TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 87 



freedman, in which sense it is adopted by the natives of the country. It is nearly 

 equivalent to the Indios bravos of the Spaniards, as they term the free unsubjugated 

 Indians of Spanish America. 



Spanish writers term the negroes of the Philippine islands, from their diminutive 

 size, Negritos, or little negroes. Some English writers have lately termed them 

 Austral negroes, which is manifestly improper, since they are found equally in the 

 northern as in the southern hemisphere ; and this even in the islands of the Indian 

 archipelago. 



The oriental negro is ever found in a state of civilization below that of the brown- 

 complexioned and lank-haired race in their neighbourhood, whether these be Malayan 

 or Polynesian. There is great diversity in their civilization ; some, with the least 

 possible knowledge of the commonest arts of life, live precariously on the spon- 

 taneous produce of their forests and waters, both animal and vegetable; while 

 others practise a rude husbandry, construct boats, and undertake coasting voyages 

 for the fishing of the tortoise and tripang or holothurion. 



The negro of the Andaman islands is below five feet in stature, and is of the lowest 

 civilization. The negro of the northern portion of the Malay peninsula is also of 

 short stature. A full-grown male of average height was found to measure only four 

 feet nine inches. The negro of the Philippine islands, found chiefly on the large 

 island of Lucon, is also diminutive. They dwell in the mountains, generally maintain 

 their independence, and live in constant warfare with the Malays. 



There are no negroes in Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Celebez, nor is there any 

 record or tradition of any. The great island of New Guinea is almost wholly peopled 

 by negroes, who differ from each other, and more so from those distinct races 

 described as existing in the Andaman islands, in the northern parts of the Malay 

 peninsula and in Lucon. 



M. Modera, an officer of the Dutch navy, has described two negro tribes which 

 exist on the west coast of New Guinea. After describing one of these tribes, he 

 says, — " In the afternoon of the same day, at the time of high water, three of the 

 naturalists went in a boat well-armed to the same spot, where they found the trees 

 full of natives of both sexes, who sprang from branch to branch with their weapons 

 on their backs, like monkeys, making similar gestui-es and screaming and laughing 

 as in the morning. And no offers of presents could induce them to descend from the 

 ti'ees to renew the intercourse*." 



The most singular physical character of the negro of New Guinea consists in the 

 texture of the hair of the head. It is neither that of the negro of Africa, nor 

 seemingly that of the oriental negro north of the equator. Mr. Earl, who has seen 

 most of the negro tribes of New Guinea, and who best describes them, gives the 

 following account of it : — " The most striking peculiarity of the oriental negro," says 

 he, " consists in their frizzled or woolly hair. This, however, does not spread over the 

 surface of the head, as is usual with the negroes of western Africa, but grows in 

 small tufts, the hairs which form each tuft keeping separate from the rest, and 

 twisting round each other, until, if allowed to grow, they form a spiral ringlet. 

 Many of the tribes, especially those which occupy the interior parts of islands whose 

 coasts are occupied bymore civilized races, from whom cutting instruments can beob- 

 tained, keep the hair closely cropped. The tufts then assume the form of little knobs 

 about the size of a large pea, giving the head a very singular appearance, which has not 

 inaptly been compared to that of an old worn-out shoe-brush. Others, again, more 

 especially the natives of the south coast of New Guinea and the islands of Torres 

 Straits, troubled with such an obstinate description of hair, yet admiring the ringlets 

 as a head-dress, cut them off, and twist them into matted skull-caps, thus forming 

 very compact wigs. But it is among the natives of the north coast of New Guinea 

 and of some of the adjacent islands of the Pacific that the hair receives the greatest 

 attention. These open out the ringlets by means of a bamboo comb shaped like an 

 eel-spear, with numerous prongs spreading out laterally, which operation produces 

 an enormous bushy head of hair, which has procured them the name of mop-headed 

 Indians." 



There are fifteen different varieties of oriental negroes, of eleven of which we have 



* Mr. Windsor Earl on the Papuan Indians, Journal of Indian Archipelago, vol. iv. p. 1, 



