diff options
Diffstat (limited to '15567-h/15567-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | 15567-h/15567-h.htm | 2753 |
1 files changed, 2753 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/15567-h/15567-h.htm b/15567-h/15567-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f431636 --- /dev/null +++ b/15567-h/15567-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2753 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta name="generator" content= +"HTML Tidy for Windows (vers 1st March 2004), see www.w3.org" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content= +"text/html; charset=us-ascii" /> +<title>An Account of the Customs and Manners of Some Savage +Nations.</title> + +<style type="text/css"> + + /*<![CDATA[*/ + <!-- + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + p {text-align: justify;} + blockquote {text-align: justify;} + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {text-align: center;} + pre {font-size: 0.7em;} + + hr {text-align: center; width: 50%;} + html>body hr {margin-right: 25%; margin-left: 25%; width: 50%;} + hr.full {width: 100%;} + html>body hr.full {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;} + hr.adverts {width: 100%; height: 5px; color: black;} + html>body hr.adverts {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;} + hr.short {text-align: center; width: 20%;} + html>body hr.short {margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%;} + + + .note, .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; + font-size: 0.9em;} + + .poem {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; + text-align: left;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem p {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem p.i2 {margin-left: 2em;} + .poem p.i4 {margin-left: 4em;} + .poem p.i6 {margin-left: 6em;} + .poem p.i8 {margin-left: 8em;} + .poem p.i10 {margin-left: 10em;} + .poem .caesura {vertical-align: -200%;} + + font-size: 8pt;} + + p.author {text-align: right;} + --> + /*]]>*/ +</style> +</head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of An Account Of The Customs And Manners Of +The Micmakis And Maricheets Savage Nations, Now Dependent On The Government Of Cape-Breton, by Antoine Simon Maillard + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: An Account Of The Customs And Manners Of The Micmakis And Maricheets Savage Nations, Now Dependent On The Government Of Cape-Breton + +Author: Antoine Simon Maillard + +Release Date: April 6, 2005 [EBook #15567] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MICMAKIS AND MARICHEETS *** + + + + +Produced by Wallace McLean, David King, and the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + +</pre> + +<h1>AN ACCOUNT OF THE CUSTOMS and MANNERS OF THE MICMAKIS and +MARICHEETS SAVAGE NATIONS</h1> +<h2>Now Dependent on the Government of CAPE-BRETON.</h2> +<h2>FROM An Original French Manuscript-Letter, Never Published, +Written by a French Abbot, Who resided many Years, in quality of +Missionary, amongst them.</h2> +<h3>To which are annexed, Several Pieces, relative to the Savages, +to Nova Scotia, and to North-America in general.</h3> +<hr /> +<center>LONDON:</center> +<center>Printed for S. Hooper and A. Morley at Gay's-Head, near +Beaufort-Buildings in the Strand. MDCCLVIII.</center> +<h2>PREFACE.</h2> +<p>For the better understanding of the letter immediately +following, it may not be unnecessary to give the reader some +previous idea of the people who are the subject of it, as well of +the letter-writer.</p> +<p>The best account of the <i>Mickmakis</i> I could find, and +certainly the most authentic, is in a memorial furnished by the +French ministry in April, 1751, from which the following paragraph +is a translated extract:</p> +<p>"The government of the savages dependent on Cape-Breton exacts a +particular attention. All these savages go under the name of +<i>Mickmakis</i>. Before the last war they could raise about six +hundred fighting-men, according to an account given in to his most +Christian majesty, and were distributed in several villages +established on Cape-Breton island, island of St. John, on both the +coasts of Acadia (Nova-Scotia) and on that of Canada. All, or most +of the inhabitants of these villages have been instructed in the +Christian religion, by missionaries which the king of France +constantly maintains amongst them. It is customary to distribute +every year to them presents, in the name of his majesty, which +consist in arms, ammunition of war, victuals, cloathing, and +utensils of various sorts. And these presents are regulated +according to the circumstances of the time, and to the satisfaction +that shall have been given to the government by the conduct of +these savages. In the last war they behaved so as to deserve our +approbation, and indeed have, on all occasions, given marks of +their attachment and fidelity. Since the peace too, they have +equally distinguished themselves in the disturbances that are on +foot on the side of Acadia (Nova-Scotia)."</p> +<p>The last part of this foregoing paragraph needs no comment. +Every one knows by what sort of service these savages merit the +encouragement of the French government, and by what acts of perfidy +and cruelty exercised on the English, they are to earn their +reward.</p> +<p>The <i>Maricheets</i>, mentioned in the said letter form a +distinct nation, chiefly settled at St. John's, and are often +confounded with the <i>Abenaquis</i>, so as to pass for one nation +with them, though there is certainly some distinction. They used, +till lately, to be in a constant state of hostility with the +Mickmakis. But, however, these nations may be at peace or variance +with one another, in one point they agree, which is a thorough +enmity to the English, cultivated, with great application by the +missionaries, who add to the scandal of a conduct so contrary to +their profession, the baseness of denying or evading the charge by +the most pitiful equivocations. It is with the words peace, +charity, and universal benevolence, for ever in their mouths, that +these incendiaries, by instigations direct and indirect, inflame +and excite the savages to commit the cruellest outrages of war, and +the blackest acts of treachery. Poor Captain How! is well known to +have paid with his life, infamously taken away by them, at a +parley, the influence one of these missionaries (now a prisoner in +the island of Jersey,) had over these misguided wretches, whose +native innocence and simplicity are not proof against the +corruption, and artful suggestions of those holy seducers.</p> +<p>It would not, perhaps, be impossible for the English, if they +were to apply proper means, and especially lenient ones, to recover +the affections of these people, which, for many reasons, cannot be +entirely rooted in the French interest. That great state-engine of +theirs, religion, by which they have so strong a hold on the weak +and credulous savages, might not, however, be an invincible bar to +our success, if it was duly counter-worked by the offer of a much +more pure and rational one of our own, joined to such temporal +advantages as would shew them their situation capable of being much +meliorated, in every respect; and especially that of freedom, which +they cannot but be sensible, is daily decreasing under the +insidious encroachments and blandishments of the French, who never +cares but to enslave, nor hug but to stifle, whose pretences, in +short, to superior humanity and politeness, are not amongst their +least arts of conquest.</p> +<p>As to the letter-writer, he is an abbot much respected in those +parts, who has resided the greatest part of his life amongst the +Mickmakis, and is perfectly acquainted with their language, in the +composing of a Dictionary of which he has labored eighteen or +twenty years; but I cannot learn that it is yet published, and +probably for reasons of state, it never may. The letter, of which +the translation is now given, exists only in a manuscript, having +never been printed, being entirely written for the satisfaction of +a friend's curiosity, in relation to the original manners and +customs of the people of which it treats, and which, being those of +savages in the primitive state of unpolished nature, may perhaps, +to a philosophical enquirer, afford more amusement and instruction +than those of the most refined societies. What man really is, +appears at least plainer in the uncultivated savage, than in the +civilized European.</p> +<p>The account of Acadia (Nova-Scotia) will, it is to be hoped, +appear not uncurious; allowance being made for its being only in +form of a letter.</p> +<h2>A LETTER, &c.</h2> +<h3><i>Micmaki-Country</i>, March 27, 1755.</h3> +<p>SIR,</p> +<p>I should long before now have satisfied you in those points of +curiosity you expressed, concerning the savages amongst whom I have +so long resided, if I could have found leisure for it. Literally +true it is, that I have no spare time here, unless just in the +evening, and that not always. This was my case too in Louisbourg; +and I do not doubt but you will be surprised at learning, that I +enjoy as little rest here as there.</p> +<p>Had you done me, Sir, the honor of passing with me but three +days only, you would soon have seen what sort of a nation it is +that I have to deal with. I am obliged to hold frequent and long +parleys with them, and, at every occasion, to heap upon them the +most fair and flattering promises. I must incessantly excite them +to the practice of acts of religion, and labor to render them +tractable, sociable, and loyal to the king (of France). But +especially, I apply myself to make them live in good understanding +with the French.</p> +<p>With all this, I affect a grave and serious air, that awes and +imposes upon them. I even take care of observing measure and +cadence in the delivery of my words, and to make choice of those +expressions the properest to strike their attention, and to hinder +what I say from falling to the ground. If I cannot boast that my +harangues have all the fruit and success that I could wish, they +are not however wholly without effect. As nothing inchants those +people more than a style of metaphors and allegories, in which even +their common conversation abounds, I adapt myself to their taste, +and never please them better than when I give what I say this turn, +speaking to them in their own language. I borrow the most lively +images from those objects of nature, with which they are so well +acquainted; and am rather more regular than even themselves, in the +arrangement of my phrases. I affect, above all, to rhime as they +do, especially at each member of a period. This contributes to give +them so great an idea of me, that they imagine this gift of +speaking is rather an inspiration, than an acquisition by study and +meditation. In truth, I may venture to say, without presumption, +that I talk the <i>Micmaki</i> language as fluently, and as +elegantly, as the best of their women, who most excel in this +point.</p> +<p>Another of my occupations is to engage and spur them on to the +making a copious chace, when the hunting-season comes in, that +their debts to the dealers with them may be paid, their wives and +children cloathed, and their credit supported.</p> +<p>It is neither gaming nor debauchery that disable them from the +payment of their debts, but their vanity, which is excessive, in +the presents of peltry they make to other savages, who come either +in quality of envoys from one country to another, or as friends or +relations upon a visit to one another. Then it is, that a village +is sure to exhaust itself in presents; it being a standing rule +with them, on the arrival of such persons, to bring out every thing +that they have acquired, during the winter and spring season, in +order to give the best and most advantageous idea of themselves. +Then it is chiefly they make feasts, which sometimes last several +days; of the manner of which I should perhaps spare you the +description, if the ceremony that attends them did not include the +strongest attestation of the great stress they lay on hunting; the +excelling wherein they commonly take for their text in their +panegyrics on these occasions, and consequently enters, for a great +deal, into the idea you are to conceive of the life and manners of +the savages in these parts.</p> +<p>The first thing I am to observe to you is, that one of the +greatest dainties, and with which they crown their entertainments, +is the flesh of dogs. For it is not till the envoys, friends, or +relations, are on the point of departure, that, on the eve of that +day, they make a considerable slaughter of dogs, which they slea, +draw, and, with no other dressing, put whole into the kettle; from +whence they take them half boiled, and carve out into as many +pieces as there are guests to eat of them, in the cabbin of him who +gives the treat. But every one, before entering the cabbin, takes +care to bring with him his <i>Oorakin</i>, or bowl, made of bark of +birch-tree, either polygone shaped, or quite round; and this is +practised at all their entertainments. These pieces of dogs flesh +are accompanied with a small <i>Oorakin</i> full of the oil or fat +of seal, or of elk's grease, if this feast is given at the +melting-time of the snow. Every one has his own dish before him, in +which he sops his flesh before he eats it. If the fat be hard, he +cuts a small piece of it to every bit of flesh he puts into his +mouth, which serves as bread with us. At the end of this fine +regale, they drink as much of the oil as they can, and wipe their +hands on their hair. Then come in the wives of the master and +persons invited, who carry off their husbands plates, and retire +together to a separate place, where they dispatch the remains.</p> +<p>After grace being said by the oldest of the company, who also +never fails of pronouncing it before the meal, the master of the +treat appears as if buried in a profound contemplation, without +speaking a word, for a full quarter of an hour; after which, waking +as it were out of a deep sleep, he orders in the <i>Calumets</i>, +or <i>Indian</i> pipes, with tobacco. First he fills his own, +lights it, and, after sucking in two or three whiffs, he presents +it to the most considerable man in the company: after which, every +one fills his pipe and smoaks.</p> +<p>The calumets lighted, and the tobacco burning with a clear fire, +are scarce half smoked out, before the man of note before mentioned +(for the greatest honors being paid him) gets up, places himself in +the midst of the cabbin, and pronounces a speech of thanksgiving. +He praises the master of the feast, who has so well regaled him and +all the company. He compares him to a tree, whose large and strong +roots afford nourishment to a number of small shrubs; or to a +salutary medicinal herb, found accidentally by such as frequent the +lakes in their canoes. Some I have heard, who, in their +winter-feasts, compared him to the turpentine-tree, that never +fails of yielding its sap and gummy distillation in all seasons: +others to those temperate and mild days, which are sometimes seen +in the midst of the severest winter. They employ a thousand +similies of this sort, which I omit. After this introduction, they +proceed to make honorable mention of the lineage from which the +matter of the feast is descended.</p> +<p>"How great (will the oldest of them say) art thou, through thy +great, great, great grand-father, whose memory is still recent, by +tradition, amongst us, for the plentiful huntings he used to make! +There was something of miraculous about him, when he assisted at +the beating of the woods for elks, or other beasts of the fur. His +dexterity at catching this game was not superior to our's; but +there was some unaccountable secret he particularly possessed in +his manner of seizing those creatures, by springing upon them, +laying hold of their heads, and transfixing them at the same time +with his hunting-spear, though thrice as strong and as nimble again +as he was, and much more capable with their legs only, than we with +our rackets [a sort of buskined shoes made purposely for the Indian +travels over the snow], to make their way over mountains of snow: +he would nevertheless follow them, dart them, without ever missing +his aim, tire them out with his chace, bring them down, and +mortally wound them. Then he would regale us with their blood, skin +them, and deliver up the carcass to us to cut to pieces. But if thy +great, great, great grand-father made such a figure in the chace, +what has not thy great, great grand-father done with respect to the +beavers, those animals almost men? whose industry he surpassed by +his frequent watchings round their cabbins, by the repeated alarms +he would give them several times in one evening, and oblige them +thereby to return home, so that he might be sure of the number of +those animals he had seen dispersed during the day, having a +particular foresight of the spot to which they would come to load +their tails with earth, cut down with their teeth such and such +trees for the construction of their huts. He had a particular gift +of knowing the favorite places of those animals for building them. +But now let us rather speak of your great grand-father, who was so +expert at making of snares for moose-deer, martins, and elks. He +had particular secrets, absolutely unknown to any but himself, to +compel these sort of creatures to run sooner into his snares than +those of others; and he was accordingly always so well provided +with furs, that he was never at a loss to oblige his friends. Now +let us come to your grand-father, who has a thousand and a thousand +times regaled the youth of his time with seals. How often in our +young days have we greased our hair in his cabbin? How often have +we been invited, and even compelled by his friendly violence, to go +home with him, whenever we returned with our canoes empty, to be +treated with seal, to drink the oil, and anoint ourselves with it? +He even pushed his generosity so far, as to give us of the oil to +take home with us. But now we are come to your father: there was a +man for you! He used to signalize himself in every branch of chace; +but especially in the art of shooting the game whether flying or +sitting. He never missed his aim. He was particularly admirable for +decoying of bustards by his artificial imitations. We are all of us +tolerably expert at counterfeiting the cry of those birds; but as +to him, he surpassed us in certain inflexions, of his voice, that +made it impossible to distinguish his cry from that of the birds +themselves. He had, besides, a particular way of motion with his +body, that at a distance might be taken for the clapping of their +wings, insomuch that he has often deceived ourselves, and put us to +confusion, as he started out of his hiding-place.