A major record of what is now the Liberian coast was produced by William Smith, a surveyor sent in 1726 by the Royal African Company of England.
On Dec. 29, 1729, Smith’s ship anchored off Cape Mount and remained for four days, but he apparently did not venture onshore. From his vantage point aboard, he reached two conclusions about local people. First, they seemed “very industrious” because “they all go clad with their own manufactures.”
Second, those who came aboard to trade “were mighty timorous,” especially if any weapons were visible, “for fear of being panyar’d” or kidnapped.
Footnote: Smith, 1744, p. 104.
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