The houses here are much cleaner and better constructed than at Cape Coast or Annamaboe. They are generally built round a square yard, with one main entrance into it. This is mostly about four yards by twelve, the houses forming its sides, with entrances to the different apartments from the court or yard outside of these rooms. Along the walls are clay benches, in the form of sofas, which are shaded from the sun by projecting roofs. In the morning, the master of the house sits here with his attendants, and drinks palm-wine; but the women are his principal drudges or slaves, as is the case in almost all other parts of Africa. The master of the house has generally from six to ten, or even twenty wives, according to his means, and a proportionate number of slaves. The slaves are not usually treated worse than his wives. Marriages are here made by purchase, as in other parts of this coast. When a man sees a girl to whom he takes a fancy, he goes to her father, and bargains for her as he would for a sheep or goat, without any consideration of the disparity of age, nor are the girl’s inclinations ever for a moment thought of. Even the most influential of the native merchants, who have had a liberal education, do the same thing, and maintain a vast number of wives at an enormous expense. On inquiry, I found that many Arabs and Moors, as well as Fellátahs, had found their way to this place, either as slaves or fugitives, from their own country, and thus the difference of feature before noticed may be accounted for. Fishing is the chief occupation of the inhabitants, who dry the fish which they catch in great abundance, and carry them to Annamaboe and into the interior. Palm-oil is also made here, as well as farther inland. The lake from which the town derives its name is very salt, although unconnected with the sea. A high bank of sand, about a hundred yards broad, separates this lake from the sea; consequently the salt water must filter through the sand into the lake, which, at high water, is much lower than the sea. From the nature of the soil and bed of the lake, there is very little doubt but that it was once an inlet of the sea, now separated from it by sand and shells washed up by the tremendous swell all along this coast;--hence the lagoons, or salt lakes, found in many places, and which stretch out to a great extent. The water is very bad, and can only be obtained by digging, or rather scratching holes in the sand, and it is always brackish. This town bears E. 1° N. from Annamaboe, and is distant about nine miles from Cromantine. We experienced great kindness at this place from the Missionary teacher, a native of Cape Coast, placed here by Mr. Freeman. FOOTNOTES: [4] Villages. [5] A beer made from Indian corn. CHAPTER IV.