98 MUTUAL RELATIONS OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 



stituted distinct races from a very early period ; these are the Malayo-Poly- 

 nesian race, the Pelagian Negroes (commonly termed Papuas), and the Alforas 

 or Alfourous. 



103. The Malabo-Polynesian group is by far the most extensive of the 

 three, and comprehends the inhabitants of the greater part of the Indian and 

 Polynesian Archipelagoes, with the peninsula of Malacca (which is the cen- 

 tre of the Malays proper), and the inhabitants of Madagascar. These are all 

 closely united by affinities of language. The proper Malays bear a strong 

 general resemblance to the Mongolian races, and this resemblance is shared, 

 in a greater or less degree, by most of the inhabitants of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago. They are of a darker complexion, as might be expected from their 

 proximity to the equator ; but in this complexion, yellow is still a large in- 

 gredient. The Polynesian branch of the group presents a much wider 

 diversity ; and if it were not for the community of language, it might be 

 thought to consist of several races, as distinct from each other as from the 

 Malayan branch. Thus the Tahitians and Marquesans are tall and well- 

 made ; their figures combine grace and vigour: their skulls are usually re- 

 markably symmetrical ; and their physiognomy presents much of the Euro- 

 pean cast, with a very slight admixture of the features of the Negro. The 

 complexion, especially in the females of the higher classes, who are sheltered 

 from the wind and sun, is of a clear olive or brunette, such as is common 

 among the natives of Central and Southern Europe; and the hair, though 

 generally black, is sometimes brown or auburn, or even red or flaxen. Among 

 other tribes, as the New Zealanders, and the Tonga, and Friendly Islanders, 

 there are greater diversities of conformation and hue ; some being finely pro- 

 portioned and vigorous, others comparatively small and feeble ; some being 

 of a copper-brown colour, others nearly black, others olive, and others almost 

 white. In fact, if we once admit a strongly-marked difference in complexion, 

 features, hair, and general configuration, as establishing a claim to original 

 distinctness of origin, we must admit the application of this hypothesis to 

 almost every group of islands in the Pacific ; an idea of which the essential 

 community of language seems to afford a sufficient refutation. Among the 

 inhabitants of Madagascar, too, all of which speak dialects of the same lan- 

 guage, some bear a strong resemblance to the Malayan type, whilst others 

 present approaches to that of the Negro. 



104. The Pelagian- Negro races must be regarded as a group altogether 

 distinct from the preceding ; having a marked diversity of language ; and 

 presenting more decidedly than any of the Malayo-Polynesians, the characters 

 of the Negro type. They form the predominating population of New Bri- 

 tain, New Ireland, the Louisiade and Solomon Isles, of several of the New 

 Hebrides, and of New Caledonia; and they seem to extend westwards into 

 the mountainous interior of the Malayan Peninsula, and into the Andaman 

 Islands, in the Bay of Bengal. The Tasmanians, or aborigines of Van Die- 

 man's Land, which are now almost completely exterminated, undoubtedly 

 belonged to this group. Very little is known of them, except through the 

 reports of the people of Malayo-Polynesian race inhabiting the same islands ; 

 but it appears that, generally speaking, they have a very inferior physical de- 

 velopment, and lead a savage and degraded life. There is considerable diversity 

 of physical characters among them ; some approximating closely in hair, com- 

 plexion, and features, to the Guinea-Coast Negroes ; whilst others are of 

 yellower tint, straight hair, and better general development. The Papuans, 

 who inhabit the northern coast of New-Guinea, and some adjacent islands, 

 and who are remarkable for their large bushy masses of half-woolly hair, have 

 been supposed to constitute a distinct race ; but there is little doubt that they 

 are of hybrid descent, between the Malays and the Pelagian Negroes. 



