Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/centralafricaadvOObowe_0 
 
CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 ADVENTURES 
 
 AND 
 
 MISSIONARY LABORS 
 
 IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES IN THE 
 
 INTERIOR OF AFRICA, 
 
 FROM 
 
 1849 to 1856. 
 BY T. J. BOWEN. 
 
 SEVENTH THOUSAND. 
 
 CHARLESTON : 
 SOUTHERN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 No. 2 2 9 KING STREET. 
 
 1857. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, 
 33n the <3ciutfjent 33ap tst |BufiIf cotton .Sortctu, 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of South- Carolina. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In some respects, our anticipations in regard to Central Africa 
 have been more than realized. So far as we have proceeded, we 
 have found a good and pleasant country, and a remarkably kind 
 people, who are desirous of being instructed. Even in those places 
 where they at first suspected our motives, they have generally given 
 us a cordial reception, so soon as they ascertained that our ouly 
 design is to teach them a better religion than their hereditary 
 idolatry. The design of the following pages is to give some addi- 
 tional information in regard to countries but little known, and to 
 call the attention of Christians to a people, who, it seems, are ready 
 to receive the Gospel. 
 
 The recipes in the fourth chapter are intended chiefly for 
 colonists and missionaries, to whom they will be of sufficient value 
 to warrant their insertion. 
 
 On several points, the information is smaller than I desired, but 
 it was thought best to limit the work to its present size, even at 
 the expense of facts which are worth relating. The manners and 
 customs of the people, and the pleasing incidents which are con- 
 stantly occurring in the missionary work, are frequently detailed in 
 the monthly letters of the missionaries, which are generally pub- 
 lished in our periodicals. I had intended to have given a list of 
 
 [3] 
 
iv 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 the genera of plants, so far as known, which are common to Tropical 
 Africa and the United States, many of which are not found in 
 Hooker's Niger Flora ; but this would be of little interest to the 
 general reader. 
 
 Some of the etymologies given in the twenty-second chapter, 
 and elsewhere, will appear obscure or clear in proportion as they 
 are referred with more or less care to the known methods by which 
 words pass from one language into another. The language, tradi- 
 tions and religion of the Yoruba people, are of sufficient import- 
 ance to merit a more extended investigation than would be proper 
 in a popular work. 
 
 If some judicious Christians dissent from the Author's views as 
 to the importance of civilization and commerce to the missionary 
 work, I trust that no one will have occasion to say that the spirit 
 in which we are laboring in Africa, is contrary to the genius of the 
 Gospel. We do not believe that natural causes can sanctify the 
 heart, although we hold that civilization is essential to the perman- 
 ence of the Gospel among any people. The best method of con- 
 ducting missions is yet a question ; and I confess that I have been 
 mindful of that fact while penning the following pages. 
 
 Chakleston, S. 0., February 1, 1857. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 The letters employed in spelling African names and words in this 
 work, have the same sounds as in English, with the following ex- 
 ceptions : 
 
 g is always hard, as in get, 
 
 n final, in Yoruba words, is a nasal much slighter in sound 
 than ng. 
 
 s is never sounded like z, 
 
 z in Puloh words, has the sound of z in azure. 
 
 a has two sounds, as in far and in fat ; never as in fate. 
 
 e has two sounds, as in prey and in met ; never as in me. 
 
 i has two sounds, as in machine and in pin ; never as in pine. 
 
 w long has they sound of oo in too ; never of u in mute. 
 
 ai have the sound of i in pine, 
 
 au have the sound of ow in now. 
 In a few proper names, ee, oo, and final y, are sounded as in 
 English. 
 
 Occasionally the parallel lines = are used as a substitute for 
 " equal to," or " equivalent to." 
 
 Cf a contraction of conferre, means " refer to," or "compare." 
 
 [5] 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A BRIEF REVIEW OF AFRICAN EXPLORATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 Tropical Africa known to the ancients — Introduction of the 
 camel — The Carthagenians — The Psylii — The Egyptians — 
 the Komans — The Saracens — Present population of Sudan — 
 Ancient voyages — Portuguese discoveries — The slave trade — 
 Modern travelers — Missions — Native Christians in Central 
 Africa — Portuguese Missions in Congo — Moravian Mission- 
 aries — Missions in Sierra Leone — Liberia — Western Africa 
 — Central Africa. 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MONROVIA AND THE LICERIANS. 
 
 Detention in Liberia — The rainy season — Tropical vegetation — 
 The surf — Harbors — Monrovia — Condition of the people — 
 Treatment of natives — Influence of the colony — Civilization 
 increasing — Statistics (in a foot note) — Dissatisfaction of im- 
 migrants. - 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 NATIVE TRIBES IN LIBERIA. 
 
 Kroomen — Origin of the tribe — Polygamy — Condition of women 
 in Guinea — Barbarism — Religion — Oaths — Recent improve- 
 ment of the Kroos — The Golahs — Vies — Deys — Then- 
 houses, dress, food, etc. — Mandingoes — Their Schools — Re- 
 ligion — Traffic. - - - 37 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SOIL, FARMS, AND PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 Rocks of Liberia — Soil — Swamp — Farms — Rice — Indian 
 corn — Millet — Beans — Arrow root — Yams — Cassava — 
 Tania — Sweet potatoes — Onions — Fruits — Sugar cane — 
 Coffee — Ginger — Pepper — Cotton — India rubber — Ground 
 
 [7] 
 
viii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 peas — Telfaria — Castor oil — Lamp oils — The oil palm — The 
 butter tree. 44 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 Colonization opposed — Its aims — Future emigration of Amer- 
 ican blacks — The natives will be civilized — Improvability of 
 man — Origin and progress of civilization — The present con- 
 dition of Africa. - 56 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TRAVELS IN THE COUNTRY OF THE GOLAHS, IN 1850. 
 
 Departure to Golah — African singing — A mangrove swamp — 
 New Georgia — St. Paul's river — Navigation — The bush — 
 Roads — Pine apples — African water — Naked Negroes — 
 Vonzwaw — Streets — Palaver house — Hindrances — Preach- 
 ing — Traffic — Currency — Salt — Gaming — An affray — Mu- 
 sic — A " half town" — Small pox — .Villages — Soil — Suwy 
 
 — Mill seats — War — Forests — Wild animals — A tribal bu- 
 rying ground — A fine country — Gebby — An affray — Taz- 
 zua — Sama — A covetous king — Mr. Goodale's death — The 
 people of Sama — Godiri — Boonda • — Mandingo — Mahomet- 
 ans — A law suit — Return to Monrovia. - - - - 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 VOYAGE FROM MONROVIA TO BADAGRY, IN 1850. 
 
 Parable of the sower — Departure from Monrovia — Foolish 
 Kroomen — El Mina — The Fantees — Rise of the coast — 
 Gold — Nudity — Immodesty — Causes of African degradation 
 
 — Queer marriages — Mulattoes — Curious weights — Costume 
 
 — A funeral — Cape Coast Castle — The landing — Wesleyan 
 Missions — " L. E. L." J s grave — Guinea worm — African hills 
 — Hocks — Rise of the coast — Departure for Badagry — What 
 Negroes need masters — Akra gardens — Negro vanity — Aguey 
 
 — Badagry. 83 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 The people of Badagry — The Slave Coast — New " niggers" — 
 Fida — The language — Slave trade — Soil — Climate — Relig- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 ix 
 
 ions ceremony — Witches — Markets — Currency — Cowries 
 
 — Beggars — Old Simeon — A servant and a horse — Departure 
 from Badagry — Burial in the air — How loads are carried — 
 Prairies — A lagoon — A caravan — The country — Soil — 
 Scenery — Countries on the Slave Coast — Eighteen months' 
 detention. 93 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ABBEOKUTA AND THE EGBAS. 
 
 Abbeokuta — Ogun river — Rocks — Soil — Egba Country des- 
 olated by war — Ancient giants — Wars — Dahomies defeated 
 
 — Missionaries invited to Egba. — Success — Translations — 
 Hand of Providence. 105 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 
 
 Evils of the slave trade — Opposition of natives to slave wars — 
 The Dahomy army — Battle at Abbeokuta — Badagry burnt — 
 Lagos taken by the English. 113 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 AN ATTEMPT TO PASS THROUGH IKETU, IN 1850. 
 
 Departure from Abbeokuta — Ibara — Aibo — An Albino — Preach- 
 ing — Strictures on — Superstitious fears of white men — A 
 fine country — Roadside market — Yeriwa river — Villages — 
 Ijale — Return to Abbeokuta — Robbers. - 125 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUTA, IN 1851. 
 
 The Yoruba language — A Puloh man — Egba country — Human 
 sacrifices — Oko - Obba — Immodesty — The idol Ifa — Visits 
 to the farms — Slaves — Tobacco — Oro day — Devil bush. - 132 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 VISIT TO IKETU, IN 1851. 
 
 Departure for Iketu — Dahomy refugees — A poor country — 
 Villages — The " king's father" — Soil — Manners and customs 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 — Difficulties — Deposing of Megs — Preaching — Mahomet- 
 ans rebuked — Slave market — A female captive — " Send me 
 your head ! " — Amazons — Departure from Iketu. - 142 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 VISIT TO BI-OLOREUN-PELLU, IN FEBRUARY, 1852. 
 
 Messengers sent to Isehin — Invited into Yoruba — Opposition — 
 Aberrekodo — Eruwa — Scenery — Bi-olorrun pellu — Whites 
 in Africa — A chief's Bible — Effects of preaching — Heathens 
 without idols — Iravvaw — Traffic — Candid Mahometans — In- 
 vited to Awyaw — Farms — Animals — Hunting — The unicorn. 15 1 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 VISIT TO AW A YE, OKE-EFO AND IJAYE, IN 1852. 
 
 Departure for Ishakki — Awaye — Oke-Efo — Return to Awaye — 
 A prince banished — Visit to Ijaye — Land given for a Mission 
 
 — Return to the coast — Embark for London. - - -167 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 BEGINNING OF THE YORUBA MISSION. 
 
 Return to Africa — Sickness — War — Death of Missionaries - 
 Station at Ijaye — Erecting houses — Baptisms — Arrival of 
 Mr. Clark — Preaching — Exploring tour — Removal to Ogbo- 
 moshaw. - - -J 79 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 VISITS TO ILORRIN IN 1855. 
 
 Departure for Ilorrin — Opposition — The country — A village 
 priest — Reception at Ilorrin — Conferences — Arabs — Large 
 towns — Dasaba the Cruel — Past events at Ilorrin — The 
 Pulohs — Men with tails — A second visit to Ilorrin — New 
 Missionaries — Distances from Lagos. 188 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A JOURNEY FROM YORUBA TO SIERRA LEONE, IN 1856. 
 
 Departure from Ogbomoshaw — Heathen notions of Providence — 
 A canoe voyage — Improvements at Lagos — Monrovia — Si- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 xi 
 
 erra Leone — baptist churches there — Missionaries needed — 
 
 A school of Native Boys — Successful mission. - - 206 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 Boundaries — Population — Towns — Surface — Mountains — 
 Prairies — Soil — Streams — Swamps — Springs — Water. - 217 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SEASONS AND CLIMATE. 
 
 Rainy season — Dry season — Spring — Temperature — Winds — 
 The harmattan — Clouds — Mornings and evenings — The best 
 time to travel — Diseases of the natives — Diseases of white vis- 
 itors — Fever — Dysentery — Debility — Causes of disease — 
 Heat — Dampness — Malaria — How to preserve health — Tak- 
 ing cold — Clothing — Houses — Bathing — Damp beds — Laws 
 of Malaria — Diet — Medicines. 226 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 GEOLOGY, PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF YOItUBA. 
 
 Rocks on the coast — Organic remains — Drift — Rocks in .the 
 interior — Granite — Ancient sea coast — Vegetation — Trees 
 — Timber — The Upas — Poisons — Drugs — Climbers — 
 Flowers — Weeds of cultivation — Fruits — Beasts — Birds — 
 Reptiles — Ants. 252 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 
 
 Origin of the name of Yoruba — Men created at Ifeh — Sixteen 
 Emigrants from the east — Drying up of the waters — Yorubas 
 once lived in Nufe — Six Yoruba tribes — Descended from 
 Nimrod — White Immigrants to Sudan — Affinities of the 
 Yoruba tongue — List of Yoruba and Puloh words. - - -264 
 
 CPIAPTER XXIII. 
 
 PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 
 SUDANESE. 
 
 Typical Negroes — Mulattoes — Original seats of the Negroes — 
 Their Migrations in Sudan — White Immigrants to Africa — 
 
xii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Effects of Climate — Permanence of Mulatto races — Black 
 men with European features — Activity of Negroes — Intellect 
 
 — Language — Laws — Religion — Common sense — Inventive 
 faculty — Science — Music — Letters — Poetry — Kindness — 
 Industry — Commerce needed — Immodesty — Covetousuess — 
 Proverbs. 276 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SOCIAL LIFE IN TORUBA. 
 
 Towns — Walls — Streets — Markets — Houses — Dress — Food 
 Amusements — Dancing — Religious Processions — Salutations 
 
 — Marriage — Polygamy — Divorce — Inheritance — Widows 
 
 — Children — Burial — Ghosts — Occupations of the people — 
 Farming — Traffic — Arts — Tools — Glass manufacture. - 294 
 
 • CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Monotheism — Idolatry — Mediators — Symbols — Sacrifices — 
 Priests — Three principal Idols — Obatalla — Shango — Ifa — 
 Government — War — Captives. 310 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ON THE MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 Savages may be converted — They can not sustain the Gospel — 
 They must be civilized — The Divine method of dealing with 
 man — The former state of Africa — Its present state — What 
 type of civilization suits it — The duty of Missionaries — Im- 
 portance of commerce — Commercial resources of Central 
 Africa — Industry of the people — Navigation of the Niger. 321 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 The great commission — Our Missions to Central Africa — Men 
 needed — Who should go — Our proposed line of stations — 
 A wagon road to be opened — Love to the souls of men, a mo- 
 tive — The heathens not saved — The appointed time for the 
 conversion of Africa — A wide field of labor — Liberality of 
 the churches, ********** 346 
 
CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A BRIEF REVIEW OF AFRICAN EXPLORATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 TROPICAL AFRICA KNOWN TO THE ANCIENTS — INTRODUCTION OF THE 
 CAMEL — THE CARTHAGENIANS — THE PSYLLI — THE EGYPTIANS — THE 
 ROMANS — THE SARACENS — PRESENT POPULATION OF SUDAN — ANCIENT 
 VOYAGES — PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES — THE SLAVE TRADE — MODERN 
 
 TRAVELERS — MISSIONS — NATIVE CHRISTIANS IN CENTRAL AFRICA 
 
 PORTUGUESE MISSIONS IN CONGO — MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES — MISSIONS 
 IN SIERRA LEONE — LIBERIA — WESTERN AFRICA — CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 No quarter of the globe is so imperfectly known as 
 Africa. Cut off from the rest of the world by deserts and 
 oceans, given up to the occupancy of barbarous races, 
 and defended by a climate more terrible than armies, 
 she has generally repelled or destroyed alike the covet- 
 ous, the curious, and the benevolent intruder. Or if at 
 any time the adventurer has been more successful, if he 
 has made extensive explorations, and accurate obser- 
 vations, his information, for the most part, as if by some 
 fatality, has not been permitted to reach us. We have 
 good reasons for believing that some of the ancients, as 
 
 [13] 
 
14 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 also the Portuguese of the fifteenth and sixteenth cen- 
 turies, were better acquainted with Africa than we are 
 at present. 
 
 It is not easy to believe, that the camel was first 
 introduced upon the wastes of Sahara by the Saracens. 
 The name by which it is known to several nations of 
 Sudan, is not derived from the Arabic. I believe that 
 the Pulohs (Fellatahs) are the hybrid descendants of a 
 white race, who crossed the desert from Northern Africa, 
 (which they would hardly have done without camels,) 
 many ages before the days of Mahomet. The exclusive 
 policy of the Carthagenians, which led them to conceal 
 their knowledge of distant countries, and the subsequent 
 destruction of any records which they might have kept, 
 may prevent us forever from ascertaining how far they 
 were acquainted with the great desert and the regions 
 beyond it. It is probable, however, that they, like the 
 Egyptians, were aware of the fact, that the desert is 
 interspersed with green oases or fertile spots, and that 
 they were in possession of camels, or some other means 
 by which they could reach these Elysian fields, so grate- 
 ful to thirsty and weary travelers. The story that the 
 interior of Africa was too hot to be inhabited, may have 
 been a Carthagenian fiction, invented to deceive the 
 people of Europe, who knew merely enough of the desert 
 to make the report seem credible. Fezzan must have 
 been known to the inhabitants of Northern Africa ; and 
 it would be very strange if the people of Fezzan should 
 be unacquainted with the line of oases which stretch at 
 easy distances southward to Sudan, It is said that an 
 ancient tribe, the Psylli, (or Psulloi,*) once attempted 
 
 * Perhaps the modern Puloh. 
 
A BRIEF REVIEW. 
 
 15 
 
 to migrate across the desert to the south ; but that ad- 
 vancing into boundless plains of glowing sand, they all 
 perished of thirst. It is very improbable that the Psylli, 
 who had long occupied the northern borders of the 
 desert, would attempt to cross it without being con- 
 vinced that the journey was practicable ; and since they 
 passed through Fezzan, by a route which is not intoler- 
 able even to men and women on foot, it is very probable 
 that they did not perish in the desert, but reached their 
 destination in safety. Great as the horrors of the desert 
 may be, they have always been overrated. There are 
 not now, and never have been, billows or mountains of 
 moving sand, to overwhelm armies and caravans. To 
 satisfy himself on this point, the reader has only to 
 examine the accounts of modern travelers. At present, 
 there is an active trade going on between the Barbary 
 States and Sudan ; and if such a trade existed in ancient 
 times, we can easily account for any extravagant stories 
 about the dangers of the desert, which may have been 
 circulated by the people of Northern Africa. 
 
 Egypt, too, must have been acquainted with Central 
 Africa. This is attested by the ancient monuments, and 
 no less strongly by the Egyptian arts and institutions 
 which still flourish on the banks of the Niger. The pe- 
 culiar beads or bugles which are found on the Egyptian 
 mummies, are also dug from the earth in the Juku 
 country, north of the Benue or Chadda, and again at 
 Ifeh in Yoruba. These are the so-called Popoe beads, 
 which formerly sold for their weight in gold. 
 
 After the fall of Carthage, the Romans a so became 
 acquainted with the countries beyond the Sahara. Den- 
 ham and Clapperton found Roman remains in the midst 
 
1G 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 of the desert. A Roman army is affirmed to have pene- 
 trated far into Sudan. There are several Latin words 
 in the Puloh language, as for instance, lolo, to bathe. 
 
 On the whole, it is reasonable to suppose that the in- 
 habitants of Northern Africa, if not the learned men of 
 Southern Europe, were as well acquainted with Sudan, 
 in ancient times, as we are at present. By whom the 
 routes across the desert were first discovered, and what 
 curious or mercantile adventurers penetrated into the 
 country of the blacks, cannot now be ascertained. But 
 enough is known to authorize the inference of much more 
 having been known than is ordinarily supposed. 
 
 On the arrival of the Saracens in Northern Africa, 
 they probably found the routes to Sudan as well known 
 to the Mauri or Moors, as they are at present. In the 
 tenth century, these hordes, like swarms of locusts, which 
 had spread desolation in many parts of Europe and Asia, 
 directed their course southward, and came down upon 
 the fertile table lands of Central Africa. Meeting the 
 Pulohs and other mulatto tribes on the upper Niger, they 
 conquered or dispersed them. Hausa, Kanike (Burnu), 
 and several adjacent countries, submitted to the religion 
 and laws of the invaders, who established a number of 
 kingdoms, as Kuku or Burnu, Wangara, Tokrur or So- 
 koto, and Ghana or Ghinea (Kano), a name which a 
 mistake of Europeans has transferred to the western 
 coast. These kingdoms, though highly celebrated by 
 Arabian writers of that age, were of short continuance. 
 Amalgamation, aided by polygamy, concubinage, and 
 still grosser licentiousness, conquered the conquerors of 
 Sudan. The hybrid offspring of the Arabs, surrounded 
 by millions of negroes, grew up in the language, feel- 
 
A BRIEF REVIEW. 
 
 17 
 
 ings, and habits of the natives, with the exception of 
 idolatry ; and the famous Saracen kingdoms of Sudan 
 quietly retrograded into semi-barbarous African tribes. 
 The effects of the invasion, however, are still conspicu- 
 ous. Most of the people are Mahometans ; a knowledge 
 of the written Arabic is extensively diffused ; and there 
 is an extensive mixture of Shemitic blood in the con- 
 quered tribes. Several Arabic writers of the Saracen 
 period have left accounts of Sudan, which may be seen 
 in the Appendix to Murray's Africa. After all, the whole 
 amount of our information put together, is ve*ry small. 
 
 Jt was not only by crossing the great desert, that Eu- 
 ropeans and Asiatics attempted to explore the wonders 
 of the vast and ever mysterious African continent. At 
 an early date, ships were sent to explore both the east- 
 ern and western coasts, and even to circumnavigate the 
 peninsula. It is recorded that Necho, a king of Egypt, 
 employed some Phenecian navigators to explore the 
 whole coast, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, 
 which they accomplished in three years. Nearly six 
 hundred years before Christ, the Carthagenians ex- 
 plored the western coast, to a considerable distance ; but 
 how far, is a disputed point among modern geographers. 
 Some believe that they did not pass the coast of Moroc- 
 co, while others suppose that they went as far as Sher- 
 bro Island, near Liberia. The Bijogo Islands, a little to 
 the south of the Gambia, seem to be pretty clearly de- 
 scribed in their narratives. Other voyages were made 
 in subsequent times. If Necho's explorers delineated 
 the true shape of the continent, this knowledge was af- 
 terward lost, for ancient maps represent the coast as run- 
 ning eastward from Cape Palmas, and sweeping round 
 
18 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 to the Red Sea. This form would seem to prove, that 
 the navigators of those times had gone as far as to the 
 Gulf of Guinea, where the coast stretches eastward for 
 a thousand miles ; but had not reached Cameroons, where 
 it again bends to the southward. 
 
 The next adventurers in African waters, w y ere the Por- 
 tuguese. Beginning their explorations of the western 
 coast, about the middle of the fifteenth century, they 
 pushed them forward with energy for more than fifty 
 years, and rewarded themselves by taking possession of 
 the country in the name of God, the pope, and the king. 
 Their monopoly of discovery and acquisition was not long 
 enjoyed. The Dutch and the English entered the field 
 not only as rivals, but sometimes as enemies. The high 
 title by which Portugal claimed her African possessions, 
 was not able to retain them against the impious demand 
 of arms. She still managed, however, to maintain her 
 power on some parts of the coast, and her citizens per- 
 formed at least their share in the transportation of heath- 
 en negroes to Christian countries, with a view to their 
 conversion and salvation. No people prayed more fer- 
 vently for the success of slavers, in thus plucking brands 
 from the burning, than did the Portuguese. No people 
 were more fully persuaded that the kidnappers were do- 
 ing God service. Even within a few years past, a slaver 
 has expressed his opinion, that he was instrumental in 
 the salvation of more souls, than all the missionaries in 
 Africa. 
 
 In their search after new countries to occupy, in their 
 pious efforts to discover Prestyr John, and afterward in 
 their vigorous prosecution of the slave trade, the Portu- 
 guese attained a more extensive knowledge of Africa 
 
A BRIEF REVIEW. 
 
 19 
 
 than any other people. They visited countries which to 
 this day have been seen by no other European. Accord- 
 ing to a Yoruba proverb, " There is a house in Awyaw, 
 (Katanga) called the house of silence ; a white man 
 died there." On inquiry, I was informed that a long- 
 time ago, two white mm came from the coast to see the 
 king at Awyaw, where one of them died. They were 
 no doubt Portuguese, but whether they expected to find 
 Prestyr John, in the powerful monarch of Hio, or were 
 impelled by the baser motive of self-interest, I have not 
 ascertained. Unfortunately, the extensive observations 
 of the Portuguese were not made known to Europe. 
 England knew nothing of Katanga, till the days of 
 Lander, and to this day, we can scarcely credit the fact, 
 which the Portuguese knew two hundred years ago, that 
 there are many towns in the interior of Africa, from fif- 
 teen to twenty-five miles in circuit. 
 
 The slave trade was a dark affair in more respects 
 than one ; and it has shed but little light on African 
 geography. The curiosity of learned men and the en- 
 terprise of merchants have done a little more, but not 
 much. In the beginning of the seventeenth century, 
 the English sent out several expeditions to explore the 
 coast and the rivers. One of these penetrated far into 
 the interior, by the Gambia, and dug twelve pounds of 
 gold. For a long time, very little was done in African 
 exploration. At length, about the year 1790, the Afric- 
 an Association in England, determined to send intelli- 
 gent explorers into Central Africa. Their success was 
 far less than their hopes. Ledyard, who was first ap- 
 pointed, died in Egypt. Lucas advanced but a short 
 distance from the Mediterranean. Major Houghton, who 
 
20 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 attempted to reach Timbuctoo from the Gambia, was 
 robbed by the Moors, and died in the desert. The two 
 journeys of Mungo Park, and especially the first, pro- 
 duced a great sensation. He had penetrated into the 
 country from' the mouth of the Gambia, more than one 
 thousand miles, to Silla, near Jene ; he had seen the 
 Niger flowing eastward, and had learned more than was 
 ever known before of the country and the people. His 
 next journey was undertaken for the purpose of explor- 
 ing the Niger, which some supposed communicated with 
 the Nile. He committed the error of taking with him 
 about forty men, instead of the two or three, which is 
 the maximum allowed by the character of the country 
 and people for a traveler. Death soon reduced their 
 number to five, including Park, all of whom perished at 
 Busa, on the Niger, which is scarcely three hundred 
 miles on a direct line from Lagos. In 1822, Denham 
 and Clapperton crossed the desert from Tripoli, and pen- 
 etrated Sudan to Mandara, and Sokoto. Three years 
 after, Clapperton and Lander went from Badagry to So- 
 koto, where the former fell a victim to dysentery. Since 
 that time, various journeys have been made through dif- 
 ferent parts of Africa. Caille succeeded in passing 
 from the Atlantic to Timbuctoo, and thence to the Med- 
 iterranean. Lander discovered the mouth of the Niger, 
 by descending the stream from Nufe. Laing reached 
 Timbuctoo, but was murdered on his return. Laird and 
 Oldfield ascended the Niger to Kaba. Beecroft went a 
 little farther. Dr. Barth has recently returned from a 
 great tour in Sudan, and Dr. Livingston from another. 
 In 1854, an English steamer ascended the Chadda or 
 Benue to the heart of the continent, and returned with- 
 
A BRIEF REVIEW. 
 
 21 
 
 out the loss of a single man. After all, but little is 
 known of Africa. Immense districts remain wholly 
 unknown, and our scanty information concerning other 
 parts is often inaccurate. 
 
 We turn now to enterprises of a different character — 
 to the humble or professedly humble efforts of mis- 
 sionaries. It is not quite certain whether the ancient 
 Christians did or did not carry the gospel to Central 
 Africa. Now and then we hear a rumor of Christians 
 in the heart of the continent, but the reports are too 
 vague to be worthy of credit. When Denham was in 
 Mandara, he saw a company of strangers from the south, 
 who were said, by the Arabs, to be Christians. He re- 
 fused to believe it, on account of their savage appear- 
 ance. " Nevertheless," said his informants, " they are 
 Christians." I met with a man in Ycruba, who affirmed 
 that he had been far beyond Hausa to a country called 
 Waiangarana, where the people are neither Mahometans 
 nor heathens. But he was unable to tell what they be- 
 lieved or worshipped. At Ogbomoshaw, a strange-look- 
 ing man was pointed out to me as a Christian. He said 
 that he had heard of Isa (Jesus) in the east — nay, that 
 he had seen him in a vision — and that the people in that 
 country worship him. He may have been a deceiver, or 
 he may have been in Abyssinia. I could make no sense 
 of his story. Still it is not impossible that some of the 
 negroes west of- the Nile, may have learned something 
 of Christianity, either from the Copts or the Abyssinians. 
 If so, we may yet discover evidence of these ancient 
 missions. 
 
 So far as we certainly know, the first efforts to convert 
 the negroes, were made by the Portuguese. About the 
 
22 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 middle of the fifteenth century, that is, four hundred 
 years ago, Bemoy, a Jaloff prince, was taken to Lisbon, 
 entertained with bull-fights and puppet-shows, baptized, 
 and sent back as a Catholic prince, with good hopes of 
 reducing the Jaloffs to the dominion of the church. The 
 commander of the vessel in which Bemoy returned to 
 the Senegal, stabbed him to death on the coast of Africa, 
 which put an end to the contemplated mission. Toward 
 the close of the century, several princes and nobles of 
 Congo wer(5 taken to Lisbon, instructed, and baptized. 
 On their return home with several missionaries, the king 
 and many of the nobles embraced the Catholic religion. 
 The common people, not by hundreds, but by thousands, 
 placed themselves under instruction, and were received 
 into the fold, by baptism. This ceremony was duly 
 performed according to the rites of the church, with 
 exorcism, crossing, and tasting of salt. Among all 
 these ceremonies, the last appears to have made the 
 deepest impression on the minds of the wondering peo- 
 ple ; and the initiatory ordinance of the church was 
 soon known through Congo as the " eating of salt" cere- 
 mony. Notwithstanding this natural and innocent mis- 
 take as to a name, the converts ran well according to 
 the forms of their new religion. They appear to have 
 been captivated and carried away by the imposing 
 ritual of their new worship. No people could kneel 
 and cross themselves more zealously. They were fond 
 of processions, in which the admiring missionaries were 
 sometimes deafened by such shouts, blowing of horns, 
 and noises, as they had never before heard. 
 
 It was now time to convert the people from the error 
 of their ways. The attempt to abolish polygamy pro- 
 
A BRIEF REVIEW. 
 
 23 
 
 duced a civil war, in which the Portuguese, and a prince, 
 who rebelled against the king of Congo, were successful. 
 This prince being' at last established on the throne, the 
 mission flourished and spread exceedingly. Countless 
 numbers were baptized. The apostles themselves had 
 not made converts more rapidly than did these people, 
 after their fashion. All history records no instance of a 
 people so eminently susceptible as the Congoes. There 
 were some things, however, which still needed reforming. 
 The converts had not yet renounced idolatry. Neither 
 the superior ceremonies of the church, nor the urgent 
 and repeated admonitions of their new spiritual guides, 
 could shake their attachment to the devil-worship of 
 their ancestors. Wearied by the obstinancy of the 
 people, the good missionaries thought that a little phys- 
 ical force would give the greater efficacy to moral 
 suasion ; and they began to apply this severer disci- 
 pline of their church. The first attack was made on the 
 gods, which the missionaries knocked down and hammer- 
 ed to pieces with their cudgels. The next was on the 
 temples, which were burnt down, sometimes secretly in 
 the night, to prevent disturbance. Some of the more 
 stupid and obstinate of the idolatrous converts, were 
 disciplined with whips and rods. It happened that the 
 queen herself was unwilling to give up her beloved idol. 
 What harm could a little addition to the gospel do ? 
 Her confessor reasoned, till reasoning was absurd, and 
 then as a last resort, applied the extreme discipline. A 
 few strokes of the whip enlightened her majesty's under- 
 standing so amazingly, that she heartily renounced 
 idolatry, and submitted herself humbly to her pastor. But 
 unfortunately, her goodness soon disappeared like the 
 
24 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 morning dew, and she related the whole circumstance to 
 the king with so much indignation, that he espoused her 
 cause, and renounced the friendship of the missionaries 
 forever. From this time, the mission was obliged to 
 struggle with difficulties, and declined apace, till it 
 finally expired. This event was probably hastened by 
 unexpected events in Europe. Luther's great schism 
 occurred just at the time that the struggling Congo mis- 
 sion needed efficient support, not only from the religious 
 classes, but from the strong arm of the Portuguese 
 government. 
 
 More than a hundred years ago the Moravians sent a 
 party of missionaries to the Gold Coast, but they were 
 soon cut off and dispersed by the diseases of the 
 country. 
 
 During the revolutionary war, a number of negroes in 
 the Southern States attached themselves to the British, 
 by whom they were first taken to Nova Scotia, and then 
 to London. Poor, unhealthy, and rapidly diminishing in 
 numbers, they seemed in danger of utter extinction, 
 when it was proposed to settle them in Sierra Leone, 
 as a colony. Evangelical Christians had already begun 
 to feel the impulse of the missionary enterprise, which 
 at present stands forth as a prominent feature, and a 
 great problem in the affairs of the world. The church- 
 men sent missionaries to Sierra Leone, who were soon 
 followed by Wesleyans and others. No mission of 
 modern times has been more successful than this, as I 
 chall show in the sequel. The American colonies called 
 missionaries to Liberia and Cape Palmas. The Wesley- 
 ans established themselves at Cape Coast Castle, and 
 afterwards at Badagry. At the latter place, they were 
 
A BRIEF REVIEW. 
 
 25 
 
 joined by churchmen from Sierra Leone, and both par- 
 ties advanced to Abbeokuta, about sixty miles in the 
 interior. 
 
 In the mean time, Central Africa was occasionally 
 mentioned as a future field for missions, but nothing was 
 done. Not a few persons, appalled by the mortality of 
 missionaries on the western coast, had almost concluded 
 that white men should not be sent to that country. The 
 natives on the coast' also were considered to be, in their 
 present degraded state, nearly or quite too low to de- 
 mand immediate attention. Almost any field appeared 
 to be preferable to Africa. The Foreign Mission Board 
 of the newly formed Southern Baptist Convention had 
 no white men in that country, and their colored mis- 
 sionaries confined their labors mostly to the colonists. 
 The question arose, What can be done for Africa ? The 
 prospect appeared gloomy, so far as regards white labor- 
 ers. Finally, it was suggested that Sudan, remote as it 
 is, might be accessible ; that it might have, and ought 
 to have, by reason of its elevation, a healthy climate ; 
 and that the people were certainly superior in intelli- 
 gence and morals to those on the coast. Here was a 
 new hope. The effort might be a failure, but still the 
 probabilities of success were sufficient to authorize, if 
 not to demand a trial. On the 22d of February, 1849, 
 I had the satisfaction of being appointed a missionary to 
 Sudan. The next difficulty was to find a colleague. I 
 traveled through several of the Southern States, and 
 the brethren listened with interest even where they 
 doubted ; but no one volunteered to go. After several 
 months' delay, Hervey Goodale, who was under appoint- 
 ment for China, was transferred to the proposed mission 
 
26 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 in Central Africa, and soon after, Robt. F. Hill , a young 
 colored man, was selected to accompany us. 
 
 Our instructions could not be very definite. We were 
 expected to penetrate into Sudan, or some adjacent 
 country, and to remain there till we should become well 
 acquainted with the character of the climate and people. 
 It was thought that Badagry, on the Slaye Coast, might 
 be a convenient point from which to commence our ex- 
 plorations, and that Igboho (Bohoo)'in the north west of 
 Yoruba, would probably be a suitable place for our first 
 location. Should the undertaking prove to be unsuc- 
 cessful or disastrous, this was what we had agreed to 
 risk. If our hopes were realized, other missionaries 
 would join us, and a line of stations would be formed 
 from the coast to the remote interior. 
 
 The object of the following pages is to show what 
 has been attempted and accomplished in pursuance of 
 this design ; and to acquaint the public, especially 
 those who are interested in this attempt to evangelize 
 Central Africa, with the countries and tribes which have 
 been seen by the writer. 
 
MONROVIA AND THE LIBERT ANS. 
 
 27 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MONROVIA AND THE LIB ERIAN S. 
 
 DETENTION OP LIBERIA — THE RAINY SEASON — TROPTCAL VEGETATION — 
 
 THE SURF — HARBORS MONROVIA CONDITION OP THE PEOPLE — 
 
 TREATMENT OP NATIVES INFLUENCE OF THE PEOPLE — INFLUENCE 
 
 OF THE COLONIES CIVILIZATION INCREASING — STATISTICS (iN A 
 
 FOOT NOTE) — DISSATISFACTION OP IMMIGRANTS. 
 
 We sailed from Providence, P. I., on the 11th of De- 
 cember, 1849, and arrived at Monrovia, the capital of 
 Liberia, on the 8th of February following. Here we 
 were informed that the vessel in which we had come out, 
 could not proceed to her destination, till she had made 
 a voyage of considerable length to the windward, that 
 is, in the direction of the great desert. This movement, 
 together with the delay of trading at the ports to the 
 leeward of Liberia, would prevent our reaching Badagry 
 before the rainy season, which is generally very danger- 
 ous to travelers in the sickly climate of Africa. At this 
 time, we were ignorant of the interesting fact, that the 
 rains in Yoruba and the countries beyond, are never so 
 severe as to prevent safe and comfortable traveling; 
 and accordingly, we went ashore at Monrovia, to remain 
 till the next dry season, unless we should find an im- 
 mediate passage to Badagry. This delay was not 
 agreeable ; but we should gain the advantage of pass- 
 
28 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ing through the process of acclimation, before proceed- 
 ing on our journey, and might in the meantime find 
 abundance of missionary work to do in the colony. Our 
 first employment ashore was to look at every thing 
 within our reach, and to inquire into every thing we 
 could think of. It may be presumed, that we were not 
 inattentive observers. We were in a new country and 
 climate, where every beast, bird and plant bore the im- 
 press of novelty. We were surrounded by black men 
 in a new relation, the citizens of their own free republic, 
 civilized, and standing forth in strong contrast with 
 " the naked negro," in his primeval rudeness. 
 
 Liberia has frequently been described, sometimes 
 with great fairness, and sometimes with surprising de- 
 partures from the truth. Men of equal candor, measur- 
 ing the state of the colony by different standards, one 
 comparing it with the most flourishing countries of the 
 globe, and another with the barbarous States of West- 
 ern Africa, have naturally differed widely in their judg- 
 ment. Both parties have erred. To form a correct 
 judgment in regard to Liberia, we must compare it 
 with other newly settled countries, making due allow- 
 ance for the circumstances of each case. It is not my 
 purpose to correct many erroneous statements, either 
 for or against Liberia ; but to state briefly what I saw 
 and heard during my stay in the country, and to express 
 my opinion as to what may be, or ought to be, the result 
 of African colonization. For this digression, I must 
 crave the indulgence of the reader, on the ground that 
 a friend of Central African Missions can scarcely fail to 
 feel a deep interest in the missions and colonies which 
 have been planted on the western coast. The colonies 
 
MONROVIA AND THE LIBERIANS. 
 
 29 
 
 of the west, and the missions of Sudan may eventually 
 flow together and become one interest. I remember 
 also that many of my readers may not have seen any 
 other work on Liberia, and to them a description of 
 the country and people by an eye witness will probably 
 be acceptable. 
 
 One who has never been in the torrid zone can form 
 no just conception of the exuberance, and I may say, 
 intensity of tropical vegetation. The first thing that 
 arrested my attention, as we entered the anchorage off 
 Monrovia, was the dense verdure which clusters on the 
 promontory of Mesurado. The whole view from the 
 ship, consisting of a low monotonous beach, fringed on 
 one side by the white foam of the surf, and on the other, 
 by a thick-set wall-like forest; the dashing of the waves 
 against the rocky base of the promontory, which hangs 
 like a heavy cloud of vegetation over the sea; the half- 
 clad and unclad natives, some pulling off to meet us in 
 their little canoes, and others standing in groups on the 
 beach; the absence of all marks of civilization; and the 
 back ground of the picture fading away in the dim, 
 smoky horizon which distinguishes the dry season — all 
 presented a scene of mingled beauty, wildness and 
 sombreness which accorded well with my previous con- 
 ceptions of Africa. It was very natural that imagi- 
 nation should look forward beyond the blue smoky 
 mountain tops which lay like clouds in the distant in- 
 terior, and wonder what strange rivers, towns and people 
 were there in the unknown countries to which we were 
 going. Some reader may conclude that our project was 
 about as wild as the country before us, and as visionary 
 as our feelings when we first looked out upon the wide 
 
30 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 continent of Africa. But if he will study our aims and 
 the probabilities of success, as closely as we had, he 
 may admit that our mission was a sober Christian work, 
 fully worthy of our most strenuous efforts. Monrovia 
 stands behind the promontory, on a peninsular ridge 
 between the Mesurado river and the sea. There are 
 two means of getting ashore from vessels in the anchor- 
 age ; one in the little round bottomed Kroo canoes, 
 which threaten to capsize every moment, and would 
 certainly do so, should you indulge in any awkward 
 maneuvers ; and another in boats which glide safely 
 enough over the smooth rollers or long swelling waves, 
 and are generally able to pass though the surf on the 
 bar, without much danger. There are two landing 
 places also ; one on the beach, about a mile from the 
 anchorage, and the same distance from the town ; and 
 the other at the wharves, on the bank of the river, in 
 front of Monrovia. In fine weather, a boat or canoe may 
 be landed on the beach, and you may get ashore with 
 dry feet, by mounting on the shoulders of a stout Kroo- 
 man. If the sea is rough, you must take a boat and 
 pass over the bar into the river. The water on the bar 
 is said to be eight or nine feet deep, and with good rowers, 
 there is no great danger ; but you must enjoy or suffer the 
 novelty of dashing through several breakers, and per- 
 haps of being slapped in the face, or on the back, by 
 several white sprays before you reach the smooth water. 
 
 Bad as the surf is at Monrovia, it is still worse at 
 most other places between Sherbro and Fernando Po. 
 There are good harbors at Goree, Bathurst and Free- 
 town, but none at all on the Grain Coast, Ivory Coast, 
 Gold Coast and Slave Coast. Ships are obliged to an- 
 
MONROVIA AND THE LIBERIANS. 
 
 31 
 
 chor in the open sea, from one to five miles from the 
 shore ; and the waves roll in so heavily upon the beach, 
 that landing is often dangerous. Fortunately, there are 
 no hurricanes in Africa, so that there is little danger of 
 shipwreck. At a few places where there are rivers with 
 several feet of water on the bar, as at Monrovia and La- 
 gos, an increase of traffic will authorize the employment 
 of steam lighters, which will be a great convenience. 
 
 Monrovia, which we approached by way of the river, 
 presented a straggling, bush-grown, weather-beaten ap- 
 pearance, similar to some old towns in Mexico, where 
 the sober wisdom of the people allows no useless expen- 
 diture of manual labor. The wharves were rudely con- 
 structed of stones. A few little vessels, some in the 
 water, and some on the stocks, indicated a degree of en- 
 terprise among the people. Two or three half-filled streets 
 of large old stores and warehouses, extended several 
 hundred yards along the side of the water, and the hill 
 side between these and the dwellings on the top of the 
 ridge, was given up to weeds and bushes. My first im- 
 pressions of the place were not favorable. Numbers of col- 
 onists, mostly well-dressed, met us on the wharves with 
 smiles and cordial greetings. In ascending the bushy 
 hill, we passed a cake shop, exactly in the style of the 
 " cakes and beer, for sale here," to be found among old 
 negro women in Georgia. I soon found that everything 
 in Monrovia was as nearly a copy of similar things in 
 America, as circumstances would permit. In general, 
 there was only one dwelling on each of the spacious 
 lots, and the unoccupied portions were enclosed by stone 
 walls for gardens, or given up to the weeds and bushes. 
 Many of the lots were still unoccupied. Want of peo- 
 
32 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 pie, and not indolence, is the true reason of the wild and 
 straggling appearance of the town. Monrovia is a new 
 town, or at least but thinly populated, the whole num- 
 ber of inhabitants not exceeding two thousand. With 
 the same population, Freetown would present the same 
 bush-grown appearance. 
 
 The houses in Monrovia are generally two stories high, 
 the lower one designed for servants, store-rooms, &c, 
 being built of stone ; and the upper one with bed-rooms, 
 parlors, and piazzas for the family, built of wood. The 
 furniture is similar to that used by the middle classes in 
 America. I was pleased to see a good many valuable 
 books and periodicals on the shelves and tables. Most 
 of the people, in short, appear to live as comfortably as 
 people of means commonly do at home. I have heard 
 them accused of being too fond of dress and show, but 
 if they were more so than other people who live in towns, 
 I was not able to perceive it. 
 
 The public houses are a government house, president's 
 house, jail, four churches, Methodist, Baptist, Presby- 
 terian, and Episcopalian ; and several school-houses, one 
 or two of which, I believe, are called colleges. A large 
 proportion of the people are religious. Many of them, 
 ■no doubt, are true Christians ; but others are too much 
 like certain professed believers in other countries. The 
 morals of the people generally, appeared to be much the 
 same as our own. In one respect, however, they are 
 said to be deficient, though not so bad, if report may be 
 trusted, as the people of Sierra Leone, or of France. 
 Illicit intercourse is a characteristic of Western Africa. 
 I am told that all the schools in Liberia are supported 
 by donations from America. This is not creditable to 
 
MONROVIA AND THE LIBERIANS. 
 
 33 
 
 the people. They ought, from self respect, to do all 
 they can to sustain their own schools and churches. If 
 they do not stand alone, they cannot be said to stand at 
 all. It is said again, that the young people are too much 
 addicted to idleness. It is certainly desirable, that every 
 young man should be trained to some useful employ- 
 ment, but since it is not generally done in other coun- 
 tries, we can hardly demand it in Liberia. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to contradict the reiterated 
 report that the Liberians hold slaves. Within the col- 
 ony slavery is prohibited, both to emigrants and natives. 
 I have seen a Yy man tried and fined for purchasing a 
 girl from a native trader. In some cases, slaves have 
 been brought down from the interior, and pawned to Li- 
 berians for debt ; but this was found to be a precarious 
 species of collateral security, for the slave being free by 
 law, the moment he enters the colony, may go where he 
 chooses, without consulting either the pawnee or his 
 master. When minors are liberated by a decision of 
 the court, they are bound out to be civilized, and educated 
 till the time when it is supposed they will be twenty- 
 one years of age; and their apprenticeship being accom- 
 plished, they are citizens of the republic. Canot, the 
 famous Portuguese slaver, who ought to know, affirms 
 in his memoir, that Liberia has exerted an immense in- 
 fluence in the suppression of the slave trade. 
 
 But the Liberians cannot be justified generally in re- 
 gard to the manner in which they treat the natives. 
 Making all due allowance for social and other differ- 
 ences, they regard their barbarous neighbors with too 
 much contempt. Neither do they exert themselves as 
 they might, to improve them in civilization and religion. 
 2* 
 
34 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 It is true, that the churches and schools are open to the 
 natives, if they choose to enter them ; but the naked 
 and ignorant barbarians do not choose to trust them- 
 selves in among the proud and well-dressed Liberians, 
 either to learn or to worship. I am glad that some are 
 now making more special efforts to improve the natives, 
 and I have no doubt that persevering, well-directed ef- 
 forts will be successful. 
 
 It must not be supposed, however, that nothing has 
 been done heretofore. The colony is said to contain 
 about one thousand reclaimed natives, some of whom 
 are consistent Christians. The general influence of the 
 colony has been good. Degraded as the natives are at 
 present, we must remember that they were far more so, 
 twenty years ago. If they improve in the same ratio 
 for the next twenty years, many of them will be half 
 civilized. There have been frequent wars in Liberia, as 
 there once were in Sierra Leone, and other colonies ; but 
 the result of the whole has been an increase of confi- 
 dence and friendship on the part of the natives. Many 
 have placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the 
 colony, for the sake of enjoying the just and vigorous 
 protection of its laws. This fact is highly creditable to 
 Liberia, and full of meaning. The Aborigines of Africa 
 will not melt away before the emigrants, as the Indians 
 did before the whites, in America, but being of the same 
 race, will gradually blend into one people. Some, in- 
 deed, have surmised that the colonists may retrograde 
 to barbarism ; but of this there is not the least danger, 
 if we may judge from existing facts. The Liberians 
 themselves are advancing in civilization, and the natives 
 are rising with them, 
 
MONROVIA AND THE LIBERIA NS. 
 
 35 
 
 A majority of the colonists appear to be more or less 
 engaged in traffic. This is perfectly natural ; for there 
 are only seven or eight thousand emigrants scattered 
 in small settlements along the coast of four hundred 
 miles, where they are continually presented with palm- 
 oil, ivory and other articles of export, to tempt them 
 from other pursuits. Liberia needs men. Place even one 
 hundred thousand colonists there, instead of eight thou- 
 sand, and there will be a demand for labor, which does 
 not now exist, and a supply which is now impossible. 
 After all, other pursuits are not neglected. There is a 
 sufficient number of stone masons, bricklayers, carpen- 
 ters, &c, and about one twelfth of the population are 
 engaged in farming.* 
 
 Most of the old settlers are satisfied ; many of the 
 new comers, especially the women, are not. They came 
 out in ignorance of the difficulties which must be en- 
 countered in all new countries ; and were disappointed 
 because they expected too much. Besides this, both 
 women and men are liable to become home sick. Many 
 
 * I have lately received the following statistics from the best au- 
 thorities, which I believe to be correct. In the whole country, which 
 
 is now divided into three counties, there are : 
 
 Settlements, ------ 23 
 
 Colonists, - 7,792 
 
 Half breeds [born of Colonists and natives], - 562 
 
 Liberated Africans, .... 954 
 
 Natives, about - 250,000 
 
 Deaths, in acclimation, about - - - 10 per cent. 
 
 Proportion of Farmers, ... 8 per cent. 
 
 Proportion of Mechanics, - - - 5 per cent. 
 
 The statistics of Mesurado County, which includes Monrovia, are 
 as follows : 
 
36 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 of our own people who remove to the western country, 
 repent it for a while, and some actually return to the 
 older settlements. This, however, is rather a reproach 
 to the people, than to the country which they have de- 
 serted. 
 
 Merchants, - - - - - -18 
 
 Traders and Hawkers, - - 60 
 
 Sugar Mills, [others coming out], - - 4 
 
 Steam Saw Mills, ----- 3 
 
 Religious Sects, - - - - - 4 
 
 Places of Worship, - - - 12 
 Seminaries, - - - - - *2 
 
 Day Schools, ------ 9 
 
 Scholars - - - - - 350 to 400 
 
 Proportion of people who read and write, about seven eighths of the 
 whole. 
 
 Population of Monrovia, about - - - 2,000 
 
NATIVE TRIBES IN LIBERIA. 
 
 37 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 NATIVE TRIBES IN LIBERIA. 
 
 KROOMEN — ORIGIN OF THE TRIBE — POLYGAMY — CONDITION OF WOMEN 
 IN GUINEA BARBARISM RELIGION OATHS — RECENT IMPROVE- 
 MENT OF THE KROOS — THE GOLAHS — TIES — DEYS — THEIR HOUSES, 
 
 DRESS, FOOD, ETC. — M ANDIN GOES — THEIR SCHOOLS — RELIGION 
 
 TRAFFIC. 
 
 The Kroo people were the first natives we saw on the 
 coast. As we approached the anchorage at Monrovia, 
 several of thern paddled off in their light canoes to meet 
 us, and ask for work on the ship. Their only clothing 
 was a cotton handkerchief about the loins, and even 
 this some of them had transferred to their heads, to keep 
 it dry till they should get aboard. 
 
 Judging from their language only, the Kroos are re- 
 lated to their neighbors, the Bassahs and Deys. Judged 
 by their physical and mental characteristics, they might 
 be considered another race. They are all woolly headed, 
 and most of them are black ; but we occasionally meet 
 with one who is like a Puloh, as light colored as a mu- 
 latto. They deny that these are the descendants of 
 white men, and suppose that some of their tribe have 
 always been of this color. So far as I could ascertain, 
 they have no tradition as to their original location.* 
 
 * I have since heard that they came from the interior, where they 
 were called Klaho. 
 
38 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Some of them are the most hairy and brawny men I 
 have seen in Africa. 
 
 The Kroos are instinctively, water men. They are 
 fond of working on ships, and for the sake of finding 
 employment, many of the men leave their country near 
 Cape Palmas, and build villages of huts in the suburbs 
 of colonial towns. They are good seamen, and general- 
 ly speak English. 
 
 The greatest ambition of a Krooman, is to marry many 
 wives. This is said to be the chief reason why they 
 wander from home, and labor on ships. When a man 
 has earned money enough to pay the dowry and other 
 expenses incident to an African marriage, he returns to 
 his native village, takes a wife, and remains a while to 
 enjoy his new relation. Then he is off again to earn 
 more money, that he may marry another wife. The 
 women in this part of Africa are little better than slaves, 
 and they perform most of the farm work and drudgery. 
 When a Krooman has passed the meridian of life, he re- 
 tires from service, and remains at home with his wives, 
 who willingly support him by their labor. He is now 
 what is called a " big man," and probably no dis- 
 tinguished merchant, politician, or scholar, in our own 
 country, enjoys his hard earned reputation more than he 
 does. 
 
 The Kroos are strongly attached to their supersti- 
 tions, and even to their ignorance and barbarism. It is 
 said that if one of them should renounce idolatry, and 
 learn to read, he would be put to death by the tribe. 
 Some years ago, a missionary made an appointment to 
 preach at Krootown, in the suburbs of Monrovia. On 
 arriving at the place, he found the people seated on the 
 
NATIVE TRIBES IN LIBERIA. 
 
 39 
 
 ground, making a noisy pow-wow over scraps of news- 
 paper. u What are you doing ? n inquired the mission- 
 ary. " Sarvin' God, sir," was the prompt reply. More 
 recently, a Krooman in the same village became im- 
 pressed with the influences of the Gospel and civiliza- 
 tion, and built himself a little cottage of boards among 
 the palm leaf shanties of his countrymen ; but he soon 
 died, as the colonists suppose, by means of poison. Yet 
 even the Kroos believe in one God, and only one, who 
 is far superior to all idols. Their prayers are offered to 
 devils, that is, idols ; because, in common with other ne- 
 groes, they regard these as the media through which 
 God communicates protection and blessings to men. 
 In judicial proceedings, they swear by salt, dipping 
 their forefinger first into the salt, then pointing it to- 
 ward the earth, then to heaven, and then putting it into 
 the mouth. 
 
 But the changes which are working irresistibly in 
 Africa, are affecting the Kroomen also. On my late 
 return from the interior, I found numbers of them at 
 Lagos, decently clad in shirts and trousers. Sitting 
 one day at my window in Freetown, my attention was 
 attracted by a smartly dressed Krooman, who wore 
 a moustache, and sported a cane — an unmistakable 
 dandy. " Who after this," said I, " will affirm that 
 Kroomen can not be improved ?" A few days after, I 
 went down to Krootown, where I found swarms of them 
 decently clothed. A great change seems to have come 
 over them within a few years. Several of them are 
 soldiers in the barracks ; one is a constable in Free- 
 town ; and one is a Methodist preacher, who draws large 
 congregations. An elderly Krooman repeated these 
 
40 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 and similar facts to me with evident pleasure, and said, 
 " Time past Krooman was fool, now he eye open a 
 little ; only book we want now ; we be smart man." 
 All this probably interested me the more, because I have 
 long predicted that the Kroos will be among the first 
 natives of Liberia to embrace civilization, and incorpo- 
 rate themselves with the immigrants as citizens of the 
 republic. 
 
 The Golah people inhabit both sides of St. Paul's 
 river, back of Monrovia. These are the " Gula ne- 
 groes," of the Southern States. They can not be re- 
 ferred with certainty, to any of the tribes in the same 
 vicinity, but their language has some affinities with 
 those on the lower Gambia, among fragmentary tribes, 
 who probably descended from the interior. The Golahs 
 are degraded and superstitious, and it seems to me one 
 of the meanest tribes in Africa. 
 
 The Vy people about Grand Cape Mount, belong to 
 the same extensive ethnical family as the Mandingoes. 
 More than one hundred and fifty years ago, as now, 
 tiiey were considered superior to other tribes on this 
 part of the coast. They are the only people in Africa 
 who have invented an alphabet for their language. It 
 would seem that the first navigators on this coast found 
 them unable to count more than ten, since hunder-dunder 
 and tousan-dunder, their terms for 100, and 1,000, and 
 evidently borrowed from Europeans. Some of the Vies, 
 as of other superior tribes, have renounced heathenism, 
 and embraced the religion of Mahomet, which the more 
 stupid tribes never do. These facts indicate the people 
 to whom we should first offer the Gospel. I believe it 
 is a general, if not a universal rule, that the most intel- 
 
NATIVE TRIBES IN LIBERIA. 
 
 11 
 
 ligent heathens, other things being equal, arc the most 
 easily converted from idolatry. 
 
 Of the Bassahs, Pessies, and other barbarous tribes, 
 I obtained no definite information The Dey people 
 who live about the mouth of St. Paul's river, nu- 
 merically feeble. In language and superstition, they 
 are related to the Kroos and Bassahs. Though some- 
 what improved by intercourse with the colonists, they 
 are still savages. Their houses are circular huts, built 
 of poles set upright, and plastered with clay. They 
 are grossly and stupidly superstitious. Both men and 
 women sometimes daub their faces with red and white 
 clay, by way of ornament. Their dress is a breech- 
 cloth and a wrapper, or sheet thrown around the body. 
 The usual food of the country is rice, cassava and " pa- 
 laver sauce,"* a stewed mixture of meat, herbs and 
 palm-oil, seasoned with salt and red pepper. Their huts 
 contain no furniture. 
 
 The Mandingoes, whose country lies three or four 
 hundred miles to the north-east of Monrovia, are one of 
 the finest tribes in Africa — tall, erect, muscular and in- 
 telligent. Their ethnological affinities extend from the 
 neighborhood of Ashanti to the Great Desert. Like 
 other tribes in the interior, the Mandingoes are suffi- 
 ciently mixed with Caucasian blood to give them a 
 semi-European cast of countenance, which is sometimes 
 accompanied with a yellow or mulatto skin. They are 
 not all Mahometans, some whole Mandingo tribes being 
 still chiefly Pagan, but those among them who have 
 
 * So called because whites and negroes ate it together in palavers 
 or councils. 
 
42 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 embraced the religion of the false prophet, are gener- 
 ally more zealous, and better acquainted with the Koran, 
 than any other negroes west of the Niger. They have 
 schools in all their principal towns, for males only, in 
 which the course of study is said to be seven years. 
 Nothing is taught but the Koran ; but I have no doubt 
 that so sprightly and inquisitive a people would be 
 eager readers of history and geography, if they had 
 the books. All of them that I have seen are strongly 
 opposed to intoxicating drinks, and I was told that 
 some of them would not taste of food for which rum has 
 been given in exchange. When introduced to one of 
 them, in the interior, his first question was, " Do you 
 drink rum?" They also oppose music and dancing as 
 a heathenish practice, unfit for the worshippers of the 
 true God. I was told of a class of devotees in the tribe, 
 who abstain from war and traffic, and refuse to shake 
 hands with another man's wife. Their employment is 
 reading, prayer, and writing charms to sell to their su- 
 perstitious countrymen. Some of them have manu- 
 script copies of the Pentateuch and Psalms, all in 
 Arabic, of course ; and printed copies of the New Tes- 
 tament. The last is much respected ; but they strenu- 
 ously deny that "the prophet Jesus" is the Son of God. 
 They have among them another little book, a dialogue 
 or dispute between a devotee and a trader, which, from 
 its allusions to native customs, must have been com- 
 posed by one of themselves. The devotee alleges that 
 traffic is irreligious, and that rich men are always wick- 
 ed. The trader replies, that Abraham was both wealthy 
 and righteous ; and he defends traffic by urging the 
 necessity of food and raiment. A man at Sama re- 
 
NATIVE TRIBES IN LIBERIA. 
 
 43 
 
 lated to me the history of Joseph with great accuracy, 
 except that he spoke of Rachel's grief when her son 
 was supposed to be devoured by wild beasts. All the 
 Mandingoes with whom I have conversed, believe that 
 missionaries would be permitted to live and preach in 
 their country, but they think that no Mandingo could 
 be induced to renounce Mahometanism. They deny that 
 the Golahs and other rude tribes are capable of being 
 converted at all. 
 
 The Mandingoes, like the Hausas, Kanikes (Burnuese), 
 Yorubas, and other improved tribes, are much addicted 
 to traffic, and frequently make long journeys of months 
 or years to distant countries. By these means, they 
 have an extensive acquaintance with the countries, 
 tribes, and languages of Africa, and learn something of 
 other continents from the Arabs, and from Europeans 
 and Americans on the sea coast. 
 
44 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ~ SOIL, FARMS, AND PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA t 
 
 ROCKS OF LIBERIA — SOIL — SWAMP — FARMS — RICE — INDIAN CORN — 
 MILLET — BEANS — ARROW ROOT — YAMS — CASSAVA — TANIA— SWEET 
 
 POTATOES ONIONS — FRUITS — SUGAR CANE — COFFEE — GINGER — 
 
 PEPPER — COTTON — INDIA RUBBER — GROUND PEAS — TELFARIA — CAS- 
 TOR OIL — LAMP OILS — THE OIL PALM — THE BUTTER TREE. 
 
 The rocks at Monrovia and in the Golah country are 
 chiefly clay stone, cemented with iron, and a very an- 
 cient amorphous trap (sometimes called " black gran- 
 ite,") which occasionally shows a disposition to form 
 joints. In some places there is a small quantity of a 
 coarse and friable sand stone, and the soil is occasion- 
 ally mixed with scales of transparent mica, with now 
 and then a bit of crystal quartz. No feldspar is visible 
 in any of the rocks ; and there is no indication of lime. 
 Iron, which appears to be very abundant, is the only 
 metal, unless some of the so-called iron ore is zinc* 
 Neither organic remains nor drift is found in this part 
 of the country. 
 
 The soil, wherever I saw it, is generally productive, 
 but never so exceedingly fertile as we have been taught 
 
 * There are specimens of rich zinc ore in the Colonization Rooms, 
 New York, which have been received from Liberia. 
 
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 45 
 
 to believe. It ranges from good second quality to poor, 
 but the latter is unusual. Whether rich or poor, it is 
 mostly of a yellowish color, which it imparts to the 
 rivers. There is little or no swamp, except at a few 
 points on the coast ; for the country is almost univers- 
 ally broken and rocky, or more or less gravelly. 
 Streams of pure water are numerous. 
 
 Liberia is too thinly occupied by immigrants, and 
 offers too many facilities for traffic with the natives, to 
 be an agricultural country at present. The ox and the 
 horse, those useful auxiliaries of man in the cultivation 
 of the soil, are scarcely ever employed in Liberia ; and 
 I doubt whether the small and ill-fed breeds now found 
 in the country, would be able to undergo the drudgery 
 of farm work in a^ tropical climate. 
 
 The process of farming among the natives in this 
 part of the country, is extremely simple. In the dry 
 season, corresponding to our winter, the men cut the 
 bushes from the land with bill-hooks, which are a kind 
 of heavy pruning knife. In the spring, when the rains 
 begin to fall, the women sow rice, which requires but 
 little cultivation, because newly cleared land produces 
 but little grass. A crop of cassava is planted for the 
 second year, by the end of which, the grass has taken 
 full possession of the farm, and it is abandoned for a 
 new ground. The bushes return in full vigor after 
 three or four years, and totally destroy the grass, which 
 otherwise might afford rich pasturage for cattle. Indo- - 
 lence is the only just reason why beef, milk and butter, 
 are not abundant in this country, where they are now 
 almost unknown. 
 
 Unhappily the native method of farming has been too 
 
46 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 closely followed by the Liberians. If they should culti- 
 vate the same land from year to year, it would not only 
 become mellow, and easily plowed, but would finally 
 lose its disposition to produce bushes, and would yield 
 a luxuriant harvest of grass every fall for horses and 
 cattle. In Yoruba, where there are no plows, the peo- 
 ple cultivate the same land for many years together. 
 They are not to be frightened by grass. In the dry 
 season, when the grass is naturally less luxuriant, they 
 walk into their farms with their strong hoes, and turn 
 up the ground as deeply as many people plow, and they 
 never fail to raise good crops of Indian corn, millet, cow 
 peas, yams, &c, which are followed in the latter part of 
 the season by luxuriant crab-grass, for their cattle and 
 horses. When the land is finally exhausted, it remains 
 a grass field or prairie, so that the Yoruba country, all 
 of which has been reclaimed and abandoned again and 
 again, is open, airy and healthy. Even the mountains 
 of Sierra Leone are cultivated from year to year, and 
 the removal of the timber has greatly improved the 
 health of the country. 
 
 The productive soil and the perpetual summer of Li- 
 beria, of course adapts it to all the valuable productions 
 of similar countries within the tropics. Many of these 
 are not yet known in the colony, but might be introduced 
 from other countries. Among the articles already in- 
 troduced or indigenous to the soil, we may notice the 
 following, with occasional directions how to use them. 
 
 Rice is a staple in Liberia. The quality is superior, 
 and the quantity may be increased to inexhaustible 
 stores. It grows luxuriantly on uplands, and is easy of 
 cultivation. In many places, there is abundance of 
 
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS OP LIBERIA. 47 
 
 water power on the rocky streams for working rice 
 mills. 
 
 Kice flour, either pounded or ground, made into dough 
 or batter, with or without mashed plantains, and left to 
 rise, makes good bread and pancakes. 
 
 Indian Corn is common throughout tropical Africa, 
 wheie it probably existed long before the discovery of 
 Ameiica. The Yorubas have a tradition — disfigured by 
 superstition — that it came from the east. It was either 
 Indian corn or millet which the Phenician navigators 
 sowed and gathered at different places during their 
 voyage around the continent ; for no species of wheat 
 will produce grain on the tropical coasts of Africa. 
 Considerable quantities of Indian corn are raised in 
 Sierra Leone, and I have seen still better specimens in 
 the Golah country within fifty miles of Monrovia. It 
 would certainly be a valuable crop in Liberia, especially 
 at a distance from the coast. In Yoruba, the best lands 
 will produce from twenty to thirty bushels to the acre. 
 They plant it in March and April, and a second crop in 
 August. If put up in the shuck, it keeps tolerably free 
 from weevils for several months. The price of corn in 
 Yoruba varies from twenty to seventy-five cents a 
 bushel. The Yorubas esteem this grain so much, that 
 they have a proverb which says, " Indian corn is the 
 chief support of man." We make free use of corn bread 
 at our missions, grinding the corn on a steel mill, which 
 we carried with us, because there are no mills in the 
 country. 
 
 Corn may be prepared for food in various ways with 
 which ourselves and the Liberians are not familiar. In 
 Mexico they make excellent bread by boiling the corn in 
 
48 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 lye, husking it, and grinding it to a paste with water, 
 with or without eggs and butter. The matat, or instru- 
 ment with which the corn is ground, consists of a 
 hard flat stone, on which the grains are laid, and a stone 
 cylinder or roller, eight or ten inches long, and as large 
 as one's arm, with which the corn is ground, and at the 
 same time made into paste. Whether the bread is baked 
 on a griddle, like buckwheat cakes, or in an oven, it is 
 very superior and wholesome. If the Liberians would 
 plant corn and introduce the matat, they would soon 
 forget imported flour. 
 
 The Fantee people on the Gold Coast prepare corn- 
 bread much in the same manner as the Mexicans do, 
 only they soak the corn in water till it sours, before 
 they grind it. 
 
 The Yorubas grind the sour corn on a matat like the 
 Fantees, but instead of baking it into bread, they boil it 
 into a sour mush called ekkaw, as follows : Put the newly 
 ground sour paste or wet meal into a pot of cold water, 
 and let it soak twelve hours ; then rub it thoroughly 
 between the hands to separate all the starch, and 
 squeeze the bran dry in handfulls ; strain the water, and 
 boil it to the consistence of thin mush. According to 
 the Yorubas, this is the most wholesome food ever eaten. 
 Diluted with warm water, it is. much drunk, instead of 
 our tea and coffee. It is also wrapped up in leaves, in 
 balls as large as one's fist, to be sold in market. These 
 balls are sufficiently firm to bear being carried in a bas- 
 ket without injury, and they will keep several days with- 
 out spoiling. They are eaten with meat, palaver sauce, 
 syrup, &c. 
 
 Several species of millet (sorghum) as Guinea corn, 
 
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA. 49 
 
 Egyptian millet, &c., are well adapted to Liberia, and 
 are much prized in Yoruba and Sudan. The Guinea 
 corn is one of the best articles in the world for horses, 
 and being easily raised, would be invaluable to Liberian 
 farmers. The Yorubas frequently eat it in the form of 
 ekkavo. 
 
 Beans and peas of several kinds, especially Lima beans, 
 and black-eyed peas, flourish finely in the sunny fields 
 of Africa. 
 
 Arrow root is a very valuable article, which grows with 
 little trouble. To prepare it, wash the roots clean, 
 scrape off the skin with a knife, stir the grated mass 
 thoroughly in plenty of the clearest water, strain, let it 
 settle, pour off the water, and dry the starch on clean 
 white cloths. The arrow root is then ready for use or 
 exportation. To cook it, make it into a thin paste with 
 cold water, and pour in boiling water, stirring all the 
 time, till it becomes a transparent mass. It is then 
 done. If cooked with milk instead of water, it will be 
 richer. Arrow-root flour made as above, is nice for 
 bread and pastry, so that the poorest people in Liberia 
 may have these articles without the expense of buying 
 inferior wheat flour at high prices. 
 
 Yams grow best on rather sandy soil, such as may be 
 found not far from Monrovia. They should be planted in 
 January, in large loose hills about as far apart as sweet 
 potatoes are, and a handful of leaves or grass should 
 be thrown on the top of each hill, to prevent the sun 
 from injuring the plantings. Only one yam is obtained 
 from a hill, but that is larger than several large sweet 
 potatoes. The vines require to be struck like beans. In 
 Yoruba, there are several varieties of yams, some with 
 3 
 
50 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 prickly vines, all of which are indigenous. The tropi- 
 cal yam is not a kind of potato, but is a totally different 
 plant, (dioscorea) ; two useless species of which are 
 found in the Southern States. 
 
