217 



and, notwithstanding the very high autho- 

 rity of Sir Joshua, will venture to propose 

 some reasons, why both the form and the co- 

 lour of ; Europeans, may claim a preference 

 to those of the Ethiopians, independently 

 of our being more accustomed to them. 



The most striking difference is the colour; 

 and it seems to me that there are so many 

 obvious arguments in favour of the Euro- 

 pean, that I am surprised the preference 

 should have been attributed to mere habit. 

 Light and colours are the only natural 

 pleasures of vision, all the others being ac- 

 quired : but black is, in some degree, a 

 privation both of light and colour: and it is 

 associated with the more general privations 

 caused by night and darkness, and all the 

 oloomv ideas that result from them. Vari- 

 ety, gradation, and combination of tints, 

 are among the highest pleasures of vision : 

 black is absolute monotony. In the par- 

 ticular instance of the human countenance, 

 and most of all in that of females, the 

 changes which arise from the softer passions 

 and sensations, are above all others delight- 



