Ch. iv. anions- the American Indians. 45 



'£> 



In the vast plains of South America, a burning- 

 sun, operating on the extensive swamps and the 

 inundations that succeed the rainy seasons, some- 

 times produces dreadful epidemics. The mis- 

 sionaries speak of contagious distempers as fre- 

 quent among the Indians, and occasioning at times 

 a great mortality in their villages.* The small- 

 pox every where makes great ravages, as, from 

 want of care and from confined habitations, very 

 few that are attacked recover from it.| The Indians 

 of Paraguay are said to be extremely subject to 

 contagious distempers, notwithstanding the care 

 and attentions of the Jesuits. The small-pox and 

 malignant fevers, which, from the ravages they 

 make, are called plagues, frequently desolate 

 these flourishing missions ; and, according to Ulloa, 

 were the cause that they had not increased in 

 proportion to the time of their establishment, 

 and the profound peace which they had en- 

 joyed.;]; 



These epidemics are not confined to the south. 

 They are mentioned as if they were not uncommon 

 among the more northern nations ;§ and, in a late 

 voyage to the north-west coast of America, Cap- 

 tain Vancouver gives an account of a very extra- 

 ordinary desolation apparently produced by some 

 distemper of this kind. From New Dungeness 

 he traversed a hundred and fifty miles of the coast 



* Lettres Edit", torn. viii. p. 79, 339. torn. ix. p. 125. 



f Voyage d'UUoa, torn. i. p. 349. 



+ Id. torn. i. p. 549. 



§ Lettres Edif. torn. vi. p. 335. 



