618 MEMOIR OF THE LIFE 



" Of the Island of Fernando Po itself I can say little ; I 

 have not yet been in a condition to look round me. Yet it 

 seems rich in plants, and I hope especially that the examina- 

 tion of the mountains may prove productive ; for they are 

 mainly covered with thick woods, and the highest point is 

 above 10,000 feet high. The accommodations are but limited 

 and poor. All the houses are merely made of boards, 

 knocked together, and are raised on strong posts, which are 

 obliged to be frequently renewed to keep off the vermin, and 

 to facilitate the current of air. They are constructed, princi- 

 pally, with a view to airiness ; the windows, that is the 

 shutters, do not close ; the roof is seldom water-tight, and in 

 the walls and floor are great holes, so that during a heavy rain, 

 such as prevailed yesterday, our chamber is almost flooded, 

 and it is merely the holes in the floor which, allowing the 

 water to escape, give some relief. The German Mineralo- 

 gist, belonging to the Expedition, who is somewhat more 

 advanced than myself towards recovery, will remain here, 

 and we have clubbed together for our housekeeping; but 

 even this is expensive. Anything in the shape of a kitchen is 

 out of the question. To the open space under the house, which 

 is beaten hard like a barn-floor, the cook brings every day 

 his iron grate, and prepares, with a monstrous consumption 

 of wood, in four or five iron pots, every thing that can be 

 procured for food. There is, however, no great choice. We 

 have fowls, and beef when ships come, but only then, and 

 occasionally fish. Yams never fail, and they are excellent, 

 so that I prefer them by far to our potatoes. What a pity 

 that there is no possibility of introducing this plant at 

 home ! We can have them every day ; indeed the poorer 

 people live almost entirely upon yams. Add to this, rice, 

 which however is not cultivated here; and it is almost all 

 that the country can afford to set a poor invalid on his legs 

 again ; and it is little enough ! If any thing else be wanted, 

 it must be procured from Europe. For our domestic affairs, 

 we are obliged to have two servants, of whom one is cook. 



