HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



203 



credit to de Paw, Sloane, Da Pratz, Lignay, and fe- 

 veral other authors, who affirm the ancient exiftence of 

 thefe great quadrupeds in America, founded on the dif- 

 covery of bones, and entire ikeletons of immenfe fize, 

 which were dug up in different places of the new world; 

 likewife, if we believe what count de BufTon has written 

 in the eighteenth volume of his Hiftory, there was for- 

 merly an animal feven times larger than the elephant, 

 called by Mr. Muller the Mammout (/) ; but in Europe 

 there never was, nor can there be, any quadruped of 

 fuch a lize. There were no horfes, aiTes, or bulls (m) 

 in America until they were trail fpor ted there from Eu- 

 rope ; but neither were thefe in Europe until they were 

 tranfported there, or brought from Afia* All animals 

 drew their origin from Afia, and thence fpread through 

 other countries ; the neighbourhood of Europe, and the 

 commerce of the Afiatics with the Europeans, facilita- 

 ted the palfage of thefe animals into Europe ; and with 

 thefe alfo were introduced there fome cuftoms and inven- 

 tions ufeful to life, of which the Americans were de- 

 prived, 



(/) According to the account given by Muller of this quadruped, itlhould be 

 one hundred and thirty-three feet in length, and one hundred and five in height. 

 The count, de BufFon fpeaks thus of it in volume xvi. " The monftrous mam- 

 " mouty whofe enormous bones we have frequently confidered, and which we 

 " have conceived to be at leaft fix times larger than thofe of the biggeft ele- 

 " phant, exifts no more." In volume xxii. he fays, that he is affured that thofe 

 immenfe bones have belonged to elephants feven or eight times larger than the 

 one whofe Ikeleton he had examined in the royal mufeum of Paris: but in his 

 new work entitled Epoches de la Nature^ he again affirms the former exiftence 

 of that enormous quadruped in America. 



(m) When we fay there were no bulls in America, we allude only to the com- 

 mon fpecies employed in agriculture ; for there were bifontes ; which the count 

 de BufFon fometimes thinks to be the common fpecies ; at other times he is doubt- 

 ful of it. 



