YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

A39002004369535B

for the founding of m^olfegi '§£this Colony"

•YAIUE-'VMVISIBSinnr- - iuiiBiKi&iKy •

Gift of
Dr, William C. Minor
1910

A New and Accurate
DESCRIPTION OF THE
Coafl of Guinea*
Divided into the
G O L D, the S L A V E,
AND THE
IVORY COASTS.
CONTAINING
A Geographical, Political and Natural Hiftory
of the Kingdoms and Countries : With a Par
ticular Account of the Rife, Progrefe and Pre-
fent Condition of all the European Settlements
upon that Coaft ; and the Juft Meafures for Im-
? proving the feveral Branches of the Guinea Trade.

Unrated with feveral C U T T S.
Written Originally in Dutch by William Bpfman,
Chief FaSor for the Dutch at theCaftle ofSt'.'Geoige
£ Elmina. And now faithfully done into Englifh.
To which is prefix'd, An Exact M A P of thewhole
Coaft of Guinea, that was not in the Original.-

London, Printed for James Knapton, at the Crown,
and Dan. Midwinter, at the Rofe and Crown, in
St. Paul's Church- Yard. 1705.

711 AFBK3A.-iBoStoif<w.)New and Accurate
Descnpaonot the Coast 0f Guinea, divide* into
the am, the Slave, and Ivory Coasts, ,ocmfot n-
mg a geographical, Political and Natural His-
, tory of the Kingdoms and Countries, with an
... ¦¦ ft ?f°"?' °f M the European Settlements upon — — -
P that Coast, etc., map and curious plates, 8vo. old
L- "ifi "^jj8 i "__ 1705 — — —
The A U T H O R s
PREFACE.

*t~m -^IS a common Cuflom among Authors to vjber
¦ in their Writings with a Preface ; which fbms
_SL lool upon as a meer Ornament of no great ht*
fortance, and others as a neceffary Appendage, both far
fetting forth the SubjeU, Method and Dejign of the Per
formance, and for giving the Reader an Opportunity to
know the Qualifications of his Author ; And 'tis the
latter ofthefe that I here join with.
The World is at prefent fo over-flock 'd with Booh,
that 'tis almofl impqflibleto bring any new thing to Light t
unlefs another new World were difcovered ; the Countries
and People in all Parts of the World, being already de-
fcribed by various Authors. But 'twas an ancient Say.
fag among the Romans, That Africa always produces
Jfomething New ; and to this Day the Sayingisveryjufl^
for the Coafl of Guinea, which is part of Africa, U
for the moflpart unknown, not only to the Dutch, but to
all Europeans, and no particular Defcriptim of it is
yet come to Light ; nor indeed any thing but a few
Scraps fcattered in Booh written upon other Subjects, mqft
of which are contrary to Truth, and afford but a forty
Sketch of Guinea.
Being a lover from my Touth of the Defcriptions of Tra
vels and Voyages, and Accounts of Foreign Countries, I
quickly took a diflafle atfuch Authors, as paulnid preca
rious Reports upon the World for certain Truths ; and
A 1 having

The PREFACE.
having never flirr^d out of their native Country, takea$,
for Truth that's handed, to 'em from Abroad, and recom
mend it as fuch to the World : In imitation of Ari-
ftotle, who being ordered by Alexander (as the Story
goes) to write of the Nature of Animals, grounded and
compleated his Performance upon the report of every
Traveller he could meet with. In thofe Days, when the
World was not fo Well knownfas 'tis now, that fort of Wri
ting might jo down : But now Mrdays a Mm of Senfe wtU
fcarce venture upon it,, confidering tbtt his Advances will
be canvafs'd by a Variety of Travellers, and where he ,
departs from what they find to be the real Truth, he'll
be expofedfor a fabulous Author. In this Country of
Holland, we have had particularly two fuch Writers in
the lafl Century , who fet forth many Booh, and are now fo
well known by the bulkynefs of their Writings, and the
manner of their Performances, that 'tis needlefs to fay
more of them than this , that the World do's 'em
Jiiflice enough if they credit but one half of what they
write upon Foreign SubjeBs, without derogating from
what Credit is due to their Works that relate to our
own Country ; for which SubjeS they are very well qua
lified. I could not forbear oppofing ijhem upon Jome
Heads, and publijbing the Truth of what they have mif-
reprefented : And info doing I reckon I have donefome
Savice. Aid if they are fo touch 'd with my Freedom
as to take me to tap (acccording to their Threats) lam
well ajfur'd that at leaflthey (l)allnotfix any Falflmod up
on m.e. I had always a longing defire to go and fee what
J read of in Booh ; and during my fourteen Tears flay
upon the Corf of Guinea,. I had an opportunity of fa-
tisfyingmy defire,, there being few or fcarce any places up
on the Coafl, where I have not flay 'd for forne time, and
cat} now fpiak of with experience.
And while I thys gratified my own Curiofity, Iconfider-
ed that Man was created not for himfelf alone, but
lihwife to ferve his Neighbour j and that the fineft
things lofe their great efl Splendor by being fmother' din the
Breaft

The PREFACE.
Brgaft of 'one Man : Upon this Confideration, I reckon' d
my felf bound to impart to my Country-men , what
I have beheld with Phafure ; and that the rather,
that I was defired Jo to do by my very good Friend
to whom the infuing Letters are addrejsd. Tho my
Friend's demand was contrary to my Inclination, yet 1
thearjully complied with it ; only 1 hadfome wandr'mg
Reflexions upon the Reafons alledged in myfirfl Letter, par
ticularly that of my unpoliftid way of exprejjing my felf .
But confidering I do not publifl) this for apiece of Con.
fummate Rhetorick, but only tofatisfie thofe who are cu
rious in this way, Ihope to beexcusd. My foledefign is to
gratifie thofe who are moved with the fame Curiofity that
influenced me, or may hereafter have an opportunity of
being concerned on the Coafl of Guinea ; to gratifie 'em,
I fay, with a diflinB account of the Difpofition and Con-
flitution of thofe Countries, and the various Opinions
that prevail there. This is my aim, and I hope I fljallin
fomemeajitre compafs it. Infine,ifwbat Ihave herepub-
lijbed, can be of the leafl ufe, Ifljall reckon my felf richly
rewarded for my Pains;
Atfirfl I had contrivd this Work, fo, as to divide it
into five Booh, treating of fo many fever al SubjeBs.
Thefirfl, of the Difpofition of the Gold Coafl; its Extent,
Divifion, Fertility, and the Employment or Livelihood
-of the Inhabitants. The fecond, of the Inhabitants in
general, their Genius, Cufloms, Manners, Religion,
Government and Habitations ; with what relates thereunto.
The third, of the Trade of the Coafl -, how 'tis carried
on by the Dutch Company and the other Europeans, and
how the Negroes atl their part in it. The fourth,
of the Animals of the Country , whether Wild or
Tame, as Quadrupedes, Reptiles, Jnfetls and Fowl,
befides the Fiji), the Plants and the Fruits. The fifth, of
the Kingdoms cf Ladingcour, Coto, the two Popo s,
and the charming Country of Fida .•' With a Condvfion
defcribing a coafiivg Voyage performed by me in the Tear
1698. But

The PREFAQE.
Butfince, having the opportunity to fend the whoh
Matter of the above-mentioned five Booh, in fevera\
Letters to my very good Friend, I chofe to alter the Di-
vifion, and draw it all up in twenty Letters, including in
tach as much as the conveniency of time allow'd. To
ihefe twenty Letters, there are two more annex' d which,
were writ to me by two Perfons in our Service, and relate
t® the Countries where they were employed, and where I
had never been. This new Divifion, I hoper will not be
unacceptable to the Reader, in regard that every Letter
fiii prefents him with fomething that's new. Imufl own
it pleafes me better than thefirfl.
For fame time after I begun this Work, I was much,
troubled that there was not a Man on the Coafl that could
draw and defign : But after I had gone a great way in it,
there came one to the Coafl that was versed in that Art;
vpon which I immediately Jet himtowork, upon drawing
elthe Forts (Dutch, Engliflh and Danifh) to the Eafl
of Elmina ; and for his greater conveniency I made the
journey with him my felf , being fent by our General
upon Affairs relating to our Trade. The Animals, which
»fwz my order were brought to us, he drew by the Life ;
and the Forts he drew with ajitft regard to PerfpeBive.
But Death, which /pares no Man, vijited my Draughts-
Man, jnjl when we were ready totalze another Journey to
she Weft of Elmina. In a few Days time he was well
and dead ; andfo left me provided only with the half of
what Idefignd, there being no other Draughts-Man on
the Coaft.
I have purpofely affeBed Brevity, otherwijt I could
have drove .out to a bulky Volume : But confidering that
'tis tedious and naufeous to dwell long upon one thing, J
prefume the Reader will be thereby gratified.

The

THE
CONTENTS. LETTER I.
ff\ F the Gold Coaft in general .- Of the Country of Axim,
^"' with the Dutch dWBrandenburg Settlements there ; and
of Rio de Cobte.
Let. 2. Of the Antefe Country, with the English and Dutch
Forts there : Of the Village and Hjver o/Chama, and of
the Jabife and Adomefc Land.
Let. 3. Of the Country of Commany, the Englifli and Dutch
Forts there? and the Caftle and Town of Elmina-
Let. 4. O/Fetu, the Dutch Fort Couraadsbourg, the Eng
lifli chief Fort Cabocorfe; and of thaJCountry of Sabae, and
Fort Naffau there : O/Fantyn, andthe places fojfeffed there
by the Dutch and Englifli.
Let. 5. O/Acron, andthe Dutch Fort Leydfaamheid ; of
Agonna, and the Englifli Fort there : Of the kingdom of
Aquamboe, Andthe Englifli, Dutch and Danifli Forts m
it.
Let. 6. Of the fever al forts of Gold ; the places front whence
'tis brought, andthe ways of digging,gathering and trying of it.
Let. 7. Of the Quantity $f Gold exported, whithet, and by
whom. The Officers in the Dutch Service, and the Govern
ment obferved among' cm. *
Let. S. Of the Vnhealthinefs, Climate, Seafin, &c of the Coafl.
Let. 9. Of the Nature, Cufloms, Manners, Habit, Education,
Manual Arts, Employments, Languages, Hanks of DiftinEH-
c», Habitations and Mufical Inftruments of the Negroes oh
the Gold Coaft : With a Defcription of the Mulattoes.
Let. 10. Of the Religion, and 'Idolatry of the Negroes ; the-
Penalties they intail upon Crimes, and. the manner of their
Superftition.
Let. 1 1. Of the Government of the Negroes, their Trials of
Caufes, whether Civil or Criminal j the Authority of the
European FaSlors among 'em; the occafions of their frequent
Wars j their way of waging War, the Authority of their
Priefts, andthe Condition of their F&gs. -let.

The CONTENTS.
Let. 12. Of the Marriages of the Negroes • the Employment-
of their Wives, tb? Divifion of Property between Man and
Wife ; the D-fient of Inheritance; the Ceremonies of Child
birth ; and the other Circumjlances of Women, whether mar-
" ried or unmarried. y" "-„
"Let. 13. Of their Sicknefs; the Adminiftrdtion of Remedies,
and their Idolatrous Offerings upon that Head : Of their No
tions and Superftitious Cuftoms relating to Death and Fune
rals.
Let. 1 4. Of the Time and Wild Quadrupedes of the Gold
Coafl, and particularly of the Elephants, Apes and Came-
lions - Of the tame Fowl.
Let. 15, Of the common and uncommon Wi Id- fowl, Birds,
Reptiles, Infetls and Fifh.
Let. 16. Of the Trees, Plants and Fruits.
Let. 1 7. Of Snakes, Porcupines, Tygers, Jackals* Elephants
and deifyed Spiders.
Ler. 18. Of the Slave Coa0 in gentral ; particularly of Qua-
hoe, Ladingcour, Lampi ; their Soil, Government, Inha
bitants, &c. LittW Popo, Great Popq, and the charming
Country of Fida ; their-Extent, Difpofition, Soil, and con
veniency for Trade ; with the Cufloms, Manners and Opini
ons of the Inhabitants.
Ler. 19. Of the Government of Fida, their Trial and Punifh-
ment of Crimes ; the Authority and Splendor of their Kjng : <
Their Religion ; their Idolatry addrefsd to Snakes, Trees,
and the Sea ; with many odd Adventures relating to their
Superftitious Opinions.
Leti 20. Of the Fidafian Quadrupedes, Fowls, Corn, Fruits,
foil, Wars, Arms : OfOffra or little Ardra : Of Rio de
Gabon ; the Gulph of Guinea and its Iflands and levers.
Of the adjacent Inhabitants, their Cuftoms and Trade, and
the Animals of their Country: Of Cape Lopez di Gonfal-
vez ; the Ifland of St. Thome, and Uha Annaboa. Of ->
the Succeft of a Negroe Impoftor at the Court of France.
Let. 21.0/ Rio Formofa, or the Bjvtr of Benin, the Inter eft
of the Porruguefe and other Europeans there •. The Progreft
of Trade there ; the Government, Cuftoms and Opinions of
the Inhabitants of Bepin. Of the Town of Benin, its pre-
fent dtfolate Condition, and the King's Court.
Let. 22. Of the Tooth (or Ivory) and Grain Coaft; with apar-
ticular Defcription of its fever al Countries ; the Nature'
Cuftoms, &c. . of the Inhabitants, tpd the Cirtumftance)
tithe TrJtdt upon that Coafl,
' < A

V

X^ X.JPThirmt J

It  "^

\

hx.-na.batt' JH^X

^«
1
<3M
C i 3

A
DESCRIPTION OF THE
Gold Coaft
G U IN E A

LETTER. I.

"Treating of. the Gold'Coaft in General^ and the Court-
i trf tf Axim in Particular the . Setling of the
Dutch and Brahdenburghers there 3the imprudent
Conduct of tbefatter upon this Coaft ; o/Ripde Co-'
bre, and the unhappy Accident that happened to a
Fort there.
YOur agreeable of September, ift 1700,
was feafonably handed to me by Capt.
N. N. by which I am perfe&ly fatjsfy'd
that, through yqur Diligence and Cqndu<5fc, my.
Affairs are Drought to a happy iffue: Theleaft I

-ijji'«j

A DefcrifHon of the Let. I.
can do, is to thank you, with Affurance, that I
will flip jig opportunity of making the beft re
turns I am~eapable of in requiiai of fiich. unu-
fual Services.- Indeed I am very unfit to do it in
the way you oblige me, to $ you exa&from me
an accurate Defcriptioft of this Country, and
though Jay myiong^efidence-lj^, I am, or at
legjff iof{gjp: |o be in ibrfte meafure acquainted
with It, ye£ "there are feveral'Reafons which I
might altedge in Exc*sfeT among wich no fmall
ones are, that my infufficiency and unpolifti'd
way qf"|xpreffihg my felfi "renders me uncapa-
ble to rgprefejit things in their juft propriety
and cgn|ieiKo*^ but what! have j&pto offer re
quires my more ferious Confideration, whether
being actually in the Seyfice of our Weft-India
Company, it is confident with my Duty to diC-
cover the rhjte of their Affairs ; being very du
bious on this Head, I could have heartily wiih'd
yt>u would have fpar'd me this Heavy Task*
fearing it was what might contribute to make
you, as weTT as my felf uneafie. But at laft, re
flecting on your Friendlhip, and the Obligati
on regeix'dj, I foon fteppVLover thefe and all o-
ther Difficulties, and am refolved to endeavour
y©OT'Sa*fefa*ftiQ;h, uponprormfe that your ufual
godd nat^e-Will excufe my incorreuft Stile,* and
re# srffepKbihatihowevfe Ifiieced:, aTincerejnten-
ti<5»>#'Ofeltg$>you to the utmoft, is never want
ing- Returning to yours, I find your Curipfity
extends it felf primarily to that Countnt%&<kej.
your Nephew was laft placed' % ibb \Cp-
neml : in Aftfw&r to wteshi be pfcafea to
take «h« fir>HfcwiSig Aecouiw. Tftfe Country-cal
led Amfoi -.U oufemted, 3hd atkHJAffc wM- m-
.me^^^g^ttMBeiiWifUFVa&ges, alleaera- ordi-

Let. I. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
ordinary Populous,* fome of which arefituate on
the Sea- fhore, and others farther on the Main
Landj the moft Confiderable amongft the for
mer lie under tb&Mr.andanburgian and DutchVom,
of which the latter is by much the heft.
Our Fort here,is obliged for its piefent Name
bf St. Anthony to the Portuguefe, Who were its
firft Maftersj but Anno. 1642. were driven from
this and feveral other Places by our Countrymen :"
And indeed, formerly the Portqgttefe ferved for
Setting Dogs to Spring the Game, which asfoon
as they had done, was leiz'd by Others. But to "re
turn to our Fort, which was not great, butneat-r
ly and beautifully Built as well as ftrong and
conveniently fituaced; 'tis provided with three
good Batteries befides Breaft- works, Out- Works,
and high Walls on the Land fide, as well as a
fufficient quantity of Gruns; and if it were well
ftored with Provifions, might hold out againft
a ftrong Army of the Natives: I am heartily forry
1 cannot fend" you a Druaght of it, becaufe the
main Artift, who was about it, died before it was'
half finiflied,* for which Reafon you are not to*
expe&fo much asa Sketch of any Fort Weft of
Elmira, but the Drawings of thofe JEaftward are
at your Service.
You cannot be ignorant that your Ne
phew is made Principal Fador by Mr. N. JV?
who is e^trufted^ by the Company as well as the
General, with an abfolute Power Over that
whole Country j the Inhabitants Being reduced
to that entire $Hbje<a»©n,-that they dare not fe-
fufe, butare%miy bound to ferve theFa<&or to.
the-utmaft w&h what ihe Country affords,,* no-4
dare .they decide any Judiciary Cafe without
his Cogaiza'nce^^&e^ being a fort of Chief Ju-
ftice , appointed to Punim even the chief of
the Jfegroes, according-*© ¥he* Guftom of the
B 2 Country

A Defcription of the Let. I.
Country,* But of their Laws I intend (if I live
long enough) a more, particular Account. But
at prefent, before I proceed any farther, , I mall
prefent you with a fmall Sketch of the Guinea
Coaft, efpecially that calld the Gold-Coaft ,
and what is Polfeffed either by our own Coun- *
try men, or other Europeans.
Guinea is a large Country, extended feveral
Hundred Milgs , abounding with innumerable
Kingdoms, and feveral' Commonwealths.
Several Authors have reprefented Guinea as a
Mighty Kingdom,* whofe Prince by his Victo-
rioufnefsJhad fubdued numerous Countries, and
ef e&ed their whole extent of Land into one
Mighty Kingdom, which he called Guinta: How
great this miftake is, I hope to evince to you,*
fince the very Name of Guinea, is not fo much
as known to the Natives here, nor the imagi
nary Guinea Monarchy yet to be found in the
World. The Gold-Coaft being a part of Guinea, is ex
tended about Sixty Miles, beginning with the
Gold River three Miles Weft of AJJine, or twelve
above Axim, and ending with the Village Ponni
feven or eight Miles Eaftoi Acra.
I am unwilling to detain you with a Defcrip
tion of the Trad:- of Land betwixt Afftne and
Rio, or the River Cobre, about a Mile above our
Fortj fince the Trade of that Place is at prefent
fo inconfiderable that it is very little frequented,
tho' nine or ten Years ago ' its Commerce was
in a Flourishing ftate^ But fince the Golden
Country of Affme (from whence Gold was
brought . thither,) was Conquer'd, and almoft
Devaftatedj the Dinckin-rafe Traffick has run at
a low Ebb, and the little Gold-Duft which is
brought thither is either Sophifticated or of ve
ry fmall Value: wherefore lihallfteei my Courfe along

'Let. I. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
along the Gold-Coaft, and without confidering
the Rank of Precedence, take them fairly as
they lie in my way,and defcribe them as well as
the compafs of a Lettter will permit.
The Countries from the Ancoberfian River to
the Village Ponni, are ;Eleven ¦ in Number, viz.
Axim, Ante, Adorn, Jqbi, Commani, Fetjt, Saboe,
Fantyn, Acron, Agonna, and Aauamboe'} each con
taining one, two, or three Towns or Villages^
lying upon the Sea-fliore, as well under, as be
twixt the Forts of the Europeans ; their greateft
and moft Populous Towns being generally far
ther on Land. Seven of thefe are Kingdoms,
Governed by their refpective Kings; and the
reft being Govern'd by fome of the Principal
Men amogft them, feem to approach nearer to
"Commonwealths : But I fhall give you a more
particular Account of them hereafter, and in
order thereto at prefent begin with Axim; which,
as the Notion of Power runs here, was for-r
merly a Potent Monarchy, but the Arrival of
the Brandenburghers divided the Inhabitants, one
part of them putting themfelves under the Pro
tection of the New-comers, in expectation of
an eafier Government and loofer Reins, in
which they were not miftaken, as the Confe-
quence evinced,; but the other part, which were
the moft Honeft and leaft Changeable,ftaid un
der our Government. But if we take a view
of this Country before this time, we fhall find
it to be extended fix Miles in length, compu
ting from the mentioned Rio Cobre, (Ancober, or
the Serpentine River,fo Called by the Portugueze,
from its intricate winding and in-land Courfe
of twenty Miles)to theVillage Boefwa aMile Weft
of our Fort; near the Village of Boutry,
The JSfegro Inhabitants are generally very
Rjch, driving a great Trade with tht Europeans
B 5 for

• A Deferiptidfi of the Let. I-
for Gold, Which they chiefly VCriel td the £»-
g&7^ and Zealand Interlopers, notwitfiftahding
the fevere Penalty they incurr thereby; for if
we catch them, their lb bought Goods are^ not
bnlyForfeitedJbuta heavy Fine is laid upom 'em:
Not deterrd I fay by this, they all hope to e-
fcape; to effect, which, they Bribe our Slaves,
( who are fet as Watches and Spies over them;
to let them pafs by Night; by which means we
are hindred from having much above an Hun
dredth part of the Gold of this Land : And the
plain Reafon why the Natives run this Riftjue
of Trading with the Interlopers, is,- that their
Goods are fometimes better than ours, and al
ways to be had one third part cheaper; where
by they are encouraged againft the danger, ve
ry well knowing, that a fuccefsful Correfpon-
dence will foon enrich them.
Thefe Interlopers are feveral of them fitted out
by privateMerchants itiHollandto drive thisTrade<
which is inEffec"r.,to Rob thtWeft-IndiaComipany
of the advantage' of their Placaat or Patent ob-
tain'd from the States-General, which empowers
them to Trade on this Coaft, exclufive of all
others; and of Punching all Offenders againft
this Right with the lofs of Life and Goods ; all
their Ships, in cafe they feize them, being free
Prize*. But tho' in my time we have taken feve
ral of them; the taw has not been Rigoroufly
put in Exeeutioh, but we generally content our
felves with making Examples of Lome of the
Ring-Leaders in ttrrorem } and when they are
fei2'd, forrie one or othfer of the Comp|py's
Officers find it their Intereft to let them flip
through their Fingers. But not to accufe any
body, fince every one hath Ms Fraiity, let us
return to the Inhabitants of Axim,tfhQm we find
feuduftrioufly employ'd either in Trad*, Fifliing, or

Let. I. Gold-Coaft gf Guinea.
or Agrieultuf e, and that is chiefly exerfHed in
the Culture of RUk, which grows here above
all other places in an incredible abundance, and
is Transported hence all the Gold-Coaft over.
The Inhabitants in lieu returning full Fraught
with Millet, Jamms, Potatoes, and Palm Oft}
all which are ve*y rare here, for the 'Soil is
naturally m«ift, and cho' fit to produce Rice,
and Fruit-Trees, doth not kindly yield other
Fruits. ' But having already hinted fomething relating to
thsBraHdenburgherSf twill not,! hope,be tedious,to
particularize a little on their prefent State. Their
Principal Fortrels is not above three Miles Eaft
of our Fort $& Anthony, and is eali'd Frederiis-
hu*g ; 'tis fieuate on the Hill Mamfro near the
Village Poccjuefoe, and. is handfome and realbna-
bly large, ftrengthned with four large Batteries
furnifhed with forty fix Pieces of Ordnance, but
too light and fmall ; The Gate of this Fort is
the moft Beautiful on all the Coaft, butpropon-
tionably much too large for the Structure, fo
that the Garrison feems to have an equal right
with the Burghers of Mnde, to the Advice that
they mould keep their Gate clofe fhut for fear
the Fort mould run away. Qn the Eaft fide it
tiath a beautiful Out-work, which deprives the
Fortrels of a great part of its Strength, where
fore it would be eafily gained if attackd on this
fide; ^efides which, the greateft fault in this
Building is, that the Breaft- works ' are built no
higher than a Man's knee, and the Men there
by are continually expofed defencelels to the fliot
from without; which is no fmall Inconvenience
in Wars with the Blanks, fornoPerfon can come
upon the Batteries but the Negroes eafily reach
him with a Mufquet-fliot : For the reft,the Build
ing part is not to be objected againft, and is
B 4 pro-

4 Pefcripfion.of tbfo LET. ,1'..,
provided with a great many fine Dwellings*!
within.' The Draught pleafe to excufe for theiS
Reafon above. >. "''¦'
• The Commander in Chief of this Fort, and
indeed of all the Poffeflions of the Brandmbur-
f~ hers on this Coaft,confifting of two. Forts and a
.edge, takes the Title of Director-General un
der his Electoral Higriefs of Brandenhurgb and his*
y African 'Company. Fpr fome time paft tfagira
Commanders and Servants, except common Solr
diers, have been moft part Dutch, who in imi
tation of our Nation have always aimed at an
abfolute -Dominion oyer the Blacks; but never,
could yet ac,cornplilh their End, being hitherto
hindred by their Inteftine Diffentions and Irrer
.gularftyes, or the villanous Nature of their NeTi
groes, who having moftly fled from us on occa--
fion of Crimes committed by them, have taken
refuge under them. V
In the time of my Refidence here. I can reT ,
member Seven of their Directors ; the faQ.,Jobp]
,'NynfanZn. Embdener,- a Man of ,found. Judgment,
goodSence and great Experience,' who difchar-
ged his Office with the greateft Fidelity and goo4
Conduct, by which means he quitted this Counf
try with a great deal of Honour and left a very
good Name behind him : He was Succeeded by
John and Jacob Tcn-Hooftt the Father and Son,
who both acquired a Jarge mare of Reputation^"
and kept their Subordinates in ;due Decorum-;
pfpecially the Son, who by good. Nature and
a' civil Addrefs gain'd the Affection of the Blacks,
and had every body at his devotion : By whi^h*
, means heEflablimed theBrandealurghian Aftah;siii
,a much better Condition than any before him;
and as. they qeyerhad a better Governor, fo 'tis
very rq|;ch to be doubted, they'll repeat the time
when

Let. I. Gold 'Coaft of. 'Guinea.
when they removed him, and appointed Gysbrecht
.van Hoogveldt in his Place; ^who 'before, had been
Factor in our Service at Am,' where he treated
-thofe under him fo ill, that General Joel Smits
rand the Council were obliged to difcharge and
fend him from the Coaft, as incapable of their
^Service. However, being now Commander in.
r.Chief, to Reconcile himfelf to the offended
Negroes his old Enemies, he granted them feveral
Frahchifes and Prjviledges, which ferved not
only to leffen the Power of the Brandenburghers,
and lay the firft Foundation of their Ruin, but
after a Ihort Government . the Europeans aniBlacks
joyntly rofe againft him; and after Trying him,
Difcharged him once moffe .the Government
and Coaft; Choofing in his Place one John van
Laar an Anabaptift, who was found to have a
much better Talent at drinking of Brandy than at
Bufiriefs; and took fo little Care of thePublick,
.that all went to Ruin; and he himfelf was timer-
ly Removed by. Death, to make way for John
Vljfer his Succeffor, a Perlbn, who wanting even
•Common Senfe, was therefore incapable of that
Truft. Shortly after his Elevation his Factor at
Acoda was '..killed,, by the Negroes, which he* ha
ying neither -fuffieient; Conduct nor Power to
Revenge, they : continued their unbridled Out
rages, at the Expence of the Lives of feveral of
his Europeans ; and laftly, feizing his Perfon triey
carry'dhim into the Inland Country, and after
rniferably breaking almpft all his Limbs, and fa
ttening abundance "of ftones about his Body,
drowned him in the Sea. This Barbarous Mur-
ther was varioufly talked of here.- but all agree
ithat the Furppeansr under his Command confented
Xo3 and abetted it; and fome affert it was done
•by their. Order; and Adrian Grobbe (Chofen by
$he Negroes) his Succeffor, is generally Charged with,

io A&efirtftioU'Of the Let. 1
with the greateft mare in this Crime/ if he is
Innocent I hope he will dear himfejf, but jf
guilty, may Heaven Avenge it on him and his
Accomplices:for it hath very pernicioufly weak-
ned the Power of all tbs Europeans on this Coaft,
and filled them with apprehenfions not alto
gether groundleJi,that if this Bloody Fact efcapcs
unpuniflied, no Body is here fecure of life. It
hath already fo Enflaved theBraudenburghws,thzt
I very much doubt whether ever thev will re
gain the Maftery, for the Negroes having once
got the upper-hand will fufficiently Lord it over
them. I could not help imparting to you this event^
equally Strange and Deteftable ; to which I was
indeed the rather induced, becaufe as you are
perfectly acquainted with, all th» European Trade
of the Embden Company ; fo you may take an
opportunity of informing them how their Af
fairs have been managed here for fome Years
paft. But taking leave of this Fort, let us take
a ftep two Miles and a half Eaftwards below Cape
Trefpuntos3wheiQ we find another Brandenburghian
Fort at Aeoda called Dorothea ; which by order
of our Superiors was amplified and delivered to
them about eleven Years paft; fince which they
have very eonfiderably ftrengthen'd and impro
ved it. It is a Houfe covered wkh a flat Roof>
on which are two frnaU Batteries and half
Curtaines5upon which they have Planted feveral
light Pieces of Cannon ; it is indeed furniflied
with a fufficient number of Rooms and Gonve-
niehcies, tho' but {lightly buUe and fomewhat
crowded. ' Betwixt Mature and Acodafibe Br adenburghers, in
1674. Built another Fort-Houfe at the Village
Tacrama in, the middle of Cape Trefpuntos. Their
General^

Let. I. Gold-Coaft of Guinea.
General's defign was to build a Fort here to pre-.
ferve and defend the - adjacent Watering-place
in their Power. Upon the whole, the keeping
of this Lodge and the two former Forts hath
been fo very Expenfive to them, that I am of
Opiniori they will not haftiiy augment their
Charge by undertaking any new Building.
The Brandenburgh Affairs having infenfibly
fwell'd th^ Letter to a larger bulk than I inten
ded, arid oblig'd me to defer my defigned Ac
count of the Vegetables of the Country of Ax-
'im to another "Opportunity ; and that I may
pot cloy you at once; I mall conclude only
with a Defcription of the abovementioned
Snake-River, or River of Ancober, which laft
Name it takes from the Country it runs through.
This River is too pleafant to be flightly paf-
fed over, and as I have already told you, is. a
Mile above our Fort St. Anthony ; its Mouth is
_ very wide, with fo mallow Water, that I que
stion whether 'tis paffable with a Boat, but a lit
tle farther it grows deeper and narrower; after
which, in feveral Miles no obfervable alteration
appears. How far its inland Courfe extends I
cannot inform you, tho' I have travelled above
three fmall days Voyage unon it, and found it as
pleafant as any part of the Guinea Coaft, not ex-
excepting Fida it felf: each of its Banks being
adorned with fine lofty Trees, which afford the
moft agreeable fhade in the World, defending
the Traveller from the fcorching Beams of the
Sun. 'Tis alfb not unpleafantto obferve the beau-
ful variegated Birds, and the fportive Apes, di
verting themfelves on the verdant Boughs all the
way. To render it yet more Charming, having
Sailed about aMile iip, you are eritertain'd with
the view of a fine populous Village, extending
about a quarter of a Mile on its Weftern Shore :
Of

A Defcription of the Let. I.
Qf fiich Villages hereabouts are a great number,
which together makeup three feveralCountrje«i,
of which the Firft fituate next the Sea is pair
led Ancober; (whether the River be obliged to the
Country or theCountry to the Riverfor itsName
I /hall not determine; /the Second next oc
curring Land is Abocme3 and the Laft Eguira:
The firft I obferved was a Monarchy, and the
other two Common-wealths. Several Years
paft we had a Fort in the Country of Eguira,znd
drove a very confiderable Trade there ; for be-r
fides the Afflux of Gold thither from all foreign
Parts, the Country it felf affords fome Gold
Mines ; and I remember when I had the Go
vernment of Axim, a very Rich one was difco-
vefed ; but we loft our Footing there in a very
Tragical manner : For the Commander in Chief
of the Negroes, being clofely Befieged by our
Men, (as Fame Reports) ftiot Gold i'nftead of
Bullets, hinting by Signs that he was ready to
Treat, and afterwards Trade with the Befiegers;-
but in the midft of their Negotiation he blew,
up himfelf and all his Enemies at once, as Un
fortunately as Bravely, putting an end to our
Siege and his Life, and like Sampfon revenging,
his Death upon -his Enemies, To compafs his;
Defign, he had encouraged a Slave by promi^
fing him new Cloaths, to ftand ready with a
lighted Match, with which he was to touch the
Powder when he faw him ftamp with his Foot,
which the filly Wretch but too punctually per-
form'd uridifcoverd by any any but one of our
Companies Slaves, who obfefving it, withdrew
as filently as timely, being only left alive to bring*
us the News ; and fince we Could get no better.
Account, we were obliged to believe this;it being
buf too certain that our Fort to the'coft of our
Director and fome of pur Enemies was Blown up.

Let. II. Gold Coaft of Guinea. ij
up.This being enough for the firft time,be pleafed
to fufpend your Curiofity till thev next opportu
nity,! when you fliall not fail of' a farther Ac
count from, Yours, &c.

LETTER II.
Deforibing- the Antefe Country about Boutry,'
the Englifh and Dutch Forts there, and the
Englifli their fraudulent Vending falfe Gold; the
Beauty of the Antefe Country and the River Bou-
try, the Oifters which are there produced; the
Dutch and Englifli Forts at Zaconde and the
" Country adjacent; Of the Village Chama and the
Dutch Fort there; together 'with the Jabife and
Adomte-Land and the River Chama ; With a
* Reprefentation of the Cruelty of the Jabife General.
SIR,
I Hope that mine of the 15^  will reach
you in due time ; but the Ship which car
ries it being bound for Fida to take in Slaves,
and after that to touch at Curacao before it ftands
its Courfe homewards ; I cannot expect it fliould
reach Holland in lefs than a Year; and the Ship
that brings this, fleering, directly to Europe will
arrive much fooner: Wherefore, to take off the
uneafinefs of the delay, I here fend you a tran-
fcript of my former, wifliing the Contents may
meet your favourable reception.
Having defcribed Axim in my firft ; I lhall be
gin this with an Account, of Ante,, its next ad-,
joining Neighbour, to which I lhall add as much
as Time and Convenience will permit. The
Country... of Ante, or as the Natives call it,
Hante,

*4 ' -A Defcription of the Let. II.
Hanky begins with the Village Boefwa- , two
Miles below,, or Eaftivard of AcoJa; tho we may
very well take in, and begin with Acoda it felf^
it being at prefent Subject thereto. For feveral
Years this Countr)* was divided into the Upper
and Lower Ante; Axim already defcribed be->
ing accounted the former, and that we are a-
bout to defcribe efteemed the latter. It was for-
N merly very Potent and Populous, being Inha
bited by a Martial and Predatory People, who
very much annoy'd us with frequen|Qafefs/but
With continual Wars with thofe of Adorn and
their other Neighbours, they are fo enfeebled,
that no Footfteps of their priftine Glory are
left* But of them more particularly here'Mter.
At Dikjefchoftt, properly called Infuma; the
Englifli built a fmall Fort, Awq. 1691. after they
had feveral times difputed the Ground with the
Brandenburghers, who fome lime before had fet
up their Elector's Flag tfospe j tho at laft, not*
finding it turn to any great Account they quietly
yielded it to the Englifh, who advanced fo lei-
lurely that ii was but finimed in Six Years : af
ter all which it was fo inconfiderable and flight,
that it hardly deferv'd the Name of a Fort. I
have often heard the Englifli themfelves complain,
of it ; for befides that it is not a place of good
Trade, the Negroes thereabouts are fo Intractable^
Fraudulent, Villanous and Obftinace, thai tie
Englifli cannot deal with them : For if they have
recourfe to Violence in order to bring them to
Reafon, they are alfo opppfed by Force, and
that fo warmly y that thefe five Years paft
they adventured to Befiege them in their Fbr-
trefs and were very near taking it; at laftj
they oblig'd the Englifli po their Terms, without
allowing them to exercife any Power over them,
and hence proceeded an Alliance foftr&t be
twixt

Let. II. Gold Coaft of Guinea. i$
twixt them, that they jointly agreed to Cheat
all the Ships that came to Trade there, by
putting fophifticated Gold upon 'em, a Fraud
which they have frequently practifed; as they
did about three Months paft upon two fmall En-
gMfti Ships (one of which was laden to the value
of 1700 L SterKng) for all which, the Mafter re
ceived only falfeXSold, fo that he loft his whole
Voyage at once; nor did his Companion fuffer
much left ; and what moft furpriz'd them was^
that they ueoeived it as well from the Whites as
the Negroes. They apply'd themfelves to the E«-»
gt$ Chief Governor oathe Coaft, defiring they
might have theirGoods returrfd,or good Gold in
ex-change for the falfe: But to complain to him,
was to go to theEteVil to beGonfefs\£.For he par-
ticipating of the Fraud, would by no means help
therfrThls Cheat is become fo common, that it
datty ihappeuss j but that the Whites have always a
hand in it I dare not afl&rm ; however I am very
fiare,that this Place deferves the Name of the falfe
Mint of Guinea ; of which every Trader who
comes to theCoaft ought to be warned; for the
making of falfeGold is here fo common,that it is
pubUekly SoM^nd become a perfect Trade; the
price Currant being in my Time about a Crown
in good Geld for two Pounds 'Sterling of falfe.
'¦ ' Afeout a Mile andhalf fronvthk knavimPlaee,
at the Village Bmtry, commonly called Botttroe",1
is another frnsift ill-map'd Fort, fituate on a ve
ry high Hill, built in an oblong Form, and di
vided into two parts; ftrengthned, (if I may fo
fey) with two moffenfive Batteries,upon which
are Planted Nefghr. fmall Guns. This is very im-
Sroperfy catted Bate»pJein3 for it much better
eferves theName ofS6httde»ftein3(Bate fignifying
Profit, and -Scbadt Lofs), inregard weliavefor
fcveral Years loft much more than we got by it.
At

-1"

i<5 , A Defcription .of the Let..* Hi
At the Foot of this Hill is the Village Boutryp
which , is indifferent large and Populous, Inha-i
bited bya People who Trade very fair with us,?
as not participating- of the villanous Nature of'
thofe of Infuma. ; . . : ^ h :*
Exactly four Miles lower we .meet with .the
Village Zaconde , where . we have" a, fmall ; Fort
called Orange. A Mufquet fliot from hence is.
the Remains of anFngifli Fort about as larg&<asT
ours, of which more hereafter,. Upon watklhgr
through the, Country of Ante3 reckoning from*
dcqda to a mile and half below Zacpnde whereat
ends ; I count it about eight of ,nineMiles long^
Its pleafant fixation is h$Goti&i ' fo ? Famous byf
Mr. Focquembourgs Defcription, which adventures}
to compare it with the; Country of Gkve3 thm
leaving the truth ;of hisComparifbn to thedecifi-i
on of thofe that, have feen both; I jbailionly in:
purfuance of my Defign inform you, that thifc
Country, as well as all the Gold-Coaft, abounds;
in Hiils, all enriched with extraordinary high*
and- . beautiful Trees ; its. Valleys betwixt the.
the Hills are wide and extenfiVe, proper for the
Planting of all fort of Fruits, and: if they were;
as well Cultivated as Watered, would fupplyf
half the Coaft with Eatables. The Earth pro-t
duceth, in great abundance, very good Rice,
the Richeft fort of Millet the grain of which
is red, Jambs, Potatoes , and other Fruits, all
good in their kind; nor is the Soil in the leaft
deficient in Fruit-Trees. The Sugar-Canes grow*
here more and larger than any where elfe;'4*
jjhat I am not without hopss that a Suoeefs^l
Plantation may in, time be herefet on Foot. For
Wine and Oil, the Palm affords what excels in
quantity as well as quality. In fliort, it is a Land
which yields its Marturers as plentiful a Crop as
they can wilh; being befides very well fumiihed; with;

Let. II." Gold Coaft of, Guinea.
with all forts of Tame, . as well as Wild Beafts;
but the laft fatal War betwixt the AnteanszxA
and' j&domians hath reduced it to a rhiferable con
dition and ftript it of moft of its Inhabitants :
Befides which, themiferable few left behind are
fo difprrited^ that they fhelter themfelves under
our Fort near Boutry , leaving the greateft
Jiart of the Land Wild and Uncultivated. 'Tis
indeed deplorable to fee it at prefent,and reflect
on its former flourifhing Condition in the Years
1690, and 1 691. Before the War, I being thefi
an Afliftant, had an Opportunity of walking
to Boutfy and through this Country,when it Re
gard the Eyes with the pleafant Profpect of nu
merous Villages Well Peopled, a plentiful Har^
veft and abundance of 'Cattel ; infomuch that a
Soldier who' could very hardly live on- his Sub-
fiftance Money in other plaeSs Could fare Deli-
cioufly here on the half : ahd if there be any^
difference in Places, withrefpect to their health-
fiilhefs,Lfhould prefer Boutry before all. the reft •
For during my ftay there, 'twas obfervable tha£
fewer died there in proportion to ' the number
of People and Time than any where: and I dare
affirm, that if ^the fame Care was taken upon!
the whole Coaft as" . there, Guinea Would feori
lofe its dreadful mortal Name. 4
„ Ihad almoftpaffed over the riaoft Charming'
Part of the whole Antefe-Lsind, betwixt Acoda^
and Boutry, h^hig Watered by a frem River which'-
runs by our. Fort to the inner part of the Land','
Planted with high Trees on both fides/ which,
wide as it is'jisoveffhadowed by theLeaves.I have,
by frequent Experience found this River Naviga-'
ble three Miles from the Sea-lhore ; but tho' , it
|eacheth farther, the yiolentWater-Falls', which
hour down from the Rocks info the River, ren-
ler it uhpaffable beyond. It affords great plenty.-
C «

[g , .^tyfcrtytjmpfthe iJ-ET. H.
of Filfe, notwithftandi^Lg. the incredibly number
of/^rw^i/aitisPefterd^ necef*

M$ devour vaft .<JB^Rflbi(yiaT
§_m|un of $ge unlucky A^rna^whoie only
tflfiai i^^ftbief, .that .Spftj woMd^be apt to
S^iSpre prppe%#kJ^!gdom, or
le^fps, . . . . , ; ^j ., , yj* ?r*i evj- -
^n^emory^doth .not |^W<t#« ar£ *
very grea^pyer of ^ivprM^|j|^4; R? .pleaieci
therefore to nlake a, "JriJ» ^her^andj^ will en
gage youfiiallbej(ati^^tWith^|^riat the ex-
pence only of the tr^ub^rM^tber^g them,and
in left than;an hour's riri^iy^jin^take to Aew
you iooooo growing oni^tTrees : Pray don't
be furpriz'd;you have.befor^ jaQW heard oiSohnd-
Geefe, and Chinefe Filh Which change into Fowl ;
perhaps you will tell me you believe neither, and
perb?a]pi*L^ j^jjour mind, ye^aU this ihall not
prevfintnry Account howOyftefsgrow here.On
eacKfi^e^tne'River grows a.ibr^qfTiees^reat.
aridjjppa|\, %ermi*'d» w^oji* ^RP^Si $¥«- #-
rectty into, the Water^ (tJto^pWhj^a renia^n^bjave
its Surface being wjjj^^aqi^&^^Mtti^
former become immedjately,,,^yr^^)fhT,^mall
Oyfters, at firft about the bignefi^, SJ9g$«-$riails,
but in a very Ihort time grown to their mature fize.
I remember to have mention'd the Englifli and
Dutch Forts at Zaconde: They were indeed about
fix Years paft in being, but the Txacte, at fo low
an Ebb, and the Officers of each Fort fo jealous
of the other, that they both liv'ddi*un|.ferable Po
verty , at the Expence of ^offcmf^glifl} and
,.putch Companies. Not long afe^ppEwg/i/fc For-
trefs was Burnt ax^,Peftsoy'd^by;the Antean-Ni-
groes ; its chief Commander and fome of the En-
^////jbeingkiUdjandthe reftbeingPlunder'd of all
their-

Let. II. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 19
their own and the Company's Goods ; and at'pre-^
fenj the Out-walls only are left ftanding ;" by
which, tho' very little to our Advantage, we are
left theMafters of this Placeindeed laft Year we
Trkded confiderably here for a large quantity of
Gold, which the Englijh undemanding, made fe
deral Attempts to re-build their Fort, but were
always obftructeH by the Ant ean-Negroes.
Before the War betwixt Adorn and Ante; this Za
conde was one of the fineft and Richeft Villages,
as well in Money as People, upon the whole
"Coaft: But the Adcfnefe Conquerors entirely
Burnt and Deftroy'd it. The few flight Dwellings.
which are here at prefent were built fince,' and
pthersare daily Building, fo that ere-lohg,it may
gf 6wX to be an indifferent Village ; but to re
instate it in its Flourilhing Condition requires fe
veral Yearsr*"
I have f^j*rnerly mentiond the pleafantnefs of
the Antefe' Country^, but then carrie.no far
ther than a little below Boutry, But the
Lalid for two or three Miles , round, about
thefe Forts is not lefs agreeable than the former;
befides that, here and behind .Tocorary, a Mile
Weft of Zaconde3the Valleys are fo much finer,that
'tis impoffible for imagination to conceive any
thing more charming, I have here feen a large;
Plain fo plentifully and .properly adorned with
lofty Trees andWoods,as if Dame Nature had de-
fignd to "mew her Mafter-piece here ; and be
tween theRows of Trees the Paths were; all co-
ver'd with white Sand,in which were obfervable
the Foot Heps of Thoufandsof Harts, Elephants,'
Tygers, Wild-Cats and other forts of Beafts.In fhort,
this Place is fo very plentiful that it is impoffible
to walk here without Rapturesl'
C i The'

2o '' A Defcription of tie -Let. H;
The Village or Town' df3S««*Wli*r: rather
the Fort which was -theifcy- fft^^ffljtiine to
time. had. feveral £^j!WMalteT&?L'bu^i£ now
fo; R,uind,-that no^ifible' remnarits of it are
left. The Englifls, %>ut%b,> Br andenbtirg'hers, Swedes
and Danes have all h£l ^tfoeiPTufriS nvPoffeffi-
on rOf it. In i66ft"lWhVrB$tQ&. w%e" drove
frdrn thence- by .DgRuytZf, they 4iWihg bHfbre
got .Poffefliori, by' Clandeftine means5: But pf
this-. you V- may be; farther? informed- in Brand's
Life of De -Ruytenui Since that tune1 i^ hath
yet. once changed:' ^Matters, -but fall at- laft
into our Hands;' and Cfincef carried hkher,'^oUr
Traffick was tranfacted in a Negrois Hbuft ; but
that not meeting. -with its defired Succefs,we aB-
fblutely quitted the Whole1: and the'Towhwas
fo deftroy'd and burnt iivthe War 'by the Ado-
mefe~3 that it as at prefent Inhabited by a few
inconfiderable People only. But taking
Leave of., th^ Antefe Country for the prefent,
let us turn towards the Town Chama3x in the
Way to which; is Aboary a Village, ; near which
we had a Lodge for-' feveral Years ; butit being
found to conduce more to the Advantage of
thofe who were placed there than the Compa
ny's, 'twas quitted as an unneceffary Charge.
The Town Chama is moderately Large and well
Peopled, but its Inhabitants fo miferably poor,
'that ^1 'do. -not believe they have any like...
them on the Gold-Coaft. Our Fort here
is about the fize pf that of Boutry ; very
fmall, but a littler longer:, it hath four, fmajl
Batteries, and juft as many Guns as the fore-
named Place, and was called (as it is at prefent)
St. Seb.-ftian's tby the fyrtugueze, from whom we
took it. In our Wars with \EngUnd it was in a
manner level'd with theGrcund,being only en-
ccrnpaffed with Pallifadoes, which the Englifli
percei-

Let. II. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 21
Pi?i^W&<d&9ughr ik would be no difficult
ma^rj to dji^&ji^^ogil thence ; and according-
fedffi Conjunctiolri Wiethe Jabifhians attacked
#|: £ut found fa vigorous and unexpected Re-
^ftance, that .they ^wete- oblig'd to lofe their
La^u^^and, . return t^the place from whence
P^came* eyer.fmcei.whiclvweihave enjoyed
^(Wlrhogt the leaft Interruption. ; --n' iJ-
fo. jb^ftfe .behind otir Fort the Jabijh Land be
gins, and, extends it felfi.a few Miles towards
t^ednjandpartjof the Country: Butlfhall on-
% defcribe that part fituate on the Coaft. It is
at preferjt, but a. fmall Diftrict, and not very
Potent ,-, thp^fhe firft Kingdom which "occurs
in our ^defsent from the; higher Country. Its
King isjfb .great a Prince, that I mould confi-
der^veryt ferioufly before I mould give him Cre
dit^ for f^e value of' 10. l,,Sterlingr in Goods, for
fear^e mojjtd not be ablet'q pay me ; Tis indeed
itue, that, he and his Subjects, if I may fo cjall
Ijhem, make fo confiderable an Advantage oT
f^pJPJanting and Selling of Millet Yearly, that
they^woujd fopn becomeRich.if their too Potent
Neighbours, did not continually fleece and keep
tr/em^ndejJi which they are not able to pre-
yentg,j ; ;!;
i.^hfefphfimqfcian-Ri'ver, or Rio de St. Juan, cal
led -vy sh&}if!greeXBoJfumPra3' which they Adore
a£-a GpJ, ^fithe.,Word Boffum fignifiesj takes
Us ^oqfjfe^fronT our Fort^paffing by the Jabijh-
Sia^nnd^AAp^le Country, as well as that of
3ft$$L aVWh1: thence (ifrwe may Credit the
tNegtSes?) expending it felf about iod Miles : in
fiand. '. 1*= is a., finall matter lefs than the River
of Anjfoberj but wide enough, and hath the' ad
vantage of being fo laid, that » loaden Boats
may conveniently come into it from the Sea, if
the Pilot- be but fo careful as to avoid a Rock
C 5 near

22 A Defcription of the JJstr. H.
near its Mouth, which the Sailors call the SUg^ri
for elfe they are liable to be Split, as ii ha|thfev|g
ral times hapened during my Refidencel|lfe?e.
and fome have been loft, especially if trle^Se*
happen'd to turn or was Rough.This River "is ye^
ry advantagious to us: for befides the frefh^tef
with which our Ships Store themfelves, ^ir'^ur-
nimes the Caftle with Fuel for the Kitchens
andQvens,as alfo with Wood neceffary for fmalt
Shipping ; fo that indeed the Riyer is re.at|^
more ufefal to us than the Fort it felfj^anjd
without the former I do not believe we.tnould,
long keep the latter. For befides that the, Com~
merce here is not confiderable, and the keeping
itheFortrefs very Expenfive .• We are continual 1$
plagu'd With a villainous fort of Negroes, atm
mongft which thofe of Adorn are none of" rj^
beft ,- whofe Country I have before told ydu'|
ftretcheth it felf along by the River, and , cof^
tains feveral Ifiands in the midft of the fa-id Rei
ver, adorned with fine Towns and Villages*;
And indeed, what hath furprized me moft in
this Country, is the wonderful fituation of the
Adomefe Territories ; for we find they, are ex
tended along both the, Rivers Chama and Ancober,
which are reckoned above 16 Miles diftant
from each other . on the Strand ; fo that this
Land rriuft be very large, and feems to go up
the River Chama in a ilraight Line, ana then
turns with a narrow SMp of Land to Rio-Ccbre.
But to proceed; It is Governed by five
or fix of the Principal Men, there being
here no King. One of thefe is fo Potent,, that
he can, as 'tis faid, carry the King of Jabi
upon his Horns. This Republick , .Or Com
mon-wealth , or rather Common Plague to
Man-kind, fas being an Affembly of Thieves
and Villains,) if it could be Unanimous, would be

Let..,II. Gold-Coaft, of Guinea.
be able to raife a Powerful Army to the Terror
°f their Neighbours. Anno J6A6. they joyntly
began a War againfftrie^ M$:'~Wph coriti-

nuedRuined
not S*
Defiance

2?

iqm

, /they ote'My^We^^iric.
Mth¥feped§orf?ihe^ %
G»ar?;wh6+wa1 oWftaW1^ Wlerit' for
WaVthaVhtet'edutd not live iri^'Peace; but as
gPe^WwIMs he was, M rlfigagement
fcar#h%e^a\&h thofe ofX^ftnd the
RHyer ^whfthm!w>^ Hbd'bblf eWhis Heels
for hSSa^rl^fd ffiat'Aif: his" Companions had
&$£ M>Wfeo«s than hWelf, he had
lojfi^bjjgfi ftepyi Jri his Carrier find yet the o-
tMr^dv^/iioredaTe not difpleafe him,*he bein

fcfiefr)J2|f them all in Money and $fen
- hi Is calld, is mo^e De-
iarbarous than any ]Negroe
i whole Coaft; nor is his
|^rii|e^Me1itid"r|ed without Horror£ "i
. | Tins, ^nm8|s/J$ionfter having in an In-
t'^eirnen?i tk&W^lfive of his principal Antefe
tteniiSs,c^wwo 1 69 1. he wounded them all o-
Vit'l a^er which, with a more than Brutal Fu-
r^',.h,et|at^ted,tho' not Tired himfelf, by fuck-
frig tjftfeir ^SbOd at their gaping Wounds ; but
^afmgri3fiioj'e than"ordinary Grudge againft
ijjrifc oftrl&m, ^d not contented with the men-
cloned Savage Cruelty ,he caufed him to be laid
bound at hisFe'et,iand his Body to be piere'd with'
fiot Irons, gathering the Blood that iffued from
hjm in a Veffel, one half of which he Drank,
C 4 and

24 A DeJcription of the X|ET. II.,
and Offer'd up the reft unto his-. Go,dc In this?
Manner doth this Mercilefs. BJ^fidj* Wretch
treat his Conquer'd F>nemies ; anda-n^fWondejr,
for if Opportunity ^e yyantingtoj^ercife} his
Cruelty on them,hisjo wri Subje^iitejfSsfup^Jy
their Place; for his ,infatiable thir-ft >&£»#£ Bjodd
muftdhe'way or other be'fatisfiedj JfethftYjIo
1692. When he took the Field, the, ftp.©^ tjm$
againft the Antefe, T went,, tpcgiyejjiirf]} a Vsifit
in his Camp, near Chama,; her^^'&^ae %$&%
Civilly, ahd Treated me very.w^l^a^ordl^
to the Cuftomof the Country :^%t|wpilft he
and I were diverting our felves together, a frefh,
Opportunity offer'd it felf for the Exercife of his
Brutifli Cruelty: which was only a NegUCfe Jgb-
ferving that one, of his Wives had a hew Fg^*>
dn'd Coral on, and taking a part of it in- his.
Hand to look on, without taking it off heft
Neck ; which fhe not thinking any hurt, freely.
permitted him to do.I fhould here inform you by,
the way, that thefeNegroes allow their Wives all
honeft liberty of Converfation, even with their
Slaves.But Anqua fo refented this innocent Freer:
dom, that affoon, as I was out of the Camp, he
causd both Wife and Slave to be put to Death,
drinking their Blood, as he ufeth todo thofe qf
his Enemies. For fuch another trivial Crimej a
little before, he had caufed the Hands of one of
his Wives to be cut off; after which, in Deri-
fion, he ufed to command her to look his Head
for Vermin* jwhich being impoffible with her
, Stumps, afforded him no. fmall Diverfion. I
'might indeed have fpared this Account of his
'fellBriitality till I come to treat of tjie Nature of
the Negroes ; But his Inhumane Barbarity being
unparalleird amongall the Guineans, and I" being
upon the Defcription of his Country, I thought
ihis place as proper ; arid that the rather, be-

Let. "II. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 25
becanfe I am not at prefent farnifli'd with other
Matter. But to return to our Defcription. The
Native's here are very"' Powerful, and Rich;
as being fituate in the Pafs which the Ifland-
Dealers muft come thro' in order to Traffick; by
which means theyhave a very goodOpportunity
of Enriching'themfelves by Trade. Befides, they
.have' feveral Gold Mines in their Country ; One
whereof \»as difcovered about three Years paft. .
TheRiches of thefe Countries confiding inGold,.
and the great Numbers of x People, have fo puft
them up, that thofe who Deal with them ought
to be endowed with a more than ordinary
Difcretion. ¦'•*»."
• The Soil is very good and fruitful in Corn
and other productions of the Earth ; which it
affords in fuch Plenty, that, befides what feryes
their own Neceffities, '• they always expofe large
quantities to Sale. Here are competent Numbers
of Cattle both Tame and Wild, and the River
abundantly ftores them with Fim, fo that no
thing is indeed here wanting that is neceffary
to humane fubfiftence:
This, Sir, is all I can inform you of relating
to the Countries of Jabi and Adorn, with which
I fhall conclude this Letter, and always remain
with Refpect, Yours, &c.

LET T EvR.

.zdM^P^m^ .fiFrrW

3ffo or-

•wr;

;G. uwfl uIj Uiurl

Ttrr?

srknl

£'ite^:t;*.;

;/dj!

fbbirji e»ii
\'-^H:i io
. ,'jiu ^'ifibi'-p.isftiani
, , 4»y. : fl/- 4)^ ^ %Erjg|jfh Fokffift, : -&&*
Station -)of tim 'rtyferjbetmxt^Mr Co^t^^mjh mm
SfiSfiS-vUns
ict- i-ioW-ilk-iff si/ o^
/ leads

&

to- fo^
Letter.
at the
>s$-8fc-*

upon ^44<?w anc£,
as I am juft beginning accordinr
mer Method, I reafonabl* ^ri
of yours, wherein youfeei
War betwixt our Com^^fiim^jm'L-
many. I find you are mifinrosn^ff; vfeon lSime
I mould fet you right. THis^a|? oi'Wf^et-
ter I formerly purpofely omitted | _ imfliyering,
that at that time it was not convenient to re
veal fome fecret Intrigues; and I amftill fofar
of the fame Mind, that I had mUidtftatUcr you
would Excufe me, than oblige^ie 4oT^ifguft
fome Men whofe good Name aMJ^ff&utatioh
I fliall always handle very tend^flW Bui; fince5
you have my Word that I will conceal .nothing
from you, I mall reprefent the whole'Affair, as
it appears to me and others here upon trie Spdt,
who I tliink ought to be well acquainted with
it ; if we have a wrong Notion of" it,' a proper
time will difcoVer it.
Before I begin my intended Relation I ftiall
inform you, that the Country of Ccmmanf ex-
•'!' tendsj

tends its felf five Miles Jong by the Sea-fide,
recktmrrrg^-fTOTrj ehc Rim- nf-Obama to the
Town Mina; and it is about as broad as long. In
the middle ©f it,,
or Ekke-Tokki as't

27

the *$trafidJatilittle Commany3
KegroesicalFk, *ive have an

Jfit^tM Engim hate a Very
^p^tUlgfcmreaftV.^Ouf Fort
fei Square f Building ^^figthned with good
B^tteriel^Jpn'ly'hicm^^ xj&hs may be conveni
ently pTacecf,5 there" pMn^fo many Ports in the
Breaft-Work for them. It is large enqugh for
i|o Men to^live in; tho'^at prefent there are
irof'hea|r,iB"'ma'nyJ and but ±0 Guns; notwith-
M|>dmg ajf which it is fufficient, not only to
.q^rpndit felf againft,But torepulfea greatNum-
fe' of ^e^jO|s^;as was found by experience,
Awo~x6% ji wneri I Commanded there.Our Ene-
mieSj att^c^.Tusj.by Night; I had but, a very forty
Garrilon^n<^fuil 20 Men, half of which were
hot capable lof Service; and yet I forcd them
to retire, with Lofs, after a Fight of five HoUrs.
'Twas Wonderful, and no fmall Sign of Divine
Protection, that we lofj but two Men in this
Action; for we had no Doors to moft of our
Gun-holes, and the Negroes pourd Small-
fliot on us as thick as Hail ; infomuch that thofe
few Doors which were left to fome Gun-holes
Were become like a Target which had been
|not at for a Mark , and the very Staff which
our Flag was faften'd ori, tho3 it took up fo lit
tle room, did not efcape mot-free. You may
imagine what Cafe we were in when one of
them began to hack our very doors with an Ax :
 but thjjs Undertaker being kilFd, the reft fiieer'd
off.. The General to whom I had repreferited
my weak Condition, advifed two Ships to An-
?¦•••¦=.>  ¦ ¦•••• chor'

tion t>f -the Let. Ill,

i% ,J .De
chor before ot
immww^^^nMW^K^^V0^m
n&&Wi&W Meri^rder f rfe!"lacy before
fcwSa&fikflf m WBoatfu^of Men :^§
t)^rXWcbrnfe'|d%|e;'but they were ; no .fodner
*&&&&&& the' rtite feu up:6h^jM<vtt
Oufly, even under our 'Canndn, t^ they.Mrd
ftdg®9fver Efiemtf
Nailed : '^fwriiffi^ iec'e of Treacherous . ,'

iJo?-thrs rftftfon I was' forc^r&bi^aB
Sp^fktoPofthe rniferable Sla^ghter;^^.
'Men^rcndt being abj£ to iendt;heriith3e3e;a^;^p
-finance; arid if trig Negrdes'^aS at~'tlia{;.tnuant;*
4 Sfdriti'd-us, we were hvhb pofture "q^e^ance,,
But* they Agoing to'^atVsav.etme""time to" pre-
pare- for the Ent'ef^nrnentl _ga^e/the.rn,' as. I
have^b'efore told ydu.HeVMlcarinot Help relating:'
a Comical Accident wMc^'happendl Going tq-

vifit'Jtrie r^ofts of our Fort,' to iee wfie,..
ry Body was at their 'Duty? 8neV% so^nP
J • • - i • ' r» n. iu JSi t>MO»WrVlllV i«Si -*
quitting; his Poft told nie/ffiaf "tr

quitting ms roit torn n^-ma|^0^|gr^,
Well-knowing he had but^ one+-THat >.m the*
World, had 'MalieroWly ftot^^j tJ^CrQ^
which he would Revenge if I would grveV-him-j;
a few Grenadoes. Triad no footer orderg jjiiiv
two,thari he calledcut td the Negrpes^frora the.
Breaft-Work in their pWri Language,teiiing em he

^ET.TIrt. Gttdtolfi of Gmn&. ad.
arid kindling hisGrena^3^$,iamiB£d

anaKipgiing nis«rena^«|^|,^me^jta^ew^ew
therridown amongft t^gkVftl^ qbferying|hem
to burn, crowded abdut^th&ir. and were at firft
very agreeably diverted; but when, tbey-burft
they fo gall'd them, that they had no,gr^at Sto
mach to fuch another Meal. * ^.},. "vr
,* ' But flow to . come to .*¦ the Comman^aff-War,
Hpoh which fince our whole welfare Jeerns to
depend, you muft not ttiihk me tedious if I am
Very particular; it being -impoffible for . you to
compreherid or form ariy Notion of j it without
you are throughly informed of its Original
Source. Wherefore I fhall look back* as far as the
Government of your very good Friend 
(defiring you not to be difpleafed,if I mention
fome difagreeable Particulars : for I aflure you
that I will nottranfgrefs the leaft Tittle beyond
the Naked Truth.) He found this Place in a
Flouriihing Condition and in Peace, though
riot firmly Eftablilhed therein. But long-fight-
ed Obfervers could eafily difcern the Coals of
Difcofd kindling amongft theCommanians, which
was ready to burft out into an open War upon
the leaft Occafion, as indeed they had done in
Mr. -ii  's time if not prevented by his Ser
vant, * who was Brother to the King qf Comma-
ny. But Mr.  -_ being gone, and the men-
tion'd Servant not only excluded out of all Ne
gotiations,') but ill treated • befides ; the Qomma-
nians only wanted a Pretext of Breaking
with us to put their Defigns in Execution. The
Year 1694 afforded them their wilhed Oppor
tunity : For fome. Miners being fent to us
from Europe, they were Orderd to make an Ef-
fay at a Hill fituate in Commany about half a
I Mile above ourEort Vreden-Burgh ,tha$ Mountain

O

PPITIl

-gfc

,&a^fc)$&»bfofo ilk. Hi
feeMte ttt be wife fctoed^^^lili^^p^l
a^cw%M> ^i^rr^totoewa**8^r^aliiS|il3i
TMs ^liwasda^met 4Srift>D**CaftAfe»wft
of thmt(k^,^ll©^trieW'waif^r€^imr9^
Talk of any fii^siii^befdFe^teta^.rW
really only a a^flaw&i£tWto«lfee£> mwiWWki
to DeclawWa^afa&#i%l° W-Mto
gan their-WorJ^ntatflh ife%^S,fa^hli#ft|
nothing* they mfei&$!nWM&d3 millr»%3A6P
fed, Robbed-' ©f illn«|^ i^d/ and *of^Vwr
were not ^vaMQak^^^H^^pt^^t^i^^
fome rtirrie.; T^fefaie!lMSM'-'£^ll£W
this ill u%£toWi&Hg Mf> GSmnWm^rm^
Villafesuf enosigri^ ifefifdva b^iMiai&pfi
his own Do©r\ a*iiL#Sit lipft ^eP^SHMki^
a Negroes ¦-**& \Mi fiftfe 0Q»&mp'iH&M$
whomicwe '.always gfriftlel dfitif ISi&liftlHW
urging that h^hadJcdoffe^ iri Re3Pi£e'for 'ffil
ill Treatment Ke-haMdi.. with fFeWoJrr former:
Governour'i or 'Chief ^Cdramanderi; -*•' Wh8t- - £h»
wast only a feigned Ig@ti!fe was^r^evld&ftf
For the mentioned Neg¥o^wasfd?rfrk-^aMG«WS
ard, that he durft-ridt;"have¥eriturjl;^ri'a^'-1J^
tempt fo Dangerous Without the -'fEln^ej£BRi»
Command. But the King Was refolved telfreW
with us, and bec&uffr fee 'could '-ifert^eMitfw
Excufe made ufe-of thil* **¦ -t>3Mm»q tesM
Mr.  without a'riy farther^quffy^re^
folved to go to Commany In Perfon, J}ft"I<iidCTt'td?
take Satisfa&iofl of ^m~Kabes'&£ tri$ ifejtirW
to which purpofe lhe tddk fdfrie vi©f:Sie^orew
of Elmina along wirfr-fefrn; and:t^g%fefn^iip
Commany, hQ immediaty detaeh'd'a^Mjy^b 1^®$
Kabes's Village, who came diti td"#eetlsth,eij^
leading a Sheep to prefent 'to '.Iffi&Jui&SflM
clear himfelf of what he was ft'§euted;:nbiit3fe^
ing the Elmina Forces fall aj^'t.l&s t^ftSfflj
without giving him any Warning, and begin rtf

t£T. Sj

Wmte®,*6$t *at^)dw»fd aM Ji© was he gpthimJl
felf jflf ^ JNftusffeof ^sDefsiwe, -mdjivti^frmpks
Iffd^gbh^ w^«fokeS J»rfeft,hjtEif&<fts asfSar
ahke^jsouldsjjhfc SJur«t«fejb§ginj,and fome dri
p|h#4esiw*te3Y#iryc!w^U;JbeaferJt •{«¦. 1o .'ieT
Ip 4i&efbrf»s all *ur^|faiisjrunt^| jafoJomi.U it
ftfw&'d3|:j|Ml«feg of ,Co!8*jh?4?«/ our private; and
f«fen?^^sr,J^dfe3lfed J&nemy ; ;who?to ires
!§dS.evtb;e!|^yld^eJlMn^i«vitedl.the„^/i/a fw <^??^»%'-giving jtfefmra Dwelling-place1
ripnt!aI^iJeifrom;pur;Fo€tiiritorie.ofhis Salt-
|ll^s$fi§£^ving; tqiletitfetherff with the: firft
1SiPdJiWi^;in5the> qki jrufft'drFort that.Ithey
jff-aierl^jg^Teilkli which fooh after fucceeded
'|^.qrrd|^ptcbhis Wi|h\ jrE$r*he %ngtf$icare fd
|fewFM!»fyj4cdierej that: 'twill be impofiibJe.t*y
tefl?j2Ǥt)^f nj t^slefs in;iime of, War: for-ithdhr
;|^ti§a%fef«e3mnd hath four Batteries as,, well
^i^M^*i^wes:whieh,ithafh alfq aT:urret>iff to
\ j^ia&ffijjf wi|^tGup%froin ^hfeh *hey.; may ex^
ttf^r^inc^n»m©4e ujjeonfidering thattheyhave
raqrejand^Jafger; Garuionthan ours ; in ibett, we
are t hereiH klfy to have ; a riiceBone to pick* What
Ipjury th^il^eighbquihood hath, already done
^/j^-ad^ M&y one kuq^ystfiois acquainted
,^^|h^^^a#;i.aSja:lfo ho%eafily it might have
been prevented. But Mr— *•-¦•-- was too Fiery
^hu^lCfjSgdateJjr, or bearj&en, -to Wife Counfels;
aftd-jC^p-ftity Rdiall Reafon, he defired nothing
m&M<$l 'a^yVar^ridthe Honour he hoped to get;
|i&§ir^i|ySl4i5atnIy,promifing himfelf that he mould;;
J^^e^^dafcHfgUaBfMt-.^e^-in 1687. whoin^
^^^ cfc0*^^ .arid: Sjjbfeiled the -,Gtm^.-
"g|^f(jJ:»^:eijnthey had incite War loft their
s^anolfcygcal of the_.greateft Men in their
jdj^-hsKfesGeritlepari-iI am fpeakingeSE
;i^^fai5e,n(jt^onfi^ejiiig the difference
a«iimam f4u?.F/rvKrrn,nR>afifl .^tiGGefi: or the nne and

3*

3 2 A Defcription of the Let. III.''
he other: notw^fanding all which I dare**;
iver that he might have fucceeded if he had not
been deluded by the too great Opinion he had
:onceiyed of himfelf and hisfollowe'rs, and his
too contemptible thoughts pf his Enemies; for;,
he. hired an Army of Jttfferians and Cabtftt-
-ians ..for lefs than jooo /. Sterling, whierf:
were twice as ftrong as that of Commany , and
confequently might have fubdued them. But he
was ready enough to imagine, that with this
Force he could eafily Conquer not only Commany,
but all the Coaft; and accordingly, very impu
dently threatned the Fantynefe and Saboefe, that
after he . had Corrected the Commanians , he
would give them a difagreeable Vifit. Thefe two
Nations vvell knowing how confiderably they -
were indebted to us,vvhich if they endeavoured
to pay other wife than by their continual Villa- i
nies, was not owing to their want of Willy
but Power ; they foon embraced this favourar J
ble Opportunity in joyning their Forces- with
thofe of Commany; to fupport which, they h&-i
lievd it their unqueftionable Intereft^nd by this
means they became ftrongerfhan our Auxilia
ries. A fufficient proof of this is our firft unfor-'
tunate Battel, in which we loft all our Auxilia
ries, and the Mtmey they coft us. .This Fight.
was much more Bloody than the Wars of the-
Natives ufually are; for the greateft part of the
Men we miffed, were killd, and the reft taken':
Prifonerf, by whjch we were reduced to a mi- -
ferable Eftate, ^nqt knowing what Meafures to>
take, as having made the moft Potent Nations of
the Country our Enemies. And indeed we fhould >-
never havebeerr able to have made any frein At
tempt, if the Enemies themfelves had not feafp-^
nably plaid an Opportunity into our Hands. by
their Iriteftine Divifions; The King's Brother,^

Let. III. Gold'Coaft of Guinea." 3$
fecki-Ankan (the, prefent King, ofGommanyj
came over to our Side," arid was in a fhort time;
ftrengthned by the Adrians and-other Auxilia
ries; c* which occafioned a fecond Engagement,
fixwarm on both fides,that the Victory was long
dubious, tillatiaftitfeemed toencline on our
fide, id fat. that our Army fell greedily to
pUjnderj which being obferved 'by Abe-O'eckp
ihQ.Gmmanian. King, (who exeell'd all his
extemporary Negroes in Valour and Cdndu&
arid v, had hitherto kept himfelf out of the Fight
andjlaid us.this Bait) he unexpectly Marched
towards us. with, freih Forces, who had their,
Mufquets turned the wrong way in order to.
deceive us; which took fo good, effeft, that',
we taking them for bur Friends, continued out
greedy courfe of Plunder, till the King came
upon usj and his Men, turning, their- Mufqiietsi
fired -fc? briskly at us, that they diverted lis
frjorn, the Prey, and obliged every Body to fave
h;i$ Life , as well as he could : Thus' leaving the
Commanians a fecond compleat Vi&Ory* thofe
who .could efcape, made the beft of their
Way to our Fort. ,,xi m«.; -..-.. ,..i, ,
, Triefe were two pernicious Loffes,the great--
eft part of which undoubtedly ought to be
Charged on Mr.- ' 1 For had he been fo-PrUr,
dent, as to conceal his Refentment againft the
F-anty\neansK and Sabdeans ; and inftead of irritating
thetn, ¦ gained them hy a Bribe,- as he afterwards,'
was obliged , to do," though in vain ; I do riot
believe they would have , coneernd themfelves,
for the Commanians ; by which Means after*
he^ had ( which was .very/ feafible ) ; Extirpated^
the G'om?ncmians ., <he ^ might ..with die fame,
Force. have Rediic'd the 'Eantymans arid Sahomns
ifo R'eafon,'

A Deftripuofa qj [the Let. IL,
Out Affair? continued in this Eofture tH?X
fey*. . Expiring teft the Goyerriment to his
uuccffor;, Mfe.*-*-— •, who, as New lords ge-i
erally Occafion New Laws, finding we loft
y the War, by Advicerof thofe whom the.;
iompany had .eatraflnL . prudently refolvetf£
f poffible, to put an end to the War,- and ac-
ordingly , brought the Commanians to fo
;eod a Temper* -that we foon became Friends*'
hey not only obliging themfelves to make good
he Damage we had mftained,but becoming af" ;
iealoufly engaged in our Incereft as the Pofture^
>f Affairs could encourage us to hope : and it
was very much to be wiroedfor the Advantage
)f- our Company, that the Peace could have-
:qntinued ; which would have confidera- *
>ly advanced our Trade, and fpared the larger
Sjimmswe were obliged to Disburfe in the fol
lowing War. But the Englifli here envying our
happy Cqnclufion of the War, and fearing it
would not much conduee to their Advantage,
contrjyd methods to break the Peace. The'4
Means which they chiefly hit uport, and prac-
tifed, were to poffefs the King, that confider
ing his two Vi&ories, he ought rather to ask
than give Saasfa&ion, which they reinfore'd-
by inculcating our weak Condition and his
Strength ; urging, that we were not in a Po^
fture to Acr. Ofienfively again, but would be
obliged, not only to entreat, but to buy a Peace
of him, which would furniih him with an Op
portunity of forcing his own Conditions upon
us. The King being not only a Commanian by
Birth, and : confequently, of their Turbulent ;
Humour , but fufficiently Elevated by his paft
Vi&ories, foon liften'd to the Englifli Advice of
Breaking with us. To which he was encoura-

Let. III. Gold-Coaft ^Guinea; . , 35
gedby their Affurance, that they would make
his Caufe their own, and accordingly fupply
him with all proper Neceffaries : Upon whichj
he renewed his old Courfe, and did us as much
Mifchief as ever. , This we patiently fuffered
For fome time, vainly expe&ing Relief .from
fair means; but the longer we depended on them,
they ferved only to augment his Outrages, and
oblige us to have recourfe to Forcible Means,
which were now become abfolutely neceftary
to preferve , our Chara&er, amongft the, reft; of
the Nations of this Country; and accordingly"
we began to think of warmer Meafures. And
in Conjunction with other perfons;, proper
to be confulted, it was refolved to bring a con-;
Jiderable Force into the Field which fhould, to
make fiiort work atoncejbe able to Chaftife the,
Commanians; for this end we were of Opinion,,
that as theFantyneans lived now inAmiry with usA
'twould be very eafie to. gain them to our t.fi^e^
and by that means inable our felves to tame the
King of Commany on Occafion. We treated
with them accordingly, and at laft, in confide-i
ration of the Value 01 900 /. Sterling to be paid
to them, they obliged themfelves to F,ight the;
Commanians till they had utterly . Extirpated
them. We now thought our feves very feoure,;
daily expecting the Fantyneans to take the Field £
but here the Englifli quafhd our Defign, and in
Order to keep their Word with the King ofCom-^
many fir at leaft to throw an Obftacle in our way,
one of their Governors .went from Cabo-cprs
to Fantyn, and prevailed with that People, for,
exatflly the fame Summ as we had before given
them, to ftand Neuter ; which being,, only op-.
pofed by the £n#o,. they, foon difpatch'd him
out r>f the wav. fubftitutine immediately , ano-y

3 6 A Defcription of the Let. III.
common and trivial a Crime Perjury is amongft
the Negroes; 'twill not appear Incredible, that
, they mould rather ftand ftill for 1800/. than
fight for '900/. Thus our hopeful Negotiar
tiori ended with the irrecoverable lofs of our
Money. The Commanians for this Reafqn growing
more Arrogant, began to Infult us more than
ever : to remedy which, we agree'd with the A-
domians to Affift us for lefs than eool. but they
falling out about the divifion of the Money, as
¦Well as the Acaniftians and Cabeftefchians3 f who
who were alfo by Contract Obliged to our Af-
fiftance) agreed only, not to ftir one foot from
home. Being thus difappoin ted #e eaft our laft
Anchor, and agree'd With the Dinkirafchians for
the.Summ of 800 /. to take our Side, but were
^herein fo unhappy, that they falling into aWar
with their nearNeighbours were obliged to neg-
,4ecl; our Caufe to defend their own Country;
they indeed were yet fo honeft"as to return our
Money ,except only a fmall quantity which ftuck
to the Fingers of their Meffengers; we alfo got
back the greateft. part of what we had given
to the Adomians, but could not recover the leaft
part of what the F.mtymans had got of _us. Be
ing in this defperate Condition, we left no means
unattempted to redrefs our felves, though -in
vain, for we were Cheated on all fides. We
thought of making an honourable end with the
King of Ccmmany , but how to compafs that
we could not imagine ; fearing, as the Englifli
promifed, we fhould be obliged to beg a Peace,
which had certainly happerid, if at this critical
juncture a better and more honourable way had
not offerd it felf. The before-mentioned Bro
ther of the King of Ccmmany, who, for fome
piece of Villany fas ' tis reported^ had, toge-

Let. III. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 37
ther with his Wife and Chldren been fent as
Slaves to Sttriname by. Mr  but declared
Free by the Company, were brought hither
again. Upon his ... arrival ,. we employ'd
him to found whether his Brother was moft in^
clined to War or Peace, by which means We
found, that he being tired with the former,
would be very_ willing to accept the latter : ma
king ufe of this Opportunity to our intire Sa-
tisfaftion, we concluded a Peace upon very
Honourable and good Terms; neither fide defi
ring more than a fettled and laftirig Peace, as
it had undoubtedly been, if an Accident as
unexpected had not interrupted it : For we had
Jiut juft begun to relifh the Pleafure of our new
Tranquility, and learned to prefer a Profperous
Eafe before a Pernitious War; when the Englifli
here being difgufted at it, or growing Jealous
that the King would adhere too clofe to us, we
( being his old Friends, and fhake them off, or
for fome other unknown Reafon ; they Mur-
der'd him, in a Manner efteemed Barbarous by
all Europeans, when he came to divert himfelf
amongft them, and make Merry with them;
jhus ungratefully rewarding the feveral Years
Service he had done them.
: This Barbaruus Action occafibned a great
Alteration on the, Coaft; The 'Commanians,
hitherto fo ftricty Allied to the Englijh, became
their moft inveterate Enemies, refolving at any
Rate to Revenge their King's Death : Tecki An-
hm, on. the contrary, became their greateft
Friend ; and having a hand in his Brother's Mur-
ther, he fled from us and fhelter'd himfelf a-
tnongft the Englifli, and agreed with them to
fall upon the Commanians with the firft Op
portunity : they invited us to joyn with them,
In.*. +Ur,t- uroc rpfnfpA \xr(\ nnt hftintr nKliccftrl tn

38 A Defcription of the !Let. Ill;
;nter into a War on their Account, and having
kit too long found' how Fatal a War is to our
Bommeree. They however went 'on with
•heir Defign, hiring the Negroes of Saboe-Acany;
mdCabeiJFerra, with which Auxiliaries Tecki-
dnkan came into the Field,arid Engaged theCom-
nmians with fuch ill Succefs, that notwith-
ftanding the Number of his Men ' wag Quadru
ple to theirs yet he was totally Routed. ' The
Commanians owd this Signal Victory to theif
General, Amo-Tecki, a Negroe, Who in Valour
equall'd, if not exceeded their Murther'd
King. Notwithftanding we had been hitherto per
fectly Neuter, The Negroe-General fent a.
eivil Meffage. to our Governor, together with
feveral of the Sculls of his Vanquifhed Enemies,
in Token that he had refolved to live and die
in the Service of the Hollanders; his Meifettgei'
was civilly received, and after Thanks, and Pre-t
fents to the General, difiniffed. Were I obliged
to determine concerning this Action, I rnuft
Own that we had then the faireft Opportunity
in the World to obftrutt the -Englifli , and refent
then- former Injuries; if we had quitted Tecki-
Ankan as he deferted us, and joyri'd with the
Commanians againft them. But here Was a
Remora in the way : For One of the greater?
Villains of this Country being then BrOkef. td
the Company here, had, fo gaWd the Ear of
Mr. r our Governor, that he look'd upon
all other. Advice as Pernicious.- , This Favourite,
whether iricouraged thereto 'by Intereft, of
prompted by an inveterate Hatred, is Uncertain,
was continually buzzing Stories in the Gover
nors Ears, in order to irritate him againft the
Commanians. They in the mean time difcer-
ning his Carriage where it was likely to end,

Iet. III. Gold'Coaft of Guinea. jo
were not afraid to offer iis fome injuries:By which
ineans Akim (fd the Broker was call'd) gained his
End;fp he had now fome Arguments to offer for
beginning a War againft them, and fucceeded fd
well withMr  that withoutConfulting or Im
parting it to the, Council, he refolved upon an
Action equally Perfidious and Deteftable:, which
was to Attack the Ftf«e^,aPeopleSubject to the
Commanians , contrary to the CommpnFaith of
Nations, when they came under our Protection
TtpMarket with their Goods :Accordngly this was
Barbaroufly put In Execution, and they RotjbM
of all they brought, fome of them kiU'd,and 80
hiade. Prifqners. Pray, , Sir, be pleafed to judge
impartially ; was, not the taw of Nations here
in Violated in the higheft Degree ? X cannot
help believing it was ; and that his Excellency
cannot Anfwer his Ailing in this. Manner, with
out the Acb/ice Of knowledge of the Council ;
had they indeed confented tothisbafeAction,he
might as a pretext,have*alledg'd that thefe pf Fetu
were juftlyipunifb'd, becaufe they murther'd fome
"Women iof Elmiw as they were pafling by them;
tho' 'tis very improbable , becaufe the Fe$u-
ans profefted themfelves innocent of this Fact,
and kept up a good Cprrenfpondence with us j
nor is it to be imagined they durft fo far Injure
•js or offer fuch a piece pfVillany;or thata fter that
"they fliould Fearlefs,an4 Defencelefs come to our
Market to Vend their Commodities, is: what $an
never be believed by unprejudiced Perfonsi But
feveral. boldly affirmed, that the ahove-mention'd
Murther of the Women was committed by the
Contrivance and Command oi-Akim himfelf,
and Tecky-Ankan; defignedly to lay it to the
£harge of the Commanians , in order to ferve as
afpecious' Pretext to juftify our breaking, and
iiifprniflrino' oil r.nmmerf.e with fhem. Whether

io A 'Description of the Let. IJL
this be true or falfe Heaven only, can determine;
put it is certain that the "Gentlemen of the
Couricil, though they relented it as an Abomi
nable Action, ;wfere not { Witlirig to difcover
their Sentiinents when paft, becaufe the Blame
ttiuft ne^eftarily fall upon Akim, who they knew
to be Villain feribugh to Revenge himfelf at the
expence of their Lives ?* for which Reafon they
jpafledit oyer in Silence.
> By thefe unwarrantable Practices pur Trade
at Elmina was immediately trifled , and the
tommanians arid Fetuans were become our pro-
FeifedEnehdes; which fo. animated the EngliflL
that mftead of making Peace with the Saboeans
the ftrongeft of the twoj they ftrengthried them
felves to the utmoft, and once more Engaged
the Commanians ; who with their Imall Force
behaved thernfelvesTo1 well, that they had cer
tainly got ' the ;Day if their General had not
been obliged to* retire but of the Army by a
Wound* he received • which fo confounded them
that after they had began to put their Enemies
to* Flight,' .upon miffing their Commander,'
they betdok themfefves to their Heels in the ut
moft Diforder; leaving TecUAnkan arid his Fol
lowers an iritire Victory7; their" General and fe
veral "of the moft Confiderable amongft them
being/kiU'd arid taken Prifoners. By this Suc-
fcels Tecki^Ankari becarrieKihg of Commany ;' and
Was wallas' the Englifli had a ftiare of Advan
tage by it; though we'might if other Meafures
had been taken have dorie our felves much more
confiderable 'Services; but hot to lay down
uncertainties for undeniable Truths, All Men
whilft they are Men are liable to Frailties, and
the* Managers of this Affair had their frailties
as well as dthef5.Thus I have faid enough of the

&*Tr III. Gold. Coaft of ..Guinea.
Commanian War, and its true SqurCe, by which
you may be the better Enabled 'tp (peak of it
on Occafiqn, and though I have left Blanks
for the Names of our Governors ydu cannot
be ignorant who is there intended; I have al
fo handled the whole as tehderly as was poffi-
4>le without prejudice to Truth; and what is
faid to the difadvantageof Mr.  ought
jather to be aferibed to his .mrftaken Opinion
of his Favourite Akim3 than to any ill intenti
on ; but if ydu ask how he became To fond of
Turn, 'tis Reported. that before he was Preferred
to the Government, this Wrech ferved him
*];with a Fidelity uncommon amorigft the Negroes,
which tinctur'd him with fuch a fettled good
^Opinion' of him-, that he never could believe
any thing againft him. However it was, 'tis
certain that his fondAffection to this Villajn,
1Was by himabufed only to enrich himfelf an4
render his Mafters Government Odious to all
People; and thus he is liable to be injured who
repofeth too much Confidence in any one Man
Mid defpifeth the goOcl intentions of others to
"ferve him.
f; I fhall fubmit this Relation to your impartial
'Judgment and, /return to the end of Commany.
"Three little Miles below out Vovt Predenburg at
%e Village or Town of Mina'is fituatethe Ca-
"ftle of St. George d'Etmina, fo Famous through
out the World ; it takes its Name from the
Town, but why the Portugueze who were its
Baptizers, gave it this Nam6, I cannot deter
mine ; for no Gold Mines are found for feve
ral Miles about it; but if I may guefs, I am
apt to think it was becaufe here they found a
" reat affluence of Gold from all Parts; which

periling juft as if it came immediately frdn> the

42 A Defcription of the Let. Ill,
•trie Mines, might probably induce them to
give it this Name, which it hath ever fince
kept. I cannot pretend to inform you exactly
when they began to build the Caftle, but can
only tell you that we took it from them in
1658, and it is indeed juftly become Famous;
for to fpeak but the bare Truth pf it, for Beau-
ty and Strength, it hath not its Egual upon the
whole Coaft. It is Built fquare with yery higf| .
Walls, Four gdod Batteries within andanothet;
on the Out-Work of the Caftle ; on the fide to
wards the Land it is Addrn'd with two Canals
cut in the Rock on Which it ftands, which are
always furnifhed with Rain or frefn Water fuffi-
cient for the ufe of our Garrifori and Ships i
Befides which we have within the Caftle truefe
very fine Cifterns,holding feveral hundred TuOSj
%o preferve Rain-water, fo that we are in no
great danger of wanting that neceffary Ele-
inent. Upon the Ciaftje are plac'd —  heavie
Brals-Guns ; befides, the lower Battery is fill'd
wit Iron Pieces, which are daily fir'd by way
of Salutation to Ships and on fuch like Occafi-
ons. There is room for a Garrifon of above
200 Men in this Caftle as well as for feveral
Officers befides,all which rnay be fo convenienie-
ly Lodg'd that they would have 110 Reafbii, to
complain. I fhall begin the Drawings of .'the
Forts, with this Caftle, of* which t fend
a View of eSch Side Marked Numb. 1, arid 2.
but the Drawet runriing away from his Mafter
fomewhat too foon, hath committed fome.JunaU
Error, which yet can only be difcovered by very
skilful Obfervers.
Urider, or before this Caftle, is the Town of
Mina, called bv the Natives: galena; it is very
ldrig and indifferent broad; The Houfes are
 " ¦¦¦','¦'- ¦¦ hxff&k

Lte. III. Gold Coaft of Gtiinea, 45
built with Rock-Stone in which it differs from
all other Places, they being ufually only cdm-
pofed of Clay, and Wood. About 1 c or 16
Years paft it was very Populous, and eight
times as ftrong as at pTefent,the Inhabitants be
ing then very Terrible to all the Negroes on the
Coaft^ and fuch as could under a good General
fiicceed in great Undertakings ; but about 1 j
Years paft the Small-Pox fwept away fo many,
and fince by the Commanian Wars, together
With the Tyrannical Government of fome of
their Generals,they have been fo miferablyDepo-
, pulated and Impoverifhed, that 'tis hardly to be
believed how weak it is at prefent; it not being
able to Furnifh out Fifty Armed Men without
the help of the Servants of the Europeans; arid
there is no Place upon the whole Gold-Coaft
.without fome of the Negroes of Elmina ,
for] fomej of them who were Friends to
the Commanians fled to them, but moft of them
from the Tyranny of their Governors and our
above-mentioned tAkim3 who, .only kept them
as Sheep for Slaughter^ When I ifirft came up
on the Coaft, I have frequently told Five or
Six Hundred Canoes which went a Fifhing
every Morning ; whereas now fcarce One Hun
dred appear , and all the . People fo Poor ,
that their miferable Cafe is very Deplorable,
efpecially if we refled upon their former Con-
d«ioft r~So™that-indeedf t is- highly neceffgry
that a Governor fhould quickly be fet over
them ; who by Mild Ufage would foon recall
the Deferters, efpecially if he were fo Prudent
as to Banifh, or at leaft cramp Akim fo that
he fhduld not be able to go far in-land, where
he hath at our Coft made himfelf fo many-
Friends that he would certainly do more Mif-
chief.

44 -A Defcription of the Let. III.
chief. This is what I am of Opinion would
Succeed well if put in Practice, and I hear
tily wifh it for the Good of our Company,
and aU the poor People of the Village; in
which Hope and Expectation I conclude, &c
"fhe End of the third Letter^

LETTER lit

LiT. IV. Gold Coaft of Guinea,. 45

L ET T E R. IV.
Containing a Defcription of Fetu, and our Fort, to
gether with the Chief Place of Refidence of the
Englifh, and another Fort there Situated. A De
fcription of Saboe and Fort Naffaw there ; of
Fantyn and the Places poftejjed by us and the En
glifh : The great Power and Perverfe Nature of the
Fantynean Negroes, by which we as well as the
Englifh fuffer very much
SIR,
I Wrote to you*— — rny Laft, which though
it met With a tedious Paffage I hope did not
prove difagreeable when it reach'd your hands,
and fince I ferit that I am honoured with yours
of the 24th. brought to the Coaft by a Zeeland
Interloper. I cannot help obferving, that
pufh'd on by a very inquifitive Genius, you
not only make ufe of all Opportunities of Wri
ting to me, continually urging me to purfue
my Defcription of the Coaft : But are always
putting me in Mind of Anfwering by the fame
Ship. But my very good Friend,don't you know
that I am forbidden the receiving of any Let
ters from, or delivery of any to fuch Ships. I
dare fay ydu think there is no difference what
Ship brings the Letter if it be right delivered ;
well, to tell you the Truth, I don't think the
difference very great, and provided our Com
pany be not Injured I cannot fee any Crime in
it; wherefore you may be allured that I fhall
, flip no Opportunity, and if you pleafe to con
tinue the fame Care, the opportunities here,

-.J " ** T..  *._ *%+•£* \r\ V+mr\i-\ prif f JiOf*

.£ A. Defcription of the Let. IV.
enabled by the continual interchange of Letters;
to be always informed of each others welfare. ,
"' From my former three,which in all probability
you have received|pfore no w,you found that lam
free enough and confequently need not be ask'd
twice * But to. gratjify your defire as effectually
as I can, I fhali begiri where, I broke off my
laft at the Caftle of £/w/»^,and fo continue mjr
Defcription. ; , .
Belpw, or next our Caftle^ and by the Vil
lage M'ma3 runs a fmall River inwards- towards
the Country for about half a Mile,the Water of
which according to Monfieiir Fcomenbrog,, is ten
times Salter than the falteft Brine or Pickle?
Though I have in the Months of May and June,
found it as frefh as Rain- Water: perhaps be-
caufe in thefe $lonths the Rairis are fo great^
and the Waters fall off the circumjacent Hills
into this River as fwiftly as a Tyde from the
Sea, fo that this Place is very convenient for
iVater-MilIs,theStreamfo running that it would
safily turn a Mill. But what Mr. Focquenbrog
iffirms of the Saltnefs of thisRiver muft be un-
ierftood in very dry Seafons : For the Soil here--
ib buts being very Nitrous and the River very
Shallow, 'tis probable enough that the Sea-;
W'ater in this River may be foonef congeal'd
into Salt by the Sun than in the Main-Sea;'
which the Inhabitants have alfo obferved : For
they boil this Water into Salt by which they
jain confiderably. This River feparates- the
Country of Commany from that of Fetu. Near
his and in Fetu is fituate upon a' high Hill cal-
ed St. Jago our Fortrels of Conraadsburg3{ which-
s a Beautiful Quadrangular Fort, ftrengthne|
is moft of ours are with four good Batteries,
>efides four leffer which it hath in the Out-
rValf that enconipafles it. In fhort, here

Let. IV. Gold-Coaft of Guinea: 4j
is Gannon enough,and theFort is fo ftrong,that
if it were well Stored with Provisions, and well
Sarrifon'd, it would do very good Service. The
Drawing of it Numb. %. ftew* you an indiffe-
•ent high Tower in the Middle, which only
Adorns the Building, but from the Top affords
i moft Beautiful Prolped of the circumjacent
Land and Ocean, as well as ufefully fervestd
lifcover Ships feven or eight Miles diftant at
sea. Before any Fort was built upon St. J ago, that
Hill was of great Service; 'twas from thence
ive chiefly obliged the Caftle of St. George to
surrender, for our Cannon Planted there per
fectly Commanded the Caftle ; wherefore we
Might to be nearly ooncern'd for the Defence
ma Preservation of this Fort and Hill, for thefe
Mice loft , the Caftle of ( St. George could
lot hold out long ; and accordingly therefore
is much Care is always taken of this as the
Caftle it felf, there being always an Enfign
left there with a good- Garrifon under his
Command. St. J ago being in Fetu, I fhall here
icquaint you that that Land is Forty Miles long-
tod about as broad : It begins, as I have told
you above with the Hill St. J ago, or the Salt
River, and ends below the Danifli Mount, paf-
fmg by Cabo-cors. This Country was formerly
fo powerful and Populous that it ftruck Terror
into all its Neighbour-Nations, efpecially that '
bf Commany which it Subjected to its Govern
ment. But 'tis at prefent fo drained by .conti
nual Wars, that it is intirely Ruin'd, and al-
tnoft owns the Commanians its Mafters; The
King of Fetu nor his Nobles not daring to ftir
without the permiffion of the King of Comma-
»y ,* The greateft Caufe of which is, that in

48 A Deftriptito of the Lit. IV.;
the Commanian Wars Fetu was divided, parti
bf it adhered to xke Commanians and part to our
Side, and fome of each, being Jdlled, they fuf- "
fered a double Loft, and were very much di-
rninifhed in the laft Battle* fo that you. may ve
ry well conje&ure they cannot be very Nume-.
rous ; nor indeed, are there enough to give thisj:
fine Country its proper Tillage, though it is fo
fruitful and pleafant that it may^be cbifj.pared.td
'^w^.Frequently upon walking through it, before^
the laft War,I have feen it abound with fine well-
built and populous Towns fo agreeably enrichld,
With vaft ^'quantities of Corn and Cattle, Palm-;
Wine,and Oyhthat it was not a little pleafant to .
obferve; but what was moft. Charming, was that
it was fo covered with fmooth ftreight Paths*
and Trees (landing fo thick together, from E/-?.
mina to Simbe (a Village about a Mile and half
up the Fetuan Country ) that I have been ftjelse-ii
red both frorn Sun and Rain. . The BeautifuJ|
Lofty Trees on the Hills and Frefh Rivers irf
thjs Country do not a little Adorn it. In fhoit,,
this Land very well deferves its fituation fo neaf
our' chief place of Refidence. , ,.._»
The Inhabitants all apply themfelves with-,;
out any diftinction to Agriculture, fome fpw.
Corn, others prefs Oyl and draw Wine, from
the Palm-Tree, with both which it is plenti
fully Stored. About three Miles on Foot, of;
two long ones by Sea from this Place, at the,
Town of Ooegwa, or according to others, Cabor$
cow, which is a, Cape bearing out at Sea, is,;
the Englfli Chief Fort, .which next to that of
St. George d'Elmina is the Largeft and- moft
Beautifull on the whole Coaft ; within it is
well furnifhed with fine and well-built Dwel
ling-places ;' before it they have alfo built a,
1-Tfo-fi

LET. IV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 49
high Turret to fecure the Lives of the People of
the Town, in cafe of an Invafion of Hoftile Ne
groes. The Fort is ftrengthened with four Very.
large Batteries, befides a fifth 5 On which are
planned thirteen Pieces of heavy Cannon; and
thefe being pointed at the Water Pafiage, can eafi
ly prevent any Ships of their Enemies anchoring
in that Road : befides which a great Rock lies juft
before the Fort , fd that it is impoffible td fhootat
it from the Sea.
The worft of all is, that here is generally but
a very weak Garrifon ; one part of which, I mean
of the Soldiers, confifts of fuch miferable poor
Wretches, that the very fight of them excites Pity.
They look as awkward and wrifled as an old
Company of Spaniards ; the Reafon of which is
partly that they greedily entertain thofe who
quit or defert our Service • Which they will ne
ver deliver over to us out of a miftaken Mercy,
•' thereby freeing them from their deferred Puhifh-
' ment. And though by firm Promifes and mutual
Agreement, ' we have frequently and interchange
ably obliged our felves not to countenance or enter
tain any Deferters from each other, but on the
1 contrary to fend them home in Irons, yet they
have once more broken the Articles : And not-
;|.withftar>ding, that thofe who run away from us
ate chiefly fottifh Wretches , yet they are very
welcome to them ; the Englifli never being better
; pleafed than when the Soldier fpends his Morte^
, ih Drink, efpecially in Punch : A Liquor made
i of Brandy, Water, Lime-juice and Sugar, which
make altogether an unwholefome Mixture. Sornd
i of "the -Agents make a confiderable Advantage of
i felling this Liquor by their Emiflaries under-hand *
i for the Soldier pays double its valua, and thofe
i whofpehd but a little Money that way, are fure
¦| to be very Well beaten* they taking no care -tone'

4 Defetription of the L E T. IV*
ler the Sjoldier at Pay-day faves Gold enough to
ly- Victuals, fpr it is fufficient if he have bat fpent
in Punch ; by which exceflive tipling and for-
r feeding moft of the Garrifon look as if they
ere Hag-ridden. This is a fault which fome
reedy Agents will" not correct, becaufe they
rould loofe too much by an Alteration.
'Tis very well known that you are a Learned
hyfician, but I cannot tell whether you are of
tr. Bontekoe's Opinion, who ventures to fay, that
noft Men fhorten their Days- by an irregular
ray ,of Living -, but this muft be candidly inter-
ireted : However, you underftanding this heft,
fhall leave it to you to determine ; but if our
neritioned Author means fuch irregular Lives as
he Evglijh Soldiers live here, I fhould make no
Difficulty to declare for his Doctrine. 'Tis in-,
:redible how many, are confumed by this dam-
lable Liquor ( pardon the Expreffion, ) which is
lot only confined to the Soldiery, but fome of
he principal [People are fo bigotted to it, that I
eally believe for all the time I was upon theCoaft,
hat at leaft one of their Agents, and Factors in-
mmerable died yearly. So that, if the State of
rlealth in Guinea be computed by the number of
he Erglijh which dye here, certainly this Country
riuft have a much more unheafthful Name* in £"^-
and, than with us ; and to tell an Englifh man that
h.eir IlTnefs proceeds from their Debauches in this
Liquor, would fignifie juft as much as to inform
them that the exceffive eating of Flefh (of which they
ire fuch great lovers) is very prejudicial to Hu
man Bodies. But enough of this.
; Under the E,vglijh Fort is the before-mentioned
Town, which was formerly well-peopled ; but
his, as> well as all the other, lias fuffered ve,ry
much in the Commaman War 5 . befides that the
multiplicity of Englifl) Interlopers hath conti-t

LET. IV. Gold Coaft of Guinea,. 5 1
nually ftriptit of its Inhabitants .,. for when they
coine hither, they always take fome of 'em
with them to Fida, to aliift them in buying of
Slaves ; after which they liking, the place, live
there, and feldom remember to come home again ;
fo that at prefent the Village is half wafted, and
the Houfes are in a ruinated Condition;
.Behind this Town the Englifli have a round
Tower j upon which are planted fix Pieces of
Cannon, and garrifoned I believe with about as
many Men. This doth, or fhou'd ferve, as they
fay, to keep the Negroes of the Town in Awe, as
well as defend them from all other Negroes their
Enemies, that come from the In-land Country ,
but, . in my Opinion , 'tis a perfect unneceffary
^Charge, their Caftle being fo high that it will eafi-
¦#ly perform that Office alone. I have herewith fent
< you the Sketches of the Englifi chief Fort,and of that
upon the DeenSthen or Danifti Mount, No. 4 and 5.
Under the Englifli Fort you may obferve a
Houfe, not unlike a fmall Fort, with a Flag on it
and fome Cannon ; this is inhabited by an Engliftx
Mulatto, by Name Edward Barter, who hath a
1 greater Power on the Coaft, than all the three Eng
lifli Agents together (in whom the chief Command
of the Coaft- is vefted jointly •,). who, by
Reafon of their fhort ftay here, are fo little ac
quainted with the Affairs of this Coaft, that they
fuffer themfelves to be guided by him, who very
well knows how to make his Advantage of them :
He is become fo considerable that he can raife
a large number of Armed Men ; fome whereof are
his own Slaves, andthe reft Free-Men, that ad- *
; here to him : So that his Intereft is at prefent fo
great that he is very much refpefted, honoured •
and fervad by the principal People about him ;
and whqever defigns to Trade with the Englijh
«-..,/"! XZ-n-nA twr.-.H ririt-1-* him hdfnrfl no /~an fnrvpA/1

\2 A Defcription of the LET IV.
This Mulatto pretends to be a Chriftian *, and by
his Knowledge of that Religion, which he hath
acquired by the Advantage he hath of Reading
and Writing, might very well pafs for one-,
but his Courfe of Life is utterly contradictory :
For though he is Lawfully married in England,
he hath above eight Wives, and as many Miftref-
fes. But this the EngliJIi muft not take for Dif-
IkUieft or Irreligious, fince moft of, their chief
Officers or Governours follow the Mulatto's Exam
ple pretty clofe, for I believe that two of the pre
fent Agents have about fix.
In the Draught of Cabocorfe upon the Danijk
Mount (fo called becaufe the Danes poflefs'd it
before the Englifli) you may obferve another
Englifli Fort •, cf which they boaft as much
as we do of ours at St. Jago ; but without
the leaft Reafon , for it lay four Years
more like a defolate Country Cottage, than a
Fortrefs ; its fhattered Walls being mended with
Clay, and its Houfe within covered with Reeds,
as thofe of the Negroes •, and if I were an utter
Stranger to the Slovenlinefs of the Englifh , I
fhould admire why they are focarelefs of a place
of fo great an Importance : For if an Enemy be
comes Mafter of this Hill, and plants but fix Pie
ces of Cannon there, he is confequentially Mafter
of Cabocors alfo, it lying fo far at his Mercy that
he may from hence level it with the Ground ;
and yet it continued in this ridiculous Condition
all the laft War, and might eafily have been ta
ken by twelve Men ; and really we cannot help
wondering here to fee the Englifh regard nothing
fo much as enriching themfelves at the Expence
of their Mafters. v
But at laft , it Teems , fome well-meaning
Officer has informed the Gentlemen of the Afri
can Company in England, of the wretched ftate of
this

'LET. XIX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 5 :
this Fortrefs , for in the Year 1699. exprefs Or
ders came to repair and put it in a pofture of De
fence ; and ever fince they have been rebuilding of
it, Having intirely pulled down the old one. The
Agents obliged, me; with a fight of the Model;
purfuant to which that already finifhed is built, as
the whole is intended'; and by this I perceive they
donot defign to take ina largecompafs of Ground :
but when finifhed it will be fo ftrong that no Fort
on the Coaft will be compared to it. The Form
of it,, and the natural Strength of the Hill, which
they intend to cut fteep ; fo that but one accefs to it
fhall be left, will render it fo ftrong, that if well
ftored with Provifions, and well garrifened, it
cannot be taken without great Difficulty ; which
will be yet augmented if we confider that the E-
nemies, being unaccuftomed to the Air, and ap-
prehenfive of the Natives, can hardly befiege it :
Tfiey who would have it muft take it by Surprize;
for I. dare engage when it is finifhed the Englifli
may fafely depend on it: But the Building advan
ces fo flowly, that Heaven knows when that will
be. But to leave the Englifli to fhift for themfelves
and to come to our Defcription of Saboe, which
begins at the bottom of this Hill, . and ends about
half a Mile below Moureei being in its whole Ex
tent along the Shoar hardly two Miles long, and"
about twice as broad. From the DajUfli Mount 'tis
about a little half Mile to Congo, where we for- ,
merly had a fine Stone-houfe, divided and fituated
upon two Hillocks, where our Flag was planted ;
of whichvthere is only a fmall remainder left, fuf-
ficient to prove our Propriety : And indeed we
cannot expect any other Advantage by building
in this place than to keep out other Europeans -, for
if any pf them (hould fettle here , they might
very much prejudice our Trade at Mottree.

