The Gold Coast commences a few leagues westward of Cape Apollonia, and terminates at Rio Volta, an extent of about 350 miles, lying between 4° 40', and 5° 40' of north lat. and between the meridian and 3° west long. Cape Apol lonia is low on the coast, but rises into three hills, covered with trees, and seen from a great distance at sea. The first fort on the v.indward part is Apollonia, about three miles eastward of the Cape, situated in a spacious plain, which is bounded towards the interior by a fine lake of fresh water, about six miles in circumference, and full of fish. In this lake a small village is crated on wooden piles, the inhabitants of which arc said to have been exiles from the interior, who were not allowed to build upon the land. Along the whole coast of Apollonia, the surf is ex ceedingly dangerous, and there are no creeks or harbours. This territory or state extends about 100 miles along the coast, and probably not more than 20 inland. The next settlement is Axim, which belongs to the Dutch, and forms part of the extensive and fertile country of Ahantah. The fort, originally built by the Portuguese, and called Fort Anthony, stands upon a promontory, which forms the western part of Cape Three Points. The landing is here perfectly safe, and may be approached by boats in the dry season without any danger. About four leagues from Fort Anthony is Fort Fredericksburgh, first erected by the Prussians, but afterwards sold to the Dutch, and now in ruins. At three leagues distance is Accoda, another Dutch settlement ; and three leagues farther is Dix Cove, be longing'to the British, advantageously situated at the en-. trance of a small cove, which is capable of admitting ves sels of 40 tons at high water. Boutry, Taccorary, and Suc condee, all Dutch settlements, lie at the distance of a few miles from each other ; and the last mentioned forms the extremity of the Ahanta country, which is the richest and hest provided with harbours of all the Gold Coast. It stretches farther inland than Apollonia, and is bounded by the Warsaw and Dinkara states. About three leagues from Succondee is Chamah, where the Dutch have a small fort called Sebastian, supposed to have been originally built by the Portuguese. About eight miles from Chaman, is Commenda, where the British and Dutch have settle ments and forts, and where the inhabitants are chiefly em ployed in supplying vessels with canoes and canoe-men for trading on the leeward coast. About 9 miles from Com menda, is Elmina, the most respectable fortress on the Gold Coast, and the head-quarters of the Dutch settle ments. The town is large, and some of the houses built of stone. The river admits vessels of 100 tons at high water, which can unload under the walls of the castle. The inhabitants consist of traders, fishermen, and a few mulatto mechanics. The population amounts to about 15,000; and a considerable trade is carried on, particularly in gold and slaves. About 9 miles from Elmina, is Cape Coast Castle, the principal British fort and settlement on the Gold Coast. It was built by the Portuguese, who ceded it to the Dutch, from whom it was taken in 1665. It has been considerably improved and strengthened by the Afri can Company ; and the castle is capable of making a powerful resistance on the side towards the sea. The town is irregular, and the houses chiefly built of clay. The population amounts to 8000 ; and the trade consists chiefly in gold. The adjoining country is called Fetu, and is subject to the Fantee state. During the existence of the slave trade, the countries from Cape Coast to Acra were the great centre of that nefarious traffic, which brought a rapid accumulation of wealth to the native traders in every town and village, the result of which was a spirit of idleness, licentiousness, and turbulence, which threat ened the overthrow of all order and security in the settle ment. About four miles from Cape Coast, is a Dutch fort called Nassau, situated at a village named Mouree. About six miles from Mouree, is the British fort Anama boa, the most compact and best built in the country ; and the town in its former flourishing state contained at least 15,000 inhabitants. But it was destroyed in a war with the Ashantees, a powerful people in the interior ; and the abolition of the slave trade, in which it formerly bore a principal share, is likely to retard its re-establishment. About three miles from Anamaboa is the town of Cor mantine, where the Dutch have a fort called Amsterdam, originally built by the British, and the first that was erect ed on the Gold Coast. About six leagues eastward is Tantumquerry, where landing is very difficult ; and, nine miles farther, is the district of Assam or Apang, where the Dutch have a small fort, and where the coast is more ac cessible. About 8 miles from Assam is the town of Win nebah, where there is a small fort belonging to tho British, and where the landing is generally safe. The town has been reduced, by wars and other casualties, from a popula tien of 4000 to 2000, and was formerly a part of the Altoo na country, which has recently fallen under the power of the Fantees. About three leagues from Winnebah is the Dutch fort of Berracoe ; and nine leagues farther west is Aera, where there are settlements of the British, Dutch, and Danes. Acra, is an independent state, which former ly belonged to the kings of Aquamboe, but has at present most intercourse with the Ashantees. It is the most healthy situation on the Gold Coast ; and the inhabitants are more civilized than most of their neighbours. About 32 miles from Acra, is a small British fort named Pram Pram ; and 3 miles farther, is the Danish fort of Ningo, around which the country is level and fertile, abounding in game, and in a large breed of horned cattle. About 36 miles from Ningo is Adda, where there is a Danish fort, and is situated on the left bank of the Rio Volta, which ter: minates the Gold Coast. This river runs nearly north-west and south-east, separating the countries of Aquamboe and Aquapim, and is navigable for small craft to the distance of 100 miles from its mouth. See ACRA, ANAMABOA, and AQUAMBOE.
