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B AS I C TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
To the Instructor xx
To the Student xxviii
vii
viii
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T
S
ix
PART I THE PRESENT: FOUNDATION
FOR THE PAST 19
CHAPTER 2 EVOLUTION: CONSTRUCTING A
FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC THEORY 20
Big Questions 21
The Theory of Evolution: The Context for Darwin 23
Geology: Reconstructing Earth’s Dynamic History 24
Paleontology: Reconstructing the History of Life on Earth 25
Taxonomy and Systematics: Classifying Living Organisms and Identifying Their
Biological Relationships 26
Concept Check Pre-Darwinian Theory and Ideas: Groundwork for
Evolution 27
Demography: Influences on Population Size and Competition for Limited
Resources 28
Evolutionary Biology: Explaining the Transformation of Earlier Life-Forms into
Later Life-Forms 28
Concept Check Darwin Borrows from Malthus 30
The Theory of Evolution: Darwin’s Contribution 31
Since Darwin: Mechanisms of Inheritance, the Evolutionary Synthesis, and the
Discovery of DNA 33
Mechanisms of Inheritance 33
The Evolutionary Synthesis, the Study of Populations, and the Causes of
Evolution 36
DNA: Discovery of the Molecular Basis of Evolution 37
Answering the Big Questions 39
Key Terms 39
Evolution Review: Past, Present, and Future of a Fundamental Scientific
Theory 40
Additional Readings 41
Table of Contents xv
Diversification of the Homininae: Emergence of Multiple Evolutionary Lineages
from One (3–1 mya) 269
Australopithecus garhi (2.5 mya) 270
The First Tool Makers and Users: Australopithecus or Homo? 270
Evolution and Extinction of the Australopithecines 273
Concept Check The Australopithecines 276
Answering the Big Questions 280
Key Terms 280
Evolution Review: The First Hominins 281
Additional Readings 281
Figure 1.3
The Six Big Events of Human F IGU R E
6.2
Primate Adaptation in Microcosm:
The Taï Forest, Ivory Coast, West Africa
Emerging canopy
Chewing, Dependence on Material
GENERALIZED SKELETAL STRUCTURE ENHANCED VISION
Primates have a generalized skeletal structure. The bones that make up the Primates have an enhanced sense of vision. Evolution has given primates
shoulders, upper limbs, lower limbs, and other major joints such as the better vision, including increased depth perception and seeing in color.
Main canopy
Animals pp. 10–11
REDUCED SMELL
Figure 3.17
ENHANCED TOUCH Primates have a reduced sense of smell. The smaller and less projecting
Primates have an enhanced sense of touch. This sensitivity is due in part to snouts of most primates indicate their decreased reliance on smell.
the presence of dermal ridges (fingerprints and toe prints) on the inside
Reduced
P3 P3
P4 P4
Black-and-white colobus Human Red colobus M1 M1
Campbell’s Lesser spot-nosed Sooty mangabey M2 M2
Figure 9.21
M3 M3
Chimpanzee Olive colobus Thomas’s galago Taï Forest
Demidoff’s galago Potto Eagle
Diana monkey Putty-nosed
Eocene–Oligocene–
Miocene Habitats and Their
Primates pp. 236–237
Figure 10.16 F IGU R E Eocene-Oligocene-Miocene Habitats and
9.21 Their Primates
From Discovery to Understanding:
Ardipithecus of Aramis pp. 260–261
Oligocene 23–34 mya Miocene 5.3–23 mya
Primate evolution began with primitive primates in the Eocene, setting the stage for the origin of all hominoids. Euprimates of the Eocene had
the basic characteristics of living primates, such as convergent eye orbits and grasping digits. In the last 20 million years, primates diversified
in appearance and behavior. These changes included the shift, for some, from life in the trees to life on the ground, and eventually the
beginning of bipedality in the late miocene. (Based on Fleagle, J. G. Primate Adaptation and Evolution, 2nd ed. 1999. Academic Press.)
Quadrupedal,
monkeylike primate with
superb arboreal skills
Convergent eyes
and grasping hands
Scene from the early Miocene of Rusinga Island, Kenya. Apes first
appeared during this period, and these are the first apes (two species
of Proconsul, Dendropithecus, Limnopithecus). These and other taxa
Scenes from the late Eocene in the Paris Basin. Scenes from the early Oligocene of the Fayum, Egypt. form the ancestry of all later apes and hominins. Note the range of
Top: The diurnal Adapis is feeding on leaves. These anthropoid ancestors include Aegyptopithecus, habitats occupied by these primates within the forest, including some in
Bottom: Several
236 taxa of omomyids
| CHAPTER (Pseudoloris, 9Necrolemur,
PrimateMicrochoerus).
