53 MAMMALIA—MAN. 
former are active, nimble, well shaped, and lively; the women commonsy 
handsome; that, on the contrary, in the latter, in proportion as the air, 
food, and water are gross, the inhabitants are clumsy, and less active and 
vigorous. 
From every circumstance, therefore, we may obtain a proof, that mankind 
are not composed of species essentially different from each other ; that, on 
the contrary, there was originally but one individual species of men, which, 
after being multiplied and diffused over the whole surface of the earth, 
underwent divers changes, from the influence of the climate, from the 
difference of food, and of the mode of living, from epidemical distempers, as 
also from the intermixture, varied ad infinitum, of individuals more or less 
resembling each other. 
Of AccIDENTAL VARIETIES IN THE HUMAN SPECIES. Besides those great 
varieties proceeding from general causes, which have just been noticed, 
says Buffon, and which serve as marks of distinction to the nations of the 
earth, there are others, which affect only individuals, which appear casual 
and often unfortunate deviations from the general standard. The Blafards, 
Or WHITE NEGROES, (if this expression may be admitted,) are among the first 
of these extraordinary deviations which attract our attention. They are 
found occasionally in all parts of the East Indies, at Madagascar, in Africa, 
at Carthagena, and most parts of South America. They are a weak, imbe- 
cile class of human beings, and are in general barren. The negresses at 
Carthagena and Panama, more frequently than any others, are known to 
produce Blafards ; and it is to be observed, that the climate there 1s more 
debilitating to the human frame. ‘“ Those of Darien,” says a modern travel- 
ler, “have so marked a resemblance to the white negroes of Africa, that we 
cannot but assign them the same origin. Their color is dead white, like 
that of paper or muslin, and without the least appearance of red on any 
part of the surface of the body. They are born white, and their skin never 
darkens. In Africa their hair is white and woolly, like that of the genuine 
negroes ; and in Asia it is long, and as white as snow, dr reddish inclining 
to yellow. Their eyebrows and eyelashes resemble the skin of the eider- 
duck, or rather the soft down which is about the throat of a swan, The iris 
is sometimes of a pale blue, and sometimes of a lively yellow inclining to 
reddish. They are in general remarkably feeble and low of stature.” A 
white negress, of the name of Genevieve, was born of black parents in the 
island of Dominica, in the year 1759. Her father and mother were brought 
from the Gold Coast in Africa, and were perfectly black. Genevieve was 
white in every part of her body. She was about four feet eleven inches 
high, and her body was well proportioned. Every feature was completely 
correspondent to those of the negroes. The lips and the mouth, however, 
though perfectly formed like those of other negroes, had a singular appear- 
ance for want of color; they were as white as the rest of her skin, with no 
appearance of red. Her skin in general was of a tallow color; when she 
