OF NORTH CAROLINA. 389 



virtue the Indians are in love withal, for they do 

 not practice beating and correcting their children 

 as we do. A general complaint is, that it seems 

 impossible to convert these people to Christianity, 

 as, at first sight it does ; and as for those in IS'ew 

 Spain, they have the prayer of that church in latin 

 by rote, and know the external fcehavior at mass 

 and sermons ; yet scarce any of them are steady 

 and abide with constancy in good w^orks and the 

 duties of the christian church. We find that the 

 Fuentes and several other of the noted Indian 

 families about Mexico, and in other parts of Xew 

 Spain, had given several large gifts to the altar, 

 and outwardly seemed fond of their new religion ; 

 yet those that w^ere the greatest zealots outwards, 

 on a strict enquiry, w^ere found guilty of idolatry 

 and witchcraft ; and this seems to proceed from 

 their cohabiting, which, as I have noted before, 

 gives opportunities of cabals to recall their ancient 

 pristine infidelity and superstitions. They never 

 argue against our religion, but wnth all imagina- 

 ble indifference own, that it is most proper for us 

 that liave been brought up in it. 



In my opinion, it is better for christians of a 

 mean fortune to marry with the civilized Indians 

 than to sufter the hardships of four or iive years* 

 servitude, in which they meet with sickness and 

 seasonings amidst a crowd ofothcr afflictions, which 

 the tyranny of a bad master lays upon such poor 

 souls, all which those acquainted with our tobacco 

 plantations are not strangers to. 



