VARIETIES OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. 21 I 



wreck or some other casual occurrence might supply them 

 with inhabitants. He shews how much more consonant to 

 the wisdom and benevolence of the Deity it would be, for 

 the earth to have teemed from the first moment of its pro- 

 duction with trees and fruits, and to have been occupied by 

 all kinds of animals, suited to each soil and sky. I cannot 

 too strongly reprobate such idle declamation, which, by 

 withdrawing our attention from the right method of inves- 

 tigation, inevitably tends to perpetuate our ignorance of na- 

 ture. Dr. Pri CHARD, in his excellent inaugural discourse 

 on this subject, has so well exposed the futility of such ar- 

 guments, that I have great pleasure in quoting his words. 

 " Haec quanquam satis speciosa videantur, omnia ut fit 

 plerumque in hujusmodi argumentationibus fluxa et in- 

 certa sunt. Qui magna loquuntur, tanquam ipsi ex Dei 

 concilio descendissent, neque ut humiles ministros, et 

 naturae interpretes oportet, rarolumine quantulocunque ejus 

 abdita illustrant. lUi quidem dixerunt quomodo mundum 

 constituissent, si hoc eorum curationi fuisset commissum ; 

 sed qua ratione re ipsa constitutus sit, talibus auspiciis, et 

 latet, et semper latebit." p. 5. 



Most persons when they first turn their attention to tlie 

 subject, and select for contemplation strongly-marked spe- 

 cimens of the varieties of man, will be inclined to adopt the 

 supposition of originally distinct species. This is the case 

 with Voltaire '^, who has recurred to the subject repeatedly 

 in his various writings, and has expressed himself very po- 

 sitively, ridiculing the idea of referring such difierent beings 

 as the Negro, European, African, Albino, &c. to the same 

 original. "II n'est permis qu'a un aveugle de douter que 

 les blancs, les Negres, les Albinos, les Hottentots, les Lap- 

 pons, les Chinois, les Americains, soient des races entierc- 



» Ilistoire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand; ch. i. Essai sur les Maours., 

 introduction ; and chap. 143. Dictionnaire Philosophique, art. Homme. 

 Leiires d' Amabed^ let. 4. Traite de Bletaphijslque, chap. i. In the place 

 last quoted, he gives a short but lively and interesting; sketch of the different 

 races of men, and of the distinction between man and animals. 



p2 



