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RELATION
OF THE
COASTS of A F RICK
CALLED
G U I N E E;
WITH
fii Defcription of the Countfeys, Manners
and Cuftoms of the Inhabitants y of the pro-
dudions of the Earth, and the Merchandife and
Commodities it affords with lome Hiftorical
, Obfervations upon the CoaftSr
Being Collefted in a
VOY A GE
By the Sieur^ilUultf Efcuyer,
de Bellefmdy in the years
and 1667.
Written in French, And faithfully
jBngliJhed.
The Second Edition.
LONDON,
Printed for John Starkey at the in
Fleet-Bmt near Ttm^lc-'Barr, i dye.
t
f..
-«■■
^^ ^ ^ V 4F *1^ "4^
THE ^
TAB L
>
O F r
CHAPTERS.' ■
A Rtldtion ofthtir P'oyMgt from Am- ^* -
•*^ fterdam; page i
Thil^efcriptm «/Gap-V«d. p. ^
^ TToe Ctafi tf Malegcta, whk'the Kitig'
; <fomeo/Sierra-Leone, p. 29
.iW
Tht Dtfcriptiotf of Sierra-Econe, or the-
t MoHnuin of Lyons, p, 37.
T5 Cap dc Monte, mi its l^ep^fipwr, p.54
^S3iS2
The Contents.
Riodejunco. p. 7J
Petit Dieppe. p. 76
Rio-Sextos. p.77
The of Graivcs called Malaguettr.
R* 87
The Coajl of Elephants Teeth. p. jS
Cofte d* Or^ or the (fold Coajl ^ with a
lationof our Occurretices there. p« 114-
The Defcription of the f olden Coajl.
p. I S\t •
Of the Smure and Proportion of the
Pe&ple of this Comtrey ^ of their Wit,
IncUriattonJndHjiry^and Habits. p, 133
Of their Women^ their (f enius, Humour,
and Habits. P*
Of their Mariages^ and the Sducation of
their ^ktldren^ p. s4S
Of their Hmfss, Henjltoldfluff, Drint{^
The Gontenrs;
f.f| Fdlme vcine, and how it u nudt.
p. 154
P'll ■
Of their MarVsp'^ their manner of
P'/i '^ith a Defcription of
their Meafaies and Weights» p, 16z
JglWf'
J.I Their Religion, Of their Smdayes^ Feafls^
Devotions^ (jcds or Fetiches, of their
p,)l > Saerifices,Priefis,andjHal>its. 166
Of their Snperfition^ their Swearing upon
their Fetiches, their manner of pacijy^
ing themyehsu they thinkjhey arc angry^
and the Rarid^af the^ Dead. p. 1S2
Of their Old Afen^ their Slaves^ their
iaamc^ their Servants, the Dtfeafes thsy
are nfaally fabje^l to^with their Cares^
and the way to prevent them. p. ipj
mu
Of their Dances, and Feafs^ both pri*
vate and foUmn* 207
Of their Etiercifef their workmen, their
Tradesyk'ir Merchandifo,t^eir Ftlh^
ing, and th> Duty they pay to the titng.
p. 214
a 3 Of
The Gontents.'-
Of the ■ Kings of thofe Cou77treys, thtir
Courts^ oyifHthority^ and manner of //-
'ying with their Courtiers, of their
Wfves and Children^ of the Succejfion of
their Kingdoms^their Revenues^ Feajis^
Deaths^ Bnrialsy and EleUions of am-
ther King* p» ZiJ
of their T<(^les, the manner of their mai
h^ing Warr^ the grounds upon which they
do (tfually makf it^ their Arms^ ef their
Cejfations and Peace* ' p* 23 8
Of their Civil and their Criminal JnJiice, j
and of the fuccefkns of fmicHlar men,
P* 249
•.-j;
/
Of their Beaf sy thsir Birds^ and their
fif', p, 255
Their FruitHearhs, Bread, eJHilletl
oj^ays 5 their manner of /owing and
medning of Salt. p. z6»
Of their ^eld, where it is found, and howl
, with the variety of works they mdks of
*M p. 264
The Contents#
Qf the. Rstnrn of oar f^epl for B^ivopei
dfi ' P* 27^-
«/ ik
'4^1 The Defcrftiorj of the IJle of Saint Tho-^'
m-s which lyes under the Line, p. 274
P.21J
). u
M
A
(fJb ^
VOYAGE
T O
The Coafts of K^frick called
G U I N E E
^ith a Defcriftkn of the feveraI
Countries^Fafhions, and Manners
•of the Peop:le, the Fruit and Cent-
modities of thofe farts, with the
Trade and commerce they afford.
He Coafts of Africk^
commonly called-
Guinee, comprehen-
ing a Trad of
ground of fevcn
hundred Leagues, from Caf-verd
in the fourteenth degree of Nor-
A thera
2 A Fojage to Guinee,
tbcrn latitude, and nintieth degree
of longitude Eaft : to Cape Gonfdl-
'v$ in thefirft degree of Southernla-
titude and zp and a half of Eaftern
longitude,are at prefcnt fo little fre-
quented Iby the French (and all
from an opinion they liave taken
;up of the Malignity of the air) that
it cannot (without great fence arid
reludancy)be confidcr'd how long,
and how unhappily they have been
■deferted by them, and left as a prey
to all other Nations, without re-
fefving fomuch as the Icaft'fltare
in the moft advantagious Com*
jnerce they afford.
1 muft confefs (having the heart
and -paffions of a Frenchman) I
oould not obferve without great re-
^ret, the cunning, and artifice,
wherewith the Engli(h, t\\t Holkn.-
.der, and the Data had pofleft us of
the pernitioufnefs of the air, and
fhe anwholfomnefs of the place,;
Kc. AVoyageto Gumee. 5
'-tUegit and that with fo mucK^ fubtihy,
f G«|« they had almoft perfwaded us out
lumernlt j'[jg whole country, and to have
otEafta; given up thofe few places which
aliitlcfii are ftill in our power : a pradice of
(andi! {[^at Moment, and importance to
lavetab them all, that from their traffique
leair)ik upon thcfe coafts alonc(would they
tfencct he ingenious and confcfs^they muft
bwloE acknowledg they derive their moft
hareki conliderahle profit and advantage,
tasaprc; And indeed what Frenchman is
ithotit !i their in the world fo ftupid and im-
kaito penitrable, that can behold feveral
us Coi Bays along thefe coafts, (by the in-
habitants called Bays de Fravcd)and
the het feveral Towns (as Basf Dtep and o-
hniiR) thers) declaring at this day the Ge •
;yesitE nealogy of their founders, fo intire.^
1 aitifc lyabandon'd by his countrymen,
le# that there is nothing remaining
there now but their name, and an
air, i! indeli|ble delire in the natives,that
{ij|»k they would conquer them again;
i A z what
4 it Voydge to Guinee.
hat Frenchman I fay can confi-
.der this without remorfe, or re-
inemberit without being affeded.
True it is, in the time of the ci-
vil wars wherewith it pleas'd God
to afflid the Kingdome of Frame
in the reign of Henry le grand^ our
expulfion in thofe parts was com-
pleated, for having no leifure to re-
inforce fuch garrifons as we had
there from the time of Lewis the
Eleventh, we were forc'd out of
them all and conftrain'd to yeild
polfeffion to the For tubals, who at
that time like an inundation over-
whelm'd all we had formerly gain-
ed upon the Golden Coaji , and for
better fecurity of their conquefts,
built a Caftle called St. George de la
Mingy of which I lhall give a more
ample difcription hereafter.
Yet, as an ar2:ument that our in-
tereft was ccnliderable there once,
n-nd that our magniHccnce was fuit-
a'ble
V? 11
A Voyage'to Guinee. 5
able to burr intereft: it is worthy
obiervation, that at this very day
the Dutch make ufe of a fair Ghurch
built formerly by the French, ftilf
adorned with our Monuments and'
Arms, and the principal Battery
they have towards the fea, is ftili
by the Natives themfelves called In
hatterie de France.
Upon thefe Coafts we had once
the poiTeflion of Akara, Carmentin,
Cafe 'Corfeand Takorai^iitwhich. laft
the Sweeds rais'd a new Fort fined
that, and upon the ruines of ours,
but their late wars in Germany ^
"(likeour wars in France^ having
caus'd it tobe negleded, andbeeu
anoccafion of interrupting its fup-
plies, it is demollifti'd as well as
curs, and hath nothing left now
butrubbifh, to (hew that ever it
was there.
Befides this, we have fuffered the
Hollander to incroach upon"us in
A 3 our
6 A Vojiage to GmneQ.
our days, and to poflefs thsmfelves:
of our Plantation at Commendoy a
Town fome two leagues diftance;
from the Qhajlem de U Aline^, but
they were glad to attend the death
of two Frenchmen who had'lived
there along time, built a fair houfs
(of which there is nothing now
Handing but the walls) and com-
ported themfelves with that candor
and integrity to the Natives, that
theygain'd the afFedionsof them
all, and have left fuch a perfume
and reputation of the French be-
hind them, the Moores do glory in
being call'd by that name, and will
ftillbeat their drums after the mode
of France^
Three Months in the year, the
'aire of this Country is dangerous,
and no more, yet fo little then,that
with the leaft providence and mo-
deration one may preferve himfelf
as well as in France, and perhaps
better.
A Voyage to Gui ncc. f
better, becaufe we have feveral di -
feafes which arefamiliar in EuropCf-
that are utterly unknown in this
Country.
But the truth is, this is but pre-
tence,and thecollufion of t)\QDutch
to put that into our heads, that fee-
ing our commerce declining in
thofe parts;, they might not onely
eradicate all our thoughts of reco-
vering it again, but all our regret
and concernment for the lofs of it,
and they themfelves go quietly a-
way with the commcrGe of £o many
Kingdoms, which is fo prodigiou f-
ly rich, I (hall only touch upnr c
tranfitu, and not tell what T ' 7
my felf leaft it (hould ieem j
incredible. -
Only this I Oiaii be bold -uuuer
to the conlideration of the world,
whether it is probable the HolUrt'
ders (who are a people fo ardently
devoted to their intereft and advan-
A 4 tage.
I
8 A Vojage to Guinec,
tagc, that there is fcarce any body
but knows it) would upon occalion
offurprifing the Fort Q.tCormenti»
upc»n the Golden Coaft which was
formerly theirs,have ventured upon
the laft war with EngUnd,^ had not
their profits upon thofe coafts been
more then ordinarily conliderable.
And indeed fo fweetwas their
trade there,and of that confcquence
and Importance they would never
have endured either Englijb otDam
amongft them, had not the Nsiivcs
compelled them.
The inftance I fliall give in the
ill ufage we receiv'd froin the Heer
Walkenbourg their General at the
Mine, at a time too when we were
in fo ftrid alliance with them, that
we had efpous'd their quarrel, and
made their Enemies our own. will
I doubt not be fufficient to demon-
ftrate, that there is nothing fo Bar-
barous, or inhofpitablc, they will
not
A Vojage to Guinee, ^
not ad for their profit, and to ex-
elude the world from the notion of
a Tradc that would alone maintain,
the Grandeur of their State, were
they abfolute Matters of thele.
coafts without any competitors.
That the Genius and Humour of
the Mores is more fufceptible of the.
JrmA, then any other Nation, is
manifeft by the dcfigns allEorreign^?
ers have lay'd to keep us from.
thence;they know very well Ihould
our commerce be readmitted,theirs
would be loft irrecoverably,and we
Ihould ingrofsthe vatt quantities of
Ivory and Gold-fand,which comes
yearly from thence: befides the ber
nefit oftheNigroes which are tran-
IpOrted for Slaves into America,;
and contribute exceedingly to the
profit of thofe plantations.
Nor ought any difficulty in the
Voyage, be able to difcourage us-,
feeing when once arrived at diC.Cor
A 5: nariesy
1 o AVoyagetoQm nee.
jtaries, the wind ferves always ve-
ry well, ho tempefts, no ftorms, and
ankorage is every where fo good,
that an ankor of nine or ten inches,
M'ill hold a Veflcl of 400 Tun.
Monfieur Daliez. Seigneur ALurtel
being imployed into thefe parts by
the iveft-lndjt Company at Paris,
and fetting out from Amjierdam in
a new Ship of four hundred Tun ,
(called the Europe) took me along
with him in the quality of his con-
trouler for that Voyage.
On St. Mathexvs Eve,in the year
one thoufand fix hundred fixty fix,
I departed from /'4m in order to my
imployment, and arrived at Bruffeh
the Saturday after, the next night
pa ding to Antwerp,from thence
to Roterdanfy I came fafely to
Jlerdam on the I'^th of September
where having (pent fome weeks
with the reft of ourOfticers in frait-
ing our Ship, I departed withthe
Heer
\ '
A Vojage to Guinee. 11
Heer FuntefA^ the Heer fVitlembourg
(our Captain,) the Heer r*ttder-
bergy 2ini Mounfteur Mathews (our
Secretary), for the Texel.
The next morning we went a-
board,, and on the i, J of November
with a fair wind we fet fail, fteer-
ing our courfe fouth fouth weft} we
gave the Fort of the Texel three
guns, and then put out the colours
of OSlettd to prevent being ftopc
there having been an exprefs prohi-
bitionfor any Hollander to ferve any
forreigner in thofe parts upon pain
of death, let the pretence be what,
it would.-
Having difmift our Pilot which
Gonduded us to fea*, by degrees,and
the opportunity? of a mift we paft:
thorough the Channel', and (efcap-
ing the. £»^//j^ of whom we had
great appr^enfion) we came up at
length to certain Iflands about feme
aoleaguesdiftancefrom the River
of Lisbon. In
i
12 A Voyage Guince»
In this place it fecms it is a cu- j
ftome amongft the Hollmders (and |
pundually obferved ) to baptize
fuch of their feamen and paifengers
as have never paft the Tropique or
line before, and if the VefTei have
never made that Voyage before (as
ours had never done) by the fame
cuftome the Captain is to obliged
to give the Seamen fome certain
bottles ofBrandy to be merry, and
drink his health with all, other-
wife he forfeits.
The weather being fair, and we
very much beholding to the benig-
nity of the fun,all things were pre-
pared, the Bell rung, and the Sea-
■ men immediately upon the Deck,
and having flackned our Sails,they
began the ceremony of Baptifm as
. follows.
Thofe of the Seamen who had
made this Voyage before,feifed up-
A Voyage to Guinee. i ^
2CI1- behind them, they took them one
W by one, and having faiined a Rope
■ptize under their arm pits,they puld them
igeri up to the yard of the main maft,
If 01 from thence foucing them into the
liJfe water, and then drawing them out
r£(ai again three or four times, fomtimes
fw they ducked them for the King of
%ii Trance, and fomtimes for the States
:riaiii General,and at laft for the Officers
) ajil of the Ship, and their wives if they
tk- bad any, after which they gave
them a glafs of Sack, or adifhof
i(i«{ Brandy, and ail were good friends.
:sf The boys in the Ship were ftript
pre. to their fhirts, and pat under a has-
Jej. ket, and had feven or eight buckets
xlt, of water poured over their heads,
hey Nor were^the Officers exempt,
jjs' for afier their prefents of drink to
the Seamen, they were contented
had * to ftand ftill till they threw fome
ifp little water upon their heads out of
bJs s glafs or pot, which concluded the
[if, ceremony. This
14 A Vojage to Gu'mee.
' This Chriftning being over, wc
fet fail a^ain, and by the error of
our Pilots, we paft by the Maderas,
where we intended to have put in.
' At length we difcovered a high
foreland, and advanced within 4
leagues of it to difcover what it
was, after five hours coafting we
found by our founding (the water
being forty fathoni)and the redncfs
of the fand, that it was not the Ifle
of Pa/ma (as we imagined) but that
we were got as far as the Gulf de
fainte Crwjc neer the Cape Geer up*
on the coafts ofdMoroque.
Having paft the Canaries and
■ the Cape de Bajador, we paft the
Tropick oi Cancer on the i o of De-
cember^ and on the iz. having paft
the Cape Blanc^ we came into 18
degrees of latitude,, and by the be-
ncfit of a fouth eaft wind we run a-
long by the fhore till we came to
the 16 degrees, at which tiihe we
A Voyage to G ii inee, 15
began to defcry the coafts of Afrkk
and to obferve them I'andy and
low. -
The 14 at fun-riling we found
our felvcs at the mouth of the river
of Senegal, about i j degrees, where
the wind falling, we endured a
calm, foasthatday nor the night^
following, we made no progrefs at
all.
On the I we difcover'd Cap'
which at a diftance refemhled
two Brcfts,but in refped it was en-
vironcd with Rocks, and notap-
proacliabie without danger, we
fteer'd to the North-Weft, and on
the I<5, we doubled the Cap in our
palfage to Rio-Prefco, a Town upon
the coafts of Africky^oux.6 leagues
from the Cap-, a place where they
ufually take in frelh water, and
fomtimes trade,but with little fecu-
rity, the Fort and Ifland of Goure
(which belongs to t]xz Hollander^
too near. Cap-^
16 AVojage U Gimee-.
CAP-VERD. I
i!
O called from a perpetual ver- (
dure which embellilhes it, is i
one of the pleafanteft and moft a- '
grceable places in the world. It is a \
Pfomontory which throws it felf
a long way from Eaft to Weft into
the Sea; the North part of it is
Mountanous, and covered always
Avith green Trees, its point to-
wards the Eaft , is about a Mile
over: it is a Rock very fteep and
fbarp towards the Sea, which with
great gentlenefs bathes and wafties^
the feet of it, after it has been bro-
ken, and difcuft by feveral fmaller,
and conceal'd rocks thatincompafs
it, and feem to be plac'd there by
nature, on no other purpofe but to
oppofe themfelves (in the behalf
of fo delicate a place) againft the
fury
A Vcyage to Guinee. 17
, fury of fo impetuous an Element.
' The z points advancing like moun-
tains, and making as it were a ver-
dant terras or rampart walkbctM'ixt
themj yeilds a moft incomparable
*1 perfpe^ive thorough the trees on
"'It®! the Eaft-fide, and is no lefs beauti-
s iti ful on the South, though the coun-
eft i try lies low, by reafon of the T rees
ofitt which one would think were plan-
wif ted by a line, if he conliders with
® ® what exa(^nefs and regularity they
iMi grow.
'cp am Rut the fame wind which (being
iffi gentle) had indulg'd our curiolity,
wall and giVen us a grateful and com-
n k pleat prolpcd of this Cape, remo-
nalle vcd us almoft infenfibly , and
Jmai brought us to Gouu-
icreh Go^re is a little Illand about a
fciitd League in circumference, and three
beM Leagues diftant from riff'tis
ifttlt fcparated from the Terrafirf^a by a
to little arm of the Sea, about half a
League
18 A Voyage to Guinee;
League over. At prefent it belongs;
to ^QHollander,'vnxo on a mountain
on the weft-lide has built a Fort,on
the Eaft it is low, has a good Port
on the South, and good Ankorage.
We faluted the Fort with five
pieces of Canon, and received as
many from themwe gave them j.
more by way of thanks, and that
they might not feem to be behind
us in civility, they return'd us one
more,and fet up theD»rc/>Standard.
A while after the Governor fent
I
out his Boat to inquire what we
were, and what news; he that com-
manded it fpake very good French,
and it fell to my lhare to entertain
him a good while. Our difcourfe
was about Ca^-Ferd, and Le-Segnd,
which he cry'd up to me as the
moft pleafant part of the world,and
the beft for trade, and told me,that
at long run the French would carry
it from every body.'
For
«
Ke A Voyage to Guince, i ^
will por Cap-yerd, that they whch
ion loved hunting, might abundantly
divert themfelves there, that there
oodPi was plenty of game, as Partridge,
nb{ Hares, Harts, Roe-Bucks, and fe-
wiUi veral other Animals very good
■weJi meat, though utterly unknown in
ctiici Europe. That the Moors were not to
MJii be fear'd, and that there was ex-
lekli cellent filhing.
I'JiM After Dinner he return'd to the
(Qfldt Tort, defiring us to go on to G^fnbay
raotlj where the EngUjh had a fmall Fort
irkf with eight pieces of Canon plant-
\m ed, and the Government worth
i fw aooo /. per am.
nterti Rio-Frefca, is a Town in Afrkkf
ifcoii near which, we came to Anchor in
e-S(f the Ba)/ de which is firm and
le astl gravelly at the bottomc, and is fix
orld^ Fathoms deep at low water.
After Dinner our Secretary was •
jjdcat fent on Shore to carry th.cAkair^or
Governor,hisPrefents,(which were
fi ^ Knives
20 A Voyage to Guinee
Knives, and Brandy) and to take a
view of what Commodities they
had there,and to procure frefti meat.
At his return,he told us the Al'cm
had receiv'd him very civilly in his
own houfe, which is built in the
midftoffeveral others,thathc made
him fit down by him upon a very
neat Mar, and regafd him with
fuchWine and Fruits as the Conn-
trey did afford.
That as to Commodities,the coaft
was at prefent unfurnifh'd,but if we
would have patience for a fortnight,
he wo old give notice to the, Mar-
chants of the Coutrey, who would
doubtlefs fupplyus, efpeciallyfe-
vera! Portugals which they then had
amongfl; them: and as to freth Vic-
tualshc would furnifh us next day.
Whillf our Notary was a flicrc,
there came a C^noe aboard us from
the y^/r4/>,butfo mann'd, as furpri-
zed me very much;' they were ex-
ceeding-
A Vojage to GuiriGe, 21 '
cccdingly black, their not
!®'^much better than onr Beggars in
France., and naked as they were
[ born,except a little linnen before,
ieii Xhey demanded what we were;
I yj"! we told them French: they ask'd if
""'we were come to ftay,or had put in
tact only for Provilions; we reply'd for
onait Provilions, but we would return to
continue; to which they anfwer'd
licCi '^0ff^Bon:th£ French are more worth
than all the reft of the World,
ttcff There came feveral other Canoes
W tons with great cjuantity of filb,
WBf which they barter'd for knives and
icMi ftrong waters, which they fancy
)\w exceedingly.
That night we ftood to our arms,
henlt apprehending fome attempt from
Mi Genre to furprife us. The next mor-
ning, tire Alcair himfeif, called Ah-
aw d9njech,ca.m& aboard us in our Shal-
asfe lop, accompany'd with hisOffi-
forpti; csrs,and the principal oftheTown.
-2 2 A Voyage to Guinee.
He was a perfon of about J5'.or4o.
years of age, well proportion'd,:
and underftood his intereft well e- [
nough.He was in a long white Robe |
made of Cotton, which came no
lower than his knees, the fleeves
long and wide like a Surplice, only
gather'd clofe at the hands, about
his neck great quantity of locks of
Red Wool, with a Cdlecon of the
fame; he had a Cap upon his head
not much unlike the Capuches worn .
in Hungaru. The Officers had all
■of them old Mantles of ftript Cot-
ton about them, partly white, and
part blew, not unlike our Gipfies. ;
We made them fit and dine with
us, after which they defir'd the Of*
ficers of the Veffel that they would
return thither and continue,which
we promifing, they enter'd into a
X^ontrad of allyance, which was
fign'd and feal'd on both fides.
We ask'd thcra where their King
was; !
%
»»
5'0i|
initi,
H
teRt
afiifi!
ce,o[
i.
wfi;
u'sk
»f \Vl
y;
ptC«
■C, 31
liplic
cffi
keOi
woil'
iwliil
,iii
io
:s,
rft
A Voyage toQvL inee. 2 j
was; they reply'd three days jour-
ncy up into the Countrey: That he
was caird Darnel Biram, and his
kingdom Chiller, that he loved the
French beft, as being more frank,
and liberal , and Icfs addided
to their intereft and profit.
It's a wonder to lee thefe people,
they can neither write nor read,and
yet all of them fpoke Portugais-j but
the AlcAtr, French, EngUjh, and
Dutch, as perfedly as thofcthat
were born there: about Noon he
took his leave of us, and we fill'd
him a great Gourd with ftrong wa-
ter, which he had brought full of
Palm Wine, which is the beft in
their Countrey; I went on Ihore
with him, and interrogating him a-
bout thofe following things for fe-
Vfralhours, he inform'd me, that
■ Rie-Frefca is a Town of about
i^oohonfes, that it hath a conve-
nient Harbour on the Weft-fide of
it.
\
24 A Voyage to G uinee.
it, and capable of a ftiallop: That
the houfes are but fmall, and ac-
cording to my computation, like
our thatched lioufes in Normandy,
built only with mud and flicks
layed a crofl. That there were not
above joo men in the Town be- I
fides women and children.
The Eaft-fide is covered with a
Wood, thorow which Ipaft four
or five hundred paces, and difco- j
v«red large fields beyond it, which
my eye could not compafs. This
Wood confiflsof Palm-trees, and
other very lofty Trees, which in
Europe are unknown.
The aire (though the place be
fourteen degrees on this fide the
tine) is as good and as warm,as any
on thefe coafts; for which reafon
both women and men,go naked,on-
ly a little linnen before, to Cover
their which the men doe
not fcruple to laave off when they
goto Sea. Their
:e. A Vojage to Guince, 25
? • Their Religion is fo various ,and
ait intermixt, thatbefides the Portugal
""i Cat hoik kSyVthick are there in great
numbers, they have other circumci-
'is Catholkksy'Ccl^x.comQnear to the
wet '^evpSy Mahumetans 2LXi^ldo'
'wOj I Uters. Thefe latter have little ba ggs
of leather which they wear con-
id wi; ftantly about their necks, and call
)aft i them Fetiches, which is as much as
d Ifc to fay their Gods,{zs I ftiall demon-
I ffli® ftrate more at large in my Chapter
• lis of the Superftition of thofe which
«, aii inhabit the Golden Coafl^ in which
\idit likwife they have fo great confi-
dence, they beleive that unlefs it
ace k be the Whites, there is no body
idetit can doe them any harm.
\,asaif Theycat very little flefla, though
ireafrthey have Oxen, Cows, Sheep,
ked,# Goats,Kids,Hens,Pidgeons, a kind
) cow of Phefants, and fmall Birds in a-
icjdoi bundance; Their chief diet is Filh,
fl tk) as the Gmlthead, the Shadfijh, the
Tkit B mh^
A Voyage to Guinee.
Pilcher, which they take day and
night in great numbers^belides ma-
,ny other unknown among us.Thcir
iiihing is in little C^fioss, cut out of
.the Trunk of a Tree , and made
hollow, with a ftick, (inftcadofa
hiaft) Tet up in the middle when
the wind is dov/n, but otherwife
when it is.high,they.ftand right up,
and row with a kind of cares, feme
four or five foot long, and as broad
at the end as a good large plate.
The men of this place are very
Ijerfonable and well, not many of
them Camoiis, and from hence it is
they have the beft flaves in AfricL
The women and daughters are for
■the moft part very common, court-
ivig and foUicitkig of Strangers, by
tliattime they are fourteen; yetrs
pld, and that in the midft of the
(Ireets, fo great a kindncfs a-nd in-
tiinationthey have for therr.-
The .men have as many v jves as
liey
A Voyage to Guinea. 27
tliey can keep, will proftitute them
for a fmall matter, and fomtimes
offer them for nothing. They have
their haire tied up upon their heads
(which are always uncovered) to
which they faften certain little pie-
ces of wood, and think them great
prefervativcs againft the heat of
the Sun. All of them both men and
women fpeak a kind of corrupt Per-
tugais.
The commodities this Country
affords, are^kins,'Gums, Feathers,
Ivory, Indigo, Civet, and great
quantity of a kind of Cotten cloth,
ftript with white and with blew,
which is immediatly put off again
at the Golden Qoajl.
Though they are naturally great
lyars, and not to be beleived, yet
it is certain the ^Icnir gave adver-
tifement to the Inhabitants up the
country as he proraifed us, but we
i'f thought it not fit to truft him
' Bz ac-
28 A Voyagt to Guinee,
according to the advice of another
Veflell oi Amjterdam^ which ihade
advantage thereby.
We bought that day fome Hens,
Pullets, and Kids, and delayed
our time fo long on lliore, our
camerades Avere forced to give us a
Ixgnalj by difcharging a great Gun,
that we Ihould come back, as ap-
prehending fome mifchicf might
befall us from the HolUnder.
That night wcfet fayle for the
si er r a-Leoane^ot Mountain of Lyons,
neither thinking it convenient to
make up the other Rivers, or to
pafs dircdlyto Gambay. And on
the fix and twentieth of December
we came to an anchor within three
leagues.
A Voyage to Guince. 29^
The CoAfls of iMALEGETA,^
with the Kingdom of
SienA-Leone*
THe next day by the benefit of
the Tyde, we came to an an-
chorinthe River of SierrA-Leone %
aboot noon the Mores came aboard '
us to condud- us iuto the Baj de
FrAnce,which, is the t^th from
at the mouth of the River.*
At fix fathom deep,low water,we
came to an anchor within mufquet
(hot of the fountain, where we took
in frefli water, and having landed,
we went that night to fupper upon
the ban-Ms of it, where we killed a
Goat which came thither to drink,
and found the water more pleafant
and delicfous ( in refped: of our'
thirft) then the beft of our Wines.
We put out the colours of Ojlendf
and not of France, bccaufe there
B J was
30 4 Voyage to Guinee.
was an Engli^hrnxn living in one of
thofe Ifles a long time, where he
had a faire houfe and four pieces
of Canon, and was belides well
beloved and proteded by the Kings
of that Country.
