49g APPENDirX. 



brown, comprehsading the olive, and dark yellow* A lighter fhad«, ef 

 a brow approaching nearer to white, diliinguilhcth a climate ftill more 

 remperate. The whole terminates in the coldnefs, and in the whitenefs 

 of the European and northern nations ; beyond which nature has not pro- 

 eeeded. And where a country is of great extent, as India, and China, the 

 color of the fame people is dark in the fouthern. and more fair in the 

 northern parts. Whatever particular exceptions and deviations may be 

 found, the general law of nature refpeftin,» rolor, is marked with as much 

 regularity, uniformity, dcTign, and order, as any other law of nature, vyhicl? 

 applies to the vegetable ot ^ninrial v/orlj. 



4. This operation and effcft of climate muft be estremc'iy gradual and 

 flow. Whatever thofe caufes are which have fe;ved to form and fix the 

 colors of men, they are caufes which have been in operation, from the be- 

 ginmng of the creation oi God. If there were any differences in the natu- 

 ral conllitutions of men, fo as to form what has been called different races, 

 thofe differences muft nave been original ; and therefore as ancient as thofe 

 fuppofed races of men. Iftheeft;ft has been produced by climate, this 

 cauie muft have been operating upon nations, ever fince their refidencc be- 

 came fixed m any particu'ar part of the earth. The fame remark will ap- 

 ply to any o;her fuppoled caufe. Be it what it may, upon every natioa 

 whofe refidence has been fixed, it muft have been operating ever f:nce their 

 {ituation became eftablifhed. With regard then to all tbofe nations which 

 have long rf (ided in the fame part of the globe, their colors muft be view- 

 ed as the efFeft of caufes, which have been in operation either from the be- 

 ginning ol the creation, or from the time when they began to rcfide in 

 their prefent fuuations, or countries. What then ought to be expefted, if 

 any race of men whofe color was already formed, fhould be removed to a 

 country, where the tendency of climate was to reverfe the forrper effefts, 

 and change the color which had beeri long fixed ? — Could it beexpefted 

 ehat the power of climate to change a color long formed and fixed, could 

 be exerted irK lefs iime than it had required to pf^odLiccand to eftablifh it ? 

 Would it require lefs time to remove an eftablifhed color, and to produce 

 s new one, than it did to produce and fix the firft t So far as wc can de- 

 jive any information from the ordinary courfe of nature, wc cannot coo- 

 ceive that the color of the negro, could be changed into that of the whi'e 

 jnan, in a lefs period of time, than it had taken, to produce and eflabli(h( 

 that color at firft. It is much more probable, that a longer period of time 

 would be neci ffary to eradicate the firft, and produce the fecond, than was 

 jeqoifite to form the complexion at firl}. Thofe then that mean to inquire 

 sarefully into the operations and efFc6fs of nature, muft put on the patience 

 of the antiquarian, and learn to compute tirtie with the aftroiiomers. The 

 impatienc? of many leads them 10 txpeft that climate (\iould undo that ia 

 three or four generations, which nature has been conftaatiy at wor^ to ef- 

 left, from her firft origin until now. 



I will venture to propofe a conjeftural eftimattoo, not becaufe I think it 

 approaches very near to certainty or decifion, but becaufe I cannot find 

 any thing upon the fubjeft, that has a greater appearance of probability. 

 The mcft powertul of ail the caufes, which have been found to change the 

 eomp'exion of man, is that of mixture by marriage. In the negro color, 

 this requires five generations, and five divifions, before the Ahican black- 

 yiefs is loft in the European whitenefs ; In the lefs dark complexion of the 

 Indian, it requires three g<nerations, and thiec divifions, to produce ti»e 

 fame efleft. The time of one of thefe generations may be eftimated at a- 

 ^out twenty five years. The time then wftich nature requires to efteft ths, 

 change ot color from thi:i caufe, would be one buadred ^d Ivtiaty fevs 