Origins and Evolution: The First 50 Million Years Propliopithecus, and Apidium. These primates were adept the middle and lower canopies and someApeson the forestAfrica:
Leave floor. These
On to New Habitats and New Adaptations | 237
Note the large eyes, a nocturnal adaptation, typical of both ancient and arborealists, using their hands and feet for climbing and primates show a combination of monkeylike and apelike features, in the
modern prosimians who are active at night. feeding. skeleton and skull, respectively.
xix
TO T H E I N S T R U C TO R
HOW THIS BOOK CAN HELP YOUR 2009. The discussions in this textbook of topics familiar
STUDENTS DISCOVER PHYSICAL and unfamiliar give the student s tepping-stones to science
and to the centrality of physical anthropology as a window
ANTHROPOLOGY
into understanding our world. Whether the students find
IT IS ABOUT ENGAGEMENT the material familiar or unfamiliar, they will see that the
book relates the discipline to human life: real concerns
Teaching is about engagement—connecting the student with about human bodies and human identity. They will see
knowledge, making it real to the student, and having the themselves from an entirely different point of view and gain
student come away from the course with an understanding new awareness.
of core concepts. Essentials of Physical Anthropology seeks to In writing this book, I made no assumptions about what
engage the student in the learning process. Engaging the the reader knows, except to assume that the r eader—the stu-
student is perhaps more of a challenge in the study of phys- dent attending your physical anthropology class—has very
ical anthropology than in the study of other sciences, mainly little or no background in physical anthropology. As I wrote
because the student has likely never heard of the subject. the book, I constantly reflected on the core concepts of phys-
The average student has probably taken a precollege course ical anthropology and how to make them understandable. I
in chemistry, physics, or biology. Physical anthropology, combined this quest for both accuracy and clarity with my
though, is rarely mentioned or taught in precollege settings. philosophy of t eaching—namely, engage the student to help
Commonly, the student first finds out about the subject the student learn. Simply, teaching is about engagement.
when an academic advisor explains that physical anthro- While most students in an introductory physical anthro-
pology is a popular course that fulfills the college’s natural pology class do not intend to become professional physical
science requirement. anthropologists, some of these students become interested
Once taking the course, however, that same student enough to take more courses. So this book is written for stu-
usually connects quickly with the subject because so many dents who will not continue their study of physical anthro-
of the topics are familiar—fossils, evolution, race, genet- pology, those who get “hooked” by this fascinating subject
ics, DNA, monkeys, forensic investigations, and origins of (a common occurrence!), and those who now or eventually
speech, to name a few. The student simply had not real- decide to become professionals in the field.
ized that these separately engaging topics come under the The book is unified by the subject of physical anthropol-
umbrella of one discipline, the subject of which is the study ogy. But equally important is the central theme of science—
of human evolution and human variability. what it is, how it is done, and how scientists (in our case,
Perhaps drawn to physical anthropology because it anthropologists) learn about the natural world. I wrote the
focuses on our past and our present as a species, the student book so as to create a picture of who humans are as organ-
quickly sees the fundamental importance of the discipline. isms, how we got to where we are over the last millions of
In Discover magazine’s 100 top stories of 2009, 18 were from years of evolution, and where we are going in the future in
physical anthropology. Three topics from the field were in light of current conditions. In regard to physical anthro-
the top 10, including the remarkable new discovery of our pology, the student should finish the book understanding
earliest human ancestor, Ardipithecus. So important was this human evolution and how it is studied, how the present
discovery that Science, the leading international professional helps us understand the past, the diversity of organisms
science journal, called it the “Breakthrough of the Year” for living and past, and the nature of biological change over
xx
time and across geography. Such knowledge should help the into what came before—the present contextualizes and
student answer questions about the world. For example, how informs our understanding of the past. It is no mistake,
did primates emerge as a unique group of mammals? Why then, that Discovering Our Origins is the subtitle of the book.
do people look different from place to place around the The origins of who we are today do not just lie in the record
world? Why is it important to gain exposure to sunlight yet of the past, but are very much embodied in the living. Our
unsafe to prolong that exposure? Why is it unhealthy to be origins are expressed in our physical makeup (bone, teeth,
excessively overweight? Throughout their history, what have and muscles), in our behavior, and in so many other ways
humans eaten, and why is it important to know? that the student taking this course will learn about from
I have presented such topics so that the student can come this book and from you. You can teach individual chapters in
to understand the central concepts and build from them a any order, and that is partly because each chapter reinforces
fuller understanding of physical anthropology. Throughout the central point: we understand our past via what we see in
the book, I emphasize hypothesis testing, the core of the the living.
