There are enormous difficulties to overcome before we can be sure that our statements are correct. We once knew a man of good abilities try to get information on a small section of native customs, and the result was in wonderful disagreement with facts. We were so tickled at the production that we went to our friend’s informer and read over the expressions one by one, half inclined to ask regarding each “Would you be surprised to learn?” In most cases he was very much surprised indeed! The causes of error are so numerous and subtle as to deserve extended notice. IMPORTING EUROPEAN IDEAS. One cause of error is that we mix up what the African tells us with our own ideas, which are European. As a consequence of this, we put questions to him that he cannot understand. Many of our questions strike the African exactly as a question like the following would strike a European, “If seventy miles of the sea were burned, who would be the losers, the Insurance Companies? or the Harbour Commissioners? or ——?” If an African put this question to a European the European would laugh at him; but if the European put it to an African, the latter would be more polite, and would think that the European was very ingenious in finding out a supposition that would have never occurred to himself; and although the African knows that the difficulty could never arise in his own country, yet he feels bound to believe that the poor European is perplexed by it, and states what he thinks _would happen_ in Africa on such an extraordinary occurrence: thus _he gives an answer_, which the ingenious European carefully lays past.