Chap. XIX. 
BEAUTY. 
345 
is exaggerated in their pictures for the purpose, as it 
‘‘ it seems, of exhibiting its beauty, as contrasted with 
the eye of the red-haired barbarians.” It is well 
known, as Hue repeatedly remarks, that the Chinese of 
the interior think Europeans hideous with their white 
skins and prominent noses. The nose is far from being 
too prominent, according to our ideas, in the natives of 
Ceylon ; yet the Chinese in the seventh century, ac- 
customed to the flat features of the Mogul races, were 
surprised at the prominent noses of the Cingalese ; and 
Thsang described them as having ^ the beak of a bird, 
with the body of a man.’ ” 
Finlayson, after minutely describing the people of 
Cochin China, says that their rounded heads and faces 
are their chief characteristics ; and. he adds, the 
‘‘ roundness of the whole countenance is more striking 
in the women, who are reckoned beautiful in propor- 
tion as they display this form of face.” The Siamese 
have small noses with divergent nostrils, a wide mouth, 
2;-ather thick lips, a remarkably large face, with very 
high and broad cheek-bones. It is, therefore, not won- 
derful that beauty, according to our notion is a stranger 
to them. Yet they consider their own females to be 
much more beautiful than those of Europe.” 
It is well known that with many Hottentot women 
the posterior part of the body projects in a wonderful 
manner ; they are steatopygous ; and Sir Andrew Smith 
is certain that this peculiarity is greatly admired by the 
men.*"^^ He once saw a woman who was considered a 
Prichard, as taken from Crawfurd and Finlayson, ‘Pliys. Hist, of 
Mankind,’ vol. iv. p. 584, 535. 
Idem illustrissimus viator dixit mihi prsecinctorium vel tabula 
fseminse, quod nobis teterrimum est, quondam permagno sestimari ab 
hominibus in hac gente. Nunc res mutata est, et censet talem con- 
formationem minime optandam est.” 
