dition, and I think one of the finest women, of a real Indian, that I have feen in any part of North America.

"The methods practifed by this poor creature to procure a livelihood were truly admirable, and are great proofs that neceffity is the real mother of invention. When the few deer-finews that fhe had an opportunity of taking with her were all expended in making fnares, and fewing her clothing, fhe had nothing to fupply their place but the finews of the rabbits legs and feet; thefe fhe twitted together for that purpose with great dexterity and fuccefs. The rabbits, &c. which the caught in thofe fnares, not only furnished her with a comfortable fufiftence, but of the skins she made a fuit of neat and warm clothing for the Winter. It is fcarcely poffible to conceive that a perfon in her forlorn fituation could be fo compofed as to be capable of contriving or executing any thing that was not abfolutely neceffary to her existence; but there were fufficient proofs that she had extended her care much farther, as all her clothing, befide being calculated for real service, fhewed great taste, and exhibited no litle variety of ornament. The materials, though rude, were very curiously wrought, and fo judiciously placed, as to make the whole of her garb have a very pleafing, though rather romantic appearance.

"Her leifure hours from hunting had been employed in twisting the inner rind or bark of willows into fmail lines, like net-twine, of which he had fome hundred fathoms by her; with this fhe intended to make a fishing-net as foon as the Spring advanced. It is of the inner bark of willows, twitted in this manner, that the Dog-ribbed Indians make their fishing-net; and they are much preferable to those made by the Northern Indians.

"Five or fix inches of an iron hoop, made into a knife, and the thank of an arrow-head of iron, which ferved her as an awl, were all the metals this poor woman had with her when the eloped; and with thefe implements the had made herfeif complete flow-fhoes, and feveral other useful articles.

"Her method of making a fire was equally fingular and curious, having no other materials for that purpofe than two hard fulphurous ftones. Thefe, by long friction and hard knocking, produced a few fparks, which at length communicated to fome touchwood; but as this method was attended with great trouble, and not always with fuccefs, the did not fuffer her fire to go out all the Winter. Hence we may conclude that fhe had no idea of producing fire by friction, in the manner practifed by the Efquimaux, and many other uncivilized nations; because if the had, the above-mentioned precaution would have been unneceffary.

"The fingularity of the circumftance, the comeliness of her perfon, and her approved accomplishments, occafioned a strong conteft between feveral of the Indians of my party, who fhould have her for a wife; and the poor girl was actually won and loft at wrestling by near half a score different men the fame evening. My guide, Matonabbee, who at that time had no lefs than feven wives, all women grown, befides a young girl of eleven or twelve years old, would have put in for the prize alfo, had not one of his wives made him alhamed of it, by telling him that he had already more wives than he

could

could properly attend. This piece of fatire, however true, proved fatal to the poor girl who dared to make fo open a declaration; for the great man, Matonabbee, who would willingly have been thought equal to eight or ten men in every respect, took it as fuch an affront, that he fell on her with both hands and feet, and bruised her to such a degree, that, after lingering fome time, fhe died.

"When the Athapufcow Indians took the above Dog-ribbed Indian woman prifoner, they, according to the univerfal cuftom of thofe favages, furprised her and her party in the night, and killed every foul in the tent, except herself and three other young women. Among those whom they killed, were her father, mother, and hufband. Her young child, four or five months old, fhe concealed in a bundle of clothing, and took with her undifcovered in the night; but when she arrived at the place where the Athapufcow Indians had left their wives (which was not far diftant) they began to examine her bundle, and finding the child, one of the women took it from her and killed it on the fpot.

"This laft piece of barbarity gave her fuch a difguft to those Indians, that notwithstanding the man who took care of her treated her in every respect as his wife, and was, the faid, remarkably kind to, and even fond of her; fo far was fhe from being able to reconcile herself to any of the tribe, that the rather chofe to expofe herself to mifery and want, than live in eafe and affluence among perfons who had fo cruelly murdered her infant. The poor woman's relation of this fhocking ftory, which the delivered in a very affecting manner, only excited laughter among the favages of my party." P. 262.

