EARLY MIGRATION 



that the Fuegians were there described as being black, like the 

 natives of Van Diemen's Land. This mistake, so extraordinary 

 considering the numerous voyagers who have seen the natives 

 of Tierra del Fuego during the last three hundred years, stimu- 

 lated me to inquire further into the data upon which that divi- 

 sion of the human family into separate ' races was founded. 

 The more I have sought, the more evidence has appeared to 

 demonstrate the erroneous nature of such a view ; and the pro- 

 bability, nay certainty, that all men are of one blood. 



In the course of years spent in various quarters of the world, 

 I have had opportunities of leisurely considering people from 

 all the principal countries. I have read much of what has 

 been written, during late years, on the subject of their resem- 

 blance, or difference ; and the conclusion to which I have been 

 obliged to come is — that there is far less difference between most 

 nations, or tribes (selecting any two for the comparison), than 

 exists between two individuals who might be chosen out of 

 either one of those nations or tribes; colour and hair alone 

 excepted. 



In the city of Lima there are now at least twenty-three dis- 

 tinct varieties of the human race, which are not only recognised 

 and well known in that capital, but have been carefully enu- 

 merated and described by Stevenson, in the following table. 

 All these varieties have arisen from the intermarriages of three, 

 the Spaniard, the aboriginal Peruvian, and the negro : and 

 among their descendants almost any coloured skin, or kind of 

 hair, may be matched. It may be observed that although negro 

 and white produce the zambo, which is a dark copper ; and 

 although it may be inferred from the table that zambo and some 

 lighter variety would produce a lighter shade of copper-colour 

 — there is still the long black hair, and scarcity of beard, 

 observed in most American aborigines, to be accounted for. 

 This peculiarity, however, may be derived from white and 

 negro : and I think it would not be difficult to show that 

 every variety of hair and colour might be produced from these 

 two originals only. 



