situated in lat. 5° 6', N., long. 1° 5' W The town is
not so low as either Bathurst or Lagos, but at the same
time not more healthy than either. It was originally
founded by the Portuguese; the British became its
owners in 1672. The immediate site of the town wears
a very rugged and barren aspect, but there are some
beautiful green hills in the background where Indian
corn and other products are cultivated. Gold dust is
the principal article of export—the gold is chiefly
brought from the Ashantee country in the interior, but
the women procure small quantities after rain by washing
the black sand scraped from the sea-beach and
water-courses. The landing is bad, although the native
canoe-men manage so well as seldom to wet their passengers.
The inhabitants experience great want of
water, relying for their supply on wells and pools which
are frequently dry, and the latter sometimes muddy
and unwholesome. The natives are very industrious,
and manufacture tolerably fine articles of jewelry. The
women both of this place and of Acra wear a strange-looking
appendage to their dress immediately at the
base of the lumbar region. Bustle would be hardly an
appropriate term for it, as, although worn in about
the same position, the appearance is different; and
though used as a support for infants, which African
women universally carry on their backs, it is
Page:A pilgrimage to my motherland.djvu/21
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A PILGRIMAGE
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/A_pilgrimage_to_my_motherland.djvu/page21-1024px-A_pilgrimage_to_my_motherland.djvu.jpg)