340 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. ship is allowed to visit this coast, the great convenience and the great profits of the trade will recur, and be perpetuated amongst the Ashantees; they will linger in the hope of its entire renewal, and view the English invidiously, as the enemies to what they con- ceive to be their only natural commerce; this is another advantage to the Dutch, added to the inherent bias in their favour; and, from the reception and facilities which slave ships meet with at Elmina, our odium is aggravated instead of being participated. "Delenda est Carthago." present ignorance of every thing that regards geography, &c. might be pleaded by mer- cantile speculators, but can have little weight with those who have the interests of science at heart, or . the national honour and fame, which are intimately connected with those interests. It was not with a view to any immediate commercial advantages, that this liberal encouragement for the discovery of the north-west passage was held out, but with the same ~xpanded objects that sent Cook in search of a southern continent." Voltaire's remark on Indi.a is now only applicable to Africa, " Plusieurs y ont fait des fortunes immenses, pell ,se sont appliques a conn01tre ce pays." I would even recommend indulging the wish of the King of Dahomey to renew and perpetuate his connection with the English, not indeed by resuming the 'fort, that would be a useless expense, as there is no trade but in ivory, but by establishing a Residency at his capital, the most frugal method of collecting the various accounts of the interior of that neighbourhood for geo- graphical inv-estigators, besides supplying the naturalist. Geographical discoveries in Africa have long been ardently emulated between England and France, and they have stimulated a generous rivah-y of investigation between the men of science of both countries. An Englishman first penetrating to the Niger, and determining its course at the moment a learned inve~tigator of t4e other kingdom had concluded it to be a contrary one, was one of those rational and illustrious triumphs which adorn the historical pages of a nation much more than those of war; for the gratification and the benefit is shared by both, and such successes cease to be invidious when the interests of science are thus mutually at heart. The following immortal tribute from a cla,s.sic of a ri.val nation, should stimulate llS to challenge as illu$Ctrious a record of intellectual research, - - "monumentum rere perennius, Regalique situ pyramidum altius;" by a correspondent pursuit of intelligence in Afiioo. " Un Anglais, detruit tout ce vain amas d'erreurs dont ront remplies nos hi8toires des Judes, et connrme ce 'que Ie petit nombre d'hommes instruits en a pense." Voltaire. TRADE. 341 Let us suppuse this irreconcilable obstacle to be annihilated, as no doubt it will be, and resume our reflections on a commercial intercourse with the interior. . The people of Inta and Dagwumba, being commercial rather than warlike, the object, deliberately to be obtained, is an intercourse with them, which would in fact be an intercourse with the interior as far as Timbuctoo and Houssa northwards, and Cassina, if not to Bornoo, eastwards. The wealth, civilization, and oommerce of Dagwumba, Mr. Lucas has before reported. Now, in effec~ing such an intercourse through the Ashantees, who are indisputably the greatest and the rising power of western Africa, and who, having acquired their present extent of influence and command in little more than a centmy, may be expected to aggrandi~e their empire considerably; in seeking this connection through them, there are these adverse circumstances, their policy, their jealousy, and their inaptitude to commerce. It has been suggested to the King, and urged with all the address of General Daendels, to open a path to the interior through his king- dom, and to receive a .duty or tax on al'l the merchandize tran- sported, which would afford him a certain and considerable addition to his revenue; but even this appeal to the avarice of the Ashantee government has had no influence. It would be dangerous as well as impolitic to offend the King of Ashantee at any time, with the present garrisons of the forts, madness; and though his influence through that of Dagwumba, which is at his command, would extend to the Niger, yet, I think our anxiety to explore so far should be suppressed for two or three years, until he is satisfied that commerce and not ambition is the impulse. But in the interim, it would be desirable gradually to approach Inta and Dagwumba, by establishing a settlement up the Volta, which has been shewn to run close to Sallagha, the grand emporium of Inta, and is navi- gable within four days of it; and possibly might be made so even 342 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. nearer. The Danes would no doubt relinquish their claim to the navigation of the Volta, for it is a doubtful one. Dalzel writes, " the Danes claim the exclusive navigation of the Volta, which is disputed by the English, who have a settlement near it, called Loy." The great prices the Ashantees get for rum, iron, &c. from the people of Inta and Dagwumba, and the avidity ~vith which they purchase. their small supplies, leave no doubt of the eagerness with which they would resort to our market; and the silks they obtain from Fezzan being dearer than our own, I should think we could . induce a preference. Our Manchester cloth and cotton manufactures would be novel and useful to them, as those I saw wore vests and tunics. But here I must observe, that whenever our commerce with the interior may be established, the returns of it, in my opinion, will fall short of the genet:al idea and expectation. The King of Ashantee viewing our settlements Ion the Volta, would, I have no doubt, be reconciled by our undertaking to sell neither guns or powder to any but his own people; a measure due to humanity as well as policy, for the preponderance of one great . nation is auspicious to the civilization as well as the tranquillity of Africa; but for that, the slaughter of the human species would be incalculable; there would be a constant warfare between the numer- OllS states, naturally querulous, and our passage to the interior would be impossible, not only on that account, but because there would be n~ , powerful monarch to recommend or protect us. If the King of Ashantee were not satisfied with our new settlement confining the trade of guns an9 powder to himself, he would cer- tainly be repressed by the alarming reflection, that it was at our discretion, (depending on his behaviour,) to supply Inta and Dag- wumba with both, and thus to undermine his empire; for it is well known, and has been confessed, that the greater population of these countries, could they but procure fire-arms, would give them a TRADE. 343 superiority over the Ashantees, to which their greater civilization seems to entitle them. Our force and establishments should be respectable; not to arrogate or to intrude, but to protect the legi- timate commercial views, sanctioned and invited by the voice of less arbitrary powers, and also to make their first impression of the English imposing and preservative. Residencies should be esta- blished at these courts, and young men of talent, temper, and discrimination be found to fill them, collecting the geographical and statistical desiderata, and forwarding them ' to be investigated and digested into one report at head quarters, before they were transmitted to England. One or two intelligent Moors might also be engaged to trade by different routes, and minute the directions, distances, and descriptions of the ~everal places; thus' paving the way, and lessening the difficulties of a futute Mission to the Niger. If the working of gold mines were als,o an object, the vicinity of the Ancobra affords a rich field; and a small _district might either be purchased of the natives, or they , might receive a dividend of the proceeds, which would produce them much more than their pre- sent inadequate researches, suppressed by their more .powerful neighbours the Warsaws. The benevolent and politic views of the British Government, would thus, hy making use of what we have or might easily get, be more prouably, if not more speedily realized, than by the perilous, desultory, and limited enterprises of two or three individuals. 344 , MISSION TO ASHANTEE. CHAPTER IX. Language. THE hypothesis I have met with, I think in Parsons's Remains of J ap-het, that the confusion of languages at Babel was a visitation 'on the family of Ham, only, which spread itself over Africa, is cer- tainly supported (considering the radical affinities which have been 'traced between the Arabic the Russ and the Greek, the Persian and the German, the Qquichua, or language of the Incas, and the Sanscrit, and many others.*) by the variety of languages in ~frica which cannot be assimilated in the least degree to each other, and which would, I think, resist the laborious ingenuity of the philologist. I have heard about 'half a dozen words in the Fantee, which might be said to be not unlike the same nouns in the Welsh lan- guage; and this is the only affinity which has been imagined. Two words only in the Accra language have struck ~e ::j,S assimi- lating to those of any other, the conjunction" kay" (and), which * The eastern and western branch of , this polar race, the Eskimoes and the Tschou- gazes, notwithstanding the enormous distance of 800 leagues which separates them, are ' united by the most intimate analogy of languages. This analogy extends, as has been re- cently proved in the most evident manner, even to the inhabitants of the north-east of Asia; for. the idiom of the Tschouktshes at the mouth of the Anadin has the same roots, as the language .of the Eskimoes who inhabit the coast of America opposite to Europe. The Tschouktsches are the Eskimoes of Asia. Humbolt, P. N. v. 3, p. 29l. LANGUAGE-. 345 with a broader sound would answer the corresponding. Greek con- junction "€Xl; andfai (to do,) pronounced as the perfecL participle of the same verb in French, and which is spelled fai in the old songs of Richard the first, and the troubadour Faydit. The Fantee word umpa (true, indeed,) may be imagined to resemble the Greek EfA-7J'€X~, which .has the same meaning; but it is a solitary instanc e. From A pollonia or Amanahea to the Volta, about 300 miles, six languages are spoken: the Amanahea, Ahanta, Fantee, Affoottoo, Accra, and the Adampe. The numerals of which will appear, colla- terally with others hitherto unknown, at the end of this chapter. The Ashantee, in comparison with the Fantee, Warsaw, &c. &c. from its refinement of idiom, oratory being so much more cultivated, may be considered as the Attic amongst the dialects of the Greek, but it owes its superior euphony, striking to any ear, to the cha- racteristics of Lhe Ionic, an abundance of vowel sounds, and a rejection of aspirates: Fantee. Ashantee. Key Safie Saphwooa. Lock Karradacoo Karradoo. Night Adayfwa Adagio. Day Aweeabil Aweeabillee. Gun Etoorh Oteuh. Vocabularies of these languages would not be interesting to the public, especially as no affinity can be traced; and I know not how to acquit myself of every thing like indiff~rence to the curiosity at home, (without the dulness of the subject proving more irksome than a disappointment,) unless I endeavour to give an idea of the philosophy of the languages,* and submit their progress, collaterally • " I am aware that languages are much more strongly characterised by their structure and grammatical forms, than by the analogy of their sounds and of .their roots; and that Yy 346 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. with that of the arts and manners. The genius of the Accra lan- guage differing the most essentially from that of the Ashantee or Fantee, examples from both will be instanced for illustration. "I have principally consulted two gentle·men, natives of the country, "b ut educated in Europe: the one resident between forty and fifty years; the other, who has a respectable knowledge of the grammar of the English and French languages, returned from -England about ten years back, and both are as fluent as the Negroes in the Fantee and Accra, the latter being their vernacular tongue. Impressed with the jng~nious hy_pothesis of the learned author of the Diversions of Purley, my first care has been to investigate the particles of the Fantee and Accra, considering _t he languages of tmcivilised people, to be least advanced or removed from the their analogy of sounds is sometimes so disfigured in the different dialects of the same tongue, as not to be distinguishable; for the tribes into which a nation is q.ivided, often designate the same objects by words altogether heterogeneous. Hence it follows, that we are asily mistaken", if, neglecting the study of the inflexions, and consulting only the roots, for instance the words which designate the moon, sky, water, and earth, we decide on the absolute difference of two idioms from the simple want of resemblance in sounds." Humboldt's Personal Narrative, vol. iii. p. 251. I am gratified to find, since my return to England, and consequent perusal of the Congo publication, that my investigations of these languages have happened to be con- sonant with the instructions of Mr. Marsden in his letter to Captain Tuckey, as appears from the following extract. "Where a longer residence admits of freer intercourse, and a means of acquiring a more perfect knowledge of the language, it will be desirable, besidf's attempting to fill up the large)' vocabulary, that pains should be taken to examine its grammatical structure, and to ascert!lin, for instance, how the nomi~ative and sub- junctive words in a sentence are placed with respect to the verb; how the adjective with regard to the substantive ; how plurals and degrees of compari-80l1 are formed; whether there is any kind of inflexion or variation of syllables of tp.e same word, according to it:; position in the sentence and connection with other words; whether the pronouns personal vary according to the rank or sex of the person addressing or person addressed; and whether they are in.corperated with the verb; and to observe any other peculiarities of idiom, that the lauguftge may pr.esent; noting the degree of softness, harshness, il)dis- LANGUAGE. 347 primeval simplicity, to which Mr. Horne Tooke's system refers. I found, however. both the Accra and Fantee languages more com~ plete than I expected in conjunctions, and seldom using verbs instead of them, which I presumed they might do. Yet I have no doubt, their half dozen of conjunctions, if examined etymologically by a person thoroughly conversant in the languages, might be traced, and shewn to be the coninicted imperativ.es of the most l·ecurrent verbs, as Mr. Tooke has proved those of our own lan~ guage to be. Neither the Accra or Fantee have conjunctions answering to each of ours; the distinction between many is neither cOinprehensible or neces.sary to them. I will submit their conjunc- tions, with those investigllted in the first volume of the Diversions of Purley. Fantee. Accra. Onee and Kay if Sey ~ . {unless -Kedgee still Emphee { - Shee but because N ooyewon Interah { since Nunne Namoo notwithstanding N 1 { emoo ay t h ough - Anna otherwise { NooHay or - tinctness, intonation, guttural sounds, and the prevalence or deficiency of any particular letters of the alphabet, as we should term them, such as Rand F . The extent of country over which a language IS understood to prevail should also be a subject of investigation ; and, by what oth~rs it is bouqded on every side. Also, whether there may not be a correct language of communication between nations, whose proper languages are dis- tinct." . J think the very frequent use of q is one distinguishing character of African languages: the r andf are very frequent, the latter ~specially : the former as a liquid is 348 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. ~here are no adverbs in either language. There are but two in our own which may not be expres$ed by a verb or an adnoun, still and since; and the~e they express by the conjunctions but and because. "I intreated, but (still) he would not," " because (since) it is so," as the I~atins frequently used prepositions for the Greek adverbs. Indeed since is expressible' by a verb, being derived according to Mr. Tooke from the Saxon sithan, seeing that. They express the adverb much by the adjective many; ago by a verb," it passes ten years;" almost by the verb it 'wants, " it wants to rain;" and when by a noun, " the tim~ I was there," coincident with Jones's derivation of orE.;jf Nooyewon, (because) in Accra, is lite- rally, "for the sake 0/." Intemh, the corresponding word in Fantee, " on the head of," (tirreeis head) thus, they would say, "I do this on your head," or because you told me. Lest, which is considered by Mr. Horne Tooke to be the past participle of the Saxon verb leYCl.n, to dismiss, is not to be found either inJhe Accra or Fantee : in the former they would say, " Menkaw -hauh ebbebari:idi," " do not go there, you faU down;" arid in the latter~" Kaiheah djai nee oheabwayshee," "do not go there, and (or for) you fall down." The use of the -noun for the ad verb is frequent in Demosthenes, (" ES'1 dlIG(:tlOq EXEIV," " he justly deserves ") and can only be accounted for in a prose writer, who does not need poetical licenses, as an archaism, disused generally, through invention or refinement. The term ad verb is llC?t a just indication of the origin of that part of speech, for, although they are derived from verbs as well as nouns, frequently substituted for l, as I have illustrated in the Chapter on Geography. Their pronunciation of z approximates, to that of the aspro z of the Italians. I hope to have leisure and opportunity hereafter for paying this subject more attention. I have not yet had time to mak~ sufficient progress in German to read Yater's Mitliridatis, ~hich will no doubt assist my observations. * From the Hebrew nnJl, ote, time, has flowed aTE, when; which T, 7r, 07T, being pre- fixed, becomes Ton, 7Ton, 07TOTE." LANGUAGE. 349 yet, in our own language, as well as in the Greek, following Mr; Horne Tooke, the greater number are derived from nouns: and those (of which there are some in the Greek) which may be indif- ferently derived from a noun, or a verb, may be referred to the former; because, many of the adnouns from which adverbs are derived in the Greek, have been pointed out as disused; and therefore the verbs from which "adverbs are exclusively derived, are likely to be derived themselves from obsolete-ac1nouns, which cannot be recalle~l; for it has been philosophically advanced, that ' originally there could have been but one sort of words, that is, nouns, or then21.mes of the objects of our sensations and ideas.* . I consider the absence of adverbs, participles, and prepositions, certainTy the least indlspensible parts of speech, and favouring copiousness rather than energy, to be 'a proof oft he almost genuine, or primeval simplicity of the Accra and Fanteelanguages, which have not advanced or altered, even -in the small degree ot their arts or manners; for these have only been ameliorated by commercial intercourse with strangers, who not understanding their language could not have suggested improvements, and from whose languages, they being equally unintelligible, amendments could nbt have been copied . We fino Portuguese nouns, and nouns only, adopted in the Fant~e; and that, of necessity, as Saxon nouns were adopted in the Welsh or Celtic, because they had no words to . designate novelties they had never before seen or heard of; and, therefore, they called them as those did who introduced them. These primi- tive languages being, nevertheless, thoroughly adequate to oratory ... " Every verb consists of a pronoun, expressing an agent, and of a noun, or the sub- stitute of a noun, e]!:pressing an object. Thus, alVa, and ''YW joined and abbreviated is OIVOW; and this term would be sufficient to express I iJJrin7c wine, though ~rjginaJly it meant only wine I; association supplying to the speaker and the penon addressed the. intermediate notion if iJJrinking." Jones. . 350 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. as well as the commoner purposes of speech, is a strong proof that language was revealed, as Johnson, Blair, Warburton, and others have maintained, and that it was not the fruit 'of human inven- tion or industry, as Lucretius, Horace, and most of the antients imagined. Neither the Accra or Fantee distinguish genders, the name of the person, or the context, is the' only expliciition; they have not even a third person feminine, but one pronoun , serves for he, she, it. The Accra has a definite and indefinite article, but both are affixed to the noun, as " minna nooleh," I saw the man; "minna nookoo," 1 saw a man. The indefinite article" koo" is the con- traction of numeral one, " ekoo," so that I saw a man, is literally " I saw man one." An is simply another form of the numeral one, still used in North Britain under the form ane; and in the French, the numeral and the article corresponding to one, are the same. The Fantee, like the Greek, has n9 indefinite artJcle, or according to Mr. Harris's expression, on which Mr. Horne Tooke is so pleasant, " supplies it by a negation o~ the definite," which is " noo," affixed , as " mehoon nimpanoo," I saw the man."" * The wdrd caboceer (chiif',) which I have used in the correspondence,jJistory, and other parts of this work, as the only title familiar to Europeans, (being always substi- tuted, even by native interpreters for the vemacular,) was of course introduced by the Portuguese, and consequently unknown in the interior. It is applied to a chief who has the charge or government of a town, (croom.) Su,ch howet:er are indiscriminately called ohen or king, in F antee. Thl'oughout Ashantee the monarch only is called ohennie or kiJng, and the chiefs who have the care or government of the towns of his dominions, siifehen. SOfie o~' saphwooa, means key, and the last syllable of the compound, hen, is evidently an abbreviation of ohennie. Sajie, a charm, is without doubt identical in a figurative Sense with siffte,, key ; and should, on consideration; be spelt as such, and not saphie as I have generally written it hitherto. A Moor is called Crambo by the Negroes of the interior, which bears the same interpretation as Pongheme, a Spaniard, in the Tamanack. i. e. a rna'll clothed. LANGUAGE. 351 In the Accra, the plural is formed by inflection , epenthesis, paragoge, and apocope: __ these changes are almost peculiar in every noun ; the more frequent inflections are, ai, ay, and ee. Singula7'. P luml. A woman yeo yeay. A box adikka adikkai. A stone , ten tai. Ground shepong shepongee. A hyrena krang kraI1gee. A father tchay tchayme. A liar amallalo amallaloi . A gun toon - - tween. A vessel lelen ledgene. A man - noon nhal. A house tchoon ,fj(Cliu~ . In the Fantee the plural number is distinguished by the prefix en, though generally, if they can, (in a glance whilst speaking) dis- cover the number of objects, they use a numeral with the noun singular; or, if they cannot be so precise in the instant, they sub~ stitute many to mark anjndefinite humber. The Chinese also, are said to drop their pi mal adJunct " min," when there is another word of plurality attached to'.the noun. Neither language has pr~positlons, and of course peraphrasis is generally resorted to: conjunctions are sometimes substituted, as and for with; occasionally verbs, as "the King to give 'his captain," fo r to his captain; and, sometimes, tiley are presumed from the tone ' or the context. Mr. Horne Tooke, who values prepositIons very' much, has traced all but five, of our own language, to nouns ana verbs; and of these five, three have since been ' traced to nouns and a numeral; so that out and qff,only, are unaccounted fo r. Jones, in his Greek Grammar, w~ites, ' " the roots of prepositions 352 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. are nouns and verbs," and, accordingly, he derives a'Tf'O from the Hebrew, ab, a stem, 'Tf'epl from the Arabic pera, eminence, U'Tf'ep from the ~ebrew aber, sky, or the Persian o.ber, a cloud: the insepar- able prepositions had been traced to nouns and verbs long before. Degrees of comparison are -not expressed by adjectives or adverbs, in either language: but, for he is richer than he, the . Accras would say, " eft phay leh ne;" the Fantees, " aw tchen adee," he passes him (in) things: neither language has an adjective answering to rich or wealthy, but "ne," · and " adee," in both, corsespond exactly in meaning and use with the res of the Latins: the superlative 'Nould be expressed by "he passes all." The antient idiom of comparison, antecedent to the general use of inflections or adverbs, was probably similar, judging from the following, and many other sentenees in the Greek, " n~e' £ctVTOV f''lJdtVct e'Tf'IT~delov nrsi''TO, he thought no body fitter tha1;1 himself;" "'WAefOVOq do",,. z;rctp~ MlVO'"~V n~:lVT~I, Heb. xiii, he was counted of more glory, or more glorious than Moses." Here 'Wapa, so frequently expressing com- parison, being derived from the verb 'Tf'epct!.J, to pass, is identical with the Accra and Fantee expression. I observed before that the Accra and Fantee have no adjective answering to rich, they are also deficient in many others, which they supply by a second substantive in the same manner. This idiom is found in the Greek, ~, To O'"lVf'ct 'T'lJq Tct7rE1VlVO'"ElVq ~f'lVV, our humiliated body, the body of our humiliation;" AIPEO'"Elq ~'Tf'ltJAel~q • . destructive her~~es, &c. &c." and it is said to be both a Hebrew . and Celtic idiom; primeval languages, and the latter, I presume, as rude as those we are investigating. . ;In the Accra, the personal pronouns are I me thou boh he, she, it lheh LANGUAGE. 