to North America. 1H9 



place, in order to embark at St. Na&ere. The MeJ- 

 (ieur$ 9 d'Angui, two U antes Merchants, have taken 

 upon them to maintain the Garrifon of Piacentia, 

 upon condition of certain Grants made by theCourt, 

 who fiirnifhes them with a Ship, wheain I am to 

 have my Paffage. Pray fend me your News by 

 fome Ships of S. John de Luz>, which are to fail 

 from this place within two Months, in order to 

 truck with the Inhabitants of Placentia. 



1 cannot conclude this Letter, without giving you 

 fome account of a Difpute I had very lately at thy 

 Inn, with a Portuguese Phyfician, who had made 

 many Voyages to Angola, Brez,il, and Goa. He 

 maintained, that the People of the Continent of A~ 

 merica, Afia, and Africa, were defcended from three 

 different Fathers, which he thus attempted to prove. 

 The Americans differ from the Afiatks, for they have 

 neither Hair nor Beard ; the features of their Face, 

 their colour and their cufloms are different ; befides 

 that, they know neither memn nor tuum, but have all 

 things in common, without making any property of 

 Goods, which is quite contrary to the Afiatic way 

 of living. He added, that America was fo fardiftar t 

 from the other parts of the World, that no body can 

 imagine, how a Voyage fhould be made into this 

 New Continent, before the ufe of the Compafs was 

 found out; That the Africans being black and flat 

 Nos'd, had fuch monftrous thick Lips, fuch a flat 

 Face, fuch fofc woolly Hair on their Headland were 

 in their Conftitution, Manners, and Temper, fo 

 different from the Americans, that he thought it im- 

 poffible, that thefe two forts of People fhould de- 

 rive their Original from Adam, whom this Phyfici- 

 an would have to refemble a Turk or a Per fan in his 

 Air and Figure. I anfwer d hini prefently, that fup- 

 pofing the Scripture did not give convincing evi- 

 dence, that all Men in general are defcended from 

 one firftFather^ yet his reafoning would not be fuf- 



ficient 



