116 LEGENDS AND TRADITIONS 



I believe as the year 1830. A few years after this surrender many of 

 them commenced to emigrate to and reoccupy Manitoulin Island. 

 Why they have preferred going to this place I shall endeavour to 

 explain in a subsequent paper, when I have occasion to speak about 

 the name of that Island. 



Before proceeding with my subject, I feel bound to solicit the read- 

 ers' kind forbearance for the many faults which will naturally arise, in 

 the course of these statements, from my imperfect acquaintance v^dth 

 the English language. 



With such knowledge as education has placed within my reach I 

 have been tempted, at times, to indulge in speculations relative to the 

 origin of our own portion of the human race spread over the face of 

 this western world; and who were found in possession of its boimd- 

 less forests on its discovery by men from the other side of the Atlantic 

 more than three hundred years ago. But, omitting much which I had 

 designed to say, I may be permitted to remark, that wandering Asiatic 

 tribes crossing to the north-east of the old continent would at length 

 reach the sea at Behring straits. Having reached East Cape, they 

 could have no great difficulty in going over to the opposite shores ; 

 the channel which runs between that part of Asia and America being 

 only about forty miles wide, and, vdth the exception of the accumula- 

 tion of ice, or ice mountains sailing through it occasionally, I believe 

 the dangers to be met with are not greater than those to be encount- 

 ered in other similar bodies of water. Besides, I believe, there are 

 geological proofs of ^iolent earthquakes having altered the features of 

 particular localities, the encroachments of the sea upon tracts of land, 

 elevations of islands, &c. ; it is not therefore altogether improbable 

 that x\sia and America were once contiguous. But a necessary pur- 

 pose having been accom.plished, a convulsion of nature, in course of 

 time, might have torn and sunk the land which held the two continents 

 together, and which had served as a bridge for the vast multitude of 

 human beings who came to people this portion of the Globe, as Vveli 

 as for the innumerable quadrupeds which must have continued for 

 year and years to invade the boundless tracts of the western hemis- 

 phere after the general deluge. Permit me further to remark that it 

 would appear from the map of the world, besides minor ones, there 

 were originally three most remarkable chains, if I may so speak, 

 which united and held fast the grand divisions of the earth, two of 

 which are still in existence, namely, the Isthmus of Panama, the Isth- 

 mus of Suez, and another across Behring Straits, which, it would 