353 we whah you nnheay they - amity Me is generally reduplicate before verbs, as " me me yay," I eat. Boh before verbs generally suffers aph~resis as " oh yay," thou eatest, but sometimes not, as " boh fai," thou doest: this is also the case with lheh as " heh yay, lheh fai." Me is added, as met in Latin, to make these pronouns compound. In Fantee t4e per- sonal pronouns are I me thou awaw , he, she, it narra we yarra you awoo they warra; the latter is used as a possessive pronoun also; woodde is affixed to make them compound; they are irregularly contracted before verbs. Considering these barbarous languages of primitive sim- plicity, and recollecting the original and philosophical deduction of pronouns from verbs, by the Greek professor of Glasgow, as Ert.i or eyevv (which is the more ancient) from AEryt.iV, ipse from E71'td, I par- ticularly enquired for verbs resembling their pronouns; but, after a long and diligent recollection, neither of my authorities could furnish me with any to the point. It is curious to observe, that the me represents the~ pronoun I, in both the~e rude languages,*" as it does, though not in the nominative case, in most other primi- tive languages, and in the modern ones derived from them : it would seem to be the natural and involuntary expression for that pronoun. There is only.an active voice in the Accra or Fantee; the pas- * It is also found in the Empoonga, and other African languages. zz 354 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. sive is expressed by a circumlocution, as he loves,~ or they love me, fOJ I am loved, &c.* It appears erroneous to consider the infinitive mood as the root of the verb, when it has a separable or distinguish- ing termination, and mong is as distinctly the verbalizing adjunct in the Accra language, as ere or are in the Latin, ElY in Greek, or an in the Anglo-Saxon. If we consider the imperative as the divested fundamental form of the verb, it is still difficult in these languages to get at the root, for the use of the infinitive for the im- perative, occasional in the Greek, is, in the Accra, so general, that for some time I thought it unexceptionable, and that it had not the two moods. The Accra has the neuter verb to he in the present, perfect, and future tenses, but in the perfect, it is irregular. I am I have been I shall be meyeh metay mahyeh The Fantee only has it in the present, " ok yea, he is." It -is re- markable that even the linguists of our forts, who speak English fluently, never understand or use our neuter verb to be, but sllb- . stitute live for it, and that, whether they sp~ak of animate or inanimate things; a servant would say, " your keys live in your pocket." The imperative mood has a present tense complete in each language. They express the potential mood by adding auxiliary verbs, such as our can, may, &c., have been shewn to be derived ff-om. The t,ermination of the infinitive in the Accra is generally mong, * " The distinction of active and passive is not essential to verbs. In the infancy of languagE', it was in all probability not known; in Hebrew, the differenc.~ but imperfectly exists, and in the early periods of it, possibly did not exist at all. In Arabic, the only distinction which obtains, arises from the vowel points, a late invention compared with the antiquity of that language. And in our own tongue the names of active and passive would have remained unknown, if they had not been learnt in Latin:' Jones. LANGUAGE. 355 which is rejected in ~onjugating. In the Fantee it is not dis- tinguished from the first person present, or root. The use of the infinitive mood, even in Accra, is very circumscribed, for it is not found even in the most natural case when two verbs come together, as I want to eat, for which they say, " meton meyay," I want I eat. The infinitive is generally used for the imperative in the Accra, but, otherwise, it only occurs in an idiom almost peculiar to that language, for instance, for are you walking now, they say, " Neomong oh neo neh," " To walk are you walking now.J} For I am straightening it, "Jadjumong mejadjio leh:' " To straighten I am straightening it." Verbs are invariably used thus, interrogatively, and, generally, in replies. I said almost peculiar, because 'I think this pleonasm is identified in the Greek idiom, "OUX' (-l-SIIOII ITOI e(-l-eve. Remaining, did , it not remain to thee," The Accra has the present, -imperfect, perfect, and future tenses: the imperfect and future being distinguished by the prefixes blelt and ah, the one before, the other after the pronoun. " me yayne. bleh me yayne. me yay. m'ahye." I eat it. I was eating it. I eat. I will eat. But the imperfect tense is never used, unless a sentence precedes it~ as " Bennay heh ba bleh me yay." " When he ca~e I was eating." Otherwise, they use the perfect for the imperfect, never replying to a question even, in the latter. The perfect is only distinguished , from the pr~sent by being pronounced short. These explicative particles, bleh and ah, would, no doubt, be found to be remnants of verbs of appropriate signification, as the ai of the French future 356 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. is derived from Qvoir, were any philologist sufficiently acquainted with the languages to investigate them. Ne, signifying it or thing, is adjoined to many verbs, frequently in the present tense only, like the explicative particle en conjugated with" aUer." The Fantee has a present, perfect, and pluperfect: as " me dedee,}} I eat, " me adee," I have eaten, " me waya dedee,}} I had eat. It has no future, yet the time is marked precisely, by adding soon, to-morrow, &c. to the present. Neither language has participles; for, I see him coming, the Accras would say, according to their idiom, _ " Minna eh ba'lheh.}} " I see his coming.}} Ba being a noun, with the definite article lheh affixed. The Fantees would say, " Mehoon deh orraba." " I see that he comes." Many verbs in the Accra language are conjugated like reflec- ti yes, though they are not so in their nature, as " Me nakoo me fai lheh I not I did it, for I did not do it. In the Accra, ko, the contraction of nakoo, (not,) is added to verbs as a -negative, as " meya:ljko," I did not eat; yet, in some instances, they have distinct verbs to express the negative of the action, as " mahttay," I will go, " meyang," I will not go. The Fantee prefixes neen, not, \as " me dedee," I eat, " me neen dedee,}} I do not eat; and they have also, apparently, distinct negative verbs, as " me becko,}} I go, " me'nkoko," I do not go. The Accra resembles the Greek in the nice clistinctions of some of its verbs and nouns. Gnaghmong To salute in the morning. Cotaghmong To roll up. LANGUAGE. 357 Balbaghtoomong To draw towards Tehtemong To gather up Kakow The tooth ache (nanyong a tooth) Kodjomong To talk a palaver Song . To work as a smith }neeChOomong Ghnamong - mechanic to work Ninnamong To separate weeds from earth The Accra and Fantee interjections are generally parts of sen- tences, as, Mr. Horne Tooke has shewn most of our own to be: " minnannako," what do I see now, " me a whoa!" I die, " macija /" oh my father, equally responsive to ' grief, joy, or surprise; and used as involuntarily, and as frequently as the two syllables bah, hah, which answer to our ok, and ah, and which, of course, cannot be called words. An Ashantee striking his foot against a stone, or any thing in his way, exclaims" the thing is mad." I was surprised to find little, or no inversion in the Accra or Fantee prose*'"; the substanti,-e precedes the adjective, but there is scarcely any other trace of it: yet, it is one of their poetical licenses, as may be instanced in the following line of a Fantee song; " Abirrikirri croom ogah odum:" • Foreign town fire put in, for" the foreign town is set on fire." In addition to this inversion, so many peculiar additives, (generally vowels,) and inflexions are allowed, as well as the figures Synreresis, Direresis, Metathesis, * " He (the savage) would not express himself according to our English order of con- struction, Give me fruit, but acco~ding to the Latin order, Fruit give me, Fructum .da mihi, for this plain reason, that his attention was wholly directed towards fruit, the desired object. This ·was the exciting iJea; the object which moved him to speak, and of course wouTd be the first named. Such an anangement is precisely putting into words the gesture which nature taught the savage to make, before ·he was acquainted 358 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. and Anastrophe, in their poetry, and in their poetry only, (making it unintelligible even to those who can converse fluentl.Y with' them) that both languages may be said to have a Prosody. From the following song, I imagined the Fantees (for the Accra's are said to possess none but fetish hymns in their own language) to have . some idea of rhyme, considering the inversion of the first line as forced, and expressly accommodated to the metre, Abirrikirri croom ogah oduID, Ocoontinkii' bonoo fum, Cooroompun, Coom agwun, but I have not met with any other instance. The Ashantees generally use much and vehement gesture, and speak in recitative: their action is exuberant, but graceful; and from the infancy of the language,* nouns and verbs are constantly with words; and therefore it may be depended upon as certain, that he would fall most readily into this arrangement. We might therefore conclude, a priori, that this would be the order in which things were most commonly ananged at the beginning of language, and accordingly we find, in fact, that in this order words are -arranged in most of the ancient tongues; as in the Greek and the Latin; and it is also said, in the Russian, the Sclavonic, th~ Gaelic, and several of the AJIlerican tongues." Blair. The arrangement of words in the Chayma is such as is found in every language of both continents, which has preserved a certain air of youtb. The object is placed before the verb, the verb before the personal pronoun. The object on which the attention should be principally fixed, precedes all tbe modifications of that object. The American would say; "liberty complete love we;" instead of we love complete liberty; " Thee with happy am I"_instead of I am happy with thee. Humboldt's Per- sonal Narrative, vol. 3, p. 261. '* "In the infancy oflanguage, while words were yet scanty, the most natural way, whereby a Wl'iter or speaker might give an additional force to his discourse, was to repeat such terms as he wished to render emphatic. The more ancient any language is, the more numerous appear the traces of such repetitions; and next to the Hebrew, they LANGUAGE. 359 repeated, for force, and distinction, as one one, for, one by one, or, each; one tokoo one tokoo, for, one tokQo a-piece. They frequently are obliged to vary the tone, in pronouncing a wo!d which has more than one meaning, as the Chinese do. They . have no expression shol·t of you are a liar, and the king was sur- prised, when I told him we made a great difference between a mistake and a lie; he said the truth was not spoken in either case, and, therefore, it was the same thing; they did not consider the motive but only the fact. Like the American languages, those of this part of Africa, are full of figures, hyperbolical and picturesque.* One of the kings of the interior, whose territories the Ashantees had long talked of invading, sent forty pots of palm oil to Coomassie, with the mes- sage, that, " he feared they could not find their way, so he sent the oil to light them." The Accras instead of good night, say " wooau d'tchcrrimong," sleep till the lighting of the world: one of their im precalions against their enemies, is, " may their hiding place be our flute," that is, " our plaything:" when they speak of a man imposing on them, they say, " he turned the backs of our heads into our mouths." Having occasion, whilst at Coomassie, to pro- ' test against the conduct of an individual, the king replied, through Adoosee, " The horse comes .from the bush, and is a fool, but the man who rides him knows sense, and by and by makes him do what he wishes; you, by yourself, made the horse, 'who was a form a remarkable feature in the Greek tongl:le. This IUI.W fl-IXW, I desire desire, blended into one word, become fI-'fl-IXW, and mean, I greatly desire. f3lXw {3IXW, I walk walk, (3,- {3IXW, I stride, &c. &c. &c. See Jones. • "The :nessenger concluded this insulting notification by presenting the king with a pair of iron sandals, at the same time adding, that until such time as Daisy had worn out these sandals in his fligllt, he should never be secure from the arrows of Bambarra." Park's 1st Mission. 360 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. fool, do better the other day, therefore, three of you ought to teach a man, who is not born a fool, and does not come from the bush, to do what you know to be right by and by, though I see he does wrong now." Other instances will appear in their songs. I shall transfer the imperfect Vocabularies which I formed, and the incidental observations, to the Appendix; as they may not be - indulged with so much attention by the generality of readers, as the investigation of the structure. MUSIC. 361 CHAPTER X. Music. 'THE wild music of these people is scarcely to be brought within the regular rules ofharmony,* yet their airs have a sweetness and -animation beyond any barbarous compositions I ever heard. Few of their instruments possess much power, but the combination of several frequently produces a surprising effect. The flute is made of a long hollow reed, and has not more than three holes; the tone is low at all times, and when they play in concert they graduate them with such nicety as to produce the common chords. Several instances of thirds occur, especially in one of the annexed airs, played as a funeral dirge; nor is this extraordinary considering it is the most natural interval; the additio'n . of fifths, at the same time, is rare. The natives declare they can converse by means of their flutes, and an old resident at Accra has assured me he has heard these dialogues, and that every sentence was explained to him. On the Sanko (see Drawing No.5, . and Specimen in the Mu- seum) they display the variety of their musical talents, and the Ashantees 'are allowed to surpass all others. It consists of a ,narrow box, the open top of which is covered with alligator, or antelope skin; a bridge is raised on this, over which eight • " A few melodies in national music have been fjjmnd incapable of harmony; such as the two first bars of the second part of the Irish tune called Thl.\ Fair Hair'd Child." Dr. Crotch. A a 362 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. strings are conducted to the end of a long stick, fastened to the fore part of the box, and thickly notched, and they raise or depress the strings into these notches as occasion requires. The upper string assimilates with the tenor C of the piano, and the lower with the octave above: sometimes they are tuned in Diatonic succession, but too frequently the intermediate strings are drawn up at random, producing flats and sharps in every Chromatic variety, though they are not skilful enough to take ad vantage of it. I frequently urged this by trying to convince them they were not playing the same tune I had heard the day before, but the answer was invariably, "I pull the same string, it must be th~ same tune." The strings are made from the runners of ' a tree called Enta, abounding in the forests. All airs on this instrument are played very quick, and it is barely possible to make even an experienced player lessen the time, which quick as it is, is kept in a surprising manner, especially as every. tune is loaded with orna- ment. They have a method of stopping the strings with the finger, so as to produce a very soft and pleasing effect, like the Meyer touch of the harp. The horns form their loudest sounds, and are made of elephant's tusks, they are generally very.large, and; being graduated like the flutes, their flourishes have a martial and grand effect. It has been mentioned in the Military Customs of the Ashantees, that peculiar sentences are immediately recognised by the soldiers, and people, in the distinct flourishes of the horns of the various chiefs: the words of some of these sentences are almost expressible by the notes of the horns; the following, uttered by the horns of a captain named Gettoa, occurs to me as an instance - " 0 Sal tlnt'intoo, rna yuaYla pa pa." o Sai: great king! I laud thee every where, or exceedingly. The Bentwa (see Drawing No.6.) is a stick bent in the form of MU~C. 003 a low, and across it, is fastened a very thin piece of split cane, which is held between the lips at one end, and struck with a small stick; whilst at the other it is occasionally stopped, or rather buffed, by a thick one; on this they play only lively airs, and it owes its various sounds to the lips. The Mosees, Mallowas, Bournous, and natives from the more remote parts of the interior, play on a rude violin: the hody is a calabash, the top is covered with deer skin, and two large holes are cut in it for the sound to escape; the strings, or rather string, is composed of cow's hair, and broad like that of the bow with which they play, which resembles the bow of a violin. Their grimace equals that of an Italian Buffo: they generally accompany themselves with the voice, and increase the humour by a strong nasal sound. The Oompoochwa is a box, one end of which is left open; two flat bridges are fastened across the top, and five pieces of thin curved stick, scraped very smooth, are attached to them, and (their ends being raised,) are stl'uck with some furce by the thumb. I can compare it to nothing but the Staccado nearly deprived of its tone. rfhe Ashantees have an instrument like a Bagpipe, but the drone is scarcely to be heard. The rest uf the instruments can hardly_be called musical, and consist of drums, castanets, gong-gongs, flat sticks, rattles, and even old brass pans. The Drums (see Drawing No.7.) are hollow'd trunks of trees, frequently carved with much nicety, mostly open at one end, and of many sizes: those with heads of cornman skin (that is of any other than Leopard skill) are beaten with sticks in the form of a crotchet rest; the largest are borne on the head of a man, and struck by one or more followers; the smaller are slung round the 364 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. l neck, or stand on the ground; in the latter case they are mostly played with the inside of the fingers, at which the natives are very expert: amongst these drums are some with heads of leopard skin, (looking like vellum,) only sounded by two fingers, which are scraped along~' as the middle finger is on the tamborine, but pro- , d,:cing a much louder noise. The gong-gongs are made of hollow pieces of iron, and struck with the same metal. The Castanets are also of iron. The Rattles are hollow gourds, the stalks being left as handles, and contain shells or pebbles, and are frequently covered with a net work of beads; the grimaces with ,vhich these are played make them much more entertaining to sight than hearing. I was fortunate 'ellough to find a rare instance of a native able to play the radical notes of each tune; he is the best player in the country, and I was enabled to collect the airs now offered: with some of the oldest date J have also' selected a few of the latest compositlOns. Their graces are so numerous, some ext~mpore, some transmitted from father to son, that the constant repetition only can , distinguish the commencement of the ail': sometimes between each beginning they introduce a few chords, sometimes they leave out a bar, sometimes they only return to the middle, so entirely is it left to the fancy of the performer. The observation made on' the time of the Sanko may be extended to almost every otber instrument, but it is alwayf' perfect, -and the children will move their heads apd ' limbs, whilst on their mother's backs, in exact unison with the tune which is playing: the contrasts of piano and forte are ve:r:y well managed. The-sjnging is almost all recitati've, and this is the only part of n'4.usic in which the women partake; they join in the chorusses, and at tIle funeral of a female sing the dirge itself; but the frenzy of the moment renders it such a mixture of yells and screeches, that it bids defiance to all notation. The songs of the Canoe men 1 The oldest ASH A "NTE1<~ and WARSAW AIR. . Sanko . . piano d ~ ~ie:~o JaR rr rI nJ JJ I n gi ~ i I JJ h Ij J A I £ortc +# jJ 31 I n iii i IcrrrrIJOJjJIl!RIJ;;;tmt · ;$nUJliilfJoiljnli Jla£]~IdJJJJJt=:II: '-i?-/ . .. A very old ASJlANTEE AIR. . Sanko N?2. J§ ill J1 n Inn J1 R 1m is Dr Aganka oshoom noo£a Oboibee oshoom Hoo£a Aganka oshoomnoo£a Orphan cries at night _ _ _ cries at night Orphan cries at night J f1J i JJ l,i j j ~ i .' I J11 fJ 1 l,i j , r ~ If wekirree w"kirree Jimiyow weki .. rce . wekirree wekirrce Jimiyow . sad thing sad thing I'm sorry sad thir.g sad thing sad thing lin sorry :# I j j iii j iii i i ;~~::l:~:na~rt~: rl~r~a~~: ~~c:~c~~r;':ra~eOl:l:>~:S a . WARSAW AIR. Sanko A~l?e:;o lit J OJ JJ U J3 z! n' ~ j j j I~ ·ni iiillO!d.r r:11 . . ASHANTEE AIR. . Sanko p~:,~~ Jg JJ JJ 0 ] I!J J J J Q·IJ J J J J 3I fil 3~ .I] I @J J J JJ J I h JJ 3] I JJ J J J J I J J J J J J I JJ JJ ,J J II o . FANTEE AIR. . Sanko ~{e:;o It df Old £JIJ JIJ JU oRJlJ n$.lj nlJ JI JJJIJ nlJ nfl.li air rid JIJ§Plljilll . ~ . l' AN ASHANTEF. AIR. Sanko N? 7. ~a. :'l ~ H l' . l' t . § -j ri Iri I W ~ J J J I J J J J J I Onoompah yahpah onom1'ah · yahpah onoompah yahpah (M"k".) p .. ,r __ '011 do bad _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ l' . ~ 1'~ - . .. £ . @W .' tk -S-. t I J. ~ f9 I J J J J J I sic: _ c·a sic __. ca onoompah yah1'ah 0 _ noompah , ya"".l, . gold ., gold (mak.,s) V"" __ SOil do !lad .. ,. :.. - ' - _ . - - _' _ £ . . . J J J J a· J I U J i ~ I J J J F1 :11 3 AS H ANTEE AIR. Sanko N? n. I~ ;USI13n IJjJ[JIJ]nn IJjJ J liJJjt1t Piano A . FANTF.E DIRGE. Flutes ~ ":::l" "::l" "::l" N? 12.j4 ,f- 1'1 (. "I f. fl J. ;'1 J - - [ Andante Fortissimo Drums &c. - :11 Fortisslmo Drums "'c. . AN ASJIANTEE AIR. . Flutes ;:~:~e , i$¥ 4)0·0 I Jj J·OI ,J) •. j IIIt il' I!J) , I j iJ] , I C1 bin n I n-~ 100 Jj 1m j1 , II , AN ACCRA FETISH HYMN. N?14. Jc P k t! ~ r 1:,; 51 tt~ F 1 Afi __ naie __ pwaee ~norwOOrra- af'i . ' TIaie _ pW3 t'e Andante .gnorl\'oorra JiG eSlJ n . F" 1m £1 jft FII gnorwoorr3 a£i l __ n'3i~ __ pwai!·~ gnorwoorra morbee gnorw?orra . .... gnorwoorra gnorwoorra morl)l.'c gnofwo.ofra , I ( 4 , A KERRAPEE SONG. ANn?d aInSt.e ~ " ~ , ~ i 0 , G GI rs c;t or r I ; ; esc J. %1 Kennl'o _ , 'ay noohlo" .dom"v.i Kennpov.y noohlo" adomcvai ~ :::j . ~ " ~ 1f-i! J =;:} J 10 l1)i: J t'/~1 J l~fJ rj± noodooloo a_ domev.i "nnO'hlou Dootoh me po me bloh ,,-'.l:n. _v o Ic" - FAN TEE AIIL '. Oompooch)'. N?I6~' lii.S J.O frO ~ I [jj?-£lJ H r I lUY 4JJ on "ItO mo. II . . FANTEE AIR . Bentw. VNiv?a c17e. , @g 0~ ndill w~.:: ::n::i ' FA ~ J I I c:u I ~i - I EJ' I J EE rl u Oil I u _IS wr :11 ASHANTEE AIR. . R.'ntw. V~:a::' .. ~ s J. Jj J rn I J . J.;' Jl JJ I J . J. =J J JJ I -J J iJ a. a J J I a J3 iJ1 J . II lVIALLOWA AIR. Violin A:d:~~~O § g ;'1 r pi ill I r'l r sI m I r :IIJ 11 J. IS 11 a· II MO S EE AJR. Violin An:a:~i~'<$~, J A J m J 3 I J ! OJ 0 n J~ II J J:qo Jj J J 'J I f:J fJ r 1}1 fa r II \ MUSIC. 365 are peculiar to themselves, and very much resemble the chants used in cathed mIs, but as they are all made for the moment, I have not been able to retain any of them. To have attempted any thing like arrangement, beyond what the annexed airs naturally possess, would have altered them, and de- stroyed the intention of making them known in their original character. I have not even dared to insert a fiat or a sharp. No. 1. is the oldest air in the who_Ie collection, and common both to Ashantees and Warsaws; I could trace it through four generations, but the answer made to my enquiries will give the best idea of its antiquity; " it was made when the country was made." The key appears to be E minor. The old and simple air No.2, is almost spoiled from the quick metbod of playing it, but when slow it has a melancholy rarely found in African music, and it is one of the very few ih which the words are adapted to the tune. I think it is decidedly in the key of C major. The noun aganka, an orphan, is from the verb agan to leave. Oboihee is a bird that sings only at night, for which I know no other name than the Ashantee. The Warsaw air, No.3, also in C major, was composed in consequence of a contest between the two principalcaboceers of that country, Intiffa and Attobra; one extrem@ly th'in and the other very fat; Attobra ran away, and is derided by Intiffa in the following satirical words: Asoom coocooroocoo oninny agwanny. Asoom is a dolphin, which, as a beardless creature, is an epithet of the strongest con tern pt. The literal translation is, The 'big dolphin runs away from the small man. No.5, which [should conjecture to begin in E minor, and to end in D minor, was occasioned by an English vessel bringing the report of a battle, in ",hich the French were defeated and theIl' town burned. The words are allegorical. I 366 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. Abirrikirri croom ogah odurri ; French town fire put in ; Ocoontinkii bonoo fum; Great fighting man, wolf take you away; Cooroompun coom agwun. Cooroompun kills all goats. Abirrikirri applies indiscriminately to all nations beyond the sea, • as Dunko does to all nations far in the interior. Cooroompun is a very large insect of the genus mantis (soothsayer) frequently met -with here, and the natives believe that it kills the sheep and goats by fascination, standing with its eyes fixed on those of the object, and swinging its head and body from side to side without moving its feet, until the animal falls in fits and dies.