PRINCIPAL BRANCHES OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 93 



hair, have all had a common parentage; some having become darker, and 

 others lighter than their ancestors, generally in accordance with changes in 

 their residence and habits. This group seems to have been early divisible 

 into two primary branches ; the northern or Median; and the southern or 

 Indian. Between the original languages of these races, a marked resem- 

 blance can be traced ; and the traditions of both races point to contiguous 

 regions as their original seat, the earliest records of the Persians indicating 

 that they migrated westwards from a spot in the ancient Bactria, not far from 

 Balkh, to the westward of the Indus ; whilst the traditions of the Brahmans 

 refer the origin of the Hindoos to the north-western part of the country lying 

 between the Himalaya and the Vindhya mountains, whence they afterwards 

 moved eastwards and southwards into the Peninsula. Both these races ap- 

 pear to have migrated in a north-westerly direction, at a period long preceding 

 our earliest knowledge of European history ; for the European languages pre- 

 sent indications of affinity to the ancient languages of both Medians and 

 Indians. The classical languages of Greece and Italy appear more referrible 

 to the Sanskrit or ancient Indian, than to the Zend or ancient Median ; whilst, 

 on the other hand, the Germanic languages would seem to have originated 

 rather in the latter. Of all the extant European dialects, the Lettish and 

 Lithuanian approach most nearly to the ancient type. 



a. It may be well to notice here, the nature of the evidence on which statements of this 

 kind are grounded. The extensive and profound inquiries which have been in progress 

 for many years, have enabled Philologists to distinguish, usually with little difficulty, between 

 the intermixture of languages, which may arise from the intercourse of any two nations that 

 happen to be connected by local proximity, commercial intercourse, &c. ; and that funda- 

 mental correspondence, which indicates anginal affinity. The latter is to be sought rather 

 in the analogies of grammatical structure, and in the laws of combination, or the mechanism 

 of speech, than in the vocabulary; and it sometimes happens that a relationship may thus 

 be traced between languages, which have scarcely a single word in common. The most 

 satisfactory evidence, however, is derived from resemblance in those parts of the vocabu- 

 lary, which serve to represent the ideas of a people in the most simple state of existence; 

 such as terms expressive of family relations; names for the most striking objects of the visi- 

 ble universe; terms distinguishing different parts of the body; nouns of number, up to 5, 10, 

 or 20 ; verbs descriptive of the most common sensations and bodily acts, such as seeing, 

 hearing, eating, drinking, and sleeping. As no nation was ever found destitute of similar 

 expressions; and as we know by the observation of facts, in addition to abstract probability, 

 that tribes however rude, do not exchange their own stock of primitive words for those of a 

 foreign idiom ; it may be inferred that dialects, which correspond in those parts of their 

 vocabulary, were originally one speech, or the language of one people. 



b. It has been fully demonstrated, that both these indications of affinity or family relation- 

 ship exist between the languages of the several races, from which the great mass of the popu- 

 lation of Europe is derived; and, further, that this affinity not only unites them with each 

 other, but connects them all with the common Eastern stock. 



96. The second primary division of the human family, according to the 

 usual arrangement, is that commonly termed Mongolian. The real Mon- 

 goles, however, constitute but a single and not very considerable member of 

 the group of nations associated under this designation; which is, therefore, 

 by no means an appropriate one. The original seat of these races appears 

 to have been the great central elevated plain of Asia, in which all the great 

 rivers of that continent have their sources, whatever may be their subsequent 

 direction. Taken as a whole, this division of the human family is charac- 

 terized by the pyramidal form of the skull, and by a xanthous or olive com- 

 plexion; but these characters are only exhibited, in a prominent degree, in 

 the more typical members of the group, and may become so greatly modified 

 as to cease altogether to be recognizable. This has been remarkably the case 

 with regard to the Turkish people, now so extensively distributed. All the 

 most learned writers on Asiatic history are agreed in opinion, that the Turkish 



