porting themselves by robbery, or by catching wild animals, as reptiles and insects."

Recent discoveries have shown that the Hottentot race is more widely diffused than was previously supposed, and that it extends in a scattered manner for an unknown distance towards the heart of Africa. According to the testimony of Owen, Morrell, and others, Hottentot tribes occur along the western coast as far as latitude 20° south, and remain, in some instances, still unchanged by contact with Europeans.

CHAPTER XII.

THE ABYSSINIAN RACE.

I HAVE seen but few genuine Abyssinians, and these few have not presented among themselves a very uniform personal appearance. In a general way the race may be said to possess European features in combination with crisped or frizzled hair. The complexion, however, though it is often very light, does not appear ever to become florid.

The race seems to be confined to the table-land of Abyssinia, and to its prolongation in a mountainous tract that extends towards the interior of the continent; but even within these limits there appears to be a large infusion of Ethiopians belonging to the Galla tribes. The Abyssinians, having been converted during the early ages of Christianity, continue to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem; but otherwise, their presence in foreign countries is, for the most part, involuntary.

My first interview with Abyssinians took place at Singapore; where, on entering one of the principal shops, I was greatly surprised to find its three occupants differing in physical race from all the men I had previously met with. The wonder increased on perceiving their superiority in refinement and intelligence over the other Orientals around; and that although so unlike, they did not, on these points, seem to fall below Europeans.

The hair was much alike in all three, and was crisped and

fine, neither coarse enough nor in sufficient quantity to form a resisting mass. The beard of one individual was in pellets, absolutely like the close wool of the Negro; but the prominence of nose, greater even than usually occurs in the WIte race, bore sufficient testimony to his purity of descent. The second individual had the face very much elongated, but the nose was not particularly prominent. The third individual had a straighter beard, which was black and grey in regular stripes, as in another instance already mentioned. complexion was the same in all three, and though very light, was by no means of a sickly hue; and, indeed, these persons might readily have been passed in the street as belonging to the White race.

The

The last-mentioned and principal man was an Arab by education, and perhaps partly by descent. He was acquainted with Southern Arabia and Eastern Africa, and he spoke of Americans residing at Zanzibar; he named also, "Yummen, Melinda, and Lamo," but the place he appeared to be most familiar with, was Mukdusha. He had a large stock of Surat stuffs, cottons, and silks, some of them of rich and costly patterns, such as are worn by the most wealthy among the Arabs.

A fourth individual belonging to the Abyssinian race, was seen at Singapore; a woman, who was called a Koffri, and who was living in a European family. She was unwilling to make her appearance before strangers; but a momentary glance enabled me to distinguish the elongated style of countenance above mentioned, unaccompanied by any perceptible signs of Negro descent.

At Zanzibar, a rough-looking man attracted my attention, on account of the texture of his hair, which, besides being crisped, was coarse and wiry like that of the Feejeeans. A further agreement was observed in the complexion, but the expression of countenance differed totally from both the Feejeean and Ethiopian, the nose being even upturned. This man stated that "he was born in Habsy; but having been brought away while very young, he did not know by what route he had arrived at Zanzibar," whether by the Red Sea, or otherwise.

All the other genuine Abyssinians met with, were seen at Mocha. The first of them was as fair-complexioned as the

Arabs of the middle class, and was even mistaken for one by my Arab interpreter, who, however, on my desiring him to look again, corrected himself, saying "it was different blood." The age of this Abyssinian was about thirty-five years; and he had formerly been a slave, but he had become free. Another individual was darker, and more resembled a mulatto, though an obvious difference was soon discovered in the qualities of the mind; indeed, they both seemed to have a more inquiring disposition than the Arabs, especially as they manifested some desire to be informed about foreign countries. I learned, subsequently, that one of the large ships trading between Mocha and India was owned by Abyssinians.

At Mocha, also, I became acquainted with a young Abyssinian, whose feminine amiability plainly told his history: and who expressed much gratitude for some slight medical assistance. He had been purchased at a high price, and the Arabs stated, that "he was born a Christian, but his master had educated him and had made him Muslim;" a benefit which no one at Mocha thinks of questioning. I was further informed, that eunuchs are exclusively imported from the opposite continent, and that all attempts to perform this operation in Southern Arabia had been attended with a fatal result. All the eunuchs I have ever met with have belonged either to the Abyssinian or to the Ethiopian race; both these races indeed being often combined in the same individual.

The custom of the country precluded me from seeing any of the "red Abyssinian" slave-women, who are so highly prized in Arabia; but I thought I could distinguish in many of the Southern Arabs the marks of this mixed descent.

Among the Somali seen at Mocha, one woman differed strikingly from her companions in her personal appearance, in her light complexion, and in the style of countenance. I supposed at the time that she was an Abyssinian, but I did not learn her history.

I will here insert the opinions of two travellers in Abyssinia, communicated to me orally. Mr. Rochon regarded the Galla as differing physically from the Abyssinians, and spoke of the latter as being "a fine set of people, men absolutely such as ourselves, and capable of doing anything that we can do; except only that they have been secluded from the remainder of the world."