A Defcription tf the LET. IV.
Saboe is about equal iri Power with Commany, ,
id its Inhabitants exactly as^ great Villains, we
ing obliged fo blame their King, next the Englik^
ir the inifcaraage of ou*J Defign agdinft Com-
(tny. For this ignominious Wretch, under pretence
f being^ Moderator betwixt"; the Commanians
id us , abufed us feveral' times :by dilatory
id fraudulent Means; which though we plainly
iw^yet we were afraid to refent, leaft inftead of a
:ighed- Friend, we fhould make him our profefi
:d. Enemy : And for this Reafbn we were obliged
qt bnly to pais by his mean-fpirited Frauds uh-
bferved,; but fometimes alfo to inake him a, pre-
:nt. ;¦ ' !t . .
The Kigdom of Saboe produceth in great abiin-
ance, Corn, Jammes, Potatoes, arid other Fruits
f theEartfi;. with which , and Palm-Oil about an
undred Canoai ate daily laden at Mouree, bound
yc Axiin and Acra. ¦ 'J '* . ,
At Moimee about half a- Mile below Congo, ftands
ur Fort-M^TO*, built by oUr felves, which was our
hief place of Refidenee when the Portnguefe had
llmina-, and' really if EMiml -were not in 'being,
re needed nottobe afharned to own this for our chief
7ort. If is alrrioft fquare,'*the "'Front being' fbme"-i
/hat the broadeft.; it is provided with four Bat-
iries and- Eighteen Pieces of Cannon ; the Walls
re higher than thofe of' any Fort, except Elmina,
pon the whole Coaft ; the Curtain Jakes ;in the
wo Sea -Batteries, and is fb fpacio'us and cqnveni-
nt, that we might eafily make fuch a Battery
s the Englifli: have at Cabocors : .But its greateft
)rnaments and Conveniences are the four* Towers"
ilaced at its four Corners. Tohefhorr, this Fort
s next Elmina, our beft, as you may fee in the
)raughts of it, No. 6. and 7. It was formerly
arrifoned by feventy or eighty Men ; whbfe
umber at prefent is very much diminifhed, tho'
there

LET. IV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
there are enough ftill left to defend it againft the
Negroes. The Village Mouree lyingunderit,isnot fo large
as Elmina, but more populous •, the greateft part
of its Inhabitants are Fifher-men, who go out
every Morning four or five Hundred Canoas to
fifh, and upon their return are obliged to pay the
filth Fifh as Toll to ' our Factor, who governs
this Town. This fort of Toll we yet referee at
three places befides, viz. at Axim, Chama and
Elmina, by reafbn- we have conquered thefe places,
though I dare not affirm that' of "'Mouree. No" p-
ther Europeans have this peculiar Prerogative, nor
do any of them exercife fuch a Sovereign Autho
rity over their Negroe Subjects as we ; which is
indeed chiefly their own fault, and by their means
we have alfo loft fome of our former Power.
Before I leave Saboe I muft inform you that its
Natives have been longeft known to our Company,
whofe Directors have feen two of their Ambafia-
dors at Amfterdam, though fo long ago, that I
know nothing of their Reception or their Errand
to Holland ; of both which the prefent King is as
ignorant as my felf.
I defigned to have ended this Letter with the Sa-
hoean Couritry-.but having time enough on my Hands
to defcribe the Fantynean Land, I fhall take this
opportunity to do it. This Country Borders on
the Weft of Saboe-, the Iron Mount half a Mile
below Momee, being its Extremity : This Hill is
about a quarter of a Mile long, and hath on its
higheft part a charming Walk fo thickly fhaded
with Trees that the Light is obfcured at Noon-day.
From the foot of this Hill Fantyn extends it feif
about nine or ten Miles along the Sea-fide, being
alfo fome Miles broad.
The Englifli have a Fort in this Country befides
three Lodges, as we have a Fort here alfo. The

A Defcription of the LET. IV.
"xft Englifh Flag which offers it felf to our view
a our Defcent, is at hgenifian, where the intire
Jarrifpn confifts of one whole Englifh-waw, who
ies there : Js it ppffible for him to pfeferve the
lonour of the Flag ?
Haifa Mile below this, at Jnnamabo, the Englifli
lave a fmall, but very neat compact Fort. Not to
Ictain you by deferibing it I referr you to the
Draught, No. 8. and 9. In which you may ob
serve fome Ships in the Road, which is always
ull pf Englifh Ships. This place would afford
t confiderable Gold and Slave Trade, if the Eng-
ifb Interlopers did not carry it very near all,
md the Zeland Interlopers are fure to make ufe
af what opportunity the others leave.
The Englifli here are fo horribly plagued by the
Fantynean Negroes, that they are fometimes even
confined to their Fort, not being permitted to ftir
mt. And if the Negroes diflike the Governour of
:he Fort they ufually fend him in a Canoa in con-
:empt to Cabocon ; nor are the Englifli able to op-
pofe or prevent it, but are obliged to make their
Peace by a Prefent. ' The Town Amamako may
very well pafs for the ftrongeft on the whole
Hoaft, affording as many Armed Men as the whole
Kingdom of Saboe or Commany , and yet in pro
portion but a fifth part of Fantyn.
If the Fantyneans were not in perpetual Civil
Divifions, the circumjacent Countries would foon
find their Power by the Irruptions into their Ter
ritories. Befides that this Land is fo populous, it
is very rich in Gold, Slaves, and all forts of Ne-
cefiaries of Life ; but more efpecially Corn,which
they fell in large Quantities to the Englijb Ships :
This great Opulency has rendred them fo Arrogant
ind Haughty, that an European who would traf-
fick with, 'em is obliged to ftandbarero them. Here

LET. IV. Gold of Coaft Guinea. 57
Here is no King, the Government being in the
Hands of a Chief Commander, whom they call
their Brajfo, a Word importing Leader. He is a
fort of Chief Governour, and has the greateft
Power of any in the whole Land, but is fome-
what clofely reftrained by the old Men,
who are a fort of National Councellors, not
unlike fome European Parliament, acting per
fectly according tp their Inclinations, without
ronfulting the Brajfo ; befides thefe every part of
Fantyn hath alfo its particular Chief, who will fome*
times fcarce own himfelf Subject to the Brajfo, who
hath the ineffectual Name only of Supreme
Power. The In-land Inhabitants, befides Trading, are
employed in Tillage and drawing of Palm- Wine:
Of which they have a fort here call'd Quaker (which
fignifies the fame as in Englifli) from its extraordi
nary exhilarating Qualities, which are experienced
by. thofe who take large Draughts of it ; 'tis fold at
double the price of the common fort , and fb
. greedily bought up, that there is feldom enough
" for the demand.
The Negroes of Fantyn drive a very great Trade
with all fortsj of Interlopers, and that freely and
boldly in the fight of both Nations ; I mean the
Englifh and Dutch, neither of them daring to hin
der it : For if they fhould attempt it, 'twould
ruine them there, .we not having the leaft Power
oyer this Nation. There are, I believe, four Thou-
fand Fifhermen in this Country.
But to proceed on our Journey ; about half a
*Mile further, we come to Adja a Village,
| Where, as well as formerly at Amtamabo, we had a
*Fqrt, till by Treachery we were forced out of it
iby the Engfifl) -, who being jointly engarrifoned
'with our Men, treated them in a barbarous and

$ A Defcription of the LET. IV.
FJag upon a Negroe's Houfe here, . and their
Company hath one Faclor here to buy Millet of
the Fantyneayis for their Slave Ships ; but he find
ing greater Profit in trading with the Interlopers,
can fpare his Mailers Ships but a fmall fhare.
A little lower, juft at the Village, juftly called
little Cormantyn, ftands ourFortrefs Amfterdam; the
chief Refidence of: the EngUJh, till they were
driven from' thence by Admiral De Ruyters, An. \
1665. This Fort being fufficiently large, is \
ftrengthened by three fmall and. a fine large
Battery, . containing twenty Pieces of Camion :
See the Drawing No. 10 and ri. , The Governour
let over this Fort is a chief Facfor, as that of
.Monree. A moderate Charge would very much- im
prove this. Fortrefs*, but the Commerce of the
place not. being fbfEcient to j bear the Expence;, 'tis
better to let alone.: This Village is fo fmall- and
wretchedly poor it is not worth our thoughts. But
great C6r,mqnty\ a. 'Town which lies a Cannon-fhpt
below our Fort upon a high Hill, is {6 large'and
jpopulousitlaatit very well defeases* the Name of
Great : All the Inhabitants, befides Merchantils" '
Traders, are Fifhermen, amounting to the nam- J
ber of 7 or 800, and fometimesiooo; From this
place the Country of Fantyn reaches 7 or 8 Miles
on the Shore,' being all the way replenifhed with
fmall Villages very pleafant to obferve in paffing
by in a Canoa. ''¦¦-.<
At the end. of Fantyn the Englift) two Years paft-
planted another FJag, and began to build a JFort :
whether their Expectations1 were not fatisfied, or
they could not agree with the Negroes is uncertain ;
but at prefent they are endeavouring; to remove1 all
the Materialstfrom thence; which the Negroe Com
mander in Chief hath hitherto hindered,, and haiw
it will end Time muft difcover.

LET. IV. Gold fioaft of Guinea. 59
From what I have faid you may be informed
what places the Englift\ and we poifefs in Fantyn,
both of us having an eijual Power, that is, none at
all. For when thefe villanous People are ehclined
foit, they fhutupall the Paffes fo cfofe that no};
one, Merchant can poffibly come from the In-land
Country to trade with us, and . fometimes not
content withis, they prevent the bringing Provifi-
ons to us, till we have made Peace With them.
They have a hank upon us, we having formerly
contracted to give them a good Sum m of ready
"Money, befides 300 Gilders for every one of the
Companies Ships which for the future mould bring
any Goods hither ,in confideration of their Aid in the
taking Fort Amficrdampnd other auxiliayAfliftance,-
but in this Contract it was particularly ftipulated,
that Slave-Ships fhould be excepted rom paying any
thing : Nofwithftanding which they are now be?
come fo unreafonable,that they will make no differ
ence between Slave-Ships and others, obliging us e-
qually to pay for all ; and all our Remonftrances
that it is contrary to the Treaty are wholly inef
fectual ; for if we will live at quiet, we are always;
obliged to humour them. They alfo extort a good
Sum from the Englifli yearly. ; In fhort, they treat
'us both alike. But haying faid enough for this
time, I deiire you'd accept the repeated aflurances
of my Service, &c.

LET-

So A Defcription of the LET. V.
¦ " ' LETTER V.
Defcribing the. Country of Acron, and our
Fort thefe.: Agonna, and the Englifh Fort
there $ and lajily , the great Kingdom of
Aquamboe9 and the Englifh, Danifh and
Dutch Forts in it 5 together with fome re
markable Events in that Country.
SIR,
MY laft of the 27 — —Concluded with Fantyn.
The yet uridefcribed Remainder of the Gold
Coaft, contains; the Three following Kingdoms'
viz. Acron, Agonfta, and Aquamboe : The firft -
whereof borders"ori the Fantynean Count' y ; and
inihe middle of it, at the Village Apam, in the
Year 1697, W8 keSan to build a fmall Fort, or
rather Houfe, now fortified with two Batteries, as
the Draught will better inform you No. 12 and 13.
To this we have given the Name of fort Leydfaamr
heyd, i. e. Patience, becaufe we met with fufficientv.
opportunity of exercifing that Vertue in building
of it, by the frequent oppofitions of the Negroes.
Our chief Factor there, by the deadnefs pf Trade,"
and the depraved Nature of the Inhabitants, is fo
perplexed, that he hath enough to do to keep his
Temper. I never was fo deceived in my
Expectation as by thefe Natives ; they appeared fo
well at firft, that by my Advice the building of
this Fort was very much expedited ; but I foon
enough repented of it. Upon the two Batteries
ire eight Pieces of Cannon; but its greateft Strength
ind Ornament is derived from a fine Turret be-
Fore it.
The

LET.V. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 6*1
The Village which lies under it is very little,
•and formerly, as well as now, only inhabited by
Fifhermen. But this place, as well as allAcron, is
very conveniently fituated for Trade ; and if the
Natives were more tradable, might in few Years
become a populous Town. Acrop, as I told you,
is a Kingdom ; but its King under the Protection
of his principal Subjects, efpecially his Nephew
and General : This is a moft pernicious Villain,
whofe Savage Humour occafioned all the Differen
ces we have had, and the oppofition we have met
with here. I have feveral times difcourfed with
him, and tho' I could not difcover any Capacity
in him that he was a Man of the leaft Judgment;
yet the whole Council turns upon and centers in
him. The reft of the Chiefs are all very good
Men, and are not for pufhing on War. The King,
who is about feventy years of Age, is an extraor
dinary good-natur'd Man, with whom I have of
ten been very merry : He is thought to be the
richeft Prince in Ready- money on the whole Coaft
(except the King ofAquamboe ;) and yet I have ob
served him fo meanly robed, that all he had about
him was not worth half a Crown.
The People of Acron feldom or never, enter into
War ; for having chofen the Fantyneans for their
Protectors, none dare injure or attack them ; by
which they have a very good opportunity of til
ling their Land in quiet ; and they accordingly
husband their Time and Ground fo well, that e-
very Year produceth a plentiful Harveft ; a great
part of which Crop they difpofe of to other
Countries. Harts, Hares, Partridges, Pheafants,
and other Wild-fowl and Quadrupedes are here in
great abundance, and very good. About three
or four Months paft, three or four Friends and my
felf had the Diverfion of taking a Hare in a man
ner not very common. Behind our Fort, which

62 A Defcription of the LET: V.
is built on a Hill, is A Vale about a Mile fquare,,
where there were abundance of Hay-cocks ; here,
about Twi-light, we met a^ young Hare , that
being purfued by rhy Dog, took refuge in a Hay
cock ; in which, though we made a diligent fearch,
we could riot find him, till at laft burning the
Haycock, to our mighty furprize, we fourid the
Hare fitting under the Afhes of the Hay unhurt,
arid carried her alive with us to Elmina. Frorri
this Accident, and the vaft quantities of Hares,
Iqueftibnno't but a good pack of exquifite Hun
ters would have very good Sport here.
Acron is divided into Little and Great Acron.
Little Acron is that which we have defcribed : Great
Acron is further Inland, and its Government is
a fort of Republick, if not Anarchy ; and though
thefe are two Countries, and have no dependance on
each other, ¦ yet they live in perfect. Amity;
A little below our Fort a Salt River takes its
Courfe Inland about a Mile, which abounds both"
in Fifh and Fowl, and is confequently very plea
fant. About a Mile forther Eaftward, in the Country
bf Agoma, is a' very high Hill, called Monte de
Diable, of Devils Mount ; to whom it is often pre-
fented by the Seamen, becaufe being very high,
they often fee it, at a diftance long before they
can reach it, when the Wind is contrary. This
Hill is reported to be inriched with i*aft quant;-;
ties of Gold ; of which it is alfo affirmed, that
the Agcmiaftan Negroes after violent Showers, ga-'
ther it to a confiderawe value, the Rain having
wafhed it off with the Sand. This Year one"
Mr. Baggs died at Cabocors, vjho was Agent for
the Eygltfli, and enrrufted with a more ample Corn--
million than any of his'Predeceflbrs, or the three'
together who ufed to govern, had been charged
with for feveral Years. This exteufive Gommif- Trnil

ET. V. Gold Coaft of Guinea. £%
Ion, if we may believe the Englifli, was given him
by the Directors of the African Company, becaufe
he had informed them of , and promifed to dig
Gold, or Gold Odr, out of this Hill, and fend it
over to them. To this - purpofe he brought all
manner of neceffary Inftruments along with him.
But I am certain if he had purfued his Defign ef
fectually, the Agonnajians would have treated him
and his Men as ill as the Commanians did us^
which, I believe, his Succeffors will wifely con-
fider. Agorma begins with or about this Hill ; and is
at prefent, as it hath for fome time paft, been-go-
verned by a Woman, with as much Courage and '
Conduct as other Countries are ruled by Men. I
don't remember arty other Kingdom amongft the
Negroes where the Supremacy defcends to Females
as well as Males. This Governefs is fo wife, that
to keep the Government entirely in her own hands',
fhe .lives lunmarfied. But that fhe may not re
main a perfect ftranger to the foft Paffion, fhe-
generally buys a bjrisk jolly Slave, with whom
the diverts her felf , prohibiting him on forfeiture
of his Head to intrigue with any other Woman :
And when the Youth hath loft his Charms, or her
Paffion palls, he is exchanged for another ; tho'
fome, will not allow her lb honourable as to be fa-
tjsfied with one at a time ; if fhe fhould, 'twould
difcover a natural Chaftity and Virtue , fince,
checked by no Religion or Law, fhe is fo perfect
ly Miftrefs of her Favours , that fhe may confer
them on whom fhe pleafeth without Fear or
Scandal. About the middle of Agonna the Englifh built a
fmall Fort in the Year 1694, a Draught whereof
fee No. 14 and 1 5. It is covered with a flat Roof,
and hath four Batteries, fo large that a Man may
i-irt/Vl-.- Irti-tt-* mrnf fnam iirif r\r\n4- n C#-••/-*¦l?• . oirtH 4~b%a.

54 A Defcription of the L E T, V,
Guns are of a proportionable bignefs, one of
them difcharging a half Pound Ball : In fhort,
it is like our Forts at Boutry, Zaconde, Chama
and Apam, and theirs at Dickjefchoqf ,' a Fort
which wants another to defend it. The adjacent
Village, by fome called Wimba, and others Simpa,
is about as large as other Villages commonly aire,
chiefly inhabited by Fifhermen, and very agree-
ibly fituated amongft Trees. Trade is here
at as low an Ebb as at Apam ; but when the Wars
in the In-land Country come to an end, both
places will be found well fituate for Commerce.
Agonna furpaffes Acron in Largenefs, Power^- '
md Riches ; though in Fertility and Pleafantnefs <
hey are very near equal ; only the former is a-
lorned with a beautiful large frefh River,- which
joth the Englifli and Negroes affirm to abound as
plentifully with Oyfters, and other Fifh, and all
brts of Apes, as any on the -whole Coaft. Having
lotobferved it my felf, I am obliged to relate this
in report.
We come next to the laft Country on the
Jold Coaft, namely that of Aquaniboe ; the great-
ft part of which is fituate Inland ; but I fhall de-
bribe it among the Kingdoms of the Coaft, be-
aufe we have a daily and confiderable Traffick
rith them, ; and their King extends his Power -
ver the Negroes of the Coaft above twenty Miles;
nd notwithftanding thefe are governed by feve-
d Kings, I' fhall venture to add them to his
erritories, he equally exercifing an unlimited
svereignty over them and his own Subjects.
'is Arbitrary Defpotick Power occasions the Pro-^
:rbial faying, That there are only two forts of
[en in Aquaniboe, of which the King and his
fiends are one, and then* Slaves the other $ fo
at he wants no other. Attendants than thofe of
s own Houfe.
m The

LET. V. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 6*5
The Aquaniboe Negroes are very Haught)*-, Ar
rogant and War-like ; their Power is alfo, very
terrible to ill their Neighbouring Cburttries, except
Akim : The Nations under their Power, are jnife-
rably tormented with the daily plundering, or
rather robbing Vifits^ the Aqttctmboean Soldiers
make them, they not daring to oppofe 'em in the
leaft, for fear the King, who never fails feverely to
revenge his Soldiers Quarrels,' fhould hear of it.
Some time paft the Aquamboean Government was
*adminiftred by two, viz. the Old and Young
King, though the latter is excluded on pretence
of his Minority, • by his Fathers Brother, affifted
by his own Mother ; fo that the Uncle reigned in
conjunction with his Father. This double Hierar
chy was found extremely prejudicial to the Sub
jects, who were fure to fufFer from the one as
well as the, other Tyrant ; till' the Year 1699.
when the old King dying, the young one eftabliflv
ed himfelf folely on the Throne, utterly exclu
ding the other;- and reigning at prefent. The old
King was a Man of a Wicked, Abject Temper,
and an inveterate Enemy to the Europeans -, and
though he received from the Englifh, Danes, and
us, an Ounce of Gold, in recognition of the Li
berty given us by his Predeceffbrs to build ih his
Dominions ; yet he horridly plagued us, and
that in fo unreafonable a manner, that if he did
but Fancy -any of us nad injured him, he was
fure to oblige us all three to Satisfaction, by fhuc-
ting up the Paffes foclofely, that not fo much as A
fingle Merchant could get to us : So that 'tis not
to be doubted but his Death hath, and will contri
bute to the Advancement of the European Tlade* '
here ; the prefent King being a more Intelligent
and Rational Negroe, as well as a Friend to the
Enfopeaits, efpecially the Hollanders ; which plainly
appeared in hi? dangerous IUnefs, that his Conn*

A Defcription of the LET. VI
tryPhyficians could not cure ; for thenhe Confident
ly entrufted himfelf in our Hands;- coming in Per-
bn to our Fort with" a few of his Attendants, and
r elided there for fome time, being roughly
gnough handled by our Barber, but luckily almoft
cured : His Diftemper being of that Nature, that
he canipt expect to be intirely freed from its Effects ;
and he is accordingly -at prefent not only inca-
abk of procreating Children, but of the enjoyment
pf." any of his Wives ; of which he hath a large
number. . . ,
Exceffive Venery in his Youth, occafioned his
Indifpofition ; his Wives who endeavoured to re-
ftraiii him he rewarded with broken Heads, tho'
he hath too late fufficiently repented of it : And
'tis, indeed Pity, for he is a clean well-fhaped Ne*
gvoe^ and in the Flower of his Age.
In the time of the old King we were.very defi-1
rous to' build a Fort, and accordingly begun it at
t% Village Ppm*i,;<-at'the,encf of the Gold CoafL
But when our Ship with building Materials arri
ved at.-Ara, being informed that Ado was gone
with his Army againft the Enemies, .for fear the .
old King fhould too, much impofe on us we de-
fifted ; in which we, were very fortunate by reafon '
w^ fhould only have put our felves to unnecef fary;
Expence; for at this time we find the Trade not fa
considerable as was pretended ; and that a Lodge1
with .a Man or tWG arS fufficient : Wherefore!;
without a Very great Alteration of the Pofturd
of Affairs, I don't believe that a Fort will ever be
built, there. ,i
I have before hinted to you, that we, as well
as the Englifli and Danes, have a Fort at Acra, all
which three m*J be reckoned amongft the beft
Forts on the Coaft." Steering 6ur Courfe EaftV
wards, the firft we meet with in our way is that
pf fhe Englifli ; which is a well-built fquare Fort,
-, : with

L E T. ¦' V. Gold Coaft ^Guinea.
'with four Batteries ; its Walls', high and thick, ef
pecially on that fide towards us fomewhat thicker
than ordinary ; 'tis furniihed with twenty five
Pieces ; the greateft part of which arefo fmall and
. flight, that if they fhould be' atacked they would
do very wellrto exchange them for twelve good
heavy Guns : Its fifuation you ingy better obferve
from the Draughts, No. 16 and, 17. This, like all
the Englifli Forts, is very meanly garrifoned, as if
it were fufficierit- to build Forts, furniih them with
Gannon and, neceffary Provifions, without. Men :
In which the Englifh are every where deficient ;
>*Mid it Were well if others did not too clofely fol
low their Example. But of that no more at pre
fent, not doulppSilP but thbfe. whom it concerns
will in time amend that Fault.
Within Carmon-fhot below this, lies our Fort
Creveceur ; how proper it is for the Refidence of
a chief Governour the , Trade thereabouts will de
cide. This;Fort furpaffes the Englifli in largenefs
and good Gurts, though about equal in ftrength,
except only .that our Walls are thinner than
, theirs, and confequently cannot endure fo great a
|"5hock : And indeed 'tis to hewifhed that we may
live in Peace with, that Nation ; for if it fhould
happen otherwife both have here a convenient op-
l portunity of continually exchanging -very rough
and warm Salutations. The Draught of this
Fort you will find No. 18 and 19. „:
.Exactly a Cannon-fhot below ours ftands the
- Danifli Fort Chriftiaanjburg ; the only one
they have * on this Coaft, which was taken from
them by the Negroes, Anno 1 69 3. when they irt-
; tirely ftriptitand kept it for fome time. This mis
fortune of the Danes was occafioned by the Death
of feveral of their . Garrifon ;• and though We
f; .could not but' bemoan* their hard Fate, yet it was
I: reallv diverting to 'obferve, what work the Ne-

A Defcription of the < \J&T V-
woes made with the Forrrefs : Their Commander
dffammeni dreffed himfelf in the Danifl) Govemour's
Habit, and caufed himfelf to be complimented by
hat Name ; in acting which part he occafioned
feveral very comical Scenes ; he thundred at all the r
Englifh and Zealandifli Interlopers by way of Salute ¦
with his Cannon, as if there would never be an ^
end' of the Powder, and remained in Poffeffiori "
of the Fort till two Danifl} Ships arrived on the
Coaft ; when, by means of a very confiderable
Prefent to the King of Aquamboe, but more' efpe-
rially by our Inrerceffion, it was re-delivered to .
them. Which Service they afterwards as bafely as
ungratefully rewarded ; but they were no great ,
Gainers by it ; for to Garrifbn their Fort, they
were obliged to leave their Ships fb poorly Man
ned that they became a Prey to the Pirates in the "
fight of Guinea. ..
This Fort vvould be too ftrong for the united'";
Force of the' Englifli Fort and ours. It is a fquare
Building, ftrengthened with four Batteries, and to
the beft of my Memory twenty Guns. It appears
very beautiful, and looks as if it twere but one
continued Battery -, as it is really in Effect; for
the Rpof being intirely fiat, the Cannon may
conveniently be planted on all parts of it. The
Draughts are worthy your curious Perufal, No.
20 and 21. and I doubt not but will pleafe you.
Thus I have fent you ^all the Draughts of the
whole, Coaft, from Elmina to Acra -, and when ano-
ther* Drawer comes hither, you may expect thofe
Weft of Elmina, which will, make up the fame
ijumber of eleven : I have taken care you fhould
have two Views, viz. Eaft and Weft, though I
won't .promife as not having a Compafs with us,
that they are not fometimes two, or three Points
varied ; but that Heave the Skillful to correct. 'Tis

LET. V. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 69
'Tis now time to proceed to the more In:land
part of Aquamboe. Though the Englifli, Danes and
we have Forts here, yet our Authority is very
fmall, and confined, within our own Walls : So
that the Forts only fetve to defend our felves ; for
if we "fhould, make any Attempts on the Negroes,
they would certainly end in our Deftruction.
Each Fort hath its ad jaeent Village, diftinguifhi-
ed by its particular Name, though the general one
is Acra ; the Name of this Country, which was
formerly a Kingdom, " whofe Inhabitants were
conquered by the Aquamboeans, and driven [to a
place called Little Popo , which at prefent contains
the remainder of the great Kingdom of Acra.
It might be reafonably conjectured, that the three
feveral Companies Trading here , might be
apt fo to clafh with one another that it might be
fatal to the whole Commerce : But Experience
proves the contrary ; for here is fuch great plenty
of Gold and Slaves, that no one is in danger of
wanting its fhare; and each is flocked with . '
Commoditiesjwhich the other hath npt,which very
. often tends to the promotion of Trade.
, At this place alone fometimes more Gold is re-
ceived, than on the whole Coaft beides ; arid its
Traffiek would be yet enlarged, if .the Negroes of
.Aquamboe and Akim could agree, as they generally
are at difference ; the latter pretending a Feudal
Right over the former, and fubfequent thereto de
manding an Annual Tribute of fhem\; which the
Aquamboaans .will by no means fubmit to, ss
.knowing very well that , a ConCef lion of that Nature ,
may in time coft them their whole Country. But
the King is fubtle enough to know how by fair ?
Words and Prefents to fow Diffentions betwixt
the Governing Men. of Akim, and thereby preferve
his Dominions in Peace and a profperous Trade?. >^

A Defcription of the LET. V.
Having formerly hinged the Extent of, this
Country ; I fhall now add, that thetKipg and his
Cobles, or rather Favourites, are fp,, very rich in
3old and Slaves, that I am of Opinion this Coun-
ry finglypoffeflethgreaterTreafures than all thofe
ve have hitherto defcribed taken together : The
hief Employments of the Inhabitants , are. Mer-
handife, Agriculture and War ; to which laft they
ire particularly addicted.
Though the Soil is fufficiently Fertile, yet they
rommonly fall, fhort of Provjfiops towards the
iatter end of the Year,and accordingly are obliged,
to fetch them from other places. ; . ¦ ,
They don't trouble themfelves with Fifhing,
nor with the Boiling of Salt, though this Country
affords a .vaft plenty of it ; that they leave .
to the Coaft Aegroes, who are either born here, or
come from other places hither to live '; and are
very numerous and ferve to People feveral .fine
Towns: Thefe not content _ with Fifhing and
the preparation of Salt, drive as confiderable
Trade with Foreign Ships as thofe of Axim and
Fantyn. The number of Slaves fold here at
leaft equals what are difpofed of on the whole
Coaft (Annamabo not excepted ;) this Country be
ing continually in War, with fome of the circum
jacent Nations, who are very populous, and from
whom they take a vaft number of Prifaners $ moft
qf which they fell to the Europeans.
1 If I have before talk'd of Negroes who followed
the Wars, you muft not from thence infer that
they make, that their whole Employment i No,
it is but one prrt, Iaffur,eyou; and all the Ner
groes^ in general are Soldiers as long as the War
continues, if at leaft they are but able to buy Arms,
pr their Matters beftow any on them ; and the
War ended' each Man applies himfelf to the Ext
crcjfe qf his particular Calling ; But if there
happens

LET.V. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 71
happens to be any of fuch a turbulent Nature
that they cannot live out of the Camp, they go
to ferve in the Neighbouring Wars ; and thue are
in a ftricter fence called Soldiers. Amongft the
Fifhermen there are very few Soldiers ; for they
living upon the Shoar and under our Protection,
are -not frequently "attack'd by Enemies; and
therefore are feldom furnifhed with Arms.
Having run through the whole Gold Coaft ;
I fhall now, Sir, ¦ allow you time to entertain
your felf with its- Defcription, defigning in my
next to inform you of the In-land Countries
whence the Gold is brought to the Coaft, as far as
they have, fallen under my Cognizance : In the
mean time, I -hope, -what I have already done
hath afforded' you at leaft fome Satisfaction'; in
¦ which expectation I remain, Sir, Yours, &c.

F4 LET-

72 A Defcription of thef LET. VI.
t E TIE R VI.
Treating of the Countries where. the Gold is
digged $. the -cruel Wars nnd utter Deftrutii-
on of fome of them, , The Negroes manner
of fearching for Gold. . The feveral forts of
Gold. Hoxpfalfe Gold is bought, andhoto
deteBed. Of Gold Weights : And, laft ly,
a Reflection concerning the Digging of Gold 5
that it is Feafible to be done more fuccefs-
fully and to a better Advantage by the Eu
ropeans,
SIR,
BE pieafed to accept this as a Performance pf
my Promife to defcribe rhofe Countries from
whence the Gold is brought : To which I fhall
add, the manner how Gold is found or digged;
the feveral Species pf it, and the Weights it is
weighed by : An account of the falfe Gold, and
whatever elfe fallsTjiider that Head? ' *
The firft Country which produceth Gold is
Dirikira, fituate To far In-land that our Servants
are commonly five Days in going from Elmina
to it, and from Axm it is above ten Days Jour--
ney -, not fb much, on account of its realdiftance
from either place, as becaufe of thebadnefs of the
Roads, to a degree which frequently obliges them
» to gp double the compafs of Ground, 'that would
ptherwjfe be neceffary -, and that the Negroes ei
ther cannot or will not help.
This Country, formerly rfftrained to a fmall
compafs of Land, and containing but an inconfider?
ab}e number pf Inhabitants, is, by their Valour,
f *b

LET. VI. Gold' of Coaft Guinea. 73
fo improved in Power, that they are reflected
and honoured by all their Neighbouring Nations;
all which they have taught to fear th'em, except
Aflante and Akim, who are yet ftronger than
they. They are.poflefled of vaft Treafures of Gold, \
befides what their own . Mines fupply them I
With; either by Plunder from others, or their I
own Commerce ; in which they are abundantly \
more expert than any other Negroes : Befides \
which tliey have three Countries in fubjection to
them ; each of which produces fome, though not
fo much Gold, viz. Vajfa, Encajfe and Juffer i
each of thefe borders upon one another, and the
laft upon Commany. The Gold of thefe Countries,
their own, and what they brought from othei:
parts, fatisfied ,the demand of the whole Coaft
from Axim to Zaconde, about three Years paft,
during the Commanhn Wars : But fince our Peace
with the Commanians, the Roads being free and
open to the Merchants, the diftance of feveral
placesfrom them, makes them not travel farther
at prefent than to Chama, Commany $ Elmina and
Cabocors : Wherefore the higher Coaft is not extra ^
ordinarily flipped with Golds for though there
are fome Countries betwixt Dinkira and them
which have Gold. Mines ; to inftance, in Eguira
and Adorn, befides Abocroe and Ancober, which al
fo have a fmall lhare ; yet all added together will
-not ainbunt to a quantity fufficient to fupply all y
the upper Forts. In the Year 1694. I heard the
Brandenburgherj qomplain. that they could not
receive two Marks of Gold in a whole Mouths, ,
time; nor did we fare much better in our Forts,
Trade being extremely dull at that time.
The Gold which is brought us by the D'mkirans
is very pure, except only that 'tis too much
mixed with fetiche' s% which are a fort of Artifi- *•

74 / A Defcription of <he LET. VI.
rial Gold comppfed of feveral Ingredients ; a-
rnpng which fome of them ate very odly fhaped.:
Tbefe Fetiche's:, they baft (in Moulds made of ,3
fort of black and very heavy Earth)!, into what
Form they pleafe ; and this Artificial Gold is,fr#r
quen'ly mixed with a third part, and fometimes
with naff Silver and Copper, and confequently
lefs worth, and yet we are peftered with it on all
parts of the Cpaft; and if we refufeto receive, it,
fome Negroes are fo unreafonablft that they will
undeniably take back all their pure Gold : So that
wiare obliged fometimes tpfoffer. them to fhufSe
in fome of it. There are alfo Fetiches eaft of
unalloyed Mountain G-old ; which very feldom
come to our, Hands, becaufe they ..keep them to
adorn themfelves : So that if ever we meet with
them, thofe who part, with them are obliged rait
by Neceffity, or they are filled with the mention
ed black heavy Earth ; with which the Unfkilnil
are liable to be bafcly cheated, receiving infteadi'
of Gold frequently half the weight in this fort
pf Earth.  # ., , . ._; _ v, ,
By what hath been faid,^ybu may imagine how
Rich and Potent the Kingdom^ of sDinkira was.
But a few Mon.th^aft it was fo entirely deftroy'd,
that it lies at prefent defojate and wafte. Certaia-
ly it J cannot be unpleafant to inform yop how
fuch a fatal1 and fudden Deftruction fell upon this
fo pptent^a Land,as well as whence their Ruin pro
ceeded ; which I am obliged, to take from the Re
port pf foirie of the Negroes ; $md;the Event hath
given me fufficient Reafon to believe they told
v Truth. -y,
%, Dinkira, elevated by its. great Riches and Pow
er, became fo arrogant, that it looked on all other
Ngroes with a contemptible Eye, efteeraing them
no qjiOTe than its Slaves ; which rendred; it the
.Cffect of their, qemmon Hatred, each impatient-
• -.: * ' h lv

LET. VI. Gold Coaft of Guine^. 75
lywifhing its downfal; tho' no Nation was fo
hardy as to attack it, till the Ki-rig of Aflcmte,
injured and affronted by its Governour, ad ven
tured, to revenge himfelf on this Nation in a fignal
manner. . *
The occafion>of which was this.' Boflantefhe King
of Dinkira, a yonng Prince, whofe Valour was
'become the Admiration of all the Ngroes of the
Coaft, ferit fome of his Wives to complement Zay,
".theKing of AJiante ; who not only received and
entertained them very civilly, but fent them back
charged with feveral very confiderable Prefents to
Mprefs his obliging Refentment of the grateful
Embaffy : And being refolved to return his Obli
gation, he fome time after fent fome of his
Wives to complement the King of Dhtkira, and af
'Aire him of the great Efteem he had for his Perfon.
Thefe .AmbafTadrefTes were not left fplendidly
treated at Dinkira, being alfo loaded with Prefents ;
but the King eaft a. wanton Eye upon one of 'them; •¦
and hurried .on by exorbitant Luft, gratified his
brutal Defire : After fatiating of which, he fufter'd
her together with the reft to return to their Coun
try ,and their injured Husband,who was informed of
this Affront : But'he took care to make the King
Df Dinkira fenfible, that he' would not reft till he
had, wafhed away the Scandal in his injurious Blood.
After he was made fenfible of the King of AJianie's
Refolution, knowing very well who he had to deal
with, he heartily wifhed he had not been guilty
of the Crime ; but fince it was done, he ofFered
him feveral hundred Marks of Gold to put up
the /Injury. The inraged Prince, deaf to all fuch
Offers, prepared himfelf for a vigorous War, by
railing a ftrong Army, in order to make a De-
fcent on Dinkira: And not being fufficiently fto-
red with Gunpowder, he bought up gre,at quanti
ties on the Coaft. The Dinkircms being fooliih'e-

ip- A Defcription of the' L E T. V
nough to affift him th&mfelves, fuffered his Sub
jects to pafs with it uninterrupted through ' tbeii
Country, notwithftanding they knew ,verj well i\
was only defigned for their Deftru&ion. Whilfi
he was making thefe Preparations, the Kingol
Dinkira died ; which might encourage a belie]
that the impending Cloud of War would blow o
ver. Whether the Governours of Dinkira were toe
haughty to implore a Peace of the injured Zay, 01
he inftigated by the Enemies of that Country, if
Uncertain : But he ftill immoveably perfifted in
his purpofe of utterly extirpating the Dinhirans
And about the beginning of this Year , beinj
compleaf Iy ready, he .came with a terrible Armj
into the Field ; and engaging fhe Dmkirans, whe
expected him, he beat them ; but fighting them i
'/fecond time, he entirely defeated them. Tta
.Negroes report, that in thefe two Battlesabove a
; hundred thoufand Men were killed : Of the Ne
groes of Akim only, who came to the affiftance ol
¦the Dinkirans there were about 30000 killed ;. be-
ffides that a great Caboceer of Akim, with all his
Men, were cut off. What think you,, Sir > thefi
are ptfier forts of Battles than are ufually foughl
betwixt the Kings here ; who if they fhould ob.
lige all their Subjects, even the lame, decrepil
and blind to come into the Field, could not raifi
fuch a number. The Plunder after this Victory
took up the Afantines fifteen days time, (as is
faid, but perhaps largely enough;) that Zafs Boo
ty aloue" amounting to feveral thoufand Marks ol
Gold,as is affirmed by one of our European Officers
who was fent on fome' Embaffy to Zay, and fays
he had feveral times feen the Treafure. This
Mefienger of ours, who is now in the Apantear
Camp, hath Orders to take an exact Account ol
what he hears and^ fees there : Of which I wifh 1
bad a Tranfcript, which I doubt not would for
» x nifl

L ET. VI. Gold Coafl of Guinea. x yf
nifh fome extraordinary, Matter : But to defer this
to another time. Thus"you fee the towrihg Pride
of Dinkira in Afhes, they being forced to fly be
fore, thofe , whom they not long before thought no
better than their Slaves, and themfelves being now
¦fold for Slaves. We have not yet received the Par*
hculars of this whole Affair -, but this Account of
it coming to hand, I thought fit to impart it to
you. '
Next Dinkira we come in order to the defcription
of Acanny, whofe Inhabitants, long before the Dinki^-
rans,were famed for great Traders; and brought the
Gold of AJiante aiid Akim, together with fome of'
. their own, hither to^Market: And that which they
vended was always fo .pure and fine, that to?
this 'day the beft Gold is called by the Negroes^
Acanni Ska, or Acanny Gold. They ufually carrrei
in Company with the Inhabitants of Cabe— -
fterra (a Country between them and Saboe) with
their . Goods , to Elmina , Cabocors, % Mouree1 i
. Amamabo, Cormantim, and as fat as the Englifli,
Village Simpa. Their Gold was never mixt with
Fetiches, like that of Dinkira, and therefore much
more valuable; but they were very troubfefome *
to deal withal, though not fo peevifh and pofitive
as thofe of Dinkira, and always obliged us to com
ply with their own • Humour : . But for three
Year's paft. we have not much reafon to complain,
of them, they not having traded for much : For
they, on what account I am ignorant, falling out
with the Dinkirms, were fo beaten that all their
Governing Men, and no fmall number of the In-
feriour People were killed and taken Prifbners ;
- to redeem which out of Slavery, they were obliged . ^
to ftrip themfelves of all they were poffefied of ;
in the World ; by which mean's^ they were redu
ced to the utmofr* Poverty and Inability to defend
" themfelves : But the Dinkirans themfelves being

nAti*

>g ADeftripnottof the LET. VI
now ruined, as well. as they, and having declare*
for the King' of; AJiante, perhaps thefe may reco
ver fome' of their Ancient Luftre.
: Akim, is the next in our way, which fumifhe
as large Quantities of Gold as any Land tha
I know ; and that alfo the moft valuable and pun
of any that is carried from this Coaft : it is eafily
djftingtiifhed by its deep colour. Acra at prefeni
carries away the greateft part of this Metal frorr
hehce ; and from the Amain alfo we have it verj
good and ; pure, without . Fetiche's or Kakeraas
Having feveral times heard that Akim was ai
extrz ordina-iy large Country, I once took the op
portunity of afking fome of the Akimefe hoM
many Days: Journey their Country was ; they
replied, that very few Natives 'knew how far it
extended In-land towardsthe Barbary-Coar\{- whici
according to what they told me,was incredible.Thli
Country, for.as'far as it is known to us, was for
merly under a Monarchal Government ; but the
prefent Succeffor being yet buty»ung, and betray
ing but too palpable Signs of a cruel Nature, hatf
not been able to make himfelf Mafter of the whofc
Land, but is obliged to be content with -a part:
For the Governing Men of the Kingdom fearing
he. will prove a great Tyrant, to reftrain him
have taken a part of the Adminiftration irftotheh
Hands : So' that it is a fort" of Commonwealth :
which proves very well for Accany and Aquamboe
for if the; Government became Monarchal, nc
Djvlfions would arife amongft them, and the}
would be at leifure to prey on their Neighbours.*
We hav e always efteerhad the three rnenti«Ae^
Countries the richeft in Gold ; but that there cer,
tainly are feveral more is undeniable. AJiante i<
a -convincing Proof of this, which being but latel
knowri to us, we find to .afford more Gold tha
Dinkira ;, alfo Anmfe, a Country fituate betwii Afiam

LET, VI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 7£
jfiante-Xid Dinkira-, as there are undoubtedly ma
ny mpre, with which we are yet utterly unac
quainted. , Jkine muft not here be forgotten. I take it '
to "be the very firft on the Gold Coaft, and to
lie far above Axim. From the Inhabitants of this
Country we formerly ufed to receive la^ge
Quantities of fine and pureGold ; and they being
the civileft and faireft Dealers of all the Negroes,
we traded with them with a great deal of Pleafure ;
but the JDinkirans, l who would lord it over all
their Neighbouring Nations, fiibdued this ; fince
.which time we have not received much Gold of
them. In the Conqueft of this Land, the Dinki-
rtms made a brave and obftinate Refinance, and
had no doubt been fbbdued themfelves if the Na-
, tives of JLwine could- have been unanimous ; for
, the Dinkirans in one Battle with .a Governour of
theirs loft above two Thoufand Men, and left the
mentioned Governour fuch an Abfolute Victory,
that there was not a fingle Perfon left to carry the
News to D/*;Hra,"they being all kiHed with poy-
foned Arrows ; which the Awinefelnnow very well
how to ufe. Upon this Defeat the Dinkirans got <
together a larger Army; which theVictorious Awinefh
* uriderftanding, fent to his Country -men for farther
Affiftance; inftead of which he met with nothing'
but 'Derifion, they accufing him of Cowardice ;
and replying, that he was able to beat the Dinki
rans ; but if he , was^ beaten then it was their
turn to come and fight them Man by Man. Thus
fighting one againft one they loft their Country
^ and themfelves intirely, almoft in the fame man-
I ner'that the Cbinefe were1 conquered by, the Tartars;
whereas if they would have united they might eafi
ly have beaten the Dinkirans.
From what I have faid you may collect, that
the Gold is brought to us on the Coaft from In-
linn

8e , A Defcription of the LET, VI,
land Countries; and from the little that hath been
hinted, yon mxy alfo imagine how they are fitu*
ated. I, cannot inform you better, becaufe the Ne
groes cannot give any certain account of them,
nor dp -any of our People go fo far ; Wherefore
I muft-beg of you, my goqd Friend, to be. con
tented, and turn your Eyes to what I fhall pre
fent you concerning the Gold it felf. '_¦¦ JS
There is no fmall. number of Men in Europe
who believe that" the Gold Mines are in our
Power ; that we, like the Spaniards in the Weftf1
Indies ; have no more to do but to work them by
our Slaves : Though you perfectly know we have
no manner of accefs to thefe Treafures, ; nor do I
believe that any of our People have ever feen one
of them r Which you will eafily credit, when you
are informed that the Negroes efteem them Sacred^
and confequently take all ppffible care to keep us
from them. But to come nearer the Subject:
This Illuftrious Metal is generally found in three
forts of places : Firft, the beft is forind in or be
twixt particular Hills ; and the Negroes appre
hending where the Gold is, dig Pits; and
feparate it from the Earth which comes out with
it. ' *
The fecond place is in, at, and about fome Ri
vers and Water-falls; whofe violence wafheth
down great Quantities of Earth* which carry the
G'pld with it.
The third is on the Sea fhore -, where (as at EU
mina a^d Axim) there are little Branches or Rivulets;-
into which the Gold is driven from Mountainotftv
Places, as well asrq the Rivers ; and after violent
Showers of Rain in the Night, next Morning thefe
places are fure to be vifited by hundreds of Negroe-
Women naked , except a Cloth wrapped about
them to hide whatModefty obligeth. Each of. thefe
Women isfurnifhed with large and fmall Troughs or

LET. VI. * Gold Coaft of Guinea. *r
or Tray, which they firft fill full bf Earth and
Sand, which they walh with repeated frefh'
Water, till they have cleanfed it from all its
Earth ; and if there be any Gold, its Ponde-
rbfity forces it to the bottom of the Trough ;
which if they find, it is thrown into the fmall
Tray,' arid fo they go to wafhing it again : which
Operation generally holds them till Noon :• Soirie
f||f them not getting * above the value of Six
pence ; fome or them find pieces; of fix or fe-
ven Shillings, though not frequently ; and of
ten they Entirely loofe their labpur. Thus the
digging of Pits,, the gathering it, at or a-
bout the Rivers, and this laft mentioned
manner , are all the ways they krio\v to come
at Gold. , ; ¦ _ *¦
• The Gbld thris digged or fourid, is of two
forts ; one is called Duft-Gold, or Gpld-Duft,
which is almoft as fine as Flower, arid is the
beft, bearing.. alfo the greateft Price' in Europe:
The other fort is ill pieces of different fizes 5
fome being hardly the weight pf a Farthing,
others weighing as heavy as twenty or thirty
Guineas ; though of the laft fort not many
* occur. 'The Negroes indeed .tell us, that in the
Country Pieces as heavy as one or two hun-.
dred Guineas, are foimd. Thefe Lumps or
Pieces are called Mduntain-Gold ; which being
melted, touch better than Duft-Gold ; but the
"multitude of fmall Stones which always ad
here to 'em, occafion a great lofs in the melt
ing ; for; which,' reafon Gold-Duft is moft e-..
fteemed. Thus much of the good and, pure .
Gold ; and now to touch upon the: falfe. The
firft fort is that mixed With Silver or. Cop
per, and. eaft into Fetiches, of which I, have,
before hinted : Thefe Fetiches are *cut. intp fmall
G bits

©a l n uejcnpnon oj ; we le. i . vi.
bits, by^- the Negroes, .about the worth of one,
two or three Farthings. Tis a common Pro
verb, That you cannot buy much Gold for a Far
thing, yet even with; that value in Gold you
may here go to Market and buy Bread or
Fruit for your Neceffities. The Negroe, Wo
men know the exact value of thefe bits fb
well at fight, that ,they never, are miftaken ;
and accordingly they tell them to each oth^r
without weighing, as we do coined Money.
They are here called Kakeraas, the Word ex-
' preifing fomething of very little value ; and
the Gold it felf is indeedf very little worth.;
For we cannot, fell it in Europe for abeve
forty Shillings the Ounce-; and yet it panes
currant' Jtell over the Coaft; and our Gar-
rifbns are paid their Subfifterice Money in it.
And for this they may buy all forts of E*
jdibles of. the Negroes ; who mixing it with
other Gold, bring it to us again ; and as foon
as received, the Clerks are ordered to pick it
Put of; the other with which it is mixed ; fo
that this Sniff feems to pafs backward arid
forward without the leaft diminution, not-
withftanding large quantities of it are annually
lent to Europe byVthe French and Portuguese,
befides what we our felves fpend : But the
Negroes, making them fafter than we export
them , they are like to continue long e-
nough. ^ The Negroes are very fubtle Artifts in the
, fopbifticating of Gold : They can fo neatly
falfifie and counterfeit the Gold Duft and the
Mountain Gold , that feveral unexperienc'd
Traders are frequently- cheated , and by
bought Experience are taught how to know.
Gold. Some Pieces are eaft by them fo arti-
. C finally,

/ET. V. Gold Coaft of Guinea. ,- 83
icially, that quite round for the thickuefs of
Knife they are very fine Gold, and the va-
ancy filled up with Copper, or perhaps Iron.
This is a new invented Cheat of theirs ; but
he common, falfe Mountain Gold is a mixture
>f Silver,, Copper and a proportion of Gold,
xtremajhigh coloured, which very much fa-
ilitates the Cheat : for being obliged to re-
eive one or two Pounds at a time, wherein
he Pieces happen to be very numerous, we
annot touch every, one , and it looking fo
fell, caufeth it to pafs unfufpected. Another
art of falfe Gold is alfo frequent , amongft
lem , which is nothing elfe than a certain
'owder of Coral, which they eaft and tinge
3 artificially, that it is impoffible to diftin-
uifli it by any other difference fhari that of
le weight. Of this Powder they alfo make
fold / Duft ; but chiefly of the Filings of
kipper , to which they give a very good
"incture ; though all. the falfe tinged Gold in
Month or two entirely lofes its Luftre j
nd then we begin to find that it is falfe : in
"hich we are happier than in thofe Pieces
bvered over with Gold, ;, for they remain as
^e receive them, without any alteration, and
snfecraently that Cheat is the moft dange-,
DUS. ' i
If you are defirous to know how 'tis
offibe to avoid the reception of falfe Gold,
Specially if offered at Night or Morning..
'he Methods we take ate, firft, if it is in
trge Pieces, to cut them clear through with a
nife, which immediately difcovers what it is :
the Piece be , fmall , like Mountain Gold,
y them upon a Ston?, and. beat them with
amincr ; and if made^ of Coral, they will
G*2 crumble

A DeJcripHon of the , LET V I
crumble into fmall pirts - but fuppofing it
ftand beating, you may afterwards try them
with your Knife : But in the , fmalleft bits and
Duft Gold, this ^ Method is not practicable,
though we have a tolerable , way , of diftin-
guilhing the Coarfe from the Fine ; which is
done by putting it into a Copper Bafbn, and
winnowing it with the Fingers, and blowmgit ve-
r}' ftrongly ; by which means the -falfe Gold will
fly away, and the true^ fall into and continue
in the Bafon : Upon repeating this Tryal three
br four times, the Falfe is eamy feparated from
the Good.
It affords us matter of Diverfibri to obferve,
that moft' of the raw inexpert peqpie (efpeci-
allly Sea-faring Men) who come hither , al
ways bring Aqua Fortis along with them to prove
Gold : But if thefe' Men remembred, the com
mon Proverb , that there is no Gold without
Drofs, they would foon grow weary of their
weak proof, ' and follow the Methods above*
mentioned. ' . ,| ,
The Sign* by which they pretend to diftin-
guifh the falfe from the true Gold is , that
after they have put it into a GJafs or Earthen
Veffel, they pobr Aqua Fortis upon if j whiclp,
if it be falfe, difcoyers it by its Ebullition;
and if mixed with falfe Qpld, , by turning
green. A miferable Tryal, indeed ! which;
they will foon be convinced of : For Exam
ple ;, if they take the value of four Pound
in Gold, a feventh, eighth 'or tenth part of
which is falfe, and pour their Aqua Fortis iip->
on it?; let them, I fay, obferve whether,, their
Aqua Fortis doth not produce the fame Ef
fect,

LET. VT Gold Coaft of Guinea. rs
feet, though in lefs degree » as it would if
the whole Mafs were falfe : For which rea-
fon their Proof is very uncertain, and the
more impracticable , becaufe the ' Operation is
too tedious , and befides very prejudicial t,o
Trade, to refufe the good Gold ,011 account
of an eighth or tenth part being falfe. I
can affiire you that the prefent times will
not admit of fuch ilfelefs nicenefs. Where
fore the mentioned Proof by winnowing with
the Copper Bafon being fufficient to defend
us againft falfe Gold, is much to le pre*
ferred before melting it with Aqua Fortis ,
and being at the trouble of drying it again,;
which the Negroes that have good Gold would
fcarce fuffer.
Having treated of • Gold at large, I am
now obliged to fay fomething concerning the
Gold Weights ; Tvhirh are either Pounds.,
Marks, Ctaices, or Angels. In Europe twen
ty Angelslmake one Ounce , though here
but fixteen go to an Ounce : Here are
alfo Pefo's and kendo's ; the* former of
which contain four Angels, and the latter
two Ounces ; as four Bendo's make one Mark,
and two Marks one Pound of Gold , com:
puted according to the common value, ex
actly fix hundred and fixty Gilders ; though
this at feveral times differs in , proportion, its
Worth depending on its Gopdnefs, and its
rifing and falling in Europe,: ."Notwithftandiiig
all this, we conftantly here reckon three Marks
of pure or good Gold worth one thoufand
Gilders, apd confequently judge of the , other
Weights, in tbe proportion which they bear to
this Quantity. We ufe here another kind of
G ? Weights.,

86 A Defcription of the L E T.J/I.
Weights, which are a fort of Bfans ; the leaft
of which are red fpotted wjth bkick," and are
called Damba's-, twenty ^four of them, a-
inoimting to an. Angel, and each of them' rec
koned two Sty verJ Weights : The white Beans
with -black Spots, or thofe entirely black,
are heavier, and accounted four Styver Weights ;
thefe" they ^ufually call Tacoes,-, but there are
fome which weigh half or a whole Gilder :
But thefe are nf>t efteemed certain Weights,
but ufed at pleafure , and often become In
struments' of Fraud. Several have believed
that the Negroes only ufed wooden Weights ;
but it is a miftake, all of them having
eaft Weights either of Copper or Tin J which.
though divided or ad jufttd in a manner quite
different to ours, yet upon reduction agree
exactly with them.
My Thoughts being tak«n up in defcribing
the Weights, ,« I forget to inform you how the
Gold is digged or found. I wqild refer to
any intelligent Metallift, whether a vaft deal
of Oar muft not of neceffity be loft here,
from which*' a great deal of Gold might be
feparated, for want of Skill in the Metallick
Art : And not only fb, but I firmly belieVe,
that large quantities of pure Gold ?re left
behind : For the Negroes only ignorantly dig
at random, without the leaft Knowledge of
the Veins of the Mine. And I doubt nbt
but if this Couutry belonged to the Europeans,
they would foon find it to prodpce much-
richer Treafures than the Negroes obtain from
it : But it is not probable we fhall ever pof-
fefs that Liberty here ; wherefore we Inuft
be content with being fo far Mafters of it as
we

LE T. VI. Gold Coaft of Guinea! 87
we are at prefent , which if very well and
prudently managed, , would turn -to a very .
great Account; of which I wifh you no
fmall fhare, and my felf a long continu
ance of "Life to fpend in your Service, &c.

G 4 * LET.

¦rwFje

'IHefcription 6f tb»- LET. VII,
LET TER VII.
Containing a Computation how mttch Gold
is Annually [ exported, from this Coun
try -, to what places it is traxfported *,
and the Divifion of the Trade with the
Negroes. What Officers are appointed ht
our Service *, and the Names of other
Employments : Together with a general
Lift of the whole : And, laftly, by way
of Conclufton, a Defcription of the Go
vernment of the Coafl , and of the
Councilor AJfembly of Cvunfeliors.
SIR,
MY laft treated of the Inland Coun
tries from whence the Gold was
brqught ; how' it was digged ; its feveral
forts ; the falfe Gold, &c. To purfue* our
Subject «yef farther ; as I have told you
whence 'tis brought, it is but neceffary I
fhould inform you whither it is carried, and
how much. is yearly brought to the Coaft. As
for the laft, I dare affirm it as a real truth,
that they not only can, bHt do yearly in
time of Peace, deliver the quantity of feven thou
fand Marks pf Gold. This is a large Sum;
but it is divided amongft fo'many, each be
ing fure to get fome , that the whole is
: foon difpofed of. The moft juft, Calculation
of the Divifion that I can polfibly make^, is
as follows : viz, Our

LET: Vil. Gold of Coaft Guinea. Marks.
Our Weft-India Company yearly exports 1 500
The Englifli African Company 1 200
2700
But this is to be underftood of fuch Years in which
the Commerce of both Companies happens to
be very brisk ; and' I don't believe our Com
pany hath for feveral Years paft carried off
abovejhe half of this quantity.
The Zeland Interlopers are fure to carry
off as much Yearly as our Company :,
Namely,' 1 joo
The Englifli Interlopers about' 1000
But the laft have for two or three Years' paft
purfued this Trade fo vigoroufly , that they
have exported above twice that quantity
The Brandenburghers and Danes, in time of
Peace, both togerher about iooo
The Portnguefe. and French tpgether at leaft
about 800
Which makes 7000
I fay of the laft at leaft 800 Marks, and it is
really true : For the Portnguefe come on this
Coaft, on pretence of felling their American ¦-
Commodities, viz. Brazil Tobacco, Brandy and
Rum, and are befides as richly laden as the
Interlopers themfelves; which is not to be
wonderd at ; for they buy their Lading, take
their Men on board, and fit out their Ships
in Holland : Nay, to be fhort, they are fre
quently fitted out at the Expence of Dutch Mer
chants, wherein the Jews have no fmall , hand, .
they knowing how to obtain a Portnguefe Pa's ;
And tfhefe Ships, whep they come here to
"¦ ' ' I • ' - this

:,ct^-.^y-^

A Defcription of the LET. VIL
this CoafLpafs for downright Portnguefe : How
uneafie this muft needs be to an honeft Officer
in the Companies Service, you may eafily ima
gine, when a Factor, who commands oiie of pur
Forts, fhall receive certain Advice, that feveral
of the iYtgJW-Merchants are coming down well-
ftpred with Gold, in order to lay it out with
him, and that e're he arrives, is met by a Partus
fuefer or Interloper ; who, by felling cheap,
fweeps a great part, if not all their Gold,
whilft we fit ftill with our Goods on our Hands,
as if they were vifited by the Plague, I, do
not tell you more than I have to my forrow ex
perienced. Thus I have, made a rough Calculation of the
Quantity of Gold, which thofe who underftand
the Affairs of the Coaft, will, I doubt not, be
pleafed with ; , but thofe unacquainted with this
Trade, may, perhaps; think I have computed
wrong : If I happen to fee thefe Gentlemen; I
fhall civilly defire .them to correct my Computa-
tiPn ; which no one having yet attempted, 'tis
imparted to you for your fatisfaction^ and to
the beft of my Knowledge as near the Truth as I
could bring it.
^Acccorcing to our Reckoning then, there is
brought hither and carried oft" exactly twenty
three Tunn of Gold, reckoning three^ Marks to
one thoufand Gilders. But, as I told, you,;
imputed above all, .this account fuppofeth a'prpfperous
.iooooo rjine when the Taffies are all opn and the MeiV
mewhat cbants can pafs fafe and uninterrupted ; but
tjer ] when the Negroes are at War with one another, I
5000 do not believe that half this Quantity is
wndjler- fhipt off :. And of this fmall Quantity the Inter-
'*" lopers know very well how to come by their
fhare. And fuppofing our Company hath one
fifth

"WHS,

.ET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 91
ifth of the whole, yet when Trade is low they
annbt get by it, but muft make up the Dc-
iciency by trading to other Coafts : But I hope
're long a way will be difcover'ed of profperoufiy
dvanc-ing our Trade here to the difadvantage.
f the Interlopers, which I cannot think very
lifficuit ; it confifting only ip fixing a good
iovernment on the Coaft, and taking, care in
lo&and that their Ships 'be laden with goodCorii-
nbdities, and proper for this place. However, I
[efire you would not from hence expect a parti-
alar of what Merchandifes are moft vendible
lere ; or that I fhould acquaint you with the
State of Trade here : that- would be utterly in-
ompatible with the faithful Service I owje our
Company ; I not knowing whether this Letter by
ome unaccountable Mifcarriage may. not, light
nto the Hands of the Interlopers, who, know
rery well how to ufe It to their 'Advantage :
\nd indeed they fufficiently rob the Company
>f the Right .which the States have given them
m tills Coaft ;' fo that none of us ought to help
hem to further Opportunities, therefore be
deafed to fatisfie your felf with ari Account in
»eneral, that to Trade on this Coaft, about
1 hundred and fifty feveral forts of Commodities
ire neceffary.
In my third Letter you have been informed
hgt the Caftle of St. George a" Elmina is our
:hief Place on this Coaft, and that the General,
Principal Governour, chief Factor, and chief
Fifcalrefide there; before this Caftle alfo do all
)ur Ships which come from Europe eaft Anchor
ind unlade ; and we have accordingly very
me Ware-houfes fitted for their , Reception.*
This great Store-hcufe is entrufted to the -charge
}f our. chief Faftor, and is fpmetimes worth

92 A befctiptton of the LET. VII.
a very confiderable Sum ; and from hence all
our other, Forts are fupplied with their defired
Commodities. I would not have you conceive
that we fet up a Market with our Wares, or fend
any of them to be fold witfiout our Forts :
No, that is not our Bufinefs ; but the Negroes
come daily to our Caftle, or Fort, with their
Gold -, for which, after it is weighed, effayed
and purified, they receive our Commodities ;
none of which ever go out of our Ware-Iioufes
before they are paid for ; and if the Factor will
give any Credit, it is on his own account, and
he is confequently liable for the value to fhe
Company, that they may not thereby fuffer ;
nor can he charge the Prefents made to
the 2V<gfo<?-Mercbant -to their Accompt : But
they, indeed, fuperadd a certain Advance to' all
their Factors ; from which they are not only
enabled to make Prefents to the Negroes, but
may be befides confiderable Annual Gaind!;
thereby; and this' is done to • encourage therif
to the more diligent Service. . Befides, the AK
groes having neither Carts, Waggons, Horfes rtoY
any other way to carry the bought Commpdili^;
to their In-land Dwel|ings than by Men, for
about two or three Hundred Pounds value in
Iron, Copper or Tin, have occafion for the affifts
ance of fifty Men : Now whether there be not
an Advantage to be made .of this by qur Men
I leave you to judge, though' the Money got
thereby is hardly enough earned, they being;
obliged for it to climb over Hills and pais very
bad Ways. Thofe who come from the inward
part of the Country to traffiek with us are chiefly
Slaves : One of which, on whom the Mafter re-
pofes the greateft Truft is appointed the chief of
this- Caravan: But when he comes to us he is
not

, ET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 93
tot treated as a Slave, but as a vety great Mer-
hant, whom we take all poffible care to oblige,
is very well knowing that he being a peculiar
favourite of his Mafter, may at pleafure go
p the Englifh, Danes and Brandenburghers, as
veil as come to us;- for which Reafon we pay
lim double the Refpect , we, fhould give his Ma
ter. ' . :.
Having heard what Negtoe Chap-men we have
:p deal with, now let us.confider what Officers
ind Servants are by the Company appointed on
he other fide ; and how many Degrees of ri
ling we have on the Coaft. I flatter my felf
that this vvill.not prove difagreeable to you, be-
:aufe it will arfWa Profpe'ct of what Preferment
your Nephew may arrive to if he deport himfelf
well. v
Firft of all, here are the Soldiers with
their Commanders ; out of which formerly
the beft qualified for Mecchandife and the
Pen ¦ were chofeii to ferve the Company
is Affiftants ; by which means one with
whom you and I are very well acquainted,.
hath .found opportunity to advance himfelf to
aJmoft the higheft Poft here. But for ten or
eleven Years plaft paft, this hath not happened ;
b&aufe the, Gentlemen of the Company finding .
that not only thofe qualified, but fuch as were
utterly incapable and idle Drunkards were pro
mpted, have ordered that for the future no Sol
diers fhould be preferred to the Affiftants Places ;
they may become Coporals; Serjeants or Of-
ficersj and ftand fair for all Offices amongft the
Train of Workmen or in the Sea-Service ; but
an Affiftant may, in procefs of time, be prPmo-
ted to the Government of the whole Coaft. The

^4- A Defcription of the LET. Vfl.'
The Office* of Affiftant is^h'e loweft among;
thofe concerned in Trade or Writing ; the Sa
lary appointed for this Service is fixteen Guil-
dtrs per Month, and twenty Guilders more for
Board-Wages : His firft ftep to Preferment' is
that of Urider-Cpminiffary or Urider-Factor,
with a. Salary bf twenty four Guilders per Month-
By thefe Sub-factors moft of the Gold is recei
ved ; for- which they are accountable to the
Factor, or chief Factor, or nim to whom the
Trade of the place is entrufted in chief, who is
alfo accountable to the -Company'; the general
Acconlpts of the whole Coail being kept at El
mina, where there is alfo a Ware-hpufe Keeper,
who hath all moift Goods, "as Wine, Beer and
Brandy, &c. all Edibles, as Flefh, Peafe, Beans,'
O.its, &c under his keeping, and is entrufted*'
With the S.ile of them : So that when a Chief-
Factor or Factor obferves^hat his Sub-Factor or ¦
Ware-houfe Keeper are enclined to Extravagance,
he is obliged to watch him very narrowly ; for •
all that the Company fuffer by him, the Factor is
obliged, to make good : Of which in lefs than T
four Years paft we have a frefh Example, that
one of my Brethren, not unknown to you, in
fuch a cafe was obliged to make .good about'
feven or eight Hundred Pounds, which he had"
not in the leaft fquandred. Thus a Factor who
hath fuch' fort of Men under him dUght to lopffty
after them very carefully, or he may be ruined7-
at once : 'Tis true, indeed, that he hatH his '""
Remedy againft -the guilty Perfon ; but what'1
c an that avail if he hath neither Effects or Mo- :
ney ? which it rarely happens that any of thefe
Mtn have ; for I- don't believe that thofe who"'
can live on their Means in Holland Will ever
come to fuch a Country as this ; nor is it very pro-

.ET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. g<
'rqbable that their Friends in Europe will make
satisfaction for thekr Follies : So thpt the Factors
aft Refuge is to bring the Ofiender-to condign
Corporal Punifhment ; which will not in the
ieaft contribute to his Re-imbnrfement, Where
fore, as I . faid before, his beft way is to look
:lofe after them, and flop them in the begin
ning of their Extravagancies.
Out of the above mentioned Under-Commifla-
ries, the ol deft in Service, or the beft qualified,
are chofen Commiffaries or Factors to refide at,
and command our Out-Forts, and take care of
of the Trade there ; with, a Salary of thirty fix
Guilders,, befides an allowance of ten Guilders
for a Servant or two, and twenty -Gilders Board-
Wages per Month, befides the certain before-men
tioned. Advance on the Trade. - v
The oldeft and moft experienced of thefe
Factors is promoted to-Motiree and Cormatityn, his
Salary being raifed to eighty Guilders per Month;
fuppofing that upon being chofen by the Council
here, he be confirmed by the Company : Who,
hot without good Reafon, have retained the fup
ply ing thefe important Pofts to themfelves ; as
they have alfo that of the Chief Factor of Elmina,
or the fecpnd Perfon upon the Coaft, who hath
a .Salary of one Hundred Guilders per Month.
Thefe Chief Factors have alfo the fame Ad
vance on Merc handifes and Board-Wages, as
the otjier Factors ; befides which the feccnd
Perfon hath ten Guilders per Month allowed for
a Servant, and the General's or Governour Gene
ral's Table is 'at his fervice. The Choice or
Confirmation of thefe Chief Factors being refer-
ved to the Company, . that upon the Death of
the Governour, or fecond Perfon they may
have others ready -t of whofe Fidelity they are
very

96 ADefi^fttimofSe -^ET.-VJ.
very well fatisfied to fupply their I^laces ; arid
f they Chief Factor of Elmina ha^ng faltisfactqrykr
difcharged that Office three Years ; he .may, * if
favoured by. Fortune, happen tpi, be advanced,
fit' it 'foils vacant) to the. highef| Poll of. Go
vernour General,who is entrufted with the Cpm-
panies Authority over the whole. Coaft ; of
which. he is Director-General, with a Salary of
three Hundred Guildersjwr Month, and a large
Perquifite Advantage in what ever is traded on
account of the Company on the* whole Coali;
So that v/lien Commerce is in a ftourifhing Cpji-
dition here, his Poll is very advantageous. . ¦ •
Till within thefe two laft Year's the Chief
Factors of Monree and Cormantyn bad alfo> the
Advantage, of the Slave Trade of Fida and.Ar-
dra, which turned to fome account, and was 'in
deed more advantageous to;,them thanjthe Gold
.TAade ; the Commerce there being at fo low an
ebb, that without the mentioned SJa,Vf-Traffick
they could nptdive up to the Port which the Dig
nity of their Pofts required, without fuffering by
if. , But fince fome ill-meaning Men have prepov
feffed the Directors of the Company in prejudice
of them, .-by urging that by this means they be
came toa rich ; , for- which Reafbn they have
thought fit to entruft the Slave Trade to thfr
Mafters Of the Ships, which they fand hither^
The Confequence of which time will difcovj^f ;
but for my part I doa't expect they will ftm
it conduce much to their Intereft ; for, the Com
manders of Ships, _ though^ ;very expert in all
Sea Affairs, yet being unacquainted with the
Negroes, will not be able to fucceed very well :
Befides that fome of them are of fuch a Boorifh
Nature, that they hardly know how to; pre
ferve the Honour of the Company amongft the
Negroes

LET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 97
Negroes. I would not here be uriderftood to
fpeafc of them all, for there are feveral Men of
very good Parts amongft thein : But the diffe
rence occafioned by this new Practice will clear
ly appear with refpect the to other Europeans
trading hither; and I cannot believe it will turn
to the Advantage of the Company. But of this
enough : Befides1' the Officers , employed in the
Trade on this Coaft there are the following
Offices. Firft, the Chief Fifcal, whofe Salary is fifty
Guilders, and ten Guilders peV Month for a Ser-
vatifj befides the Liberty of the General's Table.
Though the Fifcal's Salary feem vefy fmall, yet
his perquifite Profits, if he is diligent, are very
large ; for all the Gold or Commodities unlaw
fully traded for on the Coaft is forfeit; of
which his fhare is one third part, whether the
Goods in queftion belong to Europeans or Ne-
froes'% befides a third part of the Fines fet upon
the latter, and the forfeiture of Wages inflicted
on any' offending Officers or Servants by the
Gqvernour and Council : all Which put together
amount "to a confiderable Sumrh. Next the
Fifcal -the Bbblc-keeper General takes place;
whofe Province is to keep the great Books, and
the Counter-parts of the Accounts of all our
Forts or Lodges on the Coaft : Or, in fhort, to
take care of all the Companies Accompts in
this 'Country : His Salary is feventy Gilders,
befides ten Gilders per Month for his Servants j
and for a free Table is allowed twenty five
Gilders more *. He is generally affifted by an
Unde^-Book-keeper, whofe Salary is thirty Gil
ders per Month and two Affiftants. Next him
is fhe! Book-keeper or Accomptant pf the Gar-
rifon t whofe Title fufficiently explains his Of-
I H fice,

6§ A Defcription of the L E T. VII.
fiee, and his Salary equal to a Sub-factor's, is
twenty four Gilders, though Factors have thirty
fix Gilders; fo to make amends* he hath the
Power of felling by Auction the Effects of all
Perfons who dye upori the Coaft ; for which he
is allowed five per Cent, ad valorem ; he is alfo
commonly helped by an Affiftant, Sometimes
here is alfo a Secretary , whole Salary is fif
ty Gilders per Month, and upder him he hath
three or four Affiftants ; but in my time we con
tented our felves with an under Secretary, and
the above-mentioned number of Affiftants.
The laft and' moft contemptible Office is that
of Under-Fifcal, coramarily called by us, Au*
ditor, though in his Walks, informer, as he
really is no better ; his Salary is twenty Gilders
per Month, arid to his fhare falls alfo a tenth of
all Forfeitures « His Perfon is had in utmoft
Contempt by all ; yet, to honour him as much
as poffible he takes place of alt the Sub-factors,
as the Fifcal (whoalfo is not the more loved on ac
count of his Office) doth of all the- Chief-Factors,
nay, even the fecond Perfon on the Coaft ; tbo'
by the Goverriour's leave that place not only be
longs to the Chief-Factor of Elminut, but to thofe
of Mouree, and Cormantyn. ¦
Having run through our Temporal State, we
now come to our Spiritual Preferments ; whicfi
are but two, the firft a Minifter, with. a Salary
of bne Hundred, the fecond a Clerk, with that
of twenty Gilders per Month; befides which,
the firft hath ten Gilders per Month allowed
for a Servant, and a place at the Governour's
Table. What do you think, Sir ? don't we pay
our Clergy-man pretty well ? I'll aflure you if
you think we live licentious Lives, you are in
the

^ET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 99
he wrong, for we are very Religious ; we are
ibliged to go to Church every Day, on forfeiture
?f twenty five Sty vers, except on Sundays and
Thurfiays, when the forfeiture for omiffion is
loubled : But I know you will reply, this is a
breed fervice of God, and confequently not al
ways accompanied with the moft fincere Inten-
ions : And to confefs the Truth, it is not; much
letter; for were not the reftraint laid upon, us,
Ebme would rather pay a vifit elfewhere than to
:he Church.
Thefe being all the Officers and Servants we
ijave on the Coaft befides Work-men or La*
bourers and Soldiers, they are commonly ranked
is follows. • •
The Director-General.
The Preacher, always next the Director.
The Fifcal.
The Chief-Factor.
Two or three Chief-Factors befides. The Number of
Seven or eight Fader, 7 g^S^Sj
NineortenSub-faaors. > r0metimes more,
Eighteen or twenty AffiftantsA and feveraltime^
-*' lefs of each,
A Ware-houfe Keeper.
Accomptant or Book-keeper General.
Under Book-keeper.
Accqmptant or Book-keeper to the Garrifon.
Clerk of the Church.
An Auditor ot Informer.
There not being in all upon the whole Coaft fixty
Perfons, one third of which are Affiftants, you
may eafily conclude that any Perfon. who^comes
H 2 hither

A Defcription of the LET VII
hither in the faid Affiftants place, and be
haves himfelf well, upon the Death of fome of
his Superiours, cannot mifs being preferr'd to a
good Poft ; but how the greateft part behave
themfelves, and what fort of Lives they lead,'
will perhaps be more proper for another place :
And therefore to conclude this Letter, I fhall
only inform you how, and by whom this Coaft'
is governed,,The Government or Direction of the Coaft is
principally vefled in the Director-General as
the. Supreme Ruler ; from whom all Governours
of the out-Forts receive their Commands ; and
fubordmate to whom they are obliged to act,
they not being impowered to^wnfadt any im
portant Affairs without his Knowledge and in-
l tire Confent : But difficult Affairs, or thofe of
greater Importance, are cognizable to, and ought
to be laid before the Aifembly of CoUnfellors,
or Council compofed of, viz.
The Director-General.
' The Fifcal, in other things befides Criminal
Cafes.
The Chief-Faftors.
' The Enfign or Banner-Bearer, and fometimes
the Accomptant-General.
Who -jointly make up the Council : To which
are added the Factors of the out-Forts as oc-
cafional or extraordinery ; Counfellors. In this
Council every Member is freely permitted to
offer hjs Thoughts on what is in debate ; but
a wary Man will be apt to obferve which fide
, the Governour is enclined to, .and not eafily be
fierfuaded to thwart him whatever he thinks,
eaft he fhould fall under his Difpleafure : This was

vET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 101
vas fo well obferved, during my Ray here, that
[ believe there were very tew refolutions of the
Council, which were contrary to the Governours
Opinion: 'Tis no very hard matter to believe
his, fince fome refpedt is due to him ; and befides
nany have found their Accompr, by this fort
if compliance, not thinking themfelves obliged
o enquire whether it agreed with the Intereft of
he Company or not ; 'twas fuffieient that they
erved themfelves ; the Shirt being nearer than
he Coat! ( according to the Proverb ) they
:ould not fee any great harm in it. But though
his is their Opinion , I have always had other
sentiments, though I have been fometimes re
trained from ,expreffing them, for Reafons
ivhich I fhall fcereafter give you. I have often
Tmiled at the glittering Title of the Council of
the North and South Coaft of Africa, which you
and others frequently give us, efpecially when
[ confider that we are nothing lefi, and though
we have all the Name have none of the Power.
[ doubt but you and moft in Europe take us for
i regular and well-managed Council, and that
nothing, is tranfadted without our Confent.
Alas ! my good Friend, how are you miftaken \
but if you would be informed how far the
Name and real Thing agree , x 'tis neceffary
you be firft informed that a Director-General
is a Perfon who governs all others from the
bigheft to the loweft on the Coaft with an Arbi
trary Power ; who may at pleafure oblige his
Inferiours to fubmit to his Will contrary to all
Reafbn : And to go yet farther, he can difcharge
them their Offices and fend them off the Coaft,
without giving the leaft Reafon for fo doing. «
Such a Drirector, as I have defcribed, coming
into the'Coundl, and firmly refolved to carry the
H 3 thing

ioa A Defcription of the LET. VII.
thing to be debated ; I would fain know who
dare take the Liberty to oppofe him, knowing
how dear it may coft him, unlefs he be backed
by others, which he hath no great Reafbn to
expect : Wherefore every Man rather choofeth
to comply with an Tea Brother, than by con
tradicting the Governour,tp incurr his Difpleafure,
and do the Company no manner of Service.
But if you afk me why a ' Director refolved
to take no advice, but abfolutely follow his own
Inclinations, doth ever fummon a Council:
I anfwer, firft, that the Directors of the Com
pany may be informed that he did fo ; not
knowing the ufe he made of tfiat Afiembly.
Secondly, when Offenders are to be punifhed
with Capital or Corporal Punifhments ; that
not being otherwife to be done than in form
of Law : And, thirdly, for the Government
of the Coaft which is refolved and fettled in
the Council, and leaft when any thing hap
pens wrong the Governour fhould want an ex-
cufe, he now being able confidently to alledge
that he acted by the Advice of the whole,
Council by whom it was alfo fo refolved, tho'
their real Opinions were at the fame time as
diftant from their Suffrages as Eaft and Weft.
In fhort, the Council is of no other real ufe
than to participate of the Gpvernour's Faults, and
to fhelter him from being anfwerable for them,
Thus it clearly appears that it is impoffible for
the Companies Affairs to fucceed under an ill
Governour : Wherefore, for the Intereft of the
Company, I hope that its Directors will for the
future diminifh the Governours Power, charging
him exprefly to regulate himfelf more by the
Advice pf the Council : Which, when the Di-
reftors pleafe to do, I can't pfoubt of feeing

LET. VII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 1 03
1 more Regular Government on the Coaft, and
ill Affairs managed with more Juflice and Dif
retion. Now you are juftly informed of the Nature
»f our Council ; would you defire to be a
Member > I believe not ; and for my part
allure you, that I had rather quit the Honour
0 obtain a Liberty of being in reality a
>ouncellour inftead of bearing the Name only.
fours, £?0.

Ha LET-

104 ' A Defcription of the LET. VIIL
LETTER VIII.
The Infalubrity of the Coafl: The Author's
Opinion from whence it proceeds. The
Difference betwixt the prefent and for
mer Seafons. Some Inftances of violent
Thunders, and the Damage occafioned by
them.

S I R,
YEfterday I fealed my laft to you, on fufpici-
on that the Ship would fail laft Night; but
they being flayed by an unavoidable Obftacle one
Day longer, and I at prefent at leifure, I have
dedicated this Day to your Service, in commit
ting the following Lines to Paper, which pleafe
to honour with your Perufal.
The Guinea Gold Coaft is fituate about the
fifth Degree of Northern Latitude : From which
you may eafily inferr, that we live in a fcpreh-
ing Air, though not fo bad as is reported -, for
it is become too cuftomary for Men in their
Relations rather to add than to diminifh. Seve
ral who have lived fome Years here with me,
muftown,as well as I, that in the Months OBober,
November , December , January , February and
March, the Heat is very, violent here ; but it is
not fo hot in the fix remaining Months, but
that it can be eafily born without the! leaft in
convenience : I have known the time when
we could as well have endured a Fire, if we
had not been afhamed, as in Europe about Sep
tember ; befides, the whole Year is fiere refrefhed
' with

,ET. VIII. Gold of Coaft Guinea. irjj
vith cool Evenings : So that he that hath lived
lere ten Years, and confequently his Body he
roine opener than in Holland, will not be apt to
:omplain very much of the Heat.
The Unwholefomenefs of this Coaft, in my
opinion, feems chiefly owing to the Heat of the
Day, and coolnefs or the Night ; which fudden
hange I am induced to believe occafions feveral
:ontrary Effects in our Bodies, efpecially in
hofe who are not accuftomed to bear more Heat
han Cold, by too haftily throwing off their
Cloaths to cool too faft.
The fecond and greateft Caufe which I can
ind is, That the Gold Coaft from one end to the
ither, fo greatly abounds with high Mountains,
n the Valleys betwixt which, every Morning
i thick, ftinking and fulphurous Damp or Mill
ifeth, efpecially near Rivers or Watry-places :
Which Mift fo fpreads its 'felf, and falls fo thick •
mthe Earth,that it is almoft impoffible to efcape
he Infection while we are falling, and our Bo-
lies more fufceptible of it than the Natives.
This Fog happeneth moft frequently in the ill
ieafon of the fix Months, which we here call
Vinter, but more efpecially in July and Augufl.
Wherefore we are more feized with Sicknefs in
hat time than in the good Seafon or Summer.
The Stench of this unwholefome Mift is very
nuch augmented by the Negroes pernicious Cu-
lom of laying their Fifh for five or fix Days to
lutrify before they eat it, and their eafing their
todies round their Houfes, and all over their
Towns; and if this odious Mixture of noj-fome
tenches very much affects the State of Health
lere, it is not to be wondered, fince 'tis next
o impoffibility, not only for new Comers,
ut thofe who have long cpntinued here, to pre-
¦',, ¦ ferve.

106 A Defcription of tke L E T. VIIL
ferve themfelves intirely froiri its Malign Effects.
The great Difference betwixt the European Air
and this, is fo obfervable, that few come hither
who are not at firft feized by a Sicknefs which
carries off a great many, and that chiefly be
caufe we are fo wretchedly unprovided with
what fhould comfort and nourifh thefe poor
Men ; for we have no help to have recourfe to
but corrupted Med'cines,and unfkilful Phyficians,
they being only ignorant Barbers, who bring
. feveral into the utmoft danger of their Lives :
Whereas Nature is ftrong enough,by the Affiftance
of good Nourifhing Diet and Reftoratives , it
might probably recover the Patient. But, alas !
how fhould he be able to get them ? For our
Medicines, as I have before told you, are moft
of them fpoiled ; and for Food, what is here to
be gotten for the common People befides Fifh
and a dry lean Hen ? And, indeed, were he
able to pay fo* better, here is nothing proper
for a weak Stomach ; for all the Oxen or Cows,
Sheep and Hens, are dry lean and tough : So
that a found Man, not to mention an infirm
one, hath enough to do to eat them. So that
the beft, befide proper Phyfick, that the poor
Sick can get here, are Culinary Vegetables and
Spoon-Meats ; the Director and the Chief Factor
are abundantly furnifhed with the former, but
they are not in every Bodies reach.
There are feveral who would fain perfwade
us that our Mens Sicknefs here is owing to
their own Mifmanagement -, urging that they
might very eafily prevent it by a regular Life,
and carefully avoiding all Exceffes in Eating
and Drinking : But Experience convinces us of
their Miftake, for we daily fee the moft tem
perate and regular Men feized with dangerous and
too often Mortal Difeafes, But

^ET. VIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 107
But it is indeed to be owned, that fome
people here occafion their own Sicknefs ;
hough that cannot be faid of all. If thefe
Men were more careful of their Healths, 'tis
more than probable that fo many would not
ficken and die here yearly as now do : But
thefe rafh and inconfiderate Wretches no foon-
er receive their Pay, than (if not already in
debted that Sum) they lavifh it out in Palm-
Wine and Brandy ; both which taken in exr
cefs, are very pernicious : which is not the
only Inconvenience; for fpending their Money
thus idly , they do not allow themfelves
fufficient to buy neceffary Food ; the de
fect of which they are then forced to fup
ply with Bread, Oil and Salt, or at beft with
a little Fifh ; fo that it is hardly to be ex
pected , that thefe Men fhould be healthful.
This is the common courfe of Life which
the ordinary people here lead : And it were
to be wifhed that their Example was not fol
lowed by their Supeiours ; Exceffive Drinking
being here too much in vogue ; and the
larger their Salary is, the greater their Thrift
appears to be ; and confequently the lefs re
gard had to the Kitchin. Some are alfo vq-
ry lucky if their Pay be not attached, and
they entred into Bonds as deep as their pre
fent and future Salary will fatisfie ; or what is
worfe yet beyond all this, in hopes only that their
Relations will fatifie it : All which eats like a
Canker ; and yet they are by ufe fo bigotted
to drinking, that 'twould be impoffible to
keep them from it by Blows : And to make
the quicker Work, they are as zealous Vota
ries to Venus as to Bacchus, and fo wafte the
fmall portion of Strength left them from tip-
' ling

lot A Defcription of the LET. VIII.
ling and the ill Air, and then adieu Health,
and foon after Life it felf. But it is indeed
convenient it fhould be fo ; another wants
his place : If Men lived here as Ipng as
in Europe, 'twould be lefs worth while to come
hither, and a Man would be obliged to wait
too long before he got a good Poft ; without
which no body v/ill eafily return rich from
Guinea, the chief Perfons there being the on
ly People who can lay up any thing , and
they not near fo much as is reported of them.
Howe\rer the Money we get here is indeed hard
ly enough acquired : If you corifider we ftake
our beft Pledge, that is, our Lives, in order
to it.
But to return to the Unhealthfolnefs of
this Country. Some here diftinguifh betwixt
one place and another ; and I am fomewhat
inclined to their Opinion : If they choofe
thofe places where the Wind blows con
tinually and very frefh , and where the Ne
groes bccafion the leaft Stench , they are un
doubtedly the moft healthful ; and as fuch I
fhould prefer Boutry and Zacondee in the firft
place. How unwholfome foever this Country is,
yet we find very few of the Natives afflicted
with any Diftemper .-, which yet is not much
to be wondred at , fince they being born in
this Air, and bred up in the Stench , are not
liable to be infected with the one or the o-
ther. The National Difeafes here are the Small-
Pox and Worms ; by the former of which in thefe
thirteen or fourteen Years time thoufands of
Men have been fwept away : And with the
latter they are miferably afflicted in all parts
bf their Bodies, but chiefly _ in their Legs; '
which

ET. VIII. • Gold Coaft of Guinea. 109
bich occafions a grievous Pain, which they
e forced to bear till they can get the Worm
lite out , that being fometimes a Month :
lie manner which the Artifts take to get ft
it is this ; as foon as the Worm is broken thro'
e Tumour, his Head commonly firft making
s way, after they have drawn it out a
trie way, they make it faft to a ftick, about
hich they every day wind a fmall part of
, till continuing this tedious Method, they
ive entirly wound out the whole , and the
itient is freed from his Pain. But if the Worm
tppens to break , they are put to a double
orture, the remainder part of the Worm ei-
ler rotting in the Body, or breaking out at
>me other place. The Negroes are moft af-
icted with thefe Worms : But though the
uropeans are but feldom troubled with them,
et they do not efcape them entirely. I
ive feen fome Negroes who had nine or ten
F them at once , with which they were in-
tpreffibly tormented. This Worm-Difeaje is
equent all die Coafl over ; but our Men;
•e moft tormented with it at Cormmtyn ana
'pam ; which perhaps may be occafioned by
le foul Water which they are obliged to drink,
lere. If you would know the length of
lefe Worms, Monfieur Focquenbrog obligethi
ou with a pathetical Defcription "5 by which
ou are informed that they are fome of them an
11-long, and fome as long as Pikes, and have
ot the patience to ftay till the Man is dead,.
it feize him alive.
In the Country of Ante feveral Negroes are
Eflicted with Ravenous Appetites,; which is
lought to proceed from their drinking a fort
f Palm-wine called Crifa. The

HO 4 \ Defcription of "the . LET. VIII.
..The Natives are very much to be pitied, that
being foot, cut, . or otherwife wounded in their.
Wars , they neither know nor have any other
way of cure than -by green Plants, which they
boil in Water and foment the part with, that
Decoction ; which proves effectual in fome cafes,
thefe Vegetables being endowed with a wonder
ful Sanative Vertue. But others either not
knowing the Simples, or being ignorant how to
prepare them aright, apply their Fomentations
in vain: Whilft the Wound Gangrenes, and at
beft turns to a running, which continues the
whole Life,. - Thofe feized by the Venereal Di-.
ftemper, .^are; alfo incurable, except they hap
pening to be near our Fort fall into our Barbers
Hands ; who, for a good large. <S,umm of Mo
ney cure them. , > ¦ •
Befides the abovementioned D^ftempers, moft.
of the Negroes live healthful Li ye^» but feldom ar
rive to a great Age : The Reafon of which, own
ing my Ignorance, I dare not pretend to affign.
'Tis obfervable that here > are feveral Grey
headed People, who look as if they were old,
But indeed are not fo ; this, perhaps may be
owing to their too early and exceffive Venery,
by which they fo enfeeble themfelves, that a
Man of fifty (a good old' Age here) feized by
any Sicknefs, generally leaves this World.
Natures Dictates are very .early underftood here;
arid Children! of eight cr ninei; Years know very
well how the .World is propagated, and before
twelve they generally reduce, their Knowledge
iritp practice : So that if is rjext to. an impoffi-
b;lity to meet with a Maid at Marriageable
Years. The Inhabitants for that Reafbn to fe-
cure a Maiden-head marry young, and perhaps
then have it juft as fecure as a handful of
Flies j

ET. VIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. IXI
lies 5 for the young Children hearing daily
ich difcourfe as is not very proper for their Ears,
nd which is the common Converfation of the'
Vegroes, feldom have patience till they come
a Years of Maturity.
'Twill not be Labour loft to fay fomething
oncerning the Winter and Summer, or the
;ood and bad Time, as it is called here ; and
fie., great Alteration of Weather, which I have
bferved here in the fpace of ten Years. The
Summer is accounted to begin with September,
nd continue the five fubfequent Months, and
he Winter takes up the remaining fix Months
n the Year, and is fob-divided into two Rainy,
wo Mifty and two Windy Months : But the
ieafbn alters fo much from Year to Year that
ve have in a manner left off reckoning them ;
he Summer comes fometimes a whole Month
:arlier one Year than another, and the fame is
ilfo obferved of the Mift and Rain. In fhort,
hey come fo confufed and uncertain, that it is *
mpoffible to rnake any Calculation of them.
Formerly, when I firft came to the Coaft,
Summer and Winter fucceeded alternately, exadt-
y at a certain time, and the latter was much
everer than at prefent. The Rains were fo
/iolent, continuing for feveral Days fucceffively
is if the Country were to be drowned, and we
jxpected a fecond Deluge -, but at prefent are.
lot either fo violent nor fo frequent. Axim,
which is but twenty Miles from Elmina, is ge
nerally more moiftened with Rains than any
place upon the whole Coaft : And I did not a
little wonder when I was firft placed there, that
the Rains continued fo long; for afking one
of our Military Officers how long it commonly
lafted ? he told me above eleven Months, and
(went/

II2 A Defcription of the LET. VIII.
twenty eight Days in a Year, and confequently
every Leap- Year was bleffed with one whole
Day of fair Weather : But though the Officer
ftretched a little ; yet 'tis undeniably true, that
it rains here at leaft half the Year; for which
Reafon only Rice and Trees can grow, the o-
ther Fruits being deftroyed by too much Wet. '
~ 'Tis fiirprizing to obferve that the Storms or
Travadoes; as' they are here called, are in a few
Years fo very much leffened -, and fince I am to
fpeak of the Winds and Thunder here, I fhall
firft take notice how violent1 the Wind ufed to
blow here. You may be informed by Mounfieur
Focqumbrog^ that when he was here, fuch a great
and hidden Storm arofe^ that the Ships at
Sea durft not fail with full Sail, for fear of
being over-turned or fplit againft the Rocks
or Shores : But at prefent here is not the leaft
Reafon to be afraid ; for though we are fome
times attacked by violent Travadoes, or Storms
» of Thunder, Lightning and Wind, yet they
don't come upon us either fo fuddenly, or for
cibly as to occafioil any very remarkable Da
mage. ; In fome old Papers of the Director Valken-
barg concerning the Coaft ; I found that at El
mina, in the Year 165 1, there was fuch a ter
rible Thunder, which fo affrighted every Body
that they thPught the World was at an end :
The Gold and Silver was melted in the Bags,'
which remained untouched '^ and their Swords
broken in the. Scabbards, without the latter'9 be
ing perceivably finged, as well as feveral ftrange
Accidents which then happened : But the Paper
being Worm-eaten I could riot diftinctly read
it, .only I perceived that they were in difmal Ap-1 ^
prehenfions for their Gunpowder, the Thunder
feeming moft violent where that was. About

LET. VIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea , ii%
About 1691. when I was at Boutry, there was
fuch a fierce and bbifterous Storm in the Coun
try of Ante, that Hundreds or rather Thou-
[ands of Trees, were either thrown down to
he Ground, or "blafted by Lightening. The
Stake which" fupported our Flag was mattered
rito Splinters from top to bottom, and yet
remained ftanding, but fo torn affunder, as if
ine or two Hundred Chiffels, had been driven
nto it in order "to fplit it. The Negroes, in the
ame terrified Condition with us, being of
Dpinion that the force of the Thunder iscontain-
;d in a certain Stone ; after the Storm was over
irought one,, which they ridiculoufly believed
lad fo fhattered our Flag-pole : But no wonder
hey were of that Opinion ; for in Europe, where
ve think we are better informed, feveral People
lon't much differ from them. But what I have
•bferved of the Effects of Thunder, is fufficient
o convince me that 'tis impoffible they fhould
»e caufed by a Stone; nor is there any natural
leafon for it; and with fuper -natural Things
have nothing to do^ but had rather believe it
he Effects of a violent Compreffion of Air 5
Jut the manner of its Operation I leave the
Saturalifts to determine.
Not long after, a like Accident happened to
ne of our Ships cruifing before; Axim, very
much injuring its Main Maft and Bolt-
iprit. .- .
In 1693. or 1694. tne Thunder broke all
le Drinking-Glafles of the Factor's Chamber^
nd raifed up his Child with the Bed under it ;
oth which it threw fome feet diftant, without
he leaft hurt done. What do you think, Sir *
-as it poffible" for a Stofle to do this ? I believe
let- t Not

ii4 A Defcription of the LET. VIII.
Not long after this, the Englifli Fort at Acra
was fo roughly handled by the Thunder, that
it Walls were left fhattered with Holes even (
to the Powder-Room, arid fome Pewter-Poren-
gers were melted into a lump : 'Tis eafy to ima
gine with what terrour they were ftruck when
they found it come fo near their Powder.
When I had the Government cf Mouree, one
of the Turrets was rent feveral feet by a Clap
of Thunder -, and my Conftable being lodged
there, affirmed in the Morning he had received
a violent- fhock on his Arin without any farther
injury : However, I was in great Danger ; for
having the Day before removed, my Powder, I
had caufed two or three Thoufand Pounds of
it to be brought into the Garret, where it lay
when the Storm began-, but I could not be
eafy till it was carried to a fafer place ; how
ever before that could be done I was in no
fmall Cbnfufion. ' .
From what I have related you may collect
what fort of Weather we were formerly ac
cuftomed tb ; which fo feldom happens at pre
fent, that in the fpace of three or four Years
we have not obferved any thing extraordinary
of that Nature to happen.
The* difference' betwixt the ,Heat and Cold
formerly and at prefent, . is alfo very great ;
for the Heat has been here fo exceffive in
.Summer-time, that we feemed to have Dog-days
as well as in Europe ; but now it is become
more moderate and fupportable : The Cold was
alfo then fq fierce in the Nights, that we were
perfuaded it froze ; and in reality we were
not much in the wrong, for the Earth, which ufu-
ally is very moift by reafon of the Dew, was
on the contrary dry and appeared whitifh. Some

,E'T. VIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 115
ome of my Predeceffbrs affirmed, that coming
ato their Accompting-Houfe in the Morning,
hey found their Ink frozen : 'The Truth of
idiich I will not determine, but only hand it to
rou as I received it.
But this I affiire you, that we have felt Nights
o. cold about September, that they made usfhake,
is I told you before. The prefent Winters
ire indeed cold, but not fo fevere as formerly,
hough they continue longer; for we have^two
¦hirds, or at leaft half of the Year Winter :
Which while I am Writing I believe ybu begin
:o think of, and I wifh. it may happen to you in
3ue Seafbn,\ and be" fo mild as not to give you
the leaft Uneafinefs, but afford, you as much
Pleafure as is poffible to be wifhed by, Yours,

-x-

LET-

1 1 6 A Defcription of the T. LET JX.

.£¦; . L E T T E K IX.
vi l ,. sJX-:.-- Jli'! ,¦'-. '-J'-'-- : ¦ 1 '- -
0/ /& Natural Difpofition and Manners of
'a: the Negroes 0# the Qvld Coaft. That
they are very fraudulent and crafty, idle
and carelefs. Of their C loathing, TLdftr
cation of Children and Complements :
Their Courteous Reception' of Vifitants 5
and their manner of Vi fit ing amongft1 'the
!. great >Men. Of their Mannual Arts $
Navigation, Fiflring and Agriculture.
-¦¦' The Difference of Languages on the Gold
Coaft. Their Nobility : How many De
grees of Preference amongft them. Their
carelefs ill-contrived way of Building,
and making their Roads. Their Muftcal
Inftruments-^ they have no Beggars amongft
them, only thofe fhamelefs ones who do
not want. A Defcription of the Mu-
lajtoes.

Y«

SIR, "OURS of the 24th. reached me in very
good time. But my prefent intended Sub
ject is likely fo to over-charge this, that for
want of room I fhall be obliged to defer an-
fwering yours till the next opportunity, when' I
promife not to fail.
I defign to treat of the Natural Temper
of the Natives ; and if this Letter doth not
fwell

,ET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 117
veil to an unufual Bulk, I fhall be at a lots to
0 Juftice to my, Subject:- Wherefore I muft
eg your excufe for crouding fo many things
ito one Letter fo immethodically, for you are
refented with them as they occur to me ; and
), Sir, be pleafed to accept, them; ,
To begin. The Negroes .are all, without ex-
eption, Crafty, Villanousand Fnidulent, and
ery feldom to be trufted ; being fure to flip 'no
pportunity of cheating an European, nor in-
leed one another. A Man of Integrity is as
are among them as a white Falcon, and their
fidelity feldom extends farther than to- their
Rafters ; and it would he very furprizing if
lpon a ferutiny into their Lives we fhould
ind any of them whofe perverfe Nature would
lot break out fometimes ; for they indeed feem
o be born and bred Villains : All forts of
Safenefs having got fuch fure-footing in them,
hat Jtis iinpoffible to lye concealed ; andhere-
n they agree very Well with what Authors
ell us of the Mnfcaoit.es. Thefe degenerate Vi
res are accompanied with their Sifters,' Sloth
md Idlenefs ; to which they are fo prone that
nothing but the utmoft Neceffity can force
them to Labour : They are befides fo incredibly
carelefs and ftupid, and are fo little concerned
at their Misfortunes, that 'tis hardly to be ob-
ferved by any change in them whether they
have met with any good or ill Succefs. An
Inftance of which is that when they have ob
tained a Victory over their Enemies they re
turn Home diverting themfelves with leap
ing and dancing .* But if on their fide they are
beaten out of the Field , and utterly routed,
they yet Feaft and are Merry , and Dance, and

1 1 S A Defcription of the LET. IX.
and pan cheerfully fport around a Grave. In
fhort, Profperity and Adverfity are no btherwife
diftinguifhable in them than in the cloathing
and lhaving of their 'Head : Of which more
hereafter. Monfieur Focquenbrog's Defcription of
them is undeniably true, when he informs
us, that they Feaft at Graves , and if they
fhould fee their Country in Flames, would
cry out, let it burn, and not fuffer it in the
leaft to interrupt their Singing, Dancing and
Drinking : That they are equally infenfible of
Grief, or Neceffity, fing till they die, and dance
into the Grave.
This Defcription is fo pertinent, I believe
it cannot be mended in fo few Words. Tis
^true indeed, that they very greedily heap up
' Money and Goods- to which their Minds
are ftrongly enclined : But after that they fet
fo fmall a value upon them, that if they meet
with a very great lofe, you can never per
ceive it by their Carriage, it never robs them
of an Hours repofe ; and they are no fooner
at their Refting-place, but, like the Beafts,
they fleep perfectly undifturbed by any Me
lancholy Reflections : So that the Advice, not
to take care for the Morrow, feems defigheej
more peculiarly for the practice of thefe Men.
Their Young are extraordinary Vain, and
defirous to pafe for Perfons of Quality ,
though perhaps but Slaves : Notwithftanding
which they mighty carefully adorn their Bodies,
and are very fine in their way.
But now let us fee how they manage the
Affairs of Drefs. , The Fafhions of adorning their

LET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 119
their Heads are very various ; feme wear very
ong "Hair curled and platted together and tyed
ip to the Crown of the H;ad ; others turn
heir Hair into very fmall Curls, moiftening
hem with Oil and a fort of Dye, and then
djuft them in the fhape of Rofes ; between
i*hich they wear Gold Fetiche's, or a fort
if Coral here called Conte de Terra, which is
bmetimes of a quadruple value to Gold, as
lfo a fort of blew Coral, which we call Agrie,
nd the Negroes Accorri , which being mode-
ately large, is fo much valued, that 'tis gene-
ally weighed againft Gold. They are very
arid of our Hats, never thinking they pay too
nuch for them. Their Arms, Legs and
Vafte, are adorned with Gold, and the above-
nentioned forts of Coral. Their common Habit
5 made of three or four Ells of either Vel-*
et, Silk , Cloath , Perpetuana, or fome fort
f Stuff ; and feveral have this fort of Habit
1 Paan, as they call it, made of fifty forts
f Stuff. This they throw about the Body
nd roll it up into a fmall compafs, and make
t faft ; fo that it hangs from the Navel
lownwards, covering the Legs half way :
Miout their Arms they alfo wear Ornamental
tings made of Ivory, Gold, Silver, &c. and
bout their Necks Strings or Chains of Gold,
md Coral amongft their above-mentioned
)refs : And I remember to have feen feveral
»f thefe Strings or Chains" worth above one
fundred Pounds Sterling. But thefe are the
[ewels ; and they who want them are no Com
pany for thofe who have 'em.
The Manceroes or Youth do not drefs
hemfelves fo psmpoufly ; but the Cabocero' $
I 4 °*

iao A Defcription of the LET. IK.
or chief People are as meanly and plainly
Habited, choofing rather to pafs for poor than
rich Men. They wear only a good Paan, a
Cap made of Harts Skin upon their Heads,
and a Staff in their Hands, like the old If-
raelites , and a String or Chain of Coral
about their Heads : And thjs is the Drefs
they daily appear in.
The .Commonalty, fuch as Wine-Drawers,
Fifhermen, and fuch like, are very poorly
Habited, fome with an Ell or two of forry
jStuff, others with a fort of Girdle only drawn
through between .their Legs and wrapped about
them juft to hide their Nakednefs : T° which
the Fifhermen add, a Cap made of Harts
Skins or Rufhes, though moft of them endea
vour to get an old Hat of the Sailors, which
ferves them in hot as well as cold Weather.-
The Men here are not fo very much addicted
to fumptuous Attire ; but Pride even amongft
the Savage, as well as irj the Netherlands and
all Europe over, feems to have eftablifhed
its Throne amongft the Female Sex : And
accordingly the Womens Drefs is richer
than the Mens. Ladies platt their Hair very
artfully, and place |their -Fetiche's, Coral and
Ivory, with a judicious Air, and go much
finer than the Men. About their Necks they
wear Gold Chains and Strings of Coral, befides
ten or twelve fmall white Strings of Conte de
Terra, and Gold ; about their Arms and Legs
alfo they are plentifully ffored therewith;
and they wear them fo thick about their
Wafte , that their Nakednefs would be fuffi-
ciently covered thereby , if they wore no
Cloaths ; and the rather becaufe they always
i= have

LET. IX. Gold of Coaft Gurriea. 121
have a Garter or rather Girdle. Perhaps
Mr. Ctmftantyn *Huygens thought of our black
MiftrefTes when he advifeth the Men to two,
and fome Women to three Garters ; , and if
Stockens were in fafhion here three Garters
would be foon thought as neceffary as one
is now : But this by the by. To return to
our Negroe Ladies ; on the lower part of
their Bodies they wear a Paan which often is
three or four times as long as that of the Men :
This they wincl around their Wafte, and' bind
it on with a Fillet of red Cloth, or fome
thing ehe about half Ell broad and two Ells
long, to make it fit clofe to the Body , both
ends of the Fillet hanging out on their Paan.;
which in Ladies of duality is adorned with
Gold 'and Silver-lace : On the upper-part of
their Body they eaft a Veil of Silk or fome
other fine fort of Stuff ; whilft their Arms
are beautified with Rings of Gold, Silver and
Ivory. Thefe Female Negroes , I can affure
you, are fo well-fkilled in their Fafhions, that
they know how to drefs themfelves up fuffici-
ently tempting to allure feveral Europeans -,
but their greateft Power is over thofe whrj
make no difference betwixt White and Black, .
efpecially when the forme, colour is not to be
found. Having done with their Cloaths, let us fee..-.
how they educate their Children -, with which
the Men never trouble themfelves in the leaft,
nor the Women much indeed : The Mother
gives the Infant fuck for two or three Years ;
which over, and they able to 'go, then tis,
turn out Brutes ; if it be hungry fhe gives
it a piece of dry Bread, and fends it abroad wh-:re

122 A Description of the LET. IX.
where ever it pleafes, either to the Market, or
to the Sea-fide to learn to fwim, or any where
elfe ; no Body looks after it ; nor is it
any Bodies bufinefs to hinder its Progrefs.
Thefe Children are as well contented with
dry Bread, as ours with all manner of De
licacies, they neither think of nor know any
Delicacies ; nor are their Mothers troubled
1 with them, but do' their Bufinefs undifturbed :
When , on the other fide , if our Children
can- but go alone ., we are continually per
plexed with Thousands of Fears of fome or
other ill Accidents befalling them.
Childrbearing is here as little troublefbme
as the Men can wifh ; here is no long Lying-
in , nor expenfive Goffiping- or Groaning-
Feafts : I once happened to be near the
place where a JSlegroe Woman was delivered
of two Children in the fpace of one quarter
of an Hour -, and when fhe feemed moft un-
eafie I found 'twas not fufficient to urge any
Shrieks or Cries from her ; but the very.
fame Day I faw her go to the Sea-fide to
warn her felf without ever thinking of return-
i ing to her Bed. And indeed moft Women
are here equally .eafie in this Particular, tho*
it happens (but that is very feldom) that a
Woman is obliged by Illnefs to keep her Bed
fome Days. Here is no Pr^vifions made for
Lumen or any Neceffaries for the New-born
Infant ; and yet all its Limbs grows Vigo
rous and Proportionate as in HoUand ; except
only that they have larger Navels than or-'
dinary -with us : But this is the Mother's
fault. If Child-bearing were in all Particu
lars fo eafie in our Country -But no more of

;>ET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. ii':
)f this leaft you fhould tell your Ladj^ and
he bring the Dutch Women about my Ears, s
md 'tis not very advifeable to anger them.
But to return to our Subject ; the Child is
no fooner born than the Prieft (here called
Feticheer or Confoe) is fent for, who binds a
parcel of Ropes and Coral, and other Trafh
ibout the Head, Body, Arms and Legs of the
Infant : After which he Exorcifes, according
to their accuftomed manner ; by which they
believe it is armed againft all Sicknefs and ill
Accidents : And doubtlefe 'this is as effectual
as if done by the Pope himfelf. By this you
may obferve what Power the Priefts have
over evil Spirits : But when I come to de-
fcribe the Marriage and married Lives or the
Negroes, I fljall prefent you with fomething
more concerning Child-bearing ; and at pre
fent proceed, only informing you that thefe
Ropes and Trafh ferve the Children inftead
of Cloaths commonly till they are feven or
eight Years of Age ; at which period the)' pride
themfelves in a neceffary Lappet of liaff an
Ell of Stuffs.
If the Father is a Filherman or Husbandman,
and the Child a Male, he breeds him up to
his Vocation very early : And the Child now
beginning to find that he muft foon fhiit for
himfelf, he is fure to fecure all that a conveni
ent Opportunity will give him leave againft
that time , which his Parents never contra
dict. I have hinted, with what forry zr.3 how
little Food the Negroes content their Children';
which would hardly be poffible if they fared deli-

1 24 A Dejiription of the LET. IX.
delicioufiy themfelves. But they are not guil- '
ty of this fort of Intemperance, but live ra
ther too foberly ', Two Pence a day being
fuificient to diet one of them. Their com
mon Food is a Pot full of Millet boiled to
the eonfiltence of Bread , or inftead of that
Jambs and Potatoes ; over which they pour
a little Palm-Qjt, with a few boiled Herbs,
to which they add a .ftinking Fifh. '. This
they efteem a nice Dim ; for, 'tis but feldom
they can get the Fifh , and Herbs : As for
Oxen, Sheep, Hens, or other Flefh, -they on
ly buy that for Holy-days : Of which more in
another place. The Negroes are- not fo fparing
in their Diet becaufe they don't defire bet
ter Food , of which we have fufficient Proof
when they eat with us, for they are then fure
to fatiate themfelves with the beft at the Ta
ble at that rate, as if they were laying in,
, ;-. for three days- Nor is it fo? want of Money
that they live thus, but only out of pure fordid
Covetouinefs. I have been ' fometimes of Opinion that
they thought all dear things unwholfome. The
Diet I have defcribed is that of the Commo
nalty ; nor do the Rich fare much better :
They allow themfelves a little more Fifh, and
a few more Herbs. But for an extraordinary
Difh they take Fifh , a handful of Corn, as
much Dough, and fome Palm-Oyl, which they
boil together in Water ; and this rhey call
Mallaget ; and is, I can affure you, a Lordly
Entertainment amongft them ^ and, to fpeak
truth, 'tis no very difagreeable Food to thofe
who are ufed to it, and is very wholefbm in this
Country. Though

ET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 125
Though the Negroes eat fo poorly and fo
trie, they drink the more, being great Lo-
ers of ftrong Liquor, and let the World go
ow it will, they muft have Brandy in the •
lorning and Palm-Wine in the Afternoon ;
nd he that hath one Penny in Money thirft-
di after three Pennyworth of Drink , which
:' welcome to them Night and Day ; .and
re are forced to give ftrict Orders to our
len to watch ' our Cellars * at . Night , for
ley know too well how to "get at them.
riey are fo befotted to ftrong Liquors and
'obacco, that you may equally entruft Ba
in to a Cat, as either of them within their
Wer. The Women are as guilty of this
'ice as the Men ; and, as if it were a Ver-
le, their Children are taught it at the Age of
iree or four Years.
The Salutations and Civilities of the Ne
ves claim a place here, as being remarkably
eculiar. Upon accidentally meeting each- o-
ler, the Salutation is pulling off the Hat or
!ap, or uncovering the Head, amongft thofe
\iegroes who converfe with us ; but the Inland
eople don't 'efteem the uncovering of the
lead for any fign of Refpect. Next, they ask
fter each others Welfare ; but not like our
lariner, by enquiring after one' ariothers Health ;
utthe firft Queftion is, How did you fteep ?
) which the Reply is, Very well : And the
ther returns the Qiieftion to the firft, who if
e hath flept well tells him fo. From whence
e may obferve, that the Negroes conceive
ood found Sleep to be the moft neceffary Pre-
:rvative of Health. When one Negroe is vifited by

il6 A Defcription of the LET. IX.
by another, he takes his Gueft by_ the Hand,
and knipping his two middle Fingers toge-
ther , he bids him welcome : This is the.
Ceremony in ufe if this be his firft Vifit ;
but if he hath been there before, and is re
turned . again , he expreffeth his Welcome by
telling him, Ton went out and are returned, in
timating they wifh him good Fortune ; to
which he anfwers , I am come again : And
this paffeth current on both fides for refined
Civility. They are very obligingly civil
when they receive Vifits from a perfon who
lives in another Country. As foon as the
Complements are paffed, the Wife, or a She-
Slave, brings Water , Greafe or Ointment to
walh and anoint the Stranger, herein agreeing
with the ancient times , who were accuftq*
med to v/afh and anoint the Feet of their
Gueffs. The Vifits of Kings and thofe bf the beft-
Rank, are accompanied with feveral odd Ce
remonies : For inftanre ; when a Lord or King
of a Town is advanced very near to, or rea
ches that King's Town he intends the Ho
nour of a Vifit to, he difpatches one of his At
tendants to. complement and advife him of
his coming -, who on the other fide is fore to
fend back a Meffenger of his own with his
Ambaffador , to complement and afliire him
of a hearty Welcome. While they are on
their way , the King or General ranges all
, his, Soldiers in Battel- Array , in the Market
place, or before his Palace ; thefe being frequent-:
ly about three or four hundred Men , who "fit
down expecting the approach of their Gueft ;
wlip to expreis his State and Grandeur the
moft

ET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 127
loft effectually , takes care to advance but
owly, and is attended by a great number of
rmed Men, who leaping and dancing alfo
nake a difmal Military Noife.
Having at laft reached the place where the
)ther fits expecting him, he doth not make
lirectly towards him , but detaches all his
Jn-armed People ¦ of Fafhion to prefent their
3ands by way of Salutation to the other's
Vlen, that are next or around him , as well
is to himfelf : After all which' at laft the
:wo Kings or Generals, armed with Shields,
make their Mutual Approaches- ; and if the
Vifitant be of higher Rank than himfelf, or
he defigns to honour him with an extra
ordinary Reception , he embraces and bids
him welcome three times fucceffively : But
if his Vifitant be below him, he welcomes
him by barely thrice prefenting his Hand
to him and filleping his middle Finger ,
which is done in three fuceeffive Advances ;
which being ended, the Gueft and his Atten
dants fit down oppofite to the other, expect
ing him to come and welcome him and
his Followers ; which is alfo foon after, done
with' three circular Advances : After which he
returns to his place and fits down , fending
Perfons to falute and welcome the reft of
his Vifitant's Troop, to afk after their Health
and the Intent of their coming ; which the
Chief generally anfwers by Meffengers of
his own. Thefe Mutual Ceremonies frequent
ly laft an . Hour or two , or till the En
tertainer rifes and obliges his Gueft to go
into his Houfe, where he is prefented by the
King and the great Men of the Town with
Sheep,

128 A Defcription of fhe LET. IX,
Sheep, Fowl, Jammes or whatever is agree
able : And thus ended this tedious Salutation,
which I have fpent too much time in defcri-
bing ; but I hope you will not be tired with
/ it, for in order to abridge it I have omitted
feveral Circumftances.
In the beginning of this Letter I told ydu
the Negroes were very idle and riot eafily
prevailed on to work, as well as that they
had very few Manual Arts : All which in
deed are employed chiefly in the making of
Wooden or Earthen Cups , Troughs , ma$
.ting of Chairs, making of Copper Ointment
Boxes, 'and' Arm-Rings - of Gold, Silver
or Ivory , with fome other Trafh. ' Their
chief Handicraft , with which they are beft
acquainted being the Smithery ; for with
their forry Took they can make all forts
".of War-Arm^ that they want , Guns only
¦excepted ; as well as whatever is required in
their Agriculture and Houfe*keeping. They
have no Notion of Steel and yet they make
their Sables and all cutting Inftruments : Their
principal Tools are a kind of hard Stone in-
ftead of an Anvil, a pair of Tongues, and
a fmall pair of Bellows, with three or more
Pipes ; which blow very ftrong and are an
Invention of their own. Thefe are moft of
* their Arts, befides that of making of Fetiche's;
which I have before informed you of : But
their moft artful Works are the fine Gold and
Silver Hat-bands which they make for us ; the
Thread and Contexture of which is fo fine, that
I queftion whether our Eiiropcm Artifts would
not be put to it to imitate them * And indeed
if they could, and were no better paid than the
Negroe?

