New Jerfey, Raccoon. 31 



Dece?nber the 2 1 ft. It feems very pro- 

 bable, from the following obfervations, that 

 long before the arrival of the Swedes, there 

 have been Europeans in this province ; and, 

 in the fequel, we mall give more confirma- 

 tions of this opinion. The fame old Maoris 

 Keen, whom I have already mentioned be- 

 fore, told me repeatedly, that on the arrival 

 of the Swedes in the laft century, and on their 

 making a fettlement, called Helfmgburg, on 

 the banks of the Delaware, fomewhat below 

 the place where Salem is now fituated ; thev 

 found, at the depth of twenty feet, fome 

 wells, inclofed with walls. This could not 

 be a wrk of the native Americans, or In- 

 dians, as bricks were entirely unknown to 

 them when the Europeans firft fettled here, 

 at the end of the fifteenth century; and 

 they ftill lefs knew how to make ufe of 

 them. The wells were, at that time, on 

 the land ; but in fuch a place, on the banks 

 of the Delaware, as is fometimes under 

 water, and fometimes dry. But fince, the 

 ground has been fo warned away, that the 

 wells are entirely covered by the river, and 

 the water is feldom low enough to {hew the 

 wells. As the Swedes afterwards made new 

 wells for themfelves, at fome diftance from 

 the former, they difcovered, in the ground, 

 fome broken earthen veifels, and fome entire 



good 



