97 



ing and feeling, in every man makes a part of his na- 

 ture. An offence against these is punished by oon- 

 tempt, by exclusion from society, or, where the case is 

 serious, as that of murder, by the individuals whom it 

 concerns. Imperfect as this species of coercion may 

 seem, crimes are very rare among them ; insomuch 

 that were it made a question, whether no law, as among 

 the savage Americans, or too much law, as among the 

 civilized Europeans, submits man to the greatest evil; 

 one who has seen both conditions of existence would 

 pronounce it to be the last : and that the sheep are hap- 

 pier of themselves, than under the care of the wolves. 

 It will be said, that great societies cannot exist without 

 government. The savages therefore break them into 

 small ones. 



The territories of the Powhatan confederacy, south 

 of the Patowmac, comprehended about 8000 square 

 miles, 30 tribes, and 2400 warriors. Capt. Smith tells 

 us, that within 60 miles of James Town were 5000 

 people, of whom 1500 were warriors. From this we 

 find the proportion of their warriors to their whole in- 

 habitants, was as 3 to 10. The Powhatan confederacy 

 then would consist of about 8000 inhabitants, which 

 was one for every square mile; being about the twen- 

 tieth part of our present population in the same terri- 

 tory, and the hundredth of that of the British islands. 



Besides these, were the JVottoways, living on Notto- 

 way river, the Meherrins and Tuteloes on Meherrin 

 river, who were connected with the Indians of Caroli- 

 na, probably with the Chowanocs. 



The preceding table contains a state of these several 

 tribes, according to their confederacies and geographi- 

 cal situation, with their numbers when we first became 

 acquainted with them where these numbers are known. 

 The numbers of some of them are again stated as they 

 were in the year 1669, when an attempt was made by 

 the assembly to enumerate them. Probably the enu- 

 meration is imperfect, and in some measure conjectural, 

 and that a further search into the records would fur- 

 nish many more particulars. What would be the ra«- 



