generally so lavish of, we shall content ourselves with saying, that a dozen words, whese sound and signification are the same in the languages of two distant nations, are hardly sufficient to prove that they are both descended from the same progenitors. However, if it were true that the Carthagenians, after their discovery of the Hesperides, had known the continent, they might probably have left their language with some of their people behind them; and this language might have been so far confounded with the American tongues, as to remain only in twelve words. Let us endeavour to maintain this kind of paradox, though to speak the truth we are almost persuaded that the American settlements were first made by land, and that the Phoenician language was in process of time so much corrupted in Africa, that it degenerated to a meer jargon, mixed with the Lybian and other wild languages of the neighbouring nations Secondly, this language thus degenerated, being carried into America by a small number of people, who settled there, must naturally have been soon lost, so that small remains of it must have been left.

The reader may probably look upon this as the mere product of our fancy; but if it be duly considered, it will not appear altogether improbable. In the whole, what man of learning will dare to assert, that the languages of those countries which lie nearest Africa, are not mixed with Punic, with Lybian, or even broken Cantabrian words? Who is able to boast his having so throughly studied the genius and etymology of the American languages, as to be able to affirm, that there are not some footsteps of the African idolators, and of those places the Carthagenians possessed in Spain, to be found therein? These conjectures might have been carried much farther, had not the languages of the Antilles been lost, after the Spaniards destroyed the inhabitants of those islands.

Some authors are of an opinion, that the Americans owe their original to the dispersion of the ten tribes of the Israelites. It is true, indeed, that some traces of the Jewish religion had been found at Jucatan, and the coasts of the South-sea; as for instance, a kind of circumcision, which we might with great probability impute to the necessity, so far from being forced to ransack the Jewish religion upon that account. Emanuel de Moraes, a Portuguese, who had travelled many years in America, has endeavoured to prove that the Jews and Carthagenians are the common parents of the Americans. We have just now quoted his opinion with relation to the migration of the Carthagenians into foreign countries. Here follows his reason to prove that of

the Jews into Brasil. The Brazilians, says he, marry, only into their own families, in like manner as the Jews married only into their own tribes. Both of them call their uncles by the name of father, and their aunts mother, their cousins brether, &c. both of them pass a month in deep mourning, and wear gowns that descend to their feet. But these affinities are of little weight, some of them being forced, and the rest entirely false. But we shall leave the reader to his private opinion.

The great Grotius thinks that the Americans of Panama came originally from Norway. The Norwegians went fist into Iceland; from Iceland they went into Groenland by the way of Friesland; from Groenland they spread themselve into Estotisland, which is a part of the main land of North America, and from thence they sent colonies to the Isthmus of Panama. We must own that there is one circumstance which seems to prove that the inhabitants of Panama, and Mexico, are originally of the north; and that is the traditions of the Mexicans, who formerly declared to the Spaniards, that their ancestors came from that quarter. As to Estotisland, we are told there is a city in that country, that goes by the name of Norumbegue, which still preserves in its name some marks of the passage of the Norwegians. But unhapily for this opinion there are not the least foot steps ren.aining of any city in the north parts of America; and the natives of the country, if we except those who live in the cities built by the Europeans, from what can at most be called but small villages, made up only of a few houses. Besides, all that Zeni, who first discovered Friesland and Estotisland, relates of his discoverics, appears altogether romantic, and as fictitious at least as the discovery of the Terra Australis by Sadeur. De Laat in his dissertation on the original of the Americans, seems to have throughly refuted the reasons which Grotius alle to prove that the inhabitants of Mexico and Pana came originally from Norway.

As to the Peruvians and other nations of the sou· part of America, Grotius has pretended to prov they came originally from China. The sprightly and penetrating genius of both those nations; then cominon idolatrous worship of the sun; the hicroglyphic characters of both; and above all the voyages of Mancocapac, who came from beyond the seas to people Peru, and made himself the law-giver of its inhabitants; all these appeared reasons sufficient to this great man, to induce him to maintain his opinion.

