240 A HISTORY OF 



six* distinct varieties in the human species, each of which is strongly 

 marked, and speaks the kind seldom to have mixed with any other. 

 But there is nothing in the shape, nothing in the faculties, that shows 

 their coming from different originals ; and the varieties of climate, of 

 nourishment, and custom, are sufficient to produce every change. 



The first distinct race of men is found round the polar regions. 

 The Laplanders, the Esquimaux Indians, the Samoeid Tartars, the 

 inhahitants of Nova Zembla, the Borandians, the Greenlanders, and 

 the natives of Kamtschatka, may be considered as one peculiar race 

 of people, all greatly resembling each other in their stature, their com- 

 plexion, their customs, and their ignorance. These nations being 

 under a rigorous climate, where the productions of nature are but few, 

 and the provisions coarse and unwholesome, their bodies have shrunk 

 to the nature of their food ; and their complexions have suffered from 

 cold almost a similar change to what heat is known to produce ; 

 their colour being a deep brown, in some places inclining to actual 

 blackness. These, therefore, in general, are found to be a race of 

 short stature and odd shape, with countenances as savage as their 

 manners are barbarous. The visage, in these countries, is large and 

 broad, the nose flat and short, the eyes of a yellowish brown, inclining 

 to blackness, the eye-lids drawn towards the temples, the cheek-bones 

 extremely high, the mouth very large, the lips thick, and turned out- 

 wards, the voice thin and squeaking, the head large, the hair black 

 and straight, the colour of the skin of a dark grayish.t They are 

 short in stature, the generality not being above four feet high, and 

 the tallest not above five. Among all these nations the women are as 

 deformed as the men, and resemble them so nearly, that one cannot 

 at first distinguish the sexes among them. 



These nations not only resemble each other in their deformity, their 

 dwarfishness, the colour of their hair and eyes, but they have, in~a 

 great measure, the same inclinations, and the same manners, being all 

 equally rude, superstitious, and stupid. The Danish Laplanders have 

 a large black cat, n which they communicate their secrets, and consult 

 in all their affairs. Among the Swedish Laplanders there is in every 

 family a drum for consulting the devil ; and although these nations 

 are robust and nimble, yet they are so cowardly that they never can 

 be brought into the field. Gustavus Adolphus attempted to form a 

 regiment of Laplanders, but he found it impossible to accomplish his 

 design ; for it should seem that they can live only in their own coun- 

 try, and in their own manner. They make use of skates, which are 

 made of fir, of near three feet long, and half a foot broad ; these are 

 pointed, and raised before, and tied to the foot by straps of leather. 

 With these they skate upon the icy snow with such velocity that they 

 very easily overtake the swiftest animals. They make use also of a 

 pole-, pointed with iron at one end, and rounded at the other. This 

 pole serves to push them along, to direct their course, to support them 

 from falling, to stop the impetuosity of their motion, and to kill that 



* I have taken four of these varieties from Linnreus ; those of the Laplanders rd 

 Tartars, from Mr. Buffon. 



* Krantz. 



