2 20 VESTIGES OF THE 



one most likely to have had an independent origin, seeing 

 that it is a type so peculiar in an inveterate black colour, 

 and so mean in development. But it is not necessary to 

 presume such an origin for it, as much good argument 

 might be employed to show that it is only a deteriorated 

 offshoot of the general stock. Our view of the pi'obable 

 original seat of man ao-rees with the ancient traditions of 

 the race. There is one among the Hindoos which places 

 the cradle of the human family in Thibet; another 

 makes Ceylon the residence of the first man. Our view 

 is also in harmony with the hypothesis detailed in the 

 chapter before the last. According to that theory, we 

 should expect man to have originated where the high- 

 est species of the quadrumana are to be found. Now 

 these are unquestionably found in the Indian Arclii- 

 i pelago. 



After all, it may be regarded as still an open question, 

 whether mankind is of one or many origins. The first 

 human generation may have consisted of many pairs, 

 though situated at one place, and these may have been 

 considerably different from each other in external cha- 

 racters. And we are equally bound to admit, though 

 this does not as yet seem to have occurred to any other 

 speculator, that there may have been different lines and 

 sources of origination, geographically apart, but which all 

 resulted uniformly in the production of a being, one in 

 species, although variously marked. 



It has of late years been a favourite notion with several 

 writers, that the human race w^as at first in a highly civi- 

 lised state, and that barbarism was a second condition. 

 The principal argument for it is, that we see many 

 examples of nations falling away from civilisation into 

 barbarism, while, in some regions of the earth, the 

 history of which we do not clearly know, thei-e are 