The next day we fent two of our
Officers up the River, about tea
leagues, to wait upon the /dng of
Boare^ with our ufuai prefents, and
to defirc pcrmiflion to trade,and to
farniffi our felves with frefh water>
Sz woodjand in the mean time our
people fell to work to cut down
wood,and carry water,the Notary,
my felf,& one of ray fervants,going
along with them as a guard. Du-
ring our abfence there came aboard
our Ihip five or fix Canoes^ inonc
of which there was one John Tho-
Captain of one of the Iffes in
that River) who brought fome
quantity of Ivory along with him.
The Captain (who was the only
Of.
0
A Voyage to Guinee
officer aboard) received him very-
civilly, faluted him at his entrance-
with a volley of great (hot, and re--
galed him as much as was poflible,-
but he bought none of his Ivory be-
ing too dear, which gave fo much'
diuatisfad:ion toMomJteur Thomas ^
he went away in a hun about five af
clock, and landed with 15 or 16
d\ftores in his company, near the
bank of the Fountain ! have fpoke
of before. The Clerk and my felf"
were returning in our great fhallop
laden with balaft, and advanc'd as
much as the tide (which was then
coming in) would give us leavci in.
fo much that our fliallop was afloat:
which being obferved by the Cap-
tain and his Moresy they put them*-
felves into their C/twcr again, and
made with all fpeed to our men,
who were cuttingdowa wood upon
the banks of the Bay, A t the fa rpe
time they gave us a iignal from the
B 4 ^h'P
32 A Vojiage to Guinee,
Ship by furling cur colours, which
made us double our fpeed,in appre-
henllon there might have been
fome mutiny or fed-ition aboardibut '■
when we arrived, we found it was
only to give notice of the delign of
the Azores, who were feen making
to our men with their weapons in
their hands, but the man I left be-
hind me, having his mufquet with
him-,{l:opt their proceedings, and
the red; defended themfelves fo well
with their Axes, that there was
none wounded or kil'd of the whole
company, only one antient man re-
ceived a fcratch in one of his arms.
We fail'd immediately towards
them, but as foon as we came with-
in mufquet Ihot, and they percei-
ved our Guns in our hands, they
run ftrait into the woods, where
they lay clofe all day long, but at
night we could hear them making
great noife about the fountain a-
forefaid. ' The
m
A Vojage to Guinee. 33
The next day being the zp De^
the Clerk,the Pilots Mate>
feveral fervants,' and about zo of
our Seamen, went a (here in our
fhallop for frefti water and wood.
At their landing the (JMores aban-
doned the fountain, and betook
themfelves to. the Woods, where
they made a great noife likewife,
but vwithout. any attempt, for our
men having run towards them,and[
fired y or 6 mufquets at a venture
into the woods, they took their
heels,and from that time we heard
tiomott oiMomjtettr Thomasf nor
any of his crew.
After, dinner our EmbalTadors
returned from the King of s
Court, having flayed there with
his moll: Auguft Majefty but one
night: but they brought moft of
the Canoes thereabout along with
them, laden with Ivory, which
was bought offindiiferent cheap.
The next day the i^ing of Boure's
B y Bro-
34 ^ Voyage to Guince.
Brother came aboard us, and
brought with him a Portugab
(which we had feen before, and is
imployed in the affaires of that
Prince) we know it was feme per-
fon of quality as foon as we dif-
cerned his Ca»oe, which we di-
Idinguifhed by the found of his
Trumpets, and immediately fent
out our boat to receive him, into
which he entred with his Trura-
pet and Drum, and at his coming
aboard our Ship, wasfaluted with
a volley from the great Guns.
The Brother of the King of Si-
errA'Leone is a perfon of about fifty
or threefeore years of age, and be-
gins now to grow gray; his ftature
as but indifferent, but grave,and in-
telligent enough in his affairs. His
habit was not much unlike that cvf
the Alcair of Rio-Frefca, unlefs it
be that the i^lcairs habit was of
white cloth, and this of cloth
firip'd
AVoyage toGumee. 35-
ftrip'd with black and blew, he
had a gray hat upon his head, a,
ftick like a mufquet reft in his hand,,
his Attendants- had all of them
Robes of Cotton cloth, only the
Portugal was dreft ak Portugaife,
Whikft we were treating him/
we gave him an accompt of the fta-
ry of f ohn Thomas, to which he an-'
fwered that he was a mutineer and
a rebel, and that in cafe wee IhouM %
catch him, we Chould not only have
his pardon,but thanks.
After he had dined, he pulled
out about twenty little ftones, oat:
of a little purfe, which he threw
upon the Table, demanding fo
many Partes (as they call them) in
difcharge of their ■ icings duties, as
well for the bufinefs they had ncgo-
tiated with him, as for their frefli
water and wood.' Though thefe
people can neither read nor write,
yet they make ufe of this v^y
-35 A Voyage to Guinec.
of gathering their Rights, and the
frequency of their Commerce with
the fortugdst has brought them to
talk altogether by Barres^ which is
the word they do moft ordinarily
ufe.
According to their demand, the
2.0 Banes were payed him, that is.
to fay, in Iron 'Barres a little
Barrel of Strong-waters at4
a Kettle at 2 Barres^ a Hat at 2
Barres^ and fo on: He was himfelf
upon his own fcore prefented with
2 Bottles of Brandy, and his Reti-
nue with Knives; at the clofe of
the evening he returned, well ftuft
and well fatisfied, as thegrcateft
part of his Attendants were alfo;
at his departure he had feveral
Guns given him, and was difmift
with all pofflble civility. He is in
great refped among the people, his
Trumpet and Drum are always
carryed along with him^ even when
he
AVoyagetoQxLiwtQ. 37
he goes about his moft natural af-
fairs. During thefe three days, we
i®t) had feveral Pertugals came aboard
us with their Commodities, of
whom 1 endeavoured what I could
to inform my felfof the manners of
it'll that Country,
iliatt
ilMi The. 'Defcription ef Sierra.-Leone, of
the Mountain of the Lyons.
tati
mfcl ' I 'He Countrey of Sierra- Leone,
p is called 'Botdombel by the
Rcti Mores^ which in their language is
)feo! as much as the large Countrey. In
iui refped of the extraordinary height
atei of the Mountaines towards the
iKo; South, which arc much higher
;verjl then either the Vjrenaan or C^lps,
H and the multitude of Lyons which
iiiii are conftantly to be feen there, it
e iii was called Sierra Leone by the Por-
wsji tugali, which in our Language
fkii amounts to no more then the
i; Mountain
38 A %<J, ge to Guinee."
Mountain- of Lyons T Coun--
trey begins a-great way up in the
land'Eaftward, and ends North-
wed' wifh the fap'Ledo, which
throws it felf into the Sea: from
tl\e point of that . as on palfb
up the River, -there are feveral
Bayes, the fourth of which is the
Bay de France, either becaufethe
were formerly poffetred of
this Goaft, or that they burn'd a
Town there heretoforej and this.is
the only Bay in that River where
they can take in frelh water.
I had one day the curiollty to
trace one of the three Fountaines
which are there,' and having fol-
lowed it a league to the foot of the
Mountaines, obferving the tracks
and Print of the wild beafts, which
are very ftrange," and dreadful, I
returned as I went, and have been
lince informed by one of the For-
tubals, that it rifes in the midft-of
AVojage to Gmnco. , 39
the woods, which are above 15
leagues over, and that if I had
ptirfued my delign, and traced it
to its rpring, I muft never have ex-
pededto come back, as well fcr
the vaft number of Lyons, as f. r
the Tygars, Elephants, and Cro-
codiles which are there, and would
probably have devoured me.
Thefe Mountains are covered
with Trees very-full of Gumme,
always green, and for the moft
part not unlike our Laurel."
TheNorthen parts of this Sierra^
Leone lye very low, and are in the
polTeflion of the King of 'Botilom, as
, the Southern parts are of the King
of Beure.
The Kingdom of BouUm is not o-
verweli knowm,either to the French
or HotUnd-er-, their affeftions being
prirtcipally inclin'dto the English
and Portuods^ of which laft, there
are feveral that inhabit there.
The
40 A Voyage to Guinee.,
The River which bears the
name of Sierra-Leone likewife, rtins j
a great way Eaft ward up into the i
Countrey, is about 5 leagues over f
at the mouth; and one about 14
or 15 leagues higher.The Harbour
is not above two fathoms deep, in-
fomuch that in entring into it, we
were fain to come aa neer the 1
Mountains as we could,' where we ;
found 10,12, and I fathoms wa- j
ter. It has feveral littlc lflandsin ,
its channel, the moil of them in-.
habited, and covered with green
Trees, cfpecially Palm-trees, of
which they make great quantities
of Wine; It is very full of Fi{h,and
breeds Crocodiles near the head of •
its Fountain.
The borders of thefe Iflands arc
fet with certain Trees whofe bran-
ches do never extend themfelves
further out one then another, but
t{ic feutes or fiences growing
A Vojage to Gu inee. 41
downwards, as foon as they touch
the water or the earth, they take
new root, and by that means make
a Hedge fometimes of 10 or iz
yards broad.
The Inhabitants of this Coun-
trey are very wellmade, I obferv'd
very few of them. Camous'd, the
men much more civil than at Cap-
they are always clothcdj and
for the moft part more modeft.
In the Town of "Boure there can-
not be above 300 houfes, accord-
ing to the eftimation of fome of
our men who were there, and told
me among other things, that the
Pallace of their King is built like-
wife in the middle of the Town,
and would not make a good refi-
dence for a Juftice of Peace.
Their Women arc generally
common, every man has as many
of them as he pleafeth, and pro-
ftitutes them to Strangers, as he
thinks
\
•N J
42 A Voyage to Gm nee.
thinks good, except only the firft,
which are kept with great jealou-
fy^ and circumfpedion all along
thefeCoafts, fo as properly the 0- '
ther are nothing but Concubines.
According to the computation
of every body I fpake with, there
may be in Boure about 4 or 500
men, befides women and children:
Their King is a Roman Catholick
his name Philipfes, and has a
chin and in his Court;
In an Ifland called Saint Andrewl
I entred into one of their houfes,
and found it built of flicks and dirt,
on one fide a little window cove-
red with leaves, a hole for the dore,
and a fraall fire in the middle ;
they lye upon matts, made of great
rulhes, which they place in a
corner, and'have their Arms by
their fides, which for the moft
part are fwords,daggers,darts,ho\vs
and arrows, the head of which
they
AVojagetoOmnto, 43
lieSii they impoifon with fruit of a cer-
jeali tain tree, whofe poifon is fo incon-
11 alt ceiveably fubtil and quick, it runs
y tiit, immediatly into the. blood, and af-
ubiit fc<^s it fo fuddenly, it is no ealy
piitai matter either to prevent or cure it;
jijtlj Which fruit is long like a rad-
orr diflt, and green. Some of them
liljg have their Guns, which they all
itiol of them are fond of, and do ufe with
jA great dex.terlty.
ti Their Religion alfo is various,
the great Commerce the Fortugds
y have in this place, and. the great
numbers that inhabit there already
, have converted many of them, the
igjj. reft being MahumetAns, and Idc'
jjjl Utors. They pay a reverence ex-
.f,,, traordinary to certain extravigant
, figures, which they call Fetiches^
I worlhip them as Gods, pray to
them pundually Morning and
'j|,j Night, and when at any time they
V have any thing better then ordi-
it r.ary,
44 A Voyage to Guinee.
nary, cither Meat, or fifti, or
their Palm-Wine, they throw it
all down upon the ground in ho-
nour to their Gods.
, As I went a Ihore one day in the
Canoe of a certain More, I heard
him muttering to himfelf, and
having diftinguifti'd thefe words
Abraham, Jfaac, and Jacob, I
asked him what he was doing, he
told me he was giving thanks to
his Fetiche, for having prefervcd
hith at Sea, and that the reft of
the Mores, as" they had occalion,
did always the fame; They ail of
them carry their Fetiches in little
baggs, either upon their hearts, or
their flioulders,tendring them meat
Night and Morning conftantiy,
they trim them up with Rafadc,
or little grains of glafs of all colour;:,
which they take to be the greateft
Ornament in the world.
This Country produces great
I, A Voyage to Guinec 45
lii I quantity of Ricf, of dMillet, and
11 Majrs, which is a kind of Tttrkifi
ial C0r»e, they make their bread olf,
and is not very ill: Some of them
ill} having walh'd their Rice in Sea
to water, will eat it raw, and with-
' [ out any ill effei^.
fi Their common diet is fi(h, and
i great ftore of fruits, as Berrys,
»| Biggs, Pears, Prunes, Oranges, Ci-
|ji trons, and a kind of Cheftnut, not
jrf; altogether fo good as in Bttrope,
but it has the virtue to quench the
ifj .thirft though one be never fo dry.
,11; Thefe Mountains produce
li great quantities of Goats, Hoggs,
J J ,Lyons, Tygres, Elephants, wild
£ores,Harts,and Roebucks, which
j[|, laft are fo numerous, they bring
them on Ship board, and truck
Jjj them for little or nothing: But
the Serpents (if we may believe
either the Meres or the Pertugals)
^ doe increafe fo unmeafurably, that
I foj^c
4^ A Voyage to G uinee.
fome of them will fwallow a Man
at a gulpe. The Mores are perpe-
tually at wars with them, and doe
ufe a certain herbe (which is ad-
mirably good againft poifon)
againft the bites of all the Beafts
they encounter.
The Apes run up and down
every where in great Troops, de-
ftroying their plants where ever
they comp, upon which fcore the
Mores are their implacable ene-
mies (as well as the Elephants)
hunting and perfuing them per-
petually, and fometimes eatijg
them when they have done. I have
tafted of their flefh, which is not
bad, and in my judgement comes
very near our Beef.
All of them fpeak Portugxis. and
arc very apprchenfive of being
drunk, for ul. h rcafon (cfpe-
cially amonft us ) they drank but
little Ibronrr water.
The
A Vojage to Guinea. 47
The Merchandife this ,Coun-
trey affords is Rice,excellent Ivory,
Civet, and fomc AmberGrcece.Of
all the Coafts, this is one of the
heft for matter of trade, feldome
yeilding lefs profit then Cent four
Cent : , But the ,P<?rr»^4/r gain is
much greater, they hnying their I-
vory up higher in the Countrey,
and afterwards felling it again at
the Sea fide;:t0 other Merchants;
-Totir or five men might live in one
of the little Ifles in this River, and
be very well fufteined by the la-
hour of two or three Slaves.
The Englipj have a Ware-houfe
in .One ef" thofe Iflands, and the
Faflor thereof writ tP us fevoral
times to defire he might come to
Us ai^d trade, WC told ' him he
fnightidofri't with fafety, and on
the !aft of Dzce?:iberj upon our
parole, when we had finifh'd our
. bargains fur Ivcry with the Prr-
48 A Voyage to Guinee.
tugals, and Natives, the faid
gli/bman called i^hraham, came
aboard us in his fliallop (rowed by
three Slaves) accompany'd by a
certain HolUnder, and two others
which belonged to him ; he was
well received, but after Supper,
contrary to the advice of all the
reft, the Captain made him a prh
foner, and the thtcc Mores which
were with him, to their no fmall
aftonilhment, and on the firft of
Jamary i66j. the great fliallop
was mann'd out with 30. men, the
Captain, the Chyrurgion, and my
fcif, with one piece of ordnance,
to befiege and plunder his houfe.
It is built of Brick, and free
ftone, defended with four pieces of
Canon, carrying a four pound
bullet, and incompafs'd with a fair
wood of Palm-trees, which fup-
plyed him with Wine. On one
■fide there arc fifteen or twenty
'Ca-
A Voyage to Guincc.
Cabines for the Natives, and on
the other,a fpring ofvery good wa-
ter. This Ifland is the beft and moft
beautiful upon the River: As wc
were about to land, wc difcovercd
feme zoo Mores, got together a-
bout the houfe,with their firelocks,
and a greater number up the woods
at farther diftancc: which obliged
us to make a (how of palling on
higher, as being the weaker, and
by confequence in more need of the
advantage of the wind- They ima-
gined we had been going to 'Boure,
and immediately difpatch'd a Cmoe
to give Boubm the alarm, and to
advifehim to come to them; wc
perfued this Canoe with all pofiiblc
diligence, but could not perfwadc
them to come in till we fired J or 4
times into their boat; They were
two young Slaves, belonging to a
Portugal, that was with the Englifb
Man, but we could not make them
conr
\
go A Voyage to Guintc,
x:onfcfs any thing, by all the inter-
rrogations we could ufe : Tliofc of
the £ngU[lj party obferving what
was paft, fired at us with their Ca-
.non, and ^ of tl^eir bullets fell with-
' in ten paces of our boat. We put
our felvcs out of the reach of their
Guns for the prefent, and came to
an anchor, attending the coraming
in of the tide to accommodate our
return.-; The weather being calmc,
about half an hour after, there ap-
pear'd two Mores belongingto one
•of the neighbouring Iflands, in a
Came ^ which madediredly up.to
ius, and came within piftol lhot,but
■would by no means be perfwaded
'Onboard;; wlrereupon wc Ihot olf
a or J Guns (not with intention of
4foing them harm) but to inftruft
them of the truth: They no fooner
heard the noife of our Guns, but
they run away immediately, plying
the'roars as faft as they could, and
jftcopiag
'• A Voyage to Guinec- 5 r
it ftooping (upon light of our fire) fo
loitt low, they fecm'd to us no higher
i then Cats 4 In the mean time the
iiCi Canon of the Englijh were not idle,
Iwi playing ftill upon us, though they
^Cfs law we were out of their reach,
lilt which they did not fo much to do
mci any execution, as to let the Natives
lis fee they had undertaken their de-
ten fence, and delired their friendlhip;
lit However the tide comming in,we
pafs'd by feveral little Iflands, and "
3® made our retreat,
ill We found feveral Mores ^ and
apt aboard our Velfel, and a-
i[,|f mongft the reft, the King of Sow-
ai Urns Son called 'Bombo, who was a
jti perfon of about jo or 40 years old,
1 well proportioned, and (bating his
js complexion) a very handfom man,
1; his aire was courteous, and maje-
1^ ftick, he was an intimate friend of
„( AhrAhams, but knew nothing till
,, fupper, of his imprifonmcnt: He
r
5 g A Vojage iaGuinec.
no fooiier unc!erftood it, but he in-
terceded for his ranfome, and went
immediately with the Forfugal{thzt
manages the affairs of the King of ^
Boure) to procure it .: Oti Mtmhy
at noon they came aboard again
with a 100 Elephants teeth,weigh-
ingpoo pound weight,and two live
Civet Cats, upon the delivery of
which he was difmilf, and went
home after dinner, we giving him a
little barrel of Strong-waters, a )
rowl of Tobacco, aCheefe, anda
%iilvo of ^ Guns, when he went off.
Some few Portugals hay behind
till they made i>p their Markets,
f nd having difpatch'd them the
fffth, they returned out of hand.
That day we intended to have
been gone, but happening upon a
calm, and to have a tide againft us
too, wc were forc'd to attend a lit-
tie longer then wc defigned. About
eopn there cams a Cmoe aboard
[7,
to
53
with two Mares-, which pretended
to belong to who brought
us fruit, but having no Ivory, we
lookt upon them but as fpies, and
fentthcm back asain about fi've,
O
That night we fee fail,and having
paft C4p-Ledo, we fteer'd a South
South-£aft courfe, to avoid the
the Banks of ^nnc, and the
next morning difcry'd a little Vef-
fel of Holland, coafling upon the
ihore as we did to make the Cap ds
Mcnte, which is about tSo leagues
is&.z.nihovCit\x&Slerrii-Leone.
On Friday the jth of ''{annxry,
we paft by the mouth of the River
of M(tdre-'BDmba,\y\\zxct{\c. Englijh
have a houfc alfo, and not inferior
to that at Sierra- Leone.
In the afternoon we came with-
in light of the Rio de Gallines, fo
called by the Rortngals, from the
multitude of Hens there, and the
cheapsefs of them, the people gi-
C
ving
54 ^ Voyage Quince.
ving one, two, and fomtimes three
for a knife of a penny. The Hoi-
Imders had a houfe there former-
ly : The Natives gave us ail gn to '
approach and put in^but the neigh-
bourhood of the Englijh would not
fuifer us to hear on that ear,' but wc
continued our coaft totheEafttili
N ♦
Saturdaj morning, at which time
by thealfiftance of a clear day, we
difcover'd the Cap de Monte^ at a*
bout ten leagues diftance.
C A ? B B lM O N T
and its Defcription.
THe wind being but little, we
came not to an anchor till
night, and then about half a league
from the Ihore, at twelve fathom
low water, and upon a fand.
The CVtp de Monte is fo called
from a point of ground which
gives it that figure, andrifing juft
by
A Voyage to Guincc. 55
by the Sea, formes its felf into a
round Mountain^all the rcliofthat
coaft Iving very low.
We could not de'fcry either houfe
or cabane aILalon^,yet on the 19th'
we went on (hore, and found 4 or
yhoufes at fome diftancCj where*
die Blacks made their Salt.
They appeared very joyful at
our arrival ; they told us their
King lived' three days journey up'
into the Countrcy,that they would-
give notice to their neighbours of
our coming that night, and that if
we thought good to return the next
morning, we might find fuch ftore-
of Ivory as could be fuddenly got.
That if we intended to keep our
promife when we came on board,
we flaould give them two great
Guns as a fignal, and they would'
make fires to confirm us on their
fide, which was agreed and per-
formed accordingly.
€4 The
56 A Voyage to Guinec.
The tenth, and the eleventh '
days, were fpent entirely in bar-
tring, I being on board the izth^ I
went on Ihore, though with feme
difficulty, the Sea breaking oiT fo I
abruptly, our fliallop was left fome S
2Q paces upon ground, and the
Seamen lorc'd to goout of the boat,
and land the Officers upon their
backs; where we found the Adp/es
had made a large Arbor, covered
over with leaves, and branches of
trees, to keep our commodities dry>
and ffielter us from the violence of
the Sun.
Whilff we were Negotiating
our affairs, we heard a great noife
on a fudden, and faw the Mom in
a great hurry, running Pell-mell
from their houfes, and merchandife
both: we apprehended we might
be furprized, and took up our arms
immediately, but being got out in-
to the air, we underftood it was
only
ri Voyage to Gumsc. 97
only their King was coming to us;
whereupon feme of our men went
CO meet him, and falutcd him with
a volley of five or fix of our fire-
locks.
Before him marched his Drum,'
and hisTrurapet,8 or ro of his kin-
dred and friends, and the reft avers
his Officers; his Wives, and hie
Daughters, marched on his lide,be-'
bind him his Slaves followed, and a
certain rtumber of women carrying
his dinner in bowls pfWood, and
of Tyn,which they held up as high
as they could poffibly ; By him he
had four Slaves marchin?. two of
them covering him with two largo
Bucklers, and the other carrying
his bow and arrows, and javelin;
As he approached, the Mores di*
vided themfelves, the Men on one
fide, the Women on the other,
finging, and dancing, and leap*
ing up-and down, and teftifying
C 5 theic
5® AVojageto^mntt.
their joy in a thoufand different poA
tures.ThcKing took a dart,and pre-
tended to throw it at them, upon
which they threw themfelvcs im-
mediately upon the ground, and at
the fame time they which came a-
long with his Majefty took their
turn,both to dance and to ling. Pre-
fently the ^ing took an arrow,
which he Ihot up into the aire, an .l '
prefently all run to the place
where it fell,and happy was he that
could take it up firft,and bring it to
him; after this he made a Ihow of
fliooting direftly amongft them, &
they throwing thcmfelves down
again, with great acclamation,con-
tinucd this paftime for a quarter of
an hour :In this triumpth and gran-
dour, he was conduced to us; we
received him as honorably as we
could, faluting him With volleys
of fmall (hot.
He was a grave and venerable
old
1
A Vojage ^a Guinee.' 5^
old man of about threcfcore years
of age, or upwards, they called him
Falam Boure, he was very fenlible
and majellick; his habit was the
fame with the reft of the Gcntlc=*
men, faving that his was quite
blew, andthe-Robes of the Gentle-
men. Officers, and Nobility of that
Countrey, are always ftrip'd (like
the Captains of Rh-Ftefca^ with
white and blew We payed him'
what refped vve could, and after
we had made him fuch prefcnts as-
were ufual,he retired into another
Arbor the Mores had made for himj
and left us very gracioufly to our'^
Negotiations.
I waited upon him to his Arbor-,
where he entertained me in Portu-
gats, and told me, that it was four
years fince he had feen any Whites,
and with teares (as it were) of joy
afliired me, that the French Ihould
be always welcome to him; that
'6o A Vojagt to Guinec.
indeed they were a little quick and '
capricious, but otherwife boncft i,
menctbat heandhis Count! y(which j
he thought was not contemptible) )
I would be eternally at their fervice.
And in truth were all the reft
of Africk like this part of it, it
was indubitably to be preferred to
any part of Bnrope. No fooncr is
your foot upon the ground, but
.you are prefcnced with a faire
plain eJ planted on this lide and
that, with curious groves per*
petually green, and in their leaves
ROC unlike to our Laurel. The
profpc(9: is bounded to the South
with the Mountain of the
and on the North by a large grove,
which gives a (hade to a little
Ifland in a little River, which
calls it felf hard by in to.che Sea,
though it be navigable for a Came
only^ or perhaps with fome difH-
culty for a ihailop; Eaftward
: there
A Vojage to Guince. 61
there is noftop nor termination of
the eye, it may delight and lofe ic
felf, in vaft meadows and pkynes,
beautifi'd and perfum'd with ex-
cellen-t verdures, and water'd with
feveralpritty Rivers, which open
and expand themfelves to the
KMores, and feem to invite them to
a communication with thcfe that
liyc higher up in the Countrey.
In this place their Rice, their
tjAlillet, and their oMais (of which
their bread is made) is more
plentiful], and grows in greater
<^uantity, than in any other: part of
Cmnee whaifoever.
They have Citrons, Oranges,
Amants, Berrys, Melons, Gourds,
and a fort of plums not much
unlike our 'Brmnons, but not fo
well tailed.
They have great variety of fowl,
as Hens, and Pidgeons, and Ducks,
and Mailardj and Teal, which
muR
G i A Voyage to Guinee.
muft be very plentiful, by the
price they are fQld for.
Goats and Hoggs are very com-
mon, and Apes too, but ugly ones.
They have great ftore of Fifti, both
Sea-nlhandin their Rivers, which
1 have faid they value much above
flelh, they have Tortoifes likewife
are excellent meat, but their Iheh
not worth a farthing.
T hey are very neat in their fee-
ding, they roaft their meat upon
wooden fpits, turning them with
great care, and obferving very cu-
rioudy lead one £de be more road*
ed then the other.
Whild he was at dinner in his
own appartmcnt, I took the confi-
dence to begin a health to on of his
Sons Wifcs, in their Palme-Wine,
and fhe anfwered me in French,
Monjkrje vous remtrcky and told
me afterwards in Vortu^aisy that
her Husbands Father had lived al-
ways
AVbjage to Guinec 6^
ways amongft the Trench, when
they were in thofe parts, and that
(he could diftinguilh eafily by our
aire, that my felf and Lacquey were
the only Frenchmen in our whole
company.
The inhabitants arc generally
handfomc, good natured, traiftible,
and fpeak a kind of corrupt Portu-
gais. They go all naked both wo-
men and men,only a little cloth be-
fore them, but the women wear
. theirs from their ftomack,to their
mid-legg: they are more chaft then
the reft, and their Husbands com-
monly more jealous.
For their Religion, do what I
could, I could not inform my felfj
only one of them told me the
Whites pray'd to God, and the
Blacks to the Devil : Yet I could
perceive many of them were Cir-
cumcifed, and all of them had theit
Fetiches,
At
6'4 A Voyage to Guinee,
At our landing, there was ncta^
bove five or lix houfes to be feen,
an<l thofe belonging to fuch as
made Salt there, and carryed it af-
terwards into the Country; But
within two dayestlme, theplaine
(which was about a league in cir-
cumference)^ was cover'd over with
houfes, which the Meres from ail
parts had built, in order to their
traffi-ck wi th .us. -
In the Kings houfes, or the hou= (
{es of their Nobility, they have a
diftind appartment where their
beds are made.either upon plancksj
or mat; about a yeard "from the
■ ground, about which they hang a
cloth (in Head of curtains and val-
lence) andfoficep all night upon
them. For their rcpofe in the day
time, they have a fort of delicate
neat mats, ex<5uiiitely made (of
whichtheHr/Z^Wrr buys great ftcre
for their Chambers) where laying
them-
A Vojsge to Guinee. 6^
thcmrelves down with their heads
in their Wives lapps, they fpend
much of their time in combing anj
ordring their Husbands hair.
For four days together we had
a very good Tfade. The ccmmodi-
ties we bought were Macs, Rice,
and Ivory, which in thoie parts if
plentiful and excellently good.
And in this place certainly (if
any where), a man may live nap-
pily, all things contributing to
make his life pleafant; the beauty
and bounty of the Countrey, the
humour and difpofition of the peo^
pie, the aboundance of all neeeflk-
ries, the confiderablencfs of the
gain, and the aptnefs aud conve-
nience for building in all places
wherever you comc.
On the thirteenth we went a
Ihore again, but feeing they had
no Ivory left, (though the King
promis'd in three dayes time we
Ihould
€6 A Voyage to Giiinee.
ihould have ten times as much as
we had bought alcady, ) wc fet
fayle that night for Cap-cMiferado.
CAP-MISER ADO.
» S
I ' He next day being the 14th
B of "yanmry, fleering or courfe
South-Eaft and by South, we
difcovcrcd the Cap-Miferado, but
the weather being duskifti, and a
thick fog interrupting our prof*
peft,- we were glad to caft- anchor
at three leagues diftance from the
Ihore (imagining notwithftanding.
we had been nearer then we were)
and afterward we ftiot off z Guns to
give they^/ownotice of our arrival.
