[1] Put metaphorically for a Ship’s Cockpit; and answers to the dark Cellaring of a House.

[2] At the Changes of the Moon appears a Pillar of Fire in the North, which darting its Rays every way, moves from Place to Place, enlightning not only Greenland, but Iceland and Norway; and sometimes further, till the returning Sun obscures it. (Harris, p. 635. Vol. II.)

[3] Finis Terræ, the Westermost Extremity of Europe, and formerly thought a Ne plus ultra.

[4]

[5] Vide Harris’s Voyages.

[6] Ten-pounders are like Mullets, but full of small Bones, like Herring-bones.

[7] Old-wives; a scaly, flat Fish, half as thick as long, called so from some Resemblance the Face is fancied to have, with that of a Nun’s.

[8] Cavalloes; a bright, silver-colour’d Fish, with a prickly Ridge on each side, half its length.

[9] Barricudoes; a well-tasted Fish, one Foot and an half long, not wholesome if the Roof of the Mouth be black.

[10] Sucking-Fish; something like the Dog-Fish; underneath he has an oval Flat, of three Inches and an half over, granulated like a Nutmeg-grater; with this he sticks so fast, as difficultly to be torn from the Deck. He often infests the Shirk, sticks fast, and sucks his Nourishment from him.

[11] Cat-Fish, so called from four slender Fibres like Whiskers, sprouting from the under part of his Mouth.

[12] Lollas, are Places cleared of Wood, but barren; the Habitations only of Bug a bugs, the Species of an Ant; build not above a Foot and half high; are whitish, smaller than the common sort, sting, and devour Cloaths.

[13] Lugars; open, clear Places, sowed with Rice, &c.

[14] Plantanes and Bananoes are a very common Fruit, shaped like Cucumbers, but slender and longer; peeled of their Coat, they are roasted and eat as Bread, fried, or eaten raw. The latter is the juicier, and of a preferable Taste. The Plant bearing them grows as high as a Cherry-tree, with a Leaf three Yards long, and one over; an admirable Detergent in foul, sanious Ulcers, stripped of the inner Skin, and applied as you do Housleek in Corns.

[15] The Pine-Apple is their Prince of Fruits; does not grow so high, but about the Bigness of a Pæony; a beautiful green and yellow; firm and juicy as a Melon; eaten with Wine and Sugar. Some of strong Fancy, imagine all sorts of Fruit to be tasted in it; to me, it always left a stinging abstergent Flavour.

[16] Lime-trees, about as big as our Apple, arise by several Roots, and have an oval Leaf; the Fruit smaller, but of sharper Scent and Flavour than Lemons. In the Woods also are many Sevil-Orange Trees, the Fruit largest and best tasted of any I ever met.

[17] Papais, the Size of a moderate Melon, green as that, and full of Seeds, which thrown out, and the outside pared, is used with Meat, buttered and salted. They grow 20 or 30 Foot high. Bosman says, Male and Female (the Alcoran, that all Fruits grow so, p. 213.) the Male blossoming, but bearing no Fruit.

[18] Rice is sown in swampy Grounds; grows the height of our Wheat, and from the top of the Stems shoot very slender Stalks, bearing the Rice grained one above another to a vast Increase; a Peck yielding above 40 Bushels: Yet such is their Idleness, there is often a Deficiency supplied from Sherbro, &c.

[19] The Civet is about as large as a Ram Cat, comes from about Sherbro; it’s Head like a Foxes. The Male only affords this, at the rate of 3 or 4 Grains a day, gathered with a Quill out of a little Cod or Hole, near the Intestin. rectum.

[20] General Phips at Cape Corso, was so nettled at this (he receiving but 19 for 21) that it took his Stomach off Victuals two or three Days.

[21] The Word Fetish is used in a double Signification among the Negroes: It is applied to Dress and Ornament, and to something reverenced as a Deity (a Lake, a Stone, a Tree, &c.) both so far agree, as to be regarded as a Charm. That by a Peculiarity, and this by some inherent Essence, can attract Good, or divert Evil. Here they sometimes hide the Fetish in secret parts of the Woods; on urgent Occasions make a sort of Appeal to them, separating some the Friday, some the Saturday, and keep within doors the whole day, in a Moaning, or what you may call a Devotion to it.

[22] Salaries 80l. per Ann.

[23] Boiled by the Negroes to the bigness of half-penny Rolls, and an Accy purchases nine a day of them for a Month. The English bake it.

A lean Goat you may get by chance for five Accys; a Muscovy Duck, a Parrot, or couple of Chickens, for one.

