Country populous, be

APPENDIX. only as a kind of household furniture. The fun is the most general object of their adoration; but it is a voluntary worship, and attended with no magnificent ceremonies. 955. In the space of a few leagues, are many large villages, fwarming with children. They practife polygamy, and their women are very prolific. Befides, as those people deal no farther in flaves, than by felling their convicted criminals to the Europeans, the country is not depopulated like those in which the princes continually traffic in their fubjects. The purity of the air, the goodness of the water, and the abundance of every necessary of life, all contribute to people this country.

caute there is

little flave trade.

Character of

the natives.

Their houfes.

Their women, good wives

956. The natives are of a large size, strong and well proportioned. Their mien is bold and martial; and their neighbours have often experienced their intrepidity, as well as thofe Europeans who attempted to injure them. They poffefs genius, think juftly, speak correctly, perfectly know their own interests, and, like their ancient friends the Normans, recommend themselves with address, and even with politenefs. Their lands are carefully cultivated, they do every thing with order and regularity, and they labour vigorously when they chufe, which, unfortunately, is not so often as could be wifhed. Intereft fimulates them ftrongly; and they are fond of gain, without appearing fo. Their friendship is conftant; yet their friends muft beware of making free with their wives, of whom they are very jealous. But they are not fo delicate with refpect to their daughters, who have an unbounded liberty, which is fo far from impeding their marriage, that a man is pleased at finding that a woman has given proofs of fertility, especially as the prefents of her lovers make some amends for that which he is obliged to give her parents, when he marries her. They tenderly love their children; and a sure and quick way to gain their friendship, is to caress their little ones, and to make them trifling presents.

957. Their houfes are very neat. Their kitchens are fomewhat elevated above the ground, and of a square or oblong figure; three fides are walled up, and the fourth fide is left open, being that from which the wind does not commonly blow. They place their pots in a row, and cement them together with a kind of fat, red clay, which, without any mixture of lime, makes a strong and durable morter. Their bed-chambers are raifed three feet above the ground. This would feem to indicate But this is by no means the

that the country is mar fhy, or fometimes inundated.
cafe. The foil is dry, and they take care to build their houfes beyond the reach of
the greatest floods. But experience hath taught them, that this elevation contri-
butes to health, by fecuring them from the damps caufed by the copious dews, in
houfes not fo elevated.

958. The women work in the fields, and kindly affift one another. They bring and mothers. up their children with great care, and have no other object than to please their hufbands. What a noble example to those who are inclined to follow it.-Why fhall we be obliged to contemplate this at fuch a diflance? Why traverse the ocean to find it?

959. The extent of King Peter's dominions, towards the N. and N. E. is not APPENDIX. well known; but, from the number of his troops, there is reafon to believe it con-. fiderable. The eastern boundary is the river Junco, about 20 leagues from Cape king's terriMefurado, and the western is a little river about half way from Cape Mount.

Extent of the

tory.

abundant.

960. The whole country is extremely fertile. The natives have gold among Produce them; but whether found in this country, or brought thither in the course of trade, is not precifely known. The country produces fine red wood, and a variety of other beautiful and valuable woods. Sugar-canes, indigo, and cotton, grow without cultivation. The tobacco would be excellent, if the negroes were fkilful in curing it. Elephants, and confequently ivory, are more numerous than the natives wish; for those cumbrous animals very much injure their corn fields, notwithstanding the hedges and ditches with which they fo carefully fence them. The frequent attacks of lions and tigers, hinder not their cattle from multiplying rapidly; and their trees are laden with fruit, in fpite of the mischief done to them by the monkey tribes. In a word, it is a rich and plentiful country, and well fituated for commerce, which might be carried on here to any extent, by a nation beloved like the French; for no nation mul think of establishing themselves here by force. The Chev. Des Marchais has proposed a plan for forming a colony at C. Mefurado, which (says his able editor, Father Labat) appears to me so promising and advantageous, that I think it my duty to lay it before the public.

Plan of a Colony at Cape Mefurado.

961. It has already been remarked, that King Peter gave to the Chev. Des Marchais, the largest of the little Iflands at the mouth of the river Mesurado, and had very much urged him to settle upon it. That gentleman had it not in his power to accept this offer, not knowing whether it would be agreeable to the Company. He therefore declined it, giving the king such reasons as he could prudently communicate; for an entire disclosure of his fentiments on the matter, might have raised sus picions in the mind of that Prince, who is extremely jealous of his liberty, and of that of his people.

962. It is certain that this little ifland is well fituated, and might easily be putinto a ftate of defence; that the foil is excellent; that the want of fresh water might: be fupplied by cifterns; that it lies in the very centre of all the trade, that can be carried on by the river Mefurado; that the provifions produced on it, and the fifh which furround it, would maintain the European inhabitants a confiderable time, even fuppofing the negroes fhould take it into their heads to besiege it, or to reduce it by famine.

Ch. Des Mar

chais declines accepting an ifland offered him by the king.

Advantages
of this ifland.

963. But it must be owned, that this little island is a great way from the entrance` It's difadof the bason, (flaque d'eau) by which alone a communication can be kept up with vantages. Tt European

APPENDIX.

The king offers the Chev.

any part of

the country he

chofe to colonize.

He prefers the
Cape itself, &

defcribes it.

It might be

advantage,

European fhipping; fo that this colony would be in the power of the negroes, who could fhut up the entrance when they pleased. The want of fresh water is a confiderable objection, which could not be removed fo easily as may be imagined; and Europeans fettled among negroes, ought always to be mafters of the ingrefs and egrefs, to and from their habitations.

