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nation ; now the honour of fpeaking in the name 

 of the whole is generally given to fome Huron 

 when any of them happens to be of the council. 

 The firft view of thefe affemblies gives you no 

 great idea of the body ; imagine to yourfclf ma- 

 dam, half a fcore favages almoft ftark naked with 

 their hair difpofed in as many different manners 

 as their are different perfons in the affembly, and 

 all of them equally ridiculous ; fome with laced 

 hats, all with pipes in their mouths and with the 

 moft unthinking faces. It is befides a rare thing to 

 hear any one utter fb much as a fingle word in a 

 quarter of an hour, or to hear any anfwer made 

 even in a monofyllable ; not the lead mark of di- 

 ftinction, nor any relpecf paid to any perfon what- 

 foever. We fhouid however be apt to change our 

 opinion of them upon hearing the refult of their 

 deliberations. 



The bufinefs in debate on this occafion, related 

 -to two points which the governor general had 

 very much at heart ; the firft was to perfuade the 

 three villages fettled at the Narrows, to agree that 

 no more brandy mould be fold them, which 

 had been exprefly prohibited by the council of 

 the marine. The fecond was to engage a i the 

 nations to unite with the French, to deftroy the 

 Outagamies, commonly called Foxes, who had 

 been favoured with an indemnity fome years before, 

 and who had begun their robberies anew. Monfieur 

 de Tonti firft caufed to be repeated to them by 

 his interpreters in a few words, what he explained 

 more at large in the firft affcmbly, when the Hu- 

 ron orator made anfwer in the name of the three 

 villages he made no exordium but came at once 

 to the point, he fpoke a great while and with 

 much gravity, paufing at each article to give time 



to 