To this De Laat answers, That the Peruvians were never such skilful artists as the Chinese, and

that

Noah might have been at the head of above five hundred descendants in the space of thirty years; and if we then suppose that every one of Noah's great grand children had ten children, these four hundred and thirty two persons might have begot four thousand three hundred and twenty children in ten years time. All this might have happened in the space of half a century; so that multiplying them always by ten, and leaving an interval of about twenty or twenty-five years between one generation and another, Asia, Europe, and Africa, might have been peopled with four hundred and thirty two millions of inhabitants, an hundred and fifty years after the flood. We think this could not be disputed, were we only to have regard to the ordinary methods of propagation. It is true, indeed, that we suppose every head of a family to have had ten children, when probably several of those chiefs might not have had so many. But then how many do we see in our days who have more than ten, and if we consider what bishop Burnet has told us concerning Messieurs Tronchin and Calandin of Geneva; the former of whom at the age of seven. ty-five, had one hundred and fifteen children, or persons married to his children, that could call him father; and the other at the age of forty-seven, had one hundred and five persons, who were all his nephews or nieces by his brothers or sisters-If therefore, we these two instances, it will be found that our computation is modest enough, for an age when poverty and the cares of life had not yet destroyed man's vigour, nor reduced him to the necessity of refraining from marriage, the lawful method of propagation, for fear of not being able to support his family. But altho' the increase of our species had for one hundred and fifty years been much less than we have supposed it, and that only four hundred millions of people had come into the world; nay farther, tho' we were still to substract thirty millions from that sum, for the immature or violent deaths, diseases, and wars, which in all probability were not so bloody in thoses ages as they have been since, it is very natural to think that some millions might detach themselves from the remaining three hundred and seventy millions in order to seek their fortures in in America. And tho' we afterwards suppose that propagation may have been very much prejudiced by reason of the fatigues they laboured under in their voyage, and from the change of climate, we shall nevertheless find that ten or twelve millions of people may have been able to furnish America with forty millions of persons in fifty years time, What is here advnced ought to be looked upon as a paradox, nor should No. 22

any

difficulties be raised with respect to our calcuculation; difficulties which are founded only the length of man's life in our days. Mankind in those ages had not invented all those pernicious arts, which at the same time that they shorten life, do also lessen propagation.

The rural life which mankind led in the first ages, the indolence of the Americans, which has been continued from father to son to latest posterity, and the tranquillity of that people, unperplexed with those cares which now prey upon us, were incapaable of ruining health, or of making men grow old before their time. But we will not pursue any farther a subject that would carry us to too great lengths. It is sufficient for our purpose that we have proved the possibility, and even the probability that this part of the world began to be peopled about an hundred and forty years after the flood, and some years after the confusion of tongues at Babel.

These colonies passed over into America, from the north of Asia, by the way of Tartary; there are several reasons which induce us to be of this opinion, First, father Hennepin relates, that four savages came of ambassadors to the Issatis and Nadouessans, while he was among them. They came from a country above five hundred miles to the westward of that place, and had been four moons on their journey. They added, says he, that their country lay westward, and that we lay eastward with respect to their country; that they had journeyed on continually during all that time, except that which they employed in sleep, and in hunting for their subsistance. Father Henepin concludes from thence, that there is no such thing as the staits of Anian; for these savages assured us, says he, that thay had not crossed any great lake, for that is the name they give to the sea. They told us further, that all the nations with whom they were acquainted, that live on the west and northwest of the Issatis, have not any great lake near the wide extened countries, but only rivers, which come from the north, pass thro' the countries of those people who inhabit near the confines, on that side the great lake lies, which in the language of the savages signifies sea. These people undoubtedly inhabit the north part of California, and extend perhaps to the frontiers of eatern Tartary, Japan, and the land of Jesso.