964. Captain Peter, finding that the Chev. Des Marchais was not fatisfied with the little ifland, told him to fearch for a place which he thought more proper for a colony, and he would chearfully put him in poffeffion of it.-On receiving this affurance, the Chevalier took a view of the country; but found no place better fuited to his purpose, than the Cape itself, the fummit of which is a level plain, about 4000 paces in circuit. The foil is good and fome trees grow on it. This eminence effectually commands the road, or rather the roads; for the eaftern bay will shelter a vessel, in a case of difficulty; though the best and most secure anchorage is in the western, at the foot of the Cape, and within a musquet-fhot of the fhore. There is good holding ground, in 8 or 10 fathoms, between the Cape and the mouth of the river or balon (flaque d'eau.) A bar runs along this bay, before the river's mouth, which, in some places, is dangerous; but it is eafily got over by those who are accuftomed to it, and who know the proper time. This bar, however, is fcarcely perceptible at the foot of the Cape, in the angle which it makes with the continent. At this is a village, and a large perennial spring of water, which is light, keeps well, and is easily filled and brought on board. It iffues from a rock, more than half way up the hill, whence it falls in a cascade, into a bafon which it has formed, whence it runs into the fea. Here the cafks are filled, and the boats come near enough to take them on board without difficulty or danger.

965. From this account it is evident, that those in poffeffion of the elevated platfortified with form might, by fortifying themselves, and making a proper road, defend the shipping at the foot of the hill, and command the fpring of water, and the entrance into their factory, even if the negroes fhould block it up on the land fide.

and with little expenie.

966. The expense of a fortified factory, or even of a fort, would not be great. Clay fit for bricks, abounds every where, and even stone proper for afhlar work. Building timber grows on the fpot; and the common country provifions are extremely cheap. Except wine, brandy, and wheat flour, which the Company must fupply, every thing else is to be had on the spot. Beef, mutton, goats, and hogs, coft little, and game abounds. Antelopes and deer graze quietly with the tame cattle in the meadows. There are many fpecies of birds. The bafon, the two rivers, and the fea, afford plenty of fish and turtles. No river on the coaft is so much frequented by fea-horses as the Mefurado. The flesh of these animals is good food, and their teeth, which are whiter and harder than those of the elephant, are scarce and dear. (See § 304.)

967. The following is a list of such goods as might be bought for the propofed APPENDIX. trade and establishment, at the prefent prices in France.

968. Befides this expenfe, annual prefents must be made to the three nearest kings, namely, of Cape Mount, of Cape Mefurado, and another who lives fome days' journey inland, in order to keep them fteady to the Company's interests. These presents must be left to the difcretion of the factors, who must remember that the negroes are importunate beggars, whose demands must not be too easily com plied with, and who ought to be regularly paid for their services.

Annual prefents to the kings.

Brought up 80800 First expense

6 Months falary for 40 Company's fervants 6610 of settlement. Presents for the kings

12000

3000

4000

3600

For 40 negroes, hired for the service of
the factory

3000

1200

Materials for building

1000

10,000

Carry up 80,800

Livres 94,410

(at 9d.3540 7s. 6d. ster.)

APPENDIX.

Flat-bottomed

boats for the

river trade,

which would

be important.

All Europeans, except the French, re

quire garrilons.

River St.An

per for a colony.

969. By these three statements it appears, that the expense of settling the factory, including fhips, boats, provifions, and wages for one year, will not exceed 147,530 livres, (£5532 7s. 6d. fter.) and that this expense will continually diminish, inasmuch as that of the veffels, the buildings, &c. would not be annually repeated.

970. The two vessels would trade along fhore, as is the practice of the English and other nations. But as the fand-banks would prevent them from going up the river, it would be necessary to use flat-bottomed boats for this purpose; for we are affured, that when the water is loweft, there is never lefs than 2 feet, which would be fufficient for fuch craft. The commerce of the river would undoubtedly be very advantageous. We fhould find out where the negroes get their gold, and perhaps might difcover mines of that, or of other metals. We fhould buy captives and produce from the first hands, and hence our profits would be furer and greater. And when the inland negroes and merchants should be certain of always finding an affortment of goods at the factory, they would frequent it eagerly, and we should soon engrofs all the European trade on that coast.

971. "Such," continues Labat, "is the scheme which I propofe to the Company, from the Chev. Des Marchais. It is furprising that they confine themselves to the trade in flaves at Whidah, while other nations are indifferent about this traffic, and principally attend to that of gold and ivory, dying woods and other valuable productions of the country. Their profits are immense, notwithstanding the prodigious expense of supporting garrisons, without which, the natives, who can fcarcely endure them, would long ago have driven them from the country. The French need not be at the fame expense: for they are every where beloved. The natives eagerly court them, and would always be ready to defend them against any other Europeans, who might attempt to disturb their commerce*.

972. At p. 166, et feq. the author defcribes the river St. Andrew, whofe fertile drew alio pro- banks produce provifions of all kinds in abundance," and wild fugar-canes, larger, fweeter, and more juicy, than thofe cultivated in the W. Indies, from which large crops of fugar might be made, which are now destroyed by the elephants." He gives it as his opinion, that a fettlement might be advantageously formed on that river; especially as there is at its mouth a natural fortress, on a high peninsula of table-land, similar to that at Mefurado. He fays, a colony there would not be expenfive, as the country abounds much with ground provifions and live flock, which are so very cheap, that a fine ox may be bought for a dozen of two-penny knives, and other things in proportion. Thus, fays he, (p. 174.) there is "no danger of want of provifions, which has ruined fo many of our colonial enterprizes, and hath caused

*I had many conversations with the late Capt. Norris of Liverpool, concerning Africa in general, and Mefurado and it's vicinity in particular; and I must fay, that his account of that part of the coaft, agreed, in moft refpects, with the foregoing defcription of Des Marchais.