 Several good things are made of the yam, Fufn, 
 which is eaten with palaver sauce, &c, is boiled yam, 
 peeled and pounded in a mortar, with a little water 
 added, till it has the consistence of wheat dough. E In- 
 law, which keeps for a long time, and is used to make 
 an excellent pudding or mush, is prepared as follows : 
 Peel and cut the raw yams into slices an inch thick ; 
 simmer the slices very slowly in a wide mouthed earthen 
 pot for twenty-four continuous hours ; dry them in the 
 sun on a scaffold, pound in a mortar, and sift. 
 
 Cassava, or cassada, grows from cuttings of the stock, 
 almost without cultivation. This species of the plant 
 has no poisonous qualities, in the roots at least ; but is 
 good for food both boiled and roasted, and valuable in 
 the raw state to fatten goats and sheep. The boiled 
 roots make an excellent kind of fufu. 
 
 To make the farina of commerce, grate the peeled 
 roots rather fine, put the mass into a bag of grass or 
 coarse cloth, and press it under a weight till all the 
 milky water is expelled, and dry it first in the sun on 
 cloths, and then in flat bottomed vessels, over a slow 
 fire, taking care to stir it to prevent burning. To cook 
 farina, simply stir it into boiling water. An excellent 
 bread is made by baking stiff farina batter, till the 
 crust is brown. Cassava starch is made like arrow root. 
 The grated mass from which the starch has been washed, 
 may be baked like buckwheat, and the cakes are very 
 pleasant and wholesome. 
 
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA. 51 
 
 Tania, called koko, is an excellent root which grows 
 to perfection in Africa. There are two kinds, one of 
 which is particularly excellent. 
 
 Sweet potatoes, though not indigenous, grow like weeds 
 wherever planted. Their flavor is much improved by 
 keeping a month or two in a dry, airy place ; and the 
 yellow skinned variety of America is superior to the red 
 ones planted by the negroes. 
 
 The onions of Africa are found to be superior in flavor 
 to our own. Only the small kind succeed on the coast, 
 but large red and white ones flourish in the interior. 
 
 The fruits and vegetables of the temperate zone grow 
 indifferently, or not at all in Africa. Apples, pears, 
 peaches, plums, cherries, &c, are never seen. Cabbages, 
 snap beans, garden peas, beets, mustard, lettuce, &c, 
 &c, may or may not repay the planter, according to his 
 skill in cultivation. The Africans have vegetables of 
 their own, none of which would be much regarded in 
 America. 
 
 There are many kinds of wild fruits, very few of 
 which are worth the trouble of gathering. But the 
 pine ajpjple, which flourishes exceedingly well in the 
 woods of Liberia, is superior to any we can procure in 
 this country. Some botanists believe it was first brought 
 to Africa from the western continent, and this opinion 
 appears to be favored by the fact, that it is never seen 
 in a wild state very far from the coast. The Yorubas 
 call it okpaimbo, the white man's palm, because the plant 
 resembles a young palm tree, and because they at least 
 first received it from the whites. It is not found in a 
 wild state on the Slave Coast, where the Yorubas live. 
 
 The tropical fruits which have been introduced into 
 
52 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Sierra Leone and Liberia, are chiefly the orange, lime, 
 lemon, papaw, plantain, banana, mango, cashewnut, 
 guava, granadilla, sweet sop, sour sop, avagado-pear, 
 rose apple and tamarind. Very few of these are found 
 in the interior, but we are trying to introduce them 
 from the colonies. The bread fruit is becoming common 
 at Lagos. The cocoa nut is found everywhere on the 
 coast. 
 
 Among the articles which the soil of Liberia does or 
 may produce for exportation, we may enumerate sugar, 
 coffee, spices, cotton, gums, and oils, in addition to sev- 
 eral articles above described. 
 
 Sugar cane never grows wild, as we have been in- 
 formed, but is well adapted to the soil and climate es- 
 pecially of Liberia. Whether the free labor of that 
 country can produce sugar as an article of commerce, 
 is a problem which the Liberians are trying to solve by 
 experiment. There are several sugar mills in the coun- 
 try, and last year, (1856,) one man planted about one 
 hundred acres in cane. Every farmer can at least make 
 sugar and syrup enough for his own use, as many have 
 done in Florida. 
 
 The coffee of Liberia is said to be very superior, and will 
 probably become a valuable article of export. Some have 
 affirmed that a man who is once fairly established in 
 the business can make five hundred dollars to six hun- 
 dred dollars to the hand every year. The indigenous 
 coffee tree is remarkable for its narrow leaves and yel- 
 lowish color. 
 
 The African ginger is good and easily cultivated. The 
 red pepper is scarcely equalled by any in the world. A 
 species of black pepper, (probably a cubebs, though this 
 
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA. 53 
 
 has been doubted,) grows in the forests of Liberia, Yor- 
 uba, &c. The plant is a climbing vine, and the newly 
 ripened berries are red. So far as I have learned, no 
 species has been introduced from either of the Indies. 
 
 Two species of cotton, known to us as the sea island 
 and upland, are cultivated in Africa ; and the staple is 
 good, but the yield cannot be more than one-fourth of 
 what it is on similar lands in the Southern States. There 
 is a third species in the interior with very small pods 
 and leaves, and of an unusually fine staple, the flowers 
 of which are red when they first open. No kind of 
 cotton is indigenous, but the date of its introduction 
 into the country must be very remote. It is known by 
 different names to different tribes or families through- 
 out the continent. In Yoruba, cotton is planted in 
 July, after the heaviest rains of the year have subsided. 
 They never top the plants, though they sometimes rise 
 to the height of ten feet. 
 
 As to gums, there are none of great value on the 
 western coast ; but in some places there arc considera- 
 ble quantities of copal, and the Mendi county is said 
 to afford a kind of India rubber, which is superior to 
 any other known. It exudes from a large vine, or climb- 
 er, and is thought to be abundant, though it has not 
 yet been introduced into commerce.* Yoruba, and 
 perhaps Liberia, produces a kind of black gum or wax, 
 which becomes hard like wood, and is superior to any 
 thing else for stopping leaks in canoes. A roof or 
 
 0 Considerable quantities of another quality have been exported from 
 Gaboon river. 
 
54 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 coating of this material would be very durable and 
 effectual. 
 
 Western Africa has several seeds and nuts, which are 
 valuable for oil. The common guber or ground pea, er- 
 roneously called a nut by some, is largely exported from 
 some parts of the coast to France and England, where 
 it is us-ed to make the " fine salad oil," of the shops. 
 This traffic has caused a great increase in the industry 
 of the natives of Bullom and other countries further 
 north, but the benefit has not yet extended to Liberia. 
 There is another species of it, without oil, but good for 
 food and for feeding stock. 
 
 The telfaria, which is common in Yoruba, as on the 
 eastern coast, would grow equally well in Liberia. 
 This vigorous plant runs profusely over the tops of low 
 trees, and bears numerous gourds or melons from one to 
 two feet in length, which are crammed full of oily seeds 
 as large as the end of a man's thumb. This is doubtless 
 a valuable plant. 
 
 The castor oil plant, though not indigenous as some 
 have affirmed, is frequently seen in cultivated places, 
 and grows so well, that Liberia might supply all 
 America with the oil. The physic nut (curcas pur- 
 gans) produces a good lamp oil, and the seeds have 
 been exported to France for this purpose. A valuable 
 oil is obtained from the seed of the bent plant, or sesame. 
 The Yorubas make large quantities of very fine whole- 
 some oil from the seeds of the water melon, which is 
 called in America the citron melon. 
 
 But the great oil producer of Africa, is the oil palm, 
 which abounds on the coast, and is found occasionally 
 on the rivers, as far in the interior as Kanike or Burnu. 
 
SOIL A^D PRODUCTIONS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 55 
 
 These trees grow from twenty to sixty feet in height, 
 and resemble the date palm, but the leaves are of a 
 brighter green color. The yellow palm oil of commerce 
 is made from the pulp which surrounds the nut. It is 
 much used in Africa as a pleasant and wholesome article 
 of food. After removing the pulp from the nuts, the 
 people in Yoruba obtain lamp oil from the kernels by 
 roasting, pounding, and pressing. Palm oil, like cot- 
 ton and tobacco, is destined to be an important item in 
 the world's commerce ; for the demand and the supply 
 are equally inexhaustible. This alone will be a source 
 of perpetual revenue, especially to Liberia, and to the 
 nations on the Bight of Benin, where the palm tree is 
 most luxuriant. 
 
 The palm tree loves moisture, and will not flourish on 
 the dry uplands of the interior. The soil about Ilorrin 
 is productive, but there are no palms within twenty or 
 thirty miles of the town. Where the palm fails from 
 change of climate, its place is immediately supplied by 
 the butter tree, the large nuts of which produce a whitish, 
 and slightly aromatic oil, which is about as hard as 
 butter. This oil is used in cooking and for lamps, and 
 is said to be a valuable ointment for painful joints. In 
 Liberia, the forests where the palms are always found, 
 extend further than usual from the coast. It is pro- 
 bable there are no butter trees within one hundred or 
 one hundred and fifty miles of Monrovia. This, how- 
 ever, is not to be regretted, since the palm tree is the 
 more valuable of the two. 
 
56 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 COLONIZATION OPPOSED — ITS AIMS — FUTURE EMIGRATION OF AMERICAN 
 BLACKS — THE NATIVES WILL BE CIVILIZED — IMPROV ABILITY OF MAN 
 — ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION — THE PRESENT CONDITION 
 OF AFRICA. 
 
 Both in Europe and America there is a great diversity 
 of opinion in regard to the ultimate success of African 
 colonization. Many abolitionists regard the whole 
 scheme as a dishonest device of slaveholders to rid 
 their country of troublesome free negroes; and they 
 predict that the crushing of the slaveholding power, for 
 which they are laboring with confidence, will crush 
 Liberia and African missions as an offshoot of coloniza- 
 tion; so that the waves of barbarism will flow back 
 upon the African continent as in former ages. Some 
 slaveholders look upon Liberia with a jealous eye for 
 other reasons. The existence of a great negro republic, 
 even if it were known to be possible, is not exactly in 
 accordance with their taste and habits of feeling. They 
 know, too, that some friends of colonization are anti- 
 slavery men; they know that slaves are frequently 
 liberated and sent to Liberia, where they find a com- 
 fortable home as citizens of an independent republic; 
 and hence they are not satisfied as to what might be 
 the effect of success on the minds of white people and 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 57 
 
 of negroes in America. The friends of colonization have 
 no fears that Liberia is to be obliterated by the crush- 
 ing of the slave-power, which of course would put a 
 stop to emigration. They do not believe that the most 
 brilliant success would work any injury to the whites 
 or to the negroes in America, but the contrary. Their 
 single object and motive is to plant a great negro na- 
 tion in Africa, which shall be a means of diffusing civi- 
 lization and Christianity throughout the whole continent: 
 thus making an immense addition to the moral power 
 and commercial wealth of the world. As this gigantic 
 scheme is yet in the feeblest days of its infancy, differ- 
 ences of opinion as to the final result are certainly al- 
 lowable, however much we may regret the unreasonable 
 prejudices which throw themselves in the way of success. 
 Considering the importance of the subject, and my own 
 relations to the African continent, I cannot permit this 
 opportunity to pass without expressing my opinion as 
 to the natural and probable course of events in Liberia. 
 It is true that great and surprising revolutions are pos- 
 sible, both in Europe and America, but it is not prob- 
 able that anything will occur in either continent which 
 will overwhelm African colonization and its counter- 
 part, African missions. 
 
 Assuming, as we justly may, that the affairs of the 
 world will continue to move on, as they ever have done, 
 through all their changes, in obedience to the moral and 
 social forces which are their motive power, I feel au 
 thorized to entertain large hopes as to the future of the 
 colonization scheme now identified with Liberia. We 
 may define the elements of a great nation to be, first, a 
 numerous, virtuous, and intelligent people; second, a 
 3* 
 
58 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 wide and productive territory; and thirdly, a just and 
 strong government. My hopes claim all these for the 
 future Liberia, and I believe that these hopes are author- 
 ized by existing circumstances. 
 
 First, as to the numerous people; I look to America and 
 to Africa, to the emigration of .American negroes, and 
 to the civilization of African tribes. 
 
 It does not seem unreasonable to expect an extensive 
 emigration of American blacks. Free blacks are al- 
 ready numerous in the United States, and their number 
 will naturally and therefore almost inevitably increase. 
 They are now prevented from emigrating by three caus- 
 es; the hardships incident to settling in Liberia as a 
 new country, abundance of food and employment in 
 America, and their own prejudices against the cause of 
 colonization. But all these hindrances to emigration 
 will disappear. As Liberia grows older, the hardships 
 incident to settling in all new countries will cease to 
 exist, and there will be more food and more employment 
 of every kind for new comers. This alone would give an 
 impetus to emigration. But still further, the abundance 
 of food and employment enjoyed by the free blacks in 
 America is sure to be diminished sooner or later. Our 
 country will at last become populous, and our peasantry, 
 whether white or black, must experience that scarcity 
 of food which is felt by the peasantry of all other 
 populous countries. Then we must witness a new spe- 
 cies of antagonism, the most uncompromising and ter- 
 rible of all antagonisms, a strife for bread, which is life; 
 and still more terrible to the free negro, because it will 
 be a conflict of races, in which all the circumstances 
 will be against him. Justly or unjustly, in a struggle 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 59 
 
 for food and for existence, the white race will claim 
 precedence, and they will enforce the claim; for ulti- 
 mate sovereignty resides in the right arm of man, and 
 the right arm is powerful in proportion to the strength 
 of the will and of the intellect by which it is directed. 
 Even the slave, being at once the property and the fa- 
 mily of the master, must have precedence over the free 
 negro, so long as the wants of the more numerous white 
 race will permit slavery to exist at all. I do not say 
 that matters will ever come to their natural extremi- 
 ty, but there will certainly be a powerful tendency in 
 that direction, so powerful that the free negro will be 
 obliged to yield, and to fly for the preservation of his 
 existence. And whither will he fly, except to Africa ? 
 Then the land of his fathers will be his land of promise. 
 Then the colony which he now curses will be the bright 
 star of his hope. Then the opponents and traducers of 
 African colonization and African missions will be re- 
 membered, but not honored. The colonizationist fore- 
 sees the coming storm, and labors, unrequited let it be, 
 to provide a refuge which shall stand forth as a bles- 
 sing to two races. He at least is not a purblind, self- 
 worshipping philosopher, whose brightest visions can 
 not reach the threshold of to-morrow. 
 
 But there is still another view of the case from which 
 we are led to expect that a great African nation will 
 derive its population in part from America. The God 
 of all the earth, without whose directing providence not 
 even a sparrow falls to the ground, has not located so 
 many Africans in America without a purpose. The 
 man who looks candidly and reverently upon the prin- 
 ciples and facts of divine government, can see more 
 
60 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 than African wars, slave-ships, and American planta- 
 tions in the present relations of the white and black 
 races. He can see millions of civilized negroes in Amer- 
 ica, better clothed and fed, and more virtuous and hap- 
 py than the analogous classes of white people in some 
 other countries. He can see tens and hundreds of 
 thousands of evangelical Christians, regenerated men 
 and women, among these blacks, redeemed from the 
 curse of sin in consequence of African slavery. And 
 finally, he can see African colonization and African 
 missions arising from this slavery, and flowing back as 
 a river of light and life upon the African continent. 
 Perhaps he will say with Jacob; " Verily God is in this 
 place, and I knew it not." Providence never fails for 
 want of means; and he will find the means to colonize 
 Africa. At present, before the fulness of the time, he 
 employs individuals to plant and nourish Liberia. As 
 events roll on, and the increasing number of free ne- 
 groes feel the necessity of emigration, the whites will 
 feel it also with more and more intensity, till it becomes 
 a great national affair. Then the federal government^ 
 and perhaps the legislatures of all the States, will vote 
 annual appropriations to aid the colored people in re- 
 turning to their original seats. Such are some of Li- 
 beria's hopes from America. 
 
 Africa, too, will contribute her millions of civilized 
 men. While the success of colonization is yet a prob- 
 lem, some persons fear that the Liberians, so far from 
 civilizing Africa, will relapse into barbarism. But none 
 of these persons have considered the natural and almost 
 inevitable result of the various forces which are acting 
 in and upon Liberia. Neither have they acquainted 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 61 
 
 themselves with the more tangible argument of facts. 
 Liberia is full of well-attended churches and schools. 
 Sne has a good government, well administered under of- 
 ficers elected by the people from among themselves. She 
 is steadily increasing in prosperity, and in everything 
 that pertains to civilization. And she is sustained by 
 numerous and powerful friends who would sacrifice much, 
 from principle, to prevent her destruction. 
 
 The natives around among the colonists are barbari- 
 ans, but they are men, and are capable of being ele- 
 vated by the same forces that elevate others. As before 
 stated, they are moving onward toward civilization, 
 and this motion, which is already beginning to be re- 
 markable, is more likely to be accelerated than retarded. 
 Some of the superior tribes, as the Kroos and Yies, will 
 lead the way and rise up to the estate of citizenship in 
 the republic. Then others will follow, and yet others 
 more and more remote from the coast, and who shall say, 
 Thus far the influence shall go and no further ? 
 
 But we are met by the objection that the Africans are 
 mentally and morally incapable of civilization. I have 
 sometimes expressed the opinion, that while opponents 
 are perplexing this question by vain arguments, there 
 are other men who will solve the problem by doing the 
 work. Yet it is a problem at present, and our efforts to 
 civilize Africa may fail. Of this, however, I have no 
 serious fears, provided the nations of the earth will 
 keep sufficiently quiet to permit the continuance of our 
 labors. Let it be granted that the dark races are consti- 
 tutionally inferior to the white ; and again, that educa- 
 tion, however long continued in successive generations, 
 cannot improve the brain and nervous system, or the in- 
 
62 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 nate faculties of a race,* still the believers in a future 
 African civilization, cannot act so absurdly as not to 
 fall back on the following admitted truths : 
 
 L That man is everywhere capable of improvement. 
 The most enlightened races were once barbarians, as 
 the Greeks, Germans, French and English; and the most 
 degraded races, as the Hottentots and the negroes of 
 Guinea, are now making advances toward civilization. 
 At Freetown, Elmina, Cape Coast Castle and Akra, the 
 natives are so much improved that they dress respect- 
 ably, and live in comfortable stone houses. The natives 
 at any other point on the coast, or in the interior, are 
 equally capable of being improved. 
 
 2. The limit of man's improvability has never been 
 ascertained. I can easily conceive that England and 
 America might be now considered almost barbarous, 
 compared with the highest moral, intellectual and social 
 excellence of which a nation of our own race is capa- 
 ble. We may admit, and I think justly, that the ne- 
 groes will never be equal to the whites, where the two 
 races enjoy equal opportunities ; for the white race, 
 everywhere, under all circumstances, is endowed with 
 characteristics which are not found in the negroes, or in 
 any other dark race. But this does not require us to 
 conclude that the negro any more than the white man 
 has reached his maximum of improvement. There might 
 be negro nations fully as much civilized as we are at 
 present, and there might at the same time be white na- 
 tions as barbarous as the ancient Germans. 
 
 * This has never been proved, and it is certainly opposed by numer 
 our facts. 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 
 
 63 
 
 Our own civilization is not purely the result of our own 
 superior moral and intellectual powers. America, Eng- 
 land, Germany, etc., depended for their civilization on 
 Greece and Rome ; Greece and Rome derived theirs 
 from the valleys of the Euphrates and the Nile ; and 
 Egypt and Assyria were civilized of necessity, for the 
 reason that millions of people were crowded together in 
 fertile valleys surrounded by extensive deserts. The 
 physical geography of the globe has been the great civ- 
 ilizer of man. If the deserts of Asia and Africa had 
 not existed, and if there had been no Mediterranean sea, 
 and no gloomy forests and rugged mountains on the 
 north of the Grecian and Italian peninsulas, the civil- 
 ized kingdoms of Europe and the grand republic of 
 North America could not have existed.* On the other 
 hand, physical geography has blighted Africa with the 
 curse of barbarism. Her immense northern deserts 
 arose as an impassable barrier to that current of east- 
 ern civilization which has overflowed Europe and Amer- 
 ica ; her climate has precluded the possibility of exten- 
 sive conquest by Europeans, and her wide fertile inte- 
 rior has given unbounded scope to that barbarism which 
 requires nothing but food and animal gratification. 
 
 Still further, the physical geography of the globe has 
 established the civilization which it called into existence. 
 Europe could not soon, if ever, have originated civiliza- 
 
 * The Manclms, a white race, who civilized China, were themselves 
 driven into civilization by their position on fertile spots in the Great 
 Asiatic Desert. Want of room to expand by emigration forced the 
 Manchu civilization upon the prolific Mongolians of China, a race 
 of men who probably have never made any great discovery or inven- 
 tion. 
 
64 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 tion, but no part of the globe was so well adapted to 
 receive it, as it existed, when it was growing old, and 
 .was likely to die a natural death in Egypt and Assyria. 
 Europe, herself divided by seas and mountains, perpetu- 
 ally shaken by the conflicts of races, and crushed by a 
 weight of abominable antiquities, could never have 
 developed and perfected the civilization which she had 
 received and preserved. America was discovered just 
 in the right time to save Europe and the world, just at 
 a time when it was demanded by the conflict of opinions, 
 feelings and interests, which then, as now, was sub- 
 stantially a conflict of different European races. More 
 than a thousand years of successive conquests running 
 and returning in all directions throughout Europe, had 
 scattered all races through all countries. But the fea- 
 tures, feelings and habits of different families in al- 
 most every town, showed that the old races, though 
 mechanically intermixed, were not to a great extent che- 
 mically blended. In other parts of Europe no less than 
 in England, there was a class of men of similar fea- 
 tures and character because they belonged to the same 
 ethnical family, who were distinguished by an intense 
 feeling of personal independence, which revealed itself 
 in a demand for civil and religious liberty. Similarity 
 of feeling and character led thousands of this race to 
 America,* where the physical geography of a vast 
 
 * There are many Americans of other races, and accordingly they 
 have other countenances and other feelings. It is not climate and 
 circumstances which have given a national face and character to the 
 American people. They are more nearly an original ethnical race 
 than most other white nations, and hence the national features and 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LIBERIA. 35 
 
 region almost necessitates the existence of a nation of 
 greater integral extent, and more powerful in the con- 
 trol of mankind in general, than any nation that ever 
 has existed or ever can exist while the seas, continents, 
 deserts, mountains and rivers of the globe retain their 
 present form. 
 
 To this nation, the appointed arbiter of earth, God has 
 brought the barbarous negro race, and from this coun- 
 try he is leading them back, civilized and christianized, 
 to Africa. In the mean time, African barbarism has 
 run its course, and is growing old and decrepid. The 
 savage exuberance of the soil has passed away, and 
 the character of the people has necessarily changed. 
 Almost every where they are congregated in towns, 
 some of which are of immense size. Throughout half 
 the continent, they are civilized on their own basis, to 
 a degree which surprises every one who becomes ac- 
 quainted with the fact. They cannot retrograde now, 
 for that would be contrary to the geographical, moral 
 and social causes which are moving them forward. Just 
 at this time, precisely when needed, precisely when the 
 people see their necessities and long for assistance, the 
 allied causes of African colonization and African mis- 
 sions, backed by America, by Christendom, and by the 
 irresistible demands of modern commerce, pledge them- 
 selves to the redemption of Africa. Now we look again 
 at the physical geography of that continent. Her first 
 condition of isolation and savage fertility, inevitably 
 produced its result, but these circumstances are gone 
 
 national character which exist every where, and has ever existed since 
 the States were colonies. 
 
66 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 forever, beyond the possibility of restoration. Steam 
 unites her to the rest of the world, and four thousand 
 years of cultivation have effectually denuded her of 
 forests.* The next condition of her physical geography 
 to be noticed, is seen in her great rivers, piercing to the 
 heart of the continent, and in the immense undulating 
 plains, whose innumerable streams and fertile soil, in- 
 fallibly indicate the uses of her great rivers. 
 
 Let us now turn to feeble Liberia, and ask if there is 
 not hope ? Where shall we fix her future boundary ? 
 In this case, the extensive fertile territory, which is one 
 condition of her greatness, is so extensive that we can 
 not venture to claim a fourth part of it even for a great 
 nation. As to the just and strong government which is 
 necessary to her success, we have no reason to fear. 
 She has begun well by modeling her government after 
 the great exemplar for the nations, the constitution of 
 the United States. When despotism shall have perished 
 in Europe, which it is sure to do, we need not fear its 
 existence in our own Liberia. That African coloniza- 
 tion and missions may meet with reverses, or at least 
 with serious difficulties, as all human affairs must do, I 
 freely admit, but it seems to me that their perpetuation 
 and their ultimate triumph are guaranteed by moral and 
 social causes, which are as irresistible as the physical 
 laws of nature. 
 
 * The forests of Guinea are a small portion of the continent ; the 
 rest is prairie, the result of cultivation. 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 67 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TRAVELS IN THE COUNTRY OF THE GOLAHS, IN 1850. 
 
 DEPARTURE TO GOLAH — AFRICAN SINGING — A MANGROVE SWAMP — NEW 
 
 GEORGIA — ST. PAUL'S RIVER — NAVIGATION THE BUSH — ROADS — 
 
 PINE APPLES AFRICAN WATER — NAKED NEGROES — VONZWAW 
 
 STREETS — PALAVER HOUSE — HINDRANCES — PREACHING — TRAFFIC 
 
 — CURRENCY — SALT — GAMING — AN AFFRAY — MUSIC — A " HALF 
 TOWN SMALL POX — VILLAGES — SOIL — SUWY — MILL SEATS — WAR 
 
 — FORESTS — WILD ANIMALS — A TRIBAL BURYING GROUND A 
 
 FINE COUNTRY — GEBBY — AN AFFRAY — TAZZUA — SAMA A COVET- 
 OUS KING — MR. GOODALE 7 S DEATH — THE PEOPLE OF SAMA — GODIRI 
 
 — BOONDA MANDINGO — MAHOMETANS — A LAW SUIT — RETURN 
 
 TO MONROVIA. 
 
 Soon after landing at Monrovia, we were told of Bo 
 Pora, a large Golah town, one hundred and fifty miles 
 in the interior, governed by a civilized native, called 
 King Boatswain, who had wished for missionaries to 
 come and teach his people. Mr. Goodale was anxious 
 to visit this town, believing that a mission there might 
 be more useful than in Central Africa, which was too 
 distant to communicate with Liberia, and perhaps not 
 more healthy than Bo Pora. My own intention had 
 been to study the Puloh or Fellatah language, as spo- 
 ken on the Niger. Should the Gospel be established 
 among these people, who are known to be the most in- 
 telligent and energetic tribe south of the Desert, they 
 might become active missionaries, and subdue more 
 nations by the Word, than they have by the sword. It 
 
68 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 seemed better to visit Sierra Leone in search of Puloh 
 interpreters, than to penetrate the Golah bush, where 
 we should find no natives superior to those on the coast, 
 whom we had already determined to pass by, for the 
 purpose of preaching to the more civilized people of 
 Sudan. I was assured, however, that we should find 
 Pulohs at Bo Pora; and that we might pass on, if we 
 pleased, by a much frequented route from Bo Pora to 
 the Niger. These considerations, together with my re- 
 luctance to let Mr. Goodale go alone before he was ac- 
 climated, induced me to visit the country of the Golahs. 
 If not satisfied with Bo Pora or the country beyond it, I 
 would return in the fall, and Mr. Goodale would proba- 
 bly pursue the same course. 
 
 Prudence might have dictated that we should remain 
 at the Cape (as they call Monrovia), till we had passed 
 through the ordeal of acclimation, but we did not be- 
 lieve that the fever would be more dangerous at Bo 
 Pora than here; and it seemed preferable to prosecute 
 our labors as long as our health should continue. We 
 accordingly resolved to proceed immediately to the in- 
 terior, and since no horses could be purchased in Libe- 
 ria, we were content to perform the journey on foot. 
 
 Five days after landing at Monrovia, we departed in 
 high spirits for Bo Pora, happily ignorant of the future. 
 Our course lay up Stockton Creek, eight miles to the 
 St. Paul's river. Soon after leaving the wharf, we were 
 amused by an animated race between our boat and a 
 canoe. The rowers sang lustily all the time, precisely 
 in the same tone and manner that is common among 
 our southern negroes around the corn pile. The corn 
 song was imported from Guinea. 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 69 
 
 A mile or two from Monrovia, we entered a dismal 
 mangrove swamp, which emits sickening odors. The 
 mangrove never grows in places which are not visited 
 occasionally by salt water. It is said to afford ex- 
 cellent fire wood, and the bark is valuable for tanning. 
 In some places we observed slender hedges of palm 
 leaves running along the margin of the creek, to entrap 
 the fish when the tide rises. 
 
 On the right bank of the creek, about five miles from 
 Monrovia, is a neat village called New Georgia, prin- 
 cipally inhabited by Congoes, and other natives re-cap- 
 tured from slave-ships. The place has every appearance 
 of being extremely sickly, and I was told that most of 
 the first settlers were dead, though the young people 
 born there enjoyed good health. There was no reason 
 in selecting this place for a settlement, when the 
 country abounds in elevated, dry, and healthy situa- 
 tions. 
 
 We found the St. PauPs a majestic river, flowing in a 
 strong current of yellow water, about eight hundred 
 yards wide. Several black rocks arose here and there, 
 in the stream, as if they would say, " no navigation." 
 Unfortunately none of the rivers in Liberia are navi- 
 gable for more than thirty or forty miles. I think, how- 
 ever, that an occasional short canal at the rapids, would 
 render the St. Paul's navigable far into the interior; and 
 the day will come when such canals will be required 
 and opened to relieve this country of its surplus pro- 
 duce. We rowed across the river into a little cove, 
 whence we ascended the bank to a very extensive plain, 
 which is never overflowed. Here we met with a colon- 
 ist who informed us that old King Boatswain was dead, 
 
70 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 arid that Lansanna, his successor, had removed the seat 
 of government from Bo Pora to Sama, six miles nearer 
 Monrovia. 
 
 From our landing-place to a Dey village called Vonz- 
 waw, we had a walk of five miles through "the bush," 
 along a path as rugged and tortuous as the ways of 
 the stupid natives who made it. To have bought an 
 ass at Monrovia, as I intended to have done, if he had 
 been three feet high, would have been entirely useless, 
 for nobody could ride in such a path as this. I permit- 
 ted the party to pass on before me, that I might enjoy 
 a solitary. stroll in the first African forest I had ever 
 entered. In addition to the impenetrable jungle of trees, 
 vines and bushes, the ground in many places was com- 
 pletely coated with the rough swordlike leaves of the 
 pine apple. Not a breath of air mitigated the over- 
 powering heat, though the sea-breeze was sporting 
 with the rustling leaves in the tree tops above me. I 
 was soon bathed in perspiration, and disagreeably 
 thirsty. After passing the dry beds of several brooks, 
 I at last arrived at a clear stream, in which the water 
 was so warm as to be almost loathsome. There is no 
 cool water in Africa. About a mile from the village, I 
 met several specimens of " the naked negro panting on 
 the line," of whom we have read with so much interest 
 in childhood. Their dress was a breech-cloth, and they 
 were armed with bows and spears, which are seldom 
 absent from the hands of men in this savage country. 
 No one knows here at what turn of the path he may 
 meet with a hungry leopard, or a boa constrictor twenty 
 feet in length. A little further on, I heard some people 
 singing merrily at their work in a farm, which approach- 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 71 
 
 ed within a few yards of the road, but was scarcely 
 visible, owing to the density of "the bush." 
 
 Yonzwaw, the first native town we had seen, con- 
 sisted of perhaps one hundred circular huts, built of 
 upright poles, plastered with mud and thatched with 
 palm leaf. The bush, thick as a jungle, though the land 
 is everywhere firm and dry, hugged it about on all sides 
 close up to the houses. The streets were nothing but 
 very narrow alleys, running at random in all directions, 
 and intersecting at every possible angle. By some 
 means I reached the "palaver house," a cleanly swept 
 open shed, where disputes are settled ; and here I found 
 Mr. Goodale conversing with Kyboka, the chief, who 
 spoke rather good English. 
 
 According to custom in every part of Africa, it is not 
 allowable for a white man to visit any town or country 
 without sending messengers to obtain permission of the 
 chief. This custom may be disagreeable to the impa- 
 tient traveler, but no one should disregard it ; for if 
 you intrude yourself into a country without an invita- 
 tion, you may be treated as an intruder ; but if you 
 send to the king and he invites you to come, you are 
 then " the king's stranger," and both he and his people 
 are bound by the sacred laws of hospitality, to treat 
 you with courtesy. In our case, ignorance of African 
 usages might have permitted us to visit Lansanna with- 
 out invitation, and I suspect that the consequences 
 might have been disastrous ; but we found it impossible 
 to employ "carriers" or luggage-bearers at Yonzwaw, 
 and we were obliged to send forward, not only for per- 
 mission to come, but for men to carry our baggage. This 
 detained us at Vonzwaw seventeen days. 
 
72 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Mr. Goodale, who was full of zeal, returned to Mon- 
 rovia to preach on Sunday, while I remained in the 
 village and delivered my first message to the heathens 
 of Africa. Only one woman was present. The half- 
 naked men sat around with their swords, bows and 
 spears in their hands, and paid good attention to my in- 
 terpreter. On the following Sunday we both preached 
 to a congregation of Deys, Vies and Mandingoes, and 
 other strangers from the interior. 
 
 Vonzwaw is a considerable resort of traders from 
 Sama, Bo Pora, and other places, who bring down ivory, 
 cam wood, rice, palm oil, country cloths, cows and 
 ponies, and sometimes a little gold, to barter with the 
 colonists for calico, rum, tobacco, salt, and other ar- 
 ticles for the interior markets. An ox or a cow (both 
 of which are called bullocks* on the coast,) was worth 
 from eight to ten dollars, and a horse about sixty dol- 
 lars. On this part of the coast the natives have no 
 currency, not even cowries ; but I am told that small 
 iron bars are used by the Mendi tribe, and some others 
 a few days' journey further to the windward. f We 
 procured fowls and rice from the natives for calico, 
 cotton handkerchiefs and leaf tobacco. The negroes on 
 the coast manufacture salt by boiling sea water, and 
 put it up in slender cases of palm leaves, which are 
 
 * Last year a traveler was presented with some milk by a native, 
 who declared it was " bullock milk for true." 
 
 t Iron money is used in Kanike (Burnu), and the late expedition up 
 the Chadda or Benue, found people whose currency consisted of dimin- 
 utive iron hoes. Cowries, very neatly made of gold, have been found 
 in the Egyptian tombs, and they, like the real shells, may have been 
 money. 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 73 
 
 called sticks of salt. Slaves, bullocks, horses, and other 
 costly chattels, are valued at so many sticks, so that 
 salt is a kind of currency. 
 
 In the better regulated country of Yoruba, gaming is 
 said to be prohibited by law ; but no such restriction 
 is known among the barbarians on St. Paul's river. 
 One day the chief, Kyboka, and a Mandingo played 
 very freely by casting five cowries from the hand — the 
 probable original of "five corns. " The chief was loser, 
 and I was told that he finally staked his young and 
 favorite wife. Had the Mandingo won her, it is likely 
 enough that he would have lived with her for a few 
 weeks or months, and then have exchanged her for 
 a couple of bullocks or a lot of rice. But the same 
 man would have suffered severe hunger, as I once knew 
 a Mahometan to do, before he would have eaten meat 
 that had been butchered by a heathen. The whites are 
 not the only people who can strain out a gnat and swal- 
 low a camel. 
 
 During our stay at Vonzwaw, the traders from the 
 interior got up a grand affray with the villagers. No 
 weapons were used, and the negroes are ignorant of 
 boxing ; but the combatants kicked and jerked each 
 other about, with a great uproar, till the towns-people 
 thought they were beaten, and took refuge in their 
 houses. A runner was despatched for Kyboka, who 
 was five miles distant at the beach, superintending his 
 salt boilers. On his arrival, he stormed and blustered 
 as if greatly offended, saying that such conduct would 
 spoil the name of his town. After slipping into the 
 bush for a draught of wine at the palm trees,* he sat 
 
 * The best palm wine is the juice of the tree, from the nuts of 
 
 4 
 
74 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 down in the palaver house and called the offenders be- 
 fore him. Each party was fined thirty sticks of salt, 
 and the strangers were forbidden to gather any more 
 palm nuts in the vicinity of Yonzwaw. I suspected 
 that he had been meditating this prohibition before, for 
 the protection of home industry, and was not sorry to 
 find a good excuse for enforcing it. 
 
 About the 1st of March, our carriers arrived from 
 Sam a, and entered the village with a grand flourish 
 of music, performed on drums and cows 7 horns. The 
 party consisted of about thirty men, clad in breech- 
 cloths, excepting two or three leaders, who wore the 
 patrician dress of an African shirt without sleeves. 
 They brought us a sheep as a present from the king, 
 which we butchered and distributed, to the great satis- 
 faction of all concerned. We now ascertained that 
 Sama is only four days' journey, instead of one hundred 
 and fifty miles, from Monrovia ; but we found the 
 marches rather long, and judged that the whole dis- 
 tance is eighty-five miles. The average of courses ap- 
 peared to be N. N. E. ; and w^e learned that Sama is 
 nearer to Grand Cape Mount, than to Monrovia. The 
 whole way lies through the bush, which they told us ex- 
 tended to the Boonda country, five days (one hundred 
 miles) further, where it gives place to grassy plains or 
 prairies. Thence the natives are acquainted with sev- 
 eral countries, as far north as to Sangarro. 
 
 On the 3d of March we bid a joyful adieu to Vonzwaw, 
 
 which they make oil. Another species of palm, erroneously called 
 bamboo, in English, yields stronger wine, but inferior in flavor. The 
 color of palm wine resembles that of milky water. 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 75 
 
 and plunged into the bush, when to return we could 
 scarcely conjecture. Half a mile brought us to a cluster 
 of shabby hnts ; which Bey nib a, the king's interpreter, 
 informed us was a "half town/ 7 (dependent village) of 
 Vonzwaw. In one of the huts which stood apart from 
 the rest, there was a woman who was sick with 
 small pox, a disease which is much more feared in 
 this country than in Yoruba. Four miles further (by 
 our time and supposed rate,) brought us to a minute 
 Dey village, called Quypo, which might or might not 
 boast a population of twenty souls. The agricultural 
 resources of the place, so far as visible, consisted of a 
 few stalks of red pepper, inferior to none in the world. 
 Seven miles more, still through a houseless and farm- 
 less forest, brought us to a Golah town twice as large 
 as Quypo, which they told us was Boomba. Here was 
 a farm of perhaps twenty acres. On descending the hill 
 from Boomba, we discovered a beautiful sandy stream 
 thirty feet wide ; and from this place forward the streams, 
 hitherto sluggish and weedy, are clear and rapid. The 
 bush, also, was not quite so dense, and the soil, though 
 equally fertile, was more sandy, and thus better adap- 
 ted to cultivation. After walking eleven miles further, 
 we arrived at a Golah town, named Suwy, which we 
 thought was rather larger than Yonzwaw, and by this 
 time it was night. The fertile country about Suwy 
 abounds in fine timber, and during the two days which 
 we rested there, I saw several fine mill-seats on the 
 bold rocky stream which flows by the town. This was 
 the driest part of the year. 
 
 Some years ago, two Liberians who had been sent to 
 this town on a government message, were murdered. 
 
76 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Being more than thirty miles from Monrovia, the simple 
 Golahs supposed that the colonists would not venture 
 to march through the bush and attack them. But in 
 this they were mistaken. Very unexpectedly they 
 found their town confronted by the Liberians, who, in- 
 stead of yelling and dancing at a safe distance, in na- 
 tive style, assaulted the stockade with guns and axes, 
 and soon laid the village in ashes. This prompt un- 
 African mode of settling " palavers" affrighted all the 
 natives in the surrounding country. The people of 
 Suwy agreed to terms and rebuilt their town, but with- 
 out surrounding it with a stockade, which they probably 
 believed would be a useless waste of labor. 
 
 After leaving Suwy, we traveled twenty-five miles 
 through an unbroken forest to Gebby. The soil is 
 rather good, the trees majestic, and the country well 
 watered by streams flowing eastward into the St. PauFs. 
 Beymba told us frightful tales about the leopards in 
 this forest, which he said had eaten fully twenty men 
 within the knowledge of the people. The other large 
 animals are elephants and a kind of buffalo, which the 
 people of Sierra Leone rather aptly term " the jackass 
 cow," on account of its peculiar shape and long ears. 
 The lion, which loves the sandy borders of the desert, 
 is never seen in the damp and dark forests of Guinea. 
 In the evening we were a considerable time ascending 
 a mountain in a shower of rain. Not far from this is a 
 high hill, on the top of which they have long been ac 
 customed to bury the kings of Golah. At the northern 
 foot of the hill which we had just climbed, is a village 
 of three shanties, called Gebby. The St. Paul's is near 
 at hand, and a stream, thirty feet wide, flows by the vil- 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 77 
 
 lage, to mingle its clear waters with the yellow river. 
 There is another Gebby, on an island of the same name 
 in the river, and two others, two and four miles distant, 
 on the Sama road. All these Gebbies could scarcely 
 muster a population of four hundred souls, and there 
 are no other inhabitants in this section, though the land 
 is fertile, and the country appeared to be the most pleas- 
 ant of any we had yet seen. We passed on to the 
 next Gebby, and spent the night in the hut of a Goiah 
 who had been brought up at Monrovia, but he appeared 
 to be none the less a barbarian for all that. It is very 
 hard for such a man to sustain his slight degree of 
 civilization when he returns to reside among his country- 
 men, but I thought that he might at least have benefited 
 his town by introducing some of the good fruits which 
 he had loved to eat in the colony. 
 
 Before bed- time, our carriers raised a row with the vil- 
 lagers, in which one man was slightly cut with a knife 
 or spear. Our usually quiet friend, Beymba, who was 
 a Mahometan, came running for his sword, saying, " We 
 can beat these Golahs, and take all their fowls and 
 goats." In former times the threat would have been to 
 sell them for slaves ; but there is no slave trade in and 
 about Liberia now, and slaves were then selling among 
 the natives of the interior for about twelve dollars a piece. 
 Many a lazy fellow hopes to see a return to former 
 customs ; and one said to me, " The queen of England 
 will die by and by, and then we shall sell slaves." 
 
 We arrived at Gebby on Saturday, and desired to re- 
 main there the following day, but our carriers refused 
 on account of last night's quarrel. They said there was 
 a friendly village not far off, where we could rest and 
 
78 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 procure provisions, and we agreed to go. After march- 
 ing twenty miles, through gloomy forests and over 
 several steep rocky hills, we arrived at Tazzua, the 
 friendly village which they pretended was almost close 
 at hand. Tazzua consisted of some half dozen huts, one 
 of which we obtained from a widow woman for our- 
 selves and baggage. Next morning when I paid the 
 bill she threw her arms round my neck, and gave me a 
 cordial embrace, as a substitute for plain " Thank you." 
 
 Monday morning, the 6th of March, we entered Sama, 
 amid the firing of guns, and the acclamations of several 
 hundred people. Pressing through half naked crowds, 
 and winding through intricate alleys, we reached the 
 palaver house, where we were kindly received by 
 king Lansanna, who bade us welcome to his town, and 
 presently furnished us with a comfortable hut for our 
 home. Sama, which was a town of perhaps one thousand 
 inhabitants, and surrounded by a high and strong stock- 
 ade, was situated in a very dense bush, on flat, heavy 
 land, with a muddy little stream and steep mountains, 
 close by on the west. I was grieved to see it have every 
 appearance of a very sickly locality. 
 
 On the day following our arrival we prepared what 
 we considered to be a sufficient present to the king for 
 sending his slaves to bring our baggage from Vonzwaw. 
 It consisted of a cheap American saddle, some uncut 
 pieces of calico, a lot of tobacco, and a few other arti- 
 cles, amounting in all to about forty dollars. He looked 
 at the present with indifference, and, after some talk 
 with his people, very coolly informed us that he must 
 have three hundred dollars' worth of goods. We as- 
 sured him that everything in our possession was not 
 
TKAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 79 
 
 worth so much, and that we were obliged to keep our 
 cloth and tobacco to purchase food ; but he would not 
 be satisfied, even in a grumbling way, without a large 
 addition to our first offer. This affair, so briefly describ- 
 ed, cost us a long "palaver," or, in plain words, a squab- 
 ble, and left us in no very good humor. 
 
 We had brought four American boys with us from 
 Monrovia, as servants and students. Mr. Goodale 
 thought best to begin amission at this place, and opened 
 a school with six scholars, including a Golah boy, who 
 could speak English, and one of the Yy tribe, who de- 
 sired to learn. He also obtained a grant of land from 
 the king, for a farm, and began preparations to sow 
 rice. I agreed to assist him so long as I should remain, 
 which would not be long, for I found no Pulohs at Sama, 
 and nothing remained but to proceed to the Niger, or 
 return to the coast, and sail for Badagry. In the mean- 
 time, as it would be several months before the close of 
 the rains, I proposed to study the Vy language, and to 
 preach as much as possible, through an interpreter. 
 Our first and last public discourses were on Sunday 
 after our arrival at Sama. Mr. Goodale was taken sick 
 on the same day, and in spite of our utmost care and 
 attention died about a month after. His zeal continued 
 unabated to the last. Not choosing to bury him in the 
 heathen grave-yard, we prepared his grave under a tree 
 on the Monrovia road, only a few yards without the 
 gate of the town. Almost every one knows what it is 
 to mourn the death of a friend, but there are not many 
 who can fully appreciate the sorrow and loneliness of a 
 man who buries his beloved and only companion in the 
 wilds of Africa. 
 
80 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 I soon discovered that Lansanna would not permit 
 me to carry any of my remaining goods to the interior. 
 Much less could I think of sending to Monrovia for 
 what we had left there to be forwarded if we should 
 need it. I therefore determined to return to the coast 
 and resume my journey to Badagry. But I must not 
 dismiss Sama without giving the reader a little more- 
 information. 
 
 The population of Sama is a mixture of Golahs, Pes- 
 sies, Vies and several other tribes. They live in circu- 
 lar huts, without furniture or anything else that per- 
 tains to civilization. Their principal food is rice and 
 palaver sauce, made of herbs and palm oil. Their do- 
 mestic animals are goats, sheep, dogs and fowls. Only 
 the king has a few cows. They plant no yams, and but 
 little corn and cotton, and have no fruits except limes 
 and plantains. There were two or three blacksmiths in 
 the town who had three little furnaces in the gates, 
 and wrought knives and spear heads on a stone anvil. 
 The women spin cotton on a distaff, and the men weave 
 cloth six inches wide, in a little loom, constructed on the 
 same principle as ours. Altogether, the people are 
 good-for-nothing, contented savages, who spend most 
 of their time in lounging about, as if to eat and sleep 
 and talk were the chief end of man. Beymba assured 
 me that some of the tribes further in the interior were 
 still more degraded. After my return to Monrovia, some 
 of the colonists affirmed that all the people in the coun- 
 try to which I had been, were cannibals. 
 
 The Mandingoes at Sama, and especially an intelligent 
 old man, who had been at London and Liverpool as a 
 sailor, told me several things about the interior of the 
 
TRAVELS IN GOLAH. 
 
 81 
 
 country. Three days' journey from Sama, the Mandin- 
 goes have built a considerable town called Godiri, which 
 serves as a resting place for traders as they pass through 
 the barbarous tribes who inhabit the forests. Two days 
 further, is the open and grassy country of Boonda, which 
 supplies horses and cattle for the Liberia and Sierra 
 Leone markets. It is still four or five days' journey to 
 the Mandingo country, which lies on the head waters of 
 the St. Paul's and extends eastward to the Yolla Ba 
 (Big River) or Niger. Some of the mountains in that 
 region are " higher than the clouds," but it seems that 
 they are disposed in detached groups, and not in con- 
 tinuous ridges. 
 
 All the interior traders being Mahometans, are indi- 
 rectly missionaries of the false prophet, and their influ- 
 ence is beginning to be felt even among the rude tribes 
 of Guinea. A good many Vy people and a few Golahs 
 professed to be converts to the faith. Lansanna was a 
 native of the interior, and though a residence of fifty- 
 three years among the heathen, had rather impaired his 
 devotion to Mahomet, he still condemned idolatry, and 
 required his idolatrous subjects to obey some parts of 
 the " Mandingo law," particularly in the settlement of 
 palavers. A law suit which occurred at Sama, during 
 my stay, may serve as an index to the changes which 
 are silently going on even here under the Mandingo 
 traders. A man had lent a slave to his friend who was 
 going to Vonzwaw. As fugitive slaves are free in the 
 colony, the man thought fit to run away and take refuge 
 in Monrovia. The action was brought by the lender, to 
 recover the price of the slave from the borrower. Each 
 party paid equal fees in advance. The case was tried 
 4* 
 
82 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 by nine jurors, witnesses were examined, and speeches 
 made, and the king, who sat as judge, pronounced sen- 
 tence according to the verdict of the jury. 
 
 The various difficulties and adventures which I passed 
 through before I could regain the coast — how the negroes 
 appeared determined to have the remnant of my goods, 
 — how I was bullied and threatened by Lansanna, and a 
 personage called the Golah king, who was chief of all 
 the Golahs in Sama, — how I had to quarrel and almost 
 fight for seven days, before I could obtain permission to 
 leave the town, — how the surly Golahs on the road 
 almost starved me as I returned through their country, 
 — how I visited Gebby Island, and found the eastern 
 branch of the river beyond it more than a quarter of a 
 mile wide — how my carriers tore open my packages and 
 robbed, me of several dozen knives and my bottle of 
 Cologne water ; and how I finally arrived at Monrovia, 
 hungry, weary, and glad, about nine o'clock at night — • 
 all this need not be related. After some delay at Mon- 
 rovia, during which I visited Grand Cape Mount, and 
 Gallinas river, I finally sailed for Cape Coast Castle, 
 about the 20th of June, 1850. 
 
VOYAGE TO BADAGRY. 
 
 83 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 VOYAGE FROM MONROVIA TO BADAGRY, IN 1850. 
 
 PARABLE OF THE SOWER — DEPARTURE FROM MONROVIA — FOOLISH KROO- 
 MEN — EL MINA — THE FANTEES — RISE OF THE COAST — GOLD — NUDITY 
 
 — IMMODESTY — CAUSES OF AFRICAN DEGRADATION — QUEER MARRIAGES 
 
 — MULATTOES — CURIOUS WEIGHTS — COSTUME — A FUNERAL — CAPE 
 COAST CASTLE — THE LANDING — WESLEYAN MISSIONS — " L. E. L." 'S 
 GRAVE — -GUINEA WORM — AFRICAN HILLS — ROCKS — RISE OF THE 
 
 COAST — DEPARTURE FOR BADAGRY — WHAT NEGROES NEED MASTERS 
 
 AKRA GARDENS — NEGRO VANITY — AGUEY — BADAGRY. 
 
 The parable of the sower may be applied to countries ; 
 for a whole community may be composed of wayside or 
 thorny-ground hearers. Conquest, colonization, or some 
 other stringent means, must be employed to raise the 
 people of Guinea to humanity, before the Gospel can 
 elevate them to Christianity. No chemist will produce 
 a result contrary to the laws of matter, and no mission- 
 ary will have success contrary to the laws of the human 
 mind. This is taught in the Saviour's parable. Some 
 persons believe that schools are the means to prepare 
 the people for Christianity ; but schools can not create 
 the wants to drive men into civilization ; and they could 
 not supply these wants if already created. Desires to 
 stimulate, labor to supply, and the strong arm of law to 
 direct and restrain, are indispensable to the improvement 
 of any barbarous nation. If there had been no people 
 in Africa superior to those of Guinea, I might have been 
 
84 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 content to pass my days here, engaged in the lowest 
 departments of preparatory labors ; but when I knew 
 that the intellectual and social state of the Central Afri- 
 cans, already demanded the Gospel and a higher degree 
 of civilization, it appeared to me unreasonable to neglect 
 them for the sake of premature labors in Guinea. With 
 these feelings, I bade a joyful adieu to Monrovia, and 
 sailed for Badagry, whence I expected to penetrate into 
 the interior. 
 
 As we sailed with a light breeze down the Kroo coast, 
 three Kroomen boarded us and hauled their little canoe 
 on deck. They were admonished to leave the vessel, 
 because we should sail by Cape Palmas, in the night, 
 but the hope of receiving another drink of rum next 
 morning, was too strong for their reason, and they per- 
 sisted in remaining. At daybreak they found themselves 
 fifty miles from home, on the coast of a hostile country. 
 Although the captain proposed to keep them on board 
 till we should meet another vessel, they preferred to re- 
 turn in their canoe, and were supplied with bread and 
 water for the voyage. 
 
 A short and pleasant run brought us to the town of 
 El Mina, (the mine) which was settled by the Portu- 
 guese, in 1481. It now belongs to the Dutch. True to 
 the stolid policy peculiar to themselves, they defend 
 this little colony of ten thousand souls by two heavy 
 and expensive forts or castles, into one of which no 
 foreigner might enter — and are so jealous of their 
 rights, that missionaries are not permitted to live in 
 El Mina. In one of the forts they had a large public 
 school, in which the negro children are obliged to learn 
 
VOYAGE TO BADAGRY. 
 
 85 
 
 Dutch, although English is the commercial language of 
 the whole coast, and all the natives are anxious to learn 
 it. 
 
 The Fantee people, who are the most civilized of all 
 native tribes, live at El Mina, Cape Coast Castle, and 
 other towns in this region. Even the houses of the na- 
 tives on this coast are well built of stone, and this, with 
 the European residences, and the extensive castles, pre- 
 sents a civilized appearance which one is hardly prepared 
 to see in Africa. 
 
 El Mina has no harbor, but a slight indentation of the 
 shore makes a better landing place than is usual on the 
 surf-beaten coast, between Freetown and Fernando Po. 
 Boats enter a small stream which comes down through 
 the midst of the town, and pass under a bridge to a stone 
 wharf. A broad and beautifully shaded street runs 
 eastward from the wharf, parallel with the sea. Here 
 are the European residences, and the chief seat of busi- 
 ness. We passed along this street through swarms of 
 market women, and stopped at a commodious hotel kept 
 by a Fantee. 
 
 After viewing the lower castle, which rises from the 
 edge of the water, and is surrounded by a deep ditch, 
 cut in the sand stone, I went up the beach westward, to 
 examine a small unoccupied fortress, which appeared to 
 be very old. The only door into the building is consid- 
 erably above the ground, so that the occupants were 
 obliged to enter it by means of a ladder. On a careful 
 examination of this place, I strongly suspected that the 
 land had risen several feet since the erection of the re- 
 doubt, and I have since become convinced that this 
 part of the coast is still rising. On the beach, between 
 
86 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 the redoubt and the town, were numbers of women, some 
 washing gold from the sand in the edge of the surf, 
 others bathing and others walking about in nature's 
 simplest attire, perfectly undisturbed by the presence of 
 any one who might be passing. Scenes like this are 
 witnessed on every part of the coast The partially 
 civilized tribes of Sudan, are more or less mixed with 
 Caucasian blood, and their modesty is in exact propor- 
 tion to the degree of intermixture. The females in the 
 blacker Sudan tribes, are always clothed, it is true, but 
 they see no impropriety in leaving the upper part of the 
 body uncovered. The whiter Pulohs are clad from head 
 to foot. The degradation of the Guinea tribes has not 
 resulted from intercourse with unprincipled Europeans ; 
 for the same race, the unmixed negro, is even more de- 
 graded in the centre of the continent.* 
 
 But the conduct of most Europeans on the coast, is 
 not calculated to make the negroes better. At El Mina, 
 they introduced me to a sleek Fantee lassie, as " the 
 wife " of Captain , who has a wife in Massachu- 
 setts. Most captains or merchants have one or more 
 of these " wives." There are two ways of marrying in 
 such cases, which are technically termed " by the week," 
 and " by the run." A wife by the week, is free at the 
 end of the term. The latter kind of wives are tenants 
 at will, who may be dismissed, or may leave at any time. 
 The mulattoes on this coast are generally weakly in 
 body, and frequently worthy to be regarded as the 
 meanest of mankind. Their laziness and dishonesty, is 
 
 * See Crowther's or Hutchinson's Journal of the late expedition up 
 the Chadda. 
 
VOYAGE TO BADAGRY. 
 
 87 
 
 partly the result of the manner in which they are brought 
 up, and partly, perhaps, a heritage from their white fa- 
 thers. Whether whites, blacks, or mulattoes, the pres- 
 ent position of the people is almost beyond the reach of 
 the Gospel. Within the last twenty years, two forward 
 and self-conceited men, who were sent from Europe as 
 missionaries, have found their level among the heathen. 
 
 The principal exports from this part of the coast, are 
 gold and ivory. Nearly all the gold is brought from 
 mines in the interior, the location of which is not known. 
 The small quantity washed from the sea sands on the 
 coast, is sold 'to the trade women, who weigh it with 
 little red seeds instead of weights. The natives of 
 Kumasi, make larger weights of brass. A set of these 
 which a trader offered for sale, consisted of rude little 
 figures, representing the industrial pursuits of the coun- 
 try. One represented a man climbing a palm tree, to 
 gather the nuts. Another was a man carrying a barrel, 
 perhaps a keg of powder or of rum, on his head. 
 
 Nothing attracted my attention more than the hair of 
 the Fantee women. It was eight or ten inches long, 
 well moistened with pomatum, procured from the Dutch 
 traders, and combed straight, so as to have exactly the 
 appearance of wool in samples, ready for exhibition. 
 Their dress consisted of a calico wrapper fastened 
 round the waist, and reaching nearly to the ground, 
 writh another wrapper, often dispensed with, thrown 
 over the shoulders. Enormous bustles, which project 
 about a foot, are universal on the Gold Coast, though I 
 have not seen them in any other part of the country. 
 
 During my stay at El Mina I witnessed the funeral of 
 a wealthy Dutch mulatto. The corpse was laid out in 
 
88 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 a large upper room of his fine dwelling, and surrounded 
 by several women as chief mourners. About noon, a 
 large procession formed at the house, and followed the 
 corpse, not to the grave, as I supposed they would do, 
 but to the lower castle and back again. Immediately 
 behind the corpse were a number of women " skillful in 
 weeping," who kept up a noisy lamentation. Then fol- 
 lowed the officers of the castles and several others, per- 
 haps merchants, palefaced Dutchmen with long swords 
 and red whiskers; and finally a promiscuous rabble of 
 men, women and children, one among them bearing a 
 huge red umbrella, adorned with fringe or tassels. One 
 negro bore an immense speaking trumpet on his head, 
 and another who walked behind him applied his mouth 
 to the nozzle occasionally, and bawled out something, I 
 suppose in honor of the deceased. 
 
 Cape Coast Castle, which belongs to the English, is in 
 plain view of El Mina, the distance being about nine 
 miles. The towns are very similar, in regard to houses 
 and inhabitants, but the former has only one castle. The 
 landing at Cape Coast is dangerous, owing to the vio- 
 lence of the surf. It is effected in large flat-bottomed 
 canoes, well manned by Fantee rowers. As they ap- 
 proach the shore, they make every exertion to poise the 
 canoe on the back of a wave, so as to ride in upon the 
 beach before the surf breaks, which might fill their craft 
 with wa.ter. Cape Coast (originally Cabo Corso) like 
 most other towns in these parts, was founded by the 
 Portuguese. 
 
 Here I left the brig in which I had come from Monrovia, 
 and went ashore to wait for a passage for Badagry. At 
 first I stopped at a tolerably good hotel, kept by a native, 
 
VOYAGE TO BADAGRY. 
 
 89 
 
 but was soon invited to reside in the family of Rev. T. 
 B. Freeman, the superintendent of the Wesleyan mis- 
 sions. These missions, which were commenced in 1835, 
 consist at present of several stations on the Gold and 
 Slave Coasts, and have penetrated into the interior of Ku- 
 masi, the capital of Ashantee, and to Abbeokuta, the cap- 
 ital of Egba. They number several hundred converts. 
 
 I remained at Cape Coast about three weeks. In 
 walking over the castle one day, they showed me the 
 grave of the gifted, but unhappy Miss Landon (the 
 poetess " L. E. L.") She married a government officer, 
 and died here on the coast of Africa. 
 
 In the hospital I saw several natives laid up with 
 Guinea worm. The natives attribute this disease to bad 
 water, as do those of Yoruba, and of some districts on 
 the Red Sea. They say it prevents attacks of fever. 
 
 The hills about Cape Coast are mostly circular, and 
 graded down to the base, so that the numerous little 
 valleys which wind among them are nearly level. Iso- 
 lated hills or patches, and short chains of mountains are 
 a general feature in Africa. A man could pass through- 
 out the continent to Egypt at many points, without 
 climbing a single mountain, though he might see many 
 peaks during his journey. 
 
 The rocks here, as at El Mina, are red sand stone, some- 
 times becoming slaty, but apparently destitute of or- 
 ganic remains. A few hundred yards east of the castle, 
 there is a hill which projects into the sea, composed of 
 alternate layers of harder and softer gneiss. The con- 
 stant dashing of the waves has washed away the softer 
 portion, to some depth, leaving the former in projecting 
 ledges. These ledges rise from the water's edge to a 
 
90 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 height considerably above the present level of the sea, 
 thus proving the gradual rise of the coast. Similar and 
 very conclusive evidence of the same fact is seen in the 
 sand stone bluffs at Akra. 
 
 About the middle of July I obtained passage to Bada- 
 gry on a small schooner loaded with brown sugar, which 
 " steamed " so much that the fumes banished us from 
 the cabin. Unsafe as it might be to sleep on the dew- 
 drenched deck, it seemed to me less dangerous than to 
 remain all night in the palpable vapors of damp sugar. 
 Our captain was a kind-hearted old Scotchman, who 
 was not ashamed to confess how himself and the crew 
 had prayed together when they were in danger of being 
 lost in a hurricane. I have seldom met with an irreli- 
 gious man who had the moral courage to admit that he 
 had been frightened into prayer. We had several pas- 
 sengers on the crowded deck, among whom were a 
 drunken merchant of Akra, a Brazilian slaver of the 
 Slave Coast, and a pleasant intelligent man who held 
 the rank of colonial surgeon of Cape Coast. In speak- 
 ing of the dishonesty and indolence of the natives, I re- 
 marked that they ought to have masters, in obedience 
 to the demands of natural justice. He replied, " That 
 is true, but in these days it would not do to say so." I 
 appreciated the remark. The world is governed by 
 fashion, and in these days it is fashionable to regard 
 human rights abstractly from all human relations. — 
 Every candid and reflecting man knows that such rights 
 are a positive nonentity. The colonial surgeon knew 
 it, but was too prudent to avow his conviction, lest he 
 should be accused of favoring the slave trade. But the 
 just deserts of a lazy, thievish negro, or white man, is 
 
VOYAGE TO BADAGRY. 
 
 91 
 
 one question, and our authority to inflict the merited 
 punishment, is another. Many a man deserves to be 
 caned, but we have no right to cane him. 
 
 During our stay at Akra, I went ashore to visit the 
 gardens. I found them like those at El Mina and Cape 
 Coast, much inferior to my expectations. The natives 
 here speak a different language from that of the Fantees. 
 Their degree of civilization is about the same, most of 
 their houses being built of stone, and the two tribes are 
 about equal in their thievish propensities, and want of 
 every ennobling quality. The Wesleyan mission at 
 Akra is not flourishing. A German mission at Akra- 
 pong, fifty miles in the interior, is said to be more 
 successful. 
 
 My host at Akra was a Mr. Bruce. Though a jet 
 black negro, whose ancestors, for aught I know, had 
 not been bleached by amalgamation since the days of 
 Cush, his name was Bruce, and he must needs send all 
 the way to Scotland for the Bruce coat of arms, which 
 he keeps hung up in his parlor, as if he, like the 
 Abyssinian traveler, were descended from Scotia's kings. 
 Vanity, next to covetousness, is the strongest passion 
 of Africans. To dress and swagger is as natural to 
 them as breathing. In Sierra Leone, native boys are 
 christened with English names, and frequently with 
 great ones, as Edward Bickersteth, or Jabez Bunting. 
 Sometimes, however, the godfathers pick up a name at 
 random. It chanced that one boy was called Thomas 
 Macauley instead of John Smith. He now sports the 
 name of Thomas Babington Macauley; the additional 
 name being an after-thought of his own. I had a serv- 
 ant once who used to write his name on scraps of 
 
92 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 paper, " Samuel Charles Jones, Esq." Native assistants 
 in missions are more apt to grow in consequence than 
 in grace and knowledge ; but I have met with several 
 noble exceptions. 
 
 Our next stopping place was at Aguey, a most barba- 
 rous town in the Popo country, with two "factories" 
 (trading-houses,) one for the slave trade, and one for 
 lawful commerce. Here the slaves left us, as the doctor 
 had done at Akra. As there was no hotel at Aguey, I 
 stopped at the English factory, where I appeared to be 
 received as a welcome visitor by the lonely superintend- 
 ent. The entire nudity which I have already mentioned 
 appeared to be more shameless and cordial than ever in 
 this darkest part of Africa. But here also it is confined 
 to one sex. I have never seen so horrible a place as 
 Aguey, or one which I remember with so much indig- 
 nation. 
 
 At last we arrived at Badagry on the 5th of August, 
 nearly eight months after I had sailed from the United 
 States. Next day I took leave of the good old captain, 
 and soon had the satisfaction to find myself safely 
 through the roaring surf, on firm land, no more to re- 
 sume my voyage. A flat, treeless prairie extends from 
 the beach three-quarters of a mile to the river Ossa, 
 which is seven hundred yards wide, and runs parallel 
 with the coast for forty or fifty miles till it flows into 
 the sea at Lagos. The banks are covered with papyrus, 
 which at a short distance resembles the young pine. 
 Immediately beyond the river is the vile old town of 
 Badagry ; and twenty days' journey more or less, would 
 bring me to Igboho (Bohoo) where I had purposed to 
 make the first experiment in the Central African mission. 
 
BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 93 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BAD AG BY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 THE PEOPLE OF BADAGRY — THE SLAVE COAST — " NEW NIGGERS " — 
 FIDA — THE LANGUAGE — SLAVE TRADE — SOIL — CLIMATE — RELIGIOUS 
 CEREMONY — WITCHES — MARKETS — CURRENCY — COWRIES — BEGGARS 
 — OLD SIMEON — A SERVANT AND A HORSE — DEPARTURE FROM BADA- 
 GRY — BURIAL IN THE AIR — HOW LOADS ARE CARRIED — PRAIRIES — 
 A LAGOON — A CARAVAN — THE COUNTRY — SOIL — SCENERY — COUN- 
 TRIES ON THE SLAVE COAST — EIGHTEEN MONTHS' DETENTION. 
 
 Badagry contained about ten thousand inhabitants. 
 The houses were built of bamboo, (foot stems of white 
 palm leaves,) and the yard fences were of the same ma- 
 terial. The streets were narrow and intricate lanes, as 
 in all other native towns, whether on the coast or in 
 the interior. Many of the people were scape-gallows 
 villains, who had fled from other countries. One of 
 the English missionaries, who had been residing for 
 some time in the place, remarked that their cup of ini- 
 quity was full, and the people were ripe for destruction.* 
 About a year and a half after this, Badagry was burnt 
 down, in a cut throat affray among its own citizens. 
 
 This part of Africa is called the Slave Coast, because 
 it afforded the most intelligent, docile and industrious 
 negroes for the American plantations. I am sorry to 
 
 * See Lander's account of this place, in 1832. 
 
94 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 add, that these good "niggers" were the almost civil- 
 ized inhabitants of Yoruba, Nufe, Hausa, and other 
 countries in Sudan, the very people to whom I had gone 
 forth as a missionary. They, at least, according to the 
 inflexible laws of nature, deserved a better fate than 
 slavery ; for if rights and relations are the just results 
 of properties, (or character, which they undoubtedly 
 are,) these people had a right to remain unmolested in 
 their native land. Every planter who is forty years 
 old, knows the great difference in the character of " new 
 niggers." The short, stubby, silly fellows often brought 
 into the slave markets, were chiefly from Congo, south 
 of the line, where all the people (imported to America) 
 have an affinity to the Hottentots. The " Gulla niggers," 
 were from Golah country on the St. Paul's river, where 
 they still vegetate, about the meanest of the human 
 race, and amply worthy of the cotton field. The "Eboe 
 nigger," was from a fine open country, above the delta 
 of the Niger, and not from the delta itself, as we have 
 commonly supposed.* At home he was a noble, high- 
 minded and half civilized man, who beautified his fine 
 country with well cultivated farms and shady villages. 
 In America he was trusty, intelligent and industrious, 
 but remarkable for an absolutely indomitable spirit, to 
 which even the master must yield, when the Eboe was 
 aroused, unless he should choose to shoot down the best 
 slave on his plantation. No wonder : for the Eboes in 
 common with the Sudanese, have undergone a strong 
 Caucasian innervation, which is evidenced by the fact 
 that some of them are nearly white. The rest of the 
 
 * There is a village, but no country or tribe, called Eboe. 
 
BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 95 
 
 " Guinea niggers," brought to our country, were princi- 
 pally the hateful Popoes, the shrewd but thievish Fan- 
 tees, and others like them. 
 
 Several old writers (as Bosnian, one hundred and 
 fifty years ago) give a glowing description of a country 
 west of Badagry, called Fida — whence the name Why- 
 dah. The country in this region is still exceedingly 
 beautiful, but the power and glory of the Fida kingdom, 
 if it ever existed, is not remembered by the natives. 
 Bosman, a Dutchman, declined to give any specimens 
 of the barbarous language in these parts, being more 
 intent on buying slaves for half-civilized colonists than 
 to gratify the curiosity of enlightened men. This was 
 natural to Bosman, and to the sensual age in which he 
 lived, when even some of the dignitaries of the church 
 derived large revenues from the slave trade. At pres- 
 ent, the prevailing language on this coast is the 
 Yoruba, which has almost supplanted the Popo, by the 
 silent and gradual progress of immigration from the 
 interior. In vain do we inquire whether the encroach- 
 ments of a superior race were already extensive in the 
 days of Bosman. 
 
