SHANKALLI AND DANKALLI. 15 



find that the Arabs and Indians, also influenced by 

 external appearance, call them Seedee, and their 

 country Soudan, from the word asward, which sig- 

 nifies black. The Romans, in like manner, gave 

 them the name of Nigritse; and we ourselves call them 

 Blacks. Two nations of Calla or blacks, very different 

 in physical character and social condition from each 

 other, are now found in the country of ancient 

 Ethiopia ; the Shankalli, or the true negro, and the 

 Dankalli, who belong decidedly to the Circassian 

 variety of mankind, possessing round skulls, high full 

 foreheads ; the position of the eyes rectilinear ; the 

 nose, mouth, and form of countenance being in every 

 respect concordant with the characters assigned to 

 that type of the human race, excepting their colour, 

 which was a dark brown, or sometimes quite black. 

 Their hair, which is much frizzled and worn very 

 full, is a savage caricature of a barrister's wig. I 

 could perceive no other difference in features or in 

 the form of the head between ourselves and several 

 individuals of this people ; indeed, there was often 

 such a striking resemblance between them and 

 some of my European acquaintances, that it was 

 not unusual for me to distinguish them by bestowing 

 the names of some of my far distant friends upon 

 their Dankalli counterparts. 



Respecting the numerous savage tribes, known 

 in Europe under the general term Galla, I will not 

 anticipate the results of my subsequent journey, 

 which afforded me better opportunity of forming an 



