UPPER GUINEA.
Guinea is usually divided into Northern, or Upper Guinea, and Lower
Guinea.
Upper Guinea has several divisions, which still retain the
characteristic names first given to them. These names were founded
mostly on the productions of different sections, and becoming popular
were retained.
Sierra Leone, named from its bold front "Lion Mountain," stretches from
Rokelle River in the north to Kater River in the south, and for about
twenty miles inland. It is a British colony, founded in 1787 for the
suppression of the slave trade in West Africa, and has been maintained
for that purpose.
[Illustration: SIERRA LEONE.]
The larger portion of the colony is a rugged peninsula of mountains.
This has a sterile soil, but it is surrounded by a belt of fertile coast
land with a humid and pestilential climate.
The population consists mostly of those who were once slaves, but who
have been liberated. In 1869 the population numbered over fifty-five
thousand; of these only one hundred and twenty-nine were white men.
Freetown is the capital. Next to St. Louis it is the largest European
town on the western coast of the continent.
The Grain Coast is named from the grains of the Malaghetta pepper plant.
This plant is a species of parasite, and yields very abundantly.
The Malaghetta, or Grain Coast, is often called the Windy, or Windward
Coast, on account of the many brief but furious tornadoes which it
experiences throughout the year.
The negro republic of Liberia occupies nearly four hundred miles of this
coast. It was founded by the American Colonization Society in 1822, for
the purpose of establishing a settlement for the freedmen of the United
States. Its capital is Monrovia, named after Mr. Monroe, the president
of the Colonization Society. It is situated on the rising ground of the
coast, within the shelter of Cape Mesurado, which forms a breakwater
against the incessant roll of the high surf from the Atlantic. It
carries on quite a commerce with England, Holland, Germany, and the
United States.
The Ivory Coast extends from Cape Palmas through three degrees of west
longitude. It derived its name from the great quantities of ivory it
afforded at one time. Now that the elephant is becoming extinct, the
supply must, of course, cease.
Numerous French forts and settlements along this coast have, since 1871,
been abandoned.
The Gold Coast is controlled entirely by the British government, and is,
in fact, a Crown colony. It reaches from west of Cape Three Points to
the river Volta.
The Gold Coast has long been visited for gold dust and other products.
It has been described as an outer margin of plain, on the coast of which
a roaring surf continually breaks. It extends east and west for about
three hundred miles, and is bounded inland by hills covered with
primeval forests. It is rich in the oil palm and oil-bearing groundnut,
but the climate is exceedingly dangerous to Europeans.
Attempts have been made to introduce cattle and horses. These have all
been unsuccessful, owing to that African scourge, the poisonous tsetse
fly.
As far back as 1849 all the Dutch possessions along this coast were
ceded to England, and by a treaty of 1871 all the Dutch possessions
became British property.
The principal British station is Cape Coast Castle. It is named from its
great church-like fort on the water's edge beside the filthy native
town, above which the European residences peep out from among the woods.
Elmina, "the mine," is situated about midway along the coast.
It was, doubtless, the earliest European settlement, and is to-day one
of the largest towns. It has a population of about ten thousand.
Just behind the Gold Coast lies the country of the Ashantees, a warlike
negro people. The greater part of the country consists of forest and
jungle.
The river Volta forms the western boundary of the Ashantee country. Next
to the Niger it is the most important river of this portion of the coast
line of Africa. Both of its banks, in the vicinity of the mouth, are
included in the Gold Coast colony. The Volta seems to be navigable for
about two hundred miles. No doubt, in the near future it will become an
important highway of trade.
East of the Volta is a small German territory named Togo. Farther up we
find Popo, a French settlement, and Whydah. The latter is the port of
the negro kingdom of Dahomey. This kingdom is noted for its cruel rites
and barbarous customs.
Farther on is the British town Lagos. This is the largest seaport of the
Yoruba country and of all this portion of West Africa. It is in direct
communication with Liverpool by steamers. These carry out cargoes of
palm oil and cotton, in an unfailing supply, to England.
