Polynesian., 1856-09-13
The Brain of Negroes.

Camper, Cuyier, White, Mons. St. Vincent, Soc
merring, and some others, by measuring the skulls
of few negroes and their degree of facial angle,
have supposed that they were vastly inferior to the
whites in mental capacity. Later ethnologists have
proved that little dependence can be placed on the
facial angle, even the outside measurement of
the skull, a test of the volume of the brain
That Cuvier and others were somewhat mistaken,
is clearly proved by Professor Tiedman, of Heidel-
berg, who has published paper in 90 The Philo-
sophical Transactions" in which he gives the re-
suits of his measurement of the cavum cranii
which is the hollow portion of the skull contain
ing the brain. He measured the cavum cranii of
Al skulls of various African tribes not Egyptian,
II male and II female Europeans, 20 of the Mon
gol races, q Americo-Indian, 43 Malayan and
Oceanic races, and Egyptian, and has given u5
the result in tables. In these tables the largest
capacity of negro is an IbO of Congo, 81 drs.
and 33 grs. The largest European is Cossack
from the Don, 81 OF. 8 drs. and SC grs. Tiede-'
mans conclusions, drawn from the measurements
and from anatomical examination of the brain, are
as follows:
l. The brain of the negro is, upon the whole
quite as large as that of the European, and other
human races the weight of the brain, its dimen-
siOns, and the capacity of the cavum cranii prove
this fact.
$50. The nerves Of the negro, relatively to the
size Of the brain, are not thicker than those of
Europeans, as SOemerring and his followers have
said.
SO. The outward form of the spinal cord the
medula OblOngata, the eerebellum and cerebrum of
the negro show no important difference from that
of the European.
"4 The negro brain does not resemble that of
an ourang-outang, more than the European brain
except in the more symmetrical distribution of the
gyri and suci. 1t Is not certain whether this
is ALWAYS the case. We cannot, therefore coin
eide with the opinion of many naturalsts, who az
sert that the negro has more resemblance to apes'
than Europeans in reference to the brain and nerv-
GUS system"
Although we may not be convinced that the men
tai capacity of the negro equal to that the Cau
casian by the foregoing from Tiedeman, yet We
think he proves cOnclusiyey that the negro is not
as inferior as many assert.
The late Dr. Morton, of Philadelphia, was an
ethnologst, whose authority few will question. His
collection of skulls is the largest in the world num-
bering $40, and hence he enjoyed advantages which
few ethnologists possess. He differs somewhat
from Tiedeman regarding the negro, and may be
nearer the truth, account of his greater acili-
ties He found the negro brain smaller than the
Caucasian, and larger than the brain of Chinese,
Tndostanees, Felas, (modern Egyptians,) ancient
Egyptians, and the ancient PeruviGns and Mexi-
cans Thus we find the negro, in mental capacity,
superior to the Chinese, ancient Egyptians, and
Hindoos-nations celebrated for their progress in
civilization To those who inquire for the fruits
of negro civilization in the past history of the
world, we refer to the interior Of Africa, where
there NAV exist civilized nations. Indeed, DR..
Barth and other recent travellers inform of ma
,iops in the interior Of Africa who are at least
partly civilized, and the world may yet exist long
enough to permit them to attain high degree of
civilization Indeed, it is but few hundrol wears
since the nations of Europe were in - E. If bar
barism. Time was when a citizen Of ancient Egypt
mght call our ancestors bsrbaric race, and might
tauntngly use the same arguments to prove their
mental inferionty as those now used by some
against the negro.
The ancient Egyptians attained TO such high
degree of civilization, that many modern writer's
on ethnology, wishing to confne all the intelligence
to their race, placed them in the Caucasian group
However, the latest and best writers on the subject,
and Morton, in the last years of life, among the
rest. admit and assert that the ancient Egyptians
were Africans, peculiar to Egypt
History and the ancient records and paintings
of Eqvpt. prove that the differences in race were
the same 5000 years ago as at present. All the
races and different families of men compose one
great brotherhood, having one Supreme Parent, the
Father of all.-Life Illustrated.