LET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 129
Negroes, they would be obliged to live on dry
5read. You muft not take it ill that this Letter.
s filled up with a Medley of all forts of
Subjects ; that, according to our Proverb i
f jump from the Ox to the Afs -, for I ufually
write what firft occurs to my Memory. Ha
ving once mentioned their Navigation, which
s not very confiderable, I fhall acquaint yon
hey ufe a fort of Boats called Canoas -, thelargeft
>f which are about thirty foot long and fix
iroad : From this fize they go down to the
inalleft fort, which are about thirteeeri or four-
een foot long and three or four broad. The
>iggeft of thefe being capable of carrying 3
eafonable Merchant-Man's Boat lading ; _we
generally ufe them in the tranfportation of
>ur Goods from place to place : They are
owed in proportion to their fize, by two,
hree, five ; feven , nine , eleven or fifteen
lowers ; which when they exceed two;
nuft always be an odd number, becaufe
hey are obliged to fit in couples, and ari
xld one is requisite, to fteer. Inftead of Oars
hey ufe a fort of Paddles made like a Spade,;
having a Handle about the fame length;
ivith which paddling the Water with an un-
Jer-hand ftroke , they keep the Catioa in a
very fwift Courfe. With the leaft fort of
Canons, with two or three Men in each, they
generaUy go a fifhirig-; which leads me to
heir Fifhing-tackling ; confifting of great
ind fmall Hooks ; alfo Harping-Irons, which
ihey ufe when they have hooked a great
Fifh : They are befides furnifhed with caft-
ing as well as other large Nets j which laft
K they

130 A Defcription of the LET. IX
they plant, in the Sea over Night, and draw
them in the Morning; when they are fre
quently full of all forts of Fifh : But if a
, Sword-fifh , or any other: fuch rough Giieft
happens to get in the Net, 'tis fure to be
torn in pieces with the SwordY ? Snout : But
this Damage is eafily prevented if the Negroes
are timely informed of it; for they, go two
or three Canoas in Company well furnifhed
with Harping-Irons ; and confidering they
greedily eat this fort of Fifh, if they can
but take him, he makes amends for two or three
broken Nets. '¦'-¦¦
I fhall here fay nothing of their Agri*
culture ; not only becaufe I have already
touched upon it, \ but by reafon I kope for a
better opportunity of treating that Subject.
Though the Gold Coaft is not extended
above fixty Miles in length,; yet we find there
feven or eight -feveral Languages:; fo different
that three, or four of them ;are interchangeably
unintelligible to any bufcithe • fbfpective Na
tives : The Negroes of Jmmv^e, ten Miles
above Axim, cannot underftand thofe of Egira,
Abocroe, Ancober and ¦Axim>i'-> There is indeed
a vaft difference in their Languages. That of
Axim is a very difagreeable brutal ' Sound! ;
that of Ante very different from it, though
not' much more 'beautiful ; But more fhoeking
is that of Acra , not having the leaft Simi
litude with ariy of the reft. The othet Coaft
Negroes , thofe of Aquamboe only excepted ,
generally underftand one another: But the
In-land Negroes is by much the pleafarireft
and moft agreeable ; I mean thofe of* Dinkira, Akim,

jET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 131
ikim, Acanny and Adorn ; this difference, is
afily difcernable to a Perfon but the leaft ac-
uainted with their Languages, and appears as
hat betwixt Brabanders and Foreigners : And
f the Negroes, which we daily converfe with,
vho live about our Forts, expreffed them-
blves as agreeably as the others, 'twould
ie no difficult matter to learn their Language
n twp or three Years, which we find at
irefent we can fcarce do in ten, at leaft not
n any fort of Perfection. Some of us ,
imongft which I ' dare reckon my felf, have
nade fuch a Progrefe , that we underftand
he greateft part of it, though we can hardly
lit the Pronunciation. The Sound of fome
SVords is fo ftrange, that though we have of
ten endeavoured to exprefe them with our
European Letters , yet we have never been
ible to do it ; and the Negroes can neither
ivrite nor read , and confequently have no
life of Letters ; which renders it impoffible
For us to trace their Faults. Dr.- Dapper,
who never was here, hath adventured to ex-
prefe their Words ; which, though I may pre
tend to fome Knowledge of their Languages,
I dare not attempt, being affured I fhall not
fucceed much better than, he.
Could the Negroes, as I have faid, either
read or write, we fhould be able to learn
their Tongues fpeedily by obferving the Let
ters which expreffed each thing ; but having
no other affiftance than the bate Sound, I
think 'tis folly to attempt farther. Where^
fore, Sir, I hope you'll expect no more on this
Head.
K s t

1^2 A Defcription of the LET IX.
I remember to have met with fome Hints
in a certain Author tending to a Defcrip
tion of feveral Noble Families ; but in all
the time of my Refidence here, I have not
been able to difcover what fort of People
thefe were who put any value upon the No*
bility of Families. : I fhall not take up
much of your time in Enquiries what diffe
rence there is betwixt one Negroe and another,
or why one is more efteemed than another ;
for if I fhould dwell never fo long on this
Subject, the Refult is, only the richeft Man
is the moft honoured, without the leaft regard
to Nobility.
I have obferved five Degrees of Men a-
mongft the Negroes -, the firft of which are
their Kings or Captains, for the Word is here
Synonymous. The fecond, their Cabocero's^ or Chief Men ;
which reducing to our manner of Expreffion,
we fhould be apt to call them Civil Fathers;
N whofe Province is only to take care of the
Welfare of the City or Village, and to ap-
peafe any Tumult.
The third fort are thofe who have acqui
red a great Reputation by their Riches, ei
ther devolved oil them by Inheritance or got
ten by Trade. And thefe are the Perfons
which fome Authors have reprefented as
Noblemen ; but whether they are in the
right or npt, fhall hereafter plainly ap
pear.

i

Th*

LET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 135
The fourth are the common People im-
iloyed in the Tillage of Wines, Agriculture
ndr Fifhing.
The. fifth and laft are the Slaves, either
"old by their Relations, taken in War, or
:ome fo by Poverty.
Thefe five being the only Degrees which
ire to be found amongft the Negroes ; let
is enquire by what means they arrive at any
ifthe three firft.
F;rft, The Dignity of King or Captain
n moft of thefe Countries, defcends Here-
litarily from Father to Son, and in defect
if Iffue to the next Male-Heir ; though
bmetimes fo much regard is had to his
liches in Slaves and Money, that he who
s plentifully ftored with thefe, is often pre-
erred to the Right Heir.
The Inauguration of a King is not clogged
vith many Pompous Ceremonies ; for Co-
onations and Coronation Oaths being here
iqually unknown, the new King is fhewn to
he People, and fometimes carried through
lis Territories ; and the whole Affair termi-
ninates in one merry Day : But in cafe
)f Competitorfhip , when two pretend to
hat Dignity at the fame time ; for Confir-
nation of the Loyalty of their Followers,
:ach Pretender obliges his Refpective Party
o an Oath of Allegiance ; without this hap
pens all things run very fmoothly, fome'
Offerings only made, as ufually here on all
Solemn Oceafions. The Principal Men or
K 3 Cabo-

154 A Defcription of the LET. IX.
Cabocero s, are commonly limited to a fet
number ; but fome of them dying and the
Vacancies not filling, when upon affembling
together they find their number too fmall,
they choofe out of the Commonalty Perfons
well advanced in Years to compleat their
number ( for young Men are feldom ad
mitted into this Honourable Affembly) who
are obliged to exprefs their Gratitude to their
Electing Brethren by a Prefent of a Cow and
fome Drink ; after which they are lawfully
admitted and confirmed. The Cuftom of Axim
obliges the Candidate for this Dignity to be
a Native of that Country living at Axim,
at leaft keeping a Houfe there, inhabited by
one of his ^w'ives, or fome of his Family,
and fometimes . refiding there himfelf; which
is fomewhat like our being obliged to keep
Fire and Light, to preferve our Right of Ci
tizens in Holland. If there be one alone, or
feveral , he or they are all brought, to our
Fort and prefented to our Factor, with a re-
queft that they may be admitted into their So
ciety ; who, if he hath nothing to object
againft him,- adminifters an Oath to him on
the Bible, obliging him to be and remain
true to the Netherlaniers, and to aid and affift
them to the utmoft of his Power againft all
their Enemies whatfoever, whether Europeans
or Negroes, and deport himfelf on all oceafi
ons as a Loyal Subject : After which he takes
an Oath , not unlike the former , refpecting
his own Nation -, both which Oaths are con
firmed by an Imprecation , That God would
ftrike him dead if he Jwore contraiy to his In
tentions, or doth not keep his Oath ; in far
ther

LET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 135
ther Confirmation, of which the Bible is held
to his Breaft and laid on his Head; which
are the Ceremonies ufed to render the Oafo
Obligatory : This done, the Factor having re-
giftred his Name , . acknowledges him a
Member pf their Affembly, and admits him
to all the Rights , Priviledges and Advan
tages appendant thereto; and having made
the due Prefents to his Brethren , he is a
Caboceer during his Life. In other places on the
Coaft the Election of a Caboceer is fomewhat
different ; but it being fo well regulated at
Axim, I fhall content my felf with de^
fcribing that only.
_ The third fort of Negroes are thofe enriched,
either by Inheritance or Trade ; who , to
acquire a Reputation and great Name
amongft their Fellow-Citizens, buy about fe-
ven fmall Elephants Teeth , which they
make into Blowing-Horns ; upon which they
caufe their Family to be taught all fort of
Tunes ufual, according to the extravagant
Ccurfe of the Country : Which when they
have learned, they inform all their Relations
and Acquaintance that they intend to fhew
their Blowing-Horns publickly , that they
may come and make merry with them for feveral
Days together ; whilft they, their Wives and
Slaves appear with as much Pomp and
Splendour as is poffible , borrqwing Gold
and Coral of their Friends to make the
greater Show , and diftributing Prefents a-
mongft them : So that this extravagant Ce
remony becomes very expenfive. This Initia-
K 4 tory

13$ A Defcription of the LET. IX
tory Feftival being over they are free to blow
uppn their Horns at pleafur'e, which none
are permitted who have not thus aggrandized
themfelves ; but if they are enclined to divert
themfelves are obliged to borrow them. How
contradictory is the Courfe of Things in this
World ! In fome places Men are obliged
to beg hard and make Intereft for Horns,
whilft they come home to the Houfes of others
as unexpected as nndefired.

A Negroe thus far advanced in Honour,
ufually makes himfelf Mafter of firft one
and then another Shield : Of which he makes
a Shew as publick and pompous as that of
the Horns ; and is obliged to lye the firft
Night with all his Family in Battle Array
in the open Air ; intimating that he will
not be affhiid of any Danger or Hard-fhip
in Defence of his People. After which he
paffes the next and the remaining Days of the
Feaft, which are generally about eight, in Shoot
ing and Martial-Excercifts, as well as Dancing
and all forts of Mirth ; himfelf, his Wives
and Family being as richly dreft as they
poffibly can ; and all that he hath in the
World expofed to publick View, and re
moved from place to place. But this Fefti
val is not fo expenfive as the former ; . for
iriftead of making Prefents, as ufual in that,
he here on the contrary receives very valu
able Prefents; and when he defigns to di
vert himfelf, or go to the War, he is per
mitted to carry two Shields : A Favour
not allowed to any who hath not thus qua
lified himfelf.
,,, ......... » Theft

,ET. IX. Gold of Coaft Guinea. 137
Thefe are the Nobility which Authors boaft
of on this Coaft ; but that in reality they are
lot fo is plain, becaufe no Perfon can En-
>ble himfelf, but muft be fo by Birth, or by
Creation of another : In both which they
ire deficient •, for by Birth they are only-
Slaves, and confequently widely diftant from
Nbblefs, and they owe their advance only
:o themfejves and their Money ; their Port
af Honour here being always open to him
who is rich enongh to bear the Expence,
Befides, in other Places Nobility engages thofe
honoured with it firmly in the publick Ser
vice of their King or Country ; which thefe
ire not the leaft concerned for, applying
•hemfelves to nothing but Trade : But if
any are fond of having them Gentlemen and
Noblemen, I fhall let them remain fo. ' And
it will not a little redound to my Honour,
that I have for feveral Years fuccefliv ely been
waited on by one of thefe Noblemen in the
Capacity of a Footman, without having the
leaft refpedt to his Nobility.

The fourth and fifth fort need no other
iccount to be given of them, than that
;hey are common People and Slaves.

Thefe Blowing-Horns naturally lead me to
1 Defcription of the Mufical Inftruments
vith which they chiefly divert themfelves.
3ut I fhall firft inform you that the Ne-
\roes in building their Villages have not the
leaft

138 A Defcription of the LET. IX.
leaft regard to the Pleafaritnefs of the Situa
tion.' With us indeed it is ufual, and is
doubtlefs very reafonable to put a high value
upon a fine Profpect and pleafant Walks ;
but thefe lumpifh Wretches frequently choofe
a dry and difagreeable place to build on ;
neglecting at the fame time well-plant
ed Hills, farming Vallies, and beautiful
Rivers ; which they have in great abundance,
and ferve them for no ufe nor afford them
any diverfion. They are full as indifferent
and negligent in the making of their Roads,
they being generally as rough and perverfe
as the People themfelves : A Road which
need not to be above two Miles in length,
frequently becomes three by its crookednefs
and unevennefs ; and though they have been
often made fenfible of this Inconvenience by
us, and a very little trouble would mend
them, yet they will not alter them; the
way once made muft ftill remain, though
it leads them twice as far out of the
way.

Their Mufical Inftruments are various, and
very numerous , but all of them yield a
horrid and barbarous fhocking Sound : The
chief of them are the mentioned Horns,
made, as I have already told you , of
fmall Elephant's Teeth ; though not fo very
fmall but fome of them weigh betwixt twen
ty and thirty- Pounds, and others more :
To adorn thefe they cut in them feveral
Images of Men and Beafts ; and that fo
finely that it feems to be done Litterally in
Obedi-

LET. IX.j Gold Coaft of Guinea, 135
Dbedience to the Second Commandment ; for
ndeed 'tis difficult to difcern whether they
ire moft like Men or Beafts ; at the lower
end of. thefe Horns is a piece of Rope co
loured black with Hens or Sheeps Blood,
and at the fmall end is a fquare Hole ; at
which by blowing they produce a fort of ex
travagant Noife ; which they reduce to a
fort of Tone and Meafure, and vary as they
pleafe : Sometimes they blow upon thefe Horns
fo well , that though it is not agreeable,
yet it is is not fo horrid as to require a
xvhole Bale of Cotton annually to flop ones
Ears, as Focquenbrog has it.
Their fecond fort of Inftruments are their
Drums ; of which there are about ten feve
ral forts, but moft of them are excavated
Trees covered at one end with a Sheeps-fkin,
and left open at the other ; which they fet •
on the Ground like a Kettle-Drum , and
when they remove it they hang it by a
String about their Necks : They beat on
thefe Drums with two long Sticks made Ham-
mer-Fafhion, and fometimes with a ftreight Stick
or their bare Hands ; all which ways they
produce a difmal and horrid Noife : The
Drums being generally in confort with the
blowing of the Horns ; which afford the
moft charming Affes Mufick that can be ima
gined : to help out this they always fet a
little Boy to ttrike upon a hollow piece of
Iron with a piece of Wood ; which alone
makes a Noife more deteftable than the
Drums and Hprns together. Of

1 40 A Defcription of the LET. IX.
Of late they have invented a fort of fmall
Drums, covered on both fides with a Skin,
and extended to the fhape of an Hour-Glafs :
The Noife they afford is very like that our
Boys make with their Pots they play with
on Holidays, with this difference only, that
thefe have Iron-rings , which makes fome
alteration in the Sound. 'Twould be ridicu
lous to tire you with all the Inftruments of the
Negroes : I fhall therefore take leave of this
Subject, by defcribing the beft they have ;
which is a hollow piece of Wood of two
fends breadth long, and one broad ; from
the hinder-part of this a Stick comes Crofs
to the^ fore-part, and upon the Inftrument
are five' or fix extended Strings : So that i^
bears fome fort of Similitude td a finall Harp,
or if you will , is not very unlike the
Modern Greek Mufical Inftruments, and af
fords by much the moft agreeable Sound of
any they have here. Having ¦ faid enough
on this Subject, let us turn pur felves to
another.

What is moft commendable amongft the
Negroes, is, that we find no poor amongft them
who beg ; for though they are never fo
wretchedly jpoor they never beg : The Rea
fon of which is, that when a Negroe finds
he cannot fubfift, he binds himfelf for a cer
tain Summ of Money, or his Friends do
it for him ; and the Mafter to whom he
hath obliged himfelf keeps him in all Ne-
celfaries, fetting him a fort of Talk, which is

.ET. IX. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 141
s not in the leaft ' flavifh, being chiefly
0 defend his Mafter on occafion, and in
owing time to work as much as he himfelf
pleafes. So that, as I have before told you,
tiere are no Beggars obliged to be fo by
Poverty : But fhamelefs Beggars, with
out the leaft neceffity , are fo plentiful
that they all undiftinguifhably deferve that
Name : A King himfelf is not afhamed
to beg ; and that for fuch mean things as
he might buy for one penny or two pence;
they are fo fcandalous importunate, that 'tis
impoffible to get from them without gi
ving them fomething.

Though I have been tedious in this, I
hope you will pardon it ; for I muft
own my Itch of Scribling is not yet over,
and I cannot help giving you an account
of a wonderful and extraordinary fort of
People, I mean the Taposyers or Mulattoes -,
a Race begotten by Europeans upon the Negroe
or .Mulatto-Women. This Baftard Strain is
made up of a parcel of profligate Villains,
neither true to the Negroes nor us, nor in
deed dare they truft one another ; fo that
ycu very rarely fee them agree together.
They affume the Name of Chriftians, but
are as great Idolaters as the Negroes them
felves. Moft of the Women are publick
Whores to the Europeans, and private ones to
the Negroes ; fo that I can hardly give them
a Character fo bad as they deferve. I can
only tell you whatever is in its own Nature
worft in the Europeans and Negroes is united in
them ;

142 A Defcription of the LET. IX,
them ; fo that they are the fink of both.
The Men, moft of which are Soldiers in our
Service, are cloathed as we are ; but the
Women prink up themfelves in a particular
manner : Thofe of any Fafhion wear a fine
Shift, and over that a fhort Jacket of Silk
or Stuff, without Sleeves ; which reaches
from under the Arms to their Hipps, faften-
ed only at the Shoulders : Upon their Heads
they wear feveral Caps one upon the other;
the uppermoft of which is or Silk, pleated
before and round at the top to make it fit
faft ; upon all which they have a fort of Fillet
which comes twice or thrice around the Head.
Thus dreffed they make no fmall Shew : On
the lowerpart of their Body they are cloath
ed as the Negroe- Women are ; and thofe who
are poor are only diftinguifhable by their
Drefs, they going naked in the upper-part
of their Body.
The whole Brood, when young, are far from
handfome, and when old, are only fit to fright
Children to their Beds. If a Painter were .ob
liged to paint Envy, I could wifh him no
better Original to draw after than an old
Mulatto-Woman. Iji procefs of time their Bo
dies become ipeckled with white, brown and
yellow Spots, like the Tygers, which they alfo
referable in their barbarous Nature : But I fhall
here leave them, for fear it may be thought that
I am prejudiced by hatred againft 'em ; but fb
far from^ that, that there is not a fingle Perfon
who hath any thing to do with them, but
he muft own they are not worth foeaking to.

.ET. IX. Gold Coaft' of Guinea. 143
:o. Well, as difagreeable as it is to be obli
ged to fuch Company, I have this fatisfaction,
that it cannot be fo irkfome to me here, as it
will be agreeable to me to tell you in few '
Months, Viva voce, how much I am Yours,
&c.

LET-

LET. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea;
LETTER X.
Defcribing the feveral Religions of the Ne
groes. Their Opinions of a Defty, and dif-t
ferent Sentiments concerning the Creation of
Man : Manner of folemn Swearing on feve
ral Oceafions. The Manner of asking
^ueflions of their Idol ; hove it is managed,
ana the Frauds of their Priefts on that ac
count. How, and on what oceafions publick
and Solemn Exercifesof Religion are here .en
joined. Every private Perfon hath his par
ticular Falfe God and Holidays, which he
appoints in Honour of that 3 the Offerings to
it. Which would be the moft effe&ual way
to concert the Negroes to Chriftianity. Of
their forbidden Meats ; Their Opinions con
cerning their Falfe Gods. The Reward of
Good and Evil. Of Murther and Adul
tery, ckc. wherefore amongft them. Various
Opinions of a Future Life. Mirdculous
Priefts living in the Inland Country. Wkd$,
the Negroes think of Devifs, Conjurors and
Apparitions. How they ejett Devils. Only
two Feftivats among themi The Difference
betwixt Fortunate and Unfortunate Days.
They are very1 Superftitious. An fhftdnce
thereof.
SIR,
MY laft was very long ; and if I treat the Sub
ject largely, this will not be much fhorter :
For the Religion of the Negroeh of which I de-
L • figri

146 A Defcription of the L E T. X.
fign to fpeak , will afford Matter enough for a
Book alone, by reafon of the numerous and dif
ferent forts' of it : Forthere is no Village or Town,
nay, I had almoft faid, no private Family which
doth not differ from another on this Head : But
notfhitiking it worth while to recount all the va
rious Opiniens, I dhall therefore pafs them over,
and only fpeak of their publick Jteligion and
Worfhip^ in which ?they a'moft all agree.
A'moft all the Coaft Negroes believe in one true
God, to whom they attribute the Creation of the
World and all things in it, though in a crude in-
digefted Manner, they not being able to form a
juft Idea of a Deity. They are not obliged* to
•themfelves nor the Tradition of their Anceftors
¦for their Opinion, rude as it is, but to their daily
Converlation with the -Europeans, who from time
to time have continually endeavoured to emplant
this Notion in them- There are two Reafons
tamjch confirm me in this Sentiment .• Firft, that
they never rna'ke any Offerings to God, nor call
nponhim in time of need ; bat in all their Dif
ficulties, they apply themfelves to their Fetiche
fpf which more hereafter) and pray to him for
Succefs in their Undertakings : The Second is, the
different Opinions of fome of them concerning the
Creation ; for a great part of the Negroes believe
that Man was made by Ananfte, that is, a great
Spider : the reft attribute the Creation of Man to
God, which they affert to have happened in the
followfog manner : They tell us, that in the be
ginning God created Black as well as White Men ;
thereby not only hinting but endeavouring to
prove that their Race was as foon in the World as
ours ; and to beftow a yet greater Honour on
themfelves, they tell us that God having created
thefe two forts of Men, offered two forts of
Gifts, viz. Gold, and the Knowledge or Arts of
Reading

LET. 3t Gold Codft of Guinea. 147
Reading and Writing, giving the Blacks the firft
Election, whochofe Gold, and left the Knowledge
of Letters to the White. * God granted their Re- * the Ne
gueft, but beingjincenfed at their Avarice, refolved groesie-
that the Whites fhould for ever be their Mafters, l™e> .tha
and they obliged to wait on them as their Slaves. QM\n™i
Others again affirm, that Man at his firft Creation ether Com
was not fhaped as at prefent ; but that thofe parts tries be-
which ferve for the diftindtion of Sexes in Men and fid" the'r
Women, were placed more in view for the conve- J?" } ""^
nience of Propagation ; What think you, Sir, is Blahs
not this a ridiculous Notion ? would it not be have any
very obliging to the Turks to fometimes gratify Knowledge
their Beftial Appetites with Women in an Uh- 'f^if*'.
natural Manner, not to mention their Sodomy with nor-lave*
Men. _ they any
I have found very few Negroes of this Sentiment ; Noti°" of
but having asked thofe who are its Affertors, thftf*tent
when the fhape of Man was altefd to its prefent mm but
State : they replied, that God had done it out of what they
¦efpedt to Modefty when the World became fo reaBeS
veil Peopled that the prefent Shape was fuffieient-f0,7jwr.,
0 preferve the Race of Mankind. Others on the 2™^
Sold Coaft would perfwade us, that the firft Men
ame out of Holes and Pits, like that at prefent
n a great Rock on the Sea, near our Fort of Acra.
Jut 'tis time to flop my Hand ; for if I fhould
larticularize all their Notions concerning the Crea-
ion, the Moon and Stars, inftead of being fhorfi
fhould grow infupportable tedious. I fhall only
ell you, that Father Kirchen would not find it
ery difficult to perfwade them that the Planets
re Peopled, or at leaft the Moon : for they
ave already difcovered a Fellow beating a Drum
in her.
I promifed juft now to explain the Word Fetiche^
mich is ufed in various Senfes* Fetiche or Bojfuni
1 the Negro Language, derives its felf from their
L 2 Falfe

148 A Defcription of the L E T. X.
Falfe God, which they call Boffum. Are they en
clined to make Offerings to their Idols, or defire
to be informed of fomething by them ? they cry
out, Let us make Fetiche; by which they exprefs
as much, as let us perform our Religious Worfhip,
and fee or hear what our Godfaith. In like man
ner, if they are injured by another they make Fe
tiche to deftroy him in the following manner :
> they caufe fome Victuals and Drink to be Exorci-
fed by their Feticheer or Prieft, and fcatter it in
fome place which their Enemy is accuftomed to
pafs ; firmly believing, that he who comes to
touch this conjured Stuff fhall certainly dye foon
after. Thofe who are afraid of this coming to
fuch places, caufe themfelves to be carried over
thein ; for 'tis the wonderful Nature of this Ex-
orcifed Trafh, that then it does not in the leaft
affect; the Perfon, nor can it at all affect thofe who
carry him, or any Body elfe befides him . So
, that tho' the Art of poifoning is a Favourite pecu
liar to the Italians, yet they have always found
themfelves obliged tp endanger the Innocent to
come at the Guilty, and never yet could hit on
fo diftinguiftiing and difcreet a Poifon as this of
our Negroes ; though I muft confefs I like that of
the Italians fo little, that I had rather walk over
all that the Negroes can lay for me, than have any
thing to do with their*
If they are robbed they make ufe of much the
fame means for the difcoveryand condign Punifh-
ment of the Tbief : They are fo obftinately bi-
gotted to this Opinion, that if you fhould pro
duce a hundred Inftances of its Impotence, twoud
be impoffible to alter, their Sentiments, they ha
ving always fomething ready on which to charge
its contrary Succefs. If any Perfon be caughl
ftrowingthis Poifon, he is very feverely punifhed.
nay, fometimes with Death, though it be on thi
lad

LET. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 14.9
laft account of Thieving,which is here freely allowe-
ed. Obligatory Swearing they alfo call, making of
Fetiche's ; Is any Obligation to be confirmed, their
Phrafe is, let us as a farther Confirmation make fe
tiche's. When they drink the Uath- Draught, 'tis
ufually accompanied with an Imprecation, that the
Fetiche may kill them if they do not perform the
Contents of their Obligation. Every Perfon en-
tring into any Obligation is obliged to drink this
Swearing Liquor. When any Nation is hired
:o the Affiftance of another, all the Chief ones
ire obliged to drink this Liquor, with an Im
precation, that their Fetiche may puniih them
with Death, if they do not affift them with utmoft
Vigour to Extirpate their Enemy. But Oaths on
this occafion are fo frequently taken and broken,
hat they themfelves have ho great Opinion of
hem ; befides, they have found out a way to ab-
blve themfelves from their Oaths, take the Mo-
fiey of thofe who have hired them to the affiftance,
md act directly contrary to their Obligation : for
having entered into this folemn Engagement or
Dath, in the prefence of their Prieft ; they doubt
^ot in the leaft but that it is in his Power to free
hem of the Obligation. This you will be apt to
ay looks a little like the Papacy ; but I'll affure,
you 'tis in reality, as I have reprefented it. But
}f late Years fome Negroes are fo refined, that be*
Fore they take their contractory Oaths, they oblige
:he Prieft to fwear firft, and drink the Oath-
Draught, with an Imprecation, that the Fetiche
houldpunifh him with Death, if he ever abfolved
iny Perfon from their Oath without the unani
mous confent of all interefted in that Contract.
Oaths taken in this manner are generally kept un-
riolated and punctually performed. If you afk
tfhat Opinion the Negroes have of thofe who falfify
their Obligations confirmed by the Oath-Drinlc -%
L 3 they

1 50 A Defcription of the LET. X.
they believe the perjured Perfon fhall be fwelled
by that Liquor till he burfts ; or if that doth not
happen, that he fhall fhortly dye of a Languifli-
ing Sicknefs : The firft Punifhment they imagine
more peculiar to Women, who take this Draught)
to acquit themfelves of any Accufation of Adul
tery ; and if I may be allowed to make a Com-
parifon, this Drink feems very like the" bitter Wa
ter adminiftred to the Women in the Old Tefta-
ment by way of Purgation from the charge of
Adultery. Thus in the Defcription of the Rer
ligion of the Negroes, I find my felf infenfibly
fallen upon their Oaths ; but fince even that is a
part of Religious Worfhip, I have fome excufe for
purfuing that Subject yet a little farther. If any
Perfon is fufpedted of Thievery and the Indictment
is not clearly made out, he is obliged to clear him
felf by drinking the Oath-Draught, and to ufe the
Imprecation, that the Fetiche may kill him if he
be guilty of Thievery. The feveral ways of ta
king Oaths are fo numerous, that I fhould tire you
as well as my felf with a Repetition of them :
Wherefore I fhall content my felf with adding
only one efteemed the moft Solemn and Obligato
ry, which is only ufed on important oceafions,
and is in the following Manner.
Each Prieft or Feticheer hath his peculiar Idol,
prepared and adjufted in a particular and diffe
rent manner, but moft of them like the following
, Defcription. They have a great Wooden Pipe
filled with Earth, Oil, Blood, the Bones, of dead
Men and Beafts, Feathers, Hair; and, to be fhort,
all forts of Excrementitipus and filthy Trafh,which
they do not endeavour to moiftd into any Shape,
but lay it in a confufed heap in the Pipe. The
Negroe who is tp take an Oath before this Idol, is/
placed directly oppofite to it, and afks the Prieft
{lie Name of h$ Idpl (each having z particular one;)

, ET. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 151
ne ; ) of which being informed, he calls the Feti-
be by its Name, and recites at large the Contents
f what he defigns to bind by an Oath, and
nakes it his Petitionary Requeft that the Idol may
limifh him with Death if he fwears falfly ; then
e goes round the Pipe and ftands ftill and fwears
fecond time in the fame place and manner as
efore, and fo a third time likewife : after which
le Prieft takes fome of the mentioned Ingredients
ut of the Pipe ; with which he touches the
wearer's Head, Arms, Belly and Legs, and
oldingit above his Head, turns it three times
jund ; then he cuts off a bit of the Nail of one
inger in each .Hand, of one Toe of each Foot,
nd fome of the Hair of his Head, which he
irows into the Pipe where the Idol is lodged :
11 which done the Oath is firmly Obligatory.
>ut to turn to another Subject.
When the Negroes defign to begin a War, to
rive a Bargain, to Travel or attempt any thing
f Importance ; their firft Bufinefs is to confult
leir Falfe God by the Prieft, concerning the E-
ent of their Undertaking, who very feldom Pro-
hefies 111, but generally encourages them to hope
ir profperbus Succefs -, which they take on his
ford, not doubting the Iffue in the leaft, and ob-
iquioufly perform all the Prieft's Commands $
diich generally oblige them to offer up Sheep,
togs, Fowls, Dogs and Cats to their Idol ; or at
ther times perhaps, Cloaths, Wine and Gold ;
v which the Prieft is fure to be the greateft Gain-
r, for he fweeps all to himfelf, only prefenting
iarbage and the Excrements of the flaughtered Sa-
rifice to his God to divert himfelf withal : And
ius, befides the Money given him, he makes a
lift to pay himfelf very well out of the Offerings
>r his fmall trouble.
L* . If

A Defcription of the LET. X.
If the Prieft is enclined to oblige the Querent,
the Queftions are put to the Idol in his prefence
and generally in one of the two following methods.
The firft way is by a bundle of about twenty fmall
bits of Leather ; in the middle of which they bind
fome Trafh of the fame Nature ; with that they fill
themention'd Pipe : Some of thefe Ingredients pro
mife good Succefs,and others threaten the contrary.
This Bundle the Prieft fhufflles together feveral
times ; and if thofe which prefage a good Iffue
happen to come frequently together, he aflures
the Querent that his Undertaking fhall end well.
But 'tis here to be obferved that the Dextrous
Prieft can by flight, make which he pleafes of the
Leathers come together ; and that if he ever
gives them an unlucky or difcouraging Anfwer,
-tis only to extort more Offerings from them, on
pretence of appearing the incenfed God, but in
reality to redouble his own Perquifites.
The fecond way pf confulting their Idols, is
by a fort of wild Nuts; which they pretend to
take up by guefs and let fall again : after which
they tell them, and form their Predictions from
the numbers falling even or odd. In fhort, the
Priefts, who are generally fly and crafty, en
couraged by the ftupid Credulity of the People,
have all the opportunity in the World to impofe
|the groffeft abfurdities and fleece their Purfes ; as
they indeed do effectually. For if the Event con
futes their Prefage, they never want an excufe ;
the Sacred Rites were not carefully performed,
this or that part of it was flubbered over or omit
ted, the God is therefore enraged, and 'tis for
that reafon the Affair hath fucceeded fo crofly.
This is glibly fwallewed. The Prieft is never ac-
cufed of Fafihood ; \f the whole Land be ruined,
pis Reputation remains fecure and untouched :
But if by chance his Auguries come to pafe,
-there

- E T. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 155
here is not in the World, a Wifer or Holyer
Vlan, and he is fure not to want his Reward.
Publick General Religious Exercifes of a
vhole Nation or Town are cuftomary on account
if Unfeafonablenefs or Unfruitful Weather in
Floods, or a great Drought : When the Chief of
he Town or Nation affemble and advife with
he Prieft what courfe is moft proper to remove
he prefent publick Calamity ; and what they or-
ler is immediately ridiculoufly commanded or
orbidden through the Land by a publick Cryer -,
tnd whoever dares prefume to act contrary to this
Order, is fure to incur a large pecuniary Perfalty.
iVhen their Fifhery is at low Ebb, they make Of-
"erings to the Sea : but this generally happens a-
)Out Auguft or September, when Experience tells
hem that a vaft Quantity of Fifh is commonly
aken, and yet this is always believed an Effect of
he Offering.
Almoft every Village hath a fmall appropriated
jrove, where the Governours and chief People
tequently repair to make their Offerings ; either
br the publick good, or for themfelves. Thefe
proves are efteemed Sacred, no Perfon prefiuning
o defile them, pluck, cut, or break off any Branches
)f Trees ; who, befides the accuftomed Punifh-
nent, is not willing to lay himfelf under an uni-
rerfal Malediction.
Each particular Perfon hath his peculiar Falfe
3od, which he or fhe worihips after their manner,
m that Day of the Week on which he was born.
This they call thejr Bojfum, or in their Portugnejh
>anfte-Day, on which they drink no Palm-Wine be-
bre Sun-fet : They are habited all in white, and
s a Sign of Purity fmeared with white Earth.
doft of the Negroes, efpecially the Principal, have
efides this another Weekly Day Sanctified to their
fetiche's. On thefe Days they kill a Cock, and
fome-

1 54 -A Defcription of the L E T. X.
fometimes, if they are rich, a Sheep, which they of
fer up to their God in Words alone ; for they im
mediately fall upon it and tear it to pieces with
their Fingers ; taking it for granted, that 'tis fuf-
ficient to fay 'twas killed for him : And as he hath
none of it, fo the Owner, when a Sheep is killed
on this Aceourit, hath the leaft fhare of it ; for his
Friends and Acquaintance fall like a Dog upon a
fick Cow, each as greedily as narrowly watching
his opportunity of feizing a piece, which goes
immediately to the Fire, foul or clean 'tis no
great matter, they are not very nice : • The Guts
they •cut into fmall pieces, and fqueezing out the
Excrement with their Fingers, they boil it together
with the Lungs, Liver, and Heart, with a little
Salt and Malaget, or Guinea Pepper, without
waffling it from the Blood. This they call Eynt-
jeba, and it's efteemed the greateft Delicacy that
can be dreffed up.
If it was poffible to convert the Negroes to the
Chriftian Religion, the itoHiaw-Catholicks would
Succeed better than we fhould, becaufe they alrea
dy agree in feveral particulars, efpecially in their
ridiculous Ceremonies; for do the Romanifts abftain
u,ie or two Days weekly from Flefh; thefe have
• Ifo their Days when they forbear Wine ; which,
confidering they are very great lovers of it, is
ibmewhat fevere. The Romanics have their allotted
times for eating peculiar forts of Food, or perhaps
wholly abftaining from it, in which the Negroes
out-do them ; for each Perfon here is forbidden
the eating of one fort of Flefh or other ; one eats
no Mutton, another noGoats-Flefh, Beef, Swines-
Flelh , Wild-Fowl , Cocks with white Fea
thers, &c This Reftraint is not laid upon them
for a limited time, but for their whole Lives :
And if the Romanifts brag of the Antiquities of
their Ecclefiaftical Commands ; fo if you afk the
Negroes

LET. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea,
Negroes why they do this, they will readily tell you,
becaufe their Anceftors did fo from the beginning
of the World, and it hath been handed down from
one Age to another by Tradition. The Son never
eats what the Father is reftrained from, as the
Daughter herein follows the Mother's Example ;
and this Rule is fo ftrictly obferved amongft them,
that 'tis impoffible to perfwade them to the con
trary. I have already informed you of the Significa
tion of the Word Fetiche, that it is chiefly ufed in
a Religious Senfe, or at leaft is derived from
thence : Before I proceed to inform you how they
reprefent their Gods , I fhall only hint that all
things made in Honour of their Falfe Gods, never
fo mean, are called, Fetiche : and hence alfo the
Artificial Gold mentioned in my faih Letter
derives its Name.
How their Gods are reprefented to them, or
what Idea they form of them, I never yet could
learn , becaufe indeed they do not know them •
felves : What we are able to obferve is, that they
have a great number of Falfe Gods • that each
Man, or at leaft each Houfe-keeper, hath one;
which they are perfwaded narrowly infpects their
Courfe of Life , and rewards Good, and Pu-
nifhes Wicked Men ; but their Rewards confift in
the Multiplicity of Wives and Slaves, and their
Punifhmentsin the want of them ; though the molt
terrible Punifhment they can imagine is Death ;
of which they are terribly afraid : And, indeed,
tis this which enflames their Zeal in Religious
Affairs, and oceafions their Abftinence from for
bidden Meats and Drinks, fearing they fhould
dye if they but once tafted it. Murther, Adulte
ry, Thievery, and all other fuch like Crimes, are
here accounted no Sins, becaufe they can expiate
them with Mpney ; which they cannot do in any
other

156 A Defcription of the LET. X.
other Mif-deeds, which ftill remain charged to
their Account. Mr. Frederick Cojet defcribing the
Opinions of the Inhabitants of Formofa, relates
the fame concerning them.
Their Notions of a Future State are different;
moft of them believe that immediately after the
Death of any Perfon he goes to another World,
where he lives in the fame Character as here, and
makes ufe of all the Offerings of his Friends and
Relations made here after his Death : But they
have no Idea of future Rewards or Punifhments,
for the good or ill Actions of their paft Life ;
except fome of them, who take it for granted,
that the Deceafed are immediately conveyed to
a famous River, fituate in the Inland Country,
called Bofmanqite : (fuppofing this to be taken in
a Spiritual Senfe, becaufe it vifibly appears that
the Body is left with them.) 'Tis here their God
enquires what fort of Life they have lived :
Have they religioufiy obferved the Holy- days,
dedicated to their God,abftained from all forbidden
Meats, and inviolably kept their Oaths > they are
gently wafted over the River, to a Land abound
ing in all kinds of Happinefs, not unlike Maho
met's Paradife : But if on the contrary the depart
ed hath finned againft any of the mentioned Rules,
his God plunges him into the River, where he is
Drowned and Buried in Eternal Oblivion.
Others are perfuaded that after Death, they are
tranfported to the Land of the Blanks or Whites,
and changed into white Men : This is fomewhat
like the Metempfychofis of Pythagoras, and ferves to
hint how much more honourable they account the
white Men beyond themfelves.
The Inland Negroes inform thofe Blacks who
live amongft us, that a great Feticheer or Prieft
lives in a very fine Houfe far In-land ; of which
they relate nothing but Miracles : They affirm, that

LET. X. GolA Coaft of Guinea.
that the Winds and Weather are at his Command,
and that he can change them at Pleafure ; that
though his Houfe is without any Roof, yet it is
always fheltered from Rain ; that he 'not only
knows all things paft, but can as accurately fore
tell all future Events as if they were prefent be
fore his Eyes, and cures all forts of Diftempers :
In fhort, he knows fo much, and does fuch won
derful Things, that Father Marcus Avianus, wou'd
be obliged to ftand bare, and was indeed nothing
compared with him. His Country-Men aflert,
that all thofe near his Abode, muft appear befora
and be examined by him ; upon which if they
are found to have led a good Life, he fends them
away in Peace to a happy Place : but if on the
contrary, he kills them a fecond time with a Cluh
made on purpofe for that ufe," and placed before
his dwelling Place, that it may always be ready
at Hand. From hence you may eafily inferr,
whether this Negroe is not incredibly Reverenced
and Efteemed by his Country-men ; and indeed
they look upon him as a fort of Demi-God : So fly-
ly hath this Arch-Cheat infinuared this great O-
pinion of himfelf intothe Minds of his Neighbours,
that (this being no old Story, he at prefent living)
they every Day relate frefh Miracles of him.
By this you may fee, that the Conjurors and Mi
racle-Mongers are no ftrange things amonft the
Negroes-, they firmly believe in them, but in a
different manner from our European Ridiculous
Opinionifts ; who are perfuaded no Conjuror can
do any Feats without the help of the Devil : For
on the contrary, the Negroes do not doubt but that
'tis a Gift of God , and though in reality 'tis a
down-right Cheat, yet they, ignorant of the
Fraud, fwallow it as a Miracle, and above Hu
mane Power ; but that the Devil may not in the
leaft participate of the Honour, they afcribe it
all

1 58 A Defcription of tha L E T. %
all to God : And for my part, if there were any
Men endow'd with fuch Supernatural Qualities,
I fhould certainly agree with the Negroes in afcri-
bing it to God, and riot to the Devil.
Since we are got on this Subject, I muft not
forget to inform you that the Negroes believe that
there is a Devil, and that he frequently does them
a great deal of Mifchief : But what Authors
write, that they pray and make Offerings to him,
is utterly falfe. If I miftake not, I have read in
Oliver Dapper, that the Negroes never eat or drink,
without throwing fome Portion of it to the Earth
for the Devil ; but this is a great miftake ; Jtis true,in-
deed,that before they Eat or Drink they are accufto
med to throw away fbme,but this is not for the Devil,
they won't oblige him fo far ; 'tis for their Falfe God,
or fometimes for their deceafed Friend.
The Devil is Annually banifhed all their Towns
with abundance of Ceremony, at an appointed
time fet apart for that end. I have twice feen it
at Axim, where they make the greateft ftir about it.
This Proceffion ib preceded by a Feaft of eight Days,
accompanied with all manner of Singing, Skip-
ing, Dancing, Mirth and Jollity : In which time
a perfect lampooning Liberty is allowed, and
Scandal fo highly exalted, that they may freely
fing of all the Faults, Villanies and Frauds of
their Superiours as well as Inferiours, without Pu-
nifhment, or fo much as the leaft interruption ;
and the only way to flop their Mouths is to ply
them luftily with Drink, which alters their Tone
immediately, and turns their Satyrical Ballads in
to Commendatory Songs on the good Qualities of
him who hath fo nobly treated them.
On the eighth Day in the Morning they hunt
out the Devil with a difmal Cry, all running one
after another, throwing of Excrements, Stones,
Wood , pr any tiring they can come at, as thick

,ET. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 159
is Hail at Satan s Pofteriours. When they have
driven him far enough out of Town, they all re
turn ; and thus conclude their eight Days Divine
or rather Diabolical Service. From hence we may
obferve, that they believe there are more Devils
than one, becaufe he is driven out of above one hun
dred Towns at the fame time. And to make fore
that he doth not return to their Houfes, the Wo
men wafh and fcour all their Wooden and Ear
then VefTels very neat, to free them from all Un-
cleannefs and the Devil.
The Negroes of Ante alfo drive out the Devil in
the fame manner : But thefe poor Wretches are tor
mented with aworfe Devil, though they call him a
God. This is a Giant,one fide of his Body being found
the other rotten, which if any Perfon do but touch
he dyes immediately ; (which I believe without the
leaft fcruple.) This over-grown Devil, or Gpd,
(for the difference is not very great) they endea
vour to appeafe with Eatables ; to which purpofe
thoufandsof Pots or Troughs of Victuals are con
tinually found ftanding throughout the whole
'Antefe Country ; fo that he muft have a
worfe than canine Appetite if he hath not his Belly
full. They ftedfaftly believe the Apparition of Spirits
and Ghofts, and that they frequently difturb and
terrifie fome People : So that when any, but more
efpecially any confiderable Perfon, dyes, they per
plex one another with horrid Fears, proceeding
from an Opinion that he appears for feveral
Nights fucceffively near his late Dwelling.
They have no other Solemn Times or Feftivals,
befides that when their Harveft is compleated,
which we call their Fair, and that of banilning the
Devil. Excepting what the Negroes have leara'd of the
Europeans, they have no Notion of the divifions of
the

A Defcription of the LET. X*
the Year into Months and Weeks ; but reckcn
their time by the fhining of the Moon ; whence
they likewife collect when it is proper to fow: But
that they have long been acquainted with the Di
vifion of Months into Weeks and Days, feems
very probable to me , by Reafon each Day
of the Week has its proper Name in their
Language. Their Sabbath falls on our Tuefday^
but in Ante, like that of the Mahometans, on
Friday ; and differs from other Dajrs no other-
wife, than that no Perfon is then permitted to Fifh :
but all -other Works are allowed without the leaft
interruption as freely as on other Days.
The Inland Negroes divide time in a very ftrange
manner, into lucky and nnlucky : In fome Coum
tries the Great Fortunate time lafts nineteen, and
the lefler (which is different from the other) feven
Days ; and betwixt thefe are feven 111 or Unfor
tunate Days, which is a fort of Vacation to them;
for then they do not Travel, Till their Land, or
undertake any thing of Conference, but remain-
altogether idle. The Inhabitants of Aquamboe are
more bigotted in this particular than any of the reft :
for befides that thpy will not refolve concerning
any Affairs on thefe Days, they will not willingly
.accept any Prefents made them, but fend them back
again, or at leaft caufe them to be kept in a cer
tain place apart until the lucky Days come.
Who firft fettled this distinction of good and
bad Days, I cannot determine ; nor do I believe
any Perfon can : All that I can conjecture of the
reafon of them is, that perhaps fome leading Man
amongft them might have been Fortunate on the
one, and Unfortunate on the other; upon an ob-
fervation of which he might refolve to form it in
to a- Rule, to which fie would ad juft the remain^
der of his Life, and that others confequently fol
lowing his Example, it grew firft into a CuftoirL I
¦^ afterwards lata a Lam Thei

. E T. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 1 6*1
The Inhabitants of one Country differ very
mch from thofe of another in this particular :
This Nation accounting their happy Days at one
ime, and that fixing them at another ; whilft the
'oaft Negroes don't trouble themfelves therewith
n the leaft, but believe all times alike.
On the Gold Coaft the Natives are not in the
;aft acquainted with Image- Worfhip,. but at Arbra
here are thoufands of Idols.
Believing I have fufficiently enlarged on the
Leligion of the Guineans, I fhall take leave of that
ubject ; and to fill up a > final 1 vacancy in this
setter, juft hint fomething of their ftrange Super-
tition, nothing uncommon ever happening which
5 not attributed to fome Miracle or another : Of
mich I could tire you and my felf with Inffances,
hat happened fince I have been here ; but
o avoid-that, I fhall content my felf with one
nftance of a thoufand.
In November 1698. The King of Commany, for-
nerly our utter Enemy, was killed at Cabocors
y the Englifli ; a few Days after which our chief
"'actor at Elimina happened to dye, to the great
3rief of the Negroes, who all unanimoufly a-
;reed, that the before-mentioned King of Comma-
yhad called him to him to the Elixian Fields ;
nd that fince he had no opportunity when alive
0 fend any of our chief Men thither he had taken
his Opportunity after his Death of obliging one to
bllowhim,outof revenge, and that we might have
he lefs reafbn to triumph on occafion of his Death.
Thus far and farther extends their horrid Super-
tition ; but we fhall leave them and it as impofe.
ible to be feparated, and conclude this with my
learty Refpect tp your felf and Lady, c^c. •
M LET-

. ' A Defcription of the LET. XL
LET TER XL
Of the Government of the Negroes, which by
reafon of the fmall Power vefted in the Ca-
boceroes is very loofely and irregularly mana
ged. The difference between Monarchical and
Republican Government. What fort of Go-'
vernment that of Axim is. How their Courts
of Juflice are held and how Juflice is diftri-
buted. What Credit is to be given to Evi
dences. The Extenfive Authority of our
Faff or at Axim. Punifhments of Murther
and Thievery. Refpeff of Perfons thought
no Jnjuftice 5 and wherefore. Stealing of
Men and Cattle fever ely punifhed. The Of
fice of Judge redounds very much to the ad-.
vantage of our Faff or at Axim, as appears
by a farther Explanation. The nnjuft Way
of recovering Debts, which is two or threefold.
Wars arifefrom hence. The Reafons which
fometimes engage them in a War • which
is very cheap. The Military Force of the
Negroes living on the Coaft near the Sea is
very inconfiderable. Their Cowardice in
Battel. Their manner of Fighting.. Of
their Plundering. The Authority of their
Priefts in War. Their ufual Arms ,
Power and Prerogative of their JCingt.
They live in no great State, nor are in
the leaft reverenced. Their Revenue. The
) poverty of fome ef them. Education of
their :

,ET. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 163
their Children very mean. The Office Of a
King or chief Perfon.
S I R,
<K7"0UR obliging. Letter, dated the 4th of 68o<
X her, was very welcome,and fo Fpeedily brought
0 me by the Ship, the Flying Dragon, that from
lence only fhe might very well deferve that
"lame ; tho' I could wifh on other oceafions fhe
fere not found fo fwift ; for when our Companies
hips are-juft at her Heels, inftead of the two
ftngs the Painter has beftow'd on her, fhe feems
ither to have four.by her Expedition, fhe being ho
?oner difcovered but fhe gets out ' of fight :
fell, however, if we cannot catch her, may
!od grant her a fafe Paffage rather than fhe fall
lto the Enemies Hands.
'Tis with a great deal of Satisfaction I am
formed that you have received and are fo Well
leafed with my Letters treating of this Coaft,
id that you like that part defcribing the Comma-
cm Wars fo well as to thank me for my trouble,
id earneftly defire that I will impart what is yet
anting to compleat the defign : To excite me
which you all along praife my Endeavours,
his is what indeed might prevail upon a Perfon
a humour different from mine'; but I am tod con-
ous pf my own Imperfections to.be ignorant how
• the complimental Commendations your Ci-
lity beftows, belong to me, and am not in the
tft moved by them ; but if you would urge me
proceed, you ought to ufe no other Arguments
m that 'tis your defire, and the Obligations I
ire to you are the moft prevalent which can be
ered. This I am writing as a proof of my
ilous Inclinations to ferve you, fince I am not
hafte likely to obtain another Opportunity,
M 2 is

A Defcription of the' L E T . XI
,is like to take in as much matter as would fill one
and a half or two Letters. ; . , ,
¦ Our prefent Subjects are, the Government, Ad
miniftration of Government, and Wars of the Ne- »
groes ; each .of which I fhall but imperfectly touch
upon, becaufe the two former will naturally fall
in on fome future oceafions, and the laft you have
already had a Specimen of in the Relation of
Commany : and to conclude this Letter, I defign to
fhew yon the Guinea Kings in their brighteft Luftre
and Glory.
The Government of the Negroes is very licenti
ous and irregular, which only proceeds from the
fmall Authority of their chief Men or Cabocero's ,;
and frequent Wars are occafioned by their remits
Government and abfurd Cuftoms.
The difference betwixt the Adminiftration of
the Government of Monarchies and Common
wealths is here very great. Of the former the
"Power and Jurifdictipn being vetted in a fingle
Perfon, I fhall not fay much at prefent : But fhall
only fpeak of the Republicks ; amongft which
that of Axim and Ante feeming the moft like
Regular, I fhall reprefent them as Iriftances of the
reft : though indeed the beft of their Governments
and Methods of Adminiftration of Juftice are fo
confofed and 'perplexed, that they are hardly to
be comprehended, much lefe then are they to be
expreft with any manner of connexion on Paper.
The Government of Axim confifts of two parts,
the firft whereof is the Body of Caboceroes, or
chief Men; the other the Manceroes,or young Men.
^.ll Civil or Publick Affairs which commonly oc
cur are under their Adminiftration ; but what con
cerns the whole Land, and are properly National
Affairs, as making of Peace and War, the raifing
Tributary Impositions to be paid to Foreign Na
tions (which feldom happens) that falls under the
'"." ' "• ¦' Copt

E T. XL- Gold Coaft of Guinea. i Si
lognifance of both Parts-, or Members of the Gov
ernment : And on thefe oceafions the Mancerses
ften manage with a Super iour Hand, efpecially
" the- Caboceroes are not very rich in Gold and
laves, and confequently able by their affiftance
> bring over the other to their fide. ¦< '
.Their diftribution of Juftice is in the following
Ianner t If one of the Negroes hath any«»pretehfi*
n upon another, he doth not go empty-handed
at loaded* with Prefents of Gold and Brandy"
:he latter pf which is here of a Magnefick Virtue)
nd applies himfelf to the Caboceroes ; after the de-
very of which he ftates his Cafe to them, defiring
ley will difpatch his Caufe with the firft oppor-
inity, and oblige his Adversary to an ample Sa4
sfaction.:: If they are refolved to favour him- high*
r, a full Council is called immediately, orjat far-
left within two or three Daj/s, according as it is
10ft convenient • and after having maturely con-
dted, Judgment is given in his Favour, and, that
equently as directly oppofite to Juftice as to. any
iher Reafpn-than the received Bribe.
But on the' contrary, foftead of favouring, are
ley incenfed againft the Plantiff, or have they
jceived a larger Bribe from his Adverfery, the
tfteft Caufe in the World cannot protect him
om Judgment againft him ; or if right] ap-
sar.too plainly „on his fide, to avoid an enfuing
:andal, they will delay and keep off a Trial,
bligirig the injured Perfon, after tediousand vain
olicitations, to wait in hopes of finding juftet
adges hereafter, which perhaps does not happen
1 the Compafs of his Lif^ -, and fo of confequence
le Suit devplyes upon his Heirs as an Inheritance;
'ho,wheneveran' Opportunity offersithougb thirty.
ears after, lpioW very Well how to make ufe of
; as I my feff have feveral times had fuch Cau-
s come before me, that one would be apt fd
.ink 'twere impoffible they foould remember fo
'Mi ? lorigj'

166 A Defcription of tU LET. XI.
lotig^ confidering they want the-Affi fiance of Read
ing and Writing.
v It fometimes falls out that the Plantiff, or per- .
haps the Defendant, ' finding the Caufe given a-
gainft- him contrary to Reafon, is toe impatient
to wait for an Opportunity of having Juftice done
him; but makes ufe of the firft; favourable one •
of Sizing fuch a quantity of Gold or Goods as
is -"likely to- repair ""his Damage, not, only from
his Adversary or Debtor, but the firft which falls
in his way, if at leaft he does but live in the
faine City or Village ; and what he hath -thus
f eiBs&'d himfelf of he will not re-deliver till he
receive plenary Satisfaction, and is at Peace with
his Adverfary, or is obliged to it by force. If he
be flrong enough to defend himfelf and his Cap
ture, $ie ia fure to keep it, and thereby engage a
third Perfon in- the Suit- on account of the feizure
of his Effects for Security, who hath his Remedy
on -the^ Perfon on whofe account he hath fuffered
this Damage : fo that hence proceed frequent Mur-
thers, and fometimes Wars are thereby occafioned $
but of this more hereafter.
But if the Sentence' of the Cabocero's be Juft, or
the Caufe come to oar Fort to be decided in pre-
fenc-e of our Fa&or, toe Difpute is amicably,
concluded by adjudigihg it againft him who theE-
vidence prove is in the w-r-ong,and 'tis found has not a
fufficient Plea to offer in bis Defence to clear himfelf
of it : But if on the other fide fee can clear himfelf by
Witaeffes, he is difeharged ; and if neither of the
Parties have any Evidence, the accufed clearing
himfelf upon Oath is difeharged ; which if he
cannot do, he is lyable to have Judgment pais
againft him, to pay what is charged on hirn^
provided that the Plantiff have given in his Charge
upon Oath, which he is always obliged to do,
The

E T . XL Gold Coaft ^/Guinea; 1 6 j
The Oath of Purgation is preferr'd before the
)ath of Accufation;. for if the Plantiff prove his
lomplaint by two, or but one Witnefs, the pefen-
ent is not allowed to fwear.
This frequently oceafions fome very ill Acci-
ents, Perjury being no new thing among the
legroes ; and he that is injured this! way is fure to
ratch all Opportunities of Revenge. But this In-
iftice very feldom or never occurs any where
lit at diftant and far in-land Places, where our
actors can take no cognizance of it ; But all
uits arifing amongft or near our Forts are deter-
lined by the Sentence of the Factor and the Ca-
iceroes, and fo remain decided for ever ; their
udgmentbeing ftrictly Obligatory and admitting
f no Appeal but to the Director General, in cafe the
actor and Caboceroes have been mifinformed in
le Caufe, which fcarce ever happens ; fo the Ne
ws pay the Fines they are condemned in,
ith the utmoft Willingnefs. What thefe Fines
re, and how proportioned to Crimes, I fhall im3
lediately inform you.
Thus you fee when a Law Suit is begun we can
id it without the affiftance of Attorneys or
tauncellors, in a much fhorter time, and perhaps
ith as much Juftice, as where thofe, Gentlemen
re moft employed : though I muft own that the
aufes here are feldom fo difficult and puzling as
) require the Advice, or Affiftance of Council s
>r the Caufes, Plantiffs, Defendants and Judges,
re equally fimple and upon a level ; fo I leave
> your Judgment whether this is to be commend-
i or blamed.
As to the ufual Penalties : Firft, Murtheris pu^
ifhed two feveral Ways, one is by the Death of
le Murtherers^and the other by a pecuniary Mulct ;
hich again is of two forts, with refpect to the
M 4 Fres?,

lov A Jjejcrtption oj we L £, I ; ai.
Free, and thofe who are not fo ; that is, the Free-
, bom and the Slaves. >
-....Tis very feldom that any Perfon is here execu
ted for Murther, if he either hath any Effects him
felf, or hath any rich Friends to pay the appoint
ed Fine.
If any Body kill a Free-born Negroe of Axim,
and the Murther is to be remitted by a Fine, the
' old ufual Summ of five hundred Crowns is de
manded of him, though the whole demand is
feldom paid , the Murtherer generally getting
fome Abatement, according as the Relations of the
Murthered Perfon ftand affected ; for 'tis at their
choice to be contented with as little as they pleafe,
and they, only he is obliged tp agree with ; . quite
contrary to what a certain Writer affirms, viz.
¦that the Fines accrue to the King; which is fo falfe,
that he has no pretence to the leaft fhare, unlefs
he hath been afflftant in the getting of them, when
indeed he is paid for his Trouble only.
The mentioned five hundred Crowns is to be
underftood of a common free Negroe, but on ac
count of a confiderable Perfon I have known the
Fine augmented to ten times that Summ ; which
indeed fhould not fuffice, there being too many
that would willingly give five hundred Crowns
to remove a chief Man out of the way ; wherefore
the Fine in this cafe is left to the Difcretion of
the Judges.
The Murther of a Slave is ufually Fined fix
and thirty- Crowns ; but 'tis in -this cafe as in the
firft, if the Murtherer ftand hard he obtains an
Abatement of the injured Perfon, who feldom gets
above a Chain or String of Gold of above thirty
two Crowns.
But if a Murtherer cannot pay his Fine, he is
obliged to give Blood for Blood, and is according
ly executed in a iniferable and cruel M«nner :
For

ET. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 16$
'ox they do in a fort kill him a thoufand times,
y cutting, hacking, pricking, or running him
trough the Body and fhooting him, or whatever
lfe they can invent to Torture him, unlefs our
¦actor fends for him out of their Hands, and or-
lers his Crime to be punifhed by ftrikingoffhis guil-
y Head. Next to Murther, Thievery and Adul-
ery is moft feverely punifhpd, but at prefent we
ball only touch on the former, referving the
itter for another place.
Robbery is commonly punifhed by the Reftora-
ion of the ftolen Goods, and paying a Fine ; in the
djuding of which, particular regard is had to the
'alue of the ftolen Goods, the place where and
y whom the Fact is committed : For Example,
ne is fined twenty Crowns, befides what he hath
tolen, and another for Robbery every way equal
ball be fined one hundred or more, and that
athout the leaft Injuftice, I mean according to
heir" Antient Municipal Cuftoms ; of which a
actor who fits in Judgment ought not to be ig-
orant, leaft according to his own Opinion only,
e pronounce an improper Sentence. Refpect of
•erforis in the Adminiftration of Juftice is not
ere look'd upon as the leaft Injuftice ; though the
eft Effect of this is that the Rich are commonly'
nore feverely handled than the Poor, which they
link reafonable on two accounts ; firft, the Rich
rere not urged to it by Neceffity ; and, fecondly,
hey can better fpare the Money : for no Body is
ere Fined above his Ability, unlefs by an Accumu-
ition of Crimes, he hath given occafion thereto,
nd then he is fent into Slavery. This is the true
Leafbn why a difereet Negroe, tho' he is rich, will
[ways pretend Poverty, leaft he or fome of his _
.elations falling into the Hands of the Judges
lould be too hardly ufed on that account. The

ijt . A Defcription of the LET. XL
The ftealing of- Men is punifhed with rigid
Severity, and fometimes with Death it felf ; and
they are equally fevere againft the Stealers of
Cattle, as Hogs, Sheep, ac. And herein they
agree with our Opinion, for the dumb Beaft can
not defend it felf, nor call any to its affiftance-
They will rather put a Man to Dearhfor ftealing
a Sheep, than killing a Man, more efpcially in
thofe places where they are free from any {abjecti
on to the Europeans, who generally punifh it bya pe
cuniary Mulct only ; whether it be, that they are
not fond of Blood, or that they love the profit which
accrues to therai thereby, that I leave toyou to deter
mine, fince I have before informed you that tha
1 Negroes under our Government had rather it
ihould be attorned by a Fine, but not extorted by
Avarice inftead of Juftice. Arid according. to
this Rule, I fquartd my Conduct in my Judge*
Office ; of which I fhall hereafter give you an In-
B fiance.
i All Fines which occur at Anbn are paid into.
the Factors Hands, who diftribute them to the in
jured Perfons firft deducting his Fee,which not many
jfearspaft was very confiderable, hut not long fince
was diminifhed by a certain Gentleman, and the
Factor ftrictly ordered not to demand more than
eight Crowns for the decifion of the moft im
portant Suit, which fhould come before him; and
not only that, but if offered he was commanded/
to refufe it. An Order really too fevere, to hh>'
der another's doing good, and not permit him to
receive and ufe his juft Perquifitesr at pleafure.
This Gentleman protended thereby to fhew his
tendernefs to the Blacks; ; but my felf and feva»
ral others were of another Opinion : Its true
fource was pure Envy, which would not fuffer him
to let any of the Qfficew of the Company, his
Fellow*

„ET. XI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 1.7:1
Fellow-Servants, to.getany thing, nor indeedany
ut himfelf; of which his continual Management
rith the Blacks was but too convincing a Proof :
ror if he himfelf decided any Caufe for them,
r fined them for any Crime, he was not contend
0 be paid eight Crowns only; but, on the other
land, fometimes enhanced the Price to fome hun-
[reds ; and I believe the Axim Factors finding this
.aw fo exorbitantly broken by its Maker, have
ot the leaft regard to it ; nor are they in the
rrong, for it directly clalhes with the old Muni-
:ipal Cuftoms of the Country: And for my part,
F it had been made before my coming into that
)fh"ce, I fhould not have taken much notice of it ;
ut by acting confonant to their Antient Ufages,
ave gained the Affection of the Blacks more
han by following any Innovation : And this
ery Law-giver on the contrary ,by unjuft Manage-
lent, and his exorbitant Avarice, was only expofed
a their implacable Hatred and inveterate Curfes.
kit enough on this Head : I fhall next fhew what
re the. Perquifites, which accrue to the Factor at
ixim by the, Exerrife of his Judicial Office.
For Inftance; if a Negroe be fined one hundred
rownsfor a Crime,the Factor's fhare is two thirds,
nd the Affembly of Caboceroes have the remain-
ig third. But on account of Murther, Robbery,
r the forcing the Payment of Debts ; three fourths
f the whole are the Complainants, and the re
minder belonging to. the Factor and the Caboceroes,
i divided accctfdnag to the mentioned proportion
f one third to the Cabocero s, and two thirds to the
actor ; which render it much more advantageous ,
mj the Factor to. be Judge here than iri our
wja Country , fuppofing our European Judges
> act honeftly ; what they get by unlawful
leans, as I am ignorant,! don't defire to be bet-
:r informed. Thefe Judicial Fees are, or at leaft
before

172 A Defcription of the L E T. XL
before this Order, were paid very' freely, without
theleaft fcruple by the Negroes : even thofe for
whom the Factor had got in a Debt^were very well
contented to pay one fourth part of the whole Re
ceipt ; and this was as firmly fettled as the price
of Bread at Amfterdam.
I fhall, according to my promife, by way of di-
greflion, infert a Relation of a Caufe depending
when I was Factor at Axim. In the Country of
Ancober, which hath long been ffubjecY to Axim^
lived two Cabdcero 's both confiderable Men,, who
, for feveral Years had been engaged in a difpute,
each pretending that the other was born his Slave,
and by Inheritance he had an inviolable Right
over him1: This was a very perplexed Caufe, ;
each of them feenfd to back his Pretence with
Reafon, and a Proof deduced from many Years
paft ; infomuch that the Qabor.ero's of Ancober found
themfelves puzzled how to decide it ; And both
Parties being agreed to plead the Caufe before me,
and expect my determination ; not that they
thought me wifer than their Country-men and,
Honourable Council, but only that it might be
ended by my Power ; Accordingly it came be
fore my Judgment Seat ; and tho' I pati-1
ently fpent one whole Day in hearing the Caufe,
yet I affure you at the end I was juft as wife as at
the beginning, each of them confirming his Pre
tention by fo many Witneffes, and feeming to
have fo much right of his fide, that I could riot
tell who to give it for. But, however, to put an
end to this litigious Suit, I afked them if they
were both contented to fubmit to my decifion,;
to which they freely contenting, I fpoke to them
in reconciling Terms, afluring them that all which
they pretended on each fide feemed reafonable ;
wherefore 'twas impoffible to decide which of
them was in the right, the proper Wjtnefles of
this

,ET. XI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 175
lis Caufe being all long fince dead, and that all
le Evidence they had brought was not valid, it
eing only by Hear-fay, and the Merits of the
aufe confequently forgotten : Having thus pre-
ared them as cautioufly as I could, and obferved
lat they both feemed to agree to it, I made diffi-
ulties of deciding the difpute, by telling them
lat before they went out of my Fort it was my
?queft they fhould be perfectly reconciled and .
wn each other for free Men, and . that he who
lould ever pretend that the other was his. Slave,
lCuld be liable to a fevere Fine.
They both feemed very well fatisfied with this
etermination, embracing each other, and vowing
a Eternal Friendfhip : Andthe more effectually to
onvince me of their Satisfaction, they each of
lem made me a very good Prefent for putting
a end to their Quarrel: And, indeed, I really
elieved all was forgotten and forgiven. But two
r three Months afterwards one of them hired two
.uffians to murther the other in his own Houfe,
diich they did by fhooting him through the
lead : ;At which I being very much incenfed,
infidering it as a thing of dangerous Confequence
y no means to be fuffered in a well-governtl
ommonwealth (as we fay) but to be exemplari-
t punifhed in order to deter others from fuch
ractifes, fent fome of my principal Officers
1 Ancober with Orders to have the Murtherers de-
vered over to me that I might bring them to con-
ign Punifhment : But they boldly anfwered
lem, that they were not fubject to their Mafter,
id that he might exercife his Authority where he
id Jurifdiction. This angred me yet worfe,
>r by this not only my felf but the Authority of
le Company was affronted and diminifhed ; to
eep up which nothing' ought to be neglected.
rpon which I foon refolved to go to that Coun

*74 A Defcription of the* LET. XL
try, accompanied with fome of our People, and
being gotten about three Miles from bur Fort I
found about 500 Armed Negroes, imagining, I
fuppofe, the fight of them would terrify me :
But on the contrary, as foon as the mutual Salu
tations were pafs'd, I afked them why they denied
and affronted the Authority of the Company,
and did not confider what Mifchief it would
pull down on their Heads : To which they
anfwered, that they were belyed, for they never
pretended to forfeit the Protection of the Hollanders^
or withdraw their Obedience, fince the former
was fo advantagious to their Country. Having
thus far received fatisfaction, I demanded the
Murtherers to be1 delivered to me in order to
their Pun.ifhment ; but this they pofitively denied,
hut told me, perhaps they would punifh them
themfelves. Upon this I took my leave of them
and was going away, but threatned them withal,
that from this time forward, I fhould believe they
all had a. Hand in the Murther, and that I would
certainly fecure all of their Country-men I could
get into my Power and punifh them as Murthe
rers : This had fuch a good Effect, that they im
mediately cpnfulted together, and fent fome of
their People to defire me to, give them a little time
to confider of my demand, upon which they would
bring me an anfwer. I ftayed. about a quarter of
an hour ; after which they brought me the Male-
Factors Fettered, only defired me that I would
not be too hafty in punifhing them, but only ftay
till they were all prefent; which I promifed them ;
and returned with the Criminals very well fatis-
fied with my Expedition.
Scarce three Days after all the chief Men of An-
colter came and fhewedthemfelves before my Fort,
requefting that I would acquaint them how I in
tended to punifh the Murtherers ; they were anr
fwered

ET. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 17$
vered,by Be-headingthem. And to ftrikea great-
¦ terrour, I caufed the Executioner with his In-
iruments to appear. Upon which they fet up a
ifmal Lamentation, and begged that I would in
ompliance with the cuftom of their Country, fut~
;r the Crime to be attoned with Money : Though
defired nothing more, yet I flood off as though
was not to be perfwaded to that until the Re-
ations of the Murthered Perfons (who were al-
eady appealed) came and defired me, and what
vas moft perfwafive, offered me the whole Fine -.
This was what I aimed at : but however, to fhew
ny felf as generous as they, I was fatisfied with
lalf the Summ, and fo we were both very well
:ontented, and the Criminals, who were the Chil-
Iren of confiderable People,were fet at Liberty . This
[ hare related at large to fhew you how we ma
nage our felves here to keep up our Authority and
Refpect ; which is fo confiderable, that no Negroe
Is permitted without leave of the Factor to decide
my Caufe upon forfeiture of all that is thereby
gained. In my time a Negroe came to defire me ,
to get him a Debt, which I promifed, and perfor
med accordingly; but the Debtor, who was no
very good Friend of his, informed me that this
Debt was contracted by lying with the other's
Wife, ancj appointed to be paid by the Caboeeros.
The Plantiff coming for his Money, I afked him
if he did not know that it was all forfeit, he ha
ving ended the Affair without my Knowledge ;
he frankly confeff'ed that it was, and begged I
would give him but one fourth part of it ; but
finding him fo moderate, I gave him half ; for
which he very fubmiffively thanked me, and
went away very joyful.
This is intended to prevent the Negroes having
any opportunity of forming any defigns in oppo
sition to us, or to our difadvantage. But

ij6 A Defcription of the LET. XL
But to return to where I left of : At feveral places
on the Coaft, Debts are recovered in a very unjuft
and villanous manner, efpecially on thofe places
where we have little or no Power, or in fome of
the Kingdoms. A Rafcally Creditor in thofe
places, inftead of atking his Money of his Debtor,
and fummoning him before the Judges in cafe of
refufal , feizes the firft thing he can meet with,
though of fix times the value of his Debt, without
any regard who is the Proprietor, who when, he
comes to afk for it, is told that he muft go to fuch
a Perfon, who is his Debtor, and muft pay him
for it : and this no Body can hinder, fo he goes
immediately to afk the other for Money for his
Goods. This is very extravagant Juftice, the firft
Creditor has fix times the value»of his Debt, and
if the fecond is as unreafonable as the firft, and
affirms that he would not part with his Goods
for a lefe price , , the Creditor is obliged to give
him full fatisfaction, in imitation of an old
Roman Law ; by which, if any Perfon was inju
red in his Honour and Reputation, the Injurer was
obliged to pay fuch a Summ as the Injured fhou'd
fvvear he woud not fiiffer the damage for lefe, if
left to his" choice. 'Tis true, indeed, this courfe
is generally taken in cafe of fmall Debts : But
however, the poor Wretch that is the Debtor, is
fometimes obliged to pay a Shilling for a Debt
of one Penny in proportion. This is not to be op-
pofed, for the Creditor is more potent than he,
and is upheld in it perhaps by the King, or the
great ones : This happens daily ; and feveral Men
are thereby inriched from a poor Eftate ; and this
here bears the Name of Juftice ;' but in my Opinion
'tis abominably diftorted. Some Negroes have yet
another way to force Money out of People:
Which is, that one of thefe infolent Fellows goes
to a Perfon, arid tells him that-he.ha.th received fuch

„ E T. X. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 177
hch damage by his Son,. Nephew, Slave, or fome
tody elfe depending on him -, for which he comes
0 afk fatisfaction of bim, threatning him that
lfe he will murther or forely wound him or
hoot fome Body elfe at his coft ; and if this Vil-
ain have courage enough to put it in Execution,
s I have twice feen it happen, the other muft fuf*
er the fame as if he had done it
Befides their accuftomed Diftribution of Juftice,
bove defcribed, they have yet a very odd fortof
uftiee, which is under the Direction and Admini-
xation of the Manceros, who have erected a fort
f Judicial Society in every confiderable Village,
diofe Province it is to adjudge all trivial Crimes
hat fhall appear before them, and of thefe the
Vegroes are very frequently guilty; I mean
eating, curfing or reviling one anorher : Upon
rhich the Perfon who thinks himfelf injured, ap
es to the Manceros much in the following '
"ermss. viz, fuch a Perfon hath injured me, I fell
r forrender him to you ;] punifb him according
1 his defert. Upon which thefe Gentlemen
rith utmoft diligence take him into Cuftody, and
fter a very fuperficial enquiry into his Crime, lay
Fine of fome Crowns upon him; which if he
:ems unwilling to pay, as being unjuftly 'impo-
d on him, they not having heard what he had
) fay in his defence, the Manceros not at all con-
:rned hereat only go to the Market where they
ike up as much Goods on his account as the
mount of the Fine; which he is, though unwill-
igly, forced to pay ; and they have no fooner re-
iived this Money, but it is fpent in Palm-Wine
id Brandy.
The Offences which thefe Mancero's ufually Fine
¦e fo various and ridiculous, that I have not pa-
ence enough to particularize any of them ;, 'tis
lough that I inform you that if thefe idle Jud-
N ge*

178 A Defcription of the LET. XL
ges have nothing to do the whole Day, and con
fequently get no Money to make them drink ;
their time is only fpent in contriving to bring in
fome Body on one pretence or another in order
to furnifh them with Liquor.
The Confultations. with the Caboceroes in con*
junction with the Mancero's principally relating
to War, we fhall at prefent touch upon.
When they're defirous of entring into a War, on
account of Ambition, Plunder, or to aflift other
Countries already engaged in a War, thefe two <
Councils confult together : But otherwife the
greateft part of their Wars are chiefly occafioned
' by the recovery of Debts, and the difputes of fome
of the chief People among them. I have formerly
hinted fomething on this Subject, with promife to
proceed farther on it.
The firmeft Peace of Neighbouring Nations
is frequently broken in the following Manner :
One of the leading Men in one Country hath-
Money owing him from a Perfon in an adjacent
Country, which isnotfo fpeedily paid as he defires ;
on which he caufes as many Goods,Freemen,or Slaves
to be feized by violence and rapine in the Country
where his Debtor lives, as will richly pay him :
The Mm fo feized he claps in Irons, and if not'
redeemed fells them, in order to raife Money for
the payment of the Debt: If the Debtor be an ho-
neft Man and the Debt juft'; he immediately en-
, deavours by the fatisfadtion of- his Creditors to
free his Country-Men : or if their" Relations are
powerful enough they will force him to it : But
when the Debt is disputable, or the Debtor unwil
ling to pay it, he is fure to reprefent the Creditor
amongft his own Country-Men as an unjuft Man,
who hath treated him in this manner contrary to
all right, and that he is not at all indebted to
htm: If he fo far prevails on his Country-Men that

LET. XL Gold Coaft of 'Guinea.
that they believe him ; he endeavours to make
fome of the other Land Prifoners by way of Re-
prizal ; after which they confequently arm on
each fide,and watch all opportuniites of forprizing
each other. They firft endeavour to bring the
Caboceers over to their Party, becaufe they have
always fome Men at their devoir ; next the Soldi
ers : And thus from a trifle a War is occafioned
berwixt two Countries, who before lived in Ami
ty, and continues till one of them be fobdued ;
or, if their Force be equal, till the Principal Men
ire obliged to make Peace at the requeft of the
Soldiers; which frequently happens,efpecially about
Sowing time, when all the Warriours defire to re
turn to till the Ground ; for in ferving in the War
vithout pay, and defraying all expences out of
heir private Fortunes, they quickly grow tired j
foecially if they get no Advantage of, and con-
equently no Plunder by the Enemy.
When the Governours of one Country are en-
lined to make War with thofe of another, per-
laps on account that they make a better Figure
n their manner of Living, or that they're richer ;
b that thefe have a mind to fome of their Effects :
Then they affemble together , in conjunction
/ith the Manceroes,who alfo give their advice, and
eing young, and puft up with hopes of Plunder,
re eafily induced by the perfwafions of the Cabo-
iro's ; and the joynt refolution is no fooner formed
ian every one prepares for War ; and being got
eady, make an Irruption into thedefigned
!ountry, without giving the leaft notice or de^
[aring War, urging much the fame Reafons
'ith a prefent European Potentate, 'tis My Royal
'ill and Pleafnre, and for my Glory. And thus
ley kill and pillage each other. The injured Na-
on, to revenge this perfidious breach of Peace, if
3t Powerful enough of its felf, hires another to
N 2 affift

1 80 A Defcription of the ' L E T. XI
afllft it for lefs than two thoufand Pounds fter-
ling ; for which price the beft are here to be
had, well armed and appointed foran Engage
ment : So that indeed War is not here very dear,
though at this cheap rate you cannot imagine the
Armies fo formidable that are hired for fuch
trivial Wages : but Plunder is their chief aim, in-
ftead of which they often get good ftore of blows,
which prove all the Perquifites to their mentioned
Wages. Thefe Wages they divide amongft the Ca
boceroes and the Manceroes -, but the former manage
the Affair fo cunningly, that the latter have not
above four or five Shilling each, or perhaps half
that Summ ; for the leading Men are fure to ad-
juft the account fo well in favour of themfelves,
that a mighty refidue is not likely to be left to
make a future dividend. But as for the Plunder,
though particularly appropriated to defray the
expence of the War in the firft place, and the re
mainder to be divided, yet every Man feizes the
firft part thereof he can lay hold on without any
regard to the publick : But if no Booty is to be
come at, the Manceroes, like Cats that have wet
their Feet, make the beft of their way Home,
not being obliged to flay longer than they them
felves pleafe. Each is under a particular Chief
tain in a fort, though he can command only his
Slaves ; a free Negroe not owning his Authority;'
or fubmitting even to their Kings, unlefs compelled
by their exorbitant Power, without which they
live intirely at their own Pkaftre : But if their
Leader is difpofed to march up firft towards the
Enemy, he may, but will not, be followed by
many.
| War, as I have twice before told you, is not fo
^expenfive as in Europe -, Our four Years War with
|the Cammanyfcbiam (except the damage done to
our Trade) did not coft us in all fix thoufand Pound-'

^ E T. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. (. 1 8 1
Pounds fterling : For which Summ we had fuc-
^eflively five Nations in our pay. But I have
ofmerly treated this Subject fo largety, that I
ieed' not fay any more of it at prefent.
A National Offenfive War may very well be
nanaged here with four Thoufand Men in the
lield ; but a Defenfive requires more. Sometimes
he number of what they call an Army does
lot amount to more than two thoufand. From
idience you may infer of what force the Mo-
larchies and Republicks on the Coaft are, Fantyn
rid Aquamboe only excepted ;f the firft of which
3 able to bring an Army of twenty five Thoufand
ilen, and the latter a much larger. But the In-
and Potentates, fuch as Akim, AJiante, &c.
re not to be reckoned amongft thefe ; they being
ble„ to over-run a Country by their numerous
Armies ; tho' I cannot inform you any otherwife
oncermig thofe People, than what by hints we
earn from the Negroes, who are not always to
ie believed. But as for the Monarchies fituate
lear us, tdare affirm, that though each of the
wo contending Armies were compofed of five or
ix feveral Nations, they would not together make
wenty iive thoufand Men ; upon which account
syn'd to their Cowardice,very few Men are killed in
Battle ; and that Engagement is very warm which
saves one thoufand Men upon the place ; for
hey are fo timorous that as foon as; they fee a
/tan fall by them, they run for it, and only think
f getting fafe Home. In the laft Battle between
be Cammanyfchians, and thofe of Saboe, Acamti,
labes-Terra and two or three other Countries, I
lon't believe that one hundred Men were killed,
nd yet the Cammanyfchians drove their Enemies
ut of the Field, and obtained a complect ,
rictory. N 3 They

1 82 A Defcription of the LET. XL
They are very irregular in their Engagements,
not obferving the leaft fhadow of Order ; but
each Commander hath his Men clofe together in a
fort of Crowd ; in the midft of which he is ge
nerally to be found ; fo that they attack the Ene
my Man for Man, or one heap of Men againft
another ; and fome of their Commanders feeing
their Brother Officer furioufly attacked, and fome
what put to it, choofe rather to run with the
Hare then hold with the Hounds, and that frequent
ly before they had ftroke one ftroak, or flood fo
much as one brufh ; and their Friends whom they
left engaged certainly follow them, if in the leaft
preffed, unlefs fo entangled with the Enemy,
that 'tis not for want of good will if they don't ;
but if no opportunity offers, tho' againft their
will, they get the Reputation of good Soldiers. _
In fight the Negroes don't ftand upright againft
one another, but run ftooping and liftening that
the Bullets may fly over their Heads. Others
creep towards the Enemy, and being come clofe,
let fly at them ; after which they run away as
faft as they can, and as if the Devil were fure of
the hindmoft, get to their own Army as foon as
poffible, in order to load their Arms and fall on
again. In fhort, their ridiculous Geftures, ftoop
ing, creeping and crying, make their Fight
look more like Monkeys playing together than a
Battle. The Booty which the Commonalty chiefly
aim at, are the Prifoners and Ornaments of Gold,
and Conte de Teira -, for fome, efpecially the In
land Negroes, are fo fimple as to drefs themfelves
in the richeft manner poffible on thefe oceafions :
Wherefore they are frequently fo loaded with
Gold and Conte de Tena, that they can fcarce
march
Com-

LET. XL Gold Coaft of 'Guinea. .
Common Prifbners who cannot raife their
Ranfom, are kept or fold for Slaves at pleafure :
If they take any confiderable Perfon, he is very
well guarded and a very high Ranfom put upon
him : But if the Perfon who occafioned the be
ginning of the War be taken, they will not eafily
admit him tP Ranfom, though his weight in Gold
were offered, for fear he fhould for the future
form fome new defign againft their repofe.
The moft Potent Negroe can't pretend to be
infured from Slavery; for if he ever ventures him
felf in the Wars it may eafily become his Lot ;
he is confequently obliged to remain in that State
tilf the Summ demanded for his Redemption is
fully paid ; which withal is frequently fet fo high,
that he, his Friends, and all hib Intereft are not fuf
ficient to raife it : on which account he is forced
to a perpetual Slavery, and the moft contemptible
Offices. Some amongft them are fo barbarous,
that finding their hopes of a high Ranfom fru-
ftrated, they pay themfelves by cruelly murthering
the wretched Prifoner.
Wars betwixt two Defpotical Kings, who have
their Subjects intirely at their Command, are of
a long Duration, and frequently laft feveral Years
fucceflively, or till the utter Rriine of one of 'era
ends the difpute. They frequently lye a whole
Year incampt againft each other without attempt
ing any thing, a few diverting Skirmifhes except
ed : only againft rainy Weather they each return
home without molefting one another.
Though this is chiefly owing to their Priefts,
without whofe Suffrage they are not eafily indu
ced to attempt a Battle ; they advife them againft
it, under pretence that their Gods have not yet
declared in favour of them ; and if they will atr
tempt it notwithftanding, they threaten an ill
Iffue : But if thefe crafty Villains obferve that
N 4 their

A Defcription of the LET- XL
their Army is much ftronger than the Enemies,and
the Soldiers well inclined tp fighting, they always
advife to attempt it ; though with fiich a cautious
ref erve, that if it fucceeds contrary to expectation,
they never want an excufe to bring themfelves off : ,
The Commanders or Soldiers have done this or
that thing, which they ought not to have done ;
for which reafon the whole Army is punifhed.
In fhort, let the Event prove how it will, the
Prieft is infallibly Innocent, and his Character
always maintains its own Reputation.
I doubt not but I have fufficiently enlarged on
their ridiculous Wars, if I have not dwelt longer
on them than they deferve ; wherefore I fhall
relating the Events which happened in my time,
and apply my felf to the defcription of their Mi
litary Arms.
The chief of thefe are Mufquets or Carabins,
in the management of which they are wonderful
dextrous. 'Tis not unpleafant to fee them exercife
their Army ; they handle their Arms fo cleverly,
difcharging them feveral ways, one fitting, the
fecond creeping, or lying, Cc. that 'tis really to
be admired they never hurt one another. Perhaps
you wonder how the Negroes come to be furnifhed
with Fire- Arms, but you will have po Reafon
when you know we fell them incredible quantities,
thereby obliging them with a Knife to cut our
own Throats. But we are forced to it ; for if
we would not, they might be fufficiently ftored
with that Commodity by the Englifh, Danes, and
Brandenburghers ; and could we all agree together
to fell them any, the Englifh and Zeeland Inter
lopers would abundantly furnifh them : And
fince that and Gun-powder for fomerime hath
been the chief vendible Merchandife here , we
fhould have found but an indifferent Trade with-
put pur fhare in it, 'Twere indeed to be wifhed

,ET. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. i8<
bat thefe dangerous Commodities had never been
irought hither, or at leaft that the Negroes might
ie in a fhort time brought to be content with
bmewhat elfe in their room : but this in all ap^
pearance is neirer -likely.
Next their Guns, in the fecond place are their
Swords, fhaped like a fort of chopping Knives,
leing about two or three Hands broad at the ex-
remity, and about one at the,handle, and about
:hree or four Spans long at moft ; and a little crook-
;d at the top. Thefe Sabres are very ftrong,but com-
nonly fo blunt that feveral ftrokes are neceffary
o cut off a Head : They have a wooden Guard
idorned on one fide, and fometimes on both, with
Inall globular Knobs, covered with a fort of Skin,
vhilft others content themfelves with bits of Rope
finged black with the Blood of Sheep or other
Cattle, with the additional Ornament of a bunch
Df Horfe Hair , amongft People of Condition
:hin Gold Plates are ufual : To this Weapon be-
ongs a leather. Sheath almoft open on one fide $
:o which, by way of Ornament, a Tygers Head,
Dr a large red Shell is hung ; both which are va
luable here. Thefe Sabres they wear when they
go out at their left Hip hanging in a Belt, which
is girt about their Waftes for that end, or ftuck
in their Paan, which is round about their Bodies,
md comes betwixt their Legs, that they may
run the fwifter ; befides which, they are begirt
with a Bandalier Belt, with about twenty Banda-
liers. They have a Cap on their Heads made of
a Crocodile's Skin, adorned on each fide with a
red Shell, and behind with a bunch of Horfe
Hair, and a heavy Iron Chain, or fomething elfe
tnftead of it, girt round their Head. Thus appoint
ed, with their Bodies, colbured white, our Heroes
look liker Devils than Men. Their

I %6 A Defcription of the LET. XL
Their other Weapons are firft a Bow and Ar
row ; but thefe are not much in vogue amongft
the Coaft Negroes, thofe of Aquamboe alone ex
cepted, who are fo nicely dexterous in fhootirig,
that in Hare-hunting they will lodge their final!
fine Arrows in what part of the Hare's Body is
defired. Thefe Arrows have Feathers at their
Head, and are pointed with Iron. The Negroes
of Awinee ' ufually poifon them ; but on the Coaft
that pernicious Cuftom is not practifed, nor do .
they fo much as know what poifon is.
Next follows the Affagay or Haffagay, as fome
call them, which are of two forts ; the fmalfer
forts are about a Flemifh Ell, or perhaps half an
Ell longer, and very flender ; and thefe they eaft
as Darts : The fecond, or larger fort, are about
twice as long and large as the former, the upper-
part pointed with Iron like a Pike • fome of them
are covered for the length of one fpan or two,
though in all manner of fhapes. The Affagay
ferves them inftead of a Sabre, that having their
Shield in the left Hand, they may the more
conveniently dart the Affagay with the Right :
for they have always fome Body or other to car
ry them after them.
Laft of all are their Shields, which ferve only
on a defenfive covering of the Body, and not to
the offending any Perfon. I have feen Negroes
wondrous dextrous in the management of thefe
Shields, which they hold in their Left Hand, and
a Sabre in the Right ; and playing with both
they put their Body into very ftrange Poftures,
and fo artificially cover themfelves with the
Shield , that 'tis impoffible to come at 'em.
Thefe Shields, which are about four or five foot
long and three broad, are made of Offers ; Some
of which are covered with Gold Leather, Tyger's
Skins, or feme other Materials : Some of them

LET. XI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 18?
ilfo have at each Corner and in the middle broad
hin Copper-plates fattened on, to ward of the Ar
rows and the light Affagayes, as well as the
blows of the Sabre, if they are good, tho' they
ire not proof againft a Mufquet Ball.
I think thefe are all the Weapons ufed amongft
he Negroes, without I fhould tell you that feme
if them alfo are poffeffed of a few Cannon : 'tis
ndeed true, but they ufe them in a very floven-
y manner. The King of Saboe hath a very
mall number ; with which he has been in the
neld, but he never made ufe of them. Some
>f 'em after once firing them, have fuffered the
jlnemy to take them, as it happened to the Com-
tanyfchians ; after which thofe who took them
/ere ignorant of the ufe of 'em : So that thefe
/Tonarchs Cannon only ferves to fhoot by way of
f Compliment and Salutation ; of which the
lacks are very fond.
Promifes create a Debt ; and at the beginning
f this Letter you have my Word that it fhould
onclude with the Grandeur of their Kings : In
urfuance of which, let us fee wherein it con-
fts. The Extent of their Territories is fo fmall,
lat fome of them have not more Land under
leir Jurifdiction than a tingle Captain or Bailiff
F a Village, and bear the fame Name accord-
igly amongft the Negroes : For before the Arrival
: the Europeans in this Country, no higher Title
as known aipongft them than that of Captain or
olonel, with this only difference, that the one
as appropriated to a Country, but the other
< a Village. But fince their Converfation with „
, they, or rather we, make a diftinction betwixt
King and a Captain. The firft Word by which
was expreffed, was Ohin or Ahin, which fignifies
iptain in our Language, but they always under- ftood

• 1 88 * A Defcription of the LET. XI.
flood by it a Commander of a Country, Town
or Nation ; for our Mafter of Ships generally
affume the feme Title ; and by the fame Appella
tion would alfo be applyed to, without any diftin-
ction, to our Director-General and Chief of Forts,
if we did not better inform the Natives of the
difference. Kings are obliged in this Coun
try to preferve their Power by dint of force ;
wherefore the richer they are in Gold and Slaves,
the more they are honoured and efteemed ; and
withoutjthofe they have not the leaft command over
their Subjects ; but on the contrary, would not
only be obliged to pray but pay their Under
lings to execute their Commands. But if the God-
defs Fortune has endowed them with a rich fhare
of Treafure, they are naturally cruel enough to
govern their People Tyranically and punifh them
fo feverely in their Purfes for trivial Crimes, that
they cannot forget it all the remainder of their
Lives ; and this is done jwith a feeming colour
of Juftice ; for the Kinghaving any thing to charge
on another, delivers the Matter into the Hands
of the Cabocero 's, and fubmits it to their decifion,
who knowing his Mind, are fore to aggravate the
Crime as much as poffible, and take care that their
Judgment be confonant to his Royal Will and
Pleafure. The Kings in their Dwellings, or, if I may fo
call them, Courts, do not diftinguifo themfelves
by keeping any State. There is no Guard at
their Palace Gates, nor any Body to wait on them,
and when they ftir abroad in their Town 'tis very
feldom they are attended by any more Company
than two Boys, one of which carries the Sabre, the
other the Stool or Chair ; and if they are met in
the Streets, they are about as much complimented
as a Cobler amongft us, whom we hardly beftow
a Hat upon if we know him to be fuch. The mean- eft

ET. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 189
t Slave never ftirs one ftep out of the way on
eir account. But on the contrary, if they are
>ing to pay a Vifit to any Perfon in another
own, or are to be vifited by fome confide-
ble Man, they always take care to fhew their
randeur, and on fuch oceafions are always ac-
impanied with armed Men ; feveral Shields are
ten carried for their ufe, and an Umbrella above
leir Heads, that the Gentleman's Skin be not
arkned by the Sun : Their Wives are then fine-
' drefled with Gold and other rich Ornaments ;
id have a long String of Gold and Conte di Terra
"Coral hung about 'em : tho' in their Towns they
id all their Wives are fo wretchedly habited, that
leir Cloaths are fometimes not worth one Shilling,
or fufficient to diftinguifh them from the mean-
1 Slave.
Thefe great Princes are fo miferably Covetous,
lat there is not one of their Subjects fo poor from
diom they would not catch at a Prefent. Hence
: is that their Majefties Kirchins are not much
etter furnifhed than thofe of the common Negroes-,
read, Oil, and a little ftinking Fifh makes up
leir Bill of Fare, and Water is their drink for
le greateft part of the Day ; in the Morning, if
iey have it, they drink Brandy ; and in the
dternoon Palm-Wine : In one Word, their man-
er of Living is indiftinguifhable from the irieaneft
mongft them.
At the time when the Palm- Wine comes from1
lie In-land Country, they go in the Afternoons
ltogether, vi%. Slaves and all as Companions, to
he publick Market-place, where they fit down
nd drink very fociably ; every one that pleafes,
ringing his own Stool, adds himfelf to the Croud :
lere they tipple till they have even burft the Lice
heir Head; but when they're a little warmed and
heir Thrift fomewhat flacked, they drink like Ca-
bocero's,

ipo A Defcription of tfa LET. XL
bpcero's,whple Bumpers and Pints ; for the Calabafh
out of which they drink holds a Pint, Quart or
fometimes a Pottle, which when they come to be
merry is half,' or perhaps quite filled, which they
fet to their Mouths to drink, Graining to about
two thirds through their Beards in order to fall to
the Ground, making by that means a fort of Ri
vulet of Wine on the place where they fit ; and
this is efteemed a great piece of Magnanimity.
The Europeans (amongft whom I don't pretend to
be lingular) are very good at this fport ; but
'tis well for them 'tis not Rbinijb or French Wine,
for that would be too expenfive ; and here for
4 or 5 Shillings they may get drunk and throw
away large Quantities.
When thefe drunken Brethren come togetherthey
are as Impertinent and Noifie as the Smoufe or
German Jews at their Synagogue at Amfterdam.
But you muft not imagine the difcourfe to turn on
ferious Subjects or State Affairs; not in the leaft;
'tis generally rank Bawdy ; of which they are fo
full, that it continually runs over ; and though the
Women come amongft them, this is no reafon for
interrupting the difcourfe, for they are always rea
dy to bear their part, being very richly furnifhed
on this Head •, nor is it ever thought fcandalous
for them to difplay this fort of Talent. In fhort,
this is a perfect Babling and Scolding-School,
where each Perfon freely gives his Neighbour his
own, as they call it : but in a much better manner
than inEtirope, where Railing is the Bufinefe.of the
private Entertaining Rooms, for here the Perfons ex
claimed againft are prefent and confequently may
vindicate themfelves. But hold, I fhall run too far;
'tis fit I tell you that though the Kings live thus
in common with their Slaves, yet on very flight
oceafions they frequently give them broken Heads,
from which thofe only are excepted who have ac
quired

,ET, XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. jq%
uired a Reputation amongft the People : And
ndeed I have obferved that fome of thefe Slaves
lad more Authority than their Matters ; for ha
ving long exercifed a command over their Ma
ters Dependents, by their own Trading they are
jecome Poffefrors of fome Slaves themfelves, and
n procefs of time are grown fo powerful, that
heir Patrons are obliged to fee with their Eyes
mly ; and what is yet more, 'tis not feldom that
they fo obftinarely oppofe their Matters, that
they will not be appeafed by any other means
than a Prefent.
A King here is always very ready to be hired
to the Affiftance of any of his Neighbours in
their Wars, becaufe the greateft part of the Money
agreed for fall* to his fhare ; after the receipt
of which he is not much concerned whether the
promifed Affiftance be punctually ready at the
appointed time or not ; if he has receiv'd the Gold
'tis enough, he always knows how to fatisfie his
Cuftomers with one Lye or other : in which they
are fo fubtle, that they will, unobferved, defraud
even thofe who are very well upon their guard.
Tho' this is an advantageous fort of Trade,
they are yet more fond of being Mediators be
twixt difegreeing Nations ; for on this account
they get Money from both Parties, and keep the
Breach open as long as pofflbly they can, in order
to get the more Money from each. 'Tis upon thefe
incomesthat they chiefly fubfift, for their Revenue is
very ineonfiderable. 'Tis indeed true that they
impofe a Toll on all Goods paffing through their
Country ; But the Collectors being always fome
of the Principal Men amongft them , make fure
of the largeft fhare of it , and collect fo well for
themfelves, that the King has very little of it. In
a word, he is obliged to fubfift on exorbitant
Fines fraudulently extorted from, his Subjects, or
on

192 A Defcription of ' the LET. XL
on the manual Labour of himfelf and Slaves :
Wherefore thofe Kings are Unfortunate who have
but few Slaves, and confequently are rtot very-
Rich or Potent, I have known fome of thefe fo
poor, that they had neither Money nor Credit to
command a Bottle of Palm-Wine to treat their
Vifitants. Herice you may collect how Rich and
Potent thefe Wrens of State are (as Monfieur Dou-
dyn calls them in his Mercury.) But perhaps be-
,ing already tired with this account of the Pomp
and Grandeur of their Wives, Slaves and Houfholu ,
as well as themfelves, you would gladly be in
formed how the Illuftrious Princes and Princeffes,--
their Ro}^ Off-fpring, are educated. I have for
merly given you feme general Hints concerning 1
th; Negroe Children ; 'tis then fufficient to allure
you that I never could obferve the leaft difference
m this particular betwixt the Royal and Common .j
Education. The Princes being arrived at Years
of Maturity, to get an honeft Livelihood, either,'
Plow the Land or draw Palm- Wine, which I can
affiire you they are not afhamed to carry to the
Market themfelves in order to fell it- : But if
they .are not employed in thefe Occupations 'tis
in fomething elfe equally confiftent with their
Character ; from whence in procefe of time they
afcend the Royal Throne of their Anceftors. If
you reflect on this, 'twill fomewhat abate your
wonder, how Hufbandmen, Shepherds, or Potters^
as Agathocles was, fhould ever wear Royal Crowns,
as Hiftories inform us : ' It daily occurs here ;
nay, what is yet more, the Throne is often filled
with thofe who when Young, have ferved us as
Foot-Boys, or in a meaner Capacity ; wherefore
you may imagine we cannot be brought to have
a very great efteem for thefe Potentates : No, I
can aflure you the meaneft of our Factors think* ;
better of himfelf than one of thefe, Kings : And in- .»'.

