Read Ebook: Travels in Western Africa in 1845 & 1846 Volume 1 (of 2) comprising a journey from Whydah through the Kingdom of Dahomey to Adofoodia in the interior by Duncan John

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The Jews here make a good trade by changing English money. They deduct three shillings in the sovereign for exchange, and at Gibraltar, two,--a serious disadvantage to English visitors.

Mules and asses seem of all animals most used as beasts of burden. The Moorish market-women have a very singular appearance, owing to their dress, which consists of a piece of thick woollen cloth, the same as a blanket, which envelopes the whole of their body, and entirely conceals their faces. From the slowness of their pace, and their figure, excepting the colours of their dress, one might imagine them part of a funeral procession. The men are generally tall and muscular, though not fleshy, and strict Mahomedans.

The liveliness and hospitality of the party we met here gave me a very favourable notion of the inhabitants of Gibraltar. If other Spaniards are like these, I think they are among the gayest and happiest people in existence. After partaking of some wine and other refreshments, we were invited to join in a dance, and asked what dance we should like to see performed, English or Spanish. The ladies performed both with admirable grace, highly set off by their simple and graceful dress and fine figures, which give them a decided superiority over any other people I have seen. Their small feet, elasticity of action, and unaffected ease of manner, are certainly deserving of admiration. Their dark hair neatly plaited in two braids hanging down the back, with a small curl near the eye on each side, pressed close to the temple, with their dark but bright expressive eyes, ivory teeth, and fine features, reminded me of Lord Byron's descriptions. I was also struck with their remarkable abstemiousness: the women drink no wine, or any fermented liquor, except at meals, and even then seldom without water. The men are remarkably civil and obliging, and almost as abstemious as the women. Though it was a holiday I did not see one intoxicated. After several dances had been performed for our amusement, we proposed to go up to the top of the mountain, and the whole party immediately volunteered to accompany us. Everything was therefore got ready without delay; the asses were saddled, and a basket or cradle was attached to each, in which the youngest of the children were placed. As soon as all was ready, the word of command, "March!" was given by the captain of the party, the procession being headed by two men playing on guitars.

The path, though very rough and steep, was quickly ascended; and even along the brink of precipices the ladies and children passed without showing the least alarm. After a rather fatiguing journey we arrived at the summit of one of the two highest peaks, on which is a look-out house and a strong battery. On looking over the outer wall of this, the sight which presents itself is really terrific, for the rock is here quite perpendicular from the base to its summit.

After resting for about a quarter of an hour, we re-ascended the rock for about half a mile, till we came to the path leading to the second peak, when we began our second ascent, and in about twenty minutes reached the signal-house, at the highest point of the rock. Among the artillerymen stationed there I met with one of my countrymen, M'Donald, a native of the Isle of Sky. He is a sergeant or sergeant-major of artillery, and is allowed to sell wines and other liquors. I was desirous to treat our party on arriving here: but none of the females would take anything but water, and the men could only be prevailed on to drink one glass of either porter or wine. When the younger ladies had performed a few favourite dances, we descended the rock as far as the mouth of the cave, where we again halted for about ten minutes. Dancing was here renewed; the cloth was again laid, and a very luxurious repast was set before us. The evening being now far advanced, we were obliged, with regret, to take our leave of this happy and most agreeable party.

On the following day, while we were getting in the requisite quantity of coal, I had an opportunity of visiting different parts of the town, which appears to be strictly governed. Every house is visited by the police, before ten o'clock A.M., to see that it has been thoroughly cleaned,--a regulation which might be advantageously adopted in our own overgrown metropolis. Even the poorest of the inhabitants are remarkable for their cleanliness. Their linen is exceedingly clean.

On the 25th we hove our anchor, and I left Gibraltar with much regret. Nothing of importance occurred during our passage to the Gambia. The weather was fine, and I received such kind assistance from all the officers, particularly from Captain Hay, as I shall never forget as long as I live. Upon his learning that I had forgotten my telescope, he very kindly presented me with a very good pocket-glass.

