173 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Acofta would not fpeak thus of America in general, and 

 of New Spain in particular, under which name the con- 

 tinent of Spanifh North America is. comprehended, if 

 America were in general a barren country. Many other 

 Europeans fpeak not lefs favourably of America, and 

 particularly of Mexico, whofe teflimony we mud omit, 

 to avoid feeming prolix to our readers (d). From the 

 fame motive we fliall omit alfo what Mr. de Paw has 

 written againfl other countries of the new world, as it 

 would be impoffible to examine the complaints made by 

 him againft each of them, without filling a large volume \ 

 we fliall therefore confine ourfelves to what belongs to 

 Mexico. 



Mefiieurs Buffon and de Paw are perfuaded that all 

 the territory of America is compofed of inacceffible 

 mountains, impenetrable woods and waftes, watry plains 

 and marines. Thofe philofophers have read in the de- 

 fcriptions of America, that the famous Andes, or Ameri- 

 can Alps, formed two large chains of lofty mountains, 

 covered in part with fnow ; that the vaft defart of the 

 Amazons confills of thick woods ; that Guayaquil, and 

 fome other places, are moid and mariliy -> and fo much 

 they have thought fufiicient to warrant them to fay, that 

 America is nothing but mountains, woods and marines. 

 Mr. de Paw read in the hiftory of Gumilla that which* 

 the author fays about the method which the Indians of 

 Oroonoko had of preparing the terrible poifon of their 



arrows ; 



(d) Thomas Gages, the oracle of the Englifh and French, with refpedl to 

 America, fpeaking of Mexico, fays as follows : " II ne manque rien a Mexique 

 de tout ce qui peut rendre une ville heurufe ; et fi ces ecrivains qui ont employe 

 leurs plumes a louer les provinces de Grenade en Efpagne et de Lombardie et dc 

 Tofcanie en Italie dont ils font des paradis terreftres, auroient vu ce nouveaa 

 monde et la ville de Mexique, ils fe dediroient bientot de tout ce qu'ils ont dit en 

 faveur de ces lieux la." Parte i. chap. 11. Thus does an author who could 

 fcarcely fpeak: favourably of any thing, reprefent Mexico. 



