^(^^*- -^V' 
 
 
L .Y OF 
 
 ^ rORNlA 
 
 ANTHROPOLOGY LIBRARY 
 
 i 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY. OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Class^r 
 
'^*-.- 
 
 M. 
 
 , , * 
 
RESEARCHES 
 
 INTO THE 
 
 PHYSICAL HISTORY 
 
 OP 
 
 MAN. 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES COWLES P^ICHARD, M.D F.L.S. 
 
 OF TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD, 
 
 FALLOW OP THE WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, 
 
 AND OF THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, 
 
 AiJD EXTRAORDINARY MEMBER OF THE ROYAi 
 
 MEDICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
 
 OF THE ^' \ 
 
 UNfVERSITY ■ 
 
 OF ■ ' ,-v' 
 
 LONDON : "^*»^4i^S^- 
 
 PRINTED FOR JOHN AND ARTHUR ARCH, CORMHILX-i 
 ANX) B. AND H. BARRY, BRISTOL. 
 
 J813. 
 

 [0 
 
 5-^^ 
 
 -— — -^ -Trmted bv W Phillips, 
 George Yard, Lombard Street, London. 
 
en 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 --^^^^<•^^^^y^ 
 
 The nature and causes of the physical 
 diversities which characterize difTerent races of 
 men, though a curious and interesting subject 
 of inquiry, is one which has rarely engaged the 
 notice of writers of our own country. The few 
 English authors who have treated of it, at least 
 those who have entered into the investigation 
 on physiological grounds, have for the most part 
 maintained the opinion that there exist in man- 
 kind several distinct species. A considerable and 
 very respectable class of foreign writers, at the 
 head of whom we reckon Buffon and Blumenbach, 
 have given their suffrages on the contrary side 
 of this question, and have entered more diffusely 
 into the proof of the doctrine they advocate, 
 
 J0544G 
 
11 PREFACE. 
 
 My attention was strongly excited to this in- 
 quiry many years ago by happening to hear the 
 truth of the Mosaic records implicated in it and 
 denied on the alleged impossibility of recon- 
 ciling the history contained in them with the 
 phasnomena of* Nature, and particularly with 
 the diversified characters of the several races of 
 men. The arguments of those who assert that 
 these races constitute distinct species appeared 
 to me at first irresistible^ and I found no satis- 
 factory proof in the vague and conjectural rea- 
 sonings by which the opposite opinion has ge- 
 nerally been defended. I was at least convinced 
 that most of the theories current concerning the 
 effects of climate and other modifying causes, 
 are in great part hypothetical and irreconcilable 
 with facts that cannot be disputed. 
 
 I resumed my inquiry into the physical his- 
 tory of mankind on hearing it treated of by the 
 late Professor of Moral Philosophy in the Uni- 
 versity of Edinburgh, whose unrivalled powers 
 of eloquenre never failed to impart a lively in- 
 terest even to the most sterile and unpleasing 
 speculations. At this time I was induced to 
 
< PREFACE. Ill 
 
 investigate the subject the more attentively, as 
 1 found that some of my own opinions concern- 
 ing it did not altogether agree with those of my 
 illustrious Preceptor. This inquiry furnished me 
 with the argument of an inaugural essay pub- 
 lished in the same University. 
 
 Having had occasion after the lapse of several 
 years to reconsider my former reasonings and 
 inferences, I have been persuaded that some of 
 them approach more nearly to the truth than 
 the notions which generally prevail, and under 
 this conviction I have ventured to offer the fol- 
 lowing pages to the perusal of the public. 
 
 In the course of this essay I have maintained 
 the opinion that all mankind constitute but one 
 race or proceed from a single family, but I am 
 far from wishing to interest any religious pre- 
 dilections in favour of my conclusions. On the 
 contrary I am ready to admit, and shall be glad 
 to believe, if it can be made to appear, that the 
 truth of the scriptures is not involved in the 
 decision of this question. I have made no re- 
 ference to the writings of Moses, except with 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 relation to events concerning which the au- 
 thority of those most ancient records may be 
 received as common historical testimony, being 
 aware that one class of persons would refuse to 
 admit any such appeal/ and that others would 
 rather wish to see the points in dispute estal>- 
 lished on distinct and independent grounds. 
 
 Bristol, 
 November 3, 1813. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER r. 
 
 Inquiry whether the human hind contains more than one 
 Species. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Section I. — DifForent modes of reasoning adopted on 
 this question — Method proposed to be fol- 
 lowed in this Tredtise 1 
 
 II. — Of the diversities of Colour 17 
 
 III. — Of the hereditary transmission of the varieties 2i» 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The same Inquir?/ continued. 
 
 Section I. — On diversities of Form — Natural Physi- 
 ognomy, &c 33 
 
 II. — Continuation. — Diversities in the Cranium 46 
 
 III. — Continuation. — Other diversities of Figure 66 
 IV. — Continuation. — Some curious instances of 
 
 deviation 71 
 
 V. — Of diversities of Stature .77 
 
 VI.— Of the Hair • ... 80 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Inquirt/ whether all mankind are of one race or stock. 
 
 Section I.— Method of inquiry .86 
 
 II. — Of the local relations of genera .... 89 
 III.' — Of particular species — each species a single 
 
 race 101 
 
 ly. — Of the peopling of distant regions . , . 146 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Of the structure of the parts in which the variety of 
 colour subsists, and of the nature of this diversity. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Section I. — General anatomical observations . . .156 
 
 *» Of the organization of the Skin . . .156 
 
 Of the organization of the Hair . . .161 
 
 II. — Comj)arison of ditferent Races .... 165 
 
 III. — Ph^'siological observations 167 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Of the causes which have produced the diversities of the 
 human species. 
 
 Section I. — Of the opinion of Buffon and his followers 174 
 II. — Of the production of varieties in the race 194 
 III, — Of the circumstances which promote the 
 
 disposition to variation 205 
 
 IV. — Primitive stock of men Negroes . . . 233 
 V. — Of the causes of varieties of form . . .240 
 
 On the physical history of the most remarkable races 
 of men, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Of the South' Sea and Lidian Islanders, 
 
 Section I. — General Observations 243 
 
 II. — General view of the nations inhabiting the 
 
 South Sea islands and the Austral countries 248 
 III.— Of the Eastern Negroes. 
 
 Of the people of New Guinea . . 256 
 Of the New Hollanders .... 261 
 Of the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, 
 aud other Papua Islands . . . 272 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 fAOS 
 
 Sect. IV. — Of the Islanders of the Pacific Ocean . . 281 
 Of the New Zealanders . . . .28 2 
 Of the Natives of the Friendly Isles 2S4 
 Of Otahcite and the Society Isles . 286 
 Of the Sandwich Islands .... 291 
 Navigators and Beaiiman Isles . . ^292 
 
 Easter Island 294 
 
 Ladrones and Caroline Islands . . 296 
 
 v.— Of the Malays 298 
 
 VI. — Of the ancient people of the Indian Islands 307 
 
 CHAPTER Ylh 
 
 Proofs of the common origin of the ancient Indians and 
 Eg2/ptians* 
 
 Section I. — Of the Political history of the Indians . 318 
 
 11.— Of the Political history of the Egyptians 332 
 Ijl. — Of coincidences in the general principles of 
 
 the Indian and Egyptian Mythologies . 340 
 
 IV. — Of coincidences in the Theogonies . . . 355 
 
 V. — Of the Physical characters of the Egyptians 376 
 VI. — Of the Physical characters of the ancient 
 
 Indians 389 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The same subject continued. 
 
 Section I. — Examination of the historical conjectures 
 proposed in order to account for the facts 
 
 above stated 399 
 
 II. — Of the history of other nations connected 
 
 with this inquiry 423 
 
 Of the Antiquity of the Egyptians . . 424 
 
 III. — Of the Antiquity of the Indians . . . 433 
 
 IV. — Of the Antiquity of the Assyrian Empire 439 
 
 V. — Of the ancient inhabitants of ijpper Asia 444 
 
 Of the Philistines 446. 
 
 Of the Canaanites or Phoenicians . 447 
 Of the Syrians and Assyrians . • . 449 
 
CONTENTS* 
 
 Sect. VI. — Of the Persians 453 
 
 VII. — 'Conclttsion of this subject 470 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Concerning the other principal Races of Men and their 
 connexion in origin with the foregoing. 
 
 Section I. — IntraJuctory reniJirk ....... 47S 
 
 11. — Of the Scythian or Sarraatic tribes . , . 474 
 III. — Of the Gothic or German race. 
 
 1. Of the Cimmerii 485 
 
 2. OftheGetic 487 
 
 4. Of the Goths 490 
 
 5. Of the German Tribes in general 501 
 
 6. Of the connexion of this gn'at fa- 
 
 mily of nations with the ancient 
 Asiatics . . ' 502 
 
 7. Of the Physical characters of i}\Q 
 
 Germans 505 
 
 • ^' IV.— Of the Pelasgian race 507 
 
 V. — Of the Celtic race 526 
 
 Vi. — Of theMongok^s ant! other races resembl/ng 
 
 • them in form 538 
 
 VII. — Of the American race 547 
 
 VlII. — Conclusion 554 
 
JIESEARCHES 
 
 INTO TllK 
 
 PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. SECTION I. 
 
 AF an illiterate person, bred in some remote 
 corner of England, who had never seen or heard 
 of any human creatures different from the na- 
 tives of his own vicinity, were suddenly trans- 
 ported into the western continent, and int^o* 
 duced to a horde of the naked and dusky 
 barbarians who wander on the shores of the 
 Missisippi, or if he were presented to a tribe 
 of yellow and bald-headed Mongoles, or carried 
 into the midst of the black population of a 
 negro hamlet, he would certainly experience 
 strong emotions of wonder and surprise. He 
 would indeed immediately recognise the being§ 
 whom he saw. as men, for the expression gf rar 
 tional intellect; the likeness of the Creator 
 which was imprinted on the first of the human 
 kind, is every where instantly striking and cotif 
 
 A 
 
spicuous. But a spectator in such circumstances 
 would be exceedingly perplexed in contem- 
 plating appearances so new to him, and in com- 
 paring with himself persons who differed from 
 him in so extraordinary a manner, and yet so 
 nearly resembled him, that he could not fail 
 to consider them as fellow creatures. The dif- 
 ferences of voice and gesture and manners of 
 life would probably occasion no less surprise to 
 him than the peculiarities of natural structure. 
 Philosophers have learnt to attribute all discre- 
 pancies of the former kind to accident and edu- 
 cation, and to consider the moral diversities of 
 nations as proceeding rather from external and 
 adventitious circumstances than from innate and 
 ifiherent causes. So far they have thb advantage 
 of the uninfornied spectator of such phacnomena: 
 But when these accessory differences are ex- 
 plained, there still remains a great variety in 
 the physical constitutioii of the several races of 
 ttien> concerning the nature of which the most 
 sagacious of our scientific reasoners have made 
 little progress tqwards a satisfactory conclusion. 
 Some authors who have treated of this subject 
 have supposed that all the nations on the earth 
 are descended from a single family, and have 
 attributed the varieties which wfe '<)bserve in 
 their aispect and bodily structure to the action 
 of natural causes on a race originally uniform. 
 Others 01^ the contrary insist that the diflerenccs 
 
adverted to, are too great to have been so pro- 
 ducedj and raust therefore be referred to ori- 
 ginal diversity. This question has already un- 
 dergone much discussion, and we find among 
 the disputants in either party, names eminently 
 respectable in the literary and scientific world. 
 
 In the following pages I shall endeavour to 
 state as clearly as possible the principal facts 
 whether physiological or historical, which ap- 
 pear to me likely to illustrate this interesting 
 inquiry, and shall draw such inferences as seem 
 to be authorised by the commonly received 
 methods of reasoning. With such evidence I 
 shall attempt to answer the question, whether it 
 is probable that all mankind are the offspring 
 of one family, and shall afterwards proceed to 
 trace the affinities of different nations, as far as 
 an inquiry of this nature may tend to throw any 
 light on the physical history of man. I shall in 
 the course of this investigation endeavour to 
 obtain some idea of the efficacy of those causes, 
 which have been supposed capable of producing 
 the diversities of the human kind. 
 
 Many of the wTiters, who have entered on the 
 inquiry before us, have preferred the more 
 specious and expeditious modes of reasoning 
 which are drawn from probabilities, and found- 
 ed on arguments a priori, to the tedious process 
 of analytical discussion. Some of them confi- 
 dently assuming that all mankind are of one 
 
 A2 
 
i 
 
 natural species, proceed to force the Newtonian 
 principle of simplicity of causes, into the sup- 
 port of the position, that they all sprang from a 
 single pair. Nature, they tell us, does nothing 
 in vain. But it is vain and superfluous to do by 
 many means what may be done by fewer; v/e 
 must not therefore admit more causes of natural 
 things than those which are true and sufficiently 
 account for natural phcenomena. But it is true 
 that one pair at least of every living species 
 must at first have been created, and that one 
 single pair was sufficient for the population of 
 our globe in a period of no considerable length, 
 is evident from the most common calculations 
 of political arithmeticians. " It follows/' says 
 the illustrious writer whose words we are quot- 
 ing, '' that the Author of Nature (for all Nature 
 proclaims its Divine Author) created but one 
 pair of our species; yet had it not been among 
 other reasons, for the devastations which history 
 has recorded of water and fire, famine and pes- 
 tilence, the earth would not now have had room 
 for its multiplied inhabitants."* ^m>^\h 
 
 The other party reason with as much logical 
 subtilty, and with arguments equally plausible 
 and ingenious. It is highly improbable, they 
 observe, assuming in their turn some points 
 which ought to have been first proved, that so 
 
 * Sir W. Jones's Essay on the Families of Nations. ' 
 
many extensive continents should be created to 
 lie vacant and sterile during thousands of years, 
 till the tardy ramifications of one primary stock 
 should spread themselves progressively to each 
 distant corner of the globe, or that the infinite 
 number of islands which diversify and ornament 
 the face of the deep, should be left to be peopled 
 by fortuitous incident, by the chance of ship- 
 wrecks or the wanderings of some navigator, or 
 perhaps to lie perpetually desert, destined never 
 to be marked by the footsteps of men. It is 
 much more consistent with our views of Divine 
 w^isdom and benevolence, to suppose that the 
 earth was plentifully covered at the period of 
 its creation with animal and vegetable produc- 
 tions, naturally adapted to every peculiarity of 
 soil and climate, and that each part became im- 
 mediately subserN ient to the great designs of the 
 Almighty Maker * 
 
 It would be easy to multiply reasonings of 
 this kind on either side of the question, almost 
 without any limit, but it is impossible to arrive 
 at any certain conclusion, or to produce any 
 conviction by means of them. All speculations 
 concerning the system of the world, which are 
 founded on arguments from probabilities and 
 the supposed fitness of things, demand a greater 
 
 * See Lord Kalmes's Sketches of the History of Man, 
 aud other writers who follow him. 
 
 A3 
 
sliate of intelligence than has been given to the 
 human mind^ and become not the humble in- 
 terpreter of nature. Philosophers who pui*sue 
 such modes of reasoning, may explain to us 
 very clearly indeed how they would have made 
 the world, if the task had been entrusted to 
 their discretion, but they never can afford us 
 any insight into its actual constitution. If truth 
 l)e our object wx must pursue it in a very dif- 
 ferent path. 
 
 Our first and most important attempt * i this 
 pursuit must be the solution of the inquiry 
 whether all mankind are to be considered as 
 of one natural species, or not ; or whether the 
 physical diversities which so curiously distin- 
 guish the several races of men are, to borrow a 
 term which is chiefly used in abstract reasonings, 
 specific differences or only varieties. And here 
 it will be advantageous to extend our view to 
 the other departments of animated nature, and 
 to consider the general question, how we are 
 to determine on the identity or diversity of 
 species, in races of animals which differ enough 
 in their appearance to excite our doubt on this 
 point. 
 
 Many of the discriminations which are most 
 frequently used in the works of naturalists are 
 artificial, and have their origin not in any fun- 
 damental distinction established by nature, but 
 in some attempt of- philosophers at generaliza- 
 
tit)ft. The design of arrangements of this kind 
 is chiefly to facilitate memory by a lucid order ; 
 to enable it to retain in its comprehension a vast 
 variety of phasnomena, in which in the confused 
 mass it could have no secure hold, by distribu- 
 ting them according to certain classes. Such 
 classes are constituted by some one character 
 possessed by all the individuals belonging to 
 each, or by a general resemblance pervading 
 a whole department. Of this kind are the genera 
 of the older zoologists, as well as the classes 
 and orders in the several systems of Linnaeus 
 and other botanists, and natural historians. The 
 principle of these arrangements being an arbi- 
 traiy definition, they may be changed or modi- 
 fied ad infinitum according to the caprice of the 
 constructor. But it is not so in the case of spe- 
 cies. Here the distinction is formed by nature, 
 and the definition must be constant and uniform, 
 or it is of no sort of value. It must coincide 
 with Nature. 
 
 Providence has distributed the animated world 
 into a number of distinct species, and has or- 
 dained that each shall multiply according to its 
 kind, and propagate the stock to perpetuity, 
 none of them ever transgressing their own limits, 
 or approximating in any great degree to others, 
 or ever in any case passing into each other. 
 Such a confusion is contrary to the established 
 order of Nature. 
 
The principle therefore of the distinction of 
 species is constant and perpetual difference. 
 Where two races of animals are distinguished 
 by any undeviating marks in such a way that 
 they never will under any circumstances pass 
 into each other, or that the progeny of either 
 can never acquire the characters of the other, 
 they are of distinct species, and it matters not 
 how wide^, or how narrow be the line of dis- 
 crimination, provided that it never be broken 
 in upon. 
 
 This rule is simple, but it is not possible to 
 apply it immediately to the phaenomena. For 
 it is well known that considerable varieties arise 
 within the limits of one species^ and such va- 
 rieties often become to a great degree here- 
 ditary in the race, and permanent. It is there^ 
 fore often very difficult to ascertain, whether 
 the tribes thus distinguished are varieties which 
 have arisen in the manner mentioned above, 
 though we cannot trace their origin; or species 
 distinct from their first creation. And in order 
 to solve this question, we must have recourse to 
 indirect methods of reasoning. 
 
 The Count de Buffon*, our great physiologist 
 
 * The invention of this criterion has been attributed to 
 Dr. Ray. (Blumenbach, de Gen. Human, Var. Nat.) Jiut 
 I cannot find that our learned countryman has any claim to 
 whatever degree of credit may attach to this real or fancied 
 discovery. From a passage in his synopsis Animaliura 
 
9 
 
 John Hunter, and some others, have sought a 
 solution of the question of species in the breed- 
 ing of animals. It seems reasonable to suppose 
 that Providence has taken care to prevent the 
 mixture of kinds ; and the fact that most hybrid 
 animals are wholly unprolific would appear to 
 be a provision for the attainment of this de- 
 $irable end, and for maintaining the order and 
 variety of nature. For if such had not been the 
 condition of these intermediate animals, we have 
 reason to believe that all the primitive distinc- 
 tions would have been long ago totally effaced ; 
 an universal confusion must have ensused, and 
 there would not be at this day one pure and un- 
 mixed species left in existence. The naturalists 
 above mentioned, inferring from the apparent 
 utility of this law that it must universally pre- 
 vail, obtain by means of it a ready method of 
 determining on identity or diversity of species. 
 They consider that if a male and female produce 
 an offspring which is prolific, the tribes to which 
 the parents respectively belong, are hence prov- 
 ed not to be specifically diflferent, and whatever 
 diversities may happen to characterize them, are 
 in this case looked upon as examples of vari- 
 ation. But if the third animal be unprolific, it 
 is to be concluded that the races from which it 
 
 Quadrupedum, p. 76, it would seem that he had a very im- 
 perfect idea of the distinct propagation of species. 
 
10 
 
 is descended, are originally separate or of dif- 
 ferent kinds. On this ground^ John Hunter has 
 thought himself authorized to lay it down as 
 proved, that the dog, wolf and jackall are of the 
 same species, and that the fox is of a distinct 
 kind*. 
 
 The rule being thus established, there remains 
 no difficulty with regard to the diversities of 
 mankind. We very easily conclude that all men 
 are of one and the same species. 
 
 But we are prevented from acquiescing with 
 full confidence in this conclusion, because the 
 premises on which it is founded are not laid 
 down with sufficient certainty. For until ex- 
 periments shall have been made on a more ex- 
 tended scale, we shall not be authorized in 
 affirming, that there are not any two distinct 
 species in nature, of which the mixed progeny 
 might be prolific. 
 
 The unmixed propagation of each species, 
 which we observe among animals in the natural 
 state, is certainly an argument of great force, 
 and goes a considerable way towards establish- 
 ing the general law. But a question here arises, 
 whether Nature has not provided for the pre- 
 servation of these distinctions by a mutual re- 
 pugnance between the individuals of difTerent 
 kinds, rather than by any more absolute decree. 
 
 * John Hunter on certain parts of the animal economy. 
 
11 
 
 This has been imagined*, and it has been hence 
 inferred as probable, that many of the species, 
 which while they remain in their wild unre- 
 strained condition, continue distinct, would, if 
 they were brought into a state of domestication, 
 in which the natural propensities of animals 
 cease in a great measure to direct their actions, 
 procreate offspring which might for ought we 
 know be prolific. 
 
 This notion is contradicted however by the 
 result of numerous experiments. For among 
 the great number of domesticated races, we find 
 that the fact is far otherwise.f The hybrid ani- 
 
 * Frisch. apud Blumcnbach de Generis Humani Varietate 
 Nativa. 
 
 + This assertion is doubtless true in general, and being so 
 is sufficient to establish the inference here founded upon it. 
 It is not intended to assert the fact as universal. Ihere are 
 certainly exceptions to the rule, and some proper hybrid 
 animals have produced offspring. This happens occasionally, 
 though rarely, with mules, as it has been repeatedly ob- 
 served. Mr. Hunter has attempted to account for this ano- 
 maly. Such uncommon deviations evidently have no effect 
 in weakening the credit of the general observation. 
 
 It is said by Buffon, and the assertion has been repeated 
 by other naturalists, that the hybrid between the sheep and 
 the goat is prolific. Probably some examples parallel to 
 those related of the mule may have given rise to this notion ; 
 but if such be the usual fact, it must be considered as an 
 exception against the law in question of a very different kind 
 from the last. 
 
 But the mixed progeny of the wolf and dog is prolific ; 
 and some naturalists are confident that these animals are of 
 distinct species. They differ indeed in many points, and 
 
12 
 
 nials, produced by the mixture of any two of 
 them, is unprolific. Therefore the absolute ste- 
 rility of such mixed offspring, must be held to 
 
 in some particulars of internal structure, viz. in the intes. 
 tinum ccccum, as shown by Professor Guildenstaclt (Peters- 
 burg transactions), in which respect the do^ and jackall 
 agree. The Count de.Buffon asserts, that the time of utcro- 
 gestation of a wolf i^ about 100 days, while that of a bitch is 
 known to be about 62 or 63. If this fact be accurately 
 stated, it must be admitted that the two animals are of dis- 
 tinct species. But the assertion seems to have been made 
 carelessly by the Count, and is contradicted by facts related 
 in his appendix. In the account of one of these, it is evi- 
 dent that the time of gestation of a wolf must have been be. 
 twcen 57 and 73 days : 63 is a probable intermediate time. 
 Some facts are related by Mr. Hunter, which appear to have 
 been very accurately observed, and which seem to prove 
 that this is the true time. 
 
 An instance of the same kind is reported In the 4th volume 
 of the Annals of the Museum of Natural History at Paris. 
 The time of gestation in this example seemed to be 89 or 91 
 days. 
 
 It is difficult to reconcile these contradictory statements : 
 but the greater portion of evidence seems to be in favour of 
 the coincidence of these two races in the time of utero-ges- 
 tation. 
 
 The fact that the wolf is subject to hydrophobia, is an 
 argument tending to countenance the opinion of Hunter, 
 that the wolf and dog are of the same species. 
 
 The Bactrian and Arabian camel breed together ; and this 
 fact has been mentioned as an argument contradicting the 
 general doctrine of the distinct propagation of species : but 
 these animals are considered by most naturalists as varieties 
 of one species. 
 
 On the whole, the assertion in the text seems not to be 
 too general. 
 
n 
 
 be a law established in nature, and to it^ rather 
 than to any supposed agency of instinct, must 
 be attributed the universal preservation of dis- 
 tinct species. 
 
 On the whole then^, it is clear that the position 
 on which the above theory is founded, is true to 
 a considerable extent. It is confirmed by ex- 
 periment among the domesticated races, though 
 perhaps not without exceptions. And in that 
 wider range which uncultivated nature holds 
 out to our view, we have strong reason for be- 
 lieving that the same law prevails. Still we are 
 not authorized in inferring its universality. 
 
 In the present case^ however, I think we may 
 deduce from this quarter a presumptive argu- 
 ment, that all mankind are of one species. 
 
 It must be confessed that this argument is not 
 conclusive, and until the doctrine on which it is 
 founded shall be more fully proved, w^e must 
 look for some other method. In the present 
 state of our knowledge, it will be better to pro^ 
 ceed on a more cautious and inductive mode, 
 and in the first instance to ascertain as nearly as 
 possible what are the kinds of variation in which 
 Nature chiefly delights. When we have found 
 that any particular deviation from the primitive 
 character has taken place in a number of ex- 
 amples, the tendency to such variety may be 
 laid down as a law more or less general, and ac- 
 cordingly when parallel diversities are observed 
 
14 
 
 in instances^ which do not aiford us a view of the 
 origin and progress of the change, we may 
 nevertheless venture to refer the latter with a 
 sufficient degree of probability to the class of 
 natural varieties^ or to consider them as exam- 
 ples of diversified appearance in the same indi- 
 vidual species. Thus, if we find mice, rats, or 
 crows, resembling in other respects the animals 
 commonly known to us under those names, but 
 having their hair or plumage perfectly white, 
 and their eyes of a light-red colour, we need not 
 hesitate in referring these peculiarities to va- 
 riation from the primitive hue of the respective 
 races, because we find a change exactly similar 
 exhibited in many parts of the animal kingdom^ 
 concerning which we are well informed*. .,^^ 
 
 * I had adopted this analogical method of reasoning in my 
 first inquiries into this subject, and had soon the satisfaction 
 of finding it received and amply established by Blumenbach, 
 (Blum, de Gen. Human. Var. Nat.) 
 
 It is much to be desired that we were in possession of a 
 more simple criterion of species, but it does not appear that 
 the present state of our physiological science will afford any. 
 Perhaps an attention to the diseases of animals might tend 
 to throw light on this subject. Contagions appear to be, 
 for the most part, incommunicable from one kind of animals 
 to another. Apes have been discovered to b& irwusceptible 
 of the syphilitic poison. Sheep and hogs are often carried 
 to the West Indies In the same vessel, and a pestilence aris- 
 ing in one kind has no effect on the other. Uut in these 
 instances different genera are concerned, and we are not 
 sure that several species closely allied may not be subject to 
 th9 same contagion. Some species of plants* however^ of 
 
15 
 
 On a general survey of the animal and vege- 
 table world we perceive no law^ of which the 
 influence appears to prevail more extensively, 
 than that of the tendency to assume^ under cir- 
 cumstances not well ascertained, varieties of 
 form and colour. There is scarcely any species 
 which does not exhibit some disposition of this 
 kind, and its effects are particularly manifest 
 among warm-blooded animals. The science of 
 physiology must be much further advanced, and 
 we require to have far more accurate ideas of 
 the general process of reproduction, before it 
 will be possible for us to ascertain with precision 
 the causes of such deviations. We may however 
 in general observe, that when the condition of 
 each species is uniform and does not differ ma- 
 terially from the natural and original state, the 
 appearances are more constant, and the phaeno- 
 mena of variation, if they in any degree display 
 themselves, are more rare and less conspicuous, 
 
 the same genus, and which very neariy resemble, are found 
 not to be subject to the iame diseases. If this criteriou 
 shall appear to be correctly founded, it will prove that all 
 mankind are of one species, sincQ all human contagions are 
 communicable to the whole genus. 
 
 In some degree allied to this method of distinction is the 
 criterion which it has been proposed to derive from the ex- 
 amination of parasitical animals, a distinct set being believed 
 to be peculiar to each species. Some distinguished natu- 
 ralists are at present occupied in this inquiry, and it seems 
 iikely* to Je^d to* cur jous aud important rcsult^^ 
 
16 
 
 than when the race has either been l)roiight hf 
 human art into a state of cultivation^ or domes- 
 tication, or has been thrown casually into cir- 
 cumstances very different from the simple and 
 primary condition. 
 
 The condition of man is more diversified than 
 that of almost any other species. For the human 
 kind is exposed to the most various agency of 
 natural causes, being spread through more ex- 
 tensive regions than any other race, and in- 
 habitinor all gradations of climate. It is morcr 
 
 o o 
 
 over found in every different stage and mode of 
 cultivation. Therefore it would be contrary to 
 expectation, if we did not discover in the nu- 
 merous tribes of men, as many and as important 
 diversities as those which we observe in the 
 inferior species. 
 
 " We shall now proceed to consider the various 
 appearances which the human kind exhibits in 
 its different races, and holding in our view the 
 method of reasoning before laid down, shall 
 endeavour to determine whether they are of a 
 nature analogous to the diversities which other 
 species have a tendency to assume, and therefore 
 to be referred according to our rule TjQ th^ 
 principle of natural deviation ; or on the con- 
 trary pecHliar, and such as must be held to 
 constitute specific differences. 
 
 The variety of colour in the races of men 
 seems to form more general as well as more 
 
1 
 
 f^ 
 
 permanent discriminations than the peculiarities 
 of figure^ which is contrary to what is observed 
 in some other species. We shall therefore first 
 consider the diversities of the former class which 
 are apparent in the human kind, and shall rely 
 upon them as much as on other characters, as a 
 principle of distribution and arrangement. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the Diversities of Colour. 
 
 1st. of the Albino or the Leuccethiop, 
 
 A VERY remarkable variety of the human kind 
 is that which has been commonly distinguished 
 by the name of Albino. The term Leucaethiopes 
 or white Ethiopians, has also been appropriated 
 to individuals of this class in the writings of 
 some modern naturalists. The latter denomina- 
 tion was known to the ancients, (a) and was by 
 them applied to a tribe of people in Nigritia, 
 who were probably of the character which we 
 are now about to describe. 
 
 The most prominent peculiarities of this class 
 of men are the following : The iris of the eye is 
 of a bright red hue, and the organ of sight is 
 remarkably sensible of light. The complexion 
 
 (a) Ptolemy, lib. 4. cap. yI. and Pliny, lib, 5. cap, yii, 
 B 
 
18 
 
 is either uncommonly fair, and resembling that 
 of the most exquisite examples of the sanguin- 
 eous temperament, or it is of a dull whiteness of 
 disagreeable aspect, and giving the appearance 
 of disease. The hair is extremely soft in its 
 texture, and in general is perfectly white, but 
 in some instances of a very light flaxen colour, 
 and when this variety springs up among Negroes, 
 the woolly excrescence which covers the heads 
 of that race is white. 
 
 The same or very similar characters are found 
 in various species of animals, both wild and 
 domesticated. They have been observed in 
 apes, squirrels, rabbits, rats, mice, hamsters, hogs, 
 moles, opossums, martins, pole-cats, goats (a), 
 sometimes, though rarely, in foxes (bj. They 
 have been seen in the buffalo (c), in the cervus 
 capreolus or common roe (d) ; in the elephant, 
 though but rarely fej ; in the badger (yj, and the 
 beaver (g). In Norway they have been remarked 
 to occur in the common species of bear (/i), and, 
 in Siberia in the dromedary orBactrian camel (/). 
 Several species of birds, as crows, blackbirds, 
 canary-birds, partridges, fowls, and peacocks, 
 exhibit similar phasnomena, having their feathers 
 of a pure white colour and their eyes red. 
 
 In the human kind this variety frequently ap- 
 
 (a) Blumenbach, de Gen. H. V. N. (b), (c), (d), (e)y 
 Shaw's Zoology. (f)y (g) Pennant's Hist. Quadrnpeds. 
 (h) Fallas. Spicileg Zooiog, Fascic. 14. (i) Shaw's Zoology. 
 
w 
 
 peafs among all nations^ but it has been more 
 remarked in tribes which are generally of a dark 
 complexion, (a) 
 
 (a) It has been principally observed in Guinea, Ceylon, 
 Java, and in Darien, The following Curious description of 
 this variety, as seen in the latter country, is given by Wafer. 
 '' These persons are white, and there are of them of both 
 sexes; yet there are but few of them in comparison of the 
 copper-coloured, possibly hut one to two or three hundred. 
 They differ from the other Indians chiefly in respect of 
 colour, though not in that only. Their skins are not of such 
 a white as those of fair people among Europeans, with some 
 tincture of a blush or sanguine complexion; yet neither is 
 it like that of our paler people, but it ii rather a milk- 
 white, lighter than the colour of any Europeauj and much 
 like that of a white horse." 
 
 " For there is this further remarkable in them, that their 
 bodies are beset all over more or less, with a fine, shorf, 
 milk-white down ; but they are not so thick*set with this 
 down, especially on the cheeks and forehead, but that 
 the skin appears distinct from it. Their eye-brows are milk- 
 vhite also, and so is the hair of their heads, and very fine 
 withal, about the length of six Or eight inches, and in- 
 clining to 3L curl,'* 
 
 '' They are not so big as the other Indians, and their 
 eye-lids bend, and open in an oblong figure, pointing down- 
 wards at the corners, and forming an arch or figure of a 
 crescent with the points downwards. From hence and 
 from their seeing so clear as they do in a moon-shiny nighty 
 we used to call them Moon-eyed. For they sec not well in 
 the sun, poring in the clearest day, their eyes being weak, 
 and running with water, if the sun shines towards them ; 
 so that in the day-time they care not to go abroad, unless 
 it be a cloudy dark day. Besides they are a weak people 
 in comparison of the others, and not very fit for hunting 
 and other laborious exercises, nor do they delight in Atif 
 such, but notwithstanding their being thus sluggish and 
 
 B2 
 
20 
 
 Those races indeed the hue of whose skin ap-. 
 proaches most nearly to black, are in general 
 most prone to deviations in colour. 
 
 2. Yellow Jiaired Variety, 
 
 Another variety of the human complexion is 
 marked by hair of a reddish, yellowish, or flaxen 
 colour, and a skin very fair, though not so w^hite 
 as that of the last mentioned description of men, 
 but generally more ruddy. The iris of the eye 
 is always of a light hue, generally blue or grey, 
 the shade of colour bearing a relation to that 
 of the hair and skin; which relation is preserved, 
 not only in this variety, but in all the others, 
 "with scarcely any exceptions. 
 
 Many species of animals both wild and do- 
 mesticated exhibit the same characters, as foxes, 
 
 dull in the day-time, yet when moon-shiny nights come, 
 they are all life and activity, running abroad into the woods, 
 and skipping about like wild bucks, and running as fast 
 by moon-light, even in the gloom and shade of the woods, 
 as the other Indians by day ; being as nimble as they, 
 though liot so strong and lusty. The copper-coloured 
 Indians seem not to respect them so much as those of their 
 own complexion, looking on them as something monstrous. 
 They are not a distinct race by themselves, but now and 
 then one is bred of a copper-coloured father and mother, 
 and I have seen of less than a year old of this sort."— See 
 Wafer's Account of the Isthmus of Darien, 1699. also Phil, 
 Transact. 1763. 
 
21 
 
 rabbits, dogs, oxen, cats. The chesniU horse is 
 a similar example. («) 
 
 The German tribes were remarked before they 
 became intermixed with other nations, to be 
 universally of this complexion, and it is predo- 
 minant in the present day in countries which 
 received their stock of people from Germany. 
 But it is well known to spring up occasionally 
 in other races, as we shall have further occasion 
 of observing. 
 
 This variety includes the sanguineous and 
 phlegmatic temperaments of physiological wri- 
 ters. 
 
 3d Variety, 
 
 A variety still more extensively prevalent 
 than the preceding is distinguished by dark or 
 black hair, with the iris of a corresponding hue, 
 while the complexion is white, though without 
 that delicate tint which characterizes the sangui- 
 neous constitution. The skin soon becomes 
 brown by exposure to the sun, but in persons 
 
 («) " The colour of the iris in the horse is subject to little 
 variety, which seems to be an exception to the constancy 
 of the relation between the hue of the pigmentum and that 
 ©f the hair. But Mr. Hunter has obseryed that all foals 
 are of the same colour, and that though the hair varies 
 as they become older, still the skin remains the same, 
 being no darker in black than in white horses, which is 
 contrary to what we observe in most species. But cream- 
 coloured horses have the skin of the same hue with the hair, 
 and in these the iris is also cream-coloured." — Hunter, oa 
 certain parts of the Animal Economy.'* 
 
22 
 
 who are constantly protected from the influence 
 of the weather, it is frequently almost of the 
 whiteness of marble. Such is the complexion 
 of the women of Tunis, and other places of the 
 Mediterranean coast, where the heat of the cli-^ 
 mate obliges them to be constantly covered, (a) 
 
 This class in the human kind is analogous to 
 the varieties of animals which are a few shades 
 darker than those compared above to the yellow- 
 haired races of men. Such are grey animals 
 among rabbits, cats, and many other species; 
 Horses, which have the coat of a light colour, 
 with their tails and manes bkck, are of this class. 
 Such is invariably the case with bay horses ; 
 though in those horses which have the coat of a 
 chesnut colour, the tail and mane are always of 
 the same hue, or still lighter. The bay and 
 chesnut colour in the horse species seem to be 
 strongly analogous to this and the last mentioned 
 varieties of mankind respectively. 
 
 In this variety we include the choleric and 
 melancholic temperaments of physiological and 
 medical writers. 
 
 Ath Varietff. 
 
 A complexion of a yellowish tint passing into 
 
 an olive, and stiff long black hair, constitute 
 
 some of the distinguishing marks of several 
 
 similar nations of men, the principal of whom 
 
 (/?) Buffon, Hist. Ni^t* 
 
23 
 
 are the Mongoles^ Mandshurs, or Tungusians, 
 and Samoiedes.. These tribes are perhaps still 
 more strongly characterized by peculiarities of 
 figure, which will be hereafter considered. 
 
 5th Variety. 
 
 The race of Native Americans constitutes a 
 class, which is characterized by a complexion 
 darker than the preceding, varying from a cop- 
 per-colour to a more dusky hue, with black 
 hair. The figure of the body is also peculiar, 
 but with that we have no concern at present. 
 
 The two last mentioned varieties are analogous 
 to many races of animals of dark hue, which 
 approach in different shades to black, as of 
 horses, oxen, cais, dogs, &c. of a deep brown or 
 dun colour. 
 
 6//i Variett/. 
 
 The children of Negro parents are sometimes 
 variegated, having their skin diversified with 
 black and white spots, and part of their woolly 
 hair white. They are commonly called pie-bald 
 Negroes. This variety is not very rare in the 
 West Indies, and some examples of it have been 
 brought to this country. The white spots have 
 the same hue as the skin of a very fair European. 
 
 A similar appearance supervenes on some dis- 
 eases in the black Negro, and children with a 
 part of the body black and a part white, have 
 
24 
 
 been the offspring of parents, one of whom was 
 an African and the other an European. These 
 phenomena are foreign to our present purpose. 
 There is a distinct native variety of the cha- 
 racter here described. 
 
 The resemblance of pie-bald horses has sug- 
 gested the name by which persons of this de- 
 scription have been vulgarly designated. Also 
 dogs, cattle, cats, &c. are seen every day with 
 similar appearances. In Kamstchatka wild foxea 
 are found variegated, (a) 
 
 7th Variety, 
 
 Black or dark taWny colour forms the com« 
 plexion of several races of men. 
 
 Sheep, rabbits, cats, hogs, horses, foxes, dogs^, 
 fowls, &c. afford a perfect analogy among the 
 brute kinds. Not only the hair, but the skin of 
 many of them is perfectly black, (b) 
 
 Such are the varieties of colour observed in 
 the human kind. They are clearly shown by the 
 
 (a) Capt. King's Voyage. 
 (5) The skin of the black buffalo is remarked as being 
 particularly black. The colour of the animal is very gene- 
 rally black, but varieties are seen white, grey, andi of a bay 
 or reddish colour. This species is as yet but imperfectly 
 domesticated. Probably it may be susceptible of further 
 changes, such as those which have been produced in th© 
 ox species^ to which it is closely allied. 
 
25 
 
 foregoing comparison to be phoenomena analo^' 
 gous to the deviations which continually occur 
 in the inferior species of animals. We are there- 
 fore compelled, according to the received laws 
 of reasoning on physical questions^ to refer the 
 former to the same class of natural appearances 
 with the latter. It may be concluded, that in 
 the various colours of men there is certainly no 
 specific difference. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Hereditary/ Transmission of the Varieties. 
 
 All the characters above mentioned are com- 
 monly transmitted to the offspring, which is in- 
 deed the case in general with every part of the 
 natural structure. We see no instance of connate 
 variety, however trifling, which does not mani- 
 fest a tendency to become hereditary and per- 
 manent in the race. White animals with red 
 eyes produce offspring resembling themselves, 
 and the stock will retain its character perma- 
 nently as long as no intermixture is suffered to 
 take place. The progeny of blsS^ animals have 
 the sable hue of their parents. Oh this account, 
 black rams are always killed in this country, and 
 
Tamper suffered to remain with the flocks. In 
 i^iber countries black sheep arc preferred, and 
 are bred up, while ll^ white, when that variety 
 springs up, arc destroyed : (a) accordingly, the 
 general colour of the flocks is black. All the 
 cHiber varieties, as it is well known, have a tcn^ 
 deney to hereditary tralismission. 
 
 We may obser\'e, that the disposftron to va- 
 riation rs more frequently shown in some species 
 ihajn in others, and requires the agency of less 
 powerful causes to excite it into action. The 
 tei>den€y to hereditary descent also is different, 
 l)oth among the animal and vegetable species. 
 For in some species of the latter class, varieties 
 are observed to reappear in the plants produced 
 from the seexl, and to continue constantly in the 
 stock', resembling in this particular the nature 
 ©?f 3ni«al varieties.' On the other hand, some 
 spetries of animals approach to the capricioiK 
 character of, the vegetable kinds, and the vari- 
 ,2tions which arise in them evince little tendency 
 to become permanent. 
 
 The varieties of the human kind obey the 
 more prevalent law of the animal kingdom. 
 (^Jt Albinos 'produce offspring similar to them- 
 seTves, and whole tribes of this character are 
 
 ^Jf (a) PaUas. * ' 
 (d) Blamenbacli, dc Gen. Hupa. Var. Nat. and Maupertuis 
 Veuus rh>'si(iuc. 
 
27 
 
 said to exist in Java, (a) in Ceylon, and in the 
 isthmus of Darien.(Z^) The other varieties, witli 
 which we are better acquainted, have the saijie 
 uniform tendency. 
 
 The offspring of parents of different varieties 
 sometimes partakes of the characters of both, and 
 forms an intermediate class ; in other instances, 
 the mixed progeny resembles either the father 
 or mother distinctively. Even in the latter case, 
 however, when there is no appearance of ij^ix- 
 ture in the perceptible qualities of the animal^ 
 characters which thus seem to be suppressed 
 recur in succeeding generations. Among horses, 
 facts of this kind can be ascertained more per- 
 fectly than in other kinds, on account of the 
 attention paid to the breed of these animals. 
 In thfs species, the colour has been found to 
 return after lying dormant during six genera- 
 tions, (c) 
 
 These phaenomena perpetually occur in our 
 own race. A son is often in every respect un- 
 like his immediate parents, and closely resem- 
 bles his grandfather or grandmother, or some 
 remote ancestors. This fact Lucretius has ad- 
 
 (a) Blumenbach, dc Gen. Hum.Var, Nat. and Muapertuis 
 Venus Physique. 
 
 (b) Maupertuis. ubi capra. Haller. Elem. Physiologias, 
 
 (c) This fact I relate on the authority of Dr. Gregory, 
 Frof. of Pract. Med. in the Uniyersity of Edinburgh. 
 
28 
 
 v^rncecl, among many other illustrations of the 
 absurd theoiy of universal generation from atoms. 
 
 Fit qiioque ut interdum similes existere avoriim 
 Possiiit, et referant proavorum sagpe figuras 
 Properea quia multa modis primordia multis. 
 Mista suo celant in corpore saepe parentes, 
 Quae patribus patres tmdunt a stirpe profecta 
 Inde Venus varia producit sorte figuras, 
 Majorumque refert voltus, vocesque comasque. (a) 
 
 If would appear that the different varieties 
 "were distinctly marked in several of the*nation.s 
 of antiquity^ which had not yet been inter- 
 mixed. Thus, Tacitus informs us that the Ger- 
 mans had universally blue eyes and red hair,(^) 
 and he compares the Silures(c) to the Spaniards, 
 and remarks that their complexion was dark and 
 swarthy. The mixture of the German and Celtic 
 races, from which the mass of our population in 
 England is descended, has afforded us in the 
 present day every possible intermediate shade 
 between the opposite complexions of the two 
 aboriginal tribes; though some individuals are 
 seen every where, who deviate to the extreme 
 of eilher variety. 
 
 The union of black and white parents gene- 
 rally produces a child of intermediate character, 
 
 (n) Lncrctlus dc Rer. Nat. lib. 2. 
 
 (h) Tiicilus dc Moribus Gcrmanorum, 
 
 (c) Tacitus. Vita Agricolae. # 
 
29 
 
 which we term a mulatto. This however does 
 not always happen^ for the offspring sometimes 
 resembles one of the parents without partaking 
 the character of the other. Instances have been 
 known in which the progeny has been party- 
 coloured;, one portion of the body being black 
 and the other white. 
 
 Some curious facts of this nature were com- 
 municated by Dr. Parsons to the Royal Society, 
 which I shall extract from the annals of that 
 learned body, as they afford proof and illustra- 
 tion of the above remarks, (a) 
 
 The first is of a black man who married a 
 white woman in York several years ago ; " of 
 which/' says Dr. Parsons, '^ I had an account 
 from an eye witness. She soon proved with 
 child, and in due time brought forth one en- 
 tirely black, and in every particular of colour 
 and features resembling the father, without the 
 least participation from the mother.*' 
 
 '' The second case was of a black man, servant 
 to a gentleman who lived somewhere in the 
 neighbourhood of Gray's-inn. This black man 
 married a white woman, who lived in the same 
 family, and when she proved with child, took a 
 lodging for her in GrayVinn-lane. When she 
 was at her full time, the master had business out 
 of town, and took his man with him, and did not 
 
 (a) Phil. Transact. toI. 55. 
 
30 
 
 return till ten or twelve days after this woman 
 was delivered of a girl, which was as fair a child 
 to look at as any born of white parents^ and her 
 features exactly like the mother. The black at 
 his return was very much disturbed at the ap- 
 pearance of the child, and swore it was not his. 
 But the nurse who attended the lying-in woman 
 soon satisfied him, for she undressed the infant, 
 and shewed him the right buttock and thigh, 
 which were as black as the father, and recon- 
 ciled him immediately to both mother and child, 
 I was informed of the fact, and went to the place, 
 where I examined the child and found it true. 
 This was in the spring of the year 1747, as my 
 notes specify, which I took upon the spot." 
 
 Dr. Parsons has given the following relation 
 on the authority of the lady of a respectable 
 family, which resided several years in Virginia 
 in an elevated rank. 
 
 *' About 19 years ago, in a small plantation 
 near to that of this family, which belonged to 
 a widow, two of her slaves, both black, were 
 married, and the woman brought forth a white 
 girl, which this lady saw very often ; and as the 
 circumstances of the case were very particular, 
 I shall make mention of them here, both for the 
 entertainment of the Societv, and to show that 
 this is exactly similar to the case of the boy be- 
 fore us. When the poor woman was told the 
 child was like the children of white people, she 
 
SI 
 
 was in great dread of her husband, declaring a£ 
 the same time that she never had any thing to 
 do with a white man in her life, and therefore 
 begged that they would keep the place dark, 
 that he might not see it. When he came to ask 
 her how she did, he wanted to see the chiJd, and 
 wondered why the room was shut up, as it was 
 not usual. The woman's fears increased wh^n 
 he had it brought into the lights, but while he 
 looked at it he seemed highly pleased, returned 
 the child, and behaved with extraco-dinary ten- 
 derness. She imagined he dissembled his re- 
 sentment till she should be able to go about, 
 and that then he would leave her; but in a few 
 days he said to her, " You are afraid of me, and 
 therefore keep the room dark because my child 
 is white, but I love it the better for that ; for 
 my own father was a white man, though my 
 grandfather and grandmother were as black as 
 you and myself; and although we came from a 
 place where no white people were ever seen, 
 yet there was always a white child in every fa- 
 mily that was related to us.*' The woman did 
 well, and the child was shewn about as a curio- 
 sity, and was, at about the age of 15, sold to 
 Admiral Ward and brought to London, in order 
 to be shewn to the Royal Society." 
 
 These relations are evidently drawn up with 
 great care, and are perfectly well authenticated. 
 
32 
 
 Therefore there is no reason to doubt of the 
 facts asserted. 
 
 Thus it appears that the phaenomena of re- 
 production confirm the analogy which we have 
 traced between the various complexions of men, 
 and the diversities of colour in other kinds of 
 animals. We have no reason to hesitate in at- 
 tributing these similar appearances to similar 
 causes whatever they may be. 
 
CHAPTER 11. SECTION I. 
 On Diversities of Form. 
 
 IN extending our view through the organized 
 world, we perceive no common quality so uni- 
 versally characterizing the works of Nature, as an 
 infinite and inexhaustible variety. Her purposes 
 are every where satisfied with general similitude, 
 and she never aims at that uniformity which we 
 find in the productions of human art. No two 
 individuals were ever formed in any species with 
 perfect and precise resemblance. This striking 
 feature of Nature has been remarked by the 
 Epicurean poet, in the following beautiful lines. 
 
 PraBterea genus hamanum, mutaeque natantes,f a^ 
 Squaramigerum pecudes, et laeta armenta, feraeque, 
 Et variae volucres, laetantia quae loca aquarum. 
 Concelebrant, circum ripas fonteisque lacusque, 
 Et quae pervolgant nemora avia pervolitantes ; 
 Horuiii uiiuni quodvis generatim sumere perge ; 
 Invenies tamen inter se distare figuris. 
 Nee ratione alia proles cognoscere matrem, 
 Nee mater posset prolem ; quod posse videmus. 
 Nee minus, atque homines inter se nota cluere. 
 
 (a) Lucretius de Rer. Nat. lib. 4, 
 
 c 
 
S4 
 
 And again he applies the same observation to 
 other departments of nature. 
 
 Postremo quodvis frumentum ; non tamen omne (h) 
 Quodque in suo ^enere inter se simile esse yidebis, 
 Quin intercu ral quaedam distantia for mis. 
 Concharirmque genus parili ratione videmus, 
 Pingere telluris gremium, qua mollibus undis 
 Littoris incurvi bibulam pavit aeqijor arenam. 
 
 This variety, which is the general tenoiir of 
 nature, prevails not more in other examples, 
 than in the human figure and stature, and in the 
 features of the face. The children of the same 
 parents, though often bearing a general resem- 
 blance, yet exhibit always some difference, and 
 -frequently a considerable diversity in these re- 
 spects. To account for this apparently caprici- 
 ous variety,^ is not what we attempt. That there 
 must be a sufficient reason why each individual 
 figure should assume its own precise character, 
 rather than any other, is not to be doubted, but 
 the causes which predetermine it, seem to be 
 beyond the reach of human sagacity, or at least 
 they will never be discovered, until the details 
 of general physiology, and the theory of genera- 
 tion in particular, shall be much better under- 
 stood, than they seem likely ever to be. But by 
 obsei-ving that such a tendency to deviation 
 exists, even among the individuals of the same 
 
 X«) Lucretius de Rer* Nf t. lib. 4^ 
 
^5 
 
 family, and that whatever examples of variety 
 ma^^arise, have a general disposition to become 
 hereditary, we appear to make some prcjgress 
 towards an explanation of the diversities of 
 figure, which characterize different races of the 
 human kind. 
 
 The brothers of the same family, and even the 
 more distant relatives, bear generally a certain 
 resemblance to each other. We often observe a 
 common character of person prevailing through 
 whole houses. And in a remote hamlet or dis- 
 trict not frequently visited by strangers, which 
 has been possessed by a few families during a 
 long course of years, and where the population 
 has undergone no changes by the introduction 
 of new occupants, the inhabitants become con- 
 nected together by intermarriages, and a commu- 
 nication of hereditary varieties takes place, till 
 all become at length more or less alike. No man 
 -who should travel through the more distant 
 corners of our own country with an observant 
 eye, could fail of remarking the frequent occur- 
 rence of this fact.(fl) 
 
 (a) A curious anecdote has been related by Dr. Gregory, 
 the present respectable professor of physic in the university 
 of Edinburgh, as illustrative of the hereditary tendency of 
 peculiar structure. He made a long journey from the 
 capital of North Britain to a remote village, to visit the 
 principal inhabitant of the hamlet. The latter was a lady 
 far advanced in life, who resided in an old baronial castle. 
 
 C 2 
 
SG 
 
 Among nations, the Same causes act on a more 
 extensive scale, and with greater power. Diver- 
 sities of manners, religion and language, and 
 mutual animosities which may have originated 
 from long subjection to hostile governments, and 
 may have been transmitted from distant times, 
 produce aversions between the inhabitants of 
 neighbouring countries, and prevent intercourse 
 and intermarriages. The difference gradually 
 increases,^ the effect accumulating while the 
 cause continues. The people diverge, if I may 
 use the expression, in the characters of pei*son, 
 and national physiognomy becomes established. 
 
 On entering the hall his attention was attracted by the pic- 
 ture of a former lord of the place, who had sometime been 
 chancellor of Scotland. It held a conspicuous station among 
 the family portraits, and was remarkable for a protuberant 
 aquiiiiHj nose, and for a very peculiar set of features. But 
 what excited the notice of the professor more strongly, was 
 a singular resemblance which he could not fail to observe 
 T)etween the countenance represented in the picture, and 
 that of the lady whom he was about to visit. The latter was 
 descended in a direct line from the prototype of the portrait. 
 The picture had held th« place in which it was fixed at 
 least a century and a half. Going afterwards to ©ther 
 houses in the village our author was surprised to find the 
 same cast of features prevalent in several other families, and 
 on enquiry was informed that the old chancellor had been 
 the father of several illegitimate children, who had dissemin- 
 ated thus widely the visage of their common progenitor. 
 (Dr. Gregory's lectureSj given in the university of Ediiu 
 burgh.) 
 
37 
 
 (a) It Is said that in every different state or 
 province of Italy, the people have their peculiar 
 form of features, or characteristic physiognomy. 
 This fact must be accounted for on the principle 
 above stated, for no other cause can be imagined. 
 
 The different casts of people in Hindustan, 
 who are settled in the same country, or who 
 wander over it., have been prevented by the strict 
 prohibitions of their rjeligion from intermarriages 
 with each other for many ages. The result of 
 this long continued experiment is illustrative of 
 the foregoing remarks. Each of these casts has 
 acquired, though all of them are subject to the 
 same local causes, a distinct set of features, and 
 they are all easily known by people who are 
 conversant with them. (Z?) 
 
 From similar causes, the difference of features 
 %vhich we remark between the English and Scot- 
 tish people, and between the French and Italians, 
 must be supposed to have arisen. We cannot 
 imagine diversity^ of origin, ,or any considerable 
 effect arising from difference of soil and climate 
 in either of these instances. And perhaps the 
 distinct physiognomy which cliaracterizes the 
 s£veral nations of Europe may be in great part 
 accounted for on the same principles. 
 
 The hereditary tendency of peculiar corporeal 
 structure in the brute species has long beea 
 
 (a) This fact is asserted by all travellers ia Italy, 
 ^MJ AXajor Qrme's Indostan. Introductipn. 
 
m 
 
 matter of common observation, and it is on the 
 skilful application of it, that the art of the 
 breeders of cattle, horses, and other domesticat- 
 ed animals consists. The power which human 
 art possesses of modifying the individual, i^ 
 very limited indeed ; but by diligently taking 
 advantage of the natural tendency to transmit 
 any qualities which happen to arise, a very con- 
 siderable influence is exercised over the race. 
 DifTerent breeds are thus formed endowed with 
 divers properties, which render them useful in va- 
 rious ways to their owners. The process consists 
 in a careful selection of those individual animals, 
 which happen to be possessed in a more remark- 
 able degree than the generality, of the characters 
 -which it is desirable to perpetuate. These are 
 kept for the future propagation of the stock, and 
 a repeated attention is paid to the same circum- 
 stances, till the effect continually increasing, a 
 particular figure, colour, proportion of limbs or 
 any other attainable quality, is established in 
 the race, and the conformity is afterwards main- 
 tained by removing from the breed any new 
 variety which may casually spring up in it. 
 
 Thus it has long been a favourite caprice among 
 the farmers of different counties of England, to 
 encourage breeds of cattle of peculiar colours. 
 In some counties they have chosen to have all 
 their stock of ©xen brown ; in others they have 
 them spotted in a particular manner. In such 
 
39 
 
 places varieties thus rendered general, become to 
 a great degree constant, and animals of a differ- 
 ent character from that of the race in this man 
 ner constituted, are very rarely produced. 
 
 It is perhaps to a similar diversity of choice in 
 the breeders, that we find in some districts of 
 our country, sheep and oxen, of which the whole 
 breeds are horned. In other places they are 
 altogether destitute of horns. 
 
 These instances are of an inferior class, though 
 they exemplify the general principle; but it is 
 •capable of a much more useful application. By 
 the same process distinct breeds of animals, as of 
 horses for example, are formed, which are 
 adapted by their peculiar conformation to vari- 
 ous purposes of utility. Strength and the more 
 unwieldy form, necessary to great power of limbs, 
 become the character of one race of horses, 
 %vhile another is distinguished for a light and 
 more graceful shape, favourable to agility and 
 celerity of motion. The finer breeds of horses 
 have perhaps attained greater elegance and per- 
 fection in England^ than was ever to be found 
 in the species in any other country, and this is 
 to be attributed to the great attention which 
 has been bestowed on their propagation, owing to 
 the prevalent fashion of horse-raeing.(a) We find 
 from the accounts of Caesar and Tac:itus,(Z;) tha^ 
 
 ^^aj Ca3sar de Bello Gallico. 
 
 Qh) Tacitus de Mor. Germanarum, 
 
40 
 
 tKe horses of Germany were formerly, much in- 
 ferior to those of Gaul. But the German breeds 
 have in the present day greatly the advantage of 
 the French. The change must be ascribed to 
 the more careful and scientific management of 
 .the propagators in the former country. 
 
 Perhaps it has arisen from the same care in 
 the formation of breeds that we find among the 
 varieties of Dogs^ one race remarkable for acute 
 sight, another for fine scent, and a third of which 
 the greater strength and weight of limbs, point 
 them out as ^t for the purpose of nightly protec- 
 tion. The instinct varies in all these instances, - 
 as we might expect from analogy, with the pecu- 
 liarities of organization. This principle seems 
 in general to direct every animal to seek its sub- 
 sistence, in the way for which its corporeal 
 structure happens best to qualify it. Accord- 
 ingly we find considerable diversities of instinct 
 within the limits of the same species. 
 
 If the same constraint were exercised over 
 men, which produces such remarkable effects 
 among the brute kinds, there is no doubt that 
 its influence would be as great. But no despot 
 has ever thought of amusing himself in this 
 manner, or at least such an experiment has never 
 been carried on upon that extensive scale, which 
 plight lead to important results.(a) Certain moral 
 
 (a) Something of this kind was indeed attempted by the 
 )<.ings of Prussia, but their project referred to stature. 
 
41 
 
 causes however, have an influence on mankind, 
 which appears in some degree to lead to similar 
 ends. 
 
 (a) The perception of beauty is the chief 
 principle in every country which directs men in 
 their marriages. It does not appear that the in- 
 ferior tribes of animals have any thing analogous 
 to this feeling, but in the human kind it is uni- 
 versally implanted. It is very obvious that this 
 peculiarity in the constitution of man, must have 
 considerable effects on the physical character of 
 the race, and that it must act as a constant prin- 
 ciple of improvement, supplying the place in 
 our own kind of the beneficial controul which 
 we exercise over the brute creation. This is 
 probably the final cause for which the instinc- 
 tive perception of human beauty was implanted 
 by Providence in our nature. For the idea of 
 bea.uty of person, is synonymous with that of 
 health and perfect organization. 
 
 In the ruder stages of society the natural prin- 
 ciples operate with more undisturbed energy. 
 In all nations that have not attained a high de- 
 gree of civilization and refinement, we find 
 beauty to be the only qualification in the female, 
 to which the least value or importance is affixed. 
 
 (a) D. S. S. Smith of New Jersey in America, in an essay 
 on the causes of variety in the figure and complexion of the 
 human species, has made some ingenious remarks on this 
 subject. 
 
42 
 
 Tlie effect therefore of this principle must "be 
 much greater, and more conspicuous in barbar- 
 ous communities, than among civilized people, 
 but it is every where on the great scale of con- 
 siderable moment. 
 
 The disgust, %vhich instances of deformity 
 naturally excite, prevents the hereditary trans- 
 mission of such peculiarities, which would j)ro- 
 bably in many cases happen, if deformed per- 
 sons were generally married. The greater ex- 
 amples of malcon formation would be frequently 
 found to be conjoined with sterility, but that is 
 not the case with lesser instances ; and these 
 might be rendered general and perpetual, if that 
 evil were not guarded against by a provision of 
 instinct. Among savage tribes, the repugnance 
 felt at the view of any deformed appearance in 
 the human kind is so strong, that it is said to be 
 the general custom in such nations, to destroy 
 children which are imperfect in their figure. The 
 same practice prevailed among the Lacedemo- 
 jiians, and several other nations of antiquity. 
 
 In countries where the people are divided 
 Into different ranks or orders of society, which is 
 almost universally the case, the improvement of 
 person, which is th^ result of the abovementioned 
 cause, will always be much more conspicuous 
 in the higher than in the inferior classes. The 
 former are guided in their marriages, as in all the 
 other actions of Jife^ by their inclinations. The 
 
43 
 
 latter are governed, especially where servile sub- 
 jection is established, by the caprice of their 
 superiors, or by motives of convenience or ne- 
 cessity. The noble families of modern Persia 
 were originally descended from a tribe of ugly 
 and bald-headed Mongoles. They have constantly- 
 selected for their harams the most beautiful 
 females of Circassia. The race has been thus 
 gradually ameliorated, and is said now to ex- 
 hibit fine and comely persons. In states thus 
 situated with respect to their political circum- 
 stances, the inferior people must in many in- 
 stances suffer deterioration, while the higher 
 rank improves. This must constitute a very 
 marked difference in the aspect of the two 
 orders. 
 
 Such diversity is every where observed. It 
 has been remarked, where we should scarcely 
 have looked for it, viz. among the barbarous 
 islanders of the Pacific. Capt. Cook, in describ- 
 ing the people of Owhvhee, says " The same 
 '' superiority which is observed in the Erees 
 '' (nobles) in all other islands is found also here. 
 " Those whom we saw were without exception 
 '' perfectly well formed, whereas the lower sort, 
 " besides their general inferiority, are subject to 
 ^' all the variety of make and figure that is seen 
 " in the populace of other countries.'' (a) 
 
 (a) Cook's last voyage. Book 3. 
 
44 
 
 TTie same observation is equally applicable to 
 the inhabitants of most of the European coun- 
 tries. 
 
 Since it appears that the prevalent idea of 
 beauty acting as a constant principle upon one 
 nation during along time produces a remarkable 
 effect, it is to be supposed that if different 
 standards prevailed in several countries, their 
 influence would tend to establish a considerable 
 diversity. It is probable that the natural idea 
 of the beautiful in the human person has been 
 .more or less distorted in almost every nation. 
 Peculiar characters of countenance, in many 
 countries accidentally enter into the ideal stand- 
 ard. This observation has been made particularly 
 of the Negroes of Africa, who are said to consider 
 a flat nose and thick lips as principal ingredients 
 of beauty, and we are informed by Pallas that 
 the Kalmucs faj esteem no face as handsome, 
 which has not the eyes in angular position^, and 
 the other characteristics of their rd.ce.fbj The 
 Aztecs of Mexico have ever preferred a depressed 
 forehead, which forms the strongest contrast to 
 the majestic contour of the Grecian busts; the 
 former represented their divinities with a head 
 more flattened than it is ever seen among the 
 
 (ft) Pallas. Voyages en Siberie. French traslation. . 
 (bj Humboldt's political essay on the kingdem of Npv 
 Spain. Vol. I. 
 
45 
 
 Caribs, and the Greeks on the contrary gave to 
 their gods and heroes a still more unnatural ele- 
 vation. We do not attempt thus to account for 
 all the peculiarities of these races, for the variety 
 in the opinion of beauty, may be in some part 
 the effect as well as the cause of national diver- 
 sity, but we adduce these instances to exemplify 
 a principle, the effects of which must, as we con- 
 ceive, be very important, and tend to widen, if 
 they have not in the first instance produced, the 
 physical differences of nations. 
 
 These remarks were so obviously connected with 
 the^ observations made in a former page, on the 
 disposition manifested by all living species to 
 assume varieties of figure, and on the tendency 
 which such varieties in the animal kingdom evince 
 to become permanent in the race, that we have 
 ventured to follow them out, though they have 
 led us to digress in some measure from the order 
 of our argument. They will be useful in our 
 inquiry concerning the nature of national diver- 
 sities, and may enable us to explain some peculiar 
 appearances. But they do not afTord any direct 
 solution of the question now before us, which is 
 whether the differences in form, that are found 
 to subsist between the European, the Ethiopian, 
 and the Mongole, or in general whether the 
 greatest examples of such diversity, which are 
 observed in mankind^ are specific differences, ox 
 
46 
 
 only instances of deviation. In order to solve 
 this doubt, we must adopt a more systematical 
 method of inquiry, with reference to the analo- 
 gical reasoning proposed in the foregoing pages. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 THE most striking, and important instance of 
 diversity in the human form, is in the configura- 
 tion of the skull. Physiologists have directed 
 much of their attention to this variety, and have 
 invented several methods of classifying the pecu- 
 liar appearances, and reducing them to generaj 
 principles. It will not be necessary or useful to 
 mention all the schemes which have been pro- 
 posed for this purpose, but three celebrated 
 anatomists. Camper, Blumenbach and Cuvier, 
 have contributed by their more successful re- 
 searches, to throw some light on this intricate 
 part of our investigation. It will therefore be 
 worth while to consider briefly, the different 
 viewSj which these authors have taken of the 
 subject. 
 
 The first of them considered the form of the 
 skull, principally with reference to the varieties 
 of expression, which the diversities of its con- 
 figuration impart to the countenance, and to the 
 
47 
 
 supposed connexion of the form-cr with charac- 
 ters of mind.f aj He observed in the antique 
 busts, a greater expansion of forehead, than is 
 found in any human head, and discovered that 
 this peculiar form, has a principal share in im- 
 parting the elevated and dignified aspect, for 
 which the works of ancient statuary are celebra- 
 ted. After repeated and accurate examination, 
 he found that the difference of the busts, and of 
 heads in general in this particular, may be mea- 
 sured with convenience and precision, by means 
 of two lines drawn on an ideal plane, on which 
 the profile is supposed to be projected, and form- 
 ing w^hat this author, and others who adopted his 
 method, have termed the facial angle. One of the 
 liues is determined by the meatus auditorius, 
 extern us, and the basis of the nose; the other 
 descends from the most advancing point of the 
 forehead, through the anterior edge of the alveo- 
 lar process of the upper jaw. The angle included 
 between these lines, contains in the heads of 
 European people, from eighty to ninety degrees. 
 In the antique busts it is considerably greater. 
 In the skull of the Kalmuc^ according to Camper, 
 it u about 75°, and in that of the African Negro 
 only 70°. Accordingly this author has remarked 
 
 (a) See Camper's ^' Dissertation physique sur les difl^e- 
 " reiices reeles, que prescn tent Ics traits du visage chez k« 
 *' hommes de differens pays, et de diffcreus ages.'* Utrecht: 
 179 1 . — Translated from the Dutch, 
 
48 
 
 or fancied;, a proportional stupidity of expression 
 in the countenances of the latter nations. He 
 extended the same principle to the examination 
 of the lower tribes of animals, and found a curi- 
 ous coincidence between the capacity of this 
 angle in each, and the share of sagacity which 
 Nature has distributed to their respective species. 
 His remarks on this subject have led to specula- 
 tions, which if they are not founded on a solid 
 basis of truth, have at least much appearance of 
 plausibility. 
 
 It has been supposed that a scale might be 
 formed, comprehending the whole animal king- 
 dom, in which the proportion of intellect should 
 be every where measured and represented, by 
 the number of degrees contained by the facial 
 angle. This scheme is found to agree with 
 facts. It is indeed confirmed by some apparent 
 exceptions. The owl for example has a very 
 wide facial angle, and for this reason probably it 
 was fixed upon by the ancients as emblematical 
 of wisdom. Its habits however indicate but a 
 scanty portion of sagacity, and in this instance 
 the rule of Camper would appear to lead us 
 into error. But we find on a nearer scrutiny, 
 that the unusual expansion of the frontal sinuses 
 in this animal, is the causeof the seeming devia- 
 tion, and that if in constituting our angle, we 
 take a line determined by the interior surface 
 of the bone, it turns out just as we should ex- 
 
49 
 
 pect, a priori, and the owl is again degraded into 
 its natural station of stupidity. 
 
 The brain may be considered under a double 
 character, as performing functions of different 
 kinds. It appears to be the instrument of 
 thought, for our intellectual faculties depend oa 
 the perfection of its structure as much as the sen- 
 sitive powers oh that of their respective organs, 
 and the mental processes are disturbed by its af- 
 fections, just as the faculties of sight and hearing 
 are influenced by any injuries of the eye and ear. 
 But the brain serves also another purpose. For 
 the activity and power of the nerves of sensation 
 are in great measure dependant on it, and when 
 any portion of it is compressed, or disorganized, 
 the nerves which take their origin from the part 
 diseased are wholly inefficient to the performance 
 of their accustomed offices. Considering there- 
 fore the brain in this double point of view, if we 
 can discover in what proportion the powers of 
 this organ are distributed to these different 
 functions, and what relative provision Nature has 
 made for the maintenance of each, we may be 
 supposed to have obtained a method of deter- 
 mining in what comparative degrees the individu- 
 als or the species, to which the structure in ques- 
 tion belongs, are intellectual or merely sensitive. 
 
 With a view to the accomplishment of this 
 design, or of something analogous to it, several 
 different schemes have been proposed. One of 
 
 D 
 
50 
 
 the first and rudest attempts was by a eomparisoa 
 of the capacity of the cranium with the bulk of 
 the body. The ratio of the former to the latter 
 is in general greater in Europeans than in 
 Negroes. But this notion is evidently formed on 
 very imperfect grounds, and is fully refuted by 
 the infinite diversity we every day observe in th^ 
 dimensions of the head without any correspond^ 
 ing difference of mind. 
 
 A more specious method, and one wbich ap^- 
 proaches much nearer to the attainment of the 
 object, is pursued by considering the relative 
 magnitude of the brain and medulla spinalis, or 
 in general of the brain and the nerves which 
 derive their origin from it^a) It is found that 
 the human brain is much larger in comparison 
 with the nerves^ than that of inferior animals, and 
 that those species which possess the greatest share 
 of sagacity are nearest in this respect to the eon- 
 formation of man. We thus obtain upon hypo- 
 thetical grounds, a solution of the problem above 
 stated. For if any portion of the brain be sup- 
 posed in all the examples subjected to the co^^• 
 parison, to be exclusively appropriated to the 
 nerves, and to be subservient to their function, 
 and the part so disposed of be imagined to bear 
 any given proportion in quantity to the nerves 
 taken collectively> the remainder may be regard- 
 
 faj Soemmering de basi Encephali et orlginibus Ncryo- 
 rum cranio egredientiuui; Lib. 5. 
 
51 
 
 cd as reserved solely to be the instrument of our 
 intellectual operations. The varying proportion 
 of the remainder thus estimated^ to the whole, 
 may thus become a measure of intellect. The 
 African is^ according to this criterion^ inferior to 
 the European. 
 
 • The Theory of Camper depends on a similar 
 principle. The greater quantity of the facial 
 angle denotes greater elevation of the forehead, 
 and consequent capacity of the cranium, and 
 allows less space for the evolution of the organs 
 of sense, especially of those which acquire most 
 remarkable perfection in the inferior animals. 
 And on a notion of the same kind the theory of 
 sublime beauty which prevailed among the 
 ancient artists, seems to have been founded. They 
 endeavoured to give the expression of intellect 
 and of the higher characters of mind, by advanc- 
 ing the front of the head, and giving it a more 
 capacious form, and proportionally contracting 
 the lower parts of the face ; and they pursued this 
 idea to so great an extent, that the statues of 
 their gods and demigods present a majestic form 
 indeedj but differ widely from any thing which 
 can have existed in nature. 
 
 . But this method of Professor Camper, even if 
 we give full credit to the soundness of the princi- 
 ples on which it seems to be founded, appears 
 yet to be liable to objection, as not fulfilling with 
 precision the purpose at which it aii^s. It ascef- 
 
 D 3 
 
52 
 
 tains the dimensions of the cranium in one direc- 
 tion only^, and the capacity of the cavity may 
 vary laterally or behind, without our having by 
 this mode of measuring any notice of the differ- 
 ence. On this account we should not form a 
 correct estimate of the comparative magnitude 
 of the brain, which seems to be the scope of the 
 invention. But the deficiency in the scheme of 
 .Camper has been supplied by Cuvier, the justly 
 celebrated comparative anatomist. (a) This author 
 proposes to make two sections of the cranium 
 and bones of the face, one of them vertical, and 
 the other longitudinal. By measuring these 
 sections, we obtain the means of comparing 
 the area of the head as occupied by the brain, 
 with that of the face which is the seat of the 
 organs of sense. It is supposed that we thus 
 compare the intellectual with the sensitive struc- 
 ture in each animal. The lower jaw is removed 
 as not concerned in the calculation. 
 
 It is found accordingly that the area of the 
 cranium is to the area of the face, as four to one, 
 in the heads of Europeans- In the skulls of Kal- 
 muGs, the ratio of the facial area to that of the 
 pranium is increased by one tenth, and in that 
 of the African negro by one fifth. The propor- 
 tion is thus placed in one view, ^ 
 
 (aj hi^otii d' Anatomic Comparee. 
 
5^ 
 
 In Europeans. The area of the slctill 
 
 is to the area of tlie face : : 4 : 1 
 
 In Kalmiics. : : : 4 : 1 * 1 
 
 In Negroes. : : : 4 : 1 * 2 
 
 The proportion of the area of the cranium to 
 that of the face is less in the Ourang-Outang, and 
 it decreases as we descend through the scale of 
 animated beings, nearly in the same gradation 
 with the lessening of the facial angle. 
 
 The conclusion we arrive at by all these opera- 
 tions, is that in the African and the Kalmuc, a 
 greater provision is made in the conformation 
 of the head for the perfection of the senses, and 
 less proportionably for the evolution of the in- 
 tellectual organ, than in Europeans. It is clear 
 that the organs of sense have a more perfect 
 structure in the two former races, than in the 
 latter, and that the properties which we should 
 infer from this peculiar organization are conjoin- 
 ed. The native Americans who resemble the 
 Kalmucs in the figure of the skull, possess so acute 
 a sense of smell, fa) that they arc accustomed to 
 follow their enemies through the desert by the 
 
 faj ^^ The Peru\ia.n Indians,*' says Baron iJumboldt, 
 *' who in the midst of the night distinguish the different 
 " races by their quick sense of smell, have formed threo 
 ^' words to express the odour of ihe European, the Indian 
 " An^erican, and the Negro : they call the first pezuna, the 
 " second posco, and the third graio." ^luraboldt. Essay on 
 Jfejcw Spain. . 
 
54 
 
 guidance of the olfactory nerves^ and they have 
 proportional perfection of hearing and the other 
 senses. The cavity of the nose has a remarkable 
 amplitude in the Negro, and all the parts which 
 are subservient to the sense of smelling, have a 
 singularly perfect conformation. The ossa tur- 
 binatasuperiora ^re larger and finely convoluted, 
 presenting a more extensive surface for the ex- 
 pansion of the nervous membrane. The pteryr 
 goid processes have a larger and rougher surface, 
 and the passage of the posterior nostrils is wider 
 in the Negro than in the white man /a) The 
 Africans have accordingly, as it is universally re- 
 marked, a very perfect perception of odours. It 
 is said on authority which appeared sufficient to 
 the celebrated Haller, fbj that the Negroes in 
 the Antilles can distinguish in pursuit the vestiges 
 of black and white people by the seqse of smell. 
 It appears thus that the sensitive powers are 
 greater in the other races of men, than in the 
 European, but that the intellect is proportion- 
 ably less, is not so fully evident; though it is pro- 
 bable from the structure of the head, considered 
 with reference to the analogy of other species. 
 The only circumstance which prevents pur re- 
 ceiving the latter conclusion as a fair anological 
 inference, is that we are not sure whether a gene- 
 ra) Soemmering on the comparative anatomy of thcwhii** 
 p\aii and negro. 
 
 fifj Haller, Ebra. Physiologiae, 
 
55 
 
 ral rule deduced from ihe comparison of separ- 
 ute species, can be properly applied to different 
 races which may be tribes of the same species. 
 
 Blumenbach (aj found many defects in the 
 method of his predecessor Camper, of sufficient 
 importance as he thought, to require his reject- 
 ing it altogether. He observed that the descrip- 
 tion we obtain by it, is not a constant character 
 even in the same nation, for the facial angle in 
 <he heads of Negroes^ according to this author, 
 exhibits considerable variety. And persons 
 whose skulls are very different in many particu- 
 lars have this angle similar, which Blumenbach 
 $ays he found to be the case in the heads(bj of a 
 J^egro of Congo and a native of Lithuania. This 
 objection however holds against all general de- 
 scriptions, for there is no peculiarity of form 
 common among any nation, which is not occa- 
 sionally seen in individuals of almost any other. 
 But the principal d-efect in Camper's scheme is 
 that it gives by far too partial a view of the sub- 
 ject; for there may be many very important 
 diversities in the form of the cranium, which 
 would pass wholly unnoticed by this method of 
 jneasuring by lines. 
 
 Blumenbach's mode of examination affords a 
 much more ample and accurate view of the 
 
 (cj Biumenbach. de-Gencris Ilumani Varietate Natiya. 
 'Also his Decades Ciauiorum. 
 (■b) Ibid. 
 
56 
 
 diversities of the cranium. It regards chiefly 
 the form of the frontal and superior maxillary 
 bones^ as giving the most important characters^ 
 and those on which the general description of the 
 head principally depends. One author placed 
 the skulls he wished to compare in a row on a 
 tablcj together with the lower jaws^ in such a 
 manner, that the cheek bones or zygomatic pro- 
 cesses should all touch the same horizontal line. 
 Then directing his view to the vertex of each, he 
 described all the peculiarities apparent on the 
 front which it thus presented, and this method he 
 called his vertical rule. This plan gives with 
 considerable exactness the most remarkable 
 points^ but is still too confined to answer com^ 
 pletely the purpose designed. Blumenbach how- 
 ever has not been confined by its restrictions, 
 but has noticed other particulars not thus includr 
 ed. His description of the skulls belonging to 
 the three great divisions of mankind, which have 
 often been mentioned in the preceding observa- 
 tions are so concisely and accurately drawn that 
 we shall give a literal translation o^them,(aJ 
 
 1. Of the Skull of the European. 
 
 The head is of the most symmetrical form, 
 almost round; the forehead of moderate extent; 
 the cheek-bones rather narrow, without any pro- 
 
 (a) Blumenbach de Generis Humani Varietate Nativa. 
 
57 
 
 jection, but having a direction downwards from 
 the malar process of the frontal bone; the alve- 
 olar edge round; the front teeth of either jaw 
 placed perpendicularly, 
 
 2. Of the Mongole, 
 
 The head is almost square, the cheek bones 
 projecting outwards; the nose flat; the space 
 between the eye-brows, and nasal bones nearly 
 in the same horizontal plane with the cheek 
 bones ; the superciliary arches scarcely to be 
 perceived ; the nostrils narrow ; the fossa maxil- 
 laris slightly marked ; the alveolar edge in some 
 degree rounded forwards; the chin slightly 
 prominent. 
 
 3. Of the Negro. 
 
 The head narrow, compressed at the sides ; the 
 forehead very convex, vaulted ; the cheek-bones 
 jpYojecting foi^wards ; the nostrils wide; the fossae 
 maxillares deeply marked behind the infra- 
 orbital foramen ; the jaws lengthened ; the 
 alveolar edge narrow, long, and elliptical ; the 
 front teeth of the upper jaw turned obliquely 
 forwards; the lower jaw strong and large; the 
 skull in general thick and heavy. 
 
 Such is the description of the heads of the 
 three races of mankind, which differ most widely 
 
58 
 
 from eacli ether. One author afterwards sub- 
 joins two others^ appertaining to the Ameri- 
 cans and the Malay people, the former of which 
 has an intermediate character between the Euro- 
 pean and Mongolic;, and the latter between the 
 European and the Negro. 
 
 The bones in general seem to form the basis 
 on which the muscles, skin and cellular substance 
 rest, and to the position and shape of which thej 
 appear more or less to accommodate themselves. 
 Hence physiologists have commonly considered 
 the varieties of the osseous fabric as the primary 
 cause of the diversities of form, and have viewed 
 the peculiar appearances of the soft parts, as 
 secondary, and dependant on the former. This 
 notion however is very evidently erroneous. For 
 the formation of bones is constantly very much 
 modified by the muscular system, On every pa^t 
 of the skeleton the impressions of the muscles and 
 tendons are very conspicuous, and these are not 
 to be considered as imprinted after the ossific 
 process has been completed, but as the charac- 
 ters which the bony structure receives before 
 its different parts have become hardened, and 
 compacted together, being continually influenced 
 by the external force from the earliest periodat 
 of its growth. It is very necessary to advert to 
 this circumstance in our observations on the di- 
 versities of the form of the cranium. It is well 
 know^n to anatomists that the muscular system 
 
59 
 
 fe subject to frequent and remarkable varieties, 
 and to such varieties as their principal and im- 
 mediate causes we may refer many of the chief 
 peculiarities in the figure of the bones which 
 compose the skull. 
 
 The principal differences which distinguish 
 the cranium of the Negro from that of the Eu- 
 ropean, may be traced to the general and leading 
 character of lateral compression. The skull of 
 the x\frican receives on each side the pressure of 
 very strong and large muscles^ which have much 
 greater bulk and force than those which corres- 
 pond to them in other races of men. The tem- 
 poral muscle rises very near the sagittal suture, 
 and covers almost the whole of the parietal 
 bone, and in passing under the zygomatic arch, 
 jt forms a large mass of fleshy fibre ; the whole 
 greatly exceeding in magnitude, and conse- 
 quently in power, the usual conformation of the 
 same part in Europeans, fa) The masseter is 
 remarkably thick and strong. The force of these 
 muscles continually exerted, before the harden- 
 ing and completion of the bones, cannot but 
 produce great compression on the sides of the 
 head : elongation of the upper jaw, and exten* 
 sion of the face down>Yards and forwards, must 
 be the consequence. Greater space will thus 
 be afforded for the expansion of the nasal cavi- 
 
 (a) Soemmering ubi supra. 
 
60 
 
 f les, and the evolution of the organ of smell* 
 The forehead^ on the same principle, would b^ 
 rendered narrow, and the cheek bones would 
 take a projection forwards, while the fossa max- 
 illaris could not fail of being very deeply im- 
 printed, (a) 
 
 In the head of the Mongole, the peculiar cha-r 
 racters are of an opposite description. The 
 cheek bones extend outwards. The cranium as-^ 
 sumes a more square form, and its prominences 
 exhibit a tendency to lateral projection. In a 
 considerable degree, this different structure may 
 be accounted for by the deficiency of the com- 
 pressing force, which being excessive, produces 
 such remarkable effects on the head of the Af- 
 rican. But the anatomy of the Mongole has not 
 been very accurately investigated, and it is pos- 
 sible that we should discover, if we were better 
 acquainted with it, many circumstances tending 
 to elucidate its peculiarities. 
 
 We have laid down what appear to be the 
 leading characters of diversity in the form of 
 the head, exhibited by those races of mankind 
 which most widely differ from each other in this 
 respect. It remains to determine, as far as may 
 be in our power, whether they are specific dif- 
 
 («) The same causes ^v'v\\ perhaps explain the different 
 positions of the foramen maguuni in the skull of the Eu^ 
 ropean and Negro. In the latter it is rather more pos- 
 teriorly situated, as was observed by Soemmering. 
 
61 
 
 ferences or not. If it appear that these are not 
 i8uch, a similar conclusion may be drawn, a for- 
 tiori, of all other diversities of the same kind of 
 lesser note. 
 
 In the first place^ it may be remarked, that so 
 far as the diversity depends on variety in the 
 form and distribution of the muscles, it is very 
 far from establishing the affirmative of the above 
 question. For the muscular system is well known 
 to be subject to infinite and perpetual vari- 
 ations. It would be extremely difficult to find, 
 two individuals exactly similar in this part of 
 the corporeal fabric. Such diversities in the 
 form of the bones as can be referred to varieties 
 of the muscles, must accordingly be considered 
 as instances of common deviation. 
 
 We venture to refer all the variety in the 
 form of the cranium to the principle of devi- 
 ation, from the consideration of the two follow- 
 ing arguments. 
 
 First. The natural peculiarities which have 
 been described in the foregoing pages, are not 
 constant characters confined to races, but appear 
 sometimes promiscuously. 
 
 It is not a very rare occurrence to meet with 
 individuals in this country, and descended from 
 our own indigenous race, who have a form of 
 head resembling that of the Mono-oie or Neo:ro. 
 
 Blumenbach, who is inclined to insist strongly 
 on the constancy of the description he wishes to 
 
62 
 
 establish, in opposition to Camper nevertheless 
 allows the existence of such exceptions. He 
 observes that " (a) no peculiar national form is 
 so constant and perpetual, but that it varies in 
 many instances, as for example, we may every 
 where find among our European kindred, per- 
 sons who resemble in figure the Ethiopian or 
 Kalmuc/* 
 
 We find examples of approximation towards 
 the European model among the nations who 
 have a diflerent conformation, still more strongly 
 marked and extensive than the instances of ther 
 contrary deviation in our own race. (/;) 
 
 («) " Quanqiiam enim nulla gentilitia nationum farma 
 tarn constans et perpetua sit, quin multimodls lusibus de- 
 flectat; ut. v.c. inter nostrates Europajos passimiEthiopicum 
 habitum aut Culmuccicum referentes videamus — ." Blunien- 
 bach, Collectio Craniorum. > 
 
 (6) Many tribes of the Negro race approach very near 
 to the form of Europeans. The Jaloffs of Guinea, accord- 
 ing to Park, are very black, but they have not the charac- 
 teristic features of the Negro— the flatt nose and thick lips : 
 and Darapier assures us that the natives of Natal, in Afric^ 
 ^' have very good limbs, are oval-visagcd, that their noses 
 arc neither flat nor high, but very well proportioned ; their 
 teeth are white, and their aspect is altogether graceful.''^ 
 The same author informs us that their skin is black and 
 their hair crisped. (Dam pier's Voyages.) 
 
 Nor are other instances of this diversity more constant. 
 In the native race of Americans, some tribes are found who 
 differ not in the characters in question from Europeans'. 
 " Under the 54° 10' of North latitude," says Humboldt, 
 " at Cloak-bay^ in the midst of copper-coloured Indians^, 
 
63 
 
 The difference of the facial angle if it were 
 constant;, would seem to afford more reason for 
 the opinion of specific diversity than any other 
 variety. But the elevation of the forehead and 
 the position of the meatus auditorius, and con- 
 sequently this angle^ exhibits great differences 
 in the natives of this country, and probably, in 
 many examples would be found to agree with 
 those of the Ethiopian. Blumenbach observed 
 the angle to be the same in the head of a Negro, 
 and a native of Lithuania^ The authors whose 
 opinions we have been considering, in con- 
 stituting their rules of comparison, have sought 
 for the most strongly marked examples of each 
 class which present the widest diversity, and 
 have passed by those as unfit for their purpose, 
 in which the characters in question appeared 
 blended and intermixed. But that such instan- 
 ces are not un frequent in nature, every man 
 may be convinced without looking far for op- 
 portunities of observation. 
 
 Whatever varieties appear in individuals, may 
 in favourable circumstances, become national, 
 from the heriditary character of natural pecu- 
 liarities. 
 
 Secondly. Several species of brute animals 
 exhibit similar diversiiies in the figure of the 
 
 with small long eyes, there is a tribe with large eyes, Eu- 
 ropean features, and a skin less dark than that of our pea- 
 «antry." (Humboldt. Essay on N. Spain, translated.) ^ 
 
64 
 
 ci*aniitn1^ but miich greater in degree than the 
 most remarkable examples which occur in man- 
 idnd. Such is the difference in the skulls of the 
 "wild boar and domestic hog. {d) 
 
 The heads of* the fine breeds of race-horses in 
 this country, are very different from those of 
 the draft horses. Blumenbach has observed 
 that the skull of the Neapolitan horse differs 
 much more remarkably from that of the breed 
 of Hungary, which is noted for its shortness, and 
 for the length of the lower jaw, than the head 
 of the Negro differs from that of the European. (&) 
 
 The wild horse also, from which the domes- 
 ticated races originate, has a larger head in pro- 
 portion than the tame, and the forehead has a 
 remarkably round or arched form.(c) 
 
 The Urus or Aurochs which has been generally 
 held to be the stock of our common oxen, has 
 the fossa lachrymalis remarkably deep. The 
 latter are destitute of any trace af it. (d) 
 
 (a) As remarked by Blumenbach, dc Gen. Hum.Var. Nat. 
 
 (6) Ibid. (c) Pennant. Hist. Quad. 
 
 {</) It must not however be omitted that the generally 
 received opinion, which makes the Urus or Aurochs th(j 
 wild representative of our domestic cattle, has lately been 
 controTcrted by a naturalist of the first celebrity, namely by 
 M. Cuvier. This author has described the fossil skull of air 
 animal of the ox tribe which, he conceives to have been the 
 true prototype of the domesticated breeds, and to have be. 
 come extinct in its natural condition. It differs considerably, 
 according to Cuvierj from that of the Urus. It is certnit* 
 
65 
 
 The variety observed in the fowls of Padua 
 is very remarkable^ and much greater than any 
 difference of the cranium in our own kind. 
 The upper portion of the skull is dilated into a 
 shell of hemispherical form full of small holes. 
 The whole cavity of the dilated bone is filled 
 by an unusual abundance of the cerebral sub- 
 stance, (fl) 
 
 Such being the diversities found in the 
 skulls of animals which are undoubtedly of the 
 same species, we may conclude, from the ana- 
 logical reasoning which we have adopted as our 
 principal guide, as well as from the other argu- 
 ment stated above, that the varieties observed in 
 the form of the human cranium are not specific 
 differences. 
 
 tliat the ancients were acquainted with two wild animals of 
 this tiibe, viz. the Urus and the Bison, and that one of them 
 has perished. Pliny disfi.iguishes them, aud Seneca men- 
 tions them both in the following lines, 
 
 Tibi dant variae pectora tigres 
 
 Tibi villosi terga bisontes, 
 
 Latisque feri cornibus Uri. 
 
 Seneca Hippol. 
 Sec Cuvier sur les os fossiles de Ruminans, Annales de 
 Museum d'Hist. Nat, de Paris, torn. 12. 
 (o) Pallas Spicileg. Zoolog. fascic. 4. 
 
m 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 THE other diversities of form are of minor 
 importance, and afford much less appearance of 
 argument against the unity o£ species than those 
 we have mentioned. 
 
 There are none of which we have not clearly 
 established instances among. Europeans. 
 
 In som^ instances, the skeletons of Negroes 
 have been found to have six lumbar vertebras, (a)^ 
 The same variety occurs in the natives of our 
 own country* and some examples of it have fallen 
 under my own observation. 
 
 The ribs in the Negro are said to be larger 
 and more incurvated, than they generally are 
 with us, and in some instances the eighth rib 
 approaches more nearly to the sternum ; in others 
 it is attached to it. (b) Soemmering assures us 
 that he has seen the same variety in Europeans. 
 
 The sesamoid bones in the foot, and the ossa 
 triquetra in the head, are more frequent in the 
 Negro than in the European. 
 
 In some of these varieties> it appears that the 
 generality of Negroes approach more nearly to 
 
 («) Soemmering ubi supra, and Camper's Demonstra- 
 tiones Anatomico-Patholog. lib. 2. 
 (6) Soemmering, ibid. Camper, ibid. 
 
m 
 
 the structure of the ape, than the generality of 
 Europeans ; but if we consider individuals, there 
 is no such approximation. For all these exam- 
 ples of variety occur also among our own people. 
 Those writers therefore make a very unautho- 
 rized inference, who conclude from such instan- 
 <:es, that the Negro is an intermediate species, 
 between the white man and those tribes of brutes 
 which most resemble the human form, (a) 
 
 Some differences have also been observed in 
 the usual proportion of parts in Europeans and 
 Africans. 
 
 It is said, although not sufficiently ascertained, 
 that the dimensions of the female pelvis in com- 
 parison with the male, are greater in the majority 
 of the latter people than in the majority of the 
 former. (Z>) 
 
 The fingers and fore-arms are longer in pro- 
 portion to the OS humeri in Negroes, than in the 
 generality of other men. (c) 
 
 {a) See "White's Essay en the gradation of the human spe- 
 cies. This most absurd hypothesis, that the Negro is the con- 
 necting link between the white man and the ape, took its rise 
 from the arbitrary classification of Linnaeus, which associates 
 Man and the Ape in the same order. The more natural ar- 
 rangement of later systems separates them into the bima- 
 nous and quadramanous orders. If this classification had 
 been followed, it would not have occurred to the most fan- 
 ciful mind to find in the Negro an intermediate link. 
 
 (b) Soemmering, ibid. 
 
 (c) White's Essay. 
 
 P2 ' 
 
68 
 
 Much greater varieties than any of these are 
 found in the form and proportion of parts in 
 many other species of animals. The different 
 breeds of horses and cattle in ou-r own country 
 aflbrd many examples. In some parts of Britain 
 the sheep and oxen have hornsy in others they 
 are entirely destitute of them. A breed of fovvk 
 with live elaws^ and another without rumps, are 
 very common in the south of England. 
 
