pulfe grew fenfibly stronger and, fuller, and her fubfultus tendinum lefs frequent. It was about midnight when he began to fleep, and between two and three in the morning the complained that her blifters were very painful, between four and five her trength was fo much increased that she could fleep without danger, which fhe could not do fometime after the experiment had been begun, for the Dr. happening himself to drop afleep, fuffered her to fleep too long before he awaked her, and the was fo fenfible of the neglect from what the felt, that the intreated him to be more attentive. The next day her blifters had rifen well, her fever left her, and the recovered her health and trength in less time than could have been expected.

ART. VI. An uncommon Crifis of the

Gout, by Dr. Samuel Pye. The patient, Mr. Rook, a furgeon and apothecary in Shadwell, was a temperate man of about 45, subject to no difeafe but the gout. After a fevere fit in June 1752, Dr. Pye told him he knew a gentleman who by a total abftinence from all food, except cow's milk, even without bread, had cured himself of the gout, having had no fit during 13 years, and ftill perfifting in his diet. Mr. Rook, encouraged by this account, enter'd upon a vegetable diet, and continued it very ftrictly for 11 weeks, but being then attacked by a flight fit, which lafted 48 hours, he returned to animal food. In March 1753, he had a fevere fit in both feet, the pains in his heels and ancles gradually encreafed 12 days, till it became more violent than he had ever felt, and almoft drove him mad: In the height of this excruciating torment, he felt the pain in his heels and ancles rife in an inftant to the calves of his legs, in half a minute it rofe from thence to his thighs, and in about one minute more from his thighs to the abdomen: After giving the patient one pang in the bowels, they afcended to the ftomach,

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upon which he inftantly threw up about a pint and a half of a green aqueous liquor, fo corrofive that he compared it to the ftrongeft mineral acid, and here the pain and the fit ended during the time it lafted a profufe fweat came on every morning, which together with his breath was fo fœtid that neither himself, nor any of thofe about him, had ever smelt the like. His linnen was tinged as with faffron, and his water was almost as high coloured as claret, but upon the discharge from his ftomach these symptoms, with the rest, totally disappeared.

In Feb. 1754, and not before, he had another fit, which went off with the fame critical difcharge, proceded by the fame symptoms.

On Dec. 9, 1755, he was seized with a third fit, which went off in the fame manner with the other two, tho' the quantity of corrofive matter which he difcharged was not more than might have been contained in a tea fpoon.

During the first fit in 1752, a hard tumour had appeared on the fide of the metatarfus, near the middle of the right foot, which continued till the 3d critical vomiting in 1755, and then a vifcid matter, like the white of an egg, with a few small chalk ftones were discharged from the end of the middle toe of the fame foot; on which the humour disappear'd.

In April 1755 another fit came on, and after about a month went off without the critical difcharges by vomitting, urine, or fweat, but left three fingers on one hand, and two on the other loaded with chalk ftones.

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Soon after this fit a large quantity of chalk ftones was extracted from the bottom of the left foot, at different times during four months. Jan. 19, 1756, he was feized with a fever, which on the 3d day went off with the fame critical difcharge, by fweat and urine, that had attended the critical vomittings in the gout. On the 4th day a fit of the gout came

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on in both feet, and continued a week, with frequent reachings, but without bringing up more than the common contents of the ftomach: At this time an uncommon itching in the bottom of the foot, whence the chalk ftones had been extracted, tormented him for about fix hours, and upon preffing the part, about a tea cup full of a liquid chalky matter was difcharged, and the next morning having made a large opening with an impoftbume knife, about half a pint of a bloody ferous matter, full of chalkftones, was discharged, which proved as truly critical as the vomitings, for the wound foon healed kindly, and the patient has continued ever fince in perfect health.

[To be continued in our next.]

An Account of the Country, at present the Seat of War in North-America, and of the Original Inhabitants of it, generally called Indians.

