Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1843-11-11
Dr. LaAes's EEscty Of the Earth

pr. Lakey, Of Cincinnati, has Fashioned the
Org of the earth, which he has sustained very
ably by facts drawn from the inexhaustible treas
s sg ss sss k Ind HSs s ssyue
reading has ingeniocs dissertation on the causes
OF the laierionty of the men ofthe Southera hem
ispherc. His Dissertation was appendedto Dali
aield's Antiquities of Americs, work Of high
repataticn, which was Published in Cincinnati,
in $780,. In recent Cincinnati Chronicle, we
find the following interesting statement of SC me
OF the facts which DR.. Lakey bripgs TO the sup
port OF his opinion.-Lea. Jour.
"Dr. lakey iaaintaiss that the nortlletn HEN,
isphere is better adapted than the southern to
.sye.ops the physical powers and functions oil
la, ANIMALS III general, a.d 20 awaken and fos-
ter .c Intellectual faculties of man in particular
THIS, &c continues, IS strongly indicated BY a
view Of t!>e same attitudes in the two heinis-
phercs. Whenever similar land animals can be
found ilourisl ing in corresponding ATTITUDES OF
both hcm;spheres. the northern animal has inva-
r.ab!y advantages ever the southern. The lion
OF North Af.iIa. con. @ged with the lion of the
CAPE, is enc OF tie ms. = examples that may be
gisea. The races OF man; d'genous to the nor
tncrn, compared with those o. 'ae southern hem
ispherc, offer striking examples ~ thus law oil
nature. Compare the Caucasus RICE at Europe
and Africa, and even the red man OF North a.
merica, with the feeble savages Of Cap. horn,
the Ho,tentot, and tae New iiollac,ler, AMI. the
correctness of the principle will be striking y
manifest.
But the most ingenious part Of the argument OF
DIR I.akcy consists in establishing the fact that
the Earopean race do invariably degeEe rate.
when they coonze the Aastral temperate zone,
and DO not degenerate when they coloniac any
i;art Of tie northern temperate zone. He APP
peafs to the actual condition of the eolonists of
nucnos Ayres, of South Africa. of New Holland,
and Van Dienlan's Land, in proof Of this posi-
ton. II appears, then, that the southern zone
is no, only incapable as yet Of producing the
higher race OF men ami land animals, but that
even when they emiglate there it i incapable Of
supporting them without deterioration. The
Dutch and French have degene rated at the Cape
Of Good Hope, and the Spaniards have fallen in
to the ratio Of Buenos AyIes; but he does not as
sert the degeneracy Of the Anglo Australian or
the glo-African, and agrees that not sufficient
time has ELAPSED since the English settled any
part Of the southern hemisphere.
s'rhe author of the theory does not consider
the degeneracy ofthe people ofthe southern zone
hopeless. 1t is, however, not for want OF suii;-
Client tracts Of land, nor of sufficient fertility.
The continent Of Australia exceeds in magnitude
that of Europe: Late geographers gIye New
Holland an area Of 4oO, 900 square niles. Its cli-
mate is good and its soil fertile, but d., Iakey
contends that, Notwithstanding this fertility il
does not produce in any abundance the food Of
man. 1t has neither variety norquantity ofgcod
animal food, and, although trees and certain 9TH
er vegetables hixursie few Of tlis species neces-
sary for man or land animals arc found. Having
BY series ofluminods Arguments and instances
established, the general fact that the soutiiern
zone does not OF fannot sustain land animals in
the proper and natural yigor Of the north; having
in the language of Bacon, collected his iastaaces,
he Doctor proceeds to assign possible or proba.
bic causes for ~ . bssessIiaa ssaw 4slaSi
\ ssl~s1Ae yslipGcall fpsm of stlk eArtA's orbit;
Causing the eaFth,to ke farther frpH: Ahesnp when
sss ,,sI aRri 3 q sAs saaafs Apn xhse j
era qT6r ssnseqseat ssseaea 9enkth 81 stas
which ths epsaelsen asportkismltl1m sSsrths
southern r. Afplaphege1o ysI,ssDg = es.s, q
90. The immense Nopoytion Of water to lcni:
lr the southern hemis here; also, the SUMS prox-
Unity from DeeehbeF to June, he being three
millions Of ml4s ncare9 the esrth ID the softh-
esn summer than in the n0rtherE: !. The rroxim,
ity Of the sun. scorches and psrches instead Of
feftilizing certain parts of the southern zone.
Dr. Lakey mentions the heats ofSonth Austria
liza, the barren KAroo plains ofSoath Africa. and
the naked and treeless pampas Of La Plata to sus-
tain this assertion. .
.To which. may possibly be added the greater
magnetic intensity Of the northern hemisphere. y