Alwi met me on the beach, and brought excufes from Salim, who, he faid, was indifpofed. He conducted me to his houfe; and feemed rather defirous of perfuading me to abandon my defign of vifiting the King; but I affured him, that if the Prince would not fupply me with proper attendants, I would walk to Domoni with my own fervants and a guide.

"Shaikh Salim," he faid, " was miferably avaritious; that he was afhamed of a kinfman with fuch a difpolition; but that he was no lefs cbftinate than covetous, and that without ten dollars paid in hand it would be impoffible to procure bearers." theb gave him three guineas, which be carried, or pretended to carry to Salim, but returned without the charge, alledging that he had no filver, and promiling to give me on my 1eturn the few dollars that remained. In about an hour the ridiculous vehile was brought by nine turdy blacks, ho could not fpeak a word of AraDic; fo that I expected no informatoa concerning the country through which I was to travel; but Alwi affitted me in a point of the utmost confequence. You cannot go," said he, without an interpreter; for the King peaks only the language of this iland; but I have a fervant whofe is Tumuni, a fenfible and worthy man, who underftands English, and is much efteemed by, the King; he is known and valued all over Hinzuan. This man fhall attend you; and you will foon be fenfible of his worth."

Game

fect fafety over fome rocks. I then defired my guide to affure the men, that I would pay them liberally; but the poor peafants, who had been brought from their farms on the hills, were not perfecly acquainted with the ufe of money, and treated my promise with indifference.

About five miles from Matfamudo lies the town of Wani, where 'Skaikh Abdullah, who has already been mentioned, ufually refides. I faw it at a diftance, and it feemed to be agreeably fituated. When I had paffed the rocky part of the road I came to a ftony beach, where the fea appeared to have loft fome ground, fince there was a fine fand to the left, and beyond it a beautiful bay, which resembled that of Weymouth, and feemed equally convenient for bathing; but it did not appear to me, that the stones over which I was carried had been recently covered with water, Here I faw the frigate, and taking leave of it for two days, turned from the coaft into a fine country very neatly cultivared, and confifting partly of hillocks, exquifitely green, partly of plains which were then in a gaudy drefs of rich yellow bloffoms: my guide informed me that they were plantations of a kind of vetch which was eaten by the natives. Cottages and farms were interfperfed all over this gay champaign, and the whole fcene was delightful; but it was foon changed for beauties of a different fort. We defcended into a cool valley, through which van a rivulet of perfectly clear water and there finding my vehicle uneafy, though from the laughter and merriment of my bearers I concludcd them to be quite at their eafe, I bade them fet me down, and walked before them all the reft of the way. Mountains clothed with fine trees and flowering fhrubs prefented themselves on our afcent from the vale, and we proceeded for half an hour through ple fant wood-walks, where I regret

ted

ted the impoffibility of loitering a while to examine the variety of new blof foms, which fucceeded one another at every step, and the virtues as well as names of which feemed familiar to Tumuni. At length we defcended into a valley of greater extent than the former; a river or large wintery torrent ran through it; and fell down a fteep declivity at the end of it, where it feemed to be loft among rocks. Cattle were grazing on the banks of the river, and the hats of the owners appeared on the hills: a more agreeable fpot I had not before feen even in Swifferland, or Merionethfhire; but it was followed by an affemblage of natural beauties, which I hardly expected to find in a little ifland twelve degrees to the fouth of the line. I was not fufficiently pleafed with my folitary journey to difcover charms which had not actual existence, and the first effect of the contraft between St Jago and Hinzuan had ceafed. But, without any difpofition to give the landscape a high colouring, I may truly fay what I thought at the time, that the whole country which next prefented itself, as far furpaffed Ermenonville or Blenheim, or any other imitations of nature which I had feen in France or England, as the fineft bay furpaffes an artificial piece of wa

ter.

Two very high mountains covered to the fummit with the richest verdure, were at some diftance on my right hand, and separated from me by meadows diverfified with cottages and herds, or by vallies refounding with torrents and water-falls: on my left was the fea, to which there were beautiful openings from the hills and woods; and the road was a fmooth path naturally winding through a foreft of fpicy fhrubs, fruit-trees, and palms. Some high trees were fpangled with white bloffoms equal in fragrance to orange flowers: my guide called them Monongo's, but the day was declining fo faft that it was impoffible to exa3 P VOL. XIV. No. 84.

mine them. The variety of fruits, flowers, and birds, of which I had a tranfient view in this magnificent garden, would have fupplied a naturalift with amufement for a month; but I faw no remarkable infect, and no rep tile of any kind. The woodland was diverfified by a few pleasant glades, and new profpects were continually opened; at length a noble view of the fea burft upon me unexpectedly, and having paffed a hill or two we came to the beach, beyond which were several hills and cottages. We turned from the fhore, and on the next eminence I faw the town of Domoni at a little distance below us: I was met by a number of natives, a few of whom fpoke Arabic, and thinking it a convenient place for repofe, I fent my guide to apprize the king of my intended vifit. He returned in half an hour with a polite meffage; and I walked into the town, which feemed large and populous. A great crowd accompanied me, and I was conducted to a houfe built on the fame plan with the best houfes at Matfamudo : in the middle of the court yard stood a large Monongo tree, which perfumed the air; the apartment on the left was empty; and in that on the right, fat the king on a fofa or bench covered with an ordinary carpet. He rofe when I entered, and, grafping my hands, placed me near him on the right; but as he could fpeak only the language of Hinzuan, I had recourfe to my friend Tumuni, than whom a readier or, more accurate interpreter could not have been found. I prefented the king with a very handfome Indian drefs of blue filk with golden flowers, which had been worn only at one mafquerade, and with a beautiful copy of the Koran, from which I read a few verfes to him: he took them with great complacency, and faid, "he wished I had come by fea, that he might have loaded one of my boats with fruit and fome of his fineft cattle. He had feen me, he faid, on board

