Here is another singular picture of an African burying-ground:

“Near Fetich Point is the Oroungou burying-ground, and this I went to

visit the following morning. It lay about a mile from our camp, toward

Sangatanga, from which it was distant about half-a-day’s pull in a

canoe. It is in a grove of noble trees, many of them of magnificent

size and shape. The natives hold this place in great reverence, and

refused at first to go with me on my contemplated visit, even desiring

that I should not go. I explained to them that I did not go to laugh

at their dead, but rather to pay them honour. But it was only by the

promise of a large reward that I at last persuaded Niamkala, who was of

our party, to accompany me. The negroes visit the place only on funeral

errands, and hold it in the greatest awe, conceiving that here the

spirits of their ancestors wander about, and that these are not lightly

to be disturbed. I am quite sure that treasure to any amount might be

left here exposed in perfect safety.

“The grove stands by the seashore. It is entirely cleared of underbush,

and as the wind sighs through the dense foliage of the trees and

whispers in the darkened and somewhat gloomy grove, it is an awful

place, even to an unimpressible white man. Niamkala stood in silence

by the strand while I entered the domains of the Oroungou dead. They

are not put below the surface; they lie about beneath the trees in

huge wooden coffins, some of which by their new look betokened recent

arrival, but by far the greater number were crumbling away. Here was a

coffin falling to pieces, and disclosing a grinning skeleton within. On

the other side were skeletons already without covers, which lay in dust

beside them. Everywhere were bleached bones and mouldering remains.

It was curious to see the brass anklets and bracelets in which some

Oroungou maiden has been buried still surrounding her whitened bones,

and to note the remains of goods which had been laid in the same coffin

with some wealthy fellow now mouldering to dust at his side. In some

places there remained only little heaps of shapeless dust, from which

some copper or iron or ivory ornament gleamed out to prove that here

too once lay a corpse. Passing on to a yet more sombre gloom, I came

at last to the grave of old King Pass-all, the brother of his present

majesty. The coffin lay on the ground, and was surrounded on every

side with great chests, which contained the property of his deceased

majesty. Among these chests, and on the top of them, were piled huge

earthenware jugs, glasses, mugs, plates, iron pots and bars, brass and

copper rings, and other precious things, which this old Pass-all had

determined to carry at last to the grave with him. And also there lay

around numerous skeletons of the poor slaves who were, to the number

of one hundred, killed when the king died, that his ebony kingship

might not pass into the other world without due attendance. It was a

grim sight, and one which filled me with a sadder awe than even the

disgusting barracoon ground.”

In matters of death and burial, as in all other matters pertaining to

savagery, Western Africa stands conspicuous. “At the town of Ambago,”

says Hutchinson, “when all preliminaries are arranged, they carry

the corpse to its last resting-place, accompanied by the surviving

relatives, male and female, who bear in a small package a portion of

the hair, nails, etc., of the deceased. When arrived at the secluded

place which has been prepared to receive the body they deposit it in

its last resting-place. Over this they erect a tomb, on which, in a

sort of niche, are placed various small earthen or hardware figures,

plates, mugs, bottles, etc., together with a variety of edibles; the

receptacle prepared to receive these being called quindumbila. After

the ceremony, the survivor--husband or wife--is carried from the grave

on the back of a person of the same sex, and thrown into the river for

ablution or purification. On coming up out of the river, the individual

is conveyed back to his residence, where he is obliged to remain

secluded for eight days, during which time he must not converse with

any person of the opposite sex, nor eat anything that has been boiled,

nor wash himself during these days of obit. The friends, meanwhile,

enjoy a feast of fowls and other delicacies which has been prepared

for the occasion, after which they each make a present to the mourner

of something preparatory to the celebration of the great batuque,

or dance. If unable to provide for the expense of the funeral, some

relative or friend generally becomes security for its payment; this is

called “gungo.” After the eight days have elapsed the room is swept,

and the mourner is permitted to enjoy comfortable and warm food. On

this occasion the eldest child or heir (if any) is brought in and made

to sit down on a benza,--a small square seat made of bamboos. They

then place upon his head a caginga, or calotte, a kind of hat or cap

made of palm straw interwoven, and demand that all the papers belonging

to the deceased be produced, that they may learn what his will was in

reference to the disposal of his property, and whether he had given

liberty to any of his slaves. The nearest of kin is looked upon as the

legitimate heir, and accordingly takes possession of all the moveable

property.”

Valdez, the African traveller, furnishes some curious examples of the

death and funeral ceremonials of the inhabitants of many remote Western

African towns. As for instance at Barrodo Beondo:

“Attracted by a strange noise proceeding from the river, I went to

ascertain what it was. On arriving at the landing-place I learned that

it proceeded from a number of persons who formed an itame, or funeral

procession, of a Muxi Loanda who had just died. When any person dies

the mourners commence a great lamentation and manifest apparently the

most extravagant grief. The corpse is first wrapped in a number of

cloths with aromatics and perfumes; it is then conveyed to the place of

interment, followed by a large cortege of the relatives and friends of

the deceased, the females who accompany the funeral procession being

dressed in a long black cloak with a hood which covers the head.

“On the present occasion the Muxi Loanda not being a Christian was

buried in a place not far distant from the road, and the grave covered

with small stones, a paddle or oar being placed on it in commemoration

of the profession of the deceased. Many graves are thus marked by the

distinctive insignia of office of those interred in them.

“There is another singular custom amongst these people, that of one of

the survivors, the nearest of kin to the deceased, being obliged to lie

in the bed that was lately occupied by him for the space of three days

from the time of removal. During this period the mourning relatives

make lamentation at stated intervals each day--namely, at day-break,

sunset, and midnight. At the expiration of eight days the relatives and

friends reuniting, resume their lamentations and recount the virtues

and good deeds of the deceased, occasionally exclaiming ‘Uafu!’ (he is

dead), all present at the same time joining in a chorus and exclaiming

‘Ay-ú-é (woe is me). At the expiration of the eighth day they go in

solemn procession, headed by the chief mourner, to the sea-side, river,

or forest, whichever is nearest, bearing the skull of the pig upon

which they had feasted, and on this occasion they suppose that the

zumbi or soul of the deceased enters eternal happiness. One month

after death the relatives and friends again assemble together and hold

a great feast, at which they consume great quantities of cachassa or

rum, and which they terminate with that lascivious dance the bateque.”

Among the Bulloms and the Timannees, we are informed by Winterbottom,

the chief solemnity and magnificence of their funerals consists in the

quantity of rum and tobacco expended upon the occasion, which they

call “making a cry.” Among the poorer sort this ceremony is sometimes

deferred for several months after the body is buried, until they can

procure a sufficient quantity of these indispensable articles to

honour the memory of the deceased. The funeral or “cry” of Mr. James

Cleveland (a favourite European official), owing to some considerations

of policy in his successor, was not solemnized until near three years

after the body had been buried. During the time which elapsed from his

death until the “cry” was celebrated a bed was kept constantly prepared

for him in the palaver house, water was placed by the bedside for his

hands, and also meat for him to eat. Upwards of twenty puncheons of

rum, together with a large quantity of tobacco, were consumed at the

celebration of his “cry.”

“King Jemmy,” a native chief who resided within a mile of the

settlement of Sierra Leone, died at a town on the river Bunch, whither

he had been removed about ten days for the benefit of medical aid,

and probably to escape from the witchcraft which he conceived to be

practised against him. The body was removed to his own town the day

after his death and placed in the palaver house. A message was sent

to the governor of Sierra Leone to solicit him to help the people to

cry for king Jemmy. About half-past four in the afternoon the body was

taken from the palaver house, where it was attended by a number of

women, to the grave, which was dug about four feet deep, just without

the town. The corpse being placed by the side of the grave, a number

of questions were put to it by different persons who stooped down to

the coffin for that purpose. Pa Denba (a neighbouring head man), in a

speech of some minutes, which he addressed to the deceased as if he

had been still alive, expressed his great grief in having lost so good

a father; he further added that he and all the people had wished the

deceased to stay with them; but as he had thought proper to leave them

they could not help it, but he and all the people wished him well. Some

others of the head men expressed themselves in a similar manner. The

umbrella belonging to the deceased was put into the coffin because,

they said, he liked to walk with it. The pillow which he commonly used

was laid in the grave beneath the head of the coffin. The queen or head

woman stood sorrowing by the side of the grave, having his hat in her

hand, which she was going to put into the grave, but was prevented by

one of the head men, who probably reserved it for his own use. When the

corpse was let down into the grave, which was done with great care,

each of the spectators took a handful of earth and threw it on the

coffin--most of them threw it backwards over their shoulder. When the

speeches were finished, a friend of Mr. Winterbottom, who represented

the governor upon the occasion, was asked if he would not “shake king

Jemmy by the hand.” Upon requesting an explanation, he was desired to

say a prayer white man’s fashion, which was done, not for the dead but

for the living, by the chaplain of the colony, who was also present.

Several pieces of kola were put into the grave for the king to eat, and

his neckerchief for him to wear.

The Timannees are, it would seem, mighty particular as to the care

of their graves. When Mr. Laing was exploring their country, a man

belonging to his party had unconsciously committed a trifling indignity

upon the supposed grave of a Timannee’s father, who immediately brought

a palaver against him. The man charged with the offence protested that

he was ignorant that the ground on which he had stood had covered

the remains of any one, as there was no apparent mark to distinguish

it from other ground, and that had he known it he would have been

more circumspect; but the apparently injured Timannee insisted on

satisfaction, and, according to the custom of the country, demanded

a fine of two “bars,” one of cloth and the other of rum. These Mr.

