170 
eluding India, Burmak, China, and J apan ; and although I gave, as one 
of my authorities, the Encyclopcedia Britannica , because I thought it right 
to give an authority of recognised standing, still my turn of thought with 
reference to the ancient philosophers whom I have quoted was formed after 
a good deal of intercourse with the people who are followers of their several 
systems of philosophy, and from a good deal of study which I have gone 
through, for instance, in China and in India. With regard to the 
doctrines of Buddhism, I would commend to the notice of the gentleman 
who was kind enough to comment on my remarks a work by Bishop 
Bigandet, of Rangoon, — a work containing a good deal of what is very 
interesting ; and although I have not read Mr. Davis’s book, I attended 
all the lectures he delivered on the subject at the Royal Institution. 
With regard to the doctrines of creation which have been referred to, 
there is one circumstance which occurs to me that may be regarded 
as curious in its way. The idea which the Fantees on the African 
Gold Coast have of creation is somewhat peculiar. It so happened 
that I served among them, and I had, what I am about to tell you, 
from themselves. Their doctrine of the creation of man is this : — That 
when the Great Fetish created man, of course upon the Gold Coast, because 
their idea of the Gold Coast is that it is the most blessed part of the 
world, he made one division of mankind black and another white. The 
black men, of course, according to them, are the favourites of the Great 
Fetish, and were by him placed in that most delightful paradise, the Gold 
Coast of Africa — on the Coast of Guinea. Having made the two kinds of 
men, the Great Fetish presented before them two packets, the black man 
being allowed to select first, he selected a packet containing so much gold that 
the fact accounts for the name given to the coast. Nothing was left for the 
white man but what the black man chose to leave, and that was a box 
containing a book which taught the white man everything. It is a long 
time since I was on that coast, but the circumstance comes to my mind 
through an allusion made by one of the speakers, and I thought it might 
be of interest. In the same way, with regard to the quotation I have 
given at the close of section 18, in which the longevity of the parrot is 
compared with that of the dog ; the speaker who commented on this 
will find at the foot of the page an allusion to a well-known periodical, 
and he will also see that I state in my opening remarks my desire to 
avoid giving the names of individuals. If, however, he refers to the 
copy of the Lancet quoted, he will see that the quotation is from a very 
eminent London physician, and the object is not so much to give particulars 
as to the longevity of all kinds of animals, as to illustrate the manner in 
which the changes that take place in all organic beings are in accordance 
with nature, just in the same way as the fall of the sere and yellow leaf. 
The meeting was then adjourned. 
