elevated than in the natives of Guinea, though somewhat narrow
and conical, and the jaw scarcely more protuberant than
in the European.
If 2, Of the Dondos, or White Negroes of Kongo, and the
adjacent Countries. -
Many writers on the History of Kongo have mentioned
the Dondos, or White People, who are occasionally born in
that country and the adjoining provinces. The earliest ac-
count of these persons is the following, which I copy exactly
as I find it, from Purchas, who has given the relation öf
Andrew Battelh Battell was an Englishman, who was taken
prisoner by the Portuguese, and resided ëightëéh years in
Kongo and the neighbourihg countries.
“ Here are sometimes borne in this coüntrey, white children,
which is very rare among them, for their parents are
Negroes. And when any of them afè'bome, they be presented
unto the king, and are called Dondos. These are as white as
any white man. These are the king’s witchës, and are brought
up in witchcraft, and always wayte on the king. There is no
man that dare meddle with these Dondos. If they^góe to
market, they may take what they list, for all men stand in
awe of them. The king of Loango hath foure of thêm.’?w,f
Dapper gives a more particular account of these white pèo-
ple. He says that they have grey eyes, and red or yellow
hair, and when viewed at a distance resemble Europeans.'
When examined more nearly, he asserts that their colour is
as that of a dead corpse, and their eyes as if they were fixed
in their head. Their sight is weak, and they turn their eyes
like such as squint; but they see strongly at night, especially
at moonshine. It is added they are very strong, but so idle,
that they would rather die than undergo any tiresome labour.
The Portuguese term them Albinoes.
Section VII.—On certain Anatomical Peculiarities of the
Hottentots.
If 5. M. Le Vaillant and other travellers have described a peculiarity
of conformation which they represent as characteristic
of the female HottentoLi Others have denied that any such
thing exists.', A female, of the Bushman tribe, who was long
known in England under the name of the Hottentot Venus,
died in Paris in 18159'and her body was there examined by
M. Cuvier. From a memoirforfthe subj e^t-hy that Celebrated
anatomist, we hav^'obtained more accurate information than
we .before, possessed on this particular^ as welï as in some
other paints-relating to thé-, organization- of the Hottentot
race. The following is a», very brief abstract of M. Ctrviers
memoir.
The author begins by some observations Oit the- habitudes
of thé female who is the subjeci>af;bis dêséription,during life.
He remarks tha&$j^gestore hadfspinet^^&peculiar> whieli
; resembled the movements ©f apes Elle - aWOib surtout une
manière; de faire saillir,, seghlètres tout/®) fait pareille à cè
que nous-avons observé dans l’orang-outatfg, eorUCtèfé
était gaie, sa'mémoire bonne.' Elle dansoit à la-maniérc^db
son paya, e | jonoit avecspsez d’oreille' dê cê petît instrument
Won appelle guimbarde. Les colliers et autres atouTs
vages lui plaisoient beaucoup, mais ce que flattit son goût
plqs que tout le reste,„c’etoit l’èau dé vteî On peut même
attribuer sa mort à un excès de boisson, auquel elle se livra
pendant sa dernière maladie.
“ Sa hauteur étoit de quatre pieds, six portées, sept- ligUèfe.
Sa conformation frappoit d’abord par l’énorme largétar de Ses
hanches,, qui passoit dix-huit pouces, et par la saillie de seS
fesses, qui étoit de plus d’un demi-pied. Du reste elle n’avoit
rien de difforme dans les proportions du- corps et des'membres.
a Ses épaules, son dos, le haut de sa^pOrtrine, avoient dé
la grâce, La saillie de son vëntre nuisit point excessive. Ses
bras un peu grêles, étoient très-bien faits, et sa main charmante.
Son pied étoit fort joli, mais son genou paroissoit
gros et cagneux, ce qu’on a ensuite reconnu être dÉ à une forte
masse de graisse, située sous la peau du «lté internet* M.
Cuvier thinks these characters general in the tribe, since*
they are rattributed to the Houzouanas, by M. Le Vaillant.
“ Ce que notre Boschismanne avoit de plus rebutant, c’était
sa physiognomie ; son visage-tenoit en partie du Nègre, par
la saillie des mâchoires, l’obhquiié cfo dents incisives, la