The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-16

beyond u few feet, tracts or tall wavy grasses,
tiger. spear and cane, ~ lurking places for any
wild beast of prey, varied by bosky dells, lengthy
winding ravines, literally choked with vegetation,
and hills on the slope Of which perhaps rested the
village of timid suspicious sub tribe. And II the
eye ever In search OF the picturesque and novel,
rowing for stranger scenes, chauced TO fall ON the
long line of suri and. as the ear listened to It's
sonorous, deep sounding thunder, the mind re-
CURED to the Psalmist's expressive words-'They
that 60 down to the sea In snips that do business
In great waters; these see the works OF the Lord
and HIS wonders in the deep"
THE SURF ON THE AFRICAN COAST
Is ever wonder and danger. There is no coast
In any part OF the word which possesses less ports
or harbors OF refuge. You may travel 1000 miles
almost without finding q cove or harbor where o
ship could anchor quietly without being rocked by
the surf waves. Try along the whole OF the grain,
the ivory, the gold and the slave coasts and there
Is not one port But fortunately for ships trading
to these places. there Is seldom hurricane or a
gale blowing 30 that they are able to anchor about
mile from shore. There Is never any dead calm,
though the sea in the morning Is stirred up into
wavelets by the breeze from oceanward. During
the night 1t is moved by the land breeze, so
that ships anchoring In the roadsteads are ever
to be seen rolling uneasily they are at rest
INCREASINGLY the long lines Of waves are to be
traced rolling EDWARDS toward the shore, gather
ing strength al they advance nearer until,
ceiving the ebbing waters nswing from the beach
from preceding seas, there is . simultaneous
coiling and rolling, and at once the long line OF
waters is precpitated with furious roar on the
land. Where the water meets rock q tall tower
OF spray and foam is suddenly reared. the wave
line is broken, and Is In mao confusion. Where
the beach IL smooth and Of sand you may trace a
straight, unbroken line OF foam, nearly mile long,
You can easily understand, then, the trouble and
annoyance
undergoes on such an inhOspitable coast. An or
binary ships boat is useless; it would be drown
ing matter for a crew OF sailors unaccustomed to
this surf to attempt to land anywhere along tie
coast between Sherbro and Lagos. distance OF
nearly 1900 miles. The mouths of the insignld-
cant rivers which feed the sea along this distance
offer just as dangerous imped1ments to an ordl-
nary ships boat as the beach does.
LONG LINE OF MIGHTY BREAKERS
runs across the mouth OF each river. and forms
bar which Is almost certain death to cross except
In boats specially constructed for the peculiar
work and native canoes These surf boats have no
straight stems or sterns; the keel Is in the shape
OF an immense bow, which allows the advancing
wave to well under the boat before It's crest lifts it
aioft to precptate it into the deep trough left in
Its track. straight stemmed boat cuts the
wave, and its divided crest it falls unites and
swamps her. Many and many poor sailor. igno-
rant OF these things, has lost the number OF his
mess on this coast and the history OF trade on 1t
Is raught with many doleful tale.
Beyond Annamaboe, Agrah is seen nesting COM
fortably in the lap OF palm-cad hills a small I'M
village, and soon rises to view the
five hill cones OF Cromantine. mass OF white
buildings glistens in contrast to green palm fronds,
an old fort struggles into view and tall tower
also ruined catches the eye. Cromantine was evi.
IDENTIFY place of some Importance once. Its posi-
ton is admirable; the range behlnd it augurs
well fot
THE sALUBRITY OF THE CLIMATE
and the nne, TALL singular hills just aback Of the
range would have been well adapted for sanatoria
II the authorities Of Cromantine were acquainted
with sanative principles when the town was pros
porous,
Cromantiue has history. I wish I could give
you the plain simple story that one it's stones in
the ruined fort could TELL had 1t a tongue to speak
dare say 1t would be one OF the most pathetic
stories that could be told connected with the Gold
Coast. 1t has the merit of having been the first
which the English made on the coast.
Admiral de Ruyter wrested it rom the English III
1868, and called it Fort Amsterdam, after his
beloved natal place. 1t was great slave mart
once, Human cattle have filed the square OF the
fort after trampIng long, weary leagues, from far
Gando and SokOto, Cd the eastern bank OF the
great Niger. Descendants Of the Moorish trader
and his Felatah slave now inhabt the town OF
wicked memories and in the olive, bright-eyed
muatto OF Cromantine you may recognize the seed
OF the Dutchman.
However It is all very pretty to look at from the
"A
gained its pride OF strength since the Ashantees
pluhdered 1t In 1907 and the strong tower lording
it from their heights over the more peaceful look
ing mercantile houses, which, for business sake,
have sought the neighborhood Of the beach. with
the vivid green ridge and hill cones beyond which
seem IN the shadows they darby give out to
cherish and soothe what remains Of the once
stirring settlement OF Cromantine.
Beyond the old town few miles the range dips
down into
A BROAD ALLUvIAL VALLEY,
formed by the Amissa and the Nacqua rivers,
which, never in the dry season and seldom
even in the rainy season. empty themselves into
the sea. This is another feature peculiar 10 the
west coast OF Africa There are numerous small
rivers within the bank OF comminuted shell and
sand which the Atlantic waves have forced up:
but very few OF them have current
enough 10 WitHsbduu bHc EtSl5tesS i0fce Oh
the surf. Rivers, such as the ASSUME,
the Prah and the volter have volume sufficient
to clear the surface TO superficial depth Of the
sand the action OF the sea heaves up but the
smaller rivers with their feebler currents nnd
themselves imprisoned by bank OF sand aver
aging from few yards to a lew miles In breadth,
consequently finding their natural debouchures
barred up, they form agoons, which, as in the
lagoons OF Grand Bsssan, Volta and lagos are
many scores OF miles In length. Lagoons OF linn
tied extent here called salt ponds, such as the
salt ponds near Cape Coast Castle, Anmamaboe,
Cromantine Babh Point and Accra and a score OF
other places. The alluvial deposits conveyed by
the small rivers settle down in the lagoons, the
bottom OF which in the course OF ages will have
become of the same altitude as the beach. The
rivers then overrun their barriers, eat out chan.
mel, to be again imprisoned by new bank of sand
to again form lagoons and to again create new
land, and thus