scientific method, and focus on that process and the excite- Part II presents evidence of the past, covering more than
ment of discovery. The narrative style is personalized. Often 50 million years of primate and human evolution. Most
I draw on my own experiences and those of scientists I know textbooks of this kind end the record of human evolution at
or am familiar with through their teaching and writing, to about 25,000 years ago, when modern Homo sapiens evolved
show the student how problems are addressed through field- worldwide. This textbook also provides the record since the
work or through laboratory investigations. appearance of modern humans, showing that important bio-
Scientists do not just collect facts. Rather, they collect logical changes occurred in just the last 10,000 years, largely
data and make observations that help them answer questions relating to the shift from hunting and gathering to the
about the complex natural world we all inhabit. Reflecting domestication of plants and animals. Food production was
this practice, Essentials of Physical Anthropology is a collec- a revolutionary development in the human story, and Part II
tion not of facts for the student to learn but of answers to presents this remarkable record, including changes in health
questions that help all of us understand who we are as living and well-being that continue today. A new subdiscipline of
organisms and our place in the world. Science is a way of physical anthropology, bioarchaeology, is contributing pro-
knowing, it is a learning process, and it connects our lives found insights into the last 10,000 years, one of the most
with our world. In these ways, it is liberating. dynamic periods of human evolution.
During this period, a fundamental change occurred in
how humans obtained food. This change set the stage for
our current environmental disruptions and modern living
HOW THE BOOK IS ORGANIZED
conditions, including global warming, the alarming global
The book is divided into two parts. Following an introduc- increase in obesity, and the rise of health threats such as newly
tory overview of anthropology and physical anthropology, emerging infectious diseases, of which there is little under-
Part I presents the key principles and concepts in biology, standing and for which scientists are far from finding cures.
especially from an evolutionary perspective. This material
draws largely on the study of living organisms, including
humans and nonhuman primates. Because much of our CHANGES IN THE THIRD EDITION
understanding of the past is drawn from what we have
learned from the present, this part lays the foundation for Reflecting the dynamic nature of physical anthropology,
the presentation in Part I I—the past record of primate and there are numerous revisions and updates throughout this
human evolution. In putting the record of the living up front, new, third edition of Essentials of Physical Anthropology. These
this book departs from the style of most other introductory updates provide content on the cutting-edge developments
physical anthropology textbooks, which start out with the in the discipline, give new ways of looking at older findings,
earliest record and end with the living. This book takes the and keep the book engaging and timely for both you and
position that most of what we learn about the past is based your students. Although the core principle of the book
on theory and principles learned from the living record. remains the same, namely the focus on evolution, the revi-
Just as all of Charles Darwin’s ideas were first derived from sions throughout the book present new insights, new discov-
seeing living plants and animals, much of our understanding eries, and new perspectives. Other changes are intended to
of function and adaptation comes from living organisms as give added focus and clarity and to increase the visual appeal
models. Therefore, this book views the living as the window that supports the pedagogy of engagement and learning:
Instructor xxi
• New content on biocultural adaptation. Anthropol including grasses on the African savanna, confirming
ogists provide important insights into how humans’ the long-held notion that some had highly specialized
remarkable intelligence is related to their evolution- diets.
ary success. This third edition presents new research • New findings on the origins of cooking and its
on the role of social learning and the retention of importance in human evolution. Controlled use of
knowledge—the accumulation of information—over fire dates to as early as 1 mya in South Africa. This
many generations. innovation provided a means for cooking meats and
• New primate taxonomy. In order to inform students starches, thereby increasing the digestibility of these
about the latest developments in primate classifica- foods. New research suggests that cooking and nutri-
tion, the third edition has shifted from the tradi- tional changes associated with cooking may have
tional, grade-based approach used in the previous “fueled” the increase in brain and body size in early
editions to the cladistics, or phylogenetic, approach. hominins.
This approach provides students with a classifica- • New content on the appearance and evolution of modern
tion based on a ncestor-descendant evolutionary Homo sapiens and the Neandertal genome. Analysis
relationships. of the direction and pattern of scratches on the
• New content on developments in genetics that are altering incisors of Neandertals reveals that they were pre-
our understanding of phenotype. We are learning that dominantly r ight-handed. In addition to showing
non-protein coding DNA, often considered “junk” this modern characteristic, this finding reveals that
DNA, has important implications for various other this earlier form of H. sapiens had brain laterality, a
instructions in the genome. Similarly, the rapidly feature linked to speech. Neandertals talked. New
expanding field of epigenetics is revealing evolution- genetic evidence reveals the presence of Neander-
ary change without alteration of DNA. tal genes in modern humans, consistent with the
• New content on race and human variation in Chapter 5. hypothesis that modern H. sapiens interbred with
• New content on maladaptive human behavior and health Neandertals. Newly discovered hominin fossils from
outcomes such as obesity. The role of environment is Denisova, Siberia, dating to the late Pleistocene
fundamental in understanding patterns of health in represent a genome that is different from Neander-
very recent human evolution, including the impacts tals’ and modern H. sapiens’. This newly discovered
of the creation of obesogenic environments, the “Denisovan” genome is also found in people living
alarming rise in obesity globally, and the causes and today in East Asia, suggesting that modern H. sapiens
consequences of these changing circumstances and encountered Neandertals as well as other populations
outcomes. once in Europe.
