Búda by the Abyssinians, and a very strange superstition is attached to this employment, every man engaged in the occupation being supposed to possess a power of transforming himself at night into a hyæna, during which he is thought to be capable of prey. ing even upon human flesh and it is further believed, that if during the period of his transformation he should experience any bodily injury, a corresponding wound would be found on his proper frame. The credit at tached to these fabulous ideas appears to be inconceivably strong throughout the country. ON THE GOLD OF THE COAST OF GUINEA. (By Denys De Montfort. From the Philosophical Magazine.) The mountains in the interior of Africa, contain in their sides great numbers of gold mines: they are very seldom wrought, however, the natives confining themselves almost entirely to collecting the gold dust which is found upon washing certain earths which may be termed auriferous. In many countries of this vast continent the earth is as it were impregnated with gold; and not only do we meet with it in powder, but in considerable masses. This gold has formed and still forms the object of a very extensive and lucrative commerce: the natives of the interior bring it down to the inhabitants of the coast, and the latter sell it in their turn to the Europeans, who have given it the name of the Gold Coast, where it most abounds. Sometimes the gold-merchants, who are also slave-dealers, treat directly with strangers, but the latter most frequently purchase gold which has, already passed from nation to nation and through several hands. In spite of all the attempts which have been made, and particularly, in latter times by the English, to penetrate into the interior of Africa, this interior is still very little known to us, and the city of Tombuctoo-that city which is said to contain an immense population, is still problematical, for we have nothing on the subject but the vague and lying assertions of some Moorish and African merchants., Some of the latter undertake long voyages, which frequently last upwards of a month. Being situated at two or three hundred leagues from the coast, they penetrate as much further into the interior in order to procure gold,, slaves, and elephant's teeth, which they deliver to the European vessels or establishments. In short these people are very mysterious in all their operations, and it is very difficult to obtain from them the slightest intelligence: not only their taciturnity, their reserve, and jealousy, are obstacles, but their various languages furnish others, for it requires an interpreter always to make oneself understood. Africa is so divided among tribes without number, that we presume it would not be difficult to reckon more than a thousand different languages, without including the numerous dialects which are derived from them. It is thus that we see arrive from the source of the river of Volta, the mouth of which is situated in 5° 55′ north latitude, people who from tribe to tribe, and from interpreter to interpreter at length fall in with the great island of Malfi, a kind of religious capital which, placed in the midst of the river, is still upwards of 60 leagues from the coast, and the inhabitants of which, almost all brokers, and of course linguists, end by accompanying them to the seashore. Whether it is in small grains or in dust, the gold of Guinea is extremely pale in colour, although very pure; and it greatly resembles the filings of yellow copper, with which Negroes or other cheats mix it fraudulently. When a Negro plays this trick, if he is discovered and this is easily done by aqua-fortis), he is instantly made a slave: a White man comes off a little better. But there is still another fraud which a buyer must be upon his guard against this is, when the gold has not been thoroughly cleaned; and as the sand mixed with it is quartzous, the nitric acid has no effect on it: in this case it requires a keen eye, a glass, or even the crucible if it be at hand. The gold-dust is the only part of this precious metal which the Blacks sell to the Europeans. The lumps, of which there are some so large that the king of Assianti possesses one requiring four men to lift it, (the Negroes call these pieces "image gold,") are held sacred, and when they do not exceed an ounce in weight are bored to make necklaces and bracelets for the arms, or legs. They know also how to work and melt them. The principal image or grand deity of Akra, is a man's head of solid gold or perhaps even a naturally form ed mass which has assumed that form. The black merchant is always extremely skilful in this commerce: he knows the price of what he sells with the utmost precision; and that there may be no fraud, he weighs it himself with scales which he always carries with him. Formerly this trade was much more considerable than it is now :-we shall see the reason presently. The Negroes have in