Africans procreate in America, are not so black as their parents After each generation the difference becomes more palpable. It is possible that after a numerous succession of genera tions, the men that come from Africa would not be distinguished from those of the country into which they may have been transplanted. Abbé Raynal, vol. v. p. 193.

Doctor Mitchel affirms that the Spaniards, who have inhabited America under the torrid zone for any time, are become as dark coloured as any of our native Indians in Virginia. Philos. Trans. No. 476, Sect. 4.

Question 2. But in Africa, under the same parallels, the eastern coast has no negroes, but produces white people. Now if the heat of the climate cause the blackness of the skin, why are not all who live in the same latitude of the same colour?

Answer. Heat depends upon a variety of causes. High moun tains in the neighbourhood of a place make it cooler, by chilling the air, that is carried over them. Large spreading succulent plants, if among the productions of the soil, have the same effect: they afford cooling shades, and a moist atmosphere, from their exhalations, by which the ardour of the sun is considerably abated. But if the soil be of a sandy nature, it retains the heat in a considerable degree, and consequently makes the summers considerably hotter than those which are found to exist in the same latitude, where the soil is different.

Therefore when we consider the burning sands, and the sulphurous and metallic particles which are continually exhaling from the bowels of the earth, in some parts of Africa, we cannot wonder that the nations inhabiting these fiery regions, should be blacker than others who live under the same parallel.

It may not be improper to observe, that the country and people of Ethiopia had their name upon this very principle, for A is taken from aow to scorch, and w the aspect, or countenance, so that an Ethiopian is one with a scorched countenance, or one that is burnt black. Hence the spouse in the Canticles saith, "Look not upon me because I am black: because the sun hath looked upon me," Cant. i. 6. It is very probable these words refer to the queen of Sheba, who came to visit Solomon, for there is good reason to believe that she was an Ethiopian, and governed the same country where Candace reigned, who is spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles, chap. viii. Moreover, daily experience teaches us that the Jews are of different colours, according to the countries which they and their ancestors have inhabited for any length of time. Under these circumstances an English Jew is white, a Portuguese swarthy, an Armenian olive, and an Arabian the colour of copper.

Question 3. Do you then conclude that heat is the only cause of that diversity of colour discovered among men?

Answer. No: I conclude that heat is indeed the principal cause of that diversity, but without doubt there are many other causes which operate in producing this effect, some of which are known, but others will perhaps for ever remain a secret to mortals.

A late writer has observed, "There is one circumstance here, relative to the birth of children, that is very remarkable. Though both parties are negroes, yet sometimes it happens that the offspring is very different in colour to that of its parents. These at a distance greatly resemble Europeans: they have grey eyes, and red or yellow hair, but when you are close to them their colour is like the corpse of an European, and their eyes appear as it were fixed in their heads: their sight is very imperfect in the day, but at night they see clearly, especially if it be moonlight.

"It is supposed that the appearance of these is caused partly, at least, by the power of imagination in the woman on seeing white men, in the same manner as history informs us, that a white woman by viewing the picture of a negro brought forth a black child. Children of this nature are called by the natives, dondos, and are always presented to the king a few days after they are born. They are brought up in the court, and always attend his person; they are held in such high esteem by the king, that no person whatever dare offend them, and if they go to the markets they have the liberty of taking such articles as they think proper without controul." Middleton's System of Geogra phy, vol. i. p. 347.

It is very evident then that, if you will divide the whole human race into species by their colour alone, you must conclude that if the negroes form a specific class, because they are black, those of an olive colour would form another class, because they are not white, and you must conclude that the Swedes and the Spaniards are two different species of men. Thus, by accumulating divisions, and by proving too much, you will prove nothing, except the absurdity of your own notions. Seeing then that some, who differ most from each other in point of colour, have descended from the same stock, it is plain that all the diversity of colours found among men, is perfectly consistent with the Scriptures, which declare that all the inhabitants of the earth are the offspring of the same original parents.

Question 4. What you have advanced on the subject sufficiently proves that the scriptural account of man's creation may be true. But can you produce any argument to prove that it is certainly true? Can you demonstrate, upon any natural principle, that all mankind are descended from the same parents? Answer. God has established an universal law, observable VOL. XLII. APRIL, 1819.

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throughout the whole creation, that if two animals of a different species propagate, their offspring is unable to continue its own species. By this admirable law the different species are preserved distinct, every possibility of confusion is prevented, and the world is prohibited from being over-run by a race of monsters. example,―The mule is a monster, produced by parents of different species, but the mule is not capable of procreation. Now upon this principle, whenever any creature is capable of procreation, it is a proof that both its parents were of the same species. But the mulatto, &c. is capable of procreation. Therefore his parents, though of different colours were of the same species. This argument clearly proves the truth of the apostle's words, seeing upon this principle it is certain that God hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell upon the face of the earth.

THE WORKS OF GOD DISPLAYED.

To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine.

