only to visit their nearest female relations, when they were either indisposed, in labour, about cutting off the hair of their eldest children, or about giving them a name. These women were so conspicuous for their chastity, and the strictness of their lives, that they were honoured with the peculiar title of Oello's, a name which was sacred in their idolatrous religions. These ladies were obliged to be sincerely chaste, and not disguise it with a falfe varnish; for if ever the least trick or artifice was discovered in their conduct, they were either burnt alive or thrown into the lion's den. A widow never stirred out of her house during the first year of her widowhood, and seldom married again if she had no children; and if she had any, she spent her life in perpetual continence, and never entered a second time into the married state. This virture gained them so universal an esteem, that several very considerable privileges were granted in their favour; and there were many laws and statutes, by which it was expressly enacted, that the widows' lands should be ploughed sooner than those of the Curacas, or even of the Incas. or every two years, at a certain time, all the marriagcable young men and maidens of his family, that were in Cusco. The stated age was eighteen or twenty for the maidens, and twenty-four for the men; for they were never allowed to marry younger, because, said they, it was hitting the parties should be of an age requisite for the well governing their families, and affirmed that it was mere folly to dispose of them sooner in marriage, When the marriage was agreed upon, the Inca set himself in the midst of them, they all standing one by another: He then called them by their names, after which taking them by the hand, he made them promise a mutual faith, which being done, he gave them into the hands of their parents. Then the new-married couple went to the house of the bridegroom's father, and the wedding was solemnized for three or four days or more, according as the nearest relations judged proper. The young women who were married in this manner, were afterwards called the lawful wives, or the wives given by the hand of the Inca; a title which was bestowed purely to do them the greater honour. When the Inca had thus married his relations, the next day the ministers appointed for that purpose married the rest of the young men, sons to the inhabitants of Cusco, in the same order, according to the division of the several districts, called Higher and Lower Cusco. The relations furnished the moveables or utensils of the house, every one bringing something; and this they performed very punctually among themselves, and never made any sacrifices or other ceremonies at the weddings. The governors and Curacas were, by their employments, obliged to marry the young men and maidens of their provinces in the same manner. They were bound to assist in person at those weddings, or solemnize themselves in qualiy of lords and fathers of their country. Before we conclude this article, it will be proper to take some notice of their confessions and the penance that followed after it. Persuaded from reason and the convictions of conscience, that the sins of mankind do necessarily draw down evils and the avenging arm of heaven, they imagined themselves bound to expiate their crimes by sacrifices and penances. There were confessors established in all parts of the empire, who always imposed a chastisement proportionable to the greatness of the sin, and there were also certain women who had a share in this religious function. In the province of Collasuio they employed charms for the discovery of sins, and sometimes discovered them by inspecting the intrails of victims; for he who conceals his faults was beat with stones. They confessed themselves on all those occasions where the divine assist-provide houses for their new-married citizens, - and ance is immediately necessary; but the great and solemn confession was made whenever the Inca was sick. The Inca confessed himself to the sun only, after which he washed himself in a running stream, addressing it in these word: "Receive the sins which I have confessed to the sun, and carry them into the sca." Their penances consisted in fastings, oblations, withdrawing into the most desart part of the mountains, scourgings, &c. And now we shall proceed to the marriage ceremonies. We shall begin this part with the marriage of such as were either nearly or distinctly related to the Incas, of which Garcilasso gives the following account :-The king caused to assemble annually, The corporations of every city were obliged to the nearest relations to funish them with moveables. They did not allow the inhabitants of one province or city to marry with those of another, but were all obliged to marry among themselves, and with their own relations, like the ancient tribes of Israel; which was done to prevent their nations and families from being blended and confounded with one another. They nevertheless excepted sisters. All the inhabitants of the same city, or of the same province, called themselves relations, in case they were of the same nation, and spoke the same language. To which let us add, that they were forbid to quit their province or city, or to go from one district to another, because they could not confound the De curiæ, curiæ which had been established by the citizens; besides, their corporations regulated the houses, which they were not permitted to do more than once, and that only in their own district, and with the consent of their relations. The heir to the crown used to marry his own sister, in imitation of the sun and the first Inca. For, said they, since the sun took the moon his sister to wife, and had married their two first children together, it was but reasonable the same order should be observed with regard to the king's eldest children. They also added, that the blood of the sun must not be mixed with that of men; that the succession ought to devolve on the heir both of the father and mother's side, and that otherwise he lost his right; for they were very exact with regard to the succession to the crown. The elder brother was lawful heir to the crown, and married his own sister; but in default of an own sister, he married that woman of the blood-royal who was nearest related to him, whether she was his half