* Agwun is a noun of multitude, comprehending all the goat kind. A long tale accompanies No.6. An Ashantee having been surprised in an intrigue with another man's wife, becomes the slave of the King; and is .obliged to follow the army in a campaign against the celebrated Attah, . the Akim caboceer mentioned in the history. The Ashantee army having rdired, this man either deserted or Gould not join his division, and after concealing him- self some time in the forest, was taken by a party of Attah's, whom he addresses in the following words: Eqqwee odin ahi, Panther bush ' here (belongs to) * The power of fascination by the eyes, is believed and dreaded in those parts of Africa as mortal, whether exercised by the fetish priests against mell, or by the cooroom- p un against animals. The idea prevailed in-Pliny's time, but it was ascribed to the voice. " In libro quodam Plillii naturalis historire legi esse quasdam in terra Africa familias hominum voce atque lingua efl'ascinantium. Qui si impensius forte laudaverint pulchras arbores, segetes lretiores, infantes amceniores, egregios equos, pecudes pastu, atque cultu optimas, emoriantur repente hrec omnia." A cooroompun will be found amongst the specimens for the British Museum. MUSIC. 367 Minawoo! Minawoo! I die! I die! Me'din adoo croom, Bush now my croom, lVlinawoo! Minawoo! I die! I die! Babisseache Minawoo! Minawoo! For woman's sake I die! I die! Attah m'incomie! Attah m'incomie ! Attah don't kill me! Attah don't kill me! The man's life, it was added, was preserved when he urged that -he understuod how to make sandals. The key appears to be E mmor. No.7, in G major, seems to convey the moral, that riches prompt mankind to wickedness, the word" makes" is understood. No.9, became a common' song in March last in praise of the present Governor in Chief; who, in consequence of the famine occasioned by the preceding invasion from the Ashantees, daily distributed corn to the starving multitude: the words are even more incoherent and figurative than the others, therefore I have not written them, but the meaning to be gathered is, " Poor woman and poor child got no gold to buy kanky; good white man gives you corn." It will be observed that the air much resembles No . 11, wherefore I suspect it is an alteration, and not a composition; although the key seems to be G major, and it is impossible to attach any key to the latter. I The dirge, No. 12, certainly in the key of C major, has been mentioned before, but here I must add, that in venturing the intervening and concluding bass chord, I merely attempt to de- scribe the castanets, gong-gongs, drums, &c. bursting in after the soft and mellow tones of the fiutes; as if the ear was not to retain a vibration of the sweeter melody. 368 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. ! No. 13, in D minor, is played by only two flutes, and is one of the softest airs I have met with. No. 14, is an Accra fetish hymn, sung by one man and one woman, or more, at Christmas: Annale pwee, The year's ends have met, Gnor woorra Somebody's child / M~rbee. Take blessing. " Somebody's child," means' the child of a person of consequence, reminding us of Hidalgos, " the son of somebody," so applied III Spanish. Its regularity is surprising, and its transition fr ' lll G major to C major is very harmonious. No. 15, in G major, is a specimen of the Kerrapee or Kerrapay music, which I have made a point of preserving, as it appeared to me superior even to Ashantee. A young man acknowledges a crime he had attem pted to conceal: Kenneovay nooblou adomevai, Oh pity! the palaver is spoiled, N oodooloo adomevai, It is found, it is spoiled; Ennoblou; Think for me ; Dootoh me po me bloh, Elders, settle it for me, Adan vo, I am at a loss, lee! Oh! The following is a translation of a long Ashantee song, with little MUSIC. 369 or no air. The men sit together in a line on one side, with their sank os and other instruments; and the women in a line opposite to them. Individuals rise and advance, singing in turn.* 1st Woman. My husband likes me too much, He is good to me, But I cannot like him, So I must listen to my lover. 1st Man. My wife does not please me, I tire of her now; , So I will please myself with another, Who is very handsome. 'lnd Woman. My lover tempts me with sweet words, But my husband always does me good, So I must like him well, And I must be true to him. 2nd Man. Girl you pass my wife handsome, But I cannot call you wife; A wife pleases her husband only, But when I leave you, you go to others. * I never heard this sung without its recalling Horace's beautiful little dialogue ode, (9. lib. 3) " Donee gratus eram tibi." / BB 370 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. CHAPTER XI. Materia Medica and DilJeoses. THE report of the Materia Medica and Botany of Ashantee, was the only one which I was not required to furnish. It was afforded by Mr. Henry Tedlie, assistant surgeon, whose subsequent death has mi n gled a regret with the recollection of the Em bass y, which the recall of my own sufferings, and the family affiiction it entailed on me, could never have eX2tcted. The intelligence reached me in England, to correct the pride of success by associating misfortune with it; for the recollection of Mr. Tedlie's social virtues, of his enterprise and ability, makes it a severe one to myself, and to the world. :M:r. Tedlie suffered severely from intermitting dysentery during the Mission, but I had hoped it would have been eradicated after his return. He had previouBly attended the e~pedition to Candy, and expired at Cape Coast Castle in the 27th year of his age. Throughout the Mission he indulged the feelings of the natives" in his professional capacity, with a patience few could have exerted; whether labouring under sickness himself, or dis- turbed in the moments of a scanty rest; he awed and conciliated the people by the importance of his cures, and thus contributed to the success of the enterprise. " During the earlier part of our residence at Coomassie, the season was tolerably favourable to the gathering of plants, but we were then allowed to go out but seldom, and never beyond the town. MATERIA MEDICA. 371 Latterly, when better impressions succeeded, and our walks were unrestrained by limits or attendants, the rains not only checked, but generally disappointed 'my researches, by presenting the subject flowerless, (or in an unfit state for preservation,) and consequently not admitting their classification, as is too evident in the following list of such plants as are used as medicines by the Ashantees. 1. Cutturasuh. (*Chr!Jsanthellum procwnbens. Persoon. syn. 2. p. 471, Verbesina mutica Willd.) A small plant, a decoction of which is purgative, before boiling it should be bruised. 2. Ad'..llllba, (a species of Ficus.) The bark and fruit are pounded with Mallaguetta pepper and a small plant called awhinteywhinting, boiled in fish soup: two doses in the third month of gestation are said to cause abortion. S. Koofoobah (Glot'iosa sllperba. Linn.) is bruised with Malla- guetta pepper (lesser cardamom seeds) and applied to the ancle or foot when sprained. 4. Tandoorue (perhaps a Cupania or Trichilia.) The bark is • pounded and boiled with Mallaguetta pepper; used for pain in the belly, and acts as a purgative. 5. Bissey. (Ste1'culia acuminata. Palis. de Beauvois, Flore d'Oware 1. p. 41. tab. 24.) The fruit is constantly che"wed by the Ashantees, especially on a journey; it is said to prevent hunger and strengthen the stomach and bowels; has a slight bitter aromatic astringent taste, and causes an increase of the saliva while chewed". 6. Attueh. (Blighia sapida. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. vol. S, p . .'350. Akeesia africana Tussac Flor. des Antilles 66.) A decoction of the bark is said to be anti-venerea1. The fruit is eaten. 7. Ricinus Communis Linn. Castor oil nut tree, SO feet high here, and not a bush as on the coast: not used as medicine by the natives. * I am indebted to Mr. Brown's knowledge for the names and referencei in the parentheses. 372 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. 8. Apooder. (Two species of Leucas, of which one is hardly diffe- rent from L. Martinicensis Hort. Kew. ed. ~. 'Vol. S, p. 409, the other is perhaps new.) A mixture of the bruised leaves with lime juice is applied to inflammations. 9. Hooghong. (A species of U rtica) is bruised, mixed with chalk, and drank by pregnant women to correct acidity in the stomach, heartburn, &c. 10. Accocottocotorawah. (Heliot1'opiAtm indicum. Linn.) The juice expressed from this plant is snuffed up the nostrils in cases of severe head-ad1- They also inhale the smoke of it into the nose. 11. Crowera (Acalypha ciliata. Willd. sp. pl.) is bruised with lesser cardamom seed, and rubbed on the chest and side when pained. ]2. Enminim (a species of Vitis,) A climbing plant. The juice expressed from the leaves is dFOpped into the eyes when affected with opthalmia or pain. 13. Secoco. (Leptanthus?) A small marshy plant. Is pounded with lime juice and rubbed on the body to cure tbe crawcraws; a severe and obstinate species of itch. 14. Ammo.-The juice is applied to cuts and bruises. 15. Petey (possibly a Piper.) The leaves are pounded and applied as a plaister to inflammatory swellings and boil~ 16. AbrolIlotome.-The bruised leaves are used to discuss boils. 17. Yangkompro. (A syngenesious plant related to Cacalia.) The pounded leaves are applied to cuts and contusions. 18. Oeduema. (Musanga cecr'opioides Br. See Tuckey's Congo, p. 453.) The hairy sheath or stipule of a large palmated leaved tree; it.r esembles a skin, is boiled in soup, and used as a powerful emmenagogue. 19. Semeney, (probably a species qf Aneilema.) The leaves are pounded and applied as a plaister to favour the discharge of boils and collections of pus. MATERIA MEDICA. ~i3 20. Wow wah (perhaps a Sterculia.) The inner bark of this .tree is scraped fine and mixed with Mallaguetta,pepper, and drank for colic and other pains in the belly. 21. Anafranakoo.-The bruised leaves are applied to discuss boils and other inflammatory swelling. - 22. Kattacaiben (Leea sambucina.) A decoction of the leaves is drank every morning by pregnant women when they experience any uneasiness in the abdomen. The bark of the tree powdered is rubbed on chronic swellings. 23. Aserumbdrue (a species if Piper relaied to umbellatum.) The leaves are used in soup to allay swellings of the belly.- 24. Ocisseeree.-The bark of this tree is used to stop the purg- ing in dysentery and diarrhoea. 25. Gingang. (Paullinia africana Br. See Tuckey's Congo, p. 4'27.) The bark of this tr.ee is used internally and exterjlally, mixed with Mallaguetta pepper for pain in the side. _ 26. Cudeyakoo.-A very small plant. The leaves and stalk pounded are applied to eruptions on the head. A mixtute of it with lime juice is applied to the yaws. 27. Affeuah (unknown) and Nuinnuerafuh (Hedysari species.) A -mixture of the bruised leaves of these plants with Mallaguetta pepper, is rubbed on the body and limbs when swelled or pained: a decoction of them, with an addition of the plant Comfany ( Alter-· nanthe1'CE, sp.) is used internally in the same cases. 28. Adummah. (Paullinia africana. The same as No. 25.) A de- coction of the bark of this tree, reduced to powder with Mallaguetta pepper, drank once a day, stops the discharge of blood and cures the dysentery. , 29. Tointinney (probably a Menispe;rmum.) Is chewed with Mallaguetta pepper as a cure for a cough. 30. Apussey. (A legttminous plant, probably allied to R.obinia.) 374 MiSSION TO ASHANTEE. The bark of this tree pounded with Mallaguetta pepper IS ap- plied to the head in cases of head-ach. 31. Thuquamah.-The bark is pounded and drank in Palm wine, with Mallaguetta pepper, for pain in the belly. 32. Conkknoney, a dark purple coloured Toadstool, the size ofa hazel nut, rubbed with Mallaguetta pepper and lime juice, it purges briskly. To stop the purging, a mess of boiled Guinea corn meal and lime juice should be eaten. 33. Suetinney.-(Brillantaisia owm·iensis. Palis. de Beauvois Flor. d'Oware, 2. p. 68 tab. 100,jig. 2.) A decoction of the leaves is drank for pain in the belly. 34. Soominna, (Tetandria Monogynia,) is bruised with limejuice and used to abate cough. 35. Thattha (Scoparia dulcis. Linn. )-The expressed juice of this plant is dropped into the ears when pained. 36. Aquey (Melia Azedarach. Linn.) A decoction of the leaves of this tree is used with Palm wine as a corroborant. 37. Dammaram (Musscindafulgens. nov. spec.) The diseases most common in the Ashantee Country are the Lues, Yaws, Itch, Ulcers, Scald-heads, and griping pains.in the bowels. Other diseases are occasionally met with, I should sup- pose in the same proportion that they occur in civilized countries; but I do not know to what cause to ,assign the prevalence and fre~ quency of one of the most unsightly diseases that can occur in any country: it is an obstinate species of ulcer, or, Noli me tangere, which destroys the nose and upper lip; it attacks women chiefly, although men are not exempt from it; there are more than 100 women in Coomassie who have lost the nose or upper lip from this cause alone: it commences with a small ulcer in the alre nasi, or upper lip, the size of a split pea, excav,ated, with the edges DISEASES. 375 ragged and turned inwards, it proceeds by ulcerating under the skin; the bottom of the ulcer is uneven, covered with a foul slough, of a wry clisagreeable smell, and the dischaTge is thin, watery, and ~'er.y irritating: . it seldom cicatrices before the al~ nasi. and ~ lip are completely destroyed; when it does cease, the skin is puckered and uneven, and has a very disagreeable appearance; the only remedy which the natives use, is an external application of bruised leaves; they seem to let it take its course, without being very anxious ahout a cure. Framboesia, the Yaws, is a very frequent disease with the chil- dren of the poor and slaves: before the eruption takes place they are severelyaffiicted with pains in the joints, and along the course of the muscles of the superior and inferior extremities; in young persons; hard, round bony excrescences, the size of a walnut, form on each side of the nose under the eyes. The Natives either are not acquainted with a remedy for this enlargement of the bones, or if they are, they do not put it in practice. I adminis- tered alterative doses of calomel and a.ntimonial powder with success, as it stop'ped the enlargement of the bones and caused them to be absorbed, and relieved the pain· in the arlIDs and legs particularly; during the exhibitio'n of the alterative pills, a fDul ulcer on the head got well: the natives apply a t~lixture of the plant Cudey-akoo, with lime juice, to the eruption, but apparently with very little benefit . Psora, the itch, a very sev@.re species of which, called craw craw, is a frequent disease, and is very contagious; it is most com- monly met with in children, few of the Bunko slaves aIle without it, from their poor diet and extreme dirtiness; they do not seem to experience much . uneasi'ness from it, as they seldom apply any remedy; sometimes they llse a rubefaciant, made of a plant called secoeo, bmisem and mixed with lime juice. ,./ 376 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. Gonorrhrea is of rare occurrence, two cases came under my care, the patients had never used injections" they drank decoc- tions of leaves and bark" but could not tell me the plants they used; one of the ingredients, was a small plant call Cutturasuh, of a purgative nature. The disease is allowed to take its course by the natives, as they are unacquainted with any method to stop it. Tinea Capitis, the scald head, is a common disease with the poorer sort of Ashantees and slaves, arising from their neglect of cleanliness; the applications which they use to cure it have seldom the desired effect. They apply plaisters of pounded leaves and charcoal, but do not wash the head. In one case, where a boy was placed under my care, he got ,well in eight days, by having his head ,very well washed with a - brush, soap, and warm water; then a strong infusion of tobacco, applied \ with a sponge, and when the head was dry, a composition of resinous and mercurial ointment was rubbed on it. Hydrocele occasionally occurs; they attempt to cure it by frictions, of the castor oil nut, burnt and bruised with Mallagnetta pepper, but without . a~y benefit. I drew off the water from one hydrocele, but, from our want of stimulants, could not perform any radical cure. Their applications to Inguinal hernia are , equally ineffectual. They never attempt the reduction of umbi- lical hernia, although some are very large, and the disease very frequent. When a fracture of the leg or arm happens, the part is rubbed with a soft species of grass and palm oil, and the limb bound up with splints. "If God does not take the patient he recovers in four ITlOnths," as they say. I have not seen a single instance of fracture in the Ashantee country. Gun-sh0t wounds of the extremities, when the bone is fractured, are generally fatal, or, where a large blood vessel is DISEASES. 377 wounded, as they are unacquainted with any method of stopping the hremorrage; in fact they pay little attention to their wounded men; if they are not able to travel, they are abandoned. One of the King's criers had his thigh dislocated at the hip joint with an anchylosis of the knee; the limb was considerably longer than the other, and the accident must have occurred a long time ago, as he , walks very well. During the time we remained in Coomassie, and from our first entrance into the Ashantee country, I was every day applied to for advice and medicines by those who were afflicted with dis- eases, of which the mimber was great, and in the capital more especially, from its very unhealthy situation, being entirely sur- rounded by an extensive tract of swampy ground, and the natives consequently very subject to dysentery and fever. On first enter- ing the country I was applied to by numbers of patients, many of them miserable objects, from the effects of the venereal disease: to as many of those as applied, during our halt in a town, I gave boxes of pills and strict directions for their use, and told them if they came to Coomassie during my residence there, I would do every thing in my power to cure them. Many availed themselves of my offer, and attended me on my arrival. To those ",,-ho had ulcers or wounds, I applied the proper dressings, and left with them lint, adhesive plaister, and ointment. Most of them as a mark of their gratitude, sent presents of fowls, fruit, palm oil, win~, &c. to me after I had arrived in the capital. One man in Assiminia, who was nearly in the last stilge of existence from a complication of disorders, originating from lues \'enerea, after I had seen him, sent every week to Coomassie for medicines, and completely recovered. Another in Sarrasoo who had the worst looking ulcers of the inferior extremities, that I have ever seen, did the same, and with the same success. A great many caboceers .'3 c 3'78 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. attended me every morning with their slaves and children affected with dropsy, crawcraws, yaws, fever, bowel complaints, &c. and expressed the most unbounded thanks for the medicine and advice they received. At the King's particular request, 1 attended his own brother, the heir apparent, who had oedematous feet: by the use of fric- tion, a roller, and an alterative course of calomel, and diuretics, he soon recovered. The King's uncle, heir to the crown after the brother, was severely tormented with stricture of the ure-thra; he could only pass urine, drop by drop; three weeks passing the catheter, enabled him to make it in a full stream; when he immediately requested some powerfully stilTIlllating medicine to correct impotency, which it was not in my power to grant. The captain whose office it is to drown any of the King's family who have offended, had an ulcer two inches long in the palate bone; when he drank, part of the fluid passeJ out of his nose, and his speech was very unintelligible; the sides of the open- ing were scarified, -and the granulations touched every third or fourth day with lunar caustic until they united; he got well in one month. The only unfortunate case I attended, was our guide Quamina Bwa; shortly after we arrived in Coomassie he was attacked with remittent fever; by the use of febrifuge medicines, the cold bath, bark, &c. he recovered, and was able to attend his usual duty of waiting on us, when we visited the king; he went into the country, and I did not see him for si x weeks; at the end of that time, he sent for me, and I found him labouring under a severe bilious dysentery, and liver complaint. I was .unable to prevent the formation of matter in his liver; it formed a large swelling with distinct fluctuation, and as he hesitated to have it DISEASES. 379 discharged by puncturing with a trochar, it burst internally, and he died. I had one case of cancer of the upper lip, although the disease is said rarely to occur in that part. This case had all the marks of a true cancer; I dressed it every day during the whole time I remained in Coomassie, but the effect flattered and dis- appointed me by turns. The most importunate man for medicine, especially o! an in- vigorating kind, in the whole Ashantee country, was old Apokoo, the treasurer and chief favourite. He was afflicted with inguinal hernia: I wrote to Cape Coast for a truss, which I applied, and it gave him immediate relief and satisfaction. He would take the most nauseous drug with pleasure. I generally gave him bark and peppe~mint water, which he regularly either sent or came for every day, during the two last months of our residence, and earnestly requested me to leave plenty of medicine with Mr. Hutchi- son, the British resident there. Most of the chief men were very earnest in their solicitations for me to give them stimulating medi- cines. I always assured them that it was impossible, that the English never used any, and that nothing astonished me more than that they should ask for such things. Their answers were, " they knew that the English had good heads and knew every thing, and must know that too, but I did not wish to give them any.» A List of the Diseases which I have seen in the Ashantee country . . Febris remittens ~ 2 cases Scrophula - many cases Hepatitis 1 Syphilis many Dysenteria mucosa 6 Gonorrhrea - 2 Colica 1 Stricture .'3 Anasarca .'3 Cataract .'3 Ascites .'3 Staphyloma - 5 380 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. Ectropium - 1 case Umbilical (hernia) many .Bronchocele - many Dracunculus 7 Cephalagia - - many Tinea capitis - many Odontalgia - - 10 Hydrocele - - many Ulcers ' 8 Cancer 1 Framboesia - - many Elephantiasis 1 Psora :.. many Lepra 7 Hernia inguinal - 1 MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 381 ". CHAPTER XII. Mr. Hutchison's Dim'!