300 William F. Daniell, Esq., on the Ethnography of 



Twelve strings of cowries are also daily paid by the husband for the 

 subsistence of his wife for the period of one week after the consum- 

 mation of the marriage. Independently of the pecuniary outlay thus 

 incurred, no inconsiderable source of expense is derived from the 

 large consumption of riim and various edible conjuncts, in the convi- 

 vial entertainments which are considered necessary for the due com- 

 pletion of the affair, inasmuch as the friends and connections of 

 both parties willingly assemble to offer their congratulatious or to 

 express their approbation of the match, if only for the purpose of 

 indulging in the inordinate libations of rum and other intoxicating 

 drinks which are lavishly provided on these festivals, especially if 

 the husband is an influential chief or man of wealth. 



Among the slaves and lower ranks of females, concubinage pre- 

 vails to an indefinite extent, owing to the unfettered intercourse and 

 licentious system in which both sexes are reared. From the vitiated 

 code of morals thus germinated, no obstacles are opposed to the for- 

 mation of these temporary unions with males of a corresponding 

 grade, and, unfortunately, this plan is too commonly chosen by those 

 who, from indolence, poverty, or other destitute conditions, are un- 

 able to provide the means to procure a wife after the more orthodox 

 fashion. When the preliminary arrangements have been adjusted on 

 both sides, a propitiatory gift is commonly presented to the woman to 

 cement the alliance, which she exclusively reserves for her own use. 

 It seldom exceeds the value of four dollars, and includes the follow- 

 ing articles, viz., 



24 Strings of cowries; . \^ .5 . '^ * „. 

 4 lathoms of cloth. ^. {ion? 



1 Silk handkerchief. S ".- . j 



2 Bottles of rum. 



A wide separation, however, is to be made between this mutual com- 

 pact and the ordinary nuptial rite, perhaps more clearly defined by 

 the extent of control exercised by the husband. In the former, the 

 woman is less amenable to the jurisdiction of her partner, less sub- 

 ject to restraint, and may at any moment leave him with her pro- 



