1766.

varicofe, or already ruptured, accompanied with extravafations of blood or ferum.

The coma vigil, coma fomnolentum, carus, and lethargy, feem to differ but in degree, and to be all different modifications of the fame caufe. It is certain they are all nearly allied to the apoplexy, and if not timely removed, do generally terminate in that moft formidable disease. Of this we have a recent inftance in the death of his late royal highness the duke of Cumberland, who had been long affected with a fomnolency, At length a blood yeffel in the brain giving way, and pouring forth its contents into the neighbouring ventricle, a fatal apoplexy enfued. When his royal highness begun to be affected with rigor and hivering, it is probable that, at that very inftant, the blood vellel was ruptured. A rigor is al moft a constant concomitant of an hæmorrhage. Thus perfons, fubject to hemoptoes, or periodical eruptions of blood, perceive a rigor or flight hivering just before the vefiel gives

way.

The prognofis in foporofe affections is generally unfavourable. When the difeafe is recent, and the compages of the brain not much injured, fome faint hopes of cure remain. But when once a rupture, or extravafation, takes place, it is evident that little affiftance can be expected from human art.

The treatment, proposed by the generality of authors, appears to me not only inconfiftent with the nature of the difeafe, but highly dangerous. If a rupture and extravafation in the encephalon, are circumftances which ought, as much as poffible, to be guarded against, why, in the name of wonder, are violent convulfive motians excited by ftrong emetics, fterautatories, and other acrid substances, applied to the noftrils, or taken into the ftomach? It perhaps may be urged, that these remedies are neceffary to awake the patient, and to excite the nervous power. But to what purpole excite the nervous power for a moment, by violent concuffions of the whole frame, when the veffels of the brain are diftended with blood, or perhaps already ruptured, and pour

21

ing forth their contents? As soon as the rupture, or extravafation, is begun, the cafe (as I have already ob. ferved) becomes deplorable. In this defperate fituation, if we are defirous to avert, or protract as long as poffible, the fatal period, we ought to use fuch means as are beft adapted to the nature of the difeafe.

The first intention therefore is to cause a speedy depletion of the veffels of the encephalon, by opening the ju. gular veins, temporal arteries, and, if requifite, veins in different parts of the body at the fame time.

2dly, To facilitate the course of the blood into the trunk of the defcending aorta, by purgatives, and glyfters of speedy operation, alfo by blifters and cupping glaffes, applied to the extremities: thefe too will likewife contribute to diminish the propensity to fleep, by exciting the nervous power in the muscles of voluntary motion.

3dly, To promote the absorption of grumous blood, or extravafated serum, and forward its expulfion, by repeated diaphoretics, diuretics, and purgatives, And, finally, to ftrengthen the fyftem in general, by proper food and exercife, and a courfe of analeptic and tonic remedies.

Nov.12,1765. Northamptonienfis.

To the AUTHOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE.

SIR,

Leigh, Dec. 2, 1765.

To into in twender

O be inquifitive into the wonder

tion is most worthy of a rational and intelligent being; to employ our thoughts upon fuch curious fubjects is to cultivate the higheft principles and beft inclinations of our nature; though many be deep and intricate, yet they may be found out of those who take delight therein, and, as a competent reward, they are ever capable of affording us a folid and lafting entertainment. To the thoughtful and curious, a fresh jaddition, of any kind, or degree, of new knowledge, is ever acceptable, come it from whatever quarter it will, and to our great furprise, by study, many strange things have been found out, that were once judged impoffible for human nature to discover.

In fhort the study of nature fills the

mind

22

mind with vaft, and fublime ideas of the first caufe and original of things, and is the best means to preserve it from atheifin on the one hand, and fuperftition on the other.

As the cuckoo was the fubject of my laft piece, I fhall choose the glowworm for this, as I fhall (with your

leave) the Locufta Pulex, or Flea Locuft, for that of my next differtation. The glow-worm we fee fingularly fhines very bright in the dark, and though fometimes does thereby prove unlucky to those whofe horfes being frightened thereby fling off their rider, yet it is most wifely defigned for a fingular fervice to the little infect itself, and therefore purpofely appointed by nature, who in her infinite wifdom ules various ways to bring about her own ufeful defigns, as the different circumftances and ftate, attending variety of cafes, daily require.

as

The female glow-worm alone it is that fhines fo, and that in the infide of her tail too only, and not equally all over her whole body. The main end, or final caufe, of which lumination is to invite, to direct, the male unto her, and to thofe parts appointed for propagation; and which invitation is variously effected by dif. ferent infects, in different ways: in crickets and grafshoppers, by certain chirpings, in the death-watch (falfely fo called) by gentle tickings, produced by triking the paper hangings, or wainscote linings of a room, or by fome other fuch like particular noife, by way of notice, peculiar to this or that fort of infect, as most fuitable to their fingular make, and manner of living.

To this purpofe Pere de Pluche, in his Nature Difplayed, tells a story of a gentleman, who holding a glow-worm on the palm of his hand admiring the luftre it gave, another of the fame fpecies, but without any illumination, lighted down upon that in his hand, directed thither by the light of the female's tail, which the gentleman juft. ly took to be the male infect, and it had wings.

