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an old man does the office of a prieft on the.fefti- 

 vals I have been juft mentioning, that he begins 

 by returning thanks to the genii for the fuccefs of 

 the hunting, and that afterwards another perfon 

 takes a roil of tobacco, breaks it in two and throws 

 it into the fire. What is certain is, that thofe who 

 have cited them as a proof of the poMibility of 

 atheifm, properly fo called, were not acquainted 

 with them. It is true they never difcourfe about 

 religion, and that their extreme indolence and in- 

 difference on this pont, has always been the great- 

 eft obftacle to their converfion to Chriftianity, but 4 

 the fmalleft acquaintance with them is fufficient to 

 confute thofe, who fay they have no idea of a 

 deity. Indolence is their predominant paflion -> it 

 even appears in their moil important affairs, but 

 in fpite of this defect, and even in fpite of that 

 fpirit of independance in which they are brought 

 up, there is no nation in the world who pay a 

 more flavifli refpect to the Deity, of whom their 

 ideas are very confuted, fo that they never attribute 

 any thing to chance, and derive an omen from 

 every thing that happens, which is according to 

 them, as I have already remarked, a declaration 

 of the will of heaven. 



I have read in fome memoirs, that among feve- 

 ral nations on this continent, there were formerly 

 young women who lived feparate from all com- 

 merce with men, and who never married. I am 

 neither able to vouch nor contradict this affertion. 

 Virginity is in itfelf fo perfect a ftate, that we 

 ought not to be furprized it fhould have been re- 

 fpected in all countries in the world ; but our mod: 

 ancient miffionaries never make mention, at lead 

 as far as I know of thefe veftals, though feveral 

 of them agree in the e fie em in which celibacy was 

 L 4 v held 



