interest to the general reader, but also of use to the students of our public schools and universities, in conducting the inquiry, whether all the races of man which are dispersed over the surface of the earth, and whose portraits, as sketched in the following pages by Dr. Pickering, will be found to exhibit the most remarkable contrasts in feature and in colour; and not only to differ in complexion and in physical conformation, but also in languages, manners, customs, modes of worship, &c., &c., &c. ; have arisen from Adam and Eve, or are the offspring of several original and distinct parents?

It may, and probably will, be urged that this problem has long ago been so decidedly solved by the authority of the Bible, that no room is left for doubt or for discussion; but we think that it is impossible to devote the energies of the mind to a more noble undertaking than an investigation of the natural history of the races of man—a branch of that great tree of science which includes the history of all organised life, which carries us along the phases of creation, through all the numberless gradations of vegetable and animal existence, till we reach those wonderful instincts and still more exalted functions of reason and intelligence, of speech and of language, the possession of which, as already demonstrated, separates man by a wide chasm from the cattle of the field,-with a view of showing the harmony existing between the facts which are exhibited in the Book of Nature, and the record given of them in the Word of God.

We cannot lay down our pen without expressing an opinion as to the unity of our species; and, although the profession to which we belong instinctively directs the eye to look for physical anatomical identity, to consider the shape of the head, the figure of the pelvis, and the colour of the skin, to search for physiological identity amid the varied changes to which the human constitution is liable; and, looking at the varieties of the genus homo, to ask, how, when, and where these varieties arose, and what is known of the springing up of analogous varieties in the present day, and of which some instances have been given ;* still

*The Reviewer of Dr. Prichard's work, in the "Quarterly," contends, that "from the fact of nature producing frequent varieties in all races, as striking as are the extreme diversities amongst men, and that there is an entire continuity in the gradations which occur in nature from one diversity to another,"

would we venture for one moment to direct attention to the psychical and moral bearings of the question, of more importance far than many of those on which so much labour, during many years, has been expended.

When we observe that all the races of man, civilised and savage, have the same powers of utterance,-that both speak naturally, and are equally understood; when we find all languages, dialects, and tongues reduced to a few families, and pointing, so far as human wisdom yet can trace, to one common origin; when we see in all men, whatever the climate they inhabit and the colour of their skin, a belief in a world beyond the grave; when even the poor Bushmen exhibit some glimmerings of family relations and habits, and some mingling of human sentiments; when we discover the use of fire, artificial clothing, instruments by which the labours necessary to procure food and raiment are facilitated -weapons of offence and defence the club, the spear, the sickle, and the fishing-hook,-characteristic of mankind; when we see objects of worship, prayers to the gods, sacrifices to obtain real or imaginary blessings,-sacred festivities, pilgrimages, the priests and priestesses upon whom the divine services of the Negroes depend, and who are supposed

-(thus, a striking example is afforded, in a Negress having an Albino offspring, without pigment cells, a fact which includes all those minor varieties of colour which are so familiar to us in the same community, and even in the same family; and continuous gradations of colour, from the Negro to the native of Northern Europe, are proved to exist,) "that the argument for the unity might be left as sufficient, even if it ended here," and derived no additional confirmation from the analogies presented by the inferior grades of animal life; and evidence has been given which proves the actual deviations of man from a common standard are less than those found in the animals which are rendered familiar to us by domestication.

1. The conclusion that all the Races of Man are of one species, may be drawn from the harmony of the general laws of the animal economy; for if, after a due allowance is made for the effects of climate, habits of life, &c., it should appear that in two races of animals the duration of life is the same, that their natural functions observe the same laws, that they are susceptible of the same diseases, there is a very strong presumption that they are of the same species. Now, the grand laws of the animal economy are the same in their operation upon all men, and the slight deviations which occur are not greater than the common varieties of constitution which exist within the limits of the same family.

2. From the existence in the same admitted species amongst the inferior tribes of animals of varieties analogous to those which occur in mankind.