</p> +<p>"As for thyself, I say nothing, I am too full of the good things +thou hast feasted me with, to treat on that subject; but I thank +thee, and take thee by the hand, leaving to my fellow-guests the +care of acquitting themselves of that duty."</p> +<p>After this, he sits down, and some other younger, and in course +of less note, for they pay great respect to age, gets up, and makes +a summary recapitulation of what the first speaker has said; +commending his manner of singing the praises of the master of the +feast's ancestors: to which he observes, there is nothing to be +added; but that he has, however, left him one part of the task to +be accomplished, which is, not to pass over in silence the feast to +which he and the rest of his brethren are invited; neither to omit +the merit and praises of him who has given the entertainment. Then +quitting his place, and advancing in cadence, he takes the master +of the treat by the hand, saying, "All the praises my tongue is +about to utter, have thee for their object. All the steps I am +going to take, as I dance lengthwise and breadthwise in thy cabbin, +are to prove to thee the gaiety of my heart, and my gratitude. +Courage! my friends, keep time with your motions and voice, to my +song and dance."</p> +<p>With this he begins, and proceeds in his <i>Netchkawet</i>, that +is, advancing with his body strait erect, in measured steps, with +his arms a-kimbo. Then he delivers his words, singing and trembling +with his whole body, looking before and on each side of him with a +steady countenance, sometimes moving with a slow grave pace, then +again with a quick and brisk one.</p> +<p>The syllables he articulates the most distinctly are, +<i>Ywhannah, Owanna, Haywanna, yo! ha! yo! ha!</i> and when he +makes a pause he looks full at the company, as much as to demand +their chorus to the word <i>Heh!</i> which he pronounces with great +emphasis. As he is singing and dancing they often repeat the word +<i>Heh!</i> fetched up from the depth of their throat; and when he +makes his pause, they cry aloud in chorus, <i>Hah!</i></p> +<p>After this prelude, the person who had sung and danced recovers +his breath and spirits a little, and begins his harangue in praise +of the maker of the feast. He flatters him greatly, in attributing +to him a thousand good qualities he never had, and appeals to all +the company for the truth of what he says, who are sure not to +contradict him, being in the same circumstance as himself of being +treated, and answer him by the word <i>Heh</i>, which is as much as +to say, <i>Yes</i>, or <i>Surely</i>. Then he takes them all by the +hand, and begins his dance again: and sometimes this first dance is +carried to a pitch of madness. At the end of it he kisses his hand, +by way of salute to all the company; after which he goes quietly to +his place again. Then another gets up to acquit himself of the same +duty, and so do successively all the others in the cabbin, to the +very last man inclusively.</p> +<p>This ceremony of thanksgiving being over by the men, the girls +and women come in, with the oldest at the head of them, who carries +in her left hand a great piece of birch-bark of the hardest, upon +which she strikes as it were a drum; and to that dull sound which +the bark returns, they all dance, spinning round on their heels, +quivering, with one hand lifted, the other down: other notes they +have none, but a guttural loud aspiration of the word Heh! Heh! +Heh! as often as the old female savage strikes her bark-drum. As +soon as she ceases striking, they set up a general cry, expressed +by Yah! Then, if their dance is approved, they begin it again; and +when weariness obliges the old woman to withdraw, she first +pronounces her thanksgiving in the name of all the girls and women +there. The introduction of which is too curious to omit, as it so +strongly characterises the sentiments of the savages of that sex, +and confirms the general observation, that where their bosom once +harbours cruelty, they carry it greater lengths than even the men, +whom frequently they instigate to it.</p> +<p>"You men! who look on me as of an infirm and weak sex, and +consequently of all necessity subordinate to you, know that in what +I am, the Creator has given to my share, talents and properties at +least of as much worth as your's, I have had the faculty of +bringing into the world warriors, great hunters, and admirable +managers of canoes. This hand, withered as you see it now, whose +veins represent the root of a tree, has more than once struck a +knife into the hearts of the prisoners, who were given up to me for +my sport. Let the river-sides, I say, for I call them to witness +for me, as well as the woods of such a country, attest their having +seen me more than once tear out the heart, entrails, and tongue, of +those delivered up to me, without changing color, roast pieces of +their flesh, yet palpitating and warm with life, and cram them down +the throats of others, whom the like fate awaited. With how many +scalps have not I seen my head adorned, as well as those of my +daughters! With what pathetic exhortations have not I, upon +occasion, rouzed up the spirit of our young men, to go in quest of +the like trophies, that they might atchieve the reward, honor, and +renown annexed to the acquisition of them: but it is not in these +points alone that I have signalized myself. I have often brought +about alliances, which there was no room to think could ever be +made; and I have been so fortunate, that all the couples whose +marriages I have procured, have been prolific, and furnished our +nation with supports, defenders, and subjects, to eternize our +race, and to protect us from the insults of our enemies. These old +firs, these antient spruce-trees, full of knots from the top to the +root, whose bark is falling off with age, and who yet preserve +their gum and powers of life, do not amiss resemble me. I am no +longer what I was; all my skin is wrinkled and furrowed, my bones +are almost every where starting through it. As to my outward form, +I may well be reckoned amongst the things, fit for nothing but to +be totally neglected and thrown aside; but I have still within me +wherewithal to attract the attention of those who know me."</p> +<p>After this introduction follow the thanksgiving and encomiums, +much in the same taste as the first haranguer's amongst the guests. +This is what is practised in all the more solemn entertainments, +both on the men and women's side. Nor can you imagine, how great an +influence such praises have over them, derived as they are from the +merit of hunting, and how greatly they contribute to inflame their +passion for it. Nor is it surprising, considering how much almost +the whole of their livelihood depends upon the game of all sorts +that is the object of their chace.</p> +<p>They have also a kind of feasts, which may be termed war-feasts, +since they are never held but in time of war, declared, commenced, +or resolved. The forms of these are far different from those of +pacific and friendly entertainments. There is a mixture of devotion +and ferocity in them, which at the same time that it surprises, +proves that they consider war in a very solemn light, and as not to +be begun without the greatest reason and justice; which motives, +once established, or, which is the same thing, appearing to them +established, there is nothing they do not think themselves +permitted against their enemy, from whom they, on the other hand, +expect no better quarter than they themselves give.</p> +<p>To give you an idea of their preparatory ceremony for a +declaration of war, I shall here select for you a recent example, +in the one that broke out not long ago between the Micmaquis, and +Maricheets. These last had put a cruel affront on the former, the +nature of which you will see in the course of the following +description: but I shall call the Micmaquis the aggressors, because +the first acts of hostility in the field began from them. Those who +mean to begin the war, detach a certain number of men to make +incursions on the territories of their enemies, to ravage the +country, to destroy the game on it, and ruin all the beaver-huts +they can find on their rivers and lakes, whether entirely, or only +half-built. From this expedition they return laden with game and +peltry; upon which the whole nation assembles to feast on the meat, +in a manner that has more of the carnivorous brute in it than of +the human creature. Whilst they are eating, or rather devouring, +all of them, young and old, great and little, engage themselves by +the sun, the moon, and the name of their ancestors, to do as much +by the enemy-nation.</p> +<p>When they have taken care to bring off with them a live beast, +from the quarter in which they have committed their ravage, they +cut its throat, drink its blood, and even the boys with their teeth +tear the heart and entrails to pieces, which they ravenously +devour, giving thereby to understand, that those of the enemies who +shall fall into their hands, have no better treatment to expect at +them.</p> +<p>After this they bring out <i>Oorakins</i>, (bowls of bark) full +of that coarse vermillion which is found along the coast of +Chibucto, and on the west-side of Acadia (Nova-Scotia) which they +moisten with the blood of the animal if any remains, and add water +to compleat the dilution. Then the old, as well as the young, smear +their faces, belly and back with this curious paint; after which +they trim their hair shorter, some of one side of the head, some of +the other; some leave only a small tuft on the crown of their head; +others cut their hair entirely off on the left or right side of it; +some again leave nothing on it but a lock, just on the top of their +forehead, and of the breadth of it, that falls back on the nape of +the neck. Some of them bore their ears, and pass through the holes +thus made in them, the finest fibril-roots of the fir, which they +call <i>Toobee</i>, and commonly use for thread; but on this +occasion serve to string certain small shells. This military +masquerade, which they use at once for terror and disguise, being +compleated, all the peltry of the beasts killed in the enemy's +country, is piled in a heap; the oldest <i>Sagamo</i>, or chieftain +of the assembly gets up, and asks, "What weather it is? Is the sky +clear? Does the sun shine?" On being answered in the affirmative, +he orders the young men to carry the pile of peltry to a +rising-ground, or eminence, at some little distance from the +cabbin, or place of assembly. As this is instantly done, he follows +them, and as he walks along begins, and continues his address to +the sun in the following terms:</p> +<p>"Be witness, thou great and beautiful luminary, of what we are +this day going to do in the face of thy orb! If thou didst +disapprove us, thou wouldst, this moment, hide thyself, to avoid +affording the light of thy rays to all the actions of this +assembly. Thou didst exist of old, and still existeth. Thou +remainest for ever as beautiful, as radiant, and as beneficent, as +when our first fore fathers beheld thee. Thou wilt always be the +same. The father of the day can never fail us, he who makes every +thing vegetate, and without whom cold, darkness, and horror, would +every where prevail. Thou knowest all the iniquitous procedure of +our enemies towards us. What perfidy have they not used, what +deceit have they not employed, whilst we had no room to distrust +them? There are now more than five, six, seven, eight moons +revolved since we left the principal amongst our daughters with +them, in order thereby to form the most durable alliance with them, +(for, in short, we and they are the same thing as to our being, +constitution, and blood); and yet we have seen them look on these +girls of the most distinguished rank, <i>Kayheepidetchque</i>, as +mere playthings for them, an amusement, a pastime put by us into +their hands, to afford them a quick and easy consolation, for the +fatal blows we had given them in the preceding war. Yet, we had +made them sensible, that this supply of our principal maidens was, +in order that they should re-people their country more honorably, +and to put them under a necessity of conviction, that we were now +become sincerely their friends, by delivering to them so sacred a +pledge of amity, as our principal blood. Can we then, unmoved, +behold them so basely abusing that thorough confidence of ours? +Beautiful, all-seeing, all-penetrating luminary! without whose +influence the mind of man has neither efficacy nor vigor, thou hast +seen to what a pitch that nation (who are however our brothers) has +carried its insolence towards our principal maidens. Our resentment +would not have been so extreme with respect to girls of more common +birth, and the rank of whose fathers had not a right to make such +an impression on us. But here we are wounded in a point there is no +passing over in silence or unrevenged. Beautiful luminary! who art +thyself so regular in thy course, and in the wise distribution thou +makest of thy light from morning to evening, wouldst thou have us +not imitate thee? And whom can we better imitate? The earth stands +in need of thy governing thyself as thou dost towards it. There are +certain places, where thy influence does not suffer itself to be +felt, because thou dost not judge them worthy of it. But, as for +us, it is plain that we are thy children; for we can know no origin +but that which thy rays have given us, when first marrying +efficaciously, with the earth we inhabit, they impregnated its +womb, and caused us to grow out of it like the herbs of the field, +and the trees of the forest, of which thou art equally the common +father. To imitate thee then, we cannot do better than no longer to +countenance or cherish those, who have proved themselves so +unworthy thereof. They are no longer, as to us, under a favorable +aspect. They shall dearly pay for the wrong they have done us. They +have not, it is true, deprived us of the means of hunting for our +maintenance and cloathing; they have not cut off the free passage +of our canoes, on the lakes and rivers of this country; but they +have done worse; they have supposed in us a tameness of sentiments, +which does not, nor cannot, exist in us. They have defloured our +principal maidens in wantonness, and lightly sent them back to us. +This is the just motive which cries out for our vengeance. Sun! be +thou favorable to us in this point, as thou art in that of our +hunting, when we beseech thee to guide us in quest of our daily +support. Be propitious to us, that we may not fail of discovering +the ambushes that may be laid for us; that we may not be surprized +unawares in our cabbins, or elsewhere; and, finally, that we may +not fall into the hands of our enemies. Grant them no chance with +us, for they deserve none. Behold the skins of their beasts now a +burnt-offering to thee! Accept it, as if the fire-brand I hold in +my hands, and now set to the pile, was lighted immediately by thy +rays, instead of our domestic fire."</p> +<p>Every one of the assistants, as well men as women, listen +attentively to this invocation, with a kind of religious terror, +and in a profound silence. But scarce is the pile on a blaze, but +the shouts and war-cries begin from all parts. Curses and +imprecations are poured forth without mercy or reserve, on the +enemy-nation. Every one, that he may succeed in destroying any +particular enemy he may have in the nation against which war is +declared, vows so many skins or furs to be burnt in the same place +in honor of the sun. Then they bring and throw into the fire, the +hardest stones they can find of all sizes, which are calcined in +it. They take out the properest pieces for their purpose, to be +fastened to the end of a stick, made much in the form of a +hatchet-handle. They slit it at one end, and fix in the cleft any +fragment of those burnt stones, that will best fit it, which they +further secure, by binding it tightly round with the strongest +<i>Toobee</i>, or fibrils of fir-root above-mentioned; and then +make use of it, as of a hatchet, not so much for cutting of wood, +as for splitting the skull of the enemy, when they can surprize +him. They form also other instruments of war; such as long poles, +one of which is armed with bone of elk, made pointed like a +small-sword, and edge of both sides, in order to reach the enemy at +a distance, when he is obliged to take to the woods. The arrows are +made at the same time, pointed at the end with a sharp bone. The +wood of which these arrows are made, as well as the bows, must have +been dried at the mysterious fire, and even the guts of which the +strings are made. But you are here to observe, I am speaking of an +incident that happened some years ago; for, generally speaking, +they are now better provided with arms, and iron, by the Europeans +supplying them, for their chace, in favor of their dealings with +them for their peltry. But to return to my narration.</p> +<p>Whilst the fire is still burning, the women come like so many +furies, with more than bacchanalian madness, making the most +hideous howlings, and dancing without any order, round the fire. +Then all their apparent rage turns of a sudden against the men. +They threaten them, that if they do not supply them with scalps, +they will hold them very cheap, and look on them as greatly +inferior to themselves; that they will deny themselves to their +most lawful pleasures; that their daughters shall be given to none +but such as have signalized themselves by some military feat; that, +in short, they will themselves find means to be revenged of them, +which cannot but be easy to do on cowards.</p> +<p>The men, at this, begin to parley with one another, and order +the women to withdraw, telling them, that they shall be satisfied; +and that, in a little time, they may expect to have prisoners +brought to them, to do what they will with them.