THE INTERMINGLING OF RACES. 



345 



M. de Quatrefages sets down the proportion of mixed blood in 

 Mexico and South America at one fifth of the whole population. The 

 "Statesman's Year-Book" for 1886 makes it much larger. In Mexico, 

 with a population of over ten million, it is calculated that not more 

 than twenty per cent are of pure European descent, while those classi- 

 fied as Indian number above three million and three quarters. In 

 Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, San Salvador, and Costa Rica, the 

 vast majority of the people are Indians and mestizos, so that, if the 

 scheme of Barrios had succeeded, he would have practically ruled over 

 a federation of half-breeds. In the society of the cities only a mere 

 sprinkling pretends to pure Spanish descent. In South America the 

 mixed races are still more numerous in comparison with the rest of the 

 population. In Brazil the colored slave or freedman element has mixed 

 with both Creoles and Indians. In Hayti and San Domingo the blacks 

 are the ruliDg race. In Venezuela whites and blacks have coalesced 

 with Indians to such an extent that, with the exception of about a 

 thirtieth part of the population made up of savage aborigines, the great 

 bulk of the nation is mixed. In Peru it is expected that before long 

 the country will have reverted to the aboriginal condition, only about 

 two per cent of the inhabitants remaining unaffected by Indian or 

 negro admixture. Though in some South American states, such as 

 Chili and the Argentine Confederation, immigration tends to keep up 

 the supply of European blood, in no case is it in the ascendant. 



M. d'Omalius has reckoned the number of half-breeds in the world 

 at eighteen million, his computation taking account only of the prod- 

 ucts of crossing of the European and colored races. But, if what has 

 been said of the proportion of half-breeds to the entire inhabitants of 

 the New World alone be correct, it comes far short of the reality. 

 For obvious reasons it would be difficult to obtain trustworthy statis- 

 tics concerning the distribution of pure and mixed blood in a com- 

 munity where mixture is a mark of inferiority. Half-breeds, fair 

 enough to pass for whites, would not be likely to volunteer the correc- 

 tion of misconception as to their origin. The degree of dark admixt- 

 ure is, therefore, more likely to be understated than overstated. 



While this continent offers to the inquirer the most interesting and 

 numerous examples of new ethnic varieties created by intercourse 

 between different races, others to be found elsewhere are well worthy 

 of attention. In the Sandwich Islands there are the offspring of natives 

 and foreigners of almost every nationality from English to Chinese. 

 Some of the Hawaiian-British half-castes are intelligent, well-con- 

 ducted, and industrious. The ruler of the kingdom, who recently 

 traveled through Europe, is an accomplished gentleman, as well as a 

 statesman-like and progressive prince. When it is recalled that little 

 more than half a century ago the Hawaiian group was peopled by sav- 

 ages, meet descendants of Captain Cook's murderers, the present con- 

 dition of the kingdom, with its educated and law-abiding citizens, is 



