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oF underftanding, which they look upon as the 

 peculiar right of the eminent ftations they pofiefs, 

 mo ft of them grovel in a proud and incurable ig- 

 norance, of what is really worth knowing, and 

 confequently never tafte the true and genuine 

 fweets of life. In this country all men are equal, 

 manhood being the quality moft efteemed amongft 

 them, without any diftinction from birth ; without 

 any perogative of rank capable of doing prejudice 

 to the rights of private perfons without any pre- 

 eminence from merit which begets pride, and 

 which makes others too fenfible of their own in- 

 feriority. And though there is perhaps lefs delicacy 

 of fentiment in the Indians than amongft us, there 

 is however abundantly more probity with infinitely 

 lefs ceremony, or equivocal compliments. 



Religion alone is capable of perfecting the good 

 qualities and natural difpofitions of thefe peo- 

 ple, and of correcting what is wrong in them : 

 this is common to them with others, but what is 

 peculiar to them is, that they bring fewer obftacles 

 to this improvement, after they have once begun 

 to believe, which muft ever be the work of fpe- 

 cial grace. It is likewife true, that in order fully 

 to eftablifh the empire of religion over them, we 

 muft fhew them the practice of it in all its purity 

 in its profeflbrs : they are extremely fufceptible of 

 the fcandal given by bad chriftians, and fuch are 

 all thofe who are newly inftructed in the principles 

 of chriftian morality. 



You will perhaps afk me, Madam, whether they 

 have any religion ? To this I anfwer, that though 

 we cannot absolutely affirm that they are without 

 any, we muft however confefs, that it is very dif- 

 ficult to define what religion this is. I mail en- 

 tertain 



