Visit from two English Trading-Captains--The Invisible King of
Jack-a-Jack--Human Sacrifices--French Fortresses at Grand Bassam, at
Assinee, and other points--Objections to the Locality of
Liberia--Encroachments on the Limits of that Colony--Arrival at
Axim--Sketches of that Settlement--Dix Cove--Civilized Natives--An
Alligator.
_April_ 14.--Under way from Cape Lahon at daylight. All the morning,
there were light breezes and warm air; but a fine sea-breeze set in, in
the afternoon, and brought us, at seven o'clock, to anchor at "Grand
Jack," or "Jack-a-Jack." The distributors of names along this coast
deserve no credit for their taste. The masters of two English merchantmen
came on board and spent the evening. One of them was far gone with a
consumption; the other was, in his own phrase, a "jolly cock," and seemed
disposed to make himself amusing; in pursuance of which object he became
very drunk, before taking his departure. Englishmen, in this station of
life, do not occupy the same social rank as with us, and, consequently,
have seldom the correct and gentlemanly manners of our own ship-masters.
The master of an English merchant-vessel would hardly be considered a fit
guest for either the cabin or ward-room of a British man-of-war.
These masters informed us that they had paid three hundred dollars each,
for the king's "dash," at this place; in addition to which, every
merchant-captain must pay eight dollars on landing, and if from Bristol,
twenty-four dollars. This distinction is in consequence of a Bristol
captain having shot a native, some years ago; and when the palaver was
settled, the above amount of blood-money was imposed upon all ship-masters
from the same place. Our two visitors have now been here for months, and
will remain for months longer, without once setting foot on shore; partly
to avoid incurring the impost on landing, partly from caution against the
natives, and partly to keep their business secret. The jealousy between
the traders is very great. Those from Bristol, Liverpool, and London, all
are in active competition with each other, and with any foreigner who may
come in their way; and their policy may truly be described as
Machiavelian, in its mystery, craft, and crookedness. The business
requires at least as long an apprenticeship as the diplomacy of nations,
and a new hand has but little chance among these sharp fellows.
15.--Some canoes from the shore have been off to us. We learn from them,
that there is to be a great annual festival today; on which occasion the
king, who has been secluded from the sight of his subjects for eight
years, will shine forth again, "like a re-appearing star." There is
something very provocative to the imagination in this circumstance. What
can have been the motive of such a seclusion? was it in the personal
character of the king, and did he shut himself up to meditate on high
matters, or to revel in physical indulgence? or, possibly, to live his own
simple life, untrammelled by the irksome exterior of greatness? or was it
merely a trick of kingcraft, in order to deify himself in the superstition
of his people, by the awfulness of an invisible presence among them? Be
the secret what it may, it would be interesting to observe the face of the
royal hermit, at the moment when the sunshine and the eyes of his subjects
first fall upon it again. The inhabitants from many miles around have come
to witness and participate in the ceremonies. There are to be grand
dances, and all manner of festivity; and one of the English captains
informed us that he had sold a thousand gallons of rum, within a
fortnight, to be quaffed at this celebration.
There is another circumstance that may give the festival a darker
interest. It is customary, on such occasions, to sacrifice one or two
slaves, who are generally culprits reserved for this anniversary. The
natives on board deny that there will be any such sacrifice, but admit
that a palaver will be held over a slave, who had attempted to escape.
Should it be so, the poor wretch will stand little chance for mercy at the
hands of these barbarians, frenzied with rum, and naturally blood-thirsty.
We are all anxious to go on shore, to see the ceremonies, and try to save
the destined victim; or, if better may not be, to witness the thrilling
spectacle of a human sacrifice, which, being partly a religious rite, is
an affair of a higher order than one of our civilized executions. But our
captain has heard of an English vessel ashore and in distress, a day's
sail below, and is hastening to their assistance. While taking our
departure, therefore, we can only turn our eyes towards the shore, where a
large town is visible, clustered under the shelter of a cocoa-nut grove.
16.--At 7 A.M., we are passing Grand Bassam, seven or eight miles from
land. Our track just touches the outer edge of the semicircular line of
dirty foam, indicating the distance to which the influence of the river
extends. Within the verge, the water is discolored by recent contact with
the earth; beyond it, ripples the uncontaminated, pure, blue ocean. One is
the emblem of human life, muddied with base influences; the other, of
eternity, which is only not transparent because of its depth.
