrant cannot givemore 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 13 neither the result of experience nor observation. Children, when they depart from their village to perform their first journey, preserve the same un¬ deviating course as they who have repeatedly traversed the whole country. In vivacity of imagination, many of the savages are by no means defective. They have the faculty of replying with rea- Y 162 heriot’s travels diness, and their harangues frequently abound with luminou? 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 admired in the Barbarians; and although it appears not to be sustained by action, which is some¬ times a violation of the propriety of language, although they use few gestures, aud 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 degree propor¬ tioned to the liveliness of their imaginations. Although destitute of the aids which civilized nations have invented to ease the memory, they can in some degree supply its defects. They can discourse upon many subjects, with a long detail of circum¬ stances, and with considerable order and method. They use, on the most serious and important occasions, belts of wampum, or little sticks, to remind 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 presents, each of which requires a particular discourse, without forgetting a circumstance, and even without hesitation. Their narrative is neat and concise, and although they introduce into it many alle¬ gories and figures, it appears spirited, 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 mate¬ rials he conceived rum, of which he w r as so fond, to be formed, answered, that it was the spirit and quintessence of hearts and tongues; " for,” continued he, “ when I have drank of it, I fear nothing, and J speak with more than usual facility and bold¬ ness.” A chief of Virginia having been captived by a governor of that colony, was, to gratify the curiosity of the colonists, exhi¬ bited in public. The chief, whose eyes were so much weak¬ ened 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 not have violated your feelings, bv exposing you as a spectacle to th© derision of the people.” The attachment which savages entertain for their mode of life, supersedes every allurement, however powerful, to change THROUGH THE CANADAS. 163 it. Many Frenchmen have lived with them, and have imbibed such an invincible partiality for that independant and erratic con¬ dition, that no means could prevail on them to abandon it. On the contrary, no single instance has yet occurred of a savage being able to reconcile himself to a state of civilization. Infants have been taken from among the natives, and educated with much care in Fi ance, where they could not possibly have inter¬ course with their countrymen and relations. Although they had remained several years in that country, and could form not the smallest idea of the wilds of America, the force of blood predo¬ minated over that of education; no sooner did they rind them¬ selves at liberty tlian they tore their cloaths in pieces, and went to traverse the forests in search of their countrymen, whose mode of life appeared to them far more agreeable than that which they had led among the French. ACCOUNT OF THE BARON JOE SAINT CASTEINS. The Baron de Saint Casteins, a gentleman of Oleron in Berne, having lived among the savages for upwards of twenty years, made himself so beloved by the Abinaquis, that they looked up to him as to a father. He was formerly an officer of the regiment of Carignan, in Canada, but from the period at which that corps was reduced, he joined the savages whose language he had acquired. He married after their manner, preferring the forests of Acadia to the Pyrenean mountains, with which his country is environed. During the first years of his residence amongst these natives, he conducted himself in a manner that conciliated their most cordial esteem. He was appointed their grand chief, or sovereign of their nation, and he amassed by degrees a fortune, of w-hich auy person except himself would have profited, by re¬ mitting to his native home a hundred thousand crowns in gold, which he possessed in his coffers. He, however, employed them in purchasing the manufactures of Europe, which he bestowed in presents on the savages, w ho, on their return from the chace, amply repaid him in furs. He was courted by the governors- general of New France, and likewise by the governor of New England. He had several daughters, who were all advantage¬ ously married to Frenchmen, each having a considerable dowry. To shew by his example that he thought incontinence displeasing in the sight of heaven, he never put away his wife, nor was known to change his attachment. He 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 vaiu, inculcated the truths of Christianity. Their perseverance con y 9 ' HERIOi’s TRAVELS I'S* t r.ued, notwithstanding, unrelaxed, and they accounted that the office of administering baptism to dying children, counterbalanced in a tenfold degree the inconveniences and mortifications attend¬ ing a residence among these people. The helpless and uncertain condition of man, says Mr. Heriot, has, in every country and age of the world, incited him to look for protection and support to the agency of supernatural 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 tho Americans bury their dead, they appear to entertain the persua- sion that the soul perishes not with the body. They deposit with the remains of their departed friends, food as well as in¬ struments 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 revisit the abodes of the living. This principle, almost universally received among the Indians, was of great utility, by enabling many of the tribes of that people to admit with less difficulty the 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 apprehension of impending evil, more than the suggestions of a grateful remem¬ brance of good, seems to urge them to the practice of the cere¬ monies of w orship. 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 divi¬ nity whom he worships, inclinations and practices conformable to his own. His power is believed to consist in bestowing what¬ ever may gratify the wish, his felicity is involved in the fruition of such imaginary objects, as may be affixed to happiness by those w-ho adore him, and they confound w ith the idea of his perfec¬ tions, certain errors, which iguorance has taught them to appre¬ ciate as amiable qualities. Among many of the native tribes of America, neither temples, altars, nor idols, nor any external form of w orship, were disco¬ verable by the Europeans who first visited them, and it was con¬ cluded that the ultimate hope of their existence was limited to the gratification of hunger, and of other sensual appetites. It was, therefore, too hastily pronounced, that, living like the ani¬ mals of the forests, w ithout the expectation of an hereafter, they offered no worship, and paid no religious rites, either to visible or to invisible deities. THEODGH THE CANADAS. 165 An aversion, or, perhaps, an incapacity to attain any high degree of improvement in the arts of civilization, or in subjects of theology, seems to prevail in the character of ihe natives of this continent. Among such of them as had attained to the ex¬ ercise of religious ceremonies, were observed rites, which bore a strong resemblance to those of the barbarians who first occu¬ pied die country of Greece, and spread themselves over Asia, to those of the people who served Bacchus in his military expe-< dittons, to those, inline, which afterwards became the foundation of the whole system of pagan mythology. Even in the most barbarous state, man is not destitute of the moral principle. If influenced by passion, he is urged to the perpetration of a deed, which, on cool reflection, his heart afterwards condemns, he is led to suppose that such conduct must be hjgly offensive to the Deity, as well as injurious to the tribe of which he is a member. He has, therefore, recourse to some mode of expiation, to effect a reconciliation, and to pro¬ cure forgiveness. Hence the introduction of sacrifice, and atone¬ ment by oblation. The reconciliation thus obtained implies a resolution to avoid former errors, and to pursue the practice of virtue, which exhibits the prospect of reward. Many 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 author of his origin. Some of the natives believe that they first derived their exist¬ ence 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 from that event. They celebrate feasts in honour of their deities, and on these occasions all the viands thus ap¬ propriated must be consumed. They erect posts painted of a red colour, to which the victims are affixed. Dogs are the holo¬ causts, by which they conceive their divinities are most easily propitiated, and when 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 ^access ot their enterprises. Indians’ idea of immortality. Many of the Indian nations believe that the soul, after its se¬ paration from the body, enters into a wide path, crowded by spirits, which are journeying towards a region of eternal repose. 106 . heriot’s travels That in the way thither an impetuous river must be crossed by means of a bridge made of wicker, which continually trembles xmdtr the feet, and from whence the passengers incur much hazard of falling into the current. They who are so unfortu¬ nate as to be thrown from this passage are swept away by the stream, and can never return. The spirits which have passed fhe river, direct their course for a considerable way aloug its banks, making provision of fish, which they dry, until they gain an extensive meadow, whose extremity is terminated by precipi¬ tous rocks, over which there is a long and narrow path, w'ith a barrier of two large logs of wood, alternately raised and de¬ pressed. These are intended to crush the living who might at¬ tempt to force a passage, but not as an impediment to the pro¬ gress of the dead. The soul afterwards arrives at a beautiful mea¬ dow, boundless to the sight, filled with every species of animals, and abounding w ith the most delicious fruits ; here is heard the sound of drums, and other musical instruments known to sava¬ ges; from hence it is ushered into the abode of happiness and joy, where its journey is concluded, where it is invested with beautiful raiment, and w here it mingles with an assembly of kindred spirits in the dance. The Apalachites, a tribe of Florida, believe that they who have lived a life of virtue are admitted into Heaven, and are assigned a place among 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. The Indians of Carolina believe in the transmigration of souls; and whenever any one of their 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 slain in battle, or they w ho 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 apportioned various degrees of felicity or of wretchedness. The Tlascalans paid adoration to a multitude of divinities, among which the goddess of love was allotted a distinguished rank. A temple was appropriated for the celebration of 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 consi¬ der, on the contrary, to ffow from the operation of benevolent spirits. To the former they offer up living sacrifices, to the THROUGH THE CANADAS. l5? latter tliey presuit furs, or European merchandise received fo? these articles. A day unclouded and serene is chosen for this ceremony, M hen each savage carries his oblation, and places it upon a pile of wood reared for the occasion. When the sun has attained its meridian altitude, children arrange themselves around the pile and apply to it flambeaux of lighted baik, whilst the war¬ riors dance and sing, encompassing it with a circular figure un¬ til it is consumed. The old men deliver harangues to Kitchie ^lonitou, the good spirit, holding up at the same time, towards the sun, lighted pipes of tobacco. These songs, harangues, and dances are continued until the evening, not however, without some intervals of relaxation. The priests of Hispaniola offered tobacco as the incense which they supposed most agreeable to their idols. When these minis¬ ters had intoxicated themselves with the fumes of this plant, they persuaded the people that the incoherent rhapsodies which they uttered in this state of delirium, were the oracles with which they were inspired. When they worshipped their demons, the solemnity was pre¬ viously proclaimed; and on the day of the ceremony, the cacique walked in procession at head of both sexes, of his subjects, ar¬ rayed in their best attire. The whole train moved by beat of drum towards the temples of those demons, who were there re¬ presented in the most hideous and disgusting shapes. Oblations were offered, which consisted 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 principal spirit of evil, concluding with eulogies on their former caciques, and with prayers for the prosperity of the nation. The cakes are 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 reached 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 hinv. Their gods are said to reveal themselves to their priests, and eometimes to the people. If the priest, after co»>sultiug the oracle, danced and sung, he announced a favourable omen. But if he betrayed a sorrowful air, the people are sad and deject¬ ed, and abandoned themselves to grief and fasting. Some of tlie natives of South America bestowed on the moon the title of mother, and honoured her in that quality. Dur¬ ing an eclipse, they went in crouds from their cabins, and seud- 368 heriot’s travels ing forth cries and lamentable howiings, and launching into the air a prodigious number of arrows, to defend that luminary from dogs, which they conceived had thrown themselves upon it. These people imagine when it thunders, that the storm is rais¬ ed by some of their departed enemies, who would thus revenge their defeat. They are extremely inquisitive and superstitious w ith respect to a knowledge of the future. They frequently consult the songs of birds, aud 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 indications 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 emblematical 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 ancestors, 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 manner the spirit and valour , which is nothing else than the smoke of to¬ bacco blown upon them from the end of a long tube, by a priest, as they pass him severally in the dance. They who are desirous of participating in this ceremony, join in a circular dance, which they perform with an inclination of the head and shoulders, and violent contortions 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 ot 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 Tharonhiaouagon as a being who once lived amongst them, but they have no multiplied Apotheosis. It is iu propo tion only to the diffusion of science, and to the expau- THROUGH THE CANADAS. ]69 sion of the mental faculties, that the catalogue of any system of Pagan mythology becomes augmented. 