NORTHERN OCEAN 161 



are remarkably humane and charitable to the widows and 1771. 

 children of departed friends ; and as their situation and ^"°^" 

 manner of life enable them to do more acts of charity with 

 less trouble [130] than falls to the lot of a Northern Indian, 

 few widows or orphans are ever unprovided for among them. 



Though the Northern Indian men make no scruple of having 

 two or three sisters for wives at one time, yet they are very 

 particular in observing a proper distance in the consanguinity 

 of those they admit to the above-mentioned intercourse with 

 their wives. The Southern Indians are less scrupulous on those 

 occasions ; for among them it is not at all uncommon for one 

 brother to make free with another brother's wife or daughter ;* 

 but this is held in abhorrence by the Northern Indians. 



[131] By the time the Indians had killed as many deer as 1771. 

 they thought would be sufficient for the support of the women ^' 

 during our absence, it was the first of July ; and during this ist. 

 time I had two good observations, both by meridional and 

 double altitudes ; the mean of which determined the latitude 

 of Congecathawhachaga ^ to be 68° 46' North ; and its longi- 



"^ Most of the Southern Indians, as well as the Athapuscow and Neheaway 

 tribes, are entirely without scruple in this respect. It is notoriously known, 

 that many of them cohabit occasionally with their own mothers, and frequently 

 espouse their sisters and daughters. I have known several of them who, after 

 having lived in that state for some time with their daughters, have given them 

 to their sons, and all parties been perfectly reconciled to it. 



In fact, notwithstanding the severity of the climate, the licentiousness of 

 the inhabitants cannot be exceeded by any of the Eastern nations, whose 

 luxurious manner of life, and genial clime, seem more adapted to excite extra- 

 ordinary passions, than the severe cold of the frigid Zone. 



It is true, that few of those who live under the immediate protection of the 

 English ever take either their sisters or daughters for wives, which is probably 

 owing to the fear of incurring their displeasure ; but it is well known that acts 

 of incest too often take place among them, though perhaps not so frequently as 

 among the foreign Indians. 



\} As seen on page 153, the latitude given for this place is 2° 32' too far north. 

 Almost any quadrant, however bad, would permit of taking an observation closer 

 than this ; but as the error is approximately two and a half degrees, his mistake 

 in observing the double altitude would be five degrees, and if he took an 

 observation at all it is possible that this error was in making the calculations 

 or in transcribing, rather than in taking, the observation.] 



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