Laing immediately paid, being always desirous to conciliate (as far as

he could) the goodwill of the natives. The Timannee, however, being

ignorant of the motive, and supposing by his easy compliance that the

traveller might be still further imposed upon, made an extra demand of

two additional bars, on the ground that if a poor man would be obliged

to pay two, the follower of a rich white man ought to pay four. This

additional demand was, however, not only refused, but the previous

presents were taken back; Mr. Laing stating that he had no objection to

conform to their customs, but when he saw that the object was extortion

and not satisfaction for a supposed injury done to the dead, he would

give nothing, being well convinced that no man belonging to his party

would do any wrong in the country intentionally. “The head men, who

were judges of the palaver, were satisfied, and gave their voice

against their own countryman, who, on retiring, went to his household

greegree, and making sacrifice of a fowl and some palm wine, addressed

it for more than an hour, requesting that it would kill the man who had

defiled his father’s grave; ‘If he eats, make his food choke him; if he

walk, make the thorns cut him; if he bathes, make the alligators eat

him; if he goes in a canoe, make it sink with him; but never, never,

let him return to Sierra Leone.’ This curious anathema was sung to a

sort of tune so pathetic that had I heard its mournful intonation,

accompanied by the earnest gesticulation of the Timannee, without

knowing the cause, it must have excited my most sincere commiseration;

as it was, I regretted that the powers of mimicry, with which this

people are gifted, should aid them so much in the art of dissimulating

as to enable them frequently to impose even upon one another. The

appeal had nearly turned the tables against our countryman, and

probably would have done so effectually, had not a greegree man come

forward and declared the whole affair an imposition fabricated for the

sake of procuring money, for he knew that my man had never been near

the grave of the supplicant’s father.”

While the gentleman who relates the above incident was at Mabung a

young girl died rather suddenly, and previous to her interment, the

following practices were observed:

“The moment that life fled from the body, a loud yell was uttered from

the throats of about a hundred people who had assembled to watch the

departing struggles of nature, after which a party of several hundred

women, some of them beating small drums, sallied through the town,

seizing and keeping possession of every moveable article which they

could find out of doors; the cause or origin of this privilege I could

not ascertain. A few hours after the death of the girl, the elders

and the greegree men of the town assembled in the palaver-hall and

held a long consultation or inquest as to the probable cause of the

death. It was enquired whether any one had threatened her during her

lifetime, and it was long surmised that she might have been killed by

witchcraft. Had the slave trade existed, some unfortunate individual

might have been accused and sold into captivity; but its suppression in

this country permitted the Magi, after a tedious consultation of three

days, to decide that the death had been caused by the agency of the

devil. During the two first nights of those days large parties paraded

the town, yelling, shouting, and clapping hands to keep away the wrath

of the greegrees, and on the third, being the night on which the body

was interred, considerable presents of rice, cassada, cloth, and palm

wine were deposited at the greegree houses to appease the evil spirits,

and to beg they would kill no more people. At midnight five or six men,

habited in very singular and unsightly costumes, made their appearance,

and taking away the presents, intimated that all the evil spirits were

satisfied, and that nobody should die in the town for a long period.

Dancing and revelry then took place, and continued till long after

daylight.”

Again he tells us--“A young Mandingo negro was celebrating the funeral

of his mother, who had been dead about a fortnight. On the very day of

her death I had been attracted to the neighbourhood by the sound of

the music. I saw in the court-yard two large drums, made like ours,

and some persons were beating them and clashing cymbals. The cymbals

consist of two pieces of iron, about five inches long and two and

a half wide. The two negroes who were beating the drums held these

cymbals in their left hands. Each of the pieces of iron has a ring,

one is passed over the thumb and the other over the forefinger, and by

a movement of the hand they are struck together in regular time. The

women of the neighbourhood brought little presents by way of showing

respect to the deceased. A large circular basket was placed exactly

in the centre of the yard to receive the offerings. The women having

deposited their presents assumed a grave look, and ranging themselves

in a file, marched along, keeping time to the music, and making motions

with their hands and heads expressive of sorrow. Sometimes they beat

time by clapping their hands while they sang a melancholy song. The

scene continued the whole of the day. I enquired whether the presents

which had been brought in honour of the deceased were to be buried with

her, for the Bambaras observe this superstitious custom.

“Four little boys, whose bodies were covered with leaves of trees well

arranged, and whose heads were adorned with plumes of ostrich feathers,

held in each hand a round basket with a handle, in which were bits of

iron and pebbles. They kept time with the music, jumping and shaking

their baskets, the contents of which produced a strange jingling.

There were two leaders of the band who regulated the intervals when

the performers were to play. They wore beautiful mantles of cotton

network, very white and fringed round. On their heads they had black

caps edged with scarlet and adorned with cowries and ostrich feathers.

The musicians stood at the foot of a baobab. The assemblage was

numerous and all were well dressed. The men were tricked out in all

their finery. I saw several with little coussabes of a rusty colour and

almost covered with amulets rolled up in little pieces of yellow cloth.

Some were armed with muskets, and others with bows and arrows, as if

prepared for combat. They also wore large round straw hats of their

own native manufacture. They walked all together round the assembled

circle, leaping and dancing to the sound of the music, which I thought

very agreeable. Sometimes they appeared furious, firing their muskets

and running about with threatening looks. The men with bows and arrows

appeared as if on the point of rushing on an enemy, and they pretended

to shoot their arrows. The men were followed by a number of women, all

neatly dressed, having about their shoulders white pagones, or mantles

of native cloth, which they tossed about from side to side, while they

walked to the sound of the music and observed profound silence. Those

who were fatigued withdrew and their places were immediately supplied

by others. When they left the party they ran away very fast and were

followed by some of the musicians, who accompanied them playing as far

as their huts, where they received a small present. About the middle

of the festival all the male relatives of the deceased made their

appearance, dressed in white. They walked in two files, each carrying

in his hand a piece of flat iron which they struck with another smaller

piece. They walked round the assembly, keeping time, and singing a

melancholy air. They were followed by women who repeated the same song

in chorus and at intervals clapped their hands. Next came the son of

the deceased, who was well dressed and armed with a sabre. He did not

appear much affected, and after having walked round the assembly he

withdrew, and the warlike dancers were renewed. The whole festival was

arranged by two old men, relatives of the deceased. They addressed

the assembled party and delivered an eulogium on the good qualities

of their departed kinswoman. The festival ended with a grand feast,

during which the goat which was killed in the morning was eaten. I

remarked with pleasure the good order which prevailed throughout the

entertainment, which was kept up with great merriment. The young people

danced almost the whole of the night. The son of the deceased withdrew

from the supper which he had provided for his friends, and came to

partake of ours.”

In Sierra Leone when any one dies, if it be a man, the body is

stretched out and put in order by men; if a woman, that office is

performed by females. Before the corpse is carried out for interment,

it is generally put upon a kind of bier composed of sticks formed

like a ladder, but having two flat pieces of board for the head and

feet to rest upon. This is placed upon the heads of two men, while

a third standing before the body, and having in his hand a length

of reed called _cattop_, proceeds to interrogate it respecting

the cause of its death. He first advances a step or two towards the

corpse, shakes the reed over it, and immediately steps back; he then

asks a variety of questions, to which assent is signified by the

corpse impelling the bearers, as is supposed, towards the man with the

reed, while a negative is implied by its producing a kind of rolling

motion. It is first asked, “Was your death caused by God on account

of your great age and infirmities, or (if a young person) because he

liked to take you?” If this question be answered in the affirmative,

which is seldom if ever the case, the inquest closes and the burial

takes place; if not, the examiner proceeds to enquire, “Was your death

caused by your bad actions?” (in other words, on account of your being

a witch). If assent be signified, the next question is “By whose

griffee (witchery) was it caused--was it by such an one’s or such an

one’s?” naming a number of persons in succession, until, at last,

an affirmative reply is obtained. The reply generally attributes to

the griffee of the head man of the place the merit of destroying the

man,--a circumstance which enhances the dread of the power of the head

man’s demon, and is supposed to operate in deterring others from evil

practices. If it should appear, however, that the decease was not put

to death for being “bad,” an expression synonymous with being a witch,

the body is asked, “Was your death caused by a man or a woman in such a

town (naming a number of towns), belonging to such a family,” naming as

many as the enquirer chooses, until an answer has been obtained which

fixes the guilt of killing the deceased by witchcraft on one or more

individuals. These, if they have friends to plead for them, are allowed

the privilege of appealing to one of their witchcraft ordeals in proof

of their innocence; but if not, they are sold. A confession of the

crime is also followed by being sold for slaves.

The reader has already been made aware of the many curious ceremonies

finding favour at Old Kalabar, but on the authority of Mr. Hutchinson,

who was frequently an eye-witness of them, the rites connected with

their funeral obsequies are the most singular of all:

“At the death of ‘Iron Bar,’ a very respectable trader, and of the

late king Archibongo, I saw the absurdity of these rites carried out

to their fullest extent. At ‘Iron Bar’s,’ as I went into the yard,

there was a dense crowd gathered round what was supposed to be his

grave, which was made in the room where he died, and sunk to a depth

of ten or twelve feet, that it might hold all the things put into

it for his use in the next world. At the head of his grave a palm

oil light was burning with a livid flame, and cast a dim shade over

a man who had descended into it for the purpose of arranging his

furniture--brass pans, copper rods, mugs, jugs, pots, ewers, tureens,

plates, knives, forks, spoons, soap, looking-glasses, and a heap of

Manchester cloth, all impaired in their integrity by a slight fracture

or a tear. In the evening I visited the place again. The grave was

filled up and levelled. Over it was placed a number of mats, on which

were squatted a score of women. In all the apartments of the court

numbers of the soft sex were in a like position, and kept up the most

dismal and dolorous mourning it is possible for the imagination to

conceive. I find it out of my power to convey any idea of the sensation

it communicated to me. It was not harsh, it was not loud, it was not

crying, nor was it shrieking; it bore no resemblance to an Irish wake,

or to the squalling of a congregation of cats; but it was a puling,

nauseating, melancholy howl, that would have turned my stomach long

before it could have affected my brain. Over the grave, and suspended

by a string from the roof, was a living cock, tied up by his legs,

with its beak pointed downward. There is always a hole left in the

side of the grave, through which, from time to time, rum or mimbo is

poured for the spirit’s refreshment. With this there are also erected,

within the house, or on the public road, or by the river’s side, what

are called ‘devil houses,’ of which Iron Bar’s were good specimens.

