Life at Banza Nokki . 
229 
“ kuya,” and “ evona” (9) “iowa.” We may re¬ 
mark the pentenary system of the Windward Coast 
and the Gaboon negroes; e.g. y 6 is “sambano” 
(“ mose” and “tano” 1 + 5), and 7 is “samb- 
wale” (“mose” and “kwale”) and so forth, whilst 
“kumi” (10), possibly derived from neighbouring 
races, belongs to the decimal system. 
The first attempt at a regular vocabulary was 
made by Douville, (vol. iii. p. 261) : “ Vocabzilaire 
de la Langue Mogialoua , et des deux dialectes prin- 
cipaux Abunda (Angolan) et Congo ” (Fiote) ; it is 
also very incorrect. The best is that published in 
Appendix^No. 1. to the Congo Expedition, under 
the name 1 of “ Embomma ; ” we may quote the 
authors final remark : “ This vocabulary I do not 
consider to be free from mistakes which I cannot 
now find time to discover. All the objects of 
the senses are, however, correct/’ M. Parrot 
showed me a MS. left at Banana Point by a 
French medical officer, but little could be said in 
its praise. Monteiro and Gamitto (pp. 479-480) 
give seventeen “ Conguez ” words, and the Congo 
numerals as opposed to the “ Bundo.” 
The Fiote is a member of the great South 
African family ; some missionaries argued, from its 
beauty and richness, that it had formerly been 
written, but of this there is no proof. M. Malte- 
Brun supposes the Congoese dialects to indicate 
“a meditative genius foreign to the habitual condi- 
