offensive, and live principally by fishing. They sometimes bring off to vessels a small quantity of ivory, and Malagetta pepper.

BEREBY is situated on the margin of a bay, in which boats can generally land, as there is a projecting point of land which breaks off the sea. The natives sell a little ivory. ST. ANDREW's and DREWIN. The people here have a small quantity of ivory, for which they always wish an exorbitant price.

The town of Cape LAHOO is built on a narrow peninsula of sand formed by the sea and river, and may consist of 150 houses, containing a population of seven or eight hundred souls. The Dutch, at a former period, carried on here a considerable trade in slaves and ivory, particularly in the latter, in which article the Lahoo people have always dealt largely.

As the trade with Europeans is carried

part of the coast of Africa; and the highest trees here have not an apparent altitude exceeding fifty or sixty

feet.

on on board their vessels, but few of them ever go on shore, and I was in consequence anxious to pay the town a visit. On making my intention known to the natives, they seemed much gratified, and placed me in one of their best canoes for that purpose; from which we landed, without being much wet, the surf on the shore being moderate. I was taken to the chief's house, who treated me with much attention, kindness, and hospitality: but the beautiful tropical picture which the river at this time presented, would have amply repaid me for my trouble, if I had had no other cause for being pleased with my journey. This little river, after bending its course from the north to the back of the town, runs to the eastward a few hundred yards, parallel to the seashore, and then joins the sea. Its mouth is narrow, and choked with hard sand, on which the sea breaks with great violence, so as to render it very dangerous, either for boats or canoes to approach its entrance.

It was now the dry season, its stream almost pellucid, and its surface so tranquil, that the graceful palms which adorn its banks were reflected from its surface as from a mirror; and a few canoes, in which people were employed fishing, gave animation to the scene. The town formed the foreground, and a cluster of large ceiba and other trees, the screen to this interesting tropical picture. A boundless expanse of ocean placed within a few hundred yards of it, on which I had toiled many years, and a foaming surf rolling in upon the shore, formed a striking contrast to the tranquillity and beauty of the landscape spread out before me, which gave it charms that, in my eyes, it might not otherwise have had.

Men, women, and children, accompanied me when I went to view the entrance of the river, and I was much surprised to see many of the females approaching the adult age, in a state of nudity, as compared with those of their own sex and age living

on the Gold Coast, and without seeming at all conscious of the indecency of their appearance.

The form of government is patriarchal, although a man named Antonia appeared to exercise the greatest authority; he was at this time labouring under a diseased stomach, in consequence of having taken a dose of the tincture of cantharides, administered to him by the surgeon of a vessel, to whom he had complained of impotence.

After spending a few hours on shore, I embarked in a canoe, was upset in the surf, and swam through it to the boat, lying a few yards outside the breakers; an old man, apparently seventy years of years, swam alongside of me, to secure me from the danger of being drowned; and as soon as he had seen me safe in the boat, immediately returned to the shore. These people, like those of the windward coast, are almost amphibious.

The places of trade lying between Cape

Lahoo and Appolonia, are Jack Lahoo, Great and Little Bassam, and Assinee; at the latter three places much gold and ivory is obtained, the former of a very superior quality. The trade in gold is also consi derable at Appolonia, where the most western British fort is situated. Small cattle are sometimes to be purchased very cheap at Jack Lahoo, and also, at Jack-a-Jack, besides yams and palm oil. The latter place is a few miles to the eastward of the former.

The British forts on the Gold Coast are Dixcove, a few miles to leeward of Capethree-Points, and near a small break in the land, which may be called a cove, and from which no doubt the name in part origi nated. It is capable of sheltering a few boats of fifteen or twenty tons burthen, and is valuable as being the only place on the Gold Coast where craft can be repaired. Much gold, of a fine quality, is also obtained here.