AN ABSTRACT OF MAJOR ROGERS'S ACCOUNT OF NORTH AMERICA, DESCRIBING The feveral BRITISH COLONIES on that Continent; and the INTERIOR PARTS of that extenfive Country: With many curious Particulars relating to the INDIAN NATIVES. THE HE fuccefsful difcoveries and acquifitions of the Spaniards on the rich continent of South America, foon excited the attention of other nations, in like manner to fit out veffels for discoveries, beyond the territories claimed by the Spanish monarchs. The details of thefe expeditions would however have led us beyond the limits we can allow it is fufficiently known what flourishing colonies now exift, which were planted along that very extenfive coaft reaching from the mouth of the river St. Laurence in North America, to the Rio de la Plata in South America; fome of which spread themselves very far within land: befide the islands in the gulph of Mexico and elfewhere. The difcoveries to the northward, however, were not rendered fo memorable as those of the Spaniards; no fuch powerful gular empires having been found there, as were thofe of Peru and Mexico. The Indians of North America live in detached tribes and independent nations, whofe jarring interefts and hereditary antipathies, have kept them from uniting, and even from increafing: add to which, that though they they have not in general been well used by the new intruders on their antient lands, who feldom confulted the inclinations of the natives in their first settlements and fubfequent claims; yet no fuch unprincipled inhuman tranfactions have ftained the records of the English and other fettlers, as have distinguished those of the first Spanish adventurers. Not but that these American settlements have been the theatres of many fignal engagements, fince their first planting, in the contefts between European powers for the poffeffion of them: thefe have not only fpent much of their own blood, but have feduced the natives to turn their hands, furnished with new weapons of swift deftruction, against each other, in their respective interests and quarrels: hence many of these places have frequently changed their masters. The continent of North America, the extension of which weftward, is aftonishing, was almoft entirely claimed and poffeffed by the English and French; the English fettling along the coaft, from the river St. Laurence to Florida, and the French fettling behind them up the rivers St. Laurence and the Miffiffippi. Thefe rival powers, foon after the peace of Aix la Chapelle, differing about fome lands fituated on the boundaries between them, encroached on by the artful and restlefs French; entered into a fresh war, in which the bravery of the English, under the influence of a minifter of fpirit and integrity, exerted itself fo gloriously; that the conteft was decided, not by maintaining the poffeffion of the lands firft in queftion, but by clearing the country entirely of such troublesome neighbours: the whole province of Canada, after being conquered by the British arms, being ceded to us, together with all the country eastward of the Miffiffippi, at the treaty of Verfailles, in 1762. By the ceffion of Florida, alfo refigned to us by the Spaniards, who imprudently at the clofe of the war, joined our exhaufted and wearied enemy, in the quarrel against us; we now enjoy an uninterrupted line of fea-coaft from the gulph of Mexico north. ward; and in the northern parts, a country of unknown inland extenfion. These matters however are foreign to the main purpose of our plan to enter minutely into; but that our accounts of this new found world of America may be as compleat as poffible, it is hoped, that, after Ulloa's voyage to Peru, and Nieuhoff's to Brafil, a brief view of North America in its prefent ftate, as given by a brave countryman who was perfonally concerned in many of the military transactions under the feveral generals who commanded there; and who is well acquainted with the inland parts of that vaft continent; will, with fome farther materials of a like nature, though not in the direct forms of voyages, prove acceptable by furnishing many articles of information curious and entertaining to the English reader. The principal object Major Rogers profeffes to have had in view, was to defcribe the interior parts of North America; of which, as he obferves, no one has travelled over, or feen, so much as himself. He proceeds to inform us in his introduction, that what is comprehended under the appellation of the interior country of America, is of itself a larger territory than all the continent of Europe, and at prefent mostly a defart, uninhabited, except by favages: it cannot therefore be reasonably expected that any one man has it in his power to give à just and minute account of its feveral parts, but that he muft pafs over large tracks of country in very general terms, and in many things depend upon the reports of others, or proceed upon his own uncertain conjectures. This wide extended country may naturally enough be confidered under three general divifions, occafioned by the three great rivers that take their rife near the centre of it, namely, St. Laurence, the Christino, and the Miffiffippi. The firft of thefe Mr. Rogers fays he has traced, and that he is tolerably well acquainted with the country adjacent to it, as far far up as Lake Superior; from the Green Bay weftward to the Miffiffippi; and from thence down to the mouth of the Miffiffippi in the gulph of Mexico. He also travelled the country adjacent to the Ohio and its principal branches, and between the Ohio and the Lakes Erie and Meshigan, and the countries of the fouthern Indians. But as to the country above Lake Superior, his intelligence was chiefly obtained from Indians, or from prifoners that have travelled with them into it. The fame is the cafe as to the country at the head of the Miffiffippi, and that adjacent to the river Mifauris. The Chriftino is taken wholly from the Indians: and though the accounts they have given of these countries are large, and in fome particulars very inviting, yet we fhall do little more than mention their names, unless there had been better authority to go upon. In the account fubjoined of the customs and manners of the Indians, many things related by others are purposely omitted; fome, because they are false, and others, because they are trite and trifling; thofe only being mentioned which appeared moft diftinguishing and abfolutely neceffary to give a juft idea of the genius and policy of that people, and of the method in which they are to be treated, in order to our having any fafe and advantageous commerce with them. And, the long and particular acquaintance Major Rogers had with feveral tribes and nations, both in peace and war, has furnished him with ample materials to treat the fubject with propriety. NORTH AMERICA, as Major Rogers informs us, lies between the latitudes of 10 and 80 degrees north, and chiefly between the longitudes of 48 and 130 degrees weft from the meridian of London, and is about four thoufand two hundred miles from north to fouth, and about five thousand from east to weft: being bounded on the east by the Atlantic ocean; by the gulph of Mexico, on the fouth; on the weft, by the Pacific ocean; and by the northern continent and ocean ocean to the northward, through which, fome fuppofe, there is a paffage into the Pacific or Weftern ocean. A great part of this vaft extent of territory is at prefent poffeffed by the fubjects of his Britannic majefty, and the original natives, or Indians; the number of which far exceeds that of the English. In treating of this extenfive continent, it is propofed, Firft, To defcribe the feveral British governments and colonies on the continent (including alfo the iflands of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and St. John's) feparately; beginning with the northernmost, and travelling to the fouthward. And, fecondly, to give fome account of the interior or weftern parts of the country, fo far as difcoveries have been made; and of fuch Indian nations and tribes that are known. by us to inhabit it. NEWFOUNDLAND is the most confiderable island in North America; it is fituated east of the gulf of St. Lawrence, between 46° 40′ and 42° ý north latitude, and 41° 52′ and 57° 40′ weft longitude, is bounded easterly and foutherly by the Atlantic ocean, northerly by the ftreights of Bellifle, and on the weft by the gulf of St. Law rence. This island was discovered by the Cabots, in 1497, who took poffeffion of it in the name of King Henry VII.; but no colony was planted here till fome confiderable time after. The foil being not the most fertile, and the cold extremely fevere, were circumstances, no doubt, which prevented the English from attempting a fettlement, till they were at length allured to it, for the fake of fishing on the banks which lie off the fouth-easterly parts of it. The right of fifhing on thefe banks has given rife to many difputes between the French and English; but by the peace of 1762, the liberty of fifhing there by the French is fubjected to very particular reftric tions. There |