i8 
Central Africa. 
known as "men-eaters"; and, 3rd, the Bakalahari, or great 
western branch of the Bechuana family. The tribes of the 
last family, being nearer to Cape Colony, have enjoyed the 
advantages of missionary effort for many years, and are, to 
a large extent, civilized and raised, morally and materially. 
Proceeding round the west coast, we find specimens of the 
pure Negro family. This question is however gone fully 
into in Stanford's recent " Compendium of African Geo- 
graphy.'' In this book is presented to the reader a table 
of all the known African tribes and races, each with its own 
distinct dialect or language. From this table we find that 
in Africa no less than six hundred and eighty- three different 
tongues are spoken. Each tribe requires to be placed in 
possession of the Word of Life, with a translation in its own 
language. Here exists a mighty work for missionaries, 
translators, printers, and Bible societies. The magnitude 
of the task may be understood from the fact that Stanley, 
during his wonderful journey of seven thousand miles across 
Africa, did not meet with one single individual who had 
ever heard the Gospel ; and from this other fact, that it has 
taken the British and Foreign Bible Society eighty-five years 
to issue the Bible in about two hundred and thirty different 
tongues. In contemplating the six hundred and eighty- 
three different tongues of Africa, and realizing the vastness 
of the task which awaits the Christian world in relation 
thereto, one may well feel appalled at the almost hopeless 
magnitude of the outlook. 
In regard to the social life and habits of the people, we ^ 
are told that they are superstitious, warlike, debased, cruel, 
given to fetishism, and enchantments, destitute in great part 
of natural feeling, treacherous at times, cunning and re- 
vengeful. They support themselves by hunting, fishing, and 
agricultural produce. The men do the fighting and hunting. 
