LOUISIANA. i8i 



fine and foft as velvet, mottled with black and 

 pearly white. 



Many authors pretend, that it is pofTible that 

 people went through Nova Zemlla^ (fituated 

 northward of the ancient continent) over the ice 

 to Greenland \ they think, that this is the track 

 on which thofe went who firft peopled America^ 

 and that the flreights which feparate it from the 

 continent, has high mountains of ice on its 

 eaftern fhore : but all thofe who have tried to 

 go to India through this northern part, have 

 been eaten by white bears, or have perifhed 

 amidft the ice. 



This is my obfervation on the fubjedl : if men 

 did go through thofe parts to inhabit North Ame- 

 rica^ they probably would iiave preferred Cana* 

 da^ New England^ and Louiftana^ the northern 

 parts of which are analogous to their country; 

 whereas it is known, that when the French and 

 Englifh difcovered North America^ there were 

 but few inhabitants in it -, but, on the contrary, 

 the Spaniards who conquered Feru and Mev^ico^ 

 found kings and emperors, whofeton foot great 

 armies, and who annually facrificed twenty thou- 

 fand captives to their falfe deities. Therefore 

 there is rcafon to believe, that men went from 

 • N 3 the 



