190 
INDIGO. 
with colouring matter, they draw it into another 
cistern, where it is well stirred with sticks ; after 
which they suffer the water to run gently off, and 
the feculum that remains is spread on cloths and 
exposed to the sun. When it has remained long 
enough to acquire some consistence, it is formed 
into balls and tablets, and dried on the sand. 
Different species of indigo plants grow sponta- 
neously on the coast of Guinea. According to 
Wadstrom, they are more cultivated in that part of 
the world than even rice or millet. Several dyers, 
who have tried the African indigo, are of opinion 
that it is better than what comes from either the 
East Indies or Carolina. It is doubtful, however, 
if this is the case, at least with respect to the In- 
dian, since the African negroes, notwithstanding 
the congenial nature of their climate, are not so ex- 
pert at the manufactory of this substance as those of 
our islands. In Dahomy, a country situated in the 
interior of Guinea, and where the indigo plant is 
extremely common, the natives never trouble them- 
selves to extract its colouring dye. 
In Senegal the negroes make the indigo from a 
plant which they call gangue. They strip the 
leaves from the upper branches, and, pounding them 
into a fine paste, form them into rolls and dry 
them in the shade. In Madagascar the islanders 
prepare their indigo in the same manner. To make 
the dye, they bruise some of the rolls and put the 
powder into an earthen pot with water, where it is 
