This recognition of our superiority came with double grace from her lips, since, to tell the truth, she had rather tyrannised over me lately. I was in the habit of treating her as a lady, while hitherto she had been only treated as a slave. But I regret to say that this kindness on my part had appeared to lessen her affection for me, and to develop her self-esteem.

I felt a fatal curiosity to know why it was that Ananga loved me better than the people of her own race. I burned to hear the artless confession of this child of nature; to fathom the thought-secrets of her young soul. From the tender and untrained mind, thought I, of this guileless girl, I shall hear, for the first time, the unsophisticated language of the heart; having wandered through our social desert of withered passions and spurious affection, I can now refresh myself with a draught at the sweet fountain of purity and candour.

Why do you love me better than black men, Ananga ?"

She hesitated to answer. At last she said faintly that she loved me better than them; she could not tell why. But I made her fond of me: perhaps it was some fetich which I had given her. She was only a poor black girl; how was she to know all the arts of a great white man?

Ah! thought I, not without a little self-complacency, love is indeed a fetich, which no philosopher can define, and which may be concealed in a look, in a smile, in a word; which

Ananga's musical laugh interrupted my meditations. She was chattering something to Mafuk with vast noise and volubility.

Now savages cannot speak without a pantomime of eyes and hands, which often renders language superfluous. Ananga was touching her beads and cloth, glancing at me, and laughing immoderately.

"What is she saying, Mafuk ?" said I.

My grave tone warned Ananga. She said something in a low, quick tone to Mafuk. But as she put her fingers on her lips at the same time, I easily guessed the meaning of her words.

"She is asking you not to tell me, Mafuk; but I am your master; do what I order you."

Mafuk, alarmed by my apparent knowledge of Mpongwe, and by my imperious tone, confessed what Ananga had just said; viz.-that she thought a white face very ugly; that having her face wetted with a man's lips was very improper, and not nice at all; and, finally, that she only liked me because I had a fine canoe and servants, and because I had given her plenty of beads and some fine satinstripe cloth.

This was not flattering, so Mr. Reade became resolute on effecting his start; and he actually carried it out against the king's wishes, so much so that the negro monarch-whether he thought that matters had not been brought to the happy conclusion which he had meditated, or whether he fancied that he and his daughter had been left in the lurch, it does not clearly appear, but certain it is that he followed Mr. Reade in his war-canoe, and brought him back a humble prisoner till he was released by an opposition tribe of Makagas. Once more he started, followed, however, down the river by Quenqueza, whose entreaties were backed by Ananga's voice, "melodious and enticing as those of the ancient sirens," as she softly sang to him to return. But it was in vain; Mr. Reade closed his heart to Ethiopian seductions, persevered on his way, and found himself a free man-or, as Mafuk said, "Ah! to-morrow I shall be a man, but to-night I am a rat"- —once arrived at Brooklyn.

The islands of Princa and San Thomé are treated of as volcanic flower-gardens, and sailing thence in a slaver to Loanda, our traveller was overhauled and narrowly escaped confiscation at the hands of a British cruiser. At Loanda Mr. Reade was most hospitably received by

our consul Mr. Gabriel, the same who was astonished by Livingstone's arrival overland, and who has, sad to say, since fallen a victim to the deadly climate. Sundry excursions in Angola, including a trip to Ambaka, "by ox and by hammock," as Mr. Reade has it, were not productive of much novelty-the only social feature that is developed is, that "in this dark and dirty corner of the earth, where there are no coroner's inquests nor post-mortem examinations, secret poisoning is by no means a rare occurrence. Indeed," says our author, "I had not been long in the interior before I found that poisoning was the stock article of conversation, as the weather is with us, and as fever is in our colonies of the coast. The Bishop of Loanda died suddenly. The priests were to be seen crying like children, and declaring openly that he had been poisoned. A few days afterwards a priest died-also suddenly. And on the public quays, in the open streets, by the stalls of the marketplace, men said to one another, The murderer of the bishop is dead." Such was the story told to me: it was probably mere scandal. But we have not such scandal in England."

Sickness soon drove our traveller from Angola, and though he did not visit the Congo-the possible future highway to the new-discovered fertile and temperate interior upland-he favours us with an account of the country, heightened up with a description of the Queen of the Jagas, her valour and cruelty, her bloodthirsty laws, her cannibal amours, and her violent death. Then we have the Cape de Verde Islands, or, as they are literally translated, "the Islands of the Green Cape," and thence our coasting traveller proceeded to Senegambia, where he was invited by M. Rape, a French trader on the Casemanche, to a trip up the latter river. The natives here are Jolas, or Fellups, and they have a matrimonial arrangement which is worth relating.

As soon as a child is born it is betrothed to another as near its own age as possible. When the pair arrive at the age of puberty they are married. The boy presents the girl with a shift and waist-cloth. When the shift is worn out she is at liberty to go where she likes, and marry whom she chooses. She is taught to believe that if she commits an infidelity before that time, the Evil Spirit will run off with her. These wives, therefore, remain rigidly constant; but it is not unusual to see one pounding her shift between two stones.

