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period of their fertility is over , before they can bfinifli the long but neceffary attendance upon twoor three children Among fome of the leaftpolifhed tribes, whofe induftry and forefight donot extend fo far as to make any regular provifionfor their own fubfiftence, it is a maxim not toburden themfelves with rearing more than twochildren 104 ; and no fuch numerous families, asare frequent in civilized focieties , are to befound among men in the favage ftate I ° 5 . Whentwins are born , one of them commonly is aban-doned , becaufe the mother is not equal to thetalk of educating both 2 °‘. When a mother dieswhile Ihe is nurfing a child, all hope of pre-ferving its life fails, and it is buried togetherwith her in the fame grave 1 ’ 7 . As the parents arefrequently, expofed to want by their own impro-vident indolence , the difficulty of fuftaining theirchildren becomes fo great, that it is not uncommonto abandon or deftroy them ,0 *. Thus their expe-rience of the difficulty of training up an infant tomaturity, amidft the hardffiips of favage life,

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, ° s Charier, iii. 3 03. Dumont, Mem; fur la Louifiane , iL270. Denys, Hift. Natur. de l’Amerique, &c. ii. 363.Charlev. Hift. du Parag. ii. 422,

1,4 Techo’s Account of Paraguay , &c. Church. Collect,vi. 108. Lett. Edif. 24. 200. Lozano, Defer. 92.

165 Maccleur’s Journal, 63.

”* Lett. Edif. x. 200. See NOTE XXVI.

1,7 Charlev. iii. 3 68. Lett. Edif. x. 200. P, Melch.Hernandez, Memor. de Cheriqui. Colbert, Collect. Orig.Pap. i. *** Venegas, Hift. of Californ. i. 82.

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