 It is wonderful what a variety, with regard to 
 the production of horns, many animals exhibit. 
 No example of diversity in the species can be 
 more striking; than that which is exhibited bv 
 the comparison of the polyceratous Cretan sheep 
 with the hornless English breed. Several in- 
 stances have occurred of hares of the common 
 species having horns in form resembling those 
 of the roebuck, (a) 
 
 With regard to the proportion of parts, 
 Blumenbach observes that there is a great dif- 
 ference between the Arabian and German horses, 
 and between the tall oxen of the Cape of Good 
 Hope and the short-legged breeds of England. (ft) 
 The hogs of Normandy have the hind legs muck 
 longer than the fore legs. 
 
 The animals of other countries exhibit o:reater 
 
 (a) Permant's History of Quadrupeds. 
 {b) Blumenbach. dc Gen. iium^ Var. Nat, 
 
G9 
 
 instances of diversity in the form of parts^ than 
 those of our own. 
 
 A remarkable variety of the hog has been no- 
 ticed by naturalists from the time of Aristotle 
 and Pliny, It has the hoof entire and undivided^ 
 This race is not unfrequGnt in some parts of 
 England. 
 
 Professor Pallas gives the following Gurious 
 description of the race of sheep which he found 
 a^ong the Kirguses, and which retain, as he ob- 
 serves, their peculiar form when removed into 
 very different climates and situations. '^ On ne 
 trouve nulle part des moutons aussi gros, ni aussi 
 difformes que ceux Kirguis. lis sont plus dlevds 
 qu'un veau naissant, et fort pesans. lis ressem- 
 blent un pen pour les proportions aux moutons 
 des Indes. lis ont la tete tres bosselee, de grandcjs 
 oreilles pendantes ; la levre inferieure d.^vanjce 
 beaucoup la supericure. La plilpart ont une ou 
 deux vermes couvertes de poils, qui leur pen- 
 dent au cou. Au lieu de queue, ils ont un gros 
 peloton de graisse rond presquc sans laine au- 
 dessous, Les queues des gros moutons pesent 
 SO a 40 livres, et donnent 20 a 30 1. de siiif." (a) 
 
 The same author remarks the astonishing di- 
 versities which are found in the gallinaceous 
 trjbe, '^E vokicribus nltilibus varietatum nu- 
 jnero et insigni discrepantia certe eminent gal- 
 
 '^a) Pallas. Voj. en Siberie. Tmdiiction fran9aise. 
 
70 
 
 linae. Habentur magftse, minuta*^ procer^E^ ptif-* 
 miliones, cristarum parvitate vel multiplichatei 
 aut thiaris pliimaceis insignes, urrhopygio caren- 
 tes, flavipedeS;, plumipedcs. Habentur toto cor- 
 pore reversis plumis hirsutas ; immo in India 
 nascitur varietas plumis lanuginosis albis vestita, 
 et cute per totuni corpus nigra. Et hag omnes 
 exceptis Indicis innumer^ colorum diversitate 
 
 ludunt.*'(«) '^ 
 
 A communication has lately been made to the 
 Royal Society of a curious example of variety 
 in sheep springing up de novo and perpetuated, 
 in the stock. A ram of the variety was origi- 
 nally produced on a farm in Connecticut^ in New-' 
 England, in 1791. The ewes impregnated by 
 this animal sometimes produced the new variety,' 
 sometimes not. By degrees a considerable num-*^ 
 ber of them were produced^ and the breed was 
 regularly propagated. It v/as called the Ankoa 
 sheep, from the word ayxwj/; the name bieing de-- 
 rived from the characteristic form of the fore 
 legs, which were bent like an elbow. Both hind 
 and fore legs were very short, but particularly 
 the latter, (b) 
 
 The same arguments which were used in the 
 foregoing pages on the subject of diversities in 
 the cranium, authorize our drawing a similar 
 
 (a) Pallas. Spicileg. Zoolog. fascic. 4. 
 (6) The skeleton was compared by Sir Everard Home 
 xviUi that of the smallest Welch sheep. The bone of the fore 
 
71 
 
 inference with respect to other differences of 
 ifigure. 
 
 On the whole^ we seem to arrive by fair and 
 iawfiil steps at this general coachision, that none 
 of the varieties of figure hitherto observed among 
 inen;, are of such a kind as to give the leaist rea- 
 son for the opinion of specific diversity. 
 
 I SECTION IV. 
 
 j SOME curious dcTiations have occurred in 
 
 t)ur own time, and among races of men with 
 
 whose history w^e are acquainted, which tend to 
 
 I ^xince that we may have a m-uch greater degree 
 
 I of security in answering our proposed question 
 
 I in the negative, than w^e could acquire in af- 
 
 I feming any similar example of diversity to be 
 
 original. For the instances we allude to are 
 
 more singular and less analogousto the common 
 
 xleviations of species, than any of those which 
 
 leg of an Ankon sheep weighing 45 lb, was thicker, but not 
 so long, as that of a Welch sheep scarcely | of tlic weight. 
 I'hc joints of the Ankon sheep were looser knit, and the 
 animal more feeble than usual. This sheep was propagated, 
 because it was unable to get over the fences, and injure the 
 jcorn. (A letter from Col. Hiimphries, of Connecticut, to 
 ^ir Joseph Banks. See Dr. Thomson's AnnaU of Philosophy, 
 No. 2.) 
 
12 
 
 Arc national, and which have induced some 
 authors to suppose that the people characterized 
 by them must have possessed such peculiarities 
 from the era of their first creation. And if 
 these varieties had occurred in a different period 
 of society, and among circumstances conspiring 
 to favour their distinct propagation, which is 
 obviously possible, we should have found races 
 of men much more different from ourselves than 
 any which now exist, and therefore affording 
 stronger argument for diversity of kind. 
 
 One example of this description is recorded 
 in the Philosophical Transactions. An account 
 of it was first given in the year 1731, and the 
 subject was resumed 24 years afterwards. 
 
 (a) On the former of these periods a boy 14 
 years of age, was brought by Mr. Machin, one 
 of the secretaries, from the neighbourhood of 
 Euston hall, in Suffolk, his native place, and 
 exhibited tg the Royal Society. His body was 
 covered by a remarkable kind of integument, 
 which is thus described in the minutes drawn up 
 by Machin. 
 
 ^' His skin, (if it might be so called) seemed 
 rather like a dusky-coloured thick case, exactly 
 fitting every part of his body, made of a^ugged 
 bark or hide, with bristles in some places ; 
 which case covering the whole, excepting t^e 
 
 («) Philos. Transact. No, 424. 
 
•73 
 
 face^ the palms of the hands^, and the soles of the 
 feet, caused an appearance as if those alone 
 were naked and the rest clothed. It did not 
 
 i bleed when cut or scarified^ being callous and 
 insensible. It was said he sheds it once every 
 year 'about autumn, at which time it usually 
 grows to the thickness of three quarters of an' 
 inch, and then is thrust off by a new skin which 
 is coming up underneath/' — " It was not easy 
 to thinkof any sort of skin or natural integument 
 
 I that exactly resembled it. Some compared it 
 to the bark of a tree; others thought it looked 
 
 [: like seal-skin ; others like the skin of an elephant, 
 or the skin about the legs of the rhinoceros, and 
 some took it to be like a great wart, or number 
 of warts uniting and ovei*spreading the whole 
 body. The bristly parts, which were chicflv 
 
 I abput the belly and flanks, looked and rustled 
 like the biistles or quills of a hedgehog shorn 
 off within an inch of the skin." — 
 
 The second account of this person was com- 
 municated to the Royal Society by H. Baker. 
 He was at that time 40 years of age and had 
 been shewn in London by the name of the 
 porcupine man. He is described as being '' a 
 good-looking, well-shaped man, of a florid coun- 
 tenance ; and when his body and hands are 
 covered, seems nothing different from other 
 people. But except his head and face, the 
 palms of his hands and bottoms of his feet, his 
 
*74 
 
 skin is all over covered in the same manner as^ 
 in the year 1731 ; which therefore/' continues 
 Mr. Baker^ '' I shall trauble you with no other 
 description of, than what you will find in Mr. 
 Machin's aceoiint above mentioned; only beg- 
 ging leave to observe that this jcovering seemed 
 to me most nearly to resemble an innumerable 
 company of.warts^ of a dark brown colour and a 
 cylindric figure, rising to a like height, and 
 growing as close as possible Jo one another, but 
 ■so stiff and elastic, that when the hand is drawn 
 over them, they make a rustling noise.'- 
 
 " When I saw this man in the month of 
 September last, they were shedding off in several 
 places, and young ones of a paler brown observed 
 succeeding in their room, which he told me 
 happens annually in some of the autumn or 
 winter months; and then he is commonly let 
 blood, to prevent some little sickness w^hich he 
 else is subject to, whilst they are falling oflf. 
 At other times, he is incommoded by them no 
 otherwise, than by the fretting out his linen, 
 which he says, they do v-ery quickly : and when 
 ihey come to their full growth, being then in 
 many places near an inch in height, the pressure 
 ■of the clothes are troublesome." — 
 
 ** He has had Xh^ small-pox and been twice 
 salivated, in hopes of getting rid of this dis- 
 agreeable covering ; during w^Kch disorders the 
 warting came ofT, and his skin appeared w^hite 
 
75 
 
 and smooth, like that of other people; butotr 
 his recovery soon became as it was before. His 
 health at other times has been very gord during 
 his whole life.'* 
 
 *' But the most extraordinary circumstance of 
 this man's story, and indeed the only reason for 
 my giving you this trouble is, that he has had 
 six children all with the same rugged covering 
 as himself: the first appearance whereof in them, 
 as well as in him, came on in about nine weeks 
 after the birth. Only one of them is living, a 
 very pretty boy, eight yeai*s of age, whom I saw 
 and examined with his father, and who is exactly 
 in the same condition/* 
 
 '' It appears therefore past all doubt,** says 
 Mr. Baker, ^^ that a race of people may be 
 propagated by this man, having such rugged 
 coats or coverings as himself; and if this should 
 ever happen, and the accidental original be 
 forgotten, it is not improbable they might be 
 deemed a diffbrent species of mankind.** — (a) 
 
 Maupertuis has recorded another instance 
 of variety of structure not less remarkable 
 than the example we have mentioned. He 
 assures us that there were two families in Ger- 
 many, who had been distinguished for several 
 generations by six fingers on each hand, and the 
 same number of toes on each foot. Jacob Ruhe, 
 
 (a) Phil. Transact. yoI. 49. part 1.5, 
 
16 
 
 a surgeon of Berlin^, was a member of one 
 of these families, and marked by their pecu- 
 liarities, which he inherited from his mother 
 and grandmother. His mother was married to 
 a man of the ordinary mak:e. She bore him eight 
 children, of whom four resembled the father, 
 and the other four partook of the mother's 
 conformation. Jacob Piuhe transmitted his su- 
 pernumerary members to his posterity. — (a) 
 
 Reaumur mentions a family, which had a 
 similar peculiarity, but whether this be another 
 example, or one of those recorded by Maupertuis, 
 I know not. The grandfather had a supernu- 
 merary finger on each hand, and an additional 
 toe on each foot. His eldest son had three 
 children with the same peculiarity. The second, 
 who had the usual number of fingers, but in 
 whom the thumb was very thick, and appeared 
 as if composed of two united together, had 
 three daughters with the supernumerary mem- 
 bers : the third had the natural structure. A 
 daughter with a very thick thumb, brought 
 forth a son with the additional finger. — (/?) 
 
 <a) Maupertuis. Venus Physiciuc. 
 
 (b) This variety has frequently occurred. Instances are 
 recorded aniong the ancients. Pliny says, '^ Digiti quibu^- 
 
SECTION V. 
 
 j^ Of Dwersity of Stature. 
 
 THE same reasoning which we have adopted 
 with regard to the varieties of figure, are also 
 fully applicable to those of stature. 
 
 A considerable difference certainly exists in 
 this respect among the several races of men. — 
 Although there has without doubt been a great 
 mixture of exaggeration in the accounts we 
 have received from some travellers of the pro- 
 digious stature of the Fatagonians^ it is ascer- 
 
 dam in manibus seni. C. IToratii ex pafricia gcnte filias duaa^ 
 ob id sedigifas appellatas accepimus, et Volcatium sedigi- 
 gitum illustrem in Poetica. Hist. Nat. lib. 11. cap. 99. 
 
 The six-fingered variety springs up sometimes among i\\ii( 
 Negroes in the West India Islands. Dr. Gibson, author of 
 an inaugural dissertation, in which are many curious and 
 original observations, says that he has met with such in- 
 stances. In all the examples which occurred to his notice, 
 except one, the little finger and toe were redundant. In 
 one case a thumb and great toe were supexnumerary, (Dr. 
 Gibson. Dissert. Inaug. Edinb. 1809. De forma craniorura 
 gentilitia.) 
 
 Mr. Haslam, apothecary to Bethlem Hospital, in hit 
 Treatise on Insanity says, that he is acquainted with a per- 
 son in London " whose middle and ring fingers are united 
 and act as one." All the children of this man carry the 
 «amc defect. (llaJam on Madness.) 
 
•78 
 
 tained, by sufficient testimony, that the natives 
 of the southern extremity of the American Con- 
 tinent, and some of the inhabitants of Terra del 
 fucgo are considerably taller than the generality 
 of men in this country. Commodore Byron 
 seems to have been somewhat terrified by the 
 aspect of these people, and probably suffered 
 his imagination^ aided by his fears, to pervert the 
 accuracy of his judgment. He tells us that 
 few of the Patagonians, (and it appears that he 
 Saw and conversed with majiy hundreds) were 
 much short of 7 feet high. It must be observed 
 however that he did not measure them. Captain 
 Wallis afterwards went to the samfe part of the 
 coast and saw many of the Indians. He adopted 
 the precaution of accuracy, which his predecessor 
 had neglected^ He tells us accordingly that he 
 saw one man 6 feet 7 inches high, several men 
 6 feet 5 or G inches, but that the stature of thfe 
 •greater part was from 5 feet 10, to 6 feet, (a) 
 
 It does not appear that w^e have well authen- 
 ticated accounts of any race of men smaller in 
 stature than the Skrasllings or Greenlanders. 
 These are generally under 5 feet. 
 
 We have much greater differences than this 
 among the natives of our own country, and 
 even sometimes in the children of the same 
 family. It is not a very rare occurrence to meet 
 
 (a) Ilawkcsworth's Voyages. 
 
,79 
 
 ^vith two brothers who differ as widely as the 
 Skra^Ilings and Patagonians. 
 
 In Ireland many examples of gigantic stature 
 have appeared^ far exceeding that of the latter 
 people. And dwarfs have been well known in 
 every age and in every country. 
 
 Such varieties, though springing up in a 
 family of opposite character;, are generally here- 
 ditary^ and therefore may, as we have observed 
 before of other diversities, become national. 
 
 A curioas proof of the effect which may be 
 produced in consequence of the hereditary 
 nature of great stature, is to be found in a fact 
 related by Dr. R. Forster. It is well known 
 that the kings of Prussia have had a capricious 
 partiality for gigantic soldiery. Their guards 
 have consisted of the tallest men they could 
 procure collected from all quarters. A regiment 
 of these huge warriors was stationed, as Dr. 
 Forster informs us, for fifty years at Potzdam. 
 " A great number of the present inhabitants of 
 that place are of a very high stature, which is 
 more especially striking in the numerous gigan- 
 tic figures of women. This certainly is pwing 
 to the connections and intermarriages of the 
 tail men with the females of that tov/n." — (a) 
 
 Without searching beyond the boundaries of 
 
 (a) Dr. R. Fo.rster's Obserra lions in^ Voyage rou«d tie 
 World with Capt. Cook. 
 
80 
 
 our own country we find abundant examples 
 of diversity in bulk and stature in tlie brute 
 species greater than any known among men. 
 Such are furnished by the different breeds of 
 horses and cattle. In foreign countries we 
 find more considerable differences. In the island 
 of Celebes a variety of the buffalo is said to be 
 founds which is of the size of a common sheep. 
 {a) There is also a variety of the horse in Ceylon 
 which is not more than 30 inches high, (b) 
 Therefore we conclude that the diversity of 
 stature is very far from constituting a specific 
 difference. 
 
 SECT. VI. 
 Of the Hair. 
 
 THE short crisp hair of the Negro, and the 
 long and lank hair of the Americans and Kat- 
 mucs, are so different from that of Europeans, 
 that some writers have hence drawn an argument 
 in favour of the hypothesis we are combating. ^ 
 
 The hair of the Negro is the greatest anomaly 
 of this kind that presents itself. Its sbort and 
 curled appearance gives it some resemblance to 
 
 (a) Pennant's Hist. Quadrup; (i) Ibid. 
 
81 
 
 the covering of the sheep. From this loose 
 analogy^ it has received the term of wool in 
 common discourse^ and as names react upon 
 opinions^ it has hence been generally considered 
 as a growth of the same sort with the excresence 
 produced by that animal. But no person who 
 should take the trouble of comparing the hair 
 of an African with the wool of a sheep, would 
 hesitate in rejecting this notion. 
 
 The principal circumstance whichdistinguishes 
 hair and wool is in the surface of the filament^ 
 which in wool is rough, and therefore that 
 substance admits of felting, but in hair it is 
 smooth and polished. . The filament of the former 
 is besides unequal in size, and rather larger 
 towards the end; on the contrary, that of the 
 latter is nearly uniform in thickness, tapering 
 a little towards the ppint. 
 
 The hair of the African has no resemblance to 
 wool in either of these respects. It consists 
 indeed of finer filaments than that of Europeans, 
 which arise from smaller bulbs or roots, but it 
 appears, in other particulars to be a production 
 of the same kind. 
 
 But if the head of the Negro were really- 
 covered with proper wool, we should not allow 
 it to be a specific diflTerence, since other species 
 of animals exist, of which some tribes are clothed 
 with wool, and others with hair. 
 
 Professot Pallas informs us that the sheep of 
 E 
 
82 
 
 the Kirguse-Kaisacs have strong hair intermixed 
 with coarse wool. He adds that into whatever 
 countries the breed may be removed^ its pecu- 
 liarities continue permanent, (rt) 
 
 Blumenbach has remarked the contrast of the 
 flocks of Tibet with those of Etheopia. The 
 climate of these regions is not very different, 
 and the nature of the country in each is pretty 
 much the same. Both abound in mountainous 
 districts. Yet the sheep of the former are 
 covered with very fine w-ool, and those of the 
 latter with coarse hair. 
 
 The Argali or wild Siberian sheep, which is 
 believed by our best naturalists to be the original 
 stock from which all the domestic varieties of 
 the sheep are derived, is covered with hair, 
 which in the summer is close like that of the 
 deer; but in winter becomes rough and curled, 
 resembling a coarse wool intermixed with hair.(Z;) 
 
 The American bison, which seems to be a 
 variety of the urus, and is believed to be of the 
 stock of our domestic cattle, is covered in the 
 winter with a long shaggy fleece of a woolly 
 nature, which falls down over the head and 
 foreparts of the animal. This fleece sometimes 
 weighs 8 pounds, and is so fine in texture that it 
 is spun into cloths, gloves, &c. which have the 
 
 (a) Pallas. Voy. en Siberie. torn. 1, 
 (^) Pallas. Spicileg. Zoologica, 
 
appearance of those manufactured from the finest 
 wool of the sheep. In summer it is almost 
 naked, particularly on the hind parts. («) 
 
 Some varieties of dogs, as the water spaniel, 
 are covered with a short curly texture very 
 much like wool. 
 
 These observations are sufficient to show that 
 the crisp hair of the African is no sort of proof 
 that he is of different species from the European. 
 
 it is worth while to remark that the peculiar 
 hair of the Negro is not a permanent variety, or 
 distinction of the whole race of Africa, For the 
 Caffres and the people of Congo have hair not 
 unlike that of Europeans. Even the Foulahs, 
 one of the Negro tribes of Guinea have, accord- 
 ing to Mr. Park, soft silky hair. (Z?) On the 
 other hand the inhabitants of many other coun- 
 tries resemble the Africans in their hair, as the 
 savages of New Guinea, Van Diemens land, and 
 Mallicollo. And in the same island some of the 
 people are found with crisp and woolly, others 
 with straight hair, as in some of the new Hebrides. 
 In New Holland there are tribes of each character 
 though resembling in other particulars, (c) 
 
 With regard to the texture of the hair in 
 general, it is sufficient to observe that it is much 
 
 (a) Pennant's Arctic Zoology. 
 
 {b) Park's travels in Africa. 
 
 (c) See below. Hist of South.Sea islanders, 
 
 F2 
 
84 -y 
 
 more difTerent in other species than in the 
 several races of men. The breeds of hogs, of 
 goats, and of dogs afford sufficient examples. 
 Therefore in this circumstance there can exist 
 no specific diversity. 
 
 We have thus taken a sufficiently ample view 
 of the principal examples of divei*sity in phy- 
 bical characters, which have been observed in 
 the several races of mankind. Whatever other 
 instances may be found are of inferior impor- 
 tance to those we have mentioned, and less in 
 the degree of their deviation, and the con- 
 clusions which we form concerning the greater 
 will hold a fortiori of others which are less. 
 All the varieties to which we have adverted in 
 the foregoing pages appear to be strictly analo- 
 gous to the changes, which other tribes through 
 almost the whole animal creation, have a general 
 tendency to assume. 
 
 We are therefore compelled in obedience to 
 the most firmly established laws of philosophical 
 reasoning, to refer these similar phasnomena to 
 similar causes, and to consider all the physical 
 diversities of mankind as depending on the 
 principle of natural deviation, and as furnishing 
 no specific distinction. 
 
 (a) Some of the finest manufactures of Imlia are formed 
 of the covering of the goat. 
 
85 
 
 One accessory argument tending to the like 
 conclusion;, which has incidently appeared in 
 the course of our analogical reasoning, has been 
 separately noticed. Those instances of variety^ 
 which have been thought to lead most forcibly 
 to the doctrine of distinct species in mankind, 
 and to be the most insuperable difficulties on the 
 contrary opinion, are the diversities of figure. 
 But the varieties of form, are less permanent in 
 mankind than those of colour, and there is none 
 of them so general in any race of men, that it 
 is not in many exanlples wanting. 
 
83 
 
 CHAPTER III. SECTION I. 
 
 ^ IF it should appear to be a highly probable ■ 
 conclusion that the whole genus of Man contains 
 but one sp^cies^ none of the diversities of 
 nations being such as to constitute specific cha- 
 racters, it may still appea# to be uncertain, 
 whether a41 the races, into which the genus is 
 separated/ derive their origin from one stocky 
 or are the progeny of the same first parents. 
 Some persons may withhold their assent from 
 
 . such a proposition as requiring distinct con- 
 firmation, and to others the contrary hypothesis 
 
 * may appear more specious. .Various parts of 
 the earth may be imagined to have been covered 
 at once with infinite numbers of each individual 
 kind both of animals and vegetables, and it 
 may be supposed that the human species was, 
 together with the inferior tribes, produced pri- 
 marily and separately in many different regions. 
 In support of such a conjecture it has been 
 alleged, that islands have been discovered so far 
 distant- from all other land, that it is difficult to 
 imagine any mode in which they could be 
 provided with plants, animals, and human inha- 
 
87 
 
 bita*ntSj unless we suppose all these to be in- 
 digenous. For the people who are found in 
 such abodes are for the most part rude bar- 
 barians, ignorant of navigation, except of the 
 most imperfect kind, who could not therefore 
 have transported themselves to their present 
 seats from far distant shores ; much less could 
 they have conveyed with them the other pro- 
 ductions of nature, in which these regions 
 abound. We must then rest satisfied that such 
 races are aboriginal, or that they sprang into 
 existence together with the forests through which 
 they roam, and the various brutes which share 
 with them the possession of the soil. 
 
 In order Rilly to elucidate this subject in the 
 most extensive view, it would be necessary to 
 enter into some discussions, which belong to 
 the province of the natjLiral historian. It would 
 Ibe an interesting inquiry to determine whether 
 Providence has confined the existence of every 
 species of living being to the creation of a 
 single stock or family of each in the first 
 instance, and to its subsequent multiplication 
 and dispersion, or has chosen to replenish the 
 earth at once ^vith multitudes of all kinds. To 
 attempt the solution of this problem in its most 
 general statement, w^ould lead us very far from 
 our present object. 
 
 If it were requisite to inquire into the con- 
 dition of the vegetable world in this particular. 
 
88 ^ 
 
 there would not be wanting arguments in favour 
 of the former hypothesis, which appears indeed 
 at the first aspect most simple and 'most con- 
 formable to the general tenour of nature. The 
 fact that regions distantly separated from the 
 rest of the world, as Australasia, are found to be 
 occupied by vegetable creations distinct and 
 peculiar to each, tends to establish this opinion.'* 
 
 But to refrain from speculations too extensive, 
 and which might appear to be irrevelant to our 
 present pursuit, we shall avoid entering into 
 any inquiry concerning the history of the vege- 
 table tribes, and the inferior classes of animals. 
 Fishes and the Cetacea are evidently removed 
 from our scrutiny by their abode in the bound- 
 less ocean, which affords them free access to all 
 distant regions, and Birds possess so unlimited 
 powers of locomotion, that it is scarcely possible ^ 
 to determine any thing with regard to their 
 migrations. We shall therefore confine our 
 inquiry for the most part to the mammiferous 
 species, which inhabit the land, and shall en- 
 deavour to discern the general tendency of 
 rfacts and observations, which relate to iheir 
 dispersion over the globe. If we are fortunate 
 enough to discover, what is the law by which 
 nature lias been governed in the production of 
 these^ we shall proceed to inquire whether there 
 be any obstacle, which may prevent our applying 
 
89 
 
 the general inference with conclusive force iii 
 the individual case of the human species. 
 
 Of the two hypotheses above proposed^ the 
 former may be considered as established, if we 
 shall observe that every existing species may be 
 traced with probability to a certain point, which 
 appears to have been originally its only abode, 
 and that few or no species have been found in 
 countries separated from their primary seats by 
 barriers, which their locomotive powers and pe- 
 culiar structure do not enable them to surmount. 
 
 If the contrary hypothesis be true, we shall 
 expect to discover each kind in every region, 
 the temperature of which is suitable to its nature, 
 and to observe that all animals are scattered 
 over all parts of the earth, without reference to 
 stocks, or families, and to the facilities of mi- 
 gration. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 WE may remark in the first place that not 
 only particular species, but whole genera seem 
 in a variety of instances to have certain appro- 
 priate seats; or to speak more distinctly, that 
 those leading characters in the organization of 
 several species^ which being common to all of 
 
90 
 
 them GQKstitiite them ^ gcniis or ftmily, are 
 very frequent in some countries^, while they ar^ 
 rare or hav^ no e^^isten^^e in other parts of the 
 earth. Of this observation we have many striking 
 proofs in the present state of zoological science, 
 and it is very probable that these will be greatly 
 multiplied^ as our own acquaintance wiih the 
 anjii^al kingdom shall advance, and as we succeed 
 in accommodating our classification to the de- 
 partments which nature has established. 
 
 One of the most eminent naturalists of the 
 present age has remarked, that when we acquire 
 a sufficiently accurate knowledge of the animals 
 of each order qr family, to enable us to arrange 
 the species contained in it according to their 
 true generic relations, we almost always find 
 that each genus appropriates to itself some 
 peculiar and distinct abode. Thus the Bat tribe 
 presented till lately nothing but confusion, and 
 we found species nearly 'allied in the systems of 
 zoologists scattered indiscriminately through dis-^ 
 tant parts of the world. These animals are 
 however widely distinguished by nature, and 
 the enlightened labour of Geoffroy has succeeded 
 in arranging them accordi-ng to their natural 
 aflinities. (a) We now discover that one larg^ 
 
 {a) Description dcs Iloussettes, ct dcs Cephalotes, deux 
 nouvcaux genres do la famille dcs Cbauve-souris. Par 
 M. GoofTroy-Saint-Hilairc. Aunales du Mussum d'Histoire 
 Nature] le de Paris, torn. 14. 
 
91 
 
 genus^ the Pteropus, and the kindred tribe of 
 Cephalotes, which are frugivorous and of gentle 
 habits^ distribute their numerous species to the 
 different islands and shores of the Indian ocean, 
 while the Phyllostomata, a genus consisting of 
 nine species, and including thp Vaippyres and 
 other sanguinary monsters of this family, are 
 confined to the hot parts of the western con- 
 tinent, (a) 
 
 A similar observation may be made concerning 
 the family of Lemures. All these animals were 
 formerly confounded under one definition, which 
 only applied to a part of them. Geoffroy has 
 shown that five distinct genera belong to this 
 tribe, which are discriminated by clearly marked 
 generic characters. Of these the Indris and 
 Makis, consisting together of ten species, are 
 natives of Madagascar. The Loris genus con- 
 tains four species, which are found in Bengal, 
 Java, and Ceylon. The Galago is peculiar to 
 Senegal, and the Tarsiers inhabit Macassar, Am- 
 boina, and the most remote islands of the Indian 
 ocean. (Z?) 
 
 The fate of the Sorex tribe is exactly parallel. 
 This name in the Linnean arrangement was 
 
 («) Meraoire siir les Phyllostomes et les Mcgadermcs. 
 Par le mcme. ibid, 
 
 (b) Magazin Encyclopediqiic, torn. 7. 
 
 Memoire sur les especes dii genre Loris. par. M. GeoiTroy- 
 Saint-Hilaire. Aimales du Mus. delist. Nat. torn. 14. 
 
92 
 
 made to include several species which belonged 
 to other families. When such are excluded, the' 
 remainder distribute themselves naturally into- 
 four genera. The proper Shrews, of which 
 there are ten species, and the Mygale, are found 
 in diiferent parts of Europe and Asia. The 
 Chryso-chloris is confined to the Cape of Good 
 Hope, and the Scalopes to North America, (a) 
 
 Some leading characters in the nature and 
 constitution of animals appear to distinguish 
 the tribes, which belong respectively to the 
 great eastern aPnd western continents. 
 
 Buffon has remarked that all the largest 
 quadrupeds are confined to the eastern hemis- 
 phere, and are unknown in America. Such are 
 the Elephants, Rhinoceroses, the Hippopotamus, 
 Camelo-Pardalis and Camel. Various animals 
 of huge bulk have indeed been found in America 
 in the fossil state, but among those which at: 
 present exist, there is none of very considerable 
 magnitude in that Continent. 
 
 It may also be observed that the more perfect 
 tribes of animals belong chiefly to the old 
 world. The quadrupeds of the new Continent 
 have in general a character of organization 
 
 (a) Memoire sur les espcces des genre Musaraigne ct 
 Mygale. Par Geoffroy-Saint-IIilaire. Annales da Museum, 
 torn. 14. See also Cuvior's tableau I'cmentaire d'anlmaux. 
 
93 
 
 which places them lower in the scale of animated 
 nature. 
 
 The most ferocious species of carnivorous 
 animals are confined to Asia and Africa. Those 
 kinds in America^ which most approximate to 
 these, are in general much more feeble in their 
 make and more gentle in their dispositions. 
 
 The most vigorous and active quadrupeds 
 belong chiefly to the old continent, as most of the 
 ox and horse kinds, the wholie tribe of antelopes 
 including upwards of thirty species, and the 
 goat kind. 
 
 On the other hand, in America we find most 
 of those singular races, which are arranged in 
 the department of Edentata according to the 
 natural classification, and in the Linnean order 
 of Bruta. 
 
 Thus of the family of Tardigrada or Sloths, 
 two species are yet in existence, viz. the Ai and 
 Unau, or Bradypus tridactylus and didactylus 
 of Linnaeus. Two other creatures of the same 
 family are only known to us by their fossil 
 remains, of which the smaller or the Megalonyx 
 was of the size of an ox, and the other called 
 the Megatherium as large as the Rhinoceros, (a) 
 
 (a) Mem. sur le Megalonix. par M. Cuvier. Annales du 
 Museum, torn. 5. 
 
 Mem. sur la Megatherium, par la naeme. ibid. 
 
^4 
 
 It is remarkable, as M. Ciivier observes, that 
 the relics of these animals have only be^n 
 observed in America, \vhich is also the peculiar 
 region of the living species of the same genus/a) 
 
 Buffon characterizes this tribe as defective (/;) 
 monsters, rude and imperfect attempts of nature. 
 
 The fossil animals of the last mentioned ge- 
 nus approximate in some particulars to the 
 Myrmecophaga, another tribe of the same order, 
 which recedes from the common characters of 
 
 (a) M. Cuvicr observes, that the Bradypus UrsTn^^, 
 "which was represented as belonging to the Old World, is 
 yet too little known to be considered as an exception. 
 When it becomes better known, there is little doubt that it 
 will appear to be very different from the Sloth tribe. An- 
 nales du Museum, torn. 5. p. 190. 
 
 (b) " Tout en eux" says the Count de Buffon, '' nous 
 rappelle ces monstres par dcfaut, ces ebauches imparfaites 
 mitle fois projetees, executees par la nature, qui ayant a 
 peine la faculte d'exister, n'ont du sttbsistcf qu'un temps 
 et ont ete depuis effacees de la liste des etres." Buffon 
 Hist. Nat. 
 
 M. Cuvier observes of the species still existing, that " we 
 find in them so little relation to ordinary animals ; the ge- 
 neral laws of organized beings at present existing apply so 
 little to them, the different parts of their bodies seem so 
 much in contradiction to the laws of co-existence, which we 
 find established through almost the whole animal kingdoin, 
 that we might really believe them to be the remains of ano. 
 ther order of things, the living relics of that pre-existing 
 nature, the other ruins of which are only discovered in the 
 interior of the earth, and that these have escaped by some 
 miracle the catastrophes which have destroyed their cott- 
 temporary species." Anuales du Museum, torn. 5. 
 
quadrupeds in many respects^ but particularly 
 in being totally destitute of teeth. Three spe- 
 cies are known belonging to this genus, which 
 are only found in America. 
 
 The Armadilloes (Dasypus) form another ge- 
 nus belonging to the order Edentata^ and con- 
 sisting of many species. These have grinding 
 teeth, but want the canine and cutting teeth, 
 iind are in other respects a most singular tribe 
 of animals. They also are peculiar to America. 
 
 But New Holland presents us with a class of 
 animals which form the lowest grade in the 
 scale of warm-blooded quadrupeds. These are 
 the Ornithorhynchi. Three animals of this 
 family have been discovered in Australasia, and 
 it is not improbable that the same region may 
 contain many kindred races as yet unknown. 
 Two of these creatures have been examined 
 anatomically, and appear to form two genera 
 of a tribe most singularly characterized, which 
 though true quadrupeds, are not mammiferous, 
 and bear a resemblance in some respects to 
 Birds, in others to the Amphibia. They may 
 }ye considered as an intermediate link between 
 Aves, Amphibia, and Mammalia. The nearest 
 approach to them is the genus Myrmecophaga, 
 from which however they are separated at a 
 very remote distance, (a) 
 
 (rt) Home, in Philosophical Transactions. 1802. 
 Lamark, Zoologie Philosophique, torn. 2. Addenda. 
 
96 
 
 Another very curious example of the separate 
 distribution of animals is found in the regions 
 last mentioned. I mean the numerous tribe 
 which belong to the order Pedimana, or to that 
 class of quadrupeds which differ so remarkably 
 from all the other Mammalia in the premature 
 production of their young, and in the provision 
 which Nature has made for maintaining this 
 anomaly^ The first discovered animals with the 
 abdominal pouch were found in South America, 
 and received the descriptive name of Didelphys. 
 This genus is known to extend to nine species 
 at least, all of which inhabit the same coun- 
 try. («) 
 
 But the Marsupial tribe are not confined to 
 America. Six new genera of the same family 
 have been already seen in New Holland, which 
 contain together more than forty species. All 
 these are possessed of the abdominal pouch. 
 The names affixed to the genera are Dasyurus, 
 Phalangista, Petaurus, Perameles^ Kangurus, and 
 Phascolomys. (Z>) 
 
 The Didelphyes of America have been con- 
 founded by the Dutch and English naturalists 
 with the Dasyuri of Australasia. These two 
 genera differ however essentially. The former 
 have four incisor teeth more than the latter, viz. 
 
 (a) Geoffroy-Saint-IIIlaire. Ann. du Musewm, torn 3. 
 
 (b) See several Memoirs by M. GcoiFioy \\\ the Annals 
 of the MuseuDB. ^ 
 
97 
 
 ten in the upper jaw, and eight in the lower; 
 while the Dasyuri have only eight above, and 
 six below.(«) The tails of the former are long, 
 :gcaly and prehensile, answering the purpose of 
 a fifth limb in enabling the animal to climb 
 trees. The tails of the Dasyuri are soft and 
 hairy. The hind feet also differ. The thumb 
 is long and separate in the Didelphyes, so that 
 opposing the fingers it may convert the foot 
 into a true hand, which conformation affords a 
 great degree of ai^ility. The Dasyuri have only 
 the rudiments of this structure. (&) 
 
 (a) CuYier. Sur le squelette d'un Sarigue. Ann. du 
 Museum, torn. 5. 
 
 (b) The habitudes of these genera are elegantly con- 
 trasted by M. Geoffroy. " Les Didelphes," says he, " se 
 tiennent le plus souvent sur la cime des plus grands arbres ; 
 Ms y trourent plus de surete pour leur famille, et de facilite 
 pour poursuivre et atteindre leur proie : la nature de leur 
 queue leur en fournit les moyens ; elle est fortement pre- 
 hensile, nu et eouverte de petites ecailles : leur pieds de 
 derriere, munis d'un pouce long, ecarte et susceptible de 
 s'opposer aux autres doigts, convertis enfin en veritables 
 mains, sont aussi employes aux meme usage. Tant de faci- 
 lites pour grimper aux arbres, s'y suspendre et s'y balancer, 
 leglent leurs habitudes, en font des animaux legcrs et sau- 
 tiiurs, et les placent au milieu des oiseaux qui deviennent 
 ainsi la proie pour la quelle ils ont le plus de gout. 
 
 Les Dasyures an contraire, sont condamnes a toujours 
 Tester sur la surface de la terre. Je n'ai rien appris touchant 
 leurs moEurs, mais je n'en suis pas moins fonde a le croire, 
 puisque c'est un fait qui resulte necessairement de leur or- 
 ganisation : leur queue est en effet lache, pt aussi eouverte 
 
 G 
 
98 
 
 The last example is a very striking proof of - 
 the remark made in the foregoing pages, that 
 the peculiar characters of genera or families are 
 confined to^ or particularly abundant in certain 
 regions. We may further observe that the struc- 
 ture of the Didelphyes is such as to render them 
 most appropriate inhabitants of countries co- 
 vered as the warm parts of America are with 
 high forests. This last relation would lead u» 
 to suspect that there may be in general some 
 peculiar adaptation of the structure of animals 
 to the physical circumstances of the regions^ 
 where they are indigenous. 
 
 This idea is confirmed by the distribution of 
 the Monkey tribe. According to the most ac- 
 curate enumeration of the species belonging to 
 this family^ they amount nearly to a hundred. 
 The Apes are distinguished from their kindred 
 genera by many particulars. They inhabit Africa 
 and India. But the proper Monkeys of the old 
 continent differ also remarkably from the Sapa- 
 jous or American species of this tribe in seve- 
 ral striking points. The former have pouches 
 within their jaws for the reception of their food, 
 and naked callous buttocks. The latter have no 
 
 de long polls que celle des moiiffettes, et ils n'ont aux })ieds 
 de derriere qu'iui rudiment de pouce; ee qui les constitue 
 sans moyen pour la prehension, de sorte, que places dans 
 un autre sphere que les Didelphes, leurs moeurs ne peuvent 
 manquer de se res»entir de eette autre position." 
 
 J 
 

 99 . "^^^VERsiry 
 
 inaxillary pouches, and their buttocks are hairy 
 their nostrils are open on each side, and divided 
 by a large septum : their limbs are peculiarly 
 slender and their form spider-like, rendering 
 them agile and very expert in climbing trees. 
 Most of them have long prehensile tails like 
 those of the Didelphyes. The true Monkeys 
 are all found in Africa and Asia. The Sapajous 
 are confined to the hot parts of America.(a) 
 
 We have here a curious instance of utility in 
 the distribution of species. The prehensile tails 
 and peculiar forms of the Sapajous would be of 
 no advantage to them if they were inhabitants 
 of the woods of Africa, which consist for the 
 most part of copse or short brush-wood ; but in 
 the lofty and immense forests of Guiana they 
 are of the greatest importance by enabling 
 these animals to climb the high trees which 
 would otherwise shut them out perpetually from 
 the light of day. 
 
 Several other genera have the prehensile tail, 
 as the Myrmecophagas, the Kinkajou, and the 
 Hystrix prehensilis. All these inhabit the same 
 countries as the Didelphyes and Sapajous. 
 
 (a) Cuvier, tableau elementairc. 
 
 Pennant, Hist. Quad. 
 
 Memoire sur les Ateles, Par M. Geoffroy Saint Hilaire. 
 Ann du Museum, torn. 7. also torn 13. 
 
 Tableaux des Quadrumanes, par M. Geoffroy Saint Hilaire. 
 Ann. du Museunij torn. 19. 
 
 G 2 
 
100 
 
 It is easy to find other examples which evince 
 the same sort of relation between countries and 
 the structure of the quadrupeds appropriated 
 to them. 
 
 The horse genus of the Linnean arrangement 
 contains six species. Five of these have solid 
 hoofs, and inhabit the plain countries of Asia 
 and Africa. A single species is said to have 
 divided hoofs, and is therefore the only one 
 which is able to exist in a mountainous and 
 craggy region. The latter is a native of the 
 precipitous Cordilleras of Peru and Chi\i,(aJ 
 
 The South of Africa is spread out into fine 
 level plains from about the 25° degree of south 
 latitude, to the country bordering upon the 
 Cape of Good Hope. In this region Pennant 
 has observed, that Africa opens at once vast 
 treasures of hoofed quadrupeds. Animals of 
 this kind are particularly abundant in those dis- 
 tricts, in which their structure has evident ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 The remarkable fitness of the Rein-deer for 
 the frozen regions of the north, and the power 
 which the Camel derives from its peculiar or- 
 ganization of enduring the inconveniences of 
 its native climates, have been the theme of 
 every traveller. 
 "^ It would be as easy as it is needless to multi- 
 
 (a) Molina, Ilistoria Natural del Chili. 
 
101 
 
 ply exampies of a similar tendency. It is ma- 
 nifest that animals^ though possessing locomotive 
 powers, are not tenants of the globe at large, 
 through which they were left by Providence to 
 wander fortuitously, but that the several kinds 
 have particular local relations, and were placed 
 by the Creator in certain regions for which thev 
 are in their nature peculiarly adapted. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 THE history of particular species confirms the 
 fv)regoing observations, and will authorize us in 
 drawing with a high degree of probability the 
 conclusion, that quadrupeds of every tribe had 
 originally one determinate seat on the e;irth, 
 from which they have migrated in different di- 
 rections, and that each kind is only found in 
 places to which it was possible for it to find a 
 passage from its primitive abode. 
 
 We find evidence in support of this observa- 
 tion in the zoological history of the more ex- 
 tensive portions of the earth, which are distantly 
 separated from each other. 
 
 The Count de BufTon observed, that the ani- 
 mals which inhabit the old world are in general 
 different from those of the new, and that what- 
 
102 
 
 ever species are found to be common to both, 
 are such as are able to endure the extreme cold 
 of the arctic regions, and may therefore be sup- 
 posed to have found a way from one continent 
 to the other, where they approach very near 
 together, and may probably have been formerly 
 joined. 
 
 This opinion of BufTon has been repeatedly 
 contradicted by naturalists of later date. Many 
 of the objections however which have been 
 urged against it have been proved to have 
 taken their rise in the inaccuracy of travellers, 
 and in the want of attention to characters of ani- 
 mals, which though not so striking as to be db- 
 served on a superficial review, are yet suffi- 
 ciently important to be considered as specific 
 differences. 
 
 At the period when BufTon compiled his 
 work, the science of natural historv was vet far 
 from the degree of, accuracy which it has since 
 acquired. Comparative anatomy was scarcely 
 beginning in his time to be acknowledged as 
 the basis, on which all the distinctions of zoo- 
 logists must be founded. Some progress was 
 indeed made in this study by Daubenton, the 
 coadjutor of our author, but a wide field still 
 remained unexplored, in which much ground 
 has been gained by more recent investigations. 
 We shall therefore attempt, with the guidance 
 of later researches, to correct the enumeration 
 
103 
 
 given by Buffon of the genera and species com- 
 mon to the two continents, or peculiar to either. 
 We shall also, as we proceed through the cata- 
 logue of animals, remark whether the facts which 
 present themselves tend in other points to sup- 
 port our general doctrine of the single creation 
 of each kind. 
 
 The hypothesis in question asserts that the 
 quadrupeds, which are confined to warm and 
 temperate climates, are to be found only in one 
 of the two great continents, and that those which 
 Inhabit very cold regions are generally common 
 to both. 
 .We begin with the Order Qnadrumana. 
 
 The quadrumanous animals have been men- 
 tioned above. Their distribution entirely agrees 
 with the hypothesis. The whole family of Simise 
 are confined to hot climates. They inhabit either 
 continent separately. Of the numerous species 
 which belong to the old world, some are pecu- 
 liar to Africa, and others to India : not one ap- 
 pears to be common to both these countries. 
 The individual species have in general no very 
 extensive range. (a) 
 
 The species belonging to the ^ve genera of 
 Lemures are still more confined in their abodes. 
 
 (a) The most complete enumeration of the quadruma- 
 nous animals is given by M. GeolTroy-Saint-Hilaire in the 
 19th volume of the Annals of the Museum of Natural His- 
 tory at Paris. 
 
104 
 
 Of the Order Cheiroptera. 
 The principal family of this order is the Bat 
 tribe, some species of which have already been 
 noticed. 
 
 1. The most numerous genus of Bats are the 
 proper Vespertiliones, of which an excellent ac- 
 count has been given by M. Geoifroy-Saint- 
 Hilaire.(a) There are eighteen species of them. 
 Some of these are extensively dispersed over 
 the old world, but the greater part occupy a 
 confined sphere either in the American or in the 
 eastern continent, no one species being com- 
 mon to both. (5) 
 
 2. The Rhinolophi are less numerous. A few 
 species are found in Europe : others in Africa, 
 and in India, (c) 
 
 3. The Phyllostomata inhabit the hot parts 
 of America. They are nine species, (rf) 
 
 (a) Memoire siir le genre et les especes de Vespertilion* 
 Tun des genres de la famille des Chauve-souris. Par M. 
 Geoflfroy-Saint-Hilaire. Annales du Museum d'histolre 
 Naturelle, de Paris, torn. 8. 
 
 (b) The generic character of the Vespertilions is thus 
 given by M. Geoffroy. " Dents incisives, 4 superieures^ 
 6 inferieurs, nez simple, oreille aTec oreillon." Ibid. 
 
 (c) M. Geoffroy-Saiut-Hilaire. -Ann. du Museum, torn. 
 15, page 162. 
 
 This genus is characterized by two very small incisive 
 teeth in the upper, and four in, the lower jaw. See Cuvier, 
 tableau Elementaire d'animaux. 
 
 (d) Sur les Phyllostomes et les Megadermes. Par M. 
 Geoflfrpy-Saint-Hilaire. Ann, Mus. torn. 15. 
 
105 
 
 4. The Megadermata approach most nearly to 
 the last mentioned genus, but they differ in many 
 particulars, and especially in the structure of the 
 lips and tongue, which do not enable them to 
 suck. Four species of this genus are described, 
 which are found in the hot parts of India and 
 Africa, having individually a limited abode as 
 far as is yet known. («) 
 
 4. The Molossus is another genus of Bat, con- 
 taining nine species, which are all American. (6) 
 
 5. The Noctilio or Leporine Bat inhabits Peru, 
 
 6. Of the Pteropus or Roussette (c) there are 
 eleven species, and of the 
 
 7. Cephalotes two. These are distributed as 
 before mentioned to the neighbourhood of theln- 
 dian ocean, and to the Austral countries. No one 
 species seems to have any extensive range, (c?) 
 
 II. The second family of Cheiropterous ani- 
 mals consists, according to our present know- 
 ledge of one genus, the Galeopithecus or Flying 
 
 {a) Ibid. ■ . 
 
 (6) Mcmoire sur quelques chauve-souris d'Ameiique for- 
 mant une petite familfe sous le aom Molossus. Par le meme. 
 Ann. Mus. torn. 6. • 
 
 The character of the genus is ^' Dents, incisives a chaque 
 machoire ; le nez simple; roreillon en dehors de la con- 
 que." Ibid. p. 154. v 
 
 (c) Description des Roussettes et dcs Cephalotes. Par 
 le mcme. Ann. du Mus. torn. 15. 
 
 {d) Ibid. 
 
106 
 
 Macaucoj of which there are two species, the 
 Rufus and Variegatiis. They are found in the 
 Molucca Isles. (aj 
 
 Of the Order Planiigrada, (&) 
 
 The family of Erinacei or Hedge-hogs belongs 
 to the Plantigrade tribe. Of these there are 
 two departments^ or sub-genera, viz* the proper 
 Hedge-hogs, and the Tenrecs, (c) 
 
 1. The first are widely dispersed. The Erina- 
 ceus EuropaE'Us is found in most of the tempe- 
 rate parts of Europe and Asia. The Auritus in- 
 habits the banks of the Volga : the Inauris and 
 Malaccensis are natives of Surinam and Malacca 
 respectively. (fZ) 
 
 2. The genus Setiger orTenrec consists of three 
 species, which are peculiar to Madagascar, (e) 
 
 n. The next family is that of Sorex, of which 
 we have already mentioned the distribution. 
 
 (a) Cuvier. ubi supra. 
 
 (6) I have ventured to denominate these departments 
 orders, though it is not perhaps strictly according to the 
 principles of the system of arrangement which I follow. 
 Without such a precaution there would be too much con- 
 fusion in the number of sub-divisioiis. See Blumenbach's 
 Manuel d'histoire naturelle, 
 
 (c) Ibid. 
 
 (d) Linnaei System. Nat. 
 Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmqlin. 
 
 (e) Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
107 
 
 III, The Talpa is only one genus. Several 
 species of Moles are peculiar to North America, 
 and one to Europe and Siberia, (a) 
 
 IV. The family of Ursi is a very extensive 
 one, containing sev^en sub-genera. 
 
 1st. Of the proper Bears. 
 
 The Ursus Maritimus^ or great white Bear, 
 affords us the first example of an animal capable 
 of enduring the extreme rigour of the northern 
 climate. It wanders over all the shores of the 
 arctic seas, and is found in the most northern 
 tracts of both continents, (b) 
 
 The. species of land Bears belonging to Europe 
 and Asia are not well ascertained. M. Cuvier 
 observes that there are as many opinions as 
 writers on this subject^ but that all the European 
 Bears, of which he has been able to obtain any 
 knowledge, may be referred to two species, dif- 
 fering in form, especially in the bones of the 
 cranium, (c) 
 
 (a) Pennant Hist. Quad. 
 Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmelln. 
 
 The Talpae and Sorices were formerly inaccurately distin- 
 guished. See M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire sur les especes d« 
 genres Mygale et Musaraigne. Ann. Mus. torn. 17. 
 
 (b) Pennant, Hist. Quad. 
 Arctic Zoology. 
 
 (c) Sur les ossemens du genre de Pours qui se trouvent 
 dans cer(aines caTernes de Hongrie et d'Allemagne. Par 
 JNl. Cuvier. Ann. Mus. torn. 7. 
 
108 
 
 One of these is distinguished by a round 
 shape of the head, the forehead forming part of 
 ji curve which extends from the muzzle to the 
 occiput. To this species belong the brown 
 woolly Bears of the Alps, Switzerland, and 
 France ; the golden Bear of the Pyrenees ; the 
 velvet or silky-haired Bears of Poland ; the 
 silver Bear, and probably also the white variety 
 distinguished by Pallas.(a) 
 
 In the other species the forehead is flattened 
 and even concave, particularly in a transverse 
 direction. (&) Of this species are the black Bears 
 of Europe. 
 
 It is not certain that the old continent con- 
 tains any other species, but it is not improbable. 
 
 The American Bear approaches more nearly 
 to the black, than to tfee brown Bear of Europe, 
 but is clearly distinguished in species.(c) The 
 yellow Bear of Carolina is a variety of this, and 
 probably also the grey Bear of America, 
 
 2. Of the Badgers. 
 
 These are Ursi, having shorter legs than the 
 proper Bears, and approximating to the Mustel^ 
 in their teeth, (d) 
 
 (o) Pallas. Spicilog, Zoolog. Fascic. 14. 
 {b) Cuvier ubi supra. These two species differ in other 
 respects. See CuTicr. 
 
 (c) Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
 (d) Cuvier sur Ics Mouffettcs etle Zorille. Annales du 
 Mus. torn. 9, 
 
109 
 
 The common Badger cannot endure a Very 
 rigorous climate. It inhabits the temperate parts 
 of Europe and Asia. 
 
 The American Badger is a distinct species. 
 It is found as far northward as Hudson's Bay.(^a) 
 
 3. The Gluttons are arranged among the Ursi 
 by their feet, but they are Mustelas in the struc- 
 ture of their teeth. (&) 
 
 Ursus Guloj the Glutton of the nofth, is an 
 inhabitant of very cold climates. Accordingly 
 it is common to both continents, (c) 
 
 The Wolverene is supposed to be a variety of 
 the Glutton, (rf) It is found in North America* 
 
 The Grison ©r Grande Fouine de la Guyane 
 of BufTon, the Viverra Vittata of Gmelin, and 
 
 The Tayra or Grande Marte de la Guyane of 
 Buffon, the Mustela Barbara of Gmelin^ are also 
 plantigrade animals. They are confined to warm 
 countries^ and peculiar to America.(e) 
 
 The Ursus Mellivorus or Battel (Viverra Mel- 
 livora, Linn.) is peculiar to the Cape of Good 
 Hope.C/) 
 
 (a) Pennant, Hist. Quad. 
 Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmelin* 
 
 (b) Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
 (c) Pennant ubi supra, 
 (rf) Ibid. 
 
 (e) Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
 (/) Cuvier, tableau Elementaire. 
 
 Sparrmannj Act. Stockholm^ 1777. 
 
IID 
 
 4. The Coatis, Ursus Nasica and Nasua inha- 
 bit the warm parts of America, (a) 
 
 5. Procyones or Raccoons. 
 
 The Ursus Lotor is found in the warm parts 
 t)f North America :(&) the Cancrivorus in Cay- 
 enne, (c) 
 
 6. Kinkajous or Ursi Caudivolvuli are inhabi-^ 
 tants of the hot parts of the Western continent. 
 
 7. Ichneumons^, or Mangoustes. 
 
 The Egyptian Ichneumon is generally con- 
 sidered as a distinct species from the Indian, the 
 Mungo of Gmerm.(^) They are found respec- 
 tively in Africa and in India. 
 
 Of the Order Carnvcord. 
 
 I. The family of Mustelas are distinguished by 
 Cuvier into four departments or sub-genera, (e) \ 
 
 1st Genus. Lutras or Mustelas Palmatse, * 
 Otters. The Mustela Lutris or Sea Otter, and 
 the Lutra or common Otter, are animals of cold 
 climates. They are common to the northern 
 parts of both continents. (/) 
 
 (a) Cutler ubi supra, 
 
 {b) Pennant ubi suprak 
 
 (c) Cuvier ubi supra. j 
 
 {d) Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. | 
 
 (e) Sur les especes d'animaux carnassicrs dont on trouVe 
 
 les OS melcs a ceux des ours dans les cavernes d'Allemagne 
 
 et de Hongrie. Annales du Museunij torn. 9, 
 (/) Pennant Hist. Quad. 
 -— Arctic Zoology. 
 
Ill 
 
 The Lutreola or lesser Otter is found in Scan- 
 dinavia, Poland, and in Siberia along the banks 
 of the Yaik. (a) 
 
 It is uncertain whether the Vison or Minx of 
 North America is a distinct species, or a variety 
 of the last mentioned. (6) 
 
 The Saricovienne, and other species of Otter^ 
 are peculiar to South America, (c) 
 
 2. The Weasels and Pole-cats form another 
 subdivision of this family, which is more exten* 
 sively dispersed than the others, (fi) 
 
 The M. Erminea and Zibeliina are capable of 
 enduring intensely cold climates. These are 
 found in the northern extremities of Europe 
 and Asia, in the Kurilian islands, and in the 
 arctic regions of the New World, (ej 
 
 The M. Vulgaris or Common Weasel, the Pu^ 
 torius or Pole-cat, the Sarmatica, Sibirica, Sec, 
 inhabit temperate climates in Europe and Asia. (f) 
 The Euro or Ferrety is from Africa, and another 
 species is found in Caffraria and near the Cape, 
 to which Buffon mistaking it for an American 
 animal of the subgenus Mephitis, erroneously 
 gave the name of Zorille. (g) 
 
 (a) Ibid, et Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmelin* 
 
 (b) Penna.;it ubi supra* 
 
 (c) Ibid, and Buffon. Hist Nat. . 
 
 (d) Cuvier. ubi supra, 
 
 (e) Pennant, ubi supra. Gmelin. ubi iupra. 
 
 (f) Ibid. 
 
 (gj The animal called Zorille by Buffon, resembles th* 
 
112 
 
 5. The Martin's are another branch of Ihii 
 family, differing in some points from the fore-^ 
 going, and in others from the succeeding sub- 
 genus, (a) 
 
 The Martin proper is found in various parts 
 of Europe, and in Russia. The Foina, or Pine^ 
 Martin, takes a more extensive range through 
 the coldest countries of the north, and is accord- 
 ingly common to both continents, (b) 
 
 4. The Mephitis, Mouffettcs or American Pole- 
 cats, have been erroneously placed among the 
 Viverras. (c) They belong to the Mustelas, but 
 
 European Pole-cats in its teeth, its formj and in the struc- 
 ture of its feet. It is the most fetid of all the mustelae, 
 exceeding the Mephitis. BulTon seeing the skin of this 
 animal >vithout designation, and having no means of deter- 
 ifiining the characters of the true Mephitis, mistook it for 
 that animal, and therefore called it Zorille. Zorillo is the 
 term given by the Spaniards to the Mephitis, or American 
 Mustcla. Sparrmann discovered the Zorille in its native 
 country, near the Cape of Good Hope, and a more accurate 
 acquaintance with the department of this family, which is 
 found in the New AVorld, has enabled Cuvier to correct the 
 error of Buifon. See Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
 («) The Martins differ sensibly from the Weasels in the 
 form of the head and teeth. Cuvier. 
 
 (b) Pennant nbi supra. 
 
 (t) Gmelin ubi supra, &c. 
 
 The Mephitis have been considered as belonging to the 
 Viverrai. It is however certain that they have not the cha- 
 racters of that genns, which have been erroneously attributed 
 to them, viz, the pouch full of fetid matter, and the rough 
 tegument of the tongue. Their odour arises from little 
 
113 
 
 are a distinct braiich of them, (a) Fifteen species 
 have been enumerated by authors, but it is un- 
 certain how many may have served for foun- 
 dation to so numerous a catalogue. (6) Cuvier 
 suspects that they are all varieties of one species. 
 They are peculiar to the temperate and hot parts 
 of America. 
 
 II. Of the Viverra family^ 
 The Civet family are confined to warm cli- 
 itiates. Accordingly they are not found in any 
 instance to be common to the two continents. 
 They exist only in the warm parts of the old 
 \vorld. The Viverra Civeta is a native of Africa, 
 the Zibetha of India, (c) The Genetta is found 
 in the western parts of Asia^ and in the south of 
 Europe, (d) 
 
 glands placed similarly to those of the Pole-cats; their 
 tongue is soft, and their teeth are those of Mustelae. Cuvier. 
 
 (a) They differ from the Weasels in the form of the head, 
 and from the Martins in the structure of the teeth, and in 
 the number of the Molares, the Martin having five on each 
 side in the upper jaw, while the Mephitis has only four. 
 The latter are further distinguished by long and strong talons 
 on the fore feet, well contrived for digging (pedes fossorii.) 
 ibid. 
 
 (b) The Mapurito, Cotiepatl, Codse, Chinche, &c. are not 
 distinguished by any characters, which ascertain which of 
 them are species and which varieties ; and it is probable, as 
 Cuvier observes, that they are all variations of one species, 
 ibid. 
 
 (c) Cuvier Tableau Eleiii. Gmeliu ubi supra* 
 (rf) Gmelin ubi supra, 
 
 H 
 
114 
 
 III. Of the Fells familt/. 
 
 The most accurate enumeration of the species 
 belonging to this family, extends them to twen- 
 ty-seven or twenty-eight : of these, twenty-six 
 species are peculiar to temperate or for the most 
 part to hot countries, (a) The Lynx is found in 
 cold climates. The common Lynx is distin- 
 guished by some trifling difference of colour 
 from the Lynx of Canada, but they are con- 
 sidered as varieties of the same species. 
 
 Thus we find that one species, namely that 
 which endures the rigour of northern climates, 
 is common to both continents. The remaining 
 twenty-six are divided between America and the 
 Old Word, without any intercommunity. 
 
 IV. Of the Canisfamilij, 
 1 . Of the common dog. 
 
 It is still a matter of doubt among naturalists, 
 whether the domestic dog be a distinct species, 
 or a variety of the wolf or jackalL 
 
 The want of any osteological character which 
 might distinguish the wolf from the common 
 shepherd's dog, was leng ago remarked. Dau- 
 
 (c) The memoir on the Cat-kind, published by M. Cuvier 
 in the 16th vol. of the Annals of the Museum, contains the 
 best account of this genus, and the most accurate enumera- 
 tion of the species belonging to it, with the places wherft 
 each of them has been found, which the knowledge at present 
 obtained concerning them affords. 
 
115 
 
 benton observed it, and was hence induced to 
 believe these animals to be of the same species. 
 Curler has confirmed the fact, and is inclined 
 to adopt the opinion of his predecessor, (a) 
 
 The anatomical coincidence of the do©- and 
 jackall is said to be still more strict. Professor 
 Guildenstaedt, of Petersburg, has found them to 
 agree in some points of internal structure, in 
 which the wolf and dog differ. 
 
 If the dog be a distinct species, it probably 
 originated in Africa, for in that quarter of the 
 world it is found wild, (h) though possibly in 
 this instance it may have returned to its natural 
 state, having undergone the modifying influence 
 of domestication. 
 
 There are no wild dogs in America. 
 
 Several species of the dog kind inhabit very 
 cold climates, and are common to the northern 
 
 (a) Memoir sur les especes des animaux carnassiers dont 
 on trouve les os dans les cavernes d'Allemagne et de Hon- 
 grle. Par M. Cuvier. Ann. de Museum, torn. 9. 
 
 M. Cuvier says, that all the difference he has been able to 
 discover between the skull of the wolf and that of (he dog 
 is, that the triangular part of the forehead behind the orbits 
 is a little narrower and flatter in the former, the sagitto- 
 occipital crest longer and more raised, and the teeth, espe- 
 cially the canines, larger in proportion. But these differences 
 are much slighter than what often oecur in individuals of the 
 same species. Our author adds, that one can scarcely fail 
 to adopt the opinion of Daubenton, 
 
 {b) Pennant. Hist. Quad. 
 
 H9 
 
116 
 
 regions of Europe, Asia and America/ viz. the 
 Lagopus, Lupus, Lycaon, Vulpes. (r;) Some of 
 these are much more extensively spread than 
 others. The Lagopus or Isatis is found at Spitz- 
 bergen, through the north of Asia toKamtschatka, 
 in some of the islands between that country and 
 the shore of America, at Hudson's Bay, and in 
 Greenland. The wolf, on the other hand, is a 
 very general inhabitant of the old continent, 
 and in the new world is common from Hudson's 
 Bay to Mexico. 
 
 The Cinereo-argenteus is a species peculiar 
 to North America. 
 
 The remaining species of this genus subsist 
 only in warm and temperate climates. The 
 Mesomelas, the Hyasna, the Crocuta, and the 
 Cerdo (if this truly be a Canis) are African; the 
 Aureus, or Jackall, is found in the temperate 
 parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa; the Corsac 
 and Karagan in the south of Tartary.(Z^) The 
 Thous, Mexicanus, Virginianus, (c) and Cul- 
 -pddusi^d) are American. The Canis Antarcticus, 
 if this be not a variety of the last named, is pe- 
 culiar to the Falkland Islands, (e) 
 
 faj Pennant. Hist. Quad. Gmelin ubi supra. Shaw's 
 Zoology. 
 
 fbj Ibid. fc) Gmelin. 
 
 {(i) Molina. Historia Natural del Chili. 
 
 (d) Shaw's Zoology. M. de Bougainville's Voyage round 
 the World. 
 
117 
 
 Of the Order Pedimana. 
 This tribe has been mentioned in a former 
 page. It will be sufficient here to observe, that 
 the distribution of it is strongly in our favour. 
 One genus, consisting of nine species, is peculiar 
 to the warm parts of America ; and the other six 
 genera, including more than forty species, to 
 Australasia. 
 
 Of the Order Rodentia, 
 
 I. The family of Porcupines, except the Hys- 
 trix dorsata (a) of Canada, is confined to warm 
 climates. The remaining five species are the 
 Cristata,(6) the Prehensilis, (c) theMexicana,(6?) 
 the Macroura {e) or Iridescent, and the Brush- 
 tailed. (/) The first inhabits India, Persia, Pa- 
 lestine, the Caspian districts, Africa, and is wild 
 in Italy, but not originally a native of Europe.(g) 
 The two next are of the warm parts of America, 
 and the two last peculiar to India. 
 
 II. Of the Hare genus. 
 
 One species of Hare, viz. the Lepus Variabilis, 
 is peculiar to cold and wintry regions^^ It ex- 
 tends through the most northern countries of 
 Europe and Asia to Kamschatka, and is also com- 
 mon in Canada and in Greenland. In the latter 
 
 («) Gmelin ubi supra. {b) Ibid. (c) Ibid. 
 (</) Pennant ubi supra, (e) Linn. Syst. Nat. 
 (f) Shaw ubi supra. (g-) Pennant ubi supra% 
 
118 
 
 country it no longer varies, but remains white 
 during the whole year. 
 
 The common Hare is a very general inhabitant 
 of the old continent. Whether it existed abo- 
 riginally in the new is doubtful, (a) 
 
 The Rabbit is a native of the warm parts of 
 Europe, and is neither indigenous in the British 
 isles nor in America. (6) 
 
 Some other species of this genus are peculiar 
 to South America (c) 
 
 Three Lagomyes, or tail-less hares, are found 
 in Siberia. The Alpinus inhabits the Altaic 
 chain, a little below the region of perpetual 
 snow, beginning in the province of Koliwan 
 and extending to the extreme of Asia. The 
 Oorotonna is found to the eastward of lake Bai- 
 kal. The Pusillus inhabits the south of the Oural 
 mountains, {d) 
 
 III. The Caviae are all South American. 
 
 IV. The common Beaver is a tenant of cold 
 abodes, (e) It is found in the northern ex- 
 tremes of both continents. Another species is 
 peculiar to Chili, (f) 
 
 {a) Shaw's Zoology. 
 
 (b) Pennant. 
 
 (c) Gmelin. Molina. 
 
 (d) Cuvier sur les breches osseuses qui rcmpliscnt les 
 fentes des rochers. Ann. de Mus. torn. 13. 
 
 (e) Gmelin. 
 
 (f) Molina. 
 
119 
 
 V. The SciuruSj or Squirrel genus is divided 
 into two departments, the proper Sciuri and the 
 Pteromyes, Polatouches or Flying Squirrels, (a) 
 
 1. Of the Sciuri. 
 One species only of Squirrel seems to be com- 
 mon to the old and new world. It is the striped 
 squirrel of Shaw^, and the ground squirrel of the 
 American zoologists. This animal is a native of 
 the most northern regions of Asia^ and the colder 
 parts of North America : it has been rarely found 
 in Europe. The Sciurus Vulgaris inhabits Europe 
 and the most of Asia. The Sciurus Maximus, 
 MacrouroSj Bicolor, Anomalus, Erythraeus, Indi- 
 cus^ Persicus, Dschinschicus, are peculiar to the 
 warmer and hotter parts of Asia. The Cinereus, 
 Niger, Hudsonius, ^stuarius or Brasilian^ Varie- 
 gatus or Coquallin, Mexicanus, Degus or Chilian, 
 belong to America. The Sciurus Getulus and 
 Palmarum^ are African, (b). 
 
 2. Pteromyes. 
 The Sciurus Volans^ inhabits the North of 
 Europe ; the Hudsonius, the North of America ; 
 the Petaurista and Sagitta, the Isles of India, (c) 
 
 VI. The Cheiromys or Squirrel of Madagascar, 
 
 (a) Cuvier tableau Elementaire. 
 
 (b) Compare Gmeliiij Pennant, and Shaw. 
 (cj Ditto. 
 
120 
 
 form a separate genus peculiar to that country. 
 (a). 
 
 VII. The Mures are the most numerous family 
 in Mammalia. They are divided into nine 
 genera, Arctomys, Lemmus, Fiber, Myosurus 
 Cricetus, Spalax, Dipvis, Myoxus and Hydromys. 
 
 1. Arctomyes. Marmots. 
 One species, the Arctomys Citillus, Earless 
 Marmot or Zizel, inhabits the middle parts of 
 Europe, and the north of Russia, Kamtschatka, 
 is found in some of the intervening isles, and 
 even on the American Continent, ffi^ The 
 Marmotta, Bobac, and Gundi, are found in the 
 warm and temperate climates of the Eastern, 
 and the Monax, Empetra, Pruinosa (c)^ and 
 Maulina (d)^ in the Western Continent ; some 
 of them in the colder parts. 
 
 2. Lemmi, CampagnolSj or Field Bats, (e) 
 The Mus Arvalis and the Amphibius are found 
 in the temperate parts of both Continents. The 
 Aspalax (f), Saxatilis, Lemmus, Torquatus, 
 
 (a) Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
 (b) Pennant. Hist. Quad. Gmelin, 
 
 (c) Gmelin. 
 
 (d) Molina. 
 
 (e) Teeth furrowed like those of the CaTics, Hares, and 
 Elephant ; tails hairy, moderate in length, or short. 
 
 (f) The Aspalax belongs to this tribe, though reckoned 
 by some naturalists amop^ the Mole Rats. —Cuvier, Tableau. 
 
121 
 
 Lagiirus^ CEconomus, AUiarius, Rutilus, Gregalis, 
 Socialis;, inhabit regions of moderate extent in 
 Europe and Northern Asia, and the Maulinus 
 Cyanus, Laniger, Hudsonius, are Americans. ( aj 
 
 3. MyosurU Proper Eats, 
 The Mus Rattus, or blade rat, and the Dema- 
 netus, or Norway rat, are said to be natives of 
 India and Persia. (^) It is difficult to imagine 
 what country has the best claim to the Musculus 
 or common mouse. These animals are the most 
 jnultitudinous of all quadrupeds. By their ad- 
 herence to the habitations and migrations of the 
 human species they have found their way into 
 many countries inaccessible to other kinds. It 
 has been remarked that wherever ships go, rats 
 and mice go with them, and it may almost be 
 said that these animal^ exist wherever man ex- 
 ists. They have indeed been found in unin^ 
 habited isles, but not in any place which has not 
 in all probability been visited by men. (^) 
 
 ^fl^ Compare GmellnSyst. Nat. Avith Pennant's Hist. Quad, 
 
 fbj The generic character is, three molar teeth in each 
 jaw, slightly notched ; inferior incisiTC teeth pointed ; tail 
 long and scaly. Cuvier. 
 
 (cj Gmelin. 
 
 {dj In two desert Islands in the Pacific, tiz. Norfolk 
 Isle and another small island seen by Cook, rats were ob- 
 served at the first discovery by Europeans, But vestiges of 
 human visitants were found in both places.— Cook's last 
 Voyage. Collins's New South Wales, 
 
122 
 
 ^f The black rat was imported to South America 
 by Europeans, and now infests the whole Conti- 
 nent. The mouse is very abundant in the Blue 
 Mountains, but whether this animal existed in 
 America before its discovery by Europeans, is 
 unknown, (a) 
 
 Besides these, the Caraco, Sylvaticus, Agrarius, 
 Minu tus, Soricinus, Vagus, Betulinus, Striatus, ( & ) 
 and the Harvest mouse of Pennant, (c) are na- 
 tives of Europe or Asia, principally of the tem- 
 perate parts. The Barbarus and Pumilio are 
 African, (d) In America there are a few species 
 not well determined. The Mus Pilorides inha- 
 bits the Indian islands, and in the Antilles there 
 is a very similar animal, which is supposed by 
 some to be of the same species. These creatures 
 are not however sufficiently known to authorize 
 our determining on their diversity or identity, 
 and analogy leads us to the former. 
 
 4. Criceti. Hamsters. 
 One species of Hamster has been discovered 
 in Canada. Six or more are natives of the 
 temperate parts of Europe and Asia, {e) 
 
 laj Gmelin, Pennaut, Shaw. 
 
 (bj Gmeliii. 
 
 fcj Pennant. 
 
 fdj Gmelin. ;; 
 
 (ej GmeWa, Shaw, . . •. 
 
123 
 
 5. Spalaces. Mole-rats, 
 Two of them are found in the warm parts of 
 Russia and Siberia, and two at the Cape of Good 
 Hope, (a) 
 
 6. Dipus, Jerboas. 
 Of the six Jerboas one belongs to Canada; 
 the rest to the hot and temperate parts of the 
 Eastern Continent. (&) 
 
 7. Myoxus, Dormice. 
 The several species of Dormice inhabit woody 
 districts in the northern parts of Europe and 
 Asia, (c) 
 
 8. The Fiber, Ondatra, or Musk rat, is a Cana- 
 dian animal, {d) 
 
 9. The Hydromys is a new genus, of which 
 three species are known, viz. the Hydromys 
 Coypou of Paraguay and Chili; the Chryso- 
 gaster and Leuco-gaster, both newly discovered 
 species of Australasia, (e). 
 
 Of the Order Edentata, 
 It has been remarked above that the Myrme- 
 
 faj Compare Gmelin with Cuvier's Tableau Eleraentaire. 
 
 fb) Shaw and Gmelin. 
 
 fc) Gmelin. 
 
 (d) Cuvier, Gmelin, ubi supra, 
 
 (e) Mem. sur an nouveau genre de Mammifere, nomme 
 ITydromis, par M. Geoflfroy-Saint-Hilaire. Ann. du Mu. 
 scum, torn, 6. 
 
124 
 
 cophagae are peculiar to Ameriea. They are 
 found in the warm parts of that continent, (aj 
 
 The Manis genus, or the Scaly Ant-eaters 
 inhabit Africa (b) and perhaps also the Indian 
 isles, (c) 
 
 The Octeropus is an animal of distinct genus 
 from the Myrmecophaga. It inhabits the south 
 of Africa, (rf) 
 
 Th§ Ornithorhynchi of Australasia must be 
 placed next to the foregoing genera in th^ 
 natural arrangement. 
 
 The remaining genera of Edentata, viz. the 
 Bradypusy and Dasypus, are as before remarked, 
 found solely in iVmerica. 
 
 The Hoofed animals remain to complete the 
 catalogue of land quadrupeds. Of these the 
 order Pachydermata contains six genera ^ow 
 existing. 
 
 Of the Order Pachy-dermata. 
 I. Genus Elephas. 
 
 Two species of Elephant exist at present. 
 One of them has only been found in Africa; (^) 
 
 Cc^ CuTierubi supra. Pennant. 
 
 (b) Ibid. 
 
 (c) Histoire naturellc des Indes de Bontlns. 
 
 (d) The Octeropus is the Myrmecophaga Capensis of 
 Gmelin, erroneously placed among the Myrmecophagae, 
 ^ince it diifers from that genus in having molar teeth. 
 
 (e) " Elephant a crane arrondi, a largcs oreilles, k 
 machelicres marquees de lozanges sur leur couronnc.'*^ 
 
125 
 
 the other is not known to inhabit any country 
 westward of the Indus, (a) It extends through 
 India, the south of China, and the greater 
 Indian islands. 
 
 A third species of Elephant is found in the 
 fossil state in the northern regions of Europe, 
 Asia and America. (Z») 
 
 II Genus Rhinoceros. 
 
 Three living species of Rhinoceros are knowm 
 1st. The Bicorn Rhinoceros, with a smooth skin 
 destitute of folds, without incisive teeth. This 
 animal is peculiar to Africa, (c) 
 
 2nd. The Unicorn Rhinoceros with folds in 
 its skin and incisive teeth inhabits India, (^d) 
 
 This is certainly the Elephant of Guinea and the Cape, and 
 probably of Mozambique, and the east of Africa, but it is 
 not certain that there are no individuals of the Indian 
 species in the latter district. (Memoire sur les Elephant 
 TJvans et fossiles. par Cuvier. Aun. du Museum, torn. 8.) 
 
 (a) " Elephant a crane allonge, a front concave, s 
 petites orcilles, a machelicres marquees de rubans ondoyans." 
 ibid. 
 
 (b) ^' Eleph. a crane allonge, a front concave, a tres 
 longues alveoles des defenses, a machoire inferieure obtuse, 
 4 raachelieres plus larges, paralleles, marquees de rubans 
 plus serres." ibid. 
 
 (c) Sparrmann. Voy. au Cap. 
 
 Mem. sur les Rhinoceros fossiles. par Cuvier Ann. Mus. 
 torn. 7. 
 
 (d) Parsons. Philosoph. Transact. 42 No. 523. 
 Daubenton. Hist. Nat. 
 
 Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
me 
 
 3rd. A third species is found in Sumatra^, and 
 perhaps on the Asiatic continent^ which is bicorn, 
 but has incisores> and a smooth skin, (a) 
 
 - 4th. A fourth species is found fossil in Europe 
 and Siberia, (ft) 
 
 III. Genus Tapir, ^ff^^iuf^ y,^. n* sftsi.) ii; *^ 
 Peculiar in the living state toSolithAmerica(c) 
 
 IV. Genus Hippopotamus. 
 Found in the rivers of Africa. (^) 
 
 V. Hyrax. It is uncertain whether the Hyrax 
 of the Cape, and the Daman or Hyrax of Syria 
 are of the same species or distinct, (e) These 
 include the whole kind. 
 
 VI. Sus. The Hog tribe. 
 
 The Hog tribe presents a similar observation 
 to that which we have so often repeated. The 
 
 ' (-«; William Bell. Philos. Transact. 1795. 
 ** Cavier ibid. 
 
 fb) Pallas. Commentarii de Academiie Imperialls d« 
 Petropolitanre. torn. 13 et 17. 
 Cuvier. ubi supra. 
 
 (c) Two fossil species of Tapir have been found in 
 Europe. Cuvier. Ann. du Mus. toni, 3. 
 
 Cd) Mr. Marsden says that the Hippopotamus is found 
 in Sumatra, but it is not known whether the animal which 
 he thus denominated was accurately named, and still less 
 whether it was the same species as the African. M. Cuvier 
 conjectures that it may be the same animal which Neuhof 
 described as inhabiting Java under the name of Sukotyro. 
 Cuvier sur l*Hippopotame. Ann. Mus. tom. 4. 
 
 (e) Cuvier inclines to the latter opinion. Dcscript. 
 Obteologique du Daman. Ann. Mus. tom. 3. 
 
127 
 
 whole genus is confined to warm and temperate 
 climateS;, and therefore each species appropriated 
 to either continent. The wild boar wanders 
 further towards the north than any of his con- 
 geners. He is found in various parts of Europe, 
 but has never been seen to the northward of 
 the Baltic or in the British isles, (a) The warm 
 parts of America seem to be highly congenial 
 to this race, for the domesticated hogs have 
 run wild there, and have greatly multiplied. 
 
 Of the Order llurninantia. 
 
 I. Camelus. 
 
 The proper Camel is confined to a limited 
 ibode in Asia, and Africa. 
 
 Several species of Llamas are peculiar to 
 South America. 
 
 II. Moschus. This genus like the former is 
 only found in warm climates. Five species 
 belong to the hot parts of the old world, and 
 one to South America. (&) 
 
 III. Cervus. 
 
 Two species of Cervus belong to very cold 
 climates. These are common to both continents. 
 The Alces, Elk or Moose-deer is found in Sweden, 
 Norway, the Siberian forests, and in Canada. 
 The Tarandus or Rein deer takes a still more 
 
 (a) Pennant, &c. 
 (6) Gmelio, &c. 
 
128 
 
 northern range. It inhabits Lapland^ and the 
 coast of the frozen ocean to Kamtschatka. In 
 America it is found in Greenland and Canada. 
 
 The Elaphus:, Stag or Red deer is spread 
 through most parts of Europe, and inhabits the 
 Siberian forests. It is not found in Kamtschatka, 
 that country being destitute of wood. 
 
 Some naturalists suppose the European Stag 
 and the American to be the same species. They 
 differ however in their horns, which are simply 
 forked in the American, and with antlers pal- 
 mated in a crown in the European. M. Cuviei* 
 is inclined to consider them as distinct species.fa) 
 
 The more southerly species of Cervi are dis- 
 tributed distinctively to the two continents. In 
 the temperate or hot parts of the old world we 
 find the Dama or Fallow deer, the Pygargus, 
 Axis, Porcinus, Guineensis, Muntjac (6) and 
 Capreolus, (c) which last however wanders as 
 far toward the north as Norway. In the warmer 
 districts of America we have the Virginian and 
 Mexican, (e) of Pennant ; and some other species 
 
 (a) Mcmoire siir Ics os fossilcs de Ruminaus trouvcs dafti 
 Ics terrains meubles. par. M. Cuyier. 
 Ann. du Museum, torn* 12. 
 (^) Gmelin* 
 
 (c) Shaw, &c. 
 
 (d) Probably the ChcTreuil d'Amlrjquc of Daubcnt&rt* 
 Hist. Nat. torn. 6. 
 
 (e) CuTier ubi supra. 
 
129 
 
 both With and without antlers mentioned by 
 Azzara. 
 
 The Camelo-pardalis, Antilopes^ and Capras 
 belong to warn! climates and are peculiar to the 
 old continent. 
 
 VII. Ovis. 
 
 One species of sheep is spread over the old 
 continent in a state of domestication, (a) In 
 its natural condition it is confined to temperate 
 climates. Two species are said to have been 
 found in America, viz. the Pudu of Chili^ (/?) 
 and a new animal of North America, (c) 
 
 VIII. Bos. 
 
 Of the ox kind orie species is supposed to be 
 common to the two continents. The Aurochs 
 or Urus was formerly numerous through the 
 north of Europe. It is still found in Poland and 
 Lithuania^ about Mount Caucausus fdtj and in 
 other parts of Asia, but not in Siberia or Kam- 
 tschatka. The wild oxen of America are believed 
 to be a variety of this species, but this point has 
 not been fully ascertained by anatomical com- 
 parison, (e) The latter abound in Canada, and in 
 the country 600 miles west of Hudson's Bay (/) 
 
 (a) Pallas. Spicileg. Zoolog. de Argali. 
 (6) Molina ubi supra. 
 
 (c) M. E. Geoffroy. Ann. du Museum, torn. 2. 
 
 (d) Pennant's Ilist. Quad. Arctic Zool. 
 
 (e) Cuvier sur les os fossiles de Rmuinans. Ana Mus_ 
 torn, 12. (f) Pennant* 
 
 I 
 
130 
 
 The Mush ox is now proper to Canada, but it 
 appears to have been once common to the two 
 continents. Skulls have been found in the beds 
 of the Siberian rivers, which Pennant,(a) Pallas, 
 and Cuvier (&) refer to this species. 
 
 The remaining species are peculiar to hot 
 climates, and to the old continent. The Bos 
 Ami, the primitive stock whence the domestic 
 buffaloes originated, (^c) is Indian, the B. Grun- 
 niens or Yak Tartarian, and the Cape ox African. 
 
 Of the Order Solipeda. 
 All the horse kind are animals of warm climates, 
 and none is found in America except the cloven- 
 hoofed species mentioned by Molina, (d) 
 
 Of the amphihions Mammalia. 
 The history of the amphibious races, as it 
 may be collected from zoological writers, is very 
 much at Variance with the conclusions which 
 we draw from surveying the abodes and dis- 
 persion of the proper land quadrupeds. Several 
 tribes of Phocas are said to be cosmopolites, or 
 to be found equally on all the shores of the 
 pceaii. Such is the account given of the Phoca 
 
 (a) Pennant ubi supra. 
 
 (b) Curier ubi supra. 
 
 (c) Cufier ubi supra. 
 
 (d) If this species properly belong to the genus, ths 
 designation of the order is obviously impjoper. 
 
131 
 
 lJrsIna> and we have still more astonishing re- 
 lations concerning the Vitulina, which is said 
 not only to be universal in the salt sea^ but 
 having undergone some singular change in its 
 nature^ to have become fitted for an abode in 
 fresh-water lakes, such as those of Baikal, Ladoga^ 
 Onega. Various conjectures have been formed 
 in order to invent some probable means by 
 which these animals might penetrate into such 
 recesses. Subteraneous syphons have been sup- 
 posed to exist, communicating between the 
 Euxine and Caspian, (aj and although the Seal 
 is obliged in the sea to rise perpetually to the 
 surface for respiration, it has been supposed 
 possible for it to traverse some hundreds of 
 leagues through the depths of the earth. 
 
 But the truth is that these anomalous relations 
 are founded on the inaccuracy of travellers, 
 and ill-informed reporters. M.M. Peron and 
 Lesueur, who have enjoyed rare opportunities 
 of investigating the natural history of these 
 tribes in the most distant regions, assure us that 
 under the name of Phoca Ursina more than 
 twenty species are included differing not only 
 in form, in the position of the fins, &c., but 
 even in the number of teeth, and in the presence 
 or absence of ears, (b) The same authors observe 
 
 (a) Zimmermann. Zool. Geograph. p. 148. 
 (6) Notice sur I' habitation des Phoquesj par M.M. P^ron 
 ct Lesucur. Ann. du Mus. torn. 15. 
 
 13 
 
132 
 
 that no less confusion prevails with respect i(^ 
 other species of Phocse. The specific identity 
 of the animals which pass under the common 
 name of Phoca Vitulina rests on the most ques- 
 tionable authority, and it is certain that tribes^ 
 quite distinct have been described as Sea Lions, 
 and have been put down as forming the single 
 species of Leonina. 
 
 Wherever an opportunity has occurred of 
 comparing accurately the characters of the ani- 
 mals so improbably associated, they have been 
 found to be clearly distinguished. Probably 
 the time is not far distant when this branch of 
 zoology shall be explored, and when the Phocse 
 shall be found to have, like all other quadrupeds,, 
 certain appropriate abodes. Such has been the 
 result of inquiry as far as it has extended. No 
 species accurately known is common to the 
 arctic and antarctic regions. 
 
 The Trichecus Rosmarus or Walru*s, which 
 has been most absurdly connected with the 
 Mahati, is much more allied to the PhocaD.(a) 
 The Walrus inhabits the arctic shores of both 
 continents. (Z>) 
 
 (a) Cuvier sur Tosteologie dii Lamanthij Szc, Anm die 
 Museum, torn 13, 
 
 (b) The Indian Walrus of Pennant is the Dugong. 
 That excellent naturalist was imperfectly acquainted with- 
 
 ■ this animal* Sec Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
133 
 
 A second department of the amphibious Mam-. 
 malia approach more to the Cetacea. (a) Of 
 these there are three genera, theManati^ Dugong, 
 and the animal described by Steller. Two 
 species of Manati are found respectively in the 
 rivers of South America and in those of Guinea. 
 The Dugong abounds in the Indian and Austral 
 Seas^ and the animal of Steller in the northerly 
 parts of the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 This enumeration^ although defective in many 
 respects^ appears to establish the fact in question. 
 Many species of animals in both continents are 
 very imperfectly known, and this circumstance 
 necessarily introduces a degree of doubt into our 
 conclusions, but as far as accurate knowledge 
 extends, the opinion of Buffon and his followers 
 seems to be well-founded. It does not appear 
 that any one animal was originally common to 
 the warm parts of the Old and New World, 
 Scarcely any European species is aboriginal in 
 America, which is not a native of the countries 
 northward of the Baltic in one division of the 
 earth, and of Canada in the other. No Asiatic 
 species re-appear on the Western Continent, ex- 
 cept such as are found in the northern parts of 
 the Russian Empire. Most of these exist in the 
 districts of Asia which approximate to America, 
 
 (rt) Cuvier ubi supra. 
 
134 
 
 and some tribes which are now extinct in thos<5 
 tracts, have left proofs of their former abode 
 there in their fossil remains : a considerable 
 number are even traced through the intervening 
 islands. Again, scarcely any animal has an 
 extensive range in the northern regions of either 
 continent, which is not common to both of them. 
 Fiom all these considerations we draw a highly 
 probable inference, that the tribes in question 
 derive their extension through the two con- 
 tinents from a communication in some mani^er 
 effected. And the only manner, by which w^ 
 can account for such intercourse, is by sup- 
 posing that the opposite points of Asia a^4 
 America were formerly joined. («) 
 
 (a) It is possible that some animals may have been carrfed 
 across the streight on drift ice. Arctic bears and foxes ar^ 
 continually found floating on ice-islands in the northern 
 seas. Bears are thus brought every year to Iqcland at the 
 breaking up of the wintry frosts. It is said also that wolves 
 resort in immense droves to islands of ice, in order to prey 
 on young seals, which they catch asleep, and that they are 
 often heard howling dreadfully at sea, having been carried 
 away by the detachmeat of the ice to a great distance from 
 the land. In this manner some animals might be communi- 
 cated from one land to another, but such accidents are not 
 sufficient to account for the extent and generality of the 
 interchange in the present instance. The two continents 
 are so near together in one direction, that both may be seen 
 from one interpiediiite point, and the sea is often entirely 
 frozen over between them. This might afford a greater 
 facility. But on the whole, when we advert to the changes 
 which the superficial strata of the globe have underggncj 
 
1$3 
 
 Therefore if we except those species whlck 
 appear to have been rendered common by so,me 
 interchange^ the whole stocks of mammiferous 
 animals found respectively in the two great 
 Continents are peculiar to either of them. 
 
 Similar facts are observed in reviewing the 
 Zoological circumstances of other countries se^ 
 parated at remote distances from the rest of the 
 world. The islands and continents situated in 
 the great southern ocean afford some striking 
 examples of this kind. 
 
 The Indian isles, even those which are at no 
 great distance from New Guinea^ abound with 
 Oxen, Buffaloes, Goats, Deer, Hogs, Cogs, Cats 
 and Rats. In New Guinea however none of 
 these (a) quadrupeds are found except the Hog 
 and the Dog. 
 
 The Hogs of New Guinea are of the Chinese 
 variety, and were probably brought from the 
 
 and consider that many channels have undoubtedly been 
 found which separate lands formerly united ; and when we 
 take into the account that similar zoological phaenomeaa to 
 those, which we have been contemplating are found in many 
 parts of the world where the sea can never afford a passage 
 by its congelation, we are much inclined to resort to the 
 hypothesis above adopted. 
 
 (a) According to Captain Forrest there are not even rats 
 on the main land of New Guinea : at least there where none 
 ;it the places where he landed. If this be the case 
 generally, it is a remarkable fact, since this animal is found 
 In most of the adjacent countries, and has been dispersed 
 ih rough the n^ost remote islands of the Pacific, 
 
136 
 
 Indian isles. This animal is in chief request 
 among savage nations in general, on account of 
 its prolific nature, and usefulness for food. It 
 has run wild in New Guinea. The Papua race, 
 or tribes very nearly connected with them, 
 furnished population to the islands of the eastern 
 ocean, and they have carried the hog with them 
 into many of their settlements. It has been 
 conveyed to the New Hebrides, Society isles. 
 Friendly isles, Marquesas, but is still wanting in 
 the islands further eastward, and even in New 
 Caledonia a little to the south. 
 
 Dogs also have arrived in New Guinea, pro^ 
 bably with the first colonists. They have been 
 communicated thence to many of the clusters of 
 islands in the Pacific, though somewhat in a 
 different direction from the Hogs. We trace 
 them through the New Hebrides to the Feejee 
 islands, to New Caledonia, New Zealand; thence 
 to the Society isles, following the track of human 
 colonists, and to the Sandwich islands. (<?) 
 
 Rats also exist in most of the islands of this 
 
 (a) It is curious that Ihongh the Friendly isles are 
 separated from the Fcejce islands by a very short space, na 
 dogs are to be found in the former. The natives of the 
 Friendly and Feejee islands have but recently discovered 
 each other, and are now beginning to have communication, 
 This circumstance accounts for the fact stated above, and 
 confirms the idea, of which indeed there can be no donbt, 
 that the quadrupeds which are scattered through the islands 
 of the Pacific, ewe their dispersion to their connexion with 
 man, whose migrations they have accompanied. 
 
137 
 
 Ocean. These, if not communicated through 
 New Guinea^ -svere probably introduced into 
 the isles by the ships of Europeans, 
 
 These three animals, together with some pe^^ 
 culiar Bats, from the whole catalogue of mam-p 
 miferous land quadrupeds, which are found 
 scattered through the numerous islands of the 
 Great Southern Ocean. 
 
 New Holland probably derived its stock of 
 dogs from New Guinea. («) The dog of New 
 South Wales somewhat resembles that of the 
 Papuas. Probably this animal has run wild since 
 its introduction into New Holland, and the race 
 now found with the natives of that country, is 
 but half domesticated. 
 
 With the exception of the dog thus communi- 
 cated from without, the whole stock of Australa- 
 sian quadrupeds, as yet discovered, (&) is peculiar 
 and strikingly different from any thing known 
 In other parts of the earth. The whole number 
 consists of about 40 species belonging to the 
 
 (a) That the natives of these countries have had much 
 intercourse, or rather that they are branches of one nation, 
 is evident from various circumstances which will be men- 
 tioned in the following pages. — See Hist, of S° Sea Islanders^ 
 
 (b) It appears however that some animals exist in this 
 country which are yet unknown to us. M, Labillardiere 
 mentions that he saw the impressions of a large cloven hoof 
 on the shore in a desert part of New Holland, and that he 
 found a spinal vertebra, four inches in diameter, in the 
 woods of Van Dicmen's Land.— Voy. a la recherche de la 
 rerouse. 
 
ISS 
 
 iix marsupial genera above mentioned, of three 
 animals of the family of OrnithorhynchuS;, which 
 may probably be found hereafter to be a more 
 considerable tribe of some, indigenous species of 
 Pteropus, and of two species of Hydromys, one 
 other animal of the same genus being found in 
 America. 
 
