WhetherNatureinherinfinitevarietyhaddeniedthegermsoftreestothesefertileplains，orwhethertheyhadoncebeencoveredwithforests，subsequentlydestroyedbythehandofman，isaquestionwhichneithertraditionnorscientificresearchhasbeenabletoresolve。
Theseimmensedesertswerenot，however，devoidofhumaninhabitants。Somewanderingtribeshadbeenforagesscatteredamongtheforestshadesorthegreenpasturesoftheprairie。
FromthemouthoftheSt。LawrencetothedeltaoftheMississippi，andfromtheAtlantictothePacificOcean，thesesavagespossessedcertainpointsofresemblancewhichborewitnessoftheircommonorigin;butatthesametimetheydifferedfromallotherknownracesofmen:*gtheywereneitherwhiteliketheEuropeans，noryellowlikemostoftheAsiatics，norblacklikethenegroes。Theirskinwasreddishbrown，theirhairlongandshining，theirlipsthin，andtheircheekbonesveryprominent。ThelanguagesspokenbytheNorthAmericantribesarevariousasfarasregardedtheirwords，buttheyweresubjecttothesamegrammaticalrules。Theserulesdifferedinseveralpointsfromsuchashadbeenobservedtogoverntheoriginoflanguage。TheidiomoftheAmericansseemedtobetheproductofnewcombinations，andbespokeaneffortoftheunderstandingofwhichtheIndiansofourdayswouldbeincapable。*h[Footnoteg:Withtheprogressofdiscoverysomeresemblancehasbeenfoundtoexistbetweenthephysicalconformation，thelanguage，andthehabitsoftheIndiansofNorthAmerica，andthoseoftheTongous，Mantchous，Mongols，Tartars，andotherwanderingtribesofAsia。ThelandoccupiedbythesetribesisnotverydistantfromBehring’sStrait，whichallowsofthesupposition，thatataremoteperiodtheygaveinhabitantstothedesertcontinentofAmerica。Butthisisapointwhichhasnotyetbeenclearlyelucidatedbyscience。SeeMalteBrun，vol。v。;
theworksofHumboldt;Fischer，\"Conjecturesurl’OriginedesAmericains\";Adair，\"HistoryoftheAmericanIndians。\"]
[Footnoteh:SeeAppendix，C。]