204 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



strong in proportion to the abundance and wholesomeness of 

 the food they possess; but in all cases hitherto examined, 

 civilized Europeans surpassed them;* and, it appears, English 

 exceeded French ; or perhaps more correctly, the Teutonic 

 stock surpassed the Celtic, both in strength and weight, 

 although the Irish Celts are said to be taller and heavier than 

 the English Saxons. As yet, no great stress can be laid on 

 results obtained from an imperfect instrument, partial inquiries, 

 and questionable nationalities; still, enough is determined 

 to reject an opinion, often prevalent, that the moderns are 

 degenerate when compared with their ancestors. The conclu- 

 sion is further controverted, by an experiment made at Good- 

 rich Court, where the splendid collection of ancient armor is 

 classified, with rigorous attention, both to date and nation, by 

 Sir Samuel R. Meyrick, the enlightened and munificent pos- 

 sessor. Two gentlemen, one of middle stature, with ample 

 chest and shoulders, and the other somewhat taller, but of 

 more slender structure, endeavored to find armor sufficiently 

 large to fit either one or the other, and failed, in a collection 

 where, we believe, they had a choice of upwards of sixty com- 

 plete suits of plate, all defensive armor, which nevertheless had 

 been worn, in preceding centuries, by chivalry, and persons of 

 distinction, in England, France, Germany, and Italy. Hence 

 King John, Petit Jean de Saintre, the Constable of Bourbon, 

 the Prince of Conde, (" ce petit homme tant joli,") and Nicolo 

 Piccinino, were not the only valiant men of small proportions 

 in the feudal ages. At the present period, the British upper 

 classes are probably of higher stature than the aristocracy of 

 any other civilized people;! but taken nationally, the Prussian 



* The strongest North American Indians are asserted to fail against 

 the ordinary power of wrist of Europeans ; that is, when each side place 

 the right elbow to elbow, and cross the fingers through each other's hand, 

 striving to bend the opposing wrist hack. The fact was established by 

 the 60th Regiment in Canada. 



t Mr. Laurence, in his work on the Natural History of Man, may have 



