Sir R. Schomburgk on the Natives of Guiana. 367 



vestige of history, not a thread of tradition ; our knowledge 

 on the subject depends wholly upon hypothetical reasoning. 



The opinions which at present have been promulgated with 

 regard to this subject may be divided into three heads, 



I. They are indigenous, or coeval with the continent which 

 they inhabit. 



II. They are of Asiatic origin, and, emigrating from that 

 continent, peopled first the South Sea Islands, and spread 

 thence over the American continent. 



III. They arrived across Behring's Straits and the Aleutiai> 

 Islands, and spread thence over the New World. 



It has been attempted to establish the hypothesis, that the 

 first germs of the development of the human race in America 

 can be sought for nowhere but in the so-called New World, 

 But unless it can be proved, that the laws of nature are in 

 direct violation of the Inspired record, which expressly says, 

 that *' God has made of one blood all the nations of men to 

 dwell on all the face of the earth,' ' we must still appeal to 

 that Holy Book for interpretation, and reject the hypothesis. 



The Bible and profane history corroborate the narrative, 

 that ancient Egypt and Hindostan were invaded by a power- 

 ful tribe who introduced their peculiar customs into the con- 

 quered country, built temples and pyramids, and covered them 

 with hieroglyphics. Historians here allude to the Cushites, 

 who, after having erected a splendid empire, were dispersed 

 by the Almighty. They are traced chiefly by the ruins of 

 their mural defences in a north-easterly direction to Pales^ 

 tine ; by the relics found in their tumuli, and their peculiar 

 zodiacal signs, to the north of Siberia, where all further 

 traces of them are lost. Similar tumuli, mural defences, hie- 

 roglyphic inscriptions, astronomical divisions of time, and 

 zodiacal signs, were used by the civilized aboriginal race of 

 America ; and as the geographical position of Behring's 

 Straits and the Aleutian Islands admit the possibility of emi- 

 gration from Asia to America, we are led to believe that the 

 Toltecans and Aztecs arrived that way. They were, how- 

 ever, expelled by succeeding hordes, and during the struggle 

 for occupancy, the earthen ramparts may have been con- 

 structed ; but the frequent attacks and the arrival of new 



