The English acquisitions in Guinea & East-India containing first, the several forts and castles of the Royal African Company, from Sally in South Barbary, to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa ... secondly, the forts and factories of the Honourable East-India Company in Persia, India, Sumatra, China, &c. ... : with an account of the inhabitants of all these countries ... : also the birds, beasts, serpents and monsters and other strange creatures found there ... : likewise, a description of the Isle of St. Helena, where the English usually refresh in their Indian voyages by R.B.

III. Sherbrow.

THis Fort is Scituate in York River, fortified with Twenty Guns, and a Garrison of an Hundred and Fifty white men, besides Mulatto's and Negro's. The Fort consts of two Palankeys, exceeding strongly built of Stone, and of a great height, in forme of an half Moon.

The Religion of the Natives (if we may so call it) is generally Paganism, they salute the New

Moon with horrible roarings, and strange gestures of Adoration; they offer their Sacrifices in the Woods before great hollow Trees wherein their Idols are placed; yet this they do rather out of Custom than Zeal, using neither Form nor Method in their Devotions, every one making a God after his own fancy; some seeming to incline to Mahu∣matism, others to Iudaism, and many of them are Roman Catholicks; yet divers affirm, that God who giveth all things, and can do what he pleaseth, and causes Thanders, Lightning, Rain and Wind, is Omnipotent, and needs neither praying to, nor to be set forth in so mysterious a way as that of the Trinity. They believe that when People die they go into another World, and will have occa∣sion for many of the same things they use here, and therefore put part of their Housholdstuff into the Grave with the dead Corps; and if they lose any thing, imagine their Friends in the other World had need of it, and have taken it away.

They have no Letters nor Books, yet keep Tues∣day for a Sabbath, forbearing then their Fishing and Husbandry, and the Palm Wine which is got∣ten that day must not be sold, but is offered to the King, who bestows it on his Courtiers to drink at night. On this Day in the midst of the Market∣place they place a Table on four Pillars about three yards high, whose flat cover is made of Straw and Reeds woven together, upon which they place many Straw Rings called Fetisso's or Gods, and within them set Wheat, Water and Oil for their God whom they imagine devours it; Their Priest they call Fetissero, who every Festival day placeth a Seat upon that Table, and sitting thereon, prea∣cheth to the People, but what his Doctrine is, the Europeans cannot understand: After this the Women offer him their Infants, whom he sprin∣kles with Water, wherein a live Snake swims, where∣with he likewise besprinkles the Table, and then

uttering certain words very loud, and stroking the Children with some kind of Colours, as if giving them his Blessing, he himself drinks of that Wa∣ter, the People clapping their hands and crying, I ou, I ou, and so he dismisseth this devout As∣sembly.

Many wear such Rings next their Bodies, to pre∣serve them from the mischiefs their angry God might inflict upon them, in honour of whom they daub themselves with a kind of Chalky Earth, which is their Morning Mattens; At their eat∣ing, the first bit, and the first draught is conse∣crated to their Fetisso, wherewith they besprinkle it: If Fishermen have not a good Draught, they present a piece of Gold to the Priest to reconcile them to their frowning Saint, who with his Wives makes a kind of Procession through the Streets, smiting his Breast, and clapping his Hands with a mighty noise, till he comes to the Shore, where they cut down boughs from certain Trees, and hang them on their Necks, playing on a Timbrel; Then the Priest turns to his Wives, and expostu∣lates with them, and throws Wheat and other things into the Sea as an Offering to appease the Fetisso's displeasure against the Fishermen; When the King Sacrifices to his Fetisso, he commands the Priest or Fitessero to inquire of a Tree, whereunto he ascribeth Divinity, what he will demand; The Priest comes to the Tree, and in a heap of Ashes there provided, sticks the Branch of a Tree, and drinking water out of a Bason, spouts it upon the Branch, and then daubeth his Face with the Ashes, after which the Devil out of the Tree gives answer to the Kings questions; The Nobility likewise adore certain Trees, esteeming them Oracles, and they report the Devil sometimes appears to them like a black Dog, and otherwhile answers them without any visible apparition. Some worship a Bird called Pittoie, spotted and painted as it were with Stars,

and resembleth the voice of a Bull; To hear this Bird low in their Journey, is reckoned a good Omen, they saying, their Fetisso promises them good Fortune, and so they set a Vessel of Water and Wheat in the place where they hear it; And as the Earth and Air yield them Deities, so the Sea yields certain Fishes whom they Canonize; upon this account, they never take the Tunny Fish, the Swordfish they eat, but dry the Sword on his back, which is held in great Veneration: Yea the Moun∣tains are not without honour, and if they did not pacifie their Anger by setting daily Presents of Meat and Drink thereon, they believe they would bend their sullen Brows, and as their High Tops threaten to scale Heaven, would overwhelm the Earth, and destroy them all.