 It is then sufficiently evident in general that 
 each insulated region had originally a separate 
 stock of animals ; (a) no species being common 
 
 (a) It may appear to some persons on a snpcrficial view, 
 tliat tbis position is at variance with the Mosaic record of 
 the universal delage, according to which all the animals 
 on the earth were collected together in one spot. But this 
 event being altogether miraculous and out of the course of 
 naturcj we are not to expect- that the circumstances and 
 consequences of it should follow in natural connexion. 
 The collecting of animals from all distant parts of the world 
 into one point, was a work as miraculous as the deluge 
 itself, The miracle, or the suspension of natural laws, must 
 have been maintained as long as beings of such opposite 
 characters continued in one place ; for it is obvious that 
 withottt a total subversion of the peculiar nature of every 
 ipecieSj scarcely any of them could exist in such circum- 
 stances. If the miracle had terminated here, and on the 
 subsiding of the waters of the flood, the individual nature 
 of each animal had been restored to it, together with its 
 peculiar wants and power of subsisting only in certain 
 rituationsjand if all animals including beasts of prey, had been 
 then set at large in one country, without doubt most of them 
 must have perished, and the design of the miracle would 
 have been frustrated. But they certainly were conveyed 
 by the same supernatural means which had collected them, 
 into their former abodos, or into those situations for \vhicH 
 
139 
 
 to several countries so divided, except such as 
 have been in all probability transferred from one 
 to the other. Hence we infer that each kind 
 exists only in places accessible to it from one 
 primary centre of dispersion. 
 
 Besides the principal fact which has conducted 
 us to this inference^ we may remark, on review- 
 ing the foregoing enumeration of genera and 
 species, many circumstances tending to confirm 
 the same general conclusion. Of the animals 
 which inhabit either of the two great Continents, 
 some are more widely scattered, but the greater 
 number exist only in a contracted sphere, not 
 being disposed by their habits to extensive mi- 
 gration. Some species prevail through limited 
 districts of Africa, some in India, othei-s in 
 different regions, very few being common to 
 similar climates and situations in distant parts 
 of the same great continent, which are not also 
 discovered more or less frequently in the inter- 
 vening countries. 
 
 A curious and extensive question here arises, 
 how islands in general became supplied with land 
 animals. It seems difficult to account for the 
 
 their structure was originally contrived. Any other ac. 
 count of this event is inconsistent with the wisdom of Pro- 
 vidence, and if we adopt the above necessary hypothesis, 
 we shall find no diflBculty in receiving the doctrine sup- 
 ported in the text, which is certainly established ou well 
 authenticated facts. 
 
140 . 
 
 introduction of wild quadrupeds into islands^ 
 and the difficulty seems to afford an argument 
 for the distinct creation of many stocks in each 
 kind. 
 
 On this subject we shall make two remarks : 
 Firsts That islands situated at great distances 
 from continents, though many of them are abun- 
 dant in vegetable productions, are in general 
 altogether destitute of land quadrupeds, except 
 such as appear to have been conveyed to them 
 by men. Thus in distant uninhabited islands 
 we find no animals of this description, as in 
 Kerguelen's Land, in Juan Fernandez, in the 
 Gallapagos and the feies de Lobos : or if any 
 quadrupeds are seen in such places^ they. are 
 animals which appear to be of distinct species, 
 and are found in no other part of the world : 
 as in the Falkland Islands there is only one 
 species of quadruped, which is of the dog kind, 
 and is peculiar to those solitary abodes. AncJ 
 in islands which are inhabited, but situated at 
 remote distances in the ocean, w^hatever quadru- 
 peds are found, are small, and such as evidently 
 appear to have been carried thither. This we 
 have seen to be the case with the species found 
 in the islands scattered through the South Sea. 
 
 If the opinion we are contending against were 
 true, it seems probable enough, that we should 
 .find many of these islands which are wonderfully 
 
141 
 
 luxuriant in vegetation^ abounding with cattle 
 and other large quadrupeds equally with the 
 continents. 
 
 We may observe Secondly, that the quad- 
 rupeds found on islands which are situated near 
 to continents, always form a part of the stock of 
 animals belonging to the nearest main land. 
 This is the case with the animals of the British 
 Isles, of the Mediterranean Isles, o f Madagascar, 
 and the East and West Indian Islands. If any 
 quadrupeds are found in some of these places, 
 which do not inhabit the adjacent continents, 
 they are peculiar to the islands respectively, 
 being distinct species found in no other spot, 
 and such as appear always to have had a confined 
 and local existence. 
 
 From these considerations we are led to 
 infer as highly probable, that islands in general 
 derived the stock of quadrupeds which are found 
 in them, from the continents adjacent to them, 
 unless where the former have been the seat of 
 a particular creation. 
 
 In order to account for the communication 
 between islands and continents, we must have 
 recourse to the changes which w^e have reason 
 to believe the surface of the earth to have un- 
 dergone in different ages. When Geology shall 
 have assumed the character of a science, it may 
 assist in illustrating some obscure points in the 
 Zoological history of the world ; and animal 
 
142 
 
 s 
 
 Tapogl-aphy, as was observed by the first write^ 
 "who expressly undertook the investigation of 
 it, may in return aid the Geologist in ascertain- 
 ing the former connexions of countries now 
 disjoined, (a) 
 
 We have reason to believe that many islands 
 iiow separated from continents by narrow 
 jstreights, were formerly connected. The cor- 
 respondence of strata on opposite shores, e- 
 \inces in various instances, that such was the 
 primitive condition of these places, and that they 
 acquired their insular state by some violent dis- 
 ruption. This has been particularly observed 
 of the approaching coast of Britain and France. 
 Traditions have been preserved in many ex- 
 amples of such events having taken place, as 
 in those of Sicily, Cyprus, Eubasa, &c. (&) 
 
 (a) Zimmermann. — Geograph. Zoologlca. 
 
 {b) Clarae jampridcm insulse, Delos et RhodoS itiemoriae 
 produntur enatas. Postea minores, ultra Melon Anafphv^ ; 
 inter Leranum €t Hellespontum, Nea ; inter Lebcdum et 
 Leon^ Ilalone ; inter Cycladas Thera et Therasia, &c, 
 
 Namque et hoc modo insulas rerum natura fecit. Avellit 
 Siciliam Italia? ; Cyprurn Syriae ; Euboeum Bceotiae ; Euboeae 
 Atalantera et Maerin; Besbycum Bithynieae; Leucocosialn 
 Sirenum promontorio. — Pliaii. Hist. Nat. 2. 
 
 Several traditions of this sort are mentioned by the ancient 
 writers, and must occur to the memory of every classical 
 r<?ader. Ovid reports some examples of the kind. 
 
 " Sic toties versa es Fortuna locorum, 
 
 Vidi ego quod fuerat quondam soHdissima tellua 
 Esse fretum ; vidi factas ex xquore terras. 
 
143 
 
 A fact of considerable weight, and of the same 
 general tendency with those which we have been 
 considering, is found in the comparison of the 
 arctic and antarctic regions. If species of ani- 
 mals were produced every where according to 
 the agreement of climates with their natures, 
 without reference to stocks or to the possibility 
 of migration from one quarter to another, we 
 should find the same quadrupeds in the tracts 
 
 r Fluctibus ambitas fuerant Antissa Pharosque, 
 Et PhcEnissa Tyros, quarum nunc insula nulla est. 
 Leucada continuum veteres habuere coloni, 
 Nunc freta circueunt. Zancle quoque juncta fuis«e 
 Dicitur ftaliae, donee confinia pontus 
 Abstulit, et media t^Uurem reppulit unda. 
 Si qu^eras Helicen et Burin Achaidas urbes, 
 Invenies sub aquis, et adhuc ostendere nautae 
 Inclinata solent cum maenibus oppida mersis."— Metaph. 15. 261. 
 
 And Virgil also mentions the current tradition of the origiw 
 
 of the Sicilian Straight. 
 
 <* Hxc loca vi quondam et vasta convolsa ruin* 
 (Tantum avi longinqua valet mutare vetustas) 
 Dissiluisse ferunt, cum protenus utraque tellus 
 Una foret ; venit medio vi pontus et undis 
 Hesperium Siculo latus abscidit, arvaq ; et urbes 
 Littose diductas angusto interluit »stu." — ^n. 3. 415. 
 
 Also Valerius Flaccus alludes to it, Argonaut. 1. 500, 
 
 *' cum flens Siculos CEnotria fines 
 
 Perderet £t mediis intrareot montibus undse." 
 
 It might be supposed that these islands acquired their 
 iovm before they became the scat of animate beings. A 
 proof that this was not the case is afforded by the fact, that 
 quadrupeds of the greatest bulk, as Elephants, have beeui 
 found fossil in islands of so small extent, that such aa 
 -animal could scarcely subsist in them for a single week. 
 (Fortis. Mem. pour I'Hist. Nat. d'Ttalie. — Cuvier. sur Ici 
 Blephans f^ssiitts. Anoales de Museum, torn. S.) 
 
144 
 
 encitding the two poles. But it is Ivoftfrj^ 
 of observation that not one of ihe numerous 
 tribes which inhabit the inclement districts 6f 
 the north, and are unable to bear a passage 
 through the warm arid torrid zones is found to 
 exist in the antarctic regions, (a) 
 
 («) This remark is riot only true ^i/ith respect ta flief 
 land animals, but has a more extensive application to the 
 maritime tribes. M. M. Perou and Lesueiir observe that 
 there is not a single animal of the northern ocean, the spe- 
 cific characters of which are well knowii, that is also found 
 in the antarctic seas. The species which most nearly re^ 
 scmble in these two opposite regions are yet clearly distin- 
 guished, and this is the ease not more remarkably among 
 the tribes of complex structure, than with those genera, 
 which having a more simple organization, seem to admit of 
 less variety in their nature. " Qu'on examine" say the 
 above merltioned Naturalists, '* nous ne disons pas les 
 Doris, les Aplysies, les Salpas, les Nereides, les Amphino- 
 mes, les Amphitrites, et cette foule de IMollusques et de Vers, 
 qui se sont successivement ofFerts a notre observation; qu'on 
 descende jusqu' aux Holotruies, aux Actinies, aux Berocs^ 
 aux Meduses ; qu'on s'abaissc meme si Ton veut, jusqu' a 
 ces eponges informes, que tout le monde s'accorde a re- 
 garder corame le dernier termc de la degradation ou plu- 
 tot de la simplicife de Torganisation animale ; dans cette 
 multitude pour ainsi dire effrayante d'animaux antarctiques^ 
 on verra qu' il n'est pas un seul, qui sc retrouve dans les 
 mers boreales." 
 
 Moreover the maritime animals which possess Uttle power 
 of self-extension prevail within narrow bounds in their res- 
 pective latitudes. The numerous animals which compos 
 the family of Medusae are evidently confined to a very 
 limited extent. Each species is found in particular district? 
 in astonishing abundance, and is seen in no other pl«ce.r 
 
145 
 
 Many more arguments of similar effect might 
 he collected from an accurate scrutiny of zoolo- 
 gical history. We find, as M. Cuvier observes, 
 in many parts of the earth species which seem 
 to be confined to the primary seats of their exist- 
 ence by seas which they have not been able to 
 swim through or to fly over; or by tempera- 
 tures which they cannot endure, or by tracts of 
 mountains which they have been unable to pass. 
 
 On the whole it appears that it has not been 
 the; scheme of Nature to cover disrtant parts ojf 
 the earth with many animals of every kind tfl 
 once, but that a single stock of each species wa^ 
 first produced, which was left to extend itself> 
 according as facilities of migration lay open to 
 it, or to ^nd a passage by various accidents into 
 CGuntri-es removed at greater or less distances 
 from the original point of propagation. 
 
 ( Histoif c da tous leg animaiix qui compos^nt k familte (fes 
 M^diises par M. M. Peron et Lesueur. Ann. du Museum, 
 torn. 14.) The multitudes of testacea, which adorn the 
 shores of the Austral seas obey the same law. The Hallotis 
 gigaritea and the Phasianellae- which are so abundaiit on cer- 
 tain spots off the coast of Van Diemen's Laftd, that one 
 might load a vessel with them, decrease towards the west, 
 are scarcely found at the land of Nuytz, and at King 
 George's Sound no longer exist. The shores of Timor pre- 
 prcsent anni iinmense multitude o^f Variouis and beautiful tes* 
 tacea. Not one of these extends so far as the southern 
 coast of New Holland. (M. M. Peron & Lesueur sur les 
 habitations des animaux Marins. AnOales du Museum, 
 toin. Ifv) 
 
 K 
 
146 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 - HOLDING therefore the primary productioi^ 
 of one family in each kind to be the general 
 law according to which Providence has ordained 
 the animal creation, we shall proceed to con- 
 sider some of the facts which relate to the mi- 
 grations of Man into, distant countries, and to 
 inquire whether any obstacles of considerable 
 moment prevent our applying the general in- 
 ference, which we have drawn above, to the 
 particular instance of our own species. 
 . The numerous islands which are scattered over 
 the Pacific ocean are inhabited by barbarous 
 people, who have a very imperfect navigation, 
 and seldom venture purposely out pf sight of 
 their own shores, having no vessels but canoes 
 of rude construction, which are very unfit for 
 making long voyages. Moreover the natives of 
 many of these insular countries have no know- 
 ledge of any land beyond their own clusters of 
 islands. If but few opportunities had occurred 
 fo Europeans of becoming acquainted with the 
 nations of the South Sea, it would be thought 
 very difficult to account for the population of 
 these islands, and this might be deemed an ar- 
 gument of great weight in favour of the notion 
 bf indigenous races. Accurate observations how- 
 
147 
 
 ever on the manners and languages of these peo- 
 ple have put it beyond doubt that they are all 
 of one stock. The languages of the New Zea* 
 landers, the natives of the Society islands^ and 
 the Sandwich isles, so nearly resemble some of 
 the dialects spoken in the Indian seas, and in the 
 neighbourhood of New Guinea, that individuals 
 from these various quarters mutually understand 
 each other. We are even informed on good 
 authority that there is a marked, and even in 
 some instances a close affinity, between the lan» 
 guages spoken in Madagascar and in Easter 
 Island. The latter is about 34 degrees distant 
 from the coast of Peru, and seems to be the 
 most remote settlement to which this widely 
 scattered nation has reached. All the islands 
 which are situated more distantly in the Pacific 
 ocean are uninhabited. 
 
 A curious incident occured in the last voyage 
 of our celebrated navigator Cook, which serves 
 to explain as that sensible writer has observed, 
 better than a thousand conjectures, how detached 
 parts of the earth, especially those which lie far 
 remote in the ocean, may have been first peo- 
 pled. On this voyage Captain Cook was accom- 
 panied by Omai, a native of one of the Society 
 isles, who had been brought to England. The 
 circumstance alluded to occurred at the disco- 
 very of the island Wateeoo. We shall insert the 
 author's own account of it. '' Scarcely had he 
 Kg 
 
148 
 
 (Omai) been landed upon the beach whcjrt he 
 found among the crowd there assembled, three 
 of his own countrymen, natives of the Society 
 isles. At the distance of about 200 leagues 
 from these islands, an immense unknown ocean 
 intervening, with such wretched sea boats as 
 their inhabitants arcj known to make use 6f;, and 
 fit only for a passage where sight of land is 
 scarcely ever lost, such a meeting at such a 
 plac^ so accidentia visited by us may well be 
 looked upon as one of those Unexpected situa- 
 t.ions> with which the writers of feigned adven- 
 tures love to surprise their readei*s, and which 
 when they really happen in common life de- 
 serve to be recorded for their singularity," 
 
 '' It may well be guessed with what mutual 
 surprize and satisfaction Omai and his country- 
 men engaged in cenvei'sation. Their story as 
 related by them is an affecting one. About 
 twenty persons in number of both sexes had 
 embarked on board a canoe at Otaheite, to cross 
 QV^r to the neighbouring island Ulietea. A 
 violent contrary wind arising, they could nei- 
 ther reach the latter, nor get back to the for- 
 mer. Their intended passage being a very short 
 ©ne, their stock of provisions was scanty and 
 ^on exhausted. The hardships they suifered 
 while driven along by the storm they knew not 
 \jy!hither, are not to be coiK:eived. They passed 
 many days without having any thing to eat or 
 
149 
 
 drink. Their numbers gradually diminished^ 
 worn out by famine and fatigue. Four men 
 only survived when the canoe overset, and then 
 the perdition of this small remnant seemed in- 
 evitable. However they kept hanging by the 
 side of their vessel during some of the last days, 
 till Providence brought them in sight of the 
 people of this island, who immediately sent out 
 canoes, took them off the wreck, and brought 
 them ashore. Of the four who were thus saved 
 one was since dead/' (rt) 
 
 An instance perhaps still more extraordinary 
 is related in the Lettres ^difiantes & curieuses, 
 of the arrival of 30 persons of both sexes in 2 
 canoes in the isle of Samal, one of the Phil- 
 lipines. These people had been driven by 
 storms from an island at 300 leagues disljance, 
 aji)d had been at sea 70 days. (6) Similar acci- 
 
 ' (a) Cbok's Voyages. 
 
 (b) Lettres etliliantes et curieuses ecrites des Missiones 
 etrangeres. torn 15. As this relation is very curious, and 
 the work which contains it not generally accessible, I shall 
 insert the most remarkable part of it " Nous arrivames" 
 say the missionaries, '^ a Pile de Samal, la derniere et la 
 plus meridionale ile des Pintados orientaux. Nous y trou- 
 Tames 29 Palaos ou habitans de ces lies nouveliement de- 
 couvertes. Les vents d'Est, qui regneant sur ces mers depuis 
 le mois do Decembre jusqu'au mois deMai, les avoient jettes 
 a ti-ois cens lieues de leurs Ues, dans cette bourgado de Pile 
 de Samal. lis etaient T^nus sur deux petits vaisseaux. 
 Voici comme ils racontent Ireur avanturc. 
 
 lis s^6ta,ient embarques au norabre de 35 porsonnes pour 
 passer a une ije voisine, lorsqu'U s'«lbva un v^nt si violent, 
 
150 
 
 dents are probably not uncommon in these seas, 
 and we may thus account for many curious facts. 
 i It may thus have happened that the Sandwich 
 islands derived their stock of inhabitants from 
 New Zealand. This fact appears to be clearly 
 proved by the observations of Captain Cook and 
 his companions on his last voyage. 
 
 We have an instance of the migration of a 
 race of savages still more surprising than those 
 above related, since the inclemencies of climate 
 were in the latter case added to other difficulties. 
 
 The coast of Greenland is said to have been 
 discovered by one Gunbiaern, who sailed from 
 Iceland. The first colony which settled in the 
 latter country was led thither by Thorwald, a 
 Norwegian chieftain, who fled on account of a 
 murder he had committed. His son Eric^ the 
 red headed, having perpetrated a similar crime, 
 was expelled from the Ultime Thule, and forced 
 to seek refuge in some more distant region. 
 
 que ne pouvant gagner Pile ou ils youlaient aller, nl aucune 
 autre du voisinage, ils fureat cmportcs en haute mer. Us 
 firent plusieurs efforts pour abordcr a quelque rivage, ou a 
 quelque ile de leur connaissance ; mais ce fut inutilemeut. 
 Us voguerent ainsi au gre des vents pendant 70 jours sans 
 pouvoir prendre terre. Enfin perdants toute esperance de 
 retourner en leur pays, et se voyant k demi morts de faim 
 «ans eau et sans vivres, ils resolurent de s'abandonner a la 
 merci des vents, et d'aborder a la premiere ile, qu'ils trou- 
 ▼eraient du cote d'occident. A peine curent ils pris cettc 
 resolution qu'ils se trouverent a la vue de Tile de Samal, &c.** 
 " De 35 qu'ils etaieut d'abord, il n'en restait plus que 30.'* 
 
151 
 
 He retired to Greenland, and having spent^ 
 some time there, returned and gave (he Ice- 
 landers such alluring accounts of the country, 
 that he induced a numerous colony to follow 
 him. Great numbers came afterwards both 
 from Iceland and Norway, and stocked the coun- 
 try on the east and west side so extensively that 
 they were computed to be a third part as 
 numerous as a Danish episcopal diocese. The 
 settlement of Greenland happened about the- 
 year 982. 
 
 At the period of the discovery of Greenland 
 by the Norwegians, it was entirely uninhabited.: 
 The new settlers occupied the country from 
 latitude 65° on the east side to the same degree 
 on the western shore. Many years after the 
 era of these transactions Lief, son of the red- 
 headed Eric, being ambitious of becoming like 
 his father a settler of colonies, sailed in a ship 
 with thirty-five men in a south westerly direction 
 from Old Greenland, and in latitude 49° he 
 discovered a fertile country, abounding with 
 grapes, which he denominated from that cir- 
 cumstance Winland. From the situation of the 
 latter place, it niust have been either Newfound- 
 land, or Canada, and was most probably the 
 latter, for we know^hat wild grapes are foi;i\d 
 there, and they have not been seen in the 
 former country. But the most curious cir- 
 cumstance in this story, and the reason of our 
 
U2 
 
 citing it, U the discovery which ^as made in 
 Winland of a nation of savages of diminutive 
 stature, who received on that account the name 
 of Skroellinger, Cuttings or Dwarfs. These 
 people were described as pigmies two cubits in 
 height, and perfect savages. They had however 
 little boats covered with skins^, and arrows with 
 which they assaulted the strangers. It is sur- 
 prising that this race of men were able, not- 
 withstanding the inclemencies of the climate 
 and the extent of sea they had to traverse, to 
 make their appearance afterwards on the west 
 shore of Greenland. They soon increased to 
 such numbers that they gave much trouble by 
 their hostility to the Norwegian inhabitants, and 
 they are beUeved, with the aid of a pestilential 
 disease, to have finally destroyed the European 
 settlement in Old Greenland, which was entirely 
 lost sight of during the middle ages, after it had 
 subsisted some centuries^ and had become pow-* 
 erful and populous. That the Skroellings of 
 Greenland are really descended from the Esqui- 
 maux or savages of Canada is put beyond question 
 by the discovery of the Danish Missionaries, 
 that the languages spoken by the two nations 
 are closely allied, (a) 
 
 With such examples as these offering them- 
 
 {a) Crantz. History of Greenland. 
 
 pT, Eei^hold Foisiet^s Accou^it 9^ Nprtl)eri> disc^:Yen<^ 
 
153 
 
 selves to our view, we need not hesitate to 
 conclude that the imagined difficulties of migra" 
 lion can never afford any argument in support 
 of the opinion which supposes many nations to 
 have sprung originally like the rats of the Nile 
 from the soil in which they now exist. 
 
 The greatest difficulty in the population of 
 the world was long believed to be the intro- 
 duction of inhabitants into America, and many 
 curious hypotheses were framed on this subject. 
 No doubt any longer subsists on this ground 
 since the discovery of the near approach of the 
 Asiatic and American continents. The inha- 
 bitants of the opposite shores appear to have 
 some knowledge of each other at this day, and 
 even to carry on a sort of commercial inter- 
 course, (a) From this quarter we may with 
 probability derive the population of America, 
 and we find historical arguments to countenance 
 such an hypothesis. The ancient hieroglyphic 
 tables of the Aztecas record the principal epochs 
 of the history of that nation, (bj They state 
 that the first colonists of Mexico arrived after a 
 long migratory march from a country far to the 
 north east which they denominate Aztlan. Ruins 
 are found on the river Gila which attest the 
 truth of this narration, and further to the north 
 
 (a) Cook's last yoyagc. 
 
 (b) Clavigero's history of Mexico. 
 
154 
 
 on the westera coast of Amenca between Coofc 
 and Nootka river^ the natives preserve still the 
 taste for hieroglyphic paintings, and decided 
 characters of Aztec origin, (a) A short voca- 
 bulary of the language spoken on this remote 
 coast, collected by Mr. Anderson, who accom- 
 panied Cook in his last voyage, so clearly 
 resembles the Mexican, that the affinity cannot 
 be mistaken. In the north western parts of 
 Asia the Tschutski and some other tribes are 
 said to be similar in their persons and manners 
 to the natives of America. Perhaps they are a 
 remnant of the nation who have not migrated. 
 Many curious traits in the character of the 
 Aztecs, their hieroglyphics, their pyramidieal 
 buildings, some of their religious dogmas, and 
 their advancement in astronomical science point 
 to an Asiatic (Z^) origin. 
 
 Dr. Barton of Pennsylvania has in an elaborate 
 comparison of the languages of America with 
 those of eastern Asia, discovered many strongly 
 marked traces of affinity between them, (c) And 
 the same notion receives confirmation from the 
 resemblance which subsists in the osteological 
 characters of the skull between the native Ame- 
 rican and Mongolic tribes, 
 
 (a) Humboldt's Political essay on New Spain, vol. 1. 
 (^)lbid. 
 
 (c) New Views on the origin of the tribes and nations, of 
 America, by B. Smith Barton, M.D. Philadelphia, 1798. 
 
155 
 
 The Asiatic origin of the Aztecas cannot be 
 denied to stand attested by many historical 
 arguments, but it is supposed by some that 
 though this was a foreign colony^ the rest of the 
 American tribes were indigenous. This notion 
 is refuted by observing, first, that the Aztecas 
 were a whole nation which migrated, and not 
 an army which came to subdue countries already 
 settled, (a) and secondly, that the physical cha- 
 racters of the Aztecas as described in ancient 
 paintings, and as exhibited in the persons of 
 their descendants the present Mexicans, are 
 precisely of the same description with those of 
 the other native American races, (6) who have 
 so remarkable a resemblance to each other. 
 Hence we must conclude that the Aztecas were 
 a tribe of the same family, or a nation of kindred 
 origin with the Indians as they are called of the 
 'western continent, and that the whole stock 
 came from the same quarter. 
 
 On the whole it appears that we may with 
 a high degree of probability draw the inference, 
 that all the different races into which the human 
 species is divided, originated from one family. 
 
 (fl) Clavigero ubi supra. 
 
 {b) Ibid, et Humboldt ubi supra. 
 
156 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 On. thf Structure cf the Parts in which the vartetp 
 of Colomr s^tbmts, and on the nature of tJm 
 V (Hversiti/^, 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Genial Anatomical Observations. 
 
 BEFORE we proceed to enquire into the 
 pauses vfhich produce the varieties of colour in 
 mankind, it will be necessary to examine with 
 attention the organization of the parts in which 
 the diversity subsists. The only anatomist who 
 K^s made any accurate researches into the struc- 
 ture of thes^ parts, is the late Xavier Bichat. 
 We shall abstract the most remarkable of his 
 observations on this subject. 
 
 On the Organization of Hie Skin* 
 
 The skin considered anatomically, consists of 
 two principal parts, viz. the true skin, or Cho- 
 rion, as Bichat has denominated it; and the 
 Epidermis, Cuticle or Scarf-skin. The Cutaoeous 
 
151 
 
 tleticte> or Rete Mucosura 6[ Malpighi, is sitir« 
 ated between the Chorion ahd the Cuticle. It 
 is oh this substance that th^ variety of colour 
 depends. 
 
 1. The Chorion is very remarkablef in thick- 
 ness, being on the anterior part of the body 
 scarcely half as thitk as on the posterior. Its 
 tfexture also Varies iti different |>arts of the body. 
 On the sole of the foot and on the palm of th^ 
 hand the interior surface of the Chorion, when 
 accurately detached from the cellular substance, 
 exhibits tin infinite number of white fibres, shining 
 iikie aponeurotic fibres, which rising from the 
 said surface, cross each other in different direc- 
 tions, leavitig innumerable interstices between 
 them, and becoming more detached, are lost in 
 the cellular substance. The interstices are filled 
 with fat. The Chorion, which covers the breast, 
 abdomen, back, the limbs. Sec. differs from the 
 above portion in the appearance of the fibres, 
 which are much less distinct and less connected 
 with the cellular substance, and in the extent of 
 the interstices which are much smaller. On the 
 back of the hands, on the upper part of the feet, 
 and on the forehead, the interior surface of the 
 Chorion is smooth, white, and of dense texture* 
 
 When the skin has been macerated some time, 
 the fibres of the Chorion become more distinct^ 
 and the interstices are more early marked. We 
 then perceive that the latter exist not only on 
 
158 
 
 the internal surface, but extend themselves into 
 the texture, which appears truly cribriform 
 through its whole substance. 
 
 When the cuticle is carefully separated by 
 maceration from the external surface of the 
 Chorion, we perceive on the latter a number of 
 minute foramina, which enter obliquely into its 
 texture, and have communication with the in- 
 terstices of the inner surface and interior struc- 
 ture. Through these openings the hairs/ the 
 exhalent, absorbent and sanguineous vessels, and 
 the nerves, pass to the external surface of the 
 Chorion. Thus in order to have a true concep- 
 tion of this body, we must consider it as a re- 
 ticulated or porous texture, of which the cells^ 
 are more extensive internally, and diminish to- 
 wards the exterior surface. 
 
 The substance of the interstitial texture, which 
 constitutes the Chorion, is in many respects 
 similar to the fibres of the ligaments. The sen- 
 sibility of the skin and its other functions, do 
 not reside in the portion of it, which we have 
 been describing, but in the vascular and ner- 
 vous structures. For the sensitive and morbid 
 phaenomena of the skin, have but little relation 
 to the texture of the Chorion or Cutis vera, but 
 are manifestly exterior to it. 
 
 The sensibility of the skin is the property of 
 the nervous papilla?, which arise from the ex- 
 terior surface of the Chorion, and are probably 
 
159 
 
 prolongations of nervous fibres which pdss 
 through the interstices. 
 
 The functions of the skin, which have refer- 
 ence to the circulation, reside principally in the 
 cutaneous reticle, or rete mucosum. ^ 
 
 2. The Cutaneous Reticle. The idea which 
 physiologists have entertained of the rete mu- 
 cosiim, since the time of Malpighi, who first de- 
 scribed it, has been that of a layer of mucous 
 substance poured out by vessels on the surface 
 of the Chorion, and there remaining stagnant 
 in a fluid state. Bichat has shewn that there is 
 no ground for this opinion of its nature. The 
 mucous substance can never be collected, or 
 exhibited by the most accurate anatomical pro- 
 cesses; which seems to prove that it does not 
 exist. If a piece of skin be cut longitudinally, 
 we discover very distinctly the line which sepa- 
 rates the Chorion from the Epidermis, and no- 
 thing like an extravasated substance is found 
 between them. It appears that the Cutaneous 
 Reticle consists in reality of a very fine texture 
 of vessels, which passing through the numerous 
 foramina of the Chorion, extend themselves in 
 a very attenuated form over its external surface. 
 " The existence of this vascular net-work," says 
 Bichat, **^ is proved by very fine injections, which 
 change entirely the colour of the skin exter- 
 nally, while they have but little effect on it 
 within. This Reticle, as I have already remarked. 
 
160 
 
 is the principal seat of the numerous eruptions, 
 which are for the most part foreign to th^ 
 Chorion itself. We may therefore conceive the 
 reticular fabric, as a general capillary system, 
 surrounding the cutaneous organ, and forming 
 together with the papillae an intermediate layer 
 between the Chorion and the Cuticle." This 
 system of vessels contains fluids of different 
 shades in black and tawny people. 
 
 The colouring of the skin is therefore similar 
 to that of the hair, which manifestly depends on 
 a fluid contained in capillary tubes. It is also 
 analogous in its nature to Nasvi Materni, or the 
 dark spots which exist upon the skirts of white 
 people from the period of birth. In the latter 
 no fluid has been discovered to be deposited be- 
 tween the Chorion and Cuticle. 
 
 3. The Epidermis or Cuticle is the externa! 
 covering of the body, endowed with scarcely any 
 characters of life. It consists of a single lamina, 
 throughout th« greater part of its extent, but in 
 the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, 
 there are more than one. It is perforated by 
 holes for the ti^ansmission of hairs, and the ex-^ 
 haleftt arid a?bsorbeilt vessels. 
 
 The Cuticle and the Chorion are of the ssine^ 
 rololwr in the European and i^ th« Negro. 
 
161 
 
 X)fihe Organization of the Hair, 
 
 All the hairs originate in the cellular substance 
 Ibeneath the skin. Each hair is enclosed at its 
 origin in a small membranous canal, which is 
 transparent, and through which, when nicely 
 dissected, the body of the hair is distinctly seen. 
 This cylindrical canal accompanies the hair to the 
 corresponding pore in the skin, passes through 
 it, and goes on to the cuticle. It proceeds no 
 further, but is lost in the texture of this mem- 
 brane. The length of the canal is about five 
 lines for the hairs of the head. The internal sur-: 
 face of the canal is not adherent to the filament, 
 except at the base of the latter, where the hair 
 appears to receive its nourishment. If this ad- 
 hesion be destroyed, the hair may be drawn out 
 of the canal, as through a sheath, being no where 
 connected. 
 
 The hair at its base, where it adheres to the 
 canal, is somewhat fuller than through the rest 
 of its course. The adhesion is probably pro- 
 duced by vessels, which here enter into the fila- 
 ment. Possibly nerves are also extended to the 
 hairs. 
 
 It has been commonly said that the hair does 
 not pierce the cuticle, but raises it and is accom- 
 panied by a prolongation of it in the form of a^ 
 slieafh. This is not the fact. The cuticle im- 
 parts nothing additional to the hair, which is as 
 
 L 
 
162 
 
 large before its exit from the cutaneous pore as 
 it is beyond. 
 
 The exterior cylinder of the hair resembles 
 the cuticle in its nature, though it differs from 
 it in some respects, as in offering greater resist- 
 ance to the effect of maceration and boiling. 
 This external portion of the hair has none of the 
 properties of vitality. 
 
 The internal portion of the hair consists ap- 
 parently of two systems of minute vessels. In 
 on^ of these the colouring matter remains in the^ 
 form of a stagnant fluid. The other has the func- 
 tions of the vascular system in general, and af- 
 fords a passage to excreted fluids. 
 
 The vascular and vital nature of this portion 
 of the hair is proved by various pha&nomena. 
 Passions of the mind have a remarkable effect on 
 the colour of the hair. Excessive grief has been 
 known to render it white in a very short space 
 of time, producing evidently an absorption of 
 the fluid contained in the vascular fabric. Some 
 authors have doubted these facts, but Bichat as- 
 sures us that he has observed at least five or six 
 examples in which such a discoloration has taken 
 place in less than eight days. The hair of one 
 person known to our author became almost en- 
 tirely white in the course of one night after the 
 receipt of some. intelligence which affected hiiii 
 with poignant grief. 
 
163 
 
 The Plica Polonica/ in which the hairs trans- 
 ude blood, is a proof of their ordinary vascularity 
 and vitality, (a) 
 
 That there is a connection between the hue 
 of the hair, and the complexion, has been always 
 a matter of common observation. But it appears 
 by the anatomical observations detailed above, 
 that the peculiar structure in which the colour 
 of each resides is very exactly similar. The 
 matter which imparts the tint to both is con- 
 tained in a minute transparent vascular texture 
 in a fluid state. It is a peculiar secretion pro- 
 duced without doubt in an appropriate glandular 
 apparatus. 
 
 It is an interesting inquiry what and where 
 are the organs which secrete this fluid. 
 
 Some curious observations have lately been 
 published on the organization of the skin and 
 on the causes of its colour by M. Gaultier, of 
 the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, which appear 
 to have been accurately made, (b) They tend 
 to establish the fact that the secretion which 
 imparts colour to the hair, and to the skin, is 
 
 (a) See Bichat's Anatomic gcnerale. Sur les Systeines 
 dermoids, epidermoide et pileux. 
 
 (6) Recherches sur I'organization de la peau deVhomme 
 et sur les causes de sa coloration. Par M. Gaulti^r; d« la 
 facnlte de Medecine, a Paris. 
 
 12 
 
164 
 
 identical, 3nd tliat the fluid contained in both sets 
 of vessels is secreted in the bulbs or roots of the 
 hairs. This opinion was formed from an atten- 
 tive observation of the phaenomena which occur 
 after the black reticular texture in the skin of 
 the Negro has been destroyed by vesication, 
 and on the process of its reproduction. The 
 black matter first appears at the pores through 
 which the hairs make their exit. From these 
 points as from centres it is gradually seen ra- 
 diating in different directions, and it insensibly 
 proceeds to cover the whole space which had 
 lost its colour. 
 
 It appears indeed highly probable that the 
 hairy bulbs are the principal seats of this secre- 
 tion. Some parts of the body which are most 
 completely devoid of hair, as the soles of the 
 feet, and the palms of the hands, are in the 
 Negro of a much lighter shade than the rest of 
 the body. Still it is not possible that the 
 bulbs can be the only seat of the secretion of 
 this substance, for the skin of the Negro is 
 black in parts which have no hair, as on the 
 lips. The glandular fabric which secretes the 
 colour for the hair, is apparently spread to a 
 certain degree over the whole of the Chorion. 
 
165 
 
 ^ SECTION n. 
 
 t 
 
 Comparison of different Races, " 
 
 •THE colour of the skin Is always the same 
 \vith that of the hair. In the Negro both are of 
 a deep black. In the Mongole Tartar, and in^ 
 very swarthy Europeans, the hair is of the above 
 colour and the skin has a tinge of black, though 
 more dilute or of a much lighter shade than in 
 the Negro. In fair people with black hair the 
 skin is nearly colourless/ the secretion becoming' 
 very faint, but still the complexion is materially 
 different from that of persons who have light 
 or red hair. In the latter the skin has a reddish 
 cast, and is often more or Iqss beset with reddish 
 patches and freckles. 
 
 The colouring matter or pigment of the^ye, 
 which bears a constant relation in ?ts hue to 
 that of the hair and skin, must be considered 
 ^ a secretion probably analogous to that abovb 
 mentioned. 
 
 These secretions depend on vital action for 
 tlieir production, arid a certain degreie of energy 
 is i^equired in the secreting action for the for- 
 mation of the colouring matter. When by a" 
 great diminution of the powers of life tlie 
 '/ascular action becomes destroyed or suspended. 
 
166 
 
 a defect of colour is the consequence. Thus in the 
 weakness of old age the colour of the hair fails. 
 
 There is an uniform connexion between the 
 shade of colour, and the density and firmness 
 in the texture of the parts on which the colour 
 depends. 
 
 In the Albino the cutaneous reticle is very 
 thin, if not altogether deficient, and the com- 
 plexion is formed by the white Chorion or 
 Cutis. A similar appearance is produced in 
 animals when the skin has been destroyed, for 
 the reticle is not readily reproduced. We see 
 on horses spots of white hair growing on any 
 part which has suffered injury. The Pigment 
 of the eye also is defective in the Albino, and 
 from this cause arises the excessive sensibility 
 to light for which such persons are (a) remark- 
 able. The blood in the vessels of the Choroid 
 imparts a tint to the light which passes through 
 the Iris u hence this assumes a reddish hue, and 
 the pupil h^s a much deeper shade of the same 
 colour. The hair of the Albino is quite white 
 or very slightly inclined to the flaxen colour/ 
 and is remarkably soft and firm in its texture. 
 
 In the second or yellow haired variety the same 
 general modification prevails in a less degree* 
 The cutaneous reticle and the pigment of the 
 eye are thinner than they are in the black haired 
 
 (a) Blumenbach. Hunter on the animal wcouomy^ 
 
167 
 
 ?race. The hair :fe in general much finer, (a) 
 and smaller in the filament even in the European 
 ivhen it is light in colour than when black. 
 The shades in th€ colo^ur of the Reticle, the 
 "Pigment, and the Hair, bear an evident relation 
 to the degree of tenuity, 
 
 • This variety laolds therefore a middle place 
 between the Albino, and the black haired Euro- 
 pean ; and the latter variety again seems to be 
 intertnediat« between the yellow haired races 
 and those of complexions still darker, than its 
 t)wn colour. The Mongoles and Americans 
 have remarkably thick and strong hair, which is 
 always quite black, and their eyes and com* 
 plexions are dark. Lastly, in the Negro the 
 cutaneous reticle is much more iirm and dense 
 than in any other race, (b) 
 
 r SECTION III. 
 
 Physiological Ohsei^ations. 
 
 IT therefore appears that a part of the dif- 
 ference between the light coloured varieties, 
 and the dark, consists in the greater laxity of 
 fibre and fineness of texture in these parts in 
 the former races, and in their increased firmness 
 
 (tf) Haller. Elementa Phjsiologiae. (b) Ibid. 
 
168 
 
 and density in th^ latter. It is probable that a 
 strong secretive action produces the black sub- 
 §tance, which gives colour to the Negro, and 
 that as the strength of the secretive action 
 diminishes, the, con^plexion is propprtionably^ 
 lighter, till in the lowest stage of action, wheii; 
 it is nearly defective, or when it altogether fails, 
 we have the colourless skin of the Albinp or the 
 white hair of old age. - 
 
 - This idea of the nature of the diversky receives^ 
 Gonfirmation from the fact, that the general 
 character of the constitution is more- delicate or 
 less robust, in proportion to the lightness of 
 the complexion. The lighter the colour the 
 greater is the delicacy and laxity of the fibre^ 
 apd the mo^e exquisite is the sensibility of the , 
 nervous system. Albinos^ though healthy, have 
 a weaker fabric of body than individuals of a 
 different complexion. And various debilitating 
 causes sometimes produce phaenomena which 
 approach to the peculiar character of Albinos. 
 The hoariness of old age has been mentioned. 
 White spots have sometimes appeared on the 
 skins of Negroes, after fevers or other debilitating 
 distempers. The oxen of Hungary become 
 white after emasculation, the change in this 
 casie being evidently the effect of laxity and 
 debility, (a) White rabbits are more delicate 
 
 (fl) Blumenbacb. De T unite du genre humainj traduit 
 ^nfran9ols. • ' . . 
 
169 
 
 und weaker than those of barker colour, and 
 the black are the most robust of all. The feet 
 of horses are well known to be weak and subject 
 to disease from slight injury, when they are 
 white near the joints. From such observations 
 JLord Bacon called white the ^' colour of defect." 
 > The second variety of colour in the human 
 species mentioned in the foregoing pages, in- 
 cludes those constitutions, which are designated 
 as the Sanguineous and Phlegmatic tempera- 
 ments. The external marks which distinguish 
 them are a very fair complexion with red, flaxen 
 or light sandy hair, and blue or grey eyes. The 
 common character of these constitutions, accord- 
 ing to medical and physiological writers, is a 
 relaxed and delicate (ji) fibre and a fine texture, 
 
 {a) Gregory's Conspectus Medicinae Theoretica. vol. 1. 
 
 * Hofl'raann. de tempcramento fundamcnto morborumj&c. 
 
 * Haller ubi snpra. 
 
 * This division of temperaments is by no means a fanciful 
 distinction. The connexion of external characters of body 
 with certain peculiarities in the internal organization, on 
 which are founded predispositions to various morbid states, 
 and to particular mental habits and passions, has been re- 
 marked in very early times. Medical and Physiological 
 writers have on this principle agreed to divide the con- 
 stitutions of person which prevail in Europe into four 
 classes, which are designated as the Sanguine^ Phlegmatic, 
 Choleric and Melancholic temperaments. 
 
 The Sanguine is characterized by red or flaxen hair, blue 
 eyes ; a fair blooming complexion ; the arteries and veins 
 l^rge and situated near the Surface, and the pulse full and 
 
170 
 
 though without that degree of tenuity and de-» 
 bility which is found in the Albino. 
 
 frequent ; the stin soft, thin and delicate, and the stature 
 often Considerable. 
 
 The Phlegmatic is distinguished by pale, sandy or whitish 
 kair; light-grey ey«s; a palUd, unhealthy, white skin, 
 almost bereft of hair; small blood-Tessels, and a weak 
 slow pulse. 
 
 These are the external characters of the Sanguine and 
 Phlegmatic temperaments, and the constitution or habit of 
 body which is connected with the former class, is possessed 
 of a full and free circulation of blood, with a perfect and 
 Tigorous condition of those functions which depend on it, 
 SL6 copious and healthy secretions and excretions, and great 
 sensibility and irritability of the neryous system. This 
 temperament is predisposed to all those diseases, which 
 consist in excess in its peculiar habitudes, as distempers of 
 an inflamaiatory nature, and of too great excitement. The 
 moral or mental constitution connected with this habit of 
 body consists of an acute and highly irritable mind, which 
 receives quick and strong sensations, possesses rapid and 
 lively associations of ideas and feelings, is subject to 
 Tehemcnt emotions and passions, and naturally prone to 
 excess in the indulgence of them. Persons of the sanguine 
 temperament are reported to have a high enjoyment of tha 
 pleasures of life, and to be constitutionally generous, ardent 
 and voluptuous. 
 
 The peculiar habit which is found to be conjoined with th« 
 external marks of the phlegmatic temperament consists of a 
 slow and languid circulation of blood, with the other 
 circumstances which are dependent on this defect, via., 
 scanty and imperfect secretions, torpor and insensibility of 
 the nervous system, aiul muscular inactivity. The morbid 
 aifections to which this constitution is predisposed, are the 
 numerous diseases of direct debility or deficient excitement, 
 obstructions of the gUndular systems, scrofula, tubes, &c. 
 
171 
 
 The third variety, to which the black-hairc4 
 European belongs, contains the choleric and 
 
 The mental character is dull and insensible, without that 
 flow of ideas and cheerful alacrity which the sanguine en- 
 joy, but at the same time the phlegmatic are capable of 
 more fixed and inteiise thought. It Is said that they are 
 more prone to superstition, avarice, cowardice, &;c. thaa 
 persons of »n opposite temperament, but it is difficult to 
 believe that these vices can be connected with any peculiar 
 constitution of body. 
 
 The external characters of the Choleric temperament are 
 black and curling hair ; dark eyes ; the complexion swarthy 
 and at the same time ruddy ; a thick, rough hairy skin ; a 
 strong and full pulse. 
 
 The Melancholic temperament is also noted for blaclc 
 hair and eyes, and a dark complexion. But the hair is 
 straight and lank, and the skin inclined to a yellowish cast. 
 The pulse is slow. 
 
 In the internal habit of body, and in the mental con- 
 stitution, the choleric temperament borders very closely on 
 the sanguine, and the melancholic on the phlegmatic. It is 
 said, that the temperaments of dark complexion possess 
 stronger corporeal fabric and greater fortitude of mind than 
 the corresponding temperaments of light colour ; that the 
 choleric is more prone to anger, and the melancholic to 
 insanity. Some difference results from the laxity or density 
 of fibre. If this peculiarity be set out of the question there 
 are only two temperaments, viz. the irritable and the torpid. 
 When a full evolution of the sanguiferous system, and 
 great sensibility of the nervous system occur in the Hght- 
 haired or dark-haired race, they constitute in the former 
 the sanguineous, in the latter the choleric temperament; 
 torpor of the nervous system and defective circulation of 
 blood produce in the light-haired variety the phlegmatic 
 constitution, and in the other that which is denominated 
 melancholic. 
 
172 
 
 tnel^ncholic temperaments. These are nated 
 lo possess more strength and vigour, and to be 
 endowed with a firmer and denser fibre. 
 
 But all the races of men of white or light 
 complexion are less robust, and less capable of 
 enduring fatigtie, and the inclemencies of cli- 
 inate> than those of more sable hue. The 
 fortitude with which the North American savage 
 sustains the hardships of toilsome marches, of 
 excessive cold and want, and the tortures which 
 the malice of his enemies inflict upon him is 
 proverbial. The Negro exceeds all other races 
 in the firmness and density of his fabric. Euro- 
 peans become debilitated and subject to a variety 
 of fatal diseases in hot countries, which the 
 Negro entirely escapes- The relaxation of a 
 tot climate is intolerable to European females^ 
 'while the Negro women bear it without injury* 
 Nor does the difference depend upon habit; 
 for white people born in tropical countries, 
 are subject in a great degree to the same 
 infirmities with their ancestors, and a similar 
 diveisity of constitution appears to prevail in 
 races which have inhabited the same clim^ite 
 from an immemorial period. 
 
 May we therefore venture to compare the 
 lighter varieties in the human race to the finer, 
 and more delicate specimens in other kinds, 
 which are often endowed with variegated tints^ 
 
 I 
 
173 
 
 with symmetrical forms, and a more beautiful 
 appearance, than the ruder stock from which 
 they sprang; while we find in the latter an 
 analogy to the darker races of men, to the 
 hardy children of nature, whose rigid fibre 
 endures the inclement influence of the seasons ? 
 
174 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 On the Causes which have produced the diversities 
 of the Human Species. 
 
 SECTION L 
 
 THE first persons, who began to reason con- 
 cerning the difference in the colour and aspect 
 of Europeans and Africans, or at least the oldest 
 writers whose remarks on this subject have 
 reached our times, attributed the dark com- 
 plexion of the latter people to the burning 
 of their skins by the intense heat of the sun, 
 and the crisp texture of their hair to the dis- 
 sipation of moisture produced by the same 
 cause. We find this opinion delivered in some 
 verses of Theodectes preserved by Strabo. 
 
 (a) Strabo. lib. 14» 
 
175 
 
 The other ancient writers in geneml held 
 the same notion with little variation ; among 
 whom we reckon, Herodotus, Posidonius and 
 Strabo. Tibullus has expressed it in these 
 \erses. 
 
 " Illi sint comites fusci quos India torret 
 Solis et admotis inficit ignis equis." (a) 
 
 It was very natural for the Greeks who were 
 accustomed to consider their own nation as 
 the most ancient of mankind, and as the imme- 
 diate offspring of the Gods, to take themselves 
 as the model of the human species, and to 
 proceed to account for the peculiarities of 
 foreign people from any circumstances con- 
 nected with their situation. They had no know- 
 ledge of any black races of men, except such 
 as inhabited the hot countries of Ethiopia and 
 India. They entertained a very exaggerated 
 idea of the solar heat in the torrid zone, and 
 fancied it sufficient to burn up and destroy all 
 animal and vegetable productions. Moreover 
 they observed that the effect of fire is to in- 
 cinerate and blacken whatever substances are 
 touched by it. Hence, being much addicted to 
 loose analogical reasonings on all physical sub- 
 jects, they were induced to believe that the 
 dark colour of the southern people is produced 
 by the scorching effect of a hot climate. 
 
 (6) Tibullus. Ub. 2. ciey. 5. 
 
But the moderns have in general adapted 
 implicitly the sentiments of the ancients on this 
 matter, and a writer of the last age of justly 
 acquired celebrity has laboured to systematize 
 the facts which he considered as leading to the 
 opinion above mentioned, and to deduce a 
 similar conclusion in a logical and inductive 
 manner. After giving a gener.il view of the 
 . condition of the human race, and of the variation!^ 
 of their aspect in different countries, as far as 
 the hitherto inaccurate descriptions of travellers 
 enabled him to estimate them, he draws the 
 general inference that the heat of the climate 
 is the chief cause of the black complexion in 
 the human species. " Where the heat is ex- 
 cessive/* says he, '' as in Senegal and Guinea 
 the men are perfectly black; where it is less 
 violent the blackness is not so deep ; where it 
 becomes somewhat temperate, as in Barbary, 
 Mogul, Arabia, &c. the men are only brown; 
 and lastly, where it is altogether temperate as 
 in Europe and Asia the men are white/' (a) 
 
 If this description were universally or even 
 in general accurate, there would be no doubt 
 that the Count de Buffon was right in his 
 grand conclusion, a.lthough he might have erred 
 in explaining the rationale of the effect. But 
 even in his time some very wide deviations 
 
 (a) Buffon. Hist. Nat. translated by Smellie, ^ , 
 
in # 
 
 from this regular gradation were known, and 
 several tribes of very dark coloured people had 
 been found to be aboriginal possessors of cold 
 countries, as the Greenlanders, Samoiedes^ and 
 Laplanders ; the former of whom, as the Count 
 tells us, *' are some of them as black as the 
 Africans/* This exception however he made to 
 agree with his hypothesis by assuming that it is 
 not the heat by itself, but the aridity of the air 
 which blackens the skin, and that the frozen 
 atmosphere of Greenland is equally dry with 
 the torrid air of Guinea. 
 
 Buffon has great merit in discarding the absurd 
 attempts of some of his predecessors to explain 
 the phasnomena in question by blackness of the 
 bile, or by supposing the Negro to be affected 
 with a permanent jaundice. He trusted entirely 
 to the power of the sun, and held that the same 
 cause which makes our complexions brown after 
 much exposure to the heat and air, renders the 
 Negroes black. No unknown cause is here 
 assumed, although a more than adequate effect 
 may be attributed to one that is known. The 
 acquired hue is supposed to increase in every 
 generation through a long course of time, till 
 the shade of colour becomes such as we see it in 
 the Negro. 
 
 Later writers have thought differently from 
 Buffon on the extent of the influence of the sun, 
 
 M 
 
178 
 
 and it is remarkable that they have resorted 
 again to the same resource which that author 
 considered as unavailable. Dr. S. S. Smithy a 
 respectable writer of America^ in an essay on 
 the complexion and figure of the human species, 
 builds a considerable part of his theory on the 
 changes of the bile supposed to be occasioned 
 by heat. He tells us, that " the principle of 
 colour is not to be derived solely from the 
 action of the sun upon the skin." Heat pro- 
 duces relaxation.'' '^ The bile in consequence is 
 augmented and shed through the whole mass 
 of the body. This liquor tinges the complexion 
 of a yellow colour, which assumes by time a 
 darker hue." — " Bile exposed to the sun and 
 air is known to change its colour to black — - 
 black is therefore the tropical hue.*' (a) 
 
 Dr. Smith may be excused for falling into an 
 absurd theory on a subject of physiology, but it 
 is really astonishing to find such a writer as 
 Blumenbach adopting a similar mode of reason- 
 ing. He seems to consider the black complexion 
 of Negroes as depending in a great degree on a 
 superabundant secretion of bile, occasioned by 
 heat. Carbonaceous matter, according to him, 
 abounds in the atrabilious temperament ; and 
 a sympathy subsisting between the liver and 
 
 (fl) Dr. S. S. Smith on the causes of the varict)^ in the 
 complexion and :dgure of the human species. 
 
179 # 
 
 the skin, that substances thrown out by the 
 action of the vessels of the cutis, precipitated 
 by the oxygen of the atmosphere^ and fixed in 
 the rete mucosum.frt) 
 
 If this theory is to be understood, it refers the 
 effect upon the skin to the liver as the primary 
 sseat, the increased function of which produces 
 in the Negro a kind of hereditary icterus or 
 cholera morbus. Our author endeavours to 
 render this notion less improbable, by telling 
 us that Nature^ in the course of generations, has 
 a wonderful power of accommodating herself to 
 the action of hereditary distempers, so that 
 they become continually less troublesome, and at 
 length scarcely occasion any disturbance. (6) 
 
 Thus it seems that these writers would have 
 lis believe that all black people labour under 
 an inveterate hereditary jaundice, which has 
 subsisted so long that they have lost all feeling 
 of their distempered state, and fancy themselves 
 in perfect health. A man of so much judgment 
 as Blumenbach possesses, must be in great want 
 of resources, before he would adopt such as 
 these. It is scarcely necessary to observe, that 
 the Negro, in his usual state, has no symptom 
 whatever of any excess in the secretion of bile, 
 but on the contrary exhibits more vigour of 
 
 (a) Blumenbach. de P anile du genre liumaii;i. p. 149. 
 (6) Ibid. p. 132. 
 
 U2 
 
, 180 
 
 constitution, especially in warm climates, than 
 Europeans. It is absurd to suppose that the 
 essence of disease remains, while nothing appears 
 but the phaenomena of health. These authors 
 have deteriorated the theory of BuflTon. They 
 perceived that the cause assigned by him was 
 insufficient for explaining the appearances, and 
 chose to call in the aid of other means, from 
 the adoption of which the Count judiciously 
 abstained. 
 
 The theory of the French naturalist must 
 stand or fall by its own deserts, and receives no 
 assistance from this subsidiary hypothesis. The 
 fact which is the basis of it is true, viz. that the 
 skin of the fairest European is very much 
 darkened by exposure to the air and sun. Our 
 .rustics, and especially our seafaring people, 
 acquire a hue very different from the delicate 
 complexion of females who are constantly pro- 
 tected from the influence of the weather; and 
 this effect is much greater in hotter countries. 
 But the offspring of individuals so imbrowned, 
 are born with the original colour, not with the 
 acquired hue of their parents. At least it is 
 certain that there is no perceptible difference in 
 the descendants of persons who have sustained 
 the effect of exposure to a hot climate during 
 several generations; and we very fairly infer, 
 that the same observation would apply in any 
 repeated succession. Here then the question 
 
181 
 
 should be laid at rest according to the common 
 rules of reasoning, and it should be concluded, 
 that the cause assigned for the black colour of 
 the Negro is wholly inadequate. But the authors 
 who support a contrary opinion have recourse 
 to a subtile method of argument. They tell us 
 that the progeny of parents exposed to hot 
 climates, are really somewhat darker in con- 
 sequence, though the difference is so slight as 
 to escape our most accurate observation, and 
 they contend that the effect increasing in every 
 generation, has in a long course of ages, been 
 sufficient to produce a black colour of the deepest 
 tint. This is like an appeal from experience 
 to supposed probability; but they attempt to 
 defend it by two sorts of arguments ; first by 
 producing examples in which the change ima- 
 gined is said actually to have taken place in 
 tribes of white people who have removed to a 
 hot climate ; and secondly by shewing that the 
 complexion prevalent in each country is darker 
 or lighter, in proportion to its proximity to, or 
 distance from the equator, due allowance being 
 made for other causes which produce variety in 
 the climates, and for the modifying effect of the 
 manners of the inhabitants. 
 
 Among the examples adduced, that of the 
 Jewish nation is one which has been much 
 insisted upon. These people are descended 
 from one stock, and are prevented by their 
 
182 
 
 religious institutions from intermarrying yi?ith 
 other nations; yet it is said that they have 
 acquired the complexion prevalent in every, 
 country into which they have been dispered, 
 being '' fair in Britain and Germany, brown in 
 France and in Turkey^, swarthy in Portugal and 
 in Spain, olive in Syria and in Chaldea^ tawny 
 or copper-coloured in Arabia and Egypt.** (a) 
 
 This is an inaccurate statement of facts, for if 
 the subject be examined, it will be found that 
 the Jews, where they have not mixed their 
 stock by intermarriages with the indigenous 
 people, have in no place varied considerably 
 from their primitive complexion. It is not easy 
 to ascertain precisely the physical characters 
 of ancient nations, but from some passages in 
 the Scriptures, it would appear that the Jews in 
 the time of their monarchs of the house of 
 David, resembled the inhabitants of the South 
 of Europe in their complexion. (6) They had 
 black bushy hair and a white skin, with some 
 variety probably as we see in all races, and 
 
 (a) Dr. S. S. Smith, p. 24, 
 
 (b) Many passages in the Old Testament, and particularly 
 Solomon's Song. Cap. v. ver. 10. " My beloved is white and 
 ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the 
 most fine gold. His locks arc bushy and black as a raven.". 
 The sense of the Hebrew word pJV translated " white" is 
 very definite. It ik applied elsewhere to milk, and is 
 rendered in this place hivKos by the Septuagint. See also 
 Lament. Jeremiah, cap. iv. v. 7. 
 
183 
 
 acquiring a darker hue in consequence of ex- 
 posure to heat and air. And this is the 
 natural complexion of the Arabs, whether in 
 Syria or in the deserts of Arabia, and of the 
 inhabitants of the northern coast of Africa. 
 The natural or hereditary colour of any race of 
 people is to be determined by the complexion 
 of the women and children, who are not subject 
 to be tanned or scorched by the sun. That 
 the complexion of the nations above mentioned 
 is such as we have stated it to be, is declared by 
 all travellers into the countries referred to. 
 ' Dr. Shaw and Mr. Bruce inform us, that the 
 children born on the Barbary coast, are in their 
 infancy very white, and that the girls remain so, 
 but the boys being early exposed to the sun, 
 become brown, (a) Bruce says the women have 
 a complexion so white that it forms too strong 
 a contrast with the red of their lips and cheeks, 
 Buffon has given other authorities for the 
 same fact, and I have repeatedly heard the 
 acj^ount confirmed by judicious travellers, who 
 
 ^a) Dr. Sbaw*s tritvels^ 
 
 ^' M. Bruce assure,'' says Buflfon, '^ que non seulemei>t 
 Ics enfans dcs Barberesques sont fort blancs en naissant, 
 imals il ajoute un fait, que je n'ai trouve nulle part. C'est 
 que les fcmmes qui habitent dans les villes de Barbaric sont 
 d'une blaneheur presque rebutante, d'un blanc de marbre 
 qui tranche trop avec le rouge tres five de leurs joues.'' 
 Buffon. Hist. Nat, torn. 5. 
 
184 
 
 have had much intercourse with the natives of 
 the African coast, (a) 
 
 Poiret tells us, that '' the Moors are not natu- 
 rally black in spite of the proverb, and the 
 opinion of many writers, but that they are horn 
 white and remain so all their lives, when their 
 labours do not cause them to be exposed to the 
 heat of the sun. In the cities the women have a 
 complexion of so clear a white, that they would 
 eclipse the greater number of our Europeans. 
 But the Moorish women of the mountains, con- 
 tinually scorched by the sun, and almost always 
 half naked, acquire from their infancy a brown 
 cast, (b) 
 
 Similar accounts are given by travellers in the 
 Turkish Provinces of Asia. 
 
 La Boullaye informs us that the Arabian wo- 
 men of the desert are born fair, but that their 
 complexions are spoiled by being continually 
 exposed to the sun ; that the young girls are 
 very agreeable." (c) 
 
 Mr. Bruce gives the same account of the 
 Southern Arabians, (^d) 
 
 M. De La Roque, in his travels in Arabia, gives 
 testimony to the same fact. " The Arabian prin- 
 cesses and ladies," says he, ^- whom I have seen 
 
 (a) See several authorities quoted by BufTon. 
 
 (bj Blumenbach. de I'unite du genre humain. 
 
 fc) Voyages de la Boullaye-le-Gouz, quoted by Buffon, 
 
 (d) Bruce's Travels. Bookl. Chap. 12. 
 
185 
 
 through the corners of the tents, appeared to me 
 very beautiful and well made. It may be judged 
 by these, and by the accounts which I have re- 
 ceived, that others are not less handsome. Thaf 
 are white because they are alvcajjs protected from 
 the sun. The women of the common people are 
 extremely tawny.'* {a) 
 
 M. Belon says, '' there is not a woman in Asia, 
 however mean her condition, who has not a com- 
 plexion fresh as a rose, and whose skin is not as 
 fair, delicate and smooth as velvet. (&) 
 
 Volney informs us '' that the complexion of 
 the Druzes in Syria, and of the people near 
 Mount Lebanon, is not different from that of 
 the French in the middle provinces. The wo- 
 men of Damascus and Tripoli," he adds, ^' are 
 greatly celebrated on account of their fair com- 
 plexions, (c) 
 
 Now since the natural complexion of all the 
 nations above mentioned is w^hite, it cannot be 
 supposed that the Jews who reside among them, 
 have received an impression from the climate of 
 which the other inhabitants of the same coun- 
 tries are insusceptible, and that they are brown 
 in some districts, and tawny or olive or copper- 
 coloured in others. The complexion of the an- 
 
 faj Voyage dans la Palestine par M. de la Roque, Paris, 
 1717. 
 
 (bj Observations de Pierre Belon, cited by Buffon. 
 CcJ Voyage en Sirie, par M. Volney. 
 
186 
 
 C'ient Hebrew race was similar to that of the 
 nations of Syria, Arabia and Barbary, and the 
 Jews who are scattered through these countries 
 are equally with the other inhabitants born 
 white, and remain so until they sustain the in- 
 fluence of a hot climate, from which they acquire 
 a deeper hue. 
 
 In England the Jews commonly retain their 
 black hair, and the characters which are ascribed 
 to the choleric and melancholic temperaments, 
 so that they have in general a shade of com- 
 plexion somewhat darker than that of the English 
 people, who are for the most part of the sanguine 
 constitution. 
 
 It is therefore evident that Dr. Smith's asser^ 
 tion concerning the Jews affords no countenance 
 to his hypothesis, since it refers to the com- 
 plexion acquired by external causes, and not to 
 the natural or hereditary colour. 
 
 The most curious facts we have concerning 
 the complexion of this natipn, are those which 
 are related of the Jews settled at Cochin on the 
 Malabar Coast, with whom wp have become 
 better acquainted, since the visit lately p^iid to 
 them by that excellent apostle of the East, Dr. 
 Claudius Buchanan. He informs us that there 
 are two sorts of ihem, the White or Jerusalem 
 Jews, and the Black Jews. The former have kept 
 their race distinct. It appears by their records, 
 which Dr. Buchanan considers as authentic, that 
 
187 
 
 they migrated to India soon after the destruction 
 of the Temple by Titus Vespasian, and that they 
 afterwards obtained grants of territory, and pri- 
 vileges of which they have documents bearing 
 date in the year A.M. 4250 or A.D. 490. They 
 resemble the European Jews in complexion and 
 features. But the Black Jews are a mixed race, 
 and are looked upon as an inferior cast. Their 
 ancestors having intermarried with the natives, 
 they have acquired the Hindu complexion and 
 features, (a) 
 
 Dr. Francis Buchanan also mentions a tribe of 
 Nazarene Christians, whom he visited on the 
 Malabar coast. '' Their Papa/' he says, '' though 
 his family had been settled in the country for 
 many generations, was very fair, with high 
 Jewish features. The greater part of his flock 
 resembled the Aborigines of the country, froni 
 whom indeed they were descended." (6) 
 
 Hence it sufficiently appears that the instance 
 of the Jews, instead of affording so triumphant 
 a proof of Dr. Smith's opinion, has very con- 
 siderable weight in the contrary scale, and might 
 be almost sufficient to shew, that the white com- 
 plexion will be permanent during any length 
 of time. For we find it subsisting perfect in 
 the midst of the Blacks of Malabar, though ex- 
 
 faj Dr.Claudius Buchanan's Christian Researches in Asia. 
 fb) Dr. Francis Buchanan's Journey through Mysore, 
 Canara and Malabar, 
 
1S8 
 
 "posed to the darkening effect of an Indian cli- 
 mate during almost the whole Christian era. 
 
 The story of some Portuguese who settled in 
 the year 1 500' on the coast of Guinea, and whose 
 descendants have now the complexion, and fea- 
 tures of Negroes, has been held up as a signal 
 proof of this theory. Blumenbach has however 
 very properly remarked,^ that these colonists 
 were not accompanied by any women of their 
 ©wn country, and that the change in their off- 
 spring is to be attributed to intermarriages with 
 the natives of Africa. It would be very sur- 
 prising if this cause had not produced a com- 
 plete assimilation in the course of 300 years. («) 
 
 The Anglo-Americans are mentioned by Dr. 
 Smith, as affording an example of a similar 
 change eflfected by climate. The people of all 
 the Southern States have acquired a sickly and 
 sall©w aspect, which is very striking to a stran- 
 ger who lands on their shores. ^' The Low- 
 lamders,*^ as he informs us, '' of the Carolinas 
 and of Georgia, degenerate to a complexion that 
 is but a few shades lighter than that of the Iro- 
 quois. I speak of the poor and laborious classes 
 of the people/' (b) 
 
 The effect of the solar heat in these countries 
 in deepening the complexion of those who are 
 exposed to it in the labours of agriculture, to- 
 
 («} Blumenbach de Gen. Httur. Var. Na*. 
 (6) Df. SvSi Smith \ibi supra. 
 
189 
 
 ifcther with the influence of bilious diseases, 
 which are here very prevalent among the white 
 people, must produce a considerable change in 
 the aspect of the inhabitants. It would be ridi- 
 culous to refuse assent to this part of the state- 
 ment before us, since it is analagous to facts 
 which we receive from all quarters, A similar 
 alteration would probably be produced in Eu- 
 ropeans, who should go to the marshes of Caro- 
 lina and betake themselves to the labours of the 
 Natives, especially if they were removed thither 
 in their infancy, so that the future growth of 
 the body might be subjected to the influence of 
 the relaxing and noxious causes which are pre- 
 valent there. But that the race of Anglo-Ameri- 
 cans has in any part of their settlements under- 
 gone unequivocally an approximation to the 
 characters of the Indians, is an assertion quite 
 contrary to the testimony which I have repeat- 
 edly received from unprejudiced and well in- 
 formed Natives of America, and from travellers 
 in that country. It is apparent that Dr. Smith 
 has not discriminated between the native com- 
 plexion of the people, and the hue acquired by 
 exposure to the sun, by hard labour, and by the 
 influence of local diseases. 
 
 M. G. Herriot, a respectable writer, whose 
 opinion on this subject is of weight, since he 
 had no favorite opinion to support, expressly 
 assures us, that the Anglo-Americans have not 
 
190 
 
 made the least approach towards the complexioh 
 of the Indians. He is induced by this circum- 
 stance to infer that the colour of the latter does 
 not depend on climate, (a) 
 
 If the climate of North America exerts so 
 powerful an agency on the settlers in that coun- 
 try, a similar effect should^ a fortiori, be pro* 
 duced in the West Indies. But I have been as- 
 sured by many natives of these islands, that 
 there is no perceptible difference in colour be-^ 
 tween the inhabitants of them and the English 
 people, except what arises from exposure to a 
 hotter sun. The women and children are 
 equally fair with those born in Britain. Persons 
 who are descended from ancestors of the san- 
 guine temperament have still the blue eyes and 
 light hair which characterize that constitution, 
 though their forefathers were among the earliest 
 settlers in the country. West Indians who have 
 resided some years in England becomes as fair 
 as any of the natives of our island. 
 
 Mr. Long, in his history of Jamaica, afHrnis, 
 ^' that the children born in England have not, 
 in general, lovelier or more transparent skins 
 than the offspring of white parents in Ja- 
 maica. "(&) 
 
 ' *' At the time of the grand rebellion, 140 years 
 ago," says Mr. White, " many families went from 
 
 (tf) Herriot. Hist, of Canada, 
 {b) Long's Hist, of Jamaica, 
 
191 
 
 "Ent^land to Jamaica, whose descendants are in 
 the predicament above mentioned." (a) 
 
 The same author assures us on good authority, 
 that Spanish families which have resided in South 
 America^, and have avoided intermarriages with 
 people of Indian, or of mixed race, remain as 
 -white as any Europeans. 
 
 It would be very easy to add a number of 
 examples tending to prove the permanency of 
 the white complexion, in races of people who 
 reside under the influence of a hot climate. I 
 shall mention only two instances of this kind, 
 which occur to my memory at present. 
 
 One of them is the race of fair people who 
 inhabit the neighbourhood of Jibbel Aurez or 
 Mons Aurasius, in Africa, and who have been 
 visited and described by Dr. Shaw and Mr. Bruce. 
 The last writer says, '' that if they are not as 
 fair as the English, they are of a shade lighter 
 than that of any inhabitants to the southward of 
 Britain. Their hair also was red and their eyes 
 blue." These authors suppose them to be the 
 descendants of the Vandals, who are mentioned 
 by Procopius to have been defeated in this 
 neighbourhood. (/;) 
 
 The Nevayets or Moslem settlers in Concan, 
 afford another instance of similar eWecU These 
 
 («) White, on the Gradation of the Human Species. 
 (b) Shaw's Travels. Brace's Travels, Introduction. 
 
192 . - 
 
 people migrated from Irak in the first century 
 of the Hejira. They systematically avoided in- 
 termarriages with the natives, even with Mahom- 
 medan families, for many centuries after the 
 l&stablishment of the latter in the Deckan. Con- 
 sequently they have preserved their complexion, 
 and there are '' even now some Nevayets whose 
 countenances approach the European fresh- 
 ness." (a) Had they persisted in maintaining 
 the purity of their stock, the same w^ould pro- 
 bably have been their universal character to the 
 present day. 
 
 I have recited the principal examples adduced 
 by the votaries of the opinion I am contending 
 against, as direct proofs of their assertion, that 
 the colour which the skin of a white man ac- 
 quires on exposure to the heat of the sun, be- 
 comes hereditary, and may therefore form a 
 basis for the gradual appearance of the deepest 
 black. It is hardly necessary to remark, that 
 these instances turn out to be extremely defi- 
 cient ; that they by no means prove the position 
 questioned, and that their testimony seems to be 
 conclusively in the negative. For if there was 
 any truth in the hypothesis, the Jews would have 
 acquired generally in Britain the sanguine com- 
 plexion, and it is very obvious that in India 
 they must long ago have been assimilated to the 
 
 {a) Major Wilks's History of the Mysore. 
 
193 
 
 native Hindus. A like change would doubtless 
 have been effected in the other examples ad- 
 duced^ in which we see striking proofs of the 
 permanent nature of the white complexion. 
 Moreover^ if the acquired colour of the skin 
 were hereditary^ the children in the north of 
 Africa, in the Arabian Desert, and in Asiatic 
 Turkey, would certainly be born of that com- 
 plexion which is produced by the climate their 
 parents inhabit. The contrary is however uni- 
 versally the fact, and therefore the hypothesis 
 of which this is the consequence, must be with- 
 out foundation. We may therefore assert in 
 general terms that the result of historical in- 
 quiry confirms the observation made in the 
 foregoing pages ; that the colour acquired by 
 the parent on exposure to heat, is not imparted 
 to his offspring, and has consequently no share 
 in producing natural varieties. 
 
 It will hereafter appear what foundation there 
 is for the assertion that the complexions of na- 
 tions are darker or lighter in proportion to the 
 temperature of the countries they inhabit. But 
 it will first be necessary to make a few observa- 
 tions, which may tend to throw light on some 
 subjects connected with our inquiry. 
 
 It is not my intention to assert that climates 
 can only produce an effect on individuals, who 
 removing from ainother situation, come to abide 
 under their influence. It cannot be denied that 
 
 N 
 
194 
 
 they have some power also of exhibiting certain 
 changes in the progeny. But I am disposed to 
 believe that the most important diversities of 
 mankind, the difference for example between 
 the white European and the Negro, depend on 
 another principle ; and that no change of climate 
 however great, or for whatever period of time 
 its influence might be exerted, could transform 
 a race of the former people into one of the lat- 
 ter, or even make them approximate in any 
 considerable degree. It is very improbable that 
 climates can influence the human species, more 
 than the inferior tribes of animals, which are 
 placed by many circumstances so much more 
 fully under their controul : yet we no where 
 And that the colours of these bear any evident 
 relation to the gradations of temperature and 
 latitude. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 IT appears that the principle in the animal 
 oeconomy on which the production of varieties 
 in the race depends, is entirely distinct from 
 that which regards the changes produced by 
 external causes on the individual. 
 
 These two classes of phienomena are governed 
 by very different laws. In the former instance 
 certain external powers acting on the parents. 
 
195 
 
 influence ihem to produce an olTsptirtg possessing 
 some peculiarities of form, colour, or organiza- 
 tion ; and it seems to be the law of nature that 
 whatever characters thus originate, become here- 
 ditary> and are transmitted to the race, perhaps 
 in perpetuity. On the contrary, the changes 
 produced by external causes in the appearance 
 or constitution of the individual, are temporary, 
 and in general acquired characters are transi- 
 ent, and have no influence on the progeny. 
 
 We have observed in a former part of this 
 essay, the tendency which -all animals exhibit 
 to the hereditary transmission of congenital 
 characters of body. It is not necessary to repeat 
 proofs of a fact which has never been called in 
 question. But the extent of the influence of 
 this principle has not been fully considered. 
 Wb have before alluded to the well known h'Cty 
 that the form of features which constitutes what 
 is called a family likeness, and other similar 
 varieties, have been transmitted for many gene- 
 rations. The most minute peculiarities have 
 been traeed through repeated successions. There 
 is not a family of men or a stock of animals, 
 which cannot produce soiiiethlng in confirma- 
 tion. A spot on a quadruped of variegated 
 colour often becomes almost perpetual. The 
 general rule equally applies to those more ob- 
 vious instances, which can be discovered by our 
 senses, and to the minute varieties of organiza- 
 
 N2 
 
196 
 
 tion, which give nse to peculiar constitutions, 
 and to every different morbid affection. Thus 
 defects in the organs of sense, and imperfections 
 in all the bodily functions, as deafness, insanity, 
 asthmas, palsies, are hereditary, or af least the 
 predispositions which lead to these distempers- 
 when the exciting causes arc applied, (a) 
 
 The truth of the other proposition advanced, 
 that no acquired characters are ever transmitted, 
 is not so immediately evident, although it ap- 
 pears to be universally confirmed By experience. 
 It may be stated as a general fact, that the organ- 
 ization of the offspring, allowing still a certain 
 range for the springing up of new varieties, is 
 always formed on the model of the natural and 
 
 («) I have observed that the liability to be more thaa 
 commonly acted upon by any particular medicinCj is often 
 prevalent through a family, as in one particular instance of 
 a mother and daughter, who very strongly resembled in 
 person, and who were both thrown into salivation by a very 
 small quantity of mercury. 
 
 I have reafson to believe that a much more accurate atten- 
 tion than what is commonly paid to peaiUarities and resem- 
 blances of person, would very often be advantageous to 
 medical practitioners, in leading them to an acquaintance 
 with many varieties of constitotion which arc not easily 
 made obvious. The internal peculiarities of organization 
 are generally connected with the external, and if a son 
 resembles his father very accurately in features, form, and 
 complexion, he has generally the same habit of body la 
 other particulars, and will probably be subject more or 
 less in each successive period of his life, to the same dis- 
 tempers. 
 
197 
 
 t)rlginal constitution of the parent^, and is not 
 affected by any change the latter may have 
 undergone, or influenced by any new state it 
 may have acquired. A contrary opinion has 
 indeed been maintained by some physiologists, 
 and divers facts have been related in testimony. 
 We have been told for example^, that dogs and 
 cats are sometimes produced without tails, the 
 defect arising from the circumstance that the 
 parents of the animals so marked had suffered 
 amputation of the same member. 
 
 The authors who have brought such examples 
 as these in defence of their opinions, would not 
 probably have thought them worth recording, 
 or indeed deserving of the smallest notice, if 
 they had not happened to coincide with the 
 systems they were advocating. It is surely 
 much more reasonable to attribute defects of 
 this nature to accidental occurrence, than thus 
 to account for them. Individuals are occasion- 
 ally produced in every species, sometimes with 
 a natural mutilation or defect of some member, 
 at others with an excessive growth. We see 
 such examples almost daily in the human kind, 
 and similar instances occur in the lower tribes. 
 Yet if a child be bojrn without a foot, or hand, 
 or arm, it would not occur to any person to 
 impute the want of the limb, to any amputation 
 which either of its parents might have under- 
 gone, and if the latter should have been found 
 
198 
 
 to have been thus mutilated, the coincidence 
 would be justly imputed to accident, and no 
 connection would be imagined to subsist between 
 the two facts. 
 
 The opinion we are opposing has taken its 
 rise rather from some absurd theory of gene- 
 ration, than from any facts which have appeared 
 well established, (a). But our knowledge of 
 the processes of nature is so slender, that we 
 are hot authorized to reason from any hypothe- 
 sis on this subject. We know not by what means 
 any of the facts we remark are effected. Our 
 object should be simply to observe and gene- 
 ralize them, and to deduce thence analogical 
 rules to guide us in our future researches. In 
 the present instance we form our observations 
 with such an abundant range of experiment be- 
 fore us, that we are entitled to a considerable 
 degree of confidence in the general results. 
 All nations are subject to accidental injuries, 
 and amputations and other operations of surgery 
 have been practised in every country, from im- 
 memorial time. Yet who ever heard of any 
 effect produced on the race ? Our horses and 
 other domestic animals are continually mutilated 
 in their ears and tails, from our caprice. An 
 infinite number of decisive experiments are per- 
 formed every day with the same results. 
 
 («) Buffon deduces it from the doctrine of Molecules, 
 
199 
 
 It has been said that after any operation ha» 
 been repeated during many generations, a sort 
 of habit may be acquired^ by which the new 
 state becomes as it were natural, and may thus 
 affect the race. But the principle of habit can- 
 not be called into existence in this case, where 
 the violence committed and the injury suffered 
 in every successive generation, is not less than 
 it was at first. But if an instance be wanting: to 
 prove that repetition effects no difference in the 
 results,, we have one in the Jews, and in the 
 other nations who have practised circumcision 
 invariably during many thousand years, yet the 
 artificial state has not become natural. 
 < The utility of this law of nature is very evident^ 
 If it were not for it, the evils of ^11 past ages 
 would be perpetuated, and the human race would 
 in every succeeding generation, exhibit more 
 abundant examples of accumulated misery., 
 Every species would have become at this day mu- 
 tilated and defective, and we should see nothing 
 but men and animals, destitute of eyes, arms, 
 legs, Sec. The whole creation, which now dis- 
 plays a spectacle of beauty and happiness, would 
 present to our view a picture of universal de- 
 crepitude and hideous deformity. 
 
 We cannot discern any essential circumstance, 
 in which changes produced by art, or by casual 
 injury, differ from those which are eflected by 
 other external causes. Neither do the latter 
 
200 
 
 appeal to be communicable to the offspring, 
 which is always formed according to the natural 
 constitution of the parent. 
 
 Thus we know that the change whatever it 
 may be, which is produced in the constitution 
 by the application of certain contagions, as those 
 of the small-pox, cow-pox, measles, hooping 
 cough, and others, is a permanent state, and 
 renders the persons who have once undergone 
 these distempers, incapable of being affected 
 by the same maladies during the remainder of 
 their lives. Yet this acquired condition is not 
 communicated to their children, who are born 
 on the contrary, with the original constitutions 
 and predispositions of their parents. These are 
 probably analogous cases to those of the changes 
 produced by external injuries. The secret mo- 
 difications of bodily structure, which defend the 
 constitution against the attacks of any distemper, 
 are governed by the same laws, as far as regards 
 hereditary descent, as the sensible changes of 
 form, or even the want of parts, which is the 
 consequence of mutilation. 
 
 The phsenomena of predisposition to diseases 
 may be supposed to be adverse to the universal 
 prevalence of this law. But on closer examina- 
 tion, they will appear rather to confirm it; 
 
 It has been said by medical writers, and the 
 notion has generally been received without scru- 
 tiny, that any morbid predisposition may be 
 
201 
 
 formed in almost any constitution ; that what is 
 called the gouty diathesis, for example, may be 
 acquired by long habits of intemperance, and 
 transmitted to posterity ; that the remote causes 
 of other diseases render the offspring of persons 
 addicted to them obnoxious tovariousdistempers; 
 that the children of dissolute parents thus gene- 
 rally suffer punishment for the vices of their 
 progenitors ; and it may be added, that we have 
 here a clear proof of the hereditary nature of 
 acquired states of the constitution. 
 
 If the antecedent circumstances which are 
 said to lay the foundation for each morbid pre- 
 disposition were distinct from the exciting 
 causes, and different from each other, the facts 
 would appear to countenance the inference. 
 But we may remark in the first place, that the 
 remote and exciting causes of distempers are 
 very generally the same ; so that it is difficult to 
 say how far the noxious powers have produced 
 their effect by laying the foundation of disease, 
 and how far, by only calling a natural predispo- 
 sition into action : and secondly, that the series 
 of hurtful causes which are said to form the pre- 
 disposition to one disease thus supposed to be- 
 come hereditary, are often exactly similar to 
 those which are imagined to lay the foundation 
 for another set of morbid symptoms altogether 
 distinct. The same course of intemperate living, 
 and of excesses of various kinds, is supposed 
 
202 
 
 first to predispose to, and afterwards to excite 
 gout in one person^ in another apoplectic mala* 
 dies^ in a third, dropsy, or complaints of the 
 liver, in another, insanity. Now, since the 
 difference is not in the external causes, it must 
 be in the natural peculiarities of the constitu- 
 tions on which they act. These therefore are 
 previously prepared by original organization 
 to take on them one form of morbid aflfection, 
 rather than another. It is then clear that the 
 predisposition is laid by natural variety in the 
 iii-st instance. The causes which are called pre- 
 disposing are in reality exciting causes, though 
 perhaps acting gradually, and through a long 
 course of time. Every individual is probably 
 weaker in some particular organ or part of his 
 constitution than in others, and this naturally 
 and previously to the action of any hurtful 
 powers. If he avoids the excitements of disease, 
 he may escape, but when these are applied his 
 natural weakness shews itself. The same defect 
 being a part of the original bodily structure, is 
 common to a family. The first individual who 
 exposes himself to the morbid causes, first be- 
 trays the peculiar defect of the race, and is 
 thus erroneously supposed to lay the foundation 
 ofi^ r 
 
 Syphilis appears indeed to form a sort of 
 exception to this observation, for in that instance 
 the disease itself is transmitted. But hereditary 
 
203 I ^^^^^^^ - 
 
 syphilis, is, I believe, only known to occurj 
 when the mother has been labouring under the 
 infection during the interval between the pe- 
 riods of conception and parturition. («) It must 
 be supposed that the foetus in utero becomes 
 contaminated with the peculiar poison of the 
 disease with which the humours of the mother 
 are infected, and that after its birth the additio- 
 nal exciting causes, such as cold air, acting 
 upon it, the contagion begins to shew its custo- 
 mary effects. The child in this case may be 
 considered as having taken the disease by a pe- 
 culiar mode of infection, rather than as deriving 
 it from hereditary resemblance of constitution. 
 This is a phasnomenon of a very different kind 
 from the similarity of structure which the law of 
 nature ordains between children and their pa- 
 rents. 
 
 If the above arguments are stated in a manner 
 sufficiently clear and explicit to convey their 
 full force, they ^vill I believe authorize the in- 
 ference, that the phagnomena of predisposition 
 to diseases, rather confirms than invalidates our 
 former position^ and we may be allowed to con- 
 clude with a considerable degree of confidence, 
 that no acquired varieties of constitution be- 
 come hereditary or in any manner affect the race. 
 
 The uniform preservation of the natural com- 
 
 (a) Facts tending to prove the contrary are indeed re- 
 lated, but they are all of dubious authority. 
 
204 
 
 plexion of white races of men, who reside in 
 hot climates, and are continually acquiring a 
 darker hue, is a fact analogous to those which 
 we have lately mentioned, and conformable to 
 the general law. The adventitious colour has 
 no influence on th€ offspring. 
 
 If there be any truth in the above reasonings, 
 we must not in inquiring into the nature of the 
 varieties in the human complexion and figure, 
 direct our attention to the class of externa! 
 powers, wliich produce changes on individuals 
 in their own persons, but to those more impor- 
 tant causes, which acting on the parents, influ- 
 ence them to produce an offspring endowed 
 with certain peculiar characters, which charac- 
 ters, according to the law of nature, become 
 hereditary, aiicl thus modify the race. 
 
 It will be useful in this place to extend our 
 views again to the other departments of nature, 
 ^nd to endeavour to acquire an idea of the 
 causes m general, which chiefly predispose to 
 the production of varieties. It is to be regretted 
 that physiologists have not directed their atten- 
 tion to this view of the subject. If they had 
 pursued this path, we should probably at the 
 present time have been possessed of an instruc- 
 tive accumulation of facts in the place of abun* 
 dance of vague reasonings. 
 
205 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 IT is well known that in the vegetable king- 
 dom the seeds of plants in various circumstances 
 produce new varieties of form, colour, and qua- 
 lity. Thus all the different kinds of apples are 
 varieties of the common crab tree, which have 
 been produced by planting the seeds indiscri- 
 minately ; and seedling plants continually ex- 
 hibit a disposition to almost infinite variations. 
 In some vegetable races, as in the varieties of 
 the pea, (a) the characters thus constituted are 
 very uniformly hereditary. In others they are 
 very capricious, and in not a few examples, as 
 in the apple and pear, the offspring scarcely 
 receives any determination from the peculiar 
 character of the parent stock. 
 
 The circumstances which promote the evolu- 
 tion of varieties, and especially of the finer, and 
 more luxuriant forms, and of the more beautiful 
 tints in the vegetable kingdom, are culture, 
 richness and frequent change of soil, an abun- 
 dant supply of all the wants of the individual, 
 and a cautious guarding against all causes which 
 have a tendency to weaken the vigour of its 
 
 (a) T. A. Knight, on the fecundation of vegetables, in 
 Hunter's Georgical Essays, vol 6. 
 
206 
 
 growth, and lessen the energies of its peculiaf 
 life. The principle of cultivation, or rather of 
 this part of it, for a great portion of the art con- 
 sists in the judicious mixture of varieties, seems 
 to be the supplying to every plant in abun- 
 dance the stimuli adapted by nature to its par- 
 ticular species. 
 
 In the animal kingdom it is probable that a 
 greater number of causes would be found to 
 contribute to the evolving of varieties, if suffi- 
 cient observation were made of all the antece- 
 dent circumstances, which are connected with 
 these appearances. 
 
 If a pair of the common brown mice are kept 
 constantly in a dark cellar, or any where wholly 
 excluded from the light, their offspring will be 
 produced with white hair and red eyes. It is 
 not an uncommon thin": to find this varietv in 
 the foundations of old cathedrals and in otherj 
 places, which abound in dark subterraneous re-" 
 cesses. The white variety of the Field Mouse 
 is found in woody places. These characters are 
 hereditary, and the animals possessing them fre- 
 quently form races. 
 
 The appearance of the white variety is very 
 common in several species of animals which in- 
 habit the arctic countries. I do not speak of 
 the races which are originally white, as the arctic 
 bear and fox, nor of the varying tribes, which 
 acquire a w^hite hue in the winter, for these are 
 
207 
 
 distinct species. But the common species of 
 bears, foxes, and other animals in those coun- 
 tries frequently produce offspring of the des- 
 cription above mentioned. This phaenomenon 
 and that of the variety of mice in our own.coun- 
 try, may be considered as analogous. There is 
 no reason to doubt that several of the species of 
 wild beasts which are generally of dark colours 
 in the south of Europe, would, if they were 
 transported within the arctic circle, soon exhibit 
 the same deviations in their progeny. We have 
 here an example of the antecedent circum* 
 stances connected with the origin of variety 
 tolerablv well defined. 
 
 It is scarcely to be imagined that climates 
 have no effect in exciting these variations, for 
 whatever are the circumstances or combinations 
 of them, which conduce to the appearance of 
 such pha^nomena, these must be supposed more 
 likely to occur in one climate than in another. 
 
 The breeds of goats, rabbits and cats of Ana- 
 tolia are remarkable for soft, long, white hair. 
 The concurrence of this character in different 
 species found in the same local situation, lead* 
 to the inference that the variety must arise from 
 a local cause. Yet this variety is permanent 
 when the animals are carried into other coun- 
 tries, (a) 
 
 (i?) BluDienbach ubi supra. 
 
SOS 
 
 But by far the most powerful cause of the 
 evolution of varieties in the animal kingdom is 
 domestication, or the artificial and unnatural 
 condition into which those tribes are brought, 
 which are sul)servient to the uses of man. To 
 be convinced of the truth of this fact, we need 
 only look at the phaenomena which surround us 
 on every side* In all our stocks of domesticated 
 animals, we see profuse and infinite variety, and 
 in the races of wild animals, from which they 
 originally descended, we find an uniform colour 
 and figure for the most part to prevail. 
 
 Domestication is to animals what cultivation 
 is to vegetables, and the former probably dif- 
 fers from the natural state of the one class of 
 beings in the same circumstances, which distin- 
 guish the latter from the natural condition of 
 the other class. The most apparent of these is 
 the abundant supply of the peculiar stimuli of 
 such kind. Animals in a wild state procure a 
 simple and unvaried food in precarious atid de- 
 ficient quantities, and are exposed to the incle- 
 mencies of the seasons. Their young are produced 
 in similar circumstances to the state of seedlings 
 which spring uncultivated in a poor soil. But in 
 the improved state, all the stimuli of various 
 food, of warmth, &:c. are afforded in abundance, 
 and the consequence is a luxuriant growth, the 
 evolution of varieties, and the exhibition of all 
 the perfections of which each species is capable. 
 
209 
 
 Civilized life holds the same relation to the 
 condition of savages in the human race, which 
 the domesticated state holds to the natural or 
 wild condition among the inferior animals. 
 
 Man is defended by so many arts against the 
 influence of the elements ; he appears when we 
 compare him with the greater part of the brute 
 creation, to be so secure against the efficacy of 
 natural causes, and this not only in countries 
 where the improved condition of life has been 
 carried to great advancement, but with a great 
 majority of the species, that the effect of cli- 
 mates must be expected to be less on the hu- 
 man than on the inferior kinds. 
 
 On the other hand the difference between the 
 artificial state of mankind and their natural or 
 savage condition, is so much more important 
 and extensive than any which intervenes be- 
 tween the domesticated and wild races of ani- 
 mals, that we must, reasoning from probability, 
 expect the effect of this change on the human 
 species to be more strongly marked than on the 
 inferior kinds. 
 
 We shall now proceed to consider what effect 
 climates have in predisposing to varieties in the 
 human species, by comparing the native people 
 of distant regions of the earth. We shall pur- 
 sue this inquiry in a method somewhat different 
 from that heretofore followed. The influence 
 of moral causes in modifying the efficacy of na- 
 
 6 
 
210 
 
 fural causes is allowed on all hands to be very 
 considerable. Moreover we have seen reason 
 to impute a priori to civilization at least as great 
 power in the production of varieties as climates 
 c^n be supposed to exert, and we shall after- 
 wards produce examples of its effects, which will 
 shew that they have not in this view been over- 
 rated. With these preliminaries it appears ne- 
 cessary that we should in proceeding to com- 
 pare the inhabitants of different climates, con- 
 sider those nations only as the proper subjects 
 of this comparison, which are in a similar state 
 with respect to barbarism and civilization. We 
 shall compare savages with other barbarous tribes, 
 and civilized races with people in a similar state, 
 and shall endeavour in general to include in the 
 same comparison nations as nearly as possible 
 on a level with each other in a moral point of 
 view. 
 
 The indigenous nations of America afford us 
 one very ample field for this sort of comparison. 
 Though divided into a great number of tribes, 
 which are completely independent of each othef, 
 and have no mutual intercourse, and which have 
 been thus discriminated from the earliest period 
 of our acquaintance with them ; and though 
 scattered at immense distances over a vast con- 
 tinent of a most diversified surface, which ex- 
 tends itself through every habitable climate^ 
 these people preserve every where a strong re- 
 
211 
 
 semblance in all the leading points of their 
 manners and habits. Since the researches of 
 Humboldt in the New World we have become 
 better informed concerning various particulars 
 of its natural and political state. His observa- 
 tions lead to some conclusions concerning the 
 physical history of the aboriginal people, which 
 are very much to our present purpose. As the 
 weight of his testimony would be lessened by 
 any attempt to condense ir^ we shall insert it in 
 the author's own statement. («) 
 
 '' The Indians of New Spain/' says Humboldt, 
 '^ have a more swarthy complexion than the 
 inhabitants of the warmest climates of South 
 America." The influence of climate '' appears 
 to have almost no effect on the Americans and 
 Negroes." '^ There are no doubt tribes of a 
 colour by no means deep among the Indians of 
 the New Continent, whose complexion ap- 
 proaches to that of the Arabs or Moors. We 
 found the people of the Rio Negro swarthier 
 than those of the lower Orinoco, and yet the 
 banks of the first of these rivers enjoy a much 
 cooler climate than the more northern reoions. 
 In the forests of Guiana, especially near the 
 sources of the Orinoco, are several tribes of a 
 whitish complexion, the Guaicas, Guajaribs and 
 
 {a) Humboldt. Political Essay on N. Spain^ translated 
 by Mr. Black. -^ 
 
 O 2 
 
212 
 
 Arigiies, of whom several robust individuals, 
 exhibiting no symptom of the asthenical maladr 
 which characterizes Albinos^ have the appearance 
 of true Mestizos. Yet these tribes have never 
 mingled with Europeans, and are surrounded 
 with other tribes of a dark brown hue. The In- 
 dians in the torrid zone who inhabit the mo<>t 
 ekvated plains of the Cordilleras, of the Andes, 
 and those who under tae 45** of South Latitude 
 live by fishing among the islands of the Archi- 
 pelago of Chonos, have as coppery a complexion 
 as those who under a burning climate cultivate 
 bananas in the narrowest and deepest vallies of 
 the Equinoctial region. We must add that the 
 Indians of the mountains are clothed, and were 
 so long before the conquest, while the Abori- 
 gines who wander over the plains, go quite 
 naked, and are consequently always exposed to 
 the perpendicular rays of the sun. I could never 
 observe that in the same individual those parts 
 of the body which were covered were less dark 
 than those in contact with a warm and humid 
 air. We every where perceive that the colour 
 of the American depends very little on the local 
 position in which we see him. The Mexicans, 
 as we have already observed, are more swarthy 
 than the Indians of Quito and New Granada, 
 who inhabit a climate completely analogous, and 
 we even see that the tribes dispersed to the north 
 of the Rio Gila are less brown than those in the 
 
213 
 
 rieighbourhood of the kingdom of Guatimala. 
 This deep colour continues to the coast nearest 
 to Asia, but under the 54° 10' of North Latitude^ 
 at Cloak Bay, in the midst of copper coloured 
 Indians, with small long eyes, there is a tribe 
 with large eyes, European features, and a skin 
 less dark than that of our peasantry. AH these 
 facts tend to prove that notwithstanding the va- 
 riety of climates and elevations inhabited by the 
 different races of men. Nature never deviates 
 from the model of which she made selection 
 thousands of years ago." (a) 
 
 All the other travellers of credit coincide in a 
 similar testimony with that of Humboldt, con- 
 cerning the complexion of the native Americans. 
 