The kingdoms of Ashantee, Dahomey, Yoruba, and others, occupy the
interior of the Guinea Coast country.
Ashantee is about two hundred and eighty miles long and about as many
broad. Although a mountainous region, it has no abrupt or precipitous
elevations. It is well watered, notwithstanding that it does not lie in
any of the basins of the great African rivers. Along the coast there
are the mouths of several large streams, and the various affluents of
these streams form a network over the country.
The Asinee River is a stream of some size. It is considered the boundary
line between the Gold and the Ivory coasts. For a considerable distance
from its mouth it forms the western boundary of Ashantee. The Volta,
which is the largest river, is estimated to be four hundred miles in
length. There are also several lakes in the country. These frequently
overflow during the rainy season.
The heat and unhealthiness of the Guinea Coast are well known. This is
partly due to the hot days succeeded by the chilly nights. The main
cause, however, is the sulphurous mist which rises from the valleys and
river sections in the mornings. This mist is particularly heavy during
the rainy season. The kingdom of Ashantee has one dry season and two wet
seasons.
The first rains occur near the end of May or the first of June. They are
heralded by violent tornadoes. The rains are followed by fogs and haze.
These are disagreeable enough at all times, but are particularly so in
July and August. The second rains occur in October. These are followed
by the hot, dry season, which lasts till April.
Elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, buffaloes, deer, antelopes, goats,
apes, monkeys, and baboons are among the least harmful animals; but
there are lions, tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, and wild boars of
the most ferocious nature. The rivers are found swarming with
hippopotamuses and alligators, while serpents, scorpions, and lizards
are found in great numbers.
The population of Ashantee proper has been estimated at one million. The
whole empire, if we include the territories under the rule of the native
king, is said to have a population of three millions.
The natives are well formed and in many respects do not show the
peculiarities of form and feature found in the negro race. They are
cleanly in their habits, and do not neglect their daily bath. After
bathing they anoint themselves with the oil from the butter tree. This
is a good cosmetic, and keeps the skin in fine condition in so hot and
trying a climate.
Among the better class the clothing consists of an immense cloak.
Sometimes it is made of the most costly silk. In time of warfare this
dress is changed for a close vest covered with metal ornaments and
scraps of Moorish writing. These are considered charms against danger.
Loose cotton drawers, and large boots made of a dull red leather,
complete the costume. The great chiefs wear gold breastplates; and as
many of the natives as are able wear a profusion of gold ornaments.
The king of Ashantee has over three thousand women laborers, whom he has
purchased from their parents for a small sum. During the working season
these women are scattered over his numerous plantations. When they are
at home, in the capital of the country, they live on two streets. Here
they remain in seclusion, seeing only the king and his female relatives.
So strict are the laws with regard to the seclusion of these women, who
are practically slaves, that to look upon one, even by accident, is to
be sentenced to death.
In every town well-stocked and well-regulated markets are held. These
supply the natives with the necessaries of life and with the various
European manufactures that are in demand. The poorer classes subsist
almost wholly upon fish. The common drink of the people is palm wine.
At all festivals and public meetings the most cruel acts and brutal
customs prevail. Should a chief die, many lives must be sacrificed in
his honor; and, on the death of the king, all his personal attendants
and many others, male and female, numbering often several thousands, are
sacrificed.
The chief employment of the Ashantee agriculturist is clearing the
ground from the rank, luxuriant growth which covers it. This he does by
means of fire. In this way he clears his ground and spreads it over with
a layer of rich fertilizer.
The only agricultural implement is the hoe. This is of the crudest
description; but it answers the purpose in a country whose productive
soil is flooded twice each year, yielding two crops of most kinds of
corn, and an abundance of yams and rice.
The natives lay out the plantations with a good deal of regularity. The
cultivated grounds are extensive, though not equal to the wants of the
people.
The Ashantees do not smelt ores like some of the African tribes, yet
they have blacksmiths and gold-smiths much superior to what we might
expect to find among them. There are also dyers, potters, tanners, and
carpenters.
The fineness of texture and the variety and brilliancy of coloring in
the native cloths would do credit to an English or an American
manufacturer. Several specimens of the handiwork of the Ashantees are to
be found in the British Museum.