1 he Apalachites worship t!ie sun and moon, but offer to these luminaries no living sacrifices. Their temples are used only as receptacles tor the dead, and as depositaries for those articles which they appreciate the most The entrances are adorned 'vith trophies taken lrom the enemy. They entertain some iaint idea ot a general deluge, and celebrate festivals in honor of lvia y who, they conceive, possesses the power of dispensing evil to mankind. The Spaniards found in some of the temples of Florida, wooden truuks or chests, placed near the walls upon platforms or benches, raised two feet from the ground. In these truuks dead bodies were embalmed, and deposited. There were be¬ sides boxes and baskets ot reed, curiously wrought, the former containing dresses of men and women, the latter a quautity of pearls i he Americans, like the ancient heathens of the eastern he¬ misphere, entertain a respect for high places, for stones of a co¬ nical form, and for certain groves and trees, which they esteem sacred. In some of the temples of the Natchez of Louisiana, these conical stones were carefully deposited, enveloped in a number ot coverings of the skins of deer. The Abinaquis, who frequent the coasts ot the Saint Lawrence, between Nova Scotia and Canada, are said to have had a sacred tree, of which they relate many extraordinary circumstances, and which was always charged with their vows. This tree having become ex¬ tremely old, and the sea undermining the bank on which it stood, it was carefully propped up for many years, until at length it became a prey to the violence of die w aves. The inhabitants of Brazil endeavour to appease the wrath of their deities, by planting a stake in the ground, and placing an offering at its base. Of expiatory monuments 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 northern nations, as w ell as in the temples of Mexico and Peru. The savages of Virginia preserved among them symbolical idols of hideous deformity, under which shapes they affirmed, the demon whom they worshipped often appeared to them. In Louisiana, the Natchez kept in their temple an incessant watch for the preservation of the perpetual lire, of which they were at great pains never to allow the extinction. This lire was commited to the care of a kind of priests, who slept in the tem¬ ple upon hides stretched on the ground. Three pieces of wood IJEHIOT.J .2 170 heriot’s travels were employed to nourish it, and this number was never augment¬ ed or diminished. In this temple, the bodies of their departed chiefs, and of their families, were deposited. The great chief went at stated hours to the entry of the temple, where, crouch¬ ing, and stretching forth his arms in the form ot a cross, he sent forth a certain confused and indistinct murmur, without articu¬ lating any intelligible sounds. This ceremony was intended to mark the duty which he owed to the sun, as the author of his origin His subjects used the same formalities to ards the chief, and the princes of the blood, whenever they addressed them ; to honour, by this exterior indication of reverence, the sun, from whom that family was supposed to be descended. The Zempoellans, who inhabited the eastern coast ot Xew Spain, were so much attached to their system of superstition, that when Cortes threw down the idols of their temple, and erected in their place a crucifix and an image of the Virgin, they were impressed with sentiments of horror and reseutmeut. Excited to arms by their priests, they were about to take revenge on the Spaniards, had not Cortes exerted his utmost authority aud address to appease them. THE PERUVIAN INDIANS. The 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 w ife, pretended to be the offspring of the sun, and to have derived from that luminary their mission and authority. To conduct them to the place of their destination, they received from him a golden rod, with which 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 instructed 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 w as at length en¬ abled, by the extension of his power, to enforce among all his subjects the worship of the sun, and to communicate to them a code ot political iqstitutions, calculated to improve their systenj of society, and to promote in a greater degree, the general hap¬ piness. The Peruvians directed a considerable share of their worship Through the canadas. ]?1 to the sun ; but they entertained a yet higher degree of veneration for a god, whom they denominated Paehacamac, and who was supposed to possess the principal power in animating and pro¬ longing the existence of the universe. 1 he spirit ef evil, whom they called Cupai , was conceived to be the reverse in disposition to the deities already mentioned. Although they feared him, they paid him no religious honours* and regarded him with aversion and disgust. It was customary for the master of a feast, before he drank, to dip the tip of one of his ringers in the vessel, to raise his eyes in a submissive manner, and as an offering of gratitude, to shake the drop from the ringer on which it hung. He at the same time gave three kisses to the air, and after this oblation every guest was allowed to drink at pleasure. W hen they entered their temples, the person of the first rank, or the oldest man in the company, laid his hand on one of his eye¬ brows, and plucking some of the hairs from it, blew them into the air as an oblation. There w ere in the temple of Cusco, several idols belonging to nations subdued by the Incas, which were worshipped by the captives, upon condition of their adoring the sun as the first divi¬ nity. 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 uatiou. The worship of the sun was thus rapidly diffused, and w ould have superseded that of all the strange idols, had not the Spaniards invaded and desolated the country. The month of June w as the period at which the great festival of the sun was held, and on this occasion a large vessel of gold was by the Inca consecrated to bis honor. The ceremony was opened with sacrifices, in which it was not lawful to employ any fire but such as could be derived from the sun; and for this purpose the priest caught his rays in a small concave vessel, whose surface was smooth and polished. The converging rays were thrown upon some cotton, w hich was thereby ignited, and applied, for kindling the great fires for burning the oblations. A portion of this fire was afterwards 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 con¬ sidered as an evil omen, and deep affliction was testified by the priests. As a substitute for the celestial fire, the eflect was produced by the friction of two pieces of hard wood. The festival of Citu, held by the Peruvians after the equinox, was considered as a general lustration, to purify the soul by sa- z 2 172 hlriot’s travels orifice, from those pollutions which it contracts by its connec¬ tion 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 w hose waters the people had washed themselves. These feasts con¬ cluded with rejoicings, prayers, thanksgivings, and sacrifices to the sun. T he Peruvians confessed their sins to the priests ap¬ pointed for that purpose, whenever the divine assistance was deemed necessary, and a chastisement proportioned to the mag¬ nitude of the offence, was imposed. Certain women had also a share in this religious function. \\ hen the Inca fell sick, a great and solemn confession was made by all the people. He confessed himself to the snn only, and afterw ards washed himself in a stream of pure water, to which he addressed these words, u Receive and convey to the ocean, the sins which 1 have con¬ fessed to the sun.” The inhabitants of the valley of Rimrtc, afterwards distin¬ guished by the name of Lima, worshipped an idol which was supposed to pronounce oracles, and to answer the enquiries of those who consulted it. The religion of these idolaters gave place to that of the Incas. To Pachacamac human sacrifices were offered, and he was regarded with the most profound veneration. 'The ministers of ius temple w alked backwards w hen they entered, and retired in the 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 tvgers and serpents. The na¬ tions of the province of Manta worshipped the suu, fishes, tvgers, lions, and several other v. Id beasts, likewise an emerald of a prodigious size, which, on solemn festivals, they exposed m public. The A mantas, or philosophers of Peru, supposed that ani¬ mals were informed with a vegetative and sensitive soul, whose capacity extended not to reason; they believed in a future state, where the sanctions of religion wi re enforced, and where the souls of mol enjoyed different, deg rees of happiness, proportioned to their virtuous actions, or were subjected to punishments, suit¬ able to the degree of tmj ;tude of conduct in the life through which they had passed. I hey distributed the universe into three distinct departments, the first of w hich was the habitation of the THROUGH THE CANADAS. 173 good, the second was the world of generation and corruption, and the third was the centre of the earth, inhabited by the wicked. The highest enjoyments of the righteous they considered as con¬ sisting in a life of negative happiness, in a state of tranquillity and exemption from care, from whence they excluded all sen¬ sual pleasures. The temples of Peru, under the reign of the Tncas, were celebrated for their rich decorations, but more for the commu¬ nities of vestals which were there maintained, and whose regu¬ lations resembled those of the Roman vestals, but were still more rigid and severe. They were obliged to vow perpetual virgi¬ nity, and to consecrate themselves to the sun in quality of spouses. None were admitted into the order but daughters of the race of the sun, that his wives might be worthy of himself; and, that no suspicion might be entertained of their chastity, they were selected before the age of eight years. Their occupation was in the service of the altar, and if any of the young women violated her vow, the law ordained that she should be buried alive. The penalties inflicted on her seducer were not less cruel, and were extended not only to himself, but to his family, and even to the village where be was born. Rut such examples of legal vengeance never occurred, so great ftn influence over the minds of the people had the sanctions of religion, and the will of the sovereign. In Mexico, the temples, and the perpetual fire which was there maintained, were no less celebrated than those of Peru. They contained apartments allotted \o the virgins who guarded them, and who were initiated at the age of twelve or fifteen vears. These females were under no restraint with respect to the duration of the period of their ministry, but many devoted themselves for life to that service, and from the latter were selected matrons for superiors of these monasteries. They were occupied in different works for ornamenting the altars, and in making bread which was presented before the idols, and of which the piiests alone had the privilege of partaking. They were maintained by alms, leading a life of mortification and austerity ; they were frequently obliged to draw blood from their bodies, for the purpose of making oblations. Hence they were stiled Daughters of Penance. The Mexicans adored, as the sovereign ruler and preserver of of the universe, a divinity whom they denominated Vitzliputzli, to whose name the epithet of ineffable was sitperadded. This idol was formed of wood, so as to resemble the human shape, and placed upon a square platform, having a serpents head at each corner. He had wings like those of a bat, large eyes, and 174 heriot’s travels a mouth of enormous magnitude, and he was covered with jew¬ els ; in his right hand was placed a waving snake, and in his left four arrows and a buckler, which were considered as a present from heaven. The ornaments as well as deformities of this idol, were emblems of mysterious import. A globe, which supported his throne, denoted his extensive power. The Mexicans had, besides, another idol, composed of the various seeds of vegetables produced in the kingdom, bruised and kneaded together with the blood of victims. 