is perfectly black, their hair is long, fine, and glossy, like
that of other Indians, and their countenances are not deformed
in the nose • and lips like. those of the, Negroes of, Guipea.
These people, whether in a state of slavery or freedom,, are
tolerably civilised in their manners. There is another race of
Negroes : termed A'igta, who wander, about dispersed among
the mountains : these have ©omewhat of the deformity of
features, and they have crisped hair, like that of the natives
of Guinea. Of these NegEoes some are found in the Isle of
Luzon, and they are very numerous in the Isla de los ^tgros,
of which they suppose, themselves to be the > original, inhabitants.
The said race of Negroes seems to bear upon
themselves the malediction of Heaven, for. they liv^ in the
woods and mountains like beasts in ^separate families,, and
wander about supporting themselves .by the. fruits, which the
earth spontaneously offers to them. It has not come. to . my
knowledge that a family of these Negroes ever .took- up. their
abode in a village, i • If the Mohammedan inhabitants - ever
make slaves of them, they will rather-submit to be-beaten to
death than undergo any .bodily fatigue ; and .it is impossible
either by force or persuasion to bring-them; Jfco -labourv |1 | | h|
far from the mission at Bhynnan, in the-.Island ;DejloSiNegrps,
there was a horde of Negro families who .had traffic with
some barbarous Indian people, and were by tbesej given to
understand that I counselled them to receive baptism in
order that the government might force them to pay- thg
tribute; in consequence of this I could neverrreclajmpne of
them, and I believe that very few Negroes have been .converted,
for I only found the name of one in a register containing
the baptisms of two hundred'years. I ever maintained
with these Negroes a gentle and friendly intercourse, hoping
that the grace of the Lord might fructify in their hearts ; and
I began to discover that they trusted me and obeyed me in
many particularsv” He adds, “ that their language was the
Boholan, and that they were supposed to descend from
African Negroes,” a conjecture of a s . little weight as that
which derives the other race of straight-haired black people
from the Malabars. The same writer was informed, that in
the interior of the island were Negroes with perfectly red
eyes, who were cannibals; but lie never saw any one of
them.
A very interesting account has lately been given by Captain
Gabriel Lafond (of Lavey) of a tribe of these Negroes inhabiting
the island of Lassiy where they are found in places of
difficult access. One of their mountain villages* was visited
by M.-Lafond, who represents the inhabitants as living in the
rudest manner. This writer agrees> with Le dentil in describing'
them' aö* nearly naked’ savages; with flab noses and
hair like'wool- or cotton.1 'They precisely resemble the Negroes
of the Isle of Luzon. Theywere'dean/of light and active
form; their stature was remarkably small, being little above
four feet and nearer to four thanoliur and adiahv In this
extreme’ sinallnesè' of stature the Iriagtds orilgofeto- ■ resemble
Some of th e :Samarig^'oPtbe Malayan^ mountains, who are
described % Grawford as a very diminutive race.' M . Lafond
admits that in other places1 their stature is greater.
It is very remarkable- that *M. Lafönd,; as well as all. the
missionaries ;w'ho have' been acquainted with these Negro tribes
of the Philippines; agrees in the'"Statemen£t; that they speak
directs‘of the Tagala and Bisaya languages.' These are the
principal1 idioms of the Philippine Islands; and are known to
be^dialects of the-Malayan language^- The Abbate Torres
says/- « La lingUav dell’ Isdla; idettanéèfi 'Negri,ëi la . Bisaya
stessa; iö®l miscugMo di moltissimë parole forfestieri'i’f and by r
De la Fuente, who says*, “ La loro lingua è Boholana poiche
in eSsa mi parlavano sebbene adultèrata.”"M
S e c t io n III.—Of the Papuas.
In the former part of this work I havfe stated the observations
of several distinguished French nattfraitets’whohave
described the Papuas of the islands- adjtacenb io- the \coast of
New Guinea. These writers regard the natives of Waigiou,
Boug, Rawak, and Manbuteran/sifcuated between theMoluccas
dnd the eastfern extreffiity- of New Guinea/ and termed « Isles
des Papous,” as a mixed or; as settle term them, a hybrid
race, descended in part from a neople resembling the Malays,