will shut the mouths of your defpicable, but dangerous enemies. Mr. d'Argouge dropt on the fubject: Ah! the old finner: be never believes in God, but when he has the fever. I rated him foundly, declaring that there was neither truth nor charity in fuch infinuation. Farewell, my Phebus; the good accounts I have of your health are fupremely pleafing: my pleasure were complete, could I do you any, and fee France in better condition."

The Letter-writer,-whoever the Writer may really be,appears, every where, an admirer of M. de Voltaire, to an excefs that does not, we apprehend, in all refpects, coincide with the indifferent terms on which this celebrated genius hath, for fo many years, remained, with the court of his natural prince.

ART. X. Travels through that part of North America formerly called Louifiana. By Mr. Boifu, Captain in the French Marines. Tranflated from the French by John Reinhold Forfter, F. A. S. Illuftrated with Notes relative chiefly to natural History. To which is added, by the Tranflator, a fyftematic Catalogue of all the known Plants of English North-America, or a Flora America Septentrionalis. Together with an Abract of the most useful and neceffary Articles contained in Peter Loefling's Travels through Spain and Cumana in South-America. 8vo. 2 Vols. Ios. 6d. in Boards. Davies. 1771.

HE provinces of North America are now become a very interefting object, particularly to the inhabitants of Great Britain. It is a country which affords ample matter for employing the pens of literary men, and accordingly publications of this kind have of late been pretty numerous; they seem to be always acceptable to the public, and when executed with fidelity by perfons of ability and judgment, muft, without doubt, prove both entertaining and ufeful.

Mr. Boffu's account of Louifiana is contained in twenty-two letters, addressed to the Marquis de l'Eftrade, the first dated in February, 1751, the laft in November, 1762. During this period he was engaged in two expeditions to this country, but though from his own relation he appears to have been faithful and zealous in the French fervice, his voyages do not seem to have been very beneficial to himfelf: after the firft, indeed, we are told that he received a gratuity from the king of France; but the second was finished by his being recalled, and broke, together with other fuperior and inferior officers.

The letters were written at the request of M. de l'Eftrade. At the close of one of them, the Author tells the Marquis, that if he cannot amuse him with his ftile, at leaft he shall make his narrative interefting, through the fingularity of the facts he intends to relate.' And, in another place, when fpeaking of

his observations on the different parts of the country, and the genious of the natives, &c. he adds, I think this study not beneath a traveller. You are a foldier and a philofopher; I am perfuaded that what I fhall give you an account of will pleafe you for I flatter myself that you depend upon the fidelity of your hiftorian: indeed I mean to affert nothing but what I am eye-witness of; for I can neither invent nor exaggerate.' Some accounts, however, which this writer gives, relate to circumftances and events many years prior to his visit to this part of the world; for thefe therefore he must have depended upon the teftimony of others; but as to the many particulars which he afferts from his own knowledge, he generally appears to be worthy of entire credit.

Among various other matters Mr. Boffu, as is customary with Authors who have written concerning the Indians, fometimes prefents us with the fpeeches which were made on different occafions, by the chiefs and elders of thefe nations. It is well known that it has not been unufual with other hiftorians to amplify and embellish this part of their fubject in order to recommend their work; and we must acknowledge that we generally read these Indian harangues with a degree of diffidence. Mr. Forfter, the tranflator, feems to intimate a little fufpicion of the fame kind. The Author, in relating fome of the arguments which an old warrior used to animate the foldiers who were going out against the enemy, among other things we are told he faid, Go, my comrades, as men of courage, and with the heart of a lion.' Upon which the tranflator's note is,

An hyperbole no Indian in America would make use of, not knowing that creature, which is not to be met with in that country."

Mr. Boffu give an account, as other travellers have done, of the discovery of the fkeletons of elephants in North America, from whence he argues for the junction of Louifiana with Afia: after telling us that his bad ftate of health prevented his going to take the command of Fort du Quéne, he obferves, this voyage would have enabled me to examine the place on the road, where an Indian found fome elephants' teeth, of which he gave me a grinder, weighing about fix pounds and a half.' After which he proceeds as follows: In 1735, the Canadians, who came to make war upon the Tchicabas, (Chickfhaws,) found, near the Ohio, the fkeletons of feven elephants; which makes me believe, that Loufiana joins to Afia, and that these elephants came from the latter continent by the western part, which we are not acquainted with: a herd of thefe animals having loft their way, probably entered upon this new continent, and having always gone upon main land and in forefts, the Indians of that time not having the use of fire-arms, have not been

able

able to destroy them entirely, it is poffible that feven arrived at the place near the Obio, which, in our maps of Louifiana, is marked with a crofs. The elephants, according to all appearance, were in a fwampy ground, where they funk in by the enormous weight of their bodies, and could not get out again, but were forced to lay there.'

The tranflator remarks upon this paffage, that modern geographical obfervations render this Author's fuppofition improbable; befides which he adds, that the teeth of the animals, faid to be found on the American continent, appear, upon examination, to be very different from thofe of the common elephant, and confequently they cannot be of the fame fpecies.

Mr. Boffu has, neverthelefs, feveral reflections on the population of America, and its connection with Afia on the fide of Tartary, in this his ninth letter, and in the twenty-first. Among other remarks, he takes notice of a conjecture, which has by fome perfons been embraced, that there is a part of America which was peopled by the Welch, and that their language formed a confiderable part of the languages of the American nations. Though he does not appear to lay any great stress upon these relations, he tells us that the Dutch brought a bird, with a white head, from the ftreights of Magellan, which the natives called Penguin; this word is an old Welch one, and fignifies white head; from hence they conclude that the natives originally came from Wales.' The tranflator's note upon this paffage feems a very juft one, when he tells us, This, however, is a wrong fuppofition; for it appears, that the bird in queftion has a black, and not a white head; but its name is Spanish, and fignifies a fat bird, the Penguin, or rather Pinguin, being very fat.'

