* * * * *
PRODUCTIONS OF THE BANKS OF SIERRA LEONE. — ACCOUNT OF THE
PEOPLE AND THEIR FORMS OF GOVERNMENT, WITH SOME PARTICULARS OF THEIR
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS BOTH CIVIL AND MILITARY. — CEREMONIES ATTENDING
CIRCUMCISION. — LAWS OF THE DIFFERENT TRIBES. — PRIVILEGES OF
THE KINGS, WITH RESPECT TO THEIR SUCCESSORS. — ACCOUNT OF THE
PURRAH, A SORT OF SECRET TRIBUNAL. — EFFECT OF COMMERCE UPON THE
NEGROES. — CHARACTER OF THEIR WOMEN.
THE English in their choice of Sierra Leone, on which to form
permanent establishments, acted wisely, particularly as to their
object of civilizing the Africans: for every thing in this quarter
concurs to favour such an undertaking. Nature has here produced in
such profusion every thing which is necessary, useful, or agreeable
to man, and the most perfect state of refinement could scarcely
add any thing to such kinds of riches.
The natives cultivate both rice and manioc, with the utmost
attention; and the former, which is the principal article of
commerce, succeeds wonderfully in humid parts; while it grows to
considerable perfection upon the heights, only that on the latter
it is not so strong, though the grain is better. The second plant
only thrives in sandy or open spots; and here the inhabitants sow it
in vast quantities, as it forms their ordinary food. They likewise
cultivate for themselves and their cattle, Jerusalem artichokes,
turnips, and a species of potatoe peculiar to the country, as well
as cabbages and peas: they likewise sow maize, of which they obtain
several harvests in a year, for it always comes to maturity in
three months. They have two species of millet, both of which are
very common in these parts, and are used for feeding poultry. The
stalk of the larger kind contains a very refreshing juice.
Banian, orange, and lemon-trees grow in great abundance, and bear
fruit the whole year. The oranges are of an exquisite taste, and are
larger than those of Europe; while the lemon-trees, which have for a
long time been imported by the Portuguese, have so much degenerated,
that the fruit is very small. The ananas, on the contrary, have a
much better taste than those of our continent; and they are found
throughout the year in the woods and on such soils as are inclined
towards the water. The natives also cultivate them to some extent.
Amongst the common fruit trees are the cocoa-tree, which is found
in the greatest abundance on the river of Sherbro; the butter-tree,
which grows in every part; the tamarind, of which there are several
varieties; and also a species of fruit which is hard and insipid,
and which is eaten by the natives of the country, who call it
_massino_. There is likewise the European fig-tree, which bears
fruit no larger than a walnut; it has an agreeable taste, but
is not eaten, because it is filled with insects. There is a tree
of this genius peculiar to the country, which does not resemble
the fig-tree in any respect except in its gravelly seed, and the
fruit of which, the size of an ordinary pear, is almost round,
and very agreeable. The apricot-tree of the Antilles is here of a
particular species, but is not inferior in taste to that in the West
Indies. A sort of gooseberry called _antedesma_ is very abundant,
and its taste is exactly similar to that of our red gooseberry. The
cherries of this country surpass in flavour all the other fruits,
and can only be compared to that of the finest nectarine.
Besides these, we find at Sierra Leone the bread-fruit tree, which
at a distance has the appearance of an old pear-tree, and grows
abundantly in the low and sandy quarters. Its fruit is nearly the
size of an apple. When fresh it is very nutritious, and its taste is
similar to that of gingerbread; but it loses its odour on getting
old; the vine is also met with in these climates; but its fruit,
which is round, black, and acid, in no respect resembles the grapes
of Europe; the tree being of a species totally different. It is,
however, supposed, that it might be ameliorated by culture.
The leguminous productions are not so numerous; and yet of these
there are many varieties. A kind of sorrel, which is very common
here, contains an acid similar to that of the ordinary species,
without resembling it in any other respect. The purslain which
rises three days after sowing, is commonly found on the hillocks
near the shore: it is said, that the leaves of this plant are a
specific by simple application for wounds of all kinds. The leaves
of the _gombo_ are used as spinach; and the _calalou_ may likewise
be substituted for that plant. This vegetable is indigenous; and
by springing from soils newly ploughed, indicates their fertility.
To all the natural advantages of the soil in question may be added,
that of its being proper for the cultivation of every thing which
contributes to the riches of our American colonies. Sugar-canes
would succeed perfectly well upon it; and the coffee-tree already
grows there, of two different species; both of which, however, are
unknown in Europe. Nevertheless, that of the West India islands is
also cultivated; and its fruit is said to be of as a good quality
as that in the Levant. Tobacco of the common kind likewise thrives
amazingly; but the natives do not cultivate it; and the cotton-tree
is to be met with in every part of this country in the greatest
abundance, as well as the kind of the tree which affords silk.
This country is also enriched by peculiar kinds of spices. There are
several species of pepper, nutmeg, and thyme, as well as others
of uncommon fine flavour, which the natives use for different
physical purposes, notwithstanding there is a variety of physical
plants. There has been discovered at Sierra Leone a new kind of
Peruvian bark; and commerce may hereafter make it of much importance,
as its virtue has been ascertained not only by the use which the
natives make of it, but from the experiments to which it has been
submitted at London. The _cola_ is a fruit celebrated in the country
both by the natives and the Portuguese, as a substitute for the
Peruvian bark. The latter people even send ships along the coast to
collect it in great quantities. The nut that contains castor-oil,
grows in every part of these districts.
Nature, indeed, has not confined herself to this variety of
productions, but has placed at the disposition of man those
objects which afford him the greatest pleasure. At Sierra Leone
the substances used for dying are found in abundance. A yellow
colour is extracted from the butter-tree; and the indigo, which
grows spontaneously in every part, affords the finest blue. From
many other vegetables may be obtained black and red colours.
