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pasture and palm groves, kept fresh, and green by solitary springs 

 and called oases, are too far apart, too distant from permanently 

 peopled regions, to admit of comfortable settlement." It certainly 

 is not the inherent character of the people themselves : for where 

 they have migrated to more favoured districts, e.g., North Africa, or 

 the seashores of Arabia, they have become a totally different people, 

 " model husbandmen," and builders of cities. That branch which 

 passed across into Spain to assist in revenging the insults of 

 Eoderick the last of the Goths, settled there and made the Plain of 

 Andalusia one of the paradises of the earth, smiling with produce, 

 picturesque with its Moorish towns, palaces, and temples. For 

 years they took the lead in Europe in literature and science. It 

 was only at the beginnmg of the 8th century that they crossed the 

 strait, yet at the time our Alfred was mindmg cakes in the marshes 

 of the Somersetfe, there were in Cordova alone 80 free schools and 

 900 public baths. Contrast the effect of Spain upon these Moors 

 with the state of their brethren of the wilderness and desert, whose 

 wanderings were, and are, a very necessity to them, and among 

 whom as a consequence, no high culture can possibly arise. 



Contrast also with these wandering Arabs the Chinese and 

 their past history — a Jfixed nation, steadly refusing to mix with 

 others, bent on keeping to themselves what civilisation they had 

 achieved, and declining to share that of the " barbarian " world 

 outside. How was this ? Look at the geology and geography of 

 China. Separated on the land side from other nations by massive 

 up-thrown highlands, almost impossible of passage for themselves, 

 and forming at the same time a bulwark against invasion ; living 

 in a land which literally produced everything they required either 

 for food or for clothing, there was no necessity, and no inducement 

 for maritime commerce ; they lived for ages in contiguity with the 

 civilisation of India without sharing in it, probably without know- 

 ledge of it, and remained more than contented with their lot, 

 " dwelling" like the Shunamite " in their own country." 



To return to India again. Contrast its climate and physical 

 aspects with those of the plateau beyond the huge barrier to the 

 north. One country warm, pleasant, luxuriant in its vegetation, 

 the soil yielding with comparatively little trouble everything man 

 could desire ; the result, enervated energies and love of ease. The 

 cold, bracing highland of the north rearing a warlike race, who 

 now and then looked with envious longing eyes on this rich garden 

 to the south of them, and now and again swept round through the 

 mountain passes and took possession of all that the feeble folk could 

 not defend. After a time these conquerors in their turn gave way 

 to seductive nature, and were overwhelmed by a fresh wave from 

 the north. Hence the complexity of races which we find in India, 

 now all brought under the dominion of a people who have triumphed 



