Untitled - African American History

APPENDIX.
phantly asked if Africa was not the very fountain
whence all the streams of enlightenment flow; and
the authority of Herodotus is invoked, to show that the
ancient Egyptians were of " a black complexion and
woolly-haired." Cuvier, Morton, Gliddon, and others,
versed in Egyptian antiquities, have proven so many
errors in the account that the "Father of History" has
given of the land of the Nile, as to discredit his testi-
mony, and to cause doubts even as to his having ever
visited the country. 1
That there were negroes in Egypt,
as slaves, at that period, there can be no doubt, but, that
the ruling castes of the Egyptians were of the Caucasian
race is equally free from difficulty. 2 "Was there no
other evidence, the ten thousand mummies, that have
been exhumed and examined, and the numerous deeds,
describing the persons of the contractor, are, every one,
witnesses to disprove the assertion of the negro origin
of the Egyptians. 3 The lower castes (herdsmen, agriculturists,
and artisans), were very numerous, and many of
these, doubtless, were negroes. In fact, it was the boast
of one of the Pharaohs that no native Egyptian had
placed a brick in one of the huge pyramids that he
built. Herodotus being ignorant of the language of the
Egyptians, and not very accurate in his observations,
may have thus mistaken the numerous for the ruling
caste. This interesting question opens an inviting field
for digression. "We must content ourselves with referring
the curious to the authorities relied on for our conclusions.
1
Types of Mankind ; Morton's Crania Egyptiaca, 22-29; Industrial
Resources of the South, vol. ii, p. 200, et seq. Dr. Prichard, himself,
seems to have little confidence in the accuracy of Herodotus ; see Ana-
lysis of Egyptian Mythology (London, 1838), p. 374 ;
and Examination,
&c., of Egytian Chronology, p. 17.
2 See Industrial Resources of the South, vol. ii, p. 200 ; Types of Man-
kind, passim, and Negromania, 108 ; Lawrence's Lectures on Slavery,
229-237 ; see Prichard's Analysis of Egyptian Mythology (London, 1838),
p. 374.
8
Authorities cited above.