New Voyages to NorthAmerica Author:Reuben Gold Thwaites Volume: 2 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1905 Original Publisher: A.C. McClurg Subjects: Indians of North America English language Algonquian languages Canada Portugal Denmark History / Canada / General History / Canada / Pre-Confederation (to 1867) History / Native American Social ... more »Science / Ethnic Studies / Native American Studies Travel / Canada / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: [55] The Diverfions of Hunting and Shooting ufual among the Savages. I HAVE already defcrib'd the Hunting of the Elks and fome other Animals of Canada in my loth and nth Letter, fo that now it remains only to give you an exact account of the Beavers, which are faid to be Amphibious Animals, as I obferv'd in my 16th Letter, with which I fent you the Figure of thefe Animals. And becaufe thefe Beafts do fome things very furprifing by a wonderful Inftinct, to give you a right Notion wherein their Cunning confifts, I fend you a Draught of thofe Ponds which they know how to make more Artificially than any Man can do. The Savages of Canada reflecting on the excellent Qualities of the Beavers, are wont to fay, That they have fo much Wit, Capacity and Judgment, that they cannot believe their Souls die with their Bodies. They add, That if they were permitted to reafon about things invifible, and which fall not under their Senfes, they durft maintain, that they are Immortal like ours. But not to infift on this Chimerical Fancy, it muft be allow'd, that there are an infinite number of Men upon the Earth (without mentioning the Tartars, the Peafants of Mufcovy, of Norway, and a Hundred other forts of People) who have not the Hundredth part of the Underftanding which thefe Animals have...« less