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Show 39+ T I~ AVE L S T IJ R 0 t G I U P P f. It C A N A D A : th wcfl rn c:tr mitv of L:tk•..: Eri~, whiW: we were detained lhcr l1y J ontr~1.ry wi11d ..:, :UILl \·Va ' cmploy<!d in loo! ..... ng ovc..:r a pocket map of the {btc..: of Nc\V Yo:-k, when a you 1g Scnel-. ..1 WJrrior cnte1ed. His attention v1as attracted by the fight of the m.tp, and he feemcd at once to comprehend the mc;\ning of it; but never having bdorc fecn a general map f th ~ fiatc of rew Yorl·, and bcin2· wholly i~)·norant of the uf· of 1<. ten;, he coukl n t difcovcr to wlnt part of the co mtry it had a rckr<: nce; {imply, however, by Ltyino· my i]n<rer ll} on the fpot where we th ' ll were, and by fhcwinrr to him the line that denoted Bufhlo Cr · k, on whicb his il lage was fituatcd , I nave him the c1uc to the whole, a!llllr vinrr don'- fo, he quickly ran over the map , and wi h the ut :.o{l accuracy pointed out by name, every lake and river for upwards of two hundred miles difhlnt from l1i villa3,c. All the lakes and rivers in this 1'-lrt of the country ftill retain the Indian name~, fo th at had he named them wrong, I could have at once detcCl.cd him. If pi afurc was io grc.at on belwlJing fuch a perfctl map of the country, that he could not refrain from e< Jlino- fome of his companions, who were loitering at the door, to come anJ look at it. Tbey mad fi r-ns to me to lend it to them; 1 did fo, and having laid it on a ta1 lc, they fat over it for more than half an hour, during which time I obfcrved th-:y frequently tcrtified their pleafure to one another on finding particuLtr places accurately bid down, which they had been <'.cquaintcd with. The older men alfo fccmed to have many fiories to tell the others, probably ref petling the adventures they had met with at diJ ant parts of the country, and which they were now glad of having an opportullity of elucidating by the map before them. Whenever a track of ground is about to be purchafed by government from the Indians, for no private individuals can purchafc land from them by the laws of the province, a map of the country is drawn, and th ~ part about to be contracted for, is particularly marked out. If there be any miftakes in thefe maps, the Indians will at once point them out; and after the bargain is made, they will, from the maps, mark out the boundaries of the lands they have ceded with the greateft accuracy, notching the trees, if there be any, along the boundary line, and if not, placing {takes lNGE 'T IT ' OF TlJE I lDI N . 395 l Ltkcs or flu!WS in the ground to denote where it rLlll o11 tl r • • lCtc occa-ilm~ s rLguh r d ... ed · of f.tle arc c raw11 , with ac ·urat tn<tps of the land which have been purch.tfcll attachcu to them and theft.: deeds fi d . . . . . ' ' arc 1gne Ill fo1 m _t~y th contradlllg parttes. I Cnv fevcr.tl of them in pofTeOion of our fn~nd ~'Jptain E-, which were extremely curious on account of the Ind1an IIgna turcs. Th In.ii.1ns' for th mo.fl: rn art , ta, ke upon tl 1em t 1c n:1me of fomc animal, a , he Blu ·Snake · The Littl· T ·I '1'1 )' , C Ul <.cy; 1C J~1g Bear; T he 1\ lad Dog, &c. and their fignatures confifl- of t 1c out- 1.111 , dr~~wn ~ith a pen, of the diffe rent animals whofc name they h ~at . S , lll ~ c )J tlh .. 11gnat~Ir 'S at the bottom of t 1dc deeds were really well _ culled, and were li ve ly rcprefc ntations of the animals they were int ndc l f..l r. The . Indi.1ns in gc nc. rnl f)ofr·rs no finall f1 'a 1·c of l·l lgem11· ty. Their d01 1cfllc wo.o d~.:n utenil ls, bows an arrows , ,a n t 1 o tl 1cr w~.tpon s , c. arc m_<tdc wtth the_ utmofl neatncfs; and indeed the workm,ll1{hip of them JS frequently iuch as to e,·citc.: afl:oni{hment, when it j co nfidcred that a knife anJ a hatchet ar-.. the only infiruments they make u{(; of. On the handles of their tomahawks, on th eir powder horns on the bowls of their pipes: &c. ~ou oftentimes meet with figurer e:trcmcly well d~figned, and WI~h fpecuncns of carving far from contemptible. The embroidery upon the1r moccafins and other garments D1ew that the fc _ nulcs arc not lcfs inon -cn ious in th eir wa, y than tl 1 men . 1'11 1· r porcu- J)~i ne quill work wo.u ld COI11t11 an d a d mu· · a tw· n 1·1 1 any ountry m· E' urope. 1 he fl ft young qullls of the porcupine arc thole which th y ufc, and th ' y dye_ them of the mofl: b autiful :1nd brilliant colours iunginabL. Some of their dyes h:1vc b en difcovcred, but many of them yet rennin unknown, as do :-tl(o many of the medicines with which they} crform form:timcs mo.fl: mintculous cnres. Their dyes and medicines arc all procured from the vegetable world. But tlwngh th Indians prove by their performance , tlut thev have {:m,c relifh for the works of art, y t they arc by no means ready,to beflow commendations on every thing curious fo r its workmanfhip that is {hewn to them. Trinkets or ornaments for drc(s, thongh v 'I' fo gaudy, or ever fo neatly mam1f:'1durcd, they defpifc, unlcfs fomewhat fimilar in 3 E ·~ their |
