314 An Hijîorlcal Journal of 



that twelve Men are kept to furnilh the Bark ; that there are Marmo- 

 fets of Wood, and a Figure of a Rattle-Snake likewife of Wood, 

 which they fet upon the Altar, and to which they pay great 

 Honours. That when the Chief dies, they bury him diredly ; 

 that when they judge his Flefti is confumed, the Keeper of the 

 Temple takes the Bones up, wafhes them clean, wraps them in 

 whatever they have moft valuable, and puts them in great Baf- 

 kets made of Canes, which fhut very cloîe ; that he covers thefe 

 Éafkets with Skins of Roe-Bucks very neatly, and places them 

 before the Altar, where they remain till the Death of the reigning 

 Chief ; that then he enclofes thefe Bones in the Altar itfelf, to 

 make Room for the laft dead. 



I can fay nothing on this laft Article, only that I faw feme 

 Bones in one or two Chefts, but they made not half a Human 

 Body ; that they appeared to be very old, and that they were , 

 not on the Table which they fay is the Altar. As to the other 

 Articles, ift. As I was in the Temple only by Day, I know not 

 what pafTes in it at Night. 2d. There was no Keeper in the 

 Temple when I vilited it. I very well faw, as I faid before, 

 that there were fome Marmofets, or grotefque Figures ; but I ob- 

 ferved no Figure of a Serpent. 



As to what I have feen in fome Relations, that this Temple 

 is hung with Tapeftry, and the Floor covered with Cane Mats ; 

 that they put in it whatever they have that is handfomeft, and 

 that they bring every Year hither the firft Fruits of their Harveft, 

 we muft certainly abate a great deal of all this. I never faw 

 any Thing more flovenly and dirty, nor more in Diforder. The 

 Billets burnt upon the bare Ground ; and I faw no Mats on it, 

 no more than on the Walls, M. le Noir^ who was v/ith me, 

 only told me that every Day they put a new Billet on the Fire, 

 and that at the Beginning of every Moon they made a Provilion 

 for the whole Month. But he knew this only by Report ; for 

 it was the firft Time he had feen this Temple, as well as myfelf. 



As to what regards the Nation of the Natchex in general, here 



Of the Nat' n ^^^^^^s what I could learn of it. We fee 

 cf ti "N^tch^ nothing in their outward Appearance that 

 V ^ ^ diftinguifhes them from the other Savages of 



Canada and Louijtana. They feldom make War, not placing 

 their Glory in deftroying Men. What diftinguifhes them more 

 particularly, is the Form of their Government, entirely defpo-. 

 tic ; a great Dependence, which extends even to a Kind of 

 Slavery, in the Subjects ; more Pride and Grandeur in the Chiefs, 

 and their pacific Spirit, which, hov/ever, they have not en- 

 tirely preferved for fome Years paft. 



The Hurons believe, as well as they, that their hereditary 

 Chiefs are dcfccnded from the Sun ; but there is not one that 



8 would 