The fifteenth we difcovered our
miftake, yet by reafijn ofcalme, we
were forc'd to continue at anchor
till noon, at which time we percei-
ycd&Ca^oe making towards us with
X M»res in it, which coming up,de-
manded
A Vojage to Guinec. ^7
manded who wc were, and of what
Countrey,wc told them of HolUnd.\
and they delired us to co me nca^rer
land,but would by no means be per-
fwaded on board us,till they faw us
take the advantage of the wind^
weigh anchor, and fayle towards
the fnore.
They eatercd then, and told us
it was a full year lince they had
feen any Whites: that the next day
they would bring good ftore of Ivo-
ry to the Sea fide for us, and that
they might perform what they had
promifed, afier we had made them
Ibme fmallprcfents,they took their
leaves. We came up within half a
league of the land, to the mouth of
a little river they call at the
foot of the Cape, where wc found
fix fathom deep at low water.
This is called Mtferado by
the Fortugiis,t\thtt becaufe it is in-
compafs'd by rocks that lye under
water,
68 J Voyage to Guirios.
water,and would inevitably deftroy
any VelTel,which Ihould come nea-
rer then half a league,or becaufe the
Trench which were formerly maf-
facred there, cfryed out MiferkorAe,
Mifericerde: Belides the Natives of
this place being very cruel, they
have denominated the riyer, and
called it Dur^, as being Ijard and fa-
tal to the Whites, tlpon which
fcore we fortifyed our Ihollop with
a great Gun, to fright 'them and"
keep them in order."
They let up a little houfe againft
wc came in order to our negotiati-
ons, but not another to be feen
within lefs then half a league, and
thofe too in the woods.
The River Duro cafts it felf into
the Sea on that fide towards the
Cape, but is fo fmall and inconllde-
rable, it carrys nothing but Canoes.
At our coming on lhore,we found
the Captain (who governs thofe
A Voyage to Guitiee. '6<^
jprts) with feveral of his Officers
String under a t^ce, we prefcnted
them with tWo Bottles of Brandy,
vvhicli they drank freely, and then
condudcd us to the houfc they had
prepared, and ftay'd with us till
night came on, and we returned to
our Ship.
Tire Captain was a very lufty
man of a fevcre afped, i-n a Robe
like that of the Alcair de Rio-Frcfca,
favjng that his was red, with a
bonnet-of the fame colour, he was
attended hy 50 or 60 Negroes, with
great darts, bows, arrows, and
fwords,and wi th fome few women
which they fcnt back again to the
Woods, not 3.bovc fifty prices froni
our lodge, from whence we never
dnrft trirft oin- fclves above ten. .
Tliey ask'd us whether we came
as enemies or friends, obfervingic
feems the Canon in our fliallop ;
We told them that we could not
but
70 A Voyage to Gu ined.
but take notice,that they came with
their armes, contrary to the cuftom
of all other places we had traded in,
and that we did, was but to fccure '
our felveSj and our Mcrchandifes,
which we (hould bring on flaore by
degrees, and according as we fold
what we had brought.
Some of the Captains Women,
lugging their children along with
them, came to fee us at our lodge,
and we were forc'd to preient them, *
though the Captain was fo refrado-
ry, what Ivory foever he expos'd to
truck, or to fale, he ask'd with that
unreafonable confidence,there was
no rcafon to give it: They all of
them fpake TortugdSi and were all
of them clothed.
Whilft we were at dinner, the
Captain demanded fome one of us
to ftay with him,and I (very coura-
gioufly) proffered to be the man,
which he took fo kindly, he took
mc .
r
A Voyage to Guinee. 71
"if .mc by the hand, and put it into the
fe hand of one of his daughters, with
4 this complement, that he gave her
# me for my Wife, after which wc
i grew very intimate and great; Pe
ft tooh me and fliew'd me to the reft
i of the Mores, who called me their
kinfman and friend, promifed mc
tl Slaves, carryed me along with
i them, and fctting me in the midft
J of them, they made me drink of
I Vulm-nnne.
) One of tlvc Ofhcers that din'd with
! sus, I obferv'dto throw Wine up-
; on the ground, before he drank; I
ask'dhim the reufon, and he told
mc,that ifhis dead father ftiould be
dry,he would come thither to drink.
We had a light too of fomeof
•their Priefts, but their habits being
the fame, with what we faw after-
wards'Upon the Golden Coaji, ] (hall
pafs fhcra by in this place, with
this animadverlion only, that they
72 A Vojage to Gu'mec. i
carry themfelves towards them
v/ith great deference and refpeif, !
believing every word they fpakean j
Oracle. The Captain (hcw'd me
one of them, and told me, if I had
loft any thing, he could tell me
where it was, and cry'd him up as
he bad been a Prophet: But above
all things, their greateft fuperftft i
tion is of their Fe/zV/ycr. 1
Their Traftick is principally I- |
very, (which indeed is excellent) '
and Rice in great abundance.
^ The EKolijb have a ware houfc
iieyond the Cape, and arc in great
favour with the Mercs, whoufed
us ill in no refped, but as they i
thought us enemies to them.
When we returned to our Vef-
fel , we promifed to be^with them
again the next morning, but obfcr-
ving they had brought us good
cjuantity oflvory atfirftjWhich was
ROt afterwards to be fcen, we had a
fuf-
A Voyage to Guince. 7^
it: fufpicion might be a dcfiga of the
® EffgUJh to amufe us with their
« Tradc, whiift they could get more
n men together cut of the Countrcy ;
t Upon which grounds, that very
It night (though one of our Officers
II left a golden ring with theCaptain,
It as a gage for his word)we weigh'd
i anchor and away for Rio-Sex for.
Being on the other lide of Cap^
[ Miferado,we difcovered fires,which
1! the Mores had made along the
ftiores, which is the ordinary figna
! they ufe, to fignifie to fuch Ships
; as pafs by,that they have Mcrchan-
dife for them, upon which accompt
we refoivcd to caft anchor.
R!0 DE JVNCO.
A Bout 9 or 10 a clock we came
to an anchor, diredly over
againft the fires upon the llaore, wa
(hot of a great Guns,to invite them
D aboard*
74 ^ Vojage to Guinee.
/ aboard, but feeing none of them
come, we mann'd out our Ihallop
after dinner, and fayl'd towards
them withfome few Merchandifes,
but we could not teach the ftiore,
within fifty paces, without inevi-
table danger of bulging.
Seeing feme Mons upon the
banks, we made fignes to them to
come to us, and they came fwim-
tning half way, and went back a-
gain, tior could all our alurements
win them aboard, till at laft two of
them ventured in a Canoe, and were
kindly received,which they on the
Ibore obferving, three of them
threw themfelves immediately into
the Sea ond fwam to us; we pre-
fented them with a bottle of Srong-
waters, which they carryed on
iliore to their infinite fatisfadion:
we ftiew'd them our Kettles, and
what other Commodities we had,
the fight of which^ they made a
thou-
/ ^
A Voyage to Guince. 7^
t thoufand expreffions of joy, and
If could have done no more, if Para-'
iii dife it felf had been Ihown theme
I' they ask'd us if we had any large
® white Rafade. Thofe which were
(li upon land, held up great, and great
quantity of Elephants teeth,to haft-
li en us them,but having ufed our ut-
r moft endeavour to no purpofe, and
1. finding it impofRble to come at
t them, without manifeft danger, wc
f fent back the 2 Meres (which came
t to us) to them; Who by their af-
1 ped and Mifse, fecm'd to be pcrfons
1 of more then ordinary quality.
I Rio de Jupco is a River which
lyes five degrees and fifty minutes
of Northern latitude,and of Eaftern
longitude, 9 degreas, 10 minutesJ
The mouth of it is known by three
great trees which ftand very high,
and three great Mountains over a-
gainft them, but at fome diftance
into the land; the mouth of it is
D 2 near
a.
7^ A Voyage to Guinec.
oear five hundred paces over, but
ftiallow, the banks fo well decora-
ted with trees, and flowers, that
confidered with the fmoothnefs and
ferenity of the ft ream, they make a
moft admirable landlhip.
Orangc-trees,Citrons,and Palme-
trees, are planted all along, and in
cxquifite order, and (as the Mores
which came aboard intimated to
us) they have abundance of all
things, efpecially Poultry and
Palmc-Wine.We went aboard,and
perceiving no body came at us we
fet fayle that night, and came the
next moring before Petit Diepfie.
P E TIT DIEPP E.
Ztit Dieppe is aTcwn not far
from a River, which calls it
ftif into the Sea, and in its palfage,
tmuing about a fpot of ground,
ibrms it felfinto no contemptible
P
AVojagetoGuince, 77
Mand:i:t was formerly in the poflel-
fioii of the Freftch,hat defer ted lon»
lince; at the difemboguement of
this River, there are many Rocks,
which make the entrance more
then ordinary difficult; We difco-
vered a little Veflcl upon this Coaft,
and gave chafe to it, but' without
any fuccefs.
The zzd we came to Rio-sextos,
whofe defcription follows,
Rr OS EXT OS.
Rl'O-Sextos is a River, which
comes a great way down the
land, North and North-Weft, and
is about half a league over at the*
mouth of it. On borh fides it is fee
very pleafantly with Trees, very
large, and very tall; about three
leagues up the River, the
had formerly a houfe, but there is
nothing of it left but the Walls^.
Dj This.
* >!■
7S A Voyage to Guiaec,
This River will carry a Yacht or
a large Barkc a douzaine leagues
and more up in the Countrey.
It was Rio-Sextos the
TortugAis, from a certain kind of
Pepper which grows by it, and is
- called Sextos by them, the fame I
fuppofe with what'wc call Ma^a-
gnette which. I lhall fpcake of more
particularly in the next Chapter t
We were told by their fiflierboats,
that about a fortnight before there
pafs'd two Velfels that way
to the Mme, that we might finde
good quantities of Ivory, but that
their canoes being fo fmall,it would
be necelFary for us to carry our Mer-
chanhife on Ihore: tvhereupon we
anchored about half a league from
iand, in about 16 fathom water.
Some of our Officers went a fhorc
in our fhallop, and carryed feme
Commodities along with them, to
^gtn the Commerce; they carryed
them
A Voyage to Guinfls,
them three leagues up the Rivcfy
and their King( who lived yet high-
er into the Countrey) came down
to fee them, and according to Guf-
tome had his ufual prefents.
They came back very late, and^
the Notary at his return gave m&
this accomptof him^.that he was ar
very lujiy man, with a ftern and fu-
percilious alped; that he profefs'd'
great frienlhip for the Englifiilhzt
he brought down great ftore of Ivo-
ffy with himj but having furnilhedi.
the two F/emiJh'VcSth fo* lately, he
held it fo dear,there was no dealing
with himTor it. That they feem'd
worfe naturcdr then the Mores at
MiferadaBut that the River was-
very fine, and is full of little ftoncs^
upon the Ihrore like our Flints, only '
thefc are harder, and give more fire:
upon any collifion.
Whilcft they were arhongft:them>.
there came about lo or of their
D 4 CaKoes
8o A Voyage to Guinec.
Canees aboard us with a kind of Sea-
Pike (an excellent good filh) and
feveral other forts, of which wc
bought fome.
The people are generally well
proportioned, and bearing eve-
ry^ one of them the name of fome.
Saint or other, I had a great curio-
fity to know how that cuftom came
wpon them.I took one of them alide,
and having cajoled him with a glafs
cf Wine, and ftrong-water (which
they love better then their Wives)
1 asked him the reafon,.and he told
ine, that when any Vellels pafled.
that way, and did the Natives any
Itindnefs, it was ufual to begg their-
•Names at their departure, which
they gave afterwards to their chil-
drcn, in memory of the courtelie
they had received from them:
Which convinced me, being im-
belliftied with fo noble a virtue as
gratitude, they could not be fo had
ag
A Voyage to Gu inee; S f
as they had been reprefcnted to me,-
and the rather, becaufe the King of
them having upon the death of an
Englifh Merchant feized upon all
his Ivory and goods, did upon the
arrival of the firft Englijh Ship, vo*
luntarily, and without any folicita--
tion, deliver all to the Captain; Aa
invincible argument of their piety,
and faith. I gave him that gave ms
this aocorapt, two little knives foe
his pains, and he was fo furpris'd at
the prcfentjhe defircd mynam6,andl-
I" having told him,he oblig'd him-
felf, if his Wife (which was big at
that time) was brought tcbcd'ofal
boy, he Ibould' carry my name, aaj.
if ever! return'd that way,hc would^
bring him to fee me;
All along this Coaftj their man-
ner of falutation is the fame, they;
take our fore finger and>thumb,intO'
their hands, and putting them into
» certain pofture, they pull them
D 5 hard
S2 A Voyage to Guinec.
hard> and make them fnap, crying
mt A^uio when they have donc>
which is as much as yenr Servant
with us.
This Countrcy is very fertil, well
furnife'd with Fowl, and Rice,and
Millet, of which they make all
the bread, which they carry with
them in their {'antes when they
go out a filhing, which (as I obfer-
ved) they |are very neat and axaii
in keeping clean.
He that would ftay upon the
place,might make very good advan-
tage either by Rice, or Pepper, or
Ivory, which is excellently good •
their kindnefs has been dways
more confpicious to the Trench^
then either to the Hollander or Vtr-
tugaly neither of which they would
ever fulFer to cohabitwith them.
On the lith. by break of day,
we difcovered a little Fleet of -
fames ofabcat 40, which werego-
ing
A Vojage to Guince.
ingafiftiing, and within a quarter
of an hour they difperfed them*
fclves every way: Of ^e whole
there was but one came to us,
with fome few Elephants teeth,
which he held fo dear he had his-
labour for his paines, and carryed^
them off as he broughtthcm; where--
upon we alfo weighed anchor for*
Mio-SAnguini which is thefirff place
upon the Coaft of MaUguettei and;
aoout twelve leagues from Jtio-
Sextos y for four Hours together
we fteer'd Southward to avoid the;
Rocks which ly in great numbers -
betwixt kio- Sextos^,
after which we fteer'd Eaft and by
North,and came fafe toRio-Sanguin^.
That the French had the preoc-
cupancy of thefe Coafts, in refpe(^b
of all other Nations of Eurppe, I«
think is clear from the Names of fe-
veral Bayes, and a hundred other
monuments of their glory: But ac
84 ^ Voyiigc to Guincc.
prefent we have nothing left therc>
nor indeed any body, but the Eftg-
ii/b,who by means of feven or eight
houfes, doe carry away as it were
the whole pofits of the place.
The TortugAu fucceeded' the
French^ but being over-powCr'd by
the Bnglijb^ and the Vutch^ and
beaten off from the Coafts, in the
year 1^04. they retreated farther
into the Countrey, and marrying
with the Natives, have begot that
generation of people, they call
Muktt0Sy or Oii'Ve-couler d, and
have by that means acquired fuch
an interdl amongft them, as have
been the- caufe we have made no
farther difcoveries there, and that
they doe to this day go away with
the whole Ifland Trade; he that
ihould? endeavour to lhare with
them being certain to be deftroyed
by their great influence and au-
thority with, the Nigros. : So that
AVoyagetoOviint^. 8^
they have ingrofs'd that whole
commerce to them felves, paffing
up and down every where as they
pleafe, and running up the Niger,
as far as ^enin, which is more
then 800 leagues.
They it is that have been the
iofs of to the Danes, which
is a little Ifland upon the Niger,
two hvndrcd leagues above the
mouth of the Garnbie.
Their authority over the Mores
upon the Coafts k fo great, they
manage them as thy think good,
and we can never read that they
have at any time rebelled againft
them, as they have frequently
done againft the reft of the EurC'
feasts', Nay fo abfolute is their
Empire, they are many times
fcrved at the table by the Sons of
that King, which is fo fuperlative
a command, there can be. nothing
Ibcyohd it; Yet if any other Euro-
fean
S6 A Voyage to Guiticc*
fean does but quarrel or affront any
of their Grandees, there is nothing
but they will attempt which may
contribute to their revere. One )
of them who came to traffic with I
us at told me, he did '
ufe. every year to go to Senegaly
which is two hundred leagues from<
Sierm-Leone^ aaid that where he
had not the conveniency ofa river^
both himfelf and his Commodities
were carrycd up into the Coua!» )
trey on the backs of the Mores,
They have all them< little
Chappels built near their houfes, |
. in which they ufe all poffible |
means for the converlion of thofe
people, and when they have had
any fuccefs, and made a profilite,.
they hang Chappelets about his
neck, and have asparticulet care of
them ever after,
■THE
A Vojagt to Guinec. 87
/
THE COAST
G R A° I V E S
CALLED
MAEAGUETTE
UPon the three and twentictE
ofjamary, the fame day we
fet layle from Rio-Sextost we came
to an anchor before Rio-Sanguw^
where the CoaA of MdAguettCy or
iL^iamgette begins, and extends it
felf fixty leagues to the CApe de Pat^
wes f about three degrees and'
forty minutes of Northern latitude,
comprehending all thefe places,
Rk-Sanguift, CeStre'Cfotty 'BrtvAy
Bajfou, Zinoy C^oUy Croufefire, fVapOy
BatoUy GrAnd-Stftery PHit-Sefiery
all which places we vi-
fited in nintcen days,, which we
~ dedi-
88 A Voyage to Guinec.
dedicated to our traffick in diofc
parts.
Rio-SAnguin runs into the Sea
South South-Eaft, and will carry
a Petaeh about twelve leagues, and
no more; upon its bank it has a
Town of about a hundred houfes,
and large Trees on both fides of it,
but is not five hundred paces broad
at the wideft part of it.
' That night there came a a-
board us with three Mores, one of
them was the Kings Brother, who
having been three years in Holland,
fpake very good hutch', he fent
back his Company, and his Qanoe,
and fupp'd and lodged with us that
night. At fupper he told us, that a-
bove a Month before, there was a
Flemtjh Sliip put in at Rio-Sanium
for frefti water and wood, but that
difcovering an JS^^/z^VefTel make-
in.g towards them, he weigh'd an-
chor and away, and being a good
fayler^-
A Voyagt to Guinec. 89
fayler, got off, and that the VcfTel
that chaced them returned, and
fteer'd his oldcourfc (orRio-Sextos^
He defcribed the bulk of it fo well,
wc concluded it was the Ship vrc
had feeing crufing up the Coaft of
Petit Dieppe. He told us moreover,
that a while lince the Ettglijh had a
houfe at Rio-SANgum, but for four
years laft paft, they had none; and
that a little Vcffel going by lately,
had furprized about a douzen
M0res tiQix CroufeJier, and earryed
them away.
As we were hoifting fayle on the
five and twentieth, the King of^/V-
%Angm» came aboard us, attended
with two oth&t Cafioes^ and about
ten or twelve Mores.
He was an ancient man, very
grave, and venerable, his hair very
white, yet his perfon large and luf-
ty ; his habit blew, like their habits
sX-Qip de Monte. That which was
moft
/
90 A Voyage to Guince^
raoft remarkable was,he drank net
tber Wine nor Strong-water, nor
Palme-Wine,nothing but pure wa-
ter; he and his Brother both ftayed
with us till night,and having rccei-
vcd fomc prefents they departed.
We had paiTcd the place above-
faid, as far as from Rio'Sanguin to-
if'ayo, where being at anchor, the
third of February, about Sun-riling
we difcryed a Veflel at Sea,making
towords us with dl the fayle (he
could mdte: We drou^t atfirft it
had been the Piqueroon we
had been told of, for which reafon
we ftood all that night to our
armes, but the next day the hopes
we had of over-powring and take-
ing her, vanilhed with the Velfci,
which we could never fee more.
Till Saturday the fifth we fpent
our time wholly in traffick, on
which day having come to an an-
chor at Ratou^ we difcovcred ano-
) ther
A Voyage to Guinec. 91
thcr Veffel coming towards us alfo
with foil fayles; The number of
Mores who were then aboard us,
hindered us from, difcovering them
perfedly, but coming nearer, we
coulddifcry the Velfel to be as bigg
as ours,, whereupon we difmift our
Merchants^ weigh'd anchor, and
ftood towards them direftly, refof-
ved not only to defend our fclves,
but to venture upon them. When
we were come within a league of
him,he hung out his Vutch c^ours»
and clapt his Cornette upon his
Sprit-fayky and we hung out our
French. When we came nearer, wc
knew the Ship to be a Trigat of
AmJferdam,o£ about 400 Tunn,and
J6 pieces of Ordnance, fetout by
a private perfon, and by the autho-
rity, andconfent of the Eafi-Indy
to Ardres. The Cap-
tain called witere, having boafted
when we were in the Texely that if
he
i
92 A Voyage to Guincc,
he found us upon thefc Coafts, he
would either fink or take us; wc
took down our French colours, and
put up a red flagg, endeavouring,
and tacking three hours together,
to get the wind of him, he had all
his fayles out, and his caps up, and
yetfayled worfethan wc. About
Sun-fetting he furled his fayles,and
having loft the wind,and we with-
in zo paces of him, he made fignes
with his hat to know if we were
not the Europe', he told us his name,
and calling for a glafs of Wine, be-
gan a good foup to our healths, and
we did him reafon in our turn. Af-
ter which he took his leave, conti-
nued his courfe to the iMine, and
we came that night to an anchor
before Grand SeHre, called for-
merly by the French ; where
the reft of our time we fpent in our
Negotiations and Trade.
This Coaft is called the Coaft of
§
A Voyage to G uinee. 9 3
Muhguettey in refpe(^ of the Pep-
per ( which I have mentioned be-
fore ) at Rio-Sextos, which amongft
the French is called Malaguette, or
Maniguette, which commodity is
more profitable than can be imagi-
ncd, cfpecially if Pepper be dear,
and the Indy Fleet comes not un-
luckily in, but if that falls out, it
fells not altogether fo well: This
is the principal Commodity of this
Coaft, and is fliarper and hotter
than the ordinary Pepper, and par-
ticularly than the white.
All the Towns along thcfe
Coafts are built upon the backs of
fome little River, or other which
gives them their Names: The chief
are RioSanguin, the Grand Sejlre,
which runs a good way up into the
Countrey, and is deep enough to
cs.ny a. Petach: which the Inhabi-
taints of Dieppe called Paris, in com'
parifon of the aboundance of Pep-
per at both places. All
94 Guinec.
All thefe Coafts arc bordered
with great Trees, the land very
low, and fatt, and water'd with
fo great a number of Brooks, and
RiveletSj tliat they render the aire
fo very unhcalthful, there are but
few of the Whites ean liay long
there without being lick. ' '
We underftood nothing of their
language, fo they were put to ex-
plain themfclvesby figns,thcy have
no ill Phyfiognomy, their propor-
tion is good, they go always naked
with their head, and have only a
little piece of linnen before, for the
flielter of their whole body ; And
though the aire be fo ill, and un-
wholfome, yet they are fo hardy
and ftrong, I faw one of them that
had a Rupture hung down to the
middle of his legg, and a luftycut
over the Pate, that had lay'd his
skull as naked as his back, and yet
he came aboard us every day,
fmoaic-
AVoyagetoQmntQ. 95
fmoaking and drinking Strong-
waters, with the beft of them, as if
he ail'd nothing at all.
They work excellent well in Iron:
at Grmd Sefier they mended our
(hears for us, with which we cut
out our barrs of Iron,and gave them
fueh a temper as made them incom-
■parably better than they were at
firft.
Befides this Pepper, this Coaft
ajffords Rice and Millet ( of which
they make their bread,and brought
^5 good (lore of it) excellent Peas,
(very tender and good, boylcd )
Beans, Citrons, Oranges, Bullys,
and a kind of admirable Nutt, the
(hell fomcthing thicker than ours,
but without any skin over the ker-
nell, but all round like your Al-
monds or Pifiaccios of Spain.
They have likewife (tore ofOxen,
Cows, Goats, Hoggs,Pullen,and o-
ther Fowl, which may be collcited
from
<^6 A Voyage to Guince.
from the price that they bear.
Their Palmc-Wine is very good, ;
and efpecially the Plums, which
are fo pleafant, I have feen them on
Ship-board refufe all that could be
offered, to be crawnching of them; j
and this is all I can fay of the Coaft 1
of Malaguette, for as to their Reli- I
gion and manners, underftanding
but little, I fliall fay nothing at all,
only I imagine they have as many |
Wives as they can keep, for the
More ox. Rio-SeiM^u 'm,to\A us hisBro-
ther had fifty, and himfelf fifteen.
The Inhabitants of Dieppe have
traded long upon thefe Coafts, and
were grown fo cunning at their
Trade, they had found the way of
mingling this Pepper with that of
the/W/rr, before it was grown fo
common, and the Tortttgds had
difcovered the Ifland of St. Tho-
»24r,and from thence diffufcd them-
felvesall over Guinee, by which it
appears
A Vojageto Guinee, 97-
appears we Traded there formerly,
and every thing contributes to con-
firm it, for befides the Grand Sejler,
. which retaines ftiil the name of Pa-
ris, that little language they fpeak
intelligibly is French ; They call
not Pepper Sextos with the PortU'
gds, nor Grain with the Hollander,
but MaU^uette with us, and if a
Veffel at any time comes in, when
their falutations are over, they cry
out as loud as they can, Malaguette
tout flein, tout fleiny tant a terre de
GAlaUguette, which is French they
learned from us, and nothing clfc.
If they meet any of their friends
from a different place, they take
one another by the upper part of
the arm, and ftrctching them out,
they cry Tma, then they come to
the elboe,and grafping it hard they
cry Toma again ; and at laft catch-
ing one another by the fingers, as I
l^ye obferved at Rh-Sextos, they
E make;
^"8 A Foj/ageto Guinee,
make them fnapp as they did thete,
ctyva^.ont Enfa Nemate, EnfxNe-
mute. Which the dMore that fpeak
D//f^^>interpreted to us, and told us. )
it was no more then, My dearjrienA
.how is it, aU thAt I hAve is At your
fervice, even to my life it [elf From
which very complement we may
conclude the language is more ele-
gant then we imagine, to one that
.undetftandsit.
THE COAST
OF
ETEPHANTS TEETH.
♦
O'HiFriday morning the nth '
FebruAry, we weigh'd an- ^
chor before Goyane, and fleered a
SouthrEaft courfe, to double the
^Ape de PAlmes,m^ avoid the R ocks
^hifh incompafs it,which we con- <
, . tinued ■
A Voyage to Guinec. 9^
tiaued for a while, and came atlaft
to an anchor bcforeCFrflx'/?,which is
the firft place upon ihtTeeth-CcaJi^
This is denominated from
the Pal me-trees, which doe Inadow
it on all fides near the Sea, it rifcs in
feveral hills, covered all over with:
thefe kind of Treesyand lyes in four
degrees and ten minutes of Nor-
thern latitude, and twelve and a
half of longitude Eaftward.
The 'Coaft alfo takes its name
from the valf quantity of Elephants
teeth fold there, which Is fo great,
that though all the Ships that arc
bound for Ardres or the Mine, doc
pafs that way, yet they feldome or
never have any Merchandife left,
which they bring thither to cx-
change.
It extends it felf four and twenty
leagues, from the Ca^e de Palmes to
to theRivcr d^ Afene^vih&tQ the GeU
de» Ceajl begins, and contains thefe
E % places
A OQ A Vojage to Guincc.
|)laccs upon the Sea; Crova^ Tabo,
Petit'tabo, &ra»d-droum,Tao, Rio S.
Andre, Giron^ Petit-dreum, Bortroti,
Qap U hoUy 'Jacques U hotty Vdlochky )
and Gofftma, where the ordinary
trade is, where we fpmt feventccn
dayeSjWithout any confiderahle ac-
cidcnt, unlefs itbe that which hap-
pcn'd at Crfp U hou.
vOn Saturday the i6th. being at
anchor there, the Seamen difcove-,
led a Ship making towards u, with i
full fay 1; we imagin'd at firft it
might be the Englijh Privatier the
Mere had given us notice of at Rio-
Sxngnin'pst weighed anchor imme-
ciiately, and made as faft towards
jjim, having put out owx French co-
louri, which he faluted with a vol-
ley of Canon, and hung out the co-
lours oiHolknd,which, we gratify'd
with another.He fent forth his dial-
loo forthwith to difcover us^ and
Although he which .commanded
un-
A Voyage to Guinec. loi
underftood very vfcU the grcatcft
part of our Equipage w&rcFkmifigSf
he could not be perfwadcd aboard
us, but rcturn'd; a while after, the
fhallop came to us again, bringing
theirLieutcnant along,who came a-
board,was civilly recieved, & ftaid-
with us two hours;and in the mean
time, this little Veffel of 'Britiaime
(though commanded by aZela^dery
and was not above loo Tunn)made
like a Pinnace with 8 guns, and 40
men)faylcd round about our Veflely
the Captain making his Drum&
and his Trumpets found all the
while,with a thoufand other often-
tations of joy. He told us for news,,
that at his departure from F/ufh-
he came out with 26 other
Privatiers in his company, but
that they were difpers'd in a Storm,
and he heard nothing of them-
lince; that as he was entring into
Sierra Leone^ he found the litt'e;
E ? veira
102 A Voyage to Guincc.
Veffel we faw as we came out, who
complained, thzt the Englijb man
which wehad imprifoned and ran-
fom'd again, hadiiezed his long
Boat or ftiallop, with nine of his
men, Vhilft they were filhing, and
that the fame fortugds we had tra-
ded withall, had aflifted them ;
r*
whereupon he thought himfelf oh-
iiged to vindicate himfelf,and did it
fo effe£tually,that he beat the houfe
down with his great Guns, killed
feveral of theMores which defended
it,and refcued his nine men,paying-
three thoufand weight of Ivory for
their Ranfome, which had not
been done, had not the Moresy up-
on the approach of thefe t woShips,
carryed them all into the Woods j
we gave him a Collation, and
then he took his leave. About
midnight, the Captain himfelf
came aboard us to drink and
be merry with our Officers,
but
A' Vojage tD Guine©. i
but he told us no more then his
Lieutenant, only this, that the
Meres who were by us when we
' weigh'd anchor to meet him, had
come to him^and told him,in thefe
words, ifpu be Englifiiyou mufi run
for it,but ifOutchiyou arefafe emt^h> ■
After which they all clapt them-
felves down clofe-in their Cdmes^to
attend what would folio Wj and in
cafe we hadfought*, and one of us-
been funk , to have had the bene-
fit of the pillage: A t his departureJ
we gave him three Guns for a fare*
well, which he repayed exadly
when he got aboard; we gave him
aCheefe, two Barrels of Powder,,
and four Bullets, he told us he was
bound for the ^/«e,from thence to-
Ardres^ to Capolopo and Gonfalvcs,
and that if he met with no prize
there,he would go unto theine^;"»nt"
we Heard at terw ards at th e I ile of S.