The different species of the mineral kingdom, in the neighbourhood
of Sierra Leone, are as yet but little known; a search, however,
will soon be made, and we shall know the result. This country
is equally rich in animals. Cattle of all kinds succeed in it
and fatten, though not so easily as in Europe. The wool of sheep
undergoes a change in consequence of the heat, and becomes thin;
but goats and hogs breed amazingly, and prove as fat as in other
countries. The wild hogs, squirrels, and antelopes may likewise be
reckoned amongst the animals at Sierra Leone, which are proper for
the food of man. They raise there all kinds of poultry known in
Europe, which breed uncommonly fast. There is a species of heron,
which is easily tamed, and is very good to eat. The wild ducks and
pigeons are delicious; but geese and turkeys become emaciated.
There is likewise a vast quantity of sea and river fish:
the spermaceti whale is sometimes found at Sierra Leone, but
more frequently on the northern coasts. There are also sharks,
thorn-backs, porpoises, eels, mackarel, and mullet, all of which are
eaten, except the eels. Oysters and the other kinds of shell-fish
are likewise very plentiful, and serve as food for the natives.
Green turtle are very common here, and are often of an inconceivable
size. Land and river tortoises are also to be met with; the former
in great numbers: they are used by the people, and might be sent
to Europe with advantage.
Amongst the zoophites, none deserve greater attention than the
common spunge, which covers the sandy shores, and with which a
considerable trade might be carried on.
The beasts of prey are lions, leopards, hyænas, civet cats, and
several species of weazles. The last mentioned animals are great
enemies of poultry. There are likewise apes of various species. The
chimpanzee is common on the mountains of Sierra Leone, and resembles
a man more than the ourang-outang: its greatest height is nearly five
feet, and it is covered with long and thick hair down the back, but
short and light on the breast and belly. Its face is without hair,
and the hands and head are similar to those of an old Negro, except
that the hair of the head is not curly. It eats, drinks, sleeps, and
sits at table like a human being. When young, it walks on all fours;
but treads on the back of its hands: when grown up, it moves erect
by the aid of a stick. This animal is always gentle and good natured.
A species of crocodiles and caymans is to be seen here, which
has never been described by naturalists: they are ten or twelve
feet long.
There are six known species of lizards, amongst which are the
guarra and the cameleon. Serpents are innumerable: they enter the
houses during the night for the purpose of catching the poultry:
the largest which was ever known here, was eighteen feet long;
but it was found not to be venemous.
Insects are innumerable in this part of the world. The most
remarkable are the _termites_, or white ants, which eat and even
destroy hedges and houses that are built of wood; while the common
ants only devour provisions. The grasshoppers and crickets consume
clothes, linen, and leather; and there are mosquitoes, flies,
scorpions, and centipedes, as well as wild bees, the last of which
furnish wax and honey in abundance. Worms are little known; but
the barnacles are large, and do much injury to the ships that are
not covered with copper.
The same advantages for the commercial or philanthropic spirit
of Europeans prevails amongst the population of the shores of
Sierra Leone, whether the inhabitants are considered with respect
to their natural state, or the imperfect degree of sociability
in which they exist. Amongst these people may particularly be
distinguished the Suzees, the Bulams, the Bagos, the Tommanies,
and the Mandingos. The Mandingos are Mahometans, as I have already
observed more than once. Here, as elsewhere, they strictly observe,
to outward appearance, the precepts of the alcoran, which they
propagate with the utmost zeal. Being strongly impressed with the
importance of governing the conscience, there is no means which
they do not employ to make proselytes. If they be powerful, they
resort to force; on the other hand, they call to their aid all the
resources of address. They teach any one gratis to read and write
the Arabian language. When they meet with clever men, they affect
and imitate the weaknesses and follies of other people, though they
pretend to the austere manners and authority of servants of God:
in particular they attribute to themselves a supremacy over all
sorcerers, and sell talismans. In short, they know so well how
to acquire the confidence of the principal persons and chiefs of
hordes, that they reign almost every where, and govern the estates
under the title of the supreme ministers of the _Bookman_; their
advice is always resorted to.
The circumcision of male subjects is generally practised by the
Mahometans throughout Africa. At Sierra Leone the girls are not
exempted from this religious and political institution. Amongst the
Mandingos and the Suzees, it is performed upon them by the excision
of the external end of the clitoris. The ceremonies which accompany
this operation deserve to be known.
Every year in the fine season, and with a new moon, all the young
girls of the village, who are marriageable, are assembled. The night
preceding the day of the ceremony, they are conducted by the women
of the place to the most secret part of a wood, at each avenue to
which amulets are scattered, the object of which is to keep off
every curious person, who might profane with his presence the scene
of action. The seclusion of the girls lasts for upwards of a month,
during which time no human being perceives them, except the old woman
who performs the solemn rite, and who every morning brings them their
food. If from decease or any other obstacle, her return should be
prevented, the person who succeeds her, as she approaches the spot,
calls with a loud voice, deposits the victuals at a certain place,
and then hastens back without either seeing or being observed by
the patients: for whether by chance or inclination, whoever violates
this sanctuary, is punished with death.
