Penfytvatjta, Philadelphia* 30! 



deavoured to get the metal for their pipes. 

 Such holes in the mountains have likewife been 

 found in fome parts of Penfylvania, viz. below 

 Newcaftle towards the fea fide, and always fome 

 marks of a copper ore along with them. Some 

 people have conjectured, that the Spaniards > af- 

 ter difcovering Mexico, failed along the coafts of 

 North America, and landed now and then, in 

 order to enquire whether any gold or filver was 

 to be met with, and that they perhaps made 

 thefe holes in the mountains : but fuppofing 

 them to have made fuch a voyage along the 

 coafts, they could not immediately have found 

 out the copper mines ; and they probably did 

 not flop to blaft this ore, as they were bent 

 only upon gold and filver ; it is therefore almoft 

 undoubted that the Indians dug thefe holes : or 

 may we be allowed to fufpect that our old Nor^ 

 nuns, long before the difcoveries of Columbus, 

 came into thefe parts, and met with fuch veins 

 of copper, when they failed to what they called 

 the excellent Wineland*, of which our ancient 

 traditional records called Sagor fpeak, and which 

 undoubtedly was North America ? But in regard 

 to this, I fhall have occafion in the fequel bet- 

 ter to explain my fentiments. It was remark- 

 able, that in all thofe places where fuch holes 

 have lately been found in the mountains, which 

 manifeltly feem to have been dug by men, 

 they were always covered with a great quantity 



* SEE for this opinion the fcarce and curious work intituled, 

 oi florid Vinlandicc a.nii^ueejeu partis Avicr^:,c Jcpicjitrionalis. 

 ^. 4 to. F. 



of 



