and seeing amongst so many Asiatic tribes the similar accounts of an extraordinary man, who, according to some statements, was saved in a canoe; according to others, walked over the waters, or which like this, make his size gigantic, and thus enable him to overtop the billows; we look upon them all to be the rude traditions of degenerate nations, who, in their wilds and barbarism, preserve the outline of that history which Shem, Ham and Japheth related to their children, and the accurate detail of which is recorded in the sacred volume. We also view the departure of the great Hare for the sun, together with the worship which it is evident several of our tribes paid to that luminary, to afford a strong presumption of an intimate alliance between the progenitors of our red brethren and some of the Asiatic nations; this, we think, is also much strengthened by their precept for burning the bodies of the deceased, and esteem for jugglers, as well as their expertness in the practice. How far the tradition of the three original families might be founded upon the fact of the three sons of Noah, we shall not venture to determine; but we do strongly incline to the opinion, that most of the early practices of Pagans, and their principal religious traditions are founded upon the incorrect and mistaken views of the primitive Theism and the history of the early patriarchs.

Father Rasles gives us an account of the manner in which some circumstances served to confirm the family of Michabou in their notions.

"It is but a few years since, that the winter having been longer than usual, there was a general consternation amongst the Indians of the family of the great Hare. They had recourse to their usual jugglings; they frequently met to devise the means of dissipating the inimical snow which obstinately kept possession of the earth, when an old woman addressed them thus:- My children, you have no sense, you know the orders left by the great Hare to burn the bodies of the dead, and to cast their ashes to the winds, that they might the more speedily return to their country in heaven, and you have disobeyed those orders by leaving, during several days, the body of a man in this vicinity without being burned, as though he did not belong to the family of the great Hare. Repair your fault without delay; be careful to burn it if you desire to banish the snow.' 'You are right, mother,' said they; you have more sense than we have, and the advice which you give restores us to life.' They immediately detached twenty-five men to burn the body, they were occupied on the journey and return during about fifteen. days; meantime the thaw came, and the snow disappeared. They heaped praises and presents upon the old woman who had given this advice; and this event, quite within the range of natural causes, as it was, greatly served to keep them in their foolish and superstitious credulity."

The second family of the Ottawas are the descendants of Namepich, or the Carp, the eggs of which being laid on the bank of a river, were impregnated by the sun, and from them sprung a woman who is their mother.

The third are derived from Machova, or the Bear, but no explanation is given of the mode of their descent.

The custom of burning the dead is peculiar to the family of the great Hare; the others inter the deceased, and a detailed account is given of the modes in which the chiefs are decorated for interment, and of the funeral chaunt. Our readers are sufficiently acquainted with those particulars. But the following extract will, probably, exhibit what is not so generally known:

"Where the superstition of this people appears most extravagant, is in the worship which they pay to what they call their Manitou. As they know only the beasts with which they live in their forests, they imagine in those brutes, or rather in their skins, and the plumage of birds, a sort of genius which governs all things, and is the master of life and death. According to them, there are Manitous common to the whole nation, and special ones for each individual. Oussakita or Wassakita is, they say, the great Manitou of all animals that walk upon the earth or that fly in the air. It is he who governs them; thus when they go to hunt, they offer to him, tobacco, powder, lead, and skins well prepared, which they tie to a long pole, and lifting them in the air, they say, 'Oussakita, we give thee to smoke, and we offer thee the means of killing animals; vouchsafe to be pleased with these gifts, and do not permit the beasts to escape our paths; permit us to kill them in goodly numbers, and of the fattest condition, that our children may have no want of clothing or of food.'"

The Manitou of the waters and of fish, is called Michibichi, probably the same as Mississippi: they offer sacrifice to him when they go out to fish, or make voyages: for this purpose, they throw tobacco, food and kettles into the river, and they beseech the genius to cause the waters to flow slowly, and to save their canoes from rocks, and to grant them abundance of fish.

Each individual has also his peculiar Manitou, which is a bear, a castor, a bustard, or such like. In the selection of his Manitou, an Indian regarded his choice (whatever it were) as directed by some superior influence which exhibited to him in his sleep that animal, which it would become him to adopt. He as soon as possible after this imagination, killed one of the description, and kept its skin or plumage in the place of greatest honor in his hut, feasted his friends, respectfully harangued the spoils and adopted his Manitou. Thenceforth its preservation became a peculiar object of his religious care, and itself an

object of his veneration; he was specially careful to take it with him to war and to hunt, that it might be a source of his protection and safety.

Their attachment to the indulgences permitted by their education, was, in general, a serious obstacle to their embracing Christianity. The missionaries found in their tribes, as amongst civilized men, that human nature was every where the same; that men frequently evaded the search after truth, or disregarded it when discovered, whensoever its profession was likely to require the sacrifice of passion or of convenience upon the altar of duty. Writing of the Illinois, the following is an extract from the letter of Father Rasles.

"That which we understand by the word Christianity, is known to the savages only by the name Prayer. Thus, when in the course of this letter, I might inform you that any savage nation has embraced prayer, the meaning will be that it either has become Christian, or is disposed to become so. There would be far less trouble in the conversion of the Illinois, if prayer would permit them to retain polygamy: they acknowledge that prayer is good, and they are delighted that their wives and children should be taught, but when they are spoken to for their own concerns upon the subject, one immediately finds how hard it is to fix their natural unsteadiness, and bring them to resolve upon each having but one wife, and to have her forever."