Various insurrections and frequent wars have occurred, in some of which
the Ashantees have come into collision with the British nation. Finally,
a few years ago, war was formally declared; for the Ashantees paid no
regard to treaties formed with neighboring states under the protection
of the British flag, and resented bitterly any interference on the part
of Great Britain with the slave trade.
They not only insulted and robbed persons trading with the British
settlements, but even killed them, in their bitter hatred. At last they
took up arms against the British. A war followed, which terminated quite
recently, and resulted in the defeat and disbandment of the Ashantees,
and in the overthrow of the kingdom.
The capital, as well as the palace, was burned, and the king, in spite
of his cunning and duplicity, was finally forced to sue for peace.
A treaty was formed, the conditions of which were most important; human
sacrifices were to be abolished, the slave trade discontinued, and
honorable commerce protected. Well will it be for Ashantee land if these
conditions can be enforced; for the defeat of a native king in Africa
means, usually, political chaos and ruin.
Even at the present time many of the Ashantees have thrown off their
allegiance to the king; and the kingdom will, no doubt, resolve itself
into a number of petty chieftainships similar to those from which it was
formed.
The kingdom of Dahomey is the most celebrated of all the West African
countries.
The limits of the kingdom are somewhat uncertain; but the whole country
over which the king of Dahomey originally ruled cannot have been less
than four thousand square miles.
Formerly, the kingdom was engaged in the slave trade. Whydah, its
seaward outlet, was one of the ports where the slavers were loaded with
their human cargoes. Now it is an insignificant little town of ruined
factories.
The kingdom, since the abolishment of the slave trade, furnishes little
of value to commerce, with the exception of olive oil.
The people, and the king in particular, have long furnished the subjects
of the most marvelous of stories. Travelers have brought back accounts
of the curious serpent house at Whydah. Here are kept the sacred fetich
serpents.
The edifice is merely a round structure, with a conical thatched roof.
The hut, as we should call it, is from ten to twelve yards in diameter
and seven or eight in height. The walls consist of dried earth, similar
to those of the dwellings. Two openings, on opposite sides, furnish the
doorways through which these serpent divinities trail their hideous
forms, in their passage in and out the sacred temple.
Strings of cotton yarn hang from the roof. On the floor, which, like
the walls, is whitewashed, are several pots of water.
One traveler found as many as one hundred serpents within the sacred
house. Another found but twenty-two on his visit. They were harmless,
for their fangs had been removed.
The length of these reptiles varied from one to three meters. They had
spindle-shaped bodies, which terminated gradually in a tail one-third
the entire length of the body.
They had large heads, somewhat flattened and triangular, but shaped as
if the corners had been rounded off. Their necks were somewhat thinner
than their bodies.
Their color varied, ranging from a clear yellow to yellow green. Most of
them were marked with two brown lines down the back; a few were
irregularly spotted. Dr. Repin believed them to belong to the species of
non-poisonous reptiles classified as pythons and adders.
As he watched them, some ascended and descended the tree trunks placed
within the sacred house for them. Others suspended themselves by their
tails, balanced themselves above his head, and peered down at him with
their narrow eyes. Some were coiled up asleep under the rafters which
supported the roof, after a feast from the last offerings of the
faithful worshipers.
Strangely, weirdly fascinating as the sight was, and wholly devoid of
danger, yet he could but give a sigh of satisfaction as he stepped into
the open air.
Every one of these serpents is held sacred. If one of them, astray from
its home, is encountered by one of the superstitious negroes, it is
approached in a most reverential manner, often on the knees, and then
lifted carefully in the arms and carried back into the sacred house with
the most humble apologies from the worshiping savage for the liberty he
is taking in touching anything so sacred.
When, by accident, a European, unaware of its sacred character, has
killed one of these serpents, it has been only with the greatest
difficulty that his life has been saved from paying the forfeit for the
sacrilegious act; so great has been the wrath of the priests and their
fanatical people.
