me few inquiries to their plan of union. It appears to
have originated in a proposal to act in concert, by means of a central
council, in questions of peace and war. In other respects, each tribe
was an independency. It had no right to receive ambassadors from other
tribes.--Messages delivered to a frontier tribe, were immediately
transmitted to the next tribe in position, and by them passed on, to the
central councils. They affirm that these messages were forwarded, with
extraordinary celerity, by runners who rested not, night or day. The
power to convene the general council, for despatch of public business,
was in the presiding or executive chief of the Central Tribe.

This power to make war or peace, or cession of sovereignty, was given
up, on the principle of an equal union in all respects, without regard
to numbers. It was strictly federative, or a union of tribes. The assent
to a measure, was given by tribes. Whether all were required to assent,
or a majority was sufficient, is not known. It is believed they
_required_ entire unanimity.

3. But another principle, of the deepest importance, ran throughout the
organization of all the tribes, more remote in its origin, and still
more influential, it may be thought, in forming a more perfect union,
and giving strength and compactness to the government. It was the plan
of the TOTEMIC BOND. This bond was a fraternity of separate clans in
each tribe. It was based on original consanguinity, and marked by a
heraldic device, as the figure of a quadruped, or bird. This appears to
be an ancient feature in their organization, and is also found among
other North American tribes. The Algonquin tribes, who possess the same
organization, and from whose vocabulary we take the name, call it the
Totem. The institution of the totem, or inter-fraternity of clans,
existed, and is also found, with well marked features, among the
Iroquois. It had, however, one characteristic, which was peculiar, to
these nations.--It was employed to mark the descent of the chiefs, which
ran exclusively by the female. The law of marriage, interdicting
connexions within the clan, and limiting them to another, was probably
established in ancient times, among the other nations who adhere to this
institution, but, if so, it has dropped, or dwindled into mere
tradition.

Totem, is a term denoting the device, or pictorial sign, which is used
by each individual, to determine his family identity. As many as have