beginning four or five times, for offering to disturb or take him up; but gentle chaftifement having foon corrected these little paffions, I afterwards gave him the liberty of my bed-chamber. Towards night he would rub his eyes, then looking ' attentively round, would walk upon the furniture, or oftener upon ropes that I had placed on purpofe. A little milk, or very juicy fruits, were not difagreeable to him; but this was a laft resource, he was only fond of fmall birds and all forts of infects. If he beheld game of this kind, which I ufed to tie at the part of the chamber oppofite to him, or fhew him and invite him to me, he would prefently approach with a long careful ftep, like a perfon walking on tip-toe going to furprife another. When he was within a foot of his prey, he would ftop, and raising himfelf upright, ad, vance gently, ftretching out his arm, then at once feizing, would strangle it with remarkable celelerity. This little animal perifhed by accident. He appeared much attached to me; it was my cuftom to carefs him, especially after feeding: his return of affection confifted in taking the end of my fingers, preffing them to his bofom, and fixing his eyes half open upon mine." Indians of America differed from other males of the human species in the want of one very characteristic mark of the fex, to wit, that of a beard. From this general obfervation, the Efquimaux have been excepted; and hence it has been fuppofed, that they had an origin different from that of the other natives of America. Inferences have also been drawn, not only with respect to the origin, but even relative to the conformation of Indians, as if this was in its nature more imperfect than that of the reft of mankind. It appears fomewhat fingular that authors, in deducing the origin both of the Efquimaux and of the other Indians of America from the old world, fhould never have explained to us how the former came to retain their beards, and the latter to lay them afide. To ascertain the authenticity of this point may perhaps prove of little real utility to mankind; but the fingularity of the fact certainly claims the attention of the curious and as it is impoffible to fix any limits to the inferences which may at one time or another be drawn from alledged facts, it must always be of confequence to enquire into the authenticity of thoie facts, how little interesting foever they may at prefent appear. I will not by any means take upon me to say that there are not nations of America deftitute of beards; but ten years refidence at Niagara, in the midst of the Six-Nations (with frequent opportunities of feeing other nations of Indians) has convinced me, that they do not dif fer from the reft of men, in this particular, more than one European differs from another; and as this imperfection has been attributed to the Indians of North America, equally equally with those of the rest of the Continent, I am much inclined to think, that this affertion is as void of foundation in one region as it is in the other. All the Indians of North America (except a very small number, who, from living among white people, have adopted their cuftoms) pluck out the hairs of the beard; and as they begin this from its first appearance, it must naturally be fuppofed, that to a fuperficial obferver their faces will feem smooth and beardlefs. As further proof that they have beards, we may obferve, firft, that they all have an inftrument for the purpose of plucking them out. Secondly, that when they neglect this for any time, feveral hairs fprout up, and are feen upon the chin and face. Thirdly, that many Indians allow tufts of hair to grow upon their chins or upper lips, refembling those we fee in different nations of the old world. Fourthly, that feveral of the Mohocks, Delawares, and others, who live amongst white people, fometimes fhave with razors, and fometimes pluck their beards out. Thefe are facts which are notorious amongst the army, Indian traders, &c.; and which are never doubted in that part of the world by any perfon in the leaft converfant with Indians : but as it is difficult to tranfport a matter of belief from one country to another diftant one, and as the authors who have maintained the contrary opinion are too refpectable to be doubted upon light grounds, I by no means intend to reft the proofs upon what has been faid, or upon my fingle affertion. I have provided myself with two authorities, which I apprehend may in this cafe be decifive. One is Colonel Butler, deputy fuperintendant of Indian affairs, well known in the late American war, whose great and extenfive influence amongst the Six-Nations could not have been acquired by any thing lefs than his long and intimate knowledge of them and their language. The other authority is that of Thayendanega, commonly known by the name of Captain Jofeph Brant, a Mohock Indian of great influence, and much spoken of in the late war. He was in England in 1775, and writes and speaks the English language with tolerable accuracy. I fhall therefore only fubjoin their opinions