Page:Essays ethnological and linguistic.djvu/138

126 hardly the pronunciation of his own language; his only words at first were Dios, Santa Maria and Sevilla. His color was as dark as that of a native, and he was marked like them. When he came into the presence of Cortes, he like the rest of his companions squatted upon his hams and every one was looking for the Spaniard. At length to the enquiry of Cortes he replied 'here he is' and then coming forward was supplied with proper clothing." Heating's Translation of B. Diaz p. 38. When such cases can be referred to as of frequent occurrence of changes in individuals, what reasonable ground can there be for doubt with regard to the varieties of color in families or tribes subjected to the same influences of climate for unknown generations? And this consideration leads us to another, as to the reasonableness of those theorists, who dwelling only on varieties of tints of color, without any other deviation whatever in form or features, pronounce different colored people to be distinct races, merely on such accidental and evanescent qualities, as if they were of an innate and permanent character. In opposition to such theories it appears to me unphilosophical and unsound in Ethnology to use even the common phrase of 'Varieties of Mankind' founded on such differences, as erroneous in itself and leading to greater errors. Such views lead us into multiplied confusions, whereas sounder judgement would rather wish to simplify science and show how different people approximate, rather than exaggerate their divergencies. Of all attempts at Ethnology, those are the idlest which encumber the science with long lists of names without meaning and without any pretension to discriminate between different tribes, whether of the same family or not. This error has been carried to the greatest extent with regard to the inhabitants of America, and suppositions have been entertained of endless subdivisions and languages among them, which later investigations have shown to be very mistaken. These investigations show that numberless tribes spread over immense areas belong in fact to a few families, the origin of each of which again becomes an interesting and proper subject for Ethnological enquiries. Those writers who venture on such enquiries unprepared with properly extended views, involve themselves in difficulties consequent on too narrow a conception of their subject, from which they would have easily escaped by taking more enlarged grounds of discrimination. The greatest of our authorities on Ethnology, our late eminent President Dr. Prichard, seems not to have been clearly decided on this point, for at the close of his great work on the Physical History of Man he says, "With