</p> +<p>The next thing they agree on is to send a couple of messengers, +in the nature of heralds at arms, with their hatchets, quivers, +bows, and arrows, to declare war against the nation by whom they +conceive themselves aggrieved. These go directly to the village +where the bulk of the nation resides, observing a sullen silence by +the way, without speaking to any that may meet them. When they draw +near the village, they give the earth several strokes with their +hatchets, as a signal of commencing hostilities in form; and to +confirm it the more, they shoot two of their best arrows at the +village, and retire with the utmost expedition. The war is now +kindled in good earnest, and it behoves each party to stand well on +its guard. The heralds, after this, return to make a report of what +they have done; and to prove their having been at the place +appointed, they do not fail of bringing away with them some +particular marks of that spot of the country. Then it is, that the +inhabitants of each nation begin to think seriously, whether they +shall maintain their ground by staying in their village, and +fortifying it in their manner, or look out for a place of greater +safety, or go directly in quest of the enemy. Upon these questions +they assemble, deliberate, and hold endless consultations, though +withal not uncurious ones: for it is on these occasions, that those +of the greatest sagacity and eloquence display all their talents, +and make themselves distinguished. One of their most common +stratagems, when there were reasons for not attacking one another, +or coming to a battle directly, was for one side to make as if they +had renounced all thoughts of acting offensively. A party of those +who made this feint of renunciation, would disperse itself in a +wood, observing to keep near the borders of it; when, if any +stragglers of the enemy's appeared, some one would counterfeit to +the life the particular cry of that animal, in the imitation of +which he most excelled; and this childish decoy would, however, +often succeed, in drawing in the young men of the opposite party +into their ambushes.</p> +<p>Sometimes the scheme was to examine what particular spot lay so, +that the enemies must, in all necessity, pass through it, to hunt, +or provide bark for making their canoes. It was commonly in these +passes, or defiles, that the bloodiest encounters or engagements +happened, when whole nations have been known to destroy one +another, with such an exterminating rage on both sides, that few +have been left alive on either; and to say the truth, they were, +generally speaking, mere cannibals. It was rarely the case that +they did not devour some limbs, at least, of the prisoners they +made upon one another, after torturing them to death in the most +cruel and shocking manner: but they never failed of drinking their +blood like water; it is now, some time, that our Micmakis +especially are no longer in the taste of exercising such acts of +barbarity. I have, yet, lately myself seen amongst them some +remains of that spirit of ferocity; some tendencies and approaches +to those inhumanities; but they are nothing in comparison to what +they used to be, and seem every day wearing out. The religion to +which we have brought them over, and our remonstrances have greatly +contributed to soften that savage temper, and atrocious +vindictiveness that heretofore reigned amongst them. But remember, +Sir, that as to this point I am now only speaking, upon my own +knowlege, of the Micmakis and Mariquects, who, though different in +language, have the same customs and manners, and are of the same +way of thinking and acting.</p> +<p>But to arrive at any tolerable degree of conjecture, whence +these people derive their origin own myself at a loss: possibly +some light might be got into it, by discovering whether there was +any affinity or not between their language, and that of the +Orientalists, as the Chinese or Tartars. In the mean time, the +abundance of words in this language surprized, and continues to +surprize me every day the deeper I get into it. Every thing is +proper in it; nothing borrowed, as amongst us. Here are no +auxiliary verbs. The prepositions are in great number. This it is +that gives great ease, fluency, and richness to the expression of +whatever you require, when you are once master enough to join them +to the verbs. In all their absolute verbs they have a dual number. +What we call the imperfect, perfect, and preter-perfect tenses of +the indicative mood, admits, as with us, of varied inflexions of +the terminations to distinguish the person; but the difference of +the three tenses is express, for the preter-perfect by the +preposition <i>Keetch</i>; for the preter-pluperfect by <i>Keetch +Keeweeh</i>: the imperfect is again distinguished from them by +having no preposition at all.</p> +<p>They have no feminine termination, either for the verbs or +nouns. This greatly facilitates to me my composition of songs and +hymns for them, especially as their prose itself naturally runs +into poetry, from the frequency of their tropes and metaphors; and +into rhime, from their nouns being susceptible of the same +termination, as that of the words in the verbs which express the +different persons. In speaking of persons absent, the words change +their termination, as well in the nouns as in the verbs.</p> +<p>They have two distinctions of style; the one noble, or elevated, +for grave and important subjects, the other ignoble, or trivial, +for familiar or vulgar ones. But this distinction is not so much +with them, as with us, marked by a difference of words, but of +terminations. Thus, when they are treating of solemn, or weighty +matters, they terminate the verb and the noun by another inflexion, +than what is used for trivial or common conversation.</p> +<p>I do not know, whether I explain clearly enough to you this so +material a point of their elocution; but it makes itself clearly +distinguished, when once one comes to understand the language, in +which it supplies the place of the most pathetic emphasis, though +even that they do not want, nor great expression in their gestures +and looks. All their conjugations are regular and distinct.</p> +<p>Yet, with all these advantages of language, the nation itself is +extreamly ignorant as to what concerns itself, or its origin, and +their traditions are very confused and defective. They know nothing +of the first peopling of their country, of which they imagine +themselves the Aborigines. They often talk of their ancestors, but +have nothing to say of them that is not vague or general. According +to them, they were all great hunters, great wood-rangers, expert +managers of canoes, intrepid warriors, that took to wives as many +as they could maintain by hunting. They had too a custom amongst +them, that if a woman grew pregnant whilst she was sucking a child, +they obliged her to use means for procuring an abortion, in favor +of the first-come, who they supposed would otherwise be defrauded +of his due nourishment. Most of them also value themselves on being +descended from their Jugglers, who are a sort of men that pretend +to foretel futurity by a thousand ridiculous contorsions and +grimaces, and by frightful and long-winded howlings.</p> +<p>The great secret of these Jugglers consists in having a great +<i>Oorakin</i> full of water, from any river in which it was known +there were beaver-huts. Then he takes a certain number of circular +turns round this Oorakin, as it stands on the ground, pronouncing +all the time with a low voice, a kind of gibberish of broken words, +unintelligible to the assistants, and most probably so to himself, +but which those, on whom he means to impose, believe very +efficacious. After this he draws near to the bowl, and bending very +low, or rather lying over it, looks at himself in it as in a glass. +If he sees the water in the least muddy, or unsettled, he recovers +his erect posture, and begins his rounds again, till he finds the +water as clear as he could wish it for his purpose, and then he +pronounces over it his magic words. If after having repeated them +twice or thrice, he does not find the question proposed to him +resolved by this inspection of the water, nor the wonders he wants +operated by it, he says with a loud voice and a grave tone, that +the <i>Manitoo</i>, or <i>Miewndoo</i>, (the great spirit) or +genius, which, according to them, has all knowledge of future +events, would not declare himself till every one of the assistants +should have told him (the Juggler) in the ear what were his actual +thoughts, or greatest secret. [A Romish missionary must, with a +very bad grace, blame the Jugglers, for what himself makes such a +point of religion in his <i>auricular confession</i>. Even the +appellation of <i>Juggler</i> is not amiss applicable to those of +their craft, considering all their tricks and mummery not a whit +superior to those of these poor savages, in the eyes of +common-sense. Who does not know, that the low-burlesque word of +<i>Hocus-pocus</i>, is an humorous corruption of their <i>Hoc est +corpus meum</i>, by virtue of which, they make a <i>God</i> out of +a vile wafer, and think it finely solved, by calling it a +<i>mystery</i>, which, by the way is but another name for +<i>nonsense</i>. Is there any thing amongst the savages half so +absurd or so impious?] To this purpose he gets up, laments, and +bitterly inveighs against the bad dispositions of those of the +assistants, whose fault it was, that the effects of his art were +obstructed. Then going round the company, he obliges them to +whisper him in the ear, whatever held the first place in their +minds; and the simplicity of the greater number is such, as to make +them reveal to him what it would be more prudent to conceal. By +these means it is, that these artful Jugglers renders themselves +formidable to the common people, and by getting into the secrets of +most of the families of the nation, acquire a hank over them. Some, +indeed, of the most sensible see through this pitiful artifice, and +look on the Jugglers in their proper light of cheats, quacks, and +tyrants; but out of fear of their established influence over the +bulk of the nation, they dare not oppose its swallowing their +impostures, or its regarding all their miserable answers as so many +oracles. When the Juggler in exercise, has collected all that he +can draw from the inmost recesses of the minds of the assistants, +he replaces himself, as before, over the mysterious bowl of water, +and now knows what he has to say. Then, after twice or thrice +laying his face close to the surface of the water, and having as +often made his evocations in uncouth, unintelligible words, he +turns his face to his audience, sometimes he will say, "I can only +give a half-answer upon such an article; there is an obstacle yet +unremoved in the way, before I can obtain an entire solution, and +that is, there are some present here who are in such and such a +case. That I may succeed in what is asked of me, and that interests +the whole nation, I appoint that person, without my knowing, as +yet, who it is, to meet me at such an hour of the night. I name no +place of assignation but will let him know by a signal of lighted +fire, where he may come to me, and suffer himself to be conducted +wherever I shall carry him. The <i>Manitoo</i> orders me to spare +his reputation, and not expose him; for if there is any harm in it +to him, there is also harm to me."</p> +<p>Thus it is the Juggler has the art of imposing on these simple +credulous creatures, and even often succeeds by it in his +divinations. Sometimes he does not need all this ceremonial. He +pretends to foretell off-hand, and actually does so, when he is +already prepared by his knowledge, cunning, or natural penetration. +His divinations chiefly turn on the expedience of peace with one +nation, or of war with another; upon matches between families, upon +the long life of some, or the short life of others; how such and +such persons came by their deaths, violently or naturally; whether +the wife of some great <i>Sagamo</i> has been true to his bed or +not; who it could be that killed any particular persons found dead +of their wounds in the woods, or on the coast. Sometimes they +pretend it's the deed of the <i>Manitoo</i>, for reasons to them +unknown: this last incident strikes the people with a religious +awe. But what the Jugglers are chiefly consulted upon, and what +gives them the greatest credit, is to know whether the chace of +such a particular species of beasts should be undertaken; at what +season, or on which side of the country; how best may be discovered +the designs of any nation with which they are at war; or at what +time such or such persons shall return from their journey. The +Juggler pretends to see all this, and more, in his bowl of water: +divination by coffee-grounds is a trifle to it. He is also applied +to, to know whether a sick person shall recover or die of his +illness. But what I have here told you of the procedure of these +Jugglers, you are to understand only of the times that preceded the +introduction of Christianity amongst these people, or of those +parts where it is not yet received: for these practices are no +longer suffered where we have any influence.</p> +<p>Amongst the old savages lately baptized, I could never, from the +accounts they gave me of the belief of their ancestors, find any +true <i>knowledge</i> of the supreme Being; no idea, I mean, +approaching to that we have, or rather nothing but a vague +imagination. They have, it is true, a confused notion of a Being, +acting they know not how [Who does?], in the universe, but they do +not make of him a great soul diffused through all its parts. They +have no conception or knowledge of all the attributes we bestow on +the Deity. Whenever they happen to philosophize upon this +<i>Manitoo</i>, or great spirit, they utter nothing but +<i>rêveries</i> and absurdities. [Are not there innumerable +volumes on this subject, to which the same objection might as +justly be made? Possibly the savages, and the deepest divines, with +respect to the manner of the Deity's existence, may have, in point +of ignorance, nothing to reproach one another. It matters very +little, whether one sees the sun from the lowest valley, or the +highest mountain, when the immensity of its distance contracts the +highest advantage of the eminence to little less than nothing. +Surely the infinite superiority of the Deity, must still more +effectually mock the distinction of the mental eye, at the same +time that his existence itself is as plain as that of the sun, and +like that too, dazzling those most, who contemplate it most +fixedly; reduces them to close the eye, not to exclude the light, +but as overpowered by it.]</p> +<p>Amongst other superstitious notions, not the least prevalent is +that of the <i>Manitoo</i>'s exercise of his power over the dead, +whom he orders to appear to them, and acquaint them with what +passes at a distance, in respect to their most important concerns; +to advise them what they had best do, or not do; to forewarn them +of dangers, or to inspire them with revenge against any nation that +may have insulted them, and so forth.</p> +<p>They have no idea of his spirituality, or even of the +spirituality of that principle, which constitutes their own vital +principle. They have even no word in their language that answers to +that of soul in ours. The term approaching nearest thereto that we +can find, is <i>M'cheejacmih</i>, which signifies <i>Shade</i>, and +may be construed something in the nature of the <i>Manes</i> of the +Romans.</p> +<p>The general belief amongst them is, that, after death, they go +to a place of joy and plenty, in which sensuality is no more +omitted than in Mahomet's paradise. There they are to find women in +abundance, a country thick of all manner of game to humor their +passion for hunting, and bows and arrows of the best sort, ready +made. But these regions are supposed at a great distance from +their's, to which they will have to travel; and therefore it's +requisite to be well-provided, before they quit their own country, +with arrows, long poles fit for hunting, or for covering cabbins, +with bear-skins, or elk-hides, with women, and with some of their +children, to make their journey to that place more commodious, more +pleasant, and appear more expeditious. It was especially in +character for a warrior, not to leave this world without taking +with him some marks of his bravery, as particularly scalps. +Therefore it was, that when any of them died, he was always +followed by, at least, one of his children, some women, and above +all, by her whom in his life he had most loved, who threw +themselves into the grave, and were interred with him. They also +put into it great strips, or rolls of the bark of birch, arrows, +and scalps. Nor do they unfrequently, at this day, light upon some +of these old burying-places in the woods, with all these funeral +accompanyments; but of late, the interment of live persons has been +almost entirely disused.</p> +<p>I never could learn whether they had any set formulary of +prayer, or invocation to the <i>great Manitoo</i>; or whether they +made any sacrifices of beasts or peltry, to any other +<i>Manitoo</i>, in contradiction to him, or to any being whom they +dreaded as an evil genius. I could discover no more than what I +have above related of the ceremonies in honor of the sun. I know, +indeed, they have a great veneration for the moon, which they +invoke, whenever, under favor of its light, they undertake any +journeys, either by land or water, or tend the snares they have set +for their game. This is the prayer they occasionally address to +it:</p> +<p>"How great, O moon! is thy goodness, in actually, for our +benefit, supplying the place of the father of the day, as, next to +him, thou hast concurred to make us spring out of that earth we +have inhabited from the first ages of the world, and takest +particular care of us, that the malignant air of the night, should +not kill the principle and bud of life within us. Thou regardest +us, in truth, as thy children. Thou hast not, from the first time, +discontinued to treat us like a true mother. Thou guidest us in our +nocturnal journies. By the favor of thy light it is, that we have +often struck great strokes in war; and more than once have our +enemies had cause to repent their being off their guard in thy +clear winter-nights. Thy pale rays have often sufficiently lighted +us, for our marching in a body without mistaking our way; and have +enabled us not only to discover the ambushes of the enemy, but +often to surprize him asleep. However we might be wanting to +ourselves, thy regular course was never wanting to us. Beautiful +spouse of the sun! give us to discover the tracks of elks, +moose-deer, martins, lynxes, and bears, when urged by our wants, we +pursue by night the hunt after these beasts. Give to our women the +strength to support the pains of child-birth [<i>Lucina fer +opem</i>, was also the cry amongst the ancient heathens], render +their wombs prolific, and their breasts inexhaustible +fountains."