This settlement is not large; the houses are good, and well constructed for a warm climate. Behind the main town are a considerable number of conical huts, very close to each other. Upon the whole, Bathurst seems well adapted for trade, and capable of being greatly improved. As far as I could judge, it is in a thriving condition. It is much visited by Mandingos for the purpose of trade. These are a peculiar race, easily distinguished from any other, being tall and thin, very active, and very black. Their skin is apparently not so moist as that of some other African tribes; but their head is very singularly formed, tapering from the forehead upwards, to a narrow ridge along the crown. As this was the sowing season, fruits were not plentiful. Some bananas, cocoa-nuts, ground nuts, and other small fruits, were all that could be obtained.

It is generally believed that the Emperor of Morocco is cognisant of all the piracies committed; and if this be so, why not make him answerable, and take so much territory from him upon every outrage perpetrated by his people upon British property? If the French Government did the same, an end would soon be put to all such piracies.

On the 12th, in the morning, I went on shore, and delivered my official letters, and met with a most cordial reception from every one. Dr. Ferguson was acting Governor at that time; he is a most excellent man. Here I was very agreeably surprised to find my old friend Dr. Oldfield comfortably settled. He was one of my most intimate friends many years before I left the First Life Guards. I found him still the same, and still possessing the same generous heart. Long may it beat tranquilly! I had many hospitable invitations; but accepted that of my friend Oldfield, who kindly opened his house for me during my stay here, and gave two large dinner-parties in respect to my presence. He also kept an excellent horse at my service during my stay. He keeps four of the best horses in the colony. I must be ungrateful, indeed, did I ever forget his kindness. I also experienced great kindness from the Rev. Mr. Dove, of the Wesleyan Missionary Church. The country is beautiful, and capable of great improvement; and I cannot help thinking that if it were cleared for some distance, it would be much healthier than it is.

At ten A.M. on the same day we anchored off Cape Coast, and on the morning of the 22d I went on shore, and called at the fort to deliver my official papers from Lord Stanley to the Governor. I was, however, informed by his secretary, that his Excellency Governor Hill had not yet risen. I then waited upon Mr. T. Hutton, a merchant at Cape Coast, to whom I had letters of introduction. He received me with every mark of kindness, and allotted to myself and servant an elegantly furnished house, with servants to attend on us, assuring me that I was heartily welcome to any thing in his house. I afterwards called upon Governor Hill, and presented Lord Stanley's letter, on which he wished me success in my arduous undertaking, but never once asked me where I intended to remain, or whether I had got my luggage ashore, or how I was accommodated. After visiting the fort, however, I felt very glad that I had escaped such accommodation, or rather imprisonment. Governor Maclean, it appeared, upon his departure, took all his private furniture with him. Nothing consequently remained but the bare walls, and a few of the commonest Windsor chairs and plain tables, as the furniture of the Governor's apartments. In fact, any part of the fort at Cape Coast far more resembles a prison than many of our prisons in England.

Attacked by Fever--Death of my Servant--Mr. Hutton--Buildings in Progress by him--Indolence of the Natives--Cheapness of Living--The Fantees--Their Superstition--Description of their Idol or Fetish--Their Customs or Holidays--Native Music--Rum, their favourite Liquor--Proceedings on occasion of a Death--Mode of Burial--The King's Custom or Holiday--Character of the King--My Reception by his Majesty--Comparatively neglected by the British Government--Fetish Houses--Native Funerals--Want of Natural Affection--The Yam Custom--The Fantees, the worst of the African Tribes--Their Power of Imitation--Wild Animals--The Patakoo--Granite and Sandstone--The Dutch Settlement of Elmina--A fine Field for Botanists--State of Agriculture--Excessive Heat--Message to the King of Ashantee--Cattle--Artizans much wanted--Murder of an Ashantee Woman.

I had the good fortune to be lodged in the best quarters at Cape Coast, where I remained till the most favourable season for travelling had come on, and also till I had gone through my seasoning fever, with which I was attacked a few days after my arrival, as well as my servant, who, poor fellow! sank under it. Although the greatest attention and medical aid was afforded to him, he died on the 4th of August, 1844, at a time when I was so ill myself that Mr. Hutton would not allow my attendants to make me acquainted with it till four days after it occurred. Of my own illness, though it was very severe, I can scarcely remember any thing, as I slept nearly the whole of the time. The late Governor, Mr. Maclean, who at the time had not left Cape Coast, was remarkably kind and attentive to me. His departure was very much regretted, as he had given great satisfaction to the merchants while he was Governor.