}. SEPTEMBER 26. After we left the palace this morning, Apokoo invited me home to take some refreshment. He entered into a long conversation concerning the sla,-e trade: he heard, he said, that an English "essel had arrived at Cape Coast, and had brought out a letter from the King of England to the Governor-in-Chief, ordering a renewal of the slave trade, and asked me, if I had re- ceived any letter. I said I had not, put if such a thing had taken place, I thought I should have early accounts. He enquired what were the objections we had to " buy men?" I told him what I conceived to be proper; he laughed at our ideas, and enquired if the king of Dahomey had not sent ~a " book four moons ago to Cape Coast, inviting the English to trade again, in his kingdom." I replied there was a message sent, but I could not say exactly in what words, as I was at Dix Cove at the time. "England," he said, " was too fond of fighting, her soldiers were the same as dropping a stone in a pond, they go farther and farther:" at the same time he described an enlarging circle with his hand, and shook his finger and head significantly at me. He was anxious for me to write a " proper book" on the slave trade, many slaves, he told me, had revolted, and joining the Buntokoo standard were to fight against them; there were too many slaves in the country, (an opinion I tacitly acquiesced in), and they wanted to get rid of 382 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. some of them. There might be a deal of trouble from them; he alone had one slave, who had 1000 followers at arm!', and he might trouble them as Cudjo Cooma did, who was a slave of his when he revolted, and whose adherents alone were H),OOO, inde- pendent of runaways, &c. In the afternoon the King sent me a ceremonious message, with his compliments, saying he would be glad if I attended him in his customs, &c. when he should sit in public. I replied that I would be happy to do so, as it was the King's wish, except when human sacrifices were offered, but then it would be contrary to my inclinations, my religion, and my instructions. Shortly after I was told the King ,,~as in the market-place drink- ing palm wine. I went for the first time and took my seat on his left. The King made . me a present of 'a pot of wine, as did several of his chiefs. When he dFank, the whole . of the music played, while the executioners, holding their swords with their right hands, covered their noses with their left, whilst they sung his victories and titles. About half a dozen small boys stoQ.d be- hind his chair, and finished the whole with a fetish hymn. The King enquired how many senrants I had, and several questions of the same kind. After sitting about half an hour the assembly broke up, the King rising first, which is the signal to retire. Since the mission departed I have not been annoyed by any boys calling after me. After seeing Messrs. Bowdich and Tedlie through the town, on their going away, as I returned home the crowds thanked me as I passed, for ,staying. I suppose, they hardly imagined, when it came to the last, that I would do so: indeed when I returned to my lodgings I found them solitary . enough; and, in the night time, three men found their way into the house; one of my servants awakening, shouted out; I struck at one of them with my sword, but misse<;l him: in the morning it MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 383 was discovered that he had succeeded in stealing nearly half a sheep, a quantity of kankey belonging to the boys, and a table knife. I 'am not sanguine enough to imagine I shall be long allowed to take my walks unmolested; when the novelty of my remaining alone passes away, they will return to their old insolencies. Monday 29. Paid Apokoo a visit, and dash~d him a razor. Several people were there talking palavers, and wishing him to interest the King for them; among others, an old captain com- plained heavily of Quamina Bwa, our guide, but since dead, who he said had stolen a slave from him and sold him during the Fantee war; he had unavailingly applied to the family, he therefore wished it to be brought before the King. Apokoo complained of head-ach, and one of his women brought a decoction of herbs, 'which she poured into a hollow piece of wood with two tubes, these were inserted in the nostrils, and the liquDr poured in, while the head was held back, and afterwards spit out by the mouth; I have seen the stuhe poured into the ear for a like com plaint. He wished:ne to try a little of it; I of course declined it. He called one of nis daughter's, and wi~hed me to consaw, or espouse her; I told him she was too young; he said that was nothing, as he would keep her for me: he added, the Ashantee custom was, if a great man's wife with child took another man's fancy, he consawed the child in the womb, and if born a girl, when she grew up she became his wife; if a boy, it was his to serve and attend on him, and he took care of it. Four ounces of gold it generally cost to consaw a girl. I said he was a rich man; "true," he replied, " but it sometimes costs eight or ten ounces, sometimes only two." Observing a bow and arrows standing in the room, I began to amuse myself with shooting them; he told me these were only for play, but when they \vent to fight, they tipped them with iron, and put a deadly poison on it, which caused almost instant 84 MISSION TO ASHANTEK death; the poison is made from vegetables boiled in a large pot, and the arrows steeped in it. He shewed me the marks of two arrow wounds which he received in battle. He then began to consult hi8 fetish, by a quantity of strings, with various ornaments on one end to denote their good or evil qualities; these were mixed promis- cuously together, and taking- them in his right hand, he put them behind his back, and drew out one with his left; this was re.peated about .20 times. A wicker basket was then brought on a small stool covered with a silk cloth,in it were two lumps like pin- cushions, made of eggs, paJm oil, &c.: he then turned up the bottom of his stool, and making three holes in it with something like a cobler's awl, he drove in three pegs with a stone, muttering to himself all the time, and waving each string , round his right ear; an egg was then brQught in broken at one end, and placed alter- nately on' the lumps in the basket, and crushed on the stool where the pegs were put in: this he did every morning before he went out, to keep him out of bad palavers through the day. Tuesday 30. This morning , A pokoo invi,ted me to take a share of his u"mrb rella, and attend the King, who went to finish his ablu-tions. e walked along through an immense crowd; the streets were lined with the chiefs and their respective suites. We went down to the place where the King washes; a low platform was erected where the stools were laid on their sides. The linguists and officers of the hOlisehold stood on one side holding gold rods and canes, the fetis~men formed a crescent to the north side. 'rhe King performed the ceremony of laving the water over himself, sprink- ling the various articles the same as on Saturday, and the proces- sion concluded as before. On walking back Apokoo wished to tryon one of my gloves, and as usual put it on the wrong hand; his gold castanets pinched him when the glove was ' on, which made him shout out rather MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 385 lustily, and stop short, I called out" you stop the King;" " never mind," said he, and his attendants pulled to get the glove off. The King sent to know what occasioned the stoppage, Apokoo held up his hand compressed, exclaiming, " Gamphnee," (it hurts me.) and stopped till it was got off. In the afternoon I called on Odumata, who said he was angry that I had not called before. I told him I came to thank him for allowing a slave boy he has, to do any thing for me; he said I ~ight have him so as I fed him, I replied I would do so. He entered into conversation concerning the power of England over other nations, and the danger of going to sea; he had liv8d three years at Apollonia when a young man, and had seen many Portu- guese, but did not like them, " as they were all wenches!" He seemed pleased that I did not like them either. He wished me to purchase a horse from him for eight ounces, I said I would give him fDur." "I must not want one, or I would not offer him so," was his reply. I said that I had no place to ride it in, the country being all bush, and the King did not like me to go very far; he replied, they were soon going to fight, and, as I' should go with them, if would be better for me to have a horse to ride than to waUL I answered, I should lay hold of some wild boar and gallop it; this observation struck him with astonishment, and stroking down his beard, he asked my ser,'ant if he thought I could do so, who replied, if I took it in my heart I certainly would. Odumata said the people would think the devil was come among them. This hc told me is the Jast day of the year, according to their GalcuJa- tion, but from what reason I do not know. In the Sarem countries, he told me, they work iron from the stone, and silver, gold, &c. into .. trinkets, better than in Ashantee. I enquired why they did not make iron here, as they have plenty of ore; his reply was truly African; ~, why should they do so, when they had plenty of gold to buy it, 3 D 386 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. and could get it so near." I told him of England's resources from her own manufactories; he said it was not good for white men to ,know so much; if black men knew those things they would all run to England. When I got home I sent him a present of a razor, he sent two messengers to thank me, such is their fashion; and for even the smallest article they return thanks the next day. Odumata enquired why I did not get drunk sometimes, and come to see him then, I told him, were I to get drunk in Ashantee, I ought to have my sword broke over my head, that I had indeed got tipsey the evening before I Came away, with. my friends, and might perhaps do so when' I returned, but not ti:ll then. He gave me some palm 'wine, and looked amazed at my swallowing only half a tumbler full, " he would drink three pots before he went to bed!" (about 15 gallons.) Wednesday, October 1. The King dictated a letter to the Gover- nor at Cape Coast, stating, that the King of Cape Coast had broken the law by insulting an Ashantee man, who swore, by the King of Ashantee's head, that if the Cape Coa-st King did not kill him, he must pay llD perig,uins of gold to the King. This practice, though it savours of madness, is yet often resorted to for revenge, as it is almost sure to end in the ruin of the other party. The Cape Coast King had threatened, that the Governor would put the Ashantee man in the slave hole. till he died, which appeard to irritate the King very much. The King then enquired if I had any yams at home; I told him I had a few of his last present; he told me he would send more to the house for me, which he did, and gave me 5f ackies gold; then pressed me to take sOlile gin and water; on his being told that it must. be very little, for I was afraid of an attack of spleen and liver, and eat little and walked much, he said that was proper. Thursday 2. Through this and the afternoon of yesterday I felt MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 387 very feverish, not being abl~ to get any sleep for the rats at night. I kept my room aU day; the King sent a pot of palm wine in the evening. Adoo Quamina called. Friday 3. Whilst writing letters, Apokoo sent his compliments and would be happy to see me; I went, and he said he was sorry he had not seen me for some days. I told him I was sick the two former days, and to-day was writing to my family how I liked Ashantee; he hoped I would give the King a good name in Eng- land. I should tell truth. He enquired if I would like to see his croom (village.) I replied yes! He was going there this evening~ and if no palaver 'came, he would send his people for me in the morning, to carry me. He asked if I was not for one of his daugh- ters, that he might be called my father. He then enquired why I did not wear my hair tied, andl:,let my beard grow; he recollected Colonel Torrane and Mr. White having tails at the siege of Anna- maboe" and they looked very handsome. He requested me to show him the skin of my arm, he gazed on it with seeming plea- sure, begged I would allow him to touch it; on receiving permis- sion, he rubbed his hand over it, exclaiming" Papa Taffia," (very handsome) and repeated his invitation to go to the croom. Itook my leave. As I was going home I met a man white-washed, carrying ·a vessel coveted over with a white cloth: this. I have been often told is Tando fetish, but can learn nothing more. Music and a great crowd went with it to Adoo Quamina's house, at the front of which they put it do~vn, and sacrificed a child of Cudjoo Cooma's, the Akim revolter, over it, as an annual sacrifice of the King's. Saturday 4. Apok;oo sent his people for me in the morning, who took me to hi~ croom, about three miles S. W. of Coomassie. The road was in good order, and newly cut on account .of .my going; his slaves all turned out to see me, many of thenl never having seen 388 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. a white man before. A pokoo came to the entrance of the croom, which is small, to meet me, and took me into the place where he lives himself; it is like all country houses here, a square lined with palm leaves and thatched with grass; his own room, raised on the fioor, painted with red inchuma or ochre, and at one end of it, his couch raised on wood with plaited palm leaves, and covered with large cotton cushions. N ear his head hung three strings of fetish, made of gold, red earth, horn, and bone, in thE; shape of thigh bones, horns; jaw bones, &c. &c. One side of the square was fitted up with a forge and bellows to work gold; another served as a cooking place, and the fourth for his sons to sleep in. About 11 o'clock he went to one of the side places to eat, that he might not trouble me in his room, as he said. Before he began, small pieces of yam were laid on his fetish; a small table was then set before him, and clean water poured into a brass pan, with which . he washed his right hand, and then eat with it :.-they are careful not to touch victuals with their left hand. A large pot of yams and another of fish being builed, he satisfied himself first; the remainder was then divided into as many lots as there were persons to partake; when the door was opened, and about twenty sons and daughters, with their calabashes, received each their mess. He had given my serv~nt two fowls, some fish and yams, and told him to make any thing I could eat; I told him to make a soup of the fowls. When I was eating, A pokoo said he thought I was ashamed, and requested I would let him put down the screen; I told him I dared not eat much through the day, being afraid of sickness. He enquired if I wished to go to sleep, for his couch was at my service. I declined the offer, and he went to sleep himself. Shortly after, four of his wives came from town with a mess for him; he was awaked to know if they were to have admittance, as usual: he ordered therr to set down the meat and go away; they pretended to do so, but MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 389 sat down under one of the sheds, and began to annoy the shives, but their stifled laughter soon awoke Apokoo, who stretched out his neck, and seeing them, told'them in a passion, it was because I was there that they wished to stop, and that they had better be off; they took the hint and made their retreat. He got up to shew me his gold ornaments, which weighed 140 bend as (£1168.) and made his people kindle the forge fire to melt some rock gold to make a fish; but the mould not being perfect, it was spoiled. He enquired if ever I had been in a yam plantation; on my replying in the nega~ tive, we went to see one; he asked if I would allow him to ride in my hammock, I gave him leave; it was better than his basket, he said, except that he did not like his legs hanging down. He wished me to dig up a yam; the people brought me a long pointed stick, which is forced into the earth to loosen the yam, afterwards the fibres are cut with a knife. After I had dug up ten, he hoped I would accept of them as a present; yams are set like potatoes in Europe, they are put in the ground about December, so that they are nine months growing to maturity. He said he should not go to Coomassie that night, as he had to decorate his drums with tigers skins, but that he would be in on Tuesday. If I wished to corne out and see him before that time he would send people for me, and be glad. I said I sht; he entered at great length into the grievances experienced by Brue from the G9vernor in Chief and officers, because he owed eight ounces of gold; I was called in to reply, which I 'said I could not conde- scend to do, until I heard from the Governor in Chief, as they had sent messengers to complain to him. Adoosee charged four messengers with what they were to tell the Governor, making them take fetish and other formalities usual only on great occasions, thereby giving the affair an importance it did not merit. The King, on the breaking up of the council, said he would :;end for me shortly after, to write an account of the affair to the Governor; when I returned home, I did com municate the whole to the Governor, as the King's letters are so hurried. \ \ 'MR HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 391 i heard nothing from the King all day, but at night a Fantee man called on me, who had been taken by the Ashantees in last year's war, and whom I had been trying to liberate by speaking in his behalf to the King, and concerning four ounces of gold that had been taken. The captain concerned in it, to get quit of the palaver, had urged one of his wives to swear the man had lain with her; she accordingly mad~ a formal complaint; the man was put in irons in the bush and only released yesterday morning as they thought to catch the King when he had some palavers pending, which would make him angry; they therefore brought it before the King yesterday morning, thinking he would order the man's head to be cut off; but he told the King that this palaver was brought against him because I had spoken for him; the woman was caneEl, who insisted th6 man had lain with her, the man de- nied it, and on being offered fetish he cheerfully took it, and swore by the King to the contrary. The woman would not do so, and the King ordered the irons to be taken from the man, and put on the woman, telling her, she had not looked at the man properly, as it must be some other person. Tuesday 14. This morning a man was beheaded at the door of the house where I live, by Aboidwee, the house master: it appears, the man in question was brother to a caboceer, and presump- tive heir to his property; tired of waiting so long he made fetish incantations, and other ceremonies peculiar to them, to destroy his / brother; this coming to the brother's ears, and also, that he had enjoyed one of-his wives five tiples, he complained to the King aI1d requested he would put the offender to death to save his own life; the King complied, and ordered Aboidwee to put the sentence in execution. Wednesday 15. The Adal custom. I went as usual with flags, and first received the usual offering of rum, and ten ackies of gold 392 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. instead of a sheep. I called on Baba, the chief of the Moors, in the afternoon, who said he would teach me Arabic if I would teach him English; I said I would; but I am afraid he is too old for progress. I called on Odumata in my way back, who annoyed me as usual to drink palm wine, although it gives me a head ache. Akotoo, the King's brother, was there, who said he had only seen me four times since the mission went away, and wished me to call on him. The conversation turned on the King's going to war, and his anxiety for me to go and see how they killed their enemies, and he would give me gold to feed me. I was told by a Fantee man, that Sam Brue had procured 200 guns and a quantity of powder for the King, for slaves he had sold to the Spaniards now on the coast. Friday 17. Deputies from the Warsaw states arrived a few days ago, to settle the differences between them and the Ashantees. It is thought, a fine to the King and future tribute may cOlllpromise the matter. Odumata informed me, that the slave ship has 600 slaves on board; and that, through Sam Brue's exertions; he confirmed the report of the guns and powder. Sunday 19. The heaviest rain, thunder, and lightning I ever saw, and has continued for several days and nights. About 7 o'clock A. M. the King's drums announced his going to the market-place, where all his chiefs went and were drenched with wet till 2 o'clock P. M. when the King sent for rum and palm 'Y-ine and dismissed them drunk and dirty. On Monday the scene was continued till the slaves had got the house covered in. Tuesday 21. Agay the linguist returned from Assin, where he had been four months; and brought with him a number of Fan- tees and their families, as slaves. During the eruption of the Fantees in 1816, many of them ran to the Assin country to try and dude the vigilance of the King, but he heard of it, and sent MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 393 Agay to demand them, who, aftet a long negociation, succeeded. A council was held at Abrassoo on the Barramang road, and the slaves were sent to Barramang to build a new croom for the King. Sunday, November 2. The King has been busy for ihe last twelve days making fetish, &c. for · the success of the war'; the Moors going every morning to the palace for prayer and sacrifice: to day being Adal custom, I went as usual, and received ten ackies of gold and a flask of rum, the foremost in the assembly, which was numerous . . Friday 7. A serious palaver has arisen between the King and Adoosee the chief linguist, he having taken a bribe from some person to misrepresent a palaver to the King; this coming to the King's ear, he sent in a fury to Adoosee, who, on being charged with it, thought his life would be the forfeit, and sent an " ~press to Apokoo to come and intercede for him; Apokoo being at his croom, it has been several times talked before the King, but no settlement, has taken place. Several people have been making application to me to de;.. mand them of the King, as belonging to the forts, having been detained as slaves during the Fantee war, and when Winnebah fort was destroyed. They are commonly very old, and of the female sex. Saturday 8. Adoosee has got his palaver settled by paying tW.enty ounces of gold, and six or eight sheep to the King; Adoo- see's friends alleged that he ought not to pay any thing, because when any palaver comes he settles it at once; but if he is not there, they have to go to council, which in fact is true; but not- withstanding his abilities, and that he takes his seat as usual, the King looks at him with a gloomy eye. The. King has been busy making human sacrifices for the success of the war, at Bantama. Assafoo, and Aduma, in the evenings; and the Moors make their SE 394 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. piferings of sheep in the pal?ce in the mornings according to the moslem ritual. Though the zealous Christian may lament that the Gospel has not taken place of the fetish, yet the friends of huma- nity will rejoice that the King faypurs the Moors, as many lives have been sayed that wou!d otherwise have been destrDyed at the present CrISIS. TD t a small one for met Saturday 22. This morning a. slave belonging to the house master swore by the King's head that he must kill him to day. A great uproar ensued, while they put him in irons, and they got out the family stools and sacrificed fowls and sheep, pouring the blood on them to propitiate the wrath of the I~ing from the family. The King was then told of it, wflosaid as that ,vas his fetish day he could not kill a man that day; but to-morro·w he would behead him . It appears he had connection with one of his brother's wives, who, hearing of it, cautioned him from doing so again, or else he would tell the King and make him kill_h im: he was again found with the (woman, and his brother went to the King to complain . Hearing this, and fearing the torture, he swore by the King that he must shoot him with eight muskets. The King on being told this, said he would put such small shot into the muskets as only to WOU1!lrd him, and then he should torture him; hereby fulfilling his own law, which he considers sacred. Sunday 23. About 12 o'clock sent for by the King, whom I found scolding his sister for disooedience in one of her slaves. After sitting some time talking on indifferent subjects, the King said he should go to council, about what he was going to say to me. Shortly after he sent one of his sons to say his father was MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 399 going to eat and wash, if I would be kind enough to return home. I heard that messengers from Elmjna had arrived the evening before, and expected to hear of some complaint of breaking the law, as they style it: although I could not reconcile it with an ob. servation I had made; a pair of razors I had presented to the King were invariably sent to me to sharpen, as the King wished to shave with them, when any favourable affair was to be talked, and that morning they came as usual. ' I was again sent for, and the King announced in a formal manner his intention of going in person to make war on Adinkara, the . King of Buntookoo, and wished me to announce it to the Governor. I therefore wrote a letter of the King's dictating, stating this to the Governor, and .requesting him to give on trust 300 oz. kegs, pow- der, and 300 muskets, and sending to the Governor in Chief six periguins of gold, and to the Governor of Annamaboe four peri- guins, to purchase a cloth for him, the handsomest they could find, an~ inviting them to send him a dash and make the town's people do the same, for the prosperity of the war. His Majesty was very lavish in his compliments of the generosity of the English, and their great riches; he then enquired if I was willing to go to fight, · J replied certainly, if I could obtain the Governor's permission, I should like it very much: he thanked me very warmly. I heard,. on my return to the house, that the Dutch General had sent ' as a present to the King 60 oz. kegs powder, and the Elmina people 40, which caused this stir. Monday 24. Sent for again to write the Governor word that the King sent .down 30 men to be clothed as soldiers, if the Governor could spare clothes, one of them to be. as captain and one a ser- jeant, with a flag. His Majesty also wished to have arrow root, Port wine, s~gar, candles, and a few other things for the campaign. I was then told to write a letter. to the Danish Governor in Chief 400 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. to the same effect, and to ask him for payment of what was due on hi!J note. I foresaw this would make an uproar; and on the note being handed to me to know what was due on it, when I told the King that nothing was on it, he got into the greatest rage I have yet seen him in, with the captain who receives the pay. This man had been sent down to Accra about three months ago, to receive what pay was due, Mr. Bowdich writing to the Danish Governor in Chief to know, for the King's satisfaction, what was sent. On his return, the latter stated that the King's note was paid up to the ensuing Christmas. There being a great deficiency between what was stated in the letter, and what the captain produced, he charged Mr. Bowdich with mis-stating what was in the letter; Quashie A paintree, the linguist, was sworn on the King's fetish to interpret proper; the Ashantee still insisted, and to clear himself, said the book was not paid to Christmas. The King and linguists remem- bered this, and when they heard that the note was actually paid to the end of the year, every.o ne tried who would be loudest in theil' accusations against him. Apokoo, who is his chief, was loudest against him, he said he had used him disrespectfully, and never gave him any of the dashes he received; besides he had given the lie to an English officer, and at the same time he cheated the King; he therefore left him to the mercy of his Majesty. The King said he must return him all the gold back he had lent him; . and as for the fort at Accra; he might take the pay when he pleased. A hat, certainly a bad one, was brought in, and the King asked me if I thought it worth the price charged for it. I replied I was not a judge, as such hats were not sent out for us; but if I were, I must positively decline interfering in the King's affairs with his servants. By degrees the King worked h~mself to such a height of passion, that throwing his cloth around_him, and hastily rising, he ordered the captain's arrest. The King's S{)ns seized on him, and he stood MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 401 appalled, as the silver cane fell from his hand. I once thought the King would have committed some extravagance, none of the chiefs daring to rise; Agay at length arose, and in his energetic manner requested that his majesty would recollect I was present. The King ordered his sons to go with the captain to his house, and bring him all the gold they found; he then