</p> +<p>I have often tried to find out, whether there was any tradition +or knowledge amongst them of the deluge, but always met with such +unsatisfactory answers, as entirely discouraged my curiosity on +that head.</p> +<p>This nation counts its years by the winters. When they ask a man +how old he is, they say, "How many winters have gone over thy +head?"</p> +<p>Their months are lunar, and they calculate their time by them. +When we would say, "I shall be six weeks on my journey;" they +express it by, "I shall be a moon and a half on it."</p> +<p>Before <i>we</i> knew them, it was common to see amongst them, +persons of both sexes of a hundred and forty, or a hundred and +fifty years of age. But these examples of longevity are grown much +more rare.</p> +<p>By all accounts too, their populousness is greatly decreased. +Some imagine this is owing to that inveterate animosity, with which +these so many petty nations were continually laboring one another's +destruction and extirpation. Others impute it to the introduction +by the Europeans, of the vice of drunkenness, and to the known +effect of spirituous liquors in the excesses of their use, to which +they are but too prone, in striking at the powers of generation, as +well as at the principles of health and life. Not improbably too, +numbers impatient of the encroachments of the Europeans on their +country, and dreading the consequences of them to their liberty, +for which they have a passionate attachment, and incapable of +reconciling or assimilating their customs and manners to ours, have +chosen to withdraw further into the western recesses of the +continent, at a distance impenetrable to our approach.</p> +<p>But which ever of these conjectures is the truest, or whether or +not all of these causes have respectively concurred, in a lesser or +greater degree, the fact is certain, that all these northern +countries are considerably thinned of their natives, since the +first discovery of them by the Europeans. Nor have I reason to +think, but that this is true of America in general, wherever they +have carried their power, or extended their influence.</p> +<p>It is also true, that the women of this country are naturally +not so prolific as those of some other parts of the world in the +same latitude. One reason for this may be, their not having their +menstrual flux so copiously, or for so long a time as those of +Europe. Yet one would think, the plurality of wives permitted +amongst them, might in some measure compensate for this defect, +which, however, it evidently does not.</p> +<p>Their women have always observed, not to present themselves at +any public ceremony, or solemnity, whilst under their monthly +terms, nor to admit the embraces of their husbands.</p> +<p>At stated times they repair to particular places in the woods, +where they recite certain formularies of invocation to the +<i>Manitoo</i> dictated to them by some of their oldest +<i>Sagamees</i>, or principal women, and more frequently by some +celebrated Juggler of the village, that they may obtain the +blessing of fruitfulness. For it is with them, as amongst the Jews, +that barrenness is accounted opprobrious. A woman is not looked +upon as a woman, till she has proved it, by her fulfilling what +they consider as one of the great ends of her creation. Failing in +that, she is divorced from her husband, and may then prostitute +herself without any scandal. If she has no inclination or relish +for this way of life, they compel her to it, in regard to their +young men, who do not care to marry, till they are arrived at +full-ripe years, and for whom, on their return from their warlike +or hunting expeditions, they think it necessary to provide such +objects of amusement. They pretend withal, that they are subject to +insupportable pains in their loins, if such a remedy is not at hand +to relieve them. But once more you are to remember, that I am only +speaking of those people not yet converted to Christianity, by +which this licentiousness is not allowed. And yet, notwithstanding +the maxims we inculcate to them, the natives continue no other than +what they were before, that is to say, as much addicted to venery +as ever, and rarely miss an occasion of gratifying their appetite +to it. The only way we can think of to prevent their offending +religion, is to have them married as soon as they begin to feel +themselves men. The restraint however in this point is, what they +can least endure.</p> +<p>In their unconverted state, their manner of courtship and +marriage is as follows: When a youth has an inclination to enter +into the connubial state, his father, or next relation, looks out +for a girl, to whose father the proposal is made: this being always +transacted between the parents of the parties to be married. The +young man, who is commonly about thirty years of age, or twenty at +the least, rarely consults his own fancy in this point. The girl, +who is always extreamly young, is never supposed to trouble her +head about the measures that are taking to marry her. When the +parents on each side have settled the matter, the youth is applied +to, that he may prepare his calumet as soon as he pleases.</p> +<p>The calumet used on these occasions, is a sort of spungeous +reed, which may furnish, according to its length, a number of +calumets, each of which is about a foot long, to be lighted at one +end, the other serving to suck in the smoak at the mouth, and is +suffered to burn within an inch of the lips.</p> +<p>The speech made to the youth on this occasion is as follows: +"Thou may'st go when thou wilt, by day or by night, to light thy +calumet in such a cabbin. Thou must observe to direct the smoak of +it towards the person who is designed for thee, and carry it so, +that she may take such a taste to this vapor, as to desire of thee +that she may smoak of thy calumet. Show thyself worthy of thy +nation, and do honor to thy sex and youth. Suffer none in the +cabbin to which thou art admitted, to want any thing thy industry, +thy art, or thy arrows can procure them, as well for food, as for +peltry, or oil, for the good of their bodies, inside and outside. +Thou hast four winters given thee, for a trial of thy patience and +constancy."</p> +<p>At this the youth never fails of going to the place appointed. +If the girl, (who knows the meaning of this) has no particular +aversion to him, she is soon disposed to ask his calumet of him. In +some parts, but not in this where I am, she signifies her +acceptance by blowing it out. Here she takes it from him, and +sucking it, blows the smoak towards his nostrils, even sometimes so +violently, as to make him qualm-sick, at which she is highly +delighted. Nothing, however, passes farther against the laws of +modesty, though she will tress his hair, paint his face, and +imprint on various parts of his body curious devices and +flourishes, all relative to their love; which she pricks in, and +rubs over with a composition that renders the impression +uncancellable.</p> +<p>If the parents of the girl are pleased with the procedure of the +suitor, they commonly, at the end of the second year, dispense, in +his favor, with the rest of the probation-time; and, indeed, they +could not well before, the girl almost always wanting, from the +time she is first courted, at least two years to bring on the age +of consummation. They tell him, "Thou may'st now take a small part +of the covering of thy beloved whilst she sleeps." No sooner is +this compliment made him, than, without saying any thing, he goes +out of the cabbin, armed with his bow and arrows, and hurrying home +acquaints his friends, that he is going to the woods, whence he +shall not return till it pleases his beloved to recall him.</p> +<p>Accordingly he repairs forthwith to the woods, and stays there +for two or three days, diverting himself with hunting; at the end +of which it has been agreed on, to send all the youths of the +village to fetch him: and they come back loaded with game of all +sorts, though the bridegroom is not suffered to carry any thing. +There is also great provision made of seal and sea-cows for the +wedding-feast.</p> +<p>The head Juggler of the village, meets the bridegroom who is at +the head of the procession, takes him by the hand, and conducts him +to the cabbin of the bride, where he is to take part of her bed; +upon which he lies down by her side, and both continue unmoveable +and silent like two statues, whilst they are obliged to hear the +long tedious harangues of the Juggler, of the parents of both, and +of their oldest relations. After that, they both get up, and are +led, the one by the young men, the other by the girls, to the place +of entertainment, all singing, shooting, and dancing.</p> +<p>The bridegroom is seated amongst the young men on one side, and +the bride amongst the girls on another. One of his friends takes an +<i>Oorakin</i>, loads it with roast-meat, and sets it down by him, +whilst one of her's does the same thing, with an <i>Oorakin</i> of +the same size, and nearly alike, which is placed by the bride's +side. After this ceremony of placing the <i>Oorakin</i>, the +Juggler pronounces certain magical words over the meat: he +foretels, especially to the bride, the dreadful consequences she +must expect from the victuals she is about to eat, if she has in +her heart any perfidiousness towards her husband: that she may be +assured of finding in the <i>Oorakin</i> that contains them, a +certain prognostic of her future happiness, or unhappiness: of +happiness, if she is disposed never in her life to betray her +nation, nor especially her husband, upon any occasion, or whatever +may befal her: of unhappiness, if through the caresses of +strangers, or by any means whatever she should be induced to break +her faith to him, or to reveal to the enemy the secrets of the +country.</p> +<p>At the end of every period, all the assistants signify their +assent to the Juggler's words, by a loud exclamation of <i>Hah!</i> +Whilst he is talking, the particular friend of the bridegroom, and +that of the bride, keep their eyes fixed on the two +<i>Oorakins</i>; and as soon as he has done, the bride's friend +making as if she did not think of what she was about, takes the +<i>Oorakin</i> allotted for the bridegroom, and carries it to the +bride, whilst the bridegroom's friend, (the thing being +pre-concerted) acts the like mummery of inadvertence, and sets +before the bridegroom the <i>Oorakin</i> belonging to the bride; +after which the dishes are served in to the rest of the company. +When they are all served, the two friends of the parties musing a +little, pretend to have just then discovered their exchange of the +bride and bridegroom's <i>Oorakins</i>. They declare it openly to +each other, at which the Juggler takes up his cue, and with a +solemn face says, "The <i>Manitoo</i> has had his designs in this +mistake: he has vouchsafed to give an indubitable sign of his +approbation of the strait alliance this day contracted. What is the +one's, is the same as the other's. They are henceforward united, +and are as one and the same person. It is done. May they multiply +without end!" At this the assistants all start up, and with cries +of joy, and congratulation, rush to embrace the bride and +bridegroom, and overwhelm them with caresses. After which they sit +very gravely down again to the entertainment before them, and +dispatch it in great silence. This is followed by dances of all +kinds, with which the feast for the day concludes, as must this +letter, in which I have certainly had less attention to the +observing the limits of one, than to the gratifying your curiosity, +with respect to these people, amongst whom my lot has so long been +cast.</p> +<div class="poem"> +<div class="stanza"> +<p>I am, Sir,</p> +<p>Your most obedient</p> +<p>Humble servant,</p> +</div> +</div> +<p><i>To understand the following piece, it is necessary to know, +that after the insidious peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, the savage +nations, especially the Mickmakis and Maricheets continued +hostilities against the English, at the underhand instigation of +the French, who meant thereby to prevent, or at least distress, as +much as obstruct, our new settlements in Nova-Scotia. For this +purpose, the French missionaries had their cue from their +government to act the incendiaries, and, to inflame matters to the +highest pitch. These being, however, sensible, that the part +assigned them was a very odious one, and inconsistent with the +spirit of that religion for which they profess such zeal, one of +them, by way of palliation, and in order to throw the blame on the +English themselves, drew up the following state of the case, +between our nation and the savages, viz.</i></p> +<h2>MEMORIAL OF THE Motives of the Savages, called <i>Mickmakis</i> +and <i>Maricheets</i>, for continuing the War with <i>England</i> +since the last Peace.</h2> +<h3>Dated <i>Isle-Royal</i>, 175-.</h3> +<p>These nations have never been able to forget all that the +English settled in North-America have done since the very first of +their establishment, towards destroying them root and branch. They +have especially, at every moment, before their eyes the following +transactions:</p> +<p>In 1744, towards the end of October, Mr. Gorrhon, (perhaps +Goreham) deceased, commanding a detachment of the English troops, +sent to observe the retreat the French and savages were making from +before Port-Royal (Annapolis) in Acadia, (Nova-Scotia): this +detachment having found two huts of the Mickmaki-savages, in a +remote corner, in which there were five women and three children, +(two of the women were big with child) ransacked, pillaged, and +burnt the two huts, and massacred the five women and three +children. It is to be observed, that the two pregnant women were +found with their bellies ripped open. An action which these savages +cannot forget, especially as at that time they made fair war with +the English. They have always looked on this deed as a singular +mark of the most unheard-of cruelty. [Who would not look on it in +the same light? But as no nation on earth is known to have more +than ours constitutionally, a horror for such barbarities, +especially in cold blood; it may be very easily presumed, that this +fact was, if true, committed by some of the savages themselves, +without the knowledge of the commander, or of any of the English +troops.]</p> +<p>Five months before this action, one named <i>Danas</i>, or +<i>David</i>, an English privateer, having treacherously hoisted +French colors in the Streights of Fronsac, by means of a French +deserter he had with him, decoyed on board his vessel the chief of +the savages of Cape-Breton, called James Padanuque, with his whole +family, whom he carried to Boston, where he was clapped into a +dungeon the instant he was landed; from which he was only taken out +to stifle him on board of a vessel, in which they pretended to +return him safe to Cape-Breton. His son, at that time a boy of +eight years of age, they will absolutely not release; though, since +their detention of that young savage, they have frequently had +prisoners sent back to them, without ransom, on condition of +restoring the young man to his country: but though they accepted +the condition, they never complied with it.</p> +<p>In the month of July, 1745, the same Danas, with the same +success, employed the same decoy on a savage-family, which could +not get out of their hands, but by escaping one night from their +prisons.</p> +<p>About the same time one named Bartholomew Petitpas, an appointed +savage-linguist, was carried away prisoner to Boston. The savages +have several times demanded him in exchange for English prisoners +they then had in their hands, of whom two were officers, to whom +they gave their liberty, on condition of the Bostoners returning of +Petitpas; whom, however, they not only kept prisoner, but +afterwards put to death.</p> +<p>In the same year, 1745, a missionary of the savages of Cape +Breton, Natkikouesch, Picktook, and of the island of St. John, +having been invited by several letters, on the part of the +commodore of the <i>English</i> squadron, and of the general of the +land-forces, to a parley, those gentlemen desired with him, +concerning the savages, repaired to Louisbourg, at that time in +possession of the English, on the assurances they had given him in +writing, and on the formal promises they had bound with an oath, of +full liberty to return from whence he came, after having satisfied +them in all they wanted of him. They detained him at Louisbourg, +where they gave him a great deal of ill usage, and obliged him to +embark, all sick as he was, and destitute of necessaries, on board +of one of the ships of the squadron, in which he was conveyed to +England, from whence he at length got to France. [Most probably he +had not given the satisfaction required by those gentlemen, which +had been confessedly by himself made the condition of his +return.]</p> +<p>The same year, 1745, several bodies of the savages, deceased, +and buried at <i>Port Tholouze</i>, were dug up again by the +Bostoners, and thrown into the fire. The burying-place of the +savages was demolished, and all the crosses, planted on the graves, +broke into a thousand pieces.