The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-23
The Aboriginal Races.

Sun Of yesterddy
The Aboriginal Races.
"a pure American Indian is always a sub
ject OF interest-destined as he seems to be
to disappear from the earth, in order to make
room for the negro, Aryan, and Mongol, the
only three races who at present show no sign
Of decadence. But races have their youth
and old age as well as species and individuals;
and nature, l suppose has not been less gene
rous to the American Indian than to the rest
of mankind. My belief is that he had his
fair innings. In the southern parts of North
America, where his disappearance is close at
hand, we find him associated with Flora
which, during the Molasse or Miocene period
of our globe, extended across the Atlantic to
Europe, and-according to my theory, too
long to develop here-it is not improbable
that he occupied Europe ages before the Aryan
race left its Asiatic home. When the Flora
of the Miocene period was swept away in Eu-
rope, and the island of Atlantis sank below
the level of the ocean, the American Indian
disappeared with them in those parts, though
he survives to this day in the southern parts
of the North American continent He repre-
sents, if my onjectures be right, race much
older than the races that have supplanted him.
A similar change, slow it is true but none the
less certain, is now going on in the southern
hemisphere, where a still older Flora, which
also at one time extended to Europe and a
still older human race are disappearing AS
soon as New Holland shall have been broken
up into islands, as Unger predicts it will be,
we may expect its vegetation to assume the
same aspect as that now presented by the
POlynesian islands. The bulk of the plants
adapted as they are to the peculiar dry
climate of the eXtra-tropical parts, would
perish as soon the climate became in
sular, and the Asiatic Flora, which even
now presses hard upon the northern part Of
New Holland, would get the upper hand, as
has been the case in the Pacific after the dis
solution of its continent into those innume-
rable islands now called Polynesian. Plants
with dry leathery leaves would be superseded
by those having q more luxuriant but weedy
look for that / take to be the principal
physiognomic difference between the Floras
of extratropical Australia and tropical Asia.
1t must be evident that the inquiry Unger has
set on foot about the former continental con-
| necton of Europe and Australia as proved by
fossils, cannot stop here. The abundance of
the most typical forms of Australian man.
mals-the marsupials (opossum and kangaroo
| in tertiary European deposits, will doubt
| less tempt some comprehensive mind to treat
the subject from a geological point of
| view. 1t is most important to ascertain
whether the present Fauna of Aus
| tralia was always associated with the
present Flora do not know of any reason
| why it should not; but closer examination
of all the facts may possibly point to a differ
ent conclusion. 1t will probably turn out
| that in the Australian native population we
! behold the oldest as we'll as the lowest race of
men-a race in many instances without any
religion whatever, and incapable of mastering
any religious teachlng-a race untitled for
civilization, and so near the brute crea-
ton that it might be appropriately classed
with it, if it were not for its power of Ian
guage and the only ingenious thing in its
possession-the boomerang. The reasons
why New Holland could not make any great
strides in civilization, conceding even that
the natives as a race were capable of it, are
easily found in the nature of the county. 1t
wants moisture and nutritious plants for man
and beast. Extensive tracts of land are re.
quired to feed even a flock of sheep; wild
animals are scarce and whilst every Other
part of the globe has added edible plants tc
our table, we have not received single addi
ton from New Holland; indeed, Europeans
who should have to rely for their food upor
what Australian vegetotion can supply would
share the melancholy fate of Burke and Wills
when they tried to exc out their existence by
eatingthe wretched nardoo-fruits of Australian
swamps. There could be no focking together
of men as long as these conditions were no
remedied, no permanent interest II
property, and no improvement. All was hope
less stagnation. But if, under these unfavor
able conditions, man has existed in Australia
at least as far as we historically know, fo
several centuries, we may conclude that h
could exist in Europe even during the Eocen
period, when the same or closely simlla
climate, vegetation, and perhaps Fauna, pre-
vailed there. We may also be sure that, wit
such surroundings, whatever his race ma
have been, he could not have arrived at
much higher degree of civilization than tn
miserable aborigines who are now disappear
ing in Australia"