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A JOURNEY UP THE 
 
 NIGER, 
 
 IN THE AUTUMN OF 1877. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. HENRY JOHNSON. 
 
 ILonton: 
 
 CHURCH MISSIONARY HOUSE, 
 Salisbury Square, London. 
 
The Rev. Henry Johnson is a Native African Clergy¬ 
 man, well-known in this country, who has laboured in both 
 the Sierra Leone and Yoruba Missions. He is now 
 transferred to the Niger Mission, and has been appointed 
 by Bishop Crowther to be Archdeacon of the Upper Niger, 
 with a view to his assisting the Bishop in the superintend- 
 dence of the higher Stations on the river. The following is 
 a narrative of his first visit to the Mission in company with 
 the Bishop. 
 
 It should be added that the Bishop has also appointed 
 his son, the Rev. Dandeson C. Crowther, of Bonny, to be 
 Archdeacon of the Lower Niger. 
 
NOTE ON THE NIGER MISSION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 
 
 It was in 1830 that the traveller Lander descended the 
 Niger in a canoe to its mouth, thus determining its outlet 
 to the ocean. In 1832-3 the first exploring party, under 
 Mr. McGregor Laird, ascended the stream. In 1841, the 
 Government sent out the celebrated Niger Expedition, 
 with a view to the more effectual suppression of the slave- 
 trade by establishing “ new commercial stations with those 
 African chiefs within whose dominions the inland slave- 
 trade was carried on, and the external slave-trade supplied 
 with natives.” In the hope that this expedition might open 
 the way for Missionary effort, the Church Missionary 
 Society obtained permission to send with it the Rev. J. F. 
 Schon and Mr. Samuel Crowther, the latter a Native 
 teacher at Sierra Leone, formerly a liberated slave. No 
 immediate results followed, but Mr. Schon was enabled to 
 collect materials for the closer study of Hausa, a widely 
 extended language on the upper Niger, into which he has 
 since translated portions of the Scriptures, besides compiling 
 a dictionary, grammar, &c. 
 
 In 1854, a second expedition ascended the river, and was 
 accompanied by Mr. Crowther, who in 1843 had been 
 ordained to the ministry of the Church of England by 
 Bishop Blomfield. He came back with the full conviction 
 that the time had come to begin a Mission on the river. 
 In September, 1856, the Church Missionary Society formally 
 resolved to undertake the work; in 1857 it was commenced, 
 Mr. Crowther being the Superintending Missionary; and 
 ever since it has been carried on by Native agency alone. 
 
IV 
 
 NOTE ON THE NIGER MISSION. 
 
 No less than fifty Christian Negroes have been engaged in 
 the Mission in the course of the twenty years, of whom 
 seventeen have been ordained. Mr. Crowther himself was 
 consecrated Missionary Bishop of the Niger Territory at 
 Canterbury Cathedral on June 29th, 1864. 
 
 The stations at present occupied are—in the Delta, 
 Akassa, at the mouth of the Nun, the main channel of the 
 Niger, and the direct route to the interior; Brass, on Brass 
 River, one of the numerous lesser outlets ; New Calabar ; 
 and Bo 7 iny; the last named place being furthest east. 
 Ascending the river, we come to Osamare , about 120 miles 
 up, on the east or left bank ; Alenso , a little higher up on 
 the west bank ; Onitsha , 20 miles further, on the east side 
 again; Asaba, nearly opposite; and, at a distance of 230 
 miles from the sea, to Lokoja , which is on the west bank, at 
 the Confluence of the two great branches of the Niger, the 
 Kworra and the Binue (or Tshadda). Gbegbe, on the other 
 side of the Confluence, and Idda, lower down, were formerly 
 occupied, but had to be given up, owing to the hostility of the 
 chiefs. Ninety miles above the Confluence, on the Kworra, is 
 the highest station, Kipo Hill , opposite the ivory market town 
 of Egan. Rabba, yet 100 miles further, was occupied for 
 a short time in the early days of the Mission. 
 
 The statistical returns of the Mission for 1877 are as 
 follows :—Native Clergy (including the Bishop), 11 ; Native 
 Lay Teachers, 14; Native Christians, 601 ; Communicants, 
 201 ; Average Attendance on public worship, 1,257 ; 
 Scholars, 235. Baptisms in 1877—adults, 48, children 49. 
 In the number of Native Christians none are included for 
 Bonny, in consequence of the disturbed state of the Mission; 
 but the professed adherents there are above 300. 
 
 Besides the works in the Hausa language already referred 
 to, the Society’s Agents have prepared a Grammar, vocabu¬ 
 lary, and translation of two Gospels, in the Nupe language, 
 spoken at Lokoja and up the Kworra; a Grammar, a 
 Primer, and translations of parts of the New Testament and 
 Prayer Book, in Ibo , the language of the Delta and as far as 
 Onitsha; and a Grammar, Primer, and various translations, 
 in Foulah , which is widely spoken in West Central Africa. 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 BY THE REV. HENRY JOHNSON. 
 
 JT was in the early part of August last (1877) that I received 
 a letter from Bishop Crowther, dated from Liverpool, 
 intimating to me the Committee's wish that I should go 
 with him to the Niger this year. Not long after the receipt 
 of the letter, the Bishop himself arrived at Lagos. 
 
 Exactly a week after his arrival we got on board the 
 “ Cameron/' and made for Bonny. This was on the 25th 
 of August. 
 
 I now proceed to describe the facts which came under my 
 notice, and the varied impressions made upon my mind by 
 all I saw and heard in my recent trip. The inspection was 
 begun at— 
 
 AKASSA.—I can say, without hesitation, that I am thank¬ 
 ful that this is not a specimen Station as regards progress,-— 
 the time and labour expended upon it being considered. 
 Had I seen no other Station, or if the rest had been more or 
 less like this, I should have been discouraged indeed. We 
 
