country is of great extent; they live by hunting and fishing, having bows and arrows, but no fire-arms; and their cloathing is the skins of beafts: they are feldom, if ever, engaged in war; have no commerce with any other people, Indian or European, but live as if they had a world to themselves (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 scarce a tree for hundreds of miles: the inhabitants enjoy the greatest plenty of fish, 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 vast extent of North 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

(a) Account of North America by Major Robert Ro

gers.

T 2

hunters

hunters and fishers, without advancing to the fhepherd-state. But if the foregoing difficulty be removed, another ftarts up, no less puzzling, viz. By what adverse 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; witness Mexico and Peru, fully peopled at the era of the Spanish invafion. We must therefore fearch for another caufe; and none occurs but the infecundity of the North-American favages. M. Buffon, a refpectable author, and for that reafon often quoted, remarks, that the males 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 quadrupeds of America, both native and transplanted, are of a diminutive fize, compared with thofe 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

reported by the priests to their fuperiors in France what regulation was made 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 ftrong appetite: vain would be the attempt to restrain them from spirituous liquors, tho' much more debilitating. Neither is there any instance, of violence offered by any North-American favage, to European women taken captives

in war.

Mexico and Peru, when conquered by the Spaniards, afforded to their numerous inhabitants the neceffaries of life in profufion. Cotton was in plenty, more than fufficient for the cloathing needed in warm climates Indian wheat was univerfal, and was cultivated without much labour. The natural wants of the inhabitants were thus eafily fupplied; and artificial wants had made no progrefs. But the prefent ftate of thefe countries is very different. The Indians have learned from their conquerors a multitude of artificial wants, good

houses,

houfes, variety of food, and rich cloaths which must be imported, because they are prohibited from exercifing any art or calling except agriculture, which scarce affords them neceffaries; and this obliges a great proportion of them to live fingle. Even agriculture itself is cramped; for in most of the provinces there is a prohibition to plant vines or olives. In fhort, it is believed that the inhabitants are reduced to a fourth part of what they were at the time of the Spanish invafion. The favages alfo of North America who border on the European fettlements, are vifibly diminishing. When the English fettled in America, the five nations could raife 15,000 fighting men at present they are not able to raise 2000. Upon the whole, it is computed by able writers, that the prefent inhabitants of America amount not to a twentieth part of those who exifted when that continent was difcovered by Columbus. This decay is afcribed to the intemperate ufe of fpirits, and to the fmall-pox, both of them introduced by the Europeans *.

It

*In all the Weft-Indian colonies, the flaves continually decreafe fo as to make frequent recruits

from

1

It is obfervable, that every fort of plague becomes more virulent by tranfplantation.

The

from Africa neceffary. "This decrease," fays the author of a late account of Guiana, "is commonly "attributed to oppreffion and hard labour; tho' "with little reafon, as the flaves are much more "robuft, healthy, and vigorous, than their mafters. "The true caufe is, the commerce of white men "with young Negro wenches, who, to fupport that "commerce, ufe every mean to avoid conception, "and even to procure abortion. By fuch practices "they are incapacitated to bear children when they "fettle in marriage with their own countrymen. "That this is the true caufe, will be evident, from "confidering, that in Virginia and Maryland, the "ftock of flaves is kept up without any importa"tion; becaufe in thefe countries commerce with

Negro women is detefted, as infamous and unna"tural." The caufe here affigned may have fome effect: but there is a stronger caufe of depopulation, viz. the culture of fugar, laborious in the field, and unhealthy in the houfe by boiling, &c. The Negroes employ'd in the culture of cotton, coffee, and ginger, feldom need to be recruited. Add, that where tobacco and rice are cultivated, the stock of Negroes is kept up by procreation, without neceffity of recruits. Because there, a certain portion of work is allotted to the negroes in every plantation; and when that is performed, they are at liberty to work for themfelves. The management in Jamaica is very different: no tafk is there affigned; and the poor flaves know no end of la

bour: