The weapons used by those who trade with the Engdish and French are commonly a firelock, a hatchet, and a scalping knife; but the others use bows, tomahawks and pikes. As the commander in chief governs only by advice, and can neither reward nor punish, every private may return home when he pleases without assigning any reason for it; or any number may leave the main body, and carry on a private expedition, in whatever manner they please, without being called to account for their conduct.

When the Indians return from a successful campaign, they contrive their march so as to approach their village till toward the evening. They then send two or three forward to acquaint their chief, and the whole village, with the most material circumstances of their campaign. At day light next morning, they give their prisoners new clothes, paint their faces with various colors, and put into their hand a white staff, tasselled round with the tails of deer. This being done, the war captain sets up a cry, and gives as many yells as he has taken prisoners and scalps, and the whole village assemble at the water side. As soon as the warriors appear, four or five of their young men, well clothed, get into a canoe, if they come by water, or otherwise march by land: the two first carrying each a calmut, go out singing to search the pri soners, whom they lead in triumph to the cabin where they are to receive their doom. The owner of this cabin has the power of determining their fate, though it is of ten left to some woman who has lost her husband, brother, or son in the war; and when this is the case, she generally adopts him into the place of the deceased. The prisoner has victuals immediately given him and while he is at this repast, a consultation is held; and if it be resolved to save his life, two young men unite him, and taking him by the hands, lead him to the cabin of the

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person into whose farpily he is to be adopted, and there he is received with all imaginable marks of kindness. He is treated as a friend, as a brother, or as a husband, and they soon love him with the same tenderness as if he stood in the place of one of their friends. In short, he has no other marks of captivity, but his not being suffer ed to return to his own nation, for his attempting this would be punished with certain death.

But if the sentence be death, how different their conduct these people, who behave with such disinterested affection to each other, with such tenderness to those whom they adopt, here shew that they are truly savages; the dreadful sentence is no sooner passed, than the whole village set up the death cry; and, as if there were no medium between the most generous friendship and the most inhuman cruelty; for the execution of him whom they had just before deliberated upon admitting into theis tribe is no longer deferred, than whilst they can make the necessary preparations for rioting in the most diabolical cruelty. They first strip him, and fixing two posts in the ground, fasten to them two pieces from one to the other; one about two feet from the ground, the other about five or six feet higher then obliging the unhappy victim to mount upon the lower cross piece, they tie his legs to it a little asunder his hands are extended and tied to the angles formed by the upper piece. In this posture they burn him all over the body, sometimes first daubing him with pitch. The whole village, men, women, and children, assemble round him, every one torturing him in what manner they please, each striving to exceed the other in cruelty, as long as he has life. But if none of the bye-standers are inclined to lengthen out his torments, he is either shot to death, or inclosed with dry bark, to which they set fire; they then leave him on the frame, and in the evening run from cabin to cabins

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superstiously striking with small twigs, the furniture, walls, and roofs to prevent his spirit from remaining there to take vengeance for the evils committed on his body. The remainder of the day and the night following is spent in rejoicing.

This is the most usual method of murdering their pri soners; but sometimes they fasten them to a single stake, and build a fire around them; at other times they cruelly mangle their limbs, cut off their fingers and ices joint by joint, and sometimes scald them to death.

What is the most extraordinary, if the sufferer be an Indian, there seems during the whole time of his execu tion, a contest between him and his tormentors, which shall outdo the other, they in inflicting the most horrid pains, or he in enduring them: not a groan, nor a sigh, not a distortion of countenance escapes him in the midst of his torments. It is even said, that he recounts his own exploits, informs them what cruelties he has inflicted upon their countrymen, and threatens with the revenge that will attend his death: that he even reproaches them for their ignorance of the art of tormenting; points out methods of more exquisite torture, and more sensible parts of the body to be afflicted.

The scalps, those dreadful proofs of the barbarity of these Indians, are valued, and hung up in their houses as the trophies of their bravery; and they have certain days when the young men gain a new name or title of honor, according to the qualities of the persons to whom these scalps belonged. This name they think a sufficient reward for the dangers and fatigues of many campaigns, as it renders them respected by their countrymen, and terrible to their enemies.

In the late American revolution, Britain had the inhumanity to reward these sons of barbarity for depredations committed upon those who were struggling in the cause

of liberty!-It was through their instigation that the hatchets of the Indians were made drunk with American blood! the widow's wail, the virgin's shriek, and infant's trembling cry, was musick in their ears. In cold blood they struck their cruel tomahawks into the defenceless head of a Miss M'KRAY, a beautiful girl, who was that very day to have been married!-the particulars of the inhuman transaction follow :-Previous to the late war between America and Great-Britain, a British officer by. the name of JONES, an accomplished young man, resided near Fort Edward-his visits thither became more frequent when he found himself irresistibly drawn by charms of native worth and beauty. Miss M'KRAY, whose memory is dear to humanity and true affection, was the object of his peregrinations.

Mr. JONES had not taken the precautions necessary in hazardous love, but had manifested to the lady by his constant attention, undissembled and ingenious demeanor, that ardent affection, which a susceptible heart compelled her implicitly to return. In this mutual interchange of passions, they suffered themselves to be transported on the ocean of imagination, till the unwelcome necessity of a seperation cut off every springing hope. The war between Great-Britain and America commenced--a removal from this happy spot was in consequence suggested to Mr. JONES, as indispensible. Nothing could alleviate their mutual horror, but duty--nothing could allay their reciprocal grief, so as to render a separate corporeal existence tolerable, but solemn vows, with the ideas of a future meeting. Mr. JONES repaired to. Canada, where all intercourse with the Provincials was prohibited. Despair, which presented itself in ag gravated colours when General BURGOYNE's expedition through the States was fixed, succeeded to his former kopes. The British army being encamped about three

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miles from the Fort, a descent was daily projectedHere Mr. JONES could not but recognize the spot, on which rested all his joys. He figured to his mind the dread, which his hostile approach must raise in the breast of her, whom of all others, he thought it his highest interest to protect.-In spite of arrettes and commands to the contrary, he found means secretly to convey a letter, intreating her not to leave the town with the family, assuring her, that as soon as the fort should have surrendered, he would convey her to an asylum, where they might peaceably consummate the nuptial ceremony. Far from discrediting the sincerity of him who could not deceive her, she heroically refused to follow the flying villagers. The remonstrances of a father, or the tearful intreaties of a mother and numerous friends could not avail! It was enough that her lover was her friend-she considered herself protected by the love and voluntary assurances of her youthful hero. With the society of a servant maid, she impatiently waited the desired conveyance. Mr. JONES finding the difficulty into which he was brought, at length, for want of better convoy, hired a party of twelve Indians, to carry a letter to Miss M KRAY, with his own horse, for the purpose of carrying her to the place appointed. They set off, fired with the anticipation of their promised premium, which was to consist of a quantity of spirits, on condition that they brought her off in safety, which, to an Indian was the most cogent stimulous the young lover could have named. Having arrived in view of her win dow, they sagaciously held up the letter, to prevent the fears and apprehensions which a savage knows he must excite, in the sight of tenderness and sensibility. Her faith and expectations enabled her to divine the business of these ferocious missionaries, while her frightened maid uttered nought but shrieks and cries. They ar