. The history of mankind . ook, so far as ourpresent knowledge al-lows, only to Papuasand Malays. It is afact that Malays live,temporarily or perman-ently, among North Australian tribes, and exercise no small influence uponthem ; while on the other hand there can be no doubt as to the temporaryintercourse of the Torres Islanders with both Papuas and Australians. Onthe north-west coasts of Australia we can prove Malayan influence morecertainly than any other. The extension of the bamboo in Arnhemland,the existence of small-pox before the arrival of Europeans, the objection toeat pig-meat, testi
. The history of mankind . ook, so far as ourpresent knowledge al-lows, only to Papuasand Malays. It is afact that Malays live,temporarily or perman-ently, among North Australian tribes, and exercise no small influence uponthem ; while on the other hand there can be no doubt as to the temporaryintercourse of the Torres Islanders with both Papuas and Australians. Onthe north-west coasts of Australia we can prove Malayan influence morecertainly than any other. The extension of the bamboo in Arnhemland,the existence of small-pox before the arrival of Europeans, the objection toeat pig-meat, testify to this. Perhaps also we may trace to the same causethe absence of the boomerang in North Australia. Without doubt these racesmust have begun to permeate long before the historical period. The Malayfisheries on the North Australian coast are, says Campbell, a settled insti-tution, pointing to a long duration. The evidence of Tasmania would leadus to assume a crisp-haired race as originally inhabiting Australia ; for the. Jade battle-axes and jade hatchet, insignia of chiefs, from New Caledonia.(Christy Collection.) THE POLYXESIANS AND MICRONESIANS iS = Tasmanian hair was decidedly more woolly than the Australian. The apparentlyuniform conditions of Australia arc complicated by what Bastian calls theshadow which the great continent of Asia casts over these oceanic groups ofislands. We cannot disprove that Malayo-Polynesian elements may have reachedAustralia from the eastward also, just as easily as they got to New Guinea ; butno evidence for it is forthcoming. Norfolk Island was uninhabited when dis-covered by Europeans. Nor is the connection with New Guinea in any wayintimate. Whether remains of the dingo are really found in the AustralianPost-pliocene or not, probability is strongly in favour of his having been introducedby human immigrants ; and the New Guinea dog is different. Ethnographicalobjects, too, are not alike on the two sides of Torres Straits. § 3. PHYSICAL QUA
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectethnology, bookyear18