During my stay there, Mr. Hutton was building two very fine houses, one at Cape Coast, and the other in the wood-land tract about two miles to the north of it, on a spot commanding a beautiful prospect over a salt lake, about three quarters of a mile distant, with the sea, near Elmina, beyond it.

In this country, where manual labour is requisite, the greatest difficulty is experienced in getting the people to perform it as they ought. My attention to these undertakings for the space of two months gave me a very good opportunity of forming a fair estimate of the character and habits of the natives at Cape Coast.

Mr. Hutton had, at the time of my arrival, about one hundred hands employed, and I can conscientiously affirm that fifteen Englishmen would have done considerably more work in any set time than these hundred Fantees. The men are, without exception, of all the Africans I have yet seen the laziest and dirtiest. They seem in every respect inferior, both in body and mind, to their neighbours, the Ashantees. They are remarkably dull of comprehension, and, unless constantly watched, will lie down and do nothing. Even if one of the party is appointed as foreman to the rest, he will be just as idle as the others. They seem to have no idea of anything like conscience.

The Fantees are very superstitious, and one party or another is daily making Fetish either for the advancement and success of some business in which they are interested, or invoking a curse upon some person who may have thwarted the effect of their fetish. For instance, if any person fall sick, the head fetish-man summons all his relations to meet on a certain day, at a certain time, to try by their fetish whether the sick man will recover; but if a surgeon attending him is successful in making a cure, they invoke a curse upon him for causing the fetish to lie. At Cape Coast their fetish sometimes consists of a bundle of rags bound together like a child's doll; at other times a little image of clay, rudely fashioned, somewhat in the human shape, is placed in some public spot, frequently by the roadside. These images, or fetishes, often remain in the same position and on the same spot undisturbed for a fortnight or three weeks.

A few days previously one of his messengers called upon me in great haste, to inform me that his Majesty was very anxious to see me in the dress of the First Life Guards that day. It happened that a short time before, the troops from Cape Coast having been ordered out for exercise, I was requested to accompany them in uniform, and in less than ten minutes the King was acquainted with the fact. Like the other kings in this country, he has spies to carry to him all news of however little importance.

His Majesty received me with all the politeness of an English courtier. After being seated, he asked me many important questions--when, at his request, I performed the cavalry sword-exercise in his presence, he noticed the differences arising from the late alterations in that exercise, supposing that I had made some mistakes. He talked a good deal about the King of Ashantee, and reprobated much their horrid practice of sacrificing human beings. He seemed to have obtained a very correct idea of railroads, and to be strongly impressed with a sense of the advantages and disadvantages derived from them by the English nation. He can read and write well, and is, as I before observed, a clever, intelligent old man. The King's house is furnished in the European style, plain though pretty good.

It is to be lamented that the English Government should have neglected so good a man as Agray, while much is lavished on such a villain as the King of Ashantee, who in fact is only led by it to suppose that the British Government fears him.

On my road yesterday for several miles through the wood, in search of birds and plants, of which there is abundance, I passed several fetish houses or temples, in the form of a long grotto, formed by a vast number of running and creeping plants, at the farther extremity of which is sometimes found a large mass of stone or granite rock, which they say is related to some other fetish not far distant; and they even assert that, early in the mornings, this very stone may be seen in a human shape, going to visit his wife . They are also superstitious about our copper money; they call an Irish halfpenny a devil's coin, on account of the harp upon it, which they call the devil; and they will not on any account take it in payment of anything.

Their funerals much resemble the Irish wake. As soon as the party is dead, the body is washed, and dressed in all its best clothes, which are very few. A party of the most intimate friends of the deceased is then invited. A goat, sheep, or dog is sacrificed, human sacrifices being now prohibited by the British authorities as well as by King Agray. After drinking a good deal of rum, the company begins to cry or howl hideously, and wishing a good journey and plenty of servants in the other world to the deceased , the corpse is lowered into the grave, which is always under the floor in the centre of their dwelling. They also pretend to bury with him a quantity of rum as well as all his trinkets. The rum, however, is generally well diluted with water.

Though they seem to have no parental or filial affection, they have a strong attachment to the house in which they were born, and can rarely be persuaded to leave it. Were they not prevented by our laws, parents would very readily sell you any of their children, or even husbands their wives. A woman, who is considered as very respectable, and keeps a stall in the market, was repeatedly offered to me for sale by her husband, and was herself very anxious for such a change, so as actually to take possession of my bed one night when I was absent. I ordered my servant to turn her out, and also sent her affectionate husband an intimation that if he hawked his wife to me any more, I should certainly punish him; this ended the affair.

