BONNY, or BANNY, is a large town situate in the Bight of Benin, on the coast of Guinea, lying about twelve miles from the sea, on the east side of a river of the same name, opposite to a town called Peter-forte--side.  It consists of a considerable number of very poor huts, built of upright poles, plaistered with a kind of red earth, and covered with mats.  They are very low, being only one story.  They are very low, being only one story.  The floor is made of sand, which being constructed on swampy ground, does not long retain its firmness, but requires frequent repair.
     The inhabitants secure themselves, in some degree, against the noxious vapours, which arise from the swamps and woods that surround the town, by constantly keeping large wood fires in their huts.  They are extremely dirty and indolent; which, together with what they call the smokes, (a noxious vapour, arising from the swamps about the latter end of autumn) produces an epidemical fever, that carries off great numbers.
     The natives of Bonny believe in one Supreme Being; but they reverence greatly a harmless animal of the lizard kind, called a Guana, the body of which is about the size of a man's leg, and tapering towards its tail, nearly to a point.  Great numbers of them run about the town, being encouraged and cherished by the inhabitants.

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     The river of Bonny abounds with sharks of a very large size, which are often seen in almost incredible numbers about the slave ships, devouring with great dispatch the dead bodies of the negroes as they are thrown overboard.  The bodies of the sailors who die there, are buried on a sandy point, called Bonny Point, which lies about a quarter of a mile from the town.  It is covered at high water; and, as the bodies are buried but a small depth below the surface of the sand, the stench arising from them is sometimes very noxious.
     The trade of this town consists of slaves, and a small quantity of ivory and palm-oil, the latter of which the inhabitants use as we do butter; but its chief dependence is on the slave trade, in which it exceeds any other place on the coast of Africa.  The only water here is rain-water, which stagnating in a dirty pool, is very unwholesome.  With this, as there is no better to be procured, the ships are obliged to supply themselves, though, when drank by the sailors, it frequently occasions violent pains in the bowels, accompanied with a diarrhæa.
     THE WINDWARD COAST of Africa has a very beautiful appearance from the sea, being covered with trees, which are green all the year.  It produces rice, cotton, and indigo of the first quality, and likewise a variety of roots, such as yams, casava, sweet potatoes, &c. &c.  The soil is very rich, and the rice which it produces, is superior to that of Carolina; the cotton also is very fine.  It has a number of fine rivers, that are navigable for small sloops, a considerable way up the country.

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     The natives are a strong hardy race, especially about Setrecrou, where they are always employed in hunting and fishing.  They are extremely athletic and muscular, and are very expert in the water, and can swim for many miles.  They can likewise dive to almost any depth.  I have often thrown pieces of iron and tobacco pipes overboard, which they have never sailed bringing up in their hand.
     Their canoes are very small, not weighing above twenty-eight pounds each, and seldom carrying above two or three people.  It is surprizing to see with what rapidity they paddle themselves through the water, and to what a distance they venture in them from the shore.  I have seen them eight or nine miles distant from it.  In stormy weather the sea frequently fills them, which the persons in them seem to disregard.  When this happens, they leap into the sea, and taking hold of the ends of the canoe, turn her over several times, till they have emptied her of the chief part of the water; they then get in again, with great agility, and throw out the remainder with a small scoop, made for that purpose.
     They sell some ivory and Malegetta pepper.
     They are very cleanly in their houses, as likewise in cooking their victuals.  The ivory on this coast is very fine, especially at Cape Lahoe.  There are on this coast small cattle.
     THE GOLD COAST has not fo pleasing an appearance from the sea, as the Windward coast; but the natives are full as hardy, if not more so.  The reason given for this is, that as their country is not so fertile as the Windward, Coast, they are obliged to labour more in the cultivation of rice and corn, which is their chief food.  They have

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here, as on the Windward Coast, hogs, goats, fowls, and abundance of fine fish, &c.  They are very fond of brandy, and always get intoxicated when it is in their power to do so. They are likewise very bold and resolute, and insurrections happen more frequently among them, when on shipboard, than amongst the negroes of any other part of the coast.
     The trade here is carried on by means of gold dust, for which the Europeans give them goods, such as pieces of India chintz, basts, romals, guns, powder, tobacco, brandy, pewter, iron, lead, copper, knives, &c. &c.  After the gold dust is purchased, it is again disposed of to the natives for negroes.  Their mode of reckoning in this traffick, is by ounces; thus they say they will have so many ounces for a slave; and according to the number of ships on the coast, the price of these differs.
     The English have several forts on the Gold Coast, the principle of which are, Cape Corse, and Anamaboe.  The trade carried on at these forts, is bartering for negroes, which the governors fell again to the European ships, for the articles before mentioned.
     The natives, as just observed, are a bold, resolute people.  During the last voyage I was upon the coast, I aw a number of negroes in Cape Corse Castle, some of whom were part of the cargo of a ship from London, on whose crew they had risen, and, after killing the captain and most of the sailors, ran the ship on shore; but in endeavouring to make their escape, most of them were seized by the natives, and resold.  Eighteen of these we purchased from Governor Morgue.  The Dutch have likewise a strong fort on this coast, called

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Elmina, where they carry on a considerable trade for slaves.
     The principal places of trade for negroes, are Bonny and Calabar.  The town and trade of Bonny, I have already described.  That of Calabar is nearly similar.  The natives of the latter are of a much more delicate frame than those of the Windward and Gold Coasts.
     The natives of Angola are the mildest, and most expert in mechanicks, of any of the Africans.  Their country is the most plentiful of any in those parts, and produces different sorts of grain, particularly calavances, of which they seem, when on ship-board, to be extremely fond.  Here are likewise hogs, sheep, goats, fowls, &c. in great abundance, insomuch, that when I was at the River Ambris, we could buy a fine fat sheep for a small keg of gunpowder, the value of which was about one shilling and sixpence sterling.  They have also great plenty of fine fish.  I have often seen turtle caught, while fishing with a net for other fish. They have a species of wild cinnamon, which has a very pungent taste in the mouth.  The soil seems extremely rich, and the vegetation luxuriant and quick.  A person might walk for miles in the country amidst wild jessamin trees.
     The Portuguese have a large town on this coast, named St. Paul's, the inhabitants of which, and of the country for many miles round, prosess the Roman Catholick religion.  They are in general strictly honest.  The town of St. Paul's is strongly fortified, and the Portuguese do not suffer any other nation to trade there.

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