NATURAL HISTORY OF 



that a succession of invasions followed upon each < 

 from the north, and formed variously amalgamated 

 nations, still marked by strong distinctions in Indo- 

 China, Australasia, and the South Sea islands.* 



The facts here stated, when accepted to the extent 

 they of necessity imply, establish, that the Mongolian 

 type was not primaevally predominant in Thibet, and 

 at most hung only on the north-eastern flanks of the 

 plateau of Tahtary, in the same manner as the woolly 

 haired appears to have done on the southern. Yet 

 there was assuredly a huge development of this stock 

 at the most early human period, which, as ik could not 

 be concentrated immediately on the high land, was 

 clearly produced in the north-east, most probably from 

 the basin of the upper Lena to the sea of Okotsk, and 

 bounded on the south by the mountains of the Jablonoi 

 and Tugurek chains, that is, between 55 and 65 de- 

 grees of north latitude ; for it was through the passes, 

 at the head waters of the river Vitim, that it appears 

 the Mongols first pushed their conquests forward 

 among the Yuchi, then in possession of the southern 

 borders of Lake Baikal, and the Mandshures subju- 

 gated the Shagallian territory, washed by the great 

 Shika or river Amour, where the ruins of most an- 



* In proof of the departure of the Mongolia nations from 

 the high north, may be shown, that they always look to 

 the south as the object of desire, naming the west by the 

 same denomination as the right hand, and the east as the 

 left, therefore totally distinct from Caucasians, who uni- 

 versally, from a religious motive, look to the east, and call 

 the west the back. 