 Herrera, (/?) Ulloa, and other Spanish writers, 
 some of whom are cited by Dr. Robertson, (^c) 
 give the same account. Ulloa's authority is of 
 weight, because he had personally opportunities 
 of making observations on the Indians in North 
 
 (a) This last observation of our author is curiously at 
 variance with the facts stated immediately before, Mhich 
 evince a remarkable deviation though not apparently pro- 
 duced by climate. 
 
 (b) Uerrera says, after describing the complexion of the 
 Mexican Albinos, '' Toda la demas gente tiene color de 
 Membrilios cocidos." And again, " Es cosa notable que 
 todas las gentes de las Indias del norte y del mcdiodia, son 
 de una misma inclinacion y calidad; porque segun la mejor 
 opinion procedieron de una mii>ma parte." (Ilistoria de las 
 Indias.) 
 
 (c) Hist, of America. 
 
2fl4 
 
 America, as well as in the South. He reported 
 that there was no discoverable difference of com- 
 plexion, which had any relation to climate. 
 
 Herriot makes a similar remark, (^a) Stedman 
 relates that the Indians near Surinam (/?") are of a 
 copper colour, and Mackenzie (c) and Hearne(^^ 
 give the same account of the Knisteneaux, and 
 other tribes who inhabit the region contiguous 
 to the Arctic Circle. 
 
 I have received a similar relation from several 
 persons of credit, who have seen the natives of 
 Canada and of South America. The general 
 statement is, that the people of the tropics are 
 fairer than those of the north. 
 
 Wallis reports that the people of Patagonia 
 and Tierra del Fuego are of tiie same colour with 
 the Indians of North America, (e) 
 
 Cook describes the natives of Tierra del Fuesro 
 
 o 
 
 as having the colour of rust of iron mixed with 
 oil.(/) 
 
 From all these testimonies, it appears to be 
 fully established that the native people of Ameri- 
 ca exhibit no proofs of the effect of climate in 
 producing varieties of complexion. 
 
 (a) Herriot's Hist, of Canada. 
 
 (&) Stedman's Expedition to Surinam. 
 
 (c) Mackenzie's Journey to the Pacific Oceaa, 
 
 (c?) Hearne's Journey to the Copper River, 
 
 (e) Hawkesworth's Voyages, 
 
 (f) Cook's Voyage apud Hawkesworth, 
 
215 
 
 The Negro race affords us another example of 
 a stock of people spread over regions which ex- 
 tend themselves into almost every habitable cli- 
 mate, and preserving like the tribes of American 
 Indians that general likeness which gives a pre- 
 sumptive proof of connexion in race and origin. 
 Under the term of the Negro race I mean to 
 include, not only the natives of Africa, but the 
 tribes of savages who inhabit New Guinea, New^ 
 Holland, and many islands in the Pacific Ocean. 
 All these nations resemble in many points of 
 their physical structure the gen4ii-ne Ethiopians. 
 There is at least that general analogy between 
 them^ which authorizes our arranging them all 
 in the same class, as we shall hereafter more dis- 
 tinctly trace, when we proceed to consider the 
 history of particular nations. In this class indeed 
 we very fairly include all the savage or abso- 
 lutely uncivilized people of the Southern He- 
 misphere, with the exception of the tribes of 
 Americans already mentioned. 
 
 Most of these nations are completely in the 
 natural state, that is to say, almost entirely des- 
 titute of the improvements of life. Some tribes 
 however are more advanced than others, and in 
 a few instances they have made considerable 
 progress in the more simple arts. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that our knowledge 
 of the inhabitants of the African continent is 
 very slender. Few travellers have penetrated 
 
216 
 
 far into the interior, and the observations of 
 those who have made some progress, have been 
 necessarily superficial, from their confined op- 
 portunities of inquiry, and afford us little in- 
 formation of the history of the inhabitants 
 
 The tribes who inhabit the countries bordering 
 on the Senegal and Gambia rivers, have been 
 described by Mr. Park. He divides them into 
 four princij al nations, the Mandingoes, Feloops, 
 Jaloffs and Foulahs. The two former have the 
 Negro characters in the greatest degree. The 
 JalofTs are of the deepest shade, or of a jet black 
 in their complexion, but their features approach 
 more to the European model than the rest of 
 these nations. But the Foulahs are distinguished 
 in several respects from the other natives in this 
 part of Africa. They are not black but of a 
 tawny colour, which is lighter and more yellow 
 in some states than in others. They have small 
 features, and soft silky hair, without either the 
 thick lips or the crisp wool which are common 
 to the other tribes. They are much more civi- 
 lized than the rest of the African nations. Their 
 manners are pastoral and agricultural, and their 
 dispositions remarkably gentle. They speak a 
 different language from the neighbouring na- 
 tions, and look down on these as inferiors, rank-' 
 ing themselves among the white people, (a) 
 
 (a) Park's Travels in Africa. 
 
217 
 
 These tribes inhabit the same latitudes, and 
 Sive indeed interspersed through the same ter- 
 ritories. The variety which subsists among them 
 must therefore depend on some other influence 
 than that of climate. 
 
 The natives of the Cape de Verd islands, where 
 the temperature of the air is moderated by sea 
 breezes, are Negroes in all respects similar to 
 those on the African continent, (a) 
 
 People who inhabit elevated and mountainous 
 situations, and those who abide in low places, as 
 on the shores of the sea or of great rivers, are 
 said in general to derive as strong marks of dis- 
 tinction from this circumstance, as any which 
 are imagined to result from great differences of 
 latitude; and there is no doubt some truth in 
 the observation. It is however well known that 
 the Negroes of the mountainous tracts in Upper 
 Guinea are as black as those who inhabit the sea 
 coast. (^) 
 
 If we advance from the Equator towards the 
 Cape of Good Hope on either shore, we find no 
 difference in the shade of complexion. At least 
 such is the account we receive from the most in- 
 telligent travellers. 
 
 The colour of the people of Congo is black, 
 though not in the same degree, some being of 
 a much deeper dye than others. Their hair is 
 
 (a) Dam pier's Voyages. 
 
 (b) See Humboldt ubi supra, &c. 
 
218 
 
 in general black and finely curled, but some . 
 have it of a dark sandy colour. Their eyes are 
 mostly of a fine lively black, but in some of a 
 dark sea green. They have neither fiat noses 
 nor thick lips like other Negroes; their stature 
 is mostly of the middle size^ and except their 
 black complexion they resemble the Portu- 
 guese, (flj 
 
 The natives of the Eastern shore, have a bet- 
 ter form and more graceful features in general 
 than those of the Western coast. 
 
 The people of Sofala are black, bu^t taller; 
 and stouter than the other CafFres. (ft) 
 
 The natives of Monomotapa, according to the 
 Dutch travellers, are tall, handsome and very 
 black, (c) 
 
 The island of Madagascar is by no means to 
 be considered as a country of intemperate heat, 
 for the air is perpetually cooled by winds blow- 
 ing across the Indian Ocean. This island is in- 
 habited by races of people who differ consider- 
 ably in their physical characters. Some tribes 
 are of a deep black colour, with crisp or woolly 
 hair, in short true Negroes. These are stout 
 people, about the middle stature ; they have 
 large eyes and fine countenances. Other tribes | 
 
 (a) Relation de I*Ethiopie Occidentalc trad, de ritalicn 
 ^'Antonio Cavazzi, Par Labat. 
 
 (6) Pigafetta. Ind. Oriental, part. i. 
 (c) See Buffon. Hist. Nat. 
 
219 
 
 have lank and smooth hair, and are tawny. Some^ 
 are copper coloured. The affinity in their lan- 
 guages proves the inhabitants of Madagascar to 
 be connected in origin with some of the natives 
 of the Indian Archipelago. Whether the whole 
 population of the island have so remote a de- 
 scent, or only part of them, is uncertain, (a) 
 
 The people of Natal, on the eastern shore of 
 Africa, have been visited and described by 
 Dampier. They are of a middle stature, and 
 well made, with oval faces, and noses neither flat 
 nor high, but well proportioned. The colour of 
 their skins is black, and their hair crisped. Their 
 teeth are white, and their aspect altogether 
 graceful. (Z>) 
 
 The Hottentos indeed would seem to form an 
 exception to the general observation made above, 
 for they appear to be of the Negro race from 
 their woolly hair and other circumstances, and 
 their skin is of a yellowish brown hue, which 
 something resembles that of an European who 
 has the jaundice to a high degree ; the whites of 
 their eyes are entirely free from this colour, (c) 
 
 But it seems impossible to refer the light 
 complexion of the Hottentots to climate, when 
 we consider that the Caffres, who are their im- 
 
 (a) M. I'Abbe Rochon — Voyage a Madagascar, a Maroc 
 et aux Indes. De Pages Voyage autour du Monde, 
 
 (b) Dampier's Voyages. 
 
 (c) Sparrujaa's Voyage au Cap. 
 
220 
 
 mediate neighbours, and are found in the vicinity 
 of Sunday and Fish rivers, 31 degre.^s from the 
 line, are of the deepest black. Lieutenant W. 
 Paterson has observed and described these peo- 
 ple. The climate of Caffraria is subject to great 
 varieties, and occasionally to sharp frosts. The 
 country is well watered and abounds with fine 
 woods ; yet the colour of the natives is a jet 
 black. (a) 
 
 Thus it appears that in Africa and the neigh- 
 bouring islands, there is no z:ppearance which 
 would lead us to imagine that climate has any 
 power of producing deviations in the com- 
 plexion of races of men. There are indeed 
 variations from the deep black, as the tawny 
 colour of the Fowlahs and Hottentots, but the 
 lighter people live either among or in the vi- 
 cinity of others who are perfectly black, and the 
 variety cannot therefore be imputed to local 
 situation. 
 
 The Eastern Negroes or Papuas are as black 
 as those of Africa, and have woolly hair. They 
 inhabit the interior and mountainous parts of 
 most of the Indian islands, and the continent of 
 New Guinea. There are also found in the same 
 islands with them other races of people rude in 
 their manners, though not so devoid of civili- 
 zation as the Papuas, who arc called liaraforas, 
 
 [a) Patcrson's Travels in Africa. 
 
221 
 
 ©r by the Dutch writers Alfoers. The latter are 
 tawny. 
 
 The continent of New Holland is inhabited 
 by tribes of the most miserable and destitute 
 savages, who resemble the Neo^roes of Africa 
 considerably in their anatomical structure. Some 
 of these tribes are said to have woolly hair; 
 others certainly have straight hair like that of 
 Europeans, The general complexion of these 
 people is black, but individuals are found among 
 them mixed with the rest, who are of the Malay 
 tawny or copper colour, (a) 
 
 The climate of New Holland is very various. 
 The description of the people chieily refers to 
 the inhabitants of the vicinity of Port Jackson 
 or Botany Bay, where the temperature is very 
 moderate. 
 
 The inhabitants of Van Diemen*s land are in 
 the most truly savage and unimproved state of 
 all men. They have indeed scarcely any idea 
 of making houses, to protect themselves from 
 the rigour of the climate, but live principally 
 in hollow trees. These people are quite black 
 and have woolly hair. The country extends 
 itself to 45" south latitude, which is equivalent 
 in temperature to a much greater distance on 
 the northern side of the Equator. Perhaps the 
 climate may be compared to that of Scandinavia. 
 
 (a) See below. Hist, of S. S. islanders. 
 
222 
 
 The natives of the New Hebrides and some 
 other clusters in the Pacific Ocean are naked 
 and completely savage. They are black and 
 have in general woolly hair^ though in some 
 places straight hair. Individuals are found 
 among them in all the islands visited by Euro- 
 pean navigators of a lighter complexion, (a) 
 
 From this comparison of the different tribes 
 of savao^es scattered throuo^h all varieties of 
 situation and of latitude, we are certainly au- 
 thorized to draw the conclusion, that climates 
 Lave very inconsiderable, and doubtful effect iit 
 exciting variations of complexion. The general 
 complexion of savages is black or a dark hue, 
 and among the nations which continue in that 
 state, whatever climates they inhabit, though 
 deviations occur in individuals as varieties ca- 
 sually spring up in other species, both in the 
 aniHaal and in the vegetable world, yet these 
 do not go to any great extent, nor are they 
 frequent enough to produce any general effect. 
 They indeed appear to occur more often in 
 moderate than in very hot climates. 
 
 It is not improbable that the effect of climate 
 when conjoined with other causes, as in nations 
 advancing towards a state of civilization, would 
 be more considerable. But I think it is evident 
 that a nation of savages, a tribe of New Hoi- 
 
 (o) ibiJ, 
 
223 
 
 landers for example, would never be changed 
 materially in complexion by the influence of 
 climate alone. The inhabitants of Van Diemen's 
 land afford a full proof of this truth. It might 
 be imagined that they have not resided in their 
 present abode during a space of time sufficient 
 for the production of the appearances which 
 are supposed to be the effect of such a climate; 
 But this assertion would be wholly gratuitous 
 and hypothetical, for their race may hare been 
 fixed for any thing that appears on the soil 
 where they now abide as early as the Negro 
 tribes in Africa. And there is reason to believe 
 that they are by no means recent colonists, for 
 they have lost all knowledge of their migration, 
 and have even no idea of the use of canoes, 
 which is an art which if once possessed cannot 
 readily be lost. Can it be supposed that they 
 arrived in Van Diemen's land before the sepa- 
 ration of that island from New Holland by- 
 some convulsion of the earth which produced 
 the interjacent streight ? They differ in many 
 particulars from the New Hollanders, and more 
 closely resemble the Papuas of New Guinea. 
 
 We now proceed to inquire what effects 
 Cultivation or Civilization may produce on the 
 human race, and how far it may be considered 
 as predisposing to variations of complexion. 
 
 The difficulty in this part of our subject is to 
 find an example of a race of people of which one 
 
224 
 
 tribe is savage, and the other civilized. By- 
 such instances, if many were to be found, we 
 might ascertain what effects civilization is cal- 
 culated to produce. 
 
 The natives of the South Sea islands' afford us 
 an example of a race of people scattered through 
 a wide extent of space, in which they occupy 
 insulated and divided points, and are thus cut 
 off from all communication with each other. 
 We shall enter more fully hereafter into the 
 history of these tribes. It is sufficient to say 
 at present that there is great reason to believe 
 them all to be branches of one stock. Their 
 affinity is clearly proved in many instances by 
 identity of language and manners. Now of 
 these nations some are absolute savages, living 
 on the precarious sustenance which is afforded 
 them by the spontaneous fruits of the earth, 
 and altogether destitute of clothing, absolutely 
 in the natural and unimproved state : others on 
 the contrary have made considerable advance- 
 ment in the arts of life, and inhabit a country 
 which by its extraordinary fertility and abun- 
 dant supply of the most nutritious food gives 
 them all the advantages of a perfect agriculture, 
 and they use clothing manufactured from the 
 bark of the mulberry tree. The people are 
 here divided into different ranks, and the higher 
 class are very much in the same circumstances, 
 with the better orders of society in the civilized 
 
225 
 
 communities of Europe. The savage tribes are 
 all of them completely Negroes^ quite black, 
 and the greater number have woolly hair, and 
 resemble the Africans in their anatomical struc- 
 ture ; some of them have black complexions, 
 with hair crisp and curled but not woolly. Of 
 this precise description are the major part of 
 the people of New Zealand. Now the inha- 
 bitants of the latter country are incontestably a 
 tribe of the same identical race, which furnished 
 the population of the Society isles. These are 
 the most civilized of the whole stock. The 
 lower people among them nearly resemble the 
 New Zealanders in their complexion and ap- 
 pearance, but the better rank have a skin which 
 is at least as fair as that of our brunettes in 
 Europe. But what is most directly to our 
 purpose, some individuals in this luxurious com- 
 munity of the Society isles, have been born 
 with all the characters of the sanguine tem- 
 perament, with a florid white complexion, and 
 hair of a light brown flaxen or red colour, in 
 short with the precise characters of the German 
 or Teutonic race, (a) Here then we have a fair 
 example of the greatest diversity of the human 
 species, depending on the condition of society, 
 and on the mode of life. The influence of 
 climate would here have a contrary tendency, 
 
 («) Hist, of South Sea islaads. below. 
 P 
 
226 
 
 for the white people are much nearer the equator 
 than many of the black tribes. 
 
 There is no reason to doubt, that if a whole 
 nation were placed in the same circumstances 
 with the better sort of people in the Society 
 isles, their offspring would become similarly 
 transmuted. The chief points in w^hich they 
 differ from the lower class in the same country, 
 and from the cognate branches which still pre- 
 serve their barbarous manners, and Negro cha- 
 racters in other islands, are the abundance of 
 sustenance and cloathing, and the comparative 
 luxury and delicacy of life, which they enjoy. 
 In a similar manner civilized nations in general, 
 are distinguished from savage ones. 
 
 This view of the causes of varieties in our 
 species is confirmed by considering the analogous 
 phsenomena in other kinds* We have seen 
 reason to believe that cultivation and domes- 
 tication are the chief causes of deviation from 
 the primitive colour and form in the vegetable 
 and animal tribes. 
 
 It derives confirmation also from other facts 
 in the history of mankind. It was mentioned 
 above, that in the hottest parts of Africa there 
 is one nation of Negroes, the Foulahs, who are 
 not black, nor have woolly hair, but are of a 
 tawny complexion, and have hair of a soft silky 
 texture, approaching to the European characters. 
 These people, it may be remembered, were 
 
227 
 
 observed to be more civilized than the other 
 tribes, and the generally prevalent idea of their 
 superiority over the more savage races makes it 
 probable, that the moral difference between 
 them has been of long standing. 
 
 Dr. S. S. Smith has given us an example of 
 similar diversity produced in a short time in the 
 Nesrroes settled in the southern districts of the 
 
 o 
 
 United States of America. And although we 
 do not consent to all the reasonings of this 
 author, yet his observation of the fact is not the 
 less valuable. He remarks that the field slaves 
 live on the plantations, and retain pretty nearly 
 the rude manners of their African progenitors. 
 The third generation in consequence preserve 
 much of their original structure, though their 
 features are not so strongly marked as those of 
 imported slaves. But the domestic servants of 
 the same race are treated with lenity, and their 
 condition is little different from that of the 
 lower class of white people. The effect is that 
 in the third generation they have the nose 
 raised, the mouth and lips of moderate size, 
 the eyes lively and sparkling, and often the 
 whole composition of features extremely agree- 
 
 j able. The hair grows sensibly longer in each 
 succeeding race; it extends to three, four, and 
 
 j sometimes to six or eight inches, (a) 
 
 («)I Iiafe been assured by persons who have resided 
 a the West Indies that a similar change Is very Yisible 
 P2 
 
 L 
 
228 
 
 The people of Hindostan aflfbrd us examples 
 of diversities depending on moral causes^ and 
 distinct propagation. The different tribes into 
 which this singular nation is divided, have each 
 a peculiar physiognomy. The higher class, the 
 Brahmans, who live in a state of ease and af- 
 fluence, differ widely from the rest, not only in 
 a distinct cast of features, but in their com- 
 plexion also, which is of a much ligliter shade 
 than that of the inferior orders, and this diversity 
 is universal through the country, and is equally 
 conspicuous in the northern and in the southern 
 provinces of India, (a) 
 
 Particular local or moral causes may doubtless 
 retard the effect of the improved state of society 
 in the race. Among the Hindus, for example,/ 
 the very abstinent manners of the people who. 
 scarcely take enough food to support health, 
 and their sparing use of clothing, place them 
 nearly in similar circumstances with respect to 
 many of those causes, which influence the phy* 
 sical growth, with savages. 
 
 When the disposition to variation is excited 
 by civilization, it is probable that it may proceed 
 more rapidly in producing its effects in some 
 climates than in others. 
 
 among the Negro slaves of the third and fourth generafloa 
 in those islands, and that even the first generation differs 
 considerably from the natives of Africa. 
 
 (a) Mackenzie on the Ceylonesc Antiquities. Asiatic 
 ResearcheSj vol. 6, 
 
229 
 
 There are not wanting facts, which prove 
 that local situation and moderate temperature, 
 promote the tendency to the production of 
 light varieties. 
 
 In countries inhabited by the European race, 
 the tribes that reside in hilly tracts, are fairer 
 than the people of the plains and vallies. 
 
 I am informed on good authority that the 
 mountaineers of Sicily are remarkable for light 
 hair and .blue eyes, whereas these characters 
 are not seen in the low country on the coast. 
 
 Mr. Bruce relates that the natives of the 
 mountains of Ruddua near Yambo, on the Ara- 
 bian coast, where the climate is cool, and the 
 water freezes in winter, have red hair and blue 
 eyes. '' A thing he adds scarcely ever seen but in 
 the coldest mountains in the east.'* (a) Here is no 
 xliver§ity of race to account for the difference. 
 
 The inhabitants of Caucasus, and other high 
 mountains have remarkably red hair, and blue 
 eyes.(/?) 
 
 The general complexion of the Scottish Celts 
 
 or Highlanders is dark; dark brown or black 
 
 hair and eyes, are very prevalent among them, 
 
 but in some spots in the Northern Highlands, 
 
 I red hair is almost universal, and the difference 
 
 i is observable at a very short distance. 
 
 ia) Bruce's travels. Book 1. Chap. 2. 
 ij)) Pallas's travels iu Crim Tartary. 
 
2S0 
 
 The sanguine temperament prevails In the 
 moderately cold countries of Europe and Asia, 
 among people who belong to races which are 
 generally and originally of opposite characters. 
 Thus among the northern Russians who are of 
 the Slavonian race, light brown and red hair is 
 prevalent (a) Slavonian tribes in general have 
 black hair and dark complexions, (ft) The Tartars 
 of Tobolsk are similar to the Russians, (c) The 
 Mandshurs or Tungusians are a dark race gen- 
 erally, but on the North of China, they are 
 sometimes fair and have blue eyes, (d) 
 
 Abundance of examples may be adduced to 
 the same purpose, but it is not necessary to 
 extend them, since they are matters of common 
 observation. 
 
 It will be proper to recapitulate in this place 
 our inferences concerning the effects of climate 
 and of civilization on the human species. 
 \ . We endeavoured in the first instance to shew 
 that there is no foundation for the common 
 opinion which supposes the black races of men 
 to have acquired their colour by exposure to 
 the heat of a tropical climate during many ages. 
 On the contrary the fact appears to be fully 
 
 (a) Tooke's hist, of Russia, vol. 1. 
 
 (b) Dr. Forster's observations ia a voyage round the 
 world. 
 
 (c) Pallas Voy. en Siblrie. 
 
 -^ (d) Barrow's travels in China^ 
 
231 
 
 established, that white races of people migrating 
 to a hot climate, do preserve their native com- 
 plexion unchanged, and have so preserved it in 
 all the examples of such migration which we 
 know to have happened. And this fact is only 
 an instance of the prevalence of the general 
 law, which has ordained that the offspring shall 
 always be constructed according to the natural 
 and primitive constitution of the parents, and 
 therefore shall inherit only their connate pe- 
 culiarities and 'not any of their acquired qualities. 
 It follows that we must direct our inquiry to 
 the connate varieties, and to the causes which 
 influence the parent to produce an offspring 
 deviating in some particulars of its organization 
 from the established character of the stock. 
 What these causes are seems to be a question 
 Avhich must be determined by an extensive 
 comparison of the phasnomena of vegetable and 
 animal propagation. It appears that in the 
 vegetable world cultivation is the chief exciting 
 cause of variation. In animals climate certainly 
 lays th^ foundation of some varieties, but domes- 
 tication or cultivation is the great principle 
 which every where calls them forth in abundance. 
 Jn the human species we endeavoured to as- 
 certain what comparative effect these two prin- 
 ciples may produce, and first to determine 
 whether climate alone can furnish any consider- 
 
232 
 
 able variation in tribes of men uncultivated or 
 uncivilized. We compared the appearances of 
 two great races of uncivilized peoplcj, each of 
 which is scattered through a great portion of the 
 world, and which, taken collectively, constitute 
 nearly all the savage tenants of the globe. It ' 
 resulted from this comparison, that little effect ^ 
 is produced by the agency of climate alone on ^ 
 savage tribes. Varieties indeed appear more 
 ready to spring up in moderate than in intensely 
 hot climates, but they are not sufficient to 
 produce any considerable change on the race. 
 Civilization however has more extensive powers, 
 and we have examples of the greatest variation 
 in the human complexion produced by it, or 
 at least which can scarcely be referred to any 
 other cause, viz. the appearance of the sanguine 
 constitution in a race generally black. Lastly 
 it appears that in races which are experiencing 
 the effect of civilization, a temperate climate 
 increases the tendency to the light varieties, 
 and therefore may be the means of promoting 
 and rendering the effect of that important 
 principle more general and more conspicuous. 
 
233 
 
 SECTION IV, 
 
 IF there be any truth in the aboX'^e remarks, 
 it must be concluded that the process of Nature 
 in the human species is the transmutation of 
 the characters of the Negro into those of the 
 European, or the evolution of white varieties in 
 black races of men. We have seen that there 
 are causes existing which are capable of pro- 
 ducing such an alteration, but we have no facts 
 which induce us to suppose, that the reverse of 
 this change could in any circumstances be ef- 
 fected. This leads us to the inference that the 
 primitive stock of men were Negroes, which has 
 every appearance of truth. Since however it is 
 a conclusion which may be questioned, it will 
 be proper to state more at length the arguments 
 which offer themselves in its support. 
 
 First. The analogy of other species leads to 
 this conclusion. It has been remarked by the 
 celebrated physiologist John Hunter, that the 
 chanores of colour in all kinds of animals is from 
 the darker to the lighter tints ; whence it is in- 
 ferred that in all animals subject to such vari- 
 ations, the darkest of the species should be 
 reckoned nearest to the original. Now though 
 there may be some doubt of the universality of 
 this law, there can be none of its general pre- 
 
234 
 
 valence. The lighter and more beautiful colours^^ 
 with which our domestic animals are variegated 
 are the effect of cultivation, and are not seen 
 in the wild races from which they have been 
 bred. (a) 
 
 If there were no facts applying to the par- 
 ticular instance of the human species, it would 
 appear probable from this general analogy, that 
 the original stock was black, but 
 
 Secondly, we have examples in the human spe- 
 cies of the light varieties appearing in dark races. 
 Some instances of this fact we have adduced 
 above, and we shall endeavour to trace others 
 when we proceed to consider the history of 
 particular nations. On tbe other hand we have 
 no example of the characters of the Negro or. 
 of any considerable approach to them, ever 
 appearing in a race of light complexion. 
 
 (a) Several species which are not perfectly domesticated 
 are almost uniformly black, as the Elephant, Buffalo, 8cc. 
 Yet even in these, varieties of colour, as red, bay, white, 
 appear, though rarely. If these aaimals were brought as 
 completely into domestication as our oxen, probably we 
 should find an equal variety in their colour. The colour of 
 ihe ox species seems to have been black originally. Such 
 is the hue of those races of oxen which are most rude ia 
 their appearance, and which inhabiting wild and mountain- 
 ous districts have never undergone fully the efiect of cul. 
 tivation. The wild boar is of a blackish colour, while our 
 domestic pigs are commonly white or spotted. 
 
 Other species which have no black races vary regularly 
 in domestication towards a lighter hue than the natural and 
 original oae^ a« the Stag, Fallow Deer, &c. 
 
235 
 
 If these observations are established on a 
 cautious induction, as I think they appear to be, 
 they may be considered as affording a proof that 
 the original stock of men were black. Some 
 confirmation is afforded by considering 
 
 Thirdly, that the dark races are best adapted by ' 
 their organization to the condition of rude and 
 uncivilized nations, which we must conceive to 
 have been the primitive state of mankind, and 
 that the structure of the European is best fitted 
 for the habits of improved life. All the bws of 
 nature have a beneficial tendency, and among 
 others this law of deviation in the species of 
 animals. It is a principle of amelioration and 
 adaptation, we find that \.\i^ conformation and 
 the disposition or instinct of animals varies in 
 domestication in such a way, as to render them 
 more fitted for their new condition. 
 
 The Negro is particularly adapted to the wild 
 or natural state of life. His dense and firm 
 fibre renders him much more able to endure 
 fatigue, and the inclemencies of the seasons, 
 than the European with his lax fibre, and 
 delicate constitution. The easy parturition of 
 the female Negro, is a facility which could not 
 be dispensed with in uncultivated life. The 
 senses are more perfect in Negroes than in 
 Europeans^ especially those which are of most 
 importance to the savage, and less necessary to 
 the civilized man, viz. the smell, taste and 
 
236 
 
 hearing; and a particular provision is made in 
 the anatomical structure of the head for the 
 perfect evolution of them. This perfection of 
 the ruder faculties of sense is not required in 
 the civilized state, and it therefore gives way to 
 a more capacious form of the skull, affording 
 space for a more ample conformation of the 
 brain, on which an increase of intellectual power 
 is probably dependant. 
 
 Fourthly, The question whether the prime- 
 val stock were similar to the Negro or to the 
 European race, seems little different from this, 
 whether the first of our species, the children 
 of nature. 
 
 Qui rupto roboro nati 
 Compositive luto, nuUos habuere parentes, 
 
 ^vere such beings as we find savage men to be, 
 or were created at once, adorned with all the 
 improvements of civilization. For we find that 
 all nations who have never emerged from the 
 savage state, are Negroes, or very similar to 
 Negroes. Such are all the Savages scattered 
 through the distant islands of the Southern hemi- 
 sphere. Wherever we find the people naked, 
 destitute barbarians running wild in the woods, 
 there we also observe them to be black, and to 
 partake considerably of the Negro form and 
 character. Wherever w^e see any progress to- 
 wards civilization, there we also find deviation 
 towards a lighter colour and a different form. 
 
 I 
 
£37 
 
 nearly in the same proportion. The American 
 race are much less rude and destitute than the 
 New Hollanders^ and though they retain a con- 
 siderable share of the structure and complexion 
 of the Savage, yet they differ much from the 
 latter people, (a). 
 
 There is no example of a race of Savages with 
 the European constitutions and characters. (Z?) 
 
 {«) There are some reasons which induce us to believe that 
 the Americans have gone retrograde in their condition. 
 
 (/>) Perhaps it may be objected that the ancient nations 
 of the north were of fair complexion, though barbarians, 
 and this may seem an exception to our general assertion 
 sufficient to invalidate its force. But it must be remarked 
 that the Greeks and Romans caUcd all people Barbarians 
 whose speech was unintelligible to them, and in this sense 
 only they applied the term with propriety to the nations 
 who long resisted and finally subverted the Roman power. 
 I denominate those tribes savages, who live on casual sus- 
 tenance, without cultivating the earth or feeding cattle. 
 The change from this miserable condition to the agricultural 
 and pastoral state is the greatest alteration which the cha- 
 racter of Man is susceptible of. All the additional arts and 
 circumstances of civilized society are trivial matters com- 
 pared with this. 
 
 Let any one read the accounts given by Ca;sar and others 
 of the Gauls and Britons, of their fortified towns, armed 
 chariots, cavalry, public stores, merchandize, &c. and say 
 whether these people were savages. Even the ancient bar- 
 barians of Italy, the Siceli, Opici, &c. who appear to have 
 been Celtic tribes, had fortified towns when first attacked 
 by the earliest colonies of Pelasgi. 
 
 The only people of Europe who seem to have made the 
 least approach in any period of their history to the Savage 
 state are the Laplanders, and they ditfer equally from ail 
 
238 
 
 The Esquimaux or Greenland tribes^ are tfie 
 nearest approach to such an instance. But these 
 people are very different from our race. They 
 are not white in complexion, nor do they resem- 
 ble us in form. They have a depressed forehead, 
 and other characters of opposite description. 
 Besides, these tribes are not Savages ; (hey have 
 arts, though not civilized, without which they 
 could not subist in their present dreary abodes. 
 They came to Greenland from the West, and are 
 found as far in the same direction as the islands 
 on the coast of Asia. They migrated in all pro- 
 bability from the Asiatic Continent, and there 
 are not wanting reasons which induce us to sup- 
 pose that the Kamstchatkans, and other tribes in 
 that extremity of Asia, who bear a general re- 
 semblance to the Esquimaux and to each other, 
 are descended from a wandering tribe of Mongo- 
 les. (a) Hence it is probable that this curious 
 race of people, who have been driven by various 
 accidents into such a remote and scarcely habit- 
 able recess, are a tribe once half civilized, and 
 reduced again to a state of barbarism. 
 
 On the whole there are many reasons which 
 lead us to adopt the conclusion that the primitive 
 
 other Europeans in their physical characters, and approxi- 
 mate in the like proportion to the Negro complexion. 
 
 (a) See Strahlenberg, and Cook's last Voyage. Account 
 of the Kamtschadales. Also De Guigne's Histoire generale 
 ^es HunSj &c. 
 
239 
 
 stock of men were probably Negroes, and I 
 know of no argument to be set on the other side. 
 
 It may be inquired whether there are any 
 facts to be found in history which tend to con- 
 firm this opinion, and to make it probable that 
 the fairest races of white people in Europe, are 
 descended from, or have any affinity with 
 Negroes. 
 
 The uncertainty of the history of remote ages, 
 and the scanty information we can glean con- 
 cerning the physical characters of ancient tribes, 
 do not admit of any close reasoning on this sub- 
 ject. But we shall hereafter see that there are 
 reasons for concluding this opinion to be proba- 
 ble. We shall endeavour in the sequel to trace 
 in the field of history, the vestiges of the nations 
 who fii*st attained civilization, and who in their 
 origin possessed the characters in question, 
 though these have long since disappeared. From 
 these nations it may perhaps be made to appear, 
 that the European tribes derived the first rudi- 
 ments of civil society, and that they are in all 
 probability descended from them. 
 
240 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 THE foregoing observations on the causes of 
 varieties apply with nearly as much force to the 
 diversities of figure as to those of colour. The 
 latter are indeed connected with the former to 
 a great degree. 
 
 It is surprizing to reflect on the absurd theories 
 which are still current even among philosophers, 
 on the subject of the various forms of different 
 nations. Some persist in attributing the pe- : 
 culiarities in the features of the Negro to the 
 contracted form into which the countenance is 
 thrown by the effect of a strong light falling on 
 the face.^fl) Others derive the varieties in the 
 visage of the Australasian savage from the at- 
 tempts which he is constantly making to pre- 
 vent insects from getting into his eyes. (/?) 
 We still find the characteristic physiognomy of 
 one half of mankind ascribed to the custom of 
 flattening the noses of infants, which is said to 
 prevail on the coast of Guinea, (c) When such 
 notions as these are advanced or sanctioned by 
 
 {a) Volney. Voyages en Sirie et en Egypte. 
 {b) Dampier first proposed this absurd hypothesis and 
 Blumenbach has given it his sanction. 
 
 Dampier. Voy. vol. 2. Blumenbach De Gen H. Var. Nat. 
 (c) Viz. by Dr. S. S. Smith and many other writers. 
 
241 
 
 Blumenbach, Volney and Smith, what are we to 
 expect from inferior reasoners ? (a) 
 
 It would appear that local causes must have 
 a certain influence in occasioning the appear- 
 ance of varieties in the form. We have ex- 
 amples of races of people descended from the 
 same stock who have acquired considerable 
 diversity in this respect. 
 
 These causes however do not seem to be very 
 powerful, for we find them in many instances 
 existing without any corresponding effect. Va- 
 rious tribes, resembling the Mongoles in form, 
 are scattered through all the northern and eastern 
 parts of Asia, of which regions they are almost 
 the sole inhabitants. The difference of climate 
 and situation, which is extreme in the distant 
 parts of this extensive continent, has not pro- 
 <luced a corresponding diversity in the figure of 
 the people, A parallel observation may be made 
 cf the American, Negro and European races. 
 
 In the historical inquiries which follow we 
 shall trace various instances of great modification 
 
 («) Leibnitz has advanced an idea on this subject, which 
 is not less ingenious than absurd. He fancied that a certaia 
 analogy subsists between the native animals of every coun- 
 try and the indigenous human inhabitants. The Laplanders, 
 according to him, resemble the bear in their visage, and the 
 features of the Negroes of Africa and of remote countries in 
 the East, have some relation to those of the numerous 
 species of monkeys which there abound. See Blumenbach, 
 I de Gen. Hum. Var. Nat. 
 
 Q V 
 
242 
 
 in the national figure which have accompanied J 
 the progressive improvement of many tribes ia 
 civilization, and seem to be closely connected 
 with such a change in the moral condition, (a) 
 
 We shall now go on to consider the physical 
 history of particular nations, and to inquire 
 whether the phaenomena that present themselves 
 are conformable or not with the foregoing rea- 
 sonings. 
 
 (a) See Remarks on the South Sea islanders and on th« 
 physical chara.cters. of the Hindus and Egyptians, below. 
 
243 
 
 Of the Physical History of the most remarkable 
 races of men* 
 
 CHAPTER IV. SECTION I. 
 
 General Observations* 
 
 IN this part of our inquiry, since the chief 
 design is to investigate the physical history of 
 Bations^ and by collecting all the data we have 
 on this subject, to establish or refute certain 
 physiological opinions^ we shall only enter into 
 questions purely historical, when the discussion 
 of them is indispensable to the attainment of 
 our principal object. But we shall occasionally 
 fmd it necessary to undertake long disquisitions 
 on subjects of little moment in a general view, 
 which happen to bear with greater weight on 
 our particular pursuit. 
 
 Whenever the testimony of historians affords 
 any information, we shall avail ourselves of this 
 resource. But the direct authority of history 
 furnishes but a very imperfect insight into the 
 origins of nations. We must therefore often 
 depend on the reflected light which is obtained 
 by the comparison of languages, by the analysis 
 Q2 
 
V 
 
 244 
 
 of civil and religious institutions and mytho- 
 logical fables, or by tracing clearly marked 
 affinities in the manners and customs of different 
 tribes. 
 
 The most important of these aids is the com- 
 parison of languages. When two nations ever 
 so distantly separated, or however widely dis- 
 tinguished in all other points, are found to 
 speak the same language, or to use dialects 
 which though differing in pronunciation and 
 otherwise variously modified, can yet be traced 
 to the same radicals or elements^ so as to prove 
 that an essential affinity existed in their pri- 
 mitive structure, it is certain that such nations 
 have descended in great part from the same 
 stock. For languages have never been com- 
 municated from one nation to another by inter- 
 course or even by conquest, unless when the 
 vanquished people have remained long under 
 subjection to their conquerors; nor indeed in 
 that case, except in some rare examples where 
 colonization has been carried to such an extent 
 as to change the mass of the population, (a) 
 
 (a) Thus, althougli Britain was subject to the power of 
 Rome almost as long as Gaul, the Latin language was not 
 , communicated to the native inhabitants of the former 
 country, and the Welsh of this day contains no very great 
 number of Latin Tocables. Few Roman colonies were 
 settled in Britain, but in Gaul, which abounded with them, 
 the old language was nearly exterminated, and the French 
 at present speak a dialect derived almost entirely from 
 the Latin, 
 
245 
 
 ' This argument is certainly liable to be abused. 
 Many words may be introduced in the speech 
 of any tribe by their immediate neighbours^ if 
 frequent communication subsist between them. 
 Works of art, or discoveries of any kind, com- 
 monly retain, when carried into foreign parts, 
 the names which they received from their first 
 inventors. A variety of terms is brought in 
 with the adoption of a new religion, new laws, 
 or a different state of manners from what before 
 prevailed. But it is always possible to discover, 
 by proper discrimination, what parts of the 
 vocabulary are thus adventitious, and what are 
 radical, elementary, or original. 
 
 The permanency of languages is a remarkable 
 fact in the history of mankind, and it appears 
 to be more constant in proportion to the ad- 
 vancement of society. Among civilized nations 
 who have arrived at the knowledge of letters, 
 the variation of dialect is very slow. Popular 
 compositions or national records soon form a 
 standard or model, by which future writers 
 regulate their style, and the idiom becomes 
 fixed. Thus the verses of Homer are still in 
 some degree intelligible to the modern Greeks, 
 and the Syriac, spoken in Judea at the Christian 
 era, retained much affinity to the language of 
 the Pentateuch. 
 
 Oral dialects are much more variable than 
 writicn ones. Yet among nations which have 
 
246 
 
 made some progress in the arts of life, and have 
 become pastoral or agricultural, we have re- 
 markable instances of the preservation of lan- 
 guages during a great length of time. A 
 considerable population is found in states of 
 this description, and frequent intercourse pre- 
 serves the identity of speech. The use of 
 popular songs and recitations attracts the atten- 
 tion of the people to the elegance and accuracy 
 of pronunciation. The idiom thus becomes 
 modelled and established without the use of 
 letters. In this state of society were all the 
 nations of northern Europe who were called by 
 the Greeks and Romans Barbarians, and the 
 natives of many of the Indian and South-sea 
 islands are found to be in many respects in, a 
 similar condition. 
 
 But miserable destitute savages, who lead a 
 wandering life in pursuit of the scanty suste- 
 nance which they can procure by gathering wild 
 fruits or by fishing along the sea coasts, always go 
 necessarily in small companies, which seldom or 
 never meet. The few ideas they have require 
 but a short vocabulary, and their solitary mode 
 of existence makes the faculty of speech almost 
 useless to them. Where there is so little inter- 
 course we find that there are few conventional 
 terms, and these vary at short distances. The 
 hunting tribes of North America have a variety 
 of languages which differ extremely from each 
 
24t 
 
 other; but the New Hollanders are the nearest 
 of all men to the description alluded to. Ac- 
 cordingly we are told that in New South Wales, 
 in districts separated by a few leagues^ even the 
 sun and moon^ and the most striking and uni- 
 versal objects of nature, are called by perfectly 
 different names, (a) Among nations therefore 
 of this .character and condition discrepancy of 
 language is no proof whatever of diversity of 
 origin. 
 
 It is obvious that the analysis of mythological 
 systems may afford evidence of connexion be- 
 tween distant nations, and that much information 
 may be acquired by a diligent comparison of 
 civil and religious institutions. 
 
 Other indications of scarcely less importance 
 may be drawn from the resemblance of habits 
 and peculiar customs. But in this inquiry caution 
 and accuracy are requisite. Those shades of 
 character and manners which have their origin in 
 the general principles of human nature, or arise 
 from circumstances and situations likely to occur 
 to all men, may be found to prevail more or less 
 among tribes which have had no intercourse. 
 But if we find clear coincidences in such pe- 
 culiar habits and customs as are purely arbitrary 
 and casual, we cannot suppose these instances 
 to have been of separate production, but are 
 
 («) ColUns's New South Wales, 
 
u 
 
 248 
 
 eompelled t6 acknowledge that they evince a 
 c'oittmon origin or a connexion at some former 
 period between the nations who continue to be. 
 marked by such traits. 
 
 In addition to many arguments drawn from 
 the languages and moral history of different 
 tribes, we derive a degree of evidence from 
 their physical characters. For although the 
 latter are subject to great diversities, and very 
 generally deviate more or less in the course of 
 time, yet there will be found for the most part- 
 in the divided branches of the same nation, 
 some considerable remains of the original type, 
 some general characters, which resemble, and: 
 may be regarded as the stock on which the, 
 varieties have been engrafted. We shall m^et 
 with many illustrations of these, remarks in the, 
 following pages. 
 
 SECTION IIv 
 
 General view of the nations inhabiting the South 
 Sea islands^ and the Austral countries. 
 
 THE islands of the great Southern Sea com- 
 prising those which are in the neighbourhood 
 of the Indian Continent, and the, clusters which 
 extend into more distant spaces in the ocean. 
 
249 
 
 present a field of inquiry extremely interesting 
 to the natural historian of mankind. These 
 insular countries are distributed through almost 
 every variety of climate, and contain abundant 
 diversity of local situation ; therefore they afford 
 \is an opportunity of observing whatever in- 
 fluence physical causes may be supposed to 
 exert over our species. In this point of view 
 we also derive advantage from the remote dis- 
 tances which separate the islands, and from the 
 imperfect knowledge of navigation which the 
 natives possess : for these circumstances prevent 
 intercourse among the different tribes, and pre- 
 clude those frequent changes or intermixtures 
 of population, which perplex our inquiries into 
 the history of continental nations. An equal 
 diversity characterizes the moral condition of 
 these people. Some tribes are the rudest and 
 most destitute savages found on the face of the 
 globe, while others have gained a considerable 
 advancement in the arts of society, and if 
 they have not made much progress in true 
 civilization, have at least proceeded far in luxury 
 and delicacy of life, and in those particular 
 circumstances of the moral state by which the 
 physical character of the race may be supposed 
 to be most influenced. 
 
 The regions above mentioned are inhabited 
 by races of people who bear strong indications 
 of a near connexion in their history, if indeed 
 
250 
 
 their affinity be not so clear as to justify the 
 opinion of the best informed voyagers, that 
 they are all propagated from one original. They 
 may be divided into two principal classes. The 
 tribes which belong to the first of these are, 
 strictly speaking, savages. They are universally 
 in that rude unimproved state, which precedes 
 all division of professions and employments. 
 Consequently their political condition is that of 
 perfect equality without any difference of ranks. 
 Their physical character is of the rudest kind. 
 Their form and complexion approximate to those 
 of the Neo-ro. The nations of the second divi- 
 sion have greatly the advantage of the former in 
 the condition of society and manners. Among 
 these we find an elevated rank of people who 
 are distinguished in many respects from the 
 lower orders, and particularly in the physical 
 description of their persons. Their form and 
 complexion approach considerably tow^ards those 
 of Europeans, while the aspect of the inferior 
 class borders closely on the rude and uncul- 
 tivated constitution of the races arranged in the 
 first division. 
 
 The different voyagers who preceded Captain 
 Cook in exploring the Pacific Ocean had given 
 us many curious notices concerning the natives 
 of the islands, but we have derived more ex- 
 tensive information from the remarks of that 
 celebrated navigator and the naturalists who 
 
251 
 
 accompanied him, among whom Dr. Forster 
 holds a distinguished place. For the most ju- 
 dicious and accurate accounts we possess, we 
 are indebted to Mr. Anderson, who seems to have 
 combined more of the qualities of a philosophi- 
 cal observer than almost any other individual 
 who has traversed the regions in question, (fl) 
 As far as his observations extend, we shall form 
 our opinions on his testimony, and whenever 
 his statements differ from the more careless or 
 superficial remarks of others, we shall rely on 
 the former with a well authorized confidence. 
 
 Mr. Anderson was well aware of the impor- 
 tance of a comparison of languages in tracing 
 the history and connexion of different tribes. 
 He never omitted any opportunities which oc- 
 curred of collecting vocabularies, in order to 
 institute an investigation of this kind. The 
 general opinion which he was led to form in 
 these inquiries, and which was assisted by the 
 tenour of various observations, he has given us 
 in these words. 
 
 " If we may depend upon the affinity of 
 languages, as a clue to guide us in the origin of 
 
 (a) The premature death of this young man was a serious 
 misfortune to the scientific world, as we have doubtless been 
 deprived by it of much interesting knowledge. Many 
 parts of his journal and his observations on divers countries 
 and their inhabitants have been incorporated by the editor 
 of Cook's last narrative in the body of that work. 
 
252 
 
 nations, I have no doubt but we shall find on A 
 diligent inquiry, and when apportunities offer 
 to collect accurately a sufficient number of 
 these words, and to compare them, that all the 
 people from New Holland eastward to Easter 
 island have been derived from the same common 
 root." (a) 
 
 The learned and judicious author of the history 
 of Sumatra declares the same opinion in still 
 more general terms. He was convinced " that 
 one general language prevailed (however mu- 
 tilated and changed in the course of time) 
 throughout all this portion of the world, from 
 Madagascar to the most distant discoveries east- 
 ward : of which the Malay is a dialect much 
 corrupted or refined by a mixture of other 
 tongues. This very extensive similarity of lan- 
 guage," says our author, '*^ indicates a common 
 origin of the inhabitants; but the circumstances 
 and progress of their separation are wrapped 
 in the darkest veil of obscurity. Q) 
 
 (a) Cook's last voyage. 
 
 (b) Marsden's hist of Sumatra.. 
 
 In another place he says that the general language. Tj^hich 
 prevails through all the islands of this ocean, " althoiigh, ip, 
 diiferent places it has been more or less mixed, and cor- 
 rupted, yet between the most dissimilar branches an evident 
 sameness of nuuiij radical zoords is apparent, and in spmo 
 very distant from each other in point of situation the 
 deviation of the words is scarcely more than is observed in 
 the dialects of neighbouring provinces of the same kingdom," 
 Hist. Sumat. J). 165. 
 
253 
 
 The opinions of these Writers, which were 
 founded principally on affinities in language, 
 and on some moral peculiarities, receive strong 
 confirmation from resemblances in the physical 
 structure of the people. Fbr although the 
 latter branches out into considerable varieties, 
 there are found every where traces of general 
 similitude, and we may fairly look on the diver- 
 sities as particular deviations from one common 
 model, or as new impressions superadded on the 
 original type. 
 
 The primary characters, as nearly as we can 
 discern them, consist in an approximation more 
 or less exact to those of the African. In divers 
 instances indeed, some families of these Eastern 
 Negroes, are more strongly marked by the 
 peculiarities which distinguish the Ethiopian 
 from the European race, than even the Africans 
 of Guinea. The facial angle is small, and the 
 forehead low ; the head narrow and resembling 
 the Negro in its general conformation ; the 
 nose somewhat depressed, but generally full and 
 fleshy towards the point. The structure of the 
 limbs has the same analogy. The legs are long, 
 and the gastrocnemii muscles deficient. This 
 description more particularly applies to the 
 savage class, but in some degree also to the 
 more civilized, and especially to the inferior 
 orders of them. It shows however continually 
 a disposition to deviate, and in many examples. 
 
254 
 
 approaches very near to, or even attains the 
 European form. Such instances are principally- 
 found among the better orders of the less bar- 
 barous people. 
 
 The complexion may be said to set out from 
 the black hue of the Negro, which in many 
 countries is the colour of the majority of the 
 people, but is perpetually found disposed to 
 assume a lighter shade. It is not uniform in 
 any of the tribes with which we are acquainted, 
 and in a few individuals of some of them it has 
 acquired a very opposite character from the 
 original one. The complexion of the savage 
 tribes is commonly blacker than that of the 
 more cultivated races, that is to say, the com- 
 plexion of the generality of the former is darker 
 than that of generality among the latter. But 
 this difference does not subsist if we consider 
 individuals. For example, the New Hollanders 
 belong to the savage class, and the New Zea- 
 landers to the half civilized one. In New 
 Holland the majority of the people are black, 
 but many among the number are of the Malay 
 copper colour. In New Zealand many are of 
 a pretty deep black, but the greater number of 
 a tawny complexion. 
 
 The hair of some of these people is as woolly 
 as that of the natives of Guinea. Others have 
 it crisp and curled, but more like the hair of 
 
255 
 
 Buropetins^ and in many instances it is lank and 
 strong. Nor are these different growths peculiar 
 to separate races; they are found among the 
 natives of the same island. The colour of the 
 hair is generally black ; but neither is this 
 constant. It becomes frequently brown, some^ 
 times of a flaxen or sandy hue, and in a few 
 rare examples it attains the red colour which is 
 common among the German tribes. 
 
 It will appear more fully, whether with our 
 present knowledge of these tribes their affinity 
 is so decided as to authorize a general descrip- 
 tion, when we shall have considered separately 
 and compared the most important notices we 
 have concerning the several divisions. This we 
 propose to undertake in detail^ and whether the 
 most general conclusion of the authors above 
 quoted shall be established with sufficient evi- 
 dence or not, we have no doubt of making some 
 interesting deductions from more partial views, 
 which will have all the certainty desirable. We 
 shall begin with considering the history of those 
 tribes which approach most nearly in their 
 physical characters to the natives of Africa, 
 whom therefore we shall denominate Eastern 
 Negroes. These appear to be the aborigines of 
 all the countries where they are now found, as 
 well as of others from which they have dis- 
 appeared. 
 
256 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Eastern Negroes, 
 
 OF the tribes which we include under this 
 term, that with which Europeans have been 
 best acquainted, is the race of Papuas or in- 
 habitants of New Guinea. They are very nu- 
 merous in that country, and distinguish them*- 
 selves by the name of Igolote.(a) This may 
 be the denomination, which the Arab voyagers, 
 who appear to have frequently encountered 
 them, and have described them as a frightful 
 horde of black cannibles, have corrupted into 
 Kahalut.(&) They are described by our great na- 
 vigator Dampier, who coasted along the northern 
 shore of New Guinea. He informs us that the 
 people of Pulo Sabuda, an island on the coast 
 nearest to the Indian continent, are very tawny 
 Indians, with long black hair, who differ but 
 little from the Mindanayans and others of thes6 
 eastern islands. '' These seem to be the chief, 
 but besides them, we also saw shock curl-patcd 
 New Guinea negroes." But all the natives of 
 the main land and the other isles till he came 
 to New Britain, ^^ were very black, tall and stout 
 
 (a) See Dr. Leyden's essay on the language and littera- 
 ture of the Indo-Chinese nations. Asiatic Researches, toI. 10. 
 {b) Dr. Leyden, ubi supra. 
 
 Also Renaudot's Anciennes relations des Indes. 
 
257 
 
 people, with great round heads, broad round 
 faces, large bottle noses, and short frizzled hair, 
 which they dye of different colours/' — '' They 
 «reatly disfigure themselves by painting their 
 faces, and making holes through their nostrils 
 and in their ears, in which they wear pieces of 
 wood, by way of ornament. All the people on 
 the north coast appear to have the same Ian- 
 guage/'(a) 
 
 M. de Bougainville visited the eastern side of 
 New Guinea, and the islands in the vicinity, and 
 to the south east. His description coincides with 
 that of Dampier. He says " the men of New 
 Guinea are black, with frizzled, woolly hair."(^) 
 
 Captain Forrest assures us that '' the Papua 
 Coffres are as black as the Coifres of Africa,"— 
 that '' they wore their frizzling hair so much 
 bushed out round their heads that its circum- 
 ference measured about three feet, and when 
 least two feet and a half/'fc) 
 \ The Papuas are not confined to New Guinea. 
 jThey still occupy the high and woody parts of 
 Imany of the Indian islands, of which there is 
 every reason to believe that they are the primary 
 inhabitants. According to Forrest they possess 
 the inland parts of most of the Moluccas. (J) 
 
 (a) Dampier's Voyages^ vol. 3, 
 (h) Bougainville. Voyage autour du Monde, 
 (c) Forrest's Voyage to New Guinea, 
 ((/) Forrest, Ibid. 
 
 R 
 
258 
 
 They are well known in the Philippine islands, 
 where they are called by the Spaniards Negritos 
 del Monte, (a) Here we have them described as 
 resembling the Hottentots^ having short twisted 
 hair^ and some of them being as black as the na- 
 tives of Guinea. It is said also that they me found 
 further to the northward in the island of For- 
 mosa. (&) Some of these tribes have made ad- 
 vances toward civilization, but by far the greater 
 number are still destitute savages, naked and 
 without houses, sleeping on trees, and depending 
 for sustenance on the spontaneous fruits of the 
 earth, (c) '^^"^ ^^ .-taicfjima' Ici^ tii/ltj 
 
 It is very probable that they formerly possessed 
 the other Indian isles from which they have now 
 disappeared. Marsden describes some wild peo« 
 pie in the interior of Sumatra, who seem very 
 much to resemble them. ' ' ' ^- 
 
 But it is from the Indian Continent that their 
 migration must be deduced. x\lthough this 
 event probably took place at a very remote 
 period of time, we still discover distinct proofs 
 of it. Most of the mountainous districts in the 
 peninsula of Malacca are peopled with tribes 
 of black savages,, who closely resemble the 
 Papuas, and are evidently of the same stock. 
 They speak a language which is not understood 
 
 (a) Marsden's Hist, of Sumatra. Note from a Manu- 
 script in the possession of Alexander Dalryraplc, Esq. 
 (6) Forster's observations in a Toyage round the world. 
 {c) Dr. Leyden ubi supra. 
 
I 259 
 
 I - 
 by the Malays^ and which the latter compare to 
 the chattering of large birds. 
 
 Further to the west in the Andaman isles is a 
 curious remnant of this race, where they have 
 been preserved by a difficult access, and by the 
 terror of their ferocious character, from inter- 
 mixture or disturbance, as well as from all im- 
 provement. We are indebted to Lieut. R. H. 
 Colebrook for an accurate account of these isles. 
 He informs us that they are woody, and have no 
 quadrupeds, except wild hogs, monkeys and rats. 
 Their inhabitants are perhaps the most savage 
 people in the world. ^' Their colour is of the 
 darkest hue ; their stature in general small, and 
 their aspect uncouth. Their limbs are ill- formed 
 and slender, their bellies prominent; and like 
 the Africans, they have woolly heads, thick lips, 
 and flat noses." They go quite naked, except a 
 kind of fringe which the women wear by way of 
 ornament round their waists. They daub them- 
 selves over with mud to keep off insects, and 
 fill their woolly hair with red ochre or cinnabar. 
 They are very ferocious in their character, make 
 no attempts to cultivate the ground, but live by 
 accidental supplies of food which they find in 
 the woods or in the sea. Their language is rather 
 smooth than guttural ; it appears to be poly- 
 syllabic : their melodies are pleasing, and they 
 are fond of rude dances, (a) 
 
 1 (a) Asiatic Researches, toI. 4. 
 
 I R 2 
 
260 
 
 The inhabitants of the greater part of the 
 Indian Continent are indeed at the present daiy 
 very different in their aspect from the Papuas, 
 or Negroes, Tribes however stiU remain in 
 many mountainous districts, which preserve to 
 a considerable degree their primitive model, and 
 approach nearly in the appearance of their hair 
 and in their features to the chai*actei*s of the race 
 of Papuas.(/i) And we shall endeavour to show 
 hereafter, that the earliest inhabitants of India 
 were true negroes, resembling in their persons 
 the natives of Africa. But without reference to 
 any conclusion of this kind the race we are con- 
 sidering IS clearly traced to the continent of 
 India. 
 
 To the east of New Guinea is a territory of 
 considerable extent, which Dampier discovered 
 to be separated from that country by a narrow 
 streight, and to which he gave the name of New 
 Britain. He informs us that it has about four 
 degrees of latitude, and is " very well inhabited 
 with strong weli-limbed negroes.{&) 
 
 New Ireland iies still further eastward, ad- 
 jacent to the former. Its name seems to have 
 been suggested by its relative situation to New 
 ISntaln. The same description of people is 
 
 Ca) Lt W'Mord ou Egypt aa^ tlie Nile, Asktic Re* 
 l&) 0ampicr'fi voyages. 
 
261 
 
 Toimd here also. " The inhabitants are black/' 
 says Captain Carteret^ " and have woolly heads 
 like the Negroes, but have not the flat nose and 
 thick Iips.''(a) 
 
 From the neighbourhood of these countries 
 numerous clusters of islands extend far into the 
 Pacific Ocean towards the east and south, the 
 inhabitants of which bear a considerable resem- 
 blance to the Papuas, and are manifestly branches 
 of that stock. We shall resume the mention of 
 these after tracing the progress of this race into" 
 the more extensive regions of' Australasia* 
 
 Of the New Hollatiders, 
 
 Captain Cook in his first voyage touched at 
 New Guinea. He thought the natives of that 
 country much like the New Hollanders, and 
 considered it as highly probable that both are 
 branches of one nation. (6) 
 
 («) IIawkesworth*s Collection, 
 
 {b) One circumstance he observed to militate against this 
 opinion, which is this. The publisher of the " Histoire dcs 
 Navigations aux tcrrcs Australcs," has given a vocabulary 
 of a language spoken in an island near New Britain, which 
 does not agree with the words which Cook and his compa- 
 nions learnt at Endeavour River, in the eastern coast of 
 New Holland. It is however impossible to conclude from 
 the unsuccessful comparison of a few words that any two 
 languages have no resemblance, and besides we now know 
 that many dialects ycry considerably or totally different 
 vfrom each other arc spoken in the great island or continent 
 
262 
 
 " The people of New Guinea/' he says, '^had 
 tnuch the same appearance as the New Hol- 
 landers, being nearly of the same stature, and 
 having their hair short cropped : like them they 
 were also stark naked/ but we thought the colour 
 of their skin was not quite so dark ; this however 
 might perhaps be merely the effect of their not 
 being quite so dirty. They shot darts made of 
 cane at the Englishmen, which, although they 
 were at 60 yards distance, fell with great force 
 beyond them. Cook and his companions con- 
 cluded them to have been thrown out of a hol- 
 low stick, in the manner practised by the New 
 Hollanders. 
 
 Captain Cook harboured at Endeavour River 
 on the eastern coast of New Holland, in latitude 
 15° S. and stayed to careen his ship. He 
 had some intercourse with the inhabitants who 
 were thinly scattered through the country in 
 the neighbourhood, and describes them as being 
 so uniformly covered with dirt that it was almost 
 impossible to discover their natural colour. Some 
 of his people attempted to remove the incrusta- 
 tion by rubbing with their fingers. '' With the 
 dirt they appear nearly as black as a Negro, and 
 according to our best discoveries,*' says Captain 
 
 of New Holland. So that this argument has no weight 
 when opposed to those which are drawn from proximity of 
 situation, and resemblance of physical characters aud man- 
 ners. 
 
263 
 
 Cook, *' the skin itself is of the colour of wood 
 soot, or what is commonly called a chocolate 
 colour. Their features are far from being dis- 
 agreeable ; their noses are not flat, nor are their 
 lips thick; their teeth are white and even, and 
 their hair naturally long and black; it is how- 
 ever universally cropped short : in general it is 
 straight, but sometimes it has a slight curl ; we 
 saw none that was not matted and filthy, though 
 without oil or grease, and to our great astonish- 
 ment free from lice. Their beards were of the 
 same colour with their hair, and bushy and thick: 
 they are not suffered to grow long," but kept 
 short as it appeared by singeing them. Both 
 sexes go stark naked, and seem to have no more 
 sense of indecency in discovering the whole 
 body than we have in discovering the hands and 
 face. Their principal ornament is the bone they 
 thrust throus^h the cartilage of the nose. It is 
 as thick as a man's finger, and between five and 
 six inches long." They appear to have no fixed 
 habitation, but make a miserable sort of sheds 
 \s\i\\ pliable rods, fixing both ends into the 
 ground, and covering them wuth palm leaves 
 and bark. 
 
 Cook saw the natives of New Holland in other 
 parts of the country very distant froiii the above 
 place, and says that they agree with the former 
 description. 
 
264 
 
 Dampler had, at an earlier period^ visited se- 
 veral places on the western coast of this country, 
 particularly about latitudes 17° and 27°. He gave 
 nearly the same description of the natives as 
 of the New Guinea negroes, and mentioned that 
 their colour is perfectly black, their hair like 
 that of the African, and their noses large and 
 Ml (a) 
 
 (a) Dampier's voyages, vol. 1. p. 464. 
 
 His account of these people is as follows : " The inhabi- 
 tants of this country are the miserablest people in the world. 
 The Ilodmadods of Monomatapa, though a nasty people, 
 yet for wealth are gentlemen to these ; who have no houses 
 and skin garments, sheep, poultry and fruits of the earth, 
 ostrich eggs, &c.as the Hodmadods have : and setting aside 
 their humane shape, they differ but little from brutes. They 
 are tall, straight-bodied, and thin, with small long limbs. 
 They have great heads, round foreheads, and groat brows. 
 Their eyelids are always half closed, to keep the flies out 
 of their eyes : they being so troublesome here, that no 
 fanning will keep them from coming to one's face ; and 
 without the assistance of both hands to keep them off, they 
 will creep into one's nostrils, and mouth too, if the lips are 
 not shut very close. So that from their infancy being thus 
 annoyed with these insects, they do never open their eyes 
 as other people; and therefore they cannot see far; unless 
 they hold up their heads, as if they were looking at some- 
 thing above thc.m. 
 
 They have great bottle noses, pretty full lips, and wide 
 mouths. The two fore teeth of their upper jaw arc want- 
 ing in all of them, men and women, old and young : whether 
 they draw them out I know not; neither have they any 
 beards. They are long visaged and of a very unpleasing 
 aspect ; having no one graceful feature in their faces. Their 
 hair is black, short and curled, like that of the negroes : 
 
265 
 
 The British colony in New Holland has afforded 
 us the means of more extensive acquaintance 
 with the character of the native people. To 
 Mr. Collins, who resided sometime at Port Jack- 
 son in the office of jndge advocate^ we are in- 
 debted for a circumstantial and interesting ac- 
 count of the savage inhabitants. We shall extract 
 his remarks on their physical characters. 
 
 '' The colour of these people is not uniform. 
 We have seen some, who even when cleansed 
 from the smoke and filth, which were always to 
 be found on their persons, were nearly as hlack 
 as the African Negro ; while others have ex- 
 hibited only a copper or Malay colour. The 
 natural covering of their heads is not wool as in 
 most other black people, but hair; this par- 
 ticular may be remembered in the two natives 
 who were in this country, Ben-nil-long and 
 Yem-mer-ree-wan-nie. The former on his return 
 by having some attention paid to his dress while 
 in London was found to have very long black 
 hair. Black indeed was the general colour of 
 the hair, though I have seen some of a reddish 
 
 and not long and lank, like that of the common Indians, 
 The colour of their skins both of their faces and the rest of 
 their body, is coal black, like that of the Negroes of Nevr 
 Guinea." 
 
 ^^ They have no sort of cloaths, but a piece of the rind 
 
 of a tree ty 'd like a girdle, &c." " They have no houses, 
 
 but lie in the open air, without any covering ; the earth 
 being their bed, and the heaven their canopy." 
 
265 
 
 cast ; but being unaccompanied by any per- 
 ceptible difference of complexion, it was per- 
 haps more the effect of some outward cause than 
 its natural appearance. Their noses are flat, 
 nostrils wide, eyes much sunk in the head, and 
 covered with thick eye-brows, in addition to 
 which, they wear tied round the head, a net of 
 the breadth of the forehead, made of the fur of 
 the opossum, which when wishing to see very 
 clearly, I have observed them draw over the eye- 
 brows, thereby contracting the light. Their lips 
 are thick, and the mouth extravagantly wide; 
 bF*t when opened discovering two rows of w^hite, 
 even, and sound teeth. Many had very promi- 
 nent jaws ; and there was one man, who, but for 
 liie gift of speech, might well have passed for 
 an orang-outang. He was remarkably hairy ; his 
 arms appeared of an uncommon length ; in his 
 gait he was not perfectly upright ; and in his 
 whole manner seemed to have more of the brute 
 and less of the human species about him than any 
 of his countrymen. Those who have been in that 
 country will from this outline of him recollect 
 old We-rhang/' 
 
 Mr. Collins informs us that few of these people 
 could be said to be tall, and still fewer were 
 well made. The men on extraordinary occasions 
 wear a reed or bone through the septum nasi, 
 which is perforated when they are about twelve 
 or fifteen years of age. They use for this pur- 
 
267 
 
 pose the small bone in the leg of the Kanguroo. 
 Those who live on the sea-coast generally pull 
 out the right front tooth (a) The women are 
 subjected to the amputation of the two first joints 
 of the little finger of the left hand.(&) The men 
 wear bushy beards. Both sexes are naked, except 
 a girdle round their waists. 
 
 This account, the accuracy of which is indis- 
 putable, differs in some respects both from the 
 descriptions given by Capt. Cook and Dampier. 
 And as we have every reason to rely on the 
 veracity and attentive observation of these au- 
 thors, we must conclude that the several tribes 
 of New Hollanders have considerable diversities. 
 We should be inclined to suppose Dampier to 
 have been mistaken with regard to the hair of 
 
 (a) This practice also prevails in the Sandwich islands. 
 
 (6) A custom somewhat similar is prevalent among tho 
 people of the Friendly islanders. See below. There is 9. 
 carious cast of rude people in the Mysore on the Indian con- 
 tiaent, who are addicted to a habit of the same kind. The 
 women with them constantly undergo an amputation of t\\e 
 first joint of the third and fourth fingers of the right hand. 
 See Wilks's Hist, of the Mysoor, p. 442. 
 
 Various instances of similar customs might be found by 
 diligently comparing the habits of the islanders with the 
 people of the continent. The mode of shampoeing or knead- 
 ing the person in the bath is one trait of resemblance, which 
 is noticed by Major Wilks. The habit of dyeing the beard 
 and hair of a red colour is mentioned by Arrian as common 
 among the ancient Hindus, as is the practice of perforating 
 the nose and ears to wear ornaments in them. These cus- 
 toms are common among the islanders. 
 
12^ 
 
 ihe people on fhe western coast, if it was nor 
 ccJTiiinned' by the assurance which we have that 
 the natives of Van Diemen*s Land^ who must be 
 regarded as a branch of the same natian, being 
 serparated by a nanow streight front the New 
 HoBaoiders, answer to his descriptioUr Of the 
 fetter people we have the following account 
 given by Mr. Anderson, who visited them with 
 Capt. Cook ia the lasl voyage of that illustrious 
 navrgafor. 
 
 •* Their colour," he informs us, '* is a dull 
 Btek and not quite so deep as that of the African 
 negroes. Their hair is perfectly woolly, (a^ Their 
 Hoscs though not flat are broad and full. The 
 lawer part of the face projects a good deal, as is 
 the case of most Indians T have seen ,* so that a 
 Ene let fall from the forehead would cut off a 
 much larger portion than it would in an Euro- 
 pean, Their eyes are af a middHngsize, with 
 the white less clear than in us» Their teeth are 
 broad, but not equal nor well set. Tkeir mouths 
 are rather wide ; but this appearance seems 
 
 (aj Captain Coo&, as we are told Y)y the Trriter of uis 
 work, on the authority of Captain King, was very unwilling 
 to. allow the last mentioned fact, " fancying that the people 
 yvko. first observed it, had been deceived from the hair being 
 €lo"tted with grease and red ochre. But Captain King prc- 
 nailed OB hia to examine carefully the hair of the boys which 
 was free firum this dirt.'* He thus became convinced that it 
 wasmaturally woolly, and assures i>s himself that it was a» 
 Ktach so as that of tho natives of Guinea* 
 
569 
 
 lieigTit^ned by w-earing their boards long, aihd 
 clotted with paint, in the same manner as the 
 liair on their heads. In other respects, they -are 
 I well proportioned, though the belJy seems rather 
 projecting. This may be owing to the wani of 
 compression there, which few nations do not use 
 siaore or less. 
 
 Their manners resemble tbose of the New 
 Hollanders in most particulars. They make huts 
 of a similar Jdndj although their chief habitations 
 are in hollow tree*. They are without cloaths 
 and cover their skins with dirt, as Mr, Andersan 
 tliought, thus heightening the natural blackness. 
 *' Thej are doubtless," says he, " from the same 
 ^tock with ihose of the northern parts of New, 
 Holland, though ihey dijfer in many particulars 
 from tbe people described by Dampier and Cook. 
 Their language did not seem much to resemble 
 that of the more northern people." But Mr, 
 Anderson observes that the knowledge of these 
 languages as yet acquired, is by far too slight 
 to warrant the conclusion that they are totally 
 different. He adds that we have verv ffood 
 grounds for the opposite opinion, for the animal 
 called Kanguroo at Endeavour River was known 
 by ihe «ame name in Van Diemen's Land. 
 
 It appears from all the accounts of these tribes 
 which we have quoted in the foregoing pages, 
 that they bear a considerable resemblance to the 
 aegroes of Africa, and this idea is confirmed by 
 
270 
 
 all the information we can collect concerning 
 their anatomical structure. It would indeed ap- 
 pear that in all those points in which the phy- 
 sical character of the Negro is most opposite to 
 that of the European, the New Hollander ap- 
 proaches very nearly to the former. We have 
 the observation of Mr. Anderson that a line let 
 fall from the forehead cuts off a greater propor- 
 tion of the face than in our people. The skull 
 viewed in profile resembles very much the form 
 of the African's head, (a) The impressions made 
 by the temporal muscles are extensive and reach 
 very near to the sagittal suture. The upper jaw 
 is very prominent. The fossa malaris is deeply 
 marked. The superciliary arches advance. The 
 bones of the nose are flat and low. The mouth 
 is large. In the limbs the bones are long. The 
 ribs are much incurvated. The male pelvis is 
 very narrow, (b) and it would appear that the 
 female is wide, if we may judge by the ease with 
 which the women of this country like those of 
 Guinea undergo parturition. In every one of 
 these points the New Hollanders resemble the 
 Africans, (c) 
 
 (a) See a description of a skeleton of a New Hollander Ib 
 the Museum of Dr. Monro at Edinburgh given by Dr.Gibson. 
 Dissert. Inaug. de forma ossium gentilitia. 1809. Also Bliu 
 menbach's CoUectio craniorum. 
 
 (6} Gibson ubi supra. 
 
 (c) Collins ubi supra. - 
 
271 
 
 The same disposition to deviation which ap- 
 pears extensively in the South-Sea islands is 
 exhibited among these people. We have already 
 noticed the varieties of their hair : in some tribes 
 it is lank and in others woolly. This diversity 
 was observed, as we shall show in the sequel, in 
 other places. Blumenbach says he has specimens 
 of hair brought from New Holland the character 
 of which is exactly intermediate between that of 
 the Negroes and the straight hair of Europeans. 
 The descriptions we have quoted above show con- 
 siderable diversities in the features of different 
 tribes. The colour also, as we learn from Collins, 
 deviates. The general complexion of the race 
 is black, but some individuals are of the Malay 
 copper colour. 
 
 The points of resemblance between these 
 people and the inhabitants of the isles hold a 
 very extensive range. The general character 
 of the cranium resembles that of some specimens 
 of the skulls of Otaheitcans which have been 
 brought to Europe, (a) The flatness of the 
 nose is a character of most of the islanders. 
 The fulness of the fleshy part of the nostril is 
 remarked as being the most general trait in 
 their physiognomy. The variety of the hair is 
 similar to what is observed in the New Hebrides, 
 and lastly in their complexion varying from 
 
 (a) Gibson's inaugaral Essay. Blumenbach calleetio 
 franiorum. 
 
272 
 
 black to a lighter shade, the New Hollandersr 
 resemble the natives of New Zealand. 
 
 Mr. Anderson from his personal acquaintance 
 with these people was led to form the same 
 conclusion which we have deduced from com- 
 paring their general characters ; '' As the New 
 Hollanders," he says, including the inhabitants 
 of Van Diemen's land, " seem all to be of the 
 same extraction, so neither do I think there is 
 any thing peculiar in them. On the contrary 
 they much resemble many of the inhabitants 
 whom we saw at Tanna and Mallicollo. He 
 adds that there is reason for supposing their 
 language to be similar to the other dialects of 
 the South Sea islands. For of ten words which 
 they could get from them, one viz. that which 
 expresses cold differed little from that of New 
 Zealand and Otaheite ; the first being mallareede, 
 the second makkareede, and the third mareede. 
 
 Of the New Hebrides, New Caledoniaj and other 
 Fapua islands. 
 
 We have observed in the foregoing pages that 
 New Britain, New Ireland, and the small circum- 
 jacent isles, are inhabited by woolly headed 
 Negroes of the same description with those of 
 New Guinea, and of similar manners. 
 
 From the neighbourhood of these countries 
 
273 
 
 a long range of islands extends to the south 
 east. The principal group of them is known 
 by the name of Solomon's isles. The whole 
 distance between New Britain and Queen Char- 
 lotte's isles is thus interspersed, without any 
 considerable extent of open sea, and we find 
 this almost continuous chain of islands inhabited 
 by people similar in physical characters and 
 manners to the nations who have already come 
 under our view. 
 
 M. de Bougainville describes the people of 
 Solomon's isles as Negroes, quite naked, black, 
 ^' who had curled short hair and very long ears, 
 which they bored through. Several had dyed 
 their wool red, and had white spots on different 
 parts of their body." (a) 
 
 The people of Bouka island in the same group 
 have been described more recently. They are 
 black, with curled, thick, bushy hair like the 
 Papuas, with large heads, broad foreheads, flat 
 faces and noses, and large mouths, (b) 
 
 The islanders of Louisiade, a chain running 
 parallel to that of Solomon's isles but more to 
 the south-west, are according to Bougainville 
 /'as black as the Negroes of Africa. Their hair 
 is curled, but long, and in some of a reddish 
 colour." (c) 
 
 (a) Bougainville ubi supra. 
 
 (6) Labillardiere. Voyage a la recherche de la Perouse. 
 
 (c) Voyage de M. de Bougainville autour da mondeo 
 
274 
 
 Several boats full of savages from the same 
 fluster were seen by Lahillardiere. They were 
 ticked, had woolly haiy, and a complexion of an 
 alive colour. One ma^n among them was a» 
 l)lack as a Negro of Mozambiqne, and hiid pro- 
 jecting lips. They did no^t understand a Malay 
 who attempted to converse with them, bnt had 
 Siprae words like the Malayan language, (ci) 
 
 The inhabitants of Qaeen Chafylotte s island* 
 are black, with woolly heads, and stark naked, (b) 
 
 Having traced this race of naked wo®IIy- 
 ieaded Negroes to Queen Charlotte'^s islands, 
 we have bo heaitatioa m attributing to the 
 same stock the population of the New Hebrides 
 and of the mountainmis ridge called New Cale- 
 donia. These islands seem to be a continuafioa 
 ©f the sjime chain, and the most northerly of 
 tfeera is separated by a very i^ori interval from 
 Queen Charlotte's isles. The Tesemblance of 
 the natives of these islands to several ©f the 
 savage tribes, whose hi-stoiry we have been con- 
 te^iplating, and particularly to the people of 
 Va^ J>iemen*s land, is very strongly maiked. We 
 have quoted the words, oi Mr. Anderson Ift 
 whieh he notes this resemblance, ami the same 
 fmX i* particularly observed by Labillardi^re. 
 
 *^ The natives of Mallicollo^'^' says Dj?. Forstep, 
 
 {a) l<abiilardiere. ibid. 
 
 {b) Carteret's Voyage. Hawkeswortb's Collecti<wi% 
 
275 
 
 *^ are a smaTf, nimble, slender, black and ill-fa- 
 voured set of beings, that of all men I ever saw 
 border the nearest upon the tribe of monkies. 
 Their skulls are of a very singular structure, 
 being from the root of the nose more depressed 
 backward, than in any other races of mankind 
 which we had formerly seen. The hair is in 
 the greater part of them woolly and frizzled," 
 Captain Cook informs us that its general colour 
 is black or brown. " Their complexion is sooty, 
 their features harsh, the cheek bone and face 
 broad. Their limbs are slender though well 
 shaped.** He assures us that several among 
 them were very hairy all over the body, the 
 back not excepted, and this circumstance he 
 also observed in Tanna and New Caledonia. («) 
 Besides these physical characters there are 
 several peculiarities of manners, which indicate 
 these people to be of the same race with the 
 natives of the two islands just mentioned. One 
 of them is the singular mode of wearing wrap- 
 pers made of leaves, and fastened by a string 
 which they tie round their waists, as described 
 by Forster. This custom prevails in Tanna and 
 New Caledonia. They also perforate the nose 
 and ears like the people of New Guinea and 
 New Caledonia, and carry large rings in the 
 
 [a) Forster's observations. 
 
276 
 
 one, and sticks or stones in the other, by way of 
 ornament. 
 
 Captain Cook thought the language of Malli* 
 collo had no resemblance to that of any other 
 people, but in this point it appears that he was 
 mistaken. It is shown by the comparative 
 tables drawn out by Sir J. Banks and Mr, 
 Marsden, that it has many words which have a 
 manifest affinity to other dialects of the lan- 
 guage so widely diffused through the Southern 
 islands, (a) 
 
 The description of the people of Tanna differs 
 from that of the Mallicollese in some particulars, 
 although it coincides in many important points. 
 They are generally tall, stout, and well made, 
 with good features. " They are," says Forster, 
 *' almost of the same swarthy colour,*' as the 
 New Caledonians," only a few had a clearer 
 complexion ; and in these the tips of their hair 
 were of a yellowish brown : the hair and the 
 beards of the rest were all black and crisp, nay,< 
 in some woolly." (&) 
 
 (a) See Marsden's table. Archaeology. toI. 6. 
 
 (6) Captain Cook fancied that the individuals who had 
 hair like Europeans were of a diflerent race, and came from, 
 Erronan, an island situated within sight of Tanna. But on. 
 the subject of the hair it is known that he had a peculiai 
 prejudice. Dr. Forster obviously considers the woolly' 
 headed people and the long haired as the seme race, attd 
 mentions these characters as passing into each other. 
 
277 
 
 In many words in the dialect of Tanna re- 
 sembles the other languages of the South Sea 
 Islands. The Tannese are also identified with 
 the tribes of this great insular nation by many 
 peculiar customs. They use wrappers of leaves 
 like the New Caledonians and Mallicollese, and 
 like these people and those of New Guinea, they 
 perforate their ears and the septum of the nose. 
 In the latter they wear a stick or white cylindrical 
 stone. Capt. Cook was led to believe (apparently 
 by sufRcient indications^ that they dispose of 
 their dead not by burning or interment, but in 
 a manner similar to the singular mode of the 
 Otaheiteans(rt). ai^tl they wear locks of the hair 
 of deceased persons tied about their necks, like 
 the last mentioned people, and those of New 
 Zealand. They dress their own woolly hair in 
 thin queues, wound round with the rind of a 
 convolvulus. They use the same kind of tools as 
 the Otaheiteans, but of inferior workmanship. 
 
 The largest and most westerly, and except one 
 
 («) See Dr. Forsfer's Observations oo the manners of 
 the Otaheiteans. Ubi supra. 
 
 Cook imagined Erronan to have btM3n peopled from the 
 Friendly Isles, and says that the Tannese ascribe one of the 
 two languages which they speak to that island. This re- 
 sembles that of the Friendly Isles. It is probable that some 
 communication has taken place. Yet it is said that the 
 people of Tanna have no idea of any country beyond their 
 own horizon. They were ignorant of the names of Malli. 
 colloj Apee, .fcc. 
 
278 
 
 the most iiorthern of the New Hebrides^ is the 
 island denominated by Quires Tierra del Espiritu 
 Santo. Capt. Cook saw many of the natives of 
 this isle, whom he describes as being stouter and 
 better shaped men than the Mallicollese. They 
 named the numerals as far as 5 in the language 
 of the Friendly Islands, and understood when 
 they were aske(]^the names of the adjacent lands 
 in that language. Some of them had black, 
 short, frizzled hair, like the natives of Mallicollo ; 
 but others had it long, tied up on the crown of 
 the head, and ornamented with feathers like the 
 New Zealanders. 
 
 Bougainville tells us that the natives of the 
 Isle of Lepers are of two colours. Blacks, and Mu- 
 lattoes. Their lips are thick, their hair woolly, 
 and sometimes of a yellowish colour. They are 
 short, ugly, and ill proportioned. 
 
 On the whole we may conclude, from the re^ 
 semblance of physical characters gnd peculiar 
 manners, joined to the probability aiforded by 
 the proximity of situation, that the natives of 
 the New Hebrides are of the same race with th( 
 people of the continent of New Guinea, and th^ 
 isles intervening between it and them. 
 
 The progress of deviation shows itself in thes( 
 islands, producing similar effects to what we hav< 
 before remarked. In the people of Mallicollc 
 the leading characters of the Negro are foundl 
 in the highest degree. Yet even here, as ;ipi 
 
279 
 
 pears by the accounts quoted, the woolly tex- 
 ture of the hair is not universal, nor is its colour 
 luiiformly black. The same observation holds 
 in Tanna, the complexion begins to assume a 
 lighter shade, and the hair becomes of a yellowish 
 brown at the tips, which pi?cu^iarity is not cfx- 
 clusively found among the Tarinese, but is re- 
 marked in the more Eastern Islands, :Js Ota- 
 heite. The features also i^ke a form moie like 
 the European. The other inhabitants of the 
 New Hebrides are equally diversified, as \v£ 
 observe in the accojant given by Boiigainville of 
 the Isle of Lepers. 
 
 The people of New Caledonia have some 
 customs similar to those of the Tannese and 
 Mallicollese, as the habit of b^win^ their ears and 
 wearing ornaments in them. They wear the 
 wrappers like the latter of those tribes, and 
 make the same kind of marks on their bodies as 
 the foniier. Their iangiiagc resembles that of 
 Tanna, of New Zealand, and the Friendly Isles. 
 " They are, " says our great circumnavigator, 
 ''^ of the same colour with the natives of Tanna, 
 but have better features, and are much stouter. 
 A few measured 6 feet 4 inches : some had thick 
 ]ips, flat noses, and full cheeks, and in some de- 
 gree the look and features of a Negro. Their 
 hair and beards are in general black. The for- 
 mer is very much frizzled, so that at first sight 
 it appears like a Neg o'«. It is nevertheless 
 
280 
 
 very different, being both coarser and stronger 
 than ours." Forster says, '' their hair is crisp, 
 but not very woolly." Labillardiere assures us 
 that their hair is woolly, that their persons are 
 of the middle size, and their complexion as 
 black as that of the people of Van Diemcn's Land, 
 whoin they much resemble in the general cast 
 of their features, (a) 
 
 (a) Between the New Hebrides and the Friendly Isles, 
 and at the distance of three days voyage in a canoe from 
 Tongataboo, is a very considerable cluster of islands, the 
 natiTes of which carry on commerce with the Friendiy 
 Islanders. These people have scarcely been visited as yet 
 by Europeans, but we have acquired some information con- 
 cerning them by means of the Missionaries to the South Sea. 
 The Feejeeans are a race of men superior in stature to their 
 neighbours of the Friendly Isles, with black skins, and 
 hair approaching to wool. They also have large canoes, 
 and are more warlike and more dexterous in the manufac- 
 ture of their clothes and utensils. Their language is said 
 to be different. 
 
 The communication between these two clusters seems to be 
 of a recent date, for we are given to understand that no 
 long period has elapsed since the Friendly Islanders dis- 
 covered the Feejeeans, 
 
281 
 
 SECTION TV. 
 
 Of the Islanders of the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 HAVING traced the Papua race as well as ivc 
 are enabled in the present state of our acquaint- 
 ance with the southern countries and their in- 
 habitants, we proceed to the tribes found in the 
 more distant regions of the Pacific Ocean. The 
 various clusters of islands which are scattered 
 through the vast extent of this sea, from New 
 Zealand and the Ladrones on the eastern side of 
 it, to Easter Isle and the Sandwich Islands, are 
 found to be stocked with inhabitants, who are 
 nearly in a corresponding stage of civilization. 
 There is little or no communication between the 
 more widely separated clusters, and in general 
 vthe people of one division are ignorant of the 
 existence of the rest. They are all nevertheless 
 more closely connected, as well in moral as in 
 physical condition, than the nations we have 
 hitherto been contemplating. In the arts of life 
 ihey have greatly the advantage of the destitute 
 Papuas, but have not laid aside to any great 
 degree either the ferocity or the sensuality of 
 the savage state. Most of them appear to have 
 been at a recent period addicted to anthropo- 
 phagy, and in some islands this practice is not 
 yet discarded. They are all in the habit of 
 
282 
 
 painting or tattowing their bodies, though they 
 are no where altogether ignorant of the use of 
 clothing, having the art of manufacturing cloth 
 from the bark of the mulberry tree. But in 
 order to obtain a clear view both separately and 
 connectively of their physical history, we must 
 follow in detail the observations of voyagers. 
 
 Of the New Zeatanders, 
 
 We shall begin with the New Zealanders, be- 
 cause they retain more of the primitive manners 
 and character of the race than any of the other 
 tribes. 
 
 " The natives of New Zealand," says Mr. 
 Anderson, " do not exceed the common stature 
 of Europeans, and in general are not so well 
 made, especially about the limbs. There are 
 however several exceptions to this; and some 
 are remarkable for their large bones and muscles, 
 but few that I have seen are corpulent.'* 
 
 " Their colour is of different casts^ from a 
 pretty deep black to a yellowish or olive tinge, 
 and their features also are various, some resem- 
 bling the Europeans. But in general their faces 
 are round, with their lips full, and also their 
 noses towards the point ; though the first are 
 not uncommonly thick, nor the last flat. I do 
 not however recollect to have seen an instance 
 of the true aquiline nose amongst them. Their 
 
283 
 
 teeth are commonly broad^ ^vhi tc, and well set, 
 and their eyes large. Their hair is black, straight, 
 and strong, but some have it of a curling dis- 
 position, or of a brown colour. The women are 
 in general smaller than the men, but have few 
 peculiar graces, either in form or features to 
 clistin«;uish them." (a) 
 
 It is worth while to observe that Captain Cook 
 and Dr. Forster represent their stature as rather 
 greater in general than that of Europeans. 
 
 They have some customs which resemble the 
 New Caledonians and the natives of the New^ 
 Hebrides, as slitting the €ars and perforating 
 the septum nasi, for the purpose of wearing or- 
 naments in them. 
 
 They have made more progress in the arts of 
 life than either of the nations above-mentioned, 
 though they are by no means on an equality in 
 this respect with the Friendly islanders or the 
 Otaheiteans. The population of New Zealand 
 in divided into many independant tribes, who 
 are perpetually carrying on war with each other, 
 to which they are stimulated not by the thirst of 
 conquest or power, but by the desire of eatin^r 
 the flesh of their antagonists. 
 
 The New Zealanders afford a perfect exempli- 
 fication of oiir remarks on the prevalent disposi- 
 tion to deviation. We are informed that their 
 
 {a) Extracts from Anderson's Journal in Cook's last 
 Voyage. 
 
284 
 
 eotnpkxion varies from black, which appears to 
 be the original hue of the race, and is still the 
 colour of those tribes which are in the most na- 
 tural state, to a yellowish or olive tinge. Their 
 hair also, though in general black and straight, 
 is in some curling, and in others brown. Their 
 features likewise vary, though they exhibit some 
 of the general characters of the nation, as the 
 fulness of the nose. 
 
 Of ilie Natives of the Friendly Islands, 
 
 The natives of the Friendly isles resemble the 
 New Zcalandcrs in the general outline of their 
 character, and there is no doubt of their being 
 another branch of the same nation, since we 
 learn from the observation of Mr. Andei'son that 
 their language has " the greatest affinity imagin- 
 able'* to that of the latter people. The Friendly 
 islanders are more civilized than the New Zea- 
 landers. They appear indeed to have made no 
 small progress in the arts ; of which a strong 
 instance occui's m their having terms to express 
 numbers as far as a hundred thousand, (a) 
 
 These people seldom exceed the common sta- 
 ture, though some are above six feet ; but are 
 strong and have stout limbs. They are generally 
 
 {«) These people have a custom of cutting off one or two 
 joints of the little finger, and sometimes of the finger next 
 to it, in the hope of curing diseases. See account of the 
 New llollauders above. 
 
pi 
 
 285 
 
 l)road about the shoulders, and have a muscular 
 appearance, which has rather the character of 
 strength than of beauty. They are not subject 
 to the corpulence and general obesity which is 
 common in Otaheite. '^ Their features/* says 
 Mr. Anderson, " are very various ; insomuch 
 that it is scarcely possible to fix on any general 
 likeness by which to characterize them, unless 
 it be a fulness at the point of the nose, which is 
 very common. But on the other hand we met 
 with hundreds of truly European faces, and many 
 
 genuine Roman noses amongst them." '' Few 
 
 of them have any uncommon thickness about the 
 lips." The women have less of the appearance 
 of feminine delicacy than those of most other 
 nations/' 
 
 *' The general colour is a cast deeper than 
 the copper brown ; but several of the men and 
 women have a true olive complexion, and some 
 of the last are even a great deal fairen" This 
 as we are told is the case principally among the 
 better classes, who are less exposed to the sun. 
 Among the bulk of the people the skin is more 
 commonly of a dull hue, with some degree of 
 roughness. There are some Albinos among 
 them, 
 
 " Their hair is in general, straight, thick, and 
 strong ; though a few have it bushy and frizzled. 
 The natural colour I believe almost without ex- 
 ception is black : but some stain it brown^ pur- 
 
286 
 
 pfe, or of an orange cast/' In this custom they 
 resemble the islanders to the north of the New 
 Hebrides, 
 
 Of Otalieite and the Society Isles. 
 
 The people of Otaheite and the Society isles 
 speak the common language of the Southern 
 Sea, in a peculiar dialect which is characterized 
 as being more soft and harmonious, less gut- 
 tural in its pronunciation, and more abound- 
 ing with vowel sounds than the idioms of New 
 Zealand, and the Friendly islands. Its resem- 
 blance to the dialect of New Zealand is said to 
 "he very close. Captain Cook assures us that the 
 difference between the lan^cuao^es of Otaheite 
 and of New Zealand is not greater than that 
 which distinguishes the dialects prevalent in the 
 two islands included under the last name. 
 