, E T. XL Go id Coaft of Guinea. i $$
ideed his Authority is much more confiderable;
7 we confider him to exercifethat of the Director-
Jeneral and Council, in whofe Name he acts ;
ut leaving that as it is, I had rather refer you ta
lonfieur Focquenbrog than fay any more of our
Jrandeur., ,. ., .
As for the Ladies, the Princeffes, perhaps, yod
all be apt to think them too tender, for -the Fa-
gues of Agriculture ; no, not in the. leafi, they
luft alfo lay their Hands to the Plow : But if it
appens that cms of thefe Illuftrious Ladies is tod
aughty to ftain her high Birth by working like
Slave, fhe generally takes up a Trade more
kely to maintain her gentileiy, which requires no
lore than what Madam Nature has liberally be-
ow'd on her ; and if the does not get fo much as
le Ladies of her prefeflion in Europe , fhe has
ot fuch extravagant Wants as they, and is con^
:quently very well fatisfied. Several ,of thefe
re married in their young Days, without the
;aft regard to high Birth or Family, every Body
leafing themfelves in their choice, for a Marriage
etween a King's Daughter and a Slave is riot , at
11 fhoiighjt disproportionate, but is indeed fbiiie-
rhat better than for a King's Son to marry a
Have, which daily, happens ; fince the common
'roverb, that the Children follow the Mother is
ere paffed into an unalterable Rule, and confe; -,
uently. the Iffue of the former (vik. the Princefs
larried to a Slave) are free, and thofe proceeding.
fom the latter, Slaves. Thus you have a view of
le whole Royal Family ; it remains now that I
lould give you fome account of the great Officers
nder the King, which confift of Brajfoas, or En-1
gns, Sabre-Bearers, Tie-Tie's, that is, publick
xyers. or Proelaimers, Attendants on their Wives};
[prn-blowers or Trumpeters and Drummers :
rhich Offices the1 following Lines will elucidate.-
O That

ji Defcription, of the LET. XI.
That of Braffo I have already explained to be a
fort of Marfhal, who is to charge firft in Battle,
which if he have but courage enough he always
does. The fecond are the Saber or Sword-bearers ;
6f which thefe Monarchs have generally about
four. Whether thefe agree with the Antient Armour-
Bearers^ I can't certainly tell, though I believe
them very near alike. This, whatever you may
think of it, is no mean Poft ; for the Gentlemen
to whornl it is entrufted, fometimes become hon
oured with the Character of Ambafladors to Fo
reign Courts : tho' to do Juftice, that more proper
ly belongs to the Tie-Tie's or publick Cryers, who
are alfo made ufe of on this occafion ; and fent
by their Mafters on National Errands to Friends
or Enemies, their Caps being an effectual free*
pafe every where, fuppofing them to be fent by
their Mafter ; but otherwife they cannot protect
them ; they being in effect not unlike our Euro
pean Trumpeters in time of War. Each Town
hath one or two of thefe Officers to cry what is
ftrayed, loft or ftolen ; and to proclaim the Or
ders made by the Governours or Kings : befides
ull which, wheri fitting in Council , they
are obliged when the Voices run too high and
confufed, to cry out, Tie-Tie, or hearken, from
whence the Name of their Office is borrowed.
They wear a Cap made of a black Apes Skin ,
whofe Hair is about one Fingers length, and in
their Hands they have a* bunch made of the
Hair of an Elephant's Tail, and fmall Rufhes ;
with which they defend their Mafter from the
Flies. The fourth and laft as well as moft con
fiderable Officers, are the Attendants on the Kings
Wives : their chief Province is to take care that no
Strangers pluck the Fruit of their Mafters Orchard:
Though I am apt to think when thefe happen to
be tolerable handfome Fellows, that they make bet-

,ET. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea* 195
etter ufe of their Pofts than their Mafter of his
roprietyi They are alfo entrufted with' all the
ang's Treafory j of which they carry the Keys,for
ley arenottrufted to any befides them, and con-
iqaentlythey are the only Perfons who after the
[fog's Deceafe are able and obliged to give an
:count of his Treafitfyi Befides thefeV our
lonarchs have no other Officers. But I ought al-
1 to inform you, they are not Kings alone who
e thus ferved, but every Principal Mad has
ie lame forts of Officers to attend him, be-
ig herein equal with the King; or if he is very
ich, perhapshe will out-vie nirii.
I dare lay you will not complain that this is
0 fhort ; if its length is not tirefome 'tis well -?
have only the importance of the Subject to
lead ; in fhort that it prove agreeable, is the
ifh of Yours, 0V* •

O % LET.

i 06 •ADeftriplkn o'pthi LET. XII
L E T-T E R XII.
Of the Negrjoe? manner of Marrying. The
Bride brings Ho Fortune, and the Bridegroom
but A very fmall one. Wedding Charges
very eafy. How many Wives they have :
Whkt Work they dt, and the Idlenefs of
the Men. . Merchants Wives' live the beft.
Some drive , a; Trade with, their. Wives. The
particular Sfihtlety of the Tfomen. Fines
for [Lying' with another Mans Wife, and
how the Caufe is tryedi Married People
have no mutual Propriety in Money or Goods,
nor does the one inherit dny Effeffs of the
other, nor do the Children inherit their Pa
rents Goods. How the right of Inheritance
devolves. Adultery is feverely punifhed in
the In-land Country j each Perfon there be
ing chiefly his own Judge. Wives not per
mitted to puniftj their Husbands for Adul
tery. How the Men divide themfelves a-
mongft their Wives. Fruitful Women Ho
noured and Reffeffed. Ridiculous Ceremo
nies on a young Woman's being with Child
the firft time. What Name they give their
Children. Wonderful Separation of the
Women of Ante when they have born ten
8 Children. Menftruvuf ¦> Women ZJnclean.
Circumcifton ufual amongft them $ atonjeffure
ftom whence they derived that Cuftont. Of
the Unmarried. Early Marriages. Why
Wome»

, E T. XII. Qold Coaft ofQumea. 197
fflomen remain Ion ge ft Unmarried. Mnhir
' tnde of Women. Common Proftitutes ini
tiated to Trade. Their fmall hire. How
highly they are valued if found. Z)nmarT
ried Women are Whores, though not called
fo. A Defcription of the common Whores
0/ Ardra.
S I R, '
i JTY laft bore date  Since which time I
VI have not received any from you, tho' fome
tips have arrived on the Coaft fince ; fo that in-
ted I am in doubt vvhat to conclude concerning
ou, or what to afcribe your not writing to;
hether to neglect, too much Bufinefs, or Indifpa-
tion : I would not encourage my felf to fear the
ift, and the fecond is no excufe for not writing
1 a Friend, which is to be preferred before all.
ufinefs. Wherefore, I fhall take it for granted,
at you are guilty of the firft till you clear your
lf| very well, and make fatisfaction by a full
larged Letter. v '"''/',
My forriier* treated of Wars and the Arts of
effraction • and in this I thall toUch upon a
lbject which fupplies the Devaftatioiis the other
akes; that is, I fhall inform you in the firft
ace 'how their Marriages go here , and of
ery thing naturally falling under that Headf
arriage here is not over-loaded with Ceremonies,'
ir have they any Notion of a Previous Court-
ip to bring on a Match : here are no tedious
ifputes on account of Marriage Settlements:
it if a Negroe fixes his Eye upon a young
oman (Virgin, I fcarce dare fay) nothing is
ore requifite than to apply to her Father, Mo-
er orneareft Relations, and afk her of them,
O 3 who

A Defcription of the' LE T. XII-
who very feidom deny a Requeft of that reafon
able Nature, if it be but the leaft agreeable only
*p the Daughter.
If the young is Woman Marriageable, he takes
her? Home with him, but if yet too young, he
leaves her fome time with her Parents ; which
fome are not very willing to , for Reafons
hereafter to be told. The Bride brings no other
Fortune than her Body, nor does the Man want
much ; 'tis fufficient if he has enough to defray
fhe Expence pf thg Wedding£)ay ; which confifts
of a little G»ld, Wine, Brandy, a Sheep for the
Relations, and new Cloaths for the Bride, which
are proportioned to the Circumftances Qf the
Bridegroom, who keeps a very exact account oF
every thing that he beftowi on the Bride or her
Friends, that if fhe ever comes to be fo far diC
gufted at him as to leave him, he may demand
all again, which the or her Friends muft pay to
the utmoft exactnefe, together with the Wedding
Charges. But if he puts her away, the Account •]
is, fettled, and he has no pretence to demand any
thing of her or her Relations, unlefs he produce
very good Reafons why he left her ; in which
Cafe the mentioned Difburfements muft be re
funded. The Wedding-Day is not accompanied with
Feafting or Jollity ; the Bride is fomewhat ex
traordinary drefs'd for feveral Days fucceffively
with fipe Cloaths, Gold and other Ornaments,
which are frequently borrowed or hired on thefe
Oceafions -, not unlike thofe in Holland, who to
render their Funeral Feafts the more Splendid,
adorn themfelves with others Feathers. Each
JVIan marries as many Wives as he pleafes or is
confiftent with his Circumftances, though they
feldom exceed twenty, but are commonly con
tented wi$h a number betwixt three and ten , and
thrift

LET. XII. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
Wiofewho would appear very great, compleat the
mentioned number of Twenty: Moft of thefe
Wives ate obliged to till the Ground, Plant Milhio
or fummes, or otherwift work for their Hufbands,
and to take care that fie finds fomething to eat
when he comes Home ; the beft pf which; is,i that
they can very cheaply fatisfie him : - Whilft the
Man only idly fpends his time in impertinent
Tattling ( the Womens Bufinefs in our Coun
try) and drinking of Palm-Wine^ which the
poor Wives are frequently obliged to raife Money
to. pay for, and by their hard Labour maintain
and fatisfie .thefe lazy Wretches their greedy Thrift
after Wine. Tho' others are not quite fo beaftly,
particularly the Traders in Palm-Wine, andFifb-
*r-men; the former of which fells Palm- Wine,
and the latter either go out to fifh, or hires them
felves to us to row according as Opportunity
offers j and thefe keep Houfe the moft. peace
ably and pafe the moft reputably through the-
World. Thofe who are rich , have two Wives per
petually exempted from Labour ; the firft of
which is the Oldeft and principal Wife, here cal
led, Muliere Grande, or the chief Woman, to whom
the Houfe-keeping and command over all the reft
is entrufted. The fecond is fhe who is confecrated
to his God, and thence called Bojfum ;„ of whom
lie is very jealous, and fo much enraged if any Man
kiffes her, that if he could do it privately he
would fo feverely punifo her that fhe would not
be able to ferve him fo again : But as for the re
mainder of his Wives he doth not watch them fb
narrowly, efpecially if he can get any Money by
them. Thefe Boffums are Slaves bought with defign to
be confecrated to their God, and therefore ge
nerally none of the moft difagreeable. With
O 4J thefe

^A Defcription. of the, L E T. XIL.
irhefe they lye on their Birth- Day or Night, and that
Day of the Week dedicated to their God ; fo that
they are fure. of a weekly Favour, fuppdfing
the Men injbosdition ; and 'tis on this account that
they efteem their Fortune hetter than that of other
Women. The principal Merchants or Traders Wives are
the happfeft, becaufe not obliged to much labour
- out of the Houfe, arid they are well provided for
their Hufbands. "
Several Negroes are fo Brutal that they marry
many Wives only *o get a good Living by 'erh,
and. to wear gilt Horns. Thefe are truly con
tented Cupkolds, who give their Wives full order
to entice other Men to lye with them; which done, .
thefe She-Brutes immediately tell their Hufbarids-,
who knows very well how fo fleece the Amorous
Spark. 'Tis iriexpreflible what Subtleties thefe'
"Ph&drd's ufe to draw Men,tbut efpecially Strangers,
into the Net ; to thofe they will pretend they have
no Hufband, and are yet Unmarried and Free :
But the Job is no fboner over than the Hufband
appears,- arid gives them Cogent Reafons to repent
their Credulity.
Others whofe Admirers very well know they
ate married, the better to allure them to their
Embraces, will promife, ' and if required^ fwear,
Eternal Secrecy ; but moft of them keep their
Words like Women, andare fure not to tell their ^
Hufband before they fee him ; and indeed 'twould
fall very hard Upon them if their Hufband came
to the Knowledge thereof by any other means :
Which is fome excufe for their difrlofing their
Lover ; it being highly reafonable and a natural
-Law, that a Woman fhould further the Intereft
pf her Hufband; fince by this means they avoid
the danger pf Punifhment, which they ought to
expect from their Hufbands for Concealment.

ET. XII. fJold Coaft of Guinea. 3f©i
dsfbot, fays the German, if thisfafhion prevail-
l*in Europe, that a Woman might without fear
loofe as many Deputies for her Hufband as fhe
feafed, to what a bulk would ABeon\ Corporati-
i grow : But I don't think it very convenient ;
>r I have been informed that in the Southern -
ountries, this Society, without the mentioned
iberty, is 'grown fo numerous, that they can
arce pafe the Streets without clafhing their Horns:
ut enough of this, 'tis too tender for my rough
mdling; wherefore leaving that I fhall return to
\y Subject.
The Fine1 for lying with another Man's Wife
nongft the common People is about four, five or
£ Pounds Sterling : But the Rich muft bleed a
reater Summ, efpecially if he has lain with a'
infiderable Man's Wife ; on which occafion it
)fts a hundred Pound or two.
Thefe Caufes are. very accurately pleaded and
jfended before the Courts of Judicature. I,
iring my refidence, acted the part of a chief
ldge on this occafion above one hundred times.
ou know that to deny is the firft Rule in Law ;
id the Negroes are' fo well, fkilled in this, that
ley commonly deny the 'Accufation the firft
ling they do, arid oblige their A^cufers to con-
rai it by Evidence ; which the Woman being'
ibft capable of, is obliged to appear in full Af
mbly, and difplay the whole Action in its moft
itural broad Terms and Colours, with all its
tending Circumftances of time, place, how the
riminal deported himfelf, and ' what he gave
;r : In a word, iyithout forgetting the leaft par-
cular. What think you, Sir, is not this a rare
ryal, and very proper for the Ears of thofe old
entleman, ' of which this Affembly or Court is
rnipofed, efpecially eonfideriilg 'that befides all
lis,1 fometimes the Accufed urges in his defence, that

202 A Defcription of the L E T. Xlf.
that 'tis true that he was indeed juft ready to per
petrate the charged Crime, but timely thinking of
the confequences, withdrew without reducing his in
tentions to Action. Inanfwer to which, the Lady
is obliged to declare all particulars, and to give
all poffible Proofs of his complecting the Fact, in
fomuch that both ftickfo clofe to their Affertion, -
which they back with fo much probability, that
the old Men are perplexed what Sentence to give
without puttting the Man to his Oath, and if he
forfwears it he is clear ; but if he refufes that,
Sentence paffes againft him, fince on thefe ocea
fions there are not many Witneffes.
Married People here have no community of
Goods ; but each hath his or her particular Pro~
priety : The Man and his Wives generally ad-
juft the matter together ; fo that they are to bear
the charge of Houfo keeping, while the Cloathing.
of the whole Family is at his fole expence.
On the Death of either the Man or the Wife,,,
the refpective Relatipns come and immediately
fweep away all, not leaving the Widow or Wi
dower the leaft part thereof, though they are
quently obliged to help to pay the Funeral Charges.
Some Negroes, befides Wives, have alfo their
Concubines, which they feveral times prefer be
fore their Wives, and take more care of them ;
but their Children are efteemed illegitimate, and
^re not reckoned amonft t^e Relations!
*f a Negroe has a Child by his Slave, whether
married to her or not, his Heir will look upon it
and keep it only as a Slave, on which account thofe
who love their Slaves will take care to make their
Children free with the ufual Ceremonies before they
Aye ; after which they are in every particular
treated as free Perfons.
The Children they have by their Wives are
indeed legitimate, but all along the Gold Coaft never

,ET. XII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. ( 203
ever inherit their Parents Effects, except at Acra
nly. The eldeft Son,, fuppofing the Father a
ing or a Captain of a Town, focceeds him in
is Office only ; but befides his Father's Shield and
abre, he has nothing more to pretend to : So that
is here no manner of advantage to be defcended
rpm rich Parents, unlefs (which feldom happens)
aternal Love obliges them to beftow fome-
rhat on their Children in their Life-time, whHi
luft be very privately done, otherwife the Rela-
ons after their Father's Death will oblige the
hildren to return it to the utmoft Farthing.
The Right of Inheritance is very odly ad juft-
d ; and as far as I could obferve, the Brothers
nd Sifters Children are the right and lawful
[eirs, in the manner following. They do not
aintly inherit, but the eldeft Son of his Mother
i Heir to his Mothers Brother or her Son, as the
ldeft Daughter is Heirefe of her Mothers Sifter
r her Daughter : Neither the Father himfelf or
is Relations, as Brothers, Sifters, £fc. have any
laim to the Goods of the Defunct, for what Rea-
>n they can't tell : But I am of Opinion that this
riftom was introduc'd on account of the Whore-
om of the Women, herein following the Cuftoin
F fome Eaft-Indian Kings, who| (as Authors fay)
iueate their Sifters Son as their own, and appoint
im to fucceed in the Throne, becaufe they are
lore fure that their Sifters Son is of their Blood
lan they can be of their own ; for being ob-
ged to truft a Woman no way. related to them,
" fhe commit Adultery, the Child may be entire-
i eftranged from their Blood.
In the mentioned AJfatick Countries, they' are
ery careful to prevent their Kingdoms,Crowns and
ftates defcending on a Strange or Baftard Race :
id as Honour and Reputation is mote valuable
lan Goods, fo I cannot help praifing the Indian
Caution,

!04 ; A. Defcription of the LET. XII.
Caution, and believe you will declare on my
fide. :
In deficiency of the mentioned Heirs, the Bro
thers or Sifters . ^take place § but if none of them
are in Being, then die neareft Relation to the Mo*
ther of the Defunct comes in. But their account
of this Subject is fo perplexed and obfeure, that
hitherto no European has been able to obtain a
clear Defcription of it, as I am certain they ne
ver will ; notwithftanding that the Negroes are fo
accurately perfect in it, that they never commit any ,
Error on this Head : Not but that great Difputes,
arife fometimes amongft them on this occafion ;
but thefe are, never owing to their ignorance whp is
the Heir ; but happen from the next Heir's being
too potent in Men and Arms, andtherefere.ftretch-
ing beyond fhe due Bounds of Inheritance. . , ,
I have already told you how many Wives the
Negroes marry ; afld hereinthey place the greateft.
Glory and Grandeur, as their- Riches confifts in
the Multitude of Slaves, though they frequently
conduce to their ruine, becaufe every Man. is ob
liged to make good the Injury which his Slave
does ; if he is guilty of Theft or Adultery, his Ma- '
fter is obliged to pay the Fine.imppfed for his
Crime. The Negroes are alfo refponfible for their Sons,
Nephews, and other Relations .; tho' in this cafe
the Relations help each other by amutual Cqritri-. .
burioja, each giving fomething towards it accord-"
ing to his Circumftances ; which if he fhould not ,
do, the Criminal would be condemned to Death
or Slavery.
Having at large defcribed the, Marriages of the
Coaft Negroes, let us fee how the In-land Negroes .
behave themfelves in their Marriage-State , and ¦
what Punilhmeht they inflict on Adultery ; fince '
freed from, any Subjection to the Europeans ,{ they
are more fevere on this occafion. ' He

ET. Xll. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 205
He who debauches a Negroes Wife here, is not
dy generally intirely ruined, but his Relations
ften fiiffer with him : For if the injured Perfon
i a rich and great Man, he is not contented
ith ruining the Malefactor only, but will not
t quiet till he hath removed him out of the way.
: the guilty Perfon is a Slave, his Death is unde-
iably determined, and that in the moft cruel
lanner that can be devifed, befides a Fine laid
pon his Mafter ; and the Men here detefting the
aregoing fordid manner of trading with their
fives ufual on the Coaft ; a Woman caught in Adul-
ay is alfo in great danger of her Life, unlefs
er Relations pacify the enraged Hufband with a
urge Summ of Money. But fhe who lies with
er Hufbands Slave, is infallibly condemned to
)eath, as well as the Slave her Paramour : befides
11 which, her Relations are obliged to pay a Summ
d her Hufband.
Every confiderable Negroe is in this cafe for the
noft part his own Judge ; and is he too weak
ilone to avenge| himfelf, he calls his Friends to
lis affiftance, who readily lend him their helping-
land, each being fore to get fomething of the
]ompenfation which occurs.
Thefe Negroes are richer than thofe who live a-
hongft us ; and therefore a Perfon guilty of this '
Urime is punifhed with utmoft Severity. I have
leard of Fines amounting to above five thoufand
founds Sterling c paid or? account of Adultery.
fefides Acra, Apam- and Corcmantyn, there are very
"ew places on the Gold Coaft where I have not
ived, and I do not remember in any of them
iver to have met with a Negroe who was poffefs'd .
>f fo large-a Fortune ; or with any King but what
ifter having fold all he had in the World to raife
rich a Summ, would find himfelf not able to do
t : But when I talk at this fate, I would except the

206 A Defcription of the LET. XIL
the King of Aquamboe, and according to report
alfo him of AcroH; which two being joined^
poffefs more Gold than all the reft together. ,
Nptwithftanding that in the In-land Country^
the Punifhment extends as Well to the Woman as
to the Man ; yet it by no means deterrs the Wo
man from the practice of it: And, indeed, 'tis
not much to be wondet'd, if we confider that the
Women are of a Nature fo much hotter than the
Men, and that ten or twenty are frequently ob?
liged to content themfelves with one Man amongft
them, who is frequently infufficient for one of
them : Wherefore they are continually contriving
how to gain a Lover, and would rather fitffer Death
than forbear the delicious Sin : And becaufe the
Men out of fear of the Punifhment, are not eafily
enclined to commit this Crime, the Women omit
no Stratagem which can allure them. They are
fo very fiery, than if they can get a young Man
alone they will tear the Cloaths off of his indecent
Parts, and throw themfelves upon him ; fwearing
that if he will not yield to their Defires, they
will accufe him to their Hufband of Attempts
to violate their Chaftity. And though the Youth
were as chaft as Jofepb, and but feen in this Po-
fture, it would not avail to alledge that he came
there by furprize ; not he but the Woman would
be believed; and to what a pitch the enraged
Hatred, or rather wild Frenzy of a diflatisfied and
defpifed Woman would flurry her, but too plainly
appears by numerous Inftances.
Others of thefe warm Ladies narrowly watch" ~
the place where the Perfon on whom they eaft
their luftful Eye is ufed to fleep : and if they can
furprize him, they fteal to and lay themfelves
foftly down by him without his Knowledge ; foon
after which awaking him, they ufe all their Arts
to excite him to gratify their Paffion •, and if all
prove

ET. XII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 207
rove in vain, they afiure him that they will
lake fuch a noife as fhall occafion their being fur-
rized together .• after which, his Death will be in-
vitable. Farther to allure him fhe protefts that
le is come hither without the Knowledge of any
•erfbn, and that fhe can retire without the leaft
dpicion of her Hufband or any Body elfe : The,
routh thus caught, is obliged to fatisfie her Luft
0 free himfelf of her : If it continues a Secret
bey continue in the Repetition of their Crime till
: burfts into difcovery, and they receive their
Leward. The Men, who by this means, come to
heir End, are really to be pittied, and the Women
ndeed deferve fome tender Thoughts ; for they
eing Flefh and Blood as the Men, and liable to
he fame weakneft,/tis hard the Men fhould have
iich a Prerogative^ever them. If I know you
veil, I believe that if thefe poor Wretches Cafe
rare left to you and me, we fhould make good and
lonourable Provifion, that their Grievances fhduld
c fo far redrefe'd, as they fhould remain folly fk-
isfied. \ <
Tis undeniable that Jealoufie is always accom-
>anied with Love ; thefe two Paffions fo being infe-
larable, that tho' they produce contrary Effects,
ret they feem in reality but the fame thing. But
lowever jealous the Black Women are of their
Hufbands, yet they have no fatisfaction to pre-
end to , if their Hufbands by diverting
hemfelves with other Women, rob them of their
Higbt ; their only Remedy is to wean him from
his Vice, by agreeable foft and tender Means ;
or none of them, befides his chief Wife, dare
jrtetend to chide him for it : She, indeed, when
Ppportunity offers, will charge him feverely on
that account, and threaten him that if he purfues
hat Courfe foe will leave him : but this muft be
when

208 A Defcription of 'the LET. XIL
when the Man is ; iri a good Humour,' otherwife
he. won't take it very well.
Before I advance any farther, I ought to inform
you, that all I impart to yoii concerning the;
In-land Negroes, is not the refelt of my own Qb-
fervation, I never having been at thofe places;
but is only collected from the Relation of the Ne
groes that come from thence : but they are fiicli.
People, that in this and other things I dare allure
my felf of the Truth of what.' they ' fey. However
I don't hand" it to you as my own.
Each Wife is fure to do her beft to pleafe and
Charm ' her Hufband, in order to be preferred
above the reft in his love, and to fecure to her felf
the greateft fhare of t Matrimonial Favours, which,
chiefly depends oh the Mart's Pleafiire; though
they generally .fettle an equal Diftribution (to
prevent difpiite ; ) fo that each Wife is obliged
in her turn. If foe whofe turn it is, is a Favourite,
fhe lies with her Hufband the whole Night ; but other-
wife when her turn is paft, though perhaps equally
fatisfied with' Tantalus, fhe is obliged to retire.
The Wife, who is fo fortunate as to be big with.
Child, is very much refpected by her Hufband,
and waited oil; befides which, if it is the firft
time, rich Offerings are made to the Falfe-Gbdj
to obtain her fafe delivery. The Ceremonies ufed
on occafion of a Womans being big with the firff
Child, are very foolilh and ridiculous. As food
as they find themfelves pregnant, they are broughj
to the Sea-fhore in order to be warned ; though
before fhe can get thither, fhe is followed by a
great number of Boys and Girls, who fling all
manner of Dung and Filth at her in her way to
the Sea, where the is ducked and wafhed cleafy
Why this is done I can't tell, unlefs it be becaufe
they vainly believe that if it is omitted, the Mo
ther, the Child, or fome of the Relations, will
certainly die foon after- As

IT. XL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2&?
As foon as the Child is born and the Priefbhas
nfecrated it, if above the common Rank, it hath
•ee Names bellowed on it ( though always cal-
l by one ; ) the firft is that of the Day of the
eek on which it is born ; fhe next, if a Son, is
l Grand-fathers, if a Girl, her Grandmothers
i me ; though this is notjtrictly obferved by the
'groes, fome bf them giving their own or the
imes of fome of their Relations to their Chil-
;n : After which their Names increafe with their
:ars ; has any Perfort behav'd himfelf valiantly
the War, he obtains a Name derived from
snce, as he doth by killing a Chieftain of the
lemies : Does he kill a wild Ravenous Beaft, he'
ts a new Name by it. But 'twould be a Days
>rk to recite all their Names and the Oceafions
them ; 'tis fufficient to tell you, that the number
ren to fome Men amounts to twenty : The
ief of which, and by which -be is moft hbnour-
, is that givert him when they ,are drinking
lm-Wine together in the Market-place. The
mmon Name by which they arecalled, is one of
ife given them at their Birth. Some are called
er the number df Children that their Mother
s born, as the eighth, the ninth Or tenth Child 5
t this is only wheri. the Mother has borri above
or feven Children. f;
In the Country of Ante if a Wo rhari has. borri
1 Children, fhe is obliged to be feparated from.
r Hufband, and live in a Solitary Hut remote
im all the reft of Mankind, for thefpaceof 2
lole Year, where fhe is carefully furnifhed with
Neceffaries of Life ; after the expiration of
s Term, and the performance of all Cuftomary
xemonies, fhe returns to her Hufband and lives
th him as before : This is a Guftom fo parti-
lar; that I don't know any Nation befide^
lere 'tis iri ufe j arid why 'tis pradtifed here I arii
"•¦ F *\U

2|o A Defcription of the LET. XIL
alio ignorant, unlefs it be grounded on fome Su
perftitious Opinion, that it will defend them from.
fome Evil.
When the Cuftom of Women is upon the
Female Sex, tbey are not only efteemed unclean,
and feparated from their Hufband, but they are
not fuffered to go into another Man's Houfe, at leaf!
to lodge,, and are confequently obliged to remain
in a fmall Hut near their Fathers or Hufbands ,
Houfe. . . . '•
The Children are not circumcifed any where
on the Gold Coaft, but at Acra. But whence the
Cuftorn of holding Women unclean, and Circura- ;
• citing of Children, fhould be derived from, I own
I cannnot tell -, to carry it up as high as the Jn-
daick Times feems to me too farr: Tho' feveral
'Enropeans favour this Affertipn, urging, that the ,
Negroes ftill retain feveral Laws i and Cuftoms
which favour, of Judaifm, as that laft mention'd,
the Honouring of the Moon at the time when.:
the Jews begin' their Feftival , the marrying
of their Brothers Wife, and feveral more, which , '
feem the fame in effect, as well as the Names, of
which here are feveral which occur in the Old
Teftament. But all this cannot in the leaft in
cline me to their Opinion -, I fhould be more
eafily perfliaded that they had all thefe from the
Mahometans, whofe Religion is a mere Rhapfody
of Chriftianity, Judaifm and Heathenifm ; which j,,
extending it felf from one Country to another,
might probably reach hither :" this conjecture
being confiderably ftrengthened from the Natives,
of Ardra and Fida, their being cuftomed to Trade-.
feveral hundred Miles In-land till they come to the ,
Barbary Coaft ; and not improbably to the Moors
Country. Which being granted, 'tis not Unnatu
ral to foppofe they may have learned and brought, ,
home foaie Fragments of their Religion.

«.,<¦

LET. XII. Gold Coaft of 'Guinea. 211
¦ But to return tp our Subject. , Several of each
fexhere live Unmarried, at leaft for fome time,
:ho' commonly the number of tingle Women ex-
reeds that of fingfe Men; and that for Reafons
lereafter to be told; and yet very few, Neegroes
lie, unlefs it be very young, Unmarried. The
Men marry as foon as they can raife Money to
lefray the Wedding-Charges ; which being fo very
nconfiderable among the common People, they get ,
i Wife very foon'. The Children of the Chief or
tidh People, whofe Relations are inclined to it^
nd want no Money, are frequently married be-
ore they become acquainted with the diftinction
f Sexes : Further, feveral Families willing to be
lore nearly allyed, interchangeably marry their
Ihildren as foon as they are born, without any
ther Ceremony than the agreement of Parents ort
Pth fides. 7
The Reafons why the Women here con-
nue longeft unmarried, is, firft, becaufe that-
ley live a more free and pleafant Xife, than
¦hen married, being now at perfect liberty to ad-
lit the embraces of any or feveral^ Men, if they
leafe. Thefe fort of Women generally marry
nongft common People, and feldom content
iemfelves with their Hufbands alone.
The fecond Reafon is, the vaft Multitude of
omen ; their number much exceeds that of the
[en, which obliges them to May till they are
tad. Tho' this long waiting becomes lefe Irk-
me, becaufe it is no manner of Scandal to fray
eir Appetites as often as they think fit : Nor are
ey therefore rudely accounted Whores ; but on
e contrary, are always thought as fitting to be
ofe for Wives as any other ; and accordingly in
eir Turn get Hufbands as well as the reft.
In the Countries of Eguini, Abocroe, Ancober;
dm. Me ind Adorn, are feveral Women who'
p £ ti&&

2 1 2 A Defcription of the. L E T. XII- . :
never marry; and who only are called Whores ;
being initiated, in that Trade' in the following
manner. When the Manceroes find they want a common
Whore, they go and petition the Caboceroes that'
they will pleafe gracioufly to buy one for the ¦
publick : Upon which they buy a beautiful Fe-1
male Slave, or elfe the Manceroes buy one them- ,
felves. The Woman fo bought, is brought to-
the publick Market-place, accompanied with an
other already experienced in that Trade, in or
der to inftruct lifer how fhe fhould deport her felf
for the future : Which being perfectly accomplifh-
ed , the Novice is fmeared all over with Earth,"
and feveral Offerings offered for her fuccefs in
her future Occupation. This over, a little Boy,
yet immature for Love Affairs, makes a feint or re-1
prefentat ion of lying with her before all the People ; ,-
by which 'tis hinted to her that from this time
forwards, fhe is obliged to receive all Perfons in-
diftinguifhable who offer themfelves to her, not ?
excepting little Boys. Then a little out of the'
way, a fmall Hut is built for her ; in which fhe
is obliged to confine her felf for eight or ten
Days, and lye with every Man who comes thither:
After which, fhe obtains the Honourable Name of
Abelcre or Abelecre, fignifying a common Whore;
and fhe has a dwelling-place aiiign'd her near one of ,,
her Mafters, or in a particular place in the Town, ;
fhe being for the remainder of her Life obliged
to refufe no Man the ufe of her Body, though
he offers never fo fmall a Sum ; which feldorrij
amounts to above one Penny ; and if any Body
is fo well pleafed with his Entertainment, as to
give more, 'tis owing to his Civility, for he is not
obliged to it.
Each of the above-mentioned Towns, has two
»r three of thefe miferable Wretches, according, to

ET. XII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 215
their larganefs. The Money that they get
;y bring to their Mafters, who return them fo
ich out of it as is neceffary to fubfift them in
oaths and Neceflaries.
Thefe Women are very miferable when they
ve caught any Venereal Infection : From which
:y feldom 'efcape long free; for proftituting
;mfelves as well to the unfound as found, they
: in continual danger ; and being once feized by
it Diftemper it muft take its courfe ; for it fel-
m happens that any Body is toadied, with any
ncern for her, not fo much as her own Mafter
whom fhe belongs : For as foon as the gain be-
is to ceafe, they withdraw their Hands, and
ver fo much as take the leaft care of her ;
d thus thefe unhappy Creatures come to, a mife-
)le end.
But as long as they are Sound and in their
ower, they are in very great efteem : And 'tis
ipoifible to afflict a Land or Town more fenfibly
in by feizing thefe Creatures. For Example,
our Factor at Axim have any difpute with his
bordinate Negroes, no way will more efrectual-
bring them to Reafon than by taking one of
:fe Whores into Guftody, and confining her
the Fort : For as foon as this News 1 reaches
; Manceroes Ears, they go with flying Sails to
3 Caboceroes, and earneftly defire them to give
; Factor Satisfaction, that they may have their
hores fet at liberty again ; urging as a Reafon
ly they requeft it in foch a prelfing manner,
it during their Imprifonmertt, thofe Men who
ve no Wives, will be put to the utmoft neceffity
r a Woman, and be prompted to run the danger
lying with Mens Wives. This I can aflure
iu of the Truth of by my own Experience, ha
ng had more than one proof of it ; for at one
ne fecuring five or fix Cabocero 's, and at the other
P 3 two

"oj4 - ,. ADtfcripfion of the LET* XII
or three Whores, I found hardly/, any Body befides
their own .Relations concerned for the former :
but on account 'of the other, the whole Village
came upon their Knees ; and every Body,, though
he had> no particular Intereft in it, was very much
'eoncernedfor their Liberty. ;
The Countries of Commany, Elmina, Fetu, Saboe,
Fantyn, &c. have none of thefe Whores, and yet
a young Rake is not much put to it, for there is
no want of Urimarried Women, and they without
any diftinctiop, than that of being too young,
. are a'moft all Whores, tho' they indeed donjt
bear that Name, and can, difpute . the price of
their Favours, as not being obliged to beftow
, them on every Perfon who afks them, but ac
cording to their own Inclination. But indeed,
as to the price, they are fo very reafonable, that
,they feldom occafion any difpute on that Head :
And if this is . not fufficient relief for the young
Sparks, there are yet old Matrons who breed up
whole Schools full of the handfomeft they can
Arid for their ufe. , ,
In Fida and the Country about it, and in all the
Land of Fida, is a very great plenty of thefe
Whores, and at a cheaper price than on the Gold
Coaft. In Fida I have feen a vaft Multitude of
Huts, not above ten Foots long and fix broad, pla
ced near- the great Roads throughout the whole
Country ;" in which thofe Women are obliged tQ
ply at their appointed pays, in the Week for foe
relief of all Perfons : And 'thefe Countries' being
very populous , the Slaves yaftly numerous, and
the married Women kept up very ftrict ; thefe
Whores on thofe Days muft of neceffity be very
well tired : I have been affured that fome of
them hath lain with thirty Men on a Day. If
Livia was alive, I fhould afk her whether this
js not fufficient to fatisfie them ; , but as being
mj

LET. XII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 215
my felf ignorant, I fhall not veriture to deter
mine. What I have related feems indeed incredible ;
md yet no Body doubts" it in the leaft here :
Their common price is three little Shells , cal
led Boejjes, and, by us Caurits, worth here about
1 Farthing, This is an eftablifhed Price ; out
f which they are obliged to fubfift themfelves,
md befides may work on other Days if they
ileafe ¦, for as no Body has any propriety in
hem here, fo they have no Supervisors, nor are
hey folemnly initiated on the Gold Coaft : But
is cuftomary for fome of the moft confiderable
nd rich Negroe Ladies, when lying upon their
)eath-bed, to buy fome of thefe Foreign Female
laves, and make a Prefent of them to the Pub-
rk ; which thefe tender-hearted Gentlewomen
ike for a great work of Mercy and Charity, as
ime People in Europe do the buying Manes for
le Souls in Purgatory : Which is moft effectual I
ill not pretend to determine ; but leaving the
itter to take care of themfelves, I fhall only in-
>rm you that thefe Ladies firmly believe, without
ie leaft doubt, they fhall receive their Reward
»r this in the other Life ; and the more VV hores
iey buy for the Publick the greater Reward they
:omife themfelves.
The latter end of thefe Whores is much the
me with thofe on the Gold Coaft, wretched
id miferable, and rather to a greater degree ;
ey being here obliged to more Fatigue, and con-
quently fooner infected and worn out, and con-
quently are fmothered in Acheron's Pool very
Dung ; and feldom arriving to a moderate Age.
Thus I have detained you a tedious while on
e Marriages of the Negroes, and expofed to your
ew all our Venereal Ware-houfes, and all their
ntain'd Stores. I fhould find my felf very much
P 4 de-

2i 6 j A, Defcription of the LET. XIL
deceived, if my manner of handling this Subject
• throughout foou'd in the leaft difguft you : "For
« had I theleaft Reafon to believe ypu tainted with
any bbfolete precife Affeflation, I would, tho' I
had committed a fort pf violence on my felf, have
treated thefe Matters in a much graver manner :
But I cannot believe you fo foon or To much alter
ed ; this Subject being naturally fomewhat Luf-
cious , I remember that formerly we ufed to
talk on it in a rallying manner, leaving the ferious
Difcuffionof it to thefe fly Hypocrites whp had
rather act than talk. Still Waters have deep, bot
toms : And this is the true Reafon why being
obliged to fpeak of thefe Matters, I ehofe to do
it in a fort pf Railery, which did not ufe to
prove difagreeable to either of us. And according??
ly I cannot doubt your Approbation in your an
fwer to this ; afluring you nothing fhall ever be'
wanting on my part to continue me your Friend,

217
A
DESCRIPTION O F T H E
Gold Coaft
G U IN E A.
To which is added
A Juft Repreientation ,
o F t h e '--
SLAVE TRADE,
.nd a general Account of the Slave Coaft,
the Country of Ardra : Together with a
circular Tour made by the Author in the
Year 1698.' to Rio de Gabon, Cabo-Lopez
di Gonfalvez, the Iflands of St. Tome and
Annaboa 3 and his return to the Gold
Coaft. v
PART II.

5t8

DESCRIPTION OF THE -

LETTER XIIL
How the Ne'groes deport themfelves to the Sick.
They do not depend On Medicinal Reme
dies alone ; but make Offerings to their Gods
on account of the Sick : What thefe con fi ft '
of. Thejz Gratitude to Phyficiansy which
they frequently change , and \ renew their
^Offerings. The Slaves alfo make Offerings
for their European Mafters 5 and the Mu
latto .Wo men for their Husbands: whi-ch is
' likewife approved by fome Europeans. Their
jtfual Remedies^ which though they feem
contradiffory to the ends for which they are
Adminiftred, yet frequently fucceed. The
great Efficaty of Green Vegetables in Di-
feafes, and even in Wounds. The enquiry

vET. XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 219
after the Caufe of any Perfons Death. Their
Queftions put to the Dead and their Falfe-
God ; with the Refponfes. An Accident
on that account which befel one of the Au
thor s Servants. The Afftrtion of fome who.
affirm that the 'Negroes ask Advice of the
Devil, confuted ;¦ And a relation how their
Queftions to the Dead are managed. The
Shaving of the Women on occc&fion of the
Death of their Husbands : Cleanfing the
dead Body. A Defcription of their manner
of burying the Dead. Pompous Funerals
of the principal People. How they preferve
the Corps ftom rotting feveral Months above
Ground. Living Men facrificd for, the
Dead : The Cruelty attending that Cuftom,
as the Author himfelf has obfervd. Their
building of a Hut on the Grave $ and the
Opinion of fome Writers on that Subjeff
contradiffed. The Funeral Ceremonies re
newed one Tear after the Deceafe. The
Negroes very defirom to be buryed in their
own Country, or at leaU that their Bones
may be brought thither ; and how that is
managed.

S I R,
^1 Ince my laft, and about a Month paft, I was
Nk honoured with yours of the 25 th  -Tis a
_? common Proverb, that long Fafting never faves
read -, the Truth of which I find at prefent con-
rnfd : I can fee by your Letter, that you made
b of the Pen ofxa ready Writer, and that the
Com-

fao • ¦ A Defcription of the L E T. XIII.
Complaints of my laft were very feafbnable $
and cannot but acknowledge full fatisfaction with
out giving you any further trouble iri exalting
your Negligence:' I am glad you and your Lady
are well in Health, and pray Heaven you may
both fo continue for a long1 Series of Years.
'Tis very agreeable News to me, that you have
' received mine of  and the reft, which with the
-four former compleat the Account of that part of
the Coaft ; and are alfo fatisfied with my manner
of defcribing our Trade there, and which is yet
more, feem to agree with my Opinion, and pro
mife to propofe my tketch of Improvements and
Amendments to the Companies Confideration :
I xviih both you and it a favourable Reception
at their Board, and hope they will make fuch
Refolutions as fhall undoubtedly tend to the
good of that Society.
,'.: I am not at all furprized that the Government
of the Coaft feems very unaccountable to you ; I
doubt not but every one who hears of it will be
touched with j^our Sentiments of it. I cannot but
•praife your- defign, and heartily with its good
Succefs ; otherwife I fhould be very forry, not
only that I -'had hinted it to you, but that you
foould take fo much pains to no purpofe : How
ever I hope for the beft , and that I fhall foon be
informed of your Progrefs therein.
The Letters which I have fent you fince thofe
you have already received of mine, are five in
number. Treating of i. The Irifalubrity of this
Country, and wherein it confifts : 2. Treats con
cerning the Nature of the Inhabitants at large :
3. Of their Religion : 4. Of their Government,
Wais, Power of their Kings ; which is followed
by1 the fifth and laft, treating of their Marri
ages, £?V. I hope you have received fome of them
before now, and that the remainder will follow in
due

lT.XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 221
3 time ; but for fear any, fhould unhappily
fcarry, I herewith fend you the Copies of
:m.Death being the Period of all Humane Affairs,
hall conclude 'my Defcription of thefe Nations,
th a fhort difcuflion of that Subject ; after
lich you will not be troubled with any more than
:ee Letters from me ; one concerning the wild ¦
d tame, Quadrupedes of this Country, the fe
nd of the Fowls, Infects and Fifties, and the
t of Vegetables : Unlefs I can think of any
tier thing , and then you may be fure not to
I of it.
But to return to our Defign. Let us examine
lat Cuftoms are ufual amongft the Negroes on
cation of Sicknefs, Death and Burying.
Any Negroe falling tick here isdiligently enough
tended, in proportion to his Circumftances :
)r , as I have formerly hinted , they are all
ry much afraid of Death ; in "which they are^
)t much in the wrong, confidering that but once
die, is for ever to be buried in Oblivion. Actu-
ed by this Principle, they leave no means unef-
yed which may contribute tp the extending the
bread of Life to as great a length as poffible :
nd had they the fame Notion of the three Fatal
fters as the AntieUt Greeks, I doubt not but
lefe would have been the Goddeffes to which the
'eateft part of their Offerings would have been
reeled. In Sicknefs (in which they agree with all the
ift of the World) they firft have recourfe to Re-
ledies : However, not thinking them fufficient
lone to preferve Life and reftore Health, they
pply their falfe and fuperftitious Religious Wor-
lip, as more effectual to thofe Ends : And what
ontributes to the promotion of this Cuftom, is,
lathe who here acts the part of a Doctor, is alfo a

222 A Defcription of the LET. XIII
a Feticheer or Prieft ; who confequently does not
find it very difficult to perfwade the Patient's
Relations, that he cannot be recovered without
foirie Offerings' made to the Falfe God in order
to appeafe him ; And they being ftrohgly beni to
Superftition, and immediately ready to follow the
Prieft's Advice, accordingly defire him to en
quire of their God what he would pleafe to have.
The Prieft to be fore is not negligent in this
Affair, where the Profit accrues to nim ; but as
foon as poffible purs his Cheats iri practice ; and'
after his pretended Enquiry, he informs them that
they muft offer a Sheep, Hog, Cockj Dog, Cat^
or whatever he likes' beft ; which fometimes may
be, Gold, Cloath, Drink, and other fuch like
good things befides ; which are always proportion
ed to the Ability of the Perfon to be ferved ; for that
alters the meafure of thefe Cheats, who always'
confider whether the Man be in condition to bear
this charge : And' herein, tbey are indeed to be
preferred to fome Romifti Priefts, whofe indiftin-
guifhing exorbitant price of Soul-Maffes ruins fe
veral Families.
Whatever the Prieft requires, the Negroes free
ly part with ; and he knows to what ufe to put it.
If the Patient fhortly after recovers, either by
Virtue of Nature's kindly Affiftance, or the
Efficacy of the Medicines adminiftred, the
Prieft or Doctor is fore not to remain unrewarded :
For whatever Mr. William Godfchalk-van-Fokkenbrog
may pretend, that when cured, the light of the
Doctor and the Devil are equally welcome to
them'; they on the contray are very far from In
gratitude on thefe oceafions.
And indeed his Senfe turn'd quite contrary, is
rather true of them, they being no fooner recover-
ed* but they extol their Phyfician up to the
Heavwifc Btif

T. XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea, 223
Jut does the Difeafe increafe and the Patient
w worfe ; freih Offerings are made, which
more expenfive than the former : So that thefe
tinue till the Patient is reftored to his priftme
dth, or dyes.
t frequently happens that one Phyfician is dif
rged with a good Reward, and another called
lis ftead, who begins a-new, and knows very
11 how to make his advantage of his Patient's
sfortune.His firft bufinefs, juft like the Phyficians in
rope, is to condemn his Predeceflbr's Method,
1 decry him as an ignorant Pretender : Upon
ich new and very expenfive Offerings are to be
ide ; for this new Comer fearing the Fate of
n in whofe place he came, endeavours to make
great Advantage as is poffible in his time ; to
s end he makes ufe of fuch cunning Frauds, that
: Europeans, though bad enough, would be put
t of countenance by 'em. But pray, Sir, don't
:e» this to be aimed at you : No, it cannot touch
: honeft Phyfician, and fuch I take you for.
This change of Phyficians fometimes happens
enty times or more fucceffively, and at a con-
ual and greater charge than with us ; the Ne-
es are fo ftrangely bigotted to thefe Offerings,
it they feveral times force the Priefts to make
:m. The Boys, which are either Slaves or Servants
the Europeans, if they think they have a good
after, will as foon as he is feized by the leaft
lifpofition, without- his Knowledge, go to the
iefts to make Offerings for him, that he may
:over his Health : And accordingly we have
md upon the Beds or in the Chambers of our
incipal People, fome things confecrated or charm-
by the Prieft, laid there on purpofe to defend
;ir Mafter from Death : And becaufe they
know

»

224 A Defcription of the LET. XIIL
know We are always difpleafed at it, they always
do it in private, and conceal it fo well, that 'tis
impoffible for us to dricover it before the Perfon is
dead, and they have had no time to remove
it. The Miilatto Women (of whom I have former
ly faid fomething) who would fain pais for
Chriftians , than which they are nothing lefs$
are extravagantly addicted to this Superftition : If
one of them is married to or kept by an Euro
pean^ who loves and pays her well • if he fall
fick fhe never fails to make rich Offerings to the
Prieft, with much warmer Zeal and ftronger Re- •
liance on foe Succefs pf them, than the Negroef'
themfelves : But what is moft deplorable and/ dfr>
teftable, is, that here are even fome Europeans^
, who not, only think favourably of, and believe
this Idolatrous Worfhip effectual, but inftigate their
Servants to it ; and are likewife grown very fond
of wearing fome Trifles about their Bodies, which
are confecrated or conjured by the Prieft.
The chief Medicaments here in ufe, are firft and-
more efpecially Litnon or Lime-juice, Malaget,
otherwife called the Grains of Paradife, or the
Cardamom, the Roots , Branches, and Gumms
of Trees, about thirty feveral forts of green Herbs,
which are impregnated, with an extraordinary Sa
native Virtue.
. The Remedies ufed here frequently feem per
nicious in the cafe wherein they are given, and
yet are found very foecefsful, as an Inftance of
which pleafe to take one of the moft common
Medicaments. In cafe of a violent Cholick, they give to drink
Morning and Evening for feveral Days fucceffive-1
ly a good Calabafh of Lime Juice and Malaget
rnixt, and in other Difeafes full as contradictory
Ingredients. But this is out of my Province to'
talk

£ T. XIIL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 225
ilk of thefe things : Wherefdre, I fhall rather k
^ave it to you and others better Judges than my
:lf ; and only add, that how' contradictory and
nproper foever thefe Med'cines may feem, yet I
ive feeri feveral of oUr Country Men cured by
tern, when our own Phyficians were at a lots
'hat to do.
The green Herbs, the principal Remedy in ufe
nongft the Negroes, are of fuch/wonderfol Effi-
icy, that 'tis much to 'be deplored that no Euro-:
^an Phyficians has yet applyed himfelf to the dif- •
ivery of their Nature arid Virtue ; for I don't
aly imagine, but firmly believe, that they
ould prove mPre foecefsful iri the practice of
hyfick than the Eiiropean Preparations, efpecial-
t in this Country, becaufe before they reach us
iey~ have loft all their Virtue, and are irioftly
irrrupted : Befides which, our Conftitution is in,
ime meafure changed here by the1 Climate ; and
lerefore this Country Remedies, in all probabili-
f, are better for our Bodies "than the Euro.
'.an. Thofe who are to. come to this Country, may;
r they pleafe, endeavour to explore thefe Plants ;
>r iriy part I fhall here take my leave of them,
ith only iriforming you , the better to evince the
range Efficacy of thefe Herbs, that J have feve-
il times obferved the Negroes cure foch great and
angerous Wounds with them, that I have flood
mazed thereat.
After all the above-mentioned Methods have
seatryed and prove ineffectual, andthe Patient
tpires ; this furnifhes his Relations with frefh.
ufinefe ; they aire now to enquire into his Death,
r why he" would dye : For though 'tis probable
nd apparent that he dyed a Natural Death, oc-
afioned either by Sicknefs, extreme old Age,
Zounds, "or fome Mortal Difterap'erj this will
Q hoi

22g A Defcription of the LET. XHL
not fatisfie them in the leaft ; it muft certainly
' proceed from fome other Caufe, according to the
' Proverb, Death is never without a Cavfe ; which is
no where in the World better believed than here,-
Immediately the Prieft and the Relations muft
enquire whether the deceafed was ever perjured in
his Life -, if he was, they believe they have difco-
vered the Caufe of his Death:, which was a Pu
nifhment to the Perjury : But if he be found in
nocent of thisj the next rinqueft to be made is,
whether he had any powerful Enemies, who may
have laid Fetiche's in his way, which might
occafion his Death (thefe Fetiches I have before
defcribed ;•) upon which fometimes fome-ef'nK
Enemies are attacked and examined very clofely ;
and if he has been accuftomed to fuch Practices,
tho' never fo long paft, he will hardly come oft' .
with a whole Skin.
I cannot here pafe by what happened to my
felf eight Years paft, when I was at Axim: I was
advifed, in order to the Advancement of the Com
panies Trade, to fend a Meffenger to the King of
Dinkira ; in purfuance of which, . I fent one of
my Servants with a handfbme Prefent to him,
who received him and the Prefent very civilly,
and was very well pleafed with both. The Bran- ,;
denhurghers had alfo fent one of their young Men:
with a Prefent to him at the fame time ; whom
this King received, as well as his Prefent, with very
great riiarks of Friendfhip, he defiring to live in a
good tlriderftanding with the Europeans. Both
thefe Servants waited at this Princes's Court, ex
pecting that he by the firft Convenience fhould
difpatch them both to their Mafters ; but after
r eliding there in Expectation about fix Weeks in
vain, he died : Which Accident expofed their
Lives to the utmoft danger ; for the Relations of
the Deceafed, ridiculoufly fuppofing they had
occa«

L E T, XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
occafioned his Death, feized and bound them ;
after which they made enquiry by their Priefts
whether the Prefent they brought were not poy-
foned or conjured : But thefe Cheats were at this
time fo honeft that in appearance, according to
their Religious Rites, they prdnounced them in
nocent and declared them free p upon which they
were immediately releafed, and delivered from
their dreaded Death, ahd afterwards difpatched
back to us with Prefents. By this you may fee
how we fall into danger here in this Country,
ivithout the leaft Reafon to fufpect or fear it. But
now to return where I left off.
If there be no fufpicion of Poyfon, then en
quiry is made if his Wives, Children and other
Perfons about him, and his Slaves, have attended
rim with due care, or been liberal enough in
heir Offerings : But if no deficiency can
3e , here found , and confequently the Caufe
if the Perfon's Death is yet undifcovered ;
hen they have recourfe to the moft common
md- laft Refuge, which is always at hand ; the
Han died becaufe he was deficient in the perform-
:nce of his Religious Rites ; which we have al-
eady defcribed at large.
Then the Prieft goes jto the dead Perfon and afks
lim why he died : If you afk who is the Refpon-
br, I believe that Simon de Ures, who always
rings the Devil iri for a fhare of the Play, as
ery frequently converting with Men , would
xy, or rather fwear, that he, in the fhape of the
)eeeafed or their Falfe God makes the Anfwer :
Jut if you worild have my Sentiments, 1 really
elreve the Dead, the Devil, 'and the Falfe God,
re all three equally Dumb, and therefore unca-
able of anfwering ; But fo> true Anfwerer is
le Roguifh Prieft himfelf only •, who' informs
le ; Relations as it beft fuits bis Injerefts ,
Q. 2 . that

A Dejcnptwn oj the' L E T. XIII
that his- God and the Dead have bade foch
Anfwers; which to be fore,, as before, are thofe
which, agree beft with their Ends, and feem
to have the greateft appearance! of Truth. This
decifive anfwer of the Prieft paffes for unqueftion-
able Truth ; and according to what he fays they
always adjuft their Affairs.
But now I remember,, that I have found it in a
certain Author, or rather more than one, laid
down as a pofitive 'Aflertion, thaf the Negroes in
doubtful Cafes directly apply themfelves to the
Devil, and afk Advice of him, governing them
felves according to his Anfwer : But op my
own Experience , I can affiire you that 'tis
utterly falfe and groundlefe ; i and what is moft
commendable in them, is, that they do not defire
fuch a near Acquaintance, with the Devil ; and
all their Queftions of Moment . in time of need,
are addreft to their Falfe God, or rather in effect .
to their Priefts, without ever fo much as thinking
of the Devil or his Attendants ; much lefe in hid- ,
den or doubtful Cafes do they afk Advice of him,
or oblige themfelves to fquare their Affairs to the
Rule of his Anfwer.
The cuftomary Queftions to the Dead are put
in feveral Manners : For Inftance, fome Men
take the dead Body in prefence of the Prieft up
on theirShoulders $ and then 'tis aflced, Did not
you dye for fuch a Caufe ? If he did, the Men *
who hold him, by I know not what hidden Im-
pulfe, are obliged to incline the Body towards the
Querent ; wfiich is taken for an affirmative An
fwer : otherwife tHey ftand ftill.
As foon as the tick Perfon is expired, they fet
up fuch a difmal Crying , Lamentation and
Squeaking, that the whole Town is filled with it }
by which 'tis foon publifhed that fome Body is
lately^

LET. XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
^ately dead : befides which, the Youth of the De-
reafed's Acquaintance generally pay their laft Duty
ofRefpecf to him, by firing feveral Mufquet-Shot.
If the Deceafed be a Man, his * Wives immedi
ately fhave their Heads very clofe, and linear
their Bodies with white Earth, and put on an old
worn-out Garment ; thus adjufted the}' run about
Street like mad Women, or rather She-Furies,
with their Hair hanging upon their Cloaths ; with
al making a very difmal and lamentable Noife,
continually repeating the Name of the Dead, and
reciting the great Actions of his paft Life : And
this confufed Tumultuary Noife of the Women
lafts feveral Days fucceffively, even till the Corps
is buried. .
If a principal Man is killed in Battle, and his
Companions have no Opportunity, by reafon of
the continuance of the War, to fecure, hide or
bury his Body (for] the Funeral Rites muft be per
formed in their own Country) his Wives are then
obliged in all that interval,, to be in Mourning,
and a fhorn Head, though they permit the Hair
to grow again where Modefty does not allow me
to fpeak more plainly.
A long time after, perhaps ten or twelve Years,
as Opportunity offers., the Funeral Ceremonies are
renewed, with the fame Pomp and Splendour as
if they had died a few Days paft. : On which oc
cafion alfo his Wives again put on their Mourning,
cleanfe ad ad juft themfelves as before.
Whilft the , Women are lamenting abroad ,
the neareft Relations fit by the Corps^ making 3
difmal Noife, wafhing and cleanfing themfelves,
and farther performing the ufual Ceremonies : The
diftant Relations alfo alfemble from all Places, to
be prefentat thefe Mourning Rites ; he that is negli
gent herein being fure to bleed very freely if he
cannot urge lawful Reafons for his abfence.
Q. 3 Th*

A Defcription of the LET. XIII
The Towns People and Acquaintance of the
Deceafed, come alfo to join their Lamentations,
each, bringing his 'Prefent of Gold, Brandy, fine
Cloath, Sheets, or fdhiething elfe •, ivhich 'tis pre
tended is given to be carried to the Grave with
the Corps ; and rh& larger Prefent of this Nature
any Perfon makes, the more it redounds to his
Hondur and Reputation.
During fhisIngrefsandEgrefsof all forts of Peo
ple ¦, Brandy in the Morning and Palm- Wine in the
Afternoon are very brifkly filled about ; fo that a
rich Negroes Funeral becomes very chargeable : For
after all this, they are richly cloarhed when put
into the Coffin ; befides which feveral fine Cloafha,
Gold Fetiches, high-prized Corals, ( of which I ¦
have feveral times fpoken) Conte di Terra, and,
feveral other valuable Things are put into the
Coffin to him, for his ufe in the other hifei they
not doubting but h^ may have occafion for them./
The value and quantity of his Coffin Furniture,
.is adjnfted in proportion to what the Deceafed left
his Heir, or perhaps to the Heirs conveniency. Aft
this being over, and the Relations and Friends met
together ; after two or three Days the Corps are
buried ; before which a parcel of young Soldiers
gd, or rather run, continually loading and dif
charging their Mufquets., rill the iDeceafed is laid
in the Ground : A great Multitude of Men and
Women follow without the leaft Order, fome be
ing filent, others Crying and Shrieking as loud as
poffible, whifft others are laughing as lcudj fo
that all their Grief, is only in appearance. !-
' As foon as the Corps is in the Ground every one
gpes where they pleafe, but moft to the Houfe of
Mourning, to drink and be' merry, which lafts for
feveral Days fucceffively ; fo that this part, pf the
Mourning lppks more like a Wedding than a Fu-
rieral, ' i .; They

LET. XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
x They fometimes keepaKing or a very great Perfon
a whole Year above Ground ; and to prevent Putri-
faction, they lay the Corps upon a wooden Utenfil
like a Grid-Iron ; which they put over- a very
gentle clear Fire, that by flow degrees dries it :
Others interr their Dead privately in their own
Houfes, though they give out that they preferve
the Corps in the former manner, and that in due
tiine they will fee the Funeral .Rites folemnly
performed. The Day being come when the Kii?g
is to be publickly buried, publick notice thereof
is given, not only to the People of his own Na
tion, but other Countries ; which oceafions fuch a
y^ft Cpncourfe, as is really forprizing, each being
curious enough to come to fee the Funeral Solem
nities 5 and it is certainly very well worth while;
fince on this occafion every Body is as richly
habited! as poffible, and one may fee more Pomp
and Splendour in one Day, than at other times in
feveral Years.
, Infiich Funerals as thefe, feveral Slaves of the
Deceafed are killed and facrifie'd oh his account,
in or^er to ferve him in- the other World ; as are
alfo and efpecially the Boffums, or thdfe' which he in
bis Life had dedicated to his, Falfe God, being
me of fiis Wiyes7 and one of his principal Ser
vants : But what is moft abominable, is that fe
deral- poor wretched Men, wfio; through Age or
Inability are beepme riicapable pf Labour, are
Cold on purpofe to be made Victims in thefe ac-
curfed Offerings.
'Tis a moft deplorable Spectacle to fee thefe
riiferabie Creatures killed in the moft, barbarous
^niaer in the Wprld ; what with Hacking, Pier
cing, Tormenting, &c. they endure a Thoufand
Deaths. 'Twas not without the utmoft Horrour that I
Caw eleven Perfons killed in this manner ; amongft
C\ a which

232 A Defcription of the LET. XIII,'
which there was one, who after having endurecj,
a great deal of exquitite Torture, was delivered
to^a Child of fix Years of Age who Was to
cut off his Head, which it was about an Hour in
doing, npt beirig ftrong enough tp weild the
Sabre. •' ¦ ~K ~ * .
Thefe Human Sacrifices are in ufe apiongft
thofe Negroes who are not fully fobjecl: ito our
Government, and live very diftant ftom our
Forts : But where we have any Authority we
don't fuffer it, though they will privately
remove to other places in order tp perpetrate this
Villany. The Negroes generally build a fmall Cottage
or Hut, or elfe plant a little Garden of Rice on
the Grave, into which they throw feveral worthlefs
Goods of the Deceafed, but not Houfhold Stuff
or other valuable Moveables, as Authors would
have it : there is no fuch Cuftom at prefent : and
I believe, if I can judge of their Nature, never
was in ufe, unlefs in the Days of Methufalemy
which is a little too far for either they or rrie to
look. At Axim and other places^ they place feveral
Earthen Images on the Graves, which are wafh'd
one Year after the Funeral 5 when they renew
the Funeral Ceremonies in as expenfive a manner
as at the interment it felf.
The Negroes are ftrangely fond of being, buried
in their own Country; fo that if any Perfon dies
put 'of it, they frequently bring his Corps home to
f be buried, unlefs it be too far diftant 5 in which cafe
-they bnry him there •, and if he have any Friends
or Acquaintance there, they cut off his Head.
one Arm, and one Leg, which they cleanfe,
poil, and carry to his owri Country, where they '
are interred with frefli Solemnity, a* creditably 9*

ET. XIII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2^3
: fuits with the Circumftances of the De- j
met. I have heFe fent you what is moft remarkable
id obfervable in the Sicknefs, Death and Burial
f the Negroes -, and not being, willing to over-
fiarge this .Letter with Trifles, 1 have for that
.eafon omitted whatever I thought lefe Material.
lie Ship which is likely to convey this is juft
pon failing : Wherefore I am forced to break
ff fooner.than I intended, defiring you to eaft
favourable Eye on the paft, and expect a larger
ccount on another Subject from Yours, &c. \

LET-

S3f4 A Defcription of the LET. XIV,
LETTER XIV.
Defcribing the fame and Wild Quadrupedes 5
aud firft the Tame, viz. Butts, Cows, Sheep^
.Goats, Horfes, Ajfesf Hogs, Dogs, Cats%
Rfits and Mice. After having treated of the
.* Nature of theft, the Author pajfes to the.
tame Feather d Kind, .as Hens, Ducks,
Turkies and Doves : After which he comes
to the Wild Beafts. A compleat Defcrip
tion of the Elephant, and fome Writers on
that Subjeff ¦ charged with Errours. Of the,
Buffelers, Tygers, Wood Hounds or wild
Dogs, Caymans, wild Boars $ feveral fort f
of Harts, Hares, porcupines, Hedge-Hogs^
Sluggards, wood or wild Rats, Boutees^
Civet Cats, wild Cats, Musk-Mice, Berbers,
Squirrels, Kokeboes, Leguanes, Arompo's 5
feveral forts of Apes, various Kinds of Li~
pards, Salamanders : And a large Account ,:
of the Cam t lion, extra ffed from Monfieur ;
de Bruyn's Travels , with the difference \
betwixt thofe of Africa and thofe of Smirna. '
S I R,
T^Urfuant to my Promife in my laft, to give
X > ,y°u a Defcription of the Animals of this
OniBtoyy I intend in this to treat pf the four-
footed Beafts and tame Birds -y the ' Infects and
wild Fowl being referved to another Opportunity :
I am very forry that for want ef a good Drawer ;'
I cannot fend you the Draughts of all of them •,
'tk-<

.ET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2351
is true I had one here who drew feveral of them
fter the Life, which I fhall fend, you 5 but not
>ng fince uncontrollable Death took him away
¦om us, and prevented at leaft half my defign :
Fthis unhappy Accident had not prevented me
had expofed tp ypur view an agreeable Variety
f ftrarige Animals ; moft of which aire yet un-
nown : Wherefore, if poffible, I would beg of
ou to fend me one from Amfterdam, with an AC*
uance thathe fhall meet with a very good Re-
'ard here,' and be better paid for one half Years
fork, than he is for three Years in Holland : I
oubt not but you can eafily remove his prejudice
gainft this Country, and affure him withal, that
re will not detain him one Day longer upon the
loaft, than he himfelf pleafes to ftay ; but that as
)on as his Work is done, he fhall at Pleafure re-
re. If you, Sir, pleafe t© take this trouble upon
ou, I am your Security, that you fhall have no
aufe to complain of us in this part of the
/arid. Beginning to defcribe the Animals of this Coun-
y ; the firft which offer themfelves to our view
mongft the tame Kind are the Horned Cattle,
ich as the Bulls, Oxen, Cows, Goats, &c. Din-?
•rka, AJiante, Akim and other In-land Countries
louhd with great numbers of thefe ; but by rea-
»n of the diftant Situation of thefe places, only
few Bulls and Cows are brought to the Coaft :
ut at Axim, Pocquefou, Elmina arid Acra, great
lantities are bred, and more efpecially at or
tout Acra, becaufe the Opportunity is there very
mvenient to bring them from the Countries off
quamboe and Lampi.
In all other places of the Gold Coaft we only
ad Bulls and Cows ; for the Negroes are igno-
mt of the way of Gelding Bullocks into Oxen.
t Axim thefe Cattle have indifferent good Paftuce,
i • and

2%6 A Defcription of the LET. XIV.
and accordingly thrive and fatten very well, as ,
alfo amongft the Brandenburgbers at Pocquejou and
Acra : But at Elmina and the Circumjacent Coun-,
try they are always dry and lean, and confequentr
ly don't prove very delicate. This is the only
place by reafon of the Negroes Ignorance whefe'
the Cows are Milked; but they yield fuch a.
cjuantitity of wretched Milk, that twenty or thir-}
ty are fcarce fufficient to fupply the Director-Gene-*
ral's Table. ,
Thefe are fo very light and fmall that one of
the beft Cows in her foil growth doth not weigh
above two hundred and fifty Pounds, thqugh by
iheir bulk, -they might reafonably be thought to •
weigh one. half more; But all Animals in thisj
Country, wliether Hu man or Irrational ; how^j
ever they may be indifferent large, yet are very!
light ;. which I am apt to think proceeds from^
their forry Food, which inftead of a firm, pro-.^
duces only a fpongy, loofe and tough Flefh.;!
Hence all their Beef is of an ungrateful tafte : not- 'f
withftanding all which , about twelve Pounds |
Sterling is commonly given for one of thefe.;
Beafts. ,' -
The Calves, which might reafonably be expected
to be good, are but very indifferent by reafon of
the poor Milk they fuck from the Cows \ fo
that both Beef and Veal prove here but very forry
Meat. There are great numbers of Sheep, if I may fo
call them,- all over the Coaft-, but yet they are
very dear. Thefe fort of Cattle are fhaped lu\$
Ours in Europe, from which they differ only in
fize, being not above half as big : They have no '
Wool, but that want is fupplied with Hair ; fo
that here the World feems inverted, for the Sheep
are hairy and the Men wooly ; that Excrement in
the Negroes being more like Wool than Hair. |
Our.l

T.XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 237
Dur Mutton here do's not bear theleaft fimilitude
that of Eluropa -, this being very dry, infomuch
t a nice Eater will very feldom eat of it, and
common People j who are not very good at
tinguifhing Taftes, are obliged to forbear it be-
ife their Purfeswill not reach it. Well, let
:m be as bad as they will, the price is generally
>ut feven or eight and twenty Shillings Sterling.
any Perfon is a great lover of Mutton he may
prove to a tolerable degree, by gelding a young
m and fattening him with fryed Barly Meal -,
er which, though he is not comparable to Enro-
m Mutton, yet a curious Talate may juft bear
Goats are here in innumerable abundance.
hey differ from thofe in Europe chiefly in fhape,
ing very fmall, but much fatter and more fleffiy
an the Sheep •, for which reafon fome Men pre-
r them, efpecially the He-Goats ; which gelt
3Ung, in a fhort time grow bigger and very fat .-
he price of a full-grown Goat is here about
reive or thirteen Shillings E^gl^li Money.
I cannot omit a ridicnlous Opinion of the Ne-
oes concerning the Goats : They tell us, and al-
1 believe themfelves, that in the beginriing.of the
^ofld there was a certain Goddefs who ufed to
loint her felf with Odoriferous Ointment and
>il ; which the. He- Goats perceiving, applied
lemfelves to her, defiring that fhe would pleafe
> anoint them with the feme Ointment ; which
le feemed to confent to : but indeed inftead of
ie Odoriferous, defignedly took a Boi of ftinking
iintment •, with which the anointed their Bodies;
'hence they fmell fo ftrong to^ this Day. The
le-Goats kpowing no better than that it' was the
rue Unguent, were very well plekfed with it, and
heir breed continuing in the fame Opinion ,
whenever it rains, fly always to fhelter themfelves fome-

338 A Defcription of the LET. XIV
fomewhere, left the Water ftiou'd wafh off their;
delicious Scent. What think you of this, Sir ?
dare you affirm that Beafts in former Days did
not fpeak after fuch convincing Proof as this ?
You muft not expect that their Horfes fhou'd
be like Sejattus's Horfe, or Alexanders^ Bucephalus.^
And as their Riders have no reafon to fear the Ac
cident occafioned by the former, fo they muft
not expect the Courage of the latter; They are
fomewhat morel like the Northern Horfes in fize,
though nothing near fo well fhaped. On the
Coaft we have none -, but there are great Numbers
in the In-land Country; they are very ill fhaped r
Their Heads and Necks, which they always carry
downwards, are very like thofe of an Afe ; they
go as if they were falling, and will not ftir for
wards, unlets forced on by blows ; without*^
which they would move but very flowly : They *
are fo very low that a tall Man fitting upon
their Backs may very near touch the Ground
with his Feet. \ But I fhall fay no more of -\
them. There are alfo Affes enough here ; which are
fomewhat higher than the Horfes, and in their
kind handfomer. We formerly had three or four
on the Shore, but they do not live longj for
want of good feeding, as I foppofe .• I do not
find that the Negroes ufe them to carry Burthens,
but only to ride upon -, for which purpofe indeed,
they are as good as the Horfes here.
Nor is there^any want of Hogs in the leaft 5
but thofe bred by the Negroes, are really worth
nothing, the Flefn is fo flaggy and the Bacon fo
forry 5 but thofe which we fatten our felves may
pais for tolerable ones, though they are riot com
parable to thofe of Fida ; which for the delicacy
of the Tafte and firmnefs of their Bacon, are not
only as good as the European but better : A Hog '¦¦'
of

,T. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2J$
ninety Pounds weight is here fold for about
fee Pounds Sterling-, notwithftanding they are
indifferent as I have told you.
To compleat our Tame .Quadrupedes, I foaU
ch upon their Dogs, Cats and Rats, &c.
The Negroes are great Lovers of Dogs-Flefh j
ice it is that thofe who bring a Dog here may
him dear enougb ; the Negroes willingly gr
ig a Sheep for him, if any thing large ; and
ne will add fomething to boot, in order to pur
n into their Barking or Dog-School : out of
ich they fell their Puppies at the deareft rate.
ley prefer Dogs-Flefh for their eating to that of
ttle, and accordingly efteem a Meal of that
; beft Treat they can take or give.
In Procefeof time our Dogs alter ftrangely here,
ir Ears grow long and ftiff like thofe of Foxes -,
which colour alfo they encline : So that in
ee or four1 Years they degenerate into very ugly
eatures $ and in three or four Broods their hark-
; turns into a Howl. "*"".
The Cats are alfo efteemed ufeful by the Negroes--,
1 I never found that they eat them, unlefs for-
1 thereto by Neceflity, as fome of our Slaves be-
» under Confinement often kill and eat of
:m, if they can catch 'em : But we do not find
it the Cats are fubject to change like the Dogs ;
the contrary they continue the fame.
To augment the Plagues of this Country, it is
ller'd with fuch prodigious Numbers of Rats
d Mice, but efpecially of the former, that they
: not a little formidable, and do us no finall
jury, gnawing and ftealing all they can come
Taking our leave of the Quadrupedes, 'tis now
we fey fomething of the Tame Fowl ; whofe
ecies are fo few that they will not take up
ich time ; they confiftiiag of Hens, Ducks,
Turkies

S^o A Defcription of the LET* XIV
Turkies, and Pigeoris • the two latter being it
Pur Hands 5 for that the Negroes have not any.
The moft common are the Cocks and Hens.
and therefore deferve. the firft place : They are
in great plenty all over the Coaft iri time pf Peace •
for in War time, as if thefe Animals were refolv'd
to have no fhare in the publick Calamity, there
k fcarce any of them to be had, and the Prover
bial Advice of our Boors, Take care of yout
Hens, the Soldiers are coming, feems to be very
well followed here ; for as in time of Peace four
of them may be) bpught for about four Shillings
and Sixpence ; foin Wartime, 'tis well if we can
get two for that price.
At Axim thefe Fowls are very fat and gopd^
though fmall 5 but about Elmina and other Pla
ces nf the Coaft, they are fo dry and lean, and!
contain fo little Flefh , that a good Stomach
would require fomething elfe to make up a Meal,
after eating three of them.
. Next ate the. Ducks, which have been but fewr
Years known on this Coaft. I cannot tell from
what Country they were brought -, but they have no
manner of Affinity with thofe of Europe, nor in
deed are they much like them -, being one half
larger, and of another colour, commonly white^
or black, white and brown rnixt. The Brakes
have a large red Knob on their Bills, alrrioft like
the Turkies, only it does not hang fo loofe, but
firmer, and is very like a Cherry : Thefe Ducks
ought to be eaten young 5 for if they are old
they are tough and infipid.
There are no Turkies amongft the Negroes,
but a few kept here for the Director-General j and
their Flefh is no very great Delicacy.
We have great number of Pigeons at fome df
our Forts ; all which are of the common Species
©f Field or wild Doves $ which when youn; affori

ET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 44*
ford thofe who love them a good fort of
ood. "Thefe are all the tame Animals which I find in
iis Country ; our next Tafk is to Confider the
rild Beafts.
?Tis but reafonable that I fhould .begin with
lat wonderful Beaft the Elephant -, who is en-
Dwed with fo many different, good and remark-
>le Qualities, that to rob him of the, firft place
nongft the Beafts is a piece of Injuftice. I fhall
it recite a great jnany Particulars concerning
m ; either becaufe I cannot relate ;them upon
ly own Obfervation, or that feveral have done it
read}' : Befides which fome Authors have affow-
1 themfelves to tell us feveral very ftrange and
I digefted Stories concerning its Copulation,
regnancy, bringing forth its Young, its Age,
langing its Teeth, and feveral other Follies ;
id it is not without Reafon that I call them fo<
or as far as I can learn no Man in the World
ret taw how they engendred, nor can tell hoxv
>ng they go pregnant, in what feparable Pla-
:s they eaft their Young, or whether they change
leir Teeth Or not. Thefe are all wild Gueffes ;
: which we can get no Information by tamed
lephants : And therefore this Knowledge muft
ime out of the Woods ; but how they come to
mverfe fo long with thefe wild Beafts there as
» obtain foch an accurate Account of them : I can
arce believe any Body except good old Pliny
in pretend to it. The Famous Writer concern-
irning all forts pf Books and Hiftories , fays^
xording to my heft remembrance, in one of
s Books, that .Pfrtfy has long fince been a Fa-
ilous Writer : ;But that at prefent feveral of. his
elations have been confirmed, by the Difcov'eries-
7 judicious Travellers. R Noriej

>42 A Defcription of the LET. XIV.
None, Ihelieve, will deny that Pliny defcribes
fome things truly ; but on the other fide, is beyond
contradiction, wild, ' groundlefs and falfe. The1;
forejnentfon'd famous Author, has frequently
been too credulous on account of what he hath
heard or read concerning Foreign Countries, as a
great many;Examples in his Works clearly prove ;
which -is no fmall Fault in an Author ; for in
my Opinion, at leaft, it feems incorififtent with a
good Writer, !to lay down as Truth all which he
can get by; hear-fay of other Countries ; for he
ought firft to confider whether the Relater of fuch
ftrange Things ever had a good Opportunity of
being well' informed concerning thern. But this
carries me wide from my Subject ; we fhall let
Pliny alone, and return to the Elephant, whom:4
we find here in Africa to be a Beaft of twelve or ¦]
thirteen foot high, and confequently much lefe '*
than thofe in Eaft-htdia, fince the Writers concern
ing that Country aflure us, that its heighth there
amounts to more Cubits : befides this difference,
they do not differ in their Nature or Shape from
thofe in other Places. >
Thefe Beafts prove very prejudicial to the Fruit-
Trees, efpecially Orange-Trees, Banana's, and an
other fort of Figs ; of the laft of which they eat
both Fruit and Stem. •
The Negroes alfo affirm, that the Elephants
, meeting any People in the Woods never offer any
violence to them ; but that if the foot levell'd at
them miffes, they grow very wild : But I have
obferved diredtly the contrary of one of them in
our Garden at Elmina the laft Year ; of which I
have enough to relate to fill a whole Letter :
Wherefore I beg your Patience till I have difpatch-
ed this and two more -, when I intend to entertain
you with an intire Hiftory of our Elephant and
Tyger-Hunting ; not doubting but that Account

,ET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 34 j
illafford you fomething uncommon and agreea-
de : Wherefore fofpend your Curiofity fo long?
id permit me at prefent to recite what the Negroes
id others affirm on their own Knowledge, that
ley "follow Men into the Watery where they put
em into no fmall fright by their purfuit. . At
io de Gabon, four, five, and more Elephants have
equently paffed by me and my Company with-
it offering us any Injury, but We were not cou- \
gious enough to prefent them with a few Bullets,
ough very well ftored ; for they are very diffi-
lt to be killed, unlefs the Ball happens to light
twixt the Eyes and the Ears -, to which end the
diet ought to be Iron alfo : Their Skin is as
od Proof againft the common Mufquet Lead-
ills, as a Wall ; and if they hit the mentioned
ace becomes intirely flat.
The Country here where the greateft number 'of
ephants are found, is chiefly that before we
me at the Gold Coaft ; and is from the Multi-
le of their Teeth which are there traded for,
jperly called the Tooth, or Elephant's Tooth
aft, extending to the Gold Coafb and takes in
: Country of Awine, Jummore, Equira, Abocrbe,
cober and Axim ; feveral Elephants being daily
led in the faid Places ; and the wilder and lets
labited the Lands are, the larger Quantity of
:phants and wild Beafts are found.
Ante alfo doth not want thefe Beafts • there be-
; not only in the In-land Country Multitudes
them ftiot, but befides that they come daily tp
Sea-fhore,and fo near our Forts ,that they are in
it pf our People, and do a great deal of mifehief
[nthe Tract of Land betwixt Ante and Acra,there
a few, tho' not fo many as in the former Coun-
is,becaufe this place hath long been reafonably
11 peopled, except the Country of Fetii, which for
; or fix Years paft hath lain almoft wafte :
R i Where-

244 ¦ ' ¦& Defcription of the L ET XIV.
Wherefore there is a much larger 'number of Ele
phants* there at prefent than formerly.
A great part of the Country about Acra lying
wa'fte and Uninhabited,a great quantity are annual?
ly killed here. In the. Year 1697 one of an un
common Magnitude was killed near Acra, juft by
our Fortrefs, and no doubt but that he was at
•leaft full-aged,, his two Teeth weighing two huni
dred and twenty Pounds 5 from which you may
infer that he was not very lighthimfelf.
• In Ardra and Fida there are none, though in
my time one was there killed, and the Agrees af
firmed 'twas. what had not happened fo fixty
Years before ; for which reafon I believe he hadac
cidentally ftrayed from fome other Country : For
the In-land Countries oT Benin, (which borders on
Ardra) Rio de Calbary, Camerones, and feveral 0-
ther adjacent Countries, are fo incredibly over
charged with thefe Beafts, diat it is to be admired
how the Inhabitants dare live there.
The vaft Numbers of Teeth traded for in thefe
Countries, clearly evince the great abundance ol
Elephants here -, but whether all thofe are taken from
flaughtered Elephants, or fome of them are found
in the Woods, or elfewhere, I cannot determine
Though I am apt to think that here they come h)
them both ways; from whence it fhould feem
that (as fome tell us) the Elephants change thei:
Teeth; but this is utterly contradicted by thegrea
difference betwixt the Teeth themfelves, fome 0
them weighing one, two, or three pounds, am
others progreffively heavy till they amount t
above one hundred pound weight : nor is it in th
leaft probable that a folid Body compofed of foe
hard Subftance as Elephants Teeth, can, in abot
twenty Years time grow from one to a hundre
pound weight : how this happens to encreafe
muft own I am ignorant. But I have dwelled tc
lor

.-E T. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. • i±f
ing on this Subject: -, 'tis now time, to take leave
id turn to. a Beaft, which, though- vafily diffe-;
;nt, yet in fize refembles the Elephant moft of
ly here ; I mean the Buffel or ButFeler, which
to be found all over Guinea, but in fuch fmall
lumbers, that fcarce one is feen in three or four,
'cars ; but finCe I fhall have an opportunity to
leak of a place where they more abound, I fhall
y no more of him at prefent, than that their Flefh
i very good Meat, and leave the reft to that op-
ortunity. , .. ,
T3^gers, not very unlike the fkiffelers in fize,tho'
ley very much differ in Savage Fiercenefs, are heife
lcredibly numerous, of 4 or 5 forts, which differ
5, well in their fize as fpots. Whether Leopards
(id Panthers are a. Species of Tygers, I will not
enture to determine, fince I have not yet met
¦ith, any Body who could herein fatisfacforily in-
irm me : Turning to Pliny, I'found him fo igno-
intly miftaken,that I am refolved in my Defcripti-
n or Animals not to name him. The Negroes diftin-
uifh the Tygers by feveral Names -, but how to tran-
ate them into our Language I cannot tell: where-
ire palling - .over the feveral Species of them^ ¦' I
lall only inform you that they are all Savage,
'ierce, Voracious Beafts ; by means of which daj-
y Tragical Accidents happen.
They fpareneither Man nor Beaft ; but as long
s they canfatisfie their Appetites with the Flefh
f Brutes foey will not make, any attempts on
/[ankind : but that being deficient,- the- firft pf
lumane Species that comes in his way is certain-
y dead. But of this more hereafter-, fo I fhall at
irefent only tell you that however fierce this Beaft
5, the young . Ones may be brought up fo tame
bat you may play with them, as with a Dog or
3at ; like the laft of which they rare bearded,
R 3 I

¦ A Defcription of the LET. XIV
I have feerr about eight, of thefe tame Tygers
brought up at Elmina -, pf which the Direfto^
General has at prefent two ; but I have obferved
foatinall of them their Fell Nature returns in
time upon orie- occafipn or other ; and, that, tho'
never fo tame, they are not to be trufted without
great circumfpection.
Next the Tyger in fiercenefs is the Jackal! or
wild-Dog ; which is moftly found about Acra
and Aquamboe, though there are fome now alfo
hereabouts: This Beaft is fo bold, that it feizes
and devours whatever comes iri its way, whe
ther Man or Beaft, fuch as Cows, Hogs, SheepA
iff-c. At Night they come under the Walls of our
Foits at Acra" to feize pur Hogs, or fnatch a
Sheep out of the Stall ; by Which means feveral
of them are caught in the following manner:
Our (jarrifoh lay feveral well-loa'ded Mufquets
with the Lock covered with a fmall Box; to
Which a Cord is fattened with a piece of Mutton,
and fo placed, that they no fopner attempt to
feize' it than the Mrifquet goes off; and they, in
the' reward of- their Thievery get three of four
Bullets in the1 Head: This Expedient feldom miffes,
if due care be taken in laying of the Mufquets.
The Cayinan, betteir known by the name of
GfPcodile", claims the riext place iri our Defcription
¦Ipf rapaCioiis Beafts ; for fo I call the Crocodile
alfo, not becaufe I have obferted hint to be fo -,
not having ever, heard, during the' Whole time of
•py refidence here, that they devoured either Man
"•pi* Beaft ; but becaufe I have Both. read and believe
feveral Relations of their voracious Fiercenefs.
'All the Rivers in this Country are- peftered
with Vaft Shpals pf them, efpecially at Lama and
Boutry ; at the latter of which I have feen fifty
pn one Day; and amongft thefe fome that I
' guefled tp be abpuj; twenty Foot long. The

LET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
The Crocodile is already defcribed by feveral
Authors : wherefore I fhall only add what they
have forgotteri or omitted. Their Bodies are co
vered with foch a hard Skin and fquare Scales,
that 'tis impoffible to kill them with a Mufquet-
Ball ; and the Caps which the Negroes make of it
are as hard as Bone, and cannot be cut through
with one ftroke of a Hanger, being very like
the Land-Tortoife-ShelL Their Belbes 'are fofter ;
which therefore they do not frequently expofe to
danger ; .fo that they can hardly be ihot dead at
any other place than their Heads. Qn very, hot
Days wheri the Sun fhines very wanri, great num
bers of them lie balking on the Banks of the Ri
vers ; and as foon' as they perceive ;any Men near-
hand, they fteal towards the Rivers, and plunge
themfelves into them with great violence, imme
diately fheltering themfelves under Water. Thefe
Creatures do not feem fwift enough to run after,
and overtake Men, who are flying from them by
Land,'fuppofing themnbt tofteer a crooked Courfe
to avoid them ; though it may be poffible -, I
fhou'd not much fear them on Land, any .-more
.than I foou'd truft'them in the Water; tho' in
deed I never heard any mifchief they did there.
Their colour is dark Brown, and they may pafs
for very ugly Beafts.
And as for their Crying and other Subtleties to
catch Men, I believe it as much as the Jews do
the Gpfpel.
The, fierce wild Boars are reckond among the
rapacious Beafts ; and indeed thofe in Europe very
defervedly : But here on the Gold Coaft we have
very few ; and thefe not near fo wild as in Europe:
I have feveral times eaten of them here, and found
them very delicious and very tender Meat, the
Fat being extraordinary fine.
R 4 Next

A Defcription of the L E T. XIV.
Next thefe voracious Beafts we come to a mild
er fort of wild Beafts ; amongft which I. fhall ;
firft treat 61 the Harts ; with which Species this
Country moft plentifully abounds; they being.
found all along -the Gold Coaft. in incredible"
"Numbers, efpecially at Ante and Acra, where we'
fometimes'fee droves of one hundred together.
The Negroes tell us that thefe Beafts are fo fobfle,
that in all marches they detarch one of their num
ber as a Gentry to watch .whether any Man be
near, and 'advertife the reft; for the Truth of
which I will mot be Obliged, but remember to have
read fomething of that Nature of thofe of other
Countries ,: :. • ::. •-. =
There are about twenty feveral forts of thefe
Beafts here, fome as large as fmall Cows, Others
no bigger than Sheep, Cats, Ufe. moft. of. them
are red, with a black Lift on the Back, fame. of
them red beautifully ftreak'd with white. : All df
them are very good to'' eat, ,hut more efpecially
two forts ; which we alfo efteem very delicate ':
The firft fort are of a pale Moufe-ccJour ; of
which I have here fent you two Draughts, No. I
and 2. and though they areboth of one' Specfes,
yet they differ fomewhat: in their fhape; ; the
Feet of one being a little higher than thofebbf the
other, though the Beafts are bpth of the length of
about twb Feet. +.%
There is alfo a fort not above half , fo big,
pf a red colour ; which are extraordinapylbeau-
tiful Creatures ; they have fmall black Horns
and little Legs, indifferent long in proportion to
£heir Bodies • but fo very fmall, thatjfome of
them are not bigger than the; fmall part of a
Tobacco-Pipe : one of which I have fent you fet in
Gold for want .of Drawing; and therefore hope
yqur favourable Acceptance*-

^^^^^m3

'^P-M^ Wpi,;: ffjM

LET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 24;
No. 3 reprefents a Hart about four foot long,
of a flender ftiape ; his Feet are very long ; he
hatha long Head and Ears, is of an Orange colour
ftreak'd with white : And thefe are all the Draw
ings which I could get of thefe Beafts.
, Thefe Harts arefwifter of Foot than moft Men
know ; but that fort of which you have the
Foot are extraordinary fwift, and ftrangely agile
in leaping, for fuch fmall Creatures : fome that
we have caught I have feen leap over a Wall of
ten or twelve Foot high. The Negroes call this
the King of Harts. > '
At Apam, Acra and Fida, there is a fort of Hares
not unlike ours, which plentifully abounds at
thefe three Places; but with reference to this I have
fufficiently detained you in. my Letter defcribing
Ardra. Here are alfo Porcupines ; but no great, number,
or at leaft very few of them are brought to us :
They grow to the heighth of two, or two feet and
a half, and bite fo fharp, that no Wooden work
can withftand them.
I once put one of them into a Fat, ndt doubt
ing but I had very well fecured him ; bnt in one
Nights fpace he eat his way through, and that at
the middle ^where the Staves were moft bent- out
wards. This Beaft is fo daring, that he ventures to at
tempt the larg.eft.and moft dangerous Snake : Of
which more hereafter. When he is provokedhe
fhoots his Quills (which are about two Spans long)
at both Man and Beaft, with fuch violence, that if
they happen to hit on a Board they ftick in' it.
The Negroes and fome Whites highly value its
Flefh as very nice Food. ¦¦_¦
I have here alfo feen a fort of. Creatures not un
like our Hedge-hogs, only they cartnot Roll them-
' felves as ours are accuftomed to do.
No.

A Defcription of the LET. XI VI
No. 4. Is a Draught of a Creature, by the Ne
groes called Potto, but known to us by the Name
of Sluggard, doubtlefs from its lazy fluggifh Na
ture ; a whole Day being little enough for it to
advance ten Steps forward.
Some Writers affirm, that when this Creature has
climbed upon a Tree, he doth not leave it until he
hath not only eaten up the Fruit, but the Leaves in
tirely ; and then defcends fat and ill very good cafe
in order to get up into another Tree ; but before
his flow pace can compafs 'this , he becomes "
as poor and lean as 'tis poffible to imagine : And
if the Trees be high, or the way any thing di
ftant, and he meets with nothing on his Journey,
he inevitably dies of Hunger, betwixt one Tree
and the other. Thus 'tis reprefented by others,
but I will not undertake for the Truth of it ;
though the Negroes are apt to believe fomething
like it. .*
;This is fuch a horrible ugly Creature,that I don't
believe' any thing befides to Very difagreeable is
to be found on the whole Earth ; the Print is a
very lively Defcription of it : Its Fore-feet are
very like Hands, the Head ftrangely difpropor-
tionately large ; that from whence this Print was
taken was of a pale Moufe colour : but it was then
very young, and his Skin yet fmooth ; but when
old, as I law one at Elmina in the Year 1699.
'riV red and covered with a font of Hair as
thick fet as Flocks of Wool. I know nothing
more of this Animal, than that 'tis impoffible to
look on him without Horrour, and that he hath
nothing very particular but his odious Ugli-
nefe. There are a fort of Beafts which lurk in the
Fields here, like Rats, but bigger than Cats ; we
call them wild Rats : They are continually a-
mnngft

LET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
mongftthe fowed Corn, and do a great deal of da*
mage. *
Their Flefh is by fome Europeans and the Ne
groes held a great delicacy ; and indeed nothing
hinders its pafling for foch but its difagreeable af-
pect and fhocking Name, which create fome aver
sion in the Eater : But thofe who can ftep over
this, like it extraordinary well -, and to remedy
as much as poffible its ugly Figure, fome cut off
the Head, Feet and- Tail, before they bring it to
the Table; and then it certainly paffes on thofe
who do not know what it is, for a very grateful
Difti ; for they ate fat, tender and very agreeable.
There is alfo another fort of wild Rats, which
are chiefly found at Axim ; they are as long as the
former, but their Bodies are very flender, and they
are otherwife called Boutees : very few befides the
Negroes eat thefe. They do an incredible deal of Da
mage to the Stores of -Millet and Rice, that the
Negroes have laid up in their Houfes ; and in one
Night fpoil more fowed Corn, than 'tis poffible for
One hundred Domeftick Rats to do ; for they are
not content to fatiate themfelves, and carry off
fome with them, but they befides fpoil all where
they come.
Here are three or four forts of wild Cats j
of which the CiVet-Cat is one ; ^ which at
prefent is fo well known jn Holland, that I need
only acquaint you that they are brought to be
fold to us very young, and then we give about
eight or nine Shillings fterling for one.
A large fhare -of Trouble and careful Attend
ance is requilite to breed them up : Their Food is
Pap boiled or made of Millet, with a little Flefh
or Fifh. They 'produce Civet v/hen even very
young -, of which that of the Males is better than
that of thej Females, becaufe the latter cannot
ayoid mining into the Civet Bag, which fpoils it.

• A Defcription of the L E T. X I V,
I can fay nothing particular of -the remaining
wild Cats, but that they are fpotted like Tygers,
and are as fierce^ doing a great deal of-.Mif-
chief amongft the Hens where they can come at
them. I bave feen very fmall Mice, which afford a
pleafant and Odoriferous Mufky Scent, but cannot
find that they have any Bags, like the Civet Cats ;
which inclines me to believe that the pleafant
Odour proceeds from the Skin.
Here are yet three or four forts of fmall £$m*\
drupe des ; one of which you have drawn, No. 5.
it being almoft a fort of Cat, only its Snout is
much iharper, and the Body is fmaller, andfpPt-
ted like the Civet Cats. The Negroes call it Berbe,
and the Europeans Wine-bibber^ becaufe 'tis very
greedy of Palm-Wine.
The fecond fort are not much bigger than a
Domeftick Rat ; of a' red and grey colour, rnixt
with fmall white fpecks in- their Hair ; the Tail
being of long Hair, 9s tpeckled, and about three
Fingers broad ; . fo that it very agreeably may
reach from behind to their, Head : Thefe are alfo
called Wine-bibbers, tho' the Name of Squirrel
would fit them better. ' ..,-.•
The third fort, when full-grown, are about as big
again and- red. ¦ This is a very mifchievous Crea-.
cure, and bites very violently; and flies at, Man
and Beaft .without any diftinction if driven there
to by neceffity : 'Tis called Kokeboe, and is a
cruel Perfecutor of Cocks and Hens, though not
in the fame manner as Mr,,. Facqumbrog informs
,us. , v,.; , ¦',.,,
They have no need of fornuch Subtilty, being
fwift enough to catch, the Hens and. ftrong
enough to carry them off when they have them.
I have had feveral, but never found any of them
.with red Buttocks, though I have diligently
enough examined them. What

LET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
What Focquenbrog fays farther , concerning
this Animal, I dare not confirm ; not only
becaufe I have not found it fo my. felf, but never
yet taw the European or Negroe who agreed with
him. The remaining Beaft or Beafts, for there are
more than one fort of them , we are here fo little
acquainted with, that I fhall pafs them over with
out any Defcription, and endeavour to give you
'-, an account of an amphibious Animal, that
* lives as well in the Water as on Land : This is
the Leguaen ; it is fhaped almoft like a Crocodile,
but feldom exceeds four Feet in length ; its Body
is black fpeckled, with round fort of Eyes, and
the Skin very tender. He injures neither Man nor
Brute, the Hens only excepted ; among which he
fometimes makes a great Slaughter. Several Eu
ropeans eat their Flefh, and all unanimoufly agree
that 'tis much finer Meat than Cocks or Hens.
No. 8. thews you an Animal who keeps in the
Wobds ; his Body is long and flender ; to which
is joined a long Tail ; at the end of which is a
' hairy fort of Brufh : He is of a pale colour, fome
what inclining to brown •, his Hair is long and
thin. The Negroes, call him Arompo or Man-Eater,
becaufe his Food is dead Men, to come at which
he greedily grubs out the Earth of tbeir Graves,
as if he had notice of fome Perfons there
hid. The Negroes report that having dug to a dead
Body, he does not immediately fall on it, but
goes round it feveral times ; to what end I can
not tell ; but they, explain it, that he therebv
hints the unlawfulnefs and a certain fort of impof-
fibility of feizing another Man's Goods, without
doing fomething. or giving himfelf foma trpuble
on that account firft, Tha

A Defcription of the LET. XfV\
The Myftery of this is not hard to unraveL
I am apt to think that this Beaft is feized with a
fear natural to all Brutes; and therefore only-
looks round about to fee if there be any Man like-1
ly to force his Prey from him.
'Tis time we fay fomething concerning the ApeSj
which are here above one Hundred Thoufand in
Number, arid of fo many various Species, that 'tis
really wonderful as well as it is impoffible for
me to deferibe them all ; wherefore I fhall only
lightly touch on fome of them.
The firft and moft common fort, are thofe we
call Smitten, of a pale Moufe colour, and
grow to a wonderful fize> I have my felf feen one
of five foot long, and not much lefe than a Man :
they are very mifchievous and bold.. It feerhs in
credible what an EyigliJIi Merchant here affirmed
to me for Truth ; that behind the Englifli Fort at
Jfimba (where there is a terrible number of thefe
Apes ; that are fo bold, that they will attack
a Man, as he related ) amongft others they fell
upon two of their Companies Slaves, which the
Apes had over-powered, and would have poked
out their Eyes, if they had not been timely ref-
cued by fome Negroes ; for they, to compleat their
defign, had gotten fome Sticks readjr.
You,as well as my felf, are at Liberty what Credit
to give to this Story. But indeed thefe are a ter
rible pernicious fort of Brutes, which feem to be
made only for mifehief.
Some of the Negroes believe, as an undoubted
Truth, that thefe Apes can fpeak, but will notB
that they may not be fet to work ; which they
do not very well love : This is their, Opinion of
them. As the former . fort of Apes are very ugly, fo
the next are exactly like them , only four of
them put together would not be fo large as*.
the

^ET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.. 255
he other -, and their beft Quality is that they are
b docile that they will learn whatever they are
aught. The third fort are very beautiful, and generally
;row to the height of about two feet y their Hair
s as black as Pitch; and above a Fingers lengtk •-
They have a long white Beard ; whence they are
railed bearded little Men, or bearded Monkies.
df their Skins are made the Tie-Tie's Caps ; men-
ioned in another Letter of mine. The Negroes
ell thefe Monkies to one another for about eigh-
een or twenty Shillings ; and when they
iring them to us we do not refufe them at that
irice. There are befides this, two or three forts of
VIonkies, each a like handfbme, but one half
efe than the other, with fhort Hair of a mix!
:olour, partaking of grey, black, white and red 5
md for the moft part they have a white Breaft
md Beard. But hold, inftead of a Sheet or two
if Paper I could fill a whole Book in defcribing
he various forts of Apes ; which I cannot think
vorth while, andfo had rather difpatehthis Subject
iut of Hand ; only informing you, that of the
inaller Apes there are not above twenty forts : All
which are very fine ; but what is moft unhappy,
h extraordinary tender, that 'tis very rare that we
:an rear any of them, much lefe bring them to
Europe. I muft yet add, that their thievifh Nature,which
Teems to come into the World with them, is com
mon to all of them ; and I have feen them go
very fubtilly to work in the ffcaling of Millet
ind Fruit : In each Paw they take one or two
stalks of Millet, as much under their Arms (if J
may fo call them) two or three in their Mouths ;
and thus laden they riiarch away, continually
leaping upon their hind Legs ; and if they are
pur-

256' A Defcription of the L^T.XIV.
purfued tbey hold that in theirMouth faft, but
throw away the reft that it may not hinder them
in their flight.
But their carrying fo much Milhio or Millet to
gether, is not to be compared to their nice Guriofi-
ty in ftealing it ; for every Stalk of Millet they
pluck is narrowly examined ; and if they don't
like it they throw it away and pull another : So
that this delicacy of theirs, oceafions more damage
than their Thievery. And now I fhall bid the
Apes farewel.
Here are every where Thoufands of Lizards ;
efpecially all along by the Walls of our Forts ;
whither they come in queft of Food, which chiefly
confifts in Spiders, Worms, Flies, and other fuch
. like. There are various Species of them ; fome
of the largeft having a" Tail about a foot long,
and a hand broad ; of a dark Colour, and half
their Head red : The reft are about the feme fize,
and differ only in Colour.
They are a'moft all of them ugly and that to a
fhocking degree, except thofe that follow, which
may pafe for fomewhat more tolerable.
Thefe are chiefly a fort about half as big as the
ether, and are green ; next to which is another fort
one half lets than the laft ^they're of a grey colour,
and creep all up and down our Chambers clean-
fing them from all fmall Vermin : Thefe we call
Salamanders. That the Lizards forewarn Men againft Snakes
and other venemous Creatures, I believe to be as true
as that the Salamanders continue alive in the Fire i
Unlefs one wou'd affirm that this Report is owing
to the Antipathy betwixt the Salamander and the
Fire, that being much of the coldeft Nature of
all the Lizards ; and this Opinion I could eafily
fubferibe to, at leaft for fo long till fuch are
found, which according to the Antients live in
the Fire. To

- E T. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2 5 7
To conclude this Letter, I fhall add two fmall
Animals ; which former times have prefented us
vith large; but very wild Accounts of : The
Draughts of which you have No. 6 and 7.
The peculiar Natural tSolour of the one is
}reen fpeckled with Grey ; arid the other Green,
nd Fire-colour and Grey mixt together. Thefe
Lnimals are very rare, and deferve a more parti-
ular Defcription.
Several have alreadjr undertaken it,but amongft
hem all I like none better than Father N. N. and
VIonfieur Cornelius de Bruyn in his Travels in AJiai
Vhat he hath told us I muft entirely confirm^
rithout being able to add any thing ; thefe here
erng exactly of the fame Nature with thofe he
lefcribes : Wherefore not being able to prefent
rou with a better Defcription, I fhall give it you
a his own Words, fomewhat abridged.
Whilft I (faith he) with great fatisfaction, not
nuch encumbered with the preffing Neceffities
if Life, paifed my time at Smirna, I had ail
ipportunity of getting fome Camelions into my
lands ; and being curious to.difeover how long
hey would live, I commonly kept four of them
n a large Cafe, and fometimes let them rutl
oofe in my Chamber, and frequently brought
hem into the great Hall of the Houfe where the
Vind breezed through from the Sea-fide, when
hey feemed brifker than before, and opened their
Mouths to imbibe the frefh Air.
'Tis firmly afferted by Naturalifts, that thefe
Creatures live on Air : And indeed experience
:onfirms it in fome meafure ; for I never few
nine eat or drink any thing except a few Flies ;
if which hereafter.
'Tis alfo true, that they frequently change
heir colour ; I have my felf feen their Colour
titer three or foar times in half an hour, with--
g out

258 .A Defcription of the LET. XIV.
out any colour being thereabouts ; which I foon
drew both in Miniature and Oil-colours.
The Colour which they chiefly change to, is
a very fine Green fpotted with Yellow, as beau- ,-
tiful as any Pencil can exprefs it ; fometimes al- ».
fo it is fpotted with brown fpots : And thus is
the whole Body adorned,Tail and all. Sometimes,
they change to a brown Colour like that of
Moles. Their ordinary Colour is grey, or rather pale
¦Moufe- colour ; the Skin very thin and almoft
iranfparent : they moftly change to a Lizard
Colour. But as to their changing to the Colour
of all Things, which are placed near them, Ex
perience has informed me that the Naturalifts
are here in the wrong, for they do not change to
red, nor feveral other colours-, though I muft
own that I have obferved fudden changes in them
on that account.
I never could keep them alive above five
Months, and moft of them dye in four. I was
very curious to know what their Inteftines con-
, fitted of : Wherefore I opened one ; in which I
found fome Eggs, about as big as thofe of fmall
Birds, beirig^aff joined together as if in a Thread,
but no Guts or any thing elfe. The Tongue ;
was the moft remarkable of all, being as long as
the whole Animal. With this they catch Flies, as
they tell us ; which is done in the following man
ner : The Camelion holds himfelf very ftill,
and when a fly comes in his way, he darts out
his Tongue with utmoft fwiftnefe, grafps them-:
with the fharp point of it, and draws them in ;
to which purpofe his large wide Mouth, which he j
opens, is very convenient.
If this Beaft is defirous to defcend from any \
height lower, he very carefully advances, firft one.
Foot and then the other; which are afterwards foy

LET. XIV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2 5 9
followed with the femes Caution by the hind Feet,
his Tail curling about one thing or other, in the'i
mean while ; by which, he cah. hold faft ; which
cpnfinues as long as he finds any affiftance by it,
and then falls flat to the Ground. Their march
is very flow, and their fize as expreffed in the.
Print. Some would have it that the Camelion moft-
ly keeps his. Mouth open ; but I have, very fel-.
dom obferv'd it, ahd fcarce ever when I did not
carry them to a place where they could have the
Pleafure of imbibing, the Air ; then indeed they
ftretched their Mouths wide open, and difeovered
by their Motion and frequent changing their
Colour, the Pleafure they Were fenfible of Their
Eyes are round, very black and obfervably fmall ;
but what is moft remarkable, is, that they can
direct one of them to one fide, and the other to
another : fo that at once they can look upwards
md downward.
Thus far Monfieur de Bruyn ; to which I fhall
anly add the difference which I have obferved
betwixt thofe of Smirna and this Country -f
jvhich chiefly is firflv that they here live as
many Years as Monfieur de~Bruyn fay's Months :
rat then we put them in a Garden upon one of
:he Trees ; upon which they continue fitting
rime time before they defcend. They have alfo
feveral times been fent tp Europe, and got over
alive. The fecond difference is, that I have not ob
served any of thefe here with their Mouths open,
md confequently have not feen the Tongue or
?ly-catchriig ; which yet does not dif-engage me
rem beifeving Monfieur de Bruyn : But on the
contrary, I take it for undoubted Trnth what he
ays on that Head ; for his Defcription being fo
sxact, 'tis probable enough that he obferved it.
S -2 *$

26o A Defcription of the LET XIV."
In all other Partiulars they entirely agree ;
to that I neither c^n or will fey any more of
them, than that Monfieur de Bruyn might better
have compared their Eggs to thofe of Lizards,
than of fmall Birds ; for I have obferved
in all Quadrupedes and creeping Animals which
do not bring forth their Young, but lay Eggs ,
for inftance, Lizards, Camelions, Leguanes,
Snakes, and Tortoifes ; that their Eggs are
not covered with any hard Shell, but rather with
a thick Flefh, which is pliable and weak. What
do you think, Sir, is not this Letter fairly leng
thened } I think it is : Wherefore 'tis high time
to end the fame -, having at prefent nothing more
than that I am with all my Heart, Yours, &c.

