served the full anterior projection of the cheek-bone and the
thick lips, and somewhat puffed features described by Larrey.
There is little hair or beard, hut what there is is crisp in appearance,
and resembles that of Gregorius. Ludolf mentions
the hairofGregóriusas if if/ were the woolly hair of the
Negro, but He probably meant to describe that kind of tortuous
and frizzled hair which is nearly intermediate between
the straight and flowing hair of many Europeans and Asiatics,
and the wool, so termed, of the genuine Negro, and which is
found so frequently among some of the South Sea islanders
and the natives of Madagascar. The portrait, however, represents
something very like wool ; and we are assured by Nathaniel
Pearce, the companion of Mr. Salt, who knew the
Abyssinians well, that some of them have hair almost woolly.
Mr. Salt himself, in describing the Abyssinians whom he first
saw at Massowah, on his journey to Tigré, says that they
were stout, robust people, with short, and almost woolly
ban*.*
The complexion of the Abyssinian varies considerably. Mr.
Pearce thus describes Tecla Georgis,' the negush or emperor
of Habesh, the descendant and representative of the' ancient
imperial race.
He has large éyes, a Roman nose, not much beard, and
a very manly and expressive countenance, though he is a
great coward. He has a dark shining skin, which is very singular,
as his father and mother were very fair for Abyssinians
: his brother- also was very fair, while he, the ÿoungest
son, is as dark as mahogany. The ras, Welleta Selasse, used
to remark, ( Black without and black within.’ ”-f*
- Pearce particularly describes the Abyssinians. He: says
“ they vary much in their colour, some being very black,
with nearly straight hair, others copper-coloured, with hair
not so straight, some much fairer, with almost woolly hair,
and some of the same complexion, but straight-haired.”
* Salt’s Narrative, in Lord Valentia’s Travels, vol. ii, p. 460.
■f It is singular that such an expression should be used among such a people as
the Abyssinians. Abbas Gregorius, on the contrary, reported that the Abyssinians
admire their blackness, and consider it the most beautiful complexion. Ludolf
adds, (< Sunt qui scribunt Dlabolum ab Æthiopibm album pingi.”
Bearse was under^fhe same impression as many other travellers,
who attribute all var$e$iesvtö;Hfiixturé "of breed j and he
says th a t“ in the' towns of Abyssinia-ybu. may find women,
the mothers of five^six, o^mme children, the father of - one
having been an Amhara, of.fanother an Agow, of another a
Tigran, andmf ^ fourth a Galla*” But this-alfepis no expla-
nation^oL-the phenomenon, unless it could be.. shown that
the races .who thus intermixed display, when separately considered,
some remarkable différencés of physical character.
The Agows, the Amhara, and the Tigrans are all similar
races, and we shall find that the Qalla do not; belong to a
different family of mankind. Intermixtures with ;.Shangalla
or real Negroes seem here out of thé question,, since, all travellers
declare that they’are a separate people, and in no d'e^
ggleu intermixed with the Abyssinians. It would.appear-fheri
that the diversities which display themselves are-'in a great
measure simple/variations in the breed, originating among
the Abyssinian, as similar variations; but in somewhat less
degree, are continually springing up in other .countries where
the external agencies of climate, temperature and situation
are more uniform than they are in Abyssinia.
The Abyssins, in a general point of view, are reckoned
among black races. Niebuhr thus classified them, and?evéü
the Arabians so consider them. It is observed by thev editor
of Pearce’s Travels, that in the History of Arabia Felix,
collected from various Arabian authors, by 'Schultèns, there
are several accounts of the conquest of that country by the
Abyssinians, and the epithets applied to them are— __
Blacks, which Schultens translates “ Æthiopes,” and “ People
with crisp hair”—crispâ tortilique comâ. One of their
princes also, suing to the emperor of Persia, entreats him to
drive out “.those crows” who are hateful to his countrymen.
Ludolf says that he was informed by Gregorius,- that the
children of the Abyssins were not born black, but very red ;
and that in a short time they turn black. Burckhardt says,
that the Abyssinian women are the most beautiful of all black
women. The Jesuit Tellez, .says of them, “ As cores ordinaries
sam prêta, baça, azeytonada, he a que ellos mays esti-
mam: outros sayem vermelhos, alguns sam brancos, mas he