A M E R I C A .
Population.
The dlfcoverieS of the Ruffians, and of Cook, and Vancouver, Teem
to have completed' thofe of the weftCrn coafts df America.and the
joumies of Hearne and Mackenzie have itajparted fome idea df $ ‘dn*
fines on the ar£tic Öceäh. *, - s l.
The general population of this imMénfe cóhiintnt Käs B M g g g
of confiderable difcuffion, fotae having fuppofed that i t amounted to
one hundred and fifty millions, while other? WM M M M , ■
fifteen millions; and the latter opinion feems to^pproach neareft to the
truth- ’The ridiculous exaggerations of the old Sgtaifl* äfitheffs, « o
fometimes rival Mendez de Pinto, have fwelled villages to dtiès, |nd
thoufands to millions. The favages in North America ^regSfinly
fcattered, as in thé ektremitles of Afia, where a thonfattd fajg jfo g fc
ftitute a natidhi' An American author, who htfS exaihihed thé ïuffieét
with fóme' attention, obferves that the population of Britig M e rica
does not exceed 200,000* and fuppofrng the favagesdn x^uaj' jpflber,
and thb inhabitants o£ the Spaniffi part of NórAAméricu ' » o o ,
thefe together-will amount to half a million. Süppofing the United
itates to have five millions; there will be five millions and a Half.
The empire of Mexico, (which he ought t o have, itókded I t y 'N p r t h
America,) from the enumerations made in fömepravimees, »b|ab^
eontrins fout Millions of the native race, and’ about Jhvej* mK'nssf
- foreign «xtra£t. Hence there are in Mexico feyen million'^ .JPeru and
Chili can fcarcely contain more: and he eftknat.es-tim,dt||||^panilh
poffeffions in South America at two millions, with four for
Brazil and Paraguay. The other parts are moftly wide deferts ; fo that
he concludes that, the inhabitants of'Somh A^frica-40 no|Jiceed
twenty millions; nor thofe- of North America five millions and a
half.“0 »
As Mexico unqueftionahly belongs to N o r t h America, feven millions,
added to five and a half, will yield twelve -m il lion s and A
, HALF for that divifion; while S o u t h America, by the fame calculation
will contain th ir t e e n MILLIONS. In the opinion of Dr Stiles
*f -Callender’s Key, -&c. Jj7S?8.
the
A M E R I C A . - . ’ S3S
the aboriginal population i# at-:B « h j.!andigoiM America does -riot ex- pQPUL4.
cg'pd-t^rO millions and and i|> ©pr^^^that'it deverte^eeded TI0Nthree
millions,11 fSgnte even-ii^errthat- fifteen, m | l rgP an
eftimate for 'the whole p oplfia^^ ‘ Prohaftly the
population ^ of Africa, ha§>ir^. * manner bpen < exaggef^^^by
geographers, does not exceed thirty millions.
if ( 11 Moifef 70!^ ''