We fhall now add a few extracts, by which our readers may be enabled to form fome judgment both of the original and of the tranflation. There are many interefting relations which we might felect, but as they are generally of a greater length than our limits will allow, we must be contented with fome fhorter quotations.

Mr. Boffu gives the following account of the ceremony of adoption among the Akanzas, to which he himself submitted:

The Akanzas have adopted me; they have adopted me as a warrior and a chief, and have given me the mark of it, which is the figure of a roe-buck imprinted on my thigh. I have willingly undergone this painful operation, which was performed in the following manner: I was feated on a tyger's fkin; an indian burnt fome ftraw, the afhes of which he diluted with water he made use of this fimple mixture to draw the roe-buck; he then followed the drawing with great needies, pricking them deep into the flesh, till the blood comes out;

this blood mixing with the afhes of the ftraw, forms a figure which can never be effaced. I fmoked the calumet after that; they spread white fkins under my feet, on which I walked; they danced before me, crying out for joy; they told me afterwards, that I could go to all the people that were their allies, present the calumet, and fhew my mark, and I would be well received; that I was their brother, and that if any one killed me, they would kill him; now I am a noble Akanza. These people think they have done me all the honour due to a defender of their country, by thus adopting me and I regard this honour almost like that which the Marshal de Richelieu received, when his name was infcribed in the golden book at Genoa among the noble Genoefe. It is true, there is fome difference between an infcription and the operation I have undergone; I cannot exprefs to you how much I have fuffered by it; I did all I could to prevent fhewing how much I was affected; on the contrary, I joked with the Indian women that were prefent; and all the fpectators, amazed at my infenfibility, cried out for joy, and danced round about me, faying, I was a true man. The pain has been very violent, and I have had a fever from it for a week together. You cannot believe how fond the Akanzas are of me fince that time.'

One of this writer's letters, dated at the Illinois, concludes with the following relation: I fhall finish my letter with the description of a very odd and extraordinary ceremony, performed by the Miflouris, who came hither as ambaffadors at the time when the Chevalier de Boisbriant commanded here. This tragic ftory will at the fame time ferve to teach officers, that both the theoretical and the practical part of geography ought to be understood by them; and that it is neceflary they fhould carefully ftudy the interior fituation of a country where they are at

war.

In 1720, the Spaniards formed the defign of fettling at the Miflouris, who are near the Illinois, in order to confine us (the French) more to the weftward.-They believed, that in order to put their colony in fafety, it was neceflary they should entirely deftroy the Missouris; but concluding it would be impoffible to fubdue them with their own forces alone, they refolved to make an alliance with the Ofages, a people who were the neighbours of the Missouris, and at the fame time their mortal enemies. With that view they formed a caravan at Santa Fe, confifting of men, women and foldiers, having a Jacobine prieft for their chaplain, and an engineer-captain for their chief and conductor, with the horfes and cattle neceffary for a permanent settlement.

The caravan being fet out, miftook its road, and arrived at the Milouris, taking them to be the Ofages. Immediately

the

the conductor of the caravan orders his interpreter to fpeak to the chief of the Miflouris, as if he had been that of the Ofages, and tell him that they were come to make an alliance with them, in order to deftroy together the Missouris their enemies. The great chief of the Miouris concealed his thoughts upon this expedition; fhewed the Spaniards figns of great joy, and promised to execute a defign with them which gave him so much pleasure. To that purpose he invited them to reft for a few days after their tiresome journey, till he had aflembled his warriors, and held council with the old men: but the refult of this council of war was, that they should entertain their guests very well, and affect the fincerest friendship for them. They agreed together to fet out in three days. The Spanish captain immediately diftributed fifteen hundred mufkets amongst them, with an equal number of piftols, fabres, and hatchets; but the very morning after this agreement, the Milfouris came by break of day into the Spanish camp, and killed them all, except the Jacobine prieft, whofe fingular drefs did not feem to belong to a warrior: they called him a Mag-pie, and diverted themselves with making him ride on one of the Spanish horses, on their days of affembly.

All these transactions the Missouris themfelves have related, when they brought the ornaments of the chapel hither. They were dreffed out in these ornaments: the chief had on the naked fkin the chafuble, with the paten fufpended from his neck, having driven a nail through it, and making use of it as a breaft plate; he marched gravely at the head of all the others, being crowned with feathers and a pair of horns. Those that followed him had more chafubles on; after them came those who carried the ftole, followed by thofe who had the scarfs about their necks; after them came three or four young Indians, fome with albs, and others with furplices on. The Acolothifts, contrary to order, were at the end of the proceffion, not being adorned enough, and held in their hands a cross or chandelier, whilft they danced in cadence. These people, not knowing the respect due to the facred utenfils, hung the chalice to a horse's neck, as if it had been a bell.

The firft Frenchman who faw this mafquerade arrive, ran aughing to give M. de Boifbriant intelligence of it: this officer, who is as pious as he is brave, was overcome with grief at the fight of the Indians, and knew not what to think of the event; he feared they had deftroyed fome French fettlements; but when he faw them near-by, his fadnefs vanished, and he had much to do to keep himself from laughing with the reft. The Milfouris told him, that the Spaniards intended to have deftroyed them; that they brought him all these things, as being of no ufe to them, and that, if he would, he might give them

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