withdrew, but I ,heard him storming in his apartments. Shortly after, Odumata's brother came to say, that the chiefs might thank me, as were it not for my sake, everyone of them would have been turned out of the palace by the shwes. Agay, Who was the only one who followed · the King, came to apologis~ for the abrupt departure of his Majesty: he hoped I would not pe ?ifended, and requested I would go home and dine, as it was late, and the King would send for me soon. Tuesday 25. The King sent for ·me.to write another letter to the Governor, saying he 'had sent down three pieces of rock gold as a pawn for powder; they were the largest I have yet seen, one of them weighing about 20 ounces. I gave his Majesty a packet of letters to be forwarded to Cape Coast: he rallied me on the size of it, and said he supposed I wrote the Governor and Mr. Bowdich every palaver in town. To-day the stool of Alphia was declared · in abeyance; the son of the caboceer Premehinia having brought a complaint against the caboceer of Alphia; who is brother to the former; his sable highness came on a beautiful Arabian, of a very small size,; at the sound of drums and horns he danced and went through various evolutions. , . Friday 28. To-day the caboceerof Alphia was deposed, and his brother the caboceer of Premehinia had the st(Jol attached to his other possessions. In the afternoon whilst! was out, the Moorish prince, with a large retinue, called to pay tne a visit, r found one 3 F 402 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. of his attendants sitting at the door with a gold sword, who, on re· ceiving permission, went and told him I was come home; sp-ortly after he came, and expressed great wonder at aU he saw. He said I had too many 'silver spoons, and modestly requested I would give him one or two; his attendant who fanned him thought so too) as he attempted to steal one, but one of the servants hap- pening to pass, he threw it under the table. I wished him to sell me his horse, but he said he was too great a man to walk home, and the ground hurt his feet. Sunday 30. The King paid me a long visit, he heard, he said, that my horse had died, and had come to see me least I should think he forgot me, but he had so much fetish to make, and so many ,palavers to settle, that he had little time. The conversation then turned on the travels of Englishmen, and the white men drowned in the Quolla (Niger.) I explained to his Majesty the objects of the expeditions sent from England to the interior of Africa, and expressed how anxious I was to get Mr. Park's books and papers for the King of England; his Majesty promised to aid me in doing so, and before he went away, desired me to point out to him what I conceived the proper method. _ The King then began to talk about my living with him, and if I liked to do so; he said I was like a king, and wished his people to treat me with Fespect; and everyone run to see me when I went out, as they run to see him. I said that some of his people wished to accu.se me of treason for putting ' buckles in my shoes ai the Adai: custom. The King said that none dared do so, but those whom he ordered, any other would have their heads cut off: but I - was different, and he knew Englishmen did what was proper. His majesty took his leave with. many expressions of personal attention, which, whether they were sincere or not, were at least to be recel \Ted with politeness. MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 403 Monday, December 1. One of the King's nephew:s came to see me, but was terribly afraid to pass the man in irons who swore on, the King, least he should swear that when the King killed him, hel must also kill his nephew, which would cost a deal of gold; for 'Such is the sacredness of the law, that in that case the King must do it. I had a key of a door where I could privately let him out, without passing through the courts of the house, by which he gladly made hi-sescape. This man has be~n no small annoyance; as no person of rank will venture to call _o n me, least they should be brought into trouble by his swearing on their heads. f Tuesday 2. The King t'o-d;:ty made a present of 10 periguins of gold to the Moors in town for their services, and they were to divid,e it themselves. This created no small altercation among them; those belonging to the town wished to keep it all, and not , give the Sheree£. Abraham any, who came from the ba'Qks of the . Niger; as the King had that morning told him he wished hiin to accompany him to the ,var, he told them it was of no consequence, a.s he should not accompany the King unless he was looked on with the )Same degree of rank as Baba, as, indeed, he was sup.erior from , . his knowledge, ;and belonging to Mahomet's family, On this they gave him three periguins, the same that Baba had: all were then . pleased with their portion except one, called Aboo, who only had 10 ackies; he consoled himself by making the usual exclamation, " God is great! he never dies, he never sleeps," and said he left the palaver in his hands. Thursday 4. Apokoo paid me a visit to thank me for some medicine I had given him, being sick after his great custom; he enquired if I heard that Fantee messengers were come to this place, I said no, but I expected them soon to take the King's fetish, as he wished them to do so, previous ·tohis going to war; he then told me that the King heard there were some on the path, MISSION TO ASHANTEE. ana could not think what their message was; I told him they must either be those the Governor was sending up, or Fantees with the King's tribute; on his going away, he requested I would let him out by the door 1 'had the key of, as he also was afraid of the man in irons swearing on his life, aDd was glad he could avoid passing -him. Fridayl 5. This was the coldest morning I have felt since I came to Africa, being'scarcely able to take breakfast, I was so chilly; the thermometer stood at 65°. I was desired to write a letter to General Daendels, telling him the King had lost his notes for the Dutch forts, and requesting him to give new ones to Akimpon. The King's father had con- quered the Akim chief; who held a note for Dutch Accra; he also conquered the King of Adinkara, who ha,d the Elmina note, both of which were given up to him; he would not ta,ke them both in. one note as the General wished, but he must have one payable at Elmina and one at Accra. When the King weighed out the gold for his messengers expences, he weighed 10 ackies for me, which- • I hoped his Majesty would take back, as 1 did not wish for them, and requested he would not think I wished payment for writing a letter for him. My scruples were laughed at by them all, and the King said" that white men ' were very singular, as they 'gave gold or a good dash to anyone ' who did any thing. for them, yet they would not take any: he wished to do something like w4ite men, and whep anyone did any thing for"him he gave them something, and he wished me to take this to shew his good will." Odumata, who is the greediest man in Coomassie for gold, whispered, if I did not like it, I might send it to him when I got home. I did not exactly understand him, or I would have offered it to him then with pleasure, to expose his avarice. . The captain who was arrested last week for peculation on Danish MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 406 Accra, appeared in his place to day; he had promised Amanquatea and Quatchie Quophie, the two chief captains, a large present' if they would settle the affair for him, which they did, and he received • the letters to proceed to the fort as usual. Apokoo having told the King of the inconvenience arising to any chief coming to me, from the cul'prit in iron~ being in the way, he was removed to a private part of Apokoo's house, where he could annoy no one, till the Adal custom, when he is to be beheaded, as the affair cannot be settled without. Sunday 7. Several ~f the Moorish caboceers came to take leave, as they were going to-morrow to their own country previous to the , war, and were to meet the King on the road when he went, and consequently would not see meeagain for some time; on my enquir:. ing how long the King was to· be absent, theY' replied, God had told them seven months would finish the war; they enquired if I should like to see them at Cape Coast, as' they should come and see me, to which I said I should. After drinking coffee, &c. they took a hurried leave, as one of the King's people came to tell me one of his Majesty's daughters was dead, and shortly after, constant discharges of musketry announced the custom: The King in the afternoon came to the market place close to thellouse, to ' make custom with his chiefs. I understood that human sacrifices were to be offered, and walked out to avoid the uproar. On my way I paid a ,-isit to Baba, who was performing ahlu- tion; he said he was going to prayer, but wQuld soon have done, I told him I would sit down till he had finished. Cow hides were spread in rows for the worshippers, in the front was 'a large hide for Baba. All having taken off their sandals and prost\ated them- selves with their faces to the east (to Mecca,) the seririce began by one of them chaunting the usual call to prayer; the chorus of Allahoo Akaber! (God is great) was well performed by the O'thers.' 406 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. There was something solemn and affecting in it, contrasted with the heavy discharges of musketry and shouts of the populace in • the distance, which proclaimed the bloody sacrifice was begun, while the vultures and crows ' wheeled in mazy circles expecting their usual share of the banquet, and the sun shot his last gleams through the heavy fogs that encircled the town. As I went horpe I passed the headless trunks of two female slaves, laying neglected and exposed, in the market place, that had been sacrificed, one by the King and one by the dece~sed'sfamily. The vultures were revelling undisturbed amidst the blood. I happened to~day to throw down a tumbler of wine and water with my foot, having placed it on the ground, while the Moorish Shereef was with me; he bent his-head to Mecca, pronouncing " God is great!" and told me it was my good angel who had done so, for who might tell but there was poison in the cup to destroy me? he said man had always two angels attending him, one on his right hand 'as his good angel, and one on his left as his evil one; whatever good he did was prompted by the former, and whatever ill by the latter one. I have never found them without a reason for every thing, or a name, except to .the mother of Moses, whom they say nobody knows on earth; the Shereef gravely enquired if I knew the name of Aboobaker's father, I assured him I did not; he told me many of the Moors could not tell, but as he was of Mahomet's family he knew more things, and told me it was Kahabata. I heard from the Sarem Moors that they fight with bows and arrows steeped in deadly poison, the least scratch of which is instant death. They gather scorpions tails, snakes heads, and the poisonous parts of any reptile that affects man; this, with several ,regetable substances which they would not name, are put in a pot, and set over the fire at sun rise; they boil it all day and must not eat MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 407 or drink, but stir it about repeating incantations, and shaking a pair of iron castanets, without which, the charm would be incom- plete. I saw an old hag at this work on the Bantama road, who would not answer my question as to what she was doing, but made many wry races, and squint looks, for me to be gone and not spoil her work, and while I stood, she stirred, and muttered, and clat- tered the castanets with greater fury. My attention being anxiously turned towards information con- cerning the Niger and its course, all enquiries end in making the Nile its continuation. An old Moor from Jenne told me, unasked, that while he ~vas at Askanderee (Alexan~ria) twenty- six years ago he saw a fight" at the mouth of the N.ile between ships, and one' ofthem~as blown up in the air with a terrible ex- plosIon. This must have been the battle fought by Lord Nelson, although there is a mistake in the date of seven years; he surely could not invent such a story. He states also, that returning to Masser (Grand Cairo) the European armies advanced to that place; the first army took every thing they wanted and would not pay: but when the second European and Turkish army got pos- session of it, they paid for whatever they wanted. All the Moors ' were ordered to retire to one quarter of the city, and not allowed to mix with the soldiers; ihis agrees with Sir Robert Wilson's ac- count of the Egyptian campaign . . I shewed him a seal I have, of Pompey's pillar, which he said he knew; he had travelled from Jenne to Masser on a joma (camel) and drew me a map of the Quolla and Nile from its source to its emptying itself.into the sea at Alexandria. There is one thing that disagrees with Mr. Park's account, they call the Niger Quolla at J eime, Sansanding, &c. and describe the J olliba as falling into the Quolla to the east of Timbuctoo. When I told them of the conjectures that the great . , 408 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. rn-er of Africa emptied itself into a large lake, they laughed at -such an idea, and reasoned so as to put wiser heads to the blu!)h. '" God," say they, " made all rivers to run to the sea, you say that small rivers go there: the Quolla is the largest river in the world, and why should it not go there also? Was it to lose itself in the lake, where could the waters go to?" They describe the Quolla as about five miles in breadth, and having a very rocky channel, the banks on both sides very high and rugged; in many places, canoes Q(ten take a day _t o pass a short distance, from the dangerous whirl- pools, and sudden squalls.: at other places, the stream runs -with grefut rapidity. TheY' think· the-Mediterranean sea to be circular, without mixing with the ocean; seven rivers: from Africa turn their course to it, but only two reach the shores, of which the Nile is one. The rush, of the waters of the Nile, when they meet the sea is so great, that the waves are driven into the air with great force, and retire like waves- against a rock. They call the Mediterranean sea Bahare Mall. The Red sea, say they, assumes various colours at different periods, from seven streams pouring their course into it, red, blue, yellow, &c. Hence they call it Majumaal Bahare, or the confluence of streams. - They are very fond of mystical numbers, and often quote seven. The lake-Caudie they call Bahare N ohoo, or the water of Noah, from the tradition that the deluge broke out from thence. They describe it as encompassed with rocks, within which is a bed of sand, and then the water. This we may allow to be a little fanciful, as I have seen a map of the earth drawn by Baba, where the world is supposed to be round, and encompassed with a rocky girdle, the sea is supposed to flow between this and the earth, which is placed in the -centre. They are not singular in this idea ; as all rude nations form the same notions of the globe: MR. HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 409 but though we reject, with reason, their foolish notions of many things, it would be no great sign of wisdom to refuse every infor- mation from them. . . .Man is a ' reasoning animal, and enquires into the nature of things in a rude, as well, as in a civilised , slate~ ' and iF he cannot giv.e a just, will at least give' a ,plausible lleasdn for m:any things. The Moors. say "That the noise people hear, whf)n 'they stop their ears with tlteir: ' hands', , ~s f the .rolliilgof the waters of libation ill' l2arad.ise; where 'Mah,orrlet .purifies aU those . he saves from hen, - before they enter into the state of the blessed. It is for this_reason thc:y .perforlilil' a,blution before tlley pray; , the fire burn- ' ing other partS' of theiif rbo.dies, while their face, hands, feet, .&, the chiefs and attendants being dressed in the war costume, with a musket, and preceded by torches; the sacred stools, and all the ornaments used on great occasions, were carried with them; the victims, with their hands tied behind them, a nd in chains, preceded the bones,. whilst at intervals, the songs of MR~ HUTCHISON'S DIARY. 421 death and victory proved their wish to begin the war. The pro- cession returned about three P. M. on Monday, when the King took his seat in the market. place with his small band, and " death! death! death!" was echoed by his horns. He sat with. a silver goblet of palm ,Vine in his hand, ~nd when they cut off any head, imitated a dancing motion in his chair;. a little before dark, he finished his terrors for that day, by retiring to the palace, and soon after, the chiefs came from their concealment, and paraded the streets, rejoicing that they had escaped death, although a few <;lays might put them in the -same fear. I had been attacked. by 'a violent fit of ague in the morning, from having stood so long in the sun the day before while with the King, it being unusually hot. I darzd not send out my peo]i>le to procure any thing, least they should be murdered, and in fact there was Nothing in the m~r.ket to be had: there was not even a. drop of water in. the house. The sacrifice was continued till the next Adai: custom, seventeen days. I /' 422 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. CHAP~rER XIIL Sketch of Gaboon, and its Interi01>. T HE River Gabon, or Gaboon, as the English pronounce it, IS placed by some, N. 30', E. 8° 42', by others, on the equator and E. go 23': the former longitude is certainly the more correct; judging from three reckonings of the vessel in which I visited it; unfortunately, I had not the requisites for an observation. The former latitude also, is, doubtless, the correct one- of Cape Clara; for an observation, taken as we were beating in by Round Corner, gave 23' N.; and another, taken about 35 mi)es up the river, 15' N. From Cape Clara (which is not' very high land,') to Sandy point, being an Qblique line, may be about 25 miles, but the di- rect width of the mouth of the river, cannot be more than 18. From 22 to 25 miles up the river, lay Parrot and Konig islands, ca]]ed by the natives Embenee and Dambee; the former (on which ships have . been hauled to careen) Ii miles in circumference and uninhahited, the latter considerably larger, and having a village on the hill. The natives mentioned the ruins of a Portuguese fort there. Konig island is not more than a mile from Rodney's or Oweendo point, where there is a large bight; which, with the one opposite, within Eghirrighee point, makes the width of the river nearly thirty miles in this part. From these points it seems to form an inner basin, the greatest width of which, just above Goombena creek, is about twelve miles, judging from shots; for SKETCH OF GABOON. 423 the wOl'k of the ship being heavy whilst in the river, and the crew suffering from the climate, (the first mate and carpenter dying,) no assistance could be spared for a survey. There are several large creeks in the river, Goongway is the most so, and GQombena the second. These names, being, of themselves, as uninteresting as the list of bearings would be, I shall reserve both the one and the other, with the outline of the river adjusted to them, for the Portf0lio of the African Association; and also two or three sketches of the different parts of the river, not worth publishing, I:mt, possibly, useful for the introduction of more accurate observers.* • I believe no instructions for elltering the River Gabon are III print, the follow- ing were compiled from ' the log-book of the Lord Mulgrave, which has bcenladen in the river the three successive y@ars she has been chartered as a store-ship by the Mri- can Committee, and beat into it this time. When standing for the river, from the south- ward, it is best to give Round Corner a good birth, as a shoal or sand-bank runs off be- tweE>n that and Sandy point, and also in case of being b~ca1med, as the ground is foul and bad for anchoring. - A channel goes in by Sandy point, but it is rarely used but by small vessels. Leave Round Corner-about three leagues, and_stand <;lver fOf Cape Clara until you have the fiver well open, then steer for a bluff point about two miles inside of the Cape, wher@ you will find from eight to ten fathom water. You may stand in, tiU you are about two miles from the above point, and theTl steer up the river, keeping the. north shore aboard, and steering for the highest land you see, ~hich lies above Quaw Ben's town. J n mid -channel, you will find nine fathoms, until you bring Sandy point on a line with Cape Clara bearing~. S. E. You are then in the nal TO est par t of the channel, whic11 is not more than two or three ' miles wide, and your greatest sQundings will be six fathoms. When you are well inside these bearings you may haul off from the shore at your leisure, and steer for Parrot Island. Wh~n athwart of Quaw Ben's town, 'and about five miles off shore, you will find twelve and thirteen fathoms. In stanuing up from Quaw Ben's, give 'Prince Gla~s's town a 'good birth, as a shoal runs off to some distance, your soundings will be from seven to nine fathoms; you may anchor on any part of the north side,without danger. Between Konig and Parrot Islands, is very good anchorage in, seven fathoms, and a soft, muddy, bottom; thence to Abraham's town, you will have from sev(m to fOllr fathoms at low water; and small ·vessels may go a consider- able way up the river, for there are three fathoms at Naangoo or George-Town creek, 424 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. About forty-five miles from the mouth, the river forms two arms. The' one runs north eastwards, by a point called.Ohlombompole by the natives of Gaboou, and Gongoloba by the Shekans or in- terior people; the entrance is about four miles wide. The other, runs apparently S., S. E. by a point called Quawkaw, and Quanlie by the two nations, and is about two miles broad. It was an in- considerate observation of Mr. Maxwell's, " If the Niger has a sensible outlet, I have no doubt of its proving the Congo, knowing all the rivers between Cape Palmas and Cape Lopez to be inade- quate to the purpose." The Volta may be thought so, but the Lagos certainly cannot, nor the Danger, or Gaboon ; and, surely, the rivers del Rey, and Formoso are not; w.hich are thus no- ticed, within a few pages of Mr. Maxwell's observation, by the judicious Editor of Mr. Park's last mission, " The Rio del Rey and the Formoso, are stated to be of considerable size, being each of them seven or eight miles broad at the mouth; and the supposed Delta, estimated by the line of coast, is much larger than that of the Ganges: consequently, the two streams, if united, must form a rive~ of prodigious magnitude." There being little prospect of the ship completing her cargo (red wood and ebony) within two months, I determined to divert such a tredium under an insalubrious climate, by investigating and com- piling the interior geography, 'as far as I could from the reports of , the slaves, and traders. The most enterprising of the latter, and about forty-five miles up the river. If y~u are turning into the river, when you are within the Cape, stand no further off than into five fathoms, for as you close the middle ground, the soundings are very irregular; you may have five fathoms; and, before the next cast, the ship may be ashore. The widest part of the channel, is not more than about 5{ miles, until you are nearly athwart of Quaw Ben's town, when you may stand over to the south side, as you are then inside the bank. There is a very good watering- place at Rodney's point. Ships unacquainted, may anchor off the Cape and wait for the sea breeze, which generally sets in before noon. SKETCH OF GABOON. 425 the greatest travellers in the interior, living on board the vessel during her loading, I converse? with them constantly, as they spoke good English; and I went on shore twice, passing a night the lattet time, to Naango or George's Town, two miles up the romantic ,creek of Abaaga, about forty-five miles from the mouth of the river. I found the Governor (so his title was interpreted) a very hospitable and intelligent native, and speaking good English. He had travelled much in the interior, when young, was still very inquisitive for particulars, and produced me a troop of slaves for questioning~ which furnished a native of almost every country I could hear of. I saw two you~g negroes, the sons of native rulers, who spoke and wrote French fluently. The one had been sent to that country for education, and the other in his voyage to Eng- land for the same purpose, was taken and carried to France, and generously educated and maintained by the owner of the privateer.~ Each remained in France upwards of eight years before they were sent back to 'Gaboon, and professed to be very anxious to return to it, depicting the native habits not only as uncongenial, but disgust- ing to them. The Congo hypothesis, the primary stimulus to my enquiries, making geographical particulars the most desirable, I will defer those on other subjects, and submit the compilation of seven weeksinvestigation and inquiry under the above advantageous cir- cumstances. The native name of the country of Gaboon, is Empooogwa; it dos not extend above the branching of the river, or more than forty miles in length; and is about thirty in breadth, including the river, which they call Aroongo. We will pursue the north-eastern arm first. There is_ a sand-bank in the middle of the entranc€, '" I am sorry to say those whom their parents have been persuaded to entrust to English vessels for the same purpose, ha'Ve invariably been sold 'as slaves, in violation of every assurance; an infamy of which the French have never been guilty in a single instance. S I 426 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. and three small islands, Soombea, Ningahinga, and Ompoongee, are just beyond it, where the water becomes fresh. About two miles further, is a larger island called Cheendue, inhabited, and the women of which are constantly employed in fishing for white mullet, being ab~ndant. They dress them with a kind of choco- late, which I shall notice presently. Several large trees grow out of the water, one, eminently high, is directly in the middle of the river; they are called Intinga, or the iron tree. The eastern hanks of this arm are inhabited by the Sheekans, who, with all the na- tions of the interior, are called Boolas by the Gaboons, a term sy- nonymous ;ith Dunko in Ashantee. Adjoining Sheekan are the Jomays, who speak a dialect of the same language.