METALLIC IMrLEMBXTS OF NEW YOHK INDIANS 13^ 



abiimlance, and correspondence with collectors in various parts 



of New Jersey and eastern I'ennsvlvania now convince me that 



the use of copper, as implements and ornaments, was much more 



common than I supposed, and that amonj^ the Delaware Indians 



were many coppersmiths/' He cites examples of articles which 



he thought were made of New Jersey copper, this not being rare. 



One mass in Somerset county weighed 100 pounds, and it also 



occurred in the eastern counties of Pennsvlvania. Finished 



ornaments were found in graves with others unfinished, and in 



one grave was a copper nodule of 13 ounces. His final opinion 



is thus expressed: 



It would appear, then, from an examination of the copper 

 objects found in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, that the weight 

 of probability is strongly in favor of their home manufacture; 

 and the similarity of the forms to those taken from areas where 

 mounds occur is another fact in favor of the rapidly growing im- 

 pression that the builders of these earthworks and the Indians of 

 the coast were essentially one people. — Ahhott, p. 771-78 



Dr Abbott's statements are weighty, but there are other facts 

 which may prevent their full acceptance. No argument will be 

 held on these now, one important fact clearly appearing, that 

 there w^ere supplies of native copper accessible to the coast In- 

 dians which were not available to those in the interior of New 

 York. 



Mr David Boyle remarks that copper articles are comparatively 

 rare in the province of Ontario and that the line of distribution 

 seems to be through the Georgian bay and along the Ottawa 

 river. Few have been reported in the Neutral country, lying 

 near the north shore of Lake Erie. As a matter of fact the 

 Toronto collection has many fine examples of early and recent 

 forms. The latter are not so frequent as in New York, owing to 

 the OA'erthrow of the Huron, Neutral and Tobacco nations in the 

 middle of the 17th century. The country was depopulated just 

 as these were beginning to be most freely used. Those of native 

 copper have a few forms not reported in New York. Some fine 

 articles come from Wolfe island, opposite Cape Vincent. As 

 this lies nearer the New York mainland than that of Canada,. 