 Dr. Forster informs us that these islands con- 
 tain the most beautiful tribe of the whole race : 
 *' but even here," he adds, " nature seems to 
 follow that richness, luxuriance, and variety 
 -which we have observed in its vegetation ; it is 
 not confined to a single type or model." The 
 common people are of darker colour, and de- 
 generate, as he informs us, towards the appear- 
 ance of the natives of the New Hebrides, but the 
 better sort of people have a complexion, which 
 is less tawny than a Spaniard, and of a lighter 
 tint than the fairest inhabitant of the East India 
 
t> 
 
 2S7 
 
 islands ; '' in a word it is of a white, tinctured 
 with a brownish yellow ; however not so strongly 
 mixed but that on the cheek of the fairest of 
 their women you may easily distinguish a spread- 
 ing blush. From this complexion v/e find all 
 the intermediate hues down to a lively brown, 
 bordering on the swarthy complexion of the" 
 New Hebrides. *' Their hair is commonly black, 
 and strong, flowing in beautiful ringlets. I saW 
 but few with yellowish brown, or sandy hair, 
 2tr}d often no more than the extremities were 
 yellowish and the roots of a darker brown, (a) 
 A single man in Otaha had perfectly red hair, 
 a fairer complexion than the rest, and was 
 sprinkled all over with freckles." (Z/) Captain 
 Wallis tells us that the hair is " in some brown, in 
 some red, and in others flaxen," but that " in the 
 children of both sexes it is generally flaxen. **(c) 
 " The people," says Captain Cook, " are of 
 the largest size of Europeans. The men are 
 tall, strong, well-limbed, and finely shaped. The 
 women also of the superior rank are in general 
 above the middle stature, but those of the inferior 
 class are rather below it, and some of them are 
 very small. '\d^) 
 
 (a) Pa this particular they are like the Tannese^ 
 (&) Dr. FoTster's observalaoas. 
 (c) Wallis, apud Hawkesworth, 
 (rf) Cook. Ibid. 
 
28S 
 
 *' The shape of the face is comely, and the 
 features in general handsome, but the nose is 
 somewhat flat/' 
 
 Several Otaheitean skulls have been examined 
 by anatomists, and the descriptions of some of 
 them have been published. They partake of the 
 common osteological character which prevails 
 generally through the islands of the South Sea. 
 Blumenbach has shown that they hold an inter- 
 mediate place between those of the African and 
 the European. (a) In all the points of his des- 
 cription, they make a very evident approxima- 
 tion to the former. The negro form is indeed 
 the type or model to which all the varieties of 
 this nation bear a general reference. 
 
 The group of islands called the Marquesas, 
 are not very far removed from the Society Isles, 
 and the descriptions of their inhabitants coincide 
 in general. Their languages so nearly resemble, 
 that an inhabitant of the latter could readily 
 converse with the natives of the former, which 
 proves their affinity to be very close. 
 
 Capt. Cook thought the people of the Mar- 
 quesas without exception the finest race in the 
 Southern Sea, and says that their shape and 
 features are perhaps more beautiful than those 
 of any other nation. The men are punctured 
 or tattowed from head to foot in such a manner 
 
 (a) Blumcobach de €len. H. V. N. 
 
I> 
 
 289 
 
 that their complexion appears darkened, but the 
 women and children are '^ as fair as some Euro- 
 peans. The stature of the men is commonly 
 from five feet ten to six feet. Some of them 
 are fat like the Otaheitean Earees." *' Their 
 hair," says Cook, " like ours, is of many colours, 
 except red, of which I saw none." The ma- 
 terials and manner of their dress are the same 
 as at Otaheite, except that they are more sparing 
 of it. 
 
 In the natives of the Society Isles and the 
 Marquesas we have a striking example of the 
 extent of effect which the natural tendency to 
 variety will produce, without any intermixture 
 of races. Speaking dialects of the same lan- 
 guage with the inhabitants of New Zealand, and 
 identified moreover with the people of that 
 country by a general resemblance of manners 
 and customs, the Otaheiteans nevertheless ex- 
 hibit specimens of the complexion opposite to 
 that of their kindred. The New Zealanders are 
 of a pretty deep black. The fairest of this tribe 
 are of lighter colour than the lower orders in 
 Otaheite, the lineage of whom nevertheless pre- 
 sents us with people of white skins and flaxen 
 hair, and even with some individuals who possess 
 all the characters of the sanguine constitution 
 almost as strongly marked as in the Teutonic 
 tribes of northern Europe. 
 
 While the natives of the Society Isles exhibit 
 T 
 
290 
 
 feuch wide deviations of complexion, they retain 
 considerable traces of the primitive form. On 
 the other hand the inhabitants of the Friendly 
 Islands are more like their ancestors in their 
 colour, which is very different from that of the 
 Otaheiteans, but have assumed a cast of features 
 of opposite description, many of them having 
 the true aquiline nose of the European counter 
 nance. 
 
 The natives of these three clusters are so 
 closely connected, that we may fairly consider 
 them as one nation. Therefore we have her^ 
 within one nation an example of the most ex^ 
 tensive range of variety in complexion and fej 
 tures, which is found in the whole human rac< 
 if all the different tribes of men are considerec 
 collectively. 
 
 It is worth while to observe that this pha^nc 
 tnenon is irreconcilable with the commonly no^ 
 tion of the effect of climate. New Zealani 
 the Friendly, the Society Isles, and the Marqui 
 sas, exhibit a regular gradation from the darkest 
 to the lightest complexion, in which we con 
 stantly observe that the fairer people are nearc 
 to the equator. But these facts are wholly con^ 
 formable to, and well exemplify the theory pro- 
 posed in the foregoing pages. 
 
291 
 
 Of the Sand'Wich Islands* 
 
 The natives of these islands are of the middle 
 ■stature, or rather above it, and well made. They 
 are inferior in personal beauty to the people of 
 the Society and Friendly Islands* Their colour 
 is nearly of a nut brown, though some indivi" 
 duals are darker, (a) Their hair is generally 
 straight, but in some frizzling. Its natural co- 
 lour is commonly black, or of a brownish black. 
 The only striking peculiarity of their features is 
 a fullness of the nostril, which is observable even 
 in the handsomest faces, (ft) 
 
 Notwithstanding the distance of these islands 
 from New Zealand, there are many reasons for 
 believing that they derived their population 
 from that country rather than from any of the 
 clusters of islands which are situated more in 
 their vicinity, for in manners the natives in 
 many respects resemble the New Zealanders 
 much more than the Otaheiteans or the Friendly 
 islanders. 
 
 With respect to their language Captain Cook 
 informs us that particular words are sometimes 
 pronounced as in New Zealand and the Friendly 
 isles, but that they have adopted the softness 
 and harmonious intonation of the Otaheiteans. 
 All four dialects greatly resemble each other. 
 
 (a) CooVs last Voyage, and King's Voyage, 
 (6) Ibid. 
 
 X8 
 
292 
 
 A singular custom prevails amongst them of 
 knocking out the fore-teeth, which we have 
 observed to be also practised by the New Hol- 
 landers* 
 
 Mivigator*s Isles and BeaumaiCs Isles. 
 
 The islands which Roggewein the Dutch voy^ 
 ager called Beauman's Isles, have been supposed 
 to be the same which were named by Bougain- 
 ville, isles de Navigateurs, but La Perouse, who 
 visited the latter, is of opinion that they were a 
 different cluster. For neither the situation of 
 Beauman's Isles, nor the character of the natives, 
 as described by Roggewein, agree with the ac- 
 counts we have of the Navigator's Islands, (a) 
 :' Roggewein's Islands were placed ki the Ger- 
 man chart made of his voayge, in Lat. 15. South. 
 He says the inhabitants were the most civilized 
 people he met with in the South Sea. He assures 
 us that they " are all white, differing from Eu- 
 ropeans only in some of them having their skins 
 burned by the heat of the sun."(Z>) 
 
 The Navigator's Islands are in Lat. 14* South. 
 Bougainville who discovered them, gave them 
 that name on account of the skill the natives 
 have acquired in the management of their ca- 
 
 (a) Le Perouse, Vayage translated, 
 (i) Roggewein quoted by La Perouse, 
 
293 
 
 noes, and in the rude methods of navigation 
 practised in those seas, (c) 
 
 The Navigator's islands are known to the 
 people of the Friendly isles, who carry on com- 
 munication with their inhabitants, (a) 
 
 The height of the natives is above the middle 
 stature, their limbs are very large. (ft) Bougain- 
 ville says that the colour of the people seen by 
 him was bronzed ; but he observed one man who 
 was much whiter than the rest. They all had 
 black hair, (c) 
 
 La Perouse observed the same difference of 
 complexion here as in others of the Southern 
 Islands, and seeing no other way of account- 
 ing for the diversity, he imagined it to ari'se 
 from the mixture of two races. The knowledge 
 obtained by better informed travellers proves 
 this hypothesis to be an idle conjecture. (cQ 
 
 (c) Bougainville; Voyage, 
 (rt) INlissionary Voyage, 
 
 (b) La Perouse, 
 
 (c) Bougiiiiiville. 
 
 {d) He tells us that a young Manillcsc servant, who w^s^ 
 born in the Province of Tagayan in the North of Manilla, 
 understood and interpreted most of the words used by thesQ 
 islanders. The Tagayan, Tagaia, and all the dialects of 
 the Philippines in general are well known to have much 
 affinity to the Malay, and thus La Perouse thinks that the 
 connexion in the language, and consequently in the origiii 
 of the people of these islands, with those of the other clusters, 
 becomes manifest. Here he follows a vulgar notion which 
 derive* the uative* of all the Pacific isles from the Malays, 
 
294 
 
 Easter Island. 
 
 This island presents some most curious sub-* 
 jects of speculation to the antiquarian and natu- 
 ral historian. It is situated at a remote distance 
 from aU .other lands, and inhabited by people 
 who are destitute of all means of conveyance 
 from foreign realms. Over its surface are scat- 
 tered the remains of monuments of stone and 
 gigantic statues, (a) 
 
 These are evidently the production of a very 
 remote period of time. Every thing in this 
 country suggests the idea of antiquity, not only 
 the ruins of human works, but the appearances 
 of nature also. The rocky mountains and iron- 
 bound shores, and the volcanoes already effete 
 for ages, form a contrast with the recent forma- 
 tion of the other islands, which have risen from 
 
 (a) The huge statues -which have so much astonished all 
 the visitors of this island, are scattered over the whole face of 
 the country ; but chiefly abound on the sea shores. Some of 
 them are 27 feet in height. They are of rude but not of 
 bad workmanship, and the proportions are colossal. Many 
 of them have been thrown down and others are almost 
 entirely destroyed hy time. According to the opinion of 
 La Perouse, they were formed of lava, but Capt. Cook and 
 his companions thought tlie material was an artificial com- 
 position. They must have been the work of immense time 
 and labour, and the present inhabitants, as Cook assures 
 vs, can have had no hand in them ; for they do not even 
 jepair the foundations of those which arc going to decay. 
 
beds of coral. And the human species is only 
 seen in the miserable remnant of a nation whose 
 works testify much greater powers^ both of art 
 and of physical strength than the present inha- 
 bitants possess. 
 
 Capt. Cook was of opinion that the population 
 of this island did not exceed six or seven hundred 
 persons^ but La Perouse estimated it at above 
 two thousand. The people use the same kind 
 of tools as the natives of the Society isleS;, and 
 like them make their clothing of the bark of the 
 mulberry tree. 
 
 There is in the language of the people of 
 Easter island sufficient resemblance to the various 
 dialects of the South Sea, to enable us to de- 
 duce satisfactorily their origin. They are with- 
 out doubt a colony of the same nation which 
 afforded inhabitants to the other isles. The 
 difference however of their idiom is such as to 
 evincC;, at the same time, a long separation. 
 And this proof combines with many other cir- 
 cumstances in demonstrating the great antiquity 
 of the most distant colony of this great maritime 
 nation. The people are slender in their per- 
 sons ; of the middle size ; none being six feet 
 high ; and of a complexion rather deeper than 
 the natives of the Friendly isles. Their hair 
 is generally black. They have good features, 
 with thin beards. Their chief attempt at orna- 
 incnt consists in the slitting of the ear, in which 
 
296 
 
 thej wear a small scroll made of the leaf of a 
 sugar cane, (a) 
 
 The Ladrones and Caroline Islands. 
 
 We are not so well acquainted with the in- 
 habitants of these islands as with those of the 
 more eastern discoveries, but there is much 
 reason for believing them to be of the same 
 race. The most striking peculiarity in the man- 
 ners of the Otaheiteans are the societies of Er- 
 reoes, or men who associate in distinct confra- 
 ternities, and live with a certain number of 
 women in a state of promiscuous intercourse. 
 Father le Gobien assures us that exactly the same 
 custom subsists in the Ladrones, and what abso- 
 lutely establishes the proof of the connexion 
 of the two nations is, that these societies are 
 distinguished in both by an almost identical 
 name. The Arreoys or Erreoes of Otaheite are 
 the Urritoes of the Ladrones. (Z>) 
 
 Many other instances of resemblance are re- 
 marked by the editor of Cook's last voyage. 
 The people of the Ladrones worship their dead, 
 whom they call Anitis. This name is not un- 
 like the Eatooas of the Eastern isles, which term 
 is affixed to the objects of religious veneration 
 with similar ideas. In the Ladrones the division 
 
 (a) Cook and Forster ubi supra. 
 {b) Histoire des Navigations au Tcrres Australes*^ Tom* 
 .'5. pp. 493. et seqq. 
 
297 
 
 of the people into three ranks subsists as in 
 Otaheite and other islands. And the great 
 power of the nobles over the commo»alty, which 
 is among savage people a striking singularity, 
 is also observed. Among many other congrui- 
 ties between the other islanders and the natives 
 of the Ladrones, the agreement in their very 
 singular opinion concerning the fate of their 
 dead, is remarkable. The New Zealanders be- 
 lieve, according to Cook, that if a man is killed, 
 in which case his flesh is generally eaten, his 
 soul is doomed to eternal fire ; but if he die a 
 natural death, it goes to the habitations of the 
 gods. And this opinion prevails in the Ladrones, 
 according to Le Gobien. (a) 
 
 Dampier describes the people of Guam or 
 Guahon, one of the Ladrones, as being stout 
 w^ell made people, with large and strong limbs. 
 They are copper coloured, and have long black 
 hair, and small eyes. Their noses are pretty high, 
 and their teeth tolerably white, (b) 
 
 Some instances of resemblance are collected 
 in the vocabulary of the Carolines to that of the 
 Friendly isles, which would probably be more 
 completely established if we had sufficient know- 
 ledge of the former. 
 
 The people of the Carolines " are not a stout 
 race ; their complexion is a dark copper ; their 
 
 (a) Notes io Cook's last Voyage, toI. ii. p. 160- 
 
 (b) Dampier's Voyage, 
 
298 
 
 disposttions lively, (a) Their hair is black arid 
 long. The women- differ in complexion from 
 the men by a sickly kind of whitishness, that is 
 mixed with the natural olive. Some of them 
 have good features, having neither very thick 
 lips nor broad faceS;, though inclined to both. 
 They are very nearly naked. The numerals of 
 their Ian nuafre resemble the Otaheitean. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 Of the Malays. 
 
 THE various tribes of islanders whose historjr 
 •We have surveyed in the foregoing section, are^ 
 as we have seen reason to believe, branches of 
 one nation. We are now to seek for a commmi 
 root or center of communication between them. 
 
 It is remarkable that the natives of mo&t of 
 the Indian islands, as the Philippines, the Moluc- 
 cas, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and the Isles o-f 
 Sunda, speak languages more or less connected 
 with the dialects of the South Sea islanders. 
 
 The present inhabitants of the Peninsula of 
 Malacca also are proved by the affinity of their 
 
 («) The followrng part of the description belongs to the 
 natives of another island, of the , same group. They are 
 CYidently the same people, ' 
 
299 
 
 speech/ to be allied to the same kindred. T<v 
 this nation the colonization of all the islands has 
 been frequently imputed. The Malays have 
 acquired by their extensive commerce, great 
 celebrity in the East. They have scattered them- 
 selves through the Indian Archipelago, and have 
 formed settlements in every place conveniently 
 situated for traffic. Their superior address and 
 intelligence have every where extended their 
 influence, and they have gradually spread them- 
 selves over the sea-coasts of most of the islands 
 of the Indian Sea, which are thence familiarly 
 known by the name of the Malay countries, (a) 
 
 They have generally mixed more or less w^ith 
 the former inhabitants, and have promulgated 
 in all the districts with which they have any 
 connexion, the tenets of Islamism, for they 
 were tlie first people in these regions who 
 adopted that superstition. The converts every 
 where assume the name of Malays together with 
 their new faith, and that term is now in the 
 eastern parts of India synonymous with Mos- 
 lem, (&) as is the appellation of Moor, in the 
 western Peninsula. 
 
 The language of the Malays has become the 
 lingua franca, or commercial tongue of this part 
 of the globe. Its simplicity of structure renders 
 
 (a) Marsden's Hist, of Sumatra. 
 
 Dr. Ley den, Asiatic ResearcheSj yol. 10, 
 (5) Ibid. 
 
300 
 
 It a convenient medium of communication be- 
 tween strangers, and its genius is such that it 
 coalesces readily with foreign idioms. By mixing^ 
 in different proportions with the native lan- 
 guages, it has branched out into almost as many 
 dialects as there are tribes. These jargons con- 
 tain a great number of words which are found 
 in the language of the Pacific Isles. But the 
 Malayan colonies in the Indian Archipelago are 
 of a very different character from the nations 
 which are found in the Pacific. The former are 
 a civilized commercial people, whose condition 
 and manners are in every respect difTerent from 
 those of the latter. But the strongest distinction 
 is that the religion of all the Malay people is 
 the recent superstition of the Koran. It is 
 evident that if they are related to the people of 
 the Pacific ocean, the connexion must have 
 subsisted at a much more remote period than 
 the epoch of Islamism. It therefore becomes 
 interesting to inquire what was the condition of 
 the Malays before that era. 
 
 For most of the information we possess on 
 this subject we are indebted to the late learned 
 and indefatigable Dr. Leyden, who pursued an 
 inquiry into the languages and literature of the 
 Indo-Chinese nations with the advantage of rare 
 opportunities and still more uncommon talents. 
 His researches into the history of the Malays are 
 peculiarly important to our present investiga- 
 
9Q1 
 
 tion, and lead satisfactorily to a conclusion very 
 different from the common notion. («) The 
 speech of the Malays has been generally sup- 
 posed to be an original and underived language, 
 which has been extended by the colonies of that 
 people into all the countries of which we have 
 been treating, and has served with greater or 
 less modification (/;) as a basis for the idioms 
 prevalent in all of them. Our author however 
 has shown that this celebrated language is a 
 jargon compounded of many different idioms. 
 It has derived a considerable portion of its vo- 
 cables from the Arabic, and a still greater and 
 more important part from the Sanscrit. When 
 all this superstructure is removed there remains 
 not even then a basis of pure and genuine cha- 
 racter, but the remnant of the language which 
 might be supposed the most simple, is in fact the 
 most corrupt of all, being made up of several 
 of the continental and insular languages mixed 
 in various proportions. 
 
 The stock of words derived from the Arabic 
 is a sort of extraneous addition, not naturalized 
 in the language. Words of this description are 
 introduced into all the Malay compositions, ^nd 
 even into conversation just as in the Turkish and 
 
 (rt) The Malayan is analagous in many circumstances to 
 the Rukheng or old Barraa. — Leyden. 
 
 . (b) See Dr. Leyden on the languages and literature of the 
 liido-Chiuese nations. Asiatic I^esearches, vol. 10. 
 
^2 
 
 Persic, and soon become so corrupted in pro- 
 nunciation that they could not be recognized 
 by a native Arab. But this portion of vocables 
 is unimportant in comparison with that which is, 
 of Sanscrit origin. The latter are very nume- 
 rouS;, and are so completely assimilated that they 
 seem to form an integral part of the language. 
 The words of this class are often descriptive of 
 common objects of sensation, and of ideas and 
 mental feelings which naturally result from the 
 social habits of mankind. 
 
 Dr. Leyden has communicated some curious 
 facts concerning the medium through which th^ 
 intermixture of Sanscrit was introduced into th^ 
 Malayu language, (a) It appears from his ob- 
 servations that a considerable stock of Hindu 
 words and compositions was brought into the 
 
 (a) Most of the Indo-Chinese tongues hare received a 
 considerable modification from the Sanscrit, through thft 
 intervention of the Pali. But this appears not to have 
 been the case to any great extent with the Malayu ; for the 
 Malayu forms very commonly approach nearer to the pure^ 
 Sanscrit than even those of the Pali, and many portions ofl 
 the Brahmanical mythology are extant in the Malayu, m hicfc 
 appear never to have been translated. into the Pali at all^. 
 Neither is there any better foundation for the opinion oi 
 Marsden, that the Guzerati has been the channel through 
 vliich the Malayu has derived these additions, for the 
 Cuzerati was, as Dr. Leyden has remarked, one of the firs( 
 -dialects of Hinduvi, which became debased by a mixture of 
 Arabic, and those portions of the Sanscrit vocabulary which 
 *ee-exist in that language and in the Malayu, are much lesi 
 corrupted in the latter than in the former. 
 
S03 
 
 Malay u from the Telinga or Kallnga language, 
 a frequent intercourse having subsisted betweert 
 the ancient kingdom of Kalinga and the Malays, 
 at a very early period. But it is certain also 
 that the Malays were much more closely and 
 intimately connected with the Javanese, and that 
 to them they owe all their early literature and, 
 mythology. At a period long antecedent to the 
 age of the Malay traffic, the Javanese nation was 
 great and populous. Their power was supreme 
 in the eastern seas, and they extended their 
 conquests to Sumatra, Borneo, and even to 
 the Moluccas. It is known (a) that many of 
 the Malay States, and those of the greatest an- 
 tiquity, were originally colonies from Java, which 
 were settled on the peninsula long before the 
 arrival of the Arabs. The high or court lan- 
 guage of Java is a dialect of the Sanscrit, and 
 the Hindu literature and mythology prevail 
 among the people. It is clear that through this 
 medium the Malayu has chiefly been modified. 
 
 But after all these more refined additions are 
 abstracted from the language of the Malays^ there 
 stili remains a large portion of words connected 
 with the most simple class of ideas. This \vas 
 apparently the speech of the more ancient in- 
 habitants of Malaya. It consists of a mixture pf 
 several of the insular and continental languages. 
 
 J {aj Marsdea and Dr. Leyden, ubi supra^ 
 
S04 
 
 Of the insular languages which have contri- 
 buted to the formation of this part of the Malayan 
 idiom, the low or the peculiar language ©f Java, 
 and the Bugis or dialect of Celebes are the chief. 
 It is probably through this medium that the 
 Malay u resembles the languages of the Indian 
 and Pacific islands. 
 
 The continental languages forming the basis 
 of the Malayu are the Siamese, Rukheng, and 
 Barman, which are three of the dialects spoken 
 by the various Indo-Chinese tribes who inhabit 
 the further peninsula of India. The form and 
 features of these nations, and the general char- 
 acter of their languages, which are all monosyl- 
 labic, prove their affinity to the tribes which 
 compose the Chinese empire. In their manners 
 they bear a general resemblance to the Chinese, 
 and none of them appear ever to have been 
 maritime or commercial people. 
 
 From this analysis of the Malay language 
 which we owe to Dr. Leyden, we are enabled to 
 form some interesting conclusions concerning 
 their history. The ancient inhabitants of Malaya 
 appear to have been allied to the other tribes 
 inhabiting between the Ganges and China. Thfey 
 probably remained in the same state of society 
 with their kindred and neighbours without com- 
 mercial habits or any advancement in manners, 
 until the colonies of- Hindus from Java an^d of 
 other insular people settling on their coasts and 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
305 
 
 • 
 
 mixing with them, gave a new character to the 
 nation. 
 
 This account of the origin of the Malays is 
 fully confirmed by their physical characters. 
 They resemble the mixed race between the 
 continental Indo-Chinese, and the Hindus, (a) 
 
 It is evident that whatever maritime colonies 
 were formed by the Malays were established 
 since they became a sea-faring people ; that is, 
 :since the era of the Javanese settlements on 
 their coasts. Now the Javanese of this period 
 were in great part a colony of Hindus. Their 
 language was a dialect of Sanscrit. They had 
 adopted the religion of Hindustan, and carried 
 their theological dogmas and peculiar worship 
 -with them into their colonies. Of this ancient 
 colonization and extension of the Hindu reli- 
 gion and manners, remains are found in several 
 of the islands, particularly in those of Bali and 
 Madura near Java, the inhabitants of which 
 
 («) Kirkpatrick in his account of the kingdom of Nepaul, 
 informs us that the illicit progeny of a Newar female and 
 a Chctree might be almost taken for Malays, though some 
 oi" the latter approach still nearer to the Tartar or Chinese 
 model. The Newars are a tribe resembling the Chinese in 
 ])<TSon, and in all probability of Chinese descent. The 
 Chetrees or Cshatriyas are pure Hindus. Mr. Barrow, 
 p<>rsuaded by the same traits of resemblance, attributes the 
 origin of the Malays to the nations of China. He has also 
 noticed coincidences between the Chinese and Malay lan- 
 guages. See Kirkpatrick*s Mission to Ncpaul, Barrow's 
 Tra?els in China. 
 
 u 
 
S06 
 
 resemble the Hindus in their persons, and are 
 addicted to many of their most characteristic 
 customs. These people as well as the uncon- 
 verted Javanese continue the worship of Indra, 
 Suryd and Vishnu. There can be no doubt that 
 the same religious scheme, together with the 
 same cast of manners^ would be found to pre- 
 vail in all the colonies sent out from Java, and 
 since the period of the Malayan people is poste- 
 rior to that of the Javanese, and the former de- 
 rived their national character from the latter, 
 the same traits would no doubt be found to per- 
 vade all the extensions of that stock till they 
 were new -modelled by the introduction of 
 Islam ism. 
 
 But no traces of such kind are to be found 
 among the nations whose affinities we have been 1 
 endeavouring to investigate. All the natives ofy 
 the South Sea islands continue in a state of so- 
 ciety of much simpler and ruder cast, and thelr^ 
 religious notions are of very opposite character. 
 We shall therefore be obliged to give up the 
 hypothesis of Malay extraction, and a very curi- 
 ous field of inquiry is opened to our view by the 
 observation that many unequivocal marks re- 
 main in the Indian islands, and in various parts 
 of the Indian continent, declaring a state of 
 manners to have existed in those countries, 
 prior to the introduction of more "polished and 
 artificial modes of life, which closely resemble 
 
307 
 
 the rude and barbarous customs of the Pacific 
 islanders. 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 O/ the ancient people of the Indian Islands. 
 
 I. THE most barbarous people of the Indian 
 islands except the Papuas are the Haraforas or 
 Alfoers, as the Dutch writers call them, who 
 seem to have existed from remote times in these 
 countries. They are sometimes found in the 
 same island with the Papuas. We are not in 
 possession as yet of any very precise information 
 concerning them. Captain Forrest in his last 
 voyage to New Guinea, in which country also 
 the Haraforas are found, met with some of these 
 tribes. He was informed that most of them 
 resembled the woolly. headed Papuas, but that 
 many had straight long hair, (a) They are ge- 
 nerally much stronger and more active than the 
 Malay races in the isles, and some tribes are of a 
 lighter colour. They are cannibals, and drink 
 out of the skulls of their enemies. The most 
 singular feature in their manners is the necessity 
 imposed on every individual of embruing his 
 hands in human blood. No person is permitted 
 to marry till he can shew the skull of a man 
 
 {a) Forrest's Voyage to New Guinea-. 
 U 3 
 
308 
 
 whom he has slaughtered. The ornaments of 
 their houses are human skulls and teeth, which 
 are in great request with them, (a) 
 
 All these particulars equally apply to the 
 Idan race, who are supposed to be the original 
 inhabitants of Borneo. They are regarded by 
 Dr. Leyden as a tribe of Ilaraforas, whom they 
 resemble in stature, colour, and other physi- 
 cal peculiarities, as they do also in manners. 
 Their religious notions are of the most barbarous 
 kind. They are in the constant habit of sacri- 
 ficing human victims to their gods. (by. 
 
 In the Philippines the tribe of Pintados or the 
 painted people, so called from the habit of tat- 
 towing their bodies, are supposed to be of the 
 Haraforarace.(c) -3 - imdi sunn 
 
 The inhabitants of the interior parts of many 
 other Indian islands have many points of resem- 
 blance to these tribes. 
 
 2. The manners of the old Sumatrans partake of 
 the same ferocious habits. They are said to have 
 had originally no other money than the skulls of 
 their enemies, which were very valuable among 
 them. The Battas, who are the most ancient 
 people in the island, still retain many customs 
 which are relics of the same state of manners. 
 The practice of tattowing their bodies subsists 
 
 (a) Leyden, ubi supra. 
 
 (I}) Leyden and Forrest, ubi supra, 
 
 (c) Leyden. 
 
309 
 
 now among them. They have greater strength 
 and activity and a lighter complexion than the 
 Malays, (a) They are in the habit of anthropo- 
 phagy, and themselves declare, as Dr. Leyden 
 informs us^ *' that they frequently eat their own 
 relations when aged and infirm. Their notions 
 concerning the existence of spiritual agents and 
 a future state are very similar to those of the New 
 Zealanders and other islanders in the Pacific. 
 The Batta language is the original idiom of 
 Sumatra, and the other dialects are derived from 
 it, with various mixtures of the Malay u and 
 Javanese. The dialects of the Neas and Poggy 
 islands, near the coast of Samutra, also resemble 
 the Batta. The inhabitants of these retain still 
 more remarkable traces of the manners formerly 
 prevalent in the South Sea islands. They tat- 
 tow their skins like the New Zealanders. They 
 believe in certain unknown invisible beings, to 
 whom they sometimes sacrifice a hog or a fowl 
 to arrest sickness and other calamities like the 
 Otaheiteans, but they have no worship nor belief 
 in a state of future rewards and punishments, 
 nor any defined superstitions, such as prevail on 
 the continent. Ihey also make cloth of the 
 bark of a tree, which they weave in the same 
 manner as the people of the Pacific isles, {h) 
 
 {a) Le)^tk'n. 
 
 {b) Account of the Neas a^d Poggy inlands in Asiatic 
 
 Researches, vol. G. ' 
 
Mutsden has given us the following descrip* 
 tion of the Sumatrans in general. He informs 
 us that they are the fairest of all the Indian tribes, 
 and of a lighter colour than the Mestees or half- 
 breed of the rest of India. The women of the 
 superior classes are very fair, and some of them 
 surpass in this point the brimettes of Europe. 
 Their colour is yellow, wanting the red tinge, 
 whichj he says, constitutes tawny or copper co- 
 lour. They are below the middle stature, and 
 graceful in their form, and particularly small at 
 the ankles and wrists. The women have the 
 absurd practice of compressing the heads and 
 flattening the noses of young children, which 
 increases their natural tendency to that shape. 
 Their hair is strong, of a shining black, and so 
 long as to reach to the ground in some instances. 
 The different tribes of Sumatra do not vary 
 materially from this description, except the 
 Achinese, who are considerably altered by in- 
 termixture with emigrants from the hither pe- 
 ninsula of India, and are taller and darker in 
 complexion than the rest, (a) 
 
 3. The Bugis or ancient inhabitants of Celebes 
 have a peculiar language which has a close co- 
 incidence with that of the Battas, and a consider- 
 able connexion with the Javanese and Tagala. 
 These people are of the middling stature, and 
 
 (a) Marsden's History of Sumatra* 
 
311 
 
 liave agreeable features. Their hair is not crisp^ 
 and their complexion though more yellow than 
 that of European women labouring under chlo- 
 rosis, yet procures them from the natives of the 
 Moluccas the name of whites. (ry) The aborigi- 
 nal Bugis appear to have the most intimate con- 
 nection with the ancient Battas, and the custom 
 of eating their prisoners of war still subsists in 
 the central parts of the island of Celebes. Many 
 of the tribes adhere to their ancient religion. 
 The alphabets of the Battas and Bugis are con- 
 nected in their origin, as likewise that of the 
 Tagala, and the Javanese resembles them in 
 many points. (Z>) 
 
 4. The Javanese language is divided into a num- 
 ber of dialects. The interior or high language, as 
 we have mentioned above, resembles the Sans- 
 crit. This is not so much the case with the vul- 
 gar or coast language. The alphabet is peculiar 
 and has no resemblance to the Deva Nagari. The 
 language of Java is connected with the Bugis and 
 Tagala, (c) and Capt. Cook considered it as similar 
 to the dialects of the South Sea islands. He 
 made a like observation of the idiom of Princes 
 island, in the vicinity of Java. (rZ) The Javanese (e) 
 are of an olive colour, with lank hair, 
 
 (a) Lahillanlierc ubi supra, 
 
 (h) Dr. Lcydcii. 
 
 (6) Ibid. 
 
 (d) Cook's Voyage, apud Hawkcsworth. 
 
 (c) Cook, ibid. 
 
312 
 
 The same physical characters are seen among 
 all the inhabitants of the chain of islands which 
 runs from Java to the eastward. These people 
 are darker than those of the islands nearer the 
 equator. 
 
 The natives of Timor^ as Dampier informs us, 
 and Anabao, which is very near it, '' are Indians 
 of a middle stature, straight-bodied, slender- 
 limbed, and long-visaged : their hair is black 
 and lank, and their skins of a swarthy copper- 
 colour. "(Z;) 
 
 The people of Savu, a small island near Timor, 
 are, according to Cook, of a dark brown colour, 
 with black hair. He regarded their dialect as a 
 branch of the South Sea language, (c) 
 
 5. A similar race of people is found in the Mo- 
 luccas, who speak a language called the Tarnata, 
 concerning which we have no information. Capt. 
 Forrest informs us that the inhabitants of these 
 islands are of two sorts, viz. *' the long-haired 
 Moors of a copper-colour like the Malays in 
 every respect, and mop-headed Papuas, who 
 inhabit the island parts." He tells us also that 
 the people of the small islands between New 
 Guinea and Magindano are of the Malay colour 
 w^ith long black hair, d) 
 
 6. The natives of Magindano have a similar 
 
 (b) Dam pier's Voyages. 
 
 (c) Cook, ibid. 
 
 {d) Forrest's Voyage to New Guiiicat 
 
813 
 
 character, (a) Their language is a compound 
 of the Malayu, Bugis, Tagala, and a certain pro- 
 portion of the Tarnata. (b) 
 
 7. The inhabitants of the Philippine isles are 
 stated by Marsden to resemble the Sumatrans in 
 many particulars^ especially in those points iti 
 which the latter differ most from the Malays, 
 and he conceives them to be a branch of the 
 same stock. They are robust well-made people, 
 fair^ but inclining to copper-colour, with fiattish 
 noses and black eyes and hair (c). The Tagala or 
 Gala language appears to be the source from 
 which the various dialects of the Philippines are 
 derived. It has a considerable number of pe- 
 culiar vocables, but is a cognate language with 
 the Malayu, Bugis, and Javanese. The alphabet 
 is of the same cast with the Bugis and Batta.(^) 
 
 In a general view of the nations who inhabit 
 the Indian islands, we meet every where with 
 undoubted indications, which point at a state of 
 manners very different from the present. The 
 introduction of more refined forms of religion, 
 
 (tf) Dampier says they are men of mean stature, small 
 limbs, straight bodies, and little beards. Their faces are 
 oval, their foreheads flat with small black eyes, short low 
 noses, pretty large mouths ; their hair is black and straight; 
 their skius tawny, and inclining to a brighter yellow than 
 ijome other Indians. 
 
 {b) Dr. Leyden, ubi supra. 
 
 (c) See a note in Marsden's Sumatra. 
 
 {(l) Leyden, ubi supra. 
 
814 
 
 and of more artificial habits fram the Continent 
 have changed the character of ancient times. But 
 we are able to discover most of these nations in 
 that condition which preceded the effect of such 
 modifying causes. In this stage of society we 
 find all the Indian islanders nearly on a level with 
 the inhabitants of the more distant groups in the 
 Pacific, and connected with them by very close 
 relations. They seem all to have been addicted 
 to wild superstitions, similar to those which pre- 
 vail in the South Sea islands. The custom of 
 eating human flesh, and various other ferocious 
 habits, appear to have been universal among 
 them. Like the islanders of the Pacific also they 
 tatlowed their skins. Such customs, as we have 
 seen, still subsist in many places, and we have 
 reason to believe that they were formerly gene- 
 ra}. The dialects of these tribes exhibiting 
 marks of affinity, complete the proof of kindred 
 origin, which is almost sufficiently established 
 by a general comparison of moral and physical 
 characters. 
 
 Moreover we find that Marsden, Anderson, 
 and olhers, who have been best acquainted with 
 the nations in question, regard the whole popu- 
 lation of these countries as of one stock, and 
 there are many circumstances tending to prove 
 that the barbarian societies which we have been 
 recently considering,are connected in origin with 
 the more absolutely savage tribes of Australasia 
 
315 
 
 and the New Hebrides. In many of the Papua 
 countries we find the characters of persoji which 
 j)revail passing into those of the other class. 
 This is the case as was observed above in New 
 Holland, and in many parts of the chain which 
 extends from New Guinea towards the Friendly 
 Islands. In New Zealand we find the characters 
 of both races; the lower people resembling the 
 savage tribes, and the better orders approaching 
 towards the Otaheiteans ; and in various other 
 instances we perceive the progress of the same 
 deviation. In the Indian islands the Haraforas 
 seem to be the intermediate grade between the 
 Papuas and the more improved class. The same 
 causes which produce a partial effect where 
 their influence is limited and precarious, have 
 in this instance acted more generally. 
 
 On the whole it is probable, that these tribes 
 
 , are branches of one race, which migrated in 
 
 i remote times from the Indian Continent, where, 
 a^ we have seen, traces of them still remain. 
 We shall proceed to follow the vestiges of this 
 
 i race to the sources of their colonization, and to 
 inquire into the history of the primitive inhabi- 
 
 I tants of India, and of the nations connected with 
 
 I them, (a) 
 
 i 
 
 I («) To aiFprd a spcrlmcn of the affinity of some of the 
 j languages we have mentioned, we insert a part of the Com- 
 I parative Table of Numerals composed by Sir Joseph Banks, 
 for Capt. Cook's Voyage. 
 
516 
 
 ^ H 
 
 ^ 
 
 o . S § I 
 
 g IS S § 3 
 
 H s: o{ w ffi 
 
 ffi < 
 
 ^ 
 •^ 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 OS 
 
 i 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 2 
 'S 
 
 a: 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 § 
 
 
 < 
 
 (A 
 
 H 
 
 < 
 
 w 
 
 < 
 
 <: 
 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 »l 
 
 < 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 :5 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 rt 
 
 s 
 
 t 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 ^S 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 ^ 
 
 H 
 
 re 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 (2 
 
 
 (2 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 X 
 
 1 
 f 
 
 :^' 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 S 
 
 1 
 
 3- 
 
 
 1? 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 -i 
 
 g 
 ^ 
 
 •3 
 
 
 >* 
 
 Q 
 
 H 
 
 < 
 
 J 
 
 < 
 
 Ph 
 
 > 
 
 00 
 
 (X. 
 
 r 
 
 «^ 
 
 <s 
 
 en 
 
 ^ 
 
 «i 
 
 u> 
 
 «^ 
 
 00 
 
 O) 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 S>.i 
 
 
 rl 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -"S^ 
 
 
 3- 
 
 c 
 
 
 rt 
 
 & 
 
 
 
 CO 
 
 ^ 
 
 « 
 
 5 
 
 ^ 
 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 J 
 
 < 
 
 5 
 S 
 
 5 
 
 
 •? 
 
 
 g 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 3 
 h 
 
 a. 
 
 O 
 
 S 
 
 i4 
 
 a 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 C 
 
 O 
 
 f 
 
 s 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 o. 
 
 1 
 
 
 o5 
 
 1 
 
 CO 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ji 
 
 
 
 rt 
 
 
 8 ■ 
 
 1 
 
 "3 
 
 c 
 
 8 
 
 i 
 
 r> 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 
 to 
 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 o 
 
 I-] 
 
 o 
 
 cu 
 
 O 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 -d 
 
 o 
 
 -fS 
 
 ja 
 
 f 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 J3 
 
 o 
 
 J 
 
 
 i2 
 
 o 
 
 s 
 
 1 
 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 1 
 
 I: S 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 Q 
 
 O 3 
 
 O 3 
 
 I ^ 
 
 o 2 
 
 O K f§^ 
 
 o 
 rt o 
 
Sl?7 
 
 The Numerals 4ised by the more barbarous tribo?;, aU 
 though not so uniformly alike, yet show in the scanty speci- 
 liicns we have of them evident proof of having been derived 
 from the same source. 
 
 Those of the New Hebrides and New Caledonia are as 
 follows : 
 
 NCahdonia 
 
 Malicollo. 
 
 Tanna, 
 
 JV. Zealand^ ^v. 
 
 Par Ai 
 
 tsee Kaee 
 
 Ret Tee 
 
 KaTahe 
 
 Par lloo 
 
 ERy 
 
 Ka Roo 
 
 KaRooa. E Rooa 
 
 Far Ghen 
 
 ERei 
 
 Ka Har 
 
 Ka Tarroa 
 
 Par Oai 
 
 Ebats 
 
 Ha Fa 
 
 5 Elfats, T'Fa, 
 \ Kahha 
 r ERiema 
 
 Par Nim 
 
 E Reem 
 
 Ka Rirrom 
 
 < KaReema 
 / .Veema 
 
 The words arc very similar, and it Is observable that the 
 prefixes or articles used by the Tannese and Mallicoilesc, 
 Ka and E, are adopted frequently by the Otaheiteans and 
 New Zealaods. 
 
 The Numerals used by the Papuas 
 
 of New Goinea havo 
 
 the same origin, as appears by the annexed specimen. 
 
 'Nehv Guinea, 
 
 Neiv Guinea^ 
 1616. 
 
 Isle of Moses. 
 
 Comharhoiu 
 
 Oeer 
 
 Tika 
 
 Kaou 
 
 Ka Tahee, Eser 
 
 Serou 
 
 Roa 
 
 Roa 
 
 Rooa 
 
 K:ior 
 
 Tola 
 
 Tolou 
 
 Ka Har. Toloo 
 
 Tiak 
 
 Fatta 
 
 AVati 
 
 Effats, £^a.ts- FFa 
 
 Rim 
 
 Lima 
 
 Rima 
 
 I-ima. Reema 
 
 Oiiira 
 
 V/amma 
 
 Eno 
 
 Onam. Ono 
 
 Tile 
 
 Fita 
 
 Loijtfou 
 
 Fidda. Pita 
 
 War 
 
 Wala 
 
 Eiaiou 
 
 Wolo. Warroo 
 
 Sivu 
 
 Siwah 
 
 Seeva 
 
 Seewah 
 
 Samfoor 
 
 Sanga-foula 
 
 Sanga-poulo 
 
 Sapooloo, Anga-Hooroo 
 
 The words in the comparison are 
 jZcaland, Otaheitean^ &c. 
 
 taken from the New 
 
 The following are examples of resemblance in some other 
 
 liyes. 
 Hog. 
 
 words in these languages. 
 
 Mai tang, Mall'uollo. Matta, N. ZeelanJ, Easter Island. 
 Brooas, Mallicollo. Boogas, Tanna. Booa, Otaheite, Booaclia, 
 Friendly Isles. 
 Ear. Talingan, Mallicollo. Telingo Malay 
 \ Bird. Maneek, iV. Caledonia. Manoo, Tanna^ Otaheite^ Easter Island^ b^V. 
 j Cc'Conut. Neeo, New Caledonia. Eeop, Friendly Island. ii&oXe^ Rejang. 
 I Water. Ovee, N. CaUa. Ovsiye^ Bugis. Avy, Otaheite. Evy, Easter Island 
 ', \jing. Oobf , N, Caled. Oovee, Madagas, Eoohe» Otaheite. Ooh^^Ea^terlJd. 
 
S18 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Proofs of the common origin of the ancient 
 Indians and Egyptians. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 Of the Political History of the Indians. 
 
 THAT the division of labour is the great 
 support of society, and the principal foundation 
 of that important and almost infinite diversity, 
 which distinguishes the moral and political con- 
 dition of civilized men from that of savages, is 
 no modern discovery. It is not surprising to 
 find that this truth was known to Plato and 
 Aristotle, but it is very curious to remark that 
 the most ancient governments of which any trace 
 can be discerned in the utmost verge af history, 
 and which appear to be parts of the system 
 adopted by the primitive legislators of mankind 
 for reclaiming the ferocious tenants of the globe, 
 seem to be founded on a more ample extension 
 of the above mentioned principle, than any 
 which has occurred to our theoretical politicians. 
 Such were the institutions which distributed 
 
319 
 
 professions distincily to separate tribe-, with a 
 provision for their constant hereditary trans- 
 mission. 
 
 The ancient legislators who devised this 
 scheme, seem to have taken into their account 
 all the advantages in the pursuit of each parti- 
 cular art or science, which are to be obtained by 
 exclusive attention, and which are especially ini- 
 parted by forming the habits of the mind from 
 early youth to the future destination of theindi vi- 
 dua]. They appear even to have carried this latter 
 doctrine to the absurd excess which has been 
 reached by the rare sagacity of some refined phi- 
 losophists of modern days. The whole man ap- 
 ])eared to them as a piece of clay, which can be 
 moulded into any form the potter chooses to 
 give it. All the native diversities of intellectual 
 and moral character were overlooked, and art was 
 supposed to be omnipotent over nature. By early 
 education, and by attending to the first habits, it 
 was supposed possible to produce any given 
 effect on the future evolution of the mind; to 
 infuse the genius of philosophy into one person, 
 and to inspire another with military ardour. It 
 was therefore enacted that professions should 
 regularly descend in families, and that the 
 lather should be obliged to educate his son from 
 infancy in the habits and occupations of himself 
 and his ancestors. 
 
 Such was the spirit of the political systems 
 
320 
 
 established of old in Egypt and in India ; institu- 
 tions so curious and artificial, and so far, and sa 
 singularly removed from nature, that our sur- 
 prize is excited in considering them as indivi- 
 dual objects. Such an extent of power is evinced 
 to have been in the hands of the governors, who 
 could thus dispose of all the native energies of 
 mankind, and reduce to abject servility the 
 many, rendering them and their offspring for 
 ever willing instruments of the elevation of the 
 few, that we are at a loss to conjecture what 
 unusual combination of circumstances could 
 afford opportunity for so extensive an usurpa- 
 tion. But we have at present no concern with 
 the causes that gave rise to these establishments. 
 Our design is to compare together the institu- 
 tions of Egypt and India, in order to determine 
 whether they are of separate derivation and 
 growth, or manifest cons^ruities so clear and 
 extensive as to leave no doubt of their common 
 origin. 
 
 Our chief knowledge of ancient India, except 
 what obscure notices can be obtained from the 
 records of the Brahmans and from local inves- 
 tigations, is derived from the narrations of Me* 
 gasthencs, an officer in the army of Alexander 
 of Macedon, who accom.panied that warriour in 
 his expedition across the Indus. This person 
 was afterwards sent by Seleucus as ambassador 
 to the king of the Prasii, and in that function 
 
S21 
 
 resided several years at the famous city of 
 Palibothra. His original account has not reached 
 our days; but Arrian^ Diodorus^ and Strabo, 
 have given us what they conceived to be the 
 most important information contained in it. 
 
 The accounts which these wTiters have trans- 
 mitted of the Indian tribes so fully agree^ that 
 they appear evidently to have been extracted 
 accurately from the original work. The detail 
 given by Arrian is the most minute and circum- 
 stantial;, and we shall therefore follow him for 
 I our principal guide, inserting any important 
 i remarks which happen to be omitted by him, 
 ! and preserved by the other historians. 
 
 (a) '' The whole Indian nation/' says Arrian, 
 ^' is distributed into seven principal races ; the 
 philosophers constitute one of these^ inferior to 
 the others in number, but the most elevated in 
 public consideration and dignity. For they 
 neither lie under the necessity of performing 
 any bodily labour, nor of contributing of their 
 works to the public revenue. In short the 
 Philosophers have na other duty imposed upon 
 them, but that of celebrating the public sacri- 
 fices to the Gods for the community of the In- 
 dians; and moreover if any individual per- 
 forms sacrifices in private, one of the Philoso- 
 phers becomes his superintendant and interpre- 
 
 (a) Arrian, Indica. 
 
 X 
 
S22 
 
 ter ; as ?f otherwise the ceremany would not ber 
 pleasing to the Gods. And they alone of the 
 Indians are skilled in the prophetic art, nor is- 
 divination permitted to any others. They pro- 
 phesy concerning the seasons of the year, and 
 of any public calamities which befall the state. 
 The private affairs of persons. are not the subject 
 of their predictions ; whether they suppose the 
 power of augury not to extend to minute parti- 
 culars, or that such matters are unworthy of 
 their attention ; but if any one err three times 
 in his predictions, he suffers no other evil than 
 the necessity of being silent for the future/* Scc: 
 
 (a) Diodorus adds that ^* the Philosophers 
 preside over funerals, as being favorites of the 
 Gods, and acquainted with the affairs of the 
 nether regions, for which services they receive 
 considerable rewards and honours. They render 
 great benefits to thelndian commonwealth, being 
 introduced at the beginning of the year to the 
 great assembly, where they prophesy concern* 
 ing droughts, rains, winds, and distempers, and 
 make other predictions which may tend to the 
 advantage of their hearers. The multitude and 
 their kings forewarned of what is to happen, 
 provide for future necessities." 
 
 '' Next to the philosophers are the cultivators 
 of the soil, who are the most numerous of the 
 
 (a) Diodorus Siculus. lib; ^ 
 
323 
 
 Indian tribes, and these have neither any mili- 
 tary weapons, nor have they any concern with 
 the affairs of war ; but they till the land, and 
 pay tribute to the kings, or to the common- 
 wealth, in those states which are free. And if 
 any intestine war arise among the Indians, it is 
 not lawful for any to touch the husbandmen, 
 nor to lay waste the soil ; but the others engage 
 in contest, and slaughter each other, as they 
 find opportunity, and the rustics undisturbed 
 plough the land in their presence, and collect 
 their vintage, and their wood, and their har- 
 vests." (a) " Hence'* as Diodorus informs us, 
 " the land produces abundant stores, never suf- 
 fering from the ravages of war. The rustics live 
 in the country with their wives and children, 
 and entirely abstain from intercourse with cities. 
 And they pay a rent to the kings for their fields; 
 for all India is royal property, and no private 
 person is permitted to possess land. The rent 
 is a fourth part of the produce, which is paid to 
 the royal treasury." (&) 
 
 *' The third tribe among the Indians are the 
 herdsmen, (c) the feeders of sheep and oxen, 
 who neither inhabit cities nor villages, but are 
 wanderers, and pass their lives among the moun- 
 
 (a) Arrian, Ibid, 
 
 (6) Diodor. ubi supra. 
 
 (c) Strabo says herdsraoi and hunters* 
 
 X2 
 
324 
 
 tains/Y«) ^' They abide in tents^, and pay a 
 tribute of their herds. They hunt birds and 
 elephants, and other wild beasts in the country, 
 with which it would otherwise abound/' (b) 
 ■ '^ The fourth race consists of those who exer- 
 cise arts, and of petty traffickers, and of persons 
 who live by bodily labour. Of these some pay 
 tribute, and perform stated works, but those 
 who make arms and build ships receive sti- 
 pends and food from the king, for whose benefit 
 alone they labour." (c) " Of this race are the 
 ship-builders and the sailors who navigate the 
 rivers.'* (^) 
 
 ^' The fifth race among the Indians are the 
 warriours, who are next in number to the agri- 
 cultural tribe, and enjoy the greatest degree of 
 liberty and happiness. And these have no other 
 employment than the labours of war. Others 
 fabricate arms for them, and supply them with 
 horses ; and they are served in all the drudgery 
 of the camp by others who have the care of 
 their horses, and clean their arms, lead their ; 
 elephants, and harness and drive their chariots. 
 But they^ as long as it is necessary to carry on 
 
 {a) Arrian. '* '^SHj 
 
 (&) Strabo and Diodorus. 
 
 (c) Strabo. Arrian calls this tribe Ir^iMov^y.Kov rs- xar , 
 «a7r»jA/^ov. Diiodorus te^vitudi. I 
 
 (d) ArriaUt (wifVTrifyfl* koU oi ynvrx* oa-ot xxroi nvi T^oTay.ovf 
 

 325 
 
 hostilities, wage war, and when peace has taken 
 place, they live in ease and pleasure. And so 
 abundant a stipend accrues to them from the? 
 commonwealth, that they are enabled with ease 
 to support themselves and their dependants."(c^) 
 
 ^- The sixth tribe of Indians are those called 
 overseers ; (&J they inspect whatever is going* 
 (HI in the country and in the cities, and give 
 information to the king, where regal govern- 
 ment is established, and to the magistrates in 
 free cities. It is criminal for them to make any 
 false report, nor do they incnr any blame oa 
 that head/* 
 
 " The seventh are those who consult together 
 with the king on public affairs, or with the ma- 
 gistrates where a republic subsists. This race is 
 small in number, but most honourable for was^ 
 dom and integrity. From this are selected the 
 Biagistrates and all the governors fc) of districts, 
 lieutenants (4) and treasurers, commanders of 
 troops and of ships, and store-keepers, and the 
 directors of agricultural affairs." 
 
 '' Intermarriages between different races are 
 unlawful, except between the agriculturists and 
 llie artisans ;'*.(e)- — '' Neither is it lawful to pas^ 
 
 {a) Arrlan. 
 
 {b) tTiiaKO'noi. Arrian. «(popo/. DIodorus. 
 ■(r) of^^xp^oi. {(I) v'jratpx'>t' 
 
 {r) What follows is from Strabo. Arrian's account dif- 
 '' ": iti this place, but it is evidently crjujneons. 
 
326 
 
 from one profession to another, nor for the same 
 individual to follow more than one, except he 
 be a philosopher, and they are permitted on ac- 
 count of their superior mental endowments. "(a) 
 Strabo, in another place, adds some curious 
 particulars concerning the manners of the phi- 
 losophers, and their doctrines. He says that 
 ^' Megasthenes made another division of the 
 philosophers into two classes, of which he calls 
 one the Brachmanes, and the other Germanes : of 
 these the Brachmanes were held in the highest 
 estimation, because they were most consistent 
 in their dogmas. They are educated, says he, 
 with the greatest care from their birth, and 
 sedulously prepared for their future offices. 
 During the period of their public profession of 
 philosophy, which lasts for 37 years, they live 
 in a grove before the city, lie upon coarse beds^ 
 and abstain from animal food, intent upon teach^ 
 ing their doctrines." — '' They dispute much con- 
 cerning death, for they regard this life as the 
 beginning of existence, comparing it to the 
 state of the infant in the womb ; but death they 
 consider as a birth to real life. They take much 
 pains to prepare for this event, considering none 
 of the occurrences which happen to men, either 
 as real blessings or evils." — '*■ In many points 
 they agree with the Greeks^ saying that the 
 
 (ff) foia-Oeit It «f«Tn>^ 
 
327 
 
 <arth was prodticed, and is perishable, and that 
 it is spherical ; that God the governor and maker 
 of it, pervades the whole ; that the principles of 
 M things are various, but that the principle of 
 fthe mundane creation is water ; that in addition 
 to the four elements there is a fifth nature, from 
 which the heaven and the stars were formed ; 
 and that the earth is fixed in the midst of the 
 universe. Such and many other things are af- 
 firmed of generation and the soul, and they con- 
 trive fables, like Plato, concerning the immor- 
 tality of the soul, and concerning the judgments 
 in thje infernal regions, and other such mat^- 
 ters/* (a) He then proceeds to the descriptioa 
 of the Germanes. The most honorable of them 
 were called Hylobii, because they lived in the 
 woods, and fed on leaves and wild fruits, cloth- 
 ing themselves with the bark of trees, and ad- 
 4icted to celibacy, and abstiaence from wine. 
 Tbey were consulted by the kings concerning the 
 affairs of religion.'' (ft) 
 
 Clemens, of Alexandria, makes the same divi- 
 sion of the Indian philosophers or gymnoso- 
 phists as the <} reeks called them, into two classes, 
 which he calls Sarmanae and Brachmana;. '' Of 
 the Sarmange, " he says, " those called Allobii 
 neither inhabit towns, nor have houses." la 
 
 (m) Strabo^lib. 15. p. 713. 
 {b) Strabo, lib. 15. 
 
328 
 
 every respect his account agrees with that of 
 Strabo. (a) 
 
 Porphyry mentions this class of devotees whom 
 he calls Samanaeans. He informs us on the au- 
 thority of BardesaneS;, that they were not of the 
 hereditary Brachman race, but consisted of select 
 persons from the whole nation who chose to 
 prosecute divine studies. (^) 
 
 These Germanes or Sarmanas^ are, doubtless, 
 as Mr. Colebrooke observes, Sannyasis, (c) or 
 men who have forsaken nil, and have devoted 
 themselves to an austere and fanatical life. Such 
 persons are entitled Sarmanas, or holy. The 
 priests of the heretical sect of Buddha in India, 
 are still called by this name. They are not of 
 the Brahman tribe, and their description agrees 
 with that of the Sarmanse. 
 
 Thus we find that the accounts of the priest- 
 hood of the Indians handed down to us by the 
 aiK'ients, agree in all particulars with the ob- 
 servations of modern times. The division into 
 seven tribes may easily be reconciled with the 
 actual quaternary arrangement. And the dif- 
 ference may be accounted for, since the sub- 
 divisions of the four great tribes, generally pro- 
 duce casts of different hereditary professions. 
 
 Thus it is very clear that the seventh clas^ 
 
 (a) Strom, lib. 1. 
 
 (b) De Abstinentia. lib. 4. 
 
 (c) On the Jains. Asiatic Researches^ toI. 9, 
 
S29 
 
 consists of a division of Brahmans who follow 
 secular employments. The proper office of a 
 Brahman is meditation on divine things, and his 
 proper mode of subsistence is by begging. But 
 owing to the corruptions of these latter times, 
 many of the noble cast are obliged to betake 
 themselves to what they consider as unworthy 
 employments, '' such as being governors and 
 judges of cities, collectors of revenue, and ac- 
 countants; nay, some even condescend to culti- 
 vate the earth by means of slaves/' Hence, as 
 Dr. Buchanan observes, " arises the distinction of 
 Brahmans into Vaidika and Lokika. The diver- 
 sity of employment," he continues, ''does not 
 create an absolute distinction of casts. The 
 daughter of a Vaidika Brahman may marry a 
 Lokika, or the son of a Lokika betake himself to 
 the occupation of a Vaidika, but such instances 
 are uncommon, especially of the latter case, in 
 which the new Vaidika is always looked upon 
 as of ignoble birth, and the family is not con- 
 sidered as pure, till after several generations 
 devoted to study and mortification/* (rt) 
 
 The first and seventh class of Megasthenes, 
 are therefore clearly the Vaidika and Lokika 
 Brahmans; the second and third, or agricultural 
 and pastoral classes, are subdivisions of the 
 
 (a) Dr. F. Buchanan's Journey through Mysore, Canara, 
 and Malabar^ 3 vols, quarto. 
 
330 
 
 Vaisyas. It Is expressly stated above that per- 
 sons of these two professions were allowed to 
 intermarry. The fourth class of bodily labourers 
 answers to the Sudras, who are allowed by Menu 
 to subsist by handicrafts when they want em- 
 ployment by waijting on the twice-born. "Let the 
 Sudra principally follow/' it is said, ^'mechanical 
 occupations, as joinery and masonry, or those 
 various practical arts, as painting and writing, 
 by following which he may serve the twice- 
 born.'* (a) These are therefore properly called 
 ^[xiB^ymy ;^£<^£ov^j«T£?, vocvzrriyoiy rt^nrai, by the 
 copyists of Megasthenes. It is also expressly 
 permitted to the Sudra to become a trader, 
 although a man of the lower class is in general 
 prohibited from the arts of a higher class. 
 This circumstance accounts for our finding the 
 j)etty traffickers ( xtf>iVyjAot ) included in this order, 
 though commerce properly belongs to the 
 Vaisya tribe. The fifth class of warriours is 
 the military or Cshatriya cast. The sixth 
 class of Ephori or overseers cannot have been «i 
 very considerable body of men. They were 
 doubtless a division of the Lokika Brahmans, 
 Their description exactly coincides with that of 
 a class of officers in the administration of affairs 
 known in Southern India by the name of Tah* 
 sildars. (fl) 
 
 (b) Institutes of Menu, by Sir W. Jones. 
 
 {a) " The duty of the Tahsildar," says Dr. Buchanan, 
 
331 
 
 It appears from this enumeration that the 
 ancient classes, as they existed in the time of 
 Megasthenes^ were not materially different from 
 the arrangement which prevails at the present 
 day in Hindustan. The four classes and their 
 officers are thus described by Menu. 
 
 " For the sake of preserving this universe, 
 the Being supremely glorious allotted separate 
 duties to those who sprang respectively from 
 his mouthj his arm, his thigh, and his foot." 
 '' To the Brahmans, he assigned the duties of 
 reading the Veda, of teaching it, of sacrificing, 
 of assisting others to sacrifice, of giving alms if 
 they be rich, and if indigent of receiving gifts.** 
 
 " To defend the people, to give alms, to 
 sacrifice, to read the Veda, to shun the allure- 
 ments of sensual gratifications, are in a few 
 words, the duties of a Cshatriya.'* 
 
 *' is to travel through the districts inspecting the conduct 
 of the village officers, so as to prevent them from oppressing 
 the farmers, and from cultivating any ground except that 
 which pays rent. He superintends the repairs of tanks and 
 canals, receives the rents from the village officers, and 
 transmits them with care to the general treasury. He acts 
 as civil magistrate, in the first instance deciding all causes, 
 but in every case there is an appeal to the collector. As 
 officer of the Police he takes up all criminals, and having 
 examined witnesses, sends an account of the proceedings to 
 the collecter, who either orders punishment, of if not 
 satisfied, personally investigates the matter." (Dr. F. 
 Buchanan ubi supra.) Compare this account witli the 
 translation from Arrian above. 
 
332 
 
 '* To keep herds of cattle, to bestow largesseSj^ 
 to sacrifice, to read the scripture, to carry on 
 trade, to lend at interest, and to cultivate land, 
 are prescribed, or permitted to a Vaisya." 
 
 " One principal duty, the supreme Rahe 
 assigned to a Sudra, namely to serve the before- 
 mentioned classes, without depreciating theii: 
 worth, (fl) 
 
 BBB 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the PoUtical History of the Egi/ptian9, 
 
 OUR account of the Egyptian tribes is not 
 so full and circumstantial as that of the Indians; 
 which is to be expected, since the authors to 
 whom we owe the description of the former, 
 visited Egypt long after the subversion of the 
 monarchy which fostered its native institutions, 
 and at a period when the people had been 
 conquered, and long held in subjection by a 
 nation of genius most opposite fo their own, 
 who were eager to change as much as possible 
 the face of things, and to destroy all the ancient 
 establishments. Herodotus is the earliest tra- 
 
 (a) Institutes of Menu, by Joncs» 
 
333 
 
 Teller in this country^ who has left us any 
 
 account of the nation. He tells us that ^' there 
 
 are seven races (ysWi) of the Egyptians. These 
 are 
 
 1 The Priests — l^ii^ b Traders — Ka7r>iXot 
 
 2 Warriours — Moi'^Qi/.ot. 6 Interpreters — E^iAmia 
 
 3 Cowherds — BouK&Aoi 7 Pilots — YJo^tPv^TXi 
 
 4 Swineherds — Su^wrat 
 
 So many races are there/' says he^ "of the Egypt- 
 ians. Their denominations are derived from 
 the professions which are respectively allotted 
 to them, (a) The Warriours are called Calasiries 
 and Hermotybies, and they belong to the fol- 
 lowing nomes, &c." He then enumerates the 
 nomes belonging to each of the warriour fami- 
 lies, and adds, that '^'^they are not permitted to 
 exercise any art, but are employed entirely in 
 military affairs, the son succeeding his father. '*(/;) 
 Diodorus Siculus tells us, that "^^^ besides the 
 priests and military cast, the state is divided 
 into three syntagmata, these are 
 
 3 The Herdsmen — Nc/^fr? 
 
 4 The Agriculturists — Yiw^yio 
 
 5 The Artisans — Ti-x/Croci 
 
 He informs us that the property of the soil is 
 divided between the King, the Priests and the 
 Military ; the Agriculturists hire it of them at 
 small rents. The above professions arc all 
 
 (a) Herod. Lib. 2. (&) Lib. 3. 
 
334 
 
 hereditary^ and no man can change that of his 
 family. They acquire great skill in their here- 
 ditary arts, froiii early training to agriculture, 
 to war^ &c. (a) 
 
 Strabo is much more summary in his enu- 
 meration, he only alludes to the subject in 
 drawing a hasty comparison of the Egypians 
 and their barbarous neighbours. He distinguishes 
 only the two higher casts, and includes all the 
 remainder of the community under the desig-* 
 nation of agriculturists, to whom he assigns the 
 offices of practising agriculture and arts. (&) 
 This is evidently not intended for a particular 
 and circumstantial statement. 
 
 The enumeration given by Diodorus coincides 
 in all important particulars with that of Herodo- 
 tus. The differences between them are as follows. 
 
 The cast of interpreters mentioned by the 
 latter is omitted by the former. But the inter- 
 preters cannot have been an ancient Egyptian 
 cast, since that nation had no intercourse with 
 strangers till the reign of Psammitichus. They 
 ■were therefore established since that era, and 
 are not found in the classification of Diodorus, 
 who compiled his history from the ancient writ- 
 ings of the Egyptians. 
 
 The herdsmen of Diodorus are divided by 
 
 {a) Diodorus Siculus, lib, 1. 
 lb) Strabo, lib. 17. 
 
335 
 
 Herodotus into two castS;, \it, the Cowherds and 
 Swineherds. 
 
 Lastly. Instead of the Traders and Pilots, 
 Herodotus gives us the Agriculturists and Arti- 
 sans. These were therefore different names for 
 the same casts. By referring to the institutions 
 of the Indians, we find an explanation of this 
 variety of nomenclature. The Agricultural cast 
 are also by profession Traders. In Egypt, a 
 country abounding with cities, the mercantile 
 profession of the cast must have been more con- 
 spicuous than the agricultural, and Herodotus 
 depending for information on his own personal 
 observations made in travelling through a coun- 
 try with the language of which himself and his 
 countrymen were totally unacquainted can only 
 have formed his judgment from external ap- 
 pearances, while Diodorus, who lived in an age 
 when the Greeks had long sojourned among the 
 Egyptians and had studied their learning, had 
 the advantage of consulting the works of native 
 writers on their own antiquities. 
 
 In the same manner the Artisans of Diodorus 
 are the Pilots of Herodotus. The Pilots were 
 only Navigators of the river, since the Egyptians 
 abhorred the sea. Now we have seen above that 
 this profession in India (i/aurai twv ttotoc^Zi,) was 
 allotted to the cast of Artisans. 
 
 We shall thus find the synonyms of the casts 
 to be as follows. 
 
336 
 
 1st. The Priests — hpsTg, 
 
 2d. The Warriours — MoL^j^xyjixoi. 
 
 Sd. The Agriculturists of Diodorus or the Tra- 
 ders of Herodotus — T^w^yo] — Ka7r>jXot. 
 
 4th. The Herdsmen including the Cowherds 
 and Swineherds No^er? — Su^wrat — Bou^oAot. 
 
 5th. The Artisans or labouring artificers. 
 Diodorus gives the same name to tie labouring 
 class of India. The Pilots of Herodotus are of 
 this class Tip^wrai — KoCfpi/rfrai. 
 
 6th. The Interpreters, who must have been a 
 small number and were a more recently estab- 
 lished order 'E^^wug, 
 
 If this distribution be compared with the 
 enumeration which Megasthenes gave of the 
 Indians, a wonderful correspondence will be ob- 
 served in the two accounts. And all the facts 
 %vhich are related of the character and particu- 
 lar history af the Egyptian casts, agree with the 
 description of the other nation. Thus we are 
 informed that the Priests in Egypt *^ applied 
 themselves to Philosophy and Astronomy and 
 were the companions of the Kings. '\a) Diodorus 
 says " they were skilled in geometry, arithmetic 
 and judicial astrology.'' Their manners had a 
 striking resemblance to those of the modern 
 Brahmans. Herodotus tells us they wxre espe- 
 cially attentive to personal cleanliness in their 
 
 (a) Strabo ubi supra, , 
 
337 
 
 sacrifices to the gods. The service of eyery god 
 was performed by a company of priests who had 
 one presiding over them. When he died his son- 
 succeeded him. Such precisely is the hereditary 
 office of the Gurrus in modern India, (a) The 
 officiating priests in the temples (<?* U^oTroioZvrtt 
 TTE^) TO T£jW£v©j) wcre an inferior order in the 
 Egyptian Hierarchy.( 6) So they are now among 
 the Indians. For besides the Vaidika and Lokika 
 Brahmans, there is an order called Numbi^ who 
 officiate in the temples of Vishnu and Siva, and 
 these are considered so far below the above 
 mentioned classes in dignity, that not even the 
 lowest of the Vaidika will intermarry with the 
 family of a Numbi.(c) ^' The priests enjoyed in 
 Egypt great ease, and perfect repose from all 
 active employments; their food was prepared 
 for them by others; they had an allowance of 
 beef and geese and wine, being prohibited from 
 fish and beans.*' (d) In the last particulars they 
 differed from the Brahmans, who abstained from 
 animal food and wine ; but such licences were 
 innovations on the ancient Egyptian customs, as 
 we learn from Plutarch, (e) 
 
 (a) Dr. F. Buchanan ubi supra. 
 
 (6) Clemens Alexandrinus. Strom, lib. 6, 
 
 (c) Dr. F. Buchanan ubi supra. 
 
 Id) Herod. 2. 
 
 (e) Piut, w«f» Iffi^os x^i Ocifi^os% 
 
388- 
 
 Thus it appears that all that appertains to the 
 character and condition of the first or sacerdotal 
 class was exactly coincident in India and in 
 Egypt. The rank they held in the state, and 
 their immunity from all degrading pursuits were 
 in both countries the same. In both they appear 
 under the triple character of guardians and 
 counsellors of the princes, of priests^ and of phi- 
 losophers. Moreover their philosophical pur- 
 suits were similar, as physics, astronomy and 
 geometry. All their doctrines in physics appear 
 fully to agree. The five elements were held by 
 the Egyptians^ according to Diodorus, exactly as 
 by the Indians. The dogma that water was the 
 principle of the creation, that the earth is fixed 
 in the centre of the system, and that it is spheri- 
 cal in form, were conspicuous traits in the phi- 
 losophy of Thales, which he acquired in the 
 Egyptian schools. We shall see hereafter whe- 
 ther the fables which the Indian philosophers 
 were said to contrive concerning the immor- 
 tality of the soul, &c. had their counterpart in 
 Egypt. 
 
 The Warriours, both Calasirians and Hermo- 
 tybians, never learnt any exercise or mechanical 
 art, but were trained from the years of child- 
 hood, to the use of military weapons, and to the 
 duties of warfare, in which they therefore made 
 great proficiency. Each of them had twelve 
 Egyptian acres of land free from tribute. The 
 
339 
 
 royal guards were chosen from their number. 
 These received a daily allowance of bread, beef 
 and wine. The office was given in rotation. No 
 Egyptian could be advanced to the royal dignity^ 
 except he was born in one of these two classes. («) 
 
 The Agriculturists were a distinct tribe^, and 
 had no property in the soil they cultivated, but 
 paid rent for it, as the possession of their su- 
 periors. 
 
 The accounts of the Indian and Egyptian 
 classes, as far as they extend, fully coincide. 
 These institutions as we find them to have pre- 
 vailed in Egypt seem to h jve been copied as 
 closely from the ordinances of Menu or at least 
 to agree with them as closely as those which 
 have been for ages established in India. So far 
 indeed as we have proceeded, it might be sup- 
 posed that the authors quoted have been de- 
 scribing the institutions of one country. 
 
 We are abundantly authorized in concluding 
 that these singular arrangements are such, that 
 they manifestly cannot have been produced by 
 accident,^ and we may consider it as indubitable 
 that they are the effect of a close connexion be- 
 tween the two nations thus characterized. 
 
 (a) Herod, ubi supra. 
 
 Y2 
 
340 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of Coincidences in the general principles of the 
 Indian and Egypian Mythologies, 
 
 WE have traced coincidences in the political 
 arrangements of the Indians and Egyptians, and 
 we shall now proceed to some other points of 
 resemblance in the characters of these singular 
 races. 
 
 The religious creed and the institutions ema- 
 nating from it constitute a great and important 
 part of the general description of a nation. In 
 the countries which we are considering, where 
 the priesthood had all power in its hands, we 
 may suppose that superstitions were multiplied. 
 On each side of the Indian Ocean a complex 
 system of mythology arose, requiring no small 
 effort of mind to comprehend its intricate ab- 
 surdities. An imperfect account of the Egyptian 
 superstition has reached our times, written at 
 first as it appears by authors who had not the 
 curiosity, or wanted opportunities to become 
 fully acquainted with it. The whole fabric of 
 mythology in the other instance has not only 
 remained with firm foundations to the present 
 day, but seems to have been increasing in every 
 successive age, its enormous superstructure. 
 
341 
 
 Some of the earliest travellers in India wer^ 
 struck with many religious ceremonies and theo- 
 logical fables prevalent in that country, which 
 they observed to bear a comparison w^ith parallel 
 portions of the Egyptian system. Pere Catrou, 
 a Jesuit missionary was, I believe, the fi.st who 
 remarked this connexion. («) La Croze fol- 
 lowed him and pointed the way for an ample 
 investigation of the subject, and for the exertion 
 of much ingenuity in tracing a variety of coin- 
 cidences.(/;) These are found to amount accord- 
 ing to the general opinion of the learned in the 
 present day, to a satisfactory proof, that the 
 mythology of the East emanated from the same 
 source from which the fables of Egypt are also 
 derived. 
 
 We are pretty well assured that no com- 
 munication of any consequence has subsisted 
 between the people of the latter country and 
 the inhabitants of Hindustan, since the com- 
 mencement of at least a thousand years previous 
 to the Christian era. If we consider this period 
 of disunion, we shall not expect to find in the 
 two Mythologies an exact and minute resem- 
 blance. The analogy between them is such as 
 is likely to be found in two complex systems, 
 which have grown from similar general prin- 
 ciples. The same facts or original fables are 
 
 (a) Ilistoire generale du Mogol. 
 
 (b) Histoire du Christianisme des lades. 
 
342 
 
 recorded in both in many instances, but on these 
 has been engrafted a variety of circumstances, 
 suited to the different genius of each nation in 
 succeeding times, which imparts to the whole a 
 very diversified aspect. Still however the re- 
 semblance is surprising when we consider the 
 lapse of time. 
 
 The fundamental doctrines of any religious 
 system have generally been more permanent 
 than the theogonies, and the particular fictions 
 which regard the personal history of the gods. 
 Thus the Greeks and Romans who derived their 
 religion from the Egyptians, differed entirely 
 from the latter in the affiliation of their deities, 
 which province they intrusted to their own poets 
 or inspired theologists. (a) And the Baudd'has 
 of India, who reject almost entirely the mytho- 
 logy of the Brahmans, retain the belief in the 
 Metempsychosis, and many other leading points 
 of doctrine. The general spirit also of religious 
 rites and ceremonies, and the peculiar practices 
 of the priests, are often more durable than the 
 fictions which gave origin to them, or the me- 
 mory of the personages to whose honour they 
 were first performed. 
 
 We ha e remarked in the foregoing pages 
 that the political constitution of the priesthood 
 in India, was precisely similar to that of the 
 
 (a) Herodotus, lib. 2. 
 
343 
 
 Egyptians. The accounts which are transmitted 
 to us concerning the religious customs of this 
 order among the latter people^ as well as those 
 that relate to the principal dogmas of their su- 
 perstition, bear an equal analogy to the opinions 
 and practices prevalent at the present day on 
 the banks of the Ganges^ or recorded in the 
 Vedas and other sacred writings. 
 
 One of the most conspicuous and important 
 doctrines in both systems is that of the Metemp- 
 sychosis, or transmigration of souls. With most 
 of the Hindu sects this has always been a favorite 
 opinion, and it has been the foundation of many 
 of their religious observances. The several sects 
 hold it with many varieties and modifications. 
 They regard the passage of the soul through the 
 bodies of inferior animals^, as the means of its 
 purification from guilt, and as the preparation 
 for its reception into the regions of celestial 
 happiness. It remains in this state of degradation 
 for an appointed time. The Egyptians held the 
 isame notion of this curious purgatory. " They 
 believed/' says Herodotus, '' that when the body 
 dies, the soul ejiters into some other animal, 
 which is born opportunely to receive it, and in 
 this way makes a circuit through all living 
 beings, which inhabit the land and the sea, and 
 which fly in the air, till it again enters into the 
 body of a man, and that this revolution is per. 
 formed in the space of three thousand years. 
 
344 
 
 Many of the Greeks/* he adds, ''taught this doc- 
 trine, having learned it from the Egyptians/' 
 particularly the Pythagoreans, (a) 
 
 The belief in the Metempsychosis affords an 
 explanation of the superstitious reverence in 
 which many animals have been held in both 
 these countries, but more remarkably in Egypt, 
 and of the prohibitions against destroying life 
 which have been so strictly enjoined. Some of 
 the sects prevalent in India in latter times have 
 carried this principle so far, as to prohibit all 
 bloody sacrifices, and we must believe this to 
 have been the case with a party among the 
 Egyptians, if we give any credit to Macrobius, 
 who asserts that it was held not lawful to appease 
 the gods with cattle and bloody offerings, but 
 only with prayers and incense. (6) 
 
 A general tone of humanity towards the brute 
 creation pervaded the institutions of the Hindus 
 and the Egyptians, but the prohibition of bloody 
 sacrifices has never been universal in either 
 country. Even the Brahmans have their yagams 
 or burnt sacrifices, to which when performed 
 with all the appointed severities of abstinence 
 
 (a) Herod, lib. 2. 
 
 (b) " Nunquam fas fuit ^gyptiis pecudibus aut san- 
 guine sed precibus et ture solo placare deos; his autem 
 duobus advenis (Saturno et Serapi) hostiae erant ex more 
 mactandae j fana eorum extra pomoerium locarunt." 
 
 Macrob. Saturm-J. lib. i. c. 7. 
 
345 
 
 and pennance^ they attribute wonderful powers 
 in forcing the acquiescence of their gods. The 
 aswamed'ha or sacrifice of the horse^ and the 
 oromed'ha or the sacrifice of the bull, were for- 
 merly celebrated with great pomp and solem- 
 nity, and it is on account of the excessive mor- 
 tifications which accompany them, and the great 
 expenses they require, that they are now dis- 
 used, (a) Sacrifices of animals were not uncom- 
 mon in India in the time of Alexander of 
 Macedon, for Megasthenes speaks of them as of 
 no extraordinary matter, (b) We are told by 
 the author of the Ayin Akberi that the number 
 of animals thus destroyed was the occasion of 
 one of the Avatars, (c) Such rites were not how- 
 ever entirely abolished ; they appear to be still 
 commonly practised all over the peninsula of 
 India in the worship of the various Saktis of 
 Siva, (d) and in the northern provinces Cali is 
 not to be appeased without them. 
 
 In most of the countries where bloody sacri- 
 fices have been practised, the custom has crept 
 in of destroying human victims on certain great 
 occasions, on the altars of the oflfended deities, 
 
 (a) Dr. F. Biichanaa ubi supra. 
 (/;) Strabo. lib. 15. 
 
 (c) Gladwin's translation of the AyeenAkbery. Maurice's 
 Indian Antiquities, Wilkins's Heetopades, 
 
 (d) Dr. F. Buchanan ubi supra. 
 
 (e) Dr. CI. Buchanan. Christian Researches. 
 
S46 
 
 This has been regarded as a noble sacrifice, more 
 worthy of the majesty of the personage to whom 
 it was offered. In India, Cali has always been gra- 
 tified with human blood. She is worshipped on a 
 hill near Mysore, under the name of Chamunda, 
 in a temple famous at no distant period for these 
 murderous exhibitions. The images of the god- 
 dess represent her with a necklace of human 
 skulls, and the Mysoreans never failed to deco- 
 rate their Chamunda with a wreath composed of 
 the ears and noses of their captives, (a) Similar 
 rites prevailed in other parts of the country. 
 These practices are not countenanced by the 
 Brahmans of the present day. They even refuse 
 to be present at the bloody oflTerings of the casts 
 who constantly perform them, although they 
 govern the consciences of these men and direct 
 their worship. But this aflfectation of humanity 
 is of later date, and is totally contradicted by the 
 plain institutions of the Vedas. This excessive 
 reluctance of the priests to destroy life, is dated 
 from the appearance of the last Avatar of Vishnu 
 in the form of the benevolent Budd'ha. 
 
 The voluntary sacrifices of the Indians are of 
 a similar character and have the same spirit. 
 These are perpetrated every day in India, at the 
 festivals of the gods. Two instances are recorded 
 in ancient times. Two Brahmans visited the 
 
 (a) Lieut. Col. AVilks's History of the Mysoor. 
 
347 
 
 west. One of them was Calanus, who accom- 
 panied Alexander of Macedon, the other was 
 sent ambassador from Porus to Augustus Caesar 
 Both sacrificed themselves. The latter offered 
 himself up with great pomp on a pyre at Athens. 
 An inscription was engraved on his tomb^ signi- 
 fying that he had put an end to his life, agreeably 
 to the customs of his country, (a) 
 
 The Egyptians likewise killed animals at the 
 sacrifices of the gods, and they believed that 
 brutes of a certain species were peculiarly agree- 
 able to each different divinity. Thus goats were 
 offered to Jupiter, in whose nome sheep were 
 inviolate, and sheep were on the contrary killed- 
 on the altar of Pan, whose sacred symbol is the 
 goat.(&) 
 
 Human sacrifices were also resorted to by the 
 Egyptians, as we learn from the testimony of 
 Diodorus Siculus. (cj At the tomb of Osiris, 
 red-haired men were offered up, becaiise they 
 were imagined to resemble Typhon his mortal 
 enemy> who was of that complexion. The num- 
 ber of strangers who were killed at Busiris, where 
 these rites were practised was supposed to have 
 given rise to the Greek proverb, " 'AtyuTrrov yiivon 
 hxiyriv oJov d^yxXsriv rs," though Eratoshenes, who 
 seemed to be very zealous for the honour of 
 
 (a) Strabo. lib. 15. 
 lb) Herod, lib 2. 
 (c) Diod. lib. 1. 
 
348 
 
 Egypt, would refer this in somt; degree at least, 
 to the inhospitable nature of the shore, ((i) 
 
 Except in the worship of the gods, it has in 
 general been contrary to the institutions of the 
 Egyptians, as well as of the Indians, to kill any 
 animal for the sake of food, (b) It is well known 
 with what horror an action of this kind is now 
 regarded by the Brahmans, and how rigidly they 
 enjoin abstinence from animal food, (c) This 
 general reverence for the brute creation seems 
 naturally to have taken its rise from the doctrine 
 
 (a) Strabo. lib. 17. 
 
 The murders of Busirls were very celebrated among the 
 ancients. It was commonly supposed that there was a fyrant 
 of that name. Ovid alludes to the story in the following 
 
 lines. 
 
 *' Cum Thrasius BUsirin adit monstratq ; piarx 
 Hospitis effuso sanguine posse Jovein.** 
 
 Art. Am. i. 64. 
 
 And^ Virgil mentions the story as universally known. 
 
 " Quis aut Eurysthea durum, 
 
 Aut illaudati nescit Busiridis aras ? *' 
 
 Georg. 4. 5. 
 
 (b) Herod. lib. 5. Confer, cap. 41 & 65. 
 
 (c) Some casts however are allowed animal food of cer- 
 tain kinds in India, as was also the case in Egypt. The 
 prohibition seems to have been the general rule of the or- 
 thodox, with certain deviations in Fgypt as in India. The 
 rule was broken by the customs of [)articuiar places and of 
 some low casts especially. Thus, though fish was reckoned 
 peculiarly impure, there was a cast in the neighbourhood 
 of the lakes who fed entirely upon them. (lierod. 1. 2. 
 Plutarch. Is. et Osis.) One of the casts was in the habit of 
 i'ating hog's flesh, which was considered by the rest as the 
 greatest pollution. (Herod, ibid.) 
 
349 
 
 of transmigration^ and the same observances and 
 feelings may be traced to a similar origin on the 
 banks of the Nile. In addition to the general 
 sentiment of respect for the inferior races 
 founded on the notion, that the souls of men, 
 and for ought each man knew, the spirits of his 
 own forefathers, might be abiding in the bodies 
 of any quadrupeds which fell in his way, an 
 additional reverence was secured to certain 
 kinds, from the belief that particular deities 
 chose to take the forms of them, in preference 
 to all othei-s. When Osiris was killed by Typhon, 
 his soul escaped into the body of a bull and 
 there concealed himself, and the creature was 
 worshipped under the name of Apis, and re- 
 garded as a real divinity. When Apis died he 
 was buried by the priests with great pomp, and 
 they immediately sought for another bull, with 
 the same marks which characterized his pre- 
 decessor, and when such an one was found the 
 funeral lamentations ceased. The bull into 
 which the noble soul of the chief deity chose in 
 succession to migrate, was distinguished by 
 these marks. His body was black, except that 
 he had a square of white on his forehead, and 
 the figure of an eagle on his back, &c. His 
 mother was supposed to be impregnated by 
 thunder, (a) 
 
 {a) Plutarch. Isis et Osiris. 
 
850 
 
 iThis singular modification of the metempsy- 
 chosis, the belief that the gods have taken on 
 themselves avatars or incarnations in the forms 
 of brute animals, is a remarkable feature of 
 resemblance in the two systems we are com- 
 paring. So far removed indeed is such a 
 superstition from reason and common sense, 
 that the prevalence of it in both countries 
 seems to evince the common origin of the two 
 systems. The Hindu deities have condescended 
 to animate the bodies of fishes, tortoises, lions, 
 bulls, and various other quadrupeds, and several 
 even of the nine principal avatars of Vishnu 
 are of this description. And there was scarcely 
 an individual in the celestial divan of Egypt, 
 who had not his favorite animal, in the form of 
 which he chose to receive the adorations of the 
 
 i multitude. 
 
 The strange and ridiculous ceremonies to 
 which this notion gave rise were innumerable. 
 Thus the Diospobitans venerated a sheep, and 
 erected the statues of Jupiter with the head of 
 a ram. (a) The worshippers of Mendes, which 
 name signifies a goat and the god Pan, venerated 
 the goat kind, and figured their god with the 
 head and legs of this animal. They kept one 
 particular male goat as the chief representative 
 of the divinity. And when he died, great grief 
 
 («) Strabo. lib. 1« 
 
S51 
 
 and lamentation was excTted through the whole 
 Mendesian nome. (a) The inhabitants of the 
 Theban district paid the same regard to a species 
 of serpent. In the city of Cynopolis the Latrator 
 Anubis of famous memory was worshipped, and 
 dogs were accordingly sacred. In the nome of 
 Arsinoe near the lake Moeris^ crocodiles were 
 the objects of adoration, especially one favorite 
 brute of this kind which they called Suchus. 
 The Lycopolitans worshipped a wolf, the Her- 
 mopolitans a monkey, &c. Other nomes seve- 
 rally venerated different kinds, but all the 
 Egyptians concurred in the adoration of the ox, 
 dog, cat, hawk, ibis, and two species of fishes.(6) 
 These animals were worshipped with the most 
 curious eccentricities of superstitious folly. All 
 the animals of Egypt were sacred, and the death 
 of any by voluntary commission, was a capital 
 crime ; but if a hawk, ibis or cat were killed 
 even accidentally, the delinquent had no re- 
 source, but must forfeit his life. (r?J If a fire 
 happened, the Egyptians instead of labouring 
 to secure their lives and property, were only 
 solicitous about saving their cats ; and they % 
 
 expressed the utmost grief, when any of these 
 animals ran into the flames, as they are wont to 
 do- If a cat died bv a natural death in the 
 house of any man, the owner shaved his eye- 
 
 (a) Strabo. ibid. {b) ibid, (c) Herod lib. 2. 
 
352 
 
 brows^ but if a dog, he shaved his whole body. (a) 
 The dead bodies of all the cats, were salted and 
 buried at Bubastos. What is most strange is. 
 that in the time of a famine, which reduced the 
 people to the extremity of eating each other, 
 no person was accused of touching the sacred 
 animals. (/;) 
 
 " The ox kind has enjoyed a most conspicuous 
 .eminence in the veneration both of Hindus 
 and Egyptians, and the cow has always had the 
 precedence. It is even now regarded as murder 
 in India to destroy any animal of the ox spe- 
 cies, (c; In Egypt the same law prevailed 
 (extending to all cases except sacrifice; but it 
 vwas not lawful to kill a cow even in sacrifice, (d) 
 (The latter animal indeed was esteemed far more 
 venerable than all the rest of the kind. If a 
 cow died they committed her carcase to the 
 sacred river, but if a bull, they buried him in 
 ihe suburbs with one or both horns above 
 ground for a mark, and when a stated time had 
 elapsed, in which the body became rotten, a 
 vessel was sent from the island of Prosopilis in 
 the Delta, with people who dug up the bones, 
 and carried them to one appointed place, w^here 
 
 (a) Herod, ubi supra. (6) Diodor, lib. 1. 
 
 (c) It is remarkable that the buffalo which approaches 
 so nearly to the sacred species is not included in this 
 religious protection. (Dr. F. Buchanan's travels.} 
 
 (rf) Herod, ubi supra. 
 
353 
 
 they were all buried. The bodies of other 
 animals were also interred with rites somewhat 
 similar, (a) 
 
 The victims killed in Sacrifice were eaten, 
 and thus the priests came to be allowed to feed 
 on the flesh of any animal, and even on that 
 of the bull and ox.(^) But nothing was reckoned 
 so impious, as to eat the flesh of the cow. The 
 Greeks were held as contaminated by this prac- 
 tice, and no Egyptian would use the knife or 
 pot of a Greek on this account, much less ap- 
 proach his person, (c) A similar feeling prevails 
 in India to this day. A Brahman would lose 
 cast by eating beef. It is only done by people 
 of the lowest order, as the Whalliaru or Parriars, 
 and these races are in consequence esteemed so 
 impure, that a Brahman would be defiled by 
 touching any person among them or by entering 
 his house. Europeans in India, from their prac- 
 tice of eating beef, are regarded as a kind of 
 Parriars, and the spiritual pride of the priests 
 would be shewn in like manner towards them, if 
 the restraint of fear were removed, (^d) 
 
 A strict comformity is discoverable in many 
 
 {a) Herod. 
 
 (6) In India the Brahmans are allowed by the Institutes 
 of Menu to partake of the flesh of many animals killed in 
 sacrifice. Menu. chap. 3, 4, 6, 
 
 (c) Plutarch. Isis et Osiris. 
 
 £r/) Dr. F. Buchanan, ibid. 
 
 z 
 
354 
 
 of the customs and peculiar practices of the 
 priests in Egypt and in India^ in divers other 
 particulars. In both countries they were the 
 companions and advisers of the kings, and the 
 chief counsellors of the state. In both they 
 managed all the important offices in the ad- 
 ministration of affairs. In Egypt the worship 
 of the gods w^as scarcely more remarkably their 
 province, as we learn from Diodorus, than the 
 office of being always near the person of the 
 monarch, to give judgment on any enterprises 
 of moment, (df) In all such matters, their skill 
 in divination by inspecting sacrifices, and by 
 interpreting the heavens, gave them great con- 
 sideration. It was their business to read useful 
 parts of history out of the sacred commentaries. 
 They were exempted from all public burdens 
 and taxes. 
 
 Remarkable attention was paid in both 
 countries to personal cleanliness, which was 
 supposed to be peculiarly agreeable to the 
 celestial beings. The numberless washings and 
 immersions of the Brahmans are still continued, 
 and the water of the Ganges at this day, as that 
 of the Nile was in former times, is believed to 
 possess wonderful powers, not only in the ab- 
 lution of the person, but in the purification pf 
 the soul, and in absolving it from the stains of 
 
 (c) Diod. lib. 1. 
 
355 
 
 guilt. Ifi the service of their Deities, Herodotus 
 informs us that the Egyptian priests were very- 
 attentive to the removal of all defilement, (a) 
 *^ They shave their whole bodies every third 
 day, that no vermin or any other uncleanlincss 
 may be on them, when they perform their 
 duties to the gods. They wear a dress of linen 
 and shoes of byblus, not being allov/ed any 
 o'ther apparel, and they wash themselves twice 
 every day in cold water, and twice every night, 
 and perform an infinite number of other cere- 
 monies." (6) 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 Of Coincidences in the Theogonies. 
 
 WE have proceeded far enough in the com- 
 parison of the doctrines and customs of these 
 nations, to prove that they have their origin on 
 both sides from the same general principles, 
 and that the systems of the two Hierarchies are 
 modifications of elements common to both. 
 
 This view of the subject might be pursued if 
 it were necessary into much greater detail, but 
 what has been said will suffice for the present 
 
 ( (o) Herod, ubi supra. {b) Ibid. 
 
 Z 2 
 
356 
 
 purpose. We now proceed to a part of our 
 argument;, which has appeared to many writers 
 the most interesting ground, and which accord- 
 ingly has received a great portion of their 
 attention. 
 
 There are a great many particulars in which 
 a resemblance may be marked^ in the Theogonies 
 of the Hindus and the Egyptians, or in those 
 parts of their religious creeds which regard the 
 personal histories of the gods : as well as in the 
 peculiar modes of adoration which were sup- 
 posed to be acceptable to each of them. 
 
 The rites and history of the Indian Trimurti 
 coincide in many points with those of the 
 three gods, who stand most eminent in the 
 Egyptian theocracy. Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, 
 with the consort of the latter, hold the same 
 rank on the Ganges and in the religious fables 
 of India, which Typhon, Orus and Osiris with 
 the goddess Isis possessed on the Nile. Siva 
 and Parvati particularly resemble Osiris and 
 Isis. The names of Iswara and Isi, (a) which 
 are very common appellations of the two for- 
 mer in India, scarcely differ from those of 
 Isiris and Isis, for thus we are informed by 
 the ancients that the Egyptian names ought to 
 be pronounced, (b) The analogy of names 
 
 (fl) Sir W. Jones*s essay on the Hindus. 
 (6) Sanchoniatho named him Isiris according to Porphyry, 
 ^d Plutarch tells us that Hellanicus understood from the 
 
357 
 
 alone affords indeed but a feeble proof, and this- 
 sort of argument has been so much abused, and 
 so spun out by antiquaries of late times, that 
 we are habitually disposed to distrust it, and 
 to deny it even its legitimate degree of evidence. 
 But the analogy in the present example is 
 torne out by a variety of facts. In comparing 
 t^e accounts which are given us by travellers in 
 the East of the rites of Iswara with the slender 
 stock of information transmitted to our day 
 concerning the mysteries of Osiris, we find that 
 the worship paid to these personages was of 
 very similar character. The same obscene cere- 
 monies, and the same insignia are discovered in 
 each. The emblem of Siva is the lingum, which 
 is found in the adyta of all his temples in the 
 East, and is suspended from the necks of his 
 Totaries. Under this representation Siva is 
 invoked by the great majority of his worshippers, 
 and the use which is made of it in all the public 
 processions and pomps is a conspicuous feature 
 
 Egyptian priests that his name was yslris. (Plut. Is. et 
 
 Osir. Euseb. Praip. Evang. lib. 1.) The Greeks have 
 
 given fanciful etymologies of their own invention to explain 
 
 the name of Osiris. Its real signification is probably 
 
 ; disclosed in the story related by Plutarch, that when the 
 
 ' god was born, a voice was heard declaring that "the lord of 
 
 i all nature comes forth to light." Iswara means Lord in 
 
 } Sanscrit and in that sense is the denomination of Siva, who 
 
 E is held by the greater part of the Brahman tribe as the 
 
 I ehief deity. 
 