• New content on fossil primate and hominin discoveries. • New findings on the future of humankind. The study of
Exciting new discoveries in early primate evolution melting ice caps and glaciers around the world today
from Africa and Asia are revealing the enormous reveals a dramatic warming trend. As temperatures
variety and complexity of species. New discoveries rise, habitats are in the process of changing. These
from East Africa reveal that although all australo- environmental changes will provide a context for
pithecines were bipedal, some retained arboreal evolution, both in plants and in animals. These fac-
behavior relatively late in the evolution of these tors, coupled with reduction in species diversity, are
early hominins. New discovery of stone tools dat- creating new health challenges for humans today and
ing to 3.3 million years ago—700,000 years earlier for the foreseeable future.
than previously known—from East Africa shows • Revision of content to enhance clarity. I have contin-
the b eginnings of humankind’s reliance on material ued to focus on helping students understand core
culture. Once thought to be the domain of Homo, concepts, with considerable attention given to cell
these early dates show use of tools by earlier aus- biology, genetics, DNA, race and human variation,
tralopithecines, long before the origins of our genus. primate taxonomy, locomotion, and dating methods.
These discoveries continue to illustrate the com- As in previous editions, I paid careful attention to
plexity of early hominin evolution. New evidence the clarity of figure captions. The captions do not
from chemical and tooth wear analyses reveals that simply repeat text. Instead, they offer the student
at least some later australopithecines were eating additional details relevant to the topic and occasional
significant quantities of low-quality vegetation, questions about concepts that the figures convey.
xxii Instructor
• Greatly enhanced art program. The new edition con- look at places around the world on a daily basis, students
tains over 100 new or revised figures, often using a often need reminders about geography. In recognition of
new “photorealistic” style. The book adds several this, locator maps in the book’s margins show the names and
f ull-color t wo-page spreads developed by Mauri- locations of places that are likely not common knowledge.
cio Antón, a world-renowned artist with expertise
in conveying past life through wonderful visual PHOTORE ALISTIC ART YOU CAN “TOUCH”: Designed
presentations. to give students an even better appreciation for the feel
• “Evolution Review” sections. At the end of each chapter, of the discipline, the art program has been substantially
an “Evolution Review” section summarizes material reworked. Now most illustrations of bones and skeletons
on evolution in that chapter and includes assignable have an almost photorealistic feel, and most primates were
questions about concepts and content. Suggested redrawn for a high degree of realism. This book helps your
answers appear in the Instructor’s Manual. students visualize what they are reading about by including
• InQuizitive. Norton’s new formative and adaptive hundreds of images, many specially prepared for the book.
online learning resource improves student under- These illustrations tell the story of physical anthropology,
standing of the big picture concepts of physical including key processes, central players, and important con-
anthropology. Students receive personalized quiz cepts. As much thought went into the pedagogy behind the
questions on the topics they need the most help illustration program as into the writing of the text.
with. Engaging, game-like elements motivate
students as they learn. These are intended for use DEFINITIONS are also presented in the text’s margins,
in teaching f ace-to-face, blended, or online class giving your students ready access to what a term means
formats. generally in addition to its use in the associated text. For
• New lab manual. This text now has a new lab manual, convenient reference, defined terms are signaled with bold-
the Lab Manual for Biological Anthropology—Engaging face page numbers in the index.
with Human Evolution by K. Elizabeth Soluri and At the end of each chapter, ANSWERING THE BIG
Sabrina C. Agarwal. This flexible and richly illus- QUESTIONS presents a summary of the chapter’s central
trated manual is designed to support or enhance points organized along the lines of the Big Questions pre-
your current labs and collections, or work on its own. sented at the beginning of the chapter.
Attractively priced, discount bundles can be pur-
chased including this text. The study of evolution is the central core concept of
physical anthropology. The newly introduced EVOLUTION
REVIEW section at the end of each chapter discusses topics
AIDS TO THE LEARNING PROCESS on evolution featured in the chapter and asks questions that
will help the student develop a focused understanding of
Each chapter opens with a vignette telling the story of one content and ideas.
person’s discovery that relates directly to the central theme
of the chapter. This vignette is intended to draw your stu- INQUIZITIVE is our new game-
like, formative, adaptive
dents into the excitement of the topic and to set the stage assessment program featuring visual and conceptual ques-
for the Big Questions that the chapter addresses. tions keyed to each chapter’s learning objectives from the
text. InQuizitive helps you track and report on your students’
BIG QUESTION learning objectives are introduced early in progress to make sure they are better prepared for class.
the chapter to help your students organize their reading and
understand the topic. Join me now in engaging your students in the excitement
of discovering physical anthropology.
CONCEP T CHECKS are scattered throughout each chap-
ter and immediately follow a major section. These aids are
intended to help your students briefly revisit the key points TOOLS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
they have been reading about.
