PREFACE AND COMPILER'S NOTES.
IN compiling the following pages, many difficulties have had naturally to be encountered, in consequence of the imperfect English spoken by Mahommah, but great care has been taken to render the work as readable and clear as possible to the capacities of all classes of readers; the description of the people (their manners and customs) of that country, which is so little known to the world at large, will be found highly instructive--the friends of the poor African negro and the colored race generally, will be greatly benefitted by reading the work carefully from beginning to end; they will there see throughout its pages, the horrible sufferings and tortures inflicted upon that portion of God's creatures, merely because "their skin is of a darker hue," notwithstanding their hearts are as soft and flexible as the man of paler cast. The cherished object of Mahommah has been for a long time past, indeed ever since his conversion to christianity whilst at Hayti, to be enabled to return again to his native land, to instruct his own people in the ways of the gospel of Christ, and to be the means of their salvation, which it is to be hoped he will be able to accomplish ere long; in the meantime he has become a subject of the Queen of England, and is
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at present living under her benign laws and influence in Canada. stirring up the colored population and agitating for the abolition of slavery all over the world, a cause which ought to occupy the hearts and feelings of every benevolent and charitable man and woman throughout the world; the slaves themselves, it is to be hoped, will be benefitted by every line that is written in their favor, simple as the style may be; as their cause is the cause of suffering humanity, how can any one boasting of the religion of Jesus Christ, for one moment seek to uphold slavery as it is for a single day? No, it cannot be; the system of slavery and the doctrines of Christ are quite opposed to each other; no matter what the defenders of the system may say! Readers, judge for yourselves, and act for yourselves; depend not on the dogmas of any man or class of men, but read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the subject matter of these pages, and compare the treatment of those poor creatures under the yoke of slavery, and the gospel of Christ, and you will soon come to the conclusion, that it will not bear comparison with any one portion of the good book, which says "my yoke is easy and my burden is light"--for the yoke of slavery is hard and the burdens are not light, but exceedingly heavy.
Too much cannot be said, written or published, on the horrible system of slavery. To bring the brutal subject to an end, the more that is said and done in the way of agitating the subject, the better for all classes, the better for slave owners, to get rid of the "accursed sin," and the better for the poor slaves to rid them of their yoke; let all whose hearts are not of adamant and whose nerves are not of steel, advance his views in every possible way and the slave may soon become free, and bless the day that made him so, and the hands that knocked the shackles from his bleeding hands and feet, and snatched the whip from out the tyrant master's hand, who bound up all the negro's wounds and
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applied balm to his writhing body. Can the humane and philanthropic who struggled for the freedom of the slaves in the West India possessions some years ago, and which cost the British people, some millions of pounds sterling,--I say can they forget the pleasurable feelings that event gave to them. The Society of Friends were the principal agitators in that movement, and the blessings and prayers of the poor liberated slaves ascended the altars of heaven on that great occasion; can they forget the kindlier feelings of their nature that was stirred up within them on that occasion, can they ever, think you, forget the glorious day which made their fellow creatures free; can they forget the first of August of that eventful year? Oh then, friends of humanity, bestir yourselves again, as did those good men on that occasion, and persevere until you have accomplished the work you have set yourselves to do, as those in days gone by had done.
This little work may have its desired effect wherever it is read, and no doubt the sufferings of the subject (Mahommah) will bring the tear to many a pitying eye, and the blush to many a dimpled cheek, in shame for the cruelty practised upon him by men bearing the image of their Maker, many a blush will be summoned to the cheeks of innocence whilst this work is in progress of perusal.
The descriptive part of this work cannot but prove highly interesting to the general reader, as such descriptions coming from the mouth of a native who has passed through all the places described, in the interior of a country like Africa. Many works descriptive of the country have issued from the press from time to time, but none have appeared like the present; it is simply a compilation or narration of events happening in the life of the man himself who narrates them, and given without any figured speech, but in the plainest style possible; all the phrases used are "familiar as household words." consequently it will be easily
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understood by all who read it; it is written so plainly in point of speech, that "he who runs may read." The different customs and ceremonies are very amusing, and may, according to the way in which it is read, prove highly instructive, as well. It is hoped that, at any rate, good may be accomplished by its publication. If it should be the province of Mahommah to go out to Africa as a missionary, according to his heart's desire, it is his intention, if he is permitted to return to this country, to issue this work in a larger form, with the addition of matters that has either been entirely left out or curtailed for want of space, together with his success amongst his native race, the people of his own clime.
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BIOGRAPHY
OF
MAHOMMAH GARDO BAQUAQUA,
&c., &c.
CHAPTER I.
THE subject of this memoir was born in the city of Zoogoo, in Central Africa, whose king was tributary to the king of Bergoo. His age is not known to the year exactly, as the Africans have altogether a different mode of dividing time and reckoning age, but supposes he is about 30 years old, from the remembrance of certain events which took place, and from the knowledge he has lately acquired in figures. But this not being a very important matter in his history, we here leave it to its own obscurity, not for a moment believing the narration will lose any of its interest from the lack of the particular figure.
He states his parents were of different countries, his father being a native of Bergoo, (of Arabian descent) and not very dark complexioned. His mother being a native of Kashna and of very dark complexion, was entirely black. The manners of his father were grave and silent; his religion, Mahomedanism.
As the interior of Africa is comparatively little known, a brief sketch cannot prove but very interesting to most of our
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readers; accordingly we shall proceed with the details as set forth by Mahommah himself. Their mode of worship is something after the following style:
My father, (says Mahommah) rose every morning at four o'clock for prayers, after which he returned to bed, at sunrise he performed his second devotional exercises, at noon he worshipped again, and again at sunset.
Once a year a great fast is held, which lasts a month, during this time nothing is eaten during the day, but in the evening, after some ceremonies are performed, eating is allowed; after eating, worship is permitted in their own homes, and then assemblies for public worship are held. The place of worship was a large and pleasant yard belonging to my grandfather, my uncle was the officiating priest. The oldest people arrange themselves in rows, the priest standing in front, the oldest people next to him, and so on, arranging themselves in order according to age.
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