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 supported by analogy: we believe that a spot, 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. Having thus ventured to throw out what occurred upon the origin 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, inftead 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 rouses our curiosity; 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 fifhers. The horse, it. is true, the sheep, the goat, were imported from Europe; but there are plenty of American quadrupeds no lefs docile than those mentioned. There is, in particular, a fpecies of horned cattle pe-culiar to America, having long wool inftead of hair, and an excrefcence upon the fhoulder like that of the East-India buffalo. Thefe wild cattle multiply exceedingly in the fertile countrieswhich the Miffifippi traverfes; 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 eafily 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 custom, in rivetting men to their local fituation and manner of life: once hunters, they will always be hunters, till fome caufe more potent than custom force them out of that ftate. Want of food, occafioned by rapid population, brought on the fhepherd-fstate in the old world. That caufe has not hitherto taken place in North America: 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 extent: they live by hunting and fishing, having bows and arrows, but no fire-arms; and their cloathing is the fkins of beasts: 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 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 scarce a tree for hundreds of miles: the inhabitants enjoy the greateft 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 (a) Account of North America by Major Robert Rogers. America, America, when discovered, 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 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, witnefs 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 reason 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 quadru peds of America, both native and tranfplanted, 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 by the priests to their fuperiors in. France; but what order was taken has efcaped my memory. Among the males, it is an inviolable law, to abftain from femaleswhile 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 fpirituous liquors,, tho' much more debilitating. Neither is there any inftance, of tho'much violence offered by any North-American favage, to European women taken captives in war. Mexico and Peru, when conquered by the Spaniards, affordedi to: 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 fupplied with very little trouble; and artificial wants had made no progrefs. But the prefent state of these countries is very different. The Indians have learned from their conquerors a multitude of artificial wants, good houfes, variety of food, and rich cloaths, which must be imported, because not manufactured at home. 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 who existed at the Spanish invasion are reduced to a fourth part. The favages alfo of North America who border on the European fettlements are visibly diminishing. When the English settled in America, the five nations could raise 15,000 fighting men at present they are not able to raise 2000. Upon the whole, it is computed by able writers, that the present inhabitants of America amount not to a twentieth part of those who existed when that continent was discovered by Columbus. This decay is afcribed to the intemperate use of spirits, and to the fmall-pox, both of them introduced by the Europeans *. It * In all the West-Indian colonies, the flaves continually decrease so as to need frequent recruits from Africa. "This decreafe," 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 chil "dren It is obfervable, that every fort of plague becomes more virulent when tranfplanted, than in its native place. The plague commits lefs ravage in Egypt, its native place, than in any other country. The venereal difeafe was for many ages more violent and deftructive in Europe, than ever it was in America, where it was first known. The people who failed with Chriftopher Columbus, brought it to Spain from Hifpaniola. Columbus, with thirty or forty of his failors, went directly to Barcelona, where the King then was, to render an account of his voyage. All the inhabitants, who at that time tripled the prefent number, were immediately seized with the venereal disease, which raged fo furioufly as to threaten deftruction to all. The fmall pox comes under the fame obfervation; for it has swept away many more in America, than ever it did in Europe. In the 1713, the crew of a Dutch veffel infected the Hottentots with the finall pox; which left fcarce a third of the inhabitants. And the fame fate befel the Laplanders and Greenlanders. In all appearance, that disease, if it abate not foon of its tranfplanted virulence, will extirpate the natives of North America; for they know little of inoculation. But fpiritous liquors are a ftill more effectual caufe of depopulation. The American favages, male and female, are inordinately fond of fpiritous liquors; and favages generally abandon themfelves to appetite, without the least control from fhame. The noxious effects of intemperance in fpirits, are too well known, from "dren 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 "stock of flaves is kept up without any importation; becaufe in thefe countries "commerce with Negro women is detefted, as infamous and unnatural." The cause here affigned may have fome effect: but there is a ftronger 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. VOL. II. L fatal |