THE MARRIAGE OF NEAR KIN CONSIDERED WITH RESPECT TO THE LAWS OF NATIONS, THE RESULTS OF EXPERIENCE, ALFRED BY HENRY HUTH -"FRAGT NICHT DEN WIEDERHALL EURER KREUZGÄNGE, NICHT EUER VERMODERTES PERGAMENT, PREFACE. THE object of this work is to put in a collected form all that has been written on the Marriage of Near Kin; an object which the author believes to the full worthy of the trouble which the chaotic nature of his materials has given him in collection. Hitherto, while the subject has been exciting increased attention from all quarters, no work has been written on it from a modern point of view; and while the scientific journals have been full of articles taking up one part of the subject, and modern biological and medical works are continually touching on it, no one has yet come forward with a generalization of the whole of our knowledge, which, being dispersed in periodicals, most of them extremely difficult to get, partly because they are out of date, but more often owing to the absence of proper references, has as yet been unattainable by anybody who cannot devote a considerable time to the study. In his treatment of the question the author has endeavoured to divest himself of all prejudice, whether of tradition or custom, which might tend to warp his judgment; and has, therefore, found himself often obliged to treat as debatable, assumptions which inveterate association has rightly made shameful to doubt, but which a |