Ch. iv. among the American Indians. 39 



" in the wantonness of disputation has been 

 " agitated among philosophers. That women are 

 " indebted to the refinement of polished manners 

 " for a happy change in their state, is a point 

 " which can admit of no doubt."* In every part 

 of the world, one of the most general characteris- 

 tics of the savage is to despise and degrade the 

 female sex.f Among most of the tribes in America 

 their condition is so peculiarly grievous, that ser- 

 vitude is a name too mild to describe their 

 wretched state. A wife is no better than a beast 

 of burden. While the man passes his days in 

 idleness or amusement, the woman is condemned 

 to incessant toil. Tasks are imposed upon her 

 without mercy, and services are received without 

 complacence or gratitude.^ There are some dis- 

 tricts in America where this state of degradation 

 has been so severely felt, that mothers have de- 

 stroyed their female infants, to deliver them at 

 once from a life in which they were doomed to 

 such a miserable slavery.§ 



This state of depression and constant labour, 

 added to the unavoidable hardships of savage life, 

 must be very unfavourable to the office of child- 



* Robertson, b. iv. p. 103. 



t Robertsou, b. iv. p. 103. Lettres Edit", passim. Charlevoix, 

 Hist. Nouv. Fr. torn. iii. p. 287. Voy. tie Perouse, c. ix. p. 402, 

 4 to. London. 



J Robertson, b. iv. p. 105. Lettres Edif. torn. vi. p. 329, 

 Major Roger's North America, p. 21 1. Creuxii Hist. Canad. p. 57. 



§ Robertson, b. iv. p. 106. Rayual, Hist, ties Indes, torn. iv. 

 c. yii. p. 110, 8vo. 10 vol. 1795. 



