merous artists; attentively observed their character, their genius, their difpofition, and manner of thinking; and have examined befides, with the utmost diligence, their ancient hiftory, their religion, their government, their laws, and their cuftoms. After fuch long experience and ftudy of them, from which we imagine ourfelves enabled to decide without danger of erring, we declare to M. de Paw, and to all Europe, that the mental qualities of the Americans are not in the least inferior to thofe of the Europeans; that they are capable of all, even the most abstract sciences; and that if equal care was taken of their education, if they were brought up from childhood in feminaries under good mafters, were protected and stimulated by rewards, we should fee rife among the Americans, philofophers, mathematicians, and divines, who would rival the firft in Europe."

But although we should fuppofe, that, in the torrid climates of the New World, as well as in those of the Old, especially under the additional depreffion of flavery, there was an inferiority of the mental powers, the Chilese and the North Americans have discovered higher rudiments of human excellence and ingenuity than have ever been known among tribes in a similar state of society in any part of the world.

M. de Paw affirms, that the Americans were unacquainted with the ufe of money, and quotes the following well-known paffage from Montefquieu: "Imagine to yourself, that, by fome accident, you are placed in an unknown country; if you find money there, do not doubt that you are arrived among a polished people." But if by money we are to understand a piece of metal with the stamp of the prince or the public, the want of it in a nation is no token of barbarity. The Athenians employed oxen for money, as the Romans did fheep. The Romans had no coined money till the time of Servius Tullius, nor the Perfians until the reign of Darius Hyftafpes. But if by money is understood a fign representing the value of merchandise, the Mexicans, and other nations of Anahuac, employed money in their commerce. The cacao, of which they made conftant use in the market to purchase whatever they wanted, was employed for this purpose, as falt is in Abyffinia.

It has been affirmed, that ftone-bridges were unknown in America when it was first discovered; and that the natives did not know how to form arches. But thefe affertions are erroneous. The remains of the ancient palaces of Tezcuco, and ftill more their vapour-baths, fhow the ancient ufe of arches and vaults among the Mexicans. But the ignorance of this art would have been no proof of barbarity. Neither the Egyptians nor Babylonians understood the conftruction of arches.

M. de

M. de Paw affirms, that the palace of Montezuma was nothing else than a hut. But it is certain, from the affirmation of all the hiftorians of Mexico, that the army under Cortes, confifting of 6,400 men, were all lodged in the palace; and there remained ftill fufficient room for Montezuma and his attendants.

The advances which the Mexicans had made in the study of aftronomy is perhaps the most surprising proof of their attention and fagacity; for it appears from Abbe Clavigero's hiftory, that they not only counted 365 days to the year, but also knew of the excefs of about fix hours in the folar over the civil year, and remedied the difference by means of intercalary days.

Of American morality, the following exhortation of a Mexican to his fon may ferve as a fpecimen. "My fon who art come into the light from the womb of thy mother like a chicken from the egg, and like it are preparing to fly through the world, we know not how long Heaven will grant to us the enjoyment of that precious gem which we poffefs in thee; but however fhort the period, endeavour to live exactly, praying God continually to affift thee. He created thee; thou art his property. He is thy father, and loves thee ftill more than I do : repofe in him thy thoughts, and day and night direct thy fighs to him. Reverence and falute thy elders, and hold no one in contempt. To the poor and diftreffed be not dumb, but rather use words of comfort. Honour all perfons, particularly thy parents to whom thou oweft obedience, refpect, and fervice. Guard against imitating the example of those wicked fons, who, like brutes who are deprived of reason, neither reverence their parents, liften to their inftruction, nor fubmit to their correction; because whoever follows their steps will have an unhappy end, will die a in defperate or fudden manner, or will be killed and devoured by wild beasts. "Mock not, my fcn, the aged or the imperfect. Scorn not him whom ye fee fall into fome folly or tranfgreffion, nor make him reproaches but reftrain thyfelf, and beware left thou fall into the fame error which offends thee in another. Go not where thou art not called, nor interfere in that which does not concern thee. Endeavour to manifeft thy good breeding in all thy words and actions. In converfation, do not lay thy hands upon another, nor fpeak too much, nor interrupt or disturb another's difcourfe. When any one difcourfes with thee, hear him attentively, and hold thyfelf in an eafy attitude, neither playing with thy feet, nor putting thy mantle to thy mouth, nor fpitting too often, nor looking about you here and there, nor rifing up frequently, if thou art fitting; for such actions are indications of levity and lowbreeding." He proceeds to mention feveral particular vices which are