Grand Bassam is one of the many places on the coast, where the French have
recently established forts, and raised their flag. Three large houses are
visible. The one in the centre seems to be the military residence and
stronghold; the other two are long buildings, one story high, and are
probably used as storehouses. A picket-fence surrounds the whole. At
Assinee, likewise, which is now in sight, there is another French fort,
consisting of a block-house and two store-houses, encompassed by pickets.
The French government are also fortifying other points along the coast, in
the most systematic manner. The general plan is, a block-house in the
centre, with long structures extending from each angle, two for barracks,
and two for trading-houses; the whole enclosed within a stockade. They are
imposing establishments, and constructed with an evident view to
durability. It is said that all but French vessels are to be prohibited
from trading within range of their guns, and that a man-of-war is to be
stationed at each settlement. The captain of a Bremen brig informed me,
that the Danes are about to sell their fort at Accra to the French; he
gave as his authority the single Danish officer remaining at Accra.
It is perhaps to be regretted that the colonies of Liberia were not
originally planted in the fertile territory along which we have recently
sailed, and which other nations are now pre-occupying. Liberia does not
appear to possess so rich a soil as most other parts of the coast; there
is more sand, and more marsh, above than below Cape Palmas. But the
country between Cape Palmas and Axim is inhabited by cruel, warlike, and
powerful tribes; and a colony would need more strength than Liberia has
ever yet possessed, to save it from destruction. From Axim to Accra, there
is a chain of forts which have been held by different European nations,
for centuries; nearly all the coast is claimed by these foreigners; while
the interior is occupied by such powerful kingdoms as those of Ashantee
and Dahomey. On these accounts, the tract now called Liberia (extending
about three hundred miles, from Cape Mesurado to Cape Palmas) was the most
open for the purposes of colonization. Even within the limits just named,
however, both France and England have recently betrayed a purpose of
effecting settlements. It is to be hoped that these nations will hereafter
transfer their titles to Liberia. Their policy doubtless is, to hold the
country for its exclusive trade, or until they can obtain advantageous
terms of commercial intercourse with the colonists and natives. The
attention of the Society at home, as well as of the Liberian government,
is now fully awake to the importance of securing territory. They are
aware, that, without vigorous and prompt measures to extinguish the native
title to the country between Monrovia and Cape Palmas, foreign nations
will occupy the intermediate positions, and cause much embarrassment
hereafter.
17.--At Assinee. We boarded a French brig-of-war, the Eglantine, last
evening, and learned that the vessel, which ran ashore here, had gone to
pieces; so that all our hurry was of no avail.
Sailed at 9 A.M. for Axim.
18.--Last night, we had thunder, lightning, wind, and rain. There are
showers and small tornadoes, almost every night, succeeded by clear and
pleasant days. We are now in sight of Cape-Three-Points, and the fort at
Axim. It is pleasant, after the monotonous aspect of the shore to
windward, to see a coast with deep indentations and bold promontories. The
fort at Axim has a commanding appearance, and the country in the vicinity
has a decidedly New-England look.
19.--Ashore at Axim, where we met with some features of novelty. The fort
here is really an antique castle, having been built by the Portuguese so
long ago as 1600, and taken from them by its present possessors, the
Dutch, in 1639. It is of stone, built upon scientific principles, with
embrasures for cannon and loop-holes for musketry. The walls are four feet
thick, and capable of sustaining the assault of ten thousand natives. The
fortress is three stories high, the basement story being widest, and each
of the others diminishing in proportion, and surrounded by a terrace. The
two lower departments are intended for the cannon and the mass of the
defenders; while the Governor occupies the upper as his permanent
residence, and may there fortify himself impregnably, even if an enemy
should possess the fort below--unless, indeed, they should blow him into
the air.
The country claimed by the Dutch, extends about thirty miles along the
coast, and twenty miles into the interior, with a population estimated at
about ten thousand. They seem--particularly those who reside in the
villages beneath the fortress--to be entirely under the control of their
European masters, and to live comfortably, and be happy in their
condition. The natives possess slaves; and there are also many "pawns," of
a description seldom offered to the pawnbrokers in other parts of the
world; namely, persons who have pledged the services of themselves and
family to some creditor, until the debt be paid. It is a good and forcible
illustration of the degradation which debt always implies, though it may
not always be outwardly visible, as here at Axim. The Governor himself,
who is a native of Amsterdam, and apparently a mulatto, is one of those
pawn-brokers who deal in human pledges. He is a merchant-soldier, bearing
the military title of lieutenant, and doing business as a trader. The
Governor of El Mina is his superior officer, and the fort at Axim is
garrisoned by twelve black soldiers from the former place. War has existed
for several years between these Dutch settlements and their powerful
neighbor, the king of Appollonia, who is daily expected to attack the
fortress. In that event, the people in the neighboring villages would take
refuge within the walls, and there await the result.