The Essentials of Physical Anthropology teaching and learning
LOCATOR MAPS are placed liberally throughout the book. package provides instructors and students with all the tools
ollege-level instructors tend to hope that students have a
C they need to visualize anthropological concepts, learn key
good sense of geography, but like a lot of people who do not vocabulary, and test knowledge.
Instructor xxiii
FOR INSTRUCTORS New Videos
InQuizitive This new streaming video service is now available through
Norton Coursepacks and at wwnorton.com/instructors.
New InQuizitive online formative and adaptive assessment
These o ne-to seven-minute educational film clips from
is available for use with Essentials of Physical Anthropology,
across the discipline but with an emphasis on paleoanthro-
Third Edition, featuring interactive and engaging questions
pology and primatology help students see and think like
with a nswer-specific feedback. InQuizitive features ques-
anthropologists and make it easy for instructors to illustrate
tions designed to help students better understand the core
key concepts and spark classroom discussion.
objectives of each chapter. Built to be intuitive and easy to
use, InQuizitive makes it a snap to assign, assess, and report
on student performance and help keep your class on track. Update PowerPoint Service
Options are available to integrate InQuizitive into your To help cover what is new in the discipline, each semester we
LMS or Coursepack. Contact your local W. W. Norton will provide a new set of supplemental lectures, notes, and
representative for details. assessment material covering current and breaking research.
Prepared by Laurie Reitsema (University of Georgia) and
Lab Manual and Workbook for Biological with previous updates from Kathy Droesch (Suffolk County
A nthropology—Engaging with Human Evolution Community College), this material is available for download
by K. Elizabeth Soluri and Sabrina C. Agarwal. at wwnorton.com/instructors.
This new manual captures student interest and illustrates
the discipline with the vivid images—every chapter contains PowerPoint Slides and Art JPEGs
large detailed figures, photographs that are properly scaled, Designed for instant classroom use, these slides prepared by
and drawings of bones and fossils with an almost three- Jeremy DeSilva (Boston University) using art from the text
dimensional appearance. The labs are grouped into four are a great resource for your lectures. All art from the book is
units of four chapters each: 1) genetics/evolutionary theory; also available in PowerPoint and JPEG formats. Download
2) human osteology and forensics; 3) primatology; and 4) these resources from wwnorton.com/instructors.
paleoanthropology. No topic is o ver-or underemphasized,
and the manual is flexibly designed to be used as a whole, or
Instructor’s Manual
as individual labs, and with a school’s cast and photo collec-
tion or with the sample photos provided. Each lab has unique Prepared by Nancy Tatarek (Ohio University) and Greg
Critical Thinking Questions to go with Chapter Review and Laden, this innovative resource provides chapter summaries,
Lab Exercises. This manual is available at student friendly chapter outlines, lecture ideas, discussion topics, suggested
prices, either as a s tand-alone volume or bundled with this reading lists for instructors and students, a guide to “Writ-
text, or as a custom volume. ing about Anthropology,” suggested answers to Evolution
Matters questions, and teaching materials for each video.
Coursepacks
Test Bank
Available at no cost to professors or students, Norton
Coursepacks for online or hybrid courses are available in a Prepared by Renee Garcia (Saddleback College) and Greg
variety of formats, including all versions of Blackboard and Laden, this Test Bank contains multiple-choice and essay
WebCT. Content includes review quizzes, flash cards, and questions for each chapter. It is downloadable from Norton’s
links to animations and videos. Coursepacks are available Instructor’s Website and available in Word, PDF, and
from wwnorton.com/instructors. ExamView® Assessment Suite formats. Visit wwnorton.com/
instructors.
New Animations
Ebook
These new animations of key concepts from each chapter are
available in either the Coursepacks, or from wwnorton.com/ An affordable and convenient alternative, Norton ebooks
instructors. Animations are brief, easy to use, and great for retain the content and design of the print book and allow
explaining concepts either in class or in a d
istance-learning students to highlight and take notes with ease, print chap-
environment. ters as needed, and search the text.
xxiv Instructor
Another random document with
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true to the British alliance. The King probably intended to keep troth;
but he either could not or did not prevent the secret intrigues of
Hertzberg from undermining the efforts of the Allies both at Warsaw
and St. Petersburg. One of the great mistakes of his reign was in not
dismissing that statesman outright; but instead of that he merely
ordered him once more to desist from his pet scheme, the
acquisition of Danzig and Thorn.
