HISTORY OF MEXICO. 269 



waters, in Mexico is (till the fame. Thofe who have 

 compared, as we have, the accounts of the firft Spani- 

 ards, with the prefent ftate of that kingdom, know that 

 the fame lakes, the fame rivers, and, in general, the 

 fame woods, ftill fubfift. 



With refpecl: to the menfes of the American women, 

 we can give no account, nor do we know who can. M. 

 de Paw, who has from Berlin feen fo many things of 

 America, has, perhaps, found, in fome French author, 

 the manner of knowing that which we neither can, nor 

 choofe to enquire into. But granting that the menftruai 

 evacuation of the American women is fcanty and irre- 

 gular, it argues nothing againft their conftitution, as the 

 quantity of that evacuation depends, as count de BufFon 

 juftly obferves, on the quantity of their aliment, and in- 

 fenfible perfpiration. Women who eat much, and take 

 little exercife, have abundant menfes. In hot countries, 

 where perfpiration is more copious than it is in cold, 

 that evacuation is more fparing. If the fcantinefs of fuch 

 evacuation can proceed from fobriety in eating, from 

 the heat of the clime and exercife, why produce it as an 

 argument of a bad conftitution ? Befides, we do not 

 know how to reconcile that fcantinefs of the menfes with 

 the fuperabundance of fluids, which M. de Paw fup- 

 pofes in the women of America, to be a confequence of 

 the diforder of their phyfical conftitution. 



The proofs above mentioned of the weaknefs of the 

 Americans, are not better fupported. M. dePaw fays, 

 that they were overcome in wreftling by all the Euro- 

 peans, and that they funk under a moderate burden ; 

 that by a computation made, two hundred thoufand 

 Americans were found to have periihed in one year from 

 carrying of baggage. With refpect to the firft point, it 



would 