sister, his cousin, his niece, or his aunt; and this she-relation might inherit the crown in default of male issue, as in Spain. In case the king's eldest sister brought him no children, he married her second or third sister, till such time as some were born to him. This wife was called Coya, that is, queen or empress, and these kings, besides their lawful wives, usually kept several mistresses, some of whom were aliens, and others related in the fourth degree of consanguinity, and even beyond. They looked upon those children which they had by their relations as legitimate, because they were of their own blood; but those whom the Incas had by the aliens, were considered as bastards; for notwithstanding the respect that was shewn them because of their royal extraction, they yet did not revere them as much as those of the royal-blood: These they worshipped as gods, but honoured the others as men. Purchas relates, on the testimony of the Spanish writers, that the bridegroom used to go to the house of his bride, and put her on the Otoia, a kind of shoe. If the bride were a virgin, the shoe was made of wool; but if a widow, it was made of a kind of reed. The royal habit of the Incas requires a particular explication; for which purpose we shall borFow the description of it from the author of the history of the Incas. The Inca generally wore a kind of twist about his head, called Lauta, of about an inch wide, and made almost in a square form, which went five or six times round his head, with a coloured border that reached from one temple to the other. His habit was a waistcoat that reached down to the knee, called by the natives Uncu, and by the Spaniards Cusma, which is not a word of the general language, but rather of some particular province. Instead of a cloak they wore a kind of surtout called Yacola. The nuns also made a kind of square purse for the Incas, which they wore as it were in a sling, tied to a twist neatly wrought, and about the breadti of two fingers. These puises, called Chuspa, were used only to hold the herb Cuca cr Cocoa, which the Indians generally chew. This Cuca was not then so common as in our days; for none but the Inca was allowed to eat of it, his relations and certain Curacas excepted, to whom the king used to send yearly several baskets full, by way of present, which was looked upon as a very great favour. From their marriages, &c. we pass on to those customs which relate to their children, and the education they gave them. The Incas always made great feasts, and extraordinary rejoicings at the weaning of their eldest children; because the right of seniority, particularly of males, was had in great esteem by the Incas, and after their example, by all their subjects; but few rejoicings were made at the birth of their daughters or younger children. They weaned their children at two years old, and cut off their hair which they had brought with them into the world; never touching them till that time, nor did they give the name by which they were to be called. When this ceremony was to be performed, all the relations met together, and he who was chose godfather first cut the child's hair with his scissars, if we may give that name to certain razors made of flint stone, which they employed for that purpose, the Indians being unacquainted with those scissars used among us. After the godfather, the rest cut off some of the child's hair in their turn, according to their age and quality; which done, they all agreed upon giving it a name, and then offered it their several gifts; some giving clothes, others cattle, others weapons of several kinds, and others gold and silver drinking vessels, which, however, were presented to none but those of the royal extraction, for the common sort of people were not allowed to use them, unless by a special grant. The presents being made, they all drank copiously, otherwise the festival would have been good for nought, and danced and sung till night. This lasted for three or four days, according to the quality of the child's relations. They observed almost the same ceremony at the weaning of the heir to the crown, and also cut off his heir, if we except that this was a royal solemnity, and that the high priest of the sun was always chosen for his godfather. On this occasion all the Curacas of the kingdom assisted personally, 6 Y personally, or by their embassadors, at the solemnity, which held for twenty days together, and made rich presents to the prince, such as gold, silver, precious stones, and the most valuable things of their respective provinces. As subjects love to imitate their princes, the Curacas, and in general all those of Peru, made likewise great rejoicings on these occasions, according to their rank and quality: and this was one of their most solemn festivals. They were extremely careful not to bring up their children too tenderly, and this was generally observed from the king to the beggar. The moment the child was born, it was washed with cold water, and then wrapped up in swaddling clothes, which they repeated every morning, after having left the water in the dew the greatest part of the time. Moreover, when the mother was for fondling her child in an extraordinary manner, she took water in her mouth, and squirted it over all his body, the crown of the head excepted, which she never touched. When those people were asked why they did this, they answered, that they did it to inure their children to cold and toil, and strengthen their limbs. They never swathed their arms till they were upwards of three months old, saying, that it would weaken them: And, they generally kept them in a cradle, which was a kind of bench with four feet, one of which was made shorter than the rest, purposely that they might be rocked with greater ease. The bed in which the child lay, was a kind of coarse net, in which the babe was wrapped on both sides of the cradle, to prevent his falling out. Mothers never took their children in their arms, not even when they gave them suck; for, said they,. they would always be for staying in them, were they to be used to it, and then it would be a difficult matter to confine them to their cradles. However, whenever they thought proper to take them out of it, they used to make a hole in the ground, and set the child upright in it breast-high; they then swathed them with old clouts