Memoir of Samuel George Morton. 173 
able seh a objects whether of classification or other philosophical 
deduct 
It tak te said that there is nothing in nature so unchangeable 
as a species, which by a pe philosopher, M. Flourens, 
has been pronounced to n étre collectif, a collective being ; 
Vunité de la nature, inapicieaebls en totalité, the unity of nature, 
imperishable as to its totality; except in those cases where some 
overwhelming cataclysm comes to engulf a whole species and 
overturn the whole immutable order of the universe. —F'lourens, 
Cours sur la générat., Vovologie, et Vembryologie 
I should gladly present to you here the views s of illustrious 
mented i in a very high quitter. That definition of species is in 
these words, 
7 Spociew a primordial organic form.” 
There is contained, among your archives, the letter to him 
from one of the most illustrious of living naturalists, which con- 
ed the beautiful compliment to which I allude. 
orton having made use of the so-called test of hybridity 
for the enlightenment of his own judgment, could not believe it 
applicable to settle the questions arising out of the ethnological 
differences of our race, and he merely announced that result—he 
had a good right to do so, if 8 sins what he believed to be the 
truth upon a question in phys 
I beg you to understand shae 1 am not called upon here to de- 
fend Dr. Morton, in his views of the great question whether the 
diversities, detected and figured by him, of craniological form, 
Capacity, etc. etc., and which he saeites are perennial, sons ng 
down from the dates of the oldest human records and exuvie, 
shortly subsequent to the subsidence of the flood, to the present 
time, be or be not os ne grounds for his opinion. I leave 
these questions to the learn 
But may I not remark that the opposition to him and them 
probably arose more from some vague indeterminate apprel 
‘sion, that they might be used as levers to disturb our faith in the 
acred Writings, than because they conflicted with inferences 
drawn by the highest authority in science, as Buffon, Cuvier, 
Flourens, Prichard and others, w who, regarding species as eae 
able, could not discern in the immense varieties 
race, as to form, intelligence, A even endowment ‘with 
: { trust I may further sa; Macca oo: ancy tis ile 6 dale 
in was frig ti good ees ] 
indeed, that neither his own ca aman, aaron 
