1848.] Miscellaneous. 581 



Extract of a letter from Dr. Prichard, 



dated, London, August Wth, 1848. 



" I am much interested in your researches, and as you requested, 

 I went on the first favourable opportunity to the British Museum and 

 carefully examined your skulls ; I enclose the description of them. The 

 impression I derived for the examination is that the Tibetans have the 

 heads of the Chinese, Tartar or Mongolian type, but that the type is 

 not quite constant among them — some of the Bhotia* skulls have very 

 little characteristic difference from Europeans. I suppose No. 8, may 

 be considered as typical, and the rest as deviating from it. No. 8 is a 

 strongly marked Tartar or Turanian head. 



The Newarsf appear to have this type very much softened down, in 

 every particular approximating to the European type. I take No. 4 to 

 be typical of the Newars. It is the most unlike an European, and the 

 most like the Bhotia No. 8, but in every respect less barbarian and less 

 like a Mongol. 



The collection is a very valuable one." 



Skull marked No. 8, ticketed as that of a Hillman, probably a Cachdr 

 Bhotia, procured at Symbhundth. 



Description. — Skull large, apparently that of a tall and large man, 

 not particularly heavy. Vertex high. — General aspect like that of a 

 Chinese skull. 



Front view. — Face broad and flat, particularly in the plane of the 

 cheek bones. Zygomatic arches large and prominent forwards and out- 

 wards. Outer corner not rounded off as in the skulls of Esquimaux, 

 b ut angular. Nasal bones flat — hence the breadth and flatness of the 

 face. 



Mouth rather prominent, the upper jaw being prognathous, and the 

 lower jaw large. Supra-orbital ridges rather strongly marked. The 

 outer part of the upper orbital edge, above outer angle of the eye, 

 thick and prominent. 



* Bhotia is equivalent to Tibetan ; Bhot being the Hindu, and Tibet the Moslem, 

 name of the country. My skulls belonged mostly to Cisnivean or Kachar Bhotias. 

 t The Newars are the people of Nepal proper, or the great Valley.— B. H. H. 



4 g 2 



