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To bring this about, it was neceffary to overcome 

 all difficulties in the way, and they have alfo been 

 got over. Were thofe difficulties greater with re- 

 fpecT: to peopling the extremities of Afia, Africa, 

 and Europe, and the tranfporting men into the 

 iflands, which lie at a considerable diftance from 

 thofe Continents, than to pafs over into America ? 

 Certainly not. Navigation which has arrived at fo 

 great perfection within thefe three or four centuries, 

 might pofiibly have been ftill more perfect in thofe 

 firft times than at this day. At lead, we cannot 

 doubt, but it was then arrived at fuch a degree of 

 perfection as was neceffary for the defign which 

 God had formed of peopling the whole earth. 



Whilft thofe authors whom I have cited, have 

 kept to this poffibility which cannot be denied, they 

 have reafoned very juftly j for if it has not been de- 

 monftrated, that there is a paffage into America 

 over land, either by the north of Afia and Europe, 

 or by the fouth, the contrary has not been made ap- 

 pear •, befides, from the coaft of Africa to Brazil ; 

 from the Canaries to the weftern Iflands, from the 

 weftern Iflands to the Antilles ; from the Britannic 

 ifles, and the coaft of France to Newfoundland, the 

 paffage is neither long nor difficult : I might fay as 

 much of that from China to Japan, and from Ja- 

 pan and the Philippines to the IJles Mariannes, and 

 from thence to Mexico. There are iflands at a 

 confiderable diftance from the Continent of Afia, 

 where we have not been furprized to find inhabi- 

 tants. Why then fhould we wonder to find people 

 in America ? And it cannot be imagined, that the 

 grandfons of Noah, when they were obliged to Se- 

 parate and to fpread themfelves in conformity to the 

 defigns of God over the whole earth, mould be in 



an 



