1845 ‘VESTIGES OF CREATION’ 251 
296), you overlook the fact that the highest of all 
the Quadrumana, the chimpanzee, is exclusively a 
native of Africa. The coincidence will doubtless 
be highly agreeable to one inclined to base his 
views on such insecure grounds that the highest 
Qtt-adrumana in the continental metropolis of the 
Ethiopian race should be black, whilst the orang, 
in the centre of the Malayan variety of man, 
should approximate so nearly to the characteristic 
tint of that variety. These considerations, to- 
gether with the resemblance of the chimpanzees 
skull in its prominent superorbital arch and some 
other characters to the Melanian form of cranium, 
interested me so much whilst investigating the 
physiological possibility of the development of 
the Hottentot from the chimpanzee, without, I 
believe, the slightest prejudice against such a 
relationship ; but many particulars in the ana- 
tomy of both black and red orangs are decisive 
Against such a hypothesis in the present state of 
physiological knowledge. There are a few mistakes 
where you treat of my own department of science, 
easily rectified in your second edition. Thus, 
On page 333 : “ The ray belongs to the highest 
And best framed order of fishes. The myxine is 
the lowest, and nearest the Invertebrata but 
Opon the whole the zoology and anatomy of the 
Work is correct, and near upon the present level. 
I take the liberty, in reference to the idea and 
diagram given in page 212, to request your at- 
