The river Niger and the progress of discovery and commerce in Central Africa

The river Niger and the progress of discovery and commerce in Central AfricaAuthor(s): Hamilton, ArchibaldSource: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection, (1862)Published by: The University of Manchester, The John Rylands University LibraryStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/60233568 .

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THE

RIVER NIGER

PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY AND COMMERCE

IN CENTRAL AFRICA;

A LECTURE

DELHERED BY

A. HAMILTON, ESQ,

BROMLEY LITERARY INSTITUTE,

TUESDAY, 25th MARCH, 1862.

LOJSDON:

PRINTED BY DALTON & MORGAN, 3, Budge Row.



1



THE RIVER NIGER,

Sec, <Scc.

The Continent of Africa from the earliest times has engaged the interest and curiosity of the civilized world ; as well on account of the peculiar races by which it is inhabited, as of the strange animals in which it abounds, and the valuable nature of its pro¬ ductions ; but, above all, by the mystery in which it has been shrouded in consequence of the difficulty of penetrating into the interior.

The inquisitive nature of the Greeks was naturally attracted towards Africa ; and, accordingly, we find Herodotus eagerly col¬ lecting from the Egyptian priests all that was known of the interior. He relates how an expedition, equipped by an Egyptian king, but composed of Phoenician navigators, made a complete circuit of the continent; starting from the Red Sea, they doubled the Cape of Good Hope 2,100 years before Vasco de Gama, and passing through the Straits of Gibraltar, reached Egypt, after an absence of three years. The narrative of this exploit is accom¬ panied by some doubts on the part of Herodotus himself, and has given rise to much controversy among the learned. Gibbon sums -up his opinion thus: " In the sublime fiction of Camoens, the " spirit of the Cape, arising from his stormy waves, at once accuses "and applauds the Portuguese, the first of men who had explored " their way round the Southern Promontory of Africa.

' Nor Roman prow, nor daring Tyrian oar, Ere dashed the white wave foaming to my shore; Nor Greece, nor Carthage, ever spread the sail, On these, my seas, to catch the trading gale; You, you alone, have dared to plough my main, And with the human voice disturb my lonesome reign.'

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"I WILL TAKE THE GHOST'S WOED FOB A THOUSAND POUNDS."*

Gibbon maintains his view with much force, and is supported by other weighty authorities; on the other hand, Major Rennell, Grote, Rawlinson, and others, contend for the truth of the narrative ; their strongest argument in its favour being the state¬ ment of Herodotus, wherein he says,

" the voyagers on their return " declared (I for my part do not believe them, but perhaps others "

may,) that in sailing round Libya they had the sun upon their

"right hand." This circumstance, which the father of history disbelieved, is held to be the best proof that the voyage was

actually performed; because in sailing westward round the Cape the navigators undoubtedly would have the sun on their right hand at noon, just as north of the Tropics, when facing westward, we have the sun on our left hand. This, however, proves no more than that the voyage extended south of the equator, or even to the northern tropic in the summer season, f

Herodotus also mentions an expedition which crossed the desert, and reported having visited a city on the banks of a large river, flowing from west to east, which he supposed to be the upper waters of the Nile, but subsequently it was held by ancient geo¬ graphers to have been the Niger, though there is now little doubt that it must have been the Yeou, which flows into Lake Tchadd.

The voyage of the Carthaginians under Hanno, supposed to have been in 570 B.C., has recently been much alluded to in con¬ nexion with the gorilla book. He is said to have set out with 30,000 emigrants, men, women, and children, and doubtless he founded several colonies on the coast of Morocco. How far this expedition extended has also been the subject of elaborate dispute, one side contending that Hanno did not pass the shores of the Great Desert, while the limit is fixed by Major Rennell at Sherboro Island and Sound, and others have supposed it to have been the Cameroons. But as he returned to Carthage with some skins of animals which he called gorillas, we may suppose it to have been a little further south, towards the scene of Du Chaillu's alleged exploits. It is quite possible, however, that the gorilla may have then been found as far north as Sierra Leone, or the creatures captured by Hanno may have been large apes.

* This is one of the happiest quotations from Shakspeare which I remember, t Since the above was written I find Sir Cornewall Lewis in his "Astronomy

of the Ancients" takes the side of the Ghost.



Pliny treats largely of the river Niger, and conducts it in an easterly direction from its source in Lower Mauritania, sometimes disappearing beneath sandy deserts, until he unites it with the Nile, therein coinciding with Herodotus. Ptolemy, on the other hand, considered the Nile and Niger to be separate rivers, and has laid down the latitude and longitude of several places, but from the imperfect methods then in use, the whole are so vague, and his account of the Niger so obscure, that it is impossible to deter¬ mine any of the points to which he alludes.

The limit of ancient navigation may be assumed to have been at or near Cape Delgado on the east, while on the west, as we have seen, it may have been somewhere near Sierra Leone.

The Arabs extended their commerce still further south on the eastern coast, and founded settlements as far as Mozambique; indeed, Zanzibar continues to this day a possession of an Arabian prince—the Imaum of Muscat,—but their knowledge of western Africa appears to have been limited. Their earliest writers ascribed to the Niger a westerly course, and considered its sources identical with the Nile, giving the same name to each river, the Nile of Egypt flowing northward into the Mediterranean, and the Nile of the Negroes westward into the Atlantic. It is probable they mistook the Senegal or Gambia for the Niger. Their later writers, however, considered that it flowed from west to east, and identified it with the Nile ; but the Arabic writings on the subject are little better than an undecipherable jumble.

The Arabs, however, exercised a most important influence upon Central Africa; by introducing the camel from Arabia they were enabled to open paths through the desert which had hitherto defied human efforts, and a trade was established with the interior by means of caravans, in which gold and slaves were exchanged for northern products, and, as I shall presently have occasion to explain, the caravan trade thus established, continues to this day the chief means by which the interior is supplied with European goods.

By successive migrations the Arabs became numerous and powerful in Central Africa, and being more warlike than the natives, they rose ere long to be the ruling power; they founded several flourishing kingdoms, and introduced the Mahometan reli¬ gion and Arabic civilization, the traces of which latter can be dis¬ cerned to this day: ample accounts of these kingdoms have been

A3



transmitted by the Arabian writers of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. They describe Ghana (supposed to have been the modern Kano, though this is disputed by Dr. Barth), as the seat of a magnificent court, and the great market for gold; Tocrur (the modern Sokatu), carrying on an extensive traffic with the remote west, receiving shells and brass in return for gold and ornaments, and celebrated then, as now, for its manufacture of cotton cloths; Kuka, to the eastward (identified as the modern Bornou, the capital being still called Kuka), celebrated for its war¬ like people and the magnificence of its merchants. Twenty days' journey to the south lay Kangha (the modern Loggun), famous for industry and the useful arts,—arts which Denham found still preserved.

The countries where gold was found are not identified, but Mungo Park saw the precious metal collected by the natives, in the very manner described by the Arabian writers. Southward of these regions lay a country called Lamlam, the land of Infidels,—

" And of the canibals that each other eat, The anthropophagi, and men whose heads Do grow beneath their shoulders,"—

the scene of bloodshed, anarchy, and slave-hunts. The captives were sold to the merchants of Northern Africa, who supplied the markets of Constantinople and the East, a traffic which was only finally extinguished in 1857.

The same writers also describe the trade in salt pretty much as it is now carried on from Bilma and Tisheet. Prominent mention is made of Timbuctoo, so as to awaken an interest and curiosity in that mysterious city, which has only very recently and but partially been satisfied.

In process of time settlements were made along the western coast by the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch, English, and French. The Portuguese made considerable efforts to penetrate into the interior, but the records, if any exist, are buried in the archives of Lisbon.

It was not until 1788 that any serious efforts were made by English geographers and travellers. In that year was founded



the African Association, which lias since been merged into the Royal Geographical Society, and under their auspices a new era in the progress of African discovery was commenced. Indeed, if we compare a map of Africa published sixty or seventy years ago, with one of recent date, it will be seen that great strides have been made to redeem this vast continent from being a mere blank on the map,—

" Where geographers, for want of towns, Put elephants on barren downs."

After several expeditions of no great importance, the Associa¬ tion despatched Mungo Park, in 1795, to explore the river Niger, and, if possible, to visit Timbuctoo. Accordingly, on the 2nd December, he set out from the Gambia on what proved to be, perhaps, the most arduous and eventful journey that was ever undertaken. As he passed through the countries peopled by the Negro and Felatah races, the hardships he endured were great; he was plundered of half his baggage, and the kings or chiefs whom he visited on the way, were so extortionate in their appetite for presents, that on one occasion he had to give the coat off his back to a sable potentate, who coveted it for the brass buttons.

Still, he had the benefit of the native attendants hired to

accompany him, and was well off, compared with the treatment he encountered when he entered Ludamar, on the borders of the desert, which became necessary in consequence of a war that turned him from the direct route through better disposed tribes. Ludamar is peopled by a race called Moors by Park, but which are more probably a mixed tribe of Tuaricks. They are bigoted Mahometans, and so noted for barbarity and ferocity that his attendants refused to enter the country, preferring to forfeit their

wages. They all deserted him except his interpreter, who was with difficulty persuaded to remain with him, and a boy, Demba, whose attachment to his master nothing could shake.

