M A N D I N G. 
Iflftly, the tabula, a large drum, commonly ufed to fpread 
an alarm through the country. Befides thefe they make 
ufe of finall flutes, bowftrings, elephant’s teeth, and bells ; 
and at all their dances and concerts dapping of hands ap¬ 
pears to conftitute a neceflary part of the chorus. With 
the love of mafic is naturally connected a talte for poetry ; 
and, fortunately for the poets of Africa, they are in a 
great meafure exempted from that neglett and indigence 
which in more poliflied countries commonly attend the 
votaries of the Mufes. They confilt of two clafles; the 
snoft numerous are the finging men, called jilli kea. One 
or more of thefe may be found in every town. They fing 
extempore fongs, in honour of their chief men, or any 
other perfons who are willing to give “ folid pudding for 
empty praife.” But a nobler part of their office is to re¬ 
cite the hiftorical events of their country; hence in war, 
they accompany the i'oldiers to the field, in order, by re¬ 
citing the great actions of their anceftors, to awaken in 
them a fpirit of glorious emulation. The other clafs are 
devotees of the Mahometan faith, who travel about the 
-country, finging devout hymns, and performing religious 
ceremonies, to conciliate the favour of the Almighty; 
either in averting calamity, or injuring fuccefs to any en- 
terprife. Both defcriptions of thel'e itinerant bards are 
much employed and refpefted by the people, and very li¬ 
beral contributions are made for them. 
“ The ufual diet of the negroes is fomew.hat different 
in different diltrifts ; in general, the -people of free condi¬ 
tion breakfafl about daybreak, upon gruel made of meal 
and water, with a little of the fruit of the tamarind to 
give it an acid talte. About two o’clock in the afternoon, 
a fort of lialty pudding, with a little (hea-butter, is the 
common meal ; but the fupper conltitutes the principal 
repaft, and is feldom ready before midnight. This con- 
fifts almoft univerfally of koujkous , with a fmall portion 
of animal food, or fhea-butter, mixed with it. The be¬ 
verage of the Pagan negroes is beer and mead ; of each of 
■which they frequently drink to excels ; the Mahometan 
converts drink nothing but water. The natives of all de- 
fcriptions take fnuff and ('make tobacco; their pipes are 
made of wood, with an earthern bowl of curious work- 
manfhip. But in the interior countries, the greateff of all 
luxuries is (alt. It would appear Itrange to an European, 
to fee a child fuck a piece of rock-falt, as if it were fugar. 
This, however, I have frequently ieen ; although, in the 
inland parts, the poorer cials of inhabitants are lb very 
rarely indulged with this precious article, that to fay a man 
eats fait with his viEluals, is the fame as laying, he is a rich man. 
“ The Negroes in general, and the Mandingoes in par¬ 
ticular, are confidered by the whites on the coalt as an in¬ 
dolent and inactive people; I think without realon. The 
nature of the climate is, indeed, unfavourable to great 
exertion; but l'urely a people cannot jultly be denomi¬ 
nated habitually indolent, wbafe wants are 1'upplied, not 
by the fpontaneous productions of nature, but by their 
own exertions. Few people work harder, when occafion 
requires, than the Mandingoes; but, not having many op¬ 
portunities of turning to advantage the fnperfiuous pro¬ 
duce of their labour, they are content with cultivating as 
much ground only as is neceflary for their own 1'upport. 
The labours of the fieldgive them pretty full employment 
.during the rains.; and, in the dry leafon, the people who 
live in the vicinity of large rivers, employ themfelves 
chiefly in fifiling. The filh are taken in wicker balkets, 
or with fmall cotton nets; and are preferved by being 
firft dried in the fun, and afterwards rubbed with (hea- 
butter, to prevent them from contrailing frefli moilture. 
Others of the natives employ themfelves in hunting. 
