112 Comparative View of 



Indian nations, Peruvian, Brazilian, and Mexican, together 

 with a particularly extended series from North America, from 

 the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, and from Florida to the re- 

 gion of the Polar tribes. Especial attention has also been 

 given to the singular distortions of the skull caused by mecha- 

 nical contrivances in use among various nations, Peruvians, 

 Charibs, Natches, and the tribes inhabiting the Oregon Terri- 

 tory." His materials in this department, are so ample, that 

 he has been enabled to give a full exposition of the subject. 

 He has also bestowed particular attention on the crania from 

 the mounds of this country, which have been compared with 

 similar relics, derived both from ancient and modern tribes, 

 " in order to examine by the evidence of osteological facts, 

 whether the American aborigines, of all epochs, have belonged 

 to one race, or to a plurality of races." 



The introductory Essay, " on the varieties of the human 

 species," occupies ninety-five pages. It is learned, lucid, and, 

 like the whole work, classically written. The author notices 

 the great diversities of opinion that have existed among natu- 

 raUsts regarding the grouping of mankind into races ; Lin- 

 naeus referred all the human family to five races ; Buffon pro- 

 posed six great divisions ; subsequently, however, he reduced 

 it to five ; while Blumenbach, adopting the arrangement of 

 Buffon, has changed the names of some of the divisions, and 

 designated, with greater accuracy, their geographical distribu- 

 tion. Cuvier admitted three races only, the Caucasian, Mon- 

 golian, and Ethiopian. 



Dr Morton adopts the arrangement of Blumenbach in so 

 far as regards the great divisions, substituting, however, the 

 word race for the term " variety" of the German author, and 

 changing the order in which Blumenbach considers some of 

 them. He considers the human species as consisting of 

 twenty-two families, which he arranges under the heads of the 

 Caucasian, Mongolian, Malay, American, and Ethiopian races. 



I. "The Caucasian Race is characterised, by a naturally 

 fair skin, susceptible of every tint ; hair fine, long and curling, 

 and of various colours. The skull is large and oval, and its 

 anterior portion full and elevated. The face is small in pro- 

 portion to the head, of an oval form, with well proportioned 