· The Shee- kans bury their dead within the house, under their beds. The Gaboons prohibit these people from visiting the coast, lest they should deprive them of their profits, as the medium between. the interior and shipping, whether for slaves or manufactures. The Sheekans, like their neighbours, only reckon from 1 to 5, conjoining these numerals afterwards, as Mr. Park has shewn the Feloops and the J aloffs to do. One Ilwawtoe Two Ibba Three Bittach Four Binnay Five Bittah Ten Ducoom Twenty - Eboomebba Hundred Kama The source of ' the r" north-eastern arm is unknown, it probably flows from the River Danger, called by the natives Moohnda, which flows very far from the interior; and, though not so wide, is considerably deeper than the Aroongo or Gabon. There is a creek passing Quaw Ben's town in the River Gabon, which runs inland, SKETCH OF GABOON. 427 within a short distance of the Moohnda, so that traners proceeding so far by it, carry their canoes over the interval to that river. The Nokos, Apooks, and Komebays, inhabit the lower space between the Rivers Gaboon and Danger. Having pulled up the N. E. arm for two days and nights, they land, leaving the river about one mile broad; and after two jour- nies, (skirting Sheekan,) reach Samashialee, the capital of the country of Kaylee, (sometimes called Kalay,) and the residence of the King Ohm bay. Samashialee, is described as a considerable _ town, and Asako, as the second to it; their houses are all of bam- boo. The Kaylees manufacture iron from the ore, which abounds every where in this part of Africa; but they are very careful not to let the coast people see them do .so, as knives, spears, mats, and bamboo cloth, are their :uticles of barter with them, for brass rods, cottons, and other European commodities. I procured some of the knives and spe2r heads, of their own iron. The bamboo-cloth has the appearance of coarse brown Holland. Their mats are very fine, and much varied in colors and patterns. It is remark- able, that the latter do not partake at all .of their own wild cha- racter, but are of that chaste, simple outline which would be called elegant by civilized -nations. These people are cannibals, not only eating their prisoners but their dead, whose bodies are ' bid for directly the breath is out of them. A father has frequendy been seen to eat his own child. Fowls abound in their country, but they -never eat them, nor will they goats, which are equally numerous, whilst human flesh is to be had. Salt fetches an enor- mous price. The people of Gaboon would be afraid to venture amongst them, even as traders, but for their musquets, and a strong body of Sheekans, always engaged to accompany them. Their country is mountainous and woody . . There are people inhabiting a mountain dose to the north-eastward of Kalay, who are said to • 428 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. ~ee best 'in the night time, when they travel and work, sleeping most of the day, because the light hurts their eyes, which are re- markably brilliant. Ivory is plentiful. The Kaylee seems to be a dialect of the Sheekan. One Woto Two Ibba Three Battach Four Binnay Five Bittan Ten Dueoorr1 Northward of Kay tee, two journies, is Imbekee, adjoining the Moohnda or Danger. One moon distant, in the same direction, passing through the countries, Beesoo (three journies from Imbee·. kee) Aosa, and Hetan, are the larger kingdoms of Badayhee, and Oongoomo; the King of the latter is Enjulmyamoo, and the capital Mattadee, described as a very large town. The numerals assimilate to those of Kaylee. One· Wootta Two Beeba Three Bittach Four Binnay Five Bitten . Travelling (still northward,) throlJgh the small states of Don- damee and Bolaykee, in six journies they reach the extensive countries of Paamway, and Shaybee, which adjoin each other; and on their northern frontier is Bayhee, through which kingdom the River W ola or 'Wole flows; the largest river they had ever seen or heard of, and running eastward. My friend the Governor, always impressed on me, that this was the largest river in the world, and ran, to use his own words, " farther than anyone, except God, knows, farther than Indee; all the great rivers in this country come from Wole." The Moohnda, he had always understood in the Tong course of his enquiries, to flow from it;- but he could not speak so « SKETCH OF GABOON. 429 positively of that, as of the junction of the Ogooa\yui and the Wole, as he had himself been to a considerable distance up the Ogooawai, which, returning to Gaboon, we shall proceed to. All the nations on this route were ~aid to be cannibals, the Paamways not so voraciously so as the others, because they cultivate a breed of large dogs for their eating; this seems the favourite meat illl most parts of Africa. Those who travel eastward, pull Jor a day and a half up the right hand or south-eastern arm of the Gaboon or Aroongo, which arm is formed by the junction of several small streams, about sixty miles from its confluence with-the north-eastern arm. Landing about thirty-five miles up it, two and a half journies are occupied in travelling over an uninhabited country, described as savannah, and called W oongawoonga; it is entirely open, and buffaloes are numerous. Here they reach the Ogooawai, a rapid ~iver, frequently as wide, and, generally, considerably deeper tban the Gaboon; and which, as we shall presently see, runs to the Congo, of itself insignificant. One day up the Ogooawai, is the small kingdom of Adjoomba, consisting but of four towns. One journey beyond, on the Ogooawai, and north-eastward, is Gaelwa, a kingdom of more importance, its length thJee journies. The King's name is Roiela, and the capital, a considerable town, Inkanjee: Goondemsie is second to it.. Adjoining Gae1wa is Eninga, where the river widens considerably; this country is larger th!in Adjoomba, very populous, and composed of several small governments. The river winds very much; frequently they save time by carrying their canoes ~)Ver the peninsulas; tlrey are also opposed by · impetwHls currents. Hitherto the language is the same as the Empoongwa or Gaboon. Twenty journies from the frontier of Gaelwa and Eninga, through the .small state of Okota, is the kingdom of Asheera; and ten beyond it, that of Okandee, .4 30 MISSlON TO ASHANTEE . the greatest they know. The King's name is Adoomoo, the capital extensive, and kept particularly clean : their law forbids any na- tive of Okandee to be sold as a slave. None of the nations on the Ogooawai are cannibals On the eastern cOnfirle& of Okandee this river is described to join or flow from the W 61a. The countries between the Moohnda and Ogooawai, are called Sappalah, Koo- makaimalong, and' Okaykay, and described as vast extents of savannah. Deeha was spoken of as a large country in the neigh- bourhood of the Wola. I could not make these interior natives, or the people of Gaboon, understand what I meant by a Moor; there are none but pagan negroes throughout. The sla'les recently arrived viewed me with affright; they said _n one in their country would believe there were white men. I could hear of no great controlling kingdom, like Asbantee, in these parts of the interior, nor 00 I think any such exists eastward of Yarriba, or other than numerous small states, as far behjnd Dag~ wumba and its neighbours in civilization, as they are behind Euro- peans. The name,"'" situation, magnitude, and course of the * Wola is probably the Empoongwa corruption of the original name ·Quolla or Kulla, for, presuming that name to be given to it in the Mallowa or Houssa country,* to denote its being a branch or arm of the great river, dividing into it and the Gambaroo after leaving the lake Dibbir, (Kulla being child in the Mallowa,) it doubtless retains the same name in the country known at Gaboon; not only because Mr. Brown first reported the - river Kulla (Bahr Kulla) and the kingdom (Dar Kulla) to be situated thereabouts, but because from the following observation of Mr. Hutchison's, received since I wrote my geographical chapter, it appears, that the language of tIle kingdom which bears the name of the river, is at least a dialect of the Mallowa language. "I send you the numerals of 'Quolla liffa, as given me by the servant boy I have got lately, who comes from that country, which is near the cannibals:" see Appendix, Language. * The Jenne Moors however called it Quolla, which inclined me at first to derive its name from Killi,' the numeral 07l-C in the Bambarra, as if to denote it the first or greatest l'iver; as Yahndi, the name of the capital of DagwUIllba, implies its pre-eminence; Yahndi being one in the language of the country. • SKETCH OF GABOON. 431 'Vola, leave little doubt of its being the Kulla or Quolla; though I am not clear that they said there was a country of the name of the river, nor did I recognize the name of any <;>f the countries I had before heard of, as being in its neighbourhood. With those on the northern banks of this large river they did not profess to be acquainted, and those on the southern may be intermediate between the Moohnda and Ogooawai routes, which diverge from Empoongwa, the former northward, the latter north-eastward. Forty journies from the Elllpoongwa frontier to the Bahr Kulla agree very well' with the distance. A strong argument, in addition to the above, for the Wola and the Quolla being the same river, (re- collecting my description of the Paamways, and all the nations on the line of the Moohnda, as cann.ibals,) is suggested by the re- perusal of the following remarks of Mr. Horneman, and Mr. Hut- chison, already quoted in page 202: "The Y em Yems, canni- bals, are south of Kano, ten days," whic.h agrees very well with the' lowered course of the Niger, which I have been obliged to lay down. "It is to the King of Quallowliffa that the country ' in which Canna, Dall, and Yum Yum, where cannibals are, is sub- ject." It is true, that the ,character only, and not the names of the nations visited from Empoongwa, can be identified with Mr. Hutchison's Canna, Dall, and Yum Yum ; but the 'Moorish pronun- ciation, or writing of negro names, especially those only known to them by report, is very incorrect and capricious. '1'0 Mr. Hor- 'neman, they were called Yem Yems; to Mr. Hutchison, Yum Yums, and sometimes Jl1m Jums. The names Bapoonoo, Oko- bella, Banginniga, Oonbamba, and Asango, may possibly be iden,. tified hereafter amongst the countries approximating to the Wola. We will .return to Adjoomba, where the Ogooawai divides itself; the smaller arm called Assazee runs to Cape Lopez, which is in the kingdom of Oroongoo; the monarch, Ogoola, from his power 432 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. surpassiug every other in the neighbourhood of the coast, has ac- quired the name of Pass-all with the traders who speak English. Between OroongoI« "India rubber is obtained from the milky juice of different plants in hot countries. The chief of these are, the Jatropha elastica and Urceola elastica. The juice is applied . in successive coatings on a mould of clay, and dried by the fire or in the sun, and when of a sufficient thickness the mould is crushed and the pieces shaken out." Nicholson. " It has been discovered that caoutchouc is not exclusively the produce of the Heven caoutchouc, but that it is furnished by several other plants. We know it to be obtained in large quantities from the Jatropha elastica of South America, and Dr. Roxburgh has given us ' a description of an Indian plant (Urceola elastica) which affords a juice that when thickened has all the properties of the caoutchouc. We moreover know that the milky exudations of the Jack tree (Artocarpus integrifolia) the Banyan tree (Ficus Indica) and also that of the Arasum tree (Ficus religiosa) possess nearly similar qualities." Ainslie's Materia Medica of Hindoostan. SKETCH OF GABOON; 447 upright stick placed in the ground of the apartment; they afford a brilliant light, and the resin, when burning, emits a grateful odour. The Odica, from which they make a kind of chocolate, is a very high and large tree, bearing an acuminate shining leaf. Tpe nuts, which are white, are contained in a round pod with a bulb at the end, twice as large as a man's fist, green without, and yellow within; the parts surrounding the nuts are squeezed . into water, which they sweeten like honey. The kernels are strung and smoke dried, and then beat in water into large masses, having the appear- ance of coarse chocolate, but the flavour of a rank gross gravy. It might be more palatable otherwise prepa~ed. The vegetable butter (which certainly belongs to the natural order Sapotece) brought to the Ashantee market, is here well known by the name of Onoongoo: it is a large tree, and the nuts are enclosed in a round red pod, containing from four to six: the flower is also red, from description. My servant, a native of Booroom, called the tree Kirrimkoon, and, the butter Incoom; the . Ashantees can the latter Sarradee; in Mallowa the tree is called Timkeea. The nut is first boiled, and the oil or butter afterwards expressed; in Booroom and Mallowa it is skimmed from the sur- face. It tasted quite as good as fresh butter before any salt is added, and we relished the meat fried in it exceedingly. Being the rainy season I could neither get a sight of the fio·wer or the pod of this or the odica, but I procured the nuts and produce of both. The curious may compare this butter with the specimen of the Ashantee grease. Before I understood them to be distinct trees, I concluded the odica and the butter both to be the produce of the cacao-nut, but the butter answers closely to Mr. Park's description of the shea-tolu, though the tree did not resemble the American oak. The Kolla nut grows on one of those trees which are supposed 448 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. to sow their own seed; it is round, and the size of an Orleans plum, having a very hard shell, the kernel is white, and, after being ex- posed to the sun for a few days, becomes even sweeter than a filbert. The natives frequently soak them in salt water for a few weeks, and relish the rank flavour they then acquire. They form the principal food of the lower orders. They have a round orange coloured fruit, called Incheema, the size var~es from that of a small cocoa nut to a large one; the capsule is very thick; and when cut" yields a milky juice; a number of hard, dark brown seeds, sur- rou~ded by a pulp, are found within, the latter only is eaten, and when gathered fresh from the tree, is of a very delicious flavour, not unlike that of a green gage. If the fruit is suffered to fall from the tree, the bruise r~nders it unwh~)lesome and unpalatable. Every dark night, Tom Lawson ,vas sure to direct me to look in the direction of what some foolish Europeans had persuaded him must be a diamond mountain. It lays about three days eastward of Empoongwa in direct distance, but from the fear of thp. interven- ing people, he had been obliged to visit it by a circuitous route, which occupied seven days; he lost the pieces he procured, in a skirmish on his return; they illuminated a great circumference. It is considered a powerful fetish, and described as a very high mountain. I must admit, that when there was no moon, a pale but distinct light was invariably reflected from a mountain in that quarter, and from no other. The red and yellow ochres brought to me, were dug in the neighbourhood of a savannah three journies south· eastward of Empoongwa, where they insisted there were large pits of strata, not onlye>f red and yellow, but of other colours. They believe> that if a man attempts to carry off different colour5 at the same time, he is paralyzed on the spot. Gold has never been found i~ this part of Africa. El\lPOONGWA SONG . Inchambee N'.'l. tI:. Allegro ~J J EMPOONGWA SONG. ~2. . AndantinojJ r r r til r r E r tf ~ I H J r2¥ Notes sung by the white Negro from Imbeekee . A::'~;'J era J r Elf E:B:m JJ ~J d _.J J '-.!. / r+=I ~ . Ea ~ Prest o $;h~mi~pjBI - QQ ;4liPj q- . Andante @=nJJ · J ;fl1J JJ r C;EFFtFJ W'l r tf i$ rEtrr/EO p7J-J U rF r Fe Fr r r (FFrtiG - j Jffl e J "ft' "P;O • ··;~d n /!j LC fr iUJ 0' rr SKETCH OF GABOON. 449 The music of Em poongw a is, generally, very inferior to that! have before noticed. The enchambee, their only peculiar instrument, re- sembles the mandolino, but has only five strings, made from the root of the palm tree; the neck consists of five pieces of bamboo, to / which the strings are fastened, and, slipping up and down, are easily, but not securely tuned; it is played with both hands; the tones are sweet, but have little power or varjety. Long stories are recited to the enchambee in the moon-light evenings, in a sort of recitative; a favourite one, is an account of the arts by which the Sun gained the ascendancy over the Moon, who were first made of coeval power by their common father! No.1, (which, I imagine, commences in F major, and ends in G major) is an Empoongwa air played on the enchambee. I do not know if the inversion of words is common in their conversation as well as in their songs. A native envies a neighbour, nallied Enga~ ella, who has ivory to barter with a vessel. Arnorill injanja EngaelIa,; impoongee m'adgil~injanja. A ?rass pan he has got Engaella; ivory, I have got none. Here again we find me answers to the personal pronoun I . .N 0.2, in G major, is a song in which the men sing the air, alone, · and the women join in the chorus. It is an old one, and the sub- ject the first appearance of a white man. One verse will be quite enough to satisfy others and exculpate myself. At lea~t half a dozen followed it. Ma bengwoo rna bengwa bala. A fine strange thing, A fine strange thing, my mother. Deboonga sai camberwoona nayennee. Like the leaf of the fat tree,*' true I say, so it is. Sangwa moochoo, ba'ia. I make you look to-day, my mother. * The vegetable butter. 3M 450 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. Bal yamgwan boonoo. My mother fears this fetish man. My patience during a series of dull Empoongwa songs, was re- compensed by the introduction of a performer, as loathsome as his music was astonishing. It was a white negro from the interior country of Imbeekee; his features betrayed his race, his hair was w-oolly, and of a sandy colour, with thick eye brows of the same; his eyes small, bright, and of a dark grey; the light seemed to hurt them, and their constant quivering and rolling gave his counte- nance an air of insanity, which was confirmed by the actions of his head, and' limbs, and the distortions of his mouth. His stature was middling, and his limbs very sJ;llall; his skin was dreadfully dis- eased, and where it was free from sores bore the appearance of being thrown on, it hung about him so loose and so shrivelled; his voice was hollow, and 'his laugh loud, interspersed with African howls. His harp was formed of wood, except that part emitting the sound, which was covered with goat skin, perforated at the bottom. The bow to which the eight strings were fixed, was, con- siderably curved, and there was no upright; the figure head, which was well carved, was placed at the top of the body, the strings were twisted round long pegs, which easily turned when they wanted tuning, and, being made of the fibrous roots of palm wine tree, were very tough and not apt to slip. The tone was full, har- monious, and deep. He sat on a low stool, and supporting his harp on ,his knee and shoulder, proceeded to tune it with great nicety; his hands seemed to wander amongst the strings until he gradually formed a running accompaniment (but with little va- riety) to his extraordinary vociferations. At times, one deep and hollow note burst forth and died away; the sounds of the harp became broken ; presently 'he looked up, pursuing all the actions « SKETCH OF GABOON. 451 of a maniac, taking one hand from the strings, to wave it up and down, stretching forth one leg and drawing it up again as if con- vulsed, lowering the harp on to the other foot, and tossing it-up and down. Whilst the une hand continued playing, he rung forth a peal which vibrated on the ear long after it had ceased; he was silent; the running accompaniment served aga~n as a prelude to a loud recitative, uttered with the greatest volubility, and ending with one word, with which he ascended and descended, far beyond the extent of his harp, with the most beautiful precision. Some- times he became more collected, and a mournful air succeeded the recitative, though without the least connection, and he would again burst out with the whole force of his powerful voice in the notes of the Hallelujah of Hande1. To meet with this chorus in the wilds of Africa, and from such a being, had an effect I can scarcely de-. scribe, and I was lost in astonishment ,at the coincidence. There could not be a stronger proof of the nature of Handel, or the powers of the negro. I naturally enquired if this man was in his senses, and the reply was, that he was always rational but when he played, when he ' invariably used the same gestures, and evinced the same inco- herency. The accompanying Iiotes were caught whilst he was singing; to do more than set them down in their respective lengths, was impossible, and every notation must be far inadequate. As regards the words, there was such a rhapsody of recitative, of mournful, impetuous, and exhilarated air, wandering through the life of man, throughout the animal and vegetable kingdom for its subjects, without period, without connection, so transient, abrupt, and allegorical, that the Governor of the town could translate a line but occasionally, and I was too much possessed by the music, and the alternate rapture and phrenzy of the perfomer, to minute the half which he communicated. I cari only submit the frag- 452 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. ments 'of a melancholy and a descriptive part. Burst of a man led to execution, Yawa yawa wo wo oh Yawa wai yawa What have I done? what have I done? Bewailing the loss of his mother, Yawa gooba shangawelladi yaisa W 0 na boo, &c. My mother dies; who'll cry for me now , When I die? &c. Pahmbolee gwoongee yayoo, &c. Which· path shall I seek my love? Hark! I know now, I hear her snap the dry sticks, To speak, to calI to me. Jiggledy jiggledy, jiggledy, too too tee too, often invaded or broke off a mournful strain; it was said to be an imitation of the note of a bird, described as the wood-peeker. Three Portuguese, one French, and two large Spanish ships, visited the river for slaves during our stay, and the master of a Liverpool yessel assured me that he had fallen in with 22 between Gaboon and the Congo. Their grand rendezvous is Mayumba. The Portuguese of St. Thomas's and Prince's islands send small schooner boats to Gaboon for slaves, which are kept after they are transported this short distance, 'until the coast is clear for shipping them to America. A third large Spanish ship, well armed, en- tered the river the night before we quitted it, and hurried our exit, for one of that character was committing piracy in the neigh- bouring rivers. Haying suffered from falling into their hands before, I felicitated myself on the escape. We were afterwards chased and boarded by a Spanish armed schooner, with three hundred slaves on board; they only desired provisions. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE MISSIONS. 453 CHAPTER XIV. Suggestzons for future Missions to the Interior cif Africa. A MISSION to Dagwumba is of the first importance. See Geo- graphy, p. 178. The commercial genius and opulence of its people, their disinclination and inaptitude to ,var, their superior civilization, and the numerous caravans which frequent this empo- rium, from the most remote parts of the interior, make a treaty of intercourse most desirable, both for commerce and science. But it is more imperiously desirable, or rather this enterprise becomes a duty, from the recollection, that, from this King's proverbial re- pute for sanctity, if he were persuaded by the deliberate remon- strance of a British Resident, at least to mitigate, if not ultimately to abolish human sacrifices, his example would naturally be fol- lowed by the several neighbouring monarchs who make him their oracle. . Mr. Hutchison's courage, his love of enterprise, and his interest in intellectual pursuit, to say nothing of a feeling towards myself, which I cannot but be proud of, would, I am sure, lead him to an- ticipate my wishes and strengthen my hopes of success, by having him again as a companion; and his diary must have proved, though very imperfectly, compared with a personal acquaintance with him, how well he is qualified for an appointment, so impor- 454 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. tant to the interests of commerce, science, and humanity, by his discretion, zeal, and benevolence.