HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



189 



original productions, is one of the pooreft and rnofl bar- 

 ren in the world. On the contrary, how fruitful and 

 abundant the American foil is, and efpecially that of 

 Mexico, in native plants proper for nourifhment and 

 clothing, and the other neceffaries of life, may be learn- 

 ed from reading the European authors who have written 

 of the natural hiftory of that new world. 



This is the anfvver to that ridiculous comparifon which 

 Herrera makes in his firft Decad mentioned in the be- 

 ginning of this differ tation. " In America," he fays, 

 " there were not, as in Europe, either lemons, oranges, 

 " pomegranates, figs, quinces, melons, grapes, olives, 

 " fugar, rice, or wheat." The Americans will then 

 fay, firft, that Europe had none of thofe fruits until 

 they were tranfplanted there from Afia and Africa ; fe- 

 condly, that at prefent thefe fruits grow in America as 

 well as in Europe, and in general better of their kind and 

 in greater plenty, particularly oranges, lemons, melons, 

 and fugar canes ; thirdly, that if America had not wheat, 

 Europe had not maize, which is not lefs ufeful or whole- 

 fome ; if America had not pomegranates, lemons, &c. 

 it has them now : but Europe never had, has, nor can 

 have, chirimoyas, ahuacates, mufas, chicozapotes, &c. 



Finally, Mr. de Buffon, and Mr. de Paw, and other 

 European philofophers and hiftorians, who inveigh fo 

 much againft America for its barrennefs, its woods, its 

 marines, and deferts, will pleafe to remember, that the 

 miferable countries of Lapland, Norway, Iceland, Nova 

 Zembla, Spitzbergen, and the vaft horrid deferts of Si- 

 beria, Tartary, Arabia, Africa, and others, are coun- 

 tries of the old continent, and make at leaft the fourth 

 part of its extent. Yet what countries are thofe ? Let 

 us attend to the eloquent defcription which BufFon gives 



of 