There were three structures of this kind constructed for him; one in

the court attached to the house, one outside, and one on the beach,

adjoining the canopy, overspread the bamboo roof placed to shelter the

table, and over this again was a trio of parasols, two crimson and one

blue, of silk material, and white fringe to each. Around the table

were three large sofas, and at either end of the roof a pendant glass

lamp. But the greatest display was on the table. In the centre was a

large mirror, with a huge brass jug behind it; on either side, and

covering every spare inch of the table, heaped over each other as high

up as an equilibrium could be sustained, were monster jugs, decanters,

tumblers, soup tureens, flower vases, bottles and mugs of all shapes

and sizes, china and glass articles, as much as would stock a large

shop; all being damaged like the articles placed in the graves, perhaps

on the supposition that their materiality should be destroyed in order

to allow the spirit to escape with them, for the ghostly company they

were intended to serve, or perhaps, and more likely, to render them

useless to any of the thieving fraternity, who in the practice of their

science might stray in the road of these establishments. In another of

the ‘devil-houses’ a quantity of cooked meat, cooked plaintain, and the

pounded yam called _foo-poo_, were placed in calabashes for the

refreshment of himself and those who were to be his fellow-travellers

in the world of spirits. It shows clearly that they have a belief in

a future existence, because these ‘devil-houses’ are always furnished

as profusely as their means will allow, from the conviction that of

whatever quality his comforts may have been to the defunct when he was

in this world, they will be similar in the next. The houses erected

for King Archibongo, to entertain his devil in, were superior in their

furniture to those of Iron Bar. That on the beach, particularly,

contained a quantity of the productions of native art. The women always

go in mourning by painting patterns of deep black on their foreheads,

and the men by covering their bodies over with ashes. When the mourning

time is over a general smash is made of all the things in the devil

house, the house itself is pulled down, and nothing but the wreck of

matter left behind. Together with the widows and slaves, who in former

times were sacrificed at the death of a gentleman, there were added to

the list a number of persons who were accused by the friends of the

deceased as being accessory to his death, and obliged to undergo what

is called the ‘chop-nut’ test. They cannot believe, or at least they

will not try to understand, how natural causes create disease, and

attribute them and subsequent death to ‘ijod,’ or witchcraft. Hence a

plan is adopted to find out the perpetrator by fixing on a number of

persons, and compelling them to take a quantity of a poisonous nut,

which is supposed to be innocuous if the accused be innocent, and to be

fatal if he be guilty.”

In Madagascar, that dark “country with no God,” the burial rites are

on a much more splendid and elaborate scale--at least as regards

royalty--than would be expected, considering that the Malagaseys’

belief is that death is the end of all things, and the animated clay

called man is of no more account than an empty earthen pitcher as soon

as evil passions have ceased to stir it and it lies cold and still.

While Madame Pfieffer was sojourning at the court of Queen Ranavola,

her majesty’s brother-in-law, Prince Razakaoatrino gave up the ghost,

and was buried. “The death of this grand lord,” says Madame Pfieffer,

“will give me an opportunity of seeing a new and interesting rite; for

the funeral of such an exalted personage is conducted at Madagascar

with the greatest solemnity.” After the body has been washed it is

wrapped in a simbus of red silk, often to the number of several

hundred, and none of which must cost less than ten piastres, though

they generally cost much more. Thus enshrouded, the corpse is placed

in a kind of coffin, and lies in state in the principal apartment of

the house, under a canopy of red silks. Slaves crouch around it as

closely as possible, with their hair hanging loose, and their heads

bent down, in token of mourning. Each of them is furnished with a kind

of fan to keep off the flies and mosquitoes from the deceased. This

strange occupation continues day and night; and as high personages are

frequently kept unburied for weeks, these slaves have to be continually

relieved by others.

“During the time the corpse is lying under the canopy, envoys come from

every caste of the nobility, and from every district of the country,

accompanied by long trains of servants and slaves, to present tokens

of condolence from themselves and in the names of those by whom they

are sent. Each of the envoys brings an offering of money, varying

according to his own fortune and the amount of popularity enjoyed by

the deceased, from half a dollar to fifty or more. These presents are

received by the nearest relation to the dead man, and are devoted to

defraying the expenses of the burial, which often come to a very large

sum; for besides the large number of simbus to be purchased, a good

many oxen must be killed. All visitors and envoys stay until the day of

the funeral, and are entertained, as well as their servants and slaves,

at the expense of the heirs. When the funeral ceremonies extend over

several weeks, and the number of guests is large, it may be easily

imagined that a goodly stock of provisions is consumed, especially as

the people of Madagascar, masters and servants, are valiant trenchermen

when they feed at the cost of another. Thus at the death of the last

commander of the army, the father of Prince Raharo, no fewer than

fifteen hundred oxen were slain and eaten. But then this man had stood

very high in the queen’s favour, and his funeral is recorded as the

most splendid in the memory of man. He lay in state for three weeks,

and young and old streamed in from the farthest corners of the kingdom

to pay him the last honours.

“When the corpse is carried out of the house a few slaughtered oxen

must be laid at the door, and the bearers have to step over their

bodies. The period of lying in state, and of mourning generally, is

fixed by the queen herself. For the prince in question the time was

fixed at four days. If he had been a near relation of the queen--a

brother or uncle--or one of her particular favourites, he would not

have been buried under from ten to fourteen days, and the period of

mourning would have extended to twenty or thirty days at least. The

body is prevented from becoming offensive by the number of simbus in

which it is wrapped.

“We did not follow the funeral procession, but saw it pass. Its extent

was very great, and it consisted of nobles, officers, women, mourning

women, and slaves in large numbers. From the highest to the lowest all

wore their hair loose as a token of mourning; and with this loosened

hair they looked so particularly ugly--so horribly hideous--that I had

never seen anything like them among the ugliest races of America and

India. The women especially, who let their hair grow longer than the

men wear it, might have passed for scarecrows or furies.

“In the midst of the procession came the catafalque, borne by more than

thirty men. Like the costumes at the court ball, so this catafalque

had been copied from some engraving, for its ornamentation was quite

European in character, with this one difference, that the machine was

hung with red and variegated silk stuffs instead of the customary black

cloth. The prince’s hat and other insignia of rank and honour were

placed on it, and on both sides marched slaves with clappers to scare

away the flies from the catafalque.

“The corpse was conveyed to the estate of the deceased, thirty miles

away, to be buried there. The greater number of officers and nobles

only escorted it for the first few miles, but many carried their

politeness so far as to go the whole distance. In all Madagascar there

is no place exclusively set apart for the burial of the dead. Those

who possess land are buried on their own estates. The poor are carried

to some place that belongs to nobody, and are there frequently thrown

under a bush or put into a hollow, no one taking the trouble even to

throw a little earth over them.”

“Among the aborigines of Australia,” says a modern traveller, “when

an individual dies they carefully avoid mentioning his name; but if

compelled to do so they pronounce it in a very low whisper, so faint

that they imagine the spirit cannot hear their voice. The body is never

buried with the head on, the skulls of the dead being taken away and

used as drinking-vessels by the relations of the deceased. Mooloo,

the native whom I met near the junction of the lake, parted with his

mother’s skull for a small piece of tobacco. Favourite children are

put into bags after death, and placed on elevated scaffolds, two or

three being frequently enclosed beneath one covering. The bodies of

aged women are dragged out by the legs, and either pushed into a hole

in the earth or placed in the forked branches of a tree, no attention

whatever being paid to their remains. Those of old men are placed upon

the elevated tombs and left to rot until the structure falls to pieces;

the bones are then gathered up and buried in the nearest patch of soft

earth. When a young man dies, or a warrior is slain in battle, his

corpse is set up cross-legged upon a platform with his face towards

the rising of the sun; the arms are extended by means of sticks, the

head is fastened back, and all the apertures of the body are sewn up;

the hair is plucked, and the fat of the corpse, which had previously

been taken out, is now mixed with red ochre and rubbed all over the

body. Fires are then kindled underneath the platform, and the friends

and mourners take up their position around it, where they remain about

ten days, during the whole of which time the mourners are not allowed

to speak; a native is placed on each side of the corpse, whose duty

it is to keep off the flies with bunches of emu feathers or small

branches of trees. If the body thus operated upon should happen to

belong to a warrior slain in fight his weapons are laid across his lap

and his limbs are painted in stripes of red and white and yellow. After

the body has remained for several weeks on the platform it is taken

down and buried, the skull becoming the drinking-cup of the nearest

relation. Bodies thus preserved have the appearance of mummies; there

is no sign of decay, and the wild dogs will not meddle with them,

though they devour all manner of carrion.

“When a friend or an individual belonging to the same tribe sees for

the first time one of these bodies thus set up, he approaches it, and

commences by abusing the deceased for dying, saying there is plenty

of food and that he should have been contented to remain; then after

looking at the body intently for some time, he throws his spear and his

_wirri_ at it, exclaiming--‘Why did you die?’ or ‘Take that for

dying!’”

Mr. Parkyns, the Abyssinian traveller, thus relates his observation of

the death and burial custom prevailing in this part of the world.

“A plaintive and melancholy wail which suddenly broke on my ear induced

me to return to the square to witness the funeral ceremonies of a

young woman who had died on the previous night. The priests and deacons

had mustered in strong force, and came fully robed, and their flaring

and tawdry ceremonials ill accorded with the mournful ceremony they

were about to perform. Some of the priests went into the house where

the deceased lay to comfort the bereaved relatives, but the greater

number continued outside waving incense and chanting. The corpse, which

meantime had been washed and dressed, was brought out on its bier, and

the procession formed. On seeing this, the relatives and friends gave

vent to their uncontrollable griefs in the most violent and agonizing

lamentations. Some frantically grasped the bier, as if they would

still retain the beloved object; others gave utterance to the heart’s

intense despair by sobs and sighs, by tearing their hair, rending their

clothes, and even by dashing their nails into their neck and face till

the blood trickled down in copious streams. The most affecting and

touching sight was the mother, the old grandmother, and two sisters,

who each with some trifling memento of the departed in their hands, ran

distractedly about the court, telling every one some story or incident

connected with those precious relics of an undying love, which they

continually pressed to their lips.

“The prayers being ended, the bier was lifted on the shoulders of the

bearers, and preceded by the priests moved towards the grave-yard.

Here arrived, after a psalm had been chanted, the fees paid to the

priests, and the deceased formally absolved, the friends and relatives

are allowed to gaze for the last time on the face of the dead, which is

coffined or not, according to the means of the surviving friends. Then

another psalm is chanted and the body lowered into the grave.

“The mourners now retire to the house of the deceased, where every

morning for a whole week the _lesko_ or waking ceremony is

repeated. During this period no fire may be kindled in the house, nor

any food prepared; but all the wants of the bereaved must be provided

for by the friends and neighbours, who willingly do this, as it is

considered a good and meritorious work.”