The menu of a Christmas dinner on the Casemanche is also well worth extracting.

We commenced with snails, brought from France in barrels filled with flour, which had preserved them admirably. They were prepared au gratin, and we forked them out of their retreats with instruments unpleasantly resembling toothpicks. We had also oysters torn from trees.

Our fish consisted of African soles, carp, and mullet. Detestable in themselves, they illustrated the skill of the cuisinier.

Then followed the gazelle cutlets à la papillote. Two small monkeys served cross-legged and with liver-sauce, on toast. Stewed iguana, which was much admired. A dish of roasted crocodile's eggs. Some slices of smoked elephant (from the interior), which none of us could touch. A few agreeable plates of fried locusts, land-crabs (previously fattened), and other crustacea. The breasts of a mermaid, or manati-the grand bonne-bouche of the repast. Some boiled alligator, which had a taste between pork and cod, with the addition of a musky flavour. And some hippopotamus steaks aux pommes de terre.

We might have obtained a better dessert at Covent-garden, where one can see the bright side of the tropics without the trouble or expense of travelling.

But we had pine-apples, oranges, roasted plantains, silver bananas, papaws (which, when made into a tart with cloves might be taken for apples), and a variety of fruits which had long native names, curious shapes, and all of them very nasty tastes. But I must not omit the famous palm-cabbage.

It is erroneously supposed that it is peculiar to one tree which is called the cabbage-palm. It is, however, the bud of the tree, so to speak, and is found in all the palms; though in some it is red, in others white. It is a great luxury: indeed, to eat one is like eating a whole tree, for the palm always dies when the cabbage is cut out. Throughout this country, therefore, it is forbidden food; but Europeans may sometimes infringe the law by paying a large sum. When raw, it tastes like celery, but when stewed au sauce blanc, as upon this occasion, it is not to be compared with any vegetable of mortal growth. It must have been the ambrosia of the gods.

The Gambia was also ascended as well as the Casemanche-this time on a government expedition, with presents for the local chiefs-as far up as to Macartney Island. Here is an account of one of these local chiefs:

Some of our visitors were dirty enough, but the most unclean of all was a king, who came on board to receive his present at some place in the Upper River. His features displayed none of that high intelligence which one frequently finds among the Mandingoes. A face more brutish it would be difficult to conceive. He took enormous quantities of snuff, placing it under the tongue, and the whole deck was bespattered with brown spittle.

While the usual interpreter business was going on, we made remarks very freely upon him, and I, who sat opposite him, exclaimed, "Did you ever come across a more perfect specimen of a savage? Now, can't you see in that man's face that he has never mingled with higher beings?" As I said these words I looked at him with disgust. He winked at me deliberately. I must own that I was astounded. This, thought I, is an African salutation that has escaped me. He could see that I was talking about him. I dare say he thought that I was paying him a compliment. So, as I am never behindhand in politeness, I winked in return; at which he seemed intensely gratified.

When the present had been made-including six cola-nuts, which are used in token of amity among these people, and are also highly prized all over Africa as a fruit, though bitter as horse-chesnuts-the king made a long speech in Mandingo; it was a request that the judge would give him a few more colas. "Well, I suppose we cannot refuse the dirty ruffian," said the judge. "Give him four more; that will be ten."

"Make it twenty!" said the king, eagerly; and then joined the roar of laughter which greeted his inadvertence. He had lived in Sierra Leone some years, as we heard afterwards, and could speak English as well as any one when he did not wish to hear the asides.

Macartney's Island is, apparently, kept as a mere grave for Europeans, for the advantages of upholding such an unhealthy station are as nothing compared with the loss of life attendant upon its occupation. There is a very remarkable ghost story associated with this river island, which we regret we have not space to extract.

The last trip effected was up the Senegal, a river that is terribly plagued with mosquitoes in the rainy season, and in the dry season by sand-flies, house-flies, locusts, and ants. The natives eat the locusts, and the flesh is said not to be disagreeable, but we are told that the diet is not wholesome, "for the insects are said to be capable of reproduction even after they are digested!" As to the ants, they will eat elephants, leopards, and even Scotehmen:

The Scotchman I allude to was a trader in the Casemanche some years ago. M. Rapel was well acquainted with him. This gentleman used to get drunk every evening; which is not unusual among Britannic colonists. But after his first bottle of brandy, he used to take another in his pocket, put on a pair of enormous boots, and wander about in the jungle till he had finished the bottle; then he would lie down wherever he happened to be, and go peaceably to sleep. One morning he did not return as usual. His people went into the wood to look for him. To their horror they found that a swarm of drivers had fallen in with him. Even his boots had been eaten up. A ghastly and clean picked skeleton with a few scattered boot-nails alone were left to tell the tale!

Mr. Reade was favoured on the Gambia with some French "blagues," by a certain Sergeant Boivin, of the second company of Tirailleurs, at St. Louis a tremendous Tirailleur he must have been-concerning the rape of women by apes and baboons, and the gathering together of animals on a mud flat during the flood season, to which the happy family of Trafalgar-square are as cheese-mites.