or rags, in order to make them Le the softer, and at the same time gave them several play things to divert them with, but never once took them in their arms, though they were the children of the greatest lords in the empire. When a mother wanted to give her child suck, she used to lay herself down upon it, but never give it suck above three times a day, viz. at morning, noon, and evening; nor would she ever give it the breast but at those times, and would let it squal rather than suffer it to get a habit of sucking all day long. All the women of that country did the same, and the reason they gave for it was, that it made them nasty and subject to vomiting, that they became gluttons when they grew up, and that the beasts themselves furnished them with an example, who never suckled their young but at certain times of the day, and not all night long. The greatest lady in the empire brought . up her children herself, and never gave them to another to nurse, unless forced to it by some great indisposition; nor had she any commerce with her husband all the time she suckled it, for fear of spoiling her milk, which might throw the child into a consumption. As the child grew up, they strengthened its body by labour and exercise, after which it was put under the direction of the Amautas, who were the Peruvian philosophers or doctors. These Amautas regulated the manners of their youth, instructed them in the ceremonies and precepts of religion, in the laws of the empire, and the duty which man owes to his fellow-creatures. The minds of children were cultivated almost from their tender infancy; at six or seven years of age they always had some employment assigned them, which was always suited to their years. In fine, the care they took to shun idleness and indolence, was such, as might justly put nations infinitely more knowing than themselves to the blush. Nor were they less careful of flying from luxury, still more dangerous than idleness, whose only aim is to flatter the senses, and administer fuel to vanity, to awake in us a sense for pleasure in proportion as it decays in us, and which keeps the spirits in a perpetual hurry, even to the last gasp, notwithstanding its inability to produce the least fruits from all its labours, or even to discover one single mark of it. An Account of the Religion of those Savages who inhabit Canada and its Neighbourhood. The Jesuits have related many things concerning these people, which might have passed for truth had it not happened that great part of that country was in 1763, given up to the English, so that we have now the most uncontroverted accounts of every thing relating to them.. That they are all idolators is not saying that they are any worse than the inhabitants of other Heathen nations, and it must be acknowledged, that in some things they are not so horridly gross and abominable as those in Africa. But then they are divided into so many different clans, tribes, hordes, &c. that in some particulars they differ much from each other. Of all these we shall proceed to give an account from the best and most respectable authority. In several of these nations, they worship the sun, and as soon as they perceive day-break, they waft the first cloud of smoak that comes from their calumets towards that object, at the same time mumbling over a few words, as their first morning prayers. They afterwards smoak towards the four quarters of the world. Some of them paint their bodies over with the figures of wild beasts, to make them appear the more terrible to their enemies, which practice is of great antiquity, for we find it was practised by the Ancient Britons. In other parts of this vast extensive country, the savages believe the world to have been created by a woman, who, together with her son, presides over it. They say that man is the principle of every thing good, and woman the principle of every thing evil. They further believe, that the woman who created the earth, being big with child, fell down from heaven, and dropped on the back of a tortoise. It will appear evident to every unprejudiced person, that we have here the outlines of the Mosaic history of the fall of man, and although blended by fable, yet not more so than what is related by the Greek and Roman poets. Others of these savages are of opinion that the world was created by a spirit, and that one Misson restored it after the flood. They tell us, that one day as Misson was hunting, his dogs lost themselves in a great lake, which happening to overflow, soon spread itself over all the earth. Those savages who inhabit near the source of the river St. Lawrence, believe that a woman hovered sometimes in the air, and at last fell down on the back of a tortoise, that mud gathered round the tortoise from the sea and formed the earth. However, as this woman did not delight in solitude, a spirit descended from above, and finding her asleep, drew near to her, that the result of this was, she became with child, and was delivered of two sons who came out of her side. When those children were grown up, they exercised themselves in hunting, and as one of them was a much more skilful hunter than the other, jealousy soon occasioned discord, and the unskilful hunter, who was of a very savage temper, treated his brother with so much cruelty, that he left this world and ascended to heaven. This notion of theirs seems to relate to the two sons of Adam, Cain and Abel. They have some idea of the flood, and they believe that the world began at that time. They say that Mischapous, whom they look upon as a Supreme Being, first created the heavens, and afterwards created all the animals that were on floating woods and groves. With these he made a bridge, but foreseeing that all these creatures could not live. long in that state, and that his work would be imperfect, unless he took care to secure them from misfortunes, and from being starved; and having at that time command only over the heavens, he addressed himself to Michinisi, the god of waters, and would have borrowed some land of him in order to settle his creatures on it, but Michinisi was not willing to comply with his request. Thus disappointed, Michapous sent the beaver, the otter, and the rat one after an other, to search for land at the bottom of the sca, but none of them. brought any thing except the rat, who had in her mouth a