Difference of the Javanese and Madagascar^. 237 
Indies, and the illands of the South Sea, conjeftures may be 
formed with refpect to the peopling thofe countries, which 
cannot eafily be referred to Madagafcar. The inhabitants 
of Java and Madagafcar appear to be a different race ; the 
Javanefe is of an olive complexion, and has long hair; the 
native of Madagafcar is black, and his head is not covered 
with hair, but wool; and yet perhaps this will not conclude 
againft their having common anceftors fo flrongly as at firft ap- 
pears. It does not feem lefs difficult to account for the perfonal 
difference between a native of England and France, as an effedt 
of 'mere local fituation, than for the difference between the 
natives of Java and Madagafcar; yet it has never been fuppofed, 
that England and France were not peopled from common an- 
ceftors. If two natives of England marry in their own country,- 
and afterwards remove to our fettlements in the Weft Indies, 
the children that are conceived and born there will have the 
complexion and caft of countenance that diftinguifh the Creole ; 
if they return, the children conceived and born afterwards, will 
have no ffich characferiftics. If it be faid that the mother’s 
mind being impreffed with different external objsdts, iinpreffes 
correfpending features and complexion upon the child during 
her pregnancy, it will be as difficult to refer the effeft into this 
caufe, upon mere phyfical principles, as into the other; for it 
can no more be Ihewn how a mere idea, conceived in the 
mother’s imagination, can change the corporeal form of her 
infant, than how its form can be changed by mere local fitua- 
tion. We know that people within the fmall circle of Great 
Eritain and Ireland, who are born at the diftance of two or 
three hundred miles from each other, will be diftinguifhed by 
the Scotch face, the Welfh face, and the Irilh face ; may we 
not then reafonably fuppofe, that there are in nature qualities 
which act powerfully as efficient caufes, and yet are not cog- 
nizable by any of the five modes of perception which we call 
fenfes ? A deaf man, who fees the ftringof a harpfichord vibrate, 
when a correfponding tone is produced by blowing into a flute 
at a diftance, will fee an effeft of which he can no more con- 
ceive the caufe to exift in the blowing air into the flute, than 
we can conceive the caufe of the perfonal difference of the various 
inhabitants of the globe to exift in mere local fituation; nor 
can he any more form an idea of the caufe itfelf, in one cafe, 
than we can in the other: what happens to him then, in con- 
fequence of having but four fenfes inftead of five, may, with 
refpeft to many phenomena of nature, happen to us, in con- 
fequence of having but five fenfes inftead of fix, or any greater 
number. 
Poffi 1 ly, however, the learning of ancient .Asgypt might 
run in two courfes, one through Africa, and the other through 
Afia, diffeminating the fame words in each, efpecially terms 
of 
