6*8 n a t i v e t r i b e s , a k b
H f e « # rupdy tailed Ctadftinaux,- but firc^erfy-JLdMiftiaon®, -Jari^aiaflf feaited on
PPJJf the HQfth ^ Lake' SupetiiOT^-. : ; $ « , ! ’Mr.-Maclfen^Vihe
KSRiftikdris WferetkigMatlf’ the1 &me people-hvM *he‘AlgOiffiteSj or
inhabitants‘of the Atlantic cokft; whildthe Ghepmians, '©r-'€he^a;was, I
and the numerous tribes who fpeah their language, ocfeupy ‘thpWhole
fpice between the cbuntry of the 'KlHffinonsJ- and that of the fWpiios,
extending to the" river Columbia, lat. 520. By their" oWn'* tMSons
they;ckmefrom Siberia; while ihrdltigeht travelers,;'6n the contrary, j
as proceeding from America: but ffidh^liter-
chlinges of nations are'not unfrequent in barbarous periods.'1 rfhe
tribes near the%ufek of the Miffouri arefaifl to be from theJfdutfij and I
tbeir progteff N. W. probably retiringffnm'the "Spanftfi poWfer^. ®The
language of the Natchez,' and other" natidns m the Spanish' tM^fory, j
has not been fnffirtpntly Illuftrated and in the i'fthmus'tiie* dialers are I
faid to be various, and radfeally diftinS, vet^probably*' oa and I
more fkilful examination, would be found tp* "approach the Rfexicatt;1 J
but no Pallas has arifen to clafs or arrange the languages of, 'America.
W E S T E R N C O A S T .
T he Ruffians may be regarded as the firft d^fcQvqrers.pf;t f I
weftern fhores pf America» To theirs between Afia and tBisj&Migeht I
they affign different names, as Andrenovian, &c. bu^ in ^helr^own&oft I
recent maps one general appellation is fubftitutpd, that bf.t^jAl^fan I
ifles. The furtheft Aleutian Iiles, which form a ehain from the American I
promontory of Alafka, are alfo called the Pox ifles; while the neareft I
Aleutian ifles of the Ruffians are tbofe which we term Beering’s and I
r+ Charlevoix, I. 283. 276. 406.
* Mr. Mackenzie, p. cvii,-has publifhed a vocabulary of the Killiftinon and Algonkin, which I
fufficiently Ihev/s their identity. The Killiftinons extend to the lake of the Hills and N. to the I
llkimos. Their manners are described by-Mackenzie, p. xcii. For'the Chepamas, fee p.cxvi, where
their chief refidence is faid to be.between lat. 6o° and 65°, and long. ioo° and 1 to0, but they I
reach to lat.520 and long. 7 230, where they join a diftinft people on the (ho res of the Pacific. l‘r°m
the traditions, p. cxviii. it does not appear that the Ghep'awas came from Siberia; for how could I
they land at the Copper Mine river ? The vocabulary of their language, p. cxxix, might be eafily
compared with that of the Afiatic tribes.
15 j * Coppf* I
, I g p j ^ ^ C^Tfr-N T’R IE S. 649
But in the b.efl Engliffi maps the name o f Aleutian is reftri&ed to the
former"' , and it is to English navigaitops jthat we are indebted for the
precife geography of thefe regions, which have been' flraugcly embroiled
by the erroneous aftronomieal obfervatio;#: of the Ruffian, captains.
Our.excellent Cook, in particular, greatly 'extended our. knowledge'
and he was followed by Meares, Dixon,- Vancouver, La- Peroufej. and
other able navigators ; and recently byi Mackenzie, wh o has the Angular
merit of having firft vifited the Pacific by an inland progrefs from the eaft.
This coaft, as already mentioned, feems to be chiefly alpine; in which
rcfpedl, and in its numerous creeks and ifles, it bears no finalbeeftgqManfe
tq^pi^yay.- The mofft -remarkabl^JHlbuntaijitfeems .to.hR A ati^ Ued Sr.
Elias, b y the Ruffian navigators : and which, it is.affirmed, has been
vifffi'le^t fea at to le|q aridi$anc,4ythan spoilt fixt-y.^e|ghes*.‘ . (les
Perouf^ehferves fi^Mbp.primklvp mountains
of ^granite, pr , flat^brife, from the fea., yet the-fu mmitshrips kqyeced.gkith
pe^getjial fnow, and immenfe.glaciers wind throi^gji^the;cavities'5*. .The
na^jyesjhe'has rUlifiutely d^firibed ; and fays-,that b@ "ha^Salfyaya »found
faeag.es barparqus, deceitful, and wicked'.” This has.been the .uniform
teae.t^of,experience,; but it.is only -In recent times that profdtfnd'ianny.
rancehas afpired to themttme ofyphilofophy^,., ‘Their moft, fingular
prad,ice is the flitting and diftendfag pf the under- ljp^fo ^as^to vlheautify
thefemalqs wi,th two moutJis^..:- The lofty-'mountains,,jwhich La-,Pe-
roufe-computes’ at more than ten thquland fe.et in height, terminate, »at
Crf|§fp®uEdr; • but - the .alpine ridges ^ontinuejyjj'hoiggb of .‘el©*!
vatitSB, ,aa3d„prohabiy extend with few interruption^ 4s, far a§. California.
3\$f^,!Packen|iiejin lat. 5.3 °,.apd Vancouver in 41 ipo?;^qi^h.eiEn^atitijide,
foqpd the .fame ;mouptwUilQUS' Appear^nGes. What caliod the'coaft
of New „Albion has been faintly explored; and the Spanilh power is
*' In tlic Ruffian form AUpn tfkoie. * The Ruffian JL o ie aV^a n in the Latin,
&c. thus H a r le y , HarJeian 'library! See* w'hich in Ruffian- woIiiM^be Harje^fkoie. 8 |
i15 IT $>-3^9v
. t It was a watchmaker’s apprentice, having feep no book ;but a French l[j_f ( See Roiilfeau’s
Corif^ffiohs)' whS fii-ll praifed favages, arid' (fecriea civilized life. The' pVa£firial..eoWeqlvcnceri of
this, abdiriinable dodlrine may be obferved in th'c a 61-ions of its difciplesi t h e ja n s culottes, or favages
,°f Paris, the;1 m o ll.ig inw re tc h e s:p f a gre'at ap'd. civiiize»iiy. 11
t'T h e Mexican monarelis appear in paintings with .'ornaments fixed1 to, the: under lip. .
'Voi. li. ' 4 o ^ r always
W e s t e r n
. Co'AST.