 A few miles above Badagry, on the same river (Ossa), 
 is a still larger town called Ajasheh (which means 
 broken by war). At this point, the river is nine miles 
 from the sea, at Porto Novo, Domingo's slave station, 
 a name which Europeans apply to Ajasheh. In 1850, 
 Ajasheh, Whydah, and nearly all the Slave Coast, led by 
 Gezo, king of Dahomy, and Kosokkoh, the usurper at 
 Lagos or Eko, were in favor of the slave trade, and op- 
 posed to lawful commerce and missionaries. Only Ab- 
 beokuta, a large town sixty miles in the interior, and a 
 
96 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 minority at Badagry, were opposed to the slave trade, 
 as contrary to the best interests of the country. I was 
 informed that Gezo and Kosokkoh were concocting a 
 plan to destroy Abbeokuta and subdue Badagry, so as 
 to expel the English merchants and missionaries, and 
 restore the slave trade, as in former days. The ill suc- 
 cess of these attempts will be noticed in a subsequent 
 chapter. 
 
 The soil on this part of the Slave Coast, which some 
 travelers have pronounced exceedingly fertile, is often 
 decidedly poor. No intelligent farmer could be deceived 
 by the barren sandy soil at Badagry. Weeds and 
 grasses, unfit for man or beast, are stimulated to luxu- 
 riance by heat and moisture, but the crops of Indian 
 corn, peas, potatoes, &c, which depend upon soil as 
 well as climate, are indifferent. Geologically speaking, 
 the land on this part of the coast is little else than the 
 sand of the " drift period," the coarser materials being 
 deposited far in the interior. 
 
 The streams about Badagry are nothing but narrow 
 lines of swamp, owing to the dead level of the surface. 
 Such a country cannot be healthy. Two or three mis- 
 sionaries had recently died at Badagry, and the Euro- 
 pean merchants had suffered still more severely. I 
 was told that six young men had died in a single year 
 in one factory, the victims of rum, debauchery and 
 fever. 
 
 During the eight days that I remained at Badagry, I 
 rambled through every part of the town and the adjacent 
 farms. In one of the streets I saw a dog, which had 
 been sacrificed, and suspended to the boughs of a tree, 
 in honor of some mangy orisha (idol). Sacrifices and 
 
BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 97 
 
 processions, with noisy uproar and beating of drums, 
 appear to be a precious amusement to the people. 
 Christian converts in every part of Africa still retain 
 their innate love of noise and gesticulation. Rare scenes 
 are sometimes witnessed in the Methodist meetings on 
 some parts of the coast. The sober Episcopalian con- 
 verts are greatly delighted with the "service." To 
 kneel a little, and to stand a little, by turns, to chaunt 
 the doxology, and repeat the Lord's Prayer in concert, 
 to bow the knee mechanically whenever they repeat the 
 name of Jesus in the creed, to exclaim "Good Lord 
 deliver us," in solemn set tones, twenty times successive- 
 ly, in the responses of the litany — all this has a strong 
 hold on the hearts of the people, because it is congenial 
 to their natural feelings. The Baptist converts can 
 scarcely be restrained from attaching supernatural effi- 
 cacy to the act of solemn immersion in water. 
 
 In addition to their other superstitions, it appears 
 that the good citizens of Badagry were sorely annoyed 
 by witches, who were in the habit of destroying people, 
 especially fat ones, by sucking their blood while asleep. 
 Sometimes an old hag of a heathen confesses the charge, 
 and courageously resigns herself to the penalty of death. 
 How the people stare at a veritable witch ! Hearing a 
 great uproar one day, I inquired "What's the matter?" 
 " Oh, they have caught a witch, and are going to kill 
 her." 
 
 I was fond of going to see the market, which was 
 crowded every evening with thousands of people, includ- 
 ing many from interior towns, busily and noisily en- 
 gaged in buying and selling cloth, rum, tobacco, gun- 
 powder, salt, yams, Indian corn, goats, sheep, fowls, 
 5 
 
98 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 and a long list of other articles, some from Europe and 
 America, and others from the depths of the continent. 
 The currency on the Slave Coast, and far interior to 
 Hausa and Burnu, is a little shell as large as the end of 
 one's finger, called a cowry, (cyprea moneta). They 
 are not found in Western Africa, but are brought by 
 Europeans from India and Zanzibar, and given to the 
 natives for palm oil and other productions of the coun- 
 try. Forty cowries are called a " string," fifty strings 
 or two thousand cowries, are a " head," and ten heads 
 are a " bag." It is usual to value two thousand cow- 
 ries at one dollar, which is twenty to the cent, but of 
 late they are generally cheaper on the coast. I am 
 told that the intrinsic value of good cowries in Europe, 
 where they are used in the arts, is about equal to their 
 current value in Africa. The iron money of Lycurgus 
 was not more cumbersome than cowries, the net 
 weight often dollars' worth, (20,000 shells) being from 
 fifty to seventy pounds. The common price of a fowl 
 is from 200 to 250 shells ; of a sheep, from 4000 to 6000 ; 
 of a horse, from 60,000 to 120,000, and other things in 
 proportion. When building our houses, we are obliged 
 to keep a man to count the cowries every evening for 
 the laborers. Silver and gold are not current here, be- 
 cause the merchants on the coast, who import the cow- 
 ries, will take nothing but shells or palm oil for the 
 cloth, guns, tobacco, rum, &c, which they sell to the 
 natives. Neither is it possible to pay for provisions 
 and labor in goods of any kind, barter being unknown, 
 and cowries demanded for everything. 
 
 The people of Badagry having a poor soil, and a suf- 
 ficient traffic to prevent their starving, were not much 
 
BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 99 
 
 addicted to labor. Even fishing, which is vigorously 
 prosecuted by the tribes on the Gold, Ivory, and Grain 
 Coasts, is confined here to the sluggish Ossa river. No 
 Badagrian would think of launching a canoe into the 
 open sea. The town swarmed with thieves and drunk- 
 ards, whose only object in life was sensual gratifica- 
 tion. Nowhere else had I met with so many impudent 
 and shameless beggars. When a missionary attempted 
 to preach to a crowd in the streets or market, it was 
 very common for some of them to reply by laying their 
 hands on their stomachs, and saying, "White man, I 
 am hungry !" Soon after my arrival, a fellow introduced 
 himself as the "American chief," who was to receive 
 presents from all American visitors. Another was 
 called the " English chief," another the " French chief," 
 &c. These greedy chiefs are no longer able to rob men 
 as they did the Landers, because there is now a strong 
 minority of the people opposed to such conduct, but if 
 they had been left to themselves, no missionary could 
 have passed through Badagry, without leaving a large 
 part of his property. 
 
 One of my first cares on entering Badagry, was to 
 inquire the way to Bohoo, for this was the place to which 
 I had started, and no other town in Africa would satisfy 
 my desires. Every body, whether missionaries, mer- 
 chants, or natives, assured me that the road to Bohoo 
 had been closed for a long time by the Yoruba wars, and 
 that Abbeokuta, sixty miles to the N.E. of Badagry, was 
 the only place in the interior to which I could possibly 
 go. I was unwilling to pass through Abbeokuta, because 
 it lay considerably east of my route ; and I had still less 
 desire to stop there, because I supposed it was nothing 
 
100 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 more than other towns in Guinea, of which I had seen a 
 sufficient number. In America, I had read a pleasing 
 account of " old Simeon," a convert in the Wesleyan 
 mission at Badagry ; and on inquiry, the missionaries 
 informed me that he was a native of Bohoo, and had 
 begged them to go and preach to his countrymen. Of 
 course I paid him a visit. The venerable old man was 
 delighted to hear that I had left home to preach the 
 Gospel in his native city, and declared his readiness to 
 go with me, but added that I would find it impossible 
 to go at present. 
 
 Losing all hope of doing better, I resolved to visit 
 Abbeokuta, and there renew my efforts to reach Bohoo. 
 My preparations for departure were commenced by em- 
 ploying for a servant, a stout awkward Egba youth, 
 who spoke English. His wages as fixed by himself, 
 were $1.50 per month ; " poor pay, poor preach." Eight 
 men were required to carry my baggage, and my boy 
 Sam soon engaged them at one dollar apiece for the 
 journey. My next exploit was to purchase a horse from 
 a mulatto school-master, in one of the missions, for $40. 
 His color was bay, his height eleven hands, and his 
 name was Caesar. The seller recommended him as " a 
 powerful animal," and " a war-horse," which had "been 
 in battle." On the second day of my journey, Csesar fell 
 lame, and Samuel Charles Jones, Esq., drove him behind 
 me to Abbeokuta. On arriving there, I had the satis- 
 faction to learn, that if the horse was worthless, the 
 price was unusual ; sound ponies of that size being- 
 valued at $20. Poor Caesar lingered a while, and died 
 of the journey. 
 
 All thingsj3eing ready, I bid farewell to Badagry, on 
 
BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 101 
 
 the 14th of August, and departed on my second at- 
 tempt to reach the interior of Africa. Half a mile from 
 the town, we saw a corpse tied up in mats, and suspend- 
 ed horizontally between two stakes, four or five feet 
 from the ground. In this manner they dispose of slaves 
 who die, while in pawn for debt, so that the master, on 
 coming down from the interior, may know that his slave 
 has not been sold by the creditor. Two or three miles 
 further on, we passed near the farm of the infamous 
 Adule, (Lander's Adooley,) who had been dead for seve- 
 ral years. All along the road, we met numbers of men, 
 women and children going to the Badagry market, with 
 palm-oil, corn, yams, fowls, fire-wood, &c, which they 
 carried in heavy loads on their heads, according to the 
 universal custom of this country; though the Golahs, 
 and others in that region, carry burdens on their backs. 
 About six miles' walk through beautifully interspersed 
 woods and prairies, brought us to Mo, or Imowo lagoon, 
 which is half a mile wide, and so deep in the rainy sea- 
 son, that the people are not able to ford it. Here we 
 found a caravan of several hundred men and women, 
 who made the woods ring with their noisy chat and 
 laughter, while waiting for a few canoes to convey 
 them over the water. After a while, a nearly naked 
 fellow, in a very small canoe, slipped out from the trees 
 and bushes which fill the lagoon, and paddled up to the 
 landing, with several large calabashes full of palm wine, 
 which he retailed to the noisy travelers. Every canoe 
 which returned from the other side of the water, was 
 met at some distance from the bank, by numbers of 
 people, who put in their loads and dragged it to the 
 shore to get in themselves, so that all the begging and 
 
102 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 bawling we could do, was not sufficient to procure a 
 passage for myself and horse, till it was too dark to go 
 at all. 
 
 Early next morning we succeeded in crossing the 
 water, my horse swimming most of the way by the side 
 of a canoe, along a crooked road cut through the jungle. 
 We took breakfast in Mo village, beyond the lagoon, 
 and traveled about three miles through the bush, like 
 that in Liberia, to a beautiful prairie, adorned by seve- 
 ral tall and graceful fan-leaf palms. After passing 
 through several forests, farms and prairies, we entered 
 a great wood, which continued with little interruption, 
 for nearly thirty miles, to a more open country. The 
 first stones, (iron conglomerate,) occurred about thirty 
 miles from Badagry. The soil was generally good and 
 the streams rather swampy. Near the centre of this 
 great forest, though not immediately on the road, is a 
 shabby little town which is distinguished as the birth- 
 place of Adule. 
 
 On Sunday, the 17th, we rested by a beautiful stream 
 of clear water, about twenty miles from Abbeokuta. 
 The woods were full of monkeys, parrots, horn bills and 
 honey bees. Next morning we traveled about three 
 miles through a fertile and heavily timbered body of 
 land to the top of a hill, where we suddenly emerged 
 into an open country, and my eyes were greeted with 
 a more lovely scene than I had ever expected to behold 
 in Africa — a vast expanse of undulating prairie, scat- 
 tered over with palms and groves, and bounded in the 
 distance by blue, mountainous looking hills. I felt that I 
 had entered a new region; Guinea was left behind me. 
 Passing through this lovely country, delighted by fresh 
 
BADAGRY AND THE SLAVE COAST. 
 
 103 
 
 beauties at every step, we arrived at the Ogun river, 
 which flows by Abbeokuta, a little after sunset, and en- 
 tered the city by twilight. 
 
 Abbeokuta is the capital of the very small independ- 
 ent kingdom of Egba, which is numbered according to 
 its position among the countries of Guinea, but in char- 
 acter is more nearly allied to Sudan. The whole popu- 
 lation of this little state may be set down at 100,000, 
 most of whom are in the capital city. On the east and 
 southeast of Egba, is the kingdom of Ijebu, (tortured 
 by different writers into Jaboo, Yebu and Dshebu,) and 
 east of this lies the larger country of Ibini or Benin. 
 To the south and west of Egba, are several unconnected 
 towns, mhabited by a people, who are called Egbado 
 (the lower Egbas) ; to the west of whom is the little 
 kingdom of Iketu, which extends to Dahomy. Badagry 
 and Lagos, (Eko,) on the coast, are independent towns, 
 the latter of which is ruled by a king, who formerly 
 professed allegiance to Benin. Midway between Bada- 
 gry and Abbeokuta, is a very small tribe called Otta. 
 The Ijebus, Egbas, Egbadoes, Ottas and Iketus, as also 
 the people of Badagry and Lagos, speak the Yoruba 
 language. All these people are similar in features, 
 character and customs, but those near the coast are 
 more barbarous than those of the interior. The Popoes 
 and Dahomies are more degraded, at least morally, than 
 any other people on this coast. They were probably the 
 original owners of all the forest country between Bada- 
 gry and Egba, but have gradually retired before their 
 Yoruba-speaking neighbors, till their language has 
 almost disappeared from most parts of the coast east of 
 Whydah The proper Yoruba kingdom, and the origi- 
 
104 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 nal seat of all the Yoruba-speaking tribes, extends from 
 Benin on the east to Dahomy on the west, having the 
 Ijebus, Egbas, Egbadoes, and Iketus on its southern 
 border. The Yoruba country begins about twenty miles 
 north of Abbeokuta, or eighty miles by the road, from 
 the sea coast. No wonder if I entertained pleasing- 
 hopes of soon being able to enter the country when 
 several of its mountains are in plain view of Abbeokuta. 
 Yet I was compelled to remain in Egba and the other 
 low countries for eighteen months, before the chiefs 
 would give me permission to proceed. But this time 
 was not wholly lost, since I was employed in studying 
 the language, and in becoming acquainted with the 
 character of the people. 
 
ABBEOKUTA AND THE EGBAS. 
 
 105 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ABBEOKUTA AND THE EGBAS. 
 
 ABBEOKUTA — OGUN RIVER — ROOKS — SOIL — EGBA COUNTRY DESOLATED 
 BY WAR — ANCIENT GIANTS — WARS — DAHOMIES DEFEATED — MIS- 
 SIONARIES INVITED TO EGBA — SUCCESS — TRANSLATIONS — HAND OF 
 PROVIDENCE. 
 
 The population of Abbeokuta is estimated by some 
 Europeans at sixty thousand, and by others at one hun- 
 dred thousand souls. I approached the place with a con- 
 fident expectation of reducing the estimate to twenty- 
 five or thirty thousand, for I could not believe that the 
 towns here were so great, when they were generally 
 small in other parts of Africa. Though it was nearly 
 dark when I arrived, I could still see enough to mitigate 
 my unbelief. It appeared to be truly an extensive town, 
 and my wonder was not diminished by traveling half a 
 mile to the Wesleyan station, which they said was almost 
 in the suburbs. Here I spent the night and rested for 
 two or three days. Proceeding then by daylight, I 
 found it about a mile to the first Episcopal station, 
 which was then in charge of Mr. Crowther, a native 
 missionary. Nearly a mile further, amid numberless 
 houses I was brought to Mr. Townsend's station, and it 
 was still two miles further to Mr. Smith's station near 
 the northern wall. The length of the town by the most 
 direct route was afterwards measured by a perambulator, 
 5* 
 
106 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 # and found to be within a few rods of four miles. The 
 width is from two to three miles. The walls, which in- 
 clude much open space, are probably fifteen miles in cir- 
 cuit, and the town itself is not less than ten miles in 
 circuit. Observing that the houses are very large, and 
 learning that the population of a house varies from 
 twenty to one hundred souls, I felt entirely unable to 
 guess how many thousands an accurate census would 
 give to Abbeokuta. Here the matter is obliged to rest, 
 but we all think it reasonable to estimate the popula- 
 tion at sixty to one hundred thousand souls.* 
 
 Abbeokuta is situated on the eastern bank of the 
 Ogun river, in latitude 1° 8' N., and, by estimation, about 
 3° 20' E. longitude. The river, which is here about one 
 hundred yards wide, is navigable for canoes to the rapids 
 near the southern wall of the town, and might be avail- 
 able for light steamers to a point about twelve miles 
 lower down. The distance to Lagos by the river is 
 about ninety miles, mostly through a rich but sparsely 
 inhabited country. 
 
 The rocks about Abbeokuta are chiefly granite, many 
 huge masses of which, in and around the town, arise to 
 a height of two hundred feet or more. Much of the soil 
 is not very fertile ; the water is pure, and the climate 
 healthy. The surrounding country is generally open or 
 sparsely timbered, being of the kind which is commonly 
 called grass-field by the English, and prairie by our- 
 selves. The absence of timber is attributable to long 
 continued cultivation. Most of the Egba kingdom, how- 
 ever, is very fertile, and covered with forests as other 
 
 * Such towns have gates at convenient points around the wall, and 
 the farms extend in all directions from ten to twenty miles. 
 
ABBEOKUTA AND THE EGBAS. 
 
 107 
 
 parts of Guinea. Fifty years ago this small territory 
 could boast of nearly three hundred towns, some of 
 which were considerably populous ; but now the village 
 of Oko-Obba, in the south-west of the kingdom, is the 
 only one remaining : all the others having been utterly 
 destroyed by war. Abbeokuta, which then had no 
 existence, is composed of refugees from about one hun- 
 dred towns. 
 
 In ancient times, as their tradition relates, the Egba 
 country was a province of the Yoruba kingdom. At 
 last a giant named Lishabbeh headed a rebellion against 
 an oppressive king, and the Egbas became independent 
 under a king of their own. Lishabbeh is still worship- 
 ped by the Egbas, and his farm, which it would be sac- 
 rilege to reclaim, is shown on the east side of the 
 Ogun, about twelve miles below Abbeokuta. Many 
 stories are told of this and other giants, who are repre- 
 sented as men of great stature. One of them, who be- 
 longed to the town of Igbehin, committed a sacrilege by 
 robbing the temple of Orishako, at Irawaw, in the west 
 of Yoruba, whence a law was passed, and is still en- 
 forced, that no Igbehin man shall enter Irawaw. 
 
 After a long time, the Egbas abolished royalty with- 
 out substituting any efficient general government in its 
 stead; and this finally led to most disastrous results. 
 Jealousies between the chiefs and people of independ- 
 ent Egba towns led to civil war, and the Yorubas and 
 Ijebus, by assisting first one town and then another, suc- 
 ceeded in depopulating the whole country. Some of the 
 last towns were destroyed about thirty years ago. It is 
 not improbable that these wars destroyed two hundred 
 thousand people. Multitudes were captured and sold to 
 
108 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 the slavers, who shipped them to Cuba and Brazil, where 
 great numbers of them are still living. Several thou- 
 sands were re-captured on the high seas and carried to 
 Sierra Leone. Many others fled to adjacent countries. 
 Some of the captives are still in slavery to the Yorubas, 
 as for instance at Ogbomoshaw, where the Egbas are 
 said to number two thousand. Others again were sent 
 to slave markets beyond the Niger, and found masters 
 in Hausa and Burnu, or passed over the desert to Tri- 
 poli and Egypt. So great an overthrow of a whole tribe 
 has seldom happened even in Africa. 
 
 Abbeokuta was founded about forty years ago by the 
 refugees who were so happy as to escape the general 
 destruction. At first a few persons took shelter on the 
 top of a steep granite hill under the shelving sides of 
 an immense rock. As this part of the country was not 
 then inhabited, they found here a place of safety. Others 
 joined them from time to time, and the new settlement 
 received the appropriate name of Abbeh-okuta, " Under- 
 stone." The remnants of each town, as they arrived, 
 settled together around the original nucleus and called 
 their locality by the name of their native town ; whence 
 there are many districts in the city still distinguished by 
 these names, as Ake, (the name of the old capital,) Igboro, 
 Emmere, Igbehin, etc. The great rock which gave shel- 
 ter to the first refugees, is worshipped by some under 
 the name of Olumoh, " the builder." The old people still 
 remember their former homes with affection, and some- 
 times express a desire to return, but the young men are 
 opposed to resettling in the old towns, and insist on the 
 policy of retaining command of the river and the trade 
 to Lagos. 
 
ABBEOKUTA AND THE EGBAS. 
 
 109 
 
 The enemies of the Egbas were not long in forming a 
 resolution to destroy the new city. But their opportunity 
 was already past. The united remnants of the nation 
 had wisely placed themselves under the command of a 
 single leader, a balogun (or general) named Shodekkeh, 
 who proved himself equal to the task he had undertaken. 
 The first assailants were the numerous and warlike 
 Mahometans of Ilorrin, who returned defeated. Not 
 long after, Shodekkeh repulsed the combined forces of 
 Ijebu and Otta. An army sent from the strong city of 
 Ibadan was equally unsuccessful. The fame of these 
 victories reached the king of Dahomy, who made an al- 
 liance with Shodekkeh ; and the Egbas began to be as 
 much feared as they were hated. 
 
 All this time the people of Abbeokuta were cut off 
 from direct communication with the coast, from which 
 they desired to receive arms and merchandize in return 
 for the slaves captured in their late successful wars. 
 Lagos, which stands on an island, was too inaccessible, 
 and too well defended by the armed canoes of its inhab- 
 itants, to be assaulted. Shodekkeh resolved to open 
 communication with Badagry, by subduing his old ene- 
 mies, the Ottas, and opening a passage through their 
 country. The town of Otta was taken, but the people 
 were permitted to remain on condition that they should 
 not rebuild their walls. A strong party of Egbas then 
 proceeded to Adu, on the Badagry road, which they be- 
 sieged for several years, in the meantime cultivating 
 4 farms on the eastern side of the town, while the besieged 
 were doing the same on the west. In fact, the object of 
 this siege was not to destroy Adu, but to give security 
 to the Egba caravans, which were now trading to Bad- 
 
110 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 agry. About the year 1842, Shodekkeh died, and on 
 hearing this, the king of Dahomy treacherously marched 
 against the Egbas at Adu. It is probable that his only 
 design in this movement was to capture slaves ; but the 
 Egbas were victorious, and captured the king's royal 
 chair. Soon after this battle, they raised the siege and 
 returned home ; but the people of Add thought best to 
 permit a continuance of the traffic between Abbeokuta 
 and Badagry. In 1852, the Egbas became masters of 
 the Ogun river, and opened an active trade with Lagos. 
 
 This story of Abbeokuta, considered apart from more 
 important subjects, would scarcely be worth relating. 
 But the most interesting portion of the narrative re- 
 mains to be told. The Wesleyan missionaries, in 
 looking around for fields of labor, had fallen on Bad- 
 agry, to all appearance one of the least hopeful points 
 on the whole coast. When the Egbas began their 
 traffic with Badagry, they met with the missionaries, 
 and carried home such curious accounts of their charac- 
 ter and motives, that Shodekkeh and his people desired 
 to see them. About the same time (1838) several 
 Egbas, who had been re-captured from slave-ships and 
 civilized in Sierra Leone, returned to their countrymen 
 at Abbeokuta, telling wonderful things of Christianity 
 and Christian missionaries. The consequence was that 
 the Wesleyan missionaries were invited to .Abbeokuta. 
 This was reported to Mr. Freeman, the superintendent, 
 who repaired to Abbeokuta, and was joyfully received 
 by Shodekkeh and the people. 
 
 In the meantime, some of the converted Egbas of the 
 Episcopal congregations in Sierra Leone desired to re- 
 turn home, and begged that missionaries might go with 
 
ABBEOKUTA AND THE EGBAS. 
 
 Ill 
 
 them. Mr. Townsend was sent to Abbeokuta to make 
 observations, and report on the prospects. In going 
 up from Badagry, he met with Mr. Freeman on his way 
 down. He also was well received by Shodekkeh, and 
 on his return to Sierra Leone, the committee resolved on 
 a mission to the Egbas. 
 
 In December, 1844, Mr. Townsend, Mr. Gollmer, and 
 Mr. Crowther, a native missionary of the Yoruba tribe, 
 who had been educated in Sierra Leone, arrived at 
 Badagry to commence the new mission. By this time 
 Shodekkeh was dead, and the whole country was so 
 much distracted by wars that the Egba chiefs were un- 
 willing to let the missionaries proceed to Abbeokuta. 
 They began to labor at Badagry, but finally, in July, 
 1846, Mr. Townsend and Mr. Crowther arrived at Ab- 
 beokuta, and were received with general demonstrations 
 of joy. Many converted and unconverted Egbas in 
 Sierra Leone now flocked to Abbeokuta, and the work has 
 steadily proceeded in the country till the present time, 
 notwithstanding two harassing persecutions against 
 the native Christians. The W esleyans also soon estab- 
 lished themselves at Abbeokuta, and have continued. to 
 labor there with success. The different Wesleyan and 
 Episcopal stations at present number about six hundred 
 communicants. A great many people have abandoned 
 idolatry. Mr. Crowther and Mr. King, both natives, have 
 translated several books of the Old and New Testaments, 
 which are handsomely printed and bound in separate 
 books. Hundreds of people have learned to read their 
 native tongue, and the whole tribe has advanced con- 
 siderably towards civilization. 
 
 Let us look now at the steps by which God has con- 
 
112 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ducted this work : the abolition of royalty by the Egbas ; 
 their consequent civil wars ; the great rocks at Abbeo- 
 kuta ; the refugees, who sought them for shelter ; the rise 
 of Shodekkeh ; his victories ; the re-capture of slaves ; 
 their conversion and return to their country ; the move- 
 ments of missionaries ; and several other events in this 
 history which remain to be related. Who would have 
 predicted that the annihilation of the Egba kingdom, 
 forty years ago, would have led to such results as we 
 now behold in this part of Africa ? 
 
BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 113 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 
 
 EVILS OF THE SLAVE TRADE — OPPOSITION OF NATIVES TO SLAVE WARS — 
 THE DAHOMY ARMY — BATTLE AT ABBEOKUTA — BADAGRY BURNT — 
 LAGOS TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH. 
 
 Well-meaning people, who advocate a restoration of 
 the slave trade, have considered but one side of the 
 question. The old plea of our ancestors, that the ne- 
 groes are national vagrants, who ought to be arrested 
 by authority of law, and criminals, who deserve slavery 
 as a punishment for their crimes, is correct in part only. 
 Many of the interior tribes are far from being vagrants, 
 or criminals. Besides this, it is utterly impossible to 
 justify the wars by which the slave trade is supported. 
 The annihilation of the Egba nation, is a case in point. 
 It is true, that these wars, except those of abominable 
 Dahomy, were not generally commenced for the sake of 
 capturing slaves; but once begun, for political reasons, 
 they have commonly been nourished by the slave trade. 
 .At present there is peace on the Slave Coast, and it is 
 the interest of the people to maintain it; but if the 
 slave trade were restored, every petty war would be 
 protracted as much as possible, for the sake of enrich- 
 ing the victorious party. 
 
 I have counted the sites of eighteen desolated towns 
 within a distance of sixty miles between Badagry and 
 
114 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Abbeokuta — the legitimate result of the slave trade. 
 The whole Yoruba country is full of depopulated towns, 
 some of which were even larger than Abbeokuta is at 
 present. Of all the places visited by the Landers, only 
 Ishakki, Igboho, Ikishi, and a few villages remain. 
 Ijenna (Janna) was destroyed a few weeks after my 
 arrival in the country. Other and still larger towns in 
 the same region, have lately fallen. At one of these 
 called Oke-Oddan, the Dahomy army killed and cap- 
 tured about 20,000 people, on which occasion the king 
 presented Domingo, the Brazilian slaver, with 600 
 slaves. The whole number of people destroyed in this 
 section of country, within the last fifty years, can not be 
 less than five hundred thousand. 
 
 The Egbas and Yorubas, who were the principal ac- 
 tors and sufferers in the merciless wars, were the most 
 civilized and peaceable tribes in the country; remark- 
 able for their love of agriculture and traffic, and among 
 the last people in Africa whom we could suppose capa- 
 ble of such enormities as they persisted in committing 
 for a space of forty years. Civil war was the cause of 
 their madness. The brutish Dahomies, formerly the 
 tributaries of Yoruba, entered into the strife from other 
 motives, the love of rum and tobacco. At the time of 
 my arrival in the country, many of the Egbas and Yoru- 
 bas, looking round on their ruined country, felt sick of 
 war and the slave trade, and sighed for a return of their 
 former peace and prosperity. Hence Badagry, which 
 was full of Egbas and Yorubas, had declared against 
 the slavers, and opened her doors to lawful commerce 
 and the Gospel. Hence, also, Shodekkeh had invited 
 the missionaries to Abbeokuta. The country was now 
 
BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 115 
 
 approaching a second crisis. The whole population was 
 divided into two parties; one in favor of the slave trade, 
 and of course opposed to missionaries and lawful com- 
 merce, and the other opposed to the slave trade as con- 
 trary to the best interests of the country. It was easy 
 to foresee, even then, that this question must be decided 
 in the battle field. 
 
 The main issue — the slave trade or no slave trade — 
 was complicated with several others, and these, though 
 confessedly of minor importance, were set forward as 
 the prominent causes of the quarrel. Even the negroes 
 of Guinea were ashamed to make war expressly in de- 
 fence of the slave trade. They sought other pretexts. 
 Some years before this date, Akitoye, the king of Lagos, 
 had been dethroned by his nephew, Kosokkoh, who was 
 now amassing great stores of wealth by an active traf- 
 fic with Brazilian slavers. Akitoye, who was opposed 
 to the slave trade, was an exile at Badagry, where he 
 was protected by Abbeokuta. Hatred of Akitoye, and 
 fears for the safety of the slave trade, prompted Kosok- 
 koh to resolve on the destruction of Badagry. By way 
 of preparation for this event, he opened communication 
 with the slave trade party in the town, who now amount- 
 ed to more than half of the population, and had a daring 
 balogun (or general) for their leader. At some con- 
 venient time, a party of Lagos men were to attack Bad- 
 agry, and the slave trade party in the town were then 
 to fall upon Akitoye and his friends. 
 
 They had no doubts of being able to subdue Badagry, 
 but they knew that scarcely ten days would elapse before 
 their new possessions would be assaulted by the Egbas ; 
 and the Egbas at this time were terrible enemies. Ab- 
 
116 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA* 
 
 beokuta must fall or the slave trade "must perish ; and 
 Lagos, with all her allies, could not venture to attack 
 the Egbas in their strong hold. The king of Dahomy 
 now remembered that the Egbas had worsted him in 
 the fight before Adu, and he vowed to be revenged on 
 the whole tribe, particularly for the loss of his royal 
 chair. For twenty-five years the numerous regular 
 army* of Dahomy, had been the scourge and terror of 
 the whole surrounding country, always at war and 
 generally victorious. King Gezo, who regarded his 
 own Abomy as a large town, had no conception of such 
 an immense city as Abbeokuta, and expected to over- 
 whelm it with his troops as he had lately done Oke-Od- 
 dan. On my arrival at Badagry in 1850, I was in- 
 formed that all these plans were matured. Kosokkoh 
 and his allies were to subdue Badagry. Gezo was to 
 make a desolation of Abbeokuta, the merchants and 
 missionaries were to be expelled, and the slave trade 
 was to be restored to the whole country. 
 
 In the autumn of 1850, Consul Beecroft visited Abo- 
 my, and the king told him to remove the white people 
 from Abbeokuta, for he had a quarrel with the Egb&s 
 about his royal chair, and was determined to destroy 
 their town during the approaching dry season. Early 
 in the following January, Mr. Beecroft came to Abbeo- 
 kuta, and met the chiefs and people in a grand council. 
 After relating all that he had seen and heard at Abomy, 
 and reproving the Egbas for some of their misdeeds, an 
 old man was put forward by the chiefs to answer the 
 consul's speech. The appearance, language and manner 
 
 * Nearly half this army is composed of women, trained to war from 
 their youth. 
 
BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 117 
 
 of the old man struck me with admiration. He replied, 
 that as for the persecution of native Christians, it should 
 never occur again at Abbeokuta. As for the slave 
 trade, he affirmed that their ancestors were farmers ; 
 they never sold slaves, neither did the Egbas desire to do 
 so at present. As to the Dahomy's affair, he said, "When 
 our father (Shodekkeh) was alive, the king of Dahomy 
 professed to be our friend, and we exchanged presents. 
 But when our father was dead, he turned against us. 
 It is true that we fought his army and took away his 
 chair, but we did not go into his country to attack him. 
 He came to us." 
 
 On his return to Badagry, the consul was informed 
 that Akitoye was a foe to the slave trade and a friend to 
 the English ; that he was the rightful king of Lagos, 
 whom Kosokkoh had expelled ; and that for these rea- 
 sons, he was in daily jeopardy of being murdered, 
 which would lead to civil war in Badagry. Under all 
 these circumstances, the consul thought best to remove 
 Akitoye to a place of safety in Fernando Po, and to re- 
 port the whole case to the British government, as one 
 which required the interference of the African squadron. 
 
 In the latter part of February, 1851, it was no longer 
 a question whether the king of Dahomy would attack 
 Abbeokuta. His army, the largest perhaps that he had 
 ever commanded, was advancing through the Iketu 
 kingdom, molesting no one, intent on the single object 
 of the expedition. The Egbas were actively engaged 
 in making preparations for the contest. Patrols were 
 constantly on duty in every part of the town and sur- 
 rounding country. Several times we had false alarms 
 at night, when the women made the air ring with, the 
 
118 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 shrill cry of "Ele! Ele!" — to arms! to arms! Christians 
 prayed and heathens made sacrifices. For my own part 
 I felt intensely interested in the result of the conflict. 
 If the Egbas should be defeated, they had no place of 
 refuge; for the Ijebus on the east and the Yorubas on 
 the north were all unfriendly. Besides, the fall of Ab- 
 beokuta would totally blight the present prospects of 
 missions to Central Africa. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 3d of March, the scouts 
 brought news that the army was approaching the city. 
 I exhorted the people to stand firm, to reserve their fire, 
 and take good aim. Ogunbonna, one of the baloguns, 
 replied, "You will see that we shall fight." Toward 
 noon, the Egbas, amounting perhaps to 15,000 men, all 
 armed with guns, marched out at the Badagry gate, to 
 meet the enemy. There was no noise and no gasconad- 
 ing, after the manner of the Golahs, but I could plain- 
 ly see in their firm and solemn countenance, as thou- 
 sands after thousands passed by, that they were pre- 
 pared for the occasion. They were separated into 
 three parties ; the first proceeding half a mile to the 
 ford on the Badagry road, the second, under Ogunbonna, 
 crossing the river near the wall, and the third remaining 
 not far from the gate. Soon after we saw the Dahomies 
 advancing across the prairie in heavy squadrons, with 
 flying colors. We heard afterwards that they numbered 
 10,000 men and 6,000 women. They divided into two 
 parties, one coming forward to the ford, and the other, 
 led by the king, proceeding over the plain to attack 
 Ogunbonna. When sufficiently near, they made a fu- 
 rious charge, according to their manner, and the Egbas 
 gave way. I saw Ogunbonna's division retreating rap- 
 
BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 
 
 119 
 
 idly towards the river, where they would be embarrass- 
 ed by the rocks and deep pools in the stream, and re- 
 quested the division near the wall to run down and 
 cover them while crossing. They obeyed with alacrity, 
 but Ogunbonna rallied, and the battle began in earnest. 
 By this time the party at the ford were retreating upon 
 us with the utmost precipitation, closely pursued by 
 the Dahomies. Many of the Egbas who had remained 
 about the gate fled into the town and disappeared. I 
 attempted in vain to stop them. "Why don't you 
 stand and fight ?" said I to one of the fugitives. "Hold 
 your tongue," he replied, and went his way. The party 
 from the ford were pouring in at the gates, and I feared 
 that they would not rally, but most of them took their 
 station promptly at the wall, and others defended the 
 gates with guns and swords so hotly, that some of the 
 enemy were cut down in the entrance. It was soon 
 evident that the town was safe. The guns were roar- 
 ing along the wall for a mile or more, and Ogunbonna 
 still stood firm on the prairie. I hastened to Mr. Town- 
 send's station to tell the news, and found the missiona- 
 ries on a large rock, surveying the battle through a 
 telescope. 
 
 On my return to the wall after dinner,* I found Ogun- 
 bonna's men resting quietly on the battle field, and the 
 troops of the king, apparently ill at ease, were drawn up 
 at a safe distance. There was still occasional sharp skir- 
 mishing, sometimes at close quarters, about the Badagry 
 gate, but the greater portion of the enemy were sitting 
 
 * An article in a late number of Harper's Magazine contains two 
 mistakes : I did not drill the Egbas, and my acquaintance with the 
 Mexicans was several years anterior to the late Mexican war. 
 
120 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 half way between the gate and the river. A resolute 
 charge of the Egbas at this juncture, might have been 
 very disastrous to the Dahornies, but it must have 
 been really resolute, and withal well conducted, to be 
 successful ; and for these reasons it was best to let 
 things take their course. Both parties slept on the field. 
 During the night the king moved off, and was followed 
 by the main body of his army about day break. They 
 were closely pursued by the Egbas, with a continual 
 roar of musketry, till the sound died away in the dis- 
 tance. At Ishagga, fifteen miles distant, the Dahornies 
 faced about, and made an obstinate stand, but were 
 again put to flight. While this was going on, Mr. Crow- 
 ther and myself rode over the battle field, which pre- 
 sented a sad spectacle. According to the report of two 
 men sent out by Mr. Townsend, 1209 of the enemy were 
 left on the field. Their whole loss on the two days was 
 probably 2,000 slain and several hundred prisoners. 
 The Egbas' loss at the wall was not serious, consideriug 
 the magnitude and length of the battle. This affair 
 spoiled the terrible name of the Dahornies. Not long 
 afterward the king made a treaty with the English for 
 the abolition of the slave trade in his dominions, and his 
 subsequent wars have been of little moment. 
 
 The signal defeat of Gezo was not sufficient to deter 
 Kosokkoh and his party from their design of subduing 
 Badagry. They succeeded in burning the town a few 
 weeks after the battle of Abbeokuta, but the slave trade 
 party, though considerably stronger than their oppo- 
 nents, were defeated with the loss of their leader. 
 
 In November, 1851, having at last obtained permis- 
 sion to visit Yoruba, I went down to Badagry to purchase 
 
BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 121 
 
 supplies for the journey. I found the site of this once 
 populous town now covered with fields of Indian corn, 
 the property of about one thousand persons, who were 
 living in rudely constructed huts. Two or three days 
 after my arrival, Badagry was visited by Consul Bee- 
 croft, and several naval officers, who were bound for 
 Lagos with a part of the British squadron " to make a 
 treaty" with Kosokkoh for the abolition of the slave- 
 trade. Kosokkoh, on his part, advise dand assisted by 
 several Brazilian and Portuguese slavers, had prepared 
 the articles of the treaty in the form of two or three 
 dozen heavy cannons, with plenty of powder and ball. 
 One of the armed steamers and all the gun boats were 
 to sail up the river to Lagos to conduct the negotiation. 
 The ex-king Akitoye was present to sign the ultimatum, 
 and thenceforward to superintend the affairs of Lagos. 
 There was to be no fighting, however, unless Kosokkoh 
 should fire on the English " visitors f for they alleged 
 that an unprovoked attack on an African king might 
 give umbrage to the French ; but no one of course could 
 censure the consul and officers for defending themselves, 
 if fired on when they approached the town, as they in- 
 tended to do with a white flag. Notwithstanding the 
 diplomatic character of this expedition, I felt consider- 
 able desire to accompany it, but was prevented from 
 asking permission to go by two considerations. In the 
 first place, I was fearful that I might come to be re- 
 cognized on this coast as an amateur ; and then I was 
 still more fearful that Lagos would not prove to be quite 
 so manageable as the officers expected. They had evi- 
 dently not reflected that six or eight thousand sturdy 
 natives, backed by a dozen Europeans, and well provided 
 6 
 
122 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 with large and small arms, might happen to defend their 
 houses and wives and children with something like 
 vigor. After the ships were gone, I remarked to some 
 of the English in Badagry, " Perhaps it will not be so, 
 and I do not affirm that it will, but I should not be sur- 
 prised if the English get whipped to-morrow." Of 
 course this suggestion was hooted. 
 
 Before nine o'clock next morning the negotiation com- 
 menced : bang-boom — we had been listening for it 
 some time. " The English/' said I, " are abolishing the 
 slave-trade." Presently the conflict deepened. There 
 must have been forty or fifty cannons. They were still 
 thundering away at twelve o'clock, at one, at two ; and 
 by this time I began to feel decidedly uneasy. If the 
 negroes had fought so long they would fight to the end — 
 the day was lost. And what next ? Why perhaps in 
 due time an overwhelming swarm of furious savages 
 would be in Badagry to take vengeance on the English 
 merchants and missionaries. In such a case, my pres- 
 ence here could be of no advantage to any one else, 
 and it might be very inconvenient to myself. I should 
 think myself happy if I could get far enough the start 
 of the assailants to hide in the swamp among the cro- 
 codiles, boa constrictors, leopards and hyenas. Or even 
 if there should be no danger at Badagry, the people of 
 Adu and Otta were known to be friends of Kosokkoh, 
 and if I should attempt to pass through their country 
 on the heel of his victory, they would shoot me for an 
 Englishman. The people of Adu had already laid bul- 
 lets in the road to indicate that no one could pass that 
 way without danger of being shot. To remain at Ba- 
 dagry for a month or two after Kosokkoh's victory was 
 
BREAKING UP OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 123 
 
 intolerable, for I was now ready to proceed to Yoruba, 
 and some of the people there would soon expect to see 
 me. On the whole, I thought best to beat a precipitate 
 retreat from Badagry, and pass through the Adu bush 
 while the people were still frightened by the roar of the 
 cannon, and ignorant as to the result of the battle. 
 After a little delay I found some Egba acquaintances 
 who were willing to incur the dangers of the road, and 
 we hastened away from Badagiy. It was now so late 
 in the day that we were obliged to sleep at Mo village, 
 but the people there were friendly. Early next morn- 
 ing the cannonade was renewed at Lagos. Without 
 thinking of -the danger to the combatants, I was so 
 selfish as to be glad of this, because it would frighten 
 the people of Adu and Otta, and might deter them from 
 shooting me. Still I had a suspicion that only one party 
 was now firing and that Kosokkoh was rejoicing over 
 his victory. We hurried on. Near to Add we met a 
 small party of men in the bush, but they passed us in 
 silence. The bullets had been removed from the road. 
 That same day we passed through the Otta country, and 
 breathed freely on Egba soil. Soon after my arrival at 
 Abbeokuta, the news was brought and confirmed that 
 the English had been defeated at Lagos. About thirty 
 days after, however, they returned and, succeeded by 
 hard fighting in driving Kosokkoh and his party from 
 the town. They escaped to the Ijebu country, and con- 
 tinued hostile for about four years, when they made 
 peace with the English and agreed to abandon the slave 
 trade. Akitoye was re-installed at Lagos, and he reign- 
 ed till September, 1853, when he died and left the king, 
 dom to Dosomu, his son, English merchants and mis- 
 
124 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 sionaries entered the town immediately after the expul- 
 sion of Kosokkoh, and an active trade soon sprung up 
 with Abbeokuta. At present all the countries on the 
 Slave Coast are in peace* and prosperity. Badagry 
 hardly exists, but Lagos and Abbeokuta are increasing 
 in population. The missions are in a very flourishing 
 condition, and the Gospel is so much respected that king 
 Dosomu, at the request of Consul Campbell and the 
 missionaries, has promulgated a law forbidding all his 
 subjects to labor, or to beat drums and fire guns on 
 Sunday. This law is respected by the natives, and im- 
 mediately after it was proclaimed all the merchants 
 who had hitherto labored on Sunday, gave up the prac- 
 tice, except one, a black from Cape Coast Castle. 
 
 * On the 2nd inst. (Jan. 1857), I received letters from Africa, stat- 
 ing that the king of Dahomy has sent word to the Egbas to prepare for 
 another attack this winter ; and that Kosokkoh has given a similar 
 warning to Mr. Campbell, the English consul at Lagos. An Egba 
 army is lying at Otta to overawe the disalFected people in that quarter. 
 
AN ATTEMPT TO REACH IKETU. 
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Atf ATTEMPT TO PASS THROUGH IKETU IN 1850. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM ABBEOKUTA — IBARA — AIBO — AN ALBINO — PREACH- 
 ING — STRICTURES ON — SUPERSTITIOUS FEARS OF WHITE MEN — A 
 FINE COUNTRY — ROADSIDE MARKET — YERIWA RIVER — VILLAGES — 
 LTALE — RETURN TO ABBEOKUTA — ROBBERS. 
 
 Soon after my arrival at Abbeokuta, in August, 1850, 
 I applied to Sagbua, the head chief or president of the 
 Egbas, for permission to pass through to Bohoo. At 
 first he was evidently inclined to grant my request, but 
 he was reminded of a difficulty — the English missiona- 
 ries had been refused permission to penetrate into the 
 interior, because the Egbas desired to retain them at 
 Abbeokuta ; and now if Sagbua should permit me as a 
 stranger, in whom he had no special interest, to pass 
 by the first comers into the country, they would have 
 been offended.* Sagbua soon changed his tone, and 
 declared that I must wait till the wars should cease, so 
 that I might travel in safety. The proposed journey 
 might have been perilous, and I accepted the old chief's 
 excuse without pretending to perceive the real cause of 
 his refusal. In the mean time, however, I teased him 
 every now and then with importuities to let me go, 
 and took occasion to make the impression, which was 
 
 * It is possible that Sagbua was also afraid of offending the Yorubas 
 by permitting a white man to enter the country. 
 
126 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 really true, that I would choose to remain at Abbeokuta 
 ten years rather than be foiled in my attempts to 
 proceed. 
 
 As a compromise between my desires and those of his 
 advisers, or for some other reason, Sagbua readily 
 agreed that I might visit Iketu, the capital of the Iketu 
 kingdom, three days (65 miles)* west of Abbeokuta, and 
 two east of Abomy. I gladly accepted this offer, 
 scarcely doubting that I could pass on from Iketu to 
 Igboho. 
 
 Having obtained a messenger from Sagbua to the 
 king of Iketu, I departed from Abbeokuta on the 9th of 
 September, about three weeks after my arrival, carrying 
 all- my luggage, because I did not expect to return. 
 Our first day's travel was only nine miles to the populous 
 village of Ibara, which is surrounded, according to the 
 custom of the country, by a mud wall, and a ditch. My 
 guide, Agieh, conducted me into the market-place, where 
 I sat down under a large and shady wild fig-tree — (very 
 unlike our species) and was presently surrounded by a 
 suffocating crowd of men, women and children. This 
 thronging of curious gazers, who have the utmost dis- 
 regard of heat and dust, is one of the annoyances to 
 which travelers must submit in every part of Africa. 
 But the people are always respectful, and seldom fail to 
 scamper away as soon as we approach them. They have 
 a particular aversion to looking a white man full in the 
 face, being afraid, I am told, of the " evil eye." I had 
 not been sitting long, before the chief sent to call me 
 into his house, where I found a low, narrow and dark 
 room provided for myself, and a spacious piazza for my 
 attendants. The crowd poured in upon us without 
 
AN ATTEMPT TO REACH IKETU. 
 
 127 
 
 •mercy, and continued bawling and laughing and some- 
 times pushing each other over, till the darkness drove 
 them away. Notwithstanding the uproar, I managed 
 to talk something about religion, employing my boy Sam 
 as interpreter. 
 
 Early next morning*, we pursued our journey through 
 an unwooded, but well watered and tolerably productive 
 country. The few stones we saw, were clay stone, the 
 gneiss and granite having disappeared before we reached 
 Ibara. In the forenoon we passed by Ilewu and Ishagga. 
 We met a small drove of heavy-built black hogs, on the 
 way from Aibo to the Abbeokuta market. In a farm at 
 a distance from any town, I saw several bunches of 
 large snail shells,* suspended from the boughs of small 
 trees, to frighten away the monkeys and antelopes, by 
 their jingling when shaken by the wind. We arrived in 
 the afternoon at the small village of Ilugu, which was 
 destroyed by war some years ago, but is now rebuilding. 
 In front of a little orisha house, or temple, were two 
 wooden pillars, the middle section of which was carved 
 in the form of a woman, in a kneeling posture. In 
 strolling through the forest near the village, I lighted 
 on a flock of guinea hens, different from any I had seen 
 before, their heads being covered with a tuft of silky 
 black feathers. This species is incapable of domesti- 
 cation. 
 
 Leaving Ilugu, we passed over an elevated and nearly 
 level prairie, which stretched as far northward as the 
 eye could reach. This fine country might nourish thou- 
 sands of cattle, where not one is to be seen. But why 
 
 * These snails, which are reckoned good eating, are frequently as 
 large as one's fist. 
 
128 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 should the natives raise droves of cattle, when they do 
 not know at what time their property and themselves 
 may fall a prey to the ruthless marauder ? When the 
 Landers passed over this very plateau twenty years ago, 
 the surrounding country was full of populous towns, 
 scarcely one of which is now standing. The houses are 
 in ruins, and the people are in Brazil and the grave. As 
 we descended to the west, Sam exclaimed in the peculiar 
 English of Sierra Leone, " See Aibo !" At first I could 
 scarcely distinguish the brown grass thatched roofs from 
 the prairie. Soon after I heard a roaring like that of 
 waves dashing on the beach — "the voice of many waters, 
 the voice of a multitude" — and Sam said, "They got 
 market." Passing through the gate we walked three or 
 four hundred yards through a forest along a broad road, 
 lined with numerous little temples, some of which they 
 said were dedicated to the devil. Then fording a stream 
 where civilization w r ould place a bridge, we ascended 
 through a crowd of gaping natives, into the populous 
 town of Aibo. As we proceeded along the street, to the 
 house of the second chief, (or lieutenant governor) I 
 saw an albino,* or white negro, running rapidly up a 
 cross way to intercept us. I had scarcely entered the 
 house and taken a seat, in the piazza, before he came 
 and prostrated himself flat on the ground, according to 
 their most respectful manner of salutation. Some time 
 after dark, finding that he still lingered around us, I 
 directed Sam to inform him that I would tell him some- 
 thing about the word of God. He appeared to be very 
 glad, and replied, "That is what I have been waiting 
 
 * Albinoes are born of black parents, and their children are black. 
 They are not a race, as some have supposed. 
 
AN ATTEMPT TO REACH IKETU. 129 
 
 for all this time." He then proceeded to say, that he 
 worshipped his orisha (idols) as his fathers had taught 
 him, but he knew that Shango, (their Jupiter,) could not 
 hear him, and that Eshu (the devil), could not save him. 
 If he lived at Abbeokuta, he would learn the word of 
 God. One night he dreamed that a white man came to 
 his town, (near Aibo,) to teach them, and that, said he, 
 "is the reason I was so glad to see you." I preached 
 to him for some time, ^ving him the prominent points 
 in the history and doctrine of the Gospel, taking care to 
 use very simple words which my interpreter could not 
 fail to understand.* The crowd of people in the piazza 
 and in the yard, listened with attention, but made no 
 remarks. The albino said "My heart holds all you 
 have told me," and went away, since which I have not 
 seen him. The owner of the house, who was absent on 
 my arrival, now sent for me. During our conversation, 
 he remarked, "I was standing in the crowd and heard 
 all that you said about the word of God. It is very 
 good, but the Yorubas are so bad, that they will not 
 do it." 
 
 * Preaching is too often lost to the heathen, through the complicated 
 faults of missionaries. Instead of coming pointedly to the facts of 
 the Gospel, some of them must needs deal out their trashy ethico-met- 
 aphysical disquisitions, which are odious at home and abominable folly 
 in Africa. Then they preach at the people from year to year, through 
 interpreters, rather than undergo the toil of learning the native tongue ; 
 and finally, they utter great swelling words which the ignorant inter- 
 preter never heard before in his life. Only think of a man perforating 
 an interpreter who can barely read English, with such phrases as " im- 
 mutable principles," or " the ineffable effulgence of the celestial 
 world." 
 
 6* 
 
130 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Since most of the towns through which the Landers 
 passed, were soon after destroyed by war, the people of 
 Western Yoruba became firmly persuaded that a like 
 calamity would befal any town which a white man may 
 enter. This absurd opinion was an article of sincere 
 faith at Aibo. On hearing of my arrival, the chiefs and 
 elders were concerned for the welfare of their town, and 
 called Agieh before their assembly to show cause why 
 he had brought me among them. An aJari (observer, 
 spy,) of the king of Iketu, who happened to be present, 
 advocated our cause, and we succeeded in leaving Aibo 
 in peace on the third day after our arrival. 
 
 The country west of Aibo, was beautiful and well 
 cultivated. Seeing small parcels of fruit and other 
 little articles lying beside the road, I asked Sam what 
 it meant. "De put da for sell." " Well, where are the 
 owners ? " " Dunno, sa, in de farm some wha." " Don't 
 travelers steal these things ? 99 I inquired. " No sa, 
 de cant steal um." In some places I saw a few cow- 
 ries left by purchasers; and was so pleased with this 
 novel kind of market, that I became a purchaser myself, 
 leaving the cowries, which Sam, who knew the signs, 
 declared to be the price. 
 
 At Ishala, we were met by a deputation from the 
 chief, who said I must not enter the town. Passing- 
 through a fertile prairie country, watered by two 
 branches of the Yeriwa river, we saw Ijaka-oke and 
 Ijakaodo, on our left, and arrived at Ijale, in the Iketu 
 kingdom, about sunset. The watchmen, who were 
 sewing cloth in the gate, received me courteously, but 
 the chiefs and people were so fearful of the evils which 
 might follow my entrance into their town, that I was 
 
AN ATTEMPT TO REACH IKETU. 
 
 131 
 
 obliged to sit in the gate till eight o'clock at night bo- 
 fore they would decide to receive me. At first they 
 treated me with great coolness, but after conversing 
 with me for two or three days, and hearing all about 
 my object in coming, they became very friendly. In 
 the mean time they had informed the king of my arri- 
 val, and he sent messengers to see me. I explained 
 the reasons why I had not sent to the king from Ab- 
 beokuta, told my Gospel message to them again and 
 again, gave them little presents, and begged them to 
 influence the king to let me proceed to Iketu. Two or 
 three days after they returned and informed me that 
 the king himself was anxious to see me, but the chiefs 
 and people were utterly opposed to my coming, lest it 
 might cause the destruction of their town ; and con- 
 sequently, that the king desired me to leave his coun- 
 try and return to Abbeokuta. Nothing remained but 
 to obey, and I bid farewell to Ijale. At this time there 
 was war in every direction, and the country was full of 
 robbers. As we approached the forest on the Yeriwa, 
 my people were so apprehensive of an attack, that I 
 preceded them with my yager to encourage them. Two 
 parties, one before us and one behind us, were attacked 
 in one day, but no one molested us, and we arrived at 
 Abbeokuta in safety. 
 
 Finding myself detained indefinitely at Abbeokuta, 
 I now took up my abode in a native house, but the 
 chiefs soon objected to this, and I was obliged to re- 
 move to Mr. Townsend's compound or mission enclosure, 
 where I was furnished with rooms and boarded myself 
 for about a year and a half, frequently making attempts 
 to reach the interior. 
 
132 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUTA IN 1851. 4 
 
 THE YORUBA LANGUAGE — A PULOH MAN — EGBA COUNTRY — HUMAN SAC- 
 RIFICES — OKO-OBBA — IMMODESTY — THE IDOL IFA — VISITS TO THE 
 FARMS — SLAVES — TOBACCO — ORO DAY — DEVIL BUSH 
 
 As there was no prospect at present of being able to 
 learn the Puloh language, I turned my attention to the 
 acquisition of the Yoruba. I endeavored in vain to em- 
 ploy a teacher among the Egbas, who had learned Eng- 
 lish in Sierra Leone, and was obliged to make the most 
 of my boy, Sam Jones. My method was to learn trans- 
 lations (sometimes incorrect ones) of short sentences, 
 such as I would need in conversation and preaching. 
 Every day I learned one lesson and reviewed another, 
 repeating the words aloud to habituate the tongue and 
 ear to the sounds of the language. Every principle I 
 discovered was noted down under its proper head, so as 
 to form a Yoruba grammar. After a while I united to 
 these exercises the continual reading of Mr. Crowther's 
 translations, which then consisted of Luke, Acts, Ro- 
 mans, and the Epistles of Peter and James. His gram- 
 mar was too nearly a copy of Murray to be very useful 
 in a language like the Yoruba, where the idioms are so 
 very different. Although I attempted to speak as fast 
 as I could learn phrases, and faster, it was about 
 eighteen months before I could make myself tolerably 
 
INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUTA. 
 
 133 
 
 well understood. The great difficulty is found in the 
 tones and accents, which must be uttered correctly to 
 make the language intelligible. I used to be surprised, 
 and sometimes vexed, when the people could not under- 
 stand a sentence which I knew to be correct so far as 
 regards words and idiom. It requires much practice to 
 master the tones, and a man who has no ear for music 
 will hardly do it at all. 
 
 Some time after locating at Abbeokuta, I was inform- 
 ed that the man from whom I purchased milk was a 
 Puloh, who had been in slavery to the Egbas for about 
 fifteen years. I employed him to teach me his language, 
 but after giving me about two hundred and fifty phrases, 
 he refused to proceed, alleging that attention to his mas- 
 ter's cattle demanded all his time. This man, whose 
 name was Jato, was mulatto-colored, tall, handsome, and 
 intelligent. He was born at Sokoto, in Hausa, and his 
 scars testified that he had been a warrior. I tried in 
 vain to impress him with the truths of the Gospel, which 
 may have been one reason why he refused to teach me 
 his language. On my return to Africa in 1853, they in- 
 formed me that Jato was dead. 
 
 Mr Hinderer, a German, who had been sent out by 
 the church missionary society to study the Hausa lan- 
 guage, finding it impossible to proceed to the interior, or 
 to procure a teacher here, turned his attention to the 
 Yoruba, and finally began a station at Oshielle, seven 
 miles east of Abbeokuta. The chief gave him three or 
 four little rooms in his large house, which he fitted up 
 as well as he could for himself and native assistants. 
 They soon had a little school and some converts. Mr. 
 Hinderer used to tell me amusing anecdotes of the old 
 
134 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 chief, who, it seems, was something of a character. One 
 day he showed Mr. Hinderer an old pair of breeches, 
 saying that these were the first fine breeches he ever 
 had, when he was a young man. Being in love at that 
 time, a wily old priest, who wanted the breeches, pro- 
 posed to him to exchange them for a charm, which would 
 make him successful in his courtship. The young man 
 perceived that the old priest only desired to cheat him, 
 and he has kept the breeches by him ever since, as a 
 memorial of the event. 
 
 Sometimes I paid Mr. Hinderer and the old chief a 
 visit. On one of these occasions we rode several miles 
 eastward into the Egba country. It is certainly one of 
 the most beautiful regions in Africa ; diversified by hills 
 and valleys, woods and prairies, and scattered over with 
 large gneiss rocks, some of which are nearly white. 
 In one place we saw surprising quantities of gum in a 
 forest of acacias. The land was unusually fertile. All 
 this fine country is lying desolate. 
 
 One day at Oshielle, they brought in an Ijebu prisoner. 
 Seeing the man exceedingly affrighted, I spoke kindly 
 to him and offered him something to eat. This increased 
 his fears into absolute terror, which almost bereft him 
 of reason. For a considerable time he continued to re- 
 iterate. "A o pa mi ! A o pa mi ! O tau ! A o fa mi /" 
 " They will kill me ! They will kill me ! It is done ! 
 They will kill me/ 7 etc. The people informed me that the 
 Ijebus offer human sacrifices,* and that when a prisoner 
 has been selected for a victim they always treat him 
 
 * This practice is uncommon in Yoruba, but not so in Dahomy, Ash* 
 antee, and some other countries. 
 
INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUTA. 135 
 
 kindly and give him food. The poor man, seeing Mr. 
 Townsend and myself in conversation with the chief, 
 supposed that we were about to purchase him, and when 
 I approached him with food and kind words, the awful 
 conclusion flashed upon his mind that the bargain had 
 been completed, and that we had bought him for the 
 purpose of being offered in sacrifice. 
 
 I have mentioned Oko-Obba as the only ancient Egba 
 town remaining. On one occasion, I visited this place 
 in company with Mr. King, an amiable native preacher of 
 the Episcopal mission. The streams south east of Ab- 
 beokuta, though not boggy, are flat and grassy, and the 
 country appears to be sickly. Part of our way lay 
 through prairies, and part through forests and farms. 
 On the tall trees we saw and heard many horn bills, a 
 kind of bird as large as a goose. Sam told me that one 
 of their heads was worth half a dollar (1000 cowries) 
 to make a charm of. Three or four hours brought us to 
 the town which stands on a stream, embowered in the 
 forest. It is a double village, containing three thou- 
 sand to four thousand inhabitants. We observed several 
 people whose noses had been obliterated by ulcers. 
 The place is undoubtedly sickly. The people are barba- 
 rous. Several young women, in full Guinea costume, 
 were dabbling in the creek wholly innocent of modesty. 
 Under a shed was a man consulting his Ifa, the orisha 
 which foretells future events. The ceremony was more 
 like a game of back-gammon than a religious exercise. 
 Although the responses are purely the result of chance 
 like the cast of dice, the natives believe in them as sin- 
 cerely as an Irishman does in St. Patrick. 
 
 To acquaint myself with the language, intellect, feel 
 
136 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ings, and every-day life of the natives, I used to visit 
 them on their farms, ten or fifteen miles from town ; and 
 remain two or three days. In the spring of 1851, 1 went 
 with Sam and Shumoi, the cook, to the most distant 
 farms up the Ogun river, whence it is not far to the 
 Yoruba line. Most of the way the country was open, 
 as usual, and covered with grass twice as high as a 
 man's head. At last we came to one of the most lovely 
 countries on earth, where prairie and forest are inter- 
 mingled with endless variety of detail, as if designedly, 
 to produce the most enchanting effect possible. Here 
 we found one or two hundred men, women and children, 
 in long open shanties, surrounded by goats and chickens. 
 They lived in Abbeokuta, but were in the habit of com- 
 ing and going as occasion required. The soil was 
 rather good, and the country could not be sickly unless 
 in defiance of cause and reason. The woods were full 
 of antelopes, monkeys, red-tailed parrots, and Guinea 
 hens ; and the river, now very low, was encumbered 
 with gneiss rocks, among which were numerous muscles, 
 identical in appearance with oysters. Their taste was 
 unsavory. At this season the stream was so clear that 
 we saw a crocodile lying on the bottom, at the distance 
 of thirty yards. Among the rocks we found a large 
 white fish with its head bitten off. The scales of the 
 fish were nearly as large as a dime. 
 
 Some months after this I visited the frontier farms 
 north west of Abbeokuta. The prairies here were more 
 than usually wooded. Ogunbonna and others were 
 going out the same time to look after their farms. I 
 was much interested in their sensible conversation, in 
 which I took no part. After crossing the river, Ogun- 
 
INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUfA. 
 
 137 
 
 bonna began to point out the farms and forests to one 
 of the party, who it seems was a stranger to that place. 
 u That," said he, pointing to a forest, " belongs to 
 such a one " This farm is such a one's and finally, 
 " This is mine." Here we stopped. The salutations 
 exchanged by Ogunbonna and his slaves, v^eve patriar- 
 chal and cordial. I remained here for two or three clays, 
 sleeping of nights in a shantie. Some of the antelopes 
 in the woods are as large as a pony, and others, though 
 full-grown, scarcely three times the size of a rabbit. 
 None of them are easily shot, owing to the height and 
 density of the grass. The slaves, at every cluster of 
 farm shanties, had their little uncut stone altar for sacri- 
 fice. One of the men at Ogunbonna's farm, was a Hausa 
 Mahometan, who held these rites in the utmost abhor- 
 rence, calling the people ake and kaferi, meaning to say 
 eke and keferi, liars and heathens. The overseer told me 
 privately that this man was wanting to run away and 
 go to Ilorrin. I was not surprised to hear it. A mono- 
 theist in bondage to a heathen less civilized than him- 
 self, instinctively feels the incongruity of his position. 
 But the heathen in bondage to the monotheist, generally 
 resigns himself contentedly to his fate. 
 
 In the borders of the towns of this region, tobacco 
 plants flourish spontaneously among the weeds. It is 
 sometimes planted by the natives, but never topped, 
 and the quality is very inferior. Wanting something 
 to do, and seeing that everybody used Brazilian tobacco, 
 for which they paid high prices, I undertook to make 
 myself useful by showing them how to produce the weed 
 for themselves. Several persons prepared hills, and 
 cultivated and cured tobacco in proper style, but the 
 
138 
 
 • CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 quality was still poor. One reason might be that the 
 land was too old, and too much exposed to the sun. 
 There are now two or three natives in Abbeokuta, lately 
 returned from Brazil or Cuba, who manufacture segars, 
 having followed that business in America. The return- 
 ing natives are introducing several other arte which 
 may yet be useful. 
 
 One day the bellmen, or town criers, went over the 
 city, beating their clattering unbrazed bells, and crying 
 atoto ! (equivalent to 0 yes!) to inform the people that 
 on such a day Oro would make his appearance, and that 
 all women and girls must remain closely shut up in 
 the* house, under penalty of death. Oro, which has its 
 cognates in orwi, the sun, and in pharaoh, On, Aven, etc., 
 is a remote modification of sun worship. A* the grand 
 orisha of the Egbas, Oro is a personification of tne ex- 
 ecutive or vindictive power of the government; but all 
 women are required to believe that he is a terrible spirit, 
 who takes vengeance on violators of the law.* To 
 give a man or woman to Oro, is only a figurative way 
 of expressing legal punishment. On this occasion, a 
 man was to be given to Oro for a murder, of which he 
 had been convicted several days before. Early in the 
 morning we heard the voice of Oro in the streets. This 
 is made by whirling a flat stick, tied to a string, swiftly 
 
 * Another personification of executive power is called Egugun, 
 literally bones. Egugun is represented by a tall fellow, fantastically 
 clad from face to foot, who appears in the streets with a drawn sword 
 in his hands, and speaks in a hoarse sepulchral voice. It is death by 
 law, even to the king, to lay the hand on Egugun. If a woman should 
 say that Egugun is a man, or should even hear it said, she would be 
 put to death. 
 
INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUTA. 
 
 139 
 
 through the air. The voices soon became more numer- 
 ous, some hoarse like the growling of a lion, others 
 shrill as the scream of an eagle. All the doors in 
 Abbeokuta were closed fast, and the houses are so con- 
 structed that the inmates are unable to see into the 
 streets. When Oro cried near a house the women were 
 silent, and the little children were frightened. Every 
 man and every boy eight or ten years of age was in the 
 streets. There was no market, no going out to the 
 farms ; all business was suspended, even the mission 
 premises were obliged to be shut. 
 
 Some time after breakfast I went to see the ceremon- 
 ies. The absence of busy women from the streets and 
 markets, gave the whole town a peculiar sort of aspect, 
 as if something w r as wanting. Now and then some 
 poor fellow, with a pot of water on his head, slipped 
 through the streets, as if ashamed, and crept into the 
 closed house, where his wife was to use the water in 
 preparing his dinner. Several little boys, and some 
 big ones, were seen with provisions, etc., to sell, but they 
 had an awkward sheepish air about them, never attempt- 
 ed the usual cries of "hot yams!" "sweet sauce!" etc., 
 and were clearly inadequate to the smiles and chat of 
 the girls, whose places they were endeavoring to fill. 
 I felt and predicted that the days of Oro were nearly 
 numbered in Egba; the absence of the women and girls 
 was a chain too dreadful to be borne often. In the 
 meantime, in passing by the houses, I had audible evi- 
 dence that the women themselves, though resting, were 
 ill at ease. Twenty or fifty women pent up for thirty- 
 six hours in the interior court of the same house, and 
 having nothing else to do, would talk of course, and 
 
140 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 feeling disagreeable by reason of their situation, would 
 naturally say disagreeable things; and this occasional- 
 ly led to a hubbub, which made the welkin ring again. 
 The Oro day was probably the cause of one hundred 
 fights, and ten thousand quarrels among the women of 
 Abbeokuta. 
 
 In addition to the hanging, of which I was not a wit* 
 ness, there were some to be whipped ; one for a crime 
 which the philosophical, canting, would-be reformer of 
 France or New York would term a natural privilege. 
 The Egbas are not so far humanized by the tendencies 
 of the age as to advocate free-love, and their grave 
 Sanhedrim had decided that the violator of the seventh 
 commandment should be treated on Oro day to a good 
 drubbing. Their method of inflicting the penalty may 
 have been peculiar, but was not inefficient. The fellow 
 was turned loose in the public square, whence, flying 
 with the utmost precipitation to the nearest shelter, he 
 was soundly flogged by nimble runners, headed off, and 
 flogged back again, amid the shouts, jeers and laughter 
 of everybody. I presume he will not readily forget that 
 he was once given to Oro. 
 
 The " Oro bush," is a sacred grove* where the elders 
 deliberate. The " devil bush" of the Guinea negroes is 
 doubtless of the same nature. I slipped into one near 
 Cape Coast Castle, and found nothing but a cleanly 
 swept yard by the side of a large granite rock. In one 
 of the Oro bushes, on the top of a hill, at Abbeokuta, 
 w r as the skeleton of a man, with the cord still unrotted 
 
 * The Yorubas often worship in " high places," that is, on the tops 
 of hills. > 
 
INCIDENTS AT ABBEOKUTA. 
 
