REMARKS, &c. &c. CHAPTER I. Cape Palmas-Coley's Rock, and opinion respecting it— Bereby Drewin-St. Andrew's-Cape Lahoo, town and river-Bassams, great and little-AssineeAppolonia-British forts on the Gold Coast-Fantees, their customs-Chambas, or Duncos, their character. CAPE PALMAS lies in latitude 4° 30' north and longitude 7° 30′ west of Greenwich. Off the cape there is a reef, in the inside of which, and near the shore, small vessels may anchor. To the westward of Cape Palmas, a rock was discovered by Captain Coley, of the ship Queen, of London, in the year 1794, and the account which he gave of it and its bearings, is as follows: "Two high trees above Garraway, bearing north five leagues, B pitch of Cape Palmas, E. N. E. six and a half leagues. On the top of the rock I found ten feet water, and it tapers down to seven fathoms, as close as you can chuck a biscuit. The depth of water, after clearing the rock is thirteen fathoms.*" The natives of the Cape are poor and in * The distance which captain Coley has estimated this rock to be from the land, must certainly be erroneous, because neither Garraway, nor Cape Palmas, would be visible from the quarter-deck of his vessel, at the distances which he has given; and it is to be presumed, that he took the bearings of the land from his boat, when sounding on the rock. From Garraway to Cape Palmas, including both these places, the land is so very low, that, in approaching it from the sea, the trees growing on it are first visible above the horizon, and have the appearance of a fleet of ships. Therefore, if he took the bearings and distance of the rock from the boat, a line drawn from his eye, and terminating at the distance of five leagues, would require an object to be 160 feet high to be seen at that point; and at the distance of six and a half leagues, an object 180 feet high would be requisite for the same purpose, supposing the atmosphere to be unusally clear, which is by no means common on this offensive, and live principally by fishing. They sometimes bring off to vessels a small quantity of ivory, and Malagetta pepper. BEREBY is situated on the margin of a bay, in which boats can generally land, as there is a projecting point of land which breaks off the sea. The natives sell a little ivory. ST. ANDREW's and DREWIN. The people here have a small quantity of ivory, for which they always wish an exorbitant price. The town of Cape LAHOO is built on a narrow peninsula of sand formed by the sea and river, and may consist of 150 houses, containing a population of seven or eight hundred souls. The Dutch, at a former period, carried on here a considerable trade in slaves and ivory, particularly in the latter, in which article the Lahoo people have always dealt largely. As the trade with Europeans is carried part of the coast of Africa; and the highest trees here have not an apparent altitude exceeding fifty or sixty feet. on on board their vessels, but few of them ever go on shore, and I was in consequence anxious to pay the town a visit. On making my intention known to the natives, they seemed much gratified, and placed me in one of their best canoes for that purpose; from which we landed, without being much wet, the surf on the shore being moderate. I was taken to the chief's house, who treated me with much attention, kindness, and hospitality: but the beautiful tropical picture which the river at this time presented, would have amply repaid me for my trouble, if I had had no other cause for being pleased with my journey. This little river, after bending its course from the north to the back of the town, runs to the eastward a few hundred yards, parallel to the seashore, and then joins the sea. Its mouth is narrow, and choked with hard sand, on which the sea breaks with great violence, so as to render it very dangerous, either for boats or canoes to approach its entrance. |