The policy of the Court of Berlin now took one more turn
underground. The King, weary of the haughty airs and restless ways
of Hertzberg, and desirous of putting forth a feeler towards Vienna,
sent Bischoffswerder on a secret mission to the Court of Vienna
(February 1791). Hertzberg knew no more of its aims than did
Frederick William of the intrigue of his Foreign Minister with the
Russian Chancery. Thus Prussian policy was two-headed. The
official head, while echoing the menacing tones of Pitt to Russia,
secretly encouraged that Power to retain all its conquests, provided
that Prussia acquired the two coveted towns on the Vistula; and
Bischoffswerder sought to allure the Emperor. The King’s favourite (a
poor Saxon nobleman who had won his way at Court by
chameleonic subservience to all the royal moods) was charged to
confer direct with Leopold, and to propose that the two States should
mutually guarantee their present possessions and aim at excluding
Russian influence from Poland. He was also to suggest the
peaceable acquisition by Prussia of Danzig and Thorn in exchange
983
for commercial privileges granted to the Poles. Leopold II smiled
so graciously on these proposals as to elicit from the envoy the
ecstatic description: “Quelle bonté; quelle clarté: et quelle sérénité!”
This benignity enticed Bischoffswerder on to make the singular offer
that, if the Emperor granted Prussia her heart’s desire, she on her
side would not persist in applying the strict status quo against Austria
at Sistova.
Even this enticing proposal did not dissolve either the hatred of
Kaunitz for Prussia or the determination of Leopold to favour
Catharine. Both the Emperor and his Chancellor saw that Prussia
was seeking to set them against Russia; and policy prompted them
984
to work for a war between those two Powers. No suspicion of
these hidden motives ruffled the equanimity of the amateur
diplomatist, who flattered himself that he had won over Leopold and
assured the isolation of Russia. Full blown with pride he returned to
Berlin, and advocated energetic measures against Russia, the result
985
of which will appear in due course.
We must now return to London in order to sift somewhat closely
the evidence which came in from various quarters. In a question of
so much importance and complexity, which influenced the fate of the
East as well as the career of Pitt, we cannot proceed too cautiously;
and the inductive method here attempted seems to be the only
means of avoiding hasty decisions, and of re-constructing the history
of the crisis.
The Dutch, as might be expected, were far less eager than
Prussia for the humbling of Catharine’s pride, especially as they had
recently lent her a considerable sum of money. Lord Auckland, our
envoy at The Hague, entered into their views and set them forth with
his usual ability. From the beginning of this question he opposed the
energetic measures recommended by Ewart; and certain
expressions in his letters smack of personal dislike to that
986
ambassador. His position at The Hague kept him in touch with the
British couriers passing through to the northern and eastern capitals;
and his very voluminous papers (a small part only of which has seen
the light) yield proofs of his activity in urging Pitt and the Duke of
Leeds to patch matters up with Russia. In a letter of 2nd February
1791, to Huber, he deprecates any attempt to coerce Russia, even
though it may be crowned by success:
The state of our debt, of our revenue, of our trade, and the
unsettled disposition of mankind in general, forms altogether a
great object of importance in my ideas, far beyond that of taking
a feather out of the cap of an old vixen or of preserving a desert
tract of ground between two rivers to the Turks, whose political
existence and safety will probably not be diminished if they are
obliged to have their barrier upon the Dniester, or even on the
Danube. Besides I see many symptoms ... which irrefragably
prove to me that our friends at Berlin are in general at least as
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much afraid of a Russian war as I am....
A pretty piece of work Mr. Pitt has made of this Russian war. I
think all the foxhounds will have a fine chase at him next session.
—Lady Malmesbury to Sir Gilbert Elliot, 24th August 1791.
[Translation.]
Having a sure belief that Austria desires to draw closer to me
and my Allies, and that the Emperor has declared to the Empress
of Russia that he cannot assist her in a war that might result from
her refusal to accept the status quo, I wish England to consider
whether the best course of action would not be that of inducing
Russia by means of superior forces, both naval and military, to
follow the example of the Emperor. But, in case England cannot
resolve on so vigorous a course of action, the cession of Oczakoff
would be its natural outcome. It seems to me incontestable that
Russia by the possession of that place gains over Turkey a
superiority which may be very prejudicial to the interests even of
England. As the decisive moment is drawing near, I await a
definite declaration on this subject.
Here was a distinct challenge to our good faith as an ally of
Prussia. The Duke of Leeds received it on 19th or 20th March.
Jackson’s covering despatch supplied a curious commentary on the
royal missive. He had found out that Hertzberg’s plan of
aggrandisement at the expense of Poland was much more widely
favoured at Berlin than he believed to be possible. General Möllendorf
feared a war with Russia in view of the threatening attitude of Austria.
Count Schulenberg thought the position very difficult, but hoped that
the presence of a “large” British fleet in the Baltic might overawe
Catharine and end the dispute. Even Bischoffswerder, who had
returned from his mission to Vienna in the most buoyant spirits,
expressed concern at the irresolute mood of Frederick William; but he
promised to report progress after an interview which he was to have
with him at a private dinner on that day. Late in the evening the
favourite declared that he had convinced the monarch of the falseness
of Hertzberg’s information about Austria. In fact, the dinner and
Bischoffswerder’s conversation brought Frederick William to see the
need of bold measures against Russia; and he drew up forthwith that
inspiriting challenge to England. Bischoffswerder also assured our
envoy that the anti-British intrigues were the work of Anglophobes like
Prince Henry of Prussia, or of those who wished to maintain the
influence of the reigning favourite, the Countess Dönhoff, and keep the
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King immersed in his pleasures.
