ACADIA AND ITS ABORIGINES.

PUBLIC AND DOMESTIC LIFE.

THE Etchimins, Micmacs and Abenakis are very often considered as one nation, not only on account of the similarity of their language, customs, suavity of manners, and attachment to the French, but also for their league in defending themselves against the English. Although the Micmacs are generally somewhat smaller in size than the other Indians of Acadia and New France, yet they are equally brave. They have made a long war against the Esquimaux, (eaters of raw flesh,) whom they have followed and attacked in their caverns and rocks of Labrador. Newfoundland must have several times been the field of hard wars between the Micmacs and Esquimaux; the latter were always chased by the former.

Their chief is called by some Saghem, by others Sangman (over the whole world,) which is one and the same word, but differently pronounced. The wife, or wives of the chief have no power, but they take the title of Sangmansque, (wife of him who is over the whole world.) The sons are called Sangmansis, the daughters Sangmanskwessis, the relations Sangmanhwagodek. The office, of the chief has never been hereditary amongst them, but he was elected amongst those Indians who had larger families. All, especially the youth, obeyed the Sangman with great

submission and respect. The chiefs of entire nations had other subordinate chiefs who presided over small tribes, and settled their difficulties. During the summer season all the chiefs assembled in a designated spot, in order to transact the business for the whole nation. Small quarrels were settled in the camp, and often finished in a fight, however without much hurting themselves. When the chiefs thought that they had received any wrong they assembled all their people in some fixed places, and to encourage them they made a speech, in which they displayed great eloquence. Then lifting up their axes the question was proposed, whether they would not all agree to take the injuries into their hands. If the whole company consented they made a mock skirmish among themselves as if they were in earnest. They also had recourse to their conjurors and fortune-tellers, who consulted the evil spirits.

Their bravery in war was great. An instance of it can be seen in the French war against the English, in the year 1689. In 1673 there was a French fort on the Penobscot, commanded by Le Chevalier De-grand-fontaine, and another on the St. John's River, commanded by M. Marion. In 1674, M. De Chambly succeeded Le Chevalier De grand-fontaine.* A short time after, in the same year, he was surprised, on the 10th of August, by an English vessel with a crew of a Flammish private, one hundred men strong, who had been laid in disguise there for four days. M. De Chambly was not prepared to fight. He had only thirty persons, yet they defended the fort bravely for one hour, but having received a musket ball through his body, he was obliged to retire, and the fort and his men, badly armed, surrendered to discretion They took, also, the fort at St. John's, which was afterwards destroyed by the Dutch. M. De Chambly was surprised at this action, both countries being then at peace, and the author of this

* Charlevoix, Vol. i., liv. x.

outrage had no commission, but he had been put up by the Bostonians, who could not bear the French to have possession of the Penobscot. In 1689 the French complained of this act perpetrated by the English and Bostonians, but to no use, hence a war ensued in which the Indians joined the French. The Etchimins and Abenakis made an expedition against the English fort Pemkuit, (it is crooked,) a very strong fort between the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers. The fort was defended by twenty cannons. The Indians took it by surprise, breaking down the doors. The English retired to some near houses, carrying with them ten cannons, the others being taken by the Indians. The English opened a terrible fire upon the fort, but to no effect. During the night the Indians summoned the English to go away, but the commander laughed, saying that he was tired and wanted to sleep. During the night the Indians prepared themselves to attack the English in the morning, and they did so at the breaking of the day. A hard fire was kept up on both sides, but the English were obliged to capitulate, and the Indians let them go away without any commission of outrages. It is worth mentioning that the Indians found in the fort a barrel of brandy, which they spilled out without touching it. The English retired to an island not far from the coast. The Indians desired to drive them away from that place, but they desisted, and went back to the Penobscot in two sloops which they had taken away from the English, having killed the crew.

ASTRONOMY AND DIVISION OF TIME..

The Indians having no astronomical instruments, no observatories, no celestial globes and no maps, are not expected to have made such progress in astronomy, which exclusively seems to belong only to civilized nations. But to think that the aborigines of this continent were and