It is not our business nor our disposition to preach, but we may be permitted to remark, that if Father Rasles now lived, he might find that what he witnessed among the aboriginal Illinois, was not peculiar to the savage nor to the Pagan.

As our object in this review is rather to collect facts than to write a dissertation, and by this collection to add to our store from the gatherings of foreigners, as well as to excite our fellow-citizens to a more laborious and systematic research into the antiquities of our country, we shall prefer putting together a number of passages from the letters, to entering into speculations as to what might have occurred. Indeed, we humbly believe, that what are called philosophical historians, have of late years done much mischief by giving their own conjectures, instead of the record of facts. A passage which is just under our eye, confirms us in this notion, whilst it fully explains our mind.

The sixth volume contains a letter from the chaplain of the Abnakis, warriors who formed part of the army which attacked Fort George; and of the surrender of which and the calamitous scene that followed, Mr. Cooper has given so striking a description in his novel of the "Last of the Mohicans." We must

acknowledge that we prefer the chaplain's recital, and suspect. that the novelist also has read the narrative which lies before us.

The Indian canoes had come to, under cover of a point of land, by doubling which they would have been fully in view of the fort, to the attack of which they were advancing with considerable precaution: here they were to remain for the night; the chaplains of three Indian divisions were in one canoe. Our informant writes

"About eleven o'clock, two barges from the fort made their appearance upon the lake. They sailed with such apparently calm consciousness of safety, that they were approaching to where we lay. One of my neighbours who watched for the general safety, observed them at a considerable distance. The news was communicated to all the savages, and the preparations for receiving them were made with admirable promptness and silence. I was immediately summoned to provide for my safety by going ashore and keeping in the wood. It was not from an exhibition of bravery, unbecoming a man of my state, that I turned a deaf ear to the advice which was so generously offered; but I could not believe it was seriously given, since I thought I had excellent reasons to suspect the truth of the news. Four hundred boats and canoes, which, during two days had covered the waters of the lake of the holy sacrament, must have formed too considerable an exhibition to escape the attentive and clear eyes of an enemy. Upon this principle, I could scarcely persuade myself that two barges would have the rashness, I will not say to enter in combat with, but to present themselves before such a superior force; I was philosophizing where I had only to open my eyes."

We suspect that there is great injury done to the cause of truth by too much philosophism, and too little viewing of fact; and, therefore, we here shall content ourselves chiefly with gleaning matter, upon which our readers can reason as well as

we can.

In the pursuit of these barges and their capture, one Indian was killed, and another wounded. The chaplain gives us the following account of the interment of the former.

"Scarcely did dawn commence, before a party of the Nipistinguian nation proceeded to the ceremonial obsequies of their brother slain in the action of the preceding night, and deceased in the errors of Paganism. These obsequies were celebrated with all the pomp and shew of the savages. The body having been decked in all its ornaments, or rather overloaded with all the attire which the most original vanity could bring to bear under circumstances of the most melancholy nature. Collars of porcelain, bracelets of silver, decorations and pendants of the ears and nose, and splendid dresses, all had been most prodigally VOL. II.-No. 4. 40

heaped on; the aid of paint, especially vermillion, had been so given, that the paleness of death might disappear under the effect of these showy colours, and the countenance have the appearance of that life, which it did not possess. None of the decorations of the Indian soldier were forgotten: a neck-piece, tied with a fire coloured ribbon, hung carelessly on his breast; his rifle lay on his arm, the tomahawk at his girdle, his calumet in his mouth, a spear in his hand, and a full kettle at his side in this warlike posture, he was placed sitting on an eminence covered with turf, which formed his bed of state. The savages ranged around the body in a circle, preserved for some time a mournful silence, which had all the appearance of grief. This was broken by the orator who pronounced the funeral oration; then followed songs and dances, accompanied with the music of the tabor and bells. In all this, there was something of an indescribable lugubrity which was well adapted to a melancholy ceremonial. The whole ended by the burial of the dead, after which care was taken to bury also a good quantity of provisions, doubtless, to guard against the possibility of his dying a second time by hunger. I do not relate this as an eye-witness; the presence of a missionary would badly comport with ceremonies of this sort, dictated by superstition, and adopted by stupid credulity. I have my information from those who saw it."

We are sorry that the chaplain should have attempted a witticism instead of making an inquiry; and it would be interesting to us to learn the object of this interment of the provisions. We suspect the reverend gentleman did speculate against fact on more occasions than where English barges were in question. To play off wit or its semblance against a religious rite can never lead to information, but to inquire of those who are qualified to explain, might conduct to useful knowledge. The missionary would have done no harm by his attending to observe, and might have aided our investigation into the nature of the Indian religion, by having asked a few questions. But though we cannot approve of his speculation, we must applaud his candor; and we are always gratified by having the distinction drawn by the witness himself between his conjecture and his knowledge.

Father Gabriel Marest, of whom we made previous mention as chaplain to Iberville's expedition, was a Jesuit Missionary, subsequently stationed at Cascaskias, a village of the Illinois tribe, and named as the station of the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin. A letter written by him to Father Gernon, of the same society, on the 9th of November, 1712, describes with great accuracy, the site and course of the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Illinois, and the Wabash rivers, as also the productions of the land, and much of the natural history: he next gives the character of the inhabitants, and proceeds