It is at this period only, when the body is subdued by the
austerities which it has suffered, and the mind prepared by the
religious obscurity and silence of the forest, that these girls are
taught the customs and superstitions of their country: for till that
grand period, they are not considered capable of understanding or
practising them. At length the period of their retreat expires,
and by this time the wound caused by the operation is nearly
healed. They are taken back to the village at night, with the same
secrecy as they were brought out: they are received by the young and
old women entirely naked. In this state, forming an irregular kind of
procession, and followed by persons with musical instruments, they
parade through the streets by day-light. If during this ceremony a
man be found looking at them, he is immediately put to death, unless
he can furnish a slave. Their return from the wood is succeeded by
a month of probation, during which time they are each day conducted
in procession, accompanied by music and covered from head to foot,
to the houses of the principal people, before which they sing and
dance till the owner of each makes them a trifling present. When
the month has expired they are liberated from all these ceremonies,
and handed over to the men intended for their husbands.
Neither the origin nor the motives of this ludicrous ceremony are
known: but the women have such a veneration for it, that the most
shocking of all insults is to reproach them for not having done it
honour; and this reproach is even lavished on strangers, who may
not have arrived amongst the tribe till after the period appointed
for the operation.
The other people, namely the Suzees, Bulams, Bagos, and Tommanies,
are idolaters. It is impossible to form an accurate idea of
their religion: they have no fixed object of adoration to which
a religion that may be called natural, may be applied. Every man
forms gods according to his inclination; and the ridiculous, rude,
and numerous figures which they worship, are beyond all conception.
The principal articles of their faith are, that there is a god
who lives over their heads, governs all, and through whom every
thing exists. Whatever happens to them, whether good or bad, is
ordained by the deity, unless they attribute the events to magic;
but this idea of an omnipresent providence is not accompanied by
any return on their part, either of gratitude for its benefits,
or of submission to allay its wrath by prayer.
They consider devils to be the ministers of God, and make them
offerings: these devils, the most powerful sovereigns of the earth,
are represented by little statues of clay, which are often renewed,
and made nearly to resemble man. They place them at the root of a
tree in a niche covered with dry leaves, and decorate their altars
with pieces of linen, cups, plates, pots, or bottles, copper-rings,
necklace beads, or other trifles, none of them of any value. When
the Negroes wish to gain favour in the sight of these idols, they
provide themselves with a quantity of brandy, of which they pour
out a small portion for the devil, and drink the rest before him
in large quantities.
Their favourite idols are made of wood, are from eight to ten inches
high, and painted black: they are considered as the _Penates_ of
the hut; but the people pay them little attention, because they
suppose them not to want their assistance.
On any event which may happen, these Negroes make an offering
to their genii, whom they suppose to have the same power in the
air, as the devils have on earth. The offering is always of little
value; but they have the most implicit reliance on its efficacy. It
is a crime to carry away one of these idols, even unknowingly:
the offender is always brought to justice, and woe to him, if he
be poor, of his prosecutor powerful; for it is sure to cost him
the loss of his liberty. Such are the peculiarities of a religion
in which it is difficult to distinguish, whether superstition or
absurdity be more predominant.
I have already spoken of the government of the Mandingos. They
have proceeded from a republican state, and have every where formed
monarchies; but in this part of Africa they are elective and very
limited. In all of them the authority of the chief greatly resembles
that of the father of a family, and each district of this nation
has a regulating king or chief of its own.
The Mandingos and the Suzees, the most powerful and populous nations
of the coast, acknowledge the supremacy of the king of the Foulhas,
though they never see nor consult him: they speak of him, however,
with respect, and consider him as the potentate of the great empire
which extends from Gambia to Cape Monte. The Bulams, the Tommanies,
and the Bagos admit of no other authority than that of the chief
of their tribe.
Excepting amongst the Mandingos and the Suzees, few of the kings
belong to the countries which they govern, but are almost always
foreigners, that is, from different nations of the continent. The
reigning prince may chuse himself a lieutenant, who at his death
succeeds to his honours and governs in his name, as long as he
may be suffered to retain his situation; and if he be clever and
powerful he never fails to get possession of the hereditary property
of the deceased, which he keeps till the election of a new king;
and it is not rare to see the lieutenant either invested with the
royal dignity, or continue to exercise it all his life, under the
modest title with which he assumed it.
In 1787 the chief of Sierra Leone had no other title than the
one last mentioned. He, however, reigned more than ten years:
his subjects, who loved him, wished to proclaim him king; but the
wise Negro refused that honour, and contented himself with power
without ostentation.
The revenues of such a king consist in certain duties and in
presents, which he receives from all who apply to him on subjects
that come under his authority. These presents are proportionate
to the means of the supplicant and the importance of the affair:
the poor man gives but little; when, however, the subject is
serious, a rich individual must not offer less than the value of
a slave. His income also consists in the customs which foreigners
pay for permission to trade, and these are often considerable.
The marks and attributes of royalty are elephants’ tails, carried
before the sovereigns, who generally walk with gold or silver-headed
canes, and gold-laced hats, which they procure from the Europeans.
The executive power and the right of passing a final judgment are
vested in the king; nevertheless the chief of each village considers
himself as its master and only magistrate. The king merely invites
these chiefs together, and decides in full council on such points
as have been separately determined.
The parents of a deceased king or chief do not enjoy the privilege of
being distinguished from their countrymen. Each of them exercises his
own profession; and it is not rare to see the son of a king reduced,
after the death of his father, to hire himself to Europeans as a
common sailor, in order to procure the means of subsistence.
The Negroes have no other claim to the lands than present
possession. When a cultivator quits any spot, the first comer
establishes himself upon it; his only qualification being, that
he belongs to the same tribe. This is a point of which they are
extremely jealous, as they will not suffer a stranger to settle
amongst them without their consent. Their laws, which are transmitted
merely by tradition, are nothing but the ancient customs of the
country, and differ slightly in various states. The king, assisted
by the chiefs, decides on every thing in a _Burree_, or public
audience, which is attended by people called _palaver-talkers_,
who act as counsellors, and discuss the claims of the parties.
