18 NORTH-EAST AFRICA. 



the Mauritanian population, Arabs only in speech, traditions of conquest, religion 

 and some doubtful genealogies. 



In the Nile basin great mixture has also taken place, but in this intermingling 

 the European and Turkish elements are but slightly represented, whereas the 

 Arabs and other Semites have had a preponderating influence in the formation of 

 many communities in North-east Africa. Historians have often attempted to draw 

 an absolute line between the Egyptians and the Nilotic peoples above the cataracts. 

 They considered that the inhabitants of the three Egyptian provinces should be 

 grouped either with the Semites or Aryans, or else regarded as a distinct race. 

 The Retu (Rotu), that is, the ancient inhabitants of the Lower Nile, have thus 

 been afiiliated to a so-called " Proto-Semite " stock, whence the Arabs also were 

 supposed to be descended. Although arguments based on the element of speech 

 have but a relative value, it is generally admitted that the " Hamitic " linguistic 

 family, comprising Old Egyptian, Galla, and Berber, presents in its structure a 

 remote afl&nity to the Semitic idioms. But Old Egyptian and its modern repre- 

 sentative, the Coptic, is much more clearly related to the Berber dialects. The 

 E-etu type itself, surviving in that of the modern Fellahin in spite of countless 

 crossings and modifications, is by no means Semitic. Nor is it akin to that of the 

 Negroes of the interior. Doubtless many Egyptians, as has been remarked by 

 Champollion the younger, resemble the Barabra of Nubia, who themselves differ 

 little from the Beja. Travellers ascending the Nile assure us that the type of the 

 northern Fellahin merges by insensible transitions in that of the southern popula- 

 tions. But this phenomenon is the inevitable result of racial interminglings. The 

 original type has been modified in a thousand ways by crossings, migrations, 

 conquests, the introduction of slaves, diet, and other social conditions. Thus have 

 been developed numerous mixed races, and the most varied contrasts in figure, 

 colour, habits, speech and political institutions between neighbouring populations. 



In the region of the great lakes and of the western affluents of the Upper Nile, 

 the Negro nations, properly so-called, are represented by the Fung, the Shilluks, 

 the Bari, Denka, and other dark communities. But the majority of these Negroes 

 are far from being characterised by the black and shining skin, the pouting lips, 

 the projecting jaws, flat features, broad nose, and woolly hair which are usually 

 supposed to be characteristic of all Africans. Even the Monbuttu, a nation 

 dwelling to the south of the Niam-niam, between the Congo and Upper Nile basins, 

 are distinguished by an almost light complexion, a tolerably full beard, a straight 

 or aquiline Dose, and amongst them are frequently met persons with hair of 

 an ashy blonde colour. Schweinfurth estimates these " fair negroes " at over 

 a twentieth of the whole Monbuttu nation. Possibly their carnivorous diet, 

 comprising even human flesh, may contribute to some extent to give a relatively 

 light complexion to these aborigines. At least the observations of M. Antoine 

 d' Abbadie on the Ethiopian tribes, observations confirmed by several other travellers, 

 tend to show that flesh-eating peoples, even those of hot lowlands, have a much 

 fairer complexion than those living on a vegetarian diet, even when the latter 

 dwell at a higher elevation on lofty plateaux and mountain slopes. The Negroes 