Thomns, that he pafs'd by there
E 4 with
104 A Voyage to Guinec.
with 400 Negroes,y^]\ic)\ he had ta-
ken about the Cap de Lopes^ out of a
VelTels, which had put in there
for frefb water; the firft yeilded
without any refiftancc, the other
having loft his maine niaft,he funk
to the bottom.
The fame day the Mores pcrcei-
ving we were friends, came aboard
us again, to finifli their Markets,
which being done, the next w© fet
fayle for the Golden Ceajl.
This Countrey produces a great
guantity of Rice,Peafc, Beans, Ber-
rys, Citrons, Oranges, Cochonuts,
&c. Befides which the Natives
brought ns Suger-Canes aboard, of
a very confiderable bignefs.'Tis one
of the beft Countreys in Gitinse, the
Hills and the Valleys are admira-
ble, the great Rocks of Mountains,
which are red, with the conftant
verdure of the Trees wherewith
they are covered, by the variation
of
A Vojiage to G u inec. 105
of Colours make delicious profpeil';
But even of thefe places the Grand
Drouiny and the Kio S» Andre aK
the belt.
' The Grand Drou'm is fituate in^
the midft of a little River, which
winds about a little Ifland betwixt
2Mountains;it is encompafs'd with
excellent Meadows, and is walh'd
fo gently by the water, you would
think it was affraid to come near itw
Rio S. Andre of all Africk ts the
propereft place for building, the
River of the fame name, runs up*
far into the Countrey, and not far
from the place where it falls into*
the Sea, it divides its fclf into two
branches,one runningNorth-Weft>,
and the other Eaft: It is bordered'
on both lides with very fair Trees,
environed with fine Meadows and
Fields, and is deep enough to car-'
ry a Yacht an indifferent way. up.'
The Rock at the Sea fide, at thc
E 5 mouth:
A Vojiage to GmnGc,
mouth of the River, is three huii>
dred paces in circumference the
top, which being flat, commands
all the Countrey about it without '
anyconteft. Tis very fteep to-
wards the Sea, and on the Eaft-
flde, and indeed inacceflilfle, unlefs
by the River on the Weft, which
makes i t fo near being an Ifland,
that the cutting but of l y paces of
earth, would make it one entirely«
On all othcriides it is encompafs'd
■ with Rocks under water, upon
wch even a Ihallop would be loft.*:
The frefh water which comes out
of a Fountain at the foot of a large
Mountain, which covers this Rock,
on the North-lide, may be defen-
dcd from thence with thc lhot of a t
Faucon\ and the Towns of Petit-
Drouift, Tae, and Grotu^ are at no
greater diftance then the Grand-
JOreuin^ which is only one league
and no more: From the top of this-
Rock
A Voyage to Guince. 107
Rock Giron may be difccrned on
the Eaft, built upon the fide of a de-
licate large Meadow^ and Tabo on
the Weft at the end of a fair Cam-
pagnia, planted up and down with
curious Woods,, which run up a
good way into the Countrey, and
terminate at the foot of feveral'
great Mountains, , which arevifi-^
ble from thence.
Saturday the gth of February we'
came to an anchor, and took in >
frelh water all the reft of the day,
as well as on the Sunday and cMun-
day following, which gave me op«|
portunity of confidering thefe fol- -
lowing obfervations: The water
we took in at this place ferved us -
almoft till we came at the lile of S>
Thomas: The Fountain is very-
pure, but being Ihadow'dby a large
Tree, at the fall of the leave, when
they fall into theFountain,they ren-
der it Something black for a time.
/ ■
3 P 8 4 Voj age to G uinec.
Upon thcfe Coafts they have
great quantities of Bullocks,Goats,
Kids, Hoggs, and Dear,, which arc
focheep, one may buy a good Beef
.of them for adouzain of knives of
about twenty pence, and a- good
Roe Buck for the fame price.
The People are well made ;
ftfong, lufty, their limbs large
and fat, but their looks auftere and
dreadfull, and 'tis reported they do
eat the WhitesI never heard of
any houfe built by the Europeans
in thefe parts where they land but
very rarely, and have as little to
tlo with them as they can.
'Tis not above thirteen' or four-
- teen years ago, lince fourteen
■ landers were killed, and eaten at
Ria S. Andre, as they were taking in
frelh water, without any occalion
of quarrel; for which reafon, we
went alwayes well armed, and
M'ere alwayes.upon our guard.
The
A Voyage to Guinee. 109
The common people wear only
a lianen cloth before,but the Gran- ^
dees and Nobles of the Countrey
arc confpicuous by a kind of Man-
tie they wrap about them, and a
Ponyardby their fides. They are
great lovers of great heads of hair,
which they breid for one another
very handfomly, and then bind
them up upon their heads, but the
Womens hairthey ufually cut.
The women of Gir-o;^, and Fefif'
Drouw, had the curiolity to com®
and look upon us as we were take-
Mig in water, and to bring their
daughters along with them, the
liniaments and features ©f their fa-
ces were fo juft and regular, that
( bate them' the unhappinefs of
their complexion)they were abfo-
lute beautiesrA mongft fifty of them:
which I faw, there was not any fat
or tall, wheras on the contrary,not
one of a hundred amongfi: the men
no A Voyage/oGuinec.
but are both ;■ The women have
only a cloth before, and the lead:
covered I obferved any where upon
thofe Coafts; if there be any thing,
belides their colour amifs in their
faceSj it is, that they threaten re-
venge and mifchief as little too
much. When they come aboard'
, any Ship, the Captain of it muft
come to them>and it is their cuftom^
whilft they have one foot upon -
their Camet and the other upon the
Ship, holding by one hand upon ^
the Rope, they dip the other in the
Sea, and throw their handfull upon ^
his headi which is intended as a»
great inftance of kindhefs and ami-
ty, and in this they are fo perti-
natioufly fuperftitious,that without'
it they will never be forc'd nor '
pcrfwaded to enter any Ship ; and ■
when they would affirm any thing
with more vehemence than ordi-
nary, they ufc the fame ceremony:
They
A Voyage to Guifice. in
They are fo diffident and diftruft-
full, they will never begot with
all the art can be ufed,either under
deck, or into any of the Cabains,
which the Mtres of all other parts,^^
would do very freely.
They have agreatfancy fbr brace-
lets of iron,with rings and bells up-
on them, with which kind of Gal-
lantry, moft of their arms,and legs,
are plentifully furniffi'd; they have
great ftore of Mukmes among
them;
We could not underfliand their
language,nor they fpeak one word-
of PortugAis: When they came
firft aboard us, they C'-yed
OjtA, Qua, which we lound after-
wards to be as much as, pu Are
"welcomei ot good morrow, for which
reafon the HolUnders have given
the name of Quaqm to a good part
of this Coaft: they made great ufe
of that word , efpeciaUy if their
G utts had been filled. The
112 A yojagt to Guincc.
The Commodities which this
Countrey yeilds, arc Elephants
teeth, fo large fometimes, that they
weigh ioa weight a piece,and then
they are worth j ocoo livers: If wc
may credit thofe that live on the
Gold which are their Neigh-
hours, they have fo great number
of Elephants, that they are forc'd
for their fecurity againft them, to
make their houfcs under ground:
They kill as many of them as they
can.: but that which aecommo-
dates them with fo many teeth, is,
that the Elephants doe ftied them
every three year, as the Staggsdoe
their Horns.
This Countrey affords likewife
good ftore of CottcH,of which they
make a pritty fort of fluff, ilrip'd
with white, and blew, about three
quarters broad, and three or four
ells long, which is much valued a-
moDgd: them, and fold afterwards
at.
4 Voyage to Guince. 113
at a good rate upon the Gold CoaH,
to cover their Pefantry there^ .
They have Gold amongft them
? likewife undoubtedly, for v/ithout
! any Commerce ot* communication
with their Neighbours, they bind
up their hair for the moft part with
hair laces of Gold very curioufly
madcjl made a lign to one of them,
to know which way they came by
it, and he Ihow'd me the great
f Mountaines up the Countrey afar
off, and lign'dto mefrom thence.
^ for which reafon, he that ftiould
f make further < difcovery of thefe
parts, would queftionlefs encoun-
ter many rarities, and without a-
ny great difficulties, in regard
j the Countrey confifts for the moft
part of Plaines. The Inhabitants
here are more afraid off fire armes^
then of all the inventions in 6ui-
nee.
The z6 o^February we weigh'd
anchor.
114 A Fojage to Guinee,
anchor, and continuing our courfe
all about evening wc made
the Golden Coajt, and ftood to it,
direftly.
COSTS D' OR,.
OR THE
GOLD C O A S T,
fyfth a Relation of onr occur*
v/ 4i
rentes there..
t
M Vnddy the laft of Fehruarjl
wc came to an anchor, at
fixteen fathom low water,at Asbinif
the firft place upon the Gold CoaSl:
The Countrcy thereabouts is very
low : the Town is feated upon the
mouth of a River of that name,
which runs up North-Weft a-
mongft theHill$,andSouth into the
Sea,we ftay'd therd j days bartring
for Gold-Sand.
The
A Voyage to Guincc. 115
The ^th of March we paft before
Albianit Tabo, and other Towns,
upon that Coaft; The Gountrey
there is but low likewife, very full
of Trees, but noRiver at all;Thofe
J which-came aboard us ha-
ving alfurcd us, they had no Gold,
we gave them the go by,and paft on..
We thought to have doubled
the C^pe of Apellonia that night,but
two of their Canoes coming up to
us, and promiling fair, wcbeleived
them and caft anchor.
The next day fome of their
Canoes brought fome Gold, which
we bought of them, though it was
not much; This Cape throws it
feifa far into the Sea, and railing
it felf by degrees into Hills, and
then into a Mountain, makes no
unpleafant profped. But it is of no
good acccfs, the Sea beating fo
violently upon it, there is great
danger in approchingrWe weigh'd
anchor
116 A Voyage ta Guinea.
anchor again that night, but the
weather being calme, we could not
reach Ax 'me before Sunday in the
afternoon, at which time we came
to an anchor.
Axime is a Fort belonging to the
Hollanders, feme twelve leagues di-
ftant from the Ca^eApoll0nia,{\X.W2Xt
upon the fide of a River, which
runs up Northward alfo into the
Countrey, and abounds with Gold-
Sand, which is eftcem'd the bcft of
all that Coafi. Itsbanks are higher
than either K^sbini^ or Ca^e Apollo-
rna; Before this place we ftay'd all
Sunday and Mundayyaxxt perceiving
the ibutch obftrufted the Mores
coming aboard us, ■vye weigh'd an-
chor on Tuefday, and doubled the
Cape de Tres-Punfas, fo called from
three Mountains which appear fo
atadiflance, and by the conveni-
ence of their pofition, do make two
little, but convenient Bayes.
In
J Vojage to Guinec, 117
In the afternoon we appear'd
hcforo Botreii, which is another
httlc Fort belonging to the Hollan-
lituate beyond the Qape upon
an eminence, atwhofefoot runs a
brook that is not unpleafant: We
ftay'd here as long as we had any
Trade, and departed the nth. be-
ing Fnday.
We weigh'd anchor at that
time, and came to anchor again
betwixt Saconde and Taker at,
lix leagues diftant from Eotrou,tkity
are feated amongft the Mountains,
which lean as it were upon the
banks of the River they lye fo near
h; at which place, we received
Letters from the Gover«aour of
Frederishourg^ not far from Qape
Corfe, offring us hi? road (if we
pleafed ) in confideration of the
alliance betwixt France and Den-
mark, deliring us alfo to fecure
fbmeofhis Merchandife for him.
118 A Vojage to Guinee,
W'C remained there Fridajf and
Saturday,3.nd it was no fmall trou-
ble to me to fee an antient Fort
which had been foi merly ours, in
its mines ai>d rubbifh ; it was at
Takorai, upon a Mountain which
commanded the whole Countrey,
the fides of it fpake it but barren,
being quite naked of either Trees
or Grafs, and the ftone of a reddifh
complexion.
On Sunday the z Jth.we weigh'd
anchor, and in two hours appear'd
in the road de (^omendo, whofe In-
habitants are greater lovers of the
French, than of any other Europe-
am i The Town ( that may confift
of about a hundred houfes) is built
on the Sea-fide, and watered by a
Rivulet, which falling into the Sea
likewife on the South,forms a prit-
ty Channel and Harbour for Ca-
and Shallops; TheEaft-fide
ly^es low, but the Weft rifes into a
hill?
I
A Voyage to Guinee, 119
hill, which being ^ flat a top,
is very convenient to build upon.
The houfe appertaining formerly
to the French, flands upon the
North-end of the Town, which
runs up into the Countrey, and rai-
fes itfclf into little hills by degrees,
at whofe feet there arc very fair
Fields, and Meadows, planted up
and down with variety of fruip
The Meres which came aboard
•us, were in great anxiety and dif-
order to refolve which way they
:fliould fignifie their joy. Their
King held his Court fome four
leagues frem us in the Town Jte
Grand C'omendo, he fent us frelh
meat, and ^ other prefents, invited
us a fhore to his Court, proffer'd us
all the commodities af the Town,
and fent us word, that he had re-
fus'd a banner which svalkembourg
(who was General for the Hollan-
der at the Mme) had fent hirn, and.
return'd
120 A Voyage to Guinec.
return'd him this anfwer ; That
the (^ountrey had been alrvayes in the
pofejjion of the French , and that
they only jhottld be welcome thither.
We returned him many thanks,
fcnt him our prefents, and ftay'd
where we were to the 16.o^March,
and then fct fayl for Frederisbourgh,
and came before the Cattle of
Mine before night: we found three
Veffcls in that road, but not confi-
derable. This Cattle I fhalifay
nothing of being fo famous both
for its lituation, the commiodity of
its Harbour and Fortjand the great
Trade which is drove there-
Two hours after we paft before
Cape Corfe, where the Fngliflj have
a very ttrong Fort, which made re-
iittance to all the Dutch Fleet
the command of du Ruiter. The
Harbour is very fafe, and the Cattle
fortifyed with three Batteries, one
above the other; The Town con-
; • fifts
A Vojigt to Guinec. 12 r
fifts of more than aco houfes, ia
the middle of which there is daily
kept fo confiderablc a Market,chat
it is eminent for its plenty all over
thofe Coafts.
At length about 5 hours after we
came before Frederishottr^, and fa-
luting the Governour with y Guns,
he retuHted our civility with
which WG again requited with one.
The Caftle of that name was
built by the Danes, in afliftance to
the Mores^ after they were beaten
from Corfe by the Dutch,
which Was taken from them again
by the Bnghjb, with the aftiftance
of the Dane, and as a mark of their
intereft, he retains a great houfe at
the end of the Town, withaD/t-
nijh Officer and Garrifon, and the
colours of Denmark fet out upon
the top on'r.
Fredensbcurgh is feated upon a
high Mountain, which runs up
F into
122 A Voyage to Guinee.
into a point: The whole circuit of
it amounts notto'joo paces, and
commands all about it, even
Corfe it felfj which is not above
Mufi^uet (liotfrom it: The forme
of the Plott upon which it is built
is round, but the Fort triangular,
fortifyed with three Baftions, one
of them playes Southward upon
the Road, the other Weft ward up-
on Cape Corfe, and,, the third to-
wards the Fort de Najfau or de
Moure to the Eaft. The foot of this
Mountain (Avhich is not above loo
paces'high) and cannot be aftendcd
but.by going about ) is compafs'd
by houfes which the Mores have
built that inhabit there.
Wic were no fooner at anchor,
but we difpatch'd one immediately ^
with our complement to the Gene-
ral, called Henry Ddbreckhe, a
Hamburger borne ; he was but a
little man of his perfon, but fierce,
and
J. Voyage to G uinec, 12^
and brisk, and yet courteous with*
all, witt enough, and very civil.
He fent his Secretary aboard us,
by name o^DaJJe of Amjlerdam,'v/ha
had been there fix years; he cam®
in a Cajjoe, conducted by 8 Slaves,
which fang and ranted all along as
they row'd, which it fecms is the
cuftom when they bring any
Whites with them,and before they
put them aboard, th^ row three
times about the Velfel, with as
much force and expedition as they
can row. As he enter d,we gave him
3 Guns, and fpent the reft of that
day and night in his entertainment:
This night we had the greateft
ftorme we had fecn all our voyage,
in fo much, we were oblig'd to call:
out our greateft anchor, but it ccaSt
at laft,and the next day having lay*
ed by fuch commodities as the Ge-
neral had defired, he took his leave
and returned.
Fa Oi
♦ 154 A'Fojfa^e tcGuineg,
. On Saturdsy morning our Notit-
ry going aflnorc with the Merchan-
4ife he delired,thcy ihoE from Cape
Corfe at our ftiallop, and the bullet
fell within fix or feveo foot of them;
The Governour of 'i-yederhh^urg
immediately fired a great Gun up-
on the Caftle, and the bulkt fell at
the foot of the fecond Battery>• to
which they replied, but without
ballsjfeeing the General took us in-
to his protedioB, and after that u-
fed no ad of hoftility more. The
reafon was, becaufe, though there
be 'War declared betwixt Ei^glatid
and Vefifftark, upon the Hollanders
account, yet the Generals of thefc
two Forts have made an amicable
agreement, to commit nothing ©f
hofiility betwixt themfelves, and
it is fo' punctually oLferved , the
Sotjldicrs -of both Garrifons meet
daily, eating and drinking toge-
thcxat their pleafures.
A Vojiage to Guindc. T2f
The two and twentieth I went oir
fhore my felf, & was receiv'd with
all civillity, and very good cheer
by the General, he enquired of me
what news, I anfwered him in La-
tin, which he fpake very well, but
no French at alL* I underftood from
him, that the Kings of that Coun-
trey had. been at wars four yearsi
which was,a great impediment ta
their Trade; that we (hould find
three Englijb Veflels in Ardrrs
road, and that he was obliged to
fend provifions toChriJlimsyourgh,
where the war was yet fo hot, all
that Countrey lay unmanured: in
ftiort, I was fo much engaged to
Him, that upon feveral occafibn s
which I had to converfe with him,
he us'd all means to fatisfie my cu-
riofity, and to inftrud me in tHc
manners of the Countrey.'
All the reft of that month, and
tV" four firft dayes of Aprils We
F ji ipent
5
126 A Vojage to Guince.
fpent in traifique, and on the fifth
we difcern'd a Petach pafling to-
wards the Mirny with a great fhal-
lop full ofSouldiers which thcD»/f^
General fent to Qormentiriy a Fort
which belongs to them;we were ut-
terly ignorant of the defign, but
were told afterwards by the Mores^
that the Governour of that Fort
being gone to Anembou with feve-
ral of his Souldiers to drink and be
merry (there being the beft Palm-
wine in KMfrick ) had been feized
upon, and all his company with
him, by the King of that Countrey,
in whofe dominions Qormentin
flood, and that two of them en-
deavouring to defend themfelves,
were killed: the ground of this
Infurreftion was thisj The King
of Fant in having ingaged himfelf
to the Englijh at Cape-Corfcy to put
them again into poffeflion of that
Fort, had given them his Son in
hoftage.
A Voyage to Guincc, 127
hoftage, and defiring to have him
rcftor'd, and the Englijh rcfufing
till his Articles were perform'dj he
had feized upon the Governour^
and 4 other HolUnders, with defigti
to exchange them for his Son.
Thurfday the jth of April, we
had news that the Controuler ge-
neral o^Holland was killed zXAxime,
and xh&Mores of thofe parts had un-
animoufly declared for the Englijb,
That day we arretted two Mores
in our Ihip, and kept them prifo-
serSj to fecure a debt due to us from
two Merchants on fhore; they
continued two days with us, but
the Denmark General interpoling»
we gave them their liberty, and
were paid by the Merchants with-
in eight days afterward.
On Good-Friday the %th of A~
frit, we weighed anchor in order
to our paflage to Eniacham, a Town
about four leagues dittance from
F 4 Fre-^^
128 A Voyage ta Guinea
FreJenshurgfWYiO gave us his guns
%vhen we went off, and we return'd
ours in requital. We fail'd by
Aloure,where the Fort of Najiauis,
which belongs to the Hollanders, &
is fome two leagues and a half from
the Caftle of the oMine. This fort
is fcituate upon a Rock, flank'd
■^vith four Bailions, the Sea waflies
the foot of it, and the Town of
ui^ourc(wYikh conhfts of about two
hundred houies ) encompaffeth it
about on all fides but towards the
Sea; it holds of the King of Acams'
fetity as well as the Town of lecmey
which is not above a quarter of a
league from it, on the Sea-fide too.
in the afternoon we came to an
anchor before Eniacham, where the
Englijh have a little Fort upon a
little Eminence, about fix hundred
paces within laud; near which the
King of Sabou has a Town, of
whom Eniacbam holds likewife.
We
A Voyngeto Guincc- 129
We faluted the Fort with j Guns,
which they return'd immediately.
On Eajler day the tenth of
the Mores brought us good ftore of
their Palme-Wine, and alTurcd
us their Merchants would come
down the next day, and bring us.
gold enough : On Mmday they
fcntus zFricajfte ofPullets,(which
they drefs as well as in Frsince^ as I
(hall mention hereafter ) and ac-
quaintcd us, that the King of
Fmtins Souldiers had entrcd Sahoa
in the night, killed four men, & ta-
ken feveral Prifbners. Upon which
the Town of Sabett had fent away
their Wives and Children, and put
themfelves in arms; Wc fmelt
their defign, and refolved to return
that night to Frederisbiurgy having
nothing to do at Cormentin, beJ
caufe of the HolUnderSy nor at
Ak/tnty by reafon of the wars that
King had with Ticurx,
F 5 Iromi
1^6 A Vojage to Guinee, ^
From EnUchum we could fee
Cormentiny but not diftinguilh the
Fortifications- by rcafon of the di-
ftance t It is fituate upon a Hill»
and belongs to the Holla)tdtrs;wh.o
have a boule at Fmtin alio, and
another at NewabM, a Town in.
the fame Kingdom.
On Tuefday in the afternoon wc
fet fiiylc for Frederisbourg, by the
benefit of a North wind from the
Hills, which blows conftantly on
thisCoaft from midnight till noon,,
and about nine a clock we came to.
an anchor againWe ftay'd there
till we had put off all our coramo-
dities, and then away for the Ifle
of SAint Thomas, having been two
months upon, the Golden Coafl t-
and forty dayes in Frederiibou-rg
road, where 1 went on Ihore again,
to inform my felf more particular-
ly of the Manners and Cuftoms of
^6 Inhabitants of the GoldenQoa^i:
I had!
A Vojiage to Guinee. 131
I had the good fortune to fee the
moft of their curiolitics, and to fa'*
tisfie and inform my felfof the reft:
from the General , the Minifter,^
and the Mores of Frederisbourgr
who all of them fpake Portugais.
The Defmptio» of tht
G O L D E N COAST,
The Golden Cpaft lies be-
twixt four degrees and a half,,
and hx and a half of Northern lati-
tude, and betwixt 17 and 20 of Ion-
gitude Eaft: it has taken its name
from the vaft quantity of Gold is
brought yearly from thence,as well
from their Mines,, as the Sand in.
their Rivers, and contains (befides
the places above mentioned_)i2i)/fif^,
Ronate, and Akara, which lye more
to the Eaft j its extent is a hundred'
and
132 A Vojage to Guincc,
and thirty leagues. The bank of
which is but low in Ax-
ime, rifes near Achenti. to a Moun*
tain, and then humbling itfelf to
Corfe, it raifes it lelf again,
and continues fo the reft of the
Goaft; the circumference compre*
bending the in-land Countrcy and
all, contains about four hundred
leagues, divided into the King-
domes of Asbini,. Axime,
Tetu^ AcAHis-fetiti SAbou, FAntirty
AkAra, and the Seignories of A-
brAmboH and TAkara, all which de-
pend upon the King of AcAms
le grand, who is called Akim^
( whofe Imperial Town is. litu-
ate 90 leagues Northward of the
Mine ) and may be called an
EmperouTa
'ifsd.
0/
A Voyage to Guinec. 15 j
0/the Stature and Proportion of the
People of this Countrey^ of their
wit, L clination, Indufry, and
Habits.
THe Inhabitants of the Golden
Coaft arc handfome, and
well-proportioned, they have no-
thing dilagreeable in their Coun-
tenance, but the blacknefs of their
Complexion ; fome of them have
flattifli nofes, and all of them little
cars;theii eyes are quick and fpark-
ling, but above all, their teeth as
white as Ivory,of which they have
a particular care, and for their con-
fervation, are perpetually champ-
ing a certain wood which grows
in the kingdome of Acanis, which
has a peculiar quality of making
them white, of preserving their
gums, and preventing any black-
ncfs or rotteanefs in them.Though
their
134 A Voyage to Guince,
their beards appear not fo foon as
ours, yet they affedthem exceed-
ingly , and their Grandees and
Officers vs^ear them very long uponr *
their chins, and fome of them like '
the Qipuchim with us. Their skiti
is black indeed, but fmooth and
delicate, without any hair, but as
they grow old, their blacknefs
lefTens, and their hair which is
ffiort, black, and fri2cl^d^ grows \
grizled by degrees. '
Their Stomachs are generally 1
fo hot, they do not only digeft all
kind of meats that are roafted or
boy led, but raw likewife;. and
fome there are among them which'
prefer that to the other. {
They are great lovers of cleanliw |
nefs, and wafti themfelves dayly to
prevent Vermin , rubbing after-
ward with oyl of Palmes. They
are not at all afhamed of their nu- t
dhy,, but they havefo great an ab-
horrency
Guinee, 135
horrency and deteftation of belch-
ing, or any fuch thing, that they
will fooner die than do it ; and if
it h^pens at any time they be in
the company of any Europems that
are guilty of it, they run out of the
room immediately , making the
horribleft faces imaginable^*
They have a great deal of wit,
arc fblid in their judgements, cun-
ning, and f© dexterous and quick,^
one need never fbew them the
fame thing twice t they are lyers to
the highcft degree, their memory
tranfcendent, and though they can
neither write nor read, yet they
manage theirTrade with the great-
eft exa(ifners : they never difpute
the commands which are laid upom
them ; you Ihall have a Merchant
negotiating and managing 4 Marks
of gold for zo feveral perfons,every
particular man deliring five or fix
feverd Commodities, which ho-
w.
performs
1^6 A Vbja^e to Gulnce,
performs without halitation or
miftake.
Their addrefs appears abun-
^antly by their dexterity in their
Commerce, they are all oflthem-
given to pilfering, covetous to
that point, efpecially to the
Whi tes^ that they think they do
a mighty ad, if they prefentthcm
with a little fruit : they are
drunken , luxurious, and much
fubjed to Lues Venerea, which
is no fcandal amongft them: they
are but ill paymafters, and fatlsfie
their debts with great difficulty
and unwillingnefs; they are great
enemies to cold weather, and
endure it with much impatience:
fo proud, that their Merchants,
( who are all of them Nobles,Cap-
tains, or other great Officers )
march up and down the Streets
with their eyes fix'd upon the
ground, not vouchfafing fo much
A Voyage to Guineci , 137
' as a glance upon the common peo-
pic: behind them they have con-
ftantly a Slave with a chair in his
' hand, that they may lit down
when they pleafe, it being thought
dilhonourable to be too long upon
their leggs; they never anfwerany
ordimry perfon, but with great fu-
perciliouincfs, and never fpeak to ^
thenT-but with great Majeftyt to o-
ther people they are civil enough,
and pay very much refpe(9: to the
Whites, efpecially if they be Of-
ficers, to whom they never fpeak
but with their hat in their hand«
Thcfureft way of gaining their af-
fei5fion,i5 to be civil to them,which
they value more than any other
thing one can do.
Though the manner of their
habits be much different from ours
yet-they are as curious and a-s
proud in them, as the heft of us.
When their Officers or Mer
chants
13^ A Voyage to Guincc.
chants walking the Streets, or are
in tranfadion with any Stranger,
they take a piece ofSilk,TafFaty,or
fine Indian Damask, about two or
three Ells long, which they tye a-
bout their wafte, and afterwards
bringing it betwixt their thighs,
they let the two ends hang down
before and behind almoft to the
ground. Sometimes they wrap o-
ther Stuffs about them, from their
brcaft to their mid-legg, or elfc
throw it over their flaoulders like
a Mantle.
