I argued against this that it could never be that a whole
nation should change its language with one consent;--and, although he
has been connected with them here these twenty years, he can afford me
no assistance.

The people and Indians here in this country are like us Dutchmen in
body and stature; some of them have well formed features, bodies and
limbs; they all have black hair and eyes, but their skin is yellow. In
summer they go naked, having only their private parts covered with a
patch. The children and young folks to ten, twelve and fourteen years
of age go stark naked. In winter, they hang about them simply an
undressed deer or bear or panther skin; or they take some beaver and
otter skins, wild cat, raccoon, martin, otter, mink, squirrel or such
like skins, which are plenty in this country, and sew some of them to
others, until it is a square piece, and that is then a garments for
them; or they buy of us Dutchmen two and a half ells of duffel, and
that they hang simply about them, just as it was torn off, without
sewing it, and walk away with it. They look at themselves constantly,
and think they are very fine. They make themselves stockings and also
shoes of deer skin, or they take leaves of their corn, and plait them
together and use them for shoes. The women, as well as the men, go
with their heads bare. The women let their hair grow very long, and
tie it together a little, and let it hang down their backs. The men
have a long lock of hair hanging down, some on one side of the head,
and some on both sides. On the top of their heads they have a streak
of hair from the forehead to the neck, about the breadth of three
fingers, and this they shorten until it is about two or three fingers
long, and it stands right on end like a rock's comb or hog's bristles;
on both sides of this cock's comb they cut all the hair short, except
the aforesaid locks, and they also leave on the bare places here and
there small locks, such as are in sweeping-brushes, and then they are
in fine array.

They likewise paint their faces red, blue, etc., and then they look
like the Devil himself. They smear their heads with bear's-grease,
which they all carry with them for this purpose in a small basket; they
say they do it to make their hair grow better and to prevent their
having lice. When they travel, they take with them some of their
maize, a wooden bowl, and a spoon; these they pack up and hang on their
backs. Whenever