Crania of AloH^innl Americans. 116 



and classify plants, or the mineralogists minerals. The anato- 

 mical characters of the races, also, are still confined to a few 

 particulars, and many even of these have been drawn from the 

 inspection of a very limited number of specimens. The sub- 

 ject, however, possesses so much inherent interest and import- 

 ance, that we inay expect rapid advances to be made in its 

 future development. 



The unity of the human species is assumed by Dr Morton. 

 It is known that the black race possess an apparatus in the 

 skin, which is wanting in that of the white race. Flourens 

 states, that there " are, in the skin of the rchite race, three 

 distinct laminse or membranes — ^the derm^ and two epiderms ; 

 and in the skin of the Mack race, there is, besides the derm 

 and the two epiderms of the white race, a particular apparatus, 

 an apparatus which is altogether wanting in the man of the 

 white race, an apparatus composed of two layers, the external 

 of which is the seat of the 2^i<Jine7itnm, or colouring matter of 

 negroes.-'* " The colouring apparatus of the negro is always 

 found in the mulatto." Flourens adds, *' The white race and 

 the black race are then, I repeat, two essentially distinct races. 

 The same is true of the red, or American race. Anatomy 

 discovers, under the second epiderm of the individual of the 

 red^ copper- coloured^ Indian, or American race (for this race 

 is called indifferently by all these names), a pigmental appa- 

 ratiis, which is the seat of the red or copper colour of this race, 

 as the pigmental apparatus of the negro is the seat of his black 

 colour." 



Dr Morton does not advert to the existence of this pigmen- 

 tal apparatus in the American race. The investigations of Dr 

 M'CuUoh, he observes, " satisfactorily prove that the designa- 

 tion * copper-coloured,^ is wholly inapplicable to the Americans 

 as a race." " The cinnamon is, in Dr M'Culloh's apprehen- 

 sion^ the nearest approach to the true colour" of the native 

 Americans. Dr Morton considers that the " brown race" most 

 correctly designates them collectively. '' Although," sajs he, 

 " the Americails thus possess a pervading and characteristic 

 complexion, there are occasional and very remarkable devia- 

 tions, including all the tints from a decided white to an une- 



* AttttftleS des Sciences Nat t. x. Dec. 1838, pp. 361, &c. Edinburgh 

 New Philosophical Journal, voL xxvii, p. 353, 



