A DESERTED CONVENT. 383 



place of authority under the Portuguese. The garden of 

 the convent, the church, and dormitories of the brethren 

 are still kept in a good state of repair. I looked at the 

 furniture, couches, and large chests for holding the pro- 

 visions of the brotherhood with interest, and would fain 

 have learned something of the former occupants ; but all 

 the books and sacred vessels had lately been removed to 

 Ivoanda, and even the graves of the good men stand 

 without any record : their resting-places are, however, 

 carefully tended. All speak well of the Jesuits and other 

 missionaries, as the Capuchins, &c, for having attended 

 diligently to the instruction of the children. They were 

 supposed to have a tendency to take the part of the people 

 against the Government, and were supplanted by priests,, 

 concerning whom no regret is expressed that they were 

 allowed to die out. In viewing the present fruits of 

 former missions, it is impossible not to feel assured 

 that, if the Jesuit teaching has been so permanent, 

 that of Protestants, who leave the Bible in the hands of 

 their converts, will not be less abiding. The chief Banga 

 has built a large two-story house close by the convent,, 

 but superstitious fears prevent him from sleeping in it. 

 The Portuguese take advantage of all the gradations into 

 which native society has divided itself. This man, for 

 instance, is still a sova or chief, has his councillors, and 

 maintains the same state, as when the country was inde- 

 pendent. When any of his people are guilty of theft, he 

 pays down the amount of goods stolen at once, and reim- 

 burses himself out of the property of the thief so effectually 

 as to be benefited by the transaction. The people under 

 him are divided into a number of classes. There are his 

 councillors, as the highest, who are generally head-men of 

 several villages, and the carriers, the lowest free men. 

 One class above the last, obtains the privilege of wearing 

 shoes from the chief, by paying for it ; another, the 

 soldiers or militia, pay for the privilege of serving, the 

 advantage being, that they are not afterwards liable to be 

 made carriers. They are also divided into gentlemen and 

 little gentlemen, and, though quite black, speak of them- 

 selves as white men, and of the others, who may not wear 

 shoes, as " blacks." The men of all these classes trust to 

 their wives for food, and spend most of their time in 

 drinking the palm-toddy. This toddy is the juice of the 

 palm-oil tree (Elcsis Guineensis), which, when tapped, 



