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Show I / H I S ·T :o R: Y ·o F · M· E X I .C 0. UISSERT. America? Who can number the inhabitants ' of the new wodd, while ~ he does not Jmow the number of provinces and nations which ~t coutains ? Leaving aiide therefore fuch calculations which cannot .be undertaken with , Phe leail: degree of certainty, we: {htill content ot.u:fcl vcs with examining what M.1 de Paw and !Dr. Rouertfon f:ty on the popu-lation of Mexico. ·. . ' I " The population of Mexico and Peru," fays M. de Paw, " .has " undoubtedly been exaggerated by the Spani(h writers, who are u(cd " to reprefent objects wlth immoderate proportions. .Three years after " the conquefl: of Mexico, the Spaniards had occafion to bring fomc " people from the Lucnyos, and afterwards from the coail: of Africa, to " people the kingdom · of Mexico. If this monarchy contained in "1518, thirty milliqns Of iahab.~t;;lll'tS, why in 1521 WaS it dcpopu" pulated ?" We !hall never deny, that among the Sp.mifh writers there are many' addicted tb ehgger.ating, a.s t~ere are alfo among the Pruffians, the Fcencl'l., the Engii01, and othQl' pJ:ople; becaufe the immoderate defirc to magnify things which they defcribe is a paffion common to all nations .in the world, from which 1M. de Paw himfclf is not free, as he demonfl:rates through the whol<:: of his work · but to cenfurc all the Spaniards together i'S, an indifcrirpinate charge .1 10!1: injurious ~o that na ~· tion, which, like eyery other, t has a. mixture of good and bad in it. After having read} at leaft, the beft hiftorians of. the ~ul tivatcd nati~ n\s o.f Eur.ope, we have;; not found two whq,appeqr comp,arab, I~ as to fincc" nty Wtth the two Spaniards Mariana .an~ J\coil:a, ·.who arc highly efteemed tl_1erefore, and extolled , by -all writers. r• Ainong tl~~ ancien. t hiil:orians of MeX:ico, there have bcqn fom'c, [uqh ;·1s A cot£; • D1~z, and Cortes himfclf, of whofe finccrity of rc~ltiqn th~ re isj no do.ubt . . ~u.t nlt.bo.ugh c<.~ch of thefc ftuth,ors ,h,ad If<?,t bqcn poi1d1t:d ot tbofe qualmt.:s whtch arc required to merit our belief neverthelcfs th , umifo ·mity of, their tefl:imoni06 would be an ~ ;1 ct; i~blc ·p;·oof of th 1 fidelity of, thejr accoun~s. Authors of little veracity dil:1g~e~ amon1~ themfelve~, .cx~ept when they copy e~ch other; ,but this ·docs 1, 0j happen to thofe hiil:otjans, who, intent onl~ ?n rcl~~i!1~ wh.at they have themf~}ves fee~, Ql' _found probab}_!1 from lll~orn;fltiOlJ 1 did I1ot rcg:~rd what Qthers.l}ad wmtcn; jpn th~.~~n!rary it ~p}~.ars From d1eir ~o)'~s: that at the tlJ}\C t~~.!.tqS}" were .•Wl\itinP' thev .ha~ not lth~ lWd 't• Jilt ·~ 1: • .,... • ~'J' :~' 1 ·u D ; "'I ' • ,ntnffho • I ~ ' 'J • ... _. " ) . '• o ers . ~ H I: S 'T ·O, R Y 0 E M• E X 1 C 0• others under their eyes. M. ·de Paw himfelf (f), (peaking in one of his letters of that rite of the Mexicans of con[ccrating and .eating tht: ftatue of pafie of 1-luitzilopocht!i, by him called Vit z ilipult zi, and of the rite among ~he Peruvians•at their feil:ival Capac-raime, writes thus to his correCpondent: " I confef!.l to,you, that the unanimous tc.fl:imony: " of the Spanifh writers does not allow us . to doubt of it." If the conient then of the Spa.nilh hifl:orians, concerning what they did not fee, does not allow us to doubt of it,. how iliould he doubt of that which they depofc as eye-witneiles ? Let us euquire therefore what the ancient Spani01. writers fay of the. population of America. All ~gree in affirming, that. thole countries were well, peopled, that there were vcr.y many large cities,,and an infinite. nmnber of vilbgcs.and hamlets; that many thoufands of merchants ailembled at the markets of'p0pulous cities : that they mufter.ed moil: npmcrous armies,. &c. Cortes, in his· letters, and the anonymous conqueror,, Alfonfo de Ojeda, and Alfonfo de Mata, in their memoirs, Las Cafas in his work entitled, the Dtjlruf!ion qf the Indi,·s,; B. Diaz, . . in his. hifiory, Mot0linia, Sahagun, and Mendieta, in their wr.itings; all eye-· witneilcs of the ancient. population of At'nenica: Herrera, Gomara,. Acofl:a, Torquemada, and Martinez, are all of the fa~11e opinior) with• refpect tu the great population of thofe countries.. M .. de Paw cannot produce a 6ngle ancient· author who. does not c.onfirm it by his. tefl:i- . mony; whereas, we can cite feveral authors . who do. not make any· mention of that f.uperftitious rite of the Mexicans, namely, Cortes,. Diaz., and the anonymous conqueror, the thr.ee moft ancient Spaniili.. writers on Mexico. Notwithfl:anding M. de ·Paw affirms, that. we canNot doubt of. {uch a rite, becaufe of the unanimous teftimony of the.: Spaniards; who then would doubt of the· great population of Mtxico, , or rather dotily it fo ftrong~y againft: the uniform. depofitions of all the: ancient hiil:orians.? But if the population·. of Mexico. was. fo great in. 1, 5 r 8, why in~ 1 52 x. was it neceffary to bring people there fi·om the· Lucayos, and afterwards from the coa£b of Africa, to people· it ? .. We: confefs ingentto'Ufl)" we cannot. rbd this objeCt:ion·of M. de Paw, with-. "ut being extremely offended at his affirming with fuch hardinefs,. thatt It ... ' . (/) To.m . II. Lettcr.. i: wHich. I I 423 DIS'3 ERT. VII. \V""V"""'-J |