GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 369 



State of Society. — The state of society among the 

 negro nations seems to be pretty nearly the same, and their 

 moral character not very different ; the people of Congo 

 Would appear, however, to be among the lowest of the ne- 

 gro tribes. The African black is by nature of a kindly, cheer- 

 ful, and humane disposition, entirely free from that quick, 

 vengeful and ferocious temper which distinguishes the sava- 

 ges of the Pacific and South Sea islands, particularly those 

 of New Guinea, which most resemble the negroes in ex- 

 ternal appearance. Contented with very humble fare, his 

 happiness seems to consist in a total relaxation from all bo- 

 dily exertion ; excepting when animated by the sound of 

 his rude native music calling him to the dance, in which he 

 is alwaj^s ready to join Avith the greatest alacrity. But in- 

 dolence is the negroe's bane ; and until some strong motive 

 for shaking it off shall take possession of his mind, and 

 convince him of the utility of industrious pursuits, by bet- 

 tering his condition, little hope can be entertained of the 

 civilization of Africa, even should a total and radical aboli- 

 tion of the slave trade be effected. The vast shoals of Catho- 

 lic missionaries poured into Congo and the neighbouring 

 parts of Southern Africa, from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, in 

 the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, appear not to have 

 advanced the natives one single step in civilization ; and the 

 rude mixture of Catholic with Pagan superstitions, which 

 were found among the Sognio people on the left bank of the 

 Zaire, close to the sea coast, was all that could be discovered 

 of any trace of Christianity, after the labours of these pious 

 men for three hundred years. Some of these people came 



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