358 
 
 in the descrif fi6ft 6f thefe^ celebrations. These 
 representations ai*fe ^li exact counterpart of the 
 Phallic or Ithyphallic images, ceremonies, and 
 measures so famous in the worship of Osiris or 
 the Egyptian Batchus. 
 
 Next to these most conspicuous represen- 
 tations which hold so remaikable a place in the 
 Worship of Iswara and Osiris, the veneration of 
 the bull as forming a part of the rites due to 
 the saitie g-od daims our attention. It is not 
 feasy to ascertain the exact relation which the 
 two sacrpd bulls Apis and Mnevis held to each 
 other and to Osiris, but it is clear that they Were 
 both considered as the representatives of the 
 god on earth, ^s ia kind of Avatara, and as 
 possessing the real presence of the deity. The 
 bull of Iswara is celebrated in India. . He is 
 worshipped by the people on the Caveri, and a 
 number of bulls which are supposed to represent 
 him receive extravagant honours, and are suf- 
 feired to foam at large about the country. The 
 Sivabhactar or Jnngum sect profess to owe 
 their first institution to an appearance of Baswa 
 or the sacred blill on earth, and they relate 
 many absurd fictions of the benefits done by 
 this divine animal to the human race, of which 
 their preservation from universal destruction 
 by water is not the least. At certain periods 
 they say, that the world is overwhelmed by floods, 
 The bull stands in the midst of the d^lug'C^ 
 
359 
 
 which reaches only half way up his thighs^ and 
 all living creatures are saved by laying hold of 
 his hair. The world is afterwards restored by 
 Iswara^ who lives in Coilasu. (a) 
 
 The bull is considered as a symbol of divine 
 justice^ and Siva is figured riding upon him and 
 performing the functions of supreme judge. 
 In like manner Osiris is said by the ancients^, to 
 be the author and fountain of all judicial in- 
 stitutions, and the first legislator of the human 
 race. He went through all countries, every 
 where abolish in sr the brutal customs of savaore 
 life, restraining men from the barbarous habits 
 of anthropophagy, introducing the benefits of 
 civilization, and teaching the culture of the 
 earth. (/;) It was probably in commemoration 
 of this great and happy change in the condition 
 of mankind, that the celebrated mysteries of 
 Osiris, which hold so conspicuous a place in my- 
 thological history were instituted. The (c)coiAo(pocyU 
 or eating of raw flesh with the blood, was a 
 part of these secret ceremonies, and was pro- 
 bably designed to deter by the horrid exhi- 
 bitions given of the former practices of mankind, 
 
 (a) Dr. F. Buchanan's journey, 
 
 (b) Diodor. 1, et 3. 
 
 (c) In Crete at the Dionysiacs they tore off the flesh from 
 the animal alive. " Vivum laniant dentibus taurum.'* 
 Clemens Alexand. See Bryant, Anal, of Ancient Mytho. 
 logy. vol. 1. et 2- . 
 
360 
 
 from any return to tfie customs of the savage 
 state, (r?) 
 
 (a) That this idea concerning the origin of the mysteries 
 15 correct appears from the accounts given by the ancient 
 writers of their invention and introduction into diflferent 
 countries. All nations are represented as having beea 
 savage, and addicted to brutal customs, before the first 
 teachers of the mysteries came among them, and these are 
 said every where to have introduced civilization and hu- 
 manity. It has been mentioned abore that Osiris was 
 called vjt^t'aveopos from the circumstance that he first instituted, 
 agriculture. Uc is i^ivoked under this name in the Orphic, 
 hymns 
 
 Tibullus sayg of him, 
 
 Primus aratra manu solerti fecit Osiris 
 Et teneram ferro sollicitavit humum. 
 the Egyptians related that he made an expedition from 
 their country, and carried the arts of life into Ethiopia an4 
 other remote regions. The Ethiopians who declared him 
 to have been born among themselves, attributed the civi- 
 lization of Egypt, and the establishment of religion, to an 
 Ethiopian colony led by Osiris. In Greece we are told 
 uniformly that the first inhabitants were barbarians, till the 
 Mystic leaders introduced civility among them, and the first 
 planter of tl^ese rites in each district is reported to have 
 taught men to lay aside the ferocious habits before prevalent, 
 and to have instituted more humane customs. This is said 
 for example of Orpheus, who carried into Thrace the ccle- 
 hrated Orphic rites. 
 
 Silvestres homines sacer interpresque deorum 
 Ciedibus et victu fsdo deterruit Orpheus, 
 Dictus ob hoc lenire tigres rapidcsqqe leones. Horace. 
 Precisely similar accounts arc given of Cadmus vyho first 
 brought them into Boeotia, of Trophonius, Minos, Mcla^^ 
 pus who were founders of the same ceremonies in particulaij 
 countries. The people were {^^cry where barbarians before 
 their arrival. 
 
S6l 
 
 Most of the principal gods of the Hindu the- 
 Gcracy are described as having wives^ who are 
 
 Much has been written by the modems, on the nature of 
 the mysteries; but for the most enlightened view of th« 
 subject \\'e are indebted to the learned Bishop Wajburton, 
 Sec Divine Legation of Moses, Book 2d. Sect. 4th. 
 
 It appears that a part of these ceremonies, as the Bishop 
 lias shewn, required little precaution of secrecy, and was 
 communicated to all who chose to be initiated, without 
 much difficulty. The person who had obtained this sort of 
 half initiation was called fti/o-T>?r. There is no difficulty in 
 ascertaining the maxims enforced and the doctrines taught 
 in the more open mysteries. The origin of society with the 
 ifmelioration of the modes of life was commemorated, and 
 purity and gentleness of manners constantly inculcated, and 
 represented as the means of obtaining happiness in a future 
 fife. The existence of a state hereafter was particularly 
 insisted upon, and the whole was apparently connected 
 with the doctrine of metempsychosis. 
 
 Abundance of passages from the ancients may be cited, 
 of this precise import, Cicero tells us of the Eleusinian 
 rites, ^'raihi cuna multa eximia divinaque videntur Athenae 
 peperisse ; turn nihil melius illis mysteriis quibus ex agresii 
 immardque viia exculti ad humanitatem et mitigati sumus, 
 neque solum cum laetitig, yivendi rationem accepimus, sed 
 etiam cum §pe mellore moriendi." (de leg. 2 c. 14.) To 
 the same purport is a passage in the Rame of Aristophanesf, 
 in which the chorus of the initiated in the infernal regions 
 are represented as saying 
 
 f *M^o<^ <yap vtyiXt viktos 
 xoit ^syyoT iXxpovlanVp 
 
 ceC*^ re S/rJyo/Acy 
 TfoTTov fTspi re ^evovs, 
 xai Ttis ih'urccs, v. 455. 
 The moral end of these ceremonies to recommend puritjr 
 i^f life and gentleness is alluded to by Euripides. 
 
362 
 
 called saldis, being nothing else in their original 
 sense, but personifications of the principal at- 
 tributes> or active powers of their lords^ whom 
 
 a yuuKUf 6crris iv^atifMJv riksrois QtZv 
 
 tiou') toiOTay ccytaTevet, Bacchas. V. 74. 
 
 Porphyry mentions some of the moral precepts which were 
 enforced in these mysteries, among which were '* yof^s 
 riii-Siv. ^iQvs Kccfirois a7ixAA«v, '(^ua, ^ij crivsa-Qou." 
 
 So far it is not \cry difficult to ascertain the nature and 
 design of the mysteries, but the ocppnrx, the secret parts^ 
 against the divulgers of which such formidable execrations 
 were denounced, are only alluded to in a distant and 
 cautious manner by the ancient writers. 
 
 It appears to me that the learned Bishop has adduced 
 evidence enough to warrant the assertion, that the design 
 of the more hidden mysteries was the detection of the 
 allegory or falsehood of the vulgar mythology, and the 
 declaration of the unity of God. To this purpose is the 
 account ^\\en by St. Austin of Leo Hierophant of the 
 Egyptian mysteries, which were the prototypes of the Gre- 
 cian. He informed Alexander of Macedon, that not only 
 the Dii minorum gentium but also the principal Deities 
 were mortals deified. And this fact Mas uttered by bim 
 with caution as being the great secret which he was for- 
 bidden to divulge. St, Cyprian informs us that it was 
 extorted from him by the dread of the power of Alexander. 
 But a sentence in the Tusculan disputations most explicitly 
 affirms the fact in question. It is this, '' Quid ? totum 
 prope coplum ne plures exsequar, nonne humano genere 
 completum est? si vero scrutari vetera, ct ex his ea quae 
 scriptorcs Grascia) prodiderunt cruere coner, ipsi illi majo- 
 rum gentium Dii qui habentur. bine a nobis profecti in 
 coslum reperientur. Quaere quorum demonstrantur sepul- 
 chra in Graecia; reminiscere quoniam es initiatitSj qu» 
 traduntur mysteriis, tum denique quam lata hoc pateat 
 intelligcs. Tus. Disp, 1 Cap. 13, 
 
363 
 
 except in sex they exactly represent. We find 
 accordingly that the female divinity has in many 
 instances the same character and attributes, and 
 in consequence the same rites, as the god whose 
 consort she is represented to be. Thus Isis or 
 Ceres, the Isi of Isani of India, becomes the pa- 
 troness of civilization ; of agriculture in one' 
 character, and of the arts which enable men to 
 lead a more gentle life, than that which falls to 
 the lot of the savage dependant on precarious 
 subsistence; and in another character she is the 
 guardian of the laws and the punisher of of- 
 fenders. 
 
 Prima Cefefe ttnco terrain dimovit aratro 
 
 Prima dedit leges, (a) 
 Accordingly Ceres is joined with Osiris in the 
 ancient mysteries which were held in such ve- 
 neration throughout the civilized world, and her 
 rites were equally Celebrated with those of her 
 lord. She is indeed the exact counterpart or 
 Sakti of the god. Cicero (Z?) informs us that 
 Ceres and Libera, which are only two names for 
 the same person, were the divinities, " a quibus 
 initia vitas atque victus, legum, morum, mansue-'- 
 tudinis, humanitatis exempla hominibus et civi- 
 tatibus data ac dispertita esse dicantur." 
 
 From this double function of the goddess it 
 resulted that in both systems she appears under 
 
 (a) Ovid Metamorph, 
 (^b) Oratio in Verreo?. 
 
very opposite characters, and receives very dif- 
 ferent modes of adoration. The beneficent Isis 
 or Ceres became the vindicatrix of the laws, 
 and the gentle Parvati is no other than the 
 bloody Call. 
 
 Ceres in ^^er capacity of punisher of crimes 
 became the terror of the guilty. In this office, 
 according to the true spirit of the Hindu fic- 
 tions, she changes not only her attributes but 
 her person also, and exhibits herself under the 
 dreadful character of Erinnys, the leader of the 
 Furies, (a) Her temples, the prytaneia, were 
 the seats of the rigours of justice. There was 
 one in every hamlet in Greece. From the 
 priestesses of these village temples arose, as Mr. 
 Bryant has ingeniously remarked, the fable of 
 the Eumenldes or Furies, (b) Persephone, which 
 
 («) Erinnjs was exactly what the Indian mythologists 
 would call an avatara of Ceres. ShU was Ceres taking upon 
 her another form in order to fulfil a certain occasional pur- 
 pose. Apollodorus mentions this story, and l^ausanias re- 
 lates it at length exactly in the style of a Hindu metamor- 
 phosis. The latter quotes a line of Antimachus, in Which 
 Cerfis is called Erinnys. 
 
 AifA'/iTfOS ToS< ^SC<THt Eptvtvos \itXl s^fSXov. 
 
 See Pausanias's Arcadica. Apollodorus Jib. 3. cap. 6. Scholia 
 to Lycophron, v. 153. 
 
 (b) Bryant's Analysis of Mythology, vol. 1. 
 
 Some of these remarks refer more immediately to the 
 Greek riles, but it is well known that thcMorship of Diony- 
 sus and Ceres in Greece was copied from and exactly sipii- 
 !ar to that of Osiris and Isis in Egy^t. 
 
365 
 
 is Ceres or Isis in her infernal character, (a) 
 when she became the consort of Serapis, the in- 
 fernal Osiris is said to have armed the Furies. 
 
 n£p<ri<poi^n GwpTi^fj/ Epivvvocg. (b) 
 Lycophron thus describes the vindictive Ceres. 
 He was before speaking of Pelops and Tantalus. 
 
 Cu TraTTTTOj/ h yocfjt.(pou(Ti]i Ei/yaia ttots \C) 
 Epycovj Epiypug ^ovpicc ^Kpri^pop^ 
 Atrxpzx jUKTruAAao-' Irvix^evcnv rdfpu), 
 Tov wAswTtjv ^ov^pov lv^oir8fji,ivn» 
 
 *' Cuj usque avum quondam in molaribus suis 
 Hercynna Educa, quae gerit secespitam 
 Fartim minutal frendicans, tumulo indidit, 
 Humeri vorax epulata cartilaginem." 
 
 Under this character^ Parvati in India is adorn- 
 ed with corresponding attributes, and receives 
 
 faj It appears that both Osiris and Isis were triform ; 
 Osiris was the Sun in the heavens (Diodorus), Bacchus oa 
 earth and Serapis below (Plutarch) ; and Isis was Luna in 
 heaven ; Ceres, Cybele or Terra on earth, and Hecate and 
 Proserpine in hell. (Heraclitus apud Plutarchum.) There 
 is no small analogy between the name Parvati, and Per- 
 sephatta the denomination of Proserpine in the yEolic or 
 old Greek. 
 
 The name of Serapis is derived by Wilford from Asrapa, 
 implying thirst of blood. He observes that the character 
 corresponds with that of the Indian Yaraa, king of Patala 
 or Hell, who was guarded by two dogs. One of them was 
 called Syama orblack, and the other Cerbura or varied^ and 
 Trisiras zaith three heads. (Asiatic Res. vol. ^.) 
 
 /^^^ Nonnus Dionysiaca. lib. 44. p. 1152. 
 
 t^c) Lycophron, v. 153. 
 
S68 
 
 similar adorations. In the person of Cali or 
 Bhadra-Calij she is the terror of the rustics in 
 India. Her shrines are erected in all the vil- 
 lageSj and she is the principal object of worship 
 among all the inferior casts in the peninsula. (a) 
 Her rites are always an exhibition of blood hed, 
 with every accompaniment which can infuse 
 horror, {b) 
 
 fa) Dr. F, Buchaiian, ubi supra. 
 
 (bj The rites of Bhadra-Cali as well as the implements, 
 and mantrams or prayers used in them are minutely described 
 in the Calica-purana. Many of the invocations used are of 
 the most barbarous kind. It is ordered that sacrificers should 
 repeat the word Cali twice, then the words Devi Bajreswari, 
 then Lawha Dandayai, Namah ! which words may be ren- 
 dered Hail ! Cali ! Cali ! Hail ! Devi ! Goddess of thunder ; 
 hail, iroa sceptered Goddess ! " Let him then," it is added, 
 '' take the axe in his hand, and again invoke the same by 
 the Calratriya text as follows. Let the sacrificer say, 
 " Hrang, Hring, Cali ! Cali ! oh horrid toothed Goddess I 
 eat, cut, destroy all the malignant! — cut with this axe! 
 bind! bind! seize! seize! drink blood! spheng ! spheng! 
 secure ! secure ! salutation to Cali ! thus ends the Calatriya- 
 mantra." Instead of the enemy whose destruction is im- 
 precated by the votaries of the goddess, if the person himself 
 be not in his adversaries power, a bufialo or a goat is immo- 
 lated, and the sacrificer in performing the act is ordered to 
 exclaim, " O Goddess of horrid form ! O Chandica I eat, 
 devour such an one mine enemy. O consort of fire! salu- 
 tation to fire ! — This is the enemy who has done me so much 
 mischief, now personated by an animal — destroy him O 
 Mahamari ! spheng, spheng, eat, devour." — In the midst of 
 such wild declamations, before the image of horrid form 
 smeared with blood, among the loud ravings of the frantic 
 
361 
 
 One oT the names or characters of Siva/ is 
 Vagiswara or Vagisa, commonly pronounced 
 Bagis, the lord of speech. It is related in the 
 mythological works of the Hindus^ that a deluge 
 having destroyed many of the human race^ the 
 remnant became ignorant and brutal, whereupon 
 Iswara descended ill a place called Misra-sb'han, 
 and sent his consort Vagiswara to instruct the 
 rising generation in arts and language. The 
 learned Mr. Wilford has observed^ that in the 
 worship of the god in this character, there are 
 some traits of resemblance to the Egyptian rites. 
 The priests of Bagis offer to his consort a lower 
 mantle with a red fringe, and an earthen pot 
 shaped like a coronet. To the god they present 
 a vase of arak and sacrifice a hog to him, pour- 
 ing its blood before the idol, and restoring the 
 carcase to its owner, (a) This ceremony has 
 much affinity to the practices of the Egyptians 
 in the festival of Bacchus or Osiris, on which 
 occasion a hog was slaughtered by each indi- 
 
 multitude, the victim, which was not unfrcquently in former 
 times a human being, is immolated. 
 
 Such horrible scenes in the worship of the eastern Parrati 
 in her character of Cali, which had tlieir counterpart in the 
 rites of the VV^estern Ceres or Isis, may probably have given 
 rise to many of the mythological descriptions of the infer- 
 nal regionSj where the vengeance of these powers was sup- 
 posed to be consummated. Asiat. Researches, vol. 5. art, 
 23. • • 
 
 (aj Asiatic Researches, vol. 3. Wilford on Egypt and 
 the Nile, 
 
368 
 
 vidua]^ and the swine-herd who had sold the? 
 animal, was then suffered to take the carcase 
 again and carry it away, (a) 
 
 In the veneration of the Hindus and Egyptians 
 for the waters of their principal rivers the Nile 
 and Ganges^ and in the relation which these were 
 supposed respectively to bear to Iswara and 
 Osiris, we find another curious example of the 
 similar genius, and indeed of the close congruity, 
 of the two systems. The Ganges is represented 
 as springing from the head of Siva, by the 
 poetical describers and painters of India. To 
 this fable Sir William Jones alludes in his truly 
 classical hymn to Saraswati. 
 
 " Is that the king of dread 
 With ashy musing face (b) 
 From whose moon-silvered locks famed Ganga 
 
 springs?" 
 
 And in the hymn to Ganga he introduces the 
 fable more explicitly. 
 
 " Above the reach of mortal ken, 
 On blest Coilasa's top, where every stem 
 Glowed with a vegetable gem, 
 Mahesa stood the dread and joy of men ; 
 While Parvati to gain a boon 
 Fixed on his locks a beamy moon 
 
 (a) Herodotus. lib, 2, 
 
 (b) Siva is often painted with an ash-coloured face, and 
 a blue throat, IMoor's Hindu Pantheon, 
 
, 369 
 
 And hid his frontal eye in jocund play 
 
 With reluctant sweet delay 
 
 All nature straight was locked in dim eclipse. 
 
 Till Brahmans pure with hallowed lips 
 
 And warbled pray'rs restored the day, 
 
 When Ganga from his brow with heavenly fingers 
 
 prest 
 Sprang radiant and descending grac'd the caverns 
 
 of the west." 
 The Egyptians, as we Jearn from Plutarch, 
 considered the Nile as flowing forth from Osiris, 
 (0(nptJoj dwo^^oYiy) and a vessel of water was carried 
 in his processions, as an emblem of this fiction. 
 This last writer is fond of fanciful etymologies, 
 and he attempts to derive the name Ysiris from 
 iiw, to rain, (a) 
 
 The Hindu Triad, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are 
 \ said by the Pauranics to be brothers. The Egyp- 
 I tian Triad Osiris, Typhon, and Horus, or Arueris 
 were also born of the same mother, {b) In the 
 Hindu Mythology, Brahma is represented of a 
 red, Vishnu of a black or dark azure, and Siva of 
 a white complexion. Plutarch informs us that 
 in the Egyptian fables Osiris was always black, 
 Horus white, and Typhon red. This is a curious 
 trait of coincidence, (c) 
 
 (a) Plut. ibid. 
 (bj Herod, ubi supra. 
 (c) Plutarch. 
 
 There was an absurd story that Horus was in reality the 
 offspring of Osiris and Isis, h yot^rsft ysy)^W»T«, So the 
 
 2 A 
 
370 
 
 The whole history of the visible appearance 
 of the gods in Egypt^ and of their reign there, 
 is exactly in the spirit of the Hindu mythology. 
 These appearances are said to have ceased at the 
 age of Menes, from which time, says Herodotus, 
 no (Ofoj ui/^^ccTTosi^rig) incarnation of divinity, or 
 avatar in human form was seen in Egypt, (a) 
 
 Vaishnavas say that Siva was mystically the offspring of 
 Vishnu or Heri. (AV^ilford. Asiat. Researches, vol. 3.) 
 
 Osiris, Horus, Typhon, Isis, and Nephthys the wife of 
 Typhon were bom of the same mother on the five inter- 
 culary days successively. (Plutarch, ibid.) 
 
 (aj Vishnu being black should be Osiris, and yet w« 
 have seen that Iswara corresponds with him in general. 
 Mr. Wilford reconciles this discrepancy by supposing that 
 Vishnu was in reality the Egyptian Bacchus, and that the 
 title of Iswara or chief Lord was applied indiscriminately to 
 each of the great gods according as the worship of either 
 became predominant. To this it may be objected that Siva 
 is pointed out by the Hindu fables as having the chief pre- 
 sidency on the Call or Nile, and that he agrees far better 
 with OsirFs in most points thari his rival. But we are not 
 to look for exact conformity in the legends of Hindustan 
 and Egypt. From the long separation of the two nations, 
 ihe doctrines and rites which they probably received from 
 common ancestors must have been greatly modified, and we 
 must expect in analysing their elements to meet with con- 
 fusion and inaccuracy. The meaning of the above s/ory is 
 probably unfathomable, but its singularity and congniity 
 in the two systems is remarkable. The characters of Siva 
 and Vishnu frequently coalesce, as do those of Osiris and 
 Horus, while Brahma and Typhon stand clearly distinguish- 
 ed. So also under the character of Devi or '^va-i: 'ffo>.vixop^o^, 
 as Mr. Wilford explains it, both Parvati and Lakshmi the 
 wife of Vishnu ai:e included. 
 
371 
 
 Some other similar fables relating to the gods 
 of each country have been compared by Wilford, 
 which we shall briefly notice in order to hasten 
 to the conclusion of this subject, which it is 
 impossible to exhaust without running into pro- 
 lixity. 
 
 Our author observes that there is a striking 
 resemblance in the legendary wars of the three 
 gods of each nation. Osiris contended with 
 Typhon, who was finally overcome by Horus. 
 So Brahma and Vishnu fought, and the latter 
 was vanquished and in danger of being destroy- 
 ed, till Haru or Siva came to his aid, and cut off 
 one of the five heads of his assailant. 
 
 Brahma receives no worship except on par- 
 ticular occasions, when the offering made is 
 placed at a distance from the votary. Sacrifices 
 I Vv'ere only made to Typhon on particular days 
 , to console him for his overthrow, (a) Typhoti 
 and Brahma were both red, as we have seen 
 above, (fc) 
 
 Hermapion, as Wilford observes from Ammi- 
 anusMarcellinus, in his explanations of thehiero-- 
 glyphics on the Heliopolitan Obelisk, calls Horus 
 " the supreme lord and author of time.'' Iswara 
 '' lord" and Cala '' time," are epithets of Siva, 
 and obelisks are emblematical of, and dedicated 
 to him. 
 
 (a) Plut. ibid. (b) Wilford ubi supra. 
 
 g A 2 
 
872 
 
 The Egyptian fable of the mundane egg, and 
 of Typhon's attempt to break it, are related in a 
 Sanscrit book called Chandi of high authority. 
 This action is there attributed to Siva. 
 
 The Lunar divinity was in the Western My- 
 thology of two sexes, and the subject of the Deus 
 Lunus, and Dea Luna is sufficiently obscure. 
 Mr. Wilford has given a curious allegory from 
 the store of Indian fable, which relates in detail 
 the metamorphosis of the god Chandra into the 
 goddess Chandri, both of which persons are 
 regarded as the deity of the moon. An astrono- 
 mical explanation of this enigma has been fur- 
 nished by the Pundits. 
 
 Atavi-Devi or Venus on a certain occasion is 
 said to have assumed the character of Ashtara or 
 Attara-Devi, and it is related in the Brahmanda- 
 purana that a pyramid was erected to her honour, 
 on the banks of the Kali or Nile. Strabo also 
 mentions an appearance of the goddess Aphro- 
 dite under the name of Attara. We have here 
 no difficulty in recognizing the Ashtaroth or 
 Astarte of the Phenicians whose mythology was 
 Egyptian, The place described is supposed by 
 Wilford to be Aphroditopolis, which the Copts 
 still call Atfu, from the name of Atavi. Our | 
 author pursues this subject into much greater 
 detail. We refer the reader to his learned essay 
 in the third volume of the Asiatic Researches. 
 
 The Jupiter or Zeus of the Western Mytha- 
 
313 
 
 . logy corresponds exactly with the eastern Indra, 
 the god of the firmament, called also Divespetir 
 or " lord of the sky.'*(rt) The western god as 
 well as the eastern, was properly the visible 
 heaven personified, as he is represented in the 
 following verses of Euripides, 
 
 y.cci yy\y Trzpi^ gp^o^O' vypoiig Iv dyyiocKaagy 
 rovTOU i/6[xi^i ZviuX) rov^ riyoZ Gcoi/," 
 
 snd by Ennius in a well known line quoted by 
 
 Cicero. 
 
 ^" A spice hoc sublime candens quern invocant omnes Jovem." 
 
 'f he Egyptian Jove as we learn from Diodorus, 
 was a personification of one of the five elements, 
 the celestial ether or Trv^vfxx, The Greeks with 
 this notion derived his name from ^ica to burn. 
 He is every where represented as ruling aloft in 
 the air, or having a seat on a mountain, Ida, 
 Olympus or Meru, armed with a Vajra or thunder 
 bolt. The winds and showers are under the 
 direction of Indra, or Zsu? o/x^^t(^, or Jupiter 
 pluvialis. But his assumption of supreme do- 
 minion over the affairs of men and gods, the 
 character o^ irof.rri^ M^oov n Qeuv rs seems to be 
 altogether an usurpation, and to have arisen 
 from accidental circumstances, rather than from 
 any modification of his eastern attributes. Each 
 
 *' (a) Sir-AV. Jones on tke gods of Greece, Italy and India. 
 
3Y4 
 
 of the rasts in Tn -a has rites differing in some 
 measure tro.n th os of others. Thev have all 
 some pecula ' ustoms, and besides participating 
 in the common worship of the nation, which 
 they do more or less fully, each of them is 
 addicted to some favorite deity, as the tutelar 
 god of the cast, and the object of its chief 
 adoration. Besides the two principal casts, the 
 Saivas and Vaishnavas, or worshippers of Siva 
 ^nd Vishnu, which are more extensive divisions, 
 there are the Sauras or worshippers of the sun, 
 the Oanapatyas or votaries of Ganesa or Janus, 
 and several others. The nomes among the 
 Egyptians were divisions very much of the same 
 kind. In each nome some particular god en- 
 grossed the chief share of the veneration of the 
 people. In the Egyptian Thebes the worship 
 of Jupiter was established and prevailed through 
 this nome. The Cadrneians who colonized Bseotia 
 were emigraiits from the Thebaid. They ac- 
 cordingly built a city which they named after 
 that of their original abode, and introduced into 
 -G e^ce the adoration of Jupiter, their tutelar 
 de:ty. This party becoming prevalent in Greece, 
 by the extension of the Thessalian or Hellenic 
 confederacy, Jifpiter was every where esta- 
 blished as the supreme object of popular vene- 
 ration, and the superstition of his followers 
 continuallv magnified the importance of their 
 god, till they made him at length the creator 
 
375 
 
 and preserver of the universe ; absurdly enough, 
 since many transactions continued to be related, 
 which were declared to have taken place before 
 his birth. 
 
 It would be foreign to our purpose to follow 
 this parallel into greater detail. We have seen 
 that the general principles of the religious 
 system discovered in the east, are of similar 
 import with those on which the superstitions of 
 ancient Egypt were founded. We have observed 
 that there are many points of general resem- 
 blance in the customs of the priests of both 
 countries, and in their modes of worship, and 
 that in numerous instances even particular rites 
 and ceremonies together v;ith the fables con- 
 nected with them and the names of the gods 
 have been preserved through a long course of 
 ages sufficiently perfect to assure us of their 
 former identity. The conclusion to be drawn 
 from this comparison of the religious history of 
 the Hindus and Egyptians is similar to that 
 which we formed from the contemplation of 
 their political institutions, viz. that the facts 
 prove a common origin, (a) 
 
 (a) A great number of facts might be mentioned tending 
 to prove the same connexion. We have only selected some 
 of the most remarkable. 
 
 A more extensive comparison of the Egyptian and 
 Hindu philosophy than has yet been attempted would throw 
 much light on this subject. It is probable that their calcu- 
 
376 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 On the Physical Characters of the Egyptians. 
 
 ^ THE ancient connexion which subsisted be- 
 tween the Hindus and Egyptians is proved by 
 the close resemblance of their political and civil 
 institutions, and by the identity of all the lead- 
 ing features in the superstitions of both coun- 
 tries to have been of so intimate a nature, that 
 there appears to be only one way in which it is 
 possible satisfactorily to account for it. That is 
 
 ,the supposition that there was a period in re- 
 mote ages, when the two nations in question 
 really formed one people. In order to prepare 
 for some conclusion on this subject, we shall 
 hasten to inquire what information we can ob- 
 tain concerning the physical characters of the 
 Indians and Egyptians. 
 
 lations by cycles were conducted on similar principles, and 
 it is certain that they used in many instances the same astro- 
 nomical formulae. 
 
 The veneration in which the Lotus was held among both 
 nations is a remarkable circumstance. 
 
 The mystical words used at the ceremonies of religion 
 
 among the Greeks and Egyptian are said to be Sanscrit, 
 
 and to be still used by the Brahmans. (See Wilford on the 
 
 names of the Cabiriaa deities, &c. Asiatic Researches, 
 
 • vol. 5.) 
 
377 
 
 The Greek writers always mentions the Egyp- 
 tians as being black in their complexions. In 
 the Supplices of ^schylus, when the Egyptian 
 ship is described as approaching the land^ and 
 seen from an eminence on the shore, it is said, 
 
 ^^ TrpiTTOVtri (J"' ai/(5/>£? mot laAayp^i^Oij 
 
 " The sailors too I marked 
 ^' Conspicuous in white robes their sable limbs, 
 
 and again, 
 
 iroXet ^j^iXocy/i^'^ <r\)v rpocTui. 
 
 Herodotus, who was well acquainted with the 
 Egyptians, mentions the blackness of their com- 
 plexion more than once. After relating the fable 
 of the foundation of the Dodonasan oracle by a 
 black dove which had fled from Thebes in Egypt 
 and uttered her prophecies from the beach tree 
 at Dodona, he adds his conjecture of the true 
 meaning of the tale. He supposes the oracle to 
 have been instituted by a female captive from 
 the Thebaid, who was enigmatically described as 
 a bird, and subjoins, that ^' by representing the 
 bird as black they marked that the woman was 
 an Egyptian.*' (a) 
 
 Also in his account of the Colchians, Herodo- 
 dotus supports his opinion, that they were a 
 
 (a) Herod, lib. 2. 
 
378 
 
 colony of Egyptians by this argument, that they 
 were '^ black in complexion^ and woolly headed" 
 " ^i.EXoiyXj^ozq xal o\jXor^ix^<;,'' {a) These are exactly 
 the words which are used in the description of 
 undoubted Negroes. 
 
 The same Colchians are mentioned by Pindar 
 in the fourth Pythian ode as being black, with 
 the epithet of y.sXocwiio'jnq 
 
 fx(^a.v Aliira. Trap aJrw. V. 376. 
 
 On which passage the scholiast observes that the 
 Colchians are black, and that '' their dusky hue 
 is attributed to their Egyptian origin, the Egyp- 
 tians also being of that colour." 
 
 We have in one of the dialogues of Lucian a 
 ludicrous description of a young Egyptian who 
 was represented as belonging to the crew of a 
 trading vessel at the Piraeus, which confirms the 
 same fact. It is said of him that '' besides being 
 "black he had thick lips, and was too slender in 
 the legs, and that his hair, and the curls bushed 
 up behind marked him to be of servile rank."(6) 
 
 (a) Herod, lib. 2. 
 
 (6) Lucian, Navigat. seu Vota. 
 
 X£"^Tor ayay Tory o-x-eXoTv" — ** n xo//,*) Sf, xaci Is rovirtau o vXIksi^os 
 frviKTHC-ifociKiws ofx £Xiv9cfiov (py^civ tkvrsoTt £/va<.*' 
 
 I 
 
379 
 
 It appears from the remark of Herodotus that 
 woolly hair like that of the Negroes prevailed 
 among the Egyptians, and by comparing this 
 fact with the other characteristics mentioned by 
 Liician, we are led to infer that this nation had 
 the distinjxuishino^ marks of the African race. 
 This conclusion is confirmed by the observations 
 of travellers, who have described some of the 
 most ancient Egyptian monuments, and particu- 
 larly the vSphinx which stands amidst the pyra- 
 mids, and is probably coeval with those vene- 
 rable fabricks. These figures have exactly the 
 characteristic features of the Negro, (a) 
 
 The modern Copts are supposed, upon good 
 reason, to be the representatives and genuine 
 descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Egypt 
 has indeed undergone many conquests, and from 
 each has received some addition to its primitive 
 stock of inhabitants. But the diversities of re- 
 ligion and of manners have prevented any con- 
 siderable intermixture, and we find in Egypt at 
 the present day several distinct races, the de- 
 scendants of different nations, who have scarcely 
 approximated in the least degree towards a 
 common standard, but remain as clea y discri- 
 minated in their physical description as they are 
 in moral chara( ter and in the habits of life. 
 Such are the Mamlukes, Turks, Bedouins, Agri- 
 
 («) Norden^ Volflcy, Sonnini, Denon, 
 
380 
 
 cultural Arabs, but particularly the Copts, who 
 are Christians of the Eutychian sect, and are 
 therefore prevented by the strongest penalties 
 from intermarriages with the Mahomedans. It 
 is probable that during the period of the Romaa 
 and Byzantine dominion, a considerable number 
 of Greek settlers were added to the primitive 
 inhabitants. But the colonies of Europeans were 
 chiefly confined lo the Delta, and the Christian 
 population of lower Egypt seems to have been 
 destroyed or enslaved by the Arab conquerors. 
 In the Thebaid the old race remained without 
 much addition, and it is there that the Copts are 
 now principally found. 
 
 Volney, whose account is confirmed by other 
 travellers, informs us that the Copts have still 
 much of the Negro character. That they have a 
 yellowish dusky complexion, neither resembling 
 the Grecian nor Arabian. **" They have a puffed 
 visage, swoln eyes, flat noses, and thick lips, and 
 bear much resemblance to the Mulatto. ''(a) 
 
 It will throw some light on our subject to 
 observe the resemblance in physical characters 
 and the connexion in history between the Egyp- 
 tians and some of the other African nations, 
 •which are well known to have had the characters 
 of the Negro. 
 
 There are manifest traces of an immemorial 
 
 («) Volney 's Travels in Egypt. Sec also Denon. 
 
381 
 
 connection between Egypt and ^^thiopia. The 
 people of the latter country, especially those 
 tribes who bordered on the Nile, and were sub- 
 ject to the kings of Meroe, resembled the Egyp- 
 tians in manners, in religion, and in so many 
 different respects, that there is no doubt of their 
 having constituted a portion of the same nation 
 with them at an early pcriod.j 
 
 They had a similar practice of embalming the 
 dead and of preserving them in mummies, (a) 
 
 The Egyptians, as Diodorus informs us, had 
 two kinds of characters used in writing: one of 
 these was commonly known to the vulgar, and 
 the other peculiar to the priests, and considered 
 as sacred. The same author assures us, that the. 
 last mentioned charactei*s were in univeK;al pre- 
 valence among the civilized Ethiopians, who 
 boasted that they first had communicated them 
 to the priests of Egypt. These were not literal 
 characters, but a sort of hieroglyphics. They 
 appear to have been symbols not representing 
 words, but connected by an intermediate asso- 
 ciation with the thing signified, somewhat after 
 the manner of those used by the Chinese. Thus 
 
 (a) Herod, lib. 2. Diodor. lib. 3. 
 
 Indeed the structure of the mummies which have been 
 found in Egypt and examined in European Museums agrees 
 better both with the desciiption given us by Herodotus of 
 the Ethiopian method of preserving bodies, than it does with 
 the detail of the process used by the Egyptians themselves. 
 (Blumenbach. Phil. Trasact.) 
 
382 
 
 'we are told that they described swiftness by th^ 
 figure of a hawk^ abundance by an open hand ; 
 an eye represented vigilance and defence, (a) 
 
 The constitution of the Hierarchy was the 
 same among the Ethiopians as in Egypt. The 
 dress of the priests^, their mode of shaving their 
 bodies, the sceptre representing the plough, 
 which was the distinguishing badge of the sacred 
 order, and several other particulars, are exactly 
 similar to the peculiar customs and distinctions 
 of the Egyptian priests, (b) 
 
 The kings of the Ethiopians had the same 
 dress with the Egyptian monarchs. (c*) They 
 were chosen by the priests out of their own 
 numiber and were in all things subject to their 
 authority even more than in Egypt. (rZ) 
 
 The Ethiopians had the same religion as the 
 Egyptians. (^) In Meroe, Jupiter and Osiris 
 were the objects of adoration, (fj The Ethi- 
 opians pretended that they were the first insti- 
 tutors of the religious ceremonies which the 
 Egyptians used, and that they first established 
 sacrifices and the pomps which the Greeks called 
 Uavfiyv^sTg, (g) And there were some ceremonies 
 
 (a) Diodor. lib. 3, (6) ibid. (c) ibid. 
 
 (d) Herod, ubi supra. (e) Herod, lib. 3. (f) DIod. 
 
 (g) Heliodorus mentions that the gymnosophists of 
 Meroe were continually reprobating the cruel sacrifices of 
 human beings which the people were in the habit of pcr-r 
 forming, but without effect. See Do Pauw, Uechcrches sur 
 Ics Egyptiens et les Chinois^ to). 2, 
 
S83 
 
 in the Egyptian ritual, which afford an appear- 
 ance of probability to this idea, or at least shew 
 that some of the fictions of the latter superstition 
 had a local connexion with Ethiopia, particu- 
 larly the annual processions which were made 
 along the banks of the Nile from Thebes to 
 Ethiopia, (a) Even in the Greek Mythology 
 frequent reference is made to this country. The 
 scenes of the exploits of many of the principal 
 persons in the Grecian heaven, are laid in 
 Ethiopia or its vicinity, and Homer seems to 
 refer to some of the African relations of his gods 
 when he says. 
 
 We have besides evidence of the connexion 
 of these nations in the historical traditions and 
 records of both of them. The Egyptians men- 
 tion several of their heroes who visited Ethiopia 
 and settled colonies there, as Osiris, Sic. and the 
 seat of government was in the early period of 
 their monarchy in that part of Egypt which bor- 
 dered on Ethiopia. A dynasty of Elephantine 
 princes is among the earliest successions in the 
 
 (a) TIerod. lib. 2. Diod. 1. 
 
 (b) He probably refers to the annual festival celebrated 
 in Ethiopia in honour of the gods, when they were supposed 
 to descend from heaven and feast at the table of the sun. 
 Sne Diod. lib. 3. and Eustathius ad Iliad 1. v. 424. 
 
384 
 
 chronicle of Manetho. The Ethiopian historians 
 on the other hand asserted that the Egyptians 
 were a colony of their people conducted by 
 Osiris into the country which he had gained 
 from the dominion of the sea. (a) They declared 
 moreover that the Egyptians had from them as 
 their ancestors most of their institutions. (6") 
 
 Besides the more civilized Ethiopians, there 
 were other barbarous tribes of the same nation. 
 The words used as descriptive of the physical 
 characters of these are remarkable. They are 
 said to be '^ ra^ J^poct^? [ji,iXocvs<;)rcug l^iocig criixoty roiq it 
 
 r^i^cSfjiocG-iu ^Xoij black in their complexions, flat 
 nosed, and woolly haired.'' (c) 
 
 From what has been said, it is, I think, evi- 
 dent that the Egyptians and Ethiopians were the 
 same race of people, and probably formed ori- 
 ginally one nation inhabiting all the fertile 
 country on the banks of the Nile fropi Meroe to 
 the mouth of the river. But the people who 
 held the higher country, being separated from 
 their kindred by the mountainous and barren 
 region above Elephantine, were by degrees dis- 
 joined by the incursions of barbarians, or lost 
 sight of, while the several portions of the same 
 stock, who had their abode farther to the north, 
 became by degrees united under one monarchy 
 
 (it) Diodor. 3. (b) ibid. (c) Diodor. 
 
 ] 
 
385 
 
 and formed the kingdom of Egypt. («) It Is 
 therefore not surprising to find the Egyptians 
 and Ethiopians generally resembling in their 
 persons, though in all probability like other na- 
 tions which have been widely scattered and long 
 separated;, they had some diversities among them. 
 The mummies of the Egyptians in which they 
 carefully embalmed their dead, and preserved 
 them so successfully that some of these relics 
 have reached our days, afford another method of 
 inquiring into the physical characters of the 
 nation. It is very probable that this mode of 
 investigation may hereafter be so fully explored 
 as to enable us to ascertain with precision not 
 only the principal and most general traits of the 
 Egyptians, but all the varieties to which the na- 
 [tional form and physiognomy were subject. At 
 I present we have not attained such desirable ac- 
 I curacy, but some knowledge has been acquired 
 ■ from this quarter. 
 
 p^ Blumenbach has very carefully inspected se- 
 veral mummies, and has compared the appear- 
 nances found in these with all the results of simi- 
 lar examinations made by others, and with tRe 
 descriptions of artificial monuments found in 
 Egypt. /.IT 
 
 (c/) We thus arrWe by comparing the classical accounts 
 of Ethiopia at a conclusion exactly similar to that which 
 Mr. Bruce has obtained by meaas of local investigations^ 
 see Bruce's Travels, book 2. 
 
 26 
 
386 
 
 This comparison has rested principally on the 
 configuration of the skull^ as forming the basis 
 of national physiognomy, and as constituting 
 the chief distinguishing character of the several 
 races of men. The results of the investigation 
 are highly satisfactory and interesting. Blumen- 
 bach informs us that after this comparison he 
 was wholly at a loss to conceive, how several 
 learned writers, not only of the stamp of the 
 author of the Recherches sur les Egyptiens, but 
 even professed antiquaries, such as Winkelman 
 and d*Hancarville, should ascribe to the Egyptian 
 monuments one common character of physiog- 
 nomy, and define the same in a few lines, in 
 the most decided and peremptory manner. *' It 
 appears to me/* says pur author, *^'that we must 
 adopt at least three principal varieties in the 
 national physiognomy of the ancient Egyptians, 
 which like all the varieties in the human species 
 are no doubt often blended together, so as to 
 produce various shades, biit from which the 
 true, if I may so call it^ ideal archetype may 
 however be distinguished by unequivocal pro- 
 perties, to which ^the endless smaller deviations 
 in individuals may without any forced construc- 
 tion be ultimately reduced. These appear to 
 me to be, first, the Ethiopian cast, second, the 
 one approaching to the Hindu, third, the mixed, 
 partaking in a manner of both the former." 
 
 Ihc first of these classes coincides with the 
 
387 
 
 descriptions given of the Egyptians by the 
 ancients, as appears sufficiently by what has been 
 said above. It is '' chiefly distinguished by 
 prominent maxillae, turgid lips, broad fiat nose, 
 and protruding eye-balls." 
 
 The second is considerably different from the 
 first, and is found to be the character of many 
 I^gyptian monuments, which are distinguished 
 '' by along slender nose, long and thin eye-lids, 
 which run upwards from the top of the nose 
 towards the temples, ears placed high on the 
 head, a short and very thin bodily structure and 
 \ery long shanks. As an ideal of this form 
 I shall only adduce the painted female figure 
 ijpon the back of the Sarcophagus of Captain 
 , Lethieullier*s mummy, in the British Museum, 
 i by Vertu, and which most strikingly agrees with 
 the unequivocal national form of the Hindoos, 
 which especially in England is so often to be 
 seen upon the Indian paintings.** 
 
 The third sort of Egyptian figures, partakes 
 something of both the former. *' It is charac- 
 terized by a peculiar turgid habit, flabby cheeks, 
 a short chin, large prominent eyes, and rather a 
 plump make in the person/' This is the structure 
 most frequently to be met with. («) 
 
 (a) Blumenbach. Philosoph. Transact. 1794. 
 Blumenbach remarks a curious appearance in the incisores 
 I teeth, which has often been found in Egyptian Mummies. 
 The crown of the tooth instead of forming a sharp edge It 
 
 2B2 
 
888 - r 
 
 " "There can scafdel^ be a doubts that the first 
 of these was the primitive character of the 
 ancient Egyptians. It was common to them 
 and the Ethiopians in the first ages and is ac- 
 cordingly found in the most ancient monuments, 
 and in the oldest descriptions remaining. It be- 
 came gradually softened down by the progress of 
 natural deviation/ into the third class, which 
 was frequent in the latter times of the Egyptian 
 monarchy, and is found in the majority of the 
 works of art made during that period. It is a 
 curious fact, that the deviation had proceeded 
 still further, and that the Hindu character, had 
 made its appearance in the Egyptian race, and 
 distinguished one class of the people. 
 v0 To conclude our remarks on the Egyptians, 
 we may consider the general result of the facts 
 which we can collect concerning their physical 
 characters to be this; that the national con- 
 figuration prevailing in the most ancient times, 
 was nearly the Negro form, with woolly hair. 
 But that in a later age this character had become 
 considerably modified and changed, and that a 
 part of the population of Egypt resembled the 
 modern Hindus. The general complexion was 
 black, (a) or at least a very dusky hue. 
 
 thick and jsimilar to a truncated cone. The crowns also of 
 
 the denies canini are like those of the molares and only 
 
 differ from the latter in situation. (Blum. V. N. G. H.) 
 
 (a) This was certainly the general colour but it is not io 
 
 m 
 
S89 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 On the Physical Characters of the ancient Indians. 
 
 I shall now proceed to state the facts which 
 I can collect^ concerning the physical character 
 of the ancient inhabitants of India. They are 
 unfortunately scanty. 
 
 It is remarkable that Herodotus, in his enu- 
 meration of the forces of Xerxes, mentions a 
 tribe of Ethiopians from the eastern parts pf 
 Asia, who were drawn out in the same division 
 of the army with the Indians. '' These eastern 
 i Ethiopians," says he, *' differed nothing from 
 
 i be supposed that no variety occurred in it. The Egyptians 
 
 were a civilized people and we should expect to find 
 
 examples of a fair complexion among the better orders at 
 
 least. It is highly probable that such existed, and we even 
 
 have positive testimony for the fact. Diodorus relates that 
 
 ;Typhon was red (irvpfos) and adds that some of the native 
 
 I Egyptians though few, (oX/yovf nvais) were of the same 
 
 jcoraplexion. These were sacrificed to Osiris in ancient 
 
 [times. 
 
 Particular causes in some countries have doubtless re- 
 tarded the evolution of varieties in the human complexion 
 land figure. A permanent degradation of the lower orders, 
 and such circumstances in their condition as tend to approx- 
 imate them to the state of savages, may be supposed to have 
 this power. And we have remarked that certain modi- 
 fications of climate and local situation promote the ap- 
 pearance of varieties, which show themselves more tardily 
 mder a contrary influence. See Diodor. hist. lib. 1. p. 79. 
 
390 
 
 those of Africa in their form, CtJog) but had 
 straight hair instead of woolly hair, and a distinct 
 language." (a) 
 
 Strabo and Arrian have on the credit of 
 Megasthenes compared the Indians to the Ethi- 
 opians. Arrian who has the passage most perfect, 
 says, ^' that the Indians are not altogether unlike 
 that people in their aspect (»7gat)- Those 
 farther to the south are somewhat more like the 
 Ethiopians, and they are black in their com- 
 plexion, and their hair is black, but they are 
 not likewise flat nosed, nor is their hair woolly; 
 but those who live farther northward most re- 
 semble the Egyptians in their persons." (&) 
 
 The Greeks were not competent to this sub- 
 ject, from their very limited acquaintance with 
 the natives of India. 
 
 There is at the present day a great variety in 
 the aspect of the different races in India. Major 
 Orme reckons eighty-four casts,(c) each of which 
 has a physiognomy peculiar to itself. The more 
 civilized tribes are in general more comely in 
 their appearance. The noble order of Brahmans 
 are distinguished throughout the whole extent 
 of their domination, from the southern point of 
 the peninsula, to the most northern provinces 
 of Hindustan, not only by the form of their 
 
 (a) Polymnia. (b) Arrian. Indica. Strabo. lib. 15. 
 
 (c) Orme's Indostan, Introduction. 
 
391 
 
 countenance, but by a complexion considerably 
 fairer than that of the lower casts, (a) Some 
 of the latter approach very near to the character 
 of absolute savages, and are proportionably rude 
 in their persons. In several parts of India the 
 mountaineers resemble Negroes in their coun- 
 tenance, and in some degree in their hair, which 
 is curled and has a tendency to wool. (6) The 
 inhabitants of the hilly districts of Bengal and 
 Bahar particularly, can hardly be distinguished 
 by their features, as we are informed, from the 
 modern Ethiopians, (c) 
 
 It is reasonable to suppose that the barbarous 
 tribes preserve most of the original character of 
 the nation, for the first colonists were in all 
 probability rude people. The better orders in 
 India, as in other countries, have gradually im- 
 jDroved by civilization, and have acquired a 
 different aspect. 
 
 Several authors well acquainted with India, 
 are of opinion that the ancient inhabitants 
 resembled the Africans much more than the 
 moderns. Wilford says, '"it cannot reasonably 
 be doubted, that a race of Negroes formerly had 
 pre-eminence in India/' (rf) 
 
 This appears more probable when we consider 
 
 (a) Lieut. Colin Mackenzie. Asiat. Researches vol. 6. 
 
 (b) Wilford on Egypt &c. Asiat. Res. vol. 3. 
 
 (c) Sir W. Jones on the families of Nations. 
 {d) Wilford. ibid. 
 
392 
 
 the history of the tribes who occupy the Isles to 
 the east of India, who^ as there is every reason 
 to believe emigrated from the continent. We 
 have seen above that the aborigines of them 
 were Negroes, black men with woolly hair and 
 a configuration of the head more or less ap- 
 proaching to that of the natives of Africa. 
 Such precisely at this day are the inhabitants of 
 the Andaman Islands in the bay of Bengal, who 
 are still savages, and probably cannibals. The 
 Papuas of New Guinea and the interior of the 
 Islands of the Indian Ocean, are just the same 
 kind of people, and are all supposed by Dr. 
 Leyden to have emigrated from the interior of 
 Malaya, where they have left remnants of their 
 stock in the black savages of the mountains. 
 
 We have observed above that many peculiar 
 traits of manners connect the insular tribes with 
 the rude races on the continent. 
 
 All these considerations would still afford 
 only probability, but not proof to the opinion 
 that the former Hindus were Negroes, but we 
 have evidence of the fact in the remains of 
 ancient sculpture, of which such magnificent 
 specimens have been found in different parts of 
 India. 
 
 Abundance of learning has been bestowed 
 by antiquarians on the subterraneous temples 
 which have been discovered in different parts 
 
393 
 
 of the east, particularly in Egypt, India and 
 Persia, (a) It is not easy to ascertain the 
 reasons which induced the ancients to fix on 
 caverns for the celebration of their religious 
 rites, or when natural recesses in the sides of 
 mountains or in the depths of the earth were 
 wanting, to expend so much labour as they are 
 found to have bestowed in forming artificial 
 excavations. A great part of their religious 
 duties probably consisted in the performance of 
 secret ceremonies, allied to the mysteries which 
 %vere in later times transplanted into Greece, 
 and became known there to authentic history. 
 But whatever was the purpose or design of these 
 subterraneous temples, the use of them seems 
 to have been very general in the east, and there 
 is even reason to believe that the Pyramids of 
 Egypt, and the ancient Pagodas of India which 
 are of pyramidal form, were constructed in 
 srcat measure on the model of the consecrated 
 caverns above mentioned. 
 
 The subterraneous Pagodas on the islands of 
 Elephanta and Salsette near Bombay, attracted 
 the notice of European travellers at an early 
 period. They were visited by Niebuhr, (&) 
 and Sonnerat, (cj and have since been described 
 by Hunter in the Archeology and by several 
 
 (a) See Maurice's Indian AntiquitieSj &c, 
 
 (b) Dr. C. Buchanan. 
 
^94 
 
 other writers. A later traveller has pronounced 
 them to be a more astonishing production of 
 human labour than the famous pyramids of 
 fegvpt. (c) The caverns at Ellora in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the city of Aurungabad are said to 
 be still more magnificent and extensive. The 
 architecture of these temples points at two eras, 
 probably distant from each other, as the periods 
 of their formation. Those of Elephanta and the 
 most extensive at Ellora resemble the Egyptian 
 method of building, having flat roofs and being 
 destitute of any thing like an arch. They 
 were doubtless constructed before that great im- 
 provement in the art of building had become 
 known. In these the whole Hindu Theocracy 
 is found pourtrayed. In the cave of Elephanta 
 the doctrines of the Smartal Brahmans, which 
 are believed to be the most ancient, appear to 
 have held dominion, for there we see the attri- 
 butes of the three persons of the Triad, united 
 in one figure, which represents the supreme 
 Deity, holding conjoined the characters of Cre- 
 ator, Preserver, and Destroyer. But the caverns 
 of Salsette and some of those at Ellora have the 
 arch and are less rude in their construction. 
 They are evidently more modern than those 
 above mentioned. In some of these the votaries 
 of Buddha are evinced to have been paramount. 
 They have represented their Saint as the chief 
 
 god. 
 
 (c) Moor's Hindu Pantheoe. 
 
395 
 
 No circumstance in the appearance of these 
 caverns has attracted more attention than the 
 striking conformation of body which the innu- 
 merable statues found in them represent. This 
 is very different from the figures and counte- 
 nances of the modern Hindus, and hence a very 
 general opinion has taken its rise, that these ex- 
 cavations have been the work of foreigners, as 
 of Sesostris or some other Egyptian or Ethiopian 
 hero. For the whole structure of the limbs, as 
 well as the shape of the features, and appearance 
 of the hair are said altogether to resemble the 
 Negroes of Guinea. There can be no doubt 
 that the prototypes from which they were de- 
 signed, were either Negroes properly so called, 
 or that they were possessed of physical charac- 
 ters similar to those of the natives of Africa, (a) 
 It is now fully agreed that no foreign worship 
 was ever carried on or designed in these tem- 
 ples, which are occupied by the genuine assem- 
 bly of indigenous Hindu gods. Nor is there any 
 thing in the style of the emblems exhibited that 
 savours of exotic origin. No trace of Egyptian 
 idolatry is found through the whole extent of 
 them. They were the places of worship of the 
 native Indians of early times, and there is no 
 reason to hesitate in concluding, that they truly 
 
 (a) Hunter in Archaeologia toT. 7. 
 
 Dr. Fr. Buchanao. Asiat. Res. toI. 6, 
 
396 
 
 represent the figures and features of the Abori- 
 gines of Hindustan. 
 
 The same conformation of body prevailed in 
 other parts of India. For a similar character is 
 found in the numerous images which have been 
 dug up at Gaya on the Coromandel coast, (a) 
 
 We may venture to conclude from a compa- 
 rison of the facts above stated, as some learned 
 writers well acquainted with India have inferred 
 from various arguments, that it cannot reasonably 
 be doubted that a race of Negroes formerly had 
 power and pre-eminence in India. 
 
 It would be an interesting inquiry, if suffi- 
 cient data should hereafter be acquired, or any 
 similar instances should occur more within the 
 reach of accurate observation, to consider the 
 progress of these probably gradual changes 
 which appear to have softened down the Negro 
 features common in early times to the Egyptian 
 and Indian nations, into the forms which charac- 
 terize them in the present age. In this view it 
 will be a curious circumstance that the outline 
 which is now general in India, had also shewn 
 itself in the Egyptian race. From' whatever 
 
 (a) Sir W. Joneses Essay on the Hindus. 
 
 Subterraneous caverns dedicated to the purposes of reli- 
 gion are found in various parts of India. Those of Ele- 
 phanta and EUora are the most celebrated, but similar ex- 
 cavations are well known in other districts of this extensive 
 region, as at Gwalior near Agra, at Mahabalipura on the 
 Coromandel coast, ^'C. 
 
397 
 
 causes the diversity may have arisen, the nations 
 descended from these ancient people are now 
 very different from each other, and both seem 
 to have deviated considerably from the character 
 which was probably common to their ancestors. 
 
 We have gone through a comparison as full 
 as the nature of the subject seems to require of 
 the Egyptian and Indian nations. We have been 
 I conducted by several distinct and widely sepa- 
 rated paths to the same end. Wherever we di- 
 rect our steps all the phaenomena which present 
 themselves give evidence to the general infe- 
 rence so frequently repeated or hinted at above. 
 The conformity of these two nations is so close 
 that there seems to be only one hypothesis that 
 can adequately account for it. That is the sup- 
 position that the inhabitants of ancient Egypt 
 and of India were separated portions of one 
 kindred stock, and that there probably was a 
 time, when if they were not so united as to be 
 properly called one nation, their connexion was 
 scarcely less absolute. 
 
 If the progeny of the ten tribes of Israel, who 
 were carried into captivity by the Assyrians, 
 should be discovered in some remote region, 
 with all the institutions and manners of their 
 ancestors perfectly preserved, we should by com- 
 paring them with their brethren the Jews, ob- 
 tain a decisive proof of an ancient affinity be- 
 tween the two nations. 
 
398 
 
 I 
 
 We have in the instance of the Indians and 
 Egyptians a demonstration perhaps equally con- 
 vincing of the same kind of relation. 
 
 The only obstacles which present themselves 
 to our adopting this opinion, are the distance 
 which divides the two nations, and the difficulty 
 of reconciling our hypothesis with the accounts 
 given by historians, of the intervening states. 
 We find in the midst of Asia the ancient Assy- 
 rian empire, a monarchy of the greatest an- 
 tiquity according to received accounts, and to- 
 tally disjoined in its history, from the nations 
 we have been comparing. If there were no 
 such impediment in our way, we should have 
 little difficulty in coming to a conclusion. 
 
 In order to arrive at the solution of the pro- 
 blem before us, we shall enter into some inqui- 
 ries, which although they will oblige us to 
 digress from our principal pursuit, are indis- 
 pensable for the attainment of the end we have 
 in view. By comparing all the data we possess 
 concerning the origins and early history of the 
 Egyptians, Indians, and the great central nations 
 of Asia who held the regions intervening be-r 
 tween them, we shall be most likely to obtain 
 a satisfactory conclusion. 
 
 In the first place it is necessary to consider 
 some opinions which have been proposed by 
 learned writers to account for the historical facts 
 above stated, and to show that they are inade- 
 quate and fallacious. 
 
399 
 
 CHAPTER VIIT. 
 
 Tlie same subject continued. — Historical inquiries 
 relating to it, — General conclusions concerning 
 the origin of the most celebrated Nalioris of the 
 East. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Examination of the Historical conjectures propo^ 
 
 sed in order to account for the facts 
 
 above stated. 
 
 THE proofs of common origin between the 
 institutions of Egypt and India are so conspi- 
 cuouSj that few writers have entered on the sub- 
 ject at all without acknowledging them, and 
 various historical conjectures have been pro- 
 posed in order to account for the facts. The 
 most general hypothesis has been, that Egypt 
 was the mother country of all civil and religious 
 learning, and that the growth of mythology was 
 there indigenous, whence by some channel or 
 other it was conveyed into India. The only 
 period in history which affords a possible era 
 for any extensive colonization of the East from 
 Egypt is that of the celebrated expedition of 
 Sesostqs, who is indeed said by Diodorus to have 
 
400 
 
 conquered or invaded India. The story of this 
 hero*s exploits has accordingly been eagerly 
 laid hold of. Sesostris is converted into Sisac ; 
 for which metamorphosis we have no sort of 
 proof. But Sisac proceeded no further eastward 
 than Jerusalem, as far as we are informed con- 
 cerning him. The slight resemblance however 
 of his name to that of Xaca or Sakya affords a 
 pretence for making them the same person. And 
 thus we find that the cruel and haughty tyrant 
 of the Egyptians turns out to be no other than 
 the gentle and benevolent Budd'ha, the ninth 
 Avatar of Vishnu, the purpose of whose mission 
 was to put an end to all destruction of life, and 
 to prohibit men from doing injury even to the 
 meanest reptile. All this is yet nothing in com- 
 parison of the transformations which our hero is 
 condemned to undergo in the plastic hands of 
 these eastern antiquaries ; for we find him at 
 the same instant of time, acting the part of the 
 Chinese Foe, and in the person of the Runic 
 Odin leading the Asi to the verge of Scandi- 
 navia, (a) : ' -^i'^^ -^ ' 
 
 But without considering the evidently fabulous 
 nature of this fiction, and the want of any com- 
 mon character between Sesostris and Budd'ha,(Z>) 
 
 (a) See Sir W. Jones's Anniversary Essays. 
 
 (6) Besides this want of congruity the very slender foun- 
 dation on which the story of the Indian expedition of 
 Sesostris r«stSj is sufficient reason for rejecting the opinion 
 
401 
 
 it is manifest that no person could have been 
 fixed upon, who is less qualified to be the trans- 
 lator of the Egyptian gods to the eastern shores, 
 and the founder of the Hindu theocracy, than 
 the abovementioned person ; for his votaries are 
 and always have been the keenest adversaries of 
 the religion and the persons of the Brahmans, 
 and they have mutually persecuted each other 
 whenever opportunity has occurred. 
 
 A much more probable hypothesis than this, 
 was formed by Kircher,(a) who conjectured that 
 a number of Egyptian priests fled from Africa 
 in the reign of Cambyses son of Cyrus to avoid 
 
 in question. Herodotus who was very curious in investiga- 
 ting the history of this hero, and who relates the rest of his 
 exploits at full length without omitting his passage of th© 
 Danube, says nothing of any conquests in India. He in- 
 deed mentions that Sesostris fitted out a fleet on the Ery- 
 thraean Sea and conquered the tribes on its shores, by which 
 he may have meant some hordes of Arabs and Ethiopians^ 
 
 I but nothing is said either by him or Manetho of any inva- 
 sion of India. Strabo and all the more cautious writers of 
 atitiquity treat the story as an absurd fiction. Moreover 
 it is expressly denied by Megasthenes, who was better ac- 
 quainted with India than any other ancient writer. 
 
 It is very evident that in the accounts given to IModorus 
 
 j by the Egyptians, the story of Sesostris had received great 
 embellishments, which were not found in the earlier rela- 
 
 I tions, and that all the exploits of Osiris had been engrafted 
 upon these. This must be manifest to any person who will 
 take the trouble to compare the histories of the god and of 
 the mortal king as given by Diodorus. 
 («) Kircher's (Edipus j^gyptiacus, 
 
 2C 
 
402 
 
 the persecution which their tribe and their reli- 
 gion suffered from the bigotry of the Persian 
 tyrant, and that they sought an asylum in India 
 and transported into that country the learning 
 and supei-stitions of Egypt. 
 
 Such a migration is rendered improbable by 
 the fact, that the Egyptians had no maritime 
 knowledge, nor any practice of navigation be- 
 fore the period in question. The idea however 
 has been adopted by a very respectable writer 
 of the present time, who has endeavoured to 
 prove, that the Hindu theology was introduced 
 into India at the era above mentioned, where ac- 
 cording to some of our eastern literati, it super- 
 seded the worship of Buddha. These authors 
 regard the latter as the ancient and indigenous 
 superstition of the East. 
 
 It must be observed that this imagined event, 
 if allowed to have happened, is wholly inade- 
 quate to explain the facts imputed to it. A few- 
 fugitive priests flying from persecution could 
 not be supposed capable of communicating to 
 the nations beyond the Indian ocean that exten- 
 sive and wonderful resemblance of political and 
 civil institutions, of moral characters^ and of su- 
 perstitions which we have traced. But as such 
 an hypothesis would invalidate a great part of 
 our reasonings on this subject, and would under- 
 mine the foundation on which we shall attempt 
 to build some important conclusions, it is abso- 
 
403 
 
 lately nec^ssafy^ though the attempt may lead 
 us into irksome details^ to show that there is no 
 historical ground for this conjecture. 
 
 Mr. Chambers in the first volume of the 
 Asiatic Researches gave a description of the 
 ruins of Maha-bali-pura^ or the city of the great 
 Bali, situated on the Coromandel coast kt 2l short 
 distance to the south of Madras, These ruins 
 were at that time little known to Europeans. 
 They have since acquired celebrity from the 
 splendidly poetical description of Mr. Southey. 
 From various appearances in the architecture, 
 which is different from that used now in southetri 
 India, and from some inscriptions which Mr. 
 Chambers thought he perceived to resemble the 
 Balic characters used in Siam^ he seems to infer 
 that the founders of Maha-Bali-pur were con- 
 nected in many respects with the Siamese, and 
 particularly^ that they were worshippers of the 
 Siamese Sommona-Codom which is another name 
 for Buddha. Mr. Chambers also produces au* 
 thorities to prove that the sect of Buddha were 
 formerly prevalent in many parts of the Deccan. 
 
 The latter fact is not to be denied, but it re- 
 ceives no corroboration from the ruins above- 
 mentioned. Mr. Chambers's description was 
 from memory, for he tells us that he made no 
 observations in writing at the time of his visit 
 to the spot. We have however in the fifth 
 volume of the Asiatic Researches^ a supplettient 
 $ C 2 
 
404 
 
 to his account by Mr. Goldinghamj who has 
 made a more recent review of the place, and 
 has copied the inscriptions. It appears from 
 Mr. Goldingham's description, that the ruins are 
 of two different classes ; there are several pa- 
 godas of brick surrounded by a wall of stone, 
 and one other pagcda of stone on the margin of 
 the sea and washed by the waves, which are in 
 no respect different from the usual modes of 
 architecture prevalent in the Deccan. These 
 are said to be described in the Puranas. Besides 
 them however there are many stupendous re- 
 mains of a character quite distinct from any of 
 the modern buildings which are found in the 
 south of India, The site of the city was chiefly 
 around the base of a high rocky hill, which rises 
 suddenly out of the plain, near the sea shore. 
 In the sides of this hill there are several subter- 
 ranean pagodas consisting of extensive excava- 
 tions in the rock. Some of them are supported 
 by rows of columns and a roof of the same style 
 with those found in the caves at Elephanta. In 
 the front of these recesses and opposite the en- 
 trances are several scenes of sculpture cut out 
 in bass-relief in the rock. In one of them are 
 found gigantic figures of Chrishna, Arjun and 
 other heroes of the Mahabharit. In another 
 place Chrishna is represented feeding the flocks 
 of Ananda, surrounded by the gopis or milk- 
 maids. All these excavations were designed for 
 
405 
 
 temples of the Hindu divinities. The lingum 
 and other emblems of their worship are seen in 
 every direction. In one of the caverns, which 
 was dedicated to the adoration of Siva, there is 
 a huge statue of that god with four arms, and in 
 the same temple are images of Brahma, Vishnu 
 and Parvati. The goddess in the character of 
 Durga is defending a human figure from the 
 attack of Yem Rajah, a monster with the head of 
 a buffalo. Among the ornaments of these tem- 
 ples the Sphinx is seen, and a female statue with 
 one breast like the Amazon image at Elephanta. 
 There are representations of several animals, the 
 Elephant, the Monkey and the Lion ; the for- 
 mer are accurately formed ; the latter is ill made, 
 and evidently carved by workmen who had never 
 seen that animal, (a) 
 
 The result of these examinations is, that in all 
 the extent of this prodigious assemblage of ruins, 
 there is nothing which indicates the worship of 
 Buddha, or any other form of religion or man- 
 ners, than what is truly and strictly Brahmanical. 
 The style of workmanship is different from the 
 modern architecture of the south, but is evi- 
 dently allied to that of northern India. And it 
 
 («) Within the memory of the oldest inhabitants thes« 
 ruins were much more extensive than they are at present, 
 for the gilded roofs of several pagodas were discovered at 
 low water at some distance from the shore, which are now 
 no longer visible. 
 
406 
 
 is probable that the history of Maha-bali-pura is 
 closely connected with that of Elephanta, and 
 the other similar productions which afford in 
 various parts of the East rich magnificent proofs 
 of the industry of the ancient inhabitants. If the 
 era of these excavations be the same with that 
 of the subterraneous temples ^t Elephanta^ which 
 there seems to be some reason to believe, we 
 have in the acknowledged antiquity of the for- 
 mer a proof of the very ancient prevalence of 
 the Hindu theology, not only over Hindustan, 
 but even to the country of the Tamulians. 
 
 But though the antiquity of the Baudd'has or 
 followers of Buddha, receives no corroboration 
 from the ruins of Maha-bali-pura, their preva- 
 lence in India in very early times cannot be 
 denied. 
 
 It will be proper to premise that it is abso- 
 lutely certain that the nations of India, who 
 were visited by the Macedonians, and described 
 by Megasthenes and others, were not Baudd'has; 
 for not only the divisions of cast, which were 
 shewn above to be very much the same with 
 those prevalent in Hindustan in the present day, 
 but every other particular of the description 
 given by the Greeks tends to contradict such a 
 ^supposition. It may not be thought quite so 
 evident that the Hindus of Palibothra were not 
 of the Jain sect, who admit the power of the 
 Brahmans and the divisions of cast equally with 
 
407 
 
 the orthodox followers of the Vedas^ though they 
 difTer from them in religious tenets. But Mr. 
 Colebrooke has shewn that in almost every point 
 in which the Jainas are distinguished from the 
 orthodox in their manners and doctrines^ they 
 are also at variance with the Indians of Megas- 
 thenes, who coincide in all these particulars 
 of their rites and philosophy with the followers 
 of the Vedas. («) This is the case with the opi- 
 nions concerning the rotundity of the earthy and 
 its liability to changes effected by the power of 
 the gods, its origin by creation, which are 
 quoted above from Strabo. In all these notions 
 the antient Indians are contradicted by the 
 Jainas, as well as by the Baudd'has, who are both 
 Atheists in their philosophy. Mr. Colebrooke 
 has also proved by the authority of Philostratus, 
 of Solinus, and of Hierocles, as cited by Stepha- 
 nus of Byzantium, that the Brachmanes of the 
 Indians paid adoration and offered up prayers to 
 the sun. '*^ This worship,*' he observes, ^^ has 
 always distinguished the orthodox Hindus fronx 
 the Sectaries whether of Buddha or of Jina, 
 It may therefore be considered as certain that 
 the paramount Hierarchy of India, in the days 
 of the Macedonian invasion, were the orthodox 
 Brahmans, genuine followers of the Vedas or 
 disciples of Vyasa. 
 
 (a) Observations on the sect of Jains, by H. T. Cole- 
 brooke. — Asiatic Researches, vol. 9. 
 
'408 
 
 It has been mentioned above that the ancient 
 writers distinguished the philosophers of India 
 into two classes. One of these was the he- 
 reditary order of Brachmanes or Brahmans. 
 The other consisted of ascetics collected from 
 other cast^ who devoted themselves to study and 
 prayer. These were Sannyasis, and it is not 
 improbable that they were the priests of the 
 Baudd'has. Strabo calls them Germanes and 
 Hylobii, Clemens of Alexandria, Sannancc and 
 Allohii, Porphyry^ Sarmanm. The true name was 
 probably Sarman'as, which is the present desig- 
 nation of the ascetics of the Jain and Baudd'ha 
 sects. Clemens of Alexandria is I believe the 
 first who mentions the Baudd'has by name, 
 calling them followers of Boutta. As the whole 
 passage is curious, though it has been quoted 
 already by LaCroze(«) and by Mr. Colebrooke, 
 it will be to our purpose to repeat it. It is as 
 follows. 
 
 AiTTOV $\ roVTUV TO yiVf^y ol fJt.£V XxpfMOCVOH ocvruvy ol $1 
 
 3^»^QLavxi x^AoujEX£vc( * x.oci Tcov HcKpfxcx^i/ooy ol AXKo^iot 
 7rpo<roc'yopBVo[XByoiy ours TroXetg Oixoucriv, ovts (TTtyocg i^ovtriVy 
 iiy^puiv ^\ dfx^UvyvuTOci cpXoioTgj yccci ccxfio^pva, cirovvraiy xat 
 vJwp rouq ^(fxri' Trivovaiv ' i yx^ovy o\j Troci^oTroi^oiv <ra<nVf 
 fcxTTTfp ol vZv EyytpxrriTon x.cx>x6vfji.£yoi ' eltn ^l rtav h^uv cl 
 roTg BovTTX Tra^o^iyok 7rocpocyyiXfxoc(riy ' ov J"*' v7r£pQo\^9 
 ViixyoTyn'^ £K 6fov TfTijw-iixaa-i. (6) 
 
 (a) La Croze. Histoire du Christlanisme dcs lodes, 
 (6) Clemens Alej^aDdrinus, Stromata. lib. 1, 
 
409 
 
 It is uncertain from the text, as Mr. Cole- 
 brooke observes, whether Clemens meant to 
 describe the AUobufa) as the same persons with 
 the followers of Bourta or not. 
 
 St. Jerom also in his first book against Jovini- 
 anus, mentions them. He says, '' Apud gym- 
 nosophistaslndiae quasi per manus hujiis opinio- 
 nis auctoritas traditiir, quod Buddam principem 
 dn o-matis eorum e latere suo virgo gcneravit.*'(&) 
 
 It appears certain that there was a time when 
 the Baudd'has had very extensive power in 
 India, and prevailed in many parts of it over 
 the disciples of Vyasa. This period was pro- 
 bably subsequent to the Christian era. 
 
 (c) Dr. F. Buchanan among his arguments 
 for the priority of the Baudd'has, lays much 
 dependance on an abstract contained in the 
 Ayin Akberi, from an ancient history of Cash- 
 mire, which was written in Sanscrit, and pre- 
 sented to the Emperor Akber, on his entrance 
 into that country. The original is now in 
 the possession of our Asiatic literati, and it has 
 been shewn by Mr. Colebrooke that the text 
 is so far from supporting Dr. Buchanan's hypo- 
 thesis, that it directly proves the contrary, 
 
 (a) Observations on the sect of Jains by H. T. Cole- 
 brooke, Esq. — Asiatic Researches, vol. 9. 
 
 (b) Hieron. in Jovinianum. 
 
 (c) Dr. F. Buchanan on the Literature of the Brahmans, 
 ♦—Asiatic Researches, toI. 5. 
 
410 
 
 The history gives an account of an inundation 
 which covered Cashmire, after the recession of 
 which Casyapa brought the Brahmans to inhabit 
 the land. By this remark the author or abridger 
 of the work probably meant not that the sacred 
 cast were introduced alone^ but that the pro- 
 perty of the soil was given theni;, and that they 
 held it to be cultivated by their dependants. 
 In this sense the story is a counterpart of the 
 relation which the Brahmans of Malabar and 
 Tulava give of the emerging of those coun- 
 tries from the sea^ and of their receiving them 
 as a gift from Parasu Rama. But Dr. Buchanan, 
 contrary to all probability insists that the tribes 
 of barbarians called by Pliny Brachmanni are 
 here designated by the name of Brahmans, 
 and that the sacred order are not intended. 
 However the chief point on account of which 
 this work was cited, is the statement that one of 
 these princes called Rajah Jenneh in the Ayin 
 Akberi established in his dominions the rights 
 of the Brahmans^ that his successor Jelowk tole- 
 rated the doctrine of Bowdh, and that it was not 
 till the reign of Nerkh the 59th prince/ that the 
 religion of the Vedas completely prevailed. 
 Now in the original it is simply affirmed as Mr. 
 Colebrooke informs us, that '' Asoca the father 
 of Jaloca was a devout worshipper of Siva ; " 
 the meaning of which assertion has evidently 
 b^en perverted. Jaloca himself is expressly 
 
411 
 
 mentioned, as '' a conqueror of Mlec'has or 
 barbarians ; " in which name all people without 
 cast are included. But after four reigns of his 
 successors, the religion of Buddha was intro- 
 duced by a new dynasty, who wrested the em- 
 pire from the former race. After 100 years the 
 orthodox faith of the Brahmans was re-estab- 
 lished. 
 
 This relation clearly states the facts which we 
 have mentioned above as probable. If the 
 abstract in the Ayin Akberi be correct in the 
 number of kings, the introduction of Buddhism 
 took place in the reign of the 50th monarch 
 of Cashmire. The whole number is stated 
 to be one hundred and sixty; so that 110 
 princes had reigned from the epoch in question 
 to the conquest by Akber, which was Anno 
 Dom. 1312. Allowing 10 years for each reign, 
 which is the computation adopted by Dr. 
 Buchanan, being the average deduced from the 
 period assigned to the last 52 princes, we shall 
 find the introduction of the worship of Buddha 
 about the year 240 of the Christian era. 
 
 We may probably hereafter derive more in- 
 formation from this history of Cashmire, but we 
 cannot expect from such imperfect data as those 
 which have hitherto been obtained, to fix with 
 any certainty the period of the event alluded to. 
 
 The department of chronology in eastern 
 literature is greatly defective. It abounds with 
 
41f 
 
 fable and contradictions. We hare howevet 
 teason to Hope that much light will be thrown 
 on this interesting subject, when the knowledge 
 to be derived from the extensive and valuable 
 collection of manuscripts and inscriptions which 
 has been made by Lieut.-Colonel Mackenzie, 
 shall be given to the world. It will then per- 
 haps be ascertained at what periods the different 
 sects, which have left their relics in the penin- 
 sula of India, had their respective prevalence, 
 and the epochs of the dynasties under whicfi 
 they flourished, may be more clearly fixed. 
 
 The history of India from its own nature is an 
 extremely complex subject. In that country 
 perhaps more than in any other in the world, 
 the instability of the half civilized state has 
 heen experienced. '' At periods long ante- 
 cedent to the Mahometan invasion/* says Mr. 
 Wilks, '* wars, revolutions, and conquests seem 
 to have followed each other in a succession more 
 strangely complex, rapid and destructive, as 
 events more deeply recede into the gloom of i 
 antiquity.** (a) 
 
 Amidst the frequent revolutions in Southern 
 India, which seldom permitted the same family 
 to retain any exalted sovereignty during many 
 generations, three principal dynasties are men^ 
 tioned by the historians of that country, as hav- 
 ing possessed an extensive and comparatively 
 
 («) Wilks's History of the Mysore. 
 
413 
 
 permanent dominion. The last of these is the 
 house of Vijaya-nagara, the period of whose 
 dominion may be considered as coming within 
 the range of authentic history. The foundation 
 of their empire is dated A.D. 1343. This family 
 were worshippers of Siva. ' In earlier times the 
 J5elall princes reigned over the central and w^est- 
 crn divisions of the Deccan, Dr. F. Buchanan, 
 in the course of his researches, has collected 
 some important facts concerning the history of 
 this race. He has given us an historical table 
 of the succession of monarchs, compiled from 
 ancient Sanscrit authorities by Ramuppa Var- 
 mika, a learned Brahman, whose family have 
 held the office of Shanaboga or hereditary ac- 
 countant, in the Barcuru district in the west of 
 the Peninsula, ever since the reign of the Belall 
 dynasty, (a) In this table the accession of the 
 Belallas to the supreme power in Karnata is 
 fixed A.D. 685. Their descendants began to reign 
 over a portion of their conquests till the rise 
 of Vijaya-nagara, although the period of their 
 most extensive dominion is said by Varmika to 
 have been only 209 years. This Brahman was 
 not always very correct in his dates, but in the 
 present instance, as Dr. Buchanan observes, 
 there is reason to believe him accurate. Among 
 other proofs two inscriptions at Sudha-pura, or 
 
 {a) Dr. F. Buchanan's Journey througb" Mysore, 
 Caaara, and Malabar. 
 
414 
 
 Soonda, fix the epoch of the dominion oF this 
 house. One of them is inscribed to Imody 
 Sedasiva Raya^ a Belall prince, and dated in the 
 year of Salivahana which corresponds to A.D. 
 800. The other, dated 805, in the reign of 
 Chamunda Raya, who was also of the Belall 
 family, mentions the victories obtained by his 
 ancestors Sedasiva andBelalla, over theBauddhas. 
 
 It would appear hence that the followers of 
 Buddha were prevalent in the Peninsula in the 
 early part«of the Belall period, and these here- 
 tics were probably nearly extirpated by the 
 princes of that house, who were themselves wor- 
 shippers of Jina, or of the sect called Jains. 
 The doctrines of these last continued to hold the 
 ascendancy till the time of the famous advocate 
 of the orthodox faith, Rama Anuja Acharya, who 
 flourished in the 11th century. 
 
 At a period long antecedent to the reigns of 
 the Belall Rajas, the Cadumba dynasty possessed 
 a still more extensive sway in the South of India. 
 Their capital was at Banawasi, and its dominion 
 extended down to the eastern coast, including 
 Maha-baii-pura. (a) Mr. Wilks remarks that 
 this empire had probably been subverted before 
 the second century of the Christian era, for 
 Ptolemy, who inserts Banawasi in its proper 
 place relatively to the Coast of Canara, does not 
 distinguish it as a capital, though he has gene- 
 
 (a) Wilks's History of the Mysore. 
 
415 
 
 rally pointed out the seats of royal power. It 
 is ascertained by an inscription found at Bella- 
 gami, that Trinetra Cadumba reigned in the 
 year Sal. 90, or A.D. 16|. An inscription at 
 Gaukarna, as it is understood by Dr. Buchanan, 
 fixes the reign of Cadumba Chicraverti in the 
 year of the Kali yug. 3120, or 149 years before 
 the last mentioned inscription. Dr. Buchanan 
 is persuaded that this is the true period of the 
 dynasty, which may therefore be considered 
 as coeval with the Christian era. 
 
 Connected with the inscription to Cadumba 
 at Gaukarna is an image of the god Sankara 
 Narayana, which combines in one personage the 
 attributes of Vishnu and Siva. It evinces as 
 Dr. Buchanan observes the antiquity of the 
 doctrines of the Smartal Brahmans, who held 
 that Brahma, Vishnu and Siva all represent one 
 being, assuming different persons or characters. 
 It appears to prove clearly that the Cadumbas 
 were votaries of this faith. And this opinion 
 receives additional confirmation from the fact, 
 that all the Jain and Brahman histories of Tulava 
 uniformly agree in assertin<j that the Brahmans 
 were first introduced into that country, by 
 Myuru-Varma, an illustrious prince of the Ca- 
 dumba family and predecessor of Trinetra Ca- 
 dumba. It is stated that he brought a branch of 
 ' the sacred order from Ahichaytra in Telingana 
 into the country below the Ghats. 
 
416 
 
 It therefore appears highly probable that the 
 orthodox Hindu faith prevailed through the 
 empire of the Cadumba monarchs, and perhaps 
 generally through the peninsula, about the 
 time of the Christian era. The Bauddhas seem 
 to have gained the ascendancy subsequently to 
 them, but previously to the extension of the 
 Belall power, which began in the seventh century. 
 
 The history of Ceylon, as far as we can obtain 
 insight into it, tends to confirm the principal of 
 the foregoing conclusions. In former times 
 this island appears to have been much more 
 connected with the continent adjacent, than it 
 has been during some centuries. Ravana the 
 king of Lanka or Ceylon is said to have had 
 extensive possessions in the peninsula. Tri- 
 chinopoly is supposed to have been a station of 
 one of his garrisons on the eastern side, and on 
 the western coast his dominions extended as 
 far northward as Haiga. (a) The north of Cey- 
 lon from Chilaw to Batacolo is inhabited by the 
 Tamul people, for the Tamulian and Malabar 
 language is spoken through that portion of the 
 island, which is more than half its extent. Such 
 is the information given us by the Dutch writers, 
 who add that the Cingalese to the south and the 
 Candians speak a language which is supposed 
 to be derived from Siam. (b) It would perhaps 
 
 (a) Dr. F. Buchanan's journey &c. 
 {b) Lieut. Colin Mackenzie. 
 
417 
 
 be impossible to ascertain the era of the in- 
 troduction of Buddhism into Ceylon. But it is 
 probable from the connexion which subsisted 
 between the continent and the adjacent island^ 
 that its extension through both was nearly co- 
 eval, and that it was communicated from one to 
 the other. There seems at least to be little doubt 
 that the religion of the Brahmans prevailed in 
 Ceylon long before the rites of Buddha were 
 known there. 
 
 The isle of Ramiswara is now the utmost 
 boundary of the Hindu pilgrimage to the south- 
 ward, which only became so terminated since 
 the introduction of a foreign religion and nation 
 into Lanka-dwipa abbreviated its course, and 
 prevented the access of pious devotees to the 
 fane of Maha-deva at Divindr. At the last 
 mentioned place, which is on the southern ex- 
 tremity of Ceylon, there are very extensive 
 remains of ancient buildings resembling the 
 temples of the Carnatic. Lieut. Colin Mackenzie 
 I has given us a description of these ruins, which 
 are very certainly the relics of a magnificent 
 temple of Siva. Here therefore the rites of the 
 Brahmans were formerly prevalent. 
 
 It is added in confirmation that many of the 
 ^ames of places throughout the island are mani-^ 
 festly Hindu, and therefore afford a proof that 
 the Hindus were formerly possessors of the 
 country. 
 
 2D 
 
418 
 
 Havana the king of Lanka in poetical agcsi 
 although a monarch of Racshacas or Devils was 
 a pious Hindu, and four pagodas in Haiga dedi- 
 cated to Siva are said to have been erected 
 by him. 
 
 There is sufficient reason for believing that 
 the priesthood are of Siamese extraction. The 
 Cingalese histories relate that a colony came 
 to Ceylon by sea from the eastward and in tra- 
 duced the rites of Buddha, (a) 
 
 The style of the paintings in. the Cingalese 
 temples, the costume and manners of the priests, 
 and all the furniture of the buildings are alto- 
 gether different from any thing found in the 
 western peninsula and strongly resemble the 
 Siamese. The priests are always clothed in the 
 yellow dre^s which distinguishes the Talapoins. 
 
 The features of the Cingalese, as well as those 
 of the images of their gods are like the Siamese, 
 and very different from the Tamulians. The 
 colossal statue of the Coutta Rajah, which has 
 attracted the notice of travellers is strongly of the 
 Cingalese character. It has a full round visage, 
 long eyes, round and long nose, and no beard. 
 
 (a) The termination of Godama or Buddha's mortal life 
 is fixed by them in the year 542 before Christ, and the 
 Siamese epoch is within two years of this. It is evident that 
 this agreement could not be the effect of accident, elsewhere, 
 the Baudd' has assigned very different periods to their hero. 
 We do not quote these dates for the purpose of fixing ihst 
 chronology, but only to prove the connexion of the Cia- 
 galesQ and Siamese. 
 
419 
 
 We therefore have reason to believe that the 
 religion of the Brahmans had been established 
 in Ceylon before the rites of Buddha were 
 introduced into that island, and that the last 
 were conveyed thither by a colony from the 
 eastern peninsula, probably from Siam. . 
 
 It seems on the whole to be sufficiently evi« 
 dent, that the sect of Buddha formerly pre- 
 vailed very extensively through western India, 
 and that the period of its general prevalence 
 was in the early part of the Christian era. 
 Moreover in most of the countries v^here its 
 dominion was extended, undoubted proofs are 
 discovered of the prior existence of the orthodox 
 Hindu faith, and we may consider it as certain, 
 that the system of the Brahmans was the ancient 
 and primeval establishment through India. 
 
 It was necessary for our argument, to. go 
 through the above detail, in order to shew the 
 falsehood of the hypothesis, supported by some 
 of our modern literati, which supposes the re- 
 ligion of Buddha to be more ancient in India 
 than that of the Brahmans, and attributes the 
 introduction of the latter together with all the 
 civil and political institutions of the Hierarchy 
 to an emigration of Egyptian priests in the time 
 of Cambyses, or at some other era. 
 
 The antiquity of the Brahmanical system in 
 iQdia receives additional proof and illustration, 
 2D 2 
 
420 
 
 from a comparison with that of the Magi, the 
 ancient priesthood of Persia. 
 
 Mr. Colebrooke is of opinion that the most 
 ancient division of the Hindus, are the followers 
 of the practical Vedas. The observers of the 
 Vedantis or metaphysical doctrines of the Vedas 
 are of much later origin. The tenets of the 
 former coincide in all principal points with 
 those of the Magi. The adoration of the sun 
 and the element of fire, as symbols of the 
 divine and invisible power was common to both, 
 together with the belief of more or fewer sub- 
 ordinate agents both good and evil. They held 
 also the immortality of the soul and the ex- 
 istence of a moral law, the observance of which 
 was supposed to produce happiness, and the 
 neglect of it misery. And prayers and sacri- 
 fices were considered as agreeable to the gods, 
 and a part of the duty of men. (a) 
 
 {a) Mr. Colebrooke has observed that eyen if it should 
 appear that Buddhism preceded the introductiou of the 
 religion of the Brahmans into some parts of the peninsula, 
 this would be no proof of the prior origin of the former 
 system. For as Hindustan was the cradle of both these 
 mythologies^, they are to be considered as exotic in the 
 peninsula. The priests of Buddha have ever been active in 
 extending their tenets into foreign regionsj which is contrary 
 to the practice of the Brahmans, and therefore the progres* 
 of the latter was more gradual. 
 
 We have also intrinsic evidence of the priority of the 
 Brahman worship, to the adoration of Buddha. The IJinda 
 gods as existing in the fables of the Baudd'has, preserve 
 
421 
 
 The language of the Magi was a sister dialect 
 ©f the Sanscrit. 
 We have therefore every reason to believe 
 
 many titles and symbols of dignity, which cannot be ac- 
 counted for but by supposing that they have been degraded 
 into a subordinate station, by the advancement of the Saint. 
 The same thing appears to have happened also in the case 
 of the Jainas, who have retained many of the gods of th* 
 orthodox, in an inferior capacity. For this change a foun- 
 dation seems to be laid, in the nature of the Hindu Ontology. 
 
 Buddha is represented as born of parents, who were well 
 known in the Mythology of Hindustan. His incarnation 
 is an idea borrowed from the same source. From the 
 traditions current in Siam concerning the last Buddha, and 
 from a purana containing a history of his life iu Sanscrit, 
 which was obtained by Major Knox during his mission in 
 Nepal, Mr. Colebrooke ventures to affirm " that the story 
 of Gautama Buddha has been engrafted on the heroic history 
 of the lunar and solar races, received by the orthodox 
 Hindus. An evident sign that his sect is subsequent to that 
 in which this fabulous history is original." (Asiat. Re- 
 searches V. 9.) 
 
 A similar inference is drawn from the appearances in the 
 subterraneous temples found in different parts of India. 
 In all the more ancient sculptures in these recesses Buddha 
 is pourtrayed in company with, and as forming an individual 
 in the group of Hindu gods. Of this description are the 
 caves at Elcphanta and the flat roofed cavern at Elora. In 
 the more modern sculptures found in the arched caves, 
 Buddha is the sole deity. (Moor's Hindu Pantheon.) 
 
 Moreovtr in all the countries to the north of India m 
 which Buddhism prevails, as Tibet, Assam, China, &c. the 
 Maha Aluni is worshipped in company with Durga, Kali, 
 Gaiiesa, Cartikcya, &c. It is therefore absurd to suppose 
 that the rites of these gods belong to a separate and exotic 
 system. 
 
422 
 
 these two Hierarchies to be coeval, and it will 
 clearly follow, that we must refer the establish- 
 ment of both to the most remote ages of anti- 
 quity. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to add that the intro- 
 duction of the political and religious institutions 
 which w^e have been considering as the primeval 
 possessions of the Hindus, cannot be attributed 
 to any communication which may be imagined 
 to have subsisted between that nation and the 
 Egyptians in early times. The intercourse of 
 traffic or commerce, is wholly inadequate to 
 explain such effects. And indeed it has been 
 sufficiently proved, that the Egyptians never 
 possessed the science or applied themselves to 
 the practice of navigation. («) 
 
 (a) The only Tessels which navigated the Mediterrancaa 
 in early times were those of the Phoenicians and Greeks, 
 But if the Egyptians never appeared on the Mediterrancaa 
 it is highly improbable that they had any extensive com- 
 merce on the Indian Ocean. We hear of Phoenicians only 
 as carr)'ing on trade in the Arabian gulph. Phoenician 
 mariners navigated the Red Sea for Solomon, and the 
 Egyptian monarch Nechus employed people of the same 
 nation in the celebrated voyage round the Cape of Good 
 Hope. These facts clearly evince that the Egyptians were 
 not navigators, for otherwise they would not have suffered 
 strangers to interfere with their commerce in their own seas. 
 Much less would an Egyptian monarch have chosen them 
 in preference to his own subjects for the expedition above 
 mentioned. 
 
 Besides no considerable trade could be carried on from 
 Africa to India without the knowledge of the Monsoon, 
 
423 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 \VE have thus as briefly as the subject would 
 admits considered the various conjectures pro- 
 posed in order to explain the facts formerly 
 •remarked. They all appear to be without any 
 solid foundation, and though they were es- 
 tablished on real proof, the causes assigned are 
 altogether inadequate to account for the effects 
 which have been attributed to them. 
 
 The order of our subject now directs us to, 
 the state in which the nations in question and 
 
 anil it is certain that the Monsoon was not known until the 
 reign of Claudius the Roman emperor, at which time it was 
 discovered by Hippalus, who considering the position of 
 the coasts with which he had -become acquainted in the 
 coasting trade, and having observed the regularity of the 
 winds, ventured to trust himself to their guidance across the 
 Indian Ocean. Pliny says that this navigation was only 
 beginning to be known in his time. He mentions Hippalus 
 of whom a distinct account is given by the author of 
 Pcriplus. It is probable that the Egyptians in the time of 
 the Ptolemies purchased the commodities of India in the 
 Arabian ports, and that whatever traffic subsisted in remote 
 times in the Indian Sea was carried on by Arabian, traders. 
 See Dr. Vincent on the Voyage of Nearchus^ 
 
 Bruce speaks wholly from conjecture on this subject. 
 That the eastern traffic ^\'as carried on by means of caravans" 
 in the time of the Patriarchs Jacob and Joseph appears from 
 Genesis, and it probably continued in the same channel. 
 