The slave coast extends from Rio Volta to Rio Sagos, which separates it from the kingdom of Benin. It reaches about 50 leagues from west to east, and contains the fol lowing districts or proyinees Koto, lying between Rio Volta and Cape Monte, which is a flat, sandy territory, lit tle frequented. Near Cape Pucalo, is a village named Quilt., where there is a British fort ; and at a little dis tance is Koto, the capital of the country. Popo or Papa, about 10 leagues in length, between Cape Monte and Juida, is low and sandy, in some places marshy, and ge nerally inaccessible on the coast. At the mouth of the Tari, is a village of the same name, and a Dutch factory. Juida or Whidah, extending several leagues, is more fertile and populous than the districts already noticed; and at the mouth of one of its rivers, called Euphrates, is a port where ships may unload, though not without considerable inconvenience from the surf. Near this river, but about two leagues from the shore, is a populous town, named Sabi or Xavier, where merchants resort. At the mouth of another river, named Jaquin, are British, Portuguese, and Dutch settlements, in an island called Gregoi. Ardra extends about 15 leagues along the coast, and is a fertile but insalubrious tract. Foulaon, Assem, Jago, and Appak, are the names of its principal villages. Whidah and Ar drab have been long subject to the king of Dahomy, a pow erful state in the interior. The principal trade of the slave coast consists in salt, palm-oil, and slaves. See ARDRAH and DAROMY.
There are several tracts along the coast of Guinea of a sandy and sterile nature, without any other trees than the palm; but the general appearance of the country from the sea is that of an immense forest, with a few high grounds covered with lofty trees, ancIfthe thickest underwoocl. Ma
ny of the vallies are richly pranted, and extensive plains may be seen, beautifully studded with natural clumps of trees and bushes. In the more inland parts, where the moisture is more abundant than on the coast, the woods are almost impenetrable, on account of their luxuriant growth ; and the surface of the ground is completely con cealed by shrubs and herbs. The rivers generally run in a very winding direction, and in some places overflow their banks during the wet season, forming large stagnant ponds.
The soil varies considerably along the coast, from a light sand or gravel, to a fine black mould and loamy clay ; but it is more uniformly rich and productive towards the interior of the country. For the space or six or eight miles from the sea may be found soil of every description, suited to every kind of cultivation.
The climate is not so hot as in many other parts of Africa, nearer the tropics; and it is generally observed that the countries on the equator, from five to six degrees on either side of it, are the most temperate in the tropi cal regions of Africa. The temperature is found in these countries to be affected, not merely by the latitude, but by various other causes ; and is always cooler where the soil is good, cultivation extensive, and the country open, with high lands in the vicinity. At Cape Coast, though accounted the bottest situation on the Gold Coast, the ther mometer is usually, during the hottest months, from 85 to 90 degrees of Fahrenheit. At \Vinnebah and Acra, it is seldom known to exceed 87; and, during the months of June, July, August, not higher than 78 degrees.
