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but they have, after acquiring countries with different climatal condi- 

 tions, transplanted into these such as would not flourish at home, and 

 thus have found themselves in a position to collect the characleristic 

 plants of almost every race around them. Thus have the European 

 corn-plants acquired a widely-spreading cultivation throughout North 

 America, in Mexico, and the elevated countries of South America, in 

 Chili and Buenos Ayres, in South Africa, in the temperate parts of 

 Australia and Van Diemen's Land ; thus the vine has become an ob- 

 ject of cultivation in Madeira, the Canary Islands, South Africa, and 

 the highlands of South America ; thus rice and cotton are now grown 

 in extraordinary quantities in the warmer parts of North America and 

 in Brazil ; thus have the coffee-tree and the sugar-cane been trans- 

 planted into the West Indies and Brazil ; the nutmeg and the clove 

 into Mauritius and Bourbon, and various West Indian islands ; and 

 thus has the plantation of tea commenced in Brazil, in Java, and in 

 India; and the cultivation of the New Zealand flax in New Holland. 

 The Europeans have even conveyed characteristic plants to other races, 

 which knew how to value them. They have transferred several Euro- 

 pean and tropical plants into the South Sea Islands, which, previously 

 unknown, are now cultivated by the natives ; the remnants of the 

 American population which are still found in the highlands of Peru, 

 Chili, and Mexico, have acquired European plants ; in like manner 

 the negroes of the west coast of Africa have received from the Euro- 

 peans maize, tobacco, and other American plants. On the other 

 hand, what other races have done to change the distribution of cha- 

 racteristic plants, is very little : the Arabs contributed to diffuse cot- 

 ton, the sugar-cane, coffee, and the date-palm ; but the Arabs belong 

 to the same primary race as the Caucasians. The Chinese appear to 

 have procured cotton from Hindostan, and the Japanese the tea-shrub 

 from China. The Europeans, and above all the North Europeans, 

 consequently are those who, both in their own home and in their 

 colonies, have been able to acquire the greatest quantity of the cha- 

 racteristic plants of other races ; while their own country, especially 

 the North of Europe, is so very poor in characteristic plants ; for all 

 the important cultivated plants of Northern Europe have been intro- 

 duced (cabbage, turnips, carrots and asparagus, which are perhaps 

 indigenous, are among the less essential). We find in this a great 

 proof of the intellectual superiority of these races, and we have here 

 an example that the child of the poor man, gifted with great natural 

 powers, industry, and activity, has far more power over prosperity 

 than the rich heir. I know not whether there may be any among my 



