in his mouth, and ejects it three times over his feet, as also in the fire of his own hearth.

"When cattle are required merely for food, they are suffocated; but if for sacrifices, they are speared to death. On the decease of one of the tribe, they have also the cruel practice of destroying the poor beasts with clubs, which I believe to be a kind of expiatory offering. The flesh of such cattle as are killed on the death of a chief, is principally consumed by his servants.

"The women marry at very much the same age as those in Europe; but few ceremonies are connected with this important affair. A girl is sometimes betrothed to a man when yet a child; though, under such circumstances, she remains with her parents till of proper age. The woman, upon being asked in marriage, puts on a helmet-shaped head-dress, kept in readiness for such occasions, and, for a certain time, hides her face by means of a piece of thin, soft skin, attached to the front of the 'casque,' which she can raise or let fall in much the same manner as a curtain.

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Polygamy is practised to a great extent, and, as has been said elsewhere, women are bargained for like merchandize, the price varying according to the circumstances of the husband. Yet, though a man may have as many wives as he likes, I never knew one to have more than twenty !-a pretty good supply, however, it must be admitted..

"The favourite wife always takes precedence of the rest; and if she should have a son, he succeeds to his father's possessions and au thority.

"Each wife builds for herself a hut of semi-circular form, the walls of which consist of boughs, sticks, &c., the whole being plastered

over.

"Twins are not uncommon with the Damaras. Children are, generally speaking, easily reared. During infancy, sheep's milk constitutes their chief diet. Their heads are more or less deprived of hair; the boys are shaved, but the crown of the head of the girls is left untouched. Even grown-up females follow this custom. To the hair thus left they attach-not very unlike the Ovambo-thin strings, made from some fibrous substance.

"All males are circumcised; but no particular period of life is prescribed for this operation, which usually takes place when any event of national interest occurs.

"Children are named after great public incidents; but, as they grow up, should any circumstance arise of still greater importance to the community they are re-named; retaining, however, the original appellation. And since there may be no limit to remarkable transactions, it follows that an individual may have more names than any Spanish hidalgo can boast.

"Between the age of fifteen and twenty, both sexes chip a wedgeshaped piece of the two centre teeth in the upper jaw, and at a later period they extract entirely from the lower two or three teeth. The first operation is usually performed by means of a piece of iron, a flint, or simply a stone.

"The Damaras bury their dead. Immediately after dissolution, the back-bone of the corpse is broken with a stone, and it is then bent together with the chin resting on the knees. Afterwards it is wrapped in ox-hides, and deposited in a hole in the ground dug for the purpose, care being taken to place the face towards the north. This is done, they say, to remind them (the natives) whence they originally came. The Bechuana mode of disposing of the dead is very similar.

“Upon the death of one of the tribe, the whole population of the place assemble to deplore the event. The howlings and lamentations on such occasions are most discordant and dreadful. Tears are considered favourable signs, and the more plentifully they fall on the corpse, the better. Two months is the usual period for a son to mourn his father; but the time is modified according to circumstances. The wealthier the deceased, the greater the outward signs of sorrow— a kind of feeling which, at any rate, bears some approximation to that of civilized life. During the season of mourning, the mourner wears a dark-coloured skin cap, conically shaped on the top, with certain ornaments affixed to it. Round the neck is suspended a riem,' to the two extremities of which are attached a small piece of ostrich eggshell. In case of the death of a valued friend, the adults will occasionally shave the head completely, and keep it in that state for years.

"When a woman in reduced circumstances dies, and leaves a child, it is not unfrequently buried alive with its mother. Mr. Rath was once fortunate enough to be the means of saving a child that was about to be destroyed in this barbarous manner.

