40 



THR KTITNfOLOQY OF SOUTH F.ASTKRN ASIA. 



Japan, Tonkin, Siam and, it is said, Borneo and Java. 



It does not appear that the Tibetan race became formidable until* 

 after the Turks were broken and driven westward, which confirms 

 the evidence afforded by geographical names and by prevalent 

 Mid-As^n customs, that Tibet, or the greater portion of it, was 

 within the circle of Turkish supremacy. The Tibetan nomades, 

 forming part of the Turkish armies* which invaded China, would 

 not be distinguished by the Chinese. After the Turks moved 

 westward the Tibetans came into notice, carried on successiull wars 

 with China, and often penetrated far into the empire. In the 7th 

 century their dominion reached from the Yalong to Cashmir. They 

 were not finally broken until they were conquered ^\ ChmgiB*khan. 



Chinese archaic history must be that of the gradual extension of 

 the civilisation, dominion and language of the great northern race 

 to the eastward and southward. As this race spread into the 

 northern and middle districts, their preponderance in numbers and 

 power appears to have caused an entire amalgamation of the local 

 tribes with them, and the total disappearance of the native lan- 

 guages and manners even in the mountainous parts. The best 

 evidence of the comparative influence exerted by races is the exfml 

 to which they have displaced local languages. There must be 

 great superiority in character, religion, culture or numbers on the 

 part of foreigners to induce or force a people to adopt their lan- 

 guages. It is interesting therefore to observe that the assimilation 

 of all the tribes of the basin of the Hoang-ho has been much more 

 complete than that of the Gangetic tribes by the Aryan race, for 

 although the population of the valley of the Ganges and the 

 western portion of the Himalaya has now an entirely Aryan cha- 

 racter, there are numerous local tribes and languages on all the 

 other mountainous sides of the valley. To the south of the valley 

 of die Yang-tse-kiang, or in the ancient kingdom of Mangli, the 

 northern civilisation pervades all the more open districts, but the 

 native languages still keep their ground even there, and in the 

 Nang-lin mountains the local race is peserved in its purity and 

 independence. In the west the assimilation is even less advanced, 

 the northern civilisation is found in the towns only, many districts 

 are noted for the rudeness of their manners, and the local languages 

 of the Tibetan, Mongol, aboriginal Chinese, and Lau tribes have 

 not been displaced. But the Chinese ethnic limit is gradually 

 enlarging in this direction, and if its progress is not counteracted, 

 it must eventual] v absorb the native population of the inner basins of 

 the Menam, Mekong and Irawadi, and advance down these basins. 

 YuTi-nan was formerly a Lau kingdom, and the Lolos were on In- 

 effectually reduced two centuries ago. It now contains a large 

 Chinese population and many considerable towns.* 



• The Chinese emigration to the valliea of Yun nan is said to have commenced 

 during the great Han dynasty. 



IP 



