374 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



to strangers, and always ready to share their pittance, 

 sometimes scanty enough, with the passing visitor. In one 

 of the notes only, they are characterized as shrewd, cunning, 

 and thievish. Men living in a state of society like theirs, have 

 occasion for all their shrewdness and cunning ; but with re- 

 spect to their thievish propensity, though common to almost 

 all savage and half-civihzed tribes, the testimony of Captain 

 Tuckey is rather in favour of their honesty. It is true, that 

 when returning down the river in a sickly and helpless condi- 

 tion, and in great haste and anxiet3^to reach the vessels, some 

 trilling advantage was taken to pilfer part of their baggage ; 

 but it is in favour of these people that, considering all the 

 circumstances of the distressed situation of the party, the}^ 

 were able to bring away with them any part of their scat- 

 tered property. 



The stature of the men of Congo is that of the middle size, 

 and their features, though nearest to those of the negro 

 tribe, are neither so strongly marked, nor so black as the 

 Africans are in general. They are not anly represented as 

 being more pleasing, but also as wearing the appearance 

 of great simplicity and innocence. Captain Tuckej- could 

 not discover among the people any national physiognomy; 

 but few mulatloes ; and many had the features of south- 

 ern Europeans. The discovery, by the party, of burnt 

 bones, and of human sculls hanging from trees, might 

 have led to the injurious idea of their being addicted 

 to the eating of human flesh, had no further enquiries 

 been made concernino- them : accounts of cannibahsm have 

 been inferred by travellers on appearances no better 

 founded than these : and it is probable, that the many idle 



