AMERICA. 
omTelves to the proper aboriginal Americans or Indians. 
With refpeft to the South Americans, various have been 
the accounts given of them. Some hiftorians exalt them 
to the rank of the beft and happieft people on earth ; 
others feem unwilling to give them a place among human 
beings. We prefume thefe hiftorians, who differ fo widely, 
fpoke of different nations ; and on this ground, with pro¬ 
per allowances for exaggeration on both lides, we may 
reconcile them. Columbus gives the following account 
pf the Indians of Hifpaniola, to Ferdinand and Ifabella : 
“ I fwcar to your majefties, that there is not a better peo¬ 
ple in the world than thefe ; more affectionate, affable, 
and mild ; they love their neighbours as them Pelves; their 
language is the fweeteff, the fofteft, and the mod cheer¬ 
ful, for they always fpeak finding ; and, although they 
go naked, let your majefties believe roe, their cuftoms 
are very becoming; and their king, who is ferved with 
great majefty, has ftich engaging manners, that it gives 
great pleafure to fee him, and alfo to conlidcr the great 
retentive faculty of that people, and their defire of know¬ 
ledge, which invites them to alk the caufes and effeCfs of 
things.” 
Las Cafas, the firft bifliop of Chiapa, who refided fe- 
veral years in different parts of America, fpeaks thus of 
them : “ The Americans are a people of a bright and 
lively genius, eafy to be taught, and to apprehend every 
good doCfrine, extremely ready to embrace our faith, and 
tjie people, of all others in the world, who feel leal! eni- 
barraffYnent by it.” In another place, this writer fays, 
“ The Indians have as good an underffanding, and acute 
a genius, as much docility and capacity for the moral and 
fpeculative fciences,. and are, in moftjtiftances, as rational 
in their political government, as appears front many of 
their very prudent laws, and are as far advanced in our 
faith and religion, in good cuffonts and civilization, where 
they have been taught by perfons of religious and exem¬ 
plary life, and are arriving at refinement and polifft as faff 
as any nation ever did fince the times of the apoftles.” 
Dr. Robertfon, fpeaking of the Mexicans and Peru¬ 
vians, whom he is not difpofed to rank with thofe nations 
which merit the name of civilized, has the following re¬ 
marks: “When compared with other parts of the new 
world, Mexico and Peru may be conlidered as poliihed 
Rates. Inftead of fmall, independent, hoftile, tribes, ftrug- 
gling for fubfiffence amidft woods and marfhes, ftrangers 
to induftry and arts, unacquainted with fubordination, 
and alrnoft without the appearance of regular government, 
we find countries'of great extent fubjefted to the domi¬ 
nion of one fovereign, the inhabitants collected together 
in cities, the wifdorn and forefight of rulers employed in 
providing for the maintenance and Security of the people, 
the empire of laws in fome meafure eftablilhed, the autho¬ 
rity of religion recognifed, many of the arts effential to 
life brought to fome degree of maturity, and the dawn of 
fuel) as are ornamental beginning to appear.” Thefe are 
teffimonies rcfpeAing the Indians who inhabit the more 
northern parts of South America, and the ifiands; who 
appear to have made greater advances in civilization than 
thofe farther fouth, concerning whom our information is 
very imperfect. 
Charlevoix, in his hiffory of Paraguay, has'collefted 
from the Jefuits perhaps the belt information refpebiing 
the more fouthern Indians. Comparing his particular 
deferiptiohs of the numerous nations who inhabit the 
fouthern divifionof South America, we give tire follow¬ 
ing as the leading traits in their general character. They 
are generally-of an olive complexion, fome darker, others 
lighter, and fome as white as the Spaniards. Their fea¬ 
ture is rather below than above the middling fize ; though 
fome nations rank among the tailed of the human fpecies ; 
moff of them are thick legged and jointed, and have round 
and fiat faces. Alrnoft: all the men and children, in the 
warm climates, and in the fummer, in cold regions, go 
quite naked. The women wear no more covering than 
she moft relaxed modefty feems abfolutdv to require. 