'ITiis idol was at stated periods renewed, and the old one was distributed in portions to the multitude, who believed that these relics pos¬ sessed the virtue of securing them from danger. Impressed with this persuasion, the soldier carried them to the Held of battle, and the principal officers were anointed by the priests with the holy water used at the coronation of the monarch.?. The number of idols which this people had introduced into their calendar was incredible great; to each was allotted its temple, ceremonies, and sacrifices. A tutelar divinity w as found in almost every street, and there was scarcely a disease which had not an altar, to which the inhabitants repaired in the hope of procuring a remedy. Some of the prisoners w ere selected, and each of these was treated in the most kind and respectful manner, for the period of six months or longer, according to the rank of tl>e deity for whom he was destined as a sacrifice, and whose name he was compelled to bear. A portion of meat and drink, and also of fruits and flowers, was presented as an oblation to the sun, and to the earth, before the commencement of every repast. The Mexicans were obliged, for the reverence w hich they were supposed to entertain for their gods, to undergo a species of penance, in w hich they sub¬ mitted to the vilest offices. The priests, whose function it was, not only to offer up victims, but to bear the transgressions of the people, were invited by the sound of a horn to their mid¬ night devotions in the temple of the idol. The penance to which a minister of the gods subjected himself, chiefly consisted m a sanguinary effusion from his feet, by pricking them with a flint stone. The priests likewise flogged each oilier w ith thongs of niaiighev made up in knots, and struck one another with stones. Morning, noon, and midnight, were the periods assign¬ ed for sacrificing to their gods, and they officiated alternately in the temple, to maintain the sacred fire. To instruct the peo¬ ple, by pronouncing beloi e them solemn exhortations, w as also a part of their duty. In the city of Mexico there was, besides a great number of temples, a seminary for the education of youth, into which de- THROUGH THE CANADAS. 175 votees also retired until tliey attained tlie accomplishment of some vow. To render themselves worthy of the bounty of hea¬ ven, a portion ot their time was employed in the practice of au¬ sterities, during which some solicited health or long life, some wealth, and others children. When tl ie first corn made its appearance above the ground, a bov and girl were sacrificed to Taloch, the god of the waters, and wlien it had attained to the height of two feet, four children were otiered to the same divinity. The origin of this cruel ce¬ remony is attributed to a drought which produced a famine, and obliged the Mexicans to abandon their country. In the month of May was celebrated the festival of Tescali- puca, when an absolution from their sins was granted to the se¬ veral members of the empire. The chief priest of this idol, ou the eve of the festival, stripped himself of his habiliments, in or¬ der to receive from the uobles, others of greater value. The gates of the temple being thrown open, one of the ministers of the god discovered himself, and blew a species of flute, turning himself towards the four quarters of the world, as if to invite to repentance all the inhabitants of the earth. He then took a handful of dust and applied it to his lace, in which ceremony he was imitated by all the people, w ho at the same time poured forth their voices in melancholy sounds, interrupted by sighs, groans, and lamentations. Rolling themselves in the dust, they implored the mercy of their divinities, and with minds actuated by terror, invoked the shades of night, the winds, and the storms, to protect them from the fury of that spirit whose vengeance was impending to chastise them. As the sanctions even of false systems of religion, and the ideas which they inspire, are sufliciently powerful to point out the road to virtue, and to exhibit the deformity of vice, the hearts of the vicious w r ere struck with remorse, and, unable to resist the powerful impulse of imagination by which they were swayed, all made a public confession of their guilt. These agi¬ tations, so salutary in outward appearance, as they inspired for a time the hearts of the Mexicans with repentance, concluded with burning incense in honor of the deity whose festival they solemnized. At the end of ten days, which were passed in tears and affliction, the god was carried in procession, preceded by two ministers with thuribles in their hands, and whenever they threw the incense towards the people, the whole multitude simultaneously raised their arms in a devout manner, looking on the sun, and likewise on the god of penance. Some scourged themselves, others adorned the temple, and strewed the way J7f> he riot’s travels with flowers. When the procession was ended, each person made an oblation. Sacred viands were served up to the idol by vestals, conduct¬ ed by an old priest. A sacrifice was ma'de of the person who that year had acted as the living image of Tescalipuca, and the ceremony concluded with dances and songs. An idol, whose province it was to bestow wealth, was wor¬ shipped by mechanics, and by those engaged in commerce. A slave of an handsome appearance was purchased forty days pre¬ vious to the feast, who represented during that period the deity to whom he was to be sacrificed, and at the expiration of which he was washed in the lake of the gods, an appellation given to the water which fitted him for the fatal hypotheosis which was to abridge his existence. At the dawn of each day the people were called forth to their occupations, and at night warned to retire to rest by a drum, which was beaten by the officiating priest of this idol. The city of Cholula is said to have contained a great number of temples of the gods, and to have been considered 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 cir¬ cumference. Thither the Mexicans frequently rt paired in pil¬ grimage. The idol of riches and industry, w hose forms of wor¬ ship have been described, was at that place adored as the god of air, the founder of the city, the institutor of penance, and the in¬ ventor of sacrifices. His devotees, to render themselves accepta¬ ble to him, drew blood from their tongues aud ears. He was likew ise worshipped as a god of war, and five boys, and the same number of girls, of three years old, w ere, before the army took the field, sacrificed to his honor. T he grand chief, or priest of sacrifices, was denominated Topilzin, whose office was hereditary, and always went to the eldest son: his robe was a red tunic bordered with fringe. He wore upon his head a crown of feathers of green or yellow co¬ lour, 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 colour. His face was painted black; he had the sole privilege of putting to death human victims. The instrument used for this horrible ceremony was a sharp knife formed of flint. In this barbarous function he was assisted by Jive other priests of an inferior order, who secured and held the victims. These, who were clothed in black and white tunics, wore artificial hair, fixed bv bands of leather. The Hiltons, before they were converted to Christianity, paid THttODGH THE CANADAS. J77 little worship to any divinity, although the sentiment of a deity, and of a first cause of all things, was faintly imprinted on their hearts. \\ hilst in the occupation of the chace, or when exposed to danger, they implored his aid under the appellation of Ares- houi Soutunstitea. In their war expeditions, and in the midst of their combats, they distinguished him by the name of On- doutaetc, 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, thw mi¬ sery, 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 heavens 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 pro¬ mises. The Ondafaouaouat, a people speaking the Algonquintongue, always invoked, on their festivals, and other solemn occasions, him, who created the heavens, demanding health, long life, a fortunate issue to their wars, success in the chace and in fishing, and in all their trafficking voyages; and for this purpose made an oblation of part of the viands prepared for the feast. With the same view they threw into the fire tobacco, as an offering to that supreme power, whom they conceived to be different in essence from him who formed the earth. They added, that there was a distinct genius, who produced the cold and the winter, who, inhabiting the regions of the north, seut forth from thence his snows and penetrating frosts. Another power they believed to have the disposal of the waters, and occasionally to excite tempests on that element. The winds, they said, are produced by seven other genii, who, inhabiting the region between the heaven and the earth, cause at pleasure an agitation in the atmosphere. Although the latter barbarians thus invoked under various names and characters, the Creator of the universe, they felt little of apprehension for his justice, or of gratitude for his bounties; and when they implored his assistance, they addressed him with¬ out any forms of respect or religious adoration. This was no more than a practice, cold and unimpressive, which they affirm¬ ed to have been derived from their ancestors, which made rio traces upon the mind, but to which, however, some ol the mis¬ sionaries assigned the credit of having predisposed these natives to -receive with the greater facility the sacred mysteries of the Christian faith. HEKIOT.] a A 178 HERIOT’6 TRAVELS The priests of Florida were usually consulted on the fate of expeditions in war. He to whom application was made for this purpose, after having drawn two circles, between which he described hieroglyphics, knelt upon a shield, with his body bent forwards, his feet upwards, and his hands stretched out behiud him; whilst he continued to twist and move his hands and toes, he distorted his features in an extraordinary manner. Having continued thus for fifteen minutes in the most violent agitations, and apparent convulsion of the muscles, hp recovered himself from this fatiguing and unnatural attitude. He suddenly arose in a state almost frantic, approached the chief, and communicat¬ ed to him the result of his spiritual conference, stating the number of the enemy, the place of encampment, and the for¬ tune of the expedition. The inhabitants of Campeche, Yucatan, Tosbasco, and Cozu-» mel, worshipped idols of the most monstrous and terrific forms. They were placed on altars, which were ascended by steps, and human victims were thrown in a confused manner at their feet. The temple of the idol in the island of Cozumel was composed of stone, of a square form; ip the body of the idol there was an apertme, which commuuicated with the head, and through which the priest pronounced the oracle*, unseen by the devotees. The inhabitants of Nicaragua adored the sun and a number of other divinities, to w hom they presented human sacrifices. 1 be victims were honored with an apothesis, and deified by their countrymen. The people carried banners in processions, and aq image of one of their principal deities fixed on the end of a lance, was held by the priest, followed by his brethren, who sang until he halted, and drew blood from some part of his body, in honor of the god. The whole assembly imitated bis example, and besmeared the face of the idol w ith their blood. Their temples were low and dark, and the altars were generally erected before them. In the province of Darian, the priests are the ministers of war. They adore a spirit of evil, to avert the effects of its dis¬ pleasure, presenting to it flowers, perfumes, and maize. In the consultations of their oracles, the priests throw themselves into various attitudes, distorting their features, mimicking at the same time the howling of beasts of prey, or the voice of birds, and mixing with that noise the rattling of the cliichicoue, and the sound of the cane drum. A deep sileuce succeeds, and the answer of the oracle is pronounced. In healing the sick, the patieut is placed upon a stone, the THROUGH THE CANADAS. 179 priest taking a bow and some slender arrows, and shooting them at him as quickly as possible. Upon each arrow there is a stay, to prevent it from piercing beyond a certain depth. If the point of an arrow enter a vein, and if the blood should flow from thence with violence, the operation is declared successful. The inhabitants of Rio Grande which disembogues itself into the gulph of Uraba, worshipped an idol called Dabaiba, to which they went in pilgrimage to sacrifice slaves. They fasted two or three dav®, and performed several outward acts of devo¬ tion, accompanied by sighs, groans, and extasies. This goddess was reputed by the savages to have led a virtuous life upon earth, and u as deified bv them after her death. The priests made a vow of chastity, which, if ever they violated, the punishment of being burnt or stoned to death, followed with inevitable cer¬ tainty. The barbarians of the valley of Tunia, worship the sun and moon, and an idol called Chiappen, to which they sacrifice slaves and prisoners, and previous to going on a war expedition, they besmear its bocfv with blood. The sun and moon are worshipped as gods by the inhabitants of Cumana and Paica. Thunder and lightning are considered as denunciations of the anger of the former, and during an eclipse, the most severe modification is practised; they pull their hair, and wound themselves with sharp instruments. They con¬ sider comets as phenomina of evil omen, and of pernicious ten¬ dency, and use every instrument and means of raising a most terrific noise, to exercise those heavenly wanderers, and to frighten them away. