4 
The ardour, with which America had 
been the object of investigation, diminished 
from the beginning of the sevenfeeth cen«“ 
tury. The Spanish colonies, which were 
the only regions formerly inhabited by ci- 
vilized nations, were shut against foreigners; 
and recently, when the Abbe Clavigero 
published in Italy his ancient history, of 
Mexico, the facts, attested by a crowd of 
ocular witnesses, often hostile to each 
other, were regarded as extremely doubt- 
ful. Some distinguished writers, more 
struck with the contrasts than the harmony 
of nature, have described the whole of 
America as a marshy country, unfavour- 
able to the increase of animals, and newly 
inhabited by hordes as savage as the 
people of the South Sea. In the histori- 
cal researches respecting the Americans, 
candid examination had given place to ab- 
solute scepticism. The declamatory des- 
criptions of Solis, and of some other wri- 
ters, who had never quitted Europe, were 
confounded with the simple but true nar- 
