New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-11-10
THE T r I Blu n E.
Nexy.York Historical Society.

Neyy.York Historical Society.
This Society met at its rooms in the Univer-
sity on Tuesday evening Several very old maps
of Nova Belga, wrought entirely with the pen
were presented The names Of Long Island and
the different sections around New-York, were
mostly the old Indian names. a bret OF the
claim of New.Jersey, together with the report
made by the Commissioners appointed by the
Crown to decide between the boundaries of New
jersey and New Y ork, was presented in the name
of Judge Jay Afterward DR.. Bacon read ar
Biographical sketch of part of West Africa
which was listened to with great interest. lie
said that Africa was susceptible of two great
Biographical divisions. That part extending
from the Mediterranean south to the 18th degree
of north latitude, was occupied by races entirely
different from those in the southern part. The
true abongines of northern Africa, were the
Berber race, from which Barbary derives it:
name.
The Senegal, he stated also, formed the boun
Diary line between the Negro African and the
northern African-that north of that boundary
the Negro was as much of an exotic as in Amer
lca.--the inhabitants Of that region being aohite
with straight hair or very slightly crisped. The
Arabs and Moors are apparently recent intruders.
This fact showed that we applied the term +" At
rcan'' wrongfully-meaning by it always the
Negro.
The Arabs and Moors are confined to the
~, {lo fbo
Atlantic extending to the Senegal. This name,
(Senegal,) he remarked by the way, TO be cor
ruption of the work g Zenhagas" "a name by
which the tribes called themselves and an Ara
bic word sgnifying tributaries, as they were for
merly tributary to the Sultan. He stated the
singular fact, that these two races living on the
line Of extreme heat, still retained their peculiar
compilations. Thus we have two races inhablting
for 1000 years and upward the same zone; ex-
posed to the same modifying influences; and yet
one remaining white and the other black. This
would seem to initiate against the doctrine that
climate changes the color. At least, if 1900
years bring no approximation in the two races,
the 1900 years since the flood could hardly have
wrought the differences that meet our eye on the
surface of the earth.
He spoke of the Joloi1s, very black tribe,
inhabiting the south bank Of the Senegal and
extending far inland. They are Mohamedans
and he stated as a singular fact that the Negro
Africans had received their religion, not by con-
quest, but by the peaceful influence of missiona-
nes The Mandingoes, still farther south and
more inland, lie found to be not a maratime
people in their occupations, but merchants,
herdsmen, mechanics, gold-fnders, school-mas-
tiers, missionaries, sc. They are constantly ex-
tending their territory by going among the negro
tribes as graziers, learning them the Arabic, and
through it converting them to Mohammedanisin,
and finally amalgamating with them by marriage.
They are great travellers, going often 500 miles
on foot, and thinking it a small matter. They
bring nuts and gold to the coast as articles of
merchandise The gold is not washed from the
dust as by the tribes farther south, but is mined
and brought in richly wrought rings, bracelets,
&C., some of them weighing several ounces
He spoke of several other tribes we cannot now
notice, and came at last to that most interesting
cans, though not so gross as the negroes gene
rally, while their hair was much more silky.
This tribe, with several other African tribes, fol-
low the Culinary system of numerals, instead Of
decimals,i e. they begin at fire to go back TO one
instead ften; so that FIVE one make SIX and five
two seven, &c. He said he had had many long
and interesting conversations with them, and
they alone, of all the African tribes, manifested q
CURIOSITY in the description and condition of other
nations. They are devout Mohamedans, yet
very tolerant of other religions. But just as Dr.
Bacon had got his audience deeply interested III
his delineations of this tribe he abruptly closed
saying his pressing engagements had prevented
his finishing the sketch. By unanimous vote
of the Society he was requested to finish it at an
other time. We understand the whole will be
published, as it most certainly ought to be, fol
the benefit of those who do not hear it
The Historical Society is destined to be o
great service to the State, by the invaluable col
iectlons it is making, which would otherwise
soon be irretrievably lost. 1t is now making eff
forts to get atthe manuscripts Of Clinton, which
wln be an invaluable accession. 1t is assuming
greater vitality than it has hitherto possessed
ana II IS destined, we doubt not, to be the obiec
OF greatest interest the city will hereafter presen
to the intelligent traveller and the foreign scholar
u John Reese, Esq. of this city has beer
lecturing to large audience at Boston on Amer;
can Poetry.
u The Charleston Mercury states that tn
schooner Col Y. Shepherd, Cooper, from that port to s
yana, encountered tremendous which damaged h.