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. The instruments of music in use among some of the Ameri¬ cans, consists of a kind of tympanum, or drum, with a spherical machine of bladder, or of callibash, or the shell of a tortoise. The drum is of the size of the tambour (le basque, made with hoops of three or four inches wide, of different diameters, hav¬ ing skins extended on each end. Being filled with pebbles, it becomes unnecessary to beat on it; and by putting it in motion a noise is produced. The drum is sometimes formed, by simply extending a skin over a brass pot-or kettle. INDIANS OF CAYENNE. The initiation of warriors among the inhabitants of Cayenne is performed in the following manner. He who wishes to aspire to the condition of captain, enters his cabin with a buckler on bis head, and with eyes fixed on the ground. He is there con- A a 2 IIERIOT’S TRAVELS 180 fined within so small a space, that he has scarcely room to move, and observes a long and rigorous fast, during which the captains of the tribe, morning and evening, represent to him, with their natural eloquence, the manner in which he must conduct himself in rencontres with the enemy; that he must not be afraid to face any danger for the honor of his nation, and, that to take vengeance on those who fail not to treat with cruelty and indig¬ nity their countrymen when captived in warfare, is the most solid gratification, and the height of military glory. The harangue being ended, he receives a foretaste of the pains he would un¬ dergo in a state of captivity, each captain discharging on his body three powerful strokes with a whip, twisted from the roots of the palm-tree ; a discipline which, for six weeks, is twice every day repeated. When this part of the rude ceremony of proba¬ tion is concluded, another is prepared for him, by assembling at a festival all the chiefs of the country, who with horrific cries present themselves before .the hut, which they enter with their arrows on their bows, and carrying him out in his hammock, sus¬ pend 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 made under it, so that the heat and smoke, but not the flame, may reach him. hilst the unhappy subject of their inflictions is thus suffering,.the chiefs are occu¬ pied 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 fhe w aters of a neigh¬ bouring stream, lie returns to his hut. He must undergo yet another pciiod of fasting, but of shorter duration than the first; anil when it is ended, he is proclaimed a captain, and a new bow and arrows, with other necessary implements of war, are deli¬ vered to him. The government of the natives of Guaiana was monarchical, there being only one chief to w hom they yielded obedience. This personage was usually elected from among the most ex¬ perienced of the nation, being required to possess, not only the ordinary qualities of courage, patience, activity, and strength, but an intimate knowledge of the country, and of the road, which led to the surrounding nations. lie was obliged, during nine months, to observe a rigorous fast, during which, his daily sustenance was no more than an handful of millet. To carrv enormous burthens, and to stand as sentry at night, was another part of his duty. Detachments were sent on discovery, upon whose return, lie set out, and endeavoured to trace their foot- 131 THROUGH THE CANADAS. steps to the utmost extent of their route, without any previous information respecting the direction in which they had pro¬ ceeded. To accustom himself to patience under sufferings, he remained for a considerable time buried as far as the middle in hillocks formed and inhabited 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, ami went in quest of the intended chief, who concealed himself un¬ der the leaves of trees, to indicate this aversion to the honor 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 assem¬ bly knelt before him, and placed their bows and arrows at his feet. The chief, in his turn, successively raised his foot upon the head of each individual present, and was led in triumph to a cabin, where a feast was prepared by women, who awaited him. Before he partook of it, he shot an arrow from his bow into a cup the size of an egg, attached to the summit of his hut. He partook with avidity of the festival, but was thereafter oblig¬ ed to live for thirty days in the most abstemious manner. The ceremony being ended, the captain was considered to have full power and authority over the whole nation, which was guided by his orders and his movements; 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, consists in preparing a feast of dog’s flesh, boiled in the grease of bears, to which buckle Lorries are added as an ingredient. Of this, all the war¬ riors of the tribe are invited to partake. The repast being finished, a war song to the following purport, is vociferated by 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 to possess courage, whose arm is powerful, and who 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 neck ; he is intro¬ duced by two chiefs into a sudatory, prepared with long poles fixed in the ground, and pointed at top in the form of a cone, over which skins and blankets are thrown, to exclude the air. This species of tent is sufficiently large to contain three per¬ sons. Two large stones made red hot are brought into it, and water is from time to time sprinkled upon them. A profuse i82 TtERtOT S TRAVELS. perspiration is produced by the steam, and the pores are thereby relaxed, for the performance of another part of the ceremony. Leaving the hut, he immerges himself into a stream of water * on his coining out, a blanket is thrown over him, and he is con¬ ducted to the dwelling of the chief, where he is extended on his back. W ith a pointed stick dipped in w ater mixed w ith gun¬ powder, the chief delineates on his skin, a figure which is af¬ terwards more durably impressed. For this purpose, an instru¬ ment formed of a number of needles fixed in a small wooden frame, and dipt in vermilion, is used lor pricking the lines already traced. Where it becomes necessary to impress bolder outlines, an incision is made with a flint. The parts which have not been marked with red, are rubbed with gunpowder, and produce a variety in the colouring. To prevent the wounds from festeiing, they are generally seared with pink wood. Two or three da \3 elapse before the operation is finally performed. The wounds are every morning washed with the cold infusion of an herb, named by the natives Poquesegan. The war songs are fre¬ quently repeated, and accompanied by the chichicoue and other noisy instruments, which tend to stifle the groans produced by so acute a mode'of torture. In Peru, the bl anches of the blood royal were numerous in the state, none but the children of the sun w ere permitted to un¬ dergo the ceremony of initiation. At the age of fifteen years, they were paid the marks of honor and respect bestow ed on nun, 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 empire. They underwent the most rigorous probation, in which they practised in supporting all kinds of hardship, to len¬ der them capable of sustaining with becoming fortitude, every reverse of fortune. It was requisite to encounter on these trials with honor: lor if any symptom of imbecility was betrayed, dis¬ grace was not only attached to the noviciate, but to all his ref¬ lations. He therefore ceased not, by prayer and oblation, to make addresses to the sun, that he would endow’ him with cou¬ rage to terminate w ith honor that necessary career of painful probation. Young princes lit 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 com¬ menced by a fast of several days duration, that thev might be ihured to hunger and thirst; they became thereby reduced to a state of absolute inanition, having only allowed them at certain times, some Indian corn and water. The periods of fasting" were prolonged in proportion to the strength of the sufferer, and THROUGH THE CANADAS m they were extended as far as possible, without being productive of a determination of existence. In like manner as they were diciplined to subdue the body by hunger and thirst, they were accustomed to long and exhausting watclns. They were posted as sentinels for several successive da\s, during which they were regularly visited. When the suf¬ ferings of the first trial were ended, they were conducted fo another consecrated place, where they were to display their dex¬ terity in the course. The distance to be run over was a league and a half; a standard was erected, and allotted as a reward for him who first arrived, and who was thereupon chosen as chief of the remaining youths. The last in the course was stigmatized with disgrace. The relations, to avoid this misfortune, either accompanied their children in running, or placed themselves at different stages on the course, in order to stimulate them bv motives tlie most cogent, to rouse and fortify the sentiments of honor and to promote the utmost exertions of emulation. They w ere instructed in fabricating the different parts of the dress and arms worn by a soldier, and in all the exertions of that profession. Far from being exempted from any of these trials, the per- sumptive heir to the crown was treated with still greater rigour. He was taught, that a monarch’s authority over his subjects, ought to be derived rather from his virtues than from his elevated rank, which could bestow c:i hiui no personal merit, lie was made to sltep upon the hard ground, to watch, to fast, to la¬ bour, and to endure pam, equally with the most inconsiderable subject of the realm. His pride was subjned to acts of con¬ stant humiliation, and he wore the meanest and worst of gar¬ ments, that, when placed upon the throne, and surrounded with the splendour of majesty, he might be alive to the impressions of distress and misery; that lus experience of human calamity might urge him to relieve the unfortunate, and to merit the ap¬ pellation bestowed on the sovereigns of Peru, that of friends and benefactors of the needy and the poor. Having accomplished this rigorous probation, lie underwent the operation of having his nostrils and ears perforated by the sovereign himself. The chief princes of the court who assisted, conferred an linn oth r marks of dignity. He was then declared a true Inca, or real child of the sun, -md the solemnity was terminated by sacrifice and re¬ joicing, the ordinary conclusion of every impoitant event. Besides the prools which ail the Mexicans, of both sexes of a certain age, generally underwent in their temples, ijiere were other probationary sufferings established for the nobility, accord¬ ing to the different degrees of elevation to which they would 184 heriot’s travels aspire, even as high as the throne, the dignity of which was elective, not hereditary. The stages of rank for the military were, like the orders of knighthood, superior one to another, and distinguished hy peculiar titles, and by emblems or habits allotted to each class. The e orders had also their several modes of imitation. To become Tecuitle, which was of the order of nobles the first after the monarch, it was necessary to be related to tlie most dignified nobles ot the state, and to be distinguished by uncommon acts of prowess. He who aspired to this dignity declared his intentions to all his friends and relatives, and all the tecuitles of the empire, three years before the period of the qualification was to take place. The augurs, at the time of their 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 god of armies. He was led by the arm to the ailar, and placed in an attitude of piety and humiliation. The high priest pre¬ sented himself before him with the painted bone of a tvger, or the claw of an eagle, with which he pierced his nose, putting a piece of amber into the hole, to prevent the flesh from re-uniting. He then made use of the most odious appellations, and igno¬ minious expressions towards him ; and not satisfied by insulting him with woids, he stripped him almost naked, and w hipped him with severity. The candidate then retired to a chamber of the temple, where he was occupied in prayer, whilst the assist¬ ants were engaged in an oblation and festival, mixed with songs, dances, and "other demonstrations of joy, at the conclusion of which they retired, leaving in solitude and silence the principal actor of the drama. In the evening they conveyed to him all that was deemed necessary, during four days of his confinement, sucli as rags to cover him, a plank on which to sit, colours tor painting himself, pointed bones to wound himself, and incense to offer to the idols. He was committed to the care of three per¬ sons, who were to instruct him in the ceremonies of his profes¬ sion. Some heads of Indian corn were allow ed him for susten¬ ance, and he was permitted, for a limited time, to sleep in a sitting posture, but was afterwards kept aw ake by the attendants, who pricked his fiesh with awls formed of hard wood. At mid¬ night he presented before the idol, incense mingled with drops of his own blood. On the expiration of the four days, he went from one temple to another, during the period of a year, subjecting himself in eacli to new trials of mortification and pain. The year being expired, a propitious day was chosen from the calendar, and set apart for the termination of the ceremony, when the tecuitles, with other TlltiotiGH THE CANADAS. 