But before many generations have passed away, all becomes full to overflowing; so that men must enlarge their boundaries at the expense of their fellows. The migrations that now take place are secondary. They differ from the primary in many respects. They are slower, because the resistance is that of Humanity to Humanity; and they are violent, because dispossession is the object. They are partial, abortive, followed by the fusion of different populations; or followed by their extermination—as the case may be. All, however, that we have now to say about them is the fact of their difference from the primary one.
Concerning the secondary migrations we have a considerable amount of knowledge. History tells us of some; ethnological induction suggests others. The primary one, however, is a great mystery. Yet it is one which is continually talked about.
I mention it now, (having previously enlarged upon it,) for the sake of suggesting a question of some importance in practical Ethnology. It is the one suggested by the remarks upon the aborigines of Britain. When are we sure that the population of any part of a continent is primary—i.e. descended from, or representative of, the first occupants? Never. There are plenty of cases where, from history, from the phænomena of contrast, and from other ethnological arguments, we are quite satisfied that it is not so; but none where the evidence is conclusive the other way. At the same time, the doctrine de non apparentibus cautions us against assuming displacements unnecessarily.
However, where we have, in addition to the absence of the signs of previous occupancy, an extreme locality, (i.e. a locality at the farthest distance, in a given direction, from the hypothetical centre,) we have primâ facie evidence in favour of the population representing a primary migration. Thus:—
- 1, 2. The Hottentots and Laplanders amongst the families of the Continent are probably primary.
- 3. The Irish Gaels are the same amongst islanders.
- 4, 5. America and the Oceanic area appear to be primary in respect to the populations of the Continent of Asia; though within their own areas the displacements have been considerable.
FOOTNOTES
[11] Pickering, Races of Men, p. 19.
[12] The Araucana of Ercilla.
[13] D’Orbigny, Homme Américain.
[14] Astek means the Mexicans of the valley of Mexico who spoke the Astek language. Mexican, as applied to the kingdom conquered by Cortez, is a political rather than an ethnological term.