Observations on the Countries of Congo and Loango. 3il7 
If the body which we examine cannot be conveniently put in 
immediate contact with the lower plate of the condenser, a com- 
munication with it may be formed, by means of a metallic wire, 
with an insulating handle, the rest of the o|>eration being the 
same as before* 
Aet. 'Xlll,— Observations on the Countries of Congo and 
Loango as in 1790. By Mr Maxwjsll, Author of the Let- 
ters to Mungo Paek, &c. &c. ^ 
Princesses of Cabenda. — ^In the kingdom of Cabenda, or An- 
joy a, princesses of the royal blood rule with despotic sway, and are 
to all appearance, devoid of that gentleness, which in other coun- 
tries forms one of the brightest ornaments in the female character. 
They are possessed of the extraordinary privilege of compelling any 
subject, under the rank of prince in his own right, to marry them, 
and renounce wives and children for their sake. The richest mer- 
chants are chiefly exposed to their rapacity. When the unhappy 
individual thus promoted to honour has been stripped of his 
wealth, and another victim to arbitrary power selected in his place, 
he is permitted to return to private life ; with this consolation 
however, that he is entitled by courtesy to the appellation of Prince. 
During his continuance in this splendid slavery, he must not, at 
the peril of his life, be seen in company with any other woman. 
The risk attaches equally to all women who may chance to come 
in his way. To provide therefore as much as possible against 
such casualties, he is always attended by a guard of honour, part 
of which, when he is visiting, or on a journey, precedes him at 
a considerable distance, beating the Chingonga, a double bell 
(a bell at each extremity of a semicircular arch), the sound of 
which is instantly recognised by females, who conceal them- 
selves until the object of their terror is past. To complete 
this monstrous picture of human weakness, these princesses, 
in order to insure the success of the predatory excursions in 
which they are not unfrequently engaged, stand upon an 
elevated situation, and cause the army to pass in review be- 
tween their legs. I know several merchants ennobled by an 
* See this Journal, vol. iii. p. 102. 
