New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-05-13
EoUAToRlAL AFRICA and THE GORILLA.

LECTURE BY MONS. T. -. DU CuAIiLU. 81 ilE "iNoN-
LYE ACADEMY or MUSIC, SATURDAY EVENING
mAY n. 1867.
Tho announcement that Mons On Challu would
hcyor a lecture on topics connected with Equatorial
Africa under the auspices and by invitation Of the Long
Island Historical Society. Saturday evening, at the
EroolvI Academyof Music brought tOgctheran audience
lair in poipt of numbers considering the unpcasantness
p the evening. On the platform, beside number OF tne
hlcrcy Of Brooklyn, among whom The Reys NV
eeechcr. DR.. Rockwell. William Alvin Bartlett ana Pr
hcsch, T. Cltenden. ESQ., and Others o, zoe tho
lecturer introduced by Mr. Mills who stllG'; IN oo
of ms Introductory rUmaTks, that Tue i,
Of Mons Du Chaillu, especially IN rcsa.t T 10y men
pmOng whom Were Prof owen, and Sir RQdcTlck hnione
bon. The lecturer said: Ia aceepng tno ea Upon
the subjects that fell under my observation Gn[nig
Zen wears of travel and exploration IN EquS,oiai
AfricS hardly know at what point to begin Inc re-
tion which traverscd lies south OF thc I-Iu" 90
man above my head will indicate. III Is very 40 @
Sary that only in this comparatively narrow Det no We
find the gorilla AID the nestbuilding ape-Ct which, uh
fortunately got only single Speclmem Sot ony 1Ccs
the huma inhabitants of this region differ from all other
people, but the animals are cnrey unKe any you ma
elscwhcrc the varieties seem Obe distinct inc elephant
for example, Of this region seems very unlike ms brother
of S0uti Africa From the coast made several eXcur
to the INTERIOR then returned bringing WIFI INC
thc spoils Of my loIaions studied man espeCiaIy
negro Heretofore no Whe man had ever r td
mOuntanOus rccesscs, no caravan had even lehtiicu
unknown there. POlygamy. slavery, and witchclait
seemed be the main features of thersoca system inc
opp0rtunty and at an ages The chief business of man
there seems to marry many wives as possible no
he is. the younger he seems to prefer to have his
wiyes-perhaps a preference which myself should
SymDatIiZe with IbauchtcrJ In the evening, when
everybody has retired to his hut, the make their
laws They saw TO their wives: tell You and order
you to love me, and il you do not l will fog YOU" In
that country the whip, which is made of the hckeSt part
of the hide of the hppopotamus is considered very
necessary piece of household furniture The cu
tvate the soil, aud il is the duty OF every WE TO leed
her husband well There ceremony whatever at the
day OF the marriage; but the young wives are put III c
of the chief Wife She teaches them how 10 love ING
husband how to catch fish for him. ana now 10
his plantations The religious notions of these people are
Of tie i0osest kind no TWO persons are found 10 beevs
alike. It Is very difficult for Whe man 20 uheS'anu
what they do believe. There is no theological system
among them from which on can make Jo,h OIL IVSGS
superstition even They believe IN gOOd ahu cNll slIlt'
especially the latter They fear the spirits oi ne recent
ens OF food every day. at iSt Dnt as te eol vi ,e
dead vanshes from their minds, these presents are less
The children, in all these clans, belong to
the family, not of the male, but of the female,
expedition any kind Is to be Notwithstanding hunt
Ing trading-they dance round their IDOL. Next IN
groes very superstiOus Those charms arc made of
the skins curious animals the claws and teeth of other
carefully packed in small bundles and worn by the men
OF the women round the neck or the waist Every charm
has special power. one gives TO the hunter SAFE
vii nrcvent The man from being bewched These give
him good luck in the hunts. steady aim in killing ms
game; and OF the charms will make You spear
or proof Doubtless some negroes would go before
the mouth of q cannon believing that the charm would
be efcacious to protect them and they killed
would be said that the charm not good The doctor
As called OpgOH0O- the east stShOwing
the affinity of the language. He always predicts good
81 he predicts for it bad luck. All the people believe IN
itchcra which belief is the greatest curse that ever
bctel that people IL takes more lVes IMAM IN tle save
traders ever did The people firmly believe that death ~
always viOlence-that die unless somebody
has bewched him When man Is DeWiIenSu, ne . ~ole
nature TO change. The natural feelings between
husbands aud wives and parents and children seem to be
suddenly suspended BY night he 1anceS hnSeI sur
rounded by evil spirits; in his dreams ne sees tl5 devil
trying to kill him He tells in the village what he has
dreamed: the people fancy there sOrcerelS among
them, and finally suspicion falls on some individual or
drink preparation of strychnipe, which the doctors
themselves have great capacity to drink without being
drink without fatal results at other times have seen
those who drank it fall down within five minutes the
deaths ensuing Those whose drinking OF the pre-
paration is attended with such results are called sor
great. The drink puts them III state oil htoXlcat
widness; and then some victims are sure to found
Generally, their decisions follow the preudices or the
ard. After man has been accused OF being sOrcerer.
