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COMMUNICATION BY LAND BETWEEN ALBREDA AND CACHAUX. — DESCRIPTION
OF THE COUNTRY. — MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND RELIGION OF ITS
INHABITANTS. — ARTS. — EXTRAORDINARY SPANIARD. — DIFFERENT
VILLAGES, &c.
NOTWITHSTANDING the difficulties which the factory of Albreda had
to encounter from the operations of the English established up the
river, it nevertheless acquired a degree of importance from the
industry of the persons employed in it. They formed connections with
the villages situated along the rivers that emptied themselves into
the Gambia, and extended their views as far as Cachaux, the principal
establishment of the Portuguese at the river of St. Domingo, with
which they opened a communication by land.
They first arrived at the river of Bintan, the mouth of which is
on the left bank of the Gambia, about a league above the old fort
of the English. Vessels enter it without fear of grounding, at any
season of the year, though they generally profit by spring tides;
and when these fail, they use the oar or are towed. The banks of
this river are very agreeable, as they are to the right lined with
hills that are covered with large trees, while the left contains
extensive and beautiful meadows.
The village of Bintan, which is the ordinary residence of the emperor
of Foigny, was formerly of more importance than it is at present; it
is situated to the right of the river, on the declivity of a hill,
and covered with fine trees, which protect it from the sun. Almost
all its houses are built in the Portuguese style. The French have
a factory in it, as have the English; and both parties live in an
amicable manner under the protection of the emperor. When, however,
any difficulties arise between them, this prince never fails to
assist the side that is the weakest.
The population of the Portuguese at Bintan is considerable; they live
at their ease; their houses are large, good, and well-furnished,
and they have a decent church. The Negro inhabitants of this part
are the Felups; they speak a language peculiar to themselves,
and are idolaters. Those who live up the country or at a distance
from the Europeans, are almost savages: they hunt other Negroes
that pass through their territories; but they respect the Whites,
and make it a rule never to offer them the slightest insult. Those
of Bintan or its environs who are occupied in commerce, are gentle,
frank, and civilized; they like strangers, are always ready to render
them service, and are candid and honest in their commercial dealings.
About seven leagues from Bintan is the village of Gereges. The
French and English formerly had factories here, but they are now
abandoned: the Portuguese have, however, established themselves
in this village in great numbers. The country is intersected by a
number of little rivers; and journeys as well as commerce are here
performed by water. The king of this little state resides about a
quarter of a league from Gereges; his houses, and those of his women,
officers, and slaves, form a large village, which is built without
order or regularity on a level soil well covered with trees. The
houses are surrounded by several palisades formed of large piles,
ten or twelve feet high, and each door is, according to custom,
very low and narrow.
The subjects of this prince are reputed brave, and adroit in
the use of arms. The English have more than once experienced the
effects of their skill, particularly on an occasion which I shall
describe. They had some misunderstanding with the alquier of Gereges
and the officers of the king. The English complained to the prince
and asserted, that as he had not done them justice, they would do
it to themselves. With this view they armed and manned the largest
vessel which had entered the river, and seemed by their preparations
as if they intended to land and ravage the country, as they came to
anchor opposite the village. The prince, far from being alarmed at
this expedition, assembled his troops, and dispersed them in ambush
along the river; when, as soon as the English begun the attack,
the Negroes opened, and kept up for several hours such a rapid fire
of musquetry, that several of the enemy were killed and wounded,
and their intentions rendered abortive.
The king commanded in person, and when he saw that the English could
no longer appear above deck, he ordered his troops to cease firing,
and ranged them towards the shore in a threatening position. The
result was, that the English were obliged to weigh anchor and let
their vessel drop down with the tide. An accommodation was then
set on foot, which the English purchased dearly.
Besides the Portuguese, two nations, who differ in their manner and
language, inhabit this state: they are the Felups and the Bagnons,
or Banions. The character of the former I have already explained;
for they are the same here as in the empire of Foigni. The Bagnons
are of a mild and gentle disposition, and are attached to a
commercial intercourse with foreigners; they are also brave and
industrious. The women are mild, economical, and much attached
to their husbands and children; perhaps indeed, the world does
not contain more industrious females, as they voluntarily devote
themselves to labour from their youth.
The king of Gereges and his negro subjects are idolaters.
Pasqua, a large village of the Bagnons is next to, and about ten
leagues distant from Gereges. This journey is commonly performed by
land and without danger. The country is well cultivated, and those
lands which are capable of inundation produce rice, while the other
parts afford millet and all kinds of peas: they also grow immense
quantities of gourds and water-melons.
The oxen of this country are excellent and uncommonly large,
probably in consequence of the pastures being abundantly rich in
fine and tender grass; the sheep, however, are not so good, as
they are very fat, and their flesh has a strong taste. Poultry,
on the contrary, succeeds well, and is very fine.