The yam custom, or holiday, is another annual ceremony, kept up to prevent people from using yams before they are ripe, as they are then deemed unwholesome; and also to compel the people to use all the old ones, in order to guard against the consequences of failure in the yam crop of the following year. On this occasion all differences are settled and crimes punished; but no sacrifices are offered up here, as at Ashantee. The propensity for thieving is found in all the natives, high and low; they are also, generally, void of all gratitude, and deem it part of their duty to rob white men whenever they can. In the market they invariably ask you four times as much as they will take. If your servant is unwilling to connive at their swindling tricks, they open a full battery of abuse upon him; but servants in this country seldom put them to that test.

They have no ingenuity, but a considerable power of imitation. Some of our British manufactured articles in wood or gold they can imitate very fairly, but when closely examined, their work will always be found to be defective. They seem never to improve by their own ingenuity, but always remain stationary in any art or trade which they have learnt. They seem to have no idea of a straight line, and cannot build a wall straight, or make a hedge in a direct line; nor in the whole neighbourhood of Cape Coast is there a footpath in a straight line for the distance of twenty yards, although the ground is quite level. They certainly possess many strange ideas.

There are in the neighbourhood of Cape Coast some strange animals, among which is the Patakoo, a very large species of wolf. These are so ravenous as frequently to come down into the town and carry away pigs, sheep, and goats. They pay nightly visits to the beach, and seize on dead bodies which have been buried in the sand. As their slaves have no relations in the town or neighbourhood, as soon as they die their corpses are tied up in a coarse grass mat and thrown into a hole in the sand, without any ceremony; but on the same or following night, they are snatched up by the Patakoos, for whom they make a glorious feast. This beast has great strength, its size considered. When Governor Hill's horse died, the officers of the First West India Regiment, stationed at Cape Coast, determined to leave part of its carcase on the beach, in order to attract the Patakoos, and it could not have lain there more than an hour before it was removed by a single Patakoo, though it was two men's work to carry it.

There is plenty of excellent granite and sandstone at Cape Coast; yet nearly all the houses are built of clay, as the people are too lazy to fetch the stone. Elmina, which is only eight miles distant, is a much superior settlement, and has likewise plenty of excellent sandstone, of which a great number of its houses are built. This place belongs to the Dutch, and carries on much trade, both with the interior and along the coast. It has a fine lake, connected with the sea by a narrow channel, which might with very little trouble be converted into a convenient harbour, which would be important, as the swell along the Gold Coast is always very heavy, and great difficulty is experienced in shipping and unshipping goods. I visited several of the most influential merchants at Elmina, and found them, as well as the governor, very hospitable. The abundance of new plants in this country would give plenty of employment to a botanist. A small shrub of the laurel tribe, bearing a white delicate flower, shaped like the blossom of the pea, grows here very plentifully, as also beautiful jasmines and honeysuckles, and several sorts of sensitive plants. Some very fine grasses, also in this neighbourhood struck me, but I did not observe many small annuals.

Agriculture has made little progress here, probably owing to the want of horses, which cannot live more than a few weeks, and from the indolence of the natives. Stock sufficient for the consumption of the garrisons along the coast might be raised with a little care and exertion. The number of troops along the whole of the west coast is at present very small. Were their numbers doubled, there would not be too many, and they might be employed alternately in cultivating the farms and mounting guard in the forts. Yams, manioc, Indian corn, rice, and all sorts of vegetables, for the garrison and ships of war cruising on the coast, might in this way be easily obtained, and much expense avoided. This would also be useful as a pattern to the natives. The troops are paying at present one shilling per pound for meat, which could easily be raised at one-fourth, and the cattle might be employed on the farm instead of horses. An establishment of this sort would be very beneficial here, and I have no doubt would answer the purpose well. Unfortunately at present there seems to be no European at Cape Coast who either knows or interests himself in anything relating to agriculture. With the exception of Mr. Hutton, not a single English merchant at Cape Coast has even a garden, although the progress of vegetation is incredibly rapid. Some seeds of the vegetable marrow and water melon, given to me by Dr. Lindley of the Horticultural Society in London, which were sown on my arrival at Cape Coast, had grown to the extent of twenty-four feet in two months, and the fruit of the water melon was as large as a man's head.

