§8 MANNERS OF THE JOLOFFS. 
among his wives ; but among- the Negroes, the husband is the 
prime mover of these dissensions. The desire to please him, 
and to win his good graces, urges liis wives to give him all 
they possess. 
In this part of Africa, both Pagans and Mahometans 
place their children under the tuition of the Marabouts. The 
reverence of children for their fathers is unbounded, but they 
pay little respect to their mothers. The younger brothers are 
submissive to the elder. Children are never admitted into 
the presence of their parents during meals ; they are content 
with their leavings. There are some, who, arrived at a more 
advanced age, support their parents in the decline of life ; 
and without being compelled to do so by any written law, 
they religiously fulfil this first duty imposed by nature. 
Among the JolofFs and the Poulas, on the death of the 
father of a family, his property is divided into eight parts, 
seven for the children, whatever the number may be, and one 
for the wives whom he leaves behind him. If the deceased 
has no children, his property is divided into four parts ; 
three for the collateral heirs, and one for the wives. On the 
death of the mother, they divide what she leaves into two 
parts, one for the children or collateral heirs, and one for the 
husband. When the king dies, public opinion is often 
divided between his eldest son and his brother; but the 
latter is almost always chosen, in order that the supreme 
authority may be transferred to a branch less powerful from 