LET-

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 261
LET T E R XV.
Treating firft of the Feathered Kind, viz.
of two Species of Pheafants : Patridges -y
Wild Ducks of two forts 5 Turtle Doves,
crooked Bills, Snipes, and other Edible
though unknown Birds : Of Crown Birds,
beautiful green Birds, blew and white He
rons, * Portugueze, Eagles, Kites 5 a cer- * Birds
tain River-Bird, very fine ^ Crown-Birds^? lCiJI!ed
on the Gold Coaft 5 Pokkoe, a large Fowl HtUvAtr.
fo catted by the Negroes, and valued for
his Uglinefs 5 as alfo another about the fame
fize, but handfomer. Of four Species of
Granivorous Birds ^ a fmall beautiful Ri-
ver-Bird,P arochites,P arrots , f Star-Birds.^ in Bute
Of Frogs and Toads, fome of which are very stKror .
large : Of the great numbers and various
forts of Snakes, fome of which have two
Heads. Of Scorpions ; a fort of Scolo- "
pendria, or many-feeted Worms, and fe
veral other Species of Infeffs. Of Bees.
Multitudes of Ants, and their ftrange Na
ture. Of the feveral forts of Fijh, of
Brafilian Cod, Jacks, Plaife, Flounders 5
a Fifh called Sifie Pampher by the Ne
groes 5 C — • cover er , and feveral other
large lijh ; feveral forts of Bream, Stomp-
neufes, or flat Nofes, Boardmanetjes or
Pouts, Mackrel, Safer, Aboei, Ray, Soles,
Dabs, Lobfters, Crabs, Prawns, Shrimps,
S 3 Sprats,

, A Defcription of the' LET. XV
Sprats, Karmou, Mullets md Batavia .•
Alfo three vor^ejons Ftfkes, viz. ffoordka-
pers, Sword-fifhes, and Hays or Requiens.
SIR> aV\;/- '¦".
N my laft having at large-- defcribed the . Wild
Quadrupedes, and Tame Fowl ; it remains
that I fhould treat of Birds, Reptiles, Infects
and Fifh. :;'''• -• •• '•¦• • . '" •
.--.To. begin pur Account : of -Birds, .. with thofe
.wlrich are. edible-.; I fhall. beftow. fhe firft plac^ on
the Pheafant, expreffed in the Print, No.. 9 : Of
.which vaft numbers are found' about Acta, in the
Province of Aquamboe, in artd about Apam'\\\the
'Acrafe Country ; being extraordinary Beautiful,
and about ^the'; fize 'of a Hen'; their Feathers
foeckled with a bright blew and white, encircled
ivith' a Sky- coloured Ring- about- their Necks ,
about two Fingers, broad, and adorned with a
Very fine black tuft on their Heads : In a word,
it is as Beautiful a Bird as "Nature furnifheth
among the Terreftrial Species, arid next to Gold
'(which I always efteem the moft precious) is
the moft charming Rarity that' Guinea pro
duces: >
;No. 10 prefents you with the -drawing of a
l^rd., whkb we here call the Fidafe-Pheafant, be
caufe they are moft frequently obferved in that
Country; though they are befides fometimes
caught, ort the GafoGoaft.
This Bird is almoft as big as the former, tho'
not near fo Beautiful. His Body is 'grey and
white, a little fpeckled with blew: 'His Head
is, bald . and covered with a hard Callous Skin,
which is all over knotty : his Bill is Yellow ;
from whence tq the Head grows out on each fide
a red Jolfop.
To

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
To the Pheafants it will be proper to add the
Partridges ; of which there is a vaft quantity all
over the Gold Coaft, though we have no great
numbers of them to eat, by reafon of the want of
Sports-Men : But at Fida they are as plenty as
can be defired, and at a (very low price; and
when in feafon are very good Food.
Nor do we want wild Ducks, which are
here very delicate, and only differ from thofe in
Europe by being fomewhat imaller.
There are here two forts of them ; of the firft
of which, during the whole -time of my Refi
dence on the Coaft, I have feen but two, which
were foot by the Director's Trumpeter : In fhape
and fize they were not unlike other Ducks ; but
they were of a very Beautiful green Colour,
with fine red Bills and Feet : Their Colour was
fo deep and charming, that if they had been a-
live and to be fold," I fhould not have boggled to
' have given ten Pounds Sterling for them. It is
remarkable that before nor fince that time none
of that Species have been feen.
And for about four Months paft, I have feen
but one of the fecond fort ; which was alfo foot
by one of the Garrifon, and was fhaped like the
former : His Feet and Bill were yellow, and his
Body adorned with an equal mixture of green
and grey ; but not near fo fine as the former.
There are here two, or rather three Species of
Turtle- Doves ; the firft are fmall, of a bay Co
lour, and eat very well, being much tenderer
than the fecond -, which are of a much bright
er Colour: The third fort being as tough and
large as thefe , are of a very beautiful Green ;
their Bills and Feet are yellow ; they have a few
red Feathers, and their Eyes are encircled with
large %hite fpeckled Rings; fome of which are
intermixed with blew. k
S 4 There

a^4 A Defcription of the L ET. XV.
There is a very large Rock above our Fort at
Axim, two or three Mufquet-fhot from the Ram
parts -, which is very thick grown with Under
woods, where Thoufends of thefe two laft forts
of Turtles harbour, and by reafon the Rock is fo
clofely covered with thofe Plants, we can catch ,
but very few ; for if we fhoot them, and. they
fall down, they are never found. Every Even
ing they come there to Rooft, and in the Morn
ing take their Flight in queft of Food.
Crooked-bills and feveral forts of Snipes are
very common here ; feveral of them prove good
Food, but moft are fo tough that they are not
very much valued.
We have here alfo Multitudes of all forts of
large and fmall Birds, which are fhotten and
eaten ; but befides that we are unacquainted with
them, they are not diftinguifhed by any particular
Names. As for thofe which are not edible, but are
only kept for Beauty and Rarity (fuppofing
them to be caught.) The moft common you
have in the Print, No. n. Of which there are
feveral at Fida, and in the whple Country of
Ardra, and alfo few at .and about Acra.
Their Legs and Body are about the fize pf a
Stork, and they are called Crown-Birds, frorn
the great yellowifh Tuft or Crown intermixed
with fpeckled Feathers, ftrutting like Hogs Bri-
ftles ; with which their Heads are adorned :
Their Bodies' are chiefly covered with black
Feathers, and their Wings furnifhed with large,
red, yellow, white and black Quills : Their
Heads are beautified with Purple Spots, half a
Thumbs breadth on each fide, and the fore-part
of their Head is very clofely covered with a per
fect black downy fort of Feathers -y which at a
pliftance feems to be black Velvet, Thefe

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 265
Thefe Birds feem to be in great efteem in Eu
rope, fince we are inceflantly folicited by fome
Gentlemen to fend them over : and I have been
told that they prefumed to prefent one of
them to the King of England, who was alfo plea-
fed to accept of it. But for my part I cannot
perceive any fuch extraordinary Beauty in them ;
for befides their Head and Neck there is nothing
very rare 5 the reft of their Body being rather
difagreable than fine.
But the Bird of which I have fent you the
Draught , No. 1 2. on the contrary is not lefe
beautiful than rare -, for though moft of the other
Birds are to be found all over the Coaft, I never
few this any where but at Apam, where I am
apt to think there are great numbers of them ;
becaufe fending out two Days fucceffively in a
fhort time T had one brought me fhotten Dead ;
for otherwife they are not eafily taken.
They are very like a Parrot, having exactly
foch a Bill, which is dark yellow ; the Breaft and
whole under-part of their Body is of a very fine
green Colour ; the upper-part grey, red, fky-
colour and deep blew,very agreeably intermixed :
The Head, Neck and Tail, which are all green,
render this Bird very Charming ; the Feathers
rife on his Head like a Comb ; he hath large
Eyes, above and below which are two the moft
beautiful red Rays that can be imagined. To
conclude, this Bird is not to be parallelled for
Beauty, Here are two forts of Herons obfervable,
the blew and the white ; both which we might
have placed amongft the edible Fowl, fince fever
ral here eat them.
Iri thefe Parts is alfo an unknown Bird, as big
in the Body as a Goofe, moftly white, which we
call Porttigueze ; which is alfo eaten by fome few. Nor

(6 A Defcription of the LET. XV.
Nor are Eagles wanting here, fuch as are in
Europe, or at leaft not very different from them,
Here is alfo another ravenous Bird on the
Coaft, very like a Falcon, and tho' but a little
bigger than a Dove, yet he is fo bold and ftrong
that he attacks and flies away with the la-rgeft
Chickens. The third fort of Birds of Prey on this Coaft,
are the Kites ; thefe fteal all they can difeover
and carry off, befides Chickens, whether Flefh
or Filh ; and that fo boldly that they frequent
ly fieze the latter in the Hands of the Negroe-Wo-
meri as they are going along the Street or fitting
in 'the Market.
No. 1 1, reprefents a Fowl which harbours near
Lakes and Rivers ; and may very well pafe for
a fine Bird : He is about as large as a Chicken,
the upper-part of his Body black or brown fpeck-
led with white, and the under either deep yellow
er red ; he hath alfo a Tuft of fpeckled Feathers
riling like a Comb; and his Bill in 'proportion
to his Body is extraordinary thick and long.
In the next Leaf I have prefented you with a
Fedaje Crown-bird ; and with I could alfo fend
you a Draught of the fort found on the Gold
Coaft, and then you would obferve a great dif
ference; it being twice as fine, and of ten
various Colours, as green, red, blew, fky-colour,
fafowiT, black, white, &c: and what is very ob
fervable, they have a long Tail -, out of which
the Negroes pull the Feathers to wear on their
Heads. We call them Crown birds, becaufe fonie
have a beautiful Blew, and others a Gold-colour
ed; Crown or Tuft on their Heads. Monfieur
Focquenbrcg mentions Peacocks that he few at the
River Boutiy, which can be no other than thefe
Jiirds ; for here are no Peacocks on the Coaft.
No.

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
No. 14 delineates a Bird, which though u gly
enough, may' be efteemed rare; for I dare averr
that the whole World doth not produce his like :
Nor can he, I am certain, be more naturally or
lively expreffed than in this Print ; and yet
the Pencil feems to have flattered him, for he
there looks handfomer than he really is.
He is exactly of the fize of a Goofe ; his
Wings are extravagantly long and broad, cover
ed with dark coloured Feathers : the under-part
of his Body is over- tp read with Afh-coloured
Feathers, if I may fo call them; for it is really
difficult to diftinguifo them from Hair. Under his
Neck he hath a Crop or Maw about a Span long and
as thick as a Man's Arm ; which looks like a red
Skin: In this he hoards his Food, as the Monkies
do in their Alfoaches. His Neck, which is pretty
long, and the red Knob in the Nape, is furnifhed
with Feathers as well as the under-part of the
Body ; his Head, in proportion to his Body, is
much too large, and excepting a Very few Hairs
he hath, is very bald : His Eyes are large and
black, his Bill extraordinary thick and long.
His Food is Fifh ; of which he devours as much
at once as would fuffice four Men : He catches
the Fifh thrown to him very nimbly, and throws
them down whole into his Crop. He is a great
lover of Rats, which he alfo fwallows whole ; and
which we have often obliged him to vomit ; for as
he runs on the Out-works*of the Caftle, to divert
our felves, we caufe him to be bipught above ;
when, as tho' he defigned us a Service, he brings
up a half-digefted Rat out of his Crop a;id lays
it at our Feet.
It is agreeable enough to fee a little Boy, or our
Dogsfeton him ; upon which he will very ftrange-
ly arm himfelf for oppofition , pecking and
ftriking them with his Bill very artificially, and
° ' they

A Defcription of the L E T. XV.
they repulfing him, which was like two pieces of
Wood ftroke againft each other, or a pair of
Snappers. Thefe being all his good as well as bad Qua
lities, I leave you to judge whether he is hand-
fome or ugly, though I cannot doubt, but yo'u
will declare him the latter : The Negroes call
him Pokkoe.
No. 1 5 is a Bird in fize fomewhat like the
former, though his Neck is much longer. When
he ftands on his Feet and ftretches his Neck up
wards he is much above a Man's heigh£. Our.
People fhot him by the River of Apam, and we
.found his Feathers black, white, red, fky, and
feveral other Colours intermixed all over his
Body : his Eyes are large and yellow. This
is all that I have obferved of him ; he may very
well pals for a fine Bird : His Name is equally
unknown to me and the Negroes.
No. 1 6 is a .gramvorous Bird, fhaped as the
Print repvefents him -, his Bill being long arid
fharp, his Body checquered with yellow and
light blew Feathers ; a black Semicircle about
his Neck, a long Tail compofed of yellow, blew
and Hack Feathers, and a few Feathers on his
Head. No. 1 7 reprefents a Bird fhaped like the for:
mer, and of the fame Species ; from which
he chiefly differs in that his Bill is thick, fhort
and black ; the under-part of his Body black,
his Back of a beautiful Yellow, and his Feet as
well as Bill black.
No. 1 8 is alfo a Bird, not very different from
the firft in any thing elfe, except that grey and
yellow are intermixed amongft his Feathers ; he
hath a iharp Bill, and in proportion to his fize,
extraordinary long Feet and Claw6.
Ni

Paae.xffO

JV!i,4,.pa,yi

-ET.XV. Gold Coafl of Guinea. 269*
No. 1 9 is a Bird not above half fo big as the
precedent, and fhaped almoft like a Sparrow ;
his Colour renders him very beautiful, his Head
and Breaft being as black as Jett, his Wings and
Feet grey, the reft of his Body of a bright red ;
and it is indeed pity we cannot keep thefe Birds
alive. But No. 20 far exceeds all the other in Beau
ty. He always harbours about the Rivers, fat
tening himfelf with fmall Fifh. His Wings and the
upper-part of his Body are entirely blew, fome
what inclining to Sky-colour, as are alfo the
Feathers of his Neck which are pretty long, and
the Tuft on his Head ; his Breaft is of a dark
yellow, mixed with fome blew and red Feathers ;
his Feet and Bill of a bright red and very thick
and long.
This Bird was drawn by the Painter during
his Sicknefs, and very unwillingly ; which is
the reafon that he hath npt expreffed the variety
of his Colours ; otherwife he would have appear
ed one of the moft beautiful fmall Birds, which
not only Guinea produces, but feveral other Coun
tries afford.
No. 21 expreffes another granivorous Bird,
fhaped as the Print defcribes ; his Breaft, the un
der-part of his Body and Neck is of a reddifh
yellow; his Head is intirely black, £ except a
beautiful yellow fpot on the fore- part ; the up
per-part of his Body and Wings are black, and
his Tail is compofed of black, yellow and red
\ Feathers intermixed.
No. 22 is about as big again as the former,
hath a beautiful red Breaft, and under-part of
his Body ; the upper-part of his Bodj^, Wings
and Tail as black as Pitch, and the upper-part
of his Head of a bright Yellow, and fhaped as
the Figure exoreifes him.

~Syc A Defcription of the LET. XV.
No. 2 ? and 24 exprefs two fmall Parrochires,
or Guinea Sparrows ; not that here are none
like thofe in Europe: but on the contrary, we;
have here vaft numbers of the fame Species,
without the leaft difference ; but thefe are alfo
called Sparrows , for what Reafon I cannot .
tell. The whole Coaft, but more efpecially the low
er part of it, as Moure, Cormmtyn, Apam and
Acra very pleritifufiy abounds with thefe Birds :
They are of a green colour, mixed with a beau
tiful red, and fome of them have alfo a few yel
low and black Feathers. Their Bill like that of
Parrots is red. and crooked.
They are very beautiful little Creatures ; and
daily, or when-ever opportunity offers, we fend;,
great numbers of them to HoUand ; where they.
bear a goodJvalue. We generally buy them here
at the rate of a Rycksdollar J7<?r Dozen : But moft
pf them commonly die in their Paflage to Holland;
notwithftanding which, a certain Author hath ad
ventured to tell us that they live thirty, forty,
or more Years ; but that muft be once on a time a
For at prefent of one hundred that we fend over
fcarce ten furvive.
No. 27 reprefents a Parrot, though I might:
have fpared that unneceffary pains, becaufe yob
daily feejdiem in Holland; but he is fuch afaifh- '
fill Animal , that I could not deny him a place
here. We have them all over the Coaft,but not many,
and moft of them come from, far In-land Coun
tries. Thofe of Benin, Calbary, and Cape Lopez,
are here moft valued, becaufe far fetched ; though
their Admirers are net aware that -they- are much
older than thofe we catch here, and confequent
ly not fo docile; but thefe Men, like Ladiess
admire what comes from afar.
! All

-ET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
All the Parrots here on the Coaft, as alfo on the
Promontory of Guinea, and the mentioned places,
are blew.
It would be to wafti an ALthiopan, or at leaft
an unneceffary Tafk, to fay much concerning
thefe Birds, fince they are fo common, in Holland,
that they are there much lets efteemed than
here, and bear a lefs price alfo ; for I believe
very few in Holland would give three, four or
five Pounds fieri ing for a babling Parrot, which
is very frequently done here.
Thefe, Sir , are all the Birds which I can
prefent you the Draughts of, but you muft
not thence inferr. that there is no greater variety
of Species : On the contrary, I dare averr that
thefe do not amount to a fifth part of what I
have feen, to pafi by thofe which never occurred
to me.
Thofe which for want of a Painter I could
not fend, are in their kind all extraordinary!
beautiful : Wherefore I am not a little concerned''
that I cannot get them drawn.
But I muft .have patience till I hear what an
fwer you pleafe to fend to my requeft : Where
fore to conclude this Difcourfe of Birds, I fhall
yet add one ; of which I remember to have read
wonders : His Feathers are reprefented like Stars,
his Voice as loud as that of a Bulk; and we
are told that when the Negroes are travelling, if"
they hear him on the left Hand they quit their
intended Journey, and return home : How far
this Relation agrees with Truth, I leave you to
judge. This Bird is about twke as big as a Sparrow,
his Feathers are not in the leaft like Stars, though
indeed he hath a few fmall Specks, which they will
fo conftrue ; but if that be allowed there are a
great many Star-birds in the World. His

272 A Defcription of the LET.XV.
His Voice or Lowing is hollow and piercing ;
but to compare him to that of a Bull, is to af
fert, that a Bell of one Hundred Pound will
give as great a Sound, as that of ten Thoufand
Weight. As to what concerns the third part of the ac
count of him, I have not much to offer againft it j
for as the World, with refpedt to Human Life,
is liable to a perpetual change -, and what at
prefent is one thing, may in one hundred Years
be altered to another : So I can eafily be
lieve that the Negroes were formerly Superftitious
enough to put aftop to their Travels and return
home upon hearing this Bird on the left Hand,
fince at prefent they don't take it for a good
Oinen-, but now they never break off their Jour*
ney on that account, unlefs it be fome ex
traordinary Bigots, with which all Parts are
ftored : But from them no rational Character
can be drawn.
Having faid enough of this Bird, and the
whole Feathered Kind ; I fhall in the next place
lay fomething of Reptiles, and whatever aproxi-
mates to that fort of Animals : Of which I can
only impart two Draughts, which fhall follow
in their place ; but firft of the Toads.
Toads and Frogs are as numerous here as in
Europe, the laft being alfo of the feme fize ; but
. the firft are not only in as great abundance and
fhaped like ours, but they are in fome places of a
terrible largenefs. ,
At Adja, an Englifli Village, betwixt Moure and
Cormantyn, I have feen fome as broad as a com
mon Table-Plate. When I firft faw them I took
them for Land-Tortoifes ; of which we have al
fo fome here ; but was foon convinced of my
Errour by their leaping. The EngliJIi Factor
told me that a vaft Number of them harboured about

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 27
about that place. They differ from other Toads
only in largenefe, which renders them very hi
deous. ;
The Toads here, as well as in other places, are
mortal Enemies to the Snakes, and we have been
Eye-Witneffes of feveral Engagements betwixt.
them. Here are great Quantities and Variety of Snakes;
fbme whereof are hideous great ; the largeft of
thofe taken in my time here was twenty Foot
long, though In-land I believe there are yet riiucfi
bigger : And we have frequently found in their
Entrails not only Harts and other Beafts, but
Men alfo.
Moft of them are venomous ; but the follow
ing arefo to an extraordinary degree; and there
fore very dangerous. Thefe are fcarce a Yard
long, about two Spans thick, and variagated
with white, black and yellow.
I was once in the utmoft danger of my Life
by one of thefe Serpents ; for as I fate at Axim by
a Rock, which was over-grown with Trees and Un-
der-Woods, one of thefe poyfonous Animals was
got very near me ; when by a great chance I was
aware of him juft time enough to efcape the evi
dent Danger.
The Snakes infeft not only the Woods, but the
Dwellings of the Negroes, and even our Forts >
and Bed-Chambers, where I have often killed
them. Several Perfons befides my felf have feen 3
dead Snake with two Heads ; whether both was
ferviceable to the Body, as fome affirm, fince
the Snake, as I told you, was dead, I could not
determine ; nor could I obtain- any fatisfacfory
account from the Negroes.
Of all the various Species of Snakes, I have
caufed only one to be drawn ; but as foon as
T 3-JV

2

¦ A Defcription of the L E T. XV.
another Painter comes hither, I fhall have oppor
tunity to prefent you with more : For befides
that we can caufe them to be taken every Day,
we have alfo a referve of fome of their Skins
ftuft and kept ; one of whichi is fourteen Foot
long, and within two Fbot of his Tail hath two
Claws ; which helped him to erect himfelf and con
tributed to his more expeditious march. His
Head is like that, of a Pike, and ftock'd with
much fuch another row of Teeth.
The Snake which the Print No. 26 exprefles,
is about five Foot long ; as thick as a Man's Arm,
variegated with black, brown, yellow arid
white Streaks very agreeably mixed.
The moft curious part of this Reptil is his
Head, which is very broad and flat. He injures
neither Man nor Beaft, any otherwife than by a
very fmall Horn, or rather Tooth, which irregular
ly from the upper Jaw ftrikes through his iNofe,,
and is white, hard, and > {harp as an Awl ; and
the Negroes going bare-foot very often infentibly
tread on them, by reafon that when thefe Crea
tures meet with any repaft, they fo fatiate them
felves, that they fall into foch a found Sleep,
that it is no fmall Noife that can awaken them :
Wherefore they are very eafily taken or killed.
^ Next to this Serpent, No. 27, is a, large Scor
pion ; of which I need not fay any thing, fince
he is incomparably well drawn as big as the
Life ; though I have feen them here as big as
fmall Lobfters, being alfo furnifhed with fuch
Claws and Feet, and their whole Bodies covered
-over with long Hair.
Very few are ignorant how pernicious this!
Animal is to Mankind. Some of them have
a fmall Bladder full of Poyfon, of a half Fing
ers breadth at the end of their Tails, which they
fpurt out when they ftrike either Man or Beaft ;
and this is unavoidably fatal. This

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 275
This here reprefented had a Bladder as big as
a> white Peaj full of Poyfon.
The Scorpions, in my Opinion, ought to be
reckoned amongft the number of Infects , as
well as , the Millipedes , or Hqglice ^ which
are called Centepees by the "Portnguefe, and are
here found to be prodigioufly numerous ; and
though their fting is not fo dangerous as that of
the Scorpions, yet it is 'certain it oceafions a very
fharp pain for three or four Hours ; rafter which
it ceafes withouf leaving the leaft relick of un*
eafinefe. , ,'i ,.:_ i\
No place in our Ports is free from thefe Ver
min ; the longeft of which are about a Span 5
they are flat and red interfpected like other
Worms; having two fmall Horns or rather Claws,
with which they ftrike. The Feet are on each
fide of the Body, and are 30 or 40 : their exact
number I cannot inform you of.
If I foould treat of all our Infects, and de-
fcribe each Species of them ; fuch as the Bees,
Crickets, Caterpillars, Grafhoppers, and above
twenty forts of Worms, Ants and Beetles, I
fhould fill two Quire of Paper ; in order to
which I fhould want nothing but a perfect Know-^
ledge of that .Subject.
' I with Mr. Leewenboeck that great Naturalift
had opportunity to do it -, for I believe he would
meet with more Rarieties here than in all other
Parts of the World. I have fent you herewith*
as a Specimen, a Boxful, containing above a hunv
dred of the moft rare Species of them ; be plea-
fed to reft contented with them, and a Defcription!
of a /couple of Infefts which I have not there}
fent 5 and firft of the Bees. _
The Excellence of the Guinea Honey is very
Well known to many ; here are prodigious
Quanties of that as well as Waxs about Stodt
"** - • -j 2 Gabon^

27& ' A Defcription of the LET XV.
Gabon, Cape Lopez, and farther in the Gulph of
Guinea -, both which we have alfo on the Coaft,
though not in filch plenty.
Confideririg the ftrange Nature of the Ante,
thofe Enemies to Man and Beafi, I cannot avoid •
treating of them at large.
Thefe Vermin make Nefts about twice the
heighth of a Man, of the Earth, which they tur.ri
up in Fields and'" Hills ; befides which they build
large Nefts; in high Trees ; From which places
they fometimes come to our Forts and Cham
bers in fuch prodigious fwarms, that they fre
quently oblige us to quit our Beds in the Night
time; they are ftrangely rapacious, and no Ani
mal can ftand before them. They have often in
theNightattackt one of my live Sheep, and that I
have found a perfect: fkeleton in the Morning,
and that fo nicely done, that the beft Mafter of
the difmembring Art could not focceed fo well,
it being impoffible for Human Hands to have
done it fo artificially.
, It is but one of their Diverfions to ferve Chick
ens and other Fowl in this manner ; nay as
fwift as the Rats are they cannot efcape them;
and 'tis pleafant to obferve that as foon as one of
them affaults a Rat he is inevitably gone, for
attempting to run away he is attacked by feveral
others, till fo many fall upon him thatthey over
power' him, and they are fure not to leave him
till they grow to a Body ftrong enough to re
move him to a fafe place.
Really if one confiders the practice of thofe
Vermin, it would prompt one to conjecture that
they had a fort of Language current amongft
themfelves; for I have feveral times placed a
Worm or Beetle where only one or two of thefe
Ants were, who immediately departed and re
turned in a minute, bringing with them above

LET. XV. Gold-Coaft of Guinea.
a hundred, and if they were not enough, in
a moment more were called : After which they
feize their Prey, and march off with it in good
Order, all mutually aififting each other in the
carriage of the Burthen.
Thefe Pifmires are of various forts, great and
fmall, white, black and red ; the fting of the
laft inflames to a great degree, and is more pain
ful than that of the Millipedes : The white are
tranfoarent as Glafs, and bite fo forcibly, that in
the fpace of one Night alone they can eat their
way through a thick wooden Cheft of Goods,
and make it as full of Holes as if it had been
foot through with Hail-fhot.
That the Ants have a King, which is as large
as a Crey-fifh, as Monfieur Focquenbrog is pleafed
to tell us, is what I don't know, and -eonfequerit-
ly dare not averr.
Having thus, in my Opinion^ particularly
enough treated of the Animals which fly in the
Air as well as thofe on the Earth ; it remains
only to finifh this Letter in running through thofe
who inhabit the Sea and Rivers.
The want of Fleftl and other neceffary Prpvifi-
on in this Country, renders the Sea confiderable
as the principal Support of Human Life ; without
which it were impoffible to fubfift here : For not
only the Negroes; but moft of the' Europeans live
.only on Fifh, Bread and Palm-Oil. So that it is
a very great Happinefs, and particular Provi
dence of God, that the Sea and Rivers here feem
earrteftly to conteft which ihall produce the beft
Fifh. Both afford very good and delicious Fifh:
the principal of which I fhall here exemplifie.
Firft, the Sea here produces a Fifh as large as
our common Cod, which is here called Brafilian
Cod, being extraordinary fat and delicate ; after
which follow T 3 The

%J% A Defcription of the LET. XV
The Jacks or Pikes great and fmall, which in
their feafon are very fat and good and notfo hairy
•as in Holland. , , -;? ¦ > ; '
Here are alfo Plaice and Flounders; and tho' the
firft put feldom appears, yet the fecond are ex
traordinary plenty, though neither fo thick nor
fo good as ours in Holland,; from which they alfo
vifibly differ in fhape,
There is another fort of firiall flat Fifh here,
which in delicacy fiirpaffes all the reft on the
Coaft : Thefe Fifh are here called Pifie-pam*
phers. Which are alfo followed by another as flat, but
rounder, diftinguifhed by the obfcene Name pf
C — —coveyer. . . «•
Here are Half-Koords;. Cprcogdo's, Giltheads,
and other large Filh, as black and white Carabins,
which are cheap and good Food for the meaner
fort of People.
Here are Bream in very great plenty, of three"
pr four forts ; , two of which efpecially are verjjr
fat and delicate, which are commonly called Ja?
fob Evertxen end Roojeud. ,
Amongft the middle-fized Fifh, are firft the
flat-Nofes, fo called from their very flat Snouts ;
they tafte like our Haddock.
__ The fecond fort, which a.r.e much lefe, are a
fort of Pouts, called by the Dutch Baardmannetjes,
irrom their Hairs dike a Beard hanging at their
Chops.
. We have fometimes Mackerel, though but
Very few are caught ; but vaft Shoals are taken
of the Safer or Kings-fifh, as the Dutch call it 5
which in their feafon are extraordinary fat and
good, tafting like Eels : Gutted and dryed they
are eaten inftead of Salmon.
Amongft the fmall Fifh, the firft which occurs
fc thejiboej, fomewhjtt like our Trouts, but
mucb

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 279
much firmer and more delicate ; they are taken
here by Thoufands.
Ray- or Thorn-back both great and fmall,is here
very good and in prodigious plenty.
Soles and Dabs are here extraordinary ; the firft
exceeding ours in Holland.
Nor is here any want of Lobfters, Crabs,
Shrimps and Prawns: We have alfo Thoufands
of two forts of Sprats, great and fmall. ; both
which are very fat when in feafon, though tic
former fo ftringy that they are riot much jefteem-
' ed ; but the laft are very agreeable: Food, and
very good either pickled like Herrings or dryed
like Red-herrings ; both which ways we yearly
preferve great Quantities.
The River-Fifh, befides thofe which come out
of the Sea and ftay in Rivers, are of three forts.
Firft, Carmou, a white Fifh, the largeft of which
Species are about three quarters of a Yard long,
and of the thicknefs of a Man's Arm ; they are
fo far from being too lean, that they would be
very delicious if not too fat and oily.
The fecond is the Mullet, which differs from
the former only in that it is lefe and hath not fo
thick a Head 5 but is full as good Food as the
other. The Rivers produce a third fort of Fifh here
called Batavia ; the largeft of which are indif
ferent good, if they don't tafte muddy, which
they are very apt to do ; Some of us have
(though very erroneoufly) taken them for Pearch,
which they are not in the leaft like.
I could fpecifie feveral other Fifh, but I con
tent my felf with touching upon the principal
Species ; and affuring you that a lover of Fifh,
as I reckon my felf, may here meet with full fa-
tisfaction : He may make a fatiating Fifh-Meal
at five orfixpenee charge; and a Soldier, or
T 4 thofe

2 80 A Defcription of the LE T. XV.
thofe who cannot afford to run fo high, may eat
their fillat half that price. I would be here under-
ftood to fpeak of the general courfe of the Market,
for fometimes there is at leaft one half difference
as well in the price as goodnefe ; and it is really
very melancholy to fee how the miferable mean
er fort fubfift when there is no Fifh, which com
monly happens in the ill Weather, or Winter, as
it is here called \ for at other times one fort of
Fifh or another, being in feafon there never is
any want.
However I fhall yet add a Defcription of three
Species more, that are found on this Coaft 5
which by reafbn of their Rarity I cannot omit.
The firft and largeft are called there and elfe-
where by the Dutch, Noordkapers ; I fhall fpeak
more particular of thefe in another place, and at
this time only hint, that on the Coaft in fine
Weather, when the Fit her-men are in the beft of their
Caption, thefe Fifh come towards the fhoar, and,
as the Negroes affure us, fo frighten all the Fifh,
that they immediately take their flight, and
even the next Day not a Fifh is to be feen in
the Sea ; fo that they doubtlefe purfue them very
clofe. The fecond are the Sword-fifh, fo called by
reafon of the flat Bone about a Yard or an Ell
long, and a hands-breadth, which they have at
the end of their Snout : This Bone is furnifhed
with about feventeen, nineteen, or more fharp
Teeth, about a Fingers length on each fide, and
moftly rugged, and one more on one fide than
the other. He is feven, eight, nin« and fome
times ten feet long, though he is alfo extraordi
nary thick. How thefe Fifh wage War againft
Whales and other very large Fifh, I cannot in
form yeu ; for I fhall not fay any thing tending
that way, becaufe I never faw any fuch thing, nor

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 281
nor have been at the place where any of thefe
fkirmifhes have happened ; and out of an appre
hension that I fhould never return, I am not very
folicitous to vifit them, efteeming it much better
to ftay at home.
The third fort are Hayes or Requiens, by fome
(though utterly wrong) named Sea-Dogs ; for
they are not in the leaft like them. They are
very thick as well as very long, fome of them
betwixt twenty and thirty foot ; their Head is
broad, flat, and their Snout very fharp-pointed 5
as to the reft they are very ugly. This Fifh is
the Negroes beft and moft common Food. They
are daily taken on the Gold Coafti in great
fhoals. The Europeans never eat them, by Rea
fon of the toughnefe of their Flefh ; to remedy
which the Negroes lay them a rotting and ftink
ing feven or eight Days ; after which they are
greedily eaten as a delicacy, and a great Trade
is driven in this Commodity to the In-land
Country. The Hays doth not fpawn like other Fifties,
nor lay Eggs (as the Tortoife do) but cafts its
young in the manner of Quadrupedes.
Thefe Fifh do no manner of damage on the
whole Gold Coaft ; but at Fida and Ardra, where
the Slave Trade is managed, they are extraordi
nary ravenous, and in my Opinion fiercer than
the moft voracious Animal in the World.
If any Perfon fall over-board he is infallibly
dead, unlefs (which very feldom happens) none
of thefe Fifh are near, or he is immediately
helped up.
When dead Slaves are thrown over-board, I
bave fometimes, not without horrour, feen the
difmal Rzpacioufnefs of thefe Animals ; four or
five of them together fhoottothe bottom under- the
Ship to tear the dead Corps to pieces, at each bite an

282 A Defcription of the LET. XV.
an Arm, a Leg, or the Head is fnapt off; and
before you can tell twenty they have fometimes
divided the Body amongft them fo nicely that
not the leaft Particle is left ; nay, not fo much
as any of the Intrails ; and if any one of them
happen to come too late for his fhare, he is ready
to eat up the others', and they attack one another
with the greateft violence in the World ; and
mounting their Heads and half their Bodies above
the furface of the Water, they give one another
fuch forcible blows that they make the Sea a-
round to tremble.
When the Haye feizes his Prey he is obliged
to turn himfelf on his Back, becaufe his Mouth
is placed far behind and low : wherefore he can
not come at any thing upwards.
When we fometimes take one of thefe Fifh and
hawl him on board with a Rope, we are always
obliged to keep at a diftance ;- for befides his
fharp Teeth, he ftrikes with his Tail, which
is prodigious ftrong ; and whoever comes near
him lofes either an Arm or a Leg, or at leaft
hath it broken to pieces.
I take the Reafon why they don't fall on Man
kind on the Gold Coaft to be that they can here ea
fily fatitate themfelves with fmaller Fifh ; whiehis
wanting at Ardra and Fida : Wherefore rather
than ftarve they devour Human Bodies ; which
I am apt to think relifh very well, fince when our
Ships depart from thofe places, they fometimes
follow them for three Weeks or a Month, wait
ing for more Slaves to be thrown over-board.
Notwithftanding »he rapacious Cruelty of thefe
Fifh, yet fome Perfons told me as a certain
Truth, that at Cape Vert, where they are rave
nous enough,, it happened that one of our Ma
fters, either by Misfortune or Neceffity (I for
got which) was over-board, and not being able ta

LET. XV. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 203
to fwim very well, was in danger of drowning,
but that aHaye in the \%ry lucky Minute, foftly
caught him by the Leg, and carried him gn
board one of our Ships. ^ If this be true, it is
a greater miracle than Arion's engaging the Dol
phin by his melodious Harp to waft him fefe to
Shore, fince the Haye faved the Man without any
inducement : but to believe this to bextrue re'
quires a ftrong Faith ; notwithstanding that to
engage me to it, the very Man, the particular
Day and Place are named : But two Reafons
ftrongly oppofe the Truth of this Story -, firft,
the innate Cruelty of this Fifh -, feeondly, that
whilft on his Belly he cannot take any hold •,
fo that he muft have lain on his Back e're he
could have feized this Mafter ; after which he,
muft have fwam in that pofture. But you'll
fay perhaps that in his Youth he had learned tq
fwim on his Back (as our Boys commonly do, )
in order to practice it upon occafion. What fhall
I fay, my Friend ? Nature is very ftupendious
in her Operations;, let us leave this Story there ;
and as to the reft be affured that I paffionately
defire always to remain, Sir, Yours, &c.

284 A Defiription of the L E T. XVI
LETTER XVL
Treating of Trees. and other Plants 5 as fir si
of the Palm-Trees, and their Fruit, and
other Properties : Of four forts of Palm-
Wine. Of Coco-Trees, wild Coco s or Pal'
meto's. Oraages and Lemon-Trees ; .their
Numbers and Virtues, and where abound
moft. A copious Defcription of the Papai-
Tree, and its Fruit 5 alfo of the Tree cal
led Ptfang, diflinguifhed into Bakovens or
Paqitovens and Bananas. What fort of
Fruit the Cormantyn Apples are, and why
fo called. Of Pomgranates and Vinous,
Grapes : Of feveral forts of wild Trees 5
fome of which are very high and large •
amongU others the Capot-Trees, why fo cal
led. Where Wood fit for fine Works is pro
duced. Of the Fruits of the Earth 5 and
firfl of the Corn, or the greater or leffer
fort of Milhio or Millet, Rice, Jambes
and Potatoes. Of all forts of Beans. A
forge Defcription of Ananas 5 concerning
which fome Authors are C9ntradiffed. Of Wa
ter Melons, a very fine Fruit. Of Mala-
gueta otherwife called the Grains of Ptra-
dife, or Guinea Pepper. Piement, Tarra
gon and ftinking Tobacco .* Of which the
-v Negroes are great lovers. Of the manner
»f boiling their Salt. S IR,

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 28 5
S I R,
THIS fhall only difcharge the promife of
the former, to fay fomething concerning
the Trees here and their Fruit, as well as the Corn
and Plants of this Country : In which, to avoid
all Circumlocution, as the Coco in the Eaft-Indies
by way of excellence is numbred amongft the
firft Trees ; fo with equal juftice the Palm
claims the preheminence here; fince with the
help of Bread and Fifh it fubfifts moft of the
People on the Coaft.
The firft produce of this Tree is its Nuts ;
which roaftfed when young tafte very delicioufly,
and when old are covered with a red Hufk or
Shell, black on the hinder-part, and contain the
Palm-Oil, which is obtained by contufion and
expreflion as that of Olives. This Oil is natural
ly red, but if kept fome Years turns white : It
is a little naufeous firft to New-Comers here,
but for him that is ufed tp it, is no defpiceable
Sauce -, befides that it is very ftrengthening and
healthful ; and I am inclined to prefer it in fe
veral Difhes before Oil of Olive.
. After the Oil is expreffed the Pulp ferves the >
Negroes for a delicacy ; and if kept till old is
' extfabrdinary good to fatten Hogs, and render
their Flefh very firm.
The fecond Fruit it yields is the Wine it felf:
Tp obtain and draw off which, when the Trees
are old enough to be cut, they are bereft of all
their Branches, and rendered intirely bare ; in
which condition having remained a few Days,
a little Hole is bored in the thickeft part of the
Trunk; into which is inferted a fmall Reeden
Pipe-, and that thro' the Palm-Wine drops into
a Pot fet Under to receive it : but it diftils fo
: flawi-ik that in twenty four Hours fcarce 3 Pottle
°<i " of

i , A Defcription of the LET. XVI.
of Wine iflues from one Tree : In this man
lier, proportionable to the goodnefe of the Ground
in which the Trees is planted^ it yields Wine for
twenty, thirty, or fometimes more Days ; and
when it hath almoft rnn its laft^ they kindle a
Fire at bottom^ iri order to draw, more Wine
with the greater force.
This Wine being drank frefh or under the
Trees, as our Phrafe runs here, is very delicious
and agreeable ; but withal fo ftrong, that it un
expectedly fteals to the Head, and very fpeedily
intoxicates : But that which the Peafants. bring .
daily to the Shore is not worth muchj becaufe
it is impoverifhed and adulterated ; and I be
lieve it is not fo much coveted by the meaner fort
and the Negroes for its agreeable tafte as its inebria
ting Quality ; with which it is,plentifully endow
ed, though very much vitiated by>a pretty large
mixture of Water. .
The Tree thus drained of its Wine, is fit for
nothing but firing ; but when green, its Leaves
are ufed to make Ropes, Nets, and other necef
fary things. *
There are four forts of this Tree ; each of
which hath a particular Name : We have already
fooke of the right and genuine Palm- Wine.
The fecond fort of Palm-Wine is drawn in no
Country befides that of Fantyn, and is called
Quaker ; for what reafon I have already inform
ed you in another Letter. This fort exceeds the
other fomewhat in pleafantnefs of Flavour, and
very much in ftrength ; half fo much of this as
of the other being a dofe fcarce to be carried off ;
and the Trees from whence it is drawn are not
above half as big as the right Palm-Trees.
The third fort is drawn at Ancober, Abokroey <
Axim and Ante, though but in very fmall Quan
tities at the laft 5 and goes by the name of Pardon :
So

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 287
So that you may eafily believe no Villany here
can be committed fo great, but that Pardon is
eafily attainable, if the Perfon be in the good
Graces of the God Bacchus.
This Wine, though of a very different, hath
yet as pleafant a tafte as the former," but not fo
ftrong. Thefe Trees are not cut, but the Wine is drawn
out of them whilft growing, as the Suri is
drawn out of the Coco-Tree in the Eaft-hdies ,
with this difference, that after the Wine is there
•drawn off the Trees remaine alive ; whereas they
here wither and dry : The Reafon of which I
believe, that in India they don't draw pff all the
Wine at once, but leave a remainder for nourifh-
ment to encourage the farther growth of the Tree;
whereas here they force out the leaft drop:
whence the Tree, utterly deprived of all its moi-
fiure ,. muft. needs intirely wither and dye.
' The fourth kind is produced in the Countries
of Avte, Jabi and Adorn ; and is of a very differ
ent Flavour from all the other three, and utterly
void of all manner of ftrength ; but when drank
airefh taftes like Milk ; and nine or ten Hpuijs
after it is drawn is not fit to be drank, nor is it
good for any thing. This is called Criffia.
The Negroes report that drinking much pf
this Wine, caufes the virile Member to grow
to a large fize -, which is indeed credible, by
reafon that the Negroes are in no place on the Coaft
fo fubject to this Diftemper as in the mentioned
Countries. The Wine is drawn from thefe Trees
as already you have been informed the Pardon is,
that is, whilft growing.
The Trunk of the Palm-Tree is, in circumfe
rence about an ordinary Mans heighth, and
about as tall as he alfo. That called Quaker is
pot above half fo big. Both fhoot theirBranches

288 A Defcription of the L E T. XVI.
upwards ; fome of which are in length twenty
foot or above. Thefe Branches calld here and
elfewhere Bamboes, are ufed for covering of
Houfes, 'for Hedges and on feveral oceafions.
On each fide of thefe Bamboes grows fmall long
flips, which are their Leaves.
The Pardon-Trees grow like the Coco-nuts,
though on a much thinner Stalk. The Criffia-
Trees grow alfo in the feme manner, though
they very remarkably differ in heighth andthick-
nefs of the Trunk, this not exceeding the fourth
part of the height of the Pardon-Tree ; and out
of every Plant of this fort fhoot generally four,
five or more Stalks : from all which Wine is
drawn. The perfect mature Age of a Palm-Tree is ten,
twelve, or more Years ; and then but ten, fit
teen, or at moft twenty Gallons of Wine are
drawn off; notwitbftanding which, this Wine
daily comes in fuch prodigious plenty to the
Shore that it is really to be wPnder'd at : and
from hence we may naturally inferr that there
muft be many Thoufands of thefe Trees grow
ing in this Country, or the Wine will foon be at
tnd. An Anchor of five Gallons is commonly
fold for about two Shillings and three Pence Eng-
lifti Money ; though at fome times and places it
is one half cheaper than at other.
Next the Palm, the Coco-Tree ought indifpu-
tably to take place. How beneficial thefe Trees
are to Mankind, is known to many, and may
, be feen in feveral Defcriptions of Eaft-India Voy
ages. But here, through the Ignorance of tfje
Negroes, no other advantage refults from $mn
than the Fruit, I mean the Nut ; the Keri^lBof
which as well as the enclofed Milk is very plea
fant to the tafte. Thefe

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
. .Theftc Trees fl?00t UP -'in this Country to the
height of thirty or forty, and fometimes fifty feet:
Their Branches ahd (fo called) Leaves, are like
thofe of the Palm, excepting that the Coco-bran
ches are not fo long, or fit for the ufes the other
are employed in. Thefe Trees bear their Fruit in
the fourth or fifth Year, and live fifty Years and
longer. The wild Coco trees, orherwife called Palm-
trees, grow alfo here, and bear a Fruit, which:
but very few of the Europeans' eat,\ though
the Negroes do. This Tree is very much thicker
than the genuine Coco, efpecially in the middle,
where he is of a furprizing greatrrefe ; and what
adds to the odnefs of the Figure, is, that the top
and bottom are one half fmaller. At the top
grows a Fruit, whichfeems to be the Pith of the
Tree, and is called Palm— ^-Cabbage, becaufe it
hath a fort of Cabbagy tafte.
In the Country of Axim are vaft Quantities
of fweet as well as four Oranges : The fweet are
pretty good, but the Garden of Elmina, which is
extraordinary full ofthem, hath fome, which for
^reeable tafte fall very little fhort; of thofe of
China. In the other Cpuntries there are very few or no
Orange-trees ; notwithftanding Monfieur Focquen-
brog hath been pleafed to averr, that they grow in
great Multitudes along the River- Boutry ; in-
which he is absolutely miftaken, fori have feveral
times failed along that River, and never found
any, nor according to the report of the Negroes
Were there ever any : There are a few indeed on
trie Hill near our Forts, but not one on the men
tioned River fide.
Lemon-trees, which are here called Bramba's
grow all over the Coaft, efpecially at MoureH
where they are prelfed ; and which place," if the
U Seafon

290 A Defcription of the -LET XVL
Seafbn be not unufually dry, is able annually to
deliver above two hundred Auras of Lime-juice.
About twenty or twenty five Shillings Englifh
Money, is the price of an Aum of Lime- Juice,
or pickled fmall Lemons.
The Guinea Lime- Juice and pickled Lemons
are too well known and efteemed in Holland to
require me to infift any longer on that Head.
Some Authors have faid a great deal concern
ing the Papay-tree, but without due examinati
on : We are told that they have neither Branches
nor Leaves, and that it does not grow above
Man's height, &c. But to refute thefe and fome
other Opinions, that are cherifhed, I need on
ly defcribe the true and natural fhape of this
Tree. His Trunk, being -feveral foot thick, is com
pofed of a fpongy Wood, or rather Root, which
it moft refembles : It is hollow, and may very
eafilybe cutfthrough the middle with a Hatchet.
The Fruit at firft grows at the top of the Trunk,
without any Branches; but as the Tree grow*
older it fhoots' out Branches alfo towards the top/
which referable young Storks; on which the
Fruit alfo grows. At the very top of the Trunk,
arid of the rneiitioiied Branches, fhoot other fmall
Sprigs almoft like Reeds, a little crooked and
hollow ; and at the extremity of thefe Sprigs grow
very fine broad Leaves, frequently cleft, not
very unlike Vine-Leaves, excepting the fize
enly. SomePapay-trees run up to the heighth of thir
ty foot, which is confiderably more than a Man's
heighth. The Fruit, or what is properly called
thePapay, is about half as big as the Coco-nut,
of an oval fhape, green without and white with
in ; but with Age they turn very red within, and
abound with numerous white Kernels, which are the

LET. XVL Gold Coaft of Guinea. 2 q t
the Seed from whence they are produced. The
Papays tafte rather worfe than better than Pom-
pions. There1 grow Multitudes of Papay Trees all
along the Coaft ; and thefe are of two forts, viz.
the Male and Female, or at leaft they are here fo
called, on account that thofe named Males, bear
no Fruit, but are continually full of Bloflbins,
confifting of a long white Flower ; the Female
alfo bears the fame Bloffom, though not fo long;
nor fo numerous.
Some have obferved, that the Females yield
their Fruit in greateft abundance when the Males
grow near them : You may, Sir, believe what
you pleafe ; but if you don't, I fhall not charge
you with Herefie.
So much hath already been written concern
ing the Pifang-tree, which is divided into Bako-
tiens and Banantes or Bananas, that it feems hardly
worth while to detain you on that Head any
longer, than to confirm what others have faid, as
that its Fruit, efpecially the Bakovens, are very
good, that they bear in a Year, though but once
in all, for then the Stock is cut off; and from the
Root there fhpotsoutfiveorfixfrefh Stocks; fo that
this 'Plant may pafe for a perpetual Almanack,
as being indeed endlefe.
The Stock of thefe Trees, if they deferve that
Nariie^ grow to once and a half or twice Man's
height. Thofe who are of Opinion that the
Leaves of this Tree were the Leaves with which
pur Firft-Parents covered their Nakedrtefe, are not
fo much out of the way, partly becaufe thefe
Leaves are long and broad enough for that end,
and partly by reafon they are called Fig-Leaves,
and thefe Trees bear the Name of Indian-Tigs -,
th ough I muft own befides that they are very ud-
#t for cloathing or covering, for a touch of the
U ? Finger;

292 A Defcription of the LET. XVI.
Finger makes a hole in them : Wherefore they
would hardly ferve a live Body.
Here are alfo feveral other fruitful Trees, "but
their Fruit is not only unknown to us, but eaten
by. very few : Wherefore I fhall fey very little
concerning them. And firft, we have here a fort
of Fruit, like our two forts of Plums, blew and
white, in fhape as well as. colour ; but they are
not very well tafted, as being very fweet, mealy
and dry.
But I ought not to forget the Cormantyn Apple
(fo called, becaufe it moft plentifully abounds in
that Country) which is as big as a Wall-nut,
with its green Hufk on ; its Rind is yellow fome
what enclining to red : In the Core are four large,
flat, btack Kernels, ivhich are furrounded by the
Pulp or the Fruit it felf; which is red and
white, and of a fort of fharp, fweet tafte,. but
moft inclining to acid. It is a very agreeable
refrefhing Fruit, and very comfortable for the
fiek, efpecially thofe afflicted with the Bloody-
Flux, for it is very aftringent, and boiled widi
Wine and Sugar, is not only more ufeful, but
more agreeable than Tamarinds.
I have alfo feen a few Pomgranates in the Gar
dens of Elmina and Moure ; but before they come
to Maturity they rot or fall off; fo that they
fcarce come to any thing.
I muft not pals over the Mourefe Vine : -May-
refe, I call it, becaufe, except that at Moure,,
there is not one on the Coaft. This produces
Grapes twice a Year, commonly in Auguil and
, January ¦, and would doubtlefe yield a vaft
Quantity, if pruned in a pvo-ei manner and
feafon by a fkilful Hand ; but being entrufted to
an ignorant Negroe, not half the Grapes come to
perfection, but wither or rot before they are
half ripe : And it is farther to be feared that the
Vine

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 293
Vine it felf, by this miferable lopping, will run
to utter ruine.
It yields a blew Grape, which is fubftantial
and very well tafted, and not fo juicy as ours C
in Holland: But I doubt not,, if carefully look'd
after, but that they would be as good, if not bet
ter than the beft in Europe, fince they are already-
better than the Dutch ones.
It is obfervable that Vines will not grow any
where here but at Moure ; tryals being made at
Elmina and other places, but without any fuc-
cefe. To the beft of my remembrance this Vine
was firft planted by the Portnguefe, who brought
it firft from Braftl fome Years paft ; and the
Fruit thereof is lb very agreeable to the Euro
pean Inhabitants, that it is to be wifhed more
could be planted and raifed at other places ; for
at prefent no Body is the better for it, except
the Faclor at Moure, the Director- General and
the Gentlemen at his Table ; and fcarce one of
one hundred that comes here can obtain the favour
of feeing it.
Thefe are all the Fruit-Trees of Guinea, I mean
that part called the Gold Coaft : I fhall then
next advance to the Defcription of the Wild-
trees. Before which I cannot help taking notice
of another Miftake of Monfieur Focquenhogs :
He was very much in the wrong to tell the
World that at Elmina and, feveral Miles adjacent
there grows neither Leaf, Grafs nor Tree. This
is utterly falfe ; for befides the Trees round about
Elmina and on the Hills, the Banks of the frefh
River, but half a Mile diftant, are furnifhed
with great numbers of very fine lofty Trees :
From hence and feveral other particulars it plain
ly appears that Gentleman was too partial in
his Defcription of this Coaft. It is indeed true,
U 3 that

2^4 •.-n J^W'ipnvn oj Trie Ltl. AVI.
that the Couutry about Elmina is more bare
of Trees, than other Places ; but not fo bad as
to deferve foch a wretched Character.
To return to my Subject, I averr that the
whole Coaft is filled with high :and low Trees ;
and the charming fhady Groves,' ferve to render
the Malignity of this place more fupportable;
arid fo delight thofe who take their progrefs in
to the In-land Country, that they oblige them in?
tirely to forget the intolerable badneft of the
Ways. Here are fome which naturally grow up in
fuch a forprizing manner, aseVen Art it felf muft
blufhing own it could not have contrived any
thing like it ; others grow fo thick and their
fhady Boughs are fo wide extended that they
form intire Alleys ; which afford an amazing fa-
tisfaction to any who are enclined to take the
Pleafure of walking.
I remember to have formerly read in Olearius
and other Writers, of Trees large enough tq
fhelter two thoufand Men ; and the Tree of
which Father Kirchen (a Perfon, that, in my
Opinion , fhould advance npthing but Truth)
writes, that in its Fruit or Shell (I think it was a
Chefnut) it could lodge a Shepherd and his whole
Flock, muft not be very fhiall, but may very well
pafe for a wonder in Nature; but after all it is not
in the leaft to be compared with the Trees of this
Country. I have feen fome here that twenty in
ftead of two Thoufand Men might ftand under,
fupppfing them clofe to one another : and if
thefe Authors mean fb, I don't fcruple to believe
them ; nor I believe do you. But to pafs over
this -, it is certain that here are extraordinary
high and large Trees ; which may be concluded
from the great Canoas, of which I formerly
wrote to you ; and fince thefe Boats riluft be
mad*

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 295
made of a ftrait piece of Wood equally thick all
over, and that very few Trees grow directly fo,
what I offer is not incredible , that the mention
ed Canoas do not amount to above half the bulk
of the Tree.
I have feen fome of thefe Trees fo high,
that their tops and branches growing out of
them were fcarce to be reached by a common
Mufquet-fhot. They are here called Capot-trees,
becaufe on them grows a certain fort of Cotton
here called Capot ; which is very proper for fil
ling of Beds, efpecially in this Country, where
Feather-Beds are much too hot.
The Wood of this Tree is light and porous,
and fcarce fit for any other ufe than making of
Canoas. The Tree which our Country- Men at the latter
end of the fifteenth Century, found on Ilha del
Principe, or Prince Ifland, which was four and
twenty fathom in compafs, was, I doubt not in
the leaft, this Capot-tree. There is alfo one at
Axim, which ten Men would have much ado
to grafp ; not that the Body of the Tree is fo
bulky; but it is fo vaftly extended by its prodi*
gious Sprouts which clofely furround it.
If we had any Romifti Priefts in this Country,
we could give them fome of thefe Branches to
build them fmall Oratories : And then the thorny
prickles, with which this Tree is abundantly
ftored, would ferve to correct and chaftife their
unruly Flefh, and fave them the charge of buy
ing Whips.
But to let the Priefts alone, and to return to
our Subject ; we have here feveral Trees which
furnifh very fine working Wood. Firft of all in
the Country of Ante, near the Brandenburgher
Fort Acoda, or Dorothea, and behind our Fort
Lyifaembeyi at Apcem , is yellow Wood ; of
J } U 4 which

296 ADefcription of the LET. XVI
which very fine Chairs and Tables are made.
At Rio de Gabon there is alfo red and yellow
Wood, very proper for the fame ufe ; befides
which, if any Perfons applied themfelves to fell
it, there is very good Wood for the making of
Rudders, fmall Mafts and other Naval Necefla-
ries : And I am apt to think, that here are good
large Maft- trees, or at leaft fuch grow here, out
of which they might be made, if not for great
Ships, yet for Barks, Yatches, and other fmall
Craft. To compleat this Difcourfe of Trees ; I ought
to tell you that the Negroes in all Parts of this
Country have feletted and confecrated fome par
ticular Trees, under which they perform their
Religious Worfhip ; which are generally fuch in
whofe Production Nature hath difplayed her
greateft Perfections.
I have long fince treated concerning the Negroes
Idolatry in this particular : Wherefore it is un
neceffary to repeat it here. But taking leave of
the Trees, I come next to the Fruits of the
Earth ; amongft which firft of the Corn here
called Milhio.
The large Milhio is by moft taken to be the
Tnrkifti Wheat ; which is fo well known in Hol
land that it is not worth while to defcribe it.
The Milbio is here fowed and reaped twice
• every Year ; the firft Harveft is generally in Au-
guft, and the other at the latter end of the Year,
though but fmall : For the Negroes don't fow
much againft this time, becaufe it is not reafon
able to expect much Rain; without which this
Grain will not come up well.
It were to be wifhed that Corn were to be
produced in our Country with as little trouble as
here : One, or at moft, two Men can Manure and
Plow as much Land as one Plow can turn up in
Holland

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of 'Guinea. 297
Holland ; befides which the Corn here very
fpeedily takes Root.
When grown up, the Stalk is once and a half
or twice Man's height -, on which one, two,
three and fometimes four Ears of Milhio grow ;
each of which contains about three or four hun
dred Grains : So that; the Millet here encreafes
vaftly more than the European Corn.
When the Millet is firft reaped, in tim« of
Peace, a thoufand Stalks may be bought for about
a Crown Englijli-Money, and in fome Countries
for about one third or fourth part lefs : The Corn
of thefe thoufand Stalks being feparated from
the Stalks makes about five Bufhels, which is a
Sack and a half.
The Grain of Milhio is white and red -, the
. white is the moft beautiful, but the red is by moft
People held for the beft. When this Corn is
beaten fmall, arid cleanfed from the Bran, it
makes indifferent good Bread, but fomewhat
heavy for want of Yeaft. If the Millet here were
ground, boulted and baked like our Corn in Eu
rope, it would doubtlefe become very good Bread.
But wanting all thefe Conveniencies, and Leaven
being not us'd, the Bread here is very clam
my and heavy. This fhall fuffice you for the
great Millet or Turkifti Wheat.
The fecond fort of Milhio, called by the Por
tuguese Maiz, is a Grain like the Coriander-Seed,
and is made into Bread as well as the other,
and very much refembles ourflighter fort of Rye:
It taftes very well, and is very nourifhing : It
grows in the fame manner as the great Milhio,
only the Stalk is not fo thick, nor the Ears co
vered with Leaves as the other is : ¦. Wherefore
it is much more expofed to the granivbrous Birds
than the larger, and is not town near, fo much
as that ; for which reafon it is one half dearer. The

j 98 A Defcription of the LET. XVI.
The great as well as fmall Milhio is fowed all
along the whole Coaft ; but leaft of all at
Axim : wherefore it is always deareft there. The
Country of Ante, in fruitful Years and time of
Peace, produces prodigious Quantities : I have
feen it bpught, and have alfo bought my felf, one
Thoufand Stems or Stalks for fix, feven, eight and
nine Takoes, each Takoe amounting to about four
pence farthing Englifi-Money, and a Sack amoun
ting at higheft pot to two and twenty pence. Thus
Corn, in time of Peace, is the cheapeft of all
Provifions -, but in War-time it fometimes rifes
to an incredible Price : I have known a Thou
fand Stalks fold for an Ounce of Gold, which is
fomewhat lefe than four Pounds fterling.
To which the lazynefe of the Negroes, which
is fo great that they feldom fow more than what
is like to be confumed that Year, contributes ve
ry much, as alfo the great number of Englifli Slave-
Ships which yearly come to this Coaft ; for thefe
not being fo well victualled as we, they are ob
liged, to buy Milhio, which yearly carries off
many Thoufand Sacks.
This Corn generally betwixt February and Har-
veft, rifes from one Crown to one Pound fterling
the thoufand Stems.
Next the Tillage of Corn follows that of Rice ;
which is not common all over the Coaft ; nor is
there any, or at leaft but very little, on the Shore
of the Gold Coaft any more than at Axim or Ante:
But on the higher Part of the Coaft it grows in
fuch prodigious plenty, that it is eafy to load a
Ship with it, perfectly cleanfed, for one Penny
or lefe the Pound : Whilft at Axim, Ante, Abocroe
and Ancober, the foul and unfifted bears about the
fame price.
It is no fmall Happinefe for the Negroes^ of
Axim that their Soil is fo proper for Rice, which in
fome

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 29;
fome. meafure foftens their want of Milhio.
Next Rice, by reafon of its great advantage
to the Inhabitants, is fhe Fruit called Jammees.
They grow under the Earth like Turneps, and
are about two Spans long, and as much in
the graft or thicknefs. They lhoot out a long
green Leaf almoft like that of French Beans,
with little prickles. This Leaf the Negroes fo or
der that it climbs up Stakes appointed for that
end ; and by it they can determine when the
Root is come to Maturity ; at which time they
dig it out of the Earth.
It is Snow-white within-, and is roaftedor boil
ed and eaten by the Negroes, as alfo by feveral
Europeans, as Bread. Its tafte is not difagreeable,
being much like that of our Earth-nuts ; and
though not quite fo fweet is dryer and firmer.
In the Country of Ante there grows abundance of
Jammes, but Saboe is the Country which produces
them in greateft plenty ; whence, when in feafon,
they are fent by Thoufands to feveral other places.
Thofe who buy them at Moure give about four
teen Shillings a hundred, and fell them again at
other Places to good Profit.
The fecond Subterraneous Fruit here is called
Potatoes ; which, like the Jammes, alfo fends forth
a green Leaf that runs along the Ground ; Some
Branches of which cut off and planted in the
Ground, in a fhort time grow Potatoes: But the
Jammes never grow without fome of the Fruit it
felf be planted.
Thefe Potatoes are of an oval fhape, common
ly like the large long Turneps with us : They,
as well as the Jammes, are perfefldy white within,
and boiled or roafted are alfo eaten for Bread ;
efpecially at Fida, where they are the Negroes
ordinary Diet. They are fweet, and eat much
better than Jammes, tafting very much like our
(boiled, Chefhuts Tha

goo A Defcription of the LET. XVI.
The Country of Saboe produces the greateft
Quantities of this Fruit, and next to that the
Country of Ante -, of wbich we may fey (confi
dering it as part of the Coaft) that it wants no
thing neceffary to Human Life.
It is told me as Truth, that before the Portugiiefe
came to this Coaft, the Negroes fubfifted them
felves with thefe two Fruits, and a few Roots
of Trees ; they being then utterly ignorant of
Milhio, which was brought thither by that Na
tion. 1 am more ftrongly induced to believe this,
becaufe in the Promontory of Guinea there are at
this time Countries where no Milhio, or at leaft
very little is cultivated : And the Inhabitants
live on the two mentioned Fruits, but more ef
pecially Jammes.
Thus having defcribed the four Fruits, moft
neceffary to the fupport of Mankind ; it is now
proper tn give an account what this Country
yields befides for Food, which moftly confifts in
feveral forts of Beans : The firft of which are
not unlike our Garden-Beans in Figure and
Tafte.
I The fecond fort are a fize larger ; their Cods
are about three Quarter of a Yard long ; and the
Bean of a bright red colour.
The third fort is almoft like thofe fmall Spe
cies, called in Holland the Princeffes Beans, only
they are bf a deep red : Thefe are not only very
good and nourifhing but very fine Food.
All thefe Beans grow like French-Beans with
us, either propt up or creeping up by a Hedge.
But thofe which follow, grow in a very differ
ent manner : As firft, a fort of fmall Beans here
called Jojootjes, which, like the Potatoes, run
along the Ground, are enclofed in long flender
Hulks ; and wh^n yourig and green are extraordi
nary good eating.' Here

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 301
Here are alfo Beans whidi grow on Trees, as
big as Goofe-berry Bufhes in Holland. Thefe are
fhelltd like greeri Pe§8j fo that a large num
ber goes to make up a Difh ; but they are neither
fweet nor foft.
Here is alfo another fort called Gobbe-gobbes,
which grow two together in a Cod under the
Earth, and fhoot out a fmall Leaf above the fur-
face of the Earth ; thefe are the worft of all
the forts of Beans, and yet they are eaten by
feveral. The fecond fort of fobterraneous "Beans, have
been known to us but a few Years, and are cal
led Angola Beans, by reafon they were tranfplant-
ed from thence to this place. They are a very a-
greeable fort of Food, if fryed, as we commonly
do Chef-nuts.
The laft fort, whichalfogrow under the Earth,
are the beft of all ; but indeed they can hardly
pafe for Beans, partly becaufe they don't grow
in Cods, and partly becaufe they are not eaten
as the others are : So that Earth-nuts would be a
more proper Name for them ; for they are eaten
raw out of Hand, and tafte not much unlike
Hafel-nuts. But they are commonly broken in
pieces, foaked in Water, and then fqueezed in a
Gloath ; this Liquor boiled with Rice, every where
in this Country paffes for Milk, and if helpt with
a little Sugar, Cinamon and Butter, it would not
eafily be difcpvered to be any thing elfe by thofe
who are unacquainted with this Difh.
Of fuch Fruits as may fatisfie a delicate and
luxurious Palate we have very few here; The
Anava's are by many valued' as an extraordinary
Fruit ; and their Nature and Beauties have been
at large defcribed : But for my part, not to def
pife it, I never could yet find the Delicacy in it
that is pretended, • , , Not-

§ c'2 A Defcription of the L E T. XVI
Notwithftan ding' which, I. fhall take the pains
to fpeak of it at large, that you may judge
how far thofe are in the right, who have alrea
dy written fo much concerning it
Befides Linfchooten and others, Simon de Vries-
in his Curiofts Obfervation on the wonderfidThings of
the Eaft and Weft-Indies, has alledged feveral
Authors ; but I need only give a plain and true
Account of the true Nature, Shape and Proper
ties and manner of growing of the Ananp's, to
fhew whether he is in the right or not.
The Plant fomewhat refembles the great Houfr
leek, or Semper-vivwn majus, which we fometimes
find amongft the curious Botanifts in Holland ;
from which it yet differs in the following Par
ticulars : the Ana-da's fhoot their Leaves (or that
which is taken for them) upwards, being neither
• fo broad nor fo thick as the pther ; befides which
the Leaves are furnifhed with fharp Prickles on
each fide ; and are alfo of a deep yellow colpur,
and fomewhat enclining to green, whereas the
Semper-vivum is of a very beautiful green.
Betwixt the Anana's Leaves, before the Fruit
appears, grows a Bloffom , about as big as a Man*s
Fife, which is very green, but adorned with
an extraordinary beautiful red Crown, and fur-
rounded with fmall Leaves, that render it very
agreeable to the fight. This Bloffom by flow de
grees grows into an Avana ; which at firft is
green, accompanied with yellow Leaves, but in
ripening changes to a perfect yellow ; and
when we eat the Anana's, the mentioned Leaves
with which it is furrounded are cut off with
the Shell. The Crown, or at leaft a part of
it? remains firmly-fixed to the Fruit, though chan
ged to a yellowifh colour. Before and round
about the Anand's, fmall Sprigs fooot out, which
are planted to continue the Species of this
Ve-

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. g 03
Vegetable. Thus much may fuffice for the
Plant. The Anand's, or Fruit, is about a Span long,
and about'the fame thicknefs : but as it happens
to other Fruits fome are large and others
fmall. Moft of the Authors de Fries cites agree in the
tafte of this Fruit ; to which I can eafily fob-
feribe, taking the Liberty to add, that though it
may for a little while feem a . delicacy, yet if
frequently eaten it will foon naufeate. It proves
moft agreeable and heathful when eaten with
Cinamon, Sugar and Wine, like Straw-berries ;
for it is too hot to eat alone : Wherefore Mo-
nardtis was miftaken in afcribing to them a cold
Quality ; when, indeed, it inflames to that de
gree, that its fharp Juice caufes thofe to fpit
Blood who eat them too freely. But though this
fharp hot Juice forces Blood from the Throat
and Gumms ; yet that they are fo corrofive as to
diffolve a Knife that remains ftuck in it but
half an hour, is fo ridiculoufly falfe, that if in-
. ftead of half an Hour, the Knife remained a
whole Year, it would not be dilfolved. It is in
deed true, that the Knife will be blunted ; which
alfo happens in the cutting of a Citron, Lemon,
Orange, Backoven or Banana's, and more efpe
cially the laft Fruit, if it is not throughly ripe :
So that this acidity cannot juftly be appropriated
to the Anana's only.
I cannot quit this Subject without noting a
grofs miftake of the before-mentioned Authors.
Linfchooten firft tells us, that the Anana's grow a
fathom above Ground; and others inform us,
that they grow half under. But both are mife-
rably in the wrong : This Plant really not being
above one foot and half in height, and the Stalk
half a fopt ; which together amount to two fopt,
which

,304 A Defcription of the LET. XVL
which is far fhort of a fathom and more, if they
make it grow fo much under Ground.
All the pains I have thus far taken in the De
fcription of the Anana's, was a force I put upon
my Inclinations ; and if any one pleafe to affert
that this Plant in Ajia or America is of a diffe
rent Nature, they are at liberty to do it : Whilft
I am abundantly fatisfied from Travellers in
both thofe Parts of the World that there is no
real difference.
Next the Anana's I fhall place the Water-Me-
lons ; about which, though much the nobler and
more agreeable Fruit, I fhall not detain you fo
long. The immature and yet fmall Water-Me-
lon is white within and green without ; but
when ripe its green Coat is tpeckled with white,
and its internal whitenefe fomewhat intermixed
with red ; and the more it' participates of the
latter, it is by fo much the riper and more agree
able ; at which time, if eaten, it proves very
delicious, watry, refrefhing and cooling. . ;
This Fruit is lets prejudicial to, and much
more proper for a Feverilh Perfon than the Ana*
ims. When green it is eaten as Salade, inftead of
Cucumbers ; to which it is not wholly unlike ;
being alfo furnifhed with foch Kernels : which
when ripe are changed black, and are then fit to
plant. The Water-Melons grow in the feme manner
as Cucumbers, but bear, a different Leaf. They
are about twice as big as our Melons ; and if the
Negroes weue not too idle, this Fruit would be very
plenty here : But at prefent they are only culti
vated by fome of our chief Officers -, fo that the.
Comonalty reap but fmall advantage thereby.
They are in their prime in July and Augnfl^
and in fruitful Years we have them twice. Thefe

L E T. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. gfSJ
Thefe are all our beft Fruits in this Country ;
but that I may be able to fey that I have Omitted ,
nothing whether good or bad, I fhall not pafs
oyer the following Species.
The firft of which is M°dagtieia, othefwife cal
led Paradife-Grains or Guinea Pepper; g Fruit
which is generally known. It grows on Shrubs
in red Shells or Hulks, which at a diftanee afford
a very pleafant Profpect. Within thefe Hufks is
contained the Malagueta feparated into four or five
divifions, and covered by a white Film. This
Guinea Pepper grows alfo in a different manner,
not unlike large Grafs Reeds.
Here grows alfo a Fruit on Shrubs, which in
tafte and figure refembles Cardamum ; which I
doubt not but it is. . .
At Benin and In-land, there is Pepper in
figure like that of Eaft-India.
The laft fort of Pepper called here Piement, and;
in Europe Spanift) Pepper, grows here in abun-.
dance on Shrubs, almoft of the feme fize, though!
fomewhat lower than our Goofe-berry Bufhes in
Holland. This Piement is of two forts , viz. great and.
fmall ; both bf which are firft green, but after
wards ehartge colour, the fmall to a beautiful
red, and the large to a red and black ; and are
both very pleafant Objects.
This Fruit is much hotter than common Pepper/
efpecially the fmaller fort, which is not above
one fourth pert of the fize of the other ; in re-
compence of which the Trees on which it grows;
are about fix times as high and wider extended
than the other.
Piement pickled in Vinegar and Lime-Juicei
(but beft in the laft) is valued by feveral as a
good corroborative to the Stomach,' and very
wholefome. , a .
X Trni

A Defcription of the LET XVI
This Country produces none of thofe green
Herbs common in Europe, except Tarragon and
Tobacco ; of both which here is great plenty, ef-
pecially of the laft, which ftinks fo abominably
that it is impoffible for one that is even not
very nice to continue near the Negroes when they
finoke this Devilifh Weed; which yet agrees
very well with them.
Some of them have Pipes made of Reeds,
which are about fix foot long ; to the end of
which is fixed a Stone or Earthen Bowl, fo large
that they cram in two or three handfuls of To
bacco ; which Pipe thus filled they without cea-
fing can eafily fmoak out ; and they are not put
to hold their Pipe, for being fo long it refts on
the Ground.
All the In^ land Negroes take this Tobacco, but
thofe who live amongft us and daily converfe
with the Europeans, have Portnguefe or rather Bra-
fa Tobacco -, which, though a little better, yet
ftinks to a great degree.
Both the Male and Female of the Negroes, are
fo very fond of this Tobacco, that they will part
with the very laft Penny which fhould buy them
Bread, and fuffer hunger rather than be without
it ; which fo enhances the price, that for a Portn
guefe Fathom, which is much lefe than one pound
of this Trafh, they will give five Shillings, or a
Gold Quarter of a Jacobus.
Let us therefore rather praife thofe Srnoakers
(my good Friend) who take the noble Spanijh-
or Virginia Tobacco ; but as for thofe ftupid
Wretches who content themfelves with the Amors-
fort Weed, I heartily with, as a Punifhment of
their depraved Tafte, that during their Lives
they may never fmoak better than our Negrees,
and Brafil on Sundays and Holidays -, yet under
condition they be obliged to keep Company. with

LE T. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 36 f
with each other, and be banifhed the Company of
genteel Smoakers. But this by the way only.
The Tobacco-Leaf here grows on a Plant
about two Foot high, and is of the length of two
or three Hands breadth, and the breadth of one,
bears a fmall Bell-flower ; which when ripe turns
to Seed.
To conclude, I will add a Fruit which grows
in lofty Trees, is rather larger than a Wall-nut,
and furnifhed with. much fuch a Shell : The Ker
nel is divided into feveral parts ; of which fomft
are red others white.
Not only the Negroes, but alfo fome of the
Europeans are infatuated to this Fruit : We call it
Kool or Cabbage, and the Negroes Boeft : It is
chawed in the Mouth ; and after the Juice is
fucked out, the remainder is fpit out.
Its- tafte is very harfh and almoft bitter, and
draws the Chewer's Mouth almoft clofe: And
its fole Virtue is Diuretick ; but its Admirers pre
tend it helps to felifh the Palm-Wine : Though
both Reafons are not fufficient to engage me to
the ufe of it. It is commonly eaten with Salt
and Malagueta.
If I had been obliged to beftoW a Name on
this wretched Fruit, I fhould rather have called
it the African Beetet or Anca, which would have
been much properer than Cabbage ; fince what
ever I have heard concerning the Indian Beetel ot
Anca, exactly agrees with the Tafte and Virtue
of this Fruit.
I might very well leave off here, as npt con-
fcious of any important Omiffion in the Defcrip
tion of the Gold Coaft of Guinea : But left yoii
fhould accufe my Performance, as Spiritlels,
Infipid and Saltlefs, I fhall make bold in the
Coriclufion of this Letter, and the whole Defcrip-'
tion of the Gold Coaft, to let as much Salt be-
X % fort

3 oS A Defcription of the LET. XVL
fore you as will ftock you for Houfe-keeping
for one Hundred Years : What think you, is not
that enough ?
It is not to be imagined what vaft Riches the
Negroes get by boiling of Salt ; and if they were
always, or for the moft part in Peace, thofe who
follow that Employment would in a fhort time
amafe unweildy Summs ; for all the In-land Ne
groes are obliged to fetch their Salt from the
Shore ; from whence it is eafie to inferr that it
muft coftjthem very dear : Wherefore the meaner
fort are obliged to make ufe of a certain faltifh,
Herb inftead of Salt, which their Purfes will not
reach. Some Miles Ireland beyond Ardra, from
whence moft of the Slaves are brought ; one,
nay, fometimes two Slaves are fold for a hand
ful of Salt : So that Human Flefh is there very
cheap. The manner of Salt-boiling is as follows. Some
boil the Salt-Water fo long in Coppers till it
comes to Salt ; but as this is the moft tedious,
fo it is not the moft profitable way, and is pra
cticed only where the Land is fo high that the
Sea or Salt-Rivers cannot poffibly flow over
them : But at other Places where the Sea or Ri
ver Water frequeritly over-flows, they dig deep
Pits to receive the mentioned over-flowing Water;
after which the frefheft and fineft part of the Wa
ter is dryed up by the fcorchitig Heat of the Sun.
I know this contradicts the Hypothefis of a cer
tain Author, but he ought to know alfo that the
Ground being here faltifh and nitrous, a fmall
quantity of Water will make better Salt, and
that quicker than a great deal ; which renders
this place the more fit to produce a great deal of
Salt in a fmall time.

In

LET. XVI. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
In other "places they have Salt-Pans, where the
Sundryes up the^Katerjfo that the trouble of boil
ing is unneceffary ; no pains being required ex-
ceptthat only of gathering it out of the mentioned
Pans. Thofe who are either unable 6r unwilling to
buy Copper-Boilers, or when the Sea Water re
quires fuch tedious boiling as would burn them :
Thefe, I fay, ufe Earthen-Pots; which they fet
tenor twelve next another ; thus making two
rows, being all cemented together with Clay as
if they had been done by a Brick-layer ; and
under the mentioned Pots is fomething like a
Furnace of Fire ; which is continually fupplied
with Wood. This is the moft laborious way
and produces neither fo much Salt, nor fo much
expedition as the other.
In all Parts of this Coaft, except Acra, the
Salt is very white, but more efpecially in the Coun
try of Fantyn, where it almoft excels even Snow
it felf.
Thus much for this time, and when another
opportunity offers, perhaps I may prefent you
with an Account of the Country of Ardra j
though I will not affiire you of any thing, but
that I am really Yours, fffc.

X 3 k E T

3 1 o A Defcription of ths L E T. XVII
LETTER XVII.
Which, by way of Supplement to the. former,
defcribes firft a Spake, taken at Axim,
that was twenty two foot long 3 alfo ano->
ther not much lefs at Boutry. A ftrange
Engagement betwixt a Snake and two Por
cupines at Moure. Another Accident with
a Serpent which blinded an European with
hk Venom. The Tygers here 5 a Boy torn
iu pieces by them. The Authors Tyger-e
Hunting, and how he came to kill him at
lalt. A Defcription of the Jackals. A
remarkable Adventure with an Elephant
hilled at Elmina. A Defcription of a cer
tain Spider which the Negroes c<*#Ananfe,
and imagine that it created the firft
Man.
SIR,
IN my former Letters, I have feveral times
promifed you to fpeak more particularly
Concerning this, or t'other Animal ; and more
efpecially our Elephant and Tyger-Hunting. All
which Promifes this fhall difcharge ; but firft
of all I am enclined to fay fomething concerning
the Serpents or Snakes.
About eleven Years paft the Negroes of Axim
took arid killed a Snake that was two and twen?
ty foot long ; which being opened a full-grown
peer was found in his Intrails.
About the fame time another was killed at
Boutry, not much fhorter than the former; in
whofe Body a Negroe was found. Some

LET. XVII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 3 1 x
Some of my Servants once going to the Coun
try beyond Mouree, found a Snake feventeen foot
long, and very bulky, lying about a Pit of
Water, perhaps tp divert himfelf ; near which0 -
were two Porcupines' ; betwixt which and the '
Snake began a very fharp Engagement, each
fhootingvery violently in their way, the Snake his
Venom and the Porcupines theirQuills of two Spans
long, for with fuch they were armed. My Men
having feen this Fight a confiderable time, with
out being obferved by the furious Combatants (in
the Heat of the Battle) after having loaded their
Mufquets, let fly upon the three Champious to fo
good Jpurpofe that they killed them all, and
brought them to Mouree, where they were devour
ed by them and. their Comrades as a very great
delicacy. Whilft our Fort was repairing at Mouree, the -
Work-men perceiv'd a great Snake behind a heap
of Stones ; to get him from thence, they remo
ved many of the Stones fo that half his Body was
cleared ; a Mafon, the forwardeft in this Enter-
prize, laid hold of his Tail, defigning to pull
him out from betwixt the Stones ; but finding
that impracticable, cut off as much of his Body
as was in reach with his Knife ; and believing
he had difabled him from doing any farther mif-
chief, without the leaft fhadow of fear removed
the remainder of the Stones -, but as foon as
the Snake was at liberty to turn himfelf, he
clung about the Mafon (who thought to have
caught him in his Hand) and fpit his Venom
all over his Face: Which proved fo forcible
that the Fellow at that very inftant became ftark
blind ; in which condition he remained fome
Days, but was at laft reftored to his fight. This
I have frequently obferved , efpecially in Ne
groes, who upon being ftruck by a Serpent
X 4 have

P 1 2 .4 defcription of the L E T. XVII
: • have fwelled extreamly but, foon affwaged and
returned to their former Eftate : So that I am apt
to think that the poifonous Nature of Snakes is
very different, the bite of fome being Mortal;
others only Wounding -, and that there are an
other fort which are as tiarmlefs as thofe of
'Fida. Of this laft Species is that which hangs in the
Director-General's Hall," which is fourteen foot
long, and was taken in our Garden at Elmina
by an Ardraje or Fidafe Slave, with his bare
Hands without any Stick or Weapon, arid by
him fo brought alive into the Caftle!. We found
at the lpwer part of his Belly two Claws like
thofe of Birds ; which, I fuppofe, ferved him
either to weredt himfelf upright or to leap. But
of him enough," fince I have already laid fome
thing of him in my laft Letter but two.* Where-
fore we fhall now apply our felves to the
j Tygers, which here do the moft mifchief, and
are'extraordihary'fierce. Some Years paft a Boy
thatbelong'd to our Factor at Sacondee,goingbuta.
-little way from the Factory-was killed by one
of them. .'• .: • '. " ,." .• ». .'..'. ..." ..; , .
¦ - At the fame time and place a Negroe going In
land with his Hatchet in his Hand to cut fome
Wood, met a Tyger which fell upon him, but
he being a dextrous Fellow, fo well defended
himfelf with his ^Hatchet that after a long fcuffle
fie conquered and killed the Tyger ; but did nqt
come off unhurt, for his whole Bodyjlooked as i£
fome Body had begun to flea him! . ¦ -
• In the Year 1693. when I commanded in the
laid Fort, fome of my Kabriets. (for fo'we call
Sheep) as well as thofe of my Neighbour the
Englifli Factor,, were for feveral .Nights killed
by a Tyger ; which at laft grew fo bold that he
came at three in the Afternoon to the lodge
' and

LET. XVII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 313
and killed a couple of Sheep. I perceived him
time_ enough, and affifted by my Gunner, two
Englifti-Men', and a Party of Negroes all armed
with good Mufquets, I purfu'd him, and in a
fhort time overtook him, though not fo foon but
that he had opportunity to fly to a fmall Thicket
of Under-woods, which ive immediately befet :
My Guprier adventured into the Thicket to find
where abouts he lurked, but in half a quarter of
an Hour came running back like a diffracted
Man, having left his Hat and Slippers behind
him after being alfo bitten ; but to his very good
Fortune the Tyger intending to have feized him
Was fo affrighted by the falling Branches, that
fie gave him opportunity to make his efcape ; and
the Tyger kept the Wood.
One of the Englifti-men impatient at waiting
fo long,. refolved to march into the Wood with
liis Mutquet, if poffible to diflodge him. The
Tyger, which was but too foon aware of him,
fuffered him to approach clofe to him, upon which
he fell upon him with extreme Fury, feizing him
with his Feet by the Shoulder-blade, and fixing
his Teeth in his Side, and would, without doubt,
immediately have torn him in pieces, if by cry
ing out he had not drawn me with a Party of
Negroes to his affiftance ; which obliged the Ty
ger to quit his Prey.
• Nptwithftanding which he was fo miferably
handled that he lay fencelefe about half a Day,
which was partly occafioned by the Venom of
the Bite, and partly by the Fright.
The Negroes were fo terrified? at the ill foccefs'
pf this Enterprife, that utterly bereft of all cou
rage each quitted his Poft where he was appoint
ed to watch -, which afforded the Tyger an op
portunity of efcape, which he foon attempted ;
but in his flight out of the Thicket happened
fomething very odd. Ths

3 1 4 A Defcription of the LET. Xyli
te Under-Fador of the Englifh Fort hadtong
called out and promifed me (for this Adventure
happened juft under that Fort) that he would
coirie to my affiftance, and the very moment
the Tyger quitted the Wood, being as good
as his Word, he came with his Mufquet in his
Hand. But the Tyger feeing him alone before
him, made to him ; upon which the Englifti-mzn
inftead of coming to us, run as faft as his Legs
would carry him back towards their Fort ; but
affrighted and tired with hard rbnning he fell
over a Stone about half a Mufquet-fhot from
home. The Tyger had already overtook him,
when we flood trembling at a diftanee imagining
he would immediately tear him in pieces ; but
he coming up to him, inftead of attacking turn
ed from him and took his flight forwards In-land,
foon getting out of our fight.
I can give no other Reafon why he did not
fall on the Englifti-man , than that perhaps he
was afraid of us who followed him with a great
Cry, if poffible to terrifie him ; for it was not
practicable tofhoot at him, by reafon he was too
near the Englijb-man, and we might as well have
chanced to have hit the one as the other : Or per
haps the Beaft thought he had Honour enough by
having his Enemy under Foot ; with which he be
ing fatisfied, retired.
Thus ended this Chace , and I don't defire
fuch another ; for I have feveral times been in
danger that the Negroes by their Random-fhot
foou'd hit me inftead of the Tyger.
This Tyger was not hereby deterred from co
ming again fome Days after, and killing fome
Sheep, which provoked me to attempt another
way to catch him that I had feen in the Coun
try of Ante,

LET. XVII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 315
I caufed a parcel of very thick Pallifadoes to
be cut ; of which I made a fort of Cage of
twelve foot long and four broad, covering it al
fo on the top with Pallifadoes ; to bind which
the firmer I laid a thoufand pound Weight of
Stone on it, to prevent his breaking out above.
Then I caufed a double Plank Door to be made
for my Cage, and in one of the Corners I made
a letter Cage, which took up one fourth of the
room of the whole ; in which I placed a couple
of fmall Hogs : after which I fet the Door like
our Rat-Traps in fuch a manner that the Tyger
could not come in to feize the Hogs without
throwing it down and fhutting himfelf in: When
it would be impoffible for him to come at the
Hogs by reafon of the Pallifadoes which fenced
them in their little Cage.
This Stratagem fucceeded fo well that three
Days after I had finifhed my Trap I caught the
Tyger in it at Midnight. But inftead of roaring,
as I imagined he would, immediately he fet his
Teeth at work, if poffible to eat his way out of
Prifon-, which he had certainly done if he had had
but one half Hours time ; for he had foon rent the
inner from the outer Door,and eaten the Pallifadoes
half through when I interupted him in his work ;
and not to dally with fruitlefi fhooting, I clapt the
Muzzle of my Mufquet loaded with three Balls
betwixt the Pallifadoes ; at which he furioufly
catched, and fo furnifhed me with a very favou
rable opportunity to difpatch him at one fhot ;
by which I punifhed his Thievery and Mur
ther. We found him about the fize of a common
Calf, well provided with large Teeth and
Claws. This Tyger-catching obliged us with a Feaft
pf eight Days ; for by the cuftom of the Antefe
Country

3 1 6 A Defcription of the LET. XVIL
Country, he that catches a Tyger is priviledged
for eight Days to feize all the Palm- Wine which
is brought to the Market, without paying any
thing for it ; which accordingly we did, and the
whole mentioned eight Days were fpent by the
Negroes in fhooting, dancing, leaping, and all
manner of publick Jollity.
• The Country of Axim, but much more that
of Ante; is full of Tygers. They frequently in
the Night-time come not only under, but alfo
into our Forts, and do a great deal of mifchief,
making no difficulty of leaping over a Wall of
ten foot high.
Before I leave this Subject I cannot help re
futing the Opinion of fome People, that the
Tyger is fo afraid of Fire, that without any o*
ther Arms than that alone 'tis poffible to drive
him aWay. I was once of this erroneous Opinion
my felf, but have been convinced of the contrary
by experience.
For after having received a Vifit or two from
a Tyger -, to affright him for the future, I kind
led a great Fire where the Sheep ufed to fleep
in the Night ; but not fufficiently relying on
that, I ordered five of my Servants to lye by
the Fire.jWith loaded Arms : But notwithftanding
all this the Tyger came in the Night and killed
a Sheep between my two Lads, who were fal
len afleep, and was movng towards the Fire,
when my Servants awakened with the Cry of
the Sheep immediately flew1 up, intending to let
fry at him, but he immediately run away.
From hence if appears that the Tyger is juft
as much afraid of Fire, as the Devil of the Crofe;
and thi\ Accident confirms the Report of the
'.Negroes, that this Beaft will never attack a Man
when he can come at a Beaft,' for otherwife he
could more eafily have fell on my two Boy*
than a Sheep. Next

LET* XVII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. 317
Next the Tyger in fiercenefs is the Jackal or
wild Dog ; of which I have already fpoken in
the Defcription of Acra. I had an opportunity
of gratifying my Quiofity with a fight of it in
the Year 1700. when the prefent King of Com
mands Servants having foot one, were fo civil as
to bring it to the Caftle : He was as big as a
Sheep, with longer Legs ; which in proportion
to their fize were very thick ; whence you
may judge of his Strength : He was covered
with fhort Hair, which was fpotted -, his Head
was very large, flat and broad, provided with
Teeth, each of which was a Fingers breadth and
more : So that in all probability his greateft K
Strength is lodged in his Mouth and Legs ; join
ed to which he alfo hath terrible Claws.
I will here prefent you with an Example of
the fierce Boldnefs of this Brute wHch happened
at Acra ; where one of thefe Beafts by Night
boldly came into a Negroes Houfe, and took
away a Female Negroe -, which he flung upon
his Back, and held her faft: with one Leg, intend
ing to proceed on his JoHrney with his Prey halt
ing upon three Legs : But the Cries of the poor
Captive waked a parcel of Negroes, and brought
them to her relief; which they foon effected,
and found Jier only a little hurt by the Claw with
which he held htrfaft.
I fhall now add fomething concerning the Ele
phant ; of which I have in one of my former
Letters told you that unprovoked he very feldom
falls on Mankind, but when urged to it falls on
with wondrous Fiercenefs. Both which I fhall
here confirm by a couple of Inftances ; and fhew
you how difficult it is to kill them.
Beyond Axim a Negroe^ that was accuftomed
to th« Elephant-Chace, and had killed feveral ,
endeavouring to flioot at one,, but miffing his
foot

31 8 A Defcription of the LET.XVIt
fhot by a flafh in the Pan , the Elephant grew
fo enraged, that he purfifd, fet on him and
broke him and his Mufquet to pieces.
The fecond Accident is more remarkable, and
may ferve as an inftruction to others that for the
future they be not too rath.
In the Year; 1700. in December at fix in the
Morning, an Elephant came here to Elminai
walking eafily along the Shore under the Hill of
St. J»'go : Some Negroes were fo bold as to go
againft him without any thing in their Hands, in
a fort to welcome and bring him in. He fuffer
ed them to encompafs him, and very quietly
went along with them to juft under Mount St.
Jago : Where one of our Officers belonging to
that Hill , and a Negroe which came down with
him, fired on him immediately ; and the Officer's
Ball hit him above his Eye. This and the fol
lowing fhot which the Negroes poured on him
were fo far from provoking him that they did
not move him to mend his Pace in the leaft, he only
feemed to threaten the ^ Negroes betwixt whiles, but
ftill let them alone.
It was forprizing when he threatned to fall on
the Men, to fee him prick up his Ears ; which
were of a prodigious fize : However he went on,
and laftly ftept into our Garden, expecting per
haps civiler Treatment there.
This extraordinary Accident, and our own
Curiofity, drew theDirectpr-General and my felf
into the" Garden ; and we were foon followed by
fome of our People. We found him ftanding
in the midft of the Garden ; where, before our
coming, he had broke down four or five Coco-
trees ; which number, either to divert himfelf
or fhew us his Strength, he augmented with five
or fix more in our prefence. The Strength which
he feemed to ufe in breaking down a Tree may
very

L E T. XVII. Gold Coaft of Guinea. g 1 9
ery fittly be compared to the force which a
Man exerts in order to knock down a Child of
three or fours Years old.
Whilft he flood here above one hundred Shot
were fired at him, which made him bleed to that
degree, as if an Ox had been killed. During all
which he did not ftir, but only fet up his Ears,
and iriade the Men apprehend that he would fol
low them.
_ But this fport was accompanied with a Tra- -
gical Event ; for a Negroe fancying himfelf able
to deal with him, went foftly behind him,
catched his Tail in his Hand, defigning to cut a
piece of it off; but the Elephant being ufed to
wear a Tail, would not permit it to be fhortned
in his Life-time : Wherefore after giving the Ne
groe a ftroke with his Snout, he drew him to him,
and trod upon him two or three times ; and, as if
that was not fufficient, he bored in his Body two .
holes with hisTeeth^ large enough for a Man's dou
ble Fift to enter. Then he let him lye without
making any farther attempt on him ; and flood
ftill alfo whilft two Negroes fetched away the
dead Body, not offering to meddle with them in
the leaft.
From both thefe Inftances it is fufficiently
clear , that unprovoked they do not often hurt
any Body ; but that they grow very fierce when
fhot at and miffed doth not fo plainly appear,
fince this Elephant fuffered above three hundred
fhot to be rnade at him, without any fign of be
ing enraged or refiftance : But as the fame Acti
ons have not always the fame Succefs, I fhould
be loth from hence to advife any Perfon rafhly
to fire at an Elephant, fince this vaft number
of , Shot which were thundred at him Were not
fufficient to fetch him down j arid' thofe who
pretend throughly to underftand the Elephant-
? • ' > (hooting

320 A Defcription of Ihe LET. XVIL
mooting told us, that we ought to have fhot Iron-
'Bnllers, fince thofe of Lead are flatted; either!
by their Bones or the toughnefs of their Skin.
This feems probable ; for after his Death we
found of the vaft Quantity of Shot levelled at
him very few had paffed the Bone into his Head;
Some remained betwixt the Skin and the Bone 5
moft of them, and more efpecially the fmall
Shot, was thrown of by his Hide as if they
had been fhot againft a Wall. The Bullets were
certainly too fmall; fince what the Englifli Factor
told me^ was confirmed by others, that as he
was in the River Gamby in a Canoa, he killed an
Elephant, which purfued him,with one Shot only;
For to imagine that none of the Balls hit him in
the proper place is not very reafonable, fince
in fuch a great number at leaft one muft hit right^
as appeared after his Death.
After the Elephant had killed the Negroe
(which happened not above fixteen Paces from us)
and had been about an Hour in the Garden, he
wheeled about as if he intendedtofallonus,which
made all that were in the Garden to fly, each
endeavouring to fecure himfelf by getting away ;
but the greateft part made to Mount St. Jago ,
thinking indeed, with Reafon, that if they could
reach that, they fhould be fafe : but the Elephant
followed no Body out of the Garden, which
was very fortunate ; for otherwife amongft foch
a number of People he had undoubtedly made
a great flaughter, fince no Body by fwift run
ning could have efcaped him ; which I believe on
Horfe-back is fcarce to be done.
We all flew out of the Garden, as I have told
you, through the Fore-door; and the Elephant
topkto the Back-door ; which, whether in his way;
or whether it was to narrow for him to pafs, I can't
tell, but he flung the Door, tho' a brick and half
thickj

LET. XVII. Gold Coaft of Guinea.
thick a good diftanee ; which I had the good for
tune to fee a good way off, but could not obferve
that to do that he very much exerted himfelf, but
rather feemed only to touch it lightly.
After Which he did not pafs through the Gap
where the Door had been, but forced through the
Garden Hedge, going very foftly by Mount St.
y^fli«towardsthe River, where he bathed himfelf in
order to wafh off the Blood with which he was
befmeared, or to cool himfelf after the heat occa
fioned by fo much fhot.
After having refrefhed himfelf a little in the
River, he came out and flood under fome Trees
where were fome of our Water-Tubs ; where he '
alfo cooled himfelf, and broak them in pieces, as
he did alfo a Canoa which lay by them.
Whilft the Elephant flood here the fhooting be
gan to be renewed, till at laft he fell down ; after
wheh they immediately cut offhis Snout, which
was fo hard and tough that it coft the Negwei
thirty Stroaks e're they could feparate it, which
muft be very painful to the Elephant, fince it
made him roar ; which was the only Noife I heard
him make : After this he died under the men
tioned Tree ; confirming the report of the Aegroes,
who tell us that whenever an Elephant finds his
Death approaching, if able, he always gets under
a Tree or into a Wood.
For the Truth of which, though I will nofc be
obliged to anfwer, it hath yet thrice happened at
Elmina : And at Gabon I found a dead Elephant
in a pleafant Thicket ; of which more hereafter.
The Elephant was no fooner dead, than the Negroes
fell on himin Crouds ; each cutting off as much as he
could; fo that he furnifhed a great many as well
Whites as Blacks with Food enough for that Day.
He was not very large ; his Teeth not weighing
above four and thirty pound. Thus we. had the
Diverfion to have a near view of an Elephant, and
to fee him partly exert hisftrength; and the Pleafure
Y had

A Defcription of the, &C LET XVII
had been much greater, if not allayed by themif-
fortune of the poor Negroe, though it was his own
fault. - Hence we began to reflect to what danger
we had expofed our felves by venturing fo near the
Elephant ; for had he but once grown furious, his
rage would doubtlefs have coft feveral Mens Lives*
and perhaps we foould have fallen the firft, not
being fo fwift of foot as the Negroes -, befides, all
making one way, we fhould have been in the way,
and obftructed one anothers flight.
Upon this confideration we refolved never
for the future to come fo near an Elephant ; to
which I would not advife any Man who hath the
leaft tendernefs for his Life. _
Whilft I am writing this, an Accident that
happened to me at Mouree occurs to my Memory ;
which obliges me to add what follows. Going to
my Chamber at 'Night in order to go to Bed, I
found an hideous great Spider againft the Wall.
On account of the ftrangeiiefs of the Spectacle, I
.called my Sub- factor, and both my Affiftants,
to fee it. We found his Body long, and his
Head fharp, broader in the fore than hind-part,
but not round as moft fort of Spiders are. His
Tegs were as large as a Man's Finger, ten in num
ber, being hairy, and the thicknefs of a little finger.
The Negroes call this Spider Ananfe, and believe
that the firft Men were made by that Creature :
And notwithftanding fome of them by Conver-
fetion with the Europeans are better informed ,
there are yet a great number, that remain of that
Opinion ; out of which Folly they are not to be
realbned. This is the greateft piece of Ignorance
and Stupidity that I have obferved the Negroes )
guilty of; which I have once already hinted to you, ,
Be pleafed, Sir, to take this Letter as a Supple- .
ment to the Defcription of the Gold Coaft ; on
which Subject you are to expect no more. And
whatf efts is that you continue always allured, of,
Sir, Yours, Vfc.

323

A
DESCRIPTION OF T H E
Slave Coaft.

LETTER XVHL
}fhich firft treats briefly of the Country of Quahoe^
which is abundantly enriched with Gold: After that
of the Kingdom of Ladingeour, and Country of
Lampi ; whofe King and SubjeSs are fubmitted to
the Obedience of Aquamboe : This Coifntry afford
ing very great plenty of all forts of Cattle. Of the
Slave Trade there. Agriculture and Fiftiery.,
A Copious Defcription of Rio Volta. The fmall
Force of Lampi, or the Cotofe King; and. their
continual Wars with thofe of Popo. The Land is dry
Sand, without Hills, and very Barren. Slave Trade
there. The inhabitants converftble and good natwed;
Their Poverty ; they livt chiefly by robbery. The
Multitudes of Idols here. A Defcription of little
Popo; its Barrennefs. Of its Inhabitants, thofe which"
are baniftied Acra, ar.e good Soldiers \ Their War
wth thofe of Offra and Fida ; what paffed thereiiu
They alfo live upcn Spoil and Slave Trade. Their
' Viltanous Name ; mid fome tnjiahtts bf their Cheai-
' ¥ i im

A Defcription of the LET. XVIII.
ing. Formerly a great Trade was driven at this
Place. Multitudes of Rats. A Defcription of
great Popo, which wasfubjeS to Fida, but is re
volted from it. Their Wars occafioned thereby ; in
which they were Vi&orious. Popo an Iftand ,
wants Proviftons. Slave Trade there ; our Company
formerly had a Lodge there. Popo is accounted to
be in the Country of Ardra. Where the Country of ¦
Fida begins. The violent Burning of the Sea before
it, does a great deal of mif chief. Some Inftances
of it. The ftrong Current before Fida, flops the
Ships. Pleafant ProfpeB of the Entrance ¦ aj ' ;that
Country. Extent of it. It is well cultivated and very
Fertile. Defcription of Fida; Nature of the Inha
bitants ; their Civility as well to us as to one another.
Their CompTiments. They, are very Laborious. Their
Occupations. Womats Work. They eat and drink
well. Work for fmall Wages. Great Slave Trade
there. The Men marry many Wives ; of which
they are very Jealous. Severe Puniftiment infliSed
for lying with another Mans Wife ; efpecially the
King's ; which muft not be touched, and fome not per
mitted to be feen. Great number of the King's Wives,
tof which he fometimes fends away a good many, without
his Number being diminiftied. The Women not fond
of being the King's Wife. The eldeft SonisfoleHeirto
his Father's Eft ate as well as to his Father's Wives. The
King married his own Daughter. Multitude of Children
here. Thievifli Natnre of the People here ; fome
Examples of it. Their rich Cloathing. Red co
lour prohibited to be worn by any not of the Royal
Blood. Convenient Habit of the Women. All their
Heads are fborn. Great Offerings in time of Sick
nefs. They are extremely afraid of Death ; which
1 muft not be fo much as mentioned in prefence of the
King, or any of -the Chief Men. An agreeable Ad
venture of the Author's' on that Account. The In- ,
habitants of Fida make wo diftinttion qf time ; are
ftatu-

LET. XVIIL Slave Coaft of Guinea. 325
natural Arithmeticians. Mevftruous Women utterly
unclean. Their Circumcifion. Mufical Inftruments :
They are great Gamefters.
SIR,
YOurs of the 25th. reach'd me in good time;
and reading at the very firft your Thanks, I
flatter'd my felf that you were pleafed with the De
fcription' of the Gold Coaft, which I imparted to
you ; but going on I found my felf miftaken,
and that you would not be fo eafily fatisfied, but
farther defire an Account of thofe Countries, where
our Company, and other Nations, drive their
Slave Trade : And that I might not want an Em
ployment, you add a Supplemental Requeft, that
I would lay the whole Coaft of Guinea before you.
Well, my Friend, was it not enough to fet me
fuch a Tafk, but you muft alfo rally me and ac
quaint me that Idlenefs in this Country is very pre
judicial to my Health ? which to preferve of con-
fequence it is abfolutely Neceffary to have fome
thing to do, as if I wanted Employment, befides
this you have found me : If you think that any
Perfon of an active Genius can want Bufinefs here,
I dare allure you that you will find your felf mi
ftaken. Idlenefs here, and I believe all the World
over, is only the' Lot of thofe Idiots, which fcarce
know either what they do, or wherefore they live :
And to let you fee that I am none of thpfe, I
fhall anfwer your Demand , by writing you
not only what I have my felf obferved of thefe
Countries ; but alfo what ever is confiderable in
thofe Places where I have never been, nor never
defire tp come ; though I am not willing to be Se
curity for the Truth of all which I fhall fey :
But yet I dare averr, that the Perfons from whom
I have my Informations are fo creditable, that I
fhould freely rely on their Words in Things of
Y 3 much

326 A Defcription of the LET.XVIII.
much greater Importance ; and therefore believe
that nothing prepofterous will be found in the Re
lations. So as I have received my Information, I fhall
faithfully tranfmit it to you, without adding any
thing of my own ; but if their Method diipleafe
me or difagree with what I have hitherto obferved,
I fhall make bold to change it a little ; and this is
the utmoft alteration I intend. And that ypu may
know before-hand what Countries they are which
you will find defcribed from the Information of
others in the following recital ; be pleafed to ob^
ferve, that the Befcription of the Country from
Ardra through the whole Gulph of Guinea to Rio
de Gabon, with the Tract of Land Weft of the
Gold Coaft, and from the Gold River to Cabo
Monte, is not mine. But all the reft you may
take for my own ; no part of which is the refult
of any thing but my own Obfervation.
This being, in my Opinion, a fufficient Adver-
tifement, I fhall begin with a Defcription of the
. remaining part of Guinea, through which I have
travelled. Be pleafed to remember that in my fifth Letter
I endtid the whole Gold Coaft, with the Village of
Pomi, though the Gold is brought to us from the
Country a little lower, namely out of guahoe, which
abounds with that Metal, and is fituate beyond
that Tract of Land ; but by reafon of the fmall
Acquaintance I have with that Country, as
alfo becaufe its Inhabitants go through Aquamboe
to Acra, where they drive the greateft part of their
Trade : Paffing over this I fhall confine my felf
to the Sea-fide only, telling you withal the Tract
pf Land betwixt Ponjii and Rio Voltaie about thir
teen Miles long, being inhabited by the Negroes of
Acra, Lampi arid Aquamboe. Thofe

L E T. X VIII. {Slave Coaft of Guinea. 3 2 7
Thofe of Lampi have a King of their own, with
the Title of King of Ladingcoiir; though in reali
ty he and his Subjects (if they may be fo called)
depend intirely on the King of Aquamboe, accord
ing to whofe Will and Pleafure he isobliged to regu
late himfelf ; for upon the leaft difguft, which lie
or his People give to thofe of Aquamboe, they are
fo feverely punifhed that the remembrance of it
remains for feveral Years -, which is yet ftiled
a mild and merciful Chaftifement : For when-ever
the King of Aquamboe takes a fancy to it, he makes
nothing of cutting them a foot fliorter ; which
Punifhment they are forced to fubmit to without
murmuring ; he having at leaft as defpotick a Pow
er over them as his own Subjects.
The Country hereabouts is indifferent Populous
and Fertile, but extraordinarily ftored with Cattle,
as Cows, Hogs, Sheep, befides Chicken, &c. All
which are here daily bought very cheap by the
Blacks of the Gold Coaft, to transport to the up
per Coaft.
The remaining Trade of thefe People confifts
in Slaves ; which are alfo bought Up by the men
tioned Negroes : But moft of them are tranfported
hence by the Englifli, French and Portnguefe Ships.
Sometimes the Slave Trade here proves very ad
vantageous, efpecially about the Village Lay.
It fometimes happens that when the In-land
Countries are at Peace, here are no Slaves to
be got : So that the Trade of this Place is utterly
uncertain ¦, and it only ferves to touch at in our
Paflage this way, without depending on any tiring
from it.
Befides Trade, the Inhabitants employ them
felves in Agriculture and Fifhing ; the firft of
which proves reafonably profitable ; but the Fifhery,
efpecially that on the Sea, turns to no, or at moft,
but fmall account ; for the Shoar here is very
Y 4 high

, 4 Defcription of the LET. XVIII.
high and of very difficult Accefe : Wherefore it
is fometimes unapproachable with fmall Canoas ;
but the want of Sea-Fifh is here abundantly eom-
penfeted by the Lakes or Rivers, which are extraor
dinary richly flocked with Fifh.
Rio Volta, probably fo called by the Portuguefe,
by reafon of its rapid Courfe and Reflux, bounds
this Tract of Land.
This is a fine wide River, difcharging its Wa
ters fo violently into the Sea, that it is fometimes
vifible three or four Miles from the Shoar. How
far this River extends its Courfe In-land is to me
imknown. The extraordinary rapid Reflux into
the Sea, continually carries great, numbers of
Trees along with it ; which flicking faft at the
Mouth of the River, occafion a very high Burn
ing of extraordinary violence, as well as lofty Agi
tations of the Waves : So that this place is paf-
fable with Canoas but twice- in the Year, and that
is commonly betwixt April and November, the Wea
ther being then ftill upon the Coaft ; which general
ly is juft before the rainy Seafbn, when confe
quently the Reflux of the River is not fo fwift :
But after the Rains 'tis not poffible to perfwade a
Negroe to venture, though they are continually
ufed to pafs in their Boats along the fhoar, which
here, by reafon of the mentioned Burnings, they
can't do.
I have four times paffed by this River on Board
of Shipping, and each time fome of our People
were fent Aloft, that by difcerning the Mouth
of this River, they might fee whether we had
paffed it or no ; and they commonly called to us
from Aloft, that they faw its Mouth, and that
they were right before it, and at it, or a little way
Eaft or Weft of it ; which the Mafters of the Ships*
through Ignorance, and I, as well as they, firmly
believed. " Buf

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 329
But in the Year 1699. coming in a Canoa from
Fida, I caufed my felf to be rowed as clofe to the
fhore as poffible,and as the Burnings would permit 5
but as curious and exact as we were in our Obfer-
vation, we could defcryno Mouth, nor theleaft
opening ; but difcovered the Truth of what one
of my Servants (who had performed this Journey
by Land) told me, that this River at a fmall di
ftanee from the Shoar, and throughout is prodigi
ous wide ; but that Weftward 'tis thwarted by a
whole Tract of Land, which leaves it but a fmall
opening or paflage : And it is Natural enough to
believe that by reafbn of the widenefe within, and
the violent Reflux of this River ; the Ebb which
paffes this fmall Mouth muft be much ftronger
than if this Paflage were proportioned to the fize
of the River. But enough of this.
Eaftward of this River, the Cotofe Country, by
moft called the Land of Lampi, beginneth. From
this River to the Village Coto or Verhov, is about
fourteen Dutch Miles : The Village having for
merly been the place of Refidence of the King of
Coto, where I faw and fpoke with him in the
Year 1698.
This Kingdom is veryinconfiderablein Strength,
which yet abates daily by its Wars with Popo ;
" that have continued for feme Years fucceffively ;
and they being pretty even in Force, unlefs they
make Peace, their difpute is not like to be ended
before one of them engages fome other Country to
their affiftance.
But Aquamboe, who would keep them both on
foot,takes care that neither be deftroyed,by fending
affiftance of Forces to the weakeft fide.
When Aquamboe was governed by two Chiefs,
as I have formerly told you, thofe of Popo had 3
ftrong Supporter of the Old, as they of Coto of
the young King ; thus each fide was continually
furnifhed with Aquamboean Props. B«t

330 A Defcription of the LET. XVIIL
But bow it will go with them when the old
King is dead, time will inform us. Thofe of
little Popo in 1700. watched their opportunity,
and furprifing thofe of Coto, fell upon them and
obliged them tp quit their Country ; but I doubt
not but thofe of Aquamboe will foon reinftate them,-
and clap a Bridle irtto the Mouth of the Popoedns.
The Land of Coto is of a direct contrary fort
of Nature to that of the Gold Coaft ; for as the lat
ter is full of Hills, fo the former hath not one :
But the Soil is very flat, fandy, dry, barren and
void of all Trees, except the Palm or Wild Coco;
of which it produceth a great number.
This Land is tolerably provided with Cattle,
at leaft as many as are fufficient to fupply its In
habitants. River-Fifh is not wanting here, but they can
get none out of the Sea, by reafon of the violent
Burnings which extends from this place to Ardrai
and farther along the whole Coaft.
Their Trade is that of Slaves ; of which they
are able fometimes to deliver a good number;
but yet not fo many as to lade a Ship.
^ I found the Inhabitants here very good-natured
and civil. I received feveral Civilities from them,
efpecially from the King : When I told him that
after having accomplifned my Merchandife at
Fidct; I defigned to return by Land ; he offered
to come himfelf with his whole Force to receive
me on the Borders of his Territories, and to con
duct me beyond Rio Volta in order to fecure me
from any mifchief from the ftrolling Robbers. I
thankfully accepted this kind Offer, and I fhould
certainly have made ufe of it, had not thofe of
little Popo (who had alfo promifed to conduct
me through the Extent of their Land) caufed me
to be diflwaded from it by their Ambafladors,
under pretence they were afraid I might be fet on
by th e Robbers before they came to me. - This

LET. XVIII, Slave Coaft of Guinea. 33 1
This Diffwafive was very faint, and the Grid Am
bafladors under-hand encouraged me to this Land
Tour, urging it as their private Advice, which na
turally difcovered their ViDany : which was that
they defigned to murther me on my Journey, and
confequently have ftolen all my Goods ; befides
which they would yet have cleared themfelves by
urging that they advifed me againft going that
way. I was on this account frightened from underta
king my intended Tour ; by which I fhould 0-
therwife have difcovered fome Particulars worthy
your Curiofity.
But to return to the Inhabitants of Coto. In Po
liticks, Religion and Oeconomicks, they very
nearly referable thofe on the Gold Coaft, except
that I found here a vaft Quantity of Idol Gods.
Their Language is moftly that of Acra, with a
very fmall alteration. By reafon their Trade is
fmall they are very poor ; very few of them be
ing rich. Their moft advantagious Trade is ta
king a Journey In-land and ftealing Men, which
they fell to the Europeans, that come here with
their Ships. This is the beft part of their Subfift-
ence, and indeed all I have to fay of them.
From Coto to little Popo is about ten Miles ; the
Country being as the former flat Land, without
either Hills or Trees and extraordinary fandy,
even to fuch a degree that all Victuals there dref-
fed is continually full of Sand, and not edible ;
of which I was very fenfible during my three
Days continuance there : For the King richly e-
nough provided me with Victuals ; but for the
mentioned Reafon I could not eat it, but was for
ced to fetch Provifions from on Board our Ship to
keep my felf alive.
This vaft Quantity of Sand, with which the
whole Land is covered, renders it fo barren, that
• ' • ' the

332 A Defcription of the LET. XVIII.
the Inhabitants are forced to be victualled by thofe
of Fida, or at leaft for the moft part.
The Inhabitants here are the Remains of the
Kingdom of Acra behind our Fort there j from
whence they were formerly driven by the King of
Aquamboe. Thofe who efcaped fettled here, where
they may remain long enough ; for it is not pro
bable that they will ever return to the Poffeffion
of their Country.
I have already mentioned their Wars with thofe
of Coto. They are not very populous ; but on
the other hand are very War-like. Not many
Years fince they had a brave Soldier for their King,
whofe Name was Aforri, Brother to the prefent
King. This Prince on account of his Valour v as
very mftch feared and refpected ; but his greateft
ftock of Fame redounded to him when the PhidaU
go of Offra rebelled againft the Kirig pf great Ar
dra, his Lord and Mafter, whofe Yoak he fhook
off, and befides killed our chief Fa€tpr ffolwerf.
For to revenge thefe accumulated Crimes, the
King of Ardra perfwaded Kingdom" to comeagainft
him with all his Force ; which he did, and made,
foch fhort work with thofe of Offra, that he con
quered as foon as few them ; wafted their Coun
try, and delivered the Offender into his Sovereign's
Hands : But not content with this Victory, and
pufhed on by the King of Ardra, he marched a-
gainft the People of Fida, and encamped in their
Country; but wanting Powder, he delayed attack
ing the Fidaflans in expectation of having it fent
him according to the King of lira's Promife^
which h« did not fail to do in large Quantity un
der a good Convoy : But the Fidaflans getting In
telligence of it, fell tfpon the Convoy with a very
ftrong Party, defeated it aqd feized all the Pow
der -, which Aforri being informed of, and finding
himfelf, for want of Amunirion, not able to ftand
againft

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 332
againft his Enemies, made a fpeedy as well as ve
ry feafonable Retreat ; for the Fidaflans intended
to have fallen on him with their whole Force the
next Day, when he and all his Army would pro
bably have been very roughly treated.
His Enemies informed of his Flight, were not
in the leaft enclined to purfue him ; but on the
contrary did not a little rejoyce to find themfelves
rid of fiich a dangerous Enemy.
Aforri being returned into his own Territories,
was acquainted that his Neighbours of Coto were
ready to have affifted Fida, if he had ftayed any
longer in their Country ; which he fo highly re-
fented that with utmoft Animofity he took the
Field againft them, and defiring nothing more
than to come to a clofe Engagement with them,
he attacked them, though ftronger than himfelf,
but they received him fo warmly, that they had
quickly killed a great part of his Army : Upon
this, furioufly imaged and defperate, and carelefs of
himfelf, he flew amongft the thickeft of the Ene
my, where he was-fo furrounded that it was im
poffible for him to return ; upon which, with feve
ral of his Men, after a Valiant Refiftance, he was
left dead upon the fpot.
The prefent King, though more Peaceable and
Mild, yet prudently revenged his Brother's Death
on the Cotofians, always attacking them in their
weakeft Condition -, which meafures he purfued fo
long as to drive them out of their Country.
The Inhabitants of Popo, as well as thofe of Coto?
depend on Plunder and the Slave Trade ; in both
of which they very much exceed the latter ; for
being endowed with a much larger fhare of Cou
rage, they rob more fucceffively, and confequently
by that means encreafe their Trade : Notwith
ftanding all which, to freight a Ship with Slaves,
requires fome Months Attendance. In

334 A Defcription of the LET.XVlIf
In the Year 1697. In three Days time I could
get but three Slaves ; but they affured me that if I
would have patience for other three Daysj only,
they fhould be able to deliver me one or two hun
dred. I feemed to appove their Propofal, but went
on Board under pretence of fetching fome Goods
afhore which they defired ; and immediately
weighed Anchor and fet fail for Fida -,. where I
was informed that their. Incurfions fucceeded fo
well, that they returned with above two Hundred
Slaves; which, for want of other Ships, they were
obliged to fell to the Portuguefe.
This Nation is more than ordinary fraudulent
and thievifh. It is their common practice to affure
the Merchant or Factor that they have a ftock df
Slaves, only to draw him on Shoar ; which ha
ving done they never part with him without ha
ving fleeced him, and befides detained him feveral
Months. The Portnguefe are cheated by them more than
any Nation ; notwithftanding wfiich they cannot
avoid Trading with them by reafon they are load
ed with fuch forry Goods, that they can fcarce get
Slaves any where elfe.
In 1698. I found a Danifli Ship there, which
was obliged to wait aloriger time to deal for five
Hundred Slaves, than I fpent in Trading for two
Thoufand at Fida : During which time they met
with fuch ample Proofs of their Villanous Nature,
that I don't believe any of that Nation will venture
ihither again.
A Year or two before this, they dealt in the
fame manner with an Englifli Ship, and befides
cheated him of fome of his Goods ; but he co
ming thither again in my time, recovered his Da-
riiages in the following manner : As foon as he
had dropt Anchor before Popo, fome pf the great
Men, amongft whom was the King's Son, came

LET. XVIII. Slave, Coaft of Guinea. 335
on Board him ; all which he clapt in the Bilboa's:
From whence he did not difcharge them till he
was firft re-imburfed and had pbliged them to pay
a Summ befides.
In the Reign of this King's Brother, this Nation
was more eafily dealt with, for when he had done his
Bufinefe, he would not fuffer his Subjects to impofe
on the Europeans. In his time one of our Com
panies Ships in eleven Days dealt for above five
mndred Slaves ; but that is not what is likely to
lappen again : For that Nation is at prefent fo
raudulent, that undeniably every Perfon that deal*
with them muft be more or lefs cheated.
It is perfectly unneceffary to touch any further
on the Nature and Cuftoms of thefe People, fince
being originally Inhabitants of Acra, in Religion
and Government, they do not much differ from
their Country-men.
During my flay here, I found fuch an incredible
Number of Rats, that I thought my felf bound in
Charity to advertife the Inhabitants to be upon their
Guard >md deftroy thofe Vermin, left encreafing
upon them they fhculd in time drive them out of
their Country.
Four Miles Eaftward from hence is the King
dom of great Popo, whofe King was firft in fob-
jediion to Fida ; but the prefent King being fet
upon the Throne by the prefent King of Fida in
the room of his Brother whom he had banifhed, in
reward of the Favonrs of the Fidajian Monarch, he
hath withdrawn his Allegiance, and thrown off that
Yoak : At which the Fidafian wasfb much enraged,
that he raifed a great Army, which he fent againft
Popo, together with the Affiftance and Ammunition
which he received from fome French Ships that
then lay before Fida, defigning nothing lefs than
to extirpate them, which he was alfo encouraged
to hope, becaufe the French Ships likewife faifd to

3S6 A Defcription of the LET, XVTIL
to fall upon that Country by Sea. But Popo being
an Ifland Scituate in the midft of the River, both
the French and Fidaflans were forced to make ufe
of Floats to come at them ; and that Nation had
put it felf in fuch a pofture of Defence, that it not
only received its Enemies warmly,' but after bleed-
ingthem put them to flight without the lofe of one
Man on their fide ; for they fired very brifkly out
of their Hpufes, and unperceived of their Enemies-,
by which means they killed a great number of
French and Fidaflans ; and fo difbrdered their For
ces,, that throwing down their Arms, they run over
one another to make their efcape ; and if the Po-
poeans had followed their Victory, in all probabili
ty not one French-man would have efcaped alive,
they not being fo fwift as the Negroes.
Since this ftrunfuecefsful Enrerprife, the King
of Fida hath not ventured on anyfrefh Attempts
with his own Forces ; but hath been endeavouring
even to this prefent time to hire other Nations to en
gage in the Quarrel ; but though it hath already
coft him large Summs, yet the only fuccefs he
hath met with, is to be cheated on all fidegr: Where
fore much againft his will he is obliged t& fiiffer
the King of Popo in quiet Poffeffion of his Ifland.
The Inhabitants of Popo have fcarce any dwel
ling Places befides the King's Village ; which, as I
have told you, is an Ifland ; and that fo thinly
peopled and fo infefted by the Fidaflans, that they
cannot cultivate their Land quietly : Wherefore
they very frequently want Provifions, and would
beftarved, if they were not furnifhed with Edibles
from even the Fidaflans their greateft Enemies,
who continually run the Rifque of Capital Punifh- .
ments, by reafon of the Profit they find to acrue <
by victualling the Popoeans.
The Natives of great Popo Trade alfo in Slaves;
which if no Ships come thither they fell to thofe of

ET.XVHI. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 337
nf little Popo ; but their greateft Gain is by the
Fifh, which they catch in their River, and Trade
with abroad.
Some Years paft we had a Houfe or Lodge here;
but. by reafon of the Declenfion. of Trade, fince
the Enmity betwixt Fida and Popq, after the Death
of our Factor we left it,; and fince that, time
we have not traded with them. : .
This Popo is the firft place which can properly
be reckoned to be in the Country of Ardra : The
Ardrajian Language with very fmall Alterations
is here fpoken., ThqGovernrneiit; alfo is here upon
fhe faine foot; of which more in the Defcription
of Fida, where I fhall give you a fketch of it.
Juft Eaft wards of ; Popo, the Country of Fida
takes its beginning, aijd four or five Miles lower is
the, Road and Port. ;
This Port is fo incomodious and dangerous; by
reafbn of the horrible Burnings in the "Sea, that
we cannot land here ¦ without running, a great,
Rifque ; but in Apiil, May, June arid July, the Sea
burns fo violently, that accprdingjto the Proverb,
he ought to have two Lives who ventures.
., About this Seafbn difmal : Accidents . are very
frequent here, , great, Quantities of Goods are loft,.
and. many Men, drowned : For the Sea-Burning
is fo violent arid rolls fo that a Qanoa full of Peo-.
pie is. over-turned and the Canoa fluttered into
Splinters in a minute ; by which means all that are
in it are in danger to be loft, except the Rowers,
who through their Skill in fwiming, may perhaps
five themfeves. This over-turning of Canoas hap
pens every Day.
When 'I .was here in the Year 1698, Befides
Slaves there were five Men loft here, viz. a Portn
guefe Captain, a Clerk, and three Englifli Sailors,
betides two Captains which were brought a-fhore
for dead, and lived but a very little while after.
Z This

A Defcription of the LET XVIIL .
This Port hath coft me, or rather the Company, ,
at feveral times,above two Hundred Pounds; and
doubtlefs it muft have been more expenfive to the
Englifli and others who have not fo good Rowers.
At this time of the Year we are troubled with
another Inconvenience, which is a ftrong Eaftern
Tide; which no Boat or Shallop can ftem by
rowing ; but thofe in the Boats are obliged to fet 'em
along by flicking their Pole in the Ground. So that
what by one Inconvenience or another we are de
tained here twice as long as is neceflary to our
Slave Trade : But when our Fatigue is over, and
we are got on Shoar, we feem to have paffed from
'Hell to Heaven ; for having efcaped the apparent
Dangers of the Sea; and difcerhing fuch beau
tiful Meadow-Ground about half a Mile off, we
cannot help being over-joyed on the account not
only of our Delivery, but likewife of the future
Pleafures this Country promifes.
: For three feveral times I have lived here about
three Months, not that my Merchandizing requi-;
red fo long time; fop reckoning one 'Ship with an
other I could difpatch each of them in lefe than
a Month ; and which is yet more, I have ladeii
three in fourteen Days : but what obliged me to
ftay was waiting for a Yacht to carry me off, and
preparing for my Voyage.
During my ftay here, I ufed all poffible means
to difeover the length- and breadth of this Kingdom,-
but could never obtain a farther fatisfactory ac
count than that its; Extent along the Sea-fh6re is
about nine or ten Miles ; and in the middle it
reaches fix or feven Miles In-land : After which it
extends like two Arms ; and in fome places is
ten or twelve Miles broad, and in others much
narrower : So that it is impoffible for me to oblige
you with an exact Account of its breadth ; but I
hope we fhall not quarrel.

