306 
BULLETIN OF TIIE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
Champlain in his “Voyages” (Vol. II., pp. 83-84) narrates the 
following incident which occurred at Nausett Harbor, Mass. : “ On 
the 23rd of July (1605) four or five sailors having gone on shore with 
some kettles to get fresh water * * * some savages coveting 
them, watched the time when our men went to the spring and then 
seized one out of the hand of the sailor,” with the result that the ket- 
tle was lost and the sailor slain. 
These kettles have been found in many parts of Canada and are 
generally made of copper or brass. 
Three of these kettles were found in 1879 at Tabusintac interred 
with human remains. Dr. A. C. Smith brought the discovery before 
the Society and an account of the find was published.* In this con- 
nection it may be of interest to quote what Champlain says in his 
Voyages (Vol. II., pp. 191-192) about burial customs of the Indians 
at Quebec : “ When a man or woman dies, they dig a pit in which 
they put all their property, as kettles, furs, axes, bows, arrows, robes 
and other things.. Then they place the body in the pit and cover it 
with earth.” In 1899, Dr. A. C. Smith sent to the Society an 
account of the finding of some graves of the early French period at 
Wilson’s Point, Shippegan. Here stood an old French fort, now 
washed away, which has been described by Prof. W. F. Ganongt and 
is marked on his map as “ Denys’ Fort 
The following is an extract from a letter by Dr. Smith to the 
Society, dated at Tracadie, Sept. 19, 1899 : “ Four circular depressions 
in the ground, about 100 feet from the shore, were noticed by two 
men who happened to pass through the woods. In one hole they 
found the copper kettle which I will forward in a few days. In the 
kettle they found the skull, arm bones and ribs, but the bones of the 
lower extremities were outside of the pot. Over the mouth of the 
vessel was the skin of some animal, and over the skin birch bark. 
I saw the circular skin covering, but it was too sodden to bring away. 
In the other holes were found pots, axes, a sword, knives, a harpoon, 
and a pair of bracelets. In a small pot were some beads.” 
In a letter written some days later he adds : 
“ The round holes were four in number ; about three feet in 
diameter and about four feet apart. Clearly they were graves ; and 
• Bulletin V., pp. 14-19, 1886. 
t Proceedings Royal Soc. Canada, Vol, V. (Sec. series) Sec 11, pp. 297-299, 1899, 
