DISTRIBUTION OF THE HUMAN RACE. 



603 



bein" much lighter than those that are uncovered. Dr. Abeel mentions, that when he 

 saw the Chi- ^ nese boatmen throw off their clothes, for the purpose of entering 



the water to push along the boats, they appeared, 

 ..- s ~ when quite naked, as if dressed in light-coloured 

 trowsers. 



In the Ethiopia division, that of the black 

 man of Gmelin, the head is narrow and com 

 pressed at the sides ; the forehead very convex 

 and vaulted ; the cheek-bones project forwards ; 

 the nostrils are wide, the nose spread, and is 

 almost confounded with the cheeks ; the lips 

 are thick, particularly the upper one ; the lower 

 part of the face projects considerably ; and the 

 r skull is in general thick and heavy. The iris 

 of the eye, which is deep-seated, and the skin 

 of this class, are black, as well as the hair, which 

 is generally woolly. These characteristics of 

 the Negros vary less than those of the two former classes, because they are chiefly con 

 fined to one climate within the tropics, whereas the Mongolians and Caucasians are 

 spread through eveiy variety of temperature, from the equator to the polar circle. The 

 division comprises the native Africans to the south of the Sahara and Abyssinia, and of 

 course those who have been transported to the West Indies and America, the natives of 



New Holland and 

 Pacific Ocean and the 

 this class exhibits a 

 not wanting of beauty 



"r 



marked. 



various tribes scattered through the Islands of the 

 Ir.dian Archipelago. Though, for the reason stated, 

 great general uniformity, examples are 

 of feature, and fine stature and propor 

 tions, in several races belonging to this 

 department of mankind. 



The American variety, that of the red 

 man of Gmelin, approaches to the Mon 

 golian, but the head is less square ; the 

 cheek-bones are prominent, yet not so 

 angular as in the Mongol ; the forehead 

 is low, the eyes deep-seated, and the fea 

 tures, viewed in profile, are strongly 

 The skin is red, or of an obscure orange, 

 rusty iron, and copper colour, sometimes nearly 

 black, according to climate and circumstances. 

 The native American tribes and nations, excepting the Esqui 

 maux, and the descendants of African and European colonists, 

 belong to this class. 



In the Malay class, that of the tawny man of Gmelin, the top of the head is slightly 

 narrowed ; the face is less narrow than that of the Negro ; the features are generally 

 more prominent ; the hair is black, soft, curled, and abundant ; the colour of the skin is 

 tawny, but sometimes approaching to that of mahogany. The division embraces the 

 principal tribes of the Indian archipelago, and all the islanders of the Pacific, excepting 

 those which belong to the Ethiopia variety. 



The preceding five great divisions of Blumenbach are reduced by some naturalists to 

 three, who consider the Malay class to be only a sub-variety of the Caucasian, and the 

 American a sub-variety of the Mongolian. Cuvier gives only three distinct well-marked 



