4, TRAVELS IN THE 
pleasant voyage of thirty days, we anchored at Jillifree, a town 
on the northern bank of the river Gambia, opposite to James's 
Island, where the English had formerly a small fort. 
The kingdom of Barra, in which the town of Jillifree is si- 
tuated, produces great plenty of the necessaries of life ; but the 
chief trade of the inhabitants is in salt ; which commodity they 
carry up the river in canoes as high as Barraconda, and bring 
down in return Indian corn, cotton cloths, elephants' teeth, small 
quantities of gold dust, &c. The number of canoes and people 
constantly employed in this trade, make the King of Barra more 
formidable to Europeans than any other chieftain on the river ; 
and this circumstance probably encouraged him to establish 
those exorbitant duties, which traders of all nations are obliged 
to pay at entry, amounting to nearly £^o. on every vessel, great 
and small. These duties, or customs, are generally collected in 
person by the Alkaid, or Governor of Jillifree, and he is attended 
on these occasions by a numerous train of dependants, among 
whom are found many who, by their frequent intercourse with 
the English, have acquired a smattering of our language ; but 
they are commonly very noisy, and very troublesome ; begging 
for every thing they fancy with such earnestness and importu- 
nity, that traders, in order to get quit of them, are frequently 
obliged to grant their requests. 
On the 23d we departed from Jillifree, and proceeded to Vin- 
tain, a town situated about two miles up a creek on the southern 
side of the river. This place is much resorted to by Europeans, 
on account of the great quantities of bees-wax which are brought 
hither for sale : the wax is collected in the woods by the Feloops^ 
