They are said to be the gayest of the oriental nations; good-natured and
polite, hut extravagantly fond of etiquette. So versatile are their feelings and
actions, that they have "been compared to the monkey race, whose attention is
perpetually changing from one object to another. Hence while they are more
active and warlike than the Chinese, they want the industry and perseverance of
that nation.* Their language is a dialect of the Chinese, though considerably
altered, and their written characters are the same.
The Laos, or Chaus, to the north of Siam, are wretchedly poor, dirty in
their habits, sportful in their temper, careless in their actions, and great lovers of
music and dancing. Their language is soft and melodious, and very similar to
that of the Siamese.
The Kamehs, or inhabitants of Cambogia, to the southeast of Siam, are of
higher antiquity and more literary character than any of the surrounding states.
They must be a very imaginative people; for Mr. Gutzlaff states that nearly all
their books, with the exception of their national laws and history, are in poetry.
They are, nevertheless, a coarse people, cringing or insolent according to circum-
stances.f
The natives of the Nicobar islands appear to he of Indo-Chinese extraction.
Their color is a deep copper, and they have thick lips and wide mouths. I t is
asserted that they compress the heads of newly born infants in such manner as
to flatten the occiput and cause the teeth to project outwards. They live in a
very uncivilised state, compel their women to cultivate the ground, and have
hitherto resisted all measures for the melioration of their condition.t
12. THE POLAR FAMILY.
This singular race is exclusively seen on the northern skirts of the continents
of Europe, Asia, and America. They are of short stature, of clumsy proportions,
with large heads and short necks. They have the flat faces and small noses of
the Mongol-Tartars, with some obliquity in the position of the eyes. Their color
is brown, lighter or darker, but often disguised by accumulated filth.
The concurrent testimony of all voyagers shows these people to he, both in
• F islatson, Siam and. Cochin-China, p. 299.—RvscHEKBEnuEn, Voy. p. 3S4.—Bahkow,
Cochin-China, p. 308.
t Gutzlaff, Three Voy. to the Coasts of China, p. 47.
J Tucket, Mar. Geog. I ll, p. 328.
appearance and manner, among the most repulsive of the hiiman species: yet they
possess considerable differences, which will be best considered geographically.
At the northwestern extremity of Europe are(the Laplanders, who, by pretty
general consent, have been enumerated with the Polar family, although their
dialect is more closely allied to the Finnish than to any other. They have the
flat face and diminutive stature of the Samoyedes; but their hair is brown, their
cheeks hollow and their eyes gray. Their complexion varies from yellowish to
dark brown. “ Their manner of life renders them hardy, agile and supple, but at
the same time much inclined to laziness. They have plain common sense, are
peaceable, and obedient to their superiors.”* In their dealings, however, they are
described as mistrustful and given to cheating.
The Ostiaks present a remarkable example of a nation composed of three
great communities, each of which differs in customs and language from the others:
of these the northern horde is of Samoyede extraction, while the southern is allied
to the Finns. They are of the middle stature, with a pale, yellowish complexion,
harsh, dark hair, together with the ordinary exterior of the Polar race. They are
of the phlegmatic temperament, timid, indolent and uncleanly in their habits, yet
of docile disposition, and possessed of much natural kindness. In common with
most of the cognate tribes, they have reduced their women to the condition of
slaves, f
The Samoyedes call themselves Chosma, which merely means men. They
inhabit the frozen margin of Asia from the 65th degree of north latitude to the
sea shore, and extend also into Europe. These people are seldom more than five
feet high. “They seem all of a heap; have short legs, small neck,-a large head, flat
nose and face, with the lower part of the face projecting outwards: they have large
mouths and earn, little black eyes, but wide eyelids, small lips and little feet.”J
The women reach maturity early, and are often mothers at twelve years of age.
They are more savage than the Ostiaks, and extremely indifferent on all these
subjects that excite the feelings of other people.
The Tungusians rove the deserts which extend from the Yenisei eastward to
the ocean. Their features resemble those of the other families of this race; but
their complexion is fresh, and their women are said to be of agreeable appearance
and manner. The men have a hoarse voice, and possess sight and healing in
perfection, with a singular obtuseness of the organs of touch and smell.^ They
* Tooke, Russia, I, p. 5. t Tooie, Russia, &c., I, p. 178.—Palias, Voy. IV, p. 52.
t Ibid. III, p. 13. § Ibid. I l l , p. 77.