language. And thus I am obliged to abandon my favourite argument, for proving the Americans, the Efquimaux excepted, to be indigenous, and not indebted to the old world, for their existence. At the fame time, the other arguments urged above remain entire ; and from what is now faid a circumftance occurs, that fortifies greatly the chief of them. People, who with a bold face furmount all difficulties rather than give up a favourite opinion, make light of the copper colour and want of beard, willing to attribute all to the climate. We want data, I acknowledge, to determine with accuracy what effects can be produced by a climate. But luckily we have no occafion at present to determine that difficult point. It is fufficient that the climate of Labrador is much the fame with that of the northern parts of Europe and Afia, From that circumftance I conclude with certainty, that the copper colour and want of beard in the Efquimaux cannot be the refult of climate. And if fo, what foundation can there be for making these circumftances depend on the climate in any other part of America? Truly none at all. I add, that as the copper colour and want of beard continue invariably the fame in every variety of climate, hot and cold, moift and dry, they muft depend on fome invariable cause acting uniformly; which may be a fingularity in the race of people (a), but cannot proceed from the climate.

If we can rely on the conjectures of an eminent writer (b), America emerged from the fea, later than any other part of the known world; and fuppofing the human race to have been planted in America by the hand of God later than the days of Mofes, Adam and Eve might have been the first parents of mankind, i. c. of all who at that time exifted, without being the firft parents of the Americans.

(a) Book 1. fketch 1.
(5) M. Buffon.

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The Terra Australis incognita is feparated from the reft of the world by a wide ocean, which carries a fhip round the earth without interruption. How has that continent been peopled? There is not the flightest probability, that it ever has been joined to any other land. Here a local creation, if it may be termed fo, ap-: pears unavoidable; and if we must admit more than one act of creation, even the appearance of difficulty, from reiteration of acts, totally vanifheth. M. Buffon, in his natural history, bears testimony, that not a fingle American quadruped of a hot climate is found in any other part of the earth: with refpect to these we muft unavoidably admit a local creation; and nothing feems more natural, than under fame act to comprehend the first parents of the American people,

It is poffible, indeed, that a fhip with men and women may, by contrary winds, be carried to a very diftant fhore. But to account thus for the peopling of America, will not be much relifhed: Mexico and Peru must have been planted before navigation was known in the old world, at least before a ship was brought to fuch perfection as to bear a long courfe of bad weather. Will it be thought, that any fuppofition ought to be embraced, however improbable, rather than admit a separate creation? We are, it is true, much in the dark as to the conduct of creative providence; but every rational conjecture leans to a separate creation. America and the Terra Auftralis must have been planted by the Almighty with a number of animals and vegetables, fome of them peculiar to those vaft continents: and when fuch care has been taken about inferior life, can fo wild a thought be admitted, as that man, the nobleft work of terreftrial creation, would be left to chance? But it is fcarce neceffary to infist upon this topic, as the external characters of the Americans above men→ tioned reject the fuppofition of their being defcended from any people of the old world.

It is highly probable, that the fertile and delicious plains of Peru and Mexico were the first planted of all the American countries; being more populous at the time of the Spanish invafion than any other part of that great continent... This conjecture is fupported by analogy: we believe that a fpot, not centrical only, but extremely fertile, was chofen for the parents of the old world; and there is not in America a fpot more centrical, or more fertile, than Mexico or Peru, for the parents of the new world.

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Having thus ventured to throw out what occurred upon rigin of the Americans, without pretending to affirm any thing as certain, we proceed to their progrefs. The North-American tribes are remarkable with respect to one branch of their history, that, instead of advancing, like other nations, toward the maturity of fociety and government, they continue to this hour in their original state of hunting and fishing. A cafe fo fingular roufes our curiofity; and we wish to be made acquainted with the cause.