The heat of the month of November is excessive. On the 8th, the quicksilver in the thermometer, in my bedroom, which is considered to be cool, stood at 88?; and in the sun it rose to 115?; yet, thank God! I was so well accustomed to it, that I felt very little inconvenience, though generally out the whole day, and exposed to the sun. I was then daily expecting a messenger from Ashantee, for one of the soldiers from the fort had been despatched by the governor, to ask whether the King would allow me to pass beyond his kingdom towards the Kong Mountains. During the interval I was engaged in laying out the ground for Mr. Hutton's model farm.

The breed of cattle here is very handsome though small, but it might be greatly improved, and this would repay the expense very well, as the price of meat is so extremely high. Gold dust, unfortunately, seems to be the only thing thought of on the coast.

Schools of industry and agriculture are wanted on this coast more than any thing else. As land can be got for nothing anywhere on the coast,--land capable of growing any thing,--a few hundred pounds expended on a farm of three hundred acres would be very profitably laid out. There are plenty of men who can read and write, begging for employment; and ten times their number, from the bush, such as might be deemed capable of learning, might be apprenticed to different kinds of trades for four or five years.

It is worthy of remark, that on the whole coast, from Cape Palmas to Accra, there is not a single shoemaker, although no trade seems to be so much wanted. Even the natives in the interior complain much of the want of shoes. Nor is there a tailor, a cabinet-maker, a wheelwright, or a blacksmith who can weld a piece of iron with any neatness in the whole settlement. Such articles, if manufactured on the coast, would draw trade from the interior, and excite the natives to industry; and thus British manufactures would be soon in great demand in the interior also. This would greatly reduce the Slave trade, as the minds of the people would be directed to agriculture and manufactures, particularly as it is well known that even in the Ashantee country the population is not on the increase. The Ashantees have indeed, for the last two months, been at war with the tribes to the north of them, bordering on the Kong Mountains, and have lost a great number of men, as their enemies, who have no fire-arms, no doubt did also.

The merchants of Cape Coast, Annamaboe, and Accra, experience great loss and inconvenience, in consequence of the trade being stopped between Ashantee and the coast. This was occasioned by the murder of an Ashantee woman by a Fantee, on her return from a trading journey to the coast. She had occasion to stop a little behind her companions, and was then robbed and murdered by this Fantee who overtook her. Her companions missing her, went back, and found her with her head nearly severed from her body. This took place in the Fantee country, between Cape Coast and Ashantee. The murderer, however, was seized and brought part of the way back to Cape Coast by a soldier from thence, on his way with the letter to the King of Ashantee, from Governor Hill, which I mentioned above.

Mr. Chapman, who had resided as missionary at Coomassie, the capital of Ashantee, for the last twelve months, arrived at Annamaboe on the 26th of November, 1844, with the intelligence that all the King required was that the murderer should be punished according to the English law. The King at that time expressed a great desire to see me in Ashantee, and promised me complete protection in his country; but said nothing about allowing me to go further.

FOOTNOTES:

His Majesty had served several years on board a British man-of-war, previously to attaining his sovereignty.

Annamaboe--State of the Fort--Indolence of the Natives, and Difficulty in procuring Labourers--Domestic Slavery--Missionary Schools--Want of Education in the Useful Arts--Hints on this Subject--Vegetables and Fruits--Town of Annamaboe--Soil--Natives--Reception of me by the King, and Conversation with him--Mr. Brewe--Mr. Parker--Excessive Heat--Little Cromantine, its impregnable Situation--The Fort--Cromantine--The Market-place--Extraordinary Tradition--Wonderful Dwarf--An Adventure--Accra--Wesleyan Missionaries--Natives--their Habitations--Wives and Slaves--Situation of the Town, and Soil.