the

to the mildness with which he governed it. As I had no inclination to pafs a fecnnd night in the island, I requefted leave to return without waiting for bearers: he feemed very fincere in preffing me to lengthen my vifit, but had too much Arabian politenefs to be importunate. We there fore parted; and at the request of Tumuni, who affured me that little time would be loft in fhowing attention to one of the worthieft men in Hinzuan, I made a vifit to the gover. nor of the town, whofe nane was Mutçkka: his manners were very pleafing, and he fhewed me fome letters from the officers of the Brilliant, which appeared to flow warm from the heart, and contained the ftrongest eloge of his courtesy and liberality. He infifted on filling my baskets with fome of the finest pomegranates I had ever feen; and I left the town impref fed with a very favourable opinion of the king and his governor. When I reafcended the hill attended by many of the natives, one of them told me in Arabic, that I was going to receive the highest mark of diftinction that it was in the king's power to fhew me; and he had fcarce ended, when I heard the report of a single gun; Shaikh Achmed had faluted me with the whole of his ordnance. I waved my hat, and faid, "Allah Acbar." The people fhouted, and I continued my journey, not without fear of inconvenience from the exceffive heat and the fatigue of climbing rocks. The walk, however, was not on the whole unpleafant. I fometimes refted in the valleys, and forded all the rivulets, which refreshed me with their coolnefs, and supplied me with exquifite water to mix with the juice of my pomegranates, and occafionally with brandy. We were overtaken by fome peasants, who came from the hills by a Rearer way, and brought the

་

king's prefent of a cow with her calf, and a fhe-goat with two kids: they had apparently been felected for their beauty, and were brought fafe to Bengal. The profpects which had fo greatly delighted me the preceding day had not yet loft their charms, tho' they wanted the recommendation of novelty; but I must confess, that the moft delightful object in that day's walk of near ten miles was the black frigate, which I difcerned at fun-set from a rock near the prince's gardens. Clofe to the town I was met by a native, who, perceiving me to be weary, opened a fine cocoa-nut, which afforded me a delicious draught: he informed me, that one of his countrymen had been punished that afternoon for a theft on board the Crocodile; and added, that in his opinion the punishment was no lefs juft, than the offence was difgraceful to his country. The offender, as I afterwards learned, was a youth of a good family who had married a daughter of old Alwi; but being left alone for a moment in the cabin, and fering a pair of blue morocco flippers, could not refift the temptation, and concealed them fo ill under his gown, that he was detected with the manner. This proves that no principle of honour is inftilled by education into the gentry of this ifland: even Alwi, when he had obferved, that" in the month of Rama» dan it was not lawful to paint with hinna, or to tell lies ;" and when I afkcd, whether both were lawful all the reft of the year, anfwered, that “lies. were innocent, if no man was injured by them." Tumuni took his leave, as well fatisfet as myself with our excurfion: I told him before his master, that I transferred alfo to him the dollars which were due to me out of the thr e guineas; and that if ever they fhould part, I fhould be very glad to receive him into my fervice in India.

Account

484

T1

Some of the fnakes are fmall, and others very large and thick. Of the laft fort is that called by the French, "Tete du chien," or Dog's head fnake, from its head, which much re-, fembles that of a dog. Some have been caught in this ifland that meafured upwards of twelve feet in length, and as thick as a man's leg. They have long, fharp teeth; their fkins are fcaled and beautifully fpotted, and they have at the end of their tails a blunt-pointed, horny fubftance, which enables them to climb the trees.

The bite of thefe fnakes is not venomous, nor is that of any kind of them in this ifiand; but the tete du chien does much mischief among the birds in the woods; and on the plant ations they frequently devour the fowls and other pouhry. They will fwallow a full-grown fowl with its feathers, and feveral of them have been killed there with both a large fowl and an Indian coney entire in their bowels.

A remarkable circumstance, which happened in this Ifland fome time ago, deferves to be noticed in this place. A negro retiring from work one day at roon, instead of going home to get his dinner, fell asleep under fhady tree and being milling at the time the other negrocs affembled together to finish their daily tafk, it caufed a fufpicion that fome accident had befallen him; they accordingly went in fearch of him, and found him afleep, with one of his legs up to the thick

part of his thigh, in the jaws of a large fnake. Awakened by their noife, he was in the greateft terror, and struggling to get difengaged, was feverely bit by the animal; to prevent this as much as poffible, wedges were placed between its jaws, whilft they cut it to pieces; by which means only he could be releafed. This operation took up fome time, which, together with the length of time his leg and thigh had already been in the belly and jaws of the fake, reduced them almost to a ftate of digeftion; and it was not till a confiderable while after, that he recovered the entire use of them.

The fat of thefe foakes is efteemed an excellent remedy for the rheumatifm, or for fprains, by rubbing it mixed with ftrong rum. Their flesh is eaten by many, particularly by the French, fome of whom are very fond of it; but it is reckoned unwholesome, and to occafion the leprofy.

The fawyer fly, fo called from its faculty of fawing asunder the branches of trees, whofe fubftance is its food, is about three inches in length when full grown, and is a very fingular infect. Its head has fomewhat the appearance of an elephant, it having a horny bill, like the probofcis of that animal, bending upwards from the under part, with another, pointing downwards from the upper part of its head, both of a jet black, and of a fine polish. On the inner furface of the upper bill are raifed points like the teeth of a faw, which are used by the infect in the fame manner. Irs body is like that of a beetle, but confiderably larger, with double wings, the inner of which is like coarfe gauze ; and its legs are armed at each joint with crooked, tharp nails, with the fame on each toe, like a bird.

The procefs of this infect in faw

ing