ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MAN. 109 



I do not hesitate to assert, that the notion of specific iden- 

 tity between the African orang-utang (on which point Mr. 

 White's language is not sufficiently clear to enable me to 

 decide what he means) is as false, philosophically, as the 

 moral and political consequences, to which it would lead, 

 are shocking and detestable. The human species has nu- 

 merous distinctive marks, by which, under every circum- 

 stance of deficient or imperfect civilization, and every va- 

 riety of country and race, it is separated by a broad and 

 clearly defined interval from all other animals, even of those 

 species which, from their general resemblance to us, have 

 been called anthropo-morphous. 



It is only of late years, and principally through the la- 

 bours, the lectures, and the excellent writings of Blumen- 

 BACH *, that the natural history of man has begun to re- 

 ceive its due share of attention : and I have no hesitation in 

 asserting, that, whether we regard the intrinsic import- 

 ance of the questions that arise, and their relation to 

 the affinities, migrations, and history of nations, or advert 

 merely to the pleasure of the research, no subject will be 

 found more worthy of minute Investigation. The example 

 of Buffon t and Blumenbach has been followed by 

 some others ; as Zimmermann J, Meiners §, Soemmer- 



* Pie chose the varieties of mankind for the subject of his inaugural thesis; 

 Gutting, 1775, 4to ; and afterwards published it under the title De Generis 

 Ilumani Varietate Nativa 12mo., of which the third and last edition ap- 

 peared in 1795- See also his Decades Craniorum Diversarum Gentium ilhis- 

 tratcc ; 1 — 5 ; Gutting, 1790—1808 : his Beytruge zur Naturgeschichte ; 1. 

 u. Stheil, Gutt. 1790 and 1811 : his Handbuch der Naturgeschichte ,• ed. 9, 

 1814 ; ?LwA\\\% Abhildungen Nalur-historischer Gegenst'dnde ; more particu- 

 larly 1 heff. 



t See note, p. 114. 



X Geographische Geschichte der Menschen, und der allgemcin vcrbrciteien 

 vier filssigen Thieren^Sv. 8vo. Leipsic, 1778 — 1783. 



^ Grundriss der Geschichte der Menschheit ; Lemgo, 1793. A short but 

 interesting work ; particularly valuable from the very extensive erudition of 

 the author ; and from a copious catalogue of books, accompanied with short 

 notices of their character. 



Gottingisches Ilistorisches Magazin^ 1 1 v. His work entitled Verschicden- 

 heit der Mcnschen-natureny which I have not seen, contains, I believe, ilie 



