ind, which, it may be hoped,
will now no longer perplex the ignorant, or furnish matter of cavil to
the ill-intentioned. After the great discovery, or at least the full
confirmation of the great discovery, of the vicinity of the two
continents of Asia and America, we trust that we shall not, for the
future, be ridiculed, for believing that the former could easily furnish
its inhabitants to the latter. And thus, to all the various good
purposes already enumerated, as answered by our late voyages, we may add
this last, though not the least important, that they have done service
to religion, by robbing infidelity of a favourite objection to the
credibility of the Mosaic account of the peopling of the earth.[64]

[Footnote 64: A contempt of revelation is generally the result of
ignorance, conceited of its possessing superior knowledge. Observe how
the author of _Recherches Philosophiques sur les Americains_, expresses
himself on this very point. "Cette distance que Mr Antermony veut
trouver si peu impotante, est a-peu-pres _de huit cent lieus Gauleises
au travers d'un ocean perilleux_, et impossible a franchir avec des
canots aussi chetifs et aussi fragiles que le sont, au rapport d'Ysbrand
Ides, les chaloupes des Tunguses," &c. &c. t. i. p. 156. Had this writer
known that the two continents are not above thirteen leagues (instead of
eight hundred) distant from each other, and that, even in that narrow
space of sea, there are intervening islands, he would not have ventured
to urge this argument in opposition to Mr Bell's notion of the quarter
from which North America received its original inhabitants.--D.

No intelligent reader needs to be informed, that a much closer approach
of the two continents of Asia and America than is here alleged to exist,
would be inadequate to account for the peopling of the latter,
throughout its immense extent and very important diversities of
appearance. The opinion is more plausible, and gains ground in the
world, that much of South America derived its original inhabitants from
the opposite coast of Africa. It is enough to state this opinion,
without occupying a moment's attention, in discussing the arguments
which can be adduced in its support. The truth of Revelation, it may be
remarked, is quite unaffected by the controversy, and, in fact, can
receive neither injury nor advantage from any decision that is given to
it. The real friends of that cause attach little importance to any
weight o