SUPPLEMENTAL HISTORY OF MAN. 187 



islands owe their population originally to them, may 

 well be doubted. 



In the southern Asiatic, or East-Indian islands, 

 we have already noticed that there are two very 

 different • races of men ; the first have a strong 

 resemblance to the African Negroes, in the black 

 colour, woolly hair, and general form of the face 

 and skull. Their language, however, is different, 

 and they have a copious beard. They have been 

 considered as the aborigines of those islands, some 

 of which they occupy altogether, but in others 

 are found only in the mountainous and interior 

 regions. They are met with in Sumatra, in Borneo, 

 in the Moluccas and the Philippines. They entirely 

 occupy the Great Andaman Island, which Colonel 

 Symes visited on his voyage to Ava. He describes 

 the natives as very short, with slender limbs, large 

 bellies, high shoulders, and large heads ; with woolly 

 hair, flat noses, and thick lips. They are in a State 

 of the most destitute misery and utter barbarism. 

 Their persons, except in regard to beard, bespeak a 

 descent from central Africa, -but even conjecture 

 can scarcely imagine when or how. 



The rest of the people of these Indian islands are 

 of a lighter colour, have the face more oval, the hair 

 long, and superior figures. In their organization, 

 language, and manners, they approximate to the 

 natives of Malacca. They usually occupy the sea- 

 coasts of these islands, but some of the smaller ones 

 are entirely inhabited by them. But we shall con- 

 clude our treatise by noticing some of these remote 

 people more particularly. 



