well be remarked, that many investigations which at first
had been thought likely to furnish objections' against the
truth and authority of the Sacred Records have- been found
ultimately to confirm and elucidate them. From all these
considerations it appears better to proceed to thd inquiry to
which the following pages are devoted, as if th é -testimony'of
the Sacred Scripture were altogether indifferent as> to; its
decision.
Section YV .—Inadequacy o f historical Sources o f Information.
Nor can any sufficient and conclusive evidence be obtained
in these inquiries from researches merely historical-. M.
Baillie, Sir William, Jones, and-other writers on thee-aneaen-t ■
history of the .East have'displayed a remarkable connexion
between the traditions of the most celebrated .na^i©ps<of antir
quity, whose descent' from a common ancestry they have hence
inferred. Perhaps this conclusion may be allowed to have been J
established with respect to.the Indians, thtr,£reeks,othe> Persians,
and the Teutonic nationsr in all > these dnsi^meps, t in -
deed, affinity of languagesjrenders the kindreâ^forigi-ri of-the. I
respective nations,extremely: probable. On ’historical-,gpouaads
we might add to th é preceding n^^n sd h o se'io f .the Semitic
family, the Hebre#§ Syrians, Arabs,j who,rthough they differ
hi l^ g u a g e from the Indo-eurDpeani^rraoe,i^hh»ve I
preserved similar histories or traditions:. J f w ésÿïnia all t h ^
some African nations, the Egyptians, Abyssiniâns, .‘Berbers, or
Eybians, which is all that the most sanguine, antiquarian^ or
philologist could pretend tpclaim, we still fall short of-any
thing like proof that all mankind derived- their origin from a
single stock. Bow are we to bring within the pale the African
Negroes, with their multitudinous jargons ; the, Hottentots ;.
the Australians ; the Papuas, or woMly-haired tribes who are
scattered through the islands of the great- Southern Ocean;
theEsqnimaux.-and the Pesserais in the opposite extremities
o fih e New World," and in the intermediate space; the anciently
civilized but singular Aztecas-and Incas Mosf-df these
nations are destitute.of any vestiges which point to a common
origin. With respect to those-races of men whose insulated
existence and peculiar aspect and manners are most
calculated to excite our curiosity and doubt, historical investigations
are entirely unavailing.
Section V.—Method to be followed in the Investigation.
It appears to be the general result of all these considerations,
that we cannot obtain satisfactory evidence on the subject
of this'inquiry from historical testimony, or from arguments
founded on general probabilities. It only remains for
n 4 \o seek it through the medium of researches into the natural
history of the organized' world,, and by considering in
détail a\ variety bf| particulars connected with the history of
4ifeing .species^ Iri the way Of investigation thus suggested,
the inquirylre'il'Olyes - itse lf i-ntjb the two following problems.
1. Whether te o u g h th e organised-world in general it has
àjàéen the order, o f Nature to producefWe stock or family in
•'éach particular èpééjéàyotMé'call the same species into existence
by several,, diStincfrortgins, .and to ' diffuse it generally
and~ mdépendênlVy'3f propagation frommny central point ; in
"ptlier Wofd^j !whefher all organize* beingsyof each particular
|^,efciês-oan be yfeferred respectively to, a common parentage ?
iPjk'?1 Whether ■'all the tâcVs o f '^ e n are o f oho species?—
whether, in*ch?héïjrWôrds/sfche-t physical diversities' which’'dis-
'tinguish5 ëëyer-a}! tribeSarersuch as^mayhave arisen from the
variatxon;.of oh<|pr-rmifive typëfhr nms't^jp’Considered as permanent
and thèrenM spécifié characters^®
' I sKalLnow proéiîéd tcfilenter upon the former of these inquiries^