92 On the supposed Welch-Indians. 



quiries respecting the religious institutions of a peo- 

 ple, whom he considered as his countrymen. If 

 these people be the descendants of Madog, some 

 traces of the Christian religion may be expected to 

 be discerned among them : for, I think, it requires 

 many centuries to entirely efface from the memory of 

 a people all vestiges of their religion ; especially from 

 a people so tenacious of their language, and so little 

 disposed to intermix with their neighbours, as the 

 Welch-Indians are represented to be. 



But Griffith's relation is, I think, worthy of some 

 attention. I even think it not altogether improbable, 

 that future researches will establish the fact, that there 

 does exist, in the western parts of North- America, a 

 race, or nation, of men, whose complexion is much 

 fairer than that of the surrounding tribes of Indians ; 

 and who speak a language abounding in Welch or 

 Celtic words. But the complete establishment of 

 these two points would not prove the establishment 

 of the truth of the assertion, that Prince Madog had 

 ever made a voyage to America ; or that a colony of 

 Celts had, at any period, prior to the discovery of Ame- 

 rica, by Columbus, passed into this hemisphere from 

 Britain. 



It may be thought, from the statement published 

 by Dr. Williams, and some other writers, on the 

 subject, that the belief of the existence of a race of 

 Welch-Indians in America, is generally admitted by 

 the Red-Indians, and others. But this is far from 

 being the case. The late Mr. M'Gihvray, a man of 