We have already presented the reader with a coloured picture of the

manner in which the Sambo Indian of the Mosquito shore is carried,

or rather dragged, to his final resting-place. We will now, with the

permission of Mr. Bard, who was an eye-witness of the curious scene,

give the details:--

“My friend Hodgson informed me that a funeral was to take place at

a settlement a few miles up the river, and volunteered to escort me

thither in the pitpan, if Antonio would undertake the business of

paddling. The suggestion was very acceptable, and after dinner we set

out.

“But we were not alone. We found dozens of pitpans, filled with men and

women, starting for the same destination. It is impossible to imagine

a more picturesque spectacle than these light and graceful boats, with

occupants dressed in the brightest colours, sailing over the placid

waters of the river. There was a keen strife among the rowers, who,

with shouts and screeches, in which both men and women joined, exerted

themselves to the utmost.

“Less than an hour brought us in view of a little collection of huts,

grouped on the shore under the shadow of a cluster of palm trees, which

from a distance presented a picture of entrancing beauty. A large group

of natives had already collected on the shore, and as we came near

we heard the monotonous heating of the native drum, relieved by an

occasional low and deep blast on a large hollow pipe. In the pauses we

distinguished suppressed wails, which contained for a minute or so, and

were then followed by dreary music of the drum and pipe.

“On advancing towards the huts and the centre of the group, I found a

small pitpan cut in a half, in one part of which, wrapped in cotton

cloth, was the dead body of a man of middle age. Around the pitpan were

stationed a number of women with palm branches to keep off the flies.

Their frizzled hair started from their heads like snakes from the brow

of the fabled Gorgon, and they swayed their bodies to and fro, keeping

a kind of treadmill step to the measure of the doleful _tum-tum_.

With the exception of the men who beat the drum and blew the pipe,

these women appeared to be the only persons at all interested in the

proceedings. The rest were standing in groups, or squatted at the roots

of the palm trees. I was beginning to grow tired of the performance,

when, with a suddenness which startled even the women, four men,

entirely naked excepting a cloth tied round their loins and daubed

over with variously-coloured clays, rushed from the interior of one

of the huts, and hastily fastening a piece of rope to the half of the

pitpan containing the corpse, dashed away towards the woods, dragging

it after them like a sledge. The women with the Gorgon heads, and the

men with the drum and trumpet, followed them on the run, each keeping

time on his respective instrument. The spectators all hurried after in

a confused mass, while a big negro, catching up the remaining half of

the pitpan, placed it on his head, and trotted behind the crowd.

“The men bearing the corpse entered the woods, and the mass of

spectators jostling each in the narrow path, kept up at the same

rapid pace. At the distance of perhaps two hundred yards, there was

an open space, covered with low, dark, tangled underbrush, still wet

from the rain of the preceding night, and which, although unmarked by

any sign, I took to be the burial-place. When I came up, the half of

the pitpan containing the body had been put in a shallow trench. The

other half was then inverted over it. The Gorgon-headed women threw

in their palm-branches, and the painted negroes rapidly filled in the

earth. While this was going on, some men were collecting sticks and

palm-branches, with which a little hut was hastily built over the

grave. In this was placed an earthen vessel, filled with water. The

turtle-spear of the dead man was stuck deep in the ground at his head,

and a fantastic fellow, with an old musket, discharged three or four

rounds over the spot.

“This done, the entire crowd started back in the same manner it had

come. No sooner, however, did the painted men reach the village, than,

seizing some heavy machetes, they commenced cutting down the palm-trees

which stood around the hut that had been occupied by the dead Sambo.

It was done silently, in the most hasty manner, and when finished,

they ran down to the river and plunged out of sight in the water--a

kind of lustration or purifying rite. They remained in the water a few

moments, then hurried back to the hut from which they had issued, and

disappeared.

“This savage and apparently unmeaning ceremony was explained to me, by

Hodgson, as follows:--Death is supposed by the Sambos to result from

the influences of a demon, called ‘Wulasha,’ who, ogre-like, feeds

upon the bodies of the dead. To rescue the corpse from this fate, it

is necessary to lull the demon to sleep, and then steal away the body

and bury it, after which it is safe. To this end they bring in the

aid of the drowsy drum and droning pipe, and the women go through a

slow and soothing dance. Meanwhile, in the recesses of some hut, where

they cannot be seen by Wulasha, a certain number of men carefully

disguise themselves, so that they may not afterwards be recognized and

tormented; and when the demon is supposed to have been lulled to sleep,

they seize the moment to bury the body. I could not ascertain any

reason for cutting down the palm-trees, except that it had always been

practised by their ancestors. As the palm-tree is of slow growth, it

has resulted, from this custom, that they have nearly disappeared from

some parts of the coast. I could not learn that it was the habit to

plant a cocoa-nut tree upon the birth of a child, as in some parts of

Africa, where the tree receives a common name with the infant, and the

annual rings on its trunk mark his age.

“If the water disappears from the earthen vessel placed on the

grave--which, as the ware is porous, it seldom fails to do in the

course of a few days--it is taken as evidence that it has been consumed

by the dead man, and that he has escaped the maw of Wulasha.”

Last in this melancholy chapter on African funerals comes Dahomey.

And having at length arrived at the end of our task, we would once

more impress on the reader’s mind that, with very few exceptions,

the illustrations of savage life here given are not affairs of the

past--they exist _now_, at the present day and hour. At the very

moment the reader is perusing our account of Dahoman blood-rule,

blood-rule is dominant. Only that so many thousands of miles part the

reader from the scene of these atrocities, he might still hear the wail

of the victims as he reads. That we are authorised in making these

remarks, we will prove to the reader by placing before him the very

last report from this horrible country--that furnished to Government

by Commodore Wilmot, January, 1863. As already narrated in this book,

once a year the whole of the king’s possessions are carried through the

town, that the people may see and admire.

It was during the procession of the king’s treasures that the “human

sacrifices” came round, after the cowries, cloths, tobacco, and rum

had passed, which were to be thrown to the people. A long string of

live fowls on poles appeared, followed by goats in baskets, then by a

bull, and lastly half-a-dozen men with hands and feet tied, and a cloth

fastened in a peculiar way round the head.

[Illustration: The Very Last Dahoman “Custom.”]

A day or two after these processions, the king appeared on the first

platform: there were four of these platforms, two large and two small.

His father never had more than two, but he endeavours to excel him in

everything, and to do as much again as he did. If his father gave one

sheep as a present, he gives two. The sides of all these platforms were

covered with crimson and other coloured cloths, with curious devices,

and figures of alligators, elephants, and snakes; the large ones are

in the form of a square, with a neat building of considerable size,

also covered over, running along the whole extent of one side. The

ascent was by a rough ladder covered over, and the platform itself was

neatly floored with dried grass, and perfectly level. Dispersed all

over this were chiefs under the king’s umbrellas, sitting down, and

at the further end from the entrance the king stood, surrounded by a

chosen few of his Amazons. In the centre of this side of the platform

was a round tower, about thirty feet high, covered with cloths, bearing

similar devices as the other parts. This is a new idea of the king’s,

and from the top of this tower the victims are thrown to the people

below. When the king is ready, he commences by throwing cowries to the

people in bundles, as well as separately. The scramble begins, and the

noise occasioned by the men fighting to catch these is very great.

Thousands are assembled with nothing on but a waist-clout, and a small

bag for the cowries. Sometimes they fight by companies, one company

against the other, according to the king’s fancy; and the leaders are

mounted on the shoulders of their people. After the cowries, cloths

are thrown, occasioning the greatest excitement. While this lasts, the

king gives them to understand that if any man is killed, nothing will

be done to the man who is the cause of it, as all is supposed to be

fair fighting with hands, no weapons being allowed. Then the chiefs

are called, and cowries and cloths are given to them. The king begins

by throwing away everything himself; then his Amazons take it up for

a short time, when the king renews the game and finishes the sport,

changing his position from one place to another along the front part

of the platform. When all that the king intends throwing away for the

day is expended, a short pause ensues, and, by and by, are seen inside

the platform the poles with live fowls (all cocks) at the end of them,

in procession towards the round tower. Three men mount to the top, and

receive, one by one, all these poles, which are precipitated on the

people beneath. A large hole has been prepared, and a rough block of

wood ready, upon which the necks of the victims are laid, and their

heads chopped off, the blood from the body being allowed to fall into

the hole. After the fowls come the goats, then the bull, and, lastly,

the men, who are tumbled down in the same way. All the blood is mixed

together in the hole, and remains exposed with the block till night.

The bodies of the men are dragged along by the feet, and maltreated

on the way, by being beaten with sticks, hands in some cases cut off,

and large pieces cut out of their bodies, which are held up. They are

then taken to a deep pit and thrown in. The heads alone are preserved

by being boiled, so that the skull may be seen in a state of great

perfection. The heads of the human victims killed are first placed in

baskets and exposed for a short time. This was carried on for two days.

Mr. Wilmot would not witness the slaying of these men on the first day,

as he was very close to them, and did not think it right to sanction by

his presence such sacrifices. He therefore got up and went into a tent,

and when all was over returned to his seat. One of the victims was

saved:--

“While sitting in the tent a messenger arrived, saying, ‘The king

calls you.’ I went and stood under the platform where he was. Tens

of thousands of people were assembled; not a word, not a whisper was

heard. I saw one of the victims ready for slaughter on the platform,

held by a narrow strip of white cloth under his arms. His face was

expressive of the deepest alarm, and much of its blackness had

disappeared; there was a whiteness about it most extraordinary. The

king said, ‘You have come here as my friend, have witnessed all my

customs, have shared goodnaturedly in the distribution of my cowries

and cloths; I love you as my friend, and you have shown that an

Englishman, like you, can have sympathy with the black man. I now give

you your share of the victims, and present you with this man, who from

henceforth belongs to you, to do as you like with him, to educate him,

take him to England, or anything else you choose.’ The poor fellow

was then lowered down, and the white band placed in my hands. The

expression of joy in his countenance cannot be described: it said,

‘The bitterness of death, and such a death, is passed, and I cannot

comprehend my position.’ Not a sound escaped from his lips, but the eye

told what the heart felt; and even the king himself participated in his

joy. The chiefs and people cheered me as I passed through them with the

late intended victim behind me.”

