New Jerfey, Raccoon. 363 



had began to drink tea, but continuing my 

 enquiries, I found at laft a fufficient caufe, 

 to account for the lofs of their teeth : each 

 of thefe women owned, that they were ac- 

 cuflomed to eat every thing hot, and no- 

 thing was good in their opinion, unlefs they 

 could eat it as faft as it came from the fire. 

 This is likewife the cafe with the women in 

 the country who lofe their teeth much fooner 

 and more abundantly than the men. They 

 drink tea in greater quantity and much 

 oftener, in the morning, and even at noon, 

 when the employment of the men will not 

 allow them to fit at the tea-table. Belides 

 that, the Englijhmen care very little for tea, 

 and a bowl of punch is much more agree- 

 able to them. When the Englijh women 

 drink tea, they never pour it out of the cup 

 into the faucer, but drink it hot as it is out 

 of the former. The Indian women in imi- 

 tation of them, fwallow the tea in the fame 

 manner. On the contrary thofe Indians 

 whofe teeth are found, never eat any thing 

 hot, but take their meat either quite cold, 

 or only juft milk warm. 



I asked the Swedijh churchwarden in 

 Philadelphia, Mr. Bengtfon, and a number 

 of old Swedes, whether their parents and 

 countrymen had likewife loft their teeth 

 as foon as the American colonifts j but they 



told 



