t gotoMichillimackinae, where thej
would have an opportunity cf trading,
and of hearing the acconnts I had enter
tained them with of ray countrymen con
firmed ; at the fame time I had furnifh
ed them with a recommea.dation to th?
governor, and given them every directi
on n? ceffary for their voyage.
Ih coafequtxee of this, ne of the prin
cipaV chiefs, and twenty-fiveiof an inferi
or rank, agreed to go the 'enfoing fum
mer. This they took an opportunity of
doiig vThea they came with the reft of
their band to attend the grand council at
the mouth of the river St. Pierre. Be
inj obliged, on account of the difap
polntmeni I had juft been jfemied of,
to return fo far down the Miififippi, I
could from ther.ee the more cafily fet
tntrn on their joarney.
MISCELLANT.
, rot THE CAZITTI.
Of the frji peopling of Anuria.
I
NYMBER. IT.
i t
AS there can be no rational doubt;
but that, the greater part of the
interior and fouthern parts of Africa had
not! yet appeared, and that America
was long pofterior in the date of her ex
igence, no philofopher wil pretend to
difpjute. Nature, as I before obferved,
was equal and progreffive in all her ope
rations Y therefore we rauft infallibly
conclude, that the fame power was
bright imto exercife for the production
of inhabitants o the buruing zone of
Africa, as that which was experienced by
the (prior coatinemt of A 5a, as it is deli
vered to us by the facred writings.
For a variety of reafens we find an un
deniable inferiority in this fecond nation
al crcatieo, which to enumerate, the at
tentive reader will immediately fee, muft
exceed my bounds. America as it carr.e
forward ia the due order cf lime, experi
enced alfo the divine attention in the
fame miraculous manner. The inha
bitants of thele iflands, and perhaps both
extremities of America, whole progrefs
in refinement, and knowledge in naval af
fairs, will not admit their being peopled
from the primar.y tlork, muft fall back
3rd bring their original from the fame
fcurcc with the firft American creation ;
and thus, as other ifhnds may yet
emsrge, from the imrnenfc aqueous parts
of the globe, their vegetable, animal, and
intelleiual furniture will ia - due ordei
of lime be brftowci.
r ju
Now we have ros only flocked Ame
rica with inhabitants, but otrmal!y ac
counted for the colour and featuies of
the African, and alio thatof the copper-
hued American I fayi we have account
ed for thefe tkings in the fame manner
in whih we can account for the colour
and features of Noah and his children,
from whom we allow ovrfelves to be de
fceade that is, bccaulc they were made
fo.
I would now call the reader's attenti
on, for a few moments, to two or thite
confidefations in aid of the principles I
have went' upon.
Firfti That nature is unerring and
progreffive in all her ; operations, both
great aid "fmall. Thisj pofition muft go
vern through the whole ; hence the ; co
rollory that America was long pofterbr
to Afia, or even Africa! Again Man
kind havetaturally aflented to this truth,
byi beftowing the epithet of the Ne
World,! or America.' Furthermore, ex
perience every where tells us, that the
prior rational creation prevails over the
fecoidary ones hence the fitsefs that
the primary fhould be the fuperior, asit
was in the due order of time to adminif
teij the trecenary difcipline and knowledge
to the inferior creations. The leaftpor
tionof Jiiftorical knowledge .will verify
this. As I wifli to have my principles
exalted if poffible, beyond the reach of
controverfey, let us for a moment deline
ate the abfurdity of a contrary fuppofiti
on. To fuppcfe America coeval with
Afia, and to fuppcfe but oae rational
creajtioa in Afia, and which mwft be com
rounicated to America by fecondary
caufes, ' would be virtually faying, that
great part of the operations of nature
have been ia vain by creating a great
continent without inhabitants, and 'de
pending upon the knowledge and enter- ;
prifeof the firft flock to find out this
continent, which would take thoufands
cf i years ; for we know aimredly, 'that
event did not turn tip until late in- tho
fifteenth century, when we kaow as af-fur-dly
that America, withall her de
pendencies, was then filled Hlh inhabi
tants. This predication cf America
will be equally fuccefsful, when applied
to any other difcovery with which hilto
ry furniflies us. Wimef? the exiiimin
ated Canaanites and Philiftincs in all
their difcoveiies and fet dements down
the Mediterranean. They Jbad to ac
quire every inebfef territorial acquifition
in the fame marnser the Ifraelirifh regu
lators, aftsr forty years difciliaing in
the vrijdernefs had difpofTriTcd lkem; -Witnels
the diicovery and conqueft of
the Galuls, a people bold and wailike,
and which: were not known in the Re
man empire, until the unbounded ambi
tion of Julius Csefar found thelri out.-
Witnefs the ifland anii inhabitants cf
Great-Britain, who were brought to
knowledge from the fame caufejamd per-
fon. WimeJstne lira entry oi tnercr
tuguefc iiiW the torrid zone in the fif
teenth century, when the negrpes y ere
firft broucrht to knowledge to the aftduilk.
mcRt both of the : Afia tic ani Iuroperfn
philofopher, when there was nof '.thelesnt'
trace, cn'even viftonary it adit ior.; in all
the learned world, of fuch a rajre of be
ings. Wimcfs the difcoveiies jmade by
that renowned, though unfcrtnate na
vigator, Capt.. Cook, that on the ii.lub:
tantc in a number of the iMaiap, there
were the-unden-iable criterions f a n cent
oiiginaljfo as to extort the affect of that
iagaciosfeaman and philoibper : ard
laftly, witnefs a rational r ace in tthe Pclew
iflands, the knowledge of whbfeexifience
is but the event of ye(icrda. Were,
thoie iflands maele at the fame me widi
the ga den of Edip, and to fapt nd upoa
the infiaitely remote operaiioo f cenMn
gent and Secondary eaufes.; fo. inh,;i
tants ? Impoffibl I: Dees not he M'hoi J
governing economy in inr uxium aim t
moral wprld, the whole Krebrnjcf hiito--:
rical knowledge and univerial experience;
countenance and own the principles wp
on which this hypo-thefts, is bui j: ? The
.philofoher must aniwer in th affirm a-,
tive. The divine alio muft atj leall be
filent, when he reflets that the au'lnri
ty of the facred writii gs remain uiim-
peached
Thus I- have arrived at the
c
end ft a.;
dilquiiitpn, rendered curious bv ue;
douots arid difficulties with whith it
hitherto ftruggled, and thej virious
tempts for its refeue. That it Cjo.uld r.ow
ceafq to continue a fubjecl: ot fjiilofoyhi-:
calc6ntroverfey, either througij what I
have; laid, or what may rje elivcrcd,
even for ages to come, I hxve np idea, i
The candid reader will be pBeafed to
remember (as aijarewel reqtleS) tlfat
from- ths extent and complicate!! rf.u.:
of the fufejec an elementary -jmrde (i
difcuflion became; inevitable, land t11 lr,t
elegance of compofition and lure ft
lapguage were necflarily exclulJ. He
will farther ooferve, that wher elan tP.vfi-;
tigation is intricate and ofefciireL fatisfac
tory ;conclufion' are then placejd beyond
human reach ; but at the fame time there
may remain feme degree of II merit ia
pointing out thof e that are probjible.
i A MODERN PHILftifPHER.
Statefville, Iredell county j
September 13, 1790. I