It

LET. XVffl. ' Slave Coaft 0/ Guinea. 33 9
If is, however, Uhqueftionably certain that, this
Country is fb very populous, that in one Village
alone, as the King's, or any of his Vice-roy's Vil
lages (for Inftance) there are as many People as in
a coriimon Kingdorii on the Gold Coafl : And
this Land is well furnifhed with thefe large Vil
lages, befides innumerable fmall ones, which are-
pbfervable throughout the whole Country, fome
not above a Mufquet-fhot from each other; for
thofe who live out of the great Villages or Towns
build and fettle where they pleafe : So that each
Family builds a fmall Village, which e'ncreafes as
that multiplies.
The great number of thefe Villages compofed
of Houfes , which are round at the top, and en-
compaffed with mud Walls or Hedges, together
with the great numbers of all forts of beautiful
and lofty Trees , which feem defignedly planted
in exact order ; afford the moft beautiful Profpect
in the World ; to render which the more charming
and perfectly agreeable, not fo much as one Moun
tain or Hillock interpofeth to interrupt the View ;
but the whole is a fort of infenfibly rifing Ground.,
which is not difcovered till you have gone forwards
an Hour or two, when turning back, your Eyes
are regaled with a Profpect of the moft charming
Place that Imagination can reprefent : nor can I
believe, that any Country in the World can fhew
the like. Befides which this Land is covered with
a beautiful Verdure, compofed either of Grafs or
Trees, and' plentifully provided with three forts of
Corn, Beans, Potatoes, and other Fruits ; which
grow fo clofe to each other, that in fome places a.
foot Path is the only Ground that is not cover
ed with them : For the Negroes of this Country
are fo covetous; that no place which is thought
fertile can efcape planting, though even within
the Hedges which enclofe their Villages and Dwel
ling-places : And they are fo very greedy in this
Z 2. parti-

340 A Defcription of the LET- XVIII.
particular, that the very next t)ay after they have
reaped they are fure to fow again, without allow -
ingthe Land any time for reft.
The Charms of this Country-have fo far tran-
fported me, that I liave infenfibly paffed through
it y hut fince on account of its excellence (compa
ratively taken and coufidered as bn' this Coaft) it
deferves a very particular Defcription : I therefore
defign to divide itinto'three Heads, viz, firft I
fhall treat of the Nature and Manners of the Inha
bitants ;' feeondly, of their Religion and Govern
ment ; and, thirdly, of the Cattle and Fruitsfof
this Country.
As the firft will take up the remainder of this
Letter ; fo the other two fhall be treated of each
in a Letter apart. But I defire you not to be tired
if '. they all,, but more efpecially this, happen to be
fomewhat ' long :. I fhall not grudge my pains
in writing it ; and if you put too great a
value on the time to read if,' trie, remedy is eafie,
you may tear bff what you will, and not wafte fo
much time on it as to perufe it
But as to my firft particular -, I muft needs fey
that the Inhabitants of Fida far exceed all other
Negroes (that,! have had the "opportunity of con
verting with) both in good and bad. Qualities ; as
the following Lines, if worth your reading, will
inform you.
I muft own that from the higheft to the loweft
they treat us in th^ moft civil, obliging and enga
ging manner in the World ;. and as all Negroes
continually teize us for Prefents 5, thefe on the con-
trary never defire beyond a Mornings Draught ;
and had rather give than receive. When we Trade
with them they are very well pleafed that we ac
knowledge the Services they have dene us : but
they are -incorrigibly fond of their Ancient Cu
ftoms ; but this is fo reafonable that no Perfon can
deny them that Privilege. A They

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 341
They are fo civil to each other, and the Inferi-
our fo refpectful to the Superiour, that at firft I
was very much furprized at it ; for if any of them
goes to vifit his Superiour, or meets him by chance,
he immediately 'falls on his Knees, and thrice
fucceffively lcifles the Earth, claps his Hands, with
es his Superiour a good Day or good Night, and
congratulates him : Which the other either fitting
or ftanding, or whatever Pofture he .is found in,
barely anfwers with foftly clapping his Hands,
and wifhing the other a good Day ; and if he is
extraordinary civil, he faith, it is enough. All
which time the former remains fitting or proftrate
on the Earth till the other departs ; unlefs his Af
fairs call him away ; when after begging leave,
he retires creeping on the Ground ; for it would be
thought a great Crime to fit upon a Chair or Bench
in prefence of his Superiour.
The like deference is paid by the younger to
the elder Brother, the Children to the Father, and
the Wives to their Hufbands. None of which will
deliver or receive any thing to or from his or her
Superiour, Brother, Father or, Hufband, otherwife
than upon the Knee, and with both Hands together,
which is a fign of' yet greater fubjection ; and
if they fpeak to any of the faid Perfons, their
Hand is always clapped before their Mouth, that
their Breath may not offend the other.
When two Perfons of equal Condition meet
each other, they fall both down on their Knees
together, clap Hands, and mutually Salute, by
wifhing each other a good Day ; which Ceremo
nies are alfo nicely obferved by their Followers
and Dependants on each fide, which looks very a-
greeable. If a principal Perfon happen to fiieeze, all thofe
in their prefence fall upon their Knees ; and after
having killed the Earth, and clapped their Hands,
with him all Happinefs and Profperity.
• Z j> When

34 2 -A Dejc ripiion of the LET. XVIII.
When a Perfon is prefented with any thing
by his Superiour, having received it he claps it in
his Hands, and after kiffing the Earth very fub-
miffively returns thanks. In fhort, the Inferiour
here thews as much refpect to the Superiour, as I
believe is practifed in any place of the World ;
which is very different from the Negroes on the Gold
Coaft, who live together without any diftinction,
like Brute Beafts.
Nor do they differ, lefs from the •mentioned Ne
groes in Induftry ; for whereas the Gold Coaft Ne
groes indulge themfelves in Idlenefs as their Favourite
Vice, here on the contrary. Men as well as Wo
men are fo vigoroufly Induftrious and Laborious
that they never defift till they have finifhed their
Undertakings ; and are continually endeavouring
after Work in order to get Money.
Befides Agriculture, from which the King and
a few great Men are only exempted, their Manu-
( factures are fpinning of Cotton, weaving of fine
| Cloaths, making of Calabaffes, wooden Veffels,
I Affagay es and Smiths- Ware ; and feveral other Handi
crafts , which are in greater Perfection here
jtlian on the Gold Coaft -, befides which they
alfo have fome which the other ave no Knowledge
* of. ' *
Whilft the Men are fo diligently employed,
¦ the Women are not idle ; they brew, or rather bbjl
Beer, and drefs Victuals, which they carry to Market
to fell together with their Hufbands Merchandize:
So that both Men and Women here are employed
in getting of Money , and each zealoufly ftrives to out:
do the other. Hence it is that they live very fplen-
didly, and not as the Blacks on the Gold Coaft,
who dare not think of a good Morcel when it is
dear ; for thefe on the other fide,as well the higher as
lower fort, eat of the beft that is to be gotten as long
as they have any thing to fupport it ; and when that

LE T. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 343
that fails they are upon the hunt to get more ; but
to afk them to work with an empty Belly, would
be to knock at a deaf Man's Door ; on which ac
count I think no Man can blame them4 fince it is but
reafonable that they fhould before they begin be
fenfible for what they take pains.
They work for fmall Wages, and the Service which
the meaner fort do us confifts in carrying our Goods
from the Shore to the King's Village, where our Houfe
is. This being about three Miles \ for every burthen
of Goods we commonly pay from eight to twelve
pence, in proportion to the weight of ti : The
price of each Burthen being exactly adjufted.
From hence you may collect , that the Men
work very cheap here : But they play an Af
ter-game ; of which I fhall hereafter inform you.
With 'a Burthen of one Hundred Pounds on
their Head they run a fort of continual Trot ;
which is fo fwift that we Hollanders cannot keep
up with them without difficulty, though not load
ed with an Ounce weight.
Thofe who are very rich here, befides Hufban-
dry, in which their Wives and Slaves are employ
ed under them, drive a very confiderable Trade,
not only in Slaves but all other fort of Commo
dities. They are fo diligent in the Slave Trade, that
they are able to deliver one Thoufand Slaves eve
ry Month, if there are no Ships at Jakin, which is
fubordinate to great Ardra, and fituate but three
Miles below Fida -, which makes a very fenfible
alteration ; for the King of great Ardra, through
whofe Territories moft of the Slaves are obliged
to pafe, when the Ships are there, to favour hi*
own Subje£rs,very commonly fhuts up all the PafTes
to Fida by a very ftrict Prohibition ; upon which
his Subjects are obliged to deal by ftealth with
thofe of Fida (againft whofe King he is an irrecon
cilable Enemy) which yet they continnally do,
Z 4 feeming

A Defcription of the LE T. XVIII.,
feemirig not much concerned at their King's Db'
fputes. Notwithftanding which, Trade doth not
flpurilh fo well as' when the King of Ardra leaves
Commerce open betwixt his Subjects and thofe of
Fida. ' \ . " |
The remaining ¦ Cuftoms arid planners of the
Natives of Fida, not affecting their Religious
Worfhip, are very like • thofe on the Gold Coaft,
excepting onlyr as I have already hinted, that thefe
sexceed the other iftzSd Particulars of Living ; for
whereas the former content themfelves with one,two,
three, and the* moft confiderable Men, with eight,
tenor twenty Wives ; they have here forty or fifty,
and tfieir chief Captains three or four Hundred,
fome one Thoufand; andthe King betwixt four and
five Thoufend.
Moft of thefe Wives ferve to Till the Ground,
for their Hufbands only ; but the moft beautiful
ftay at home, where they are not yet excufed from
working ; befides which they are obliged to ferve
and wait on their Hufbands. No rich Negroe will
fuffer any Man to enter the Houfes where his
Wives refide.
The Men here are fo ftrangely jealous of their
Wives, that on the leaft fufpieion in the World
they fell them to the Europeans ; being in this parti
cular very different from the Negroes of the Gold
Coaft, who make no manner of fcruple of driving
a publick Trade with their Wives Bodjr.
The Cuftom of this Country is vaftly different from
foat -, for if any Perfon here prefume to debauch ano
ther's Wife, if the injured Perfon is a rich Man, the
Offender muft riot only .dye, but foch a Crime
is befides that fufficient to plunge his whole Family
into Slavery.
If any Perfon happen barely to touch any part
of the Body of one of the King's Wives, defigned-
ly or by the moft urifore-feen accident in the World
tis Head , or at leaft his Liberty is thereby forfeited* he

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 345
he. being, for a Punifhment of his innocent Crime,
doomed to perpetual Slavery. Wherefore ail thofe
whofe Bufinefs lies near the King's Houfes, call out
aloud that his Wives may be informed there is a
Man thereabouts.
For the fame reafon the King (as I have before hin
ted) is ferved by hisWives in his Houfe,not.pennitting
any Man to enter the Walls thereof, unlefs to repair it,
or do what the Women cannot, upon which occafion
the Women are obliged to retire to another part of it,
When the Work-men are tiling or repairing the
ICing's Houfe, they continually call- out, that the
King's Wives may, during that time, keep with
in ; for if they fhould happen to fee them only,
it would be imputed to them as a Crime.
So when the King's Wives "go to the Field to
work, as they do daily by Hundreds, they are
certain whenever they meet a Man, to cry out,
Stand clear ; after which he either immediately
falls on his Knees or flat on the Ground, and waits
their paffing by him, without prefuming fo much
as to lopok at them. '
On account of the leaft difguft or trifle, the King
fometimes fells eighteen or twenty of his Wives,
which doth not at all leffen their number : For
three of his principal Captains, to whom the Go
vernment of the Seraglio is entriifted, daily fup
ply their places with frefh Ladies ; for whenever
they fee a beautiful Virgin, they immediately pre
fent her to the King, which none of his Subjects
dare prefume to refufe or contradict.
When a Lady is prefented to the King, that
happens to pleafe him, he do's her the Honour to
lye with her twice or thrice ; , after which fhe
is obliged to pafe the remainder of her Life like a-
Nun. For which Reafon the Women are fo far from
being greedy pf the,, Honour of being the King's
Wives, that fome of them prefer a fpeedy Death
to fuch a miferable Life. About

34^ ^ Defcription of the LET. XVIIL
About two Years paft thefe Captains endeavour
ed to bring hm a beautiful young Maid ; but the not
being very fond of a Nun's Life, fled from them,
and they purfuing her, the defpaifing threw her
, felf into a deep Well, in which fhe was ftifled. I
leave her Cafe to be determined by the Ladies.
Upon the Fathers Death, the eldeft Son inherits
not only all his Goods and Cattle, but his Wives ;
which he immediately holds and enjoyeth as his
own, excepting his own Mother; for whom he pro
vides a feparate Apartment and fufficient Subf iftance,
in cafe the cannot live without it. This Cuftom
obtains not ( only with the King and Captains,
but alfo amongft the Commonalty.
This prefent King married two of his own
Daughters ; but they dying quickly after, and his
Brutal Pleafures being of a fhort duration, he ima
gines that the Gods that way punifhed him for his
Crime ; which hath drawn from him an Oath ne
ver to repeat it for the future.
To prevent Temptation, in my time he marry-
ed his only Daughter to the Englijli Companies Fa
ctor here : And once talking very freely with
him ; I, in a jetting Manner, impofed a fort of
Fine upon him for not having made me the firft
offer of her. He willingly paid his Fine ; adding
withal, that though his Daughter was maflried,
fhe was yet at my fervice, if I defired her, fince
one Word was fufficient to call her Home.
What think you, Sir, are not this King's Daugh
ters very cheap ? but the mifchief is, that marry
ing a King's Daughter in this Country is not very
advantagious ; otherwife I had not failed long
fince to have been happy that way.
From fuch a Multitude of Wives a great number
of Children may reafonably be expected, fuppo-
fing the Men in a ftate of Procreation : For chan
ging of Diet (according tp the Proverb) fharpens
the Appetite ; and that Whef not being wanting!. -
here

LET. XVIII. Slave, of Coaft Guinea. 347
here, the Work of Propagation advances with in
credible fuccefs ; for the Women not being very Bar
ren, and the Men Vigorous, it is not to be doubted
fince they, befides eating and drinking very well,
ufe other means to provoke Nature, which is in
them very brifk and lively : It is not, I fay, to
be wonder'd at, that their Iffue fhould be very nu
merous. You will eafily believe this when I averr
to you, I have feen Men that were Fathers of
above two Hundred Children ; but, however,
to put it out of doubt, not only my felf but feve
ral others, who have enquired into it are afeertain-
ed of the Truth of it by two Inftances : The firft
pf which is one of the King's Captains,, that fer-
ved us feveral Years as an Interpreter, wbofe name
is Agoei.
I once afked him in prefence of one of our Cap
tains and my Affiftant, how many Children he had,
having always obferved a good number with him ;
to which he fighing anfwered, that he had been fo
very unhappy in that Particular, as not to have
many, and that he could not pretend to above Se
venty : I afked him whether he had not had more
that were dead ; he told me yes, about as many
as were at prefent alive. And yet this Man thought
that both thefe numbers making together one hun
dred and forty were but a very finall number :
From whence you may guefe what number is fuf
ficient to make a Man rich, or well-ftocked with
Children. The King; who was prefent at this Converfatiop,
affined me that one of his Vice-roys, affifted by
his Sons and Grand-Sons with their Slaves, had
repulfed a powerful Enemy which came againft
him. That this Vice-roy, with his Sons and
Grand-Sons, could make out the number of two
Thoufand, not reckoning Daughters or any that
were dead. Judge then , Sir, whether if a new
World were difcovered, thefe Men would not be fit
to People it. "

348 A Defcription of the LET. XVIII.
If what I have told you is true; as I don't in
the leaft doubt but it is, '"being confirmed by the
King's A'ffeveration in the prefence of all his prin
cipal Men ; and this whole Country isfoprolifick;
it is not very forprizing that it is fo populous or
annually fells fo many Slaves.
Having detained you long enough on the Head
of the Marriages of the Fidajidns, let us now take
a view of their dealing with, or keeping the Goods
of others. To this purpofe is' what the King faid to
me the firft time I came to Fida ; his Majefties Ad
vice and Character of his Subjects run thus. " That
" his Subjects were not like thofe of Ardra and
" other Neighbouring Countries ; whicj^pon the
" leaft Umbrage received from the Europeans would
" poyfon them. This is, continues he, what you
*' nave no Reafon to fear here ; but I advife you
" to take particular care of your Goods ; for my
*• People feem to be born expert Thieves, and will
" rob you of no niore than they can come at.
I was intirely fatisfied with this frank Declara
tion of the King's -, refolving to be fo careful that
their pilfering Nature fhould not much redound
to my Damage ; but I reckoned without my Hoft;
for I •afterwards found that they were the greateft
and moft cunning Thieves in the World.
Except three or four of the moft confiderable
Men, all this Nation, High and Low, Rich and
Poor, are tainted with this Vice. In fhort, not to
exclude any Body in the whole Country, as I have
before hinted, they are fuch expert Thieves, that
they obliged a French-yierchant to fay of them,
that they undei flood the Art of Thievery better than the
Cut-pnrfes and Pick-pockets of Paris.
Would yoti know what extorted this Character
of that Nation from him? It was, that being ready
to depart, he had packed up all his Goods in his
Pack-houfe ; to which he had alfo added a great
number of Chickens, defignsd for his Voyage, re-
folvi ng

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 349
folving to fhip off all the next Day ; but he was ex-
cufed that trouble, for when he came to his Ware-
houfe next Morning, he found neither Goods nor
Fowl, though the Ware-houfe was firm and clofe,
and well locked ; fo that he could not ima
gine which way the Thievery had been acted ;
tho' I afterwards difcovered the Trick at my coft.
The Aegroes of the Gold Coaft are very thievifh,
but are not to be compared with thefe. I never
few a Ship here of what Nation foever, that
they have not robbed of Goods to' a confiderable
value: For, as I have already told you,, it being
three Miles from the King's Village to the Shore ;
all which way we are neceffitated to make ufe of
thefe Villains to carry our Goods, they are hereby
furnifhed with the beft opportunity in the World
to play their part ; of which there is no hindering
them ; though inftead of Argus you had a Watch
man with one Thoufand Eyes, they would yet de
ceive him ; and if we happen to catch them and
reprehend them for it, they have. aflurance enough
toafkus, whether we can imagine that. they would
work fo hard, as"they do, for fiich fmall Wages
without the Liberty of ftealing ?
In my time the Englifli fowed up their fmall Bar
rels of Boefles (the Money of this Country) in Sacks,
thinking thereby to have fecured them from the
pilfering Fingers of the Negroes ; But they were
miftaken ; for as they were carrying them, on the.
way they cut the Sacks of the Barrels, and dug
out their Boejies at the Chinks of the Barrel with
an Iron Chiffel. They are acquainted with an
hundred feveral ways of ftealing, which would
be too long to recite hefe.
I fhall only add, that no Perfon can provide a-
gaihft them: And if we complain to the King,
we cannot expect any Juftice, much lefs Retribu
tion. For though the King gives' order to have , the
Guilty fearched after and1 punifhed, yet no Perfon dare

350 A Defeription of the LET. XVlII
dare inform, for fear of the King's Eldeft Son,
who commonly fhares with, and confequently
protects thefe Villains.
And if we fhould prefume to think, that when
our Goods are in the Ware-houfes, they are then in
a fete Harbour, we fhould find our felves grofly
miftaken. At firft I was indeed of that Opinion,
but having had ftolen from me in one Nights time
above the value of fixty Pounds fterling in Goods,
I changed my Opinion, believing that the only
way to be free from their Thievery was to leave
them and their Country.
I then found the Locks of my Ware-hbufe entire,
and had very fafely kept the Key ; fo that at firft
I could not imagine which way the Thievery was
committed ; but afterwards I difcovered the Villa-
ny : I obferved that in the Garret that was thatch
ed with Reed, and Clay or Mud to prevent firing;
they had made a Hole, and affifted by a Pole with
a Hook at the end of it, had drawn out my Goods*
But they had made luch a large Hole in the
Frenrb-man\ Ware-houfe that a Man might pafe
through it. In fhort, go how it will, they are lure
to fteal fomething, But having faid enough on this
Subject, 'tis time to think of fomething elfe : And
before we fpeak of their Government and Religion
we fhall give fome fhort hints on other Subjects.
The Negroes here are more richly cloathed than
thofe of the Gold Coaft, except in Gold and Silver ;
which they have not here, nor are they acquaint
ed with its worth. They wear five or fix Cloaths
all of different forts one above the other ; the up-
permoft of which is about eight or nine Yards long,
which they wrap very decently about their Body.
None are permitted to wear red, except thofe of
the Royal Family only.
The Women alfo wear a Multitude of Cloaths
or Panes, heaped one over another ; each of which
is not above a Yard and half quarter long, pr Yard >
and

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 3 5 r
and half long ; of which they buckle their two
ends on their Bellies. Thefe Cloaths very clofe
ly cover the Pofteriours, but fit very loofe before ;
infomuch that if the Wind blows a little frefh,
what Modefty obliges to cover is frequently ex
pofed. The Negroes tell us that this Fafhion was the
Wpmens invention, and grounded on a Conveni
ence which they found in it, as doubtlefe e\rery
Mode is fome way or other ufeful.
It is odd enough to obferve that all Men, Wo
men and Children go with their Heads clofe fhorn
by a Razor, and" that without any covering in Rain,
Wind, the fcorching Sun, or be the Weather how
it will : and if it is certainly true that going with
the Head naked renders it very hard, I dare averr
that the Negroes muft be very hard-headed, fince
they are always bare in that part : And hence it is
as well as from their Beards being clofe fhorn that
the old Men feem younger than they really are.
If the Negroes on the Gold Coaft, when feized by
Sicknefe, are very diligent in the rife of Medi
cines, and numerous Offerings for the recovery of
their Health ; the Negroes here exceed them efpe-
¦ cially in the laft, which is the Employment of fe
veral whole Tiays.
', The Medicinal Remedies are the fame with thofe
din the Gold Coaft, but the Offerings are very diffe
rent : Here each Perfon referves a place under the
open Air •, which is fet apart for that purpofe, and
hedged about with Reeds and other Trafh. In this
Confecrated Place they continually Sacrifice in or
der to obtain Health and Profperity.
They are fo very fearful of Death, that they
very unwillingly hear it mentioned, for fear that
alone fhould haften their end. No Negroe in the
whole Country dare prefume to fpeak of Death in
prefence of the King or any great Man, on penal
ty of undergoing it as a punifhment himfelf. The

352 A Defcription of the L E T. XVIII.
The firft Voyage I made hither, being Upon riiy
Departure, 1 afked the King, (who owed me about
one Hundred Pounds fterling) who fhould pay
me in cafe of his Dearh at my return ? All thofe
in the prefence were perfectly amazed at this Que-"
ftion ; but the King, who underftood a little Portn
guefe, taking me right, and finding that I was ig
norant of their Cuftoms, finilingly anfwered, That
lought not to trouble my felf about that, for hefliould
not dye, but always live. I foon perceived that I?
had been guilty of fome Solscifm in their Matt-'
ners : Wherefore I took. my leave and retired to
my Apartment; but withal atking the Captains
which followed me the Reafon of their Aftonifh-.
ment. They replied, That no Perfon on pain of
Death, dared prefume to fpeak of Death it felf fo pub
lickly in the Kings Prefence, much lefs talk of his own
Dying. I was then.filent; but in my fecond and
third Voyage, growing more familiar with the
King, and his before-mentioned great Men, I have
frequently ridiculed their vain fear of Death ; and
accuftomed them ,to it, fo that in time they began.
to laugh at it themfelves, efpecially the King (who
is a very jolly Fellow) when I frighted any of
his Captains with Death : But no Negroe will ven
ture to open his Lips on that Subject.
The Negroes live in a manner by guefe, making
no manner of Diftinction of times. They have
no Feftivals, nor Divifions of Hours, Days, Weeks,
Months or Years, but reckon their fowing time
by Moon-fhines, and very well know that every
three Days there is a great Market-Day.
They are fo accurately quick in their Merchan-
dife AccomptSj that they eafily reckon as juftly'
and as quick in their Heads alone, as we with the
affiftance of Pen and Lik, though the Summ a-
mounts to feveral Thoufands ; which makes it very
eafie to Trade with them, and not half fo trouble-
fome as to deal with other and much duller Negroes. I

LET. XVIII. Slave Coaft of 'Guinea. 355
I beg you would not be furprized that I jumble
my Matter confufedly together, for not allowing
my felf time to digeft it • fo I defire you
would pleafe to take it in good part, let it fall
how it will : But if you defire what I write to be
thrown into an accurate Method, after you have
received it you have it in your own Hands and
Power. But for the prefent, I can give you no
further Confutation, than that the Glafe is almoff
run out,and this Letter is very near its Conclufion.
Menftruous Women are efteemed fo unclean,
that theyare not permitted Entrance into the King's,
or other great Mens Houfes, on lefs penalty than
Death or perpetual Slavery.
The Circumcifion of Infants, efpecially the
Males, is here cuftomary : But if they be afked
whence this Cuftom was deduced, they readily an
fwer, that it was traditionally handed to them by
their Anceftors, and they at prefent neither know
the Reafon nor Signification.
I have juft hinted that the Male- Infants were
circumcifed ; in which you will perliaps think I
am in the right, fince that Cuftom is fcarce practi
cable in the other Sex : But! can affure you, Sir,
that fome Girls are here liable as well as the Boys.
You, as a Phyfician, need make no farther Qye-,
ftion on that Head ; and I refer the Ignorant to
what Mr. Arnold van Overbeek faith concerning the
Hottentats at the Cape of good Hope.
The Negroes differ very much from each other
in the Circumcifion of Children -, fome do it at
four, five or fix, and others at eight or ten Years
of Age
Their Mufical Inftruments are much better than
thofe on the Gold Coaft, and they are alfo much
modefter in the ufe of them ; for in time of Mourn
ing they never teize you with the noife of them.
A a They

354 A Defcription of the LET XVIII.
They are very great Gamefters, and willingly
ftake all they are mafters of in the World at play ;
and when Money and Goods are wanting,; like
ihe'Chniefi, they ftake firft Wife and Children, and
then Land and Body.
Not to detain you any longer, I fhall pafe by
their Mufical as well as Gaming Inftruments,
and conclude this from him who at all times
and in all places, is, Sir, Yours, fffc.

LET-

LET. XIXV Slave Coaft of Guinea. 355

LETTER XIX.
Which briefly treats concerning theGovimmeht
of Fida. Capital Crimes very rare here.
Punijhment of Murther, and of violating one
Of the King's Wives. Other Crimes charged
with pecuniary Mulffs only. The Oath of
Purgation, in what manner adminiftred-
The Age of 'the King 3 hisTemper, his Cham.
v her of Audience, Domeftick Office, Revenue y
and Receivers thereof. Whdt Portion dc>
trues to the King by the Sale of a Slave.
Hk Revenue which arifes from Fifh, and his
Cuftoms^ how much on each Ship ; concern
ing the Captains. The Riches of this Prince :
At what charges he is obliged to live, andhk
great Expences. No Perfon permitted to fee
the King eat, or know where he lodgeth, ex
cept his Wives. His Prefents to the Euro
peans. He is adored as a Demi-God. Hk
Cloaths, and Children, and the Nature of
the latter. How he came to the Throne. A
Barbarous Cuftom on occafion of the Death of
their Kings. The Kings Commands exe
cuted by his Wives. Whence a pleafant Ad
venture is related. The Religion and Super-
ftition of the Fidaflans. Their Multitude
of Idols 5 of which a Negroe gave a very di
verting Explication. Their Notion of the
True God. Their Principal Deities : Firft
of the Snake ; to which great Offerings are
A 3 2 ntdde

A Defcription of the LET. XIX -
made chiefly by the King. The Houfe of
their chiefeft God 5 where fcituate 5 of what
largenefs, and hove found out. Offerings for'
merly fent: by the King to the Snake Houfe 3
but at prefent abolijhed, and why.. A large Ac
count of the King's Revenue on account
of thee Snakes Worjhip : Which Cheat ,
tho' known to be fuch by the Negroes, yet for
certain Reafons they dare not oppofe it. He
who injures the Snake condemned to the
Flames. The Tragical Fate of fome Engl i(h
on that Account. Another which befel a
Gold Coaft Negroe. Multitudes of Snakes
in the Dwelling-places of the Europeans.
The Author paid for the imaginary Boarding
of a Snake. Thefe Idolatrous Snakes do not
injure Mankind. The Negroes cannot
bear any difcourfe againft the Snake. How
they behave themfelves if by chance they hap
pen to kill one of them. A pleafant Adven
ture between a Hog and a Snake, which coft
the lives of fome Hundreds of the former.
The Trees ate the fecondrate Gods of the
Natives 0/ Fida. The Sea their third God.
On what oceafions the two laft are honoured
with Oriafons and Sacrifices. Priefts and
Priejkffes in great efteem. The laft called
Gads Children. Their great Authority.
What the Fidaflans think of Diabolical Spi
rits, and Hell • in which Belief they have
been long fince confirmed. Difoourfe be
twixt a Fidafian Captain, and an Auguftin
Fryar. S I R,

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft. of Guinea.
SIR,
IN my laft dated  1 divided my Defcrip
tion of Fida into three parts ; of the firft of
which I therein treated at large, and the fecond,
namely their Government and Religion I fhall dif-
patch in this ; but the firft part of this Head af
fording nothing very particular, I fhall not detain
you long on it.
The Government, for fo far as it relates to the
Country, or the War, is vefted in the King and
his principal great Men ; but in Criminal Cafes
the King afiembles his Council compofed of
certain Perfons, opens the Indictment to them,
and requires each Perfon to declare his Sentiments
what Punifhment the Criminal deferves. When
the Verdict pleafes him, Execution is accordingly
done in purfuance to it ;" but if he diflikes it, he ob
liges the Council to retire, and punifheth the Ma
lefactor according to his Royal Will and Pleafure.
Here are very few Capital Crimes, which are
only Murthers and committing Adultery with the
King's or his great Mens Wives : But the Negroes,
as I have already hinted, being very fearful of
Death, are the moft careful People in the World
how they incurr that Penalty. Notwithftanding
which, from time to time, feveral venture fo far as
to deferve that Punifhment ; of which I fhall give
you fome Inftances, that happeried within thefe
five or fix Years.
The two firft are of two Blacks, both executed
for Murther in the fame manner, viz. they were
cut open alive, their Intrails taken out of their Bo
dies and burned ; aftev which their Corps were
filled with Salt and fixed on a Stake in the middle
of the Market-place, where I faw them in my
firft Voyage thither. A a 3 About

3 5^ A Defcription of the LET. XIX,
About four Years paft a Negroe, who had been
tardy wkh one of the King's Wives, being caught,
was together with the Female Accomplice of his
Crime, brought to the Place of Execution in the
open Field, where he was 'fet as a Mark for feve
ral great Men by way of Diverfion to fhow their .
Skill in darting the Affagays at him ; by which
this poor Wretch was uiiferably tormented. After
this in the prefence of the Offending Lady, he was
bereft of his moft Criminal Member, and after
being obliged to throw it into the Fire himfelf,
they were both put into a deep Pit, being firft
bound Hand and Foot : Then their Executioners
fet a Pot of boiling Water upon the Fire ; out of
which they by degrees laved fome on the poor
Criminals till it was half out,upon which they poured
the remainder on them all at once, and filling the
Pit with Earth buried them alive.
Two Years after this a young Man was taken,
that, had fout himfelf up in the King's Dwelling?
place in Womens Habit, and enjoyed feveral of
the King's Wives ; but at laft fearing a Difcovery,
they refolved tp take their Flight ; and not con
tented with having cuckolded the King, they de-
fignedto make up a good Pack of the King's Goods
which might fubfift them in another Country ; but
they were eatched attempting the latter part of
their Enterprife, tho' not all, but only the Negroe
and one Woman ; and no Torture inflicted on the
former was fufficient to extort from him a difcove
ry of any more, fo Sentence paffed to burn him
with the Woman.
The Negroe feeing the King's Wives fo very for- „
ward to bring Wood to burn him, could not for
bear laughing ; thereby hinting that they were
«t prefent very diligent to furnifh Fuel for the
Execution of him with whom they had paffed ma
ny a Night Very agreeably j this he not only ex
preffed

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 350
preffed by his Laughter, but publickly feid : But
would not accufe any of the guilty ; for which
Reafon thefe two only were punifhed, who accom
panied one another in Life and Death.
From what I ,have faid you may obferve, that
the King knows very well how tofindout thofe who
injure him ; but in the Affair Of doing Juftice to
Others he is fomewhat deaf.
The remaining Crimes of the1 Negroes-vce moftly
compounded by a pecuniary Mulct : Which the King
without calling his Captains to his Affiftance takes
himfelf, except one of his Favourites,named Captain
Carter, who is juftly called the King's Soul ; fince
without him he will not do any tiling, though
even of the leaft Importance. This Perfon, in my
time, was, as we here call him, Captain Blank,
or the Captain to whom the European Affairs were
all entrufted.
If any Perfon here is accufed of any Crime and
denies the Fact, he is obliged to clear himfelf by
Fetiche\, as on the Gold Coaft ; or otherwife
(which is here very common) he is brought to a
River, not far from the King's Court ; to which is
afcribed the ftrange Quality of immediately drown?
ing all the Guilty Perfons which are thrown into
it ; (contrary to the European manner of trying
Witches ; ) but the Innocent come clear out of it
without any Damage ; foppofing withal that they^
lave themfelves by fwimming : In which Art all
of them being very expert, I never heard that this
River ever yet convicted any Perfon ; for they all
come well out, paying a certain Summ to the King;
for which end alone[I believe thisTryalis defigned.
The Vice-roys in their Governments generally
follow the feme Rule, and condemn the Malefactors
to pay a certain Summ for their ufe.
A a 4 Having

5}f5o A Defcription of the LET. XIX.
Having little more to fay concerning their
Government, I fhall now apply my felf to the
King's Houfhold and State.
The prefent King is Aged fome Years above fif:
ty, but as vigorous and fpritely as a Man of five
and thirty : He is the moft Civil and Generous
Negroe that I have obferved among the Black- Kind,
Mid is never better pleafed than when we defire a
Favour of him. It would be very eafie to obtain
Whatever, we afked of him, if a parcel of rafcally
Flatterers did not continually buzz Leflbns of
good Hufbandry in his Ears, not really out of
JCindnefs to him, but only in order to draw to
themfelves what by their frugal Advice they pre
vent his bellowing on others : And I have obfer
ved that he daily more and more hearkens to fliefe
fort of People ; for inftead pf being kind to us he
is now fo Obftinateand Humourfome in his trading
with us, that we fcarce know how to deal withlrim :
For as at firft he left it to us what to offer, now on
; the contrary he will have every thing his own way ;
he will have the choiceft and vendible part of our
Merchandifes in exchange for his Slaves, which
falls very heavy on the Merchant ; for befides that
he is obliged to give him one third, fourth or fifth
at leaft extraordinary for every Slave; the beft
Goods being difpofed of, the remainder are not
to be put off but to difadvantage : Whereas if the
King would be a little reafonable, as he was the firft
and fecond time I was there, we could eafily dife
pofe of the whole Cargo.
This King's Train is fo very mean, that it is
fcarce worth mentioning, he being attended by
none but his Wives only.
Once, or at moft, twice every Year, he goes
abroad, when he appears in a fort of fplendjd Rer
tinue, more efpecially accompanied with his Wives,
who amounts to above one Thoufand $ each of
which

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 361
which is dreffed in the richeft and moft fplendid
manner. At this time all his moft beautiful Wives,
who are always clofely enough fhut up, may be
feen ; and with them a rich Treafure of Coral
which is worth even more than Gold.
In this Progrefs he is not accompanied with fo
much as one Man ; but he before-hand advertifes
all his great Men where he intends to divert him
felf, whither they go to wait for him, ftill taking
care they keep far enough off of his Wives, as
being allowed no greater Favour than to fee them
as they pafs by.
The remaining part of the Year the King re
mains in his Houfe, indulging himfelf in no other
Diverfions than what his Wives afford him, except
when he goes to the place of Audience in order to
be informed by his Captains if any thing hath hap
pened, or to impart his Commands to them.
Which being done, he goes to the place of Au
dience appointed for the Europeans, to difcourfe
with. them concerning Commerce. Where, when
he and I had no other Bufinefs, I have fpent many
Days in one fort of Game or other (to all which
according to the Genius of that Nation he is
ftrangly addicted) we playing for an Ox, Hog,
Sheep, &c. but never for Goods or Monejr ; and I
had always that Advantage Of him, that if I won
he immediately fent hpme my Winnings : but on
the contrary if I loft he did not defire to receive my
Lootings. In this place pf Audience, there are .two Foot-
Benches, one broad covered with a Cloath, and
provided with an Oval Stool, according to the
Cuftom of the Country ; this is for the King, and
the other covered with Mats for the Europeans to ik
next the King and cpnverfe with hiin, always, bare*
headed ; not that they are ordered to do fo, but hjj-
caufe they always find that he is pleafed therewith. When*

A Defcription of the LET. XIX
Whenever we enter this place ©f Audience, we
e defired to lay by our Swords; becaufe the King
>th not like that any foould appear armed before
m. It is diverting enough to fpend a whole Day with
e King here ; for befides that he is very good
smpany, he is continually entertaining you
ith the beft that he has to eat and drink.
No Perfon is fuffered to drink out-of the fame
lafs or Cup with the King, but he hath always
iekept particularly for himfelf; and that which
th but once touched anothers Lips he never ufes
ore, though it be made of Metal that may be
sanfed by Fire.
When any of the Europeans eat in his Prefence
mich he is very fond of) the Table is indifferent*
regularly furnifhed and ferved. All his great
en or Nobles lye proftrate on the Earth a-round
long as he is prefent, without daring to rife :
id what the Europeans leave at their Table is be-
>wed upon them, which they very greadily eat,
bether they like it or no ; and though they have
i times better at home ; and were it not t© af-
mt the King's Diet, would not touch it.
The Pofts or Offices which this King beftows are
three forts: Firft, the Viceroys, here called
ndalgoes or Governadors, which compofethe firft
ate of the Kingdom ; thefe in the King's abfence
id in their Vice-royalties, command as Arbitrari-
and keep up as great State as the King himfelf.
The fecond are his Chief-Captains, here called
rand-Captains, though moft of them are withal
ce-roys over fome Country or other.
The third are the common Captains ; of which
are are a great number ; and each of thefe hath a
rticular Character : He to whom the care of the
arket is entrufted, is Captain of the Market ; by
e feme rule another is Captain of the Slaves,' a
third

LET. XIX, Slave of Coaft Guinea. 362
third of the Tronks or Prifons, another of the
Shoar. In fhort, for every Affair that can be
thought of, the King hath appointed a Captain O-
verfeer. Befides which there are a great number of Hono
rary Captains without any Offices ; for each of all
which Pofts in proportion every Perfon is obliged
to pay the King a good Summ of Money, though
he hath always the Honour of beftowing it only
out of his efpecial Favour.
This King's Revenue, in proportion to his Coun
try, is very large ; of which, I believe, he hath
above one Thoufand Collectors , who difperfe
themfelves throughout the whole Lapd, in all Mar
ket-roads and Paflages, in order to gather the
King's Toll, which amounts to anincredible Summ;
for there is nothing fo mean fold in the whole
Kingdom, that the King hath not Toll for it : Which
indeed, if allhoneftly paid to him, would make
him very rich ; but the Gentlemen Collectors
fo largely fleece it, that the King fcarce receives
one fourth part of the whole.
There are three principal Collectors appointed
over the Slave Trade ; each of which is to receive
a Rix-dollar for the King's Toll, for every Slave
that is traded for : But thefe Gentlemen, like the
reft, agree under-hand with thofe who fell the
Slaves ; fo that the King receives nothing of it :
But with refpeft to the Slaves which are fold for
Boefles (the Money of this Country) fomewhat
better care is taken, for the Summ contracted for
is paid in the King's Prefence ; out of which he
receives three Rix-dollars for every Slave : Not
withftanding which care, though he. is the leaft
cheated, yet fome of his Subjects are fo fly as to
fetch their Money for their Slaves by Night, or at
unfeafonable times, and confequently cheat him-,
and on account that we have continual occafion to
make

A Defcription of the LET. XIX.
make ufe of them we cannot deny them their Mo
ney when-ever they demand it.
The exact half of all the Fines and Tolls in his
Vice-royalties accrues to him ; but I believe he
would be very well fatisfied if he could but get
one fourth.
There are two very fine large Rivers at Fida :
one of which runs .by the two Popo\ the other by
Jakin : They are fo plentifully ftored with Fifh,
that the King's Toll out of each of them is worth
one hundred Slaves, which yet is not above half
-what the Collectors receive.
To the foregoing Revenues of the King may
be added that from each Ship which comes here to
trade, reckoning. one with another, either by Toll,
his own Trade or Cuftom, which comes to about
400 Pounds Srerling ; and fometimes fifty. Ships
come hither in a Year, though at other times not
above half fo many : In fhort, if the King were
not cheated, he would have a vaft Income, and be
a potent Prince, confidered as one of this Country
Kings ; but compared with the Oriental or other
Kings, he makes indeed but a wretched Figure:
But it goes here as all the World over, each Officer
fteals no more than he can, and the Offices feem
only to turn to the Advantage of the Poffeffors,'
without the Givers being much the better for therm
But how greatfbever the King's Revenue may be,
he hath occafion enough for it; for befides the large
Summs which he daily fumifhes for the Deftrudtion
of Popo, and to Subject Offra -,
Befides thefe, I fay, and the neceflary Expences
of his Haufhold, together with the rich Offerings
he is obliged to make to his Idol-Gods, he is
daily obliged to keep four Thoufand Men, and
to provide them with Meat and Drink ; and tho*
he doth not efteem his Subjects more than his Slaves,
yet when he employs them he is obliged to pay
them dear enough. His

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 362
His principal great Men eat with him daily,
or at leaft in his Prefence, for no Man is permitted
to fee him eat, nor any Woman befides his Wives ;
which feems tojme formerly defigned to create an i-
magination in the Subjects, that their Kings were
fomewhat more than Men, and were to be refpect-
ed and adored as Gods*, and that they did not, like
other Men, want the common Supplies of Eating
and Drinking, though the King doth the laft before
every Body.
For the former'' Reafon, and one more which I
lhall mention, no Perfon is permitted to know the
King's Lodging-place. I once very innocently
afked his greateft Minion, Carter, where the King
lay at Night ? but he anfwered this Queftion with
another, which was, where doth God lodge ? juft
as much, is it poffible for us to know the King's
Bed-chamber. This I am apt to think is done to preferve a deep
Refpect amorigft the People ; and that upon a fud-
den on-fet of the Enemies, they fhould not imme
diately find the King, but that he may get time e-
nough tofave himfelf by Flight.
Befides the above mentioned Expences, the Kings
Charge is very much augmented by his continual
Prefents to rhe Europeans ; which if he likes them,
and they receive them thankfully,are confiderable.
Their Tables are daily furnifhed by him with
Sheep, Hogs, Fowl, Beef, or what elfe can be got
ten, together with Bread. Fruit, Beer, and what
thereto appertains, and alf this" in larger Quantities
than their People really want.
The Hollanders were in my time, extraordinary
well treated here, for the King prqvided them bet
ter than all other Nations, and frequently fent
them a double Portion ; but fince the Captains of
Ships have managed, the Trade here, lam inform
ed our -Nation is treated by" .the -King with very
fmall

A Deferipthn of fhe LET. XIX
final! diftinction ; for which thefe Mafters of
Ships are folely to blame ; for they being utter
ly ignorant of the Manners of the People, don't
know how to treat them with that Decency which
they require ; arid the Natives here being very Ju
dicious, have doubtlefsleffehed their former efteem
for them : Upon which Ground I dare propheti
cally averr, that they will certainly ruine the
Slave Trade here,and fo manage it that every Body
fhall be obliged to pay dearer for Slaves than ufu--
ally. But having touched on this Subject in the fe
venth Letter, I fhall quit it at prefent ; as alfo that
I may not anger the Sailors, who fancy they un
derftand the Slave Trade as well as we our felves:
But fince I have fo often mentioned that Com
merce, I fhall defcribe how it is managed by
our Factors here.
The firft bufinefs of one of our Factors when he
comes to Fida, is to fatisfie the Cuftoms of the King
and the great Men, which amount to about 100
Pounds in Guinea value, a9 the Goods muft yield
there. After which we have free Licence to Trade,
which is publifhed throughout the whole Land by
the Cryer.
But yet before we can deal with any Perfon,
we are obliged to buy the King's whole ftock of Slaves
at a fet price ; which is commonly one third or one
fourth higher than ordinary : After which we ob
tain free leave to deal with all his Subjects of what
Rank foever. But if there happen to be no ftock of
"Slaves, the Factor muft then refolve to run the
Rifque of trufting the Inhabitants with Goods to the,
value of one or two hundred Slaves ; which Com
modities they fend into the In-land Country, in
order to buy with them Slaves at all Markets, and
that fometimes two hundred Miles deep iri the
Country : For you ought to beinfornied that Mar
kets of Men are here kept in the fame manner as
thofe of Beafts with us. Net

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft of Guinea. 364
Not a few in our Country fondly imagine that
Parents here fell their Children, Men their Wives,
and one Brother the other : But thofe who think
fo- deceive themfelves ; for this never happens on
any other account but that of Neceffity, or fome
great Crime : But moft of the Slaves that are offer
ed to us are Prifoners of War, which are fold by
the Victors as their Booty.
When thefe Slaves come to Fida, they are put
in Prifon all together, and when we treat concern
ing buying them, they are all thought out together
in a large Plain ; where, by ourChirurgeons, whofe
Province it is, they are throughly examined, even
to the fmalleft Member, and that naked too both
Men and Women, without the leaft Diftinction
or Modefty. Thofe which are approved as good
are fet on one fide -, and the lame or faulty are fet
by as InvaUdes, which are here called Mackrons.
Thefe are fuch as are above five and thirty Years
old, or are maimed in the Arms, Legs, Hands or
Feet, have loft a Tooth, are grey-haired, or have
Films over their Hyes ; as well as all thofe which
are affected with any Veneral Diftemper, or with
feveral other Difeafes.
The Lwalides and the Maimed being thrown out,
as I have told you, the remainder are numhred,
and it is entred who delivered them. In the mean
' while a burning Iron, with the Arms or Name of
the Companies, lyes in the Fire ; with which
ours are marked on the Breaft.
This is done that we may diftinguifti them from
the Slaves of the Englifli, French or others ; (which
are alfo marked with their Mark) and to prevent
the Negroes exchanging them for worfe ; at which
they have a good Hand.
I doubt not but this Trade feems very barbarous
to. you, • but fince it is followed by meer neceffity
it muft go on ; but we yet take all poffible care
that

A Defcription of the LET. XIX.
hat they are not burned too hard, efpecially the
fomen, who are more tender than the Men.
We are feldom long detained in the buying of
lefe Slaves, becaufe their price is eftablifhed, the
'omen being one fourth or fifth part cheaper than
te Men. The Difputes which we generally have
ith the Owners of thefe Slaves are, that we will
at give them fuch Goods as they afk for them, ef-
xially the Boefles (as I have told you, the Money
r this Country ;) of which they are very fond,
ough we generally make a Divifion on this Head
order to make one fort of Goods help off an-
her, becaufe thofe Slaves which are paid for in
lejies coft the Company one half more than thofe
ught with other Goods. The Price of a Slave is
immonly— — — —
When we have agreed with the Owners of the
aves, they are returned to their Prifon ; where
3m that time forwards they are kept at our charge,
ft us two pence a day a Slave ; which ferves to
ififf them, like our Criminals, on Bread and Wa-
: : So that to fave Charges we fend them on Board
r Ships with the very firft Opportunity ; before
rich their Mafters ftrip them of all they have on
:ir Backs ; fo that they come Aboard ftark-naked
well Women as Men : In which condition they
3 obliged to continue, if the Mafter of the Ship is
t fo Charitable (which he commonly is) as to be-
w fomething on them to cover their Nakednefs.
You would really wonder to fee how thefe Slaves
e on Board ; for though their number fometimes
lounts to fix or' feven Hundred, yet by the care-
'. Management of our Mafters of Ships, they are
regulated that it feems incredible : And in this
rticular our Nation exceeds all other Ewopeans ;
' as the French, Portuguefe and Englifli Slave-Ships,
i always foul and ftinking ; on the contrary ours
i for the moft part clean and neat. The

LET. XIX, Slave Coaft of Guinea.
The Slaves are "fed three times a Day with indif
ferent good Victuals, and much better than they eat
in their own Country. Their Lodging-place is di
vided into two parts ; one of which is appointed
for the Men the other for the Women ; each Sex
being kept a-part : Here they lye as clofe together
as is poffible for them to be crouded. -'
We are fometimes fufficiently plagued with a
parcel of Slaves, which come from a far In-land
Country, who Very innocently perfwade one ano-
ther^hat we buy them only, to fatten and afterwards
'r eat them as a Delicacy.
When we are fo unhappy as to be peftered with
' many of this fort, they refolve and agree together
(and bring over the reft to their Party) to run a-
way from the Ship, kill the Europeans, and fet the
Ve/fel a-fhore ; by which means they defign to free
"themfelves from being our Food.
I have twice met with this Misfortune ; arid the
firft time proved very unlucky to me, I not in the
leaft fofpecting it; but the Up- roar was timely
quaftred by the Mafter of the Ship and my felf, by
caufing the Abettor to be fhot through the Head,
after' vvhich all was quiet.
/ But the fecond time it fell heavier on another
Ship, and that chiefly by the careleffnefs of the Ma^
fter,, who having timed up the Anchor of a depart
ed Englifh Ship, had laid it in the Hold where the
Male Slaves were lodged; who, unknown to any
of the Ships Crew, poffeffed themfelves of a Ham
mer ; with which, in a fhort time, they broke all
their Fetters in pieces upon the Anchor : after
this they came above Deck and fell upon our
Men ; foine of whom they grievoufly wounded,
and would certainly have maftered the Ship, if a
French and Englifli Ship had not very fortunately
'happened to lye by us ; who perceiving by our fl
ing a Diftreffed-Gun,j that fomething was in dif-
order on Board, immediately came to our aflift-
(B b) anee

A Defcription of the LET XIX.
ince with Clialops and Men, and drove the Slaves
inder Deck : Notwithftanding which before all
vas appeafed about twenty of them were killed.
The Portitguefe have been more unlucky in this
Particular than we % for in' four Years tinie they
loft four Ships in .this manner.1 „ .'
Thus believing' I have fuffieieritly digreffed con
cerning the Slave Trade, I fhall return to my Siib-
jfett, which" was the King of Fida.
Who, I am obliged to tell. you, is feared arid re-
verenced'by his Subjects as a Demi-God. , , None
of his Subjects, of what Degree foever, as you
have been already told, appears in his Prefence
orherwife than kneeling or proftrate on his Belly :
When tbey go to falute him in the Morning,- they
proftrate themfelves before the Door of his Hpufe,
k.ifs the Earth three times ' fucceffively, and clap
ping their Hands, whifper fome Words tending
to the Adoration of the King. This done, they
crawl in on all Four, where they repeat the fame
Reverence.
. His Prefence is fo awful to them, that with a
firigle Word he makes them to tremble ; but as foon
as his Back is turned they immediately forget their
Fear,not much regarding his Compiands,and always
knowing how to appeafe and delude him with a
Lye or two.
The King is very magnificently Cloathed in Silk,
or Gold and Silver Stuffs -, blithe is more efpeci
ally dreffed better than ordinary when he goes tp
vifit any of the Europeans ; which he can eafily
do unfeeri of any, all their Dwellings being built
round • his Corirt, if it may be fo called.
Our Lodging here, which the King caufed to be
built for me, is very large, containing three Ware-.
hoiifes and feven Chambers,- befides a beautiful
Court within adorned on each fide with a covered
Gallery. But the Lodgings of the reft of the Eu
ropeans are very mean and inconvenient.
Th>

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft of Guinea. ge^y
The King's Children, befides the fmall ones yet
'kept within Doors, are four, viz, three Sons and
one Daughter.
All which are very handfome, efpecially the eld
eft, who is the moft beautiful Negroe I ever yet few
in my Life -, but it is pity fo agreeable a Bo
dy fhould be inhabited by fuch a villanousj
Soul. Purfuant to his Birth-right he is Heir ap
parent to the Crown ; but he is pf fuch a fraudu
lent and perverfe Nature, that it is to be hoped
he will not fucceed ; but if he doth, the Land will
fuffer very much.
He hath his Emiffaries in all Quarters to fteal
from the Europeans as well as Blacks ; and what is
yet more,he doth not excufe even the King his Father.
He is exactly of the fame Nature with the Owls, \ -
which take their flight only by Night ; for he never
goes out of his Houfe till the Evening, when I have
feveral times had the Honour to be vifited by him.
One Reafon why he doth not go abroad in the
Day timers owing to his Haughty Temper, which
will not allow hm to fhew himfelf to the Commo
nalty; and the other, is feveral times to avoid
the neceffity of appearing in his Father's Prefence.
The King's fecond Son is very like his Father ;
to whom he is not Inferiour in all manner of Ci
vility : Wherefore the great Men make their Court
to him ; and for this Reafon I doubt not but after
the King's Deceafe, this Realm will be engaged
in a Civil War ; for the greateft nmnber will
endeavour to place the ycungeft Son on the Throne;
which the. eldeft affifted with Foreign Domeftick
Force, willas vigoroufly oppofe. And if at that
time the Europeans happen to be able, they will
act very prudently in efpoufing the Party of the
younger Brother, as they did in the cafe of the'
prefent King ; who, though the younger Brother,
et by reafon of his Natural Goodnefs, was fixed
force on the Throne by the Dutch, French
(Bb 2) and

I.

A, Defcription, of the LET. XIX.
and Portnguefe, his elder Brother being by their
means driven out and hanifhed the Country ;
which is the principal Reafbn that he at prefent
isfo fenfibly inclined to favour the Europeans.
I cannot here omit the pernicious Cuftom of
this Nation on occafion of the King's: Death ;
w.hich is no fopner publickly known than ever-y
Perfon falls a ftealing to as great a value of hi«
Neighbour's Goods as he can. poffibly come at,
apd, that openly in the Face of the whole Wosld,
without being liable to any Punifhment ; as tho''
the Death of the King put an end to all manner
of Reafon. and, Juftice.
This Robbery is continued tiff a new King is
confirmed in, the Throne ; whp by publick Pro*
damation forbids it, and he is immediately there
in ftrictly obeyed. •
And if the Chief Commanders cannot agree in.
the Efiablifhment of a new King ; they, notwith*
ftanding, to prevent the continuance of this. Difi
order, tell the People that they, have chofen a new
King, and in his Name publifh, the before-menti
oned Prpclamation.
The choofing or confirming of a new King?
feldom continues long in difpute ; for the eldeft
Son no fooner hears of the King's Death,,;
than he immediately makes, his Intereft amongfl*
his Friends,, to take Potfeffion of the late
King's Court and Wives ; and fucceeding' happily
in thefe Particulars, he need not doubt the remain
der ; for therCommonalty will not eafily confent .
that, aftec that he fhall be driven from the Throne.
This feems fomewhat like Abfahm\ Defign on
hi6 Father David.
,To accomplifh this Defign, the younger Bro^
trier's Party are always careful enough, that he is
nearatHandin order to take potfeffion of the Court.
You cannot but remember that I have informed
you of the Multiplicity of the King's Wives; who

LET. XIX. -Stive of Coaft Guinea.
who are fometimes made ufe of by him as
Executioners of the Sentences he pronounces
againft Offenders : Which is only done by
fending three or four hundred of them to the
Habitation of the Malefactor* to ftrip his Houfe
and lay it level with the Ground ; for all Perfons
being forbidden on pain of Death to touch the
King's Wives, they are enabled to execute his
Commands without the leaft interruption.
Juft before my Arrival at Fida,there hapned fome
what fo pleafant that I cannot help imparting it to
you. A Negroe of my Acquaintance, and who in
procefi of time did me very confiderable Services,
being before-hand' advertifed that he was accufed
of a certain Grime to the King, and that Orders
were iflued out accordingly to plunder and de-
.molifti his Houfe \ his time being too fhort to clear
himfelf t© the King, and being innocent, herefolved
inftead of flying from his Houfe, acccording to Cu-
ftom,tpremain at Home and expect the King's Wives;
who foon after came, and contrary to their Expect
ation found himatHome ; upon which they com
manded him immediately to retire, and not inter
rupt (he Execution of their Orders : But inftead
of obeying them, he had placed a Heap of 2000
Weight of Gun-powder juft by him ; with which he,
vfith terrible ^mprecatiojis, threatned to fire and
blow up himfelf with them in the Air if they came
nearer him. They were fo far from liking this,
that difmally affrighted at his Threats, they made
the beft of their way back to the King, to acquaint
hjun with their ill Succefe : But they were not
fo, expeditious but that the Negroe^ was top quick
for them-, and fohandfomely acquitted himfelf to
the King, and brought fuch clear Proof* of his In
nocence, that his Sovereign declared him innocent ;
and thus by a dextrous management and prefence
of Mind he, fre^ed himfell ftpm imminent Da*K
ger. But

A Defcription of the I E T. XIX '
But enough on this Subject, which I might eafi*
ly have paffed over in Silence : It is now time to
come to my promifed Subject, the Religion of the
.Fidaflans. , *
I have already informed you that the greateft- , (
Crimes committed at Fida are generally compen-:
fated by Money ; and what followeth will con
vince you that their Religion feems only founded
on the fame Principle, Jnterefl.
Their Religion is Superftitious to a greater de-
gree'than any I ever yet heard of in the World :
For allowing the Ancient Heathens to value them
felves on thirty Thoufand Deities, I dareyet averr,
that thofe of Fida may juftly lay claim to four
times that number.
I once afked a Negroe, with whom I could talk
very freely, and whom I had alfo a good Opinion-
of (being the fame who had the Adventure with'
the King's Wives, already related :) I afked him,
I fay, how they celebrated their Divine Worfhip,
and what number of Gods they had ? He laughing, '
anfwered, That I had puzzled him ; and affured
me that no Body in the whole Country could give
me an exact' Account of it : For, as for my own
part (continues he) I have a very large number of
Gods, and doubt not but others have as many.
And I telling him that or^ly three Gods were owned
to me by the Inhabitants, and defiring him withal to
give me fome account of the reft : He obliged me
with the following Anfwer, That the Number of
their Gods was endlefe and innumerable: For
(faid he) any of us being refolved to undertake
any thing of Importance, we firft of all fearch
out a God to profper our defigned Undertakings
and going out of Doors with this Defign, take
the firft Creature that prefents it felf tp our Eyes',* i;
whether Dog , Cat or the moft contemptible ^
Animal in the World, for our God ; or per-'.
haps inftead of that gny Inanimate that falls, in.
our

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft of Guinea. ȣ3
our way, whether a Stone, a piece of Wood, or
any tiling elfe of the fame Nature. This new
chofen God is immediately prefented with an Of
fering; which is accompanied with a Solemn Vow,
that if he pleafeth to profper our Undertakings,
for the _ future we will always worfhip and e-
fteem him as a God. If our Defign prove fuc-
cefsful, we have difcovered a new and alfiftingGod,
which is daily prefented with frefh Offerings :
But if the contrary happen, the new God is re
jected as an ufelefs Tool, and confequently returns
to his Primitive Eftate : He went on in thefe
following Words, we make and break our Gods
daily, and confequentially are the Mafters and
Inventers of what we Sacrifice to.
This Divine Service is not new in the World,
nor were the firft Men ftrangers to it. But how
thefe Notions reached Fida, is what I dare not
prefume to determine. So far the Negroe.
I was very well pleafed to hear this Negroe talk
in this manner concerning his Country Gods:
But having converfed with him for fome time, I
obferved that he ridiculed his own Country Gods ;
for having in Iris Youth lived amongft the French,
whofe Language he perfectly underftood, and
fpake, he had amongft them imbibed the Princi
ples of the Chriftian Religion, and fome what to
wards a juft Notion of the True God, and how
he is to be Worfhipped ; to whom, and not to his
Country Gods, he afcribed tha Creation of all
Things : Wherefore he no farther concerned him
felf with the Gods of his Country, than as engaged
. toitfor quietnefe fake, or to make his Frienck ea
fie ; to whom he durft not reveal his Opinion,
* fearing (what would certainly bave.happened) the
falling into fome dangerous Circumftances ; for as
ftrong as his Faith was,' it was not arrived to that
Pitch as tp oblige him to fuffer Lofe of Goods on
Chat aec ount : So that we may juftly cry out,
V ! how weak was his Faith ! It

A Deftription of the L E T. XIX
It i« certain that his Country-Men have a faint
Idea of the True God, and afcribe to him the Attri
butes of Almighty,and Omniprefent; they believe
he created the Univerfe, and therefore vaftly pre-
ferr him before their IdoKJods : But yet they do
not pray to him, or offer afiy Sacrifices to him ;
for which they give the following Reafons. God,
iky they, is too high exalted above: us, and too
great to cbndefcend fo much as to trouble himfelf
or think of Mankind *• Wherefore he commits the
Government of tbe World to their Idols ; to whom,
as the fecond, third and fourth Perfons diftant in
degree from God, and our appointed lawful Go
vernours, we.are obliged to apply our felves. And
in firmBelief of this Opinion they quietly continue.
Their Principal Gods, which are owned for fuch
throughout the whole Country, are of three forts.
Firft, a certain fortof Snakes, who ppffefs the chief
Rank amongft their Gods. How would our Coutl-
try-man, Becker, Author of the World Bewitched,
divert himfelf with the contrary Opinions of the
¦Sons of Ademi'*. For as we taksthe Serpent for the
Fatal Deftroyer of Human-Race ; fo thefe of Fida
on the contrary efteem him their Supreme Blifs and
greateft Good. But this by way of Parenthefis only.
Their Second-rate Gods are fome lofty high
Trees ; in the Formation of which Dame-Nature
feems to have expreffed her greateft Art. , ''•
The third and meaneft Grid or Younger Brother ,
to the other is the Sea. Thefe three mentioned are
the publick Deities which are worftripped and pray
ed to throughout the whole Country : And each
of thefe, according to their ridiculous Perfwafiori,
hath its particular Province, like the Officers of a
King or Prince ; with this difference only, that
the Sea and Trees are not permitted to inter meddle
with what is entrufted]to the Snake ; which on the
contrary hath an influencing Power over both the
other, in order to correct them when they prove
idle or lazy. They

LET. XIX. Slave-Ccaft. \ fa
They Invoke the Snake in. exceffive Wet, Dry*
or Barren Seafons; on all oceafions relating to
their Government and the Prefervation of -their
Cattel, .or rather in one Word, in all Neceffities
and Difficulties, in which they do not apply to
their new Batch of Gods-i
And for this reafon very great Offerings are
made to it,' efpecially from the" King, who on
feveral Oceafions, by mitigation , of the Priefts,
and the great Men his Creatures and the Priefl's
Tools, fends very rich Offerings to the, Snake-
Houfe. But I am of Opinion, that thefe Roguifh
Priefts fweep all the mentioned Offerings to them
felves,, and doubtlefs make themfelves very Mer
ry with them.
Thefe Offerings are commonly comprized of
Money, fome Pieces of Silk or Stuff, allfOrts of
European and African Commodities, all , forts of
Cattel, and good Eatables and Drinks: i All
which are fo frequently exa^ed from the
King, that he fometimes.grows tired and refufeth
them. ..t-.r .
-This I had once anOpportunky of obfervmg:For
finding him very much enraged, I made no fcru
ple to ask him, What ha,d -fo much difpliafed him :
He very freely told rrje, .That^r Year he had fent
Witch larger Offerings to the Snake- Houfe than ufualj
in order to obtain a gooA Crop ; and that one of hit
Viceroys (whom he fhewed me) bad defired him a-
frejhin the Name ofthePHeJts,who tbreatneddBarren
Tear, to fend yet more. To which he anfwered,-
That he did not intend to make any farther Offerings'
ihisTear ; and. if the Snake would not beftow a plen
tiful Harveft on them, '. he might let it alone, for
£ faid he) / cannot be mure damaged thereby fhe grea-
eft part of my Corn being already Rotten in the Fields
I Smiling obfervedv Thatthe King would have
added another Prefent, if he could have hoped fof
3 b a'ny

I76 A DefcriptiB of the t H T. XIX
any Advantage by it; but to make Offerings bare
ly for another's Intereft, he was not Very fond
of ; ¦ wherefore the Petitioner was obliged to de*
part without obtaining' his end ; which went
down but indifferently with him and the Priefts*
who had promifed themfelves another fort of
Succefs. The Snake-Houfe which I have fo frequent
ly mentioned, is fituated about two Miles
from the King's Village, and built under a very
beautiful lofty Tree, In which (fay they) the
Chief and largeft of all the Snakes refides. He is a
fort of Grandfather to all the reft ; is reprefent-
ed as thick as a Man, and of an unmeafurable
length. He muft alfo be very Old, for they report that
they found him a great number of. Years paftj
when by reafon of the Wickednefs of the Men,
he left another Country to come to them, at which
being overjoyed, they welcomed their new-come
God with all expreffible figns of Reverence and
high Veneration, and carry'd him upon a Silken
Carpet to the Snake-houfe, where he is at pre
fent. This Roguifh Snake probably bad the fame
Freaks in his Tail, which the old Heathen Gods
were affected with wheo they run away from one
Country to another 5 wherefore they were fome
times obliged to bind their God-head faft ; of
which thofe popr Wretches who loft the Snake
were not aware, otherwife they might have Hop
ped his Journey. But wherefore do I fpend my
time in making Reflections, fince I have more im
portant Subjects to handle !
The Kings of Fida were formerly accuftomed
to Annual Pilgrimages to the Snake-Houfe, which
was Celebrated with great Magnificence, and
concluded with yet greater Prefents: For the

LET. XIX. Slav&Goaft. »7I
the King not only made very rich, Offerings, but
alfo bellowed very large Prefents ou the grcajE
Men that, accompanied him j fo that this Pilgri
mage commonly coft him feveral Thoufands.
But the prefent King hath broke off this Cu
ftom, which is accordingly grown in difufefor
feveral Years paft. In his laft Tour which he
made to the Snake-Houfe, he was (as I am inform
ed) accompanied by Monfieur Dncasy a French
Captain, who was ridiculous enough, to the Scan
dal of all Europeans, to drefs himfllf in Tyger's
Skins and other fort of Trifles, and lead the
King in this Equipage to the Snake-Houfe. If
this Action is true of him, it is worfe than that
of Naaman the Syrian, who hardly converted,
asked leave to fupport his Mafter jn the Hoofe
of Rimmon. But this is a digreffion very wide
from our purpofe.
The King then as I have told you, doth not
make this Pilgrimage in Perfon, but orders it to
be done by fome of his Wives, which does nos
prove near fo expenfive ; and this I believe is
the only reafbn why he leaves it off.
But as the Snake Service proves very expenfive
to the King, fothe Revenue which he draws from
thence is not inconfiderable. Annually from the
time when the Mais or fmall Milhio is fowed till
it grows up to Man's height, the King and Prieft's
Plow turns to a very great Account to them ; for
the People here which don't fee much farther
than their Nofes, imagine that during this whole
Seafbn, the Snake or Snakes make it their Bufinefs
every Evening and Night to feize all the beautiful
young Women which pleafe them, and to make
them Diffracted ; wherefore their Parents or Re
lations are neceffitated to caufe thefe Girls to be
brought to a particular Houfe built for that pur-r
pofe, where they are oblig'd to ftay feveral
B b 2 Months,

j*f£- A Deftriptionof the LET. XIX/
Month's, h it is;giVen out tonCure them of tbeic i
Midnefs", during which' time the Relations are.
obliged tofurnifh them with all; manner of Ne-
ceflaries/artd- that fo plentifully, that the Prieftsi
can alfo- haudfomly fubfift on it. - ' '•'> '$'.*
The appointed time of their Confinement be
ing over, arid befog Cured .of the Diftemper wichi
which they were never afflicted, they obtain leavet
to come out ; before which they muft pay the>
Charge of their, Cure and Keeping, which: is adV>
jutted in proportion to the Gircumftances iof their
Relations ^utudone Girt with another amounts to:
about five Pounds : And the timber of young?
Girls thus I mprifqn'd rifes to feveral Thoufands,
each confiderable Village having a particular Houfe'
appointed for thac purpofe, and fome which are.
large being provided with two or .three..,. •. . to
All the Money which this Trade raHeth^ is.
commonly thought and 'believed to be! for the
Priefts, in order to be made ufe of in their DivJrm
Service." Arid tho' I doubt not but the Prieftsj
have their Share, I am yet certain, <That the-Kmgr
is fo far from fuffering by ir„ that he drawsocoal*
fideriabje Sums from this Cuftom. „>,
fi The firft time that 1 came to Eda to .Trade,:
I was affured that as foon as a Girl was' touched
by the Snake, fhe unavoidably ton Mad ; tho' it
was but a tort of Holy or Religious Madnefs, fuch
as hath formerly been related of the Bacchantes,
Or thofe from whofe Mouths the Divine Oracles
proceeded. "Si Yet 1 don't like thefe Pious Funs,-
for the Perfons pretend to be affected wich it,
break arid fpoil every thing which comes in their
way; and inftead of Religious are guilty of all
manner of Diabolical Actions, which they never
le«ive off till they are brought to the beforementi-t
oaed Place. i
At

LET. XIX. M Slave (^^k 3n
At firftrhe People here ftrenu&uayendeavour'd
to perfwade me, that a Snake was' .able to fetch,*
Girl out of the Hoofe and carry her off; tho' the
faid Houfe was clofe. fhut up. Which I ea
fily agreed to, -provided the Girl was but ftored
with proper Inftruments to open the Locks.
I would not reft til! I had examined how this
Cheat is managed, notwithftanding which 1 fhould
never have difcovered it, if the beforemen cloned
"Negro hadnotaffifted me, and oblig'd me with the
following Account of it, viz.. That the Priefts dir
ligently obferve thofe young Maids or Women
alfo which have never been affected by the Snake.
Thefe they firft- attempt by Promifes, or if they
are not fuccefsful, oblige by Threats to perform
what they defire of them ; which is, that being
in the Street and feeing the Coaft clear of Peopie
on all fides, they fet on Crying and Raying with
all their Strength, as tho' the Snake had faft hold
of them, aad commanded them to go to the
*#*Mf5nake-houfe. -
Before any Perfon can come to their help, the
Snake is vanifhed and the Girl is Mad ; which ne-
ceflitates her Relations to follow* the Snake's Or
ders.
, 'When thefe Females come out of their Mad
Prifon, the Prieft lays his moft rigid Commands
on them, not to difeover how they were feized
by the Snake ; but to flick faft to the Story that
the Snake did it. And in order .to clench thefe -
fevere Prohibitions and render them the more ef
fectual, thofe who reveal thofe Secrets pf the
Sacerdotal Empire, are th'reacned to be immedi
ately Burned alive. And indeed the Priefts are
Cruel and Potent enough to mak^fgood their
Threats, if tbey cpuld find any Women guii-r
¦ JfVb 3 Th*s

374 A Deflation of the LET. XIX.
This Negro related a pleafant Adventure con
cerning this Confinement, which happened be
twixt him and one of his Wives ; who by the In-
ftigation of the Priefts, one Everting feigned her-
felf Diftradied, breaking (according to Cuftom J
every thing in Pieces on which fhe could lay her
Hands. But he very well knowing whence this
Diftemper proceeded , gently took her by the
Hand, as tho1 he defigned to carry her to the
Snake-Houfe, but carried her indeed to the Place
of Refidence of the Brandettbwrgers, who were
then at Fida in order to buy Slaves ; where he of
fer'd her to Sale. But when fhe faw that he was
in earneft, immediately freed from her Madnefi,
flie fell upon her Knees and ask'd his Pardon, fo-
lemnly Promifing at the fame time never to be
guilty of the like Crime for the future, upon
which he let her go free ; and by this means fhe
was delivered from her Madnefs, and he freed
from the exceffive Charge of her Cure. This
was a very bold Attempt, for if the Priefts had
been informed of it, he had been a dead Man.
During my Refidence at Fida, the King caufed
bisDaughter to be feized by the Snake. (The con-
fequence will juftifie my charging him with it.)
He caufed her to be carried to the Snake-Houfe,
and confined for fome time, tho* not fo long as is
cuftomary ; but on her account all the other Girls
went out before theft ufual time.
On the Day of her Delivery, fhe was brought
put in a very fplendid Manner, and carried with
all the other Girls which followed her, to the
King's Court, before which they were placed.
She was Nak/d except only a Silk Scarf, which
was pafTed^Etetwixt her Legs, and richly adorned
with Conte di Terra and Agrie, two forts of Coral!
which I have already fjerjucntly mentioned.

LET. XIX. Slave-Co*/?. 375
Whilft fhe was here fhe was guilty of all man
ner of Extravagancies, during the Playing on fe
veral Mufieal Inftruments ; which fore of Mad-
nefs the Negroes told me yet remained on her,
more efpecially by reafon of her being enlarged
before the expiration of her due time,
Whilft fhe fate here the moft confiderable Peo
ple of the whole Country crouded hither, each
bringing his Prefents which they made to her;
and together amounted to a confiderable Sum.
Thefe Gifts lafted three or four Days fucceffively,
becaufe it was impoffible for moft of the People
to come near her the firft Day ; fo that this young
Lady was treated in a quite different manner from
her Companions, who were all obliged to dif-
burfe Money for their Delivery, whilft (he on
the other fide was a very confiderable Gainer
thereby, And if there are any Negroes who are very
fenfible that all this is nothing but a pure Cheat,
yet to curry favour with the King and Priefts,
and for their ownSecurity, they pretend Ignorance,
and fuffer it to pafs upon them for real Truths
which is indeed advifable, for thofe who fhould
j.oppofe it, would very much endanger their
FLives. I was Eye-Witnefs to a dreadful Inftance of
this. The laft time I was at Eda, a Negroe
born on the Gold-QoaQ:, who was called Captain
Tom, lived at Eda ; and by reafon of his good
Deportmenp and obliging Nature, was promoted
to the Dignity of Captain and Interpreter to the
Englifh. He being a Stranger to the Religion of
this Country, had a Wife of this Nation, which
fell Mad and pretended to be feized by the Serpents
But he inftead of fending her to the Snake-houfe,
clapt her in Irons jwhich ft> enraged this She-Devil
(different frqrn other in our formerStory) that {he

tf6 A Defcription of the LET. XIX.'
privately aecufed her Husband to thePriefts ; who
not willing to make any publick Attempts on him,
becaufe be was a Gold-Qoafl Negro who differ
ed from them in Religion ; yet fecretly Poifon'd
him in fuch a manner*, that he did not quickly
Dye, but immediately became Speechlefs, and loft
the ufe of all his Limbs, which was worfe than
Dying. At my Departure I left him in this5 rtiiferable
Condition, -fo. that I know not whether he was .
ever Cured or not. Fronrwhich you may obferve?
That throughout the World it is very dangerous
todifoblige the Ecclefiafticks.
This may fuffice, concerning the Frauds pf the
Priefts on account, of the Snake Worfhip.
The Reverence and Rel'pedt which the Negroes
preferve for the Snake is fo great, that if a Black
fhould barely touch one of them with a Stick, or
any otherwife hurt him , he is a dead Man, and
certainly Condemned to the Flames.
Along time paft, when the Exghfh firft began to
Trade her e^here happened a veryRemarkable and
Tragical Event. An Englifh Captain being land
ed, fome of his Men and part of his Cargo, they
found a Snake in their Houfe, which "they im
mediately killed without the leaft Scruple, and
hot doubting but they had done a good Work,
threw out the dead Snake at their Door* where
being found by the Negroes in the Morning, the
Englifh preventing the Queftion who had done the
Fact, afcribed the Honour to themfelves', which
fo incenfed the Natives, that they furioufly fell on
the Englifh , killed them all and Burned their
Houfe and Goods.
' This ftruck fuch a Terror into that Nation,
that for a long time they refrain'd coming thi
ther, and traded at other Places ; but at laft com
ing again, the Negroes were accuftom'd to fhew
<¦¦;•¦¦. "•:.•,' ^

LET. XIX. Slave Coaft. J77
all Europeans' that came thither fome Snakes,
defiring that they would not hurt them, by reafoa
they were their Gods ; and this hath prevented all
fuch Accidents ever fince ; fo that at prefent few
' Europeans come hither who are not advertis'd
bf this Snake- Worfhip. If an .European fhould
happen at this time to kill a Snake, I mould very
much doubt,- whether he would efcape better
than the Englifh,except he could polfibly fly to the
King immediately, and fatisfie him tha t it hap-
pen'd by Accident,notDefign,upon which,perhapsi
he might attone hrc God-killing Crime by a Fine
to the Priefts, tho' I fhould not be very willing to
run fuch a Hazard ; for, on fuch Oceafions the
Jlabble, inftigated by the Priefts, grow very
outragioas ; fo that it is fafeft carefully to avoid
all things of this Nature. ¦
In my time an Aquamboean Negroe took a Snake
upon bis Stick, becaufe he durSt not venture to
touch it with his Hands, and carr'y'd it out of the
Houfe without hurting it in the leaft, which two
or three Negroes feeing, fet up the fame Cry that
is ufual on account of Fire, by which they can in
a fmall time raife the whole Country, who flock
to the Place arm?d with Clubs, Swords, Affagayes
and other Arms, who would have foondifpatch'd
this poor Negroe, if the King, acquainted with
his Innocence, had not timely refcued him from
the impending Danger, by fending fome of his
Great Men to fhelter him ; fo this Tempeft blew
over without any Damage.
By thefe Inftances we are deterr'd from med-
ling with the accurfed Gods or Devilifli Serpents,
notwithftanding that we are frequently molefted
by them \ fince in hot Sun-fbine Weather (as If
they were LP vers of Darkngfl) they vifit us by
five or fix together, creeping upon our Chairs,
Benches, Tables, and even our Beds, and bearj-
•'• in$

378 A Defcription of the L ET. XIX,
ingus Company in Sleeps and if they get a good
Place under our Beds, and oar Servants out of
Lazinefs don't turn up our Bedding, they fome
times continue there feven or eight Days, where
they have alfo eaft their Young.
But when we are aware of thefe Vermin, and
do not defire to be troubled with them any long
er^ we need only call any of the Natives, who
gently carries his God out of Doors : But if they
happen to be gotten to the Joyce, or any high
Place of the Houfes, (which are here but one Sto
ry) without a ftrong Influence over the Negroes,,
r,hey are not to be remov'd from thence \ where
fore we are frequently oblig'd to let them ftay
ithere, till they come out themfelves.
A Snake once came over my Table, on which
I daily wasus'd to eat, where he continu'd four
teen Days, and tho' whenever I rofe I could eafily
touch him, yet I could not find any Perfon that
would venture to take him away. But I was ve
ry well paid for his flaying afterwards.
For fome of the Great Men of fida dining at
my Table one Day, we happen'd to talk concer
ning the Snakes, and my Eye glancing towards
that which was over our Heads, I told them, that
fince that Snake had not eaten any thing in four
teen Days, he muft at laft certainly die with Hun
ger, if he did not fpeedily remove his Quarters,
But one of my Guefts anfwer'd me, (and the reft
confirm'd what he faid) That tho' I was not a?
ware of it, undoubtedly the Snake knew how to
come at his PartoQt of the Difhes. I fo well re-
member'd this, that next Day coming to the
King, I told him in prefence of the fame Perfons,
That one of his Gods had made bold, tho' unto-?
vited, to eat at my Table for fourteen Days ^
wherefore it was but reafonable that I fhould be
paid for his Board, ot.berwi.fe 1 fyould b§ oblig'd

LET. XIX. Slave-0*/?. ?79
to difcharge this bold Intruder my Houfe. The
King who was always diverted with fuch fort of
Difcourfe, told me, that I fhould let che Snake
alone in his Place, for he would take care to pro
vide for me as well as the Snake ; and indeed,
not long after I got home, a very fine fat Ox was
brought me from the King, in order to fatisfie
for what the Snake had eaten.
At the fame Rate I would willingly have board
ed all the Gods of the Land ; and I believe fhould
not have loft much by the Bargain.
But- what is beft of all, is, that thefe Idolatrous
Snakes don't do the leaft Mifchief in the World
to Mankind : For, if by chance in the Dark one
treads upon them, aqjd tbey bite or fting him, it is
not more prejudicial than the Sting of the Mille^
pedes. Wherefore the Negroes would fain perfuade
us, that it is gopd to be bitten or ftung by thefe
Snakes, upon the Plea, that one is thereby fecur'd
and protected from the Sting of any Poyfonous
Snake.But here I amfomewhat dubious, and fhould
be loth to venture on the Credit of their AfTerti-
ons, becaufe I have obferv'd, that the Gods them?
felves are not Proof againft thefe venomous Ser-
pents,much lefs can they protect us from theirBite.
We fometimes obferve pleafant Battels betwixt
the Idol and venomous Snakes, which are not
wanting here; and perhaps thefe Combats arife
from the venomous Snakes, their finding that the
other are foReverenc'd and Idoliz'd, which they
think the more unreafonable, becaufe they arq
arm'd with Poyfon, on Occafion, which the other
are utterly void of
You muft foppofe thefeRatiocinations and Argu
ments to take place in Antient Times,when Beafts
talk'd, of which thefe venomous Serpents retain
pnly an irreconcilable Enmity againft the other,
and accordingly attack them whenever they meet
' ¦ "' ?hem;

?8e A Defcription of the L fi T. '3Cl3tt
them: But herein they fall fhort of their Defignl
and that with a great deal of Reafon ; for, 'twould
indeed feem very odd, that a God fhould be ob*.
lig'd to ftrike to fuch iH-favour'd Creatures as
they are. But I can affiire you that is not the
Reafon \ for the venomous Serpents being larger^
and arm'd with ftronger Weapons than the other,
would, without any RefpecV to their Godhead,
foon be too hard for them, if- they were not al
ways afflicted by a Legion or two of their Wdr-
fhippers, who punifh the Infolence of the other,
that prefumes to attack their Deity, with certain
Death. - 4
The Species of thefe Idol Serpents here, are
ftreak'd with White, Yeljow" and Brown -, and
the biggeft Which I havefeen here, is about a Fa
thom long, and the Thickriefs of a Man's Arm.
Thefe Gods are very great Lovers of Rat's-
Flefh, and I have with Pleafure frequently -ob-
ferv'd their Rat-Chafe ; but when they have
caught their Prey, they have at leaft an Houi4
Work before they can getbirri into their Bellies :
For if you were to fee them; they arefo narrow
Throated, that you would think it iriipoffible' for
them to get a Rat down : But- 1 have obferv'd, that
whilft they are engag'd on their Prey their Throat
extends it felf. ' i
If one of thefe Snakes happen to be under the
Tiling of a Houfe, and a Ratpafleth by him, he
cannot poffibly catch him, not being able to dip-
engage himfelf quick enough.- This the Rats feem
to know \ for I have above one hundred times on
an Evening feen them run by a Snake thus enga
ged, and even mock him, whilft he impatiently
bifs'd, and employ'd all bis Force to lpofert him
felf, in order to come at them, but too late, for
by that time they were all ^one.

L 1 T. XIX*. Slave- Coaft. 38,
. If We are ever tir'd with the Natives of this
Country, and would fain be rid of them, we need
an,ly fpeak ill of the Snake, after which tbey im
mediately flop their Ears and run out of Doors.
Butftho' this may be taken' ftom an European, that
tftey like ; yet, if a Negroe of another Nation
fhould prefume to do it, he would run no fmall

In cafe a Fire breaks outandone of thefe Snakes
comes to be burnt, each Perfon that hears it is
fure to flop. his Ears, and give Money, thereby
giving to underftand, that it is one of the moil
qifoial and fhbcking things that he can hear ; and
this Money is to reconcile him to the burnt God,
of whom he bath been fo carelefs. And they far
ther believe, that tho' the Snake is burnt, he will
yet quickly return, to revenge himfelf on thofe
who have been the occafion of , his Death.
1 In the Year 1697. my Brother Factor Mr. Ni
cholas Poll, (who then managed the Slave Trade
for our Company at Eda) had the Diverfion of a
very pleafant Scene. A Hog being bitten by a
Snake, in Revenge, or out pf Love to God's
Flefh, feiz'd and devour'd him in fight of the
Negroes, who were not near enough to prevent"
him. Upon this the Priefts all cpmplain'd to the
fcing ; but the Hog could not .defend himfelf, and
had no Advocate; and the Priefts, unreafpnable
enough intheir,.. Requeft, begg'd of the King to'
Publifh a Royal Order, that all the Hogs in his
Kingdom fhould be, forthwith kill'd, and. the Swi-
riy Race extirpated, without fo much as delibe
rating whether it was reafonable to deftroy the
Innocent witluhe Guilty.
, The King's Commarid was Publilh'd all oyer
the Country. And to Purfugnce thereto, itlwai
not a little diverting, to fee Tb.oufands of Blacks
arm'd with Swords and Clubs to execute the Or
der i

l%2 A Defcription of the LET. XIX*
der ; whilft on the other tide no fmall Number of
thofe who were Owners of the Hogs were in like
manner arm'd in their Defence, urging their In
nocence, but all in vain. The Slaughter went on,
and nothing was heard but the difmal Sound or
Kill, Kill, which coft many an honeft Hog his
Life, that bad liv'd with an unfpotted Character
to his dying Day. And doubtlefs the whole
Race had been utterly extirpated, if the King
fwho is not naturally bloody-minded) perhaps
mpv'd to it by fome Lovers pf Bacon, had not
recall'd his Order by a Counter one, importing,
that they fhould leave off killing the Hogs, with
the Addition, that there was already enough of
innocent Blood fhed, and that their God ought to
be appeafed with fo rich a Sacrifice.
You may judge, whether this was riot very
welcome News to the Remainder of the Hogs,
when they faw themfelves freed from fuch a cru
el Perfecution. Wherefore they took particular^
Care for the future, not to incur the fame Penalty..
Next time that I came to Fida, I found by the
dearnefs of thefe Beafts, that there had been a ve
ry great Slaughter of them.
Thefe forts ofTyrannies are frequent under def-
potical Governments, where the Priefts are joynt,
Mafters. But not too faft, left I fhould flip from
Beafts to Men.
Hitherto I have been talking of the fidafian
chiefeft God, or rather Gods, by reafon of theitj
Number : But the other being of lefs Confequence
Will take up much lefs time;
The Trees which are the fecond-rate Gods of
this Country , as I have already inform'd youj
are only pray'd to, and prefented with Offerings,
in time of Sicknefs, more efpecially Fevers, in or
der to reftore the Patients to Health. And this
they believe to be as properly the Tree's Bufinefs as

LET. XIX* Shve-Coaft. 38 3
as the Snake's: Bat however, the Snake muft not
be forgotten j for they imagine, and that truly
enough, that if he does no Good, he will at leaft do
no Harm. And hence I believe this Nation would
be eafily prevail'd upon with the Athenians to
Worfhip the unknown God, if they could hope
for any Benefit by it.
Befides this, they have other imaginary Reme
dies at hand to cure Difeafes ; fuch are their Sacri
ficing to feveral junior or inferior Deities ; as al
fo the killing and eating part of a Man, which,
was practifed two or three Years paft, on account
of the King's Sicknefs •, befides which, they pra-
dtife feveral other Extravagancies, too tedious to
be repeated. The Sea comes in for the leaft Share of
Divinity. When it rages and hinders our bring
ing our Goods on Shoar, when no Ships have
been there for* a long time , and they im
patiently wait for them ; On thefe Oceafions,
they make great Offerings to it , by throwing
into it all forts of Goods. But the Priefts don't
much encourage this fortof Sacrificing, by reafon
there happens no Remainder to be left for them.
The former King of Great Ardra once caufed
a great Quantity of thefe Offerings to be made to
the Sea} and when he was inform'd by his Subjects
(for he muft not fee the Sea himfelf) that they all
availed nothing, he grew very angry, and fell in
to as wild a Fury as Xerxes, who caufed the Sea
to be wliip'd, becaufe he had been fo unfortunate
upon it-
Having no more to fay concerning thefe two
Deities, before I put an end to this Letter, I fhall
juft obferve to you, who are the Performers of
their Divine Service here.
Their Religious Offices are here Celebrated by
Men and Women together, both which are held in

30*4 A Defer iptkn of the LET. XIX;
in fuch high Veneration amongft the Negroes, that
thjy are not liable to Capital Punifhment for any
Crime whatfoever ; ... notwithftanding which, the
prefent King* with the Confent. of his Grandees^
yentur'd to break in upon this Cuftom, but not
without great Capfe* and a preifing Neceffity;
for one of thefe Villains was engag'd with the
King's Brother in a Confpiracy againft the King
dom and the King's Life, for which that Prince
ordered both his Brother and the Prieft to be kill'd
together, The Women which are promoted to the degree
OfPrieftefies, tho' fome of them perhaps were but
Slaves before, are yet as much refpected as the
Priefts, or rather more, infomuch that they pride
themfelves with the diftinguifhing Name of God's
Children ; and as all other Women are oblig'd to
a flavifh Service to their Husbands, thefe on the
contrary exert an abfolute Sway over them and
their Effects, living with them perfectly according
to their Arbitrary Will and Pleafure ; befides
which, their Husbands are obliged to fhew them
fo muehRefpecr,as they receiv'd from their Wives
before their becomingPrieftefTes,which h to fpeak
to, and ferve them upon their Knees.
For this Reafon the moft fenfible Negroes will
' neither Marry a Prieftefs, nor eafily confeqt that
any of their Wives be rais'd to that Honour. But
if notwithftanding it happens, they muft not op-
pofeit; for if they did, they would becall'd to a
fevere Account for it, and look'd upon as Men
who endeavour'd to flop the common Courfe of
Divine Worfhip.
To conclude the Subject of their Religion, I
ftiuft add, that they have a fort of Idea of Hell, the
Divel, and the Apparition of Spirits. And their
Notion?^ concerning thefe, are not very different
from tbofe of fome fimf le People amongft us;
fa

LET. XX. Shvc-Coaft. j8$
As for Hell, they bellow on it a fixt Place under
the Earth, where the Wicked and Damned are
punifh'd with Fire.
For thefe three or four Years laft paft, they
have been very much confirm'd in this Belief. For
an old Sorcerefs, that came from fome odd Cor
ner, hath told them ftrange things concerning
Hell ; as, that the faw feveral of ber Acquaintance
there, and particularly the laft Captain of the
Blacks, Predeceflbr to the .prefent Captain Carter,
who was there miferably tormented. In fhort,
fhe faw fo much of Hell, that fhe was a fit Match
to difpute with Don Quevedo, who btd the beft
Intelligence there. But fhe muft be own'd to have
the Advantage of him, becaufe the pretended to
have been there in Perfon, whereas his Journey
was but a Vifipn.
Whilft I was here, there was alfo an Augufiin
Monk, which came from St. Thome, in order, if
poffible, to convert the Blacks to Chriftianity, but
in vain. Polygamy is an Obftacle which they can-
not get over. As for all the other Points they
might have got Footing here, but the Confine
ment to one Wife is an infuperable Difficulty.
This Prieft invited the King to be prefent at
Mafs, which he alfo did. And when I faw him
next, asking him how he lik'd it, he faid very
well, and that it was very fine ; but that he chofe
rather to keep' to his Fetiche.
This Prieft in my Company being once in Dif
courfe with one of the King's Grandees, who was
a witty Man, faid in a menacing manner, That if
the Fidaflans confined their old Courfe of J.ife, witb-
out Repentance\ they would unavoidably go to
Hell, in order to burn with the Devil ;To which the
fharp Fidafian reply'd, Our Fathers, Grandfathers,
to an endlefs Number, Liv'das we do, andWorfhifd
the fame Gods as we da ; and if they mufi burn
C C there"

l%6 A Defcriptmefcthe LET. XtX;
therefore, Patience, toe are not better than our An-
ceftors,.andJh&ll comfort, vtyr felves with them. Af
ter this thePrieft left off^ and perceiving that all
his Pains -at Fida were like to* be fruitlefs, he de-
fir'd me to introduce him to the King to take his
Leave of him, which 1 did feortly after,.
If the Negroes could? read and underftand our
Books,, I fhould believe, that this Captain bad
read the Friefland Chronicle, where a parallel Ad
venture^ betwixt a Bifhop and a Friefland King is
related. It is now time to conclude j wherefore,
&c.

