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self in the region of elephants, river-horses, and baboons. Nearly 

 a century and a half have passed since Stibbs explored the river, 

 and we are not better acquainted with the region of " river-horses" 

 nor of the nature, customs, manners, and habits of the harmless dealers 

 in *' fowls and provisions." 



The nations not only adjacent to our settlements on the river 

 Gambia, but as far as we carry on commerce, may be classed under 

 the heads of Mandingoes and Jolliffs^ although divided and subdivided 

 into several tribes bearing different names, such as Warasoonkos, 

 Labous, Surruwoollies, Syreras, Teboos, Tuarics, Jolahs; the last 

 having hardly the features and semblance of human beings. The 

 Mandingo language is soft, musical, poetical, and might be styled 

 the Italian of Western Africa. The JoUiff is harsh, guttural, and 

 conJSned. Upwards of one hundred dialects are to be met with. 



The Arabic character is used for the Koran, general despatches, 

 public or private communications; and the Marabouts instruct the 

 children in the different villages by means of large oval pieces of 

 board, on which letters and sentences from the Koran, or the " Pro- 

 phet's Laws," are written with a pen made from the common reed. 

 Frequently in my ramblings I have come at night-fall to a Moham- 

 medan town, and after being introduced to my " lodging-man," or 

 landlord, who is bound to protect both my person and my purse, 

 strolling through the narrow closely-fenced paths — for streets they 

 were not — I have reached a small but open space in front of a cir- 

 cular hut, at the door of which was seated a venerable, white-bearded 

 Marabout, surrounded by a crowd of children of all ages, each holding 

 his wooden book, and repeating in full chorus, an extract from the 

 Koran, given forth in a clear sonorous voice by the aged instructor. 



Polygamy and slavery are the great banes of Western, if not of 

 all Africa. The former checks population, shatters all domestic 

 ties, all liind and friendly feeling ; reduces woman to the lowest, 

 most degraded position, so that she becomes the beast of burden, 

 the servant of servants of one tyrannical master. 



Slow and uncertain has been our progress in the river Gambia. 

 Since the days of Johnson, in 1621, or Dr Laidley, 160 years after- 

 wards, or Mungo Park, in 1805, to my two trivial expeditions in 

 1854 and 1856, we are still ignorant of the source of the Gambia ; 

 whether (as is vaguely surmised) it connects itself with the Senegal, 

 or flowing southward into the Niger, and joining its volume of waters 



