And agreeable to this
account I find that, given us in a freshly publish'd French Book written by
a _Jesuit_, that had good opportunity of Knowing the Truth of what he
Delivers, for being one of the Missionaries of his Order into the Southern
_America_ upon the Laudable Design of Converting Infidels to Christianity,
he Baptiz'd several Infants, which when newly Born, were much of the same
Colour with _European_ Babes, but within about a Week began to appear of
the Hue of their Parents. But more Pregnant is the Testimony of our
Countrey-man _Andrew Battel_, who being sent Prisoner by the _Portugalls_
to _Angola_, liv'd there, and in the adjoyning Regions, partly as a
Prisoner, partly as a Pilot, and partly as a Souldier, near 18. years, and
he mentioning the _African_ Kingdom of _Longo_, peopl'd with Blacks, has
this passage:[12] _The Children in this Countrey are Born White, and change
their Colour in two dayes to a Perfect Black_. As for Example, _The_
Portugalls _which dwell in the Kingdome of_ Longo _have sometimes Children
by the_ Negroe_-women, and many times the Fathers are deceived, thinking,
when the Child is Born, that it is theirs, and within two dayes it proves
the Son or Daughter of a_ Negroe,_ which the_ Portugalls _greatly grieve
at_; And the same person has elsewhere a Relation, which, if he have made
no use at all of the liberty of a Traveller, is very well worth our Notice,
since this, together with that we have formerly mention'd of Seminal
Impressions, shews a possibility, that a Race of _Negroes_ might be begun,
though none of the Sons of _Adam_, for many Precedent Generations were of
that Complexion.
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