The following are the names of the four seasons, in the Odjibwa tongue:
| Pe-bon, | Winter, | From | Kone, | Snow. |
| Se-gwun, | Spring, | " | Seeg, | Running water. |
| Ne-bin, | Summer, | " | Anib, | A leaf. |
| Ta-gwá-gi, | Autumn, | " | Gwag, | The radix of behind &c. |
By adding the letter g to these terms, they are placed in the relation of verbs in the future tense, but a limited future, and the terms then denote next winter, &c. Years, in their account of time, are counted by winters. There is no other term, but pe-boan, for a year. The year consists of twelve lunar months, or moons. A moon is called Geézis, or when spoken of in contradistinction to the sun, Dibik Geézis, or night-sun.
The cardinal points are as follows.
| (a) | North, | Ke wá din-ung. |
| (b) | South, | O shá wan-ung. |
| (c) | East, | Wá bun-ung. |
| (d) | West, | Ká be un-ung. |
a. Kewadin is a compound derived from Ke-wa, to return, or come home, and nodin, the wind. b. Oshauw is, from a root not apparent, but which produces also ozau, yellow, &c. c. Waban is from ab, or wab, light. d. Kabeun, is the name of a mythological person, who is spoken of, in their fictions, as the father of the winds. The inflection ung, or oong, in each term, denotes course, place, or locality.
LETTERS ON THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE WESTERN COUNTRY,
THE LATE WILLIAM L. STONE, EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.