and to cure the wounds he has received. There is an inftance of one, who, after having perfevered for seven years, inftead of obtaining a bride, was rendered quite a cripple, the women having ufed him fo barbaroufly.

As foon as the above ceremony is over, he has liberty next night to go to her bed; and the day following, without any ceremony, carries her off to his own village. After fome time, the bride and bridegroom return to the bride's relations, where the marriagefeaft is celebrated in the following manner; of which I was an eye-witnefs in 1729.

The bridegroom, his friends, and his wife, vifited the father-in-law, in three boats. All the women were in the boats, and the men, being naked pushed them along with poles. About one hundred paces from the village to which they were going, they landed, began to fing, and used conjurations with tow faftened upon a rod, muttering fomething over a dried fifh's head, which they wrapped in the tow, and gave to an old woman to hold. The conjur ation being over, they put upon the bride a coat of theep's fkin, and tied four images about her: thus loaded fhe had difficulty to move. They went again into their boats, and came up to the village, where they landed a fecond time; at this fecond landing-place, a boy of the village met them, and taking the bride by the hand, led her, all the women following.

When the bride came to the hut, they tied a ftrap round her, by which fhe was let down the ftairs, the old woman who carried the fifh's head going before her. The head the laid down at the foot of the ftairs, where it was trodden upon by the bride and bride groom and all the people prefent, and then thrown into the fire.

All the ftrangers took their places, having first ftripped the bride of superAuous ornaments. The bridegroom heated the hut, and dreffed the victuals which they had brought with them, and

entertained the inhabitants of the village. The next day the landlord entertained the ftrangers with great fuperfluity, who, on the third day, departed; the bride and bridegroom only remained, to work fome time with their father. The fuperfluous drefs which was taken from the bride, was distributed among the relations, who were obliged to return them prefents of far greater value.

The former ceremonies only relate to a firft marriage; for in the marriage of widows, the man and woman's agreement is fufficient; but he must not take her to himfelf before her fins are taken away. This can only be done by fome ftranger's first lying with her once; but as this taking off fin is looked upon by the Kamtfchadales as very dishonourable for the man, it was formerly dif ficult to find one to undertake it; fo that the poor widows were at a great lofs before our Coffacks came amongst them; fince which they have been in no want of strangers to take away their fins. Marriage is forbidden only betwixt father and daughter, mother and fon; a fon-in-law may marry his mother-inlaw, and a father-in-law his daughterin-law; and first coufins many frequently. Their divorce is very easy, confifting only in a man's feparating beds from his wife: in fuch cafes the man immediately marries another wife, and the woman accepts of another hufband, without any further ceremony.

A Kamtfchadale hath two or three wives, with whom he lyes by turns. Sometimes he keeps them all in one hut, and fometimes they live in different huts. With every maid that he marries he is obliged to go through the above-mentioned ceremonies. Though thefe people are fond of women, yet they are not fo jealous as the Koreki. In their marriages they do not feem to regard the marks of virginity. Nor are the women more jealous; for two or three wives live with one husband in all harmony: even though he allo keeps feveral concubines, When the

women

women go out, they cover their faces with a fort of vail; and if they meet any man upon the road, and cannot go out of the way, they turn their backs to him, aud ftand till he is paffed. In their huts they fit behind a mat, or a curtain made of nettles; but if they have no curtain, and a stranger comes into the hut, they turn their faces to the wall, and continue their work. This is to be understood of thofe that retain their ancient barbarity; for feveral of them now begin to be civilized to a certain degree, though all of them ftill preferve a rude harthneis in their manner of speaking.

An Account of fome veftiges of Cultivation and Antiquity, which the French met with in their attempt to trace out the Pajage by Land from Canada to the South Sea; from Profef for Kalm.

IN

N later times there have, however, been found a few marks of antiquity, from which it may be conjectured, that North-America was formerly inhabited by a nation more verfed in fcience, and more civilized, than that which the Europeans found on their arrival here; or that a great military expedition was undertaken to this continent, from thefe known parts of the world.

