AFRICA. From pre - historic times, Iranian, Turanian, Mongol, Turk, Hamite, Semite, and Negro races have been continuously adding to the inhabitants of India and the Eastern Archipelago. Of the races occupying Africa, ethnologists re cognise three distinct ethnical divisions,—that of the woolly fleecy-haired, woolly tuft-haired, and lank curly-haired ; and six linguistic divisions,— Semitic, Hamitic, Fulah-Nuba, Negro and Negroid, Bantu, and ,Hottentot Bushman.
The Fulah of Senegal and the Upper Niger, as well as the Nuba of the Nile region of Darfur and Kordofan, are considered of indigenous African race ; but they are very superior to the Negroes, and seem to be the intermediate agents of Muhammadan civilisation. South-Western Asia is the original home of the Hamite and Semitic branches of the Caucasian race ; but they have intruded into Africa, and now occupy the whole of its northern part as far as the Soudan and the east coast districts north of the equator. Of the two, the Hamite were the first to become dominant there, but they are in no way akin to the pure African.
The Semitic populations in Asia are the Arab ians, Syrians, and Samaritans ; in Africa, the Abyssinians of Tigre and Amhara, Agow, Falasha, and Gafat. Several branches of this race have played a distinguished part in the history of the world. Conquest and commerce, but chiefly the former, have greatly diffused them. They have gone northward and eastwards into Persia, Cen tral Asia, India, and China ; small parties are located in India proper, Ultra-India, and Indon esia. In Asiatic Turkey, there are about 1,500,000 Arabs and others of the Semitic group. They conquered and migrated westerly along the north of Africa and into Europe, and they ruled in Spain for 700 years, but were again driven back into Africa ; and now representatives of the Semites and Hamites are found differently mixed in Egypt and Abyssinia, all over the Sahara, and in the Arab and Moorish states ; and the races in Morocco have been stated as under : Berber and Tuarik, 2,300,000 Jews, . . . 339,500 Shelluk or Shellook, 1,450,000 Negroes, Mandingos, 120,000 MoorandmixcdArab,3,535,000 Christians, . . 300
Bedouin and other Renegades, . . 200 pure Arabs, . . 740,000 The Berber include the Libyan, the Moor, the Numidian, and Gaetuliau of the old geographers.
The Berber and Shelluk are untamed, war like tribes, dwelling in the mountains; when possible, rovers of the sea ; claiming fanciful origins, but impatient of any subjection. They are the same race as those whom the French call Kabyle and Zouave. The Moors are little idle men, who grow fat from indolence ; they are lowlanders, traders, dwellers in cities, avaricious, perfidious, cowardly, cringing, and insolent. The Riff-dwellers of Kalhiya, Cape Tres Forces, corre spond to the Arab Suaheli on the Red Sea coast, the names being from Ripa, a bank, and Sahilah, a sea-shore.
In Morocco, the Berber continue pure, free from Arab blood, and still call themselves Mazig. Their language is termed Shelluk, or Tamashigt. The Algerian Kabyle or Qabail are pure Berber. They are the old Numidians, and differ in lan guage, form, and habit from the Arabs of the plains. Their number is about 700,000 ; they have a federal republic, the old Quinque-gentes who gave so much trouble to the Romans, who tried the soldiership of Maximilian, and -sixty years afterwards again revolted.
In Tunis the Berber are called Suawua, and south-east of Tunis they receive the name of Jabaliya. The inhabitants of Suiva, the oasis of Jupiter Ammon, the Garamantes of ancient geography, are likewise of Berber origin, as also are the Teda or Tibbu of the Eastern Sahara.
The Sanhadsba of the Western Sahara are Berber. The Tuareg of the central region of the great African desert, who call themselves Imoshag, are Berber.
The Tuareg nomade in the Great Desert are very fair, with long hair, aquiline noses, high fore heads, and thin lips. They say their prayers in Arabic, and speak a Semitic tongue. Their arms consist of a long lance with a broad head, javelins 6 or 7 feet long, with jagged hooks at the pointed end, a round buckler (darega) of buffalo or elephant hide from Soudan, and a poniard and broad-bladed scimitar.