 141 
 
 about his neck. This was probably the murderer above 
 mentioned. But there are other sacred groves and high 
 places besides those of Oro, and some of them contain 
 things offered in sacrifice, and pots of holy water, with 
 which they sprinkle the faces of children.* 
 
 * This affusion is not confined to the time of giving the child a name, 
 as among some of the ancient heathens, but may be performed and re- 
 peated at any time by the mother of the child. 
 
142 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 VISIT TO IKETU IN 1851. 
 
 DEPARTURE FOR IKETU — DAHOMY REFUGEES — A POOR COUNTRY — VIL- 
 LAGES — THE 1 1 KING' S FATHER ' ' — SOIL — MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 
 — DIFFICULTIES — DEPOSING OF KINGS — PREACHING — MAHOMETANS 
 REBUKED — SLAVE MARKET — A FEMALE CAPTIVE — ' 1 SEND ME YOUR 
 HEAD ! " — AMAZONS — DEPARTURE FROM IKETU. 
 
 Some months after sending me back from Ijale, the 
 king of Iketu sent messengers to inform me that his 
 chiefs and people were now willing to receive me. Be- 
 lieving that they would desire me to remain at Iketu, 
 instead of going forward to Bohoo, I was rather unwil- 
 ling to go ; but, on reflection, it seemed better to begin 
 a station at Iketu, than to remain at Abbeokuta, for 
 this would give us a route of our own to the interior. 
 I left Abbeokuta about a month after the great Dahomy 
 battle. On the Yeriwa river we passed through the 
 extensive encampment where the invaders had rested 
 a day or two on their way to Abbeokuta. I was pleased 
 to find that they had done no injury to any of the vil- 
 lages where I had stopped on my way to Ijale last Sep- 
 tember ; for this afforded us a substantial argument 
 against the superstitious notion that every town which 
 a white man enters will soon after be destroyed by 
 war. The people of Aibo and Ijale received me with 
 great cordiality. When I asked the governor of the 
 
VISIT TO IKETU. 
 
 143 
 
 latter place whether people thought the Dahomies were 
 much worsted at Abbeokuta, he replied, "They were 
 ruined." They informed me that some of the fugitives 
 were still wandering about the country, unable to find 
 their way home. Several had lately been caught by 
 the farmers of different towns. Such as were found in 
 the Iketu territories were sent home to their own 
 country. 
 
 The soil beyond Ijale is generally poor, ana badly 
 watered. Twelve miles' journey brought us to Itobolo, 
 where the villagers appeared to be less civilized than 
 any I had seen since leaving the coast. Twelve miles 
 further on is Ofia, which is only three miles from Iketu. 
 While sitting under the huge fig trees which shade the 
 market of Ofia, the chief of the village sent me a pres- 
 ent of rotten eggs, and soon after came to salute me, 
 having his head adorned, in true negro style, with red 
 feathers. 
 
 As we approached the gate of Iketu, a young man 
 came running to meet me, apparently with great joy, 
 and saluted me in Portuguese. On hearing that I was 
 not a Brazilian, he appeared to be mortified. He had 
 been a slave in Brazil, and the ardent affection peculiar 
 to his race could not forget his former country, although 
 in that country he had been a captive and a slave. The 
 high and massy clay walls, and the strong gate of 
 Iketu surprised me. We passed along a rather broad 
 street, to the house of Ashai, "the king's father/ 7 * or 
 
 * This title was given to the prime minister of Egypt. We may 
 mention, as a curious chain of coincidences, that in the Landoma 
 language [on the river Nunez], the word for father is agia, and the 
 same word, in variously modified forms, signifies father in different and 
 
144 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 prime minister, with whom I was to abide during my 
 stay at Iketu. 
 
 On inquiry, I was informed that Iketu is five days 7 
 journey, say one hundred miles, from Whydah, two days 
 from Abomy, and seventeen from Ishakki, with which 
 at this time there was no direct communication. Iketu 
 is a small town of ten thousand to fifteen thousand in- 
 habitants. There are no springs or streams within sev- 
 eral miles of the place, and no wells had yet been dug 
 sufficiently deep to reach water. All the water used in 
 the town is collected from the eaves of the houses in 
 cisterns or dry wells, dug to the depth of twenty or 
 thirty feet in the tenacious clay. The soil in all this 
 region is rather poor. In manners and feelings, the 
 people of Iketu are more barbarous and Guinea-like 
 than any of the other Yoruba-speaking tribes, except 
 the Ijebus. But they excel all the tribes in this region, 
 except the Effongs or Kakandas, in working lead, brass, 
 and iron, and in carving images of wood. Some of 
 their productions of these kinds are surprisingly well 
 executed. 
 
 I soon discovered that the king had acted premature- 
 ly in calling me to Iketu. Only a few of the chiefs 
 were willing to receive me; others had yielded a reluc- 
 tant consent, and others had opposed my coming. Af- 
 rican kings are not autocrats, as writers have frequent- 
 ly reported, without taking the trouble to examine into 
 the facts. Several of the nobles in Iketu, declared that 
 
 widely separated districts of Africa. In Egba, &c, the king has an 
 officer called agieh, and agah is a title in Asia. The agieh, though now 
 an inferior officer, may at one time have been a prime minister. 
 
VISIT TO IKETU. 145 
 
 the king had transcended his authority by calling a 
 white man into the town contrary to their wishes. 
 Others, supported by the heathen priests and Mahomet- 
 ans, and by most of the people, carried their opposition 
 almost to actual rebellion. On the day of my arrival, I 
 had gone to the western part of the town, and stood by 
 an isolated house near the wall looking around at the 
 town and the country. That night the house was burnt 
 down. I suspected that this was done maliciously, in 
 order to convince the king and the people that misery 
 and destruction follow in the steps of white men. Next 
 morning I was called to a public audience of the king 
 and nobles. Only a few of the latter were present, and 
 my reception, though courteous, was not cordial. At 
 night, the king's house was set on fire and burnt down. 
 In the morning he ordered the chiefs to detail men to 
 assist in rebuilding his house. Several of them replied, 
 " Let the poor white man build it. But if you will send 
 him away, we will do any thing you require, even if 
 you should order us to go into the ground." The oppo- 
 sition was so strong, that the king was obliged to sub- 
 mit to these injuries and insults, but he sent word to 
 the chiefs that he would rebuild his house himself, and 
 that the white man should remain in Iketu. I desired 
 to leave, but this was not permitted, as it would amount 
 to an acknowledgement that the king was defeated by 
 his unruly nobles. Ashai thought that the opposition 
 would soon die away when the people discovered that 
 the king was inflexible. He declared, however, that I 
 must keep within doors for some time, not only because 
 my presence in the streets exasperated the chiefs, but 
 also for my own safety. I objected to close seclusion 
 7 
 
146 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 as intolerable, and obtained permission to go out daily 
 and sit under a tree near Ashai's house. The friendly 
 portion of the people often came to see me, but the dis- 
 affected chiefs and their party kept at a distance. 
 
 After some days, Ashai informed me that they had 
 learned (invented ?) some particulars about the burning 
 of the king's house. The conspirators had agreed to 
 fire the king's house first, and while every body was 
 gone to extinguish it, they would burn Ashai's house 
 also, " and make the white man die in the fire." The 
 king, fearing that some violence would be offered to me, 
 had set guards around Ashai's house, but had neglected 
 to guard his own, supposing that he was in no danger. 
 The guard had remained at Ashai's during the fire, 
 (which I knew to be true), and this, they said, had pre- 
 served my life. About the same time, the king sent me 
 word that I must not eat of any thing which any one 
 should send me, for he feared they would attempt to 
 poison me. I was in the habit of receiving a bottle of 
 milk from the king's own yard every morning. One 
 morning, Sam came in with evident excitement, and 
 said, " Please, sa, dat Filani man took a leaf out de 
 milk slyly, before he po' it in de bottle." He had also 
 refused to accept the usual pay. The bottle of milk 
 was given to the dog, which in a short time was seized 
 with a violent vomiting. But he was soon well, and I 
 laughed at the coincidences which had excited my fears. 
 Next morning I sent as usual for milk, and drank it. 
 During the day, the dog had another fit of shivering and 
 vomiting, which I fancied might be the effect of yester- 
 day's poisoning, and thought that if I had given him 
 half the milk instead of the whole, which caused him to 
 
VISIT TO IKETU. 
 
 147 
 
 vomit, he might have died. I drank no more milk in 
 Iketu. 
 
 Ashai professed to fear that the king himself was in 
 danger. All the food which any of the people sent to 
 his majesty, was invariably thrown away. They said, 
 moreover, that if all the chiefs should agree, they have 
 a right by the law of the land to assemble, and say to 
 the king, " You have reigned long enough," whereupon 
 he must retire into his house, and take poison, to avoid 
 a violent death. I had no fears of this extremity at 
 present, for if the king should be deposed and killed, 
 the " king's father," and several of the principal people 
 must be slain also, under the pretence that he would 
 need them in orrun, or hades — though the obvious de- 
 sign of this provision is to deter the chiefs from being 
 too hasty in deposing the king. 
 
 By degrees I transgressed my prison bounds, and 
 went further and further into the town to preach to the 
 people. Ashai objected to this, but I asked him whether 
 a king's messenger must not deliver his message. He 
 said "Yes." "Then," said I, "you must not forbid me 
 to deliver the message of the King of Kings, who has 
 sent me to Iketu." Sometimes I met a party of the no- 
 bles, venerable old men, with long staffs in their hands, 
 who never deigned to turn their heads and look at me. 
 A few of the people tried to prevent others from hear- 
 ing me, but their opposition only excited opposition in 
 return. The people would hear and approve too. One 
 woman cried out in the midst of the crowd, " whoever 
 does not believe, he knows it ; I believe." The Mahom- 
 etans, as usual in other towns, were bitter opponents. 
 One day I met a party of them, and said, "Why do you 
 
148 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Mahometans go about telling lies on me ? You tell the 
 people that Iketu will be destroyed because I have come 
 into it. But you are the men who destroy towns with 
 your two-edged swords. If you had the power, you 
 would. sell all these heathens for slaves. You know you 
 would, for the Koran tells you to do so." This was said 
 in the hearing of all the people, and the Mahometans 
 felt it keenly. 
 
 Although Iketu has never been engaged in kidnapping, 
 it has long been a great mart for slaves, where pur- 
 chasers from the coast meet with sellers from the inte- 
 rior. One day, a very comely young woman, who ap- 
 peared to be the victim of sorrow, came to see me. I 
 inquired what she wanted. She replied that she was a 
 native of Idoko, which lies to the east of Yoruba. She 
 was a trader by profession, and while going to a neigh- 
 boring market, she had been kidnapped and sold. After 
 changing hands several times, she had at last reached the 
 Iketu market, and expected soon to be carried to the coast 
 for the slave ships. She had a husband and three child- 
 ren at home, whom she never expected to see again, but 
 hearing of me, she had begged her master to come with 
 her to see if I would not buy her that she might not be 
 sent to Brazil. 
 
 At this time the Egbas were bringing many Dahomy 
 prisoners to Iketu, to be redeemed by their countrymen. 
 On the eve of the market day, it was reported that four- 
 teen hundred armed Dahomies were coming to Iketu to 
 take their countrymen by force. This news threw all 
 Iketu into a ferment. The Dahomy traders were imme- 
 diately ordered to leave the town, and messengers were 
 dispatched to forbid the further advance of the troops, 
 
VISIT TO IKETU. 
 
 149 
 
 who deemed it prudent to retire. In the midst of the 
 excitement, a man was heard to say, u The king has 
 brought a white man into the town ; let the Dahomies 
 come also." This was reported to the king, who imme 
 diately dispatched some of his officers to punish the 
 man for his treasonable speech. They waited on the 
 poor fellow, and presented an empty bag, with the civil 
 message, " The king says you must send him your 
 head." 
 
 One of the Dahomy prisoners brought to the Iketu 
 market, was a native of that place, who had been cap- 
 tured when a girl, and enrolled in the king's army of 
 Amazons. Her parents found her out, and were de- 
 lighted with the opportunity of purchasing her freedom, 
 but she said, " No ; I will go back to my master." The 
 Dahomy Amazons are said to have a perfect passion for 
 the service, notwithstanding they are bound to perpet- 
 ual celibacy and chastity, under the penalty of death. 
 I know them to be furious in battle, but their chief 
 utility, I am told, is to prevent rebellion among the 
 male soldiers. They have a separate organization 
 under generals and other officers of their own sex, and 
 are deeply attached to the king. 
 
 After I had remained at Iketu about a month, Ashai 
 informed me that I had better return to Abbeokuta, till 
 such time as the king should send and inform me that 
 the chiefs and people were willing to receive me. I 
 readily agreed to this proposition, especially as it was 
 not possible to pass on from Iketu to Yoruba. Ashai 
 desired me to leave in the night, lest some malicious 
 person should waylay and injure me, but I objected to 
 running away like a thief, and remained in the town till 
 
150 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 about sunrise. The news of my departure seemed to 
 spread through the town with great rapidity. As I re- 
 tired through the farms, we heard the firing of guns 
 and beating of drums, which I supposed was the rejoic- 
 ing of my enemies. 
 
 During my stay at Iketu, my horse had declined so 
 much, as to be worthless, and being unable to procure 
 another, I was obliged to walk to Abbeokuta. The 
 roads were full of water, and the streams which I must 
 wade were swollen by the rains, but I arrived at Mr. 
 Townsend's station in safety, and resumed my old quar- 
 ters. About eight months after, the king and the once 
 unfriendly chiefs sent me a joint invitation to return, 
 but I was now in the act of departing for Yoruba, and 
 could not accept the invitation. 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 151 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU, IN FEBRUARY, 1852. 
 
 MESSENGERS SENT TO ISEHIN INVITED INTO YORUBA OPPOSITION — 
 
 ABERREKODO — ERUWA SCENERY BI-OLORRON-PELLU — WHITES IN 
 
 AFRICA — A CHIEF'S BIBLE — EFFECTS OF PREACHING HEATHENS WITH- 
 OUT IDOLS IRAWAW — TRAFFIC — CANDID MAHOMETANS INVITED 
 
 TO AW YAW — FARMS — ANIMALS — HUNTING — THE UNICORN. 
 
 In October, 1851, about twenty months after my arriv- 
 al in Africa, I received the first letters from home. Of 
 late I had almost ceased to write, and began to fear that 
 none of my communications had been received, or why 
 should they not be answered 1 Possibly my friends had 
 heard a false report, that I was dead, and I had long 
 since been laid aside among the forgotten. I now learned 
 that my letters had frequently been received and an- 
 swered, but although I had been careful to employ the 
 proper agents on the coast, they had either failed to re- 
 ceive or neglected to forward anything which had been 
 sent to me from America. The joy of receiving letters 
 was speedily followed by an increase of funds, and to 
 crown all, I now at last heard of an open road to Isehin, 
 in the heart of Yoruba. 
 
 As it was not proper to visit Isehin without the per- 
 mission of the king, I went to Sagbua for a messenger 
 in his name to go with one of my own, and ascertain 
 whether the king was willing to receive me. Sagbua 
 
152 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 referred me to Shumoye, the chief general of the Egbas. 
 Though I had no previous acquaintance with Shumoye, 
 I went to see him. "What white man is this?" he in- 
 quired. They told him. " Well," said he, " I have never 
 eaten any of his money," intimating that he was under 
 no obligation to assist me, because I had never given 
 him a present. After some explanation, he agreed to 
 send me to Isehin within a few days, with the messen- 
 gers of Asehin,* who were then at Abbeokuta. Before 
 the appointed time the messengers were gone, and I 
 found that I had been deceived. 
 
 It is vain to trust in princes. I next went to a pri- 
 vate man, who had some sort of jurisdiction over the 
 Isehin road. " 0 yes," said the courteous old gentleman, 
 "you shall have a messenger, but the man is very drunk 
 to-day, and you must come again to-morrow." Next day 
 I found him sober, and soon had my messengers on the 
 road to Isehin. They returned in about two weeks, and 
 made a full report of their journey, even to the little 
 presents which they had received from different chiefs 
 on the road. They had slept the first night at Aberre- 
 kodo, where the governor said that I should not enter 
 his town, but I might pass round it. Next day they 
 reached Bi-olorrun-pellu, on the top of a mountain. 
 Bioku, the chief, received them kindly, and gave them a 
 goat, but said to them, "You may as well go back, for 
 Asehin is a child, and will be afraid to see the white 
 man." They replied that they could not return without 
 delivering their message, and Bioku then sent a man 
 
 * Each king here has his peculiar title, as Asehin, king of Isehin. 
 Alake, king of Egba, Alaketu, king of Iketu, &c. 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 153 
 
 with them, to introduce them to the king. On the third 
 day they reached Awaye, and Lashimeji, the govern- 
 or, expressed great joy that a white man was coming 
 to Yoruba. On the fourth day they passed through 
 several villages, some of which stood on high moun- 
 tains, and arrived at Isehin. They found the king an 
 old man and a cripple. He received them kindly, and 
 promised to call a council to consider my proposition, 
 but refused to accept the little Yoruba book which I had 
 sent him as a present. There were many Mahometans 
 in Isehin, " about three hundred" of whom attended the 
 council. It is scarcely necessary to add, that under 
 such influence, the king declined to receive me. 
 
 On their return to Bi-olorrun-pellu, Bioku said " I told 
 you that Asehin is a child. Go tell the white man that 
 if no one else will receive him I will. My town is small 
 but I have plenty of hogs, and cows, and sheep, and am at 
 peace with all my neighbors. He may stay here as long 
 as he chooses. When I was born my parents called me 
 Bioku, (i. e., If he don't die, implying that he would be 
 great if he lived). Twenty years ago, when the coun- 
 try was ruined by war, I came to this mountain to build 
 a town. Everybody said we could not succeed. I re- 
 plied, Bi-olorrun-pellu, (if God be with us,) and we gave 
 that name to the town. The city of Ijaye sent an army 
 to destroy us, but we killed their balogun (general) and 
 cut off his head. When all the roads were closed by 
 kidnappers, I took my own cowries and paid Ibadan 
 to open this road, and let us have trade. The road is 
 now open. If the white man will let me know when he 
 is coming, I will send messengers to meet him at Aber- 
 rekodo." This message was good news to me, and I 
 7* 
 
154 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 resolved to go. Just then, however, another invasion 
 was threatened by Dahomy. Commander Forbes, of the 
 British Navy, was at Abbeokuta, making active prepa- 
 rations for the expected war, but Ogunbonna and some 
 others desired that I should be present also, and I 
 thought proper to remain. After all, the king of Dahomy 
 was too wise to pay Abbeokuta another visit, and I lost 
 two months by waiting for nothing. On looking back 
 upon my efforts to reach the interior, I may say with 
 an old wanderer on the shores of Africa, " Per varios 
 casus, per tot discrimina rerum," &c. 
 
 At last, a little more than two years after landing in 
 Africa, I found myself ready to proceed with a fair 
 prospect of success. Then all of a sudden came a new 
 and unexpected difficulty — my carriers backed square 
 out and refused to go. I engaged others, and they also 
 violated their contract. I persisted in my determina- 
 tion to go, and my servants deserted me. It was use- 
 less to rely further on native converts. I picked up two 
 fellows, not fit for servants, and applied to Ogunbonna 
 for carriers. Somewhat to my surprise, he declared I 
 should have as many as I needed. With a light heart I 
 passed through the gate and took the road to Yoruba. 
 After traveling twenty-two miles, over a fine prairie 
 country, we arrived at Aberrekodo. True to his word, 
 the governor refused to let me enter the town, but I 
 passed round to the northern gate, where we metBi'oku's 
 messengers. Many people flocked out to see me, to 
 whom I talked, as well as I could, without an interpre- 
 ter. A fine looking woman, leaning on the arm of a 
 man somewhat younger than herself, was pointed out to 
 me as a sister of Attiba, the king of Yoruba. Her mien 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 155 
 
 was at once graceful and rather imposing, and I found 
 her quite intelligent in conversation. 
 
 Next morning, I was anxious to proceed, but was in- 
 formed that the governor had given orders to detain me, 
 till he could send forward and ascertain whether Bioku 
 was really willing to receive me. I replied, " You have 
 made me sleep without the gates, like a wild beast, and 
 I will not sleep here again. Go and tell the governor 
 that I shall proceed at once or return to Abbeokuta." 
 Several messages were exchanged, and it was two 
 o'clock in the afternoon before I obtained permission to 
 proceed. We traveled about six miles over an undulat- 
 ing prairie, rather thickly covered with low scrubby 
 trees, to the Ofiki river, which is thirty feet wide, and 
 obstructed in places by rocks of gneiss. Four miles 
 further is the village of Eruwa, which stands on a steep 
 and naked mountain of granite, several hundred feet 
 in height. The ascent was so difficult, that my horse 
 fell repeatedly, and in one place was injured by slid- 
 ing several yards down the smooth rock. The gov- 
 ernor gave us a handsome reception. In the morning 
 I strolled over the village, which might contain one 
 thousand inhabitants. The houses were crowded in 
 among numerous large holders of granite, which were 
 frequently surmounted by little corn cribs, built of mor- 
 tar and thatched with straw. The views from Eruwa 
 are very beautiful. On the south and west, there is a 
 wide expanse of undulating prairie, traversed by mean- 
 dering tree-bordered streams, and dotted here and there 
 with wooded hills and huge masses of naked granite. 
 Immediately on the north, is a rugged mass of moun- 
 tains, whose peaks and gorges present many pictur- 
 
156 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 esque landscapes. At this season, the beauty of the 
 scenery was heightened by the intermixture of gay 
 flowers, and bright green leaves, with the dark foliage 
 of evergreens. 
 
 Our road from Eruwa lay through a gorge directly 
 over the mountains. In some places the strangeness, 
 wildness, and beauty of the scenery, made an indescrib- 
 able impression on my feelings. Beyond the mountains, 
 is a fertile valley, which was mostly occupied by far- 
 mers of Bi-olorrun-pellu. As we approached the village, 
 which stands like Eruwa, on a rock mountain, we met 
 two women, who looking suddenly up, and seeing such 
 a figure as myself, bolted into the bushes, exclaiming 
 emaw ! i. e., monster ! A sick traveler overheard two 
 negro women who were nursing him, conversing in this 
 style: " He looks like folks"— " Yes, but he ain't." No 
 philosophical ethnologist ever doubted the proper hu- 
 manity of Africans more sincerely than some of the 
 Africans doubt ours. 
 
 The eastern entrance to Bi-olorrun-pellu, is a narrow 
 pass between two great holders, at the top of a precipi- 
 tous ascent. Having performed the difficult task of 
 leading my horse to this point, I mounted, and rode 
 several hundred yards through intricate and narrow 
 streets, to the house of Bioku, the chief. Although the 
 sun was not warm, my people insisted on my raising 
 my umbrella, so soon as I had entered the town, merely 
 to gratify their own vanity; for an umbrella in Yoruba 
 is quite as honorable distinction as a coach and six and 
 servants in livery, among " certain parties" — medie- 
 val fogies— in some civilized countries. The sensible 
 old governor received me without any of the useless 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 157 
 
 preliminaries common on such occasions, atid after a 
 few salutations and inquiries, directed his people to 
 conduct me to the rooms which had been prepared for 
 my reception. 
 
 My first employment was to see the village, which 
 contained about two thousand inhabitants, and to give 
 every body an opportunity of seeing me. So far as I 
 ascertained, there was only one man in the town who 
 had ever seen a white man before. He professed to 
 have seen many, not only a few like me on the sea 
 coast, but a whole city of white people of a different 
 kind, some where in the east. His story was briefly 
 this: that he had been for many years a dresser of mo- 
 rocco leather; that he had traveled in this occupation 
 one month's journey to a large town called Sokoto, and 
 thence two months further to a town called Waianga- 
 rana, which was inhabited almost wholly by whites. 
 Here he resided for several years, and learned to speak 
 their language, some specimens of which he readily 
 gave me. To my questions, he replied, that some of 
 the people there were fairer than myself ; that they 
 dressed differently; that they were neither idolaters nor 
 Mahometans, though he could not tell what they wor- 
 shipped; that the weather was always warm there, 
 and that there was another small town of white people 
 near to the large one, in which he resided. I could only 
 set the whole story down among several other doubtful 
 and inexplicable things which one hears in Africa. 
 
 One day Bioku sent for me and showed me his Bible, 
 a cheap duodecimo copy, published by the British and 
 Foreign Bible Society, and probably sold or given to 
 him by some Yoruba man, who had resided in Sierra 
 
158 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Leone, as a re-captured slave. He knew it to be the 
 word of God, and treated it with great and perhaps su- 
 perstitious respect. How eagerly he would have read 
 it, if he had only been able! But the heavenly message 
 was sealed up and shut out from his soul. He next in- 
 vited me to the house of his ennikeji, associate, or lieuten- 
 ant, and showed me all his idols, and the other symbols 
 of his religion, They were neatly arranged in a broad 
 niche or little room, and concealed by a curtain. When 
 I told the aid man of the Saviour revealed in the Bible, 
 he listened with great attention, but could not agree 
 that his own mediators, of which the images were only 
 symbols, had no power with God. In Africa, as every 
 where else, the doctrine that Christ is all in all, the one 
 and only Saviour, is a stumbling stone to the natural 
 man. 
 
 For several days the people were too much engaged 
 in looking and wondering at the white man, to pay 
 much attention to the Gospel. It was not long, however, 
 before a number of persons were deeply interested. I 
 was told that one or two of Bioku's sons had laid aside 
 their idols. For several days a middle aged woman, 
 named Oyindala, came almost every morning to hear 
 me preach. When I first observed her, she was evi- 
 dently under deep concern, but I thought best to let her 
 pass without any special instruction. She had not yet 
 spoken to me. At last she came to see me, with a 
 countenance beaming with joy, and began to tell me how 
 she had been distressed, since hearing the word of God, 
 and how she now believed in Jesus the Saviour. Next 
 day she brought her idols to be destroyed. Although 
 it is my uniform manner to give prominence to the his- 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 159 
 
 torical facts of the Gospel, including baptism, I was 
 rather surprised when she said, " I want you to baptize 
 me." Knowing that I must soon go forward, and 
 might never see her again, so as to instruct her in all 
 things which follow baptism, (Matt, xxviii. 20,) I felt 
 constrained to refuse her request. Some judicious 
 brethren in America have regarded this refusal as a 
 violation of the commission. My own opinion is, that I 
 ought not to have left the village. If I had baptized 
 Oyindala and some others, who were ready, and had 
 sent home an ardent appeal for help, the mission might 
 at once have been established on a firm basis. But I 
 then thought that I should explore the country and pre- 
 pare for establishing ourselves in some of the large 
 towns. In fact, I was too curious to see the country. 
 
 Another of my hearers named Alaiju, used to visit me 
 almost every evening, to converse and ask questions. 
 I have never seen a person who appeared to be more 
 burdened by the power of the Word, but for several 
 days, neither he nor I made any allusion to his feelings. 
 My old-fashioned Baptist brethren have a proverb, that 
 " the fruit will fall when it is ripe," and this is precisely 
 my own opinion. Nevertheless, while I abstained from 
 saying anything special to such people as Alaiju, I fre- 
 quently made special remarks for them. In due time 
 Alaiju introduced his own case by this remarkable de- 
 claration : " I have no idols ; I am not a Mahometan ; I 
 have nothing of this kind to lay down, but I am a sin- 
 ner and I want to be saved." Now was my time to 
 show him how God could be just and the justifier of him 
 that believes in Jesus. 
 
 We have frequently thought that all heathens are 
 
160 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 idolaters, but this is not the case in Yoruba. I have 
 met with several of both sexes, who declared that they 
 had never worshipped an idol. This is a natural result 
 of the pure theism of their natural religion. Every- 
 body in that country believes in one true and living 
 God, of whose character they often entertain surpris- 
 ingly correct notions. Most of the people worship 
 certain imaginary creatures whom they regard as me- 
 diators between God and men ; but there are some who 
 reject such mediation, and attempt to hold direct com- 
 munication with God himself. So far as my observation 
 extends, this class of people are usually sensible and 
 moral, and easily impressed by the doctrine of atone- 
 ment and mediation as propounded in the Gospel. 
 
 In regard to humanity and civilization, the people of 
 Sudan are far in advance of the Guinea negroes, and 
 the two classes have little community of feeling. The 
 former are even afraid to go down to the coast except 
 at a few points, and the traffic between Guinea and Su- 
 dan is mostly carried on at certain border towns, as Ike- 
 tu and Aberrokodo, which lie four or five days 7 journey 
 in the interior from the sea board. The line of traffic 
 through the latter place had been suspended for years, 
 till very lately, but there was already an active caravan 
 trade between Aberrokodo and the interior. As the ca- 
 ravans passed through Bi-olorrun-pellu, many traders 
 and travelers came to see me, which gave me an op- 
 portunity of hearing from various parts of the interior, 
 and of sending the Gospel message to the people of dis- 
 tant towns. From time to time, I have met with men 
 from the interior who had never seen a missionary ; and 
 yet they had obtained some correct knowledge of the 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 161 
 
 Gospel from travelers. One of the strangers who 
 visited me at Bi-olorrun-pellu was a son of the chief 
 of Irawaw, a town in the west of Yoruba. He paid 
 great attention to the Gospel, and urged me to visit his 
 town. Irawaw is the head-quarters of the idol called 
 Orishako, which on account of its being expensive, is 
 chiefly worshipped by the aristocracy and the wealthy. 
 The symbol of this orisha (idol) is not an image, but a 
 large iron bar manufactured and consecrated in Irawaw. 
 The people have told me a curious story of which the 
 following is an outline : In ancient times there was one 
 of the six-fingered giants* of those days living at the 
 Egba town of Igbehin. Being summoned to Irawaw 
 to take an oath by Orishako, he became enraged with 
 the priests, killed them and every body else he could 
 lay hands on, and carried off ten of the sacred iron bars. 
 It was then decreed that no Igbehin man should ever 
 again enter Irawaw, and the law remains in force to 
 this day. 
 
 Among my other visitors were several Mahometans, 
 who generally listened respectfully to the word. One 
 party in particular appeared to be much impressed. 
 When they first came their spokesman introduced them 
 by saying, " We have long heard that there are people 
 in the world who are better acquainted with God than 
 we are. After a while we heard that some of them 
 (the English missionaries) had come to Badagry ; then 
 
 * I must express a slight suspicion that the people never heard of 
 six-fingered giants till some of their countrymen returned from 
 Sierra Leone. Still I have heard no facts on which the suspicion is 
 founded. 
 
162 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 they came to Abbeokuta, and now you have come into 
 Yoruba. The people told us that you are a good-natured 
 man, who receives everybody, and we have come to hear 
 you talk." I told them about the history of Christ, and 
 the Gospel plan of salvation, and they raised several 
 objections from the Koran. In speaking about making 
 war on the heathen, as the Koran enjoins, I said, in 
 the figurative style which always pleases the Africans, 
 " I am a soldier ; I have come here to fight with the 
 heathen and with you Mahometans ; here is my sword 
 (taking up the Bible) — the true sword of God. I use 
 it with my tongue. When this sword enters a man's 
 ear and pierces into his heart, he is killed, not his body, 
 but his soul is killed to the love of sin, of idols, of 
 Mahomet, and he rises a new man, to live a new and 
 holy life for God." This made an impression, and I fol- 
 lowed it up warmly for a few minutes with doctrine and 
 exhortation. When they arose to depart, at the end of 
 a long conversation, their spokesman said, " You have 
 smitten us with the sword, but we are not offended." 
 These men continued to come for several days, and even 
 permitted their caravan to leave them behind, that they 
 might hear more of the Gospel. At last they departed, 
 and, like many others to whom I have preached with 
 considerable hope, I have seen them no more from that 
 day to this. 
 
 Aggaw-Ojjah, the capital of Yoruba, often called 
 Awyaw, lies four days' journey to the north east of 
 Bi-olorrun-pellu. The king soon heard that a white man 
 had entered his dominions, and instructed his messen- 
 gers, who were going to Abberrekodo, to see me and 
 inquire what I wanted. I took particular pains to tell 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 163 
 
 them again and again, what the Gospel is and requires, 
 and charged them to rehearse the whole matter to the 
 king. About two weeks after this, the messengers re- 
 turned, saying that the king was much pleased with the 
 word of God, and desired me to come and see him. As 
 this step might have involved Bioku in trouble with the 
 chiefs of Ijaye and Ibadan, who were too strong for the 
 king, I was obliged to defer a visit to Awyaw till some 
 future period. 
 
 Most of my mornings at " Bioku's place," as the vil- 
 lage is often called, were spent in the piazza of my 
 house, sitting on a mat, and preaching to the people 
 who sat around me. In the afternoon I often took soli- 
 tary rambles through the surrounding farms, and occa- 
 sionally spent several hours in clambering up the steep 
 and rugged mountains. The country was full of game, 
 as monkeys, rockdoves, coneys, partridges, squirrels and 
 a sort of hedge-hog, among the mountains and rocks ; 
 and guinea-hens, another kind of partridge, crested 
 cranes, antelopes, etc., in the farms and prairies ; and I 
 generally carried my gun, not only for amusement, but 
 to defend myself, in case of necessity, against leopards 
 and other beasts of prey. I seldom made an excursion 
 without meeting with some little adventure. One day, 
 on the mountains, I caught a young monkey, alive and 
 sound, and carried him home, to the great amusement of 
 the people. At first he was much affrighted, but soon 
 became quiet. After I had tied him in the piazza, he 
 sat very demurely for some time, as if in deep medita- 
 tion. When I offered him a piece of banana, he ex- 
 tended his hand slowly and took it ; but after nibbling 
 a little, laid it down, apparently too much afflicted to 
 
164 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 eat. It was only a few hours, however, before he ap- 
 peared to be quite reconciled to his lot, and he was soon 
 performing as many antics as if he had wholly forgotten 
 his misfortune. 
 
 On another occasion I shot a very large hawk of a pe- 
 culiar kind, which I was anxious to examine. Seeing 
 some women passing along a mountain path, and know- 
 ing that they would be glad to eat the hawk, I called to 
 them to go and get it. As we approached the place 
 where it nad fallen, something leaped away through the 
 rocks and bushes, and I prepared to shoot an antelope, 
 but we soon found that a leopard or tiger-cat had borne 
 off our prize. 
 
 I was in the habit of making diligent search every 
 where, high and low, for inscriptions on the rocks ; not 
 because I really expected to find any, but still I thought 
 it might be possible. To the west of Bioku's rock is 
 another still higher, called Imeggeh, which is two or 
 three miles in circuit, and so precipitous that the people 
 assured me that the summit was inaccessible., I had a 
 fancy, and at last a strong desire to ascend this rock 
 and look for inscriptions. The northern side was a per- 
 pendicular precipice several hundred feet in height. By 
 repeated examinations and trials I found a place of 
 ascent on the south. After climbing a somewhat steep 
 hill for a distance of three or four hundred yards, I came 
 to a flat of rich level land planted in Indian corn. By 
 the side of this little farm, I discovered an old man in a 
 snug lodge under a shelving rock, with no other com- 
 panions than his hens and chickens. No hermit could 
 desire a more quiet or romantic spot to act the fool in. 
 Further on was a great mass of granite, penetrated by 
 
VISIT TO BI-OLORRUN-PELLU. 
 
 165 
 
 a horizontal fissure into which I walked till the darkness 
 compelled me to return. Climbing the rock with some 
 difficulty and danger, I at last reached the summit, 
 which I found covered with holders and brushwood, 
 except a few acres of naked granite at the eastern end. 
 In this almost inaccessible spot there had once been a 
 village, as I knew by the basins which the women had 
 worn in the rock in pounding corn, and by the stone 
 trough, now broken, in which the blacksmith had tem- 
 pered his tools. These were the inscriptions left by the 
 poor villagers to commemorate their existence. I read 
 them with melancholy interest. Nothing but the terrors 
 of war had planted a village in such a place as this. 
 Here perhaps the unhappy people had suffered the hor- 
 rors of siege and famine, or had been driven over the 
 edge of the precipice by fierce assailants. 
 
 Once or twice during the dry season, the chiefs and 
 principal men, followed by a multitude of people with 
 dogs, have a grand ring-fire hunt, in which they take 
 abundance of game, including buffaloes, leopards, ante- 
 lopes, hedge-hogs, rabbits, rats, terrapins, &c. Bioku's 
 hunt came off during my stay at his village. In the 
 evening all the game taken was brought in and laid at 
 the feet of the chief and elders, who distributed to 
 the head of each party to be divided among his fol- 
 lowers. My own share was a small antelope and a 
 tortoise. 
 
 Several of the villagers told me of an animal, called 
 agbangrere, which has the form of a horse, the feet of a 
 cow, and single horn in the forehead, like that of a 
 large antelope. This creature is sometimes slain in Y6- 
 ruba, but the unfortunate slayer is sure to die within a 
 
166 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 year. Only one had been killed in these parts for a 
 long time, and the skull of that was buried in the stack 
 of bones before the hunter's temple, at Bi-olorrun-pellu, 
 but I could not be permitted to pull down the stack and 
 remove it. The horn of one was produced, and proved 
 to be nearly as long as my arm, black in color, coarsely 
 rugose below and smooth toward the point. They stoutly 
 denied that it was an antelope's horn, and said that the 
 person who owned it, held it sacred as a sort of orisha, 
 or idol. Bioku himself confirmed all these statements. 
 They declared further that king Suta had a living uni- 
 corn at Ilorrin. Three years afterward, when I went 
 to Ilorrin, I asked the king's people whether they had 
 ever seen a unicorn ? They replied, Yes, that one had 
 been brought into the town as a present to the king ; 
 that it was shaped like a horse, but was not so large — 
 that it had cloven feet like those of the large antelope, 
 (ira,) that its color was sorrel — that it had a large black 
 horn on its forehead, that it refused to eat, and that the 
 king had it taken out of the town and killed. 
 
 The king's slaves had eat-en its flesh, but no one knew 
 what became of the horn or the skull. If such an ani- 
 mal exists in the country, some of us will probably be 
 able to procure a skull before long. 
 
TRAVELS IN YORUBA. 
 
 167 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 VISIT TO AWAYE, KE-EFO, AND IJAYE, IN 1852. 
 
 DEPARTUBE FOR ISHAKKI — AWAYE — OKE-EFO — RETURN TO AWATE — 
 A PRINCE BANISHED — VISIT TO IJAYE — LAND GIVEN FOR A MIS- 
 SION — BETURN TO THE COAST — EMBARK FOR LONDON. 
 
 Soon after my arrival at Bi-olorrun-pellu, I sent mes- 
 sengers to Ishakki, five clays' journey northward, asking 
 permission to visit that city. On their return, the men 
 reported that they had been favorably received at every 
 place, and that Okkerre, the chief of Ishakki, was much 
 pleased to hear of my coming. I now fancied that all 
 my difficulties were ended. But I delayed for the sake 
 of preaching in Bioku's town, till the news of my com- 
 ing had spread far over the country, and Kumi, the 
 chief of Ijaye, had sent orders to the towns on my road 
 to prevent my going further into the interior. The king 
 also was determined to persuade me to turn aside to his 
 town, though he durst not command me, for fear of giv- 
 ing offence to Okkerre and Kumi, both of whom desired 
 to see me. 
 
 Just as I had completed my arrangements to proceed, 
 the king's messengers came to me the third time, and 
 urged me to visit Aw^yaw. I declared that I could not 
 do so, and alleged the well known opposition of Asehin 
 as an excuse. The chief messenger replied, " If you 
 were willing to go, we could take you through the air, 
 
1G8 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 rather than leave you behind." I told him that my pro- 
 mise was out, and I must start to Ishakki to-morrow. 
 He was evidently not pleased, and I feared that he 
 would go before me and raise some hindrance at Awaye. 
 To prevent this, I arose at two o'clock in the morning, 
 and set out as quietly as possible, but the king's mes- 
 sengers had already departed. They probably left Bi- 
 olorrun-pellu the evening before, soon after dark. As 
 there was no moon, we had a difficult time in descend- 
 ing the mountain, and clambering over the rocks, which 
 obstructed our road a mile or two further on. Several 
 kinds of birds which slept on the trees in the prairies 
 began to chatter and scream an hour before day. At 
 sunrise we found ourselves in a wide prairie, partially 
 wooded and well watered by clear rocky streams. 
 Every now and then we passed over a great flat rock, 
 and occasionally by the foot of a granite hill, several 
 hundred feet in height. Mt. Ado was in plain view 
 before us, with a cloud resting on its bosom, at some 
 distance below its summit. It was four o'clock in the 
 afternoon before we arrived, weary and hungry, at 
 Awaye. To my surprise and mortification, the gate 
 keepers shut the gate in my face, and told me that I 
 must not enter the town, till Lashimeji, the governor, 
 should return from Ijaye. As my carriers were now to 
 leave me and return to Bi-olorrun-pellu, I bivouacked 
 under a tree, where I was soon surrounded by a crowd 
 of men, women, and children, anxious to look at the 
 white man. At first, I laid my misfortune on the king's 
 messengers, but the people soon informed me that 
 Kumi wanted me to visit Ijaye, and had given orders 
 that no one should assist. me in proceeding to Ishakki. 
 
TRAVELS IN YORUBA. 
 
 169 
 
 What should I do now ? Ijaye is not more than sixty 
 miles from Abbeokuta, and not at all in the direction 
 which I wished to proceed. Why should I turn aside 
 for two weeks or a month, and then retrace my steps to 
 Ishakki and the Niger ? I made offers for carriers to 
 convey my luggage to Oke-Efo, but the people declared 
 that the governor had forbidden them to assist me. 
 Next morning, I renewed my efforts with no better suc- 
 cess. " Very well," said I, " you shall see what I can 
 do." So I packed two loads on my horse, and gave 
 three to my servants and a stranger, who agreed to 
 help us, and set out on foot with a cheerful heart, carry- 
 ing my gun and blankets. 
 
 Nearly all the Yoruba prairies are partially wooded 
 with low bushy trees, but beyond Awaye we entered an 
 open woodland country, such as we see in America. A 
 country of this character in Africa was so unexpected, 
 that I was delighted beyond measure. It seemed that 
 I should never grow weary of looking once more on an 
 open grassy forest. The whole country appeared to be 
 full of antelopes, some of which (the ira) made tracks 
 almost as large as the buffaloes which roam through the 
 same woods, only more sharp-pointed, like the track of 
 a deer. Eight or ten miles beyond the town, we cross- 
 ed a creek, and passed over a flat piece of ground, 
 where the rocks are trappose — the first of the kind I 
 had seen since leaving Monrovia. The mountains a 
 mile or two beyond the creek are granite, and so steep 
 as to be difficult of ascent. My horse was unable to 
 carry his loads up some of the acclivities, and we were 
 obliged to take them ourselves. Night overtook us in 
 the midst of the mountains, and we lay down beneath 
 8 
 
170 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 the spreading branches of a large ossan tree, which was 
 loaded with yellow fruit as large as peaches. The 
 wind whistled among the mountains all night, and next 
 morning the ground was covered with the golden fruit, 
 which had the flavor of large red haws, only it was 
 more pleasant and juicy. Three or four miles over an 
 elevated plateau, covered with beautiful farms, brought 
 us to Oke-Efo — the Mountain Glen, which is girdled 
 about by towering hills, with a fine open view to the 
 west. Finding the gate open, I rode in, and was about 
 to ascend into the town, when I was met by a deputa- 
 tion from the chief, who declared that I must return, 
 and encamp behind the wall, as they could not presume 
 to receive me, contrary to the orders of Kumi. They 
 conducted me to a pleasant camping place, by a clear 
 brook, and the chief sent me provisions. 
 
 The stranger who had assisted us from Awaye, could 
 not accompany us further, and my horse had been too 
 much injured by the fall on Eruwa rock, to bear the 
 fatigue of carrying a heavy burden up and down the 
 mountains. My only expedient was to send two of my 
 servants to Ishakki for carriers, while myself and the 
 third should remain and take care of the luggage. But 
 the rainy season had already commenced, and as it 
 would require eight or ten days to get carriers from 
 Ishakki, it was necessary first of all to make a tent'or 
 booth of grass, to protect us against the weather. On 
 learning my determination, the good-natured people 
 took hold of the work with alacrity, and soon completed 
 our shelter. It was finished just in time to shield us 
 from one of the most violent rains I have ever seen. 
 The mountains were shaken by continuous peals of 
 
TRAVELS IN YORUBA. 
 
 171 
 
 thunder, and the rivulets were converted into mighty 
 torrents, which bore away earth and stones in their 
 raging currents. 
 
 One night after I had lain down, some men hailed 
 from the hill above, and announced themselves as mes- 
 sengers from Akiolla, Kumi's eldest son, who, as heir 
 apparent, bore the title of Daudu. They said, " that 
 Lashimeji had returned from Ijaye, and Daudu with 
 him ; that Kuini, whom they called Areh (i. e., general- 
 issimo or military prince) wanted to see me ; that he 
 was the owner of all this country, almost to Ishakki, and 
 was not willing to let me pass through it to another 
 chief ; that if I had come to preach, I had gone far 
 enough to begin, but if I would build a house in Ijaye, 
 and if some of the white men would live there, Areh 
 would give me permission and messengers to go where- 
 ever I might choose at some future time. I saw at 
 once that there was no hope of further exploration at 
 present, without incurring the risk of giving such of- 
 fence to Kumi, that he might entirely forbid missionary 
 operations in this part of the country. It was useless 
 to reason with the messengers, who had no discretionary 
 powers, and as I had not yet sent forward to Ishakki 
 for carriers, I agreed to return to Ijaye. 
 
 On the following morning, the people took up my 
 luggage, and ran cheerily forward to Awaye. The gate 
 stood wide to receive me, and I was greeted by many 
 a hearty salutation as I rode through the streets to the 
 residence of the governor. My own feelings, however, 
 were far from cheerful. My ardent and too precious 
 hopes were blighted, and the disappointment preyed so 
 much on my- feelings, in spite of my better reason, that 
 
172 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 I fell into a dysentery, which came near endangering 
 my life. 
 
 Akiolla requested me to rest a few days at Awaye, till 
 he should visit several neighboring towns. One even- 
 ing, he returned and informed me that the people had 
 loaded him with presents in the towns which he had 
 visited, and that I must wait till he should make a 
 tour to several other places. Soon after, it was report- 
 ed through Awaye, that Daudu was extorting tribute 
 contrary to law, that he was a bad man, and had spoiled 
 his name, etc. Fearing that these extortions were 
 sanctioned by Kumi, I had thoughts of refusing to visit 
 him. One night, Akiolla came into town in great 
 haste, and leaving his women and other attendants 
 with Lashimeji, posted off without resting, to Ijaye. 
 The mystery was easily explained. Kumi had heard of 
 his high-handed measures, and was so much enraged, 
 that he had sent two executioners to behead him His 
 precipitate flight was designed to escape the execution- 
 ers, and throw himself on his father's mercy. I learned 
 afterward, that when he arrived at Ijaye, he took ref- 
 uge in the house of the balogun, or general, who could 
 scarcely prevail on Kumi to change the sentence of 
 death into that of degradation and banishment. At 
 last it was agreed that Akiolla should be expelled from 
 the country, that his wives and all his property, except 
 his horse, should be confiscated, and that Kumi's second 
 son should receive the title of Daudu. Akiolla fled to 
 Attiba, the king, who at first received him with favor, 
 but afterward sent him away for fear of Kumi's resent- 
 ment. He then retired to the eastern borders of Yoru- 
 ba, and entered the army of some prince in that region, 
 
TRAVELS IN YORUBA. 
 
 173 
 
 where he still remains. On his father's death, he will 
 probably make war on Ijaye, to recover his rights as 
 hereditary prince of that city and its dependent territo- 
 ries. Like his father, and unlike his younger brother, 
 he is a man of unconquerable will and powerful intel- 
 lect, and I have little doubt that he may yet be the 
 ruler of Ijaye. 
 
 These untoward events involved me in new embar- 
 rassments. I was not free to proceed to Ishakki, neither 
 would Lashimeji permit me to visit Ijaye, without 
 again hearing from Kumi. At last the desired permis- 
 sion was obtained, and I departed in company with 
 some of the governor's people. To avoid going through 
 Isehin, where they were not willing to see me, we took 
 the prairie road to the river Ogun, and traveled the 
 greater part of the distance without seeing a farm or a 
 human being. The country is well stocked with ele- 
 phants and buffaloes. Here is a fine country from 
 twenty to thirty miles in width, and from one hundred 
 and fifty to two hundred in length, almost without in- 
 habitants. It reaches nearly to Abbeokuta on one side, 
 and to the Niger on the other, and indeed we may say 
 that the desolated Egba country belongs to the same 
 great wilderness. It is capable of giving ample susten- 
 ance to three hundred thousand colonists ; and can 
 boast of unusual advantages in regard to soil, climate, 
 and facilities for traffic. 
 
 We found the village at the river Ogun overflowing 
 full of travelers, which is no unusual occurrence in this 
 land of caravans. Of course I preached and talked 
 to as many as possible. After lying down, I heard some 
 of the travelers conversing solemnly and sensibly about 
 
174 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 the Gospel. Such an incident, here on the wild banks 
 of an unknown river, in the interior of Africa, more 
 than repaid me for all the toils and troubles I had seen 
 in the country. 
 
 As the governor of the village refused to let me pro- 
 ceed till he should consult Kumi, I was obliged to re- 
 main till messengers should go nearly twenty miles to 
 Ijaye and return. I attempted to amuse myself shoot- 
 ing birds, but soon grew weary of the sport. Seeing a 
 fine school of large fish in the shallow water of the 
 river, near the village, I made inquiries, and was in- 
 formed that the people worship them as a sort of orisha 
 or idol. They were white scaly fish, with large mouths, 
 something between a mullet and a trout. They were 
 very gentle, and would almost run out of the water to 
 meet the women who fed them. To kill one of these 
 fish, would of course be sacrilege. 
 
 The river at this point is about sixty yards wide, and 
 considerably deeper than a man's head. As usual in 
 Yoruba, the people have no canoes. Things are carried 
 over on large gourds, which contain sufficient air to 
 float three or four hundred pounds. The gourd is di- 
 rected by the ferryman, who swims behind it and pushes 
 it forward with his hands. When a person is to be con- 
 veyed, he and the ferryman sit down up to the neck in 
 the water, with the gourd between them, and embrace 
 it, taking hold of each other's arms with their hands, so 
 that the ferryman may swim and push his gourd and his 
 passenger across together. For this comfortable fer- 
 riage, the traveler pays two hundred cowries, which is 
 ten cents. 
 
 The messengers were not long in returning from Ijaye, 
 
TRAVELS IN YORUBA. 
 
 175 
 
 with orders for the white man to proceed. I laid my 
 clothing on the gonrd to keep them dry, and swam the 
 river in my own way. The land for several miles was 
 level and tolerably fertile, but unoccupied, after which 
 it was broken, rich, and covered with luxuriant crops of 
 Indian corn. We approached Ijaye from the north. I 
 observed that the women whom we met were not afraid 
 of me as in other places, and my attendants told me 
 that some took me for a Puloh, while others contended 
 that I must be a white man. An immense crowd follow- 
 ed me through the streets to Area's house, where many 
 were already assembled. The old chief gave me a 
 hearty reception, and sent nearly half a bushel of eggs 
 after me to my lodgings. All the natives suppose that 
 eggs are the favorite diet of white men. 
 
 The good people of Ijaye were mad with cariosity 
 to see me. In the house they thronged me to suffoca- 
 tion ; they blockaded the streets wherever I went, and 
 if I rode into the farms, they swarmed after me like 
 an army. To preach was to waste words in the air ; 
 they could do nothing but stare and wonder. 
 
 Kumi never once alluded to the manner in which I 
 had been brought to Ijaye, but he sent for me to his 
 house and his garden, again and again, in order to hear 
 the Gospel, and ask questions about its requirements. 
 At last he told me to ride over the town, and select 
 whatever place I chose to build on. There was only 
 one good place vacant within the walls, and of course I 
 selected that. The people who had followed me object- 
 ed strenuously to this selection, declaring that the place 
 was haunted by a malignant spirit called Akalasho, 
 who had uniformly destroyed every man that attempted 
 
176 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 to settle there. Areh himself confirmed this report, and 
 refused to give me the land. I was obliged to select 
 an inferior place, and this he said should be reserved for 
 me till I could go to America for more missionaries and 
 return. My travels had now come to their natural termi- 
 nation. Having no money to build with, in Ijaye, I re- 
 solved to return at once to America and report progress. 
 Leaving most of my luggage with Kumi, to wit, a cou- 
 ple of nearly empty boxes, I took the remainder, and set 
 out for the coast, to seek a passage to some civilized 
 country. It was now June, which is the wettest part 
 of the year, "but I was too impatient to wait for better 
 weather. The road from Ijaye, to Abbeokuta, is little 
 more than two days' journey, but it had now been closed 
 for a long time in consequence of enmity between the 
 two cities. It was said to be so much infested by rob- 
 bers, that I durst not travel it, but as I could not con- 
 ceive how a road, which no one had traveled for years, 
 could be much infested by robbers, I resolved to risk the 
 danger, rather than go twice as far by a frequented 
 route. They finally yielded to my determination, and I 
 hired two men to accompany us to the borders of the 
 Ijaye farms, and put us in the right way. This being 
 Friday, we pushed on in hopes of reaching our destina- 
 tion to-morrow night, or at least in time to attend church 
 on Sunday. Night overtook us in the midst of the prai- 
 ries, and we kindled our camp fire on a flat rock. By four 
 o'clock next morning, we were up and moving. After 
 pushing through the tall wet grass, for two or three 
 miles, we entered a forest, as dark as Egypt, where noth- 
 ing but the density of the bushes could keep us in the 
 narrow path. We groped on, hoping soon to emerge 
 
TRAVELS IN YORUBA. 
 
 177 
 
 into the prairie, and presently found ourselves on the 
 banks of a river eighty yards wide, which was evidently 
 too deep to be forded. Ever and anon, some sportive 
 fish leaped up and fell back with a plash, into the water. 
 " What river is this V } I inquired. None of the party 
 had been here before, but they thought it must be the 
 Ossa, a tributary of the Ogun. When it was day, we 
 discovered a dim path which wound through the forest 
 for some distance, and brought us to the stream at a 
 place where it was less than twenty yards in width. 
 We passed over and pushed on through the forest, for 
 the prairie on the south of the Ossa, but were soon 
 brought to a stand by seeing the broad river once more 
 before us. The width and appearance of the stream indi- 
 cated that it might be fordable, but the fear of the 
 water, and of the crocodiles which might be in it, de- 
 terred my natives from attempting to wade over. Croc- 
 odiles are not apt to infest a stream where it is broad, 
 rapid and shallow. Laying off my clothes, and taking 
 a long staff in my hand, I felt my way across the river, 
 and found the deepest places scarcely four feet. Our 
 course now lay southwest through a fine uninhabited 
 country, full of wild beasts and honey bees. Toward 
 night we arrived at Bi-olorrun-pellu, thoroughly drenched 
 by successive showers. We were still two days' journey 
 from Abbeokuta, at which place we arrived on Tuesday 
 evening, five days after leaving Ijaye. 
 
 The expulsion of Kosokkoh from Lagos, had opened 
 the Ogun to the Egbas, but there was little navigation 
 as yet, because the hostile Ijebus, on the right bank, 
 were in the habit of shooting the people in the canoes. 
 Dangerous as the roads might be, I was obliged to go, 
 8* 
 
178 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 and after some delay, I succeeded in finding two men 
 who agreed to carry me in a little canoe. Hoisting the 
 stars and stripes on a bamboo staff, and laying six load- 
 ed guns at my feet, we pushed off into the rapid cur- 
 rent, and were soon gliding through the hostile district. 
 From time to time, the canoe-men pointed out places 
 on the bank from which the Ijebus had recently fired 
 into canoes. The river was one hundred to one hundred 
 and fifty yards wide, and deep enough for a large steam- 
 boat. The whole country is covered with a heavy 
 forest and almost without inhabitants. If any of our 
 fashionable philanthropists are silly enough to sigh 
 for " a lodge in some vast wilderness," I would recom- 
 mend the banks of some river in Guinea. His position 
 would have at least one advantage — to keep him out of 
 mischief. We slept the first night among some fisher- 
 men on the left bank of the river. Next day we ar- 
 rived at Lagos, where I found several English mer- 
 chants and missionaries. The effects of the recent 
 bombardment were every where visible. After waiting 
 about a month for a passage, I embarked on a Hamburg 
 brig, and made a most disagreeable voyage of one hun- 
 dred and three days to London. Thence I went to Amer- 
 ica, and sailed again for Africa, with two other mis- 
 sionaries, on the 6th of July, 1853. 
 
YORUBA MISSION. 
 
 179 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 BEGINNING OF THE YORUBA MISSION. 
 
 RETURN TO AFRICA — SICKNESS — WAR — DEATH OF MISSIONARIES — STA- 
 TION AT IJAYE ERECTING HOUSES — BAPTISMS — ARRIVAL OF MR. 
 
 CLARK — PREACHING — EXPLORING TOUR — REMOVAL TO OGEOMOSHAW. 
 
 On the 28th of August, 1853, J. S. Dennard, J. H. 
 Lacy, and myself, with our wives, landed at Lagos for 
 the purpose of proceeding to Ijaye in Yoruba. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dennard were both attacked with fever on the 
 same day that we landed, and were confined to their 
 beds for about a w^eek. After their recovery we were 
 still unable to proceed on our journey; for Kosokkoh 
 had assembled his forces to retake Lagos from the Eng- 
 lish, and the lake and river were infested by his canoes, 
 while the land routes were in possession of his adher- 
 ents. Finally, the officers of the British squadron re- 
 solved on a gunboat expedition to drive the enemy from 
 the lake. They were not able to capture any of the 
 armed canoes, but they drove them into the eastern 
 Ossa river, and burnt two or three villages of the dis- 
 affected natives. This we thought was our best time to 
 risk a voyage to Abbeokuta. Should we delay a few 
 days, the armed canoes might return, and the terrified 
 natives in the villages would take courage to murder 
 us, which they would hardly venture to do at present. 
 We engaged three or four canoes to convey ourselves 
 
180 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 and property, and left Lagos about seven o'clock in the 
 morning, not without apprehension of meeting with 
 rough treatment on the lake or at some of the villages 
 on the river. Mr. Dennard and myself thought it law- 
 ful to charge our double-barrelled guns with heavy shot. 
 On arriving at the mouth of Agboyi creek, which we 
 were to enter, we were pleased to see a white flag sus- 
 pended from the branches of a tree. Not far from the 
 village was a strong stockade-fence across the creek, 
 with an opening large enough for canoes, but too small 
 for a gun-boat. The villagers were surly and taciturn, 
 and we were glad to find ourselves safely beyond their 
 borders. By the evening of the second day we had 
 passed the northern boundary of the dreaded Ijebu 
 country, and entered the territory of our friends, the 
 Egbas. Soon after reaching Abbeokuta, the remainder 
 of our party were laid up with African fever. Mr. Lacy's 
 eyes were so much affected that he returned home to 
 avoid total blindness. Mr. Dennard returned to Lagos 
 to begin a station there for tl*e purpose of forwarding 
 supplies to the interior. His wife died of fever early in 
 January, and he then removed to Abbeokuta, where he 
 died in June, 1854. He had obtained land for a station 
 at Abbeokuta, but had not yet commenced building. 
 The station is to be resumed. 
 
 About two months after landing at Lagos, myself and 
 wife proceeded alone and sorrowful to Ijaye, to begin 
 the Yoruba mission. Mr. Mann, of the Church Mission- 
 ary Society, had preceded us by several months. Kumi 
 welcomed me back to Ijaye, and told me that my land 
 and the boxes I had left in his charge, were all safe. I 
 rented two rooms in a native house, to live in till I could 
 
YORUBA MISSION. 
 
 181 
 
 build. They were about seven feet wide, and scarcely 
 six feet high to the ceiling, with very low doors, and no 
 windows. The heat was intolerable, especially to my 
 wife, who was in bad health, and not accustomed to 
 African weather. But there was no remedy, except in 
 building a better house ; and to this work I devoted 
 my sell with so much zeal, that I had little time, and, I 
 confess, but little inclination to preach, for several 
 months. The first labor was to clear the land of bushes 
 and wild sugar-cane, a gigantic and useless sorghum 
 twenty feet high. Some of the chiefs volunteered their 
 people to assist me ; but I found this plan so uncertain 
 and expensive, that I resolved to hire laborers by the 
 day for the future. In clearing the land, we discovered 
 and killed two or three civet-cats. 
 
 The next step was to make mortar for the walls of 
 the house. My laborers were now divided into several 
 parties : 1, men and boys were employed to "dig dirt" 
 to make the mortar ; 2, women and girls to " bring 
 water" in large calabashes or earthen pots; 3, others 
 to " tread mortar f 4, others to "make balls" half as 
 large as one's head of the tempered clay ; 5, others to 
 " carry balls" to the building ; 6, " builders," who made 
 walls of the soft balls by throwing them with force 
 upon the wall already built, and patting the new wall 
 into a proper form; % girls or boys to "handballs" 
 from the ground or scaffold to the builders ; 8, a " wall 
 trimmer," who plumbed the walls, and trimmed them, 
 while yet soft, with a wooden shovel ; 9, " stick cutters," 
 who brought rafters, etc., from the woods; 10, "grass 
 getters," who brought in grass for thatching ; and, 
 finally, " thatchers," who covered the house when fin- 
 
182 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ished. The wall is built in layers, a foot and a half or 
 two feet high, and each layer must dry a day or two in 
 the sun before receiving another, otherwise the house 
 will fall. 
 
 When properly built and well dried, such a wall is 
 very strong, and if neatly plastered, is equal in appear- 
 ance and comfort to any other wall. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that it kept me busy 
 to superintend all parts of the work. But worse than 
 all, there were some things, as plumbing, and occasion- 
 ally trimming, which I was obliged to do with my own 
 hands. In about ten weeks the walls were finished. 
 Then we put on the joists, and a lathing of palm leaves, 
 and made a fire-proof ceiling of earth or mortar. Pre- 
 paring the joists and thatching, required two weeks 
 more ; so that we removed in our house about the first 
 of February, 1854. The floor was made of beaten clay, 
 and neither it nor the clay walls were fully dry, which 
 endangered our lives. 
 
 In June, 1854, I erected a little chapel, twenty by 
 thirty feet, which was large enough for our congrega- 
 tion. In July, I baptized a man, and not long after, 
 a woman. In September our hearts were made glad by 
 the arrival of Wm. H. Clark, as a missionary of our 
 board. Not long after this he baptized a man and a 
 woman, and I baptized another man. We both remained 
 together at Ijaye till the autumn of 1855, when I re- 
 moved to Ogbomoshaw, fifty miles further in the interior, 
 and began another station. A few months previously 
 to this removal, J. M. Harden, a colored man from 
 Liberia, began a station at Lagos ; so that we now had 
 three missionaries and three stations. 
 
YORUBA MISSION. 
 
 183 
 
 Our labors during the year 1855, consisted of building, 
 preaching, and traveling. Mr. Harden erected a com- 
 modious mission house at Lagos. Mr. Clark and myself 
 completed a large one at Ijaye, designed in part for the 
 accommodation of new missionaries till they shall pass 
 through the acclimation fever. 
 
 Our preaching labors were incessant and ardent, so 
 that every corner of Ijaye heard the Gospel. A volume 
 might be filled with interesting incidents connected 
 with these labors. Many times the people heard with 
 such rapt attention, that a stranger would have thought 
 that the whole town was on the point of turning to 
 God. Others opposed, at times, with equal ardor. In 
 one district of the town, the opposition was so violent 
 that I could not make my appearance but they would 
 begin to cry out, ckjpa orisha — " wonderful orisha." One 
 evening, after meeting with two or three such recep- 
 tions, I was moving homeward rather sadly, when a 
 company of men who were sitting under a tree requested 
 me to preach to them. A little further on, the request 
 was repeated by others. People often came to our house 
 on purpose to hear ; others came merely to look at us, 
 and their visits were often annoying, but our duty to 
 Christ and to souls required us to exercise as much 
 patience as possible. Some missionaries refuse to re- 
 ceive promiscuous visitors into their piazzas, but I dare 
 not say that they are guiltless. It is not enough to say 
 that the people may hear the Gospel in the chapel. We 
 are commanded to be " instant in season and out of 
 season," in preaching the word. Conversation is more 
 useful than technical declamation. The friendship 
 gained by social intercourse has a powerful influence 
 
184 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 over the heart of the heathen, and the exclusiveness and 
 crabbedness of missionaries^ excites the ill will of the 
 natives. 
 
 Most of the missionaries in Africa preach in English. 
 In Sierra Leone and Liberia, and at some other places, 
 the native must understand English or live and die 
 without hearing the Gospel, though it is administered 
 regularly in his town. Very few of those who pretend 
 to understand English, can comprehend what is said in 
 the fine classical style of the missionary. Sometimes 
 the preacher is a German, whose accent would puzzle 
 an Englishman, much more an African interpreter. 
 Vast amounts of preaching are thrown away by mis- 
 sionaries. At Cape Coast Castle and other places, a 
 native man interprets from the lips of the English 
 speaking preacher. What the interpreter calls " high 
 English," or " deep English," is often an unknown 
 tongue to him, and of course he can not tell the people 
 what the preacher has said, though he is sure to tell 
 them something. Under the best circumstances, the 
 Gospel is much impaired by passing through the mind 
 and lips of an ignorant interpreter. Even some of the 
 missionaries who speak the native tongue, do it most 
 imperfectly, for they have never intended to undergo 
 the patient and protracted labor which would make 
 them masters of the language. The one great fault of 
 some missionaries is a desire to discharge their duties 
 with the least possible trouble. They can not endure 
 the annoyance of intercourse with the natives; they can 
 not submit to the toil of mastering a barbarous tongue; 
 they can not preach and talk everywhere in addition to 
 the chapel services. 
 
YORUBA MISSION. 
 
 185 
 
 In February, 1855, Mr. Clark visited Ogbomoshaw, a 
 large town fifty miles northeast of Ijaye. He was so 
 cordially received by chiefs and people, that he resolved 
 to make this his field of labor. The propriety of this 
 location depended somewhat on the willingness of Ilor- 
 rin to allow us an open road to the interior. We still 
 felt that Central Africa was our destination, and if we 
 could not be allowed to protract our line of stations 
 through Ilorrin, it would be proper to neglect Ogbomo- 
 shaw for the present, and locate ourselves in Ishakki. 
 To ascertain the feelings of Ilorrin toward the missiona- 
 ries, I made a visit to that town in April, 1855. The 
 king promised to give us land for a station, and w r e 
 hoped rather than believed that he would keep his pro- 
 mise. In July of the same year, Mr. Clark departed on 
 a long tour to Ishakki, Igboho and Ilorrin, to ascertain 
 the prospect of extension and usefulness in that direc- 
 tion. His reception was very encouraging, and he re- 
 turned, believing that the whole country occupied by 
 the heathen, was now open to missionaries. 
 
 Not long after Mr. Clark's return from this tour, I 
 left Ijaye with my wife and household affairs, to settle 
 in Ogbomoshaw, or if possible, in Ilorrin. None of my 
 journeys in Africa had heretofore been so full of vexa- 
 tions as this. The hammock-bearers who carried my 
 wife, were so badly trained, and withal so careless, 
 that she was in constant jeopardy of a dangerous fall. 
 The luggage bearers, of whom there were about thirty, 
 were more quarrelsome and untractable than any I had 
 met with since I left the Golah bush in 1850. And to 
 crown all, it was the rainy season, and both of us were 
 in bad health. 
 
186 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Our first (lay's journey was scarcely a dozen miles. 
 Next day we trudged on through muddy forests and 
 prairies to the river Obba, which was now swollen by 
 the rains, and eight or ten feet in depth. I persuaded 
 the superintendent of the ferrymen to give us an early 
 passage across the stream next morning, but when the 
 time arrived, he refused to carry Mrs. Bowen and the 
 luggage over unless I would pay exorbitant ferriage. 
 I soon discovered that all these troubles were fomented 
 by several Guinea men, whom he had unfortunately em- 
 ployed as carriers, but it was not possible to dismiss 
 them here in the bush and to engage others. 
 
 It was nearly ten o'clock before we were ready to 
 commence crossing the river, and the crossing itself 
 was a far more serious matter than all the obstinacy 
 of the natives. My wife was obliged to float across by 
 means of a large calabash, as described in a previous 
 chapter.* She waded into the water to the depth of 
 three or four feet, and embraced the huge buoyant 
 gourd in her arms. The ferryman, standing on the oppo- 
 site side of the gourd, embraced it also, taking hold of 
 her arms above the elbow, and in this manner she was 
 propelled across the stream up to the neck in water. 
 To encourage her, and to render assistance if needed, I 
 swam close behind the ferryman, and was truly glad to 
 see that her countenance indicated no apprehension of 
 danger. Her servant was floated across by another 
 ferryman, and she was soon redressed and ready to 
 pursue the journey. 
 
 Our luggage had been brought over in good condition 
 
 Page 174. 
 
YORUBA MISSION. 187 
 
 on the calabashes, but the carriers were still on the 
 other side. They now informed me that they would go 
 no further, unless I would increase their wages. I told 
 them that I had paid them enough already, that no one 
 had ever treated me so meanly before in Yoruba, and 
 that I would not give a single cowry more to such mean 
 fellows. "Then we shall return home," they replied. 
 " Go and welcome/ 7 I answered, " and I shall leave your 
 loads here on the bank of the river." So saying, I set 
 my wife on the horse, and departed, walking before her, 
 regardless of mud and water. Two or three hours after, 
 when Mrs. Bowen and myself were both much fatigued, 
 the rogues came up with us bringing all the loads and 
 the hammock as cheerfully as if nothing had been amiss. 
 If they had not come, we should have been obliged 
 to sit by a fire all night, and I found that the journey, 
 still two days to Ogbomoshaw, would have been more 
 than Mrs. Bowen could well accomplish. I have left 
 my carriers before, when alone, but will never attempt 
 it again when traveling with my wife. I had no thought, 
 in fact, that riding on horse-back would have given her 
 so much fatigue. After all our difficulties, we arrived 
 safely at our destination, on the fourth day after leaving 
 Ijaye. Every body condemned the bad conduct of the 
 carriers, who now appeared to be heartily ashamed. 
 
