594 Adams's Account of the Country extending from 



on first reaching Uie ?reat desert from out of a miukly soil; much of whicli 

 the nortli, is doubtless violent ; and, in is covered with water, some inches 

 the heated air from its sur- 



displacin 



face, creates those whirlwinds which 

 raise into tlje atmosphere the fine im- 

 palpable powder which occasions the 

 iiazinoss before i:o(iced. The extreme 

 aridity of the desert deprives it also of 

 every particle of moisture ; therefore, 

 the greediness observable in it after- 

 wards, in absorbing the juices of plants, 

 and the moisture from all bodies with 

 which it comes in contact, may be ac- 

 counted for. The reduction observable 

 in the temperature of the atmosphere, 

 the thermometer genetally falling from 

 five to ten degrees of Fahrenheit, is 

 caused, I presume, by the rapid eva- 

 poration going on at this period, and 

 the rays of the sun being obstructed in 

 their passage to the earth, by the slate 

 of the atmosphere; for the sun at noon- 

 day may be looked at with the naked 

 eye, and is seen but dimly, as throush 

 a smoked glass. 



GEOLOGICAL OnSERVATIONS. 



The shore from Cajjc Pal mas to the 

 high land of Drcwin is rocky, although 

 the country to the east and west of 

 Drcwin is but little elevated above tiie 

 sea. The liills of Drewin are of mode- 

 rate height, rise abruptly from the sca- 

 sliore, and appear unconnected willi any 

 chain of hills in the interior; for the 

 face of the country from hence to Cape 

 Appolonia, as far as the eye can reach 

 from the mast-head of a vessel, is ex- 

 tremely low. The rocks of Bereby, St, 

 Andrew, and Drcwin, are composed of 

 sand-stone, having quartz pebbles mixed 

 up in it. The low country is compassed 

 of red loam, vegetable niould, and sand. 

 From the river Volta, to within 

 twenty or thirty mile« of the river 

 Formosa, the country is level ; and 

 report slates such to be the case three 

 or four hundred miles into the interior ; 

 it is so low, that on approaching it from 

 tl»e sea, the trees are first visible. 'I'he 

 substratum is generally stiff red clay, 

 covered with vegetable mould and sand, 

 in which a stone the size of a walnut is 

 not to be met with. 



From a point about eight leagues 

 to the westward of the river Formosa, 

 commences that large alluvial tract of 

 land which extends to the southward 

 of Cape Formosa, and from thence to 

 the eastward to the river Del Key 

 abous two hundred miles, and from the 

 sea board into the interior of the 

 country, sixty or seventy. It is cover- 

 ed with an impenetrable forest, growing 



covered with water, 

 deep. 



A few leagues to the southward of 

 Del Rey, there are some moderately 

 high hills, called the higii land of 

 Camaroons, the altitudes of which have 

 been much magnified by some travel- 

 lers, who were probably deceived, in 

 conscciuenrc of the surrounding country 

 being a few feet only above the level 

 of the sea. 



THE LAGOS. 



Lagos river is only about five or 

 six hundred yards wide at its entrance, 

 allhougli it has been dignified as one 

 of the emboiicliurcs of llic Niger. In 

 my opinion, it merely enijities into the 

 sea the overflowings of two lakes, 

 those of Cradoo and Ardrah ; anil at 

 no very remote period probably, the 

 sea-shore was continuous across where 

 its mouth now is, and formed a narrow 

 neck of land, which separated those 

 lakes from the ocean; but which boun- 

 dary the heavy periodical rains and sea 

 demolished, by which means their 

 waters found a quicker junction with 

 the sea than by the Formosa. In con- 

 firmation of which the bar is formed 

 of hard sand, commences close to its 

 month, and extends only three or four 

 hundred yards to seaward ; and is so 

 shallow, that it is dangerous for boats 

 drawing more than six or seven feet 

 water to pass it. 



LANGUAGE. 



The tower of Babel migiil have been 

 built on the western shores of Africa 

 five degrees nortli of tlie equator, and 

 its inhabitants dispersed to the nortli, 

 east, and west, for almost every tribe 

 (and they are innumerable) has a dis- 

 tinct language unintelligible to the 

 others ; and as they have not among 

 them any written character, the difTer- 

 ent languages spoken can only be 

 learned in those countries where they 

 are used. The enunciation of all that 

 I have heard spoken, is soft and har- 

 monious, and the words composing 

 them abound in vowels, and generally 

 terminate in them. 'I'heir compound 

 words seldom exceed four syllables, 

 and frequently entire sentences not 

 more. Their language is, of course, 

 adapted to their habits and wants; 

 and, as these are extremely few and 

 simjde, and nearly similar in all, the 

 construction of the diflerent languages 

 is the same. 



RELIGION. 



The evil spirit, coulrary to the pre- 

 vailing 



