213 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA 
their habitations, similarly to the ears or brush 
of a fox, the scalps which they have them¬ 
selves tom from the heads of the Indians 
whom they.have shot; and in numberless'pub¬ 
lications in the United States, I have read ac¬ 
counts, of-their bavin g flayed the Indians, and 
.employed -their skins as they would have done 
those of a wild beast, for whatever purpose 
t)iey could be applied to. An Indian is con¬ 
sidered by them as nothing; better than a de¬ 
structive ravenous wild beast, without reason, 
without a soul, that ought to be hunted down 
like a wolf wherever it makes its appearance,; 
and indeed, even amongst the bettermost .sprt 
of the inhabitants of the western country, the 
most illiberal notions are entertained respecting 
these iiiifortuiiate people, and arguments for 
their banishment, or rather extirpation, are 
adopted, equally contrary to justice and to hu¬ 
manity. “ The Indians/' say they, Twho has 
I 
no idea, or at least is unwilling to apply him- 
self to agriculture, requires a thousand acres 
of land for the support of his family; an hun- 
died acres will be enough for one of us and 
•Tour children; why then should these hea- 
■ c tliens, who have no notion of arts arid ma- 
f<r nufactures, who never have made any im- 
,fC provement in science, and have never been 
fe the inventors of any thing new or useful to 
the human species, be suffered to encumber 
