Part of Two Letters from Mr. J. Hillier, dated Cape Corse, Jan. 3. 1687/8. and Apr. 25. 1688. Wrote to the Reverend Dr. Bathurst, President of Trinity Colledge, Oxon; giving an Account of the Customs of the Inhabitants, the Air, &c. of that Place, together with an Account of the Weather there from Nov. 24. 1686. to the same Day 1687.
Cape Corse, Jan. 3. 1687/8.
I Thought the Custom of destroying Slaves at the Death of great People had been abolish'd, and I was so inform'd; but we have seen that it is not; for Oct. 3. this Year, died Ahen Penin Ashrive, King of Feton, here at Cape Corse, where he had been long sick; the Fetishers had done all they could to save his Life, which was nothing at all to purpose; their Physick scarce extends to any thing but the Flux, and what we call the French Disease; his was a Consumption and an Asthma (if I mistake not the Word) of a great continuance: so they fled to the Aid of their Religion, and according it seems to the Rules of that, they made several Pellets of Clay, which they set in his Room, in Rank and File, all sprinkled with blood; besides the several Muttons which they eat to his good Health. But that was of too little Force; so the Man died, having delivered his Sword to the Dy, who in the Interregnum was to be the principal Man, for the Kingdom is Elective, contrary to what we wrote before, and commanding him to be constant to the English, of whom himself had been a great Favourer, with a Threat, if he was not, of haunting him after his Death; he also appointed one of his Wives, whom he thought worthy of that unlucky Honour, to accompany him to the other World; the next Day he was carried to Feton, and buried there, Nov. 2. with the poor Woman we spoke of. Presently after, they that were considerable, or had a mind to seem so, sent in them that they had a mind to Murder in Honour of the King: how many there were 'tis hard to say, the highest Account gives 90, the lowest 50, the middle 70; the Blacks do not understand Arithmetick, so the Numbers they give in all Cases are very uncertain. I think there were about Eight from this Town, which will not hold Proportion to the highest rate; but 'tis like near Feton there might be more. They say also, that many more will follow at half a Years distance from his Death. The manner of the Execution of these poor Creatures I have not yet learnt, only that they make them drink and dance, with a great deal of Bravery all the begining of the Day, and towards Night cut off their Heads, but whether by that they mean the common way of their Executions I am yet to seek.
After the Kings Funeral, the next thing was to chuse a Successor; so the People was called together at Feton, (I suppose by the Authority of the Dy) without inquiring any thing of their Freehold; they pitched upon Mr. Dy, though he was not of the Blood-Royal; the Reason was, as they said, because he had Power enough to do what he pleas'd, and they could do nothing against him; but he refused the Honour because of the Charge 'twould put him to, and propos'd the Brother of the deceased King: So the Business stuck some time, but at last 'twas accorded, and he [King Ashrive's Brother] declared King, Nov. 18. his Name is Ahenaco.
'Tis Wonder how they could dispatch such a Business, with so little Disturbance; but I suppose there was no considerable Number that dissented; otherwise it would scarce have been determined without Blood-shed; for it would scarce have been possible for them to have taken any Pole.
I said it was doubt whether these Sacrifices died after the rate of their ordinary Executions; if you would know that, thus it is, the Creature that is condemn'd, is made to drink abundance of Palm-Wine, and to dance, every Body that will, in the mean time striking or pushing him, when that is over, as is said, he is thrown down, his Face into the Sand, which whether it stifle him or not, I can't tell, then his Legs are cut off below the Knees, and his Arms below the Elbow, afterward his Thigh and his Arms below the Shoulder, lastly his Head.
A Man would not expect any thing more barbarous than this; yet there is a Custom which has something worse; when any one has new Drums or Trumpets, 'tis necessary that they be consecrated with Humane Blood: I have known but one happen of this Kind, that was Jan. 7. 1686/7. when after the Man had been executed after the former rate, about Eight in the Morning; at one in the Afternoon, they drank Palm-Wine out of the upper part of his Skull, and this in the sight of all the Factors at Cape Corse.
I remember for the Unhealthiness of the Place, you proposed to inquire if it were Woody, and if any good might be done to it by cutting down the Woods, as has happen'd in many American Plantations; of that Matter this is what I can say.
The Shore lies almost East and West, expos'd to the Sea wholly upon the South, the Country is Hilly, the Hills not very high, but thick, clustering together, the Valleys between extream narrow, the whole in a manner cover'd with certain Shrubs, low, but very thick; what the People Till, comes not to above a Tenth part of their Ground; and where they do Till, it hinders not that within half a Year the Ground is over-grown as before, for they do not root up the Shrubs, but only cut, or sometimes burn them somewhat close to the Earth, so they spring again in a very little time; this is sufficient for their planting the Corn, which they do by making little Holes in the Earth at a competent Distance, and putting Seeds into them.