thefe Infects, as the Dutch will fometimes feem to attempt, to put the fuperftitious Natives into a Fright: They will beg and pray, and fall proftrate on the Ground, to procure the Liberty of this little Creature. Whenever the Hottentots feethis Fly approach their Kraal, they all affemble about it, and fing and dance round it while it remains there; and, if it happens to light upon a Tent, they look upon the Owner of it for the future as a Saint, and pay him more than ufual Refpect: The beft Ox of the Kraal alfo is immediately facrificed, to teftify their Gratitude to the little winged Deity; and, to honour the Saint he has been pleased thus to diftinguish, they present him with the Entrails, the Fat and Cawl of the Ox, the choiceft Morfels of the Beast in their Opinion: The Caul being twisted like a Rope, the Saint ever after wears it like a Collar about his Neck Day and Night, till if putrefies, and rots off; and, with the Fat, he anoints his Body from time to time, till it is all spent. Nor are the Women less reverenced by the Neighbourhood, or intitled to the like Privileges, when the adored Fly lights upon their Hut. CUSTOMS.] The Hottentot Men cover their Heads with Handfuls of Greafe and Soot mixed Hottentots. together; and, going without any thing elfe on their Heads in Summer-time, the Duft flicks to it, and makes them a very filthy Cap; which, they fay, cools them, and preferves their Heads from the fcorching Heat of the Sun: And, in Winter, they wear flat Caps of Cat-fkin or Lambfkin, half dried, which they tie with a Thong of the fame Leather under their Chins. The Men alfo wear a Mantle made of a Sheep-fkin, or other Skin, over their Shoulders, which reaches to the middle: In Winter they turn the woolly or hairy Sides next their Flefh, and in Summer the other. They wear a greafy Pouch about their Necks, in which are kept a Knife, Pipe, and Tobacco, and fome Dacha, which intoxicates like Tobacco, and a little Piece of Wood burnt at both Ends, as a Charm againft Witchcraft: He wears alfo three large Ivory Rings on his Left Arm, to which he faftens a Bag of Provifions when he travels, carrying then a Stick blunt at both Ends, and about three Feet long, alfo a Dart, to throw at an Enemy, or wild Beaft; which he feldom miffes, if he be within Diftance. There is another thing peculiar to the Men; and that is, the Bladder of any wild Beaft they have killed, being blown up, is faftened to the Hair, as a Trophy of their Valour. The Vol. I. U Women Women wear Caps, the Crowns whereof are a little raised; and these are made alfo of half-dried Skins, and tied under their Chins: They fcarce put them off Night or Day, Winter or Summer: They ufually wear two Mantles, one upon another, made of Sheep-fkins, or other Skins, which are fometimes bordered with a Fringe of raw Leather; and as these are only fastened with Thongs about their Necks, they appear naked down to the middle; but they have an Apron larger than that of the Mens, to cover them before, and another, of ftill larger Dimensions, to cover their Back-fides. About their Legs they wrap Thongs of half-dried Skins, to the Thickness of a Jack-boot, which are fuch a Load to them, that they lift up their Legs with Difficulty, and walk very much like a Trooper in Jack-boots. They ferve for a Diftinction of Sex, and Ornament; but this is not all their Finery; for, if they are Women of any Figure, inftead of Sheep-fkins, they wear a Tyger-fkin, or a Mantle made of wild Cat-fkins: They have alfo a Pouch hanging about their Necks, in which they carry something to eat, whether they are at Home or Abroad, with their Dacha, Tobacco, and Pipe. The Arms of both Men and Women are sometimes covered with Bracelets made of Glafs or Brafs Beads, from the Wrift to the Elbow. As Part of their Drefs, or Ornament, we may reckon the Cuftom of daubing their Bodies, and the Infide of their Caps and Mantles, with Greafe and Soot; for, from their Infancy, and almost every Day of their Lives after, they practise this, not only to render them of a