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578

X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

children will be witty? Some
is have a great deal of wit,
but I don’t know how they come
by it. Do you think, doctor, a3
the counsel on the other side
does, that a pistol is au instra
ment of mueh efficacy in gen
tion? Qn the contrary, sir, &
pistol is generally used to take
away life. There is what is
ealled the cannon de Ia vie. Do
you mean that? Of what eolor
emay that be, doctor? It may be
plaek or white. Which of the
two would be most influential on
the birth of a white child? Most
probably the white, There it is!
will Isy my life that is what
the man had in his hand when
the seuffle began, that 0 atrongly
affected the mother, Did you
ever hear how the mistress of
Pope Nicholas ITI was brought
to hed of a young bear? No, gir;
‘but many women have had bear-
ish children.

‘Mr. Sampson, After that, I
think they may bear anything.
Do you find a great affinity in
what coneerna generation, be-
tween man and beast? Un-
doubtedly. May not the princi-
ple of material affection influ
ence in one as in the other? 1
am of the opinion. So that when
the Dutch farmers on Long
Island plough a black mare with
a bay horse, to have a bay colt,
the idea is not unreasonable?
There is nothing unreasonable
in plonghing @ black mare with
a bay horse, nor in a black mare
having a bay foal, more than a
black hen having a white egg.
Does not Mr, D’Azara lean to
the notion of a primitive eolorf
He gives the philosophers their
choice in supposing our first pa-
rents to have been either of
white or black complexion.

Mr, Sampson. How do you
aecount for the ring-streaking
of Laban’s lambat The fact we
cannot doubt; we have it on sueh
high authority. Does it appear
to you an extraordinary inter-
ference of Providence in favor
of an individual, or ean it be ac-
counted for by the principle of
maternal affection, and by the
ordinary laws of nature? By the
ordinary laws of nature. That
feing the ease, doctor, there re-
maing only to thank you for the
information you have given ws.

Dr. Paseatis. The child in
question appears to be three-
‘ourths white and one-fourth
black. But I pronoance with
diffidence upon such subjects, as
I know how casy it is to err
where there is a want of certain
data, Nature was uniform in
her works and faithful to fixed
roles; and when facts are in
dispute or doubt, there is no wey
of forming an opinion but by re~
curring to those rules which ex-
perience has established. Have
lived long in the West Indies,
and have remarked three prinei-
pal characteristics of the negro
race, and all eomponnded of it.
First, the erispations of the hair.
Becond, the rete mucosum which
gives the black hue to the skin.
Third, the conformation of their
legs and feet. These character-
ising marks are discernible in all
the mixtures between black and
white; but according as the mix-
ture participates more of one
than of the other, so naturally
will the hair, the features, the
complexion and the etractare of
the limbs. Have observed, far-
ther, that in general when there
happened in apy one or more of
these distinguishing indications
a deviation from the general

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