58 MAMMALIA — MAN. 



former are active, nimble, well shaped, and lively; the women commomj 

 handsome; that, on the contrary, in the latter, in proportion as the air, 

 food, and water are gross, the inhabitants are clumsy, and less active and 

 vigorous. 



From every circumstance, therefore, we may obtain a proof, that mankind 

 are not composed of species essentially different from each other ; that, on 

 the contrary, there was originally but one individual species of men, which, 

 after being multiplied and diffused over the whole surface of the earth, 

 underwent divers changes, from the influence of the climate, from the 

 difference of food, and of the mode of living, from epidemical distempers, as 

 also from the intermixture, varied ad infinitum, of individuals more or less 

 resembling each other. 



Of accidental varieties in the human species. Besides those great 

 varieties proceeding from general causes, which have just been noticed, 

 says Buffon, and which serve as marks of distinction to the nations of the 

 earth, there are others, which affect only individuals, which appear casual 

 and often unfortunate deviations from the general standard. The Blafards, 

 or white negroes, (if this expression may be admitted,) are among the first 

 of these extraordinary deviations which attract our attention. They are 

 found occasionally in all parts of the East Indies, at Madagascar, in Africa, 

 at Carthagena, and most parts of South America. They are a weak, imbe- 

 cile class of human beings, and are in general barren. The negresses at 

 Carthagenu and Panama, more frequently than any others, are known to 

 produce Blafards ; and it is to be observed, that the climate there is more 

 debilitating to the human frame. " Those of Darien," says a modern travel- 

 ler, " have so marked a resemblance to the white negroes of Africa, that we 

 cannot but assign them the same origin. Their color is dead white, like 

 that of paper or muslin, and without the least appearance of red on any 

 part of the surface of the body. They are born white, and their skin never 

 darkens. In Africa their hair is white and woolly, like that of the genuine 

 negroes ; and in Asia it is long, and as white as snow, or reddish inclining 

 to yellow. Their eyebrows and eyelashes resemble the skin of the eider- 

 duck, or rather the soft down which is about the throat of a swan. The iris 

 is sometimes of a pale blue, and sometimes of a lively yellow inclining to 

 reddish. They are in general remarkably feeble and low of stature." A 

 white negress, of the name of Genevieve, was born of black parents in the 

 island of Dominica, in the year 1759. Her father and mother were brought 

 from the Gold Coast in Africa, and were perfectly black. Genevieve was 

 white in every part of her body. She was about four feet eleven inches 

 high, and her body was well proportioned. Every feature was completely 

 correspondent to those of the negroes. The lips and the mouth, however, 

 though perfectly formed like those of other negroes, had a singular appear- 

 ance for want of color ; they were as white as the rest of her skin, with no 

 appearance of red. Her skin in general was of a tallow color; when she 