185 nobles and relations of the candidate, washed him, and conducted him to the same temple which he had at first entered. There, at the toot of the altar, lie divested himself of his old attire, and -his hair was dressed, and tied behind with a piece of red leather, from which were suspended several beautiful feathers. He was clothed in a robe of fine cotton, and over it was laid another, the investiture of his order. A bow and arrows were put into his hand, and the high priest, addressing the new knight in a long discourse upon the nature of his obligations, exhorted him to entertain sentiments suitable to the dignity of the station to which he was raised. He then bestowed on him a new name, accom¬ panied by Ins benediction, and the ceremony was crowned with sacrifices, feasting, dancing, and other demonstrations of public joy. The kingdom of Mexico being elective, no sooner were the customary honours paid to the memory of the departed monarch, than the inferior kings, and electoral princes, assembled to make choice, from among persons of military rank, of a subject pro¬ per to be elevated to the supreme dignity. The election having been made, two festivals were appointed, the one to celebrate the advancement, the other, the coronation of the new sove¬ reign. He was stripped naked, and conducted to the temple by a great company, consisting of all the classes of the kingdom. Two nobles assisted him in mounting the steps of the altar, while he was preceded by two of the senior electoral princes in¬ vested with the ensigns of their dignity, and followed by persons who were to assist in the ceremony, the rest of the assembly respectfully kneeling. The person invested with the supreme sacerdotal office, cloathed in his pontifical ornaments, and attended by a number of priests in white robes, approached to anoint the body of the sovereign elect, rubbing him with an oil of a black hue, sprink¬ ling upon him, likewise, drops of the same, and throwing over his shoulder a cloak, on which were embroidered human sculls ; upon this was placed one of a black colour, and a third of a blue, with devices resembling the first. He fixed around his neck a "collar with mystic symbols, suspending from it a phial contain¬ ing a powder, whose effects were to guard him against all kinds of enchantment and sorcery. lje attached to his left arm a small bag of incense, and took a censer in his right hand. He raised himself, offered incense to the idol, and was again seated. The high priest then advancing towards him, administered an oath that he would maintain the religion and laws, that he would make war, whenever it should be deemed necessary, against the ene- Hkbiot.] b b iierjot’s TRAVELS 186 mies of the shite, and that he would dispense justice to his sub¬ jects. Ue was afterwards led, amid the acclamations of the people, to a separate apartment of the temple, where he was constrained to pass in solitude, in fasting, severe discipline and penitence, the space of four days, during which he offered in sacrifice a portion of his blood, accompanied with incense and odours. The coronation die! -not take place until the new king had accomplished some fortunate enterprize against his enemies, gained in person some important victory, or subjugated some rebellious province, and led in triumph a numerous band of cap¬ tives, to be imolated to the gods on the celebration of that festival. On the day of his arrival from battle, the high priest, followed by all the ministers of the altar, the electors and nobles, met him in order of procession, accompanied bv musicians, and war¬ riors who guarded the prisoners, and bore the spoils of the van¬ quished enemy. Having entered the temple, he was invested w ith the emblems of empire and regal dignity. In his right hand was put a long sword of gold, as a symbol of justice, and in his left, a bow and arrows. A mitre was placed on his head by the king of Tescuco, the senior elector. The monarch then seated himself on his throne, and received the homage of all the orders of the empire. The forms of initiation prescribed for the priests of Mexico, were still more painful and arduous than those for the sovereigns and different orders of the nobility. The candidate for priest¬ hood was subjected to long fasts, mortifications, infliction of wounds, and other torments. The necklaces and cinctures of ants were not omitted; and when bv long abstinence, reduced to almost the last extremity of weakness, he was compelled to dance until he fainted, and fell prostrate on the earth. A liquor ex¬ tracted from tobacco was introduced into his mouth through a funnel, which caused for several days the most violent effects on his whole svstem. During his confinement he was instructed by old magicians, in the art of raising and consulting demons. H is probationary toils being completed, he was supposed to be in¬ vested with the power of curing maladies, and of penetrating into the womb of futurity. That he might be rendered more perfect iu his profession, a fast of three years was assigned him, during the first year of which he was allowed only millet or bread; but in the last two, lie experienced somewhat more of indulgence ; if he conformed not strictly to the regulations established for ad¬ mission 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 attended. THROUGH TIIE CANADAS. 187 with such difficulty and pain, were from time to time obliged to abstain froiti certain kinds of food, and frequently to swallow copious potations of the nauseous and unpalatable liquor, pro¬ duced from the leaves of the tobacco plant. Some of the tribes of the Moxes adore the sun, the moon, and the stars ; others pay divine honors to rivers, to pretended invisible tygers, or to small idols, which, like the Penates of the Romans, they always carry about with them. They have no fixed system of religions belief, they live almost without the hope $f future reward ; and when they perform any act of devotion, it proceeds by no means from motives of gratitude or affection, but from fear, which seems to be their only actuating principle. They imagine that in every object there resides a spirit, which is sometimes irritated against them, and which visits them with evil. Their principal endeavours arc, for this reason, directed to appease and propitiate this secret, irresistible power. They appear to have no form of worship, exterior or solemn ; and among such a variety of nations, only one or two have been found to use a species of sacrifice. There are, however, among the Moxes, two orders of minis¬ ters concerned in the affairs of religion. The office of the one is that of enchanter ; the functions of the other, the restoration of health to the sick. The members of the first are not elevated to this rank of honour, until they have undergone a rigorous ab¬ stinence of a year’s continuance, during which it is not permitted them to taste of viands, or of fish. They must, besides, have been wounded by a tyger, and have escaped from his fangs. They are then revered as men of singular virtue, because they are supposed to have been favoured, and respected by an invi¬ sible tyger, who protected them against the attacks of the fero¬ cious animal with which they had contended. After having continued for a certain period in the exercise of an inferior function, they are elevated to the highest rank. Rut in order to be rendered worthy of this new situation, they must fast for another year with the same rigour, and their abstinence must exhibit outward indications of its reality, by a ghastly and extenuated visage. Their eyes are anointed with the juice of certain pungent herbs, from which they suffer the most acute pains, and this is the last impression of penance necessary to accomplish the sacer¬ dotal character. They pretend, that by this means, their sight is rendered more clear and penetrating, and hence they assume the title of Teharaugui, which, in their language, imports a sharp-sighted person. It has ever been the practice of the ministers of superstition n b 2 H CBIOT o TRAVELS 188 to aim at an influence over their fellow-creatures. They endea¬ vour to persuade their countrymen, that by the sanctity of their character, their abstinence, and mortifications, they have gained the favour of heaven, from whence they can obtain whatever may be the object of their prayers. They assert, that they are not only able to procure victory over their enemies, but that th£ fertility or barrenness of the earth, is effected by their inter¬ position. At stated seasons of the year, and particularly towards the new moon, these ministers assembled the people upon a lull not far from the village. On the dawn of day, all the inhabitants pro¬ ceeded in silence to this place, and when a certain time had elapsed, the silence was suddenly interrupted by a burst of fright¬ ful cries, intended by them to mollify the hearts of their divini¬ ties. The whole day was occupied in fasting,- and in the ebul¬ lition of confused and lamentable bowlings; and it was not until the approach of night, that they concluded with the following ceremonies. The priests began by cutting off their hair, which, among these people, was an indication of great chearfulness, and by covering their bodies with feathers of a yellow and red colour. Large vessels, containing an intoxicating 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 measure, abandoned them to all the people, who, fol¬ lowing the example of the priests, drank also to excess. ACCOUNT OF THE MOXES. The Moxes have some idea of the immortality of the soul, but this ray of reason is much obscured by the darkness which envelopes their mental faculties. These nations are distinguished from each other by the dif¬ ferent languages which they speak. Thirty-nine of these tongues are reckoned, no one of which has any analogy to another. The Moxes inhabit a territory separated from Peru by the Cordeleras, where the heats of a burning sun, joined to the almost constant humidity of the earth, generate a great number of serpents, vipers, ants, musquitoes, flying bugs, and an in¬ finity of insects, which allow not to the inhabitants a moment of repose. This humidity renders the soil so ungrateful, that it is incapable of producing corn, vines, or any of the fruit-trees which are cultivated in Europe ; nor can sheep subsist there. The country was equally unfavourable for the support of horned cattle ; but when it became more cleared of its woods, and w hen THROUGH TIIE CANADAS, j 89 Us population increased, it was found that these animals mul¬ tiplied there as much as in Peru, The Moxes, at certain seasons, subsist only by fishing, and on particular 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 endeavour to dissuade them from eating the fish in a state of putrescence; they were told iu reply, that the influence of the fire rendered all food equally sweet. It has already been remarked, that for a considerable part of the year, they are necessitated to retire to # the mountains, and there to subsist by the cliace. On these elevated regions is found an abundance of bears, leopards, tvgers, goats, wild hogs, be¬ sides a number of other animals whose species exists not in Eu¬ rope. Monkies of various sizes and descriptions are also seen there, the flesh of which, when it is dried and smoked, con¬ stitutes for the Indians a delicious food. The Moxes appeared to possess neither laws nor government, nor civil polity* no person seemed either to command or obey. If anv difference arose among them, each individual did himself iustice by his own arm. As they were compelled;, from the sterility of the soil, to disperse into different countries, in search of the means of subsistence, their conversion became attended with almost insurmountable difficulties. They built low cabins in places which they chose for then- 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 they 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 them¬ selves, by kindling 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 sleep was fre¬ quently interrupted by the care which was necessary 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 ali¬ ments wicre gross and insipid, it was seldom that they ate to excess ; but they failed not to supply this deficiency by drinking. They have acquired the secret of making a strong liquor from fermented roots, which they infuse in water. This beverage in¬ toxicates them in a short time, and inspires them with the utmost HERIOTS TRAVF.r.5 igo excess of fury. Tt is principally used in the feasts which- they celebrate in honor of their gods. Although subject almost to continual infirmities, they seldom rise any medical applications. They arc even ignorant of the virtues of certain healing plants, which instinct alone paints out to animals, for the preservation of their health. \Yhat seems yet more deplorable, they are skilled in the knowledge of poi¬ sonous herbs, which they use on every occasion, to inflict ven¬ geance ou their enemies. When they prepare for war, they em¬ poison their arrows, whose effects aie so deleterious, that the smallest wounds become mortal. The only consolation which they receive in their maladies, Is derived from certain sorcerers, whom they imagine to have re¬ ceived a peculiar power to administer supernatural relief. These quacks visit the persons afflicted with disease, recite over shorn a superstitious prayer, promise to fast for their recovery, and to swallow, a certain number of times during the day, the fumes of tobacco. It is considered a signal instance of favor if they suck the part affected, after w hich they retire, on condition of being liberally rewarded for this species of service. The country is by no means deficient in remedies fo f the cure of disorders, not less abundant than efficacious. The mis¬ sionaries, who applied themselves to the knowledge of the sim¬ ples there produced, composed of the bark of certain trees, mixed with herbs, a successful antidote to the bite of snakes. On the mountains are found many plants and trees of salutary virtue. * The only occuption of the Moxes is in the cliace and fishing, or in preparing and adjusting their bows and arrows ; that of the w omen is to ferment the liquor which their husbands drink, and to take care of the children. The various nations comprehended under the general name of Moxes are almost ever at war with each other. Their mode of fighting is tumultuary, and they attend to no discipline. One or two hours of combat terminates a whole campaign, and they who are taken in battle become slaves, and are sold at a cheap fate to neighbouring nations with whom they traffic. The funerals of the Moxes are performed almost w ithout any ceremonials. The relations of the deceased dig a grave, and ac¬ company the body thither in silence, or in uttering sighs. When it is placed in the earth, they divide among themselves the spoils of the deceased, which generally consist of things of little value. After repeated endeavours, attended with a degree of success, far inadequate to their zeal to convert to ch istianity various !ribes of Indians, the missionaries at length discerned the neces- THROUGH THE CANADAS. in i sitv of imparting to these people a knowledge of agriculture, of collecting them into large bodies, and of allowing them to feci the advantages derived from some of the most essential arts of civilized life, before their minds could be prepared for the recep¬ tion of the doctrines of true religion. The Guaranis are the inhabitants of a region in South America, extending from the river Parana, which flows into the Pragma, under the twenty-seventh