upon this matter, the originals of which I have under their own fignatures. Colonel BUTLER'S. The men of the Six-Nation Indians have all beards naturally, as have all the other nations of North America which I have had an opMohocks fhave with razors, as do portunity of feeing. Several of the likewife many of the Panees who are kept as flaves by the Europeans. But in general the Indians pluck out the beard by the roots from its earlieft appearance; and as their faces are therefore fmooth, it has been fuppofed that they were deftitute of beards. I am even of opinion, that if the Indians were to practise fhaving from their youth, many of them would have as strong beards as Europeans. (Signed) JOHN BUTLER, Agent of India Affairs. Niagara, April 12, 1784. Captain BRANT'S. The men of the Six-Nations E 3 have Each nation is divided into three or more tribes; the principal of which are called the turtle-tribe, the wolf-tribe, and the bear-tribe. have all beards by nature; as have dian Captain Brant and Colonel likewife all other Indian nations of Butler. North America which I have seen. Some Indians allow a part of the beard upon the chin and upper lip to grow, and a few of the Mohocks fhave with razors in the fame manner as Europeans; but the generality pluck out the hairs of the beard by the roots as foon as they begin to appear; and as they continue this practice all their lives, they appear to have no beard, or at moft only a few ftraggling hairs which they have neglected to pluck I am however of opinion, that if the Indians were to fhave they would never have beards altogether fo thick as the Europeans; and there are fome to be met with who have actually very little beard. out. (Signed) Jos. BRANT THAYENDANEGA. Niagara, April 19, 1783. Upon this fubject I fhall only further obferve, that it has been fuppofed by fome, that this appearance of beard on Indians arifes only from a mixture of European blood; and that an Indian of pure race is entirely deftitute of it. But the nations amongst whom this circumftance can have any influence, bear fo fmall a proportion to the multitude who are unaffected by it, that it cannot by any means be confidered as the caufe; nor is it looked upon as fuch, either by Captain Brant or Colonel Butler. I fhall here fubjoin a few particulars relative to the Indians of the Six-Nations, which, as they feem not to be well underftood even in America, are probably ftill lefs known in Europe. My authoriMy authorities upon this fubject, as well as upon the former, are the In : Each tribe has two, three, or more chiefs, called Sachems; and this dif tinction is always hereditary in the family, but defcends along the female line for inftance, if a chief dies, one of his fifter's fons, or one of his own brothers, will be appointed to fucceed him. Among thefe no preference is given to proximity or primogeniture; but the Sachem, during his life-time, pitches upon one whom he fuppofes to have more abilities than the reft; and in this choice he frequently, though not always, confults the principal men of the tribe. If the fucceffor happens to be a child, the offices of the poft are performed by fome of his friends until he is of fufficient age to act himself. Each of thefe pofts of Sachem has a name which is peculiar to it, and which never changes, as it is always adopted by the fucceffor; nor does the order of precedency of each of these names or titles ever vary. Nevertheless, any Sachem, by abilities and activity, may acquire greater power and influence in the nation than those who rank before him in point of precedency; but this is merely temporary, and dies with him. Each tribe has one or two chief warriors, which dignity is also hereditary, and has a peculiar name attached to it. Thefe are the only titles of distinction which are fixed and permanent in the nation; for although any Indian may by fuperior talents, either as a counsellor or as a war rior, acquire influence in the nation, yet it is not in his power to tranfmit this to his family. The Indians have alfo their great women as well as their great men, to whofe opinions they pay great deference; and this diftinction is alfo hereditary in families. They do not fit in council with the Sachems, but have separate ones of their own. When war is declared, the Sachems and great women generally give up the management of public affairs into the hands of the warriors. It may however fo happen, that a Sachem may at the fame time be also a chief warrior. Friendships feem to have been inftituted with a view towards ftrengthening the union between the feveral nations of the confederacy; and hence friends are called the finews of the Six-Nations. An Indian has therefore generally one or more friends in each nation. Befides the attachment which fubfifts during the life-time of the two friends, whenever one of them happens to be killed, it is incumbent on the furvivor to replace him, by prefenting to his family either a fcalp, a prifoner, or a belt confifting of fome thousands of wampum ; and this ceremony is performed