Among the negroes of the West Indies, Obi, or Obiah, is the name of a magical power, which is believed by them to affect the object of its malignity with dismal calamities. Such a belief must undoubtedly have been deduced from the superstitious mythology of their kinsmen on the coast of Africa. I have, therefore, personified Obi as the evil spirit of the African, although the history of the African tribes mentions the evil spirits of their religious creed by a different appellation.
Note to [Page 14].
Sibir’s dreary mines.
Mr. Bell, of Antermony, in his “Travels through Siberia,” informs us that the name of the country is universally pronounced “Sibir” by the Russians.
Note to [Page 14].
Presaging wrath to Poland—and to man!
The history of the partition of Poland, of the massacre in the suburbs of Warsaw, and on the bridge of Prague, the triumphant entry of Suwarrow into the Polish capital, and the insult offered to human nature, by the blasphemous thanks offered up to Heaven, for victories obtained over men fighting in the sacred cause of liberty, by murderers and oppressors, are events generally known.
Note to [Page 19].
How long was Timour’s iron sceptre swayed?
To elucidate this passage, I shall subjoin a quotation from the preface to “Letters from a Hindoo Rajah,” by Eliza Hamilton, a work of elegance and celebrity:—