degree of south latitude, as far as the L ragua, which unites with the latter in the thirty- fourth degree. The Perana and the Peragua, pour with im¬ petuosity from the elevated mountains near the country of Brazil, and afterwards direct their course through extensive plains covered with forests. In the year 1580 the Jesuits first penetrated into these fertile regions, and founded the missions of Paraguay, or rather of L ragua, the river on whose borders they are situated. They were divided into thirty-seven villages; twenty-nine on the right bauk of the Uragua, and eight on the left, eacli governed by two Jesuits in the habits of the order.' Two motives, w hich, when not hurtful to each other, may be brought into alliance, religion ami interest, had prompted the monarchs of Spain to wish for the conversion of these Indians. By becoming catholics, they would in a certain degree be civilized, and a vast and fertile tract of territory, w ould thus be subjected to the Spanish dominion. These views the Jesuits undertook to fulfil, but at the same time represented, that, to facilitate the success of an enterprise at once so difficult and toilsome, they must be made independant of the governois of the province, and that not a Spaniard should be permitted to enter into their country. The motive on which this demand was founded, originated from the apprehension that the vices of Europeans would diminish the fervour of their Neo¬ phytes, and detach them from the Christian religion, and that the haughtiness of the natives of Spain might render odious the burden of a yoke already too weighty. The court of Madrid approved of these reasons, ordered that the authority of the go¬ vernors should not be extended tp the missionaries, and that sixty thousand dollars should be issued to them every year, from the treasury, for the expence of clearing the soil, upon condition that, in proportion to the increase of population, and the value of the lands, the Indians, from the age of sixteen to that of sixty, should annually pay a dollar each, as a tribute to the sovereign. It was also stipulated that the missionaries should teach the In¬ dians the Spanish language ; but this condition, probably from its impracticability, was, it appears, never executed. The natives, charmed by the eloquence and manners of the 192 IIEEiOr’s TKAVELS Jesuits, cheerfully obeyed men, whom they conceived as sacri¬ ficing themselves to their happiness. The extent of territory which comprehends these missions i^ about two hundred leagues from north to south, and one hun¬ dred and fifty from east to west, and the population is nearly three hundred thousand souls. The immense 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 improving influence of commerce and circulation. The territory was divided into parishes, each of which was regulated by two Jesuits, the one the cure, the other the vicar. The total expence for the support of the villages amounted to no more than a moderate sum, the Indians being fed, clothed, and lodged, by the exertion of their own industry. The most considerable charges were incurred on account of the churches, which were constructed and ornamented with splendour. The rest of the produce of the lands, and all the animals, belonged to the Jesuits, who imported from Europe, utensils for different trades, glass, knives, sewing needles, images, beads, gun-powder, and fusils. Their annual revenue consisted of cotton, leather, honc-y, tallow, and mate , or-the herb of Paragua, of w hich the society retained the whole commerce, and whose consumption is great in the Spanish Indies, where it is substituted for tea. Corregidors and capitularies, charged with the details oi ad¬ ministration, w ere annually elected by the natives from among’ themselves. The ceremony of their election w as performed with pomp, on the first day of the year, in the portico of the church, and was announced to the public by the sound of bells, and of every kind of musical instrument. The persons elected ap¬ proached to the feet of the father, to receive the marks of their dignitv, which, however, did not exempt them from a share of merited flagellation. 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 festival of the parish, and that of the cure, were celebrated by public rejoicings, and by representations of subjects taken from the scriptures, which resembled the ancient pieces called mysteries. The mode of cultivating and distributing the lands resembled, in some degree, that of the Incas of Peru. Particular portions were allotted for individuals for the purposes 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 adopted to influence them in a powerful degree, by THROUGH THE CANADAS. 193 the sanctions of religion. The Indians were so completely sub¬ jected to the authority of their cum, that the men and women not only submitted to punishment for public offences, but volun¬ tarily came before the magistrate to solicit chastisement for mental aberrations. No part of their time was permitted to pass in indolence. Activity as well as industry were grafted on the functions of de¬ votion. Warlike exercises, and games calculated to give action and strength to the body, were introduced. As the natives were instructed to be guided in their conduct by the dictates of con¬ science alone, few punishments were necessary. The govern¬ ment of the Jesuits possessed a powerful advantage, that of the practice of confession, which, if properly managed by eccle¬ siastics, may be converted to the highest utility of the state. Its application was directed by these fathers to influence morality, and to preclude the necessity of penal laws, and the multitude was restrained from evil, and promted to good, by the fear of censure or the prospect of reward. The cure inhabited a house of considerable extent, near the church ; in this were two separate apartments for public uses; one of which was allotted for masters and scholars in different branches of art: the other contained a number of young women, occupied in various works, under the inspection of matrons. The rooms destined for the cure 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 manu¬ facture, and the corregidors superintended the employment of their time. The women were occupied in spinning cotton, a certain quantity of which was given to each every Monday, and was returned on the Saturday, made into yarn. The daily al¬ lowance for every family, which was supposed to consist of eight persons, was an ounce of mute , and four pounds of beef. The moral conduct of the people, regulated by the influence of religion, rendered civil or criminal jurisdiction in a great de¬ gree unnecessary, and a species of theocracy thus became estab¬ lished among them. THE CH1QUITEAUX. The Chiquiteaux are endowed with a greater degree of bodily strength, and are more active, more laborious, more assiduous, and more temperate, than the Guaranis. 1 he term ary which they possess extends from the fourteenth to the twenty-first de¬ gree of south latitude, and is fertile, and varied in surface, by plains, and by mountains of considerable altitude. It is inter¬ sected on the west by three rivers, which unite and receive the tiERlOT-j C C 104 HEUTOr’s TRAVELS name of Madeira, mingling its waters, after a considerable ex¬ tent 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 form¬ ing among them six communities, separated by immense forests. The inhabitants, after the example of the Guaranis, submitted, in 1740, to the dominion of Spain, and were allowed the same conditions. These two nations composed one extensive com¬ monwealth, and a community of goods was established among them. The population of the Chiquiteaux 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 mul¬ tiplied. Whilst the company of Jesuits was occupied in extending 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, was incliued that this operations of state policy should be carried into execution, at the same time, throughout the whole extent of its vast pos¬ sessions, and their expulsion from the province ot La Piata 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 lie 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 expulsion of the Jesuits could there he known. Two purposes were by this means fulfilled. The oue, of procuring hostages, 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 bv procuring tune to explain to them the new footing on which they should be placed, when they should enjoy the same privileges and pro¬ perty as the other subjects of the king. The Jesuits, on being seized, testified the most perfect re¬ signation, and humbled themselves under the hand which smote them. The fathers of Cordotte, amounting to more than a TMliOUG II TUT. CANADAS. m hundred, of Buenos-Ayres, and of Monte Video, were em¬ barked for Europe towards the end of September 17f>7- The rest, during this period, were on their wav to Buenos-Avres. The greatest part of the. members of the society in America, did not enter into the temporal views of their order. If, in this body, some individuals were disposed to intrigue, the greatei number, sincerely religious, saw in the institution nothing in¬ consistent with the piety of its founder, and served, 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 execution 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 com¬ mandant. The magistrates who were formerly selected by the cures, are now subordinate to military officers, appointed by the governor of the province ; and the people, no longer under the direction of Indian chiefs, are subjected to a Spanish command¬ ant and fiscal, to whom the cures themselves are made respon¬ sible. The offices of priest and doctor, are, among the Indians, al¬ most always vested in the same person. lie carries with him a bag containing herbs and drugs, for the use of his patients ; like¬ wise his penates or manitous , and other articles, in which cer¬ tain virtues are reputed to reside. Every word which these impostors utter, makes an impression on the minds of the people. They frequently withdraw from their society, and reside tar re¬ mote from any habitation. They are difficult of access, and give themselves little concern for their food, which is generally pro¬ vided 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. 1 heir supposed knowledge of nature, stamps them with the character of physi¬ cians, and with qualifications conceived necessary tor the cure of maladies, in every occurrence of importance, it is found ex¬ pedient to consult them, and they have a considerable influence in the decision concerning peace or war. The office ot sooth¬ sayer 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 strongh disposed arc mankind to believe, that Heaven bestows in a peculiar manner, the healing art on those who are th^ depositaries of religious worship, liie supeistition of th¬ ee 2 1 06 iiehiot’s travels ancient Pagans, imputed to the gods the invention of medicine ^ and men who practised that science, were sometimes destined to swell the catalogue of their mythology. Like the natives of America, they made use of spells in their endeavours to restore health; and, by inculcating the persuasion of their procuring supernatural aid, they impressed with sentiments of awe and veneration, the multitude, who failed not to attribute to super¬ natural causes, effects for which they were unable to account. ON THE MOTIVES OF THE SAVAGES FOR GOING TO WAR. In no stage of his association, will the passions which actuate his mind, suffer man to remain long in a state of tranquillity. The most ferocious beasts of prey attempt not to destroy each other, nor does any one species of the animal creation counter¬ act the progress of its multiplication. For man alone it is re¬ served 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 de¬ gree of improvement, war is cairied on without any private animosity, or motives of individual vengeance; the moment a prisoner becomes captivcd, the enmity of his opponent is dis¬ armed. in the former ages of Europe, it was by the spirit of conquest that countries were discovered, and made known to each other. 1 he 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 civilized nations, countries whose resources are not easily exhausted, may contend against each other for a series of years, without the attainment of any very decided advantage on either side; and, if the nature of their governments be permanent, the prospect of lasting and uninterrupted tranquillity, may in some degree com¬ pensate tor the calamities of war. In the savage state, the motives of\. are often pursued, to the inevitable disper¬ sion, or extirpation of one of the hostile tribes. Warfare is, doubtless, a niislortuue arising from the cupidity of the human mind, and incident to the condition of man; and although numberless are the miseries widt h it occasions, there are yet advantages which flow from it. The most powerful energies of the soul are in that state excited, and 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 THROUGH THE CANADAS. 