1810.] Description of the Agoona Country, on the Gold Coast. 215 
tone which savours much of vulgarity, so 
great stress being improperly placed 
wpen the prefix Mac. “Now the Scots 
say. Macbeth; speaking the first short, 
aud placing the stress of the voice upon. 
the last syllable, a practice which we 
take care to oppose diametrically; ingso- 
much, that having introduced this topic 
to a Scotch gentleman at Covent Gar- 
den Theatre, last year, he assured me he 
had frequently made the same obser- 
vation; and that he once, in particular, 
had remarked an actor mouthing out so 
broad a Mae, in announcing the play for 
next evening, that he really thought the 
man might e’en as well say Mackarel- 
beth, at once, and so make the most 
of it. 
~ Perhaps we of this country, among our 
many indubitable high claims, may 
safely enter the lists with any in the 
world, in point of nationality, I am 
consequently well aware of the dan- 
gerous ground which surrounds the tomb 
of our immortal Shakespeare. _ I am also 
feclingly alive to his transcendait merits, 
without at the same time entertaining 
the smallest particle of spleen against 
his equal in immortality, Voltaire, for 
tying Shakespeare his buffoon, Who 
an object to that word, after reading 
‘Troilus and Cressida, the play to which i 
have understood Voltaire, and the French 
critics, had a peculiar dislike. Macbeth, 
perhaps, is Shakespeare’s greatest per= 
formance; and is, beyond all question, 
ene of the noblest monuments existing 
ef tragic fame. Had Shakespeare never 
written a line beyond, he had earned im- 
mortality. There is yet, I think, one 
very weak and absurd contrivance in 
that play, in which probability and.de- 
cency are both ridiculously outraged. 
It is, where the king is called from a 
state dinner, at which all his court is as- 
sembled, to give audience to two cute 
throats, and with whem he holds a confab 
of considerable length; the spectators of 
the play beholding, at one view, and in 
one room, the queen and all the nobles 
assembled at table, end. the king, inva 
corner at the door, discoursing most im- 
pressively with a couple of blackguards, 
This might indeed be meet and appropri- 
ate in Tom Thumb, but as to the real trae 
gedy, “they manage things better in 
“France.” Again, in Shakespeare’sRichard 
fil. can any conceivable thing be more 
unnatural, more gross, more improba- 
ble, or more in the veritable style of the 
burlesque, than Richard stopping. the 
body of the king in its passage to the 
grave, and courting the widow ina. long | 
speech, before all the procession. It is 
a capital omission in Fielding, that he 
had not such a scene in Lom Thumb, 
the heroine being prepared with a well 
replenished jordan, from which to rea 
baptize the ideot infidel who could, in 
violation of all decency and common 
Sense, so grossly address her. Noram 
I quite sure that it is in nature or pro- 
bability, for the young princes to revile 
their powerful uncle in such bold and 
contemptuous terms, as they are made 
to do in that play. I know not, that 
these observations on the above two tra- 
gedies have been before made. 
Alas! it is vain to talk new of im- 
provements, either in our players or cur 
plays. Covent Garden Theatre is again 
become a prey to the lawless violence of 
men equally ignorant of their own, and 
the rights of others, as: children, and 
equally capricious, mischievous, and fra- 
ward. In short, it will be henceforth 
vain for the people of this country to 
look for stability and comfort, or moral 
institution, in their theatrical entertaine 
inents, until it be discovered that stage 
players, as well as to have bodies at last 
secured in consecrated ground, are BiSOy 
equally with the rest of their fellow-ci- 
tizens, whilst living, entitled to the pros 
tection ef the laws. The pretence ofa 
right in the public, or of a few hundreds 
who arrogate to themselves to be organs 
of the public, arbitrarily to controul the 
business and management of the theatre, 
however it may be sanctioned by custom, 
I hold to be a most stupid and degrading 
absurdity, ie at 
? SS 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
COMMUNICATION made by HENRY MERE@ 
DITH, esg. to the sECRErARY of the. 
AFRICAN INSTITUTION, dated WINNE- 
BAH, 20th December, 1809: and core 
taining ANswers to the © QUERIES 
relative to arKica,” as they respect 
that District of the coip coast cal 
led the acoona COUNTRY, in which 
( WINNEBAH 2s situated. 
TE Agoona country, of which Wine 
nebah forms a part, extends about 
twenty miles in length from east to west, 
and about fifteen miles in breadth; being 
situated between 5°. and 5°, 80/. of 
north latitude. The sea forms its boun- 
dary on the south: on the west, north, 
and east, it is bounded by the countries 
of Akron, Adgumakoon, Assin, Akim, 
and Akra, The aspect of the country 
varies Considerably. In some places it 
43 
