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tween which there was no manner of affinity or 

 analogy ; fo that after having conquered them, they 

 were obliged to make ufe of interpreters to-be able 

 to govern them. This frivolous refemblance of 

 names likewife made Grotius imagine in California 

 a nation called Aiavard, which he makes defcend 

 from the Lombards Laet, in anfwer, fays, that 

 the name of Aiavard, might poffibly have no other 

 original than that of Alvarado^ a Spanifh Captain, 

 that had followed Ferdinand Cortez into Mexico, 

 and perhaps too into California, of which we know 

 this conqueror made the firft difcovery. 



Laet, as he goes on, makes it appear, that Gro- 

 tius is equally unfuccefsful in his attempts to mew a 

 conformity of manners, cuftoms, traditions, and 

 form of government, between the northern Ame- 

 ricans and the Norwegians ; every thing he advances 

 on that head being founded on falfe memoirs. He 

 then proceeds to confider the argument which his 

 antagonift draws from the pretended circumcifion 

 and baptifm of the people of Yucatan. He main- 

 tains, that it is contrary to all probability to look out 

 for a country furrounded by Norwegian colonies 

 for a fettlement to his Africans, who muft have 

 been much more naturally fuppofed to have landed 

 in Brafil, or at lead to have (topped at the Antilles, 

 which iQ and s they muft have met with in their 

 paflage, fuppofing them to have croffed the line. 

 He confefles that Don Peter Martyr d' Anglerie, 

 when fpeaking of the people of Yucatan, affirms, 

 that many of them were circumcifed ; but he al- 

 ledges, that this Italian author has been mirintorm- 

 ed, fince neither Antonio de Herrera, father de 

 Acofta, nor Oviedo, writers of much better credit 

 than him, have ever mentioned the circumcifion, 

 baptifm, or croffes upon the tombs of this people 



C 3 but 



