TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 147 
and Scotch emigrants, employed in the civil and military service or on the plan- 
tations. The Asiatics of Ceylon are the Veddahs, the Singalese, the Tamils, the 
Moors, and the Malays. The Veddahs are hunters, and are supposed to be the 
aborigines of the island. The Tamils of Ceylon belong to the same race as the 
Tamils of Southern India, and consist either of those who have been on the island 
for centuries or who are recent emigrants. They are to be chiefly found in the 
north-east portion of the island, and their two great capitals are Jaffna and Trin- 
comala. Their main occupation is agricultural. The coolies are the labourers of 
the island. They cross over in large numbers from the continent during the coffee- 
season. The Singalese are the inhabitants proper of Ceylon, and range themselves 
under the heads of Kandians, low-country Singalese, and Rhodiahs. The Kan- 
dians are the inhabitants of the hill-country, and are a hardy robust race, never 
till recently intermingling with their low-country brethren. Their language is 
made up of three component parts — Elu (a Singalese pure), the Pali, and the 
Sanskrit. They possess an extensive literature, and their religion is Bhuddism. 
The low-country Ningalese are either Buddhists, Roman Catholics, or Protestants. 
The influence of Roman Catholicism is very great, and the people are divided into 
classes after their occupations. The Malay population of the island is small, and 
the inhabitants form the Ceylon Rifle Regiment. They are faithful soldiers, 
brave and obedient; and in their religion thorough Mahommedans. The Moors 
are the small traders and shopkeepers of the island. 
On the Anatomical Characters of the Skull found by Mr. Duckworth. 
By Wittr1am Turner, V.B., P.RS.E. 
A description of the form and general characters of this cranium was given, one 
of the most interesting features connected with it being its resemblance to the 
much-discussed “ Engis” skull, of which it might almost be considered to be a 
reduced copy. 
On the Varieties of Men im the Malay Archipelago. 
By Atrrep R. Watxace, F.R.GS. 
In the Malay Archipelago are found two very strongly contrasted races—the 
Malays and the Papuans. The former inhabit the great western islands, Su- 
matra, Jaya, Borneo, and Celebes; the latter New Guinea and the adjacent 
small islands. The typical Malays are of a light brown colour, resembling cinna- 
mon or lightly roasted coffee ; they have constantly straight black and rather coarse 
hair, little or no beard, and generally smooth hairless bodies; they are of a low 
stature, rather strongly made, with short thick feet and small delicate hands, 
The face is broad, the eyebrows flat, the nose small, well-formed, with the nostrils 
somewhat exposed ; the lips broad and well cut, the mouth large but not project- 
ing. In character the Malay is impassive, reserved, and bashful. His feelings of 
surprise, admiration, or fear are not readily manifested, and he has little appre- 
ciation of the sublime or beautiful. He is somewhat taciturn, is deliberate when 
he speaks; he but seldom laughs, nor does he openly express his gratitude for a 
favour. He revenges an insult more quickly than an injury. He is honest and 
trustworthy in many matters, but prides himself upon his capacity for lying. His 
intellect is but mediocre ; he is deficient in the energy necessary to acquire now- 
ledge, and his mind seems incapable of following out any more than the simplest 
combinations of ideas. He is quick in acquiring mechanical arts, and therefore 
makes a good servant for simple routine duties. 
The Papuan is, in many respects, the opposite of the Malay. In colour he is a 
deep sooty brown or black; his hair is very peculiar, being harsh, dry, and frizzly, 
growing in little tufts, which in youth are short and compact, but which in adults 
often grow out so as to form a compact frizzly mop, nearly a yard in diameter. He 
is bearded, and his arms, legs, and breast are more or less hairy. The Papuan is 
taller than the Malay, and, perhaps, equal to the average of Europeans ; the face is 
elongate, and the hands and feet rather large ; the forehead is flat, the brows very 
rominent; the nose large, long, and arched, with the nostrils hidden by the over- 
anging tip. The face has thus a Semitic character, which is perceptible even in 
10* 
