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Dross from Gold Coast Archives
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 May 2014
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Using archives is often rewarding but seldom very exciting, and even less often amusing. The historian is most often working with materials which, despite being ‘raw’, are generally at rather a high level of abstraction. This is particularly true, it seems, for archival matters on Africa; we all too seldom can get the real ‘flavor’ of a situation. As the title of this note suggests, the following items are of little historical significance -- maybe none at all. Even so, perhaps they can offer insights into European modes of thought and life on the Gold Coast which can supplement those few we can discern in the more typical archival materials.
[1] Thomas Bucknell, Sekondi, to Cape Coast Castle, 21 September 1686 o.s., Rawlinson C.745, #1020:
Some “damp flower” had been removed from the Royal African Company's warehouse at Sekondi. “At the removal of which we killed eight rats of a great bigness and destroyed two nests of six young ones apiece but some escaped our hand. What further we can do to prevent damage I cannot tell. I have spoiled their harbors and made all passages free so that they cannot secure themselves from a good cat, but what [cat] I have is too little so I humbly desire Your Worships to send me a bigger cat if it can be procured. Sirs, here be rats almost able to deal with cats …”
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- Copyright © African Studies Association 1977