B

« UNDOUBTEDLY all the inland countries in Guinea abound with gold mines; and though the natives are not artists enough to know when or how to follow a vein, yet they find great quantities of gold in several of their mines, which are all so sacred to them, that they will not permit any European miner either to see their mines or to search for others; nevertheless they bring down good store of what they find to the sea coast to traffic withal. Besides which, the natives near the sea have another way of finding gold, as thus: in the rainy seasons, after a wet night, the sea shore is generally covered with people, mostly women, each having a couple of bowls or platters made of callabashes; the largest of which they fill with earth and sand, such as is driven down from the mountains by violent floods in the rivers and brooks, &c. This they wash with many waters, by often turning the bowl round, till it washes over the brims. The gold, if any, sinks to the bottom, by reason of its weight; and thus they continue till they have washed it all away, except two or three spoonfuls of the bottom, which they carefully take out and lay by in the small bowl; they then fill their platter again, and so wash on till about noon. By that time the small bowl is pretty well filled with the dregs, which they carry home and search diligently. Sometimes they find a shilling's worth, sometimes but two penny worth, sometimes two crowns worth, and very often no gold at all." Smith's Voyage to Guinea, p. 138, 139.

C

THE second volume of Dr. Winterbottom's valuable work entitled, "An Account of the Native Africans in the Neighbourhood of Sierra Leone, to which is added, an Account of the present state of Medicine among them,” (sold by Hatchard), contains much important information on the subject of the medicinal plants which are found growing in Africa. Among others he mentions the bark of a large tree called by the Foolas Bellenda, and by the Susoos and Mandingos Bembee, and which is used in Africa with great success in epedemic dysenteries. He adds that, "in several instances of diarrhoea it shewed itself very effectual. After my arrival in London, I gave some of it to my friend Dr. Willan, who made trial of it in agues, fevers, sore throat, and dysentery, very much to his satisfaction." Vol. II. p. 46.

In the Appendix to the same volume, (No. ii.) Dr. Winterbottom details a number of cases in which this bark proved efficacious. He thus closes his account:

"Dr. Clark has exhibited the African bark in the infirmary at Newcastle, with complete success in several cases of intermittents, and coincides with Dr. Willan and Dr. Cappe, in thinking it a valuable accession to the Materia Medica. The high price of Peruvian bark, the uncertainty of obtaining a constant and regular supply. of it during the time of war, and the schemes of interested men to enhance its value and lower its quality, render. it an object of importance for us to increase the number of substitutes. The Bellenda appears worthy of being; ranked in this class: though the cases adduced in its favour are too few for any strong inferrences to be drawn, yet the recommendation of physicians eminent in their

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profession, and possessing such a share of public esteem, must excite others to further trials with this bark, when a sufficient quantity of it is imported."

D

Extract from a Letter of Governor LUDLAM, dated at Sierra Leone, 29th October, 1806

"THE ruin of this country (the Sherbro) is however but partially to be ascribed to the present war. The system on which the Native Chiefs seem uniformly to act, has a natural tendency to poverty and depopulation. They live by the Slave Trade, the more active by carrying it on, the more indolent by what they extort from the Traders; occasionally selling one of their own people, or an unprotected stranger, to help them out of their pecuniary difficulties. All this discourages cultivation. The industrious find out a quicker way to wealth: the indolent an easier way to live. What I have said applies principally to the chiefs. But the same system discourages still more the industry of the people. The Chief is prompted by his indolence and necessities, to keep but few domestics, (in other words he sells as many as he can) and these few are little looked after. His plantations therefore are small, and he is always poor. Should an industrious Freeman under him get rich, his own superiority would be lost. He must keep all his people as poor as himself; and therefore must bring a Palaver against every aspiring subject, sieze the little property he has collected, and perhaps sell himself. Though the Chief will

not rise he must keep others down. I was about to note down some particular instances in proof of this, but I found it so generally known and acknowledged among the Traders residing in the country that I thought it superfluous. One of them told me, that for some reason the quantity of ground which any one is permitted to plant is closely limited. The country is thus systematically kept poor, and the influence of the Traders, especially such as join the character of a native Chief to that of an active Trader, is proportionably encreased. The number of domestic Slaves belonging to one of the latter. description is great, and both Slaves and Freemen are attached to him in consequence of his ability to supply them with all necessaries, and to support him right or wrong against all who would injure or punish them. At their head, he can domineer over any of the petty Chiefs with their two or three dozens of subjects; he can make war upon them, or force-them to make war upon others.

"War, as carried on by the Natives, depopulates the country in an extraordinary degree. To give no quarter to an enemy, or to put to death prisoners taken in thefield, would doubtlefs reduce their number: but men, and men in arms, would be the only sufferers; and the slaughter of an army would tend to put an end to the war. In Africa, however, war is made equally on men, women, and children: those who are unable to lift a weapon are as much its victims as those who carry a musket, and a Chief can never want funds for carrying on a war só long as his enemy has abundance of people. I believe that C would never have been able to recommence the war had it not been for the lure held out, of the great number of Captives who would easily be taken. Much as T has suffered in the war, he is said not to have sold less than 400 Slaves for his own share.”

Another source of depopulation is, that for every offence a man is lost to the community; too commonly his whole family also. Whoever carries on trade finds abundance of Europeans ready to advance any goods he may want, and to take off his Slaves. The only question is, how he shall get Slaves. It is obvious that his interest is to en-crease the commission of crimes, even if he do not seek to obtain Slaves by committing the deepest crimes himself. In a short time the creditor becomes pressing for a part of his due, but the trader is indolent, or the path is stopped (meaning that access to the interior from which Slaves are obtained is prevented) or he has wasted his money. A domestic Slave, a dependant, or a near relation has been given on first receiving the loan, under the name of pawn, but being unredeemed in due time is sold. If no unprotected persons can be kidnapped, nor a sufficient number caught by means similar to those mentioned in the note below, the relations and domesties of the debtor must be seized, and frequently all the people of a town may be sent on board a Slave fhip for one man's debt; but the debtor himself is seldom or never meddled with.

* I was one day detained very long at P, and on enquiring the reason, an old man was pointed out, who had sat long with me in C -'s house, concerning whom the Chiefs were then talking a Palaver. His name was He is said to have made a practice through life of seeking out a great number of the finest women in the country for his wives, and by their means entrapping the men in his neighbourhood, especially young ones whom he hires from various parts of the country as Grumettas. He had now overstepped the limits of African law with regard to some young men of powerful families whom he had sold. Or rather, I believe, these powerful families could not suffer so infamous and well known a practice, though consistent with the letter of the law, to injure their own relations. I did not learn the result, but from his influence with C- there is no doubt he escaped punishment, though he would be obliged to surrender his prey.