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Show .I ' common which· they- ufe to rila~' pbtg., bafons, an<l'other veflets, for ~ ' domefiic ute; (o that they pad no occalion for the boafted fecret of hardening copper. Our fincerity alfo compels us to defend in the £une 1nanner the tmc progrefs of American indu!l:ry, arid to reject tl1ofe j 11agina'ry il vcntio'!'lS wliich are attributed to the new worl.:l. The ~crct of which the i_\.rhericar:s were really in p9fie~ion of is that which we' read in ·oviedo, ~n eye 'witncfs, and a perfon fkilled and intelligent il1 metals. " Tl1c Indians," he fays, ' "know very well how to. ~ gild topper ·veifels, or thoie of low gold, and to give them fo ex-' cc11ent and b11·ight a colot1r, that they appea,r t()l be gold of twentyw two carats and m )re :. thi~ they·do by means r;>f cer.tain.1herb's: The" gilding is [o well e.x:etllted,' tb'at if a goldfintthofSpain ~r ·Italy' pof~ . " ·felled the icttet he w.ould eil:eem himfelf verY. rich.~' I . . S E" C T. IlL. '. . 1 @n the Art of 6uilding Ship.r,. dnd Bridge.r,.. and' of maki/zg" L'tilit·.' 1 J IF othet: nations defer.ve the .reproach -of being ignorant · how to• build·1hips, it is certainly not due to che. Mexicans; . as-nodrnving !'en.,.. dered ·themfelves maftcrs. of ~he fe::a-coa!l:s, until the b{l: years of their monarch)( they had no occafion nor convenience for contriving nny fitch : frru&ues .. The other nations, .. who oc.cupied the .!hares of both feas before the Mexicans gained dominion over them~ were fatisfied with the· boats which. were in ufe among them, for fi{hi~g, and commerce with , the neighbouring provinces; becaufe, being free from ambition and :. avaride,. which have oeen the fidt incentives to long navigations, they .. did not think of ufurping the {btes .lawfully pofiefied by other nations·,, ~or de~red to. tranfport from dill:ant conn tries thofe precious metals . for Wh1ch they l"Ktd no . demand. . The Romans, . although they had , fou~de~ · thcir l'netroP.olis near to the· fea; remained fi.vc hnndred y.ears. without canftruCting larg¢ velfels (~). until the ambition of. enlarging (r) A PP!Us u:ed every poffible- dilligencc· to come to the a ill of the Mamertines. In orde1· to accomphlhthJs he t~ought of paffing- the flr<~iC · of Mcffin~, but the cntcrprifc was ra!h, even , dangcroua, and accordtng to all prudent nppcnr.ant~s impoffiblr. • . The Romans had no navul l arma~Ucnt, . but J}_lerc barge1, 01· vcfi'cls co:ufcly con!lntaed, wl1ich might be compa(ed v.•ith , the canoea of the ln~i.ans. Rol!in, l~om, Hiff, lib, ii •. their . ' .3 71 thcir dominions, and making themfel ves mafter~ of Sicily, prompted them DISSERX .to build fhips to pafs the firait which divid,Gd them fro~ it. What w~n- , ~I. der is it then if thofe na~ions of A-mer.ica, who felt no fuch impulfes ~ to abandon their native country, did not invent vefiels to tranfport th emfelvcs to di!l:rnt lauds ? It is certain, · fhilt the not having conil: rutted {hips does not argue any want of ~u~u!l:1y in them who had no intereil: in the inv<;ntion. · Thus it is with regard to the invention ofbridges. M. de Paw af.•. . ..firms, that there was not a fingle .!l:onc bridge in America at the ·. time it was difcovercd, bccaufe the .Americans did qat know how to fot·m arches~ and that the. fe<:-rot of making lime was altogethe.r unknown in America~ Thefc three aifertions are. three very grofs errors. The Mexicans did know how to make bridges of fione, and ~unong the remains of their ancient architeCl:Llre 'are to be feen at pre; .. : icnt the large iu~d !hong pilafiers wJ1ich fu ppprted the bridge whid1 was upon' 'the river Tula. The remains of the ancient palaces of Tezcuco, and f1:i ll more tl:eir ¢]'emazt•alli, or ,vapour bat_hs, (hew us the ancient ufc of ~wchcs and vaults among t•he Mexicans, and the othor nations of Anahuac. lJiego Vubdes, ,who wen:t to Mexico a few ye:trs .nfter -the conq ucfl:, and remained' there thiroy years, gives LtS, it;l his C!Jrijliart RlJ/!tl)ric, the image · of a fmall ten1ple 'which 'l1e .Jaw, ami .therefore le.1v<::s no fort of doubt in this matter. With refpcCl: to the n{e of 1ime, it requires the forwarclnefs of M. •<~lc Paw to b ~ able to a!lirm, as he dotts, tlnt the fee ret of making lime ·was totally"ttnk.nown in all .Amcrica; iince it i'l certain. from the tcf ·timony of the ')pania1 co1•querors as w 11 as the firfl: mii1lonnries, that th ~.- nations of Mexico not only made u{c,oflimc, lntt that they had the art of whitening aad curioufly fmoothing and poltijhing the walls -cf their houfcs and temples. It appears from the hifl:ories of B. Diaz, .Gomnra, Herrera, Torqucn1:1da, a11d others, that the wall of the priB<: ipal palace of Mexi-co appeared to the fir!l: Spaniards who entered the city :to be made .of fil ver, from their bci ng fo finely whitetled, and fhining with pol.i{h. It is certajn, Llftly, from the· p.1intings .of the Tributes which are i~1 l\!Icndoza's colleCtion, fhat the cities of Tcpejacac, Techama<: halGo, (~echolac, &c. ·.vc:re obliged ~o pay a11nL1ally to the ki,~g of . Mexico four thonfand :f<1cks .of lim~. But althougJ1· .we had noHe gf : ·t~[e proofsJ the rcn ains of ancient CLliftces, 11:ill extant in Tezcuco, l3 b b z M.ictlaq:- |