^lebec. 127 



French on the fouth~fea expedition aiked 

 the people there, concerning the time v/hen, 

 and by whom thofe pillars were erected ? 

 what their traditions and fentiments con- 

 cerning them were ? who had wrote the 

 charad:ers ? what was meant by them ? 

 what kind of letters tliey were ? in what 

 language they were written ? and other 

 circumftances j yet they could never get 

 the leall explication, the Indians being as 

 ignorant of all thofe things, as the French 

 themfelves. All they could fay was, that 

 thefe {tones had been in thofe places, fince 

 times immemorial. The places where the 

 pillars flood were near nine hundred French 

 miles weflward of Montreal. The chief 

 intention of this journey, n)iz. to come to 

 the fouth-fea, and to examine its diflance 

 from Canada, was never attained on this 

 occalion. For the people fent out for that 

 purpofe, were induced to take part in a 

 war between fome of the mofi: didant //z- 



dian 



(which the Tukaghiri prepare from poifop.ous and inebriat- 

 ing mufhrooms, bought of the RuJJians) and many other 

 things, fhovv them plainly to be of the fame origin. The 

 EJliunaux feem to be the fame nation with the inhabitants 

 of Greenland, the Sa?i2oycdes, and Lapponians. South- Ame- 

 rica, and efpecially Peru, is probably peopled from the 

 great unknown fouth continent, wliich is very near ^/;;mr/7, 

 civilized, and full of inhabitants of various colours : who 

 therefore might very eafily be caft on the American conti- 

 nent, in boats, or proas. F, 