* A third officer (and a zealous and able successor to Mr. Tedlie has presented himself) should accompany this mission, to proceed under the King of Dagwumba's guarantee and recommendation, which is omnipotent to the Niger, to Wauwaw (on the banks of that river where Mr. Park was buried; for no plea could be Jess suspicious, than the King of England's natural anxiety to send an officer to the Sult-an of Wauwaw, to learn the particulars of Mr. Park's death, and to enquire for his papers, especially as a Moor- ish emissary passing through Yahndi, was instructed to do so, di- rectly we heard of the circumstance in Ashantee. The officer alluded to (who is a "medical man, well acquainted with natural history, and an accurate draftsman) should be content with a sight of the Niger, and remain at Wauwaw collecting and observing, until an exchange of letters with Cape Coast, through the Resident .at Yahndit; when it would be seen how far it might be prudent, (having replaced him at Wauwaw) to allow him to proceed to Cassina, Houssa, or Timbuctoo; that is, if the Sultan of Wauwaw would guarantee his safety, under the same promise of reward previously held out to the King of Dagwumba. No moment could be more auspicious than the present for this enterprise to Dagwumba, since the King of Ashantee's absence and perplexity in the Gaman war bars his molestation or hindrance; though I have no expectation that he would offer either, were he at liberty, or aware of the occasion: see page .342. '" This gentleman being already superseded by Mr. Dupuis (formerly Vice-consul at Mogadore, and now Consul at Coomassie) is of course at liberty to indulge his disposi- tion for enterprise. t The King of Dagwumba should be promised additional presents on the receipt at Cape Coast Castle of the first dispatch from the Niger. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE MISSIONS. 455 If the trade of Dagwumba be so extensive as was invariably re- ported to us (and to Mr. Lucas at Mesurata on the Mediterranean) it might then become desirable to establish a British market up the Volta; but this is an after consideration. Geographical circum- stances are much more in favour of a mission to Dagwumba than they were in that to Ashantee, (besides, that there are no irritating political retrospects to be debated on arrival,) for the Volta or Adir- ree is navigable from the sea to within eight days march of Yahndi; (see page 176;) even if we do not calculate on the ,reported junction of the river Laka, which 'would bring us close to Yahndi. The presents should all be ingenious novelties, rather than costly apparel, for they are not only more acceptable and more imposing, but, which is very important, much more portable; and would require so few carriers, as to diminish the expense of conveyance as much as the expense of purchase. The negroes have mor~ than anticipated our portable displays of splendour, from_t he pageantry and descriptions of the Moors; and we have had the advantage (lfwitnessing what kind of presents made the most auspicious im- pression on the King of Dagwum"ba's powerful neighbour, which were certainly all of the class of jngenious novelty. I should re- commend, therefore, a few pieces of tissue and rich silk, with gold thread interwoven, to shew that our manufactures can be accom- modated to their taste; see note page 331. Pieces of worked muslin. One piece of ditto, worked with gold thread. Scotch damask. Palampours, with gold and silver leaf. Manchester cottons, of rich pattern. Red, blue, and yellow broad cloth. Raw silk, of various colours; see page 331. 456 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. Of the foregoing, only small quantities as presents to the King and principal Moors, by way of samples of our manufactures. Two pair of richly cut glass decant~rs. A small silver bowl embossed. A handsome lamp. A military saddle and bridle, with pistols, &c. Two musical snuff boxes. A good bird organ. Two or thr~e common violins, being the instrumen~ oft he country. Pandean pipes. Cymbals. Two bugles. Kaleidescopes. An inferior gold repeater for the King. Two or three common silver watches. A telescope. Camera 0 bscura. Magic lantern. Microscope. Pocket compasses. Boxes of phosphorous matches. Arabic Bibles, and Arabic literature. Two or three landscapes, in sympathetic ink. A port-folio of engravings of English costume and public build- ings, with a set of !he drawings of this work. A copying writing apparatus for the chief Moor. Wax, seals, pencils, Indian rubber. Two boxes of water colours. Drawing and writing paper, and vellum. Razors, scissors, knives. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE MISSIONS. 407 A handsome double barrelled gun. Two boxes of carpenters tools. A small turning lathe. A small plough. A made up turban of gold tissue, with a gilt circle for the head, set with false stones, for the chief Moor. A silk union flag. An air gun. Candles and perfumed soap. Bark, and other medicines. The officers of the mission should be provided with Troughton's pocket sextant, Dollond's 32 feet telescope, the new barometers, &c. &c. The Danes having deserted their fort (Adda) at the mouth of the Volta, their government, on being solicited, would surely not only not obstruct, but favour so important a scientific enterprise, and not compel us to reach the river oyer land, as we could do, by marching through Aquapim and Quaoo. The man of war on the station might convey the mission to the mouth of the Volta, and one of her boats accompany the canoes (which should be brought from Cape Coa~t) a day or two up the river. It would be well to be prepared with several impressions of a manifesto (in Arabic,) explanatory and impressive of the legitimate and benevolent views of the British government, as an introduc- tion to the King of Dagwumba, preparatory to our negociation, and also to serve the same purpose at Wauwaw, and to circulate through the interior. Numerous impressions of the certificates circulated in behalf of Major Peddie, should also be circulated, Mr. Ritchie's name being substituted, and the reward for an act of kindness acknowledged in a letter from that gentleman, being made payable (;:tfter an authority from Cape Coast) at either of the 3N 458 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. British Residencies, Coomassie, Yahndi, or Dahomey; for as there are many officers to spare at Cape Coast, the expressed wish of the latter monarch should he immediately gratified, and our inter- course renewed hy a Residency. See note, p. 340. I think all the objects of the Dagwumba misflion CQuid be effected in four months; when I should feel impatient to visit the river Gaboo~, for the purpose of penetrating to the Ogooawai, and going as far up it as I might with prudence. See p. 436. The discovery of so large a river in this situation is very important. Arrangements could probably be made at Eninga or Okota (p429. ) for the guarantee of an after mission to Asheera: also for one from Gaboon to Kaylee; and, which is most important, for the south-eastern na\'igation (from Adjoomba, p. 431) of the branch . of the Ogo()awai running through Tanyan into the Congo. But there is another enterprise which shoulcl not be forgotten, the navigation of the Lagos river to the highest point, (p. 224) and a visit to Kosie, (p. 225,)a Residency at which court would doubt- less lead to a similar establishment in the powerful and commercial kingdom of Yarriba. See p. 209. , The Residents at the various courts, who, as I have impressed before, should be young men of acquirement, patience, and ad- dress, should receive Qccasional instructions from head quarters, directing their enquiries and observations to the geographical and scientific desiderata, more peculiarly belonging to or expected from their different neighbourhoocls, which would be suggested from the closer study of these subjects by the individual at the head of a department of discovery at head quarters, and also by the scjentific Societies in England according to their peculiar pursuits. The Residents should make quarterly reports, accompanied by specimens of natural history, to be digestecl into one annual report at head quarters, (with the various geographical improvements and SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE MISSIONS. 499 discoveries, adjusted and embodied in one large chart) for for- wardance to England. All Residents and Conductors of Missions, should be provided with small copying apparatuses, so that they might forward their original dispatch, and one duplicate, to Cape Coast, by two diffe- rent opportunities, always retaining the other copy, in case of accident, or until the receipt were acknowledged. If it could be afforded, a medical officer should afterwards be added to the more important Residencies, to attach and relieve the natives. Botanical and Mineralogical excursions, (taking sextants, tele- scopes, and barometers,) into Ahanta, Aowin, Warsaw, Akim, and Aquapim, small surveys, &c. &c. should be undertaken, ad interim, not only from the smallness of the expense and the great compara- tive benefit, (as we know nothing of these countries beyond their position,) but to qualify the younger officers (of congenial disposi- tion and acquirement,) for-future missions and residencies. The young men soliciting appointments in England, should be required to make themselves acquainted with the grammar of the Arabic language, and practical astronomy, before they receive their commissions; and one or two intelligent Moors from the interior, should be invited, by a pay, to settle at Cape Coast Castle, to per- fect these officers in writing and speaking the language. · The Fantee language should also be cultivated, as .it is a dialect of the Ashantee. . The soldiers of the settlements should no longer be enlisted from the mulattoes and Fantees of the neighbourhood, making the present paltry force the more inefficient, from local and family attachments, inseparable from human nature, and preventing their acting cordially, if at all, on emergencies for the rescue of human victims, or the punishment of their relatives and townsmen, for 460 MISSION TO ASHANTEE. insult, or contempt of the British legislation for the abolition of the slave trade, &c. The Negroes captured in the illicit Spanish and Portuguese slave ships; of whom there must be a number unem- ployed at Sierra Leone, would form the most desirable military force, even preferable to European, ' which has recently been adopted by the Dutch. These rescued Negroes would possess no attachment, beyond that which the considerate kindness and good conduct of their officers might induce; the climate would be natural to them; and they would prove valuable companions, if not intelligent guides, in future missions to the interior. There should at least be two hundred and fifty of these soldiers at head quarters, (one company being trained as artillery by European serjeants) and fifty at each other settlement, if but two. The three missions, to Dagwumba,Wauwaw, and Ogooawa~ would not cost above a thousand pounds, judic~~ expended in Eng- land; which is not so much as the annual eXi'eQ e of either of the six paltry out-forts (exclusive of the head quarters, and the vice presidency, which is but 9 miles from Cape Coast, and, since the abolition of the slave trade, an useless and absurd position;) the mere existence of which, although it may excite astonishment, and reflect credit on the mercantile ingenuity and economy of the African Committee, is notoriously a disgraceful caricature on the British name. Three respectable establishments, one at Cape Coast Castle, one at Accra, (a rich and open country,) and one at Succondee, (if we could hot purchase Axim, which commands the navigation of the Ancobra,) with an allowance of a thousand a year for a progress in the interior-, (beneficial to commerce, science, and humanity,) would be productive of fam_e and honour, and probably of wealth, to our - nation. .A P PEN D I X. [ 463 J APPENDIX. No. I . .Extract from Meredith's Account of the Gold Coast. Origin and History qfthe Ashantee Wqr. THE Assin country lies at the rear of the Fantee, and borders on the Ashantee country. It was divided into two states: the one governed hy King Cheboo and Quacoe Apoutay; and the other by King Amoo. Apoutay, although not elevated to the dignity of King, held equal sway with Cheboo; but they were each subordinate to the King of Ashantee. A man of opulence died in Amoo's tOlVn; and, as is customary on such occasions, gold and other valuable articles were deposited with the body in the grave. On this occasion, one of Cheboo's people was present, and seeing what was done, watched an opportunity to rob the grave; which he effected, and escaped with the treasure. Amoo his neigh- bour sought redress of Cheboo and Apoutay, but without success: he then laid the affair before the King of Ashantee; who summoned all the parties before him, gave them an impartial hearing, and awarded in favour of Amoo. Quacoe Apoutay was detained as a hostage until restitution should be made: but he, in a short time, contrived to make his escape, and, when at liberty, refused to accede to the aw~rd made by the King of Ashantee. On this-Amoo attacked the town in which Cheboo and Apoutay resided, and routed his opponents: after this, at the instigation of the King of Ashantee, the parties met to settle the dispute; but Quacoe Apoutay acting treacherously on the occasion, sent privately to Cheboo for an armed force to support, him: and a battle was the con_ sequence, which ended in the death of the man who had committed the theft, and the total defeat of Apoutay and his fO.rces. At this crisis the King of Ashantee, willing to bring about a peace, again interfered. He sent two gold manillas, the one to Amoo, the other to his adversary, directing them to cease all hostilities '; to which both parties agreed, and took the maniIJas. Amoo obeyed the King; but Quacoe Apoutay attacked Amoo, and drove him in his turn from his town. Amoo, indignant at the repeated deceptions of Apoutay, obtained succours, and overthrew his treacherous opponent. The King of Ashantee still anxious to reconcile his neighbours, and unwilling to draw his sword, presented two gold swords and an axe to Amoo, and recommended him to conci~ 464 APPENDIX. No. I. liate Quacoe Apoutay, and terminate their quarrels. Amoo consented to obey the King, . but in the mean time was again attacked I>y his implacable foe, and totally defeated, and lost in the contest the golden sword and hatchet. His opponent committed ravages wherever he came, killing messengers, and every man who fell into his hands, not sparing even the King of Ashantee's messengers! A war with the King of Ashantee followed hereupon: Quacoe Apoutay and Cheboo dreading his vengeance, fled to the Fantee country: in consequence of which the King sent a message to Acoom, the caboceer or mayor of Assecoomah (a small state tributary to the King of Ashantee,) accompanied by a present of twenty ounces of gold; statiug the necessity of his pursuing llis enemies to the Fantee country, but giving assurance of the King's .pacific disposition towards the F~ntees, and that his only object was to get into his possession Cheboo and Apoutay: the Fantees would not interfere, nor allow the Ashantee forces to come into their country. Upon this answer, Appey Dougah,* the King of Ashantee's general, collected, by com- mand of his master, a large force, and gave the enemy battle at Buinka in Fantee; he displayed great gallantry, and defeated the two Kings, in conjunction with the Fantee forces that had joined them. Next day Cheboo and Apoutay having rallied their forces, and formed a junction with a fresh Fantee force, gave Appey DOUgall battle; but were totally defeated, with the loss of many killed and made prisoners: among the latter was Ati~ t the caboceer of Abrah, the principal town of Fantee. A large sum was offered for his ransom, but refused; and he was committed to the care of Acoom, the caboceer of Assecoomah, in whom the King had great confidence; but this person betrayed his trust, and liberated the enemy. Quacoe Apoutay, bafHed at all points, sent to the King of Ashantee to accept his conditions, provided he would discharge his debts on his return home. To this proposal the' King agreed, and, in token of his friendship, sent various presents to Cheboo and Apoutay; who, instead 'of receiving them with gratitude, beheaded the messengers This wicked and unprovokeu act roused the indignation of the King of Ashantee, and he vowed eternal war against tHe aggressors. Acoom (who had been forgiven by the King for his treachery in suffering Atia to ,:scape,) being in posses- sion of a large quantity of provisions, . was applied to by the King of Ashantee for a supply, which he with seeming cheerfulness granted: six times he delivered faithfully those that were contracted for, but, the seventh time~ he betrayed about one thousand men who had been sent for them, and sold them in March or April, 1806. In con- sequence of this conduct Acoom became involved in the war: very shortly afterwards the King of Ashantee defeated him, and made rapid progress with his army towards the * This should be Appia Dunqua; he was the elder brother of AppiaNanu, an account of whose disgrace is in tile Diary. t This should be Atta. APPENDIX. No. I. 465 coast in search of Cheboo and Apoutay. The Fantees opposed his march, but were defeated in every onset; and the Braffoe~ were ne!ll'ly extirpated by the Ashantees in their march. The AnnamaJ;>oes, instigated by the remaining Braffoes, were impudent enough to receive and protect Cheboo and Apoutay; which proved fatal to them. At this period the Governor of Cape Coast Castle, being under some apprehension for the safety of the British settlements, was inclined to send a flag of truce with a message to the King of Ashantee, who was now (May, 1806) at Abrah, and only fifteen or twenty miles fi'om the coast. The Annamaboes (who were consulted on the measure) objected to it, and the design was consequently suspended. The Governor was anxious to know upon what terms the King would consider the British, and wished to become a mediator; but the Annamaboes, who placed a vain dependence on their name .and strength, fully expected that the King and his army would be conquered; and that if not the whole, the greater part of the army would fall into their hands; and hence were not disposed to pacific measures, nor would they permit the Governor's messenger to proceed inland. Shortly after this, a division of the Ashantee army made its ;:tppearance at Cormantine, and routing the inhabitants from the town, completely destroyed it. The captain Of this division contrived to get into the Dutch fort, and having pillaged it of a number of articles, took up his residence there. It was now time to become acquainted with the King's intentions; and for that purpose the Governor of Annamahoe fort sent a messenger with a flag of truce to the commander of this division, intimating a wish to be acquainted with the King's motives for marching an army to the coast, and proposing himself as a mediator. This message, we may suppose, was conveyed to the King; and on the following day three men were observed coming from Cormantine with a white flag dis played, and (Mr. White) the Governor, expected they were the bearers of some agree- able and satisfactory intelligence: in this however he was 'much disappointed; for the commander of that division of the Ashantee ar)llY being in possession of fort Amsterdam, was elated with his success, particularly in getting to the sea side; (a circumstance which inspired him with such joy, that he went to the beach and dipped his sword three times in the sea, some of which he had conveyed to the King as a proof of his success :)_ .whether those circumstances stimulated him to try the disposition of the English chief, we know not; but the message he sent, imported a degree of haughtiness by no means agreeable to Mr. White, and was to this effect: that when the Governor would send him twenty barrels of gunpowder, and one hundred muskets, he would be told what the King's . designs were. To comply with this demand would be acknowledging too much submis- sion, and would doubtless give the King a very indifferent opinion of the British charac- ter. Mr. White behaved politely to the people, gave them some refreshment, and told them that he regretted that the King, or their master, did not appear inclined to come to an explanation, or to conciliate matters: that if the King would point out in what 3 0 466 APPENDIX. No. I. manner the Annamaboes had offended, he would use his authority to have .atisfaction given: that until he was assured of their having transgressed, 01' having injured his Majesty, they were entitled to the prutection of the fort, if they sought for it: and that, finally, if the King's army should come with any hostile intentions near the fort, it would be fired upon. After this two or three of the heavy guns were fired with shot, for the purpose of giving them an idea of the destructive power of artillery; and they were preparing to depart, when private information was received, that the flag of truce would be violated in its return, and the men murdered. Whereupon Mr. White and Mr. Wilson (a gentle- man not in the service,) escorted them, and left them in safety within a short distance from their quarters, The Governor now anxiously looked for a definitive reply from the King, and every assiduity was used to place things in a defensive position; Ilnd the town~people having heretofore placed a firm reliance on their strength, became alarmed, and were solicitous to be assured of the Governor's protection. Mr. White informed them, that if the King of Ashantee intended to attack the town, he would give them all the assistance and protection in his power; at the same time advised them of the most prudent measures to be employed for their safety and defence. He instructed. them, in the first instance, to have strong parties on the look-out, Ilnn to guard every avenue lead- ing into the town; and, on the first alarm, or approach of the enemy, to send the old men, women, and' children to the fm't, ' where they would be receivl'd; and as many as the fort would not accommodate, to come close to th~ walls, where they would be under the protection of the guns. At this crisis Mr. White and the inhabitants of the town were ignorant as to the strength of the Ashantee forces, and had but an imperfect idea Qf the bravery and intre- pidityof the men who composed the King's army. It was supposed that the Ashantees partook of the dispositions of the natives on the coast, who in general cannot stand against a regular and determined fire, and often creep into some concealed hole, when cannon or musKet shot"are heard to whiz among them; or, if the Ashantees were superior, it was little imagined that their co~rage, or ardour for conquest, would tarry them to the very muzzl~s of the guns, and consequently expose them to inevitable destruc:;tion. About a week had elapsed, a~cholar in it was committed, must have been by Lieut. Englanrl, would' probahly reconcile the two ac- Martyn, recollecting the di~erence of his and counts, at least in the names of place; , if not in Mr. Park's dispositions, and Amadi Fatouma's the circumstances, more than they can be from anecdote of the former wishing to kill him for the translation remitted . preventing him from fJring any more at the (10) See note; p. 202 . people of the King Gotoijege, I should observe (11) " And the other did not,--from the helle, that Amadi Fatouma's Poul nation can be ,violence of the water." _Silo Wm. I have sent the original MS. to the African Association, the following is Mr, Jackson's transcript of it. I regret that Mr. Salame, did not also furnish a transcript of this MS. . ~)I~)I.ill1 r! 1o:?~1 AI J ~.t-i~) y} ~ ~~I ~~ ~ ).J;' JIJY. \..,» ~ 0-< d ~}I ¥~ (;J\bL. J ..) ..; h:; ~ y) . ~ 4-11 ~:.l) ()~~ i:\..:> ~ ~ ~ WI..;J J~ ~\~ -' ~I~.J~ ~~b J'~b ~i4--.J \AJb ~ ~\.~bll t))jl ~ ~\ -' }WI ~ ~l)))I. ~\ Ir.--j~ ~, JI.Jy" ~\kL ~y-~? ) ~~ --/-J ~ If,""f" ~L;~ oi4--) l¥-JI J csjl.", (!)J~) ~)~- t lb -'.J)f. ~\kL ~ ~ ~) L;o ~ JI ~.!- -' ~f" 1;11 -' APPENDIX. No. II. 481 , , ~\ ~ I~\ .j yj.J ~ J ~V '-! ~\1l.... ~I .J'p~ J u#j V"~ .,)&. . t:U\ &\ t:-'" ~ L;)~ ~ ~t-:.\\ J ~ J4--.J ) ~I MI .>.>~) ~ ~~ .;S:\\ J ~ ~l.o ~~J ~~\ J::.i ~I oj Yo.>.!\ ~)) M\ e-JI VI} '"'~ ~ ~~ ~ J\ I\~ ~l.o ~ i.j- Yo)~ ~11l.", JI .r.;" ~ ~~~ ~ ~.# :~\ J ~ I,....JJ e ~\ .ill~ ~W\ ~ J J.'i\ tj ~ ~ ..\:o.~J "I~ J cI.:J~J Yo)~ ~\k)..., ~ ~ * ~,tJ * ~y.! U!~ ~ J r' [ 482 ] ! APPENDIX. No. III. ROUTES. 1. 4. Obil'l'ibee, 11. Kookl'antoom 8. Over Pra to Demamba ·ToDwabin. The 1st Akim town 13. Aguiesso . . 9. Dadiasoo Seepa 5. Assinee 10. Asseecooma, Aban- lIIarmpon 6'. Over Boosempra to 5. nasoo, Abriidi, Elmi- Pakooroo Gawasee To Elmina. na, or, as the natives 7. Meeasee Aquooquamong c'lll it. Adcilna. 1. Thl'o' the towns Aka- 8. Monasa Okimdaia see, Kankawasee, Oda- G. 9. Over the Aninnee, soo, Adiabin, Asakkl'a-'Veterkroom To Dankara. (rising in a hill called ka, Adoonl,o, Aga- 1. DakoOIl BunkoOfoo Quomshoo, 1 day to from POD, to Adoo- Boomfeea the W.) on a tree masa 'i!. Tenabooom, the fron-tier town of Dankara Kinnesoo 10. Ashoosoo 2 . Fiasee, Bonechumay, 3. ThI'o' Mosiasoo to En- 11. Aquapong Asall~soo. to Bet'quoi quanta g. 12. Over Bil')'im to Measa. 3. Jnshuentem, (between waters) Abimpingua, 4. Thl'o' Ofoo, Am3500, To Quaoo. 13. A'sheeaqua to A tobiasee to Dankal'a. 1. Assiempong 14. Kookl'antoom 4. Thl'o' Hooma~sie, As- 7. 2. Thro' Arnoorn ·R. to 15. Aguiesso sckosoo, Edooll1assie, To Buntookoo. OseemadoQ 16. Marmpon and Akoorkerry, Akoto- t. Banee '" or to Pas- 3.0bogoo, Aboociee, kee, Yankcl'en, to saroo Frontier Quaoo town. Visited by Issert, who A bate a, the frontier 2. Beamasoo, calls it 24 miles from town of Dankara ,./ 4. Adumpong, the Go- or to DooniantitTee vernment of the C. Christiansburg Castle. 5. Thro' Sewooterasee, 3. Ensoota Coast Captain (put your head lower) Aboposoo, the frontier 4. Quanta 5. Assebanasoo 4. Tufel town to En- 5. Across Tando, 6. Minidasoo, To suaguesoo, • (woman's to Odomassee Famous for Palm Oil. Accra. town) the capital of 6. Suaterree 7. As~oona 1. Ashiedumpong Tufel 7. Birrakoomee S. Wantomo 2. Assaboo 6. Morobim 8. Yammee 3. Assuennie 7. Thro' Akoontarrem, 9. Kirribeeo 3. (the 1st Warsaw town) 5. An tananal Amodai, over B0l'0- 10. Kickilverree To Accra. 