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IV.

Leona fent him sealed up in bottles. Although he found CHA P. them all putrid, especially that from the Senegal, he could not discover any animalcules in them, with a good microscope, nor any uncommon contents, by chemical analysis. All of them, after being expofed fome time to the open air, became perfectly fweet and good. Hence he concludes that the most effectual way of destroying the ova of animalcules, and of the Guinea worm* (if it be generated, as fome Guinea suppose, in water) is first to let the water putrify, and then to pass it through a series of vessels placed under each other, having small holes in their bottoms; so that it may fall from one into another in drops, like a gentle shower-a process which, he affures us, will render it quite pure and wholesome t.

As the Guinea worm is attended with great trouble and pain, though feldom with fatal confequences, unlefs when much neglected or mifmanaged, I fhall add Dr. Lind's defcription of it—" The less dangerous diseases," says he, “which attack Europeans in Guinea, are the dry belly-ach and the Guinea worm. This is a white round, flender worm, often fome yards long, lodged in the interftices of the muf. cles, commonly in the legs, feet, or hands. When it attempts to escape through the skin, it occafions a fwelling, resembling a boil, attended with great pain, until it's little black head appears in a small watery bladder, on the head of the boil. When this bladder breaks, the head of the worm is to be fecured, by tying it to a small roll of linen, fpread with plaifter, and part of the worm is, once or twice a day, to be gently drawn forth with care not to break it, and wrapped round this roll, until it be brought away entire; then the ulcer generally heals foon: but if part of the worm breaks off, the part remaining in the flesh can be ejected only, by painful and tedious fuppurations in different places. Dr. Rouppe obferves that the difeafe of the Guinea worm is infectious. It may at least be prudent in Europeans, not to lie in the fame apartments, and to avoid too free a communication with fuch negroes as are afflicted with them. The dry bellyach and Guinea worm may be obferved at any season of the year, and seldom prove mortal." Effay, p. 52.-" The dry belly-ach is the fame disease here as in the West Indies; but the Guinea worm feems peculiar to Africa, and a few parts of Afia." Id. p. 57. + Efay on the Diseases of hot Climates p. 60.

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To cool and purify water.

53. Even very foul water may be rendered potable, by letting it drain through a wine pipe, or deep tub, half filled with pure fand, with a number of fmall holes near the bottom, covered on the inside with hair-cloth, or other porous substance, to prevent the fand from being carried through by the water.-These methods may be practised, when a large quantity of clear water is wanted; but an ordinary family is very plentifully supplied by a drip-stone, which is one of the most elegant methods of obtaining pure water. If the stone tranfmit the water too freely, it may be rendered less porous, by a mixture of water and lime; if too flowly, it's bottom should be thinned, by rubbing it down with another gritty stone. The fand-tub or dripflone, should be placed in the fhade, where there is a free current of air; and the water should drop from the height of two or three feet into an unglazed earthen jar, not hard burnt, but fo porous as to allow the water to tranfude pretty freely; and thus the water will be kept conftantly cool, by the evaporation from the furface of the jar. It may be brought to table in small pitchers, of the fame porous texture. The reader will observe, that this mode of keeping water cool depends on the fame principle with that of refrigerating liquors, by covering the bottles with wet linen cloths, and placing them in a stream of air. All the above methods of purifying and cooling water are practised in hot countries. But all of them, except that of cooling the water, are unneceffary in many parts of Africa, for all the high grounds that I have seen there contain springs of the pureft water.

54. The following fimple difcovery, for rendering putrid water fit to drink, has been lately made by a Mr. Lowitz. Six ounces of charcoal powder, thrown into five gallons of

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putrid river water, and agitated, is fufficient to purify and CHA P. render it wholesome and drinkable. But the process is rendered ftill more efficacious, if to one drachm of charcoal be added two drops of strong vitriolic acid, which is fufficient to make four ounces of perfectly foul water sweet and clear, on being strained through a linen jelly-bag, containing charcoal powder *.