6 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 had ample time for inspecting it. When the Bishop, in conse¬ 
 quence of Mr. John’s absence in Sierra Leone and England, 
 and Mr. Paul’s removal to the newly formed Station at 
 Kipo Hill, found it necessary to provide for Lokoja, he 
 transferred to it from Akassa Mr. Pythias Williams, a 
 young and energetic Teacher from Sierra Leone. In his stead, 
 a real “ son of the soil,” the first fruit of the Akasa Mission, 
 was left in charge. I was favourably impressed by Mr. 
 Apre’s manner. Born, and for the most part bred, in the 
 country, it is needless to say that he was at “ home” in 
 the language, manners and customs of Akassa. He had the 
 privilege a few years ago of being taken to Lagos by 
 Bishop Crowther. This no doubt accounts for the 
 immense disparity that exists between him and those by 
 whom he is surrounded. As to the latter, I do not know 
 any people apparently more hopelessly degraded anywhere. 
 It is not unusual to see the women paddling away a good 
 canoe’s-load of wood, while the men are sitting at home, 
 moping all the day long, not knowing what to do with 
 themselves. Their wants are most easily satisfied :—palm 
 nuts, plaintains, snails, cassada roots, and palm wine form 
 the staple articles of food; but biscuits, pork, and salt 
 beef are much prized and enjoyed whenever they can 
 be obtained by begging from the shipping. At this 
 season of the year, when the river gains upon all the 
 low-lands, the majority of the people are in the habit of 
 betaking themselves to their farms on the opposite side of the 
 river,—access to which can only be gained by small bridle¬ 
 paths. Their migratory habits make it difficult to get at 
 them; but Mr. Apre said that he occasionally followed 
 after them in order to speak to them the Word of God. 
 
 I was told by the Bishop that all the people on the Delta 
 are for the most part of the same character as the Akassans. 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 7 
 
 In point of time, this Station is the oldest; but for any 
 good result that has flowed from it, it may be considered the 
 very last. It might seem no loss whatever to abandon it 
 altogether, and direct our energies elsewhere; but the very 
 existence amongst them at the present moment of a young 
 man—one of their own kith and kin—of whom something 
 (however little) has been made, is proof conclusive that the 
 whole tribe has not yet degenerated to a condition impossible 
 of improvement. It is not necessary, in order to continue 
 there, to maintain a large establishment. 
 
 All the trading Companies on the River Niger have their 
 depots at Akassa,and three Branch Steamers, belonging to the 
 West African Steam Ship Company and British and African 
 Navigation Company respectively, call here from time to 
 time for the purpose of receiving cargo ; so there is every 
 appearance of commercial activity for at least four months 
 in the year. As it is not a producing country, and offers 
 nothing for sale, Akassa will continue to be a place of 
 some kind of importance only so long as it is considered 
 convenient for discharging the trade from the upper waters 
 of the Niger. 
 
 On the 31st of August, we weighed anchor and began the 
 ascent of the river. All the day long, and in fact through¬ 
 out the entire passage, it was necessary to keep a sharp 
 look out, in order to avoid the partially-covered banks, 
 snags, and other things by which the navigation is rendered 
 extremely difficult. We safely cast anchor at 6.30 p.m. 
 without coming into collision with any of the usual 
 impediments to progress. The next day (September 1st), 
 we passed what are generally termed the “ hostile villages,” 
 but no attempt was made to molest us; on the contrary, all 
 rushed down to the edge of the water—men, women, and 
 children—to gaze and wonder at the large new steamer. 
 
8 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 We saw some of the villages that were destroyed by the 
 men-of-war* : the inhabitants had returned and were again 
 putting up their huts. To some good people at a distance 
 it might seem a very cruel thing to display the deadly 
 weapons of modern warfare against “naked savages,” who 
 act, as they often do, from lack of better knowledge. I can 
 sympathise with that view because I have long entertained 
 it; but I confess I am becoming a convert to the opinion 
 that at times it is absolutely necessary to compel these 
 lawless, turbulent people to keep the peace. I was told by 
 the British Consul of the Bights, that the Senior Naval 
 Officer commanding the late Expedition,—a man of humane 
 feelings—was exceedingly reluctant to open fire on those 
 on shore. “ Poor people ! they know no better,”—that 
 was his constant rejoinder to those who urged the argument 
 of force. But the natives misconstrued this leniency, and 
 imagined that it proceeded from fear of them ; and so they 
 were emboldened to fire upon the fleet whilst steaming 
 down the river, on seeing which, the Officer was obliged to 
 give the order to turn round and punish the villagers in the 
 only way that was convincing to them. Year after year 
 there is constant opposition from this poor deluded people. 
 Their grievance is that by the Steamers going to the upper 
 waters, their trade is depressed. They would rather that 
 all remain below, and depend upon them for whatever they 
 could bring down in their canoes. 
 
 The Niger is truly a noble river, and in many parts it 
 reminded me of the Boom river in Sherbro. The facts I 
 have ascertained in regard to the Niger, for example, as to 
 
 * This was in June, 1876. Two trading steamers had been attacked 
 by the Natives, and the offending villages were destroyed by Commodore 
 Hewett. (See Church Missionary Intelligencer, Nov., 1876, p. 699.) 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 9 
 
 strength and speed of the current, the depth of water at the 
 height of the season, and so forth, correspond almost 
 exactly with the actual facts about the Boom. The width 
 of both seems identical, as also the imposing scenery in 
 many parts ; and it is notorious that hostilities on the part 
 of the natives are constant at Sherbro, and are but too often 
 the cause of stagnation in trade. The Boom penetrates 
 far inland, and rich countries line its banks. The dangerous 
 rapids which bar successful navigation can be easily got rid 
 of by a little effort and skill; and protection to life and 
 property being secured to merchants and traders by the 
 Government, Sierra Leone would enjoy a healthy commercial 
 life of a permanent character. But I am digressing from 
 my subject. 
 
 No high land is to be seen from the Nun all the way up 
 to Onitsha. The people living on the Delta are often 
 hard put to, when the river is high, to find a dry place to 
 set their foot on. It is said that not a year passes but 
 several houses are swept away by the current,—the river 
 gaining rapidly upon the land. I myself saw no end of 
 rickety, half-tumbled down huts as we went past. At two 
 of our Stations the Agents frequently had to paddle about 
 to go for whatever they needed. Last year the Bishop took 
 the Agent at Alenso to see the king of that place. They 
 were obliged to go in a canoe right up to His Majesty’s 
 door. So at Osamare, about a fortnight ago, we had to be 
 paddled from Mr. During’s house to the Church. But 
 every one seemed as happy as possible, and did not much 
 mind what to others would have been a serious and fatal 
 inconvenience. Like amphibious animals, they enjoy water 
 as well as land; and I do not believe they have ever 
 suffered from attacks of ague,—the plague, in this country, 
 to people of a different education. 
 
io A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 I cannot see how the natives of this section of the 
 country will be evangelised, unless by a system of dry-season 
 itinerancy. It is not possible to build regular Mission 
 houses, as the soil is so very swampy. It would be well to 
 attempt to visit them occasionally, whenever it is practicable 
 to do so. There would no doubt be great difficulty at first, 
 for the natives, as a rule, are wild, suspicious, and grasping. 
 They might interpose all sorts of obstacles with a view to 
 exact large presents, as they do from the Traders. I am 
 even prepared to allow that they might carry opposition to 
 the length of inflicting personal violence, if they were sure 
 of escaping with impunity. But as the knowledge gains 
 ground that our object is simply to do them good, and as 
 they become better acquainted with our conversation and 
 manner of life, I am persuaded that it will be easy to find a 
 way into their hearts. The right men being obtained for 
 such an enterprise, the force of personal character might 
 possibly rob the undertaking of one half its apparently 
 hazardous nature. 
 
