3. The same complexion is found over immense tracts of country, comprehending all possible varieties of cli mate. The most striking and decisive instance of this, is on the continent of America ; all the inhabitants of which, with the exception of the Esquimaux, exhibit the copper-coloured skin, and the long and strait black hair. " Over a million and a half of square leagues," (observes Humboldt,) " from the Terra del Fuego Islands to the river St Lawrence and Becring's Straits, we are struck at the first glance with the general resem blance in the featuies of the inhabitants." (Humboldt, i. 144.) The same remark is made by Forster, who ac companied Captain Cook in one of his voyages round the world. (Gottingen Magazin, 1783, p. 929.) There arc, no doubt, shades of difference in the complexions, and even some exceptions to the general remark, of a more decisive character : but these exceptions rather make against, than in favour of the opinion, that the colour of the Americans is the effect of climate. Several of them have been already noticed. But the grand fact is sufficiently conclusive, that under all the diversity of climates which the continent of America contains, there is either no radical difference of complexion, or that difference is the reverse of what climate ought to pro duce.
New Holland and New Zealand are instances of a similar nature, though on a less extensive scale, over the whole of the former island ; even in the very cold cli mate of the southern parts, the complexion of its inha bitants is of a deep black, and their hair is curled like that of negroes. New Zealand stretches from 34° to 47° south latitude, but its inhabitants do not vary in their colour ; they are equally tawny under the extreme cold of 47° south, as under the milder climate of the northern parts of the island. The complexion of the inhabitants of the southern division of these islands, and also of those of Van Diemen's Island, which lies in south, is another striking proof, that a dark hue does not depend on the heat of the climate.
4. Different complexions are found under the same physical latitude, and among the same people. Illus trations and proofs of this have already been given. The physical latitude in which the Norwegians, the Icelanders, the Fins, and the Laplanders live, scarcely differs, and yet their complexions, and the colour of their eyes and hair, are widely different. There is a great itiversity of colour and features among the 1\Iorla chi, W110 inhabit Dalmatia. The inhabitants of Kotar, and of tie plains of S,:igu, and Knin, have fair blue eyes, broad face, and flat nose. Those of Duarc and Vcrgoraz, on the contrary, have dark coloured hair, their face is tong, their complexion tawny, and their stature tall. (Fortis' Travels in Dalmatia, p. 51.) Al. Sauchez,
who travelled among the Tartars in the southern pro vinces of Russia, describes a nation called the Kaben dedski, as having countenances as white and fresh as any in Europe, with large black eyes. (Smellie's Philos of Nut. Hist. ii. p. 167.) The inhabitants in the neigh bourhood of the Cape of Good Hope differ in their com plexions much more than in the nature of the climate un der which they respectively live. The Caffres are black ; the Booshuanas of a bronze colour ; and the Hottentots, a light brown, or brownish yellow. In the island of Madagascar, there are three races, distinctly marked. The first are black, with frizzled hair, supposed to be the original inhabitants of the island. The second race inhabit the interior provinces ; they are tawny, and have long hair like the Malays. The third race reside near Fort Daupliris, and on the west coast ; they are supposed to be descended from some shipwrecked Arabs, and retain a resemblance to that nation. (Son nerat's Voyages to the East Indies and China, translated from the French, iii. p. 30.) People with the Negro complexion and features, are also found in the interior of the Philippine islands ; and in Java, the Hindoo and Malay character may be clearly traced in the complex ion and features of the two classes of inhabitants which are found in that island. In several of the Moluccas, is a race of men who arc blacker than the rest, with woolly hair, inhabiting the interior hilly parts of the country. The shores of these islands are peopled by another na tion, whose individuals are swarthy, with curled long hair. In the interior hilly parts of Formosa, the inhabi tants are brown, frizzle haired, and broad faced, while the Chinese occupy the shores. Forster observes, that there are two great varieties of people in the South Seas ; the one more fair, the other blacker, with their hair just be ginning to be woolly and crisp. The first race inhabits Otahcite, and the Society Isles, the Marquesas, the Friendly Isles, Easter Island, and New Zealand ; the second race peoples New Caledonia, Tanna, and the New Hebrides, especially Mallicollo. If we examine the relative situation and latitudes of these islands on a map, we shall be convinced, not only that darker complexion ed people arc found where the climate is comparatively colder, but that the same complexion is found under very different latitudes.
As, in several instances which have been given, es pecially under the last head, the difference of complex ion may be supposed to have arisen from difference of race, and therefore by no means to prove the point at issue, we shall now proceed to consider the effects which have been produced by change of climate, where the complexion has been exposed to the operation of this cause for several generations.