This custom is so evidently, (however modified,) of Hebrew origin, that it is not a little surprising Makenny should say he "found nothing Jewish among them, except their houses of purification."

CIRCUMCISION.

THE testimony of Herrera, Garcia, Diaz, Torquemeda, Gomara, and Martyr, are unanimous in establishing the practice of circumcision among the tribes of the New Continent. "Herrera," (observes the commentator on the Antiq. Mex.) "almost in the very words of Acosta, notices in the seventeenth chapter of the second book of the third Decade, that this custom was prevalent among the Mexicans; and Bernal Diaz is quite explicit on the subject in the following passage of the twentieth chapter of his Hist. of the Conq. of Mex. "In some provinces they were circumcised, and they had flint knives with which they performed the ceremony."-Ibid. p. 334.

With respect to circumcision, Martyr and Gomara, whose veracity as historians was never doubted, both affirm

1 "The Indians to the eastward say, that previous to the white people coming into the country, their ancestors were in the habit of using circumcision, but latterly, not being able to assign any reason for so strange a practice, their young people insisted on its being abolished."-Star in the West.

p. 34.

M'Kenzie says the same of the Indians whom he saw on his route. History, Speaking of the nations of the Slave and Dog-rib Indians, very far to the north-west, he says, "Whether circumcision be practised among them, I cannot pretend to say, but the appearance of it was general among those I saw."

"The Dog-rib Indians live about two or three hundred miles from the straits of Kamschatka."

Dr. Beatty says, in his journal of a visit paid to the Indians on the Ohio, about fifty years ago, that an aged Indian informed him, that an old uncle of his, who died about the year 1728, related to him several customs and traditions of former times; and among others, "that circumcision was practised among the Indians long ago, but their young men making a mock at it, brought it into disrepute, and so it came to be disused."-Journal, p. 89.

that the Indians were circumcised. The former, addressing Leo X. in the tenth chapter of the third Ocean Decade, says, speaking of the Indian fugitive who came to the Spanish settlements of Darien. "He sayde further, that in his country there were cities fortified with walls, and governed by laws; that the people used apparel, but of what religion they were I did not learne, yet hadde our Manne knowledge both by words and signs of the fugitive, that they were circumcised. What think ye now hereby most holy Father, or what doe you divine may come hereof when time shall have subdued all these under your throne?" And in the first chapter of his fourth Decade, inscribed to the same Pontif, he gives the following description of the people of Yutican. "This nation is not appareled with woole, because they have no sheep, but with cotton, after a thousand fashions and diversely colored. Their women are clad from their waiste to their ancles, and cover their heads and brests with vayles." "This people frequent their temples often. They are great idolaters, and are circumcised, but not all."

"In the third chapter of the same Decade, he says, that the inhabitants of the Island of Cozumilla, situated on the coast of Yutican, were circumcised. Garcia, likewise, in the following passage of the first section of the eighth chapter of the third book of his Origin of the Indians, confutes the error of Acosta respecting the use of circumcision amongst the Indians."

"It is certainly very extraordinary to find from the "Oronoco Illustrada” of Gumilla, and Carreat's Voyages to the West Indies, that in nations remote from each other, as those of the Oronoca, and the tribes who lived on the confines of Peru, on the banks of La Plata, as well as the Chalachaques, a people situated between Peru and Te

cumion, all used circumcision, and abstained from the flesh of swine. Captain Cook also discovered that circumcision had extended to the Islands of the South Sea. "How, to use the words of Gumilla, are these moral phenomena to be explained? The Mexicans, besides this rite, marked the breasts and arms of the children on the feast of Toxcatl, with another sign which Torquemeda compares in the following passage of the sixteenth chapter of the tenth book of his Indian Monarchy, with the analogous ceremony of marking the sign of the cross upon the breast, &c. of the faithful among Christians with the holy oil and chrism." 1

"Gomara and Gumelli say, that the Silivas circumcise their children the eighth day after their birth. Sahagun says, in the twenty-fourth chapter of the second book of his History, describing the attire of the Deity Huitzilopoctli.

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If they believed that that god had commanded circumcision, it is probable that their symbol, the 'flint knife,' upon that part of his dress was a memorial of that ordinance." -Ibid. p. 271.

