MAN. 



flattened in front, is the cranium of a 

 Tung-cose, from the north-east of Asia. 

 The margin of the orbits and the zygoma 

 are elegantly contracted in the Georgian ; 

 and the jaws are hidden by the symme- 

 trical expansion of the forehead. In the 

 Ethiopian the maxillary bones, and indeed 

 the whole face, are compressed laterally, 

 and project in front. In the Tungoose, 

 on the contrary, the ossa malse, ossa nasi, 

 and glubella, are situated on the same 

 horizontal level, and are enormously ex- 

 panded on either side. (Two plates illus- 

 trating the national formations of the 

 skull are given in llees's New Cyclope- 

 dia, in which the subject itself has been 

 considered at greater length, under the 

 article CRANIUM, by Mr. Lawrence). 



The national forms of the cranium may 

 be referred to five chief divisions. The 

 first presents a somewhat globular form ; 

 with the forehead moderately expanded; 

 the cheek-bones narrow, and not promi- 

 nent, but descending in a straight line 

 from the external angular process of the 

 os frontis. The alveolar margin of the 

 jaws is rounded ; and the front teeth of 

 both jaws are placed perpendicularly. 

 This form is observable in most Euro- 

 peans. The cranium of the Turk is par- 

 ticularly globular in its form. This shape, 

 which they consider as elegant, and 

 adapted to" their turbans, is said, on very 

 good authority, to be produced by artifi- 

 cial pressure after birth. 



In the second variety, including the 

 Mongolian tribes, the head is of a square 

 form, and the cheek-bones stand out wide- 

 ly on either side. The glabella, and ossa 

 nasi, which are flat and very small, are 

 placed nearly in the same horizontal line 

 with the ossa malar um. There are scarce- 

 ly any superciliary ridges; the entrance 

 of the nostrils is narrow; and the malar 

 fossa forms but a slight excavation. The 

 alveolar edge of the jaws is obtusely 

 arched in front ; the chin rather promi- 

 nent. 



The third variety contains the Africans. 

 The cranium is narrow, being compress- 

 ed at the sides, where the temporal fossa 

 is of immense extent. The forehead is 

 narrow, and strongly arched ; the cheek- 

 bones project anteriorly ; the nostrils are 

 large ; the mala fossa considerable and 

 deep ; the alveolar edges of both jaws 

 stand very much forwards ; they are nar- 

 row, elongated, and of an elliptical fi- 

 gure ; the front teeth of the upper jaw 

 are oblique in t'.cir position; the lower 

 jaw is large and strong ; but the chin, in- 

 stead of projecting as far as the teeth, as 

 it does in the European, re<;e4es consider- 



ably, as in the monkey. The substance 

 of the cranium is generally thick, and the 

 skull is consequently heavy. A slight 

 comparison of the Negro with the Euro- 

 pean skull, will suffice to shew that the 

 cranium is more capacious in the latter 

 than in the former case. The lateral 

 compression of the Ethiopian head, to- 

 gether with its narrow arched forehead, 

 compared to the almost, globular Euro- 

 pean cranium, with its broad expanded 

 frontal portion, sufficiently account for 

 this difference. At the same time, the 

 bones of the face are proportionably larg- 

 er in the African ; the foramina for the 

 transmission of nerves are more ample ; 

 and, according to Soemmerring, the 

 nerves arising from the basis of the brain 

 are more considerable. The result of 

 these observations, together with the un- 

 equivocal similarity in external form be- 

 tween the African cranium and that of 

 the monkey, leads us inevitably to the in- 

 ference that the Negro approximates in 

 structure to those animals. The facts 

 which we possess on this subject confirm 

 the conclusion, which would naturally be 

 drawn from these premises, that the men- 

 tal faculties of the Negro are inferior to 

 those of the white nations. Let it not, 

 however, be conceived that these re- 

 marks are intended to degrade the Afri- 

 can to a level with brutes, or to justify 

 those who consider him merely as a spe- 

 cies of monkey. He is distinguished from 

 all animals by the same grand and con- 

 stant characters, which belong to every 

 variety of the human race. We merely 

 state the obvious inferences deducible 

 from acknowledged facts ; and consider 

 that a difference in mental powers can- 

 not afford any stronger argument in- 

 proof of a diversity of species, than the 

 numerous distinctions in bodily structure. 

 Indeed, when we find the different races 

 of mankind characterized by such nume- 

 rous differences of organization, it would 

 be a matter of surprise, if no diversity 

 could be discovered in their mental en- 

 dowments. The description which we 

 have given above of the Negro cranium 

 must be understood in a general sense, 

 and not as universally and unexceptiona- 

 bly applicable. Travellers inform us that 

 several Africans differ from the European 

 features and physiognomy only in colour ; 

 so that the peculiar formation of the 

 cranium on the faith of which some phi- 

 losphers would class these people as a 

 distinct species, is by no means a constant 

 character. 



The two next varieties are not so 

 strongly characterized as the three 



