Manchester Memoirs, Vol. lix. (191 5), No. 10. 61 



Egyptian derivation is more definitely and surely demon- 

 strated than in the Canary Islands. 



For the art of embalming was practised there in the 

 truly Egyptian fashion ; and it became a matter of some 

 interest to discover whether or not the Nigerian customs 

 were influenced in any way by the Guanche practices. 



There can be little doubt that the practices on the 

 Ivory Coast, to which reference has just been made, were 

 either inspired by the Guanches or by the same influence 

 which started embalming in the Canary Islands. 



The information we possess in reference to the Canary 

 Islands was collected by Bory de Saint Vincent (" Les 



A 



lies Fortunees," 181 1, p, 54) and has been summarized 

 by many writers, especially Pettigrew, Haigh and Reutter. 



From Miss Haigh's account (26, p. 112) I make the 

 following extracts : — 



" When any person died they preserved the body in 

 this manner ; first, they carried it to a cave and stretched 

 it on a flat stone, opened it and took out the bowels ; 

 then twice a day they washed the porous parts of the 

 body with salt and water ; afterwards they anointed it 

 with a composition of sheep's butter mixed with a powder 

 made from the dust of decayed pine trees, and a sort of 

 brushwood called " Bressos," together with powdered 

 pumice stone, and then dried it in the sun for fifteen 

 days .... 



" When the body was thoroughly dried, and had 

 become very light, it was wrapped in sheep skins or goat 

 skins, girded tight with long leather thongs, and carried 

 to one of the sepulchral grottoes, usually situated in the 

 most inaccessible parts of the island. 



"The bodies were either uptight against the sides of 

 the cavern, or side by side upon a kind of scaffolding 



