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112 their oblique insertion into their sockets. The forehead is narrow, and generally wrinkled; while the eyes, and brows suffer a remarkable contraction. It is difficult, indeed, precisely to point out those physical influences on which these several effects respectively depend. Something is probably to be ascribed to eliminate, as almost all people within the torrid zone have the mouth larger, and the lips more protuberant than the nations within the temperate latitudes. Somewhat also, is, perhaps, justly imputed to the state of society, and the habits of living; as it may be observed, I believe, of all the savage tribes of men, where they are no emaciated by want, and their features shrunk by the poverty of their diet, that they are marked by a certain elevation of the cheek, and turgidity of the mouth.* And the distention of the features in one direction naturally tends to produce a correspondent contraction in another, the protuberance of the mouth, and turgidness of the lips, or any great prominence of the cheeks, or dilation of the face, is commonly conjoined with a proportional depression, shortening, [[footnote]] * Some account of this appearance will hereafter be attempted in treating of the effects resulting from different states of society. [[/end footnote]] 113 or sinking of the nose. Seldom, therefore, does this feature rise in tropical climes, or in savage life, to the same elevation which it has in the civilized nations of Europe. Some travellers have endeavoured to persuade us that the depression of the nose amount the Africans, is owning to an artificial operation practised upon their children in infancy. And it is certain, that ever since the days of Hippocrates, several barbarous nations, in order to form their children according to some fantastic model of beauty which they have conceived, have endeavoured, by violent compressions applied to the head, or to some particular parts of the body, to change their natural figure. We are not, however, sufficiently acquainted with the interior of Africa, and the customs of the different tribes inhabiting that continent, to enable us to pronounce any decided opinion concerning the consequences of this, or of other causes, depend upon manners, which have been assigned for these effects by various writers.* [[footnote]] * Marsden in his history of Sumatra, and J.R. Foster, in his acount of the Society Isles in the South Sea, and the authors on whose testimony the report of the lords of the comment of coun- [[/end footnote]] O
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Reopened for Editing 2023-06-05 14:31:14