832 THE GEmSE OF TEE ' GUBAQOA.' 



Lieutenant Meade, Mr. Veitch, and myself, liad the oppor- 

 tunity of visiting the Governor, by wlrom we were cordially 

 received. 



M. Guillain has been for many years on the western 

 coast of Africa, Madagascar, &c., and has published a work 

 with plates and maps on those countries. He is a moderate- 

 sized man, about fifty-three years of age, and said to have 

 a great deal of energy. His wife, Madame Guillain, is a 

 pleasing little woman, very gay and sprightly, and a good 

 deal younger than her husband. She told me that when 

 they first came here, it was with a party of seventeen, all of 

 wliom, strangely enough, were unarmed, an act of confi- 

 dence or carelessness in these regions of an unusual kind. 

 With a most remarkable absence of mistrust, tliey Avent off 

 for some reason or other, leaving her alone in the boat, 

 which presently was surrounded by natives, who attempted 

 to carry her off, from which peril she was saved by her — 

 crinoline ! How this much criticised decoration or garment 

 became a defensive weapon was not explained ; possibly in 

 the struggle, the steel ribs being broken protruded in a 

 variety of points, which tlms formed a complete chevaux-de- 

 frise ; luckily, liowever, while the fray was going on, and 

 her alarm at the highest, the Governor with his party came 

 back to her assistance, and vowed, in the fulness of his 

 indignation, he would be revenged upon them for causing 

 her this fright. And she had just had the pleasure of 

 knowing that this vow had been fulfilled. For he liad but 

 a few days before our arrival returned from an expedition 