The last chapter is particularly occupied with the defcription of the perfons, tempers, manners, &c. of the northern Indians; and from this we fhould be glad to make larger extracts, if we could do fo with convenience. Among the more curious incidents which mark the domeftic lives of these favages, this which follows is not the leaft remarkable.

"Divorces are pretty common among the Northern Indians; fometimes for incontinency, but more frequently for want of what they deem neceffary accomplishments, or for bad behaviour. This ceremony, in either cafe, confifts of neither more nor less than a good drubbing, and turning the woman out of doors; telling her to go to her paramour, or relations, according to the nature of her crime.

Providence is very kind in caufing thefe people to be less prolific than the inhabitants of civilized nations; it is very uncommon to fee one woman have more than five or fix children; and these are always born at fuch a distance from one another, that the youngest is generally two or three years old before another is brought into the world. Their eafy births, and the ceremonies which take place on thofe occafions, have already been mentioned; I fhall, therefore, only obferve here, that they make no ufe of cradles, like the Southern Indians, but only tie a lump of mofs between their legs; and always carry their children at their backs, next the skin, till they are able to walk. Though their method of treating young children is in this

refpect

refpect the most uncouth and awkward I ever faw, there are few among them that can be called deformed, and not one in fifty who is not bow-legged.

There are certain periods at which they never permit the women to abide in the fame tent with their hufbands. At fuch times they are obliged to make a fmall hovel for themselves at fome distance from the other tents. As this is an univerfal custom among all the tribes, it is also a piece of policy with the women, upon any difference with their husbands, to make that an excufe for a temporary feparation, when, without any ceremony, they creep out (as is their ufual cuftom on those occafions) under the eves of that fide of the tent at which they happen to be fitting; for at thofe times they are not permitted to go in or out through the door. This cuftom is fo generally prevalent among the women, that I have frequently known some of the fulky dames leave their husbands and tent for four or five days at a time, and repeat the farce twice or thrice in a month, while the poor men have never fuspected the deceit, or if they have, delicacy on their part has not permitted them to enquire into the matter. I have known Matonabbee's handsome wife, who eloped from him in May, one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-one, live thun-nardy, as they call it (that is, alone,) for several weeks together, under this pretence; but as a proof he had fome fufpicion, fhe was always carefully watched, to prevent her from giving her company to any other man. The Southern Indians are alfo very delicate in this point; for though they do not force their wives to build a feparate tent, they never lie under the fame clothes during this period. It is, however, equally true, that the young girls, when thofe fymptoms make their first appearance, generally go a little diftance from the other tents for four or five days, and at their return wear a kind of veil or curtain, made of beads, for fome time after, as a mark of modesty ; as they are then confidered marriageable, and of course are called women, though fome at thofe periods are not more than thirteen, while others at the age of fifteen or fixteen have been reckoned as children, though apparently arrived at nearly their full growth.

"On thofe occafions a remarkable piece of fuperftition prevails among them; women in this fituation are never permitted to walk on the ice of rivers or lakes, or near the part where the men are hunting beaver, or where a fifhing-net is fet, for fear of averting their fuccefs. They are alfo prohibited at thofe times from partaking of the head of any animal, and even from walking in, or crolling the track where the head of a deer, moofe, beaver, and many other animals, have lately been carried, either on a fledge or on the back. To be guilty of a violation of this cuftom is confidered as of the greatest importance; because they firmly believe that it would be a means of preventing the hunter from having an equal fuccefs in his future excurfions." P. 312.

The volume concludes with an account of the quadrupeds, fifh, birds, and vegetable productions found in the northern parts of Hudson's Bay; and here the author acknowledges bimfelf much indebted to Mr. Pennant's Arctic Zoology;

but

but he greatly regrets the lofs of a vocabulary of fixteen folio pages of the Northern Indian languages, which his memory does not enable him to replace. A chart of Mr. Hearne's tracks accompanies the work. But we think the whole publifhed on too large and extensive a scale; which at the fame time that it puts it beyond the reach of common readers, is not compenfated either by the importance of the publication itfelf, or the difcoveries and information it profeffes to communicate. We cannot conclude, without intimating to the public, that Mr. Hearne's opinion against a north-west paffage is decided. "As to a paffage through the continent of America, by the way of Hudfon's Bay, notwithstanding what Mr. Ellis has urged in its favour, and the place it has found in the vifionary map of the American traveller, my latitude only, fays Mr. H. will be a fufficient proof that no fuch paffage is in

existence."

