THE HUMAN SPECIES. 173 



lotus, celebrated in Egypt, was derived from some part 

 of India. 



It would be vain to look for so many primitive 

 elements of human subsistence, in a social state, in any 

 other portion of the globe. Nearly all of them were 

 originally wanting in the western Caucasus ; and the 

 civilized development of Egypt could not have occur- 

 red without the possession of wheat, barley, flax, the 

 leek, garlic, onion, and many other objects, all foreign 

 to Africa.* These can have been brought westward 

 only by colonies practically acquainted with their value. 

 In the devious course of the nations moving westward, 

 the mulberry, apricot, and the date palm, may have 

 proved an early resource to the traveller ; and further 

 on, the olive, fig tree, and plum, were no doubt luxuries ; 

 but the sorbus, and more certainly the citron, were a 

 later importation from beyond the Indus, as well as 

 the orange, which came from China last of all. Rice 

 was most probably a substitute for corn, first perhaps 

 cultivated in China, or Indo-China, where the requisite 

 heat and watery soil naturally present themselves, f 



On the west side of Thibet is the huge table land of 



* Triticum sativum; Triticum spelta, still wild near 

 Ramadan ; Hordeum vulgare, in Northern India and Tah- 

 tary ; Allium csepa, &c., wild in various places. 



t In Egyptian representations of tribute, brought by 

 subjugated nations from " far countries," it is pleasant to 

 remark, among many objects, living plants and shrubs, care- 

 fully transported for replanting, and, by those accompany- 

 ing them, are evidently from an eastern region. These 

 figures likewise bear the Swasteca, or a similar cross, indi- 

 cative of a symbolical creed. 