</p> +<p>In 1746, some stuffs that the savages had bought of the English, +who then traded in the bay of Megagouetch at <i>Beau-bassin</i>, +there being at that time a great scarcity of goods over all the +country, were found to be <i>poisoned</i>, [Is it possible a +missionary of the truths of the Gospel could gravely commit to +paper such an infernal lie? If even the savages had been stupid +enough of themselves to imbibe such a notion, was it not the duty +of a Christian to have shewn them the folly of it, or even but in +justice to the Europeans? But what must be their guilt, if they +suggested it? Surely, scarce less than that of the action itself.] +so that more than two hundred savages of both sexes perished +thereby.</p> +<p>In 1749, towards the end of the month of May, at a time that the +suspension of arms between the two crowns was not yet known in New +France, the savages, having made prisoners two Englishmen of +Newfoundland, had from these same prisoners the first news of the +cessation of hostilities. They believed them on their bare words, +expressed their satisfaction to them, treated them like brothers, +unbound them, and carried them to their huts. The said prisoners +rose in the night, and massacred twenty-five of these savages, men, +women, and children. There were but two of the savages escaped this +carnage, by being accidentally not present. [<i>How improbable is +the whole of this story?</i>]</p> +<p>Towards the end of the same year, the English being come to +Chibuckto, made the report be every where spread [The missionaries +in those parts might indeed raise such reports; the which giving +the savages an aversion to the English, forced them to take hostile +measures against them in their own defence: but who would suspect +the English themselves of raising them, in direct opposition to +their own interest?], that they were going to destroy all the +savages. They seemed to act in consequence thereto, since they sent +detachments of their troops, on all sides, in pursuit of the +savages.</p> +<p>These people were so alarmed with this procedure of the English, +that from that time they determined, as weak as they were, to +declare open war against them. Knowing that France had concluded a +peace with England, they nevertheless resolved not to cease from +falling on the English, wherever they could find them; saying, they +were indispensably obliged to it, since, against all justice, they +wanted to expel them out of their country. They then sent a +declaration of war in form to the English, in the name of their +nation, and of the savages in alliance with it.</p> +<p>As to what concerns the missionaries to the savages, they cannot +be suspected of using any connivence in all this, if justice is +done to the conduct they have always observed amongst them, and +especially in the time of the last war. How many acts of inhumanity +would have been committed by this nation, naturally vindictive, if +the missionaries had not taken pains, in good earnest, to put such +ideas out of their heads? It is notorious, that the savages believe +that there are no extremities of barbarity, but what are within the +rules of war against those whom they consider as their enemies. +Inexpressible are the efforts which these same missionaries have +employed to restrain, on such occasions, this criminal ferocity, +especially as the savages deemed themselves authorized by right of +reprisals. How many unfortunate persons of the English nation would +have been detained for ever captives, or undergone the most cruel +deaths, if, by the intervention of the missionaries, the savages +had not been prevailed on to release them?</p> +<p>They are even ready to prove, by their written instructions, the +lessons they inculcate to the savages, of the humanity and +gentleness they ought to practise, even in time of war. It is +especially ever since about seventeen years ago, that they do not +cease declaiming against those barbarous and sanguinary methods of +proceeding that seem innate to them. On this principle it is, that +in the written maxims of conduct for them, care has been taken to +insert a chapter, which, from the beginning to the end, places +before their eyes the extreme horror they ought to have of such +enormities. Their children particularly are sedulously taught this +whole chapter, whence it comes, that one may daily perceive them +growing more humane, and more disposed to listen, on this head, to +the remonstrances of the missionaries.</p> +<p>[<i>To this plea of innocence in the French missionaries, as to +any instigation of the savages to hostilities against the English, +we shall oppose the testimony of their own court, in the following +words of the French ministry, in the very same year</i>, 1751.</p> +<p>"His Majesty (the French king) has already observed, that the +savages have hitherto been in the most <i>favorable +dispositions</i>; and it even appears, that the conduct of the +general C—n—ll—s, with respect to them, has only +served to exasperate them more and more. It is of the <i>greatest +importance</i>, both for the present and future, to keep them up to +that spirit. The <i>missionaries</i> amongst them, are more than +any one at hand to <i>contribute thereto</i>, and his majesty has +<i>reason</i> to be <i>satisfied</i> with the <i>pains</i> they +take in it. Our governor must excite these <i>missionaries</i> not +to <i>slacken their endeavours</i> on this head. But he should +advise them to <i>contain</i> their <i>zeal</i> within due bounds, +so as not to render themselves <i>obnoxious</i> to the English, +unless for very good purpose, and so as to avoid giving handle for +just complaints."</p> +<p><i>In this his most Christian Majesty has been faithfully served +by these missionaries, in all points, except that political +injunction of not giving a handle for just complaints, which they +overshot in the ardor of their zeal; since it is undoubted matter +of fact, that the missionaries openly employed all their arts, and +all the influence of religion, to invenom the savages against us. +Thence, besides a number of horrid cruelties, the most treacherous +and base murder of captain How, at a conference, by some savages +they set on, who perpetrated it within sight of the French forces. +The publishing, however, of the foregoing memorial may have this +good effect, that it will apprise the English of the matter of +accusation against them, and enable them to counter-work those holy +engines of state, and emissaries of ambition. It is also certain, +that this very memorial was drawn up by a French priest, purely to +furnish the French ministry a specious document to oppose to the +most just representations of the British government. Besides the +fictions with which it abounds, he has taken care to suppress the +acts of cruelty committed, and the atrocious provocations given by +the savages, at the instigation of his fellow-laborers sedition and +calumny.</i>]</p> +<h2>LETTER FROM Mons. DE LA VARENNE, TO HIS FRIEND at +ROCHELLE.</h2> +<h3><i>Louisbourg</i>, the 8th of <i>May</i>, 1756.</h3> +<p>Though I had, in my last, exhausted all that was needful to say +on our private business, I could not see this ship preparing for +France, especially with our friend <i>Moreau</i> on board, without +giving you this further mark of how ardently I wish the continuance +of our correspondence. It will also serve to supplement any former +deficiencies of satisfaction to certain points of curiosity you +have stated to me; this will give to my letter a length beyond the +ordinary limits of one: and I have before-hand to excuse to you, +the loose desultory way in which you will find I write, as things +present themselves to my mind, without such method or arrangement, +as a formal design of treating the subject would exact. But who +looks for that in a letter?</p> +<p>I need not tell you how severely our government has felt the +dismemberment of that important tract of country already in the +possession of the English, under the name of Acadia; to say nothing +of their further pretentions, which would form such terrible +encroachments on Canada. And no wonder it should feel it, +considering the extent of so fruitful, and valuable a country as +constitutes that peninsula. It might of itself form a very +considerable and compact body of dominion, being, as you know, +almost everywhere surrounded by the sea, and abounding with +admirable and well-situated ports. It is near one hundred leagues +in length, and about sixty in breadth. Judge what advantages such +an area of country, well-peopled, and well-cultivated, and +abounding in mines, might produce. It is full of hills, though I +could not observe any of an extraordinary heighth, except that of +Cape Doree, at the mouth of the river <i>des Mines</i>, the most +fertile part of it in corn and grain, and once the best peopled. +There are a number of rivers very rapid, but not large, except that +of St. John's, which is the finest river of all Acadia, where good +water is rather scarce.</p> +<p>The soil in the vallies is rich, and even in the uplands, +commonly speaking, good. The grains it yields are wheat, pease, +barley, oats, rye, and Indian corn, and especially that of the +vallies, for the higher ground is not yet cultivated. The pastures +are excellent and very common, and more than sufficient to supply +Cape-Breton, with the cattle that may be raised. There is fine +hunting, and a plentiful fishing for cod, salmon, and other fish, +particularly on the east-side, which is full of fine harbours at +the distance of one, two, three, four, or of six or seven leagues +at farthest from one another, within the extent of ninety leagues +of coast. It is thought, in short, this fishery is better than any +on the coasts belonging to France.</p> +<p>The air is extreamly wholesome, which is proved by the longevity +of its inhabitants. I myself know some of above an hundred years of +age, descendants from the French established in Acadia. Distempers +are very rare. I fancy the climate is pretty near the same as in +the north of China, or Chinese-Tartary. This country too, being +rather to the southward of Canada, is not so cold as that; the snow +not falling till towards St. Andrew's day: nor does it lie on the +ground above two or three days at most, after which it begins to +soften; and though the thaw does not take place, the weather turns +mild enough to allow of working, and undertaking journeys. In +short, what may be absolutely called cold weather, may be reduced +to about twenty-five or thirty days in a winter, and ceases +entirely towards the end of March, or at latest, the middle of +April. Then comes the seed-time. Then are made the sugar and syrups +of maple, procured from the juice or sap of that tree, by means of +incisions in the bark; which sap is carefully received in proper +vessels.</p> +<p>I could never find any ginseng-root; yet I have reason to +believe there may be some in or near the hills, as the climate and +situation have so much affinity to the northern provinces of China, +or Northwest Tartary, as described to us by our missionaries.</p> +<p>We have very little knowledge of the medicinal herbs in this +country, though some of them have certainly great virtue. There are +the maiden-hair, the saxi-frage, and the sarsaparilla. There is +also a particular root in this country of an herb called <i>Jean +Hebert</i>, about the ordinary size of the <i>Salsifix</i>, or +<i>Goatsbread</i>, with knots at about an inch, or an inch and an +half distance from one another, of a yellowish colour, white in the +inside, with a sugarish juice, which is excellent for the +stomach.</p> +<p>There has been lately discovered in these parts a poisonous +root, much resembling, in color and substance, a common carrot. +When broke it has a pleasing smell; but between the flakes may be +observed a yellowish juice, which is supposed to be the poison. Of +four soldiers that had eaten of it in their soup lately, two were +difficultly preserved by dint of antidotes; the other two died in +the utmost agonies of pain, and convulsions of frenzy. One of them +was found in the woods sticking by the head in a softish ground, +into which he had driven it, probably in the excess of his torture. +Such a vegetable must afford matter of curious examination to a +naturalist; for as it does so much harm, it may also be capable of +great good, if sought into by proper experiments.</p> +<p>The spirit of turpentine is much used by the inhabitants. The +gum itself is esteemed a great vulnerary; and purges moderately +those who are full of bilious, or gross humors.</p> +<p>For the rest there is, I believe, hardly any sort of grain, +tree, or vegetable, especially in the north of France that might +not be successfully raised in Acadia. The rains are frequent in +every season of the year. There are indeed often violent squalls of +wind, especially from the South, and seem the West, but nothing +like the hurricanes in the West-Indies. It is a great rarity if +thunder does any mischief. Some years ago there was a man killed in +his hut by it; but the oldest men of the country never remembered +to have known or heard of any thing like it before. There have been +earthquakes felt but rarely, and not very violent. This country +produces no venomous beasts, at least, that I could hear of. In the +warmer season there are sometimes found snakes, not, however, +thicker than one's finger, but their bite is not known to be +attended with any fatal consequences, There are no tygers, nor +lions, nor other beasts of prey to be afraid of unless bears, and +that only in their rutting-time, and even then it is very rare that +they attack. As there are then no carnivorous animals except the +lynxes, who have a beautiful skin, and these rarely fall upon any +living creatures; the sheep, oxen, and cows, are turned out into +the woods or commons, without any fear for them. Partridges are +very common, and are large-sized, with flesh very white. The hares +are scarce, and have a white fur. There are a great many beavers, +elks, cariboux, (moose-deer) and other beasts of the cold northern +countries.</p> +<p>The original inhabitants of this country are the savages, who +may be divided into three nations, the <i>Mickmakis</i>, the +<i>Maricheets</i>, or <i>Abenaquis</i>, (being scarcely different +nations) and the <i>Canibats</i>.</p> +<p>The <i>Mickmakis</i> are the most numerous, but not accounted so +good warriors as the others: but they are all much addicted to +hunting, and to venery; in which last, however, they observe great +privacy. They are fond of strong liquors, and especially of brandy: +that is their greatest vice. They are also very uncurious of paying +the debts they contract, not from natural dishonesty, but from +their having no notion of property, or of meum or tuum. They will +sooner part with all they have, in the shape of a gift, than with +any thing in that of payment. Honors and goods being all in common +amongst them, all the numerous vices, which are founded upon those +two motives, are not to be found in them. Yet it is true, that they +have chiefs to whom they give the title of <i>Sagamo</i>; but all +of them almost, at some time or other, assume to themselves this +quality, which is never granted by universal consent, but to the +personal consideration of distinguished merit in councils, or in +arms. Their troops have this particularity, that they are, for the +most part, composed of nothing but officers; insomuch that it is +rare to find a savage in the service that will own himself a +private man. This want of subordination does not, however, hinder +them from concurring together in action, when their native ferocity +and emulation stand them, in some sort, instead of discipline.</p> +<p>They are extreamly vindictive, of which I shall give you one +example. Mons. <i>Daunay</i>, a French captain, with a servant, +being overset in a canoe, within sight of some savages, they threw +themselves into the water to save them, and the servant was +actually saved. But the savage, who had pitched upon Mons. +<i>Daunay</i>, seeing who it was, and remembering some blows with a +cane he had a few days before received from him, took care to souse +him so often in the water, that he drowned him before he got +ashore.</p> +<p>It is remarked, that in proportion as the Europeans have settled +in this country, the number of the savages considerably diminishes. +As they live chiefly upon their hunting, the woods that are +destroyed to cultivate the country, must in course contract the +district of their chace, and cause a famine amongst them, that must +be fatal to them, or compel them to retire to other countries. The +English, sensible of this effect, and who seemed to place their +policy in exterminating these savage nations, have set fire to the +woods, and burnt a considerable extent of them. I have myself +crossed above thirty leagues together, in which space the forests +were so totally consumed by fire, that one could hardly at night +find a spot wooded enough to afford wherewithal to make an +extempore cabbin, which, in this country, is commonly made in the +following manner: Towards night the travellers commonly pitch upon +a spot as near a rivulet or river as they can; and as no one +forgets to carry his hatchet with him, any more than a Spanish don +his toledo, some cut down wood for firing for the night; others +branches of trees, which are stuck in the ground with the crotch +uppermost, over which a thatching is laid of fir-boughs, with a +fence of the same on the weather-side only. The rest is all open, +and serves for door and window. A great fire is then lighted, and +then every body's lodged. They sup on the ground, or upon some +leaved branches, when the season admits of it; and afterwards the +table serves for a bed. The savages themselves rarely have any +fixed hut, or village, that maybe called a permanent residence. If +there are any parts they most frequently inhabit, it is only those +which abound most in game, or near some fishing-place. Such were +formerly for them, before the English had driven them away, +<i>Artigoneesch</i>, <i>Beaubassin</i>, <i>Chipoody</i>, +<i>Chipnakady</i>, <i>Yoodayck</i>, <i>Mirtigueesh</i>, <i>La +Héve Cape Sable</i>, <i>Mirameeky</i>, <i>Fistigoisch</i>, +<i>La Baye des Chaleurs Pentagony</i>, <i>Medochtek</i>, +<i>Hokepack</i>, and <i>Kihibeki</i>.