have an equal right to any thing which has never before been appropriated, so any nation that discovers an uninhabited country, and takes possession thereof, is considered as enjoying full property, and absolute, unquestionable empire therein.

This proposition being admitted, it follows clearly, that the Europeans who first visited America, were the real discoverers of the same; nothing being necessary to the establishment of this fact, but simply to prove that it was totally uninhabited by man. This would at first appear to be a point of some difficulty: for it is well known, that this quarter of the world abounded with certain animals, that walked erect on two feet, had something of the human countenance, uttered certain unintelligible sounds, very much like language; in short, had a marvellous resemblance to human beings.

But the zealous and enlightened fathers, who accompanied the discoverers, for the purpose of promoting the kingdom of heaven by establishing fat monasteries and bishoprics on earth, soon cleared up this point, greatly to the satisfaction of his holiness the pope, and of all Christian voyagers and discoverers.

They plainly proved, and as there were no Indian writers to take the other side, the fact was considered as fully admitted and established, that the two-legged race of animals before mentioned were mere cannibals, detestable monsters, and many of them giants-which last description of vagrants have, since the time of Gog, Magog and Goliath, been considered as outlaws, and have received no quarter in either history, chivalry or song. Indeed, even the philosophic Bacon declared the Americans to be people proscribed by the laws of nature, inasmuch as they had a barbarous custom of sacrificing men, and feeding upon man's flesh.

But the benevolent fathers, who had undertaken to turn these unhappy savages into dumb beasts, by dint of argument, advanced still stronger proofs; for, as certain divines of the sixteenth century, and among the rest Lullus, affirm, the Americans go naked, and have no beards!" They have nothing," says Lullus, "of the reasonable animal, except the mask."-And even that mask was allowed to avail them but little for it was soon found that they were of a hideous copper com

plexion-and being of a copper complexion, it was all the same as if they were negroes-and negroes are black; "and black," said the pious fathers, devoutly crossing themselves, "is the colour of the devil!" Therefore, so far from being able to own property, they had no right even to personal freedom-for liberty is too radiant a deity to inhabit such gloomy temples. All which cir cumstances plainly convinced the righteous followers of Cortes and Pizarro, that these miscreants had no title to the soil that they infested-that they were a perverse, illiterate, dumb, beardless, black seed-mere wild beasts of the forest, and like them should either be subdued or exterminated.

XXI.

Right of Cultivation.-IRVING.

THE right of discovery being fully established, we now come to the next, which is the right acquired by cultivation. "The cultivation of the soil," we are told, "is an obligation imposed by nature on mankind. The whole world is appointed for the nourishment of its inhabitants: but it would be incapable of doing it, was it uncultivated. Every nation is then obliged, by the law of nature, to cultivate the ground that has fallen to its share. Those people, like the ancient Germans and modern Tartars, who, having fertile countries, disdain to cultivate the earth, and choose to live by rapine, are wanting to themselves, and deserve to be exterminated, as savages and pernicious beasts.

Now it is notorious, that the savages knew nothing of agriculture when first discovered by the Europeans, but lived a most vagabond, disorderly, unrighteous life,rambling from place to place, and prodigally rioting upon the spontaneous luxuries of nature, without tasking her generosity to yield them any thing more; whereas it has been most unquestionably shown, that Heaven intended the earth should be ploughed and sown and manured, and laid out into cities and towns and farms and country seats and pleasure grounds and public gardens, all which the Indians knew nothing about,-therefore, they did not

improve the talents Providence had bestowed on them, -therefore, they were careless stewards, therefore, they had no right to the soil, therefore they deserved to be exterminated.