 OSAMARE. —It was on Sunday evening, September 2nd, 
 that we first landed at Osamare. On our return we arrived 
 there on the 27th October, and left again on the following 
 day. The Rev. Mr. During is stationed here, and 
 maintains his post with a hearty good will. He is a ?nagna 
 pars of all that has happened here since the place became 
 a Mission Station. Of a loving, yielding disposition, none 
 is more suited to cope with the wild spirits about him. In 
 a way which few can rival, he is exerting a very great 
 influence among the people. Formerly human sacrifices 
 used to be most frequent; but they are now kept within 
 bounds, and I believe will before very long become a thing 
 of the past. As soon as he hears an inkling of such a thing 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. n 
 
 going on, Mr. During would go to the place of sacrifice 
 and plead until he prevailed to rescue the devoted person. 
 I saw one who was thus snatched from the jaws of death— 
 a poor emaciated creature. The sacrificing of old women 
 was once a very common practice. The number of those 
 rescued by Mr. During, at various times, exceeds ten; and 
 from the circumstance of his interesting himself so much on 
 their behalf, he has been nicknamed “the life of old 
 women.” He has also distinguished himself by acting the 
 part of mediator between hostile parties. The following 
 story will convey to you more accurately than any laboured 
 description the characteristics of the man. A civil war was 
 about to take place on a certain occasion, the two parties 
 being headed by the sons of opposing Chiefs. Guns were 
 loaded, swords were whetted, and war drums were 
 sounding furiously, when Mr. During was hurried to the 
 scene. The manner in which he succeeded to prevent the 
 war taking place is well worth the consideration of—I 
 was going to say ambassadors, diplomatists, and Foreign 
 Secretaries. He went to the spot, where preparations were all 
 but completed, and having a large hand-Dell concealed be¬ 
 neath his coat, he pulled it out and began to ring it violently, 
 walking about the crowd and pushing away here and there 
 those who seemed particularly excited and determined. 
 He kept shouting, with laconic brevity—“ Don’t fight: don’t 
 fight: make peace : war ruins country : war brings misery : 
 disperse: go home.” He continued ringing, like an 
 auctioneer’s man, till his arm ached, and he shouted 
 himself hoarse. He was rewarded for his pains, for the 
 people dispersed without firing a single shot. But I 
 am not so sure that this experiment would succeed 
 twice. Perhaps the very simplicity and novelty of the 
 thing confounded the superstitious people, and acted upon 
 
12 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 them like a potent spell. Any way, the desired end was 
 attained, and many afterwards repaired to the Mission 
 House to thank the Missionary for his timely and successful 
 interference to prevent bloodshed, and all other evils 
 attendant upon civil wars. Gradually and surely Christianity 
 is exerting its influence upon the people—the leaven of it is 
 permeating all classes of society; and one result has been 
 the abolition of many of the cruel customs which were 
 formerly observed. For example—there was a time, not 
 long gone by, when it was believed as an article of a creed 
 to be a sin to speak to old women. Young people would 
 never go near them; they would never light from their fires; 
 but now the case is quite otherwise, they may be seen 
 conversing familiarly with the old without any fear of being 
 detected in an unlawful act. 
 
 But there is a great deal yet to be done before superstition 
 is completely rooted out of the country. A circumstance 
 took place a short time ago, which I must relate, to show 
 how easy it is to impose upon the credulity of the people. 
 Alligators infest the rivers and creeks which run through 
 the town, and they have been destroying human lives to an 
 extent hitherto unknown ; and so the people resolved to do 
 something to check this serious calamity. They had recourse 
 to a medicine-man, who declared that his powerful charms 
 could drive the pests’ clean away. A public subscription 
 was set on foot, to which all gave most cheerfully and 
 according to their ability. The medicine-man came, and 
 was received with loud rejoicings, and hospitably enter¬ 
 tained. He went to whatever house he would, and before 
 he left, was bountifully loaded with presents and all kinds 
 of favours. Now, what was the remedy proposed? No 
 “M.D.” can guess it. It was this—he ordered guanas , 
 lizards , snails, mashed yams , rats of different species, palm 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 l 3 
 
 oil , white ant heaps , and other things to be well pounded 
 together and thrown into the river ! The impostor was too 
 wise to wait to see the effect of his strange specific, for he 
 knew what it was worth. The alligators have since 
 destroyed some cows which attempted to cross the river, and 
 have not yet dined again on human flesh, simply because no 
 one has ventured into the deep parts of the water as hereto¬ 
 fore. It is really wonderful what people, unenlightened by 
 the Gospel, would believe. They often seem, in matters of 
 vital importance, to take leave of their senses, and hold for 
 truth that which is most palpably false. 
 
 It is yet a day of small things at Osumare; but the seed 
 that is being sown promises an abundant crop. 
 
 ALENSO was the next place we visited. It is only 
 recently taken up. We had but two hours at our disposal; 
 but it was sufficient to see what there was to be seen. The 
 Mission House had formerly been a Factory, and, like 
 similar places intended for the safe preservation of goods, it 
 was raised a good height above the rainy season floods. 
 The roof was ceiled and covered with corrugated iron sheets, 
 and to all appearances it seemed to me a nice, compact, 
 convenient dwelling-house. Adjoining it is a room of moderate 
 extent where the services and schools are held. 
 
 Being so lately taken up, there is nothing striking at Alenso 
 to call for any observations from me ; but I trust we may 
 look forward with confidence to the success of the plans 
 already in operation. 
 