deeper Black, but to make their Limbs pliable and fupple. Nor are they Diet. more cleanly in their Diet, than in their Drefs, for they chufe the Guts and Entrails of Cattle, and of fome wild Beafts, with very little cleanfing, rather than the rest of the Flesh, and eat their Meat half-boiled in the Blood of the Beaft, or broiled; but their principal Food confifts of Roots, Herbs, and Fruits: They feldom kill any of their Cattle, unless at a Festival; they only feed on fuch as die of old Age, or Diseases, or what they take in Hunting: And, when they are hard put to it, they will eat the raw Leather that is wound about the Womens Legs, and even the Soles of Shoes; and, as the Mantles of the poorer Sort are always well flocked with Lice of an unufual Size, they are not afhamed to fit down in the publick Streets at the Cape, pull off the Lice, and eat them. The ufual Drink of thefe People is Cows Milk, and the Women fometimes drink Ewes Milk; but this the Men never touch: And, fince . Fince the Arrival of the Europeans amongst them, the Natives are very fond of Wine, Brandy, and other spirituous Liquors. Their Furniture confifts of little more Furniture, than their Mantles, which they lie on; fome other Skins of wild Beafts they have killed, or purchafed, an earthen Pot they boil their Meat in, their Arms, and perhaps fome other trivial Utenfils. As to the Mar riages of these People, every young Fellow has Marriages. fuch a Regard to the Advice of his Father, or rather the Cuftoms of the Country require it, that he always confults the old Man, before he enters into any Treaty with his Miftrefs. And, when the Match is approved of on all Sides, the young People retire together, and, without any farther Ceremony, become Man and Wife. The next Day the Bridegroom kills a fat Ox, or more, according to his Circumftances, for the Wedding Dinner, and the Entertainment of their Friends, who refort to them on this Occafion, bringing abundance of good Wifhes for the Happiness of the married Couple, as is ufual in politer Countries. The Ox is no fooner killed, but all the Company get fome of the Fat, and grease themselves with it from Head to Foot, powdering themselves afterwards with a Duft they call Bachu and the Women, to add to their Charms, make red Spots on their black Faces, with a red Earth or Stone, which is thought to add to their Beauty by the Natives; but in the Eyes of the Europeans, render them more frightful and fhocking than they naturally are. The Entertainment being ready, the Men form one Circle in the Kraal, and the Women another; the Bridegroom fitting in the middle of the Mens Circle, and the Bride in the Centre of that of her own Sex. The Prieft, as he is called, enters the Mens Circle, and ps upon the Bridegroom, which the young Man rubs in very joyfully: Then the old Fellow goes to the Ladies Circle, where he does the Bride the fame Favour, and fhe rubs in the Urine in the like manner: and thus he goes from the Bride to the Bridegroom, till he has exhausted all his Store, beftowing on them many good Wifhes all the time; as, "That they may live long and happily together; that "they may have a Son before the Year's End, and that he may prove a brave Fellow, and an expert Huntfinan, and "the like." After which the Meat is ferved up in Earthen Pots glaz'd with Grease; and the greatest Part of them make ufe of their Teeth and Claws, pulling it to pieces, and eating as voraciously as fo many Dogs; having no other Plates or Napkins, than the ftinking Corners of the Mantles they wear. U 2 When When the Feast is over, each Circle lights a Pipe of Tobacco, which is handed round, and, when it is out, another: Thus they continue fmoking, and talking merrily on the Occafion, till towards Break of Day, when the Company difperfe. SITUATION.] Of the African ISLES. T HE chief of the African Inlands are the Azores, the Madeira, the Canary Iflands, the Ifland of Cape Verd, the Island of Afcenfion, St. Matthew, Annaboa, St. Thomas, Princess Inland, and the Ifland of Fernando Po; all these