This is confirmed by an account which I received from M. de Verandrier, who had commanded the expe. dition to the South fea in perfon, of which I fhall presently give an account. I have heard it repeated by others, who have been eye-witneffes of every thing that happened on that occafion. Some years before I came into Canada, the then governor-general, chevalier de Beauharnois, gave M. de Verandrier an order to go from Canada, with a number of people, on an expedition acrofs North-America to the fouth fea, in order to examine how far thofe two places are distant from each other, and to find out what advantages might a

crue to Canada or Louisiana from a communication with that ocean. They fet out on horfeback from Montreal, and went as much due weft as they could on account of the lakes, rivers, and mountains which fell in their way. As they came far into the country,beyond many nations, they fometimes met with large tracts of land, free from wood, but covered with a kind of very tall grafs, for the fpace of fome days journey. Many of these fields were every where covered with furrows, as if they had been ploughed and fown formerly. It is to be obferved, that the nations which now inhabit North-America, could not cultivate the land in this

manner, because they never made use of horfes, oxen, ploughs, or any inftruments of husbandry, nor had they ever feen a plough before the Europeans came to them. In two or three places, at a confiderable diftance from each o ther, our travellers met with impreffions of the feet of grown people and children in a rock: but this feems to have been no more than a lufus naturæ. When they came far to the weft,where to the best of their knowledge, no Frenchman or European had ever been, they found in one place in the woods, and again on a large plain, great pillars of ftone, leaning upon each other. The pillars confifted of one fingle ftone each, and the Frenchmen could not but fuppofe, that they had been erected by human hands. Sometimes they have found fuch ftones laid upon one another, and, as it were, formed into a wall. In fome of thofe places where they found fuch ftones they could not find any other forts of ftones. They have not been able to discover any characters or writing upon any of thefe ftones, though they have made a very careful fearch after them. At last they met with a large ftone, like a pillar, and in it a fmaller ftone was fixed, which was covered on both fides with unknown characters. This ftone, which was about a foot of French measure in length,and between four or five inches broad, they

brokę

broke loofe, and carried to Canada with them, from whence it was fent to France, to the fecretary of state, the count of Maurepas. What became of it afterwards is unknown to them, but they think it is yet preferved in his collection. Several of the Jefuits, who have feen and handled this ftone in Canada, unanimously affirm, that the letters on it are the fame with those which,in the books, containing accounts of Tataria, arecalled Tatarian characters, and that on comparing both together,they found them perfectly alike. Notwithstanding the questions which the French on the South sea expedition asked the people there,concerning the time when,and by whom these pillars were erected; what

their traditions and fentiments.concerning them were; who had wrote the characters; what was meant by them; what kind of letters they were; in what language they were written, and other circumftances, yet they could never get the leaft explication, the Indians being as ignorant of all thofe things as the French themselves. All they could fay was, that thefe ftones had been in thofe places fince time immemorial. The places where the pillars ftood were near nine hundred French miles weftward of Montreal. The chief intention of this journey, viz. to come to the South fea, and to examine its diftance from Canada, was never attained on this occafion. For the people fent out for that purpose, were induced to take part in a war between fome of the moft diftant Indian nations, in which fome of the French were taken prifoners, and the reft obliged to return. Among the laft and most wefterly Indians they were with, they heard that the South fea was but a few days journey off; that they (the Indians) often traded with the Spaniards on that coaft, and fometimes likewife they went to Hüdfon's Bay, to trade with the English. Some of thefe Indians had houses,which were made of earth. Many nations had never feen any Frenchmen; they were commonly clad in skins, but many were quite na

ked. All those who had made long journies in Canada to the fouch, but chiefly weftward, agreed that there were many great plains deftitute of trees where the land was furrowed, as if it had been ploughed. In what manner this happened,no one knows; for the cornfields of a great village,or town, of the Indians, are fcarce above four or fix of our acres in extent; whereas thofe furrowed plains fometimes continue for feveral days journey, except now and then a fmall fmooth fpot, and here and there fome tiling ground.

The surprising strength of the OSTRICH; from Mr Adanfon's account of Senegal. T

WO oftriches afforded me a fight

of fo extraordinary a nature, as to deferve a place in this narrative. Thefe gigantic birds I had feen only by the way as I travelled over the burning fands on the left of the Niger; but now I had a full view of them at my eafe. Tho' they were but young, ftill they were very near of an equal fize with the larget. They were fo tame, that two little blacks mounted both together on the back of the largest; no fooner did he feel their weight,than he began to run as faft as ever he could till he carried them feveral times round the village; and it was impossible to' ftop him, otherwife than by obftructing the paffage. This fight pleafed me fo well, that I would have it repeated; and to try their ftrength, I made a full grown negro mount the fmalleft, and two others the largeft. This burden' did not feem to me at all difproportioned to their strength. At first they went a pretty high trot; when they were heated a little, they expanded their wings as if it were to catch the wind, and they moved with fuch fleetness,that they feemed to be off the ground. The oftrich moves like a patridge, with the advantages of a longer ftep; and I am fatisfied that thofe I am fpeaking of, would have diftanced the fleeteft racehorfes that were ever bred in England.

