zgS An Hijîorical yournal of^ 



firft of thofèj^e call the Great Bmr ; the three others, which 

 niake its Tatf, are, according to them, three Hunters, who pur- 

 fue the Bear ; and the littJe-Star that accompanies the middle 

 one, is the Kettle, which the fécond carries with him. The Sa- 

 vages of AcadiaZdXl this Conlleliation and the following, fimply 

 the Great and the Little Bear : But may we not judge, that when 

 they talked in this Manner to the Sieur Lefcarbot^ they only re- 

 peated what they had heard from feveral of the French ? 



The greatell Part of the Savages call the Pole Star, the Star 

 Howo the kno^ ^^^^ never moves. It is this that guides 

 the "^North n^hm ^^^"^ ^^^^^ Travels by Night, as the Sun 

 the SÂ is cloud ferves them for a Compafs in the Day. They 

 y « J« alfo other Marks to diftinguifh the 



North. They pretend to have obferved that the Tops of the 

 Trees always lean a little that Way, and that the inward Skin 

 of their Bark is alv/ays thicker on that Side : But they do not 

 trufl fo entirely to thefe Obfervations, as not to take other Pre- 

 cautions not to go wrong, and to find their Way back when they 

 return. 



As to what regards the Courfe of the Stars and Planets, the 

 Caufes of the Celeftial Phœnomenons, the Nature of Meteors, 

 and fuch-like Things, '^they are in all thefe Refpeds, as in 

 every Thing elfe that does not afFecl them fenfibly, in a moÀ 

 profound Ignorance, and a perfe£l Indifference. If an Eclipfe 

 happens, they imagine there is fome great Combat in the Heavens ; 

 and they Hioot many Arrows into the Air, to drive away the pre- 

 tended Enemies of the Sun and Moon. The Hurons, when the 

 Moon is eclipfed, fancy that fhe is fick ; and to recover her from 

 this Sicknefs, they make a great Noife, and accompany this 

 Noife with many Ceremonies and Prayers ; and they never fail 

 to fall upon the Dogs with Sticks and Stones, to fet them a 

 yelping, becaufôîhey believe the Mooi^ loves thefe Animals, 



Thefe Savages, and many others,* could never be brought to 

 believe that an Eclipfe is an indifferent Thing, and purely natu- 

 ral. They expe£l Good or Evil from it, according to the Place 

 of the Heavens where the Planet is darkened. Nothing fur- 

 prized them more, than to fee how exaélly the Mifiionaries fore- 

 told thefe Phœnomenons ; and they concluded that they mufl 

 alfo forefee their Confequences. 



Thefe People are not better acquainted with the Nature of 

 Thunder : Some take it for a Voice of a particular Species of 

 Men, who fly in the Air. Others fay, the Noife comes from 

 certain Birds, that are unknov/n to them. According to the 

 Montagnais, it is the Effort which a Genius makes to bring up a 

 Snake which he hath fvvallowed, and they found this Notion on 



z c^ferving. 



