Review of Agassiz. 313 



Prof. Agassiz, on the Natural Provinces.* As every 

 thing that has emanated from the mind of a natu- 

 ralist so eminent as Agassiz is admitted to be, his 

 views must always merit a respectful consideration, 

 by all who are investigating the truths of nature. 

 Our purpose in the present article is to subject this 

 "Sketch of the Natural Provinces," with the " Tab- 

 leau annexed," to a close and impartial investigation. 

 His object, as he informs us, was " to call the atten- 

 tion of naturalists to the close connection there is between 

 the geographical distribution of animals and the natural 

 boundaries of the different races of man " 



Prof. Agassiz admits, " that notwithstanding the 

 diversity of his races, man constitutes one only, and 

 the same species over all the globe." He, however, 

 supposes that this same species of man was created 

 " broadcast " in groups all over the world. This 

 would, we conceive, be requiring unnecessary mir- 

 acles from the Creator. 



He divides the world into eight natural realms or 

 provinces. To each zoological realm he has given 

 figures of the head and skull, of the variety of man 

 as existing in that province, together with seven or 

 eight animals found in the same province. This is 

 intended "to show that the boundaries, within which 

 the different natural combination of animals are 

 known to be circumscribed upon the surface of our 

 earth, coincide with the natural range of distinct 

 types of men." 



The great difficulty in the above theory seems to 

 be 



1st. The impossibility of deciding on what are 

 " the natural provinces of the animal world." 



2d. Whether the boundaries in the animal world 

 are the same as those he has assigned to his types of 



men existing in those boundaries. 



*Nott & Gliddon's Types; p. 23-31. 



