144 Logan, Cresap, and Rogers. 



I exceedingly rpgret, that the intellectual character of 

 the Indian of North- America is so little understood, even 

 by the best European and American writers on the sub- 

 ject. Surely, the history of the Mexicans ; the progress 

 which they had made in many of the useful, and some 

 of the elegant, arts ; their system of government ; their 

 code of morals* ; should have secured this portion of 

 the inhabitants of the new world from the calumnies 

 which have been heaped upon them by Buffon, by De 

 Pauw, by Robertson, and by other writers ; writers, 

 who, so far as concerns the physical and moral condi- 

 tion of America, have proved themselves utterly incapa- 

 ble of a candid or correct investigation of the subjectf . 

 And does not the history of the "Five- Nations, "to whom 

 the French have given the name of Iroquois, furnish us 

 with proofs of a correct acquaintance with the principles 

 of an excellent form of government, calculated to ensure 

 respect, and, for a long time, stability to its people ? 



With respect to the eloquence of the American In- 

 dians, it is certain, that specimens of this kind are by 

 no means uncommon among them. For information 



* Sec Clavigero's History of Mexico. 



t I hope to be able to publish, at some future (perhaps not early) 

 period, my Strictures on Dr. Robertson's IJistory of America. For 

 this work I am in possession of ample materials : these shall be 

 preserved, though it is possible I may never be able to digest 

 them into the order in which I wish them to appear. Yet, not- 

 withstanding what I have said, I wish to be understood as enter- 



tainin<^ a very high opinion of Dr. Robertson, as aivi-iter. My 



corrections of Mr. dc Buffon (and, perhaps, of Mr. de Pauw) will 

 be given to the public, in different works, at no very distant period. 