Wherefore the female being without fuch vehicles, (at least at fuch times) carries the bright light herself (and that perhaps only in the coupling feafon) otherwife the male could never

Jan. discover her, to light upon her, in order for generation. Yours, &c.

JOHN COOK.

Cuftoms and Manners of the Indians. From

Major Rogers's Account of NorthAmerica (See our last vol. p. 676.) "natural good fenfe and ingenuity,

HE Indians do not want for

many of them discovering a great capacity for any art or fcience, liberal or mechanical. Their imaginations are fo ftrong, and their memories fo retentive, that when they have once been at a place, let it be ever fo diftant, or obfcure, they will readily find it again. The Indians about Nova Scotia and the gulf of St. Lawrence, have frequently paffed to the Labrador, which is thirty or forty leagues, without a compass, and have landed at the very fpot they at first intended: And even in dark cloudy weather they will direct their courfe by land with great exactnefs; but this they do by obferving the barks and boughs of trees; the north-fide, in this country, being always mofly, and the boughs on the fouth-fide the largest.

It is alfo obfervable, that you will rarely find among the Indians a perfon who is any way deformed, or that is deprived of any fenfe, or decrepid in any limb, notwithstanding the little care taken about the mother in the time of her pregnancy, the neglect the infant is treated with when born, and the fatigues the youth is obliged to fuffer; yet generally they are of a hale, robuft, and firm conftitution; but fpirituous liquors, of which they are infatiably fond, and the women as well as the men, have already furprizingly leffened their numbers, and will, in all probability, in one century more, nearly clear the country of them.

Indeed the mothers, in their way, take great care of their children and are extremely fond of them. They feldom wean them till they are two years old, or more, and carry them on their backs till the burden grows quite infupportable to them. When they leave the cradle, they are very much at liberty to go when and where they pleafe; they are however careful to inftruct them early in the use of arms, especially the bow, and are often re

counting

choice of fome one near about their Own age, to be their most intimate and bofom friend; and these two enter into mutual engagements, and are obliged to brave any danger, and run any risk to affiftand fupport each other;

as even to overcome the fears of death, as they look upon it to be only a temporary feparation, and, that they fhall meet and be united in friendship in the other world, never to be feparated more, and imagine they fhall need one another's affliftance there as well as here.

There is nonation of Indians but feem to have fome fenfe of a Deity, and a kind of religion among them, but this is fo various, fo perplexed and confufed, that it is difficult to defcribe it very minutely. Their ideas of the nature and attributes of the deity are very obfcure, and fome of them very abfurd; but they all acknowledge him to be the creator and malter of the world; but how the world was created they know not, and of courfe have various conjectures about it. Some of them imagine, that men were firft rained down from the clouds, and that brute animals defcended with them. They feem to have fome idea of angels, or fpirits of an higher and more excellent nature than man; to thefe they attribute a kind of immenfity, fuppofing them to be every where preleut, and are frequently invoking them, imagining they hear them, and act or endeavour to act, agreeable to their defires. They likewife hold of an evil fpirit, or demon, who, fay they, is always inclined to mifchief, and bears great fway in the creation; and it is this latter that is the principal object of their adorations and devotions; they generally addrefs him by way of deprecation, moft heartily befeeching him to do them no harm, but avert evils from them: The other they addrefs by way of petition, fuppofing him to be propitious, and ever inclined to do them good; that he would bestow bleffings upon them, and prevent the demon or evil fpirit from hurting them; and to merit or procure the protection of the good fpirit, they imagine it neceffary to diftinguifh themselves; and that, in the first place, they must become good warriors, expert hunters, and feady marksmen."

An Account of an Interview between Major Rogers and Ponteack, King of the Ottawawas Indians. From the fame.

HE Indians on the lakes are ge

ther, having a wide extended and fruitful country in their poffeffion. They are formed into a fort of empire, and the emperor is elected from the eldest tribe, which is the Ottawawas fome of whom inhabit near our fort at Detroit but are mostly further weftward towards the Miffiffipi. Ponteack is their prefent king or emperor, who has certainly the largest empire and greateft authority of any Indian chief that has appeared upon the continent fince our acquaintance with it. He puts on an air of majesty and princely grandeur, and is greatly honoured and revered by his fubjects. long fince formed a defign of uniting all the Indian nations together under his authority, but mifcarried in the attempt.

He not

In the year 1760, when I commanded and marched the first detachment into this country that was ever sent there by the English, I was met in my way by an embaffy from him, of fome of his warriors, and fome of the chiefs of the tribes that are under him; the purport of which was, to let me know, that Ponteack was at a small distance, coming peaceably, and that he defired me to halt my detachment till fuch time as he conld fee me with his own eyes. His embaladors had alfo orders to inform me, that he was Ponteack the king and lord of the country I was in.

At first falutation when we met, he demanded my business into his country, and how it happened that I dared to enter it without his leave? When I informed him that it was not with any defign against the Indians that I came, but to remove the French out of the country, who had been an obstacle in our way to mutual peace and commerce, and acquainted him with my inftructions for that purpofe. I at the fame time delivered him feveral friendly meflages, or belts of wampum, which he received, but gave me no other answer, than that he ftood in the path I travelled in till next morning, giving me a fmall string of wam

pum,