With these two attendants he pushed on through Ludamar, suffering constant annoyance from the rudeness of the inhabitants ; and having reached the borders of the country, deeming himself safe, he paused to enjoy the hospitality of some friendly Negroes, whose gentleness of manners formed a striking contrast to the barbarity of the Moors. In the midst of their harmless festivities he was taken prisoner on the 7th March, and remained in captivity four months. He was robbed of the remains of his property, with

a4



8

great difficulty preserving his pocket compass, without which, on

regaining his liberty, he could not have prosecuted his journey. Throughout his captivity he was subject to never-ending annoy¬ ance from the rudeness and curiosity of the people, as well as to the most relentless persecution and the most degrading insults. A hog was turned into his hut in derision, to share its shelter with him; he was spat upon, and every conceivable indignity heaped upon him. At times he was left without food, and suffered the extremity of hunger; but his torture from thirst was still more exquisite, as well as more frequent. I shall cite a well-known example in his own words:—

" I requested permission to drink, but was driven away with " outrageous abuse. Passing, however, from one well to another, "I came at last to one where there was only an old man and two " boys. I made the same request, and the man immediately drew "me a bucket of water; but, as I was about to take hold of it, he " recollected that I was a Christian, and fearing that his bucket "might be polluted by my lips, he dashed the water into the " trough, and told me to drink from thence. Though this trough " was none of the largest, and three cows were already drinking in " it, I resolved to come in for my share; and, kneeling down, thrust " my head between two of the cows, and drank with great pleasure "until the water was nearly exhausted, and the cows began to "contend with each other for the last mouthful."

To add to his misery, the boy who had accompanied him so long was seized and sold as a slave, in spite of Park's remonstrances.*

From this deplorable captivity he escaped on the 2nd July, alone, but on horseback, and with nothing save a bundle con¬ taining a scanty change of apparel.

After enduring great hardships for ten or twelve days, avoiding observation as much as possible, and wandering frequently in woods, with nothing but his compass to guide him, literally begging his food when he could with safety appear, he at length joined a caravan of friendly Felatahs proceeding to Sansanding.

* Park says, " Poor Demba was not less affected than myself; he had formed a strong attachment towards me, and had a cheerfulness of disposition which often beguiled the tedious hours of captivity; he was likewise a proficient in the Bambarra tongue, and promised, on that account, to be of great utility to me in future. Having shaken hands with this unfortunate boy, and blended my tears with his, assuring him that I would do my utmost to redeem him, I saw him led off by three of Ali's slaves towards the camp at Bubaker."



9

From this time his journey was performed on foot, as he had to drive his jaded horse before him. He must have sunk under his privations before joining the caravan, had it not been for touching instances of kindness which he received occasionally from the Negroes. At length, on the 21st July, he reaped, what to his ardent mind, was a full reward for all the miseries he had endured. '•

Looking forward," he says, " I saw with infinite pleasure the "great object of my mission,—the long sought for majestic Niger, "

glittering to the morning sun, as broad as the Thames at West- " minster, and flowing slowly to the eastward."

Shortly afterwards he reached Sego, the capital of Bambara. So great was the crowd at the ferry, that he sat for two hours on the bank waiting for an opportunity of crossing ; and he remarks, " The view of this extensive city, the numerous canoes " upon the river, the crowded population, and the cultivated state " of the surrounding country, formed altogether a prospect of " civilization and magnificence which I little expected to find in " the bosom of Africa."

The king of Bambara refused to see him, but sent him 5,000 cowries to further him on his journey—sufficient to maintain himself and horse for fifty days. From Sego he proceeded to Silla, the extremity of his journey, as he found it absolutely necessary, in the condition he then was, to return from thence on the 30th July. He proceeded along the banks of the river on his way homeward, and was robbed again; this time, as he had little to lose besides, he was stripped to the skin by a party of Moors ; when retiring, they were seized with remorse, and threw him his tattered shirt, a pair of trowsers, and his hat, in the crown of which he kept his memoranda; by a lucky chance, however, he found the chief of the nearest town well disposed, and his horse and bundle were in a short time restored. At length he reached Kamalia, where he joined a slave kafila or caravan bound for the Gambia, and on the 10th June, 1797, arrived at the same British settlement from which he had started two and a-half years before. The caravan consisted of thirty- eight free people and thirty-five slaves, each of these latter carrying a load on their heads; they were fastened together by a rope of thongs round their necks, and on the slightest symptoms of discontent were put into irons. Some idea of the hardships endured by slaves, and the loss of life, in crossing the Great Desert, may be formed from Park's experience in this com-



10

paratively easy journey. One example may be worth hearing:— A female slave complained of pains in her legs, lagged behind, and refused her victuals; she was ordered to the front of the kafila and relieved of her load. The party were endeavouring to

' rob a bee-hive of its honey, when they were assailed by myriads 'of bees, and scattered in all directions. After a search, poor ' Nealee was found lying near a brook, stung in a dreadful manner; 'she was washed and her wounds dressed, but she refused to ' proceed further ; the whip was applied, and at length she started ' up and walked four or five hours longer, she then fell on the

'grass utterly exhausted. Once more the whip was applied, but ' without effect; she was then tied upon an ass, but could not sit ' up. A sort of litter was made of bamboo canes, and being tied ' on with slips of bark, she was carried on the heads of two slaves. 'After a night's rest the whole kafila was much recovered, but ' poor Nealee's limbs were so stiff and painful that she could not ' walk, or even stand. She was then tied like a corpse on an ass, ' which became so unruly that she was thrown down and had one ' of her legs much bruised. The whole kafila then cried out,' Cut ' her throat, cut her throat.' Park hurried forward to avoid so

frightful a scene, and in a short time one of the party exclaimed, ' Nealee afleeta' (Nealee is lost). The wretched woman had been left on the road, where, undoubtedly, she soon perished, and was probably devoured by wild beasts."* I fear that an apology may be due for entering so fully into the

events of Park's journey, because his pleasing style of writing has rendered his narrative one of the most popular books of travel in the English language.

The wonderful discoveries of Park, in his first journey, rather excited than satisfied the national curiosity. The Niger had been seen flowing eastward, in the direction of the Groat Desert, but a thick veil still hung over the further course and termina¬ tion of that great river.

The sources of great rivers have frequently been objects of curiosity; above all, the Nile has been a puzzle to geographers for 2,000 years, and its sources are yet undiscovered, though they have now been surrounded, and the secret must ere long be disclosed. But the Niger alone was distinguished by the extra¬ ordinary interest attaching to the discovery of its termination,

* I have here followed McBriar's Abridgment of Park's Journal.



11

and the channel which it was expected might thereby be opened up for commerce and civilization. Kingdoms, too, had been dis¬ covered by Park, more populous and flourishing than any at that time known in Africa; and other kingdoms, still greater, and more civilized, were reported to exist in regions which he was unable to reach. The eagerness for discovery, which had been confined to geographers and men of science, spread among the general public, so that, after one or two inconsiderable missions, the Government invited Park to undertake a second expedition on a larger scale. He had in the meanwhile married, and was practising as a surgeon in Peebles, but no ties could detain him from the career on which his mind had brooded with enthusiastic ardour. He accepted the invitation, and set out on his second expedition in 1805. Having given much consideration to the probable termi¬ nation of the river, he became persuaded that it must fall somewhere into the Atlantic, being probably, he thought, identical with the Congo. So completely had these questions taken pos¬ session of his mind, that in a memorial to Lord Camden (then Secretary for the Colonies), he wrote, " Considered in a com- " mercial point of view, it is second only to the discovery of the " Cape of Good Hope, and in a geographical point of view, it is " certainly the greatest discovery that remains to be made in the " world."

He set out from the Gambia on the 4th of May, having unfor¬ tunately been detained till the rainy season was at hand. This time he did not proceed alone, but took with him an officer and thirty-five soldiers, together with two sailors and four artificers, as his plan was to build two vessels when he reached the river, and sail down without fatigue or exposure till he reached the termi¬ nation. Besides these, he was furnished with ample supplies of goods, wherewith as he went along to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the petty kings for presents, and even to gratify the more im¬ portant rulers whom he expected to meet with.

Before reaching the river the party was overtaken by the rainy season, and their numbers melted away with fearful rapidity under the sickness which ensued. On this occasion he struck the river at Bammakoo, where it begins to be navigable; and from thence he conducted the surviving remnant of the party by canoes to Sansanding. After the anxieties and awful mortality of the toil¬ some journey by land, he was greatly pleased with this voyage as an earnest of what he had still to perform. "

Nothing," he says,



12

" can be more beautiful than the views of this immense river: " sometimes as smooth as a mirror, at other times ruffled by a gentle " breeze; but at all times wafting us along at the rate of six or "seven miles an hour." The mortality had greatly affected his

spirits, though nothing could shake his constancy. In his journal there is an entry: " I regretted much losing William Allen; he "had naturally a cheerful disposition, and he used often to beguile " the watches of the night with the songs of our dear native land." We can fancy how, in those sultry regions, the songs of Burns must have fallen like a refreshing dew upon his heart!

By the time he had constructed a vessel, by patching together two rotten canoes, which were all the materials he could procure, the party was still further reduced. Of the forty-four Europeans who left the Gambia, five only survived—viz., three soldiers (one of them deranged), Lieutenant Martin, and Park himself. Notwith¬

standing, he wrote to Lord Camden, on the 19th November, 1805, with unshaken fortitude: " Though all the Europeans who are with " me should die, and though I myself were half dead, I would still " persevere." While to his wife he wrote more hopefully, that " as the sails are now hoisting, you may be sure I feel happy at " turning my face towards home."

These letters and his journal he sent by his guide, Isaaco, who was returning to the Gambia; and having engaged another guide, Adami Fatouma, to conduct him down the river, he set sail from

Sansanding soon after dispatching his letters. Here terminates all authentic information of this gallant but ill-fated expedition.

