15 



and the Pelasgians, appeared in succession. In 

 the New World similar migrations flowed from 

 north to south. Among the nations that inha- 

 bit the two hemispheres, the direction of this 

 movement followed that of the mountains ; but, 

 in the torrid zone, the temperate table-lands of 

 the Cordilleras exerted a greater influence on 

 the destiny of mankind, than the mountains of 

 Asia and central Europe. As, properly speak- 

 ing, civilized nations only have a history, that 

 of the Americans is necessarily no more than 

 the history of a small number of the inhabitants 

 of the mountains. A profound obscurity enve- 

 lopes the immense country, that stretches from 

 the eastern slope of the Cordilleras toward the 

 Atlantic ; and, for this very reason, whatever 

 in this country relates to the preponderance 

 of one nation over others, to distant migrations, 

 to the physiognomical features which denote 

 a foreign race, excite in us a lively interest. 



Amid the plains of North America, some 

 powerful nation, which has disappeared, had 

 constructed circular, square, and octagonal for- 

 tifications ; walls six thousand toises in length ; 

 tumuli from seven to eight hundred feet in 

 diameter, and one hundred and forty feet in 

 height, sometimes round, sometimes with seve- 

 ral stories, and containing thousands of skele- 

 tons. These skeletons belonged to men less 

 slender, and more squat, than the present inha- 



