The hydraulic press., 1858-08-28

Whilst the great American people,
who boast Of their superior advance
ment and liberality are advocating or
ridiculing the extension Of equal civil
and political rights to woman; and |
whilst the strong-minded women
themselves are discussing in conglom-
crate conventions the great question
Of their wrongs and rights; the sex in
Africa, barbarous and "unaccustomed
to public speaking" as they are, with
no knowledge of conventions or free
love distractions, have themselves
taken all the privileges of ruling
and tyranizing, which, in this coun-
try Of equal rights, ARE monopolized by
the men.
According to DR.. Livingstone some
of the Central African tribes are rul-
ed by female chiefs, who seem quite
as arrogant, self>conceited, despoti,
and selfish as male rulers there or
elswhere, but with a spice of true
feminine capriciousness added which
serves to show that the sex can have
all its rights and still be woman.
The first one the Doctor met was
Manenko. He says Of her
To our first message, offering
visit of explanation to Manenko, we
got an answer, with a basket of ma
nioc roots, that we must remain where
we were till she could visit u.s.
Having waited two days already for
her, other messengers arrived with
orders for me to come to her. After
four days of rains and negotiation, I
declined going at all, and proceeded
up the river.
A little further on he gives the
following delicious picture of an AT
rican female toilet and an African
beauty:
Sheakondo's old wife presented
some manioc roots, and then politely
requested to be anointed with butter:
as 1 had been beautifully supplied by
the Makololo, | gave her as much as
would suffice, and as they have little
clothing, can readily believe that she
felt her comfort greatly enhanced
thereby.
The fayorite wife, who was also
present, was equally anxious for but
ter. She had a profusion of iron
rings on her ankles, to which were
attached little pieces of sheet iron, to
enable her to make tinkling as she
walked in her mincing African style;
the same thing is thought pretty by
our own dragons in walking jauntin'
ely.
The next female chief he encoun,
tered was older and better natured
and enjoyed the society of kind o.
prince consort.
On the 9th of January we reached
the village of another female chief
named Nyamoana, who is said to be
the mother of Manenko, and sister O.
Shinte or Kabompo, the greatest Bal
onda chiefin this part of the country
Her people had but recently come t.
the present locality, and had erected
only twenty huts. Her husband, Sa-
moana, was clothed in kilt of greer
and red baize, and was armed with &
spear and bloadsword Of antique
form, about eighteen inches long ant
three broad. The chief and her hus'
band were sitting on skins placed II
the middle of a circle thirty PAGES II
diameter, little raised above the or,
binary level of the ground, and hav
ing trench round it. Outside the
trench sat about hundred persons O
all ages and both sexes. The mer
were well armed with bows, arrows
spears, and broadswords. Beside
the husband sat rather aged woman
having bad outward squint in the
left eye. We put down our arms
about forty yards off, and walked W
to the centre of the circular bench
and saluted him in the usual way by
clapping the hands together in theil
fashion. He pointed to his wife, az
much as to say, the honor belongs t.
her. | saluted her in the same way
and mat having been brought,
squatted down in front Of them.
The talker was then called, and
was asked who was my spokesman
Having pointed to Kolimbota, who
knew their dialect best, the palavel
began in due form. I explained the
real object | had in view, without any
attempt to mystify or appear in any