it is seven or eight days old. The ceremony commences by shaving the infant's head; and a dish called Dega, made of pounded corn and sour milk, is prepared for the guests. If the parents are rich, a sheep or a goat is commonly added. The feast is called Ding koon lee, "the child's head shaving." During my stay at Kamalia, I was present at four different feasts of this kind, and the ceremony was the same in each, whether the child belonged to a Bushreen or a Kafir. The schoolmaster, who officiated as priest on these occasions, and who is necessarily a Bushreen, first said a long prayer over the dega; during which every person present took hold of the brim of the calabash with his right hand. After this, the schoolmaster took the child in his arms, and said a second prayer; in which he repeatedly solicited the blessing of God upon the child, and upon all the company. When this prayer was ended, he whispered a few sentences in the child's ear, and spit three times in its face; after which he pronounced its name aloud, and returned the infant to the mother. This part of the ceremony being ended, the father of the child

divided the dega into a number of balls, one of which he distributed to every person present. And inquiry was then made, if any person in the town was dangerously sick, it being usual, in such cases, to send the party a large portion of the dega; which is thought to possess great medical virtues.*

Among the Negroes every individual, besides his own proper name, has likewise a kontong, or surname, to denote the family or clan to which he belongs. Some of these families are very numerous and powerful. It is impossible to enumerate the various kontongs which are found in different parts of the country; though the knowledge of many of them is of great service to the traveller: for as every Negro plumes himself upon the importance, or the antiquity of his clan, he is much flattered when he is addressed by his kontong.

Salutations among the Negroes to each other, when they meet, are always observed; but those in most general use among the Kafirs, are Abbe haeretto-E ning seni,

* Soon after baptism, the children are marked in different parts of the skin, in a manner resembling what is called tattowing in the South-sea Islands.

-Anawari, &c. all of which have nearly the same meaning, and signify, are you well, or to that effect. There are likewise salutations which are used at different times of the day, as Ening somo, good morning, &c. The general answer to all salutations, is to repeat the kontong of the person who salutes, or else to repeat the salutation itself, first pronouncing the word marhaba, my friend.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Account of the Mandingoes continued.Their Notions in respect of the Planetary Bodies, and the Figure of the Earth.Their religious Opinions, and Belief in a Future State.-Their Diseases and Methods of Treatment.-Their Funeral Ceremonies, Amusements, Occupations, Diet, Arts, Manufactures, &c.

THE Mandingoes, and, I believe, the Negroes in general, have no artificial method of dividing time. They calculate the years by the number of rainy seasons. They portion the year into moons, and reckon the days by so many suns. The day they divide into morning, mid-day, and evening; and further subdivide it, when necessary, by pointing to the sun's place in the Hea vens. I frequently inquired of some of them what became of the sun during the night,. and whether we should see the same sun, or a different one, in the morning: but I

found that they considered the question as very childish The subject appeared to them as placed beyond the reach of human investigation; they had never indulged a conjecture, nor formed any hypothesis about the matter. The moon, by varying her form, has more attracted their attention. On the first appearance of the new moon, which they look upon to be newly created, the Pagan natives, as well as Mahomedans, say a a short prayer; and this seems to be the only visible adoration which the Kafirs offer up to the Supreme Being. This prayer is pronounced in a whisper: the party holdhis hands before his face: its purport (as I have been assured by many different people) is to return thanks to God for his kindness through the existence of the past moon, and to solicit a continuation of his favour during that of the new one. At the conclusion, they spit upon their hands, and rub them over their faces. This seems to be nearly the same ceremony, which prevailed among the Heathens in the days of Job.*

ing up

Great attention, however, is paid to the

* Chap. xxxi. ver. 26, 27, 28.