They order their hair in feveral
ways;but rich,and poor,and all,are
very curious in adjufting it hand-
fomely, and inventing new tnodes.
and gallantries to adorn it, it being ^
the only bufinefs almoft which
gives their women imployment.
Moft of them dave hats, fomeof
Straw, fome of the Bark of trees,-
feme of Goats-skin,but their Slaves
are
ji Voyage to Guincc. 139
are diftinguifli'd by going bare-
headed: they trim themfelves up
with divcrsNccklaces of Rafade,and
Bracelets, which they beautifie
with little works of Gold, in ho-
nour to their God, after they have
rnuttcred out fome of their Prayers
over it; they have Rings or Jewels
upon the fmall of their Leggs, or
clfe a firing of Coraile, of the bark
of the Tree, under which they pay
Worftiip to their Fetiches.
Though they love exceedingly
to be fprucc yet, they arc good
houfe-wives of their cloths, never
put on their finery but upon fome
fuch extraordinary occafion as I
have mentioned,and then whip and
off" with them again as foon as they
come home, folding them up care-
fully, and putting them into ehefts,
which they buy of the Burofeans
for that purpofe, where they lye
fnugg till fome new opportunity
brings
)
140 AfojfAgttoQmntt.
brings them abroad again: Never-
thelefs from the King to the Cob-
let they afFed change of apparel',
to make themfelves more confide-
rable, and that more or lefs accord-
ing to their riches or gains. And
yet for all this in the main they are
frugal enough, will buy nothing
that is fuperfluous, but what they
do buy, let it be ftuff, or any thing
elfc, they will be fore it be lafting
and good, or they will be fure to
have none of it, for all flight things
they laugh at and defpife.
of the tVomen^ their genicm^
humour, und habits.
The Women upon theft
Coafts are generally well
ihap'd alfOj but fome of them arc
little, and fome great and corpu-
lent: the young Women db place
their principal care upon tHc
whitening
A Voyage to Guincc. 114
whitening their teeth, and adorn-
ing their hair.
They have witt enough, good
' m/Ke, honcft, and obliging, but
much more eurteous then the
men ; they are very grave, addided
to frugality in their houfes, but
to pompe and oftention abroad:
But their lafciviournefs is above
all, which they fuck as it were
with their milk, playing hoyty-
toyty amongft the young fellows
ftarke naked. There are but few
of them barren before, but when
married they are feldomc over
fertile, which may be attributed
to their temper and completion,
for there is feldome auy of them
have above four or live.
The Virgins, ( to picafe, and to
enamour the young men, as foon
as they are up every morning)
take water and walh, and then (
combe their haire ( which they
have
142 AVojagetoGmnet, ■
have in twice the plenty the men
hare ) with great curiolity, pla-
ting and difpoling it in a hundred
feveral modes and gallantries,gum-
ming it with oyl of Palmes, inftead
of mouth glew, tying it with ri-
bands if they have any, if not,
adorning it with little pieces of
gold, or a certain red cockle fhell,
which is very common amongft
them. Some of them paint their
foreheads '(vith red and white, and
fometimcs their eye-brows, and
cheeks: they cut and carve their
skins about their ears, and temples,
which riling up in little blifters,
they paint them over with divers
colours, and fancy it a great addi-
tion to their beauty ; they have all
of them Pendants at their cars,
they all of them love the Ribbands,
and above all Ribbands, the red ;
they wear necklaces of Corail, or
Rafade, and bracelets not only
upon
A Voyagt to Guinec. 145
upon their wrifts and their armes,
but upon their leggs^ and their
ankles; the maidens for the moft
part have their bracelets made of
the bark of that tree which is dedi-
catcd to their Fetiches^ which are
their Gods as I ihall fhcw hereafter.
When they go abroad, if they be
the Wives of Merchants, Oiiicers,
or Captains, in that Coimtrcy,they
have a piece, of Silk, Taffaty, or
other Scuff, either red, or blew, or ^
violet-colour'd (which are the co'
lours they are moff pleafcd with )
which they take and wrap about
them, from the breaft to the mid»
legg, ftuffing it out behind with a
great Rouler. They have alwayes
a great bunch of keys at their gir-
die, though they have many times
never a Cheft iti the world: they
wear bracelets of Ivory, and Gold,
and Rings in that abundance, one
can fee no fingers that they have
fometimes;
( .
144 AVojiage toGuinec,
fometimcs; and in this pofture they |
arc fit to be feen t the common fort i
drcfsthem felvcs asfineas they can i
too, but when they come in again, i
they are mighty careful to fold them i
«p handfomely, putting on a kind i
of coarfe lintien with which they |
make Ibift to cover themfelvcs
from the Navel, to the midft of ,
their Thigh. They love variety '
of habits too as well as the men, '
but the Virgins efpecially, who i
make it their whole bufinels from '
morning to night to fprucc up |
themlelvcs, and make themfelves ;
acceptable,above all to theWhites, ;
whom they feem to carefs much
more than thofe of their own i
Complexion. '
Their Ladies of pleafure,are not ]
d'ifiinguilhable in any thing, they
are welcome where-ever they
and handfomly received by every
body; but they are more raercena- I
A Voyage to Guiilec. 145.
ry and covetous than in any other
part of the world.
of their Mdrruges, and the Ed(t»
cation of their Children.
\
IHappen'd to be prefent at a
Marriage whilfl; 1 was at Fre-
derisbourgy which was confumma-
ted in no unpleafant manner. The
Father of a young man finding him
at age to get his living himfelf,
looks out immediately for a Wife
for him,&having pitch'd upon one
he thinks will be proper,he goes to
his Son,tells him what he has done,
advifes him to fee her, if they like
one another, his Father dcfires her
of hers, if they agree, they go all of
them together with one of the
Pricfts who gives them Fetichesytndt.
in the prefence of the whole Af-
fcmbly, the Bride takes a folemne
Oath upon the I'etiche to be true
G . and
"14^ A Fojage to Guinee.
and faithfull to her good man; her
Groom promifing on the other
lide as much to her very civilly, but
- no Oath Orfideiity in the cafe. The
• Parents prefent one another reci-
'procally^and give in the bride and
the Bridegroom what they are able
to fpare, they fpend the reft ofthe
-day in feafting and jollify, and
there's an end of the'Marriage.
However this Lady has this ad-
■^ vantage over her Spoufe, by being
his firft love,that he can never take
: another, but by her permiilion,
which yet herXadyftaipisfeldome
rfo morofe as to deny. But it was my
fortune to fee a young Merchant
• ofthe who had worfeluck,
his name was Anthony, he carne fe-
veral times aboard our lliip, and ne-
ver with lefs than lo or iz Marks
•ofGold; amongft other difcourfe^
;I ask'd him one day how many
Wives he had, he told me bur one,
•and
I
AVoyagetoGumee, i/\.f
^nd the reafon was,(he was fo crofs
grain'd a Jade, (he would let him
have no more ; and then told mc
very ferioufly, that amongtt them
' that cuftome was inviolable.
• Neverthelefs, all women know-
ing very well,that variety of Wives
and Children is the greateft honour
and reputation to their husbands,
and what they themfelves will
boaft of to Strangers: when they
fee their husbands grow wealthy,
and in a capacity of maintaining
them, they themfelvs wil prefsthem
to take more, which to fpeak truly,
are no other then Concubines,they
being not at all concern'd for their
liberty or incontincncetthe firft has
this priviledge alfo, that (he lyes 5
nights fucccffively with the good
man, whilft the younger brood
muft be contented with one, and
that according to the priority of
their Marriage. In Ihort; they live
S a very,
*148 AVoyagetoGmntc.
-very loviagiy together, and have
ieldoms any jcaloufies or animofity
amongft them. A good Merchant,
pr Officer, will have twenty or
thirty, according to his abilities.
The King of Fetus Son-jn-Law
had forty, by whom he had a do«-
zainof daughters, fourteen .to the
douzain of the other Sex, and kept
■Conllantly a hundred Slaves to at-
tend them.
In thofe -parts, who ■ will may
come -into the Chamber of any
Woman when (lie lyes in; as foon
as the Child is fafe m the world,
ihey bring the good Woman a
bottle of drink made of Rice, and
Mays, and Water and Wine, and
Maiigunte,' ( not unlike our Pep-
pcrPoiret) which having taken off
kindly, they cover her well, and
then leave her three or four hours
to her devotions,which Icing over,
ihc rifes ."mmediatelv, waffies her
Child,
A Vojage to Giiincc, i
Child, falls to her bufinefs, and":
there's an end of that labour; but
(to be fober) I could not but ad-
mire very much the force of their
temper, when 1 faw the very famc^
thing done by a Slaves Wife at -
Frederisbourg.
As foon as they have wafh'd their
Child, the Father and Mother give-"
it commonly a name, and for the
raoft part, of fome Eurofem or
other they have been beholding t*"*,
that done, they wrap it in a kind of
Jblanket, and then lay it in a skin®
wpon the Roflics, where it lyes
quietly till it be three weeks - or a
month old, after which time the-
Mother carries it at her back upon
a piece of wood with the leggs im-'
der her armpits, tying its two'
hands about her neck , where if
hangs all day, and never comes ofT,
but when (lie goes to bed ; and this-
isthereafon why the Children of
G J their
150 A Voyage to Guinee;
their Nobles, or better fort, have
feldome camous nofesjbecaufe their
Wives do not labour, nor carry,
their Infants about them, as the
ethers dOjWhofc Children fleepirjg
many times whilft the Mother is
walking or at work, knock their
liofes againfi: their Shoulders, and
lb in time they become flat-: if they
cry out for the teat, they throw
their bceafls over their Ihouldcrs,
and let them fuck. Every morning
they walh and rub them with Oyl
of Palmes.
By that time they he 7^ or 8
months old, they lay them along
upon the ground, drawing them
forward upon all four,likcKitlings,
which poffibly may be the reafon
the Children - go much fooner in
thefe Countreys than in Europe.
Whilft they be thus tender and
young,the Parents put little works
of gold about their necks,wrapt up
in
A Voyage to Guinee. 15 i*t
in the rind of the tree where they
worfhip their Fetiches, for fear the
Devil (liould run away with thenis.
and when they come to be about 4
year old, they bind little branches
of it ( which they buy of their
Priefts) about their arms, and their
leggs, wreathing and bending them
into a round figure, which they
look upon as a great Antidote a--
gainft any licknefs or difafter what--
loever. In this manner they conti-
nue their care of them till they be
7,or 8 years old, but after that they.
feed upon the fame*as the Fa.tlli~er
and Mother does, heaping up ma-«
ny time fuch nafty things as they
find in the Streets, which they eat
afterward very heartily, when they
are hungry ; the boys and the
gyrls, being higledy-pigledy to-
gether, and all naked, it takes off
much of their modefty, and is a
caiife they arc never, affamed of
G 4 any
152 AVojagetoGxan'iti
any thing; to which may be added
their want of corrcdion, their Pa-
rents being fo far from whipping
them, they never fo much as re-
buke them, in the leaft.
From the feventh or eighth, year
of their age they learn to fwim,
which they do with fo much fuc-
cefs and perfedion, that when they
are grown up^ if their Canoe over-
fets at any time at Sea, they are not
affrighted, but fwim back again ve,-
ry quietly from whence they came,
they will dive excellently well too,
and fetch up goods or any other
thing that is accidentally caff a-
way,upon which fcore one may fee
the ftiore fo full fometimes of little
Blacks, one would think them fo
many young Devils.
At iz year old they fall under
the jurifdidion of the Father, who
fhews them which way to gettheir
livelyhood; if he be a tilherman he
- carries
A'^ Voy(rge G u i nee. 153
carries them to Sea, (hews them
how to make a and which
• way to take filh; if a Merchant he
teaches them-the miftery of Tra-
ding, brings them acquainted with
Forreigners, andinftruds them iii
this manner till they be 18 or 20,
and can begin to do fom: thing for
themfelves, then fie gives, them
Slaves to do' their work, and" all
the care that is behind, is to help
them to Wives, which from that
time forward they are alwayes com-
triving.
The Gyrls are imployed in keep-
ing clean the houfes, in picking
their Rice, beating their A^4vr,ma-
king their bread, managing their
Kitchin, and buying or felling at
the Markets what is to be boughf
or fold, fometimes they make has-
kets of ruflies, fometimes matts (iii
which they are tranfcendantiy ex-
cellent)fonietimes weave,but abore
G y all
154- ^ Vojage to Guince.
all their care is greateftoftheirFa-
, thcr and Mother, to fee that they
have their meat and drink in good
hoarsj and that nothing of their
goods be imbezled; in fhort there
is nothing of good houfewivry or
frugality, that is wanting amongii;
them, and when they are once
marrye Jjthey may teach that lelfon
, to raoft of the Women of Europe.
of their Houfes, HoujhoU-fiuff,
Driftke, Merit., Edlme-Wwe,
atid how it is made.
He great, Commerce they
have had with the Eurofeans
having learned them the art of
building, the Officers and great
Merchants of this Countrey have
follow'd their direclions and built
jhemfelves houfes, with high and-
r
I roofes, feveral appartments,
with
A Vcjage to Guinee. 155^
with one chamber opening into a-
nother', and ufually at the door of
irhcir chamber i Slaves conftantly
attending with darts in their hands
in the nature of guards, which ara,
releived at certain hour?.
All their houfes are made of earthj,:.
but the common people have their
walls fo low, they feldome exeeed
the height of a man. Their beame
and raftersj and the whole frame of
fhe houfe refting only upon them:-
the houfes of the Grandees as well :
as the commons are all thatch'ds, ,
and have all of them but one little
fquare hole, which ferves for a
door, to which they faften a piece
of board, without either lock or
hinges, like the poor Peafants in-
the Countrey to their Garden®
doors, and are contented tofaflea:
them only with a rope, either with-
out or within. Their windows arc
fmali, the earth tkey make their
156 A Voyage to Guinee,.-
floors with*, very clofe and conr-
pad, they have at leaft two cham-
bers to a houfe, and this charadcr
rauft be given them, that they are
.very curious in keeping them neat,
and paint them very frccjuently
both without and within.
Amongft the common fort,there
is nothing of houftiould-fluff, or
what is us'd commonly about the
houfe, to be feen, all is locked up
in their Coffers, which they buy of
the Whites} except they be Mcr-
chants or great men, and then
their Tables and Chairs appear
fometimcs, but never no Beds, for
they lye alwaycs upon Skins fpread
upon the ground, or elfc upon Mat-
treffcs made of Rufhes, covering
themfelves with theSkina of Oxen,
or fome other Bead, without any
Boulfler, except they be of the No-
bles, and then they have Pillows
under their heads, and a good fire
AyojagttoQ\x\nee. 157
in the middle of their Room, but
• not the icaft hole for a Chimney.
Every woman has her appatt-
^ meat, or little houfc, joyning to
her Husbands, conlifting of one or
two Chambers, where The mana-
ges her own affairs by her felf, fel-
dome eating or drinking together.
Some of them go a GoflSpping to
their Neighbours, and carry fuch
as they have along witli them. The
good man takes the fame courfe,
and he vifits his Merchant, not fo
much as concerning himfelf how
fquares goat home, the women be-
ing alwayes very punftual to ac-
commodate them with every thing
reccffary, and to bring up their
\ Children carefully ; yetfometimes
on their Feftivals, or upon feme
great occalion, their Stomachs
come down , and they feed very
lovingly together.
As the wo men have the charge
of
I
I
15 5 J Voyage to Guinee^, •
of the houfc and the money, fo
they make it their whole buiinefs
that neiiher of them mifcarry in
their hands. The mei'. employ
themfelves conftantly abroad, ci-
ther in matters of Trade, or in ma-
king of Paim-wine, or hiking, as
every mans genius inclines him t
when they have got any money,
they give if ftill to their wives,who
order it fo well, they never make
theleaft unnecelTary disburfementj
they go every night themlelves in-
to the granaries,delivering out fuch
a proportion of comas they judge
will be neceffary for the whole fa-
mily the next day.
Bybreak of day the young girles
are up and at work, beating their
i2w,and their (which is cal-
led Turky wheat amongft us ) in a
,wooden Mortar, and when it is
bruis'd, they grind it (as the Paint-
ers do their colours) betwixt two
ftones.
A Vojage to Guinee, 159
ftones, and fo reduce it to powdeio
then kneading-it with water and
fait, they divide it into a kind of
penny Icavcs^and put it into a great
' earthen pot that ftands upon 'the
fire, with a little earthen lid, they
throw embers upon it, & 'tis clone;
if it be well bak'd, 'tis very good,
and without any ill reliOa at all.
Their food generally is fifii,
though they have great ftore of
flefh alfo, which they boyl or roaft:
as they think good, but their fifl-? is
Hioft commonly bak'd, being fea-
fon'd firft with water, and pepper,
and fait; the great Merchants who
have Slaves to wait on them at the
Table, do eat a /' Europeenne, and
have their RugotiJls as well made as
in France,^h.\ch. they learn'd of us,
and the. Cook at the Fort of Den-
miirk; yet there are fome Meres
will make a PettAge, or a Ragoufi
with the belt Cmfinier in Pxris.
160 A Voyage to Guinea.
They eat gieatftore of fruit, of
Peas, Beans, and fuchlike : they
make ufually but two meals a day,
that is, at Sun-riling, and Sun-fet-
ting, where they feed like Cormo-
rants, and when they have eat ne-
vcr fo much,are hungry ftill,which
I impute to nothing but an excef-
five heat within them,which gives
t\\cm^ Ca»we, and perpetually in-
fatiable appetite, infomuch that!
have obferved them when they
have been at dinner a Ship-board,
one Black has cat as much as fix of
us could do.
Their Mornings draught is either
of water, or a kind of fmall beer,
which they call Poitouyzn^ is made
of Mays, but 'tis night before they
drink any Wine, and the rcafon is
becaulethe Peafant never brings it
to the Market till after dinner.
The Palm-Wine comes out of
a Tree, not unlike- our Date-trees;
th<?-
AVojageto Guine-e. j6i
I the make a hole at the top
, of the tree, to which they fahen a
pctt, like one of the Monks pitch-
' ers, and the next day, or the day
after, they find it full of a kind of
juice like Milk, fvveet and very
pleafant, but with a quality to ia-
ebriate The Mores have got a.trick
of late to fophifiicatc it, and put
water amongft it for their gain,
but 'tis no hard matter to difcover
'' it. This Wine cannot be kept till
next day, but will grow fower in a
nights time, upon which grounds,
the Merchants, and other good fd-
lows do meet, and drink fmartly
, many times,but with thisceremony
alwayes, that they leave a little in
, the bottome , which they throw
upon the ground in honour of their
Fetiches.
Thofe who have no provilion,
nor means to make any, are forc'd
to buy what they want ( at a little
Market
1152 A Voyage to Guinee.
Market hard by ) with what they
have got by fifhing > by making
Palme.-Wine, by building or re-
pairing ofhoufes, carrying home
what the Merchants have bought
®n Ship-board, and fuch other ier-
vile imployments as our Mecha-
nicks in Fra?3ce live by : to which
Market the Whites go alfo fome-
times when their Stomach hangs
after fiih.^
of their Markets, their manner of-
buying and fellings reith a defcripti-
on ef their Measures and weightSi \
'He beft Market in all Africk
is held every day at Cape-
Corfe, but we being at wars with
England, I could have no light of
that, and therefore mull: be con-
tented with the Market at Frede-
risbourg, v/hich- is not indeed fo
bigg, but there is the fame thing
obferved in a place deiigncd for
the
A Vojage to Guinee, 163
the fame ufe, and that is, that it he
ordinarily in the midft of theTown.
By break of day the Peafants
come in with their Sugar-canes,
bound up like Fagots, their fruits
of all ibrts, Piims, Potatoes, Turnips^
far rets ^Citrons,Oranges,Rice, Mays,
Malaouette , Bread, Pullets , F#,
'Eggs, and whatever is neceffary for
the life of man ; after Dinner their
Palme-wine comes in, and what
Eifn is taken lince the morning..
They have never no confuflon in
their Markets, each Commodity
has a peculiar place affigned for it
by the Merchant, which is obler-
ved with great order; their Tobac-
CO is fold in the leaf, which being
dryed by the fire, they light it and
fmoak, their induftry as yet, not
having been great enough to make
it up into Rowls.
There is no fuch thing amongft
them as cruftin?, or credit, no Mo-
ney
i/4 AVoyageuOmnQQ,
iieyno Merchandife there, every
one brings his Gold in his hand. If
the Gommodity be of fmall price,
they take their Gold and poife it
upon the end of their finger, adding
or fubftrading as they think fit; but
if confiderablc, and of great value,
, they out with their Scales and
weigh iti
Their Scales arc made of two flat
pieces of Copper fomething broad-
er than our Crown pieces, which
they hang by a thread at the end of
a flaort flick, and ballancing fo ex-
adly, there can be nothing more
true. Having no Needle , they
nuke a noofc of thread with their
thumb and fatten to the middle, in
which,- inftead of weights, they
hang a certain red grain they-call
Tacous , each of which grains
weighs about two-Penny weight,*
with which Pim Piano, they will
"J W
weigh a Mark of Gold, yet there are
AVoyage to Guinec, 165
forae great Merchants which have
Scales like ours, which they have
bought lately of us.
All that comes to this Market,
( which is kept every day in the
week {Sunday excepted ) is Tribute
free, and pays no duty to the King.
There are others that rcfemblc
our Fairs, and fall out not above
twice in the year, to which all the
whole Countrey repairs, for there
is Ecver in any of thofe Kingdoms
two Fairs kept in one day, left one
Ihould be a hindrance and difad-
vantage to the other. By the report
1 have had, 'tis to thefe places they
bring the heft and fineft of their
things, and whatever they buy of
iis,aslikewife to the ordinary Mar-
kecs which are kept farther up into
the Countrey, but to thofe Markets
which are kept nearer the Sea,there
is nothing comes but what is necef-
iary to humane life, wliich the Pea-
fants
166 A Voyage to Guinee.
fants bring (likefo many-^Mulcs)
upon their backs, and that but from
5 or 6 places; yet fo ftri(a arc they
in their Religion, and doe fo much
poftpone the conliderations of their
advantage and gain, that if any of
thefe Fairs does happen to fall out
upon a Sundayf it is iffo facio pur off
till the next day.
THEIR RELIGION.
of their Sundays, Feafs, Devotions,
^Gods or Fetiches, of their Sacri-
fees, FrieFls, and Habits.
Flough amongft thefe poor
1 people, there is not the leaft
tindure of the true Religion to be
feen, yet they obferve a Sabbath
(which is our Tuefday) very ftridly;
Every man refts that day from his
labour, the Peafants bring nothing
. ~ t0
AVojiageioGmnce- iCj
to the Markets, and no man is per-
mitted to traffick,un!efsitbe thofe
upon the Sea fide,who have liberty
to go aboard any VeflTel in the
Road, and to truck and make bar-
gains as they pleafc. The reft im-
'■ ploy their times wholly at their de-
votions, and doe, cbferve it with
much more punduality then we
doe our Sundays with us.
They meet altogether in a pi ace,
in the middle of which there is
great Tree, called the T ree of their
Fetiche^o{ the barke off which they
make the fillets, with which they
bi'id their little pieces of Gold to
their armcs, and their leggs. At the
foot of this Tree a Table is fpread
(the feet dreft with feveral Crowns
and Garlands made of the boughs
of trees)upon which they fct Rice,
Millet, Mays, Fruit, Meat, and
Fifti, with 'Wine, and Oyl of
pal mss, to-eat and drink to their
Fetiches,
r ^ 8 A -Voyage toQxiinec.
Fetiches, thty Aznct, and ling, and
jump up and down all day about
this Tree, making a moft obftrepe-
reus noife with Copper Bafons,and
other inilriiments for the purpofe.
They wafh their faces that mor-
ning with particular care,and more
cxadly then all the week after.The
firfl: bit of what ever they eat, they
throw down upon the ground in
honour of their Gods, and at night
the Captain or the Governour di-
fiributes Pal me-Wine to all the In-
habitants, the Peafants being obli-
ged to bring it to him that evening.
Ask them about any thing m
their faith, and they will look
down upon the ground, but never
give you an anTwcr; only one of
them told us that we had a very
good God, that gave us fo many
fine things; They all of them be-
licve an other life, but where,whe-
tlier above or below, they cannot
td'l
I
A Voyage to (juinee. i
tell. For which reafon, left their
Father or Mother Ihould be hun-
gry and ftarve, they put meat and
Palme-Wine very often into their
graves, to the end that if they be
thirfty or hungry, they may repair
thither, and be relieved.
When they hear it thunder,raia
hard,or the wind blow very ftrong^
there is not one of them to be feen
intheftreets, all hide themfclves
in their houfes, and cry, the Gods
of the fS'hites are angry. I ask'd
one of them of what colour his
God was, and he told me black:
The Devil is fo dreadfull to them,
they tremble at his very naming,
they fay he beats them, and makes
them do ill things for their Feti-
ches, for whom they have an incre-
diblc fuperftition, though they be
all of them inanimate, and fome of
them fa naftily villanous, one
would not touch them with a pair
of tongs. H They
170 A Vojage to Guinec.
They every body carry fome of
them about with them, feme are
■xnade of the end of horns, fill'd up
•with ordure,others oflittle figures,
as the heads of fome creature or
•other, and a hundred fuch like im-
pertinences, which their Priefts
fell them at their own price, and
pretend they found them under the
tree of the Fetiche,
They tye this tree aboutf w'hich
is the place where fhey facrifice )
with little ro:ips of ftraw, and after
their Ceremonies are Over, they
takethofe ropes,and ftringing their
gold work upon them, they faften
them to their arms and leggs, ■ and
chea think themfeives fafe againft
any n^irehief whatever.
For the picfervation of their
houfes, they have a fort of Fetiches
which are planted at their dores,
and they are no better than our
poles, or hooks, we pull down the
- boughs
A VojUge to Guinte, 171
boughs withall when we gather
ourtruit; Of thefe Fetiches their
Priefts fct a great number about a
ftone, which (by their tradition)
is as old as the worid^ and when
they have been there a certain
time, the Priefts fell thera to the
pe6ple. '
It at any time any trouble befall
them, they repair immediately to
their Prieft, for a new Fetiche (the
old one is to be trufted no longer )
who raoft gracioufly fupplies therh
for their money, and into the bar--
gain, he gives them a piece of Suet
or TMovo, with two or three Far-
rets feathers fet right or elfe x
certain hear by the. King of Fetu%
Son-in-Law had the head of an
Ape for his Fetiche.
They do all of them abftem
frorn fomething or other, in ho^
nour of their Fetiche,yi/ 'iih. this ppii-
nion, that if ever they eat or irihk
H a ' M oi
>4
iji A Voyage to Guinee.
of that, after they prcmisM abfli-
ncnce ( which is uiually at their
Marriage) they flaali dye upon
the fpot; for which reafon, one
eats no Beef, another no Goat, ano-
ther no Kens, this man drinks no
Wine, and the other no Strong-
waters, which t^hey obferve fo
rxadly, they will'fooner dye than
be perfwaded or forc'd to the-con'
trary.'
Thefe fr/ir/A's I have fpck'cn of
hitherto, are but .private 'Fftiches,
and beloBghut to particular men :
l)Ut thev fiavcanother f rc of Feti-
dm which are tutelary to the
whole Countrey, as for example,
f )metinies fjch a Mountain, feme-
isimes fu.h a kind of Tree, feme-
times fjch a Stone, fometimes fuch
a-fbtt of FilK, or fuch a Species of
Bicds, which they look upon and
worftiip as fo many Gods. If
i..Ncgroe by accident kills any
of
A Voyage to Guince. 173
of thofe Birds, he is punifln'd fuf-
ficiently, and if a White, he runs
a great hazard of his life. 1 faw
one of thefc Birds at Frederisbourg,,
a little thing about the bigncfs of a
Wrenn, with a Beak like a Lin-
net, mark'd with black and white,
and the Feathers a kind of light
brown : if any of thefe at any time
are feen flying about in the Gar -
dens of a dMere, 'tis look'd upon
as a good Omen, and he throws it
meat immediately;.
The Confecrated'Trees arc or-
dinarily thofe about which their
Sacrifices are perform'd ; they be-
licve whoever, cuts fuch a one
down , deflroys ( without more
adpc) all'the fruit in the Conntrey:
and therefore if there be any fuch
Maiefadlors, they are punifh'd
with death, as it happen'd to the
Hollanders at epicure in the year
iyp8; before they had built the
• U ^ , Fort
i 74 A Vojiage to Guinec.
Fort of Naj^Au, where 8 or lo of
them were killed the %th. of May^
for having cut down a Tree dedi-
cated to their Fetiches.
The higheft Mountains,and fuch
as are molt fubjedt to Thunder and
Tightning, they imagine are the
Relidences of their Gods, and
therefore, they pay great honour
and refped to them : at the bottom
of them they will lay Rice, Millet,
fJMays, 'Bread, wine^ Oyl, and other
things, that they may -eat and
d|ink if they be hungry or dry.
Their Stones ( which they fan-
cy to be. Fetiches ) are like our
great Lan4' marks in the Countrcy,
( or fuch as are laid to diftinguifh
and determine the bounds or li-
mits of a Countrey Parifli ) and
they believe them as old as the
world; about thefe it is their Pricfta,
do fet their Cruches which the^
fell afterwards to the people for
cofti?
A Voyage to Guinee. 175;
confervation of their houfcs, as i
mentioned before.
Belides thefe Fetiches aforefaid,.
if five or fix Neighbours build near
one another, in any place divided
from the reft of the Town, they
will have a Fetiche to themfelves,
and will facrifice and pray tO' himt
for their prefervation.