ART. X. Dr. Morgan's Investigation of the Trinity of Plato, &c.

HA

(Concluded from our laft, Page 617.)

AVING now difmiffed this author's account of Plato, and found it very erroneous, we come to his account of Philo. This writer has been much more believed than Plato, by the world of Christian scholars, to speak of the Son as the Logos of God. But Dr. Morgan undertakes now to prove, that Philo does not speak of him at all. He thus engages in a task "fit for Hercules;" it being the peculiar character of his work, to find greater difficulty as he preffes more forward, and to encounter the common fenfe of learning more directly than ever. But, unhappily for himfelf, the club is fo unfkilfully wielded by our Hercules, that he overthrows himself with it.

"A trinity of perfons in the divine nature," fays the Doctor, in p. 161, "was the genuine doctrine of the primitive Chriftian church. How much foever the early writers of the church differ, in their method of explaining the nature of the three divine perfons, and their relation to each other; they are in a manner unanimous, in their profeffion of the general doctrine."

Dr. M. believes therefore the Fathers to be, what every man who can read muft equally believe them, “almost unanimous” profeffors of the general doctrine of the Trinity. Yet, in p. 109, he propofes to prove the following point. own words, that we may not injure him.

We cite his

"We faw," he tells us, "that Philo, by an allegorical mode of interpretation, explained the things, perfons, and tranfactions, recorded in the Old Teftament; to fignify moral and intellectual qualities and operations. The fathers of the Christian church proceeded farther, and again converted thofe qualities and operations, with the fuppofed emblematic things, perfons, and tranfactions, into other perfons and tranfactions under the Gofpel covenant."

He inftances this immediately, by citing paffages relative to the Logos, the Chrift, and the fon of God. Yet, from that conduct in Philo, he denies him to have meant any Son or Logos of God; while, with the fame conduct in the Fathers, he allows them to mean, to affert, to profefs both. This is a most astonishing contradiction, and annihilates the very life of his reasonings.

Dr. Morgan maintains, in p. 161, "that a Trinity of perfons in the Divine Nature was the peculiar doctrine of the primitive Christian church." But I do not mean," he afferts, in p. 67, "to determine any thing about the doctrine of the Jews relative to the Divine Nature, in the time of Philo." Yet he profeffedly fets himself to prove, that Philo, who was certainly a Jew, and certainly lived in the time of Phil," fays nothing concerning this "doctrine of the primitive Chriftian church." This is plainly contradictory. "Leaft of all would I have it fuppofed," adds the doctor, in the same strain of contradiction, "that I mean to deny, that many pallages of the Old Testament refer to the fecond perfon of the everbleffed Trinity.' The wording of this paffage is remarkable, not that he does not mean to deny, but that he would not have it "Supposed" he "means to deny." Yet he who maintains the doctrine of the Trinity to be peculiar to the primitive church. of the Chriftians, muft mean to determine decifively, that the doctrines of the Jews relative to the divine nature, in the time of Philo, did not admit a plurality of perfons in this nature; and muft mean to deny, that many, or that any, paffages of the Old Teftament, refer to the fecond perfon in the ever-bleffed Trinity. The understanding of the writer is here certainly in a very ftrange perplexity. This may refult from a mind confused and loft, amid the fantaftical imaginations of Philo and of Plato, and not holding faft by any certain clue through all its windings. Or it may refult from the fear of fpeaking out; a fear that very naturally operated at the beginning, and was as naturally not felt in the warmth of difputation towards the clofe. Either way, the contradiction is apparent, and the effect of the author's argumentation is annihilated a fecond time.

Dr.