causes culty of pronouncing confortants, which fome founded more eafily,
■ OiF_ V A R T -
e t t e s whiilt others* either changea* or entirely omitted them. When
a migrating race found inltheir new country* new birds, new fifhes,
and new plants,, they muft o f cpiirfe find new names for them,
which co'uld not exift ip any other o f the cogeneric dialed». The
qualities of thefe new animals, the preparation o f the new vegetables
into food and garments* ^required other new names, and thus it
happened, that their language gradually affirmed' a diftind appearance,
though after all, it was the fame with, that o f the original
tribe, being modified only to fuit the organs; o f the tribe,, and the
new objeÆts. o f their country.
Having now determined-, that thêfe people ufe the; fame general
language in various dialeds, we have only to prove, that the
other nations are o f a different race, from that, to which the firft
varieties own their origin ; and this is very, eaiy to . prove in the
fame manner by their languages, which are not- only wholly different
from the abovementioned general language, but are likewife
diftind from each other : fo that one might with, as much propriety
fay, that they are defeended from as many different nations, were
it not improper to multiply them without neceflity, and as they
really have fome fimilarity in their cuftoms, colour, form, and
habit of body.
If
I f we are defirous o f tracing the races o f all' thefe iilanders back c a u s e s
to any-continent, or its neighbourhood, we muff caff an eye on
a map o f the South Sea, where we find it bounded to the Eaft by
America, to the Weft by A-fia, by the Indian Ifles on its North
fide, and by New. Holland to the South. A t firft fight, it might
feem probable, that thefe tropical -ifles were originally fettled
from America, as the Eafferly winds are the moft prevalent in thefe
feas, and as the fmall and wretched embarkations o f the natives
in the South Seas, can hardly be employed in plying to windward.
But i f we confider the argument more minutely, we find that
America-itfelf was not peopled many centuries before its difeovery
by the Spaniards. There, were but two Rates or kingdoms on this
immen-fe continent, that had acquired- any degree’ o f population,
and -made confiderahle progrefs in civilization-j: and -they likewife
did net originate earlier, than about ,300 or 400 years before -the
arrival o f -the Spaniards. Th e reft was occupied by a few draggling
families, thinly difperfed over this vaft trad: o f ’land, fo that
fornetim.es not more than 30 or 40 perfons, lived in an extent of
100 leagues at very great diftances - from each other. Again,
when the Spaniards difoovered feme o f thefe Blands in the South
-Sea, -a few years- only after the difeovery o f the continent of.
America, they found them as populous as we have feen them in
our days: from whence it appears to be highly improbable, that t'hefe
ifles