ances.

As the Indians were driven back by the whites into the interior countries, they were forced to trespass on the territories of other tribes, even of those with whom they had waged former wars, and new conflicts would ensue, which in general must terminate only in the entire destruction of one of the tribes, while the numbers of the other must have been exceedingly diminished by their savage combats.

Despair seemed to have carried others to an untimely grave. They saw strangers taking possession of their territories, and daily encroachments made on the soil which contained the bones of their venerated ancestors, and where they drew their first breath, and where they wished to draw their latest. In sight of a new and powerful people, they perceived their own danger and felt their own inferiority. Despondency and gloom and apprehension preyed upon their spirits, while their bodies were wasted by the agitations of their minds. The tribe at Natick was treated with mildness and with truly religious consideration and benevolence; but in a few years the tribe seemed to have wasted away. The same results took place wherever the white people approached.

The settlement of the Europeans in America served to abridge the territory of the natives in an equal proportion. Every part of the country was before used for the purpose of the hunter. The consequences was absolute want; and a necessity of retiring back into the interior would be an interference with the rights of other natives, till wars of extermination would end the scene.

About three years before the landing of the Plymouth colony, the plague, or the yellow fever swept off immense numbers of the Indians, in some tribes every individual. The island of Massachusetts, which before had a population of 3000 persons, had not one single individual left upon it. Nantucket island was reduced from 320 to 83 souls. The Massachusetts Indians were also reduced from 30,000 fighting men down to 300. Of the Plymouth tribe neither man, nor woman nor child survived the rage of pestilence; and Divine Providence seemed to be preparing the way for a people who should bring with them the arts of civitization and the religion worthy of God to give.

But the natives were destined to be consumed, after the Europeans arrived, with new diseases, to which they had hitherto been entirely strangers. The small pox spread

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over every part of the continent with a destruction in places, which hardly left survivors to be frightened with its ravages, nor mourners to lament over the exit of friends. Some of the north parts of America was nearly depopulated by it. Among the Massachusetts Indians, it prevailed in the year 1633 with uncommon virulence. The heating their bodies artificially into a high state of perspiration and then plunging into cold water, which often relieved in other complaints, was not a remedy appropriate to this dreadful scourge of mankind. The vices and licentiousness of the European adventurers, in the more southern regions especially, brought other diseases scarcely less fatal; and the virtues of the lobelia were often incompetent to vie with the virulence of the lues Venerea. It was no easy thing for the ignorant savages to discover remedies for all the varieties of new cases, which the new classes of diseases peculiar to the old world would necessarily introduce into the new.

But there was a worse pestilence still, that of spiritous liquors. Cruelty and slavery, wars and diseases, famine and despair had slain their thousands of natives; but ardent spirits, more fatal than the rest, had slain their tens of thousands. Other enemies they hated and strove to destroy by every possible effort; but this most deadly enemy of their peace they loved, and received with an eagerness, which almost always gave certainty of success to the power of temptation. War, famine and pestilence returned only at times and in certain places; but ardent spirits have been a plague which has every day wasted them away in every tribe for more than 300 years. The most poisonous liquors too which ever came from the unnumbered distilleries of all America, were destined to carry vice, misery and death among a race of men who seem already upon the point of becoming extinct. These, and many other causes easy to be conceived, are surely numerous and efficient enough to reduce the uncounted tribes of the savages, who once filled the extensive wilds of America, down to the diminished number which we now witness. Thus all nations, whetuer civilized or savage, are in a state of constant fluctuation, and experience in swift succession the periods of origin, maturity and decay.

CHAPTER XXI. ·

State of society among the Indians. The strength of the social appetite. Government simple. Little coercion. Means of restraint in opinions. Government imperfect. The reason of their tribes being small. No constitution and jurisprudence. No tendency to improvement. The

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hunter's state. The agricultural. The government of Mexico. Of Peru. General mode of governing. quality and love of freedom. Laws few. Selfish passions feeble. Corruption. Their society tends to dissolution.