"The earliest Spanish writers, &c. such as Martyr, (who scarely would have ventured to state a deliberate falsehood to the Pope; (and one which he sooner than any other person would have been capable of detecting,) and Gomara, who was chaplain to Cortez, and dedicated his History to Don Martin Cortez, his son, and therefore had the best

1 "It is no light thing to note, that on this day the priests make a scar on the breasts and stomachs of the male and female children, and on the wrists and fleshy parts of the arms of others, impressing them as it were with the iron and mark of the devil, to whose service they offered them, in order that they might be known as his in the same way that God commands that those of his fold should be anointed on their breasts with the holy oil, and on their foreheads with the most blessed cross of his passion and death, since this is the sign with which God is accustomed to mark those who are his, (as circumcision was formerly amongst his ancient people,) which is now the cross and holy chrism: hence John bade the persecutors and murders desist from the work of slaughter, until the servants of God were marked on their foreheads, since this is the kind of sign by which he distinguishes those who are his, as the owners of cattle mark their herds with a particular print or sign."-p. 394.

means of information; and Bernal Diaz, and other Spanish writers also, who are acknowledged to be men of the greatest learning and research, such as were Garcia and Torquemeda, who had themselves visited America, have all declared that various Indian nations used circumcision.

"The ceremony of circumcision was performed with a 'flint knife,' as is evident from the twenty-fifth verse of the fourth chapter of Exodus, &c. which induced Garcia to suppose that the reason why the Tecpatl, or flint knife, was held in such reverence, was on account of its connexion with circumcision: and Torquemeda says, that the Totomacs, a numerous nation, inhabiting a mountainous country to the east of Mexico, circumcised their children, "and that the High Priest, or the next in order and rank, performed the ceremony with a flint knife."-Monarchia Indiana, cap. 48, in Mex. Antiq. vol. vi.

"That the Mexicans believed the earth and the sun drunk up the blood of the innocent is clearly proved by a lord who in a speech to the king of Mexico, recently elected, takes occasion to caution him not to draw down on himself the anger of God. It may here be remarked that most of the speeches in Sahagun's History of New Spain, have a strong unction of Jewish rhetoric; "the same complaisant mode of speaking of themselves as God's peculiar people, the same familiar communication with deity beginning frequently as in Abraham's dialogue with God, with the word 'peradventure,' the same unceasing solicitude after dreams, visions, and inspirations, the same manner of addressing each other as brethren, and finally the same choice of metaphors distinguish the compositions of the Jews and Mexicans, which may serve in some measure, to explain the specimens of Mexican eloquence."

The Flint knife is one of the signs in the Mexican Calendar.
K

"The Lord's slaying Leviathan, which the Jews understood to refer to the time of their Messiah, seems to be alluded to in the ninety-sixth page of the lesser Vatican, Ms.

"I cannot fail to remark that one of the arguments which persuades me to believe that this nation descends from the Hebrews is to see the knowledge they have of the book of Genesis; for although the Devil has succeeded in mixing up so many errors, his lies are still in such a course of conformity with catholic truth, that there is reason to believe that they have had acquaintance with this book, since this and the other four books which follow, are the Pentateuch, written by Moses, and were only found amongst the Hebrew People. There are very strong grounds for believing that this nation proceeds from them," &c.

"In nothing did the civil policy of the Mexicans more closely resemble that of the Hebrews, than in their dedicating their children to the Temple, and afterwards sending them to be instructed by the Master or Rabbi, in the doctrines of their religion and moral and ceremonial laws. Torquemeda says, "that the ceremony of dedicating children to the military profession, was also a religious one. Amongst the Jews, all wars, not excepting their civil ones, bore a religious character," &c. "And in Deuteronomy, directions are given to the priests to accompany and

1

"When the war chief beats up for volunteers, he goes thrice round the dark winter house, contrary to the sun's course, whooping the war-song and beating the drum. He then declares the occasion of the war. He strongly urges his kindred and warriors and others, who fear not bullets and swords, to come and join him with manly cheerful hearts, assuring them that as they are all bound in one love-knot, so they are ready to hazard their lives to avenge the crying blood of their kindred; that the piety of obeying the old beloved customs had hitherto checked their daring generous hearts, but now those hinderances are no more; he then proceeds to whoop for the warriors to join him, and sanctify themselves for success according to their ancient manner."

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The town of refuge, called Coate, is on a large stream of the Mississippi. Here, some years ago,' says Doctor Boudinot, a brave Englishman was protected, after killing an Indian in defence of his property." He informed Mr.