242 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



the oppressed. The same observation may be 

 made with respect to the use of domestic ani- 

 mals. A people that have experienced the ad- 

 vantages derived from the food they afibrd, and 

 from the labour they perform, v,ould never 

 lose this kind of knowledge ; but endeavour 

 to apply it to such kind of animals, as they 

 found in the country to which they repaired. 

 Of all these, the Indians of America were igno- 

 rant. They knew not the use of the metals, 

 spinning, weaving, or the domestic animals : 

 They had derived no such knowledge from 

 their ancestors, nor had they acquired it them- 

 selves. At what period then, must they have 

 settled in America ? Before these arts were 

 known in Asia. Before the Scythians became 

 husbandmen, and before the most necessarv and 

 useful arts were known in the midst of Asia. 

 Without attempting therefore to go back to the 

 beginning of the creation of God, we can find 

 circumstances that will carry us as far back in- 

 to antiquity, as any other nation can pretend. 

 The history and pretensions of the Chinese, do 

 not imply or suppose any circumstances of 

 greater antiquity, than those which have been 

 mentioned. And it must be from circumstan- 

 ces and facts, not from tradition, that we must 

 trace the antiquity and origin of ancient nations. 

 Progress of Society. The progress of 

 society among the Indians, would make a curi- 

 ous, and most useful part of their history. The 

 rudest and most simple state that took place 

 among them, was that which I have been des- 

 cribing. Wheresoever the savages continued 

 to deriv-e their support from hunting-, they con- 



