All ships, on their arrival, pay a certain measurement, which is calculated by their tonnage, amounting to an heavy fum, and, within a few years has been greatly augmented. A ship belonging to the East-India Company pays, I believe, from 800l. to izool. All goods must be conveyed on fhore by the boats of the country; fo that continual robberies are committed on the cargoes fent from the fhip to Canton, which is diftant about fourteen miles; and, ftrange as it may feem, no remedy is to be found, or punishment inflicted, upon fuch open injuftice. The Houang man is the only perfon to whom an European has accefs; fo that the foreign merchant is left entirely to the mercy of an agent whose interest it is to opprefs him the

most.

All Europeans are prohibited from entering the city of Canton; and if any fhould perfift in paying a clandeftine vifit, as fome have done, they are feverely bambooed and turned back again. The Chinese call an European a Fanqui.

It must, however, be obferved, that the idea of the Houang merchants being fecurity for each other, is entirely fallacious; for these commercial guardians are fometimes known to become bankrupts; and mary Europeans have fuffered feverely by the failure of them. I have fome reason to imagine that the debts due to the British mer-chants, and on which account Captain Panton, in the Racehorse, was fent to Canton, are not yet liquidated; and which, being incurred by the failure of a very confiderable Houang merchant, evidently proves that this body of men are not fecurity for each other. This debt amounted to some hundred thousand pounds, part of which has been paid by instalments, which have been in a course of payment for the space of ten years, without intereft. This money has, how-ever, in fact, been paid by the Europeans themselves; as, in order to difcharge the debt, an additional duty has been laid on all European articles, which ftill continues: and, as Great Britain poffeffes by far the greatest share of the China trade, the fuffers proportionably in these heavy accumulating impofitions.'

After fome farther obfervations Mr. Meares adds:

Το

1f, therefore, it is a national object to procure the teas and ma, nufactures of China of better qualities, and at a cheaper rate, fome method fhould be devised by the British government to procure the northern ports of that country to be opened to us, as well as to emancipate our trade from the vexatious bondage beneath which it groans in the only Chinese port which our fhips are allowed to enter. effect this (and I have not the leaft doubt but it might be effected), it is humbly fubmitted, whether it might not be proper to fend an embaffy directly to Pekin, with fuch a degree of confequence and fplendour attached to it as becomes the reprefentative of a British monarch bearing his credentials to the fplendid court of a great oriental fovereign."

Mr. Meares tells us that the Chinese, in the northern provinces, are fo fond of furs, that from five hundred to a thousand dollars,

8

dollars, and even a larger fum, are frequently given for a fingle fuit of this precious clothing. We are informed alfo, that tin is become a very fashionable article in the Chinese market. During the long period the East-India Company have traded to China, the whole of their exports, including every commercial article, have not amounted to more than 100,000l. annually, fill within these five years; and in that time, the average exports in their fhips, in thirteen months, or two feasons, from Cornwall alone, have amounted to 2000 tons of tin, valued at 130,000l. This branch of trade, therefore, is likely to become of great advantage to Britain; and it is hoped that proper attention will be paid to it.

Of the remaining voyage, which forms the principal subject of this work, we fhall give an account in our next number. [To be continued. ]

FOREIGN

LITERATURE.

ART. XIII. A Defcription of Negritia. By M.P.D. P. formerly Member of the Supreme Council at Senegal, and afterwards Governor of Fort St. Louis, at Gregoy, in the Kingdom of Juda. With Cuts. 8vo. Amfterdam, 1789.

[Concluded. ]

Some

ΤΗ HE King of Dahomey keeps a standing army always on foot, and when he has occafion for recruits, every village muft furnish him with a certain number of young men, accuftomed to temperance and the fatigues of war. This army, which is commanded by a grand general, who has the title of Agaon, is confidered as invincible, and becomes formidable to all those who are under the neceffity of encountering it. even pretend that, fhould it happen to be beaten, if one only efcaped to bring intelligence of this difafter, his majesty would inftantly order his head to be cut off. If this law be barbarous, and worthy the fovereign who has made it, we muft, however, allow, that it tends to keep up a fpirit of bravery among thefe troops, and to ftrike a terror into neighbouring nations, whom they continually endeavour to plunder; but as they cannot always fucceed in their attempts, the king is fometimes obliged to rob even his own fubjects.

On preffing occafions, he fells the females belonging to his palace, whom he receives by way of tribute from every father in his kingdom, who is obliged to fend him one of his daughters. When he has occafion for any kind of merchandise, or cauries,

I 4

which

which are the money of the country, he fends eight or ten of these young women to be fold privately in the European forts, or to the captain of fome veffel; and, that they may not be known by the way, he puts them under the care of two or three of his people, ordering them to be conducted with their heads co vered. If those who accompany them perceive any one on the road, they cry out, get out of my way inflantly; fuch is the king's order.

When a new governor, for any of the French, English, or Portuguese forts, arrives at Gregoy, which is in the kingdom of -Juda, the King of Dahomey fends one or two of his domestics, or guards, with his cane, which is a fign that they come by royal authority. When the envoy arrives at Gregoy, he repairs to the house of the Yavogan, or governor for the king among the whites, and makes him acquainted with the subject of his miffion. The negro governor then affembles his whole train, confifting generally of fixty or feventy armed men, who march before him, finging_fongs in his praise, and firing their fufees to do him honour. The governor under a large umbrella, born by a man behind him, marches after this train, followed by feveral domeftics, who carry his chair of state.