Thurfday the fourteenth April'
being at Frederisbourg., whilft they
were at Prayers above , I went
down , and at the entrance of a.
houfe which ftood alone by it felf,,
I obferved a man and a woman,,
bleeding of a Hen ( which; they
had prick'don purpofc) upon cer-
tain leaves which they had plac'd
upon the ground* and after it had
done bleeding, they cut it into-
mamocks, threw them down upon^
the leaves, and then turning their
faces upon one another,and kiffing
their hands, they ccy Ay Me [h[a,
H-,4v Me
17^ A VojAg^ to Gui nec.
(jMe Cufa, cMe Cufa, which is as
much as to fay, oHakeme^ood I
let them alone till their ccremonv
m
was done, and then ask'd them
v/hac, they were about, they told
me, that the Fetiche of that cjoar-
ter had beaten them, and they by
way ofattoncment, had given him
a Hen for his dinner: As I was
looking down upon their leaves,
( or an herb rather which grows
upon the Sea-fide) they defired me
not to touch them, and told me
whoevercat of that Pullet, in half
an hours time, would be as dead as
a herring ; but I was fo ftout-hear-
ed, I took k up, had it broyPd up-
on the coales, by my Lacquey, eat-
ing fomc part of it in their pre-
fence, and throwing the reft to the
piggs : the poor people were ama-
zed, and ftood gaping to fee me
fall down dead, or fink over head
and ears into the earth inamediate-
A Foj/age to Guince, lyy
ly.Iask'd them to he their Fetiche,
they carried me into a little Court*
to a kind of a Tyle wrapt about
withftraw, and told me that was
the Fetiche which had beaten
them. Well faid I, Tie be reveng'd,
and throwing it on the ground, I
break it into a hundred pieces, and
plan!ed a Crofs in the Room on't.
I taught them to figne themfelves
alfo^ broak all their Cruches about
thedoor, and having given them
each a littlecrofs for their pockets,
and bid them when ever the Fe-
ticheczTCit to plague them asain,
that they fliould iigne themfelves
with the iigne of the Crofs, take
that out and kifs it, and they
ihould hear no mere of their Fc-
tiche ever after ; they heard me
very patiently, and made fuch re-
lations at home , that a whole
Church of them came to me next
■ dav, deliring to fw®p a hetiche -fdr
H y a
S J% A Wc^csge-1& Guinee.
a CrucifixWe came immediate^
ly to a bargain, and when I began
to examine my Fetiche, I found it
HOthing but a piece of putrificd ^
earth, nointed over with fuet, and
greafc, and oyl of Palmes,with five
or fix Parrot-feathers bolt upright
in the middle, to which morning
and night they pay'd their con-
ftant devotions.
I pcrfwadcd them afterwards to
fliewme to their Fetiche General,
which they did : I found it in a
plain where they made all their
Sacrifices; it was' nothing but a
ilone covered with earthj which I
routed immediately,and-brakc five
hundred of their poles which they
had planted about it; from thence
I went to their Pri eft, to fee what
Fetiches he had to fell, he told me
1 had one, which was one of the
poles I had brought along in my
^nd; and would have had me
pa^'d
/
/
SVoyage Gliihcc. 179
pay'd him for't; I took him by the
elbow, and carry'd him to the Ma^
iler Fetiche^ and when he faw he
was deraolifh'd , Lord ! what a
pickle he was in.^ he roar'd and
cry'd out to his Neighbours, and
all of them look'd upon it as a mi-
racle that I was not as dead as a
door-nail in the twinkling of an
eye. I toldhim, Sir, for your pay--
ment I have fet up this Crofs, and
whofoever touches it ( uhlefs upon
the knee ) is a dead nian in a mi-
nute; at which words, they ran-
home as faft as they could, yelling
and crying out to one another,,
whilft I return'd to theCaftle.
They have fo great an opinion,'
and veneration for theirPriefts,the
wholp world is not able to difabufc
them : if they have one bit better
than other, 'tis kept for them;
they are the only people amongtt
the Mores J that are fuiTi'd not to
work^
18o A Vojage to Gurnee.
work, are nourilh'd a't others coft,
aud charefs'd all ways they can
think of, to the end they may af-
ford thsm their prayers. They fell
Fetiches ( as I have faid before ) to
the common people, perfwading
them, they found them hanging
upon the Fetiches Trce, which they
believe fo obftinatcly, their own
eyes are not fuflicient to con-
vincc them; for if at any time they
fee the contrary, they will fooner
believe it an illufion, than imagine
their Priefts would deceive them :
ib blind are thefe poor people, be-
ing led by thofe who are blinder
than thcmfelves.
Tlie Habit of their Priefls re-
fcmbles a Coat of Arms, and is
made of fome courfe linnen, or
fcrge, abqut which they have a
icarf fet with little bones ofbroyl'd
Pullets, like the Cockle Ihells
,^orn by the Pilgrims of Sr.
A Voyage to GuiDce. i S-i
ch^el; the rsit of their bodies is
quite naked, they have garters a-
bout their legs, made of the Fibers
of their Fetiche Tree: all people,
even to the Kings thcmfelves, arc
ambitious of their friendftiip, that
they may intreat their Fetiches to be
favourable to them, either in their
Trade, or any thing elfe.
For my part, 1 believe they are
made all of them by the Priefl, and
that they talk and converfe with
the Devil,who communicates with
them, and teaches them which
way to cheat the people fo ealily ;
and that which makes me fay it, is
this, they alwayes mutter out fomc
w.ords to their Fetiches, before they
dfcliertbera.
Of
I'8 2 A Voyage to Guinee.
of their Suf erLitton^ their Swear-
ing upon thetr Fetiches, their
manner of -pAcifjingthemy vchea
they think they are angry, and the ■
'Burials of the Dead.
T I ^Heir Superftition towards
i their Fetiches^ is fo politii^e,
and dogmatical, nothing in ihis
world is able to convince them.
Their chief end in carrying thetn
about them, is to keep them from
any ill might befall then\,and when
any does, they believe the fault is
in thcmfelves, and that they have;
-notperform'd their duties towards,
them.
They dread Swearing b'yv
their Fetiches above all things,
believing it impoffible . to live
an hour after, if they fwear falfe;
for which reafonwhen the good
woman, goes to the Market,
or abroad at any time, the go<»d
man
•f
/
\
' A Voyage to Guinee, 18 ^
man takes his Fetiche,anA putting it.
into a cup of drink made with
Palm-wine, he gives it her, and
makes her fwear to be faithful to
him in his abfence, and fwears her
again ( whether {he has or not).
when fhe retur
When we were before {^sbini, .
there Was one cz]^cA' Attire^ whO"
complain'd that he was robb'd of a
Mark of Gold in our Ship: Mon-
fieur Wantesk took a cruft of bread,
and bid him fwear by h.\s Fetiche^ .
and then (eatingthat) wiih the
Devil might carry him away in an
hours time, if it were nottrue; but'
his Confcience being too tender,
he refus'd it, and made himfelf fo
ridiculous amongfl; his Brethren,
he never durfl; appear in Our {hip
afterwards.
The eight and twentieth of A-
fril, being with the DAmjh Gene-
ral about Supper time, the King af
Fetus
\
181 Voyage to Guinee.
Fetus Son-in-law (called Janque
Sentce^ arriv d, the General fuf-
peited he had nimm'd away a
Ring from him,buthis Excellence
protefted the contrary, offering to
iwear, and to fwallow his Yetiche
upon the premifcs. I had a great
. mind ( upon the tidings) to be
prefent at the Ceremony ; 1 went
in, and found a Faggot of Thorns
in a Basket which a Slave carried
under his arm, covered ovef with a
Skin, I made bold to uncover it,
and in the middle of the Fa?-
_ Fj
got, I faw a piece of Suet and
Wax, with Parrots Feathers, little.
burnt bones of Pullets, Plumes
- of the Bird which was Yetichiffl-
mo of that Countrcy,) and feveral
other naftie th'nss with them.
One of their Priefls was prefent,
who told him he had made it as
idrong as was poffible, and that if
helved, he could not out-live it a
A Voyage to Guinee. 19"5
quarter of an hour; for all that,
he took a piece of bread, and a
glafs of Wine, and was falling to
work, but the General ftopt him,
and would not fuffer him to drink ^
it. I put rny hand to this Yetiche^
the Prieft faw me, ftarted, and
bid me have a care, if I took it u^,
/ rvds a dead man. I lifted it out of
the basket for all that, he^ ftept
back, and cryed out to me, if you
turn, or move it, the fire will
fall down from Heaven, and coiv
fume you: I took it and twirld it
three times on the right hand, and
as many on the left: and then
threw it dafh againft the ground,
leaping upon it, and breaking it
into a thou fan d pieces. They faid
I would dye in the morning, and
were very much amazed to find
me alive afterwards. But they re-
cftlleified, and told me, I was not
' dead, becatife I did noj^ believe. I
an-
/
I
186 A Vojagg to Guinec.
anfvrered, They tvere fools not to he
afgreat Infidels as They rcplyed,
It was imptffible, their Fetiches
would not faffer them. Quoth I,
Who is this Fetiche ? They told
me, It was a great black Dog, that
appeared very frequently at the
foot ofa great Tree. I asked them,
. If they had feen him I they told me,
No, but their Priefts and he were
very great, conferr'd notes often,
and they gave them a relation of
their difcourfe.
Befides the wayes erf" appealing
their Vetiches, which I'have menti-
oned before,they have other/whinr-
feys as memorable; If they have not:
fo good fortune a filhing, as they
ufe to have, they imagine their Fe-
tiche is offended, and has driven
them away. If their Trade be but
dull, they are of the fame opinion,,
believe them to be the caufe,-& fall
to theif.devotions immediately.
A Voyage to Guinee. j
If a poor tiftierman goes out,
takes little, and returns after all his
patience and pains, not much rich-
er than he went, he concludes his
Vetiche is difgruntled, repairs pre-
fcntly to his Prkft, prefents him-
with a token of his Love, and with>
tears in his eyes, begs of him, that
he would fet them to rights again;
after which he marches with his
Wife and Children ( as neat, and
as trim, as hands can make them )
to the Sea fide, with great branch-
cs of their 'fetiche Tree about their
necks, which after certain cerc-
monies they throw into the Sea>
with Rice^Millet,crying
out a thoufand times, Me mfa^
Me tufa.
If the King obferves that Gold
comes not down fo plentifully as
formerly, or that his traffic k and
duties decreafe, to work he goes
injftantly with his 'Eetiche, he
; prayes,
188 A Voyage to Guinee.
praycs, he facrificeSj he treatS)
fpreading of meat, and drink,about
the Mountains and Trees that are
confecrated to him, which the Mi-
niftcrof Vrederisbourg told me he
had many times feen.
Having fciz'd upon two Mores
on Holy-Thurfday, to fecure fome
debts we had owing us upon the
ftiore. On 'Friday morning we ob-
ferved one of them to wafh his
face more than ordinary, to mutter
out fome words to himfelf, and to
take water, and throw it behind
him: we ask'd him for what rea-.
fon he did fo, and he told us, it:
was to implore the "fetiche for rain,
that Gold might be walhed down,
from the Mountains, and the Mer-
chants inabled by that tofet them
at liberty.
After they have fowne, their
Gorne (of the manner of which,
I [hall give a relation, by and by )
that
AVojage to Gu\nee-* 185
that night they burn all the thorns
they can find in the field, and then
skipping,and dancing,and finging,
whatever they have more than or-
dinarily precious, they throw it
( with Palme-Wine) into the fire,
conceiving thereby to render their
Vetiche more favourable in their
Harveft : By which we may fie the
deplorable blindncfs ofthofe poor
Crearui<es, and be excited to give
God thanks, who has illuminated
us w i th the rayes of the Gofpel.
The General of Frederisbmrg^
having notice that there was one
of them dead in the Caftle, gave
me advcrtifement immediately that
I might be prefcnt at the Funeral
Ceremonies, a thing which the
Mores v^'iW never permit, but by
confiraint.
When any one dyes amongft
them, they put the body into a
Coffin made of Oliers, the barke
of
i^o A Voyage to Guinee.
of Trees, orof Rufties, which in-
deed is no more than a panier^ the
women, the relations, friends and
neighbours that are there, /un up
and down the houfe, crying,and la-
menting, and interrogating the
dead perfon why he would leave
them.
If it be a woman that dyes, her
daughter or fome other woman,
for the men are never called to
their funerals ) goes from houfe to
houfe complaining and making
her moan, and with the gold Ihe
finds about her, or in the houfe,
buys an Ox or a Sheep, which ftie
gives to the Prieft, to pray to the '
ietubeoithe dead perfon, to cOn-
dud her into a place of repofe; tfid
Prieft orders this Ox, or Mutton,'
to be killed, and then fprinftling
the blood about in honour to her
Vetiche, he begs of it, that it would
not interrupt her in her palfage to
A Vojage to Guinee,
fii the other world, and that it, would
itli( pardon whatever ftie had dons
ajil amifs. Thofe who are prefent be-
lilt ingput^by him into a ring, in a
'la. corner of the Chamber, he places
tilt himfclf in the midft, and irefl: ve-
art ry fprucely with Rjfade^ Corail, or
plates of Gold, fetsa great quan-
Iti tityofPeafe, Beans,i Rice, Mays,
11, and Oyle of-Palmes about them,
tj and then fprinkles them with the
0 blood of a Pullet, which is killed,
»1 and afterwards makes a kind of a '
1 necklace of certain hearbs, which
he hangs about his neck, whilft
the good women cut the Pullet in-
to morfells, and prefent them be-
fore the Vetiche. After this the
Prieft having muttered out fbrne
^ prayers to himfelf, he takes waftr,
or Pa'me-Wirie in his mouth, and
fpirts it upon the moll antient of
the fetichesy from which he takes
a proportion of fuet,and grcafe,and
mingling
1^2 A Vojage to Guinee.
mingling it with the leaves of his
collet, and other things, he ftamps
and bruifes them altogether with
his feet, till they be brought to a
conliftence, then niaking them up
into a great mafs,he feparates again
into feveral little pieces, which
being wrapt up in the rind of a
confecrated tree, he diftributes to
the whole company , referring a
part to be buried with the corps, to
make her journey more profperous
into the other world, and thefe Fc-
tkhes arc lookt upon as the moit
propitious of all.
This Ceremony being over, the
body is expos'd about half a day,
with the head bound about, and
the arms extended, after which the
women carry it to the place of its
Sepulture ( it being their Province
•to bury the dead) the men never
flirring in that cafe, unkfs the bu-
rial be to be in fome other Village,
which
A' Voyage to Guiriee. 19^'
which is frequent by rcafon of a-'
cuftomcthey have oi burying eve-"
ry body in the Town they were
born, and then they attend the
Gorps-with their weapons in their
hands; 'but this perfon 1 faw being-
buried hard by, i hao the op porta-
nity of being a Spedator of the-
whole Ceremony, '
The Corps being brought tb the'
place of Its Burial,' the men which"
inhabited there, digged a hole-of
about four or five foot deep, and
put it in, butfo, as the Earth came
not near it, then turning about the
Grave, they bid him adieu, with
great noifc and ejulation j that.
Wife which he had mod kind-
ncfs' for , threw his Fetiches
into the hole , and at laft laid
* good part of his houfhold--
ftuff ( as his Kettles and Cloaths')
by his fide, and his Arms a top on -
him: if hs loved any thing more:
" 1 ' '-thaa
• i • •
T^-l- A Vojage to Guincc,
ordinary,as Palm-wine,or any
i thing clfe, they plac'd it by him,
with Rice,Millet,Mays,and what-
^vcr they thoughtneceirary forthc
life of man, that he might want
nothing whither he was ra going,
' Over hisGrave they-fet up'aHittle
Shedd, to keep it from the v/eathcr,
which continues there till it be rot-
ten, without being touch'd by any
<Qne. He which makes the Grave,
^nd buries the dead body, has the
liberty to take-hjs choice of fuch
things which they pat into the
■^Grave^with the Corps, and it is
' Ipokt' upon as a due, if he be not
^pai'd other wife for his pains.
'Ifa woman dies in Travail, and
Hhe Child dies alfo, they are buried
"together,and the Infant in the arms
of the Mother.
Thefc Ceremonies being finiQicd,
■they return weeping and lament-
ting to their houfcs, where, both
men
^ Voyage to Guinea, 195
' men and women Ho wafli them-
felves forthwith, after which they
cat the Beef or the Mutton' whicn
was bought, paffing the reft of the
day in feafting, and jollity,only eve-
ry year they carry meat and drink,
and fet it at his grave, left he
ftiould be hungry or thirfty in the
other world.
of their oU Meft, thHr sUves^ their
Lamcy their Servantthe Dijett*
fes they are ufualty ftthjefi to^ with
thtir Cnres,andtheway to ^reve fit
them.
THough there is but little lov®
loft ainongft them, and the
tricn, and the women ( unlefs it
be their firft wives ) quit one ano«.
thcr as they pleafe, yet they are
troubled and concern'd when it
happens. So great an averlion have
thefe people against idlenefs^ that
amongft them the aged men and
yvomca are not allow'd it, but are
] % con-
tO'-Gulnec* ^
cjonf.rained to get their livelihood'
by fuch employments as their age
and inhrini,ties will bear, fomc of,
them Leing fet on'-'work either tO'
blovv the bellows in fomc forge, to,
fupervife the buiinefs of the houfe,:
c.r feme fuch trifling affair, wliich
requires not much pains; the lame,;
and fuch as by any ether means,
a c rendred incapable of working,,
are forced to the u ars, or if unable
for tha-, rhcy arei' fcnt to 'fell ahd
bjirter for their Commodities at the
Market, or elfc aflift at the making
< f their oyl of.Palm,make Ivrattref-.
fcs, or whatelfe their ftrengtn will
admit.
Tbsydravc not many SIaves up-
r n this Ccaif, it not being permit-
led td any hut Nobles, to Trade in,
that nature by wliicii means they ,
are not allowed to entertain any
l:ut for their nccelTary fcrvice ip,
their families or fields.. .
" ■' - There''
A Vojiigc to Cj airie'^. 197'
Thcfc Slaves arecommouly fuch
"poor miferable Creatui'es, as ha-
ving not wherewitball to maintain^
or keep themfelves alive, are glad.
to fell themfelves to the rich Mer-
chants of that Countrey ( that arc
all Noble-men ) who to know
them from others, do give them
alwayes a particular mark of their
own, if they'endeavour to efcape,
for the firft time they cut oiTbnc.
ear, and for the fecond tlfe.otKeir,
if they attempt it a third time, and •
be taken, they either fell them a?
way, or cut off their heads/as they
pleafe. The children of thefepoor
people are Slaves as well as the Pi-
rents, and obliged to do whatever
they arc commanded, as watriug
their fifli, fpinning Rafade, Stc.
The K ing has feveral foi ts of
S'avcs, feme like thefe I have
mentioned ; others which are for-
fcitsd to him forwant of paying
I ? their
i 5 § 4 Voyage to Qumec»
their Fines, or other penalties im-
pofed for foms.fault they have com-,
mitted: and both of them fcnt com-
monly to be fold at the place fet a.r
part for the Trucking of Slaves.
The Kings Slaves are diftinguifh-
able from other men, only by this
that they have no hats, but-go a!-.,
wayes naked with their heads.Ths
inhabitants will not be - called
Mfius (which is an appellation,
they fay belongs more properly to
their Slaves )but Pretos, which is as
much as Negroes. They generally
wfe their Slaves very well, feldome
or never giving them any corre-
&ion.
Though they have not fo many
difcafes araongll them, as we, yet
they are'not<without their fhare,&
thofe as troublefome as ours; the
moft frequent are the Nenpo'itm
difeafe, pains in the head, burning-
Feavers, (which for the raoft part
a/e
A Voyage to Guincc. 199 ^
arc occalion'd by their women) the
Chollick, and worms which grow
betwixt the flelh and the skin, to
which ftrangers alfo being fubjeftj
lihallfpcak a word or two anon.-
For the Neaf0(ita» difeafc(which
is not infamous amongft thcm)they
ufe only Salfeparilla, which they
boyl in a .Skillet to ihch a height,
and then draining it, they ufe it as
a diet-drink,and (as they fay thcm'^.
felves) with tery greatfuccefs. .
Their pains in. their head they
cure by fomentations made of ccr-,-
tain herbs which they lay upon
the Patients face, and it takes the
pain away immediately.Sometimes
they raife little blifters upon it,
which then applying to diem a
certain kind of Earth, they have
amongft ■ them 1 it aftwages and
cures them alfo'.
The Chollick, and Wind in
the Stcmach, is not over frequent
14, amongft
5 Vojage- to Guinee.
^amongft the Natives, but all Strati■
gets are much fubjed: to them, till
they be accuftomed to the air of,
;that Countrcy.
' To prevent and'fortific ones felf
againlt them, it is good to bind a-
bout the Stomach very hard , to
ktcp'onesi'fclf warm in the night
with a-Wafte-coat, or fome other
J
-'thing, ind if notwitmlandxng all
this, it be not ptevented, it is not a-
mifs to take 4 or 5 drops of balm ©f
'Sulphur in a little Strong-water,
eever oiies felf well, and fweat, the
next day let hlood> then purge two
' dayes after,and 'tis odds but he will
■be well. *Tis very dangerousfleep-
ing upon the ground, in three days
many times they are de'adof an in-
curable cold.
Sometiifres they bath them with
Mallows, Marlh^Mallows, Pel-
litory of the Wall, Powder of
•Caflia, each half an ounce, then
'they
AVq^age toGmnee. 201 I
they boyi it upon the nr^ to a cer- I
tain dcgiee, and put ten or.twelve I
drops of OylofAnnifeedsamcngft I
r it, which makes it-fovereign ; bot I
[ the bcft way of all is to keep the I
Stcmack warm, and have'a §'etc I
care of llceping .upon the ground'. -
As to the worms which grow •
'betwixt the skin and the flelh, Fo- ■
rcigncfs arc as much fubje(fl
them? as they; they breed ever all 1
-the body, but principally in the ;
thighs, legs, and moft flelhy parts. .
Sometimes'^ they have 'them two
years together, and never perceive
■ it till about a fortnight before^they
come out. By the report of thofe
who have had them, there is no
torment like them,& it exceeds the
moft violent pain in' the teeth.
There has becrt great inquifiti-
on into the caufc of it, fome attri- j
bute it to their Palm-winc, others
to the -Fifk which is eaten up^^>n i
. ' " ~ I e that-.
202 A Vajage U Guiiice^
that Coaft, others to their Water,
every one arguing according to his
fancy, but sdl of them wide of the
Mark; for thofe Mores who live
but forty leagues up higher into the
Countrey, know nothing of it at
all, nor are. in any danger of the
Evening dew.
The moft probable caufe is the
, dew which falls in the Evening
upon the Coaft, occafioned by the
Breezes from the Sea, which be-
ing very cold, the Mores do con-
fiantly make fires at their feet
when they go to fleep, and indeed
nothing is of more importance to
ones health, than to keep off the
chilnefs of that Air, and to pre-
ferve ones felf as warm as one can.
The ill water they drink, toge-
ther with the naftinefs of their
diet, may add fome thing, but 'tis
the nipping Winds and Rains
^hich fail upon the Coaft > and
makes
^ Voyage to Guitiec. 205
makes thofe parts fo fubjeft to
worms; and Auyufit
(which are the moft rainy mctilthi
amongftthem-^ experience tells
thofe worms are moft: apt to eneen-
der. In ftiort, every drop of their
Rain is bigger than a large Pea; if
in a Ihdwer of that nature, one be
wet never: fo little, and lets his-
clothes dry upon his back, befides
that in three dayes his clothes Ihall
be rotten, if he has no worms, he
fliall be fure of a diftemper thit-
will be very dangerous.
We' may: affirm therefore 'tis -
the rain,, as well as the dew,
which produces thefe worms,how^
or which way, I leave to the Phi-
lofopher, and Phyfician to refolvc;
but this I am fure, having many
times put out a bit of flefh in the
rain, or in the evening dew, I
found as foonas the beams of the
Sun glanced but-upon it, it turnad
*
■'A::
•204 Vojage toGulme,
all into. Worms^. which ex peri-
rnent I made very often, & am con-
vinced by it, that they come, but
thofe two ways, either by the rain
or thedew.Ofthofe Worms which
grow in the body, there are two
forts, one leifer, the other greater,
andfome of them as (lender as a
: hair; the lea(l are half a foot long,
the larger a foot, and feme there
" arc of an ell, but very rarely-
f \Vhen you are once plagued
_ >\^kh them, th^re is nothing to be
done till they are out, which is
evident by the tumours they raife
,in the flcfti, and the fwelling ©f
the part where they lie. There is
nothing like keeping ones bed,and
opening the corner of the skin
gently with a knife to give them
•iree pafTage, if chey perceive theyi
adyan^cing,. they may haftcn their
journey, and pull them out by -
litds and little, if they had a^
ji Vojagc Guioee. i aj
■ ftop or rcludance in the Worm>
they mi>ft let clicm alone (left thejr
hreak.them) and tyc a hair or piec?,,.-
of iilk about them, .to keep theffi
Icom eoinp; back ; fomctimer fevci-
-y .1 ' ^
ral of them will come, out atone'
hole, but they muft. have path.rice,
for their motion ja but flow .• abpvc
ajlthings they muft have.a care of
breaking them, for they are'of fo
venemous a quality,there is no way
to preferve the peffon againft its
virulence, but by. cutting off the
part. When they arc out, they ufu-
ally rub the place.with butter and
fait, and wafti it with Sea- water,
which in that cafe is foveraign.
Their bcft way to fecure them-
fclves againft them, is to put jile-
duft into their breeches and Ihoocs
to keep, their feet dry, and if at
any time they be wet, to change
^their clothes and their drawers
immediately, by homeanstofleep
' y upon
N
2o6 a Voyage i'o Giiinee.
upon the ground, to heve a care of
the -Seralne or evenings dew , to
bind themfelves up clofe, and keep •
their: ftomachs warm, to abftcin
from Women, to ufe confedion '
of Hymnth^ - ^Ikermes, or cUrk^
to keep ones fclf clean, avoid the
rarne , which' the Mores are as
feard of as the Plague, (hutting up
themfelves as foon as it begins but-
to mizzle ; if one be vvett, to dry
his cloths, and by thefe obfervati- \
onsthey may be probably prevent- -
ed. I faw a perion of quality who
had been there 17 years, who told
me he had never been troubled 1
with them but the firft year, and 1
that Was for want of thefe cautions. .
But to continue thefe ftories of >,
death and difeafes, is but to make
the Reader and mclancho-
ly;it is time now I (faould to fome-
thing of more plcafurc and diver; .
tiferacntr
A Voyage to Gumee. 207.
of their Ttances^ and Feafis'^ Jbeth i
He Inhabitants of 'the Gbafti ^
of K^frick, are great lovers
of Mulick, and fongs, but efpe-
cially of dancing, in which they
fpend two or three hours every
evcnii gbefore they go to bed: to
this purpofe the men and women
both, diefs themfelves as fine as
they can,putting on their bracelets
of Gold and Ivory, and trimming
up their hair; the men carry little
fanns in their hands, made of the
tayls of Elephants, or Horres,(like
the beafom of feathers wherewith
pidures are diifted, faying that
thefe are gilt at both ends ) and
meet all at a place about Sun-fet ;
Being come together, thofe who
make the Muhck, draw into a coc'
oec by them&lves, their InHru*
private and [olemn..
ments
2 o 8 A Voy age to Gm nee.
ments are a kind of Drum, cr Ta-
bor, made of the trunck of a Tiee,
•hollowed: A Cane with feveral
holes in it, like a flute,""a 7ambour
de Bafque, and an inftrument fame-
thing near our Guitars, with;lix
firings; all which playing togc-
ther, make no contemptible har-
monie. foon as they ftrike up,
the men and women divide imme-
diately, and putting themfelves
(two and two) dircdly againft one
another, they begin their dance,
marching up to one another, and
then recoyling in good meafure,
clacking their fingers, as they pafs
nodding their heads, whifpering
certain words into one anothers
.cars,toffing about their fanns-, with
a thoufand poftures and gefticola-
tions, and in this manner fpending
the evenings till they go to bed:
• this dance is riot much unlike one
of our Bikuxr. in FfMtQe \ (ome of
/ c ^ ^ ~ their
A'Vojage to Gumts. -2(^9
their women arid maids will take
a hoop and throw it upon the
ground, then skip, and dance
about it, arrd at laft take it up with
thcir-toes. In fnort, dancing is
in fo great requeft amongft theiri,
they have Schools on purpofe to
teach them. '
Beiides Sundays, they have par-
ticular Beftivals, and particular
' dances belonging to them; for tlie
diycs which are obferved by their
Kings, ! [hall fpeak of in a Chap-
ter by thenifelves.
■ On the 2<$ of beirig ■ at
Frederisbourg, I faw one of thefe .
Feafts, which are commonly'in-,.
ftituted in memory of fome advari-
tage befaln the State ; This that
I was at , was celebrated by the
Kingof frrVs Son-in-Baw, who
had gain'd a great battel againft
the King of Acanis^ and the Lord
of ^bvAmboHj on the fame day the
year,
iio A V(^a£^e to Gu'mee,
year before, in which ingagemcnt
as the General oiVrederisbourg told
me, there were (lain on both fides
above ycoamen. The Feftiral be-
gan at Cape-Corfet where the Son-
in-Law lived, who made a great
Feaftjdiftributed largely to all that
were there, who troubled them- ,
felves that day with nought but
their fports, and at night came to
0ni{h their ceremony at the Cafile
of "Erederishourg; we were juft fet-
ting down to the Table, when on
a fudden we heard a great noile of
fliowts and acclamations, and imn
mediately their Drums and their
Trumpets Urike up. Their Trum-
pets are of. Elephants teeth made
nollow; - we perceived prefently k
was the Kings Son-in-Law, with
his Drum before him, if or 20
Trumpets, about it of his Wives,
and about do Slaves after him, two
of which attended him with great
Bucklers,
■•w
A-V!djage toOmnGt, 211
Bucklers, carried on purpofc to co-
verhim, and two others with his.
