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feldom make war, and do not place their glory ift 

 deftroying their fellow creatures. What diftin- 

 guifhes them more particularly is the form of their v 

 government, which is entirely defpotic ; the great 

 depend a nee in the fubjecf., which reaches even to 

 a fort of flavery •, a greater degree of haughtinefs 

 and grandeur in their chiefs, and a pacific fpirit 9 

 from which however, for fome years pad, they 

 have deviated a little. 



The HuFons believe, as' well as they, their 

 chiefs defcended from the fun, but there are none 

 of them -who will be his flave, and follow him to 

 the other world to have the honour of ierving him 

 there, as frequently happens among the Natchez. 

 GarcilaiTo de la Vega fpeaks of this nation as a very 

 powerful people, and it is not quite fix years fince 

 that they reckoned four thoufand warriours amongft 

 them, it appears that they were frill more nume- 

 rous In the time of M. cle la Sale, and even when 

 M. d'Iberville difcovered the mouth of the Miffi- 

 ffippi, whereas at prefent they cannot fend two 

 thoufand fighting men into the field. This decreafe 

 of their numbers is attributed to contagious diftem- 

 pers, which for fome year's paft have made great 

 havock amongft them. 



The grand chief of the Natchez bears the name 

 of Sun, and, as among the Hurons, the fon of 

 his . neareft female relations always fucceeds him. 

 This perfon has the quality of woman-chief, and 

 great honours are paid her, tho 9 fhe feldom meddles 

 in affairs of government. She has, as well as the 

 chief himfelf, the power of life and death, and it 

 is an ufual thing for them to order their guards, 

 whom they call jfflouez, to difpatch any one who 

 has the misfortune to be obnoxious to either. 



Go 



