Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-11-25
CENTRAL. AFRICA.

South Carolina, has written an interesting booh
of ssAdventures and Missionary LaborS In
several Countries in the Interior of Africa,
from 1S49 to 1856" Mr.. B. set out from
Providence on the 18th of December, 1S49.
and arrived at Monrovia, the Capital of Lii
IBERIA, on the sth of February following. Ever
V one who makes a pilgrimage to Leicester
Square knows what landing on the Guinea
coast is like-the white cloud of surf, the
hot breeze, the green strip of land towards
which crowd of black woolly heads in
round bottomed canoes are unsteadily pad
ding. Mr.. Bowen was not capsized, but car
ried ashore on the shoulders OF brawny kroo-
| man. Landed, he found wharyes, stores,
cakes, and beer, unfinished streets, and mig
ger melodies, as in Georgia. elm one res
pect,'' the author naively tells MS, the Liberi-
ans scare deficient though not so bad as the peo-
pie of Sierra Leone or of France-illicit inter-
course is a Characteristic of Western Africa
The idIeness, too is undesirable, and Mr..
Bowen is of opinion that 'severy young man
should be trained to some useful emp lOyment,
but since it is not generally done in other
countries, we can hardly demand it in Libe-
ria.'' The climate as we learn further on, is
peculiarly unfavorable to labor. Everything is
hot, the water, the air. the ground. The very
birds, beasts, and insects are lazy. When, in
the intervals of missionary exertion, the au-
thor frequently wandered over the farms of an
afternoon, stalking my gun to shoot birds,
they were all asleep in the shady groves, and
1 have returned without so much as dove,
after wandering several miles" In December,
which is the hot month, Mr.. Bowen has OBJ
; Served hawks so overcome with the heat as to
r be unable to build their nests, except at inter
walls. Even wasps, that generally seem to
revel in heat, succumb in Yoruba, and slug
grad would only be encouraged in evil habits
:. by considering colony of Yoruban ants, for
the little ssbeasties'' there only work in the
cool of the day The height of Krooman' S
ambition is to he sert of tropical Mormon
chief, to become ga big man, and be main
tanned by gang of swarthy wives.
Mr.. Bowen's ultimate object was Yoruba,-a
, district containing population of three mil
lions, lying some forty miles west Of the Nj
ger-a country of hill and rolling prairie, and
well-inhabited mud-towns. eighty miles from
the sea. The rainy season beeing unfavOrable
, for travelling there, Mr.. Bowen, in company
with fellow mi ssionary, made diversion to
Golah town, $50 miles in the interior, ruled
by a native rejoicing in the title of King Boat
swain.
ssTbe currency on the Slave Coast and far
e interior to Hausa and Burnu is little shell as
large as the end of ones finger, called cowry,
(Ctprea moneta). They not found in West
ern Africa but a. c brought by Europeans from
: India and Zanzibar, and given to the natives
for palm-oil and other productions OF the coun-
D try. Forty cowries are called a 'Sstring, fifty
strings or two thousand cowries are s'head,
and ten heads are "bag.' 1t is usual TO val
ue two thousand cowries at dollar, which
is twenty to the cent, but Of late they are gen
; orally cheaper on the coast. am told that
the intrinsic value of good cowrieS in Europe,
where they used in the arts, is about equal
to their current value in Africa. The iron
money of Lycurgus was not more cumbersome
d than cowries, the net weight of ten dollars
> worth (20, 900 shclls) being from fifty to sew
enty pounds. The common price of fowl is
! from 300 to $50 shells; of a sheep from 1000
to 5000; of horse from 10000 to 100 eco,
II and other things in proportion. When build
y ing our houses, we obliged TO keep man
to count the cowries every evening for the la
| borers. Silver and gold are not current here
because the merchants on the coast, who import
the cowries, will take nothing but shells OF
palm -oi for the cloth, guns, tobacco, rum, &c.
which they sell to the natives. Neither is it
- possible to pay for provisions and labor in
| goods of any kind, barter being unknown, and
cowries demanded for every thing. The peo-
pie of Badagry having poor soil, and suf-
ficient traffic 10 prevent their starving, were
> not much addicted to labor. Even fishing,
which is vigorously prosecuted b. the tribes
on the Gold, Ivory, and Grain Coasts, is con-
. fined here to the sluggish Ossa river. No Ba-
: dagrian would think of launching canoe into
. the open The town swarmed with thieves
and drunkards, whose only object in life wa:
sensual qualification. Nowhere else had met
with many inrudent and shameless beg
gars. When missionary attempted to preach
to crowd in the streets market, it was very
common for some of them to reply by laying
their hands their stomachs, and saying,
ssWhte man, am hungry" Soon after my
arrival, fellow introduced himself as the
s'American chief.'' who was to receive pres
: ents from all American visitors Another was
called the. English chief, another the. French
chief" &c. These greedy chiefs are no Ion
:, ger able TO rob men as they did the Landers
: because there is now strong minority of the
Z people opposed to such conduct, but il they
i had been left to themselves, no missionary
could have passed through Badagry, withou
= leaving part of his property"
u
Chesrfulness is the daughter Of employment