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are the common fuBjects of converfation with us, as 

 they neither cultivated the arts, except fuch as were 

 necefTary to them, and which were reduced to a 

 very fmall number ; nor any fcience, minding only 

 fuch things as were within the reach of their capa- 

 city, and having no knowledge or defire of fuper- 

 fluities, nor any manner of luxury or refinement % 

 when we had occalion to fpeak of all thefe topicks 

 to them, there was found a prodigious void in their 

 language, and it became necefTary, in order to be 

 underftood by them, to make ufe of troublefome 

 and perplexing circumlocutions to both them and us. 

 So that after learning their language, we were un- 

 der a neceflity to teach them a new one partly compof- 

 ed of their own terms, &nd partly of ours, in order to 

 facilitate the pronounciation of it. As to letters or 

 characters they had none, and they fupplied this 

 want by a fort of hieroglyphicks. Nothing con- 

 founded them more than to fee us exprefs our- 

 felves in writing with the fame eafe as by word of 

 mouth. 



If any one mould aflc me how 1 came to know 

 that the Sioux, Huron and Algonkin languages are 

 mother tongues rather than fome others, which we 

 look upon as dialects of thefe, I anfwer that it is 

 impoffible to be miftaken , in this point, and I afk 

 no other Proof of it than the words of Monf. PAbbe 

 Dubos, which I have already cited : but laftly, as 

 we cannot judge in this cafe but by comparifon, if 

 by fuch reflections we are able to determine that all 

 the languages of Canada are derived from thefe 

 three already mentioned, I will acknowledge they 

 do not amount to an abfolute proof of their being 

 primitive, and as old as the firft inftitution or inven- 

 tion of languages. I add, that all thefe nations have 