3. From the circumstance of varieties being really known to have sprung up among men more or less similar to those which distinguish different nations.On the Animal Kingdom and Unity of our Species, by J. C. Hall, M.D., p. 93.

to have confidential intercourse with the gods; when we find in the Negro's breast some belief in the immortality of the soul, and a state of retribution; when we hear the savage describing his abode beyond the grave as a fertile hunting-ground, and the Christian speaking of his paradise as a place, the joys of which eye hath not seen, nor the mind of man conceived; when everywhere are presented funeral rites for the dead,-burning, sepulchre, embalming mummies; when we behold mounds without number scattered over all the northern nations of the world, the only remaining records of races now extinct; when we examine the wonderfully constructed Pyramids of Egypt, the graves of the ancient Peruvians, the monuments of the Polynesians; when certain religious observances are considered,—it may be the worship of the Sun, or the petition of the savage to the Great Spirit, or the prayers, masses, and litanies offered for the dead and for the living, in the churches of Europe, the temples of Eastern climes, or the mysterious rites of Pagan altars; and when all these are regarded as phenomena in the history of the most refined and barbarous nations, and as springing from those common faculties and sensibilities, of feeling, passion, and of hope, which speak of close and unalterable resemblance, and attest the great natural relation of all men to each other, forming "a piece of Divinity within us,-something that was before the elements, and owing no homage to the sun;" and when lastly, in the joyful laughter, and in those bitter tears which are common alike to the civilised and cultivated citizen of London, and to the untutored savage of the desert, are furnished proofs of family identity, which convince the mind far more powerfully than all the subtilties of argument; for

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin ;"

We are fully satisfied, that all the races of man are, as the Gospel clearly expresses it, "of one blood "-THAT THE BLACK MAN, RED MAN, AND THE WHITE MAN, ARE LINKS IN ONE GREAT CHAIN OF RELATIONSHIP, AND ALIKE CHILDREN WHICH HAVE DESCENDED FROM ONE COMMON PARENT.

SHEFFIELD,

July 9th, 1850.

JOHN CHARLES HALL, M.D.

PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN.

CHAPTER I.

ENUMERATION OF THE RACES.

THREE races of men are familiarly known in the United States, and are admitted by general consent. The same three physical races have been considered by eminent naturalists (who, however, have not travelled) to comprise all the varieties of the human family. Blumenbach has indicated a fourth race, the Malay; and even a fifth has been shadowed forth in the accounts of the Australian Seas. was impossible, however, from the materials furnished by books, to define the geographical boundaries of these races; a point which seemed of importance, as forming in a good degree the basis of our reasoning on the whole subject.

It

This then was one of the objects of investigation I proposed to myself on joining the Exploring Expedition; and my previous experience as a naturalist, a pursuit calling for the constant exercise of the powers of discrimination, gave me some advantages in conducting the inquiry.

At one time during the voyage, I thought my task nearly accomplished; and, after visiting Australia and New Zealand, I actually penned an opinion, that the races of men were five in number. Soon, however, I was compelled to admit three more: neither was this the limit of the productiveness of nature, in new and undreamt of combinations of feature.

More careful observation than at the outset had seemed necessary was now called into requisition; and often, for a time, I experienced perplexity. One difficulty arose, in fixing

B

in the mind, while passing from place to place, the relative shades of complexion. Fortunately for my purpose, tattooing was practised in many of the countries visited, and these markings afforded a convenient test of the depth of hue. Individuals, also, of three or more races being present among the crews of our vessels, afforded the means of making some direct comparisons. In the end all difficulties vanished, and I was enabled to arrive at satisfactory conclusions.

It should be observed, that in the countries visited by the Expedition, the inhabitants present among themselves great uniformity of feature and complexion: while in the Arab countries and in Western Hindostan, there is an astonishing diversity of aspect in the population; independently, to all appearance, of the great mixture of races. The mountain region of Abyssinia is said likewise to present a seemingly heterogeneous population; but in all the countries which I have myself visited, the varieties of feature have appeared susceptible of reduction to the arrangement adopted in the present work.

I have seen in all ELEVEN RACES OF MEN; and though I am hardly prepared to fix a positive limit to their number, I confess, after having visited so many different parts of the globe, that I am at a loss where to look for others. They may be enumerated conveniently enough in the order of complexion; and beginning with the lightest, I will add some of the more obvious distinctive characters.

a. White.

1. ARABIAN. The nose prominent, the lips thin, the beard abundant, and the hair straight or flowing.

2. ABYSSINIAN. The complexion hardly becoming florid; the nose prominent, and the hair crisped.

b. Brown.

3. MONGOLIAN. Beardless, with the hair perfectly straight and very long.

4. HOTTENTOT. Negro features, and close woolly hair; and the stature diminutive.

5. MALAY. Features not prominent in the profile; the complexion darker than in the preceding races, and the hair straight or flowing.