[24] Miscell. Curiosa. Vol. iii. has a Journal of the Weather at Cape Corso for 12 Months, from Mr. Hillier, who says, that was a Year of the most Rain that could be remembred.

[25] Tittwees, like a large Wolf or Mastive, very fierce, and rob their Towns in the Night, of what Kid or Poultry they find.

Tigers, not so adventurous, but are seen by them sometimes: There are two now in the Castle.

Serpents. I have heard the Gentlemen of the Factory say, they have been seen here 30 foot long, able to swallow a Child whole; (Bosman says, a Man, or a full-grown Deer.)

Deer. Those whose Feet are tipped, and used as Tobacco-Stoppers, are the bigness of a large Cat. The General had one in his Kitchen, the Feet as thick as the middle Finger; whence I judge, those very slender ones we see, are the Abortives of this Animal.

[26] These sort of Tryals have much the same View with the Water of Jealousy among the Jews, or Ordeal with our Saxon Ancestors, that is, a Tryal by Fire or Water: The former was proving their Innocency by walking on hot Plough-Shears un-hurt: The latter was used hot or cold. They run their Arm into it scalding hot; or the Priest gave an Imprecation to a Draught of Holy-Water. The Person swore to his Innocence, and being tied Hands and Feet, was thrown into a River or Pond; if he sunk, he was adjudged innocent, if he floated, guilty: And these ways continued till K. Hen. III.

Another way with the Saxons, was single Combat; if a Woman, she appointed her Champion.

Another, since we are upon Tryal, was by two Ounces of Bread and Cheese taken after the Communion, the Priest thus imprecating; May it stick in your Throat, turn pale, your Limbs convulsed, &c. if guilty; but if innocent, may you swallow it easily, &c.

Rapin.

[27] Hæmac is a Brasil word, and signifies a Net slung to rest in; made there from the Rind of a Tree.

[28] Milton. B. 10, & 11.

[29] A Negrish Name.

[30] See the Appendix to the Navy-Surgeon, in which are Physical Observations on the Moisture and Density of the Air.

[31] There is a square Fort on the Larboard Point of the Bay, and Anchorings about a League from it.

[32] Some pretend to have found what they call a material Thunder-bolt; such a one is said to have fell on the Turkish Mosque at Adrianople A. D. 1693; and such are shewn in the Museums of Princes. At Copenhagen they have a large piece of metallick Substance, said to be Thunder-bolt.

[33] A Word used by our Sailors, for the Grout is made of it.

[34] Moquissin is a name given to any thing they think has an incomprehensible Virtue. V. Geographic. Atlas.

[35] The Portuguese, who trade hither from Erasil, chuse their Cargoes all Boys and Girls, if they can, as more ductile for Conversion; there being Fathers appointed to instruct them in their Creed, and to baptize them, on their arrival; but then they are Papists.

[36] Made of a peculiar Earth from Germany, and bear (those that are good) the most intense heat.

[37]

[38] At this Place I would observe, in relation to heaving the Lead, that there is a Nisus in Bodies of Water from below upwards, which makes ’em to sink neither so fast, nor so direct, at any considerable Depth, as near the Surface; all at 200 Fathom or less, being bottomless; i. e. unfathomable.

This Nisus, or resisting Motion to the Descent of Bodies, is not only perceptible in the Lead, but more sensibly declares itself, first, in that black or green Skim, seen sometimes on the Surface (even smelling) after long Calms, the Product of some intestine Motion.

2. That Divers, or any floating Bodies, emerge with greater Force than they sunk.

3. Mr. Boyle’s 20th Experiment observes, that a glass Bubble let open into the Receiver, on the Exsuction of the Air, the Water in it manifestly rises a greater Height; consequently the Expansion and Rarefaction of the Air by the Heat of the Sun, makes room for this Spring in the Water, to exert itself; and therefore the Tides themselves would more difficultly yield to the distant Attractions of the Sun and Moon (I should think) without adding to that Theory this conjoined Force, or natural Propensity of the Sea, to swell before.

In respect to sinking the Lead, also may be added, a greater Coldness, and a greater Saltness of the Sea, in proportion to the Depths; (both which are very probable,) and will create a greater Buoyancy, or Resistance to sinking, as will likewise the drawing out a greater Quantity of Line, (less apt to demerge.) So that although falling Bodies in Air, have their Velocities encreased, the nearer they approach the Earth, yet contrarily in Water, it diminishes with the Descent.

[39] Depend much on the preceding Season, (hot and dry Weather) apt to raise greater Plenty of elastick Vapours on the Terra firma, and will explode themselves now here, now there, as the greater Rarefaction of Air (more towards one Island than another) may invite.