New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-05

fTFA
the sick mans house, with drums guns and ~.
kinds Of noisy instruments Some of them .n,.,.d
house and then commenced a scene very ..ra,c. -
me and very savage; guns were fred, drums ., g..
tams were beaten, the sick mans wives were c,v,,.
the people were shouting and firing guns in ,hs -
mans room / asked them why they made ,n.,
noise, and told them that they would KIN the ma.
They replied that the contrary if they could u,l.
noise enough they would fighen the evil spin. ~.
would leave the SILK mans bOdy and run avay s,o.
the house. This manner of proceeding one Of th.;,
great remedies for sickness. Then, ii the ma, a.
and he is ore of the big men of the village. h.,
say he was bewtched and that the sul,,.
must be found. As may be imagined, tie guI,
person is never found among the most Influential
bu. is always some poor man or woman, nO. con.
monty slave. Then human sacrifice begins, s,s,h.
most horrible death is inflicted upon those who h.rs
been declared guilty Of witchcraft. Sometimes ,h,,
are buried alive with the corpse OF the dece..s
sometimes they are bu,chered on the banks Of N.
river and their bodies thrown into the water One.
in one of nv hunting excursions in the woods | n,
struck with honor upon seeing poor woman fass.sl
TO tree She was dead, but must have suffered a.
most painful death; her body was tied fast and hn
been cut in many places, and in the nc ons pounded
CAYENNE pepper had been rubbed; the e1pressou Of
her face showed the horrible agony she had suffered
They have also supersttons concerning the mc.u.
and when the new moon appears they act as i tvs,
something to be afraid of; that night they generally
paint their bodies different coors have not been
able TO comprehend this part Of their religion.
II is a remarkable fact that some Of their manners
az have said above, present similarity to tie Oh
Jewish customs.
When they have lost relative they rend ,heir gar
nents and cover their bodies with ashes aud during
their mourning time they do not wear any ornaments,
but d,ess generally in dirty clothes and keep their isces
dirty
When something is said to them which exctes their
anger or grief they rend their garments 10 sxpresst he
emotions.
have given, though impenecty, an account Of he
religion of these degraded people Darkness, super
stition and wretchedness are the eHse~oe OF u
Hspply there is among them light testhylng agans
their wicked ways-a little missionary band, sent out
nv the American Board of Foreign Missions, Is on the
Gaboon River. where the Mpongwe people are pretty
numerous and there, among privatons, hardshps and
sickness these devoted men Try 10 bring the lsetNf
Christianity to a miserable people.
A for the degree Of civilization OF the Mppngse
trbe though their constant intercourse with the white
man renders them in some respects superior to the PEE
nile Of the interior whom l have seen, they are 10 a.
most the lowest social state. They have eopiedsoue
Of the manners of the white man--they behave better
than many other tribes Of the Coastare particularly
fond Of dress and are very vain. They do not seem
to improve much as to intelligence.
They are generally hosptable; povertyis not known
among them and none of their people die Of hungef
AT whatever time white man comes TO them he's
welcome if they are eating he is invited to partake
Their houses and villages are generally, as 20 cIesis
lness and convenience far above the standard Of sy
other tribes on the Westem Coast of Africa. Some
then houses are really pretty OF them are onut off
kind of bamboo and the front and back are veian-
das these keep the houses COOL In each house thsY
have generally three four rooms, and s0meimet
more; their beds are made with small bamboos 20
which they spread mats to sleep on.
Their Government is very simple. Each town has
its chief or king; and sometimes king has several
villages under his authority. The king is avsys
person of great influence being chosen by the prnepd
men of the village. His authority is not supreme, rd
if important affairs, pdorcrs, are TO be settled, 10
cannot do without the consent Of the chief mes. lie
use the people make Of their slaves ia very limited,
ar slavtry among them is not very burdensome. The
slaves have very little to do except provide their own
food and orc in while To work for their masters 10
cutting wood, working their canoes. Ii they wo'k
or white they receive half the amount paid TO
the master The great danger to the slaves H. that az
lese poor creatures almost always victims 10 the
upenton of the people they are generally takeo iOr
| human sacrifces.
The country inhabited by the Mpopgws people d
generally low and marshy; mangroves are numerou:
at the mouths of the rivers and creeks. But part
Of their country is very billy and beautiful. The
vegetation Of this region of equatorial Africa is most
exuberant, and nature has gifted it with msgni6
cent forests containing, doubt some very valuable
kinds Of wood When one enters these forests he Won
ders at the hight Of the trees ut their diversity Of f.
liage and at the nnumerabe vines which climb from
tree to tree; and the whole has something wild and
majestic. But all these riches Of nature lie idle; no
one i, there to improve them for the MpoDgwe are as
idle as all their brethren of the coast they hate abo
end lazness prevails with them TO such degree that
they work only provide their food and for their other
pressing wants. Their trade is very productive, and
does not require much labor from them they 10 not
allow the natives of the interior to trade dire dy with
the white men. They generally keep for themselves
than half Of the goods given for the native prod
uce brought to them. BY this means they can enjoy
all the luxures they desire without much trouble
But os l have mentioned above, an incontestible
fact is the very rapid decrease Of this tribe which
will doubt in the course Of time entirely disappear
from the continent of Africa or will be mixed with
other migrating tribes.
THE MBINGA TRIBE.
FEBRUARY D. 1856.