"After having consigned the remains of a chief to his last restingplace, they collect his arms, war dress, &c., and suspend them to a pole, or to a tree, at the head of the grave. The horns of such oxen as have been killed in commemoration of the occasion, are hung up in like manner-a custom also found among the natives of Madagascar. The tomb consists of a large heap of stone, surrounded by an enclosure of thorn bushes; no doubt to prevent hyænas and other carnivorous animals from extracting the corpse. Sometimes, however, the chief, should he have expressed a wish to that effect, instead of being buried, is placed in a reclining position on a slightly raised platform, in the centre of his own hut, which, in such a case, is surrounded by stout and strong palisadings.

"When a chief feels his dissolution approaching, he calls his sons to his bedside, and gives them his benediction, which consists solely in wishing them an abundance of the good things of this world.

"The eldest son of the chief's favourite wife succeeds his father; and, as soon as the obsequies are over, he quits the desolate spot, remaining absent for years. At last, however, he returns, and immediately proceeds to his parent's grave, where he kneels down, and in a whispering voice tells the deceased that he is there with his family, and the cattle that he gave him. He then prays for long life, also that his herds may thrive and multiply; and, in short, that he may obtain all those things that are dear to a savage. This duty being performed, he constructs a kraal on the identical spot where once the ancestral camp stood; even the huts and the fire-places are placed as

much as possible in their former position. The chief's own hut is always upon the east side of the inclosure.

"The flesh of the first animal slaughtered here is cooked in a particular vessel; and, when ready, the chief hands a portion of it to every one present. An image, consisting of two pieces of wood, supposed to represent the household deity, or rather the deified parent, is then produced, and moistened in the platter of each individual. The chief then takes the image, and, after affixing a piece of meat to the upper end of it, he plants it in the ground, on the identical spot where his parent was accustomed to sacrifice. The first pail of milk produced from the cattle is also taken to the grave; a small quantity is poured on the ground, and a blessing asked on the remainder.

"Fever and ophthalmia (eye-sickness) are the prevailing maladies. The symptoms in fever are head-ache, pains in the neck and bowels, general weakness, and ague. It makes its appearance about April and May, or when the periodical rains have ceased. Ophthalmia, on the other hand, begins to show itself in September and October, but reaches its maximum when the cold season sets in. The first sensation experienced is as if the pupil of the eye was too large. A gathering of water in the sides and under the eye-lids then ensues. In a short time this fluid becomes scaldingly hot, and, if not quickly and carefully removed, the pain will be intense. The sight is sometimes completely destroyed by this malady. Indeed, one not unfrequently meets with people either totally blind, or minus one eye. Europeans are as liable to these inflictions as the natives. I speak from experience, having myself been a severe sufferer from fever and ophthalmia.

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"Comparatively few old people are to be met with in Damara-land, for which several reasons may be assigned; such as their cruel civil broils, and their want of compassion for aged and disabled individuals. At times, indeed, they would seem to do all they can to hasten the death of such sufferers. Some instances of this atrocity have come to my knowledge: one of the most shocking occurred at Barmen. Finding that a certain poor woman, being nearly blind, was unable to provide for herself, Mr. Hahn took compassion on the helpless creature, and gave her a small quantity of provision almost daily. The brother, finding he could not obtain the same boon, grew jealous of the preference shown to his sister, and secretly resolved to kill her. This he effected by taking her to a spot destitute of water, under the pretext that they were to dig roots, where she I was left to her fate. A boy, who accompanied them, asserted, that, on the unnatural brother returning to the place some days afterwards, and finding his sister still lingering, he beat her about the head with his knob-stick until life was extinct.

"Milk is the staple food of the Damaras. They eat or drink it out of one and the same dish without its being cleaned, otherwise than occasionally by the tongues of dogs. The people have a notion that if they wash their bamboos' (pails), the cows would cease to give milk.

"With the exception of the spoils of the chase, they destroy but few animals for food. Indeed, unless it be on the occasion of a marriage, a birth, a death, or a circumcision, cattle are rarely killed.

"The Damaras are very fond of music and dancing. The only musical instrument known amongst them is the bow (a kind of temporary rude Jews'-harp), from which they contrive to extract a sort of wild melody. By this instrument the performer endeavours (and frequently with much success) to imitate, musically, the motion peculiar to different animals; for example, the awkward gallop of the giraffe, the quick trot of the zebra and the lively caperings of the beautiful springbok.