Parts, his Bow, and his-, Arrows...
The Women were drcft- in Da-
mask and TafFaticSj which they
wrapt about them from their breafts
to their mid-legg, wearing feveral
dieir heads, feveral
little plates of gold in bracelets, a-
bout their wrills and anklcs,or elfe
(^Rsfadc or. Ivory,, their hair very
well dreft,according to the mode of
that Countrey: the Kings Son-in?
Law had a piece of blew Taffety.
about his waft, whofe two ends
were drawn betwixt his leggs, and
trail'd almoft upon the grouod.Bc-
fore him he had a little faukhioi)
carried, he had a Cap trim'd with
pieces of the skulls of fuch perfbns
as-he had killed, and covered all o-
ver with plumes of feathers; on his -
arms and his le:?gs, he hadfeve» .
raliittle pieces of gold excellently,
212 A Voyage to -Guinee.
Veil wrought, and two littrie fanns
in his hands made of librfe-hair ;
When they were received, into the
^ A f * ' * •*
court, after a hundred lhouts and
acclamations, the men put them-
felves on one fide, the women oh
the other, and" the Slaves, Trumr.
pdts, and Drums behind him, who
founded as they pafs'd, and made
all the noile and clamour was pof-
irble; having feparated themfelve^
they began their approaching, arid
retiring with great exaftnefs, tuc-
ni'ng them felves this way and that
way about half a quarter of an
hour: after this he gave his 2 fanns
to one of his Slaves, and taking his
Dart in his hand, he .pretended to
dart it at the women,who were do-
ihg the fame thing on their fide,
but the Slaves got about him, and
cover'd him quite with their buck-
lers : this having lafiei a pritcy
vyhile, on a fuxldcn he claps k'is
• hand
^' A Vojagt to 2 Tg.
hand upon his fword, and run a tilt
at ths-women, who did the fameto,
him with fticks they had in -their
hands for that /purpofe, and "then
nhngling themfelvc^jpelhnieU with
the Slaves ( who hadfwords alfoin
tbdr hands, and - made. as if they
itruck them as hard as they could) -
they gave a great yell; divided
again, af\d fo made an end oi their
Ceremony.
The Ccnetal treated them .very
k^hdlv wth Strong- waters and o-
tfoq-thifihsv arid vvhifl^^rd, torn-,;,
thatihrar-nianner of fighting, was
agttiit rate ; in iT.orr, this Soh-in-,,
hap qf his Majeffy waynot quit of
this,.hopperic at lefs charge than
5C0 Marks of Gold,from, thence he.
vlenc to the Governour of the":
^■^0res in Fredirisi-oure, to'pafs that,
night with him, and as we heard,
he hay'd very .gr'acioufly with hinj,,
till'tbe- next day at npoH.
of
is '4 ^ Voyage to Guilice.
of their Exerufe^^ their tv$rkmen,
their Trades^ their Mereh/ittdifes,
their Fijhittg^ which way it is ufed
'4nd the Duty they fdy te their Kiug.
AS they hare fcvcral Trades
atid imploytnents amongft
them, fo are they very conftantly
imploy'd, efpeciallyif there be no
'Ships upon their Coafts to divert
them. They have Goldfmiths
which work very curiouny, they
have Carpenters that inake theilr
they have people that Fifti,
they have others that cut down
their wood, the women in the
"mean time keeping their Markets,
and felling their Commodities to
Merchants which come higher out
of the Countrcy.
Thofe who come aboard to nc-
vgotiate with us,are commonly Offi-
ccrs, or Captains of fomc Town,
who
Voyage to Guincc, 2 r 5
' who arc all of them Merchants:
their manner of coming aboard us»
is in a littleC4»o?,very neatly made,
rowed by two Mores,t\\c Merchant
in the middle upon a little chair,
' with bis fword lying by him.
Being of feveral places, they- have
a different way of Trading, thofc
who live farther up the Countrey,
and are neither accjilaintcd with
the language, nor manner of Com-
merce, which is pradlis'd by the
Whites,are conftrain'd to make ufe
of a fort of Brokers to negotiate for
them, and do lifually , give them
good rcccmpence for their pains;
this is an advantage accrews parti-
cularly to fuch as live near the Sea-
lide, and (fo generally are they dc-
voted to their profit) the greatcft
Merchants amongft them will not
refufe the imployment, if there be
the leaft profpc^ and cxpC(iljU:ion
of gain.
Maff;
2.16 AVoj'aget'o Guinc^/
' Moft commonly,it is th fe who
live upon the Coafts, or within lo
leagues dillance of the Sca,thatbuy
lip the Commodities which are
brought in by fach Ships as come
into their Roads, and fell them af-
terwards when the Ships are gone,
to the Inlanders, feldcme for lefs
profit than lix /i'rr
^ Having been deceived fometimes
formerly, they are now grown fo
fubtil and wary, there is no cheat-
ir.g them any more; it is our buli-
htfi now raiher to be upon our
guards, left they be too cunning for
"us. They have fo great judgmGnt &
infight intoMerchandife,tbey wiil
diftinguifti whether a piece of Saye
be dyed at Leyden or 'HAvlem.
. When their bargains arc made,
and their bufinefs done, they fall a
begging and bawling for forhe pi'e-
fcnt br other ^whichthey call Dx-
che ) and will never be fatisfyed:
. with-
„ ^ 4
A Voyage to Guiilce. 21.7
without it. "I he HeUattdt^rs brought
up thisCuftom at firft, to cajole,
and #ork them off from the PertU"
igais: But what they did volunta-
rilv then, is become now fuch a.
Cuftome, that fomc of the Mores
are fo coitfident, as to demand
what prefent they ftiali have, be-
fore they will admit any propoli-
■ tion of T raffick.
They have one pretty odd kind
of fuperftition amongft them, if a
Merchant fncczes as he comes out
of his houfe, and turns his head
by accident, towards the right
hand, ( which they call Enmfnny
they believe they Inall run a great
hazard of lefing their goods that
day. If he turns it to the Jeft
(which they call Abnken) though
they were fare to gain -the prohts
of a Kingdom, they would not iU«
out that day from their houfes.
When they return from our Ships
'K the
'^18 A Vojiage to Guiiide,
they have alwayes ftore of boys, &
young fellows attending upon the
•Ihorc, to carry the Commodities
they have bought to their houfes,
for which the M-erchant gives
them fom^ little pieces of gold as a
reward. Thofc who live higher up
fheCountrey, have all their Com-
anodities brought down upon the
backs of their Slaves, making no
ufe of horfe, or any other Creature
in that bulinefs, which is no fmall
inconvenience to a Mercha=nt that
comes a hundred leagues to us crofs
the Countrey, and forces them to
travel with their Arms.
Filhingbeing their principal im-
|)loyment, every morning there are
twenty or thirty Games to be fcen
> failing out of their harbours, & di-
viding themfclvcs inflantly into all
quarters when they come out toSca.
In each of them they have com-
inonly two men, one to fiflu, & the
other
A Voyage tv Gumec, 21^
other to manage the Canoe, and by
them they have their fwords and
their Viiiua's.Their (^anoes are vc-
ry neat and beautiful, painted and
adorned with all poffible caro;
they fatten Fetiches t® them, to pre-
dcrve them from ftorms & difaftcfs,
and when they have done fifhing,
they draw theih up under a place
on purpofe to keep them dry.Th'ey
^ are fo light, two men wiiTcarry
one of them as they pleafe.
In this manner they go a fifhing
every morning, yet not fo much by
defign, as by natural impulfe, the
wind from the hills forcing them as
it were to Sea , and altering at
night, and blowing hard upon the
* fliore,they are brought home again
by the fame necelHty and violences
and this they do conftantly every
day but Sunday, never failing when
the weather will endure it.
The moft general way of fifti-
% i iog#
•'2^0 A Voyage to G uince.
ring, is with little hooks, of which
s they faflcn twenty ( fometimes)
to one line ; others make ufc of
lines with a kind of, flipping
ncofcs, but this is.as carfilyf.at Sea,
as it is ordinary in their Rivers,
■.and: Lakes within '.Lanh They
. a''e much delighted withfifhing in
the night, which they do by the
light of Torches greas'd over with
Pyl of P.alm,..or Rofcji, hooking
the fllh up as they come near them.
Oh crs go up to the bellies .into
the Se.a, with ajighted Torch in
one hand, and a Net in the other,
which they throw over them with
,g''eat dexterity ; and from hcncc
we may colled: how induftricus
■ they arc, negleding no time, nor
labour-to get themfeivesa lively-
hood. At their return, they are
attrnded by fcvcral boyes, who arc
;tlwaics waiting in the haibour
ftp h?lp them home witii their tiflt.
A Vojage to Guinea. 2 2
and to make up their Lines and''
their Nets for them, for whicH
. pains, they ufually gratifie thcna
\fith fome little prefent of fifh.
But the Filherman and Merchant
are no fooner return'd, but the Re-
ceiver of the Office ( in which
the Duties and Cuftoms are paid,
for the King in whofe Dominion
that Port is ) ftands ready alwaics
to receive them, and to carry with
hirn a full third of whatever they ^
bring on Ihore) to bring the Mer-
chant to a higher compolicion, foi*
there being no fix'd prices fet, it is'
the Merchants bufincfs'to get off
as cheap,and the Receivers 10 hoift
him as high as ht can; befides
thefe duties,thefofeign Merchants
which are not of that Kingdom*
arc obligd fomclimes to give a
Mark of gold more for a free paf-
fage through the territories of flit
neighbouring Princes.
K 5? ; ' But-
22 A'Vojage to Guin€€i,
Buc thofe who live upon the 3fia-
fide,are exempted from any tribute
^ this nature, provided the worth,
©f their Merchandife exceeds not
two ounces of gold af one time, if
it docs, they pay as other people.
The duty upon their fiOi is paid-
pundually to tlic Receiver every
day, who as pundually fends it
every day to the King; not one
Filherman daring under a gre^t
penalty, to fell one morfell till, it
oe paid, this tribute being delign..
ed to the fuftenance of his Royal
Family; for which reafon, what*
ever nlh is taken, is brought im>
mediately to the OfHce, where the
Receiver has a great meafure about
the bignefs of a Peck, which he
fills and delivers frankly to the
Fiflaerman; that done, he mea-
fores the reft, and rcferves a fifth
part for the King, which is fent
away piefentiy by the Slaves for
the
I
' A Pojage to Guincc, 223:
the ufe of the houfe. Thcfc Recti-
vers are for the moft part,thc Sons,,
Brothers,or near Relations of their
' Kings.
of the Kings of thofe Countreys, their'
Courts, Authority, and manner of
living with their fourtiers of their
wives and children, of the Succeffi-
en of their Kingdoms, their Reve-
nues, FeaSis, Deaths, Burials, aod'l
Flexions of another King,.
THe Kings being the chief'
heads of fo many people, I
ought in juftice to have given them-
the precedence, and have fpoken
of them in the firft Chapcer;but ha-
ving never feen them my fclf, and
what I write is but from the report
of fuch as have lived there fix
or feven year, I have thought it-
heft to put this, and the three fub-
fequent Chapters by themfclvcsj
haying been, an eyc-witnefs of.
K.4, what
224-, A Vojage /o G u i ncc;
what I have writ bcfore, & what !
foall write herca^er of the Frmts &
Protiuftions of that Countrey r But
ihcfc Chapters 1 took out of the
Memoires of the General,& Mini-
ficr of FreclerjshurgAvho are in tha
King,domc of FeticJ^ as their man-
Iters and cuftQcns all along thefc
Coafts are every where the fanje,
fpeaking of one, I lhali give fufBci-
ent prcfped, and information of
them all.
The^:i^g of Fi^/« as,they reprc-
fented him to rac,is noimhandfome
man, he is a great lover of the
Whites, & hasexpreft it uponfe-
veral occafions; he is about fivc.Sc
forty, or fifty years old, MajcfticK,
requires honour and rcfped, rich,
and very libcral,he has come many
times to vilit the Governour of Fre-
derist>ourg,&c made him fcveral pre-
fents; Liberality is very ordinary in
thefe parts,and ufcdjto inveigle the
people,
A Voyage to Guii^ee',' 225
* \
people, and oblige them to parties;
He keeps a-g>eat Court, palling a-'
way thc time in drinking Sc langh-
ing in a great Hall in the middle of
his Palace ; about Sun-fet he fets
himfclf down at the Gate, drcft tt-
ry fine,with his bracelets and neck-
lates of Gold, & clad in the richeft
habits can be bought for money; in
this manner, if he be at peace, he
pafles away his time with his La-
des, w hofe 'principal buanefs is to
walh and keep him neat againft
night, at which time'he has dan-
cing conftantly and balls.
His fubjcds have all of them a
great veneration for him, & are in
much aw and apprehcnfion of his'
difpkafure,by rcafon that whoever
amongft them has but once dif-
4
obey'd their A'ing, he is t[fjofac^0
by the Laws of that /TingdomO,
made incapable of any psiblick of-
ficc. His authority- is fu abfolute,
• • ' K 5 he
226 A V(^age t&<Guinec.,
he does what he plcafes, and no
body dares to controul him.
He has alwayes a great number
of Slaves and Souldiers guarding
his Palace, which is very large,and
aeat, and incomparably much
handfomer than a houfe he has
near the Sca-hde: it coniifts of a-
hove two hundred chambers, and
is built in the midft of a Town,
with large Courts round about it;
when he goes abroad, he is always
attended and carried upon the
Ihoulders of his Slaves, all people
cndeavou ing to pleafe him where-
ever he comes.
To gain the aifedions of his
Courtiers, and the Grandees of his
Countrc), above all things it is
neceflary he be Noble, for they
hate avarice, and look upon it as
ignominious in a great perfon, on
tvhom all people do depend, to be
too parfimonioufly intent upon
hoord-
JWjage tO'Gtiinec: 227
hoording pp Gold ; Yet this libera-
lity that is look'd for, conlifts only
in treatings & banquets, which he
makes very often for them,& if ti c
Whites at any time, make him a
prefent, he difiributes it amongft
them, if it bcof Strong-waters, he
drinks it merrily amongft'them
preferring, their company, in that
cafe, to his Wives and Children,,
to whom; notwithftanding he al-
loWs a proportion.
He has as many Wives as he plea-
fesjwho are all difpofed into feveral'
appartementsrwhh whom he dines;
or fups fometimes as he thinks,
good, but very feldom, when they
go abroad,thcy arc carried likewife
on the fhoulders of their Slaves.*
they are abundantly proud, and im-
ploy their whole time in diverting
and indulging the King ; , feme of
them are admi tted into his com pa-
ny after dinner in the great Hall,
aai
2 2 S A Vojage to Guiiiee;
end are very happy if they may but
wafti and drefs him in the morning,
they having fervants enough to djf-
patch what elfe is to be done in the
houfe: when they have fpruc'd him
np, they fall to work upon them-
helves, combings and curling thsir
hair in fevcral pofiures : thtir
deaths are very rich alwaies, and
Ic aden fometimes with fuch abur.-
dance of Gold,it is a wonder wl:kh
way they can bear them.
Whilft'their Father lives, their
Children are brought up at the
charge ofthe publick when they go
a!>road'Out of the Palace, they are
carried by their Slaves likewife,
and have alwaycs their Trumpets,
and one Drum: by W'hich formali-
ties thcv arc diliineuilbed from o-
ther jreoplc, and as they pafs, re-
cei v e great honour and reipewf.
The fucccfli on of the Kingdom
goes iK't to the Children, is it docs
in
AVojageto Gumcc. 2:9
in Eu'-ofe, br.t.devolves upon hira
that is next of /vin to his Majefty,
-tha?the Grown may 'be fure never
to go out ol the Royal Family :■ for
this reafon the Afings Children
make hay whiltf the Sun Qiines, &
lay i- p what they can whilft their
Father is alive : they work and
take pains too as well as the reft,
having no other advantage but ex-
emption front tribute , living al-
vvayes with their Father: whilft he
lives himfelfj they have opportu-
ttity of getting & laying up againft
an evil day. If they marry,the Fa-
thcr givTes them only the qualisy
of Nobles, not but he would wil-
linglydo more, but dares not: the
grcateft priviledgc they have, is to
keep Slaves, but the ATingdifpofes
ofallashe plcafes. The principal
0ffices o' the Jringdome are re-
fcrv'd for them, as well as the chief
Commands in the Armies in
times
i 30 • A' Voj/ige to Gm necr
times of war: In time of peace they
are fent frecjuently as hoftages to
other Princes, to fecure their
Leagues, and to inform themfclves
of their manner of Government; If
they be brave men, and generous,
they are refpedled when their Fa-
thcr is march'd off, but if covetous
and bafe, on the contrary they are
abandon'd by their Relationsj and
contemptible to every body elfe;,
they will oftentimes complain that
their Fatherdurft not do any thing *
indiredly toinrich them,that they,
arc poor, and indigent, and yet-
have vaft treafures conceal'd.
The Revenue of the King con-
lifts in Fruit, Fifla, Wine, Oylof
Palm,Millet,Rice,Mays,Flefh,and
whatever elfe is neceflfary to the life
of man ; all which are brought in
daily to his Palace, that he may
have no cares upon him, nor no
room left for any thing but diver-
fion. The
A fojage to G u in ec. 2^ 1?
The Revenue af the Eflate arifes
from the Cuftoms and Fines which,
are adjudg'd to him in Civil and-
Criminal cafts, which the Receiv-
ers deliver every^ months to his
Trealurer, who makes the. whole
disburfcment, both for matters of.
State, for the expence ofhis Court,
for the payment of the Souldiers in,
time of war, for his privy purfe,.
buys all the Cloths for the King,his ^
Wives, and his Children, upon
which (core, he never ftirs from -
him, accompanies him where-cver
he goes, and has an appartmcnt in
his Palace ; this Office of Trea-
furer,is the beft Office in the King-
dome,and the Trcafurer is in more
repute amongft all people, then
any child of the Kings.
Bcfides Sufidayi (which the King
paffes ordinarily after his devotions
arc ended amongft his Wives and
his Children) he obferves feveral
» '
23? A Voyage to Guificc.
Fdiival days, in whithhebuysup
ail the Palm wine, and bowl, the
Peafanrs bring that dayjand regales
the Trcafurerjhis Courtiers,Sc No-
bles of the Countrey^in the compa-
ny of his Wives and his Children.
Thefirft and chief Feaft which
he obferveSj is on the day of his
Coronation annually, which they
call the Feaft of Fetiches: on that
day he invites not only all his No- -
bles, but his neighbouring Princes, <
and whatever Whites are upon his
Coafts, who fend him prefents at
that time, and are prcfenrthcm-
felves if they have any defigns upon
his fricndfl'iip: if they come upon
the invitation, he receives them ve-
ry well, feafting them for three
daycs together, and enterraining '
with Balls and Dances, and what-
ever may contribute to their re-
creations , to which they do J
who'ly devote themfelvcs^ after 1
they
A Vojage to Gmnce, 2
tli'cy have paft their devotions,
( which are fiqifhed to their fefi-
'f/^cjnjfualJy in a.morning) and aC-
ter they Have left them meat and
drink at the foot of fome Woun-
tainorTreCj to refreQi therafehes
if they happen to be hungry-
The other Feafts which they
obferve, are ordinarily in memory
of fome eminent accident for the
honour, oradvantage of the State,,
as upon fome memorable victoryjOjr
foj, in which, cafes the Eur$pems
are commonly invited, and muft
come too, if they mean to keep up
a good correfpondence with them.
Thefe Feftivals conlift in Collati-
ons, Banquets, Dances, and Songs,
by all which the liberality of that
Prince is very confpicuous, but cf-
pecially by his Feafts. When their
/Cing dieSjthev exprefs their forro w
by their complaints, their dole-
hil Sougs, and horrible outcries;
2^4 ^ Voyage to Guincci
after the aforementioned Cercmo-
nies are over, he is expofed for
fome days, and in the mean time,
his meat and drink ferved up to,
him, as duely as he were alive.
When his body begins to fmcllj
z or 4 of his Slaves- take him, and
carry him into the Woods, where
they buty him as they plcafe, no
perfon yet having ever known
where their King was buried; if
any of their Wives follow him, the
Slaves kill them, and bury them;
together, throwing in their Feti-
ches after them, and then his Arms,
Sword, Darts, Bows and Arrows,,
Cloths,Houflicldftuff, 8c whatever-
he delighted in when he was alive; ,
by his lide they place good ftore of
Palm-Wine, Rice, and fuch othef
neceflary fuftenance^and when they,
have done,tiiev prcfentthemfclves
very demurely before the Palace to
be killed; believing they fnall be
• ' cock.
A Voyage to Guincc. 2; 5
!!• cockfure of the heft places about
» their King in the other world,
c, Whilii: the Slaves are imploy'd
10 in the interrcment of the King^thc
Inhabitants of the Town,run up &,
I, down,like mad, cutting the throats
i of man,woman,child, and flaves, to
I make his equipage as they call it,
I and attend his Majefty into the o-
ther world, inforauch, that if he be
a great Prince, they kill 4 or 5 hun»
/ dred perfons fometimcsat the day.
of his funeral.If he loved any placC;
better than ordinary, they let up a
Tombeforhim there, where his
Succeflbr commands all things ne-.
cefTary to be plac'd once every year*
left he Ihould want any thing in
the world where he is gone.
When their Funerals are over,
the next Kinfman is advanced to
the Throne, and then, conduced,
with great acclamation to his Pa-
lace(which is lock'd up 8c a Guard
fee
2^6 A Vojage u Guinee.
fet upon it from the death of the
former) their next bufinefs is tof
give him.poffeflion of all the Trca- f
fure his PredccefTof had fcrap'd J
up, whofe children cannot pretend |
to any part of it, or of any thing
elfc, unlefs it be fomcthing their
Father was poflefs'd of before his
advancement to the Crown. But
this is true, the new King gives
foinething confiderable alwayes to
the Children, and takes care of his
Wives, who are matches for the
beft Noble-men in the Countrey.
Yet their condition fometimcs is fo
raifefable, that, if they have not
been good husbands, and Jay'd uy
fomethingfor themfelves, they be-
comefo abjed and contemptible,
they are forc'd to make.themfelves
Slaves for fubfxftence, and to live
in perpetual infamy, to avoid dyj-
ihg with hunger..
This,do'ne5rhe.new King makes a
"Banquet
ft, - A-Vojageto Gmncc. 2^7
of(Banquet for ail comers,and a Feaft,
lif which continues 4 or 5 days,during
Ii(i which time he treats all pcop!€,thc
k Whites,the Kings his Nci^bours,
ttd Si his Nobles, who all of them fend
(ii| him their prefents. He takes new
lie that day,and prays to them
{jj afterwards, renewing this Fcatl
I every year, as I have laid before,
jit; Sometimes he changes his OlR*
ji cers, and puts in his relations, and
]' friends, but 'tis but feldome, for if
•'fi J '
I they be old that were in before, he
lets them dye in their places, not
fj out of any afFedion to them, but to
)[, oblige and captivate the people'by
ii fuch examples of bounty, to whom
he gives great largeIfes that day
^ likewifejSc then calling his Wives
and his Children to Court;tbcy be-
gin to take State upon them, to
leave oil beating tlie Hoof, and to
be carried in great Pomp upon thc
(boulders of their Slavv.s.
0/
•23 S A fbja^e to Gulnce,
«
of their Noblesy the manner ef their
making of fVar^ the grounds upon
which they do itfually make it, their
Arms'.of their Cejfations and Peace.
SO much aire the tjrtores in love
with the title of Nobles, they
will not baulk any thing can poffi-
bly advance them to it, of which
there are fevcral forts amongft them
notwithftanding e This honour is
ac(5uired two ways, either by feme
great and honorable Exploit for
the benefit of the State, or elfe by
his money: for if a common Afore
finds himfelf rich enough; hemuft
be ennobled immediately, though
it drains him never fo dry.
The day he is ennobled, he ia-
rites all his friends, and all the No-
bility of the Country that are then
in theTown.In the prefence|cfthe
King and bis Lieutenant,his Slaves
take
-A Voyage to Guince. 239
take him up upon their backs, car-
rying him a pick-pack round about
the Cityjthc good women dancing,
and finging, and jumping before
him all day till Supper comes
iip and ftops their recreations.
This Feaft holds three daycs,
at the end of which he gives an
Oxe to the poor, and a proportion
of Palm-wine. He takes new
too that day, and obfcrves it
annually with his kindred and
friends. 'Tis reported alfo,that the
Nobility have a certain day in
which they all meet and feaft eve-
ry year amongft theinfelves.
The Privilcdges which they en-
joy above other people, are thcfe,
they can Trade in every place as
they pleafs, they can fell and buy
flaves, they may have their drums
and their trumpets, and make them
play as they think good; but thofe
who are advanc'd for any noble
atchicve-
\
I
2^0 A Voyage to Guinoe.
Atchicvmcnt, have thi5 prehemi-
nencc, that they have alwaycs the ^
principal charges and commands
in the Army.
Thcfe Kings being .perpetually
•emulous,and jealous of one another
to the higheft degree, do common-
ly declare vvarr upon the flighted:
occalion; fo that upon the leaft ap-
' prehenlion of injury, the King calls
his Courtiers together, tells them
his difguft,requires their afliilance,
and they in hopes of booty and
-plunder conclude upon a warr. An
Herald is immediately difpatch'd
' to the Enemy,and a time and plaec
appointed for the battel; his Sub-
jeits are advertis'd of the quarrel
by his Guards, and a place let for
the Randezvouz ; there is an uni-
vcrfal appearance of joy, every one
prepares againft that day,as cheer-
fully,as it were to be his wedding;
tbcy paint and adorn themfeives
with
Afojageto^mn&i, 241
with variety of colours, and from
1 that inftant conceive a mortal and
I implacable hatred againft their
Enemies; if the injury be great,
and the warr likely to be long,they
take their WiVes and Children
with them into the field, bnrnin^
their houfes,left it ftiould be their
misfortune to be beaten, and they
become a prey to the Foe: if the
quarrel be but fmall,they fend them
to the next Town where there is
peace, to attend their fuccefs.
They meet precifely at the day
-and place, the Captain^ with Caf-
ques upon their heads, fome of
them made of the Skulls of fuch
people as they have kill'd in the
preceedent wars,others of the Skins
of Lyons orCrocodiles,with plumes
of feathers upon them if they have
any: on their left arm they carry a
large Buckler made'of the Skin of
a Tygte or Oxe, with a Dart in
C thsic
rs ', 2 A Voyage to Guinea,
tiici r'ght hand; they have no de-
. fenlivt arracs, nor any thing at all
i)pon their bodies, but a peice of
linnen before, that they may be the
more aflivc and agile ivhen they
•come to be ingaged; before them
they have their fwords carrycd, be-
hind and of each lido, their Slaves
with their Bows and Arrows. The
common Souldicrs are armed with
s'ltinlofBattle-axe andSwordr,ai;d
leaving of late by their Commerce
with the£« opeans feme of them got
Mitfciuets, they^ardlook'd upon as
1 rave fellows,& plac'd m theFront.
Being c-ome near c-ne anotlier,
they give a great (liout. and fall on,
ithey throw their Darts immedi-
•atcly, llioot Arrows witlvout num-
bcr, covc'ing tlumfelvcswith their
Bucklers againli the blows oftheir
F'nemles; when they once come
to the Sword, they are Devils and
' arot men, the very Wrm-n and
Childicti
A ^ojage to Guinee, 245
Children kill and flay, and adding
their cries to the noifc of the Trum-
pets and Drums (which are play-
ing inceflantly) they inereafe the
fury in their Parents, and excite
them to more inhumanity. The
flaughter continues till one fide be
defeated , but when they fee the
vidory clear, they give quarter
then, and fall a taking of Prifoncrs,
which are madeSlaves out of hand,
and can never be ranfom'd upon a-
ny terms whatfoever.
When the battle is over, forae
of them (as an exprelfion oftheir
hatred to their Enemies, and devo-
tion to their Prince) will eat the bo-
dies of thofe they have kill'd, but
all of them cut off their under Jaws,
and hang them afterwards before
their doors as a mark of honour,
which is the I ft ftep as it were of re-
commending them to the Nobility.
As their wars are commenced
L 2 " wpoa
—J - .
r^41- A Voyage toOuime. •
upon frivolous occalions,fo they arc
like a wifp offtraw^no foonerkind-
led, but extinguiftied. Sometiraes
they laft longer indeed than others,
but feldome any confiderable time.
If after a lufty ingagement, they be
any better inclin'd, they agree up-
on a place, where they meet exact-
ly, bring their Fetiches along with
them, upon which they fwear fo-
Icmnly on both iides, to do no hurt
•for the future, to retain no malice,
nor to remember their paft hoftili-
- tie, and for their further, fccuritie,
hoftages arc delivered, which are
cornmonly the Sons of the Kings^
, or (if they have none) the princi-
vpal Perfons of theCcuntrey. The
Jreft pf th- is fpent by both par-
tics, iarnirth, hnging, dauncing,
8c makinggood cheer, after which.
Trading revives betwixt them, and
,thev live as lovingly,asdfvthey had
never had warrs.
