6 MEMOIR OF THE LIFE 
charming character. I rushed eagerly into these woods; and 
much regret that the short time of our stay did not permit 
me to do more ; for we were obliged to proceed. The object 
of the colony here is to teach the Africans active habits and 
to christianize them: there are, I think, above 40,000 in the 
colony, and many of their villages are built close to the 
town ; so that, for miles, there is no cultivation. Since we 
left St. Vincent, the temperature has been nearly the same. 
The thermometer there was generally 81° Fahr. in my cabin: 
here it is about 849, and sometimes in the middle of the day 
reaches 86°. This heat is not greater than with us in 
summer; but the slighter refrigeration of the atmosphere 
by night, and the power of the sun, make it seem often more 
intense than it is. An awning is spread over the deck, 
under which, when there is a breeze, it is always cool. I 
am very comfortable on board, except when my collections 
are lying about. When I return laden with plants, I have 
no where to prepare them; and when they are dry, the 
damp insinuates itself to such a degree, that I am compelled 
to redry them. This is very troublesome; and on. board a 
ship, especially a man of war, there is no especial place for 
preparing or preserving plants. I am quite a nuisance to 
my messmates when I unpack; and so is the servant 
who announces breakfast, lunch, &c.; for the table must be 
Cleared, and I must be off. Then I try to work on deck ; but 
there the wind and rain attack me 3 so that I have to contend 
with all the elements. I am here quite amongst the negroes, 
for there are few white persons in the town; and during my 
excursions I frequently do not see one during the whole 
day. I cannot, however, say that this seems altogether 
Strange to me: 
1 on our voyage outward, we had many 
black sailors in o 
t o ur ship; and their number has gradually. 
increased in the course of our progress,” 
From Cape-Coast Castle roads, where the ships belonging 
to the expedition arrived on the 24th of July, Vogel writes 
as follows: < Our Passage from Sierra Leone hither has 
been rather tedious. We set out from that port with but 
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