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DESCRIPTION OF THE BAR OF THE SENEGAL, AND OF THE BANKS OF THAT
RIVER, AS FAR AS ISLE ST. LOUIS. — PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN FOR
PASSING THE BAR. — REMARKS ON THE CANOES OF THE NEGROES. —
DESCRIPTION OF ISLE ST. LOUIS, ITS ADMINISTRATION AND INHABITANTS.
AFTER the rapid sketch which I have given of our establishments
from Cape Blanco to the river of Sierra Leone, it is necessary to
return to the bar of the Senegal, and say something of the passage
of that river, as far as Isle St. Louis, which deserves a particular
description.
The bar of the Senegal is situated in about 15° 53′ lat. and
18° 51′ 30″ lon.: it is a bank of moving sand, formed at the
mouth of the river by the mud and sand which it conveys in its
course to the sea, and which the latter repels incessantly towards
the coast. The river, in consequence of its mass of water, and the
violence of its current, has made two outlets here, which are called
the passes of the bar, and are distinguished by the appellation of
Great and Small. To enter them is very difficult, and even dangerous.
The great pass is generally about a hundred fathoms wide, and eight
or nine feet deep; and at all times the only ships which can pass it,
are those that draw seven or eight feet of water. The waves are so
short and strong, that they break with a terrible violence; and this
passage often proves an end to the most favourable navigation. The
small pass is so narrow and shallow, that none but canoes or small
boats can get through it.
The large opening cannot be passed without an expert pilot, who is
in the habit of visiting it every day, to know exactly its state
and depth; both of which are uncertain, as they vary according
to circumstances. All, therefore, that is known, is the extent
and rapidity of the floods; but the sudden variations in question
must doubtless be attributed to the double action of the river and
the sea.
The pilot who is engaged to conduct ships over the bar, has a large
boat with a deck, and a crew of Negroes, who have no cloathing
but a band of linen about six inches broad, which passes between
their thighs: they are all strongly-made people, and excellent
swimmers. But notwithstanding their knowledge and activity, the boat
and its crew often perish: they, however, more frequently escape the
destruction which threatens them, and often exert themselves for
the safety of strangers. But woe be to the rash seamen who might
dare to attempt without their assistance the passage of the bar,
as they would infallibly perish. Fortunately this passage does not
last longer than a quarter of an hour; but it inspires so much dread,
that the length of time seems insupportable. The first persons who
passed this bar must have been intrepid sailors.
When this passage is effected, its horrors are succeeded by a calm,
as the course of the river then becomes as smooth and gentle as
its entrance was shocking and difficult.
It is from twenty to twenty-five feet deep, and of a considerable
width. The exhausted rowers then take breath, drink brandy, and
dance and rejoice at their success: they of course always receive a
recompence. When I entered, I gave them a louis d’or, with which
they were so highly satisfied that they were a long time singing
my generosity, and afterwards did me great honour in the colony.
The Negroes go through the little passage with much adroitness,
in the canoes which they use either for fishing or to go on board
the vessels that arrive. These canoes are sometimes made of nothing
but the trunk of a tree hollowed out; but more frequently the bottom
is of a single piece, while the sides are fastened together by small
cords made of the bark of a tree, caulked with beaten straw and clay;
those of the Senegal in general are caulked in the French manner. The
crew of these little narrow canoes, which are seldom more than twelve
feet long, is generally composed of five men. One of them sits at the
poop, and steers with one hand, while with the other he bales out
the water that has leaked into the canoe. The other four Negroes,
keep erect with their faces towards the prow. They use paddles,
which they plunge quickly into the water, and strike behind them;
the paddles are in the shape of a baker’s peel, and they cause
the boat to move and veer with quickness. These canoes have no
seats, and are liable to overturn; but at this the crew are little
concerned; they fix to the bottom or sides such articles as they
intend to convey to the ships, and when they reach them, they upset
the canoe, which remains so till they return; when one of them gets
in, and bales out the water, while the rest swim alongside, and
keep the canoe from sinking, till it is ready for them to enter,
and continue their voyage. When at sea, these boats seem as if
they would be lost every instant, as the least wave seems to raise
them to the clouds; while on descending with it, they disappear,
as if they were ingulphed by that which follows.