A more damning explanation of the King’s action cannot be
conceived; and we learn with some surprise that the royal appeal
carried the day at the British Cabinet’s meetings of 21st and 22nd
March, when Ministers had before them the declaration of the Dutch
admiral as to the comparative uselessness of Oczakoff. The final
resolve was formed on 25th March, when the ultimatum to Russia was
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drawn up and sent to the King for his approval. Evidently it was the
arrival of Frederick William’s letter that clinched the matter. On the 27th
the Foreign Office sent off despatches to Berlin and St. Petersburg,
warning Jackson and Whitworth of the definite demand of the Allies,
that Catharine must restore to the Turks all her conquests exclusive of
the Crimea. The Allies hoped to induce Gustavus by the joint offer of a
sum of £200,000, or even £300,000, to grant the use of his ports to the
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British fleet destined for the Baltic.
The British ultimatum to Russia took the form of a “representation,”
the original of which is in Pitt’s handwriting. It pointed out that, the
status quo having been adopted as the basis of the treaties concluded
between Austria and the Porte and Russia and Sweden, the Allies had
hoped that the Empress of Russia would accept the same reasonable
terms for her peace with the Sultan. But, as this was not the case, the
two Courts now desired to point out that any further accession of
territory to Russia was far from necessary to her, and must seriously
weaken the Turkish dominions. They therefore invited the Empress to
declare her readiness to offer reasonable terms to the Sultan. The
failure to give a favourable answer within ten days would be regarded
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as a refusal. Pitt also sought to infuse energy into the Dutch
Government. On the same day he directed Auckland, our ambassador
at The Hague, to request the equipment of a Dutch squadron with a
view to a cruise to the Baltic along with the British fleet, it being certain
that Catharine would give way before so great a superiority of
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force.
It seemed, then, that Pitt and his colleagues had nailed their
colours to the mast; and their behaviour in Parliament betokened no
lack of resolve. On the day following (28th March) Pitt presented the
King’s message as to the need of further naval armaments. Fox, “with
more than usual solemnity,” demanded that Parliament should know
the reasons for the present request; but Pitt declined to promise any
more information than that contained in the brief official statement. Fox
at once censured this refusal as “a very new, violent and extraordinary
step indeed.” Pitt here showed a want of tact. A more sympathetic
nature would have felt the pulse of the House and discerned feverish
symptoms. Already members had been alarmed by the outbreak of
war against Tippoo Sahib; and though Ministers had convicted that
potentate of aggressions against our ally, the Rajah of Travancore, yet
the House evinced more than its usual jealousy respecting foreign
entanglements, and resented Pitt’s demand for warlike preparations. In
refusing to explain the grounds for his present action the Prime
Minister behaved as a correct diplomatist, but an indifferent
parliamentarian.
On 29th March the Whig leaders in the Lords showed their former
fondness for the Russian alliance in a series of startling assertions.
Earl Fitzwilliam denied that the retention of Oczakoff, or even
Akerman, would in the slightest degree injure British interests. Lord
Porchester reprobated the ambitious conduct of the Prime Minister,
which almost led him to hope that France might recover her strength,
so as to check his career. The country, he added, was in the deepest
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distress, and would be ruined by the hostilities now imminent. The
Earl of Carlisle declared that Russia was naturally our friend, and that
we ought to have formed alliances that were useful, not such as would
drag us into a criminal war. The naval armament against Spain had
served merely to “pillage the public and make a show between
Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.” Lord Stormont then treated the
House to a disquisition on Turkish history to prove that the Porte had
always been the tool of France against the two Empires; and it was her
game we now were asked to play. For the rest, it would be “extremely
disagreeable” to send a fleet into the Baltic if Sweden, deserted by us,
showed herself unfriendly. The Duke of Richmond damned the
proposal with faint praise, and he was guardedly followed by the Lord
Chancellor, Thurlow. Nevertheless, Ministers held their own by ninety-
seven votes to thirty-four.
On the same day Pitt brought the matter before the Commons in a
somewhat cold and ineffective manner. He showed that the interests of
Europe demanded the restoration of the old boundaries in the East;
and that the weakening of Turkey would undermine the defensive
system which we had formed with Prussia. From the meagre report of
his speech it would appear that he did not refer to the importance of
upholding Poland or of hindering the approach of Russia to the
Mediterranean. Consequently all the life and glow of the debate was
on the side of the Opposition. Coke of Norfolk, in a characteristically
acrid speech, declared that he believed neither in the abilities nor the
integrity of the Prime Minister, who now, as in the case of the Spanish
dispute, bade them throw away the nation’s money without showing a
single reason why. Lambton followed in the same vein, asserting that a
war with Russia would yield no prize in galleons and ingots, but merely
in bear-skins. At what point, he asked, had Russia injured our interests
or insulted our honour? Doubtless Ministers had promised the King of
Prussia to go to war with the Czarina. If so, they should state it clearly.
