66 VOYAGE TO SENEGAL. 
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CHAP. vni. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLP: OF BULAM. ITS ADVANTAGES 
AND PRODUCTIONS. ORIGIN AND FAILURE OF THE 
ENGLISH ESTABLISHMENT. — HIVERS WHICH FORM THE 
ARCHIPELAGOS OF THE BISSAGOS, WITH SOME PAR- 
TICULARS OF THE PEOPLE WHO RESIDE ON THEIR 
BANKS. PARTICULARS OF THE KINGDOM OF CABO, 
AND ITS SOVEREIGN. COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES OF 
THE VILLAGE OF GESVES^ AND THE KINGDOM OF GUE- 
NALA. 
1 HE isle of Biilam is situated in 11^ 18' 6" lat. and 17° 19' 
long. It was discovered by the French, who frequented it for 
a long time, and examined it in every direction, without forming 
any establishment upon it, though they always intended the con- 
trary. Some of the plans, however, were badly conceived^ 
i)aviiig originated with men who possessed no knowledge of the 
country; while others indicated objects of the greatest advan- 
tage : amongst the latter were those of M. Brue at the beginning 
of the last century; of the Abbe Desmance, towards the mid- 
die; and of Barber, an Englishman, who resided at Havre, in 
l7S7. All these schemes^ however, came to nothing, and are 
now forgotten. 
The island of Biilam is eight or nine leagues long from east 
to west, about five leagues in breadth from north to south; and 
between twenty-five and thiîty in circumference : it is only sepa- 
rated from the main land by a channel, which forms the harbour 
at the cast end. It is contiguous to many navigable rivers, which 
;asc€nd to a vast distance in the continent and offer the greatest 
commercial advantages. The climate is better than that of most 
of the West India Islands, and is only unhealthy where the rough 
state of nature is predominant: by cultivation and industry it 
might be rendt-red very salubrious, 
'I'he shore, which affords an easyîandhîg, is bordered with large 
and fine trees; the soil rises insensibly during the space of two 
leagues from the sea to a few hills, serving as the bases of 
mine considerable mormtains^ which are in the centre of the 
ssland, 't hese mountains are neither steep nor barren; they are 
