214 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



soon found to their cost and vexation ; for 

 it certainly was not the intention of the 

 original conquerors and settlers absolutely 

 to destroy their Indian captives ; the for- 

 mer expected, from the appearance of the 

 limbs of the latter, to obtain from them 

 much hard labour, which, however, was to 

 the Indians certain death : so it has remained 

 to the present day. The Indians, naturally 

 lazy, are, it appears, incapable of severe 

 labour, and many of them are so impatient 

 of any kind of restraint, that they cannot 

 be induced to enter upon, or carry into 

 practice, any continuous system of work 

 or employment. Some of them are con- 

 spicuous for their cruelty, and are even 

 cannibals. 



I have already mentioned the destruc- 

 tion of a large portion of the Indian po- 

 pulation in Mexico and Peru, through the 

 cruelty and cupidity of the Spaniards. The 



