THE HUMAN SPECIES. 165 



they were found to be Miao-tze ; that is, a people of 

 Caucasian or Caucaso- Malay origin. 



Elasticity of frame, is, however, a quality very 

 distinct from weight and strength. The Caucasian of 

 Europe is trained to harder manual work than other 

 races ; but it may be doubted whether he could ride 

 continuously, like Turkish Tahtar messengers, or Per- 

 sian Chuppers ; or, whether he could sustain the fatigue 

 of such unceasing marches as the aboriginal American 

 warriors perform; or run on foot with the speed of 

 Bechuana Hottentots ; or even compete with New Hol- 

 landers, the most slender limbed race on earth. When, 

 therefore, comparative trials of strength are made with 

 other nations, the selection of the modes should not be 

 more than one half in favour of those which Europeans 

 are most inured to. Captain Cook found his seamen 

 unequal to a boxing contest with Hapaceans; there 

 have been Negroes able to dispute the sparring cham- 

 pionship of the English fancy ring; and beside the 

 porters of Constantinople and Smyrna, celebrated for 

 prodigious strength of loins, there are Pehlwans, pro- 

 fessed wrestlers, in middle Asia, whose physical powers 

 are certainly equal to any Europe can produce. It 

 is not by comparing French or British seamen, as 

 Peron did, with natives of Van Dieman's Land, New 

 Hollanders, or Timorians of torrid regions, all noto- 

 riously of small bone and light weight, that a true 

 estimate can be obtained of the relative strength of 

 savages. The experiment should be tried likewise 

 with Caffres, Patagonians, Araucanos, and Osages, 



