Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-05
GIANTS AND DWARFS.
DO NATIONS EXIST THAT COME UN-
DER THE ABOVE HEADS!
An Interesting Question-Accounts Of
Traveilers--CeisbratedG Giants and Pyg-
mies-InteIlectua Attachments
fChambers's Journal

tropical deserts OF Libya and ASIA
Minor. HerOdotus also speaks OF a race
Of little men Of inky-black complexion
who inhabited a large city on ariver which
flowed from west 90 east OF Llbya, and
swarmed with horrible crOcOdlies. Ctesias
another Greek traveller. a contemporary Of
Xenophon. states that he saw in Central
India race Of Pygniees only TWO ieet IN
stature. They inhabited a province On
which the animals were proportiouately
small, the sheep being no larger than now
| born lambs. and the horse. cattle, asses,
and mules no larger than ram. Aristotle
mentions likewise nation Of dwarts,
and places them in Central Africa
whereas Pliny gives Thracc a. their Origi-
nal cradle. Ptolemy IN his History
talks of little people" called the
Pechinians. whom he describes o. iuhabit-
ing large portion of the eastern frontiers
of Ethiopia. In later times an English
sailor, Andrew Battel. who was taken prl-
sOner by the Portuguese in 1888 and car
ried into Congo. relates in his book called
"Strance Adventures that he met with q
nation OF dwarf- called the Matimbas.
A Dutch traveller. Oliver Dapper. also de-
scribcs little nation Of elephant-huntcrs
called the MimOs or Bskte-Bakkes, whom
he found in 1896 inhabitng district near
the Congo river called the Kingdom OF
MacOcO.
Ono Of the latest travellers who make
mention of a dwarf nation Is NJ. du
Chaillu, who in 1860 speaks Of a strange
people. Of Wild and timid habits, whom bee
found inhabltlng q large tract Of land ~
the country Of Ashango; they were sty led
OvongOs by their neighbors the Ashoun-
gas. but they neither Intermarred with
nor cultivated the ground Of the nation
amongst whom they lived. Inc Ovougos
were negroes Of hideous aspect and yellow
complexion. and measured about four feet
five inches in height.
As regards giants. primitive traditions
are as full Of accounts of men of enormous
stature ~ they are Of dwarts. The poets
and historians Of antiquity aver that the
human race aid not begin 10 deteriOrate
till the time Of Homer: sculptures exist.
and are now preserved ia the British Nh
scum. Of the fricZe " the temple of Athena
POllas, az Priene-One of the twelve lOWau
cities of Asia Minor representing COM
bat between men and giants, ana similar
ones are to bc seen in the temple
of Selaonte, Argos, Agrgente, Athens,
and Pergamus PlluE .aNS that on
the occasion Of q terrible earthquake lu
Italy % assure opened. revealing the skclc-
ton of = man imhedded upright ~ the
earth measuring about tWcuty-siX feet ia
height PlutATch goes fOrther; he de-
clarcs that a skeleton was found 10y Serto-
rious at Tangier. IN Mauritania. measuring
about forty feet; and PhlegOn. OF LYDIA, nm
his Treatise on Wonders" says that there
were discovered in the Zimmerman Doepo-
rus aud in Africa a vast number 81 skcl--
tons averaging between twelve ana hlieeh
feet IN stature.
The traveller Magellan rccounts i'm hls
Gravel written Ia 1920, that IN latitude
thirty-fCur degrees, near the mouth az the
Plata river he met with gigantic tribe of
Patagorians. lie says that he measured
many of them and that they exceeded seven
and often niuefeet in height. But whether
Il is that the race is dcgencratlng, or that
Magellan exaggerated his measurements Dr.
is certain that they do not a. the present
1av exceed seven feet, and ihclr normal
height is about six and p half feet. the WOE
men being quite A. tail and as powerfully
proportional a. the mon.
