12 July 1749* 



Canada, where the Illinois live. One of 

 the lieutenants in the fort affured me, that 

 he had feen it. The Indians^ who were 

 there, had found it in a fwamp. They were 

 furprifed at the light of it, and when they 

 were afked, what they thought it was ? 

 They anfwered that it mud be thefkeleton 

 of the chief or father of all the beavers. 

 It was of a prodigious bulk, and had 

 thick white teeth, about ten inches long. 

 It was looked upon as the fkeleton of an 

 elephant. The lieutenant affured me that 

 the figure of the whole fnout was yet to be 

 feen, though it was half mouldered. He 

 added, that he had not obferved, that any 

 of the bones were taken away, but thought 

 the fkeleton lay quite perfect there. I have 

 heard people talk of this monftrous fkele- 

 ton in feveral other parts of Canada *. 



BEARS are plentiful hereabouts, and they 

 kept a young one, about three months old, 

 at the fort. He had perfectly the fame 

 lhape, and qualities, as our common bears 

 in Europe, except the ears, which feemed 

 to be longer in proportion, and the hairs 

 which were fliffer \ his colour was deep 



brown, 



* THE country of the Illinois is on the river 0/0, near 

 the place where the Engkjb have found fome> bones, fup- 

 pofed to belong to elephants. See Vol. I. p. 135. in the 

 note. 