to be avoided, and concludes," Steal not, nor give thyfelf to gaming; otherwise thou wilt be a difgrace to thy parents, whom thou oughtest rather to honour for the education they have given thee. If thou wilt be virtuous, thy example will put the wicked to fhame. No more, my fon; enough has been faid in discharge of the duties of a father. With thefe counfels I wish to fortify thy mind. Refufe them not, nor act in contradiction to them; for on them thy life and all thy happiness depend."

ANIMALS. As ranging on the fame fide with the Abbé Clavigero, the ingenious Mr. Jefferson deserves particular attention. This gentleman, in his notes on the State of Virginia, &c. has taken occafion to combat the opinions of Buffon; and feems to have fully refuted them both by argument and facts. The French philofopher afferts, "That living nature is lefs active, lefs energetic, in the New World than in the Old." He affirms, 1. That the animals common to both continents are smaller in America. 2. That thofe peculiar to the New are on an inferior fcale. 3. That those which have been domefticated in both have degenerated in America. And 4. That it exhibits fewer fpecies of living creatures. The caufe of this he afcribes to the diminution of heat in America, and to the prevalence of humidity from the extenfion of its lakes and waters over a prodigious furface. In other words, he affirms, that heat is friendly and moisture adverse to the production and developement of the large quadrupeds.

The hypothefis, that moisture is unfriendly to animal growth, Mr. Jefferson fhows to be contradicted by obfervation and experience. It is by the affiftance of heat and moisture that vegetables are elaborated from the elements. Accordingly we find, that the more humid climates produce plants in greater profufion than the dry. Vegetables are immediately or remotely the food of every animal; and, from the uniform operation of Nature's laws we difcern, that, in proportion to the quantity of food, animals are not only multiplied in their numbers, but improved in their fize. Of this laft opinion is the Count de Buffon him-, felf, in another part of his work: "En general, il paroit que les pays un peu froids conviennent mieux à nos bœufs que les pays chauds, et qu'ils font d'autant plus gros et plus grands que le climat est plus humide et plus abondans en paturages. Les bœufs de Danemarck, de la Podolie, de l'Ukraine, et de la Tartarie qu'habitent les Calmouques, font les plus grands te tous.' Here, then, a race of animals, and one of the largest too, has been increased in its dimenfions by cold and moisture, in direct oppofition to the hypothefis, which supposes that these two circumstances diminish animal bulk, and that it is their contraries, heat and drynefs,

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which

which enlarge it. But to try the queftion on more general ground, let us take two portions of the earth, Europe and America for instance, fufficiently extenfive to give operation to general causes; let us confider the circumstances peculiar to each, and obferve their effect on animal nature. America, running through the torrid as well as temperate zone, has more heat, collectively taken, than Europe. But Europe, according to our hypothefis, is the drieft. They are equally adapted then to animal productions; each being endowed with one of those causes which befriend animal growth, and with one which oppofes it. Let us, then, take a comparative view of the quadrupeds of Europe and America, presenting them to the eye in three different tables; in one of which fhall be enumerated thofe found in both countries; in a fecond, thofe found in one only; in a third, thofe which have been domefticated in both. To facilitate the comparison, let thofe of each table be ar ranged in gradation, according to their fixes, from the greatest to the fmalleft, fo far as their fizes can be conjectured. The weights of the large animals fhall be expreffed in the English avoirdupoife pound and its decimals; thofe of the smaller in the ounce and its decimals. Those which are marked thus, are actual weights of particular, fubjects, deemed amongst the largest of their species. Those marked thus †, are furnished by judicious perfons, well acquainted with the fpecies, and faying, from conjecture only, what the largest individual they had feen would probably have weighed. The other weights are taken from Meffrs. Buffon and D'Aubenton, and are of such subjects as came cafually to their hands for diffection.

"Comparative View of the Quadrupeds of Europe and of America. Europe. America.

TABLE I. Aboriginals of both.