detail of their private life (if I may so say) as is necessary to give that insight to their ideas & notions (& this latter term too, I think, critically speaking cannot be appli- cable to them) that is required & so much wanted to form a proper estimate of man in his _natural_ state. We all see them, hear them & relate of them; but where is there one who can give the_ why's_ & _wherefore's_ that these people do so, & so? I beg you will _blot_ this last paragraph entirely out, at least the first part; & do not be premature in your condemnation or judgement of me, for I trust my motives are entirely destitute of vanity & only the desire of truth urges me, or at least true & just information &c. &c. G N. april 16th 1823-- (41) Such are the notions & ideas of these people. They acknowledge a superior Power, not Wee-Suck-a- -jock, as I was erroneously informed "but the same _one_ you adore in the Christmas holidays". This one they have a great respect & veneration for but seldom it is as far as I can learn) that they sa- crifice or pray to him i.e. make speeches, which tho' extempore, _I_ consider as much prayers as tho' they were composed after the most deliberate & mature reflection; & many parts of them so simple, plain, natural, & withal so sublime that I frequently felt great pleasure in attending to them. But these sentiments are so few comparitively speaking, & the absurdities so great & frequent that few men can hear them without lamenting their ignorance. They have often seemed to me as desirous in a hi degree of becoming acquainted with the true _mode_ of worshipping, from the frequent changes, even during my time, they have made in their _worshippings_. As a proof of this is the avidity with which they seize any new system introduced from their _Southern_ neigh- bors: the short time they hold it; & how completely it is abandoned, if not entirely forgotten for another, equally if not more absurd than the former. To introduce a new system among them it is only necessary to report an extravagant tale of some wonderful character, --the cures by _this_ means that have been performed & such like miraculous & fantastic nonsense. But in their fundamental points I perceive no visible alteration. The prin- cipal of these is what they call the Mee-tay-wee. A ceremony I shall compare to Free-masonry; but the initiations are public--every one that chuses comes to see them & many are invited. Here, in the course of initiation are ceremonies or deviltries performed that no man of his own mere dexterity or Power _can_ do. The next principal one is conjuring. This is a principle I believe as natural to man as the air he breathes (tho' not _so_ necessary). Every one wishes to peep into futurity & there are few but who would not inquire into causes could they do it, or were it not forbidden them. Thes two of course are consequences or consequents of their mythology. There are many in the