On Monday, 23d of November, 1844, Mr. T. Hutton and I started from Cape Coast for Annamaboe, a town of considerable trade on the coast, about thirteen miles from Cape Coast Castle, from which its magnetic bearing is about due east. It has also a very good fort, which, however, is gradually going to decay. Its ramparts are well supplied with artillery, and capable of making a good defence against an attack from the sea, if properly garrisoned, and it is quite impregnable by the natives from the land, or north side. It was at this place that the Ashantees made so determined an attack, and an attempt to blow up the gate of the fort. They, however, failed in all their attempts during the late war of 1817. There are at present only two or three private soldiers and a sergeant of militia in charge of the garrison. Some of the apartments in the garrison are in a pretty good state of repair, and might be very profitably used in more ways than one, if from one hundred and fifty to two hundred militia-men were stationed here, and employed by turns in managing a farm in the immediate neighbourhood: the soil is capable of producing every thing necessary for the support of the garrison. In three or four years, on such a plan, this garrison would pay its own expenses.

The native kings or chiefs, and caboceers, are never to be depended upon; and even the humblest of the natives, when they imagine they have any power, although naturally great cowards, will bully and be very insolent. The natives are so lazy that at times the merchants cannot, without great difficulty, get men to load or unload their ships. This is a very serious grievance, and often exposes our merchants to great difficulties as well as loss. Were our merchants allowed to hold as many slaves as are requisite for the performance of domestic duties, and the carrying on of their business, it would act as a check to the exportation of slaves.

I have minutely observed and inquired into the state and condition of domestic slavery amongst the native caboceers, and I solemnly declare that their condition is much superior to that of our English peasantry. One English labourer, on an average, does more work than any twelve Africans; and the provision of the latter being so cheap , they have always plenty to eat. I am writing from actual observation, having had for three months a number of hired men under my charge.

Another evil arising from the same cause, is, that if a man is urged to do anything like a tenth part of a day's work, he will go away, and steal sufficient to maintain him for some time; consequently, the towns on the coast abound with thieves and vagabonds, who will not work. Had domestic slavery been tolerated, our merchants would have been encouraged to enter upon other speculations, such as agriculture, and even trades; since many of our merchants, who constantly employ five or six native and European carpenters, would put their slaves to learn a trade, whereas they have now no motive for doing so. Besides, the holders of domestic slaves would use all their influence in abolishing the removal of slaves into another country. In Elmina the Dutch settlers still hold their domestic slaves, and they are in a thriving condition. In its immediate neighbourhood I was surprised to find several fine gardens and plantations, belonging to different merchants established there. Moreover, the surrounding country is well cleared of wood for a considerable distance, which renders that settlement much more healthy than Cape Coast, or any of our English stations. Although no man detests the Slave Trade more than myself, I cannot help feeling convinced that much evil to the natives as well as to the merchants has arisen from the abolition of domestic slavery in our African settlements.

I will, therefore, endeavour to point out a remedy for this evil, which would, I think, not only benefit this class of individuals, but the country at large, as well as our manufacturers in England:--I mean, the establishment of schools of industry on a scale similar to that which I have recommended for the garrison at Annamaboe. Let a suitable piece of land be selected, which any one may have for nothing; build upon it dwelling-houses and offices, as well as workshops, which could soon be done in this country, if the people could be induced to work. Men willing to become apprentices to different trades should be selected, and bound to bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, weavers, wheelwrights, and cabinet-makers, for three or five years, as might be deemed most proper. These men might assist in building their dwellings and shops, before they began to learn their trades, which some of them would do by employment in this very work. Sufficient ground should also be enclosed for raising such food as is necessary for the support of these labourers.

Every article of subsistence is abundantly produced in this country, and many luxuries, such as sugar and coffee. Vegetables, and great quantities of fruit, grow spontaneously. Civilization might thus be begun, but it could hardly be permanently advanced without a recourse to arms. The Kings of Apollonia and Ashantee possess too much arbitrary power to be withdrawn from their cruel and barbarous habits by any other means than the sword; and it is said, that very many other chiefs and kings are in the daily habit of making human sacrifices.

Although Annamaboe has been already often described, a few remarks upon it will not perhaps be unacceptable. Behind the fort, or on its north side, is a piece of ground about two hundred yards square, round which are built some very good houses, with their stores, belonging to English and native merchants. These houses and the mission-house are the only buildings worthy of notice, except the King's house. This is new, and copied from those of the merchants; it is not, however, yet finished, and very probably never will be, in consequence of the extreme indolence of the people. The town may, perhaps, contain about three thousand inhabitants, and consists of dwellings irregularly huddled together, generally built round a square of about seven yards each way, with only one outer entrance, each house opening into the square, and forming its sides. Some of the principal houses of this description have benches running along the outside wall inside of the square. These benches are made of fine clay, in the form of sofas, and are handsomely coloured with clay of a different colour. It is here that they hold their palavers, all being seated around; the head man, or caboceer, is generally placed on a seat raised above the rest.

