"The form of the orang-outang," fays the ingenious Smellie, " makes the nearest approach to the human; and the arts he employs for his defence, the actions he performs, and the fagacity he discovers, are fo astonishing, that fome philofophers have confider'd him as a real human being in the most debafe'd stage of society."* Man, indeed, by fome fingular and unaccountable accident or event, has acquired the art of forming articulate founds, and applying them to the expression of ideas and things, which, aded to his focial intercourfe, and the habits of civilize'd life, has raife'd him to a far fuperior and more elevateëd rank: but this can be no folid objection to the prefent fystem, as language is no more natural to man than to many other animals, which actually make ufe of it: as the parrot, for instance, the raven, the magpie, the jack-daw, and the ftarling; and, posfiblely, even, the ourang-outang, and the rest of the monkey tribe.†

where he gives the several and refpective inftanceës in which his "orang-outang or Pygmie (not the best or nearest species) more resemble'd a man than apes and monkeys," and vice versa. Compare, likewife, the engrave'd figure of the fkeleton of this animal with that of a human being, and fee how much or little difference there is between them.

*Philofophy of natural bistory, i, 53.

+ The negros say, of the monkeys, that they can speak if

No man, left to himself from the moment of his birch, would ever be able to utter an articulate

they wil, but are afray'd to confefs it, left they fhould be made to work and Goldfmith, from Buffon, gives a curious account of the Ouarine, a fpecies of monkey remarkable for the loudness and distinctnefs of their voice, and ftil more fo for the use to which they convert it. "I have, frequently, been a witness," fays Morgrave, "of their asfemblys and deliberations. Every day, both morning and evening, the ouarines asfemble in the woods, to receive inftructions. When all come together, one among the number takes the highest place on a tree, and makes a fignal, with his hand, to the rest to fit round, in order to hearken. As foon as he fees them place'd, he begins his discourse, with so loud a voice, and yet in a manner fo precipitate, that, to hear him at a distance, one would think the whole company were crying out at the fame time: however, dureing that time, one onely is fpeak. ing, and all the rest observe the most profound filence. When this has done, he makes a fign, with his hand, for the rest to reply; and, at that inftance, they raise their voicees together, until, by another fignal of the hand, they are enjoin'd filence. This they as readyly obey; til, at last, the whole asfembly breaks up, after hearing a repetition of the fame preachment." (History of the earth, iv, 226). This kind of monkey seems to be of the presbyterian or methodift perfuafion, which enthusiasts, at least, they appear to imitate in their religious exhortations. He, allfo, proves "that articulation is not natural to man ;" and that language was the invention of society, and rose from natural inarticulate crys.

Doctor Tyfons Pygmie was "the most gentle and loveing creature that could be. Those that he knew a fhip-board he would come and embrace with the greatest tenderness, opening

it

found; language or speech must be taught to (as was, most probablely invented by) young children, and is the effect of education, not of nature: but of this more hereafter.

The translator of The history of voyageës, as citeëd by Rousfeau, tels us that there is found in the kingdom of Congo a great number of thofe large animals call'd in the Eaft Indies ourangoutang; forming a kind of middle order of beings between men and baboons.* Battel relates, that, in the forests of Mayomba, in the kingdom of Loango, there are two forts of monsters the bigeft of which are call'd pongos, and the other enjokos. The former, fays he, are exactly like men, but much largeër and taller. Their face is human, but hath very hollow eyes. Their hands, cheeks and ears, are quite bare of hair to their eye-brows, which are very long. The other parts of their bodys are pretty hairy, and the hair is of a brown colour. In fine, the onely thing by which they can be distinguish'd from the human species is the form of their legs, which

their bosoms, and clasping his hands about them; and, though there were monkeys abroad, 'twas observe'd he would never asfociate with them, and, as if nothing akin to them, allways avoid their company." (Anatomy, &c. p. 7.)

*Notes on Inequality of mankind.

C

have no calves.* They walk erect, holding the hair of their neck in their hands. They refide in the woods, where they fleep in the trees, makeing a kind of roof over them, to skreen them from the rain....They march, fometimes, in companys, and kil the negros who traverse the forefts; and even attack the elephants that come to feed near their haunts, which they belabour, with fifts and sticks, and put to flight. When ful-grown, they are never takeën alive; being fo robust that ten ordinary men would not be able to manage one of them. When one of these animals dyes, the others cover its body with a heap of leaves or branches of trees. Purchas ads, that, in the converfation he had with Battel, he was told by him, that a pongo carry'd off from him a little negro, who stay❜d a whole month among thefe creatures. Battel has not defcribe'd the second kind of monfter. Dapper confirms that the kingdom of Congo is ful of those animals, which, in India, are call'd ourangoutang, or the inhabitants of the woods, and which the Africans call quojas morros [r. quoias

*This is the case of many a man. In our own country, "You have fent your calves to grafs" is a proverbial pun. Doctor Tyson, however, exprefsly fays "Our pygmie bad calves in his legs." (Anatomy, &c. p. 23.)

morrou]. This creature, he says, bears so near a resemblance to man, that fome travelers have been foolish enough to think it might proceed from a woman with a monkey, a chimerical notion, explodeëd, even, among the negros ;... who tel very ftrange ftorys of this animal; asfureing us that the male wil not onely ravish women and girls, but that he hath the courage to attack men though they are arm'd.*

"The monkeys, apes, and baboons [of the iland of Borneo]," fays captain Beeckman," are of many different shapes; but the most remarkable are those they call oran-ootans, which, in their language, fignifys men of the woods. Thefe grow up to be fix feet high; they walk upright; have longer arms than men; tolerablely' good faceës (handfomeër, i am fure, than fome Hottentots that i have feen); large teeth, no tails nor hair, but on those parts where it grows on human bodys. They are very nimble-footed, and mighty ftrong. They throw great ftones, sticks, and billets at those perfons that offend them. The natives do really believe that these were formerly men, but metamorphofe'd into beasts for their blasphemy. They told me many ftrange ftory's of them. I bought one, out of

* Rousseaus Notes to his Inequality of mankind.