Some Historical Account of Guinea | Page 2

yet nothing appears, in the various relations of
the intercourse and trade for a long time carried on by the Europeans on
that coast, which would induce us to believe, that there is any real
foundation for that argument, so commonly advanced in vindication of
that trade, viz. "_That the slavery of the Negroes took its rise from a
desire, in the purchasers, to save the lives of such of them as were taken
captives in war, who would otherwise have been sacrificed to the
implacable revenge of their conquerors._" A plea which when
compared with the history of those times, will appear to be destitute of
Truth; and to have been advanced, and urged, principally by such as
were concerned in reaping the gain of this infamous traffic, as a
palliation of that, against which their own reason and conscience must
have raised fearful objections.

SOME
HISTORICAL ACCOUNT
OF

GUINEA.
* * * * *
[Price 2s. 6d. stitched.]

CHAP. I.
Guinea affords an easy living to its inhabitants, with but little toil. The
climate agrees well with the natives, but extremely unhealthful to the
Europeans. Produces provisions in the greatest plenty. Simplicity of
their housholdry. The coast of Guinea described from the river Senegal
to the kingdom of Angola. The fruitfulness of that part lying on and
between the two great rivers Senegal and Gambia. Account of the
different nations settled there. Order of government amongst the Jalofs.
Good account of some of the Fulis. The Mandingos; their management,
government, &c. Their worship. M. Adanson's account of those
countries. Surprizing vegetation. Pleasant appearance of the country.
He found the natives very sociable and obliging.
When the Negroes are considered barely in their present abject state of
slavery, broken-spirited and dejected; and too easy credit is given to the
accounts we frequently hear or read of their barbarous and savage way
of living in their own country; we shall be naturally induced to look
upon them as incapable of improvement, destitute, miserable, and
insensible of the benefits of life; and that our permitting them to live
amongst us, even on the most oppressive terms, is to them a favour. But,
on impartial enquiry, the case will appear to be far otherwise; we shall
find that there is scarce a country in the whole world, that is better
calculated for affording the necessary comforts of life to its inhabitants,
with less solicitude and toil, than Guinea. And that notwithstanding the
long converse of many of its inhabitants with (often) the worst of the
Europeans, they still retain a great deal of innocent simplicity; and,
when not stirred up to revenge from the frequent abuses they have
received from the Europeans in general, manifest themselves to be a
humane, sociable people, whose faculties are as capable of

improvement as those of other Men; and that their oeconomy and
government is, in many respects, commendable. Hence it appears they
might have lived happy, if not disturbed by the Europeans; more
especially, if these last had used such endeavours as their christian
profession requires, to communicate to the ignorant Africans that
superior knowledge which Providence had favoured them with. In
order to set this matter in its true light, and for the information of those
well-minded people who are desirous of being fully acquainted with the
merits of a cause, which is of the utmost consequence; as therein the
lives and happiness of thousands, and hundreds of thousands, of our
fellow Men have fallen, and are daily falling, a sacrifice to selfish
avarice and usurped power, I will here give some account of the several
divisions of those parts of Africa from whence the Negroes are brought,
with a summary of their produce; the disposition of their respective
inhabitants; their improvements, &c. &c. extracted from authors of
credit; mostly such as have been principal officers in the English,
French and Dutch factories, and who resided many years in those
countries. But first it is necessary to premise, as a remark generally
applicable to the whole coast of Guinea, "_That the Almighty, who has
determined and appointed the bounds of the habitation of men on the
face of the earth_" in the manner that is most conducive to the
well-being of their different natures and dispositions, has so ordered it,
that altho' Guinea is extremely unhealthy[A] to the Europeans, of
whom many thousands have met there with a miserable and untimely
end, yet it is not so with the Negroes, who enjoy a good state of
health[B] and are able to procure to themselves a comfortable
subsistence, with much less care and toil than is necessary in our more
northern climate; which last advantage arises not only from the warmth
of the climate, but also from the overflowing of the rivers, whereby the
land