54 THE DISCOVERY OF BURLINGTON BAY. 



ages, together with many curious articles, such as some 30 copper 

 and brass kettles, varying in size from 3 to 26 inches in diameter, 

 containing in one case two skeletons ; in another a small bronze 

 spoon, in several others the dust of a wooden spoon, and traces of 

 food. Also 8 or 10 large tropical shells, brought probably from the 

 coast of Florida, and evidently used in the manufacture of antique 

 shell beads or wampum. 



Many hundreds of these shell beads were also obtained, together 

 with beads made from porcelain, glass, stone, baked clay, obsidian, 

 shale, etc., some round, others square, others oblong, and several 

 inches in length, of all sizes imaginable. With these were found 

 antique pipes of stone and clay, many of them bearing extraordinary 

 devices, figures of animals, and of human heads wearing the conical 

 cap, noticed on similar relics found in Mexico and Peru. 



There were also found the remainder of several axes of the old 

 French pattern ; specimens of Indian pottery in the shape of vases 

 or pots, made of coarse sand and clay, well baked and constructed 

 evidently with the view of being suspended over a fire. Two very 

 handsome ones were obtained entire. In portions of the pits, skele- 

 tons were found entire or nearly so, and placed somewhat regularly, 

 not only side by side but in layers upon each other ; but in other 

 parts all the small bones appeared to be wanting, and skulls and large 

 bones mingled in the greatest possible confusion. 



It seems quite clear that these pits were places of ancient Indian 

 sepulture, and that on this spot were celebrated one or more of these 

 ceremonies called "Feasts of the Dead," which the Huron and other 

 Indian tribes were in the habit of performing once in ten or twelve 

 years. One of these feasts was witnessed by Father Brebeuff, a 

 Jesuit missionary, in the year 1636 at the Indian town of Ossossane, 

 a little east of Collingwood. He describes it in the following lan- 

 guage : "At each village the corpses were lowered from their 

 scaffolds and raised from their graves. Their coverings were removed 

 and the hideous relics arranged in a row surrounded by the weeping, 

 shrieking, howling concourse. Thus were gathered all the village 

 dead for the last 10 or 12 years. Each family reclaimed its own, and 

 immediately addressed itself to removing what remained of flesh from 

 the bones. These were wrapped in skins, and, together with the 

 recent corpses — which were allowed to remain entire, but which were 