The seasons, as in other tropical countries, may be distinguished into wet and dry ; or rather into two wet and one dry period. The first wet season commences in the end of May, or beginning of June, when the rains fall with great violence, and without intermission for several days. Strong breezes commonly follow this first deluge, and the rains are seldom very heavy during the remainder of the wet season, which terminates with the month of July. Then begins the foggy season, which is extremely unhealthy, especially in low, swampy, or woody situations, and continues for two or three weeks. About the month of October, the second rainy season begins ; but the rains do not fall with so much violence as the first, nor are they succeeded by mists and foggy weather. The dry season begins with November, and continues durint the remainder of the year to the month of May ; but, in the course of this period, the coast is visited with violent storms of wind, generally denominated tornadoes and har mattans. Tornadoes* commonly commence in March, and cease with the beginning of the first rains ; but some times blow before or after the second rains, or preceding a harmattan. They invariably come from the eastward, and are generally experienced a day or two after the full and change of the moon. Their approach is sufficiently indicated by vivid and successive flashes of lightning in the east, attended with thunder and heavy clouds, and by the clear and bluish appearance of the horizon. Their nearer approach is announced by the darkening of the horizon, especially in the eastern hemisphere, the in crease of the lightning, and, finally, as an immediate pre lude to the tempest, by a solemn stillness and entire calm in the lower part of the atmosphere, while the upper re gions appear in dreadful commotiori. A gentle air is then perceived, which is almost instantaneously succeed ed by violent gusts of wind, usually accompanied with rain, and seldom continuing above half an hour or fifty minutes. Tremendous peals of thunder, and torrents of rain, for the space of two or more hours, terminate the storm. During its continuance, the thermometer suffers a rapid depression of five degrees or more ; the air is sub sequently cooled, vegetation refreshed, and the human constitution invigorated. A harmattan* is an easterly wind, which prevails in the months of December, January, and February, along the coast from Cape Verd and Cape Lopez. It comcs'on indiscriminately at any time of the day, or of the tide, or of the moon ; and continues, some times one or two days, sometimes five or six, and some times even fifteen or sixteen. It is always accompanied by a fog or haze, which occasions a considerable obscu rity, and renders the sun, which appears only a few hours about noon, of a mild red colour. Extreme dryness is another attendant of a harmattan, and, during its con tinuance, no moisture is perceived in the atmosphere, or any falling of dew on the earth. All vegetation is checked, and the more tender plants are completely destroyed. The grass becomes like hay, and the most vigorous evergreens droop under its influence. Its parching effects are se verely felt on the external parts of the body, particularly the eyes, nostrils, lips, and palate, which become dry and uneasy. Drink is often required, not so much to quench thirst, as to remove a painful aridity in the latices; and, though the air is cool; a troublesome sensation of prickly heat is felt on the skin. if the wind should continue for tour or five days, the scarf-skin generally peels off from the hands and face, and even from the whole of the body. Notwithstanding these disagreeable effects, it is found, on the coast of Guinea, to be highly conducive to health, restoring persons labouring under dysenteries, fevers, or any debilitating evacuations, arresting the progress of epidemics, and apparently preventing even the artificial communication of infection.t The principal vegetable productions of the coast of Guinea, are maize, millet, rice, yams, cassada, potatoes, pulse, plantains, guavas, bananas, chillees, &c. The sugar cane grows spontaneously, to a tolerable size ; and the cot ton shrub is found in a wild'state. The indigo plant is com mon in many parts of the coast ; and black pepper has been discovered in the inland districts. European cab bage and eschallots are cultivated in some places; and a mucilaginous vegetable, called encrumah, the same as the ockra of the West Indies, (Helescus esculentu80 is very plentiful in the country. Besides the ordinary tropical fruits, there is one of a very nutritious nature, called enteraba, which is much used, and is about the shape and size of the largest onions. The silk-cotton tree is found in every part of the coast, and grows to a majestic size, so as to furnish excellent materials for the formation of canoes. There is a great variety of useful timber in the country, but the palm-tree is the most profitable to the natives. Of the leaf they rope, thread, nets, fishing lines, 'Ste. From the fruit they express an oil of great delicacy, which is used in all their dishes, and, when eaten fresh, is equal to excellent butter. The kernel con tains a hard pulpy substance, which is sometimes roasted and eaten by tile women, as promoting corpulency. From the trunk of the tallest species, which sometimes reach 100 feet in height, they draw an intoxicating liquid, which they call palm-wine, and which is procured by inserting a reed into a hole at the top of the tree, through which the liquor flows into an earthen pot. A similar liquid, of a more agreeable flavour, and less intoxicating quality, is procured from the low-palm ; but, in order to procure it, the tree is generally dug up, and the trunk heated by fire, that the juice may flow more abundantly. This wine is drunk in a state of effervescence, and will not keep above a few hours.