On the Gold of the Coast of Guinea. 303 



self understood. Africa is so divided -^^^S^}''l'i^^^^^ 

 number that we presume it would not be ditficul to reckon 

 Ztth'an a thousilul different '-guages without .ncun^^^^^^^^^ 

 numerous dialects which are derived from them. It is taus hat 

 Tee arrive from the source of the river of Volta, the mouth of 

 ^hidi i::ituated in 5° 55' north latitude, P-P^^ ^ -"^.^jj^ 

 to tribe and from interpreter to interpreter, at lengtli tall m 

 with the gr^at island of Malfi, a kind of religious capital, which 

 placed in'thc midst of the river, is still upwards o 00 leagues 

 from the coa.t, and the inhabitants of which, almos all b okers, 

 and of course linguists, eud by accompanying them to the sea 



'^'mether it is in small grains or in dust, the gold of Guinea 

 is extrer.ielv pale in colour, although very pure; and it greatly 

 ese nbl t ir filings of yellow copper, u;ith which Negroes or 

 other cheats mix it'fraudiLntly. When a Negro plays this trek 

 if he is discovered (and this is easily done by '^'{l^--^^^,^^)'^^ ^ 

 instantly made a slave : a White man comes off a little better. 

 But uSe is still another fraud which a buyer must be upon h« 

 eiiard uainst: this is when the gold has not been thorougWy 

 £iea1 and as the sand mixed with it is quartzous, the mtnc 

 acid ha-s no effect on it : in this case it reqmres a keen eye a 

 cks or even the crucible if it be at hand. The gold-dust is 

 fhe onl part of this precious metal whicli the Blacks sell to he 

 Europeans. The lumps, of which there are some so large tla 

 the king of Assianti possesses one requiring four men to lift 

 it (the Negroes call these pieces "image gold,") are held 

 sacild, and when they do not exceed an ounce m weight are 

 bored to make necklaces and bracelets for the arms or legs 

 iCv know also how to work and melt them. Tne pnncipa 

 ima«e or grand deitv of Akra is a man's head of solid gold or 

 perhaps even a naturally formed mass which has assumed that 



^"^The Black merchant is always extremely skilful in this com- 

 merce : he knows the price of what he sells with the utmost 

 decision; and that there may be no fraud he weighs it himsejf 

 ^vith scales which he always carries with him. Formerly this 

 tlade was much more considerable than it is now:-we shall see 

 the reason presently. ^ . c 



The Neirocs have in common with Europeans tvvo ways ot 

 nrocuring gold, digging and washing. The Negroes of the coast 

 ale wa^heis only, ^5iile those who live among the mountains are 



essentially miners. r,- i „ „,« .,,. 



The mountains of Guinea, at least those which vye are ac- 

 quainted with, are in general granitic and schistous ; thin masses 

 of granite, as their summits prove, have formed by the lapse ot 