 The women struck one as being particularly industrious, 
 as I saw them with heavy burdens moving here and there, 
 and in canoes paddling to and from their respective farms. 
 The men wore the same vacant expression and lazy sluggish 
 appearance peculiar to their confreres lower down the river. 
 Leaving Alenso, a short run brought us to 
 
14 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 ONITSHA, in many respects the most important Station 
 on the Niger. 
 
 Whether as regards religious or mercantile affairs, it may 
 be looked upon as flourishing. To a newly arrived person, 
 whose vision is not jaundiced by prejudice, it is calculated to 
 give a good impression—one that cannot but be enhanced 
 by contrast with the disheartening features apparent every¬ 
 where in the lower Stations. As the steamer came up, 
 dense crowds assembled to welcome its arrival, and amongst 
 them a large sprinkling of Sierra Leone people. 
 
 Onitsha has existed as a Mission Station for twenty years, 
 and was, I believe, the first of all others planted on the 
 banks of the Niger. We had to walk somewhat over a mile 
 to see the Mission House, through a dense luxuriant vege¬ 
 tation. It is a gradual ascent from the river, and pursuing 
 the road in a certain direction you may come to an elevated 
 spot from which you can enjoy a splendid view of country— 
 the winding river giving to the scene a beauty which can 
 rarely be surpassed. The Mission House occupies a 
 ground that must ensure salubrity, and from all accounts, 
 good health is generally enjoyed by the Agents there. 
 If the natives could only be got over their superstitious 
 prejudice against cutting down the groves and bushes by 
 which the town is overrun, Onitsha would be a lovely 
 and desirable place; but, unfortunately, their strength is 
 devoured by the canker of inbred laziness, so that they can 
 do nothing for the benefit of themselves or their country. 
 
 Going and returning, we spent in all about three weeks in 
 the town, and the Bishop had ample time to meet the Agents 
 in a body as well as singly, for the transaction of business. 
 Alenso and Asaba being close by, the Agents of those 
 places came over, and they, with those of this Station, formed 
 a goodly band. 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 *5 
 
 The Mission House stands conspicuous within a mighty 
 enclosure, called here a compound, and comprising the resi¬ 
 dences of the ordained Missionary, the Catechist and 
 Schoolmaster. In another end of the town a small Station 
 has been formed, and a small Chapel built. We visited it 
 on Sunday, the 14th, and the Bishop preached to a small 
 congregation. The resident Missionary seemed to be an 
 energetic young man. He courageously maintains his 
 ground on a spot which is rather a bed of thorns than ot 
 roses. I was very much pleased to find that he had been 
 paying good attention to the work of translating portions of 
 the Bible ; but more of this anon. 
 
 I must say a few words about what may be termed the 
 Mother-Church of Onitsha. The building was planned 
 originally after a style and manner altogether out of propor¬ 
 tion with the exigencies of time and place ; but the 
 conception could not be carried out, money being wanting. 
 
 The “ living stones ” of this Church gave us, I am happy 
 to say, greater pleasure. 
 
 The two Sundays we spent at Onitsha filled my soul with 
 joy, and strengthened my faith in the future of this Station. 
 They were indeed “times of refreshing.” On Saturday, 
 October 13th, I witnessed a sight, the occasion being the 
 annual appearance of the King, which made me feel as if 
 the labour of twenty years had been expended in vain. 
 I shall refer at length to this incident below. On the 
 Sunday following, when I saw over 200 converts in the 
 Church, decently apparelled, and joining in the services 
 with all the outward marks of devotion, I felt great relief, 
 and my spirits rose high. It was gratifying to see the young 
 men who had left School, and were pursuing handicraft 
 trades, come to Church with their books, and take their 
 part in the responses, just as in other Christian places of 
 
16 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 worship. Prayers were said partly in English and partly in 
 the vernacular, as all have not yet been translated into the 
 latter. It only requires a little more effort in this direction, 
 and then worship can be carried on in that perfect uniform 
 style in which it is done in the Yoruba Mission. On the 
 second Sunday I preached in the morning, when there was a 
 very good congregation, consisting almost entirely of the 
 natives of the country. I was glad of this latter feature, 
 because I felt that the Teachers had those on whom they 
 could always depend. 
 
 The natives compose the real congregation. In estima¬ 
 ting the number of attendants in any Station, it is usually 
 my practice to overlook the strangers and temporary 
 residents, for they only come for an object, and when that 
 object is gained, they soon “take wings, and fly away.” 
 The correctness of pursuing this plan in making an 
 estimate was tested on the two Sundays we spent here. 
 The first one being very fine, there was a large attendance 
 of mercantile agents, traders, clerks, and so forth, but the 
 second being rather wet, only a few of them put in an 
 appearance, and that not until the service was nearly over ; 
 but the natives mustered in force, and there were but few 
 absentees. 
 
 One could not help observing how strong the English 
 element is at Onitsha. A day was appointed by the Bishop 
 for an Examination of the School children, and most of 
 the members of the Mission were present. The subjects 
 comprised English History, Geography, Grammar, Arith¬ 
 metic, &c. The Examiners questioned in English, and the 
 children replied in the same language. I was pleased with 
 the progress which they seemed to have made. The senior 
 pupil would do remarkably well, if he could be taken over 
 to Lagos or Sierra Leone for further instruction; but the 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 i7 
 
 Bishop remarked that he could not do it with safety, owing 
 to the foolish customs that prevail among the people. You 
 will hardly believe it, but the fact is true, that should the 
 boy die while at a distance from home, his relatives would 
 demand him back, or else life must go for life. Unless a 
 hand, or head, or any portion of the body can be produced in 
 proof of death having really taken place, the natives would 
 seize the child of any Sierra Leone or Lagos resident, and 
 let its life atone for the loss of that of their own. They 
 make no allowance for accidents, or what is called the act 
 of God. The doctrine that “ whom God loves dies young,” 
 is utterly repudiated here. And yet, strange to say, they do 
 not permit people to live to extreme old age among them. 
 When it is thought time for anyone to die, and he is slow 
 to take his departure, a story is soon trumped up about his 
 being guilty of witchcraft. Evidence or no evidence, such 
 an one is forced to drink poison, or ruthlessly clubbed to 
 death. Onitsha would have made much greater strides in 
 civilization than it has done, had it not been for the many 
 silly customs and superstitions so tenaciously clung to by 
 the people. 
 
