Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-11-11

one tenth /; added to this, the climate is
detachable, the rain commencing the end
of April, and continuing TO the middle of
October it proves the grave of mott
Europeans who go there, and even those
who escape the grave, linger out pain
ful and miserable existence.
Under the(e circumstances, / am of
opinion that Sierra Leone is not 70 well
calculated for forming fettlement for
c;nancipated or captured negroes as the
gold coat, which pofTelies every advan
tage; it is much more temperated, the
fun is more obscured. and of courle has
less power, and am certain mat be
much more healthy From the belt in
formation could collect relative TO the
foil, it is on the fea coat generally light.
where cotton crop would be mott GER
tain and profitable. 1T the diltance OF
ten or twenty miles inland, it is rich in
the extreme, and would produce fugar
cane, rice and indigo coffee and vege-
tables of every kind are in abundance.
| have been fome years in the Wet In
dies, and though it was then in the raj .
ny leafon, and of courfe the WORT time
of the year, yet declare it us neither 10
hot or unpleafant as the former ; as
proof of which. all the officers and crew
of the Inconitant complained of the in
created keat on their arrival at Barba-
does. Hurricanes are not known in this
country, and the tornadoes (of which 10
much is faid) are not more violent than
the heavy EQUALS in The Wet Indies,nor
have feen any 70 bad i; there is also
good and fate anchorage on every part of
the coat. Our fcttlements on this coait
are in very bad condition, and the peo
pie reGding in them little better than
prifoners to the neighboring Chiefs, who,
although they receive pay from the com
pany, confder it in the light of tribute
and make ufe of our fonts and flag to awe
their necehtous neighbors and fubjecis,
towards whom they frequently rfe the
mott violent and oppreiIive conduct
Fort Appollonia is completely under
the contol of Van Saoka, the king of
1ppolonia, syho is mott cruel and FAM
ga nary tyrant.-It would be highly de-
iirable If We could obtain the Dutch Fort
of Axium, fituated few miles from fort
AppolloDia, as it has an excellent an
chorage, and the beit landing on any
part of the coat there is alfoa fine rlv-
or navigable for large boats, a confdera-
bic diltance in the interior; and is in my
opinion the bea point to open a trade
and free intercourfe with the Aihantec
country the capital of which | believe
might be reached in the courfc of ten
days.-The Fort of Dixcove has been
ufeful, on account of the quantity'of tim
Der growing in its neishborhood.
AT Succondce there is Governor,
but neither fort nor folders it is how
ever good place FOR trade. Cape Coat
Cattle is fine building, itrong towards
the lea, but mott improperly weak on the
land fdc added to which, the town has
been allowed to approach within very
fhort diftance of the cattle. ALL the
houses have thick mud walls, which are
impervious to mufketry, and would at
ford helter to thousands bur the filth
which is allowed to accumulate in the
ftreets is fufTicient to bring plague.
Neither the country or the manners of
the people have been improved Gnce it
has been in our pofefiion this mag
inc is chiefly owing to the want of prop
er authority and there is no doubt of
their acquiring the qualifications neces-
fairy to form good characters, if proper
means were adopted towards them. The
natives are at present under no laws but
their own, we have no means of bring
ing man TO jnfice, even for murder
they arc tolerably honelt towards each
other, but coniider themselves fully au-
thorised to plumber white men, having
no dread of Funiihmenr.
To increafe our trade with Africa, en-
large the knowledge of the natives, and
promote their induiry, free inter
courie with the interior is absolutely ne
cefiary ;Ibut above all, government mutt
be eitablifhed there, that will iecurc fuch
property as may be acquired by exertion:
without which, in my opinion, Africa