It is true, the savages might plead that they drew all the benefits from the land which their simple wants required-they found plenty of game to hunt, which, together with the roots and uncultivated fruits of the earth, furnished a sufficient variety for their frugal repasts; and that as heaven merely designed the earth to form the abode and satisfy the wants of man, so long as those purposes were answered, the will of Heaven was accomplished. But this only proved how undeserving they were of the blessings around them-they were so much the more savages, for not having more wants; for knowledge is in some degree an increase of desires, and it is this superiority both in the number and magnitude of his desires, that distinguishes the man from the beast. Therefore, the Indians, in not having more wants, were very unreasonable animals: and it was but just that they should make way for the Europeans, who had a thousand wants to their one; and, therefore, would turn the earth to more account, and, by cultivating it, more truly fulfil the will of Heaven.

Besides-Grotius, and Lauterbach, and Puffendorff, and Titus, and many wise men beside, who have considered the matter properly, have determined, that the property of a country cannot be acquired by hunting, cutting wood or drawing water in it-Nothing but precise demarcation of limits, and the intention of cultivation, can establish the possession. Now, as the savages (probably from never having read the authors above quoted) had never complied with any of these necessary forms, it plainly followed that they had no right to the soil, but that it was completely at the disposal of the first comers, who had more knowledge, more wants, and more elegant, that is to say, artificial desires than themselves.

In entering upon a newly discovered, uncultivated country, therefore, the new comers were but taking pos session of what, according to the aforesaid doctrine, was their own property,-therefore, in opposing them, the savages were invading their just rights, infringing the immutable laws of Nature, and counteracting the will

of Heaven, therefore, they were guilty of impiety, burglary, and trespass on the case, therefore, they were hardened offenders against God and man, therefore, they ought to be exterminated.

XXII.

Right of England to tax America.-BURKE.

OH! inestimable right! Oh! wonderful, transcendent right, the assertion of which has cost this country thirteen provinces, six islands, one hundred thousand lives, and seventy millions of money! Oh! invaluable right! for the sake of which we have sacrificed our rank among nations, our importance abroad, and our happiness at home! Oh! right more dear to us than our existence, which has already cost us so much, and which seems likely to cost us our all.

Infatuated man! [fixing his eye on the minister] miserable and undone country! not to know that the claim of right, without the power of enforcing it, is nugatory and idle. We have a right to tax America, the noble lord tells us; therefore we ought to tax America. This is the profound logic which comprises the whole chain of his reasoning. Not inferior to this was 'the wisdom of him who resolved to shear the wolf. What! shear a wolf! Have you considered the resistance, the difficulty, the danger of the attempt? No, says the madman, I have considered nothing but the right. Man has a right of dominion over the beasts of the forest; and therefore I will shear the wolf. How wonderful that a nation could be thus deluded.

But the noble lord deals in cheats and delusions. They are the daily traffic of his invention; and he will continue to play off his cheats on this house, so long as he thinks them necessary to his purpose, and so long as he has money enough at command to bribe gentlemen to pretend that they believe him. But a black and bitter day of reckoning will surely come; and whenever that day come, I trust I shall be able, by a parliamentary impeachment, to bring upon the heads of the authors of our calamities, the punishment they deserve.

M

XXIII.

Bernardo Del Carpio.-MRS. HEMANS.

THE warrior bowed his crested head, and tamed his heart of fire,

And sued the haughty king to free his long-imprisoned

sire;

"I bring thee here my fortress-keys, I bring my captive train,

I pledge thee faith, my liege, my lord!-oh! break my father's chain !""

"Rise, rise! e'en now thy father comes, a ransomed man this day;

Mount thy good horse, and thou and I will meet him on his way."

Then lightly rose that loyal son, and bounded on his steed,

And urged, as if with lance in rest, the charger's foamy

speed.

And lo! from far, as on they pressed, there came a glittering band,

With one that 'midst them stately rode, as a leader in the land;

"Now haste, Bernardo, haste! for there, in very truth, is he,

The father whom thy faithful heart hath yearned so long to see."

His dark eye flashed, his proud breast heaved, -his cheek's hue came and went,

He reached that grey-haired chieftain's side, and there dismounting bent,

A lowly knee to earth he bent, his father's hand he

took

What was there in its touch that all his fiery spirit shook?

That hand was cold-a frozen thing-it dropped from his like lead

He looked up to the face above,-the face was of the dead