Acfount of the Taye. IIX 



this circumstance, that this useful animal was an ob- 

 ject of worship, or of veneration*. 



The Baron Lahontan, in his New Voyages to North- 

 America\^ has given an engraving of a medal, " made 

 (he says) of a certain sort of metal of ared colour, not 

 unlike copper." On one side of this medal, there are 

 some characters, or symbolic marks, not, I think, un- 

 like those which are often met with, painted on rocks, 

 &c., in the north of Asia : on the othtr side, are the 

 representations of four animals, whicl appear to me 

 to be sheep. This medal, Lahontan A'^as informed, 

 was made by the Tahuglauk, " who are excellent ar- 

 tizans, and put a great value upon mch medals.'* 

 These Tahuglauk, the baron was told, reside upon a 

 great salt-lake, far to the west of the Mssisippi. His 

 account of these people, communicated by some In- 

 dian slaves, is extremely curious; and, I have no 

 doubt, contains, along with some fable, interesting 

 truths. We cannot, however, but regret, that the 

 French traveller should have had the medal *• melted 

 by Mr. de Ponti's gun-smith, who understood some- 

 thing of metalsj." 



As copper articles, of different kinds, have been 

 found in the ancient tumuli, or barrows, in the west- 



* See Dr. Pallas's SpicilegiaZooIogica, fasc. xi. 19., and Strah- 

 lenberg's Historico-Geographical Description of the North and 

 Eastern Parts of Europe and Asia, &c. Tab. B. English trans- 

 lation. London: 1738. 4to. 



t English translation. London: 17.1,5. 



\ Vol. 1. pages 125, 126. 