It was necessary to be the more explicit upon the first peopling of Amerca, because this argument has been laid hold of by Deists, in order to prove that the whole human race did not descend from one man and one woman. To take notice of what' Voltaire has said on this subject in his philosophy 60

of

of history, is altogether unnecessary, for that author, (as lord Lyttelton justly says) is the most superficial historian that ever took a peu in hand. A vain, airy, volatile disposition, a love of gaity, and a fixed hatred of every thing serious, induced him to take up every idle prejudice, and palm those upon the public as truth. Inaccurate in all his enquiries, and lazy even to a proverb, he has mixed romance with historical facts, and in his writings formed a real monster. But lord Kames, a judge now alive, has gone further, and attempted to prove, that there must have been many men created originally because of the different colours of the human species.

His lordship is a respectable writer, for although there is reason to believe that he has conceived some prejudices against the scripture history, yet he has too much good sense to oppose any thing that tends toward traducing moral virtue, and religious obligation. He has penetrated deep in the nature of things, and so far from being attached to his own opinion in opposition to any thing that had the appearance of truth, he actually revoked his sentiments concerning the freedom of the human will, in consequence of having read the late president Edwards's celebrated work on that subject. The truth is, in all the ancient histories we are led into doubts, nor have we any we can with safety depend on besides the sacred sacriptures.

Historians relate with gravity the story of Regulas, other doubts its existence, and yet there is nothing at all surpising in it, when we consider the temper and genius of the Roman people. Xenophon gives us an account of the death of Cyrus very different from what we read in other authors concerning that illustrious hero, and where is the truth to be found.

The objections made by lord Kames against the truth of the scripture history, in consequence of the variety of complexions found in the world, is too weak to be used by a gentleman of his understanding. It is well known, that the influence of the climate will at all times change the colours of men, and this, in a few succeeding generations, will make it totally opposite to what it was before. We might here mention a particular book written by his lordship, wherein he has, without design, established this principle, and we are extremely sorry to say, that great talents and consistency are not always found united.

It is acknowledged by Christians, that the scripture history is a supernatural revelation, so that they give themselves no manner of trouble concerning any cavils about it; but even allowing that we

were obliged to abide by a Heathen, or any sort of hum in testimony, yet the discovery of America might be accounted for on the rational principles. This we have in some measure attempted already, and therefore we shall at present go on to describe the ceremonies used by the idolators in that part of the world, beginning with Florida, and extending our enquiries into the other parts, till we come to speak of the Protestant religion in every part of the known world.

The Religion of the Floridans.

THE inhabitants of Florida are idolators and acknowledge the sun and moon for deities, whom they worship without offering them either prayers or sacrifies. However, they have temples; but the only use they make of them is to bury their dead, and to lodge the most valuable part of their wealth in them. They also set up the spoils of their enemies at the gates of these temples, by way of trophies, and this is all the account the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega has given us of the religion of the Floridans. We may justly compare them to those idolatrous nations of antiquity, who worshipped whatever they thought odd or surprising, if it be true that the Floridans were so superstitious as to adore a pillar, which captain Ribaut had erected upon an eminence, with the arms of France, when he discovered that part of North America. They offered sacrifices to it, crowned it with flowers, and dressed it up with garlands and festoons; and it a word, they omitted no kind of homage.

The Floridans worship the devil under the name of Toia, or rather that evil principle whom they set up in opposition to their supreme deity. Firmly persuaded, that it is impossible for this last principle to do them any hurt, because of his great innate goodness, and they only bend their endeavours to appease the other, who, they say, torments them in a very grievous manner. The devil makes incisions in their flesh, terrifies them in visions, and from time to time appears to them, to force them to sacrifice men to his honour. In case the devil does not give himself the trouble to act on these occasions, the priests have nevertheless the interest of the pecple too much at heart, to be wanting in the duty they owe him. We may therefore with great probability suppose, that they themselves are the evil genius, and that they more than make up for that imaginary malice which the fear of the Floridans causes them to ascribe to it.

