In These _Palavers_, However, Which Are Conducted Chiefly By Married Men, I Was Informed, That The Complaint Of The Wife Is Not Always Considered In A Very Serious Light; And The Complainant Herself Is Sometimes Convicted Of Strife And Contention, And Left Without Remedy.

If she murmurs at the decision of the court, the magic rod of _Mumbo Jumbo_ soon puts an end to the business.

The children of the Mandingoes are not always named after their relations; but frequently in consequence of some remarkable occurrence. Thus, my landlord at Kamalia was called _Karfa_, a word signifying _to replace_; because he was born shortly after the death of one of his brothers. Other names are descriptive of good or bad qualities; as _Modi_, "a good man;" _Fadibba_, "father of the town," &c. Indeed, the very names of their towns have something descriptive in them; as _Sibidooloo_, "the town of ciboa trees;" _Kenneyeto_, "victuals here;" _Dosita_, "lift your spoon." Others seem to be given by way of reproach, as _Bammakoo_, "wash a crocodile;" _Korankalla_, "no cup to drink from," &c. A child is named when it is seven or eight days old. The ceremony commences by shaving the infant's head; and a dish called _Dega_, made of pounded corn and sour milk, is prepared for the guests. If the parents are rich, a sheep or a goat is commonly added. The feast is called _Ding koon lee_, "the child's head shaving." During my stay at Kamalia, I was present at four different feasts of this kind, and the ceremony was the same in each, whether the child belonged to a Bushreen or a Kafir.

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