deed applicable to many favage tribes, our European forefathers .in particular; but not to all. It but faintly suits even the NorthAmerican favages, whom our author feems to have had in his eye; for in war they carefully avoid open force, relying chiefly on ftratagem and furprife. They value themfelves, it is faid, upon faving men; but as that motive was no lefs weighty in Europe, and indeed every where, the proneness of our forefathers to open violence, vouches for their fuperiority in active courage. The following incidents reported by Charlevoix give no favourable idea of fome North-Americans with regard to that fort of courage. The fort de Vercheres in Canada, belonging to the French, was in the year 1690 attacked by fome Iroquois. They approached filently, preparing to fcale the palifade, when some musket-shot made them retire. Advancing a fecond time, they were again repulfed, wondering that they could discover none but a woman, who was seen every where. This was Madame de Vercheres, who appeared as refolute as if supported by a numerous garrifon. The hopes of ftorming a place without men to defend it, occafioned reiterated attacks. After two days fiege, they retired, fearing to be intercepted in their retreat. Two years after, a party of the fame nation appeared before the fort fo unexpectedly, that a girl of fourteen, daughter of the proprietor, had but time to fhut the gate. With the young woman there was not a foul but one raw foldier. She fhowed herself with her affiftant, fometimes in one place, fometimes in another; changing her drefs frequently in order to give fome appearance of a garrifon, and always fired opportunely. The faint-hearted Iroquois decamped without fuccefs.

but if the Americans abound not with active courage, their pailive courage is beyond conception. Every writer expatiates upon the torments they endure, not only patiently, but with fingular fororide; deriding their tormentors, and braving their utmost North-American favages differ indeed fo widely from

thofe

thofe formerly in Europe, that it is difficult to conceive them to be of the fame race. Paffive courage they have even to a wonder; but abound not in active courage: our European forefathers, on the contrary, were much more remarkable for active courage than for paffive. The Kamfkatkans in every article resemble the NorthAmericans. In war they are full of ftratagem, but never attack openly if they can avoid it. When victorious, they murder without mercy, burn their prisoners alive, or tear out their bowels. If they be furrounded, and cannot escape, they turn desperate, cut the throats of their wives and children, and throw themselves into the midst of their enemies. And yet these people are abundantly free. Their want of active courage is the more furprising, because they make no difficulty of fuicide when they fall into any diftrefs. But their paffive courage is equal to that of the Americans: when tortured in order to extort a confeffion, they fhow the utmost firmness; and feldom discover more than what they freely confefs at their first examination.

The favages of Guiana are indolent, good-natured, submissive, and a little cowardly; tho' they yield not to the North-Americans as to equality and independence. The inhabitants of the Marion or Ladrone islands live in a state of perfect equality: every man avenges the injury done to himself; and even children are regardless of their parents. Yet these people are great cowards: in battle indeed they utter loud fhouts; but it is more to animate themselves than to terrify the enemy. The negroes in the flave-coaft of Guinea are good-natured and obliging; but not remarkable for courage. The Laplanders are of all the human fpecies the most timid: upon the flighteft furprise they fall down in a fwoon like the feebleft female in England: thunder fhakes them to pieces. The face of their country is nothing but rocks covered with moss: it would be scarce habitable but for rain-deer, on which the Laplanders chiefly depend for food.

VOL. I.

D

The

The Macaffars, inhabitants of the island Celebes in the torrid zone, differ from all other people. They have active courage above even the fierceft European favages; and they equal the North-American favages in paffive courage. During the reign of Chaw Naraya King of Siam, a small party of Macaffars, who were in the king's pay, having revolted, it required a whole army of Siamites to fubdue them. Four Maccaffars, taken alive, were cruelly tortured. They were beat to mummy with cudgels, iron pins thrust under their nails, all their fingers broken, the flesh burnt off their arms, and their temples fqueezed between boards; yet they bore all with unparallelled firmnefs. They even refused to be converted to Christianity, tho' the Jefuits upon that occafion offered to intercede for them. A tiger, let loose, having fastened on the foot of one of them, the man never once offered to draw it away. Another, without uttering a word, bore the tiger breaking the bones of his back. A third fuffered the animal to lick the blood from his face, without fhrinking, or turning away his eyes. During the whole of that horrid spectacle, they never once bewailed themselves, nor were heard to groan.

