DISCOVERIES OF THE ENGLISH. 257 
woods, and steal to it at midnight, as the miser to 
his gold. 
Moore takes occasion here to enter into some 
particulars respecting the manners of the Man- 
dingoes. The cultivated ground adjoining to each 
village is divided into two large fields, one for corn, 
and the other for rice. These are tilled under the 
direction of the alcade, or chief magistrate, who 
appoints to each their* portion of labour, and the 
produce is then divided according to their respec- 
tive wants, so that it is scarcely possible that any 
one can starve in a Mandingo village. The 
alcade also decides all differences, and has the 
first voice in all deliberations respecting matters of 
general concern. The merchants, and particularly 
the Europeans, are considered as under his pecu- 
liar protection ; hence he is usually called Tobau- 
bo Mama, " the white man's king 0 and Moore 
observes, that any one who can keep well with him, 
is pretty sure of having his business well done. 
The accounts of marriage, polygamy, &c. among 
the negroes, are pretty nearly the same as those 
given by all travellers. The wives are under great 
subjection to their husbands, which our author 
ascribes in a great measure to the influence of 
Mumbo Jumbo. He knew a pretty large town 
near Bruko, which contained only one man, his 
wives, children, and slaves. The women are ge- 
nerally married very young ; the price of one is 
vol. r. R 