 But I must not lose the thread of my remarks on the 
 English element prevailing here. To people who know no 
 language but the English, it might be delightful to hear 
 parts of the Service read in correct style in that language, 
 and hymns sung just as in English Churches. You may 
 hear hymns from Kemble’s Selection, wedded to tunes 
 from “ Ancient and Modern,” any day at Onitsha. 
 Acting-Consul Tait, who was present at Church on Sunday, 
 October 14th, expressed his astonishment at hearing such 
 good singing. The praise thus bestowed was deserved; 
 but I hope we shall bear in mind the fact that the Chris¬ 
 tianity of Onitsha will grow weak and sickly, and that it 
 
i8 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 will be devoid of all inherent vitality, if English be allowed 
 to supersede the native tongue. By all means let the 
 English language be taught at Onitsha, but only as an 
 extra accomplishment. 
 
 I was glad to see that one or two of the Agents possessing 
 some qualifications for the task are carrying on the transla¬ 
 tion of the Psalms. At a Meeting convened for the 
 purpose of looking into what had been done, the Bishop 
 offered a few practical suggestions, which were intelligently 
 received. A Comparative Dictionary is being compiled, of 
 the various dialects of the Ibo spoken in the country, 
 and I believe that, if completed, it will be a useful volume. 
 The Rev. S. Perry, of the Iyawo Station, may yet turn 
 out a useful and valuable Translator, as he seemed to 
 possess the faculty of recognizing fine shades of meaning 
 in words of apparently similar import. 
 
 Speaking generally, I would express it as my humble 
 opinion, that there is a great deal that is encouraging in the 
 spiritual work now going on in this place, and that one may 
 well thank God for it, and take courage. 
 
 But my notice of Onitsha will not be complete if I omit 
 to mention what I saw of native life, under the most favour¬ 
 able conditions. The 13th of October was the day 
 appointed for the annual custom of the King appearing in 
 public. (It must be known that the rule is that Royalty is 
 always to be shut up at home, and not to be frequently 
 gazed upon by vulgar eyes.) The Consul expressed his 
 desire to see the ceremony, and all of us being of the same 
 mind, four o’clock in the afternoon was fixed upon for the 
 procession of our party. It was a gala day at Onitsha. From 
 early dawn we heard cannons booming, and hand-guns 
 rattling. There was a good deal of drumming, fifing, 
 dancing, and every conceivable token of joy. The hour 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 19 
 
 came, and with it the Consul, riding on a horse. There 
 was quite a sensation caused by the unconscious beast. 
 Crowds were soon attracted, whilst one called to another to 
 “ come and see a man on the top of a cowl It is not 
 often that a real live horse is seen at Onitsha, and very likely 
 many among the assembled group that day never saw one 
 in their life—to say nothing of a white man on the top of it. 
 It was difficult to say which attracted the greater notice— 
 the horse, or the ceremony of the day. Chairs were carried 
 from the Mission House by boys, for our accommodation j 
 as His Majesty does not undertake to treat his visitors to 
 the luxury of seats. The crowd gathered thicker and 
 thicker as we advanced, until, on arriving at a large open 
 space where multitudes had been in waiting, all, of 
 every age, and of both sexes, put forth a fiendish yell 
 of delight, and so closely hemmed in the Consul, as to 
 completely prevent his progress. Knives and swords were 
 flashing in the sun, and guns were fired over our heads. 
 I was unused to [such sights, and therefore I may be 
 pardoned for saying that I entertained rather mixed 
 apprehensions of what might happen. I was told it was 
 the peculiar way the people had of testifying their pleasure : 
 true, it was very peculiar. The Consul was obliged to 
 dismount, and in the midst of that surging, seething mass, 
 we forced our way as best we could to the King’s quarters. 
 
 His Majesty was sitting before the entrance to his court¬ 
 yard, surrounded by his trusty servants. Having saluted 
 him, and congratulated him on the event of the day, we 
 were asked to sit down and look at a dance. We put our 
 chairs as far back as the grounds permitted. A ring was 
 formed, and the dance commenced. I regret to say that it 
 beats me to describe accurately what it looked like ; nor can 
 I give you an idea of the intensity of the din caused by the 
 
20 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER ,. 
 
 musical instruments which accompanied the saltatory 
 exercises. In due course the King stepped forward to take 
 his part. He was bound by the law of the country to 
 dance on this festive occasion. He is a man of about forty 
 years of age, of good height, and rather agreeable in 
 countenance. His head was adorned with feathers, stuck 
 through his hair. In one hand was held a long black cow’s 
 tail, and in the other a kind of short sabre. The movement 
 was very quick, and he went on shuffling with his feet until 
 he was bathed in perspiration. I will not venture to say 
 
 4 
 
 how many cases of gin were broached that day, but I can 
 positively assert that there were very few who looked sober 
 among those who danced with the King, and filled his 
 courtyard. To end the story. The play was continued until 
 it began to be dusk, when the King retired to his apartment, 
 to which the Consul and the rest of us wereinvited. The 
 King expressed his great pleasure at seeing the Consul, and 
 apologized for not being able to give us more of his time, 
 on account of the many congratulatory visits which were 
 paid by his people. After this interview we had to undergo 
 a second operation of fighting our way through the nude 
 citizens and denizens, in order to get home before the 
 tornado, which threatened ominously, should blow. For 
 the greater part of the night I could not shake off the 
 word “ Pandemonium ” from my thoughts; it appeared as 
 if all the inhabitants of the lower regions had come out to 
 hold their court for a few hours in the very heart'of Onitsha. 
 Christian teachers have indeed a work before them : and 
 unless they are assisted from above, it is vain to expect that 
 of themselves they can curb the wild spirits, whose perfor¬ 
 mances I witnessed this day. 
 
 On Monday, 15th October, we accompanied the Consul 
 once more to the palace to witness the signing of a Treaty 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 21 
 
 between Her Majesty’s Government on the one hand, and 
 the King and Chiefs of Onitsha on the other. The Consul 
 was resplendent in his official dress, and being attended by 
 the Bishop, the entire body of the Mission Agents, and 
 representatives of the three mercantile houses here, there was 
 hardly anything wanting to give due importance to the 
 occasion. We had not long been seated when the jingling 
 of a bell announced His Majesty’s approach. He came and 
 threw himself down on his seat with an air of nonchalance, 
 adjusted the scanty piece of cloth around his person, looked 
 about defiantly as who should say am I not a mighty 
 potentate, and then nodded salutation to his visitors. This 
 done, the senior Chief present rose up, and standing before 
 the King, offered the usual obeisance in the name of all the 
 subjects. He performed all sorts of strange gymnastics, 
 shaking his fist the while at the King. I was rather con¬ 
 founded by this threatening attitude assumed by one of the 
 King’s principal subjects, but it was soon explained to me 
 that shaking the fist at anyone was a mode of salutation 
 implying—‘ I hope you are as strong as my fist and arm . 3 
 On resuming his seat, the Chiefs of secondary rank came 
 forward and performed. Then followed troops of young men 
 who prostrated, touching the earth two or three times with 
 their foreheads, and retreated. Last of all came the children 
 turning somersaults, and making other ridiculous antics, to 
 our intense amusement. 
 