And now let us describe the burial of a Dahoman king; would it were of

the last king of this accursed nation of fanatics and murderers:

On the death of a king, a description of cenotaph, surrounded by iron

rails, is erected in the centre of this catacomb. On the top of this

they place an earthen coffin, cemented together by the blood of one

hundred of the captives taken in the last wars, who are sacrificed

on the occasion of the king’s death that they may attend on their

sovereign in the next world. The corpse of the king is then deposited

in this coffin, with the head resting on the skulls of other conquered

kings, and as many relics of royalty, such as the skulls and bones,

as can be placed beneath the cenotaph are put there as trophies of

the deceased sovereign. When all is arranged, the doors of this

subterraneous catacomb are thrown open, and eighty of the female

dancers connected with the court, together with fifty soldiers of

the royal guard, are compelled to enter. All these are supplied with

provisions, and are destined to accompany their sovereign to the land

of shades--in other words, they are offered as a living sacrifice to

the manes of their departed king; and, strange as it may appear, there

is always a sufficient number of volunteers of both sexes who consider

it an honour thus to immolate themselves.

The entrance of the catacomb having remained open for three days, to

receive the deluded votaries, the prime minister covers the coffin with

a black velvet pall, and then divides, between himself, the grandees,

and the surviving women, the various presents of jewels and clothes

made by the new king to the shade of the departed.

During eighteen moons, or months, the heir acts as regent, governing

with two of his ministers in the name of the deceased king. At the

expiration of the above period, he convenes the whole court at the

palace of Ahome, whence they proceed to the subterraneous tomb, when

the coffin is opened, and the skull of the deceased king is taken

out. The regent, taking it in his left hand, and holding a hatchet

in his right, for the first time proclaims aloud the fact, of which

the people are supposed to be ignorant, that the king is dead, and

that he has hitherto governed only in his name. The company present,

on hearing this, fall prostrate, covering themselves with earth in

token of profound grief, which, however, does not continue long; for,

laying aside the skull and hatchet, the regent draws a sword from its

scabbard, and proclaims himself their king. The people immediately make

a loud noise with their rude instruments of music, and dancing and

other manifestations of mirth follow.

On this occasion all the grandees of the principal white men, who

conduct the _sarames_, or factories, present valuable gifts.

This is what is termed the “great custom,” to distinguish it from the

six months’ custom. Even on this festive occasion some hundreds are

immolated that they may convey to the deceased king the tidings of his

successor’s coronation. The blood of the victims being mixed with clay;

a kind of large pot, something in the shape of an oven, and perforated

with holes, is formed. Into this the skull and bones of the deceased

king are put, and it is filled up with silk and other articles. On a

certain day he goes to pay a visit to his father’s skull, to which he

makes an offering, by pouring in, through the holes, brandy, zumbi, and

cowries, the current medium of exchange in the kingdom. The latter are

presented in order that the deceased may pay his way in the next world,

and not disgrace his successor by getting into debt.

THE END.

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND HANSON

LONDON AND EDINBURGH

LONDON: _Warwick House, Dorset Buildings,

Salisbury Square, E. C._

SELECTED LIST OF

WARD, LOCK & CO.’S

NEW AND POPULAR BOOKS

FOR FAMILY READING AND REFERENCE.

_Mostly in attractive cloth gilt bindings, with Illustrations,

forming admirable Presentation Volumes for School Prizes, &c._

BOOKS AT THREE-AND-SIXPENCE.

The Home Treasure Library.

Handsomely printed and bound, with Coloured Plates and other

Illustrations, crown 8vo, handsome cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

each.

1. =Shiloh=; or, Without and Within. By Mrs. W. M. L. JAY.

With Four Coloured Illustrations.

2. =The Prince of the House of David.= By Rev. J. H. INGRAHAM.

With Three Coloured Illustrations.

3. =Miss Edgeworth’s Moral Tales.= Four Coloured Illustrations.

4. =Miss Edgeworth’s Popular Tales.= Four Coloured

Illustrations.

5. =The Throne of David.= By Rev. J. H. INGRAHAM. Illustrated.

6. =The Pillar of Fire.= By Rev. J. H. INGRAHAM. Illustrated.

7. =Anna Lee: The Maiden, Wife, and Mother.= By T. S. ARTHUR.

8. =The Wide, Wide World.= By ELIZABETH WETHERELL, Author of

“Melbourne House.” Four Coloured Illustrations.

9. =Queechy.= By the same. Four Coloured Illustrations.

10. =Melbourne House.= By the same. Four Coloured

Illustrations.

11. =Sceptres and Crowns, and The Flag of Truce.= By the

Author of “Queechy,” &c. Three Coloured Illustrations.

12. =The Fairchild Family.= Mrs. SHERWOOD. Coloured

Illustrations.

13. =Stepping Heavenward, and Aunt Jane’s Hero.= By Mrs. E.

PRENTISS. Four Coloured Illustrations.

14. =Mabel Vaughan.= By the Author of “The Lamplighter.” Three

Coloured Illustrations.

15. =Dunallan.= By GRACE KENNEDY. Three Coloured Illustrations.

16. =Father Clement.= By the same. Three Coloured

Illustrations.

17. =Holden with the Cords.= By the Author of “Shiloh.” Coloured

Illustrations.

18. =Uncle Tom’s Cabin.= By Mrs. H. BEECHER STOWE. With a

Sketch of the Life of the Rev. JOSIAH HENSON, generally known as

“Uncle Tom.” With Three Coloured Plates and many Illustrations.

19. =Barriers Burned Away.= By Rev. E. P. ROE. With Three

Coloured Illustrations.

_Popular Poetical and Standard Books._

BOOKS AT THREE-AND-SIXPENCE--_continued_.

Moxon’s Popular Poets.

Edited by WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI.

Crown 8vo, with Eight Illustrations, in elegant cloth gilt, gilt edges,

or in New Binding, with imitation porcelain centre-piece, 3_s._

6_d._ each.

1. BYRON.

2. LONGFELLOW.

3. WORDSWORTH.

4. SCOTT.

5. SHELLEY.

6. MOORE.

7. HOOD (1st Ser.)

8. KEATS.

9. COLERIDGE.

10. BURNS.

11. TUPPER.

12. MILTON.

13. CAMPBELL.

14. POPE.

15. COWPER.

16. HUMOROUS.

17. AMERICAN.

18. MRS. HEMANS.

19. THOMSON.

20. HOOD (2nd Series).

Beeton’s Every Day Handbooks.

Crown 8vo, half-bound, cloth, 3_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =Beeton’s Every Day Cookery and Housekeeping Book.=

Comprising Instructions for Mistresses and Servants, and a

Collection of Practical Recipes. With 104 Coloured Plates,

showing the Modern Mode of sending Dishes to Table.

=2.= =Beeton’s Dictionary of Every Day Gardening.= A Popular

Encyclopædia of the Theory and Practice of Horticulture. With

Coloured Plates, made after original Water-Colour Drawings,

copied from Nature.

=3.= =The Manners of Polite Society=; or, Etiquette for Ladies,

Gentlemen, and Families.

The World Library of Standard Books.

_Including many of the acknowledged Masterpieces of Historical and

Critical Literature, made more accessible than hitherto to the general

reader by publication at a moderate rate._

Crown 8vo, cloth, half-bound, or cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._ each.

=2.= =Hallam’s Europe during the Middle Ages.= By HENRY HALLAM,

Author of “Constitutional History of England.”

=5.= =Smith’s Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth

of Nations.= By ADAM SMITH, LL.D., F.R.A.S.

=8.= =Hume’s Essays=, Literary, Moral, and Political. By DAVID

HUME, the Historian. 558 pages.

=9.= =Montaigne’s Essays.= Containing all the Essays of MICHAEL

the Seigneur de MONTAIGNE. Translated by CHARLES COTTON, Esq.

684 pages.

=11.= =Aikin’s (Lucy) Court and Times of Queen Elizabeth.=

=12.= =Burke’s (Edmund) Choice Pieces.= Speech on the Law of

Libel--Reflections on Revolution in France--On the Sublime and

Beautiful--Abridgment of English History.

=16.= =Locke on Toleration.= 400 pages.

=23.= =Macaulay: Reviews, Essays, and Poems.=

=24.= =Sydney Smith’s Essays=: Social and Political.

=25.= =Lord Bacon: The Proficience and Advancement of Learning=,

the New Atlantis, Historical Sketches, with his Essays, Civil

and Moral.

_Boys’ Illustrated Books._

The Boys’ Favourite Library.

Post 8vo, cloth gilt, gilt edges, 3_s._ 6_d._ each, Illustrated.

=1.= =The Wonders of the World, in Earth, Sea, and Sky.= As

related to his Young Friends by UNCLE JOHN.

=2.= =Fifty Celebrated Men=; Their Lives and Trials, and the

Deeds that made them Famous. Illustrated with numerous Wood

Engravings.

=3.= =The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe=,

of York, Mariner. By DANIEL DEFOE. With a Biographical Sketch

of the Author. Embellished with a great number of Engravings on

Wood.

=4.= =The History of Sandford and Merton.= By THOMAS DAY.

Illustrated with 100 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL.

=5.= =A Boy’s Life Aboard Ship=, as it is Told by Himself. Full

of Adventure and Daring Deeds.

=6.= =Life in a Whaler=; or, Perils and Adventures in the

Tropical Seas. By SAILOR CHARLEY.

=7.= =Great Inventors=: The Sources of their Usefulness, and the

Results of their Efforts. Embellished with numerous Engravings.

=8.= =Household Stories.= Collected by the Brothers GRIMM. To

which is added “The Caravan,” an Eastern Tale, by WILLIAM HAUFF.

Profusely Illust. with Wood Engravings from Designs by Eminent

Artists.

=9.= =The Marvels of Nature=; or, Outlines of Creation. By

ELISHA NOYCE. With 400 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL.

=10.= =The Boy’s Book of Industrial Information.= By ELISHA

NOYCE. With 365 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL.

=11.= =Famous Boys, and How they Became Famous Men.= By the

Author of “Clever Boys.” Numerous Engravings. New Edition.

=12.= =The Triumphs of Perseverance and Enterprise.= By THOMAS

COOPER. Fully Illustrated. New Edition.

=13.= =Edgar’s Crusades and Crusaders.= With numerous

Illustrations. New Edition.

=14.= =The Merchant’s Clerk=; or, Mark Wilton. A Book for Young

Men. By the Rev. C. B. TAYLER, M.A.

