79

dess, from 320 to 85 souls. The hand of Providence is notable in these surprising instances of mortality among the Indians to make room for the whites. Comparatively few have perished by wars; and the descendants of the few that were not driven to the westward by the English, waste and moulder away and in a manner unaccountable disappear.

The number of Indians in the state of Connecticut in 1774, was one thousand three hundred and sixty-three s but their number is now doubtless much lessened. The principal part of their population in this state is at Mohegan, in the county of New-London-these are the de scendants of the Mohegans, of whom frequent mention is made in the foregoing pages as being very serviceable (under the command of UNCUs) to the English, in their many engagements with the natives.--The Mohegans have ever exhibited great reverence for the descendants of their royal Sachem.-After the death of UNCUs, his body was conveyed (by his request) to Norwich, and there interred in the neighborhood of one of his forts-this spot was selected by him, previous to his death, and it was his dying request that the whole family of Uncus should be there buried, a request which has been strictly complied with by the Mohegans; who, although the distance is seven miles from their own burying ground, have and continue to deposit there the descendants of their reverend Sachem.

The number of Indians in Rhode-Island in 1783, was only five hundred and twenty-five. More than half of these live in Charleston, in the county of Washington.In 1774, the number of Indians in Rhode Island was one thousand four hundred and eighty-two; so that in nine years the decrease was nine hundred and fifty-seven.We have not been able to ascetain the exact state of the Indian population in Massachusetts and New-Hampshire.

In 1784, there was a tribe of about forty Indians at Nor ridgewalk, in the Province of Maine, with some few other scattering remains of tribes in other parts; and a number of towns thinly inhabited round Cape Cod:

When the English first arrived in America, the Indians had no time or places set apart for religious worship.The first settlers in New-England were at great pains to introduce among them the habits of civilized life, and to instruct them in the Christian religion. A few years intercourse with the Indians induced them to establish sev eral good and natural regulations.

The Rev. Mr. ELLIOT, of Roxbury, near Boston, wha has been styled the great Indian apostle, with much labor learned the Natie dialect of the Indian languages. He published an Indian grammar, and preached in InIdian to several tribes, and in 1664, translated the bible and several religious books into the Indian language.He relates several pertinent queries of the Indians re specting the Christain religion. Among others, whether Jesus Christ, the mediator or interpreter, could understand prayer in the Indian language? If the father be bad and the child good, why should God in the second commandment be offended with the child? How the Indians came to differ so much from the English in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, since they all sprang from one father?-Mr. ELLIOT was indefatigable in his labors, and travelled through all parts of Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies, as far as Cape Cod. The colony had such a veneration for him, that in an act of the General Assembly relating to Indians, they express themselves thus, "By the advice of the said magistrates and of Mr. ELLIOT."

Concerning the religion of the untaught natives of New-England, who once held a plurality of deities, after the arrival of the English, supposed there were only

three, because they saw people of three kinds of com plexions, viz-English, Negroes, and themselves.

It was a notion pretty generally prevailing among them, that it was not the same God made them who made us ; but that they were created after the white people; and it is probably they supposed their God gained some special skill, by seeing the white people made, and so made them better; for it is certain they looked upon themselves, and their methods of living, which they say their God expressly prescribed for them, vastly preferable to the white people and their methods.

With regard to a future state of existance, many of them imagined that the chichung, i. e. the shadow, or what survived the body, would at death go southward, and in an unknown but curious place-would enjoy some kind of happiness, such as hunting, feasting, dancing, and the like. And what they supposed would contribute much to their happiness, was, that they should there never be weary of those entertainments.

The natives of New-England believed not only a plu rality of Gods, who made and governed the several nations of the world; but they made deities of every thing they imagined to be great, powerful, beneficial, and hurtful to mankind; yet they conceived an Almighty Being, whom they called KICHTAU, who at first, according to their tradition, made a man and woman out of stone, but upon some dislike destroyed them again, and then made another couple out of a tree, from whom descended all the nations of the earth; but how they come to be scattered and dispersed into countries so remote from one another they could not tell. They believed their Supreme God to be a good being, and paid a sort of acknowledg ment to him for plenty, victory and other benefits.

The immortality of the soul was universally believed among them. When good men died, they said, their

L

souls went to KICHTAU, where they met with the friends, and enjoyed all manner of pleasures; when the wicked died, they went to KICHTAU also, but were com manded to walk away; and so wander about in restless discontent and darkness forever.

The natives of New-England in general were quick of apprehension, ingenious, and when pleased nothing could exceed their courtesy and friendship-gravity and eloquence distinguished them in council, address and bravery in war;-they were not more easily provoked than the English, but when once they had received an injury, it was never forgotton-in anger, they were not like the English, talkative and boisterous, but sullen and revengeful. The men declined all labor and spent their time in hunting, fishing, shooting, and warlike exercises. They imposed all the drudgery upon their women, who gathered and brought home their wood, planted, dressed and gathered their corn-when they travelled the women carried their children, packs and provisions-the women submitted patiently to such treatment, this ungenerous usuage of their husbands, they repaid with smiles and good humour.

The cloathing of the natives was the skins of wild beasts, the men threw a mantle of skins over them, and wore a small flap which were termed Indian breechesthe women were much more modest, they wore a coat of skins, girt about their loins which reached down to their hams, which they never put off in company—if the husband chose to dispose of his wife's beaver petticoat, she could not be persuaded to part with it, until he had provided another of some sort. In the winter, their blanket of skins which hung loose in summer, was tied or wrapped more closely about them-the old men in the several seasons also wore a sort of trowsers made of skins and fastened to their girdles, and on their feet they wore

mocasons, made of moose leather, and their chiefs or sachems wore on their heads a cap decorated with feath

ers,

Their houses or wigwarms were at best but miserable cells; they were constructed generally like arbours, or small young trees bent and twisted together, and so curiously covered with mats or bark, that they were tolerably dry and warm-the natives made their fires in the centre of the house, and their was an opening at the top which emitted the smoke ;-for the convenience of wood and water, these huts were commonly erected in groves, near some river brook or living spring; when either failed the family removed to another place.

They lived in a poor low manner, their food was coarse and simple, without any kind of seasoning-they had neither spice, salt or bread-their food was principally the entrails of moose, deer, bears, and all kinds of wild beasts and fowls; of fish and snakes they were extremely fond-they had strong stomachs and nothing came amiss!-they had no set meals, but like other wild creatures ate when they were hungry, and could find any thing to satisfy the cravings of nature-they had but lit tle food from the earth except what it spontaneously produced-Indian corn, beans and squashes, were the only eatables for which the natives of New-England labored.

Their household furniture was of but small valuetheir beds were composed of mats or skins; they had neither chairs or stools, but commonly sat upon the ground with their elbows upon their knees-a few wooden and stone vessels and instruments served all the purposes of domestic life-their knife was a sharp stone, shell or kind of reed, which they sharpened in such a manner as to cut their hair, make their bows and arrows, &c.—they made their axes of stone, which they shaped somewhat similar to our axes, but with the di