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$ i } ch a thing should occur , I would immediately hang all those con * cerned in it ; and then endeavoured to reason them out of their fpolisfy notions respecting these two poor rqen . Johnson replied , that it was the custpm of the country for " white man'' never to interfere in these cases 5 and that at Bissao the governor never took notice of their f hus punishing one another ,, according to their own country-fashion ,
and that they expected the same indulgence here ; for that if these people were in their own country , they would either be killed or sold , as witchcraft was never forgiven , and its professors never suffered iq their own country when once found out . I had now all the Grumetas around me , among whom were the accused themselves , and endea- ? voured again to convince them of the innocence of these people , by pointing out the impossibility of their hurting others by any magic or
Spell , or of transforming themselves into any other shape . When many of them said this man had often avowed his frequently turning himself into his alligator to devour people . * How say you , Corasmo , " said I , did you ever say so to any of these people ?' -r- Yes / was his reply . — What do you mean ? t ) o you mean to say th # t you eves transformed yourself into any other shape than that which you now bear V-. — « Yes / was the answer . — Now , Carasmo , you know that white man knows every thing ; you cannot deceive me ; therefore ,
avow to those people that you never changed yourself into an alligator , and that these are all lies . '— No , ' was his reply : who can believe it I * I can change myself into an alligator , and have often done it ! " Thi § was such an incorrigible witch , that 1 immediately gave him up to the Grumetas , to punish him , but desired them to be merciful . It 13 scarcely credible that a man can so work upon his own weak imagination as to believe , which I doubt not this man did , its own fanciful ? 1
creation to be realities . < ' After the Grumetas had left me last night / ' says Capt * B . in the Journal of the next day , I regretted having delivered up to them the two poor miserable wretches accused of witchcraft - From ten till twelve at ni g , their cries were most piteous and loud , and though { distant a full half mile , were distinctly heard . This morning they canhot move /'
The eff ^ lt different specimens European arts upon the Africans is curious . " Xhis ^ yening" ( Journal , Sunday , May 12 , 1793 ) , " a circumstance happened which proves , I think , that there is much truth ih Lavater ' s nqtion ? of physiognomy . After dark , I had several of the IJiafaras Jq my" rbpfp , shewing' them pr ints by candle-light . It was sometime before they epmprehended that they were intended to reprewhet nianirnateand not
sent objects in nature , hej : Lving or ; I am sure whether they wpulcT Jiave comprehended it $ t all , if I had not luckily hit upon a view of Sierra Leone , in which was introduced an elephant ana a monkey : ' these they understood i mm ediately , and were highly delighted , and afterwards quickly uncjerstobd whatever was shown to them I was turnirig over Lavater ' s Essay on Physiognomy , and at length opened upon the angry wicked man . The instant they faeheld it , they all screamed , and flea out of the room : and this I take to be as convincing a proof of the truth of Lavater ' s idea ' as can well be pbtamed ,. Capt . B . gives u $ an entertaining list of trades and prpfes * gions which he exercised at Bulama . — -
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324 African Memoranda
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1806, page 324, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1725/page/44/
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