' ■ ■;whilt
■ }
' A Vojiageto Gumee,^ 243"^
Whilft we were in that Coun -
try, there was a very fierce War
brake out upon this occafion:
Abrantbm is a Seigneury which has
fe Towns under it, independant
of any of their Kings, and holding
of no body but the Emperour of
Achim or X^cAnis Gr^d. • The Prey
deccffor of him that poffefs'd it
then, who* was dead about 4 years '
Wore, would needs put a duty up-
on theMerchants of Acanis th e lefs,
and all' fiich as paft through his
Dominions, nor was there any of
the Neighbouring Kings durfl: ex-
poftulate the bufinefs, fo great was '
his courage and power.
After his death, the Merchants '
of Acanis demanded reftitution of
fuch goods as had been taken a- '
Way by violence before, and were"
in pofTeflion of the prefent Prince,
but they were refufed, wherei-ip-
on thofe of Acanis declared warr
✓
L- j againll^
I
3.46 ^ f^ojage to Guince.
againft him ; the King of Fetus Son
being by accident zx Acmis,, inga-
ged gcneroufly with the Town,
and was flain in the ftrft battaiL
His Father having no more Sons,
and refenting the lofs of him, the
more becaufe he was fo extraordi-
narily hopeful,joyned himfelf with
the Town of Yearns, againft the
Ford of A^'ramhm, and ingaged all
his allyes in the quarrel alfo, in fo*
much as the war continued abore
four years,had dcftroyed more then
60000 men, and put a ilop to all
Commerce and Trade} The Ge-
nerals oi the. Englifi^ Danes, and
Hollanders, ufed all poflible means
to accommodate the difference,
- but in vain ; and in memory of a
Battail gained by the King of Fet/$
in this war, was the great Feali
at Frederisbeurg I have fpoken
of before. There was a quarrel
alfo betwixt the Kings of Fantin,,
and.
AVoyagetoGmn^, 247^
and S/ibeu, about a Noble man of
fmtin who had been in love
with a L'ady of Stthoa^ and ftolcti-
her away the difference not be-
ing to be compofed in an arnica-
ble way, both Kings having ta*
ken cognizance of it, they were ,
fo highly incenfed , they felLto
war immediately, endeavouring to-
hare furprized one another as P
have mentioned before , for they
doe not always come to a pich'J'
field, but fometimes endeavour to
deftroy one another by furprizes
and in»Roads, by burning, pil-
laging'of their Towns, and taking-
all prifoners they meet.
The Danijh General told me.thatr
fometimes a Gentleman ( if he-
were wealthy and rich) would be
able to make vvar againft his Kingy
foftrangely ^rcthcMores addiete I
to gain, and indeed it is no wr.n-
der having fo little affeclion
L
or kindnefs for one another, they> j
wall fcarce give a wounded man a - ji
drop of water to favc his life,, but - i
will fee one another die like doggs '
without any relief, and for the;
mofl: part the firft thatforfake them ; j
• .are their. Wives and their ChiU
drcn.
Ac Frederisbourg we faw a poor •'
creature abandoned by all people,
and the fJ\/L0res, admiring how we
durft come near him: but his in-
hfmity being only an oppreflion in
his Stomach, ourChyrurgeon cu-
sred him with eafe; we law him^
afterwards merry and drinking
■with his Camerades,who ufed him
then with a thoufand careffes,
though but eight dayes before his
Wife and children had defected
htm j as not knowing his malady.
ok
OT their Civil jwJ. their CriminAk
J uHice, And of the Suceefflom of''
farticiiUr men.
Monaft thefe bruitilh and
O
__barbaroiis Nations, Juftice
has its place, aiid all crimes are pu«
nilhable, though not capitally, but
upon great ofFences.To begin with
their criminal Juftice, hs which is
adcufed of adultery, or fellony, is '
immediately cited by the Judge, •
who having heard what he could
fay," and found his defence to be
impertinent, fets a fine upon him '
out of hand, which he is obliged;
to pay down into the hands of the.
Receiver of the Cuftoms. If he
be not able to pay it , he is fold as a
Slave, and can never redeem him--
felf afterwards. If the criminal bc
efcaped, his Kindred are to pay
it, unlefs they will choofe to
leave the Kingdome rather, and
L S
250 AVojage td Guinte^
that without hopes of ever coming
into it again. If the accufation be
for adultery,(that is to fiy with the
firft wife of another Man)the Huf-
band has power to divorce himfelf
from her, but he cannot make her
a Slave-
If it be matter of homicide, fratri-
cide,or difobedience to hisMajcfties
Orders,, they arecarryed before the
King as crimes extraordinary: and
if the thing be not. very foule in-
deed, he condemnes them only in
a fum of Moncy,one half to be pay'd
to his Courtiers who arc prcfentat
the Tryal (which is always in pub-
lique)and the other to be pay'd in--
to the KingsTreafury.lf the Offend-
er be judged to dye, he is led otit of
the Town blindfolded, and at the
place ofexecution,run thoraw with
a Javelin, his head cut off andbung
upon a Tree, and the reftjaf his bo-
dy cut in mammocks and thrown
Into the a ce. " If
/
J Vojageio G uince. 2 51
If one be accufed in any Civil,
or Criminal cafe, and he deiires
to purge hirafelf by oath, in drink*
ing, or eating his Fetiche, he is
permitted, and if he be found dead
the next morning, the informer
goes to. pot in his place, and pays a
/good round fum as a penalty to
the King; But if there befeveral
witneflcs which depofe againft the
Criminal, in that cafe he is not al*
lowed to fwcar.
They hate adultery mortally, if
committed with the firft Wiv£s,ror
which reafon, they punilh that as
fevcrely as any other Crime, and fa
it happens fometimcs, that out of
the malice they doe naturally bear
to one another, the Father accufes
the Son, and the Son the Father: If
an Offender efcapes.artd is taken a*
gain, he has a large fine fct upon his
head, and is made a Slave into the
Bargain, without all hopes of re-
demption. la
S5-2 * AFojiageto Gmmet:
In their civil affairs,whether for -
debt or any thing elfe, they are ci-
ted before the Jndge of that place j
which I faw my felf in the pcrfon .
of one called Pitre zx. Frederishourgi
being come before the Judge, the :
Plaintiff fpakefirft, the Defendant
anfwered,&; after they had pleaded '
what they could on both fides, the -
Judge pronounced fentence imme-.
diately,which is fo peremptory and
Authentich, there lyes no appeal
againft it in any other place, but ?
'tis executed forthwith-
Sometimes the bufinefs is fo dif-
ficultjthe Judge will not undertake
io determine it, buttransferrs it to
the^ing, in which cafes their an-
ger and indignation is many times /
fo increaft>' that of civil Offenders,
they become "criminals, and chal-
lertging one another, they come
into the field with three or four
feconds on afide, and arefolution
to
/i Guincci^. 253. ■
to decide ii by ihe Sword ; If one ?
be killed upon the place/the other ■ -
is obliged to run out of the King-
dom: jf he be taken, he is brought
before the King, who fets a good
lufty Fine upon him,upon the pay-
ment of which he is difcharged;
This ad of grace has fuchanin-
■fluence, and authority upon the ■
people, no body dares afperfe him
in the leaft with what is paft, no
not fo much as the Widow nor
Children of him that is (lain, to
whom, by the Juftice ofthe Coun-
try; a moiety of the Fine docs na- "
turally belong: if he has not where--
'withallto pay his Fine, he is made
aSlave, and delivered up to them
to be fold into foreign Countries,
after which he is never to appear
in his own again. -
T here was one Jeajt Clafe Go-
vernour of Aunts, who came a-
board us every day> he told us,
that
5 4- ^ Voyage ia Guinecv
that having fought a duel upon oc-
.caiion of a civil affair, and killed
his advcrfary, he had a Fine fet
up.cn him of an hundred and fe-
venty Marks of Gold, and pay'd ie -
every penny to the King.
The Judges arc ordinarily the
Captains of the T owns, that the
King may have no more Officers ta
pay than are necefrary,& that more
advantage might accrew to his
Treafury^ by the Feafts and Pre.'
fents they are oblig'd to make him.
For their inheritances ( which
amongfl us make the grcateft part
of our fuits ) they have no contrc-
verlie at all,the next kinfman inhe-
riting always amongft them, to the
cxclufion of Wife and Children,
who have nothing left them, and
are fometimes conftrain'd to fcrve
for their living, though their Hi7S-
band & Father died never fo rich;
for which reaF n, the good man u-
fcs
A Vojidgeto Gmncc. 25^
fes them to work betimes, that
when he comes to dye,it may be no
news to them,but that fubfifting by
their labour, they need not be for^
, ced to turn Slaves for a livelyhood*
of their 'Benfisy their 'Birds ^ md.
their Fijh.
IN thefe Countries there are but
few Elephants to be feen, but
great llorc of Lions, Tygres, Leo-
pards,Panthers,and other beafts of
prey : they afford iikewifc multi-
fudcs of Oxcn,Cows, Hogs, Goats,
Sheep, Stags, Roe-bucks, Wild-
boars,Deer,& ! ares,8c other beads
which arc very gobd meat, bcfidcs
Civet-Cats,8c Apes of feveral kinds
They have Dragons alfo, ■ and a
fort of great Lizards which arc
good to eat; they have Serpents
of unmeafurable bignefs , as alfo
Crocodils, and Camcleons; thefe
laft
2^S A F^a^-e to Guinei'^ ■
laft are about the bign^fs of our
green Lizards in France, and do not
change their colour,as is imagined,
but having their skins firm and La-
ly like glafs, they rep; efent variety •
of colours according to the diffe-
rent refledions upon them, which >
is the ground of that errou'r.
Their wild Fowl, and Birds of •
prey , are Eagles, of which they
have feveral kinds, but one efpe-^'
cially, and which is to be found
only in the Kingdom of Acara; it
has the feathers of a Peacock,~the
leggs of a Stork, the Beak of
Heron; and a Grown of feathers -
upon the head. The Commifli-
oner at Acara fent a live one to
Ffederisbourg , and anUther dead, ■
which was very good meat, but
the live pnc was fenr to the
King of Denmark; From hence
it'is our gray Parrots, with red
lay Is and wings arebrought, which
ar© -
! are obferved to fpeak fooner than
• from any other place: their Fara-.
I mfUs are very beautiful to the
i j eye, they have their bodies and
their heads green,, and as fmall as
Linnets, their beak and feet like
Parrots, edg'd with a kind of red •
iih Grange colour, like our gold-
finch,their mulick is not very plea-
fant, but fome fay they learn to '
Ipeak well enough; they have a
( ^oufand forts of little birds of all -
I colours, black, red, yellow, green j
and mixt, which they take com-
monly with nets.
Their Fowl for the Table are
Hens, Pigeons, Pintades Geefe,
Duck and Mallard, Phefants and
Partridge, but fmaller than ours, .
Peacocks, Feldifars, Cranes, Ringt
doves. Turtles, and Beet in great
multitudes; in Qiort, they may be
faid to abound with all forts of
Birds which ate vilible amongft us,
un-
258 AVoyagetoQnm^.
unlefs it be Larks, of which fort 1
could never fee any.
Having fpokcn before of their
Fifti, and manner of filhing, I {hall
fay nothing of their Filh again,but
of fuch as are to be fecn upon the
Coaft,having indeed nothing to fay
of fuch as are to be found in their -
Rivers and- Lakes, which are far--
therupin thoCountrey.
Their Sea-fiih are the Gold-filh,-
BomitteSf Jam, as big as our
Calves, Sea-Pikes,frelh-Cod, Tun-
ny-fi{h, and Thornback; Small
filh they have in abundance, efpe-
cially Pilchards, which are fat,and
excellently good; they have a fort-
of flying filhj the which are very
good meat, and as white, as fnow:
their biggeft Oyflers (of which
they have great quantities all along-
thefe coafls ) are no bigger than
our fmalleil, but very good meat*
as their Cockles are likewife.
It
A Voyage to Gulnec, 259
It is very dangerous waQiing
onesfelf upon thefe- Co'afts, efpe*
cially near the Ifland of St.Thomasy
in refped of a ravenous fort of lifla
called Re^ukns, which abound
there.
From Cape-kerd to the Ifland of
Saint Thomas, there is a fi&i which
faftens it felf alwayes to the Keel of
the Ship, and will not be got off:
the Hollanders call it the Ordure-
filh, becaufe it lives only of the or-
dure which is thrown out of the
[ Ship; it is of the ftiape of a Grost-
din, but lhorter,and without fcales,
it has the skin of an Eel, is flead
and excoriated like that, and has
much of its fat, and tafte alfo: it
flicks fofaft to a Ship by the help
of a thing it has upon its head,
about three fingers broad,and eight
fingers long,that there is not a man
living can put it off
2^0 A Vojage to Guincer
Their Fruits, Herbs, Trendy Millet',
MaySy their munner of fowf^
md making of Salt.
THeir Fruits upon thefe Coafts
are Plums, Pears, Oranges,
Citrons,' Cuckoe-nuts, and Figgs,
but of the laft no great plenty.
The General of Frederisbourg has
made a Garden about Mufquct (hot
from the Caftle^where he has Cab-
bage, and Roman Lettice, which
grow very well^they have excellent
Mellons', and the ground covered
all over with a kind of Purflane ;
Belides which, they have in many
places another herb they call Tetie^'
in its ftalk ,and leaf not unlike our
Rape, it is pleafant to eat, and ve^
ry good for the Scomack.
They have Potatoes good ftore,"
which the, Hollander has brought
over , .and calls them Field Ayti-
choaksy
Voyage to Gmriee,
choitkf, becaufe they haye the tafte
of our Ignnmes^ which , is a thick
root very white within , . which
they cut in trenches, as they do
Turneps in :..and this is
the bread and fole nouriflimcnt of
the poor, .and i Peafants of that
Countrcy .* theirvBeans, and thek
Peas are of i fevcral coulours, red
black, violet colour, and gray, and
a fort of Lentils in great abun-
dance, which arc.^eahly baked, and
.very good meat.
They make their'bread of three
feveral forts of feed ; foraeofthera
-of Rice, which is very white ; but
heavy upon the Stomach; others of
their Millet, which is fomething
browner than ours, but has net fo
good a tafle when 'tis made of that
,alone; the other of M<tys^ or Tur-
ky Corn, which is well, and very
common, but much better ifming-
led with the flower of Millet,which.
.makes It more-pleafant. When
2 g 2 A Voyage to Guince.
When the Month oi April
preaches, they go to the Receiver
of the Kings duties for permiflion
to fow, ( all the fields belonging
wholly to the King ) having ob-
tained leave, they go up and down
rooting up the buQaes from one fide
to the other, and, then digging it
' once or twice, they let it lye for a
day or two, and then fow it with
Rice, Millet, or Mays, for the
King or the Govcrnour, and when
they have done for them , they
begin for themfelves.
When they have done fowing,
they bring all thebulhes they have
ftubb'd up, into a corner of the
field, and then burn them, finging,
an j dancing, and throwing about
their Palm-wine, in honour of
their Fetiches, to the end they
may fend them a happy Harvelf :
It appears in eight dayes after-
wardsj and they reap it in three
Monthsj
»■<<( « -%•« • •
A Voyage to Guinte. 205
Months; thofe who have not fown,
buy their proviiion for the whole
year at that time; thofe who have,
and are obliged to go tothe Recei-
ver, carry him fuch a proportion of
gold as they think rcafonable,
which the Receiver carries after-
wards to the King, and is very weli
treated for his pains.
Their ^Mafs or 'Turky Corn, a-
trees bcft with the Hills, their
a "
Millet and llice witkthe Valleys;
they plant their Alays, as We do
our Peas,but their Millet and Mays
is fown as we do our Corn.
1 did not obferve many Flowers
upon the Coafts, only one tvhofe
leaves and ftalk were as large as our
Muhard-tree : the flower is of an
admirable flame colour, but no
fcent at all, they are moft common
about the llle of Saint Thomas.
Their Sa-t is whiter and bet-
ter than ours, they make it in
great
AVojageto Guinec.
; great quantity in 'January, Febru'
and March, which, they car-
ry up afterwards higher into the
Country, and make good advan-
tage by it, but it has tbisdcfe(9:,
it will not endure their violent
heats, but becomes bitter and
acide.
i.-i
of their Gold., where it is found,
and how, with the variety of
.works they make of it.
THe Gold which is tranfport-
ed in fo great quantities from
thefe Coafts, that it gives them
the Epithet of is taken in
feveral places.
The Gold of Axime is reckon'd
the beft, and is oftentimes found in
pieces of two and twenty, or three
and twenty Garrets.
The Gold of Acara or Tafore,
is foraething lefs; that of Acanis
>and
AVojagetoGmnee^ 26;
and Achemi is next, and the worft
of all is the Gold of Fetu.
The manner of taking it, is
known only by the report of the
Flegrces^ and ( if they fpcak truth )
is feveral wayes.
Thofe of Axime and Achefmt find
it in the fands of their Rivers, in
powdef:& 'tis to be fuppofed would
they dig at the feet of the Moun-
tains where thefe Rivers arife, 'tis
probable they would meet with
greater proportions,feeing by their
own- confeffions , after a lufty
Ihower their plenty is increaft, up-*
on which fcore they have this fu-
perflition amongfl: them,that when
they want Gold,they pray to their
"fetiches to fend them good ftore of
rain, and they arefure to be fup*
ply' d, as I hinted before.
The Gold of Ac AT a comes from
the Mountain of Tafou^omc thirty
leagues diftance, from the Town,
M which
(
■ ^^6 A Vojags to Guinec.
-which is three dayes journey up in
-theCountrey : One of the Cap-
tains of the Blacks had a great de-
>iire to have carried mc to the
place, & would have left the Kings
Brother and Son in hoftagc but
; the water failing as we were ready
• to go, we could not procecd in our
delign. He fold us that the Mine
belonged to the King, that there
was no more to bodone but to dig
.about the Mountain, and they
would have, gold enough ; that
thofe who found it were'to have
, one Moyety, and the-Kingthe o-
ther, ■ that he had an ingot of gold
before his ga'^e, which bv the uni-
. verfal confeflion of ail the Negroes,
• was higger than the Fetiche of the
■ whole Countrey, and taken out of
?this Mountain.
An Officer at Frederisbourg,who
has been feveral times at Fettt
.jwul 4<^AniSi afTured me, that thofe
two
A Vcjage to Guinec. 2 ^
two Kings had each of them before
the gates of their Palaces, a golden
fetiche of a vaft bignefs, not fo big
indeed as that of the King oi Fetn,
but yet full as big as a Peck.
The gold of Acanis and FetUf h ^
found in the earth by digging,feme-
times more, and fometimes iefs j he
which difcovers a Mine has one
half, & the A'ing the other: it is ne-
vcr above twenty or one & twenty
Garrets ; it is melted down at nc'i-
thcr place,but brought to us aboard
•as it is taken out of the ground.
- The Daftijh General has an in-
- got of gold,taken out of thcMoun-
tain of Twhich weighs fevcn-
teen Marks, and about the feventh
part of an Ounce. It was a prefetic
Tent him by the ^ing of
when his Army was beaten by the
Seigneur of (_x/wr<r,and he prote(3>'
ed him in his Fort. ,
When the French and the Per^^
Ml
AVoyage.toGumte,
fregteiitcd thefe Ccafts, the
iSatives knew not t^hc value of
their gold, but llncc other Nations
'havebcen admitted, ( and the./fo/-
landers efpecially ) they have
Jearn'd, by their carneft defire to
have it, that 'tisfof mor^ priccjand
do now hold it fo dear, and ftand
To high in their demands, 'tis al-
moft infupportable.
Bcfidts that,they have found cut
new ways of increafing their cjuan-
tities by adulterating ir, and ming-
ling it with little pieces of Copper,
which they call Qj*aquara,or other-
•wife With Brafs: the chief place
for this Artihce /s frmfnendot
V'hp.re I .may fay boldly, there are
t.h,e beft chfats in the world.
Ytt thefc pradices are only a-
Uie kfrcr fort of Merchants
cf whom great care is to be taken,
for they arc fo ingenious in this
kini^, thcr^ is not a cheat or for-
J
A Voyage to (juince;
gery that can fall under the invea.
tion of mankind,which they do not
ufc for the circumvention of ftran-
gers.
They pretend very much to imid
tate the Europeans in their working;
i O
of their Gold,& to fpeak truth they
are fo happy as to furpafs all the
workmen I ever fawj their files are
much finer than ours, and will
make their work as fine as our Ei-
Ugranne,'
The King of Fetu has a Cafque^
and a fuit of Arms of beaten Gold,'
admirably well done. Amongft o^
ther things, they make great quan-
ritics of Bracelets of polilh'd Gold,
and of thofe Fetiches which they
wear upon their heads, as thin as
paper : But above all things they
tranfcend in their hatbands, whicii
they make of threads as fine as
any hair. Their Kings have their
VdTels in. Gold ftill, their
M 3 work-
AYojagetoGmncQi
working Goldrmiths making evs-
ry thing they fancy, and every
thing that comes into their heads.
The Wives and Daughters of
their ATings, Merchants, and Nobi-
lity of that Country, are fo well la-
den with Rines, Bracelets,Feti-
n'jes of Gold, efpecially when they:,
go to their 'Bdls, that they have
lometinies in fuch trifles,, to ti>e
weight of 40,or 25' Marks of Gold,,
and the men to tlairty or forty.
It is fo incredibly plentiful in
ihofe parts, thata /Cing upon an or-
dinary Feftival will diftribute two
iiundrcd Marks of Gold amoriglib
his Courtiers,and fometiraes more:
J ^
for which reafon, the Negroes de-
light to have liberal ^ings , that
their largefles may be more frc-
guent, and the Gold Q not being
lockt up in their private Coffers )
may expend and circulate through
the whole /cing4ewie»..
Nor,
AVojage to Guinte. 27#
Nor is the dearnefs of their pro-
vilions, a fmall argument of the
plenty aforefaid;a Fricaflee ofPul-
lets bought of the {jMores will coft
two Crowns at leaft, a Pot of their
Palm-wine, as it comes intirely
from the tree, a Crown, and is no
more than three of our cholines at
TAris.'T'is true amongft themfelves
things are not altogether fo dear,
but having taken up^ an opinion
that theWhites make treble advan-
tage of whatever, they buy of
them,they fell every thing they can
poflibly at that rate to them : their
nlh is fomewhat cheaper indeed, 6c
for ten pence one may" have as
much as will fufficc ten men. -
Notwithftanding all the pains I
did take, I could never inform my
felf further concerning their Gold,
or their manner of taking it out of
the Mines ; talk to a thoufand
of it, and they will all
M 4 tell
«-
272 A foy&gt to Gumcc.
tell you fevcral ftorics ,not that they
are ignorant themfelves, but their
diffidence of the Whites is fo in-
vincibly great, they will never be
l^crfwaded to impart it to them.
Oj the return of mr V/.jfd
for Europe.
THe immenfe profits that are
made upon thcfe Coafts be-
ing obvious to all people, it would
be fuperfluous to fpeak any more
of them; by the univerfal confent
of the whole world, it is agreed,
that thefe Voyages are more cer-
tain, and advantageous than any
other, which appears by the ex-
traordinary attempts have been
made by all Nations of to
make themfelves abfolute Mafters
there, and evinceth the truth of
what- b have faid, to any one that
imagines
A Vopge to Guinee. 27 3
imagines the contrary, fo that it
remains now, that I fpeak only one
word of our return.
Having finiih'd our trading de-
figns, we weigh'd Anchor from be-
fore Frederisbottrgt the twentieth of
April, 8c fail'd cfircdly for the Port
of Tb()/r^as,( which isanlfland
belonging to the Ppuagais, fcitmted
diredly under the Line) to fupply
our fefves with viduals for fo long
a Voyage. The firft two daycs we
fteer'd our courfe Eaft and by
South, the two next Eaft South-
Eaft, and the two next full Eaft;
after which, we difcover'd the
Hland of Samf Thomxs, and cams
to an Anchor before the Caftle on
the fixth of May, feven dayes after
our departure from Frederisbeurg^
having made in all twenty fix
leagues and upwards.
7he
2/4 A Tojf age to Gmnec,
The Defcription ofthe I fie of St.Tho-
m as which lies under the Line.
|N the %th. o{May we made a
vifit to the Governour of the
Caftle, who received us with great
civility, but would not be perJfwa-
ded to permit us to go into the
Town ; he gave Orders to his
Tieutenant to treat us- with all re-^
fped, which he was not able to
perform himfelf, by reafon of an
indifpofition that was upon him at
that time.
He is a little man, well proper-
tion'd, about <i© or 50 years of agCj
his name is Aiofia, a fierce quick
man, but very civil. That night a
Captain of the Fort came aboard
us, to whom we gave an account of
what provifions we wanted^and the
Governour order'd us to be fup-
plyed the. laft day in. Rogation
week..
A Voyage to G u i nee. 275-:
Every day whilft we lay there at
Anchor, our men went to a little
River which runs hard by into the
Sea, to provide our feives with
' frelh water, which is indeed the
~ heft in all ^frkk, for we kept it a
year afterwards, and it was as good
and as fweet as at the firft day. Du-
, ring all the time we were there,not
one. perromof our. Crew was per-
mitted to. go on (hore, but my felf,
I who had that priviledge by being
aFrenchman.
I lay on (hore three nights, but.
deiiring the Governours leave-
j that our Notary might do the
fame for the benefit of his health,
he told me for niy felf all places
were free, I might go whether,
and buy what I-pleafed, but for
the Notary he could not pet-mit
it, he being a Flemming; that
if our whole Equipage had been
Frenehj they ftiould all have had
the
27^ A Vdjage to Gmncc.
the fame liberty, but that the For'
tugais had too rational a jealoufic
of the Dutch to allow them a fi ee-
dome that had not been pra(Sis'd
lince the lHand came into their
hands; that the Town was then a
rebuilding, and that there ftill re-
mained the foot-fteps of the mif-
chiefs and defolations the Hollm'
ders had made there , efpccialiy
amongft their Churches, which
were very beautiful-
The Illand of Samt ThomAs is
about fixty leagues in circum-
ference, it has a Bifttoprick in it,
and a Cathedral (which they were
then in repairing ) not inferiour
in bigncfs to SAWt tJMeredick in
Faric^ but much more beautifull,
and neat, the Mufick and Chapter
were maintained at the ^;:ing of
Fortugais charge; Befides that they
had Negroes to their Priefls , I
was much pleas'd to heat the lit-
AVojidge to Gmnee, 277
:tlc Morijh SoySj which ferve there
in the Qdrc , and fing without
Notes or Books, as cxadly as our
Chorifters in 1 ranee, which I
1 obfervcd in their Proceflion, the
fidl day of their Rogations: all the
Mores in that Ifland are Chriftians:
' the Town conlifts of about five
hundred houfes, the moft part of
Wood, fince the Hollanders took
it, and burn d it.
The general opinion is,that this
Ifland is not htaUhiul, but they
have all things r.ecciTary for the
life of man, in that plenty and a-
bnndance, that 'tis a Miracle ro me
confidering the heat of the Climat,
and the unvvholefomnefs of the air.
The Suear which comes from
I hence, is cryed up above all the
Sugar-in. the world.
They have a fair Citadel
built upon the Sea-fide, on the
t Eaft-fide of the Town ( with its
gate
27S A VojiagetoGmmc,
gate towards the North) about the
diftancc of Mufquet {hot; the fi-
gure is fquare, fortified with four
good Baftions, lined with Free-
Sone, planted with lixty pieces of
brafs Canon, carrying from eight
to eight and forty pound bullet.But
fo many Authors having writ of it
at largc-^it would but importune the
Reader to enlarge any farther.
Upon Afcenfion day we weigh'd
Anchor, and fet fail for Europe,hsi'
vingfalutedtheCaftle with yGuns,
and received their complement in
three, fteering South-weft, though
the wind ftood South-Eaft, and is
fo conftantly upon thofe Coafts, "
the next day we difcovered Ji»a-
bou^ another Ifland in the poiTeflion
of the Fortugms ; at which place
we began to alter our courfe Weft-
ward, as we did many times after-
wards, according to the difcretion
of our Pilots.
/"A Vojageto Guincc. 279
Wc paft on the back-fide of
ScotlanAi coafting upon the Ifles de
Terro, which are under the Domi-
nion of the King of DenmArk, and
upon the Coafts of NorwAy, where
meeting with feme Dutch Ships,
we received the firft news of the
Treaty at Breda^ which was the
moft remarkable thing in our paf-
lage; for our Pilots having been
miftakcn, and run to the wind-
ward, more than two hundred
leagues too muchj lean fay butli:-
tie of our return.
In Qtort, on the apth of AuguSl
we found our felves at the mouth
of the Texel, where for want of a
fair wind our Ship was forc'd to
ride at Anchor till the firft of Sep-
tmber^ at which time we entred,
and on the fourth following came
to an Anchor before Am^erdAmf
where all the Officers, { except the
.Captain and the Secretary) -were
ar-
- 280 A Voyage to Guince,
arrived the laft of Angufty by the
convenience of a Shallop with
Oares, which doufuallycome out
to all fuch Ships as are to go into
the TVjfr/, for that purpofe.
And thus was our Voyage con»
cludc<l, having fpent in our jour-
ney, our ftay, and return, about
nine Months and a half, without
any difafter, or the lofs of any
more than one man, who dyed as
we were pafling the Line, of a
Diffentery he had got at the Illand ^
of Saint Thomas ^ by eating too
greata cjuanti. y of their Sugar,and
fwect meats; all the reft both Of-
ficers and Soulders were continual-
ly in health, lively, brisk, and well
difpofed, without the leaft malady
or ficknefs in the world. For
¥/hich, God be praifed.
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