It is not the want of animals capable to be domefticated, that obliges them to remain hunters and fishers. The horfe, it is true, the sheep, the goat, were imported from Europe; but there are plenty of American quadrupeds no less docile than those mentioned. There is, in particular, a fpecies of horned cattle peculiar to America, having long wool instead of hair, and an excrefcence upon the fhoulder like that of the East-India buffalo. Thefe wild cattle multiply exceedingly in the fertile countries which the Miffifippi traverses; and Hennepin reports, that the Indians, after killing numbers, take no part away but the tongue, which is reckoned a delicious morfel. Thefe creatures are not extremely wild; and, if taken young, are easily tamed: a calf, when its dam is killed, will follow the hunter, and lick his hand. The wool, the hide, the tallow, would be of great value in the British colonies.

If the shepherd-state be not obstructed in America by want of proper

proper cattle, the only account that can or need be given is, paucity of inhabitants. Confider only the influence, of cuftom, in rivetting men to their local fituation and inanner of life: once hunters, they will always be hunters, till fome caufe more potent than custom force them out of that state. Want of food, occafioned by rapid population, brought on the fhepherd-ftate in the old world. That caufe has not hitherto taken place in North Ame rica; the inhabitants, few in number, remain hunters and fifhers, because that state affords them a competency of food. I am aware, that the natives have been decreafing in number from the time of the firft European fettlements. But even at that time the country was ill peopled: take for example the country above defcribed, ftretching north-west from the Miffifippi: the Europeans never had any footing there, and yet to this day it is little better than a defert. I give other examples. The Indians who furround the lake Nippifong, from whence the river St Laurence iffues, are in whole but five or fix thoufand; and yet their country is of great extenti: they live by hunting and fishing, having bows and arrows, but no fire-arms; and their cloathing is the fkins of beafts: they are feldom, if ever, engaged in war; have no commerce with

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ther people, Indian or European, but live as if they had a world to themfelves (a). If that country be ill peopled, it is not from fcarcity of food; for the country is extenfive, and well ftored with every fort of game. On the fouth and weft of the lake Superior, the country is level and fruitful all the way to the Miffifippi, having large plains covered with rank grafs, and fcarce a tree for hundreds of miles: the inhabitants enjoy the greateft plenty of fifh, fowl, deer, &c.; and yet their numbers are far from being in proportion to their means of fubfiftence. In fhort, it is the conjecture of the ableft writers, that in the vaft extent of North

(a) Account of North America by Major Robert Rogers,

America, when difcovered, there were not as many people, laying afide Mexico, as in the half of Europe.

Paucity of inhabitants explains clearly why the North-American tribes remain hunters and fifhers, without advancing to the fhepherd-state. But if the foregoing difficulty be removed, another starts up, no lefs puzzling, viz. By what adverfe fate are fo rich countries fo ill peopled? It is a conjecture of M. Buffon, mentioned above, that America has been planted later than the other parts of this globe. But fuppofing the fact, it has however not been planted fo late as to prevent a great population, witnefs Mexico and Peru, fully peopled at the era of the Spanish invafion. We must therefore fearch for another caufe; and none oècurs but the infecundity of the North-American favages. M. Buffon, a refpectable author, and for that reafon often quoted, remarks, that these favages are feeble in their organs of generation, that they have no ardor for the female fex, and that they have few children; to enforce which remark he adds, that the quadrepeds of America, both native and tranfplanted, are of a diminutive fize, compared with those of the old world. A woman never admits her husband, till the child fhe is nurfing be three years old; and this led Frenchmen to go often aftray from their Canadian wives. The cafe was reported by the priests to their fuperiors in France; but what order was taken has escaped my memory. Among the males, it is an inviolable law, to abftain from females. while they are engaged in a military expedition. This is pregnant evidence of their frigidity; for among favages the authority of law, or of opinion, feldom prevails over any strong appetite: vain would be the attempt to restrain them from fpirituous liquors, tho' much more debilitating. Neither is there any inftance, of violence offered by any North-American favage, to European women taken captives in war.

Mexico and Peru, when conquered by the Spaniards, afforded

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