A history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans : with an ...

PET.IMINART DISSEHTATTOW. XXI
Until a recent period, the Sclavini, or western branch, were the
most renowned. After the Goths and other Teutomc tribes migrated
to the southward, their territories were invaded by the Sclavini from the
eas.tern countries, who took possession of all the north-east of Germany.
On the fall of the Thuringian power in the sixth century, they gained
all the east of Germany to the Saale, and all the northern parts from
the Vistula to Holstein. The descendants of the Sclavini are, 1. The
Poles ; 2. The Tschechi or Bohemians, including the Moravians and
other neighbouring tribes ;
3. The Serbes, formerly a numerous people
between the Saale and the Oder, of which the Lusatians are the re-
mains, still speaking a Slavonian dialect ; 4. The Northern Wends,
who formerly inhabited all the northern parts of Germany between
Holstein and Kassubon, and were divided into two chief nations, the
Obotrites and the Wiltzes. The VVendish language is now retained by
only a few scattered tribes of the last mentioned nations. The Cossacks
are also of Slavonian origin, it being well known that the Russian Cos-
sacks are the descendants of emigrants from Russia. Of these the Cossacks
of Little Russia, who are descendants of emigrants from Red
Russia, driven out by the Poles, are generally understood to be the
most ancient.*
It thus appears that the European races, in the earliest periods ol
which we have any information respecting them, occupied nearly the
same relative situation as the tribes chiefly descended from them still
continue to possess. The few scattered facts or intimations which his-
tory furnishes, therefore, afford no evidence against the hypotliesis that
different parts of the world were originally filled with autochthones or
indigenous inhabitants, nor indeed against any other hypothesis or
theory whatsoever. Great reliance has been placed by many upon
traits of resemblance in customs and superstitions ; and from the coinci-
dences of the doctrines of Druidisni and the mythology of the Sagas,
gome have ascribed a common origin to the nations of Europe and those
of the East. But opposed as we are upon the authoiity of sacred his-
tory to the opposite theory, we must, nevertheless, observe, that this prin-
ciple is exceedingly unsafe ; for by a similar mode of reasoning we might
conclude that the Turks and Tartars came from Arabia, and derive the
Buddhists of Northern Asia from India, or perhaps from Ceylon. Nor
can historical traditions, however plausible and striking they may, iu some
instances, appear, fill up the void; because, besides involving every element
of error, such traditions are found, when examined and compared, to lead
lo contradictory and incompatible results. It is, therefore, only by an
analysis of languages, which, after all, are in reality the most durable ol
human monuments, and by detecting in their composition common
elements and forms of speech, that we can ever hope to obtain .satisfac-
tory evidence of the identity or connexion in point of origin of those
• rrirh;iril, v.il. ii. p. 197. el seq.