There are numerous rivers. Some of these extend far back into the deepest recesses of Central Africa.
The climate of the Guinea Coast is very fatal to Europeans; for the muddy creeks and inlets, the putrid swamps, and the mangrove jungles that line the banks of the rivers are all productive of pestilence and malaria.
There are two seasons, the wet and the dry. In the more southern portions the rainy season begins in March, but at Sierra Leone and farther north it begins a month later.
The vegetation is not only very luxuriant but varied. One of the most important trees is a species of palm. The covering of the seed, or nut, of this tree is used for the extraction of the palm oil of commerce.
A bunch of red and yellow fruit will often have a thousand oil-yielding plums, and weigh in some cases half a hundredweight.
It is no uncommon thing for several thousand tons to be exported in a year to English ports, as Liverpool, London, and Bristol.
The palm-oil tree is native to the country between the Gambia and the Congo, and is found in great abundance. The oil from the nuts, however, is manufactured chiefly in the country of the Gold and Slave coasts.
Nearly all the remarkable animals of Africa are found in the country along the Gold Coast. The domestic animals are mostly of an inferior order; but of the wild animals we find an abundance, as elephants, hippopotamuses, monkeys, lions, leopards, together with crocodiles, serpents, and parrots.
The princ.i.p.al minerals of the country are gold and iron. The chief exports are palm oil, ivory, gold, wax, and various kinds of timber, as well as spices, gums, and rice.
The population consists of a few European colonists and a variety of negro nations. These, though bearing a strong physical resemblance to one another, and holding many customs in common, differ widely in their dispositions and characters.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
UPPER GUINEA.
Guinea is usually divided into Northern, or Upper Guinea, and Lower Guinea.
Upper Guinea has several divisions, which still retain the characteristic names first given to them. These names were founded mostly on the productions of different sections, and becoming popular were retained.
Sierra Leone, named from its bold front "Lion Mountain," stretches from Rokelle River in the north to Kater River in the south, and for about twenty miles inland. It is a British colony, founded in 1787 for the suppression of the slave trade in West Africa, and has been maintained for that purpose.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SIERRA LEONE.]
The larger portion of the colony is a rugged peninsula of mountains.
This has a sterile soil, but it is surrounded by a belt of fertile coast land with a humid and pestilential climate.
The population consists mostly of those who were once slaves, but who have been liberated. In 1869 the population numbered over fifty-five thousand; of these only one hundred and twenty-nine were white men.
Freetown is the capital. Next to St. Louis it is the largest European town on the western coast of the continent.
The Grain Coast is named from the grains of the Malaghetta pepper plant.
This plant is a species of parasite, and yields very abundantly.
The Malaghetta, or Grain Coast, is often called the Windy, or Windward Coast, on account of the many brief but furious tornadoes which it experiences throughout the year.
The negro republic of Liberia occupies nearly four hundred miles of this coast. It was founded by the American Colonization Society in 1822, for the purpose of establishing a settlement for the freedmen of the United States. Its capital is Monrovia, named after Mr. Monroe, the president of the Colonization Society. It is situated on the rising ground of the coast, within the shelter of Cape Mesurado, which forms a breakwater against the incessant roll of the high surf from the Atlantic. It carries on quite a commerce with England, Holland, Germany, and the United States.
The Ivory Coast extends from Cape Palmas through three degrees of west longitude. It derived its name from the great quant.i.ties of ivory it afforded at one time. Now that the elephant is becoming extinct, the supply must, of course, cease.
Numerous French forts and settlements along this coast have, since 1871, been abandoned.
The Gold Coast is controlled entirely by the British government, and is, in fact, a Crown colony. It reaches from west of Cape Three Points to the river Volta.
The Gold Coast has long been visited for gold dust and other products.
It has been described as an outer margin of plain, on the coast of which a roaring surf continually breaks. It extends east and west for about three hundred miles, and is bounded inland by hills covered with primeval forests. It is rich in the oil palm and oil-bearing groundnut, but the climate is exceedingly dangerous to Europeans.
Attempts have been made to introduce cattle and horses. These have all been unsuccessful, owing to that African scourge, the poisonous tsetse fly.
