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larger fhare of pride; for they confider themfelves as entitled to every high diftinction as natives of Europe, and look on the other inhabitants as many degrees beneath them. The crcoles have all the bad qualities of the Spaniards, from whom they are defcended, without that courage, firmnefs and patience, which make the praifeworthy part of the Spanish character. Naturally weak and effeminate, they dedicate the greatest part of their lives to loitering and inactive pleafures. Luxurious with. out variety or elegance, and expenfive with great parade, and little convenience, their character is nothing more than a grave, fpecious infignificance. From idleness and conftitution, their whole business is amour and intrigue, their ladies, of confequence, are not diftinguished for their chastity or domestic virtues.

The Indians, who, notwithstanding the devaftations of the firftinvaders, remain in great numbers, are become, by continual oppreffion and indignity, a dejected, timorous, and miferable race of mortals."

The blacks here, like thofe in other parts of the world, are stubborn, robust and hardy, and as well adapted for the grofs and inhuman flavery they endure, as any human beings. This may ferve for the general character, not only of the Mexicans, but for the greater part of the Spanifh colonies in South America.

The civil government of Mexico is adminiftered by tribunals; called audiences. In thefe courts the viceroy of the king of Spain prefides. His employment is the greatest truft and power his catholic majefty has at his difpofal, and is, perhaps, the richest government entrusted to any fubject in the world. The viceroy, continues in office but three years.

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The clergy are extremely numerous in Mexico. The priests, monks and nuns of all orders, make a fifth part of the white inhabitants, here and in other parts of Spanish America.

Chief towns.] MEXICO, the capital of this place, is fituated on a large plain, environed by mountains of fuch height, that, though within the torrid zone, the temperature of its climate is mild and healthful.

All the buildings are convenient; and the public edifices, efpecially the churches, are magnificent. The revenue of the grand cathedral amounts to near £80,000 fterling a year, of which the archbishop has L.15,000, befides vaft fums arifing from perquifites. The inhabitants are reckoned at 150,000, who draw annually from the mines above ten millions of money, exclufive of the vaft fums fecreted, and applied to private ufes; yet with thefe almost incredible treafures, the people may be reckoned poor, as most of them live beyond their fortunes, and commonly terminate a life of profufion, in extreme indigence.

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ACAPULCO ftands on a bay of the South Sea, about 210 miles foutheast of Mexico. In this harbour, which is very commodious, the Manilla galleon takes in at least ten millions of dollars, in return for the goods the brings thither, and for the payment of the Spanish garrifons in the Philippine ifles.

Hiftory. The empire of Mexico was fubdued by Cortes, in the year 1521. Montezuma was at that time emperor of Mexico. In the courfe of the war, he was treacherously taken by Cortes, and held as à prifoner, During the imprisonment of Montezuma, Cortes and his ariny had made repeated attacks on his fubjects, but without fuccefs. Cortes was no

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determined, as his laft refource, to try what effect the interpofition of Montezuma might have to footh, or overawe his fubjects. This unfortunate prince, at the mercy of the tracherous Spaniards, and reduced to the fad neceffity of becoming the inftrument of his own disgrace, and of the flavery of his fubjects, advanced to the battlements in his royal robes, with all the pomp in which he ufed to appear on folemn occafions. At fight of their fovereign, whom they had long been accustomed to honour, and almost to revere as a god, the weapons dropped from their hands, every tongue was filent, all bowed their heads, and many proftrated themselves on the ground. Montezuma addreffed them with every argument that could mitigate their rage, or perfuade them to cease from hoftilities. When he ended his difcourfe, a fullen murmur of disapprobation ran through the crowd; to this fucceeded reproaches and threats; and their fury rifing in a moment, they violently poured in whole flights of arrows, and vollies of stones, upon their unhappy monarch; two of the arrows ftruck him in the body, which, with the blow of a ftone on his temple, put an end to his life. Guatimozin fucceeded Montezuma, and mantained a vigorous oppofition against the affaults of Cortes. But he like his predeceffor, after a noble defence, was forced to fubmit. Pre- ́ vious to this, being aware of his impending fate, he had ordered that all his treasures should be thrown into the lake. While a prifoner, on fufpicion of his having concealed his treasure, he was put to the torture, which was done by laying him on burning coals; but he bore whatever the refined cruelty of his tormentors could inflict, with the invincible fortitude of an American warrior. One of his chief favourites, his fellow fufferer, being overcome by the violence of the anguish, turned a dejected eye towards his mafter, which feemed to implore his permiffion to reveal all that he knew. But the high spirited prince darted on him a look of authority, mingled with fcorn, and checked his weakness by afking, 'Am I now repofing upon a bed of flowers? Overawed by the reproach, he perfevered in dutiful filence, and expired. Cortes, afhamed of a fcene fo horrid, rescued the royal victim from the hands of his torturers, and prolonged a life for new indignities and fufferings. Cortes died in Spain, in the year 1547, in the 62d year of his age. Envied by his contemporaries, and ill requited by the court which he ferved, he has been admired and celebrated by fucceeding ages. By his own defire he was carried to Mexico, and buried there.

