138 



the above disorders Volney adds intermitting fevers and pleu- 

 risies ; from rheumatisms he thinks they would suffer more 

 did they not practise fumigations b}' means of red hot peb- 

 bles*. 



In the 2d place our orator roundly asserts, that his primae- 

 val savages were stronger than men now are in the social 

 state, who are he says enervated by leading a tender and 

 eifeminate life. 



But assuredly it cannot be said that the savages of our 

 times lead a tender and affeminate life ; yet Dr. Robertson 

 collects from a number of Spanish writers that the savages of 

 South America were much more feeble than Europeans-j-. 

 Volney extends the same remark to those of North Americalf: ; 

 and L'Evesque, treating of the Asiatic savages says, " that 

 it is a mistake to think them stronger than other men^. 



3dly, Our orator tells us, that his primeval savages had no 

 habitation, and required none, not even cloaths. For that 

 in the warm climates they did not want tliem, and in the 

 colder they soon appropriated to themselves the skins of the 

 wild beasts that they killed. — 



This however is clearly contradicted by facts. All savages, 

 whether of ancient or modern times, had and have some ha- 

 bitation either in caverns, or huts constructed of trecs^ : or 



* Volney, 4-16. •) 2 Robert?. 1-4-. X Volney, 417. 



^ Vol. 7- p. 299. 51 2 Roberts. I'-'ti. 



