; but the pliancy of their limbs renders them very active.
"Give to civilized man all his machines, and he is superior to the savage;
but without these, how inferior is he found on opposition, even more so
than the savage in the first instance." These are the words of Rousseau,
and like many more of his positions must be received with limitation. Were
an unarmed Englishman and an unarmed New Hollander to engage, the latter, I
think, would fall.

Mr. Cook seems inclined to believe the covering of their heads to be wool.
But this is erroneous. It is certainly hair, which when regularly combed
becomes soon nearly as flexible and docile as our own. Their teeth are not
so white and good as those generally found in Indian nations, except in the
children, but the inferiority originates in themselves. They bite sticks,
stones, shells and all other hard substances, indiscriminately with them,
which quickly destroys the enamel and gives them a jagged and uneven
appearance. A high forehead, with prominent overhanging eyebrows, is
their leading characteristic, and when it does not operate to destroy all
openness of countenance gives an air of resolute dignity to the aspect,
which recommends, in spite of a true negro nose, thick lips, and a wide
mouth. The prominent shin bone, so invariably found in the Africans, is
not, however, seen. But in another particular they are more alike. The
rank offensive smell which disgusts so much in the negro, prevails strongly
among them when they are in their native state, but it wears off in those
who have resided with us and have been taught habits of cleanliness. Their
hands and feet are small*, especially the former.

[*I mentioned this, among other circumstances, to colonel Gordon when I
was at the Cape, and he told me that it indicated poverty and inadequacy
of living. He instanced to me the Hottentots and Caffres. The former fare
poorly, and have small hands and feet. The Caffres, their neighbours, live
plenteously and have very large ones. This remark cannot be applied to
civilized nations, where so many factitious causes operate.]

Their eyes are full, black and piercing, but the almost perpetual strain in
which the optic nerve is kept, by looking out for prey, renders their sight
weak at an earlier age than we in general find ours affected. These large
black eyes are universally shaded by the long thick sweepy eyelash, so much
prized in appreciating beauty, that, perhaps hardly any face i