=15.= =Sailor Hero=; or, The Frigate and the Lugger. By Captain

F. C. ARMSTRONG. With Illustrations.

=16.= =Cruise of the Daring: A Tale of the Sea.= By Captain F.

C. ARMSTRONG. With Illustrations.

=17.= =Pyrotechny=; or, The Art of Making Fireworks at

little Cost, and with complete Safety and Cleanliness. With

124 Illustrations of Forms and Diagrams for Manufacture and

Exhibition.

=18.= =Mont Blanc, A Boy’s Ascent of.= By ALBERT SMITH.

Illustrated. With Memoir of the Author, by EDMUND YATES.

=19.= =Poe’s Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and Humour.= By

EDGAR ALLAN POE.

=21.= =Boy’s Book of Modern Travel and Adventure=. Illustrated.

=22.= =The Young Marooners.= By F. R. GOULDING. Illustrated.

_Presentation Volumes for Girls._

BOOKS AT THREE-AND-SIXPENCE--_continued_.

The Girls’ Favourite Library.

Price 3_s._ 6_d._ each, Illustrated.

_These are all books which have gained a reputation for combining

deep interest and amusement with pleasantly conveyed instruction. They

are really “favourites”; books which Girls will read and preserve as

indispensable to the Library of the School or the Home._

=1.= =Fifty Celebrated Women=: Their Virtues and Failings, and

the Lessons of their Lives. Illustrated with numerous Engravings

on Wood.

=2.= =Evenings at Home=; or, The Juvenile Budget Opened.

Consisting of a variety of Miscellaneous Pieces, for the

Instruction and Amusement of Young Persons. By Dr. AIKEN and

Mrs. BARBAULD.

=3.= =Fern Leaves from Fanny’s Portfolio.= First and Second

Series, Complete. Beautifully Illustrated with page and other

Engravings.

=4.= =Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress= (from this World to that

which is to Come). A New Edition, with a Memoir. Illustrated

with 100 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL.

=5.= =Orange Blossoms.= A Book for all who have worn, are

wearing, or are likely to wear them. Edited by T. S. ARTHUR.

With Illustrations.

=6.= =Julamerk=; or, The Converted Jewess. By the Author of

“Naomi.” With numerous Illustrations.

=7.= =Martyrs of Carthage=; or, The Christian Converts. A Tale

of the Times of Old.

=8.= =Margaret Catchpole=, the Suffolk Girl. By the Rev. R.

COBBOLD.

=9.= =Modern Accomplishments=; or, The March of Intellect. By

CATHERINE SINCLAIR.

=10.= =Mary Bunyan=, the Dreamer’s Blind Daughter. By SALLIE

ROCHESTER FORD.

=11.= =Aunt Jane’s Hero=, and =Stepping Heavenward=. By E.

PRENTISS, Author of “The Flower of the Family.”

=12.= =Faith Gartney’s Girlhood=, and =A Summer in Leslie

Goldthwaite’s Life=. By the Author of “The Gayworthys.”

=13.= =Little Women=, and =Good Wives=. Being Stories for Girls.

By Miss L. M. ALCOTT.

=14.= =The Lamplighter=; or, An Orphan Girl’s Struggles and

Triumphs. By Miss CUMMING. Illustrated.

=15.= =Queechy.= By the Author of “The Wide, Wide World.”

=16.= =The Wide, Wide World.= By Miss WETHERELL. Illustrated.

=17.= =Uncle Tom’s Cabin=; or, Life among the Lowly. By Mrs.

HARRIET BEECHER STOWE. Illustrated.

=18.= =Maternal Counsels to a Daughter.= By Mrs. PULLAN.

=19.= =Mothers of Scripture.= Showing their Influence on their

Sons.

=20.= =The School-Girl in France.= By Miss MCCRINDELL.

_Gift Books for Young People._

BOOKS AT THREE-AND-SIXPENCE--_continued_.

Jules Verne’s Stories.

Crown 8vo, elegant cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._ each. DOUBLE VOLUMES.

=1.= =The Adventures of Captain Hatteras.= Containing The

English at the North Pole, and The Ice Desert. With Six Coloured

Pictures.

=2.= =Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.= First and Second

Series, complete. With Six Coloured Pictures.

=3.= =The Wonderful Travels.= Containing A Journey into the

Interior of the Earth, and Five Weeks in a Balloon. With Six

Coloured Pictures.

=4.= =The Moon Voyage.= Containing From the Earth to the Moon,

and Round the Moon. With Five Coloured Pictures.

=Beeton’s Erckmann-Chatrian Library.= Illustrated, cloth gilt,

gilt edges, 3_s._ 6_d._ each. For List _see_ “Books at 2_s._

6_d._”

=Andersen’s Popular Tales for Children.= With many full-page and

other Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Andersen’s Stories for the Young.= With many full-page and

other Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=The Animal Picture Book for Kind Little People.= With large

Coloured Pictures. Folio, cloth, plain, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Aunt Fanny’s Nursery Tales and Rhymes.= With full-page

Illustrations printed in Colours. 4to, cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Aunt Fanny’s Pretty Picture Book.= With full-page Illustrations

printed in Colours. 4to, cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=The Book of Animals.= With Nine Coloured Illustrations

by HARRISON WEIR (printed by LEIGHTON Brothers) and other

Engravings. Folio, cloth plain, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Ann and Jane Taylor’s Poetry for Children.= Containing the

Original Poems, Hymns for Infant Minds, and Rhymes for the

Nursery. With many Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3_s._

6_d._

=Sacred Stories for Sunday Hours=; or, Scripture Narratives from

the Old Testament. With Coloured Pictures. Crown 8vo, cloth

gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=The Children’s Forget-me-Not.= A Book of Pictures and Stories

for the Young. Royal 4to, cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Webster’s Universal Pronouncing and Defining Dictionary of the

English Language.= Condensed from NOAH WEBSTER’S Large Work,

with numerous Synonyms, carefully discriminated by CHAUNCEY A.

GOODRICH, D.D., Professor In Yale College. To which are added,

WALKER’S KEY to the Pronunciation of Classical and Scriptural

Proper Names, a Vocabulary of Modern Geographical Names,

Phrases and Quotations from the Ancient and Modern Languages,

Abbreviations used in Writing, Printing, &c. 664 pages. Demy

8vo, cloth, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Getting On in the World=; or, Hints on Success in Life. By

WILLIAM MATHEWS. Series I. and II., complete. Crown 8vo, cloth

gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

=Beeton’s Public Speaker.= Containing the Remarkable Speeches of

the World’s Greatest Orators. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3_s._ 6_d._

_Religious and Moral Gift Books._

The Christian Life Series.

Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, handsome binding, 3_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =The Christian Year.= Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and

Holy Days throughout the Year. By JOHN KEBLE.

=2.= =Life Thoughts.= By HENRY WARD BEECHER. Red border lines.

=3.= =The Christian Life.= Bible Helps and Counsels for Every

Day throughout the Year. Red border lines.

=4.= =Religion and Science.= A Series of Sunday Lectures on

the Relation of Natural and Revealed Religion; or, The Truths

Revealed in Nature and Scripture. By JOSEPH LE CONTE.

=5.= =The Perfect Life.= By WILLIAM E. CHANNING.

=6.= =Sacred Heroes and Martyrs.= By J. T. HEADLEY. Revised and

Edited by J. W. KIRTON.

BOOKS AT THREE SHILLINGS.

=Golden Childhood for Christmas, 1875.= Beautiful Pictures,

Pretty Stories, Songs for the Little Ones, Fairy Tales, Nursery

Rhymes, with Music for the Piano. With a set of Paper Patterns

for a Complete Dolly’s Outfit. Imperial 16mo, boards, 3_s._

=Merry Sunbeams=: The “Golden Childhood” Annual for Christmas,

1876. With Charming Pictures, Pretty Stories, Fairy Tales,

Children’s Songs with Music, &c. Imperial 16mo, boards, 3_s._

=Golden Childhood.= 1877 Volume. Much Enlarged and Improved.

Imperial 16mo, picture boards, 3_s._

=The Child’s Famous Picture Book.= With many Illustrations.

Folio, cloth gilt or wrapper boards, 3_s._

BOOKS AT TWO SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE.

The Young Ladies’ Library.

Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 2_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =Sunshine and Rain=; or, Blanche Cleveland. By A. E. W.

With Eight full-page Illustrations.

=2.= =Roses and Thorns=; or, Five Tales of the Start in Life.

=3.= =Bible Narratives=; or, Scripture Stories. By the Rev.

FREDERICK CALDER, M.A. Illustrated.

=4.= =Pleasure and Profit=; or, Lessons at Home. With Eight

Illustrations.

=5.= =Country Pleasures=; or, The Carterets. By A. E. R. With

Eight full-page Illustrations.

=6.= =Stories of Courage and Principle=; or, Fit to be a

Duchess. By Mrs. GILLESPIE SMYTH. 8 full-page Illustrations.

=7.= =Who are the Happy Ones?= or, Home Sketches. By the Author

of “Quiet Thoughts for Quiet Hours,” &c. With Eight full-page

Illustrations.

=8.= =The Progress of Character=; or, Cliffethorpe. By H. POWER.

With Eight full-page Illustrations.

=9.= =What can She Do?= By the Rev. E. P. ROE, Author of “From

Jest to Earnest,” &c.

_Entertaining Presentation Volumes._

BOOKS AT TWO-AND-SIXPENCE—<i>continued</i>.

Beeton’s Erckmann-Chatrian Library.

Handsomely bound in cloth gilt, plain edges, 2_s._ 6_d._

Those volumes marked thus (*) are beautifully Illustrated.

=*1.= =Madame Therese.=

=2.= =The Conscript.=

=3.= =The Great Invasion of France.=

=4.= =The Blockade.=

=*5.= =The States-General, 1789.=

=*6.= =The Country in Danger, 1792.=

=7.= =Waterloo.=

=*8.= =The Illustrious Dr. Matheus.=

=*9.= =Stories of the Rhine.=

=*10.= =Friend Fritz.=

=*11.= =The Alsacian Schoolmaster.=

=*12.= =The Polish Jew.=

=13.= =Master Daniel Rock.=

=14.= =War.=

=*15.= =Year One of the Republic, 1793.=

=*16.= =Citizen Buonaparte, 1794–1815.=

=*17.= =Confessions of a Clarionet Player.=

=*18.= =The Campaign in Kabylia.=

=*19.= =The Man Wolf.=

=*20.= =The Wild Huntsman.=

[Beeton’s Library of Humour.