Towards the end of 1806, rumours reached the coast that Park and his companions had been killed. These rumours having in¬ creased, Governor Maxwell, of Sierra Leone, engaged the guide Isaaco to ascertain, if possible, the truth of these reports; but it was not until 1811 that he returned with a journal of his own pro¬ ceedings, and a narrative by the river guide, Adami Fatouma. The account which the latter gave of Park's death near Boussa, though probable and consistent, was received with discredit, until it was subsequently confirmed by Clapperton, as will be seen presently.

The mystery as to the termination of the Niger remained as obscure as ever. Park's hypothesis that it was identical with the Congo had still powerful advocates, and an expedition was fitted out, in 1816, on a grand scale, divided into two branches—one to



13

ascend the Congo under Captain Tuckey, the other, under Major Peddie, to descend the Niger—the design being that they should meet midway.

The Congo expedition found that river obstructed by a cataract at no great distance from the sea. After exploring by land, they found the navigation once more free; but sickness broke out, and the party returned to the ships after suffering a dreadful mortality. Out of a party of thirty officers, naturalists, seamen, and marines, nineteen died within the space of three months.

The other branch of the expedition attempted to reach the Niger by a new route, further south than Park's, but accom¬ plished nothing: the party consisted of 100 men, which excited the jealousy of the native chiefs, who refused them permission to pass. Major Peddie and four officers and naturalists died ; but I have not been able to ascertain how many of the men perished.

It would be tedious to trace the progress of several expeditions which followed ; none of them attained any results, and all were more or less fatal: it seemed as though sentence of death had been pronounced against all who should persist in the attempt to dispel the darkness in which the African Continent was enveloped ; yet so enduring was the interest excited, that there were still vo¬ lunteers, many of them men of eminent attainments, eager for the perilous adventure.

The repeated failures of expeditions starting from the western coast, warned the Government at length to seek for information as to Central Africa in a new direction. Dr. Oudney (who shortly died), with Denham and Clapperton, were therefore despatched in November, 1821, from Tripoli, across the Great Desert.

Attaching themselves to a caravan they reached the kingdom of Bornou, discovered and crossed the river Teou, and then passed along the western shores of Lake Tchadd; traced the Shary for a certain distance, and penetrated southward to Loggun, under Denham ; while Clapperton reached westward as far as the Felatah empire of Sokatu. They were everywhere welcomed, and the accounts published by these successful travellers fully confirmed all previous reports as to the populous empires in the interior, as well as their comparative wealth and civilization. While at Sokatu Clapperton obtained an account of Park's death, corresponding with that given by Adami Fatouma. He received from the Sultan a rude chart of the supposed course of the Niger, from which and



14

other enquiries he learnt that after passing Timbuctoo, the river turned to the south, and passed Sokatu, distant only a few days' journey. But he was unable to form a conclusion from his in¬ formation, as to whether it reached the sea, or by an immense circuit became the Shary, and terminated in Lake Tchadd. Un¬ fortunately the state of the country prevented him from reaching the Niger, and thereby accomplishing the main object of the expedition, by tracing its course and ascertaining the fate of Park. After rejoining Denham at Kuka, they recrossed the desert, and reached Tripoli in January, 1825, having been absent upwards of four years.

The results of this mission were such, as still further to increase the desire for opening a channel of trade with regions now ascertained to be the finest in Africa. Clapperton was therefore once more equipped and sent to the Gulf of Benin, associated with Pierce as draughtsman, and Morrison as surgeon. But those gentlemen died soon after starting from Badagry, on 7th December, 1825, leaving Clapperton to prosecute the journey, attended by his faithful servant, Richard Lander, and an African whom he had hired at Badagry.

He was favourably received in the Youriba country, and in Eyeo, or Katunga, its capital. From thence proceeding to Boussa, he received a virtual confirmation of the accounts as to Park's death, and ascertained that the Niger is here broken into rapids, but navigable downwards by canoes for a short season, when the river is at its height. From Boussa, Clapperton proceeded to Sokatu, where he died on 13th April, 1827.

And now appears for the first time on the scene, a young man of humble origin and station, but destined with means equally humble, to accomplish what had foiled so many eminent men, with resources of all kinds at their command. Richard Lander, having followed Clapperton as his servant, and after assiduously attending his master during his last illness, found himself alone and fiiend- less, has thus recorded his feelings:—" I then returned, discon¬ solate and oppressed, to my solitary habitation. 115 days' "journey from the sea coast, surrounded by a selfish and cruel " race of strangers, my only friend and protector in his grave, and "myself suffering from fever. I felt as though I stood alone in " the world, and earnestly wished I had been laid by the side of " my dear master." After a forced sale of Clapperton's effects, he



15

was allowed by Sultan Bello to leave Sokatu, and made his way to the coast, arriving at Badagry on 21st November, 1827. Here his greatest danger was incurred. The Portuguese slave dealers, having represented that he was a spy, he was subjected to the native ordeal of poison. " On entering, one of the men presenting " me with a bowl, in which was a quart of liquid much resembling " water, commanded me to drink it, saying, ' If you come to do bad '"it will kill you; but if not, it cannot hurt you.' There being " no resource, I immediately and without hesitation swallowed the " contents of the bowl, and walked hastily out of the hut, to my " own lodgings ; took powerful medicine and plenty of warm water, " which instantly ejected the whole from my stomach, and I felt no " ill effects from the fetish. It had a bitter disagreeable taste, and, "I was told, almost always proved fatal." After a detention at Badagry, he reached England on 30th April, 1828.*

Whilst Clapperton was prosecuting his last journey Mungo Park's son, stimulated by the intelligence that had been gleaned, resolved, like another Telemachus, to ascertain beyond a doubt the fate of his illustrious father. An officer in the navy, he solicited and obtained two years' leave of absence from the Admiralty, and was landed on the coast in 1827. He proceeded on his pious en¬ terprise alone, but I have been unable to procure any details further than the fact that he perished ere he could obtain the mournful satisfaction for which he sought.

To return, however, to Lander. Having shown himself to possess rare qualities as a traveller, the Government accepted the tender of his services, to proceed once more to Africa, with the sole object of deciding the course and outfall of the Niger, which still continued an inscrutable secret, and exercised the ingenuity of geographers, by whom various theories were put forward, each sustained by cogent reasoning.

For this service the Government agreed to allow £100 to

* A few years later Mr. Hector witnessed, at Ftmdah, the poison ordeal, which terminated more seriously. " The culprits," he says, " were two women, and were placed under a tree in a court-yard, while an old man beat up some leaves, mixed with water, in a sort of mortar, the women quietly looking on. The liquid was of a greenish colour; was poured into two calabashes, and drank off by the women without any apparent reluctance. They then commenced walk¬ ing quickly up and down the court, drinking large quantities of water. In about half an hour they both began to stagger, and in a few minutes more the tragedy was ended by their falling flat on the ground and expiring in dreadful agonies."



16

Lander's wife during the first year of his absence, and he was promised the reward of £100 on his return His brother John volunteered to accompany him, but Government refused to give John any remuneration. They set out from Badagry on 31st March, 1830, and reached Boussa by the route previously taken by Clapperton ; from Boussa they ascended to Yaouri, where they obtained positive evidence as to Park having been murdered, and visited the scene of that catastrophe. Upon strict inquiry they found that a book saved from the wreck, was still in pos¬ session of an old man ; hoping that it might be his journal, they obtained a sight of it, but unfortunately it proved to be a book of logarithms, between the leaves of which were a few loose papers, one of them an invitation to Park from a family in the Strand. Many years afterwards these memorials of the great traveller were brought home by Mr. MacGregor Laird's agents, and came into my possession as his executor; they are now in the British Museum.

On the 30th September, 1830, the Landers finally left Boussa on their descent; after staying at Rabba and Egga for a time, they passed the mouth of a large river, apparently about three miles wide, which proved to be the Tchadda. On the 5th Novem¬ ber they were attacked by a fleet of armed canoes, and taken prisoners to Eboe ; they were detained there until King Boy, of the Brass country (near the coast), agreed as a speculation to ransom them from the Eboe king, and deliver them on board an English vessel lying at the mouth of the river Nun. Shortly after leaving Eboe they perceived the influence of the tide ; and on 23rd November the two brothers were delivered on board the good ship " Thomas," Captain Lake. This true British seaman proved to be the greatest ruffian and savage they had yet en¬ countered, and when poor King Boy demanded the promised ransom, to the value of thirty-five puncheons of oil, in spite of all Lander could say, he was kicked overboard. Captain Lake, how¬ ever, landed the travellers on Fernando Po, and on the 9th June they reached Portsmouth.

On his arrival Richard Lander was received with shouts of acclamation ; men of science and merchants vied with each other in doing him honour. He had succeeded in solving a problem, which, as we have seen, had occupied the attention and divided the scientific world, from the times of Herodotus. He had com-



17

pleted the discoveries of the illustrious Park, to which so many of his gallant countrymen had devoted their lives in vain ; and he had laid open the long coveted channel for trade with Central Africa. For these splendid services he received the stipulated reward' of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS, and by a grateful government was made a tidewaiter

Before entering on the commercial enterprises which ensued, I shall glance at the general results ascertained by the explorations already alluded to,—results which have been confirmed and ex¬ tended by subsequent travellers, particularly Barth.

Central Africa is inhabited by a variety of races, some of them red or chocolate colour, and differing in shades of black. The black tribes again range from those with high features, approaching the Caucasian, to the common Negro. Of all these races the Felatahs are the most warlike, and are supposed to have emerged from the condition of a mere pastoral tribe, and founded their powerful empire of Sokatu, within a century from this time. They are still encroaching upon their neighbours on all sides.

