Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-19
0Wortester 9alln gpp.
Correspondence of the New York Tribune
INTERESTING EXPLORATIONS AND DIS
C0VERIES IN AFRICA.
FERNAND-VAz RIVER. Feb. 10 Is

or lor the Gamma country, but instead of 60
ing directly by the sea to the Fernand- Vaz
hIver, went by the lagoons or creeks which
communicate from the Nazareth River to the
Fernand-Vaz, in order to ascertain if these two
rivers were connected, as the natives had told
me. found the mouth of the Nazareth River
low and overt1owed There were villages
except those situated near the sea-shore, oppo-
site the islands. During the whole of my jour
ney through this labyrinth of creeks and la
goons, l did not find single village; the
banks being very low and all overhowed the
spectacle was one Of utter desolation. | found
no mangrove trees, the banks being almost
everywhere bordered with palm trees In
some places, in the midst of these lagoons we
could hear the breakers of the sea- in other
places we were too far from the shore to hear
them. | found branch of the 0gobai River
flowing into these creeks, and another one
from the same river, which is no other than
the MeXias River. The Ogobai and the Naza-
reth rivers are formed in the interior bv the
river Rembo-Anenga, the last one being form
ed by the Rembo-Ngouyai and the Rembo-
Okanda rivers. Finally, | went through a
branch of the Npoulounai River, which is a
branch OF the Ogobai falling into the Fernand-
Vaz River. So the river of this portion of the
interior has three main branches-the Naza-
,reth, the Mexas, and the Ogobai rivers, the
last one being one of the feeders of the Fer
nand-Vaz River, AS soon as l had ascertain
ed these facts L came to the conclusion that
the interior rivers, flowing out in these branch
es, were much larger than it was supposed and
resolved to explore them Immediately. | was
two days and two nights crossing the creeks
between the Nazareth and the Fernand- Vaz
Unfortunately the natives along the Ogobia
made a compact long ago with the Cape Lopez
people never to let any white man 90 up the
river and, knowing that several of my per-
sonal friends had failed in that undertaking, |
resolved to ascend the Fernand-Vaz River to
the town of Goumbee, whose chief is the
most influential man of the Gamma
country, and who is a friend of mine,
and who has the command of the riv-
er, and to ask him for people to guide me
into the interior; then to proceed inland
until should meet the great river Ooumbee
Village is 80 miles up the Fernand-Vaz River;
Its chief, King Quengeza, belongs to the Abou-
va is the Oldest king of the river. Through
his influence and with his people he helped me
to pursue my journey. From Goumbee | as
cened the Rembo-Ovenga 70 miles until |
reached the Ofoubou about ten miles, then left
the river for an inland journey through the
Bakalai tribe, the bushmen of Western Eoua-
Africa. L reached the praries of the interior
where the Ashire tribe is situated, after n iour
ney of 2l0 miles. This new sight was mag
niticent. | could see hills, daes, mountains,
streams and beautiful lakes. In northwest
direction are the mountains known to this peo-
pie by the name of Nknoumou Nabouslee. |
could see in the far distance their blue outlines
and the fantastic forms of their peaks, some of
which were lost in the Clouds Opposite to
the Observation-Disclosures | could see the beau
tltul Andele and Ofoubou Orere Mountains
whose dark green foliage was quite in contrast
with the yellow grass of the prairies gently
sloping to the feet of these mountains. The
River Ofoubou takes its source in the Ofoubou
Mountains, from which it takes its name
There, it is a beautiful clear rivulet. From
the mountains, the sight is one of the most
beautiful | have ever seen in Africa. The
prairies may be fifty miles in length and from
ten to fifteen miles III width, and among them
are from $50 to 200 villages. In the lakes are
fishes called by the natives Moi and Roua.
Many are caught, especially in the dry season.
son. All the tribes had seen before during
my travels in Africa were dependent on white
men for their clothing, or if not were almost
in a state of nudity, wearing skins or a kind of
bark. But the Ashire people are quite differ.
ent. They are generous, hospitabe, and in
some measure devoted to agriculture. Food
is plentiful, and while sojourned among them
! received, by way of presents, many goats,
fowls and lunches of plantains. Or course,
two or three days atterward most of them ex-
pect something in return from you, the white
men being to them the personificaton of
wealth. The Ashira people cultivate plantain,
manioc, sweet potato, ground nuts, two kinds
of gnomes, sugar. cane, and, to some extent
cotton for their own use in making bags. They
cultivate tobacco in large quantity, and carry
on a large trade with the other tribes of the in
terror in this last article. They make their
own cloth, called Ndengui 1t is made with
the leaves of kind of palm tree which have
never seen before. Some of their Ndengui
are very soft, and are made of different pat
terms. They have a beautiful black die, with
which they sometimes dye their cloth. They
make also very beautiful caps. They work to
some extent in iron.
The Ashira people are the most interesting
people | have yet seen in Africa, / had never
seen villages kept in SO good order. The
walls of their houses are made of the bark of
trees, and their roofs are covered with leaves,
generally of the palm. The Ashira people
are also the blacklist people l have seen in
Western Equatorial Africa; they are not very
tall, but are generally well proportional. The
women are the handsomest among the black
tribes have visited. Most of them have
given up the custom of filing their teeth
sharp, and only sharpen them a little in the
middle. 1t was with great trouble that |
could persuade this people that could not ac-
cept any of their sisters, daughters or wives
that it was not the fashion Of the white man.
Unlike many other tribes, they do not marry
their daughters, and do not put them into the
hands of their husbands until they have at
tanned the age of womanhood. Unmarried
girls are not allowed to wear anything; so
girl or woman that have never been married
is easy to be recognized. A young man can
make his proposition to the parents, who let
him know the amount of goods or slaves must
be given before possessing the bride. The girl
has nothing to do in the choice of her hus-
band she is bought and considered almost as
a slave when married. She has to provide
food for her husband, who in return is obliged
to present to her from time to time brass rods,
which she wears either round her neck, or in
the form of bracelets and ankets and beads.
When he is a rich man, he has sometimes to
give her one or two fathoms of cloth. The
women are very fond of brass ornaments.
Rich men wear two large rings on each Of their
ankles Intoxicating drinks are as much liked
by the Ashira people. They make two kinds;
one with the sap of the palm-oil tree, which
when fermented, is intoxicating. The other
is made of plaintains, which are cut into small
pieces when very ripe, and put in large jugs
made by themselves, containing from five to
ten gallons each. When the jug is half full
of the pieces of plaintain they fill in water and
let it stand for two to three days, until it is te
mented. Then, early in the morning, those
who have furnished the plaintain and the in
vited guests, go to the beer-house or distillery
and seat themselves round the jugs, and seem
to ENJOY themselves until they are perfectly
drunk. Almost every village has a distillery
house may say that have never yet been
in any tribe, far from or near to the sea-shore
in Africa, where intoxicating drinks were I'M
known; and when paintains are plenty in the
Ashira county, drunkenness is yerv common.
Some Of the Ashira people smoke tho leayes