26 
possessed of a strong tendency to develop certain peculiarities 
in the bony structure of his body. In supposing the uprising 
of some such sudden congenital variety as this, there is really 
nothing more abnormal or surprising than that which has 
already been proved to have occurred in the case of the hairy 
and porcupine families ; perhaps scarcely so much so. As- 
suming, then, that such a fact did happen at some very early 
period of the world's history after the dispersion from Babel, 
let us now apply to it the well-established principle of trans- 
mission by family inheritance. In perfect consistence with 
each of the three previously adduced cases of congenital 
variety, we shall assume that at least certain individual mem- 
bers of this strange family inherited the same peculiarities. 
The question is, how can we account for any special separation 
of those particular individuals, by means of which they became 
involuntarily paired off among themselves, and so perpetuated 
this new variety ? What natural causes are capable of being 
regarded as sufficiently powerful and inevitable to have forced 
on this issue, and then brought about the establishment of a 
Negro race ? 
49. (I.) I think it perfectly possible for this result to have 
arisen by Accident. 
How far many of those lines of march which marked the 
primary distribution of our race may have resulted from 
accidental rather than purposed separations, must remain a 
secret, I suppose, for ever. That such contingencies, how- 
ever, arising out of the venturesome habits of some exploring 
parties, were possible, seems very obvious ; moreover, that in 
lands abounding with thick jungle and forests, these accidental 
separations were not only possible but probable, appears equally 
obvious. Providing merely that any such isolated individuals 
possessed the art of kindling hre, and the use of bows and 
arrows or other offensive weapons, no valid reason can be 
given why they should have found the least difficulty either in 
procuring subsistence or in defending themselves from wild 
beasts. With the land open before them, and their pathway 
entirely free from all hostile tribes, the spirit of self-preserva- 
tion and adventure would have thus been amply sufficient to 
lead them on toward a settlement in some new and more 
distant home; from which home, as from a centre, they would 
naturally disperse in unfettered freedom, according to the 
geography of the country. 
50. These observations apply to all cases. Supposing, how- 
ever, that the parties, thus early cut off from intercommunica- 
tion with the rest of their race, had been this very group of 
persons congenitally born black and woolly-haired. A circum- 