Their debates are in general determined equitably, according to
the proofs which are brought forward; particularly when the case
is between persons of equal station. But here, as elsewhere, the
weaker is often the victim of the stronger party; and he who loses
the cause pays the expences, for which he gives security before
leaving the council.
Their rules of justice are not, however, so particularly observed in
their intercourse with the Whites. It is of no use for the latter
to gain the cause, as they never derive any advantage from their
success; for they never grant them their expences whether they be in
the right or wrong. On asking them their motives for such conduct,
they answer, “the white men gain plenty of money, and therefore
cannot want it.”
A capital crime is punished either by death or slavery, though
the former mode is scarcely at all resorted to, except by the
Mandingos, who follow the Mussulman laws, and whose proceedings are
very short. Murder, however, is an exception.—The punishment for
sorcery is slavery; but for adultery or any other crime, a pecuniary
recompence is sufficient.
The manner of causing debts to be paid, is founded on the earliest
notions of equity. Debts are ordinarily contracted for a certain
time; if, when it has expired, the debtor hesitate or refuse to pay
it, the creditor has recourse to the king or chief, who tells the
defaulter to perform his promise; but if the advice be not followed,
the king permits the creditor to seize the debtor or some of his
slaves; and if he live in another town, so that this measure cannot
be resorted to, then the creditor arrests the first countryman of
the debtor with whom he meets, and detains him till the debt is
discharged; an act which the debtor is soon obliged to perform by
the inhabitants of the town. The person who has been so detained
never fails to obtain damages for his imprisonment.
A law peculiar to Sherbro, and known through all the country by the
name of _Purrah_, is the most singular of all the laws established in
Africa: this wise and politic institution took its origin from a view
to terminate the incessant wars which arose amongst the inhabitants,
from their pride, jealousy, and irritability. Every free man thirty
years of age, may become a member of the purrah: at the time of his
admission he undergoes various ceremonies, conformably to the secret
law; and on this point they are as scrupulous as are the Free-masons
of Europe, with regard to their mysteries. Both these institutions
have indeed many instances of resemblance, such in particular, as
the ordination of a grand master, and the exclusion of women. It
is only at the last extremity that this institution is resorted to;
but it has the right of punishing murderers and magicians.
When two nations, which are at war, become tired of hostilities
and wish for peace, though each party be too proud to ask it of
the other, they apply to a neighbouring king to get him to act as
mediator. When he consents, and he seldom refuses, he informs the
two parties that he is about to become their arbiter; that he cannot
longer see friends destroy one another; and that if they refuse his
interference, he will send the purrah to them. If the combatants do
not accept this invitation, the dreadful purrah is solemnly ordained.
As soon as the institution is assembled, and until it has broken up,
there must be no more blood spilt, and all the enemies may return,
without alarm, to their ordinary occupations. If it should happen
that, notwithstanding this decree of terror, the Negro, thirsting for
vengeance, avails himself of an opportunity to take it, the purrah,
on the news of this event, breaks up, and a body of forty or fifty
warriors, armed and disguised, go in search of the aggressors. Every
man, whatever may be his station, flees from their presence; and if
any one be rash enough to look at them outside his house, they cut
him to pieces, and disperse the fragments in every direction. The
same fate is reserved for those who have transgressed the decrees
of the purrahs, wherever they are met with.
It is impossible to describe the alarm with which this institution
inspires the great mass of the people, who believe that its
members are influenced by devils, and that they can do all the
ill they wish, without receiving any injury in return. They carry
off provisions or whatever takes their fancy, without meeting the
least resistance. In every part, and amongst all nations, terror
is known to produce the same effect. Amongst the Africans it is
justified by powerful motives, namely, the re-establishment of
peace, and the preservation of man. When the former takes place,
the institution breaks up, and each man retires to his home.
A thirst after vengeance, that sovereign passion of the Africans,
is the principal cause of their frequent wars. When the nation
decrees them, they are general, and each member of a horde sees an
enemy in every individual of the other. When they are private, the
quarrel only prevails between the two towns, and the expeditions of
each are confined to plunder; the highest of their ambition being
to surprise and burn a few villages, and take some prisoners.
The inhabitants of the coast have abandoned their national arms
for the sabre and musket; but those of the inland parts make use of
lances, darts, and poisoned arrows. It is evident the commerce with
the Europeans has had a great influence on the morals of the Negroes;
it has given them a relish for society, industry, the arts, and
domestic virtues. Those who live far inland, are still savages. It
is remarked that the inhabitants of the coast or neighbouring isles,
are much more vigorous, better shaped, braver, more active, and less
superstitious than those of the country parts: this difference must
be attributed to their connection with Europeans, to their food,
and the salubrious air which they respire.
The Bulams, Tommanies, and Bagos are strong, of a good countenance,
and of a fine black colour; their limbs are strait and muscular,
their features agreeable, and they are above the middle size. The
Tommanies in particular have an open and ingenuous physiognomy,
and the women are generally handsome. The Suzees have a yellow
complexion; their shape and height are inferior to those of the
Tommanies, and they have thick lips and pug noses. The Mandingos
seem to be, and in fact are, a separate race: they are tall, but
thin, and of a dull black colour; their eyes are small, and they
wear their beards like the Jews of Europe. The Bulams, Suzees, and
several others shave themselves when they are young; and when they
begin to turn grey, they let their beards grow, as they consider
white hair to be indicative of wisdom.
The difference of features between the free Blacks and the slaves
is so striking, that an eye of the least penetration immediately
distinguishes their condition. The former exhibits a noble dignity
and pride in his whole person, and his looks are confident
and commanding. The slave, on the contrary, depressed by his
unfortunate situation, has a servile gait, and neither speaks nor
walks without casting down his eyes. The slaves which are brought
from the interior, are smaller, less robust, and worse shaped than
the free Negroes. Those who live near the sea, are of the same size
as their masters.
