SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 257 



War-Captains, a Man of great Esteem among them. At his 

 Departure from the Cabin, the Man of the House scratch'd 

 this War-Captain on the Shoulder, which is look'd upon as 

 a very great Compliment among them ;"* and again, " They 

 are free from all manner of Compliments, except Shaking of 

 Hands, and Scratching on the Shoulder, which two are the 

 greatest Marks of Sincerity and Friendship, that can be 

 shew'd one to another."! Of the Esquimaux we find the 

 following related, in the account of Davis's first voyage in 

 1585 ; ''At length one of them, poynting up to the Sunne 

 with his hande, would presently strike his brest so hard 

 that we might here the bloAve."J When John Ellis imi- 

 tated their action the Esquimaux approached with confi- 

 dence. In a tribe of Esquimaux discovered by Captain 

 Ross, the practice of pulling noses is said to exist. " Sac- 

 heuse called to us to pull our noses, as he had discovered 

 this to be the mode of friendly salutation with them."§ 

 This was in latitude 75° 55' N. and longitude 65° 32' W. 



The practice of shaking hands is, however, related of 

 several Indians ; Du Pratz states it to exist among the 

 Natchez in particular, and Indian nations generally, refer- 

 ring however to those on the Mississippi. || Miantonimo, a 

 Narraganset chief, after a conference with the Governor, 

 gave him his hand for the absent Magistrates ;** but this 

 was subsequent to 1637. The habit of embracing or kiss- 

 ing is alluded to more frequently. At Ilochelaga, now 



* A new Voyage to Carolina, by John Lawson, Gent. London, 1709, 

 p. 42. 



■j-Idem, ibid, p. 201. 



± Ilackluyt's Collection, p. 778. 



§ Ross' Voyage, London, 1819, p. 86. 



II Histoire de la Louisianne, par Du Pratz, a Paris, 1758. Tome 2, 

 p. 237. 



•» Hubbard's Narrative of Indian Wars, Braltleborough, 1814, p. 54 

 Vol. I. 33 