At all times and M ull countries kings ami
mobiles had fancy for Including amongst
their rctaincrs either giant or 70 dwarf,
sometimes both. Frederick the Great had
his corps of gigantic sxcnadlers; and do tnc
Tower Of London may Dee seen lauo. ami
some enormous armur OF -iNtccuth-cchtufN
work which doubtless belonged 90 some
g an knight or trooper of the King. body
oua A. James !. had attached 90 his person
p por,er named Walter Parsons, commonly
called the Staford-hire giant "a handsome,
brave. and strong young man. VINO had be-
GUN life a. "A farrier Ills hclght was seven
feet seven inches. and his portrait exists
engraved hv Glover. Parsons hyci OBJ into
the reign Of Charles J., and was succeeded
iu his Office by another giant, William
Evans. who was two inches taller than his
predecessor.
Cromwell also had valet named Daniel,
who WAS seven feet six inches IN height.
but of weak intellect. Hc unfortunately
ended his DAYS IN Bedlam. having become
possessed with the idea that he had been
sent on the earth TO prophesy coming
events. Contemporary WCh Daniel tved
ANTHONY PAYNE, u handsome aud clever
vouuc farmer in Cornwall. q tenant of sir
BeviIe Granville ~ Stove. tic was as re-
markablp for his Wit as for his strength
and stature, which exceeded seven feet
This county has always been as famous for
its bug men as Is Yorkshire, and 10 THIS dav
the proveTb exists, AS long as Tony
pavuc's foot After career 0f many
yicissitudcs and long military service pa
the stuart cause. Anthony Payne died at
a GOOD old age. and was buried in "a vault
in StrattOn church.
In 1886 and i'm the earlier part of thc same
century two gigantic negroes were shown
about London They were sand to Dc thr
sons of kings of two African tribes and
were captured by slayers. who brought
them 10 tins country. The first was Gioio.
son of the King of the Moangl tribe. The
other was known rs The Black Prince,
and became converted TO Christianity and
was admitted IS "a member of the house
hold of the family of Clifton, living at
Clifton. near Nottingham. lie was chr
tened Joseph. and "a mark may STILL
we believe. be seen in Clifton church
ward which gives his height as seven
feet. Giants are usually not gifted
with any more beauty Than th,ir
nppOsites in creation, and are generally
more remarkable for their awEwardncss
and stupid ,tolid looks than for any uatu-
raj grace or intellectual bulhancy. There
was, however, an exception 10 this general
rule in the person OF NaXimilian Christie
pher Muller. "a German giant, who travelled
about in France and England IN the rclgua
of LOUIS XIV. and George II. lie Was e
man of splendid build aud noble proper
tions. with handsome and striking coun-
tenance. and measured exactly seven feet
eight inches in height. His hand WAS
twelve inches long from the wrist 20 the
tip Of the middle finger. lie died ia Lon
don in 1884, aged sixty. not long after
Hogarth had introduced his portrait INTO
his famous picture Of Southwark FAR.
1t is a curious fact that the population
Of France has rarely produced giant;
Great Britain, Germany, Poland, and swift
zerlaud carry Cd the palm, and this may
perhaps be attributable 10 the prevalence
IN France of a vegetarian diet, which does
not tend 10 develop TO so great an extent
The growth Of muscle as does the stronger
diet of meat.
The eighteenth century, TO judge by con-
temporary letters and newspapers. seems
10 have been more than usually prolific IN
giants and giantcsses. Horace Malpoie
mentions a giant and giantess who were on
view respectively at Spring Gardens ana at
HalfmOon Court, Ludgate Hill. They We're
both. it seems, handsome and well-prO-
portioned persons and without the usual
awkward ungainliness of their kind.
AT this time also appeared yoaug
Italian giantess seven feet IN height,
who was the admiration" said the
handbills, "of the Emperor OF Ger
many, of eight kings Of Europe, and OF
the Grand Gar of Moscow himself Hcr
appearance seems 10 have been followed
in l742 by that of Caianus, the famous
Swedish giant, commonly called the
living Colossus who came over to Eng
land and established himself at a house
opposite the Mansion House. He was the
son of a pastor Of a little village ia Fin
land. and stood eight feet four inches IN
= 1 fsal Nv