in.] UNITY OF OUR RACE. 85 



able, but variable. The negro races are not separated from 

 others by one uniform line of demarcation. They have cha- 

 racteristics in common with all others ; multitudes of negroes 

 are like Europeans, or Asiatics, in all respects except hair, 

 colour, form, or some other difference. Hence the negroes do 

 not stand alone as a distinct species, for one so distinct cannot 

 pass into another equally so by insensible degrees. Varieties 

 are more of the individual than of the race. 



Dr Pritchard shews that physical deviations have already 

 taken place 



1. Among the Arabs who emigrated into Africa twelve 

 centuries ago. 



2. In the colour especially, of the Lybian or Atlantic race. 



3. In the fact that other varieties of mankind have been 

 transmuted into negroes : such as the Barabra of the Nile : 

 some black Jews in Congo, and the Albinoes, or white negroes. 



4. In the Kafirs and negroes differing much in many re- 

 spects 1 . 



The affinities in language everywhere observable, afford 

 another strong argument for this unity of the human race. 



Having seen that the Africans are really " bone of our 

 bone, and flesh of our flesh ;" the way is hence cleared for the 

 argument that we are bound, as brothers, to act for their tem- 

 poral and spiritual good. 



The equator seems to be the chief boundary- 

 people divided line of this continent in many respects. Two of 

 into four great these divisions of mankind are to the north of 

 this line, and two to the south. Those to the 

 north are commonly spoken of as Mahommedans and Negroes ; 

 and those to the south as Kafirs and Negroes. "We confine 

 our attention to the last two. 



Dr Pritchard says that the distinguishing peculiarities of 

 the African nations may be summed up under four heads, viz. 



1 Researches into the Physical History of Mankind, Vol. n. p. 342 — 



343- 



14—2 



