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them. Befides that the Americans have much 

 lefs refemblance to thefe, than to the Samoeides 

 and the Scythian Nomades. 



From North, Laet paries to South America, and 

 examines whether that continent could have receiv- 

 ed part of its inhabitants by way of the Pacifick 

 Ocean. The Iflands of Solomon are fituated eight 

 hundred leagues from the coafts of Peru, and we 

 now know them to be feparated from Terra Auftra- 

 lis by a fea, the extent of which is not as yet fully 

 afcertained. Father de Acofta believes it to be not 

 very diftant from New Guinea, which he imagines 

 is a continent. But Sir Richard Hawkins, an Eng- 

 lishman, pretends to have certainly difcovered it to 

 be an ifland. We muft therefore, continues the 

 learned Fleming, fay that South America has been 

 peopled by way of this great continent of Terra 

 Auftralis, and the coaft of which, Don Pedro Her- 

 nando Giros, a Portuguefe, and Don Hernando de 

 Quiros, a Spaniard, ranged along for the fpace of 

 eight hundred leagues in the years 1609 and 16 10. 

 The latter, who has given his name to part of this 

 continent, obferves in his letter to his Catholick 

 Majefty, that this country, in feveral places where 

 he landed, was extremely well peopled, and that too 

 with men of all complexions. But is it not ftrange, 

 that Laet mould rather chufe to people South Ame- 

 rica from a country, feparated from it by a much 

 greater extent of ocean than the reft of the world, 

 than from North America, which, on the fuppofi- 

 tion that it was firft peopled, ought naturally to 

 have fupplied all the New World with inhabitants ? 



In order to fnpport his afifertion, that America 

 could not haveJbeen peopled by means of the Paci- 

 fick Ocean, ;Re obferves, that eafterly winds, which 



conftantly 



