Origin of tic American Nations. 13$ 



brought them no children ; and even at prefent, the women 

 in the Eaft Indies fometimes burn themfelves along with, 

 their deceafed hufbands. Marco Polo relates, that, when 

 the chan or" the great Moguls was conveyed to the place of 

 interment, all thole who met the proceffion on the road were 

 put to death, in order that they might ferve the great chan in 

 the other world. In the barrow*, which were the burying- 

 places of the old Moguls, there are found fometimes around 

 the body, lying in the middle of them, other bodies, which 

 probablv were put to death at the funeral. It was cuftomary 

 among the Jakuts, whofe anceftors ferved in the armies of the 

 Mogul chans before they were fubjected to the Ruffian go- 

 vernment, that one of the favourite domeflics of the deceafed 

 mould burn himfelf, with every mark of joy, in a particular 

 fire made for the purpofe, that he might ferve his matter in 

 the other world. This practice muft have been cuftomary, 

 alfo, among the Mantchew Tartars ; for Duhalde fays, that 

 Schnu-tehi, the founder of the family now on the throne of 

 China, after he had loft his fon and princefs, required that 

 thirty pcrfons mould expofe themfelves to voluntary death in 

 order to appeafe the fouls of the deceafed; and that Cham-hi, 

 his fucceflor, had taken a great deal of pains to abolifh this 

 cuftom. Among the Afgans, a piratical people on the bor- 

 ders of Perfia, and the inhabitants of the Philippine iflands, 

 a fimilar cuftom prevailed. At the interment of the kings of 

 Whidah and Benin, a great many perfons of both fexes are 

 thrown into the grave alive. Thefe kingdoms lie on the 

 weftern coaft of Africa, which of all countries in the old 

 world are neareft to the eaflern coaft of America. 



In the ifland of Hayti, at the interment of the cacic, many 

 perfons of both fexes, but in particular fome of his wives, 

 were buried alive with him; and they often contended among 

 themfelves for having this honour. 



The Caribs ftill put to death their Haves on the deceafe of 

 their mafters. This deteftable cuftom was conveyed from 

 thefe iflanders to the Mexicans and Peruvians, and even to 

 the Natches.on the Miffiffippi. 



3. Cutting off the Hair as a Mark of deep Mourning. 



This was a very old cuftom among the heathens, which 

 God, through Mofes, forbade the children of Ifrael to imi- 

 tate. At firft, the hair of dying perfons was cut off, 

 for it was fuppofed that their fouls would otherwife not be 

 received into the kingdom of Pluto. Of this we have two 

 celebrated examples in~Alceftes and Dido. In the courfe of 

 time the relations alfo cut off their hair as a mark of forrow. 



The 



