CHAPTER I
GENERAL SURVEY OF THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE OF
AMERICA.
. S ec t ion I.— Introductory Remarks.
T hough the aboriginal ^Inhabitants:' of America are not so
different from the nations of Europe and Asia in complexion,
figure* toother physical characters,, ag^are the - Negroes andJ
H^teptots/ yet those writers who. cpntend^for, a pluraJi£§M>f
fim an rra^e^#re not leps^ confident in assigning, to the Ame-J
rican tribes a distinct» origin than thpy are in maintaining the
same position respecting the woolly-haired natives of Africa.
The arguments which they bring forward in support of this
opinion imregard to the American rac^-ar^» summed up under
three heads. Taken all together th ey . have an, imposing
effect! I shall examine ;them separately and endgavopr to
assign to them their, due weight, and, as far. as I may be abbs j
to do it, to deduce from the consideration of the .subject,a
rational and satisfactory conclusion.,
The first argument turns on physical peculiarities. Although
the American nations, are not nearly, so different,
physically, from the European and Asiatic ,,fa^s.: as, the
Africans are, yet the universality or constancy .of the physical
peculiarities which they display h a s t e n thought by
some to make up for the lesser, extent of deviation, and to
prove the Americans to be a distinct species-^ men. A
second argurne^in favour oi^the same? conclusion turg&op
certain psychological differences, asserted to exist between,
the.American and.other human races,^ A third argument js
founded on a consideration of the ancient history of the
American nations, and of facts tvhich have been thought by
VOL. V.