424 
 
 the intervening people appear to us in the most 
 remote ages. 
 
 Of the Antiquity of the Egyptians. 
 No nation seems to possess such fair preten- 
 sions to records of remote antiquity as the 
 Egyptians. Two of the principal writers of 
 classical times made it their particular task to 
 compile the history of Egypt, and they com- 
 pleted their design, not by amassing the relations 
 and idle fictions current among their own people, 
 but by going in person to the country and making 
 themselves acquainted with its genuine history, 
 either by conversation with the learned among 
 the natives, or by the study of their original 
 records. Besides the works of these authors, a 
 series of the monarchs of Thebes was written 
 according to the order of Ptolemy Philopator 
 by Eratosthenes a learned Greek of Cyrene, 
 who was appointed keeper of the Alexandrian 
 library. His work was an extract from the 
 sacred records of Thebes. But the famous his- 
 tory of Manetho was much more ample than 
 any of the above ; and if we had received it 
 entire would probably have left little to be 
 desired. The last writer was an Egyptian chief 
 priest, and skilled in all the learning of his 
 native country. He was chosen as a man of 
 eminent intelligence and credit by Ptolemy Phi- 
 ladelphus, to form an abstract from the sacred 
 
425 
 
 registei*s, which had been kept by the priests in 
 the Egyptian temples. These were translated 
 by him into Greek and deposited in the library 
 at Alexandria. But though so much care has 
 been bestowed with such eminent advantages 
 on the elucidation and conservation of the 
 Egyptian antiquities, we are yet wandering in 
 error and uncertainty concerning them. The 
 Greek historians whose works alone remain to 
 our times, do not appear to have understood 
 the system of the Egyptian chronological records. 
 They have given us only a few names of the 
 early Egyptian kings, and we have nothing like 
 a connected series from these writers, till after 
 the reign of Sesostris, which leaves an immense 
 chasm in the early period of the monarchy. 
 Even in the latter part of the series there are 
 many imperfections. The writings of Manetho 
 and Erastosthenes have perished, and nothing of 
 them remains to us, except some abstracts by 
 later historians, and these are so imperfect that 
 although many learned chronologers have la- 
 boured to illustrate them, no very perspicuous 
 result has been obtained. We have not even 
 an opportunity of comparing the two writers 
 together, for only the former part of the cata- 
 logue of Theban kings given by Erastosthenes 
 has reached our times, and the compilation of 
 Manetho is altogether defective in that part of 
 
426 
 
 the history. The monarchy of Memphis was 
 the principal object of his attention. 
 
 After BO many professed antiquarians have 
 failed of deducing any clear arrangements from 
 the mutilated Egyptian annals, we may incur 
 the imputation of temerity in attempting to 
 make any use of them for our present purpose. 
 But though they disappoint the design of chro- 
 nologers and afford no means of fixing with 
 exact precision the different epochs of dynasties 
 and successive reigns, they may furnish some 
 conclusions very useful in the general views of 
 history, which we are aiming to attain. They 
 will enable us to fix with a high degree of 
 probability the era of the Egyptian monarchy 
 within a century or two^ which is near enough 
 our object. 
 
 The fragment of Manetho which Josephus has 
 left us in his letter to Apion bears every ap- 
 pearance of being a genuine piece of history, 
 and gives much reason to regret the imperfect 
 state in w^hich we find all the other remains of 
 that respectable author. For in the catalogues 
 extracted by Eusebius and Africanus there is 
 even cause for suspecting interpolation, and 
 abundant proof that they have been much mu- 
 tilated. But errors flowing from such sources 
 have been very falsely charged on the Egyptian 
 historian, whose credit with all antiquity de- 
 servedly stood very high. Indeed if we con- 
 
427 
 
 template the abstract of his history in that point 
 of view in which Sir John Marsham and his 
 followers have very clearly shown that it ought 
 to be considered, there is nothing in it which 
 does not agree with probability and with the 
 scriptural chronology, (a) The duration of the 
 '.successive reigns is in general very moderate 
 and does not far exceed the real average ; which 
 is more than can be said of a great portion of 
 the classical records of Greece. 
 
 Manetho gives us the history of Sesostris, 
 whom he calls Sethosis and Ramesses, but he is 
 much less extravagant in his account of the 
 exploits of that hero than either Herodotus or 
 Diodorus, for he makes no mention of any 
 expedition to Europe or to India, but only says 
 that Sethosis was successful in war against Cyprus, 
 Phoenice, the Assyrians and Medes, and con- 
 quered cities and countries in the east of Asia.(&) 
 This prince was as our Author assures us the 
 ^Egyptus of the Greeks, and his brother Armais 
 the Danaus who led a colony to Peloponnesus. 
 
 (a) I mean with that of the Septuagint, for the shorter 
 Hebrew computation is totally irreconcilable with many 
 parts of history, and has been clearly proved by a living 
 chronologer of great learning to be erroneous from internal 
 evidence. 
 
 {b) Under the name of Asia the Greeks seem not to have 
 included India. The words of the text indicate that Sesostris 
 went to the countries lying eastward of Assyria, probably to 
 Persia. 
 
428 
 
 From this remark we are enabled to fix the 
 era ofwSesostris at a few generations and perhapg 
 at about two hundred years before the Trojan 
 war. (a) 
 
 Manetho reckons eighteen years between Se- 
 ibosis and the exit of the Shepherds from Egypt* 
 The dynasty of Shepherds (6) consists of six 
 
 (a) The Greeks reckon Danaus the ninth geiieration froia 
 Hercules, and therefore the tenth from the Trojan war- 
 Three of these were female successions, which must be con- 
 siderably shorter than male. Therefore we might on this 
 calculation place Sesostris two hundred and fifty year* 
 1)cfore the Trojan war, allowing twenty-fire years for each 
 generation. (See Apollodorus. lib. 2.) 
 
 Manetho gives the names of five successors of Sethosis^ 
 the last of whom was Thuoris the Polybus of Homer, who 
 lived at the time of the Trojan war. The time assigned for 
 this succession including the reign of Sethosis is two hundred 
 and nine years. 
 
 Herodotus says that Sesostris was succeeded by his son 
 and the latter by a Memphite citizen. But Diodorus whoso 
 account agrees in general <fith that of Herodotus, but is 
 more in detail, says that an interregnum intervened before 
 the accession of the latter, which is probable, for the sceptre 
 would scarcely devolve without an anarchy interposed from 
 the son of Sesostris to a private individual. But besides 
 this, Diodorus mentions nine generations and says that there 
 were several others between Sesostris and the Memphite, 
 The Memphite was Proteus contemporary with the Trojan 
 war. This account would throw the date of our horo 
 further back, but I think we may conclude from the com- 
 parison of the genealogies above that Sesostris lived between 
 two and three hundred years before the epoch alluded to. 
 
 (6) The occupation of Egypt by the Shepherds, though a 
 singular event is well established by historical records. 
 Herodotus does not mention it. He passes over indeed all 
 
429 
 
 monarchs. The average length of reigns com- 
 puted by Dr. Hales from an extensive com- 
 parison of successions is SSj years, which gives 
 an interval of 536 years between the arrival of the 
 Shepherds in Egypt and the accession of Sesostris. 
 
 Thus the period of the former event is tole- 
 rably well fixed, as far as we can rely on the 
 testimony of Manetho, at about 750 before the 
 Trojan war. 
 
 Fourteen dynasties of princes are given by 
 Eusebius and Africanus from Manetho who are 
 said to have reigned in Egypt before the invasion 
 of the Shepherds. Five of these were suc- 
 cessions of kings who reigned at Memphis. The 
 other nine dynasties ruled over different parts 
 of Egypt, which was divided into several king- 
 doms, as those of Memphis, Diospolis, Thinis 
 and Elephantine. 
 
 The dynasties of Memphites are as follows. 
 The 1st dynasty of Memphites 
 
 consisted of 9 kings. 
 The 2d .../..... of 8 
 
 The 3d . . of (5 
 
 The 4th held the kingdom not one year. 
 The 5th • . of 5 
 
 28 
 
 the early part of Egyptian history. But he confirms the 
 story of the shepherd kings, by mentioning a traditioa 
 current among the Egyptians, that the pyrajDids were built 
 by Philitis a shepherd^ P©isibly this was -Saktis the first 
 prince of the dynasty. 
 
430 
 
 Twenty-eight reigns would according to the 
 average of Dr. Hales occupy 625 years. Thus 
 we find the foundation of the Memphite king- 
 dom removed 1161 years from the age of Sesos- 
 tris or 1361 before the Trojan war. 
 
 If the remaining dynasties are computed in 
 the same manner, the other kingdoms are found 
 to commence at a period not very distant from 
 the era of Memphis. 
 
 It thus appears that if we can rely at all on 
 the most authentic documents which relate to 
 the early Egyptian chronology, the Memphite 
 monarchy had lasted from thirteen to fourteen 
 centuries before the Trojan war, and therefore 
 if we receive the common date of the latte;r 
 event, we must suppose the Egyptian nation to 
 have existed about twenty-five centuries before 
 the Christian era, which will agree very well 
 with the chronology of the Septuagint. But if 
 we adopt the reduced epoch of Sir Isaac Newton 
 who places the destruction of Troy in the year 
 964 B. C, we must substract two centuries from 
 the supposed duration of this monarchy. 
 
 There are many reasons which induce a belief 
 that this calculation of the antiquity of Egypt 
 is not over-rated. 
 
 The sciences of geometry and astronomy are 
 known to be of great antiq.uity in Egypt. Indeed 
 the local circumstances of that country must 
 have directed the attention of its inhabitants at 
 
431 
 
 a very early period to the revolution of the 
 seasons and to the motions of the stars as 
 denoting their progress. Many proofs have 
 been recorded of the accuracy of the early 
 Egyptian astronomers. The heliacal risings 
 and settings of the stars were marked by them 
 for every day in the year, («) and some of the 
 most curious of these observatioi^s have been 
 transmitted to us. These may be considered 
 as authentic vouchers of the advancement of the 
 sciences in this country and serve as far more 
 faithful documents than the frequently confused 
 narrations of historical events. 
 
 The theory of the dog star was particularly 
 studied by the Egyptians as connected with 
 their rural year. An observation of the heliacal 
 rising of Sirius has been preserved by Ptolemy 
 which proves that we have not demanded for 
 this people too high a period of antiquity. 
 The observation is recorded to have been made 
 
 («) There is nothing more curious in the Egyptian an- 
 tiquities than the account given by Diodorus of the mag- 
 nificent sepulchre of Osymandes, which he copied, as it 
 seems, from the description of Hecafaeus who wrote an 
 Egyptian history about 300 years B. C. In this sepulchre 
 there was a golden circle or zodiac a cubit broad and 365 
 cubits in circumference divided into as many compartments, 
 representing the days of the year. In each division were 
 marked the heliacal risings and settings of the stars. Se« 
 Diodor. lib. 1. p. 44. — Jackson's chronological antiquities* 
 ¥©l. 2. page 396. 
 
432 
 
 on the fourth day after the summer solstice, and 
 it is calculated that it must have been in the 
 year 2250. B. C. (a) 
 
 Moreover the scriptural accounts will not 
 suffer us to subtract much from the era assigned 
 for the origin of this nation. Abraham visited 
 Egypt according to the chronology of the 70 
 about 2000 years before Christ. He found there 
 an established monarchy with all the forms of 
 civil government. The king had at that tirfie 
 the name of Pharaoh, whence it would appear 
 that the same political system then existed, 
 with which we become better acquainted at a 
 subsequent period. But we gain more infor- 
 mation from the account of the descent of the 
 Israelites into Egypt three generations after- 
 wards, and from the histories of Joseph and 
 Moses. The author of the Divine legation has 
 given us a careful analysis of all the circum- 
 stances mentioned in these narrations compared 
 with the more ample details of the Greek 
 writers, whence he obtains the important in- 
 ference that the institutions of Egypt, civil and 
 religious, as well as the general character of 
 arts and society in that kingdom were in a vQry 
 similar state in the age of the patriarchs to that 
 in which Herodotus and the later Greek historians 
 found them, {b) 
 
 (a) Petavii Uranologion. 
 
 (6) Warburton's Divme Legation of Moses. Book 4tL 
 
433 
 
 SECTION III. 
 Oftlis Antiquity of the Indians, 
 
 NO nation on earth appears to have made 
 such extravagant pretensions to antiquity as the 
 Hindus. The prodigious spaces of time which 
 they assign to the epochs of their history not 
 only exceed all the possible bounds of belief, 
 but are so vast, that the mind is scarcely able 
 to comprehend them. 
 
 It is certain that these immense eras were in 
 their original design a sort of astronomical 
 cycles or periods. The astronomers of Hin- 
 dustan invented them in order to facilitate their 
 computations of the planetary motions, (a) with- 
 
 (ff) They fix on certain epochs at v*'hich the moon and 
 planets with the nodes and apsides of their orbits are 
 assumed to fall in a line of mean conjunction with the sun 
 in the beginning of Aries. From this supposed position 
 they deduce the mean annual motions such as will give the 
 positions of the planets in the astronomers time. It is 
 evident that the further back the epoch be assumed, the 
 less will the mean annual motions deduced differ from the 
 real. This is the intention of the immense eras of the 
 Hindus, 
 
 This scheme according to Bentley was first introduced: 
 by Brahma Gupta an astronomer who flourished about 
 A.D. 527. He made the Calpa or grand anomalistic period 
 to consist of 4320000000 years. This he divided inte 
 
 2E 
 
434 
 
 out any reference whatever to real history. It 
 would appear however that for the sake of 
 distinction they afterwards adopted as names 
 for their imaginary eras certain more ancient 
 designations, which had belonged to the periods 
 or ages of the poetical history of the Hindus 
 corresponding with the four fabulous ages of 
 the Greeks. These were the Satya, Treta, 
 Dwapar and Cali Yugs, which coincide with 
 the golden, silver, brazen and iron ages. This 
 double application of names became afterwards 
 the prolific source of abundant extravagance 
 and absurdity, for later writers either fron> 
 ignorance or fondness for the wonderful, con- 
 founded the astronomical eras with the historica 
 ages, and adopted into their civil history th( 
 imaginary periods of the astronomers. Sucl 
 at least is the solution given by the most in- 
 telligent and acute investigator who has under 
 taken the intricate subject of Hindu chronologji^ 
 The author alluded to has endeavoured ti 
 extricate the genuine history of the Hindu 
 from the absurdity with which the ignorance o 
 
 Yugs named as in the older chronological systems, but c 
 prodigiously greater extent. When the events, reigns, &< 
 which occupied the short periods of the old historicJi 
 system were transferred to the ncM', the most monstroi 
 Absurdities were produced. See Bentley on the antiquity 
 of theSurya Sid-dhanta. Asiatic Researches, vol. 6, and th 
 fame author on the Hindu systems of Astronomy, vol. 8. 
 
435 
 
 the modern Brahmans has overspread it. He 
 has proved with arguments which have every 
 appearance of validity that^ before the confusion 
 introduced by the adoption of the immense 
 eras above mentioned, the Hindus had two chro- 
 nological systems perfectly agreeing with each 
 other and with the usual course of nature. He 
 has demonstrated that this authentic history 
 reaches very far back into antiquity ; that it 
 dates the origin of the empire of India under 
 the lunar and solar races at twenty-two centuries 
 before the Christian era, and the famous war 
 of the Mahabharat, at eleven centuries before 
 the same epoch, (a^ 
 
 The accounts given us by the Greek writers, 
 though they fall far short of these dates; yet 
 afford indirectly some confirmation of them. 
 
 The earliest notice we have in history con- 
 cerning India is the account of an expedition 
 sent by Darius the father of Xerxes to discover 
 the course of the Indus (b) We are informed 
 that the district watered by that river was 
 shortly afterwards added to the dominions of the 
 great king, and it is clear that India must have 
 
 (a) See Remarks on the principal eras and dates of the 
 ancient Hindus. Asiatic Researches, vol. 5^ and on the 
 Hindu systems of astronomy, and their connection with. 
 History in ancient and modern times, ibid. vol. 8. Uy 
 J. Bentley, Esq. 
 
 (/;) Herodotus, lib. 4. c. 4'2. 
 * 2 E 2 
 
436 
 
 been at that time in a high state of population 
 and opulence, since we find that so small a part 
 of it contributed a very principal portion of the 
 annual revenues of tliis extensive and mag- 
 nificent empire, (ci) 
 
 It is probable that India had attained as high 
 a degree of civilization and wealth at this 
 period, as it possessed two hundred years after- 
 wards when first visited by the Greeks. 
 
 The expedition of Alexander and the residence 
 of Megasthenes have afforded us the opportunity 
 of an extensive acquaintance with thfe country* 
 In the relations of the latter we discover the 
 remarkable fact that the state of the Indian 
 people was very little diflferent from what we 
 iio\>rfind it after the lapse of twenty-one cen- 
 turies. We have observed above that the politi- 
 cal establishments corresponded perfectly with 
 the ordinances of Menu and with modern usage, 
 and the comparison may be made to comprehend 
 a much wider range. There is no important 
 trait in the description of the ancient Indians^ 
 which- does not equally apply at the present 
 day, nor have the modern Hindus any remark- 
 able or leading character which is not mentionec 
 in the history of their progenitors, (b) 
 
 (a) Ibid. c. 42. See Dr. Robeitson on the knowled, 
 concerning India possessed by the ancients, and Majol 
 Rennet on the geography of Herodotus. 
 
 (b) See Dr. Vincent on the Voyage of Ncarchus. Thi 
 
437 
 
 We may therefore look upon the Indian nation" 
 in the time of Megasthenes as having the same 
 state of manners and possessing an equal degree 
 of civilization with the present people of Hin- 
 dustan. But when we consider that twenty-one 
 or perhaps twenty-three centuries have effected 
 scarcely any perceptible change in the condition 
 of society, we must conclude that a very long 
 period of time would be requisite for the attain- 
 ment of the present state. The civil arts of the 
 Indians different from those of many other 
 
 author has drawn an extensive comparison of the various 
 particuiars mentioned concerning the ancient Indians with 
 the present circumstances of that people. The resemblances 
 between them may be classed nnder the following heads. 
 
 1. Agricuknre. — the method of cultivating rice is de- 
 scribed. 
 
 9. Munufactui^es and arts. The manufacture of linen 
 and cotton cloth, of chintz. The habit of writing on 
 cudduttums as now practised. Many other particulars. 
 
 3. Diet and personal habits. All that is mentioned con- 
 cerning their food, dress and personal ornaments agrees 
 with modern accounts, use of umbrellas, shampooing, Sec, 
 
 4. All the enactments regarding police and the adminis- 
 tration of justice. Strabo informs us that one class of 
 officers had rural affairs under their inspection : they 
 measured out l?nd as it was done in Egypt, and directed 
 the making and preservation of tanks and canals, the 
 working of mines, the establishment of roads with stones 
 placed at every tenth stadium indicative of distances. 
 Another class presided over cities., public nns, registers of 
 births and deaths, markets, weights and measures. 
 
 Compare Strabo, Arrian, Dr. Vincent's and Dr. Robert- 
 son's works as cited above. 
 
438 
 
 polished nations have been clearly of indigenou? 
 growth^ and they are such as indicate a long 
 and gradual progress of improvement. We can 
 scarcely pass the true bound in assigning to the 
 growth of this system a period at least equal to 
 that which has elapsed since it first became 
 known, nearly in its present state^ to the Greeks. 
 Such a conclusion is strongly confirmed by 
 the remains of ancient literature in India. It is 
 agreed on all hands that the Hindus were a 
 very learned people in remote times. Many 
 of their compositions bear undoubted marks of 
 great antiquity. Mr. Bentley has declared his 
 full conviction that Valmic author of the divine 
 Ramayan lived 1180 years before Christ. Sir 
 W. Jones judged from internal evidence that 
 the Vedas were written twelve hundred years 
 before our era, and had no doubt that the 
 doctrines contained in them were taught by 
 the Brahmans some centuries before that pe- 
 riod, (a) This appears the less extraordinary 
 when we remark as w^e shall hereafter more fully 
 observe, that the ancient Persian Magi were 
 certainly a sect of Brahmans. 
 
 (a) Sir W. Jones, Preface to the Institutes bf Menu. 
 
4:39 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Of the Antiquiti/ of the Assyrian Empires. 
 
 IN forming our opinion of the antiquity of 
 the Assyrian empires, of which Babylon and 
 Nineve were at different times the metropolitan 
 cities, we must make our choice between two 
 sets of historical guides, who are altogether at 
 variance and totally irreconcilable with each 
 other. On one side we have Ctesias of Cnidus 
 and the writers who have followed him. Ctesias 
 was a Greek physician who accompanied the 
 younger Cyrus in his unfortunate expedition 
 into Mesopotamia, and being taken prisoner by 
 Artaxerxes ie^:ided seventeen years at the court 
 of Susa. He pretended to extract his history of 
 Asia from the royal Persian records. Diodorus 
 Siculus who is often a compiler of little dis- 
 crimination has copied his account, and it has 
 found its way either v/holly or in part into all 
 our modern system of chronology and ancient 
 history. 
 
 Against the relations of Ctesias we have to 
 set the authority of the sacred Scriptures which 
 Sir I. Newton has proved to be utterly incom- 
 patible with the statements of that writer. On 
 
440 . 
 
 this side also we have Claudius Ptolemasus the 
 famous astronomer and mathematician of Alex- 
 andria, author of the celebrated astronomical 
 canon which details the succession of the kings of 
 Babylon, beginning with the era of Nabonassar. 
 This record is throughout in perfect conformity 
 with the scriptures, and has always been held in 
 the highest estimation by the learned. Herodotus, 
 who travelled in Assyria and who was as in- 
 defatigable in inquiry as he was accurate and 
 honest in recording the information he obtained, 
 agrees in almost every particular with the last 
 mentioned authorities, and is every where at 
 variance with the wonderful relations of Ctesias. 
 
 If the credit of Ctesias were unquestionable 
 on its intrinsic merits, few persons would set his 
 statements against these authorities. But since 
 his accounts of the Assyrian empire have been 
 generally received, and through the negligence 
 of Diodorus, Eusebius and later writers esta- 
 blished in the canon of history, it will be worth 
 while to mention some particulars which prove 
 him to be altogether unworthy of any regard. 
 
 In the first place, if we suppose him to have 
 possessed the best possible opportunities of in- 
 formation, still his assertions would not deserve 
 the least attention, since we are certain of his 
 propensity to falsehood in matters of which he 
 was or pretended to be a personal witness. For 
 the same Ctesias was the author of the Indica, 
 
441 
 
 in which he professes to have seen many wonder- 
 ful and portentous things that never existed, 
 and gives sufficient evidence of his contempt of 
 truth and love of marvellous narration. 
 
 But there is in the Assyrian history itself suf- 
 ficient proof of falsehood^ for the whole series of 
 events narrated is a mass of the most absurd and 
 improbable fictions that ever were invented, and 
 contradicts the testimony of the historians of all 
 countries. 
 
 The names of the Assyrian monarchs mentioned 
 in Scripture and in Ptolemy's Canon are, as 
 Sir I. Newton has remarked, of a peculiar kind. 
 They are compounded names, having common 
 elements in most of them, such as Assur, Adon, 
 Pul, Melech, &c. Of this kind are Tiglath-Pul- 
 Assar, Salmon-Assar, Assar-Haddon, and all the. 
 others may be analysed in like manner. But 
 the names of Ctesias's list have no affinity what- 
 ever to these. They are evidently an ignorant 
 forgery, being a mixture of Greek, Persian, 
 Egyptian, and other names, such as Laosthenes, 
 Dercyllus,Amyntas, Xerxes, Mithraeus,Sethos(«). 
 
 Of those events which happening in a later 
 period are well ascertained, and may be regarded 
 as historical facts, Ctesias is entirely ignorant. 
 
 (a) Some of his names haye been remarked to have re- 
 lation to certain drugs, with which the author being a 
 physician, must be supposed to have been acquainted.— 
 Univers. Hist. vol. 4. 
 
442 
 
 Thus of the empire of the Assyrians described 
 in Scripture, and established by Pul and his 
 successors, this writer makes no mention. In- 
 deed its very existence is incompatible with 
 his history, for he assures us that Nineve was 
 utterly destroyed by Arbaces the Mede, at an 
 earlier period than the origin of the Ninevite 
 power in authentic history, and 300 years (&) 
 before the reigns of Cyaxeres and Lebynetus or 
 Nebuchadnezzar, who really destroyed it. (c) 
 
 On the whole it may be fairly concluded that 
 no fact which rests on the authority of Ctesias 
 is to be belicTcd. His history is a series of 
 fictions. The ancient Assyrian empire probably 
 never existed except in his imagination. It is 
 certain that the renowned Semiramis, queen of 
 Babylon, lived only six reigns, (rf) or 120 yeai-s 
 before that imperial state was finally subverted 
 by the Persians. Her principal performance 
 was the making a mound and a gate to the city. 
 
 The true origin of the Assyrian empire is 
 proved by Newton to have been about the time 
 ©f Pul, who first made his appearance on the west 
 
 Cb) Newton's Chronology. 
 
 fc) The true date of the destruction of Nineve is ascer- 
 tained by me^ns of the eclipse of Thales, which happened 
 just before it, in the year 610, B. C. See Herodot. lib. 1. 
 and a very able essay on the eclipse of Thalcs, by Mr. 
 Baily, in the Philos. Transact, for ISll. 
 
 fdj She was five generations before Nitocris the mother 
 of the younger Labynetus or Baltasar. See Herodj lib. !• 
 
443 
 
 side of the Euphrates 771 years before Christ, 
 in the reign of Menahem king of Israel. It was 
 prophesied of shortly before by Amos, as a power 
 not yet in existence, (a) 
 
 The origin of Babylon was probably connected 
 with that of Nineve. The first notice we have 
 of it in history is the reign of Nabonassar, which 
 is the beginning of Ptolomy's canon. But this 
 king was apparently not the first of his line. 
 He is said to have collected the acts of his pre- 
 decessors, and to have destroyed them, in order 
 that the computations of the Babylonians might 
 be made from his own reign (b). Hence the 
 historic era of Nabonassar began with his acces- 
 sion, B.C. 747 ; but this year was the 120th of 
 the astronomical period of the Chaldeans, which 
 consisted of 1460 years, and answered to the 
 Sothiacal year of the Egyptians, (c) This cycle 
 therefore commenced 867 years B.C. but at 
 what time the Chaldean state began to exist, 
 cannot be determined, and it may have been 
 probably of very old date, for the priesthood of 
 
 (^a) That the kingdom of the Assyrians had its origin 
 about this period is amply proved by Sir I. Newton, and 
 the authors of tlie Universal history. See Amos, v. 6. 13. 14. 
 Newton's Chronology, pniver. Hist. vol. 4. 
 
 fb) This fact is asserted hy Syncellus on the authority 
 of Berosus and Polyhistor. See Hales's Chronology, vol. 1. 
 page 268. 
 
 (cj See Hales's Chronology, voL 1. page 143. and Jack- 
 son's Chronological Antiquities^ vol. 2. page 76, 
 
444 
 
 Babylon seems to be the remains of some more 
 ancient order. 
 
 Thus we find that a nearer scrutiny into the 
 history of the Egyptians, Indians, and Assyrians, 
 removes one of the greatest obstacles, which lie 
 rn the way of our hypothesis concerning the 
 ancient close connexion, or common origin of 
 the former nations. We find that the Egyptians 
 a^ Indians certainly existed as great and power- 
 fal nations, long before the first rise of the 
 Assyrian power. We shall now proceed to in- 
 quire how far the history of the tribes who 
 inhabited in the earliest times the countries 
 situated between Egypt and India, affords sup- 
 port to oivr opinion. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Of the ancient Inhabitants of Upper Asia, 
 
 IT appears that the emperors of the Assyrians 
 at Babylon and Nineve were of comparatively 
 recent date. Those cities before the extension 
 of their power over Asia, which began in the 
 eighth century before the Christian era, were 
 probably little different in their condition from 
 the other petty states of the Syrians or Assyrians, 
 which occupied the country between the Tigris 
 and the Mediterranean. 
 
445 
 
 An extensive region is intercepted l)etween 
 the river Tigris and the shores of the Mediter- 
 ranean. The greater part of it is of such a na- 
 ture, that it is likely to have been the seat of 
 numerous inhabitants in the first stages of civi- 
 lization. We find it occupied in the earliest 
 periods of history by petty tribes either alto- 
 gether indcpendant of each other, or occasion- 
 ally associated together in partial confederations. 
 Sometimes the victories of one state over its 
 neighbours erected a kingdom of considerable 
 power, which was soon reduced by the alterna- 
 tions of success to its former level. 
 
 All those states were so closely connected to- ^ 
 gether in language, manners and religion, that 
 they may be considered as divided portions of 
 one nation. 
 
 Their languages, the Aramean or Syriac, the 
 Chaldean, the Phoenician, ^c. are cognate dia- 
 lects, and are connected to a certain extent with 
 the Coptic or ancient Egyptian. 
 
 Their religious worship was every where 
 strongly imbued with the rites and fables of 
 Egypt. 
 
 Those states with whose history we have most 
 acquaintance may be traced in their origin to a 
 close connexion with the Egyptians, (a) 
 
 A high degree of historical probabih'ty sup- 
 
 (a) The Israelites are excluded from this enumeration. 
 
446 
 
 ports the opinion that all these tribes of people, 
 whether Philistines, Canaanites, Phoenicians, 
 Syrians/ or Assyrians, were of one kindred with 
 the petty nations into which the Egyptians were 
 at first divided, and which afterwards united and 
 formed the monarchy of Egypt. We shall take 
 a cursory view of the most remarkable of these 
 tribes, and shall mention the most prominent 
 circumstances which prove their affinity with the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 Of the Philistines. 
 
 We have the authority of Moses for deriving 
 the Philistines from the Egyptian stock. In 
 enumerating the tribes of Mizraim or the Egyp- 
 tians, he mentions the Pathrusim and Casluhim, 
 and adds that from these were descended the 
 Philistim. We gain a considerable incidental 
 acquaintance with the Philistines in the history 
 of their wars with the Israelites. They were a 
 warlike people, and probably allied to the mili- 
 tary cast of the Egyptians, (a) 
 
 The chief deities of the Philistines appear to 
 
 (a) Pathrusim are the inhabitants of Pathros, which is 
 Thebais, (Univ. Hist, vol 1. p. 373— Bochart Phaleg. lib. 4.) 
 and the nome of Thebes is one of those which wiih several 
 others on the eastern side of the Nilo, Herodotus enume- 
 rates as belonging io the military cast. The Cusluhim Mere 
 probably in the same neighbourhood. They are supposed 
 to have been the inhabitants of Casiotis, or the vicinity of 
 Mount Casius, which is situated among the military nomes. 
 
447 
 
 Iiave been Dagon, and Ashtaroth. (c) The for- 
 mer is clearly Osiris. He is called also Si ton by 
 Sanchoniatho or his translator Philo^ and both of 
 his names allude to the invention of bread corn, 
 which was attributed to him by his votaries, as 
 it was to Osiris by the Egyptians, (d) Ashtaroth 
 or Astarte is Isis, and was represented with the 
 cow's horns like the Egyptian goddess. 
 
 Of the Canaanites or Phoenicians. 
 
 The tribes of the Canaanites are thus enume- 
 rated by Moses. Sidon, Heth or the Hittites, 
 Jebusites, Emorites, Girgasites, Hivites, Arkites, 
 Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites. {a) 
 TheSidonians enumerated among these were the 
 germ whence sprang all the Phoenician tribes. 
 The latter are better known to us, and we may 
 from them form some idea of their kindred tribes 
 with whose history they are closely connected. 
 
 The Phoenicians, who may be considered as the 
 same nation with the Canaanites (&) or as their 
 
 (c) Samson c. 31. 10. 
 
 (f/) Sea Bishop Cumberland's Sanchoniatho. 
 
 («) Genesis, Chap. x. 
 
 Canaan the father of these was brother of Mizraim, that 
 is to say, the Canaanites were a kindred stock with the 
 Egyptians, for many learned men are of opinion that in the 
 accounts given of the affiliation of the tribes, races or na- 
 tions are designated by many of the names and not indi- 
 vidual persons. 
 
 {b) See UniF. Hist. vol. 2. p. 6. 
 
448 
 
 descen<lantSj were divided into several states, of 
 which the principal are besides Sidon, Tyre often 
 called the daughter of Sidon, Byblos^ Berytus, 
 Aradus, which appear to have been colonies of 
 the Sidonians. 
 
 Bishop Cumberland has shown that the reli- 
 gion of the Phoenicians was the same with that 
 of the Egyptians. All the mythological history 
 of Sanchoniatho refers to the anthropoide deities 
 of Egypt, who are said to have formed colonies 
 on the Phoenician coast, and to have bestowed 
 various gifts on their followers. In the several 
 Phoenician states, as in Egypt, different gods re- 
 spectively held the supreme eminence. Cronus 
 was chief at Berytus, Hercules at Tyre, (c) and 
 all the gods appear to have been honoured with 
 the title of Baal or Lord. But Thammuz, Adonis, 
 or Osiris, and the Sidonian Astarte, Isis or Venus 
 are the most celebrated in history. The rites of 
 the former were almost the same with the cere- 
 monies of the Egyptian Osiris — both had their 
 d(pMi(T^U, disappearance or death, their ^vrtiTi;, 
 or search after them with mourning, and their 
 fup£(rtf, or invention with rejoicing; and these 
 ceremonies were performed in both countries 
 in the month of July. 
 
 The Greeks were aware of the connexion of 
 the Phoenicians with Egypt, a^ appears by the 
 
 (c) Herodotus, 
 
449 
 
 history of Agenor. The Cadmeians are con- 
 stantly said to have come from Phoenice, yet 
 they are universally allowed to have been Egyp- 
 tians. ' ' 
 
 Of the Sifrians and Assyrians. 
 
 The Syrians, or Assyrians, seem to have be.en 
 closely connected in history with the Phoenician 
 states, which appear indeed to differ from the 
 inland settlements only in their maritime situa- 
 tion, whence a considerable diversity of man- 
 ners was produced. The identity of the lan- 
 guages of these nations is indisputable, and this 
 is an argument of common origin not to be 
 overborne. Some writers have discovered an 
 affinity in the name of the Assyrians, Syrians, 
 and Tyrians.^«) 
 
 The foundation of Babylon is attributed by 
 ancient tradition to the Phoenician Baal or Belus. 
 
 This is mentioned by an old poet of Sidon, 
 
 The religion of the Assyrians seems to have 
 differed little from the Phoenician, except that 
 it approached in some particulars more nearly 
 to the Persian, as in the veneration paid to 
 fire, (c) The Assyrian Venus who was one of 
 
 (a) Bochart derires them from ^f^ or Tyre. 
 
 (b) Dorotheas apud Julium Firmicum, quoted by Newton. 
 
 (c) The practice of prosUtution ia the temples of the gods 
 i? another trace of a more eastern connexion. 
 
 2F 
 
450 
 
 their most celejjrated deities, is plainly the same 
 as Astarte. (a) Under the name of Salambo she 
 is said to be perpetually roaming up and down 
 and mourning her lost Adonis. (&) 
 
 In many particulars a very close affinity is 
 discovered in the rites of the Assyrians and 
 Egyptians. The Babylonians like the latter 
 people paid veneration to goats, to onions, and 
 to fishes, (c) They prepared their dead for pre- 
 servation in honey and wax, and mourned for 
 them like the Egyptians, (rf) The worship of 
 Bel us, Baal or Zeus at Babylon was in every 
 respect Egyptian. It has been remarked that 
 the form of the temple of Belus as described by 
 Herodotus was pyramidal, (e) In this temple 
 there was a splendid apartment, where a female 
 was constantly kept, who was looked upon as 
 the consort of the god. A superstitious practice 
 precisely similar was prevalent in the temple oL 
 Zeus at Diospolis. 
 
 Diodorus considered the Babylonians as an 
 Egyptian colony, and he mentions that the 
 Chaldean priesthood are an exact counterpart 
 of the Egyptian hierarchy. They held the same 
 rank and office in the state. Their station was 
 
 (a) Seldon de diis Sjrtis, Syntagra. 2. cap. 4. 
 
 (6) Ibid. See also Universal Hist. \o\. 4, 
 
 (c) Ibid. 
 
 {d) Herod, lib. 1. 
 
 (e) Herod. lib. 1. c. l&K 
 
<S1 
 
 hereditary^ and they cou'd engage in no other 
 employment. They were devoted to astrology, 
 magic and astronomy, though in the (a) latter 
 they were very inferior to their brethren in 
 Egypt. But that their science was borrowed i$ 
 certain from their using the same astronomical 
 formulae with the Egyptians. The period of 
 Nabonassar is the same cycle as the Sothiacai 
 year, and the coincidences in the application 
 of these forms indisputably proves a common 
 origin. (Z?) Their physical doctrines also agreed. 
 They held that matter is eternal, but that th^ 
 order of the universe proceeds from an intelli- 
 gent mind. They had twelve chief gods pre- 
 siding each of them over a month and a sign of 
 the zodiac. 
 
 {a) Diodorus. 
 
 (b) The cycle of Nabonassar or the Sothiacal year began 
 at different periods, but the years of each critically syn- 
 chronized in their beginnings. 
 
 The cycle of Nabonassar or the Sothiacal year consists of 
 4 X 365 or 1460. The civil year of the Egyptians and 
 Babylonians consisted of 365 days exactly. Therefore the 
 excess of the natural over the civil year amounted nearly to 
 a day in four years and in 4 X ^65 zz: 1460 years to a 
 whole year. Thus the commencement of the civil year 
 would be restored to its place without intercalation. 
 
 This was probably the meaning of the priest of Vulcan 
 who told Herodotus, that the sun had four times altered its 
 course, " that it had twice risen where it now sets, and 
 twice set where it now rises." The Egyptian monarchy had 
 lasted more than the whole Sothiacal period, during which 
 the sun rose twice, and set twice in the ^ame degrees of the 
 ecliptic. See Hales's Chronology, vol. 1. 
 2F2 
 
452 
 
 'I think we may conclude from these factsv 
 that among the tribes inhabiting the country 
 pointed out above, those into whose history we 
 have an opportunity of inquiring, betray very 
 strong indications of Egyptian descent. 
 
 It may be worth while to mention the Col- 
 chians as an instance of the wide extension of the 
 Egyptian race in this direction. For though 
 few persons may give credit to the stories of 
 Sesostris and his exploits in this quarter, yet the 
 facts which Herodotus relates on his own autho- 
 rity are indisputable upon historical grounds. 
 He assures us that the people of Colchis resem- 
 bled the Egyptians in their persons, being black 
 and woolly -haired. Their language and man- 
 ners were alike, and they both used immemo- 
 rially the rite of circumcision. They had the same 
 arts, and particularly the manufacture of linen, 
 which was peculiar to these two nations, (a) 
 The Iberians in the vicinity of the Colchians 
 were divided like the Egyptians into distinct 
 hereditary casts, and we have an enumeration 
 of them given by Strabo, not unlike the division 
 of the latter nation. The priesthood were a 
 dignified cast. (/;) 
 
 On the whole it appears to be a legitimate 
 inference from facts, that all these Asiatic nations 
 
 (a) Herod. 
 
 (*) Strabo, lib. 2. 
 
453 
 
 ».Vere originally branches of the same kindred 
 with the Egyptians. All the countries from the 
 Tigris to the confines of Lybia were at first oc- 
 cupied by tribes of similar character and of 
 cognate descent, which being disjoined by dis- 
 tance of situation and other circumstances gra- 
 dually acquired national distinctions, but still 
 retained in different places more or less evident 
 proofs of their former connexion. 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 Of the Persians, 
 
 THE classical historians aflfbrd us na acquaint- 
 ance with the Persian monarchy before the reign 
 of Cyrus the Great, (a) The royal family were 
 called Achaemenidae, from an ancestor Achas- 
 menes, and the genealogy from the latter to 
 
 («) Cynis is mentioned by ^schylus as the third in suc- 
 cession. Persae. 763. 
 
 Mr<?"os yocf w o trpuft vysfJt-uw (xrfoitov 
 
 oikXos S'cxE.Voy vxTs toS' (fyor ^w(Xe, 
 
 (Pfins y«p ctvrov Qvfjiov o\xKO(rrfo<pow, 
 
 Tfiros 5'a7r' avrov Kvfos tv^xtfAUv avnfi* 
 
 These have been supposed to be the predecessors of Cyrus 
 
 OH the throne of Persia, but Sir Isaac Newton has remarked 
 
 that ^schylus eyidently meant the two kings of the Medes, 
 
 C}caxeres who destroyed Nineve and his successor. ^ 
 
454 
 
 Xerxes is given by Herodotus, from which it 
 Appears that th« supposed founder of the house 
 •was four or five generations prior to Cyrus, (ci) 
 ^ The Persians were tributary to the Medes at 
 the birth of Cyrus. It was prophecied by Jere- 
 miah that Elam or Persia shouM be conquered 
 by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (b) and it 
 would appear that a part if not the whole of that 
 country must have been subject to Assarhaddon 
 king of Nineve, for the Elamites are mentioned 
 among the different nations, from which colonies 
 were brought by the Assyrian, to settle in the 
 land of Samaria vacated by the captive Israelites, 
 The power of the Persians seems therefore to 
 have been reduced at this time by the successes 
 of the Medes and Assyrians, but that a great 
 empire existed in Persia long before the age of 
 Cyrus cannot be doubted. It is implied clearly 
 in the prophecy of Jeremiah above alluded to, 
 which can only refer to a great and powerful 
 monarchy, (c) 
 
 (a) Herod. Polymnia. cap, ?. 
 
 (6) Jeremiah xlix. v. 35—38. 
 
 (c) It is as follows. " Behold I will break the bow of 
 Elam, the chief of their might. And upon EJam vfili I bring 
 the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will 
 scatter them towards all those winds, and there shall be aq 
 iiatioQ whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For 
 I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemy, an^ 
 liefore them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon 
 them, efen my fierce angerj saitb the Lordj and I will sen^ 
 
455 
 
 This monarchy had a very extensive sway in 
 Asia, as early as the time of Abraham, for we are 
 told that the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and 
 the states near the lake Asphaltitis and Mount 
 Seir almost to the confines of Egypt were subject 
 to Cherdorlaomer the king of Elam. And wherr 
 these princes revolted from him, he brought 
 three other kings, among whom was the king of 
 Shinar, to assist him in punishing their rebel- 
 lion, (a) 
 
 The existence of this empire in the East is 
 probably all the foundation which Ctesias had 
 for hisr history of the Emperors of Asia. He 
 seems to have confounded the Oriental traditions 
 with the accounts given by Herodotus of a more 
 recent empire in Assyrpa, and has thus made an 
 Assyrian instead of a Persian monarchy. It is 
 remarkable that all the eventis which he mentions 
 are said to have happened far in the East, as the 
 wars carried on against the Bactrians and the 
 Indians by Ninus and Semiramis. (b) 
 
 We have no further account in history of the 
 
 the sword after them till I have consumed them. And I will 
 set my throne in Elam, and I will destroy from them the 
 king and the princes, saith the Lord," 
 
 (a) From the words used by the sacred historian in nar- 
 rating this event, it would appear that the allied kings were 
 also inferiors or princes subject to Cherdorlaomer. " In the 
 fourteenth year came Cherdorlaomer and the kings that 
 were with him, and smote the Rcphaim," &c. Genesis, xiv. 
 
 (b) Sec Diodor. lib. 2. 
 
456 
 
 ancient empire of Persia except what we obtain 
 from the oriental writers. 
 
 A history of Persia is said to have been com- 
 piled from the annals of the Sassanian dynasty 
 by order of Aniishirvan or Chosroes, and this 
 work is reported to have escaped the general 
 destruction of literature which followed the vic- 
 tories of Omar. Sir W. Jones and other oriental 
 scholars are of opinion that such was the source 
 whence Khondemir derived the materials of his 
 history, and Firdausi the basis of the poetic 
 fictions of the Shahnamah. (a) 
 
 In the eastern history of Persia we find abun- 
 dance of absurd and impossible relations in com- 
 parison with which all the fables of the heroic 
 times of Greece sink into insignificance. Not- 
 withstanding these impediments to belief, those 
 who are learned in oriental literature are of 
 opinion that the general outline of this history 
 is more correctly given by the native writers of 
 Iran than by the Greeks, who probably had very 
 little acquaintance with the internal state of the 
 empire, and none at all with its historical re- 
 cords. (6) 
 
 The second dynasty in the oriental history of 
 Persia is the family of the Caianians, of whom 
 
 (a) Sir W. Jones, Essay on the Persians and History qf 
 the Persian language, and Universal Hist. vol. 5. 
 
 (b) Sir W, Joues^ passim. Rickardson on Oriental* lit©* 
 raturc. 
 
437 
 
 the third in succession was Cai Khosru or Cyrus 
 the Great, (a) This is therefore the house of 
 Achasmenidae, and the era of its accession is 
 nearly the same in the Asiatic as in the European 
 histories. 
 
 The first dynasty is called that of the Pish- 
 dadians or law-givers. It consisted of ten princes, 
 and towards the termination of its dominion, 
 Iran is said to have been conquered by Afrasiab 
 the Turanian^ and the nation is represented as 
 being brought to the verge of destruction by 
 the inroads of foreigners. After a long period 
 of calamities, a branch of the old royal family 
 was restored and the second dynasty begins. 
 
 To the princes of the first dynasty are attri- 
 buted most of the works which attest the ancient 
 magnificence of this kingdom, and particularly 
 the building of Susa and Istakhar or Persepolis. 
 
 Here we observe that the orientals agree with 
 the Greeks in representing Persia to have suf- 
 fered the calamities which were denounced 
 against it by the prophet of Israel. It is in this 
 state of degradation that this kingdom first be- 
 comes known to classical history. 
 
 We may presume, if there be any credit in 
 the testimony of the native historians, that the 
 Achasmenidas were a branch of the ancient royal 
 house, which constituted the first dynasty. 
 
 (tf) Short History of Persia by Sir W. Jones. Universal 
 Hist. Yol. 5. 
 
458 
 
 The number of the Pishdadlan princes befng^ 
 only ten^ we cannot assign to the dominion of 
 that family a longer period than 250 years, and 
 therefore we must not place the reign of Kejo- 
 maras, the founder of the house, further back 
 than S50 years before Christ. This Persian his- 
 tory therefore gives us but little assistance in- 
 tracing the empire to the time of Cherdorlaomer. 
 All the aid we gain from it is the confirmation 
 of the fact, that a great and powerful monarchy 
 existed m Iran before the period of the Acha?- 
 menida* or Caianians. 
 
 We have no historical account of Pei-sia ir> 
 the preceding ages except what is found in the 
 Dabistan. The credit of this work is however 
 great with Sir W. Jones and other oriental scho- 
 lars, to whose guidance we must trust ourselves 
 in these matters. 
 
 Mohsan^ the author of the Dabistan, was a 
 Mahomedan^ a native of Cashmire, and professed 
 to extract his account of ancient Iran from books 
 compiled by certain learned Persian refugees in 
 India. These emigrants were devoted to the 
 religion of Hushang, which they asserted to be 
 even more ancient than that of Zoroaster, dif- 
 fering from the latter in many points. It had 
 continued to be professed by many Persians 
 even to the author's time. According to them, 
 Iran was governed for ages before the Pishdadian 
 era by a powerful dynasty styled the Maha- 
 
459 
 
 badian, from Mahabad its founder, who is said 
 to have promulgated by divine command a code 
 of laws resembling in many particulars the 
 Vedas. One of his regulations was a division of 
 the people into four classes, corresponding with 
 the quadripartite classification of the Hindus. 
 Fourteen Mahabads had appeared or would ap- 
 pear for the instruction of mankind. These are 
 evidently the fourteen Menus of the Brahmans. 
 The whole system coincides fully with that of 
 the ancient Indians. 
 
 Sir W. Jones supposes that the Pishdadians 
 who succeeded the Mahabad ians were of a dif- 
 ferent racC;, and that under them the religion of 
 Persia underwent a considerable change ; that 
 the complex polytheism of the first period was 
 rejected, while a superstitious veneration for the 
 sun, for planets, and for fire, was retained. Thus 
 the Magi are to be compared to the sects of the 
 Brahmans called Sauras and Sagnicas, who still 
 perform at Benares the same ceremonies which 
 constitute the ancient ritual of the followers of 
 Zoroaster. 
 
 An inquiry into the languages prevalent at 
 different periods in Persia, has been entered into 
 by Sir William Jones and other learned Oriental 
 scholars, and has afforded some information which 
 gives an insight into the history of the people. 
 
 Before the Mahomedan conquest t^vo lan- 
 guages were current among the learned in Per- 
 
460 
 
 sfa. One of them, the Pahla\ i, was in cammon 
 use, being that in which books were generally 
 composed. But the other, the Zend, was already- 
 obsolete, and was only known as the idiom in 
 which the writings of the ancient Persian priests 
 were preserved. Both of these dialects are now 
 confined to the Guebres and Parsees, the worship- 
 pers of fire, who are the miserable remnant of 
 the ancient disciples of the Magi. 
 
 Great labour has been taken by the learned of 
 the last age to procure the books of these people 
 and examine them. M, Anquetil du Perron 
 undertook, for this express purpose, a voyage 
 into the East. To a certain extent these efforts 
 have succeeded. We have from the French 
 writer a translation of the Zendavesta, the re- 
 puted work of Zoroaster, and some knowledge 
 has been gained of the languages in which the 
 books of the old Persians were written, (a) 
 
 (a) At one time some doubt was entertained concerning 
 the credit of this Frenchman, but at present it seems to be 
 agreed among the learned that the works in question are 
 genuine, or at least that we have from M. Anquetil a traa&. 
 Jalion of certain compositions which are in the possession 
 of the Guebres and Parsees, and are esteemed by them 
 sacred as containing the doctrines of the ancient Persian 
 i^Iigion, and as derived from Zoroaster himself. It is pro- 
 bable that some parts of the compilati-on are portions of the 
 original Zendavesta and really composed by the great phi- 
 losopher of the Persians. Whatever uncertainty may pre- 
 vail on some of these points, enough is clearly ascertained 
 to answer our purpose. The language of the ancient priest- 
 hood of Persia is preserved. That language is the Zend. 
 
461 
 
 It has been discovered by Sir W. Jones and 
 confirmed by later researches, that the Zend, the 
 old language of the Magi, bears a close affinity 
 to the Sanscrit. The Zend, the Pali and the 
 Pracrit are three cognate dialects of the Sanscrit, 
 differing from each other and from the common 
 parent only in trifling modifications. The Zen- 
 dish alphabet was believed by the late Dr. Leyden 
 to be derived from the Deva-Nagari, to which 
 that learned orientalist supposed even the arrow 
 characters of the Persepolitan inscriptions to be 
 allied, (a) 
 
 The Pahiavi in which the Pazend, a commen- 
 tary on the works of Zoroaster was written at n 
 time when the idiom of the works themselves 
 was becoming obsolete, is a branch of the Chal- 
 daic stock. A dialect of Chaldee had therefore 
 at some period gained so far the ascendency in 
 Persia, as to become the language of the priest- 
 hood. The period of its introduction is doubt- 
 ful. Sir W. Jones has fixed upon the reign of 
 the dynasty which preceded the Achaemenida? 
 for the era of this innovation, and he accordingly 
 considers the Pishdadian family as foreigners in 
 Persia and of Assyrian origiai. But his hypothesis 
 contradicts the statement of the Iranian annals, 
 which declare the Caianian house to have been a 
 
 (a) Dr. Leyden on the languages and literature of the 
 lado-Chinese nations. Asiatic Researches^ vol. IQ. 
 
462 
 
 continuation of the old dynasty. The latter 
 therefore were the ancestors of the Achaemenidae 
 or native Persian monarchs. Besides, this scheme 
 assigns too great antiquity to the Pahlavi, for the 
 Zend was in all probability the language of the 
 Medo'Persian empire, (aj It is very possible that 
 the Parthian dynasty introduced the Pahlavi.(Z>) 
 
 It is a very curious fact that the language of 
 the Magi was a dialect of the Sanscrit, but there 
 are two ways of accounting for it. Either we 
 may suppose the Zend to have been connected 
 with the vernacular idiom of the Persian people 
 as the Sanscrit in India is only a more refined 
 dialect of the Hinduvi and other hhashas, or we 
 may imagine it to have been introduced into the 
 country by the priests as a learned language and 
 the vehicle of an exotic system of religion and 
 philosophy, in which case it would never become 
 the popular speech of the inhabitants. The for- 
 mer of these suppositions have been verified by 
 an inquiry into the composition of the popular 
 language of Persia. 
 
 The modern Persic is formed by a mixture 
 of Arabic with the genuine Parsi, which was 
 the common idiom of the Persians at the era 
 
 («) The ZendaTcsta is supposed to have beer) composed 
 in the reign of Darius Hystaspes. 
 
 (b) The inscriptions on the coins of the Parthian kings 
 are said to be in Pahlari characters. See Sir W, Jones's 
 Essay on the PersiaRS» 
 
463 
 
 of the Mahomedan conquest, and is preserved 
 nearly pure in the works of Firdausi and others 
 of the older poets. It is known that the Parsi 
 has for its basis the Sanscrit, differing from it 
 much in the same manner as the several bhashas 
 or dialects of the Indian provinces. 
 
 Therefore the Zend, the ancient written lan- 
 guage of Persia being a modification of the 
 Sanscrit of which the Parsi is a dialect, the for- 
 mer may be considered as the parent of the lat- 
 ter, just as the Latin is of the Italian. The Parsi 
 is the national speech of the Persians, and there- 
 fore the Zend cannot have been introduced into 
 that country as a learned language. It must hav^ 
 been at some remote period the universal idiom 
 of the people. Hence it is to be inferred that 
 the ancient Persians and Indians were branches 
 of one kindred stock. 
 
 In the accounts which the classical historians 
 liave left us of Persia, we collect many curious 
 particulars coinciding with the superstitions and 
 customs of the Hindus, and confirming the fore- 
 going conclusions. 
 
 I. The theism of the two nations coincides in 
 the fundamental points, and the superstitious 
 corruptions proceed on similar principles. 
 
 (^(i) A belief in one supreme, powerful, and 
 
 (a) See Observations on the sect of Jains, hy H. T, 
 Coiebicoke, lieq.Asiatick Researches, vol. 9. 
 
464 
 
 intelligent Being h common to both. They 
 agree also in holding that his administration is 
 conducted by more or fewer subordinate agents^ 
 both good and evil, who are the chief objects of 
 their adoration, for they scarcely aspire to be 
 worshippers of the primary source of all ex- 
 istence. 
 
 They also agree in adoring the elements of 
 nature, and particularly the sun and fire, as sym- 
 bols of divine and invisible power. 
 
 : The worship of these two objects has always 
 been regarded as the most conspicuous point 
 of the Persian ritual : but they are scarcely less 
 important in the Brahman ical ceremonies. We 
 
 .may add that the Egyptians partook of the same 
 
 .rites, (a) 
 
 »^ The Persians worshipped the sun, moon, earth, 
 fire, water, and winds, (b) " These,'' says Hero- 
 dotus, ^^ were their primary objects of adoration, 
 but they adopted some other rites from their 
 neighbours the Assyrians. They did not con- 
 ceive the gods to have human form {c) as others 
 have done. They worshipped Jupiter on the 
 
 (fl) Xhe worship of the sua at Heliopolis was a Ycry 
 prominent feature in the Egyptian celebrations. 
 
 {b) Herodotus, lib. 1. c. 131. 
 
 (c) avQfuTro(pv£»i^ sJvccf. 
 
 Yet it appears that Mithras, who was the sun, was repre- 
 sented as a hunter with a tiara on his head, and riding on a 
 l)ull. See Van Dale Maxm. Antiq. Dissertation 1. 
 
465 
 
 tops of mountains, calling the whole circle of 
 the heavens by that name." 
 
 In this enumeration we recognise the Surya^ 
 Chandra, Agni, Varuna, and Indra, god of the 
 firmament of the Hindus. 
 
 We have alluded in the foregoing pages to 
 the veneration for rivers remarkable among the 
 Hindus and Egyptians, which they regarded as 
 derived or flowing forth from Iswara or Osiris. 
 Rivers also received the adoration of the Persian 
 Magi. («) When Xerxes arrived in Thrace 
 the priests otTered a sacrifice of white horses to 
 the Strymon. (&) 
 
 The water of the Ganges is carried to great 
 distances in India, for the sake of the divine 
 qualities it is supposed to possess. The kings 
 of Persia drank no other water than that of the 
 Choaspes, which was conveyed for them into 
 distant countries in vessels of silver. Beef was 
 forbidden food with the Persians, as it is also 
 with the Hindus. 
 
 The Persians held the doctrine of Metempsy- 
 chosis, (c) 
 
 The performance of religious rites in caverns 
 
 is another point of coincidence between the In- 
 
 (a) Herod. I. 138. 
 
 (b) Herod. 
 
 (c) See Maurice's Indian Antiquities. Os^gen quotes 
 Celsus to this effect. Vid. lib. 4. Also Porphyry, de Autre 
 Nympharum. 
 
 2G 
 
466 
 
 dians and their Persian neighbours. A number 
 of spacious excavations have been discovered in 
 Persia, which Were apparently designed for the 
 celebration of religious ceremonies of some kind, 
 and the remarks of the ancients justify this 
 opinion. It appears from Porphyry and Celsus 
 that they were chiefly dedicated to the worship 
 of Mithra, the god of the solar lights and that 
 certain mysteries were performed in thgm nearly 
 allied to the mysteries of the Egyptians and 
 Greeks, and setting forth the doctrine of the 
 Metempsychosis, (aj We have already men- 
 tioned the wonderful excavations in which the 
 primeval worship of the Indians was performed. 
 
 (a) See Mr. Maurice's ludian Antiquities. That gentle- 
 man has bestowed much learned labour on this subject. 
 He has endeavoured to shew that the worship of the sun 
 was every where performed in subterraneous caverns : that 
 this was the destination of the cayes of Persia, and that the 
 excavations in the Thebais of Egypt were of the same 
 nature. In proof of the latter position he adduces a plate 
 of Montfaucon, and a description of Savary of a sacrifice to 
 the sun, magnificently sculptured in a cave at Babain. 
 In this he says that the tiaras of the priests very much re- 
 semble the costume in the bas reliefs fouwd at Chelminar 
 near Persepolis, representing a religious procession. Many 
 other symbols of the Persian superstition are united to the 
 Egyptian. 
 
 Mr. Maurice also endeavours to prove that the caverns 
 alluded to were so arranged as to represent the diflferent 
 regions of the heavens, through which souls were supposed 
 successively to migrate, and that this sidereal metempsy- 
 chosis was set forth in the mysteries celebrated in these 
 accesses. 
 
467 
 
 II. The manners and customs of the Persians 
 appear to have resembled those of the Hindus. 
 
 Both nations have been remarked for their 
 abstemious habits of life. Many authors mention 
 the strict frugality and temperance observed in 
 ancient Persia. 
 
 In the ceremonious observance of ranks thqy 
 resemble. In Persia, if men of equal rank met, 
 they saluted each other. If an inferior met 
 a superior he threw himself prostrate on the 
 earth, (a) The veneration paid by the Persians 
 to their monarchs was of the most devoted and 
 abject kind. 
 
 III. In political institutions we find close re- 
 semblances. (&) It appears certain from the 
 accounts of Herodotus that the ancient Persians 
 were before the time of Cyrus, divided into 
 casts, somewhat after the Indian manner. He 
 informs us that there are manv tribes or races of 
 the Persians, and enumerates several of them, 
 among whom he says that '' the Pasargadae are 
 the bravest. In this tribe there is a cast or 
 affinity (<P/j>i'tp»i ) called the Ach^emenidas, from 
 which the kings are born. The other Persian 
 tribes, ** he adds, '' are these, the Panthialaei, 
 Derusiaei, Germanii. All these are agricultu- 
 rists. The rest are feeders of cattle (yoy.oc^U) 
 Dai, Mardi, &c." (c) 
 
 («) Herod, lib. 1. c. 125. {bj Ibid, 
 
 (c) Clio. c. 123. 
 
 2G9 
 
46S 
 
 This description is not intelligible in any other 
 way, than on the supposition that the Persians 
 had distinct hereditary occupations like the 
 Hindus. We may therefore receive this fact 
 that the distinction of casts prevailed in Iran on 
 the testimony of Herodotus, though we might 
 not have believed it on the credit of Mohsan 
 alone. 
 
 We have thus briefly examined the origin of 
 the Persians by three distinct methods of inquiry. 
 
 1st. By historical records. We have observed 
 that the Jewish writers bear testimony to the 
 high antiquity of the Persian nation. It appeared 
 from the prophet Jeremiah that a great empire 
 existed in Elam, before the extension of the 
 Assyrian power; and from Genesis it was evi- 
 dent that its dominion was established over a 
 great part of the East as early as the time of 
 Abraham. 
 
 The Orientals agree with the Scriptural and 
 Classical writers, in relating the degradation of 
 the Persian power at the period before men- 
 tioned, and with the former in leading us to 
 believe that the same empire had existed in 
 great glory and dominion in much earlier times; 
 and the author of the Dabistan assures us that in 
 the most remote ages, the religion, manners, 
 and political institutions of Persia, were closely 
 allied to those which have prevailed from anti- 
 quity on the other side of the Indus. 
 
469 
 
 2dly. By an inquiry into the language preva- 
 lent in Persia. 
 
 It was remarked that the vernacular idiom of 
 Persia^ before the Mahomedan conquest, was a 
 dialect nearly allied to the languages of India, 
 and that the ancient Persian language, which is 
 only preserved in the writings of the Magi, and 
 only known to the remnant of the worshippers 
 of fire, has been proved to be an older dialect 
 of the same, and differing little from the Sanscrit. 
 And this older language, the Zend, must have 
 been formerly the popular speech of the country, 
 and not merely a learned and peculiar idiom of 
 the priests, because the Parsi, its lineal descen- 
 dant was in common use. We have therefore 
 reason to believe that an Indian dialect was the 
 national language of the primeval Persians. 
 
 Sdly. The accounts which we can gather from 
 the classical writers concerning the mannei's, 
 political institutions, and religion of the ancient 
 Persians give a similar result, and exhibit a re- 
 markable affinity to those which have prevailed 
 to the eastward of the Indus. 
 
 We arrive by these different paths at the same 
 general conclusion, viz. that the Persians and 
 Indians were in their origin branches of one 
 nation. 
 
470 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 Conclusion of this subject. 
 
 We shall now in a few words recapitulate the 
 inferences drawn in the two last chapters. 
 
 We set out in the historical inquiry which 
 has occupied the last chapter, with the obser- 
 vation that the traces of connexion which we 
 have marked between the Indians and the Egyp- 
 tians are so full and extensive, that they can 
 be accounted for in no other way, than by sup- 
 posing these nations though distinctly separated 
 at the period of authentic history, to have form- 
 ed in an earlier age one people. We remarked 
 that if the ten tribes of the Israelites should be 
 (discovered in some iinknown region with their 
 Levitical priesthood and all their ancient usages 
 unaltered, in comparing them with the Jews 
 of Europe we should scarcely find stronger 
 proofs of former identity thari we liave observed 
 in the example before us. 
 
 We have shown in the next place that all th^ 
 other hypotheses which have been proposed to 
 account for these facts arg not only inadequate 
 but rest on false assumptiops, 
 
 We have endeavoured to penetrate into the 
 obscurity of antiquity and by tracing the rise 
 ^nd origin of the great Asiatic nations and com- 
 paring their dates^, to find some solution of this 
 
471 
 
 problem. We soon lost sight of the Assyrian 
 monarchy the first foundations of which do not 
 extend farther back than the reign of Pul about 
 eight centuries before the Christian era. 
 
 In the times preceding that era we found 
 Upper Asia from the Tigris to the Mediterranean 
 occupied by agricultural, or pastoral, or mari- 
 time tribes, of kindred race with the inhabitants 
 of Egypt. 
 
 On the other side the Tigris the ancient 
 Persian nation appeared clearly to be of the 
 Hindu stock, closely related to the inhabitants 
 of Hindustan. 
 
 We observed that the Indo-Persian or Elamitic 
 empire extended into distant ages, far beyond 
 the classical periods of antiquity, and leaving 
 far behind it the originals of all the other cele- 
 brated nations, excepting only the Egyptians. 
 
 In the days of the patriarch Abraham two 
 great monarchies existed in the world, the 
 empire of Elam and the kingdom of Eg}^pt. 
 The dominions of the former bordered on the 
 territories of the latter. The subjects of the 
 first were the Inda-Persians or Hindus; the 
 inhabitants of the second were the Egyptians. 
 
 Thus we may consider these nations as possess- < 
 ing in the fii-st ages contiguous countries. It is 
 no longer difficult to imagine them connected 
 in race and origin. As to the quarter whence 
 they first ramified, the cradle of the stock and 
 
472 
 
 perhaps of the human race, we have no data in 
 history, (a) 
 
 Lastly in our inquiry into the physical history 
 of the ancient Hindus and Egyptians we found 
 full and sufficient evidence that both these races 
 possessed originally the characters of the genuine 
 Ethiopians or Negroes. 
 
 Such appear to have been the physical cha- 
 ^ racters of the oldest nations of the East. They 
 have been gradually softened down by the 
 variation in the bodily structure which the 
 human race is naturally disposed to assume^ and 
 which we have generally remarked to be pro- 
 moted by the condition of our species in civilized 
 life. But these improvements were long confined 
 to the central regions of the world. 
 
 Some straggling families even in the first 
 rude state carried forth the propagation of their 
 stock on each side into the most distant coun- 
 tries where their descendants have remained 
 savages to the present day, and have preserved 
 in their remotely divided abodes, whether on 
 the banks of the Niger, or in the country of the 
 Papuas, the primeval aspect of their ancestors. 
 
 {a) If Moses had any knowledge of it, he must hare 
 derived it from revelation, and this is ground upon which 
 we are forbidden to enter. We only quote the authority 
 of Moses for facts which happening not very far from his 
 own time may have come within his knowledge by mere 
 human testimony. We only demand for him that degree of 
 credit which any sensible deist would allow him. 
 
473 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Concerning the other principal races of men, and 
 their connexion in origin wth the foregoing. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 WE have thus completed a chief part of the 
 design with which we entered into these his- 
 torical inquiries. Our principal endeavour was ^ 
 to make it appear that the most ancient nations 
 of whom any record exists were Negroes. It 
 only remains to show some probable grounds 
 for believing that the other most extended 
 races of men were connected in their originals 
 with these. '^ 
 
 As this part of our subject has little more 
 than an indirect relation to the physical history 
 of our species^ and would lead us too far into 
 the field of the antiquarian, we shall be con- 
 tented with a very summary view of the prin- 
 cipal points which it is desirable to establish, 
 and of those leading facts which appear chiefly 
 to warrant our inferences, (a) 
 
 (a) I am the less reluctant to abbreviate my inquiry into 
 this subject because I know that several departments of it 
 
474 
 
 We proceed in the first place to take a hasty 
 view of the families of nations inhabiting Europe 
 and the north-western parts of Asia. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the Scythian or Sarmatic Tribes, 
 
 IN the latter periods of what is called anti- 
 quity the proper Scythians had become less 
 known, at least under that denomination, than 
 they had been in preceding times. The term 
 of Scythian then came to be more indefinitely 
 applied, and was the common appellation of 
 almost any barbarous people, just as all savages 
 are called Indians by us without any imaginable 
 reason, (a) This name had wandered so far that 
 in the asre of Bede it had become the desi<jnative 
 term of Scandinavia. Yet Scythia was a real 
 country well known to the ancient Greeks and 
 especially to Herodotus, who visited it in per- 
 son, (&) and took infinite pains to make himself 
 
 have long occupied the attention of some distinguished 
 antiquarians who are much more competent to such inves- 
 tigations. 
 
 («) Pliny observes, *' Scytharnm nomen usquequaque 
 transit in Sarmatus atquc Gernianos, nee aliis prisca ilia 
 duravit appellatio, quam qui extremi gentium harum ignoti 
 prope cseteris mortalibus degunt." 
 
 {h) Herodotus. Melpomene, c. 81. 
 
475 
 
 acquainted with its geography, and with the 
 history of its inhabitants and the neighbouring 
 nations. ' 
 
 Herodotus mentions several traditions con- 
 cerning the origin of the Scythians which he 
 regarded as fabulous, but he obtained also ano- 
 ther account of a different description. This he 
 considered as authentic. According to it the 
 original seat of the Scythse was the country to 
 the southward of the Araxes, whence they were 
 expelled by the Massagetae, and emigrated into 
 the region before occupied by the Cimme- 
 rians, (a) 
 
 The same historian informs us in another 
 place that the Sacse were properly Scythians, 
 and that the name of Sacas belonged indeed to 
 the whole Scythic nation, being the appellation 
 given to them by the Persians. This confirms 
 the foregoing statement, because the Sacas are 
 well known to have inhabited the country 
 whence the Scytha3 were said to have emigrated. 
 They were probably a part of the nation which 
 kept possession of its former seats. 
 
 "We find a similar testimony in these verses 
 of Chasrilus. (b) 
 
 ccv^puTTcav yoiAiiAm, 
 
 (a) Herodotus. Melpomene. 
 
 {b) Apiid Strabonem. lib. 7. Vide Casauboncm ad locum. 
 
476 
 
 The other ancient writers coincide in this 
 account. Diodorus Siculus informs us that the 
 Scythians were of the same stock with the Sacse, 
 Massagetae and other Asiatic people. Moreover 
 this author assures us that the Sauromatas who 
 were certainly a division of the Scythae, were a 
 colony of Medes. (a) 
 
 Eratosthenes and Apollodorus remarked that 
 Homer, whose extensive knowledge of the geo- 
 graphy of his time has been celebrated, never 
 mentions the Scythians. At the era of the 
 Trojan war they had apparently not yet emi- 
 grated into the north. Homer speaks of the 
 Cimmerians, who possessed Scythia before the 
 arrival of the Scythse. This agrees with the 
 narration of Herodotus, according to whose ac- 
 count the migration of the Scythse must have 
 been posterior by some centuries to the Trojan 
 war. (/;) 
 
 The Scythse are interesting to us as being 
 connected with the Asiatic nations on the one 
 hand, and on the other with the Sauromata? or 
 SarmataD. 
 
 1. Both in the European and Oriental histories 
 a long series of wars are recorded to have been 
 
 {a] Diodor. Sic. Hist. lib. 2. 
 
 (b) The Scythian conquest of Cimmeria seems to have 
 prccedeti the invasion of Media by no long interval. There- 
 fore the former event took place not long before the 
 eclipse of Thalcs. 
 
477 
 
 carried on between the Persian^ and the Trans- 
 oxan nations. The latter are the Turanians or 
 followers of Afrasiab^, who made incursions into 
 Iran and are celebrated by the eastern writers* 
 The Greek historians relate the same events in 
 their account of the wars of the Scythians against 
 the Persians. The Turanians are the Scythians, 
 According to tlie oriental history there was a 
 time when the Turanians formed a part of the 
 same nation with the genuine Persians, (a) 
 
 Various particulars are recorded concerning 
 the Scythians which connect them with the 
 ancient nations of Asia, whose moral and political 
 history we have reviewed in the foregoing pages. 
 We shall mention a few instances without enter- 
 ing fully into the subject. 
 
 Pomponius Mela remarks th« resemblance of 
 the Sarmatse to the Parthians. '^ Gens habitu 
 armisque Parthicae proxima; verum ut casli 
 asperioris ita ingenii.'Vp) 
 
 From the account of the historian Ephorus 
 quoted by Strabo, it appears that there were 
 different casts both among the other Scythians 
 and among those tribes called Sauromatae. Some 
 of these had ferocious customs and are said to 
 have been addicted to anthropophagy. The 
 habits of other casts were gentle, and some of 
 
 {a) Short history of Persia by Sir W. Jones. 
 Khondemir*s history of Persia. Ancient yniversal history. 
 (a) Mela de situ, orbis. lib. 3. cap. 4. 
 
478 
 
 them held it unlawful to kill any animal for 
 food, (a) 
 
 The Scythians like the Persians worshipped 
 the four elements of nature, (b) They used fire 
 as a means of purification, (c) 
 
 The Massagetse worshipped the sun. (d) Hero- 
 dotus says that they sacrificed horses to him, 
 with the idea of devoting the fleetest animal to 
 the swiftest god. (e) A similar notion and prac- 
 tise has been ascribed to the ancient Persians. 
 
 ^» Placat equo Persis radiis Hyperiona cinctum 
 Ne detur celeri victiraa tarda dec.'* 
 
 The great fondness of the Scythians and 
 Sarmatae for their horses and their constant use 
 of them is another trait of resemblance to the 
 Medes. 
 
 When all these marks of connexion between 
 the Scythians and the Eastern nations are com- 
 pared and added to the fact that the former 
 emigrated from the middle parts of Asia, it 
 becomes highly probable that all these people 
 were originally of one kindred. 
 
 2d. The connexion of the Scyth^e and Sauro- 
 
 (a) Ephorus. lib. 4. Apud Strabon lib. 7. 
 
 (b) See Lucian. In Longaev. Op. 2 torn. p. 818. 
 
 (c) See Justin's account of the Roman embassy to the 
 Scythian monarch. Justini hist. 
 
 {d) Strabo says that there was a close resemblance between 
 theSaca^, MaSsagetae and other Scythian tribes in their dress, 
 their modes of sepulture and general manners. 
 
 (e) Herod, lib. 1. 
 
479 
 
 matae is clear and indubitable. These names 
 belonged to different departments of the same 
 nation. 
 
 Diodorus says the Sauromatae were a colony 
 of Medes established by the Scythaj or the 
 Tanais. (a) 
 
 But Strabo, who was more accurate in geo- 
 graphy and antiquities than the Sicilian com- 
 piler, affirms that the Sarmatag or Sauromatas were 
 Scythian tribes. After making a geographical 
 division of Asia beyond Mount Taurus into four 
 parts, he proceeds to inform us that the first of 
 them towards the northern region and the ocean 
 is possessed by some Scythian tribes who are 
 Nomades and abide in waggons. " On the 
 hither side of these/' he says ''live the Sarmata?, 
 who themselves also are Scythians, the Aorsi, 
 Siraci, &c."(&) 
 
 Moreover the same tribes which by some au- 
 thors are enumerated as Scythians, are reckoned 
 by others among the Sarmata^. Thus the Basilii, 
 Georgi, &c. are mentioned among the principal 
 Scythian tribes by Herodotus. By Strabo they 
 are repeatedly included among the Sarmatas. 
 
 But the testimony of Herodotus on this point 
 is fully conclusive, being circumstantial and evi- 
 dently drawn from personal observation. He 
 
 (a) Diodor. ubi supra. 
 (^)Strabonis lib. U. p. 492. 
 
480 
 
 informs us that the Sauromata^ spoke the Scythian 
 language in a peculiar dialect (o-oXo^k/^ci'tjj.) This 
 fact is a proof of kindred (a) 
 
 Cluverius, the most learned of modern geo_ 
 graphers, remarks that the Sarmatas are con- 
 sidered by the Greek writers in general as Scy- 
 thians, (a) 
 
 Having found sufficient reason to believe that 
 the Scythian and Sarmatic tribes derived their 
 origin from the country southward of the Araxes, 
 and that they were in all probability allied by 
 kindred to the Medes, Persians and other nations 
 inhabiting that region, having moreover ob- 
 served that it is historically certain that the Scy- 
 thes and Sarmatas were tribes of one nation, we 
 proceed to inquire what has been the fate of this 
 race in later ages. 
 
 We may conclude that the ancient Sarmatas 
 were the ancestors of the Sclavonian nations of 
 modern times from the following considerations. 
 
 1st. The Sarmatas and the Germans are two 
 great nations into which the tribes inhabiting 
 northern Europe are distributed by the ancient 
 writers. The river Vistula afforded the great 
 line of boundary between them. Thus Ptolemy 
 says> '^ V h Eu^wttjj Sa/J/Aar/a Trspiopii^nxi utto iv^rixuv 
 
 Hon ruv 2«j3jU«T*xwv opW ypajtA^^, x«l uCroTg ro7g opf- 
 
 (&) Herod, ubi supra. 
 
 (c) Gerinania Antiqua. page 17. 
 
481 
 
 (Tn/.*' (a) And he marks the same limits in other 
 places. 
 
 Pomponkis Mela says, '' Germania hinc ripis 
 ejus (soil. Rhem) usque ad Alpes, a meridie ipsi» 
 Alpibus, ab oriente Sarmaticarum confinio gen- 
 tium ; qua septentrionein speetat oceanico Ht- 
 tore obducta est. (b} 
 
 MaFjy other authorities might be eited to the 
 same purpose. See Cluverius, Germania Anti- 
 qua^ lib. J. cap. 42. 
 
 It thus appears that the regions extending 
 eastward of the Vistula were the seat of the Sar- 
 matic tribes in the age of Ptolemy. At no long 
 interval, as we shall shortly observe, the same 
 countries are found to be occupied by nations of 
 Sclavonian race. It is to be presumed that the 
 same population continued, since we hear no- 
 thing to the contrary. If any considerable 
 change or extensive migration had happened, 
 siome record of it would have existed. Such 
 events are of difficult and rare occurrence, and 
 have never failed to leave their traces perma- 
 nently imprinted on the page of history. 
 
 Moreover many of the principal tribes which 
 are mentioned by the Greek and Roman geo- 
 graphers as possessing Sarmatia in the earlier 
 period, are found still to occupy their former 
 
 (a) Cl. Ptolemaei Geograph. 
 
 (b) D9 situ orbis. lib. 3. cap. 3. 
 
482 
 
 station In later times, when the Sclavonian name 
 had become well known among them. 
 
 Hence we may infer that the Sclavonian tribes 
 are the same peop!e who were anciently called 
 Sarmajtas. 
 
 2dly. This inference is established as historical 
 truth by the following circumstances. 
 
 In the first place the Sarmatas are identified 
 with the Venedi in the writings of the older 
 geographers. Ptolemy mentions the Venedi as 
 a great nation occupying the chief part of Sar- 
 matia in his time. " xotri^^ $\ rr,v locpiMxriatv i^VYt 
 fxiyia-rocy oWs OvsA^txiy Trocft^ oXov roi/ Ovsvi^mov ytoXirovy 
 aai VTTip rriv ^ockIm, Tit\jyuyoi n xat Bacrrapat." (a) 
 
 Pliny seems to include the Venedi with other 
 tribes under the name of Sarmatse, in these 
 words, " Nee minor est opinione Finningia. 
 Quidam hasc habitari ad Vistulam usque fluvium 
 a Sarmatis Venedis, Scyris, Hirris traduunt,'' (&) 
 
 Lastly. The Venedi are discovered in the age 
 of Jornandes to occupy the same region in Sar- 
 matia, and the express testimony of that historian 
 identifies them with the Sclavonian nations. He 
 says, ^'Introrsusilli Dacia est ad coronac specicm 
 arduis Alpibus emunita: juxta quorum sinistrum 
 latus quod in Aquilonem vergit et ab ortu Vis- 
 tulse fluminis per immensa spatia venit, Winida- 
 rum natio populosa consedit : quorum nomina 
 
 (fl) Ptolemy, iibl supra. 
 
 [b) Pliuii Hist. Nat. lib, 4. cap. 13. 
 
483 
 
 licet nunc per varias Emilias et loca mutentur,. 
 principaliter tamen Slavini et Antes nominan- 
 tur/' And in another place he makes a similar 
 observation. " Post Herulorum casdem idem 
 Hermanricus in Venetos arma commovit. Hi^ ut 
 initio expositionis vel catologo gentis dicere 
 caspimus, ab unastirpe exorti trian unc nomina 
 reddidere^ id est Veneti^ Antes^ Sclavi."(fl) 
 
 Cluverius tells us in confirmation of this ac- 
 count that many places in Livonia still retain the 
 names of Wend or Vend, and that all the tribes 
 of Sclavonian race who border on Germany are 
 at present called by the general term of '' die 
 Wenden/' and the states which they hold are 
 denominated '' die Windische marck, die Wind- 
 ische probe, &c/' {b) 
 
 It thus seems to be certain that the nations 
 who occupied the most extensive regions of Sar- 
 matia in the time of Pliny, Ptolemy^ &c the 
 Sarmatic Venedi are the same people who re- 
 ceived in the age of Jornandes the appellation 
 of Sclavi, Slavini or Sclavonians. 
 
 The tribes of this kindred still possess the 
 countries inhabited by their ancestors. Among 
 them we reckon the proper Sclavonians, the 
 Poles, Muscovites, Moldavians, Walachians, Ser- 
 vians, Bulgarians, Dalmatians, Croats, Carniolans, 
 Lusatians, Bohemians, Moravians, the two latter 
 
 (a) Jornaades dg rebus Geticis. 
 
 (b) Cluverius, German Antiq. 
 
 2 H 3 
 
484 
 
 tribes being known to have migrated from Sar- 
 matia into Germany at a more recent period. 
 
 Therefore it appeal^ that the ancient Sauro- 
 matae were the predecessors of the Russians and 
 Sclavonians. What has become of the other 
 Scythic tribes? We have no reason to believe 
 that they ever migrated from their ancient seats. 
 These are now possessed by the Tartar nations, 
 who resemble the Russians in physical charac- 
 ters, (a) and may be presumed to be the de- 
 scendants of the ancient Scythians. 
 
 An accurate examination of the languages of 
 the Sclavonian and Tartar tribes, and a com- 
 parison of them with the Indian and Persian 
 dialects, would probably throw some light on 
 the history of the former nations. I have little 
 doubt that some considerable affinity would be 
 discovered. 
 
 We have np information concerning the phy- 
 sical characters of the ancient Scythae and Sar- 
 matae. AH their descendants have the European 
 forms and features. The general complexion of 
 the Selavonjan and Tartar tribes is dark; their 
 eyes and hair are black. This is the case even 
 with the Circassians and Georgians, who are said 
 te h6 the fairest of the whole race in Asia, and 
 even the most beautiful of our species, (b) But 
 
 • (a) Gmelin. Voyage en Siberiq trad, par Keralio. Pallas. 
 Voy. en Siberie. 
 
 {bj Voyage dc Struys ea Mosavic, eu Tartaric, «S:g. tota.^. 
 
485 
 
 in the north of Russia the sanguine temperament^ 
 light hair. Sec are not uncommon, (a) 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Gothic or German ract, 
 
 1st. Of the Cimmerii, 
 THE Greeks had in very early times a con- 
 fused idea of a nation inhabiting the most dis- 
 tant regions of the north, whom they called 
 Cimmerii. Hamer gives this account of them 
 in the following lines. 
 
 ovi^ oTtor OLV <rr£iY>5<ri it^oq o\)pocitov ourrtfotvroty 
 
 The Greeks had no knowledge of the Cim- 
 merii except by their famous invasion of Asia 
 Minor. Of the irruption of these barbarians 
 from the north, then a recent event, some vague 
 rumours reached Greece, as Strabo supposes3(t*) 
 about the tiiiie of Homer. But Herodotus, by 
 
 faj Tooke's Hist, of Russia, vol. 1, 
 
 (&) Odysseis. — 11. initio. 
 
 (c) §tr»bon. lib. 1. p. 12.— lib. 3. p. 22t. 
 
: V 486 
 
 means of his acquaintance with the Lydians, 
 learnt the true history of this people, and the 
 quarter whence they came. We are informed 
 by him that they entered Asia by passing the 
 strait called the Cimmerian Bosphorus. Their 
 first settlements were on the European side of 
 the Bosphorus and Palus Maeotis, whence they 
 were expelled by the Scythians. (a) Other au- 
 thors confirm this relation. Callimachus thus 
 mentions it. 
 
 Avy^tXfAig v^pia-rn? ' iiri Si (rrpoirov l-Tr'n-r\fxoXyuv 
 riyocys Ki/Ajw-fpjwv, iJ/ajtAaOaj iVov, oi px irxp a,vro? 
 XfxAtjtAEJ/oj vxiov(n Qoog iropov hx^iwri^. (b) 
 This is all the information we possess con- 
 cerning the ancient Cimmerians. Strabo (g) and 
 Plutarch (e^) however mention a report preva- 
 lent in their time, that the Cimbri who invaded 
 Italy in the age of Caius Marius were a branch 
 of the old Cimmerii. It is evident that this 
 opinion had no other foundation than the re- 
 semblance of names, and neither of the authors 
 who relate it attaches any confidence to it. But 
 it is not improbable that when the Cimmerii 
 were expelled from their settlements by the 
 Scythae, a part of the nation might take refyge 
 in the countries lying westward of Cimmeria, 
 
 (aj Herod. lib. 1. 
 
 fbj Callimachi Hymn, ad Dianano. v. 400. 
 
 (cj Strabo. lib. 7. p. 293. 
 
 fdj Plutarch, vita C. Marii, 
 
487 
 
 and spreading themselves towards the norths 
 might preserve their ancient appellation. 
 
 Thus the Cimbri may be the descendants of 
 the Cimmerii. Perhaps this notion receives 
 some additional probability from the fact^ that 
 the Getas and other nations possessing the coun- 
 tries contiiruous to Scvthia or Cimmeria were of 
 the same kindred with the Cimbri^ as it will pre- 
 sently appear. 
 
 gdly. Of the GeUe, 
 
 Towards the south and west the Scythians had 
 for their neighbours the Getas. This nation was 
 widely extended, for we shall observe that they^ 
 or tribes allied to them by kindred, occupied a 
 considerable part of lesser Asia, and reached 
 thence far into the north of Europe. 
 
 The Thracians were a branch of the Getae, or 
 rather these names belonged to different depart- 
 ments of one great people. The Greeks, who 
 were well acquainted with the former nation, 
 gave the same appellation to all other tribes 
 whom they found to be of the same stock. 
 
 Herodotus repeatedly affirms the Thracians 
 and Getas to be one nation. He says the Getae 
 were the most warlike of all the Thracians. (a) 
 
 Menander also includes the Getas among the 
 Thracians^ in a passage which Strabo assures us 
 relates an authentic fact. 1.y> 
 
 f«J Herod, lib. 4. c. 93. 
 
488 
 
 '^fAiiq dTTCOVTOOU ( Kx) yoif aUTOf £V^O[AXl 
 
 JxerOfv stvxt TO yi\/<^i) o\j <r^oJ/>' lyxpccrsTg 
 l<r[Miu. (a ) 
 
 Strabo also informs us that the Getse who lived 
 to the northward of the Danube spoke the same 
 language with the Thracians. (Z>) 
 
 The Thracians as it is well known inhabited 
 both sides of the Hellespont. Several other na- 
 tions were likewise divided between Europe and 
 Asia, and all these were of the same race. The ^ 
 Ibllowing account is give« of them by Strabo. 
 " The Greeks/' he say^, ^' have understood the 
 (Sstafe to be Thracians. And these, and the 
 MysianS who are also Thracians, and the peop!e 
 Mow called Mysians inhabited both sides of the 
 Danube. From the latter went forth those My- 
 sians who are settled between the Lydians and 
 the Phrygians and Trojans. And the Phrygians 
 themselves also are Bryges a Thracian nation, as 
 likewise are the Mygdones, the Bebryces, the 
 Medobithyni and the Thyni, and as I believe « 
 also the Mariandyni, AH these last have entirely 
 deserted Europe, but tbe Mysians have remained. 
 5^hd Posidonius appears to me to be right in his 
 conjecture, that Homer alluded to the My^ans 
 in Europe, I inean those of Thrace, wheii he 
 fiaid, 
 
 faj Menander apud Straborncm. p. 297. 
 (b) Ibid. p. 303. 
 
4«^ 
 
 *^ Zfuf ^*«r« ouv Tf float? ti >cat Exropib t/nvo-1 7r€Aatr«-f, 
 
 Our author subjoins a remark which proves 
 this explanation to be correct. (&) 
 
 Thus we iind that the ancient Getas extended 
 from the vicinity of mount Taurus in Asia Minor 
 to the northern side of the Danube. So far we 
 may trust the authority of the Greek writers. 
 But they were incompetent to decide the his- 
 torical question, from which quarter the nation 
 originally proceeded. 
 
 We trace the Getae still further towards the 
 north by observing their affinity with the 
 t)acians. 
 
 Pliny assures us that the Getse and Dacians 
 are the same nation. He says that the former 
 name was given to them by the Greeks and the 
 latter by the Romans, (a) 
 
 (a) Strabo. lib. 7. p. 295, 
 
 I have inserted the passage of Homer rathea: more fully 
 than Strabo has given it for the sake of perspicuity, 
 
 (b) The geographer observes that the expressions waXiu 
 ^fimv which has the force -of ^rovrrlo-M and vooipit, would be 
 imintelligiWe if »up(pos€d to refer to the Mysians of Asia, 
 who were near neighbours of the Trojans, but if we under- 
 stand the Mysians of Europe, the phrase " he looked back- 
 wards towards the Mysians afar off," describes the local 
 situation. 
 
 (c) Plinii. Hist. Nat. 
 
490 r r 
 
 Strabo declares that the Daci spoke the same 
 language with the Geta, but he considers them 
 as different tribes of the same nation. He says 
 that in the ancient division of countries;, the 
 Geta; were properly those tribes who lived to- 
 wards the east;, and on the shores of the Euxine, 
 and those were Davi or Daci^, who were settled 
 westward next to Germany and the sources of 
 the Danube, (a) omlo Wm^iv^ s(H 
 
 The same geographer affirms the Triballi to be 
 a Thracian tribe, (b) 
 
 - 4thly. Of the Goths, 
 
 We shall now observe the Getas assuming a 
 more important station in the history of the 
 world by identifying themselves with the Goths. 
 
 The hordes of barbarians, who issued from the 
 region northward of the Danube and poured 
 themselves down upon the Roman empire in the 
 reign of the emperor Decius, were called by all 
 the writers in the succeeding ages Getas, and 
 were considered universally as the same people 
 who had been known from remote ages under 
 that name. This opinion was received among 
 the RomanS;, and afterwards when the Barbarians 
 became civilized and committed their history to 
 writing, it received their unanimous sanction. 
 
 {a) Strabo. p. 305. 
 {b) Ibid. 
 
491 
 
 The latter called themselves Goths, and the Ro- 
 mans adopted this name when they became better 
 acquainted with their new inmates. It finally 
 prevailed over the ancient appellation of Getae. 
 
 The identity of the Getae and Goths was never 
 called in question till Cluverius set up a con- 
 trary opinion and endeavoured to prove that 
 the Guttones or Golhones whom he places on 
 the shores of the Baltic were the true Goths, 
 and that these people were altogether distinct 
 from the Geta5, but were mistaken for them 
 by the Romans from the circumstance of their 
 having entered the empire through the terri- 
 tories occupied of old by that nation. On 
 account of the high credit of this author it 
 is necessary to examine the grounds of his 
 opinion. * 
 
 He candidly confesses that he is directly at 
 ^^riance with all the ancient writers, that '' the 
 poets Sidonius, Claudian and Ausonius con- 
 tinually call the Goths by the name of Getas 
 and that Jornandes, Procopius, Orosius, St. Jerom, 
 Spartian and others have expressly declared the 
 Goths to b6 the same nation whom the Greek 
 writers called Getas, . and the older Romans 
 Daci.'* Against this weight of authority sup- 
 porting a positive testimony he opposes one 
 negative argument which appears to be alto- 
 gether inconclusive. After showing that the 
 Geta^ were affirmed to be of the Thracian stock 
 
492 
 
 by Herodotus^ he remarks that neither the Thra- 
 cians nor the Getae were even included by the 
 old writers among tl>e German tribes; but the 
 Goths were certainly allied to that race ; hcnc^ 
 he infers that the Getae and the Goths were 
 wholly unconnected, (a) 
 
 This objection of Cluverius may be answered 
 by the following considerations. The early 
 incursions of the Getas were in a quarter so 
 distant from the Germans that the Romans may 
 never have suspected them to be a tribe of that 
 nation. The Geta? differed from the proper 
 Germans in various particulars. In manners 
 they resembled the Scythian nomades who in- 
 habited the country contiguous to them. This 
 may be imputed to imitation of a neighbouring 
 people with whom they had been during a 
 long course of ages in the habits of intercourse. 
 The difference of climate and local circum- 
 stances must have created a strong distinction 
 between them and the Germans. The Romans 
 never took the pains to examine and compare 
 the languages and moral traits of barbarous 
 societies. Hence we need not wonder that they 
 never discovered the affinity of these nations. 
 Moreover all the Roman writers betray the 
 same ignorance with regard to the Goths. They 
 never imagined these barbarians to be allied 
 
 (#) CLuveiii Qermaiiia An/II^ua. lib. 3. cap. 34. 
 
49S 
 
 to the Germans, and it was not until the Goths 
 became civilized and began to occupy them- 
 selves with settling their own antiquities, that 
 they were discovered to belong to the great 
 German stock. Thus the argument by which 
 Ckiverius attempts to prove that the Getac 
 were not of German origin applies with equal 
 Ibrce to the Goths. It must be abandoned as 
 refutinor itself. 
 
 ^ The silence of the ancients on the above 
 question being inconclusive, we must appeal 
 to the testimony of historians to discover whether 
 the Getas and Goths were the same people. 
 
 In the first place we have a strong presumptive 
 proof that the barbarians who crossed the Danube 
 in the reign of Decius and who afterwards con- 
 
 I quered the Roman empire were no other than 
 the Get^, in the fact that they issued from the 
 
 ! country which we know to have been shortly 
 before occupied by that great and powerful 
 nation, (a) Thus when we are assured that 
 France was nearly conquered by the armies of 
 Enjxland under the conduct of the Black Prince, 
 and that an expedition passed over from the 
 fcame island not long afterwards during the 
 reign of Henry 5th. and inflicted similar events 
 on that country, there being no reason to believe 
 
 (a) Herodotus says the Thr^cian people, in which he 
 includes the GcIk, were the most numerous of all natioas 
 next to the Indians. 
 
494 
 
 that Britain had undergone any change of popu- 
 lation in the mean time, it would be a fair and 
 natural inference to suppose that the later in- 
 vaders were of the same people as the former, 
 although we had not been precisely informed of 
 the fact. The case of the Getae and Goths is ex- 
 actly parallel. 
 
 But the Goths are expressly declared to be 
 the Getse. 
 
 First. All the Greek and Roman writers give 
 their testimony to this fact. 
 
 Spartian who lived at the time of Diocletian 
 when the Goths were just becoming known to 
 the Romans, about forty years after their first 
 remarkable invasion says the names of Geta^ 
 and Gotthi are synonymous, (a) 
 
 Flavins Vopiscus a respectable historian of 
 the same period calls the Goths Getse. (b) 
 
 The learned Procopius who compiled his his- 
 tory in the reign of Justinian, (c) St. Jerom,^^) 
 Orosius,(e) and St. Isidore of Seville, (/) agree 
 concerning the identity of these people. 
 
