HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



311 



the Greeks and Romans made ufe, who did not employ 

 iron in many of thofe works in which we employ it at 

 prefent ; either becaufe then it was more fcarce, or 

 becaufe their tempered copper was better in quality than 

 our fteel. Laftly, he adds, that the count de Caylus, be- 

 ing furprifed at that art, became perfuaded that (though 

 in this he is oppofed by Mr. de Paw), it was not the 

 work of the beaftly Peruvians, whom the Spaniards found 

 there in the times of the conqueft, but of fome other 

 more ancient and more induftriaus nation. 



From all this, obferved by M. de Paw, we draw thefe 

 four important conclufions : i. That the Americans 

 had the honour of imitating the two mod celebrated na- 

 tions of the old continent in the ufe of copper. 2. That 

 their conduct was wife in not making ufe of an iron fo 

 bad, that it was not even fit for making nails, but by 

 making ufe of a fort of copper to which they gave the 

 temper of fteel. 3. That if they did not know the ve- 

 ry common art of working iron, they were in poffeflion 

 of that more lingular ikill of tempering copper like fteel, 

 which the European artifts of this enlightened century 

 have not been able to reftore. 4. That the count de 

 Caylus was as much deceived in the judgment which he 

 formed of the Peruvians, as M. de Paw has been in his 

 refpe&ing all the Americans. Thefe are the lawful in- 

 ferences to be drawn from the doctrine of this philofo- 

 pher, on the ufe of iron, and not that of want of induf- 

 try which he pretends to deduce. We fhould be glad 

 to know from him, if there is more induftry required to 

 work iron as the Europeans do, than to work without 

 iron every fort of ftone and wood, to form feveral kinds 

 of arms, and to make without iron, as the Americans 

 ufed to do, the moft curious works of gold, of filver, and 



of 



