SOOLIMANA, a country situated among the sources of the rivers which enter the sea at and immediately to the north of Sierra Leone. This territory extends between 9° 20' and 10° 23' W. long., and mostly south of 10' N. lat., being about 60 miles in breadth from north to south, and reaching from the present site of Fatalea to the left bank of the Joliba or Niger. This is the native country of the Soolimas; but they now chiefly occupy a strip of land in the Kooranko territory, which is bounded S. by the river Rokelle, N. by Foote Jallon, W. by Limba and Tamisso, and E. by Kooranko proper and Soolimana, which latter is now used merely as a farming-ground, and only as a temporary residence.
The Soolima country is diversified with hills, vales, and meadows, belted with strips of wood, and decorated with clumps of trees of the densest foliage. The hills are composed of a light whitish granite. Tho soil of the valleys is remarkable for its fertility, and requires very little labour to prepare it for the seed. After sowing, which is generally before the 15th of June, the Soolima leaves his farm in Soolimana, until October, to the care of his wives, who clear the crop of weeds in the early stages of its growth. In October the husband returns from Kooranko, and both sexes labour together in getting in the harvest Rice is the chief object of culture. Yams and ground-nuts, bananas, pine-apples, and oranges are the principal fruits. The Soolimas have numerous herds of cattle ; and they also rear sheep, goats, and email poultry. The wild animals are numerous, especially elephants, buffaloes, • species of antelope, monkeys, and wolves.
All the principal towns of the Soolimas are in Kooranko. These are Falaba, the capital, Sangouia, Semba, Mouseiah, and Konkodoo gore, containing in all about 25,000 souls, of which Falaba has about 6000. It derives its name from the Fala-Ba, or river Fala, on which it stands, and is nearly a mile and a half long by a mile in breadth, although closely built for an African town. The town is surrounded
by a thick stockade of hard wood, and by a ditch 20 feet deep by as many broad. It is of an oblong shape, containing about 4000 circular houses or huts, which though built of clay and covered with conical roofs of thatch, are extremely neat, clean, and in many cases elegant The palaver or court-house stands on an open piece of ground towards the south end of the town. In the centre of the town a large open piece of ground is left vacant for the purposes of exercise, of receiving strangers, and of holding grand palaver..
The Soolimas are partly heathen, partly Mohammedan ; their stature ranges from 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches. They are well formed and muscular. In battle they use the spear, musket, sling, and bow. They exercise the most open hospitality to the strangers who visit them as trader.. The trade of the country, which is mono polised by the king, is chiefly with the Sangaras and the Mandingoes. The former bring horses and gold, for which they receive a share of the goods—cloth, powder, flints, beads, &c.—brought from the coast by the Mandingoes, who in their turn receive slaves and other spoils of war, with a little ivory.
Except sowing and reaping, the principal cares of husbandry are left to the females, while the men look after the dairy and milk the cows. The women build houses and plaster walls, act as barbers and surgeons, &a, while the men employ themselves in sewing, and often in washing clothes. The dress of both .exec is very similar to that of the Mandingoes. Murder is the only crime punished with death • for all other crimes, floes, stripes, or slavery are the punishments. is inflicted by strangling. The mode of trial appears not unlike trial by jury.