Post 8vo, cloth, price 2_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =The Innocents Abroad=; or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress. By

MARK TWAIN.

=2.= =Bret Harte.= Complete Tales.

=3.= =Out of the Hurly-Burly.= By MAX ADELER. With 400 humorous

Illustrations by A. B. FROST.

=4.= =Artemus Ward: His Book=, and =Among the Mormons=.

=5.= =Hood’s Whims and Oddities.= Illustrated.

=7.= =Lowell’s Biglow Papers= and =Saxe’s Poems=.

=8.= =Back Log Studies=, and =My Summer in a Garden=. By C. D.

WARNER.

=9.= =Riddles and Charades.=

=10.= =American Drolleries.= Containing The Jumping Frog and

Screamers. By MARK TWAIN.

=11.= =Artemus Ward’s Letters to Punch=, and =Mark Twain’s

Practical Jokes=.

=12.= =Funny Stories, and Humorous Poems.= By MARK TWAIN and O.

W. HOLMES.

=13.= =Josh Billings’ Sayings=, and =Major Jack Downing=.

=18.= =Elbow Room.= By the Author of “Out of the Hurly-Burly.”

Humorously Illustrated by A. B. FROST.

=19.= =Helen’s Babies=, and =Other People’s Children=. By JOHN

HABBERTON. With 16 full-page Illustrations.

=20.= =Grown Up Babies, and Other People.= By JOHN HABBERTON.

Illustrated.

_Good Tone Books._

BOOKS AT TWO-AND-SIXPENCE—<i>continued</i>.

The Good Tone Library.

Post 8vo, elegantly bound, cloth gilt, price 2_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =The Prince of the House of David.= By Rev. J. H. INGRAHAM.

New Edition, with Coloured Frontispiece.

=2.= =The Wide, Wide World.= By Miss WETHERELL, Author of

“Queechy,” &c. New Edition, Coloured Frontispiece.

=3.= =Queechy.= By Miss WETHERELL, Author of “The Wide, Wide

World.” New Edition. Coloured Frontispiece.

=4.= =Melbourne House.= By Miss WETHERELL, Author of “Queechy,”

&c. New Edition. With Coloured Frontispiece.

=The Children’s Forget-me-Not.= A Book of Pictures and Stories

for the Young. Royal 4to, boards, handsome floral design, 2_s._

6_d._

=Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress= from this World to that which is

to Come. With a Memoir of the Author by H. W. DULCKEN, Ph.D. 100

page and other Illustrations by THOMAS DALZIEL, engraved by the

Brothers DALZIEL. Cloth, bevelled boards, gilt, 2_s._ 6_d._

=Christian Year (The).= Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and

Holy Days throughout the Year. By JOHN KEBLE.

=Webster’s Improved Pronouncing Dictionary of the English

Language.= Condensed and Adapted to English Orthography and

Usage, with Additions from various Accredited Sources, by

CHARLES ROBSON. To which are added, Accentuated Lists of

Scriptural, Classical, and Geographical Proper Names. Fcap. 4to,

cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._

=Webster’s Dictionary of Quotations=: A Book of Ready Reference

to all the Familiar Words and Phrases in the English Language.

With a copious Index. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 2_s._ 6_d._

=The Good Shepherd=: or, The Story of Jesus and His Apostles,

for the Young. With Coloured Pictures. Imperial 16mo, cloth

gilt, 2_s._ 6_d._

=Charles Lamb’s Elia and Eliana.= New Edition, with Portraits.

Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._

=The Language and Poetry of Flowers.= With a Complete

Vocabulary, Quotations, Meanings, Flower Language, and a

Collection of Poems illustrating the Nature, Beauty, Sentiments,

Teachings, and Associations of the Floral World, &c. Coloured

Pictures and other Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo, cloth gilt, red

edges, 2_s._ 6_d._

Ward, Lock, & Co.’s 2s. 6d. Novels.

In neat cloth gilt binding, 2_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =The Scottish Chiefs.= By Miss JANE PORTER.

=2.= =Never Again.= By W. S. MAYO.

=3.= =Margaret Catchpole.= By Rev. R. COBBOLD.

=4.= =The Improvisatore.= By HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.

=5.= =Arthur Bonnicastle.= By J. G. HOLLAND.

=6.= =Margaret.= By SYLVESTER JUDD.

=7.= =Evelina.= By Madame D’ARBLAY.

=8.= =Gambler’s Wife.= By Mrs. GREY.

=9.= =Kiddle-a-Wink=; or, The Three Guests. By the Author of

“Olive Varcoe,” &c.

=10.= =The Berber.= By W. S. MAYO.

=11.= =Barriers Burnt Away.= By Rev. E. P. ROE.

_Useful Works and Children’s Present Books._

BOOKS AT TWO-AND-SIXPENCE—<i>continued</i>.

Beeton’s “All About It” Books.

Now Ready, handsomely bound, price 2_s._ 6_d._ each.

=1.= =All about Cookery=: Being a Dictionary of Every-day

Cookery. By Mrs. ISABELLA BEETON.

=2.= =All about Everything=: Being a Dictionary of Practical

Recipes and Every-day Information. An entirely New Domestic

Cyclopædia, arranged in Alphabetical Order, and usefully

Illustrated.

=3.= =All about Gardening=: Being a Dictionary of Practical

Gardening.

=4.= =All about Country Life=: A Dictionary of Rural Avocations,

and of Knowledge necessary to the Management of the Farm, &c.

=5.= =All about Hard Words=: Being a Dictionary of Every-day

Difficulties in Reading, Writing, &c. &c.

BOOKS AT TWO SHILLINGS.

The Little Pet Series.

Imperial 16mo, half cloth, picture boards, 2_s._; or neat cloth,

2_s._ 6_d._

=1.= =Our Little Pet’s Own Picture Book.= 160 Illustrations.

=2.= =New Comical Nursery Rhymes and Stories= to make Children

Laugh. With numerous Engravings.

=3.= =Pretty Little Lessons for Pretty Little Children.= With

250 Illustrations.

=4.= =Easy Tales and Pleasant Stories for our Young Friends.=

With upwards of 200 Engravings.

=5.= =Bible Sketches from the Old and New Testaments=, adapted

for Juvenile Reading. With about 80 Illustrations.

=6.= =Sacred Readings for Young Children.= Selected from the Old

Testament. With about 60 Illustrations.

=8.= =The Child’s Own Book of Pictures, Tales, and Poetry.= With

numerous Illustrations.

=9.= =Favourite Nursery Rhymes for Nursery Favourites.= With

about 200 Illustrations.

=10.= =Merry Rhymes and Stories for Merry Little Learners.= With

about 90 humorous Illustrations.

=11.= =Little Fanny’s Nursery Picture Book.= Super-royal 16mo.

With Coloured Illustrations.

=The Children’s Picture Annual.= The Story of a United Family,

with their Travels and Adventures at Home and Abroad. By MERCIE

SUNSHINE. With numerous Illustrations. Imperial 16mo, cloth

gilt, 2_s._

_Books for Young Men and Women._

BOOKS AT TWO SHILLINGS--continued

The Friendly Counsel Series.

Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 2_s._; those marked thus (*) extra cloth

gilt, bevelled boards, gilt edges, 2_s._ 6_d._

=*1.= =Timothy Titcomb’s Letters addressed to Young People=,

Single and Married.

=*2.= =Beecher’s (Henry Ward) Lectures to Young Men.=

=*3.= =Getting On in the World=; or, Hints on Success in Life.

By WILLIAM MATHEWS, LL.D. First Series.

=*4.= =Cobbett’s Advice to Young Men, and incidentally to Young

Women.=

=5.= =Christians in Council.= Author of “Stepping Heavenward.”

=6.= =How to Make a Living.= By GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON.

=7.= =The Art of Prolonging Life.= Translated from the

celebrated work by HUFELAND.

=*8.= =Foster’s Decision of Character, and other Essays.= With

Life of the Author.

=*9.= =Getting On in the World.= Second Series. By WILLIAM

MATHEWS, LL.D.

=*10.= =How to Excel in Business=; or, The Clerk’s Instructor.

By JAMES MASON.

=*11.= =Todd’s Student’s Manual.=

The Rose Library.

Fcap. 8vo, cloth gilt, gilt edges, 2_s._

=1.= =The Autobiography of a £5 Note.= By Mrs. J. B. WEBB.

=2.= =Zenon, the Roman Martyr.= By the Rev. R. COBBOLD, Author

of “Margaret Catchpole.”

=3.= =The Pilgrims of New England.= By Mrs. J. B. WEBB.

=4.= =Mary Ann Wellington.= By the Author of “Margaret

Catchpole.”

=5.= =The History of the Fairchild Family.= By Mrs. SHERWOOD.

=6.= =Sceptres and Crowns.= By Author of “The Wide, Wide World.”

=7.= =Nidworth, and his Three Magic Wands.= By E. PRENTISS,

Author of “Stepping Heavenward.”

=8.= =Freston Tower.= A Tale of the Times of Cardinal Wolsey. By

the Rev. R. COBBOLD, Author of “Margaret Catchpole.”

=9.= =The Mysterious Marriage=; or, Sir Edward Graham. By

CATHERINE SINCLAIR. (Sequel to “Holiday House.”)

=10.= =Jane Bouverie=, and How She became an Old Maid. By Ditto.

=11.= =Modern Flirtations=; or, A Month at Harrowgate. By Ditto.

=12.= =The Star and the Cloud.= By A. S. ROE.

=13.= =Nellie of Truro.= A Tale from Life.

=14.= =The Nun.= By Mrs. SHERWOOD.

_Stirring Stories and High-Class Fiction._

BOOKS AT TWO SHILLINGS--continued

The Youth’s Library of Wonders & Adventures

Including JULES VERNE’S Startling Stories, with Coloured

Plates, cloth gilt, 2_s._

=1.= =A Journey into the Interior of the Earth.= By JULES VERNE.

=2.= =The English at the North Pole.= By JULES VERNE.

=3.= =The Ice Desert.= By JULES VERNE.

=4.= =Five Weeks in a Balloon.= By JULES VERNE.

=5.= =The Mysterious Document.= By JULES VERNE.

=6.= =On the Track.= By JULES VERNE.

=7.= =Among the Cannibals.= By JULES VERNE.