lie on the North-weft and South-west of Africa: Alfo Badmandal, Zocotara, the Islands of Comorro, Prince Maurice's Island, or the Mauritius, the Ifland of Bourbon, and that of Madagascar; all which lie in the Indian Ocean Eaft-ward of the Continent of Africa. CLIMATE.] Madagascar is a fruitful Country, abounding in Cattle, Corn, Fifh, Fowl, Herbs, Roots, and Flowers; and almost all manner of Animals Madagascar. Bourbon. and Vegetables, that are to be found on the neighbouring Continent of Africa, may be met with here. As to the Face of the Country, it is univerfally agreed, that it affords a pleafing Variety of Hills and Valleys, Woods and Champain, and is well watered with Springs and Rivers; and that there are feveral good Harbours on the Coast. But ftill it is found not to produce any kind of Merchandize, which can induce any one European Nation to attempt the Conqueft of it, or fix any confiderable Colonies here. Bourbon is finely diverfified with Mountains and Plains, Forefts and champain Fields: It has Plenty of Wood and Water, and a fruitful Soil, except one Part of the Island, which has been burnt up, and rendered barren, by a Vulcano, or fubterraneeous Fires. This Inland produces Black Cattle, Hogs, Goats, Tortoises, tame and wild Fowl, Oranges and Lemons, and other Fruits, Roots and Herbs. The Mauritius abounds in Woods of various kinds, particularly Ebony. There are also abundance of very high Mountains, from whence their Rivers fall in Torrents. The Soil does not feem proper for Corn or Wine; however, Rice and Pulfe, Sugar-canes and Tobacco, are raised here, though Joanne. in no great Quantities. The Ifland of Joanna, one of the Iflands of Comorro, the most frequented by the Europeans, produces great Plenty of Black Cattle and Goats; Fowls, Rice, Potatoes, Honey, Wax, Oranges, The Mayviti. Lemons, St. Helena, Lemons, Pine-apples, Cocoa-nuts, and other Fruits. Notwithstanding St. Helena, on every Side, appears to be a hard barren Rock, yet, on the Top, it is covered with a fine Earth a Foot or a Foot and a half deep, which produces all manner of Grain, Grass, Fruits, Herbs, Roots, and Garden-stuff: And the Country, beyond the Afcent of the Rock, is prettily diversified with rifing Hills and Plains, adorned with Plantations of Fruittrees and Kitchen-gardens, among which the Houses of the Inhabitants are interspersed: They abound in Cattle, Hogs, Goats, Turkeys, and all manner of Poultry; and their Seas are very well ftored with Fish. But the Misfortune is, they have neither Bread nor Wine of their own Growth; for though the Soil is extremely proper for Wheat, yet the Rats, which harbour in the Rocks, and cannot be destroyed, eat up all the Seed, before the Grain is well out of the Ground: And though their Vines flourish, and afford them Grapes enough, yet the Latitude is too hot for making Wine; for, it feems, neither cold nor very hot Countries agree with this Liquor. St. Jago is rocky and St. Jago. mountainous; but the Valleys produce Indian Corn, Cocoa-nuts, Oranges, and fuch other Fruits, Plants, and Roots, as are common to hot Countries; alfo Hogs, Goats, and Poultry,, in great abundance. Teneriff affords Corn, Wine, and Fruits, in great Teneriff. abundance, though 'tis pretty much incumbered with Rocks and Mountains. Madeira confifts of Madeira. fine rifing Hills, and fruitful Valleys, well water ed by the Rivulets, which fall from the Mountains, though abounding much more in Wine, than Corn. The Climate here is much more temperate than that of the Canaries; but they do not enjoy fo clear a Sky, or that Plenty of Corn and Fruits. The Inland of St. Michael St. Michael. is pretty mountainous, but produces Plenty of Tercera. Corn, Fruits, Cattle, Fish, and Fowl, and they have a thin RELIGION.] The Religion of the Natives of Madagascar, is a Mixture of Mahometanifm, Judaism, and Paganism. CURIOSITIES.] The Ile of Teneriff is remarkable for its prodigious Pike, which is thought by curious Naturalifts, to have been raised by fome terrible Conflagration in Nature. U 3 |