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unwelcome truth, that we too long neglected our American colonies, efpecially those on the continent, which require our particular notice as they may be made an inexhauftible magazine of wealth; and, if fuffered to fall into the hands of the French, prove fuch an acceffion to their already extended commerce and naval ftrength, that Great Britain muft not only lose her former lutire, but dreadful even in thought! ceafe to be any longer an independent power. Nay, fhould every other fcheme fail, the fuccefs of this will inevitably accomplish the long-projected design of that afpiring nation, for erecting an univerfal monarchy; for, if France rule the ocean, her refources will enable her to fubject all Europe to her defpotic fway. She has been long fenfible of this; and, accordingly, has put every artful fcheme in practice that feemed to promife fuccefs. The Indians, fhe well knew, would prove an unfurmountable ob

ftacle to her projects, while they continued firm friends to the Englifh. She therefore made ufe of.every ftratagem fhe could invent to draw them over to her intereft; and it would have been happy for the British colonies, if the arts practifed by the French had not been attended with fuccefs.

The Indians, or Aborigines of America, throughout the whole extent of the two vaft continents which they inhabit, and amongst the infinite number of nations and tribes into which they are divided, differ very little from each other in their manners and cuftoms, and they all form a very ftriking picture of the most diftant antiquity. Whoever confiders the Americans of this day, not only ftudies the manners of a remote prefent nation, but he ftudies, in fome measure, the antiquities of all nations; from which great lights may be thrown upon many parts of the antient authors, both facred and pro

The people of America are tall, and ftraight in their limbs beyond the proportion of moft nations; their bodies are ftrong; but of a fpecies of ftrength rather fitted to endure much hardship, than to continue long at any fervile work, by which they are quickly consumed; it is the ftrength of a beaft of prey, rather than that of a beaft of burthen. Their bodies and heads are flatish, the effect of art; their features are regular, but their countenances fierce; their hair long, black, lank, and as ftrong as that of a horfe. No beards. The colour of their fkin a reddish brown, admired amongst them, and improved by the conftant ufe of bear's fat and paint.

When the Europeans first came into America, they found the people naked, except thofe parts which it is common for the moft uncultivated people to conceal. Since that time, they have generally a coarfe

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he has an opportunity of executing horrible revenge. No length of time is fufficient to allay his refentment; no distance of place great enough to protect the object; he croffes the fteepeft mountains, he pierces the moft impracticable forefts, he traverfes the most hideous bogs and defarts for several hundreds of miles, bearing the inclemency of the feafons, the fatigue of the expedition, the extremes of hunger and thirft with patience and chearfulness, in hopes of furprifing his enemy, on whom he exercifes the moft fhocking barbarities, even to the eating of his flesh. To fuch extremes do the Indians push their friendship or their entity; and fuch indeed in general is the character of all ftrong and uncultivated minds.

Notwitstanding this ferocity, no people have their anger, or at leaft the fhew of their anger, more under their command. From their infancy they are formed with care to endure fcoffs, taunts, blows, and every fort of infult patiently, or at leaft with a compofed countenance. This is one of the principal objects of their education. They esteem nothing fo unworthy a man of fenfe and conftancy, as a peevish temper, and a pronenefs to a fudden and rafh anger. And this fo far has an effect, that quarrels happen as rarely amongst them when they are not intoxicated with liquor, as does the chief caufe of all quarrels, hot and abufive language. But human nature is fuch, that as virtues may, with proper management, be engrafted upon almoft all forts of vicious paffions, fo vices naturally grow out of the beft difpofitions, and are the confequence of thofe regulations that produce and ftrengthen them. This is the reason that when the paffions of the Americans are roufed, being fhut up, as it were, and converging into a narrow point, they become more furious; they are dark, fullen, treacherous, and unappeafable.