=8.= =Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.= By JULES VERNE.

Part I.

=9.= ---- Part II.

=10.= =Two Years Before the Mast.= By R. H. DANA.

=11.= =From the Earth to the Moon.= By JULES VERNE.

=12.= =Round the Moon.= By JULES VERNE.

=13.= =History of Sandford and Merton.= By THOMAS DAY.

=14.= =Baron Munchausen (The Life, Travels, and Extraordinary

Adventures of).= By the Last of his Family.

The Country House Library.

OF FICTION, TRAVEL, ESSAY, BIOGRAPHY, &c.

_BY STANDARD LIVING AUTHORS. COPYRIGHT EDITIONS._

Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 2_s._

=1.= =The Mad Willoughbys, and other Tales.= By Mrs. LYNN

LINTON, Author of “Patricia Kemball,” &c.

=2.= =False Beasts and True.= By FRANCIS POWER COBBE.

=3.= =The Blossoming of an Aloe.= By Mrs. CASHEL HOEY, Author of

“Out of Court,” &c.

=4.= =Country House Essays.= By JOHN LATOUCHE, Author of

“Travels in Portugal,” &c.

=5.= =No Sign=, and other Tales. By Mrs. CASHEL HOEY, Author of

“The Blossoming of an Aloe.”

=6.= =Grace Tolmar.= By JOHN DANGERFIELD.

_Ward and Lock’s Useful Series._

BOOKS AT ONE-AND-SIXPENCE.

=The Lily Series.= Sixty-six Books. In new cloth gilt binding,

plain edges. For List _see_ Books at 2_s._

=The Rose Library.= Fourteen Books. In cloth gilt binding, plain

edges. For List _see_ Books at 2_s._

=The Good Aim Series.= Twenty-five Books. In cloth gilt,

bevelled boards, gilt edges. For List _see_ Books at 1_s._

=Beeton’s Englishwoman’s Cookery Book.= 255th Thousand. By Mrs.

ISABELLA BEETON. Being a collection of Economical Recipes, taken

from her “Household Management.” The Best Shilling Cookery. New

Edition. Illustrated by a large number of appropriate and useful

Engravings. With 4 Coloured Plates, post 8vo, half bound, cloth,

1_s._ 6_d._

=Beeton’s Gardening Book.= Containing full and Practical

Instructions concerning Garden Operations, the Fruit, Flower,

and Kitchen Garden, Pests of the Month, and a Monthly Calendar

of work to be done in the Garden. With 4 Coloured Plates. Post

8vo, half bound, cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._

=The Christian Year.= Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holy

Days throughout the Year. By JOHN KEBLE. Small fcap. 8vo, cloth,

gilt back and sides, red burnished edges, 1_s._ 6_d._

NOW READY, NEW VOLUME, Edited by the Author of “Buy your Own

Cherries.”

=Kirton’s Standard Temperance Reciter.= An entirely New Volume

of Readings and Recitations, for Band of Hope Meetings, Good

Templar Gatherings, and General Reading. Containing many

Original Pieces by the Editor, J. W. KIRTON, Author of “Buy your

Own Cherries.” Fcap. 8vo, cloth gilt, 1_s._ 6_d._

_Also, shortly will be published, uniform with the above._

=Kirton’s Standard Band of Hope Reciter.=

BOOKS AT ONE SHILLING.

=Beeton’s Pictorial Speller.= The Cheapest Illustrated Spelling

Book published. 196 pp. 430 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth

plain, 1_s._

=Webster’s Pocket Pronouncing Dictionary= of the English

Language. Condensed from the Original by NOAH WEBSTER. With

accentuated Vocabularies of Classical, Scriptural, and Modern

Geographical Names. Revised by WM. G. WEBSTER, son of Noah

Webster. Royal 16mo, cloth, 1_s._

=Webster’s Shilling Bookkeeping=, in Single and Double Entry.

Post 8vo, cloth plain, 1_s._

=The Language of Flowers.= With numerous Engravings, and a

Coloured Frontispiece. Fcap. 8vo, cloth gilt, 1_s._

=The Poetry of Flowers.= An entirely New Selection of

appropriate Poems, carefully edited. With Coloured Frontispiece

and many Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo, cloth gilt, 1_s._

=The Christian Year.= Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holy

Days throughout the Year. By JOHN KEBLE. Small fcap. 8vo, cloth

gilt, plain edges, 1_s._

=The Children’s Picture Annual=: The Story of a United Family,

with their Travels and Adventures at Home and Abroad. By MERCIE

SUNSHINE. With numerous Illustrations. Imperial 16mo, picture

boards, 1_s._

_National Reference Books._

BOOKS AT ONE SHILLINGS--continued

S. O. Beeton’s National Reference Books,

FOR THE PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

The Cheapest and Best Reference Books in the World.

_Each Volume complete in itself, and containing from 512 to 590

Columns. Price 1s. in strong cloth binding._

=Beeton’s British Gazetteer=: A Topographical and Historical

Guide to the United Kingdom. Compiled from the Latest and Best

Authorities. It gives the most Recent Improvements in Cities and

Towns; states all the Railway Stations in the Three Kingdoms,

the nearest Post Towns and Money Order Offices.

=Beeton’s British Biography=: From the Earliest Times to the

Accession of George III.

=Beeton’s Modern Men and Women=: A British Biography from the

Accession of George III. to the Present Time.

=Beeton’s Bible Dictionary.= A Cyclopædia of the Geography,

Biography, Narratives, and Truths of Scripture.

=Beeton’s Classical Dictionary=: A Cyclopædia of Greek and Roman

Biography, Geography, Mythology, and Antiquities.

=Beeton’s Medical Dictionary.= A Safe Guide for every Family,

defining with perfect plainness the Symptoms and Treatment of

all Ailments, Illnesses, and Diseases. 592 columns.

=Beeton’s Date Book.= A British Chronology from the Earliest

Records to the Present Day.

=Beeton’s Dictionary of Commerce.= A Book of Reference.

Containing an Account of the Natural Productions and

Manufactures dealt within the Commercial World; Explanations of

the principal Terms used in, and modes of transacting Business

at Home and Abroad.

=Beeton’s Modern European Celebrities.= A Biography of

Continental Men and Women of Note who have lived during the last

Hundred Years, or are now living.

Price 1_s._, cloth, containing 208 pages, 477 Recipes, and Formulæ

for Mistresses and Servants.

=MRS. BEETON’S ENGLISHWOMAN’S COOKERY BOOK.= Comprising Recipes

in all branches of Cookery, and accurate Descriptions of

Quantities, Times, Costs, Seasons, for the various Dishes.

⁂ _The capital Coloured Plates render the Eighteenpenny Edition of_

THE ENGLISHWOMAN’S COOKERY BOOK _absolutely unapproachable in point

of excellence and cheapness. There are infinitely more Recipes in

this volume than in any other Cheap Cookery Book, their accuracy is

beyond question, and the addition of these Coloured Plates removes all

possibility of successful rivalry which may be attempted by imitative

and meretricious displays._

Price 1_s._, cloth, containing 252 pages.

=BEETON’S GARDENING BOOK=: Containing such full and Practical

Information as will enable the Amateur to manage his own Garden.

Amply Illustrated.

=BEETON’S READY RECKONER.= A Business and Family Arithmetic.

With all kinds of New Tables, and a variety of carefully

digested Information, never before collected. Cloth, 1_s._

_Story Books for the Young._

BOOKS AT ONE SHILLING--continued

Beeton’s Good-Aim Series.

Pott 8vo, cloth gilt, 1_s._

=1.= =The Original Poems for Children.= By the TAYLOR Family, M.

E. B., and others.

=2.= =The Basket of Flowers=; or, Piety and Truth Triumphant.

=3.= =Ellen’s Idol.= By the Author of “Tiny,” and “Trotty’s

Book.”

=5.= =Sermons on the Wall.= By JOHN TILLOTSON.

=6.= =Goldy and Goldy’s Friends.= By MARY DENSEL.

=7.= =The One Thing Needful=; or, Ethel’s Pearls.

=8.= =I Don’t Know How.= By the Author of “The Gates Ajar.”

=9.= =Sayings and Doings of Children.= By the Rev. J. B. SMITH.

=10.= =Tiny.= By ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS.

=11.= =Tiny’s Sunday Night.= By ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS.

=12.= =The Orphan Boy=; or, From Peasant to Prince.

=13.= =Tom, Tom, the Printer’s Son=: A Boy’s Story. Related by

Himself.

=14.= =Only a Dandelion.= By the Author of “Stepping Heavenward.”

=15.= =Follow Me.= By the Author of “Stepping Heavenward.”

=16.= =New Year’s Bargain.=

=17.= =In the Beginning=; or, From Eden to Canaan.

=18.= =Conquerors and Captives=; or, From David to Daniel.

=19.= =The Star of Promise=; or, From Bethlehem to Calvary.

=20.= =History of the Robins.= By Mrs. TRIMMER. Coloured Front.

=21.= =Hymns for Infant Minds.= By ANN and JANE TAYLOR.

=22.= =Rhymes for the Nursery.= By the same.

=23.= =Little Susy’s Six Birthdays.= By Mrs. E. PRENTISS.

=24.= =Little Susy’s Little Servants.= By the same.

=25.= =Little Susy’s Six Teachers.= By the same.

The Hans Andersen Story Books for the Young:--

Fcap. 8vo, cloth gilt, 1_s._

1. THE CHRISTMAS TREE.

2. THE GARDEN OF PARADISE.

3. THE WILLOW TREE.

4. THE SILENT BOOK.

5. THE LITTLE MERMAID.

6. THE SILVER SHILLING.

7. THE SNOW QUEEN.

8. THE ICE MAIDEN.

9. LITTLE IDA’S FLOWERS.

10. LITTLE TUK.

11. WHAT THE MOON SAW.

=Child’s First Book of Natural History.= Illustrated. Crown 8vo,

cloth, 1_s._

=Easy Steps for Little Learners.= Many Illustrations. Crown 8vo,

cloth, 1_s._

_Published by Ward, Lock, and Co._

Transcriber’s Notes:

1. Obvious printers’, punctuation and spelling errors have been

corrected silently.

2. Where hyphenation is in doubt, it has been retained as in the

original.

3. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have

been retained as in the original.

4. Italics are shown as _xxx_.

5. Bold print is shown as =xxx=.