New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-11-12
Western Africa.

subject Of great Importance, having reference
TO he Western or slave coast OF Africa. Il az
forts he dearest and fullest insight into the m.
teno. HE aud habits of this great nursery Of
slavery, IN which Christian civilization re-
morselcssy traficked for so many successive
ages, that has vet met the public gaze An mti-
mate and accurate knowledge Of the subject
treated OF Is as leeible and as Ineligible on these
pages, as the nervous and racy language In
which It Is developed. The writer wins your
admiration until II becomes belief, and you
feel not alone that he speaks of things within MS
knowledge, and that his delneaton Is hut the
expression Of his convictions
The existing condition of things the state of
the people mental and social, their actual being
as people, the first inquiries which naturally
suggest themselves when we get a glimpse at the
original sources OF this ensaved race with whom
so fatally associated And in this instance
we what we were not prepared for by any
previous account Settled habita,ions, owner
ship and cultivation OF the soil, manufacture of
ron gold, and cotton goods, fortified towns
grades in society, responsible government, and
even the institution OF domestic slavery that
tTuest type OF an advanced civilization present
themselves to our astonished view The forth.
cations are rude mud walls and stockades, and
the huts nearly as bad as some of those of the
| poorer Irish, but more Clearly OF the iortlfca-
tons 1t may be observed, that they are adapted
to their use, and perhaps more tenable, consd
oring the means OF attack, than the Notifications
Of Paris when assalled by all the modern applian-
! ceS OF civilized warfare and as to the huts, their
superiority over the Irish depends In a great
measure, we opine, on the fact that the climate is
ntolerabe, and has saved them from English
dominion. more intimate connection with
that Government would adjust the equation of
the social destiny OF Irshman and African.
This description applies TO the African nations
! or tribes on the coast, some of which are far IN
advance of others, and all of which are IN adj
vance of the tribes in the interior, who are IN
accessible in general to Europeans The former
are divided into several distinct nations Most
OF them are Mohammedans, forbidden by their
religion from holding or selling Mohammedan
| slaves, and therefore, general rule, the pow
erful tribes Of that religion, and even the weak
| ones, cannot be enslayed. The principal tribes
at the Gambia are the Jolihes, the Mandlngoes,
the Foolahs or Felatahs The Mandlngoes are
the landed class-the proprietary, as they would
be called in England. They rent out their lands
to the Fooiahs to feed their flocks, and to other
neighbOring tribes for agricultural purposes
| For themselves they are addicted to arstocratlc
| puTsuts--war, excess and idleness. The JO-
| lfies, the remaining tribe, are said to be intelh
gent and well-lookng. and are generally me-
| chanlCs
The Fooahs are not all engaged IN herding
one section of them are given TO war, and per-
| haps a little plumber. But the great agrlcul-
| tura section forms very interesting nation.
| Their traditional habits, sports festivals, &c,
are no doubt national and characteristic, but
! approach European nations so closely IN rehhe-
! nent, and view to taste In dress, as to become
| interesting to the traveller.
In their religious opinion the whole OF the
| Nohammedan population is divided into two
great sects-the Marabouts who adhere strictly
to the laws OF the Prophet, and the Sonnachees
who at swire's flesh and get as drunk as Chris
| tiaus We are not told whether they have any
| uatt,rs. or, in fact, whether Sonnachee is pro-
! scubed. The intelligent reviewer does not
e,llehten US on this branch Of African politics.
The responsibility and constltutonaliiy OF
| Government is exempllied IN an account OF an
interesting discussion which took place IN refer
| euce 10 an innovation proposed by the English
| surg con. namely, yaccinating children Tor the
! uirnose of averting the fatality OF the small
! no, whose rayagos had been very general.
! More than one king called together his council
TO submit the proposal to the concrete wise one.
| They usually assembled under great tree, per-
| hans of a thousand years growth. The chiefs
| and sages here debated the question, and sIngu-
lar 10 saw, IN every instance the popular oPposl-
,ion to the inno, alton was based on the privilege
of the council TO control the regal power. The
| aroument somewhat resembed the canal opposl.
tion reasoning They we're partially indifferent
,o the issue-whether vaccination was good or
bad. safe or danger0us-but whether II did not
infringe or the constitutional right OF the coun-
ell We find, however, that the logic did not
rrevail; nor are We informed whether the SI-
rache,s-the patriotic notwithstanding
IN dudgeon OF not. Ia one instance this
IRENE sacrifice was rendered unnecessary; for
AS soon as the council and king. after grave de-
liberation, decided N favor Of the SANITARY re-
form. the lady mammals scampered of to the
woods with their sable angels to save them from
the proclamation. Perhaps, indeed, the opposl
ton was pushed to extremes with the view Of
showing the English, who did everything, and
SAID everything, concluding their prayers, IN the
name Of her gracious Majesty, hew much more
clrcumscrbed were their rulers and how nuch
more securely their Liberties We're guarded
However that may lie, the reform is progressing
and ty degrees the mammas and the patriots are
Welding to its salutary influence.
The laws of the Africans IN respect 10 debtors
are stringent and severe, and here Is the fountain