Washington sentinel., 1854-03-26
Agassiz on the Races Of Man.

/ AgaS6lZ Oh the Races OI Mdus
We give the following from the Boston Trac.
elle,'s report of Agassizs lectures, delivered al
Lowell, Massachusetts:
| We next come to the geographical distribu-
| tion of the races of man; and here we must
| leave out of the consideration all questions as
to the unity of the races. Professor Agassiz
is conscious that his views on some points are
not generally received, and he fully respects
the motives which make the views of others
almost sacred to them. He hopes that his views
will be received IN the same spirit as he repre-
sents them-viz., in the effort to arrive at
truth.
We wilrfrst study the limits of the range of
each race on the different continents, and must
consequently eliminate every element depend
ing upon migration, as the present American
races. We are to consider the primitive loca-
ton of the races-that is, the distribution OF
man as recognised by the earliest traditions.
The question is where the races were originally
placed, rather than what are the modern changes
in their distribution.
The first race to be considered is one pecu-
liarto the Arctic regions--a race differing much
from any inhabiting the temperate zone, and
still more from those Of the tropics. This race
comprises the Esquimaux ofthis continent, the
Laplanders OF Europe, and the Samoydes of
Asia. They are all characterized by a broad
face, short in its vertical diameter, low fore
head, and great length of body, when compared
with the shortness of the legs. For more mi
mute descriptions, the works Of Pickering and
Pritchard must be consulted. The distribution
of these races corresponds very nearly to the
geological regions of the north.
The races of temperate zones are three. The
Mongolians in Asia, the whites in Europe, and
the aborigines in America; and it is remarka-
bic, also, that these races occupy the same ter
ritories as the faunas. In Asia has been de-
scribed the terrestrial Japanese fauna, the in
sular japanese fauna, the Chinese fauna, and
the fauna OF the Caspian regions, intermediate
to that of Europe and Asia. Inhabiting pre-
cisely the same countries are the Japanese,
Chinese, and Turks.
The Indians Of North America are distinct
race, Ton this point Professor Agassiz disa-
grees with Dr. Pickering,) differing from the
races of the Old World, as the inferior animals
OF North America differ in species from those
of the Old World. 1t is only within few years
that the animals Of North America have been
considered not to be indentical with those of
Europe. The aboriginal Indian race is identi,
cal, from the Arctcregions to Terra del Fuego-
the only difference being one of tribes, not of
races. These tribes are divided into an Infinite
number of small tribes-a fact perfectly in &C.
cordance with the distribution of the inferior
animals upon this continent.
We have seen that great mountain chains
extending from the Cahadas to Patagonia, con.
meets North and South America, and produce,
a certain uniformity in their faunas; that their
faunas are subdi,ided into those Of the Pam
pas, the Antilles, tho Andes, the southern
States, the middle States, the Canadas, the table
lands west of the States, and those of Oregon
and California. In the same manner the abo-
rigines are subdiviled into large number Of
small tribes, which are circumscribed within
narrow Limits. They form no great nations,
as do the Chinese, Tartars, and Japanese OF
the east.
The Caucasian race is widely distributed,
and divided into many nations. Those inhabit
ing the eastern part of Africa, the northern
part of Arabia, Messopotamia, Asia Minor, &c.,
all constitute different nations, with different
languages. The Teutonic branch, including
the German, Dutch, English, Danish, &C., and
the Sclavonian branch, including the Russians,
Poles, &C., each have nationality and Ian.
guage peculiar to themselves. But they all
have feature in common, VIZ, noble express
sion Of the face, above that OF all other races,
mirror Of soul; and it is this branch, also,
Wnlcn Is capaple oI tHe nlSneSI MoIai SuituLS,
and the highest degree Of civilization.
Africa has one characteristic race, the ne
gro. But the interior of the Great Desert
Nubia, and Abyssinia, have races different from
the negro. The Hottentot lives at the south,
and the western shores have their peculiar
tribes. 1t was possible, even during his recent
visit to the southern States, to recognise among
the negroes those belonging to these several
African tribes.
In the East Indies are three distinct species,
the Malay, Telingan, and Negrillo, like the
negro only dwarfsh.) The Australian is
tribe peculiar to that country. The features
are those of the negro, but the hair is straight
and flowing. The inhabitants of Madagascar
are a peculiar tribe, but our information con-
cerning them is scanty. They are not negroes,
but resemble more the inhabitants of the Sand.
wich Islands.
With these facts before us, we can assert,
that there is law of distribution of the human
race as well as of the inferior races, and that
these laws are in accordance with each other.
FLoop IN THE Lower OHIo.-On the lower
| Ohio the food Was, Mt last accounts, almost as