The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-02-21
Agassiz on the Races of Man.


We give the following from the Boston Trav-
cler's report of Agassizs lectures, now in the
course of delivery at Lowell, Mass:
We next come to the geograp phical descrip-
tion of the races of man; and here we must
leave out of consideration all question 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. lie hopes that his
views will be received in the same spirit as lie
rrrrrssnts them, viz: in the effort to arrive at
trath.
We will first study the limits Of the range
| Of each race on the different continents, and
must consequently eliminate from every ele-
ment dependent upon migration, as the pres
ent American races. We arc to consider the
primitive location Of the races that is, the dis
tributon 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-
liar to the Arctic regions, q race different much
from any nhabting the temperate zone, and
still more from those Of the tropics. This race
comprises the Esquimaux of this continent, the
Laplanders of Europe, ard the Samoydes of
Asia. They are all characterised by a broad
face, short in its vertical diameter, Il low fore
head, and great length Of body, when COM
pared with the shortncss of the legs. For
more minnie desert ptions the works of Picker
ing and prichard must be consulted. The dis
trihution of these races correspond 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 Aborigncs in America and it is remarka-
bic also that these races occupy the same ter
ritories as the faunas previously described
In Asia has been described the terrestrial Ja-
panese fauna, the insuar Japanese fauna, the
Chinese fauna, and the fauna of the Caspian
regions, intermediate to that Of Europe and
Asia. Inhabting precisely the same countries
are the Japanese, Chinese, and Turks.
The Indians of North America are dis
tinct race, ION this point Professor Agassiz dis
agrees with DR.. Pickering,) differing from the
races of the Old World, as the inferior animals
of North America have been considered not to
he identical with those of Europe. The Abo-
riginal Indian race is identical, from the Arctic
regions to Terra del Fuego, the only differ
cucc bel ,g ono Of tribes not of races. These
tribes are divided into an Infinite number Of
small :ribes. fact perfectly i'll accordance
with the distribution Of the inferior animals
upon this continent.
Wchavc seen that great mountain chain
extending from the Canadas to Patagonia, con-
meets North and South America, and produces
certain uniformity in their iaunas that their
laniraS are suhdvidcd into those of the Pam
pas, tie Antilles the Andes, the Southern
States, the Middle States, the Canadas, the ia
bic lands west of the States, and those OF Ore
gon and California. In the same manner the
Aborigiucs are subdvidcd into a large num-
ber Of small tribes, which are circumScribed
within narrow limits. They form no great ma
tinns, as do the Chinese, Tartars, and Japanese
of the east.
The Caucasian race is widely distributed
and divided into many nations. Those lnhab-
iting the eastern part of Africa, the northern
part of Arabia, MeSapotamia, Asia Minor, &C.,
all constitute different nations with different
languages. The Tcutonic branch, including
the German, Dutch, English, Danish, &c. e; the
ScIavonian branch including the Russians,
Poles, &C., each have a nationality and Ian
guage peculiar to themsclveS--but they all
have Il feature in common, viz: a noble eX
PRESTON of the face, above all that of other
races, mirror of the inncrmost movements
OF the soul, and it is this branch also which is
capable of the highest moral culture aud the
highest degree of civilization.
Africa has one characteristic racc-thc ne.
gro But the interior of the grrat desert, Nubia
and Abysinia, have races different from the ne
gro. The Hottentot lives at the South, and
1t was possible, even, during his recent visit to
the Southern States, to recognise among the
negroes those belong ING to the several African
tlibcs.
In the East Indies there are three distinct
species: the Malay, Tclngan, and Negrillo,
Gike the negro, only dwartish.) The Austria
liam is Il tribe peculiar to that country. The
features are those of the negro. but the hair is
straight and lowing The inhabitants Of Mad
agascar are u peculiar tribe. But our infor-
nation concerning them is scanty. They are
not negroes, DnC rcSchlDie more lhc i!lnao'
tanrs of the Sandwich Islands.
With these facts before us, we can assert
that there is law of distribution of the hui
man race, us well us of the inferior races, and
these laws are in accordance with each other
In the next lecture the same subject will ID
treated more minutely.
TnE FORCE OF CoMEsIoN.-T'hc force wit
which the particles Of matter cohere, is cntirel
dependent upon heat the existing cohesivi
force decreasing proportinac to the increas
of temperature. The arrangement of the par
ticlcs, likewise, cxcrts its influence over tin
force Of cohesion. Wood is known to be NOR
rl.nrnLln Irnmth, ,visr diam acrnSS lhr lihCrS an