 After renting a house and making all possible arrange- 
 ments for the comfort of Mrs. Bowen, I visited Ilorrin, 
 to make a second and decisive effort to settle in that 
 Mahometan town as a missionary. 
 
188 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 VISITS TO ILORRIN IN 1 8 5 5. 
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ILORRIN — OPPOSITION — THE COUNTRY — A VILLAGE 
 PRIEST — RECEPTION AT ILORRIN — CONFERENCES — ARABS — LARGE 
 TOWNS — DAS ABA THE CRUEL — PAST EVENTS AT ILORRIN — THE PU- 
 LOHS — MEN WITH TAILS — A SECOND VISIT TO ILORRIN — NEW MIS- 
 SIONARIES — DISTANCES FROM LAGOS. 
 
 Ilorrin, (written Alori in Arabic,) is the town which 
 Lander mentions, under the name of Alorie. Its inhabi- 
 tants, consisting of Pulohs, Hausas, Kanikes and Yoru- 
 bas, are mostly bigoted Mahometans. The Pulohs 
 are the ruling people, the king himself being of that 
 tribe, and the Yorubas are the most numerous. For 
 several years past, the missionaries have frequently 
 met with Ilorrin traders at Abbeokuta, Ijaye and other 
 places, and the stories which they told of the extent 
 and civilization of their town, excited our desires to 
 visit them. When I proposed to go there in 1852, they 
 affirmed that no Christian could be permitted to enter 
 the town. If I should attempt to go, the king would 
 send messengers to meet me and compel me to return. 
 This story and others like it, and even worse, were re- 
 peated by the Ilorrin people who came to Ijaye in 1853 
 and '54. The road moreover, was infested with robbers, 
 and was often dangerous. Some of the people, how- 
 ever encouraged me to go, and affirmed that a large 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 189 
 
 minority of the citizens of Ilorrin were heathens, who 
 would be glad to hear the Gospel. 
 
 AVhen I resolved to visit Ilorrin in 1855, I asked 
 Kumi to send an official messenger with me that I might 
 have the protection of Ijaye, but he considered it a deli- 
 cate matter, and dissuaded me from going. According 
 to custom, I ought to have sent to the king for per- 
 mission to visit him, which would have placed me under 
 his protection ; but I felt certain that he would not 
 suffer me to come, and I entertained some little hope 
 that if I should approach him boldly and unreservedly 
 as the messenger of Christ, he might agree to let me 
 live in Ilorrin and preach the Gospel. For the sake of 
 making the least imposing appearance possible, I se- 
 lected two little boys as my only attendants. I believe 
 that almost every body in Ijaye disapproved of my go- 
 ing. The Mahometans were vexed, and the heathens 
 freely expressed their fears, that the bad people of Ilor- 
 rin would murder me. 
 
 At that time, the caravans were guarded from one 
 town to another, by soldiers who were sent by the 
 chiefs to protect the traders from robbers. A great 
 company were going from Ijaye to Ogbomoshaw, and I 
 fell in among them without ceremony, as if I had been a 
 native. After traveling several miles through farms, 
 we reached a forest country which extended twenty 
 miles or more to the Obba river. We encamped at 
 Oddeh, a farm village, the Mahometans apart from the 
 heathens, and myself on the outskirts of the latter. It 
 is not often that the natives are rude or insulting in 
 their behavior, but the Ilorrin Mahometans on this oc- 
 
190 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 casion, appeared to cast off all restraint. Some declared 
 that the king would order me back before I reached 
 Ilorrin ; others, that no one would give or sell me any 
 thing to eat ; others, that my boys should be taken and 
 sold for slaves, and others, that I should be killed. The 
 heathens took my part, but urged me to return home. 
 Next night we slept at the Obba river, where there are 
 three high mountains rising abruptly from the plain. 
 The Mahometans renewed their opposition. On the fol- 
 lowing day we passed through a beautiful prairie coun- 
 try, and arrived at Ogbomoshaw. The Mahometans 
 renewed their threats and insults, and the heathens 
 begged me to go no further. 
 
 During the two or three days which we remained at 
 Ogbomoshaw, I traveled over the town, and preached 
 to the people. Some approved and others contradicted. 
 When the caravan assembled at the gates they appeared 
 to be three thousand strong. I was surprised to find 
 my old persecutors so mild and courteous. As I turned 
 away from a party with whom I had been conversing, one 
 of them observed, " That man knows very well what he 
 is doing." An old market woman, who sat near the 
 gate, said to me, " Don't be afraid of these Ilorrin people. 
 They came here once to fight with us, and if it had not 
 been for God our Lord, they would have destroyed us; 
 but we drove them away. Go on, and don't be afraid." 
 We encamped that night on the Obba, five or six miles 
 from town. The country next day was prairie, rather 
 thickly covered with low crooked trees. About twenty 
 miles from Ogbomoshaw, we crossed the first stream 
 which flows to the Niger. Several plants which are 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 191 
 
 common nearer the coast, were no longer seen, and I 
 now began to meet with plants and birds which I had 
 not seen before in Africa. 
 
 About sunset I stopped at one of the numerous vil- 
 lages which lie around Ilorrin. The venerable old Ma- 
 hometan priest, or religious teacher of the village, came 
 to see me, with a present of eggs. After he retired, 
 some of the villagers told me that he was accustomed to 
 say, " It is not the Mahometan or the heathen who will 
 be saved, but the man who serves God in his heart." I 
 was not prepared to hear such a doctrine in a suburban 
 village of Ilorrin. The people listened to the Gospel at- 
 tentively, and raised no objections. 
 
 On arriving at Ilorrin next morning, I rode through 
 the first and second gates without ceremony, and alight- 
 ed under a tree. " Why did he come in?" exclaimed 
 one of the gate keepers. " Stop there ; put his loads 
 down outside." The carriers put clown my loads as di- 
 rected, and I waited a short time to see what would 
 follow. After a little, I walked good-naturedly into 
 the gate house, and asked for water, which was brought 
 by a timid girl. " Why didn't you send a messenger, 
 to let the king know you were coming ? n inquired the 
 old captain of the gate. " Because I am a messenger 
 myself," I replied. . A little conversation put him in a 
 better humor, and he sent men to inform the king of my 
 arrival. 
 
 In about two hours orders came from the king to let 
 me enter the town. A noisy crowd of people ran before 
 and followed after us. I was first conducted to the 
 house of Dangarri, the prime minister, and then, after 
 some consultation, I was delivered to Nasamu, the exe- 
 
192 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 cutioner, who carried rne to his house, and informed me 
 that I must not go out into the street. For several days 
 I could not walk across the yard, but he or one of his 
 men would be at my heels. All this w T asvery annoying, 
 but I resolved to keep quiet and cheerful, as if I were 
 not aware of the fact that I was virtually a prisoner. 
 Nasamu, though always armed with a mace, or heavy 
 iron club, with which he had executed more than two 
 hundred men, was rather a pleasant man, and decidedly 
 polite and easy in his manners. 
 
 Many people came to look at me, and I often improved 
 such opportunities by preaching. Nasamu and his wife, 
 and one of his men, named Mama, paid so much atten- 
 tion that they were evidently impressed. I fancied that 
 Nasamu was rather uneasy as to the result of my visit, 
 and I overheard some of the king's wives saying, 
 " May God give the king patience that he may let the 
 white man out." One day, when no one was in the 
 piazza, except Nasuma's wife and myself, she informed 
 me that the king and nobles, and chief alufas (doctors 
 and scribes,) were holding councils every night, with 
 their Korans spread out before them, to determine what 
 they should do with the white man. I made no inquiries 
 as to what any of them had proposed, but it required 
 several sleepless hours at night to bring myself into a 
 state of mind which could agree to submit quietly to 
 indignity or violence. 
 
 One forenoon Nasamu announced that the king was 
 riding by, and wanted to see me in the street. He was 
 attended by several armed men, some of whom were on 
 horseback. Nasamu and those with him, prostrated 
 themselves before the king, and directed me to do the 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 193 
 
 same. I raised my hat and bowed three times, and they 
 let it pass. 
 
 A day or two after this, the king sent for me, to at- 
 tend a public audience. He was seated behind a screen 
 or curtain, with two or three hundred nobles, alufas and 
 principal men in front, on his left hand. They were sit- 
 ting on the bare pavement, with their shoes off, but 
 their heads were covered with caps and turbans. I 
 was directed to sit directly in front of the king at a 
 distance of about thirty feet. Several interpreters and 
 attendants took their seats between me and the king, a 
 little to his right. He began the conference with many 
 and oft-repeated salutations in the Yoruba language, and 
 then proceeded to interrogate me in the Hausa language, 
 which the interpreters translated. The object of this 
 may have been to give all, both Hausas and Yorubas, an 
 opportunity of hearing all that was said. He asked my 
 name and age, the name of my mother, whether I were 
 an Englishman, the name of our king, whether I were 
 a Mussulman, (Mahometan) and what was my object in 
 coming to Ilorrin. I answered each question as it was 
 propounded, and they gave me ample time to express 
 myself fully. When I replied, " God is our king," I felt 
 as no man can feel who acknowledges an earthly mon- 
 arch. King Suta appeared to be impressed by the de- 
 claration, for he answered, " God is enough." When I 
 said that I was not a Mahometan, they inquired whether 
 I knew Mahomet ? I told them yes, I had two Korans. 
 H Do you serve Moses ? " they continued. " No ; Moses 
 wrote the truth, but he was my fellow-servant, not my 
 master. We deny allegiance to all creatures, even to 
 
194 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 angels." Glances and smiles of approbation told that 
 this speech had produced the intended effect. At last, 
 when they demanded my object in coming to Ilorrin, I 
 was just in a frame of mind to speak freely of salvation 
 through Christ. They listened attentively, and offered 
 no objections. When I had finished, the king told me 
 'to return with Nasamu, and we left them to discuss my 
 proposition to come and live in Ilorrin. 
 
 I was informed that the king and most of the nobles 
 were much pleased with our interview. On the following 
 day I went out to the river Assa, which flows not far 
 from the southern wall, and found it to be about forty 
 yards in width. It is not navigable to the Niger, owing 
 to a ledge of gneiss rocks, some distance below Ilorrin. 
 
 A few days after my first audience, the king sent for 
 me to have a private interview, and requested me to 
 bring the dinjila, or New Testament. This time he raised 
 the curtain, and had me to sit near to him. Only one 
 man was present. The king examined the Bible which 
 I had brought, and requested me to read to him. I read 
 and translated Luke's account of the conception. We 
 then had the following conversation : 
 
 " Why do you wish to live in Ilorrin l" 
 
 " To preach the Gospel." 
 
 " What do you say when you preach V 9 
 
 I gave him a brief, distinct outline of the Christian 
 religion. 
 
 " We are Mahometans here." 
 
 " I know you are Mahometans, and that is the reason 
 I want to live among you, and teach you the whole word 
 of God." 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 195 
 
 " I am very much afraid that your religion will spoil 
 ours." 
 
 " God commands all men, high and low, to repent and 
 believe the Gospel." 
 
 " If any man should believe here in Ilorrin, what would 
 he do?" 
 
 " If any one should believe, I would baptize him in the 
 river Assa, and thenceforth, if he were really a believer, 
 he would lead a new and holy life." 
 
 Hereupon he fixed his eyes on the ground for some 
 time, as if in deep meditation, and muttered to himself 
 in Hausa (which he supposed I would not understand), 
 " There are Mussulmen, there are heathens, there are 
 Christians." (Nasara.) But he evaded an answer to the 
 question, whether I should be permitted to live in Ilor- 
 rin. To me it seemed morally impossible that a strenu- 
 ous and bigoted Mahometan people would permit me 
 to live among them avowedly to convert them to 
 Christianity. 
 
 Nasamu now informed me that the king was greatly 
 pleased with me — that he called me a very wise man- 
 that he would give me a horse now, and a house in Fada 
 when I should return. Fada is the aristocratic quarter 
 round about the king. 
 
 My reply to him was, " Nasamu, you know I told 
 the king that I did not want money, or horses, or 
 slaves, or ivory — only to preach the Gospel. When I 
 come, I shall want to live in some retired place, that I 
 may preach to the poor as well as to the rich. I can 
 not live in Fada. You must let me be a poor man in 
 Ilorrin." I said this with great earnestness ; because I 
 felt it, and because I was determined, at all hazards, 
 
196 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 not to involve myself in any political relation or favorit- 
 ism. There is nothing which I regard with more su- 
 preme contempt than the desire of the Catholics and 
 some others, to court the favor of princes. This method 
 of conducting missions has never converted a nation to 
 Christ, and never will. 
 
 There were several Moors and Arabs at Ilorrin, and 
 some of the latter were as fair skinned as myself ; in fact 
 I suspected one as being, as his countenance indicated, 
 neither more nor less than an American, but I afterwards 
 supposed myself to be mistaken. One of the Moors, 
 who professed to have been at Kasandria and Stamboul 
 (Alexandria and Constantinople), treated me with great 
 friendship, and appeared to be much interested in my 
 case. On one occasion, he 'said to all present, pointing 
 to me, " These people are the masters of the world." He 
 told me that he had seen the ships of my country in the 
 Mediterranean. While I was shut up in Nasamu's house, 
 he came to see me almost daily, and sometimes sent his 
 wife and little daughters. One of the girls, who ap- 
 peared to be about twelve years of age, was a bright- 
 eyed brunette, of surpassing beauty, and modest to 
 excess. My friend had great doubts whether the people 
 of Ilorrin would receive me, but, said he, u If they reject 
 you here, you can go to Iseh, six days' journey to the 
 east, which is nearly as large a town as this, and more 
 civilized. They will receive you." When called before 
 the king, this Moor and the Yankee Arab were both 
 present. The latter appeared to be in great favor, as 
 he was sitting on the king's right hand, behind the cur- 
 tain. He was said to be a sherif, or lineal descendant 
 of the prophet. 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 197 
 
 I took occasion to ask Nasamu and others whether 
 they knew anything of a town called Iseh, and they in- 
 formed me that it was a very large town on the river 
 Kanpe, six days eastward from Ilorrin. Somewhere in 
 that region the people dig copper from the ground. Six 
 days' journey beyond the Kanpe, is the largest town in 
 Africa, which bears the name of Aw-waw. Ilorrin, 
 Ilesha, Ibadan and Abbeokuta are towns of the second 
 class compared with Aw-waw; and Ijaye, Ogbomoshaw, 
 Offa, Sokoto and Kano of the third class. 
 
 Lander mentions the civil wars in Nufe, which he calls 
 Nylfe. It appears that the rupture has never been 
 healed. Three or four years ago one of the rival kings, 
 called Dasaba the Cruel, attempted to form a confedera- 
 tion for the destruction of Horrin. . In the meantime he 
 was growing more and more obnoxious to his own sub- 
 jects, and, at last, in the year 1852, the citizens of his 
 capital, Hade, on the Niger, revolted, and drove him 
 from the throne. Hade was burned in the conflict, but 
 he was not able to suppress the insurrection. The 
 emperor at Sokoto, finding that Dasaba's power was 
 fairly broken, ordered him to repair to Ilorrin, and reside 
 there as a private citizen. One morning, king Suta sent 
 me word that Dasaba had arrived, and that I must come 
 and see him do homage. We found an immense crowd 
 assembled in and around the court, and a strong body 
 of horsemen drawn up in the public square. The king 
 motioned for me to approach, and caused me to sit 
 about six feet in front of him, on his left hand. Pres- 
 ently Dasaba and his retinue made their appearance. I 
 have never seen a handsomer man, or one so superbly 
 majestic in his bearing. He advanced with a slow and 
 
198 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 firm step, and prostrated himself at Suta's feet, with an 
 air that said more plainly than words could express, " I 
 am not conquered." It required no prophet to foretell 
 that he will stir up another war, if possible. 
 
 llorrin once belonged to the Yoruba kingdom. About 
 fifty years ago, the Imalle or Yoruba Mahometans con- 
 spired with the Hausas and Pulohs to subdue the heath- 
 en and erect a Mahometan nation. For some years 
 they were uniformly successful, owing to the Puloh and 
 Hausa cavalry. Aw-yaw,* the capital of Yoruba, and 
 many other cities were destroyed ; and the Pulohs 
 boasted that they would not cease till they had subdued 
 all the country to the sea. While this was going on, 
 so many refugees, outlaws and desperadoes, assembled 
 at Ibadan, on the borders ©f the forest country, that it 
 grew from a small town to a large city, which felt itself 
 able to oppose the progress of the Pulohs. A bloody 
 battle between the armies of Ibadan and llorrin resulted 
 in the signal defeat of the latter, and put an end to their 
 conquests. Since that time they have been content to 
 maintain their independence. A Puloh man, named Ab- 
 salom, f who was a relative of Bello of Sokoto, and of 
 Dendo of Raba, became their king, and was succeeded 
 by the present king Suta, whom the Yorubas call Sheeta. 
 
 The people of llorrin are a mixture of Yorubas, 
 Pulohs or Fellatahs, Hausas or Gambarees, Kanikes or 
 Bornuese, and Nufes or Tapas. Most of the people of 
 all tribes speak the Yoruba language. Nasamu, him. 
 
 * This town was known to us as Eyeo, or Katanga. Tho Hio 
 country of old authors, is Yoruba. 
 f Such names as David, Mary, &c, are common in Sudan. 
 
VISIT TO ILOKRIN, 
 
 199 
 
 self a Kanike, informed me that Burnu, (which means 
 Noah's ark or ship)* is not the name of a country, but 
 of a single town in the Kanike kingdom. He affirms 
 that the Kanikes are descended from the people of Bar- 
 ba, (Lander's Borgoo,) on the west of the Niger. The 
 Hausas or Gambaree tribe, are probably the mixed de- 
 scendants of the Kambri or Cumbrie people, who live 
 along the Niger above Busa. The Nufes are allied by 
 their language to the Yorubas, but they are more civil- 
 ized, and have superior skill in the arts. They are said 
 to be the only people in Sudan who still retain the art 
 of manufacturing glass. At present this art is confined 
 to three towns, one of which is west of the Niger, about 
 two days' journey from llorrin.- From anecdotes which 
 I heard of king Moses, and of Mallam Shaiki, "the 
 Lion King," I infer that the people of Yakobu or Jacobu, 
 east of Nufe, are far from being barbarians. 
 
 But the Pulohs, (called also Fulahs, Fellahs, Fella- 
 tahs and Fullanies,) who are the rulers at Ilorrin, are 
 by far the most interesting people in Central Africa. 
 According to their own account, their ancestors were 
 white, and they still call themselves white men. I have 
 already expressed a conjecture that they may be the 
 Psylli or Psulloi of ancient history. Jato, my Puloh 
 teacher at Abbeokuta, informed me that the original 
 country of his people was Pelli, which lay in some un- 
 known region of the coast. Some of the tribe relate a 
 tradition that their people once lived about Massina 
 near Timbuctu, whence they dispersed by four emigra- 
 
 * This town is said to have been built on the spot where the Burnu, 
 or ship of Noah, landed after the flood. 
 
200 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 tions to the Senegal, to the Susa country, which they 
 subdued and called Futa,* to Barba and other countries 
 west of the Niger, and to Hausa, where they have 
 founded a great empire which extends to Ilorrin. Their 
 language is not African; it is not Shemitic. In Africa 
 they are called red people. Some of them are black, 
 others mulatto colored, and others almost white. The 
 women plait the hair on each side and tie it under the 
 chin. They have the same cast of countenance as white 
 women, and some of them are decidedly handsome, like 
 the mulatto Creoles in New Orleans. I noticed one who 
 would have passed for a sharp-nosed woman in any 
 country. Some of the old men have projecting noses 
 and chins, and reminded me of old Scotsmen. Some- 
 where in the east, but how far I could not ascertain, 
 there is a tribe of red men called Alabawaw or hide 
 wearers, who are said to speak the Puloh language, 
 though they do not appear to be politically connected 
 with the Pulohs of Sokoto or Kano. They live in vil- 
 lages, and like other Pulohs have many cattle. Their 
 religion is Mahometanism. There are other tribes of 
 red men who are heathens, but their language is not 
 Puloh. The Azbens, who live on the southern borders 
 of the desert, were declared to be entirely white like 
 myself. This was the only white tribe known to the 
 people of Hausa and Kanike. 
 
 None of my negro and Puloh friends had been very 
 great travelers, excepting now and then a man or a 
 woman who had been a slave in Fezzaw 7 n, as they called 
 
 * This name has long ago been referred to Phut, the grandson of 
 Noah, from whom it is thought by some that the Fulahs are descended. 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 201 
 
 it, or Kasandria. Nasamu and others with whom I con- 
 versed the most had no personal knowledge of any 
 country beyond Yakobu, Mandara, Kanike, and the De- 
 sert. But the Moors and Arabs, who had been every 
 where, had told them wonderful stories of still other 
 countries and tribes far off in the east. Somewhere on 
 the other side of Yakobu is a tribe of people called 
 Alakere, none of whom are more than three feet in 
 height. The chiefs are a little taller than the common 
 people. The Alakere are very ingenious people, espe- 
 cially in working iron, and they are so industrious that 
 their towns are surrounded by iron walls. Beyond these 
 are a tribe called Alabiru, who have inflexible tails 
 about six inches in length. As the stiffness of their 
 tails prevents the Alabiru from sitting flat on the ground, 
 every man carries a sharp pointed stick, with which he 
 drills a hole in the earth to receive his tail while sitting. 
 They are industrious manufacturers of iron bars, which 
 they sell to surrounding tribes. All the fine swords in 
 Sudan are made of this iron. The next tribe in order 
 are the Alabiwo, who have a small goat-like horn pro- 
 jecting from the middle of their forehead. For all that, 
 they are a nice kind of black people and quite intelli- 
 gent. A woman of this tribe is now in slavery at Offa, 
 near Ilorrin. She always wears a handkerchief around 
 her head because she is ashamed of her horn. There 
 are other people in this "Doko" region who have four 
 eyes, and others who live entirely in subterranean gal- 
 leries. These wonders were affirmed by natives and 
 Arabs. If the " German surgeon in the French service 
 in Africa," had heard all this, he would doubtless have 
 reported that he had found men at Ilorrin with two ex- 
 9* 
 
202 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 tra vertebrae instead of one. But the most singular lusus 
 naturce- of which I have yet heard was the "French 
 savan," who fell amoug the Arabs and heard such vivid 
 descriptions of tailed men, that he went home and re- 
 ported that he had actually seen one. No savan as yet, 
 I believe, has published a scientific description of the 
 roc's egg. After all, if there are white men in France 
 with long ears like asses, why should there not be ne- 
 groes in Africa with short tails like baboons ? 
 
 On the day that I left Ilorrin, the king sent for me to 
 visit him at his private house. Dangarri now informed 
 me that I should have land to build on, " your own 
 house, your servant's house, and the house of GodP With 
 this assurance, I was dismissed to go home and make 
 preparation for removing to Ilorrin after the close of 
 the rains, or in about six months. Nasarnu and several 
 others accompanied me to the gate, and I bade farewell 
 to Ilorrin surprised and pleased, yet doubting as to the 
 final result. 
 
 On leaving Ijaye in the fall of 1855, as previously 
 stated, I left my wife at Ogbomoshaw and went to Ilor- 
 rin on a second visit. I soon discovered that some- 
 thing was wrong. Nasamu had various complaints to 
 make against other white men who had been there since 
 my visit; that they had come with a large retinue of 
 servants; that they were stern and unsocial, etc., and I 
 received intimations that the balogun, who was absent 
 at the time of my visit, was hardly willing for white 
 men to live in Ilorrin. Some of my old friends were not 
 quite so cordial as before, but others, including one 
 respectable Puloh man, declared themselves the friends 
 of the Gospel. When called before the king, they re- 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 203 
 
 quested me to repeat the doctrine of the Gospel, to 
 which they listened in silence. The king then informed 
 me that I might live in Ilorrin, provided I would not 
 preach, to which I replied it was impossible. "But," 
 said I, "let me come and preach to the heathen." 
 " What if some of the Mussulmen should believe?" he 
 inquired. I replied that no man can govern the heart 
 of another. "It won't do," said he; and here the con- 
 ference ended. Every body appeared solemn, not to say 
 affected. 
 
 A few days after, when about to leave, the king sent 
 for me again. After salutation and a little conversa- 
 tion, he asked me to preach. As I began to speak I 
 heard a noise of footsteps, and the court, before empty, 
 was soon filled by two or three hundred people who en- 
 tered, I do not know where or how. When they were 
 seated I proceeded to preach with all my power. On 
 my telling the king that my desire to live there was for 
 his salvation and the salvation of his people, some young 
 men in the outskirts of the congregation began to laugh, 
 but hearing no response they were soon silent. The 
 whole assembly was deeply serious. As the discourse 
 proceeded one man leaned further and further forward 
 till his head almost touched the ground. No one spoke 
 till I had finished. The king then said, " We do not re- 
 ject God, but we are Mussulmen." He told me further, 
 to go and build a house in Ogbomoshaw and come oc- 
 casionally to see him. We parted in friendship and 
 evidently with mutual sorrow. I was not much disap- 
 pointed, for I had always feared that the Mahometans 
 would not receive us as missionaries. If such a course 
 had been possible, I would have entered the town quiet- 
 
204 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ly, and have tried to preach without attracting public 
 attention. But my color and the customs of the coun- 
 try compelled me to appear before the king, and he as 
 a Mahometan prince could not do otherwise than reject 
 my proposition to convert his people. Perhaps if we 
 had gone as traders we might have got a foothold in 
 the city. 
 
 On my return to Ogbomoshaw, the chief gave me a 
 beautiful building site near the northern wall, about two 
 hundred yards from the gate to the Ilorrin road. By 
 the end of three months I had completed a comfortable 
 cottage of three rooms, a servants' house, kitchen, etc. 
 and surrounded the whole with a wall five feet high, in- 
 closing a space about forty yards square. 
 
 At Ogbomoshaw, as elsewhere, the Gospel immedi- 
 ately began to make a good impression. Many listened 
 with attention and interest ; a few professed to have 
 abandoned idolatry, though their sincerity may be 
 doubtful ; and one man, not a resident of the place, 
 openly renounced Mahomet. When about to leave and 
 return home, he came to ask me how he should pray, 
 now, since his change of opinion. 
 
 In February, 1855, our mission was reinforced by the 
 arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips from Georgia, and Mr. 
 Beaumont from Alabama. Mr. Phillips remained at 
 Ijaye, where his wife soon fell a victim to the fever of 
 the country. Mr. Beaumont came up to Ogbomoshaw. 
 The mission has since been strengthened by the addi- 
 tion of Messrs. Trimble, Priest and Cason, and their 
 wives. Our whole force now consists of eight men, 
 five of whom are married. The first station is at Lagos, 
 on the sea coast, in charge of Mr. Harden, a colored 
 
VISITS TO ILORRIN. 
 
 205 
 
 man from Liberia ; and the most interior station is at 
 Ogbomoshaw, which stands at a point where the fauna 
 and flora of Guinea begin to give place to those of 
 Sudan. The distance from Lagos to Abbeokuta by the 
 river Ogun is about ninety miles ; thence by the road 
 to Ijaye, sixty miles ; thence to Ogbomoshaw fifty miles ; 
 thence to Ilorrin twenty-eight miles ; and thence to Hade 
 on the Niger about fifty miles : so that in going from 
 Lagos to Ijaye we travel one hundred and fifty miles, to 
 Ogbomoshaw two hundred miles, to Ilorrin two hundred 
 and thirty miles, and to the Niger two hundred and 
 eighty miles. By a direct road the whole distance 
 would be less than two hundred and fifty miles. 
 
206 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A JOURNEY FROM YORUBA TO SIERRA LEONE, IN 185G. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM OGBOMOSHAW — HEATHEN NOTIONS OF PROVIDENCE — A 
 CANOE VOYAGE IMPROVEMENTS AT LAGOS — MONROVIA — SIERRA LE- 
 ONE — BAPTIST CHURCHES THERE — MISSIONARIES NEEDED — A SCHOOL 
 OF NATIVE BOYS — SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 In the spring of 1856, various circumstances required 
 my return to America. When we left Ogbomoshaw, a 
 crowd of people followed us some distance on the road, 
 expressing many wishes for our safety during the jour- 
 ney. Our carriers on this occasion were everything that 
 we could desire. One evening, in the wide, uninhabited 
 country between Ijaye and Abbeokuta, we were over- 
 taken by a tornado, or thunder-cloud with wind, which 
 gave me an opportunity of ascertaining the feelings of 
 the heathen natives in regard to the providence of God. 
 While the black clouds were advancing from the horizon, 
 the hammock-bearers frequently exclaimed, u May God 
 not let it rain ! n One said, " God is king." Finally, 
 in a part of the prairie which was rather more than 
 usually wooded, it began to rain, and the carriers then 
 prayed, "May God not let it be much I" A few minutes 
 after, a gust of wind and rain came full in our faces, 
 and the people, looking up at the bending trees, ex- 
 claimed, " May God spare our lives V 7 and one of them 
 added Olorrun aku, 11 Salutation to God," a phrase which 
 
JOURNEY TO SIERRA LEONE. 
 
 207 
 
 is incapable of translation into English, but which im- 
 plied profound respect and submission on the part of 
 the speaker. On such occasions as this, when there 
 appears to be danger, the people forget their orisha 
 (idols,) and call on Olorrun (God). The rain was soon 
 over. On reaching the water we kindled large fires 
 and passed a comfortable night. 
 
 The following night was spent in a village about 
 twelve miles north of Abbeokuta. A bachelor resigned 
 his house to myself and wife, and the carriers slept in 
 the piazza and yard. After we had lain down, some one 
 raised the alarm of ejo! ejo ! "a snake ! a snake I" The 
 serpent was killed, and the people resumed their pal- 
 lets. Soon after I heard a man, lying in the piazza, appar- 
 ently talking to himself and saying, " It is God delivers 
 men ! That snake came into the yard and bit nobody ! " 
 Then after a pause of a minute or two, he resumed, 
 "All mankind are in, pit ; it is God delivers them." Poor 
 man ! how ardently and affectionately I then wished 
 that he could know more of that God, of whose power 
 and goodness he appeared to have so clear a concep- 
 tion. 
 
 We descended from Abbeokuta to Lagos in a canoe. 
 The river was so low that we were often aground on 
 sandbars, and it took us four days to make the journey, 
 but the novelty of the scenery compensated in some 
 measure for the tediousness of the voyage. We arrived 
 at the lake just after dark, and the wind was so high 
 that we were obliged to lie in the mouth of the creek 
 amid swarms of musketoes. One of our canoe men, a 
 new hand, was alarmed at the roaring of the wind and 
 waves, and declared that he could not proceed to Lagos, 
 
208 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 or if he did he would never go out into the roads to 
 look at the large ships. " If Ossa is doing this/ 7 he ex- 
 claimed, " what is the ocean itself doing V 
 
 The mangrove swamp around the mouth of the creek 
 was now covered with tide-water. As a troop of mon- 
 keys were leaping from tree to tree, probably on their 
 way to a convenient sleeping place, one of them leaped 
 upon a dead branch, which came down with a plash into 
 the water. Hereupon the whole troop of monkeys set 
 up a vociferous screeching and grunting, as if fully 
 aware of the uncomfortable condition of their com- 
 panion. He doubtless regained his position, for after 
 some time the cries of the monkeys subsided as if they 
 w T ere satisfied. 
 
 Toward midnight the wind subsided, and the lake 
 was soon so calm that we pursued our journey, and 
 arrived at Lagos before day-break. This was about the 
 first of May. I had not been here before since Octo- 
 ber, 1853, to see the improvements which had taken 
 place in the town. The merchants, missionaries and 
 wealthier natives had erected about a hundred houses 
 (as I was told) in European style, a number of which 
 were good buildings which cost several thousand dol- 
 lars. About a dozen vessels were lying in the roads, 
 and I was informed that if steam lighters were sent 
 out to ship the palm oil, they could receive one dollar 
 per hogshead for two hundred hogsheads a day. Still, 
 the traffic of this place is only in its infancy. If roads 
 were opened to Ibadan, Ijaye and other places, the 
 quantity of oil might be greatly increased from these 
 quarters. 
 
 For the last four years, Western Africa has enjoyed 
 
JOURNEY TO SIERRA LEONE. 
 
 209 
 
 the advantages of a monthly mail steamer from England. 
 During this period there has been a great increase of 
 traffic and of passengers. The steamer in which we 
 took passage from Lagos to Sierra Leone was uncom- 
 fortably crowded. I was pleased to see that several 
 American houses have been established on this part of 
 the coast since 1850, when not one existed. 
 
 During the few hours which the steamer stopped at 
 Monrovia, I went ashore and looked over the town. The 
 place is evidently growing in prosperity. But nothing 
 pleased me so much as the renewed and special efforts 
 which our missionaries are making for the conversion 
 of the natives. Such efforts are not only the sacred duty 
 of those who must give an account for souls, but one of 
 their highest interests, as citizens of a nation which is 
 destined to derive much of its population and strength 
 from the civilization of African tribes. 
 
 When we arrived at Freetown several boatmen board- 
 ed the ship to convey passengers to the shore, one of 
 whom approached us and said, " Plenty America man 
 live ashore." 
 
 " How do you know we are Americans ?" we inquired. 
 " By de tongue/ 7 he replied. 
 
 We stopped at a hotel kept by an emigrant from Vir- 
 ginia, who appeared to me as white as any woman, 
 though she claimed to be a free negro. She has been 
 in Freetown many years, and besides making a good 
 living, has uniformly maintained a high reputation for 
 every kind of probity. 
 
 I have already mentioned the fact, that some of our 
 American negroes were colonized in Sierra Leone about 
 sixty years ago. A few of these colonists were Bap- 
 
210 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 tists. They formed themselves* into a church, and 'al- 
 though neglected by their brethren, while Pedo-Baptists 
 were spending large sums in missions to the colony, 
 they have still maintained their existence. In 1853, 
 brethren Dennard, Lacy, and myself ordained two min- 
 isters, Brown and Thompson, at the request of these 
 brethren. They were then divided into two churches in 
 consequence of a schism. Sometime after this, Mr. 
 Thompson removed to Waterloo, and received an ap- 
 pointment as a missionary of the Southern Baptist Board. 
 Mr. Brown remained at Freetown, and the Board grant- 
 ed one hundred dollars toward his support. One part 
 of my design in stopping for a while in Sierra Leone, 
 was to form a better,, acquaintance with these Baptists, 
 and if possible to extend their influence to the Yoruba 
 residents. I found that the schism had been healed, and 
 that the religious prospects of the church were improv- 
 ing. Still there was great need of more efficient aid. 
 Mr. Brown is a very worthy man, who ought to be more 
 adequately supported, as he has suffered a physical in- 
 jury which disqualifies him from laboring at his trade 
 as a blacksmith. Few of the natives, except the so- 
 called Eboe tribe, attend the Baptist meetings. Of 
 this tribe there are several members, some of whom 
 might be useful, if missionaries were sent to their coun- 
 try on the lower Niger. 
 
 So soon as the Yoruba and Egba people discovered 
 that I had come from their country, they gathered around 
 me like bees. Every one had something to say and 
 something to ask, if it were only for the sake of hear- 
 ing me speak in their native tongue. I felt a great de- 
 sire to remain and preach to them for several reasons. 
 
JOURNEY TO SIERRA LEONE. 
 
 211 
 
 1. Because comparatively few among them can under- 
 stand English sufficiently to learn the Gospel well from 
 English teachers ; 2. Because many of them are still 
 heathens ; 3. Because many of the professed Christians 
 are unconverted — some of the worst and basest men at 
 Lagos have been in the church at Freetown ; 4. Because 
 my having been in Yoruba, would give me peculiar in- 
 fluence over the Yoruba people in Sierra Leone ; 5. Be- 
 cause we need converted and educated natives in our 
 Yoruba missions ; and 6. Because there are many na- 
 tives of other tribes in Sierra Leone, who never go into 
 the chapels to hear the Gospel. Freetown itself is a 
 great and important missionary field, especially to those 
 who preach the Gospel as preached by the Baptists, and 
 in that manner which we believe to be proper. I am 
 not aware of the light in which this remark may be re- 
 garded by some readers ; nevertheless, Sierra Leone 
 does need the doctrine and the practical common-sense 
 preaching and management which Baptists can give 
 them, and which none are better qualified to give than 
 the Baptists of our own country. 
 
 Freetown is a great resort of Fulahs, (Pulohs,) and 
 Mandingoes, two fine intelligent races, who adhere to 
 the Koran, and seldom hear a word of the Gospel. They 
 Ought to receive the special attention of a special mis- 
 sionary — not of a gentleman in gown and slippers, but 
 of a discreet, open-faced, open-hearted man, who will 
 go into their resorts, and introduce and reiterate religi- 
 ous conversation, in such a manner that they can neither 
 get angry, nor fail to learn the truth. To suppose that 
 they will learn English and attend the chapels, is to ex- 
 pect more than they have done, or can do. Even those 
 
212 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 of them who speak English, are deterred by many re- 
 ligious and social motives from attending the chapels. 
 And yet on almost every part of the coast, they must 
 learn English, and go to chapel, or die in their sins. 
 Will any one at Bathurst, or in Sierra Leone, or in Li- 
 beria, deny the general truth of this statement ? 
 
 In one of my rambles beyond the borders of Freetown, 
 I entered a native school, where about two hundred boys, 
 lately rescued from slavery in the interior, were learn- 
 ing to read and speak English. They were of all ag^, 
 from about five to ten or twelve, and in every sort of 
 imaginable garb. Some were smartly clad in shirts and 
 trowsers ; others had nothing but shirts ; others nothing 
 but trowsers, and others nothing at all. A merrier set 
 of noisy little fellows was never seen. After a few 
 years, they will be put to trades and service of various 
 kinds, so that every one of them will have an opportu- 
 nity of becoming a useful and prosperous citizen of a 
 civilized colony. In this way, Sierra Leone has added 
 greatly to her strength, thus setting an example which 
 Liberia should be zealous to follow. 
 
 I regard Sierra Leone as one of the greatest triumphs 
 of modern benevolence. The missions there were com- 
 menced in 1804. For a long time they were unfruitful ; 
 for the negroes of Guinea, in their present state, and 
 surrounded by present social and idolatrous influences, 
 are not very susceptible of Christian instruction. After 
 a while, the British cruisers began to send in cargoes 
 of re-captured slaves, who were different from any 
 natives heretofore seen in Sierra Leone. They were 
 the citizens of Yoruba, Nufe, Hausa, Kanike, and other 
 nations of Sudan, who had been captured in war, and 
 
JOURNEY TO SIERRA LEONE. 
 
 213 
 
 sent down to the coast to be exchanged with the slavers 
 for tobacco, guns and powder, and other articles of civ- 
 ilized commerce. The nude and half-nude captives were 
 taken in charge by the missionaries, and placed under 
 instruction, according to their age and condition. The 
 children improved rapidly in school, and the adults soon 
 gave promise of becoming useful colonists. From time 
 to time, their number was increased by the arrival of 
 fresh cargoes. Large numbers of them joined the 
 churches of the Episcopal and Wesleyan missionaries. 
 Some became acceptable preachers, and valuable school- 
 masters. Some became creditable scholars in the 
 various branches of education. Others prospered in 
 business, and became comparatively wealthy merchants, 
 the owners of ships and extensive warehouses. The 
 richest native in Freetown, a Jalof, is said to be worth 
 about £100,000, or $500,000. Several of the Nufes, 
 Yorubas, and Eboes, became wealthy. The natives of 
 Sierra Leone, at present, are a respectable, civilized, 
 and Christian community. There are twenty-three 
 chapels in Freetown alone, several of which are hand- 
 some and commodious stone buildings, with basements 
 for lecture rooms, school rooms, etc. The people now 
 pay for the instruction of their children in the day- 
 schools. The religious contributions of the Episcopal 
 congregations for last year, amounted to $3,262. The 
 contributions of the Wesleyans were probably not in- 
 ferior. This, we must admit, is astonishing liberality 
 for a few thousand converted Africans. 
 
 The Sierra Leone missionaries with whom I became 
 acquainted, appeared to be men of excellent character. 
 Judging from the work which they have done, their 
 
214 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 predecessors must have been men of the same stamp. 
 None but discreet and laborious men could have pro- 
 duced the results* which are witnessed in Sierra Leone. 
 But the present missionary work of the colony labors 
 under one great defect — a scarcity of men. The duties 
 of the missionaries are too onerous. Some of them, as 
 
 * The last Report of the Sierra Leone Missions were as follows : 
 EPISCOPALIANS— ( English.) 
 
 1 Bishop. 
 
 12 Ordained European Missionaries. 
 
 3 Native Missionaries, (others ordained since.) 
 
 1 European Industrial Agent. 
 
 3 European Female Teachers. 
 
 8 Native Christian Visitors. 
 56 Native Teachers. 
 
 7 Native School Mistresses. 
 
 3 Seminaries. 
 59 Schools. 
 
 5181 Scholars. 
 
 15 Stations. 
 3354 Communicants. 
 
 WESLEYANS. 
 
 4 Circuits. 
 31 Chapels. 
 
 3 Other Preaching Places. 
 7 Missionaries. 
 
 5 Catechists. 
 
 133 Local Preachers. 
 63 School Teachers. 
 24 Schools. 
 2897 Scholars. 
 6461 Communicants. 
 361 On Probation. 
 
JOURNEY TO SIERRA LEONE. 
 
 215 
 
 I know, and I suppose all of them, labor beyond their 
 strength ; and yet their charge is so large and unwieldy, 
 that the people can not receive that enlarged degree and 
 kind of instruction which their advanced condition de- 
 mands. The chief duty now in Sierra Leone, is not to 
 evangelize the congregations, but to train evangelists 
 for the extension of the Gospel — to give a higher Chris- 
 tian tone to converts — to extend their influence to the 
 surrounding heathens, and to send well-instructed Chris- 
 tian Yorubas, Nufes, etc., as missionaries to their native 
 countries. This can not be done effectually without 
 more laborers, and some change of plan. In a word, 
 the time has come in Sierra Leone to separate the pas- 
 toral from the strictly missionary work. 
 
 The people of Sierra Leone consist of re-captured 
 slaves from almost every part of Africa ; and if mission- 
 aries were going to any point of the west, east, south, 
 or interior of the continent, there would be an a priori 
 probability that they could obtain interpreters, if not 
 Christian schoolmasters and other assistants, at Free- 
 town. But this opportunity will not continue long. Of 
 late there are few arrivals of re-captured slaves, and 
 the children who are brought up in the colony will not 
 be so well qualified for interpreters in every part of 
 the continent, as are their fathers. Now is the time to 
 invade Alrica with swarms of missionaries. 
 
 It is vain to regret now that a few wrong headed 
 young preachers blighted the English Baptist Mission, 
 once planted in Sierra Leone. If the men first selected 
 as missionaries, had been prudent and persevering, the 
 Baptists also might look to Sierra Leone for native as- 
 sistants to every part of Africa ; but now there are 
 
216 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 scarcely any native Christians in the Baptist Church, 
 except a few Eboes* As the opportunity has not yet 
 passed away, and will not entirely cease for the next 
 twenty years, we ought yet to improve it. A well-con- 
 ducted Baptist mission in Sierra Leone, would add a 
 new element of vigor and spirituality to the missions 
 already existing, and might provide our missionaries 
 to other parts of the continent with valuable native as- 
 sistants. Liberia is an important field, but can not 
 promise the same secondary advantages which may be 
 realized in Sierra Leone. 
 
GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 217 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 BOUNDARIES — TOFULATION — TOWNS — SURFACE — MOUNTAINS — PRAI- 
 RIES — SOIL — STREAMS — SWAMP3 — SPRINGS — WATER. 
 
 The boundaries of Yoruba are not accurately known. 
 The southern limit lies between Ijaye and Abbeokuta, 
 about eighty miles by the road from the sea. On the 
 north it is bounded by Nufe (called also Nupe, Nyffe 
 and Tapa) which extends to a distance of thirty or forty 
 miles this side of the Niger. On the east of Yoruba 
 we hear of Effong (Kakanda) Tgbona, Ijesha and Ifeh. 
 On the east are Barba (Borgu) Mahee and Dahomy. 
 The country between Yoruba and the sea is occupied 
 by the tribes of Iketu, Egba, Egbado, Otta and Ijebu. 
 All of these tribes, as also the people of Ifeh, Ijesha, 
 Igbona and Effong are branches of the Yoruba family, 
 and speak varieties of the same language. 
 
 An English writer supposes that the people who speak 
 Yoruba amount to three millions. This estimate is not 
 too high, if we include the surrounding tribes of the 
 same family. We have been informed that the Yoruba 
 language is much spoken in Nufe, along the Niger, and 
 in Barba, north of Mahee. Scarcely any other tongue is 
 spoken at Badagry and Lagos and other places on the 
 coast between Whydah and the Delta. Re-captured 
 Yorubas are numerous in Sierra Leone, and arc found 
 10 
 
218 
 
 C EXTRA L AFRICA. 
 
 at Fernando Po, on the Gambia, and in other places along 
 the coast. Many native Yorubas are in slavery in Brazil 
 and Cuba. I have seen a Yoruba woman, the wife of a 
 Bedouin, who affirmed that she had been to Stamboul or 
 Constantinople. According to her and others, there are 
 Yoruba slaves in Tripoli, and Fezzan, and all over Cen- 
 tral Africa 
 
 The eastern parts of Yoruba, and the countries of 
 Ifeh, Ijesha, Igbona and Effong, have not been visited 
 by the missionaries. We are assured however that 
 there are many large towns in that region. 
 
 The population of the large towns with which we are 
 best acquainted may be stated in thousands as follows ; 
 Lagos, (Eko,) 20,000 ; Ajasheh, 15,000 ; Abbeokuta, 60,- 
 000 ; Iketu, 15,000 ; Ishabbeh, 20,000 ; Iganna, 20,000 ; 
 Ishakki, 25,000 ; Igboho, 20,000 ; Ikishi, 25,000 ; Ilorrin, 
 70,000 ;* Offa, 80,000 ; Ejigbo, 20,000 ; Iwo, 20,000 ; Ideh, 
 20,000 ; Ibadan, 70,000 ; Ijaye, 35,000 ; Awyaw, the capital 
 of Yoruba, 25,000 ; Ogbomoshaw, 25,000 ; Isehin, 20,000. 
 
 Besides these, there are numerous smaller towns, con- 
 taining from 1,000 to 10,000 people. The average popu- 
 lation of the whole country is probably not less than 
 ten persons to the square mile. I should not be sur- 
 prised if it is twenty. Fifty years ago it must have 
 been much greater, and it is now again on the increase. 
 
 The surface of the country is generally undulating, in 
 long and gradual swells. From the flat sea coast, where 
 there are neither hills nor stones, the country rises grad- 
 
 * This town may contain 100,000 people ; we have never said 500,- 
 000, but in comparing it to New York, we alluded simply [as we said] 
 to its extent. 
 
GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 219 
 
 ually, yet rapidly, to the watershed between the Gulf 
 of Guinea and the Niger. As well as I could ascertain 
 by the barometer, Abbeokuta is 561 feet above the sea, 
 Ijaye 997 feet, and Ogbomoshaw 1305 feet. Fifteen 
 miles beyond the last place the streams flow to the Ni- 
 ger. The most elevated land in Yoruba is about the 
 head of the Ogun river. The mountains there probably 
 rise to a height of three thousand feet above the level of 
 the sea, which is at least one thousand feet more than 
 the highest hills about Ogbomoshaw. 
 
 There is no continuous chain of mountains in Yoru 
 ba. In passing from the sea to the Niger, we may pur- 
 sue routes which will frequently bring us in contact 
 with rugged masses of hills, but other routes are so 
 leveb that a railroad might be constructed without a 
 single deep cut. If a traveler should pass through the 
 country along one of these level routes, he would see 
 nothing more than some occasional solitary mountain or 
 little cluster of mountains rising abruptly from the level 
 plains. But if he should climb to the top of one of these, 
 he would see scores of others rising at various distances 
 all around him. Hence those who have passed along 
 roads which lead them over the hills have concluded 
 that Yoruba is a mountainous country, which is the 
 reverse of what is true. 
 
 The first mountainous hills we meet as we go from 
 the coast to Awyaw are the huge piles of granite in and 
 around Abbeokuta. Going westward sixty miles to 
 Iketu, I saw no hills and no granite except near to Ab- 
 beokuta. Thirty miles north-east from Abbeokuta brings 
 us to the rocky mountains at Eruwa and Bi-olorrun- 
 pellu. This mass of hills, which is some twenty or 
 
220 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 thirty miles in circuit, is surrounded by level land. These 
 mountains, which rise several hundred feet above the 
 plain, are partly wooded and partly composed of naked 
 granite, the immense masses of which are piled together 
 in all sorts of fantastic forms. The scenery here is in- 
 describably beautiful. About twenty miles to the north 
 of this are a dozen or two hills of naked granite, the 
 largest of which, Mt. Ado, is about three miles in 
 length and several hundred feet higher than the plain. 
 The southern end is a perpendicular cliff. It is inhabit- 
 ed by rockdoves, celebrated for the beauty of their 
 eyes, but though I could distinctly hear their hoarse 
 cooing, they were too high up the rock to be visible. 
 Twelve miles further I encountered the rude and rocky 
 hills of Oke-Efo, which it took me two hours to ascend. 
 Not far from the road is a little village perched like an 
 eagle's nest among the highest cliffs. 
 
 One of the highest mountains in the country, is at Ig- 
 betti, between Igboho and Ilorrin. Mr. Clark has 
 visited this place, and found the town of Igbetti on the 
 mountain. The people of Ogbomoshaw have told me 
 that the harmattan wind, which they call awyeh, is a huge 
 man, who resides in Igbetti hill. During the dry season 
 he flies out over the country and makes cold weather. 
 The harmattan is a cold north wind which comes from 
 the direction of Fezzan, the highest part of the Great 
 Desert. In Hausa it produces frost and even ice,* but 
 in Yoruba I have not seen it sink the mercury lower 
 than 60.° 
 
 The road from Abbeokuta to Ilorrin is level, but we 
 
 * So say the natives, and Clapperton affirms the same. 
 
GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 221 
 
 pass by the foot of several mountains. Those on the 
 Obba river beyond Ijaye rise to the height of one thou- 
 sand feet or more above the plain. A few miles beyond 
 this a long' ridge is divided to the base by a perfect 
 valley, a mile in width, so that no obstruction is offered 
 to the road. In fact there would be no difficulty in 
 opening roads through every part of Yoruba. 
 
 Liberia, and other large districts in Western Africa, 
 are covered with heavy forests with an exceedingly 
 dense undergrowth of shrubs and climbing plants, 
 which is called the bush, both by Europeans and the 
 natives. But these forests are an exception to the 
 general character of the African continent. Southern, 
 Eastern, and Central Africa are open grassy countries 
 with a scarcity of timber. When I was at Sama, four 
 days' journey from Monrovia, the natives told me it 
 was five days more to the Boonda country, where the 
 ground is covered with grass instead of bushes. I 
 suppose that the open country is not more than one 
 hundred miles on a direct line from any part of Liberia. 
 From Badagry and Lagos the forest-country extends to 
 the interior about forty miles and is interspersed by 
 numerous little prairies. All the country about Badagry 
 is prairie. Badagry mount, as it is called, is only a 
 clump of trees on the open plain. Almost the whole of 
 Yoruba is a prairie, scattered over with small spreading 
 trees. There are some forests, however, especially on 
 the rivers, some of which are several miles in extent. 
 One of the largest lies between Ijaye and the Obba. 
 
 Careful observation has fully convinced me that the 
 African prairies are simply the result of long continued 
 cultivation, followed by annual burnings of the tall 
 
222 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 grass. Our own western prairies are probably the 
 farms of the hypothetical mound-builders. If England 
 were now abandoned to a sparse population of hunters, 
 it might remain a true prairie country for indefinite 
 ages. Some prairies, however, like deserts, have re- 
 sulted from the drying up of seas. But there are none 
 such in Yoruba. Here, as in America, if there should 
 be no more burning of the grass, the prairies gradually 
 return to the state of primeval forests. Some qualities 
 of soil however in both countries would regain their 
 timber much sooner than others. 
 
 The soil of Yoruba is various; sometimes decidedly 
 fertile, especially in the ancient forests; often quite 
 poor, perhaps from exhaustion; but generally of me- 
 dium quality. In most places it has a good propor- 
 tion of quartose rocks and sand. It is mostly of a gray 
 color, in which it differs from that of Golah, etc., which 
 stains the water of the St. Paul's river yellow; and 
 from that of Eastern Africa, which imparts a red color to 
 the full Nile. 
 
 The streams of Yoruba are generally clear, except 
 when swollen, but in some places receive a milky white 
 color from the potter's clay which abounds in all parts 
 of the country. Small streams flowing over rocky or 
 sandy beds are numerous, but there are no large rivers. 
 The Ogun above Abbeokuta is about one hundred yards 
 wide, but too rocky for navigation even by canoes. Be- 
 low the town it is rather wider, and is navigable for 
 canoes except in the latter part of the dry season. The 
 Ossun, according to the natives, is about as large as 
 the Ogun, and less encumbered with rocks. The river 
 Ossa flows parallel to the coast from the westward to 
 
GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 223 
 
 Lagos, whore it spreads out into a wide lagoon thirty 
 or forty miles in circuit. This lake as also the lagoon 
 or river which comes into Lagos from the east, is called 
 Ossa. The Assa at Ilorrin is forty yards in width, but 
 navigation is prevented by rocks. In short, there is no 
 inland navigation in Yoruba. No part of the kingdom 
 however, is much more than a hundred miles from the 
 sea on one side, or the Niger on the other. By refer- 
 ence to the map it will be seen that Yoruba is a sort of 
 peninsula, or in the oriental style of the interior, an 
 island. Its position in regard to the sea and the Niger, 
 its healthiness, and the facility with which roads may 
 be constructed, all conspire to make it one of the most 
 important portions of the African continent. If colon- 
 ized by civilized blacks from America and properly con- 
 ducted, it would soon command the trade of all Central 
 Africa, to which it is the natural key. 
 
 The proper Yoruba kingdom is perfectly free from 
 swamps. Even in the low country along the coast, 
 there is little swamp except in a few places near the 
 sea. Universally in the interior the soil is dry and 
 rocky, and the streams are not subject to great freshets 
 as in America. The reason is that the rains are more 
 uniform and gradual. 
 
 The only lake is the Ossa, already mentioned. There 
 is scarcely a pond of an acre in extent in Yoruba. I 
 have never heard of lakes in the interior except the 
 Tsad or Tsaddi (Chad) and other smaller ones near it. 
 Congo people have told me of a large sea in the inte- 
 rior of their country. On further inquiry I became con- 
 vinced that they were speaking of the Indian ocean, 
 where white men come in ships to sell cloth and buy 
 
224 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ivory. The eastern Africans also speak of a great in- 
 land sea navigated by large ships, and they have affirm- 
 ed that the people who lived there built castles of stone. 
 Their sea is the Atlantic and the castles are the Por- 
 tuguese settlements. To convince me that there is a 
 sea and civilized people in the centre of Africa, would 
 require better evidence than the vague reports of ten 
 thousand ignorant and often mendacious natives. The 
 temptation to lie in all such cases is your own love of 
 the marvelous, which the people are not slow to perceive. 
 If however there is a sea in the interior of Africa, we 
 may feel confident that Prestyr John* is king of all the 
 surrounding country. Lake Ngami, I may observe, is 
 only about thirty miles long by six or eight wide. 
 
 Most of the streams in Yoruba cease to flow during the 
 dry season. Even the Ogun has been known to stand 
 in pools. I have seldom found a good perennial spring. 
 In most parts of the country there is a stratum of tena- 
 cious potter's clay a few feet below the surface of the 
 ground, which arrests the rain water and causes it to 
 ooze in the valleys without forming springs. The wells 
 are usually shallow. Sometimes they are mere pits into 
 which the people descend and dip water. When a well 
 is private property, which is often the case, the owner 
 draws and sells to the women at the rate of two or three 
 cowries for a large pot full ; about one cent for fifty gal- 
 lons. When they draw at public wells, every woman 
 brings her own bucket, which is simply half of a hirge 
 
 * Prestyr John was a Tartar prince who was reported to have em- 
 braced Christianity. A hundred years or two after his death— if ne 
 ever lived — the Portuguese were thrown into "intense excitement" 
 by their expectation of finding his glorious kingdom in Central Africa. 
 
GEOGRAPHY OF YORUBA. 
 
 calabash or gourd tied to a string. In the centre of 
 Ogbomoshaw there is a fine spring issuing from a mass 
 of gneiss. The owner of the spring has cut a circular 
 basin in the rock, from which a woman dips and sells to 
 thousands of customers. In the evening, which is "the 
 time that damsels go out to draw," this spring is worthy 
 of a visit. 
 
 The water in Africa is generally good, but always 
 warm. When the thermometer stood at 85° in the shade, 
 it sank to 15° in a cold spring at the foot of mountains 
 1500 feet high. By exposing our drinking water to the 
 wind in porous earthen jars, it becomes a little cooler. 
 10* 
 
226 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SEASONS AND CLIMATE. 
 
 RAINY SEASON — DRY SEASON — SPRING — TEMPERATURE — WINDS — THE 
 HARMATTAN — CLOUDS — MORNINGS AND EVENINGS — THE BEST TIME 
 TO TRAVEL — DISEASES OF THE NATIVES — DISEASES OF WHITE VISITORS 
 — FEVER — DYSENTERY — DEBILITY — CAUSES OF DISEASE — HEAT — 
 DAMPNESS — MALARIA — HOW TO PRESERVE HEALTH — TAKING COLD — 
 CLOTHING — HOUSES — BATHING — DAMP BEDS — LAWS OF MALARIA — 
 DIET — MEDICINES. 
 
 There are two seasons, the dry, corresponding with 
 our winter, and the wet, extending through the greater 
 part of our spring, summer and autumn. The first rains 
 begin gently in March. June, or occasionally May, is 
 the wettest month in the year. From the middle of 
 July to the latter part of September, we have a fine cool 
 season, with a few showers. The latter rains are in 
 October and November. The heaviest showers do not 
 occur when the sun is vertical, but after he has passed 
 over and is retiring either to the north or south. When 
 he is approaching us from the northern tropic, there is 
 little rain, and there is none, or nearly none, as he 
 ascends from the tropic of Capricorn. 
 
 The quantity of rain that falls in Yoruba is compara- 
 tively small. Four inches at a time is considered a 
 remarkable shower, and more than twenty inches in the 
 wettest month is bad weather. The torrents of which 
 we read in other tropical countries are not poured from 
 
SEASONS AND CLIMATE. 
 
 227 
 
 the skies of Yoruba. The thunder is about as severe 
 as in the Southern United States, but from some cause, 
 I have never seen a tree that had been struck by light- 
 ning. Houses are set on fire every .year, but this may 
 be chiefly the work of the " thunder worshippers," to 
 whom such houses are lawful plunder. In one case, 
 however, the lightning killed a woman in the streets. 
 
 The dry season begins in the latter part of November. 
 By the middle of January, many trees, especially in the 
 up country, cast their leaves, as if in sympathy with 
 their brethren of the chilly north ; by which means they 
 enjoy that season of repose which is said to be necessary 
 to the perfection of timber. This season is the hottest 
 time of the year, except when the harmattan blows from 
 the north, which sinks the mercury to about 65°, and 
 occasionally lower. The heat would be still greater, 
 were it not for " the smokes," caused by the burning of 
 the prairies, which obscure the sun. There is also a per- 
 petual breeze from the south-west, as at other seasons. 
 The arrival of the harmattan usually produces a little 
 rain, so that we have three or four light showers every 
 dry season. 
 
 The approaching rainy season is preceded in February 
 by a degree of moisture in the atmosphere, the effects 
 of which are soon visible on vegetation. The tender 
 grass springs up from the dry earth, and many trees are 
 loaded with gay flowers, which are soon followed by 
 new green leaves. The season of spring is distinctly 
 marked, and very beautiful even here in the torrid zone. 
 It is seen to the best advantage among the mountains. 
 The dark green foliage of the evergreens, mingled with 
 the bright young leaves of spring, and interspersed 
 
228 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 every where with large and small trees covered with 
 various colored flowers, the whole disposed in endless 
 variety over valleys, and gentle slopes, and steep hill 
 sides, with masses and spires and piles of rock rising 
 among the trees, present a picture of inexpressible 
 beauty. But even here the undefinable somberness of 
 Africa hangs over the scene. There is something want- 
 ing, something saddening. I suspect, however, that 
 half the shadows which seem to rest on African scen- 
 ery are cast over by our own feelings. We are far 
 away from the land and the people we love, cut off 
 from civilization and sympathy, exiles in a remote bar- 
 barous country, where we must die and be buried, and 
 these circumstances impart a hue to our feelings, which 
 can scarcely fail to be reflected on everything around us. 
 If the mountain scenery, and the wide green undulating 
 prairies of Yoruba, were our own native land, inhabited 
 by our own people, they would seem as bright a£ the 
 brightest scenes of earth. 
 
 The heat of this country is not excessive. The aver- 
 age in the dry season is about 80° at Ijaye, and 82° at 
 Ogbomoshaw, and a few degrees lower during the 
 rains. I have never known the mercury to rise higher 
 than 93° in the shade, at Ijaye. The highest reading at 
 Ogbomoshaw, was 97.5°. Still the weather appears 
 very hot, especially in the sun. The very beasts and 
 birds, and insects are lazy. Frequently, I have wan- 
 dered over the farms of an afternoon, for exercise and 
 recreation, taking my gun to shoot birds, but they 
 were all asleep in the shady groves, and I have return- 
 ed without so much as a dove, after walking several 
 miles. I once watched a pair of hawks building a nest 
 
SEASONS AND CLIMATE. 
 
 229 
 
 in their usual season, which is the hot month of Decem- 
 ber They might generally be seen perched contentedly 
 on the boughs of their tree, and it was only at intervals 
 that they brought a branch or a twig to deposit on their 
 nest. It took them a month to finish the work of a few 
 days. At another time I observed a wasp building his 
 nest on the ceiling of my room. Most of his time was 
 spent in idleness, and the nest was no larger than the 
 end of my thumb at the end of five weeks. Even the 
 ants, industrious as they are, work only in the cool of 
 the day. Though a million may sometimes be found at 
 six o'clock in the morning, they are all gone to their 
 cool underground galleries long before noon. The peo- 
 ple are equally cautious of heat, generally spending 
 their noons under the shade of trees, or dozing in their 
 cool piazzas. Europeans should take plenty of exercise 
 in the cool of the day, but the tin-African energy with 
 which, they do everything, is not favorable to their 
 health in this land of stagnation. 
 
 The winds in Yoruba, besides the little whirlwinds, 
 which occasionally move leisurely over the plains, are 
 of three kinds: 
 
 1. Night and clay, at all seasons, a damp and cool 
 south-west wind comes in from the Atlantic. It ap- 
 pears to be fully as strong at Ilorrin as in the low coun- 
 try, though not so damp.* There are no gales or hurri- 
 canes in this country. 
 
 2. The African tornado is merely an ordinary thundex*- 
 gust, which seldom has power to blow down a tree, or 
 
 * Since writing this, I have found the winds in the interior quite 
 variable in the dry season. 
 
230 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 unroof a thatched house. This wind usually comes from 
 the north-east, and the cloud, in which it occurs, moves 
 directly to meet the south-west breeze. When the two 
 contrary winds meet, there is a short calm, which is fol- 
 lowed by wind and rain from the thunder cloud. 
 
 The harmattan, called awyeh by the natives, is a cold 
 and very dry north or north-east wind, which blows for 
 a few hours at a time, at intervals of three or four 
 weeks in the dry season. It feels decidedly cool in 
 Yoruba, and on one occasion caused the mercury to sink 
 to 60°. Once on the mountains, I saw both men and 
 dogs shivering under its effects, but I had left my ther- 
 mometer behind. Its dryness causes excessive evapor- 
 ation. The average of the hygrometer in the dry season 
 is about G° at ijaye, and 10° at Ogbomoshaw ; but I 
 have seen the harmattan separate the mercury in the 
 two tubes to 25° in a few hours. Everything -is affected 
 by this unusual dryness. Our skins feel husky, and the 
 books gape, as if for thirst. Once my table made such 
 a loud outcry against this loss of moisture, that I drew 
 off the cloth, expecting to find it split. We accuse the 
 harmattan of doing us no good. It only chills and dries 
 us for a few hours, and then resigns us with wrinkled 
 skins and worsted feelings to the heat and moisture of 
 the climate. 
 
 The upper regions of the air appear to be little dis- 
 turbed by winds. The scirrus, which at home is gene- 
 rally seen hurrying away to the south-east, lies here in 
 Africa as motionless as the moon. The lower clouds 
 are frequently no more than a few hundred feet in height, 
 and move before the south-west breeze. We seldom 
 have two cloudy days in succession. 
 
SEASONS AND CLIMATE, 
 
 231 
 
 The mornings in Yoruba are damp and chilly, owing 
 to excessive dews. Fogs are not common. By ten 
 o'clock the heat is oppressive, and continues so till 
 about four. The dew begins to fall before sunset, and 
 soon after dark the damp air is often disagreeably cool. 
 In fair weather the nights are very beautiful, the moon 
 and stars shining with surprising splendor. Sometimes 
 a meteor glides across the sky, but they are not so com- 
 mon here as in higher latitudes. Once, when sleeping 
 by the wall of Abberrekodo, because they refused to re- 
 ceive a white man into the town, I was aroused a little 
 after midnight by thunder and wind. A great cloud lay 
 in the east glowing like fire, with the bright lightnings 
 playing on its edges. There was a loud roaring in the 
 cloud, which could not be attributed to the wind, but 
 there was no rain. Sometimes after sunset, bright 
 streams of light ascend from the west, like the tails of 
 comets, and the surrounding clouds and skies are tinged 
 with the brightest colors. I have seen nothing like 
 mirage in Africa, though it is common enough in 
 Western Texas. 
 
 We are never prevented from traveling by rain. 
 Some of my longest journeys have been performed in the 
 wettest months of the year. The best time, however, is 
 in August and September, when the air is cool, and 
 there is little rain. The dry season is too hot, and we 
 are frequently troubled to find good water. In some 
 places, water is sold by women, who sit by the road side 
 for this purpose. It is immaterial at what time the mis- 
 sionaries arrive at Lagos. They can come to the inte- 
 rior without danger at any time. Even in June there is 
 seldom rain during the whole day, and after a few days' 
 
232 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 rain, there are commonly a few days of fine weather. 
 These are the times to travel in the rainy season. 
 Every traveler should have a tent, and boots, trousers, 
 and poncho of India rubber. 
 
 The climate of Western Africa, especially at a dis- 
 tance from the coast, has no bad effect on the natives. 
 Neither men noi women come to maturity in any respect 
 earlier than Europeans. They are robust and healthy, 
 subject to few diseases, and frequently live to a good 
 old age. I state these facts explicitly, because many 
 mistakes on these points have got abroad, and have 
 even found their way into the works of standard authors. 
 
 The diseases of the natives are not malignant. The 
 country is visited by no choleras, plagues, or other epi- 
 demics. Agues are not common. Fevers continue from 
 one to three weeks, and, in the latter case, are liable 
 to prove fatal by wearing the patient out. I have 
 known but one case of dysentery to terminate in death. 
 The remedies for fever are medicated baths and pound- 
 ed mixtures, which they drink in ekkaw, a sort of sour 
 gruel or mush, which is a common article of food for 
 the sick and the well. For dysentery they take roots 
 and herbs, and abstain both from meat, and from all 
 hot articles of food. I have seen several cases of asth- 
 ma, for which the natives esteem gunpowder an excel- 
 lent remedy, though I believe it never cures them. 
 Some are afflicted with chronic liver complaints, which 
 they seem unable to cure. This is the disease which 
 Europeans have called consumption. Sore eyes, fre- 
 quently ending in blindness, is a very common ailment. 
 Numbers have applied to me for remedies for this and 
 other lingering diseases, but in no case have they per- 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 233 
 
 severed in the use of means for more than a few days. 
 In treating cases of gonorrhea, chiefly with indigenous 
 remedies, I have been more successful. I have met 
 with a few cases of epilepsy, and two or three of in- 
 sanity. Measles and whooping cough are surprisingly 
 rare. Small pox is common, and, strange to say, is very 
 little regarded, because it seldom proves fatal. The pa- 
 tient strips himself bare, and lies on a mat till the dis- 
 ease runs its course. Though the whole body is equally 
 exposed to the light, only the face is pitted. Whatever 
 may be the proper treatment of small pox in other 
 countries, the best plan in Yoruba is to let it alone. 
 In Abyssinia, where they try to cure it, many die. 
 Boils, ulcers and various cutaneous diseases are com- 
 mon in the sicklier parts of the low country, but not in 
 the interior. The African leprosy appears to be nothing 
 more than a scrofulous disease. It is not contagious. 
 I have seen several cases of elephantiasis. Colds and 
 rheumatic affections are common, especially in the rainy 
 season, for the people are exceedingly imprudent. I 
 have seen a good many cases which appeared to be noth- 
 ing more nor less than dyspepsia. Bad teeth are 
 fully as common as among the most civilized of man- 
 kind. Crooked spines and deformed -limbs are more 
 common here than among whites. According to the 
 natives, the Guinea worm is found only where the peo- 
 ple drink bad water. Many of their ailments are laid 
 to worms in the stomach and intestines. If a man feels 
 any unusual sensation in these parts, he pronounces it 
 a worm, and wants medicine to kill it. The above are 
 the chief diseases I have seen in the country. On the 
 whole the people are more healthy, and far less liable 
 
234 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 to die from acute and violent diseases, than we are in 
 America. 
 
