6 DISPLACEMENT AND EXTINCTION OE EACES. 



of geographical distribution. At the same time it is apparent that 

 such assigned differences do not, thus far, affect the question of the 

 unity of the raee. 



To the claim of a common manhood for those strongly marked and 

 greatly diversified sub-divisions of the human family, including it& 

 most immobile and degraded types, Shakespear has furnished no inapt- 

 reply :— 



" Aye, in the catalogue ye go for men ; 



As hounds, and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs, 



Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves, are cleped 



All by the name of dogs : the valued file 



Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle, 



The housekeeper, the hunter, every one 



According to the gift which bounteous Nature 



Hath in him clos'd ; whereby he dotb receive 



Particular addition, from the bill 



That writes them all alike : and so of men."* 



Looking then to the recorded descendants of the Noahic forefathers 

 of the human family, we can, partially at least, trace their primitive 

 subdivisions and occupation of the ancient earth. The sons of 

 Japhet, the final inheritors of preeminence are first recorded as 

 dividing among them "the isles of the Gentiles," a term which, 

 looking to the geographical limits known to the ancient world, 

 may be assumed, with little hesitation, as referring to the islands of 

 the Eastern Mediteranean, and probably the Grecian Archipelago, 

 with the adjacent coast lands of Asia Minor, and of Europe. 



There have been ingenious attempts made to assign to each of the 

 Noahic generations their national descendants : the Cymri from 

 Gomer, the Geta? from Magog, the Medes from Madai, the Ionian 

 Greeks from Javan, &c. ; but the majority of such results commend 

 themselves to our acceptance at best as only clever guesses at truth. 

 A considerable number of the names which occur in the Noahic 

 genealogy undoubtedly remain very partially disguised by subsequent 

 changes, as the appellations of historic or surviving races and king- 

 doms ; of some of them, indeed, it appears from their dual or plural 

 number, or their peculiar Hebrew termination, that they are used in 

 the Mosaic record, not in reference to individuals, but to families or 

 tribes, out of which nations sprung. Some of those have disappeared, 

 or been transformed beyond the possibility of tracing the relations 

 between their ancient and modern names ; but of the most remarkable 

 of the Hamitic descent we can be at no loss as to their geographical 

 areas. The Canaanites occupied the important area of Syria and 



* Macbeth, Act III, Scene i. 



