GEOGRAPHICAL SURROUNDINGS.
Of far more obvious influence on the growth of civilization, especially in its infancy, are the soil, the climate, and the other physico-geographical surroundings of a nation. These are most promising when they offer conditions favorable to agriculture in a well-watered and fertile plain pro tected from the incursions of foes by mountain-ranges or deserts. Where localities of this description have been discovered by man, he has generally started on his career of progress without reference to the race to which lie belonged. Thus, in China we find that the three great and fertile valleys of the Hoang-Ho, the Vang-tse-Kiang, and the Tschu-Kiang were peopled by the Mongolian race at a period extremely remote, who there developed a ripe culture entirely independent of any to the west, with its own forms and producing its own religion and philosophy, in theory, at least, still unsurpassed by any elsewhere.
South of the almost impassable chain of the Himalayas were several fertile and well-protected vales in Upper India. They also were the scenes of an independent culture, which, beginning in distant ages, spread itself southwardly over the peninsula and far into the island world to the east and south-east. The broad and rich Mesopotamian plain, watered by the majestic Tigris and Euphrates, presented a favorable spot for the growth of the higher life, which was eagerly carried out by the Accads, a nation of unknown affinities, possibly Ural-Altaic or Turanian, and later by Aryan and Semitic tribes. Prom this centre the knowledge
of arts and laws extended west tO the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and along its northern and southern coasts, in time quite to the Pillars of Hercules. Of equal age and independent in origin was the venerable culture of the inhabitants of the Nile Valley, a brown people, but believed to be an ancient offshoot of the white race.
In America the elevated tropical valley of Mexico, the fertile and isolated peninsula of Yucatan, and the lofty plains and productive valleys of Peru and Cundinamarca provided the requisite soil and security for centres of civilization, and were utilized by nations of the red race wholly asunder in language and affinities. The bottom-lands of the Mississippi and its tributaries offered ample soil of the richest character, but the needed security was lacking, and the promising beginnings of culture there established by the Mound-builders were extinguished by the incur sions of savage enemies from the north.