 All this occupied but a few minutes, and then, all being 
 seated, and silence having been proclaimed, the palaver 
 began. The Consul read, and the Rev. W. Romaine 
 interpreted, clause by clause of the Treaty. It was curious 
 to see how u vested interests” were jealously guarded 
 by even these simple-minded natives. Every clause was 
 turned and twisted about and nibbled at before it was 
 
22 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 reluctantly agreed to. The very first was opposed by the 
 King. It provided that the King and Chiefs shall under¬ 
 take to do away with human sacrifices. (That abominable 
 custom, alas ! is being carried on, and the victims are infants 
 of tender age, and grown up people of every age, being 
 slaves.) He would not have the clause insisted upon—said 
 that it was a thing done by his command only, and not by 
 the people indiscriminately; that he was not prepared to 
 cede his just rights by agreeing to that first provision, and 
 so forth. Every time he spoke he turned round and looked 
 at the Chiefs and common people, like one looking for 
 approval. He knew what he was about; he knew that his 
 people would take him severely to task if he ventured to do 
 away with any customs to which ages of use had given a sort 
 of prescriptive right. The Consul, however, made him under' 
 stand that he was not expected to abolish the custom all at 
 once, but that he was simply to undertake to do away with 
 it gradually. Then he ungraciously acquiesced, reserving to 
 himself his meaning of the word “gradually.” 
 
 There was a clause providing that whenever a robbery is 
 committed in any of the factories, and complaints are 
 brought to the King, he shall take steps to detect and 
 punish the crime, and restore the stolen property. Of course 
 no one had the hardihood to oppose that clause openly, but 
 some well-known tactics were resorted to, with a view to 
 divert attention from the subject. I never saw such a 
 childish simplicity. The clause being read, the senior Chief 
 came forward, saluted, and insisted upon being heard 
 before the King could say “ yes ” or “ no.” He began by 
 thanking the Consul for all that he had done, and then 
 begged for assistance in guns, powder, and rockets, against 
 their enemies in the interior, of whom they were in perpetual 
 dread. It took some time to convince the old trickster that 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 23 
 
 his request was out of time, and that his speech was wholly 
 irrelevant to the subject then in hand. He only retired 
 when he saw that all were against him. The secret of his 
 untimely interruption was owing, as I understood afterwards, 
 to the fact that his son was the most expert thief in the land, 
 and therefore his affectionate parent felt a personal concern 
 in the matter, and thought that by introducing an entirely new 
 subject, the robbery clause of the Treaty would be forgotten 
 altogether. Poor innocent ! The little scheme having 
 collapsed, he went away crest-fallen, and the clause was at 
 length added to the Treaty without opposition. 
 
 Another paragraph stipulated that the lands now occupied 
 by the C. M. Society, and commercial firms, respectively, 
 shall be considered as belonging to them so long as they 
 remain in the country; and that Missionaries shall be 
 exempt from giving annual dashes or presents, as merchants 
 do. All being agreed to, then came the work of signing 
 the Treaty. With the greatest difficulty could the King 
 and Chiefs present be brought to touch the pen. They 
 attached to the act some superstition or other, and were 
 afraid of some awful consequences which nobody, them¬ 
 selves included, knew of. After much pulling and hauling, 
 the documents were duly signed; one was left with the 
 King, and the other taken away by the Consul. Presents 
 after their liking were presented to the authorities, and 
 then each one tried to find his way home as best he could 
 in a very dark night, and under high bushes. 
 
 I have dwelt sufficiently long on Onitsha and its affairs ; 
 
 I pass on to the upper Stations visited by us. 
 
 * 
 
 LOKOJA.—We left for Lokoja on September 5th, and 
 when we returned to it on October 7th, we spent about 
 four days there. Before arriving we passed several towns and 
 
24 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 villages of importance, among which were Idda, with its bold 
 red cliffs, and Gbegbe, formerly occupied, but since aban¬ 
 doned. You will remember the story about Idda, and also 
 the circumstance which led to its being given up.* The 
 natives of both places are now begging the Bishop to return 
 to them. Captain Brown, late of the W. A. Company, 
 a European gentleman, who visited Idda not long ago, told 
 us that he saw the Mission House in a very good state of 
 preservation. Under the conviction that the Missionaries 
 will surely return, the people have kept the mud floor con¬ 
 stantly polished, and the entire building was being looked 
 after. He said that the fruit trees were bearing profusely, 
 and that everything appeared as though the premises had 
 not been left a single day. Now, when it is remembered 
 that ten years have elapsed since the Missionaries removed 
 from that place, the facts thus communicated to us are 
 are something more than interesting. The people of 
 Gbegbe are no less importunate in their demands for 
 our return; but, unfortunately, neither they nor the 
 Iddans would give a sufficient or reliable guarantee that 
 we shall not again be molested on driven out of the 
 country. It is open to question whether self-interest be 
 not the ruling motive for this urgent plea for our return; 
 for the truth is that, some way or other, the natives look upon 
 trade as following in the wake of Missions; and they 
 believe that should we come back, factories will again be 
 established, and all their former privileges and advantages 
 will also follow. One can hardly expect a purely disin¬ 
 terested motive as a ruling principle in ignorant heathens ; 
 
 * In 1867, the chief of a village near Idda forcibly detained Bishop 
 Crowther, and demanded £ 1,000 for his ransom. The Bishop escaped ; 
 but as the Atta (king) of Idda refused to promise protection to the 
 agents, the Station was given up. 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 25 
 
 bat I trust they will continue to urge our return, and that 
 the Providence of God will soon open a way for it. 
 
