pronounce it to be the laft: and that the fheep are happier of themfelves, than under care of the wolves. It will be faid, that great focieties cannot exift without government. The favages there- fore break them into fmall ones.
The territories of the Powhatan confede- racy, fouth of the Patowmac, compre- hended about 8000 fquare miles, 30 tribes, and 2400 warriors. Capt. Smith tells us, that within 60 miles of James Town were 5000 people, of whom 1500 were war- riors. From this we find the proportion of their warriors to their whole inhabitants, was as 3 to 10. The Powhatan confede- racy then would confift of about 8000 in- habitants, which was one for every fquare mile; being about the twentieth part of our prefent population in the fame terri- tory, and the hundredth of that of the Britifh iflands.
Befides thefe, were the NottowaySy living on Nottoway river, the Meherrins and Tiiteloes on Meherrin river, who were con- [ i8o ] neded with the Indians of Carolina, pro- bably with the Chowanocs.
The preceding table contains a flate of thefe feveral tribes, according to their confederacies and geographical fituation, with their numbers when we firft became acquainted with them where thefe num- bers are known. The numbers of fome of them are again flated as they w^ere in the year 1669, ^^'^^^ ^" attempt was made by the alTembly to enumerate them.
Probably the enumeration is imperfeft, and in fome meafure conjedlural, and that a further fearch into the records would furnifli many more particulars. What would be the melancholy fequel of their hiftory, may however be argued from the cenfus of 1669; by which we difcover that the tribes therein enumerated were, in the fpace of 62 years, reduced to about one-third of their former numbers. Spi- rituous liquors, the fmall-pox, war and an abridgment of territory, to a people who lived principally on the fpontaneous productions of nature, had committed