and the Mpongwe . 
87 
palm-wine every day; they indulge in rum and 
absinthe, and the wealthy affect so-called Cognac, 
with Champagne and Bordeaux, which, however, 
they pronounce to be “ cold.” I have seen Mas¬ 
ter Boro, a boy five years old, drain without wink¬ 
ing a wineglassful of brandy. It is not wonderful 
that the adults can “ stand ” but little, and that a 
few mouthfuls of well-watered spirit make their 
voices thick, and paralyze their weak brains as 
well as their tongues. The Persians, who com¬ 
mence drinking late in life, can swallow strong 
waters by the tumbler. 
Men, women, and children when hardly “ crem- 
nobatic,” have always the pipe in mouth. The 
favourite article is a “ dudheen,” a well culottd 
clay, used and worn till the bowl touches the 
nose. The poor are driven to a “ Kondukwe,” 
a yard of plantain leaf, hollowed with a wire, and 
charged at the thicker end. The “ holy herb ” 
would of course grow in the country, and grow 
well, but it is imported from the States without 
trouble, and perhaps with less expense. Some 
tribes make a decent snuff of the common trade 
article, but I never saw either sex chew—perhaps 
the most wholesome, and certainly the most effi¬ 
cacious form. The smoking of Lyambd, called 
Dydmbd in the southern regions, is confined to 
debauchees. M. du Chaillu asserts that this 
Cannabis sativa is not found wild, and the 