</p> +<p>At present these savage nations bear an inveterate antipathy to +the English, who might have easily prevented or cured it, if +instead of rigorous measures, they had at first used conciliative +ones: but this it seems they thought beneath them. This it is, that +has given our missionaries such a fair field for keeping them fixed +to the French party, by the assistance of the difference of +religion, of which they do not fail to make the most. But lest you +may imagine I am giving you only my own conjectures, take the +following extract from, a letter of father Noel de Joinville, of a +pretty antient date.</p> +<p>"I have remarked in this country so great an aversion in the +convert-savages to the English, caused by difference of religion, +that these scarce dare inhabit any part of Acadia but what is under +their own guns. These savages are so zealous for the Roman +Catholick church, that they always look with horror upon, and +consider as enemies those who are not within the pale of it. This +may serve to prove, that if there had been <i>priests</i> provided +in time, to work at the conversion of the savages of New-England, +before the English had penetrated into the interior of the county +as far as they have done, it would not have been possible for them +to appropriate to themselves such an extent of country as, at this +day, makes of New-England alone the most magnificent colony on the +face of the earth." [This pompous epithet might have yet been more +just, if the improvement of that colony had been enough the care of +the state, to have been pushed all the lengths of which it was so +susceptible. Few Englishmen will, probably, on reflexion deny, that +if but a third of those sums ingulphed by the ungrateful or +slippery powers on the continent, upon interests certainly more +foreign to England than those of her own colonies, or lavished in a +yet more destructive way, that of corrupting its subjects in +elections: if the third, I say, of those immense sums, had been +applied to the benefit of the plantations, to the fortifying, +encouraging, and extending them, there would, by this time, have +hardly been a Frenchman's name to be heard of in North-America +especially.]</p> +<p>But with this good father's leave, he attributes more influence +to religion, though as the priests manage it, it certainly has a +very considerable one, than in fact belongs to it. Were it not for +other concurring circumstances that indispose the savages against +the English, religion alone would not operate, at least so +violently, that effect. Every one knows, that the savages are at +best but slightly tinctured with it, and have little or no +attachment to it, but as they find their advantage in the benefits +of presents and protection, it procures to them from the French +government. In short, it is chiefly to the conduct of this English +themselves, we are beholden for this favorable aid of the savages. +If the English at first, instead of seeking to exterminate or +oppress them by dint of power, the sense of which drove them for +refuge into our party, had behaved with more tenderness to them, +and conciliated their affection by humoring them properly, and +distributing a few presents, they might easily have made useful and +valuable subjects of them. Whereas, disgusted with their +haughtiness, and scared at the menaces and arbitrary encroachments +of the English, they are now their most virulent and scarce +reconcileable enemies. This is even true of more parts in America, +where, though the English have liberally given presents to ten +times the value of what our government does, they have not however +had the same effect. The reason of which is clear: they make them +with so ill a grace, and generally time their presents so +unjudiciously, as scarce ever to distribute them, but just when +they want to carry some temporary point with the savages, such, +especially, as the taking up the hatchet against the French. This +does not escape the natural sagacity of the savages, who are +sensible of the design lurking at bottom of this liberality, and +give them the less thanks for it. They do not easily forget the +length of time they had been neglected, slighted, or unapplied to, +unless by their itinerant traders, who cheat them in their +dealings, or poison them with execrable spirits, under the names of +brandy and rum. Whereas, on the contrary, the French are +assiduously caressing and courting them. Their missionaries are +dispersed up and down their several cantonments, where they +exercise every talent of insinuation, study their manners, nature, +and weaknesses, to which they flexibly accommodate themselves, and +carry their points by these arts. But what has, at least, an equal +share in attaching the savages to our party, is the connivence, or +rather encouragement the French government has given to the natives +of France, to fall into the savage-way of life, to spread +themselves through the savage nations, where they adopt their +manners, range the woods with them, and become as keen hunters as +themselves. This conformity endears our nation to them, being much +better pleased with seeing us imitate them, than ready to imitate +us, though some of them begin to fall into our notions, as to +trafficking and bartering, and knowing the use of money, of which +they were before totally ignorant. We employ besides a much more +effectual method of uniting them to us, and that is, by the +intermarriages of our people with the savage-women, which is a +circumstance that draws the ties of alliance closer. The children +produced by these are generally hardy, inured to the fatigues of +the chace and war, and turn out very serviceable subjects in their +way.</p> +<p>But what is most amazing is, that though the savage-life has all +the appearance of being far from eligible, considering the +fatigues, the exposure to all weathers, the dearth of those +articles which custom has made a kind of necessaries of life to +Europeans, and many other inconveniencies to be met with in their +vagabond course; yet it has such charms for some of our native +French, and even for some of them who have been delicately bred, +that, when once they have betaken themselves to it young, there is +hardly any reclaiming them from it, or inducing them to return to a +more civilized life. They prefer roving in the woods, trusting to +the chapter of accidents for their game which is their chief +support, and lying all night in a little temporary hut, patched up +of a few branches; to all the commodiousness they might find in +towns, or habitations, amongst their own countrymen. By degrees +they lose all relish for the European luxuries of life, and would +not exchange for them the enjoyments of that liberty, and faculty +of wandering about, for which, in the forests, they contract an +invincible taste. A gun with powder and ball, of which they +purchase a continuation of supplies with the skins of the beasts +they kill, set them up. With these they mix amongst the savages, +where they get as many women as they please: some of them are far +from unhandsome, and fall into their way of life, with as much +passion and attachment, as if they had never known any other.</p> +<p>Mons. <i>Delorme</i>, whom you possibly may have seen in +Rochelle, where he had a small employ in the marine-department, +brought over his son here, a very hopeful youth, who had even some +tincture of polite education, and was not above thirteen years old, +and partly from indulgence, partly from a view of making him useful +to the government, by his learning, at that age, perfectly the +savage language, he suffered him to go amongst the savages. The +young <i>Delorme</i> would, indeed, sometimes return home just on a +visit to his family; but always expressed such an impatience, or +rather pining to get back again to them, that, though reluctantly, +the father was obliged to yield to it. No representations in short, +after some years, could ever prevail on him to renounce his +connexions, and residence amongst the <i>Abenaquis</i>, where he is +almost adored. He has learned to excel them all, even in their own +points of competition. He out-does them all in their feats of +activity, in running, leaping, climbing mountains, swimming, +shooting with the bow and arrow, managing of canoes, snaring and +killing birds and beasts, in patience of fatigue, and even of +hunger; in short, in all they most value themselves upon, or to +which they affix the idea of personal merit, the only merit that +commands consideration amongst them. They are not yet polished +enough to admire any other. By this means, however, he perfectly +reigns amongst them, with a power the greater, for the submission +to it not only being voluntary, but the effect of his acknowledged +superiority, in those points that with them alone constitute it. +His personal advantages likewise may not a little contribute +thereto, being perfectly well-made, finely featured, with a great +deal of natural wit, as well as courage. He dresses, whilst with +the savages, exactly in their manner, ties his hair up like them, +wears a tomby-awk, or hatchet, travels with <i>rackets</i>, (or +Indian shoes) and, in short, represents to the life the character +of a compleat savage-warrior. When he comes to <i>Quebec</i>, or +<i>Louisbourg</i>, he resumes his European dress, without the least +mark appearing in his behaviour, of that wildness or rudeness one +would naturally suppose him to have contracted by so long a habit +of them with the savages. Nobody speaks purer French, or acquits +himself better in conversation. He takes up or lays down the savage +character with equal grace and ease. His friends have, at length, +given over teazing him to come and reside for good amongst them; +they find it is to so little purpose. The priests indeed complain +bitterly, that he is not overloaded with religion, from his +entering so thoroughly into the spirit of the savage-life; and his +setting an example, by no means edifying, of a licentious commerce +with their women; besides, his giving no signs of his +over-respecting either their doctrine or spiritual authority. This +they pretend hurts them with their actual converts, as well as with +those they labor to make; though, in this conduct, he is not +singular, for the French wood-rangers, in general, follow the like +course in a greater or lesser degree. These representations of the +priests would, however, have greater influence with our government, +if the temporal advantage they derive from these rovers, +undisciplined as they are, did not oblige them to wink at their +relaxation in spirituals.</p> +<p>But it is not only men that have taken this passion for a savage +life; there have been, though much rarer, examples of our women +going into it. It is not many years since a very pretty French girl +ran away into the woods with a handsome young savage, who married +her after his country fashion. Her friends found out the village, +or rather ambulatory tribe into which she had got; but no +persuasions, or instances, could prevail on her to return and leave +her savage, nor on him to content to it; so that the government not +caring to employ force, for fear of disobliging the nation of them, +even acquiesced in her continuance amongst them, where she remains +to this day, but worshipped like a little divinity, or, at least, +as a being superior to the rest of their women. Possibly too she is +not, in fact, so unhappy, as her choice would make one think she +must be; and if opinion constitutes happiness, she certainly is not +so.</p> +<p>There are not wanting here, who defend this strange attachment +of some of their countrymen to this savage life, on principles +independent of the reason of state, for encouraging its subjects to +spread and gain footing amongst the savage nations, by resorting to +their country, of which they, at the same time, gain a knowledge +useful to future enterprizes, by a winning conformity to their +actions, and by intermarriages with them. They pretend, that even +this savage life itself is not without its peculiar sweets and +pleasures; that it is the most adapted, and the most natural to +man. Liberty, they say, is no where more perfectly enjoyed, than +where no subordination is known, but what is recommended by natural +reason, the veneration of old age, or the respect of personal +merit.</p> +<p>The chace is at once their chief employment and diversion; it +furnishes them with means to procure those articles, which enter +into the small number of natural wants. The demands of luxury, they +think too dearly bought with the loss of that liberty and +independence they find in the woods. They despise the magnificence +of courts and palaces, in comparison with the free range and scope +of the hills and vales, with the starry sky for their canopy: they +say, we enjoy the Universe only in miniature, whilst the +savage-rovers enjoy it in the great. Thus reason some of our +admirers here of the savage-system of life, and yet I do not find +that these refining advocates for it, are themselves tempted to +embrace it. They are content to commend what themselves do not care +to practise. Those who actually do embrace it, reason very little +about it, though no doubt, the motives above assigned for their +preference, are generally, one may say instinctively, at the bottom +of it. Their greatest want is of wine, especially at first to those +who are used to it; but they are soon weaned from it by the example +of others, and content themselves with the substitution of rum, or +brandy, of which they obtain supplies by their barter of skins and +furs. In short, their hunting procures them all that they want or +desire, and their liberty or independence supplies to them the +place of those luxuries of life, that are not well to be had +without the sacrifice in some sort of it.</p> +<p>It is more difficult to find an excuse for the shocking +cruelties and barbarities, exercised by the savages on their +unhappy captives in war. The instances, however, of their +inhumanity, are certainly not exagerated, nor possible to be +exagerated, but they are multiplied beyond the limits of truth. +That they put then their prisoners to death by exquisite tortures, +is strictly true; but it is as true too, that they do not serve so +many in that manner as has been said. Numbers they save, and even +incorporate with their own nation, who become as free as, and on a +footing with, the conquerors themselves. And even in that cruelty +of theirs, there is at the bottom a mixture of piety with their +vindictiveness. They imagine themselves bound to revenge the deaths +of their ancestors, their parents, or relations, fallen in war, +upon their enemies, especially of that nation by whom they have +fallen. It is in that apprehension too, they extend their barbarity +to young children, and to women: to the first, because they fear +they may grow up to an age, when they will be sure to pursue that +revenge of which the spirit is early instilled into them; to the +second, lest they should produce children, to whom they would, from +the same spirit, be sure to inculcate it. Thus, in a round natural +enough, their fear begets their cruelty, and their cruelty their +fear, and so on, <i>ad infinitum</i>. They consider too these +tortures as matter of glory to them in the constancy with which +they are taught to suffer them; they familiarize to themselves the +idea of them, in a manner that redoubles their natural courage and +ferocity, and especially inspires them to fight desperately in +battle, so as to prefer death to a captivity, of which the +consequences are, and may be, so much more cruel to them. Another +reason is also assignable for their carrying things to these +extremities: War is considered by these people as something very +sacred, and not lightly to be undertaken; but when once so, to be +pushed with the utmost rigor by way of terror, joining its aid +towards the putting the speediest end to it. The savage nations +imagine such examples necessary for deterring one another from +coming to ruptures, or invading one another upon slight motives, +especially as their habitations or villages used to be so slightly +fortified, that they might easily be surprised. They have lately +indeed learned to make stronger inclosures, or pallisadoes, but +still not sufficient entirely to invalidate this argument for their +guarding against sudden hostilities, by the idea of the most cruel +revenge they annex to the commission of them. It is not then, till +after the maturest deliberation, and the deepest debates, that they +commonly come to a resolution of <i>taking up the hatchet</i>, as +they call declaring of war; after which, there are no excesses to +which their rage and ferocity do not incite them. Even their +feasting upon the dead bodies of their enemies, after putting them +to death with the most excruciating tortures they can devise, is +rather a point of revenge, than of relish for such a banquet.</p> +<p>That midst all their savageness they have, however, some +glimmering perception of the <i>laws of nations</i>, is evident +from the use to which they put the <i>calumet</i>, the rights of +which are kept inviolate, thro' especially the whole northern +continent of America. It answers nearest the idea of the +olive-branch amongst the ancients.</p> +<p>As to your question, Sir, about the English being in the right +or wrong, in their treatment of the <i>Acadians</i>, or descendants +of the Europeans first settled in Acadia, and in their scheme of +dispersing them, the point is so nice, that I own I dare not +pronounce either way: but I will candidly state to you certain +facts and circumstances, which may enable yourself to form a +tolerably clear idea thereon.</p> +<p>But previously I shall give you a succinct description of these +people: They were a mixed breed, that is to say, most of them +proceeded from marriages, or concubinage of the savage women with +the first settlers, who were of various nations, but chiefly +French, the others were English, Scotch, Swiss, Dutch, &c. the +Protestants amongst whom, and especially their children were, in +process of time, brought over to a conformity of faith with ours. +They found they could not easily keep their footing in the country, +or live sociably with the great majority of the French, but by this +means of coming over to our religion.