84 SHELLUH PEOPLE. ch. iv. 



Well pleased with our first glance at the South Marocco 

 flora, we returned to our comfortable quarters, and spent 

 a pleasant evening in discussing our future movements, 

 and in drawing upon our host's ample stores of information 

 respecting the country and its inhabitants. 



We were now for the first time brought into contact 

 with the primitive stock of this part of Africa, one main 

 branch of the Bereber race, which is distinguished by 

 speaking some dialect of the Shelluh (Shleuh) language.' 

 The affinity of this people with the Berebers of the Lesser 

 Atlas — including under that name the Kabyles of Algeria, 

 with the Kiff tribes of North-west Marocco — has been 

 denied, but does not appear to be open to reasonable 

 doubt. The type is physically the same, excepting among 

 some of the tribes south of the Great Atlas, where the 

 intermixture of Negro blood has introduced new and very 

 diverse elements. The languages now spoken among these 

 tribes doubtless exhibit marked differences, especially to 

 the ear of a foreigner. Jackson long ago denied the 

 relationship between the Shelluh and the Bereber, while 

 Washington, in the paper already quoted, came to a con- 

 trary conclusion. It may now be considered as beyond 

 question that the differences between the Shelluh and the 

 Kabyle are merely dialectic.^ The value of linguistic 

 evidence in ethnological inquiries has of late been ques- 

 tioned by eminent critics, and it must be conceded that 

 such evidence, when it merely rests on lexicographical 

 coincidences, is of less value than when it is derived from 

 grammatical structure ; yet, after all deductions, the facts 

 remain to be accounted for, and, in the absence of proof 

 to the contrary, it goes far towards proving community of 

 origin. It must be remembered, that unlettered races are 

 subject to far greater and more rapid changes of dialect 



' The usage of preceding English writers is hereafter followed by 

 writing the name, Shelhih ; hut to our ears the native pronunciation is 

 more accurately given by the spelling Shleuh or Shloo. 



" See Appendix H. 