 The poets Claudian and Ausonius lived at 
 the time when the Gothic arms had already 
 
 (aj Spartian in vita Antonini Caracallae. 
 
 ("bj Flavins Vopiscus in Probi vita. 
 
 (cj Procopius. Rerum Gothicarum, lib, 1. 
 
 (dfj Div. Hieron. Epist. 135. et comment in Genesin. 
 
 (e) P. Orosius Historiarum. lib. 1. cap. 16. 
 
 (f) Isidori Hispalen^iis Etymologiarumj item de Gothis, 
 Vandalis et Sucvis. 
 
495 
 
 threatened destruction to the Roman city and 
 shortly before they effected it. The Goths were 
 at that period the object of general attention 
 and curiosity. The former of these poets always 
 calls them by the name of Getas, (a) and the 
 latter uses Getae and Gothi indiscriminately. 
 
 Secondly. The historians who lived among 
 the Goths after that people had acquired some 
 degree of refinement and who expressly occu- 
 pied themselves in collecting the Gothic anti- 
 quities and traditions;, never seem to have had 
 any idea of a nation of Goths distinct from the 
 Getsc. The learned Cassiodorus, secretary of 
 state under Theodoric, compiled all the infor- 
 mation he could obtain concerning this people 
 in twelve books which have unfortunately pe- 
 rished. An abridgement of them has reached our 
 time written by Jornandes^, an Alan, who was 
 bishop of the Goths at Ravenna in the reign of 
 Justinian. Besides the more authentic record 
 obtained from Cassiodorus this author has bor- 
 rowed from Ablabius and Dexippus/ who had 
 before written on the Gothic history. Jornandes 
 entitled his work ''de rebus Geticis/' and he 
 
 (a) So also the poet Claudius Ritulus, 
 
 " Postquam Tuscus ager, postquamque Aurelius ager 
 Perpessus Geticas ense vel igne manus." 
 
 To the authorities cite<l might be added those of Pomponius 
 1-etus, Julius Capitolinus, Prudentius, Sidonius ApoUinaris 
 aciid others. 
 
496 
 
 never seerus to have entevtmne4 a» idea that 
 the people who were the object of hts researches 
 were any other than the proper Getae. (a) 
 
 The predatory incursions of barbarians have 
 seldom been^ ast sonie historical narratives would 
 lead us to believe, migrations of whole tribes in 
 quest of new settlements. The only persons 
 fitted to embark in these perilous expeditions 
 were young and robust warriors. The aged and 
 infirm and a certain part of the community 
 engaged in the necessary works of agriculture 
 remained at home* It was only the super- 
 abundant population which thus disgorged itself 
 by irruptions into the more civilized countries. 
 But a single tribe was seldom sufficiently nu- 
 merous to furnish a predatory army whose force 
 should enable it to overpower all resistance. 
 Hence several neighbouring states were often 
 asi^ociated together in their enterprises. The 
 incursions of the Goths appear to have been 
 conducted in this manner. Several tribes in 
 their vicinity accompanied them. Hence we 
 qbtaiia the means of judging from what quarter 
 
 (a) He indeed adopts from one of the writers above 
 mentioned an idle s^tcwy of the Get^p having in very remote 
 times emigrated from Scandinavia, but he attributes this 
 event to the first ages, and expressly declares it to have hap- 
 pened before the time of Zamolxis the famous philosophei: 
 of the Getae mentlojjied by Herodotus. See Jornandcs de 
 rebus Qeticis. 
 
497 
 
 the march of this people originated. If they 
 proceeded from the northern extremity of Eu- 
 rope^ we should probably find other nations 
 confederated with them, who are known to have 
 inhabited that region. But it is remarkable 
 that all the tribes who are said to have shared in 
 the Gothic invasion came from the vicinage of 
 the proper Getas in the eastern parts of Europe, 
 and from the neighbourhood of the Euxine. 
 Many of them were Sarmatic tribes from the 
 southern parts of Scythia, and the progress of 
 these people from the East seems to have been 
 connected with the approach of the Huns, who 
 in a subsequent period entered the empire 
 from the same quarter. Thus Claudian alluding 
 to the invasion of the Goths in his own time says, 
 
 *' lam gentes Istrumque moret, Scythiamque receptat 
 Auxilio, traditque suas hostilibus armis 
 Relliquias : mistis descendit Sarmata Dacis 
 Et qui cornipedes in pocula vulnerat audax 
 Massagetes^ coesamque hibens Mcsotida Alamis 
 Membraque qui ferro gaudet pinxissc Gelonus,^* (a) 
 
 And in celebrating the victories of Stilicho 
 over the Goths, he says, 
 
 *' Quis enim Mysos in plaustra feroces 
 Reppulit aut saeva Promoti caede tumenteS 
 Bastarnas una potuit delere ruina ? 
 Millia jampridem miseram yastantia Thracem 
 
 f a In Rufiomn lib. 1. 
 
 31 
 
498 
 
 Finibus exiguje vallis conclusa tenebas 
 Kon te terrisonus stridor yenientis Alani 
 ^ Kec \aga, Chunoj'um feritas, non falce Gelomts, 
 3Non arcu pepulere Getce, non Sartnata conto." («) 
 
 So also Aiisonius. 
 
 ^^ ^' Jane veni ; novus anne veni : rcnotate veni sol, 
 Hospitis edomitis, qua Francia mista StieYis, 
 Certat ad obsequium Latiis ut militet armis ; 
 Qua vaga Sauromaies sibi junxerat agmina Chuni 
 Quaque Getis sociis Istrum adsaltabat Aianis,^' (b) 
 
 ^^^ All these are Eastern nations. The Bastarnas 
 ivho bordered on the Getse towards the North, 
 are the most northerly of them. 
 
 From all these circumstances it appears that 
 there is scarcely any fact of the kind better au- 
 thenticated, than that the Goths were the same 
 people who had been known before under the 
 appellation of Geta5.iH*f«<^^v 
 
 But there was a nation called Goths in Scandi- 
 navia, and they are proved by affinity of lan- 
 guage to be of kindred origin with the Eastern 
 Goths. We must therefore suppose either that 
 the Getas migrated from Scandinavia^ or that the 
 tribe on the Northern shores of the Baltic was 
 a colony detached from the great body of the 
 nation in the East. 
 
 The former supposition is incredible. We 
 
 (a) In Consulatum Stilichonis, 
 {b) Ausonii Poemata. 332, 
 
499 
 
 know that the Thracian or Get ic tribes occupied 
 the South-eastern corner of Europe and Asia 
 Minor to Mount Taurus, before the Trojan war. 
 If these nations proceeded from Scandinavia be- 
 fore that epoch, all connexion must have been 
 lost in the great lapse of time between them and 
 their kindred in the North. We cannot imagine 
 that any vestige of it could remain until three 
 centuries after the Christian era. But no diffi- 
 culty attends the alternative. The age of Pom- 
 pey has been fixed upon, by antiquarians with 
 probability as the era of the principal migration 
 of the Goths from the Danube towards the Baltic. 
 It is very conceivable that tribes going from the 
 East about this time should preserve their lan- 
 guage and manners without any remarkable 
 change during three or four centuries. They 
 retained their old name of Goths or Getes (a) 
 in their new settlements, just as the Belgic tribes 
 of Britain in Caesar's time continued to have 
 the same appellations with their kindred in Gaul; 
 and it is probable that the Gothini or Guttones 
 of Cluverius in Pomerania, and the Gutes in 
 Jutland, and afterwards in Northumberland, and 
 
 (a) Guti, Gotti, Jutae, Jutones, Getae^ are all variations 
 of the same name, which was written by the Saxons Ireaca]'. 
 In the Saxon versions of Bede the word is Tse'dtuin^Geate?, 
 The Gothic word faec a giant or strong man; is probably 
 the Etymon, — See Camden's Britannia, 
 
 2 12 
 
500 
 
 the Goths in Scandinavia are instances of the 
 same denomination thus widely scattered. 
 
 Many extrinsic arguments may be adduced 
 in support of this opinion concerning the origin 
 of the Goths. The North of Europe appears 
 to have been the seat of the Celtae before the 
 German tribes made their way into it. The 
 memory of the encroachments of the latter was 
 yet recent in Caesar's time. Herodotus places 
 the Celtas in Germany at a time when the 
 Germans were entirely unknown. 
 
 The Scandinavian traditions ascribe to the 
 Goths an eastern origin. The language and 
 poetical mythology of these nations were pre- 
 served with extraordinary purity in the Nor- 
 wegian colony of Iceland. The famous Saemund 
 in the eleventh century collected the old Sagas 
 of his nation in a work entitled the Edda, which 
 is well known. About 150 years afterwards the 
 collection was greatly increased by Snorro 
 Sturlaeson, nomophylax of Iceland, the author 
 of another Edda and of the Norway Chronicle. 
 A great part of these sagas are occupied with 
 the adventures of Odin, who led his followers 
 the Asi from the region of Asgard towards the 
 North. Many eastern rivers are mentioned to 
 have been passed by him. Snorro, in the chro- 
 nicle, has given the tradition at greater length. 
 He places Asgard on the Tanais. (a) 
 
 (a) Remains of the Gothic language hare been said to bo 
 
501 
 
 5thly. Of the German tribes in general. 
 
 Having found sufficient proof of the identity 
 of the Getae and Goths, and having seen reason 
 to believe that they proceeded originally from 
 the East, and drove the Celtce out of their 
 settlements in the North, we gain a considerable 
 insight into the history of the nations now in- 
 habiting the North of Europe. 
 
 discovered not far from the supposed situation of Asgard. 
 In the middle of the 13th century Ruysbroek, orRubruquis, 
 a Brabantine friar, was sent by the French king ambassa- 
 dor to Mangee Khan. On his return he published an 
 account of his journeyj which has been held in high repute. 
 Between Soldcya and Kersona he found people who $poke 
 a Gothic dialect. 
 
 Josaphat Barbaro, a Venetian traveller in 1486^ gave a 
 similar relation, 
 
 Busbequius, ambassador from the emperor Frederick to 
 the Forte, conversed during his residence in the East with 
 two persons deputed from the Chersonese to complain of 
 grievances. By inquiry he found that the countrymen of 
 these persons resembled the ancient Germans in their phy- 
 sical traits, and spoke a language strongly similar to the 
 Gothic— See Sammes's Britannia Antiqua, p. 422. — Dr. 
 J. R. Forster's Account of Northern Discoveries. 
 
 Pallas, in his journey in the Chersonese, found in some 
 mountainous districts a people widely different from the 
 other inhabitants both in their physical characters which 
 resembled the German, and in their language. These are 
 doubtless a remnant of some former population of the 
 country, and possibly of the Gothic aborigines.— See Pallas's 
 Journey in Crim Tartary. 
 
 These facts are certainly curioui. Valeant quantum 
 \alere po^sint. 
 
502 
 
 In the first place this nation is identified with 
 the great German race ; to which the Goths are 
 nearly allied. 
 
 Hence all the German tribes deduce them- 
 selves by a close affiliation from the same origin, 
 among which we reckon the Cimbri, (a) Teuto- 
 nes and Gutes, on the southern side of the Baltic; 
 the Goths, Swedes, and Norwegians, in Scandi- 
 navia ; the Caledonians or Picts in North Britain, 
 and the Belgas in Gaul and in South Britain. 
 
 The more recent extensions of this family 
 need not be mentioned. 
 
 6thly. Of the connexion of this great familij of 
 nations with the ancient Asiatics. 
 
 With relation to this subject I shall only men- 
 tion the principal points on which a sufficient 
 mass of evidence may be accumulated. To enter 
 flilly into the investigation would lead me to 
 exceed the limits prescribed to this volume. 
 
 We have observed that the extension of this 
 
 (a) Some modern writers seem to doubt whether the 
 Cimbri were a German nation. But it is certain that they 
 were of that race. Their situation, surrounded by tribes 
 of German origin, and their connexion with the Teutones 
 afford a strong presumption. They had, as we learn from 
 Plutarch, the physical characters of the Germans. More- 
 over they are expressly included in that nation by Caesar, 
 (Lib. 1. de Bello Gallico) by Tacitus (Mor. German.) by 
 Strabo (lib. 4) and by Pliny (lib. 4. c. 14). 
 
SOS 
 
 race was fram the South towards the North, and 
 not in a contrary direction. We must therefore 
 consider the position of the Southern tribes in 
 the earliest period of our acquaintance with 
 them, as the original point whence the distant 
 ramifications of the stock were propagated. In 
 the earliest age of history we find the Thracians, 
 Mysians, Phrygians, and other nations of this 
 race, among the most ancient inhabitants of Asia 
 Minor. Their primeval situation is highly fa- 
 vourable to the opinion which ascribes to them 
 a common origin with the nations of Upper Asia. 
 All the accounts which we have concerning 
 the tribes above mentioned establish this con- 
 nexion. The manners and religious rites of the 
 Phrygians bear a close resemblance to those of 
 the more Eastern people, of which a strong 
 example occurs in the worship of Cybele on 
 Mount Dindyma, whom Virgil calls 
 
 - " Alma parens Idaea deura cui Dindjma cordi 
 Turrigeraeque urbes, bijugique ad fraena leoiies. {a) '* 
 
 The poet in another place describes the Phry- 
 gians : 
 " Vobis picta croco et fulgent i murice vestis ; 
 Desidiae cordi ; juvat indulgere chareis ; 
 Et tunicae manicas, et habent redimiqula mitrae. 
 
 Tympana vos buxusque vocant Berecyntia matris.** 
 Idaeae. (6) 
 
 (a) JEneid. 10. 
 
504 
 
 The Trojans were a branch of the Phrygians. 
 Among them the same mythology prevailed 
 which was common to the Greeks and the Eastern 
 Asiatics. 
 
 The Thracians exhibit strong proofs of con- 
 nexion with the East. They worshipped Mars, 
 Bacchus, Diana, and their princes Mercury, (a) 
 
 They practised Polygamy, and when a husband 
 died, his favorite wife immolated herself, being 
 gaudily dressed as if for some great celebration, 
 on his funeral pile. Those who survived were 
 considered as disgraced. (&) The same custom 
 was observed by the Getag. 
 
 The Getx were celebrated for their belief in 
 the immortality of the soul. The doctrines of 
 the worshippers of Zamolxis were so like those 
 of the Pythagoreans, that Herodotus suspected 
 them to be derived from that sect, (c) 
 
 The Mysians, according to Posidonius, ab- 
 stained from eating cattle or any animal, from a 
 religious scruple against destroying any living 
 thing. They were remarkable for their habits 
 of piety, and for the multitude of their super- 
 stitions, i^d) 
 
 The mythology of the Goths in the North, 
 although a more remote derivation, exhibits 
 
 («) Herod. 5. c. 7.-r-Eunpides (Hecuba et Rhesus.) 
 mentions Bacchus as their god. 
 
 (6) Herod, ubi supra, (c) Herod. 4, 
 
 ^d) Posidonius apu4 Strabonem. lib. 7. ^. 296, 
 
505 
 
 many relations to the fictions of the East^ and 
 would probably, if fully analysed, appear evi- 
 dently to have emanated from the same source. 
 A remarkable affinity has been traced between 
 the Gothic dialects and the Persian. Both are 
 connected with the Greek, and it is apparent 
 that all these languages were nearly allied in 
 their original structure. A stronger proof can- 
 not be afforded of the Eastern derivation of the 
 German nations, and of their descent from the 
 ancient Asiatics. 
 
 7thly. Of the Phi/ sic al Characters of the German 
 Tribes. 
 
 The Germans are universally described by the 
 Romans as tall large-bodied men, of fair com- 
 plexion, red or yellow hair, and blue eyes. This 
 character is ascribed to them by Tacitus, (a) 
 Several of the poets allude to it, as Horace, {b) 
 
 ^' Nee fera caerulea domuit Germania pube.'* 
 
 And Juvenal : (c) 
 
 '' Caerula quis stupuit German! lumina, flavam 
 Caesariem, et madido torquentem eornua cirrho ? 
 Nerape quod haec illis natura est omnibus una/* 
 
 («) " Habitus quoque corporum quanquam in tanto 
 hominum numero idem omnibus: truces et cairulei oculi : 
 rutilae coma*, magna corpora et tantum ad impetum yalida." 
 —Tacitus de moribus Germanorum. 
 
 (b) Horace. Epodon liber. 
 
 (c) Satir. T. 
 
506 
 
 Alison ins: (a) 
 
 -■ '* Sic Latiis mutata bonis German a maneret 
 Ut facies, oculos caeruxa, flava comas," 
 
 Lucan : C^J 
 
 *^ Fundit ab extremo flavos Aquilone Suevo* 
 Albis et indomitum liheni caput/* 
 
 Silius Italicus of the Batavi, a German tribe : (c) 
 " At ter transcqndes Germanice facta tiiorum 
 lam puer auricorao peribrmidate Batavo.'* 
 
 Procopius attributes a similar complexion to the 
 Goths : he says, 
 
 Galen ascribes the same characters to the 
 Germans fej Many other authorities might be 
 added^ but these suffice to shew the generality 
 of the observation. 
 
 A similar complexion prevails among all the 
 nations of modern Europe descended from the 
 Germans. Linnaeus thus characterizes the Goth« 
 of Scandinavia : 
 
 " Gothi corpore proceriore, capillis albidis^ oculo-* 
 rum iridibus cinereo-cserules centibus. (/) 
 
 In those parts of Scotland which are inhabited 
 by the Lowlanders, the descendants of the PictSj, 
 a^German race, blue eyes and light hair are almost 
 
 (a) Ausonii Edyll, poem. 328. 
 
 (b) Pharsalia. lib. 2. 
 
 (c) Punica. lib. 3. 
 
 (d) Procopius, Rer. Vandal, lib. 3. 
 
 (e) Galen, in Hippocratira de Ratiope ?ictus, 
 (/) Lianaei Fauna Suecica 
 
507 
 
 universal. A dark complexion on the contrary 
 characterizes, for the most part, the Celtic High- 
 landers. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Of the Pelasgian Eace. 
 
 THERE is much difficulty in the early Greek 
 history in settling some questions concerning 
 the Pelasgi. The same obscurity attended this 
 subject in the time of Herodotus and seems to 
 have occasioned him great perplexity. 
 
 It is in the first place very clear that most, 
 if not all of the Greek tribes were in their 
 original properly Pelasgian. This name was 
 for a long time the most general designation of 
 the Greeks. Yet we find that in the age of 
 Herodotus, the Pelasgi were considered as a 
 barbaric nation, and we have even the express 
 testimony of that historian for the remarkable 
 fact, that they spoke a language unintelligible 
 to the Greeks. In order to reconcile these 
 apparently discordant relations, we must en- 
 deavour to trace the history of the nations in 
 question from the earliest periods. 
 
 The most ancient people of the Peloponnesus 
 were the Pelasgi, who seem to have been the 
 sole possessors of it until the appearance of the 
 
508 
 
 "Egypthn colony under Danaus. Like otfier 
 nations who have retained no memorial of their 
 first arrival in the country inhabited by them, 
 they imagined themselves to be indigenous, or 
 to have sprung originally from the soil. They 
 are said to have received their name from Pe- 
 lasgus a fabulous king of Arcadia, who is some- 
 times represented as the first man produced. 
 An ancient poet records this fiction, (a) 
 Avrlhov re TlsXaayov h uif/»xojao»f opiitra-t 
 
 ^schylus alludes to it in the Supplices, the 
 subject of which drama is the arrival of Danaus 
 in the Peloponnesus. The native king of the. 
 Greeks is made thus to declare himselR 
 
 Tou yny vovg yocp 11^4^ lyo) noAaip^OovQ* 
 Ting VLiAixa-yoi;, ma-h yng dpyriyiTYiU 
 ifj.oZv J ccvccycT^ i\)K(jy(tig i7rco]/vfji,o)f 
 yii/'^ HiXtx-cryo^v rrj/h ycGipiTGvroci ^Suoi, 
 xal TTcca-xv ou&.Vj ng ^i ' A^^y<^ ip^srai^ 
 
 Tllv^ov Tf Ta7rtH«va Tlocioyccu iriKa.g^ 
 ap-ni Tf A(t)^uvouoc ' (Tmri^yH J*' op^- 
 uypoig ^QO\ix.(T<Tng ' ruyh xaVl roca^ Jt/Jaro^. (^by 
 The Arcadians were the only people of the 
 peninsula who were never dispossessed by foreigtx 
 
 (a) Asius. apud Pausaniame. Arcadicis. 
 ■ (^) Supplices. v\ 258. et seqcj. 
 
509 
 
 intruders.(a) They long retained their primeval 
 seats undisturbed, and continued to boast their 
 Pelasgic origin and to pretend that their nation 
 was older than the moon, whence they received 
 from the rest of the Greeks the ironical name 
 of Tl(iO(r'cXnvoi.(^l)) The term Arcadian was fami- 
 liarly used to describe any thing extremely 
 antique, or lost in the obscurity of remote times. 
 The Pelasgi were not confined to the Pelo- 
 ponnesus. In the lines above quoted from 
 iEschylus they are said to inhabit all Greece 
 including Thessaly and Macedon. They gave 
 origin to most of the Grecian states. They 
 were in general a rude unpolished people, and 
 the more settled communities of Greece, as 
 they acquired from foreign intercoui*se or colo- 
 nization the habits of civilized life, graduallv 
 assumed names which distinguished them from 
 their semibarbarous brethren. Hence they are 
 never mentioned as Pelasgi, except in referring 
 
 j(«) Herodotus informs us that tlie religious mysteries of 
 Egypt were established among the Pelasgi of the Pelo- 
 ponnesus by Danaus, but that the people of that peninsula 
 being expelled by the Dorians after the Trojan war the 
 mysteries were lost, except in Arcadia where the old 
 inhabitants remained and preserved them. (Uerod. lib. 2.) 
 
 Mence we learn that in Arcadia the population continued 
 always to be properly Pelasgian. That country underwent 
 no change of occupants. The Arcadians are also called 
 Pelasgi by Herodotus in his tirst book. Chap. 146. 
 
 (6) Sehol. ad Nubes Aristophanis. t. 397. 
 
SIO 
 
 to their historical origin. The Athenians afford 
 an example in proof of this observation. Hero- 
 dotus informs us that in the Pelasgian age the 
 people of Attica were Pelasgi and were named 
 Cranai. In the time of Cecrops they were 
 called CecropidaS;, and when Erechtheus reigned 
 and established the tutelar worship of Minerva 
 they received the appellation of Athenians, (a) 
 
 Thus Scymnus ChiusCJ) 
 
 s^Ss" 'A6riv' a? (pocciv omiTotg XocQ&tv, 
 
 TO (j\u IliXixtryoZg irpcaTOi/y ovg ^\ ^ri \oy(^ 
 
 Kpxvoccmi; Xiysar^xiy ^srx SI ro^vrx KsapoTZ-tSag, 
 
 And the Pelasgi of Argos who had adopted 
 the name of Danai, are thus addressed by the 
 Orestes of Euripides. 
 
 froixoti UeXxiryo , Aai/«f«5Ut ^£ Ssvrspov, (c) 
 But the origin of the name of Hellenes is 
 most important to our purpose^, since it became 
 in process of time a more general appellation 
 than any other, and was frequently opposed to 
 that of Pelasgi. Fortunately Thucydides has 
 given us an anecdote of the rise of this denomi- 
 nation and of the manner of its extension^ by 
 which we learn that it was not the title of a 
 distinct nation or race. He informs us that the 
 
 (a) Herodotus, lib. 8. cap. 44. 
 
 {b) Scymnus Chins apud Geograph. Vet. torn, 1, p. 32. 
 
 (c) Orestes, v. 930. 
 

 V::h^^' 
 
 family of Hellen son of Deucalion became cel«^ 
 brated in Phthiotis for their exploits, and that 
 the assistance of theirclan was frequently sought 
 in war by the neighbouring slates. A military 
 association was thus formed, and the parties 
 who were accustomed to fight under the conduct 
 of this band gradually adopted the designation 
 of their more illustrious allies. Yet the pro- 
 gressive extension of the Hellenic name was 
 slow, as we know from the circumstance that 
 Homer, writing long after the Trojan war, con- 
 fines it to the followers of Achilles from Phthiotis, 
 who were the first Hellenes, (a) Such is the 
 account given by Thucydides, and it is clear 
 from several remarks left by Herodotus, that he 
 entertained exactly the same idea concerning 
 the rise of this celebrated appellation. 
 
 Ihe Dorians, or the clan of Dorus son of 
 Hellen, were the most illustrious of the early 
 Hellenes. Having conquered the Peloponnesus 
 they drove out the former inhabitants. The 
 effect of this conquest was ^n extension of the 
 Hellenic name through all the country subdued. 
 It does not appear to have been adopted until 
 [ong afterwards by the Arcadians, who retained 
 undisturbed possession of their old seats, or by 
 the people who emigrated, or the Attics. These 
 were still called Pelasgi, and henceforward this 
 
 («) Thucydides, lib. 1. cap. 3. 
 
512 
 
 appellation came to be opposed to that of 
 Hellenes, (a) 
 
 The people of the Peloponnesus, before this 
 memorable expulsion, were considered as be- 
 longing to two principal Pelasgi tribes. First, 
 the ^oles were the most considerable. These 
 will be mentioned more fully. Secondly, the 
 inhabitants of the northern maritime parts, 
 thence named UeXutryo) diytocxiig or Pelasgi of the 
 coast, were allied by kindred to the people of 
 Attica, where they sought refuge when driven 
 from their seats in the peninsula. These people 
 received soon after together with the Athenians, 
 the name of lones from Ion, their common 
 leader. Their colonies in Asia and in the islands 
 extended themselves widely, became opulent and 
 held a distinguished place in the Grecian history. 
 The name of lonians eclipsed the former desig- 
 nation of Pelasgi, which at length was seldom 
 heard of as applied to this department of the 
 nation. 
 
 Both the Dorian and Ionian states underwent 
 iabout this time a complete revolution in man- 
 ners. The more settled state of affairs which 
 followed the established ascendency of a few 
 principal states, gave the people an opportunity 
 of turning their attention to commerce and the 
 
 (a) Compare Thucydides. lib. 1. cap. 3, with Herodotus 
 lib. 1. cap. 56, 57^ 58, and other places where he mentioufi 
 the Pelasgi and Hellenes with reference to their names. 
 
513 
 
 improvement of arts. The Dorians weve still 
 pre-eminent in arms, and always held precedence 
 in ail military affairs. Their political influence 
 at length occasioned the whole Ionian nation to 
 adopt by degrees the Hellenic name^ which had 
 belonged peculiarly to the Dorians. 
 
 The lonians were now a very different people 
 from the Pelasgic tribes who had migrated in 
 early times from the northern parts of Greece 
 where the Hellenic confederacy had never yet 
 been extended. These retained still the roving 
 dispositions and rude manners of their barbarous 
 ancestors. The Hellenes had been advancing 
 in civilization during some centuries and had 
 received much improvement from intercourse 
 with more polished nations. Hence their lan- 
 guage was found at this period to differ from 
 the dialect of those Pelasgian tribes who still 
 retained in distant settlements their ancient cha- 
 racter. We shall resume the mention of the 
 latter after considering the subdivision of the 
 Gireek nation laid down by Strabo.(a) 
 
 That geographer informs us that there were 
 four principal nations among the Greeks, being 
 the same number as the divisions of the language. 
 
 Of these it is observed that the old Attic and 
 Ionic dialects are modifications of the same, and 
 that the Athenians and lonians are one kindred 
 
 (a) See Strabo. lib. 8. p. 333. 
 2K 
 
514 
 
 We have remarked already that this branch cfT 
 the Greek nation was clearly Pelasgian. It is 
 repeatedly asserted by the ancient writers, (a) 
 
 The most ancient of the Greek dialects was< 
 the ^olic. This was the language of the Pelo- 
 ponnesus before the Dorian intrusion, except 
 in that part of the coast which belonged to the 
 lonians. The CEnotrians carried it from Arcadia 
 into Laliuni where it became the basis of the 
 Latin. It was propagated through the islands, 
 and in that part af the Asiatic coast which was 
 colonized by the ^olians driven out of Pelo- 
 ponnesus by the Dorians. And the Arcadians 
 and Eleans who remained in their first settle- 
 ments always preserved their ^oHan speech. 
 
 Strabo informs us that all the Greeks without 
 the peninsula except the Athenians., and the 
 Megareans and Dorians to the north of the 
 Corinthian gulph, were si ill called ^Eoles in his 
 time. Therefore we may consider the JEoVmn 
 name as including the whole Greek nation with 
 the exception of the lones and Dorians. 
 
 That the iEolian nation wasPelaseic we might 
 be assured from the quarter whence their chief 
 migrations emanated, viz. Arcadia and the 
 
 (a) Herodotus mentions that the proper lonians were 
 the weXaayo* xiynxXiis of the Peloponnesus before the migra- 
 tion. The louidns of the islands also were Pelasgi. (Herorf. 
 Polyrania c. ^b.) That the Athenians were Pelasgi he 
 affirms in book 1. chap. b7, 
 
 Jit 
 
515 
 
 PeloponilesliSj but we have besides thfe express 
 testimony of Herodotus for the fact. («) 
 
 The Dorians were originally according to 
 Strabo a small part of the .^olian nation, who 
 inhabiting a mouritainous and inaccessible part 
 of Greece retained a peculiar pronunciation. (^) 
 Thus we find the Dorian language to be a slight 
 modification of the i^olic. Pindar whose poems 
 are in the Doric^ calls his muse iEolic and 
 Doric in the same ode. {c) 
 
 — aXXoc Aupixv a^ 
 
 iro ^opfji-iyya, 7roc(r(ra,Xo\j 
 
 XafA^xv .— * 
 
 And again, 
 
 The Dorians theti Were ^olians, ^nd the 
 first Hellenes were a small division of the 
 Dorians. They must therefore be considered 
 as Pelasgi in their origin, and they are thus 
 spoken of by Herodotus. (^) 
 
 To conclude, since the iEolians atid tonians 
 were the two old Greek nations from whom the 
 
 (a) Herodotus* Polymnia. cap. 95. 
 (h) Strabo ubi supra, 
 (c) Pindar. Olympic, 1. 
 
 \_dj TO EXAr/y/xoy a<7TQ3-^t(70h diro rov Hi>.x7yiKov, Herod. 
 Ub. 1. c. 68. 
 
 2K2 
 
5X6, 
 
 Pores qn pi^e side ^nd the Attics on the other ori- 
 ginated, apd sinc^ it hafi appeared gbove that 
 the iEolians and lonians were Pelasgian tribes, 
 we have sufficient reason to believe that all th^ 
 Greeks were descended from the Pelasgi. 
 
 \V^ now conie to the most carious Girei>m- 
 stapce in the history of this pation. Dionysius 
 of Halicarnassvis has given us a, Retailed account 
 of an expedition niade by a barbarous Pelasgic 
 tribe from Hsemonia in Xh^s^aly to Italy by sea. 
 These people landed at Qr\e of the mouths of 
 the Po, and after various advei;it\ir^s settled in 
 Crotona and other towns in the interior of 
 Etruria. Their descendants remained in th^ 
 time of HerodotvLs, and it is remarkable that 
 they then spoke a dialect; different from that of 
 their neighbours, but siniilai: to. the idiom of 
 other Pelasgic settlers on the Hellespont, and 
 that t^is dialect was considered by Herodotus 
 a^ a barbarous language or distinct from the 
 G;;eek (a) 
 
 [a] IJerodotus says that if we may judge of the speech 
 of thf Pelasgi in general by tl^ese specimens, w^ must con- 
 . elude that thiey we]r§ ^. Qatipp of barl?arou^ la^nguijgc. If 
 so, he adds, the Athenians must h^ve learnt the Greek 
 language when they joined the Hellenic name. But to 
 imagine that a whole nation could at once learn a new- 
 language and forget their, old. one is ?i,bsurd, and this 
 hypothesis is altogether out of the question when we reflect 
 that not only the Athenians but alli the rest of the Greeks 
 vxre originally Fela.egi. 
 
 It is much more probable that the PelaFgi of H»monia^ 
 
517 
 
 Of the Pelasgian popiilalion of Itaty. 
 
 Before the arrival df any Greek colonists in 
 Italy, that country was irihabited by several 
 barbarous tribes off Whotti we have bilt li itle 
 accotint. l^fi^y fcoitsistfetl erf ihrfefe naiibiis, the 
 tJmbri, Siceli^ £tiid Aifsoh(^s err Opici. {a) 
 
 The liiost iniportant people in the arifcient 
 Italian ilistoYy are the Abotigines as they j<re 
 termed. They posseJ^sed L^itium in very early 
 times and ^^^ere afterwards chilled Latini. 
 
 All thfe Roman antiquaries of credit, aniong 
 whom as Dionysius of fialicarnaSsns informs u^ 
 wet-e PoTciusCafta and Caids Sempronius, affirmed 
 that the Aborigines v^txt of Gteek origin, (i/ 
 Dionysius ha§ shown that th^V were a toXoui 
 from Arcadia, and the Same who are well known 
 in history under fiie name of CEnotrii. He says 
 they were thd first Grd'efe v^ho settled in Italy, 
 and! fixes the e^a df their colonization at x\it: 
 
 a; ^cfty ^fate iil a remote p^rt of Greece, liein^ separated 
 from the rest of the Greeks and difl'ering from them totally 
 in manners and perhaps intermixed with foreign barbarians^ 
 acquired a peculiar jar*gon which they afterwards carried: 
 into Italy and into their settlements on the Hellespont. 
 
 [«] See Cluverius, Italia Antiqua. p. 41. 
 
 Some of these nations appear from some specimens of 
 their vocabulary preserved to have been Celtic. Perhaps 
 all of them were tri'bes of the same nation. The Umbri 
 are said to be Celtic. Schol. to Lycophron, v. 1360. 
 
 [/j] Dionysius Halicamassensis. lib. 1. cap. 12. 13. 
 
51S 
 
 seventeenth generation before the Trojan war. 
 They drove out the Siceli from Latium and 
 iDecame a great and powerful people, (a) 
 
 Another colony came from Thessaly several 
 generations before the Trojan war. These are 
 Jhe Pelasgi mentioned above^ who still possessed 
 Crotona in the time of Herodotus and spoke a 
 language which he calls barbarous. On their 
 arrival they were received, says Dionysius, by 
 ^he CEnotrii as kinsmen, being Pelasgi and 
 therefore allied by affinity to them as Greeks. 
 
 These Pelasgi have been confounded by in- 
 attentive writers with the Tyrrheni or Etruscans, 
 .Yet it is certain that the Tyrrheni, though of Pe- 
 Jasgian origin, came from a different quarter and 
 were ^ later colony, Dionysius has clearly 
 shown that the) were distinct. The fact is indeed 
 certain from the testimony of Herodotus, (b) 
 We might ^dd other authorities, ^mong which 
 those of Pliny and Dionysi^is the African first 
 present themselves, (c) 
 
 The Tyrrheni were a colony from Lydia in 
 Asia Minor. This fact is supported by such a body 
 of evidence that it is the height of scepticism to 
 
 (tf) Est locus, Hesperiam Graii cognoraine dicunt, 
 Terra antiqua, potens armis atque ubere glebae 
 QCnotrii coluere viri, nunc fama minores 
 Italiam dixisse duels de nomine gentes. 
 ■*':■■ Yirgil, iEneid. I, 
 
 (6) Herod, lib. 1. c. 56. 
 
 (ci Pliny. Hist. 'NM* 3. cap. 4, J)ionj^sius w mfmynv^ 
 
S19 
 
 call it in question. It is expressly as^-.erted by 
 Herodotus/a) Strabo,(') Pliny(r) and Solinus,(r/) 
 Tacitus, (<;) VelleiusPaterculuSj(/) Valerius Max- 
 iinus,(i^) Plutarch, (??) Festus Pompeius, It is 
 alluded to as a well known event by Cicero, (e) 
 Virgili (it) Horace, (/) Statius, (w) Silius Itali- 
 cus,(n) Lycophron,(^>) Marcianus Heracleensis 
 and others. 
 
 Of the Pelasgi of Asia, 
 
 We now come to the question whether the 
 Pelasgi really grew out of the soil of Arcadia, 
 or can be traced in their progress from some 
 more ancient settlements, and we find historical 
 evidence that this people and tribes allied to 
 them, were among the most ancient inhabitants 
 of Asia Minor. 
 
 ' (a) That the Tyrrheni was a Lydian colony was belieyed 
 both in Lydia where Herodotus obtained the account 
 which he has left us, and in Italy, among the descendants 
 of the colonists. See Book 1, chap. 94. 
 (b) lib. 5. (c) Hist, Nat. lib. 3. c. I. 
 
 (d) Solinus. cap. 8. (e) Taciti annal. lib. 4, 
 
 (/) Lib. 1. (g) Lib. % cap. 4. 
 
 (/i) Plutarch in Romulo. 
 
 (0 Fragment, lib. de Consulatu. {k) JEncid^. 8. 10. 
 (/) Satira 6. (m) Silvar. lib. 4. 
 
 (w) Silius perpetually alludes to it, as more explicitly in 
 the 5th book of the Funics, 
 
 Lydius huic genitor, Tmoli decus, aequore longe 
 Maeoniam quondam in Latias advexerat oras 
 Tyrrhenu* pubera. 
 '^o) LycophroB. v. 135i et seqq. 
 
520 
 
 Strabo remarks that Homer mentionsf the 
 Pelasgic tribes from Larissa in the plural, whence 
 he infers their great number and extension at 
 the time of the Trojan war. (a) 
 
 *fir7ro9oo? J^'ays ^vXa. Il£Xx(rym \y^$(rtfji,cox(t)U^ 
 
 The geographer observes on the authority of 
 Menecrates the Elaite, that all Ionia as well as 
 the islands was formerly inhabited by the Pelasgi. 
 These authors here allude not to the Ionian 
 colonies, but to barbarous Pelasgic tribes, who 
 possessed the country before their arrival. 
 
 Three principal nations of Asia Minor were 
 the Carians, Lydrans and Mysians. They con- 
 sidered themselves as kindred nations and par- 
 took in common of certain religious rites, to 
 which none were admitted who were supposed 
 to be of foreign race, (cj All these nations 
 were ©f Pelasgian descent. 
 
 1st. The Carians according to Herodotus and 
 others were anciently called Leleges. These 
 Leleges according to Strabo arrived in Caria 
 from the neighbouring islands, and drove out 
 the former occupants, who themselves were 
 principally Pelasgi and Leleges. (d) These last 
 were the people called- by Herodotus Caunians, 
 who as he informs us spoke the language of the 
 
 (a) Strabo, lib. 31. p. 620, (b) Iliad, b. 84a. 
 
 (c) Herodot. lib. 1. cap, 171. (</) Strabo, p, 661, 
 
521 
 
 Garlajns and were of one kindred with them. 
 They were aboriginal on the continent, and the 
 proper Garians in the islands. 
 
 The Leleges are constantly mentioned as 
 connected in all their wanderings with the 
 Pelasgi. Tl^t they were properly Pelasgian 
 or Greek we learn from the established fact, 
 that the Locrians were descended from a tribe 
 of Leleges. (a) 
 
 The Garians were called by Homer S^Kfbapo^wvoi, 
 which Strabo say^, means " speaking an impure 
 Greek/' 
 
 gdly. The Lydians are proved on distinct 
 evidence to have been Pelasgi. Herodotus 
 observes that their religious rite& and manners 
 in general were like the Greek. (Z?) We have 
 abundant testimony that the Tyrrbeni came 
 from Lydia, and were a part of the Lydian 
 nation. But the TyiTheni besides their coloni- 
 zation of Italy farmed a principal department of 
 the Pelasgi of Thrace and the Greek islands and 
 coasts. Thucydides says the inhabitants of the 
 Chakidic towns were Pelasgi, " of those Tyrr- 
 henians who formerly colonized Lesbos and 
 
 (a) This is affirmed by Dionysius of Halicarnassus. See 
 lib. 1. cap. 17. Scymnus Chius, and Dicaearchus mention 
 the same fact. See Falconer's notes to Stra-bo, vol. 2. 
 p. 466 of his edition, 
 
 (b) Herod, lib. 1. c. 35, 94, &c. 
 
 \ 
 
522 
 
 Athens." (a) Apollonius calls the Pelasgi of 
 Lemnos Tyrrheni^ 
 
 and they are mentioned with the same adjuncts 
 in some verses of Sophocles preserved dy Die*- 
 
 Sius. (,) *rVrf4»> 
 
 Afiyovg n yvonq'Hpx^ ts ttoc^/g:^ 
 xa» TvptrnvoYiTi JIs\oi<ryo7g* 
 This name of Tyri heni seems to have belonjjcd 
 to jail the tribes of the Ionic or Attic branch of 
 the Pelasgi. Piobably these emigrated from 
 Lydia originally. 
 
 3rd. The Mysians spoke a language which 
 %vas partly Phrygian and partly Lydian. ((f) 
 
 Of the Origin of the Pelasgi. 
 
 ' 1. We thus trace the Pelasgi who furnished 
 the population of Greece and Italy to Asia 
 Minor, a great part of which they occupied in 
 the first ages of history. On both sides of the 
 Hellespont they bordered closely on the Thracian 
 tribes. The latter resembled in manners the 
 
 (a) Thucydid. lib. 4. cap. 109. 
 
 (bj Apollonii Argonaut, lib. 4. t. 1760. 
 
 (c) Dionys. lib. 1, c. 25. The Terses are from the lost 
 tragedy of Inachus. 
 
 (d) Strabo, ibid. 
 
523 
 
 early Pelasgi and appear in their history to have 
 been much connected with them. 
 
 We find the tribes of both these nations in 
 contiguous districts both of Europe and Asia in 
 the most remote ages. This circumstance joined 
 to their resemblance of manners makes it pro- 
 bable that they were of one race. The Thracians 
 were scarcely distinguished from the Greeks 
 in their early history. Thucydides tells us that 
 Phocis made a part of the Thracian territory.(a) 
 Tereus reigned there, and that country was the 
 seat of the well known story of Itys. The same 
 people are said as well as the Pelasgi to have 
 held Attica(Z>) when Eumolpus was their chief, 
 and the Eumolpidae and several of the principal 
 families of Athens are expressly said to have 
 been of Thracian descent. The earliest poets 
 in the Greek language were all Thracians. Linus 
 who is said by some to have introduced letters 
 into Greece was a native of Chalcedon. His 
 disciple the Thracian Orpheus was father of 
 the Grecian poetry, and the Thracian Thamyris 
 contended with the Grecian muses. Virgil says, 
 
 " Non me carminibus vincet nee Thracius Orpheus 
 Nee Jiinus." 
 
 (a) Thucidid. lib. 2. c. 29. 
 (6; Strabo, lib. 7. p. 321, 
 
^24 
 Arid Homer/ i ^te^ 
 
 d\fro^ivd^i <2>a,fx\;ftiU rov 0pi'ixoc irdL^&dy ola^i' (^fhj 
 ^^ Innumerable instances occur of the COilnexioft 
 of the Thraciartg with the early f^bl^ of Gfedce. 
 
 Other more remote methods of inquiry, lead 
 with certainty to a similar conclusion. We bav^ 
 seen that the Thracians were of the Getic or 
 German stock. They spoke therefore a German 
 dialect. An accttrate analysis of the Gerniari 
 fmd Greek languages proves theni to be radically 
 the Same. The- structure of speech resentbles, 
 Jfrid the radical words, or thosf* expressive of 
 simple arid nsitur'al ide*as efxhibil proof of forteaei^ 
 identify. 
 
 2. Of the proofs of connexion between ih6 
 Pelasgi a*nd the great eastern nations. On this 
 gwbjeet we shall only mention so*«ie of thd 
 prifrcip^rl heads. 
 
 Affinity cyf langttage. The affinity hetW^^ii 
 ihe Greek language and the old Parst' an'<l 
 Sanscrit i« certak' art^ essential, (b) The use of 
 GOgna^t^e idion*^ proves the nations who used 
 them to have descended from one stock. 
 
 (fl) Iliad. 2, V. 5. 95, 
 
 The Thracians claimed kindred with the Athenians, 
 
 See Xenoph. Anabas. lib. 7, 
 
 (b) I understand that this subject now occupies £he 
 
 attention of some learned orientalists, and it may be hoped 
 
 that much light will be thrown on the history of the 
 
 European nations by their researches. 
 
525 
 
 Affinity of religion. That the religion of 
 Greece emanated from an eastern source no one 
 will deny. Nor will the introduction of super- 
 stitions from Egypt account for the fact;, since 
 the nations of Asia Minor, as the Phrygians and 
 Lydians ^yho had no connexion with Egypt, 
 partook of old of the same rites and mythologies, 
 and approached still more nearly to the eastern 
 character. And the Greek superstitions more 
 closely resemble the Indian than the Egyptian 
 fictions. We must therefore suppose the re- 
 ligion as well as the l&nguage of Greece to have 
 been derived in great part immediately from 
 the East, (a) 
 
 Historical testimony. Herodotus informs us 
 that the ancient Lydian king Agron was the son 
 of Ninus, the son of Belus. (b) This circum- 
 stance points to a connexion with the oriental 
 kingdom governed by princes of these names. 
 
 On the whole it is probable that the Lydians 
 were a colony of the Indo-Persian nation, and 
 that the Pelas^i and Thracians were branches of 
 the Lydian stock. Through the medium of the 
 Lcleges and Tyrrheni, the Lydians are connected 
 with the Pelasgi, and through that of the Mysians 
 aad Phrygians with th^ Thracians. 
 
 («) See Sir W. Jones on the gods of Greece, Italy 
 and India. 
 
 (&) Herod, lib. 1. 
 
-fVf 
 
 £26 
 
 Ofihe Physical Characters of this race. 
 
 The figure of the Greeks was the finest Eu- 
 ropean form. Their complexion was various. 
 AH the four temperaments were common among 
 them. The distinction of temperaments indeed 
 is well known to have originated with the Greek 
 physicians. 
 
 The sanguine temperament seems to have 
 prevailed. At least the epithets which belong 
 to it are very frequently used by the Greek wri- 
 ters, as TTuppo?, favQo? and yXotwufng, while the terms 
 designative of contrary characters are more rare. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 Of the Celtic race. 
 
 THE western districts of Europe have been 
 the abode of the Celtic tribes from periods of 
 time which reach beyond our earliest accounts. 
 This nation from the relative position of the 
 tract of country occupied by them, must have 
 "been settled in it before the German tribes pos- 
 
 (a) Homer calls the Greeks IXtKvvts A;^a/o/, which some 
 have rendered " black-eyed." But the word will not bear 
 such a sense according to any conceivable etymology. The 
 true meaning is given by the Scholiast (Iliad 2, 190.) 
 
527 
 
 sessed themselves? of the contiguous region. The 
 fi^st inhabitants of the European continent were- 
 probably forced by the nation> who succeeded 
 them to retire into the re 'rote pdrts. 
 
 Accordingly w." find no vestiges in history of 
 the mig ation of the Celtas, though the nations 
 mentioned in the foregoing sections have left 
 traces of their progress in the East. The former 
 event probably occurred in a very early age. 
 
 In the time of Cassar the Celtse had lost part 
 of their former settlements, having been gra- 
 dually driven out of them by the encroachments 
 of the Germans. C^sar informs us that the lat- 
 ter had become so superior in military prowess 
 to the Gauls, that they were constantly invading 
 their territories, and had already deprived them 
 of Belgium (a) and the sea-coast of Britain, fft) 
 In the age of Herodotus the Celtse possessed the 
 country in which the Danube takes its rise, (^c)- 
 and there is even reason for believing that a 
 
 (a) Caesar de Bello Gallico. lib. 2. 
 
 (6) Ibid. lib. 5. 
 
 (c) Herod, lib. 2. c. 33. 
 
 An attempt has been made to discredit this assertion of 
 Herodotus by observing that he connects the Danube wiih 
 the situation of Pyrene, by which it is pretended thai he 
 meant the Pyrena;an mountains. The Greeks had colonies 
 in Gaul and Spain in his time, and it must br supposed that 
 so wtll inform d a writer as Huodotus wa> b quaintcd >ri(h 
 the geography of those countries. He repeats the assertion 
 we refer to m book 4. c,*49. 
 
528 
 
 portion of this race had reached the northern 
 shores of the Baltic, (a) 
 
 Although we hav<; no direct information that 
 the Celtas had an Asiatic origin, there are so 
 many circumstances in their history which prove 
 a connexion with the natives of the East^ that we 
 have no reason to doubt of this fact. It will 
 suffice briefly to enumerate some of the most 
 striking traits. 
 
 The division of ranks in the Celtic community 
 bore a considerable analogy to the distinction 
 of classes established among the eastern nations. 
 Caesar informs us that there were two orders of 
 jnen among the Celt^ who were held in high 
 respect. These were the Druids and the Nobles. 
 The rest of the nation had no share in public 
 affairs and were little better than slaves^ being 
 for the most part in a state of vassalage to the 
 superior ranks, (b) 
 
 The two elevated orders correspond very 
 
 (a) Several of those circles of stones which are called 
 Druidical have been found in Scandinavia. That these 
 wherever found were Celtic erections I have no doubt. 
 They are chiefly observed in those parts of Britain which 
 were never inhabited by any but Celtic people, and they are 
 found connected with the cromlechs on Celtic altars. And 
 they have never been observed in those countries in which 
 the Gothic tribes were aboriginal, as Iceland, the eastern 
 parts of Germany, &c. Besides, they are destitute of the 
 sculpture and runic inscriptions which are always found on 
 the rude monuments of the latter people. 
 
 ib) Cajsar. lib. 6. c. 12. 
 
529 
 
 nearly to the sacerdotal and military classes 
 among the ancient Asiatics. The Druids were 
 the priesthood, and the Nobles, as we are in- 
 formed, found their whole employment in the 
 affairs of war. (a) 
 
 With respect to the Druids, the analogy be- 
 tween them and the Brahmans is so extensive 
 that it has not failed to attract the attention of 
 several antiquarians, and a late writer of great 
 learning has pronounced it to be beyond the 
 least shadow of a doubt that the Celtic hierarchy 
 was a branch of the ancient priesthood of the 
 Hindus, (h) 
 
 '' The Druids,'* we are informed/* had no con- 
 cern with warfare, nor were they subject to- 
 gether with the rest of the people to pay taxes. 
 They enjoyed a full immunity from military and 
 all other public burthens." (c) '^ The people," 
 says Diodorus, '' look upon them as prophets, 
 holding them in great veneration. By means of 
 augury and the inspection of sacrifices they fore- 
 tell future events and keep the multitude in 
 awe.** — " It is unlawful for any man to perform 
 sacrifice without one of the philosophers, for 
 they think that offerings should be made to the 
 gods by persons acquainted with the divine na- 
 
 (o) Ibid. c. 12 et seq. 
 
 (bj Proof that the Hindus had the binomial theorem by 
 Mr. Reuben Burrow. Asiatic Researches", v. 2. Appendix, 
 (c) Caesar, ibid. 
 
 2L 
 
530 
 
 ture and able as it were to address them in their 
 own language. And not only in peace but in 
 war also they pay great attention to these per- 
 sons and to th^ir bards, both friends and enemies. 
 Often in the preparation for battle, when the 
 hostile ranks are approaching with drawn swords 
 and protended spears, going into the midst they 
 put an end to strife like those who subdue wild 
 animals by enchantments/' *' A great num- 
 ber of young men resort to them for instruction 
 who hold them in great respect : for the decision 
 of all public and private controversies lies for 
 the most part with them, and if any crime as 
 murder has been committed, if there arise a 
 dispute concerning inheritance or boundaries, 
 they give judgement and appoint rewards and 
 punishments. If any individual, either in a pub- 
 lic or private capacity submit not to their de- 
 crees, they interdict him from sacrifices. This 
 with them is the severest penalty. Those who 
 are thus interdicted arc looked upon as impious 
 and wicked. All men depart from them and 
 avoid their approach and conversation. Nor is 
 justiee rendered or any dignity communicated 
 to them, (a) 
 
 ^' One Druid presides over the whole order 
 and has chief authority. At his death a successor 
 is elected. They meet at a certain time of the 
 
 (a) Diodor. lib. 5. c» 31. 
 
531 
 
 year in a consecrated spot in the territory of 
 the Carnuta?, which is considered the centre of 
 Gaul/' 
 
 " They are said to commit to memory a great 
 number of verses^ and some spe?id twenty years 
 in this instruction, nor do they hold it lawful to 
 entrust their verses to writing, though in all 
 other matters they use Greek letters." (<^/) 
 
 In many of the above particulars a corres- 
 jiondence may be observed between the charac- 
 t(^rs of the Druids and Brahmans. It appeai^s 
 that there was the same congruity in their re- 
 ligious doctrines and scientific pursuits. They 
 taught the transmigration of souls. '' The opinion 
 of Pythagoras/' says Diodorus, '' prevails among 
 them, that the souls of men are immortal and 
 live again after a certain time, having entered 
 into other bodies/' (/>) This belief was supposed 
 to excite greatly to valour and a contempt of 
 death. 
 
 '' They dispute much and teach many tilings to 
 youth concerning the heavenly bodies and their 
 motionSj and the magnitude of the world and of 
 
 («) Caesar ubi supra. 
 
 The condition of these excommunicated persons was'much 
 like that of the Hindus who have lost their cast. 
 
 (b) Caesar, ibid. 
 
 The dogma however of the Druids was simply the me- 
 tempsychosis ; that of Pytliagoras the metensomatosiri, ad 
 Plato tlistinguishes t^cm. See Plato de legg. lib. x. 
 
 Cicero gives nearly the same account of the Druids:— 
 2 L 2 
 
532 
 
 regions; concerning the nature of things, and the 
 power and dominion of the immortal gods.*' 
 
 They were polytheists, and worshipped di- 
 vinities \vho corresponded in the nature and 
 distribution of their attributes with the gods of 
 the eastern nations^ and who were considered 
 by the Romans as the same beings with the ob- 
 jects of their own adoration. They sacrificed ta 
 their gods animals, and sometimes men. (rt) 
 
 Strabo relates that there wa^ an island near 
 Britain in which rites similar to the Samothra- 
 cian ceremonies of Ceres and Proserpine were 
 
 ^' Eaque divinationum ratio ne in barbaris quidcra gentibu* 
 neglecta est: si quidcm et in Gallia Druidae sunt, e quibiis 
 ipse Divitiacum ^duum, hospitem tuuin lairdatorcmqua 
 cognovi; qui et naturae rationcm, quam Physiarogiam Gra?ci 
 appellant notam esse sibi profitebatur, et partim auguriis, 
 partim conjectura, quae esscnt futura dicebat." The resem- 
 blance of description brought into our author's mind by 
 association the eastern Magi, for he immediately subjoins, 
 *' Et in Persis augurantur et divinant Magi," &e. De divj- 
 nat. lib. 1. 
 
 (a) Caesar ibid. Lncan alludes to these sacrifices in one 
 of the finest passages of his poem, in which he also mentions 
 geverat other particulars concermng the Druids and Celtfc 
 ^ards. Lib. I. 
 
 " Et quibus immitis placatur sanguine diro 
 Teutates, horrensque feris altaribus Hesus, 
 Et Taranis Scythicte non mitior ara Dianse. 
 Vos quoque qui fortes animas, belloquc peremptas 
 Laudibui^ in l-ongum vates dimittitis aevum 
 Plurima seciiri fudistis carmina liardi. 
 Et vos barbaricos ritus, morcmque sinistrum 
 Sacrormn Druidas positis repctistis ab armisj' &c^ 
 
535 
 
 performed. The same author was assured that 
 the mysteries and sacred orgies of Bacchus were 
 celebrated in a small island near the mouth of 
 the Loire, (a) This relation is repeated by 
 Dionysius the African, (ftj The Druids are in- 
 deed said in various instances to have preferred 
 ^mall islands, probably as being more retired, 
 -for the performance of their rites. 
 • ^^ The Britons had sacred animals which they 
 kept, but abstained from eating from a certain 
 religious scruple, (c) 
 
 The funeral ceremonies of the Celtae bore an 
 analogy to those of the Hindus. Their bodiesi 
 were burnt on a funeral pile, on which the fa- 
 vorite animals and slaves of the deceased were 
 consumed with them. (<i) 
 
 The ancient Irish are said to have been in the 
 
 (rt) Strabo. lib. 4. p. 198. 
 
 (b) Sec Dionysii pericgesis. y. 570, The passage is cu- 
 rious 
 
 ^' "Ay^i oi vntTtoiouy irtpos iropos iv9oi yvvxTnES 
 
 ^Avopuv a,vr lit iprj^ fit uyavm A^virxuv 
 
 ^Opivixivxi rtKtovcTi xxroe. yo/xo» 'ispx Bxx^Uf 
 
 Xrs-^xfjLivxt v.i(T<7oifi (jL£Xx[jf.(pvXXoio xopi'iA-Cots 
 
 *Evvv^ixt ' mxTxyns Vk KtyvOpoos opwrxi ip^n. 
 
 Ov^ Qvru GpyiiKos Itjt' vioa-n> 'A-vJ^/vSo/o 
 
 Bia-royi^Bs ycxXsovirit IpiQpo^oi E'ipx(^iMTV)Vf 
 
 0,t'^' ovTcj avv TTxial i^tKxilhr^it xvx Txyym 
 
 ^Iv^oi )tufjt.QV oiyova-iv IpiQpz^irin ^lovia-u 
 
 ^D,s xmov Kxrx yj^poi unvx^owi yvvxixes,** 
 (cj Caesar, ibid. 
 
 fdj Ibid. " Erantq; qui se in rogos suorum yelat un$ 
 Ticturi libenter imraittcrent." Pompon. Mela. 3. 
 
mi 
 
 practice «)f mating the bodies of their aged rela- 
 tives, (a) A similar custom i$ known to have 
 ^Dtt-evailed of old iia the East. 
 
 From all these instancies of congruity we may 
 conclude it to be ^extremely probable that thp 
 Celtse were originaily an eastern nation. 
 
 We have remarked above that there is his- 
 torical proof of the connexiofj of the Sclavonian, 
 German and Pelasgian races with the ancient 
 Asiatic nations. Now the languages of these 
 races and the Celtic respectively, although dif- 
 fering much from each other and constituting 
 the four principal departments of dialects which 
 prevail in Europe, are yet so far allied in their 
 radical eleraenls, that we may with certainty 
 pronounce them to he branches of the same 
 priginal stock. The resemblance is riemarkable 
 in the genera] structure of speech and in those 
 parts of the vocabulary which must be supposed 
 to be most a cient, as in words descriptive of 
 common objects and feelings, for which expres- 
 sive terms existed in the primitive ages of so- 
 ciety. We must therefore infer that the nations 
 to whom these languages belonged emigrated 
 from the same quarter, (by 
 
 (a) Strabo. p. 201. 
 
 Some rcijeu>blances may l?e traced in the marriAge cus- 
 toms of (he ancicut Britons and the Nairs and other eastern 
 people. 
 
 (a) The author of the roview of Wilkins's Sanscrit gram- 
 inar in the 13th \q1. of the Edinburgh Heview has given 9, 
 
533 
 
 Of the Physical characters. 
 
 The complexion of the Celtic race^ when un- 
 mixed with the German, was dark;, as among 
 the Siiiires. {a) Strabo informs us that the 
 Britons were darker than the Gauls. They were 
 more distinct in their race. 
 
 A dark complexion with dark brown or black 
 liair is very general among the remains of thfe 
 Celtas in the present day. (Z/) 
 
 Their features differ considerably from those 
 of the German race^, being smaller in general 
 and not so well formed. The cheek bones are 
 more prominent outwards, the form of the head 
 and face making some approach towards the 
 character of the Mongole race. 
 
 comparative vocabulary of the Sanscrit, Persic, Latin and 
 German languages, which completely evinces at the first 
 view the truth of the position here affirmed, as far as the 
 above languages are concerned. But the proof would have 
 been much more striking if he had added the Celtic and 
 Sclavonic dialects, and the Greek. I have made an attempt 
 to supply the deficiency, which I intend shortly to make 
 public. 
 
 («) Tacitus in Agricola. When the Gauls arc described as 
 fair, it appears that the Belgic Gauls are meant. 
 
 {b) I have observed this particularly among the Welsh, 
 Manks and Scottish Highlanders. 
 
 The ancient Britons were in the habit of staining their 
 skins of a blackish colour with woad, which Pliny says they 
 4id, " iEthiopwra colorem imitantes.'* 
 
536 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Of the Mongoles and other Races resemhling than 
 in Form, 
 
 THE natives of several mountainous districts 
 of India, whether from the influence of local 
 causes or other less obvious circumstances, are 
 observed to vary considerably in their figure, 
 and especially in the outline of the face, from 
 the character common in the low country, (ji) 
 The countenance begins to assume that broad 
 ^Y\di square form which distinguishes the Mon- 
 
 gole race. >l<.-iio!/ c. 
 
 The fertile plains of Hindustan are skirted 
 towards the north from the western to the 
 eastern side by the ridges of Imaus or Him- 
 inalaya. Mountains piled on mountains, covered 
 with woods and separated by precipitous chasms, 
 occupy a considerable tract of country, which 
 intervenes between India and the lofty and 
 frozen plains of Tibet, the highest level of the 
 old continent. The climate of this district forms 
 EG strong a contrast with that of the Gangetic 
 
 (a) See Asiat. Researches, vol. 3. On the inhabitants of 
 the Garrow hills. 
 
 Ibid. vol. 4. On the natives of the hills near Rajamahal. 
 
 Ibid. vol. 7. Account of the Kukis or Mountaineers of 
 Tripura, 
 
537 
 
 provinces which lie immediately below if, that 
 every traveller is surprised in witnessing the 
 sudden change. Scarcely any of the produc- 
 tions of India are found in it. It abounds with 
 the fruits and vegetables of England, fa) 
 
 If climate and local situation have in any case 
 the power of promoting the variation in form 
 to which our species is prone, we must expect 
 to perceive proofs of its influence here. The 
 natives of this mountainous region resemble the 
 Hindus in their general character. But their 
 physical traits exhibit a considerable deviation 
 from the Hindu model. Their features ap- 
 proach the broad form of the Mongole. In 
 some degree this appearance takes place in the 
 Cashmirians, but more extensively in the natives 
 of Nepaul and Bootan. The eye of the Booteean, 
 says Captain Turner, '' is a very remarkable 
 feature of the face ; small, black, with long 
 pointed corners^ as though stretched and ex- 
 tended by artificial means.'* — ''Below the eyes 
 is the broadest pirt of the face, which is rather 
 flat, and narrows from the cheek-bones to the 
 chin ; a character of countenance appearing first 
 to take its rise among the Tartar tribes, but 
 by far more strongly marked in the Chinese." (/;) 
 
 (a) Turner's embassy to Tibet, p. b7, 
 Kirkpatrick's mission to Nepaul. chap. 7. 
 Forster's journey from Calcutta, vol, 2. 
 (ft) Turner ubi supra. 
 
538 
 
 On the eastern side of the Caspian the chain 
 of Altai bounds the great centra] plain of Asia 
 which extends in length from the lake Aral to 
 thfe confines of China, and is continued thence 
 by the mountains of Daouria to the Eastern 
 Ocean. The whole of this region may be 
 viewed as one vast elevated steppe, which is 
 covered for the most part with lichens and 
 saline plants. It has been from immemorial 
 time the abode of several erratic nations of half 
 civilized people, characterized by peculiar traits 
 of body, who have from time to time poured 
 them.sehes down on the fertile countries which 
 surround them, and in their incursions have 
 every where inflicted evils which have rendered 
 their memory terrible for ages. The most cele- 
 brated of these races were the Hiongnoux of 
 Huns', who after waging for many centuries 
 perpetual warfare with China, made their way 
 at length into the Roman empire, and finally 
 acquired in the centre of Europe an abode 
 more favorable to improvement, (a) Here they 
 have lost their ferocious character and have 
 become a civilized people. Their peculiar traits 
 have been softened down, and they are not 
 distinguished in the present day from the more 
 ancient European races. 
 
 The great Mongole race, divided into three 
 
 (o) De Guignes. Hist, dcs Huns. torn. 2, 
 
539 
 
 ^nations the Kalmucs, Buriats and the proper 
 Mongoles, is scarcely less renowned in history 
 than the Iluns. («) Tribes of this family are 
 still scattered from the Enxine to the limits of 
 China. They have ever been a race of war^ 
 riours. Their annals contain a series of wonder- 
 ful exploits, and present us with many illus- 
 trious heroes,, in comparison wiith whom the 
 greatest of European murderers sink into insig^ 
 iiificance. 
 
 The Mandshurs the conquerors of China possess 
 the eastern part of the region above described 
 ^nd the high country extending towards the 
 pacific Ocean. 
 
 It is difficult to say whether the Chinese have 
 jTiost affinitv to the Mandshurs^, to the Huns, or 
 to the Mountaineers of Tibet and Bootan. Their 
 phvsical character associates them to this class 
 ©f men. 
 
 Several other nations of inferior note, or 
 detached portions of the above mentioned, un« 
 able from defect of numbers or of courage to 
 act so great a part in the theatre of human 
 crimes, but impelled equally by their wandering 
 habits, have found their way through desert and 
 undisputed regions into distant corners of the 
 
 {«) See Pallas's work " uber die Mongolischen Volkers- 
 chaften," of which an abstract has been given by the 
 French translator of his journey in, Siberia, included in the 
 hody of that work. 
 
540 
 
 %arfh. Thus it seems that the Kamtschatkans 
 are a branch of the Mongol e stock, (a) The 
 Tungusians are a portion of the Mandshurs. 
 They begin in the mountains of Daouria, and 
 extend into the countries bordering on the 
 Jenisey. They had here made some advance- 
 ment in civilization when conquered by the 
 Hussians, and had written records by which and 
 by their language their afnnity to the Mandshurs 
 is ascertained. 
 
 ^Several other tribes of rr.der manners inhabit 
 also the neighbourhood of the Jenisey^ as the 
 SoiotSj KaragasseSj Abotors, resembling the Tun- 
 gusians in their persons. Some portions of this 
 race have wandered far to the nortli-west, and 
 are still found near the river Oby and at the 
 feet of the Ouraiian mountains. These are the 
 Saraoiedes. Their affinity with the tribes on 
 the Jenisey is proved by the sameness of their 
 physical traits and language. (/;) A more im- 
 
 («) Tlioy resemble the Mongolos strongly in physical 
 characters, and the languages and manners of both nations 
 are said to exhibit strong proofs of affinity. Sec Steller's 
 remarks iii Cook's last voyage, vol. 3. 
 
 (0) " Les SamoyeJes de I'Oby resemblcnt beaucoup aux 
 Toiingoiisos. lis ont le visage plat, rond et large. Us ont 
 pen di3 barbc et Ics cheveux noirs ct rudes." '^ On trauve 
 les rcstes de cotte nition dans la partie oricntale dc la 
 Siberie pres de I'Enis.^ei. Les Koibals, les Kamaches, les 
 Abators, les Soiots, les Karagasses ont la meme figure que 
 les Sampyedcs ct parlent to us leur langue." Pallas. Toy. c» 
 Siterie. 
 
541 
 
 portant branch of this nation inhabits the bank^ 
 of the Petchora and extends towards the White 
 Sea. They are ancient possessors of this re* 
 gion, (a) 
 
 It would appear at first sight probable, and it 
 is confirmed by local and historical investi- 
 gations that Lapland was originally peopled by 
 this race. Ohthere whose observations have 
 been recorded by the royal pen of Alfred heard. 
 the same language spoken by the Biarmans oa* 
 the eastern shore and by the Laplanders on thfe 
 western side of the White Sea. (b) The speech 
 of the latter people is said at the present day to 
 be allied to that of the Samoiedes who still 
 declare their kindred to the Finnic or Lapponic 
 stock. Their persons resemble and they dis- 
 tinguish themselves by the same name, (c) 
 
 {aj Burrow in 1556 saw the Samoiedes of the Petchora 
 who were then subject to Russia. 
 
 Herodotus gives a curious account of a nation inhabiting 
 the utmost north whom he calls Argippaei. ^Fheir descri])- 
 lion circumstantially agrees with that of the Samoiedes, but 
 I will not venture to affirm that he had heard of this people. 
 See Book 4. 
 
 (&) Ohthere reported that Permia was much more populous 
 than Lapland, and that the Beormas or Permians spoke the 
 language of the Fisinas, and worshipped the same god 
 JoHiala. By the name of Finnas he constantly designates 
 the Laj)landers. See Alfred's Orosius, and Dr. J. R. 
 Forster's account of northern discoveries. 
 
 (c) The affinity of the Samoiedes and Laplanders is main- 
 tained by Gunnerus bishop of Dronthiem in Norway, who 
 
542 
 
 Some It 11 in formed ^vriters have called in ques- 
 tion the affinity of the Laplanders and Finns. 
 That these nations are of one stock is confidently 
 affirmed and proved on the most substantial 
 grounds by learned men who have enjoyed 
 Opportunities of personal investigation. (r?) The 
 
 was in the habit of visiting Lapland in the exercise of his spi- 
 ritual function, and studied the history and manners of the 
 people attentively. He has communicated some curious infor- 
 tiaatioii concerning them in his notes to the well linown 
 •^vork of Knud Leems. lie observes that a close resemblance 
 is found between the Samoiedcs and Laplanders in their 
 persons and manners, which appears especially from tHc 
 descriptions of Strahlenberg and Gnielln. The Samoiedcs 
 assured Strahlenberg of their affinity to the Finnish race. 
 The Laplanders at the present day give themselves the 
 name of Sahmeiadzh and Same. Our author refers to 
 Schoning and others in proof of an assertion which he 
 makes that there is a consriderable resemblance between the 
 languages of the two nations. See notes to Leemius de 
 Lapponibus, page 7. 
 
 (a) Leems says it is an universal opinion founded on 
 resemblance of languages and other substantial arguments 
 that the Finns and Laplanders were formerly one people. 
 And Gunnerus assures us that there is not a shadow of 
 doiibt of this fact. He observes that a wonderful resem- 
 blance subsists between the dialects of these nations, con- 
 sidering their long separation and present difference in 
 manners. This he says has been amply shown by Schnitlcr 
 in a prolix comparison of the vocabularies. Moreover the 
 Laplanders call themselves and the Finns by the same 
 appellation, viz. Same^ and the Russians give to their 
 Laj)ponic subjects the name of Cayenni^ which belongs io 
 the Quaeni a Finnish people. The Danes have always 
 called the Laplanders Fiuaas, They had formerly the same 
 
543 
 
 difierence of physical and moral character has 
 produced doubt on this head in the minds of 
 persons, who were unwilling to allow of any 
 great diversity in the same race. 
 
 But the fact being established we are enabled 
 to trace this, family of nations in one continuous 
 chain from the Jenisey to Lapland. In the first 
 place passing over the gulf of Finland we find 
 the Finnish race in Esthonia. The dialect of 
 the Esthonians scarcely differs from that of the 
 Finiis. To the eastward of Esthonia they spread 
 themselves in a direct line across European 
 Russia, of which they hold a considerable por- 
 tion. The Morduans, Voguls, Votiaks, Tchu- 
 vaches, Tcheremisses are all closely allied to 
 the Finns, (a} Some authors find proofs of a 
 more remote affinity in the Hungarians. (6) 
 Lastly, beyond the confines of Europea great 
 tract of country stretching from the Oby to 
 the Jenisey is occupied by the Ostiacs, a tribe of 
 the same stock, (c) 
 
 mythology. Both nations worshipped Jomala, and both 
 refer to the same Jumo as the founder of their ra,ce. There 
 seems to be the same sort of relation between the Finns 
 and Laplanders as between the civilized Welsh and the wild 
 Irish of two centuries ago, who were scarcely less bar- 
 ^xarous than the Laplanders, 
 
 (a) Pallas. Voyage en Siberie. 
 
 Tooke's Hist, of Russia, vol. 1. page 25. 
 
 (b) Bayer. Act. Pctropol. vol. 1; et 3. 
 
 (c) Pallas ubi supra. 
 
544 
 
 We have so little informatjon concerning the 
 ancient history of the nations reveiwed in this 
 section, that we cannot expect to trace their 
 origin satisfactorily. It is probable that they 
 were very widely dispersed before the dawning 
 of arts and civilization. 
 
 Sir W. Jones seems to have proved an ancient 
 connexion between the Chinese in the first a^es 
 of their history and the primitive Hindus, (a) 
 
 Of the Physical Characters of these races. 
 Considerable varieties are found in this ex- 
 tensive department, but they seem all to refer 
 themselves to the Mongole as the common type. 
 The configuration of the skull which charac- 
 terizes the Mongole has been described above 
 in page 57. The face is fiat and of a lozenge 
 form, broad especially below the eyes, with the 
 orbits deviating somewhat from the straight 
 line owing to the high and outward projection 
 
 (a) Sir W. Jones's essay on the Chinese. 
 
 It may seem very improbable that so great a difference 
 as we find between the osteological characters of this race 
 of men and the Hindus can be the effect of any modifying 
 cause. But we suppose the primitive Hindus to have been 
 a nation of Eastern Negroes, and several tribes of Papuas 
 appear as far as we can judge by the description given by 
 travellers to differ little from the Asiatic Mountaineers in 
 form, but only in complekion. Are the Hottentots an 
 example of characters resembling the Chinese originating 
 among nations of the Negro character ? 
 
545 
 
 6f the cheek bones. The stature is small anfl 
 the form ungraceful. The whole figure of the 
 Mongole is more unlike the European than that 
 of any tribe of Negroes. The CQmplexion varies 
 from a tawny white;, to a swarthy, or dusky yellow 
 or copper colour. The hair is perfectly black 
 even in new-born children, (a) All this class of 
 men are remarkable for baldness or scanty pro- 
 duction of hair. (/;) 
 
 Such are the general characters of these races;, 
 in some more strongly marked than in others. 
 Those nations who are most barbarous and inhabit 
 the most rigorous climate recede furthest front 
 the European character, as the Kamtschatkans 
 and Samoiedes. (c) The more civilized people 
 have a larger stature, a better form and a lighted 
 complexion. The Chinese and the Mandshurs 
 pf Northern China partake in general of the 
 above description though in a less degree thaii 
 
 (a) Pallas ubi supra. 
 
 (&) Ibid. I imagine the lightness of complexion of these 
 nations in comparison with other races of darker colour to 
 be connected with the icantiness of hair. It appears as 
 mentioned above, that the principal seat of the secretion of 
 colouring in the skin is in the bulbs of the hair,. Th€se 
 being deficient the cutaneous reticle fails in its colour. 
 Were it not for this peculiar defect in the Mongole, we 
 should probably find him nearer the Negro in complexion. 
 
 (c) The Kamtschatkans are swarthy, have black hair^ 
 little beard, broad faces, short and flat noses, eyes small 
 and sunk, belly protuberaut and legs small. Cook's voy- 
 ages, ubi supra. 
 
m 
 
 ^ the Mongoles. Yet according to Barrow the 
 better class among them are often handsome 
 and some of the civilized Mandshurs have even 
 the features and complexions of Europeans, (^d) 
 Also among the Japonese^, the common people 
 are ugly and ill formed, but the higher rank in 
 
 ' Nipon have a^fine shape and countenance with 
 European features. [h) 
 
 But a more remarkable instance of this sort of 
 diversity is found in the Finnish race. The 
 Laplanders who are barbarous are the most 
 diminutive and deformed of all these nations. 
 They have black hair and a swarthy brown 
 complexion, (c) But the civilized Finns though 
 nearly related to them are much stouter and 
 better made, (d) They have fair complexions 
 and very generally red hair. The same de- 
 scription applies to the Mordouans, Votiaks, 
 and other tribes in European Russia, (e) 
 
 (aj Barrow's travels in China, page 185, &c. 
 (bj Ksem^fer's history of Japan. 
 
 (c) '^ Lappones vultam habent fusei ct Iiiridi colons, 
 capillos curtos, latum os, genas cayas, menta longa, oculoj» 
 Jippos." Leems page 51. 
 , {d) Linnasi Fauna Suecica, initio, 
 Buffon. his. nat. torn. 5. 
 fe) Pallas ubi supra, 
 (jmelin. Vo^. en SibQrie trad par Keralio, torn. 1. p. 31^ 
 
547 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 ^ Of the Amtrican race. 
 
 s A great number of afuthors have written since 
 the discovery of the New World on the origin 
 ^nd histor} of its ancient inhabitants. Our 
 stock of knowledge on this subject has been 
 greatly increased by the collections of Clavigero, 
 ^nd the recent researches of Dr. Barton, (a) 
 The last writer especially seems to have esta- 
 blished as historical facts some interesting con- 
 clusions which rested before on probabilities. 
 As our limits will not suffer us to enter largely 
 into this subject, we shall content ourselves 
 with briefly mentioning some of the most im- 
 portant facts which have relation to it, and shall 
 refer the reader to the authors above named for 
 further information. 
 
 In the first place it may be inferred that all 
 the ancient people of America emigrated from 
 
 (a) Clavigero's History of Mexico, collected from Spanish 
 ^nd Mexican Historians, from the Manuscripts and ancient 
 Paintings of the Indians, translated from the Italian. 
 "London, 1787. 
 
 New Views of the origin of the Tribes and Nations of 
 America, by Benjamin Smith Barton, M.D. Professor of 
 Materia M^dica, Nat. Hist. «&€. in the University of Penn- 
 syWania, Philadelphia, 1798. 
 
 gM2 
 
548 
 
 the same quarter or had in some manner a 
 common origin, from the remarkable resem- 
 blance which we discover in their physical 
 traits, (a) It is true that we are disposed to 
 consider the uniformity of their features and 
 complexions as much greater than it really is. 
 Diversities exist among them in both these 
 respects, but they are partial and confined to 
 divisions of particular tribes or to such depart- 
 ments of the people as can in no wise be con- 
 sidered as separate races. And there is every 
 •where a general resemblance- which cannot be 
 accounted for, except on the above supposition ; , 
 for the advocates ofl the most extensive agency 
 of climate can imagine no common oualitv in 
 all the countries of America, which can mould 
 the nations dispersed through them into one 
 common form. 
 
 The quarter whence they migrated appears 
 
 (a) The Esquimaux are generally excepted from this 
 observation. I>ut they have the same general description 
 of figure as the rest of the American nations, and they 
 strongly resemble some diminutive tribes in distant parts of 
 the continent, as the Peserais in Terra dcl'Fuego, and tho 
 short squat-bodied natives of the Mosquito shore. Their 
 language according to Dr. J^arton betrays marks of affinity 
 
 . to those of the Foconcbi, G alibis and Caraibes. Moreover 
 this race can be traced with certainty from the quarter 
 ■whence we suppose the other Americans to have emigrated, 
 viz. from the neighbourhood of the Asiatic continent. The 
 
 ' people of the Fox islaudi still preserve ujiequi vocally t^eir 
 language 
 
to have been tlie eastern part of Asia, (ri) This 
 inference is built chiefly on the following ar- 
 guments. 
 
 1st. On the resemblance in physical trails of 
 the Americans and Eastern Asiatics. This has 
 attracted the notice of many casual observers, 
 and has been confirmed by the most accurate ana- 
 tomical examination. The Americans strongly 
 resemble the Mongoles and other similar races 
 in their osteological characters and in other 
 particulars. We shall resume this subject below. 
 
 2dly. Dr. Barton has proved that the lan- 
 guages of the American tribes are connected 
 with those of the Eastern Asiatics. He observes 
 that the dialects of the Samoiedes are unequi- 
 vocally preserved in an immense portion of 
 America. Coincidences are found also in the 
 vocabularies of the American tribes with those 
 
 (a) There is no difiiciilty in supposing them to have 
 pissed the strait which divides the two continents. The 
 habitations of the nearest Americans are only 30 or 40 
 leagues distant from the dwellings of theTschuktchi. These 
 people carry on a trade of barter with the Americans. They 
 employ six days in passing the strait, directing their course 
 from island to island, the distances between which are so 
 short that they are able to pass every night on shore. Such 
 was the information obtained by persons sent into the coun* 
 try of the Tschuktchi by the Russian government in 1760. 
 See Coxe's account of the Russian Discoveries in the North. 
 In winter the two continents are joined by ice, and the 
 people pass over in one day with their rein-deers. Cook's 
 U^ Voyage, vol, 2. p. 509, 
 
550 
 
 of the Koriaks and Tschuktchi, the Tuno'usia'risi 
 Vogouls, KamtschatkanSj Japonese and others. 
 
 3rdly. Other proofs of the same origin are 
 found in the manners of the people. " The 
 mythology of Asia'' says the same author, " may 
 be traced with confidence from one end to the 
 Other of this vast continent." Among the more 
 civilized Mexicans and Peruvians these vestiges 
 ?ire the most striking. In many circumstances 
 appertaining to religion, as in the worship of 
 fire and the sun, in the ceremonials, in the form 
 of the temples, in the hieroglyphics, we discover 
 a connexion with Asia and perhaps with some 
 of the most polished nations of the East, (a) 
 
 4thly. The history of the American nations 
 themselves supports the same testimony as far 
 as it goes. An universal tradition prevails 
 among the tribes that they proceeded from the 
 eastward, (&) and such has actually been the 
 course of migration in general since the dis- 
 covery of the New World by Europeans. The 
 Asiatic side of the continent was at that era 
 much more thickly peopled than the Atlantic 
 districts, and in the latter only some wandering 
 
 (aj Clavigero, ubi. supra. 
 
 Dr. Barton has discovered some striking affioities betweea 
 the Peruvians and Japoiicse. 
 
 (b) Even the natives of the peninsula of Alashka dis- 
 tinguish themsL'lviJS by the Haiue of " Men. of the Ejist.'" 
 Humboldt, 
 
551 
 
 tribes were founds who retained the remem- 
 brance of their recent arrival. The earthern 
 mounds and ruins of fortifications which have 
 been remarked by the American antiquaries are 
 much more numerous to the eastward than to 
 the westward of the Missisippi. (a) 
 ^ The Aztecas are said to have preserved in 
 their hieroglyphics a more formal record. Their 
 migratory march from Aztlan a country far to 
 the northward of the gulf of California must be 
 considered as an authenticated historical event.(&) 
 
 (a) Dr. Barton ubi supra, 
 
 (6) See Clavigero. vol. i. p. 11^ et seq. 
 
 This migration of the Aztecas happened about A. D. 1160. 
 An account is given of a more ancient nation called th» 
 Toltecas, who are said to have proceeded from the same 
 quarter. Dr. Barton supposes that these were the Peruvians, 
 but all that relates to them is very obscure and of dubious 
 credit. The Aztecs on their march crossed the Rio Colorado 
 and the Gila. On the banks of the latter they constructed 
 a vast edificcj the ruins of which are still to be seen. These 
 arc called by the Spaniards lus casus grandes, and according 
 to the relation of two Franciscans who saw them in 1773 
 and are the last persons that have visited them, they occupy 
 an extent of more than a square mile. They are built of un- 
 baked bricks, and the ground on all sides was found strewed 
 with fragments of earthen vessels curiously painted, Hum;- 
 l)oldt. Tableau de la Nature, torn. 1. p. 159. 
 
 The Mexican language is said still to be spoken on the 
 Tizon, 600 miles north of New Mexico. (Clavigero.) The 
 natives of Nootk'a appear to be a branch of the Aztecas, 
 They worship Mattlox the Mexitli of Mexico, See Hunj- 
 l?oldt's Essay on New Spain translat^d^ vol. 2, p. 370 et seq. 
 
552 
 
 Aztlan must have been either in that part of 
 America which approaches to Asia, or possibly 
 on the Asiatic continent. 
 
 Of the Plijjsical Characters of the Americans, 
 
 Blumenbach has observed that the peculiarities 
 in the configuration of the skull of the American 
 are similar to those of the Mongole but not 
 quite so strongly marked. He says that the 
 cheek-bones are as broad as in the latter, but that 
 the corners are more rounded and the angles 
 not so sharp ; that these bones are not so pro- 
 minent laterally, and that the skull is less 
 heavy, (c) Humboldt confirms or repeats these 
 remarks and adds some other discriminations. 
 The American cranium exibits according to him 
 a facial line more inclined though straighter 
 than that of the Negro; the forehead being 
 much depressed. It may be doubted however 
 whether this character is general, and M. d^ 
 Humboldt may have been deceived by examining 
 skulls artificially modified, (d) '^ The under 
 jaw is larger than the Negro's and its branches 
 are less dispersed than in the Mongole. The 
 occipital bone h less curved ; the protuberance* 
 
 (a) Blumenbach. de I'nnite du genre humain, p. 218. 
 {b) I suspect this to have been the case, because this; 
 author is as far as I know tJiQ Quly ou^ whq hai noted th* 
 
553 
 
 Which correspond to the cerebellum are scarcely 
 sensible/' (a) 
 
 Humboldt subscribes to the general obser- 
 vation of other travellers concerning the striking 
 analogy of the American and Mongole races. 
 *' This analogy" says he, '' is particularly evident 
 in the colour of the skin and hair, in the de- 
 fective beard, high cheek-bones, and in the 
 direction of the eyes. We cannot refuse to 
 admit that the human species does not contain 
 races more similar than the Americans, Mongoles, 
 Mandshurs and Malays."' 
 
 The complexion of the Americans varies con- 
 siderably. (/;) The general hue is a light copper 
 colour, not deeper in the shade but having a 
 greater mixture of red than the tav^ny of the 
 northern Asiatics. But the natives of the coast, 
 northward of California, near Nootka Sound 
 and Port des Francois, who appear to be the 
 descendants of the anciently civilized Aztecas, 
 and to have retained their primitive abode in 
 Aztlan, are as fair as Europeans, (cj Some 
 
 (a) Humboldt, ubi supra, p. 154. 
 
 (6) La Pei*ouse says the Californians are nearly as black, 
 as the Negroes of Africa. 
 
 (c) This seems an extraordinary fact but it is perfectly 
 M^ell ascertained. Tlie inhabitants of the whole line of coasts 
 frona Nootka to Cook's river have the form and features of 
 the Mexican Indians with the complexions of Europeans, 
 The men have even brown beards, and some of the women 
 have a florid ruddy cojour. They are not Esquimaux. 
 
554 
 
 Esquimaux have been observed to have b'ght 
 hair and a fair complexion, (a) 
 
 SECTION VIIL 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 ^ IF our inferences in the foregoing analysis be 
 in general well founded, although we may allow 
 them in many instances to be erroneous, they 
 will authorize us in drawing the following brief 
 sketch of the probable history of mankind. 
 
 The' countries bounded on the East and West 
 by the Ganges and the Nile, on the North by 
 the Caspian lake and the mountainous ridges of 
 Parapamisus and Imaus, and on the South by the 
 Erythraean sea or Indian ocean, appear to have 
 l)een the region in which mankind first ad- 
 vanced to civilization. It is highly probable that 
 these countries were the primitive abode of our 
 
 Compare Cook's last voy. vol. 2. p. 30i — 360. La Perouse, 
 chap. 9. Dixon, passim. . - - 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to notice Ihc absurd assertion that 
 the Americans have no beard. 
 
 («) Charlevoix, Hist, de la Nouvelle France, torn. 3. 
 
 Blumcnbach. ubi supra, p. 185. 
 
 The same race in Greenland are described by Crantz as 
 being of a dark grey all over«their bodies, with their faces 
 brown or of an olive colour. But he adds that their childrca 
 are boru white. Hist* of Greenland. 
 
355 
 
 jipecies, in tvhich alone therefore it can properly 
 be considered as indigenous. 
 
 In the first ages^ previous to the origin of 
 the most simple artS;, while men were as yet too 
 rude to acquire their sustenance by hunting, (or 
 if we receive the Scriptural account of the de- 
 luge, before the woods were filled with wild 
 animals,) they apparently obtained their food 
 chiefly by fishing along the sea-shores, or de- 
 pended for a still more precarious supply on 
 the scanty fruits of the earth, (a) In this state 
 they would of necessity lead a wandering life 
 and extend themselves widely. Different tribes 
 of ichthyophagi or of roaming savages were 
 scattered on each side of the primitive region, 
 wherever an easy progress lay open to them, 
 along the coasts or through the w6ods of Africa, 
 and around the shores of the Indian islands, of 
 New Guinea and Australasia. To these regions 
 we have traced them in the foregoing pages. 
 The descendants of these dispersed races are still 
 found in the same abodes nearly in their original 
 
 (a) Perhaps some persons may think it scarcely consis- 
 tent with the skill displayed by Noah in building the ark^ 
 to represent his posterity as Savages. But this was alto- 
 gether a supernatural event, and was doubtless brought 
 about by uncommon means. And whatever improvement 
 might have been acquired by men in the ten generations 
 which had passed before the Hood, it must speedily have 
 been lost from the destitute condition of the earth immedi- 
 ately after tiiat event. 
 
S5Q 
 
 Qnimproved condition, savages and negro es/sitch 
 as we have seen that the stock of their ancestors 
 the primeval inhabitants of Egypt and India 
 were. 
 
 These were the most ancient colonics which 
 emigrated into the distant parts of the earth. 
 Accordingly they exhibit no affinities with the 
 central nations in their languages, manners, or 
 superstitions. For they went forth when lan- 
 guage was as -yet imperfectly formed, before 
 manners had acquired any peculiar character, 
 and previous to the age of idolatry. 
 
 The condition of mankind in their prhneval 
 seats improved. They became hunters, and 
 afterw^ards shepherds. Sabaism or the worship 
 of the heavenly bodies now prevailed among 
 them. Some tribes of hunters and perhaps of 
 shepherds, ascended the chain of Parapamisus, 
 and spread themselves gradually over the high 
 central plain of Asia, on one side into Siberia 
 and Scandinavia, and on the other into Kamt- 
 schatka, and through the adjacent and probably 
 then connected Continent of iVmerica. These are 
 the Mongoles and other similar races whom we 
 have traced through Asia, and the North of 
 Europe, and the primitive inhabitants of the 
 New World. In the languages of these nations, 
 though much diversified and very imperfect in 
 structure, a certain degree of affinity may be 
 clearly marked. In their superstitions vestiges 
 
557 
 
 Temain of the primitive Sabaism, even in their 
 inore distant settlements. Their physical cha- 
 racters resemble. In other particulars proofs 
 may be collected in many remote regions of the 
 common origin of these races. 
 
 Meanwhile agriculture was invented in Asia, 
 and the division of labour connected with the 
 institution of casts^ which seems to have ex- 
 tended through all the primitive region^ gave 
 a new character to human society. The esta- 
 blishment of a governing or military class^ and 
 of a sacerdotal class, gave birth to political 
 order. (&) The priests mingling allegory and 
 fable with the early Sabaismj and with the relics 
 of genuine theism and true historical tradition, 
 which had probably been preserved in a few 
 families, framed a complex system of mythology. 
 The mysteries were invented. Philosophy began 
 to be cultivated, and a more perfect language 
 was formed. 
 
 The Celtse under their Druids, a branch of 
 the eastern hierarchy, advanced into the fur^ 
 thest West, where perhaps some vestiges of 
 previous colonists may be found. They carried 
 
 . (h) The name of the founder of civil goyernment is pre- 
 served among all nations as that of Patriarch or Primitive 
 Legislator. He was Menu among the Hindus; Menes, 
 Mneues, and Mncvis, among the Egyptians; Memnon in 
 Chaldjea ; Minos, and Aiinotaur, in Greece; and Mannus, 
 or perhaps Mauu among the ancient Germans, This coin- 
 cidence has been often observed* '. 
 
558 
 
 with them the mysteries^ the doctrine of me^ 
 tempsychosis, the rites of polytheism^, the phi- 
 losophy and the language of the East. 
 
 The Pelasgian and Thracian races established 
 themselves in Asia Minor and passed the Helles- 
 pont into Thrace. The former colonized Greece 
 land Italy. The latter passed to the northward 
 of the Danube into the Dacian or Getic country. 
 Tribes of this nation wandered at a later period 
 through the forests of Germ.any^ v^hcre they 
 multiplied and encroached upon the Celtse. 
 Lastly the Medes, delighting in their herds of 
 horseS:, advanced through the Euxine borders 
 into Scythia and Sarmatia. (a) «. 
 
 r That all these nations^ the Celtas^ the Pelasgi, 
 the Goths and the Sarmatse were comparatively 
 late colonists from Asia we may safely assert, 
 when we consider the strong affinities discover- 
 able in their customs, in their religious rites and 
 doctrines, and in their dialects which are clearly 
 branches of the Sanscrit and old Persic, and 
 when we remark that most of them may be 
 traced in history still preserved from their pri- 
 mitive settlements in the East. * .i^- 
 
 U 
 
 {c) This part of our scheme, and indeed the whole of if, 
 perfectly coincides with the system of Mr. Bryant, though 
 built entirely on diflerent principles. 
 
 THE END* 
 
 London: printed by W. Philh'ps, /^ ^ 'oF THE 
 
 George Yard, Lombard Street. . / UNIVERSITY 
 
, ,. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 
 
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 63 
 
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 69 
 
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 74 
 
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 5 
 
 
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 134 
 
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 142 
 
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 143 
 
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 149 
 
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 150 
 
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 179 
 
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 182 
 
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 186 
 
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 189 
 
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 204 
 
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 208 
 
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 216 
 
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 219 
 
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 236 
 
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 241 
 
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 244 
 
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 245 
 
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 247 
 
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 256 
 
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 259 
 
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 269 
 
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 270 
 
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 280 
 
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 292 
 
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 emperor* 
 
 
 444 
 
 — 17 
 
 Mt.o-os 
 
 
 453 
 
 — 19 
 
 \?A\^\\Zg& 
 
 . languages 
 
 469 
 
 — 1 
 
 <iisnnctly 
 
 • .—— distantly 
 
 470 
 
 — 11 
 
 Sarmatus 
 
 — - Sarmatas 
 
 474 
 
 — 24 
 
 Mosavie 
 
 ■^— — Moscovie 
 
 484 
 
 — 30 
 
 Aurelius ager 
 
 ■ Aurelius agger 
 
 495 
 
 — 2(? 
 
 Adsaltabat 
 
 Adsultabal 
 
 498 
 
 — 10 
 
 Hippocratim 
 
 . Hippocratein 
 
 506 
 
 — 30 
 
 suiovv 
 
 — — f^toy 
 
 . 508 
 
 — IS 
 
 - , I*elasgi 
 
 PeJasgic 
 
 512 
 
 - 5 
 
 ':• tyyio-iiKa'jtm 
 
 
 520 
 
 — S 
 
 AviliLtO¥ 
 
 . Aftawu 
 
 522 
 
 — 3. 
 
 ©a 
 
 . 1. , 1 or 
 
 528 
 
 ■^ 2fet 
 
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 ANTHROPOLOGY LIBRARY 
 
 This publication is due on the LAST DATE 
 and HOUR stamped below. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 (P2002sl0)4188-A-32 
 
 General Library 
 
 University of California 
 
 Berkeley 
 
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