A NEGRO QUEEN-DOWAGER. (From The Discovery of the Source of the Nile,' by Captain Speke.) [The source of the Nile had been a puzzle to geographers for ages. To set the matter at rest, Captains Speke and Grant left Portsmouth, April 27, 1860; arrived at Zanzibar, an island on the E. coast of Africa on Aug. 15 following; leaving which place on Sept. 21, they crossed to the mainland with a large party of guides, soldiers, and porters, carrying a great quantity of cloth, beads, toys, guns, &c., as presents to the kings and chiefs through whose territories they might pass. They arrived at Ripon Falls, where the Nile first issues from Lake Victoria Nyanza, on July 28, 1862.] I was shown in at once, and found her majesty sitting on an Indian carpet, dressed in a red linen wrapper, with a gold border, and a box, in the shape of a lady's work-box, prettily coloured in divers patterns with minute beads, by her side. Her councillors were in attendance; and in the yard a band of music, with many minor Wakungu squatting in a semicircle, completed her levee. Maula, on my behalf, opened conversation, in allusion to her yesterday's question, by saying I had applied to Mtesa (the young king) for a palace, that I might be near enough to both their majesties to pay them constant visits. She replied, in a good hearty manner, that that indeed was a very proper request, which showed my good sense, and ought to have been complied with at once; but Mtesa was only a Kijana, or stripling, and as she influenced all the government of the country, she would have it carried into effect. Compliments were now passed, my presents given and approved of; and the queen, thinking I must be hungry, for she wanted to eat herself, requested me to refresh myself in another hut. I complied, spread my bedding, and ordered in my breakfast; but as the hut was full of men, I suspended a Scotch plaid, and quite eclipsed her mbŭgă curtain. Reports of this magnificence at once flew to the queen, who sent to know how many more blankets I had in my possession, and whether if she asked for one she would get it. She also desired to see my spoons, forks, and pipe (an English meerschaum, mounted with silver); so, after breakfast, I returned to see her, showed her the spoons and forks, and smoked my pipe, but told her I had no blankets left but what formed my bed. She appeared very happy and very well, did not say another word about the blankets, but ordered a pipe for herself, and sat chatting, laughing, and smoking in concert with me. I told her I had visited all the four quarters of the globe, and had seen all colours of people, but wondered where she got her pipe from, for it was much after the Rumish (Turkish) fashion, with a long stick. Greatly tickled at the flattery, she said, 'We hear men like yourself come to Amara from the other side, and drive cattle away.' 'The Gallas, or Abyssinians, who are tall and fair, like Rumanika,' I said, 'might do so, for they live not far off on the other side of Amara, but we never fight for such paltry objects. If cows fall into our hands when fighting, we allow our soldiers to eat, while we take the government of the country into our own hands.' She then said, 'We hear you don't like the Unyamuézi route; we will open the Ukori one for you.' 'Thank your majesty,' said I, in a figurative kind of speech to please Waganda ears; and turning the advantage of the project on her side, 'You have, indeed, hit the right nail on the head. I do not like the Unyamŭézi route, as you may well imagine when I tell you I have lost so much property there by mere robbery of the people and their kings. The Waganda do not see me in a true light; but if they have patience for a year or two, until the Ukori road is open, and trade between our respective countries shall commence, they will then see the fruits of my advent; so much so, that every Mganda will say the first Uganda year dates from the arrival of the first Msungu (white) visitor. As one coffee-seed sown brings forth fruit in plenty, so my coming here may be considered. All appreciated this speech, saying, The white man, he even speaks beautifully beautifully! beautifully! beautifully!' and, putting their hands to their mouths, they looked askance at me, nodding their admiring approval. The queen and her ministers then plunged into pombé and became uproarious, laughing with all their might and main. Small bugu cups were not enough to keep up excitement of the time, so a large wooden trough was placed before the queen and filled with liquor. If any was spilt, the Wakungu instantly fought over it, dabbing their noses on the ground, or grabbing it with their hands, that not one atom of the queen's favour might be lost; for everything must be adored that comes from royalty, whether by design or accident. the The queen put her head to the trough and drank like a pig from it, and was followed by her ministers. The band, by order, then struck up a tune called the Milele, playing on a dozen reeds, ornamented with beads and cow-tips, and five drums, of various tones and sizes, keeping time. The musicians, dancing with zest, were led by four bandmasters, also dancing, but with their backs turned to the company to show off their long, shaggy, goat-skin jackets, sometimes upright, at other times bending and on their heels, like the hornpipe dancers of western countries. It was a merry scene, but soon became tiresome; when Bombay, by way of flattery, and wishing to see what the queen's wardrobe embraced, told her, 'Any woman, however ugly, would assume a goodly appearance if prettily dressed;' upon which her gracious majesty immediately rose, retired to her toilet-hut, and soon returned attired in a common check cloth, an abrus tiara, a bead necklace, and with a folding looking-glass, when she sat, as before, and was handed a blown-glass cup of pombé, with a cork floating on the liquor, and a napkin mbugŭ covering the top, by a virgin. For her