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Show j26 ':DI8SERT .. IV.. 1---v---1 FI t S T 0 RJ y ·., 0 F ' · M E X I C 0. all ·thofe .of which, we are in Q<?ubt whether they ar~ diffQrent from tho.fe de,icribed by Buffon. ,Our pr~1cipal aim in forming this ce.talqgue has not been to ihew the miftakes of the count qe Buffop. in his enumeration of America:n quadrupeds, and the error of his opinions .concerning the imagin~q 1fcarcity of matter in the new world, but .to b~ cf.iome fervic~ to Europeaq naturalifis by pointing out to them lOme' quadrupeds hitherto unknown, and removing in fome degt:ec thClfe difficulties which have been occafioned by ,indifiint:l: appellations .of them. They might defire to have exaCt dcfcriptions along with them, and even in this .we ihould be willing to contribute every thing io• our power, were it not foreign to out· purpofe.In order to make this catalogue, befides the great il:udy in which it ,ij;:ts engaged us, we have ()btaincd written ioform:\tions from perfuns of lea.rning and accuracy bf knowledge, experienc~d in difrerent countries of America, for whofe obliging communications we owe them· th.c grcatcil: flCknowledgc ... .ments. ' . .J. .. I !'I r r:. • i : t .. D· ] S S:' ·E · R-T . A T I OJ N v .. ,1 i r, " r • . , ' /. . ~ ' • l .1{ I r I (I ,1" On the Phyjical and ]){or.ai.Gon)lituti'orz oj. ti.Je l;vfe~rcan~t .. ' I f I N Mexico and tli.e ot er coul).tries o( f\tneriCa· four claffes of men1 may be diil:ihguiG1ed·. Firft, Tl1e proper Americans, commonly· called Indians, Qr thofe. wh~ , ar.e .~.ef~e!l~ed of the ancient peoplers of." that new world, and have nor mixeO' their blood with the people of the old' continent'. Secot1cHy, Ttpe ;European Afi~~iqs and Africans efbbli01ed in ~hofe.. countries. a!hirdly, Th(1 ,.fons or, defcendants of them who• hav.e been' oa.lled b.y jthe Spani~q:is Criollos, that is Creoln., although the naq1e pri11ciRall¥ belongs to1thofe defcendants of Euro,.. peans whofe blood Juas not been mixed whh· tha-t of the Americans,. Afiatics, or Africans.. Fourthly, . The mixed,, breegs . called by- the Spaniards caflas, that is- "thofe who are born or defcended of an Euro- pean and an American; ·or from an European and ao African, or from an' African and American, &c. AIL thofe. cla.ifes of men have been fated . to meet with the contempt.' and defamation of Mr. de Paw He fuppofes or feigns· the climate of the new. world to be fo malignant as to caufe the degeneracy. of not only the Creoles and . proper: Americans who are born. in, it,, but . al[o . thofe Europeans, who refide there, although they. have: been born under a milder fky,. and .. a climate more fn vour.ablc, aS: he imagines, to. all animals.. I.£ Mr .. d€ .Paw had wrote his philofophical. refcarches in ,America,, we might with .reafon appre ... hend the.: degeneracy of the human.fpc:cies under. the climate of Arne~ ' .rica j . bnt as· we :find. that, work and many others of the fame ftamw .produced in Europe, we are con~rmed by them .in t~ truth of the ,Italian proverb taken from th~ Greek, Tutto ilmqn4o.e paif.e E.ut leaving . a.fide the prej ndices.and prepolieni01~s of that philofophcrandhis partizans · againft the o.ther, clailes of men, we. iliall only treat of that whjch he bas written, againft the native Americans,, as they are the molt iqju ed and theJenft, def~nded. . If ia t~c . ;Writjn g. of this D iifertation w,e. had ~.ven t , |