THE ETHNOLOOT OF SOUTH EASTERN ASIA. 



27 



The more primordial relations of these tribes to each other 

 and to the other races of mankind are indicated by their languages* 

 Seizing on the broader features we observe that the Chinese, A nam 

 and Lau languages form an eastern linguistics roup. The Bur- 

 mese and the adjacent languages akin to it have many *of the 

 characteristics of this group, but by strongly marked traits they 

 pass decided fy into the postpositional class of languages, which 

 retains ir slightly tonic and highly monosyllabic character 

 in the basin of the I raw ad i, throws off the tones without becoming 

 accentual or harmonic in the Tibetan, is developed in its full 

 harmony and dissyllabic tendency in most of the old Indian, 

 old N, Europec*, Middle Asian and Aino-Japanesian members, 

 assumes a more complex phonetic character tending to flexions in 

 the American, the N.E. and some of the N, and W. Asian, ancient 

 European, and, still further developed by tribes of a higher abstract 

 power, obtains the flextonal and intellectual organism which 

 language presents amongst the Iranian tribes which preserve post- 

 flexion. 



The later archaic and historical relations cannot be adverted to 

 here without anticipating numerous details which will find their 

 proper place in the ethnography of each divinion and district. 

 We shall therefore postpone this until our concluding review, and 

 at" present merely offer a few general remarks on the distribution 

 of the existing races, 



The influence of the region in producing physiological and mental 

 varieties is a subject demanding much deeper enquiry than I have 

 been able to jrive to it. There seems obviously however to be a 

 difference in this respct between the inner plateaus and the oceanic 

 di vision. The harslier Turanian organism of the former is accom- 

 panied by a greater intellectual dullness. The southern and 

 eastern basins display a considerable variety in mental culture and 

 character as well as physiognomy. I am not prepared to say 

 that this is so striking as to sanction the adoption of the strong 

 opinions respecting the comparatively great influence of location, and 

 the small ethnic effect of intermixture of blood, which although not 

 decidedly maintained in the introductory portions of Br Prichard's 

 works, pervade every volume of his able and learned Researches 

 and colour his vie ws of the ethnology of most regions in the world. 

 It rather appears that the influence of a region depends greatlv 

 on the state of development which a tribe lias attained when it 

 enters it A tribe that leads the life of animals, wandering about 

 naked and houseless, and subsisting chiefly on raw food, must 

 be much affected by external agencies. It is easy to conceive 

 that such a tribe passing from a temporate region into a hot and 

 humid valley in the lower districts of Africa, might undergo far 

 greater changes than a civilised Arab or European would. It 

 is easy to conceive that such a tribe possessed of a Turanian 

 physiognomy might be preserved unchanged for thousands of 



