festly impossible to give as wages to each individual the particular
object he desires at the particular moment. The objection to beads and
mitakos, does not apply to salt and cloth, the former being at once
consumed, and the latter being worn out in course of time. Nevertheless
it is not well to have a currency which is continually being formed only
to be destroyed. The money currency, already existing in the Lower Congo
will, however, in course of time be extended, but there are still many
difficulties in the way. Francs and centimes will of course be of no
use to the natives, unless Stores are still kept at the State Posts at
which they can buy whatever they wish. This great question is, however,
occupying the careful attention of the Government, and will no doubt be
settled as satisfactorily as many others have been which were equally
difficult.

Sunday is always an interesting day in a State Post, for the Chiefs with
many followers come in for a friendly chat and to ask advice. October
2nd was particularly exciting for a new Chief had been elected in a
village near Banzyville, and great rejoicings consequently followed.
Singing, shouting, dancing and a general hubbub, went on from morning to
night, and if the desire to make a noise is any criterion of happiness,
these people must be the happiest in the world. There are many forms of
dances; sometimes each one shuffles his legs without moving more than a
foot or two and then swings his arms, head and body solemnly backwards
and forwards; sometimes a number will form a ring, and one after the
other will leap into it and rapidly rotate themselves; but whatever the
form, all seemed to be keenly excited and to enjoy it thoroughly.

The natives near the Ubangi have a very distinctive tatouage. It
consists of five elevated knobs of skin which form a straight line
continuing the line of the nose up the forehead. These are formed by
making for each knob two parallel incisions in the skin about half an
inch apart and lifting the flap between. A piece of ivory is then
inserted under the flap and left in until the wound has healed, the
result being a knob of skin elevated above the level of the rest of the
surface. All the tatouage in the Congo consists in raising the skin in
this manner, but in each district the design is different. Simple
tatooing by pricking in colours does not appear to be practised at all.

Fishing here is very simple and very effective. Large baskets ta