SECT. II.] THE SENSES. 143 



is communicated by them and a kind of conversation carried 

 on in this manner. 1 This is also done on the Gold coast 2 and 

 in the Bissagos-Archipelago. Royal proclamations are pub- 

 lished in this way. 3 Finally, as regards the sense of touch in 

 the Negro, Hamilton Smith describes it as very acute. The 

 Fanti-Negroes discriminate different impressions : they use the 4 

 middle finger to weigh gold, and prefer this mode to actual 

 weighing. 4 



We believe we are justified in concluding, from the above 

 instances, that the varied powers of the senses do not rest 

 upon a different endowment of individual races, but depend 

 on the different occasions which call them forth, according to 

 the habitual mode of life of the peoples. In endeavouring to 

 give at the end of this section an account of the results ob- 

 tained by our investigations, we must confess that they are not 

 perfectly satisfactory. The comparison of the Negro with the 

 ape on the one hand, and with the European on the other, has 

 shown that there are certain anatomical differences prevalent 

 among mankind. Though these are neither as numerous 

 and important as has been represented, in order to assign to 

 the Negro an intermediate position between the European and 

 the ape, and though the various peculiarities which distinguish 

 different races cannot be considered as fixed barriers between 

 them, they are still sufficiently great to leave it doubtful whether 

 they lie within or beyond the sphere of changes produced on 

 the physical nature of men in the course of time. In order to 

 decide this question, a further investigation will be necessary, 

 which we reserve for the fourth section. With regard to the 

 physiological comparison between the various races of man- 

 kind, we may state that its results are favourable to the theory 

 of the unity of mankind ; for everywhere have the various 

 differences which we have mentioned proved to be not fixed, 

 but fluctuating, and dependent on changes of external and 

 internal conditions. 



1 Allan and Thomson, ii, p. 307. 



2 Cruikshank, " Achtzehnjjihr. Aufenthalt auf d. Goldk.," p. 283. 



3 Durand, " Voy. au Senegal," an. x, pp. 213. 



4 G. A. Robertson, " Notes on Africa," p. 168, 1819. 