"The dance consists mostly of mimic representations of the actions of oxen and sheep. The dancers accompany their gesticulations by monotonous tunes, and keep time by clapping their hands, and striking the ground with their feet.

"As with the Ovambo, the eastern custom of taking off the sandals, before entering a stranger's house, is observed.

"The Damaras swear by the tears of their mothers.' most touching and beautiful: it elevates the oath to heaven.

This is

"Generally speaking, a chief has but nominal power over his subjects. On an attempt to punish heavy offences, the guilty individual often coolly decamps with his cattle, and takes refuge with another tribe. In minor matters, however, from superstitious customs and old habits, the chief is more or less obeyed.

"The Damaras are idle creatures. What is not done by the women is left to the slaves, who are either descendants of impoverished members of their own tribe (is not this another approach to civilization?) or captured bushmen. The former are seized upon when children, and mostly employed as herdsmen.

"The Damaras have numerals up to a hundred; notwithstanding which they are sorely puzzled should the sum exceed the number of fingers. They count like bad poets, who settle their metre by their digits. It is a most amusing sight to witness a group trying to reckon a dozen head of cattle.

"Though they give names to many of the heavenly bodies, they have a very absurd conception of their character, rotatory motion, and so forth. Thus, many imagine that the sun which sets at night is different from that which rises in the morning. Like the children who wondered what was done with the old moons, perhaps these savages are equally perplexed to ascertain what becomes of the old

suns.

"The domestic animals indigenous to the country are oxen, sheep, and dogs. The latter greatly resemble those mentioned as existing among the Namaquas; but-be it said to the honour of the Damaras -they take much more care of these associates and companions of man than their southern neighbours. Indeed, I have known them to pay as much as two fine oxen for a dog.

"Of the Damara cattle I shall have occasion to speak hereafter. The sheep are (or rather were) plentiful, and the mutton is by no means bad. Though somewhat spare-looking, they furnish good joints when cut up. Skin and offal included, they not unfrequently weigh 100 lbs., and sometimes as much as 110 to 120 lbs. They have large tails like those of the Cape Colony, but they do not arrive at such a formidable size. They have no wool; but a kind of short,

glossy hair (lying close to the skin) covers the body. The greatest peculiarity of these animals is their colour, which is of every hue and tint.

"Cattle are subject to several diseases. The most common and dangerous is that which affects the throat, and which invariably proves fatal. Cataracts on the eye, frequently followed by blindness and swelling of the feet, are also very common ailments.

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Sheep often die from the blood conglomerating in divers places under the skin, which is called the blood-sickness.' It is even asserted that man is affected by this disease (sometimes from partaking the flesh of the infected animal), and that the only thing to save him under such circumstances is instantly to cut away the parts affected."

THE LATE BISHOP OF GRAHAMSTOWN.

THE death of Bishop Armstrong is a great loss to the Church. In days when good scholarship, quickness of perception, and soundness of judgment are required in the rulers of the Church, whether at home or abroad, we can ill afford to lose one in whom these and other qualities were in a high degree combined. Few are there who but rather more than two years ago saw his manly form, or heard his musical voice, that were not surprised, nay, astounded, when they learnt that that voice would no longer be employed as it oft had been, in chanting the services of the Sanctuary, and leading GOD's praises here on earth. His English career had given the promise of which his episcopate was the fulfilment. For what does the Church at home owe to him? His mind conceived, and his energy carried out the plan for conducting penitentiaries on another and better, because thoroughly religious system. He is the father of those new institutions, which promise to become ere long, the glory, (whilst they are mementoes of a sad sin) of our land.

The Parochial Tracts-Sermons adapted to the Christian seasons-are other services rendered to the Church : services which cannot be forgotten, since by means of them, he being dead, yet speaketh. As soon as he was appointed to the diocese of Grahamstown, he began to create an interest among Churchmen for his distant dio