28 



THE ETHNOLOGY OF THE INDIAN ARCntPf-LAOO. 



it with Africa, Arnbm, Persia, hrfk and Burmah. On the other it 

 advances as a {Treat insular l>unil fur into the Pacih>, merging in 

 the remote and wide Polynesian region and fronting the whole 

 eastern coast of Asia, with which its connection is agisted by the 

 numerous islands of Micronesia stretching up 10 the Japanese Ar- 

 diipi !.«'.:•'. n !;::. - he Forrnosa-Philipinc chain it unites with the 

 coast of the Cbinfise empire in forming the western boundary of 

 the North Pud Ik-, Although we are far from thinking that ihe 

 filmic relation of Polynesia to America w of the nature maintained 

 by Borne authors, we must not overlook the tact that the western 

 coast of America is connected by the Pacific basin with all its 

 other bounding lands, and that, as in other grca I ethnic regions, 

 tile whole in united by alliances, direct and indirect, some proving 

 communications before the historical period between particular 

 districts now apparently isolated from each other, and others 

 indicating inuuiul actions still moru rtnnole, and having a far widir 

 operation, ethnically if not geographically. The region embraced 

 by this class of alliances, uniting the oceans on each side of the 

 I in K>- Polynesian islands, may be termed the Great Oceanic region. 

 The continents of the Old and New Worlds surround it on all 

 sides save the south, and it includes directly the countries lying on 

 itu borders and indirectly all those that are ethnically connected 

 with them. Ah ethnology advances it will probably be found that 

 this region will enlarge, till its Influence reaches the ancient 

 northern tribes of the Euro-Asiatic comment through the highway 

 of Mid-Asia, and thus becomes coincident with the ludritahlr port 

 of the globe. Kesearches into the Finnish and earliest Mediterra- 

 nean languages already point to this result. 



These great bating* have several subordinate ethnic regions to 

 which it w necessary to advert if wu desire to trace to their 

 sources the successive foreign elements that have been introduce*! 

 into the Archipelago. The principal one in the North Pacific is 

 that which is surrounded by the Japanese, Luehuan, Meiakoflhitna, 

 Formosa, Philipine, Palos, Oltfthy, Marianne, and Boom 

 groups. On the S, K. it merges in the Micro-Polynesian band ; 

 on the 8. W. it constitutes a portion of the Indian Archipelago ; 

 on the N. W. it forms the outer boundary of the Chiua-Corean 

 basin j on the N. it connects itself with the basins of the Japanese 

 and Okhotsk seas, and is thus brought into direct ethnic union or 

 close connection with the E. districts of M. and N. Asia- The China 

 Sea unites the Indian Anhipelago primitively with the great ethnic 

 region of 8. E. Asia by the districts of the lioiig-Kiang, Tongkin, 

 Mekong and Menam basins, and ihe marginal Chinese and Anam 

 districts, — the Mulay Peninsula, which forms the western Doandlatf 

 district, being ethnically a common portion of the archipelago and 

 the continent. This Peninsular district again enters on the west into 

 the twin basins of thcSalwinandlruwadi, which are themselves closely 

 connected more inland with all the previous basins, as well as with 



