HISTORY OF VERMONT. 225 



CHAPTER Vni. 



Original Inhabitants. Observations on 

 the Origin of the Indians^ their Antiquity^ 

 Progress of Sosiety^ andTendency to Dissolu- 

 tion, 



THE Man of America differed in so 

 many respects from the men of other countries, 

 that it has been made a question among some 

 of the modern philosophers, whether he was 

 originally derived from the same parents as the 

 white men j or ought to be considered as a dif- 

 ferent race, from the men of other countries. 

 No inquiries have the appearance of greater dif- 

 ficulties than those, which relate to the origin, 

 and antiquity of the American Indians. With- 

 out attempting to resolve all the questions that 

 have been proposed upon these subjects, it may 

 be of use to collect some of the facts that seem 

 to relate to them, and to note the conclusions 

 to which they lead. 



Origin. In whatever manner this part of 

 the earth was peopled, the Indian or the Red 

 Man, seems to have been the most ancient, or 

 the original man of America. This race were 

 by far the most numerous ; and they had spread 

 over the whole continent, from about the fiftieth 

 degree of north latitude to the southern extremi- 

 ty of Cape Horn. This vast extent of country, 

 including all the variety of climates, was settled 

 with the red men : And these men, everywhere 

 appeared to be the same race, or kind of people. 

 Jni every part of the continent^ the Indians wei'c 



