chap, iii.] WEST INDIES. 279 
employment arise, without doubt, from the great 
attention paid to agriculture in their native country. 
Bosman speaks with rapture of the improved state 
of the soil, the number of villages, and the indus¬ 
try, riches, and obliging manners of the natives. 
He observes, however, that they are much greater 
thieves than those of the Gold coast, and very un¬ 
like them in another respect, namely, in the dread 
of pain, and the apprehension of death. “They 
are,” says he, “ so very apprehensive of death, 
that they are unwilling to hear it mentioned, for 
fear that alone should hasten their end; and no man 
dares to speak of death in the presence of the 
king, or any great man, under the penalty of suf¬ 
fering it himself, as a punishment for his presump¬ 
tion.” He relates further, that they are addicted 
to gaming beyond any people of Africa. All these 
propensities, if I am rightly informed, are observa¬ 
ble in the character of the Papaws, in a state of 
slavery in the West Indies. That punishment 
which excites the Koromantyn to rebel, and drives 
the Ebo negro to suicide, is received by the Pa¬ 
paws as the chastisement of legal authority, to 
which it is their duty to submit patiently. The 
case seems to be, that the generality of these peo¬ 
ple are in a state of absolute slavery in Africa, and, 
having been habituated to a life of labour, they 
submit to a change of situation with little reluct¬ 
ance. 
Many of the Whidah negroes are found to be 
circumcised. Whether it be a religious ceremony 