Other members then demanded more information before they
supported the administration. For the defence, Steele spoke weakly,
urging that the House must trust the executive.
Fox, on the contrary, declared that Pitt had “enveloped himself in
mystery and importance,” and that his speech was “finely confused but
very alarming.” The Minister had not shown how the balance of power
was endangered by the Czarina’s policy. It would be time enough to go
to war when she attacked Prussia, or sought to drive the Turks out of
Europe—a scheme which the orator held up to ridicule. He then
protested against our attacking Russia “for the recovery of a single
town [sic],” and proceeded to indict Ministers because “they first stirred
up the Turks to their own destruction to war upon Russia: they next
raised the King of Sweden against the same Power, and afterwards
they lost the benefit of his arms by shamefully abandoning him.” Finally
they had disarmed, after settling the dispute with Spain, and thus put
the nation to the expense of this new armament. It is difficult to think
that Fox was so ill informed as to believe these charges, the falseness
of which has been proved in Chapters XXII and XXIII. In fact, these
indictments merely showed him to be the trustful receptacle of the anti-
British slanders started by foreign Chanceries. Nevertheless, being
urged with his wonted power, they struck home; for it is ever the bent
of a popular Assembly to ascribe the worst motives for actions which it
dislikes.
Pitt replied with admirable temper. He showed that the recent
advance of Russia southwards brought about a situation wholly
different from that which existed when Fox was in power; he declared
that Russia had several times rejected our proffered friendship, and
that our alliances with Prussia and Holland were most advantageous.
Prussia, however, would be seriously weakened if the Muscovites
triumphed completely over the Sultan, and would in that case be
unable to cover the Dutch Netherlands or maintain the independence
of Poland. He then showed how closely this latter topic touched us; for,
if we upheld Poland and cultivated trade with her, she would send us
the naval stores for the supply of which we at present depended on
Russia. Commercial and political motives, therefore, alike bade us set
bounds to the boundless ambitions of Russia.
The effect of his statesmanlike speech (the first in which the
Eastern Question in its new phase received adequate treatment) was
lessened by a vehement harangue from Burke, who was angry with
Ministers for diverting attention from French affairs. At that time he and
his son were striving to prepare the way for an armed intervention of
the monarchs in the interests of Louis XVI; and he therefore upbraided
the Cabinet for supporting “a horde of barbarous Asiatics” against the
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Czarina, a declared champion of royalty. “All that is holy in
religion,” he said, “all that is moral and humane, demands an
abhorrence of everything which tends to extend the power of that cruel
and wasteful Empire.” “Any Christian Power is to be preferred to these
destructive savages.”... “Why are we to be alarmed at the Russians’
capture of a town? The Empire of Turkey is not dismembered by that.
We are in possession of Gibraltar, and yet Spain is not dismembered.”
This appeal to sentiment and this fine disregard of the facts of
geography (for the district in question is about the size of Scotland)
told with much effect; and it was with some difficulty that the
Government mustered 228 votes as against 135 for the
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Opposition.
The next debates, of 12th and 15th April, brought up Grey,
Whitbread, and Sheridan in their most combative moods. The last
taunted Ministers with being led at the heel of Prussia, whose only
desire was to seize Danzig and Thorn, and to have the upper hand at
Warsaw. While not calling the tune, we were to pay the piper. He
(Sheridan) was sick of the parrot cry, “Confidence! Confidence!”
Ministers did not deserve it. Their conduct in Holland in 1787 had been
a blow to popular liberty. And now the son of Chatham was intriguing in
all the Courts of Europe, and figuring as “the posture-master of the
Balance of Power.” Undismayed by this brilliant invective, Dundas
once more appealed for a continuance of the confidence which
Ministers had merited by their conduct; and the House accorded it by
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253 votes to 173. On 15th April the figures were 254 to 162.
It is clear, then, that Pitt kept his party well together, despite the
fact that his hands were tied by official reserve, while the Opposition
ramped at large in the unalloyed bliss of ignorance. Storer might
choose to tell Lord Auckland that “the country throughout have told Mr.
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Pitt that they will not go to war.” But, apart from an influential
deputation from Manchester, there was no decided protest. Seven
weeks later Pitt admitted to Ewart that it would have been difficult to
keep his party together in the event of war, and if he had “to state, as
would then be indispensable, the precise ground on which it
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arose.” But the news which arrived up to 27th March clearly
warranted the hope that Russia would give way. Then, however, the
diplomatic situation underwent a curious change.
* * * * *
On the 27th, then, that is, on the very day on which the Cabinet
sent off the decisive despatches referred to above, most disconcerting
news from Lord Auckland reached the Foreign Office. It was to this
effect: