SECT. I.] HEREDITARY TRANSMISSION. 89 



than among others, just as we find differences in this respect 

 among individuals of the same tribe. Thus the missionaries in 

 Hindostan found that the children of the Brahmins possessed 

 greater capacities, and were generally more gifted, than those 

 of the lower castes. The history of artists, scholars, and of 

 reigning houses shows that great mental power, energy, and a 

 capacity for mental development continues in the same family 

 sometimes for several generations, whilst others exhibit just the 

 contrary, which is proved by the histories of families in com- 

 mon life. In such cases we must be careful not to ascribe to 

 natural disposition what may perhaps be the consequence of 

 imitation and education. Admitting all this, we still find such 

 a similar development of mind and character as cannot be 

 explained otherwise than by hereditary transmission. 



However little we may be inclined to assume an hereditary 

 aristocracy of the mind, and though we admit that if it existed 

 it would not be permanent, the fact still remains that there are, 

 not only with regard to mental capacity, men of coarser or 

 more refined organization, but families, castes and tribes who 

 are preferentially distinguished by such peculiarities, and in 

 whom they are for a long time transmitted. 



The gist of all these facts lies in this, that under favourable 

 circumstances there is regular transmission of original and 

 merely individual peculiarities, and that this transmission may 

 also occur as regards not merely innate, but also acquired, 

 characters. Even where community of descent is unquestion- 

 able among a people which we have no reason to suppose of 

 mixed origin, and among families, we observe individuals of 

 different physical and mental capacities transmit their special 

 qualities to succeeding generations, among whom they become 

 more or less permanent. If we take into consideration the 

 great variety of characters which families and classes of every 

 population present, we recognize in this difference of indi- 

 viduals upon which the formation of races is founded, an 

 important law of nature, apparently destined to be a counter- 

 poise to the law of permanence of species, and the constancy 

 of the transmission of its characters. 



In concluding our observations on the causes upon which, by 

 their combined action, the changes in the physical organization 



