to degeneration from the climate of America, is as prob ably wrong as the first and fecond were certainly fo. That the last part of it is erroneous, which affirms that the fpecies of American quadrupeds are comparatively few, is evident from the tables taken together. By these it appears that there are an hundred fpecies. aboriginal of America. Monf. de Buffon fuppofes about double that number existing on the whole earth.* Of these Europe, Afia, and Africa furnish suppose 126; that this, the 26 common to Europe and America, and about 100 which are not in America at all. The American fpecies then are to thofe of the rest of the earth, as 100 to 126, or 4 to 5. But the refidue of the earth being double the extent of America, the exact proportion would have been but 4 to 8., Hitherto I have confidered this hypothesis as appli-. ed to brute animals only, and not in its extenfion to, the man of America, whether aboriginal or transplant-. ed. It is the opinion of Monf. de Buffon that the former furnishes no exception to it.t " Quoique le fauvage du nouveau monde foit á peuprés de même * ftature que l'homme de notre monde, cela ne fuffit pas pour qu'il puifs faire une exception au fait génér' al du rapetiffement de la nature vivante dans tout ce • continent : le fauvage eft foible & petit pars les organes de la génération; il n'a ni poil, ni barbe, & nulle ardeur pour fa femelle. Quoique plus léger que l'Européen, parce qu'il a plus d'habitude * XXX. 219. ་ + XVIII. 146. à courir, il eft cependant beaucoup moins fort de' corps; il eft auffi bien moins fenfible, & cependant plus craintif & plus lâche; il n'a nulle vivacité, nulle activité dans l'ame; celle du corps eft ' moins un exercice, un mouvement volontaire qu'une` ' néceffité d'action caufée par le befoin; otez lui la faim & la foif, vous détruirez en meme temps le principe actif de tous fes mouvemens; il demeurera stupidement en repos fur fes jambes ou couché pen'dant des jours entiers. Il ne faut pas aller chercher plus loin la caufe de la vie dispersée des fauvages & ' de leur éloignement pour la fociété : la plus pré . • cieufe étincelle du feu de la nature leur a été refufée; ils manquent d'ardeur pour leur femelle, & par confequent d'amour pour leur femblables: ne connoifant pas l'attachment le plus vif, le plus tendre de tous, leurs autres fentimens de ce genre, font froids & languiffans: ils aiment foiblement leurs péres & leurs enfans; la fociété la plus intime de toutes, celle dela même famille, n'a donc chez eux que de foibles liens; la fociété d'une famille à * l'ature n'en a point du tout: dès lors nulle réunion, nulle republique, nulle ètat focial. La phyfique de l'amour fait chez eux le moral des mœurs ; leur * cœur eft glacé, leur fociété & leur empire dur. Ils * ne regardent leurs femmes que comme des fervantes de peine ou des bêtes de fomme qu'ils chan gent, fans mènagement, du fardeau de leur chaffe, & qu'ils forcent, fans pitié, fans reconnoiffance, à des ouv 6 rages . rages qui fouvent font audeffus de leurs forces ils 'n'ont que peu d'enfan's; ils en ont peu de foin: tout fe reffent de leur premier défaut ; ils font indif'ferents parce qu'ils font peu puissants, & cette indif- . <ference pour le faxe eft la tache originelle qui flé. trit la nature, qui l'empêche de s'épanouir, & qui • détruifant les germes de la vie, coupe en même temps la racine de la fociété. L'homme ne fait donc point d'exception ici. La nature en lui refusant lefs puif'fances de l'amour l'a plus maltraité & plus rapetiffé qu'aucun des animaux.' An afflicting picture, indeed, which, for the honor of human nature, I am glad to believe has no original. Of the Indian of South America I know nothing; for I would not honor with the appellation of knowledge, what I derive, from the fables published of them. Thefe I believe to be just as true as the fables of Efop. This belief is founded on what I have seen of man, white, red, and black, and what has been written of him by authors, enlightened themselves, and writing amidft an enlightened people. The Indian of North America being more within our reach, I can fpeak of him fomewhat from my own knowledge, but more from the information of others better acquainted with him, and on whose truth and judgment I can rely. From these sources I am able to say, in contradiction to this reprefentation, that he is neither more defective in ardor, nor more impotent with his female, than the white reduced to the fame diet and exercife: that he is is brave, when an enterprize depends on bravery; education with him making the point of honor confist in the deftruction of an enemy by ftratagem, and in the preservation of his own person free from injury; or perhaps this is nature; while it is education which teaches us to* honor force more than fineffe: that he will defend himself against an host of enemies, always choofing to be killed, rather thant to furrender, M Sol Rodomonte fpezza di venire Se non, dove la via meno è sicura. Ariofto. 