few particles of sand. Michapous kneaded this sand into a leaven, which swelled to a great mountain. The fox was ordered to walk round this mountain; but it was so large that he soon became weary, and the Michapous enlarged the mountain into a large terrestrial globe. Some of them are of opinion, that men sprung originally from the putrified carcases of beasts, and we find Virgil embrac-" ing the same notion concerning the origin of Bees. A steer of two years old they take whose head, Beneath his body, broken boughs and thyme, These savages tell us farther, that some of the animals having quarrelled among themselves, Michapous killed them, and a man rose from the putrefaction; and this new man invented the bow and arrow, which he employed against the beasts. It happened one day, that one of them being separated from the rest, discovered a hut, where he found Michapous, who gave him a wife, and prescribed the several duties to be observed between them. Man had hunting and fishing allotted him for his part, and all domestic affairs were committed to the wife. From these men proceeded, and they lived in felicity together, having power over the wildest and and fiercest beasts; but as they began to multiply, so they were obliged to look out for new countries to hunt in. At length discord and jealousy began to arise among the hunters, and this they consider as the origin of wars. We have been the more particular in our account of those different opinions concerning the creation of the world, because lord Kames has, from those differences inferred, that there is not, in the whole world, any certain accounts to be depended on. His lordship was of a very different opinion when he wrote his essays on religion, but alas! in his advanced years, he has changed his sentiments. Some of these savages have temples erected to the sun, one of which is described in the following manner. It is surrounded by a high wall, and the area within the wall serves for a place for the people to walk in. Upon this wall a great number of spikes are set, on the sharp ends of which they fix the heads of their enemies, and likewise those of the most notorious criminals. Over the front is laid a great log of wood, raised high, and surrounded with hair, and garnished with scalps as so many trophies. The inside of the temple is painted with a vast number of figures, and in the middle is a sort of fire, a place which serves them for an altar. Two priests dressed in white, burn these logs, while the congregation are offering up their prayers. There is closet in the wall which they call the tabernacle of God, and two eagles with extended wings hang on it, looking towards the sun. Their prayers are three times a day, namely, at sun rising, noon, and sun-setting. The Canadians give the name of great spirit to that Supreme Being, whom they also call Quitichi Manitou, and to whom they celebrate grand sacrifices. They not only believe in the Supreme Being, but likewise in the immortality of the soul; and they consider all souls as emanations from the universal father of spirits. This notion is the same as we find embraced by the Greeks and Romans, and, indeed, by almost all nations in the world, except those who are called Materialists; but happy for mankind their numbers are but few. But although these savages adore but one Supreme Being, yet, like other Heathens, they have their idols, that is, they have images by which they represent the Divine attributes and operations. This propensity to idolatry among them needs not to be wondered at,. when we consider, that they are followed, in some measure, by some who call themselves Christians. The subject matter of all their hymns, is the praise of the beauties of the works of nature; the | goodness of the Supreme Being; their victories; and the defeat of their enemies. The women address speeches to the rising sun, and present their children to him at the same time. From all this it appears, that these people are far from being Atheists, and probably it may be a doubt whether there is an Atheist in the world. Seneca, a Heathen, says, that although men may in words deny the being of God, yet their hearts condemn the thought; and it is certain, that without a firm persuasion of the existence of an Almighty power, man would be more miserable than the beasts in the field. For man has hopes or fears of something hereafter, whereas the beasts have none. We are assured that it is a very difficult matter to convert these people to the Christian religion, which can only be ascribed to two causes; first, the superstition of the Roman Catholics, whose ceremonies are, in some measure, as ridiculous as their own; and, secondly, to the want of human learning. It is necessary, however, to observe, that in consequence of these people being now subject to GreatBritain, though still governed by the French laws, many improvements have been made; but of this we shall speak more largely afterwards. In their marriage ceremonies they differ but little from the savages who inhabit Hudson's Bay. When a young man falls in love with a girl, he makes a formal demand of her from her father, or the nearest relation then living. When they are come to an agreement, the young man's father assembles all his relatons, and declares to them his intention of bestowing. his son in marriage, and his relations bring as many. things to the hut as they can offer, as presents for the young savage. His mother carries part of the goods to the young. woman's hut, and, at the same time, the bride's mother declares to her daughter, that she has married her to such a person, meaning the young man already mentioned. The maiden must not make any objection, for that would be dishonourable. Every one gives something towards the bride's portion, but one of her relations always lays with her before her husband goes to bed. There are several other particulars that might be mentioned concerning their marriages, but being of a civil nature, they have no connection with this work. We shall only observe, that the husband has a right to put his wife away if she is barren; but then they are obliged to give her proper notice, that she may provide herself with a new husband. In Canada, when a husband and wife are determined to part, they bring into the hut where the marriage ceremony was performed, all the little pie ces |