LET-

LET. XX. Slave-GW/. 387
LETTER. XX.
In which, firft, of the Fidafian Quadrupeds ;
viz. Oxen, Cows, Horfes, Sheep, Goats
and Hogs. Soundly, Qf their Fowls, which
are only Turkies, Ducks and Chicken. The
Price efall the above-mentioned. Next, con
cerning their threeSorts ofCorn,andthePlenty
-of it; notwithftanding which, Fidafometimes
fufters great Famines. The remaining Fruits
- of the Earth are Potatoes, Jammes, or Beans,
, &c. Great Plenty of the firft. Of their
Fruit Trees. The Fertility of Fida, and
Fitnefsfor Plantations, and to produce Cot
ton, Indigo and Sugar. The Wars and Force
of the Fidafians. Their Arms. Great Ar
dra, much more Potent than Fida. War of
Great Ardra with an Inland Kjng. The Oc-
¦ cafion of this War, which deftrofd half the
Country of Ardra, and made, a cruel Slaugh
ter of its Inhabitants. Jakin fubfeTt to Great
Ardra. Of Offra, or Little Ardra, where
> our Company formerly had a Lodge. The Au
thor's Departure from Fida. His Arrival at
Rio de Gabon. Of the Gulph of Guinea, and
.its Iftands and River's; as Rio Forrfiofa,
(Beautiful River) otherwife calhd Rio de
Benin, Rio Elrei, Camarones, Old and
New Calbary. The Iftands are Fernando
Po, El Principe, (Prince's Ifland; and
Corifco, divided into two, Urge and- fmall.
C c 2 Rio

388 A Defcr.iptioii.ef the LET. XX.
Rio de Gabon, a fine, wide, aud very goof,
River. Two Iflands in it: Vifited by feve
ral Europeans , and "whehfore they trade
there. Few Inhabitants, which are notwith
ftanding divided into three QUffles. Their Po
verty and Pride. They're 'great Brandy Drink
ers, and awkward in Trade^ How the Kjng
gets his Livelihood. They're all well fhafd and
clean limb'd Men. Their Occupation. Bar-
re nnefs of the Land thereabouts. The River
very full of Fifb. Defcription oftheNqtd-
Kapers, of which here are great Quantities.
On Land there are abundance, of Bujfels, Ele
phants and wild Swine. Hunting of them,
md an Elephant. A Skeleton of an Elephant
found. Defcription of the Buffels. Qne„ of
our Men kiWd by them. How they are fhot by
the Negroes. The Author's Departure from
Gabon, and Arrival At Cabo Lopez di Gon-
falvez, where is a good Road, Watering-
place and Wood for Fuel. The Trade here.
Plenty of Fifh. Departure from Cape Lo
pez. He falls upon, or below the ifland of
St. Thome, which is defcribed : As alfo Ilha
Annaboa^whjther the Author alfo came after
two J^ays failing. Sailing along the A£qui-
notfid, andthe Cold there. Return to the up
per Coaft, and to 'Affinee. The Dwelling
Place of the Negroe Baptized in France, to
whom the French Kjng was Godfather, and
called him Lewis Hannibal; he pajfed for
Kjng ofAffyna,butwas indeed only a wretched
Slave. Sailing to the Gold Coaft, where the
d Author7*

LET. XX. Shve-Coaft. 389
Author's Companion, or Ship which failed
with him, took an Interloper. Arrival at
Elmina, with which the Voyage, this Letter,
and the whole Defcription of Guinea is con
cluded. SIR,
Since my laft no Veffels have arriv'd here, from
Europe, and confequently I receiv'd no Letter
trom you : I fhall then at prefent in this, difpatch
what 1 have left untouch'd concerning Fida in the
former ; to which I fhall add a Relation of a Voy
age that I made in KJ98, from Fida to Rio de
Gabon, Cabo-Lopez,, Annaboa, and my return to El
mina, where it ended. .
Firft of all I am to fpeak of the Cattle of the
Country of Fida ; of which firft of the tame Qua
drupeds, as Oxen, Cows, Goats, Sheep and Hogs,
all which in Shape are not different from thofe of
the Gold Co.aft, but are much better, more flefhy,
and of a more agreeable Taft, by reafon they have
here very fine Meadows, and as good Grafs as
ip Europe.
Nor are they dear here. An Ox or Cow is to
be bought for ten, a good Sheep for two, ' a
Goat for one, and a Hog for two Rix-Dollars.
Nor are Horfes wanting here, tho' they do not
much excel thofe which I mentioned in my Def
cription. of the Gold Coafl. When I was defign'd
to have took my Journey by Land to Elmina^ I
was provided with five or fix, each of which coft
me fomewhat lefs than four Pounds Sterling ; but
they did me no manner of Service, I being oblig'd
to leave them behind me.
Here, as well as on the Gold Coafl, is no great
Variety of tame Fowl, there being only Turkies,
Ducks and Chicken ; and of the two firft, not ma-
q c % «y *

joo A Defcription of the L E T. XX*
ny j but bfthe laft, incredible Plenty, which tho'
fmall, are yet very fat and good, the Price being
about Sixpence each ; the Price of our Goods
reckon'd for as Money, they are not above Three
pence each. .'"'¦'.
But if any Body would buy in Provifion cheap,
be muft bring two or three Cafes of long Pipes
with him •, for he may put off" every Pipe for the
worth of Twopence, orfqmetimesFourpence; fo
that for three Pipes one may have the beft Pullet
that; is to be bought.
There are not very many large Wild Beafts a-
bout Eda : But there are farther in-land,Elephants,,
Bufrels, Tygers and feveral forts of Dear in great
Abundance. And there are alfo fome of the laft
Sort at Fida ; But the Country there being fo po
pulous, and clofe inhabited, there are not many.
Here are alfo a fort of Hares.
But this whole Country feems covered with
Wild Fowl. Here are Geefe, Ducks, Snipes and
twenty other fort of edible Birds ; all which are
very good and very cheap.
When over-night we give a Negroe order to go
afhooting, we have againft next Day Noon, with
out fail, one or two Difhes of Wild Fowl, which
we can pay for with a dozen of Pipes' ; and this is
fo infallible,that we can at pleafure promife a good
Treat of Wild Fowl not yet caught.
Here are fuch prodigious Abundance of Turtle-
Doves throughout the whole Country, that my
Afliftant, who was a good Marks-man, would
undertake' to fhoot one hundred in one Day, be
twixt fix and nine in the Morning, and three and
fix in the Afternoon only, which is bare fix Hours
in all.
Befides edible Fowl, here are alfo a fufficient
number of Birds of Prey, which may ferve for
"  '' ¦' Qrna-

LET. XX. Skve-Coaft. 391
Ornament, tho' not fuch great Variety as on the
Gold Coafl.
The Crown-Bird you fee in theDrawirrg comes
from hence , as the following Bird, whofe Body
is about as big as a Chicken, his Legs and Neck
fhort, his Eye aud Eyelids hairy, like thofe of
Men, his Bill fhort and thick, his Colour is black
and blew intermixed, his Legs and Bill arev ery
ftrong, and thdrfore very fit for preying.
If I fhould fay any more of the feather'd Kind,
I fhould be oblig'd to repeat what I have formerly
faid, which I believe you are as little defirous of
as my felf •, fo that now I come to the Product of
the Earth; andfirftofCorn, of which we are here
provided with three Sorts. The firft is the great
Milhio, which is not fo large a Grain as that on the
Gold Coaft, but as good, notwithftanding which
the Negroes don't make Bread of it, but ufe it in
the brewing of Beer, for which reafon not much
of it is fown.
Small Milhio, or Maiz,, which is like that on
theGold Coaft, is what chiefly ferves to employ
this Nation. It is fowed twice each Year, tho'
much more atone time than the other. In the beft
Tilling time theLand is fo thick fown,that as I have
before hinted, fcarce a Foot-path is left implanted,
whence we may fuppofe prodigious Quantities are
produc'd ;but notwithftanding this at the end of the
Year, they rather fall fhort of what they want,than
have any Overplus, which is partly occafion'dby
their being fo very populous, and partly by their
felling very large Quantities to both the Popcts and
the neighbouring Countries.
For which Reafon one barren Year oceafions ar$
incredible Famine here; and fometimes Free-men
here have fold themfeves for Viftuals ; others fee
tbejrSlaves free,perfedlydifcharging them of these
Slavery, becaufe they could not keep them tn Vi*
H • * ¦¦ C c 4 $b*&

392 A Defcription of the LET. XX.
dtuals. An Englifli Ship, ;, , which was here at that
time, got his whole Shipfull of Slaves, without,
parting with any other Merchandize than Victuals,
with which he very luckily had abundantly pro
vided himfelf.
When he had fill'd his Ship full of Slaves, he
went to the Vortuguefe Iflands, where he afrefh
ftor'd himfelf with Provifions for his Goods.
Here is alfo a third fort of Mdkio , like the laft,
which doth not grow on Stalks, but like Oats in
Holland. Its Grain is reddifh, and muft continue
in the Ground feven or eight Months before it is
, full ripe. This is not eaten, but mixed with the
great Milhio , to Brew withall , becaufe the
Negroes firmly believe that it ftreagthens the
Beer. The Negroe Women are very well skill'd in
brewing good Beer, one fort of which is foftrong,
that it doth not give Place to our ftrong Beers in
Holland. And the Price of this is much higher
than the common fort; for inftead of Threepence
a Pottle for the common fort, you are oblig'd tp
pay a Rix-dollar for the fame Quantity of this. All
People here, the Slaves not excepted, drink only
Beer ; for Water they will not drink, becaufe it
is drawn out of Wells twenty or thirty Fathom,
deep, and but fix or eight Foot wide ; fo that no
Sun can reach it, which renders it raw and cold as
Ice, and confequently very unwholfome in this
hot Country ; for drinking it but few Days only,
brings an unavoidable Fever ; and the good Beer
being too hot, an European cannot dp better than
mix them in equal Quantities, whereby he will
have a pleafant and whplfome Drink.
There is not one Oven in this whole Country,
by reafon the Negroes never ufe them, but always
boil their Bread.

Pota-

LET. %%. Shvc-Coaft. 39j
Potatoes are what they commonly Eat inftead
of Bread with all forts of Victuals, and here is
fuch abundant Plenty of them, that I believe the
whole Coaft doth not produce a like Number.
Here are alfo Jammes, but neither, in fuch
Plenty nor fo Good as on the Gold-Coafi, nor
are they much efteemed here.
Here are feveral forts of frnall Beans in very
great Plenty, amongft which is one fpecies, of
which our People make Oyl-Cakes, which are as
light as ours in Holland ; and thofe who are ufed
to them, like their Taft well enough. They are
here called Acraes. Onions and Ginger grow
here, tho' in but fmall Quantities, efpecially of
the former. All the other Fruits Qf the Earth
- which the Gold-Coaft prodnceth, grow here alfo '
But I fhall pafs them by in order to come to the
Trees. Amongft which are firft Citrons, Limons, O-
ranges, Bakovensor Paquovens,Bananas, Piement,
and in a word all thofe which I have mentioned
in the Defcription of the Gold-Coafi; befides
which here are abundance of Tamarind-Trees,
and fome Fruit-Trees which are not only un«r
known, but their Fruit is alfo fo mean that it is
not worth detaining yon with a Defcription of
them. Here are great numbers of Palm-Trees the
whole Country over, but the Wine is drawn off
and Drank by very few here : For they Cultivate
^them only in order to draw Oyl from them.
Nor are the Pardon-Trees wanting at Fida ; y
but the Negroes preferring Beer to Wine, they
are not much efteem'd, only their Wood being ve?
ry durable, they are felled for Building..
Befidesthebeforementioned,hereare no Fruits:
It is indeed Pity there fhould be no more in fuch a)
-fertile Land, Peopled with induftrious inhabitants,
'••• - "¦• "' ' ib

J94 A Defcription of the L'ET.XX.
fo that they want Only Seeds and young Plants ;
for I dare aver, that not only all forts of African^
but feveral European Fruits might be produced1
here. I tryed here the Sowing of Cabbage, Carrots,
Turneps, Spanifh Radilh, Radifhes, Parfley, &e.
and found they grew forward, .and Ripened
as well as in Europe. So that it is unhappy that
this Land as well as the Gold-Coaft, is not Inha
bited by fome Europeans .¦ For here might be Plan
ted the fiaeft Salade Gardens in the World.
And I believe this Soil is as fit for Plantations
of Sugar-Canes and Indigo, efpecially of the laft,
as any other part of the Globe.
Indigo is already very plentiful here, and be
fides if it doth not exceed that of Afia and Ame
rica it yet equals it. All the Cloaths of the Inha
bitants are Dyed with it, but being Ignorant of
the true way of ufing it, they waft four times as
much in the Dying of a Cloth as would really do
it ; and the Indigo fpent in Dying it, would yield
more with us than their whole Cloth is worth.
Having proceeded thus far in the Defcription of
Fida, its pleafant Situation, Cattel, Fruits and the
Nature of their Inhabitants, I fhall by way of
Supplement and Conclufion, fay fomething of
their Wars and Ammunition.
As for the firft they may be thought perhaps
very potent, fince they can eafily bring two hun
dred Thoufand Men into the Field ; notwithftand
ing which they are fo weak and heartlefs, that
they would not venture on five Thoufand well
Armed Men, tho' but Negroes of the (JoW-Coaft,
nor fcarce ftand before them.
For which feveral Reafons might be given ; as
firft, they are fo ftrongly bent toTrade and Agri
culture, that they never think of War. Secondly

LET. XX. Slave-Co*/. ?95
Secondly, tbey want able Commanders ;
for if they are forced into the Field, they entruft
the Command of their whole Army to a-worth-
lefs Perfon, never ftanding for any Proof of his
Courage. Thirdly and chiefly, their common fear of
Death renders them fo incredibly Cowardly, that
moft of them fet to Running before the Enemy
appears. As I have told you the Command of the Army
is entrufted to an ordinary Perfon, whilft the
Captains and Chief Men out of Fear ftay at Home.
But if it happens that any of them is endow
ed with any Portion of Courage, and goes into
the Field, Affairs go fomewhat better : But with
the other General, by whom the Inferiors will
not be Commanded, they are very unfuccefsful :
For thefe Heroes no fooner perceive any thing
coming againft them, but they expert Safety from
their Feet ; and being at leaft as fond of Life
as the reft, it is commonly obferved that the Ge
neral gets home before his Soldiers, if he be
but moderately nimble, without troubling him
felf in general Flights , what becomes of his
Army. But he is yet affined of one thing, which is,
that his Men will not ftay long behind ; but for
their own Security certainly follow his Example.
Hence you may judge what Heroes they are in
attacking other Countries : But to fay truth, they
fhew fomewhat more of Courage in the Defence
of their own Country as long as is poffible, con
firming the old Proverb, That every Dog will Bark
in his own Kennel.
This Cowardice is not particular to the Fidafl
ans, but tfie Natives of Ardra are full as bad ;
wherefore they never Fight againft each other
With their own Forces^ but hire the Gold-CoaS;
>" '¦' ' Negroes

396 A Defcription of the LET. XXi
Negroes for tfiat purpofe, of which the Natives of
Aquamboe are generally firft at Hand ; but if Coto
and Papa were united, by reafon of their nearer
Neighbourhood, they would be more proper.
The Arms of the Fidafe and of all Ardra, con-
fiftln a few Muskets, Bows and Arrows, fine and
well made Hangers, ftrong and beautiful Afta-
guays ; but the principal Weapons and on which
they moft depend, are a fort of Clubs about a
Yard long, and five or fix Inches thick, very rounu*
and even, except a Knot at the Bottom, the breadth
of a Hand, and three Fingers thick. Every Man
is provided with five or fix of thefe.
Thefe Clubs are made of very heavy Wood;
and they are fo dexterous in the throwing of
them, that they can fling them feveral Paces and
hit their Enemy; and wherever it falls it bruifes
very much and breaks their Limbs: Wherefore
the Gold-Coaft Negroes are almpft as much afraid
of thefe Devilifh Weapons as of a Musket it felf.
Having inform'd you of the moft obfervable
Particulars of the Country of Fida and Ardfa^
I might indeed hint fome things of lefs Importance,
as concerning the differences betwixt Eda
and Ardra : But it not being wprth while, entire
ly ftepping over it, I fhall only give you the
following Account of great Ardra.
The King pf Great Ardra with ail his depen
dant Countries, is twenty times as ftrong as he
of Fida, and yet hath not the Courage to make
War againft him, ' tho' they live in perpetual
Enmity. Farther In-land are yet more potent Kingdoms
than this ; but I know nothing, or at moft but very
little of them ; except that while I was here one
of their Ambafladors came to the King of Great
Ardra, to advertife him from his Mafter, That
feveral Ardrafiaa Negroes had been with, and made

LET. XX. Slave-Gw/k
Complaints to him : And to advife hith to take Care
that his Viceroys treated thefe poor Men more gently •
or elfe much againft his Wilt, he faould be obliged to
come to their AJJtflance, and take them into his Pro-.
tetlion. The King of Great Ardra inftead of making a
proper ufe of this wholfome Advice, Laughed at
it, and in farther defpight to that King, Mur-
thered his Ambaffador ; upon which he was fo vio
lently as well as juftly Enraged, that with utmoft
Expedition he caufed an Army (by the Fidaflans
augmented to the number of Ten Hundred Thou
fand Men) to fall into their Country ; and thefe
being all Horfed and a warlike Nation, in a fhort
time Maftered half the King of Ardra's Territo
ries, and made fuch a Slaughter amongft his Sub
jects, that the Number of the Dead being innu
merable, was commonly exprefs'd by faying they
were like the Grains of Corn in the Field.
The Fidaflans reported to me of the mention
ed People, that it was cuftomary in their Wars,
to Cut off all the Privities of flaughtered Enemies,
and carry them off with them ; as alfo, that none
durft prefume to take an Enemy Prifoner, that
was not furnifhed with One Hundred of thefe
Trophies. This looks very fabulous, infomuch that tho' it
is confirmed to me by Oaths, I don't not affirm it
for Truth. But it is certain that the Slaughter
was prodigious great ; and that the General of
this great'Army contenting himfelf therewith, re- ,
turned home, expecting to be very well received
by his Mafter, but found himfelf miftaken : For
the King as a Reward of his Heroick Expedition,
caufed him to be Hanged ori a Tree ; becaufe ac
cording to his Order he did not bring' the Perfon
of the King of Great Ardra along with him, on
whom and not his Subjects, he aimed his Re
venge. You

397

398 A Defcription of the LET.XXj
You may pleafe to obferve what Mifcbiefs this
Prince brought on himfelf, and alfo that the Law
of Nations is as well obferved amongft thefe Hea
thens as us Europeans ; For this great Monarch
did not account himfelf fatisfied by the Death of
fo many Thoufand Men for the Murder of his Am-
baflador, but would rid the World of the parti
cular Occafion of it.
Which whether he afterwards did I have not
yet heard : But I believe he will content himfelf
with the Blood already fhed.
This Nation ftrikes fuch a Terror into all the
circumjacent Negroes^ that they can fcarce hear
them mentioned without Trembling. And they
tell a Thoufand ftrange Things of them.
Four Miles eaftward of Fida is the Land of Ja-
fon, which as I have already faid is under Great
Ardra ; by whofe Phidalgo it is at prefent Go
verned. A little lower,but farther Inland, lies the Land
Of Offra, called Little Ardra by the Europeans;
where our Company many Years fince had a Lodge
and a Fadfor, and drove a confiderable Trade ;
but fince our Factor was killed, and the Land laid
wafte by the Popoeans, we have not been there.
And the Country hath moftly lain Wild and Un*
tilled, in which ftate it will probably continue
feveral Years. For the Kings of Great Ardra'znd
Fida are at Strife for the Maftery of it, each being
defirous to appoint his Viceroys, and yet neither'
of them dare begin.
But to leave them difputing, and go aboard the
Ship called, StadenLand (City'and Country) to
which I Sailed from Fida on the 14th of August,
1698. fleering towards Rio de Gabon, where in a
eleven Days we arrived, without meeting any
Thing remarkable in our Paffage. We had a con
tinual frefh Gale, but were obliged moftly to
bear

LET. XX; Slave>Gw/. 399
bear up to the Wind, otherwife we had reached
perhaps in eight Days.
Before I come to fpeak of Rio de Gabon, I would
fay fomething of the Gulph of Guinea, by which
Name it is beft known to the Europeans. It ex
tends from Ardra to Cape Lopez, in length . . .
Miles. Betwixt thefe two Extremities are feveral
fine large Rivers, by which means we keep Trade
alive here with our Yachts : The Commodity
which we get there being Elephant's Teeth, of
which this Country produces a great Quantity.
4- _ The Trading-Places are, Rio Formofa (or beau
tiful River ) otherwife called Rio de Benin, from
the great Kingdom of that Name. Next is Rio £
Elrei or King'sRiver,and Camarones,together with
Old and New Calbary. Of the firft River I hope
before long to be Mafter of a Defcription, which
you are then to expect.
In the Gulph ofGuinealye alfo four Iflands,caU'd
El Principe or Princes'* Ifland : The Ifle of Fernan
do Po, and Corifco divided into two, the Greater
and Leffer.
At Great Corifco our Company had fome Years
paft a fetled Trading Lodge ; but it lying too
far diftant, and not turning to a very great Ac
count, we left it and have not been there fince.
¦.'Corifco are two very agreeable Iflands, and the
Land fa low, that at a diftanee. the multitudes of
Trees there, feemed Planted in the Water ; and
afforded a very pleafant Profpect.
The Ifland of Fernando Po, is Inhabited by a
Savage and Cruel fort of People, which he that
deals with Ought not to Truft. I neither can
nor will fay more of them.
. The Princes'* Ifland was at the latter end of the
fifteenth Century, fubjedt to a confiderable Mer
chant of Amsterdam ; but by reafon of the DHTen-
tion of our Country-Men, and the Treachery of
the

400 A Defcription of the LET. XX.
the Portuguefe (its firft Matters,) we' were oblig'd
to quit it. And at prefent the Portuguefe Compaq
by, have bulk a ftrong Fort thfcfe, and indiffe
rently well Peopled the Ifland ; which is Fertile
and well Situated ; or at leaft the Portuguefe^ Till
it fo well, that it yields them vaft Qiiantities of
Provifions ; which they fell to all Ships for Moneys
befides which tbey can alfo Store their owri
Ships very plentifully.
All forts of Ships which have been to fetchslaves^
touch here or at the other Portuguefe Iflands in or
der to take in RefrefhmentSj except only our Com
pany's Veflels,- which avoid it (I believe) out of
a groundlefs Jealoufie, that when our MafterSof
Veffels come to thefe Iflands, they fhould drive a
Clandeftine Trade to the Prejudice of our Com
pany ; but in reality at Annaboa, the Chief of thefe
Ifles, nothing elfe is to be gotten but bare Refrefli*
ments as well for our own People as the Slaves:
And of what Affiftance and Advantage this would
be to our Company, I leave to thofe who have ex-
perienc'd it only to determine.
It is morally certain, that fo many of the Slaves
would not Sicken and Dye, if they were fome
times furnifhed with Refrefliments. But the Di
rectors of the Company are otherwife informed,
on what grounds I know not. But perhaps the
Reafon why our Veffels do not touch here, may
be either unknown or unfit to.be known by me }
and leaving it fo I come to Rio de Gabon.
This River is Situated fifteen Miles from Cabo
Lopez, di Gonfalvex., or the utmoft Point of the
Gulph of Guinea; and is fo famous that no Nati
on which ever Sailed to this part of Africa, can
be unacquainted with ic. It is a very fine River,
and above two Miles over at the Mouth.
Having paffed three or four Miles up this Ri
ver, we come to two Iflands, one of which takes its

LET. XX. Shv&Coaft* 401
its Name from the King, and the other from the
Prince of this River, Two great Lords. But they
both are Defolate and Wild : For pure Fear of
each other, the King hath left one and the Prince
the other; each of them Living at prefent upon a
particular Branch of the River, of which Branches i
here are a great number.
For fome Miles this River is Navigable with
fmall Ships, but I cannot exactly tell you how
wide it is, or how far its Courfe extends Inland.
Several Ships (as I have juft told you) vifit
this River, on account as well of the Trade which
is driven here , as of its convenient Situation
for the Cleaning and Refitting of Veffels: Thofe
that come hither on the laft account, unlade their
heavy Baggage, as Guns, Anchors, Water-Bar
rels, &c. on Prince's Ifland; and by help of a
flowing Tide, get their Ships as far on Land as
poffible, that by means of the ftrong Ebb they
may be on a fort of dry Ground, and thereby
obtain an opportunity of Repairing them all
round. But this is not very advifable with great
Ships, by reafon they may eafily get fome Mif-
chief by lying dry : And one of our Cruifers that
Sailed in company with me, would not run the
Hazard of it ; but chofe rather to fatten his Ship
to ours, by which means he could come even at
her Keel to clean her, which was confequently
better than to lay her Dry.;
The Trade of this River confifts in Elephant's
Teeth, Wax and Honey, and is fometimes indif.
ferently quick, efpecially if no Ships have been
there lately ; which feldom happens, for the Zea
land Interlopers vifit it the whole Year round, in
order to cleanfe their Ships and ftore themfelves
with Water and Wood, and Trade withal as long
as they are there : But their chief aim is Cleaning
D d tbeir

402 A Defcription of the LET. XX.
their Ships and Trading, , for they can have Wa
ter and Wobd as well at Cape Lop'ez. as here.
Any Perfon that never was here before, muft be
amazed at the unevenefs of the bottom of this Ri
ver in failing intoit,forin one Place we haveTen,
immediately Fifteen, than Five, and prefently
Twelve Fathom Water ; as if the Mouth of the
River were filled up With Rocks.
The Ebb is here fo ftrong, that even with a
• good Wind 'tis fcarce poffible to fail into the Ri
ver, but we are obliged to wait till Flood.
I made a tryal of this my felf, but we were
ftopp'd in the Mouth, arid had enough to do
to bear up againft the Ebb with full fail, lofing
more ground than we gained, and could not get
in before the Flood.
The Inhabitants of this River, tho' but a fmall
number, are yet divided into' three Clafles; one
of which is With the King, the other with the
Prince, and the third trouble themfelves with nei
ther, but live quietly.
The two former are always Warring againft,
each other, but not in open Field ; for which puN
pofe I don't believe them ftrong enough, but they.
fall on and Rob one another by Night, and at un-
feafbnable times, and return Home with either
the Booty or Blows which they get.
Thefe People are the moft wretchedly Poor and
Miferable that I think I ever faw ; and befides;
to augment their Miferies, they are fo very Proud,
that they thereby become the more ridiculous ; ef
pecially if the reafon of their Vanity, be looked
into, which is barely a Dutch Name, there being
none of 'em that come on board of us that want
One, with which'they immediately make us ac-
¦ quainted, imagining we value them the more on
that account ; and are very well pleafed with us
for calling them by their borrowed Name.
1 Excef-

LET. XX. ShvcCoaft.
Exceffive Brandy-Drinking feems the innate
Vice of all2V«gra.f,but thefe are moft accuratePro-
ficients, and really hereto exceed all others that
I have ever Converfed with. They confume in
this all they can come at. They will fell an indif
ferent large Elephant's Tooth for this Liquor,
which they will drink out before they part ; nay,
fometimes before they fo much as go out of the
Ship. If one chance to get but a Mouthful more than
another, and they are half Drunk, they immedi
ately fall on Fighting, without any refpedt to the
King, Prince or Prieft, who on fuch an occa
fion lay about them briskly with their Fifts, that
they may not be accufed of being idle Spectators.
Thefe Heroes are fo warm and vigorous at their
Work, that Hats, Perukes, Coats, or whatever
they have, are thrown overboard
Perhaps you may be furpriz'd that thefe poor
Wretches fhould wear Hats, Perukes, &c, winch
they do in a very particular difmal manner. For
merly a great Trade, was driven here in old Pe
rukes by our Sailors. For thefe they got whate
ver they pleafed of thefe People, as Wax, Hony,
Parrots, Monkeys and all forts of Refrefhments.
". But for thefe four Years fo many Merchants of
thefe forts of Goods, have been here, that the
Sailor fwears the Trade is utterly fpoiled ; and
tho' his prime Stock cofts him nothing, yet' it
doth not at prefent turn to account.
The beft Quality in thefe People, is, that as
great Lovers of Brandy as they are, they yet are
not very nice, for I have feen fome of our Men
give them Brandy half lengthened out with Wa
fer; and for Proof they told me, there was a
little Spanifh Soap clapt into it, and the Scum of
the Soap paffed on them for the Praof; and they
D d a praifed

403

404 A Defcription of the LET. X%.
praifed this Brandy as fo extraordinary good, that
they would willingly have laid in a ftock of it.
1 defigned when I came into this River, to have
Traded for fome Ivory and Wax for our Com
pany ; and had brought feveral Goods with me
to that end ; but found them fo very trouble-
fome that I could not have Patience to deal with
them ; and there being another of the Compa
ny's Ships here, which alfo had Orders to Trade,
I left it wholly to them, being very glad that I ...
was fo cheaply rid of the; m. And thefe Wretches
appeared the worfe to me, becaufe I was ufed to
deal with fuch civil Negroes at Eda for an hundred
times more than the Commerce of this Place.
For to fell one Tooth they would fometimes hag
gle a whole Day ; go five or fix Times away and
come again ; Ask and Bid as if they were on a
Fifh-Market, and come to no Refolution.
As great Lovers of Brandy as they are* they
will not yet, when they firft come on Board and
are ask'd to Drink, touch a Drop before they
have received a Prefent. And if we fhould hap
pen to ftay too long before we give them any
thing, they will boldly ask us if we imagine that
they will Drink for nothing ; It not being fuffi
cient to content this wretched Crew that they
Drink up our Liquor for nothing, but they
muft befides be hired to it, as tho' they thereby
did us a very great Honour ; and he that intends
to Trade here, muft humour them herein, or he
fhall not get one Tooth on Board. Thus the
Merchant which would deal here, ought to be
very well Armed with JoFs Weapon, without
Which nothing is to be done.
After I had given over the Tradq, a ftrange
Troop of Negroes came on board me, to whom I
prefented fome Brandy, and would have caufed
them to be carried to our other Ship : But thefe
Gen-

LET. XX. Shve-Coaft. 405
Gentlemen would not Drink before I made them
a Prefent, which I had no mind to do, where
fore they marched out of my Cabfo ; but under-
ftandtog that I did not defign to Trade, they all
very humbly returned, Begging what 1 before
offered them ; but I told them I was not at lei-
fure; and they went off without any thing.
They are very ready to make us Prefents at
our firft Arrival, but much readier to receive
Others in requital from us : And when we hap
pen to be too flow,, they ask where is ourCoun-
ter-Prefent, or we will take our own back
again ; which without making much ado, they
eafily do, if our Prefent be not worth more
than theirs. In fhort , thefe are Men which
no otherwife differ from Beafts than in Shape.
Their Cloathing is like that of other Negroes,
but very Poor and Wretched : For they deal with
our Men for all their old Coats, Shirts, Breeches,
&c. and all other old Cloaths ; and when Dre£
fed in them, think themfelves very 'fine.
As to what farther relates to their Manners,
I fhall not fay much becaufe I am unacquainted
with them ; bur, if you take what hath been al
ready faid for a Specimen, you may eafily form
qn Idea of the remainder.
I do not believe they have much Religion. I
have obferv'd them to be very Superftitious, and
that as well as others they have great numbers
of Idols ; bat of what fort they are, or what'
they believe concerning them, I was not able to
obferve in my fhort ftay here.
That their Government is not extraordinary,
| obferv'd from the fmall Refpedt they fhewed
each other; whence without fear of Herefy, I
<}are conclude, That every free Perfon lives here
for himfelf, without much troubling himfelf with
Kjng or Prince ; and that thofe Gentlemen have
pd 3 ordy

406 A Defcription, of the LET. XX.
only the bare Name of Royalty, without the
leaft Shadow of the thing it felf.
The prefent. King, like an honeft Man, in or
der to rub through the World, follows the Trade
of a Smith to get his Bread; not neglecting
other Perquifites, the chiefeft of which is let
ting his Wives at a reafonable Prize to the Eu
ropeans during their ftay there ; notwithftanding
which he is, as all the reft are, a very poor Man.
They are moftly large, robuft well fhaped
Men. They befmear their Bodies with Elephants
and Buffers Fat and a certain fort of Redv Colour,
which makes them ftink abominably ; efpecially
the Women, which one can hardly come near
without turning Sick. And yet they venture to
drive a publick Trade with their Bodies, expo-
ling their Favours to Sale at a very cheap Rate :
And where they fear no Danger, they will readi
ly relieve the languifhing Lover for a Knife or a
Trifle of that value. But thofe who engage
with thefe Ladies, muft be very fond of new Fa
ces, for if a Man happen to be the leaft Nice or
Squeamifh, he will fufficiently wind them at
Twelve-fcore Yards, to deter him from any near
er Approaches.
But the Cafe is different with a common Sai-
Ipr, who is content with every thing that is but
Woman.
I am apt to think that the moft part of the In
habitants depend chiefly on Hunting and Fifhery ;
for I don't believe that they trouble themfelves
with Agriculture, nor did I fee any Corn or. Mil
hio during my ftay here ; but inftead of that I
daily faw them eat immature Banacas roafted at
the Fire. They had alfo Jammes, Potatoes and
fmallBeans, but in no great Plenty,
The Land doth not feem very fertile or fit to,
produce Com or other Fruits of the Earth ; at;
' ' ," ' leaft

LET. XX. Skv&Caaft. 407
leaft what I have feen of it, which is from the
Mouth of the River to the PnWs-Ifland. But
as for thofe Fruits which grow on Trees, they
have great plenty of them; wherefore I believe
that their Banana is befides what they eat with
it, the Staff of their Life.
This River is prodigioufly flocked with all forts
of good Fifh, and I affure you we purfued them
very clofely, and catch'd fo many that we
abundaatly ftor'd our felves for our whole
Voyage. _ The Negroes manner of Fifhing here, is very
...diverting: For paffing along the River fide in a
Canoa, and perceiving a Fifh, they inftantly dart
an Affaguay at him ; which is fo certain a way,
that by means of their Dexterity, it very feldom
milled. Before the Mouth of Rio. de Gabon we dayly
obferved Shoals of large unweildy Fifh, which
we call Noord Kapers, or Northern Capers ; tho'
they look more like a Species of Whales, which
...if they are not,- it is certain they are not many
removes from them.
Thefe Fifh we gueffed to be about forty Foot
long, but I believe I have feen fome longer.
They came fo near our Ship, that we could ea
fily reach them with a long Pole, fuppofing them
to continue ftill. If we had a good Shoal of thefe
Fifh and could brace them to, and guide them
before our Ships, as we do Horfes to our Wa
gons, I doubt not but we fhould always run a
fwift Courfe.
But to leave this Diverfion to Neptune, and
refurn to our Subject.
They Swim chiefly on the Surface of the Wa
ter, having a young One or two near them, who
fpringing up to the top of the Water, iq imi
tation of their Dam, mount above Water. They
D d 4 b.low ,

408 A Defcription of the LET. XX. -
blow up the Water with very great Violence?
and put the Sea in as great a ferment as a Ship
under Sail; and to fpouting of Water they would
eafily outdo the beft Water-works at Fontain-
Ueau : And it is not lefs diverting than rare to
fee a number of thefe Fifhes together.
The Land about this River incredibly abounds
with wild Beafts, efpecially Elephants, Buffels
and Wild- Boars.
As foon as we had difpatched our Affairs at
PnWs-Ifland, and carreen'd our Ship, we failed
down the River again in order to Anchor at the
Sand-Punt, i. e. Sand Point, or Zuidhoeck, i. e.
• South-nook ; and provide our Selves with Water,
which is better there than at Cape Lopez.. Being
advanced about an Englifh Mile from this Place,
we got fight of an Elephant ; which taking the
fame courfe with us, walked very gently along
the River- fide to the beforementioned Place:
Where accompanied with my Captain and fome
of my Servants, we ftept into a Boat and land
ed together, and immediately fet upon the Ele
phant ; but after having purfued him very hard
for an Hour, we could not overtake him, but loft
fight of him in a Wood.
At the Writing hereof I tremble to think
what a Rifque we ran, and what Danger we were
in ; for not being above Ten or Twelve ftrong,
and nbt half of us provided with good Fire- Arms,
wc fhould have attacked this Elephant if we could
have come at him ; fondly imagining to have
fetched him down with two or three Shot, which
I have fince found was what two or three hun
dred Men could fcarce do : Thus we all had rea
fon to thank Heaven that we did not overtake
this Beaft ; for if we had, if not all, yet at leaft
fome pf us^had been left Dead on the fpot. U

LET. XX. Slave-Co**/. 409
In our return we met five Elephants together,
who looking on us, I fuppofe thought us not
worth their Anger, and therefore fuffered us to
pafs them without the leaft difturbance ; and we
owning them ftronger than we, were very well
pleafed, and after pulling off our Hats in grate
ful Acknowledgment of their Civility, went on
our way.
_ We lay three Days ftill before this Place, du
ring which time having no other Employment, I
went every Morning on Shoar in order to fall up
on fome of the wild Beafts, but not Elephants ;
which I had in a fort fufficiently forfworn fince
our laft Adventure, But the wild Swine afford
ed us the moft Diverfipn, and were what we
chiefly intended to exercife our Selves on : And
accordingly the fecond Day that we came on Shoar,
we were fo fortunate as to meet a Troop of
above three Hundred. We began immediately
to. hunt them with utmoft Fury, but having four
Legs to our two, they were too nimble for us,
fo that they foon got out of our reach ; except
only one, which we cut off from his Companions,
and fo befet him , that he feemed obliged to
Pay dear for lagging, fince there was no other
way of flying left him than into a Thicket, to
which we purfued him fo clofe, that in a very
fhort time he was likely to fall into our Hands.
But he efcaped us in the following manner. Be
ing come into the midft of the Thicket, as tho'
we had been in a well built Garden-houfe or
Bower, we found a Skeleton of an Elephant;
and the furprize of this Adventure detained
us from the purfuit of the Wild Boar, in or
der to examine this Skeleton nicely ; which
we found intire with the Teeth affixed to
his Head, which I caufed to be taken out and
Weighed, their Weight being feventy Pounds •, \

014 A Defcription of the LET- XX;
Meafured his Legs,*and found the fore, three; and
;he hind, four Foot; the Head alfo four Foot;
and the remainder of the Body proportionable ;
whence you may conjecture how large he was
when Living and covered with Flefh.
The two firft Days being paft in fruitlefs Ele-
phant and Wild-Boar Chafe, we defigned tofpend
the third in the latter Sport ; but when we cam?.
on Shoar, we found that their Place was taken up .
by about one hundred Buffels : Not being difcpu-
raged we run at them, and being come near, a
Parcel of Eighteen or Twenty, we prefented ,
them with half a Dozen Bullets, but I believe did
not hurt one of them : They. all flood ftill, and
feemed to look very angrily on us, confulting,. I
fuppofe, whether they fhould Punifh our Infolence
or not ; but fince; none of them was Wounded,
it paffed in the Negative, and we efcaped free.
Thefe Buffels were Red, with ftrait Horns ex
tended backwards, about the fize of an Ox ; as
they ran they feemed Lame behind, but that did
not hinder their being very fwift.
The Negroes informed us, that when thefe
Beafts are foot, and not mortally Wounded, they
fly at the Men and kill them.
We the eaffer believe this, becaufe about ten
Years paft, our Men going a Buffef hunting here,
one of them being too forward, let fly at a Buffel ;
but was immediately feiZed,and had been killed by
|iim, if one of his Camerades had not came to his
Affiftance; who notwithftanding Firing at the
Buffel, was fo unhappy as to mifs him and mor--
ially Wound his Companion , and the Buffel
foon trod out the fmall remainder of the Snuffof
his Life.
This unhappy Accident agreeing with the Ne-
groe's Report, made us rejoyce that we had met
with fuch good rjatur'd Buffels; and immediate^
' ' :" ' If

LET. XX. Slave-Co*/. tf.
ly refolv'd never for the future to attempt the
Elephant and Buffel Chace ; which Refolution in
order to be remembred was Regiftred in its pro
per Place.
The Negroes to prevent fuch Misfortunes, go
more warily to work. They firft obferve the
Place where the Buffels refort in the Evening,
and place themfelves on a high Tree, and as
foon as a Buffel comes they fhoot at him from
thence. If they kill him and there is no danger
below, they come down, and affifted by fome of
their Companions carry off their Game; but if
they have not hit the Buffel they fit ftil], and
keep out of Danger. By which means they fhoot
feveral. The Buffet's Flefh here is very good,* and by
reafon of the Meadow- Ground about the Sant-
punt, Fat enough.
This is all that I could poffibly obferve in ray
fixteen Days ftay here. Our Cruifer after having
taken in fome Wood came to us, and we Sailed
tpgether out of the River, and three Days after
Anchored at Cape Lopez, di Gonfalvez..
Which as I have before informed you is the ut~
termoft Point of the Gulph of Guinea, fituate in
fome few Minutes of South Latitude, and Gabon
is. exactly under 'the Equinoctial Line. A little
South of Cape Lopez, begins the Country of An
gola, which ftretches feveral Degrees fouthward.
. This Point or Cape is as much or more vifited
•by Ships than Gabon ; for moft of the Ships laden
with Slaves, come hither to ftore themfelves with
^Water and Wood, with both which it always
abounds ; and the Inhabitants have always quan
tities of the latter ready Cut, which they Sell fo
cheap, that we commonly don't give above a Bar
bf Iron for a whole Fathom of it : And Water
we have for fetching from a very convenient
h; ¦¦<¦¦'• ''¦' ¦¦.¦" ' .•: Place v

412 A Defcription of the L E T. XX.
Place near the Sea-fide. We generally indeed pay
for the Liberty of fetching Water to the King,
or he who calls himfelf fo, three or four Knives,
and a Bottle of Malt Spirits ; but this is rather
our Civility than any thing elfe, fince there is/
no Ship fo fmall, as that it could not furnilh its'
felf with Water and Wood by force. But tins
would, in my Opinion, be very unreafonable,
fince the Natives deferve fome Reward for their
Trouble; and it would alfo render it very in
convenient to other Ships that come after us;
For the Negroes finding we did not pay them,
Would not be very fond of felling more Wood ;
on which account it is far the better way to;
content them with a Trifle.
The Trade here, as well as at Rio. de Gabon,
confifts in Elephants Teeth, Wax and Honey,
with which it abounds ; but by reafon of the
Multitudes pf Ships which daily touch here, not
much is to be expected ; yet one of our Yachts
this very Year dealt for betwixt three and four
thoufand Weight of Elephants Teeth, as well
as Wax, and at other times for larger Quan
tities: ' •
At Cape Lopez, there are a few Haufes., in
which the Inhabitants live as long as any Ships
are there: But their proper Dwelling-place is a
little beyond this Point, upon a River which is
called Olibatte. The Principal Men, or Grandees, .j
diftinguifli themfelves by the Names of King, \
Prince and Admiral ; tho' like thofe of Gabon,
they are oblig'd to be contented with the Name ;
only. And indeed, the Inhabitants of both Pla
ces agree fo exactly, that I dp not believe the
leaft Difference is obfervable betwixt their man
ner pf Living, except only, that the latter are, J
far more Civil and Coaverfable than the for- ,
raeu, •
I <fon'S '

LET. XX. Skve-Coaft. , 41 j
I don't think it neceffary to fay any more con
cerning this Place, than that the Ships here meet
with a good Road, if they are but fo- cautious
as to avoid fome Sand-Banks, which are herea
bouts, which yet are not »dangerbus in good
Weather, fince they are paffable without Damage
at High- Water, as we experienced.
I have already told you, that the River Gabon
is plentifully ftored with Fifh. But this Place is
enrich'd with fuch prodigious Shoals, that our
Cruifer one Morning calling his Net, caught
fuch a vaft Quantity as would have fufficed ten
Ships. After having paffed three Days at this Cape,
we heav'd in pur Anchor and fet Sail, defigning
for the Ifle of Annaboa ; but the ftrong Tide,
which at this time of the Year winds in a Serpen
tine' manner towards the North, carry'd us be
low St. Thome, an Ifland belonging to the Portu
guefe ; which affords me an Opportunity to im
part to you fome Particulars concerning it, after
having acquainted you, that tho' our Ships were
cleaned, and in good failing Condition, we yet
were driven above a half Degree Northward ;
but another of our Company's Ships, which I
had laden with Slaves at Fida, and departed
thence three Weeks before me, came the third
time to Anchor with me at Cape Lopez., and told
us, that he had been in one Degree and half
South Latitude ; but that the Vehemence of the
,Tide had (which is fcarce credible) in one
'Night driven him thro' the Line exactly before
Gabon. The Ifle of St. Thome (and not of St. Thomas,
as fome would have it, that being in America in
the Danes Poffeffion) was formerly in our Hands ;
and we were oblig'd to quit it by the continual
"Treachery of the Porwguefej which fatigu'd our
Men,

414 A Defcription of the L E T. XX.
Men>and by the greatMortality which then afflid-
ed them ; in which fo many of our Country-Men
died, that this Ifland in Europe went by the Name
of the Dutch-Churchyard.
The Portuguefe, tho' more ufed to this feorch-
ing Air, prove at this very time, that it is a very
unwholfome Country, great Quantities of them
dying, and very few living to a great Age.
The Natural Reafon of which, in my Opinion,
feems to be firft, the feorching Heat, which con
tinues here the whole Year; for one Point of it
being fituate juft under the Line, it is eafy to con
ceive, that the greateft part of the Year muft be
intpllerably hpt.
Secondly, that this Ifland chiefly confifts of
Hills, the Valleys betwixt which are continually
filled with a very thick and ftinking Mift, even
in the very hotteft time of the Day, which of
neceffity muft condenfe and inflame the Air, and
confequently render it very unwholfome. And
in the third Place we may add the exceffive Phle
botomy of the Portuguefe, which they have re-
courfe to oil the very leaft Occafion, fome of 'em >
letting Blood above fifty times to a Year; and
this it is, which, I believe, makes them look
more like walking Ghofts than Men : And this
Practice, the longer continued, muft neceffarily
the more weaken the Conftitution ; for the Na
ture of this Country is not fuch, as to fupply them
with hafty Recruits of frelh Blood. Excepting
what hath been obferved, this is a pleafant and
fertile Ifland, abounding, according to the Re
port of the Portuguefe, with frefh Rivers or Lakes,
andgood arableLands, which yieldCorn,Sugar and _
Cotton: Here are alio feveral Earth-Fruits and'
Trees, befides great Plenty of Cattel, larger and
finer than on the Gold-Coaft. It cannot but have
its Share of Terreftrial Bleffings, becaufe the Ro-
miff)

LET. XX. Slave-Coaft. , 415
mifh Clergy have two Convents here, according
to the beft of my Remembrance, filled with the
Fraternities of St. Peter and St. Auguitin. And
here is alfo a Bifhop's See.
More need not be faid to prove this Ifland good
and proper to live to : For it is certainly true,
that thefe Ghoftly Fathers never fettle , where,
befides Soul's good, fublunary Conveniences are
hot to be gained.
: I fhall now bid adieu to St. Thome, with only
acquainting you, that all Ships, which, by rea
fon of contrary Wind, cannot reach Ilha del
Principe, put in here for Refrefhments.
Inftead of Annaboa, being as I have already told
you fallen below St. Thome, we defpaired of
reaching it, becaufe it is more difficult to fait to
it from St. Thome than from Cape Lopez. : But the
Wind changing, and contrary to our Expectation
getting the Tide with us,we were fo fortunate in
two Days time -as to Anchor before the famous
Ifland of Annaboa.
This Ifland is vifited by a great number of
Ships, as well thofe which have been Trading in
Guinea, as thofe bound for Eaft-India and Angola.
When the E.aft-Jndia Men fall below the Gulph
of Guinea (Tor they, different from our Account,
reckon the Gulph of Guinea to take in almoft the
whole Coaft) they put in here ; and the Ships'
hound for Angola touch here, it being almoft in
their way.
; Annaboa is fo prodigioufly ftock'd with Cattel
and Fruitjthat it far exceeds St.Thome and Prince's
Iflandia both; tho' 'tis much fmaller, and indeed
not above half the Circuit of either of them.
Like St. Thome, it is almoft always covered with
a thick Mift : But if we may believe the Portuguefe,
not fo unwholfome. But' why it is more health-
fill, I fhall not prefume to determine ; for the'
Air

41 6 J Defcription of the LET. XX*
Air is almoft the fame, Annaboa being but about
One Degree and half more South.
The Larid is here full as high as at St. Thome ,
and in the higheft Place of it, according to the
Report of the Portuguefe, is a Lake' pf frefh and
very good Water, about which the Air is asccold
as the fevereft Autumns in Holland: But who
knows whether this be true ?
ThePortuguefe have tilled the Plains to half way
up the Hills, for fo far the Ground is good. But
taking a view of this Ifland from below, it feems
very dry and barren ; notwithftanding which it is
all over planted with Fruit-Trees, viz.. Cocoes,
Oranges, Limons, Bakovens, Bananas, Palm-
Trees and feveral others, whofe Fruits are all
plentiful and cheap. One hundred Coco-Nuts are
fold for a Rixdollar; a thoufand Oranges or Li
mons at the fame Rate ; and the other Fruits in
Proportion. ,,
Hogs, Sheep, Goats, Chickens, efrc are to be
bought for almoft nothing, confidering that we
have them for all manner of old trafh Cloaths of
Linnen and Woollen. In fhort, here is the true
Amalthea or Cornucopia, of which the AntientS
have faid fo many fine things.
The Inhabitants of this Ifland are black, and
but a fort of half Chriftians, tho' they bear the
Name of Chriftians ; for if they can but read a
Pater Nofter and Ave Maria, confefs to the Prieft,
and bring fome Offerings with them, they pafs
for gopd Chriftians.
The White Portuguefe of this Ifland efteem
them Slaves, by reafon that they are the Defcenr
dants of thofe Slaves which they fet on this Ifland.
They are all of them, without any Exception,
Thieves and Rogues , that will injure Or defraud
no Man more than they can. The Women are
all common publick Whores, which allure and
miflead

LET! XX. Slave-Gw/?. 4,7
miflead the Sailors, and except a very few, are
mbnftrous, ogly and ill-favour'd, as Monfieur
Fokkenbrog has well obferv'd it.
The Government of thefe, People is entrufted
in the Hands of a white Portuguefe, who is ho-
nour'd with the Illuftrious Name of Govemador. /
He who was honour'd with this high Poll in
myt,time, was fuch a great Don, that if I had
been charitable enough to have bellowed the
Alms of a Crown upon him, he would have made
no Difficulty of receiving it, nor thought it an
Affront to his honourable Charge, or the Gran
deur of his Nation.
His Subjects alfo flood in fuch awe of him,
that if I had but defir'd them, they would cer
tainly have broken his Head, and have deliver'd
the Ifland into our Poffeffion. For this Don be
ing appointed by a Portuguefe Gentleman, to
whom this Ifland belongs, as Rent-gatherer in his
Name, to collect a Third of all the Inhabitants
Cattel, Fruit and Income ; in order to fecure
fomewhat for himfelf, he very fairly fleeces the
Inhabitants of a compleat half, which renders
him fo hated by his black Subje&s, that they
would very willingly be releafed from their Ypak,
and deliver the Ifland to another Nation.
But it would not indeed be ferviceable to any
Nation, without all its Black Inhabitants were
tranfported thence; for whilft they ftay there,
on account of the leaft Difference with the Pof-
feflprs, they would fly to the Hilly part of the
Ifland, which is fufficiently inacceffibe to the Eu
ropeans, and from thence fo gall them, that they
wohW be oblig'd to abandon it ; as it happened to
us, when we formerly were in poffeffion pf it ;
for we left it on no other Account.
Befides the Govemador, I found here alfo two
White Priefts, who were endowed with no other
E e Qua-

41 S A Defcripion of the L E T. XX,
Qualities than the profound Ignorance and Stupi
dity of the meaneft of their Neighbours, except
only (which is indeed fomething uncommon) that
they could drink as much Brandy as I could Wine,
or other Liquor.
Their Wifdom was lodged in their Capucin's
Cap. I cannot indeed tell, whether they could
Read or Write, fince I did not fee one Book they
had, nor would they produce one, tho' I asked
the Favour ; perhaps that it might not be defiled
with my Heretical Fingers.
They invited us to come and fee their Church
es, which we did, and found them very hand-
fame, and large enough for four times the Num
ber of Inhabitants on the Ifland. Before we en-
tred their Churches, we were all over befprink-
led with Holy Water ; from which I conclude,
that it is not very dear here.
They defired a Bottle of Wine of me to Cele
brate their Mafs withal, which I gave them ; and .
they thereupon promifed me (tho' unasked) that
they would fay a Mafs for my happy Voyage;
after which I took Leave of 'em.
We faw here fome fmall Pieces of Cannon,
and asking where they got them, we were infor
med, that they belong'd to a fmall French Pyrate,
which ftranded there about ten Days before; the
Captain of which, with two of his Men, was
then upon the Ifland.
ThefePyrates had robb'd theGold-Coaft of fome
Gold, Slaves andElephants Teeth. But two Days
V*bre our Arrival here, the Sloter-G alley, an
- •tgi.fl Ship, Commanded by Thomas Kent, had
" t fiiil from hence, having made an Agreement
a ith thefe Py rates, in confideration of a Part of
their Prey to be given to the Captain, to carry
: V„ m and all their Booty to the French Iflands. The
Pyrates depending on this Contract, had brought all

LET. XX. Slave-Ca*/?. 4,1,9
allrt*iieir( Goods on board; Captain Kept), andall the
Men, except the Captain and two more, follow'd,
who defigned to have gone on board the laft
Day of- the Galley's ftaqr here ; but asi they were
coniingj were weldom'd with a, few Musket
Shot, and charged, if tbey valued their Lives,
to return back, which they Were oblig'd to dp,
and had the Satisfaction of feeing Captain Kent
haul up his Anchors and fet Sail with aU their
Goods. What think you, Sir, Were not thefe Villains
right fesved ? Indeed, I think they were; and
had it been my good Fortune to trneet with
them^ I fhould not have given them any better
Treatment. After having ftaid here a few Days to refrefh,
purfiiant to the Director General's Leave, we
fleered our Courfe towards Elmina, failing
continually along the Line, without inclining
one Degree towards the South or North- I ex
pected to have met with a violent Heat here ;
but on the contrary found it fo cold, that tho'
well clad, I could fcarce bear the Cold- The
Sailors, who commonly are not moved at a
Trifle, alfo cloathed the-mfelves very thick. Ex-
preffing my Surprize hereat, the Captain told,
me, that about this time of the Year (being
September) it was almoft always fo cold here,
notwithftanding the Sun in that Month paffes
the Line, and muft be exactly over our Heads ;
but the cafe lies here,wehave always thick Wea-
¦ ther and a ftiff Gale, which prevents our feeling
the Heat of the Sun.
After feveral Days failing forwards in this
' manner, gueffing that we were advanced high
enough to make the Coaft, we fleered directly
Landwards, and got fight of Land about the
Quaqua Coaft ; but our Orders running to ftay
^ l E e 2 no

4116 A Defcription df the LET. XX.
n6 where, we failed along by the Shoar, pro
ceeding on our Voyage to AJfmee, which the
French fome time paft took Poffeffion of; and
that in fuch a diverting manner, that I cannot
help imparting it to you. The Author of the
European Mercury for theYear 1701, obliges us
with the following Relation of the Converting
of a Morifli King to the Chriftian Faith, in thefe .
Words, ' ''
Here is another Pagan Prince brought ever to
the*- Chriftian Faith, namely Lewis Hannibal,
King of Syria (which he miftakesfon- Affinee) on
the Gold-Coaft of Africa, who, after being along
time inftrH&ed in the Chriftian Principles, and
Baptised by the Bifhop ofMeaux, the King being
his Godfather, received, the Sacrament of the
Lord's Supper, on the 27th of February, from the
Cardinal de Noailles, and offered at the fame time
a Picture to the Blejfed Virgin, to whofe ProteiJi^
on he fubmitted his Territories, having made a
Vow at his Return thither, to ufe his utmoft En
deavours toWards the Converftpn of his Subjects.
This Morifh Prince departed on the 2/\th of this
Month, in order to imbark at Port Lewis, and be
Convoy' d home by two or three Men of War, under
the Command of the Chevalier Damon.
Thus far runs our above-mentioned Relation*
Now it is my Task to give you a fhort Account
of the Extraction of this pretended King, and to
acquaint you with what happened afterwards.
Some Years paft the French were accuftomed
to feize all the Negroes that came on board
them, and fell them into the Weft-Indies for
Slaves; amongft which happened to be thebe-
forefaid Lewis Hannibal, Chriftened by the
French ; but finding him endowed With a more
fprightly Genius than his Country-Men , inftead
of felling, they brought him to the French
Court,

LET. XX. Shve-Coaft. w 42i
Court, where this Impoftor pretended to tbe
Son and Heir apparent to the King of Affinee;
by which means he fo infinuated himfelf into the
good Opinion of the Court, that the King
made him feveral very rich Prefents, and fent
him back to his own Country in the manner a-
bove related ; but upon his Arrival upon the
Coaft, he was difcovered to be only the Slave of
a Caboceer of Affinee ; to" whom fhortly after his
Arrival he returned ; and as I am credibly ..in
formed, inftead of Converting his Subjects to
Chriftianity, is himfelf returned to Paga-
niftn. You may eafily gueft at the Refentments of the
-French Court, after being fo ridiculoufly Bubbled
by a Negroe-Shve : If you confider that by this
means they have loft their Aim, which was to
get footing on the Gold-Coaft; and befides,
that the pious Intention of his moft Chriftian
Majefty, to Convert a Heathen Prince, and Efta-
blijh>birn on his Throne, . were fruftrated; the
Gaidinal de Noailles and the Bifhop of Meaux,
.laboured in vain : And in fhort, the whole French
Court was difappointed of its Expectation.
By this, Sir, you may fee, that as ftupid as
the Negroes are, yet fome amongft them are able
to delude fuch a wife Court as that of France,
which I doubt not but long ere this has repented
of its Credulity, and a thoufand times Curfed the
™ pretended King of Syria. But to leave the French
iin their Refentments, and purfue our Voyage.
Sailing by Affinee we touched on the Gold-Coafi,
where our Companion the Cruifer, called the
Befchermer or Prote&or, Commanded by Captain
Hinken, found a Zealand-Interloper galled the
Great Apollo, betwixt the Shoar and the Rranden*
burg-Fort ; which he vigoroufly attacked, and af-
* E e 3 wf

j^23 A Defcription of the LE T. XX.
tor a'fhbrt but warm Kefiftanee, took&nd brought
her as. good Prize to Elmina.
This, Sir, is the end 'of <fliy Voyage, arnd will
alfo be the laft Letter-that I<fliall write to you<:<>h-
cerntog the State of Guinea. What you have far
ther to expeftfrom me, is, as I have already told
you, the fcefult of others Obfervations. I beg
your Approbation 'df 'the Contents of this afid-aH
ray paft, affiiring you I have written nothing to
•you but?real Truth, -digefted from my own -Ob-
fervidiph;- If I am fo 'haripy as to [pleafe you in
-this' Attempt, I mail b'efoifcr from thinktog my
Labour loft, that I fhall conclude it doubly Re-
'warded.. . . '
Thefe, fSir, aretheftncere Affeverations of one
that never willomit any thing which can Tender
you an agreeable Service ; but is now and fhall
ever be iinGeflantly Ambitious of the honourable
;Name of: Tour Hearty Humble Servant, ¦¦.
'The End of the W. BOS MAN.
Author's laft Let
ter.

A De^

LET. XXI. Kfngdohtof Great Benin. 423
A Defcription of Rio Formofa , or
the River of B E N I N ; being
me firft Supplemental, or the
One and Twentieth Letter.
Containing a Defcription of Rio Formofa,
or the River of Benin. The great num
ber of its Branches. The Trading-Place
and Church of the Portuguefe. The Kjng
of Benin'* great Opinion of himfelf. Our
ordinary Trading-? lace. The Pirates of
Ufa. The Morafs and Floating-Land in
and about the River, which is very Plea
fant bat Vnwholfome, and the reafon why.
The great Mortality of our Men on Ship
board.. The Rafhnefs of five Mariner*,
and a remarkable Event which followed it.
The Country is very even and full of Trees.
Who are the Kjng of Benin'* Vtffals,
The Kjng's Slave an honourable Name.
Benin not very, Populous. The three
principal Trading-Places, their Names,
Constitution and Governours. Befides
which, a fourth TradingrPlace, where one
of our chiefeft Commanders or Factors was
t\Jlled. On which account a doable Re
venge was taken. The Benin Inhabitants
generally good N'atured, Civil, and very
convertible People; who are not to be
treated forcibly, but gently : Are very per-,
Ee 4 tmtte

A Defer iptimof the . LE T\ XXI.
tinacious in their old Cuftoms. Who are
the Managers of their Trade. They are ve
ry Civil to Strangers, hut Treacherous to
each other. Their Governours very Cove
tous*. There are three Eft ates' befides the
Kjng; concerning the fir ft, andrtheir Power:
Qf the fecond, their Marks of Honour or
Kjiighthood, the lofs of which is PunipVd
with Death ; of which fome Examples. The
tfordState. The manual Arts and Trades of
the Commonalty. The Rich live very well,
and are very Charitable to the Poor. The
Habits of the Negroes of both Sexes. Each
Perfon Marries as many Wives as he is able
tokeep. The manner of their Marriage. The
Husbands very Jealous of their . Wives,
of which they are abfolute Mafters. Three
forts of Panifhments for Adultery. Of
Pregnant Women and their Delivery- The
Male Infants belong to the Kjng. Both
Male and Female are Circumcifed, The
Groaning-Treat. Twins efteemed^a good
Omen, except at Arebo .• The Cruelty of
whofe Inhabitants on that Occafion, defer ib'd
aud confirmed by fome Inftances. A Sa
cred Grove j and their Opinions concerning
it. They are very Prolifick. Mon/lrous
Women\fteemedVnclean. The Negroes
here notfo much afraid of Death as others.
Their Remedies in cafe of Sicknefs. Phyfi
cians not much valued, and how treated.
Who hath the Right of Inheritance, and in
what Cafes the Kjng is Heir. Common

LET XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. '425
Whores: Their Government. Punifh
ment cf "Thievery, to which they are not
much addicted. The Punifhment s of Mur
der, and their Dift motions concerning that
Crime. Five forts of Oaths. How Fines
are difiributed. Their- Mufical Inftru
ments ; they Dance very well to the Harp.
Are great Gamefters. Their Religion ve
ry confufed ; each particular Perfon hath
his fe^arate Prieft. Their Notion of the
Deity, and their Ratiocinations on that
SubjecJ, They Worfhip Idols, and the
Devil in the fame Shape. Apparitions of
Spirits. Dayly and Annual Offerings.
Their Sentiments concerning a future Life.
Multiplicity of Idols, and their Feftivals.
Which is their greateft Feftival. Their
Sabbath. They celebrate the times of fhe
Death of their Parents. Their divifion of
Time. Their Wars, and confufion therein.
They are great Cowards. Their Weapons,
all Sorts of Game, and wild Quadrupeds.
Great Baboons which fall upon Men. Great
Plenty of Feathered kind : But not fuch
ft ores of Fifh 5 yet great Quantities of
Terrene and Arbor if erous Fruits. Of fe
veral Dying Ingredients. The Kjngs Re
venue, wherein it confifts. A Defcripti
on of the Town of Benin, which is very
long and well Built. Strangers not allott
ed there. Of the Grandees' which follow
the Court. Natives cannot be fold for
Slaves, nor is it allowed to Tranfport gsey

"4*6 A Defcription of the L E T. XXL
out of the Kjngdom as fuch tho7 Strang
ers. The Trades and Employments of the
Commonalty. Their Tradefinen. Very
fine Streets in the City. Slavery of the
Women, which are fond of all Europeans
except the Portuguefe. A large. Defcrip
tion of the Kjngs Court, and the Coral-
Feaft, at which the Kjng is prefent. The
Author's Audience of the Kjng. His Por
traiture. The War betwixt Are de Rou
and the Kjng, which hath Ruined the City
of Benin ; which is at prefent Waft and
Defolate. Conclufion of this Letter.
SIR,
IN Obedience to your Orders, this contains a
Defcription of the River of Benin. I dare not
allure you of your expedited Satisfaction ; but
would rain hope that my Endeavours, however
imperfeft, being the utmoft lean do, may meej-
with your favourable Reception.
About fifty Miles Eaft of Ardra, are fituate
the Cape and River of Formofa, otherways called
Benin from, the Kingdom of Great Benin, with
which it is encompafs'd.
This River fhews it felf very plainly if entred
from the Weft ; for from Ardra the Land is even
and Woody: The Weft Point is much higher,
and looks like a Rock with the Top cut off. But
the Eaft- point is low and flat Land : Its Mouth is
about a Mile wide; but failing farther up, is yet
wider in fome Places and narrower in others.
This River fprouts it felf into innumerable*
Branches ; fome of which are fb wide, that they
very well deferve the Name of Rivers; and the,
Ban,k$

LET: XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. 427
.Banks of each of them arc inhabited by a parti
cular Nation, govern'd by its own King.
The Multitudcof its Branches rende ¦• the tail
ing up this River fo difficult, that a Pilot is ab-
folutely neceffary.
About a Mile and half from its Mouth there
are two Branches about half a Mile from each
•Other. Upon one of which the Portuguefe have
a Lodge and Church at the Tow a of Awerri,
.which is govern'd by its particular and inde-
jpendant King, who doth not treat the King of
far eat Benin any otherwife than as his Neighbour
.and Ally: Tho' that vain Prince (hews no
Marks of Efteem for him, nor any other Poten
tates, imagining that if he is not the greateft
King in the whole, yet indifputably in the Guir
nean World: That Part of it that is fitu
ate above one hundred Miles beyond his own
.Territories, being as little known, to him as the
'large Remainder of the Globe.
!. The Common Trading Place here is called
;$fcebo, fituate above fixty Miles above the Ri-
.yer's Mouth. So far, and yet farther our Ships
¦may very conveniently come ; in their Paflage
failing by hundreds of Branches of this River,
-befides Creeks, fome of which are very wide.
What I have already hinted is furHcient to
give you an Idea of the Breadth of this River ;
but its Length and Source I have not been able
to difeover, no Negroe being able to give me an
-exaci Account of. it. But. I Relieve its Branches.
¦extend into all the Circumjacent Countries ; for
I have feen feveral Men that came from ArAras
Calbary and feveral other Places, in order to
Trade, which were taken on this River by the
"Robbers, and fold for Slaves.
Thefe Robbers, or Pyrates, live juft at the
Mouth of the River, and are called the Pyrates
' "  "' " '' ""' ' of

42S A Defcription of the LET. XXI.
of V fa. They are very poor, and live only on
Robbery ; they fail hence to all Parts of this
River, and feize all that lights in their way,
whether Men, Beafts or Goods; all which they
fell to the firft that come hither, for Victuals,
with which they are not at all provided.
The Portuguefe informed me, that here was a
Land Road which reached to Calbary, and one
much more commodious by Water ; that it was
eafy with a Canoa to get into the Circumja
cent Rivers, viz.. Lagos, Elrei, Camarones and
feveral others, befides the River Volt a, which
laft I can fcarce believe, it being utterly impro
bable : But as to the former Rivers, they are
fo near the other, that it may be eafily done,
Several Miles upwards from the Mouth of the
River the Land is every where low and moraffy,
and its Banks all along adorned with greatNum-
bers of high and lowTrees,and theCountry all a-
bout it divided into Iflands by theMultiplicity of
its Branches ; befides which^ here are feveral
forts of Floating Ifles, or Lands covered with
Reed, which are driven by the Winds, or Tra-
vadoes, from one Place to another, by which
means they often happen in our way, and oblige
ns to fteer a different Courfe, on which Oceafi
ons Pilots or Guides are veryconvenient.
The River it felf is very pleafant, but very
unwholfome, as moft of the Rivers on the
Coaft feem to be naturally, which I am apt to
think is occafioned by the continual contagious
Exhalations which hover about them ; more
efpecially thofe in low Ground and Moraffes.
To which may be added another, and not
lefs Plague : The innumerable Millions of Gnats,
which the Portuguefe call Mufquito's ; For the
Land, as I have already told you, being very
Woody, is tofupportably peftere-d with thefe
Vermin,

LET. XXI; Kjngdom of Great Benin. 42 o
Vermin, efpecially in the Nights, when they at
tack us in whole Legions, and fting fo fevere
ly, that feveral Perfons have been fo marked
with Puftules, that it was impoffible to know
them. This Torment which deprives us of our na
tural Reft, heightened by the Unwholfomeneis
of the Climate, continually oceafions a great
Mortality amongft our Men. You very well
know, that this is my Second Voyage to this Ri
ver ; and that the firft time I was here we loft
half our Men, and at prefent the Number of
our Dead on board is not lefs, and the Remain
der are moft of them Sick, which ftrikes fuch
a general Terrour into the Sailors, that the
bold eft of them is afraid of his Life.
Five of our Sailors were fo rafhly Impious, as
to throw Dice who fhould Die or Live to
come out of this River. They over-perfwaded
my eldeft Servant to throw for his Chance with
them, and the higheft Caft being efteemed fafeft,
he threw Eleven.
And it is really Remarkable, that this Lad is
yet alive ; but the other five Died all in the Ri
ver of Benin.
Bating the faid Contagion of the Climate,
this is a very defirable place of Trade, by
reafon of the Pleafantnefs of the River and
adjacent Country, which is very even Ground,
without Hills, and yet rifes by gentle Degrees,
which affords the molt agreeable Profpect in the
World ; which is yet improved by the Multi
tude of Trees which ftand fo regular, as if they
were defignedly planted in that Order.
The Inhabitants of this River and the Neigh
bouring Country have feveral Princes ; and in
deed, each fmall Nation is governed by his own
King, tho all of them are Vaffals to the King of
Benin,

4 JO , A Defcription of the L E T. XXI.
Benin, except thofe 'of Awerri, where the Portu
guefe live, and the Py rates of Vfa, both of whom
would never yet fobmit to his Yoak.
They are all Free-Men, notwithftanding
which they are treated as Slaves by their King, v
and are fo far from taking it for an llnh.appinefs,
that the Title of the King's Slave is a diftin- "¦
guifhing Mark of Honour amongft them.
Tho' here is aprodjgiousNumber ofPeople, yet
in proportion to the extent of Land, and upon the
comparifon with Ardra, this Country is not po
pulous. The Towns are widely diftant from
each other, as well thofe near the River as far
ther in -land.
There are at prefent three principal Towns
where we Trade, and whither all the Neigh
bouring in land Negroes refort, efpecially when
we have eaft Anchor there.
The firft of thefe Villages is Boededoe, con
taining about fifty Hcufes or Cottages, ' built
with Reed and Leaves. It is governed by a
Vice-Roy, and fome Grandees appointed him*
who, under the King, and in his Name, govern
the whole Diftrict of Land : But their Authority
doth not extend beyond things of fmall Impor
tance, as Civil Caufes and the railing Taxes for
the King; but if any thing confiderable happens,
or any Capital Crime is committed, they are
not permitted to decide it, but muft fend to
Court and wait their Orders.
Arebo, the fecond Village, which is fituate
much farther up the River, is' a fine large ob
long Town, indifferently well furnifh'd with
Houfes and People. The Houfes are much lar
ger than atBoededoe, tho' built in the fame man
ner. This Place and its dependant Country
is, as well as the former, governed by a Vice-
Roy. Some

i E T. XXL Kjngdom of Great Benin. 431
Some Years paft here were two Lodges or
actories, one of which belong'd to the Englifli,
nd the other to our Company ; each of them
ad their particular Factors and Truftees, called
1 Portuguefe Mercadors and Fiadors ; the laft
f which are here but a fort of Brokers. But
he Englifli not having traded here for many
rears, their Lodge is fallen down and demolifh-
d, and their Factors and Brokers incorporated
rith ours.
Agatton, the third Village, -was formerly a
onfiderable Trading Place, but hath fuffered
3 much by the Wars, that it lies in a manner
rafte at prefent. It is fituate on a fmall Hill in
he River, juft joyned to the firm Land.
The remaining Ruins difeover it to have been
very large Village, much more agreeable and
lealthful than the others are ; for which reaion
he Negroes employ their utmoft Diligence in the
e-building of it. It is environed with all forts of
ruit-Trees. Hereabouts are feveral fmall Villages, whofe
nhabitants come hither at every confiderable
larket, which is held here for five Days. A Day's
ourney by Land from Agatton is the City or
lllage of Great Benin, the Refident of the King :
lut more of this hereafter.
I muft not here omit a certain Village, where
re formerly Traded, which is called Meiborg,
robably borrowing its Name from that of one
f our Factors.
Several Years paft our Company had a confi-
erable Factory and fome Servants here. Their
ift Factor here was N. Beeldfnyder, who made
imfelf to be hated by the Natives, by reafon of
iis Brutality.
Befides which, he catt a lafcivious Eye on one
f the Negroe Governor's Wives, which he ra-
viuYd,

4$2 ADefcriftkn of the L ET. XXI.
vifh'd, and thereby fo enraged her injured Hus
band, he that, refolv'd to take his utmoft Satis
faction of Beeldfnyder,aad came againft him with
a Party of armed Men, defigning to have his
Life ; but he defending- himfelf in his Flight,
narrowly efeaped on board one of our Ships,
which then lay there, but was withal dange-
roufly wounded. He was no fooner come on
board, than he failed out of the fight of his Pur-
fuers, but one of his Wounds proved fo fatal,
that thro' the Unskilfulnefs of the Surgeon he
died of it.
Mr. N. N. who was then the Company's Dire
ctor General on the Coaft, and was not fully in
formed of the Merits of the Caufe, did not let his
Death pafs unrevenged, but immediately fent a
Yacht, reinforced with Elmina Soldiers to Benin,
with ftri&Orders to take the utmoftRevenge for
the Murther or Maffacre,as it was termed.Thefe
Soldiers fb rigoroufly executed, or perhaps
ftretched their Commiffion,. that they killed, of"
took Prifoners, every Perfon of the Village
that could not make their efcape.
The King of Great Benin being informed of
this, (and the Author of the Maflacre, was not
content with the Revenge whjch our Director
had taken, but commanded the Perfon, who was
the Occafioner of the Maflacre, to come to him ;
and tho' be had defended- the Honour of his Fa
mily, and was confequently very excufable, yet
the King caufed him and his whole Race, to the
third and fourth Generation, to be cut to pieces;
which Cruelty was executed, in order to juftifie
himfelf, not only with refpedt to the Action,
but alfo the very Knowledge of it.
The dead Corps of thefe miferable Wretches
were thrown upon the Dunghill as a Spectacle,
to be devoured by the Wild Beafts ; and their
Houfes

LET. XXI. KJngdom of Great Benin. 43 5
Houfes were razed to the Ground, with Uriel
Orders, that they fhould never be re-built. We
finding the King fo zealoufly interefted for us,
have ever fince continued our Trade there.
The Inhabitants of Great Benin are generally
good-natur'd and very civil, from whom it is
. , eafy to obtain whatever we defire by foft means.
If we make them liberal Prefents, they will en
deavour to recompence them doubly ; and if we
want any thing, and ask it of them, they very
feldom deny us, tho' they have occafion for it
themfelves. But they are fo far to the right, to expect that
their Courtefy fhould be repaid with Civility,
and not with Arrogance or Rudenefs ; for to
think of forcing any thing from them, is to
difpute with the Moon.
They are very prompt in Bufinefs, and will
not fuffer any of their antient Cuftoms to be a*
bolifh'd ; in which, if we comply with them,
they are very eafy to deal with, and will not
be wanting in any thing on their Part requifite
to a good Agreement.
But what is worft of all, is, that they are ve
ry tedious in, Dealing. Many times they ha ve a
Stock of Elephant's Teeth by them, which we
are generally eight or ten Days before we can
agree with them for : But this is managed with
fb many Ceremonious Civilities, that-k is im
poffible to be angry with them.
Another Inconvenience, which really deferves
Complaint, is, that at our Arrival here, we are
^obliged to truft them with Goods to make Panes
' or Cloaths of; for'the Payment of which we fre
quently ftay fo long, that by reafon of the Ad-
" " vancement of the Seafon, the Confumption of
our Provifions, and the Sicknefs or Mortality of
our Men, we are obliged to depart without our
F f Money;

A Defcription of the L E T. XXL
Money : 'But on the other hand, the next time
we come hither, we are fure to be honeftly paid
the Whole; '¦-¦.'
The Perfons which treat with us on their be
half, are fuch as are thereto appointed by the
Government, and are called* by the above-
mentioned Names of Mercadors and Fiadors ;
and thefe are the only Merchants with which we
deal : This Cuftom having obtained, by reafbn
that thefe Factors can fpeak a miferable fort of
Portuguefe, which qualifies them to talk with us,
This is their only Excellency, without which
they would be look'd on as the very Scum of their
Country-men, and not thought worthy a Name
amongft them.
At our Arrival here, we are obliged to pay
fome forts of Cuftoms to thefe Brokers and the
Governors, which are fo inconfiderable, that
they are hardly worth mentioning.
The Natives here feem very civil to each o-
ther, and omit no Opportunity of offering their
mutual Services : But this is bare Complement,
For they will not truft one another, but are jea-
loufly Prudent, and very referved, efpecially in
the Management of their Trade,/ which they
difpatch with utmoft Secrecy, out of fear of be
ing reprefented as great Traders to their Go
vernors, who, upon fuch a Difcovery, would
certainly accufe them of fome Crime or other,
in order to poffefs themfelves, tho' never fo un-
juftly, of the Effects of thefe rich Merchants.
And here, as well as every where elfe, 'tis eafy
to find a Stick to beat a Dog withal. Where
fore thofe who are out of Power, and have no
Share in the Government, always pretend to
be poorer than they really are, in order to ef
cape the rapacious Hands of their Superiors.
This obliges them all to a cunning fort of mutual

LET. XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. 455
tual Civility, in order to avoid Accufers : And
their Profeffions are very rarely fincere, but
only feigned.
I have obferved here three States, befides the
King, which governs abfolutely, his Will being
a Law and Bridle to his Subjects, which none of
them dare oppofe.
Next him the firft and higheft State is compo
fed of three Perfons, called here great Lords or
great Men, which are always near the King's
Perfon ; and any Perfon that wants to apply to
his Majefty, is oblig'd to addrefs himfelf firft to
them, and they undertake to acquaint him with
it, and return his Anfwer. But they are fure
to inform him only of what they pleafe them
felves, and confequently in 'the King's Name
they aft as they think fit ; fo that in reality the
whole Government depends folely on them ;
which may the more eafily happen, becaufe, ex
cept a very few, no Perfons are admitted into
the King's Prefence, much lefs allowed to fpeak
with him.
The fecond State or Rank is compofed of
thofe which are here called Are de Roe, or Street
Kings. Some of which prefide over the Com
monalty, and others over the Slaves ; fome over
Military Affairs, others over the Affairs rela
ting to Cattle and the Fruits of the Earth, &c
And indeed here is a particular Supervifor over
every thing that can be thought of.
Out of the Number of thefe Are de Roes are
chofen the Vice-Roys and Governors of the
Countries which are fubjeft to the King. Thefe
are all under the Command of, and refponfible
to the three great Men on all oceafions.
They obtain thefe honourable Pofts by the
Recommendation of thefe three Lords: And
the King, as an Enfign of this Honour, prefents
b F f 2 each

43 6 A Defcription of the LET. XXI.
each of them with a String of Coral, that being
equivalent to the Arms of an Order of Knight-
hood.This String they are obliged to wear conti
nually about their Necks, without ever daring
to put it off on any Account whatever.
For if they are fo unhappy as' to lofe it, or
carelefsly fuffer it to be ftolen, they are ipfo failo,
irreprieveably condemned to die.
For the Confirmation of which I can give you
two Inftances, to one of which I waswitnefs;
viz.. A Negro, who thro' Inadvertency had fuf
fered this Chain to be ftolen from him, and
without delay was executed,* as was alfo the o-
ther who acknowledged himfelf guilty of the
faid Robbery, befides three more which were
privy to it, and did not timely difeover it :
Thus five Men were put to Death for a Chain of
Coral, that was not intrinfically worth Two
pence. The fecond Inftance happened about the Year
1700, and was fomewhat more • extraordinary."
At that time there lay near me before the Vil
lage of Boededoe, two Portuguefe Ships or Barks,
one of which departed before us, but the other
was obliged to ftay a Month or two after me,
in order to get in his Debts; which coming in
very flowly, the Captain refolved to caufe a Fi-
ador, that was his greateft Debtor, to be ar
retted in his Ship ; but when he attempted it, the
other refitted, and endeavour'd to efcape ; and
during the Scuffle with the Sailors, the Pilot
caught hold of his Chain of Coral, broke it in
pieces and threw it over-board, which fo dif
;pirited the Fiador, that he let gO his hold and
furrendred himfelf immediately. But fometime
after finding the Pilot afleep, and having gotten
a Blunderbufs he fhot him thro' the Head, and
thus oblig'd him to exchange his natural for a
more

LET. XXI. Kjngdomof Great Benin. 437
more lafting Sleep ; with which the Negroe was
not yet fatisfy'd, but afterwards wounded the
dead Body m feveral Places, and then threw
away his Knife, adding, That he had now taken
his Revenge, and that it was perfeElly in
different to him what they did with him : For con
tinues he, When my Coral was thrown over-board
I was a dead Man ; and at prefent I am in the
fame Condition. The Portuguefe did not
venture to punifh him, but deiiver'd him to the
Governor of -the Place, who difpatch'd him to
the King; and the Bark departing, his Majefty
committed him to clofe Prifon, in order, to
punifh him very feverely in the Prefence of the
next Portuguefe that fhould come thither.
This very Year I faw the Negroe ; and juft
upon my Departure two Portuguefe Ships
came with Orders to demand Juftice for
their murthered Pilot.. How they fucceeded I
cannot fay, becaufe I left that Place immediate
ly after. But that it coft the Negroe his Life,
is undeniable. The King keeps thefe Corals in his own Pof
feffion ; and the Counterfeiting, or having any
of them in Poffeffion without his Grant , is
punifhed with Death. They are made of a fort of
pale red Coctile Earth or Stone, and very well
glazed, and are very like fpeckled red Marble,
From the laft Relation it is ealle to infer,
that the Fiadors are the third Rank or State of
this Country ; for no Perfon is permitted to
wear this Coral, unlefs honoured by the Kino
with fome Poft ; fince^ as I have already told
you, they can have it only from the King.
Befides the Fiadors, under the fame Rank are
alfo reckoned the Mercadors, or Merchants;
Fulladors, or foterceffors ; the Veilles, or El-
F f 3 ders \

458 • . A Defcription of the LET. XXI.
ders ; all which are diftinguifhed by the above-
• mentioned Mark of Honour.
And befides thefe three, I know of no other
Offices or Dignities ; wherefore the Commonal
ty take place next ; very few of which are la
borious or foduftrious,unlefs it be thofe who are
wretched poor : The others laying the whole
Burthen of their Work on their Wives and
Slaves, whether it be Tilling the Ground, Spin
ning of Cotton, Weaving of Cloaths or any o-
ther Handicraft ; whilft they; if they have but
the leaft Stock, apply themfelves to Merchandize
alone. Here are very few Manual Arts, befides
Weaving, practifed or underftood. The Chief
Workmen here are either Smiths, Carpenters
or Leather-Dreffers ; but all their Workman-
fhip is fo very clumfy, that a Boy tha,t has
been but one Month learning in Europe would
out-do them.
The Inhabitants of this Country, if poffeffed
of any Riches, Eat and Drink very well ; that
is to lay, of the beft. The common Diet of the
Rich is Beef, Mutton or Chickens, and Jammes
for their Bread, which after they have boiled,
they beat very fine, in order to make Cakes of
it. They frequently treat one another, and
impart a Portion of their Superfluity to the Ne-
ceffitous. The meaner Sort content themfelves with
fmoak'dor dry'dFifh; which, if falted, is very
like what we in Europe -call Raf and Reekel.
Their Bread is alfo Jammes, Banana's and
Beans; their Drink Water, and Pardon-Wine,
which is none of the beft. The Richer Sort
drink Water and Brandy, when they can get
it. The King, the great Lords, and every Go
vernor who is but indifferently rich, fubfift fe
veral

LET. XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. 459
veral Poor at their Place of Refidence on their
Charity, employing thofe who ?are fit for any .»
Work, in order to help them to a Maintainance;
and the reft they keep for God's fake, and to
obtain the Character of being Charitable; fo
that here are no Beggars. And this neceffary
Care focceeds fo well, that we do not fee many
remarkably poor amongft them.
They are very liberal in all mutual Prefents
of all forts of Goods, and they give the Europe
ans prodigious Quantities of refrefbing Provifi
ons, and more than they really want; nay, fome
in this Particular give beyond their Ability,
only in order to acquire a good Reputation a~
mongft Strangers.
The Habit of the Negroes here is neat, or
namental and much more magnificent than that
of the Negroes of the Gold-Coaft. The Rich a.-
jnongft them wear firft a white Calico or Cotton
Cloath about one Yard long, and half fo broad,
which ferves them as Drawers ; over that they
wear a finer white Cotton drefs, that is com
monly about fixteen or twenty Yards long,
which they very ornamentally pleat in the
middle, cafting over it a Scarf of about a
Yard long and two Spans broad, the End of
which is adorn'd with Fringe or Lace, which is
fomewhat like the Female Negroes on the Gold-
Coaft. The upper Part of their Body is moftly
¦ naked. Thefe are their Cloaths in which they
appear Abroad ; but at Home they wear only
a courfe Paan inftead of Drawers, covered with
• a great painted Cloath woven here, which they
wear dike a Cloak,
The mean Sort go thus cloathed ; but the Stuff
they wear is much coarfer : And as to Fine or
Coarfe each Perfon is govern'd by his Circnm*
^allCeS° r t The.
F f 4. i?¥

440 ,; .'JrDefcrtytm-oftbe LET. XXI.
The Wives of the great Lords wear Calico
«. Paans Woven in this Country, which are very
fine and very beautifully Chequered with fetfe-
ral Colours. Thefe Paans or'Cloaths are not ve
ry long, and are buckled together like thofe
which are wore at Fida, but with this difference,
that as the Fidafe Paan is open before, this on
, the contrary is open behind or on one fide, and
covered before. The upper part of their Body
is covered with a beautiful Cloath of about a
Yard long, tofteadfof a Veil, like that which the
Women wear on the Gold-Goaft. Their Necks
are Adorned with Neck- laces of Coral* very
agreeably Difpofed or Plaited. Their Arms
are dreffed up with bright Copper or Iron-Arm-
rings ; as are alfo the Legs of fome of them, and
their Fingers are as thick crouded with Copper-
Rings, as they can polfibly wear them.
Thus fet out, Sir, they look pretty tolerable,
and may pafs for fuch for want of better.
The meaner fort of Women as well as the
Men of the fame Condition, differ from the 4
Rich only in the goodnefs of their Cloaths.
Almoft all the Children go Naked ; the Boys
till they are ten or twelve Years old, and the
Girls till Nature difcovers their Maturity. Till
then they wear nothing but fome Strings of Co
ral twitted about their Middles, which is not
fufficient to hide their Nudities.
The Men don't Curl or Adorn their Hair,
but content themfelves with letting it grow in
its natural Pofture, except buckling it in two or
three Places in order to hang a great Coral to it. •
But the Women's Hair is very artificially turned
up into great and fmall Buckles, and divided on
the Crown of the Head, like a Cock's Comb in
verted ; by which means the fmall Cuds are pla
ced in exact Order. Some divide their Hair into

LET. XXI, KJngdom ef Great Benin. 441
twenty or more Pleats and Curls, according as
it happens to be either thick or thin. Some Oyl .
it with the Oyl which they Roaft out of the
Kernels of Oyl-Nuts, by which means it lofes
its black Colour, and in procefs of time turns
to a fort of Green or Yellow , that tbey are
very fond of; notwithftanding which to my
Opinion it looks hideoufly.
The Men here Marry as many Women as their
Circumftances . will allow them to keep. They
have fcarce any, or at moft very few Marriage
Ceremonies amongft either Poor or Rich; ex
cept only that one treats the Brides Friends
more fplendidly than the other.
4 Their Marriages are commonly made in the
^following manner, ' If a Man likes a Virgin, he
difcovers his Paffion to one of the moft confide^
rable amongft his Relations; who repairs to her
Houfe and asks her of her Relations, who if
fhe is not before Promifed, feldom deny his Re
queft : The Confent then of the Relations or
Parents thus obtained, the Match goes on, and
the Bridegroom Cloaths his future Bride with a
rich Suit of Cloaths, Necklaces and Bracelets ;
and after having handfomly treated the Relations
on both fides , the Wedding is ended without
any farther Ceremony. The Treat I now fpeak
of, is not performed at the Houfe of the Bride
groom, or indeed any other ; but the Victuals
and Drink is dreffed and prepar'd, and each hath
his part fent home.
The Negroes are very Jealous of their Wives
with their own Country-men, but not in theleaft
With refpeft to us ; for they are very little con
cerned at our Converting with their Wives,
whether we rally, fit or lye by them, provided
we keep within the bounds of Modefty : Nay,
tfeey have entertained fo good ao Opinion of us,
... _ ....... ,.*,,„ ha{:

442 r A Defcription of the LET. XXI;
that when we Vifit them, if their Affairs call
them away, they not only leave us alone with,
but recommend us to their Wives for Diverfion
whilft they are out : But no Male Negroe is al
lowed to come near the Women's Apartment ;
.which is a Cuftom very ftriftly obferved by
them. All the difference betwixt the Wives of the
great and thofe of the meaner Sort, is that the
latter go every where, where their Work obli
ges them v but the former are almoft always fhut
up.very clofe, to obviate all oceafions of Tranfc
greffion. If a Man be in his own Houfe accompanied
by fome of. his Wives, and receives a Vifit from
any of his Acquaintance ; the Wives immediate
ly retire to another part of the Houfe, that they
may not be feen : But if the Vifitants are Eu
ropeans, they continue with their Husbands, by
reafon it is their defire ; whom they ufe all Arts
to pleafe, becaufe their Happinefs depends on
them : For.the Men are here abfolute Mafters of
their Wives.
Adultery is here Punilh'd three feveral ways:
Firft amongft the Commonalty in the following
manner. . If any of them is fufpicious of the
Levity of any of his Wives, he trips all poffible
means to furprize her in the Faft, without which
he cannot Punifh her; but if he fucceeds in. his
Endeavours, he is thereby lawfully entituled to
all the Effefts of her Paramour, whether confifting
in Slaves, Boefies ( their Money) Elephant's
Teeth , or any other Mercantile Commodity ;
all which he may immediately Seize and perfeft-
ly Ufe, Occupy and Enjoy as his own. The of*
fending Wife is Punifh'd very heartily with a
Cudgel, and driven out of his Houfe to feek
her Fortune; but no Perfon being very fond of

LET. XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. % 44 3
of Marrying her after this, fhe retires to another
Place, where fhe paffes for a Widow, by way of
aiming at another Husband ; or elfe ft rives to
fubfift her felf by a Trade not very difficult (for
her at leaft) to learn.
Thus far extends the poor Man's Satisfaction.
The Rich revenge themfelves much the fame way;
but the Woman's Relations to avoid the Scandal
which might thereby accrue to their Family, re
concile the offended Husband with a good Sum
of Money, and thereby prevail upon him to ad
mit her to Grace, which they generally do; and
then the thus attoned Adulterefs pafles for as vir
tuous a Woman as before her Crime ; and is alfo
for the future treated with all Matrimonial
Endearments in her turn, as well as his other
Wives. TheGovernors Punifh Adulterers more fevere
ly ; for if they farprize any Debauching their
Wives, they kill both them and their Para
mours on the very fpot where they committed
the Crime, and throw their dead Bodies on
the Dunghil, to be expofed as a Prey to wild
Beafts. Thefe fevere Punifhments of Adultery amongft
all ranks of People, deter Men ftom medling
with, other's Wives fo much, that this Crime is
very feldom Committed here.
The Negroes are very Libidinous, which they
afcribe to their Pardon-Wine and good Eating,
which invigorates Nature : ' They are indeed
much in the right as to the laft, but I never
could obferve any fuch great Virtue in the for
mer. They are not enclined to talk of Procreation
to obfceneor too expreflive Terms; they be
lieve it to be defigned by Nature for obfcure Re
treats; and therefore very improper to be talked
 " of

444 ' A Defcription of the LET. XXI.
of in broad terms : But he that can cleanly ex-
prefs this Subject in well meaning Hints, paffes
for a Wit. Hence each of them aims at diver
ting Fables or Similitudes tending this way.
The pregnant Wife is not allowed even trie
Matrimonial Careffes of her Husband till fhe is
Delivered ; after which if a Male Infant it is pre
fented to the King, as properly and of right be*
longing to him ; and hence all the Males of the
Land are called the King's Slaves ; but the Fe
males belong to the Father, and live with him,
according to his Pleafure, till they are of Age;
after which he Marries them, when,and to whom
he pleafes.
Eight or fourteen Days, or fometimes longer
after the Birth of their Children, both Males and
Females are Circumcifed; the former are hereby'
bereft of their Prepuce, and the latter of a fmall
Portion of their Clitoris. Befides which they
make fmall Incifions all over the Bodies of the In
fants, in a fort of regular manner expreffing fome
Figures thereby ; but the Females are more a-
dorned with thefe Ornaments than the Males,
and each at Pleafure of their Parents.
You may eafily griefs that this Mangljng the
Bodies of thefe tender Creatures muft be very
Painful ; but fince it is the Falhion here, and is
thought very Ornamental, it ispraftifed by every
body. When the Chillis feven Days old, the Parents
make a fmall Feaft, imagining that the Infant is
paft its greateft Dangers; and in order to pre
vent the evil Spirits from doing it any Mifchief,
they ftrew all the Ways with dreffed Victuals to
appeafe them,
If a Woman bear two Children at a Birth, if
is believed to be a good Omen, and the King is
^mniedjatfiy informed ^heseof, who qaufes pub-

¦, E T. XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. 445
ck Joy to be expreffed with all forts of their
lufick. The Father imagining it too heavy a
Task for the Woman to Suckle both the Chil-
ren, fearches out a wet Nurfe whofe Child is
)ead ; whom he perfuades by the force of Mo-
y or good Words, to Nurfe one of his Ghil-
Iren. In all Parts of the Benin Territories, Twin-
lirths are efteemed good Omens, except at Are-
0, where they are of the contrary Opinion, and
reat the Twin-bearing- Woman very barba-
oufly ; for they aftually Kill both Mother and
nfants, and Sacrifice them to a certain Devil
vhich they fondly imagine harbours in a Wood
tear the Village. But if the Man happens to
>e more than ordinary tender, he generally buys
iff his Wife by Sacrificing a Female-Slave in her
)lace ; but the Children are without poffibility
if Redemption, obliged to be made the Satis
factory Offerings which this Savage-Law re-
juires. In the Year 1699. a Merchant's Wife common
ly called Ellaroe or Mof, Lay in of two Children,
ind her Husband redeemed her with a Slave, but
Sacrificed his Children. After which I had fre
quent Opportunities of feeing and talking with
the difconfolate Mother, who never could fee an
Infant without a very melancholy Reflection on
the Fate of her own ; which always extorted
briny Tears from her„
The following Year the like Event happened
to a Prieft's Wife: She was Delivered of two
Children, which with a Slave inftead of his Wife,
he was obliged to Kill and Sacrifice with his own
Hands, by reafon of his Sacerdotal Fundion. And
exaftly one Year after, as tho' it had been a Punilh-
ment inflifted from Heaven, the fame Woman
was the fecond time Delivered of two Children ;
but

446 A Defcription of the LET. XXI
but how the Prieft managed himfelf on this Oc
cafion, I have not been informed, but am apt to
think, that this poor Woman was forced to at-
tone her Fertility by Death.
Thefe difmal Events have in procefs of Time
made fuch Impreflions on the Men, that when the
Time of their Wive's Delivery approaches, they
fend them to another Country ; which makes ine
believe that for the future they will correct, thefe
Inhumanities. The Wood beforementioned in which the De
vil is fuppofed to lurk, is by them efteemed fo
Sacred, that they never permit a foreign Negroe
or any of his Wives to enter it. If any Perfon
accidentally happen on a Path which leads to
this Wood, he is obliged to gb to the end of it
without returning before he comes there: And
they are firmly perfwaded, that if this Law be
violated, or that of Offering the Children and
Mother, or at leaft a Female-Slave in her Place,
the Land will be infefted with fome fevere
Pvlague. Notwithftanding all which 1 have fre
quently gone a Shooting in this Wood, and to
ridicule their Credulity, defignedly turned before
I had gone half to the end of the Path : By
Which means I not a littje ftaggered the Faith of
fome who faw that my Boldnefs was not attend
ed with any ill Confequences. But the Roguifh
Priefts were immediately ready at Hand with an
Exception, which was, That I being a white
Man, their God, or rather Devil, did not trou
ble his Head with me : But if a Negroe fhould '
prefume to do fo, the Danger would foon ap
pear. The Multiplication of Mankind goes forward
very fuccefsfully here; which is not very hard to
believe, fince the Women are not Barren, and
the Men vigorous ; befides which they have the
advantage

,'ET. XXL Kjngdomof Great Benin. „ 447
Ivantagc of a choice out of their great number
f Wives: Of which, for their Encouragement,
he fruitful Woman is highly valued, whilft the
Isrren is defpifed.
MenftruousWoraen are here deemed fo unclean,
hat they are not permitted fo much as to enter
heir Husband's Houfes, or to touch any thing
ither to Drefs the domeftick Diet or Clean
he Houfe, or indeed on any other Account;
wr are they permitted fo much as to look into,
nuch lefs enter feveral Houfes, but during this
latural Uncleannefs, are obliged to refide in a
ieparate Houfe, tho' as foon as that is over and
hey have warned themfelves, they are reftored
:o their former State.
If they are asked who firft taught them Cir-
:umcifion, and to believe menftruous Women un-
:lean ; they reply that they do not themfelves
know, but that .thofe Cuftoms are traditionally
Handed to them by their Anceftors : And this is
the common Anfwer of all the Blacks.
The Negroes of this Country don't feem fo
much afraid of Death as in other Lands. They
are not uneafy at the naming of it, and afcribe
the length or brevity of Life to their Gods. Not
withftanding which they are very zealous in the
ufe of thofe means which are thought proper for
the prolongation of Life : For if they fall Sick,
the firft refuge is the Prieft, who here as well as
on the Gold-Coaft, aftsthe Doftor. He firft ad-
minifters green Herbs ; which proving ineffeftu-
al, he hath recourft to Sacrifices. If the Patient
recovers, the Prieft is very much efteemed ; but
if not he is difmiffed, and another from whom
better Succefs is expefted, is called in. •
If thefe Sacerdotal Doftors happen to Cure
the Patient, they are very much Reverenced ;
but the fick Perfon is no fooner perfectly recove red,

448 m A Defcription of the LET. XXL
red, than they are difeharged without any Ref-
peft : So that if the Priefts here have no other de
pendence, they are generally Poor ; becaufe each
particular Perfon Offers his own Sacrifices, and
performs the Service of his Idols without giving
them any manner of Trouble.
When any Perfon dies, the Corps is Wafhed
and Cleanfed ; and if a Native of the City of Be
nin happens to Dye at a very diftant Place, the
Body is perfectly dried up over a gentle Fire, and
put into a Coffin whofe Planks are clofely join
ed with Glue, and brought with the firft Oppor
tunity to the mentioned City in order to be Buri*
ed. But fometimes a convenient Conveyance
does not offer it felf in feveral Years ; wherefore
the dead Corps is thus long kept above Ground,
as I have feen feveral in my time at Arebo.
The neareit Relations, Wives and Slaves, go
into Mourning on account of $he dead- Perfon :
Some Shave their Hair, others their Beards, or
half their Heads, &c. The publick Mourning
commonly lafts fourteen Days. Their Lamenta
tions and Cries are accommodated to the Tunes
of feveral Mufical Inftruments, th©' with large
intermediate flops; during which they Drink
very plentifully. And when the Funeral is over
each Perfon retires to his own Houfe, and the
neareft Relations which' continue in Mourning,
bewail the Dead in this manner for feveral
Months. The right of Inheritance devolves in the fol
lowing manner. When any Perfon of Condition
Dies, the eldeft Son is fole Heir, but is obliged
to prefent a Slave by way of Herriotto the King,
and another to the three great Lords, with a Pe
tition that he may fncceed his Father in the fame
Qiiality ; which the King accordingly grants, and
he is declar'd the lawful Heir of all his Father hath left

LET.» XXI. Kjngdomof Great Benin. 449
left behind him. He beftows no more on his
younger Brothers than what out of his bounty he
pleafes : But if his Mother be alive, he allows
her a creditable Maintaiuance proportioned to
her Condition, and allows her befides to keep
whatever fhe hath gotten from his Father. His
Father's otherWidows,efpecially thofe which have
not had any Children, the Son takes home if he
likes them, and ufes as his own ; but thofe which
he doth not like, he alfo takes them home with
their Children, and fets them to Work in order
to fubfift them the more creditably ; but enter
tains no Matrimonial Convention with them.
Of this laft fort, here are as great numbers as
of Proftitutes in other Countries.
t- If the Deceafed leaves no Children, the Bro
ther inherits his Effefts ; and to cafe of deficien
cy of fuch Heir, the next akin. But if no law
ful Heir appears, the King Inherits.
The Government of this Country is principal*
ly vetted in the King and the three mentioned
great Lords: The firft is Nominal Governor,
and the laft are really fo. " Each Province hath
its particular Governor, all which depend on
thefe three chief Springs, without whofe Confent
they dare not Aft.
The Crimes here committed are Punifh'd in
the following manner. Thievery is not rife
here, thefe Negroes not being of the fame pilfer
ing Nature as at other Places; however, if the
Thief is taken in the Faft, he is obliged to refti-
tution of the ftolen Goods, and befides Punifhed
by a pecuniary Mulft; but if he is Pooc,afcer re-
ftitution of the ftolen Goods, if in his Power, he
is very well beaten. But if the Robbery be done
upon any of the Government, it is Punifhed
with Death : In the mean time as I have already
G g hinted,

450 A Defcrip tion of $e LIT. XXI.
'hinted, this Crime fo feldom occurs, that Exam-*
pies are very rare.
Murder is a Grime that happens here, yet
more feidpm than the former. Whoever Kills
a Man is Punifhed with Death ; but if the Mur
therer r-appen to be the King's Son or fome
other confiderable Perfon, he is Banifh'd to the
utmoft Borders of -the King's Territories, to
which he is conveyed under a very ftrong Guard;
but none of thefe Banilhed Perfons being ever
heard of, the Negroes take it for granted, that
their Guard conduft them to the Elyfim Fields,
If any Perfon with his Fift, or otherwife Acciden
tally and Undesignedly JUlls another, and the
dead Perfon did not Bleed, and his Death doth
not feem violent ; the Offender may then purcbafe,
his Life, by firft Burying the Dead creditably a|
his own charges,and afterwards producing a Slave
to fuffer in his ftead. This Slave doomea to a re-?
conciliag Offering, he is obliged to touch on his
Knees with his Forehead as he is Killed; after
which he is obliged to Pay a large Sum to the
great Lords; and this performed, he obtains his
Freedom,; and the Friends of the Deceafed areob-
/ lig'd to reft fatisfied with this.
1 have already informed you of the Punifhment
qf Adultery; whatever other Crimes are com
mitted, they are attonable with Money: Andthe
Fine is -proportioned to the Offence. And he
th-it hath no Money, muft fatisfie the Fine by a
corporal Punilhment; fo that where Effefts are
deficient, the Body' muft make good the Fine.
In cafe of Accufations. which are not clearly
proved, the Accufed is obliged to Purge himfelf
by Tryal, which is praftifed five feveral ways,
four of which take place, in flight Offences and;
civil Caufes, and the fifth in capital and high
Ci imes,as HighTreafbn,or allCrinies of fb deep a .
Dye:

LET. XXI. Kjngdvmof Great Benin. 451
Dye : This laftTrial is only lallow'd to be taken
by confiderable Perfons;, and that too by the
Ring's efpecial Order.
The firft fort of Purgation is managed in> the
following manner. The Accufed are carry'd to
the Prieft, who greefes a Cock's; Feather, and
therewith pierces the Tongue of the Accufed ;
if it paffes eafily thro', it is a Sign, the man is In
nocent, and the Wound made by the Qaill will
foon clofe and heal up without any Pain : But on
the other fide, if be is Guilty; the Quill remains
flicking in his Tongue; and he is accordingly pro
nounced Guilty.
The fecond Trial of Innocence is praftifed in
the following manner. The Prieft takes an ob
long Clot of Earth, in which he flicks feven or
nine Cock's Quills, which the fufpefted Perfon is
obliged to draw out fucceffively ; and if they
come out eafily, it is a Sign of Innocence; but if
not, the Prifoner is conviftedof the Crimes al-
ledged, againft him.
The third Proof is made by fpnrttog a certain
Juice of green Herbs into the Eyes of the accufecL
Perfon ; which, if it happen to do him no Hurtj
le is thought Innocent; but if his Eyes beebme
hereby red and inflam'd, he is oblig'd to pay the
Fine laid on him.
For the fourth Trial the Prieft ftrokes the
Prifoner three times over the Tongue with a red'
rot Copper Arm-Ring, and from his being hurt'
>r not hurt thereby, they pronounce Judgment.
J have feen all thefe four Trials made; but all
:he Accufed were declared Guilty, and not with-
>ut Reafon ; for it would be ftrange, indeed, if
ed-hotCopper fhould not burn the Tongue. The
ifth and JafbProof, which doth not happen once
n twenty Years, I never faw, and confequently
lave it only by Hear-fay. Gg2 If

4§2 rfADefcnpttionofthe LET. XXL
If any Perfon is accufed of a very great Crime,
of which he is defirous to clear himfelf by Oath,
the King's Leave being firft asked and obtained?
the Accufed is brought to a certain River, to
which is afcribed the ftrange Quality of gently
wafting every innocent Perfon plunged therein
to Land, tho' never fo unskilled in the Art of
Swimming ; and on the other fide to fink the
Guilty to the bottom, tho' never fo good Swim
mers ; by which means, if he endeavours to help
himfelf out, 'twould be in vain, and only ren
der, his Death the more painful. The Water
(before very calm) immediately upon a guilty
Perfon's being thrown to, grows and continues
as turbulent as a Whirl-pool, till the Criminal is
gotten to the bottom, when, as tho' perfectly
fatisfy'd, it returns to its former Tranquility.
What think you, Sir, lhould you rely on this
weak Proof? I believe not ; for my part I fhould
not ; for I fhould, tho' never fo innocent, be ve
ry much afraid, if not a skilful Swimmer, that
my Innocence would not faye me from irrecove
rably finking to the bottom ; and I believe
there are feveral of my Mind.
The Fines charged on thefe Crimes are divi
ded as follows .- Firft, The Perfon injured by
Thievery, or any other Crime, is fatisfy'd out
of it ; then the Governor bath hisPart; and laft of
all the beforementioned greatLords have alfo their
fhare : For the King, whofe Ear it never reach
es, hath no Part thereof. If the three Lords
are contented with what is fent them, it is
well ; but they frequently fend them back to the
Governors or Vice- Roys, and in the King's Name
inform them, that the Fines ate too fmall, and
confequently that they have not deported them
felves in that Affair, according to their Duty,
giving them alfo to underftand what they ought to

LET. XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. 45 }
to have done. Thofe to whom thefe Orders are
"ent, tho' they very well know that the King ne-
irer intermeddles in thefe Affairs, but that it is
)nly the Pleafure of the Lords, are notwitftand-
ng oblig'd to a ftrift Obedience, and generally
Tend double the Sum they require, otherwife the
Lords would not fail to take an Opportunity of
:|venging their Contempt by fome ill Office or
Jther. Before I fpeak of their Religion, I fhall em-
iloy a few Lines in the Defcription of their Mu-
ical Inftruments, which chiefly confift in large
ind fmall Drums, not very different from thofe
)f the Gold-Coaft. They are fhaped like them,
:overed with Leather or Skins, and beaten in the
ame manner as they are. Befides thefe Drums,
hey have a fort of Iron Bells on which they
ilay, alfo Callebaffes hung round with Boefies,
which ferve them inftead of Caftagnettes ; all
vhich together afford a very difagreeable and
arring Sound.
Befides thefe, they have alfo an Xnftrument,
vhich will needs be called an Harp ; it is ftrung
vith fix or feven extended Reeds, upon which
hey play very artfully, and, fing fo finely, and
lance fo juftly to the Tune, that it is very a-
jreeably diverting to fee, it. Thefe are indeed
he beft Dancers I ever faw amongft the Negroes.
The Natives of Axim in their annual Feaft,
vhen they drive out the Devil, have much fuch
1 Dance, tho' neither fo fine, nor near fo diverti
ng as this,
The Natives here are not at all addicted to Ga- •
ning. Here are no other Games than thofe
ilay'd with Beans, and that only for Diverfion
ind Pgftime ; but never for Money,
G g 3 TheiP

454 , A Defcription tf the LET. XXI.
Their Religion is fo abfurd and perplexed,
that Tfearce know how todeferibe it : But bow-
ever toibegin as well as I can.
They ptofefs to Worfhip both Gods and De
vils in Human and Brutal Images, fome of which
areEilephant's Teeth, Claws, dead Men's Heads
and- Skeletons, ,&c Alfo they take every thing
which feems extraordinary in Nature for a God,
and make Offerings to him ; and each is his own
Prieft, to order to Worfhip his Gods in what
manner iphsafes him beft.
It is really the more to be lamented, thattbeiVi?-
graes Idolize fuch worthlefs iNothings., by reafon
ihatfeveralamongftthemhaveno very imjuftldea
of the Deity : For they afcribe to God the Attri-
btttes;ofiamniprefence,Omnip6tence,Omnifcienceand Invifibility ; befides which, they believe that
he governs all things by his Providence. By
reafon God is Invifibk, they fay, it would be ab
furd to make any Corporeal Reprefentations of
him, for it is impoffible to make any Image of
what we never few: Wherefore tbey have fuch
Multitudes of Images of their ldolrGods, which
they take to be fubordinate Deities to the fupreme
God, without confidering what fort of Trifles
they are, and only believe there are Mediators
betwixt God and Men, which they take to be their
Idols. They know enough of the Devil to call all that
is ill by that Name, and believe themfelves ob
lig'd to worfhip and ferve him, to prevent his
mifehieving them. The Devil is not reprefented
by any particular Image, or diftinguiflied from
their Idols any otherwife than in their Intenti
on only; for to the very fame Image they one
time make Offerings to God, and at another to
the Devil ; fo that one Image ferves them in the
two Capacities of God and pevil, They

t E T* XXI. Kjngdom of Great Benin. 4$ 5
They talk very much concerning the Appariti
on of the Ghofts of their deceafed Anceftors or
Relations; which yet happens only to them in
their Sleep, when they come and warn them to
make this or that Offering ; which, as fooa as
Day approaches, they immediately do ; if chey
are uaable, they will, rather than fail in this Du
ty, borrow of others ; for they imagine that the
Negleft hereof would draw on them fon.e heavy
Affiiftion. If any Perfon in Railery tells them
they are only idle Imaginations and Dreams ;
thefe will agree with them; but add, It is a Cu
ftom of our Fore-fathers which we are oblig'd to
follow. No other Anfwer is to be obtained from
them. Their daily Offerings are not of great Value,
confifting only of a few boiled Jammes. mixt
with Oil, which tbey lay before the Images of
their Gods. Sometimes they offer a Cock ; but
then the Idol hath only the Blood, becaufe they
like the Flefh very well themfelves.
The Great Men make annual Sacrifices, which
are performed in great State, and prove very
expenfive ; not only by reafon of their killing
great Multitudes of Cows, Sheep and all forts of
Cattle, but becaufe that befides they give a fo-
lemn Feaft, making their Friends very merry for
feveral Days fucceffively, and withal make them
Prefents. The Seat of Blifs or Torment in the future
Life, they imagine to be the Sea. They call the
Shadow of a Man Paffadoor, or Conductor, which
they believe fhall teftify whether he hath lived
well or ill : If well, he is raifed to great Dignity
in the mentioned Place ; but if ill, he is to perifh
with Hunger and Poverty ; fo that they fend the
Happy and the Damned to the fame Place.
Gg-| Their

456" ' A Defcription qf th\, LET. XXI.
Their falfe Gods, or the Trafh which repre-
fents them, are fpread all over their Houfes, and
no Place is free from them : Befides which there
are alfo feveral fmall Hutts erefted without the
Houfe, which are likewifefiljed with them, and
whither they lbmetimes go to Sacrifice.
To conclude their ridiculous Religion, I fhall
add a fmall Account of their Feftivals, of which
they have fo many, and different ones, that they
ought not to give place to the Romanifts. Their
Great Feaft, - called the Coral-Feaft, happens in
May, at which the King himfelf is prefent. The
Celebration of this pompous Eeftival I this Year
faw at Benin. But of this, more at large in the
Defcription of that City.
Their Sabbath happens every fifth Day, which
is very folemnly obf^ ved by the Great with the
Slaughter of Cows, Sheep and Goats, whilft the
Commonalty kill Dogs, Cats and Chickens, or
whatever their Money will reach to. And of
whatever is kill'd, large Portions are diftributed
to the Neceffitous, in order tos enable them, as
every Perfon is oblig'd, to Celebrate this Fefti*
val. One Day in the Year they alfo very expen-
fiyely Celebrate the Deceafe of their Anceftors
or Relations, in order to keep up the Remem
brance of them.
They divide Time into Years, Months, Weeks
and Days ; each of which is diftinguifhed by a
particular Name, and they reckon fourteen
Months to a Year.
Believing that I have faid enough of their Ido
latrous Worfhip, it is time to vary the Subjeft.
I cannot fay much of their Wars ; for notwith
ftanding that they are continually fallen on by
the Pyrates or Robbers, and their Neighbours
aot fubjeft to the King of Benin, they yet are
igng-

