The Weekly register. (Ponola [sic] Panola, Miss.) 1843-1844, 1843-09-23
MISCELLANEOUS,
Or. Lakey's Theory of the Earth.

/
atre adiscourso on DR.. Lakey's Theory
of the Earth. The Appendix to Della
fields Antiquities, has, for the first
time come under DIR. Lardner's notice
since his arrival in this city, and he was
forcibly struck with The singular exam
pie II offered CT the true application OF
the true inductive philosophy, after the
celebrated train which led to the disco
very Of the atmospheric pressures, and
one or two cases in the history Of sci
ence, among which may be mentioned
DR.. Wells analysis ofDew.
The learned lecturer declared that he
considered DR.. Lakey's theory tho most
conspicuous specimen Of the rigid appli-
cation cf Bacon'S method and rules
which have ever been seen.
X
DR.. Lakey maintains that the north.
ern hemisphere is better adapted than
the southern, to dcvclope the physical
powers and functions Of land animals in
general, and TO awaken and foster the
intellectual faculties of men in partlcu-
lar. This, he continues, is strongly in
dictated by view. Of the same ATTITUDES
IN The two hemisphsres. Whenever
similar land animals can be found, -four
ish!ng IN corresponding ATTITUDES of both
hcmisphero5, the northern animal has
invariably advantages over the south
ern. The Lion Of North Africa, COM
pared with that Of the Cape is one Of the
many examples that may be given.
4 = The races Of man in
digenous 10 the northern, compared with
those Of the southern hemisphere, offer
Striking examples Of this law Of nature.
Compare the Caucasian race Of Europe
and Africa, and even the red man of
North America, with the Eecble savages
of Cape Horn, the Hottentot and the
New HolInnder-- and the rarrerinesey Of
the principle will be strIkingly mani
fest.
But the most ingenious part Of the ar
gumcut Of DR.. Lakoy, consists in estab-
fishing the fact.that the European race
do invariably degenerate, when they
the Austrial temperate Zone,
and do not degenerate when they colon
izc any part Of the northern temperate
Zone. lie appeals to the actual condl-
ton of the colonsis Of Buenos Ayres, Of
South Africa, Of New Holland and Van
Dieman's Land, in proof Of this position.
1t appears, then, that the southern Zone
is not only inca pable, as yet of producing
the higher race Of man and Land animals,
but that even when they migrate there,
it is incapable orsupporting them with
cut deterioration. Drs. Lardner and
Lakey agree that the Dutch and French
have degenerated at the Cape of Good
Hope, and that the Spaniards have fall
EN- into the ratio in Buenos Ayres-- but
neither Of them assert the degeneracy
of the Anglo-AustraIian or the Anglo
African,-and the former agrees with
the latter, that not sufficient time has G.
Iapsed since the English settled any
part of the southern hemisphere.
Neither the learned
lecturer, nor the author ofthe theory, #
we understand them, consider the dege-
neracy Of the people of the southern
Zone hopeless, they are too close OBJ
servers not to know, and will not deny
that civilization is in its infancy, even
in the northern Zone-the favored hem
ispbere, 4 1t is how
ever not for want Of sufficient tracts of
land, nor Of sufficient fertility. The
continent of Australia exceeds in mag
nitude that Of Europe. Late Geograph-
ers give New Holland an area of 4O0,-
900 of square miles. Its climate is
good, and its soil fertile; but DIR. Lakey
contends, and DR.. Lardner admits, that
notwithstanding this fertility. it does not
produce in any abundance the food of
man. 1t has neither variety. nor guam
tity of good animal food, and although
trees and certain other vegetables lux
uriate, few of the species necessary Tor
man or land animals are found. :
IIaaing by series of luminous argu-