70 



Havinpf given a sketch of our minerals, vegetables; 

 and qiiadrii|)e(fs, and being led by a proud theory to 

 make a coni|)arison of the hitter with those of Europe, 

 and to extend it to the man of America, both aboriginal 

 and emigrant, I will [)roceed to the remaining articles 

 comprehended under the present query. 



Between ninety and an hundred of our birds have 

 been described by Catesby. His drawings are better 

 as to form and attitude, than colouring, -which is gene- 

 rally too high. They are the following: 



than South. If he was mistaken then as to the former, he may 

 be so as to the latter. The glimmerings whirh reach us from 

 South America enable us only to see that its inhabitants are held 

 under the accumulated pressure of shtveiy, superstition, and ig- 

 norance. Whenever the}' shall be able to rise under thi'^ weight, 

 and to show themselves to the rest of the vvorld, they will proba- 

 bly show they are iike the rest of the world. We have not yet 

 sufficient evidence that there are more lakes and fogs in South 

 America than in other parts of the earth. As little do we know 

 what would be their operation on the mind of man. That coun- 

 try has been visited by Spaniards and Portuguese chiefly, and 

 almost exclusively. These, going from a country of the old 

 world remarkably dry in its soil and climate, fancied there were 

 more lakes and fogs in South America than in Europe. An in- 

 habitant of Ireland, Sweden, or Finland would iiave formed the 

 contrary opinion. Had South America then been discoveied and 

 settled by a people from a fenny country, it would probably have 

 been represented as much drier than the old world. A patient 

 pursuit of (acts, and cautious combination and comparison of 

 them, is the drudgery to which man is subjected by his Maker^ 

 if he wishes to attain sure knowledge. 