U- E T. XXI. Kingdom of Great Benin. 457
gnorant of the Art of War ; for being by ne-
:effity drawn into the Field, their Conduft is fo
rery qonfufed, that they themfelves are afhamed
if it. They have no Officers or Commanders ;
ind each Man takes his own Courfe, without re
garding his Neighbour.
They are fo very cowardly, that nothing but
the utmoft Neceffity can oblige them to fight;
ind even then they had much rather fuffer the
greateft Loffes than defend themfelves: When
their Flight is prevented, they return upon the
Enemy, but with fo little Courage and Conduft,
that they foon fling down their Arms, and either
run away or ferrender themfelves.
. Their Weapons are Cutlaces,, or Hangers,
unall Poniards, Affaguays, together with Bows
md Arrows, the latter of which are poyfon'd.
They have alfo Shields, but fo light, and made
of fmall Bamboes, that they cannot ward offany
thing that is forcible; wherefore they are ra
ther Ornamental, than really ferve for Defence.
It is now time to treat of the Animals of this
Country. Here is no want of tame Beafts, fuch
as Horfes, Cows, Sheep, Dogs, Cats, befides
Poultry,&c. all which are equally good and cheap.
The Cattle here, tho' very fmall, are yet Very
good, efpecially that Part of 'em that are edible
with us, which are of a good Taft. As for
the Remainder, the Dogs and Cats, the Negroes
evince this Truth alfo, for they eat them, rather
than any other Beaft.
Wild Beafts, as well Voracious as others, a,re
here alfo in great Abundance. Among the fierce
Kind are reckoned the Elephants, and then the
Lions and Tygers. This Country is prodigious
full of the firft Sort: But I am not very fond of
believing there are many Lions or Tygers, by
reafon I have never yet feen one of them, or in
deed

4$8 A Defcription of the LET. XXI.
deed fo much as one of their Skins ; which may
neverthelefs proceed from the great Cowardice
of the Negrots, who dare not venture on Hunt
ing them, and confequently have none of their
Hides. Wild Dogs or Jackalls are reported to be very
numerous here: They alfo tell us here are Mon
keys or Baboons, which are extraordinary large*
and will attack a Body of Men, that is not too
numerous for them.
Here, as well as on the Gold-Coaft, are all forts
of Apes, befides edible wild Beafts, which are
hereto abundant, that a good Mark's-Man might
live on the Sport alone. Their Quadrupeds con-
fift of feveral forts of Harts, wild Hogs and o-
thers. Amongft their feathered Kind the Principal
are Pheafants, Partridges, both green and blew,
Turtle and Ring-Doves, Ducks, Crooked-Bills,
Snipes, Divers, Water- Hens and a fort of Crowns-
Birds. But by reafon the Negroes neither very
much love, nor are expert in the ufe of Fire- Arms,
feldom any wild Beaft or Fowl come to hand,
except they happen to catch them in a Net.
They fometimes kill Harts and wild Swine with
their Aflaguays, but very feldom ; and whene
ver it happens, it is look'd upon as fomething
rare. The River upwards is not well ftor'd with
Fifh ; all that they eat here coming from a Place
caHed Boca de la Mare, or the Mouth of the Sea,
where tbey aredry'd and fmoak'd ; but moft of
it not being falted, tafts very ill, and ftinks abo
minably. The Fruits of the Earth are, firft, Corn, or
great Milhio; for they have none of the fmall
Sort. The large Milhio is here cheap, but they
do not efteem it ; wherefore but little is fow'd, vyhich;

LET. XXI. Kfagdom t>f Great Benin. 459
which yet yieldsa prodigious quantity of Grain,
and grows very luxuriantly.
. They fometimes employ the Ardra Women to
brew Beer with this Milhio ; but it proves dif
agreeable and hot.
Here are not many Potatoes, but a prodigious
abundant Plenty of Jammes; which is alfo their
moft ready Diet. They eat them with all man
ner of Edibles inftead of Bread ; wherefore they
are very careful that this Fruit be planted and
gathered in its proper Seafon.
Here are two forts of Beans, both which
are very like Horfe-Beans: They are of a hot
difagreeable Taft and unwholfome.
I never faw any Rice here, nor do I believe
any grows in Benin, tho' the moraffy Land near
the River feems very proper for it.
The Arboriferous Fruits of Benin are two
fbrts of Coce-Nuts, Cormantyn-Apples, Paquo-
vens, Banana's, Wild- Figs and fome others, v
which are only known here, and are not extra
ordinary. The Soil, a little diftant from the River, is
extraordinary fruitful ; and whatever is planted
or fowed there, grows very well, and yields a
rich Crop. But clofe by the River the Land is
not good ; for tho' what is fown comes up, yet
ithe contagious Damps of the River kill it.
The Inhabitants are very well skill'd in mak-
iag feveral forts of Dyes, as Green, Blew, Black,
Red and Yellow. The Blew they prepare from
Indigo, which grows here abundantly ; but the
remaining Colours are extrafted from certain
Trees by Friftion and Decofttoh.
The Negroes here make Soap, which is bet
ter than any all over Guinea : And by reafon
this wafhes very well, the Negroes Cloaths are
very clean. You know it is made upon the Gold-
' Coaft

460 A Defcription of the L E T. XXI.
Coaft with Palm-Oil, Banana-Leaves and the
Afhes of a fort of Wood. The manner of mak
ing it here differs very little. That a prodigious
quantity of Cotton-Trees muft needs grow here,
you may reafonably conjecture,: when I tell you,
that not only all the Inhabitants are clothed
with it, but they annually export Thoufands of
woven Cloaths to other Places.
Thus far have I anfwered you jon the Heads
which you propofed concerning Benin ; fo that I
have only two remaining Particulars, which are
concerning the King's Revenue, and whether a-
ny Tolls are levied here.
As for the firft. The King hath a very rich
Income; for his Territories are very large and
full of Governors, and each knows how many
Bags of Boefies (the Money of this Country) he
muft annually raife to the King, which amounts
to a vaft Sum, which 'tis impoffible to make any
Calculation of. Others, of a meaner Rank than
the former, inftead of Money, deliver to the
King Bulls, Cows, Sheep, Chickens, Jammes
and Cloaths ; in fhort, whatever he wants for his
Houfe-keeping ; fo that he is not oblig'd to one
Farthing expence on that Account, and confe
quently he lays up his whole Pecuniary Revenue
untouch'd. Duties or Tolls on imported *and exported
Wares are not paid here ; but every one pays a
certain Sum annually to the Governor of the Place
where he lives, for the Liberty of Trading. The
Vice-Roy fends part of it to the King; fo that
his Revenue being determined and fetled, he can
eafily compute what he hath to expeft annu
ally. The Europeans are here extraordinary civilly
treated; for the Cuftoms which we are oblig'd
to pay for every Ship, to the King, the Great
Lords,

L P T. XXL Kingdom of Great Benin. 461
Lords,the Governors of the Place where we trade,
the Mercadors and Fiadors, or 'whatever Perfe-ns
elfe who have any Demand upon us, do not a-
mount to above fix Pounds Sterling ; for which
we become entirely free to Trade.
You alfo defired, that when an Opportunity
offered to get to the City of Benin, I fhould
give you a particular Defcription of it. I have
now twice fucceffively had the Happinefs to fee
that City, which I fhall reprefent to you to its
^prefent State ; whence you may judge how far
what Dr. Dapper hath faid of it agrees with Truth.
The Village of Benin, for it at prefent fcarce
deferves the Name of a City, is the Refidence of
the Great King of Benin, whence the whole
Land and River alfo borrows hxName. It is fi
tuate about ten Miles Landwards in from the Vil
lage of Agatton. The Neighbouring Country is
flat, as is the Village it felf, which is at leaft a-
boutfour Miles large. The Streets are prodigi
ous long and broad, in which continual Markets
are kept, either of Kine,Cotton, Elephants Teeth,
jj European Wares ; or in fhort, whatever is to be
"" come at in this Country. Thefe Markets are
kept in the Fore and Afternoon each Day.
Formerly this Village was very thick and clofe
f built, and in a manner overcharg'd with Inhabi-'
tants, which is yet vifible from the Ruins of half
. remaining Houfes ; but at prefent the Houfes
ftand like poor Mens Corn, widely diftant from
each other.
The Houfes are large and handfome, with
Clay Walls ; for here is not a Stone in the whole
Country fo big as a Man's Fift. They are cove
red at the top with Reed, Straw or Leaves. The
Architecture is paffable, confidering it in compa-
rifon with Negroe Buildings, and is Very like the
Axim way orBuilding. The

>2 A Dtfcription? of the L E T. XXL
The Inhabitants of this Village are all Natives^
for Foreigners are not permitted to live here.
Thereare feveral very rich Men who live here,
and attend continually at Court, not troubling
themfelves with either Trade or Agriculture, or
any thing elfe, but leaving all their Affairs to their
Wives and Slaves, who go to all the circumjacent
Villages to Trade in all forts of Merchandizes^
or otherwife ferve for daily Wages, and are ob
lig'd to bring the greateft part of their Gain in
Trade or Hire to their Mafters.
All Male Slaves here are Foreigners; for the
Natives cannot be fold for Slaves, but are all
free, and alone bear the Name of the King's
Slaves. Nor is it allow'd to export any Male Slaves
that are fold in this Country, for they muft ftay
there : But Females may be dealt with at every
one's Pleafure.
I have already acquainted you with the Em
ployment of the Great ; but that of the ordinary
Citizens is to loyter about whole Days, till they
hear of any Ships being come into the River,
upon which they go thither to Trade with what
Goods they have inStore : And if no Ships come,
they fend their Slaves to Rio Lagos, or other
Places to buy Fifh, of which they make a very
profitable Trade further in-land.
The Handicrafts keep to their Work, with
out troubling themfelves with the Court or
Trade. Others employ themfelves in Agricul
ture, or fome fuch thing, in order to get their
Living. The Streets being fb long and wide as I have
faid, are by the Women kept very neat ; for herej
as well as in Holland, every Woman cleans her
own Door.
The

LET. XXI, Kingdom of Great Benin. 463
The Women here are as much Slaves as in a-
ny Place in this Kingdom. They are oblig'd to
keep the daily Markets, look after their Houfe-
keeping and Children, as well as their Kitchins,
and Till the Ground : In fhort they have fo much
fmployment, that they ought not to fit ftill;
notwithftanding which, they difpatch it all very
briskly, and with a great deal of Pleafure.
They behave themfelves very obligingly to all;
but more efpecially the Europeans, except the
.portuguefe, which they don't like very well ; but
Our Nation is very much in their Favour,
The King's Court , which makes a princi
pal part of the City, muft not be forgotten.
It is upon a very great Plain, about which are
no Houfes, and hath, befides its wide Extent,
nothing rare. The firft Place we come into, is,
a very long Gallery, if it muft have that Name,
which is fuftained by fifty eight ftrong Planks,
about twelve Foot high, inftead of Pillars. ; thefe
are neither faw'd nor plain'd, but only hack'd ^
out. As foon as we are paft this Gallery we
come to the Mud or Earthen Wall, which hath
three Gates, at each Corner one, and another in
the Middle, the laft of which is adorn'd at the
top with a wooden Turret, like a Chimney, a-
bout fixty or feventy Foot high. At the top of
all is fixed a large Copper Snake, whofe Head
hangs downwards : this Serpent is very well eaft
or carved, and is the fineft I have feen in Benin.
Entring one of thefe Gates we come into a Plain
about a quarter of a Mile, almoft fquare, and en-
clofed with a low Wall. Being come to the end.
of this Plain, we meet with fuch another Gallery
as the firft, except that it hath neither Wall nor
Turret. Some time fince this Gallery was half
thrown down by Thunder, fince which no Hand
hath been laid to it to re-build it. This Gallerv hath

46*4 A Defcription of the A LET. XXL
hath a Gate at each End; and paffing thro' one
of them a third Gallery offers its felf to view,
differing from the former only in that the Planks
jpon which it refts are Humane Figures ; but fo
wretchedly carved, that it is hardly poffible to
diftinguilh whether they are moft like Men or
Beafts ; notwithftandingwhich, my Guides were
able to diftinguifh them into Merchants, Soldiers,
Wild-Beaft-Hunters, &c. Behind a white Car
pet we are alfo fhewn eleven Mens Heads eaft in
Copper, by much as good an Artift as the for
mer Carver; and upon each of thefe is an Ele
phant's Tooth, thefe being fome of the King's
Gods. Going thro' a Gate of this Gallery we
enter another great Plain and a fourth Gallery^
beyond which is the King's Dwelling-Houfer
Here is another Snake, as upon the firft Wall.
In thefirfl Apartment at the entranceof the
Plain, is the King's Audience-Chamber, wheref
in prefence of his three Great Lords, I few and
fpoke with himr He was fitting on an Ivory
Couch under a Canopy of Indian Silk.
He was a Perfon of an effable Mien, and about
forty Years old. I ftood, according to Cuftom,
about thirty Paces diftant from him ; but defired,
in order to obferve him the better, that I might
approach nearer to him; which, tho' unufual, he
fmiling granted ; and after he had beckon'd me,
I advanced to within eight or ten Paces of him.
There was no Perfon in the Hall befides the
three mentioned Great Lords, the King and a
Negroe with a drawn Sword in his Hand, that
lejpk'd as fierce as a Cabin Centry.
•"• whatever any Perfon would fay to the King,
muft be firft told to thefe Three, who then re
port it to him, and bring his Anfwer, going thus
continually to and from him, without any Per-
fon's

LET. XXI. Kingdom of Great Benin. 465
fon's being* able;to determine' whether they faith*
tully.report theMeffages on either fide,
1 On the King's left Hand, againft a fine Tape-*
ltry, I faw feven white fcoured Elephants Teeth
on Pedeftals-of Ivory; which is the manner that
almoft all the King's Gods are placed within his
Houfe. I prefented the King with a Silk Night-
Gown, with which (as I was afterwards told) he
was highly pleafed ; but whilft; I was with him
I, faw no Marks of his Satisfaction,; becaufe it
'- was brought to him coyered, and he did not fee
what it was till after my Departure ; for every
thing which is brought, to the King is in like-
manner covered with Mats ; and before and be
hind thefe Prefents feveral Negroes march pro
vided with white Staves. . All thofe who happe.n,
to meet them in this Pofture, immediately make
hafte out of the way, otherwife they would be
very well beaten; This Precaution is taken to
prevent all opportunity of poyfonlng the King's
Goods, or killing him., a .^>^h< •
-m ' The Coral-Seafh happen'd • when i : was at this
great Prince's Court ; which, tho' it affords
nothing very extraordinary,. . I fhall yet give
you fome Defcription of, becaufe it is the only-
Day in the Year when the King appears pub
lickly. He came moft magnificently drefs'd to
the fecond Plain, where under a very fine Ca
nopy was placed a Seat for him ; and there alfo
his Wives and a great number of his Officers of
the firft Rank all in their richeft Dreffes ranged
themfelves around him, and foon after began a
Proceflion ; after which the King alfo removed"
from his Throne, in order to Sacrifice to the"
Gods in the open Air, and thereby begin the
Feaft, which Action is accompanied with the U-*
niverfalloud Acclamations of his People- Af
ter paffing about a quarter of an Hour in this
H h Hiari-

466 A Defcription of the L E T. XXI.
manned, he retum'd to, and again fat down in
in his Place, where he ftaid two Hours, in order
to give the remainder of the People time to per
form their Devotions ; Which done he returned
home. The remainder of the Day was fpent in
fplendid Treating and Feaftingpand the King
caufed all forts of Provifions and Pardon-Wine
to be diftributed in common to all, and all the
Great follow'd his Example ; fo that on that Day
nothing is feen throughout the whole City but
all poffible Marks of rejoycing;
I was not able to difeover the Nature and In
tent of this Coral-Ye&ft, becaufe the Negroes
would not give me any Account or Explanation
of it; their only Anfwer to that Queftion, when
ever I put it, being, We don't know anything
of it.
In the beginning of my- Defcription of this
City, Iinforrfi'd you of its mean State at prefent,
and that, the greateft Part of it ties defolate;
which, indeed, is deplorable, by reafon the
Circumjacent Country is as pleafa&t as could be
wifh'd,where no interpofing Hill or Wood rude
ly interrupts the agreeable Profpeft of thoufands
of charming Trees,which, by their wide extend
ed Branches full of Leaves, feem to invite Man
kind to repofe under their Shade. The Ruin of
this Town and the Circumjacent Land, was
occafioned by the King's caufing two Kings of
the Street to be killed, under pretence thattbey
had attempted his Life, tho' all the World was
fatisfied of the contrary, and throughly con
vinced, that their overgrown Riches were the
true caufe of theirDeath,that theKing might en
rich himfelf with their Effefts, as he did indeed.
After this Barbarity the King found alfo a third
Man that ftood in his way, who, being uni-
verfally belov'd, was timely warned of that
Prince's

L E T, XXL Kfngdom of Great Benin. 4^7,
Prince's Intention, and accordingly took his
Flight, accompanied with three fourths of the
Inhabitants of the Town ; which the King ob-
ferving, immediately affembled a number of
Men from the bordering Country, and caufed
the Fugitives to be purfued, in order to oblige
them to return ; but they were fo warmly re
ceived by this King of the Street and his. Fol
lowers, that they forced them to return with
bloody Nofes, and give their Mafter an Account
of their Mifadventure. But he refblving not to
reft there, makes a frefli Attempt, which fuc
ceeded no better than the former, which was
not all; for the Fugitive throughly incenfed
and flnfh'd, came direftly to the City, which he
plundered and pillaged, fparing no Place but
the King's Court; after which he retired, tat
inceflantly continued for the fpace of ten Years
to rob the Inhabitants of Great Benin, till at
laft by the Mediation of the Portuguefe,^ a
Peace was concluded betwixt him and the King,
by which he was entirely pardoned all that was
paft, and earneftly requefted by the King to
return to his former Habitation ; however he
would nottruft himfelf -there, but lives .twvo or
three Days Journey from Benin, where he keeps
as great a Court and State as the King. 1
The returning Citizens were affably and ami
cably received by the King, and preferred to
honourable Offices, in order by thofe means to
induce the reft to return, which probably they
will not do, as being very well contented where
they are ; wherefore it is to be feared that the
greateft Part of this Town is ftill likely to
continue uninhabited. '
This, Sir, is all I can fay of Benin. Nor can
I at prefent give you any Account of R« de
Calbary, becaufe I was not there, by reafon of

¦468 A Defcription of the, &c. LET. XXL
the great Mortality which happened "amongft
our Men ; but I hope once in my Life to meet
with an Opportunity of going thither. I pafs
over Rig de Gabon and Cabo Lopez, di Gonfalvez., ,
becaufe ^you your felf have been there ; and
for. the fame Reafon I omit our Arrival on
the Gold-Coaft.
1 1 have now only to add my Withes, that thefe
Obfervations may in the leaft contribute to
your Satisfaftion, and affure yon, that the Writer
hereof is very/ambitious of being reckoned a-
mongft your moft Humble Servants, and fhall
continue fo whilft David Van Nyendaeh
From on Board the
Tacht Johanna Ma
ria, Sep 1. 1702. •

ADe.

.469

A Defcription of the Tooth and
Grain Goaft, fyc.
LETTER XXII.
The Author's Departure from Elmina ,
and Arrival at Acra ; which he leaves
and fails to Cape Lopez di Gonfalvez,
which he leaves after Trading there and
fails along the ALquinoffial Line. Ar
rival at the upper Coaft about ,Cabo
Monte. The Author lands, and is
very civilly treated by the Inhabitants:
A Defcription of the Kjngs Perfon,
his Children and the Multitude of his
Wives. The Induflry of the Inhabitants.
The Vegetables, Cattle and Fifh. of the
Country. They Marry as many Wives
as they pleafe. Their Habits, Religion,
Wars and Weapons. Defcription of
Cape Mont, and Departure from thence.
His Arrival at Cape Mizurado, and
going on Shoar. Some Inhabitants of
this Place robPd by the Englifh. The
Trade there. A Defcription of the Place
and its Inhabitants. The Women do all
the Work, and the Men live idly. Some
Englifh made Prifoner s by them.. A ve
ry fine River. His Departure from
thence, and Arrival at Rio Junk, be-
Hh J fore

4f© ' A Defcription of the LET. XXII.
fore the Town ef Corra, where he went
on Shoar, and what he obferv'd there.
A Woman delivered of four Children at
a Birth. The Authors Departure and
Arrival at Rio Seftre. A Defcription
of that and the Vfllage, of the Kjng
and his Subjects. Great Plenty of Rice.
Their Trade. Manner of burning their
Dead. His Departure. How the Land
bears, Anchoring before Sanguin. Trade
with the Natives, as alfo with thofe of
Boffbe and Bottewa , who are very
Thievifh. The Captain of Bottewa
comes on Board. His CharacJer. He
fails by Battewa and Sino. Arrival at
Seftro Crou, which is a fine Village. He
fails by Wappo and Cape das Palmas,
and arrives at Druwin, where he Trades.
The Natives have very fharp Teeth, are
very Savage and Lovers of Humane
Flefh* Rio St. Andrees is fa wide and
deep, that it is navigable with fmall
Ships. The Inhabitants are Barbarous,
But the Country Pleafant ahd Fruitful.
The Author's Departure and dropping
Anchor before C^La-Hee, where there
is a great Village and River. The Na
tives affable and very tractable in Baft.
nefs. His peparture and paffing Jaque
La -hoe, add the bottom lefs Pit. Arri
val at Afline, but failing by it. Ac
count of fhe French Garrifon there. Sail-

LET. XXII. Tooth and Grain Coaft. 471
ing, by €apz Apojonia. Arrival at Ax
im, and Conclufion of the Voyage.
S I R,
PUrfuant to your Orders, this, ferves to fuf-
nifh you with an Account of our Voyage,
and the Countries where we Traded-' But mak
ing but a few Days ftay on fome of them,, I am
not therefore fo able to oblige you with alarge
Account of the National Conftitution or Man
ners of the Inhabitants, as I could wifhlwerc;
fo that I can only defire you to believe, that if
my Relation falls fhort of your Expeftatiqn, the
Fault is to be charged on want of Opportunity
to gratify you, but not to the leaft to want of
Inclination. After having taken our Leaves under the Sal-
voe of a chearful Glafs, we weighed Anchor and
began our Voyage. TwoDays after we arrived af»
Acra, where we executed our Gommiffion,left
that Place and fteered our Courfe to Cape Lopez.
di Gonfalvez^ where we arrived, without any
confiderable Accident in our Paflage on the— r
I fhall not defcribe this Cape to you, who have
vifited it your felf; but fhall only inform you,
that after having concluded our Trade there,
we left it on the—  and inclined to the
Weft, failing along the JEquinoftial, till we
came high enough to make the upper Coaft.
About Ten in the Evening, on the 28th.
of November, we made Land; and in the
Morning found our felves about .ten Miles a-
bove Caoe Monte. The Land here bears low
and flat to the mentioned Cape. It is fur
nifhed with numerous Villages ; but not one '
Negro coming on board us we were refolved
to depart without Anchoring and make for the
H h 4 Cape,

472 ADefcriptiotofthe LET.&XH.
Cape, where we happily-arrived the following
Day. ¦» y-i1:' - '¦¦iW'.i'.
After which I immediately loaded a Parcel of
Goods into theBoat, and therewith went on,Shoar,
intending to try whether I could deal for any
Elephants Teeth, which fometimes are plenty
there, ;,f."[:" * ' ¦ '-n
-As foon 'as I landed I found the whole Shoar
filled with Negroes, who very civilly' welcomed
me, and conducted me to their Houfes, juft be
yond the Shoar', making out three fmall. Villa
ges, the whole Amount of which was : not full
thirty Houfes.
As foon as I was come into one of thefe great
Villages, I was treated with feveral Pots of
Wine, and defired to- ftay the Arrival of their
King ; which I agreeing to, after having paffed
an Hour, his Majefty appeared, accompanied
with a party of Men.- I rofe up in order to
meet him before he entred the Village, and to
falute him with a profound Reverence. ; -
He, as well as the reft, bid me heartily, weir
come, and we went into the Village, where we
fat down together. After fome Convention I
asked his Majefty, Whether there was any Proba
bility of Trading to any purpofe here \ but was
anfwered, That they had not at prefent any ftock
of Elephants Teeth ; wherefore I was obliged to
content my felf with two, there being then no
rnore to be gotten.
Tfiis King was an elderly Man, as appeared
by his grey Head and Beard. His Name was
Jande Cab o Monte, fo called from the Point of
that Name. , He was eloathed, or rather hung
with a brown Cloak, and a woollen Cap on his
Head; fo that his whole Equipage, if fold to
the Brokers, would not yield forty .Shillings. 4 ' I Wa$

L &T. XXII. Tooth and Grain Coaft. 47 ^
I was informed, that he wasbleffed with fix-
teen Children, twelve Sons and four Daugh
ters. On each of the firft of which he hath
beftowed the Government of a Village con
taining eight. Huts ; for Houfes they cannot,
with any manner of Juftice, be called.
t The Daughters alfo did their beft to pafs
| honeftly thro' the World; but their principal
x Trade lay in relieving the Travellers Necef
fities at a very reafonable Price. ,
If the Negroes are to be credited, the King
!;had not above four hundred Wives, who all
fe live with him in one Village, about three
t Miles in-land from the River -fide.
This is a very fine River, which- begins juft
beyond the Shoar, without entring the Sea a-
s bove once in a Year, when, by reafon of the
great Rains, it overflows. Its Courfe is ex
tended far in-land, and according to the Re
port of the Negroes, diffembogues its felf into
the River Sierra Leone, which is a good Di->
. ftance from this Place.
The Inhabitants of Cabo Monte are iadpftri-
ous to the laft Degree. Their Employments
chiefly confift in planting of Rice, and boiling of
Salt ; both which all the Negroes are oblig'd
.to do for the King, whofe Slaves they are ac
counted. \
• The Product of this Land confifts of a fmall
¦'^Quantity of great Milhio, Jammes, Potatoes,
and abundance of Rice. The Arboriferous
¦Fruits here, as well as on the Gold-Coaft, are
Paquovers, Banana's, Anana's, &c.
They are not very well ftored with Cat
tle ;' for they have neither Kine nor Hogs,
and but a few Sheep ; alfo not many Chicken,
but #ey are good,- .
Here

474 A Defcription of the LET. XXII.
Here are enough of Elephants* Tygers, Baf
fles, Harts, and other wild Beafts.
Nor is there here the leaft want of Fifh ; the
River is full of them ; and they catch them with
large Nets.
Each Man, here at pleafure, Marries as many
Wives as he can maintain, and by/ reafon the
Women work hard, their kpeeping is not very
expenfive. They feem alfo to live very conten
tedly with their Wives, and not td be much con
cerned if they fometimes venture on unlawful
Pleafures with other Men.
The Habit of thefe Negroes is very likeShiftSj
with wideSleeves, which hang down to the Knees $
or indeed it is more like a Surplice : But the
Women do not wear this Habit, but in ftead there*
of a narrow Cloth wound about their Middkis,and
tucked in at their fides to fatten it, without being
at the trouble of doing it by a Girdle, as on the
Gold Coafts: Nor do they wear Garters like
them. Sometimes they fliamelefly go naked, as if
they wear proud of what Nature beftows on
them in common with the reft of their Sex.
I asked them what Religion they Profeffed ;
and was Anfwered that it principally confifted in
Reverencing and Obeying their King and the
Governour fet over them , without troubling
themfelves with what was above them.
When I enquired after their Warrs with o-
ther Countries, they told me, they were not of
ten troubled with them; but if any difference
happened they chofe rather to end the Difpute
Amicably, than to come to Arms : Wherefore
their Bows and Arrows (their only Weapons)
ferve rather for Ornament, than Military ufes.
This being all I have to fay of Cape Monte, I
fhall take leave of it with only acquainting you
that the Cape is a very high Mountain, which as

LET. XXII. Tooth and Grain Coafl.
*s we come from the Sea, looks like a lofty Ifland
feparated from the Coaft. The Country hereabouts
is very pleafant, and alfo feems very fertile.
The Coaft of Cape Monte extends South-Eaft
and by Eaft, and North- Weft and by Weft
and is all over flat Land.
We departed thence, and arrived on the iyb.
before Cape Mizjtrado, which is alfo a high Hill,
tho' not fo high as that of Cape Monte. They
are about ten Miles diftant from each cither.
We eaft Anchor, but not one Negroe com
ing on Board, I ftepped into the Shalop, and
went on fhoar; and after having ftaid a while
on the Strand , fome Negroes came to us; and
being defirous to be informed why they did not
come on Board, I was anfwered that about two
Months before, the Englifh had been there with
two large Veffels, and had Ravaged the Coun
try, deftroyed all their Canoa's, Plundred their
Houfes, and carried off fome of their People^
for Slaves ; upon which the remainder fled to the
Inland-Country,wbere moftof them were at pre
fent : So that here not being much to be done
for us, we were obliged to return on Board,
having not been able in two dayes time to come
at above three hundred weight of Teeth.
The Land betwixt both the laft mentioned
Capes, is perfectly flat and even; the Coaft bears
as above. Two Miles Weft of this Place are
three Villages, containing about twenty Houfes
each ; which indeed were the fineft I faw in my
whole Voyage. Each of them had three neat a-
partments ; and covered at the tops, like our
Hay-reaks in Holland. In one of thefe Houfes
are commonly Lodged fifty, or fixty Men, Wo
men and Children, all which confufedly intermix
in their Lodging: The Women are handfome,
and as the Men informed me, are permitted to
earn

476* ' A Defcription of the L E t. XXll.
earn what Money they pleafe with their Bodies.
I found all the Inhabitants civil and good natured
People. Two old Men here pretended to be
Captains, and obliged me to pay feven pound of
Copper as Cuftom. By Reafon of the Injuries
which they received from the Englifh, they were
fo timorous, that they would not venture on
Board any Ship. And if any Perfon come Armed
on Shore, they immediately fly.
The Men do not much trouble themfelves with
Working, but rather leave that to their Wives ;
as believing they have fufficiently fatigued them
felves with trading a little, moftly in Palm Wine,
which is very plenty and good here.
They feem to give themfelves no more trouble
about Religion, than their Neighbours of Cape
Monte, being very folicitous about nothing but
Eating and Drinking, and making Merry.
What hath been faid of the Habits, Cattle and
Fruit of the former, may alfo ferve them : They
tell us they live in Peace with all their Neigh
bours, and have no Notion of any other Enemy
than the Englifh, of which Nation they had taken
fome then,and publickly declared that they would
endeavour to get as many of them as the two men
tioned Ships had carried off of their Natives:
Thefe unhappy Englifh were in danger of being
Sacrificed to the memory of their Friends, which
fome of their Nation carried off
I fhould now take leave of Cape Mizurado, if I
did not find my felf obliged to fay fomething con
cerning the River, which difcharges its felf into
the Sea, and is five or fix Foot deep in the en
trance, fo that in calm Weather, it is eafily Na
vigable with fmall Boats or Shalops. It takes its
Courfe Weftwards three Miles from hence, and
Eaftwards directly to Rio Seftre ; whither the Na
tives daily pafs in their Canoa's, and Trade ei
ther

LET. XXII. Tooth and Grain Coafl. 477
ther in the natural produce of the Country, or
Elephants Teeth, by Reafon that a much greater
number of Ships come to Rio Seftre than here.
On the z%th. of .... we weighed Anchor,
and left this Cape , fleering Eaft along the
Shoar. The Coaft bears, and the Land fhews as
above, for five Miles from Miz.urado, where at
three different places, we difeover different Land:
The firft of which is not very high, the laft high
er, and the middlemoft higher than both. We
did not fee fo much as one Negro, or any Vil
lage, till we were advanced three Miles farther
Eaftward, where by reafon of the Calm, we
were obliged to Anchor, and towards the Even
ing we faw Fire on the Shoar, whence we con
jectured that there was a Village; and the Natives
made that Sign, to exprefs. their inclination to
Trade with us ; wherefore.we continued there till
next day : But no perfon coming near us in the
Morning, we weighed Anchor, and perfued our
Voyage till Noon, when we eaft Anchor once
more in Rio Junk, and ftayed till Evening, but
faw neither Negro'* , nor Canoa's. The Land
hereabouts fhews low and flat : But farther in
land, difcovers three Hills; the two firft of
which are fituate Weft of Rio Junk, appear
ing perfectly round , and the largeft in the mid
dle. 'The entrance of Rio Junk difcharges it's felf
into the Sea, and at the Point four high Trees
difeover themfelves, two of which are adorned
with Crowns or round tops, and the other two
which are the higheft,are fomewhat Thorny.Here-
abouts the Land fhews chiefly even and doubled.
A Mile Eaft of RoiJunk,a\e two large Clefts, which .
render this Cape very diftinguifhable ; befide
that it may be eafily known by the multitude of
Rocks, of which the Shoar is full , and againft which

478 A Dtferiptrm if the L E T. XXII.
which the Sea continually beats in a terrible man
ner. We few the Fires made by the Negroes,
to advertife one another, that there were Ships
in fight, but by reafon no Body came on Board us,
I afflr of y Opinion, that they are Salt Villages.
The Coaft here extends from Eaft to South, and
from 'Weft to North.
We Sailed on till three Miles Weft of Rio Seftre9
where a C^fnoa full Of Negroes came on Board
us ; who dfeffred us fo Anchor before their Vil-
lage,whieh was Situate in a pleafant Wood, which
1 did, they informing me that they had a good
ftffck of Elephants Teeth.
This Village is called Corra, and not till this
Occafion known to the Seamen. The burning of
the Sea, was fo very fierce here, that it was im
poffible to come a Shoar with Boat or Shalop ;
Wherefore I went into a Canoa, in which, tho'
it was filled with water, the Negroes carried me
fafe on Shoar. I was fo defirous of feeing this
new difcovered Country ; that I heartily wifhed
to meet with a good opportunity of Trading to
detain me here.
As foon as I was Landed, I asked my black
Pilot, where their Village or Dwelling was ; he
led me about a quarter of a Mile into the Wood,
where I difcovered two fmall miferably Built Salt
Villages, one of twelve, and the other of fix
Houfes, whofe Inhabitants which were very bufie
in boiling Salt, feemed to be Wild Men, none of
• them befides my 'Guide, having evef T believe
feen any White Men.
I could not fpeak one word with any of them:
My' Guide who fhould have been Interpreter,
was fo Ignorant of Tongues, that it was not with
out difficulty that I made him underftand me
wichWords and Signs.
How^

LET. XXII. Tooths Grain Coaft. 479
However Wild and Strange they might feem at
firft, they yet afterwards, appeared very Civil
and Courteous; for after I had walked through
their Country, I defigned to return becaufe I faw
no Teeth: But an old Man that looked like
their Governour, would not fuffer me, but cauf
ed my Canoa to be brought from the Shoar into
his Village ; and defired before my depature that
I Would Eat and Drink with him, which being
Hungry, I readily confented to. The Old Man
did every thing he was able to Treat me well ;
after which he cOnfented to my departure, un
der condition that I would come again next day.
Thefe Negroes are undoubtedly happy in a nu
merous Iffue, and the Women very Fruitful,
for I accidentally few a Woman loaden with
four Ghildren,and asking my Interpreter whether
they all came at one Birth, he anfwered in the
affirmative, which induced me to beftow a Chari
table Prefent on the Mother and her Children ;
after which I again ftep'd into the Canoa, and
caufed my felf to be carried to our Shalop,fending
my thanks to the Old Gentlemen, and telling
them, that if they had any Goods to Trade with,
they might, come to Rio Seftre, where I defigned
to, fpend fome days.
As foon as I came on Board, we weighed An
chor, and Sailed on to %io Seftre, and arrived in
the Road the 3d. of December. Before Rio Seftre
the Land is very low , and beyond it there
are two high Hills, one of which appears like
a Semicircle or Rainbow.
About a Mile Weft of this Place, are two
great Rocks, and about as far Eaftward a Point
of Land ftretches into the Sea, fo that this Place
is eafie to be known.
The Entrance of this River from the Sea, is
full of Rocks, which yet lye fix Foot under water,

A Deftriptionofthe "LET. XXII.
ter, wherefore it is eafie to pafs over them all
with laden Boats and Shalops, except two "of
them which appear above water, and are to be
avoided. /
¦ The Village is Situated clofe to the Shoar, on a
rifing Ground, and contains about fixty Houfes^
which are very neatly Built, andfo high, that
fome of them appear three Miles out at Sea.
The Buildings here, differ from thofe of Mi-
z.wrado, only in that here are more Stories. i
Rio Seftre is a very fine and pleafant River.
The Banks on each fide are thick fet with high
and low Trees.1 Several Rivulets and fmall
Springs, difcharge themfelves into this River,
but what adds to the Charms of this River, be
fides the Trees, is the multitude of Villages all
along its Banks; amongft which is that of the
King, Situated about three Miles up the River;
and compofed of about thirty Houfes.
The King who' is a Silver Haired very old
Man, declares that all the Inhabitants of his Vil
lage, are really Defcended from him; which is ve
ry probable, tbey not being very numerous. He
like the Great or Principal Men hereabouts, af-
fumes an European Name, which is Peter. •
He is a very agreeable, obliging Man; and all
his Subjects are very Civil; as well as ve
ry Laborious in Agriculture, and the perfuit of
their Trade.
Their Habit, Fruits of the Earth, Cattle and
Fifh are the fame with the beforementioned I
People. • . . -A
Thefe Countries feem to live in perfect Peace I
with other Countries; for all hereabouts , we
hear of no other Wars, than a few Skirmilhes
which formerly happened with the Inland Ne
groes, who Burned their Village by furprize. But \
they

L E T. XXII. Tooth md Grain €oaft. 48 1
Wi$y tools moft of them Prifoners, and fold them,
which entirelf-ejjded the War.
The Inl}a*bjrjiits, as I have already hinted, are
very Induftrious, efpecially in the Plantiiig of
. Rice, which is their chief Employment.
Rice increafes fo prodigioufly here, that in,a
very fhort time we eafily. get enough to load
a Shipi ".V"
Thofe above the common Rank, drive a per
petual Trade in Rice, Malaget, and Elephants
Teeth ; tho' the quantity of the laft is yetf
fmall. I cannot omit their ftrange manner of Burial,
having had the opportunity of obferving an in
ftance of it, in the Interment of an old Wo
man, during the time of my Trading here. ^ As
foon as Dead, her C<wps was covered with a
Cloth, and the People of the whole Village,
neither Old nor Young excepted, came and rang*
ed themfelves in very good order round the
Corps, and each of them was provided with a few
ft&tiana Leaves to fhadeand defend the old Wo
man from the heat of the Sun.
The Men in a Defperate and Diffracted man- .
ner, run about the Houfe of the Deceafed, con
tinually and difmally howling, infomuch that if
fhe bad been but half Dead, it had* been fuffici
ent to have accelerated her Departure.
The Women which fat round the Body, alfo
began to lift up their Voices, as not being willing
tD be outdone; and^f I were to be Judge, Icould
fcarce determine which of the Sexes made the
greateft noife.
This jarring Difcord continued inceffant for
the fpace of Twenty .four Hours. But on the
fecond day there was a fmall ceflation ; by reafon
.that an empty Canoa was brought juft before the
';- 1 i Dwelliog

482 A Defcription of the LET.XXni
Dwelling of the Deceafed, into which the
Corps was layed ; next which was placed a Pot
of Rice, and another of Palm-Wine, in order
to fopply her, if fhe happened to be either
hungry or 'thirfty on her Journey ; and. after
that the Ganoa; was filled with all forts of green
Flints. -
After this the mourning Cry was renewed,
and continued about half an Hour ; next to
which ' appeared ten young vigorous Fellows,
wbo took up the Cdrpsand Canoa, both which
they carried to the River, in order to be trans
ported to, the Place of her Nativity, and Bu
ried there.
Which I at firft conjectured to be in Obedi
ence to the laft Teftament of the Deceafed ;
but was afterwards informed, that it /was Cu
ftomary for every Perfon to be Bufied at the
Place of his Birth, tho' he happened fo Die
at never fo great a Diftanee from thence ;
and that tho' the Deceafed had not left any
Effects behind to defray the Expence, the
Neighbours were yet obliged to bear the
Charge. < : *'
The Oldr Woman was then, carried. up the
River and Buried, and three Days afterwards
the Friends and Relations returned home, and
brought with them a Sheep and a good quan
tity of Palm-Wine, to keep the Burying Feaft.
Lkept near them, in order to obferve them ;
but they no fooner faw me^' but invited me to
participate with them ; which I was eafily per-
fuaded to, by reafon I had been dealing for
Rice the whole Day, and had not eaten. I
eat and drank very heartily with" them, as long
as .either Wine or Edibles lafted, thinking I had
been very well ^ treated, but next Morning. lound

1 E T. XXIf. Tooth and Grain Coaft. 48}
found my Error ; for the Relations and tfie
whole Company came and brought me a fcurvy
Reckoning, and I cOiiM not get fid of them,
without making each of them a particular Pre
fent; when I fumm'd up the matter, I found that
the'Expeace Of the whole Feaft waSdeffay'd out
of my Pocket, which obliged me to clap down
as a Memorandum in my Note-Book, never
again to venture to an -old- Woman's Fune
ral. :
This, Sir, is all I have to fay concerning Rio .
Seftre, which I fhould . have gone farther up,
and have more particularly vifited the Coun
try, if any body had been, with me to take
care of our Trade, or we had not been bound
''farther.-' But the Englifli Ships generally come^,
fo thick upon this Coaft, that without utmoft*-
Diligence in my Poft,'- 1 could not expect, to do
anything. "'- - **Ll '
Nay at laft we found Trade here at fuch a
low Ebb, that we were oblig'd to leave this
"Place on the nth. of December <, not ftaying here
above eight Da#9i
Sailing tfieh'%om Rio Seftre we found the
Shoar plain double Land* The Coaft extends
North-Weft and South -Eaft. Three Miles be- '
tow Rio Seftre is a great Mountainous Rock, on
which grows a vety high Tree. This Place is
called LMe Seftre; and about a Mile and-. half
farther Eaft, a Point buts into the Sea '; on the
Land next which appears a" great Rock, which
is white at the Top," and at Sealopks like a
Ship under Sail. *' • ' '
" A little below this we drOp'd Anchor before
the Village of Sanguin, where we coul-ideal but .
to a fmall Value. **
I i » Whilft

ADeferiptio&ofit&; tlET. XXII.
Whilft we Jay her© the Negroes ©| Boffoe.&id
Bot,tewa came on Board uswipha Canoa ladljl
wifih Malaguet, for which they: defired only An-
nabaiTes ; fo that I difpofed of all Jrhad to theft
fo; two Days; tirne.
"¦ f.foitnd no other. Difference of Jthe Ne^
gro,es of Sanguin, th^a, that thefe were bigotfetL
tea jrery pernicious Opinion ,, that dextrous
.Robbery is very.lawful and expedient? Where
fore we are obliged to deal very cautioufly,
for they readily buy,-'' whatever Commodities
they fee, bu$,are fure never ,;to pay for
theJm.. The Land about Sanguin is eafily diftinguifh-
ed, by feveral high Trees, which fhew them
felves Eaftwafds of jit: , , ;
r About a Mile E^t of Sanguin lies Boffoe,
which may be known by a plain Sand Point,
is environed with large and fmall Rocks.
Here/a Negroe cameQn Bpard,. who calfed him
felf James, and. pretended £© bq Captain of
Boffoe,; he fpoke a confufedfort of Language*
being a mixed Jargon of Englifh.and Portuguefe.
He feemed a great, Lover of t&e Female Sex,
Which was the whole Subject, with which he
entertained us. He told us (unasked) That
he had ten Wives, and out of good Husbandry
graciouily now and then beftowed one of them
on his . Son Jeoft , ^ who <was on Board with
him-  • .
. When we.reprefented to him the Wickednefs
of ; foch an Actionj and told him, That no Place
in the World allowed it, he laughed aloud and
faid, That, they were then, Fools- to infift on fuch a
Trifle ;, find that as his People were better inform*
td, they a&cd accordingly. W'e

. Tooth and Gfain Coaft. 485
¦^¦"We fent; thefe Heroes on Shoar and left
•Boffoe, in order to purfue our Voyage. ; -j ,
'.-•' About three Miles farther is the Village of
Bottewa, fituate on the Shoar ; ^and half a Mile
Weft of it, a great Rock appears in the Sea ;
and about a Mile below Bottewa, another Rock
very like the former difcovers its felf ; a Mile
beyond which, the high Land of Bottemt ap-
¦pears, confifting of a Multitude of high Hills.
We Traded for fome Grain or Malaguet;while
we were failing, . without fo much as Anchor? -
ing ; for whiCh reafon I had no oppdfitunky'of
•obferving the Country and its Inhabitants,
tho' I believe they do not much differ from
thofe of Boffoe.
A Mile 'and half beyond Bottewa is the Vil
lage Sino, Jwhieh is difttogmfhable by a'great
flock upon a Sand-point , butting' a little in
to the Sea ; behind 'that is a great River,
Jwhich, according vto the Report of the Ne
groes, extends its felf far in-land, and istfibt
much lets' confiderable than Rio Seftre. TcoiSikf
'not come at any farther Information ; for rttpe
Negroes fpeafc- Such a Barbarous Language, 'that
Xhey are nor to be- underftood without :Dir%-
*culty.' The Coaft extend^ its . felf here 5'auth--
Eaft and.- Iry Eaft, and • •iNorth-Weft and bry
Weft; the Lafnd 'is very even v ::
.• We failed from1 hence and >came the 2&th.
of December to Seftre Crou. The Land is?!hq9ie
flat ahd low, the Village is. -beautiful and large,
and rather .larger and 'more extenfive than
Elmina. ' Behind it the Land is higher, and
adorned with a good Number of largey tho'
•leavelefs, Trees,* There, are' two great Rocks,
Joa the Shoar, abou-t half a Mile diftant from.
-t'i.i '' ^each

$6 AWftriptm?ofthe LET.XXlf
each other, by all which Marks this Place is eafi
ly known. " •>>-<
The Negroes here feerned. to be a good fort
of People, honeftiri' their Dealings; andr miic%
more regular than thole' who live .higher up.
Tfieir-Language is titterry unintellfgible ; whefe?-
fore it is impoffible to "learn any thing of their
Manners and Caftorhs. The Cattle and Fruits
herb" are like" thofe at tjther 'Places, they being
well for nifhed with ftoth. The Fifhery and the
Fifh are not ar/all diffefent 'fete thofe on the
Gdld^Coaft. *' '. \ ¦;**' *?.-¦¦
Having finifhed ,oifr' Trading 'Affairs here
'We'- failed on to the Vittage Wappo,' about 'three
Miles diftant from Seftre Cro%; Thte Marks of
this Place are feveral high ftragling Trees,
which appear' upon a high HH1 beyond the
Shoar ; the Tops of thefe Trees appear very
red at a Diftanee. Before Wappo a very large
Rock difcoyet% its felf, which feems feparated
.fraim the Shoar, thb' really on it. As wefail-
ei$$iyJt;he Land^ it appeared but/faintly, if at all.
The Coaft ftretches Eaft SoiithrEaft, and Weft
South- Weft ; all, or at leaft as*¥afe as we could
fee of it flat Land,, to about- three Miles Weft
of Cabo das Palniasy where a Point of Land
huts into the Sea," which at, a diftanee looks
like a Dolphin, and hath' a large.^ilfege-'ori- it,
and four Trees in the midft tif ' it, .wniclfwe
" took to be Coco's? '__ ' - .^
We made our "ufiial Sigh to' invite the Ne
groes on board us ; but none coming, we did
our beft to double' the mentioned Cape, which
fometimes proves diffitu It enphgh, if .we are too
near- the Shoar.' We pafled^t notwithftindihg
in the Night, the 25th. of December,, and not
obferv'ing any Villages or Negroes ijext Day,
we

LET. XXII. Tooth mlQta.m Coaft. 4S7
we purfued ; our Courfe to Druwin. The Goaft
from Cape .Palm to Druwin bears Eaft and by
North, and Weft and by South, about fix and
twenty Miles, all high and flat Land.
On the 26th. ditto in the Evening, and next
L>y fome Negroes in three Ganoa's laden with
Elephants Teeth came, on Board, us, and af
ter giving them t&eir Dasje or Prefent, I dealt
with them for the Ivory at the deareft Rate.
I never yet faw more covetous Men, or great
er Savages. They begged every thing they
faw ; and if we deny them, or fpeak warmly to
them, as to other Negroes, they immediately
leap over Board and make to Land ; fo ..that
,we can fcarce Trade with thefe People, other-
wife than to confiderable Lofs,
Their Teeth with which they eat Human
Flelh, when tbey can come at it, were as fharp
as Awls ; wherefore' I fhould not advife any to
fe&Foot on Landjjere, who is not fond of be
ing buried in their Bejlies.
The Land-marks here are very plain, and
render this Country eafily diftinguifhable, part
ly by its Heigftt and lofty Trees, but princi
pally by reafon of three or four large Villages ¦
which there difeover themfelves, each of which-:
is fituate about half a.. Mile from the other, {,
.Behind the laft Village appears a high Point to f
the Eaft, where the Land begins to grow info )
a Promontory, in which is the large River" of;
St. Andrew, which difcharges. its felf intdf the |.
Sea, ..and takes its Courfe, according to the ^
Negroes, Wefhvards, and is fo wide and deep,
that it is navigable with Barks, with which, we
might come inand Trade, if we were but afiin
red the Natives would not moleft us, which no
Perfon is able tQ give, us a fatisfaftory A Aura nee
I i 4 °(?

•4&£ A Dtfcriptim of the II 3TT. XXII.
of,- fince here the Inhabitants' ate the greateft
Brutes on the whole Gbaft^' and whoever Trades
here, ought to keep S$ieS aloft tp prevent his
being furpr^ed by theni.
T hefe Barbarians art poffefled of a Country
which< affords them an fehvied Plenty of all man
ner ef Provifion ; for Milhio, Jammes, Paquo-
vte-HS; Banana?s, and in fhort, whatever the '
Gold-Cottft product,- is here very plenty; and
they have befides 'great abundance of'Kine,
Sheep, Poultry, '&k as alfo Wild Beafts, and,
indeed want nothing necefiary to the Support
of Life ; all which we may juftly grudge themi,
becaufe out of pure Crofsnefs they will not fell
any, except the worft Part of then!, which-they
do not like themfelves ; and thSt atfa very dear
Rate. *T We find even in this Age feveral who doubt,
whether there are any Wild Men-in the World,
fo far degenerafeid from Hurnan Nature as to.
kill and eat their own Species ; for fa'y they,
•If there were} any fuch, they would not be tUt/tin-
guifhed from Brutes by any thing ikut their SptieQfo,
which fe,ems to clafli with the 'Miitlne Goodnefsy
which endowed Man only with a rational Soul, that
be ntight know what was neceffary for him : Be^
fides which, they take it for granted, That no
Man can properly be called Wild, but fuch aa
one as like the Beafts, feparated from all Soci
ety, paffeth his Life in Woods and^Vildernef
fes, without any Regard to Divine or Human
Laws ; and that fince none of thefe Men were
ever obferved from the beginning of the World,
they venture to conclude, that there never was,
nor never will be any fuch. But this Argument
feems very weak; for Experience hath long
fince convinced us, 'That there are Men-eaters
' ' 3, , in,

LET. XXH. Tooth and Grain Coaft.
in the World. , Antiquity hath left us Accounts
of it ; and'it is from time to time confirmed
by a crcwd of Authors. Our North-Holland
.Preacher hath clearly proved it,; and tho be .is'
not always in the right,, yet what he faith qf
the Brafilians and other Neighbouring Nations,
is undoubted Truth. But what need I apply
to other WitnefFes, whilft you your felf have
experienced the Truth of it in thofe in-laud
Negrpes which come from the Country beyoad
Ardra, who imagine, that we buy. them and
carry them off only in order to eat them ';
which Jealoufie would not probably enter their
Thoughts, if they ' did not certainly know that
there were Man-eaters in the World; And as
to what they farther fay concerning Wild
Men, I will readily own, that there are no
fuch Wild Men as they defcribe in the World,
if they will but allow on the other fide, that
fome Men differ from the other fo much, that
fome may be comparatively called Wild, or
Brutes , which doth not proceed from this,
that they as w#ll as we are not endowed, with
a Rational Soul; but from their reafonable
Soul's being degenerated by barbarous Ufages,
and for want of Convevfation with civilized
Nations. Nor are Examples wanting of Men,
'who by, Accidents which happened in their
Youth, have been obliged to continue feveral
Years in the Woods, which in procefs of tinie
rendred them fo Wild, that they atftetnv/artts
became afraid of and fled from all Men. .- Bur.
enough of this, let every one believe what he
pleafes. . On the 29th., we left this Progeny of Cham,
.-'and- fleered South-Eaft and by South ; i, e. af
ter failing a Mile and half we carafe to the Six-
• '" tea

490 A Defer iptiom of the L E T. XXII.
te,en Red Cliffs, which take up in all aboubfhree
Miles in length, and in clear Weather. are vifi-
ble fix or fesen Miles out at Sea/ Ifoundiiere
neither Negroes nor Villages. The Coaft bears
as above ; and from Druwyn to Cape Lahoe is
about 27 Miles.
On the 30th. Ditto, we anchored before Cape
Lahoe. The Land declines here, and is very
low on therSea-tfide. • .. ~ ,
The Village is very large, and feems toftretch
about a Mile along the^ Shoar. Betwixt the
Houfes throughout the whole Place are Multi
tudes J»f Goco Trees, as at Axim ; and if this
Laud were tfo high = as that, and had a Fort ¦
built in the fnidft of the Town, it would not
be much unlike that in any thing 1 befides the
largenefs of the Village.
About three Miles on Land beyond the Vil
lage, are feveral high Hills ^ and a Mile. Weft
of Cape Lahoe is a large* River, which- runs to
the River, of St. Andrew, and a great many
Miles into the in-land Country, ,.as alfo Eaft-
wards, tho' not very far; for failing but a
few Miles Eafiward, our Courfe is ftop'd by
Land. The Negroes feem here affable and civil, and
were very eafy to be dealt with, only they held
their Elephants Teeth fomewhat dear at that
time. But that was occafioned by the great,
^Numbers.of Englifh and Dutch Interlopers,
tho' moft of thtf firft, which J«td lately, b^en
here. , ; ¦',. , ...
-. This Place.is asPlentifully blefs'd withJ?ro-
vifions as Druwyn, wittv this Difference only,
that ip is better and' cheaper. I cannot fay
much more concerning this Place, only inform
yon, Wha,t the Negroes told me, That they were

pwpwwy^

LET. XXII. Tooth and Grain Coaft.
very Populous, and were ruled by onr Chief Captain
or Governor. ? >$*
Having done otir Bufinefs: we weighed An
chor, and purfued our Voyage to Jaque Lahoe,
about three Miles farther, the Coaft bearing in
the feme rnaner.
We were informed by the Negroes, that they
had no ftock of Elephants Teeth; wherefore
.we refolved to fail to the Bottorrilefs Pit (fo
called from an Imagination that it really is fo ;
but the contrary -hath been experienced) a bote
four Miles farthers -<-',•
The Land from below, or a little Welward
• of Cape Lahoe to Jaque Lahoe, is diftinguifhed
in the Maps and Charts by the Name of the
Quaqua-Coaft ; but wherefore fo called I cannot
determine, unlefs it be, that fome compare the
Speech of thefe Negroes to the Noife of Ducks,
which I cannot- confirm to you, becaufe I could
not obferve fo remarkable a Difference betwixt
their Language and 'that of other Negroes, as
fhould make it found like Quoaking. The Na
tives call their Country Adouw, and themfelves
.Adouwfians; but we follow our Chart and call
/them Quacptaans.
You are probably acquainted with the ex
pert Swimming and 'Diving of thefe Negroes,
which I have feveral times feen with Surprize.
Whenever they were on Board, and I threw a
feting of Coral, or any thing elfe into the Sea,
one of them would immediately dive after it,
and tho' almoft got to the bottomfetch it up a-
;gain. This, they feldom miffed of, and were
ifure of what they brought np as their Re
gard. "," .
We paffed the Night in the Bottomlefs Pit,
and arrived in the Morning at Affinee, which we
¦Cr guefSj

4»9 A Def caption of the EET. XXII.
-,guefs to be. about feven Miles below; the, rhenti-
oned Pit.- The Coaft here bears Eaft by South.
-Here are ho Elephants Teeth, but Gold to 'be
traded for; bur we had no Orders todeai
in that Commodity ; wherefore? we failed by ^
Affinee. •"'.'.' N
Notwithftanding which fome -Negroes ih a
Canoa came on Board me. I" asked them, Bow
they agreed with the French? They anfwered,
That all the Caboceroes of Affine, together ^itie
their Subjects, were gone from thence, and haU '-
fettled a Mile above the Village ; . where they con
tinues at preferit, Wtthmt^ entertaining the Baft
Commerce or Corr'efpondence • with- the French, iwfcp
had only a bare Lodge on the \Shd.ar tncompnffed
TPith Palifadoes, and -provided With five pieces of
•Canon, and* then? guarded by tight Men,* whv
were well furnifhed with Provifions, left there
toy • the French Ship s, but were fometimes in
great want -«f Water.,' mbkh the Negroes: ak-
1 ways endeavoured if force Kto keep them frvm ; fo
that theft- Negroes were ;of opinion, that the
French, unlefs they recerrai-S>fome ¦ Affiftance
from .Europe, jcould not long fubfift there, but
would be oblig'd to abandon the *«P lace upon the
''• firft opportunity. ;- • -i
'Time will difeover what part of this Relati
on deferves Credit, tho'' I believe1 chafe the
tFrenchwe not in fuch a wretched,' Condition-as
they reprefented them. -ta ' :a.%^
The Coaft from Ajfwee toyCape Apolkma
bears Eaft Sonth-Eaft ^ theCoaftis inall'Earts
furnifhed with, great arid- fmall Villages :>, But
no .Negroes <eame on Uoard. us.; <., wherefore
I cannot give you.any Account of this Country
or theirThhabitaiits. ' ''* " ! 't ' "' ' •
• I v ' *fl' ' ' ¦¦ ' ' ;.!' ¦

LET. XXII. Tooth and drain Coaft. 49 j
The now mentioned Cape appears to be low
.plain Ground ; behind it are three. high Hills,
.Which are its diftinguifhingMarks; without them
it would not deferve the Name of a Cape, than
which it is nothing lefs, and would be failed by
without ever being feen. '
From hence to A**™ feems to me aboiit feven
Miles, tho' others think it more. . .rThe Land be
twixt both Places is veryrflow§ and adorned
with, thoufands of Coco Ttee&i^ The Shoar is
extraordinary broad, flat, and looks as if paved
with Brick, and is a fine Road to travel on with
Coaches, or Chaifes, as in Holland. %
At the end of this Shoar is Rio Cqbre, about
half;a League above Axim ; but. you your felf
.being better acquainted with this Coaft than I
can pretend to, I lhall conclude this Account of
my Voyage, with humbly defiring your kind
Acceptance of my Relation, affiiring you, that
Ihave not failed to note every thing which was
remarkable. Wherefore, after requefting the
continuance of your Favours, I take the Liber
ty to fubfcribe my felf,

from on Board the
Tdcht Johanna Ja-
coba before Axim,
Jan. the 2d. 1702.

Tour Obedient Servant
,rff#i John Snoelt*

FINIS.

A N

I

D E X

OF THE

Principal Matters.

A.
¦ ':¦¦•-, r
A Boar? Village 5 a Dutch
Lodge there, now quitted,
• ^ Page, 20.
Abocroe, a Country on the Gold
Coafl, _ t'2.
Aboei, a fmall Filh like Trouts,
very plentiful in Guinea, 278,
279-
Acirniy, an in-land Gold Country,
77. Atomy ska, or Acanny
Gold, the 'pureff and beft, ibid.
Actountanfliip wonderfully ready
among the Negroes on the Slave- 35*- lo«66, rijb57. M- cq. Si.

Goaft,
Acoda,Acra, an EngJiJb' For
67. A ftefc ar
Fort there,
Atrm, a Kingdom c
Goaft, deTcrib'd,
The People villain

Adjd, an Ixglifb Fort thiere, ^7.
The i?atir/;„jdirpoffe6',d of it
. ; ibid.
Adomtfe, Country, ciri the Goli-
Coaft, a Republick, 22; . Tie
Power of the inhabitant?, and
the Fertility of the Soil, 25.
yWow-Coaft, fee Qua qua.
Adultery, its Penalty among the
Gold-Oak Negroes, 201. The
comical Trial of CaufeS'Upon
this Head, 201, 203. Inland.
Negroes punifh Adultery more
feverely, 205. And yet the
Women covet it mightily, 206,
207. Adultery with the King
ofFida's Wives, how punilh'd,
3 ¦; 8. How in Benin, 4*2 .
Agatton, on l{it) Formofa, 431.
Agents (Englifh) ruin their Gar-
rifons, *,-. ^ ^Q>
Aghima, a Kingdom on the GeH-
Coaft delcrib d, 63. -The on
ly Negroe Kingdom, the Suc-
ceflion of ufhich defcends to le-
males,.

/ N D E X.

male;, ibid. The Wifdom of [
the Governefs, ibid. A forry
EngliSh Fort there, 63, 6& Thej
Fertility and Pleafantnefsof the
Country, 64.
Agrie, or Acorri, a blew Coral fo
call'd, of equal value with Gold,
119
Agiiculture on .the GeM-Coaft,
130. '
Akim, a large in-lan d gold Coun
try, fends the beft Gold to \Acra,
78.
Amo-tekki, a brave-Negroe Gene
ral, 38.
Amflerdam Fortrefs (Duteh) taken
from the Englijh,. '¦ <$.
Anana's, Fruit and Plant, defcrib'd
at large, 301. et feq.
Ananfe, an in-land gold Country,
78, 79- r<>
Ananfe, fee Spider.
Anca., fee Cabbage.
Ancober River, fee J{io de Cobre.
Ancober Country, • 2.
St. Andrew River, 487.
Angola, 4.1 1.
Annaboa,z famous Ifland defcrib'd,
4M-
Animals on the GoM-Coaft are all
light , 236. Several ftrange
Animals, 240, 256, et feq.
257.
Avnamabo, an fnglip Fort, .^6
Avqua, a bloody Adomefe General,
23-
Ante, a charming Country on the
GoW-Goaft deferife'd, 13, 14,
19.
Sr. Antony, a Dutch Fort is Axim,
3- '
Ants in Guinea wonderful, 276.
Apam Village, a Dutch Fort there,
60, 61.
Afe'st.tiuBXT prodigious Numbers,
and various forts, 11, 18, 254,
4^3. Their bubilety , Qfc.
2-; 5, .ctk%.

Apparitions much fear'd among
the Negroes, 1^9, 384,, 45V
Apples (Cormantyn,) 292.
Aqua foxm ridioiloufly us'd in try
ing Gold, ' 84.
Aquamboe, a great Kingdom on
the GoM-Coaft defcrib'd, 64.
et feq. The Government very
defpotick, 64, 65. THey;pof-
fefs more Gold jmd Slaves than
all the GeW-Cdaft befides, 70.
Ardra (little) tee Offra.
Arms of the GoW-Coaft Negroes,
184, 185, 186. Of thcFidafe,
397. Of the Beninefe, 457.
Armies not very numerous among
the Coaft Negroes, xSu
Arebo, a common trading Place
on Rio. Formofa,. 427. The E«-
'g///b had, once a Factory here ;
and' the Dutch have ftill, 43 1 .
Afiantcfzn in-land gold Country,
78. They deftroy Dinkira in
Woody Battels, 7<j,
Affagtys, what they are*. i€6.
Affembly) fee Council.
Affes on the Ga&f-Coaft, " 258.
AjJinee-CozR, 320, 491.
Ajftfi ant's Vo ft in the Dutch Guinea
Company, ,.94, . Their Num
ber, ' ' ' 99,
Avxrri, a Place upon Sfo Formofa,
where -the Portuguefe have a Set
tlement, ' v 427.
Amine, an in-land pold Country,
. ftrangeiy^onquer'd bythe Z>«-
Urans, , 79,
Authority of the Faflors in Guinea,
, >&7> '75-
Axim, a Country on the Gcll-
, CoafFdeicrib'd, 2, 3, 5, 493.
The Inhabitants, 5, 6.. Bran
denburg Foits there, 7, 8, 10.
7 he occafion of the lewneftrf
the Drundifiburg ]ntereft, 9,
10. The G«veirai£nt of a~„-
im. 164.

I • & D

"X.

B.

BAggs ftyir ) an Englifli Agent.
intrnfted*, with an ample
Commiflion. Died, ,; fi2>
Bakovens (a Frujt) :,ipi, 393.
Banana's (Fruit ) 29 1 , ' 3,93,./
Btfter{ (Edtvard) "an %./# Mu
latto tt,£affi/jcj& has irioref row
er than alftnefhree Engi^A-
' gents,. ¦' ¦ .... V^i.,
Fatavia, a Guinea River ,Fpij
^' ;* '"¦'.' - 2*79-
fiate^ewi, fee Boutry.
Bejfls of feveral forts in Guinea,
"300, ,3'fe.,, \ ,.
Eeefveryfisrry on the GeM-Coaft,
'/ : * -. 236.
Beer very good at Fida, ',". 392*
Beetel, fee Cabbage. »,.. .
Beggars, hbnefu,ch!hro'nece|rity
but all the Negroes Ire fuch
thro' Cpvetoufnefs, 1 40, fa£i
Be«i» River, fee Rfp Formofa.'
Benin ("great) a kingdom . The
Government, Manners of the
Inhabitants, Trade, E&. 433.
et feq. Their Religion, 45.4
The City or Village of Benin
defcrirtd, 461. The Kings
Revenue, Court and Character
460,463.
Bsrbe, fee Wine-bibber.
Birds on the GcM-Coaft. 262, et
feq. Crown-Birdj very beauti
ful, 294, 266, 391. Other
beautiful Birds, 65, ,266.
'269. A very rare- t-.ird,. 263,
¦ Several unknown birds', 268,
269. A very ftrange 15ird,
271, 272.
Board paid to the Author for en
tertaining a Snake in hi» Houfe, ,379-
Boats on the GoW-Coaft, 247.
lola ik la mare, • 45 S.

Bgetkdqj,,, , a tracing,, ^as^.cj^w ,
Ffmfci * ,;, ".¦'•¦ -430.
Boefies, tm, Jfoney of the Sltve-
Coaft, . , '.,¦ ,, 3<52» 304-
Boefi, fee Cabbage.
Boefya, an *Amefe Village,, 14;
Boff, oe defcrib'd, ,, 484.
.Book-keeper General for the
Duuk, his Poft and Profits, 97*
' Book-keeper of the Ga,^|$)ri,
• ibid. ¦'¦_ ., . ,, .. 'i'"l.
Booty of the Negroes, ^/ ,^§2.
Bbffkm Pra, fee Cfcmtf-River^.,,
;.B0fit!B,>fee Fetiche, and 153."*
iioj^, We darling Wife fo .call'd
' . , ,. J99>
5«Kwi Village deEgrib'd, „ 48? '
Bottomlefs.Pit, "' : 4,9. !*»
Bo.ws and Arrows of the .Cj^flt
* Negroes, •¦, 186
Poutees, f$elfild-l{ats. ¦,,., ,,
Boutry, a Dutch Fq|| . there, i<j*
i ThehealthieftPliin Guinea,
17, 108. The pffafantnefs of -
.. _ the adjacent Country, *&
^oJNlgf River very charming, 17.
Bri?p, the Title bf the Chief Gom-
manAcr of the Famyn$ans, $-7*
An Officer of a King, ' 194.
Bf-amb/s, fee Lijnon-Trees.
Brandenburg 'Forts, in^xiw, 7, 8,
10, in Ante, 14, .20. ,
Brandy, taken to excefs very per-
niceous, 107. Brandy-drinking
the innate Vice of all thsNfi:.
groes, 4©3-
Bread, the Negroes boil it, as
having no O^ns, 392. 1 ota-
toesjjs'd for bread, 393.
Krpker, one nam'd' Akim, imp.Q-
fes upon the DttuB Governor at
.'• Elmina, 38, 39.
Buffle, defcrib'd, .245. An Ad
venture with them, . 410.
Buildings of theJ^fjgNes are pl«- .
, ced without any regard to the
J lea!(fxeo.fibc „itKaticn,,: 138.

IND E X.
BdrW.Ke^to&ver'yib'ndofbetogj Cayman^ or Crocodile defcrib'd.
buried in their own Cpuntrjr.i ,.. 247.
232.J Ceuetnonies of Civility > 00 the

c.
&~> Abbagp {Guinea} 307.
ifibefterra^ an inland gold Coiin-
' try between Acanni and Saboe, [
Vf" v ¦. -• 7y-'
Cabocero' s, tfoho they are, 132,
134. Their Power Mo fmall, '

GtfW-Coaft, 12^.
Chama Town, a Dutch jort$here,
s. 20. Poffefs'd formerly by the
./-¦ Portuguefe, ibidA . Attack'd in
:¦¦¦ vain by the Englifhi 21. CJw-
wa River, 21,
Chikty ridiculous.Ceremqny upon
a Woman's being firft with
Child, 208.
Children, wonderfully numerous
on the Slave -Coaft, - 347.

1^4- Thcyiit 'Judges with otff Child bearing eafie and npt expen

Faft ors, 167. They confult of
War and Peace, 178.
Cabocors, the Cape, Town and
Englifh chief Fort there de*
fcrib'd, 48, et feq.
Calbary (bid and new; Places for
• ¦' Trade in the Gulph , 399.
Cmelions, an account of °em, 257,
et feq.
Gannon among the Negroes> 187.
Cape ApoUonia, "*' • ;'.''. 493.
Cape'XufoMfefcHb'd,. 490.
Cape Lope% di Gonfalveir, .. the ut-
termoft Point of the Gulph of
. Guinea*, • 411
Cape Mi^urado defcrib'd, '475
Cape {Monte, 471. The Kingi,
Inhabitants^ :Tradey SiV. 4^2.
Cape das Pdlmats,: '¦ • ' 486.
Cape Trefpuntos, > • io.
depot-Trees,: very high, 29^
Cardamums in Guinea, 30$.
Garmm, a Gut n'ei River Fifli, 279.
Carter,, the King of Fidai Favour-
' ite, ', - : .-' 359.
Care never affe&s a GoW-Coaft
Negroe, itf, 118.
Cats ( Civet ) how bced, 25 1
Wild Cats, -¦;•¦ 252.
Caufe (very remafkable^ between
' ' two Negroesi adjudg'd by the'
Author, 172.

live, 1 2 1 New-born Children
1 how treated and exercised,. i22t
J 23, Children how fed, 122*
Children do not inherit their
Parents Effefts, bur at; Acra,
¦'¦¦,-. ¦¦••-¦. 203-
Chriftiaansburg, a DamfcVort, 6j.
Seiz'd by the Negroes and re-
i taken," 68.
;Ghiiftianity, what Notions the
^Fidafiam have of it, 385.
Circumcifion ufu.>', £5V. Whence
i deriv'd, 210, 353, 444.
Cocoes (Guinea) , _/•, 288.
Gold, /er Seafons. - , *
Commany, a Kingdom on the Gold'
Coaft defcrib'dy. 27. A Dutch
Fort at little Commany, where
jvhagpeji'd a retiterka.bIe.Acci-
,'.dent, ibid.' And like-wife an
Englifh Fort very -ftrong, 31.
;A true Account of the War be
tween tymmary and the Dutch,
I ' 29, et feq The King of Com
many murder'd by the Engtijh,
;• i ¦¦ :¦„:. 37.
Complements of the Negroes, 125.
Concubines among- the Negroes,
f ,' ¦ 202.
Gtotgo, & Dutch Houfe there, 53.
Conjurers among rheNcgrbss,! "59.
I.-.-., Kk Con-

Contnadsbu^'-SWutthTtir^ ' ¦»'$&¦
Come di terra, fe; Coral.
Coral,, of a quadruple" valoe to
Gold.'ng. Cer«*/-5trtngs,''Badg-
es'ofJHonoUr, - 43«-
Coral4cti1k remarkable, ¦ 4* "> ¦
Coiifeo Ygreatfer iand'Jeffer) %*o
Iflandsin thejfiLulph cfe«rVflf,?99
Cormantyn ( little) a JJ««* Fort
..there', *j8. Cormantyn' (great?
. the ToWn defcrib'd, *r ii»/£/»
Com, /fe Milhio. <' lV
Corps p'rgferv d from TOttfagifevie*
ral Months' above groufedifa? i.
CM7*,^Vilia"ke on the Tieti&'Coafti
' ' ¦;.> ¦* 478-
Coto, a Kingdom on the Slave-
Coaft delcrib'd, ' ' 329-
Cotton in Guinea, : .295,' 460.
Co'ancitsf Dutch) for theCoafr,too.
Cowardice of the Coaft Negroes,
'180,595,457.
Creve ceur, a Dutch Fort OH Che
Go/i-Coaft, 67.
Creation -bf the* 'World, : the Ne
groes opinion ot it, 146, 147.
Crii'a, a fortof Palm- Wine, blam'd
for giving a' ravenous Appetite,
109, 2&7.
Cruelty inftanced in a Negroe-
Geniral, " J 23, 24.
Cuckolds, fwarm every where,
200, 201.
Culinary European Roots,, grdw
admirably well at Fida, 394.
Cuftoms paid upon the Slaiie-
Trade, 363,. 46s.
• '
D.

E X.

Tf~\.A>'es were once Mafters of
A J "Tocor-iry Fort, ¦- 20.
Dar.ifh Fort, CMftiaansburg, at A
¦ era, the Sh'fv-.oriethey have on.
the CeM-Coaft, 67
Dani[h Mount, an Englijb Fort
there, 5s. - Neglected by .the

Evglijb,

ibid.

&>wttepeWt$t\<tli
> ittvMfict} vairify pretends toiex-
•'';; jarefs the Negroe Words, 131.
Days, lucky and unlucky, among
the in-land, bat not the Coaft
Negroes, 160, 161.
Death, the Negroes Enquiry af-
; %r the CaHifesJ>y i«i?2<5. TWBfe
ridiculous Opinions upon that
Head; 12261 fe27* : TtoeQwefti-
ons put tofte Dead dn^ the
fjtefponfes, 227, 228. Wives
, ihav'd uponithe Death of their
J. Husbands, ; 229.
#eb£s villainioupy'tecofrer'daiBteng
the Negroes, . fy6.
Debts, a frequentflccafionof War,
Dbity, the Negroes Opinion of it,
146, 368,- 454-
Devifs Moynt,': la xah? high.HiU
enrich'd wi$ Gold, 152.
Devil banilh'dannnaliy it? a folemn
Proceflion, 1^ 8. The Negroes
- hev^r cgoAflt ithe Deiril, uaSi
The Fida[ians*l&ei of him, 3&P
The Opinion iof the Peoplejjf
Baiw,.' '¦ >-.'. >. 454,-
Diet of thciNegroes on the Gold*
Coaft, 124. In Great Beniti,4%$i
Diklefchoft, 'fee Tnfnfoa. ",">
Dinkirar an in-land gpli Country,
defcrib'd, 72, etfeq. The fa
tal and Ridden Deftruftion tifi
that patent Land, 74, et feq.
Drreftor- General, /ee Governor-
General.
Difeafes of the Negroes, 108,
etfeq.
Dogs, a1 Fifli improperly calt'd
: Sea- Dogs, 2&i.< Wild-Bag, fee*
;* JockaV. <?
Dog's Flefh lov.'d by the Negroes,><
2-39> 457- European Dogs de
generate oh the Coaft, 139.^
Dorothea, 3 Bhtoifcfteisr^-Fort in
A&m, 10.
Drefs

IND E X.

Cfefs of. fhe GfiU-CosSc Negroes,
nS, 119.
Drinking, one great occafion of
Sicknefs and Mortality, 107.
.The Natives of the Gofcf-Ceaft*
Men, Women ahd Children,
^feat Drinkers, 125.
fjlhitoin, on theivory-Cba"ft,487.
Pfuftls, Jnftniments of ilpfick a-
niong the Negroes, 1^9, ' 1 40.
prxks on. the Coaft, 240,
Pitch, What, quantity of <Spld
tfiiey ekpoifc yearly from Gut yea, 89.
2?afc^0fl/»w<6i»patty, their Of
ficers and Servants, 93, etfeq.
Dutch Forts, in A?i,m, 3 ; at E-
JpttV*, 12 ; at Boutry , 15 ; at
lLaconde, 16 \ ittocorary, jlow
ibandon'd, 20; at Chama, ,ibid;
at fittle Commany, 27 ; &t{Mi-
tia, 41 ; at,St. fago, 46 ; at
Congo, 53; atSroattfi,- 545 at
little Cormantyn, : 5 S ; at Apam,
60 j at 4f«, 67.
fives made by the Negroes, 459.
E.
EDucatlon of Children unac
countable onthe GffW-Coaft,
121, 122.
;£ggs of Qui&rupeds and Reptiles
not cover'd with a hard Shell,
Eguira, a Country on *fo de C$re,
12. A Dutch Fort there blown
up, Md.
tlbe4okti, i.e. ltttte Grmmanyl
Elephants defcrib'd, wherefound,
&c 241, etfeq. 457."
Elephants Teeth, howcorr.eby,
-244. Remarkable Adventures
with Elephants, .317, et feq
408. A ftrange Skeleton of an
Elephant, 4^9
Bknina (St, Surged',} the prino

pal Dutch Fort* 41. Taken
from the Vortuguefe, 42. Ad
jacent Country charming, '48.
Chief Faftor of Elmina, ,the
next Perfon to the Governor-
General, 95, 95. The Gene
ral Accounts of the whole Coaft
kept^t wmhn, 94.
Encaffe, an ih-Wntl gold Country, ,73.
EngUjh difyoftefs A of Tqcoritrjj ^ort
by dehiyur, 20. They attack
St. Spbajiiatis Fort in vain, 4.1.
£^g/z|J» put upon with falfe Gold,
1$. They incenfe the Comma
nians againft the Putch, 34.
They murder the King of Cprof
many,-.tf. They are unhealthy
and why, 49, 50. Andfloven-
ly in their Forts, 52.
Englifh Forts at Infuma, 14; at
Zicow^, *8; at focorarj, 20;'
at little Commary, 31; at C«io-
««, 4^ ; on the i?4»?J& Mount,
52; at Ingtnijianr 56; at ^r-
namxbo, ibid; at the end of
Fawtyn, 58 i at .y/w/>«, 63 ; at
y^r*, 67*
jB^//fc Governors at Annamabo iit-
fdted by the Negroes, 56*
£r^i//?) difpoflef,5d of their chief
Refidence at little Cormintyt,, by
de Ruyter, 58.
Englifh, what quantity of Gold
they export yearly from Gui-
n**i . ,. , &'
Englifh cut in pieces by the Ftda-
fians, for killing a Snake, 377.
Englifh hated at Cape &A\urado, 476.
P.
FAftors (Dutch) their Power
and Perqiiifitet, 91. 92, 93,
94? 95- „Un^fr> or Sub- fjftors,
K'k' 2 9* Pa.

IND

0.4. Faftors, for the ontForts,
,*' 95. ,., Chief Faftor of EJmini,
andthe Faftors of T&ourie^ and
Cormantyn, muft be confirmed by
the Company, 95, 96. European
Faftdrs Judges of the Negroes
, Suits^ , -. l67-
Fantyn, a Country on the Gold-
Coaft defcrib'd,, 55- The2«-
iglifft zr\A Dutch Forts., there, 56.
Their Power, Riches and Info-
. lence,' ibid. Neither the Eng-
Jifb nor Dutch hate any Power
there, 59. "The Englifh begun
a Fort at the end of F'dntyn, 5 8.
Fernando Po, an Ifland in the
Gulph of Guinea, 399-
Feftivalsat Benin, A")6-
fetiches, a fort of artificial Gold,.
73* 74. -«!• ... „ .„
Fetiche in a religious Senfe, 147.
.148.
iFeticheers, pr Priefts among the
.'Negroes, their Frauds, pc. 148.
A great Fetickeer fit in-land, i-)6.
Fetu,' a Kingdom on the Gold-
' Coaft defcrib'd, 47. The Coun
try wonderfully pleafant, 48.
Fiadors, . 437-
Fida, a Kingdom and Port (tho'
very dangerous) for the slave-
.Trade, 337.
Fida, the Country charming and
fertile to a Miracle, 339. The
uncommon Nature and Manner
of the, inhabitants,. 340. Their
Government, 357. The pre
fent King's Charafter, State
, and Hdufhqld, 360, etfeq. His
Revenue, an incredible Sum,
362. The Religion of the
Country, 367. Their Way of
Worfhip, 369, et feq. The
. ..tame Quadrupeds in fida, 389.
Their ijame Fowl, ibid. The.
' Wiid-tofts arid Fowl , 390.
The .wonderful. Fertility of the

Soil, 394, , Their Wa%

., AM-
Fighting, the manner of iitainpng
the Negroes, 182.
Figs (Indian). \\ 291.
Fines, at Axtp paid all to onr Fa<-
',. fto'rs, 170. How divided, 17 «¦
Fifcal (chief) for the Dutch, his
Poft. 97, 98. Under? F/ycaJ, 98.
Fifhing of the Negroes on the
GcM-Coaft , 130. In Rio de
Gabon, . -407.
Fifh on the Coaft, their various
forts defcrib'd, 277, et feq. , A
Fifh of an obfcene Name, 278.
Rare Fifh on the Coaft, 280.
Fockenbrqg (an Author;, often jnf-
ftakeh, 293.
Fort (Englifh) that wants another
to defend it, 64. All the Eng
lifh Forts deficient, 67.
Fowl, tame and wild, 240, etfeq. 458.
French Court bubbled by a Negroe
Slave", pretetidingtobeaKiiig,
320, 324.
Fraudulence of the Negroeson the
GoM-Coaft, 117."
Fredericsburg, the BrtaiienburgYoxt
it Axim, 7.
French hated at Afftne, 492.
Fruit Trees m Guinea, 285, et
feq. Fruitsof the Earth, 296,
etfeq.
Fnnerals of- the Negroes, their
Manner and great Charge, 203.
Wives arid Slaves facrificed at
Funerals, 231. Funerals at Be
nin, 448. Strange Funerals at
I{io Seftre. '< 481.
Future State, the Negroes Notion
of it, 156.

G 453-

Aming 'exceffive at
354-

Fida,
But little in Benin,
St George

INDEX.
$t. George Caftle, fee Elmina. •
Giant-Devil, 159.
Goats on the GoW-Coaft,' a ridicu
lous Opinion of 'em, 237.
©ods falj?/ Every private Negroe
on theGeM-Coaft has a particu
lar one, 150, 155. Their 6f-
- ferings to it, 153. Number of
Gods endlefs, 367.
GoM-Coaft defcrib'dj 4. The
Countries contain'd in it* 5 •
J- The Gold is broagtto it from
the in-land Countries, 7a, .89,
- 80. The upper, or higher
Goaftjfcut ill fupplied withGold.
•and why, 73. A Computation.
of the Gold exported by the re-
fpeftive ., Europeans, 89, 90.
What Commodities are proper
for the GoW-Coaft, 91. The
true State and Occafion, of its
' Unwholfomenefs, . 104.
Gold, more at Acra than on all the
Coaft befides. 69* Where the
- Goldisdigg'd, 7*, 77, 78>79-
8o, ,86. What fort of Places
'tis found'in,' 80, -81. How 'tis
¦ diggi'd or gathered,/6/rf. Gold-
Duft different from the^Luiiips,
or Mountain Gold, "81. . Pure
Gold diftingnifh'd from the
falfej ibid. 1 The Negroes very
expert in fophifticating Gold,
,and,how they do it, 82, 83.
Several forts of falfe Gold, ;8i,
82, 83. The true way of di-
ftinguiming the falfe Gold from I
the true, 83, 84, 85. Gdld
Weights us'd upon the Coaft,
85, 86. !
Gold Mines carefully conceaVd
from the Europeans^ to.
Gold Bits pafs like coin'd Money, : '82.
Gold, The Negroes think there
is none in that- World but what
they have, H7-

Governor-General {Duuh) of the
whole Coaft, his Poft-, Power
and Perquisites, 96, 100, 10 i,
, 102. Government of the Ne
groes very licentious and irre
gular, 164,' 357.
Grapes in Guinea, 293,
Graves of theNegroes, Hutts arid
Images raifed upon 'em, 232.
Guinea, its Extent 4. The Dutch
Government upon the Coaft,
100. Gulph of Guinea defcrib'd,
Guns common among the Ne*
groes, 184.
H.
HAbit, of the Negroes, 350,
' ., . 43«-
Hares ftrangelycatcji'd,. 62, 249.
Harts aboun^. on the GoW-Coaft,
- 248.' ' Several kinds of 'em^
248, 249.' :
Harveft-fair -among the Negroes, '. x59-
Hatbands of Gold and Silver made
wonderfully 'fine by 'the V--
groes, 12 ?•
Hayes, feeRequiens.
Health. The caufe of the Un^
healthy rfefs of the GfliwM-Coaft,

105 -, et feq. Some '1-laces
more unwholfome than others,
108. Wonderful Healthynefij.
of the' Natives, ibid. Tho'
they are not long liv'd, 1 10.
Why the Ifle of St. Thome is un
healthy,.' 414-
Heat, fee Seafons.
Hell, the Negroes' have an odd
Idea of it,' 384, 385. 45'5.
Hens and Cocks very plenty all
over the Coa*, 24°-
Herbs common in Europe not'pro-
duc'din Guiiift, ' 3- 6..
, ¦> Herbs

IN D' E Xf

Herbs of wonderfo? ffifewy in
i Guinea, ¦325.
fjogs on the Coaft, 238.
Hogs kilM.all over Fida, becaufe
, one of 'em 4evouri4"9Saake, '_¦'-.. ... .381.
Hog-Lice troublefome, ; , 275 .
Uplyrdays, every Nfegroe has a
peculiar 4»y of 'Worlhip, 153.
Honey excellent xaGumet^ ^-jbid.
jlpiyns, a diftingnifhingMiaffe' of
?.iches, 135, 1^6. ..Us'4a§Ini!
rumentsof Mufick, 138, 139.
Horfes, none qrv the,,Gffl^Coa^,
, 238. The forty in-land Horfes
defcrib'd,' ibid. Some oh the
Jt/wCoaft. 389.

\Sifh Country and King on the
GoM:Coaft> . 21.
UckaUson the Coaft, 246, 458.
Inftances of their fiercenefs, 317
St. f-ago Hill eom,man4s Rkniw
Caftle, 47.
¦fahin Latid, 398.
jammes, a Ga/»fr,*'RQOt, 299, 393.
, UsM for Bread, 459.
jfaque Lahoe defcrib'd, ' .491.
Idlenels of the Negroes of the
,Go^-Coaft, 117.
Jdols of the Negroes, 150. Up
on what Gccaiions they confult
, ^era, 152, etfeq. 454
Infants have Incifions made upon
their Bodies, 444.
hjuma , an Englifli Fort of no
great ufe, '14.
Here the Englifh Ships are im-
gos'd upon with falfe Gold, 15.
fygtnifitn, an Englifh Fort there,
^arrifon'd by one Man, 56.
inheritance oddly adiufted, 203,
*H, 44S.

ln-l?fld PttfieatateB ba,vc nwjiejou*
Armies, j^j.,,
InJJ3R4 .Nagfflfs much' richer $wi
tbeCoaft;,^fegrpg%l . v» sfcrti"
:Tnfeftf mimerous,JB Guine^ %-je^
Itltejeft, the Religion of the Fida-
fvns, . : $67.
judgejf, that Offyp very ad^anta-?
geous to the Faftpif a* A&im,
170, etfeq,;
Interloper (Zealand^ taken 0$ the
#w*p Company, 421,
faff en, an indand gold Cppnt^y,
- r ' ! '...¦ , . . 73--
Juftice; bow; a4H*iniftEf4 ??nc#g
,the Negroes*. a . i$S«
A^Cojift, tee Tooth,
K,
KAbes ($ohn) a Commmitn',
an Enemy to the Dutch%
did great Service to the Englifh, 3W
Kfleraas,s fee Gold Bits.
Kings or Captains amptig the Ne
groes, their Succefljon and Itx-
auguration, 134. Their Pew*
er and Prerogative, 187, 188^
Their Coarts.an4 ways of Living,
'188. Their Grandeur, 189.
The fcandalous Charafter and
Poverty of fome of 'era, 180,
190, 192. • Their Drunkennefs
and idle Converfation with their
Slaves, 19^. They educate
their Children very meanly,
192* 193. Their Officers, 193,
194. The Officers that attend,'-
an4 watch the King's Wives, 194,
King's Fifh, 278.
StreetiKings, 435.
%okeboe, a Quadrupeg 4efcrib'd,

u

LAdingcomKvugAom, .' 327.
Lampi, tte Country de
fcrib'd ibid.
Languages upon the Go/4-Coaft
: v%QiffbceHt and 'difficult to
''¦ feata, t$a, ^'ifeq* ¦
Law-Suife hajplty -¦ deternlin'd
• without lawVeVs^ ; : n 1(57.
¦Loft a goo£ Wafer for the Stave
T Tdm,< <¦>} :\:;:;:lr. , 329;
Leguaen, an amphibious Animal,
^'dfadmHieifilPiott QPBttby 60.
Emons- (Gtfis«f4} ?Limes, Lime-
•V Juice, ' 289, 290.
Linfchooten' fan Author) miftaken, 3;o2.
fcisfcrds on the ffoW-Coaft, 256.
¦¦;" ,-M» *
T^ 4AdnefsohaTge4: upon Girls,
JLVl to fetch Money £0 the
• King,. . 371.372.
SM^, a fort of Mil^t,' 297.
•pbtlagueta, fee Pepper.
-VfttUaget, ff'D'<h among the Ne-
-• groes1, 124.
ffdamfro, a' Hill upon which the
» Brandenburg Fort ftaftds at /fc-
/'m, ¦.'..:• 7.
Min-Eater, an Animal, 253.
ftUmceroes, who they are,. 164.
• Their Infolence andPower, 165.
Their unaccountable Diftributi-
on of Juftice, 177.
Manners of the" Negroes on the
• GoM-Coaft, - ? 17, 118, Sfr..
•Manual Arts of the Negroes on
the GoM-Coaft, 128.
Marriage among the Coaft Ne
groes, the Ceremony, the con-

1 n m £¦;. x. '
djlfiah: of the WfliiBieidbPiesfw**
¦$t. 197,, et feq, .44!.,S»ey'
halve no community of Goods,
202. How '$s-at Fida, 344.
Med'cines us'd aroong theNegroes, 224.
Msibmgt-i W^^MrRio'Forfifoft,
¦ where the Dutch h%ve a'confide-
: liable Faftory, tho' once: dif-
lodg'd by a notable accident,
, 4§tv43*. ' - .'"•'.'¦ .-*:.. ,
Melon?j! Water-Melons in Gaines.
• defisribr'dy ..'".•¦_•¦ 394*
Men-Eaters, 488. Mehf.wjld, ibid.
MenftrujSus Women' Biicieaa^ 210,
;'3^3- 447.
Ssinempfychofis, fome fuch Opinion
1 among the Negroes, 1564
1 Mice very numerous,. ¦ . . , ,23 9 .
Milk, the Negroes ignorant of the
milking of Cows, 236.
{Milhio, or OAitet, its growth,
plenty and various forts, 296,
¦ etfeq. 39T. -,[-, ,. .r, . '
{Mina, $ ©KtdrFarfithere'j 4ii a*.
43 The 1 Town' depopulated
by Tyranny and the- fmall 'Pox,
-.- - - '...;. _4>
Minifters, (Dutch) on the Coaft,
Their Sallary, • '. &-*< t>tt? £&•
:Miracle-Mongers am©ng?the."Ne-
• groes, . ,<,• , ' ,159.
Misfortunes never ^fFeft the Ne

groes,
Mmte de diabls

¦J- - , -I,r'
fee Devil stMount.

{Mouree, a Dutch ForE ther e, §4.
. The Village defcrib'd, .. , 55.
Mourning forthe Dead,- how ma-
nag'd, 229, 448.
Mulattoes,- fes Fapoeyers;
{Mullets in Guinea,., , , 279.
Murder, the Penalty of it, 167,
168, i«9> 357. 45°-
MulicalTnftrutfieutsat /4x«»7, 138,
etfeq. At Fidi, 353. At Be
nin, 45-3.
¦Musk-Mice, ;:¦ . 252.
K k 4 ' Mutton

1' Nx B' E X-

Mutton on the Gold-
dear and very bad,
•N,

both
.237.

NAmes of Children among the
• .-Negroes, 0 20$.
ZfajfauVoxt (t>utch) the .beftnext
to 'Mlminm,:: . », ... ;¦ ' ' .54.
Natural Difpofition of' the Ne-
¦'¦ groes, ¦-. -v.-. 116, 117.
Navigation of the Negroesron the
'¦. (jW-Coaft, • _ ~ ¦'-: 130.'
3sfetsh*oke by Jwori-Fifh, . .iWd.
Nobility of Negroe Families ridt-
i " culous, ' .- ' '':'.¦'?* 132,137.
itytrdkapers,, a rare Gw'weaFifh,
• 280, 467. .... "
o. .

OAths folemn, the manner of,
' 'em among the Negroqs"
' on the ©e/^Coaft, 149*
Oathidraught, ; , - • ibid.
Oaths of Accufation and Purgati
on, art' • 166, 167, 452.
Odenna, fee Mina.
Offerings. totJdols on account 'of
Sicknefs, approv'd by fome^«-
rope'ans , 44224... Offerings!: to !
Snakes, 369. Offerings in &«/'»,'
' _..''"''1'' "' ' 455-
Offra, the Dutch had once a Facto-
ify there, 398.
Ooegwa, fee Cobccors. •-:-
Officers and Servants to the Dutch-'
GaweA-Company, their Rank,
Number, Duty and Profit-, 69,
¦ etfeq.'..' '" -
Orange Fort (Dutch) \6.
Oranges (Guinea) . 289.
Ovens, npne among tlie Negroes, 392.
Qxen, N«groes ignorant of geld

ing Bollocks into. Oxen, 255.
Oyfters in great Numbers grow
ing on Trees in the Boutry
River, * 18.
.. '¦¦' '' *•'" ¦ \^
P Aim-Tree of wonderfjil ufe/ iri
' 'Guinea, . 2%, . -288. , Pahn-
'.Qil, ibid,' 393. 'Palm-Wine,
how made and itsQuaities,?j85,
286. ; Ralm-CabbageJ ., 289.
Palm-Wine drunk toexcefs very
pernicious, i^.-tnt - . v 107;.
PapayeTrees rightly defcnb'd,290
Papifts more properjto convert thje
Negroes to> Chriftianity than
Proteftants, 154.
ParadJfe-Graipsa;A«;JE?epper. .-
Pardon-Tree and Wine, 287,288,
•'::: .393-
Parochites, or Guinea Sparrows,
** ' 270.
Parrots on the Coaft, 270,271.
P<m'e»«:-Fort , fee Leyd-ftamheid.
Pepper (Guinea.-) of feveral forts,
305, 393. ':
perjury, no new thing among the
Negroes, " '; ; 16%.
Pheafant ^fiiafe) •- 262.
P~bidalgors, or Vice-Roys, '361.
Phyficians often changed by the
' Negroes, 22 y, fe*e Sicknefi. ,
Piementi fee Pepper, ,
-Pidgeons on the Gold -¦ Coaft,
"• •-: • - 24Q.
Pimp,, fome Negroes Pimp for
their own Wives/ 200.
Pipes go off well at Fida, , 390.
Piftng-Tree, 291,
Pifie*Pampbers, a delicate Fifh,???.
Pockefoe, a Village in Axim, 7.
Pokkoe. a wonderful Bird,267,26|.
Polygamy common among the Ne-
. groes, 198, 199^ 441. They
... plage their Glory, in it, 204,
They

INDEX.

• They can't depart from it, 385.
?tis the greateft , Obftacle. to
their. Converfion to Chriftiani-
'-ty» , ibid.
Fonnii the Limit, or end of the
GoM-Coaft, 5, 66, 326. The
Dutch£e$gtfd a Fort there, but
drop'd it, 66.
Fopa (little) a Kingdom on the
Slave- Coaft defcrib'd, 331.
Their Wars with Cow and Fida,,
329, , etfeq. They are very
fraudulent, 334
Popo (great) a Kingdom on 'the
Slave-Coafr, 3,35, etfeq. The
JD«ti.ihada Lodge here, '357.
Porcupines very daring and ftrong,
249. An Engagement between
. a. Porcupine and a Snake, 311.
Portuguefe, the firft Settlers upon
. the GpM-Coaft, 3.> They have
a confiderable private Trade
there, ,$9, - But unlucky in the
Mutinies of the Slaves, 365.
. They have a Lodge upon Rio
- Formofa,. 427«
Portuguefe, a Bird fp called, 265.
Potatoes (Guinea) 299, . 393.
Potto, an ugly Creature defcrib'd,
„ • - 350.
Pox (fmall J: .depopulate the Town
,of {Mint, 43. They are a Na
tional Difeafe all over the Coaft,
and/ fweep off many, l_ 108.
Pregnant Women denied their
.Husbands Embraces, .444.
Prefents, the Negroes at Fida will
do nothing without 'em, 404,
487. But thofe of Benin give
Prefents, 439-
Princes- iflands in the Gulph of
¦Guinea, 399: They belong to
the Portuguefe, 400.
Priefts among theNegroes, their
Frauds, Tricks, &f. 148, et (
feq. Their great Authority in

, War v? 183. Their Frauds ia
the Snake Worfhip, 375, etfeq.
"Their Tyranny, 381, 382.
Prieftefles, 384.
Prifoners of War, how treated,
Privities of Enemies cut off fpr a
Trophy,', ;,j 397'
Procreation fuccefsful, on the
. Slave-^zfr, '.. 347, ,448.
Punch ..pernicious to the gngtifb, 49-
Pyrate (French) comically ma-
a pag'd by Thomas l^ent, an Eng-
glifh Commander, 418, 419.

Quadrupeds tame and wild on
the GoW-Coaft, 235, etfeq-
Quahoe, a Country abounding with.
Gold,,' ,324.
Quaker-Wine, drawn from a fortof
', Palm, call dewier, 57, 28$.
Quaqua-Coafx, 491.
R.
RAins continue long upon the
Coaft, ' in, ii2j
Rats very troublefome on theGoli-
Coaft,^239. Wild Rats, 256,
261. Rats exceeding numerous
at Popo, , 33 5.
Religions (feveralj of the Negroes
on the Go W-Coaft, 146, et feq.
Xgptiles in Guinea defcrib'd,* 272,
et feq,
fyquiens, a rare' and very voraci
ous Fifh ,281. An odd Story
pf one of 'em, 282, 283;
Rewards of Good and Evil, the
Negroes Opinion of 'em, 156.Rice

I N t> E X.

Rite* (<S BHterf) 'ig%- 4^g>.
j$edt(&frrei a fee1 River, tHeihe-
; ginning of the (WW-CoSft, • n,
493-
Mio de St.- ftiatt tee ChanuhMvet.
jgoVoht, a^ne, but very rapid
River, 338.
J(io Formofa, a Tradings-River in
tbeGuifch'of Guinea 39$* De
fcrib'd at large, &£, etfeq.
'Tis Hfyangpiy unhealthy, 428.
Jlhd*Elrej, -i 399.
JW»rfffG^deferib'i*» 400; The
Trade of this River, 461. The
JNature and' Manners of the In
habitants, 402, CSV,
JfiofunkAefaiVdl 477-
J(fe Seftre defcrib'd, 480. 'Tis
much frequented by Englifh
¦ Ships, 4*3-
Rivets fait, 46» 62.
iRSvet-Pifh in Guinea, 279.
Robbery, thePenaltyof.it, f6o.
Tjsreckon'd'np Ccifflftej 484.
Sitfee, a Kingdom on the GcM-
Coaft defcrib'd, 53. They
l&flkn-Stnbaffy to Avriftertam,
'•' ' ' , Si-
Sabbath of the Negroes> ' 456 •
Sacrifices of Men ufhal among the
¦ Negroes, 232.
Salades would grow admirably in
Guinea, 394.
Salt, a River falter than the Sea,
and why, 46, Another Salt-
River, 62,
Salt, ' how boil'd by theNegroes,
. .308,309. 'Tis very yrhite,ibid,
Sahitations of the Negroes, 12s
&md<pbintin the Mouth of $0 <fe
Gabon, 408,
Sanguin Village ^efcribV^ 484.

SctffpktoSofiGwfepai ; 5t4.
Sea-btiifffifcg^, ; 15.7,4178.
Seftheldtofeea'Godv 568. '¦ How
and when Worfhip'd, 3S3.
Sdafonsj- thefr Diffefehceappn the
CoafflV -ife4,iii, ii4y 115.
St. Sebaftians, z Dutch Vort, fee
Chama. ,
Seftre {IMc} , 483;
Seftre (%h) tettRii.
Seftre Gmn, , 485.
Sheep fmall and hairy (jnot woolly; 2*36.
Shields,- two, a-Marfcoi HononS, ¦ 136.
Shields, "how us'd in War, 186.
Ship^CoffRrfanders not f$c to trade
with the Negroes* 96,97,
They; afpire: to great Tides,
18&. TheydoUtifchlef, >5j.
Sicknefs upea the Coaft* how
caus'dj 105.
' The* moft p^ope* Remedies,
• Jo6j 3^1. CuftoBBi of the
1 NegHoes: relating to Sicknefs,
• 42 1., 352. The Priefts awSthe
- Do8br&> 222; And gratefully
• us'.d, ibidi Offerings tsaCtheir
< Idols on the accotn&ofr Sickaeft,
¦ 422,223,351,382,383.
Simbe, a pteHatftl Vj%^iU Font,
' ' , 48.
¦sitHpk; driEtigtifb Voit there, 64.
Sino Village, 485.
Sins, -What af-e recfcon*d]fuchbj
the Negroes on the^GoW-Goaft, - m-
Sixteen red Ciifcs on th« Tooth
Cc*ft, 489V 490.
Slaves, more fold -in Aquvkbos
than on all the Coaft pefuhS,
Slaves imploy'd by their Mafters to
tradewith the Emp^*;* for their
Gold, 92, 93. Riches confift
in:the multitude pf Slavey 204.
Slaves.

INDEX.

Slaves mar-k'd with Burning-
Irons, 364,
-SWe-Coaft defcrib'd, 32©, etfeq.
Slave-Coaft Negroes differ much
From thofe of the Go/rf-Coaft,
342. SlaveiTtaAe, where car
ried on, 329, 334, 336, 337,.
362, 391, 392. The Ftdafians
can deJweriooo Slaves a Month, 343-
How the Slave*Trz&e is managed"
at Fida, 363, et feq. How the
Slaves live on, board the Dutch
Ships, 364. Women-Slaves/ a
fourth or fifth Part cheaper than
Men, 3©'4, 365, Mutinies of
the Slaves, 365.
Sluggard, Jee Potto.
Snakes, the chief Gods of Fida,
36$. Hpw worfhip'd , 369-
Shake houfe, where the chiefeft
Snake is thought to refide, 370.
Snakes muft not be troubled un
der pain of Death, 376.
Sptie-Rivet, feel(iode Cobre. „
Snakes numerous, varipus and hi
deous great, 273. Some with
two Heads, ibid. Some taken
of prodigious length, 3 10. Ia-
ftances of their Venom, 31 1 ,
The Idpl Snakes, do nq harm, 379-
Soap, how made iri Guinea, 459,
460. Sobriety and Tempe
rance does not infure Health
upon the G«i«ff*Coaft, . fo6.
Soldiers in the Dufek-Guinea-Com-
paiiy cannot be prefer'd in the
Civil Lift, 93.
Sprcerefs jmpofes upon the Ne
groes, 385.
Spider, a prodigious big fort tp
Which the Negroes attribute
the Creation qf the' firft Man, 323.
S{;ar?Birds? 271.

Stealing of Men fevetetypuniflj'el;
1 70. But ftealing of Cattle ra^
. thef more, ibid.
iSteaHng with Impunity at Piifeup-
on the Death of the Kjng, 366.
Storms very vipfeat; on. the Coaft»
112,, 113, 114,
Streets in Benin as clean as in. Hol-
tartd, 4^3 .
: Swedes were owe Mafters of Toco*
rary Fort, ; " .. 20.
Swimming and Diving* the Ne- .
groes very expert at it, 491.
Swine wild, 409;
Swords of the Negroes, » $$ '.
Sword-bearers to the Negtoa
Kings, . 194,
Sword-Fifh on the Coaft, 280.
Superftition unaccountable, i6u
T.

TJmmt Village, a Branden
burg Fort by it, 10.
lahoe, its value, 298.
Tamarind-Treest 39$.
Tapoeycrs or Multttaes, both Men
and Women fcandalous, 141,
Tarragon plentiful in Guinea , 306 -
Tekki-Ankan, the prefent King of
Co'mminyi '• 3,3,
Thievery, how difcover'd amongf
the Negroes, 148, 149. Woa:
derfully improv'd on the Slave-
Coaft, 348, 3.19, The; Penal
ty at Benin, *'' . 449,
St. Thope^ a Portuguese Ifland, 413.
Called, the l%.tch-Chnreh-Yardx 414.
Thunder terrible upon the Coaft,
112, 11?, 114. TheNegroes
Opinion of id, nji
Tie-Ties, or pujblicfcGryerstotbe
Negroe Kings, 194.
"¦¦ ' Time;

INDEX.

time, how divided by the Ne-
, groes, 160, 352, 436.
Toads terribly big, 272.
Tobacco (ftinking) fmoak'd by
theNegroes, • 306.
Tocorary,. a Village or Fort in the
Antefe Country, 19, 2a For
merly poffefs'd by feveral Ma
tters, now burnt, ' 20.
Toll, the exafting of it frpm the
Negroes, a Prerogative peculi
ar to the Dutch, 55. Toll paid
ffa Slaves,. 362, Toll for eve
ry Slave Ship, ibid.
tooih and Gr<B>Coaft defcrib'd,
472, et;feq. -
Travadoes, violent Storms of Thun
der, Lightning ^and Wind, fo
•call'd,. ' 112.
Trees in Guinea, their various,
forts defcrib'd,' 285, et feq.
Frmt-Trees/fte/. Wild-Trees,
293. The Coaft abounds with
' Trees, 294. Trees wonderful
largd, ibid. Lofty Trees held
for Gods, 368. How, and when
worfhip'd, 382.
Trial of Crimes*. 359, 450, 451.
Twin-Births, a good Omen, 444.
At Arebo it entails Death, 445.
Turtle-Doves wonderfully plenty
ful, , 390.
Tygers on the Coaft defcrib'd, Sfo
245: Tame Tvgers, 246 In»
ftances of the fiercenefs of Ty-
, gers,andotTyger-hunting,3i2, et feq. A Tyger-Trap, 315.

V'Eal, very forry on the Gold-
Coaft, 236.
Venery exceffive in the King of
Jqttmbojp 66. In the Natives
of Benin, 443.
Vines, but one upon the Coaft,292.

Vifits of the NegfOfe, 126, 127.
Vredenburg, a Dutch Fort at little-
Commany, 27.
,Vfa, famous for .Pyrates, 427,42.8.

y^fAppo Village '

defcrib'd ,-
. 486. t
War, how the Negroes enter
into it, 173, 179. 'Tis not
expenfive, 180. How carried
on, 182, 183,456.
Waffa, an in-land gold Country, 73*
Wars on the J/*v«-Coaft, 396.
Weights, fee. Gold.
Whores, how initiated to their
Trade, 212. They are milch
refpefted white found, 213. But
are left to die ihmifery when
infe&ed, . ibid:
Whores very cheap, 214. And
at Fida oblig'd to publick At- .
tendance, ibid.
Wimba, feeSimpa.
Wind, fee Storms and Travatfber* *"
Wine-bihbtr , a Quadruped de
fcrib'd, 252.
Wi«es fold on the W««-C0aft,344.
King's Wives execute his Sen
tences, 367. Negroes jealous
of their Wives,, * 441.
Wives work hard on the Gold-
Coaft, 199. Traders Wives
live eafieft, 200. The in-land
Wives follicitous to pleafe their
Husbands, - > 208.
Unmarried Perfons, their State,
211. The Women remain long-
eft unmarried, and why, ibid.
Women capable of inheriting the
Kingdom of Agonna, 63. A
Practice unknown to any other
Negroes," ibid
Women of the GoW-Coaft proud
and vain,as well as in£«r5^,uo«

tf>

INDEX.

120. Their Drers,«Wrf. Fruit-
, ful Women honoured, 2o8» Se
paration from Women after the
bearing of ten Children," 209.
unmarried Women-Negroes al
moft all Whores, 214. Women
circumdfcd, 353, 444.
Wood very good upon the Coaft,
295, 296.
Worms, the Negroes much trou
bled with them, and how they
, draw them out, 108, 109
Woodefteem'dfacred, 446.

z.

'r?Aconk Village, us. The
/ J nataralPleafure and Fer
tility of <he adjacent Country,
tho now defolate, 16, 17. A
Dutch Fort there, 16. An Eng
lifh Fort there, burnt by the
¦> Antefe Negroes, 18. Zaconde,
a healthy Place, 108.
Zay, the Name of the King of
Afime, 7^.

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