Constant wars prevail between the various states, and these, together with the slave hunts carried on by the Mahometans, keep the country unsettled, and have retarded its development. With the exception of some few nomadic tribes, the people for security live chiefly in large towns, fortified by mud walls, sufficiently strong to resist ordinary attacks, and round these towns cluster agricultural villages. The space within the walls is usually ex¬ tensive, and the houses are interspersed with cultivated fields; this renders it difficult, if not impossible, to estimate with accuracy the population ; but it is certain many of the towns contain 50,000 to 60,000 inhabitants, though some travellers estimate as high as 100,000 to 150,000.* In all the towns markets are held every two or three days, in some places daily, which are attended by immense numbers from the neighbouring villages; and although in our eyes the sum total of their dealings would appear trifling, still there is everywhere shown a strong love of trade. At these markets are exposed for sale, agricultural and pastoral produce of all kinds, besides native and European wares.

Throughout the country cotton and indigo are cultivated, and in many towns there is an extensive manufacture of cotton cloth,

* Caravans and market-days swell the numbers considerably at times. B



18

noted for its excellent quality and the durability of the dye, which

latter equals, if it does not excel, anything done in Manchester ; as

witness the specimens 1 have here, one of which has been in use

for twenty-five years as a table-cloth, and the dye, as can be seen, is none the worse of all the washing it has undergone. The cloth

is wove into narrow slips, and these are sewn together. Besides

cloth, there are manufactures of leather, as saddlery, bags, cushions, &c. The art of smelting metals is understood, and in

some places gold chains and ornaments are manufactured with

creditable taste and skill. The trade of the blacksmith is every¬ where plied. At the Exhibition of 1851 some specimens of native

copper-ware, tinned inside, were exhibited, rudely done no doubt, but proving they possess that, as well as several other, of the useful

arts.* Such European goods as they consume, are brought by caravan

from Tripoli and Morocco, and are estimated to treble in value by the time they reach Kano, the great centre of the caravan trade.

Goods also find their way in limited quantities from the coast, but are subject to heavy exactions as they pass along. The goods are transported by caravan, in packages varying from 60 to 100

lbs., on the heads of slaves, except where the Niger and other rivers afford water transport. Some of the canoes on the Niger, approaching the sea, are large enough to convey upwards of 100

people, and Park saw one as high up the river as Sego carry four horses and six or eight men.

Salt is a prime article of commerce ; it is brought by caravan from certain points in the Great Desert, and likewise from the coast.

The medium of exchange differs in various places. In Kano it is cowries; in Bornou, cloth; in Loggun, iron; wjiere, indeed, in Denham's time a kind of iron coinage was in use, and Baikie saw

the same thing in 1854, when he ascended the Tchadda. In

general, in all important transactions, the value is expressed by the price of a slave.

All these facts bespeak security of property and industry pro¬ tected, as well as the rude elements of civilization; there are, however, no traces of antiquity—no works of art. The indi¬

genous races are still, and have been for 1,000 years, at least, in a state approaching to that of the heroic or Homeric period of

* These specimens were exhibited by the late Mr. Jamieson.



19

Greece;* but why they should have remained unprogressive, it would be wide of my purpose to speculate. With one bright exception of recent date, to which I shall presently allude, the natives have not advanced so far as to invent any mode of writing, though they are tolerably proficient in music and simple poetry (mostly extempore). The only written character is the Arabic, and the Koran is of course read in all mosques—though sometimes the reader does not understand a word, and hearers very seldom, if ever. There is, however, some tincture of learning—as, for instance, Sultan Bello, of Sokatu, who had been educated as a malem or priest, perplexed Clapperton by asking him if he was a Nestorian or Socinian. He replied that he was a Protestant; and when the Sultan returned to the charge with further questions, the gallant captain was obliged to confess "that he was not " sufficiently versed in theology to resolve these knotty points."

The exception in the invention of letters occurred about thirty years ago among the Vei nation, living on the coast, within 300 or 400 miles of Sierra Leone. It was the work of eight natives, and, although no doubt they took the idea from seeing white men write, it is evident they borrowed none of the characters from European or Arabic writings—the alphabet, or rather syllabarium, consists of nearly 200 characters, each representing a syllable. It was perfected by themselves, and within a very few years from its invention, spread rapidly among the Veis, and was taught regu¬ larly in schools, wholly uninfluenced by Europeans. In 1849 three of their manuscripts were brought home, and printed for distribution among the Veis free of cost. I have a copy lent me by Mr. Norris, who kindly translated a few lines to me the other day. With such evidence in our hands, I think we should be slow to adopt any theory of an inherent inferiority in the coloured races of Africa.f

* Park says that the Negro King of Bambarra had his singing men or bards. Denham mentions that the black chief of Bornou led on some thousand horse¬ men in armour and a phalanx of spearman ; while his opponents met him with 100 chiefs marching in front of their people, just like the leaders of the Greeks at Troy. Clapperton describes a siege by Bellos' army, 40,000 strong, where the negro Trojans repulsed their attack, and may yet be defending themselves under a black Hector. Why, therefore, can we not " hail a bright realm of battle and of song " for such a state of society has existed for centuries.

f An account of the Vei language and alphabet will be fouud in the Geo¬ graphical Society's Journal, vol. 20, from which the specimen in Appendix has been copied.

B 2



20

The religion of the dominant races is Mahometan, except as

you approach the coast, where the people are infidels, and become

more and more barbarous the nearer they are to the sea—as at

Dahomey, where fetish worship prevails, attended with human

sacrifice and other revolting ceremonies.

Disputes are adjusted by Palaver, when professed advocates

who can expound the Koran, conduct the cause of the litigants,

often with much ingenuity. These Palavers are, indeed, every¬ where a very marked feature of the native races, as they are one

and all noted for loquacity. The proportion of slaves to free population differs in various

countries. At Kano, Clapperton says the free population is in the

proportion of one to thirty slaves. Other travellers estimate in

other places the proportion of slaves to vary from two-thirds to

four-fifths. There is, however, a wide difference between the

domestic and born slaves, who form the bulk, and slaves who have

been purchased or captured. The domestic slaves have certain

well-established rights, only give up a portion of their time to

their masters,* and cannot be sold out of their districts except for crime, adjudged in due form by Palaver. In short, it is rather

a mild form of serfdom than slavery. Two examples of the revolutions to which these countries are

subject have occurred so recently as to afford tolerably authentic

particulars. The country called Egba was invaded by the people of Ilorin

and Ibadan, who destroyed the towns and villages and carried off

great numbers of the Egbans as slaves. The refugees concen¬

trated themselves for mutual protection, and formed the present town of Abeokuta. It is said to contain as many as 60,000 to

100,000 people; and the other day was visited by the celebrated

traveller Burton, who considers this under the mark, and estimates

the inhabitants at 150,000—this being the growth of forty years.

Rabba, formerly the capital of Nuffe, was visited by Beecroft

in 1840, and was then a flourishing city; but, owing to civil war

and a revolution, it is now in ruins, whereas the camp established

in 1854, and visited by Baikie in 1857, is now the capital walled

city of Beda; and Mr. Dalton, one of Dr. Baikie's staff, who came

home two months ago, assures me that Beda, contains 150,000 to

* Mr. Watts was informed by people at the Confluence, that in that part of the

country the slaves only gave up equal to two days in the week to their masters.



21

200,000 inhabitants, though this must surely be an over-estimate. Here Mr. Dalton saw the caravans unload European goods, which had come across the Desert to Kano, and thence to Beda, in packages weighing 60 or 70 lbs., and among the articles he observed was English loaf sugar. It was at Beda that he first heard of the war between Spain and Morocco, and of the death of Abdul Medjid, the late Sultan of Constantinople, the news having come from Tripoli by caravan.

The first attempt to take advantage of Lander's discovery was by a Company formed by some merchants in Liverpool, the objects of which are thus described by Mr. Macgregor Laird, of whose name I shall now have to make frequent mention, as the most enlightened and persevering advocate of African enterprise :— " The long sought highway into Central Africa was at length " found (writes Mr. Laird) as open by the Niger as that by the "Rhine, the Danube, the Mississippi, or the Oronoko, is into their " respective countries. To the merchant it offered a boundless field " for enterprize; to the manufacturer, an extensive market for " goods; and to the ardour of youth it presented the irresistible " charms of novelty and adventure It must not be sup- " posed, however, that these were the sole motives that actuated " the promoters of that expedition. Other and nobler objects were " connected with them. By introducing legitimate commerce with " all its attendant blessings into the centre of the country, they " hoped to strike a mortal blow at the Slave Trade; and, under " Providence, they aspired to become the means of rescuing millions " from a brutalising religion, by introducing to them the truths of " Christianity." Imbued with these sentiments, Mr. Laird em¬ barked in the undertaking all the property he possessed, and having in a spirited manner volunteered to accompany the expe¬ dition, we are indebted to him for an interesting account of its proceedings and misfortunes. One gentleman, a leading projector of the undertaking, considering that Lander had been unworthily rewarded by the Government, made overtures to him to take charge of the expedition—so that he might reap the share, justly deemed his due, of the advantages which were confidently expected. With these overtures he closed, resigned his tidewaitership, and set sail with two steamers and a brig, carrying an assorted cargo and everything that could be devised to contribute to the success of the adventure. They entered the River Nun on the 21st

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October, 1832, the brig to remain as a receiving ship at the river mouth, and the steamers commenced the ascent, one in charge of Lander, the other under command of Mr. Laird, the captain having recently died. Owing to the lateness of the season, the steamers grounded near the Confluence of the Tchadda, and, as the natives were not prepared to trade on the large scale intended, the collection of ivory amounted to about three tons only, and the operations of the Company finally resulted in the total loss of their capital. It was attended also with a mournful loss of life— of forty-eight men who comprised the expedition at starting, nine only survived. The fever broke out soon after leaving Eboe, nearly the whole of the steamer " Quorra's" crew being attacked at the same time. Mr. Laird says, " On the 5th December I was "able to write in my journal, and I find the following entry:— "' Recovering slowly, but I hope surely. I have living Alex. "'Hector, purser; John, the second steward ; Harvey, Kir by, Bel - "' frage, and Davis, seamen ; all as weak as myself, and crawling "' about the decks more like spectres than men ;—

" 'A mother had not known her son Amid the skeletons of that gaunt crew.'"

