EE VIEWS. 
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proceed to do. After some general observations he proceeds to deal with 
the wild tribes, as follows : First, the Hyperboreans, then the Columbians, 
Californians, New Mexicans, wild tribes of Mexico, and lastly the wild 
tribes of Central America. Under each of these heads, besides treating of 
the several groups of Indians — as the Aleuts, Nootkas, Chinooks, Salish, 
Sahaptins, Modocs, Eurocs, Hoopahs, Sonomas, Shoshones, Apache, Pueblos, 
descendants of the Aztecs, Hueztecs, Tzotziles, Chochones, Mosquitos, 
Caimanes, Viscitas, and nearly a hundred other tribes — he deals with their 
respective climates, country, dress, dwellings, food, weapons, boats, govern- 
ment, domestic affairs, amusements, diseases, burial, laws, and medicine. 
And under these several heads we can promise those who are in the slightest 
degree interested a mass of facts stated on good authority, and relating 
some of the most peculiar customs we have yet had an opportunity of learn- 
ing. The laws especially relating to marriage and to the perpetration of 
certain crimes connected with sex are most astonishing, the more so as they 
display a tendency toward the offences of a luxurious civilisation. Indeed, 
the reader of Sir J. Lubbock’s last book on Man will find in this, the first 
volume, a vast deal to interest him. 
In the second volume Mr. Bancroft deals with the civilised nations of the 
same district of America. And in this we find much to interest us as to 
the civilisation of the Aztecs, Nahua, and Mayas nations, more especially in 
regard to the palaces, zoological gardens, wardrobes, harems, priesthood, 
slaves, public festivals, dress, and commerce of those singularly interesting 
groups. We think that there can be little doubt that the author’s view 
regarding the people at the time they were conquered by Spain, is in the 
main perfectly correct. He holds that they possessed a degree cff civilisa- 
tion infinitely superior to that of their Spanish conquerors, and he thinks 
that their extermination is due entirely to the abominable cruelties prac- 
tised on them by those who overran the country. There are few faults to 
be found in these volumes. And it is possible that one of our objections 
may be met by the author’s love of accuracy. We refer to the constant 
display of notes from Spanish writers given in their own language. The 
number of readers in this country who are versed in the language of Spain 
is exceedingly few, and therefore we fear many interesting passages will be 
more obscure to them than if they were actually in the Hebrew tongue. 
The author too is rather in error in stating Mr. Darwin’s theory. Evidently 
Mr. Bancroft is no naturalist, or he would not have imagined that the 
development of worms [insect-larvae] in meat could be looked on as a 
proof of the doctrine of evolution. But this is a matter of little moment. 
In reading his book we have been extremely interested, and we can 
fully appreciate the labour its preparation must have cost him ; and we look 
with curiosity to the publication of his further researches on this absorbing- 
subject. 