SOUTH

AMERICA,

Sa peninfula, joined to North America by the Ifthmus of Darien,

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and divided as follows:

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Miles.

Length 1400
Breadth 700

Between

60° and 82° Weft Longitude.
The Equator, and 12° North Latitude,

Boundaries.]B fame ocean and Surinam; fouth, by Amozonia and

OUNDED north, by the Atlantic Ocean; east, by the

Peru; weft, by the Pacific Ocean.

is

parts

Climate, foil and productions.] The climate here, especially in the northern parts, is extremely hot and fultry during the whole year. From the month of May to the end of November, the feafon called winter by the inhabitants, is almost a continual fucceffion of thunder, rain and tempefts; the clouds precipitating the rains with fuch impetuofity, that the low lands exhibit the appearance of an ocean. Great part of the country of confequence most continually flooded; and this, together with the exceffive heat, fo impregnates the air with vapours, that in many provinces, particularly about Popayan and Porto-Bello, it is extremely un wholefome. The foil of this country is very different, the inland being exceedingly rich and fertile, the coafts fandy and barren. It is impoffible to view without admiration, the perpetual verdure of the woods, the luxuriancy of the plains, and the towering height of the mountains. This country produces corn, fugar, tobacco and fruits of all kinds; the most remarkable is that of the manzanillo tree. It bears fruit refembling an apple, but which, under this fpecious appearance, contains the most fubtile poifon. The bean of Carthagena is the fruit a of fpecies of willow, about the bignefs of a bean, and is an excellent and never failing remedy for the bite of the most venemous ferpents, which are very frequent all over this country. Among the natural merchandize of Terra Firma, the pearls found on the coaft, particularly in the bay of Panama, are not the leaft confiderable. An immense number of negroe flaves are employed in fishing for these, and have arrived at a wonderful dexterity in this occupation. They are fometimes, however devoured by sharks, while they dive to the bottom, or are crushed against the fhelves of the rocks.

Chief towns.] PANAMA is the capital of Terra Firma fituated upon a capacious bay, to which it gives its name. receptacle of the vast quantities of gold and filver, with I iz

Proper, and is It is the great other rich mer

chandize,

chandize, from all parts of Peru and Chili: here they are lodged in ftore. houses, till the proper feafon arrives to tranfport them to Europe.

PORTO BELLO is fituated close to the fea, on the declivity of a mountain which furrounds the whole harbour. The convenience and the fafety of this harbour is such that Columbus, who first discovered it, gave it the name of Porto Bello, or the fine Harbour.

Hiftory.] This part of South America was discovered by Columbus, in his third voyage to this continent. It was fubdued and fettled by the Spaniards about the year 1514, after destroying, with great inhumanity, feveral millions of the natives. This country was called Terra Firma, on account of its being the first part of the continent which was discovered, all the lands discovered previous to this being islands.

Miles. Length 1800 Breadth 500

Between

PERU.

{

60° and 81° Weft Longitude.
The Equator and 25° South Latitude.

Boundaries.]B fouth, by Chili; weft by the Pacific Ocean.

