ABSTRACT

PresumingthatnobelieverintheBiblewilladmitthattheNegro hadhisoriginattheheadwatersoftheNile,onthebanksofthe Gambia,orintheneighborhoodoftheZaire,weshouldliketo inquirebywhatchasmisheseparatedfromotherdescendants ofNoah,whooriginatedthegreatworksofantiquity,sothat withanytruthitcanbesaidthat"ifallthatNegroesofall generationshaveeverdoneweretobeobliteratedfromrecollectionforever,theworldwouldlosenogreattruth,noprofitable art,noexemplaryformoflife.ThelossofallthatisAfrican wouldoffernomemorabledeductionfromanythingbutthe earth'sblackcatalogueofcrimes." 1Insingularcontrastwiththe disparagingstatementsofthenavalofficer,Volneythegreat FrenchOrientaltraveleranddistinguishedlinguist,aftervisiting thewondersofEgyptandEthiopia,exclaims,asifinmournful indignation,"Howareweastonishedwhenwereflectthattothe raceofNegroes,atpresentourslaves,andtheobjectsofour extremecontempt,weoweourartsandsciences,andeventhe

and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city."