The language of the Suzees appears to be the mother tongue of the
idioms of the other tribes: it is mild and agreeable. That of the
Mandingos, like the people who speak it, is very different from the
others; it is a corrupted kind of Arabic, and totally different
from that which they teach in their schools, and which they call
the language of prayer.
The character of the Blacks is nearly the same every where: they
are indolent, except when animated by the desire of vengeance;
implacable, perfidious, and dissimulating when they have received an
injury, in order that they may find an opportunity of avenging it
with impunity: on the other hand, they are gentle and hospitable
to every one, but inclined to larceny, and remarkable for an
extreme inconstancy of taste and conduct. The women behave with
great propriety, and fulfil all domestic duties with the utmost
attention. They never wean their children till they are capable of
walking, and can bring to their mother a calabash filled with water:
they lose no time in teaching them to go alone; for during the
whole period of their suckling, the husbands scrupulously respect
the laws of chastity to their utmost extent, and would regard an
infraction of them as a crime the more serious, as it would be
hurtful to the nurse and the health of the child. Barrenness is
the greatest ignominy a woman can suffer, Nature has not excluded
them from the pains of child-birth, but they support them with much
courage, and without making any complaints. A short time after,
they return to their ordinary occupations.
Their domestic amusements are every where alike, and are similar
to those of our country people. In the evening the principal wife,
surrounded by the other women of her husband, and the servants of
the house, employs herself in spinning or carding cotton; while one
of the company amuses the rest by reciting pleasant stories. The
old ones tell of witches and ghosts, the young ones of their
amours. There are likewise games of chance, at which the men and
women play separately; but both sexes like dancing in preference
to every thing, and to this exercise they devote themselves every
moon-light evening, from an hour after sun-set till midnight. Besides
these evenings, the birth of a child, or the visit of a friend,
likewise supplies them with frequent opportunities for enjoying
_Cullumgées_, by which name they distinguish their meetings for
singing and dancing. When they give a cullumgée in honour of
any event, the dancers appear dressed in a grotesque manner. They
wear a high cap of rushes, surrounded by feathers, have the eyes,
mouth, and nose painted white, and wear round their waists a small
petticoat of rushes, which they display in every possible shape. On
beginning to dance they take in their hands small pieces of wood,
which they strike together, and by which they mark time, as do the
Spaniards with the castanets.
The death of one of the family, or of a relation or friend, is a
new opportunity for a dance. They celebrate the _Wha_, or mourning;
and the ceremony of lamentation is of such a nature, that a stranger
would suppose them to be making festivities.
On the evening of an appointed day, the relations, friends, and
acquaintances of the deceased assemble before his house, where
they sing in his praise, and dance to the sound of a drum: they
incessantly vary the figures of their dance; sometimes they form a
large circle round the music, and clap their hands on each stanza of
the song; at others a single person dances in the midst of the rest,
who alternately sit down and stand up; or three or four only are in
action at once, and continue to move about till they are fatigued,
when they are replaced by others. The company all the while sing and
clap their hands. This ceremony and discharges of musquetry continue
without interruption from morning to evening for three successive
nights. On these occasions neither tobacco nor brandy is spared.
When the person deceased is a man of importance, and his parents
or friends are rich, this mourning ceremony is repeated two or
three times a year for several years together. On the death of
a member of a poor family, his relatives are a long time before
they can procure a sufficient quantity of brandy and tobacco for
the solemnity; but, whatever difficulties they may experience in
amassing it, the ceremony takes place sooner or later.
This assembly, in which both sexes join, may be called a public
mourning; but there is another of a domestic kind, practised
principally by the women, and which is peculiar to the Bulams and
the Tommanies. The performers on this occasion wear a linen or white
cotton cap, which comes down as low as their eyes, so that they can
see nothing but the ground. They have several rows of the grain of
the country round their neck and waist. If they be married women,
they wear no other clothes than the simple tuntungée. They are
not permitted to eat or drink with other persons, nor even prepare
their own food; but at the time of the repast, a drum is beaten,
and dancing takes place before the door of the house in which
the mourning is celebrated. None, except the guests, must use the
vessels which are employed at this repast.
The duration of such a mourning is not fixed, but is regulated
by the will or caprice of those who make it; and the chief person
is generally the mother, aunt, or some other aged relative. They
generally cause it to be celebrated by young girls who are of a
marriageable age, as a means of securing their virtue: for while
it lasts, if any connection be discovered between the two sexes,
the woman would be dishonoured, and the man punished.
A woman, if she conceive herself neglected by her husband, may put
the house of the latter into mourning; but, after she has made use
of this privilege for a short time, the husband pacifies her by a
present: it consists of a goat, some poultry, tobacco, and a bottle
of brandy, towards her expences. The woman then becomes tractable,
and the people reconcile her with her husband. This custom is very
judicious on the part of the women, who like to avenge themselves
and shew their authority: for while the mourning lasts, the husband
cannot enjoy the society of his mistress.
The drum is their principal instrument of music; they have three
sorts of it, which differ in size according to the purposes for
which they are used. One kind is made of hard wood, hollowed within:
the two ends are stopped up, and a longitudinal hole is cut in the
side. They strike it with two sticks, and the strong and acute sound
which it sends forth, is heard in calm weather at a great distance,
and is considered as the signal of alarm. Another kind is made of
light wood, hollowed like the former, but the ends of which are
covered with goat or sheep-skins, dried and lightly stretched by
cords. Some of these drums are six or eight feet high, by two or
three in diameter; and they occasionally have at their ends rows
of sharks’ teeth or pieces of copper, which produce a tolerably
loud tinkling.
