144 FUNERALS— WEDDINGS. Chap. VI. 



The general monotony of existence at Tette is sometimes 

 relieved by an occasional death or wedding. When the 

 deceased is a person of consequence, the quantity of gun- 

 powder his slaves are allowed to expend is enormous. The 

 expense may, in proportion to their means, resemble that 

 incurred by foolishly gaudy funerals in England. When at 

 Tette, we always joined with sympathizing hearts in aiding, 

 by our presence at the last rites, to soothe the sorrows of the 

 surviving relatives. We are sure that they would have done 

 the same to us, had we been the mourners. We never had to 

 complain of want of hospitality. Indeed the great kind- 

 ness shown by many, of whom we have often spoken, will never 

 be effaced from our memory till our dying day. When we speak 

 of their failings it is in sorrow, not in anger. Their trading 

 in slaves is an enormous mistake. Their Government places 

 them in a false position by cutting them off from the rest of 

 the world ; and of this they always speak with a bitterness 

 which, were it heard, might alter the tone of the statesmen of 

 Lisbon. But here there is no press, no booksellers' shops, 

 and scarcely a schoolmaster. Had we been born in similar- 

 untoward circumstances — we tremble to think of it ! 



The weddings are celebrated with as much jollity as wed- 

 dings are anywhere. We witnessed one in the house of our 

 friend the Padre. It being the marriage of his god-daughter, 

 he kindly invited us to be partakers in his joy ; and we there 

 became acquainted with old Donna Eugenia, who was a 

 married wife and had children, when the slaves came from 

 Cassange, before any of us were born. The whole merry- 

 making was marked by good taste and propriety. 



Another marriage brought out a feature in the Catholic 

 church, akin, we believe, to a custom in Scotland, which com- 

 mended itself to us as right. Our friend Captain Terrazao was 



