of life, desiring their continuance; an evidence, this, that among all
their superstition and ignorance, they are not destitute of the divine
principle operating within them, and raising in their minds a sense of
their dependent state, the obligations they are under to their great pre-
server and benefactor, and the necessity of prayer for the continua-
tion of his blessings and favours.

Though much reserved in expression, with regard to abstruse subjects,
they nevertheless at times manifest an inquisitive disposition respecting
the creation of the world, the formation of man, and whether Indians
and white people go to the same place after death, or whether they
will be all of one language in a future state.

Their funeral rites are observed with great solemnity, and succeeded
by deep mourning. Whatever might have been their ancient custom,
as stated by some writers with respect to a place of general deposit of
the bones of their dead, I find no such tradition among them at the pre-
sent day. A spot of ground contiguous to each village is occupied as a
place of interment, and each grave has a separate covering of boards,
or clefts of wood. The corpse dressed in the best apparel is put into a
coffin made of boards, when they can be procured, or otherwise bark
laid beneath and over it in the grave, and sometimes a new blanket
and small kettle is enclosed with it, and frequently other articles, to
which the deceased was attached while living.

As they believe in the resurrection of the spirit, and that for some
time after death it is common for it to ascend and descend, in order,
therefore, to afford it more easy access to its former tabernacle, a hole
is cut in both the head of the coffin and the covering of the tomb, the
ground not being considered as any obstruction to its entrance or egress.

At these mourning processions, the women, who more generally at-
tend than the men, and have the task of burial assigned them, give
every possible vent to their passions, as also when they return to the
house of the deceased, where they indulge in feasting, and extremity of
grief; and this is renewed by the female relatives, and neighbours meet-
ing at the same house every morning, for nine days, and kept up by
doleful noises and lamentable cries, for about the space of half an hour.
When the days of mourning are thus ended, they meet together, and
are consoled to dry up their tears, from which time they endeavour to
discard all marks of lamentation.

They relate circumstances that happened formerly, of ancient In-
dians, who were disabled from hunting, by infirmity, and becoming tired
of life, would request to be buried alive. A grave or hole was then
dug, in which a seat was formed in digging, the ancient Indian was then
let down, and taking his last seat, the other Indians began to fill in the
earth, doing it very gently and tenderly till it had risen to his chin. A