Proceedings of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa [1790]Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa
History
Proceedings of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa [1790]
Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa
Africa -- Description and travel
Gonjah is reported by the Shereef to be forty-six days journey from
the Coast of Guinea, to which the Christians trade. It is probable
that the Gold Coast is the part meant, and that may be taken at five
hundred and thirty miles from D’Anville’s Conché. The ratio, at
thirteen per day, would give near six hundred. Here again, it would
be losing of time, to reason on such a point of uncertainty, since
neither of the extreme points of the line of distance are correctly
known. The Reader must therefore determine for himself. Of this
space of forty-six days travelling, from Gonjah towards the Coast,
the Shereef had travelled only the first ten days, to the City of
Kalanshee, a dependency of the Kingdom of _Tounouwah_; the capital
of which, according to his report, is ASSENTAI (the Assianté of
D’Anville) situated midway between Kalanshee and the sea coast:
that is, eighteen days journey from each. The Shereef also reports,
that there is no communication between this coast (which we may
suppose to be the Gold Coast) and the country of Gonjah: for that
the King of Assentai, who possesses the space between, prohibits
his Inland Neighbours from passing through his country.
But Mr. NORRIS, a gentleman who resided many years in Whydah,
&c. reports differently: for he says, that there are other States,
(that is, the Fantees, and their confederates) lying between Assentai
and the sea; and that the Assentais have often attempted, but without
success, to open a communication with the Coast.
To return to the route from Cashna to Gonjah. There are between them
some extensive kingdoms or states, most of which appear to preserve
their antient religion. I have generally marked the progress of
the Mahomedan Religion, by a crescent; and the Caffre States by an
arbitrary mark of a different kind.
It will appear by a slight inspection of the Map, that the Mahomedan
Religion, as far as respects the Interior Part of the Country,
has spread southward, to about the parallel of twelve degrees of
North latitude. Probably though, in some of those countries where
the Court religion is Mahomedan, the bulk of the people may profess
the antient religion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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