It

an idea of the prodigious ftrength of an oftrich; and of fhewing what ufe it might be of, had we but the method of breaking and managing it as we do a

horie.

To the EDITOR of the PERTH MAGAZINE.

You

may say to me, Mr Publifter, what a maiden aunt of mine, at the age of two and forty, faid to an old clergyman, who, after a mortifying repulfe, with recruited vigour formed a fecond attack, "To deny you a place in my favour, I fee, Sir, is not to deter you from purjuing it." Verily Sir, the cafes are fomewhat fimilar, and my part in them, by analogy might poffibly be fet in a light, not the most favourable of the two: but to preferve my lucubrations from incroaching upon the limits of a vice prohibited by a King of the name of Charles, I'll drop the comparifon, confcious of the fatal tendency, fuch frequently has to leffen and degrade characters; for nothing is great or fmall, good or bad, but by comparison, and what exalts the one, depreffes the other, being entirely diftinguished and fignalized at one another's expence.However, to ftop fhort the digreffion, I fay the analogy runs fo far,-you did refufe me,-and farther, I prefume to add that in point of common juftice, and difcretion, you are bound to grant me a hearing, in order to fatisfy yourself, whether I have it in my power to remove the ob jections you made to my Juvinile performance. For I mean to ftand up and vindicate my procedure to the world. -And in fhort, the poor defpifed verfes, figned Philanthropos, which you choofe

to condemn to oblivion, were not intended to difoblige any party, or detract from the merit of your ufeful and VOL. III

agreeable Mifcellany, but really and principally to congratulate a merry correfpondent, Philo Crambo, upon his fuccets in exorcifm.--For, as I understood the matter, his efficacious fkill in conjuration, had difpoffeffed a malevolent Demon, which, times out of number, had infefted the fobriety of an, otherwife, valuable member of fociety;and I cannot help being of opinion that Crambo himfelf, if ever they had reached his habitation, would have thanked me at leaft.-That effay, Mr Publisher, was my mite,-and though fall, was proportioned to my circumstances, for I am but poor; yet, what I had to bestow I chearfully gave.

But, perhaps you have been misinformed, as to my intention, and rejected my contribution, as defigned to impofe;-no, no Sir, I'm as much at odds with hypocrify and deceit as my neighbours, and can relifh fentiments of ingenuity and candour as well.-The perfon who means to amufe the world with impofition, farcafm and ridicule, fure I am, has by far the worst of it, as thefe feldom fail to reflect double difcredit upon the ungenerous author;" and'very commonly, at once disappoint, and deftine him the object of their irony.

Of this, Mr Publisher, I could condefcend upon a recent inftance, even in the circle of your connections, but as I told you already, I purpofe not to deviate from the royal rules alluded to above; it is unfair to repeat griev ances. You'll remember what Cervantes the great obferved concerning the Dons trufty Squire, who was mumbling mifchief on his obftreperous iflandeis,

C

a good heart indicates a good man, and a public fpirit is ever projecting for the common intereft, whereas the fordid foul falls a prey to its own avarice."

Now, Sir, to illuftrate this, would be to delineate the conftituent characters, which might, perhaps, carry the differtation beyond the bounds of a letter; ➡let it fuffice then, to obferve upon the whole, that my verfes to your worthy and facetious friend Philo Crambo, might have anfwered fome material ends,fuch as producing an alliance betwixt his infpired mufe and me, exciting the rifible faculty of fome dull faturnine genius, whofe morofe air was naufeous to fociety, and ten to one, might happily have had a tendency to put malignant fpirits more upon their guard for the future, with respect to that fool-hardy cuftom fome of them of late have used, of entering into the brains, I had almost said the breeches, of men of erudition -Now, Mr

Publisher, if thou thinkeft there is any confiitency, any judgment in this wellintended defign, please indulge my mufe, and oblige a willing friend,