1853.] 



CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



161 



to shew they had discovered an Indian burial-place. Nothing 

 possibly could have been more happily chosen for sepulture than 

 the spot in question, situated on a projecting point of land directly 

 in rear of their encampment, at a carrying place, and about half 

 a mile below the mighty cataract of the Chaudiere ; it at once 

 demonstrated a fact handed down to us by tradition, that the 

 aborigines were in the habit, when they could, of burying their 

 dead near running waters. The sand where these remains were 

 discovered is of the veiy purest description, forming a superstratum 

 of many feet thickness at its upper part, and gradually ending in 

 a feathery edge over the fossiliferous hmestone which constitutes 

 the bed of the ri\'er. The very oldest settlers, including the 

 Patriarch of the Ottawa, the late Philemon Wright, and who had 

 located near by some thirty years before, had never heard of this 

 being a burial-place, although Indians existed in considerable 

 numbers about the locality when he dwelt in the forest ; added 

 to this, the fact of a huge pine tree growing directly over one of 

 the graves, was conclusive evidence of its being used as a place of 

 sepulture long ere the white man in his progressive march had 

 desolated the hearths of the untutored savage. The best portion 

 of two whole days was spent by me at the diggings, and the 

 fruits of my research were as follows : — One very lai-ge, appa- 

 rently common grave, containing the vestiges of about twenty 

 bodies, of various ages, a goodly share of them being children, 

 together with portions of the remains of two dogs heads ; the 

 confused state in which the bones were found, shewed that no 

 care whatever had been taken in burying the original owners ; 

 and a question presented itself, as to whether they might not 

 have all been thrown indiscriminately in one pit at the same time, 

 having fallen victims to some epidemic, or beneath the hands of 

 some other hostile tribe ; nothing however, could be detected on 

 the skulls, to indicate that they fell by the tomahawk, but save 

 sundry long bones, a few pelvi, and six perfect skulls, the remain- 

 der crumbled into dust on exposure to the air. In every instance 

 the bones were deeply coloured from the Red Hematite which 

 the aborigines used in painting, or rather bedaubing their bodies, 

 falling in the form of a deposit on them when the flesh had 

 become corrupted. This material appears to have been very 

 avishly applied from the fact of the sand which filled the crania 

 being entirely coloured by it. A few implements and weapons 

 of the very rudest description were discovered, to wit : — 1st, a 

 piece of Gneiss about two feet long, tapering, and evidently in- 

 tended as a sort of war ckib ; it is in size and shape not unlike 

 a policeman's staft". 2nd, a stone gouge, very rudely constructed 

 of fossiliferous limestone, it is about ten inches long, and contains 

 a fossil leptena on one of its edges ; it w;is used, as I lately 

 learned from an Iroquois Chief, for skinning the Beavei-. 3rd, 

 a stone hatchet of the same material. 4th, a sandstone boulder 

 weighing about four pounds ; it was found lying on the sternum 

 of a Chief of gigantic stature, who was buried apart from the 

 others, and who had been walled round with great care. The 

 boulder in question is completel}' circular, and much in the shape 

 of a large ship biscuit befoi'e it is stamped or placed in the oven ; 

 its use was, after being sewed in a skin bag, to serve as a corselet, 

 and protect the wearer againsjt the arrows of an advei'sary. In 

 every instance the teeth were perfect, and not one unsound one 

 v/as to be detected, at the same time they were all well worn 

 down by trituration, it being a well-known fact that in Council 

 the Indians are in the habit of using their lower jaw like a 

 ruminating animal, which fully accounts for the peculiarity. 

 There were no arrow heads or other weapons discovered. 



Canadian Insiitute. 



At the Sixth Ordinary Meeting of the Canadian Institute, on 

 Saturday, January 22nd, the following gentlemen were duly 

 elected members of the Institute : 



Christopher Robinson Toronto, 



W. A. Baldwin Toronto, 



F. Perkins « 



J. G. Howard « 



A. W. Simpson, ) t • ■»»■ i. « 



n Tj AT ' V Junior Membere... " 



G. H. Murrray, J 



Professor Hind read a paper on the Geology of Toronto, 

 illustrated by numerous specimens of fossils collected in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of the city. 



It was moved by Col. O'Brien, and seconded by Dr. Badgley 

 and resolved : 



" That the Council be recommended to take into their con- 

 sideration the desirabilit)'^, if not the necessity of obtaining a 

 building not only fit for the requirement of the Institution as to 

 its meetings, but also to the safe deposit of its specimens, and 

 also to take such steps towards obtaining means as they may 

 consider desirable." 



SEVENTH ORDINARY MEETING, JANUARY 29tH 



The following gentlemen were duly elected members of the 

 Institute : 



Peter McGill McCutcheon Toronto. 



Maurice Baldwin, Junior Member , " 



Professor Croft signified his intention of presenting to the 

 Institute a vaiiety of Oniithological and Mineralogical specimens, 

 as soon as proper cases were provided for their reception. 



It was then moved by Professor Croft, and seconded by Prof. 

 Cherriman, and resolved : 



" That a Private Subscription be entered into by the members 

 of this Institute, for the purpose of purchasing Glass Cases and 

 other conveniences for the Museum. 



The sum of £6 10s. was immediately subscribed by the 

 members present. 



Professor Cherriman read a paper on " Decimal Currency," 

 which he was requested to pubhsh in the Canadian Journal. 



EIGHTH ORDINARY MEETING, FEBRUARY 5tH. 



The following gentlemen were duly elected members of the 

 Institute : 



James Reekie, C. E Quebec. 



Hon. W. B. Richards 



Samuel Stratford, M.D Toronto. 



J. G. Valentine, C.E Niao-ara. 



E. Gainsborough Widnall, Junior Member .Toronto, 



Lewis Moffatt " 



J. G. Worts « 



H. P. Savigny, P. L. S... ..Barrie. 



The President of the Institute read a paper on the " Windrose 

 of Toronto." 



ninth ORDINARY MEETING, FEBRUARY 12tH, 



The following gentlemen were duly elected members of the 

 Institute : 



John Arnold Toronto. 



Henry Moyle Bi-adford. 



William Sladden Toronto. 



John Perram Tecumseth. 



Donations by the President were then announced, of a Robe 

 made from the skin of a White Camboo, from the bairen groundf, 