The serpent is thus reverenced because during a siege in war time it
appeared to the army, and so inspired the soldiers with courage and
ardor that a victory was won.
Abomey is the capital of Dahomey. It is situated seventy miles inland,
and stands upon a level plateau. It is a walled city. The walls are of
clay, and measure about eight miles in length. They are pierced by four
gates, according to some writers; by six, according to others. Each has
a double opening, one for the exclusive use of the king, the other for
his subjects.
The walls of the town are twenty feet in height. A ditch from four to
six feet deep is an added protection, in case an enemy should storm the
walls. This ditch is crossed by means of light bridges of wood, which
can easily be moved in case of danger.
The houses are widely separated, and in some instances are surrounded by
small farms. The streets are broad and tolerably clean, but by no means
crowded; many of them are shaded by magnificent trees.
Near the center of the city is a small edifice, with a round roof
sustained by a wooden colonnade. This is the building in which the human
sacrifices formerly took place.
Near this is the palace of the king, consisting of a number of ordinary
dwellings separated by courts and gardens, and serving as the lodgings
of the king's female soldiers and his domestic slaves.
These dwellings are made of clay dried in the sun, and roofed with
bamboos, which extend over the fronts and form verandas; only one of
them has a doorway which opens on the principal street. This is the
royal treasure house and is two stories high. Its walls are festooned
with strings of cowries, hanging from the eaves to the ground, an
ornamentation which is found nowhere else.
The king has no special apartment out of the many that comprise his
palace, but chooses any, from time to time, which suits his fancy.
Surrounding all these dwellings is a wall of clay. This is from fifteen
to twenty feet high, and pierced with several gates. Here and there at
intervals iron hooks project, and from these are suspended the heads of
decapitated subjects, some whitened and bleached by time, others ghastly
tokens of recent sacrifices in pagan worship.
In front of the doorways of the dwellings, piles of elephant bones may
be found heaped up. These are probably trophies of the chase, and yet
they seem to be held in superstitious fear by the natives.
The Dahomans are tall, well formed, and intelligent. For an African race
they are wonderfully honest, and are well advanced in a knowledge of
agriculture. They are almost all pagans, and practice the most
heathenish rites. The king is an absolute despot, having complete
control over the lives and the possessions of his people.
One of the cruel practices, formerly, was the tremendous sacrifice of
human lives during any of the religious ceremonies. One king caused
seven thousand followers to be killed at the death of his father.
A peculiar feature of the army was the corps of Amazons, or female
soldiers. They have been described as more effective than their male
comrades in time of war. The flower of the corps perished in a siege in
1867, and the soldiers were greatly reduced in numbers. The remaining
force since then has been divided into three brigades, each of which has
a distinguishing mode of dressing the hair.
Leaving the Dahomey kingdom, we reach the dead levels of the delta of
the Niger, which has twenty-two main channels, separated by swamps of
mangrove trees.
The navigation of the Niger is now carried on by a half dozen or more
light steamers. These ascend the current from the Atlantic to the
factories situated at the junction with the Binue, and even farther up
both streams. These steamers carry on an exchange of European goods for
ivory, palm oil, and butter from the olivelike seeds of the butter tree.
All these steamers need to be well armed, in case of an attack from
hostile natives.
Abo, at the head of the delta, is in the very heart of the oil section.
There are two or three important native towns farther up the river, and
at the mouth of the Binue is an important mission station. This is under
the management of a negro bishop. This mission station, Lukoja, is also
a great depot and trading station of the British Niger Company, which
has control over the government of the river.
Egga, a large Mohammedan town a day's journey by steamer above Lukoja,
is at present the limit of the European trade on the Niger.
Beyond the delta of the Niger we find the estuaries of the Old Calabar
and Cameroons rivers. These are famed as being the "oil rivers" of West
Africa, owing to the great supply of oil which is brought down their
currents from the interior.
At the coast all kinds of European goods are given in barter for the oil
in a crude form. This crude oil is then melted and stored in sheds,
ready for transportation.
The oil rivers, as far as Rio del Rey, are controlled by the British.
The Cameroons coast has been ceded to Germany.