310 NATIVE RELIGION. 



were left at Qnilimane, that the impression should not be pro- 

 duced in the country that they had been stolen in case of my 

 non-return. 



Englishmen are very apt to form their opinion of Africans 

 from the elegant figures in tobacconists' shops; I scarcely think 

 such are fair specimens of the African. I think, at the same 

 time, that the African women would be much handsomer than 

 they are if they would only let themselves alone; though unfor- 

 tunately that is a failing by no means peculiar to African ladies; 

 but they are, by nature, not particularly good-looking, and seem 

 to take all the pains they can to make themselves worse. The 

 people of one tribe knock out all their upper front teeth, and 

 when they laugh are perfectly hideous. Another tribe of the 

 Londa country file all their front teeth to a point, like cats' 

 teeth, and when they grin put one in mind of alligators ; many 

 of the women are comely, but spoil their- beauty by such un- 

 natural means. Another tribe has a custom of piercing the 

 cartilage of the nose and inserting a bit of reed, which spreads 

 it out, and makes them very disagreeable-looking ; others tie 

 their hair, or rather wool, into basket-work, resembling the ton- 

 sorial decorations of the ancient Egyptians; others, again, dress 

 their hair with a hoop around it, so as to resemble the gloria 

 round the head of the virgin ; rather a different application of 

 the hoop to that of English ladies. 



The people of central Africa have religious ideas stronger 

 than those of the Caffres and other southern nations, who talk 

 much of God but pray seldom. They pray to departed rela- 

 tives, by whom they imagine illnesses are sent to punish them 

 for any neglect on their part. Evidences of the Portuguese 

 Jesuit missionary operations are still extant, and are carefully 

 preserved by the natives ; one tribe can all read and write, which 

 is ascribable to the teaching of the Jesuits ; their only books are, 

 however, histories of saints, and miracles effected by the parings 

 of saintly toe-nails, and such like nonsense; but, surely, if such 

 an impression has once been produced, it might be hoped that 

 the efforts of Protestant missionaries, who would leave the Bible 

 with these poor people, would not be less abiding. 



In a commercial point of view communication with this 

 country is desirable. Angola is wonderfully fertile, producing 



