BISSAONS. ALGONQUINS. 
163 
Celtiberians were very cruel towards their enemies and malefactors, 
but shewed the greatest humanity to their guests. They not only 
cheerfully granted their hospitality to strangers who travelled in their 
country, but were desirous that they should seek protection under 
their roof. 
Bissaons. 
These are the inhabitants of Bissao, an African island. The men 
of Bissao wear only a skin fixed to the girdle, before and behind. 
The dress of the married women consists of a cotton petticoat ; but 
virgins go entirely naked, wearing only bracelets of different kinds on 
their arms and legs. If they are of high quality, their bodies are 
painted with various hideous forms of snakes, &c. which, as their 
colour is jet black, gives their skins somewhat the appearance of a 
flowered satin. Even the princess-royal herself, the eldest daughter 
of the emperor, is only distinguished from the other women by the 
elegance of those paintings, and the richness of her bracelets. 
One very extraordinary ornament is a large iron ring with a flat 
round surface on the outside, instead of a stone, upon which they 
ring changes, with a bit of iron, in such a manner as to converse with 
the greatest facility by means of the different sounds produced ; but 
this kind of language is used only among the polite and great. 
All the Bissaons are idolaters, nor has commerce introduced the 
smallest change in their manners ; but their ideas of religion are 
exceedingly confused. Their chief idol is a little image called China, 
of which the worshippers give very absurd accounts; but, besides 
this, every man invents a god for himself; trees are held sacred, and 
if not adored as gods, are worshipped as the residence of some 
divinity. 
The government is despotic, the will of the emperor being a law to 
his people. Of this we have an instance in Bissao, not to be matched 
in any other country whatever. Any subject may make a present of 
the estate of his neighbour to the emperor ; and as such presents are 
generally accepted, the proprietor dares not resist, but immediately 
sets about building another house; though even this he cannot do 
without the prince’s leave, and if this should not be readily granted, 
he must live with his family in the open air, till permission to build a 
new house can be obtained. 
Algonqtjins. 
A NATION in North America, who formerly possessed great tracts 
of land along the north shore of the river St. Lawrence. For a long 
time they had no rivals as hunters and warriors, and were in alliance 
with the Iroquois, whom they agreed to protect from all invaders, 
and to give them a share of their venison. The Iroquois, on the 
other hand, paid a tribute to their allies out of the culture of the 
earth, and performed for them all the menial services of slaying the 
game, curing the fish, and dressing the skins. By degrees however, 
the Iroquois associated in the hunting matches and warlike expedi- 
