• OkibiNAi.
PoRULAHiftoricaï
Epochs,
men for this-continent,. It Will be iïeöeffary * böforë-fhiS curio'us qiMljön
be, determined-to colleft vocabularies of the- Afriean languages, aSi thfete
are otf that continent feveral nations of a copper 'colour, ‘'tefembli^ the
Americans yhnd : the Mexicans and Peruvians mïghb I’lfe&tWhe'^ih-ore
civilized, from mere advantages fef fituation and accident, It'is^-hdw-
ever deeply to be regretted that thefe American empires, or kingdoms
were deftroyed; as, not to mention the caufe of humanity, they would
have afforded curious'objeéts for phifofophic obfervers of human ÜÉti^re.
The general opinion feems to be'that the -Mexicans aód Peruviatfev^ere
a diftin<3 race from the other- Americans; and amidft a variety of conjectures
it might- be enquired if they did not proceed from Japan, or
be haply of the fame race with the people of-thè large ifknd of Tshoka,
or Sagalian, whofc features, asdeferibed and delineated by l a Peroufe,
and the literary men who accompanied him, bêarhofefemblance, tolhe
Tataric. In this cafe we may conceive that they are -remains ff a
people in eaftern Afia, who were expelled by,the Mandfliurs, oh'their
progrefs from more weftèrn Settlements#
The hiftorical epochs of Mexico have.been-of little moment fince it
was conquered by the Spaniards in 1521, when the laft monarchBtiati-
mozin perifhed, Montezuma having diedin the preceding year» Recording
to the Mexican traditions their anceftors confifted of feveral fa-
vage tribes, who about the tenth or eleventh century of the Ghriftian
era moved in fucceffive migrations from unknown regions towards the
north and north-weft, and fettled in Anahuac. About the beginning of
the thirteenth century a tribe, more polifhed than the reft, advanced
from the borders of the Californian gulf, and took poffeffion of’the
plains adjacent to the great lake near the centre of the country.* Mphey
were for a time governed by chiefs or judges, till the territories becom-
• The honed miffionary Dobrizhoffer, after redding twenty-two years in America, anda formal
examination of this queftion, declares that he cannot trace-any refemblance of the Americans, or
their language,in any other part of the globe ;, and that he Ihould incline to believe,, were it not
from the apprehênfions of ridicule, that they have dropped from another planet. There feems a
ihadow of refemblance between fome of.the Mexican words publilhed by Dr. Forder and the
Tchoka putjliihed by La Peroufe, as tche, three,, is'.in Mexican jet, See.' This origin, wiURngularly
coincide with the Mexican traditions.
* Robertfon’s America, v. iii. p. 156.
.ibg
i@g mere, .ex-tonfiveythe ^fupfeme autheà-.^y>,Gâititréd âtolîpljfe&Tmglfi p e rf(
g$. Jpveijf/frpm thiCtmibA; maton
ment'ihad^otjaftad-ab^ve, pgy ygars fjth at Di
i324ythe firfbmomreh bcinglAcdmrapiteifl.# fem ha e$
and mundhti4nsVAcpaftitmc-the!’,hhièf f&è«ités^of-*i|^|^.k'‘ihiftor’v iri’cEi
the SpanUh govarnment prefents few, evenîs of mdfirehe, the nitivfe'^
btkgfcmfined between thenwolfeèsffeafHd '.mWre-' ea?fily^edkedftbah-PA
South America,-where there--is ;a wid'b^xtent'of fëftlt^fÿSfoÿfre^tîefat' add-
confpiracy. - -
Thefextenfive .peninfula of Æ-idifordia -was- -by, Cortex- ih
1 $&,6y.but' was- fa completely négle^èdÿ that inmbftfeha-rt-s^ feprë-
fenced-as an ifland,3 ^ The^^ijS îafferwards-explàrè'd^i^p-ôyin-ce", and
acquired asdbc^ihfen thereasreompIetejasân-I&ra$tkyA ’On their e.vpul-
iioli imtyfjdjt was found to be a not unfertile région, with feme iAiüé&
of gold, and a-valuable pearl- hfhery. The ’coubtrfesi'Of Cillal'o!
nor^.on. the..eaftjfide of the,¥‘grmili©n fea lorigulf bf-Califtfrnb^ à'siWelf
as the ifemenfe provinces of New- Navarre, and. other^of New tMfexicbj
neverihvere febjesft to the Mexican Tceptre, but now Acknowledge ’the-
power*of-Spain though the fettlers be few.f- In 1 7% a war Malte oufe
wilji tlêffavages, which ended in their fabmiffioh 1177ft. Buritag-sfheite
marché thesSpaniards- difeoyered at, Cineguillay iiw-th'^-proWn'ce -of-Sa^
n ora, a plain fo u r t ee n leagues in extent, 4n which V'aft quantities ©f
gold,were found in large, lumps, at the depth of onlyffix-tehfy ifricfleffj
Before the end of the y ear fi 771 above two t&pft&hd perfonis^ertSfetti ex4
at Cipeguilk j and other-mines, not inferior in wealthy IraVe bSm! dlfi
covered in other parts of Softora and Ginaloâ. It is I'Eobkbfethkt th-efe?
difeowerifeà have inftigated otherffetttetnfents im îhê 'itorihèffeplfbftof
New Spain, and in New Mexico. Théfe> 'éo$éâiitüakij}M i thé
meât of Santa Fe, and others in that'vicinity, Are important
Ih^hiftory of the Spanifli territories.0|it ishowevprtif i&'lk'fne'^ïiy ilikfc
* For fome accotait of thefe monarchs, and tliofc of the neigrit>ovirin.g,,tn'bes, 'the reader, may.
esHfhlt^Cîlayigéro. 3
3 Robertfon’s America, iii..^28.
t New Mexico was difclofed in 1553 by Antonio d^Ep^jo. Gags, pV-^J, nfcntions a'city o*
mat name as lately built;
Historical
. 3§>0g8*
4 the