The governor is accompanied by the king's envoy, who has one half of his head fhaved, and the other with the hair on it. He wears, at the fame time, a girdle, compofed of fourteen or fifteen rows of human teeth; and has no other covering but a kind of petticoat made of filk, which defcends only to his knees.

In this manner having repaired to the fort of the new commander, with a loud noife, the king's envoy, the Yavogan, and a few domeftics, are permitted to enter; while the reft remain without, or at the bottom of the staircase. When they arrive at the audience chamber, they all feat themselves on the floor of the apartment, except the Yavogan alone, who is permitted to have a chair close to the new commander of the fort.

The king's envoy, who is feated at the Yavogan's feet, having put his master's cane into his hands, the latter draws it from a kind of cafe in which it is enclofed, and immediately every negro, of whatever quality he may be, is obliged to throw himself on his belly, with his face towards the floor, and to cover his head with duft. After this mark of refpect, the negro governor puts the cane into the hands of the new commander, and communicates to him the orders he has received, which generally confift in telling him that the king, having heard of his arrival at the fort, fends him to pay his refpects to him, and to beg that he would come as foon as poffible to fee him, and to make the neceffary arrangements refpecting commerce. The envoy is then difmiffed with fome finall prefent, • Next

6

Next morning the new commander of the fort sends, in turn, an interpreter with his cane, to thank the prince, and to inform him that he will wait on him in the courfe of a few days, if business and his health permit. In order, then, that he may difcharge this promife, and render his journey fuccessful, he collects fome of the most valuable articles he has brought with him from Europe, and fets them apart as a present for his majesty.

When the governor has made every neceffary preparation, he fets out in a hammock, which is the carriage of the blacks, accompanied by feven or eight porters to relieve each other. His train is compofed of his interpreter and domeftics; and he is generally three days on his journey. When he is within two or three leagues of Abomey, where the king refides, his majesty, in order to give him fome idea of his grandeur, fends to meet him a company of thirty or forty men apes; that is to fay, men three feet high, and very much deformed, whom he collects in every part of the country, and afterwards dreffes in the fkins of large apes, from each of which a huge tail is left fufpended.

As foon as this company, which is commanded by a captain of the same stature, fees the new governor, they begin to caper, and perform a variety of gambols, in the fame manner as real apes; and when they come up to him, their captain goes and compliments him in the name of his mafter, and prefents him with fome refreshment, fuch as a glafs of bad wine, or of fome ftrong liquor, with which he drinks his majesty's health.

When this ceremony is ended, the apes return in the fame manner as they came, jumping and capering; but half an hour after, the commander receives a new deputation no less strange, composed of a company of eunuchs. Every year the king causes twelve to be made, who are mutilated no farther than those intended in Italy to be fingers; for his majefty causes them to marry; and it is faid that the women often prefer them to other men. Thefe beings are of no ufe to the king but to gratify his vanity. They are dreffed in the fame manner as women, and they pay their respects, like the fair fex, with a captain at their head, who accosts the new commander, fhewing as much apparent humility and diftrefs, as the apes fhewed mirth and gaiety. The fame ceremonies are then renewed, with fresh compliments from the king, and a glass of wine to drink his health. After this the eunuchs retire; but the fcene does not end here,

At the distance of a quarter of a league from Abomey the new commander is met by another company, more numerous than the former, and composed of foldiers or guards, who, however, attend the king only when abroad. Thefe men, who are

tall,

tall, ftrong, and robuft, wear on their heads an helmet, or cap, made of elephant's skin, to which the tail of the animal is affixed, in the form of a plume; they have alfo girdles, compofed of fourteen or fifteen rows of human teeth, a fhort fabre, the blade of which is three inches and an half or four inches in breadth, a small fufee over their arm, and no other covering but a piece of filk or cotton cloth, which defcends below the knee. The afpect of thefe troops has in it fomething striking, and even terrible, to thofe who fee them for the first time. When the chief of this company comes up to the new commander he makes them repeatedly discharge their pieces to do him honour, and accosts him with the fame ceremonies as the preceding. He alfo invites him to drink to the health of his master, and accompanies him to the fovereign's palace.

The minifter then conducts the commander, who is still carried in his hammock, through the principal parts of the palace, amidft the noife of mufquetry, which is accompanied with finging. It is faid that the prince, during this ceremony, ftands at a window on the first story, and amufes himself with feeing the proceffion. The new governor is then conducted by the minifter to the lodgings deftined for him, where he is congratulated on his arrival; after which his majefty orders him to be faluted by the discharge of nine cannons, and fends a fervant to him with his cane, which cofts him the fame number of small ftones as there have been guns fired to falute him.

'The fovereign's cane is accompanied with provisions for the governor and his people, and a promise that the king will give him an audience the next day. At the hour appointed, the governor, accompanied by his interpreter and the minifter, re pairs to the place of audience: as the king is well acquainted with the ceremonial of Europe, the governor is obliged, on fuch occafions, to wear his fword.

Having paffed feveral fpacious courts, they at length arrive at one containing several alcoves, in one of which his majesty is feated on a fopha under a canopy, clothed in velvet, or in blue or crimfon fatin, and having five or fix women before him, one of whom holds a golden bafon for him to spit in, while two others are employed in driving away the flies. When the minifter approaches the prince, he throws himself on the ground, and creeping towards him, ftops at the distance of eight or nine paces. The white governor finds a chair placed for him, in which he is invited to fit down, while the interpreter at his feet, and the minifter lying on his belly, with his head turned a little to one fide that he may not look upon the king, liftens to the words which his mafter wishes to convey to the new governor; and, having communicated them to the interpreter, in the language

of