The appetite for society is in no animal so strong as in man. There is a charm in the human countenance which is peculiarly fascinating; and a melody in the human voice which always enraptures. In the interchange of our thoughts, there is as much of pleasure as of improvement. When men meet, the simplest remark, if it be no other than that it is a pleasant day, or an inquiry after health, however obvious must be the answer, has a degree of real satisfaction in it. No tribe has been found so fierce, so barbarous, as not to yield to the force of the social affections. The savage enters into such society as his degree of information points out as best, and as his condition will most easily admit,

The simplest form of society will, of course, be adopted. Men cannot long continue together without having a necessity to resort to certain rules, customs and regulations. Were every individual well disposed, there would be a convenience in general rules, and a great facility in ordinary business would result from system. A real difference in the minds of men would produce a diversity of judgment, and require the intervention of disinterested arbitrators to decide upon what is right. Others being mischievous, and ill disposed would endure to restraint, and crimes would soon require the strong arm of punishment. Government would, therefore, be found essential to the very existence of society. As a family arose, the father of it would become its director. As families multiplied, those distinguished for age, virtues and talents, would obtain influence and dominion. Amidst

national conflicts, a military despot would now and then arise; but, in general, where the people were fond of liberty and in a state of equality, government would be such as accorded with the wishes of the majority. Where commercial concerns were few, and extensive intercourse not desired, the laws would be few, much regulation would not be necessary, and the public business, not being burthensome, would be transacted by the people themselves.

The Indians of North America do not seem to have advanced beyond this state of things. More generally, they had submitted to no system of laws, and were strangers to all coercion. The control they acknowledged was the moral sense of right and wrong. The observance of ancient customs and influence of manners imposed other useful restraint. Public crimes were punished with public contempt; or by an exclusion from society; and penalties which affected life were inflicted by such as were most injured. With such a mode of coercion, extremely imperfect as it was crimes were rarely committed, and encroachments on the rights of community were effectually restrained.

Such a government, in a civilized state, would lead to dreadful commotions, in great cities; while, in very extensive empires, it would be impossible. Aware, no doubt, of these evil tendencies, the savages have broken great societies into small ones. In the little circle of a single tribe, they could manage affairs in their own way.

But a new evil arose; small tribes were incompetent to defence. This evil was removed by forming extensive confederacies. That of Powhatan, south of the Patomac, comprehended a territory of 8000 square miles, 30 tribes, and 2400 warriors. Such connections were frequent, and carried to a great extent of country; and some, continued for ages, still exist among the tribes settled on the great western lakes.

In all this management of public affairs, there was nothing which partook of the science of government. There was no separation of its powers into distinct branches; and whatever was done was the evident dictate of necessity and the refuge of fear, not the result of mere reasoning and of skill in jurisprudence.

There was no tendency to improvement; and the hunter's state did not seem to admit of it. The chase afforded a temporary supply of food; and, as the pleasure increased with

the pursuit, no new and no higher objects were likely to engage the attention. Indeed many white people, who have long indulged in that mode of living, have preferred it to the more improved state of society, encumbered with too much regulation.

The hunter's state, which at one time yielded much more than was wanted, at another left nothing but want, and once in a year was almost sure to produce a famine, was deemed by some too precarious for human subsistance. Wheresoever the dawn of improvement appeared, the hunter's state was succeeded by the agricultural. Imperfect as husbandry must be, without the aid of proper seeds, instruments or animals for the use of man, still it served to prevent the periodical return of absolute destitution; it increased the degree of plenty; carried new comforts into the wigwams; gave strong proofs, that the earth was the proper source of human support; and, more than all, introduced an era of new improve. ments and increase of blessings.

From this advanced state of society, two new kinds of government arose among the natives. One was in the celebrated kingdom of Mexico. Monarchy was the particular form, in which it prevailed. It exactly resembled what has taken place throughout the greater part of Europe. The government was elective during the reign of eleven kings, but at length lost itself in hereditary rights. Those, who filled the throne, were, many of them at least, distinguished for those excellencies, talents and virtues, which add the highest honors to the most exalted rank. Although the many were as usual, degraded, in order that the few might rise, still plenty was enjoyed, population increased, and vast improvements of every kind were made, rendering it one of the brightest spots in the new world.

The second king of government was that of the empire of Peru. In many respects, it was different from all others ever established among men. It was deemed the direct donation of heaven. Twelve monarchs had reigned during the long period of 400 years. They were considered as the children of the sun. The princes were called by the common name of Inca; and were viewed as a superior race of men. Reputed to be the children of the sun, the great material source of beneficence, they acted worthily of that high descent. Never did a race of monarchs aim more for the good of their people, nor were any more successful in their endeavors. In