COL 



763 



COL 



Colour, transmits heat more readily than any other colour. The 

 * - "Y" 1 ' subject has been investigated with much more minute- 

 ness by Mr Leslie and Count Rumford. The former 

 discovered, by a set of most conclusive experiments, 

 that hot water, in vessels of the same capacity, but of 

 different colours, cooled fastest in those which were of a 

 black or dark colour. And by taking a cubical vessel 

 of tin, and coating one of the faces with lamp black, 

 he found, by means of his very delicate differential ther- 

 mometer, that much more heat was radiated or thrown 

 off from the black side, than from the others which had 

 been left clear, or which had been differently prepared. 

 May we not consider, then, the black colour in the hu- 

 man species, which is only found in the most scorching 

 climates, to be a wise expedient provided by the Author 

 of our nature, for cooling the fever of the blood under 

 the influence of a tropical sun ? 



We hope what has been said will be sufficient to ac- 

 count for the varieties of colour in the human species. 

 But had we even been unable to trace so accurately the 

 operation of heat on the human complexion, had we found 

 black and white men, indifferently, under the various de- 

 grees of latitude, or of heat, we would see no more ne- 

 cessity for supposing a difference of species, than for ap- 

 plying the same expedient to solve the phenomenon of 

 white and black sheep in the same flock, whose pedigree 

 can be indisputably traced to the same ancestors. The 

 varieties, in this case, are evidently accidental ; though 

 there is every probability that they might be perpetuated ; 

 and some have thought that the varieties in the human 

 complexion arc of the same kind. This might do well 

 enough as an argument to make a stand upon, if others 

 were wanting ; but we think we have idready stated 



others more philosophical, and of more decided efficacy 

 in their operation. 



It is certain, however, that there are some very re- 

 markable accidental varieties in the human species. A 

 very singular race of people is found on the Isthmus of 

 Darien r whose colour is perfectly white, not, however, 

 resembling the white skin of Europeans, but the dead 

 white of the silbino. These people produce children of 

 the same complexion and appearance with themselves, 

 though there is every probability that they sprung ori- 

 ginally from the copper coloured Indians of the Isth- 

 mus : because it is observed that this is sometimes the 

 case still ; and two copper-coloured parents sometimes 

 produce an Albino child : nay, Albinos have often been 

 born of perfect negroes. And it ought to be remarked, 

 that all the children of negroes are born white, that the 

 dark colour comes on in the course of a few months, and 



Gradually deepens, in a course of years, into a glossy 

 lack. We have not, however, the same evidence of 

 black children being ever produced from white parents, 

 otherwise the hypothesis of an accidental variety giving 

 rise to the negro race might be admitted ; though we 

 cannot see why this should not take place, more than the 

 other variety. See Buffon's Nat. Hist. vol. iii. Smith's 

 Essay on the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the 

 Human Species. See COMPLEXION for an account of the 

 arguments for the other hypothesis, (g) 



COLUBER. See HERPEIOLOGY. 



COLUMBA. See ORNITHOLOGY. 



COLUMBIA, a genus of plants of the class Poly. 

 andria.. and order Monogynia. See BOTANY, p. 241. 



COLUMBIUM. See CHEMISTRY, vol. vi. p. 30. 96. 



COLUMBO. See CEYLON, vol. v. p. 698. 



Colour 



II 

 Columbo. 



