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THE Europeans have never been able to 

 find any characters, much lefs writings, or 

 books, among the Indians, who have in- 

 habited North-America fince time imme- 

 morial, and feem to be all of one nation, 

 and fpeak the fame language. Thefe In- 

 dians have therefore lived in the greateft 

 ignorance and darknefs, during fome cen- 

 turies, and are totally unacquainted with 

 the ftate of their country before the arri- 

 val of the Europeans, and all their know- 

 ledge of it confifts in vague traditions, and 

 mere fables. It is not certain whether any 

 other nations poflefTed America^ before the 

 prefent Indian inhabitants came into it, or 

 whether any other nations vifited this part 

 of the globe, before Columbus difcovered 

 it. It is equally unknown, whether the 

 Chrijlian religion was ever preached here 

 in former times. I converfed with feveral 

 Jefuits, who undertook long journies in 

 this extenfive country, and ailced them, 

 whether they had met with any marks that 

 there had formerly been fome Chriftiam 

 among the Indians which lived here ? but 

 they all anfwered, they had not found any. 

 The'Indians have ever been as ignorant of 

 architecture and manual labour, as of 

 fcience and writing. In vain does one 

 feek for well built towns and houfes, ar- 

 tificial 



