■ ' ( »48 ) 

 have been ftrangled, in order to render the god of 

 the waters propitious. In honour of the fun, and 

 fometimes even of inferior fpirits, they throw into 

 the fire all forts of ufeful things, and fuch as they 

 believe they owe to them. This is fometimes done 

 out of gratitude, but oftner from interested views, 

 thefe people not being fufceptible of any fentiments 

 of affection towards their divinities. They ob- 

 ferve aifo on fome occafions a fort of libations, 

 and all this accompanied with invocations, wrapt up 

 in myllerious terms, which they have never been 

 able to explain to Europeans, whether it be that 

 thefe at bottom have no fignification at all, or 

 that the fenfe has been loft* whilft the words by 

 which the tradition has been tranfmitted have 

 been preferved ; and perhaps too, they may be 

 willing to make a myftery of it. We alfo meet 

 with collars of porcelain, tobacco, maize, peafe, 

 and whole animals, efpecially dogs, on the fides 

 of difficult or dangerous roads on rocks, or near 

 cataracts, which are fo many offerings to the genii 

 who pre fide in thefe places. I formerly faid that 

 the dog was the victim moft commonly offered to 

 them ; thefe are hung up, and even fometimes 

 alive by the hind feet, and fuffered to die mad. 

 The war feaft, which always confifls of dogs, 

 may alfo pafs for a facrifice. Laflly, they render 

 nearly the fame honours to the evil genii as to 

 thofe which pafs for propitious, when they have 

 any reafon to dread their malice. W 



Thus Madam, amongft nations who were pre- 

 tended to have no idea of religion or of a deity, 

 every thing on the contrary appears to be an ob- 

 ject of religious worfhip, or leaft to have fome re- 

 lation to ic. Some have imagined that their faffs 

 had no other end, than to accuftom them to fup- 



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