197 drawn forth, to the full stretch of their exertion, when lie is busily engaged in the vehemence of combat, and exposed to in¬ discriminate peril. In the recital of the 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 tmd skill ; and history hath unfolded to posterity, charac¬ ters 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 perse¬ verance 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 not expert at thesfe exercises. The inen 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 tlieir nature, the unshaken firmness and heroic greatness of the 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 enjoyment; and they would perhaps abandon even this occupation tout in order to avoid the appearance of such a tlagrant violation of the rights of hospitality, and the bonds of confidence, they are more generally dismissed with outward marks of civility, and young men are dispatched to kill them at the'distance of a few days journey from the village. Among the natives who possess the tracts of territory in Louisiana, and along the borders of the Missisippi, the rights of countries are much more respected, than among the Iroquois, or tire other savages of Canada. » The former, in their most important ceremonies and trans¬ actions, make use of a large pipe, called the calumet of peace. It is composed of a stone, either of a red, black, or whitish hue, polished like marble. The body of the calumet is eight inches, and the head which contains the tobacco is three inches long. The handle, which is of wood, and is four or five feet in length, is perforated in the ceutre, to afford a passage for the smoke. The embellishments with which it is adorned consist of the fea¬ thers and wings of various birds of beautiful plumage, it is considered as an appendage of state, and regarded as the calu¬ met of the sun, to whom it is presented to he smoked, when calm weather, or rain, or sunshine, is required. The calumet has the same influence among savages that a flag of truce has among civilized nations. Thev would con¬ ceive themselves highly criminal, and that they should draw mis¬ fortune on their nation, were they to violate the privileges which the presence of this venerable pipe is allowed to bestow’. The red plumage which decks the calumet denotes assistance to he given. The w hite and grey mixed toga ther, indicate peace and an offer of aid, not only to them w hom the calumet is presented, but also to their allies. Among some of the nations inhabiting the north-west of this continent, the ceremony of smoking is practised with much solemnity, previous to the discussion or execution of any trans¬ action of importance. \\ hen any differences arising betweeit THROUGH T1IE CANADAS. 217 members of the same tribe are to be decided or accommodated bv the chief, he announces his intention of smoking in the sacred stem, and no person who entertains enmity to any of the com¬ pany assembled for this purpose can smoke from this pipe, as that ceremony is supposed to bury in oblivion all former causes ot hatred. Although all the members of the tribe are supposed to be present, it is not absolutely necessary that each individual should assist, and many are exempted by asserting that they have not prepared themselves by purification. Contracts confirmed by this ceremony are fulfilled with the most scrupulous punctua¬ lity, and persons going a journey, and leaving the sacred stem as a pledge of their return, fail not if it be in their power, to per¬ form the promise. The nations on the borders of the Missisippi are scrupulous of bathing themselves on the commencement of the summer, or of eating new fruits, until they have performed the calumet dance, which 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 oilier periods it is in use for public rejoicing. t Having made choice of a cleared spot, they surround it with small trees and branches, cut, and placed perpendicularly 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 serpent, a bird, or any other thing of which he may have dreamt. On the right of the manitou are placed the calmuet, with the trophies of war¬ fare, the club, the hatchet, the bou ? , the quiver and arrows. 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 himself in various attitudes, and exhibits gesticulations with the calumet in his hand. In the second part he invites some warrior to join in the dance; the latter approaches with his bow and arrows, and hatchet or club, and commences a duel against the other, who has no instrument of defence but the calumet. The one attacks, the other defends, the one aims a blow, the other parries it; the one flies, the other pursues; then he who flies wheels about, and in his turn puts his adversary to flight. All these movements are performed with set steps, and in cadence, accompanied by the sound of voices and drums, and in civilized countries might pass tor the commencement qf a ballet. dancing. The dance, among the natives of America, is not considered pE RIOT*] f I 218 heriot's travels ?s a simple relaxation from the more essential duties of life, or as an amusing exercise. With them it is regarded as a ceremony of religion, and practised upon occasions the most serious and solemn. Without the intervention of the dance, no public or private transaction of moment can take effect. It seems to operate as a charm, in rousing the natives from their habitual indolence and torpidity, and in inspiring them with activity and animation. These ceremonies vary in figure, according to circumstances, or the occasions on which they are in use, and differ considerably from each other. For the calumet, for the chiefs, for war, for marriage, and for public .sacrifices, distinct dances are appro¬ priated. That of the calumet is the most striking, and appears to be the most serious. It is danced only on particular occur¬ rences, when strangers pass through the country, or when the enemy sends ambassadors to offer conditions of peace. If it be by land that either the one or the other approach the village the inhabitants depute one of their people, who advances, exclai¬ ming that he carries the calumet of peace, whilst the strangers halt until they are invited to approach. Some of the young men then go out of the village, arrange themselves in an oval figure near the gate, and dancing whilst the staangers proceed, form a second oval, in the center of which they place the bearer of the calumet. This dance continues for more than half an hour, at the expiration of which the performers approach in ceremony, to receive the strangers, and to conduct them to the feast that has been prerared for the occasion. With regard to strangers who travel by water, the same formalities are observed, with this difference only, that a canoe with two or three persons in it, is dispatched to the extremity of the village, bearing the calumet of peace raised like a “mast in the prow. The war dance is performed bv the whole company in turn, all but the actor being seated on the ground in a circular figure; he moves from right to left in the dance, singing at the same time his own exploits, and those of his ancestors. At the conclusion of the narration of each warlike feat, he gives a blow with a club, on a post planted in the center of the circle near to certain persons, who heat time on pitces of bark, or on a kettle covered with a dressed skin. In this pantomimical display, he explains what he has witnessed m expeditions against the enemy, w ithout omitting any of the cir¬ cumstances. They who are present at this recital rise in a bodv, and join in the dance; and without any previous concert or pre¬ paration, exhibit these actions with as much vivacity as if they had actually assisted in them They thus efelineate with const? 219 THROUGH THE CANADAS. derable animation, and a multiplicity of gestures, any occurrence which they have witnessed, placing it in a certain degree before the eyes ot the spectator: an art in which some of their orators have acquired an astonishing degree of perfection. During the intervals of song, frequent distributions of tobacco, and ot other articles, are made among the guests, and the whole ceremony generally concludes by an immediate partition and con¬ sumption ot the remainder of the provisions in the cabin M hen it is resolved to engage in any particular dance, a person is sent around the village, to give notice to each cabin or family, which deputes one or two of its members to be present. In the center ot the place where the dance is to be held, a small scaffold is prepared, where a bench is placed for the singers. One holds a kind ot drum, another a chichicoue, or the skeleton of a tor¬ toise tilled with pebbles. Whilst they sing, and make a noise with these instruments, they are joined by the spectators, who strike with sticks against pots and kettles, or dried pieces of bark which they hold before them. The dancers turn in a circuitous figure withoutjoining hands, each making different gestures with his arms and legs, and, although, perhaps, none of the movements are similar, but whimsical, and according to caprice, yet the cadence is never violated. They follow the voices of the singers by the continued enunciation of he he, which is concluded by ageneral cry of approbation still more elevated. The discovery dance is a natural representation of what passes in a war expedition, and the principal object of those engaged in it is to search for an opportunity of surprising their supposed enemies. It is practised by only two persons at a time, who re¬ present the departure of the warriors, their march, and encamp¬ ments. They go forth to descry the enemy, they make approaches in the most clandestine and concealed manner, stop as if to breatha then of a sudden blaze forth into anger as if they intended to destrov every one within their reach. The paroxysm of fury being somewhat exhausted, they seize on one of the company present as if he were a prisoner of war, and pretend to break his head and strip off his scalp. The principle actor then runs a short distance and then abruptly stops, when his passion seems to sub¬ side, and his intellects to resume their ordinary state of composure* This stage of the exehibition represents the retreat made at first with rapidity, and afterwards with more leisure. lie expresses by different cries the various degrees of elevation to which his courage was raised during the campaign, and finishes with a reci¬ tal of the valorous deeds which he achieved. The music and dancers of the Americans, so irregular, so rude, so boisterous and terrific, afford no pleasure to a cultivated ear, 220 heriot’s travels and appear to civilize persons barbarous and disgusting. They who have not been witnesses of these spectacles can form but a faint idea of them. In the impetuous violence of their songs and dances, neither art, melody, nor delicacy, can be traced. The natives, however, discover, according to their conceptions, suffici¬ ent charms in them, and derive from them the most lively enter¬ tainment. Their youth are more passionately fond of these than Europeans are of theatrical exhibitions. In the earlier stages of society, and among every barbarous nation, dancing is alone exhibited as an imitative art. Among societies which have made considerable advances in civilization, it loses, in a great degree, this character, and degenerates into a set of uniform unmeaning movements. The calumet is not only an emblem of peace or war, but it is likewise used in commerce, to insure safety on a journey. The commerce of savages consists only in the exchange of one necessary article for another of which they may be in want. The territory of one nation supplies some productions peculiar, per¬ haps, to itself, and of which another situation may be destitute; the object of their traffic is, therefore, to circulate and diffuse the overplus of their several commodities. These are principally maize or Indian corn, tobacco, porcelain, furs, dressed skins, mats, canoes, baskets, works composed of the hair of the original, or moose deer, of that of the buffalo, and of the stained quills of the porcupine, hammocks of cotton, mats of various kinds, household utensils, calumets, and all that their unimproved inge¬ nuity hath suggested for mitigating the asperities of their mode of existence. The festivals and dances which the savages celebrate in going to trade with distant nations, render their commercial intercourse agreeable and pleasant. Their traffic is commenced by presents, which are offered to the chief, or to the whole body ef a tribe, bv whom an equivalent is returned, and accepted w ithout scrupulous investigation. This species of gift may be considered as a general tax levied on the merchandise. The exchange is then carried on between individuals, 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 enquires from whence the thing given in barter was brought, and withdraws his mer¬ chandise, provided he receives not the price he has affixed to it. The 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 regulations of exchange. A singular mode of commerce prevails among some of the Indians THROUGH THE CANADAS. 