As early as the reign of Amoun em' ha II., about 1900 B. C., we find the Egyptians engaged in war with a nation called поNT, or Punt. They appear to have been a people of determined bravery, and, though repeatedly invaded by the Pharaohs of succeeding dynasties, to have manifested an independent spirit, and love of liberty, which neglected no opportunity of throwing off the yoke of their conquerors. The captives of this nation. are bound with a line which terminates in a papyrus flower, which, being the symbol of Lower Egypt, is always used to denote that the nation so marked is approached from the northern division of the empire, as the blossom of the lotus indicates that the approach is from Upper Egypt. It has been supposed, on this ground we presume,

that the Punt were an Asiatic nation; but this reason is by no means conclusive, as the symbol would be as appropriate for a people inhabiting what are now the Barbary States, bordering on Lower Egypt, as for her oriental neighbours. That they were a people of Africa is clearly shown by the productions brought by them in tribute to Thothmes III., in the painting already alluded to. These consist of baskets of dates and other fruit, corn, gems in strings and sealed bags, a little gold, ostrich eggs and feathers, a shrub growing in a pot or basket, a living leopard, (apparently Felis jubata, which is common to Africa as well as Asia,) an ibex, and two baboons, several leopard skins, and a quantity of elephants' teeth and ebony. Two small obelisks appear among the presents, which being cut by them in rough-hewn blocks, were brought to Egypt to be set up and finished. Three very distinct tribes are included in this procession under the common name of Pūnt, all apparently equal in station and consideration. The majority are of similar complexion and features to the Egyptians, some are pure negroes, while others are intermediate in tint, being of a very dark red, with the features of the first. Their tunics, though short, are superior in appearance to those of the Cushites, and are bordered and banded with red and blue; their short hair is bounded with a scarlet ribbon, and their whole appearance exhibits a higher degree of civilization than that of the Ethiopians.

There can scarcely be a doubt that these records refer to a nation called in the Scriptures Phut or

Put;* descended from a son of Ham who bore the same name. Both ancient and modern writers have assigned to this race the coast of Africa, bordering the Mediterranean to the west of Egypt. In the following passages from the Prophets, the Put are mentioned as a martial nation, in close connection with both Egypt and Ethiopia.

Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians [Cush, marg.], and the Libyans [Put, marg.], that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow. Jer. xlvi. 8, 9.

They of Persia, and of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine [Tyre's] army, thy men of war; they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. Ezek. xxvii. 10.

The sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, . Ethiopia [Cush], and Libya [Phut], and Lydia, and all the mingled people, Ezek. xxx. 4, 5.

...

Persia, Ethiopia. and Libya [Phut] with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

Ezek. xxxviii. 5.

Art thou better than populous No, [No-Amoun, marg. probably Memphis], that was situate among the rivers, ..? Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. Nah. iii. 8, 9.

"From the discoveries made by recent travellers in the western parts of Africa, it is no longer doubtful that there has existed in it, from very ancient times, a numerous people who are neither Moors nor

* Put Phunt. Nothing is more common in cognate languages than the insertion or omission of a nasal :-denta, dentem, odonta, tsán, tand, dent, and tooth, are all the same word in different branches of the same original tongue.

+ Or Ludim. These are descendants of Ham (Gen. x. 13), and must be distinguished from the Asiatic Lydians, the children of Shem (Gen. x. 22).

negroes. Hornemann and Lyon have made us acquainted with two nations in that quarter, who appear to have possessed all the vast range of country which stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean to the banks of the Joliba. They are, indeed, divided into many tribes; but all speak the same language, which is entirely different from the Arabic, and is found in fact to be no other than that which is used by the Berbers in the Atlas mountains. With regard to their colour, though it certainly is not uniform, the difference seems to depend, in a great measure, on the place of abode and the manner of living; and, properly speaking, it amounts to nothing more than a mere variation of tint, lighter or darker according to circumstances. . . . Their moral character has been favourably estimated; and it is thought that if their talents were duly cultivated, they would probably become one of the first nations in the world."*

While we believe these people to be none other than the ancient Put, and identical with the martial Punt of the Egyptian sculptures; we must admit the difficulty of tracing the parentage of the true negroes, the wide-spread black races, whose flat noses, prominent lips, and woolly hair, had as perfectly distinguished them in the days of the Pharaohs, as at the present time. We have seen that they were quite distinct from both Put and Cush, though intimately associated with both. The negroes are always mentioned on the monuments by the name П&&&с, Nahasi; whether there be any relation * Russel's Nubia, p. 26.

between this word and Anamim, one of the sons of Mizraim, we leave for others to determine.

The dark-skinned tribes that had spread themselves to the southwest of Upper Egypt, were known by the name of ПHTI, Рēti. Though they are never confounded with the more northern Pūnt, in the hieroglyphic inscriptions, it may be conjectured with probability, that the parentage of the two races was the same; but that early separation had induced a dialectic diversity in pronouncing the national appellation common to both.

THE SOUTHERN PETI.

The Pēti are represented with a physiognomy approaching that of the modern negroes; the complexion, however, is dark red. They are clad either in linen, or in the skins of wild beasts, usually those of the great spotted cats, the tails being allowed to hang down as an ornament: the chiefs are adorned