THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
333 
particular, are fo neatly made, that I am doubtful whether 1778. 
the Indians are capable of fabricating them. The materials ,_ ApnL . 
certainly are European; as no American tribes have been 
found, who knew the method of making brafs ; though 
copper has been commonly met with, and, from its foft- 
nefs, might be fafhioned into any ffiape, and alfo polifhed. 
If our traders to Hudfon’s Bay and Canada do not ufe fuch 
articles in their traffic with the natives, they muft have 
been introduced at Nootka from the quarter of Mexico, 
from whence, no doubt, the two Elver table-fpoons, met 
with here, were originally derived. It is moft probable, 
however, that the Spaniards are not fuch eager traders, 
nor have formed fuch exteiffive connections with the 
tribes North of Mexico, as to fupply them with quantities 
of iron, from which they can fpare fo much to the people 
here 
Of the political and religious inftitutions eftabliffied 
amongft them, it cannot be fuppofed that we ffiould learn 
much. This we could obferve, that there are fuch men as 
Chiefs, who are diftinguiffied by the name or title of Ac- 
week, and to whom the others are, in fome meafure, fub- 
ordinate. But, I ffiould guefs, the authority of each of 
thefe great men extends no farther than the family to 
which he belongs, and who own him as their head. 
Thefe Acweeks were not always elderly men ; from which 
* Though the two filver table-fpoons, found at Nootka Sound, moft probably came 
from the Spaniards in the South, there feems to be fufficient grounds for believing that 
the regular fupply of iron comes from a different quarter. It is remarkable, that the 
Spaniards, in 1775, found at Puerto de la Trinidad , in latitude 41 0 7', arrows pointed 
with copper or iron , which they underjlood were procuredfrom the North. Mr. Daines Bar¬ 
rington, in a note at this part of the Spanifti Journal, p. 20. fays, “ I fhould conceive 
“ that the copper and iron, here mentioned, muft have originally been bartered at our 
w forts in Hudfon’s Bay.” 
I con- 
