a country of Guinea, in Africa, has part of the gulf called the Bite of Benin, and the Slave Coast, on the west ; part of Gago and Biafara on the north ; Myjac and Makoko on the east ; and Congo on the south, where it extends about one degree beyond the equinoctial line; the length from east to west is about 600 miles ; but its north and south bounds are not so well determined. The land in general is low and woody; in some parts it has rivers and lakes, but in others there is a scarcity of water. There is here a great number of wild beasts, particularly elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, baboons, monkeys, wild boars, deer, &c. The birds are partridges, of which some are blue and some green, turtles, wild ducks, woodcocks, &c. Their grain is Indian corn : they have no potatoes ; but plenty of yams, which are of the potato kind, but vastly larger and more coarse : these are their ordinary food, and serve in the room of bread ; they have two sorts of beans, like horse-beans, but not near so good. Their fruits are cocoa-nuts, cormantine apples, bananas, wild figs, &c.

The negroes have several colours which might serve for painting, and a good sort of soap made with palm-oil and wood-ashes ; they have a great deal of cotton, which not only serves for their own use, but is exported to distant places. The river Rio or Benin has a great many arms ; some of which are so large, that they deserve the name of rivers : it abounds with fish, which the inhabitants eat smoke-dried as well as fresh. The place of trade in this river is at Arebo, about 120 miles distant from its mouth ; and to this place the ships may sail up. Those who take this voyage see the mouths of a great many rivers fall into the principal channel to the right and the left ; but how far it ascends into the country is not known. A little higher up, the country is very low and marshy, and seems to be divided into islands ; and yet there are trees of all sizes growing on the banks ; this renders the country very unhealthy, as many of our British sailors have found to their cost ; it is also incommodeed with vast numbers of flies, called mosquitos, which sting terribly, and render the skin full of pustules. There are three principal villages to which the negroes come from the inland countries to traffic. One is called Booodadu, and consists of about 50 houses, or rather huts, for they are made with reeds and covered with leaves. The second, called Arebo, was mentioned above ; this is much larger than the former, and pretty well stocked with inhabitants ; and the houses have much more room, but they are built after the same manner. The third has the name of Agaton, and was built upon a hill. It was almost ruined by the wars ; but the negroes lately rebuilt it, on account of its agreeable situation. Great Benin is the place of residence of the king.

The inhabitants of Benin are very exact in their trading, and will not recede from any of their old customs : this renders them very flow in their dealings, and backward to pay their debts, which sometimes obliges the traders to fail before they receive satisfaction ; but then they are paid as soon as they return. Some of the merchants are appointed by the government, which demands a sort of custom ; but it is very trifling. There are three sorts of officers under the king ; the first are always near him, and none can address him but by their means : there are several of the second sort ; one takes care of the slaves, another of the cattle, another of the streets, another of war, and so on.

Children go almost naked till they are 14, and then they wrap a cotton cloth round their middles ; the richer sort put on a sort of calico gowns when they go abroad, with a kind of drawers ; but within they are contented with their usual cloth : the better sort of women wear their cotton cloths like petticoats, and have a covering round their shoulders, but take care it shall be open before.

The richer sort of the inhabitants of Benin live upon beef, mutton, and poultry ; their drink is water, and brandy when they can get it. The poorer sort live upon dried fish, bananas, and beans ; their drink is water and palm-wine. Their chief handicraftmen are smiths, carpenters, and curriers ; but they perform all their work in a very bungling manner. The men have as many wives as they can keep, which they take without any ceremony except treating their relations. The wives of the lower fort may go wherever they have a mind ; but those of the rich are shut up : they allow their wives to be very familiar with the Europeans, and yet pretend to be very jealous of their own countrymen. When a woman is caught in adultery, she is turned away, and the goods of the man are forfeited to the husband ; but if the relations of the woman are rich, they prevail with him to overlook the fault by dint of presents.

They use circumcision, which is performed seven days after the children are born, at which time the father makes a feast for the relations ; they have also customs, relating to uncleannesses, resembling those of the Jews. Thieves are punished by making the party amends if they can, otherwise they are balladoed ; but murder is always punished with death. When a person is only suspected of a crime, they have several ways of putting him to a trial, like the fire ordeal, or the bitter water of the Jews ; but they are of such a nature, that the innocent may be as often condemned as the guilty.

With regard to their religion, they believe in an almighty and invincible God ; yet worship images in a human form, and in those of all sorts of animals, making them offerings, every one being his own priest ; they look upon these lesser deities as mediators between him and man ; some of these idols are in the house, and some in cabins by themselves. Every fifth day is holy; on which the rich kill cows, sheep, and goats, and others dogs, cats, and fowls, which they distribute among their poor neighbours.

the capital of a kingdom of the same name, is the residence of their kings, and is seated pretty far in the country: it stands in a plain, and is about four miles in compass. The streets are long and broad: and there are markets twice a-day, where they fell cows, cotton, elephants teeth, European merchandizes, and whatever the country produces. The houses are large, with clay walls, and at a distance from each other; they are covered with reeds, straw, and leaves. The women in this place are the greatest slaves; for they go every day to market, manage the household affairs, take care of the children, cook the victuals, and till the ground. The king's palace makes great part of the town; and its great extent excepted, there is nothing worth taking notice of, it being only a confused heap of buildings, made with boards and clay, without regularity or neatness. In the middle, there is a wooden tower, about 70 feet high, made like a chimney, and on the top is a brazen serpent, hanging with its head downwards; this is pretty well made, and is the most curious thing in the town; there is a gallery of statues, but so wretchedly carved, that there is no knowing what they represent without being told: behind a curtain there are 11 brazen heads, with an elephants tooth on each; these are the king's idols: his throne is made of ivory, on which he sits in a pavilion of India stuff. The king shows himself but once a year, on the day of a certain festival; and then he is surrounded with his wives and a great number of his officers, who walk out in procession to begin the feast by sacrificing to their gods; this done, he bestows victuals and wine among the multitude, which is imitated by his officers. All the inhabitants of this town and country go under the denomination of the king's slaves, and some relations say, that none of them wear any habit till given them by the king: but this seems to be only a falso to account for the great number of men and women that are daily seen naked in the streets; for if it be true, that the king of Benin can bring 100,000 fighting men into the field, his subjects must be very numerous; and probably his majesty is not rich enough to bestow garments upon them all. The Europeans resort hither to purchase slaves. E. Long, 5. 4. N. Lat. 7. 40.