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Americas throughout an extent of more than 

 one thousand nine hundred leagues in length : 

 if, however, we consider South America apart, 

 we there find the Portugueze language spread 

 over a larger space of ground, and spoken 

 by a smaller number of individuals than the 

 Castilian. It would seem, as if the bond, that 

 so closely connects the fine languages of Camo- 

 ens and Lope de Vega, had served only to sepa- 

 rate nations farther, who had become neigh- 

 bours against their will. National hatred is 

 not modified solely by a diversity of origin, of 

 manners, and of progress in civilization ; when- 

 ever it is powerful, it must be considered as the 

 effect of geographical situation, and the con- 

 flicting interests thence resulting. Nations de- 

 test each other a little less, when they are more 

 distant ; and when, their languages being radi- 

 cally different, they do not even attempt to 

 combine together. Travellers who have passed 

 through New California, the interior provinces of 

 Mexico, and the northern frontiers of Brazil, 

 have been struck by these shades in the moral 

 dispositions of bordering nations. 



When I was in the Spanish Rio Negro, the 

 divergent politics of the courts of Lisbon and 

 Madrid had augmented that system of mistrust, 

 which even in calmer times the commanders 

 of petty neighbouring forts love to encourage. 

 Boats went up from Barcelos as far as the Spa- 

 nish missions, but the communications were of 