by every friend of the deceased. at home (as it often happens that he is a child) he is ftill confidered as the head of the party. The belt he prefented to his party is returned fixed to the fcalp or prifoner, and paffes along with them to the friends of the perfon he replaces. Hence it happens, that a war party, returning with more fcalps or pri foners than the original intention of the party required, will often give one of thefe fupernumerary fcalps or prifoners to another war party whom they meet going out; upon which this party, having fulfilled the purpose of their expedition, will fometimes return without going to war. The purpose and foundation of war parties therefore, is in general, to procure a prifoner or fcalp to replace the friend or relation of the Indian who is the head of the party. An Indian who wishes to replace a friend or relation prefents a belt to his acquaintance, and as many as chufe to follow him accept this belt, and become his party. After this, it is of no confequence whether he goes on the expedition or remains Some particulars of the prefent ftate of Mount Veluvius. Extracted from a letter from Sir William Hamilton, K. B. F. R. S. and A. S. to Sir Jofeph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. From the fame. Naples, January 24, 1786. Tuvius, which began in the HE eruption of Mount Ve month of November, 1784, nearly at the moment of my return from England to this capital, and which continued in fome degree till about the 20th of last month, has afforded much amufement to travellers unacquainted with this wonderful operation of nature, but no new circumitance that could juftify my troubling you with a letter on the fubject. The lava either overflowed the rim of the crater, or iffued from fmall fiffures on its borders, on that fide which faces the mountain of Somma, and ran more or lefs in one, and at times in three or four chan E 4 nels, nels, regularly formed, down the flanks of the conical part of the volcano ; fometimes defcending and spreading itself in the valley between the two mountains; and once, when the eruption was in its greateft force, in the month of November laft, the lava defcended ftill lower, and did some damage to the vineyards, and cultivated parts at the foot of Veluvius, towards the village of St. Seb ftiano; but generally the lava, not being abundant, ftopped and cooled before it was able to reach the valley. By the accumulation of thefe lava's on the flanks of Vefuvius, its form has been greatly altered; and by the frequent explofion of scoriæ and afhes, a confiderable mountain has been formed within the crater, which now rifing much above its rim has likewise given that part of the mountain a new appearance. Juft before I left Naples, in May 1783, I was at the top of Vefuvius. The crater was certainly then more than 250 feet deep, and was impracticable, its fides being nearly perpendicular. This eruption, however, has been as fatisfactory as could be defired by the inhabitants of this city, a prodigious quantity of lava having been difgorged; which matter, confined within the bowels of the earth, would probably have occafioned tremors; and even flight ones might prove fatal to Naples, whofe houfes are, in general, very high, ill built, and a great number in almost every street already fupported by props, having either fuffered by former earth quakes, or from the loofe volcanic foil's having been washed from under their foundations by the torrents of rain-water from the high grounds which furround Naples, and on which a great part of the town itself is built. From the time of the laft formidable eruption of Mount Vefuvius, in August 1779 (defcribed in one of my former communications to the Royal Society) to this day, I have, with the affiftance of the Father Antonio Piaggi*, kept an exact diary of the operations of Vefuvius, with drawings, fhewing, by the quantity of fmoke, the degrees of fermentation of the volcano; alfo the courfe of the lava's during this laft eruption, and the changes that have been made in the form of the mountain itself by the lava's and fcoriæ that have been ejected. This journal is becoming very curious and interefting; it is remarkably fo with refpect to the pointing out a variety of fingular effects that different currents of air have upon the fmoke that iffues from the crater of Vesuvius, elevated (as you know, Sir) more than 3600 feet above the level of the fea; but, except the fmoke increafing confiderably and conftantly when the fea is agitated, and the wind blows from that quarter, the operations of Vefuvius appear to be very capricious and uncertain. One day there will be the appearance of a violent fermentation, and the next all is calmed again but whenever the fmoke has been attended with confiderable ejections of fcoriæ and : This Padre Antonio Piaggi is the ingenious Monk who invented the method of unfolding and recovering the burnt ancient manufcripts of Herculaneum, and who refides conftantly at Refina, at the foot, and in full view, of Mount Vesuvius. çindersa |