ARTS, MANUFACTURES, &c. 
311 
of it, as it bore no flower in that season; it grows abundantly in 
the woods, and produces a fast and beautiful colour without requir- 
ing a mordant. They gather a quantity of the leaves, bruise them 
in a wooden mortar, and spread them out on a mat to dry, this 
mass is kept for use, a proportion of it is put into a pot of water 
and remains six days previous to immersing the thread, which is 
left in six days, drying it once every day in the sun, it is then a 
deep lasting blue colour. When a light blue is wished for, the 
thread is only allowed to remain in the dye pot three days. 
They excel in pottery, as the pipes for the Museum will shew ; 
they are rested on the ground when smoked ; the clay is very fine, 
polished (after baking) by friction, and the grooves of the patterns 
filled up with chalk. They have also a black pottery which admits 
of a high polish. 
The people of Dagwumba surpass the Ashantees in goldsmith's 
work, though the latter may be esteemed proficients in the art. 
The small articles for the Museum, a gold stool, sanko, bell, jaw 
bone, and drum, are not such neat specimens as I could wish ; the 
man who made them having too much costly work on hand for the 
King, to pay our trifles his wonted attention ; unfortunately too, 
he was committed to prison before they w^ere quite finished ; how- 
ever, they will give an idea. I weighed out nineteen ackies and a 
half of gold dust for making these articles, one third of an ackie 
was lost in melting, and five was the charge of the goldsmith. We 
lost a beautiful silver pipe in the bustle. Bees wax for making the 
model of the article wanted, is spun out on a smooth block of 
wood, by the side of a fire, on which stands a pot of water ; a flat 
stick is dipped into this, with which the wax is made of a proper 
softness ; it takes about a quarter of an hour to make enough for a 
ring. When the model is finished, it is enclosed in a composition 
of wet clay and charcoal, (which being closely pressed around it 