Another

Another author has given us the following account of the religion of the Floridans. They adore one sole creator of all things, to whom their great pontiff offers sacrifices; but they do not think the affairs of men deserve his care, and they say, that he commits the government of this lower world to subordinate and inferior deities; or in other words, that he leaves it to the administration of good and evil spirits, to whom the priests of an inferior order offer sacrifices and other devotions.

The savages that inhabit about the mountains of Apalache worship the sun, as author of life and creator of nature. One would think they had preserved some footsteps of the flood; for they say, that the sun having retarded his ordinary course for twentyfour hours, the waters of the great lake Theomi overflowed in such a manner as to cover the tops of all the highest mountains, that of Olaimy expected; which the sun preserved from the general inundation, because of the temple he had built thereon with his own hands, and the Apalachites afterwards consecrated as a place of pilgrimage, where it was usual for them to pay their religious homage to that planet, and all such as could shelter themselves in this place were preserved from the deluge. The four and twenty hours expired, the sun recovered his first strength, and commanding the waters to retire back to their just limits, scattered the vapours which they spread over they earth. It is in acknowledgement for this memorable deliverance, that the Floridans, called Apalachites, have thought themselves obliged to worship the sun, and here follows the manner how they adore him, and the and the particulars of that worship.

We shall begin with the worship of Apalachites. Their religious service consists in saluting the rising sun, and singing hymns to his praise, and they pay him the same homage every evening. Besides this, they sacrifice to him, and offer solemn perfume in his honour, four times every year, on the mountains of Olaimy: But as they do not offer any bloody victim to this planet, because they look upon it as the parent of life, and think that he who bostows it on creatures, can scarcely delight in a worship that deprives them of it, we can hardly give the name of sacrifice to the offerings which they make it, since they cansist only of perfumes which they burn, as presents which they make the priests, and in songs which they sing in honour of the gorious planet of the day. On the eve of the festival appointed for the offering of perfumes, the priests withdraw into the mountains, the better to prepare themselves for this solemn act of the day following; and the people are satified if they get there before day-break. Fires

are burning all night upon the mountain; but the devotees dare not approach the temple, or rather grotto, which is dedicated to the sun. The jouanas, or priests, only are allowed access to the religious edifice, and it is to them that the devotees intrust their gifts and oblations, which the jouanas afterwards hang on poles, that are fixed on each side of the gate, where they remain all the ceremony is ended; after which they distribute them according to the donor's will.

The moment the sun begins to shine, the jouanas sing forth his praises, by falling several times upon their knees; after which they throw perfumes into the sacred fire that is lighted before the gate of the temple, and these two acts of worship are followed by a third no less essential. The the priest pours honey into stone made hollow for that purpose, and which stands before a stone table; and scatters about the stone a considerable quantity of maize half bruised and cleared from its chaff. This is the food of certain birds, whom the Floridans tell us sing the praises of the sun, and whilst the priests are burning the perfumes, and sing to the honour of that planet, the people prostrate themselves and pay their devotions. The ceremony concludes with sports, dances, and diversions, and the most essential part of the festival ends at noon. Then the jouanas surround the the table, repeating their songs and acclamations; and when the sun begins to gild the edges of the table with his rays, they throw all the perfumes they have left into the fire. The ceremony does not quite end here. After the last oblation of perfumes, six jouanas chosen by lot stay by the table, and set at liberty six birds of the sun, which they brought in cages, in order that they might act their part in the ceremony. After the mysterious deliverance of these birds follows a procession of devotees, who come down from the mountains with boughs in their hands, and go to the entrance of the temple, into which they are introduced by the jouanas. Lastly the pilgrims wash their hands and faces with the sacred water. Such is the description of this ceremony, which we have borowed from an author who had extracted it from the relations of two Englishmen.

The temple consecrated to the sun, and to its worship, by the Floridans of Apalache, is a spacious grotto, made by nature in the rock, on the east side of the mountain. We are told that it is two hundred feet long, and of an oval form: that the arched roof rises and hundred and twenty feet in height, and that there comes in light enough by a hole which goes quite through the top to illuminate the grotto.

Garcilasso,