221 of Chili who border on the mountains of the Andes, and is some¬ what characteristic ot the general practice of savages. \\ lien the Spanish traders arrive at a place, which they ti\ on as the mart of their commodities, they immediately address themselves to the chiet ot the village, by making presents to him, and to every member of his family; after which the chief publishes to bis dis¬ persed countrymen, by sound of a shell, the arrival of the mer¬ chants with whom they may trade. Having assembled, they ex¬ amine the merchandise, consisting of stuffs, Looking-glasses, knives, hatchets, combs, needles, buttons, buckles, silver orna¬ ments, and a variety of other manufactures. When all lias been carefully exhibited and inspected, and the rate of bailer agreed oil, every one carries to his home that which he wants without paying for it, so.tbat the w hole of the goods for sale are distribut¬ er! without its being known to the merchant by whom they were taken, or his ascertaining any of his debtors. When Ire expresses his intention of departing, the chief, by a second sound of die shell, gives an order for payment, and each person returns to the appointed spot of rendezvous, faithfully carrying with him what¬ ever value was affixed to the articles of his choice. One savage nation pays to another, in passing through its terri¬ tory on a commercial expedition, a certain tax for permission to proceed quietly. However disinterested the savage may appear, he is not really so, and can conduct his own affairs with sufficient cunning and address. As the property of Europeans is not always in safety whilst engaged in commercial intercourse with many of the savage tribes, w ho are frequently addicted to theft, so the savages, on die other hand, are liable to be over reached by those who are inclined to deceive them, or who flatter themselves with deceiving them, when a species of violence has been exer¬ cised towards them, to which opposition would be vain. The Europeans w ho traded with the inhabitants of Louisiana, in imitation of those nations, availed themselves of the calumet, and participated in all the ceremonies which they practise in the reception of strangers, in obtaining liberty of passage through a country, in maintaining tranquillity of commerce, in lamenting the dead, and in strengthening the ties of alliance which they had contracted. MODES OF RECKONING TIME. The natives of America reckon the 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 distributed into the four seasons, and into twelve months. The solar years are destined to mark the age of heriot’s travels $22 man, which 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 have regained the point from whence he commences his course. The number of years to be specified is frequently marked by the name of one of the seasons, and a person is said, in reference to his age, to have survived so many winters. Those inhabitants of America who had attained to a considerable degree of refinement, regulated also their years by the progress of the sun. The Peruvians computed their years by the summer and winter solstices; and for this purpose, towers and pillars were erected in different parts of the city of Cusco, and of the empire; the space between two towers, through which the sun passed at his rising and setting, determined the exact pe¬ riod of the solstices. The Inca, in order to make this observation with accuracy, placed himself in a convenient situation, from whence he viewed w’ith attention whether the sun rose and set between the two towers, which stood east and west. Some of the most intelligent amongst their amantas, or philosophers, made in another situation the same kind of observations, and from the result of these together, the time of the solstice was deter¬ mined with a tolerable degree of accuracy. At the approach of the vernal equinox, the inhabitants of Cusco made great rejoic¬ ings particularly on a spot denominated Colccimpara, or the garden of the Sun. One of their principal festivals was celebra¬ ted at the brumal equinox, which was ascertained by the shadows of certain pillars placed before the temple of that luminary. When the shadows projected by these columns reached to par¬ ticular 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 pillar, the true equinox was concluded to be on that day. The Peruvians reckoned as many days in the year as are ad¬ mitted by Europeans, dividing them into twelve lunar months, each distinguished bv a name, and the eleven remaining solar days were again subdivided. The solar year of the Mexicans consisted of three hundred and sxitv days, distributed into eighteen months of twenty davs each,. As, however, the course of the sun allowed them live supernu¬ merary days, they considered these in the same light as that in which they were held bv the Egyptians. They were prescribed as days of exemption from all laborious pursuits, and on which the priests made no oblations. They were occupied only in visit¬ ing and amusements. After this intercalation, the new year com- incuccd with the spring. The Peruvians at first accounted their THROUGH THE CANADAS. C2S year to begin from January, but afterward* in the month of De^ cember, when their calendar was reformed by one of the Incas. The Mexicans, besides the arrangement already mentioned, di¬ vided 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 re¬ gulated like ours; the latter consisted of thirteen days. They also joined together a period of years, similar to the number of the days in their weeks, 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 paint¬ ed in the center. Every branch or spoke had its di-tinct colour, and was divided into thirteen parts, to specify the number of years. On the outer rim the principal events which had occurred in each year, were delineated iu hieroglyphics. In order to transmit to posterity the event of the conquest 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 de¬ tail of the various occurrences which took palce at that period, they supplied the defect bv committing to memory, and retaining by frequent recital, several pieces of poetry or prose, composed by their learned men. These commentaries to the hieroglyphics were transmitted from father to son, and thus descended to pos¬ terity. They had also a species of calico on which they delineated cer¬ tain objects, in order to recal the recollection of memorable inci¬ dents, and to these delineations they added signs or numbers, so disposed as to assist in expressing a thought, or forming an argu¬ ment. They had books drawn up in this manner, in which were preserved the memoirs of antiquity. The ceremonies of religion were 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 had in use for food, as if they should no loirger have occasion for nourishment, and seemed persuaded that the earth was about to fall into chaos, or to be finally dissolved. Impressed with this conviction, they pass- , ed the night in darkness, agitated between hope and fear. YVhen thev beheld the dawn of the morning announce the return of the sun, the air was every where heard to re-echo with acclamations of joy, swelled and extended by the sound of a variety of instru¬ ments of music. They kindled new fires in the temples, and iu 224 HERK>t’s TFAVELS their dwellings, a festival was celebrated by sacrifices and solemn processions, and they returned thanks to their God, who in his bounty had revisited them with his light, and had introduced them to the commencement of another age. The Peruvians had a mode of registering, by means of cjuipos, or strings of cotton, the important events which took place in their government. These appear also to have been used for the purpose of facilitating and rendering more accurate and expeditious, the modes of calculation. 1 lie 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 instruments of record and account was committed to certain persons, called Qaipocumnx/m, whose number was regu¬ lated 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 transacted the business of (he whole; but it was thought necessary, for the prevention of fraud or collusion, to divide that office into seve¬ ral branches. By means of these cjuipos, the annual tribute payable to the Inca was computed, a register of the army, of those who were slain in battle, and of births and deaths, was retained. In applying them to the purpose of historical records, they were found extremely defective ; and, to explain them, songs- and poems were composed, which were recited on certain occasions, in order to difluse a knowledge of them, and to refresh the recollection. They were thus transmitted from one generation to another. When the Caraibs w ish 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, according to that of the davs which are 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 quipos of the Peruvians, with which they aid the memoiy by tying a number of knots. They regu¬ late their months by moons, and their years by harvests. They likewise 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 natives of North America is composed of twelve synodic months, with this dis¬ tinction, 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 kuow w ith, THROUGH THE CANADAS. 225 tolerable exactness the hour of the day or night, even when neither sun nor stars are discernible. The number ten is, among the savages, a complete and per¬ fect quantity. They rec kon the units to the amount of ten, then the tens by units, to a hundred, and a hundred in like manner to a thousand. MODE OF DESCRIBING DISTANCES. Although totally unacquainted with the science of geography, the natives describe with considerable correctness the countries which they have often traversed. They mark the north by the polar star, and delineate after their own manner, the harbours, bays, and coasts of lakes, the rivers, roads, mountains, morasses, meadows, and estimate the distances by days and half days ; each day being live leagues, when they travel by land. When travelling bv water, they can form'an estimate of the distance which thev have passed over, by the motion with which they have impelled the canoe, if on a smooth surface. If they move down a stream of water, they judge of the distance by the rapi¬ dity with w hich they are carried along by its current. Their geographical charts arc formed on the bark of birch-trees. GAMES. Besides their ordinary and necessary occupations, the savages have games of amusement aud of exercise, which tend to strengthen and give plav 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 are 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 the other half of a yellow colour. They are put into a wooden bowl, which is kept in motion for some tiinc, aud 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, spread out tor the occasion. If all the sides of the same colour are uppermost, or two of one, and two of another, the. plaver gains ; but if the number be unequal, he loses. Al¬ though the nuts are distinguished only by the marks on two sides, a number of combinations are yet expressed thereby, which tend to render the game protracted and agreeable. One half ol a village sometimes plays against the other half, and even neigh- bouring villages assemble to take a part. 1 hey stake upon the issue of -the game, furs, porcelain, and other articles of value, which become the prize of the conqueror. It is not unlrequeut heriot.] <* fi 226 HERIOT S TRAVELS to see dependent upon this game, goods to the amount of a thousand crowns. There are some of the natives, in whom the passion for gambling is so predominant, that they will not only lose every thing they possess, but will stake their freedom for a limited period ; and, after having stripped themselves naked, and lost their cloathing in the severity of winter, will, with re¬ luctance, withdraw from this scene of hazard. They will thus sacrifice every thing to the chance of fortune; and many pre¬ pare themselves for the game by a rigid fast. The appearance of the savages, w hen engaged in this species of amusement, is eager and animated. YVhilst the player is agitating the bowl or platter, they who wager on his side, cry with one voice, incessantly repeating the wish which they enter¬ tain for a particular colour and position of the nuts, whilst the adverse party exalt their voice on their part, aud earnestly de¬ mand the reverse. They have another game of hazard, which requires considerable address. It is played with straws, or with small pieces of wood of unequal length, which, after being divided, are made to pass through their hands with admirable dexterity; an unequal number is always fortunate, but the num¬ ber nine is superior to all others. The division of the sticks or straws, is calculated either for heightening or lowering the game, and bets are increased according to the number, until the con¬ clusion. \\ hen villages play against each other, their attention becomes so powerfully attracted, that the game is prolouged for two or three days. Although every thing appears to be con¬ ducted with tranquillity, aud with the shew of good faith, much chicanery, and many feats of address are notwithstanding prac¬ tised. They are generally expert at slightness of hand, and seem to exert their skill in deceiving each other, and, at the same time, in avoiding detection. They have four or five different games which they play with the ball, one of which is conducted by placing two marks at the distance of three or four hundred paces from each other, the players assembling iu the middle space, or between the two boundaries. He who commences the game holds in his hand a large ball, nearly of the same consistence as that in use for cricket. He tosses it into the air in a perpendicular direction, in order to catch it when falling; all his associates in the play form a circle around him, holding their hands raised above their heads, to endeavour also to receive it iu its fall. He who catches it tries to reach one of the posts, whilst the efforts of the opposite party are directed to intercept his way, and to obligeiiim to part with the ball, whilst he uses all his swiftness and dexterity to elude them. It at length he become overpower- THROUGH THE CANAHAS. 227 ed, he throws the ball as far as he can behind him, that one of the last may seize it, in order to prolong the game. He who with the ball attains to either of the goals, is rewarded with whatever has been deposited as the prize. A second game of this kind is that of the cross ;• the players separate themselves according to their numbers, and divide them¬ selves as equally as possible into two bands. A line is then drawn through the middle of the ground, on which the ball is placed. Two other lines are likewise traced behind the parties, and two more distant lines, to serve them as boundaries. J hey who by lot are chosen the first, propel the ball towards the opposite party, who use all their efforts to send it back to the spot from whence it was advanced. 1 he game thus continues in an alter¬ nate state of fluctuation, until one side or the other shall have pressed its opponents to retreat to the limits which it ought to defend, and which, if the ball passes, the game is lost. A third exercise of this species is practised with a small ball bv voung women, three or four of whom form a party. The ball is an inflated bladder, which is always kept in the air, and is long retained in that situation by a multitude of hands, from which it is made incessantly to rebound. The use of raquets with balls composes a fourth amusement. The ball is made of a piece of scraped deer skin, moistened and stuffed hard with hair, and strongly sewed together with the sinews of the same animal. The ball is struck with the raquets, and thrown to a great distance, when the player is not inter¬ rupted by some of the opposite party. At each end of the