The North-Carolina standard., 1845-11-19

sometimes NOW twice year. lsg.t.,. lrge sis :
For wild Beasts there is Deer, Bear Wolves.
Foxes, Racoons Ouers, MuSquashcs & Skunks
Wild fowl there isgreat store of as Turkies Heath
liens. 9uaiies' Partridges. Pidgeons, Cranes,
Geese OF several sorts Brants, Ducks Widgeons
Teal, & divers others: There is also the Red-Bird,
with divers sorts of singing birds, whose chirping
notes salute the ears of Travellers with an har-
monious dscord. And in every pond g. brook
green silken Frogs, who warbling forth their un-
tuneo tunes strive to bear part in this musick
n Towards the middle of Long Island Iyeth
plain sixteen miles long & four broad upon which
plain grows very fine grass that makes exceeding
good hay 8 is very good pasture for Sheep or
other Cattle: where you shall find neither stick
nor stone to hinder the horse heels or endangcr
them IN their Races, & once year the best hors-
es IN the Island are brought htber to try their
sw'iness, q the swlitest rewarded with silver
cup, two being annually procured forythat pur
pose. There arc two or three other small plains
OF about mile square which are no small benefit
TO those Towns which enjoy them.
Upon the South side of Long Island in the
winter, lie store Whales & Grampasses, which
the Inhabitants begin with small boats to make
trade Catching to them no small benefit Also
an innumerabe multitude of Seals which make
an excellent oyle: they lie all the Winter upon
some broken Marshes & Beaches, or bars of sand
aforementioned, & might be easily got were there
some skilful men could undertake it. rse
| To say something of the Indians, there is now
but few upon t5e Island & those few now WAYS
hurtful but rather serviceable to- the English, &
it is 70 be admired how strangely they have de-
Icreast by the Hand of God since the English first
settling of these parts; for since nav time when
there were six towns,r they are reduced to two
small villages, & i: has been generally observed
that where the English come 10 settle, a Divine
Hand makes way for them, by removing or cut
ting off TIE Indians, either by wars one with the
other, or by some raging mortal disease
They live principally by Hunting, Fowling &
Fishing: their Wives being the Husbandmen to
till the Land, & plant their corn. . . --ss5
The meat they live most upon is Fish, Fowl.
& Vcnison; they eat likewise Polecats, Skunks,
Racoon, Possum, TURTLES, & the like.
! They build small movable Tents, which they
remove two or three times year, having their
principal quarters where they plant their corn
their Hunting quarters & their Fishing quarters
Their. recreations are chiefly Football & Cards,
at which they will play away all they have ex-
cepting flap to coverther nakedness They are
great lovers of strong drink, yet do not care for
drinking, unless they have enough 10 make them
selves drunk: & IL there be 50 many in their
Company, that there is not sufficient TO make them
all drunk, they usually select so many out of their
Company proportionable to the quantity of drink,
& the rest must be spectators, And if any one
chance to be drunk before he hath fnishl his pro-
portion (which is ordinarily quart of Brandy,
Rum or Strong -waers) the rest will pour the rest
Of his part down bis throat. .e ar.-
t. They often kill one another at these drunken
matches which the friends of the murdered person
do revenge upon the murderer unless be purchase
his life with money, which they sometimes do /:
! This money is made of Periwinkle she'll of
which there is black & white, made much like
unto beads & put upon strings. 9n 1-a hsas
For their worship which is diabolical, 1t is per-
formed usually but once or twice year, unless
upon some extraordinary occasion, upon max
ing war or the like their usual time is about
IMichaeImass when their corn is first ripe,f the
day being appointed by theirchicf Priest or pa
waw most of them go hunting for venison:
When they are all congregaed, their priest tells
them if he want money, their God will accept og
other offering, which the people believing, ev-
cry one gives money according to their ability.
The priest takes the money, & putting it into
some dishes sets them upon the top of their low
at-roofed houses, & falls to invocating their God
to come & receive it, which with many loud hal
lows 6 outcrirs, knocking the ground with sticks
& beating themselves, IS performed by The priests
and seconded BY the people. . 81. +....,
! Alter they have thus awhile wearicd themselves
the priest & his Conspiraton brings in devil
amongst them, in the shape sometimes of fowl,
sometimes of a boast, & sometimes of man, al
which the people being amazed not daring to stir,
he improves the opportunity steps out, & makes
sure OF the money 81 then returns to lay the spirit,
who in the mean time is sometimes gone, 6 takes
some of the Company along with him: but if any
English at such times do come amongst them, it
puts period to their proceeding, & they will de-
sire their absence, telling them their God will
not come whilst they are there. ,....r, 5-.-.
In their wars they fight no pcht fields: but
when they have notice Of an enemies approach,
they endeayor to secure there wives 6 children
upon some Island, or in some thick swamp &
then with their guns & hatchet they way-ay their
enemies, some lying behind one, some another &
it is great fight where seven or eigh. is slain.
I When any Indian dies amongst them, they bu
ry him upright, sitting upon a seat with his Gun
money 6 such goods as he has with him, that he
may be furnished in the other world, which they
conceive is Westward, where they shall have
great store of Game for Hunting, & live easie
lives. At his Burial his nearest relations attend
the Hearse with their faces painted black, & do
visit the grave once or twice day, where they
send forth sad lamentations so long till time hath
wore the olackness off their faces, & afterwards
every year once they view the grave, make new
mourning fer him, trimming up the Grave, not
suffering of Grass to grow by it; they fence
their graves with hedge, & cover the tops with
mats. to shelter them from the rain. -rt-. .sf...
| ANY Indian being dead, his name dies with
him, no person daring ever after to mention his
name, it being not only breach Of their Law,
but an abuse 10 his friends g. relations present.
if it were done on purpose to renew their grief:
And any other person whatsoever that is named
| a l. l. L.