OUNDED north, by Terra Firma; eaft, by the Andes:

Rivers.] A prodigious number of rivers rife in the Andes, and run through this country, among which are Granada or Cagdalena, Orinoco and Amazon. The laft has its fource in Peru, and after running caftwards upwards of 3000 miles, falls into the Atlantic ocean. ver, like all the tropical rivers annually overflows its banks.

This ri

Climate, foil, and productions.] Though Peru lies within the torrid zone, yet, having the pacific ocean on the weft, and the Andes on the east, the air is not fo fultry as is ufual in tropical countries. The fky is generally cloudy, fo that the inhabitants are shielded from the direct rays of the fun; but what is extremely fingular, it never rains in Peru. This defect, however, is fufficiently fupplied by a foft and gentle dew, which falls every night on the ground, and fo refreshes the plants and grafs, as to produce in many places the greatest fertility. In the inland parts of Peru, and by the banks of the rivers, the foil is generally very fertile, but along the fea coaft it is a barren fand. The productions of this country are, Indian corn, wheat, balfam, fugar, wine, cotton-cattle, deer, poultry, parrots, wild fowls, lions, bears, monkeys, &c. Their sheep are large and work as beasts of burden. Another extraordinary animal here is the vicunna, or Indian goat, in which is found the bezoar ftone, celebrated for expelling poifons. The province of Quito abounds with cedar, cocoa, palm-trees, and the kinguenna, which affords the Peruvian or Jefuits bark; also the storax, guaiacum, and several other gums and drugs. Gold and filver mines are found in every province, but those of Potofi are the richest. The mountains of Potifi alone, is faid to have yeilded to the Spaniards

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Spaniards, the first forty years they were in poffeffion of it, two thousand millions of pieces of eight.

Government.] Peru is governed by a viceroy, who is abfolute; but is being impoffible for him to fuperintend the whole extent of his government, he delegates a part of his authority to the feveral audiences and courts, established at different places throughout his dominions.

Chief Towns.] Lima, the capital of Peru, and refidence of the viceroy, is large, magnificient and populous; for the fplendour of its inhabitants, the grandeur of its public feftivals, the extent of its commerce, and, the delightfulness of its climate, is fuperior to all cities in South Ameri

ca.

These eminent advantages are however, confiderably overbalanced by the dreadful earthquakes which frequently happen here. In the year 1747 a most tremendous earthquake laid three fourths of this city level with the ground, and entirely demolished Callao, the port town belonging to it. Never was any destruction more complete or terrible: but one, of 3,000 inhabitants, being left to record this dreadful calamity, and he by a providence the most fingular and extraordinary imaginable.

Lima contains 60,000 inhabitants, of whom the whites amount to a fixth part.

All travellers fpeak with amazement of the decoration of the churches with gold, filver and precious ftones, which load and ornament even the walls. Quito is next to Lima in populoufnefs.

Hiftory. The Spaniards first visited Peru in 1526. Pizarro, with an army of about 160 men, after a series of treacherous and cruel acts, made a conqueft of the whole country, for the king of Spain, in 1533, to whom it has ever fince been fubject. The natives have frequently attempted to regain their liberty, but have hitherto been unfuccefsful. Some late infurrections have happened, but the confequences are not yet particularly known.

Miles.
Length 1200

Breadth 500

}

CHIL I.

Between

S25° and 45° South Latitude.
65° and 85° Weft Longitude.

Boundaries.] BOUNDED north, by Peru; Eaft, by La Plata ; south,

by Patagonia; weft, by the Pacific ocean.

Climate, foil, and productions.] The air of Chili, though in a hot climate, is remarkably temperate, occafioned by refreshing breezes from the fea, and the cool winds from the top of the Andes, which are covered with eternal fnows. This country is free from lightning, and although thunder is frequently heard, it is far up in the mountain. Spring begins here about the middle of Auguft, and continues till November. It is fummer from November till February. Autumn continues till May; and winter till Auguft. It rarely fnows in the vallies, though the mountains are always covered. This country is entirely free from all kinds

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