Cape 



this luctnl \%'cic prornicd. 'i'lic soil, 

 from which I saw it obtniiiod, was sili- 

 ceous, and \eiy simibi to thut in vvhicli 

 inin is cast, in Eiigland. 

 ouiivvHr.. 



Grewlie, which may be railed llic sra- 

 port of tiie kingdom of Dahoiiiy, is in 

 iatitiide G° 17' north, and l(ni;iitndc 

 y° 6' cast of Greenwich. It is a |)()|ni- 

 lous town, and contains probably six 

 or seven thousand inhabitants. 



The country surronndiii<; (.'rcwlie is 

 fertile, open, and level, exbibitinj;- lar<;o 

 .savannahs covered wi(h hij^h grass, 

 nlthoD^h in some parts lliickly wooded 

 with fine grown trees. To the iioilh of 

 the town are some well cnliivated lands 

 producing pease, calavancies, maize, 

 and yams, over wiiich passes the road 

 leading tlirougli the towns of Xavier 

 and Tory to Abomey, the king's usual 

 residence. 



The monarch of Daliomy is a most 

 rapacious fellow, and treats even Euro- 

 peans with but little courtesy; for he 

 ti'cqiiently, under some frivolous pre- 

 text, embarrasses them in their trade in 

 order to extort presents iVom them, and 

 sometimes prevents captains from visit- 

 ing their vessels without first obtaining 

 his special permission. 



Of his rapacity the following is an 

 instance: — The boat employed in wa- 

 tering the siiip whieli I command- 

 ed, having seven men in her, broke 

 adrift one night from her moorings whilst 

 they were all asleep, and it was not un- 

 til the bout was in the l)rcakers that the 

 crew awoke, and became s(iisil)le of 

 their perilous situation, 'i'o retreat was 

 impracticable, for the boat was soon 

 filled with water, and driltcd tlirongh the 

 breakers upon the shore, where the 

 crew also landed in perfect safety, some 

 by swimming, others by jiohering to the 

 boat, oars, tec. At day-break, they 

 were surromided by a iinmbcM' of natives, 

 who, after s])ctiding a few minutes in 

 consultation, told them, (lny must bo 

 taken to the king at Abomey, a distance 

 of UO mill's, althougii they were only 4 

 or 6 miles from (jrewhe, where I then 

 resided. '1 hey remonstrated against 

 Ibis proceeding, but rirnonslrancc was 

 in vain, and one of them, who to escape 

 80 disagreeable a journey allected lainc- 

 nesR, and said, " that he could not walk," 

 had his hamls an<l feet tied together, and 

 a pole introduced between them, and in 

 tliis way, they wer(! going to carry him 

 to Abomey, when, to avoid so painful 

 an allcrnativc, he found Iho use of his 

 limbs, aud nmrclicd along with iiis un- 



Palinas to the River Congo. 583 



fortunate companions. These poor fel- 

 lows reached Abomey the fourth day ; 

 and a negociation was commenced by 

 me with l!ie Evougah for their redemp- 

 tion, as soon as he received the king'.s 

 orders respecting them. His first de- 

 niand was the price of a prime slave 

 (equal to ,£'14 sterling) for each indivi- 

 dual, but the demand was afterwards 

 lowered to £G, vvliieli I paid, when the 

 captives, al'ter a fortnight's slay at the 

 metropolis of Dahomy, were permitted 

 to return to Greu he, and join thr ir ship, 

 where, soon afterwards, they were alt. 

 attacked with fever, and four of them 

 died. 



WHITE ANTS. 



The ant is here an extremely destruc- 

 tive insect, and, from their size, number, 

 and voracity, commit depredations, that 

 are scarcely to be credited, 'i'lie bug- 

 a-bug (the native name for the tcriiies, 

 or white ant) is an insidious and de- 

 structive enemy; he is the pioneer ant, 

 who works under a covered way, and 

 often destroys chests, and their contents, 

 before any mischief is apprehended. 

 The larger ants have been known to 

 strip bare to the bone the carcase of acow 

 in a single night. And Mr. Abson in- 

 formed me, that he was once reduced 

 to that state of debility by a severe 

 attack of fever, ns to be so-wlioUy help- 

 less, that the ants attacked him in the 

 night, when lying in his bed ; and that 

 if, fortunately, one of his domestics had 

 not awoke, they would have devoured 

 him before morning ; so incapable was 

 he of calling for help, or struggling with 

 his assailants. 



WILD BEASTS. 



The leopard is sometimes a trouble- 

 some visitor to the town, destroying 

 sheep, goats, and young cattle, as is 

 also the hja;na. Those animals are 

 very numerous, and haunt most African 

 towns during the night: their noiso is 

 frightful. Many strange and fabnloua 

 anecdotes are related by i.\n: natives 

 respecting them ; such as, that they 

 imitate the cries of most animals, so as 

 to entiap them, and that they have been 

 oliserved to walk upright, so as to re- 

 semble the human species. The natives 

 of Crewhe sometimes catch them, by 

 .setting traps, similar to the rat-traps 

 with falling doors. The sides of the 

 traj) arc built like a house having a 

 Ihatehed roof, the door is placed atone 

 end, which is set open; when ihe liy;en:i 

 enters and takes the bait (which is ge- 

 nerally a piece of carrion) that i.s so 

 placed as to comniunicatc with llic door 



by 



