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Landscape in History 1 



Among the obscure problems in- the history of man- 

 kind a foremost place must be given to the 

 question of the origin and distribution of the various 

 races of men. Undoubtedly two main factors in the 

 differentiation of these races have been climate and 

 geography. These same physical conditions still per- 

 petuate, if they did not actually originate, the racial 

 distinctions. Even where we may hesitate to adopt 

 a theory as to the initial start of any one of the 

 great branches of mankind, we can hardly fail to 

 recognise that the several nations or tribes comprised 

 within one of these branches are marked off from each 

 other by more or less definite peculiarities, of which some 

 at least may probably be referred to the influence of 

 environment. The landscapes of a country, the form, A 

 height, and trend of its mountain-ranges, the position 

 and extent of its plains and valleys, the size and direc- 

 tion of its rivers, the varying nature of its soils and 

 climate, the presence or absence of useful minerals, 



1 The substance of this Essay formed an address to the Oxford 

 University Scientific Club, in 1887. 



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