kind condescension in assuming plain raiment, everybody, of course, n'yanzigged. Next she ordered her slave girls to bring her a large number of sambo (anklets), and begged me to select the best, for she liked me much. In vain I tried to refuse them; she had given more than enough for a keepsake before, and I was not hungry for property; still I had to choose some, or I would give offence. She then gave me a basket of tobacco, and a nest of hen's eggs for her son's breakfast. When this was over, the Mukondéri, another dancing-tune, with instruments something like clarionets, was ordered; but it had scarcely been struck up, before a drenching rain, with strong wind, set in and spoilt the music, though not the playing, for none dared stop without an order; and the queen, instead of taking pity, laughed most boisterously over the exercise of her savage power as the unfortunate musicians were nearly beaten down by the violence of the weather. 9 When the rain ceased, her majesty retired a second time to her toilet-hut, and changed her dress for a puce-coloured wrapper, when I, ashamed of having robbed her of so many sambo, asked if she would allow me to present her with a little English wool,' to hang up instead of her mbŭgă curtain on cold days like this. Of course she could not decline, and a large double scarlet blanket was placed before her. wonder of wonders!' exclaimed all the spectators, holding their mouths in both hands at a time. Such a 'pattern' had never been seen here before. It stretched across the hut, was higher than the men could reach, indeed it was a perfect Oh, marvel; and the man must be a good one who brought such a treasure as this to Uddů. Uganda is personified by Mtésa; and no one can say he has seen Uganda until he has been presented to the king. As I had them all in a good humour now, I complained I did not see enough of the Waganda, and as everyone dressed so remarkably well, I could not discern the big men from the small; could she not issue some order by which they might call on me, as they did not dare to do so without instructions, and then I in turn would call upon them. Hearing this, she introduced me to her prime minister, chancellor of exchequer, women keepers, hangmen, and cooks, as the first nobles in the land, that I might recognise them again if I met them on the road. All n'yanzigged for this great condescension, and said they were delighted with their guest; then producing a strip of common joho to compare it with my blanket, they asked if I could recognise it. Of course,' said I, 'it is made in my country, of the same material, only of coarser quality, and everything of the same sort is made in Usungu (England).' 'Then, indeed,' said the whole company with one voice, 'We do like you, and your cloth too, but you most.' I modestly bowed my head, and said their friendship was my chief desire. This speech also created great hilarity; the queen and councillors all became uproarious. The queen began to sing, and the councillors to join in chorus; then all sang and all drank, and drank and sang, till in their heated excitement they turned the palace into a pandemonium; still there was not noise enough, so the band and drums were called again, and tomfool-for Uganda, like the old European monarchies, always keeps a jester-was made to sing in the gruff, hoarse, unnatural voice which he ever affects to maintain his character, and was furnished with pombé when his throat was dry. Now, all of a sudden, as if a devil had taken possession of the company, the prime minister with all the courtiers jumped upon their legs, seized their sticks, for nobody can carry a spear when visiting, swore the queen had lost her heart to me, and running into the yard, returned, charging and jabbering at the queen; retreated and returned again, as if they were going to put an end to her for the guilt of loving me; but really to show their devotion and true love to her. I was now getting very tired of sitting on my low stool, and begged for leave to depart, but N'yamasoré would not hear of it; she loved me a great deal too much to let me go away at this time of day, and forthwith ordered in more pombé. The same roystering scene was repeated; and the queen graced it by drinking, pigfashion, first, and then handing it round to the company. (From History of England,' by G. L. Craik.) an'-arch-y, confusion, want of govern- | pur-vey'-or, one who supplies provisions ment su-prem'-a-cy, the height of authority, &c. aug-men-ta'-tion, an increase pre-cip'-i-tate, headlong, hasty con-temp'-o-ra-ry, living at the same time pre-de-ces-sor, one who has gone before ra-pa'-ci-ty, eagerness for plunder, robbery sal'-u-tar-y, wholesome, good for the de-lin'-quent, an offender health neu'-tral-ise, to render neutral, or neither one thing nor another de-base'-ment, the act of making bad cro'-sier-ed, holding a crosier or bishop's staff per-turb-a'-tion, disturbance [The Norman line of kings governed England eighty-eight years-viz., from William the Conqueror, 1066, to the death of Stephen, 1154.] BOTH the Conqueror and his son Henry have the character of having been strict administrators of the laws, and rigorously exact and severe in the punishment of offences against the public peace. The Saxon chronicler says that, in the time of the former, a girl loaded with gold might have passed safely through all parts of the kingdom. In like manner, the same authority tells us, that, under the government of Henry, 'whoso bore his burden of gold and silver, durst no man say to him nought but good.' The maintenance of so effective a system of police must, no doubt, have made a great difference between these reigns and those of Rufus and Stephen,in both of which robbery ranged the kingdom almost without restraint, and, in the latter especially, the whole land was almost given up as a prey to anarchy, and the power of the strongest. But still even this supremacy of the law was in |