No. 6. 



An Essay on Indian Corn. 



91 



two ears on a reed, on one of which seven 

 hundred grains have been told : — that they 

 sow it grain by grain and not scattering, as is 

 done with wheat; and it requires a hot and 

 moist soil. There are two sorts of it, (says 

 our author,) one large and substantial, the 

 other small and dry, which they call 

 '7noroche.^ The leaves of it and also the reed 

 are very good food tor cattle, green ; and dry, 

 it serves as well as straw. The grain is 

 better for beasts than barley, but they must 

 drink before they eat it; for if they drink 

 after it, it swells and gives them pain. The 

 Indians eat it hot, boiled, and call it '■mote,'' 

 and sometimes toasted. There is a sort of it 

 large and round, which the Spaniards eat 

 toasted ; they also grind it and make cakes, 

 which they eat hot ; and these, in some places, 

 they call ' arepas.'' They also make bread, 

 to keep, and sweet cakes of it. The Indians 

 make drink with barley; this they call in 

 Peru ' azua,'' and in most other parts 'chica ;' 

 it was very strong. They have also a way 

 of extracting oil from it which is good, and 

 serves instead of butter and olive oil." This 

 writer spent nearly his whole life, which 

 was a long one, in America. 



The South American continent was discov- 

 ered in 1498, and in Robertson's History of 

 America, speaking of the agriculture of the 

 aborigines of that country, it is said, " The 

 chief thing raised was maize, known in 

 Europe by the name of ' Turkey' or ' Indian'' 

 wheat, a grain extremely prolific, of simple 

 culture, agreeable to the taste, and affording 

 a strong healthy nourishment." 



The Mexicans held in great veneration a 

 goddess who presided over the maize, whom 

 they called " To-na-cay-ohu-a," which means 

 " She who feeds us." To her they conse- 

 crated the first fruits of the earth, as the 

 Heathens did to Ceres. 



The first account we have of any French 

 navigator being on the American coast was 

 in 1.504. This nation endeavoured to effect 

 the planting of a colony in Canada in 1.534, 

 but did not entirely succeed till 1603. M. 

 Charlevoix, who wrote the earliest and most 

 authentic history of Canada, which was then 

 called " La Nouvelle France,''^ in describing 

 the culture of the earth there in 1721 says, 

 "Outre que le grain, dont ce peuple font 

 usage, sent des grain d' ete, on pretend, que 

 la nature du Terrier de ce pays-ci, nepermet 

 pas d' y rien semer avant 1' Hyver. Mais je 

 crois que le veritable raison pourquoi les 

 grains ne pousseroient pas, si en les semoit 

 automne, c'est qu'ils se gateroient pendant 1' 

 Hyver, ou qu'ils pourriroient a la fonte des 

 neiges. II se pent fair aussi, et c'est 1' opin 

 ion de plusieurs, que le froment, qu'on 

 recueille en Canada, quoiqu' originairement 

 venu de France, ait contracte avec le terns la 



propriete des grain d'ete qui n'ent pas assez 

 de force pour poussea plusieur fois, come il 

 arrive a ceaux, que nous semons en September 

 & en October. 



" Les feves, (ou plutot) les feveroles se 

 sement avec le maize, dont la tige leur 

 sert d'appui : Je crois avoir oiii dire que c'est 

 de nouis, que le sauvages ont recu ce legume^ 

 dont ils font grand cas & qui ne ditfere 

 effectivement en rien de notre." 



This author is so anxious to assert that it 

 was from the French that the Canadians 

 received the feveroles, and claims nothing of 

 the kind for the maize ; the inference is 

 irresistible that the latter was found in this 

 country. 



In his 3d v. p. 163, in giving an account of 

 the plants belonging to Canada ('particuliere 

 an pays') he has enumerated "Le raaiz ou 

 Bled de Torquie.* 



M. Charlevoix tells us also that in 1564, 

 when M. Landonnie arrived in Florida, the 

 natives presented him and his party with In- 

 dian corn meal. " I^es farines de maiz." 



When the first effectual settlement was 

 made in Virginia, in 1607, that country from 

 the sea coast to the mountains and between 

 the Potomac and the James Rivers, was oc- 

 cupied by upwards of 40 tribes of Indians, of 

 which the most powerful were the Powhatans, 

 the Mannahocs, and Manacans ; and we have 

 the the authority of Mr. Jefferson for assert- 

 ing, that when the English first visited them, 

 they found them using the Indian corn. 

 Whether it was of spontaneous growth or 

 was by cultivation, is not stated ; but most 

 probably (says Mr. J.) it was a native of a 

 more southern climate, and was handed along 

 the continent from one nation to another of 

 the savages. — Notes on Virginia. 



As has been said before, the French settled 

 in Canada in 1G03, and six years afterwards 

 the Dutch possessed themselves of New 

 York. The British colonists did not arrive 

 at New England until the year 1620, At 

 the time above mentioned, these Europeans 

 found five Indian nations, viz. the Mohawks, 

 the Oneodoes, the Oriondagoes, the Cayu- 

 gas and the Sennekas, joined together by 

 a league and confederacy, possessing an im- 

 mense district of the American continent, 

 reaching from the Atlantic to the Lakes, 

 The Aridondacks, another tribe, lived in 

 Canada. The ' Five Nations' affected to 

 think themselves a superior race to all the 

 rest of mankind ; — they called themselves 

 ' Onguelicinwe,'' which means 'men surpass- 

 ing all others.' The white men were anx- 

 ious to be made acquainted with the history 

 of these nations previously to the Europeans 

 coming among them ; which having been 



* Letter X. written in April, 182i. 



