DIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES. 
393 
than of one of his wives, unless she were the favourite 
for the time being. A beneficial change in this, must be 
among the first that can be hoped for, in the amelioration 
of the social system. 
Every one who has visited Africa, must have been 
astonished at the number of languages to be met with. 
We at first thought, from the facibty with which the 
pilots understood the natives everywhere, that there 
was not much difference from the mouth of the river to 
the confluence, but that possibly every town might have 
its dialect, differing slightly from the parent tongue. 
This, however, was found not to be the case, as great 
readiness of communication is acquired in constant at- 
tendance at the markets, where the confusion of tongues 
might vie with Babel itself. Africans have a great 
talent for learning languages, at least those of their 
neighbours. A1 Hadgi, our pilot, could speak fluently 
nine or ten ; and we had a little boy, not more than 
fourteen years of age, who could interpret from four 
or five. Although they may be very different as to 
words, the acquirement of several of them by the 
natives is rendered easy by the circumstance of the great 
similarity of idiom ; and they are all, perhaps, equally 
poor, which presents a great obstacle to their learning 
our languages, as well as to our proficiency, or rather, 
we should say, to our first advances in theirs. 
The Haussa language, which is the general means of 
intercourse, is sweet and flowing, abounding in vowels, 
and has few or no harsh sounds or gutturals ; like all 