In concluding from the foregoing facts, that there are different races of men, I reckon upon ftrenuous oppofition, not only from men biaffed against what is new or uncommon, but from numberlefs fedate writers, who hold every distinguishing mark, internal as well as external, to be the effect of foil and climate. Against the former, patience is my only fhield; but I cannot hope for any converts to a new opinion, without removing the arguments urged by the latter.

Among the endless number of writers who afcribe fupreme efficacy to the climate, Vitruvius fhall take the lead. The firft chapter of his fixth book is entirely employed in describing the influence of climate on the constitution and temper of the natives.

The

The following is the fubftance. "For the fun, where he throws out a moderate degree of moisture, preferves the body in a temperate state; but where his rays are more fierce, he drains "the body of moisture. In very cold regions, where the moi"fture is not fuck'd up by the heat, the body, fucking in the "dewy air, rises to a great fize, and has a deep tone of voice. "Northern nations accordingly, from cold and moisture, have large bodies, a white fkin, red hair, gray eyes, and much "blood. Nations, on the contrary, near the equator, are of finall ftature, tawny complexion, curled hair, black eyes, flender legs, and little blood. From want of blood they are cowardly: "but they bear fevers well, their conftitution being formed by "heat. Northern nations, on the contrary, fink under a fe

ver; but from the abundance of blood, they are bold in war." In another part of the chapter he adds, "From the thinnefs of the air, and enlivening heat, fouthern nations are quick in thought, "and acute in reafoning. Thofe in the north, on the contrary, "which breathe a thick and cold air, are dull and ftupid." And this he illuftrates from the cafe of ferpents, which in fummerheat are active and vigorous; but in winter, become torpid and immoveable. He then proceeds as follows. "It is then not at all

furprising, that heat should sharpen the understanding, and cold "blunt it. Thus the fouthern nations are ready in counsel and acute in thought; but make no figure in war, their courage "being exhausted by the heat of the fun. The inhabitants of

cold climates, prone to war, rufh on with vehemence without “the least fear; but are flow of understanding." Then he proceeds to account, upon the fame principle, for the fuperiority of the Romans in arms, and for the extent of their empire. "For as the planet Jupiter lies between the fervid heat of Mars and the bitter cold of Saturn; fo Italy, in the middle of the tempe

rate zone, poffeffes all that is favourable in either climate. Thus by conduct in war fhe overcomes the impetuous force of nor"thern barbarians; and by vigour of arms confounds the politic "fchemes of her fouthern neighbours. Divine providence appears to have placed the Romans in that happy fituation, in or"der that they might become mafters of the world."- Vegetius accounts for the different characters of men from the fame principle. Omnes nationes quæ vicinæ funt foli, nimio calore ficcatas, amplius quidem fapere, fed minus habere fanguinis dicunt: ac propterea conftantiam ac fiduciam cominus non "habere pugnandi, quia metuunt vulnera qui fe exiguum fan"guinem habere noverunt. Contra, feptentrionales populi, remoti

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a folis ardoribus, inconfultiores quidem, fed tamen largo fan"guine redundantes, funt ad bella promptiffimi * (a).”—Servius, in his commentary on the Æneid of Virgil (b), fays, “Afri versipel"les, Græci leves, Galli pigrioris ingenii, quod natura climatum "facit t."-Mallet, in the introduction to his history of Denmark, copying Vitruvius and Vegetius, strains hard to derive ferocity and courage in the Scandinavians from the climate : A. great abundance of blood, fibres ftrong and rigid, vigour inex

"Nations near the fun, being exficcated by exceffive heat, are faid to have a greater acuteness of understanding but lefs blood: on which account, in fight"ing they are deficient in firmnefs and refolution; and dread the being wounded, as confcious of their want of blood. The northern people, on the contrary, re"moved from the ardor of the fun, are lefs remarkable for the powers of the "mind; but abounding in blood, they are prone to war."

"The Africans are fubtle and full of ftratagem, the Greeks are fickle, the "Gauls flow of parts, all which diverfities are occafioned by the climate."

(a) Lib. 1. cap. 2. De re militari.

(6) Lib. 6. ver. 724.

"haustible,