 To Europeans the climate of the low country especial- 
 ly is very dangerous. Some years ago it was said that 
 the average life of Europeans on this coast was only 
 about two years, and I suppose that there has been no 
 improvement. An old resident declares that of about 
 one hundred white children born on the coast, only one 
 or two have lived to the age of ten years, even of those 
 who were soon taken to England. Mulattoes on the 
 coast, born of debilitated brandy-drinking Englishmen 
 and Dutchmen, are generally feeble. I think we may 
 fairly conclude that no race could ever be fairly accli- 
 mated in Guinea, unless they were endowed with the 
 nerves and the skin of the negro. Individuals, however, 
 may be half acclimated, and live here in tolerable health 
 for many years ; but to do this, they must spend every 
 fourth or fifth year in a better climate. This is the 
 opinion and the practice which observation has forced 
 upon European residents. 
 
 The principal diseases to which white people are 
 mostly subject in this country are fever and dysentery. 
 Fever presents itself in several forms : 
 
 1. The true acclimation fever generally occurs within a 
 month or two after landing ; sometimes within a few 
 days. The sooner the better, for if it be much delayed 
 it assumes a new type, and is more dangerous. Proper 
 acclimation fever appears to be little else than an ex- 
 cited state of the nerves and arterial system, with few, 
 it any, bilious symptoms. In itself it is scarcely more 
 dangerous than an ordinary cold, but the debility which 
 follows may result in serious consequences. In my 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 
 
 235 
 
 own case the fever was so light that I was not laid up 
 till the fourth day, and was not aware in fact that my 
 indisposition was the dreaded African fever. For the 
 next four days, till the fever left me, I was on foot most 
 of the time. The fever came on at its regular period 
 without the least symptom of chill or yawning, and re- 
 mitted perfectly in a few hours. The excitement of the 
 nervous system was rather pleasant than painful. 
 
 2." The bilious fever is dangerous. This is the fever of 
 natives, of acclimated persons,* and of those who escape 
 the acclimation fever at the proper time. In some cases 
 the skin is decidedly yellow, but if vomiting should* 
 occur, it differs in nothing from that of ordinary fevers. 
 The acclimation fever scarcely requires treatment, and 
 patients are liable to be injured by being drugged, but 
 the bilious fever may, and often does, baffle the utmost 
 skill of the most experienced practitioners who have been 
 on the coast. In no disease perhaps is a little bad treat- 
 ment liable to produce a greater amount of injury. It 
 should always be remembered that the patient is debili- 
 tated, and has no strength to spare. 
 
 This fever presents several irregularities. In one 
 case there was severe vomiting and purging of blood, 
 with a badly intermitting pulse, and great prostration. 
 After various remedies had failed, a mixture of sugar of 
 lead, laudanum, ipecacuanha wine, epsom salts and pot- 
 ash, arrested the vomiting in three hours, and tonics 
 completed the cure. Depleting measures would have 
 killed the patient. 
 
 * Some deny that the two fevers are different, except in the degree 
 of violence. 
 
236 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 In other cases the fever is clearly congestive— & be- 
 numbing, paralyzing chill, with little or no reaction. 
 One of my colleagues, Mr. Dennard, died of this dread- 
 ful disease in the second paroxysm. I have little doubt, 
 humanly speaking, that he might have been saved, but 
 the kind people, among whom he was, were ignorant of 
 this disease. A gentleman died at Lagos in the first 
 paroxysm. In the published account of his death his 
 disease was called "fever and apoplexy." 
 
 3. Regular old fashioned agues are not uncommon, af- 
 ter a man has been some time in the country. I believe 
 the paroxysm usually occurs every other day, and the 
 disease will terminate on the eighth day, especially 
 if opposed a little by quinine. Sometimes a little fa- 
 tigue or exposure will throw a person into a chill follow- 
 ed by a smart fever, and the matter ends there. It is 
 not the beginning of a spell of fever, but an accident, 
 and the person passes on as if nothing had happened. 
 
 4. A kind of typhoid fever is liable to follow relapses. 
 No disease in the country is so dangerous as this. Some- 
 times the very best remedies are wholly powerless. 
 The stamina of the patient is gone, and he sinks from 
 day to clay without hope of recovery. For this reason 
 a convalescent patient should be exceedingly careful to 
 restrain his voracious appetite, imprudence in diet being 
 the chief cause of relapses. 
 
 Dysentery also is a dangerous disease, though not so 
 common as fever. It arises from two causes, cold and 
 imprudence in diet. Sometimes it approaches very grad- 
 n ally, or gives warning several days beforehand. Then 
 is the time to apply remedies. I have never known 
 mercury and chalk to fail of curing it. 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 237 
 
 The bane of African residents is debility. This is not 
 merely relaxation, arising from the constant heat of the 
 climate, but a state of actual disease, consisting in gen- 
 eral derangement of the system. The liver acts badly, 
 the digestion is impaired, there is frequently costive- 
 ness, weakness, languor, chilliness, wandering pains, a 
 quick pulse, enlargement of the spleen, nervous irrita- 
 bility, etc. In this state a man is but poorly qualified for 
 the discharge of his duties, and if he should be attack- 
 ed with fever or dysentery, his constitution may not be 
 able to withstand it. In most cases, death is not so 
 much the result of the violence of the disease, as of the 
 debilitated state in which it finds the patient. This is the 
 chief reason why people should go home and reinvigor- 
 ate their constitutions every four or five years. 
 
 It must not be supposed, however, that a resident in 
 Yoruba, at least, is always half dead with debility. I 
 have repeatedly walked three or four days' journey at a 
 time, keeping up with the natives, wading streams, 
 climbing mountains, sleeping under trees without a 
 tent, and living on the usual food of the people. Such 
 exposures would be unfavorable to health in any cli- 
 mate, and I can not think that a climate where white 
 men can do all this is sufficiently bad to excuse them 
 from missionary duty. 
 
 The causes which render the African climate unhealthy 
 are confessedly obscure. So far as known they appear 
 threefold — heat, moisture, and malaria. 
 
 1. The heat of this climate, as already stated, is not 
 excessive ; but it is constant, there being no cool, 
 bracing season, to invigorate the system. It is said 
 that a tropical climate is unfriendly to the constitution 
 
238 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 of people from cold countries, in various ways : 1. It 
 relaxes the muscles, and impairs the vigor of the stomach 
 and other organs, which can not be deranged without 
 injuring the health ; 2. It produces debility, both by 
 relaxation and excessive perspiration ; 3. It excites and 
 deranges the liver ; 4. The air which we receive into the 
 lungs, though equal in volume to that which we have 
 been accustomed, is less in absolute quantity, because 
 it is rarefied by heat, and hence contains less oxygen. 
 
 2. The dampness of this climate arises from the rains, 
 the heavy dews, the moist south-west wind, and the 
 dense vegetation which prevents the sun from drying 
 the earth. The moist night air produces a chilly sensa- 
 tion, and causes disease by deranging the functions of 
 the skin. This degree of chill is perfectly harmless to 
 a strong man in his own country, but it proves too much 
 for a debilitated European, in the sickly climate of 
 Africa. It is a fact worthy of serious attention, that our 
 diseases here generally result from catching cold, which 
 is very easily done. Dampness also appears to increase 
 the activity of malaria. Hence there are two strong 
 reasons why we should avoid the night air, and keep 
 our rooms as dry as possible. 
 
 3. Many of the causes which are thought to produce 
 malaria, are found in Western Africa. 1. There are 
 swamps on most parts of the coast, though it is true 
 they are neither numerous nor extensive ; 2. The ground 
 is often flooded by the rains, and then dried by a hot 
 sun ; 3. The forests are always damp, and the prairies, 
 covered with a very dense coat of tall grass, are seldom 
 quite dry. In both these cases, heat, and moisture, and 
 decaying vegetation, conspire to taint the air. 4. In 
 
UNHEA LTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 
 
 239 
 
 most places, the water is arrested within a few feet of 
 the surface, by the stratum of clay ; and here we have, 
 for four months in the year, the concealed water and hot 
 dry surface which is said to produce the most deadly 
 miasmata. We may say, then, that the hot days, the 
 damp chilly nights, and the causes of malaria every- 
 where visible, are sufficient to account for the unheal th- 
 iness of Africa to Europeans. The negro is healthy, 
 because he is perfectly accustomed to the malaria, and 
 has a skin adapted to heat and moisture, and a pecu- 
 liarity of nerves, to wit, a diminution of sensibility, 
 which fortifies him against all these causes of disease. 
 Heat, dampness, and malaria, are found in other coun- 
 tries, and these I believe are always sickly. Some are 
 even more so than Guinea. Bishop Heber tells of a 
 district in Asia, which is so unhealthy for a part of the 
 year as to be forsaken by monkeys, tigers, and birds. 
 During the sickly season, on certain parts of the Nile, 
 cattle must be removed from the bottoms to the high- 
 lands, in order to save their lives. There are no such 
 districts in Western Africa. The peculiarity here, is 
 the vast extent of country which is uniformly unhealthy 
 to Europeans. In Central Africa, where the prairies are 
 more scantily covered with grass, there may be a good 
 climate. The unhealthiness of Guinea appears to be 
 unalterably fixed in cosmical causes, the shape and po- 
 sition of the surrounding oceans and continents pro- 
 ducing a perpetual vapory breeze from the south west, 
 and the geological strata which favor the production of 
 malaria. 
 
 The means of preserving health, so far as possible in this 
 climate, should be carefully studied and constantly 
 
240 CENTRAL ^FRICA. 
 
 remembered. They consist in general terms, in avoid- 
 ing the causes of disease. 
 
 1. Several rule-s must be observed to counteract the 
 effects of heat. 1. Exposure to the hot sun is injurious, 
 and unless we are in active exercise so as to produce 
 free perspiration, it is liable to bring on a dangerous 
 attack of sickness. Our times of going out should be 
 the morning and evening. During the heat of the day, 
 we should remain in the shade, and always when the 
 sun is warm, we should carry an umbrella. Traveling 
 stretched on one's back in a hammock, must be very 
 injurious in sunny weather. We had far better endure 
 the fatigue of riding on horse-back, or even of walking, 
 than to be wrapped up all day in a sultry hammock 
 cloth. 
 
 2. As to other heatings apart from that of the sun's 
 rays, we should always bear in mind that it is not the 
 state of being hot, but the manner of getting cool again, 
 that does the injury. Every sudden depression of tem- 
 perature is dangerous, whether we are overheated or 
 not. A man may catch cold and take a fever or dysen- 
 tery by sitting in a draft of air, between doors or the 
 like, while sitting in the open air would do him no harm 
 whatever. When walking, riding or laboring, we 
 should lay off our coat, and put it on again the moment 
 wc stop. It would be better to wrap up in a cloak 
 when we stop, than to keep our coats off and suffer too 
 sudden a decrease of temperature. So much caution 
 may seem needless, but if we do not learn it from some 
 other source, our own bitter experience will teach us. 
 Two gentlemen were traveling in Africa on foot. When 
 they stopped to rest, one would throw himself down in 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA 241 
 
 the shade without his coat to enjoy the cool breeze. 
 The other would button his coat to the chin and saunter 
 about till he was cool. The first was soon in the grave, 
 the latter was not greatly affected by the climate. 
 However agreeable it may be to cool off in a refreshing 
 breeze, we should remember that in this case a man 
 may feel most pleasant when he is catching his death. 
 Capt. Clapperton lost his life in Africa by lying on the 
 ground to rest and cool. 
 
 3. Our clothing should be light to prevent our suffer- 
 ing with heat, but of some material which will not per- 
 mit us to be too suddenly cooled when heated, or at any 
 time by the fresh breeze. For myself, thin flannel un- 
 derclothing is better than silk, especially in the rainy 
 season. When the son of Mungo Park arrived at Akra 
 on his way to search for his father in Central Africa, he 
 adopted the native costume, which leaves the body 
 mostly naked, but he soon fell a victim to the climate. 
 It is a good plan to change the coat in the heat of the 
 day, or lay it off. Of rainy days, and especially at night, 
 we should not go out without a thick coat or a cloak. 
 A man should never sleep in his flannels. The skin is 
 sufficiently taxed without the labor of re-absorbing im- 
 pure perspiration. 
 
 4. Nothing is more conducive to health in Africa, 
 than frequent bathing. It cools the body, and what is 
 still more important, it keeps the skin in a clean and 
 healthy condition. To enjoy health with the skin ha- 
 bitually loaded with filth, may be set down as an im- 
 possibility. On the other hand, if the skin were always 
 kept clean, and its pores open, by a proper temperature, 
 it would not be easy to get sick. The natives in most 
 
 11 
 
242 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 places are among the most cleanly people in the world, 
 washing their bodies daily and their clothes often, 
 which, I suppose, is one reason of their good health. 
 Sometimes, when I have neglected bathing for a few 
 days, I have felt the evil all over my system, and on 
 such occasions have come out of the bath, commonly an 
 open stream, with feelings wonderfully renewed. 1 
 made a free use of soap, brushes, and coarse towels. 
 
 It is not every one that knows how to bathe. Before 
 entering the bath, we should walk briskly for a few 
 minutes to produce a little perspiration. Then douse 
 yourself in cold water — warm is injurious to well people 
 — scrub briskly for four or five minutes, wipe dry, and 
 walk for a quarter of an hour. The design of getting 
 into a perspiration before bathing, and of walking af- 
 terward, is to produce a good reaction, without which 
 the bath may do more harm than good. Many people 
 have a mistaken notion that we must not go into the 
 water in a perspiration. The injury which has resulted 
 in such cases arises wholly from staying in too long, 
 and from not taking exercise after coming out. 
 
 Every possible precuation should be taken to guard 
 against the bad effects of dampness. I have never been 
 injured by a good wetting, as for instance in a shower 
 of rain. Partial wettings have seldom left me wholly 
 uninjured. In wet weather our rooms, and especially 
 the bedroom, should be dried by clear charcoal fires. 
 The coal may always be bought, if you know where to 
 find it, commonly from the blacksmiths, or iron smelt- 
 ers. I would recommend charcoal fires in the room in 
 the fore part of the day, with the windows open. They 
 should be closed by four o'clock p. m., after the room 
 
UNHEA LTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 
 
 243 
 
 has cooled, and before the damp air of evening has en- 
 tered it. In a close room, charcoal fires wo'uld produce 
 death. 
 
 Nothing' is more injurious than damp btds. The mat- 
 tresses, &c, must be regularly sunned or dried, if we 
 expect to be healthy. Even in America, when people 
 sleep away from home, they frequently catch cold, and 
 lay the blame on a strange bed. The truth is, that many 
 good ladies ignorantly thrust their visitors into beds, 
 which have neither been sunned nor occupied for a 
 month. To be sure, the sheets are very clean, but the 
 bed is full of filthy poison for all that, being stale for 
 want of sun and air. Thousands of deaths are caused 
 by the washerwomen, who are too careless to dry the 
 clothes well before bringing them in. What would pro- 
 duce a cold in America, may cause death in Africa. For 
 the same reasons that we avoid other dampness, we 
 should be careful of wet feet and clothing, and the night 
 air. 
 
 Fortunately, several laws of malaria are so well known, 
 that we may measurably guard against it by availing 
 ourselves of this knowledge. All we have to do, is to 
 build the right kind of houses, in the right places, and 
 to keep closely within them at the right times. 
 
 1. To protect the clay walls against rain, our houses 
 in Africa are always surrounded by a piazza. This 
 should be weather-boarded above and below, and there 
 should be shutters to close the open portion of nights 
 and rainy days, so as to exclude the damp and chilly 
 air. Ventilation should enter the rooms above the doors 
 and windows, which should be closely shut about sunset. 
 This alone would be almost sufficient to protect us 
 
244 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 against three causes of disease — chilliness, damp and 
 malaria. But still further, we should build our houses 
 two stories high, and live on the Upper floor, because 
 malaria is most abundant nearest to the ground. It has 
 been observed in sickly localities in the West Indies, 
 that two thirds of the cases occur on the ground floors. 
 
 2. Since malaria moves with the wind, our houses 
 should never be built to the leeward of a place where it 
 is known to be abundantly produced. When I arrived 
 at Ijaye in 1852, I selected a beautiful site for building, 
 
 1 but they declared the place was bewitched, and all who 
 had attempted to live there had died. The chief con- 
 firmed this story, and absolutely refused to let me have 
 the ground. 
 
 In 1854, I chanced to enter the forest behind the wall, 
 where I discovered one of the few swamps I have seen 
 in the interior — a filthy, reedy marsh, containing three 
 or four acres, and lying directly to the windward of the 
 enchanted field. Then I understood the nature of Akil- 
 asho, the malignant spirit, w T ho is said to wander of 
 nights about the place I had selected for a station. 
 
 3. In general our houses should be built in the centre 
 of the town, and not in the suburbs, because malaria is 
 far less active in the midst of a crowded population. 
 Charleston, S. C, is comparatively healthy, but I have 
 been told that a stranger can not spend a single night in 
 the adjacent country during the sickly season, without 
 danger of fever. To escape fires we should cover our 
 houses with tiles. At Lagos, where thatched and tiled 
 houses stood side by side, the former were burnt, and 
 the latter left uninjured. Tiles are better for health 
 than grass. The leeward side of a town, other things 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 245 
 
 being equal, is healthier than the windward, because 
 the effluvium of the city is less deleterious than the 
 malaria of the forest, which it arrests. 
 
 4. The house should stand in an airy situation. It has 
 been found that the malaria is carried away from such 
 places by the wind, so that they are healthy though the 
 poison is generated on the spot. 
 
 5. The sides and tops of hills should be avoided, for 
 two reasons : — h The winds carry malaria to the high- 
 lands, where it is retained, perhaps by the attraction of 
 the ground ; and 2, it travels with fogs, which are natu- 
 rally drawn towards the hills. There is a hill in the 
 centre of Ogbomoshaw, a beautiful place, which they 
 pronounce sickly, and leave unoccupied. Several houses 
 once stood on -the hill, as the ruins show. In such cases 
 it is good to be advised by the natives, even though, as 
 at Ijaye, they mix their information with superstition. 
 
 6. The healthiest places near a sickly river are im- 
 mediately on its banks, and the leeward bank is best. 
 The reason appears to be that malaria near the water is 
 attracted by it, and absorbed. Ships anchored a mile 
 from the African shore are perfectly free from danger 
 of malaria. The immediate banks of our southern rivers 
 are healthier than higher places at a considerable dis- 
 tance. 
 
 7. The leaves of trees, like water, appear to absorb 
 malaria; at least, trees are known to be a protection, 
 and should be planted near the house, where none are 
 already standing. They should not be so numerous as 
 to prevent the drying of the earth by their shade. 
 
 8. It is well known that malaria is much more abun- 
 dant or active by night than by day. Sailors may come 
 
246 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ashore in Africa daily, without danger, but dare not 
 sleep there a single night. It may be that the vapors 
 of night are the chief means by which malaria breaks 
 away from the attraction of the earth, and rises into the 
 air; or, on the other hand, the chilliness of night may 
 condense and concentrate it near the ground. However 
 this may be, we must avoid the night air, if we desire to 
 escape the effects of malaria. When "the pestilence 
 walketh, in darkness," we must be closely shut up in 
 our rooms, with the piazzas also closed. If we must go 
 out, it is said that breathing through a silk handker- 
 chief thrown over the face is a protection. 
 
 No mortal can live long on the Pontine marshes in 
 Italy; even riding along the road through them by night 
 has cost men their lives. Yet a story is told of a man 
 who built a house there, and lived in it in perfect health. 
 His sleeping-room was as nearly air-tight as possible, 
 and he never exposed himself to the open air after the 
 dews began to fall, nor till they had dried off in the 
 morning. By building proper houses, and observing all 
 the rules of health, I have little doubt that Europeans 
 would almost escape the effects of the African climate. 
 
 Attention to diet is even more important in Africa 
 than in other countries, for here we are all a sort of 
 invalids. 
 
 1. We should eat temperately, because our digestive 
 organs are not able to bear excess. For the same reason, 
 we should eat nothing but the most wholesome food. 
 That fruits are the proper diet in tropical countries is a 
 mere theory, and a false one. They are decidedly in- 
 jurious to health in Africa. In colder latitudes, berries, 
 etc. are needed, and there they are found. They are 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 
 
 247 
 
 not here. A negro would think you a blockhead, if you 
 should talk of his living on pine apples, bananas, and 
 other trash, fit only for monkeys. His food is yams, 
 beans, Indian corn, vegetables, meat and palm oil. This 
 is the proper diet for Europeans, except the beans and 
 the palm oil. Boiled, or even fried plantains are whole- 
 some. A friend of mine, to whom I preached this doc- 
 trine, said, " Look at Mr. , he is always eating 
 
 oranges.' 7 I replied, " Yes, and he is always sick." 
 Not long after he was dead. Good sherry wine and ale 
 are sometimes useful as medicines, except where there is 
 inflammation of the liver, &c. Gin and brandy are not 
 so. It is true that most people use them, and it is 
 equally true that most people die. 
 
 2. We should eat sufficiently, because we have no 
 strength to waste on medical asceticism. Some that I 
 have heard of starved themselves on coming to Africa, 
 and probably lost their lives in consequence of the errone- 
 ous notion, that a depleted body is better able to with- 
 stand the assaults of disease than a strong one. Accli- 
 mation fever is not an acute disease, and death com- 
 monly happens in consequence of the debility by which 
 it is followed. I have mentioned that relapses are very 
 dangerous. The reason is because they find us weak ; 
 but a man may weaken himself so much by starving, 
 that the first attack is equal to a relapse. 
 
 Plenty of moderate exercise in the cool parts of the day, 
 or in the shade, is not only advisable, but indispensable 
 to health. Nothing is equal to this in curing or miti- 
 gating debility. It gives tone to all the organs of the 
 body. Judson thought that the average life of mission- 
 aries in his part of the east, was about five years, and 
 
248 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 that inactivity killed them. Few better reforms could 
 be introduced into missionary life, than for each member 
 of the corps to labor three hours every day at some use- 
 ful mechanical art, which would give relaxation to his 
 mind, and vigor to his body. For myself, if I live, I 
 propose to put me up a little shop, and try to learn 
 the art of making chairs, tables, and spinning wheels. 
 Even fatigue is not hurtful, unless carried to excess. I 
 have walked on my journeys, till my bones ached, and 
 yet I soon felt all the better for it. In Liberia, when 
 some of the emigrants who came out about the same 
 time that I did, were moping about with swollen ankles, 
 an old settler pointed them to me, and said, " Look at 
 that man; he is always going, and see how much bet- 
 ter off he is than you are." 
 
 For the sake of the people, we ought to preach in the 
 streets at least once a day, but loud talking and mental 
 excitement are not the right kind of exercise for health. 
 We must have recreation. Hard study is well nigh as 
 baneful as malaria. Ease without indolence, activity 
 with moderation, should be the motto in Africa. 
 
 As to the means of curing disease, I have but little to 
 say. I will mention three rules, however, which in the 
 absence of medical knowledge, I have found very use- 
 ful, and would recommend to others. 
 
 1. Endeavor to have a clear knowledge and view of 
 the symptoms of the disease you are obliged to prescribe 
 for, noticing everything, great and small, and contem- 
 plating the aggregate of all the symptoms, as consti- 
 tuting one corporate body, (so to speak) or one disease. 
 I should think it best to consult none but the best 
 authors, leaving quacks and reformers to those who 
 
UNHEALTHXNESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 
 
 249 
 
 have less at stake than you or your patient have in a 
 case of African fever or dysentery. 
 
 2. In applying remedies, strike at the symptoms, 
 which are matters of fact, and not at the name of the 
 disease, which may be a mere shadow. If your patient 
 is hot, try to cool him; if cold, try to warm him; if he 
 vomits, try to allay the irritation of his stomach, &c. 
 It is easy enough to find, or think you find, the name of 
 a disease, and the name of the drug which they say is 
 good to cure it; but if you deal in names, you will 
 probably kill as many missionaries as you cure. Never 
 mind the name, and try to relieve the pains and troubles 
 of the sufferer. 
 
 3. Never administer a medicine, unless you have first 
 ascertained that it will not aggravate any of the symp- 
 toms. For the uses and contra-indications of medicines 
 consult Pereira's Materia Medica, a work which I would 
 scarcely exchange for half a library. To prescribe at 
 random, without consulting the symptoms in this way, 
 is often worse than to give no medicine at all. Beyond 
 all doubt, many a man who has died would have got 
 well of himself, if he had not been drugged. And yet 
 drugs are very useful, when rightly applied. That man 
 must be exceedingly ignorant, or exceedingly careless, 
 and in either case exceedingly guilty, who administers 
 medicines without using the utmost caution to ascer- 
 tain whether he is likely to make the patient bet- 
 ter or worse. 
 
 I have treated but three cases of acclimation fever. 
 One appeared to require little else than quinine, as 
 there were no decided symptoms, and this remedy was 
 quite effectual. The second came on rather suddenly, 
 11* 
 
250 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 with giddiness and loss of strength. I administered a 
 light emetic, followed by a mild purgative, rubbed the 
 abdomen and spine with tincture of red pepper, and 
 gave quinine. On the third day, the fever departed, 
 and the patient was well with little loss of strength. 
 The third patient was a robust, rich-blooded man, and 
 the disease was acute. I gave seven grains of calomel, 
 and prescribed the same again on the third day. He 
 refused to take it. Two days after, he sent for a physi- 
 cian, and took calomel. He was soon well. In such 
 cases, calomel is an unrivalled medicine. I have known 
 a fever broken by one dose, worked off with epsom salts. 
 If we say it must be used with caution, the same is true 
 of all drugs whatever. Nothing should be used where 
 it is not required, and calomel is not required in most 
 African fevers. Blood letting is seldom admissible. In 
 one of the Niger expeditions, there was great mortality, 
 which the daily use of rum could not prevent. The 
 general treatment of the patients, as recorded in the 
 journal, may be expressed about thus, " Gave him calo- 
 mel, bled him, shaved his head, and applied a blister — 
 he died." 
 
 Large doses of calomel, such as we take in America, 
 might prove dangerous in Africa, where the best treat- 
 ment is that which spares the strength of the patient. 
 In short, we should be guided by the favorite maxim of 
 physicians, that nature cures the patient, or as Watson 
 expresses it in his lectures, "The Lord healeth our 
 diseases " 
 
 We have tried various remedies for dysentery, but 
 there is one remedy which has never failed — the com- 
 mon gray powder or mercury and .chalk of the shops* 
 
UNHEALTHINESS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 251 
 
 The young leaves of the bene plant, which the natives 
 call yemmotee, thrown into cold water, make a mucilagin- 
 ous drink, which is very valuable in dysentery. The 
 griping has always been relieved by cold water cly- 
 sters. It should be remembered that dysentery and 
 diarrhoea are totally distinct diseases. I knew a man 
 treated for the former disease with brandy and the like, 
 which endangered his life. 
 
252 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 GEOLOGY, PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF YORUBA. 
 
 ROCKS ON THE COAST — ORGANIC REMAINS — DRIFT — ROCKS IN THE 
 
 INTERIOR — GRANITE — ANCIENT SEA COAST — VEGETATION — TREES 
 
 TIMBER — THE UPAS POISONS DRUGS — CLIMBERS — FLOWERS 
 
 WEEDS OP CULTIVATION — FRUITS — BEASTS — BIRDS — REPTILES — ANTS. 
 
 No stones are found near the coast. The first that I 
 saw on the road to the interior was a little iron conglome- 
 rate, about thirty miles from Badagry. The same rock 
 is found in various parts of Yoruba, and is particularly 
 abundant about Ilorrin. It is very similar to that used 
 in building at Freetown and Monrovia. Sand stone, 
 which appears in abundance at El Mina and Akra, is 
 found sparingly in Yoruba, and of inferior quality j 
 being soft and friable. Lime is not found in any form, 
 though marble is said to exist in the mountains back of 
 Dahomy. The German missionaries fifty miles in the 
 interior from Akra, informed me that lime stone is com- 
 mon there, and some has recently been discovered on 
 Sherbro Island. 
 
 Wherever I have been in Africa, I have searched dili- 
 gently for organic remains. No trace could be found, 
 unless an impression on a bit of sand-stone picked up in 
 the dry bottom of the lagoon, a mile east of Cape Coast 
 Castle, was made by a shell. 
 
ROCKS AND METALS 
 
 253 
 
 Water- worn stones or drift, are found in the east bank 
 of the river Ogun, about fifteen miles above Lagos, and 
 oeeasionally on the highest plains of Yoruba, sometimes 
 embedded in iron clay stone. Travelers have found them 
 on the desert west of Egypt, and in Mandara, south of 
 Kanike. These stones in Yoruba are much weather- 
 beaten. 
 
 Impure quartz rock is found in all parts of the coun- 
 try. It is seldom crystalized, but some of the crystals 
 which I have collected, are of rare and curious forms. 
 The coarse granite at Abbeokuta presents fine crystals 
 of feldspar. Trap rock is found in the valley south of 
 Oke-Efo mountains, and a little protogene near that town. 
 In the granite of these mountains, I discovered small 
 quantities of schorl, a rare occurrence in Yoruba. 
 
 The only metal known to exist is iron, which in some 
 places appears to be abundant. Vast quantities appear 
 to have been smelted near Abberrekodo, but no one can 
 conjecture when or by whom it was done. The people 
 in Ilorrin assured me that copper mines are wrought six 
 days' journey east from that city. I have seen gold in 
 quartz rocks, and tested it both with acid and the blow 
 pipe. Lead mines are wrought beyond the Niger. 
 
 The most interesting feature in the geology of Yoruba, 
 is the granite. It frequently occurs in immense solid 
 masses, some of which, as Ml. Ado, are eight or ten 
 miles in circuit, and so high as to be seen from the hill 
 tops several days' journey distant. 
 
 The first granite occurs at Abbeokuta, where it is 
 quite coarse. As we proceed to the interior, the grain 
 becomes smaller, till at Oke-Efo we meet with granite 
 of decidedly fine grain, and capable of a high polish. 
 
254 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 The usual color throughout the country is gray, but at 
 Bioku are traces of a fine rose color. In the deep ra- 
 vine, north of the village, some of the usual gray stone 
 is faced with a black material, which can not be distin- 
 guished from trap. Outside of the town wall, south 
 east of Abbeokuta, are several blocks of granite faced 
 with while. 
 
 There is a great rock in Abbeokuta, with two circu- 
 lar holes near each other, high up on the western side. 
 They resemble two eyes, and the water which oozes 
 from them during the rains has made two streaks down 
 the side of the rock, suggesting the idea of tears. 
 These holes are inaccessible to the examiner, but they 
 appear to be a little more than a foot in diameter. In a 
 bolder on top of the same hill, I found another hole, to 
 which I clambered, not without some danger of a bro- 
 ken neck. Its depth was only about three times its 
 diameter, and it tapered to a point at the bottom. 
 There was nothing in it, but the sides appeared more 
 quartose and crystalline than other parts of the rock. 
 The two holes first mentioned, probably communicate 
 with the interior of the rock by fissures through which 
 the rain water trickles, impregnated with something 
 which makes a whitish streak on the stone. I have 
 seen similar holes in different parts of Y6ruba, but 
 none of them appear to form a passage for water, like 
 the two at Abbeokuta. At Bi-olorrun-pellu, one rock is 
 perforated by many little holes, two or three inches in 
 diameter, and not very deep. But the most remarkable 
 cavities of this kind that I have seen, are in a great 
 rock of gneiss which rises in the palm-clad farms in 
 front of the Baptist mission hcuse at Ijaye. This rock 
 
ROCKS AND METALS. 
 
 255 
 
 may be four hundred yards in length, and fifty feet in 
 height. The eastern and western ends, which are per- 
 pendicular, are perforated by several holes three or four 
 feet in diameter, which run into the rock horizontally to 
 an unknown depth. Their sides are marked by longitu- 
 dinal grooves. It is not improbable that such cavities 
 were formed by the bursting out of steam and water, 
 when the rock was in a state of partial fusion. 
 
 Nearly in a direct line between the Ake and Abaka 
 road-stations at Abbeokuta, is a mass of granite hills, 
 on the top of which is a crater-like basin surrounded by 
 bolders. In the woods, on top of the mountain at Bi- 
 olorrun-pellu, is a still larger crater, from which a bold 
 ravine choked up with bolders, runs down the steep hill 
 side to the plain. It has exactly the appearance that 
 might have been produced by a stream of water gush- 
 ing out of the crater when the rock was in a semi-fluid 
 state. There are several other such crater-like basins 
 among the granite hills of Yoruba, but the largest and 
 most remarkable is on the summit of Imeggeh. This 
 basin is large and deep, and a ravine full of bolders 
 runs down the southern side of the hill. I could not 
 resist the conclusion that these are true craters. 
 
 On some of the strong imperishable gneiss rocks a 
 little to the east of Bi-olorrun-pellu, I observed certain 
 erosions, which could hardly be attributed to the action 
 of the weather. On the north side of the Awaye wall 
 is a rock which is worn into gullies and prong-like 
 points, some of which are a foot or more in hight. 
 This strongly excited my curiosity. I looked in every 
 direction for others, which I found, and finally became 
 convinced that they must have been formed by the long 
 
256 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 continued dashing of waves, which rolled in from the 
 south-east. A few hundred yards north of Awaye there 
 is a mass of granite several hundred feet high. The 
 lower parts of this rock, for three fourths of its height, 
 are not water marked, but the upper part and the flat 
 top are distinctly worn. On the top, I picked up several 
 bits of granite which had been worn into an elliptical 
 form by sliding to and fro in the waves. Still further 
 west is another high rock, the perpendicular base of 
 which is much water-worn to the height of thirty feet, 
 but the top is not marked. The coarse granite at Abbe- 
 okuta has arisen from the deep places of the earth, since 
 the waves beat on the finer grained stone, three days' 
 journey further interior. The granite at Awaye has 
 arisen through sand-stone. 
 
 One of the first things that attracts the attention of 
 a new corner to Africa, is the greenness and density of 
 the vegetation. A person who has never been in the 
 tropics can form no just conception of its luxuriance. 
 The hill sides and the banks of streams often present 
 the appearance of solid walls of leaves and flowers. 
 The grass on the prairies is from eight to twelve feet 
 in height, and so thickly set as to be almost imper- 
 vious. 
 
 The forests of Africa are chiefly confined to the 
 western coast, and the banks of the great rivers. As 
 a general thing, the continent is destitute of large 
 trees. It is characterized by thorny bushes, which 
 grow on the desert and everywhere, and by low tide 
 spread scrubby trees, which flourish on the prairies or 
 grass fields. In most places it is impracticable to split 
 fence rails, or to build log cabins, the trees being too 
 
TREES AND PLANTS. 
 
 257 
 
 short when of the proper thickness, and too large when 
 sufficiently tall. 
 
 Some African trees are incredibly large. If we may 
 trust our authorities, there are baobabs in the region 
 of the Senegal, thirty feet in diameter. In Yoruba, the 
 same tree scarcely attains one third of that thickness. 
 The cotton tree (bombax) is frequently eight or ten 
 feet in diameter. In Sierra Leone, it is a common thing 
 to see canoes of a single piece sixty feet long, ten feet 
 beam, and five feet deep, with a capacity of four or five 
 tons. Such a vessel could cross the Atlantic to South 
 America with perfect safety. 
 
 The African teak is one of the most valuable trees 
 known for ship building. There are several other valu 
 ble trees for coarse timber. One of these, the s a s s a™ 
 wood, called iroko in Yoruba, is regarded with super- 
 stitious reverence on most parts of the coast. The 
 Yorubas think there is a spirit in it, because doors and 
 tables made of it have a singular habit of cracking or 
 capping, especially at night. Hence, the Yoruba man 
 worships his own door when made, as it usually is, 
 of this timber. Last spring, I came up the coast from 
 Lagos, with a gentleman who had just shipped a cargo 
 of wood from Old Calabar, which he believed to be 
 mahogany. Some of the Yoruba chiefs had canes of 
 ebony, which they say grows in the country, but I be- 
 lieve that fine grained wood of every kind will prove to 
 be scarce. # 
 
 Cam wood, exported as a dye stuff, is common in the 
 forests of Guinea, and appeared to be particularly 
 abundant on the St. Paul's, where I saw it in Golah. 
 The oil-palm is very abundant on the coast, and on the 
 
258 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 rivers of the interior, especially of the Niger. It is 
 said to occur on lake Chad, but is unknown in the dry 
 sunny countries about the Benue. There is scarcely a 
 palm tree within twenty miles of Ilorrin. I have seen 
 four other species of palm in Yoruba ; the wine-palm, 
 erroneously called bamboo ; the fan-palm, a tall and 
 graceful tree ; the cocoa nut, and a palmetto ; somewhat 
 like that of the Southern States. The date-palm is 
 found in some of the gardens at Ilorrin. The prairies 
 of the interior are beautified by the butter tree and the 
 African locust, which are very valuable to the natives. 
 The seeds of the latter are much used in palaver sauce. 
 There are many species of fig tree, none of which bear 
 valuable fruit, though the small berries of some have a 
 pleasant taste. Some of these trees are occasionally 
 three feet in diameter, Others are remarkable for their 
 large and wide spreading branches, and are much used 
 for shade trees in towns. Another species has very 
 rough leaves, which are commonly used by the natives 
 for sand paper. 
 
 The natives have told me of a tree called ashori, which 
 is so poisonous that no plants grow under it, and birds 
 which fly too near it fall dead. The bark and wood of 
 this tree, which is commonly called igginld, " the great 
 tree," are used for superstitious purposes, and sell for a 
 high price. They showed me a bit of the wood weigh- 
 ing perhaps half a dram, which was valued at two dol- 
 lars. It was black and very heavy. The bark resem- 
 bles that of the hemlock. When a man wishes to utter 
 a dreadful curse against his enemy, he puts some of this 
 bark into his mouth, from which I infer that the dried 
 bark, at least, is not very poisonous. Yet they pretend 
 
TREES AND PLANTS. 
 
 259 
 
 that men sometimes lose their lives in attempting to 
 detach it from the tree. There are several trees of this 
 kind in the forests east of Yoruba, which is the only- 
 country where they are found. They are said to be 
 large trees, and always green, except once a year, when 
 the spiders denude them of leaves in a single night. 
 
 There is no doubt that the African forests produce 
 virulent poisons. Some kinds produce speedy death. 
 Others produce their effects more slowly by gradually 
 destroying health and life. One reputed case of poison- 
 ing, which I saw, caused the whole abdomen to feel as 
 hard as a board. The woman lived several months after 
 this. All the natives are afraid of being poisoned by 
 their enemies, and I suppose that such cases must be 
 common, though I have never heard of more than two 
 or three in Yoruba. The general introduction of fire 
 arms has nearly superseded the use of poisoned arrows, 
 but they are sometimes used and produce the most hor- 
 rid effects. I was once called to visit a young man who 
 had been wounded by a poisoned arrow, in the arm. 
 His hand was gone, the bones of the lower arm were 
 naked and dry almost to the elbow, and the inflamed 
 stump was still rotting away. 
 
 Some of the medicinal drugs used by the natives are 
 valuable, particularly the tonics and alteratives, in the 
 use of which they exhibit considerable skill. Tonics 
 are often used in the form of medicated baths. In some 
 of the forests there is abundance of sarsaparilla, of the 
 mealy variety, which has all the characteristics of the 
 American roots. Cubebs are common but not abundant. 
 The aloe plant flourishes on the prairies. The white 
 pond lily here as elsewhere is used as a medicine. But 
 
260 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 most of the drugs, like the vegetation generally, are 
 unknown in other countries. 
 
 The forests abound in climbers, many of which are as 
 flexible and almost as strong as a hempen rope. They 
 are used by the natives for tying all sorts of things. 
 There are several kinds of reeds and ratans. The West 
 India cane or bamboo is not found in the country, but 
 has been introduced at Sierra Leone. I have sent some 
 to Yoruba, where it will be invaluable on account of the 
 great scarcity of poles for rafters. 
 
 None of the prairies, except about Ilorrin, are beau- 
 tified by beds of bright flowers as in America. Herb- 
 aceous plants with showy flowers are remarkably scarce. 
 Flowering trees and shrubs are very numerous. Gar- 
 denias and jasmins are seen everywhere. 
 
 The weeds of cultivation, as purslain, crab grass, 
 Spanish needles, etc., are very similar to those of the 
 Southern States. The trees, weeds and grasses of the 
 forests and prairies are different. Oaks, pines, hicko- 
 ries, and the whole catalogue of trees with which we 
 are familiar at home, are wholly unknown in Africa. 
 The wild fruits are numerous, yet scarcely ever eatable 
 except for monkeys. Blackberries, whortleberries, and 
 the numerous other little fruits which flourish here are 
 unknown there. Peaches, apples, plums, and other 
 fruits of the temperate zone, will not grow in Africa, 
 owing to the perpetual summer of the climate. None 
 of the tropical fruits have been introduced into Yoruba, 
 except plantains, limes and papaws. 
 
 The beasts, birds, fishes, etc., of Africa, like the plants, 
 are mostly different from those of our own country. 
 The principal beasts are elephants, rhinoceroses, hip- 
 
ANIMALS. 
 
 261 
 
 popotami, lions, leopards, (no tigers,) panthers, two or 
 three kinds of wild cats, civet cats, hyenas, wild dogs, 
 (ajalio, jackals ?) the casra (kollokolloh), coneys, rab- 
 bits, several species of squirrel, various antelopes, (no 
 deer,) wild hogs (two species,) buffaloes, numerous rats 
 and mice, bats, apes and monkeys. Among the birds 
 we may enumerate eagles, several hawks, crows, two 
 kinds of buzzards, herons, crested cranes, storks, two 
 species of Guinea fowl, quails, the spurred partridge, 
 the hen-tailed partridge (in the mountains,) various 
 kinds of doves and pigeons, wild ducks, (no geese,) 
 king-fishers, one species of which feeds on butterflies, 
 swallows, mocking birds, the curious long-shafted goat- 
 sucker, various other goat-suckers (whip-poor-wills,) 
 parrots, paroquets, love-birds, cockatoos, horn-bills, 
 creepers, larks, sparrows (some red and some black,) 
 orioles, scarlet weavers, sun-birds and many other birds 
 for which we have no names. Of fish, reptiles, and in- 
 sects, we have perch, a sort of trout, catfish, torpedoes, 
 and many other of strange forms ; huge snakes, fifteen 
 or twenty feet in length, vipers, poisonous green snakes, 
 and a few others, but no water snakes — guanoes, cham- 
 eleons, various kinds of lizards, toads, frogs, tortoises, 
 snails as large as a tea cup, crabs, muscles, some of 
 which are like oysters ; spiders, centipedes, scorpions 
 (yellow and black, the latter six inches long,) fleas^ 
 ticks, wasps, (no - hornets,) bees, beetles, etc. House 
 flies, fleas, musketoes and other troublesome insects arc 
 surprisingly scarce. Earth-worms of great size are in- 
 numerable. The natives deny that any of the spiders 
 are poisonous. 
 
 Two species of the innumerable ants deserve a more 
 
262 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 special notice. The white ant (wood louse) or large 
 termites, commonly called bug-bug, builds hillocks to a 
 height of eight or ten feet, which are usually surround- 
 ed by several picturesque spires or turrets. They feed 
 entirely on dry vegetable matter, and are very destruc- 
 tive to cloth, books and most kinds of wood. Unless our 
 rooms are well lighted by doors and windows, there is 
 danger of their invading the house in such numbers as 
 to do great mischief in a few days. Sometimes they 
 will perforate a box and mar the contents before we are 
 aware of their presence. They refuse to eat the iroko 
 or sassa wood, and even pine boxes are safe if set on 
 stones so as to be a few inches above the ground. 
 
 There are two species of ants, one black and the 
 other red, appropriately called drivers. The}' march 
 forth by the million and feed on nothing but flesh. No 
 living creature can stand before them. When they in- 
 vade a house, which is generally at night, we are obliged 
 to retire, and every mouse, roach, cricket, scorpion, etc., 
 which can not escape is sure to be devoured. On one 
 occasion they killed a parrot in its cage. Their visits, 
 though disagreeable, do not last more than an hour or 
 two, unless they should find a piece of meat or the like 
 to detain them, and they are useful and therefore wel- 
 come, because they clear the premises of rats and 
 insects. The red drivers are particularly fond of feed- 
 ing on the white ants, or bug-bugs, and in this way 
 are often very useful. 
 
 The domestic animals in Yoruba are the same as our 
 own, except that there are no geese or pea-fowls. Ow- 
 ing to the hotness of the climate, the sheep are covered 
 with hair instead of wool. The bearded sheep is pecu- 
 
ANIMALS. 
 
 263 
 
 liar to Sudan. The common horse of the country is a 
 compact sturdy pony, but the horses imported from the 
 coast are fine animals, which sell at Ilorrin for three, 
 four, or five hundred dollars, occasionally for one hun- 
 dred bags of cowries, or one thousand dollars. None of 
 the horses are gelded in Africa. 
 
264 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF YORUBA — MEN CREATED AT IFEH — SIXTEEN 
 EMIGRANTS FROM THE EAST — DRYING UP OF THE WATERS — YORUBAS 
 ONCE LIVED IN NUFE — SIX YORUBA TRIBES — DESCENDED FROM NIM- 
 ROD — WHITE IMMIGRANTS TO SUDAN — AFFINITIES OF THE YORUBA 
 TONGUE — LIST OF YORUBA AND PULOH WORDS. 
 
 In several African languages, the syllable ha (cf. aba y 
 father) implies paternity, head-ship, greatness. Thus 
 in the Mandingo language, we have ba, great, and in the 
 Yoruba, babba, a father, obba, a king, and baba, a great 
 affair or matter. The Hebrew yar, a river, which has its 
 cognates in many languages, appears to be the same 
 word as the Puloh goru, a river, the y being hardened 
 into g. According to some travelers, the upper Niger 
 is called Jolliba, but the Mandingoes, whom I met in 
 Golah, called it Yolla Ba, the great Yolla * By a very 
 customary interchange of letters, Yolla Ba becomes 
 Yorra Ba, Yaru Ba, Yari Ba and Yar Ba, which are the 
 various names by which our country of Yoruba is 
 known in different parts of Central Africa. We may 
 infer, then, that Yoruba, from Goru Ba, means literally 
 
 * The word ba (cf. yar) Arab bahr, signifies river, but in that sense 
 it precedes the name of the stream, as " Ba Fing*," the river Fing. 
 It is a mistake to suppose that Jolliba means the river Jolli, for jolli 
 itself means river. 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 
 
 265 
 
 the " great river," and that the country derived its 
 name from the Niger or Jolliba. It is worthy of re- 
 mark, that the Yorubas, though very expert in tracing 
 words of their language to their roots, never attempt 
 to determine the etymology of their national name. We 
 must admit, however, that the derivation of Yoruba 
 from Yar Ba or Goru Ba is liable to one objection. In 
 Africa as in America, the names of tribes are never de- 
 rived from those of countries, but the contrary ; and we 
 are no more allowed to say Dahomans, Yorubans, etc. ; 
 than Cherokeeans or Choctawans. It is possible, then, 
 that we must look to some other source for the origin 
 of the name Yoruba. It is certainly a very ancient 
 name in the traditions of the people, and may have 
 been imported from the remote east. The resemblance 
 between this and another very ancient traditional name, 
 Europa, must be accidental. 
 
 According to one tradition of the Yorubas, their an- 
 cestors, and in fact, the original parents of the whole 
 human race, were created at Ifeh, which still exists in 
 the east of the Yoruba kingdom. They told Lander, 
 and have told me, that Ifeh, where men were created, 
 is several months' journey distant, and sometimes they 
 speak of it as standing on the sea, although, of course, 
 they are not ignorant of its true location. There seems 
 to be a confused memory of another Ifeh, from which 
 their ancestors emigrated to this country, and founded 
 the present town of that name, which is universally 
 regarded as the metropolis of all the Yoruba tribes. 
 
 According to another tradition, the Yorubas are de- 
 rived from sixteen persons, who were sent out to form a 
 colony by some personage whose name has not been 
 12 
 
266 
 
 CESTTKAL AFRICA, 
 
 preserved. Their leader took with him a hen and a 
 piece of cloth, in which was tied up a palm nut and a 
 quantity of dry earth. For a long time they waded 
 through water, but at last their leader untied his cloth, 
 and poured out the earth, which immediately became a 
 small dry bank, and the palm nut sprang up into a tree 
 of sixteen branches.* The hen then flew upon the 
 bank and scratched the earth in every direction, which 
 dried up the water.t The little colony settled at Ifeh, 
 whence they spread abroad in the surrounding country. 
 
 Others relate that their ancestors once lived east of 
 the Niger, and were driven into Yoruba by war, at a 
 time when the water was very high. The language of 
 Nufe still bears traces of its Yoruba origin, but most of 
 the primitive roots and their derivations have been ex- 
 changed for other words. 
 
 We are told further, by another tradition, that the 
 Yoruba tribes, Iketu, Egba, Ijebu, Ifeh, Ibini (Benin) 
 and Yoruba, are descended from six brothers of these 
 names, who were the sons of one- mother. Yoruba, the 
 youngest son, became the ruler of the rest, and hence 
 the Yoruba king was the sovereign of all these nations. 
 After a while, Benin — (where the language at present 
 has very little affinity to the Ycjruba) — became inde- 
 pendent, and in course of time, the other four tribes 
 withdrew from the confederacy, leaving Yoruba alone. 
 Still the Yoruba king was master of Effong or Kakan- 
 da and Kupa, and had Dahomy or Popo for a tributary. 
 
 * The hen and palm tree remind us of the dove and the olive branch, 
 t The North American Indians have a somewhat similar tradition, 
 that the waters were dried up by means of a ec lsk-rat. 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 267 
 
 All accounts agree that the Yorubas first lived at Ifeh. 
 The next settlement was at Igboho, (Bohoo) which be- 
 came the capital of Yoruba. The great mother of the 
 six tribes is still worshipped at Ifeh and Abbeokuta, 
 under the somewhat remarkable name of Iyommodeh — 
 (Iya ommoh oddeh) — the mother of the hunter's childrem 
 We are not informed who this "mighty hunter 77 was. 
 
 But the most curious tradition is derived from anoth- 
 er source. When Denham and Clapperton were in 
 Central Africa thirty years ago, they obtained an 
 abridgement of a work written in Arabic by the Puloh 
 king, Bello of Sokoto, eutitled " The Dissolver of diffi- 
 culties in the history of the country of Takrour" (i. e., 
 Central Africa) ; to which is added by the abridger, 
 " Composed by the ornament of his time, and the un- 
 equalled among his cotemporaries, the Prince of the 
 Faithful, and Defender of the Faith, Mohammed Bello, 
 son of the Prodigy of his age, the noble Sheikh, Os- 
 man."* In this work, the writer refers familiarly to 
 African chronicles written long ago anterior to the 
 presence of the Arabs in Sudan, and he expressly says 
 that the Copts, who settled Burnu, wrote a history of 
 their transactions, though he does not say that these 
 are the authorities which he uses. 
 
 After relating various particulars of other countries 
 in Takrour, Bello gives the following account of Yoru- 
 ba, which he calls Yarba: — "The inhabitants of this 
 province, it is supposed, originated from the remnant 
 of the children of Canaan, who were of the tribe of 
 Nimrod. The cause of their establishment in the west 
 
 * See Appendix to Denham and Clapperton's Travels. 
 
268 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 of Africa was, as it is stated, in consequence of their 
 being* driven by Yaarooba, (Yaruba,) son of K ah tan,* 
 out of Arabia to the western coast between Egypt and 
 Abyssinia. From that spot, they advanced into the in- 
 terior of Africa, till they reached Yarba, where they 
 fixed their residence. On their way, they left in every 
 place where they stopped at, a tribe of their own people. 
 Thus it is supposed that all the tribes of Sudan, who 
 inhabit the mountains, are originated from them, as also 
 the inhabitants of Yauri." 
 
 On this extract we may remark, 1. That Bello de- 
 rives the Yorubas from Nimrod, while they themselves, 
 who know nothing of Nimrod, claim to be descended 
 from " the mother of the hunter's children." 2. Bello 
 says they were driven from Arabia by Yaarooba, while 
 they profess to have been sent from some remote coun- 
 try, and one of their first princes was named Yoruba. 
 3. If it is true that the kindred of the Yorubas in Su- 
 dan are now confined to the mountains, as Bello inti- 
 mates, we may infer that they were forced into these 
 positions by the encroachments of more powerful peo- 
 ple. That there have been large immigrations of white 
 people into Africa is proved by the fact that there are 
 now millions of mulattoes in Sudan. Bello declares 
 that a colony of Copts settled in Burnu. It is not im- 
 probable that the Psylli or Psulloi of Northern Africa 
 were the ancestors of the Pulohs, who are now numer- 
 
 * " This," says the translator, " was a great sovereign of Arabia, 
 who, according to an Arabian historian, was king of Yemen, in the 
 days of the prophet Heber." Kahtan is said to have been the first 
 who wrote the Arabic langunge. 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 269 
 
 ous on the south of Sahara. In addition to all this, 
 that " giant race" of red-haired, hook-nosed men, who 
 are affirmed to have figured so largely among the an- 
 cients of Europe, Asia, America, and the Pacific Islands, 
 evidently came hither also; for we may find some ne- 
 groes with Roman noses and some with a reddish tinge 
 of hair and beard to this day. The fair-skinned, red- 
 haired men who live in the Atlas mountains may be a 
 remnant of the invaders. 
 
 It is now known that the affinities of the Yoruba 
 language extend along the coast to Old Calabar, and far 
 interior along the course of the Benue or Chadda. Some 
 of the tribes in the latter locality, as the Jukus, are 
 among the most degraded of all the Negro tribes ; 
 whereas the language, arts, traditions and mythology 
 of the Yorubas are good evidence that they themselves 
 have always been somewhat civilized. The Jukus are 
 probably a mixture of Yorubas and pure typical negroes, 
 who have never yet been found in a state of society 
 above that of deep barbarism. 
 
 Only four years ago, when Bishop Vidall wrote on this 
 subject, the affinities of the Yoruba tongue were wholly 
 unknown. It stood unclassified. Since that time the 
 publication of Koelle's Polyglotta African a, and the ex- 
 pedition up the Benue, and the researches of other trav- 
 elers, have considerably extended our acquaintance 
 with African languages. 
 
 I shall omit many things in relation to the affinities 
 of the Yoruba language which I had marked for this 
 chapter, but I can not forbear to give a few examples of 
 words which appear to be widely diffused, not only in 
 Western and Central Africa, but in other parts of the 
 
270 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 world. The Yoruba numeral one, is eni and okkan (or 
 Jean,) both of which are common in one form or another 
 to various other languages. We can scarcely doubt 
 that eni is the same word as the Greek en, Saxon an, 
 French un, Spanish uno, Portuguese hum, Welsh un, La- 
 tin unus, English one. In Africa, we find in the Okam 
 wono, Opandi onyi, Kupa enyi, and Nufe weni, correspond- 
 ing with Yoruba eni. Some of the widely-spread cog- 
 nates of okkan or kan, one, appear to be Sanscrit eka, 
 Hebrew ekhad, Pelevi jek, Finnic aku ; and in Africa, 
 Uchaw kan, Isubu yokkoh, Ashantee ekko, Oloma oggu, 
 and many others. In the Yoruba word kan, the n is a 
 very slight nasal, almost silent, and the verb ka means 
 to count. 
 
 Etta, three, corresponds with the Akra etteh, Kroo ta, 
 Dahomy aton, Mahee oton, Opaddo eta, Puloh tatti, Ham tat, 
 Mbarike itar, etc., and may be compared with the Sans- 
 crit tri, Greek treis, Latin tres, Saxon thri, etc. 
 
 Babha, the Yoruba word for father, is found every 
 where; Kanike aba, Hausa oba, Mbe mba, Wolof bai, Mose, 
 Dey, and others ba, Shoa, etc. aha, ~F\\\\&m papai, Bullom 
 pua, Mandingo, etc. fa; Portuguese pai, in the languages 
 of Brazil papa, papaio, paba, babi; Java ba, papa; in some 
 parts of India baw and fa, (see Balbi's Atlas,) Celebes 
 bapa, Madagascar baba, Galla abo and abai. 
 
 The greater part of the Yoruba language has been 
 derived according to definite rules from a little more 
 than one hundred biliteral verbs, as bo, to cover, fi, to 
 make, 10a, to dig. Many, perhaps all of these verbs, 
 can be shown to have a real, or at least, seeming and 
 wonderful affinity to the ancient verbs of other lan- 
 guages, as for instance, ri, to see, Arabic ray, Hebrew 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 271 
 
 raah, Greek arao ; loh* to grind, Greek aleo ; le, to lay 
 down, English lay ; de, to bind, Greek deo, Saxon tian, 
 English tie ; ti, to shut, Hebrew atar. Making all due 
 allowance for fancied and accidental resemblances, the 
 Yoruba verbs, as the ground work for a primitive lan- 
 guage, are exceedingly interesting to the philologist. 
 They are still more so from the fact that they occasion- 
 ally, or we might say frequently appear to contain the 
 radicals of words which are primitives in other lan- 
 guages. To give an instance, bi means primarily to gen- 
 erate — hence to beget, to conceive, to bear. From 
 this comes the noun, bibi, any thing which is born. In 
 the Puloh language we have bebi, (pronounced baby) 
 sometimes contracted to bi, meaning any young crea- 
 ture, man or brute. To bibi and bebi compare the Eng- 
 lish baby, German bube, a boy, and English booby, Irish 
 baban, Syriac babia, Latin pupa, a girl, Arabic babos, the 
 young of man or beast, Syriac babosa, a child, American 
 Indian pappoos, a babe, all of which words may have 
 been derived from bi or from some more ancient verb 
 which bi represents. 
 
 In the Yoruba, we have obi, a parent, either father or 
 mother. In Hausa, oba, a father, corresponding with 
 aba, baba, etc., and probably from the same root, bi, to 
 beget ; the i being changed to a in oba, as it is e in bebi, 
 to u in bube, and to a in the Syriac babia. The o in obi 
 means (as it does in Yoruba and Nufe) he, and corres- 
 ponds with the Greek o, e 5 to, Hebrew ha, English he. 
 Obi means he or she that begets; and I suppose that oba } 
 baba, etc., signify literally the begetter. 
 
 * The h is added merely to show that o is close, as in lot, not. 
 
272 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 But there is another word for father, no less widely 
 diffused than baba itself. The Dahomy word for father 
 is da; Goali, nda; Opandi, ada ; Bassa (of the interior), 
 ada; Nufe, nda (n means he) ; Golah, da; Kupa, dada; 
 Akra, tatia; Benin, ita; Isubu, tete; Melon, ta; Kakanda, 
 atta; Eskimo Indians, atta; Basque, aita; in some of the 
 Celtic languages, aihair ; Welsh, tad; Albanian, ale and 
 talta; Slavonic, otdz (preterminal s) and otac; American 
 Indian, dadi; English, daddy. In the Yoruba, we have 
 dada, which may mean either nature or creator, from dd, 
 to create ; and to this root I would refer all the above 
 words for father. The Yorubas sometimes form a verb 
 by uniting two others, and we could fancy that hi dd, to 
 create, by begetting, may be the root of some of the 
 words for father: as, Saxon, feder; Dutch, xader ; Sans- 
 crit, pita; Latin, pater; Danish, fader; Persian, padarl 
 Then we could go further and fancy that bi, to beget, and 
 dd, to create, are the radicals of the Swedish foda, and 
 Danish foder, to beget, feed, etc.! 
 
 The Yoruba abounds in these curious coincidences, 
 in regard to the sounds and meanings of words. Take 
 the verb sun, to burn, and compare English sun, and by 
 dropping n, or changing it to I, so, sol, suli, etc., in most 
 of the Greco-Latin, Germanic and Slavonic languages 
 and dialects. The Yoruba orrun, heaven ; orun, sun ; 
 oro, one of their gods ; may be compared with ouranus, 
 heaven : with various words for day, as, Peruvian, uru; 
 Phillipines, arao; Madagascar, auru; with Latin aurora 
 and Yoruba ouraw, morning ; with Hebrew, aur, light ; 
 Latin, aurum; and Yoruba, wura, gold ; and with many 
 other words in every part of the world. We have, in 
 YSruba, alcara, bread ; Hebrew, akala, food ; ataba, a 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 273 
 
 dove ; Arabic, hatafa, to coo ; German, taube, a dove. 
 Enni, a personal pronoun, meaning one, any ; ehin, the 
 back ; Arabic, akhin, last, hinderpart ; olio, a farm ; Cop- 
 tic, koi, a field. But this may suffice for the present : at 
 some future time I may enter more fully into this subject. 
 The examples now given are only specimens of the 
 various points in which the Yoruba language appears to 
 be connected with those of Africa on the one hand, and 
 of Europe and Asia on the other. 
 
 In some respects, the Yoruba language is very defec- 
 tive. It has no article. The plural of nouns is distin- 
 guished by prefixing aw on, they. All the words used 
 as adjectives, are either verbs or nouns. Enia re, 
 means the person is good; the so-called adjective re being 
 a verb, and conjugated like other verbs. Enia rere, a 
 good person, means literally a person of goodness. The 
 pronoun of the third person has no distinction of gen- e 
 der, o or on being used indiscriminately for he, she, or it. 
 Verbs are conjugated by means of auxiliaries, and there 
 is no variation for person and number. Finally, there 
 is no passive voice. All the defects of the language, 
 however, are ingeniously remedied by one contrivance 
 or another, so that the Yoruba, after all, is no mean lan- 
 guage. My vocabulary, which is nearly ready to copy, 
 will probably contain twelve thousand words. 
 
 I may now conclude this chapter with some speci- 
 mens of Yoruba and Puloh words. 
 
 English. Puloh. Yoruba. 
 
 Head, Hore, Ori, from ri, to see (?) 
 Hand, Jungoh, Awwaw, from waw, to drag (?) 
 12* 
 
274 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 English. 
 
 Puloh. 
 
 Yoruba. 
 
 TTaiv 
 JlIcIII , 
 
 Lebbeh, 
 
 Irun. 
 
 Heart, 
 
 Gabareh, 
 
 Okkan, from kan, to knock. 
 
 xiea v en, 
 
 Itonda, 
 
 Orrun. 
 
 Hawk, 
 
 Chilal, 
 
 Awodi. 
 
 TTill 
 Xllll, 
 
 Dun, 
 
 Oke. 
 
 Hoe, 
 
 Jaloh, 
 
 Okkaw, from kaw, to heap up. 
 
 Horn, 
 
 Waladu, 
 
 Iwo. 
 
 Horse, 
 
 Pochu, 
 
 Eshin, from shin, to run swiftly, 
 
 r ace, 
 
 Yeso, 
 
 Ojii (the eye.) 
 
 r OOt, 
 
 Koingal, 
 
 Esseh, from seh, to stumble. 
 
 lev t/1 , 
 
 Hakua, 
 
 Iba. 
 
 l-J i y-v ry* /} t» 
 
 r nigei, 
 
 Kole, 
 
 Ika, from ka, to bend. 
 
 
 Kite, 
 
 Ina, from na, to extend. 
 
 Fish, 
 
 Liko, 
 
 Ejja, from ja, to jerk. 
 
 * og, 
 
 Shamaga, 
 
 Ikuku. 
 
 J? OOU, 
 
 Nafa, 
 
 Onjeh, from jeh, to eat. 
 
 i 1 rieiiQ, 
 
 Higo, 
 
 Orreh, from reh, to be friendly. 
 
 Fruit, 
 
 Biku, 
 
 Eso, from so, to bear. 
 
 Man, 
 
 Gorrukaw, 
 
 Okkonri. 
 
 iViclIllvl 11 U, 
 
 Adama, 
 
 Enia. 
 
 vv o hi an, 
 
 Debbo, 
 
 Obiri. 
 
 uniiQ, 
 
 Bingel, 
 
 Ommoh, from mu, to suck. 
 
 xvioxner, 
 
 Ina, 
 
 Iya. 
 
 Bow, 
 
 Biroga, 
 
 Orron. 
 
 Arrow, 
 
 Kodarh, 
 
 Offa, from fa, to draw. 
 
 Sword 
 
 KJ VV Ul Uj 
 
 Lapbi, 
 
 Idah, from da, to bend. 
 
 Gun, 
 
 Bindegal, 
 
 Ibon. 
 
 Mouth, 
 
 Onuko, 
 
 Ennu. 
 
 Chin, 
 
 Neppi, 
 
 Agbon. 
 
 Tooth, 
 
 Nire, 
 
 Ehin, from yin, to shoot out. 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS. 
 
 275 
 
 AVW XT/ ) q/) 
 -LJ LLolL • 
 
 JL Lit Oil. 
 
 \ £\ i* 1 1 7 \ .'i 
 
 Tongue, 
 
 Dengal, 
 
 Ahon. 
 
 Belly, 
 
 Bedu, 
 
 Innu. 
 
 Back, 
 
 Bao, 
 
 Ehhin. 
 
 Sack, 
 
 Zekkare, 
 
 Okkeh. 
 
 Bee, 
 
 Bubi, 
 
 Oyin. 
 
 Bell, 
 
 Jamga, 
 
 Agogo. 
 
 Bird, 
 
 Poll, 
 
 Eiyeh. 
 
 Bone, 
 
 Gierh, 
 
 Egugu. 
 
 Brass, 
 
 Zampdeh, 
 
 Odeh. 
 
 Camel, 
 
 Geoloba, 
 
 Ibakasie. 
 
 Cat, 
 
 Musuru, 
 
 Ologini. 
 
 Cloth, 
 
 Oderreh, 
 
 Ashaw, from shaw, to adorn. 
 
 Corpse, 
 
 Maide, 
 
 Oku, from ku, to die. 
 
 Desert, 
 
 Zari, 
 
 Aginju. 
 
 Moon, 
 
 Loru, 
 
 Oshu. 
 
 Sun, 
 
 Nange, 
 
 Orun. 
 
 Water, 
 
 Dian, 
 
 Omi. 
 
 Wood, 
 
 Legga, 
 
 
 Puloh verbs are varied to express the tenses, and the 
 future is sometimes entirely different from the present, 
 probably another root ; but there is no variation for 
 number and person. A few examples may serve to 
 shov- the nature of the Puloh verb. Mi yani, I fall ; o 
 yani, he falls ; mi aha, I will fall ; mi dili, I go ; mi hoti, 
 I will go ; dilugo, to go. Present tense, kori, carry ; 
 future, hora; imperative, horu; infinitive, horugo. The 
 infinitive generally ends in go, but not always. 
 
276 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 
 SUDANESE. 
 
 TYPICAL NEGROES — MULATTOES — ORIGINAL SEATS OF THE NEGROES — 
 THEIR MIGRATIONS IN SUDAN — WHITE IMMIGRANTS TO AFRICA — EF- 
 FECTS OF CLIMATE — PERMANENCE OF MULATTO RACES — BLACK MEN 
 WITH EUROPEAN FEATURES — ACTIVITY OF NEGROES — INTELLECT — 
 LANGUAGE — LAWS — RELIGION — COMMON SENSE — INVENTIVE FACULTY 
 SCIENCE — MUSIC — LETTERS — POETRY — KINDNESS — INDUSTRY — 
 COMMERCE NEEDED — IMMODESTY — COVETOUSNESS — PROVERBS. 
 
 The people of Central Africa are of three classes, 
 typical negroes, mulattoes, and black men with a Euro- 
 pean cast of countenance. Eastern and Southern Africa 
 afford other varieties, as the Gallas, Caffers, Hottentots, 
 etc., of whom it does not concern us at present to 
 speak. 
 
 1. The true or typical negro, as every one knows, is 
 distinguished by his low organism. His jaws are prog- 
 nathous or monkey-shaped, his forehead retreating, his 
 face larger than his hairy scalp, his feet broad and flat, 
 his heels long, and his legs almost without calves. He 
 is athletic, has a strong but harsh voice, is more capa- 
 ble of enduring fatigue and exposure to heat and 
 moisture than other men, is more easily affected by cer- 
 tain drugs, and yet suffers less pain from blows, wounds, 
 or surgical operations than others. His intellect, and 
 
THE PEOPLE OF SUDAN. 
 
 277 
 
 especially his reasoning faculties are weak, his moral 
 perceptions low, and his animal feelings strong. He 
 appears to be a stranger to modesty, doing and allow- 
 ing things with brutal apathy, which other races can not 
 tolerate. I doubt whether any negro of this class has 
 ever felt disgust, or ever will. They are naturally in- 
 capable of refined feelings. This class is not confined 
 to Guinea, but they are numerous in some of the finest 
 districts of Sudan, where they are more degraded than 
 they are on the sea coast, because the latter have been 
 improved by intercourse with the whites. 
 
 2. Many of the Pulohs, and some other interior tribes, 
 and a few of the Yorubas, Eboes, Nufes, Hausas, Kan- 
 ikes, Mandingoes and Kroomen, are mulattoes, the 
 descendants of typical negroes and white men. This is 
 proved by several facts. 1. Their color varies from 
 dark to very bright. Some of the Pulohs can not have 
 more than one eighth of negro blood, if we judge by 
 their color. 2. Their hair, though woolly, is long and 
 bushy like that of other mulattoes. I have seen one 
 woman, nearly black, with soft silky hair. Some have 
 a sandy tint of beard and hair, as if their ancestors 
 were red-headed. I have seen one with bright blue 
 eyes. Lander saw one on the Niger. 3. Their features, 
 noses, lips, skull, etc., are cast more or less in the Eu- 
 ropean mould. Their hands and feet are frequently 
 small and elegantly formed. 4. The language of the 
 Pulohs, of which I have collected about three hundred 
 phrases, containing one thousand words or more, is not 
 African or Shemitic. 5. The Pulohs affirm that their 
 ancestors were white. 6. And finally, we have evidence 
 worthy of more or less confidence, that the white and 
 
278 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 negro races have repeatedly come in contact under cir- 
 cumstances, which must have resulted in amalgamation. 
 On this point I may be permitted to enlarge by briefly 
 alluding to facts. 
 