The boat with a deck, which has already been mentioned, serves
not only to perform the passage of the bar, but also to unlade
the vessels that are about to enter the river; by which means,
those from 100 to 150 tons generally ascend it, while such as are
of a greater burden remain in the road. The process of unlading, on
account of the roughness of the water, is difficult and expensive;
and during the delay which it occasions, the crews of the European
ships often fall sick.
It is perhaps to the inconveniences of the bar of the Senegal, that
we are indebted for the safety of our establishments in that quarter;
as one or two armed boats, within the bar, would be sufficient to
sink all the vessels that might attempt to pass it; because only
one ship can make the passage at the time. The best months for
entering the river, are April, May, June, and July; and the most
dangerous, those of September, October, November, and December,
when the winds blow impetuously, and increase the course of the
current so much as to render the passage almost impracticable.
On arriving in the road, you see to the right a spot called Barbary
Point, which separates the river from the sea: it is flat and barren,
being principally a moving sand, which being fine and dry, is blown
about by the wind. It is about a hundred fathoms in length, and is
frequented only by pelicans, which are not worth the trouble of
hunting, and by small crabs, which are not eaten. The right bank
is called Guinea-land, and is much better than Barbary Point. Its
name signifies, in the language of the country, the Devil’s land:
it is level and covered with large trees and beautiful grass; and
is dependant on the kingdom of Cayor, which finishes at the isle
of Bifeche, about six leagues from the bar.
Within two leagues of the bar is a natural canal, formed by the river
which leads to the village of Bieurt: on it are two little isles;
one of them, called Bocos, on which the French had a factory;
and the other Mogue, which is neither inhabited nor cultivated,
though it contains very abundant salt-pits. At this place is also an
inexhaustible quarry of oyster-shells, from which lime is made. Such
prodigious heaps of oyster-shells have been found in other parts;
but it is remarkable that they are shells only: for, notwithstanding
the assertions of several philosophers and historians, the oyster
is unknown at Senegal.
Isle St. Louis lies in 16° 4′ 10″. lat. and
18°. 48′. long. It is in the middle of the river, and only four
leagues from the bar: it has an anchorage for vessels of a certain
burden, the width of the river being in this part 380 fathoms, and
the depth from 20 to 30 feet. The isle itself is only 1150 toises
in length from north to south, and its width not every where alike,
it being at the southern point eighty toises, and at the western,
the part where the fort is built, a hundred and thirty. From north
to south, it forms a sort of elongated bank; the soil is level and
sandy, a few mango or other trees being found only at the northern
point: amongst them is the famous banyan tree, whose root is always
in water, and from whose straight pliant, and knotless branches,
shoots strike out, which take root almost as soon as they touch the
ground, and thus form natural bowers. The number thus increases to an
inconceivable extent, insomuch that a single banyan tree may in time
produce a prodigious quantity of other trees of the same species,
which give rise to a whole forest of bowers, under which one may
conveniently walk and be sheltered from the sun. Nothing is more
curious or agreeable than these promenades, which are frequently
found on the banks of the river. There are likewise on the isle a
few lonely palm-trees, some of which grow in the gardens.
The climate of Isle St. Louis is mild, wholesome, and agreeable
during eight months of the year. From the beginning of December
to the end of July, the temperature may be compared to that of our
finest summer days; though cold is often felt there. All the houses
have chimnies, which shews, that it is necessary to have fire in
them during certain days in the year; but they are kindled only in
the morning and evening, as the rays of the sun heat the atmosphere
sufficiently. This brilliant orb shines in these countries in all
its splendour during the eight months already mentioned. The sky
is pure and cloudless; fresh winds purify the atmosphere; and the
cold which occurs at intervals is a real benefit bestowed by nature
for the health of the inhabitants.