 On Thursday, September 6th, at 4 p.m., we arrived at 
 the important Station of Lokoja, beautifully situated at the 
 confluence of the Niger and Binue rivers. As at other 
 places, the news of the arrival of a steamer soon brought 
 half of the population down to the water’s edge, the colour 
 and variety of whose costumes gave just grounds for many 
 critical remarks. I was struck, at the very first view, with the 
 difference between the people of this place and those in the 
 lower part of the river. The former have attained to a 
 degree of civilisation which contrasts very favourably with 
 the almost total absence of it among the latter. Nude 
 bodies are here the exception, and not the rule. A glance, 
 too, was sufficient to show that Mahommedanism held sway. 
 Flowing tobes and turbaned heads issued from every 
 quarter. But let me craverpardon to say that to nickname 
 the inhabitants as “the Great Unsoaped,” would do them 
 no injustice whatever. The tobes were red with the dirt 
 and dust of years. It is said that from the time when they 
 are put on, new, to the time when they become so thread¬ 
 bare as to be unfit for any further use, they are never dipped 
 in water. The smell of musk (with which these tobes 
 are besmeared), is agreeable to their olfactory nerves, and 
 they are afraid lest the superstition of washing might deprive 
 them of that delicious odour ! The Koran speaks of a river 
 in Paradise (Salsabeel), being perfumed with the smell of 
 musk; no wonder then that “ the Faithful ” in this part of 
 the world are so fond of that particular odour. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. John had been labouring here for twelve 
 years, and were just returning from their first visit to their 
 friends at Sierra Leone, after their first absence from the 
 Station, Mr. John having been summoned to England to 
 
26 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 assist in the Hausa translation work. The welcome 
 which they received from the people was most gratifying 
 to behold. There was intense joy when it was perceived 
 that they were among the passengers. Some waved their 
 handkerchiefs and others their hands. Their landing was 
 waited for with impatience, and no sooner was that done 
 than they were surrounded on all sides and most cordially 
 saluted. Few things are more refreshing than the sight of 
 an affectionate people grouping round their beloved Pastor. 
 
 I wanted no other proof to convince me that Mr. John’s 
 labours have ; been acceptable at Lokoja, than the 
 spontaneous outburst of welcome which I saw greeted him 
 and his on their return to the scene of their labours. 
 
 This is a Station of no small importance. As a base of 
 operations its position is such as enhances its value 
 enormously. No trading or exploring party can overlook 
 the advantages of Lokoja, as affording all the requisites of 
 a convenient starting, point. It is on account of its 
 . importance, I suppose, that the Agents, both industrial and 
 evangelistic, are so many,—some waiting here for any 
 providential openings that the Lord may be pleased to 
 point out to us. 
 
 We spent a Sunday here on our return from the upper 
 countries, and the Bishop preached in the morning, and I 
 in the afternoon. As compared with Onitsha, the number 
 of converts is small; but I am neither surprised nor 
 disappointed, knowing how difficult it is for Christianity to 
 make way in a country that is professedly Mahommedan. 
 There is a small Chapel, built expressly for the Bunu 
 people. The Bishop preached there to a very attentive 
 congregation. I could not visit it, as I was then engaged 
 in the principal Church. 
 
 Mr. P. Williams, whom I mentioned before as having 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 27 
 
 been brought to this Station from Akassa, on the removal of 
 Mr. Paul to Kipo Hill, in the absence of Mr. John, has 
 made during the year one or two important Missionary 
 journeys, particulars of which he has given to Bishop 
 Crowther. He took the Binue branch of the river, and 
 went as far as the town of Yimaha, whose King earnestly 
 entreated him to come and settle there as a Christian 
 Teacher. From all I have heard, that town seems to be a 
 key to important countries in a direction that is not yet 
 explored. 
 
 About a month ago a German savant came out for the 
 express object of exploring the river (Binue); but I regret 
 to say that he was obliged to return through a severe attack 
 of dysentry. He was ordered to Lagos, where medical 
 aid could be easily procured, and much anxiety was felt for 
 him. I have not heard any thing of him since. Dr. Baikie 
 and Mr. (now Bishop) Crowther ascended the river in 
 1854, for upwards of 300 miles, but were obliged to return 
 without solving the problem of its rise. In a book recently 
 published on this part of Africa, the writer, after balancing a 
 series of probabilities, gave it as his opinion that the Binue will 
 be found to have issued from the same neighbourhood with 
 the Congo. If only this supposition could be established by 
 actual experiment! it will then be clearly seen how desirable 
 it is for us to push forward to the great Lakes, and connect 
 our Mission with that which is now penetrating from the 
 East. Any way, we should not be slow in responding to 
 the call of such places as Yimaha. That the King of that 
 place, unlike that of Idda, is not actuated by sordid motives 
 in his request for Missionaries, is evident from the fact that 
 trading* factories are already established in his country. 
 The other journey made by Mr. Williams, was to Ipara, 
 far away over the mountain that flanks the town of Lokoja. 
 
28 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 He took, from choice, a long round-about route, which 
 gave him a good general idea of the country, and the 
 opportunity of speaking the word of God as he went. He 
 was every where well received. As his report, or the 
 substance of it, will be sent to you by the Bishop, I need 
 not say anything more. The report contains the clearest 
 evidence of the intense desire of the inland people to hear 
 the Gospel of the grace of God. 
 
 Having spent four days at Lokoja, I had sufficient time 
 to form an idea of the proficiency of the Mahommedans 
 there in Arabic. The result of my enquiries was that their 
 knowledge of Arabic was ridiculously meagre. If I except 
 one of the priests, I did not come across a single person with 
 any decent idea of reading. The priest I have alluded to has 
 compiled a history of the Nupe Country, in Arabic, part of 
 which he gave to the Bishop. I have not yet seen the 
 copy ; when I do I shall try to make it out to see whether 
 it be of any literary value. There was a man with whom I 
 spoke Arabic, but he hailed from Waday, and his was a 
 vulgar dialect spoken quite independently of Grammar. 
 However, I was able to make out his meaning. The few 
 who attempted to read out of my Koran managed but 
 indifferently. Unless I made the beginning, they could not 
 open any where and go on by themselves. They professed 
 to be unused to a printed copy, and said that their lack of 
 fluency arose from the fact that mine was so. This was but 
 a lame excuse, for as a rule they recite the Koran memoriter, 
 and, therefore, if they had ever learnt it, it would have made 
 no difference to them whether a copy was manuscript or 
 printed. But I am bound to say on their behalf that the 
 Lokojans make no sort of pretension to book learning. 
 Their Mahommedanism is of a blind, imitative kind. From 
 what I could gather, many of them are convinced of the 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 29 
 
 superior excellence of the Christian faith, but for the sake 
 of worldly advantages, and with a view to stand well with 
 the masters of the country, they don the Moslem garb. It 
 is a pleasing fact that many of them come to Church as 
 visitors. 
 
