Page:Essays ethnological and linguistic.djvu/97

Rh such as for head, brain, hand, finger, elbow, hair, feather, child, sea, moon, rain, and verbs such as to speak, to die, to give, to love, and others, p. 5. Speaking of some pronouns he says, "my notion is these pronouns have been borrowed by the Malays and Javanese from the languages of the Philippines and added to their own long lists of pronouns of the first and second persons," p. 113, see also p. 127. De Mas states unhesitatingly that they all speak the same language, the black and brown tribes, and the acknowledged Malays, conquered nations even do not always readily or immediately adopt the languages of their conquerors, but these black tribes never were conquered, never even were tributary or under the dictation of the Malays, while the latter in all their characteristics exhibit only those of a mixed race and an intrusive people. Dr. Hodgkin in his first very able address to this Society mentioned "a striking example under his own observation furnished by a mixed race resulting from the alliance of the woolly headed African Negro with the stiff and straight haired Indians of Southern America, which he said presented a remarkable resemblance to some of the Australian natives." Journal Vol. I. p. 144, and then pointed out those indications that certain combinations of which the elements are known produced physical characters resembling those of groups of which the origin is obscure." Such are the indications also of the Malay race, and judging of the subject only as I find it dealt with by those who from personal knowledge of the countries are best competent to form a correct judgement respecting it, the conclusions of Señor De Mas appear to me well founded. I confess my predilections go strongly with this theory. Not only do I venture to think it a service to Ethnology to strike out of our nomenclature the divisions and subdivisions that encumber it, and so to simplify its character, but also to solve another problem which the opponents of the Unity of the Human Species have strenuously put forward as a fact in support of their views. If the Malays are a mixed race, they are also a widely spread race, there are no indications of infecundity in their history and their progenitors therefore were not of such different natures as to render propagation a physical impossibility among their progeny. This seems as extreme a case as can be pointed out, but the advocates of this doctrine not contented with confirming it to extremes, have extended it even to nations of nearer colored complexion and physical characteristics. They represent all the contentions of the world as contentions of races which never amalgamate. But if any one thing in