All the houses are sheltered from the excessive heat of the sun
by large trees called cheese trees, which are always in leaf while
their branches are susceptible of any direction.
This country abounds in bats, which are generally as large as
pigeons: their wings are very long, and are furnished with five or
six pointed hooks, by means of which they fix themselves together
from the branches of trees, and hang down like large parcels of any
thing thrown over the boughs. Of all volant animals, this is the
only one which has milk to nourish its young; it is eaten by the
Negroes. On the road to this village there may be observed a kind
of round pyramids of earth, some of which are about seven feet high:
they resemble the monuments raised to the memory of the great men of
the country; but they are in fact the buildings of ants, and are as
firm and compact as if they were formed of mortar. On breaking them,
a multitude of ants fiercely issue out, and endeavour to punish the
disturbers of their repose. These ants are whitish, and about the
size of a barley-corn: their nests have only a single aperture at
about one third of its height; and the ants attain it by means of
a path, which runs round the pyramid from the bottom to the entrance.
Pasqua, which means the tree or pavilion of the king, is a village
not remarkable for the number of its inhabitants, as its population
does not exceed 300 persons, including the Portuguese, who are
about one fourth of the number; but it is important on account of
its political distinction. The king keeps in it a garrison of 100
infantry to awe the neighbouring states, and protect the Bagnons
from the enterprizes of the savage Felups. This garrison is charged
with exacting the tribute imposed by the kings, and with punishing
the vagabonds. The village is surrounded by six rows of pallisades,
comparatively fastened together by six traverse beams, and they are
kept in good repair: it is situated on the bank of a little river
called St. Grigou, but which is in several maps called Pasqua. This
river is not wide, but is very deep, and contains plenty of fish,
though crocodiles abound in it, and destroy immense numbers: its
banks are fertile and agreeable.
About a league from Pasqua, and on the bank of the same river,
a Spaniard from the isle of Cuba, called Don Juan Maldonado, had
taken up his residence in a charming house, all the environs of
which were delightful. The land which was not in tillage, formed
vast meadows interspersed with bowers of palm and other trees,
which presented a most charming appearance.
The house of this Spaniard was large and convenient, was surrounded
by eight or ten huts occupied by his slaves, and the whole was
enclosed by a quadruple wall of piles, the innermost of which was
ten feet high, well terraced, and supported by two raised ways, with
four platforms, each of which contained two pieces of cannon. Don
Juan lived peaceably in his fortress, and was esteemed and respected
by his neighbours: he was rich and did much good, but he had no wife.
At this residence travellers were cordially received and feasted. The
people of the country do not agree with respect to this extraordinary
man; some say that he left several children, heirs to his virtues
and solitude. He lived in the most intimate way with several
Negresses, without being attached to any one of them by the ties
of marriage. Others assert, that he had no children; that the king
inherited his property, and that he left his ordinary residence to
return to Spain.
The Negroes of this country are husbandmen, and they perform their
operations in cadence with the sound of drums: the spades which
they use, are made of wood, shod with a small rib of iron; this
serves them to root up weeds, open the ground, and cover the seeds
which they sow.
From the residence of Maldonado to James’s village, is about three
days journey, a distance which is agreeably performed by land. At
this village, a greater quantity of wax is procured than at any
other part of the province: the Portuguese alone buy here more
than 500 cwt. every year. A market is held in it twice a week,
whither the Negroes of the environs bring the wax for sale; the
Portuguese buy it by wholesale, melt, and purify it, form it into
cakes, and send it to Cachaux, where the magazines are established;
from hence they ship it on their own account, or sell it to European
merchants who send in quest of it.
The native inhabitants of James are Feloups and idolaters:
they are adroit and civilized; and their manners are softened by
their commerce and connections with foreigners. They acknowledge
no sovereign, but live under the pacific republican government of
their elders; their lands are rich and well cultivated, though
they have no other agricultural implements than wooden spades,
shod with iron, and having long handles.
With respect to the country, it is impossible for one to be more
agreeable; it abounds in palm and other large trees. The Portuguese
live here in easy circumstances, and have handsome and convenient
houses. It is remarkable that the musquitoes are more numerous here
than in any other part of Africa; they consequently are a great
inconvenience to the inhabitants.
The river of Casamança is about a league distant from this
village; it empties itself into the sea, to the north of the river
St. Domingo; its water is deep enough to bear large ships; but there
is a bar at its mouth which is very difficult and dangerous to pass,
as it can only be cleared by canoes or small craft, and never without
danger. Both banks of this river are inhabited by savage and cruel
Felups, who will not hold any communication with the whites, and are
always at war with their neighbours. Their country is interspersed
with rivers, or rather with torrents, which proceed from a lake
that is formed by the heavy rains, but which is dry in the fine
season. At the rainy period the whole country resembles a vast marsh.