Their weapons are bows and arrows; but the arrows in 
common ufe are not poifoned. Poifoned arrows are ufed 
chiefly in war. The poilbn, which is faid to be very 
deadly, is prepared from a Ihrub called koona (a fpecies of 
Echites), which is very common in the woods. The 
.leaves of this Ihrub, when boiled with a fmall quantity of 
water, yield a thick black juice, into which the negroes 
271 
dip a cotton thread ; this thread they fallen round the 
iron of the arrow, in fuch a manner that it is almoft im- 
poflible to extraCt the arrow, when it has funk beyond the 
barbs, without leaving the iron point, and the poifoned 
thread, in the wound. They are very dexterous markf- 
men, and will hit a lizard on a tree, or any other fmall 
objedt, at an amazing diltance. They likewife kill Guinea 
fowls, partridges, and pigeons, but never on the wing. 
While the men are occupied in thefe purfuits, the women 
are very diligent in manufacturing cotton-cloth. They 
prepare the cotton for fpinning, by laying it, in fmall 
quantities at a time, upon a fmooth (tone, or piece of wood, 
and rolling the feeds out with a thick iron fpindle, and 
they fpin it with the diftaff. The thread is not fine, but 
well twilled, and makes a very durable cloth. A woman 
with common diligence will fpin from fix to nine gar¬ 
ments of this cloth in one year; which, according to its 
finenefs, will fell for 15s. or 20s. each. The weaving is 
performed by the men. The loom is made exaftly upon 
the fame principle as that of Europe ; but fo lmall and 
narrow, that the web is feldom more than four inches 
broad. The Ihuttle is of the common conllrudlion ; but 
as the thread is coarfe, the chamber is fomewhat larger 
than the European. The women dye this cloth of a rich 
and lalling blue colour, by the following Ample procefs ; 
The leaves of the indigo when frelh gathered, are pounded 
in a wooden mortar, and mixed in a large earthen jar ; 
with a ftrong ley of wood allies ; chamber-ley is fometitnes 
added. The cloth is fteeped in this mixture, and allowed 
to remain until it has acquired the proper (hade. The 
colour is very beautiful, with a fine purple glofs; and 
equal, in my opinion, to the belt Indian or European blue. 
The cloth is cut in,to various pieces, and fewed into gar* 
ments, with needles of the natives’ own making. 
“ As the arts of weaving, dying, fewing, See. may ea» 
fily be acquired, thofe who exercile them are not confi- 
dered in Africa as following any particular profeflion ; 
for almoft every (lave can weave, and every boy can lew. 
The only artills which are diltinftly acknowledged as 
fuch by the negroes, and who value themfelves on exer- 
ciling appropriate and peculiar trades, are the manufac¬ 
turers of leather and of iron. The firft of thefe are called 
karrankea, or as the word is fometimes pronounced gaun - 
gay: they are to be found in almoft every town, and they 
frequently travel through the country in the exercife of 
their calling. They tan and drefs leather with very great 
expedition, oy Iteeping the hide firft in a mixture of wood- 
allies and water, until it parts with the hair; and after¬ 
wards by ufing the pounded leaves of a tree called goo, as 
an allringent. They are at great pains to render the hide 
as loft and pliant as polfible, by rubbing it frequently be¬ 
tween their hands, and beating it upon a Hone. The hides 
of bullocks are converted chiefly into fandais, and there¬ 
fore require lets care in d re fling than the (kins of Iheep 
and goats, which are ufed for covering quivers and fa- 
phies, and in making (heaths.for fwords and knives, belts s 
pockets, and a variety of ornaments. 
“The manufacturers in iron are not fo numerous; but 
they appear to have Itudied their bulinefs with equal di¬ 
ligence. The negroes on the coalt, -being cheaply fup- 
plied with iron from the European traders, never attempt 
the manufacturing of this article themfelves; but in the 
inland parts, the natives fmelt this ufeful metal in fuch 
quantities, as not only to fupply themfelves from it with 
ail neceflary weapons and inftruments, but even to make 
it an article of commerce with fome of the neighbouring- 
Hates. Moll of the African blackfmiths are acquainted 
alfo with the method of (’melting gold, in which procefs 
they ufe an alkaline fait, obtained from a ley of burnt 
corn-ftalks evaporated to drynefs. They likewife draw 
the gold into wire, and form it into a variety of ornaments 
fome of which are executed with a great deal of talte and 
ingenuity. Gold is found in every part of Mandingo, in 
fmall grains, nearly in a pure (late, from the lize of a pin’s 
head to that of a pea.” Park's Travels 3 1 795-7, 
Mr. 
