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fome meafure for a guarantee of their mutual en- 

 gagements •, for they never fail to blow the fmoke 

 towards that luminary •, but that from this practice, 

 and from the ordinary ufe of the calumet, we ought 

 to infer as fome have done, that this pipe might 

 originally be the Caduceus of Mercury, appears to 

 me by fo much the lefs probable, as the Caduceus 

 had no manner of relation to the Sun, and as no- 

 thing is to be found in the traditions of the Indians, 

 by which we can imagine they had ever the lead 

 acquaintance with the Grecian Mythology. It 

 would, in my opinion, be much more natural to 

 fuppofe, that thefe people, informed by experience 

 that the fmoke of their tobacco diffipated the va- 

 pours of the brain, made their heads clearer, raifed 

 their fpirits, and put them into a better condition 

 for managing affairs, have for that reafon intro-* 

 duced it into their councils, where, indeed, they 

 have the pipe continually in their mouths, and that 

 after having maturely deliberated and taken their 

 refolutions, they imagined they could not find a 

 more proper fymbol for affixing a feal to what had 

 been agreed upon, nor a pledge more capable of fe- 

 curing its execution, than the inurnment which had 

 had fo much Ilia re in their deliberations. Perhaps, 

 Madam, you may think it more fimple, ftill to 

 fey, that thefe people imagined nothing could be a 

 more natural fign of a (trier, union, than fmoking 

 out of the fame pipe, efpecially, if the fmoke be 

 offered to a Divinity, who fets the feal of religion 

 upon it. To fmoke then out of the fame pipe, in 

 fign of alliance, is the fame thing as to drink out of 

 the fame cup, as has been at all times the practice 

 among feveral nations. Such cuftoms as thefe are 

 too natural an offspring of the human mind, for us 

 to feek for myfteries in them. 



The 