These people have likewise two kinds of stringed instruments, one
of which is a sort of guitar, and the other resembles in shape a
Welsh harp, but is only two feet high. The strings are made of the
fibres of a plant combined with the hair of elephants’ tails. The
women and children in their amusements produce a sound from gourds,
in which they inclose some dry seeds. At Sherbro the natives reckon
amongst their musical instruments a reed pipe pierced with four
holes, and a trumpet made of an elephant’s tooth.
The chief food of the people is rice, which they boil after it is
dried, and season it with palm-oil, or with a strong sauce made
from fish or meat, or from poultry or vegetables simmered together,
and to which they add spices, pepper, and palm-oil. They eat very
little meat, but what they do consume, they prefer smoked or boiled:
they are, however, good cooks, and prepare their aliments in a very
delicate manner. The men and women do not eat together, and they
drink only water; they make but two meals a day, one at ten in the
morning, and the other at sunset. The men, however, who are in easy
circumstances, generally add another meal very early in the morning,
which has been prepared over night by their favourite woman.
There are no other professions known amongst them than those of
carpenters, smiths, and makers of musical instruments. They are very
active and clever in their labour, particularly so considering the
imperfection of their tools. In each family they spin and weave
their linen, and make their own clothes; the women spin and card
the cotton, and the men weave and sew.
Their dress is both simple and convenient: the boys and girls wear
nothing but the _tuntungée_, which is a thin band of linen passed
between the thighs. The females are distinguished by the manner
in which they wear it, as they have a cord round their waist,
in which they tuck the tuntungée, and leave the ends hanging
down before and behind; they likewise carry round the loins a
belt composed of several rows of seeds. The boys bring one of the
ends of the tuntungée in front; they twist the rest round them,
and let the other end hang down behind. The women quit this dress
on their marriage, and then appear in a piece of cotton cloth,
which hangs below the calf of the leg.
The women are passionately fond of ornaments; they wear ear-rings,
necklaces, bracelets, finger-rings, chains, strings of coral,
&c., and paint their faces with different colours. In short,
an African lady, on coming from her toilet, is an object well
worth observance. Over the ordinary dress, which is nothing but
the small and short petticoat, they put another of red taffety;
a silk handkerchief thrown loosely round their neck, falls down
them like a child’s bib: another of the same colour is put over
the head; and the ears, neck, &c. are loaded with the ornaments
already mentioned. They dress their hair in curious folds, so
as to form crescents or circles, paint the forehead white, and
generally have five or six silver rings on each finger. A lady of
this description on going out has her servants walking behind her;
they are generally girls from ten to fifteen years of age, who are
the handsomest that can be found, and who ornament themselves with
coral and seeds; they wear a piece of taffety or fine India stuff
thrown over the left shoulder.
The men’s dress is a large shirt without either collar or
waist-band, but with wide sleeves, trowsers, which reach below the
calf of the leg; and a hat or small cap, which sits tight on the
head, and is made of the linen of the country. In other respects
they generally go with the head and feet bare, the chiefs excepted,
who always endeavour to imitate the Whites. The Mandingos, however,
are distinguishable from the rest by always wearing red sandals and
bonnets, and ornamenting their shirts and trowsers with embroidery,
at which they are very clever.
The men never walk without their _belmos_, which is a large and
straight knife hung in a belt at the right thigh; they in fact carry
two instruments, one to eat with, and the other to defend themselves.
The Negroes build their villages generally on the banks of a river
or creek, that they may follow fishing; and such a place may always
be recognised by the pullams with which it is surrounded: these are
large trees, whose presence always announces an uncultivated country:
for the natives never give themselves the trouble to clear more soil
than they want to build on; they are not even aware, that the felling
of the trees that surround them, would render their dwellings more
wholesome. Their streets are never built in a straight line, because
each person chuses the spot which he likes best; he then builds as
many little houses as he has women or people to accommodate, and
the whole of these huts describe a circle, which is surrounded by
stakes, as has already been mentioned; while such is the activity
of vegetation, that these stakes in a few months become a complete
hedge. The junction of several of these habitations forms a town,
which often covers a quantity of ground, and is generally inclosed
with a mud-wall. When the people are at war, they have several
barriers, which they close always at sunset, and never open them on
any occasion whatever till morning: they are guarded all the night
by vigilant sentinels. The shape of their huts has already been
described. I have only to add, that their doors are not like ours,
except amongst those who pique themselves on imitating the Whites:
the others consist of a mat fixed to the roof; and when this mat
is let down, no one must be so indifferent as to enter without
giving notice, though this precaution is unnecessary when the mat
is raised. The edges of the roof project seven or eight feet over
the wall, and rest upon poles: this shed is thus converted into
a sort of portico, which secures the wall from rain, and, with
certain additions, serves as a place for their stores.
In the more distant parts of the country, the natives build large
houses of bricks baked in the sun, and these houses may last many
years if care be taken to secure them from the injuries of the
weather. No chimnies are constructed in their habitations, though
they make a fire in them every evening to drive away the musquitos,
and prepare their food.
The common people, slaves, and children sleep on mats or dried
skins, spread upon the ground; but the free Negroes, and those in
easy circumstances, have a kind of alcove formed of four stakes
driven into the earth, on which they hang mats in the manner of
curtains. In the men’s apartments is a box to contain their clothes
and treasure, which is covered with a mat or a skin, whereon they
place their weapons. The women’s chamber contains the domestic
utensils, mats, stools, and always a looking-glass.
In the Mandingo countries there is a mosque in every town, from
the steeple of which the people are called to prayers, the same as
in Turkey.