111 as he was, Mr. Laird proceeded to visit Fundah, a town of about 30,000 inhabitants; after making his way as far as prac¬ ticable by canoe, he was carried thither in a litter. At first he was well received by the king, but soon found himself under restraint; the king, in fact, converted him into a source of revenue, charging entry money to all who entered the court-yard to see the white man, pretty much as we did with the Bosjesmans. During his captivity Mr. Laird suffered extremely from dysentery and craw-craw; the latter being a complaint, in comparison with which the Scotch fiddle, he fancied, must be an agreeable titil- lation.

Mr. Laird thus describes the stratagem by which he obtained his release :—" Everything being ready, I fired my pistol, and up " flew four beautiful rockets ; the discharge of which was imme- "diately followed by the blaze of six blue lights, throwing a " ghastly glare over the whole scene. The effect was electric, the " natives fled in all directions ; and the king throwing himself on " the ground, and placing one of my feet on his head, entreated " me to preserve him from harm, and inform him what was the



23

" decision of the fates I then took from my pocket a " little compass, and explained that if the needle pointed towards " me when placed on the ground I was to go, if towards him I was " to stay."—The result may easily be guessed.

Mr. Laird went down the river in his steamer, and reached Fer¬ nando Po in a pitiable state of debility; from thence he came home in the brig, navigating her himself.

Lander, however, as soon as there was water enough, made for Boussa in the " Alburkah" steamer, and after reaching as far as Rabba, returned to the sea, and arrived at Fernando Po on the 2nd of November, 1833. Resolved, however, to persevere, he des¬ patched the steamer for the river once more; and was following in a boat with supplies, when he was attacked at Angiama, in the Delta, by armed canoes and driven back, with three of his black crew killed, and himself wounded; at first supposed not danger¬ ously, but soon after reaching Fernando Po, he died of the effects on the 2nd February, 1834. The ball when extracted proved to be a piece off a copper bolt, and is now in the Museum at Woolwich.

Thus ended poor Lander's wonderful career. His townsmen have erected a monument to his memory at Truro, and never was monument more richly deserved.

An incident during this expedition created some amusement. A full Highland dress had been sent out among the articles intended for gifts, and it was duly presented to one of the kings. His majesty was seen shortly afterwards strutting about in all his glory: instead, however, of the ordinary Glengarry bonnet, he had substituted a cocked hat with an enormous feather; while his head man, or prime minister, was decorated with portions of the tin- cases that had contained preserved meat, his head-dress being adorned with the motto, " Concentrated Gravy."

To Mr. Robert Jamieson, a merchant of Glasgow, belongs next the merit of prosecuting African enterprise. His exertions are entitled to all the more credit, because they were the means of keeping alive the interest in Central Africa, which had been daunted by the fearful issue of the Liverpool adventure.*

* The following account of his proceedings appeared in the Times, in April 1861, soon after Mr. Jamieson's death .—" As an enlightened philanthropist he had for many years devoted much time and wealth in endeavours to improve, civilize, and raise the native races of Africa from the barbarism in which they

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Mr. Jamieson built and dispatched the steamer "Ethiope" under Captain Beecroft, who ascended the Niger fifty miles beyond Rabba, where he was stopped by the rapids. He also explored the Old Calabar river and the Benin river, in the hopes of finding a more salubrious access to the main body of the Niger, than

through its Delta branch called the Nun. The commercial results of Mr. Jamieson's operations were unfavourable from the same causes as the Liverpool expedition; but the loss of life, though considerable, was not in the same ratio. Furthermore, Captain Beecroft* rescued her Majesty's steamer " Albert" on her descent from her ill-fated voyage.

Her Majesty's steamer "Albert," thus rescued by Beecroft, formed part of the well-known Government expedition, fitted out in 1841, consisting of three steamers and a sailing transport. The deplorable sickness and mortality that occurred is still fresh in the public mind. Never was an expedition fitted out with better intentions, or greater anxiety to secure success—never did expedition attract greater interest; the vessels were visited by Prince Albert, while crowds flocked on board as they were fitting out at Deptford—never was African expedition fitted out at such a cost (upwards of

had been so long involved. This he sought to accomplish by establishing com¬ mercial relations with the country by means of the rivers that flow from the interior into the Atlantic. In this view, in 1839, he built and fitted out with much care and expense the 'Ethiope' steam-ship, appointing to her command the late Captain Beecroft The 'Ethiope' made numerous attempts at discovery in the great rivers and then- tributaries, ascending to higher points in some instances than had ever previously been reached by Europeans: narra¬ tives of these voyages were published by Mr. Jamieson, and others arc given in the Journals of the Royal Geographical Society. The success of his well- concerted plans was marred by the well-meant, but ill-judged interference of our Government; and when the unfortunate Niger Expedition was projected, Mr. Jamieson, being convinced of the unsoundness of the scheme, published two appeals to the Government and people of Great Britain against the project. When the disastrous consequences followed which he had foreseen, the orders that he had given to Captain Beecroffc enabled him to proceed with the 'Ethiope' to rescue from impending destruction her Majesty's ship 'Albert,' one of the vessels employed in the Government expedition ; while by carrying her down to Fernando Po, he saved those on board from peribhing by fever.'

* The career of Mr. Beecroft is well worthy of note. I am indebted to a friend for the interesting sketch of this African veteran which will be found ia the Appendix;-'ji9iitmo:) b'jiiijibaib \sd'<



25

£100,000), and none ever accomplished less—literally, it realised the old story of—

" The King of France, with thirty thousand men, Marched up a hill, and then marched down again."

The projectors were warned by Mr. Jamieson, likewise by Mr. MacGregor Laird, and by a friend of mine, whose knowledge of Africa is unsurpassed. This latter gentleman wrote to Lord John Russell, predicting with marvellous accuracy what shortly after¬ wards took place.

The projectors were told that dear bought experience had proved the fatal effect of the climate upon a European crew ; the fever, though possibly not infectious, operated with equal fatality by its moral effect, depressing the spirits of the men, already lowered by the influences of the climate, and thereby rendering them more susceptible of the causes which produce fever. The projectors were therefore urged to send only sufficient white men to officer the ships and work the engines, the vessels to be manned by natives on the coast, for which ready means existed. But all warnings and advice were unheeded. It is impossible to over-rate the devoted manner in which the officers and men struggled to realize the dreams of the projectors, especially the gallantry of Captain Trotter, who persevered in the " Albert," until the whole ship's company was laid down, except Dr. William, medical officer, Dr. Stanger, geologist, two seamen, and one marine. Had it not been for the energy of Dr. William, who took charge of the ship, and Dr. Stanger, who worked the engines, until rescued by Captain Beecroft, it is fearful to think what might have been the result.

As, however, the steamers were but a short time in the river, the fatality was not so great as would otherwise have been the case. Two of the steamers were not more than forty-seven days in the river, and the " Albert" did not exceed sixty-five days. The health of the crews rapidly improved on reaching the sea, and the deaths were found to amount to 53 out of a complement of 303.

It is scarcely possible to repress a smile at some of the pro¬ jectors' proceedings, as, after all, benevolent intentions are a poor substitute for common sense and experience. First of all, in the plentitude of their benevolence they disdained commerce, and even



26

the thirst for discovery; their objects, forsooth, were to teach the nations how to live. Treaties were to be made with the native chiefs for abandoning the slave-trade, which the latter could not

comprehend, and would assuredly have involved the expedition in trouble if carried out. As a matter of course they started from a

theory—" that agriculture must precede commerce." Accordingly an agricultural association was formed in London; agricultural im¬

plements were sent out, together with saw gins and cotton presses. A model farm was attempted, and this beginning at the wrong end proved, of course, the most abortive crotchet that ever was tried. There were other schemes equally ill considered or absurd. Then the vessels were not as other vessels, but were fitted with nostrums and patent devices of every description, —the most conspicuous being Dr. Reid's ventilating apparatus, admirable in theory, not merely for supplying pure air, but for providing aromatic and medicated scents at pleasure. The crew of the " Wilberforce" never were so happy as when a huge portion of this contrivance, called the purifier, was hoisted overboard and floated to leeward, looking like an omnibus. To crown all, before the vessels started, Dr. Reid was presented with a piece of plate *

In marked contrast with this deplorable failure, was the well- planned expedition fitted out in 1854 by MacGregor Laird, at his own risk, but partly assisted by Government. The steamer " Pleiad," under charge of Dr. Baikie, entered the river on the 8th July, and ascended the Tchadda 300 miles beyond the point previously reached. He was too late to communicate with Dr. Barth, who not long before had explored the river to within a few days' journey of the point where the " Pleiad" then lay. They returned to Fernando Po, after having been in the river 118 days, without the loss of a man.