Neither has Nature alone this priviledge, but Art likewise is concerned in making Gods, com∣posed sometimes of filthy things, as of a piece of putrified Earth anointed with Suet, Grease and Oil of Palms, with five or six Parrot Feathers up∣right in the middle, to which morning and night they pay their Devotions; when it Thunders, Rains hard, or the wind blows strong, there is not one to be seen in the Streets, all hide themselves in their Houses, and cry, The Gods of the Whites are angry. The Devil is so dreadful to them, they tremble at naming him, and say he beats them, and makes them do evil things for their Fetisso, which every one carries about him, some are only the ends of Horns filled with Dung, others as the heads of some Creature and the like; which their Priests sell them at their own price, and pretend they found them under the Fetiche Tree. When any one Dies they make a new Fetisso or Ring of Straw, and conjure it to keep company and protect the dead in their Journey to the other World; They lay the Corps on a Matt upon the ground, wrapt in Woollen, with a Stool covered with a

Goat-skin under the head, the body is then strow∣ed with Ashes, the Arms laid by its side, and the Eyes open'd; this continues half a day, the best beloved Wife sitting by the Husband (as the Hus∣band doth by his first Wife) crying Aury, and wiping her Face with a wisp of Straw; Other Women go round the House and Corps, singing and beating on Basons; The Eldest Morini or Gen∣tleman goes from House to House with a Bason, into which every one puts the value of Twelve Pence in Gold; with this they buy a Cow, with whole Blood the Fittessero or Priest appeaseth the Fetisso, The Friends and Kindred assembling, pre∣pare a Hen, and then seating themselves in a cor∣ner of the dead mans House, they place all his Fe∣tisso's or Gods on a row, the greatest in the midst, adorning them with Garlands of Pease and Beans, and then sprinkle them with the Blood of the Hen, and hang a Chain or Garland of Herbs about their Necks; after this the Hen being boyl'd, the VVomen set it in the midst of his Fetisso's, and the Priest taking water into his Mouth, amidst his Charms, spits it out on the Fetisso's, and plucking the Herbs from his Neck, he makes a Ball of them, where∣with he besmears his Face; which Ball hereby is made a Fetisso, and the Party deceased is now at rest.

In the mean time, the dearest of his VVives fills all the House with Mourning, the Neighbours and Friends assisting with Songs and Dances; At length they take up the Corps and carry it to the Grave, which is about four foot deep, and covered with Stakes that nothing may fall therein; The VVomen come about the Sepulchre, and expostulate thus with him in a pitiful and lamenting voice,

Alas, why didst thou dye? Thou hadst so much VVheat, so much Maiz, thou wast beloved of thy Family, and they had great care of thy Person, why wouldst thou dye? what have we deserved,

wherein have we offended thee, what discontent have we ever given thee, to oblige thee to leave us? If he be a man, they add; Thou wert so vali∣ant, so generous, thou hast overthrown so many Enemies, thou hast behaved thy self gallently in so many Fights, who shall now defend us from our Adversaries? Wherefore then wouldst thou dye? Others cry, He is dead, that brave Huntsman, that excellent Fisherman, that vali∣ant Warriour, that great destroyer of Portugals, that generous Defender of our Countrey, he is departed this VVorld.

Then they throw on a lit∣tle Earth, but none can get into the Corps, for he hath with him his Houshold Stuff, Armour, and whatsoever he used in his life time, and VVine too, if he loved it, to drink in the other VVorld. Lastly, they cover the Sepulchre with a Roof to defend all from Rain; If the King dyes, greater Solemnity is used, yea his Nobles thinking so great a Personage ought to have Attendants, one offers to him a Servant, another a VVife, a third his Son or Daughter, even many of both Sexes to wait upon him, all whom are suddenly slain, and their Bloody Carcasses buried with him; yea the Kings VVives who loved him best, refuse not this last and everlasting Service, but are willing to dye, that they may again live with him. The Heads of the Slain are set upon Poles round about the Se∣pulchre; Meat, Drink, Cloths, Arms, and other Utensils are buried with them; After the Funeral, they go to the Sea, and there use other Ceremo∣nies, some washing, while others play on Basons and Instruments, where the VViddow or VVid∣dower is laid backward on the water with divers words of complaint, at last they return back to the dead Mans House, where they drink them∣selves drunk, and wash away all further sorrow.