From east to west across Africa the aboriginal nations are mostly of the black negroid type, their varieties being only imperfectly known. The tendency of some of the lower negroid types has been to drift towards the west coast, where they still practise cannibalistic and fetish rites. On the east coast are found much higher types approaching to the Christian races of Abyssinia, and from east to west there has been a wide admixture of Arab blood producing a light-brown type. In Uganda and Nigeria a large proportion of the population is Arab and relatively light-skinned.
Australasia.
Australia—Black, very low type | 200,000 |
—Chinese and half castes, yellow | 50,000 |
New Zealand—Maoris, brown, Chinese and half castes | 53,000 |
Fiji—Polynesian, black and brown | 121,000 |
Papua—Polynesian, black and brown | 400,000 |
———— | |
The native races of Australia and the Polynesian groups of islands are divided into two main types known as the dark and light Polynesian. The dark type, which is black, is of a very low order, and in some of the islands still retains its cannibal habits. The aboriginal tribes of Australia are of a low-class black race, but generally peaceful and inoffensive in their habits. The white Polynesian races are of a very superior type, and exhibit, as in the Maoris of New Zealand, characteristics of a high order. The natives of Papua (New Guinea) are in a very low state of civilization. The estimate given of their numbers is approximate, as no census has been taken.
Canada.
| Indians—Brown | 100,000 |
The only coloured native races of Canada are the Red Indians, many in tribal variety, but few in number.
Summary.
Native Populations: | |
India | 294,191,379 |
Ceylon and Eastern Colonies | 5,144,954 |
West Indies | 1,912,655 |
South Africa | 5,211,329 |
British Central Africa | 2,000,000 |
East Africa | 7,425,000 |
West Africa | 18,863,000 |
Australasia and Islands | 824,000 |
Canada | 100,000 |
—————— | |
White populations | 53,040,468 |
Total | 388,712,785 |
This is without taking into account the population of the lesser crown colonies or allowing for the increase likely to be shown by later censuses. Throughout the empire, and notably in the United Kingdom, there is among the white races a considerable sprinkling of Jewish blood.