common with Europeans two ways of procuring gold, digging and washing. The Negroes of the coast are washers only, while those who live among the mountains are essentially miners. The mountains of Guinea, at least those which we are acquainted with, are in general granitic and schistous; thin masses of granite, as their summits prove, have formed by the lapse of time, and by their detritus the gneiss which forms broad beds on their lower flanks. In the rainy seasons, torrents descend from these mountains, carrying with them stones and gravel, which being torn from the higher rocks present the same elements. These mountains are filled with mines of gold and iron. The first of these metals seems to have been sought for by Negroes from time immemorial: as to the latter they do not know how to use it, and it is not the interest of Europeans to teach them; gold is found in them in a primitive state in narrow stripes, and it is found as usual between two layers of a granite, finer, more compact, and more highly coloured than the rest of the rock: the Negroes have not yet thought of working the latter, but it is probable that avarice will compel them to do so, now that the slavetrade is abolished, and that the excess of population is forced to provide for itself: for, notwithstanding the enormous exportation of human beings being stopped, they have still their helots: these are Negroes, who are slaves either from being taken in war, from being insolvent debtors, from having lost their personal liberty at play, or from being sold by their parents. As to malefactors and rebels, they are uniformly sold to Europeans. The Negroes, therefore, work only the auriferous sands and the gneiss or schistous beds and banks of granite, which constitute the base of their mountains, and which being friable are easily dug into. If they attack the sides, they dig a fosse in the first place from twenty to thirty feet in depth, on an indeterminate breadth, until they begin to be alarmed for the crumbling down of the earth; the gold, as being heavier than quartz, schorl, and feldspar, the constituent principles of primitive granite, has been deeper seated in their common fall: they begin to find it, however, at the depth of three feet they had no idea of using props of wood until they were taught by Europeans, and nothing in the world could induce them to make a regular pit, or bury themselves under ground. In proportion as they advance in the work, the lumps are put into pouches fixed round their waists, and some miners get very rich, as they only pay the king a fixed and daily allowance. In 1790, the king of Assianti had six hundred slaves at work for him, each of whom engaged to supply him with half an ounce per diem, and some of them had so much good sense as to form a sort of company, and throw into a joint stock the fruits of their labours. The earth thrown up during the digging, is laid in heaps on the edges of the fosse, where other miners, their wives and children, receive it in bags and carry it to the nearest river on their heads, for the Negro never carries any thing on his back. They wade into the river up to the middle, and then dexterously dipping in their bags, they wash and shake its contents, so as to make the gold fall to the bottom: they then pour off the sand and earth, and the gold-dust remains. As to the gold-finders on the banks of rivers and the sea-shore, they are less fortunate in their researches, and it is generally women who are thus employed. They conduct themselves precisely like the mountaineers, who in their turn are more fortunate than those on the sea-shore: the latter collect in bags the sand thrown up by a tempest, and act precisely like the former by washing, &c. In ge neral the price of gold is fixed in Africa, and never fluctuates: in Europe it is supposed to yield 25 per cent profit. But it is not so considerable now as it has been; for several African princes more powerful than others, and anxious to secure a monopoly have compelled the weaker to renounce all searching for gold. Thus the sovereign of Akim, who has been conquered by the king of Assianti, dares not any longer work his rich mines they used to furnish upwards of 80 ounces of gold per week to the coast, i. e. nearly 5,000 ounces of gold per annum. From what has been said, it is not to be wondered that the English have attached much importance to exploring the interior of Africa; and without admitting all the reports on the subject to be true, it cannot be doubted that the precious metal is very abundant, and that the mines may still be considered as virgin mines never having been visited by Europeans. In the year 1800 a society was formed in France for exploring Africa, and it soon consisted of 300 persons: but it received no encouragement from the Government, and fell to pieces. For my part, I had quitted it previously, on being appointed mineralogist to the