PWBHBHM| 



CONGO KTNG AND QUEEN. 



negroes ; and at this period is chosen the King 

 of the Congo nation, if the person who holds 

 this situation has died in the course of the year, 

 has from any cause resigned, or has been dis- 

 placed by his subjects. The Congo negroes are 

 permitted to elect a king and queen from among 

 the individuals of their own nation j the person- 

 ages who are fixed upon may either actually be 

 slaves, or they may be manumitted negroes. 

 These sovereigns exercise a species of mock 

 jurisdiction over their subjects which is much 

 laughed at by the whites ; but their chief power 

 and superiority over their countrymen is shown 

 on the day of the festival. The negroes of their 

 nation, however, pay much respect to them. 

 The man who had acted as their king in Ita- 

 maraca (for each district has its king) for seve- 

 ral years, was about to resign from old age, and 

 a new chief was to be chosen ; he who had been 

 fixed upon for this purpose was an old man and 

 a slave, belonging to the plantation of Amparo. 

 The former queen would not resign, but still 

 continued at her post. The old negro who was 

 this day to be crowned, came early in the morn- 

 ing to pay his respects to the vicar, who said to 

 him in a jocular manner, " Well, sir, so to-day 

 I am to wait upon you, and to be your chap- 

 lain." About eleven o'clock I proceeded to 

 the church with the vicar. We were standing 

 nt the door, when there appeared a number of 