</p> +<p>Certain Normans, of which number was Champlein, were the +<i>first</i> French that discovered Port-Royal, now Annapolis, +where they found some Scotch settled, who had built a fort of turf, +and planted in the area before it some plumb-trees, and +walnut-trees, which was all the works of agriculture, and +fortification the British nation had made in this country before +the year 1710. This is the chief reason [And a very good one +surely.] too, why they so much insist on calling Acadia, +Nova-Scotia, and pretend to be the first inhabitants and true +proprietors. These Scotch were driven from Port-Royal by the +Normans. It is true, they had discovered the river of Port-Royal +<i>before</i> the Normans, and had built a turf-fort; but it is by +no means true, that they were therefore the true settlers on this +river, and less yet in the whole of Acadia. [Nothing can be more +false and pitiful, than what follows of this Frenchman's reasoning. +If a fort is not a settlement, what can be called one? Is it not +one of the most valid, and generally received marks of taking +possession? It supposes always a design to cultivate and improve; +and no doubt but these first settlers would have done both, if they +had not been untimely driven away.] The true inhabitants are those +who cultivate a country, and thereby acquire a real permanent +situation. The property of ground is to them who clear, plant, and +improve it. The English had done nothing in this way to it till the +year 1710. They never came there, but on schemes of incursion or +trade; and in all the wars they had with the French, on being +superior to them, they contented themselves with putting them to +ransom; and though they sometimes took their fortified places, they +did not settle in them. As all their pretension in Acadia was +trade, they sometimes indeed detained such French as they could +take prisoners; but that was only for the greater security of their +traffic in the mean while with the savages. Traders, continually +obliged to follow the savages in their vagabond journeys, could not +be supposed to have time or inclination for agriculture. This title +then the French settlers had; and in short, the whole body of the +inhabitants of Acadia, from time immemorial, may be averred to have +been French, since a few families of English, and other Europeans, +cannot be said to form an exception, and those, as I have before +observed, soon became frenchified. Except a few families from +Boston or New-England I could never learn there were above three of +purely British subjects, who also, ultimately conforming both in +the religious and civil institutions to the French, became +incorporated with them. These families were the <i>Peterses</i>, +the <i>Grangers</i>, the <i>Cartys</i>. These last indeed descended +from one Roger John-Baptist Carty, an Irish Roman-Catholic. He had +been an indented servant in New-England, and had obtained at length +his discharge from his master, with permission to remain with the +French Acadians for the freer exercise of his religion. Peters was +an iron-smith in England, and together with Granger, married in +Acadia, and was there naturalized a Frenchman. Granger made his +abjuration before M. Petit, secular-priest of the seminary of +Paris, then missionary at Port-Royal (Annapolis). These and other +European families then soon became united with the French Acadians, +and were no longer distinguished from them. Most of these last were +originally from <i>Rochelle</i>, <i>Xaintonge</i>, and +<i>Poitou</i>; but all went under the common name of Acadians; and +were once very numerous. The Parish of <i>Annapolis-Royal</i> alone +in 1754, according to the account of father <i>Daudin</i>, +contained three hundred habitations, or about two thousand +communicants. The <i>Mines</i>, which are about five-and-thirty +leagues from Port-Royal, and the best corn country in Acadia, were +also very populous; nor were there wanting inhabitants in many +commodious parts of this peninsula.</p> +<p>The character of the French Acadians was good at the bottom: +their morals far from vitious; their constitution hardy, and yet +strongly turned to indolence and inaction, not caring for work, +unless a point of present necessity pressed them; much attached to +the customs of the country, which have not a little of the savage +in them, and to the opinions of their fore-fathers, which they +cherished as a kind of patrimony; it was hard to inculcate any +novelty to them. They had many parts of character in common with +the Canada French. A little matter surprises, and sets them a +staring, without stirring their curiosity to examine, or exciting +their inclination to adopt or embrace it. They are remarkably fond +of rosaries, crucifixes, agnus deis, and all the little trinkets +consecrated by religion, with which they love to adorn their +persons, and of which the priests make no little advantage in +disposing of amongst them: and in truth, it is almost incredible +what a power and influence these have over them, and with which +they despotically govern them. One instance I am sure cannot but +make you laugh. In September, 1754, the priest at <i>Pigigeesh</i>, +had appointed his parishioners to perform the religious ceremony of +a <i>Recess</i>, and to make them expiate some disgust they had +given him, obliged them, men, women, and children, to attend the +adoration of the holy-sacrament with a rope about their necks; and +what is more, he not only made them all buy the rope of him, in +which you may be sure he took care to find his account, but exacted +their coming to fetch it bare-footed, from his parsonage house; and +this they quietly submitted to. In short, considering the sweets of +power on whomsoever exercised, our good fathers the missionaries +are not so much to be pitied, as they would have us believe, for +their great apostolical labors, and exposure to fatigue; since it +is certain, they live like little kings in their respective +parishes, and enjoy in all senses the best the land affords; and +even our government itself, for its own ends, is obliged to pay a +sort of court to them, and to keep them in good humour.</p> +<p>The Acadian men were commonly drest in a sort of coarse black +stuff made in the country; and many of the poorer sort go +bare-footed in all weathers. The women are covered with a cloak, +and all their head-dress is generally a handkerchief, which would +serve for a veil too, in the manner they tied it, if it descended +low enough.</p> +<p>Their dwellings were almost all built in an uniform manner; the +inhabitants themselves it was who built them, each for himself, +there being but few or no mechanics in the country. The hatchet was +their capital and universal instrument. They had saw-mills for +their timber, and with a plane and a knife, an Acadian would build +his house and his barn, and even make all his wooden domestic +furniture. Happy nation! that could thus be sufficient to itself, +which would always be the case, were the luxury and the vanity of +other nations to remain unenvied.</p> +<p>Such in short were the French Acadians, who fell under the +dominion of the king of Great Britain, when the English +experienced, from both the Acadians and savages, a most thorough +reluctance to the recognition of their new sovereign, which has +continued to this day.</p> +<p>As to the savages it is certain, that the governors for the +English acted entirely against the interest of their nation, in +their procedure with them. They had been long under the French +government, so far as their nature allows them to be under any +government at all; and besides almost all the Micmakis, and great +numbers of the Maricheets, or Abenaquis, were converted to our +faith, and were consequently under the influence of the priests. It +could not then be expected, naturally speaking, that these people +could all of a sudden shake off their attachment to, and connexions +with our nation; so that, even after the cession of Acadia, they +continued, with a savage sulleness, to give marks of their +preference of our government. This could not fail of giving the +English umbrage; and their impatience not brooking either delays, +or soothing them into a temper and opinion more favorable to them: +they let it very early be seen, and penetrated by the savages, that +they intended to clear the country of them. Nor would this +exterminating plan, however not over-humane, have been perhaps +wholly an impolitical one, if they had not had the French for +neighbors, who, ever watchful and alert in concerning themselves +with what past in those parts, took care underhand, by their +priests and emissaries, to inflame them, and to offer them not only +the kindest refuge, but to provide them with all necessaries of +life, sure of being doubly repaid by the service they would do +them, if but in the mischief they would do the English, to whom it +was a great point with our government to make Acadia as +uncomfortable, and as untenable as possible. It was no wonder then, +that the savages, ill-used by the English, and still dreading worse +from them, being constantly plied by our caresses, presents, and +promises, should prefer our nation to that. I have before said, +that religion has no great hold of these savages, but it could not +be but of some weight in the scale, where their minds were already +so exulcerated against those of a different one, whom they now +considered as their capital enemies. You may be sure like-wise, our +priests did not neglect making the most of this advantage, which +the English themselves furnished them by their indiscreet +management: for certain it is, that a few presents well placed, +proper methods of conciliation, and a very little time, would have +entirely detached the savages from our interest, and have turned +the system of annoyance of the English against the French +themselves. Some English governors indeed grew sensible of this, +and applied themselves to retrieve matters by a gentler treatment, +but the mischief was already done and irretrieveable; and our +missionaries took care to widen the breach, and to keep up their +spirit of hatred and revenge, by instilling into them the notions +of jealousy, that such overtures of friendship, on the part of the +English, were no better than so many snares laid to make them +perish, by a false security, since they could not hope to do it by +open violence. One instance may serve to show you the temper of +these people: Some years ago the English officers being assembled +at the <i>Mines</i>, in order to take a solemn recognition from +them of the king of Great Britain, when a savage, a new convert, +called <i>Simon</i>, in spite of all dissuasion, went himself alone +to the English commander, and told him, that all his endeavours to +get the king of England acknowledged, would be to no purpose; that, +for his part, he should never pay any allegiance but to the king of +France, and drawing a knife, said, "This indeed is all the arms I +have, and with this weapon alone, I will stand by the king of +France till death."</p> +<p>Yet, with all this obstinacy of sentiments, once more I dare +aver, the savages would have been easily won over and attached to +the English party, had these gone the right way about it: and I +well know that the French, who knew best the nature of the savages, +much dreaded it; and were not a little pleased to see the English +take measures so contrary to their own interest, and play the game +so effectually into our hands. In short, we took, as was natural, +all the advantage of their indiscretion and over-sight.</p> +<p>I come now to the Acadians, or what may more properly be called +the French Acadians. These would undoubtedly have proved very +valuable subjects to the English, and extreamly useful to them in +improving a dominion so susceptible of all manner of improvement as +<i>Acadia</i>, (Nova-Scotia) if they could have been, prevailed on +to break their former ties of allegiance to the king of France, and +to have remained quietly under the new government to which they +were now transferred. But from this they were constantly dissuaded, +and withheld by the influence of our French priests, cantoned, +amongst them [The letter-writer might have here added the infamous +arts and falsities by which these emissaries of the French imposed +on those bigotted deluded people, and to that end made religion a +vile tool of state. They represented to these Acadians, that it was +an inexpiable crime against their faith, to hold any commerce with +heretics, and much more so to enter into their +interests;—that there would be no pardon for them, either in +the other world, or even in this, when the French should regain, as +they certainly would, possession of a country ceded so much against +the grain. In short, they succeeded but too well in keeping up the +spirit of rebellion amongst those infatuated devotees of theirs, +who remained sullen and refractory to all the advances the English +made to gain them.], who kept them steady to our party. You may be +sure our government did not fail of constantly inculcating the +expediency of this conduct to our priests; who not only very +punctually and successfully conformed to their instructions on this +head, but very often in the heat of their zeal so much exceeded +them, as to draw on themselves the animadversion of the English +government. This answered a double end, of hindering that nation +from finding those advantages in this country, by the prospect of +which it had been tempted to settle in it, and of engaging it to +consider Acadia itself, as something not material enough to think +worth its keeping, at the expence which it must occasion, and +consequently induce the English to be the readier to part with it +again, on any future treaty of peace. This too is certain, that the +French themselves knew neither the extent, nor the value of this +country, till they were sensible of the improvements the English +were projecting; and the use now so easy to discover might be made +of so fine an establishment. But to return to the Acadians: It must +be confest the English had, with respect to them, a difficult game +to play. To force such a number of families, of which too such +great use might have been made, to evacuate the country, seems at +first both impolitic and inhuman. But then it must be considered, +that these people were absolutely untractable as to the English, +and thoroughly under the direction of priests in an interest quite +opposite to theirs. To have taken those priests entirely from them, +would have exasperated them yet more, and was, in fact, a measure +repugnant to that spirit of toleration in religious matters, of +which they boast, and to which it must be owned they constantly +adhered, as to these people, both in speculation and practice.</p> +<p>[Might not this dilemma have been removed, by procuring for them +priests, since priests they must have, from neutral nations, such +as the Flemings, the Roman Swiss Cantons, &c. whom a very small +matter of reward and encouragement would, it is probable, have +fixed in the English interest? At least, they could not have the +same motives for fomenting rebellious principles, as the French +priests, who were set on by that government.]</p> +<p>None of the Acadians were ever molested purely for their +religion; and even the priests of our nation were always civilly +treated by them, whenever they had not reason to think they meddled +in temporal matters, or stirred up their parishioners to rebellion. +I have seen many of their own letters that acknowledge as much; so +that upon the whole, I do not see that the English could do +otherwise than they did, in expelling their bounds a people, who +were constitutionally, and invincibly, a perpetual thorn in their +side, whom they could at best look on as secret domestic enemies, +who wanted nothing but an occasion to do them all the mischief in +their power, and of whom, consequently, there could not, for their +interest and safety, remain too few in the land.</p> +<p>In the mean time the French took special care to appear at least +to receive with open arms those <i>refugees</i>, whom their fear or +hatred of the English drove out of that country; they gave them +temporary places of habitation, both for them and their cattle, +besides provisions, arms, tools, &c. till they should fix a +settlement in some part of the French dominions here, which they +recommended especially in the island of, or on the banks of the +river of St. John; but they were at first very loth to come to a +determination. And surely, these unfortunate victims of their +attachment to the French government deserved all the reparation in +its power to give them, for what they had quitted for the sake of +preserving allegiance to it, even after their country had been +transferred to another sovereign. I cannot, however, consistently +with truth say, they were received as kindly as they deserved, +which probably bred that undetermination of their's to fix a new +settlement, as they were pressed to do by the French government. +They retained still a hankering after their old habitations: the +temporary new ones were far from being equally agreeable or +convenient; and even the ancient settlers in those places where +these refugees were provisionally cantoned, began to make +complaints of their encroaching upon them, and to represent their +apprehensions of their becoming burthensome to them. Some of our +people in power, more sollicitous for their own private interest, +than for the public good, were but too remiss in relieving and +comforting these poor people. This, at length, indisposed them so, +that after very pathetic remonstrances on the hardship of their +case, and the motives upon which they thus suffered, great numbers +of them began to listen seriously to the proposals made them by the +English, to return upon very inviting terms to the settlements they +had quitted. In short, it required the utmost art of the +missionaries, and even a kind of coercion from the military power, +to keep them from accepting the English offers. For when they +presented a petition to Mons. <i>de Vergor</i>, for leave to return +to the English district, this commander, after having remonstrated +to them that he could not grant their request, nor decide any thing +of himself in a matter of that importance, was forced, at length, +to declare to them, that he would <i>shoot</i> any man who should +attempt to go over to the English. [It should here be remarked, +that these very people had taken the oath of allegiance to the +crown of England, agreeable to the tenor of the treaty of Utrecht. +But the French, not content with harbouring these causeless +malecontents, that were actually deserters over to them, kept +continually, by means of the priests, plying such as staid behind +with exhortations, promises, menaces, in short, with every art of +seduction, to engage them to withdraw their sworn allegiance to +their now lawful sovereign. In short, if all the transactions of +the French in those parts were thrown into a history, it would lay +open to the world such a scene of complicated villainy, rebellion, +perjury, subornation of perjury, perfidiousness, and cruelty, as +would for ever take from that nation the power of pluming itself, +as it now so impudently does, on its sincerity, fairness, and +moderation. The English, on the other hand, too conscious of the +justice of their cause at bottom, have been too remiss in their +confutation of the French falsities: content with being in the +right, they cared too little for having the appearance of being so, +as if the world was not governed by appearances.] Thus these poor +people remained under this deplorable dilemma. Some of them too, +had not even habitations to go back if they would: they had been +forced into the measure of deserting their country, and passing +over to the French side, by the violence of the Abbot de Loutre, +who had not only preached them into this spirit, but ordered the +savages, whom he had at his disposal, to set fire to their +habitations, barns, &c. particularly at <i>Mirtigueesh</i>. +[The reader is desired to observe, that in the memorials delivered +into the English court by the French ministers, this burning of +villages was specifically made an article of complaint, at the same +time that it was their own incendiary agent, at their own +instigation, who had actually caused fire to be set to them by his +savages. Could then impudence be pushed farther than it was on this +occasion?]