Vop. 1 . No. 37. ■ 
pi 
Every nation have a different dialed, and a different mode 
of adorning themfelvesi The clothing of fuch as make 
ufe of it, is made of the (kins of bead's, of feathers fewed 
together, and in the fouthern and colder regions, where 
they raife ftieep, of wool, manufactured into (luffs and 
blankets. They are reprefented as alrnoft univerfally 
addicted to drunkennefs. There feems to be no other 
vice common to them all. A few of them are cannibals, 
and fome nations are idolaters ; in general they have fome 
notion of a Supreme Being, and have words in their va¬ 
rious languages to exprefs their ideas of him. 1 hey be¬ 
lieve in the immortality of the foul, and have fornq im~ 
perfect ideas of future rewards and puniftime.nts. They 
are univerfally addicted to various fuperftitions, and have 
much to do with witches and evil fpirits. Father Paftor, 
a Jefuit, one day vi(it;ed one of the old women of the Abi- 
pone nation, a reputed witch, and at the point cf death, 
and told her, that, if (he died without baptifm, her foul 
would be eternally tormented by the devils. Siie very 
calmly anfwered, that they had been her friends for a 
long time, and (he was therefore very fare they would do 
her no harm. A great proportion of thefe people lead a 
wandering life, are extremely indolent, dirty, and wretch¬ 
ed, living on fifh, and the fiefli of the various wild animals, 
birds, and even reptiles, which inhabit the forefts. “All 
the Indians of South America,” fays Charlevoix, “ have, 
hot ftomachs,” which can digeft all forts of food, and in 
great quantities, and they are in general “ exceffively vo¬ 
racious.” Their notions of religion and government, with 
a few exceptions, are very rude. Some nations live com- 
paCtly in towns, and cultivate the earth, railing, among 
other produftions, wheat, which they bruife between two 
(tones, and make into cakes. Some nations are reprefented 
as dull, cruel, and inconftant; others as fierce, cunning, 
and thievifii ; others as humane, ingenuous, and hofpita- 
ble; and in general they are kind and attentive to ftrangers, 
fo long as they are well ufed by them ; and we feldom 
read of their being firft in a quarrel with thofe who pafs 
their territories, or fojourn among them. The aftonifiiing 
fuccefs of the jefuits in converting fuch multitudes of 
them to their faith, is a convictive proof of their capacity 
to receive inftrudtion; of their docility, humanity, and 
friendly difpofitions. All accounts'agree that the middle 
and fouthern parts of South America are very thinly in¬ 
habited, being interfperfed with extenlive ridges of moun¬ 
tains, immenfe barren plains, and numerous marffies. 
As to the fecond clufs of American Indians, who for¬ 
merly inhabited, and who yet inhabit, Mexico and the 
country fouth of the lakes and weft of the Miffjfiippi, and 
who came over, as we have fuppofed, from the north-caff 
parts of Afia; they feem, from whatever caufe, to be, 
advanced fomewhat higher in the feale of human beings 
than the South Americans, if we except the Peruvians, 
who appear to have made greater progrefs in civilization 
than even the Mexicans. Concerning the nations of the 
vaft country of Anahuac or New Spain, compofinga large 
portion of the fecond clafs of the proper Americans, the 
abbe Clavige.ro has the following obfervutions“\V$ 
have had intimate commerce for many years with the 
Americans, have lived feveral years in a leminary deftined 
for their inft ruction, had fome Indians among our pupils, 
had particular knowledge of many American rectors, 
many nobles, and numerous artifts ; attentively obferved 
their character, their genius, their difpofitions, and man¬ 
ner of thinking; and have examined, beftdes, wit]) the 
turnoff diligence, their ancient hiftory; their religion, their 
government, their laws, and their cuftoms ; after fuch 
long experience and ftudy of them, from which we ima¬ 
gine ourfeives able to decide without danger of erring,’ 
we declare that the mental qualities of the American In¬ 
dians are not ir. the leaft degree inferior to thofe of the 
Europeans ; that they are capable of all, even the moft 
ubftract fciences,’ and that, if equal care, and pains were 
taken in their education, we fitould fee rife among them 
philofophen, mathematician’s, anti divines, who would 
5 P rival 
