arer. Women of quality have likewiseia number of 
¢ keys suspended by a ring to the front of the girdle. 
le women wear bracelets and necklaces of gold 
beads, and frequently oval brass rings on their an- 
es. Both sexes are remarkably attentive to the deco- 
ration of their heads, and cut the hair with great nicety 
and taste. Some of the men allow the hair to grow on 
the chin, and oecasionally wear whiskers and musta- 
ches. The old men shave the whole of the head, leav- 
ing only one or two locks behind, to which they com- 
~)» monly lati a piece of gold suspended. - The Fantees 
are distinguished from the other natives by small scari- 
_ - fications on the upper part of the cheek bones, and on 
.the back of the neck. Both the men and women amon, 
this tribe are remarkably cleanly, and generally was 
‘their-whole bodies twice a day. The Fetish ‘men, es- 
pecially in Acra, are habited in white, a colour which 
is held in great veneration in all parts‘of the country, 
as emblematic of purity and perfection. The principal 
article of food in the Fantee country is bread, which is 
aunleavened, and made of maize or Indian corn, In all 
their dishes, pepper is a necessary ingredient. Their 
chief mess consists of fish or poultry made into soup, 
‘with fresh palm oil, pepper, salt, and eschallots ; and 
_ with this high-seasoned dish they eat bread, or yams and 
ins made into a pudding: The men and women 
generally eat ‘separately ; and seat themselves in small 
ies round a bowl of soup, into which they. alter- 
nately dip some bread or pudding. They: do not drink 
during their meals; but, after finishing the ‘repast, 
sometimes indulge freely inthe use of palm’ wine or 
“spirits. The houses are commonly made of bamboo, 
‘and plaistered with a strong loamy clay, with which 
also the floors are laid. The towns and villages are 
_ generally surrounded by a'strong fence of bamboo cane, 
‘as a protection against wild beasts. 
_ Arts and manufactures are in a very low state among 
‘the natives. They make canoes, baskets, mats, bills, 
_ hoes, fishing nets, hooks, lines, &c. and some of them 
work as masons and carpenters. “The women, who are 
literally the slaves of the men, perform’ most of the la- 
" _ borious offices, such as grinding corn, procuring food 
-.and water, every thing in. short except fishing and 
_ «planting. In the Ahantah country particularly, the 
le are much inclined to agriculture, which is in a 
-very rude and defective state; but, in many of the ma- 
‘ritime villages, besides acting as fishermen, they used to 
procure their subsistence, in a great measure, by hirin 
themselves as canoe men to the slave ships bound to 
‘the leeward coast. ‘Theircanoes are of various sizes, 
some of the larger have a.platform in the bottom, with 
an awning erected over the fore part of the deck, for 
the shelter of the passengers. ‘These canoes are made of 
the trunks of the silk cotton tree, shaped and hollowed 
by a very simple iron instrument like a large chisel, 
answering either as axe or adze, according to the form 
of its handle; . The wood of these trees, especially when 
, is soft, and easily worked ; when dry, almost as 
-as cork; and sometimes large enough to make a 
¢anoe paddled by twenty men, and carrying four pun- 
_ cheons of liquor. ‘Those who are acquainted with the 
management of these canoes, conduct them through the 
high surf on the coast ‘with great dexterity. On com- 
ing ashore, they watch the sea when on the point of 
breaking, and betake themselves to steering, by keep- 
ing the flat part of the paddle parallel to the canoe, and 
Giving it a quick motion, moving it nearly at right an- 
VOL. X. PART II. 
GUINEA. 
requiring from 3 to 21 oars, or rather paddles ; and - 
558 
gles with the canoe; and, when it is on the summit of Guinea. 
the wave which is ready to break, this quick motion is "Vv" 
discontinued, the paddle kept firmly in a parallel posi- 
tion, and the canoe, steadily balanced and directed in a 
straight course, flies on shore with amazing velocity. 
In travelling by land, Europeans make use of a large 1, ‘ 
r roe ravelling. 
cotton hammock, which is shing from a bamboo ple 
about nine feet long, and covered by a cloth in such a 
manner, that the person carried in it may either sit up 
or lie down. Fora distance of 25 or 30 miles, this con- 
veyance requires six or eight bearers, two of whom 
carry it by turns; and, if well supplied with rum, will 
travel at the rate of five miles an Monies When a party 
of Europeans travelling in this way arrive at a town or 
village, they are met by the men in their war dresses, 
jumping and firing their muskets heavily loaded with 
powder almost in the faces of the visitors; a ceremony 
which is not without hazard, from the occasional burst- 
ing of the pieces; and which it is necessary neverthe- 
less to requite by a present of liquor and gunpowder. 
The recreations of the younger part of the’people con- Amuse- 
sist chiefly in dancing and singing; and they are in ™erts 
most places fond of music. Their instruments consist - 
of drums of various forms and sizes ; horns made of the 
tusks of young. elephants, and sounding like a bugle ; 
and flutes made of a Jarge reed, about four feet in 
length, open at both ends, and producing a soft and 
plaintive note. 
Polygamy prevails in every part of the. coast, and Marriages. 
every man may have as“many wives as he can main- 
tain; but)the first wife has the sole management of 
the domestic affairs within the house, besides acting 
asia watch over the fidelity of the rest. Mothers have 
the entire disposal of their daughters in marriage, and 
their consent must be procured by presents. After 
the payment of a certain sum, which is regulated by 
custom, the young woman is dressed according to her 
rank with rich cloths, valuable beads and ornaments of 
gods and conducted by the female relatives to the 
ouse of her husband, where she is formally received 
by his relations and friends. On the following day she 
receives visits, and must continue to appear in her wed- 
ding dress for a week. 
The Fantees, and most of the other tribes, bury their Funerals. 
dead within their houses; and they are very reluctant to 
leave the spot where their relatives aré interred. If any 
one die in a state of insolvency, his body does not receive 
the rites of burial till his debts are discharged ; and 
the corpses of persons guilty of suicide are burned, 
unless a considerable sum be paid to the elders for 
permission to commit them to the earth. In Apol- 
lonia funerals are in general solemnized by a mix- 
ture of condoling and carousing; and every friend of 
the deceased contributes something expressive of re- 
gard for his memory. Cloth, spirits, and gunpowder, 
are lavished. on these occasions ; and, till the body be 
deposited in the ground, there is a continual succession 
of dances, songs, volleys of guns, and lamentable ex- 
clamations. These customary revellings, however, are 
performed by persons hired for the purpose, and, after 
the interment, the habitation of the deceased exhibits 
sufficient tokens of real affliction. The dead body is 
exposed for several days to public view, decorated with 
ornaments and valuable articles; and, when buried, 
gold, rich cloths, and other things of value, are put in- 
to the grave. At the funeral of any person of eminence, 
some of ‘his slaves, generally the old and infirm, are 
offered in sacrifice. “ In the year 1800,” seys Mr Me- 
Sa° 