The native houses are constructed in the usual manner, of small poles and
bamboo, plastered over with clay, and thatched. They might be kept
comfortable if kept in repair, but are mostly in a wretched state,
although thronged with occupants. The proportion of women, as well as
children, appears larger than in other places; and they wear a greater
amplitude of apparel than those of their sex on the windward coast,
covering their persons from the waist to the knee, and even lower. The
most remarkable article of dress is one which I have vaguely understood to
constitute a part of the equipment of my own fair countrywomen--in a word,
the veritable bustle. Among the belles of Axim, there is a reason for the
excrescence which does not exist elsewhere; for the little children ride
astride of the maternal bustle, which thus becomes as useful, as it is
unquestionably ornamental. Fashion, however, has evidently more to do with
the matter than convenience; for old wrinkled grandams wear these
beautiful anomalies, and little girls of eight years old display
protuberances that might excite the envy of a Broadway belle. Indeed,
fashion may be said to have its perfect triumph and utmost refinement, in
this article; it being a positive fact, that some of the Axim girls wear
merely the bustle, without so much as the shadow of a garment. Its native
name is "tarb koshe."
Axim is said to be perfectly healthy, there being no marshes in the
vicinity. The soil is fertile and the growth luxuriant. There is a fine
well of water, from which ships may be supplied abundantly and easily,
though not cheaply. The landing place is protected by small islands and
reefs, which break the force of the swell; so that boats may land with as
much safety and as little difficulty as in a river. One of our boats,
nevertheless, with fifteen or sixteen persons on board, ran on a rock and
bilged, in attempting to go ashore. All were happily saved by canoes from
the beach. There is a great abundance of pearl-shells to be found along
the shore, not valuable, but pretty.
The currency here is gold dust, which passes from hand to hand as freely
as coin bearing the impress of a monarch or a republic. The governor's
weights for gold are small beans; a brown one being equivalent to a
dollar, and a red one to fifty cents.
22.--Ashore; and spent most of the day in the fortress; one of the cool
places of Africa. Situated on a high, rocky point of land, with the sea on
three sides, every breeze that stirs, however lightly, is sure to be felt
on the terraces of the castle of Axim; and they bring coolness even at
noontide, being tempered by the spray constantly rising from the waves
that dash against the rocks below.
There is great difficulty in procuring any supplies here, except wood and
water, and those at a high rate--seven dollars per cord for the former,
and one dollar for each hundred gallons of the latter; this, too,
including only the filling of the casks, and rolling them a short distance
on the beach. We found it impossible to purchase bullocks, sheep, or pigs,
and but very little poultry. The governor explained, that several
men-of-war had recently visited the settlement, and taken all the live
stock that could be spared, and that the war with Appollonia had cut off
the large supply formerly drawn from that country. The natives at this
place cannot furnish vessels with supplies, unless by the governor's
express permission; which, it is said, he does not grant, except upon
condition that they expend the proceeds in purchasing goods from him. One
of our stewards bought a roasting-pig, on shore; and the fact coming to
the ears of Governor Rhule, he notified the people that there would be a
palaver after our departure, for the discovery of the offender. The fine
for a transgression of this kind is two ounces of gold, or thirty-two
dollars. Let us imagine a village storekeeper, in our own country,
possessing supreme control over all the traffic of his neighbors--and we
shall have an idea of the relative position of the Governor of Axim and
the natives. Moreover, he is the general arbitrator, _ex officio_, and
expects that all awards shall be paid in cash, and that the successful
party spend the amount at his shop.
