meridians, and which terminate in the four faces of

the two great pyramids.**

These coincidences are, at first, sufficiently wonderful; and wonder is apt to take refuge in the first conclusion, which presents itself. Men are formed for society; and, being endowed with reason, do many things by concert, which the lower animals, guided only by instinct, must perform individually. Instinct, so far as it goes, is, perhaps, a more steady guide than reason. But we know not, why the results of the one should appear more marvellous than those of the other; and, while philosophers are exclaiming upon the analogies between the monuments of the Old and New Worlds, we would ask them to explain the simple fact, that the birds of the other hemisphere construct their nests in precisely the same manner with the birds of this?

If, then, there be any truth in the foregoing observations, the coincidences which have been discovered between the inhabitants of the two worlds, neither prove that they are,-nor, that they are not, -branches of the same national stock; and, until the question is decided by some new topic of evidence,

*HUMB. Polit. Essay, vol ii. p. 44.

+Ibid. 'What analogies with the monuments of the old continent!and this people, who, on arriving in the seventh century on the Mexican soil, constructed on an uniform plan, several of those colossal monuments, and truncated pyramids divided by layers, like the temple of Belus or Babylon :-Whence did they take the model of these edifices?'

or some indubitable statement of history, either sacred or profane, we shall continue to think, that authors have not yet detected the origin of our aborigines. What profane history may hereafter come to light, we know not; and, though the scriptural is sufficiently familiar, our ignorance of the original language, and slender skill in theology, forbid us to attempt an interpretation of its words. That Moses knew little of astronomy, perhaps no person will think it worth while to deny; and, that he might, in like manner, have been ignorant of the New World, there may be equal reason to conclude. Yet this is a mystery, which may never be unravelled; and, if any new light is to be thrown upon the subject, we must expect it from other sources.

6

One of our own philosophers has suggested an organ of proof, which, notwithstanding what we have said, upon the inconclusiveness of etymologies, may still be entitled to consideration. Language,' he says, 'is the best proof of the affinity of nations; and, 'were vocabularies formed of all the languages spoken in North and South America, preserving their appellations of the most common objects in nature, of those which must be present to every nation, barbarous or civilized, with the inflections of their nouns and verbs, their principles of regimen and concord, and these deposited in all the public libraries, it would furnish opportunities to those skilled in the languages of the

world, to compare with these, now, or at any future time, and hence to construct the best evidence of the derivation of this part of the human race.*

Were it possible to achieve so vast a work,could vocabularies and grammars be carefully formed of all the American tongues, and persons be found sufficiently skilful in all the dead and living languages of the Old World, to make such a comparison as is here recommended, the result might decide the question, in one way or the other. It would, however, require a very formidable catalogue of similar words to convince us, that the languages of this continent were derived from those of the other; and no analogies of regimen, concord, or inflection, could, in our opinion, have much weight in the scale. Philosophical grammar is equally applicable to all languages. It would, indeed, be almost an absurdity, in terms, to say, that two tongues may be formed upon principles, which materially differ from each other. Agreement, regimen, and inflection, are as essential to language, as cords and weights to a pully; and, though the modes of arrangement may, in both cases, be considerably varied, the principles must always remain the same. It would be illiberal to prejudge the efficacy of the suggested experiment; but it appears to us, that the prospect of discovery is hardly sufficient to counterbalance the difficulty of the enterprise.

* JEFF. Notes. Quer. xi.

SECTION II.

Doubtful History.-Whether the United States have been inhabited by two distinct Races of Indians?-Verazan's Voyage -De Soto's Expedition-Ribaud's-Laudoniere's-Differences between the former and present Indians-Statement of the Reasons for and against the Supposition of two distinct Races.

IT is a relief to escape from the dark and thorny questions, with which we have hitherto perplexed ourselves; even though we can only fly to such as are still involved in considerable obscurity. Some authors have supposed, that the territory, which now belongs to the United States, was originally inhabited by a half civilized people, who have been exterminated by the savages; and it must be confessed, that the differences, which may be found, between the aborigines of fifteen hundred and those of the present day, either prove, that the first were a distinct race from the last, -or that, if the last are the posterity of the first, they have suffered a process of degeneration, almost unexampled in the history of mankind.

Our earliest accounts of the aborigines are derived from the voyage of Verazan, and the travels

of De Soto; the first of which was set on foot by the French, in 1524; and the last, by the Spanish, 1538. Verazan started in the beginning of 1524; and, about the middle of March, touched the American continent, near the twenty-eighth degree of north latitude.* His first sight was a 'great store of people;' 'many of them well favoured, having black and great eyes, with a cheerful and steady look, not strong of body, yet sharp-witted, nimble, and exceeding great runners.'t Sailing to the north, he every where discovered 'multitudes of inhabitants;' and he generally uses the same language in the description of their appearance and character:-they were 'of mean (middle) stature, handsome visage, and delicate limbs, and of very little strength, but of prompt wit.' In one place, he finds them 'courteous and gentle;' and, in another, 'of sweet and pleasant countenance, imitating much the old fashion.' The women,' he says, says, 'were very handsome and well favoured, of pleasant countenance, and comely to behold;' as well mannered and continent as any women, and of good education.' The men, moreover, were 'very jealous' of their wives; and would never suffer them to come within two hundred paces of the shore.||

† Ibid. p. 296.

§ Ibid. p. 298.

! Ibid. p. 299.

* HACKLUYT'S Voyages, vol. iii. p. 295. + Ibid. p. 297.