Although the soil in the neighbourhood of Annamaboe is excellent, yet it is very little cultivated; the natives chiefly depend upon the people in the woods for their corn and yams, vegetables and fruit, which are got in exchange for fish, a very plentiful article on the coast at certain seasons of the year.

The only thing in the neighbourhood of Annamaboe worth mentioning as a sign of either improvement or enterprise, is a good road for about ten or twelve miles into the interior, made for the purpose of conveying timber to the coast. This great undertaking was executed entirely at the expense of one person, a very intelligent and highly respectable native merchant, named Barns; but since the abolition of domestic slavery, he, unfortunately, cannot obtain labourers to carry on the timber-trade; though he has procured from England timber-carriages and every thing requisite--all is sacrificed. In fact, a complete check is now put upon every effort of enterprise by the abolition of domestic slavery. These slaves were much better provided for than our labourers in England, for they had always plenty of food and clothing, and were never exposed in bad weather, nor was one quarter of the labour ever required from them that would be expected in England.

The natives of Annamaboe are in character much the same as those at Cape Coast, and many of them are thieves and vagabonds. During my short stay there my servant's country cloth was stolen off him in the night. When inquiry was made for it every one denied all knowledge of the theft; however, on a closer search, the cloth was found rolled up tightly under the head of one of the servants of the house where I lodged. I had him well flogged; but nothing will cure these people of thieving, except a tread-mill for they fear nothing so much as labour.

During my stay at Annamaboe, the King sent me a pressing invitation to pay him a visit, and in order to appear before his Majesty in a suitable manner, I was advised by the merchants to send to Cape Coast for my regimentals. On the following day I paid him a visit in my uniform, with which he seemed much delighted. Having previously learnt that I belonged to Her Majesty's Life Guards, he asked me a great many questions respecting the Queen of England--how she was when I left England? and if Prince Albert was quite well? how many children she had? how long she had been married? and what were their titles? He laughed heartily when I informed him that Her Majesty had five children in so short a time, and asked me how I accounted for the English ladies being so prolific? Upon which I told him that the reason was, that in England one man had only one wife: he could not be persuaded, however, that one wife was sufficient for one man.

I experienced great kindness during my stay at Annamaboe from the merchants of that place, both English and native; and was indebted, during the whole of my visit there, to the hospitality of Mr. Brewe, a very respectable and enterprising merchant.

Among the native merchants I may justly point out Mr. Parker, who, though educated in Africa, would appear with advantage even in Europe. His memory is astonishing; he has read a great deal, and has a very good library of the best English writers. With regard to reading, indeed, he is an exception to the rest of his countrymen, owing, I believe, principally to their erroneous system of education.

November 30th.--I took my departure from Annamaboe, to visit the krooms along the coast. Three quarters of a mile from Annamaboe, we reached a small village of about four hundred inhabitants, named Agah, and bearing E. 2? N. from Annamaboe. My companion, Mr. Brewe, being well acquainted with the King, or chief, I was introduced to him, and he expressed his gratification at seeing me in his kroom, and desired us to enter his house, and partake of some palm wine, or peto. But having a long and difficult journey to perform in the scorching sun, we excused ourselves, and proceeded on our journey to the next kroom, which is three miles and a quarter from Annamaboe. Our road was along the beach, on dry sand, ankle deep, and in the sun, with a heat of 118? Fahrenheit, which rendered it very fatiguing for people on foot. However, in an hour and a quarter we reached the kroom called Little Cromantine, formerly a Dutch settlement of considerable trade, bearing E. 2? N. from Annamaboe. It has a strong fort, although now abandoned and going to decay; consequently its trade has also gone to Annamaboe. The fort is in one of the best positions on the whole of the African coast. It is built on a perpendicular rock one hundred feet high, washed at its base by the sea. It is so steep as to be accessible by land only by means of a zigzag path, and yet its garrison surrendered without resistance to the Ashantees, when they might have defended themselves against any number of assailants. Its courtyard is entirely overgrown with small shrubs; but there still remain on the batteries twenty-four good twenty-four pounders.

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