Description of some Sepulchral Pits of Indian Origin. 99 



made of shells. These are found on the shores of New England and 

 Virginia. They are hoUow (caunclees), elongated, and rather pointed 

 without (oncelles), and pretty thick. The flesh of the fish contained in 

 these shells is not good to eat, but the inside is so beautifully smooth 

 (verni), and of such bright colours, that art can produce nothing like it. 

 When the Indians used to go naked, they made the same use of them that 

 our original parents did of fig-leaves. They also hang them round their 

 necks, as the most precious things they possess, and even at the present 

 day they form one of their greatest riches and finest ornaments ; in fact, 

 they value them as we do gold, silver, or jewels ; and on that, perhaps, 

 are more rational than we, inasmuch as they have only to stoop to pick 

 up treasures as real as our own. 



" There are two sorts, or to speak more properly, two different-coloured 

 shells, one white, the other violet. The first is most common, and per- 

 haps on that account less esteemed. The second seems to possess a finer 

 grain when worked. The brighter the colour the more valuable is the 

 sheU considered. They make of both little cylindrical grains, which they 

 pierce and put on a string, and thus it is they make the ' branches et les 

 colurs de porcelaine.' The ' branches' are nothing but four or five 

 threads, or little strips of skin, about a foot long, threaded with grains of 

 the porcelaine. The ' coliers' are a sort of band or ' diademes,' formed of 

 the ' branches' joined together by threads, which form a tissue of from 

 four to seven rows of grains of a proportionate length, which depends 

 on the importance of the affair under treaty, and the dignity of the per- 

 son to whom the whampum is presented. By the mixture of grains of 

 different colours, they form such figures and characters as serve to explain 

 the affairs which may be the subject of discussion. They sometimes paint 

 the grains ; at all events, when the subject of war is implied, they used 

 a red whampum. These 'coliers' are preserved with care, as they not 

 only in part form the public treasure, but are also used as registers and 

 annals, which they are supposed to study who have charge of the public 

 records, which are deposited in the ' labans' of the chief. When there 

 are in the village two chiefs of equal authority, they guard by turns the 

 archives and treasures during a night, which night, however, at present 

 is an entire year. It is only in affairs of importance that they negotiate 

 by means of ' coliers ;' for the less important they make use of ' branches 

 de porcelaine,' skins, blankets, main en paen, or meat, and similar things, 

 for all these form part of the public treasure." 



In applying to another tribe, too, for assistance in war, it was not 

 unusual among some nations to send a large shell, with an invitation 

 to drink the blood of their enemies. 



This description of whampum applies to the cylindrical beads found 

 in No. 4 pit. The larger beads, too, which were found in pit No. 2, 

 are evidently made of shell, as the specimen will shew ; but it is 

 doubtful whether the circular ones, which appear to be by far the 

 most common, were made in the same manner. From their exact 

 roundness, and from the edge as well as surface of many of them 

 being glazed, it is probable they were of French manufacture. 



Whampum is still worn as an ornament by some of the Indians of 

 Lake Huron, and consists chiefly of pieces of porcelain tube of various 

 colours. 



