Senhor ,Manoel’s,u (having .come to ¡Bona Vista on the pretence of
health).which rendered it; impossible for that gentleman to accommodate
us in hi^jg^n house jjiand as there-was scarcely another in
the place, he requested, us to go to a room in .the custom-house,
till an unfinished dwelling should be ready, to receive us. He
apologized for .having suffered .us to remain so long on board the
ff^Pj.jbnt.j^tatedj dhaJ; he had.been a few.miles into.the country
with, tin; Governor, and our letter did not, reach him till his
return ; he promised every thing .that Mr.. Bowdich desired, not
only to forward Jiis schemes for visiting, all. the islapd^, by having
vessels ready at any moinent, but even offered to send , us to the
Gambia in- one of his. own schooners ■.
.. Exhilarated by these, fair prospects, wedeft .the American with
no smaff .thankfulness, and although prepared by Mr.* Bowdich to
see a.house. in tjhe.styleof, those, inhabited by the , Cape .Coast
^.ulattoes, my, expectations were ■ far exceeded. . I was. presented
to the Governor, and Senhor Manoel’spldesti unmairieffdaughter,
an ■ interesting girl of eighteen, , and-as soon ' as possible,;, we
adjourned to the custom-house.. The crowd of blacks thrusting
themselyesinto our room, and the .noise around, »convinced us,-we
were again, in Africa, and on getting a bowl of milk .for . our
children, and forcibly ridding ourselves;of our numerous-visitors,
we felt indescribable satisfaction at being so far on our waytoithg:
desired land. A t three we were summonedto dinner, and on this
subject do I indeed regret, th a t, 1 • am not possessed , of the
animated- powers of description which peculiarly* characterized
Mr, iBowdich’s pen, that playful satire, which,. repressed as it was
by his benevolent heart, would, occasionally burst from its,control,
only to be .recalled by some winning action, which- sealed the
pardon before the offence could be recorded on .the memory.
, Our entrance was rudely obstructed by: a formidable. sentinel,
with a ragged jacket, and a rusty cutlass, and without either shoes
or stockings.. . .We then. passed through a range of kitchens and
hovels, inhabited by.slaves; and the steams, from the former,
conveyed so strong a sensation of dirt, that it required, a tolerable
appetite to encounter the. food which awaited us. Our progress
was impeded .by throngs. of black, mulatto,. and Portuguese
children, of all sizes... Me ascended ¿.flight of dirty stairs, and on
entering the room, were presented to. the Governor’s family. His
wife, who is at the;same time his niece,;is fair,, and.ppssesses more
charms of. face .than figure, for, added to the. usual diminutive size
of her. countrywomen, she had so. completely adapted her style of
dress to the climate, that she needed, a. few elastic bandages, to
put all in order again. .11er sisters were both interesting, and all
three, evidently superior to. the rest, whom, in , deference to my
sex, I cannot be .uncharitable, enough to describe, saye one, who
.was remarkable .for being .at that time a bride.; It Is a cunning
trick of young men, cadets for instance, to marry some old despairing
relation of Senhôr Manoel’s, that they may claim a seat at his
table, a room in his house, and save themselves the expense of
living. The present instance proved how unnecessary were personal
charms, manners, accomplishments, or fortune Tor the bride,
who had been a widow, was on the wrong side of forty, her
countenance presenting a fine contrast of red pimples on a yellow
ground, and her large limbs, and sullen looks, seemed to promise,
that, when:.the first . transports (which to my astonishment were
not reserved for tête d. têtes) were passed, she would become, the
preceptress of her husband, a boy of eighteen, and not spoil him
for want, of manual discipline.;, such chastisements being by no
means rare on either side, in the annals of Portuguese conjugal
happiness. This pair, sat close together, almost on the same chair,
ate off the same plate, and drank out of the same glass, the lady
acting, as a j ackal, in clawing every thing she could catch for her lord.
. When all were assembled, including visitors, strangers, relations,