Cií. XV. SOUTH AMERICA. 183 



producís and manufactures ; nor for any of those 

 causes, which even with U^ss foundation, envy has 

 dared to suggest ; but for this reason, and a very 

 prudent one it is, that their Indians, who being as it 

 v/ere new born from savageness and brutalitv, and 

 initiated into morality and rehgion, may be kept 

 steady in this state of innocence and simplicity. These 

 Indians are strangers to sedition, pride, malice, envy, 

 and other passions, wbich are so fatal to society. But 

 vvere strangers admitted to come among them, their 

 bad examples would teach them what at present they 

 are happily ignorant of; but simuld modesty, and the 

 attention they pay to the instructions of their teachers, 

 be once laid aside, the shining advantages of these 

 settlements would soon come to notliing; and such a 

 number of souls, who now worship the true God in the 

 beauty of holiness, and live in tranquillity and love(of 

 wliich such slender traces arc seen among civilized 

 nations), would be again seduced into the paths of 

 disorder and perdition. 



These Indians live at present in an entire assu- 

 rance, that whatever their priests advise them to is 

 good, and whatever they reprehend is bad. But 

 their minds would soon take a different turn, by 

 seeing other people, on whom the doctrine of the 

 gospel is so far from having any eifect, that their 

 actions are absolutely repugant to its precepts. At 

 present they are iirmly persuaded, that in all bargains 

 and other transactions, the greatest candour and pro- 

 bity must be u.'-ed, without any prevarication or de- 

 ceit. But it is too evident, that were others admitted 

 among them, whose leading maxim is to sell as dear, 

 and buy as chea}> as they are able, these innocent peo- 

 ple would soon imbibe the same practice together 

 with a variety of others which seem naturally to flow 

 from it. The contamiiiation would soon spread through 

 every part of their behaviour, so as never more to be 

 icclaiined. I do not here mean to lessen the charac- 

 10 ters 