55. A

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PRODUCE.

produce.

S the flave-ships never return directly to Europe, Slare fhips but proceed to the West Indies with their bring little wretched cargoes, it has never been the intereft of their owners to bring home much of the produce of Africa.

56. Those called wood-veffels, might be supposed to deal only in produce. But this has by no means been the cafe. Befides their frequenting those parts of the coaft, where the flave-trade is brifkest, most of their commanders traffic in flaves on the coast; that is, buy slaves whom they fell again to the flave-captains. Yet, they have all along brought home some gums and gold, bees wax and ivory in confiderable quantities, a great variety of valuable and beautiful woods, for the use of the dyers and cabinet-makers; and of late, fome palm-oil for the purposes of the sheep-farmers nd wool-combers.

* See the Appendix to the Monthly Review enlarged, Vol. 12. p. 606.

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Captains of

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Eaft and

Weft Indian

interefts opportation of African produce.

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Produce rots in Africa, for want of conveyance.

57. But I believe the principal caufe why a trade in African produce has never been encouraged, has been the irrefiftible influence of the Eaft and Weft Indian interests. Those monopolifts, unreasonably thought their commerce would be affected by the introduction of African commodities into the markets of Europe. Thus much is certain, that Mr. Norris, one of the Liverpool delegates for fupporting the flave-trade, and therefore not to be fufpected of partiality to Africa, stated, in his examination before the Privy Council, that he "once faw a quantity of African pepper of the quality of that brought from the East Indies. It was fo good, that the Eaft India company objected to it's importation* We have before mentioned the formidable oppofition made the West Indians to the establishment of the colony at Sierra Leona.

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58. By fuch means, has the field of commerce been hitherto narrowed or fhut up in Africa: and inftances frequently occur of valuable commodities rotting on the coast, for want of a fale, or of the means of conveyance, to a foreign market. I myself faw one hundred bullocks hides. publicly fold at Goree for about five fhillings and three. pence fterling; and on another occafion, four bullocks for about fifteen shillings and nine pence fterling. I could mention several other striking inftances of the same kind.

59. Little as Africa is yet known, I can, from my own knowledge, affert feveral articles to be indigenous in that continent, which have hitherto been brought to our markets from the Eaft and Weft Indies, at an expense far exceeding the price at which they might be cultivated in, and

* Privy Council's Report, Part. I. Article " Produce" Mr. Norris and his two colleagues enumerated many other valuable productions.

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veyed from, Africa. What a ftrange inverfion of natural CHA P. order, to exile from their native soil, both men and plants; the one to languifh as flaves, and the other as exotics; the one to perish prematurely, and the other to fail every third or fourth year*!

ANIMALS.

60. The cattle, in that part of the country of which we Cattle. treat, are smaller than the generality of European cattle, and not fo fat as thofe of England and Holland; but their meat is juicy and palatable, and they give milk in abundance. Their inferior fize appeared to me to be the effect of the careless and unskilful management of the negroes. They must be raised on the coast, as foreign cattle do not thrive there. Even thofe from the Cape de Verd Islands, being accustomed to an uncommonly dry climate, do not well bear a transition to the continent. The horses are of a Horfes. middling size, strong, hardy, and fpirited. They are used in great numbers, for riding and carrying burdens, in the country between the Senegal and Gambia, and also on some parts lower down the coaft; but there they are not numerous, and in fome places there are none.— -Camels, fo admir- Camels. ably adapted, by the Creator, to affift the labours of man in hot climates, are not fo generally used by the negroes, as could be wifhed.- I have not feen many affes; but Affes. there is an excellent breed at the Cape de Verd Islands, from whence great numbers of them, and also of mules and horned cattle, are exported to the West Indies, for the use of the fugar plantations.The whole coaft is abundant- Hogs, fheep,

* On the extreme uncertainty of the Weft Indian crops, fee Beskrivelse over St. Croix af H. Weft-and the Report of the British Privy Council paffim.

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