 In the first place, I, at least, see no reason to doubt 
 the correctness of the opinion that the negroes origin- 
 ated in Northern India, or beyond it, whence they were 
 dispersed by three emigrations. One branch of the race 
 moved eastward, and retired before other tribes till they 
 became the Ainoes or hairy blacks of the eastern coast 
 of Asia. Another branch entered Southern India as 
 conquerors — the monkey conquerors of mythology — 
 whence perhaps the monkey worship of India and Africa. 
 Buddha is represented, and perhaps correctly, as a ne- 
 gro, and the existence of his religion certainly ante- 
 dates the era sometimes assigned to the warrior demi- 
 god. This branch of the negro race finally pushed on 
 to the Indian Archipelago, to the Pacific Islands, and 
 even to the western coast of America. The third stream 
 of migration flowed to the south-west, and passed over 
 into Africa. The name Ethiopia, like the black race, 
 was migratory, and passed from Asia to Arabia and 
 thence to the African continent. Now, if this view of 
 the case be in the main correct, we can not doubt that 
 negroes were intermixed with whites long before they 
 entered Africa, and that mulatto races may have exist- 
 ed in Sudan ever since it was peopled. 
 
 I have already noticed the migration of the Psulloi, 
 and Bello's account — perhaps a correct one — of a Coptic 
 colony in Burnu. Who can say how many such emi- 
 grations may have taken place from Northern Africa ? 
 The usually tall and handsome Mandingo race are a 
 
THE PEOPLE OF SUDAN. 
 
 279 
 
 mixed people. The Saracens overran Sudan in the 
 tenth century, and some of the tribes on the southern 
 borders of the desert are still pure white men, as pre- 
 viously stated. In view of all these facts, it cannot be 
 unreasonable to believe that the red people of Africa 
 are in fact mulattoes. 
 
 Here we may step aside to make two remarks. First, 
 that the burning sun and dry air of the desert have not 
 changed the color or the features of the whites, who 
 have been there for three or four thousand years. Their 
 children are still as white as any in the world. Second- 
 ly, the mulatto Pulohs must have been mulattoes many 
 centuries ago, and they have intermarried among them- 
 selves, " hybrids with hybrids," all the time ; otherwise 
 many of them could not still remain as bright-colored 
 as quadroons or even brighter. But the Pulohs are 
 physically and mentally a fine race. They show no 
 symptoms of dying out. 
 
 3. The third of the classes above mentioned, are black 
 people with European features. Some of them have a 
 fine intelligent Grecian cast of countenance. Others 
 present every degree of approximation to the typical 
 negro. At Ilorrin I saw a few robust, handsome, 
 heavily bearded men, who are called "Bature Dudu," 
 black white men. They differ from the Grecian-faced 
 men just mentioned, in being every way more manly in 
 appearance, and they bear the reputation of being more 
 learned than any other men in the country. One of 
 them, a most noble looking man, " black but comely," 
 is the chief alufa or doctor of divinity in Ilorrin. The 
 home of these men appears to have been in Eastern 
 Yoruba from time immemorial, though they are evident- 
 
280 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ly and reputedly another race. I suppose that all class- 
 es of these black men with European features are the 
 descendants of mulattoes and negroes, retaining the 
 features of the former and the skin of the latter. A 
 vast majority of negroes both in Guinea and Sudan be- 
 long to this class. In Sudan the mulatto people are 
 numerous, amounting, I suppose, to ten or twenty mil- 
 lions. The true or typical negroes are the least nu- 
 merous class of the three, even if we include all the 
 most degraded nations of Guinea. 
 
 Whether it be the result of climate, or diet, or other 
 causes, the Africans of all classes are a healthy and 
 hardy race. The boys are unusually active. In the 
 towns of Yoruba I have frequently seen groups of boys 
 throwing summersets in the streets for their own amuse- 
 ment. The Nufe people are reputed to be the swiftest 
 runners in Sudan, and they are the only tribe who un- 
 derstand boxing. It is said that one Nufe will whip 
 four or five Yorubas if they do not close in and throw 
 him. 
 
 It is not easy, if possible, to ascertain a people's men- 
 tal powers before they have been developed by exercise 
 and exhibited in the various pursuits of civilized life. 
 The Yorubas, Pulohs, etc., frequently have a good brain 
 and temperament, in some cases decidedly fine. Very 
 often the reflective faculties are equal to the perceptive, 
 or superior. The Yoruba language is remarkably rich 
 in abstract terms. To give one example : the various 
 relations commonly expressed by prepositions, have 
 names in Yoruba, as abbe, the beneath, oke, the above, 
 inu, the within, etc., whence the prepositions labbe, under, 
 Me, above, nvm i in. Very often there is both an abstract 
 
INTELLECT. 
 
 281 
 
 and a concrete noun from the same verbal root. The 
 existence and constant use of terms for the expression 
 of thought, are certainly good evidence that the people 
 think. The Yoruba language affords all the terms neces- 
 sary for a full and clear declaration of the Gospel, as 
 for instance a word for God, angel, heaven, hell, sin, guilt, 
 atonement, mediation, repentance, faith, pardon, justi- 
 fication, sanctification, both objective and subjective, a 
 distinct word for each, adoption, salvation, perdition, 
 etc. The reason why they pay such deep attention to 
 preaching as constantly reported by the missionaries, is 
 that they understand what the Gospel teaches. 
 
 There are various other indications of the fact that 
 the people are not deficient in intellect. One of these 
 we find in their government and laws. The highest 
 excellence of the best governments among white people 
 consists in constitutional checks or limits to prevent 
 abuses of power. Strange as it may seem, the Central 
 Africans had studied out this balance of power and re- 
 duced it to practice, long before our fathers settled in 
 America — before the barons of England had extorted 
 the great charter from King John. The pure and cor- 
 rect theism, which rises far above the superstitions of 
 the people, is another proof of their mental soundness. 
 Even their idolatry, while it is substantially the same 
 as that of Assyria, Greece and Rome, has not been 
 loaded with such puerile fancies and debasing dogmas 
 as were common at Corinth and Athens. These points 
 will be further noticed under the heads of government 
 and religion. 
 
 .No one can live among the people and speak their 
 language without being convinced that they have a good 
 
282 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 share of sober common sense. They are shrewd observ- 
 ers of character and motives. I have frequently been 
 surprised at the readiness with which they form correct 
 notions of the missionaries who go into their country. 
 All of us would be surprised if we knew what they think 
 and say of us. 
 
 In other respects, they are greatly deficient, and some- 
 times even stupid. Notwithstanding the various heredi- 
 tary little arts which they practice, I am ready to doubt 
 whether they have made a single invention in a thousand 
 years. They have never thought of a plough, though 
 their manner of cultivating the soil requires it to be well 
 and deeply stirred. Sometimes their farms are ten or 
 even twenty miles from town, yet they bring in their 
 crops in baskets on their heads, and have never dreamed 
 of such a thing as a cart, or even a slide or sledge. I 
 have frequently seen cripples, but no one could invent a 
 crutch. A pair which I had made for one of my boys, who 
 was accidently crippled, filled them with astonishment 
 Chairs, tables, bedsteads and the like were regarded 
 with equal wonder. 
 
 They are almost as destitute of science as the Hotten- 
 tots, having no weights or uniform measures, and in 
 short, nothing pertaining to science of any kind. The 
 Yorubas count days by fives, (from the five fingers ?) 
 and have no names for days. The Pulohs, &c, count by 
 sevens, and have a name for each day in the week. The 
 ¥orubas lay the ghosts of their dead seven clays after 
 death, which appears to be the only allusion to the 
 seven days of the week with which they are acquainted. 
 None of them can tell their age, but the Pulohs and 
 others often can. The Yoruba astronomy extends to 
 
INTELLECT. 
 
 283 
 
 one name, the dogstar, which with them is Venus. They 
 measure months by the moon, and years from one rainy 
 season to another. Their new year, however, determined 
 by their religious festivals, occurs in September or Oc- 
 tober. They believe the earth to be a circle, with the 
 land in the centre, bounded by water. The Yorubas are 
 exceedingly expert in multiplying and adding by the 
 head, which arises from their constant use of cowries, 
 in buying and selling. They and the negroes generally, 
 display no talent for music, their best tunes being simi- 
 lar to the " corn songs " of the negroes in America. Their 
 instruments are chiefly drums of various patterns, which 
 they beat in excellent measure, so far as regards time. 
 The Pulohs, on the contrary, compose and sing fine bold 
 airs, which would be counted beautiful in any country. 
 I was surprised to find the Puloh music totally different 
 from the sad melodies of the Arabs. But in fact they 
 are not Arabic, in any thing. Their guitar, or properly 
 banjo, is a rude and primitive sweet-toned instrument of 
 three strings, with the bass on the wrong side. 
 
 None of the negro nations and in fact, none of the 
 white tribes in Africa, as the Azbens, Tuarics, Tibboos, 
 Moors, &c, have ever invented an alphabet for their 
 language, if we except the late syllabic alphabet of the 
 Vies. The Moors now speak and write the Arabic lan- 
 guage. The remaining tribes, white and black, write 
 Arabic if they write at all. There are thousands of 
 Pulohs, Mandingoes, and other negroes, who write Ara- 
 bic, and their penmanship is often exceedingly beauti- 
 ful, surpassing any printed page, but they never write 
 their own language in Arabic characters. Indeed tney 
 could not do it, for the Arabic language has properly no 
 
284 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 letters out consonants, and the African languages 
 abound in vowels. 
 
 Some of the Central Africans compose spirited verses, 
 on war, love, natural phenomena, &c. The Hausas have 
 a song beginning with, " Wheat grows on the hill, God 
 gives it water," which strikes me as true poetry. The 
 Yorubas scarcely attempt poetry, though they have their 
 little songs. When I was refused admittance into Awaye, 
 the women were soon singing about it, the first line of 
 their song being, "The white man camped at the root of 
 the tree." Some of the native stories display a good 
 degree of fancy, often wild enough, as in the story of a 
 murdered girl, who was changed into a mushroom, and 
 another of a haughty belle, who was metamorphosed 
 into the bush called bufe. They deal much in proverbs, 
 and those of the Yorubas are among the most remarka- 
 able proverbs in the world. 
 
 When a man who is really acquainted with the Yor- 
 uba people reviews their moral character, he finds 
 much to admire and much to condemn — strong virtues 
 and strong vices. A transient visitor or a careless ob- 
 server, might make them out an exceedingly good or 
 an exceedingly bad people, by seizing on one half of 
 the facts and overlooking the other. Among their good 
 traits, we may notice first, their natural kindness and 
 gentleness. There is little cruelty and little bloodshed 
 among themselves. They are uniformly polite and 
 courteous, fond of friendship, visits and conversation, 
 and strongly attached to their country, countrymen and 
 kindred. With very few exceptional variations, they 
 have treated all the missionaries with the greatest kind- 
 ness. Even in those cases where they shut their gates 
 
MORAL CHARACTER. 
 
 285 
 
 against me, and in some cases where they feared me as 
 a spy, or as an evil genius, they never showed any dis- 
 position to treat me with violence. I feel as safe in 
 person and property at Ijaye or Ogbomoshaw, as in 
 Georgia. They are not treacherous ; I never doubt 
 their word when they have made a promise. They are 
 not revengeful or unforgiving, but can fight and forget 
 the quarrel almost as readily as children. They have 
 several words for honor, and more proverbs against in- 
 gratitude than perhaps any other people. 
 
 The Yorubas and other tribes of Central Africa, are 
 far from being a lazy people. In the farming season, 
 they are always up and off to their work by daylight 
 Their daily markets are well stocked with all the neces- 
 saries of life. Weavers and some others who work 
 within doors, are seldom idle, but farmers usually rest 
 in the heat of the day. In the dry season, when there 
 is little farm work, we can hire any number of people 
 to labor for reduced wages, and we can employ them to 
 carry our loads from station to station on very moderate 
 terms. It is true, that there are many days in the 3^ear 
 when the people are comparatively idle, but this is not 
 from unwillingness to labor. If they had a profitable 
 market there would be more demand for labor, and more 
 would be performed, but we can not expect men who 
 have plenty of food, &c, to perform extra labor, in pro- 
 ducing extra supplies which they can neither use nor sell. 
 If direct trade were opened with Sudan, every man in 
 the whole country would soon be in motion trying to 
 make something which he could sell, to enable him to 
 buy something. Of this fact I have been more and 
 more convinced the longer I have remained in the 
 
236 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 country. Then with an increased demand for labor, I 
 would advocate the introduction of ploughs and other 
 improvements. But now, when there is no market for 
 produce, I would strenuously oppose every labor saving 
 expedient, because a diminution of labor would increase 
 idleness and its consequences, vice and degradation. 
 
 Another virtue of these people is a reverential regard 
 for their parents and rulers, for the aged, and in fact 
 for all superiors. This makes them easily governed and 
 disposes them to receive instruction. They are natur- 
 ally simple hearted, teachable and free from high esti- 
 mates of themselves. 
 
 Finally, there is generally a strong current of public 
 opinion against vice, and in favor of executing the laws. 
 Hence they are remarkably free from adultery and theft, 
 which we might presuppose would be very common. 
 Although the women do not marry till they are eighteen 
 or twenty years of age, I have never known a case of 
 an illegitimate child. The law and public opinion are 
 too strongly set in favor of virtue to allow the frequent 
 occurrence of such things in Central Africa. It is very 
 remarkable, that although there have been thousands 
 of loads of goods and cowries for the missionaries, de- 
 livered to native carriers, to be conveyed from the 
 coast to Abbeokuta, Ijaye, Ibadan, and other places, 
 within the last ten years, yet scarcely one load has 
 been robbed or stolen. 
 
 But now we turn to the other side of the question. 
 The great defect of negroes is want of conscience. They 
 believe in God, but have little notion of that justice 
 which is revealed as a flaming fire against all manner 
 of sin and transgression. They fear the penalties inflict- 
 
MORAL CHARACTER. 
 
 287 
 
 ed on offenders by the laws of their country ; they can 
 not expose their good name to the withering condemna- 
 tion of public opinion, but I have seldom seen among 
 them that high and conscientious regard for honor which 
 we regard as indispensable to an honorable character. 
 This want of conscience is manifest in all the ten thou- 
 sand details of every-day life, and generally impairs the 
 Christian character of converts. 
 
 They are almost, and in some things, altogether desti- 
 tute of modesty. I have spoken of nude figures in 
 another place. Although females wear three wrappers, 
 two from the waist downward, and one over the shoul- 
 ders, which might conceal the whole body, the upper one 
 is thrown off at will, without exciting either thought or 
 attention. As before said, the negro is incapable of 
 feeling disgust. Immodesty, however, visibly decreases 
 as we recede from the coast, till we arrive at Ilorrin, ' 
 where the Pulohs exhibit some degree of refined feeling. 
 Puloh women wear the upper wrapper. 
 
 I am not sure that the negroes are more covetous than 
 other people, though they are less careful to hide the 
 love of dishonest gain. If they swindle and lie, there are 
 thousands in our own country who are guilty of the same 
 practices. If fair dealing is one of the last things learn- 
 ed by the converts in the missions, honesty, both in 
 every day life, and in religious controversies, is one of 
 the rarer virtues among too many members and teachers 
 in the churches of civilized countries. It has not been 
 many years since a noble bishop declared that " he knew 
 nothing of moral obligation," in the use of certain reve- 
 nues of the church. Custom was his authority for trans- 
 actions which appeared to some members of Parliament 
 
288 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 and to many Englishmen like swindling, and custom is 
 the plea of the African when he cheats you in buying 
 and selling. He will not steal, for that is disreputable, 
 but he will defraud to the utmost of his power, and he 
 will beg (from a white man) till you despise him, for 
 these things are not branded with infamy by the public 
 opinion of his country. 
 
 The numerous proverbs of the Yorubas are generally 
 brief, clear and pointed, and sometimes highly poetical. 
 Bishop Yidal, following out a hint of Mr. Venn, has dis- 
 covered that they exhibit several kinds of parallelism, 
 whence he thinks they are entitled to be considered true 
 poetry.* We must not suppose, however, that this 
 parallelism was studied or purposely employed by the 
 makers of the Yoruba proverbs. I presume that even 
 David had no definite idea of the parallelisms which have 
 been discovered in his psalms. They arose sponta- 
 neously, like figures of speech, in obedience to the laws 
 of the human mind. Shall we suppose that Paul de- 
 liberately framed parallelisms in certain passages of 
 his epistles ? or that the illiterate Christian in our own 
 country is aware of it, when he utters them in his im- 
 passioned prayers ? The various poetical features of 
 the Yoruba proverbs are as free from art as the warbl- 
 ings of a bird. 
 
 Some of these proverbs, or proverbial sayings, are 
 merely a play upon words, others are sprightly descrip- 
 tions of natural phenomena and the like, but in general 
 they are designed to convey moral truth. They consti 
 tute, in fact, the moral science of the nation, and being 
 
 * Introduction to Crowther's Grammar. 
 
YORUBA PROVERBS. 
 
 289 
 
 widely known and often quoted, have doubtless bad a 
 powerful effect in forming and preserving the character 
 of the people. 
 
 I subjoin a number of these proverbs, as examples : — 
 
 " He that injures another injures himself." 
 " He who forgives is victor in the dispute." 
 " We should not treat others with contempt." 
 " An inmate that can not be tamed." Said of fire. 
 "The sword does not know the head of the blacksmith " — (who 
 made it. ) 
 
 " When the day dawns the trader takes his goods, 
 The spinner takes her distaff, the soldier takes his shield, 
 The weaver bends over his loom, 
 The former awakes, he and his hoe, 
 The hunter awakes, with his quiver and bow."* 
 
 " Ojo pa, batta, batta; batta, batta, 
 Lori apatta, lode ajalubatta, 
 Bata li iggi, batta li awoh." 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " The rain beats patter, patter, patter, patter, 
 On the rock in the drummer's yard, 
 The drum is wood, the shoe is hide." 
 
 This, and various other proverbial sayings of the same 
 nature, are a play upon words, not easily repeated with 
 rapidity without a mistake. I give another specimen : 
 
 " Ogidigbo pari ilu gbogbo, 
 Bi owe li alu ogidigbo, 
 Enni ti o ye ni ijo : 
 
 Jbo, Ajagbo, gbo, 
 Obba gbo ; ki emi k, 6 si gbo." 
 
 * This translation is literal. In many cases a literal translation is 
 impossible, owing to the great brevity with which thoughts may be 
 expressed in the Yoruba language. 
 13 
 
290 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " The ogidigbo surpasses all drums, 
 The sound of the ogidigbo has a meaning, 
 Whoever understands it will dance : 
 
 Grow old, Ajagbo, grow old. 
 O ! king, grow old ; may I also grow old." 
 
 Ajagbo was a king of Yoruba, who lived to a great 
 age, and waged many successful w r ars. 
 
 Crowther's vocabulary contains many proverbs, which 
 may depended on as genuine, as the author is a native. 
 I will select a number at random, and translate them as 
 literally as convenient. 
 
 " A mischief-maker will not do to tell secrets to." 
 " Smacking the lips precedes weeping ; 
 Mortification follows a difficulty. 
 If the whole assembly of the town convene. 
 They find no sacrifice to make against sorrow." 
 " The marsh (abata) stands aloof, as if it were not akin to the 
 brook." Said of proud people. The " abata" is a little wet 
 place in a dry prairie. 
 " The stocks never embrace the legs, except of him that does 
 evil." 
 
 "The thread follows the path of the needle; " i. e., people seldom 
 act independently. 
 
 " Let it be as you please ; we should never laugh at the invalid : 
 perhaps the disease that afflicts him to-day may afflict you to- 
 morrow. 
 
 " When the farmer ties up bundles of corn he rejoices; by bundles 
 
 of corn come bundles of money." 
 " Patching makes a garment last well ; he who neglects patching, 
 
 will find himself bereaved of clothing." Applied to economy 
 
 iu general. 
 
 * There is no market in which the plump-breasted dove (i. e. the 
 cowry) has not traded.' ' 
 
yOBUBA PROVERBS. 
 
 291 
 
 " As the message is sent, so deliver it ; if you vary it, the sin is 
 your own." 
 
 " Though many guests be absent, it is the cheerful man we miss." 
 
 " He who harasses one, teaches him strength." 
 
 " We awake and find our hands marked (with black stripes), 
 
 We do not know who marked them ; 
 
 We awake and find an old debt, 
 
 We do not know who contracted it." 
 
 (Children are obliged to pay the debts of their deceas- 
 ed parents, and hence this proverb.) 
 
 " A needle falls from a leper's hand (which is mutilated), 
 It requires consideration (how to pick it up) ; 
 A difficulty comes on the land, 
 It requires meditation." (A literal translation.) 
 " The pig has wallowed in the mire, 
 He is seeking a clean person to rub against." Said of disgraced 
 persons who wish to keep good company. 
 " Open the cask of rum, open the cask of powder (if yours) ; 
 The carrier opens the cask." The fidelity of Yoruba carriers 
 in this respect is almost incredible. 
 " A strong man without economy is the father of laziness." 
 " Help to the end, is the help we must give to a lazy man." 
 " A bribe puts the judge's eyes out, for a bribe never speaks the 
 truth." 
 
 " If clothes remain long in the bog they rot ; " i. e., do not neglect 
 your business. 
 
 " One lock does not know the inside of another; " i. e. we do not 
 
 know people's hearts. 
 " If we draw water and spill it, if the calabash is not broken, we 
 
 can draw more." A man can repair his losses. 
 "The squash saves them (from starvation). They cut it for a 
 
 water gourd (after it grows hard)." Said of ungrateful 
 
 people. 
 
 " We find guests like the lower jaw, if you die in the morning it 
 
 falls off in the evening." 
 " I know it perfectly prevents the wasp from learning to make 
 
 honey.*' 
 
CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 A stubborn man gets into trouble, a pliable man is imposed on." 
 Every part of the butterfly praises God (by its beauty), and yet 
 
 how frail it is ! " 
 If thirst would kill the lizard to-day or to-morrow, there will be 
 
 rain.' 7 
 
 A dog with a man behind him will kill a baboon.' ' 
 
 Jerk it ! shake it ! who shakes a tree shakes himself." 
 
 There is noise in the grave (made by the diggers) ; the vaulted 
 
 tomb frightens old men." 
 The partridge (seeing a eloth snare) cried, Why did the farmer 
 
 bring his cloth here ? The farmer replied, How could I come 
 
 to the farm without my cloth (or wrapper) ? " 
 I am starving ! cried the rabbit in the field ; I am a spendthrift ! 
 
 cried the partridge on the corn stack." 
 A witch, child of envy ; she kills, but can't inherit." 
 The loaf is the father of bread ; he that eats loaf does not know 
 
 there is a famine." 
 A scorpion stings with his tail, a saucy servant with his eye." 
 He fled from the sword and hid in the scabbard." 
 The butcher never inquires what breed. ' ' 
 
 ' The executioner never lets the sword come upon his own neck." 
 Don't hang your troubles on my neck ! was the quarrel between 
 
 the warping-pin and the thread." 
 The doer of a secret sin supposes it is him they are talking 
 
 about." 
 
 The whisperer looks suspiciously at the bush ; the bush tells no 
 tales. He that you speak to is the betrayer." 
 
 He speaks of others' sins, and covers his own with a potsherd." 
 
 Another's eye is not like our own ; a faithful agent is hard to 
 find. 
 
 He who claps for a fool to dance is no better than a fool." 
 A fool and an idiot met, and said they, We are friends." 
 The man who is not thankful for a favor, will not be insulted if 
 treated amiss. *' 
 
 When a Mahometan is not hungry, he says, I never eat 
 monkey." 
 
 It may be long, but a lie will be detected." 
 Ashes fly in the face of the thrower." 
 
YORUBA PROVERBS. 
 
 293 
 
 " As the yam- flour was once a green yam, so the slave was once a 
 
 child in his father's house. 
 " Not keeping lip to lip brings trouble to the jaws." 
 " Special pleading makes a good cause." 
 " Ear, hear the other side." 
 " If the elephant may get angry so may the ant." 
 " A monkey having eaten to the full one day, he said, Come pull 
 
 out my fore teeth." 
 " Anger does no one any good ; patience is the father of virtues. 
 
 Anger draws arrows from the quiver ; good words draw kola 
 
 nuts from the bag.' ' The kola, or goorah nut is eaten together 
 
 as a mark of friendship. 
 
 The foregoing proverbs are merely specimens, selected 
 almost at random, from a multitude of others. There is 
 probably no sin, or virtue, or human relation which is 
 not described and forbidden, or enforced, by some Yoru- 
 ba proverb. 
 
294 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SOCIAL LIFE IN YORUBA. 
 
 TOWNS — WALLS — STREETS — MARKETS — HOUSES — DRESS — FOOD 
 
 AMUSEMENTS DANCING — RELIGIOUS PROCESSIONS SALUTATIONS 
 
 MARRIAGE — POLYGAMY — DIVORCE — INHERITANCE — WIDOWS — 
 CHILDREN — BURIAL GHOSTS — OCCUPATIONS OF THE PEOPLE — FARM- 
 ING — TRAFFIC — ARTS — TOOLS — GLASS MANUFACTURE. 
 
 All the Africans in this region live in towns, and 
 cultivate the surrounding country. Several of the 
 Yoruba towns are surprisingly large and populous. The 
 congregating of people into large cities modifies their 
 character in various ways, and among the rest, by giv- 
 ing their barbarism a sort of polish, which we should 
 hardly expect to find in the depths of Africa. It also 
 compels many people to go several miles to cultivate 
 their farms, and greatly increases the labor of gathering 
 in their crops, which of course are brought into the city 
 for use. By this means they are made more industrious, 
 and consequently more virtuous, or in other words, less 
 addicted to vice, the offspring of idleness. 
 
 In consequence of frequent wars, all the towns, large 
 and small, are surrounded by clay walls about five feet 
 high, and sufficiently thick to be a good defence, in a 
 country where they are happily destitute of cannon. A 
 ditch three or four feet wide and several feet deep, runs 
 around the town at the outer foot of the wall. At va- 
 
/ 
 
 towns. 295 
 
 rious convenient distances, the wall is perforated with 
 gates eight or ten feet wide, which are closed at night 
 with heavy shutters. On the inner side of the gate, 
 there is usually a house which we must pass through in 
 entering the town; and here reside the men who remain 
 at the gate day and night, to guard the entrance and 
 to take toll of caravans and other traders. The walls 
 being made of mortar, which dries hard in the sun, en- 
 dure for a long time with trifling annual repairs in the 
 dry season. An African town, with its thousands of 
 low broad grass-thatched houses, peeping above the 
 wall and sweltering in the torrid sun, presents to the 
 approaching traveler a unique appearance which he 
 will not easily forget. 
 
 The streets of the best and largest cities are gene- 
 rally very narrow, crooked and intricate. You pass on 
 with rough solid clay walls close by on each side, and 
 the eaves of the low thatched roofs almost brushing you 
 in the face, till at last, weary of monotony and filth, you 
 turn about to retrace your steps, and discover that you 
 are lost in a net work of interminable alleys. There is 
 generally, however, a tolerably broad, though seldom 
 straight street, running from each gate to the market- 
 place, and these wide streets, as the market-place itself, 
 are commonly shaded with beautiful wide spreading 
 trees. 
 
 African towns have no public buildings, except shabby 
 little temples and oboni houses, so rude in appearance 
 as to attract no attention. Architecture, monuments, 
 &c, are unknown. The house of the king differs from 
 others only in size, and in high sharp gables called 
 kobbi, which are weather-boarded with grass thatch. 
 
296 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 The houses of governors and other nobles, are in the 
 same unimposing style as those of the common people. 
 
 The most attractive object next to the curious old 
 town itself — and it is always old — is the market. This 
 is not a building, but a large area, shaded with trees, 
 and surrounded and sometimes sprinkled over with little 
 open sheds, consisting of a very low thatched roof 
 surmounted on rude posts. Here the women sit and 
 chat all day, from early morn till 9 o'clock at night, to 
 sell their various merchandize. Some of the sheds, 1 
 however, are occupied by barbers, who shave people's 
 heads and faces, and by leather dressers, who make 
 charms like Jewish phylacteries, and bridle reins, 
 shoes, sandals, &c, and by dozens or scores of men 
 who earn an honest living by dressing calabashes and 
 ornamenting them with various neat engravings. 
 
 The principal marketing hour, and the proper time to 
 see all the wonders, is in the evening. At half an hour 
 before sunset, all sorts of people, men, women, girls, 
 travelers lately arrived in the caravans, farmers from 
 the fields, and artizans from their houses, are pouring 
 in from all directions to buy and sell, and talk. At the 
 distance of half a mile their united voices roar like the 
 waves of the sea. The women, especially, always noisy, 
 are then in their glory, bawling out salutations, cheap- 
 ening and higgling, conversing, laughing, and some- 
 times quarreling, with a shrillness and compass of voice 
 which indicates both their determination and their ability 
 to make themselves heard. As the shades of evening 
 deepen, if the weather allows the market to continue, 
 and there is no moon, every woman lights her little 
 lamp, and presently the market presents to the distant 
 
TOWNS. 
 
 297 
 
 observer, the beautiful appearance of innumerable 
 bright stars. 
 
 The commodities sold in market are too tedious to 
 mention even if all could be remembered. Besides 
 home productions there are frequently imported articles 
 from the four quarters of the globe. Various kinds of 
 meat, fowls, sheep, goats, dogs, rats, tortoises, eggs, 
 fish, snails, yams, Indian corn, Guinea corn, sweet po- 
 tatoes, sugar cane, ground peas onions, pepper, various 
 vegetables, palm nuts, oil, tree butter, seeds, fruits, 
 fire-wood, cotton in the seed, spun cotton, domestic 
 cloth, imported cloth, as calico, shirting, velvets, etc., 
 gunpowder, guns, flints, knives, swords, paper, raw 
 silk, Turkey-red thread, beads, needles, ready made 
 clothing, as trousers, breeches, caps^ shirts without 
 sleeves, baskets, brooms, and no one knows what all. 
 
 Every fifth day there is a " large market," when the 
 few thousand people who attend daily are increased to 
 a multitude, and the noise and glee are proportionately 
 increased. The larger towns have small markets near 
 to each gate for the sale of provisions; and some towns, 
 as Ilorrin, are so large that there are several markets 
 for the sale of general commodities. In the afternoon, 
 when only a few hundred are sauntering about, and the 
 traffic has not fully set in, we often go out and preach 
 to the people under the trees, and here we meet with 
 men from all parts of the country, who have come to 
 remain in the town a few days or weeks to traffic. 
 
 All the houses in Yoruba, etc., are built of clay or 
 mortar and covered with grass in the manner which I 
 have described in chapter sixteen. In Nufe, as also in 
 Futa as I have heard, they sometimes build of sun-dried 
 13* 
 
298 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 bricks. But this plan is more expensive and not so good 
 as the solid clay walls. People from the interior have 
 informed me that the houses in Sokoto are built of mor- 
 tar two stories high and covered with canoes, which 
 they explained to be troughs open at each end. First 
 a sufficient number of troughs are laid across the build- 
 ing side by side, with their mouths up, and then other 
 similar ones are turned mouth down upon these, so as 
 to break joints. Yoruba houses are only one story high, 
 and that one is so low that the ceiling over head is only 
 from six to eight feet above the floor. The rooms are 
 from ten to fifteen feet long, and seven or eight wide, 
 without windows, and having only one door, which is 
 scarcely four feet in height. Of course, the room is very 
 dark. This, however, is of little consequence since it 
 is only used for storing — they have little to store — and 
 for sleeping when the weather is too bad to sleep in the 
 piazza or the yard. The house itself consists of ten, 
 twenty, or may be fifty, of such rooms, so disposed as 
 to enclose a quadrangular court or area which is open 
 to the sky. The court is entered from the streets by a 
 single large door or gate, and the little doors of the 
 rooms open inward into a piazza which runs entirely 
 around the court. The gate of the house is prudently 
 furnished with charms or amulets, among which is 
 sometimes seen the curved or horseshoe formed iron, and 
 which are affirmed to have the power of defending the 
 premises against the " ghaists, sprites, and divils," who 
 used to give so much trouble to our own forefathers. 
 The interior court is ornamented with sundry large 
 earthen pots, which are the roosting places of the 
 poultry, and bristled over with short stakes to which 
 
DRESS. 
 
 299 
 
 the women tie their goats and sheep every evening 1 . 
 Instead of chimneys, there are little fire places in the 
 piazza against the wall, where the women cook their 
 food in earthen pots. 
 
 The simple habits of the people require little furniture. 
 They sit and sleep on mats spread on the earthen floor 
 of their piazzas and rooms, and they eat with their 
 fingers from coarse earthen plates, every one, like the 
 brethren of Joseph, having his own mess to himself, or 
 if they are equal in rank, all dipping into the dish to- 
 gether. The women do not eat from the same dish with 
 the men. The furniture of the rooms consist of earthen 
 pots and grass bags to hold clothing, cowries and other 
 valuables, and perhaps you may see a gun and shot- 
 pouch, or more rarely those venerable weapons, the 
 sword and the bow. 
 
 The usual dress on the coast is a breech-cloth and a 
 wrapper. In the interior, both Mahometans and heath- 
 ens dress in a very different manner. The men have 
 various garments, as long trowsers and short breeches, 
 of several styles, tunics, tobes, or large flowing gowns, 
 wrappers, palm-hats, cloth caps, turbans, and, if not 
 barefoot, sandals, shoes, or moccasins, with or without 
 soles, and boots. None of their garments are fastened 
 by buttons. The trowsers and breeches are secured 
 around the loins by a draw-string. Little boys some- 
 times wear nothing but an apron, but usually they are 
 clad in breeches and tunic, or breeches alone. The men, 
 except among the Mahometans, generally shave their 
 beards and heads. Women never wear frocks or tunics, 
 but are clad in three wrappers, two around the middle, 
 and one, often laid aside, thrown over the shoulders. 
 
300 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Their head-dress is a piece of cloth, or handkerchief. 
 They never shave their heads, except as a mark of 
 mourning for the loss of friends. 
 
 Most of the negroes, and especially those of the in- 
 terior, are remarkably cleanly, often washing their 
 clothes, and bathing or rather scrubbing their bodies 
 with soap and water almost daily. Hence they seldom 
 have the odor which is so disagreeable in the negroes 
 of the Southern States. Both men and women are fond 
 of ornaments, as rings on the fingers, toes, arms and 
 ankles. The women wear beads on their necks and 
 wrists, and girls, who often (in the low country) appear 
 without clothing, wear them around their loins. 
 
 The usual articles of food are the flesh of goats, sheep, 
 fowls, hogs and cows, and various roots and grains, as 
 yams, sweet potatoes, tania, Indian corn, millet, or 
 Guinea corn, cow peas, etc. They also eat rats and 
 snails, and the meaner people feed on the flesh of 
 horses which have died of disease. Fish are abund- 
 ant in the large streams, and dried fish from the Ogun, 
 Niger, and other rivers, are commonly sold in the 
 markets. 
 
 Their manner of cooking is quite different from ours. 
 They bake nothing, but all their food is boiled or fried 
 in earthen pots. Various kinds of bread of corn and 
 peas are fried in palm oil or tree-butter. Sometimes 
 they cook Indian corn in whole grains, like our " big 
 hominy/' but the usual preparation of corn is the ek~ 
 kaw, described in another place. Meat is always cut 
 fine to be cooked. Sometimes it is stewed, but it is 
 usually made into palaver sauce, which the Yorubas call 
 olbeh, by stewing up a small quantity of flesh or fish 
 
SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 301 
 
 with a large proportion of vegetables, highly seasoned 
 with onions and red pepper. Obbeh, with ekkaw or 
 boiled yam, pounded or unpounded, is the customary 
 diet of all classes, from the king to the slave. They 
 take three meals a day, breakfast a little after sunrise, 
 dinner about twelve, and supper after dark. No people 
 are so much in the habit of eating in the streets, where 
 women are always engaged in preparing all sorts of 
 dishes for sale to passers by. Their usual drink is water. 
 Tea and coffee are unknown, but hot ekkaw, diluted to 
 the consistence of gruel, is much used as a morning 
 beverage. The women make beautiful malt, and pas- 
 sably good beer, of Indian corn and millet. In many 
 parts of the interior, palm-wine is very scarce and highly 
 prized. Rum seldom finds its way into Yoruba, and 
 never without being well diluted with water. 
 
 The Yorubas are eminently social in their feelings 
 and habits, fond of visiting each other, of eating to- 
 gether, and of sitting together of evenings under shady 
 trees, engaged in conversation, or in playing little 
 games for amusement. One of their games is a sort of 
 draughts, in which the men are not caught, but checked, 
 and thus driven from the board, or rather from the field, 
 for the board is marked out on the ground. The game 
 of ayo or wari is played by throwing small balls or seeds 
 into twelve holes, six in a row, in a board or block of 
 wood. Gambling, it is said, is prohibited by law. The 
 boys amuse themselves with a sort of hulgul, by whip- 
 ping tops, and by wrestling and turning summersets. 
 Young people often amuse themselves with riddles and 
 by dancing to the sound of noisy drums. One of the 
 favorite dances is called babbika. There gestures are 
 
302 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 never improper, and never graceful. It would seem that 
 he who can throw his feet, hands, head and body about 
 in the most awkward and grotesque manner is consider- 
 ed the best dancer. 
 
 All classes are very fond of religious festivals and 
 processions, chiefly, I think, for the sake of amusement. 
 The theatrical performances which Lander saw at Ka- 
 tunga, and misdescribes, were a religious ceremony. 
 Some parts of their worship are funny and clownish 
 enough. The Mahometan feast,which succeeds their thirty 
 days' fast, is a great holiday, not only to them but to 
 the heathens. They also have torchlight processions, 
 which afford them no small amusement. Our own 
 Christmas, and the saints' days of Catholic countries, 
 celebrated with the firing of guns, gluttony, drunken- 
 ness and debauchery, are only remnants of European 
 heathenism, and here, as in Africa, the beloved formal- 
 isms of unsanctified religion rise up among the strongest 
 barriers against the conversion of men to the Gospel. 
 
 The Yorubas, Nufes, etc., like other orientals, are un- 
 reasonably ceremonious. To shake hands on meeting a 
 friend is not enough. If equals, both often kneel, and 
 inferiors frequently prostrate themselves flat on the 
 ground before superiors. On entering a house, they 
 leave their sandals at the door, if they wear any, but 
 never uncover their heads as a mark of respect. When 
 a visitor retires, he simply arises and says, " I am 
 going," whereupon the host follows him to the door, and 
 bids him farewell. 
 
 The Yorubans have a profusion of salutations. In the 
 morning it is O ji re ? " did you wake well ?" and the 
 person replies, " God be thanked." On taking leave at 
 
SOCIAL INTERCOURSE, 
 
 303 
 
 night, they often say, " May you sleep well." When a 
 visitor retires, and frequently when you meet him in 
 the street you say wo' leh, " look at the ground," that is, 
 to prevent stumbling. " Be careful" is often a saluta- 
 tion on passing a person in the road. But the word 
 most used by every body, is oku or aku } properly aiku 
 "may you not die!" or more exactly "immortality." 
 When you visit a man who wishes to pay you particular 
 respect he will salute you aku! aku 1 perhaps twenty 
 times, and you must invariably answer, O, to each salu- 
 tation. This word O expresses assent. If you say to 
 your servant, do so and so, he replies O, and if you 
 perform any little incidental act of politeness, as picking 
 up a thing that has dropped for a person, he may say O, 
 instead of " thank you." The word aku is compounded 
 with many others, so as to form an appropriate saluta- 
 tion for every situation in life. When they meet a man 
 traveling, they often say akiirin, because rin means to 
 walk or travel. So we have akuale, good evening, 
 alcuoro, good morning, akuassan, good day, akule, to one 
 in a house, aku joko, to one sitting down, akushe, to one 
 at work, and so on, to a hundred examples. To all 
 these you reply O, and if you make no reply, it is con- 
 sidered a gross insult. 
 
 Courtship is generally carried on by means of female 
 relatives, and either sex has a right to make a propo- 
 sition. Very often, however, courtship is prevented by 
 early betrothment, either by contract between the pa- 
 rents of children, or between a man and the parents of 
 a little girl. In such cases, a dowry or price of some 
 forty dollars or more, is paid by the expected husband 
 to the mother of the girl. A betrothed woman is so 
 
304 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 far a wife, thut her unfaithfulness would be adultery, 
 yet conventional modesty forbids her to speak to her 
 husband, or even to see him if it can be avoided. If 
 she meets any of his previous wives in the street, she 
 salutes them by falling on her knees. After all, it 
 sometimes happens that she prefers some other man, 
 and absolutely refuses to fulfil her engagement. Then 
 she is either teased and worried into submission, or 
 else the husband agrees to receive back her dowry and 
 release her. 
 
 Before a couple are married, they must go separately 
 to a priest of Ifa and make sacrifices and offer prayers. 
 On the nuptial night, the bride is taken to the bride- 
 groom's house, just after dark, by several virgins, and 
 the friends of the parties are regaled with a feast. The 
 virgins remain with the bride for several days, and 
 sleep with her at night. After the days are fulfilled, 
 they conduct her to the bridegroom's room. On the 
 following morning, if his bride is worthy, he dismisses 
 her attendants with presents, and sends some beautiful 
 white cowries to her mother. If his bride is not worthy, 
 he drives her attendants from the house with blows and 
 abuses, and sends some dirty old cowries to her mother 
 as an emblem of impurity. 
 
 Polygamy is universal in Africa. Kings, nobles and 
 rich men, have large numbers of wives, and even the 
 common people sometimes have two or three. No 
 woman, pretty or ugly, rich or poor, is obliged to go 
 unmarried. Men, of course, have the privilege of di- 
 vorcing their wives, and the matter is all the easier, 
 from the fact that every woman is a free dealer, who 
 labors for herself and supports herself, and has no claim 
 
MARRIAGE. 
 
 305 
 
 on her husband's property. If divorced without a cause, 
 she takes up all that is her's and returns to her relatives 
 and friends. If divorced for adultery, she or her family 
 are obliged to refund the dowry to the husband. Further 
 than this he has no claim on her property. Even during 
 the continuance of the marriage relation, the woman is 
 sole owner of her property and her earnings.' She is 
 not obliged to w r ork for her husband, and has no claim 
 on him for support, either for herself or her children. 
 In this way the man escapes the burden of supporting 
 his wives and children, except that he is obliged to fur- 
 nish them with house room. 
 
 When a man dies, the eldest son inherits the house, 
 and all the wives except his own mother. Incest is 
 never allowed except in conformity to this law of inher- 
 itance — the reason of which appears to be, that the 
 women may not be left widows and houseless. I am 
 told that both son and wives are very well contented 
 with the arrangement. 
 
 Yoruba women are not prolific, and entire barrenness 
 is not uncommon. Though not a crime, it is regarded 
 as a great disgrace to be without children. In their 
 quarrels they may call each other fools, liars, thieves, 
 or anything ; but " agan," barren, is a word which the 
 most malignant and enraged person scarcely ever pre- 
 sumes to address to a childless woman. 
 
 Children are much beloved by both parents. I once 
 asked a woman how much she would take for her child ? 
 " What ! 99 she exclaimed, pulling her child towards her 
 with evident indignation, " sell you the child that I 
 bore ? " From some cause the mortality of children ap- 
 pears to be greater in Yoruba than at home. One rea- 
 
306 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 son may be that they are so much exposed to the sun, 
 slung, as they are, on the mother's back in a cloth. 
 Such exposure would certainly kill most white children. 
 
 People who die at home, are generally buried in the 
 piazza of the house. Just before a respectable man is 
 interred, the corpse is carried about the town on a lit- 
 ter, with discharges of guns, which collect a crowd of 
 people. The bodies of infants are sometimes thrown 
 away behind the wall, because it is thought they died 
 through the influence of an evil spirit. The clothing 
 and implements of hunters and warriors are thrown out 
 by the side of the road, not far from the gate, to prevent 
 their ghost from entering the town and disturbing the 
 people. Even the ghosts of quiet citizens have to be 
 laid on the seventh day after death. For this purpose, 
 the friends of the deceased go out at the gate of the 
 city, a little after dark, and call the dead man's name 
 three times, telling him that he is now done with the 
 world, and must not come back to haunt them. Women 
 who have lost their husbands, howl and lament together 
 at day break, for several days after the burial. When 
 the days of mourning are ended, they give a public en- 
 tertainment. In other respects, the mourning of the 
 people has nothing absurd or unusual. 
 
 Most of the Yorubas are farmers. Their only imple- 
 ment is the hoe, and they have no carts or wagons, but 
 they cultivate the ground well, and raise abundant crops 
 of everything needed in the country. The principal and 
 most valued crops are Indian corn and yams. Next to 
 these, are Guinea corn and cotton, which they spin and 
 weave into cloth. The common crop of corn is from 
 fifteen to twenty-five bushels to the acre, and it sells in 
 
OCCUPATIONS. 
 
 307 
 
 the country from twenty to fifty or even &eventy-five 
 cents a bushel. Both upland and sea-island cotton are 
 planted, but neither produces very well, owing to the 
 extreme and constant heat of the climate. For the 
 same reason, wheat, oats, &c, as also apples, peaches 
 and the like, can not be raised. Among the other things 
 commonly planted, we may enumerate cassava, sweet 
 potatoes, tania, Lima beans, peas, ground peas of two 
 kinds, bene or sesame, a kind of uneatable watermelon 
 planted for the sake of its oily seeds, telfaria, onions, 
 okra, and other vegetables. Turnips, radishes, &c, will 
 not flourish. 
 
 Every man has his own farm, but there is no property 
 in land. When a farm is abandoned, it becomes com- 
 mon property, that is, any one who chooses may plant 
 it. The farms are not fenced, because there are few 
 cattle, and these are kept near the town, and constantly 
 watched by the servants of the owners. Sheep and 
 goats are fed chiefly in the towns, and but few hogs are 
 raised. 
 
 A good many men, and still more women, are engaged 
 in traffic. Some are engaged in exchanging the com- 
 modities of the interior, chiefly ivory and carbonate of 
 soda from the desert, for the productions and imports of 
 the low country, as salt, tobacco, cotton cloth, beads, 
 guns, &c, and others in trading from town to town, 
 in the various productions of their own country. All 
 these commodities being carried on peoples' heads, in 
 loads of sixty or seventy pounds weight, give employ- 
 ment to great numbers of carriers. Two years ago, 
 when the caravans passed between Ogbomoshaw and 
 Ilorrin, every five days there were sometimes two or 
 
308 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 three thousand persons on the road at a time, and I cal- 
 culated that one hundred yoke of oxen would be re- 
 quired to convey all their merchandize. 
 
 For the most part, men and women have their own 
 occupations, and it is worthy of particular remark, that 
 women never cultivate the soil as they do in Guinea. 
 All the arts are in a rude state, yet they are sufficient 
 to supply the wants of the people. The iron smelters 
 furnish the iron, which the smiths manufacture into 
 hoes, axes, knives, nails, &c. The carpenter, as he is 
 called, splits trees into boards, and makes doors for 
 the houses. The leather dresser prepares morocco lea- 
 ther from sheep and goat skins, and makes bridle reins, 
 and a sort of shoes. The saddle maker exhibits his 
 skill in saddles, which, like the bridle-bit used in the 
 country, is almost identical with that made in Mexico. 
 The women spin cotton and sell the thread to the weav- 
 ers, who are men, and men are the tailors who make 
 garments. The women again make earthen pots, cook, 
 wash, dye with indigo, and buy and sell most of the 
 provisions which pass through the market. Some of the 
 men find good employment in the barber's profession, 
 and a few are professed hunters and fishers, Every one 
 is perfectly free to choose, follow, or change his occu- 
 pation at pleasure. 
 
 The tools and implements used by the people, are 
 generally contemptible. The axe is little more than 
 two inches wide, and is always inserted into the helve, 
 which is large and clumsy. The only tools of the car- 
 penter are his little axe, an adze of the same character, 
 and an iron spindle, to burn holes in his timber. The 
 blacksmith has a stone for an anvil, and an iron cudgel 
 
OCCUPATIONS. 
 
 309 
 
 for a hammer. His bellows is a couple of goat skins 
 stretched over two wooden bowls, into which are in- 
 serted two air pipes which run into one. The weaver's 
 loom, though constructed on precisely the same princi- 
 ple as ours, is so small that his cloth is only six inches 
 wide, but he can weave forty yards a day. 
 
 So far as I could ascertain, the peculiar glass manu- 
 facture of Central Africa, is confined to three towns in 
 Nufe, one of which is situated on the west of the Niger. 
 The art is kept a profound secret. The porcelain-like 
 appearance of the glass would indicate that the feldspar 
 which abounds in the country, enters into its composi- 
 tion. The singular mineral described by Lander, was 
 a conglomeration of melted African beads of different 
 colors. 
 
310 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT. 
 
 MONOTHEISM — IDOLATRY — MEDIATORS — SYMBOLS — SACRIFICES — 
 PRIESTS — THREE PRINCIPAL IDOLS — OBATALLA — SHAx^GO — IFA — 
 GOVERNMENT — WAR — CAPTIVES. 
 
 No man has ever believed in two gods, or that the 
 Jupiters and Astartes which he worshipped, were really 
 gods at all. To some they were merely personifications, 
 to others real persons, but all have looked beyond these 
 to the God, the Unknown, the Cause and Preserver of 
 all things. Polytheism has no existence in Sudan, nor 
 yet in Guinea. The objects which they worship are 
 not regarded as God ; they are not even called gods, 
 but by other names to distinguish them from God. In 
 Yoruba many of the notions which the people entertain 
 of God are remarkably correct. They make him the 
 efficient, though not always the instrumental, Creator. 
 They have some notion of his justice and holiness, and 
 they talk much of his goodness, knowledge, power and 
 providence. " Who," said I to some heathens, " is like 
 God ? 99 and they replied, " There is none." They may 
 extol the power and defend the worship of their idols, 
 whom they regard as mighty beings, but they will not 
 compare the greatest idol to God. 
 
RELIGION. 
 
 311 
 
 Practical idolatry is no less natural to man than a 
 belief in one God. The Israelites had felt an inward 
 religious yearning for the idols of Egypt, before Aaron, 
 with hearty good feelings, made the golden calf and ex- 
 claimed, " This is thy god, 0 Israel." For many ages 
 the twelve tribes were never satisfied with the sole wor- 
 ship of Jehovah, the boundless, formless, incomprehen- 
 sible I am ; though they knew, as the Egyptians and 
 Canaanites knew, that their idols were not the very God. 
 To this day the nations of Europe have not been con- 
 verted from the idolatry of their ancestors. The Jews 
 always called their idol worship the worship of Jeho- 
 vah. So do the negroes of Africa, so do the Catholics ; 
 and the Eoman priest who invokes the saints is no less 
 a heathen than the Jewish woman who made cakes to 
 the queen of heaven. 
 
 Belief in one God is the result of reason ; the worship 
 of idols arises from man's ineradicable feeling or sense 
 of guilt and feebleness. The instincts of his soul com- 
 pel him to seek a mediator, as a means of communica- 
 tion between himself and the infinite, invisible God. 
 This is precisely the view which the negroes take of their 
 idols. In Yoruba, the orisha (idol) is esteemed and called 
 an alaybawi, intercessor, literally one who receives peti- 
 tions from man and offers them to God. It is precisely 
 the same as the Roman saints, who stand between God 
 and the Catholic ; and the feelings which actuate the 
 worshippers are radically identical with those which 
 lead so many Protestants to believe that the prayers of 
 a minister are more effectual than their own. Nothing 
 but correct views of the mediation of Christ can correct 
 this natural obliquity of the human heart. Could we 
 
312 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 convince the heathens that Jesus is a better mediator 
 than their idols, they would be converted. But the dif- 
 ficulty of producing this conviction is illustrated by the 
 fact that Catholics will cling to their saints, that Pusey- 
 ites inwardly groan for a restoration of Catholicism, and 
 that many Protestants make mediators, that is, idols, of 
 their religious teachers. It is very difficult to bring the 
 sense-bound, sin-defiled heart of man to apprehend 
 Christ ; and still more difficult to prevent its apprehend- 
 ing some other refuge, when it can not rest in Christ as 
 the sole and all-sufficient mediator. 
 
 The devil-worship of the Africans, of which we have 
 heard so much, is nothing more nor less than the idol 
 atry, or trust in false mediators, just mentioned. Their 
 fetishism is precisely the. same system of superstition 
 which leads Mahometans and Catholics and many Prot- 
 estants, to employ charms and amulets as a means of 
 averting evil. The noble duke who fastened a horse- 
 shoe to the marble steps of his palace, believed in the 
 power of the fetish as well as the negro king who hangs 
 amulets and charms in his house to prevent the entrance 
 of witches and devils. But the fetish is not worshipped, 
 either in Europe or Africa. It is not a mediator, but a 
 " medicine," as the Indians and Africans call it, which 
 preserves the superstitious from spiritual ills, as drugs 
 avert bodily maladies. The Guinea man who bows be- 
 fore idols, and trusts in the amulet called a fetish, is 
 certainly very stupid, but he does nothing which is not 
 imitated by half the people in Christendom. 
 
 The images made by the negroes are only symbols. 
 No one supposes that they are endowed with spirit, in- 
 telligence or power. They are precisely analagous to 
 
RELIGION. 
 
 313 
 
 the images, pictures, and crosses of the Catholics. It 
 is surprising to me how Europeans, who have worship- 
 ped images and worn amulets all their lives, should so 
 far have misunderstood and misrepresented the religion 
 and superstition of the Africans. 
 
 There is one respect, however, in which the negro 
 differs from the Catholic. The latter worships to escape 
 the pains of purgatory or the perdition of hell. The 
 former gives himself little trouble about the future. 
 He believes in hell, or at least, has a notion of the place 
 called by the Yorubas, orrun-akjpadi y 11 the furnace- 
 world," but he has no fears that he is in danger of being 
 lost ; and hence, all his sacrifices and prayers, and reli- 
 gious hopes and fears, have reference to the good and 
 evil things of this world. Both his idol and his fetish, 
 like the white man's amulet, are wholly for the body. 
 
 The desire to offer sacrifices is instinctive and insepa- 
 rable from the notion of mediation. The priest is the 
 living representative of the two ideas, mediation and 
 sacrifice. In Yoruba, every idol has its priests, who 
 offer sacrifices of goats, sheep, hens, pigeons, &c. 
 Sometimes, though very rarely, they sacrifice men, as 
 the most valuable sacrifice that can be offered. No sac- 
 rifices are offered to God. Sometimes they pray to Him. 
 They thank Him often for the blessings of life ; and 
 they speak daily of His providence over the world ; 
 but they never approach Him with gifts and offerings. 
 
 The idols of Yoruba amount to three or four hundred ; 
 most of which are of little note. Some of them are 
 spiritual creatures, superior to men, and different from 
 angels ; others are ancient heroes, or heads of families. 
 They are often symbolized by trees, rivers, and other 
 14 
 
814 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 natural objects, but the symbol is not the idol. Once, 
 before I understood their doctrines, I objected to the 
 stupid materialism of their idolatry. A young man 
 stepped forward, and inquired : " Did you ever see God ? " 
 I replied: "No." "Neither can you see orisha," he 
 continued, " but there is an orisha there." It is not 
 usual, however, for the common people to distinguish 
 so clearly between the idol and the symbol. Most of 
 them confound the symbol with the thing symbolized. 
 
 When I asked an intelligent man : "How many great 
 orishas are there ?" he replied : " Three." The greatest 
 of these is Obbatalla, who is the reputed maker of the 
 human body ; whence he is called Alamohrere, the owner 
 of the good clay. After the body had been made, God 
 himself imbued it with life, for this was more than Ob- 
 batalla could do 
 
 The Yorubas never attempt to reconcile their contra- 
 dictory opinions and traditions. Notwithstanding all 
 they say about the creative work of Obbatalla, they 
 also affirm that God himself made heaven, and earth, 
 and man. The name of the first man was Okikishi and 
 Obbalufoh, and the name of his wife was lye* They 
 came from heaven, and had many children on earth. 
 The first sin was war. They have no tradition of the 
 flood; but the ship, called in Yoruba Okkoh is one of 
 
 * These names are, at least, curious. Okiki means "/ame." I sus- 
 pect that shi, si, isi and s, at the end of words in many languages, are 
 from si, to be, [Latin esse] and signify being, person. Obbalufoh means 
 the king or lord of speech, because the first man was the first speaker. 
 Iye, from ye, to live, signifies life, cf. Heb. khavah, (Eve) life, Arab. 
 Hawa ; cf. Yoruba wa, to be, to be alive, to live 
 
RELIGION. 
 
 315 
 
 their sacred symbols, they know not why. The first 
 settlement of Yoruba was at If eh; the next at Ikoso, a 
 town lately destroyed; the third at Igboho, (Lander's 
 Bohoo); the fourth at Awyaw (Eyeo or Katanga,) which 
 was destroyed by the Pulohs soon after the visit of the 
 Landers. By some, Obbatalla is made a descendant of 
 the ancient Yoruba kings. The etymology of the word 
 appears to be obba ti nld, 11 the great king." He is often 
 called Oriskanld, the great orisha, and Orishapopo, the 
 orisha of the gate, because his temples, or houses, are 
 sometimes placed just without the gate of the city, to 
 which he acts as a guardian spirit. He is sometimes 
 represented by images, as an armed male on horseback, 
 and sometimes as a female suckling a child;* but, in 
 fact, is an androgyne, representing the productive power 
 of nature, the great father and mother of all things mate- 
 rial. The reader will scarcely be surprised, then, when 
 I inform him that the mysterious serpent-symbol, and 
 the partes genitales in coitu, are sculptured on the temple 
 doors of this idol. Sometimes there are additional sym- 
 bols, as a leopard, a tortoise, and a fish. In one place 
 only, I have seen a woman with one hand and one foot, 
 (a half Obbatalla, the feminine principle of nature?) 
 and long hair tied into a cue with a ball on the end. 
 Who can believe that this long-haired goddess origi- 
 nated among the woolly-headed negroes ? 
 
 The next great orisha is Shango, the "Jupiter Tonans " 
 of the Yorubas. He is often called Jakuta, the stone- 
 
 * In this form, she is called Tyangba, "the receiving mother," and 
 is reckoned the wife of Obbatalla, the horseman. Qr. Ob-buddhanla 
 the great Buddh ? 
 
316 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 caster, and certain old stone hatchets, (leather dressers?) 
 like those found in America, are picked up in the fields 
 and venerated as thunder-bolts; or shall we say that 
 these stones, wherever found, were symbolical thunder- 
 bolts from the beginning ? Shango is the son of Or- 
 rungan (mid-day), and the grandson of Agunju* (the 
 desert), and a descendant of Okikishi, the first man. 
 His mother is Iyemojja, a river in Yoruba. His elder 
 brother is Dada (nature, from da, to create), who is one 
 of the Yoruba idols. His younger brother is the river 
 Ogun, which is the symbol of war and blacksmithing, 
 and bears the name of the warriors 7 and blacksmiths' 
 god. His wives are Awya (the Niger), and the rivers 
 Ossun and Obba. His friend, or associate, is Orishako, 
 the god of farms, whose symbol is an iron bar, by 
 means of which people are mesmerized to make them 
 strong and healthy. f His slave is Biri, darkness, and 
 his priest is Magba, the receiver. Notwithstanding his 
 high relations, Shango was a mortal man, who was born 
 at Ifeh, and reigned at Ikoso, "whence he was trans- 
 lated alive to heaven, and made immortal. He is a 
 nunter, fisher, and warrior. The gates of his palace are 
 of brass; the number of his horses 10,000. The righte- 
 ous are favored of Shango, but he kills the wicked with 
 thunderbolts, and sends them to hell. 
 
 The sun and moon are not worshipped in any part of 
 Yoruba, except at Ifeh, where there are said to be large 
 
 * I rather think that Agunju here means the empty expanse of the 
 sky. 
 
 f Want of time forbids me to describe the various religious cere- 
 monies. / 
 
RELIGION. 
 
 317 
 
 brazen images of these objects, and a brazen chain, 
 which fell down from heaven. But there are traces of 
 sun-worship in many parts of Africa. Oro, the execu- 
 tive god of the Egbas, and Purrah, the oppressor of 
 nations, on the Mendi Coast, are of this nature, (cf. 
 Pharaoh, pur, fire, uro, to burn, and many other cognate 
 words in all parts of the world.) 
 
 The next and last orisha which I shall notice, is the 
 great and universal honored Ifa } the revealer of secrets, 
 and the guardian of marriage and child-birth. This 
 god is consulted by means of sixteen palm nuts. The 
 reason of this is not assigned, but sixteen persons 
 founded Yoruba; the palm nut which they brought 
 produced a tree with sixteen branches ; and there is 
 said to be a palm tree with sixteen branches on Mt. Ado, 
 which is the residence of the chief priest of Ifa. The 
 worship of Ifa is a mystery into which none but men 
 are initiated. Neither have I been able to collect much 
 information in regard to the nature of the idol or the 
 ceremonies of his worship. Hence I am not able to 
 affirm what I suspect, that Ifa corresponds with the 
 Restorer of other mythological systems. According to 
 some traditions, it would seem that Obbalufoh, or Adam, 
 was the founder of Ifa. 
 
 In addition to all their other idols, usually called 
 devils by the Englishmen on the coast, the Yorubas 
 worship Satan himself, under the name of Eshu, which 
 appears to mean " the ejected" from shu, to cast out. 
 He is not worshipped like the idols as a mediator, nor 
 yet because they suppose he will hereafter attain tc 
 power and dominion; but simply as a malignant being 
 whom they think it best to conciliate. His altar is a 
 
318 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 rough conglomerate stone of clay and pebbles, cement- 
 ed with iron, upon which they pour oil, as if to mollify 
 the devil's evil disposition. 
 
 The civil officers are the king at Awyaw, and his 
 counselors, and the governors and their counselors, in 
 the various towns. At present, the towns are nearly 
 independent of the king, and manage their affairs very 
 much in their own way. The military officers are gene- 
 rals, and others of various inferior ranks. Laws are 
 made in each town by the chief and his counselors, but 
 sometimes they call a public meeting of the people. 
 Neither the king, nor any governor or chief in the coun 
 try, is arbitrary or above law. The ruler can do noth- 
 ing without the assent of his council, and the ruler and 
 council together can not violate the ancient traditional 
 laws of the country. Whatever despotic acts may be 
 witnessed in Africa, they are all performed according 
 to " the common law" of the land, the origin of which 
 is lost in the immeasurable depths of antiquity. 
 
 The only tax of which I have heard, is the toll paid in 
 cowries for merchandise which enters the town, and 
 sometimes a small tax on corn, which is paid in kind to 
 the gate keepers, as the farmers bring in their crops. 
 Public labors, as the building of town walls, are per- 
 formed by the people without remuneration. 
 
 Judicial proceedings are of two kinds: First, before 
 the ruler of the town and his council, according to law 
 and testimony; «tnd Secondly, before the oboni lodge, a 
 sort of Freemason institution, who are connected with 
 the government on one hand, and with the religion of 
 the country on the other. The oboni house has three 
 courts, into the interior, or third of which, no un- 
 
GOVERNMENT. 
 
 319 
 
 initiated person may enter under penalty of death. 
 When a person is initiated, he has to kneel down and 
 drink a mixture of blood and water from a hole in the 
 earth ; but what else he is required to do I am not in- 
 formed. The business of the obonies being transacted in 
 secret, I have no knowledge of their method of trying 
 cases when they sit as a court. They are feared by 
 the mightiest men in the country. 
 
 Criminals are executed by beheading, or strangling 
 with a rope. At Ilorrin, they break their necks with a 
 mace or iron cudgel. The capital offences are murder, 
 treason, and house burning ; in some places, theft, rob- 
 bery, and adultery. Minor offences are punished by 
 fine and imprisonment, rarely by whipping. 
 
 The Dahomies and some other heathens, make war 
 for the purpose of catching slaves. The Mahometans 
 do so both for this purpose, and to convert the heathens. 
 But in general, African wars arise as wars in other 
 countries, about any great or little matter which the 
 rulers can not settle by negotiation. A campaign is a 
 grand spree full of noise and confusion, and is soon over. 
 A single battle often terminates the war ; but in some 
 cases there are long sieges. The soldiers provide their 
 own rations, by foraging in large or small companies, 
 and receive no pay except what they can steal or rob 
 during the expedition. At present, most of the people 
 have inferior smooth-bored guns, which are sold to the 
 Guinea negroes by European traders, and sent off to be 
 sold again in the interior. Their powder, chiefly from 
 Boston, is very coarse, and their rough iron balls are 
 made by their own blacksmiths. 
 
 All prisoners taken in war are slaves ; and if not re- 
 
320 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 deemed by their countrymen, are set to work by the 
 captors, or sold to dealers. The price varies from thirty 
 to sixty dollars, according to age and quality. I have 
 never known them cruelly treated in Yoruba. Home- 
 born slaves are seldom sold to the slavers. At least 
 four fifths of the people are free. 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 321 
 
 CHAPTER XXYI. 
 
 ON THE MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 SAVAGES MAY BE CONVERTED — THEY CAN NOT SUSTAIN THE GOSPEL—* 
 THEY MUST BE CIVILIZED — THE DIVINE METHOD OF DEALING WITH 
 MAN — THE FORMER STATE OF AFRICA — ITS PRESENT STATE — WHAT 
 TYPE OF CIVILIZATION SUITS IT — THE DUTY OF MISSIONARIES — IM- 
 PORTANCE OF COMMERCE — COMMERCIAL RESOURCES OF CENTRAL AFRICA 
 — INDUSTRY OF THE PEOPLE — NAVIGATION OF THE NIGER. 
 
 The barbarous negro of Africa, and the enlightened 
 white man of America, are endowed with a common 
 human nature. Although in different degrees of devel- 
 opment, they both have the same good and evil pro- 
 pensities, the same hopes and fears, the same instinctive 
 religious yearnings, and the same capabilities. It fol- 
 lows, then, that the Gospel is adapted to both. The 
 veriest savage on earth is not too unhuman to be capa- 
 ble of conversion. If a priori reasoning on this point 
 were not sufficient to convince us, the fact is manifest in 
 the success of missionaries among the Hottentots. No 
 Christian will deny that men may be converted without 
 civilization, or that whole communities of barbarians 
 might become at least nominally Christian, like the civil- 
 ized nations of Europe and America. 
 
 But our designs and hopes in regard to Africa, are 
 14* 
 
o o o 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 not simply to bring as many individuals as possible to 
 the knowledge of Christ. We desire to establish the 
 Gospel in the hearts and minds and social life of the 
 people, so that truth and righteousness may remain and 
 flourish among them, without the instrumentality of 
 foreign missionaries. This can not be done without 
 civilization. To establish the Gospel among any people, 
 they must have Bibles, and therefore must have the art 
 to make them, or the money to buy them. They must 
 read the Bible, and this implies instruction. They must 
 have competent native pastors, and this implies several 
 things which can not exist without a degree of civil- 
 ization. 
 
 Suppose, now, that all the people of Africa were con- 
 verted to-day, and left to-morrow to perpetuate their 
 Christianity without foreign assistance. In a few gene- 
 rations they would sink to a level with the Christians 
 of Abyssinia, as unconverted, as superstitious, and as 
 vicious as the very heathens themselves. The great 
 Roman apostacy was only the natural result of that su- 
 perstition, and that ignorance of the Bible, which were 
 inevitably connected with the social state of the people 
 in the first ages of Christianity. While it is the glory 
 of the Gospel that the weakest reasonable creature can 
 perceive its essential truths sufficiently to be sanctified 
 and saved, it is nevertheless true that the Gospel can 
 not be divorced from the written word, as it must be 
 among illiterate barbarians. To diffuse a good degree 
 of mental culture among the people, though a secondary 
 object, is really and necessarily one part of the mis- 
 sionary work in Africa ; and he that expects to evange- 
 lize the country without civilization, will find, like Xa- 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 323 
 
 vier in the East, and the Jesuits in South America, and 
 the priests in Congo, that his labors will end in disap- 
 pointment. It has, indeed, an appearance of simple en- 
 ergetic faith, to affirm that the Gospel alone is sufficient 
 to evangelize the barbarous nations. So it had an 
 appearance of great piety when the cynic saints of 
 antiquity abjured society in order to spend their days 
 in desert ravines, or mountain caves, or on the tops of 
 pillars. But the experience and the sober sense of man- 
 kind, will always decide that true faith and true piety 
 are inseparable from a due regard both to the body and 
 the soul, and to the mental as well as the moral nature 
 of man. The Gospel was never intended to feed and 
 clothe us, or to instruct us in reading, writing and 
 printing, or in grammar, history, geography, and other 
 things necessary to a correct understanding of the 
 Bible. Yet without food and clothing, and several 
 branches of secular knowledge, the Bible and the Gos- 
 pel can not exist in any country. 
 
 It is not the fact that the Gospel exists, nor yet the 
 mere preaching of the Gospel, that converts the soul. 
 In the parable of the sower, the good-ground hearer, 
 the only one who is saved, is "he that heareth the 
 word and understandeth it." Now in all countries, if 
 the influence of friends, or the influence of false relig- 
 ion, if mental pride or mental barbarism, or any thing 
 else, should seal up a man's heart and prevent his un- 
 derstanding the Gospel, that man will be lost. One of 
 the great reasons why the Gospel has so little effect in 
 barbarous countries, is found in the fact that the bar- 
 barism of the people seals up their hearts and prevents 
 their understanding the necessity and fitness of Chris* 
 
324 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 as the only Sacrifice, and the only Mediator by whom 
 they must be saved. The savage may be converted if 
 he can be brought to understand these truths. Yet we 
 have always found, that comparatively very few can 
 be brought to understand the Gospel, and the conver- 
 sion of these partakes of the general imbecility of their 
 barbarous souls. The duty of preparing the hearts of 
 individuals, and, of course, of communities, as a discreet 
 farmer prepares his soil by the removal of stones and 
 thorns, is taught in the parable of the sower just men- 
 tioned. The preaching of the Word is one, and a chief, 
 means of preparing the heart, but every bodily and 
 mental advantage which enables a man to understand 
 the Gospel, is an auxiliary. Since God is pleased to 
 work by consistent means, it is doubtless owing in part 
 to natural causes, that some whole families in our own 
 country are religious, from generation to generation, 
 while not a single member of other families has ever 
 been known to be a Christian. In like manner it is 
 owing in part to natural causes, that Christianity 
 flourishes wherever it is planted in its purity, in civilized 
 countries, while it either degenerates into contemptible 
 superstition or becomes extinct among barbarous tribes. 
 
