292 THE ARYAN QUESTION. vi 



land and Great Russia to the, often short, "branets 

 common elsewhere. There is certainly nothing in 

 the history of the Slav people to interfere with the 

 supposition that, from very early times, they have 

 been a mixed race. For their country lies between 

 that of the tall, blond, long-heads on the north, 

 that of the short brunet broad-heads of the Euro- 

 pean type on the west, and that of the short brunet 

 broad-heads of the Asiatic type on the east: and, 

 throughout their history, they have either thrust 

 themselves among their neighbours, or have been 

 overrun and trampled down by them. Gauls and 

 Goths have traversed their country, on their way to 

 the east and south: Finno-tataric people, on their 

 way to the west, have not only done the like, but 

 have held them in subjection for centuries. On 

 the other hand, there have been times when their 

 western frontier advanced beyond the Elbe; in- 

 deed, it is asserted that they have sent colonies 

 to Holland and even as far as southern England. 

 A large part of eastern Germany; Bohemia, 

 Moravia, Hungary; the lower valley of the Danube 

 and the Balkan peninsula, have been largely or 

 completely Slavonised; and the Slavonic rule and 

 language, which once had trouble to hold their own 

 in West Russia and Little Russia, have now ex- 

 tended their sway over all the Finno-tataric popu- 

 lations of Great Russia; while they are advanc- 

 ing, among those of central Asia, up to the fron- 

 tiers of India on the south and to the Pacific 