6 . Amllluonoom quaw, (a high hill 11 . Buntookoo 1. Odossoo 7. Akropong' where there was for· tii 'iVhen ()1' appears betweelk 3. Kroofoofroom, merly a large croonl, 9. A'uirriwantoo now deserted) Apa- two names, it meallS that <'acl ... & Two hours from the lake. t9wIl is equally close to the 10. Aradntem chamba, to Kalrakoo path, and indifferently visiled_ APPENDIX. No. III. 483 8. Biimsoo or Akima- 3 Gammasee 2. Aboiman To Banda. kasie a fet ish temple 3. Yatirrim 3. Soodroo 4. Akrofroom 4. Oweeamasee 1. Tafoo 4. Takimentea, 2.0feesoo 5. Intonnasoo 5. Anyanasue or Quamang (Cloth Town) 6 Assekarloomasee 3. Abofoo 5. Akommadea, 6. Quanasee 4. Kinkawasoo 01' Boomang 01' froabirree 12. 5. Akomada Boisoo To Odentee ferry. 6 7. Agwoona 1. Kokoofoo 6. Tandosoo 7. Coranza 8. Adoogan 2. Guia 7. Koontoosoo 8. Boibin 9. Over rivers and moun- 3. Weeiisee 8. Takima 9. Koonquoontee tains to Aguirya, or 4. Bassa 9. Weakee 10. Dawdaw Poorra 10. Aousa 11. Akrofroom 10. Through Sennee to 5. Tarrisoo Amantiflg 6. Ol'er Sennee, 11. Soko 12 . 0boosmosoo 11. Pattooda to ferry 12. Namasa 13. Moboasoo 12. Atoboboo 13. Coransoo 13. 14. On the path J3. Weasee From Yahndi to Daboia 14. Bimma 15. Over Adirri 14.Pannangha 1. Through Patinga 15 .. Banda J6 . Boopee to Duetuem 15. Yadjee 2. Tampeiin 9. 16. Oval' Adirri 10. to Sallagha 3. Through Nantong To Boopee. to KompooJlgo 1. Esansoo, or Medima To Sallagha. 11. 4. Through Boo 2. Through Ofim, which 1. Marmpon To Source of Sennee. to Dindinno rises close to the E. to 2. Aphwaguiasee 1. Agamachasee 5. Daboia Large Towns on the Route from Boornoo to Oongoora. Deeagarra Zogogdo Goozirrinkoorra Digza Doobba Dumgabalo Gellaroo Toppollo, Potuskum, or Kuskul1) Rakah or Toppodo Dawaso Zaghgah Garaga Woodbo Ariggum Gaskaia Gummo Madellarie Matcbella Zega Adagia, Mallagee, and Katanga, lay between Oongoora, and Kassina. Towns adjoining, oIr l aying close to the right and lefIt of the above Route. Serrakeelaia Goobilwa Danga . Dakum Gobookalashee Likhalalie Libmaroo Dazakou LOGha The following transcripts of . ttle most intelligible of the MSS. I brought, according to the dif- ferent readings, with the Negro pronunciation as- it was familiar to me in Ashantee, will show how careless or incapable the Moors are of writing the names of Negro kingdoms accurately. 484 APPENDIX. No. 111. according to the expression of the natives. The original MSS. will be sent to the African Association, to whom I had hoped to present the interesting itinerary of Shereef Brahima from Dagwumba to :Mecca, but this valuable MS. which it had cost me so much pains to procure, after l:eing kept three months by one gentleman before he discovered that he had not time to translate it, was lost or mislaid by atlQther in the course of doing so, and I have the mortification of being unable to submit any other than the mere skeleton of it. See Geography, p. Z05. CHART No. I. Course of the Niger or Quolla (by a Houssa Moor.) Negro pronunciation. Mr. Jackson's reading and Mr. Dupuis' reading and transcript. transcript. Gebowa Gebawa J-~ ~ Toro Jollabi Futa Jelua Ij.;.- ~j Foota Joolaba y~... ~j~ ...... Fota Tora Futa Tura ;}~j Foota Tooroo .J; =~.,. ; .J Hasoo Kassua ., ~ Khassllua ~ Jaoona -laun ~,-".;"" Jafooaa ~;:. II , . Gammoe (fremua \~- Ghemoua" J ~ Mallaia Maly Faly Ji~ Malia J~ .. ," ;- Shego Shairu -tL.-:. Shagho tL.:. Sansandin Sansandia Y,">':'-:"" Sansandia Y,">':'-;"" Jennie Janni ,).;"" Jinnie ~\.;-- Mashina Masheena ~Lo Mashena ~L "" ......." --.o Jimballa G-rimbala ~ "Ghimballa ~ (G-r nearest sound to t.) Kabarra Kabra ~ Kabara ;5 .I " .... c. Timbuctoo Timbuctoo ~ Jolliba Jilab Karihua \JE~j y~ Jilleb Kareho '*'J y~ (or Garihua.t) Uzzabin Asabin ~\ Azbene J,jI Gaw G-raheh Y,1w: Chou J I.e '" Mr. Dupuis renders the Arabic f: £h agreeable to Richardson. Mr. JacI.:son has insisted on preferring i r throughout. Mr. Dupuis, having sailed for Africa, has not had the advanage of correcting the press for himself, but every care has been taleen. t Sir W. Ouseley remarks, that the letter k is frequently softened into g. APPENDIX. No. III. 485 Mr. Jackson's reading and Mr. Dupuis' reading and N egl'o pronunciatiol}. transcript. transcript. Kabi Keb ~~ Kabi Yaoora Eura .J)!. Yaoury Hooman (DhoomanJ " Raka Baka ~ Raka IS') ,,~ Quarraraba Kurauabee ~ )j Koorawaba y)} ';, ,... I' " .... Mafecgo(Jdoo 11afikadoo JJU~ 11afhygodo .M.Jij1,.o Cadie,Caudee,and Chad; Shad ~ Shad a Sharee R. Shar ,r. Sharry ~ ~" Foor . Fure .J~ . Weddai Wadaa L:!\">~ Wadana ~\~~ (i. e. two rivers.) Soonar Sanar ~~ Sanar ~c Siluar Benassa Sheua benasser ~~~ Shewa ben Hassan ~d. 'r> Shousuad ..>I,->".i Shousooda "'1"..,,,..!. ... c",..., Doulamba ~.., Kalen or Falen Kalana J~ Jefeesgo Jafag r Jafegh ~ Massar Mass'r MassiI' ,)4;0 MS. No. I. Routefrom Boussa to Yarriba. ~ Wauwaw Wou -'", Kaiama Kima .~ Godoobirrie Khudubar .J, ~.",~ Gamba Khamba ~....;.. ...... ", Kroornie Yarri ba Kurmi Yarabia y-iJ,. ('} ~ Ageasee Abashee ~\ A more familiar illustration of the difficulty or carelessness of the Moors in writing Negro names, is the following route to SaIJagha, to which there are many paths, containing several Ashantee towns, which I have laid down in the map. I rather think, however, the corrupt Arabic of the interior is not 'iuite understood. 486 APPENDIX. No. III. Ms. No. II. Negro pronunciation. Mr. Jackson's reading and transcript. Jemakashee ~\S'L. . :-- Gammasee Khemashee or Ghemashee - -I".> t.,/" Akrofroom Kukenlme or Kuferume t)})~ or t)}j Eer kaleela (a narrow or close countryj l.l::lJ/ . Soota U badha Shta J L..:. t,).,.J And afterwards Shta or an alluvial country !) The people of Sudi in the territory of Shta L..:. ~ ~ -=-,IS' ..1)..,\ ~) Marmpon U badha Mamefm t~~ ~~-' Aduarrie Kennie D'keen Adjar .J4--..I I l;j.':~..1 Aguira Ajuee or Ajree Yo.l:;--\ or Yo)';"'1 AntonasoG Anteenee v~ Akakuee :",)~\ Patooda (no P in Arabic) Ketdee ...s~ Atoboo Atal> yu\ Weasee Hooashee or Weeashu ~):;-- oru~)"" Feneeueekee - ~)~ Perhaps meaning frontier of Booroom Eure .JY. Sallagha Salagr .t:J-> I shall submit more translations or transcripts of routes and charts in Arabic, 'adding the Negro pronunci~tion, as the situations of most of the places were not so clearly con- firmed as to enable me to insert them in my map, and consequently it is important to enable future travellers to refer to them; such outlines being a great assistance in direct- ing and checking enquiry (which they frequently originate) and investigation. The original MSS. will be sent to the Mrican Association, in case a further examination may be desirable hereafter. MS. No. III. Course of the Niger or Quolla (by a Bornoo Moor.) Negro pronunciation. Mr. Jackson's' reading and Mr. Dupuis' reading and transcript. , transcript. , Bambooch Banbuir eladi eeakul JS'~ Yo.).)\ ~ Banboogbo el H:m Abn Adam t..l\ oil ~I Banbug r, who eat the flesh of men. Firmagr-a ~, ; Fermagba ~.; , Hasoo Hftsu V'b. Hasoo V'b. " , " , Jaoolla Jahunu ~4-- Jahoonoo if'4-- APPENDIX. No. Ill. 487 Mr. Jackson's reading and Mr. Dupuis' reading and Negro pronunciation. transcript. transcript. , # ,# Gamoo Jamu ('~ Jamoo r.:: Malay or Mallaia Mali j-: Malahi JZ; ~ Shego Shaegru ~ Shagho ~ Sansandy ~ Sansadia .)-:..... Sansandin Jennie Jany c.f."'" Jinnie ~ Mashina Masina ,~ t:, Massina .... , ~t: ~ Timbuctoo Tunbuktn ~;.j Timbuctoo ~ ~ # ", . Gauw G-rau •t e Ghaou J\,C. .,/ #<, #0' Kolomllnni Kulman ~JS Koolmani ~ /~ ..... c. c. ..... ~ Zinberme Dtanberma ('.J~~ D~nberma (,.r.l.j Cabi Kabi ~ Kabi t..r~ #, # ~ ,# Yawoorie or Yaoora Eauri .J,)Y,. Yaouri .))I ..t. Noofee Nufy if Noufee if Boussa Busaa C.J Boussa .,/. L...J'! Raltka Raka \i~ Rakka ti'.() Borneo B"rn Bcrnu l.:J.! Bornou \;Jf, Chadee L. (The lake urawn, but the name not written.) Bagarrimee Ba{rarm ) ro,W Baghroom ('/~ Kalamfarradoo Kaferk or K.ferd ~,i~ or ~\~ Kaferda Kalferka ~)~ Weudai -Wadana (two rivers) (:)\"') Wadai l.:Jl~; <# , 0# ~ Soonar Surnar Jv"'" Soonar ,)"... Siua ~ Sewa ~ Schweess Suis v-:'J-' Souisa v-?,,... Zaloo Jal J4- Jaloo J~ Kataeba Katab ~ Kataibi ~~ Makidzue Mek'duh 'CJ~ Makad '{)~ Mertabass M'rtabas v-\~J '" Mertabas v-\J.r> Hoodayba Mamudeeb ~."'yM Haoudeba ~J~ Taiboos Teesuse v-~j Tesoos v-J-:l Jarooba Jerub Y)f." Jarouba YJ./:- Tabarrabas5 Tidburse or or v-.J.~ Tarbasa v-w..) Tidfurse V-)J,'j 488 APPENDIX. No. III. Mr. Jackson's reading and Mr. Dupuis' reading and Negro pronunciation. transcript. transcript. Gedda fda I~ Jidda I~ Geddook J'duk i:.)~ Jidoukh b~ Limbarr' Linbabahr ~ Linbahar ~ Tarrowm Term r-.? Taroom (".? Massar M'nser ~ Minsor ~ ... c.. .... c. Sakunderree or Askan~ Skender, a swamp or ~~ )~ Sakundria, Alexandria ,)~ darie lake Routefrom Timbuctoo' to Ferjan (from the same MS.) Tuan (:..II; Toowano (:..II,J M'brCtk ~r. Mobaruka ~~ Jeerban d.~ Joojebani ~ft" Abugiberk ~)!I Kheerabi .~~ Tehekeem ~d Tahkema ~. Bageeacha Hootailee 1- Goosaicha >n ot written, but position marked, and thus pronounced. Hayloon Barrahese J Ferjan I.:>~.) Ferjan From Timbuctoo to Tunis (from the same Chart.) Ziggie Jak, Jik, or Juk ,-'7-: Ja~ha Arowalla Arun or Arul J)r or 1.:»/ Aard01l Tarrabaleesc Trahesen 1:.f""1. ~ Trabolas Mooquinassa M'kenas V~ Mookanassa Hass Has :rt;.. Hhas Landoloos Lindalsu u "- l.t)o ....;.. .), LankaIsoo Toonis Tunis Tunis Near the aea Other towns named on this route were Hassaladee Dizzaela Maratooph Hassazedeed Dazeleel - Swamach Hassat Katerbwe Omattaras Bahadzai APPENDIX. No. III. 489 MS. No. IV. Course of the Niger or Quolla (by a Jennie Moor who had been to Egypt.) Mr. Jackdon's reading and Mr. Dupuis' reading nnd Negro pronunciation. transcript. transcript. Mallaia Malh C Mahh Shego Shak d.... Shako Sansandin Sansamlee y~ Sansandia y~ Jennie Jin cr.- Jinnie ~'!-­ Massina Masheen ~'\. .0 Mashina ~..:.\.., Tinbuctoo Tinbut ~~ Tinbuctoo ~ (Here he draws theJolliba flowing from or into the Quolla by Timbuctoo.) Cauw Cru ~ Chou .i- Quoalla Kula ':ii Koualla ':ij Askea Assaee yl...l Askea uL1 Zabirma Zabuaa h')!j Zaberrna ~~j Cabi Keb 0 Kaby ~ Yaoora Eeure .JY.. Yeory .JY.. Boussa B'sa W Bussu '-! (Here he branches off a southern route to Yarriba with precisely the Sil)lle names as in MS. I. by the Houssa Moor. ) Noofee Quolla.liffa 1 Atagara »n ot written, but position marked, and thus pronounced. Sharee R, Chadee L • . I J .. ~ , Fool' Foo j Sour ~ Weddai Wadaee yl..lJ Wadai yl..lJ Joonar Jusenaw J\;.."r:-. Joosnou J\;..,,),!-- Shewa Shuee y~ Shouy I..,;Y" " ~ Sooeess Sius.e V")"" Sweis r" ~";""" Zale Zal J~ Zal J0 Zaedooma Zeehwam tJ??·j Zeedouma .,\,) . ('J .. .J Lachtauioo Lahellam ('1J..:,...'j Lakhtamo \h;..) t c Makagoodoo Mehed'twa ~~'" Mohadzou " ~.k.'" 3R 490 APPENDIX. No. III. Negro pronunciation. :Mr, Jackson's reading and Mr.·Dupuis· reading and' transcript. transcript. Dalooba Deeluba \!)l?.) Djaoba ~)~.., Tarbass Tubas V'4) Terbasa U " V'!.T Jaheesoo Jekeesee ~ Jakhesa i.,r.. '::'~ Latooha " Lituh or Liauh V·~~ or L~ Letouh 0 h.... l J ~ ~ Mabanoos ~'benuse V'~ Mabanouso V'r. ... Itkhame Atekam (' tsd" Etakhamo ~~, Massar r Missu ~ MassiI' ~ Sooryada Sueed ~,.., Sourida ~,.., Nezoogoo Teeawa ~l.) Nezugh t)~ Kataramoo ,Kateram t~ Kateramo t~:$ Dahloomoo D'hclume (,)1.>.) Dhalomo ('j1~.) Hateboo Heteeb ~ Hhateba I..:--~ Haheenie Heneen ~ Hahhene ~ Hajamie Khejam tI·s > Hajame ('4:.- Tapa~ooloo Tefawn (!}"w Tafsoona ~ Askanc1arie Askundria .... J~, Bahar Mela (Bahar Melhah the salt sea) Bahar a1 Malah MS. No. IV. This was written by an old Moor, a native of the Mallowa country, but unfortunately just as he had finished (for I made them all write at the moment in my own apartment, however hurried, rather than allow them to go home and compose for me) and was,begin- ning to explain what he had written, a summons from the King obliged me to quit him, and ,he left Coomassie before I could procl)re another visit from him. In the absence of ali explanation, I can only conclude fl:om some few names that are familial' to me, that it is a route from Berragoo over the Quolla, and then westward to Bergoo, known to Mr. Brown. I am only induced thus to preserve a transcript of this ms, from its fortunate co-incidence in several names with the valuable lost itinerary of my friend Brahima, as far as can be collected from a mere sketch of a translation, which Was made in anticipation of the perfect one. I shall submit them collaterally, as they assist to elucidate each other, and agree very well in the relative positions of places, although the parties never saw each other, which is some satisfaction under the disappointment. • APPENDIX. No. III. 491 Outline of Brahima's Itine1·ary. MS. No. IV. Mr. Dupuis' reading and Mr. Jackson's reading and Other readings . transcri pt. . transcript. Burg ru tj Bouroughoo Bazao (Baraol Babigry •., ;l''j Babaghe Keekash Kaikshi Keekesh Serkoon Droo Serkune Mashooko Banghoo BanaJ.::a Toonooma (,if Tuee J, Yajoury (doubtlels Yawoorie) ),}"'f'.. Tenbykukmaetunby ~ d§ 0 Kenbua IJ:"~S Kan boo Dendawy ":f)'~.J Danadoo Belgr ua 'Ji4 Balaghou ... <.(.. .... Jebengrua ,~ Jabadghoo Jabdgho t~ Keemha or Keerba (~)W Kamba J Kadarkoo R. j:/,i Kedug reh R. 6.cy~ Kadarko ') .17l Doodirba R. (~~:; Dtedterba R. ~.J..i..i Dodarba Uwawfeh .ti)~J Mhaka Kury (arrival at Kury) ":f)§ \!s:.<> Saffer ;... Aau Khashah 4.J:..1.s2 );., , 0 -'L, .... . . , ~ Shawanka ~~, Shawangra ~l Ghoufel J.i.f Jafu ,;4-- Japhoo Simmer r-' Yarkoo §,f.: Daghm ~.J f.J. ...... " Bannanao Ip- o 0 , J OJ DunJ.::a Jj.J Doonkot Doonkee .,i.J " , Ghodau W~· Grn'w )1- Ghouwa ~"" Salamo IJ.J..., ....... '" .... Janboodoo l~. .w.i.>. J abendu b~4- 492 APPENDIX. No. III. Mr. Dupuis' reading and 'Mr. Jackson's reading and transcript. transcript. Other readings. < ~ ~ ~ J Soosoo .:. ~ Susu \r>".., ~ Kooreree .;} Koos 1,/4 Barghoowa '",zf . Berg-rua '.,iJ.' Nak or Naka JJ Water of Wada vOJ Douga (probably Donga) !.'J6'"'' Mazim r.?" Kal ;,t Makji u":,,,ji,..., Tafhl ~ill Shal L. J..!. Koad or Koada vOj Here the writer signified that he went back to Kateen, as appeared to the transcriber, but more probably Kll8sina, and thence proceeded to Kano J Bomou if. Sher R. .r- Shadda L oll;. Foor Jj Wada Jol) Massir ~ Makata (Mecca) it... Manina ~.~ Shem (Damascus) rl;. J erusalero, &c. &c. (..)4'~Ji.J\ ~ [ 493 ] APPENDIX. No. IV. REPTILIA. (REPTILES.) Gen. MONITOR, Cuvier. Sp. 1. Pulcher, Leach. M. Supra niger albo pulcherrime zonatus et maculatus: zonis dorsalibus e maculis effectis, ventre albido nigro transversim vage lineato, cauda compressa cannata. This elegant species was found in Fantee. The whole upper parts of the body, the legs and tail, are black, most beautifully banded and spotted with white. The bands on the tail are alternately wide and narrow; the wider bands are each much and abruptly dilated above into a kind of spot, whilst the narrow ones become gradually wider in the inverse direction. The legs are spotted above with white; the under parts of them, as well as of the belly and throat, are also of the same colour with th~ spots. Gen. CHAM£LEON, if' authors. Sp. 1. Dilepis, Leach. Ch. Capite siIpra sub plano utrinque bicarinato: carinis antice conniventibus, occi- pite utrinque squama magna instructo, dorso 3ubspinoso-carinato. 'rhis species may readily be distinguished from all that have been hitherto disco- vered, by the two large scales, affix~d one on each side to the back part of the head. These scale-like processes, aril covered by the same scaly integuments which covel' the head and body. Gen. ACONTIAS, Cuvier. Sp. I. Pwnctatus, Leach. A. Supra brunneo-fuscus obsolete purpurascens, squamis postice macula ventreque fulvescentibus. Fantee. Ge-n. MACROSOM A, Leach. 1. ElegO/ns, L each. Cdluber elegans, Shaw. Fantec. Gen. COLUBER, Cuvier. 1. Bicolor, Leach. 494 APPENDIX. No. IV. C. Supra badio-niger subtus albidus, squamis dorsalibus elongatis gradatim ang~s- tioribus; apice obtusiusculis. Fantee. 2. Irroratus, Leach. C. Badio-fuscus, gula pallid4, squamis pulcherrime albido irroratis; dorsalibus subelongatis apice rotundatis. Fantee. 3. lrregularis, Leach. ' C. Azureo-virescens, ventre albido, squamis simplicibus irregularibus: dorsalibus ovatis: Iateralibus superioribus superne truncatis; inferis subhexagonis. Pantel'. The above three species of Coluber are decidedly new, as well as the Acontias; the latter is more particularly interesting, since it encreases the species of a very limited genus. ARACHl1'01DA. Gtn. SCOR-PIO, gfauthors. Sp. 1. Aftr, Fabr. Gen. MYGALE, ,Latreille. The only specimen was too mutilated to enable me to make out its specific character. MYRIAPODA. Of this class you found two species in Fantee; a Scolopendra, and a gigantic JuluJ; neither of which are in a sufficientl:r good state to enable me to make out whether they be described qr not. INSECTA. Gen. TEFFLUS, Leach, new genus. Generic character. CAPUT. Mandibulce requales edentulre. Palpi labiales et maxillaTe8 externi articulo ultimo elongato.securiformi. THORAX hexagonus antice et postice rectus. AllE nullre. Elvtra coalita abdomen tcgentia apicem versus utrinque sinuata. TibilE anticre latere interiore apicem versus emarginatre calcare elevato instructre. Tarsi ootici MARIS articlllis duobus primis tenuiter dilatatis. Habitus et Antennre Carabi. Sp. 1. Meyerlei. Carabus Meyerlei, Fabr. Syst. Eleut. i. J69 .-Voet. col. ii. tab. 39,j: 49. Gen. ODONTOMERUS, Dahl. Sv. 1. Serratu,s. Buprestis serratus, Fabr. Fantee. APPENDIX. No. IV. 495 Gen. CETONIA, Wauthors. Sp. 1. Mmginata, Fabr. Fantee. Gen. PHYLLOTOMA, Wm. MacLeay, MSS. Sp. 1. Riflexa. lVIelolontha reflexa, Fabr. Faniee. Gen. HELoPs, Fab1·. Sp. ). Marginatus, Olivier. Fantee. Gen. UPIs? Fabr. Sp. 1. Cuprea. Tenebrio Cupreus, Fabr. Fantee. Gen. LAMIA, FalJr. Sp. 1. Tri-fasciata, Fabr. Fantee. This species is also found at Sierra Leone, and in the Back S~\. Jlents of the Cape of Good Hope. Gen. PETROGNATHA, Leach. Character Caput thorace paulo latius. Antennce (maris corpore duplo kmgiores et ultra,) articulo secu.ndo longiore flexuoso. Labrum lineare transversum nudum utrinque rotundatum. Mandibulce petrosre (MARIS interne apicem versus obtuse uniden- tatre,) infra et externe irregulariter carinatre. Pabpi 'l7U/,xillares et labiales articulo ultimo basi subattenuato; apice externe oblique truncatO-acuminato. THORAX transversus utrinque I-spinosus. Elytra humeris I-spinosis, apiceque ad saturam spinoso-subproducto. Sp. 1. Gigas. Lamia Gigas, Fabr. Fantee. Gen. CALLICHROMA, Latreille. Sp. I. Festivum. Cerambyx festivus, OViv. Fabr, Fantee. Gen. MA~TIS. Sp. l. Swper'stitiosa, Fabr. Fantee 496 -APPENDIX. No. IV. This species, as well as its congeners, is an object of superstitious veneration amongst the natives of north-w~stern Africa, Syria, and India. It agrees in all points with the original specimen of 8wpe1'stitiosa, so named by Fabricius in the Banksian Cabinet. Gen. G RYLLUS, Fabr. 8p. 1. SquarroSU8, Fabr. Fantee. Gen. REDUVIUS, Fabr. Sp. 1. Barbicornis, Fabr. Fantee. I have received this species from the Cape of Good Hope. Gen. CANOPUS, Rodhe. - Sp. 1. Pwnctatu8, Leach. Supra olivaceo-ater impresso-punctulatus J;ubro punctatus, subtu!l ruber segmentis marginibus stigmatibus tibiis tarsisque nigris, capite rubro irrorato. Gaboon. [ 497 ] APPENDIX, No. V. Mr. TEDLIE'S Account qf the Thermometer. Date. A.M. M. P.M. Weather. Date. A.M. M. P.M. Weather. April 28 6 74 July 7 6 71 2 80 Rain. 29 7f 7f> 6 75 II 80 8 6 72 12 78 . Fair. 30 2 88f 3 80 Tornado. 7 82~ ~) 6 72 Fair. l\Iay I 8 77 1 79 Rain. 2 8 76~ 91 10 7 73 2~ 81 3 6 76 l'l 89 11 8 73 2 81 Fail'. 6 72 May 4. The Thermometer was broken last night 12 6 72 2k 80 at Asharaman. 6 76 At Coomassie, from the '7th June to the 14th, it 13 8 77 varied from so to 85, between 12 and 2. 11 73 3 77 Rain. June 15 1 82- 14 8 71 . 2 77 1610 79 15 8 70 12 74 6 72 Fair. 17 12 82 16 7' 69 2 78 18 9 79 2 84 7 73 19 n 73 2~ 78 Ii 7 69 2~ 79 5 78 18 8 71 3 79 2010 78 1 81 6 76 2~ 82 19 6 70 Fair. 21 8 74 2~ 52 2f 76 Fair. 22 8 76 12 82 1 74 Tornado. 7 74 23 8~ 74 1 81 Tornado. 20 8 72 2f 78 24 lJ~ 76 2 73 Rain. 21 n 71 12 75 2f 78 25 9 75 1 76 6t 75 26 9 76 12 76 2 78 22 6 70 2 78 27 8~ 79 3~ 80 7 73 Rain. 28 sk 74 12 77 23 6 70 2 78 29 9~ 74 2 77 Fair. 8 72 30 9 77 1 80 Rain. 24 8 70 2 74 July I 9 76 1 SO 8 72 2 8 73 12 78 258 69 1 74 3 9 78 1 78 6 72 6 75 26 7 70 2 75 4 8 72 - 12 74 6 74 5 8 72 1 78 Fair. 27 7 68 3f 80~ 6 6 71 12 76 Ss 8 71 498 APPENDIX, No. V. - Date. A.M. M. P.M. Weather. Date. AM. M. P.M. Weather. July 28 8 70 Fair. Aug. 20 2 'i2~ 3 77 6 71 7f 73 21 6 69 Fair. , 29 7 70 2 78 1 77 8 73 7 74 39 7 66k 2 78 22 6 68 12 73 2 77 7 73 7 71 31 8 70 1.2 76 Z 78 23 7 68 1 76 7 7'3 8 73 Aug. 1 7 70 2 77 24 1 09 3 74 7 73 Ra,in. 7 7 1i '2 7 71 2 73 25 6 68 6 74 8' 70 26 6 68 3 7Rt 3 7 69k 12 72 3 7'3 Rain . 7 74 8 70~ Fair. 27 7 69 Hazy. , 4 7 70 2 78 1 7'2 8 74 3 72 5 7 71 2 79 7 7.ot 6 75 Rain. 28 6 69~ Rain. 6 7 70 Rain. 2 74 ~ 78! 8 72 Rain. 8 73 Fair. 29 7 70 3 78 Fair 7 7 71 2 78 6 77 6 76 ;30 7 70 Fair. 8 6 70 12 73 2k 77 '2f 76 7 73 7 73 Rain. 9 6 70 2§ 78 31 7 70~ 3 77 1 75 7 73 10 1 11 2 76 Rain. Sept. 1 7 71 Fair. 7 74 Rain . 3 80 11 7 11 \l 78 7 77 8 73 Rain. 2 6 71 Hazy. 12 7 70i 3 16 Rain. 2 75 6 73 ,7 74 Slight showers S 71 3 6 71 12 74 Rain. 13 7 70 '2 77 1 80 8 73 6 14 14 7 70 2 74 Fair. 4 7 71 12 71 7 74 . 6 7-3 5 5 71 3 79 8 71 7 76 Fair. 15 7 70 2 72 6 6 70 '2 74 7 73 7 73 16 7 70 2 75 7 8 71 3 76 7 7'3 8 73 Slight showers 17 7 70 2 80 8 7 71 12 76 1 74 2 80 18 7 11 l2 77 2 80~ 8 73 3 8t 9 6 71 2 80 7 71 8 14 19 1 11 2 75 Rain. 10 1 71 Rain. S 73 3 80 20 7 68k Rain. 1 16 APPENDIX, No. V. 499 Date. A.M. M. P.M. Weather. Datt!. A.M. M. P.M. Weather. Sept. 11 6 72 Heavy rain. Sept. ] (j 7 72 2~ 80 2 77 Rain. 8 75 LO 79.. Rain. 17 7 7'l. 1'l. 78 2.& 81 12 'I" 7'9.. 12 78 3f 80f 9 75 10 76 18 7 79.. 9.. 77 Rain. 13 7 22 2 78 8 73 3f 80 Rain. 19 7 71 3 81 9 76 9 75 14 7 72 Hazy. 20 7 72 2 79 Rain. 2f 79 8 74 6 76 21 7 72 9..f 81 Rain. 8 75 8 72 15 5 71 3 80 22 8 71 Hazy. 7 75 12f 71 9.. 89..~ Mr. HUTCHISON'S Account o/'the Thermometer, after the Departure 0/' Mr: Tedlie. Date. A.M. M. P. lVI. Weather. Date. A. M. Nf. P.M. Weather. Sept. 23 8 73 Thunder, with Oct. S 6 80 2 80 [rain. 5 6 72 2 79 8 75 6 74 21- 6 72 Rain. 6 6 72 Raih. {thunder. 12 78 [dy. 2 79 Much rain, 2 82 Fair, but clou· 8 75 8 75 Rain. 7 6 72 2 79 25 6 7J~ 6 74 10 76 Fair. 8 6 71 12 79 2 73 12 83 Rain. 6 71 [cloudy. 2 75 Violent tornado 9 6 71 2 79 Sultry and 8 71k Rain. 6 78 26 6 70 10 6 73 12 73 Hazy. 12 78 Fair. '2 80 Cloudy} thun. 2 71~ [thunder. 4 77 Wind der. 6 73~ Much rain, 8 71 Heavy rain. IJ 6 73 Hea'vy fog. 27 6 73 2 76~ Fair, cloudy. 10 75 Fair. 12 6 71~ Sultry, foggy. 12 8°k 6 75 2 80~ Fair. 28 6 71 2 81~ 6 78 6 74 ]3 6 73 Foggy. 29 6 71~ 'l. 82 12 78 Sultry. 30 6 73 Cloudy. 2 79 2 80 6 77 Rain, thunder. 7 7lf 14 6 71§ Rain, foggy. Oct. 1 6 7'l.k 9.. 82 9.. 78~ Fair. 10 70 8 76 6 74 9.. 6 70 2 79 Rain. 15 6 72~ Rain) foggy. 8 78 Sultty. 2 74 I-lazy. 3 6 71 Rain. 6 73 'l. 82 Fair. 16 6 72~ Foggy. 500 APPENDIX, No. V. Date. A. M. M. P. M. Weather. Date. A. M. M. P. M. Weather. Oct. 16 2 80~ Fair. Nov. 3 .2 82~ Fair. 6 75 6 78 17 6 7Si Rain, foggy. 4 6 72 2 78 Rain, foggy. 2 78 6 74& Sultry. 6 74k 18 6 73 Fair. 5 6 72k .2 79k 2 80 [del'. 6 78 6 75 Rain and thnn- 6 6 74 2 80~ Fair. 19 73k 8 79 Rain, sultry. 7lt Much rain. 7 6 72l 2 82& Fair, thtiJder. 20 6 7ok ' Dense fogs. 3 79 Rain. l 2 73 Foggy, with " 8 77 6 7 4 [showers, 21 6 72k Fair. S 6 72 .2 78f Thunder. .2 79 8 75 Hazy . 8 78~ 22 6 73 12 77 Foggy. IO 6 71 Foggy. 2 82~ tail'. 2 82 Fair. 8 75 [showers. 8 76 23 6 72~ Foggy., with thr. 11 6 72f Foggy. 12 80 2 83 2 SI~ Fair. 8 77 8 78 12 6 74d 2 79 Cloudy. 24 6 73 6 78 Sultry. 12 80 13 6 73 2 8St FlLir. 8 75 25 6 74t 12 82 14 6 69 2 78k 8 75 IS 6 70d 2 82! 26 6 72k Foggy. 8 79 16 6 69 2 82 8 80 27 6 72 17 6 70~ 2 82i 6 79 ~~ 18 6 7'1. 2 82! 29 6 7 s 80 19 6 72~ .2 SDk 8 78 30 6 73 20 6 70t .2 81 8 76 21 6 72k 2 83~ S 1 6 72~ 8 79 22 6 72 .2 83 8 78 Nov. 6 72ft Foggy. 23 6 75 .2 82 Rain. 2 81 8 78 foggy . 6 80 Sultry. 24 6 72 .2 6 73 Fair. .2 81 2 sq 8 76 8 75 Rain . 26 6 71 .2 83 3 6 7 3 Rain. 8 75 APPENDIX, No. V. 501 Date. A.l\1. M. P.M. Weather. Date. A.M. M. P.M. Weather. Nov. 27 6 73 Slight showers. Dec. 19 8 74 2 80 Foggy. 20 6 64A 2 79 Foggy. 8 76 8 76 28 6 70 2 80~ 21 6 75 2 80 Tornado. S 74 8 78 Rain. 22 6 76 2 81 Foggy. 29 6 78 2 82 6 78 8 75~ SO 6 78! 2 81 23 6 76k 2 83~ 8 76 8 80 Dec. 6 78 24 6 79 2 84 2 sok 4 82 Tbunder. 8 74 I 7 80 Tornado. 2 6 77k 2 80 , 25 6 78 Foggy. 8 74 2 81 8 78 Tornado. S 6 68~ 2 79 Rain. 26 6 69 2 81 Foggy. 8 74 Fair. 6 so Tornado. 4- 6 67 2 81 Foggy. 27 6 70 2 82 Foggy. 8 77 8 76 5 6 68 2 sok 8 77 28 6 74 2 82 6 6 65 \I 78 8 78 8 76 29 6 73 .2 80k 7 6 63 2 80 8 76f 8 77 so 6 74 2 79 8 6 70 2 78k 8 76 8 76 31 6 72 2 81 9 6 6s 2 79 8 78 8 76 Jan. 1 6 70f 2 81 10 6 71 2 79 1818. 8 78 8 75 2 6 72 11 6 73 2 SO§ 3 6 72 2 85 Thunder. 6 74 8 76 Rain. 12 6 74 2 81 From sickne.s, the Thermometer was u'ot at- 8 73 tended to till tqe 10th, during the interval the 13 6 74k 2 79~ weather was excessive cold, and the fogs very dense. 8 77 10 Z 74 Foggy. 14 6 72 2 79 8 68 8 76 J 1 6 62! 2 76 15 6 73i 2 79 8 8 76 70k 12 6 60 2 77 16 6 74 2 80~ 8 8 70 74 13 6 61~ 2 74~ 17 6 73i 2 80 8 68 8 75 14 6 58 2 6 74 18 7l§ Tornado. 8 66 2 79 15 6 60 2 8 76 75 k 8 70 19 6 68 .2 79k Foggy. 16 6 61k 2 76 502 APPENDIX, No. V. Date. A.M. M. P.)\l. Weather. Date. A.l\L M. P.l\L Weather. Jan. 16 8 72~ Jan, 25 6 64 2 84 17 6 6Q 2 76h 8 · SO S 71 ~6 6 68 2 83f 18 6 60 2 74 8 67~ 8 7S 27 6 68~ 2 84 J~ 6 6~~ 2 79 8 80~ 8 75 28 fl 72 2 84! 20 6 64 2 78~ 8 78 8 76 29 6 72 2 85 21 6 64~ 2 70 8 80 8 7/J, 30 6 74 2 85 22 6 66 2 80 8 80 8 78 31 6 76 2 86 23 6 64 2 82 8 80 8 76 Feb. 1 6 74- 2 84i 24 6 6(2 2 82§ 8 79 8 7rt. 2 6 73~ 2 86~ [ 503 ] APP-ENDIX. No. VI. I -WILL now submit the numerals of 31 nations, which, with the exception of three, the Fantee, the Accra, and the Bornoo, (and those but imperfectly,) have never been reported before. I will arranoa e them according to their geographical _a 'pproximation, remarlcing any apparent affinity which occurs to me, in notes. I shall place the Inta first, because it is the most remote, inland, which can be assimilated to the Fantee, Ahanta, Aowin, and Amanahea; and may, probably, from that circumstance, be the root of these lan- guages; as it has been shewn, in the history, that the nations of the water side have been gradually pressed down, or have emigrated from the interior, an