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law of nations. The humane and the juft cannot but wish general fuccefs to the propofition.

With unchangeable esteem and affection,

I am, my dear friend,

Ever yours.

forts of human life more eafy to be obtained, and more gené ral, fhall be allowed to pass free and unmolested; and neither of the contracting powers fhall grant or iffue any commiffion to any private armed veffels, empowering them to take or deftroy fuch trading veffels, or interrupt fuch commerce.

REMARKS

REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAVAGES OF

NORTH-AMERICA.

SAVAGES we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the fame of theirs.

Perhaps, if we could examine the manners of different nations with impartiality, we fhould find no people fo rude as to be without any rules of politeness; nor any so polite as not to have fome remains of rudeness.

The Indian men, when young, are hunters and warriors; when old, counfellors; for all their government is by the counsel or advice of the fages; there is no force, there are no prifons, no officers to compel obedience, or inflict punishment. Hence they generally ftudy oratory; the best fpeaker having the most influence. The Indian women till the ground, drefs the food, nurfe and bring up the children, and preferve and hand down to pofterity the memory of public tranfactions. These employments of men and women are accounted natural and honourable. Having few artificial wants, they have abundance of leifure for improvement by conversation. Our laborious manner of life, compared with theirs, they esteem flavish and base; and the learning on which we value ourselves, they regard as frivolous and useless. An inftance of this occurred at the treaty of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, anno 1744, between the government of Virginia and the Six Nations. After the principal business was fettled, the commiffioners from Virginia acquainted the Indians by a speech, that there was at Williamsburg

liamsburg a college, with a fund, for educating Indian youth; and that if the chiefs of the Six Nations would fend down half a dozen of their fons to that college, the government would take care that they should be well provided for, and inftructed in all the learning of the white people. It is one of the Indian rules of politenefs not to anfwer a public propofition the fame day that it is made; they think it would be treating it as a light matter; and that they fhew it refpect by taking time to confider it, as of a matter important. They therefore deferred their anfwer till the day following; when their fpeaker began, by expreff ing their deep fenfe of the kindnefs of the Virginia government, in making them that offer;

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for we know," fays he," that you highly "efteem the kind of learning taught in thofe colleges, and that the maintenance of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced, there"fore, that you mean to do us good by your "propofal; and we thank you heartily. But

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you who are wife muft know, that different "nations have different conceptions of things; "and you will therefore not take it amifs, if our "ideas of this kind of education happen not to "be the fame with yours. We have had fome "experience of it: feveral of our young people "were formerly brought up at the colleges of "the northern provinces; they were inftructed " in all your fciences; but when they came back "to us, they were bad runners; ignorant of every

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means of living in the woods; unable to bear "either cold or hunger; knew neither how to "build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy; "fpoke our language imperfectly; were there"fore neither fit for hunters, warriors, or coun"fellors; they were totally good for nothing.

" We

We are however not the lefs obliged by your "kind offer, though we decline accepting it; "and to fhow our grateful fenfe of it, if the "gentlemen of Virginia will fend us a dozen of "their fons, we will take great care of their edu"cation, inftruct them in all we know, and make 66 men of them.”

Having frequent occafions to hold public councils, they have acquired great order and decency in conducting them. The old men fit in the foremoft ranks, the warriors in the next, and the women and children in the hindmoft. The bufinefs of the women is to take exact notice of what paffes, imprint it in their memories, for they have no writing, and communicate it to their children. They are the records of the council, and they preserve tradition of the ftipulations in treaties a hundred years back; which, when we compare with our writings, we always find exact. He that would speak, rifes. The reft obferve a profound filence. When he has finished, and fits down, they leave him five or fix minutes to recollect, that, if he has omitted any thing he intended to fay, or has any thing to add, he may rise again and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in common converfation, is reckoned highly indecent. How different this is from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where fcarce a day paffes without fome confufion, that makes the speaker hoarfe in calling to order; and how different from the mode of converfation in many polite companies of Europe, where, if you do not deliver your fentence with great rapidity, you are cut off in the middle of it by the impatient loquacity of thofe you converse with, and never fuffered to finish it!

The politeness of these favages in conversation, is, indeed, carried to excefs; fince it does not

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permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is afferted in their prefence. By this means they indeed avoid difputes; but then it becomes - difficult to know their minds, or what impreffion you make upon them. The miffionaries who have attempted to convert them to Christianity, all complain of this as one of the great difficulties of their million. The Indians hear with patience the truths of the gospel explained to them, and give their ufual tokens of aflent and approbation: you would think they were convinced. No fuch matter. It is mere civility.

A Swedish minifter having affembled the chiefs of the Safquehannah Indians, made a fermon to them, acquainting them with the principal historical facts on which our religion is founded; fuch as the fall of our firft parents by eating an apple; the coming of Chrift to repair the mischief; his miracles and fuffering, &c.-When he had finished, an Indian orator stood up to thank him. "What you have told us," fays he, "is all very

good. It is indeed bad to eat apples. It is "better to make them all into cyder. We are "much obliged by your kindness in coming fo "far, to tell us thofe things which you have "heard from your mothers. In return, I will "tell you fome of those we have heard from

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In the beginning, our fathers had only the "flefh of animals to fubfift on; and if their "hunting was unfuccefsful, they were ftarving. "Two of our young hunters having killed a deer, "made a fire in the woods to broil fome parts of "it. When they were about to fatisfy their hun. ger, they beheld a beautiful young woman de"fcend from the clouds, and feat herself on that "hill which you fee yonder among the Blue "Mountains. They faid to each other, it is a

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