1002 OP THE BRANCHES OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 



mediate gradation between the fair and florid tint, with light-red or auburn 

 hair, of the Northern European, to the dusky or even black hue of the races 

 bordering on or lying between the Tropics. The hair is generally long and 

 flexible, with a tendency to curl ; but considerable variety presents itself 

 with regard to this particular. The conformation of the features approaches 

 more or less closely to that which we are accustomed to regard as the type 

 of beauty. 



847. The first place, in a more natural distribution of the Human Races, 

 must undoubtedly be given to that which is designated by Dr. Prichard as 

 the Arian, and which is often termed the Indo-European; including the col- 

 lective body of European nations, with the Persians, 1 Affghans, and certain 

 other nations of the southwestern portion of the Asiatic continent, 2 near to 

 which their original focus appears to have been. The great bond of connec- 

 tion between these nations, lies in their languages ; which in spite of great 

 diversities, present a certain community of character that is recognized by 

 every philologist. The family which is most dissimilar to the rest (the typical 

 Celt contrasting remarkably with the types of the Germanic group, both in 

 physical conformation and in psychical characters) is that formed by the 

 Celtic nations; but these are undoubtedly like the others, of Eastern origin, 

 as was first shown by Dr. Prichard ; 3 though they appear to have detached 

 themselves from the common stock at an earlier period in the development 

 of its language. The J/<c/o-Germanic languages are obviously all formed 

 upon the same base with the ancient Sanskrit, if not upon the Sanskrit 

 itself; and they are united alike by community in many of the most impor- 

 tant "primary words," and by general similarity in grammatical construction. 

 The existing Lettish or Lithuanian dialect presents a very near approach to 

 the original type ; and the Old Prussian, a dialect spoken as late as the six- 

 teenth century, had a still closer alliance to the ancient Zend or Median, 

 which seems to have been a very early derivation from the Sanskrit, and 

 which is the basis of the language now spoken in Persia. But there is evi- 

 dence that, notwithstanding the mutual affinities of the Indo-Germauic lan- 

 guages, every one of them has been modified by the introduction of extraneous 

 elements: thus, in those of Western Europe, there is a considerable admix- 

 ture of Celtic; whilst in others, there are traces of more barbaric tongues. 

 In fact, there can be little doubt that Europe had an indigenous population, 

 before the immigration of the Indo-German or even of the Celtic tribes; and 

 of this population it seems most probable that the Lapps and Finns of Scan- 

 dinavia, and the Euskariaus (or Basques) of the Biscayan provinces, are but 

 the remnant. The former of these tribes, which is undoubtedly of Mongol inn 

 origin, once extended much further south than at present; and with regard 

 to the latter, whose nearest linguistic affinities are also with the tongues of 

 High Asia, there is ample historical proof that they had formerly a very ex- 



1 The modern Persians are a very mixed race, in which Turkish and Arab ele- 

 ments largely participate. The most perfect representatives of the original stock 

 (whose purity of descent seems to have been maintained from the time of their 

 original migration into their present locality, by the physical obstacles which have 

 cut them ott' from intercourse with their nearest neighbors) are believed to he the 

 Kafirs of Kafirstan, a fair-skinned, light-haired race inhabiting the impracticable 

 mountain country on the watershed between the Oxus and the northwestern sources 

 of the Indus. The Tajiks of Bokhara also keep up the ancient lineage and language, 

 although their country is ruled by people of Turkish descent. 



2 Tin 1 population of llindostan hits been commonly accounted as belonging to this 

 division ; but the more intimate the knowledge attained of its character and languages, 

 the more does it lead to the conclusion that the great mass of this population is really 

 of Mongolian descent ($ 8oO). 



3 On the Eastern Origin of the Celtic Nations, 1831. 