A people who live by hunting, who

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inhabit mean cottages, and are gi veh to change the place of their habitation, are feldom very religious. The Americans have fcarce any temples. We hear indeed of fome, and thofe extremely magnificent, mongft the antient Mexicans and Peruvians; but the Mexicans and Peruvians were comparatively civilized nations. Those we know at prefent in any part of America are no way comparable to them. Some appear to have very little idea of God. Others entertain better notions; they hold the existence of a Supreme Being, eternal and incorruptible, who has power over all. Satisfied with owning this, which is traditionary amongst them, they give him no fort of worfhip. There are indeed nations in America, who feem to pay fome religious homage to the fun and moon; and as moft of them have a notion of fome invifible beings, who continually intermeddle in their affairs, they difcourfe much of demons, nymphs, fairies, or beings equivalent. They have ceremonies too, that seem to fhew they had once a more regular form of religious worship; for they make a fort of oblation of their firft fruits; obferve certain ceremonies at the full moon, and have in their feftivals many things that very probably came from a religious origin, though they perform them as things handed down to them from their ancestors, without knowing or enquiring about the reafon. Though without religion, they bound in no fuperftitions as it is common thofe to do, whofe fubfiftence depends, like theirs, upon fortune. Great obfervers of omens and dreams, and priers into futurity with great eagerness, they abound in diviners, augurs, and magicians whom they rely much upon in all affairs that concern them, whether of health, war or hunting. Their phyfic, which may rather be called magic, is entirely in the hands of the priefts. The fick are naturally prone to fuperftition,

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and human help in fuch cafes is generally found fo weak, that it is no wonder that, in all countries and ages, people have amufed themselves in that difmal circumftance of human nature, with the hope of fupernatural affistance.

Their phyficians generally treat them, in whatever diforder, in the fame way. That is, they firft inclose them in a narrow cabbin, in the midft of which is a ftone red hot, on which they throw water until the patient is well foaked with the warm vapour, and his own fweat; then they hurry him from this bagnio, and plunge him fuddenly into the next river. This is repeated as often as they judge neceffary, and by this method, extraordinary cures are fometimes performed. But it frequently happens too, that this rude method kills the patient in the very operation, especially in the new diforders brought to them from Europe; and it is partly owing to this manner of proceeding, that the fmall pox has proved fo much more fatal to them than to us. It must not be denied, that they have the ufe of fome fpecifics of wonderful efficacy; the power of which they however attribute to the magical ceremonies with which they are conftantly adminiftered.

Liberty, in its fullest extent, is the darling paffion of the Americans. To this they facrifice every thing. This is what makes a life of uncertainty and want fupportable to them; and their education is directed in fuch a manner as to cherish this difpofitition to the utmoft. They are. indulged in all manner of liberty; they are never, upon any account, chaftifed with blows; they are rare ly even chided. Reafon, they say, will guide their children, when they come to the ufe of it; and, before that time, their faults cannot be very great. But blows might abate the free and martial fpirit which makes the glory of their people, and

might render the fenfe of honour duller, by the habit of a flavish motive to action. When they are grown up, they experience nothing like command, dependence, or fubordination; even ftrong perfuafion is induftriously forborn, by thofe who have influence amongst them, as what may look too like command, and appear a fort of violence offered to their will.

On the fame principle, they know no punishment but death. They lay no fines, because they have no way of exacting them from freemen; and the death, which they fometimes inflict, is rather a confequence of a fort of war declared againft a public enemy, than an act of judicial power executed on a citizen or fubject. This free difpofition is general; and, though fome tribes are found in America, with an Head whom we call a King, his power is rather perfuafive than coerfive, and he is reverenced as a father, more than feared as a Monarch. He has no guards, no prifons, no officers of justice. The other forms, which may be confidered as a fort of ariftocracies, have no more power. This latter is the more common in North America. In fome tribes there are a kind of Nobility, who when they come years of difcretion, are intitled to a place and vote in the Councils of their nation. But amongst the Five nations, or Iroquois, the most celebrated common-wealth of North America, and in fome o ther nations, there is no other qualification abfolutely neceffary for their Head men, but age, with experience and ability in their affairs. Howe ver, there are generally, in every tribe, fome particular ftocks which they respect, and who are confidered, in fome fort, as their Chiefs, unlefs they fhew themfelves unworthy of that rank; as, among the tribes themselves, there are fome who on account of their number or bravery,, have a pre-eminence over the reft;