An authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce : wrecked on the western cost of Africa, in the month of August, 1815. . very handsome, strong, and fleet, of the realArabian kind, and very high spirited. The inhabitants are of a tawny colour, like theMoors, though not quite so dark, and I was informedthey were principally descendants of the ancient in-habitants of the country before it was overrun bythe Arabs or Saracens : they are in their personsabout five feet eio-ht or nine inches in heio-ht; stoutbuilt, robust, and athletic, and are very straightlimbed : they have rather
An authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce : wrecked on the western cost of Africa, in the month of August, 1815. . very handsome, strong, and fleet, of the realArabian kind, and very high spirited. The inhabitants are of a tawny colour, like theMoors, though not quite so dark, and I was informedthey were principally descendants of the ancient in-habitants of the country before it was overrun bythe Arabs or Saracens : they are in their personsabout five feet eio-ht or nine inches in heio-ht; stoutbuilt, robust, and athletic, and are very straightlimbed : they have rather a round visage, with pro-minent features, black hair, sharp pointed noses, andgreat bushy beards: their eyes are black, but not solively, expressive, or intelligent, as those of theArabs: their mouths are wide, and their lips dress consists of a kind of shirt made of blueguinea or linen cloth, or coarse white muslin, thatpasses over their shoulders, and falls down neartheir knees, but without sleeves: over this, theyw^ear a haick or blanket made of woollen cloth, ofiibput five yards in length, and an c\\ in width: this. I OBSERVATIONS ON AFRICA. 389 they wrap round them; some of them also wear thecloak, or sulam, and Moorish trowsers; and have ontheir heads either turbans oF white cotton cloth, ora fold of their haick. The heads of the men aregenerally shaved smooth, at least once a month:their women, like those of the Moors, are not to beseen by the men, except their husbands or fathers :the men are very industrious, and work their landby ploughing it up with a plough formed out of thetrunk of a tree hewn sharp to a point that projectsabout two feet forward, from a stout crooked limb,that serves as a beam to the plough; while a small-er, and particularly formed limb, is used as a handleto steady and govern it. In order to fix their ani-mals to the plough, they first attach them together,say a cow and an ass, (for this seemed to make afavourite pair, and I observed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1810, bookidauthen, booksubjectslavery
