The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-09-18
,sa The Origin of Mankind.

Mr. Darwin's theory of the gradual deyel-
opment of the human race from inferior ami
mails, in opposition to the Mosaic account of
the creation, has caused much discussion among
philosophers, for and against, one side being
Jealous supporters, and the other different OPP
ponents of these views, which have been made
public within a few years. There ismnch that
is plausible in Mr.. Darwin's views. During
some desultory reading the writer came across
some assertions which goTto prove the theory,
which may interest the public. 1t is quite
likely that if the subject was more closely in
vestigated, other asserted facts Of the same
character, in other parts Of the globe, might be
found. 81 distinctly remember having seen
something of the sort in the letters of mis-
sionaries, but can not now remember where
sufficiently to refer TO them.
The Jurua river is one of the tributaries to
the river Amazon, in South America NJ, Cas-
telnan, Portuguese traveller there, wrote a
book about twenty years ago, in which he made
some very strange assertions about the tribes of
savages who live op the banks of this river,
giving some Catholic priest as;his authority
He quotes Father Noronha as saying that the
savage tribes, C0uqmas, d,ad saUgipas,a who live
near the source of this river, are Of very short
stature, scarcely exceeding five palms, (about
three and half teet,) the last of whom (ot
this there is no doubt have tails, and are
produced by a mixture of Indians and Coata
monkeys. The believing traveller says he
knows no reason why men should not have
tails, and that the savages he has travelled
among confirmed this statement. He also
gives, verbatim, the affidavit of ezra Jose de
Sta. Therese Ribeiro," to the effect that one
Manuel da Silva brought some savages from
this river, who were provided with this appsn-
dage. When he doubted the assertion of Silva
to this effect, the latter ordered the Indian to
strip off his clothes, that he might be assured
of the truth. "There saw, without the pos
sibility of error, that the manlhad tail, of the
thickness of finger. and half pang long,
covered with smooth and naked skin" The
said Silva declared that this Indian cut his
tail off every month, as he did not like to have
it too long, and it grew very fast.
M Baena, in his geography of Para, one OF
the Brazilian provinces Of the Amazon, re-
peats these strange assertions He describes
both the above tribes, and asserts the last
named have tails of three or four palms (about
a yard) long, according to the report of many
persons" N. Castelnan adds, that while de-
scending the Amazon, near Fonteba, he saw
black Coataepe, of enormous dimensions. "He
belonged to an Indian woman, to whom offer
ed large price, for the curious beast, but she
refused me with burst of laughter" "Your
efforts are useless" said an Indian standing by,
"that is her husband"
Lieutenant Herndoil, of the United States
Navy, who explored the Amazon in 1851, says
In his report, that he saw many of this tribe OF
monkeys They average about two and hall
feet high, have few thin hairs on the top OF
the head, and look like very old negro.
Are these things so? If so, may they not
be proved beyond 4 doubt? If so proven, will
they not 60 far to confirm the truth of Mr.
Darwins vory strange and somewhat humilia-
ting ideas as to the origin of man ?-Amer:caa
Artisan. = = 81 - ~