bhrthC arodna
41
7 7T
Ko. 21, of Vol. II.
'm o n d a y, j a iV u a r r 31 i79i.
wwncro; r. r.vxrz -mow
I
rt
1 1 c'Ciiit
TTot.l No- 73.
filSTQRT.
1 CARVER's TRAVELS, j
(Continued.)
J H. Adair ; begins ovith obferving
XvJL that though tome have fuppofed
ihc An ericans to have defcended Jlrom
the Cinnefe, yet neither their religion,1
Iaws, 01 curlomsagree in the leaitjyvithj
thfe'cfthe Chinefe ; which fumciently
proves hatthey are not of this line.!. Bcj
Hies, as our befl (hips -arc "now almoft:
half a jcar id failing for China (our au
thor does not here rceollcS that-this. U
frvm a h igh northern latitude, across thd
line, and then back again greatly to thei
northward of it, and not diteAly athwart
the pacific ocean (or only one hundred and
eleven degrees) or from thence to' Eu-j
rope, it is very unlikely they fhould at-;
tempt fuch dangerous di.coverics, with
their fuppofed imall veffels, againft rapid
enrrcnts, and in dark and fickly jmon
foons. I . ;
He further remaiks, that this is mere
particularly improbable, as there isreafon
to believe that this nation was unacquaint
ed wiih the ufe of the loadflor.e to idircft
their courfe. China, he fays, is abcut;ight
thcufand miles di Rant frcm the Arneii-
ear continent hich is twice as far as the
atlamic ocean. And we ate rot ir"cirr
ed by any ancient writer of their Irani
time fall, or to much as any inclination
that way.befides Imall coafting voyages.
The winds blow, likewife, with little vaj
liationfrom eafttoweft within the lati4
tudes thirty and odd, north and frmh ;
and therefore thefe could not diivejthem
o: ihe American coaft, it lying direclly:
contrary to fuch a cou 1 fe.
Neither could perform, according to
this .writer's account, fail to Amenta
fromrhr north by the wa of Tajtaiy cr
acrien! ScytHa; that from its fituatiori
never Inving betn or can be a maritime
pever; and it is utterly in-ptstfitable
hi ray, frr any to come to America by
fe: V- m har quarter. Eefides, the re
xnaiair.g naccs cf their religious ccrcrne-.
nies and civil and mauial ctifionis are
quite oppofiie to the like ve'iiges oi th
oid Scythians. Even in the u" ale
northern clirnat3s there is not to be ieen
the leail trace of aAy ancient ftatcly.
-buildings, cr of any thickYeitiements, as
. are laid to remain in ihe lefs healrhy irgi--'
ons of Peru Mexico. A nd fev ei al ofthe
Indian nations allu re us, that they crcil
ed the Miuithpi before theyrnade thein
prcfent northern fettlemcnts ;: which,
connected with the former arguments, he
concludes will fufHciently explode that
weak opinion of the American Aborigi
nes being lineally defcended from the
Tartars or ancient Scythians.
Mr. Adair's reafens for fuppoflng
that the Americans derive their origin
from the Jews are,
Firft, becaufe they are "divided into
tribes, and have chiefs over them as the
Israelites had.
Secondly, becaufe, as by a ftria per
manent divine precept, the Hebrew na
. ticm were ordered to worfhip, at Jerufa-
lem, Jehovah the true and living1 Godfo
do the Indians, fiiling him Yeyowah.
The ancient. faca.en, he adds, it is well
known worlhipped a plnrality of Gods,
but the Indians pay their religious de-;
voifs to the Great beneficent fuprerae
holy fpirit cf fire, who refidei, as they
think, above the clouds, and on earth al--fo
with unpolluted people. They pay
no addoration to images, or to dead per
fons, neither to the celeftial luminaries,
to evil fpirits, nor to any created beings
whatever.-
Thirdly, becaufe, agreeably to the,
theocray or divine government of Iha
el, the Indians think the deity to be the
immediate head of their (late.
Fourthly, becaufe, . as the Jews- be
lieve in the miniaration of angels, the In
dians alfo believe that the higher regiens
are inhabited by good fpirits. !
Fifthly, becaufe the Indian language
and dialctfi appear to have'theivery id
iom and genius to the Hebrew.; T heir
words and fentences being exprefEve,
corciie, tmphatical, foncrous, andtv'd ;
and often, both in letters and fignscaU-
n:t3 fjverrpap3Vt -mreextciCit stV3twjKjwn rus-;:. :9m
on, ayi
lan s-nay
Sixthly, bees tiic.fhey count thnr lime
after the manner ot'thc Hebrews. '
Scvtnthly, becaufe in confcinify to,
or afler the reamer jof the Tews, they hare
their prophets, high-pritits, and other re
ligious orders !
Eighth, becaufe their ftftivals, fafis,
anl religious ri:e. have a great; reicm
blance to thefe of the Hebrews.
Ninthly, becaufe j the Indians before
they go to war, have many jprepjararory
ceremonies of punhcation iand ffalting,
like what is recorded of the lllraducs.
; Tenthly, becaufe; the fanje rafre for or
naments, and the fame kind are made
i ' ' r
Thefe and maT.y other argrmer.s cfa
fimilar nature, Mr.; Adair brii gs in iup
port cf his fovourite lyfitm ; but I (Loukl
Imagine, that if the Indians are really
; derived from the Hebrews; among their
religious ceremonies, on hich he chiefly
ieems to build bis hyp ctnefiS, the princi
pal, that of circumcifion, would never
have been laid afide, and its very remtm
biance obliterated. 1
Thus rumerrns and diverfe4are the
epiriens of thefe 'who have "hitherto
written on this ftljf a ! I Hall not, how
ever,, cither, endcavpur to reconcile them,
01 to point cut the errors of each, but
proceed to give n y own fentiments" cn
the Tigin of the meiicsns ; v hich. are
fburded on corcluicns drawn frrm the
n oft iaticral aigcxr cnts ct the liters I
have mentic rec?, rnd ficm rr y own th
fr rvatiens ; the ccnfifier.ey rf thffe I
fliall leave to the judgment ;cf my leaders.-
The bet--r to introduce j rr y rrrjee-.
tnies on this head, jit ; r.e.ccfiai) fah to
afcenain the dif;ances-l e.v et n .neria
srd thole parts ct; ti:e raaivktie
that appicach nearcft it. '
To be continued. 3