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As there is nothing more surprizing and delightful in Voyages or Travels, than beholding the different Habits, Customs, Dieting, and Religion of the different Natives; so there is none I believe, wherein that Difference can be found, so much as here. A Colour, Language and Manners, as wide from ours, as we may imagine we should find in the planetary Subjects above, could we get there.
But before I proceed on any Observations of my own, it may be proper from others, to convey some Idea ofGuineain general; so much as carries Probability, either from the Dead or Living.
Africa, one of the four Quarters of the World, next in bigness toEurope, by the Ancients had several Names;Olympia,Ammonis Ortygia; but the most noted,Apher, from a Nephew, it’s said, ofAbraham’s. It extends from about 36 N. to as many Degrees of Southern Latitude; and exceptingEgypt,Barbary,Morocco, and in this lastAge the Coast ofGuinea, is a Country as little known as any Part of the Globe.Marmolsays, theArabiansin the 400 of theHegyra, passed intoAfricand divided it. This is certain, that it has many fine large Rivers, some of them navigable for Ships. Along the Banks of these Rivers, the Inhabitants abound withMillet,Rice,Pulseor,Indian-Corn. The further we depart fromMoroccoon this West Side, orEgypton the East, there is always found less Industry and more Ignorance: For Governments, tho’ never so tyrannical, are better than none, extending some Improvement to Humanity.
TheNiger, which is one of the largest Rivers inAfrica, is said to have the same Property of overflowing every Year, likeNile, remunerating to the inland parts a vast Fertility and Increase; and this very probably, because it has been tracedsome hundred Leagues, and by the Course, descends from theEthiopianMountains, the common Fountain of both.
TheSenegaandGambia, Branches of this great River, disgorge here at the windward Part ofGuinea; they are large Rivers, driving considerable Trade: To the former of these, the King ofMoroccoextended his Dominions, about 1526, by the Conquest of the Kingdom ofTombuto, which still continues tributary, and whence that King raises considerableNegroArmies, his chiefStrength. A College of the Sect ofHaly, is founded inMelli, a Kingdom upon this River. They have manyCrocodilesorAlligators,Sea-Horses, andShirksin them.Senegaaffords great quantity ofGum; and atGambiabegin our Factories for Slaves, Teeth, and Gold, on which this general Remark, That the Slaves there, faring softer from a better Soil, are not so hardy as those lower down. The Teeth are as large, and in as much plenty, as at any one Part of the whole Coast; those taken out of theSea-Horseare small, not weighing above 5 or 6 Pounds, but more solid than theElephant’s. And lastly, their Gold is current in what the Traders callBars, little twisted Lengths, or in Rings of 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8s.Value.
All the great Rivers flow and ebb regularly, being governed by the Moon, as the Tides on our own Coasts; but the Sandiness of the Soil, and Nearness of the Sun, makes the Country between, so extreamly dry, that they have great scarcity of Water for an hundred Miles an end sometimes; and this Drought is what brings the Beasts of all sorts in Droves to the Banks, for satisfying Thirst, (Tygers,Panthers,Leopards,Antelopes,Elephants,Apes;Ostriches, &c.) From which Accident, say they, might probably have happened the manyHebridousProductions that have made this Country the Proverb of all Ages; itcontinually producing something new or monstrous.
Their chief Diet isIndianCorn, Rice, Palm-nuts, Bananas, Yamms, Pine-apples, and now and then a little Fish, or a Fowl; all which thro’ Ignorance, and want of Necessaries, are very slovenly cooked by them.
Africais almost a Triangle in shape; the Kingdoms on the North areMahometans; and in the trading Towns ofBarbary, andTurky, there is a little Mixture ofJews. On the Eastern Line nextPersia, are said to be some of the Sect ofGaurs, followers ofZoroastes, a very learnedPersianPhilosopher, that appeared, according to Dr.Prideaux, about 2300 Years ago: He instituted Fire-worship, and established it by a superiour Cunning, through most parts ofPersiaandIndia, where there are still some left, poor and despised, (calledPersees) since the seventh Century, when theMahometansover-run that Country, and almost extinguished them. InÆthiopia, (Prester John’s Country) Writers say, are a sort ofChristians, still acknowledging the Patriarch ofAlexandria; meerly nominal I believe, for theGreeksthemselves, much nigher his Pastorship, have since their Conquest by theTurks, in a manner losttheirChristianity; Poverty and Ignorance, the Consequence of Captivity having obliterated the outward Pomp, which, next to Power, is the main Pillar in all Religions.Inland, and to the Southern Extremity, they arePagans. And on this Western Line (theNegroes) all trust to theGregoryorFetish; which in the bulk of it means no more than what we inEuropecallCharms, which in many respects carries strong Superstition, that is, a vain Religion in it; only their consecrated Materials having more Reverence from their Ignorance and Fear, work more stupendous Effects; or are imagined to do so, which is the same thing. So much may serve for a general Idea ofAfrica, since several of the Articles will, in the progress of the Voyage, be occasionally expatiated on.