al appearance of the females of Fernando Po, is by no means
attractive, unless (de gustibus non est disputandum) a very ordinary
face, with much of the contour of the baboon, be deemed so. Add to this
the ornaments of scarification and tattooing, adopted by the sex to a
greater extent than by the men: and the imagination will at once be
sensible how much divinity attaches to Fernandian beauty. Like the men,
the women plaster the body all over with clay and palm-oil, and also in
a similar manner wear the hair long, and in curls or ringlets, well
stiffened with the above composition. The children of both sexes, or
those who have not obtained the age of puberty, have the hair cut short,
and are not permitted to use any artificial covering to the body. One
trait is, perhaps, peculiar to the women of this country, and may be
regarded by some as an indication of their good sense--that they have no
taste for baubles, or, at all events, do not appear to desire them more
than the men. With respect to articles of clothing, they are equally
exempt from such incumbrances as the other sex:--

Happy the climate where the beau
Wears the same suit for use and show,
And at a small expense your wife,
If once well pink'd, is clothed for life.

Their lords and masters contrive to keep them in great subjection, and
accustom them to carry their burdens; they evince also a considerable
degree of jealousy, and shew evident marks of displeasure, whenever
strangers pay attentions to them. As, however, this is equally the case
whether the lady be young or old, it is not improbable that it may, in
some measure, arise from their considering it too great a condescension
on their parts to notice persons whom they deem so inferior. They rarely
brought them to the ship, and for some time did not allow them to appear
at market. If we are to credit our people, some of the young women are
great jilts, and very expert in wheedling them out of iron and other
property, under pretence of admitting them into their favour, and then
running away, with a laugh at their credulity.

Mr. Jeffery witnessed the following ludicrous occurrence. He went one
day, for the purpose of barter, to a part of the shore eastward of Hay
river, where the surf was too great to allow his boat to remain on the
beach, and he was, therefore, compelled to lie off in deep water; this,
however, did not prevent the natives from carrying on their traffic.
Some young women, in part