172 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



" Comparing," he fays, " the experiments made with 

 " thermometers in Peru, by Meff. Condamine and d'Ul- 

 ** loa with thofe of the indefatigable Mr. Adanfon in 

 " Senegal, it is eafily underftood, that the air is lefs 

 " hot in the new than in the old world. Upon calcu- 

 " lating, with the greateft poflible exa&nefs, the dif- 

 ** ference of temperature, I believe it will be found 

 " equal to twelve degrees of latitude ; that is, it is as 

 " hot in Africa at thirty degrees from the equator as at 

 a eighteen degrees from the fame line in America. The 

 " liquor did not mount to fo great a height in Peru in 

 " the torrid zone as it mounted in France at the great- 

 " eft heat of the fummer. Quebec, although it is in the 

 " fame latitude almoft with Paris, has an incomparably 

 " more fevere and cold climate than it. The diiference 

 u between Hudfon's Bay and the Thames, fituate both 

 " in the fame latitude, is equally fenfible." 



Although we ftiould grant all this to Mr. de Paw, it 

 would not aftift him to demonftrate the malignity of the 

 American clime. Why would he deduce the badnefs 

 of clime from the excefs of cold in the lands of Ame- 

 rica, and not rather deduce the badnefs of climate of 

 the old continent from the excefs of heat in countries 

 equidiftant from the equator? Mr. de Paw can form 

 no argument in this point againft America, which the 

 Americans cannot powerfully retort againft Europe or 

 againft Africa. But all the obfervations made by him 

 are not fuflicient to eftablifli, as a general principle, 

 that the countries of the new world are colder than 

 thofe of the old continent fituated in the fame latitude ; 

 and ftill lefs to make it be believed that there is as much 

 heat in the old continent at thirty degrees of latitude as 

 in the new world at eighteen degrees. Mr. de Paw 



fays 