This gratifying fact, so different from all previous experience, was due to the great improvement that had taken place in the treatment of African fever, especially the use of quinine as a pre¬ ventive, which had been successfully proved in H.M. squadron

* The Rev. Mr. Crowther attributes the sickness in a great measure to the ventilating apparatus. The bilge water became doubly offensive from the barjt and chips of green wood used as fuel, and the ventilators distributed thjs offensive odour all over the ship. The sickness appeared two or three days after they began to use the green w ood.



27

off the coast. It was also due in part to the plan which had been so vainly urged on the previous occasion, of manning the vessel with blacks, and sending the smallest possible complement of Europeans to officer the ship and work the engines. Thus the expedition consisted of twelve Europeans and fifty-four Africans.

This plan has been adhered to in all subsequent expeditions, and quinine is now invariably served out to all hands, the first thing every morning. The result has been to obviate the frightful mortality which previously was the sure attendant of a river expedition. Nor can it be deemed that this happy immunity is exceptional, because there has been now nearly twenty years' experience in the naval squadron; and since the voyage of the " Pleiad," Mr. Laird's people have been in the river and lived on its banks during the last eight years, at all seasons, some of them for two or more years at a time, and in all parts of the river, in¬ cluding the Delta, which previously was the most deadly of all.

The Government had granted assistance to Mr. Laird on condition that the voyage of the "Pleiad" should be mainly one of exploration, at all events the trading operations were subor¬ dinate ; nevertheless, the produce she picked up on the way, in exchange for her outward cargo, realized 2,000Z., and the prospect for future operations was highly encouraging. To the honour of Sir Charles Wood, I must state, that the Government indemnified Mr. Laird from loss on this voyage, on the ground that an indi¬ vidual ought not to bear the expense of an exploring voyage, chiefly for Government objects.

Satisfactory as the trading results undoubtedly were, so far as they went, it was evident that some support from Government was absolutely necessary, for a few years, until the trade could become self-supporting. Mr. Laird pressed his views unceasingly on the Government, and at length prevailed on the Admiralty to enter into a contract for five years from 1st January, 1857, by which he bound himself to run steamers on the river and its tributaries at stated intervals, as well as to afford a passage up and down to all missionaries and others who might wish to avail themselves of the opportunity ; and in order fairly to develope a trade with the natives, he determined to establish factories at some of the towns and market places, which were to be kept supplied with goods for the purposes of barter, while the steamers were to maintain frequent intercourse between the factories and the sea.

With these views the steamer. J^Dayspring" entered the river

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in July, 1857, towing a sailing vessel to the Confluence; factories were established at Eboe, Onitsha, and the Confluence,—the last named Laird's Town, which I trust may endure. The "Day- spring" was lost, with a cargo of shea butter on board, in

attempting to force the rapids above Rabba, and remains there to this day, a never-ending source of wonder to the Africans. The schooner returned to England with a full cargo, worth £4,000.

In 1858 another steamer (the "Sunbeam") brought down the crew of the "Dayspring;" but the trading results were not satis¬

factory, owing to various drawbacks and hindrances which, how¬

ever, admitted of rectification. The return cargo realized £2,500. Nothing daunted, Mr. Laird, in 1859, despatched the " Sunbeam"

and "Rainbow" with cargoes, the latter being of light draft,

designed to ply on the river; these cargoes were exchanged for

produce, which realized between £7,000 and £8,000. An unexpected interruption now occurred, which for a time

suspended these promising operations. The natives of the Delta had viewed these frequent voyages as an encroachment on their

privileges, accustomed as they have been to levy heavy exactions on all goods passing up or down the river. Stray shots had occa¬

sionally been fired at the vessels, but on the return of the steamers in 1859 a serious fire was opened, and two of the crew were killed. Upon a representation of these facts to the Admiralty, Mr. Laird was promised the convoy of a gunboat for the ascent of 1860, and the Commodore on the coast was ordered to have a vessel in readiness by 1st August. It was not until November, however, that the gunboat appeared, by which time she was

unable, from her draft of water, to ascend the Delta as far as the hostile villages. Thus baulked of a year's operations, Mr. Laird's

agent resolved to trade off his cargoes in the Delta, as far as he could with safety ascend, and after a palaver with the chief, esta¬ blished a factory at Angiama, a place previously noted for its

hostility,* and carried on an active trade till the factory was closed, the hostility of the natives being at once removed by the

opportunity for trading. The experience thus acquired led Mr. Laird to the conclusion that the true mode of dealing with the natives of the Delta, would be to open a trade with them at proper intervals, instead of resorting to moral suasion, in the shape of

* The scene of the fatal attack on Lander, and noted in Glover"s chart as hostile.



29

British cannon. Unhappily, while maturing these plans, Mr. Laird died, in January, 1861, and it became the duty of his executors to close up his operations.

Reiterated instructions were sent to the Commodore to have a gunboat in waiting in July last, but instead of H.M.S. "Blood¬ hound," drawing seven or eight feet, which was available ; H.M.S. "Espoir," drawing twelve feet, was sent, and so retarded the ascent, as to leave scant time for trading operations. The Com¬ mander called the chiefs to account for the unprovoked attack in 1859, and destroyed two villages, losing two of his own men. As, however, the instructions from the executors to Mr. Laird's agents were to close the factories, and bring down all property and people, Commander Douglas deemed it as well not to make any further demonstration than would secure those objects, and avoided further collision with the natives, who in several places were evidently prepared to fight. The boiler of the steamer " Rainbow " had meanwhile collapsed, and rendered her useless ; the factory of Eboe was plundered soon after it became apparent that the steamers would not arrive in 1860, and the factory at Onitsha was about to share the same fate in 1861, when the steamers arrived.* Notwithstanding all these disasters, the "Sun¬ beam " is now on her way home, with a cargo worth 4,0002. or 5,000Z. independently of the trading operations at Angiama and elsewhere in the Delta, amounting to £5,500.

Mr. Laird's plans were too great for the means of any individual, if carried out on the scale which he contemplated, so as to give the fullest assurance of a profitable result. To establish factories in the Delta and at points higher up, and keep them well supplied with goods for trading, as well as to keep steamers on the river, would of course involve a very large outlay of capital, and yet the experiment cannot otherwise be fairly tried. What Mr. Laird

* An incident occurred illustrative of native character. While at Onitsha, Commander Douglas having requested a palaver, found the king sitting on a high seat, and deemed it due, as Her Majesty's representative, that he should sit on the same level; he was told that this was contrary to law and etiquette, but if he brought a chair he could sit upon it; or, as a mark of distinction he would be permitted to be seated in the king's presence on the ground. The ground had been just covered with wet mud, and luckily Commander Sholto Douglas escaped this trap. He refused to bring a chair of his own, and so the palaver ended in a huff on both sides. This absurd dispute caused mischievous delay in trading, the time to spare being very limited.

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30

therefore aimed at, was to prove, on a partial and limited scale from his own resources, that the idea was a sound one, in the hope that others would then be induced to co-operate. He did indeed obtain some assistance on generous terms from Mr. Gurney Hoare, Sir Fowell Buxton, Messrs. Gurney, and other gentlemen connected with the Church Missionary Society; but otherwise his efforts were unaided, and his untimely death has been a great blow to the cause in which he was engaged. As the death of Mungo Park marked an epoch in the progress of discovery, so the death of MacGregor Laird seems destined to mark an epoch in the pro¬ gress of commerce with Central Africa. Although I had the happiness of almost daily intercourse with him, it was not until I had the mournful duty of looking over his papers that I had formed an adequate idea of his untiring devotion to his good work ; and how, with no adequate prospect of pecuniary advantage, he

persevered amid all the crosses and disappointments, the casualties and difficulties, inseparable from a novel undertaking carried on at such a distance ; his mind being fixed steadily on the future, he overlooked all obstacles which patience and renewed effort could remove.

I know of nothing more sad than his being cut off just as his experience was ripe, and his long-cherished aims approaching fruition. Surely it cannot be that I am influenced by the partiality of a warm and unbroken friendship, when I entertain the conviction that the name of MacGregor Laird will stand high on the long list of eminent men, who have risked their lives and devoted their energies in the righteous cause of African civilization.

It is for those who follow in the path opened up, to profit by his experience. The world now knows that the Niger can be navi¬ gated by sea-going steamers, to its confluence with the Tchadda, 270 miles above the sea; and from thence 200 miles further, to the rapids near Boussa ; beyond these rapids it is again navigable to a point described by Barth, where there appears to be another series of rapids (though they were crossed by Park), beyond which the Niger is still available for transport as far as Bammakoo; while the Tchadda has been ascended about 300 miles from the Con¬ fluence, right into the heart of the continent. The advantages of ascending the river in a commercial point of view, may be con¬ ceived from the following statement by an intelligent agent of



31

Mr. Laird's :—Near the mouth of the river a puncheon of oil can be bought for 4| tons salt; at Angiama, for less than 4 tons; at Eboe, for If tons; at Onitsha, for 1^- tons; at Lairds' Town, for 4-5ths of a ton, or bulk for bulk; and the same thing applies to every other article of commerce, though varying in proportion to its bulk.

There is, however, a great drawback to the establishment of trade on the Niger and Tchadda, owing to the annual dry season, during which these rivers become almost impracticable. From the lowest point it rises, according to the season, from twenty-five to thirty feet perpendicular. I have here a table* of daily observations, taken with much exactness at Eboe in the years 1858 and 1859. During six months of the year a sea-going steamer can be navi¬ gated as far as the rapids with facility; and a properly constructed vessel might navigate nearly the whole year. The dry season, therefore, though unquestionably a drawback, is by no means an insuperable obstacle to the ultimate establishment of a thriving commerce, any more than the St. Lawrence being blocked by ice for four or five months has hindered the wonderful growth of Canada.