 We may learn a great practical lesson, by observing 
 God's own method of proceeding. All his providences 
 from Adam until now, have been ordered not only to 
 secure the salvation of individual souls, but to prepare 
 the minds of men for the establishment and perpetua- 
 tion of the pure Gospel throughout the earth. It was 
 not without a cause deeply laid in the nature of things, 
 that the coming of Christ was delayed for four or five 
 thousand years. This delay was necessary to the es- 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 325 
 
 tablishment of the Gospel, unless God should choose to 
 dissolve the connection which he had established be- 
 tween the human intellect and affections, and the means 
 which he had ordained to impress and govern the human 
 race. To state the whole matter briefly, the promises 
 of a Saviour to Adam and to Abraham; the patriarchal 
 doctrines of sacrifices and mediation; the doctrines and 
 rites of the Mosaic dispensation; the varied fortunes of 
 the Israelites and Jews; the wide diffusion of the Greek 
 language by the mad adventures of Alexander ; the 
 wars and conquests of Kome, and in short, the history 
 of the whole world, were only one harmonious scheme 
 of divine providence moving irresistibly forward to 
 make ready a people prepared for the Lord Jesus, when 
 at last in "the fullness of time," he should make his ap- 
 pearance on earth. The preaching of John was a neces- 
 sary precedent to the ministry of Christ, and his ministry 
 laid the foundation of the great success which attended 
 the preaching of the Apostles. But the work of prepa- 
 ration, consistently with the laws of the human mind, 
 was not yet accomplished. Without abandoning the 
 plan of divine government over man, the Gospel could 
 not yet eradicate superstition and establish itself in its 
 purity over the earth. The great Apostacy, the long 
 conflict between the true Church and Antichrist ; the 
 revival of letters and science; the great but still defect- 
 ive reformation of the sixteenth century; the extension 
 of geographical knowledge ; the American revolution ; 
 the recent going forth of the missionary spirit, and the 
 labors which we are now performing, are all indispensa- 
 ble links in that chain of providence which is to fill the 
 whole earth with the knowledge of God. Observe then 
 
326 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 that in every step of these providences, the Almighty 
 and All-wise himself has proceeded in exact accordance 
 with the whole nature of man, and let us learn that we 
 too must proceed in the same manner, if we desire to 
 be good ministers of Jesus Christ. Evangelization is our 
 great first object, because the soul is more than the body; 
 but evangelization involves civilization, both as cause 
 and effect, because the body, the intellect, and the affec- 
 tions of man, are so inseparably united, as to act and re- 
 act upon each other, both for good and for evil. 
 
 We return now and say, that if the twelve apostles 
 had gone into tropical Africa, and labored there and there 
 only, their success would have been limited, not only in 
 regard to the conversion of souls, but especially in re- 
 gard to the establishment and perpetuation of the Gos- 
 pel; unless indeed God had been pleased to reverse his 
 long-established plan of government, and to work such 
 a change in human nature as would amount to an un- 
 manning of man. For at that time, far more than at 
 present, Africa was covered with her primeval forests 
 Avhich generate barbarism as naturally as the mangrove 
 swamps on her sea coast generate malaria, and the re- 
 moval of these forests, as already stated, was a condition 
 of African civilization. As yet, also, Africa had not 
 felt the influence of that mighty scheme of providence 
 which had long been preparing the civilized world for 
 the reception of Christ. Still further, she sustained no 
 such relations to the rest of the world as united her to 
 the great community of man, and would compel her to 
 move with the progress of human society. But if the 
 apostles could not have established the Gospel in Africa, 
 any attempt of their successors during the first, mid 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 327 
 
 die and latter ages, would have been still less suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 We have too often condemned the supineness of our 
 predecessors in the missionary work, by our not re- 
 membering that the providential fullness of time had 
 not yet come. The conversion of the world was then 
 naturally and absolutely impossible. Our hated and 
 persecuted predecessors "in the kingdom and patience 
 of Jesus Christ," had their own appropriate toils and 
 duties, and for the most part they performed them well. 
 Our duties are different. To us Africa presents a new 
 and hopeful aspect, one which she has never before pre- 
 sented since the foundation of the world. Her prime- 
 val forests are gone, and with them her savage state has 
 perished forever. The new condition of the country has 
 produced a new condition of the people. New wants, 
 new hopes and new ideas are forcing her tribes upward 
 in the scale of humanity. Almost the whole continent 
 is agitated by the events of a transition state ; the eyes 
 of the world are upon her; the hearts and the hands of 
 the world are drawing her into the great confraternity 
 of man; the heralds of Christ are there, pushing forward 
 into the unknown depths of her interior nations ; and 
 now it requires no prophet to declare the natural result 
 of all these potent forces, " Ethiopia shall soon stretch 
 forth her hands unto God." 
 
 What, then, shall Christians of this favored age at- 
 tempt to do for Africa ? The same as we are now at- 
 tempting. Give the people missionaries, give them 
 Bibles, give them the power to perpetuate the Gospel 
 amongst them, or, in one word — civilization. It is not 
 wise, however, to commit the too common mistake of 
 
328 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 supposing that our form of civilization is the exemplar 
 for the whole earth. It is not the best form for our- 
 selves, and is not adapted to Africa at all. The climate 
 and the moral and mental constitution of the people 
 are unanimous in demanding an African civilization for 
 Africa, such as that which the people of the interior 
 have already originated, and which only needs to be 
 developed on its own basis, in conjunction with pure 
 Christianity. Too many persons seem to regard the 
 English language as a sort of second gospel to mankind, 
 and in some parts of Africa they have absolutely cursed 
 the people by means of English schools. Too many ap- 
 pear to think that African civilization ought to leap 
 into full grown existence, as if by miracle, and they are 
 not willing for the negroes to grow up into civilization, 
 as other people have done, by the natural and slow de- 
 velopment of civilizing forces. Hence, they either deny 
 that the present gradual progress of the Africans will 
 ever elevate them to the estate of civilized men, or 
 else they become careless in their labors for Africa, 
 because they shall not live to see the final result. To 
 be the true friends of A frica, we must agree to labor 
 patiently, and almost unrequited. Every attempt to force 
 our full-grown civilization upon barbarians, serves only to 
 stupefy and paralyze them by exhibitions of skill which 
 they can neither understand nor imitate. By this means 
 they are not stimulated to action, but become discouraged. 
 The wise instructor of Africa is content to begin with the 
 elements of knowledge, both religious and secular, and 
 he continues his course by attempting a diffusion of such 
 principles of Christianity, science, art and social improve- 
 ment as the people can appreciate and reduce to practice. 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 329 
 
 The missionary work, and the only duty of mission- 
 aries, as such, is the preaching of the Gospel, and the 
 planting and training of churches. The duties of this 
 single calling are sufficient to fill the hands of any 
 laborer. After all, the missionary is a man, no less than 
 a minister, and, as a man, he can not avoid feeling an 
 interest in everything pertaining to the physical, mental, 
 or moral improvement of mankind. He must not be a 
 schoolmaster for the heathen, but, if he is wise, he will 
 do all that he consistently can for the promotion of such 
 schools as are adapted to the condition and wants of 
 the people. He can not instruct them in the arts of the 
 blacksmith, the carpenter, the mason, &c, but he will 
 desire them to have that degree of instruction in every 
 art which is necessary to their present improvement. 
 He may not turn merchant among them, but he will re- 
 joice at the extension of commerce, as one of the great 
 means of civilization. In like manner, missionary 
 societies can not become the patrons and supporters of 
 anything which is not directly a part of the mission- 
 aries' work ; but, if need be, they may render any kind 
 of assistance to school teachers, mechanics, and traders, 
 which may be consistent with the design for which 
 missionary societies were created. 
 
 No one denies that schools and the industrial arts 
 would be useful to Africa, and helpful to the establish- 
 ment of the Gospel, but the greatest of all these second- 
 ary means for the extension of the Gospel, is commerce 
 with Christian countries. Of course, I make no allusion 
 to the slave trade, which is supported by the most de- 
 moralizing species of war, and causes the death of two 
 or three persons, on an average, for every slave that is 
 
380 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 brought to the market. Like many other things in 
 human history, the slave trade was a mixture of good 
 and evil ; but the great cycle of human events has 
 passed it by, never to return. Already " lawful com- 
 merce, " as it is usually and significantly called, has 
 taken fast hold on most of the old stations of the slave 
 trade, as at the mouth of the Gambia, at Sierra Leone, 
 in Liberia, on the Gold Coast, and lastly, at Lagos. 
 This is the traffic which we regard as a powerful auxili- 
 ary of the Gospel, and upon the steady advances of 
 which we look as an evidence that our missionary labors 
 shall not cease till Africa has been added to the civi- 
 lized world. That the men who are engaged in this 
 work feel intense interest in the progress of present 
 events is not to be wondered at, when we consider that 
 as preachers, school teachers, mechanics and traders, 
 they are creating nations and founding, empires. Never 
 before have the benevolence, the wisdom, the wealth and 
 the might of men been devoted and pledged to such a 
 work as this, of which Africa is now the object. How- 
 ever much it may be delayed, the ultimate success of the 
 undertaking is no less certain than the principles of 
 nature upon which it is founded. 
 
 While we remember that African commerce is yet 
 feeble, we are not discouraged in our hopes that it 
 is destined to become a powerful instrumentality in the 
 civilization and conversion of the continent. The com- 
 mercial importance of the country is beginning to be 
 recognized. The scores of French and English vessels 
 constantly engaged in navigating the Senegal and 
 Gambia rivers, and the rapidly-increasing traffic of 
 several nations with the Western Coast generally, are 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 331 
 
 proof of this. But the present trade is probably not a 
 tithe of what it might be, even with the present popu- 
 lation. The single article of palm oil — to say nothing 
 of all sorts of tropical productions — has no assignable 
 limit, as regards either the production or the consump- 
 tion. The little palm nut is the greatest enemy that 
 has ever reared its head against the slave trade ; for 
 civilized nations will soon find negroes too valuable in 
 Africa to suffer their exportation to other countries. 
 Hereafter every war in Western Africa will be an injury 
 to Europe and America, and we rejoice to see so strong 
 an advocate of peace arising to power and immortality 
 on the shores of that hitherto wretched country. We 
 thank God for that emblem of peace, the palm tree. 
 
 But the internal wealth of all countries, and especi- 
 ally of so broad and rich a continent as Africa, must 
 always be vastly superior to that of the Coast. In 
 every thing except rice and palm oil, Sudan has the 
 advantage of Guinea. The air is more salubrious ; at 
 present, the people are more civilized, and are superior 
 as to race ; and the soil and climate are better adapted 
 to most of the tropical productions which are accounted 
 so valuable to other hot countries. Here at the present 
 moment, are millions of people, every one of whom may 
 have something to sell, and desires something to buy. 
 The caravan trade across a thousand miles of desert, is 
 computed at several millions of pounds sterling, even 
 now, although it is expensive and unnatural, owing to 
 the character and length of the road. The negro cara- 
 vans of the interior, which travel from one market to 
 another, often consist of hundreds, and sometimes of 
 two or three thousand people, laden with home produc- 
 
332 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 tions, with salt and carbonate of soda from the desert, 
 and with numerous articles from civilized countries, 
 which by some long and expensive route have reached 
 the heart of the continent. From what I saw and 
 learned at Ilorrin, I suppose the weekly arrival of such 
 traders at that town can not be much, if any, less than 
 ten thousand, and the same is going on in every part of 
 the country. There is not a town without its market, 
 and not a market without some European goods, and a 
 desire for more ; and yet all this vast, populous and 
 productive region, is cut off from all direct and conve- 
 nient intercourse with the civilized world. How much, 
 and how many valuable commodities are there wasted 
 annually for want of a market, or else not produced, or 
 but little produced, we are not able to say. The present 
 trade of the country is of course almost nothing to what 
 it might be. 
 
 So far as the productions of Central Africa depend on 
 the willingness of the people to labor, there is no doubt 
 as to their abundance. The industry of these people is 
 one of the most remarkable and unexpected facts which 
 have been brought to light by our acquaintance with 
 the country. It is a land without vagrants. The black 
 smith, the weaver, the farmer, in short every body, male 
 and female, has something to do, and their markets 
 are always abundautly supplied with every home pro- 
 duction for which there is a demand. No argument is 
 needed to show how probable it is that such a people 
 would labor still more, if stimulated by the demand of a 
 good foreign market. 
 
 For what now, does the majestic Niger, the Missis- 
 sippi of Africa, flow through the heart of Sudan, except 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 333 
 
 to form a great highway for a great traffic with foreign 
 countries ? But the civilized world is still unacquaint- 
 ed with the Niger. Strange, indeed, that the great and 
 enterprising commercial nations of the world, should 
 not know whether the Niger is or is not navigable for 
 steamers ! But this fact has arisen partly from our 
 mistakes in regard to the character of the country and 
 people, and partly from some mistakes which have been 
 made in attempts to explore the stream. The manner 
 in which several travelers have pushed through the 
 country, as if traveling against time and reason, has 
 brought more reproach on the climate of Africa than it 
 ever deserved. Travelers would be likely to lose their 
 lives in any country if they should hasten on, as did 
 Park, without shoes, or as the younger Park, with no 
 clothing but a calico wrapper, or as Clapperton and 
 others, exposed to sun and rain, wading streams, lying 
 on the wet ground, and too often endeavoring to coun- 
 teract these imprudences by an imprudent use of brandy. 
 
 Mungo Park lost his life by the mistake of firing on the 
 kind-hearted people of Busa, who meant him no harm, 
 and thus throwing them into the mistake that his canoe 
 was the advance of the Fellatah army. Lander floated 
 down the river from Yauri to the sea, but forgot to ob- 
 serve whether there was any real impediment to navi- 
 gation by steamers. 
 
 Laird and Oldfield, who reached Eaba, were not pro- 
 vided with boats of sufficient power and lightness for 
 the service. 
 
 They lost many men, partly from imprudent exposure, 
 partly from the constant use of rum, and partly by purg- 
 ing, bleeding, and blistering the heads of men whose 
 
334 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 cases required an opposite treatment. In the lower 
 part of the river, they were troubled with sand bars, 
 because they were not acquainted with the rules by 
 which the eye may determine the course of the channel. 
 Finally they made no money. This expedition dis- 
 couraged the English for several years, during which 
 time Captain Beecroft, late Consul at Fernando Po, as- 
 cended the river on his own account to a point some 
 distance above Raba. 
 
 The recent expedition, (in 1854,) ascended the Benue 
 to 11° east longitude, and returned at the end of six 
 weeks without the loss of a single man. This result 
 had been predicted by Mr. Hutchinson, (see his journal) 
 provided the men would live prudently and make free 
 use of quinine. The boat returned professedly for want 
 of wood, but really, some were dissatisfied, and unfortu- 
 nately, among the several personages on board, there 
 was no one invested with authority to control the move- 
 ments of the expedition. It still remains for England 
 or some other power, to make a well-ordered, persever- 
 ing effort to explore the Niger and its tributaries. The 
 matter would be very easy to our own government. 
 
 Our present knowledge of the Niger is rather exten- 
 sive than definite. The delta is sickly, but may be pass- 
 ed in a short time by a good steamer, after which, the 
 climate is probably as good as in other tropical rivers 
 The sand bars would give little trouble to an experi- 
 enced river pilot. There are "rapids" at Busa, but the 
 river is several hundred yards wide, and canoes are 
 paddled up and down it daily. The broad river above 
 Busa, is full of shoals and islands, but is navigable for 
 canoes, an^ we can scarcely doubt that some of the 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 335 
 
 wide channels are sufficiently deep for steamers. The 
 proper season to enter the river would be about the 
 end of April, so as to allow ample time for interview 
 with chiefs, and to reach Busa in June. One error of 
 the English explorers has been too much haste to 
 return, and another, too much desire to traffic. Accord- 
 ing to Caille, who descended in a canoe, the river above 
 Timbuctu is broad and deep, and it probably retains 
 this character for several hundred miles. Below Yauri 
 there is no danger to be apprehended from the natives. 
 The Moors about Timbuctu, might or might not be 
 hostile, but it is most probable that they would receive 
 the explorers with friendship. Prudence would suggest 
 that the steamer or steamers should be adequately pro- 
 vided with means of defence. 
 
 One serious mistake has been committed by commer- 
 cial adventurers on the Niger. They have expected, 
 very wrongly, that if the country were rich they should 
 find abundance of valuable commodities, ready to be 
 purchased, and brought aboard the steamers. Because 
 they have not found this, they have been discouraged. 
 Even McGregor Laird, so lately as last year, complains 
 that the expedition up the Benue was not remunerative. 
 How could he expect that any first or second expedition 
 of this kind could be very profitable ? I presume he did 
 not expect it ; but his remark was made to induce the 
 British government to relieve him of the expense of 
 another expedition ; whereas they ought to have taken 
 the affair into their own hands at first, and have put 
 the expedition in command of some man who would 
 have finished the work. 
 
 The navigation of the Niger is not a lottery, in which 
 
336 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 men may draw a fortune, but a matter-of-fact work, in 
 which they may earn it. If trading houses were estab- 
 lished at suitable points on the river, the people would 
 soon come to buy and sell, first by hundreds, and then 
 by thousands, and the productions of the country could 
 be laid up ready for the steamers. Before many years, 
 the centres of trade would remove from their present 
 locations to the banks of the river ; the caravan trade 
 across the desert and to the distant coast of Guinea 
 would be broken up ; wagon roads would be opened ; 
 new articles of export would come into notice, and the 
 production of old ones would be increased ; and, at 
 last, the traffic which would not pay the expenses of 
 the first expedition would be an object of importance to 
 the civilized world. 
 
 Possibly this commerce might need some protection, 
 either by forts, with a few civilized negro soldiers, or 
 by armed steamers, which is the method adopted by 
 the French on the Senegal. We, who have lived for 
 several years in the country, however, can scarcely be- 
 lieve that any protection would be needed, except good 
 behavior. All our supplies and cowries, to the amount 
 of several tons, have been brought into the interior to 
 us by native carriers. We have lived in unlocked 
 houses, and have traveled far and wide through the 
 country, and have ever felt as secure in our persons 
 and property as if at home in America. For my own 
 part, if I were a trader on the Niger, I should have no 
 fears of the people. 
 
 I need not attempt to say how much the interests of 
 Central African commerce might be favored by treaties 
 with the kings and chiefs of the country. The exten- 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 337 
 
 sion of commerce is professedly an object of national 
 importance ; and there is probably no uncivilized coun- 
 try which is more worthy of the attention of governments, 
 than Sudan. Why should it be too much to hope that 
 our own government may explore the Niger, and estab- 
 lish commercial relations with the adjacent nations ? By 
 this measure, another wide field of enterprize would be 
 thrown open to our citizens. The influence of civiliza- 
 tion and Christianity would be brought to bear upon 
 twenty or thirty millions of people, who are now pre- 
 pared to receive them ; and there would arise a neces- 
 sity for laborers in Sudan which would put a natural and 
 effectual stop to the North African slave trade, and to 
 the wars by which it is supported. Neither is it too 
 much to say that the diffusion of civilization, prosperity, 
 and happiness, is an appropriate work of Christian gov- 
 ernments. Philanthropy, no less than good policy, is 
 worthy of the attention of nations ; and especially when 
 good policy and philanthropy are inseparably united, we 
 must say that the preservation of a nation, as in Turkey, 
 or the creation of nations, by the reciprocal benefits of 
 commerce, as in Sudan, is legitimately a national work. 
 In our own nation, raised up by Providence for the ex- 
 position and vindication of principles which are destined 
 to govern the world, such a work would be particularly 
 consistent. When we look back upon the long train of 
 heaven-directed events which have conducted us to our 
 present position — the ancient civilization of Assyria and 
 Egypt, its transference to the republics of Greece and 
 Rome, its victorious conflicts with the barbarous tribes 
 of Central and Northern Europe, its union with the ele- 
 ments of true liberty in England, its toils, battles, and 
 15 
 
338 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 victories in the name of the living God, here in America, 
 its reflection in purer form upon Europe, its late expan- 
 sion to Africa, its constant advances to higher and higher 
 purity — when we contemplate all this, who could be 
 surprised if America, the exponent of civil and religious 
 truth, should invade the dominions of sin and degrada- 
 tion, in new and surprising ways, with results never 
 before realized or even expected ? 
 
 The extension of civilized commerce to Central Africa, 
 attended, as it would be, by the pure Gospel, could not 
 fail to have a powerful effect on the minds and institu- 
 tions of the people. The various branches of business 
 called into existence by commerce would require educa- 
 tion ; and the people would be anxious to obtain it. 
 Then the philanthropic supporter of schools could 
 teach the youth of the country, without standing ex- 
 posed to the charge of performing the absurd labor of 
 cramming their minds with learning for which they have 
 no use, and consequently, no appreciation of. Soon, 
 also, as now in Sierra Leone, the natives would sustain 
 their own schools, esteeming education far more valua- 
 ble than the time and money expended in obtaining it. 
 As a consequence, missionaries would no longer preach 
 to illiterate barbarians who will never be able to perpet- 
 uate the Gospel among them, but to men who can learn 
 their duty by reading the Bible, and, of course, would 
 be able to sustain their churches and pastors from gen- 
 eration to generation, like other Bible-reading people. 
 
 Another advantage of commerce would be an increase 
 of industry, which, in all climates and states of societ}% 
 is indispensable to the existence of virtue. No people 
 will labor merely for the sake of toil. The Central 
 
MEANS OP REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 339 
 
 Africans at present, produce abundance of every thing 
 necessary to their existence as barbarians, but there 
 is no market to draw off surplus produce, if it existed, 
 and the supply is very naturally limited by the extent 
 of the demand. Under these circumstances, an increase 
 of industry, and consequently of virtue and of civili- 
 zation, is impossible. We might introduce ploughs, wag- 
 ons, and other labor-saving appliances ; but without 
 a greater demand for produce, these apparent steps 
 toward civilization would be a curse instead of a bless- 
 ing, because every hour saved from labor is only so 
 much added to idleness, and consequently to immorality 
 and degradation. But create a demand for all that they 
 are able to produce, or in other words, give them com- 
 merce with the civilized world, and then the introduction 
 of plows, wagons, &c, and the opening of roads, would 
 be a work of real benevolence. The demands of the 
 foreign market would stimulate industry ; the supplies 
 brought into the country by foreign traffic, together with 
 education and the Gospel, would create new wants and 
 new aspirations, which would naturally and inevitably 
 lead to the regeneration of society. 
 
 No matter by what means the people of different 
 countries may be civilized, the principles upon which 
 civilization is founded, are everywhere the same. Thus 
 far in the history of man, there has been no civilization 
 which has not been cemented and sustained in existence 
 bj a division of the people into higher, lower and mid- 
 dle classes. We may affirm, indeed, that this constant 
 attendant upon human society — gradation of classes — is 
 indispensable to civilization, in any form, however low 
 or high. Take our own country and social state as an 
 
340 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 example. The highest class, which with all its various 
 component parts is a unit, consists of our eminent scien- 
 tific men, of our great merchants and mechanics (whose 
 ships, engines, etc., are at once the substance and 
 the expression of our civilization,) of our wealthy cit- 
 izens, and political leaders and rulers, and in short 
 of all who are truly eminent in any department. The 
 middle class is composed of all whose attainments in 
 science, art, wealth, etc., are of secondary order and 
 importance, though some of this class approach near to 
 the maximum or first class. The lowest class consists 
 of the millions whose attainments, though not con- 
 temptible, are neither great in themselves nor control- 
 ling in their individual influence. This is the laboring 
 class, or the peasant class, which always has existed 
 and ever must exist in the very highest states of society, 
 so long as the earth and man retain their identity. 
 Now remove the highest class from our society, and the 
 eminence of our science, art, wealth, and skill in social 
 or political problems, would be gone. Enlightened 
 America would sink down to a state of bare civiliza- 
 tion. If we proceed further, and remove the second 
 class, our country would be only half civilized, without 
 the power of self-government or self-defence. If we 
 still proceed to remove the upper strata of the lowest 
 class, the remainder would be barbarism, and this 
 brings us precisely to the state of society in Central 
 Africa. In those nations we find no class of eminent 
 men whose attainments may give unity, force and di- 
 rection to society ; no middle class who are prepared 
 by their attainments to receive impulses of knowledge, 
 wisdom and power from their superiors, and communi- 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 341 
 
 cate it to the millions of the common people. With the 
 single exception of political chiefs, themselves barba- 
 rians, the whole society of Sudan rests and stagnates 
 on a dead level, and the people remain poor, ignorant, 
 and wretched, because they have no superiors. I need 
 not say that a second and a third higher class must be 
 added before we can regenerate African society ; but I 
 plead for commerce in Sudan as one of the most power- 
 ful means for the creation of that wealth, science, and 
 art, which are indispensable to civilization. 
 
 I will specify yet another advantage which commerce 
 would bring to Sudan. Much as the people trade, they 
 have no other currency than the cowry, of which two 
 thousand shells, weighing from five to seven pounds, are 
 worth only one dollar. Since the recent expansion of 
 traffic in that country, the cowry currency is already 
 becoming an almost intolerable burden, which operates 
 as a powerful check to the prosperity of the people. 
 Direct trade would soon necessitate a better currency, 
 and this would give impetus to a new branch of in- 
 dustry, the exploration of the gold mines which extend 
 over a vast tract of country, west of the Niger. The 
 present merchants on the Slave Coast might easily in- 
 troduce specie currency in the purchase of palm oil, 
 and this would be a great benefit to the people ; but 
 self-interest is one of the ruling forces of the world, and 
 it seldom hesitates to do evil or to prevent good for its 
 own gratification. So long as the merchants can sell 
 several ship-loads of cowries a year, at a profit of fifty 
 per cent., they will not agree to introduce a specie cur- 
 rency. But direct commerce with Sudan would soon 
 outstrip the paltry supplies of shells from the Indies and 
 
342 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Zanzibar, and after lingering for a few generations as 
 the medium of petty traffic, the cowries would disap 
 pear. 
 
 A very little acquaintance with Africa is sufficient t ) 
 convince us that the conversion of the people to Christi- 
 anity, involves a change of their whole social existence. 
 Polygamy, interwoven as it is with the whole fabric of 
 society, is one of the greatest difficulties with which 
 the Gospel has to contend. Many persons perceive the 
 excellency of the Christian religion, and they can easily 
 give up their idols, as some have declared ; but to re- 
 linquish their wives, the number of whom is the meas- 
 ure of their respectability, is more than they have 
 strength to do. The general extension of commerce 
 would erect new standards of respectability, and thus 
 remove one of the strongest props of polygamy. An- 
 other practical reason for the continuance of polygamy 
 is found in the form of the African houses, a gloomy 
 square of twenty, thirty, or fifty rooms, one or two of 
 which is assigned to each of a man's wives. Should 
 these be dismissed and sent away, their rooms must be 
 given up to the rats and scorpions, and a large part of 
 the great polygamist house would soon go to ruin. Be- 
 sides this, there is no place to which the women could 
 go, except to other houses of the same form. The effects 
 of commerce would be a widening and straightening of 
 streets for the passage of vehicles, and a remodeling of 
 houses to suit the altered circumstances of the people. 
 In the meantime, the abundance of employment and 
 better wages would enable all the poor bachelors to take 
 wives, even if the expenses of marriage should con- 
 tinue m at present, and all these circumstances would 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 343 
 
 favor the efforts of missionaries to break down poly- 
 gamy. Finally, in the present state of society, every 
 wife is a free dealer, who has her own property and sup- 
 ports her own children. There is no family unity, and 
 little desire to provide for children. The increase of 
 wealth, knowledge, refinement of feeling, and respect 
 for family, which would result from commerce, would 
 operate with other causes to revolutionize the present 
 relations of husband and parents and children, and this 
 would remove another and almost the last support of 
 polygamy. In the end it would fall of itself, and the 
 influence of the Gospel would hasten its overthrow. 
 This is only one case of many in which commerce would 
 be a powerful auxiliary of the Gospel. We might ex- 
 tend our remarks to the government and all the social 
 relations of the people, but we forbear to argue further 
 on a point which is too manifest to be denied or under- 
 valued. m 
 
 We may remark in conclusion, that although the 
 Gospel, science, art, commerce, treaties, and all the in- 
 fluences which can be brought to bear upon Africa can 
 not regenerate society in two or three generations, yet 
 we have no reason to be discouraged by the delay of 
 final success. No great moral or social revolution has 
 ever been suddenly brought into maturity. There is 
 always a gradual preparation of the public mind, re- 
 sulting from a gradual development of public necessity 
 which grows broader and deeper till the whole soul of 
 the community is strongly imbued with some prominent 
 idea, and then a trivial event may produce a sudden, 
 perhaps unexpected out-burst of humanity, in which 
 the work of ages appears to be done in a day. We 
 
344 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 have mentioned the long and gradual preparation of 
 the human mind for the success of the Gospel under the 
 apostles. Our own great revolution was not begun in 
 1776. It was working strongly when the sturdy barons 
 surrounded King John and extorted the Great Charter 
 of England and the world's liberty. It brought the 
 chevaliers of the South and the pilgrims of New Eng- 
 land to America. It was struggling in France long 
 before the earthquake of the French revolution, and 
 still unsatisfied because unsuccessful, it struggled on 
 in Europe till its next premature and abortive attempt 
 in 1848. Its work is not done. In America it succeeded 
 more fully than elsewhere, because as a work of provi- 
 dence it took God for its guide, and amounted, in fact, 
 to a great religious revolution, bursting the shackles of 
 state and setting the Church free. It failed in Europe 
 because it acted prematurely during the controlling 
 prevalence of infidelity and Romanism, which tore it 
 away from dependence on God. But whether in Europe 
 or America, it is still preparing for a future crisis, to 
 which all preceding events were only preparatory steps. 
 
 It has not struggled and grown stronger, and shaken 
 the nations for so many centuries, to end at last in 
 failure. Its motions are as irresistible as the course of 
 the planets, and its triumph is as certain as the rising 
 of the sun. 
 
 The extension of this great movement to Africa oc- 
 curred in the mad irruption of the Saracens in the tenth 
 century. The character of its results was fixed by the 
 slave trade ; and it is now advancing to completion in 
 the events of African colonization, African missions and 
 African commerce. At present, its effects are small, 
 
MEANS OF REGENERATING AFRICA. 
 
 345 
 
 but Guinea, and even Sudan, feel its approaching 
 change. The missionaries see it, and have expressed 
 wonder that far off Nufe and Hausa are impressed by 
 the mighty and mysterious influence which is moving 
 the whole world. Verily, if God lives in the history of 
 the past, he lives in the onward events of the present. 
 As time advances, and the influence of the Gospel and 
 civilization are brought more and more to bear upon 
 Africa, the effects will deepen and deepen, till at last, 
 in some critical outburst of social energy, a nation will 
 be born in a day. 
 
 15* 
 
346 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 THE GREAT COMMISSION — OUR MISSIONS TO CENTRAL AFRICA. — MEN NEED- 
 ED — WHO SHOULD GO — OUR PROPOSED LINE OF STATIONS — A WAGON 
 ROAD TO BE OPENED — LOVE TO THE SOULS OF MEN A MOTIVE — THE 
 HEATHENS NOT SAVED — THE APPOINTED TIME FOR THE CONVERSION OF 
 AFRICA — A WIDE FIELD OF LABOR — LIBERALITY OF THE CHURCHES. 
 
 In this concluding chapter, I propose to state some 
 of the considerations which should impel us to send a 
 large reinforcement of missionaries to Africa. The first 
 one is, that Africa is included in the terms of the great 
 commission which Christ gave to his apostles — "All 
 power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, 
 therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatso- 
 ever I have commanded you ; and lo, I am with you 
 always, even unto the end of the world." Matt, xxviii. 
 18, 19, 20. Or as Mark records it — " Go ye into all the 
 world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He 
 that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he 
 that believeth not shall be damned." Mark xvi. 15, 16. 
 This commission is universal, extending to all the world, 
 and to every nation under heaven, Jews and Gentiles, 
 Asiatics, Europeans, Americans and Africans. It is 
 perpetual, including every creature, always to the end 
 
AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 347 
 
 of the world. It grants no permission to pass by any 
 country, because the people are barbarous, but it makes 
 us " a debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, 
 both to the wise and to the unwise." Eom. i. 14. The 
 wisdom of man may decide that the barbarous African 
 tribes are incapable of receiving Christianity. The 
 wisdom of God decides otherwise, for it predicates suc- 
 cess on omnipotence : all power is given to Christ ; go, 
 therefore, and he will be with you always, in all coun- 
 tries, and in all states of society ; sanctifying means to 
 his own purposes, working supernaturally by his Spirit, 
 and accomplishing all things which the preaching of the 
 Gospel has been appointed to do. 
 
 Although it is more than eighteen hundred years 
 since the commission was given, it is not yet ten years 
 since the first missionaries were sent forth to Central 
 Africa. The Mahometans had been there for centuries, 
 and whole nations had received the religion of the false 
 prophet, but the Christian stood aloof, and the name of 
 Christ was, and yet is, unknown to the millions of Sudan. 
 But now, at last, the Christians of England and America 
 have been aroused from their long indifference, and 
 there can be no doubt that every part of Central Africa 
 will soon hear the Gospel. So far as the Baptists of 
 the Southern States are concerned, we have made a 
 good beginning. The first attempt to establish mis- 
 sions in Central Africa, and the first exploration of in- 
 terior countries for this purpose, was committed to us 
 by the Head of the Church. Our first station was foun- 
 ded in October, 1853, at Ijaye, which is about one hun- 
 dred and twenty miles from Lagos, on the sea coast, if 
 we travel by land, or one hundred and fifty miles if we 
 
348 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 ascend the Ogun river to Abbeokuta. In 1855, we 
 planted a second station at Lagos, and a third at Og- 
 bomoshaw, which is fifty miles further interior than 
 Ijaye. The four missionaries, already in the country, 
 have just been reinforced by three others. Another 
 and still larger reinforcement is needed immediately. 
 Not only private individuals, but the governors of cities 
 and provinces, and the kings of countries, have repeat- 
 edly asked for missionaries to come and live with them ; 
 and we have been obliged to inform them that our force 
 is not yet sufficient to grant their request. When the 
 people are crying, Come, and Christ in his word, is say- 
 ing Go, we must not and dare not refuse. 
 
 About three months ago, speaking of these things in 
 a public address, I said " we must have more missiona- 
 ries ! 99 After the address, a brother remarked : " You 
 say we must have missionaries ; but what if God has 
 not called them?" I replied, " God never does half- 
 handed work. The desire of the people to hear the Gos- 
 pel is not an accident ; this is the hand of the Lord. If 
 God has stirred up the people of Africa to desire mis- 
 sionaries, He has doubtless provided the men who will 
 go and preach to them. When the time had come for 
 Israel to crown a king, he was not to be found ; but the 
 old prophet declared, 1 He hath hid himself among the 
 stuff/ and there they found him. Many a valuable mis- 
 sionary is hid among the ' stuff/ but God will draw 
 him out." We shall yet see that some who now are lay- 
 ing plans for earthly greatness, will spend their days 
 as humble and successful missionaries. " Seekest thou 
 great things for thyself? Seek them not." (Jer. xlv. 
 5.) The time has come to do great things for God ; and 
 
AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 349 
 
 if He has touched your heart, saying, " Son, go work to- 
 day in my vineyard," beware how you refuse Him who 
 speaketh from heaven. What will it matter a hundred 
 years from to-day, whether you have risen to distinction 
 among your countrymen or not ? for then you and they 
 will all be dead — some in heaven and some in hell, and 
 your ambition will have departed like the dew of the 
 morning. And what would you answer, in the day of 
 judgment, if Christ should ask you, " Why did you 
 stifle your convictions and refuse to preach the Gos- 
 pel ? " How small the greatness of earth will then ap- 
 pear to your spirit ! 
 
 I am far from saying that it is the duty of every 
 Christian to go forth as a missionary. Neither is it 
 the duty of every missionary to preach in Central Af- 
 rica. On this point, as on all others, men should exer- 
 cise sound discretion. If a man desires to be a mission- 
 ary, and finds the way open before him, let him go. If 
 his heart glows with love to God and to man, and he 
 can not become a missionary, let him induce others to 
 go, and let him contribute liberally of his substance to 
 the support of missions. 
 
 Some men who would do well in other fields, are not 
 adapted to Africa. The physical and mental qualifica- 
 tions of a good African missionary, may be stated 
 briefly, as follows : He should have a sound and vigor- 
 ous body, without any disposition to chronic disease ; 
 an active temperament, a buoyancy of constitution, 
 which enables him to recover readily from sickness ; 
 and finally, he should be lean and tough of fibre, because 
 fleshiness and softness of muscles are not well adapted 
 to a hot climate. Although a classical education is de- 
 
350 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 sirable, it is by no means indispensable. But no man 
 should be a missionary in any country, unless he has a 
 large share of practical common sense, industrious 
 habits, a good knowledge of every day business, a 
 thorough acquaintance with the Bible, and considerable 
 experience inhuman nature. The Scriptures and history 
 should be the constant study of every missionary, be- 
 cause by this means he will become more and more 
 acquainted with the nature and destiny of man, and 
 with the moral and social forces or motives which gov- 
 ern both individuals and nations. 
 
 In the preceding pages, I have repeatedly noticed 
 the interesting fact, that the people of Sudan are more 
 civilized and every way superior to those on the west- 
 ern coast. Dr. Livingston, who has just returned to 
 England, from a long exploring tour, reports that the 
 same is true on the south of the equator, and that the 
 barbarous tribes will not permit their more civilized 
 neighbors to visit the coast to traffic with Europeans. 
 The heavily wooded countries of Western Africa, more- 
 over, are far more unhealthy than the open and eleva- 
 ted plains of the interior. These circumstances have 
 materially modified our plan of missionary operations. 
 We propose to run a line of stations from Lagos on the 
 coast, directly to the remote interior, and there to spread 
 abroad our operations on all sides, in a healthy country, 
 among semi-civilized people, just as a miner runs his 
 shaft directly down to the material for which he is seek- 
 ing, and then extends his explorations on every side of 
 the mine. It is most convenient to locate our stations 
 at distances of fifty or sixty miles apart, so that mission- 
 aries 7 supplies, and our mails, may conveniently proceed 
 
AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 351 
 
 from one to another. The physical characteristics of 
 Sudan, as distinguished from Guinea, or the low country, 
 begin a short distance below Abbeokuta, but are not 
 fully developed till we reach a point a few miles north 
 of Awyaw. Our line of stations when completed, will 
 probably include Lagos, Abbeokuta, Ijaye, Awyaw, and 
 Ogbomoshaw. Hence we may properly spread abroad 
 to I wo, Idoko, Ofa, Ishakki, Igboho, Ikishi, Kaiama,* &c. 
 But still we propose to push forward to Sokoto and Kano. 
 We have no doubts as to the willingness of the people 
 to receive us. Nothing is wanting but men and money, 
 and both of these God has given to our churches in 
 abundance. 
 
 We can generally proceed from Lagos to Abbeokuta 
 in canoes, with less expense and fatigue than by land ; 
 and this is a happy circumstance, since the greater 
 part of the way is through a forest country, where the 
 opening of wagon roads would be very expensive. By 
 straightening the road from Abbeokuta to Ijaye, the 
 distance would not exceed fifty miles, almost wholly 
 through the grass fields, where the trees are neither 
 large nor numerous. Thence to Ogbomoshaw, by the 
 most direct route through Awyaw, the distance would 
 be about forty-five miles, thus making the whole road 
 from the canoe landing below Abbeokuta, to Ogbomo- 
 shaw, about one hundred miles. We propose to open 
 this road and to introduce vehicles as soon as possible 
 This step would be attended with several advantages. 
 L It would diminish the expense of transporting our 
 supplies, which are now carried on people's heads along 
 narrow and crooked paths. 2. Riding in a carriage 
 would very much diminish the fatigue of traveling, and 
 
352 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 thus might save the lives of missionaries, who are now- 
 obliged to ride through the sun on ponies. 3. A 
 road would give the people better facilities of trade 
 with the coast, which would stimulate their industry 
 and promote their civilization. I should be ashamed to 
 live and die in the country without bursting away from 
 the shackles of barbarism in which we, in common with 
 the "people, are now bound in this roadless country. 
 
 But the opening of our proposed road will incur ex- 
 pense. The natives having no carriages, and seeing no 
 utility in a road, will not perform the labor of opening 
 it without remuneration. The missionaries have com- 
 menced raising a road fund, by contributing from fifty 
 to one hundred heads of cowries each, a head of cowries 
 being nominally one dollar. All the profits of the pres- 
 ent volume, which may accrue to the author, have 
 been turned over to the same fund. There will still be 
 a deficiency. The Foreign Mission Board can not ap- 
 propriate Mission funds to open roads, but we hope that 
 liberal friends, of enlarged views, will not permit our 
 road to fail for want of money. Any contribution for- 
 warded to the Treasurer of the Board, at Richmond, 
 would soon reach its destination in Africa. 
 
 Having thus urged the command of the Saviour to 
 go and preach, and having shown what we are attempt- 
 ing to do for Central Africa, I proceed to say that love 
 to the souls of men, is another consideration which should 
 induce our brethren to come over and help us. I will 
 not insist on the pleasure with which every generous- 
 hearted man contemplates the conversion of barbarous 
 tribes into civilized and Christian nations. I will not en- 
 large on the millions of substantial wealth with which 
 
AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 353 
 
 Africa will annually repay her civilizers ; but I will look 
 forward to the final home of the sanctified, into which 
 no sin, and consequently no unpardoned sinner, can 
 possibly enter. The heathens and the Mahometans of 
 Africa, like the sinners of America, have no hope of 
 heaven, and still more they have no means of attaining 
 that faith which purifies the heart, (Acts xv. 9.) " Faith 
 cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," 
 which they have never heard. No Christian can fail to 
 rejoice when he hears that the heathens are being con- 
 verted. No Christian would declare himself unwilling 
 to do every thing in his power to send the Gospel into 
 all the benighted regions of the earth But my present 
 remarks are addressed principally to the man who feels 
 an impulse of conscience to preach the Gospel in Central 
 Africa, and yet stifles his convictions in consequence of 
 some selfish consideration. It is very unlike the spirit 
 of a Christian, to prefer our own bodily and earthly 
 good to the spiritual and eternal good of our fellow 
 men. Jesus Christ was a missionary, for the Father 
 sent him to preach and to establish the Gospel on earth. 
 Though richer than the richest, and greater than the 
 greatest, he became poor for our sakes, and submitted 
 to death among felons on the cross, that we might hear 
 the Gospel. The servant is not above his master, nor 
 the disciple above his Lord. None of us are too rich, 
 or too honorable, or too wise, to be missionaries, and 
 woe to that man who scorns the missionary work in 
 consequence of exalted opinions of himself. Or, if at- 
 tachment to worldly comfort and ease deters us, how 
 easily God can turn our sweetest pleasures into gall, 
 and strip us of our idols ! After all, the sacrifice of be- 
 
354 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 coming' a missionary is next to nothing", if the heart is 
 full of love. There are comforts and peace and joy in 
 Central Africa, also ; and I can testify that the greatest 
 sacrifice I have made in this work, was leaving" my 
 field of labor for a short period when I departed for 
 America. More than all this, the happiness attendant 
 on the missionary work is an overflowing compensa- 
 tion for all its toils and troubles. The man who is 
 hesitating over his duty to-day, may yet be the happy 
 instrument of conversion to persons in Sudan, whose 
 heads are already hoary with age, and who have ap- 
 proached thus near to the grave without hearing of a 
 Saviour. He may meet with men in the judgment who 
 will rise up and call him blessed, declaring in the face 
 of an assembled world, " If you had consulted your own 
 ease by remaining at home, we had never heard of Je- 
 sus our Redeemer." 
 
 If a man should decide on the future state of the 
 heathen according to the impulses of his natural feel- 
 ings, he would probably say, they are saved. But the 
 natural feelings of man are enmity against God (Rom. 
 viii. 7) — not against his mercy; but precisely against 
 his justice, by which sinners are condemned. The 
 heathen and ourselves are lost by nature, polluted, un- 
 fit for the society of heaven ; and he that believeth not 
 will be condemned in the last day, not merely for re- 
 jecting the Saviour of whom they have heard, but be- 
 cause they have failed to hear and to attain that faith 
 by which we may be justified. It is a great mistake to 
 suppose that all the punishment of lost souls is re tribu- 
 tive. Perdition follows from pollution as a natural and 
 inevitable consequence. Philosophers have told us that 
 
AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 355 
 
 the universe is governed by immutable laws ; but they 
 have not generally troubled themselves with the most 
 important of these laws — one which is eternal in its 
 existence and consequences, viz. : That sin and misery • 
 are inseparable. Angels are happy because they are 
 pure. Devils are miserable because they are wicked ; 
 and if any sinner in America or Africa escapes from 
 this sequential misery, he must first be purified by 
 the atoning blood of Christ. 
 
 The Bible teaches that the heathen are lost. * They 
 that have sinned without the law shall also perish with- 
 out the law." — (Rom. ii. 12.) Paul declares that the 
 Ephesians, before their conversion through faith " were 
 children of wrath." — (Eph. ii. 3 ; cf. verse 8.) In short, 
 if the heathens of Africa are saved without the Gospel 
 we might be saved in the same manner ; and hence it 
 would follow that men are not " saved through faith" — 
 ^Eph. ii : 8,) and that the preaching of the Gospel is not 
 the power of God unto salvation. I will not pretend to 
 say what will be the final destiny of a virtuous heathen. 
 Some heathens are practically better than others ; but 
 if any of them are pure and good I have not seen them 
 in Africa. It is affirmed that Socrates, the most admired 
 of the ancient heathens, was guilty of crimes, which it 
 would be a shame to mention. The Saviour declares 
 that " he that believeth not shall be damned," and the 
 Spirit of Christ which dwells in the hearts of Christians 
 will not permit them to rest supinely in the expectation 
 that the heathen will be saved without faith. 
 
 As a third consideration, to fill Central Africa with 
 missionaries, I will glance at the grand scheme of prov- 
 idence which is now ripening for the conversion of 
 
356 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Africa and of the whole world. That scheme includes 
 the Gospel and civilization, as a condition of its power 
 and perpetuity. Noah and his sons were civilized men, 
 otherwise they had never built a ship four hundred and 
 fifty feet in length, and strong enough to ride out the 
 storms of the deluge. While the tribes of mankind 
 were growing more and more barbarous in consequence 
 of their dispersion to wide and thinly-peopled countries, 
 the God of providence preserved and developed the 
 ancient civilization on the banks of the Euphrates and 
 the Nile. At the proper time he transferred it to Greece 
 and Eome, then to Middle and Northern Europe, and 
 finally to America. At last in our own day, he is con- 
 verging its rays upon the African continent. 
 
 While God was nourishing civilization as a blessing 
 for the whole earth, he was engaged in preparing and 
 bringing forward the infinitely greater blessing of the 
 Gospel. The first promise of a Saviour to our fallen 
 race, was made in Eden, " The seed of the woman shall 
 bruise the serpent's head," and that seed was Jesus, the 
 Christ. This promise was afterwards repeated and 
 more fully explained to Abraham, to Moses and to the 
 subsequent prophets. As the appointed time drew near, 
 the extension of the Greek language, the enlargement 
 of the Roman empire, and the wide dispersion of the 
 Jews and the Jewish scriptures, prepared the way for 
 the spread of the Gospel. When the great Roman 
 Apostacy arose as a natural consequence from the re- 
 maining barbarism of the nations — when this corrupt 
 religion, which Gibbon has mistaken for the Gospel, 
 was extending, as he has shown with needless subtlety, 
 by the inevitable force of natural circumstances, then 
 
AN APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 357 
 
 God raised up a succession of faithful witnesses, the 
 Donatists, Novatianists, Paulicians and Waldenses, who 
 preserved the body of truth for a future resurrection. 
 The revival of letters, of commerce, and of the feeling 
 of personal individuality in the affairs of religion and of 
 government, resulted in Luther's great reformation, 
 which prepared , the way for one still greater and yet 
 future. The revival of religion under Wesley and 
 Whitfield, and the outburst of the missionary spirit tin- 
 der Carey and his cotemporaries, were important steps 
 toward the consummation, the civilization and con. 
 version of the world. Finally, when commerce and 
 civilization are drawing Africa into their embraces, 
 Christianity also is there to point her to God, her Sov- 
 ereign and Redeemer. With or without missions, 
 Africa is sure to be civilized before the passing away of 
 many generations, for the forces which are urging her 
 onward have never yet failed in the case of any nation 
 to which they have extended, and they cannot fail con- 
 sistently with their own nature. 
 
 Since commerce and civilization are such powerful 
 auxiliaries of the Gospel, now is the very time, and the 
 first time since the foundation of the world, for the 
 herald of righteousness to claim the country for God, in 
 the name of His Son and the Gospel. If we are remiss 
 in this work, others will not be. If Protestants do not 
 extend the dominion of Christ over the continent, 
 Romanists will extend the dominion of the Pope, and 
 the conversion of the people will be delayed for indefi- 
 nite years. I call, then, on every man, and every denom- 
 ination, who loves the truth, to direct a part of their mis- 
 sionary zeal to Central Africa, as the proper place for the 
 
358 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 commencement of their work. I would not have any- 
 other African mission weakened, but Central Africa is 
 large enough for us all, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
 rians, Episcopalians, and all others who hold the pure 
 doctrines of grace. We may differ at present, on some 
 points of importance, but the fundamental doctrines of 
 brotherhood are common to us all ; and the day is not 
 very distant when a mutual renunciation of all hu- 
 man errors will bind us into one body somewhat differ- 
 ent from any of our present organizations. Now is the 
 time to fight with sin, and not with one another. 
 
 So soon as health and other Providential dispensa- 
 tions will permit, I expect to resume my labors in Africa, 
 with my companion, who, if possible, is more ardent 
 than myself — a woman who has never faltered at any 
 difficulty, or uttered a word of complaint against any 
 of the troubles which we have encountered in that 
 country. I do not expect to return alone. Some of my 
 brethren will transfer their hopes of glory and of hap- 
 piness to a better and surer state of existence than this ; 
 and they will be missionaries, some in Africa, and some 
 in other parts of the world. Our brethren who can not 
 go, and whose duty requires them to remain at home, 
 have never yet refused to contribute according to the 
 wants of the faithful missionaries in the field. They 
 never will refuse, for the work is of God. We ask noth- 
 ing but the necessaries of life ; and I, for one, have 
 never entertained the least transient fear that these 
 will not be supplied by the liberalities of the churches. 
 The number of Baptists in the Southern States only, are 
 nearly, or quite six hundred thousand. Their contribu- 
 tions at present average five or six cents to each 
 
AX APPEAL FOR MISSIONARIES. 
 
 359 
 
 member, and this has been sufficient to sustain our infant 
 missions. I feel the utmost confidence that our contri- 
 butions will increase with the increase of our missions. 
 Strange as it may seem, it is only a few weeks since I 
 saw anti-missionary Baptists contribute publicly, boldly, 
 and freely to the Central African mission. Here is an 
 object which lays hold on our hearts. The people to 
 whom we are sending the Gospel are negroes, in whose 
 welfare we take so deep an interest at home. The mis- 
 sionaries are our own people, brought up, as it were, 
 by our own firesides — whose history and former pros- 
 pects in life we know. Their wives are our own 
 daughters, or the daughters of oul* neighbors — the grad- 
 uates of our Female Colleges ; reared, as the world 
 would say, in the lap of luxury ; who have everything 
 earthly to lose, and nothing to gain, by becoming mis. 
 sionaries. These are facts which tell upon our feel- 
 ings, and we must and will have a part in this great 
 Gospel work. Fifty cents a year, for each of our mem- 
 bers would raise a Foreign Mission Fund of three hun- 
 dred thousand dollars, which would sustain six hundred 
 missionaries, at our rates of support. Give us the men, 
 and we shall find the money. That sum is nothing for 
 us. We give ten times fifty cents a year for coffee or 
 tobacco. Give us twelve hundred missionaries, and we 
 will contribute an average of a dollar a year for their 
 support. God has blessed us with abundance, and to 
 spare, and we will freely give for the conversion of 
 
 THE WORLD. 
 
 THE END. 
 
NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 VALUABLE WORKS, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 Southern Baptist Publication Society, 
 
 No. 229 KING STREET, CHARLESTON, S. C. 
 
 A liberal discount made to Booksellers, Colporteurs, Ministers and 
 Sunday Schools, for cash, remittances, satisfactory notes or refer mce. 
 
 %W Smith &, Whilden, Dep. Agents, Charleston, will mail any Book ordered 
 from this list, free of postage, on receipt of the p>rice annexed. 
 
 "The eagerly-expected work of Mr. Bo wen, forms one of a class in our day 
 Dr. Kane's Expedition to the Polar Kegions is not more marked with the impress- 
 of our age than this of Mr. Bowen." — National Intelligencer. 
 
 BO WEN'S CENTRAL AFRICA. (Just published.) 
 
 Adventures and Missionary Labors in several 
 
 countries in the interior of Africa, from 1849 to 
 
 1856, by Rev. T. J. Bowen. 1 vol. 12mo, 359 pp. With an 
 
 engraved Map of Yoruba. Price $1, on the receipt of which 
 
 a copy will be mailed free of postage. 
 
 "The new volume of African Travels, by T. J. Bowen, (through whose instru- 
 mentality a bill for the exploration of the Eiver Niger was introduced to Congress,) 
 is just published in Charleston, 8. C, is one of much interest, and is well calculated 
 to increase a public conviction in this country, not only of the practicability of es- 
 tablishing commercial relations with the interior tribes of Africa, and opening the 
 resources of that comparatively unknown quarter of the globe, but of its expedi 
 ency. Mr. Bowen has familiarized himself with his subject, by extensive explora- 
 tions and personal observations ; and argues strongly in favor of fostering African 
 commerce, as the pioneer of civilization and social advancement in that dark con- 
 tinent.'' — Journal of Commerce, N. Y. 
 
 * * "It gives just that kind of information which most persons, wishing to 
 know more of the country, would desire and can appreciate." — Southern Presby- 
 terian. 
 
 "This work has beguiled us out of the sleep of nearly a whole night. "We can 
 
2 Southern Bap. Pub. Society's Publications. 
 
 give no better evidence of its interest and attractions. It opens np to us that 
 hitherto terra incognita — the interior of Africa. .... It is rare, indeed, that 
 we meet with a book more beautifully written than that before us. We can not 
 forbear a word as to the admirable vein of common sense and practical wisdom 
 running through all our author's suggestions, as to the means of regenerating 
 Africa.'" — Savannah Georgian. 
 
 "The book is valuable. It will be sought after and read with avidity. The 
 style is clear and forcible."— True Union. 
 
 " The narrative given has deeply interested us, and we are sure that none can 
 buy and read it, without feeling that his money and time have been well employed 
 in the purchase and perusal. 11 — Southern Christian Advocate. 
 
 * * "It is probably the best work on Africa for the people of this country, 
 which has ever been published. 
 
 " No doubt the book will receive a cordial reception, and be extensively circu- 
 lated. 11 — Christian Chronicle, Philadelphia. 
 
 " Mr. Bowen is no ordinary man, as his adventures in Africa prove. He writes 
 well, and condenses well. His accounts of the country, its inhabitants, manners, 
 customs, laws and government, religion and capabilities, is full of instruction. 11 — 
 Greenville Mountaineer. 
 
 " The book is fall of valuable information of Liberia, which it represents as a star 
 of hope for Africa. The style is easy, lively and flowing, the matter full of 
 interest to the Christian, Naturalist and Merchant; and, altogether, it seems to us 
 among the best books on Africa which we have seen. 11 — J\T. Y. Chronicle. 
 
 "It is a very interesting narrative. He has seen much, and has been a careful 
 observer of all that has passed under his notice. His facts are those of an eye-wit- 
 ness, and his conclusions are evidently the result of thoughtful investigation." — 
 
 Southern Episcopalian, April. 
 
 "With what intense interest will this work be read by all Christians, and especi- 
 ally by Southern Christians and philanthropists, to whom has been committed the 
 salvation of Ethiopia."' — Southern Baptist Review, April. 
 
 BAPTIST PSALMODY'. 
 
 33,300 copies sold. A selection of Hymns for the 
 worship of God. By Rev. Basil Manly, D.D., and Rev. 
 Basil Manly, Jr. 18mo and 32mo, pp. 772. 
 
 Pew Edition, 18mo. sheep, $0 75 
 
 " 18mo. roan, 1 00 
 
 M 18ino. Turkey mo., gilt sides and edges, . 2 50 
 
 " 18mo. Turkey, with clasp, . . . 3 00 
 
 18mo. Velvet, with clasp, . . 5 00- 5 50 
 Pocket ed'n, 32mo. sheep, 0 50 
 
 32mo. roan 0 75 
 
 " 32mo. tuck and gilt edges, . . . 1 25 
 
 32mo. Turkey mo. and full gilt, . . 1 50 
 
 32mo. " " " with clasp, 2 00 
 
 " 32rno. velvet, with clasp, . . 3 50-4 00 
 
Southern Bap. Pub. Society's Publications. 3 
 
 THE GRACE OF GOD MAGNIFIED. 
 
 An Experimental Tract. By H. E. Taliaferro, junior 
 editor of the South- Western Baptist, Tuskegee, Alabama. With 
 an introductory Essay, by Rev. B. Manly, D.D. 18mo, pp. 
 125. Price 30 cents. Sent by mail, on receipt of retail price, 
 free of postage. 
 
 It is in the mode of President Edwards 1 remarkable account of his own conver- 
 sion. It goes more deeply into the nature and operation of experimental religion 
 than any book which has been offered to the public in a long time. 
 
 Dr. HOWELL'S WORKS. 
 
 The Way of Salvation. By 11. B. C. Howell, D.D. 
 Fourth edition. 12 mo, pp. 336. Price 75 cents.. 
 
 THE CROSS. 
 
 By Rev. R. B. (X Howell, D.D., author of " Way of Salva- 
 tion," " Evils of Infant Baptism," etc. Just published. 16mo, 
 pp. 248. Price 50 cents. 
 
 THE COVENANTS. 
 
 By Robert Botte C. Howell, D.D., pastor of the Main 
 Street (Second Baptist) Church, Richmond, Va., author of 
 " Terms of Communion," " The Deaconship," " The Way of 
 Salvation," "The Evils of Infant Baptism," "The Cross," 
 etc. 12mo, pp. 144. Price 45 cents. 
 
 EVILS OF INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 By Rev. R. Botte C. Howell, D.D. Fourth Edition. 16mo. 
 pp. 310. Price 50 cents. 
 
 A DISCUSSION 
 
 On Methodist Episcopacy, between Rev. E. J. Hamill, of 
 the Alabama Conference, and pastor of the M. E. Church, 
 South, Tuskegee, Alabama, and Rev. Samuel Henderson, 
 pastor of the Tuskegee Baptist Church, and editor of the South- 
 Western Baptist. Published at the mutual request of Baptists 
 and Methodists. 12mo, pp. 400. Price $1. 
 
 PROGRESS OF BAPTIST PRINCIPLES 
 
 In the last hundred years. By T. F. Curtis, Professor 
 of Theology in the University of Lewisburgh, Penn., author 
 of "Communion/' etc. 1 vol. 12mo, cloth, pp.422. Price 
 $1 25. 
 
4 Southern Bap. Pub. Society's Publications. 
 
 THE MIRROR; 
 
 Or, a Delineation of Different Classes of Christians. 
 
 By Rev. J. B. Jeter, with an Introduction by Rev. A. M. 
 Poindexter. 1 vol. 12mo. Second edition, pp. 246. 
 Price 60 cents. 
 
 Contents — 1, Living Christians ; 2, Growing Christians ; 3, Useful Christians ; 4, 
 Happy Christians ; 5, Doubting Christians ; 6, Timid Christians ; 7, Indolent Chris- 
 tians: 8, Inconstant Christians; 9, Fashionable Christians; 10, Frivolous Chris- 
 tians; 11, Sensitive Christians; 12, Censorious Christians; 13, Obstinate Christians; 
 14, Speculative Christians ; 15, Covetous Christians ; 16, Kum-drmking Christians ; 
 17, Inconsistent Christians. 
 
 THE CASKET; 
 
 A Collection of Church Music, comprising selections 
 
 from the celebrated masters, besides a large amount of new 
 
 music. By G. O. Robinson, of Charleston, S.C., assisted by 
 
 J. B. Woodbury, of New York. 1 vol., pp. 352. Second 
 
 edition. Price $8 per doz. 
 
 "We gladly commend to our readers the new book of sacred music." 
 
 u It is destined soon to be the favorite of the choirs and churches which have a 
 proper regard for this branch of public worship. It preserves many of the old 
 favorite tunes, and adds to them very many new and brilliant gems. Besides the 
 tunes for the usual church services, it contains anthems, chants, sacred songs, 
 national odes and a delightful variety for Sunday schools, and social and revival 
 meetings, which renders it at once comprehensive, tasteful and convenient. Nor 
 are these attractions at all diminished in typography, which is remarkably fine, and 
 what is particularly worthy of notice in these modern days, there is no crowding 
 of the different parts upon the same staff. 1 ' — Christian Index. 
 
 EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, 
 
 In a Systematic and Practical Discussion of their 
 external department. By Rev. J. P. Tustin, Savannah, 
 Ga. 1 vol. 16mo, pp. 249. Price 50 cents. 
 
 THE SACRED LUTE, 
 
 A Collection of Popular Hymns, for Social and Revival 
 Meetings. By Rev. E. T. Winkler. 1 vol. 32mo, pp. 423. 
 Price 37 J cents. 
 
 " It is a volume of hymns and sacred songs, intended to supply a demand that 
 exists among the churches of the South and West, designed to aid in the devotions 
 of social and revival meetings; and is, we think, well suited to inspire and enliven 
 Christian piety in the family circle, prayer meetings, Sabbath schools, revival meet- 
 ings, etc. "We hope it may find an extensive circulation, as it well deserves.'" — 
 Western Recorder. 
 
 CHRISTIAN PROGRESS. 
 
 By John Angell James. A republication from the English 
 edition. 1 vol. 18mo, pp. 180. Second edition. Price 
 30 cents. 
 
Southern Bap. Pub. Society's Publications. 5 
 
 SOUTHERN SCENES AND SCENERY. 
 
 By a Southern Lady. 16mo, cloth, pp. 140. Price 35 cents. 
 
 This book may be justly regarded as one of the most highly finished productions 
 that have been issued from the American press. There is a gracefulness in its style 
 which is seldom equalled. A delicate, and yet a strong moral lesson is inculcated 
 in each of its stories, which is calculated to insinuate truth, while the fancy is be- 
 guiled. 
 
 SERMONS. 
 
 By Rev. J. J. Finch, of North Carolina. 1 vol., 12mo, 
 
 pp. 314. With a portrait of the author, and memoir of hid 
 
 life. Price 75 cents. 
 
 " "We are persuaded that it is a book eminently fitted, especially for churches and 
 families not accustomed to have worship regularly in their vicinity ; and if the real 
 merits of these sermons were known, there would be a large demand for them. 
 That our readers may have some idea of the range of topics, we here annex a list 
 of the twenty-four sermons. The Worth of the Soul. Value of Eeligion. Busi- 
 ness of the Gospel Ministry. Office of a Bishop. The Pastor's Conflicts. Wrong 
 State of the Heart. Perversity of the Will. Obdurate Impenitence. Ashamed of 
 Christ. Importance of Confessing Christ. Terms of Discipleship. Christian 
 Ordinances. Moral Effects of Baptism. Living for Christ. Christian Faithful- 
 ness. Love in Eeligion, Confession of Faults. Eeligious Weapons. Duties and 
 Dangers in relation to Civil Affairs. Sabbath School Lecture. Counsels to the 
 Young. Counsels to the Aged. Benefit of Sorrow. The Saint's Rest." — Southern 
 Baptist. 
 
 DUTIES OF CHURCHES TO THEIR PASTORS. 
 
 By Rev. Franklin Wilson, of Baltimore. Third edition. 1 
 vol. 18mo, pp. 108. Price 25 cents. 
 
 DUTIES OF PASTORS TO THEIR CHURCHES. 
 
 By Rev. T. G. Jones, Norfolk, Va. Second edition. 1 vol. 
 18mo, pp. 104. Price 25 cents. 
 
 PREDESTINATION AND THE SAINTS' PERSE- 
 VERANCE. 
 
 By Prof. P. H. Mell. Second Edition. 18mo, pp. 92. 
 Price 12 \ cents. 
 
 DUTIES OF MASTERS TO SERVANTS. Three 
 Prize Essays. 
 
 By Rev. H. N. McTyeire, Rev. C. F. Sturgis, and Rev. 
 
 A. T. Holmes. 1 vol. 16mo, pp. 252. Price, 35 cents. 
 
 These Essays, it is believed, will supply a want which has been long and widely 
 felt throughout the South. They are written by three clergymen, one of them a 
 Methodist, the others Baptists ; and were called forth by the olfer of a prize, by the 
 Alabama Baptist State Covention, for the best Essay on this subject. The volume 
 has been widely circulated, and meets with general favor with all denominations 
 of Christians. 
 
6 Southern Bap. Pub. Society's Publications. 
 
 SIMPLE RHYMES IIT FAMILIAR CONVERSA- 
 TIONS FOR CHILDREN. 
 
 By Rev. C. D. Mallary, D.D., 1 vol. 16mo. Price 25 cents. 
 
 A BAPTIST CHURCH THE CHRISTIAN'S HOME. 
 
 By Robert T. Middleditch, author of " Pedobaptist Church 
 
 no Home for a Baptist." Third Edition. 1 vol. 18mo, 
 
 pp. 178. Price 35 cents. 
 
 This work, formerly issued by the Society as a paper-covered pamphlet, is con- 
 siderably enlarged and improved, and now appears as a handsome bound volume. 
 The success of this book is to be found largely in the calm and tender spirit which 
 pervades a discussion ordinarily supposed to require great strictness and firmness 
 in maintaining the positions of a religious controversy. It is a model in its way. 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. B. M. SANDERS ; 
 
 Or, Living and Dying to the Lord. By Rev. C. D. 
 
 Mallary, D.D. Just Published. With a portrait. 
 BAPTISM AND TERMS OF COMMUNION. 
 
 By Rev. Kichard Fuller, D.D. Fourth edition. 1 vol., 
 16mo, pp. 2^2. Price 50 cents. 
 
 SOCIAL VISITS; 
 
 Or, a few Chestnuts for the Children, and a Dinner 
 for the Old Folks. By Uncle Charles, author of 
 " Simple Rhymes." 1 vol. 18mo, pp. 229. Price 40 cents. 
 
 TRACTS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. 
 
 1 vol., 18mo, pp. 330. Price 40 cents. 
 
 1. The Bible. By Rev. J. L. Dagg, D.D. 
 
 2. Human Depravity. By Rev. J. R. Kendrick. 
 
 3. Justification. By Rev. J. B. Jeter, D.D. 
 
 4. Sanctification. By Rev. C. D. Mallary, D.D. 
 
 5. The World's Revolution. By Rev. R. T. Middleditch. 
 
 6. The Spirit of Missions. By Rev. E. T. Winkler. 
 
 7. Sabbath Schools. By Rev. C. D. Mallary, D.D. 
 
 8. Infant Baptism. Rev. J. L. Dagg, D.D. 
 
 9. Charges against Baptists. By Rev. J. B. Jeter, D.D. 
 
 " The Bible, Human Depravity, Justification, Sanctification, the "World's Eevo- 
 lution, the Spirit of Missions, Sabbath Schools, Infant Baptism, and Charges 
 against Baptists, are the subjects discussed in this volume by the most distinguished 
 pens in the South. The topics are important ones, and treated with great ability, 
 and in a highly Christian spirit. The book is worthy of a wide circulation." — 
 Christian Chronicle. 
 
 This series has received a very general and decided commendation from the 
 religious press. 
 
Southern Bap. Pub. Society's Publications. 7 
 
 BAPTISM IN ITS MODE AND SUBJECTS. 
 
 By Professor P. H. Mell, Mercer University, Georgia. Sec- 
 ond edition. 1 vol. 16mo, pp. 300. Price 50 cents. 
 
 HOW FAR MAY" A CHRISTIAN INDULGE IN 
 POPULAR AMUSEMENTS ? 
 
 By Rev. F. Wilson, of Baltimore. 1 vol. 18mo, paper 
 covers, pp. 70. Price 10 cents. 
 
 RESTRICTED COMMUNION, 
 
 Or Baptism an Essential Pre - Requisite to the 
 Lord's Supper. By Rev. J. B. Taylor. Fifth edition, re- 
 vised and enlarged, 1 vol. 18mo, cloth, pp. 99. Price 25 
 cents. 
 
 TALES FOR THE YOUNG. 
 
 First Series. The Pious Mother, and her Dutiful Daughter ; 
 or, The Lives of Emily Ross, and Ellen Merwin. By the 
 author of the " Lost Found," and "Clara C.' J &c. 35 
 cents. 
 
 POETRY AND PROSE FOR THE YOUNG. 
 
 The First and Last Oath ; with other Stories. By Caroline 
 Howard. 30 cents. 
 
 Books of other Publishers furnished at a very liberal dis- 
 count, at wholesale. 
 
 Several new and valuable Works are in course of prepara- 
 tion, and will be added to the above list, during the year.