Origin of the American Nations, 243 



and third were celebrated at the time of the equinoxes; the, 

 fourth had no fixed period. Thefe feftivals of the Peruvians 

 have a great fimilarity to thofe of the Chinefe, both in number 

 and the times when celebrated; with this difference, that the 

 Chinefe obferve with great attention the four periods of the 

 year, viz. the two folftices and the two equinoxes. 



2d, The Peruvian and Chinefe monarchs both affumed the 

 title of Children of the Sun, from which deity they pretended 

 to be defcendcd. 



3d, Within the city of Cufko was a field which no one 

 was allowed to cultivate but the Peruvian monarchs and 

 their family. This affords a new reafon for conjecturing 

 that the Peruvians were a Chinefe colony; for the monarchs 

 of China retained alfo a piece of land, which was fet apart 

 for them and their family. 



4th, To this we may add, that the Chinefe and the Peru- 

 vian monarchs were inverted with fpiritual as well as tem- 

 poral power, and that the political eltablifhments in both 

 countries were excellent of their kind. 



5th, The Creole ladies in Peru, according to the teftimony 

 of Frezier, are exceedingly fond of fmall feet. Thofe who 

 have the fmalleft are reckoned more perfecl than the reft *> 

 and therefore their feet are confined, at a very early period, 

 in narrow fhoes. Who does not know that among the Chi- 

 nefe women fmall feet are accounted a great beauty ? This 

 cuftom may have come alfo from China; though Frezier al- 

 ludes only to the Creoles, and not to the original inhabitants 

 of the country 5 for it may have been introduced before the 

 arrival of the Spaniards in Peru ; and, if that be the cafe, 

 the Creole ladies received this cuftom from the Indians, and 

 the Indians from their anceftors the Chinefe. 



6th, The Peruvians had no writing, but inftead of it they 

 made ufe of their quipu; which word, properly fpeaking, 

 lignifies knots, but, according to the more extenfive meaning, 

 a reckoning, catalogue, or lift of fomething. The Chinefe, 

 before the invention of their writing, made ufe alfo of fuch 

 knots to convey their ideas to diftant places. 



The Peruvian quipu were threads of different colours, each 

 of which had its peculiar meaning ; for example, yellow de- 

 noted gold ; white, filver ; red, warriors, &c. The Peru- 

 vians employed them chiefly for keeping accompts ; in which 

 they were fo expert, that they could reckon as faft with thefe 

 threads, as the readied accomptant can in Europe with pen 

 and ink. By this method they could calculate the number 

 of the inhabitants in the whole country, according to their 

 age and fex : an account was kept, by means of thefe knots, 



Q^ of 



