430 Mr. A. Walker on the Direction of Continents, fyc. 



If he commit himself not to the ocean, still he either volun- 

 tarily seeks, or is driven by new colonists or invaders to the 

 higher lands of the west. 



Hence all the traditions and histories of the ancient world 

 are of colonies and knowledge from the east — from India to 

 Egypt, from Egypt to Greece, from Greece to Italy — from 

 the plains of the two former to the mountains of the two latter. 

 Hence, in all ages, the plains of Scythia have sent forth their 

 myriads of wild and strange aspect, and of a hundred lan- 

 guages, to seize upon the enfeebled kingdoms of the west. 

 Hence the New World is now fast peopling from the Old. 

 Hence in North America, the population is slowly crossing 

 the Allegany mountains toward the Cordilleras of its Pacific 

 shore. Hence in South America, Mexico and Peru and 

 Chili are more densely peopled, while Guiana and Brazil and 

 Paraguay are [comparatively J deserts. 



Nor are these migrations to western and higher lands un- 

 reasoned. The climate of mountains is almost universally 

 more salubrious than that of plains, and (which to selfish man 

 is, perhaps, more important,) power has naturally, in all ages, 

 been dependent on the possession of mountain chains. These 

 are the real reasons of the hitherto mysterious fact, that " em- 

 pire constantly verges to the quarter of the setting sun." 



Of this tendency an able writer says : " America certainly 

 offers very singular facts towards the support of this mystical 

 doctrine, in which, though we have no faith, yet there is con- 

 siderable pleasure in tracing the analogy of events." Faith 

 may be essential in religion ; it is worthless in philosophy ; 

 and I trust I have rendered its exercise no longer necessary 

 upon this subject. 



As to civilization, mountaineers have more universally a 

 manly, brave and noble character than the inhabitants of 

 plains, who are generally more phlegmatic and indolent. And 

 the cause of this is not obscure. It is Humboldt, if I mistake 

 not, who observes that " those who attend to their feelings, 

 when ascending mountains, acknowledge that they experience 

 in elevated situations, a buoyancy of spirits, and an alertness 

 of mind, far exceeding that which they usually possess in the 

 plains." But this, though true, is not enough. Such regions 

 present great variety of temperature, and cold rather predo- 

 minates than heat. This excites man to all those resources 

 and all those arts, excellence in which constitutes civilization. 



In addition to these wide but rapid views, I have only to 

 observe that the precise line which, so far as our brief annals 

 tell, civilization has traced, is worthy of notice. Its course 

 from India to Egypt, from Egypt to Greece, which sent it for 