Dr. CHALMERS, the eloquent author of the "Discourses on the Christian Revelation," of which you have recently spoken so favourably, has very justly observed, that "It is truly a most Christian exercise to extract a sentiment of piety from the works and appearances in nature." To this I may add,—that the mind, rightly formed for the study of nature, finds pleasure and instruc tion in all her works. If it take the wings of the morning, and reach the starry worlds which are suspended in the azure vault, there will it gain wisdom to regulate its faith in God, and to guide it into the way of peace. If it direct its operation to the bowels of the earth, it will there also, by its researches, increase its knowledge of the infinite mind and power of the Creator. If it make the tour of the world-the situation, the climate, the produce, the customs, the manners, the religion, the laws, the nature of mankind, with a vast variety of other subjects, will present their tribute of instruction. Light also, and air, fire, and water, if investigated, will join to admonish man of his duty. To a mind thus constituted, the subsequent remarks on the elements, from one of the most able and perspicuous advocates of natural and revealed religion-I mean Archdeacon Paley, will be held in great esteem. I have transcribed them from his "Natural Theology," a work which may justly be recommended to all your readers. I am, dear Sir, your's, sincerely,

HENRY BASDEN.

"When we come to the elements, we take leave of our me chanics; because we come to those things of the organization of which, if they be ornanized, we are confessedly ignorant. This ignorance is implied by the name. To say the truth, our inves

tigations are stopped long before we arrive at this point. But then it is for our comfort to find, that a knowledge of the constitution of the elements is not necessary for us. For instance, as Addison has well observed, We know water sufficiently, when we know how to boil, how to freeze, how to evaporate, how to make it fresh, how to make it run or spout out, in what quantity and direction we please, without knowing what water is.' The observation of this excellent writer has more propriety in it now, than it had at the time it was made; for the constitution, and the constituent parts, of water, appear in some measure to have been lately discovered; yet it does not, I think, appear, that we can make any better or greater use of water since the discovery, than we did before it.

"We can never think of the elements without reflecting upon the number of distinct uses which are consolidated in the same substance. The air supplies the lungs, supports fire, conveys sound, reflects light, diffuses smells, gives rain, wafts ships, bears up birds. Water, beside maintaining its own inhabitants, is the universal nourisher of plants, and through them of terrestrial animals; is the basis of their juices and fluids; dilates their food, quenches their thirst, floats their burthens. Fire warms, dissolves, enlightens; is the great promoter of vegetation and life, if not necessary to the support of both.

"We might enlarge to almost any length we pleased, upon each of these uses; but it appears to me almost sufficient to state them. The few remarks, which I judge it necessary to add, are as follow:

"I. AIR is essentially different from earth. There appears to be no necessity for an atmosphere's investing our globe; yet it does invest it; and we see how many, how various, and how important are the purposes which it answers to every order of animated, not to say of organized beings, which are placed upon the terrestrial surface. I think that every one of these uses will be understood upon the first mention of them, except it be that of reflecting light, which may be explained thus:-If I had the power of seeing only by means of rays coming directly from the sun, whenever I turned my back upon the luminary I should find myself in darkness. If I had the power of seeing by reflected light, yet by means only of light reflected from solid masses, these masses would shine indeed, and glisten, but it would be in the dark. The hemisphere, the sky, the world, could only be illuminated, as it is illuminated by the light of the sun being from all sides, and in every direction, reflected to the eye, by particles, as numerous, as thickly scattered, and as widely diffused, as those of the air.

"Another general quality of the atmosphere is, the power of evaporating fluids. The adjustment of this quality to our use is seen in its action upon the sea. In the sea, water and salt are

mixed together most intimately; yet the atmosphere raises the water and leaves the salt. Pure and fresh as drops of rain descend, they are collected from brine. If evaporation be solution, (which seems to be probable,) then the air dissolves the water and not the salt. Upon whatever it be founded, the distinction is critical; so much so, that when we attempt to imitate the process by art, we must regulate our distillation with great care and nicety; or, together with the water, we get the bitterness, or, at least, the distastefulness of the marine substance; and, after all, it is owing to this original elective power in the air, that we can effect the separation which we wish, by any art or means whatever.

"By evaporation water is carried up into the air; by the converse of evaporation it falls down upon the earth. And how does it fall? Not by the clouds being all at once reconverted into water, and descending like a sheet; not in rushing down in columns from a spout; but in moderate drops, as froma cullender. Our watering pots are made to imitate showers of rain, yet, à priori, I should have thought either of the two former methods more likely to have taken place than the last.

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"By respiration, flame, putrefaction, air is rendered unfit for the support of animal life. By the constant operation of these corrupting principles, the whole atmosphere, if there were no restoring causes, would come at length to be deprived of its necessary degree of purity. Some of these causes seem to have been discovered; and their efficacy ascertained by experiment. And so far as the discovery has proceeded, it opens to us a beautiful and a wonderful economy. Vegetation proves to be one of them. A sprig of mint, corked up with a small portion of foul air placed in the light, renders it again capable of supporting life or flame. Here therefore is a constant circulation of benefits maintained between the two great provinces of organized nature. The plant purifies what the animal had poisoned: in return, the contaminated air is more than ordinarily nutritious to the plant. Agitation with water turns out to be another of these restoratives. The foulest air, shaken in a bottle with water for a sufficient length of time, recovers a great degree of its purity. Here then again, allowing for the scale upon which nature works, we see the salutary effects of storms and tempests. The yesty waves, which confound the heaven and the sea, are doing the very thing which was done in the bottle. Nothing can be of greater importance to the living creation, than the salubrity of their atmosphere. It ought to reconcile us therefore to these agitations of the elements, of which we sometimes deplore the consequences, to know, that they tend powerfully to restore to the air that purity, which so many causes are constantly impairing.

(To be concluded in the next.)