These 15 regions are quite natural, distinguished by peculiar physical, and geological features; but they do not coincide with the ethnological regions, where the American tribes have spread and intermixed. It would be difficult to state here even the most striking of these last. It will be the aim of this work to seek for them, and ascertain their limits; which have often varied anciently: while in modern times the European colonies and states have invaded them in all directions.

Meantime the population of both Americas, must be distinguished in ancient and modern.

In proceeding from the known to the unknown: we ascertain that a mult.i.tude of nations have come to America since 1492, as colonists or visitors. The princ.i.p.al were

1. _Spanish_: who have colonized or conquered from New Mexico to Chili, and from Florida to Buenos Ayres. But they came not alone, and have brought along with them as auxiliaries. 1. Italians, 2. Flemish, 3.

Biscayans, 4. Canarians, &c., while as slaves 5. Moors of Mauritania, and 6. Many African-negro nations.

2. _Portugueze_: who have colonized the whole of Brazil, and brought there besides many Negro nations, some Moors, Gypsies, Chinese, &c.

3. _English_: Who have colonized the whole eastern side of North America, Jamaica and other islands of Antilles, with parts of Yucatan, Honduras, Guyana, &c. But they have brought with them, the Welsh, Scotch, Irish, Germans, Jews and many African nations.

4. _French_: They colonized Canada, Lousiana, Hayti, several Carib islands, Cayenne in Guyana, &c., and although conquered in North America and Hayti, their language remains. They brought along the Provencals, Bretons, Basks, speaking distinct languages, with several African nations.

5. _Scandinavians_: Who partly settled in North America since the 10th century, did laterly colonize again Groenland, with Delaware and some Carib Islands. They include the Norwegians, Danes and Swedes.

6. _Dutch-Hollanders_: Sent colonies to New-York, Surinam, Curazao, &c.

brought Gypsies, Germans and Africans.

7. _Russians_: Have invaded and partly settled the north west sh.o.r.es and islands of North America; bringing there Cozacs, Calmucs, and several other Tartarian subjects.

8. Besides these, several other nations have laterly visited America, or settled therein, blending with the above. All the nations of Europe, even Hungarians, Polanders, Greeks and Turks, have been brought there. Pirates of all nations, even Algerines, have wandered to America. Almost all the nations of Africa have been led there in slavery. Asia has sent Jews, Hindus, Gypsies or Zinganis, Chinese and Tartars: while Oceania has sent Malays, Madagascars, Hawayans, &c.

This well known fact of the various and anomalous modern population of both Americas within 3 or 4 centuries, will greatly help us to form a more correct estimate of the ancient population and colonization of such vast countries during many thousand years previous to 1492.

It is not yet suitable to give here a complete list of all the ancient nations, who have, or may have colonized the Western hemisphere: this can only be done afterwards as a result of the inst.i.tuted enquiries on the subject. Meantime I state as highly probable, even by mere a.n.a.logy, that all the nearest nations of the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, in the Eastern hemisphere, have either visited or colonized the Americas; particularly from the east, the bold navigators, Atlantes, Pelagians, Phenicians, Lybyans, Etruscans, &c., and from the west the ancient tribes of Tartars and Chinese, the Polynesians, &c. We shall throughout these historical outlines find ample proofs of this fact, exploding the erroneous belief that a single nation could have populated the whole of the Western Hemisphere. It shall appear also that these early settlers must have brought along many foreign tribes, as auxiliaries, va.s.sals or slaves.

In my Atlantic Journal of 1832 will be found a kind of cla.s.sification of the ancient nations of both Americas, divided into 25 groups, 14 in North, 11 in South America. But this first attempt, cannot be perfect: it requires a close study of all the American languages, before we can ascertain correctly all their mutual affinities, and reduce each to the real parent group. Meantime this attempt, and the further correction of it in this work, will become very useful historical bases. I give therefore the list of the 25 groups, with a well known nation and language as the type, to which others may be gradually reduced.

In North America 1. _Uski_ or _Innuit_, type the Esquimaux.

2. _Ongwi_, type the Hurons and Iroquois.

3. _Linni_, type the Lanapi or Delawares.

4. _Wacash_, type the Chopunish, and Nutkas.

5. _Skerreh_, type the Panis.

6. _Nachez_, type the Cados and Chetimachas.

7. _Capaha_, types the Washas or Ozages, and Dacotas or Sioux.

8. _Chactah_, types the Chactahs and Chicasas.

