ch a p , to that people: but of thefe I muft referve the particular
, > account to another occafion, and for the prefent only give
a fhort defcription of the Loango dancing, as performed
by the Loango negroes, male and female, and not by
any others; which confifts from firft to laft in fuch a fcene
of Wanton and lafcivious geftures, as nothing but a heated
imagination and a conftant practice could enable them to
perform. Thefe dances, which are performed to the
found o f a drum, to which they ftrike time by ciappihg
of hands, may properly be confidered as a kind o f play
or pantomime divided into fo many a&s, which lafts for
&me hours. But the molt remarkable is, that during this
feprefentation, the adtors, inftead of being fatigued, become
more and more enlivened and animated, till they are
bathed in fweat likepoft-horfes, and their paflions wound
up to fuch a degree, that nature being overcome, they
are ready to drop into convulfions.
However indelicate the above exhibitions may be,
fafhion has rendered them no more difgufting than any
other diverfions to the European and Creble ladies, Who
in company with the gentlemen croud about them
without the leaft referve, to enjoy what they call a hearty
laugh ; while fuch fcenes would change an tnglifh Woman’s
face from white to fcarlet.
That cuftom and habit give a fandtion, and render familiar,
in fome countries, many things which would be
confidered as prepofterous in others, is an obfervatibn,
which is more orlefs verified, in proportion to the variety
3 ' of
of places which thé traveller htas yifited. An officer in chap.
the India fervice has, in a late publication, defcribed the . XIV‘ .
variety of attitudes, geftures,' looks', fighs^ expreffiohs of
defire,., fçàr, hope,, trepidation, and every gradation of
paffion, which is ,ààed .by th,e dancing-girls in the Eaft
Indies;; and, yet, though thefe young woqajen are exert-
Ing.all their faculties,fo^ prompting wantoiinefs in the
'beholders, to obtain a living, thé whole ^racé of Oehtoo
WomeP : afe T^emarkable^ for t-fre, purçft iminds < of
any peoplb in the univerfe *.
* Not tó gófo-far eaffward, it-isno- Emanuel Martimis,.dean ôf Alicant, I
-torious that nearly fimipatïtö thefe dances fhaJt venture,to inferf ïtTas it came to mÿ
are thofe which we 'find praâifed on hands,- fince I doubt not but it may afford
a {>art hn this Hcïmtinenf/ » They are1 sjmufemerit to ïome of my readers, • while
called fandangos^ and are.feid to have Ic,hope, theadmffiibii of it will nop.be
been brought from Peru to -Spain. As} offenfive to others ÿ it being my with and
I haye teen favoured with'^ very àccu-. defire to pleafe all, by .bringing to light
rate and curious defeH£tiöft oTéiêrny-éx-\* whatever might otberwife efópe Obfcr-
traAèd ' fröm a /coUeâroh of letters of iTatscni.1
E. M. I. A. fup. .
I nunc, et veterum bsorwii' ificîlîffimi flêXüs,. clunium iito*-
accufa, noftrorum verecundiam lauda. - tatiotfc^iinitaiioifcs femórum, falaciüfm
,^çfti faltationém ill^.pamîâiwï»» pmnia. d p u^q -tVfrjfccenîtate
fuâ per omne æviim famôfàrtu 'gentiSlalcivisé foleftiffiTno ftudio expreffa
At qui hodjè ipfammet per omnia hu-, fimulacra. Vic|;àk-fev«re^hWm,,et cum
jus *urbis com pita, per omnia cubieula» quodam gaimitu, criflkre fbeminam, èô lo^-
cum iitcredibili aftantiutn plaufu, faltàri pore ac venuftàte, ut irieptæ profeâo ac
vijèàs. Nec inter Æthiopas tantufn ' ruftîc» - -tibi viâcrèhtur tremûlfe natê's-
ct obfcuros honiines, fèd intér horieftif- 1 Photidos-Apjiùâëiànse. Intfcrca omniaeô’n-
fimas foeminas, ac nobiii loco natas. ftrepunt cachinnis et ronëhis., Qphtfpee-
Saltationis modus "hoc ritu peragitùr. tatores ipfi fatyricæ ateHànæque ojjpwraij
Saltant vïr et foemiria vel biiiivelplures. ; furore correjm,. in ipfo fimulatse libidinis-
Corpora ad fnufieds ? Ynodos;;per omnia tampo, leni quodam geftu nutuqüe, vêli-
libidinum irritamenta verfantur. Mem- tantur ac fluctuant.. 003