j^02. IserCs travefs. iSi) 



little, becomes filled with frefli water, perfectly sweet and 

 excellent to drink. Our author profefses that he is much 

 astonlfhed at this phenomenon, as, by the most accurate 

 research he could make, he never could discover in these 

 sands any thing of an absorbent nature. Perhaps if he 

 had discovered such absorbents, the phenomenon -would 

 not have been accounted for. 



The Europeans live in such good intelligence with 

 these people, whose manners, he says, are mild, and dispo- 

 sitions gentle, that they have establifhed a custom of 

 contracting with the females there a kind of temporary 

 marriage, which lasts while the Europeans^ remain In that 

 country, and is un(ier the regulations of the law. Before 

 permifsion is given to contract this kind of -.narriage, the 

 man Is obliged to pay a certain sum, which goes to a fund 

 appropriated for the support of the children, called the 

 mulatto bank *. They likewise become bound to pay to the 

 use of the woman, a rlxdollar per month, as long as the 

 marriage lasts. The children that spring from these mar- 

 riages are all educated in the Christian religion, and at 

 eight or ten years of age, the boys are entered into the 

 pay of soldiers in the Danifti troops, at least if the father 

 does not take charge of them; the daughters, and In general 

 all the children whose fathers are absent, are brought 

 up at the f xpence of the bank till they are able to pro- 

 vide for themselves. 



While he was on that coast, Mr Isert had occasion to 

 make a visit to the chief of the ^cquqfins, a negro nation: 

 inhabiting the mountains, about thirty leagues from the 

 coast, which gave bim an opportunity of seeing a consi- 

 derable extent of tliat country. He was received with 

 the greatest marks of friendihip •, and, instead of finding 

 the people wicked and perfidious in the interior part of 



• For a negrs this must be equal to a month's pay, fo»a mubf.o wo- 

 ■m*B. it must be the dsubleof i-. 