Diseases are as rare at this period as they are frequent in the
months of August, September, October, and November, which are
comprised under the name of the sickly season, and during which
time rain falls in abundance. The winds are at this epoch easterly;
they cross the burning sands of Africa, and, corrupted by the fetid
exhalations from the marshes, carry contagion to the island. Hence
dysenteries, with putrid and inflammatory fevers, become frequent,
and often make great havoc. To secure oneself against their malign
influence, it is necessary to avoid all excesses, and particularly
to guard against sleeping in the daytime: it is also of great
advantage to drink fasting a little brandy in which bark has been
infused; to take wholesome food in small quantities; and to bathe
every day. The air is purified by burning gum, which the country
furnishes in abundance. I passed two such seasons at Isle St. Louis
without experiencing the least inconvenience; and others have lived
there twenty, thirty, and forty years, and were equally fortunate
as myself.
When, however, a person is attacked, he has no occasion to despair
of a cure: for the doctors use several good remedies; but the best
specific is an emetic, by the taking of which in proper time, I
have known several persons completely restored to health. I admit
that such attacks are dangerous: but it is an error to suppose them
incurable; as it likewise is to believe that the climate is always
unhealthy: indeed I do not know a better one during two thirds of
the year; and the dangers of the other portion have been exaggerated
by travellers and historians. The latter have never been in Africa;
and the former have accustomed themselves to assert falsehoods.
There have never been any physicians at Isle St. Louis; but surgeons
are established there by government, which has not always been
fortunate in its choice. To well informed men the country would
present remedies in its own productions: for the natives prevent
disease, or cure themselves when afflicted, by simples which are
unknown to us at present; and here it is probable that by attentive
observation very useful discoveries might be made.
When the unhealthy season is past, and the easterly winds have been
succeeded by the fresh and salutary breezes which constantly blow
for the remainder of the year, health and hilarity again prevail;
and a cannon-shot is then fired towards the sea. This ceremony is
a notification that the danger has subsided, and it dissipates the
fears of the inhabitants.
There are, however, two inconveniences, against which they have
much difficulty to guard. The first is the bites of thousands of
musquitos and locusts, which, though more troublesome and numerous
in the rainy season, yet remain to injure the inhabitants after it
has passed. I discovered the means of preserving myself from their
attacks, at least during the night. I caused Spanish curtains to be
made for my bed, which are formed of Italian gauze, sewed together
all over, and closing round by means of groves, which prevented
these insects from getting in; and thus I slept in peace.
The other inconvenience, which is doubtlessly far more serious,
is the absolute want of water during eight months in the year: for
there is neither spring nor fountain in the island; and the river
is saline from December to the end of July. The rest of the year
being the time when the waters swell, the rapidity of their course
prevents the tide from coming up high enough to spoil that part of
the river in which the island is situated, and the inhabitants then
use it, as it is pleasant and potable. At other times, expedients
must be resorted to: they therefore make small holes in the sand,
from which they acquire a brackish water, and use it for want of
better. They, however, filter it in different ways, which makes it
tolerably good. But as these portions would not be sufficient for
a supply of the colony, they send boats to the top of the river,
whither the sea does not penetrate, and till them with water, which
they bring back. These voyages are repeated at different times in
the month, according to the necessities of the colony.
It may not be unserviceable to give some explanations of the holes
which they make in the sand, for the purpose of procuring water:
they are not deep, and only give out their water for an instant;
in consequence of which it is necessary to renew them in other
positions, as often as a fresh supply is requisite. They expose
it to the wind in earthen vases, which are not glazed. This water
presents a phenomenon of a curious nature: it becomes saline in
proportion as that of the river gets fresh; and as soon as the
latter resumes its brackish taste, that taken from the holes in
the sands is perceptibly sweeter. This double effect of the tide
upon the water which is no longer in contact with it, is doubtless
worthy of the attention of chemists.