appeal is had to this drink; and out of hundred who
one or two men killed. II it bea woman or child
that dies, no one iskied beside When VISITED GoumDi
friend of mine was very ILL., The natives would Spend
the night drumming in his and firing guns, to drive
gum heavily loaded could be- close by his very ears
enough 70 XII well man they Speceed ~ IN GrVims
ON their solicitation, gave him some medicine, telling
them they must not blame # he died went to bed;
town and knew he was dead. In the afternoon. the
people began TO talk of wchcraft. They said This
man has been bewitehed; who has killed him3 The
doctor drank the preparation;p then, IN a marsh s
had bewitched victim She niece Of the King
"a princess. On being summoned, she said: Il viii
drink; but il do not die, beware! The doctor men,
toned another name. that of an elderly woman Ihey
were taken 70 the river placed IN canoe ana made 10
drink On that occasion there three victims. Some
tunes whole clans are thus sacrificed In that country,
ioeS Sye tev Gay c eT bS ibe word meaning s and
feast there means 20 get drunk After the feast is over,
the whole clan into mourning which lasts for year
or two During that time the villagers kind OF
ornaments whatever. They few clothes a. they
selves with ashes After the mourning the cole
bratOn at the close of the mourning time. saw such
Fernsnd Vaz River, which had named Washington.
Upon the son who inherits the property dcyoves the
from their widowhOod. For "A hours the company do
nothing but drink and dance theF drink Kind Of palm
wine called DqbO The noise so great could not
sleep. Toward o'clock in the morning the people be
came little silent-were drunk, IN reality, 10 make
moro noise. At o'clock the concluding ceremony,
with dancing and tanas around the house OF the dead
At the end the widows belonged TO different men.
In this the heir had been very generous he had
given two OF the widows 10 his younger brother and
one to his first cousin lie was in that country considered
a very large-minded man. Laughterl l visited more
than 30 tribes in that country. surprised NJ the
number Of dialects and languages they spoke. The
country very blnly inhnbted sometimes one could
travel for days in the jungle without coming 20 village
found during this last journey dwarfs called Obongo
An my former Journey found race OF cannDals-the
strongest race met in Africa They seemed also to be
fully ana they were very Talllke The most extensive
tribe | found were the Bakalas. i Travelled much
among them. They extend north Of the equator,
and from the sea shore TO as far as the Nslimba
and MpOvi country One trait Of the Bakalais
IS their rowing character; they remain Long in
place. village scarcely built before they remove which
IA the remarkable the making of village the
clearing Of plantation In the jungle involves much
labor Their very great fear Of death probably con-
tributes in the greatest degree 10 cultivate that rowing
tendency. 1t they continually He'd from the
face of death. When is very Ill they drive him
away from their town and unless he he has many rela
Iives and strong friends be is TO die helpless the
forest The women then are kinder hearted than the
and sometimes give these helpless unfortunate per-
food they did in that under my OBJ
In rh...n