Of late we have heard much of Africa furnishing us with sup¬ plies of cotton; and there is no doubt the soil and climate are capable of producing more even than we require : but I confess my humble opinion, that many years must elapse, and many important changes must occur, before we can look for any such quantity of African cotton as would be sensibly felt in the scale of our enormous consumption ; assuredly we can look for no relief in this time of our immediate want.

Mr. Clegg, of Manchester, has furnished me with a note of his spirited importations. I have here samples of cloth made from the cotton so obtained, and here is a sample of the cotton itself, and I have no doubt that the importations he has commenced will in¬ crease ; but I fear some time must elapse before we receive from Africa as much as one day's consumption.']"

The condition of society in Africa is such as to require a very large amount of European superintendence before cotton could be

* See Appendix. t The consumption was about 1,500 tons per day. Mr. Clegg's importa¬

tions :—1851, 235 lbs.; 1852, 14 bales; 1853, 37 bales; 1854, 7 bales; 1855, 25 bales; 1856, 134 bales; 1857, 283 bales; 1858, 1,815 bales; 1859, 3,447 bales.—Bales, 100 to 120 lbs. each.



32

produced in quantities approaching, in a very moderate degree, to the exports of the Confederate States of America. The means of

transport for this bulky article do not exist in the country; neither could the capital required for implements, gins, presses, &c, be

prudently invested, unless where the British power rules. The

necessary command of labour could not, as at present, be obtained, though it might be arranged either through the chiefs, or better

still, and with signal advantage to the natives, on some system analogous to that under which coolies are engaged, and with the same securities against abuse; though this also may imply an ex¬ tension of the British power.*

Neither do I consider the quantity of ivory will be consider¬ able, Mr. Laird's operations having shown it to be scarce; and some kinds, used for ornaments, are bought by the natives at higher prices than his agents could afford to pay.f Bees'-wax and

peppers might be collected to some extent, also hides. The produce in which a trade can be readily and certainly

developed, will be palm-oil, as far up the river as Eboe or Onitsha ; above those places shea butter. These commodities can be had in unlimited quantities, and are produced without any combination of

labour, but merely from the collected driblets of individual pro¬ ducers, precisely adapted to the industry of a rude condition of

society. Indigo and cotton will follow in due time upon the advancement of civilization.

I should, perhaps, explain, that shea butter is obtained from the fruit of a tree (Bassia Parhii) growing naturally in various

districts, and in great abundance, near the Confluence ; after strip¬ ping the rind from the fruit, the kernel is dried in the sun, mashed, and boiled in water ; when the butter rises to the surface it is skimmed off. Park preferred it to the best butter made from

* A remarkable example of what may be accomplished under British super¬ intendence occurred at Cape Coas>t Castle, where the Messrs. Swanzy, in 1838, established a coffee plantation, hiring labour under the pawn system—a system peculiar, I believe, to that settlement, whereby a man for a sum of money down, pledges or pawns his labour until it is repaid. The plantation had progressed favourably, when an Order in Council was passed forbidding British subjects to hold pawns : being thus deprived of continuous labour, the plantation was abandoned, and a few years ago the coffee plants were seen still bearing un- gathered berries, and the whole a mere wilderness.

•J Mr. Watts, who was stationed at the Confluence, considers that ivory might be collected equal to one ton per month, if a 'store was kept well supplied at Laird's Town, assuming the roads to be open and the country undisturbed by wars.

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33

cow's milk that he had ever tasted. Mr. Laird's vessels brought a quantity from the Confluence each trip, which sold readily at prices equal to palm-oil, say about 401. per ton; though, when better known, I have no doubt it will sell at a higher price.

I can see no reason why the trade in shea butter up the river should not be developed almost as rapidly as that in palm oil on the coast.

Tons. In 1830, the importation of palm oil was 10,000

1840, „ „ 15,000 1850, „ „ 21,000 1860, „ „ 40,000

worth one million and a half sterling. Palm oil is used for making candles and soap, and is the chief

ingredient in the mixture with which railway axles are lubricated. Shea butter, when it becomes fully known, will, I expect, be more valuable and more useful still. It is an article of food among the natives.

While on the subject of statistics, it may be worth while to note, in connexion with our exports to the west coast, that the demand for our manufactures seems limited only by the possibility of obtaining produce or value in exchange; thus, at the time when our returns were unhappily obtained, chiefly in slaves, the exports from England are estimated,—

In 1805, at £1,150,000 1806, „ 1,650,000 1807, „ (Slave trade prohibited) 1,030,740 1808, „ 800,000 1809, „ 975,000 1811, „ 400,000

and so they fall off until the export of British manufactures had dwindled,—

In 1827, to £155,000 1830, they were 250,000 1835, „ 300,000 1840, „ 490,000 [ When 1845, „ 530,000} Palm oiI „„ ' " ' comes

1850, 640,000 \ into play. 1855, „ 1,100,000 I860, „ 1,300,000.

c



34

In 1860, the total value of imports from the West Coast was computed at 1,900,000/., while the exports from Great Britain, British and Foreign, amounted to 1,500,000Z.

Now, I repeat, that there is an absolute certainty that similar results, though possibly on a smaller scale, would follow upon the establishment of a trade with the interior in shea butter ; * it can be produced in any quantity, and, practically, our demand is all but unlimited. This would not merely add a new market for our manufactures, but would have the grand moral effect of giving a

legitimate commerce to the natives, and do more to put an end to the slave trade than our cruisers have been able to accomplish in half a century.

If we consider that European nations have carried on commerce for upwards of three centuries with Africa, without any of the

blessings which in other lands have followed in its train, we shall be at no loss to divine the reason why Africa has been an excep¬ tion, and why, after three centuries of intercourse, we are even now standing, as it were, on the threshold of that great continent; nay, more, that the people on the coast, with whom Europeans have for all these years been in contact, so far from being elevated thereby in the scale of humanity, have been sunk to the most

degrading barbarism, as compared with the interior races, who have escaped that contamination. This deplorable result has been because the slave trade has converted European commerce into a curse. I can but glance at this subject, as I have detained

you much too long already. The enormities of this traffic became so apparent as to occasion

the memorable agitation towards the close of last century, which resulted in its abolition, by Great Britain, in 1807, followed, in the same year, by the United States, and in 1815 by all European powers—with how much good faith let Spain and Portugal, with their dependencies, say! In 1857 the Sultan of Turkey was

prevailed on to abolish the importation of slaves from Tripoli and

Tunis.f These were the victims of slave hunts, dragged across the Great Desert, where the caravan routes can still be traced by the whitening bones of the wretches who have sunk, like poor

* Shea butter, at present, is produced by the labour of women only, which suffices for the native demand.

f The Firman was published in 1856, but came into operation in 1857



35

Nealee, unequal to the fatigue. No sooner was this traffic put down, than the slave trade between Zanzibar and the Persian Gulf increased, but we have the Imaum of Muscat bound by treaty, and negociations are in progress with Arab chiefs, so that ere long we may hope the work of suppression will be short and certain. Brazil has now ceased to import slaves, so that of the Atlantic trade there remains Cuba alone; and so effec¬ tual have been the operations of our cruisers, that the number landed last year did not exceed 15,000 to 18,000, whereas, but a few years ago, the Atlantic slave trade was estimated at over 100,000.*

In our long efforts to suppress this traffic, nothing has been a greater hindrance than the American jealousy of the right of search—by which of late years we have been sorely thwarted— and it has been mainly by the prostitution of their flag that it has endured. If I am correctly informed, they have of late been inclined to meet our efforts in another spirit—nay more, they have themselves been active in suppression. Out of twenty-one slavers captured, as appears from last year's Parliamentary papers, four¬ teen were taken by British and seven by American cruisers. Besides which, quite lately, they have thoroughly routed out of New York the nest of monsters who fitted out the slave ships. It is not for us to look narrowly into the motives for this new-born zeal—let us rather frankly accept their co-operation.)" However we may deplore the Civil War in America, we may, I trust, ex¬ pect those troubles will at least work good for the extinction of the slave trade. If England, France, and the United States declare it piracy, its doom would be sealed in a few months. In short, I feel persuaded we may ere long see realised the glorious

* At a public meeting on 25th June, Lord Brougham stated that 40,000 slaves are landed annually in Cuba, besides some 20,000 who perish on the passage, but this is obviously an exaggeration. Mr. Joseph J. Crawford, one of the judges of the Mixed Court, in a despatch, dated Havana, 5th July, 1861, estimates the numbers at 25,000 for the year 1860; but in that year the numbers were confessedly unusual. The actual numbers cannot be ascertained, but I am persuaded that 15,000 to 18,000 is above rather than below the average.

t Since the above was written, the negociations then pending as to the right of search have resulted in the treaty described by Lord Brougham, at the Social Science Congress, as the second real blow to the slave trade—its abolition by the British Parliament being the first.

c2



36

aspiration uttered by James Montgomery, when Parliament abolished the slave trade in 1807,—

" Thy chains are broken, Africa, be free Thus saith the Island-Empress of the Sea ; Thus saith Britannia.—O, ye winds and waves Waft the glad tidings to the land of slaves; Proclaim on Guinea's Coast, by Gambia's side, And far as Niger rolls his eastern tide; Through radiant realms, beneath the burning zone, Where Europe's curse is felt —her name unknown. Thus saith Britannia, Empress of the Sea, Thy chains are broken, Africa be free!"



37

APPENDIX,

Mb. Beecroft was born near Whitby, in 1790, and, while serving his apprenticeship on board a coasting vessel, was taken prisoner in 1805, by a French privateer. He was detained in France until the peace of 1814, but escaped four times during his cap¬ tivity ; was retaken as often, and travelled on foot over the greater portion of France, either in his attempts to reach the sea-coast or as a prisoner.