14. 117. though + In fo judicious an author as Don Ulloa, and one to whom we are indebted for the most precise information we have of South America, I did not expect to find fuch affertions as the following. 'Los indios vencidos fon los mas cobardes y pufilanimes que fe peuden vér: Se hacen inocentes, fë humillan hastä el desprecio, disculpan fu inconsiderado arrojo, y con las fúplicas y los ruegos dán feguras pruebus de fu pufilanimidad.ó lo que refieren las hiftoras de la Conquista, sobre fus grandes acciones, ef en un fendito figuado, ó el charàcter de eftas gentes no ef ahora fegun era entonces; pero lo que no tiene duda es, que las Nacones dela parte Septentrional fubfiften en la mifma libertad que fiempre han tenido, fin haber sido sojuzgados por algun Principe extrano, y que viven fegun fu régimen y coftumbres de toda la vida, fin que haya habida motivo para que muden de character; y en eftos fe vé lo mifmo, que fucede en los del Peru, y de toda la América Meridional, reducidos, y que nunca lo han estado.' Noticias Americanas. Entretenimiento XVIII. §. 1. Don Ulloa here admits, that the authors who have defcribed the Indians of South America, before they were enflaved, had represented them as a brave people, and therefore seems to have fufpected that the cowardice which he had obferved in those of the prefent race might be the effect of fubjugation. But, fuppofing the Indians of North America to be cowards also, he concludes the anceftors of thofe of South America to have been fo too, and therefore that those authors have given fictions for truth. He was probably not acquainted himself with the Indians of North America, and had formed his opinion of them from hear. fay. Great numbers of French, of English, though it be to the whites, who he knows will treas him well that in other fituations also he meets death with more deliberation, and endures tortures with a firmnefs unknown almoft to religious enthusiasm with us that he is affectionate to his children, careful of them, and indulgent in the extreme: that his affec tions comprehend his other connections, weakening, as with us, from circle to circle, as they recede from the centre: that his friendships are strong and faithful to the uttermoft extremity: that his fenfibil ity English, and of Americans, are perfectly acquainted with these people. Had he had an opportunity of enquiring of any of thefe, they would have told him, that there never was an inftance known of an Indian begging his life when in the power of his enemies: on the contrary, that he courts death by every poffible infult and provocation. His reafoning then would have been reversed thus. 'Since the present Indian of North America is brave, and authors tell us, that the ancestors of thofe of South America were brave alfo; it must follow, that the cowardice of their defcendants is the effect of fubjugation and ill treatment.? For he obferves, ib. §. 27. that les abrages los aniquilan por la inhumanidad con que fe les trata.' † A remarkable inftance of this appeared in the cafe of the late Col. Byrd, who was fent to the Cherokee nation to tranfact fome business with them. It happened that fome of our diforderly people had just killed one or two of that nation. It was therefore propofed in the council of the Cherokees that Col. Byrd fhould be put to death, in revenge for the lofs of their countrymen. Among them was a chief called Silouce, who, on fome former occasion, had contracted an acquaintance and friendship with Col. Byrd. He came to him every night in his tent, and told him not to be afraid, they should not kill him. After many days deliberation, however, the determination was, contrary to Silouce's expectation, that Byrd should be put to death,and fome warriors were dispatched as executioners. Silouce attended them, and when |