</p> +<p>In the mean time the French did not spare, at least, the +consolation of words and promises to these distrest +Refugee-acadians. They were assured, that they would infallibly be +relieved on the regulation of the limits taking place, which was +then on the point of being settled, by commissaries, between the +two crowns. [The truth is, that in these assurances the French +government, which never intended a conclusion, but only an +amusement, did not scruple equally deceiving the English, and these +infatuated Acadian subjects of ours, who, to the French interest +had sacrificed their own, their possessions in their country, their +sworn faith, in short, their ALL. Whoever has the patience to go +through the French memorials, in their procedure with our +commissaries, may see such instances of their pitiful +prevarications, petty-fogging chicanery, quirks, and evasions, as +would nauseate one. The whole stress of their argument, in short, +turns merely upon names, where the things themselves were +absolutely out of the question, from the manifest notoriety of +them.] This hope, in some sort, pacified them; and they lived as +well as they could in the expectation of a final decision, which +was not so soon to come.</p> +<p>Yet even this example of the sufferings of these people, purely +on account of their attachment to the French government, could not +out balance with the French Acadians, who remained in the English +district, the assiduous applications of our priests to keep them +firm in the French interest. They never ceased giving every mark in +their power of their preference of our government to that, under +which the treaty of Utrecht had put them. The English, however, at +length finding that, neither by fair nor foul means, could they +reclaim or win them over to their purpose, so as that they might in +future depend upon them, came at once to a violent resolution. They +surprized and seized every French Acadian-man they could lay their +hands on, (the women they knew would follow of course) and, to +clear the country effectually of them, dispersed them into the +remotest parts of their other settlements in North-America, where +they thought they could do the least mischief to them. Some were +shipped off for England: the priests shared the same fate, and were +conveyed to Europe. With this evacuation, the very existence of the +French Acadians may be said to have ended; for in Acadia there are +scarce any traces of them left, few or none having escaped this +general seizure and transportation, for the necessity of which, the +English were perhaps more to be pitied than blamed.</p> +<p>In the mean time our government had so far succeeded, as to +force the English, thus to deprive themselves of such a number of +subjects, who, but for the reasons above deduced, might have been +very valuable ones, and a great strengthening of their new colony. +Hitherto then our neighborhood has made it almost as irksome, and +uncomfortable to them, as we could wish; and this fine spot of +dominion does not nigh produce to them the advantages that might +otherwise naturally be expected from it. Numbers of themselves +begin to exclaim against it, as if its value and importance had +been overrated; not considering, that it is on the circumstances of +their possession, and not on the nature of the possession itself, +that their complaints and murmurings should fall. It is very +likely, that whenever we get it back again, we shall know very well +what to do with it. They have begun to teach us the value of what +we thus inadvertently parted with to them; and it will be hard, +indeed, on recovering it, if we do not improve upon their +lessons.</p> +<p>In the mean time you in Europe are cruelly mistaken, if you do +not annex an idea of the highest consequence and value, to the +matters of dominion now in dispute, between the crowns of France +and Great Britain, between whom the war is in a manner begun, by +the capture of the Alcides and Lys, and which, even without that +circumstance, was inevitable. I know that our (French) government, +is indeed fully sensible of the capital importance to it of its +interest in these parts, and has proceeded in consequence. But it +is not so, I find by your letters, and the reports of others, with +numbers in Europe, who do not conceive, that the present object of +the war is so considerable as it really is.</p> +<p>To say nothing of the vast extent of country that falls under +the claim of the English to Acadia (Nova-Scotia) which alone would +form an immence mass of dominion, greatly improveable in a number +of points, its situation is yet of greater weight. By the English +possessing it, Canada itself would be so streightened, so liable to +harrassment, and especially to the comptrol of its navigation, that +it would scarce be tenable, and surely not worth the expence of +keeping. The country pretended to have been ceded is far preferable +to it; and the masters of it would be equally masters of the sea +all over North-America. Hallifax, for example, according to which +of the nation's hand it should be in, may be equally an effectual +check on Quebec, or Boston.</p> +<p>You will then allow, that was there even nothing more in dispute +than the limits of the cession of Acadia, or Nova-Scotia, together +with its necessary dependence, that alone would form such a +considerable object, as not easily to be given up on either side. +The commissaries appointed by both crowns, then failing of coming +to any agreement or regulation, it is no wonder to see the appeal +lodged with the sword; especially when there is another point yet +remains, of perhaps equal, if not superior, importance, depending +on the issue of the war: and that is, the western inland frontiers +of the English colonies. Should we ever command the navigation of +the lakes and rivers, behind their settlements, you can easily +figure to yourself, not only the vast advantages of preserving that +communication of Canada, with New Orleans and the Mississippi, so +absolutely essential to both these our colonies, but the facility +it will give us on all occasions of distressing the English, where +neither their marine-force can succor them, nor can they be able to +resist the attack, since we may make it wherever ever we please, +and effectually dodge any land-force they might assemble in any one +or two parts to oppose us. We may then carry the war into the +quarter most convenient; and most safe for us, if we should ever +have the whole navigation of the lakes so far at our disposal, as +to prevent their constructing any material number vessels to +dispute it with us. Thus we can penetrate into the heart of any of +their colonies, that may best suit us, especially with the +concurrent aid of the savages, whom we have found means to attach +so strongly to us, and on whom we can greatly depend for the +effectual harrassment of, especially, the back-plantations of the +English.</p> +<p>You see then, Sir, by this summary sketch of the points in +contest, that the war being once engaged, it will not be so easy a +matter as many in Europe imagine, to adjust the pretensions, so +various and so important, of the respective nations, so as to be +able to procure a peace. Some, of the points appear to me +absolutely <i>untreatable</i>. You may observe too, that I do not +so much as touch upon the dispute about Tabago, Santa-Lucia, or any +of the Leeward islands, which are not, however, of small +consequence. In short, the war must, in all human probability, be a +much longer one, than is commonly believed. Neither nation can +materially relax of its claims, without such a thorough sacrifice +of its interest in America, as nothing but the last extremities of +weakness can compel.</p> +<p>Long as this letter is, I cannot yet close it without mentioning +to you a singular phenomenon of nature, in the island of St. John. +You know it is a flat, level island, chiefly formed out of the +congestion of sand and soil from the sea. Tradition, experience, +and authentic public acts (<i>Procés verbaux</i>) concur to +attest that every seven years, it is visited by swarms either of +locusts, or of field-mice, alternately, never together; without its +being possible to discover hitherto either the reason, or the +origin of these two species, which thus in their turns, at the end +of every seventh year, pour out all of a sudden in amazing numbers, +and having committed their ravages on all the fruits of the earth, +precipitate themselves into the sea. Neither has any preventive +remedy for this evil been yet discovered. It is well known how they +perish, but, once more, how they are produced no one, that I could +learn, has as yet been able to trace. The field-mice are +undoubtedly something in the nature of those swarms of the +sable-mice, that sometimes over-run Lapland and Norway, though I do +not know that these return so regularly, and at such stated +periods, as those of this island.</p> +<p>I am, Sir,</p> +<p>Your most obedient,</p> +<p>Humble servant.</p> +<h2>CHARACTER OF THE SAVAGES of NORTH-AMERICA, EXTRACTED FROM A +LETTER of the Father CHARLEVOIX, TO A LADY of Distinction.</h2> +<p>To give you, Madam, a summary sketch of the character of the +savages in this country, I am to observe to you, that under a +savage appearance, with manners and customs, that favor entirely of +barbarism, may be found a society exempt from almost all the faults +that so often vitiate the happiness of ours.</p> +<p>They appear to be without passion, but they are in cold blood, +and sometimes even from principle, all that the most violent and +most unbridled passion can inspire into those, who no longer listen +to reason.</p> +<p>They seem to lead the most miserable of lives, and they are, +perhaps, the only happy of the earth. At least those of them are +still so, amongst whom the knowledge of those objects that disturb +and seduce us, has not yet penetrated, or awakened in them, those +pernicious desires which their ignorance kept happily dormant: it +has not, however, hitherto made great ravages amongst them.</p> +<p>There may be perceived a mixture in them of the most ferocious +and the most gentle manners; of the faults reproachable to the +carnivorous beasts, with those virtues and qualities of the head +and heart, that do the most honor to human-kind.</p> +<p>One would, at first, imagine, that they had no sort of form of +government, that they knew no laws nor subordination, and that +living in an entire independence, they suffered themselves to be +entirely guided by chance, or by the most wild, untamed caprice: +yet they enjoy almost all the advantages, which a well-regulated +authority can procure to the most civilized nations. Born free and +independent, they hold in horror the very shadow of despotic power; +but they rarely swerve from certain principles and customs, founded +upon good-sense, which stand them in the stead of laws, and +supplement in some sort to their want of legal authority. All +constraint mocks them; but reason alone hold them in a kind of +subordination, which, for its being voluntary, does not the less +answer the proposed end.</p> +<p>A man, whom they should greatly esteem, would find them +tractable and ductile enough, and might very nearly make them do +any thing he had a mind they should; but it is not easy to gain +their esteem to such a point. They grant it only to merit, and that +merit a very superior one, of which they are as good judges as +those, who, amongst us, value themselves the most upon being so. +They are, especially, apt to be taken with physiognomy; and there +are not in the world, perhaps, men who are greater +<i>connoisseurs</i> in it: and that is, because they have for no +man whatever, any of those respects that prejudice or impose on us, +and that studying only nature, they understand it well. As they are +not slaves to ambition or interest, those two passions that have +chiefly cancelled in us that sentiment of humanity, which the +author of nature had engraved in our hearts; the inequality of +conditions is not necessary to them, for the support of +society.</p> +<p>There are not therefore, Madam, to be seen amongst them, or at +least, are rarely to be met with, those arrogant haughty +characters, who, full of themselves of their greatness, or their +merit, look on themselves almost as a species a-part, and disdain +the rest of mankind, of whom consequently they can never have the +confidence or love. Their equals these rarely know any thing of, +because the jealousy that reigns amongst the great, hinders them +from being intimate enough with one another. Neither do they know +themselves, from their never studying themselves, and from their +constant self-flattery. They never reflect, that to gain admission +into the hearts of men, they must make themselves their equals; so +that with this pretended superiority of enlightened understanding, +which they look on as an essential property of the rank they hold, +the most part of them live groveling in a proud and incurable +ignorance of all that it would be the most important for them to +know, and never enjoy the true sweets of life.</p> +<p>In all this how wretchedly different from the savages! In this +country, all the men esteem themselves equally men; and in man, +what they most esteem is, the man. No distinction of birth; no +prerogative attributed to rank, to the prejudice of the other free +members of society; no pre-eminence annexed to merit that can +inspire pride, or make others feel too much their inferiority. +There is, perhaps, less delicacy in their sentiments than amongst +us, but surely more uprightness; less ceremony; less of all that +can form a dubious character; less of the temptations or illusions +or self-love.</p> +<p>Religion only can perfect these people in what is good in them, +and correct what bad. This indeed is not peculiar to them, but what +is so, is, that they bring with them fewer obstacles to religious +devotion when once they have begun to believe, which can only be +the effect of a special grace. It is also true, that to establish +firmly the empire of religion over them, it would be necessary that +they should see it practised in all its purity by those who profess +it. They are extremely susceptible of the scandal given by bad +Christians, as are all those who are, for the first time, +instructed in the principles of the Gospel-morality.</p> +<p>You will perhaps ask me, Madam, if they have a religion? To this +I answer, that it cannot be said they have not one, though it is +difficult to give a definition of what it is. I shall sometime or +other, take occasion to enter into more particulars on this head. +This letter, like most of the others that have preceded it, prove +sufficiently that I do not pretend to write to you +methodically.</p> +<p>I shall then now only content myself with adding, by way of +finishing, to this picture of the savages, that even in their most +indifferent actions, may be perceived the traces of the primitive +natural religion, but which escape those who do not study them +enough, because they are yet more defaced by the want of +instruction, [This want of instruction is wretchedly supplemented +amongst the savage-converts to the Popish religion, by that +superstitious worship, and those fabulous traditions, its +missionaries have introduced amongst them, and which must be only +the more execrable, for their being a superstructure on so fair a +foundation as that of the truths of the Gospel. At least, the +savages, in their genuine unsophisticated state, have no such base, +absurd, derogatory ideas of the Deity, as are implied by the +doctrines of transubstantiation, purgatory, absolution, and the +like fictions in the Romish church, which have been the more than +mines of Mexico and Peru, of its clergy.] than adulterated by the +mixture of a superstitious worship, and by fabulous traditions.</p> +<p><i>FINIS.</i></p> +<hr class="full" /> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of An Account Of The Customs And Manners +Of The Micmakis And Maricheets Savage Nations, Now Dependent On The Government Of Cape-Breton, by Antoine Simon Maillard + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MICMAKIS AND MARICHEETS *** + +***** This file should be named 15567-h.htm or 15567-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/5/6/15567/ + +Produced by Wallace McLean, David King, and the PG Online +Distributed Proofreading Team + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + + +</pre> + +</body> +</html> |