Observations on some parts of natural history : to which is prefixed an account of several remarkable vestiges of an ancient date, which have been discovered in different parts of North America. Pt. I / by Benjamin Smith Barton.

  • Benjamin Smith Barton
Date:
[1787?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on some parts of natural history : to which is prefixed an account of several remarkable vestiges of an ancient date, which have been discovered in different parts of North America. Pt. I / by Benjamin Smith Barton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    But the hiftory of all the nations of Ame- rica, if we except that of the empires of Peru and Mexico alone, prior to the time of their difcovery, is configned to an oblivion, from which it is impoffible ever to recover it. Nor fhould we be furprifed at the im- menfe chafm in the annals of thefe nume- rous nations, if we confider but for a moment the Hate of fociety among them, both at the time when they were firft vifited by the Europeans, and even at the prefent day [A]. They were difperfed throughout every part of the continent: they were ignorant of every art which did not either mediately or immediately conduce to the few neceffaries of their life; the art of forming a bow, an arrow,or a hatchet,— the practice of exciting fire by the fridtion of pieces of wood,—the conftrudtion of a canoe, or a cabbin,— and laftly, the cultivation of a folitary vegetable, the maize, embraced the imall circle of their knowledge [B]. The only channel then, through which we can convey truth to pofterity, that of let- ters, was entirely unknown to all thefe favage tribes, nor could the tradition of their /ages