We learned from Governor Rhule, that the Dutch government, some years ago,
had sent agents from El Mina to Comassee, the capital of Ashantee, for the
purchase of slaves, to be employed in the wars between the Dutch East
India settlements and the natives of that region. Three thousand were thus
purchased, at forty dollars each, and transported to Batavia. Perhaps no
circumstance, possible to be conceived, could do more to strip war of its
poetry, than such a fact; and yet it is in good keeping with the character
of a shrewd, commercial, business-like people, endowed with more common
sense than chivalry or sensibility. A British general, in order to carry
on an expedition against a French colony, once entered into a similar
speculation; but it was indignantly annulled by his government. In the
present case, the exportation of slaves, to fight the battles of their
masters, ceased only two or three years since, on the termination of the
war. These servile soldiers continued in Batavia, except a few wounded
ones, who have been sent back to El Mina, and now reside there on
pensions.
Between Axim and Accra, both inclusive, there are six Dutch forts now
occupied and in repair, besides several which have been abandoned. I was
told that the annual cost of these establishments, to the home-government,
is not more than twenty thousand dollars; most of their expenses being
defrayed by duties, port-charges and other revenue accruing on the spot.
24.--We left Axim yesterday, and anchored, last night, off the British
settlement at Dixcove. This morning, while heaving up the anchor, a boat
came off from the schooner Edward Burley of Bevaley, requesting
assistance, as her spars had been shivered by lightning. Soon after, the
commandant of the fort came on board, in a large and handsome canoe,
paddled by ten or twelve natives. The passengers sit in the bows, using
chairs or stools for seats, and protected from the surf and spray by the
high sides of the canoe. We dined on shore with the Governor, Mr. Swansey,
at his new residence, in the cool and refreshing atmosphere of a high
hill. The house is handsomely furnished in the English style. Mr. Swansey
has resided ten years on the coast, and was one of the persons examined
before the Committee of Parliament in reference to the state and affairs
of this region. There is a circumstance that connects this gentleman,
though but slightly, with poetic annals. Being at Cape Coast Castle at the
time of Mrs. McLean's death, he was one of the inquest that examined into
that melancholy event. His account confirms the general impression, that
her death was unpremeditated, and caused by an accidental over-dose of
prussic-acid, which she was in the habit of taking for spasms. She was
found alone, and nearly dead, behind the door of her apartment. Alas, poor
L.E.L.! It was certainly a strange and wild vicissitude of fate that made
it the duty of this respectable African merchant, in company with men of
similar fitness for the task, to "sit" upon the body--say, rather, on the
heart--of a creature so delicate, impassioned, and imaginative.
The native houses here are quite large; three or four being two stories
high, with balconies, built of stone, in the Spanish style. They are
furnished with sofas, bedsteads, and pictures. One elderly native received
us in a calico surtout, and gave us ale. Another wore the native garb,
with the long cloth folded around him and resting upon his shoulder, like
a Roman toga. He offered champagne, Madeira, gin, brandy, ale, and cigars,
and pressed us to partake, with a dignified and elegant hospitality. This
was Mr. Brace. He had a clerk (of native blood, but dressed in cap,
jacket, and pantaloons, in the English style), who spoke good English, and
was very gentlemanly. It is interesting to meet the natives of Africa at
so advanced a stage of refinement, yet retaining somewhat of their
original habits and character, which is of course entirely lost in the
Liberian colonists.
25.--Spent the morning on shore, at the government-house, reading the
English newspapers, and enjoying the coolness of the position and the
society of the intelligent governor. I was interested in observing an
alligator, inhabiting a fresh-water pond, on the edge of the town. A
chicken being held out to him as a lure, he came out of the pond and
snapped at it, making a loud, startling noise with his teeth. He had
entirely emerged from his native element, and remained some fifteen
minutes on land, during which time he snapped five or six times at the
fowl, which was as often drawn away by a string. At length, seizing his
prey, he plunged with it into the water, dived, swam across the pond, and
rose to the surface on the other side, where he masticated his breakfast,
at his leisure. Three alligators inhabit this pond, and being regarded as
"fetishes," or charmed and sacred creatures, are never injured by the
natives. On their part, the amphibious monsters seem to cherish amicable
feelings towards the human race, and allow children to bathe and sport in
the pond, without injury or molestation. The reptile that I saw was seven
or eight feet long, with formidable teeth and scales.
Instead of the cassada and rice of the windward coast, corn is here the
principal food. After being pounded in their long mortars, it is ground
fine, by hand, between two stones like those used by painters, and is
mixed with palm-wine.
28.--Having repaired the American schooner, and supplied her with one of
our spare topmasts, we are ready to sail to-day.