BIMANA, OR MAN. 51 



traverse the great desert. Tlirice did tlieir ancestors, under Attila, Genghis, and Tamerlane, spread 

 far the terror of tlieir nanu'. The Chinese are the most anciently civihzed branch, not only of tlii> 

 race, hut of all known uatiuns. A third In'aneh, the Mantchures, have recently conquered and still 

 govern China. The Japanese, Coreans, and nearly all the hordes wliich extend to the north-east ol 

 Siberia, subject to Russia, aie also to be considered, in a great measure, as originating from this race ; 

 and such also is deemed to b,' the fact with regard to the origmal inhabitants of varions islands bordering 

 on that archijielago. With the exception of some Chinese bterati, the nations of the MongoUau race 

 pertain generally to dirterciit sects of Buddisni, or the religion of Fo. 



The origin of this great race aiipears to have been in the Altai mountains, as that of ours in the 

 Caucasus ; but it is impossible to trace with the same certainty the fibation of its different branches. 

 The history of these wandering nations is as fugitive as their establishments ; and that of the Chim'se, 

 confined exclusively to their own empire, furnishes bttle that is satisfactory with respect to their 

 neighbours. The affinities of their languages are also too little known to direct us in this labyrinth. 



The languages of the north of the peninsula beyond the Ganges, as well as that of Thibet, bear some 

 relation to the Chinese, at least in their monosyllabic structure ; and the people who speak them are 

 not without resendjlauee to the other Mongoles : but the south of this penins\da is inhabited by 

 ]\lala;'s, whose forms approach them much nearer to the Indians, and whose race and language are 

 distributed over tlie coasts of all the islands of the Indian archipelago. Tlie innuincrable small islands 

 of the southern ocean are also peopled by a handsome race, who appear to hold a near relation to the 

 Indians, and whose language has much affinity with the Malay: but in the interior of the larger islands, 

 partieidarly in the milder portions of them, there exists am:)tlier race of men \\ith black complexions, 

 and negro faces, all extremely barbarous, which are named Alfourous ; and on the coasts of New 

 Guinea and the neighbom-ing islands, are other Negroes nearly similar to those of the eastern coa.st of 

 Airica, which are termed Papous ; to the latter are generally referred the natives of Van iJiemen's 

 Land [now rapidly approacliing to extermination], and those of New Holland to the Alfourous. '*' 



Neither the Malays nor the Papous are easily referable to either of the three great races ; hut 

 can the former be clearly distinguished from their neighbours oir both sides, the Caucasian Indians and 

 the Mongolian Cliinese .' We avow that we cannot discern in them sufficient traits for that purpose. 

 Are the Papons Negroes, which may formerly have strayed into the Indian Ocean .' We possess neither 

 hgiircs nor descri}itious precise enough to enable us to reply to this question. 



The inhabitants of the nortli of both continents, the Samoyedes, the Laplanders, and the Esquimaux, 

 arc derived, according to some, from the Mongolian race : but others regard them as mere degenerate 

 oft'sets from the Scythian and Tartar Ijranches of the Caucasian race. 



The Americans have not yet been referred clearly to either of the races of the eastern continent ; 

 nevertheless, they have no precise or constant character, which can entitle them to be considered as 

 a particular oue. Their copper-coloured complexion is not sufficient : tlieir general black hair and 

 scanty beard would induce us to approximate them to the Mongoles, if their defined features, their nose 

 as projecting as ours, their large and open eyes, did not oppose such a theory, and correspond with 

 the features of the European. Their languages are as numberless as their tribes, and no demonstrative 

 analogies have as yet been obtained, either with each other, or with those of the ancient world.f 



[With all deference, I would suggest that naturalists are nmch too prone to confound resemblance 

 with identity ; as if any reason existed of necessity, for analogous races to chffer in the least 

 degree. How many geograidiieal mutual representatives are there, which tlie analogy of allied 

 races forcibly indicates to be distinct, though uudistiiiguisbable on minute comparisoii ! How nearly 

 also do many acknowledged species resemble ! IJeariug these facts in mind, does it not appear that 

 the Americans liave as good a claim to be regarded as a primary race, as the Mongohans have to be 

 seiiarated as such from the Caucasians? The arrangement of Blunienhaeb, who adds the Malayan 

 and American races to the three admitted by Cuvier, has been more generally adopted : but there 

 wouhl seem to be quite as good reason for admitting others. Fischer, in his Si/nopsis Mammalium, 

 indicates what he conceives to be seven species of llumo (reducing the number that had previously 



• lUfCT, f.irll].j cliirLTCiil rates wliielipcoplf the isl.i. ids of llie Indian t .See, on llic .suUjeii yf the .Vmcritaiis the travds nf 11, delluni- 



and Paeilie Oeeaiis, to tliu dissertation of iMiM. Lesson and iTariiOt, In ' holdt, sr. rlei, It, inii,ortant iiilor. nation, and the dissertaiioUs of Vater 

 the Zo(,l;^'-'e du ['uy^ige <!r la Cw/idlt,-, p. 1—113. For the lani^ua^res of ' and of Mitchen. 

 llie Asiatie nations, and tlieir attinitieSj consult the Asia Pult/stotla of 

 M Klaproth. ^ 



