184 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



may have retained, from priority of diffusion, a typical 

 nucleus within the tropics, expanding even westward, 

 there is a master race, of a distinct origin, domineering 

 over the oldest discoverable tribes, gradually more and 

 more intermixed, till, from pure white, it becomes posi- 

 tively black, without therefore being deprived of a 

 superior aspect, which the Caucasian blood alone con- 

 fers. It extends, with few exceptions, down to very 

 near the equatorial line, where, indeed, contamination 

 is still observable ; but the mastery of a foreign race 

 evidently disappears. These conditions recur, in a 

 south-western direction, along the Persian and Arabian 

 maritime provinces, and eastern Africa ; the Caucasian, 

 whether brownish or black, preponderating numeri- 

 cally towards the shores of the Mediterranean, exactly 

 in the ratio structural conformation would prefer, if 

 left at liberty. This intermediate sub-typical race, in 

 all its shades of colour, is the Ethiopian of antiquity, 

 and seems to have included those tribes which were 

 held accursed by several of the most ancient white 

 immigrators in Western Asia. 



The Mongolic nations record, in the same manner, 

 their descent from high mountain ranges, and the early 

 struggles of their heroes in draining marshes, teaching 

 cultivation, letters and metallurgy ; in time making 

 even regular observations on comets, when the wisdom 

 of Europe was hidden in a howling wilderness, and long 

 before science amongst us assumed a rational shape. * 

 In America, all the tribes that retain traditions of 

 - * See Biot on Comets. 