voyage round the world under Captain Baudin. Certainly, if France will consent to abandon for ever the odious slave-trade, our august sovereign will have it in his power not only to promote greatly the welfare of his own country, but the peace and tranquillity of Africa. There exists no country in the world so susceptible of general 'cultivation we know that certain districts in Africa are fertile in corn, and grain of every kind grows there intermixed with sugar canes lately introduced, and which protect the grain from hail. The plants of India, Europe, America and Australasia, or the fifth portion of the globe, will flourish there in perpetual spring, and the animals of all climates can be easily naturalized. The Negroes whose respect for the Whites is extreme, notwithstanding what they have suffered from them, will cheerfully give up their fields ; Finding by the latitude that we had been set considerably to the north, and were out of the parallel of Murray's Islands, I tacked to the S. S. W.; and at two o'clock the largest island was seen bearing S. 38 W. about five leagues. Soon afterward, a reef came in sight to the south-east, extending in patches toward the islands and presently another was distinguished to the westward, from the mast head, which took nearly a parallel direction, the passage between them being about four miles wide. We steered along the lee side of eastern reef, at the distance of a mile with soundings from 29 to 24 fathoms, coral sand, until four o'clock; the reef then trended more southward, and we edged away for the islands, of which Mr. Westall sketched the appearance. At half past five the largest island bore S. 36° E. to 28° W., one mile and a half; and there being more reefs coming in sight to the westward, the anchor was immediately let go in 20 fathoms, coarse sand and shells. The north and east sides of the island are surrounded by a reef, which may probably include the two smaller isles on its southwest side; but it is totally unconnected with the reefs to the northeast. These appear to be a northern continuation of the vast bank, on the outside of which the Pandora sailed, as far as 11 south, 111 and in the chart of Captain Edwards' track, published by Mr. Dalrymple, it is marked as surrounding the Islands; whereas it is at least four miles distant from the reef which probably does surround them. A number of poles standing up in various places, more especially between the islands, appeared at a distance, like the masts of canoes, and made me apprehend that the inhabitants of the Strait had collected a fleet here; but on approaching nearer, the poles were found to be upon the reefs, and were probably set up for some purpose connected with fishing. We had scarcely anchored when between forty and fifty Indians came off, in three canoes. They would not come along-side of the ship, but lay off at a little distance, holding up cocoa-nuts, joints of bamboo filled with water, plantains, bows and arrows, and vociferating tooree! tooree! and mammoosee! A barter soon commenced, and was carried on in this manner; a hatchet or other piece of Iron (tooree) being held up, they offered a bunch of green plantains, a bow and quiver of arrows, or what they judged would be received in exchange; signs of acceptance being made, the Indian leaped over-board with his barter, and handed it to a man who went down the side to him; and receiving his hatchet, swam back to the canoe. Some delivered their articles without any distrust of the exchange, but this was not always the case. Their eagerness to get tooree was great, and at first any thing of that same metal was received; but afterwards, if a nail were held up to an Indian, he shook his head, striking the edge of his right hand upon the left arm, in the attitude of chopping; and he was well enough understood. At sunset, two of the canoes returned to Murray's Island,paddling to windward with more velocity than one of our boats could have rowed: the third set a narrow, upright sail, between two masts in the fore part of the canoe, and steered north-westward, as I judged, for the Darnley's Island of Captain Bligh. I did not forget that the inhabitants of these islands had made an attack upon the Providence and Assistant in 1792 (Introduction, p. xxv.); nor that Mr. Bampton had some people cut off at Darnley's Island in 1793 (p. xxxiv— xxxix.) The marines were therefore kept under arms, the guns clear and matches lighted; and officers were stationed to watch every motion, one to each canoe, so long as they remained near the ship. Bows and arrows were contained in all the canoes; but no intention of hostility was manifested by the Indians, unless those who steered for Darnley's Island might be supposed to go for assistance. We did not get under weigh in the morning, until the sun was high enough for altitudes to be taken for the time-keepers. Soon after daylight, the natives were |