Polygamy in these regions is practised in its utmost latitude. The
women are frequently hostages for alliance and peace; and the
chiefs of two tribes who have been at war, cement their treaties
by an exchange of their daughters: private individuals do the same;
and this circumstance may be the reason why the chiefs in particular
have such a great number of women.
A girl is frequently betrothed to a man as soon as she is born. Among
the Suzees the child remains with the mother till a proper age;
which, however, is determined more by the progress of nature than
by the revolution of a certain time: they are then definitively
delivered over to the husband. On the day agreed on for the marriage,
the bridegroom places on the road which the bride has to pass,
several of his people at different distances, with brandy and other
refreshments; for if these articles be not furnished in abundance,
the conductors of the bride will not advance a step farther, though
they may have got three parts of the way on their journey. On
approaching the town, they stop, and are joined by the friends
of the bridegroom, who testify their joy by shouting, drinking,
and letting off their pieces.
[Illustration: _Black Marriage at Goree._]
[Illustration: _The Cullemgee of the Negroes._]
At this period an old woman takes the girl on her shoulders, and
the attendants cover her with a fine veil: for from that moment till
the consummation of the marriage, no man must see her face. Mats are
now spread before the old woman, who must not on any account touch
the ground with her feet. In this manner the bride is conveyed to
the house of her husband, followed by the friends of both families,
singing, dancing, and firing off their muskets. Towards evening
the husband comes into the apartment of his young wife. If he have
reason to suspect that some mortal has been more happy than he is
likely to be, he leaves her immediately; and this circumstance is
no sooner known amongst the friends who have conducted her to him,
than they all hasten from the sight of the observers, crying and
howling with shame and confusion. If, on the other hand, things are
found as they ought to be, he remains with her the whole night: the
friends then rejoice, and next day carry in procession the proofs
of her virginity, according to the laws of Moses. In both cases,
however, the husband may keep the young girl; but if he should send
her back, he is obliged to give up all that she has brought him.
The Bulams, the Bagos, and the Tommanies receive into their houses
their betrothed brides during their infancy, and make the relations
of the child a present proportionate to their means. If afterwards
the girl should not be well treated, the parents have a right to
take her back on giving up the present; while, on the other hand,
the husband always has the privilege of sending her home, without
re-demanding any thing.
From these details it will be seen, that chastity is a virtue
highly esteemed amongst the Africans, at least till marriage;
but from that moment it is a trait of unpoliteness and want of
education in the woman to resist the solicitations of a lover:
she would indeed be punished, if discovered, but her reputation
would remain unsullied. In the black savages of Africa we find
the customs which are prevalent in Italy and Spain: for each Negro
lady has a cicisbeo or cortéjo, whom she makes choice of and takes
with her on all occasions. The husband is obliged to tolerate this
intercourse in silence: nevertheless, the laws are not wanting
in severity towards the adulterer; but they are of little effect,
unless the complainant is a man of great power; and even then he
dares not make a stir in the business, on account of the ridicule
which would afterwards attend him. It is particularly amongst the
great men who keep a number of women, that the above-mentioned
practice is most in vogue. The rest of the people are contented
with one or two women, and by this means they are less exposed.
A remarkable and truly extraordinary circumstance is, that the
women never abuse their husbands by introducing into their families
illegitimate children: for before their _accouchement_ they always
name the father. If, however, the husband should wish to have a
child of his own by a woman he loves, he obliges her to swear that
she will remain continent for a certain time: she takes the oath,
and generally keeps it; but if, in the interval, either by violence
or the persuasion of her lover, she yields to his wishes, and thus
breaks her promise, she confesses her fault immediately to her
husband; and this avowal is the more striking, because the criminal
pair do not on that account suffer a less shameful punishment:
they are ever afterwards devoted to contempt and infamy.
These people have the greatest veneration for the dead; and they
pay them the last duties with profound and melancholy respect. As
in Europe, they bury them either in the morning or evening, as suits
their convenience. The place of interment is sacred, and is always a
wood beyond the town. One of their dogmas is, that none die without
having a presentiment of their end, unless they be victims of magic
or poison; or when the charms of an enemy have been more powerful
than the talismans which they carry about them.
The body that is to be interred is wrapped in a piece of white
linen, and placed on a bier, which is carried on the heads of
six boys or six girls, according to the sex of the deceased: the
corpse is preceded by a friend, who holds a green bough in his
hand, and asks the body several questions as to the cause of its
death. His principal interrogatories are, “Did you foresee it? is
it natural? is it in consequence of poison or magic?” The bearers
interpret the answers of the deceased according to the movements of
the body, which they pretend to feel. A simple rotation indicates
that the death was natural, in which case the body is asked, what
could induce it to die and leave its friends? whether it was from
chagrin at not being able to procure such good clothes, or such a
fine musket as a certain person? or whether it was through despair
at not having taken vengeance upon any one who had offended it? But
whatever may be the answer to these last questions, the friends
must not injure those of whom the dead body is said to complain.
A movement forwards is a proof of poison or magic, and then they
attempt to discover the guilty individual. They mention to the
deceased the names of several persons, not even excepting those
of his own family. If the body be silent, it is supposed to be
irritated at the suspicion against its relatives, and they beg it
to tell them who is the guilty person. To ascertain this fact,
they invite it to turn the bier towards the person who carries
the branch. If the body should then push the bier forwards, and
strike the bough with it, the guilty person is thus named, and the
spectators are convinced. Three motions forwards indicate magic,
and two poison. The criminal is then suddenly seized; and if the
accusation be for magic, he is sold without formality. It often
happens, when the deceased is a person of distinction, and the one
whom he accuses is poor, they sell his whole family with him; but
if he be accused of poisoning, they reserve him for a subsequent
trial, from which, however, he rarely escapes.
