OF THE HUMAN SPECIES 457 



Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, and New Caledonia, 

 Tanna, Mallicollo, New Holland, and Van DIeman's Land. 

 The more recent nation occupies Sumatra and the other 

 islands of the Indian Sea, Otahelte and the Society Islands, 

 the Friendly Islands, Marquesas, Ladrones, Marian and Caro- 

 line Islands, New Zealand, Sandwich snd Easter Islands. 

 The language of all the latter resembles the Malay ; and 

 there can be no doubt that they arise from that race, and 

 have spread by their ships over these distant spots. The black 

 people are every where barbarous ; and, according to Forster, 

 have languages not agreeing with each other. In nei- 

 ther can we perceive any traces of the influence of climate. 

 The latter race, scattered in various parts of the vast island 

 of New Holland, which has such variety of temperature, 

 every where retains its black colour, although the climate at 

 the English settlement is not much unlike that of England : 

 and in Van Dieman's Land, extending to 45° S. lat. (it is 

 well understood that the cold is much more severe in the 

 southern hemisphere, at an equal distance from the equator, 

 than in the northern), they are of a deep black, and have 

 curled hair like the Negroes *." 



Tiie same observations are applicable to the Malay race. 

 The inhabitants of Otaheite are very fair ; yellow hair is 

 not unfrequently seen amongst them : those of New Zea- 

 land, and of Easter Island, twice as distant from the equator 

 are much darker. " The fairness of the Sumatrans," says 

 Mr. Marsden f, " situated as they are under a perpen- 

 dicular sun, where no season of the year affords an alterna- 

 tion of cold, is, I think, an irrefragable proof that the diffe- 

 rence of colour in the different inhabitants of the earth is not 

 the immediate effect of climate. The children of Europeans 

 born in this island are as fair as those born In the country 

 of their parents. I have observed the same of the second 

 generation, when a mixture with the people of the country 

 has been avoided. On the other hand, the offspring and all 

 the descendants of the Guinea and other African slaves, im- 



* Dsp. Inang. de Variet p. 85 — S9. 

 i History of Sumatra ; ed. 3. p. 46. 