On the other hand, one cannot but be astonished to learn that
the principal establishment of the French on the African coast,
is without water during the greater part of the year, particularly
when it is known that they are able to build cisterns with ease;
as lime, sand, and bricks are to be found or made on the spot.
Isle St. Louis, and those in its neighbourhood, are not proper for
cultivation: their soil is flat, sandy, and barren, but little above
the level of the river, and consequently exposed to inundations;
that of Babagué excepted. Those which lie higher up possess, on
the contrary, the greatest fertility, and produce cotton, indigo,
and tobacco spontaneously. But it is an erroneous assertion that
they contain orange and lemon trees, as these salutary fruits are
totally unknown on the banks of the Senegal.
In the small circumference of Isle St. Louis, there are a fort,
a powder-magazine, a hospital, a church, and about twenty brick
houses. The Negroes, whether slaves or freemen, inhabit wooden huts
covered with thatch, and of a conical form. All the streets are
large and perfectly straight, which produces an agreeable effect. A
large burying-ground is also at the southern point.
The inhabitants are very religious, though they are not all
Catholics; I even think that the greater portion are Mahomedans:
nevertheless, they all live together in peace and harmony. Each
sect believes in God, and adores him after its own manner, so that
no one is disturbed on account of his religious opinions.
In my time, the population of the colony amounted to six or
seven thousand souls, among whom were about three hundred white
inhabitants, Mulattos, or free Negroes. It appears that since they
have increased considerably, the census of 1801, having estimated
them at ten thousand. This augmentation is owing to the successive
arrival of slaves purchased at Galam, and who have remained on
the island; so that the increase has now become too great in
relation to the extent of the place and the means of procuring
subsistence. Another island has therefore been acquired, to which the
superflux of the population will be sent, with the view of forming
a new colony. That of Isle St. Louis contains a civilized, humane,
gentle, and economical people, who are consequently happy. The men
are tall, well made, ardent, courageous, sober, and indefatigable;
they possess a robust constitution, are uncommonly faithful; and
have a noble gait and physiognomy. Indeed it is impossible to find
more attentive or sincere domestics; as they carry to extremities
their affection for those who have done them any service.
The women are sensible, modest, tender, faithful, and particularly
handsome; their charms being increased by an air of innocence and a
mildness of language. They have, however, an invincible inclination
for love and voluptuousness; while they express the sentiments of
those passions with an accent and tone of voice, which our organs
cannot imitate either in point of feeling or softness. They have
a skin as black as ebony; a well-formed nose, generally aquiline;
eyes large and lively; thin, vermilion lips; and the finest teeth
in the world. In short, their shape is enchanting; and they may be
said to combine all the perfections of beauty.
The marriages of the Black or Mulatto catholics take place at
the church, as in France; those of the Mahometans are celebrated
according to the law of the prophet. The union of a white man with
a black or mulatto girl is a compact quite peculiar.
It is not indissoluble, but lasts as long as the parties have
no reason to complain of each other; or till they are obliged
to separate for ever; but if the absence of the man be only for
a certain time, the woman remains single, waits with patience
for the return of her husband, and she does not make choice of
another, except in case of death, or the assurance that he will
not return. This second union affixes no stigma on the honour or
reputation of the woman.
When a black man wishes to marry, and has made his choice, he finds
the parents of the girl, and asks their consent: if he obtain it,
the day is fixed for the ceremony. The girl then, veiled from
head to foot, is conducted by her parents and nearest friends to
the house of the bridegroom: here they find every thing disposed
for a feast, and a table copiously served. The guests eat, drink,
sing, and dance to the sound of instruments during the whole night,
and make a shocking riot. The married couple are then conducted to
a chamber, and the musicians, buffoons, and mountebanks attend at
the door, till the marriage be consummated, in order to publish the
success of the bridegroom and the virtue of the bride. They carry
the testimony through the streets, written in letters of blood
on a piece of white cotton; but the blood is generally that of a
fowl. If the new married woman be a widow, this ridiculous farce
does not take place.