Upon his release, in 1814, he entered the Merchant Service, and while in command of a transport, volunteered, without increase of pay, to accompany Sir Edward Parry to Davis Straits, pene¬ trating, in a single-bottomed vessel, as far as Discoe, in latitude 71° north, with stores for the expedition. In 1829 he volunteered from the transport service to accompany General (then Colonel) Nicolls to the settlement at Fernando Po, established to aid in the suppression of the slave trade. When the British Government broke up this settlement, a number of Africans, who had emi¬ grated thither from Sierra Leone, and others, captured slaves landed by H.M. cruisers, by general consent placed themselves under his rule, which, though absolute and undisputed, was based solely on the affection of his black subjects, by whom he was reverenced and beloved.

In 1835 he ascended the Niger as far as its Confluence with the Tchadda, in the steamer " Quorra." And in 1840, in the service of Mr. Jamieson, he entered the Benin River, and thoroughly sur¬ veyed it, proving that it was merely a large inlet of the sea, and not, as had been confidently stated, the principal embouchure of the Niger. He then threaded his way through a labyrinth of creeks, never before explored by Europeans, to the Nun branch of the Niger, and ascended that river to within forty miles of Boussa, where Mungo Park perished.



38

In 1841, at the urgent solicitation of Captain William Allen, of H.M. steamer " Wilberforce," belonging to the Government Niger expedition, then just returned, in consequence of sickness, from the Niger, Mr. Beecroft proceeded to the relief of Captain Trotter and the crew of H.M. steamer " Albert;" found her ninety miles from the sea, the only officers unaffected by fever being the doctor and geologist; took charge of her at the request of Captain Trotter, and conducted her safely over the bar to Fernando Po.

In 1842 Mr. Beecroft explored the Old Calabar River to the rapids, a distance of 150 miles beyond the limit of previous European research, and discovered a rich and populous country, that will eventually become a great outlet for English commerce, as in the mouth of the Calabar River from 7,000 to 9,000 tons of British shipping are on the average lying trading for produce.

In March, 1843, Mr. Beecroft was made by Her Majesty the Queen of Spain, governor of the island of Fernando Po, an honour unsolicited by him and totally unexpected—it was literally an honour, however, as there was no salary attached to the office, and the duties levied barely paid the expense of a few constables for preserving order. Mr Beecroft governed the island, with a popu¬ lation of from 25,000 to 30,000 inhabitants, by a council of five, only one of whom was a European. In this year Mr. Beecroft ascended the Peak of Fernando Po, an elevation of 10,600 feet above the level of the sea, and established the fact that the ther¬ mometer on the mountain ranged at 50°, and fell to 46° in a Tornado, showing that an establishment in a temperate climate may be formed on that island, close to the embouchure of all the great rivers of Western Africa. In this ascent the fatigue and exposure were so great that one of the party, a liberated African, died from over exertion and exposure to the Tornado.

In 1845 Mr. Beecroft again ascended the Niger, and discovered Saddye, a large walled town on the west bank of the river, and (fifteen miles from the bank) containing from 35,000 to 40,000 inhabitants; and he brought down many new articles of trade previously unknown; amongst others, ten tons of vegetable butter, an article that will be of great and increasing importance in future commerce with central Africa. In the same year he explored the Gaboon River, and proved that it was merely an inlet of the sea, and not a great entrance into the interior, as had been hoped.

In 1846 Mr. Beecroft, through his influence with the native



39

chiefs at Old Calabar, was fortunately instrumental in settling the Scotch Mission in that leading inlet into Central Africa; there are now three European missionaries and their families settled there; they have upwards of 200 children at school in Old Town, Duke's Town, and Creek Town; the missionaries have never been molested, and have liberty to land any stores, free of duty; and they are the first Europeans who ever settled in that part of the country.

After the appointment of Mr. Beecroft as governor of Fernando Po, the trade of the island considerably increased, but since that time the Spaniards have resumed the possession and management of the island.

In 1850 Mr. Beecroft returned to this country, and remained here some short time, he then returned to Fernando Po, as Her Britannic Majesty's consul, and there died not long after, beloved and regretted by all who knew him. It is to be remarked, that in all his ascents of the Niger, in the " Calabar "

(though fired at), and in the " Gaboon," and during all his trading transactions, he, with singular temper, moderation, and judgment, never quarrelled with the natives, and never fired a shot in anger ; a fact creditable alike to him and to the inhabitants of Africa.



TABLE, SHOWING THE RISE AND FALL OF THE RIVER NIGER, AT EBOE, BY GEORGE TATTERSALL LYALL, B.M.R.A.

RISE.

JUNE. JULY. AUGUST. SEPTEMBER.

Day of FaU. Thermomtr. Day of Fall. Thermomtr. Day of Thermomti ill Day of Pi-n Thermomtr. Weather. Month.

Ins. Ins. Shade. Sun. Month. Shado. Sun. Month. Shade. San Month. Shade. 3un.

DcS. Deg. Ins. Ins. Deg. Deg. Ins. Ii s. Deg. Deg Ins. Ins. Deg. Deg. 13 2 82 110 Fine. 17* 106J 260* 14 U 80 100 Dull. 1-3 21 81 106 Fine. 1-2 5A 80 Fine. 1 21 80 105 Pine. 15 1 79 97 Rain. 4 11 82 3 o 0 76 2 21 80 16 1 82 111 Fine. 5 3{ 80 102 Rain. 4 1* • 77 3 15 78 Kain. 17 1 82 jj 6 04 80 5 3"! 76 Showery. 4 164 78 18 is. 80 105 Rain and 7 1 80 6 44 76 5 3 78 Dull.

Thunder. 8-11 0 0 80 Variable. 7 9 1 78 Fine. 6 2 80 „ 19 0 0 81 105 Showery. 12 2 79 100 Kain. 8 8 78 « 7 3 79 Showery.

20-26 1* 13 3 78 9 4i 2 * 74 Rain. 8 3 80 Cloudy. 27 3 79 99 Cloudy. 14 4 80 10 6 71 9 3 81 28 6 80 102 „ 15 3 81 Dull. 11 34 71 10 3 80 29 3 80 Rain. 16 1 80 Showery. 12 12 78 Cloudy. 11 5 78 Rain. 30 3 80 Fine. 17

18 0 4

1 82 83

Fine. Very close.

13 14

7 12

79 78

Showery Dull.

12 13

34 3

79 82 Fine.

21 H 19 13 12

75 80

Showery. Dull

15 16 17

9 154 • 94

78 77

Fine. 14 15

4 21

79 Variable. DulL

Total...17* 21 15 79 Changeable 76 Showery. 16 78 „ »» 22 23

13 79 18 19

78 17-21 22-30

64 34 10* 74 Rain. 2 79 Dull. 80 Variable.

24 0 2.J 78 Dull. 20 H 79 Showery. Fine. 25 0 11 79 Fine. 21 7 79 Total. ..341f

26-27 28

0 0*

0 80 80

Rain. 22 23

2 3

79 79

29 oi 80 24 7 77 Dull. 30 6 80 Fine. 25 3 77 „ 31 21

H3| 71

80 >» 26 27 28 29

4 3 4 6i

78 78 80 82

Rain. Fine.

Tota 1...106J 30 31

Total.

64 1

82 79 Dull.

..2604



I Total--.260^ | |

R | S E—continued. FALL.

OCTOBER. OCTOBER. NOVEMBER.

Thermomtr Thei nomtr Thermomtr. Day of Montn. Weather. Weather. Day of Weather. Month. Month.

Shade Sun. Shado Sun. Shade. Sun.

Deg. Deg. Deg. Deg. Ins. Deg. Deg. 341 f 9-21 4 79 Rain. 110* Average rate of Current at High

1 0 0 82 Fine. night. 1 1 HI 82 120 Fine. Water—44 knots. 2 0 0 80 22 H 82 Fine. night. 11* 3 0 04 81 Rain and

Thunder. night.

23 44 2A 82

Tornado. Fine.

2 night.

7 61-

82 110 Rain. Heavy Rain.

4 0 0 79 „ night. 2| 3 6 82 116 Tornadoes „ at intervals. 5 0 0 79 Fine. 24 2 83 118 night. 61 6 0 0 83 night. 3 4 6 84 118 Thunder. Very fine, but heavy Thunder at 7 0 0 80 25 11 82 128 night. 6 ); intervals. 8 01 0 81 Rain. night. 3 5 5 84 118 Rain most of the day. and heavy

26 night.

4 4

83 126 »»

night. 6

5 41 84 ii'6

Clear. Fine.

Thunder. Distant Thunder. Total 342i 0\

27 night.

54 8

84 118 »» night. 7

41 5

82 82 102

» Strong Breeze from the North.

Total Rise, 28 feet 5} inches. 28 7 86 120 »» night. 4 » night. 7 )j 8 4 82 >>

29 34 86 4J

121 night. 9

3 night. H 3 82 »

The Total Rise of the River in 1858 30 9 84 126 »» night. 14 >> was 25 feet of a perpendicular Rise. night. 11 »»

31 8 84 120 Very fine. The Total Rise of the River in 1859 night. 14 >>

was 28 feet 51 inches perpendicular Rise. Total.. 1104



VEI LANGUAGE

Speameru of M.S.

EP -^f (§. O " ^ -5; a I

N&&H C& ^M- ^^

Inscription; ow the, House;.

9

1



D alter, ,% .Morgan, lith. 3,Buage How. Land,





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The river Niger and the progress of discovery and commerce in Central Africa

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