Our author sums up with sundry chapters on monsters and fabulous animals, on the general features of Africa, on malaria, and on the negro and the redemption of Africa. On the first subject, he has nothing to say new with regard to the unicorn, and while he quotes Castelnau and others regarding the supposed tailed Nyam-nyams, he strangely enough omits to notice Mr. Petherick's visit to their country, and M. Lejean's explanation of the origin of the fable in a certain caudal ornamental appendage worn by the Nyam-nyams, and figured by that traveller. The same practice is adopted by many other savages, as by the Dahomans at times of festivities, and, according to Molhausen, even on the Rio de Norte.

On the second topic, Mr. Reade points out that Buffon, Lacépède, and Ritter have all long ago advocated the existence of a great central plateau in tropical Africa; and that Mr. Reade, being an uncompromising opponent of Du Chaillu, who he denounces as a mere gorilla-skin collector, and Sir Roderick Murchison having generously taken the part of the much-abused traveller, the latter comes in for a rap on the knuckles. "About seven years ago," he says, "Sir Roderick Murchison put forward as his own this theory, which belongs to the last generation. I prefer to believe that this is one of those strange coincidences which have so frequently occurred in the history of science, and that the President of the Geographical Society is not acquainted with the works of Buffon, Lacépède, and Ritter, rather than suppose that he could be guilty of a gross and wilful plagiarism !"

men.

Upon the subject of the negro, Mr. Reade points out many mistaken notions that are entertained with regard to slavery, polygamy, and naked The first is an institution founded on the natural indolence of the negro; the second is essential to keeping the race alive in such a climate; and the third, he argues with many other African travellers, is "both moral and repulsive." He does not believe in the negro being a separate race, but he discusses the subject fairly, omitting, however, the point of distinct species of parasites.

With regard to the redemption of Africa, he points out how little has yet been done by missionaries or explorers. From the western coast it is, he says, impossible to enter Central Africa. The country is dense and virgin forest, through which there are no thoroughfares, save the rivers;

It

and these become unnavigable, even to a canoe, at a very short distance from the coast. Hence it is that Du Chaillu and Mr. Reade himself have really done little or nothing for geographical science. Even the way by the Congo presents, as we know from Tuckey's experience, almost insurmountable difficulties. The same system also obtains on the western coast as on the eastern-every village head has to be bribed-a system which involves great expense on the explorer. Still a vast deal has been done in recent times, and Barth, Livingstone, Speke, and Burton have laid open nearly half of Central Africa by themselves alone. would be a trifle now to start from Speke's Mfumbiro and reach the mouth of the Congo on the eastern coast; indeed the latter traveller believes that river to have its sources on the western slopes of that group of mountains. It appears from Speke's public speeches, that he meditates laying open this great central, fertile, and temperate plateau of equatorial Africa, and we hope he may be spared health, and supplied with means to carry out his project. As to crossing the country via Senegambia, as advocated by Mr. Reade, it would serve no good purpose at all, except to enable the Franco-Algerians to do what they have long wanted, and what Jules Gerard is now engaged in futile attempts to carry out-to unite Algeria with the head-waters of the Niger.

Mr. Reade believes that this vast continent will finally be divided almost equally between France and England:

In Northern Africa France already possesses the germ of a great military empire. She will ally herself with the Mohammedan powers. With a Mohammedan army she will overrun Africa. She will pocket the Gambia which she has already surrounded; annex Morocco; and by planting garrisons in Segu and Timbuctu will command the commerce of Northern Central Africa, the gold mines of Wangara, and all the treasures which the Atlas mountains may afford.

While England, pursuing a more peaceful course, will colonise Angola by means of black emigrants; run a railway across to Mosambique; and grow on the table-lands of Southern Central Africa the finest wool and cotton in the world.

Africa shall be redeemed. Her children shall perform this mighty work. Her morasses shall be drained; her deserts shall be watered by canals; her forests shall be reduced to firewood. Her children shall do all this. They shall pour an elixir vitæ into the veins of their mother now withered and diseased. They shall restore her to youth and to immortal beauty.

In this amiable task they may possibly become exterminated. We must learn to look on this result with composure. It illustrates the beneficent law of nature, that the weak must be devoured by the strong.

But a grateful Posterity will cherish their memories. When the cockneys of Timbuctu have their tea-gardens in the Oases of the Sahara; when hotels and guide-books are established at the Sources of the Nile; when it becomes fashionable to go yachting on the lakes of the Great Plateau; when noblemen, building seats in Central Africa, will have their elephant-parks and their hippopotami waters; young ladies on camp-stools under palm-trees will read with tears "The Last of the Negroes ;" and the Niger will become as romantic a river as the Rhine.

This is all very fanciful, and may, to a certain extent, be one day realised; but it is as impossible that Frenchmen and Englishmen can occupy Africa and remain Frenchmen and Englishmen, as it is that they can