Derivation of the American Race 283 
Humboldt argued that, “as the western coasts of the 
American continent trend from N.-W. to S.-E., and the 
eastern coasts of Asia in the opposite direction, the distance 
between the two continents in 45° of latitude, or in the 
temperate zone, which is most favourable to mental develop- 
ment, is too considerable to admit of the probability of such 
an accidental settlement taking place in that latitude. We 
must then assume the first landing to have been made in the 
inhospitable climate of from 55° to 65°, and that the civilisa- 
tion thus introduced, like the general movement of popula- 
tion in America, has proceeded by successive stations from 
north to south.” ? If we are obliged to assume that the 
people themselves came from the old world, such an origin 
might be sought for them as well as any other; but all 
research since Humboldt’s time has favoured the idea that 
there are no signs of the Nahuatls being a newer people than 
the nations of Asia. And if it is not the derivation of the 
people, but of some coincidences in their observances and 
knowledge, we may seek for it some simpler solution than 
the migration of a whole people down through North to: 
Central America. That solution is, I believe, to be found in 
the fact, not taken into consideration by Humboldt, that 
the great Japanese current, after traversing the eastern coast 
of Japan, sends one large branch nearly directly east across 
the Pacific to the coast of California, and an offshoot from it 
passes southward along the Mexican coast and as far as the 
western coast of Central America. In Kotzebue’s narrative 
of his voyage round the world, he says: ‘‘ Looking over 
Adams’ diary, I found the following notice—‘ Brig Forester, 
March 24; 1815, at sea, upon the coast of California, latitude 
32° 45° N. longitude 133° 3’ W. We saw this morning, at a 
short distance, a ship, the confused state of whose sails 
showed that they wanted assistance. We bent our course 
towards her, and made out the distressed vessel to be 
Japanese, which had lost both mast and helm. Only three 
dying Japanese, the captain and two sailors, were found in 
the vessel. We took these unfortunate people on board 
our brig, and, after four months’ nursing, they entirely 
recovered. We learned from these people that they had 
sailed from the harbour of Osaka, in Japan, bound for another 
1 Humboldt, Aspects of Nature, vol. ii. 176. 