The girl thus married takes the name of the husband, and does the
honours of his house; the children who proceed from such an union,
bear the name of their father. Whence it happens that at Isle
St. Louis and Goree we meet with several mulatto families which
have French and English names. A woman thinks herself honoured by
partaking of the couch of a white man, and is true, submissive,
and grateful to the utmost extent; in short, she uses every art to
merit his kindness and love.
If the husband embark to cross the sea, the disconsolate wife
accompanies him to the shore, and sometimes follows him by swimming
after the ship as far as her strength will allow; when obliged to
return, she gathers up the sand on which the impression of his last
footsteps remain, and wrapping it in a piece of cotton, places it
at the foot of her bed.
Music and dancing have the most powerful attractions for the Negroes,
insomuch, that they walk and work in cadence; they sing as they go
to battle; and though the sound of their instruments is monotonous
and melancholy, yet this music is the greatest pleasure which they
experience, and they follow it with a sort of frenzy.
Both sexes are clothed with cotton, which they manufacture
themselves. The men wear trowsers, which come half way down their
legs, and a loose tunic resembling a surplice. The head and feet
are naked. The dress of the women consists of two pieces of cotton,
six feet long by three wide; one of which goes round their loins,
and falls to the ancle, as a sort of petticoat; the other negligently
covers the breast and shoulders. The dresses of the slaves, both
male and female, are the same as have been already described:
indeed, there is little difference in the clothing of any of the
inhabitants in this part of Africa. There is no variety of fashion,
except in the head-dresses of the women; and the only alterations
which I have observed in these, are in their height.
All the inhabitants of both sexes, whether Mulattos, Whites, or
free Negroes, speak French tolerably well. Their common and natural
language is that of the Yolofs. The first things which strangers
learn, are their numbers.
Rice and millet are the principal food of the inhabitants; but
foreigners who come to the island, import Bourdeaux flour, coffee,
sugar, and liquors: they find there oxen, sheep, poultry, game, and
fish; so that they live the same as they do in their own country;
except that they want fruits, which are not cultivated.
The governor of the island is the supreme head of the civil,
military, and judicial administration: the last, though dependant on
the governor, is not entirely military; the laws are not positive,
but have been established from custom. It is seldom that either
free Mulattos or Negro slaves are condemned to death. Before the
revolution, Negroes who were found guilty, were sold and sent to
the American colonies. If they happened to be slaves, the produce
of the sale served to indemnify the injured party, and the surplus
was given to the master, after the expences were discharged; but
if the condemned Negroes were free, a part of the produce of the
sale likewise went to the prosecutor, and the rest was vested in
the king’s treasury. In both cases the governor gave an account
of the prosecution to the minister of the marine. At present, I am
assured that no other sentences are passed than that of imprisonment
in irons, either for a limited time, or for life.
The Whites are tried by the same tribunal, and under the same
forms. When any one disturbs the tranquillity of the inhabitants, he
is arrested, banished from the colony, and embarked for France. If he
have committed murder, burglary, or any capital crime, he is seized,
and sent to France, to be tried according to the instructions sent
from the Senegal. All disputes relative to commerce are decided
before the governor, who endeavours to reconcile the parties;
and if he cannot succeed, they appoint three arbitrators, who,
with the governor at their head, give a final decision. If the
parties be Europeans, the arbiters are Whites; and when they are
Africans, their case is decided by Blacks: while a dispute between an
European and an African is submitted to a person of each colour. The
decisions thus elicited are strictly adhered to; and there is not an
instance in which a subsequent contest has arisen. The same forms of
proceeding took place at Goree, while it was in our possession, as
well as at all our establishments in this part of the world. Since
then several reductions have been made in the forces and branches
of civil administration, which have done no good to the colony.
The governor or commandant is the chief of the military department
and of the police; he is also intrusted with the political
arrangements that are made with the native princes, and he
occasionally visits or receives them at his own residence: these
visits, however, form the most disagreeable part of his office;
for they seldom last less than a week at a time, and nothing can
be more tedious than the ceremonies observed on the occasion.
