HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



313 



had known how to make his enquiries concerning Ame- 

 rica, he would have learned from the chronicler Her- 

 rera, that even in the ifland of Hifpaniola, there is a 

 better iron there than in Bifcay. He would have found 

 alfo from the fame author, that in Zacatula, a maritime 

 province of Mexico, there are two forts of copper ; the 

 one hard, which is ufed inftead of iron, to make axes, 

 hatchets, and other inftruments of war and agriculture, 

 and the other flexible and more common, which they ufe 

 to make pots, bafons, and other veiTels, for domeftic 

 ufe ; fo that they had no occafion for the boafted fecret 

 of hardening copper. Our flncerity alfo compels us to 

 defend in the fame manner the true progrefs of Ameri- 

 can induftry, and to reject thofe imaginary inventions 

 which are attributed to the new world. The fecret of 

 which the Americans were really in pofleffion of is that 

 which we read in Oviedo, an eye witnefs, and a perfon 

 /killed and intelligent in metals. " The Indians," he 

 fays, " know very well how to gild copper veiTels, or 

 " thofe of low gold, and to give them fo excellent and 

 " bright a colour, that they appear to be gold of twenty- 

 " two carats and more : this they do by means of certain 

 " herbs. The gilding is fo well executed, that if a gold- 

 " fmith of Spain or Italy pofleiTed the fecret he would 

 " efteem himfelf very rich." 



SECT. III. 



On the Art of building Ships , and Bridges , and of making 



Lime. 



IF other nations deferve the reproach of being igno- 

 rant how to build (hips, it is certainly not due to the Mex- 

 icans ; as not having rendered themfelves maflers of the 



Vol. III. S s fea-coafts, 