As far back as 1849 all the Dutch possessions along this coast were ceded to England, and by a treaty of 1871 all the Dutch possessions became British property.
The princ.i.p.al British station is Cape Coast Castle. It is named from its great church-like fort on the water"s edge beside the filthy native town, above which the European residences peep out from among the woods.
Elmina, "the mine," is situated about midway along the coast.
It was, doubtless, the earliest European settlement, and is to-day one of the largest towns. It has a population of about ten thousand.
Just behind the Gold Coast lies the country of the Ashantees, a warlike negro people. The greater part of the country consists of forest and jungle.
The river Volta forms the western boundary of the Ashantee country. Next to the Niger it is the most important river of this portion of the coast line of Africa. Both of its banks, in the vicinity of the mouth, are included in the Gold Coast colony. The Volta seems to be navigable for about two hundred miles. No doubt, in the near future it will become an important highway of trade.
East of the Volta is a small German territory named Togo. Farther up we find Popo, a French settlement, and Whydah. The latter is the port of the negro kingdom of Dahomey. This kingdom is noted for its cruel rites and barbarous customs.
Farther on is the British town Lagos. This is the largest seaport of the Yoruba country and of all this portion of West Africa. It is in direct communication with Liverpool by steamers. These carry out cargoes of palm oil and cotton, in an unfailing supply, to England.
The kingdoms of Ashantee, Dahomey, Yoruba, and others, occupy the interior of the Guinea Coast country.
Ashantee is about two hundred and eighty miles long and about as many broad. Although a mountainous region, it has no abrupt or precipitous elevations. It is well watered, notwithstanding that it does not lie in any of the basins of the great African rivers. Along the coast there are the mouths of several large streams, and the various affluents of these streams form a network over the country.
The Asinee River is a stream of some size. It is considered the boundary line between the Gold and the Ivory coasts. For a considerable distance from its mouth it forms the western boundary of Ashantee. The Volta, which is the largest river, is estimated to be four hundred miles in length. There are also several lakes in the country. These frequently overflow during the rainy season.
The heat and unhealthiness of the Guinea Coast are well known. This is partly due to the hot days succeeded by the chilly nights. The main cause, however, is the sulphurous mist which rises from the valleys and river sections in the mornings. This mist is particularly heavy during the rainy season. The kingdom of Ashantee has one dry season and two wet seasons.
The first rains occur near the end of May or the first of June. They are heralded by violent tornadoes. The rains are followed by fogs and haze.
These are disagreeable enough at all times, but are particularly so in July and August. The second rains occur in October. These are followed by the hot, dry season, which lasts till April.
Elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, buffaloes, deer, antelopes, goats, apes, monkeys, and baboons are among the least harmful animals; but there are lions, tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, and wild boars of the most ferocious nature. The rivers are found swarming with hippopotamuses and alligators, while serpents, scorpions, and lizards are found in great numbers.
The population of Ashantee proper has been estimated at one million. The whole empire, if we include the territories under the rule of the native king, is said to have a population of three millions.
The natives are well formed and in many respects do not show the peculiarities of form and feature found in the negro race. They are cleanly in their habits, and do not neglect their daily bath. After bathing they anoint themselves with the oil from the b.u.t.ter tree. This is a good cosmetic, and keeps the skin in fine condition in so hot and trying a climate.
Among the better cla.s.s the clothing consists of an immense cloak.
Sometimes it is made of the most costly silk. In time of warfare this dress is changed for a close vest covered with metal ornaments and sc.r.a.ps of Moorish writing. These are considered charms against danger.
Loose cotton drawers, and large boots made of a dull red leather, complete the costume. The great chiefs wear gold breastplates; and as many of the natives as are able wear a profusion of gold ornaments.
The king of Ashantee has over three thousand women laborers, whom he has purchased from their parents for a small sum. During the working season these women are scattered over his numerous plantations. When they are at home, in the capital of the country, they live on two streets. Here they remain in seclusion, seeing only the king and his female relatives.
So strict are the laws with regard to the seclusion of these women, who are practically slaves, that to look upon one, even by accident, is to be sentenced to death.