After depositing the dead man in his grave, in which, according to
their custom, they throw his best clothes, and whatever else they
conceive he may want, they return to the accused who is confined,
but in such a manner that he might escape if he please; and he
is informed, that the laws which he has transgressed, require
the privation of his liberty. As soon as night approaches, the
criminal makes his escape to the nearest town, where he invokes
the protection of the chief, who is supposed to be impartial. He
protests his innocence of the crime, and demands the ordeal of red
water. This request is generally complied with, and the friends of
the deceased are invited to assist at the ceremony.
On the appointed day they place the criminal on a high seat, strip
off all his clothes, and leave him nothing but an apron of plantain
leaves round his waist. He then, in presence of the whole town, who
assemble on these occasions, eats rue or cola, and drinks poisoned
water. If he die, which almost always happens, he is declared guilty;
but if he should live twenty-four hours after the ceremony, he is
adjudged innocent. During this time he dares not relieve nature
by any secretions; and if he have not strength to retain them,
his impotence is considered as strong a proof of his crime, as if
he had fallen dead on first taking the fatal drink. Nay, in order
to prevent all surprise, they force him to join in the songs and
dances, with which during the night they celebrate his innocence.
A person once acquitted by this judgment of God acquires a general
confidence, and has a right to bring an action against the parents
and friends of the deceased for defamation and false poisoning. The
latter in such cases are always condemned, and pay a fine equal to
the injury.
When the accusation of magic falls on a person whom they cannot
sell, either on account of his age, or the rank of his family,
he is conducted to a field out of the town, where he is obliged to
dig his own grave; while the people, who surround and guard him,
load him with insults, and say as a common phrase, “You kill
others, and do not wish that death should strike you in return.”
During these injuries he continues his doleful work with an apparent
insensibility, and merely answers, “It is true that I have killed
such a one, and many others; and if I were to live I should kill many
more.” From time to time he takes measure of the grave with his
own body; and when he thinks it deep enough, they place him at one
end with his face towards it: in this position one of the assistants
gives him a violent blow on the nape of the neck, which causes him
to fall into the grave on his face; they then cover him with mould,
and finish him by running him through with a sharp pike, which they
strike several times into his body. The grave is then filled up,
and the name of the criminal is condemned to oblivion.
These ceremonies, in which slight differences prevail amongst the
various tribes, are so absurd, and their injustice is so palpable,
that it is astonishing that the people have not abolished so
barbarous a custom, notwithstanding its antiquity.
All savage or ignorant nations have believed in spells and magic;
but nothing can equal the furious people of whom I am speaking. If
a crocodile devour a man, a leopard destroy a sheep, a person fall
ill, or die suddenly; or if any reverses be experienced, it is
always through the sorcerer; and when he is discovered, he never
escapes the cruel punishment which the law pronounces against him.
They place implicit faith in the efficacy of a talisman, which they
call _gris-gris_: they wear it round their neck, at their waist,
and on their legs and arms. Each has its particular virtue: one
preserves them from bullets; another from poison; and when a man
has been killed, burnt, or drowned, they say, that his gris-gris
was not so efficacious as that of his enemy. They are, however,
persuaded that the gris-gris can do nothing against cannon.
These talismans are made of goat skins, with the hair on, or of
morocco leather; and they are of different sizes, from one to three
inches; they are filled with a kind of powder, and with scraps
of certain sentences of the alkoran in the Arabic. The priests,
or marabous, have the exclusive privilege of preparing and selling
them. These people all follow the trade of divines or augurs: their
testimony is, in the eyes of the people, evidence itself; they pry
into futurity, discover thieves and adulterers, perform miracles;
in short, all the actions of the credulous people are submitted to
their influence.
Amongst savage nations the practice of physic is generally added
to that of divination or sorcery. In these countries, however,
it is otherwise; for the old women here cure diseases, and fulfil
their task with great zeal and astonishing success, particularly
in cases of wounds: they employ simple herbs, which abound in the
fields and woods.
The most common diseases are hydrocele and intermittent fevers:
the latter they infallibly cure by simple remedies; the former is
supposed to arise from the excessive use of palm wine amongst the
natives, whose constitution is particularly voluptuous. Venereal
diseases are also very common; but they are never attended with
those dreadful symptoms which appear in Europe. The natives will
not believe that they can acquire this disease by a connection
with an unclean individual: it is easily cured by simples and
sudorifics. The small-pox is endemic, but is more rare on the coasts
than in the country.
Foreigners who come here are subject to other diseases, the most
fatal of which is dysentery. They have remedies for these attacks;
but the method of preventing them is, to preserve a medium between
excess and privation.
I shall terminate this chapter with a reflection which I conceive
important. The French government has admitted the necessity of
protecting the commerce of the western coast of Africa, of forming
new establishments on points most favourable for trade, and of
sending expeditions to procure accurate information. These measures
are the more necessary, as the slave-trade has been renewed on
our part. The decree which suppressed it, and which precipitately
gave liberty to all our Negro slaves, was made in the delirium
of tumultuous passions, and has caused the greatest misfortunes,
which time and wisdom alone can repair. I shall repeat here, what
I have already said relative to the philanthropic principles of the
English company;—that its success must depend upon the concurrence
of all nations, and on a perfect understanding amongst them for the
abolition of the trade. But if they flatter themselves with such an
union, it is a question whether they will ever obtain it. It is at
least doubtful, whether any government would authorise a convention
which would proclaim at once the ruin and entire loss of the American
colonies. I declare it with pain, that if the company above-mentioned
do not give another direction to its views, it will have indulged
in a fine dream, and expended enormous sums to no purpose.
* * * * *