INHABITANTS. 



177 



The result however is a very fine race of men : 

 they retain the sleek glossy skin, the dark tint of 

 the negro, and his thick lip ; along with which 

 we riow see the smaller form, the higher forehead, 

 prominent cheek-bone, the smaller eye, and the 

 straight hair of the Mexicans ; together with ma- 

 ny other mingled traits which a closer observa- 

 tion would be able to discriminate, but which a 

 stranger is merely conscious of seeing without his 

 being able to define exactly in what the peculiari- 

 ties consist. It may be remarked, that, in the 

 Spanish Transatlantic possessions, we find a 

 greater variety of intermixtures or crosses of the 

 human species than are met with in Europe, or, 

 perhaps, in any other part of the world. The 

 tribes of Indians in the first place are numerous, 

 and distinct from one another; the Spaniards 

 themselves differ in depth of colour, and in figure, 

 according to their several provinces ; and, lastly, 

 the African differs from that of the whole. Hum- 

 boldt, in his usual distinct and satisfactory man- 

 ner, (New Spain, Book II. Chap. VI.) has classed 

 the various shades of colour resulting from the ad- 

 mixture of these different people. 



VOL. II, M 



