104 GEOGRAPHY. 



5. Habesch, or Abyssinia. 



This country lies to the south-east of Nubia, and is inhabited by 

 Abyssinians, Schangallas, Gallas, Schihos, Danakils, &c. The prevailing 

 religion is Coptic Christianity, though of a very degenerate character. The 

 whole land formerly constituted a single state, governed by a Negus : at 

 present it is divided into several single states, which exhibit a merely 

 nominal recognition of the Negus as head. The largest of these states are : 



I. Tigre, ruled by the Ubie who resides in Antalo. 2. Amhara or Gondar 

 in the west, under the Negus or Ras Ali, cap. Gondar. 3. Schoa, with Efat 

 in the south, under the Sehla Selasse, who resides in Angololla. Chief 

 town, Ancobar. Eastward of Schoa lies the land of Hurrur, with the cap. 

 of same name. 



6. The West Coast. . 



This entire coast, from the Sahara to Cape Negro, is inhabited by 

 Negroes, divided into innumerable tribes. It is divisible into three great 

 sections : Senegambia, Upper Guinea, and Lower Guinea. 



a. Senegambia : from 16° N. to 10° S. lat., deriving its name from the 

 two rivers Senegal and Gambia, is divided into a vast number of small 

 negro states. The most numerous tribes are the Fulahs, the Mandingos, the 

 Dschaloffs and Felups, the Biafars, &c. The following European nations 

 have settlements on this coast : 1. The French : Islands of St. Louis 

 Goree, &c. 2. The English (under the government of Sierra Leone) 

 St. James's Island, St. Mary, Macarthy, Bulama. 3. The Portuguese 

 St. Cacheo or Cacheu, Farim, Geba, Island of Bissao. 



h. Upper or North Guinea is divided from east to west into the following 

 districts : 1. District of Sierra Leone. 2. Coast of Malaghetta or grain 

 coast ; to this belongs the Republic of Liberia (colony of emancipated 

 negroes from the United States), cap. Monrovia, as also the Kroo, Sanguin, 

 and other lands. 3. Ivory Coast. 4. Gold Coast, the best known part of 

 Guinea, with the most powerful negro nation of this region, the Ashantees, 

 amounting to from one to two millions of souls. Their chief town is Kumassi. 

 5. Slave Coast, with Dahomey, chief town Abomey. 6. Coast of Benin, 

 a peninsula, with the important negro kingdom of Benin. 



The European settlements of North Guinea are : 1. English. : the 

 government of Sierra Leone, to which all slaves captured in slavers by the 

 English are taken, cap. Freetown ; on the Gold Coast, the forts, Apollonia, 

 Dixcove, Commenda, Cape Coast Castle, Annamabu, Winnebah, and 

 Prambran (indicated on our map, Plate 29, by the numbers 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 



II, in order); James's Castle, with the negro town Akkra (No. 10). 2. 

 French : the factories Grand Bassan on the Ivory Coast, and Assinie on the 

 Gold Coast. 3. Netherlands : forts Antonius, Elmina or St. George de la 

 Mina, Tantam (given on the map by the numbers, 2, 5, 8), Holland! a, 

 Crevecceur, near Akkra, Sebastian, St. lago, &c., all on the Gold Coast. 



104 