A few leagues up this river, is the village of Guinguin: it is
inhabited by the Portuguese, who carry on a considerable commerce
in wax; for this privilege they pay a duty to the king, and are as
much masters in his states as he is himself. This prince and all his
subjects are idolaters, and speak a peculiar language. The soil of
this district is flat and very rich. Apes are uncommonly numerous
in this part, and commit shocking ravages; but they are themselves
grievously tormented by the bees, with which the country is covered.
The next Portuguese colony is Cachaux; it lies near the river of
St. Domingo, about twenty leagues from its mouth. This establishment
is in the territory of the tribe called Papels, an idolatrous people,
whose principal god is a little statue, which they call _Chine_,
and to which they sacrifice dogs. These Negroes are of an intrepid
character, but they are treacherous, cruel, and vindictive; they
are almost always at war with their neighbours, and even with the
Portuguese, who, to secure themselves against their incursions,
have surrounded their town on the land side with a strong pallisade,
supported by some batteries, at which they always mount guard to
prevent being surprised. Their houses consist only of a ground floor,
but they are large and convenient; they are covered during the rainy
season with the leaves of the latane tree, and the rest of the year
with sail-cloth, which secures them from the operation of the sun,
or of moisture. This change of covering is indispensible, because
in the dry season the leaves would take fire, while the sail-cloth
would not keep out the rain. They have a church, the duty of which
is performed by a curate and a few priests; and there is likewise
a convent inhabited by two or three Capuchins. All the Portuguese
catholics and their priests are spiritually dependent on the bishop
of St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd islands. The Papels or natives
have a part of the town to themselves, which they exclusively
occupy: though they remain idolaters, they have adopted nearly all
the customs of the Portuguese. Outside of the pallisades nothing
is to be seen but swamps and fields of rice, the produce of which
is not equal to the consumption. Oxen and cows are very scarce and
dear in this part, and there are neither sheep, hogs, goats, nor
poultry, though they might be bred with great facility. The town
is not supplied with water, so that the inhabitants are obliged to
fetch it from the distance of a musquet-shot from the pallisades,
and almost always with an escort, to prevent their slaves from
being killed or carried off.
The political, civil, and military government, rests with a governor,
who is called a captain-major; he has under him a lieutenant, an
ensign, and an aid-de-camp, as well as a receiver of the duties, a
notary, and a few serjeants who act as clerks. The garrison contains
thirty European soldiers, who are changed every three years; it is
generally composed of men who are sentenced to banishment, and who
are absolved on their return; they are obliged to work for their
subsistence, as they have scarcely any allowance. The inhabitants
form a sort of militia, who do the duty of the place and maintain
order: nevertheless it is dangerous to go out at night; and the
players on the guitar are often the victims of their nocturnal
perambulations.
Nearly all the Portuguese in Africa are of mixed blood, that is,
mulattoes; but they are so black, that it requires a good knowledge
of colours to distinguish them from Negroes.
These people take credit to themselves for being jealous, and
carrying that passion to excess: they keep their women extremely
close, and the white ones in particular are never allowed to go out
in the day time, not even to mass. The women of colour have rather
more liberty; they go out in the day time, but they are wrapt up in
such a manner, that nothing can be seen but their toes and one of
their eyes. At visits, the women are never seen nor even spoken of;
for to enquire after a lady’s health, is the greatest injury that
can be done to the Portuguese in Africa.
The daughters of the Papels, and indeed all the girls who are slaves,
are more lucky; they are not watched so closely, but are allowed to
work in the houses, and go out to market, or wherever their business
calls them: they go almost naked, having only before them a little
apron about a foot long, and six or seven inches wide, with belts
of different coloured beads, ear-rings, and fringe round their
loins. When they are married, they wear a piece of cotton cloth,
which covers them from the waist to the calf of the leg.
The Portuguese of Cachaux, and all those of Africa, eat meat only
once a day, which is at dinner time; in the evening they eat fish
and vegetables, both of which they procure in abundance, and almost
for nothing. They begin every meal with fruit, of which they have
plenty which grows naturally, as well as of the kinds which require
a little care to cultivate.
Their commerce is carried on by barter; for gold and silver are not
current. The articles of exportation are, slaves, wax, ivory, and
gold from the mines of the interior; those of importation consist
of wine, brandy, wheat, flour, iron, glass, copper utensils, arms,
powder, lead, gun-flints, cottons, shoes, hats, silks, combs,
hardware, mirrors, &c. In this traffic the Portuguese employ three
or four vessels per year, which come to them from Lisbon; but the
principal part of the commerce is carried on by foreigners.
At this settlements are the finest trees in Africa, whether for
their size, height, or the value of their timber. It is not rare to
find a single tree, which will make a canoe large enough to carry
ten tons burthen, and twenty or thirty men.
The Papels naturally like the sea, and are good sailors; the
Portuguese employ them in all their expeditions. Although some
change may have taken place in the Portuguese settlements since I
resided in Africa, yet that naturalized nation exists on the same
spot, and has lost none of its customs.
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