9. _Otali_, Tzulukis or Cherokis.

10. _Atalan_, type the Tarascas.

11. _Otomi_, type the Otomis.

12. _Anahuac_, type the Aztecas.

13. _Maya_, types the Mayas and Huaztecas.

14. _Chontal_, type the Tzendals and Chols.

In South America 15. _Aruac_, types the Haytians, Aruacs, Taos, &c.

16. _Calina_, types the Caribs and Tamanacs.

17. _Puris_, type the Maypuris.

18. _Yarura_, types the Guaraos and Betoys.

19. _Cuna_, type the Dariens.

20. _Mayna_, type the Panos.

21. _Maca_, type the Muyzcas.

22. _Guarani_, type the Tupis and Omaguas.

23. _Mara_, type the Quichuas and Aymaras.

24. _Lule_, types the Vilelas and Mbayas.

25. _Chili_, type the Chilians.

Notwithstanding the condensed form of these outlines, the ample materials to be brought together, will extend them perhaps beyond the desirable limits. In order to lessen this difficulty and yet omit nothing that is new or important, the work will be divided into three series.

1st. The annals of South America, where many generalities will be introduced, that need not be repeated in the 2d series, on the annals of North America.

3d. Ill.u.s.trations of these outlines, where will be thrown and collected all the collateral proofs, doc.u.ments, vocabularies of languages, ma.n.u.script facts and events, essential quotations, and results of all the investigations.

The Peruvian and Austral regions of South America will first be introduced, because of paramount importance. By the Peruvian region is meant the whole western part of South America from the equator to the southern tropic, and by Austral America, the whole of it from that tropic to the Magellanic Islands. The gulf of Rio Plata and the river Paraguay, appear to divide these regions from Brazil, both physically and historically. Austral America includes the countries and nations of Chili, Tuc.u.man, Chaco, Buenos Ayres, Patagonia and Magellania; but it shall often be needful to mention their neighbors, with whom they are more or less related, and even distant nations that are not always strangers to them.

The ancient nations of Austral America are the least known on many accounts, and those on whom most fables and systems have been based. It is there that dwell the _Patagons_, who have been believed a peculiar species of giants; and those tribes of Chaco, &c., which Azara has deemed peculiar men, with languages without affinities with any other: which will easily be proved to be quite false.

If America has had an aboriginal population, or _Autoctons_, men born from the soil: it is there they should be found, driven to the south and those remote climes by the ancient colonies of other nations; and they should offer features, complexions, languages and manners totally different from any other. If all the Americans derive from ancient colonies, it is still there that ought to be found the primitive tribes, driven on by the subsequent colonies and tribes. Therefore these Austral tribes are exceedingly interesting to study as the most ancient relics of American population.

But the origin of the American nations and tribes are only to be considered as a branch of their history. The accounts of their dispersion and successive settlements, the history of the events which they have remembered and transmitted to us by traditions or annals, those of the empires which have been founded there in ancient and modern times, the study of their civilization and ethnography ... offer surely much more interest, and a wide field of historical facts or enquiries.

It appears that as soon as we speak of the ancient Americans, we ought to cut the gordian knot, and say whence they came. I do not wish to explain beforehand, all my views on this subject. I wish to reserve them for the results of the enquiries to be pursued in this work. Yet to satisfy the general curiosity expressed on the subject, I may venture to say that I have not yet found in either Americas, any people or tribe totally different from any other, or without philological affinities: nor with features, complexions, and other physical characters quite peculiar. But instead, all the ancient American tribes have numerous affinities between each other, and with races of mankind in the Eastern hemisphere: both physical and moral, as well as philological.

If the American nations sprung from ancient colonies; it is among the primitive population of the earth, that their parents must be sought and found: since America appears to have been partly peopled even before the flood. Therefore the systems which would derive them all from the Phenicians, Jews, Chinese, Tartars of later ages, or any single people whatever, must be absurd and improbable: since traces of many ancient nations are found in this western hemisphere.

It has always appeared probable to me that most of the ancient colonies to America, must have come there by the nearest and most direct way; the same nearly followed again by Columbus in 1492: either from north Africa or south Europe. This becomes still more probable if there were formerly a land or large islands in the Atlantic Ocean; of which we have ample proofs. Nearly all the nations from Florida and Mexico to Chili, appear to have reached America from the east, through the tropical islands or Antilles; but the ancestors of these emigrating tribes, dwelt once in Asia, which appears the cradle of mankind.