The prince is always followed by a numerous body of attendants
and musicians, who never leave him. He neither speaks, walks,
eats, nor indeed moves, except by the sound of instruments,
which his _guiriots_, or band, play without interruption. The
article most in use is the half of a calebash, to which is fixed
a long handle; it has three strings of horse and camel hair, and
resembles a guitar. Its sound is heavy and monotonous. The prince
smokes continually; and the chief employment of his attendants is
to fill and hand him the pipes in succession, and take care that
he never is without one. The governor is obliged to feed and lodge
all these fellows; and to get rid of them, he at last loads them
with presents: but, however liberal he may be in this respect,
they are never satisfied; and in order to obtain something more,
they pretend to set no value upon what he has given them.
When companies assemble to regulate the commerce of the Senegal,
the director-general is particularly incommoded by their visits;
as he has to put up with the trouble, and defray the expence of the
whole. This last appears to me to be just, as they have no other
motive than commercial affairs; but I never suffered any thing more
disgusting in the whole course of my administration.
Isle St. Louis produces only pulse and culinary vegetables, which are
obtained in abundance by those who possess gardens. The neighbouring
isles supply amply, quantities of rice and millet.
Hitherto the only importance which we attached to the possession of
the Senegal, was in consequence of the trade carried on for slaves,
gum, gold, elephants’ teeth, and ostrich feathers. Many years ago
we used to derive from it wax and hides; but these articles are no
longer comprised in our speculations. We give in exchange, brandy,
silks, cottons, iron, and all the articles which have been previously
mentioned, as forming the barter at other parts of the coast.
When the Negroes first began to trade with Europeans, the article
on which they set most value was iron; because it served them to
make agricultural and warlike instruments. Hence iron soon became
the commodity from which they appreciated all other articles. Thus a
certain quantity of merchandize of any other kind was estimated to
be worth so many bars of iron, which gave rise to the commercial
expression of a bar of merchandize: for example, twenty plants
of tobacco were considered as a bar of tobacco; and a gallon was
called a bar of brandy; while a bar of any merchandize whatever
was considered equal in value to a bar of any other kind.
The bar therefore is an ideal sort of money; but it necessarily
happened that the abundance or scarcity of merchandize was in
proportion to the number of foreign ships which arrived; and hence as
their relative value was in continual fluctuation, it was necessary
to be more decisive. At present the Whites value a bar of any sort
of merchandize at four livres sixteen sous (about 3s. 10d. sterling);
thus a slave who is valued at 100 bars, costs 490 livres Tournois.
In exchanges of this nature, the White merchant has a great
advantage over the Negro: for the bar which he gives at the value
abovementioned, seldom costs him more than half that price. The
African who suspects this, is very difficult to satisfy, and is
petulant and tiresome, on account of his ignorance.
Isle St. Louis is the general rendezvous for the trade of the
Senegal; and the average number of slaves sent there is about 12
or 1500 per annum; though it is asserted to have formerly amounted
to 3000. The price of slaves has varied at different periods,
on account of the competition and jealousy of different European
traders. The Negroes of the Senegal are preferred to all the Blacks
of the African coast, as their race is handsomer than the others. But
it has been found that they are more fit for domestic services,
and for the arts and trades, than for working in the fields,
a labour too severe for their constitution.
They value at, a _piece of India_, a Negro from 15 to 25 years old,
who is vigorous, well formed, and has no defect. Three Negro boys
or girls, well made and about 10 or 12 years old, are worth two
pieces of India; and two children, between 5 and 10, are given and
received for one piece.
A pound of ivory generally sells on the spot for 1 livre 16 sous;
and a drachm of gold, for 10 livres: these articles are paid for in
merchandize, according to the value of the bars. Ostrich feathers
have no determinate price, but are sometimes given as presents,
and at others sold to a good account.
When speaking of the Moors, I shall give a description of the gum
trade, which they exclusively carry on.
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