 Besides being situated at the junction of two rivers, 
 Lokoja is also a confluence of languages. The Hausa, 
 Nupe, Bunu, Igara, and Igbira languages may be heard 
 any day in the streets. It is impossible to estimate 
 the amount of good which might be done by a strong band 
 of devoted energetic Missionaries located in that place. 
 The town is the common resort of strangers from the 
 interior, and, through the blessing of God, such persons 
 might return to their country with the blessed seed of 
 Gospel truth sown in their hearts. The result of twelve 
 years of labour may seem somewhat disappointing; but no 
 one can doubt that there is a bright future in store for this 
 important Station. 
 
 Our next Station is Kipo Hill, on the left or east bank 
 of the river, opposite to 
 
 EGAN —the great ivory market town, distant from 
 Lokoja about ninety miles. In going up we could not do 
 the whole distance in a day, owing to the strength of the 
 current; but on our return we glided smoothly down in 
 seven-and-a-half hours. The country through which we 
 passed was beautifully diversified. The scenery in many 
 parts was bold, and rich table-lands extended as far as the 
 naked eye could discern. All the way from the Nun there is 
 nowhere a larger population. The houses at Egan are built 
 with conical tops, and so near each other as to make you 
 think, when at a distance, that there is no space between 
 them. The number of inhabitants (exclusive of strangers) 
 
30 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 is variously estimated at from 8 to 10,000. As applied to 
 Egan, that saying is true—“ distance lends enchantment to 
 view.” No one could look at the factories, with their 
 galvanized iron sheet coverings—the steamers moored 
 beside the house of each firm,—and the river and creeks 
 covered with a countless number of canoes plying about 
 with articles of merchandise, or conveying passengers from 
 one section of the island to the other, without congratulating 
 himself that he was approaching a town with a higher type 
 of civilisation than he had yet met with since leaving the 
 Coast. 
 
 But, alas ! cultivating a closer acquaintance with Egan, 
 you are reminded of another proverb, equally true— 
 “all that glitters is not gold.” There are no streets, but 
 narrow crooked lanes, some leading no where. Walking 
 out with the Bishop on one occasion, we took by mistake 
 a wrong turning, and not until we were on the point of 
 invading the sanctity of a private dwelling house, did 
 we know that we had left the right track. Refuse of 
 all kinds is shot into the streets. Can you wonder, 
 then, that all the senses are offended at once whenever 
 you would take your walks abroad? It is wonderful 
 that people could live and thrive in this fetid atmosphere ; 
 but such is the nature of habit, that after residing here 
 for a certain period of time, even those who were 
 originally born and bred in the purest atmosphere seem 
 utterly insensible of the malarious poison which floats about 
 them continually. I used to think that houses could hardly 
 be built ’more close to each other than they are in certain 
 quarters of Lagos ; but the architects of Egan are far more 
 skilful and more economical of space. I believe that it is 
 possible to traverse the town by leaping from one house-top 
 to the other, but for the shape of the roofs. These are the 
 
A JO URNE Y UP THE NIGER . 
 
 3i 
 
 physical drawbacks : but the merchant can risk anything— 
 life itself—to make money. And he does make money at 
 Egan. The mercantile houses here make together several 
 thousands of pounds annually, by their trade in ivory and 
 shea-butter. Who can say that that is not worth a considera¬ 
 tion ? And it seems that the trade is capable of unlimited 
 development. Whereas at the beginning only five casks of 
 shea-butter could be had at this market (teste Bishop 
 Crowther), now one Company alone can easily secure 
 between 300 and 400 casks. Ivory traders have come from 
 Adamawa and other places on the banks of the Binue. 
 Really, no one can tell what amount of trade will be carried 
 on when that river shall have been thrown open to the 
 commercial world. 
 
 While at Kipo Hill, I had the opportunity of making 
 more than a merely distant acquaintance with Egan. On 
 one occasion I crossed over to it for Divine Service. 
 The crews of three ships, besides Agents and other 
 servants on shore, composed the congregation, which was so 
 large that there was not sufficient accommodation for all 
 who would come. The Service was held on board the 
 “ Victoria. 5 ’ The Rev. C. Paul read the prayers and 
 I preached. We were all plainly visible to the natives on 
 shore, who assembled in overwhelming numbers to see us 
 go through our religious exercises. The scene was an 
 impressive one to them. I am quite sure that the moral effect 
 must have been good,when they saw men like the Consul, and 
 the Captains of two of the ships, joining with us publicly in 
 worshipping God. It must have been evident to them that 
 our religion was not a mere device of the Missionaries, but 
 the acknowledged need of all of every race,—of merchants 
 as well as high government officials. Mr. Paul remarked 
 to me, that formerly it was thought by the people that we 
 
32 ■ A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 were infidels, and that we only refrained from work from 
 habit, and not because it was a day to be devoted to medi¬ 
 tation and prayer. Their notions have undergone a modifi¬ 
 cation since they found out that we could, and that we do 
 worship God in a regular formal way. The idea of 
 separating one day of the week as a day of rest from all 
 worldly employment, strikes the natives as being very 
 excellent, and though under no pressing obligation to do so, 
 they hasten to adopt it. Hence you will find, just as I did, 
 that the Mahommedan town of Egan is as quiet on Sundays 
 as in most Christian countries. Business is for the most 
 part suspended, and the hurry and bustle observable on 
 other days of the week is checked into order and stillness 
 when Sunday comes round. Friday, the day of Assembly, 
 is less scrupulously observed than the Christian Sabbath. 
 Merchants and other business people scarcely know how 
 much indirect good they may be the means of doing, by 
 being consistent in their observance of the Sabbath, especially 
 when they are amongst heathen and Mahommedans. Let 
 them not fail to recognize the sacred obligation of that day, 
 and one serious impediment in the way of the successful 
 preaching of the Gospel to our benighted brethren will have 
 been removed. 
 
 KIPO HILL is our furthest Station up the River, and 
 was granted to Bishop Crowther quite recently by the 
 King of Bida, after repeated importunities. Its elevation 
 causes it to be distinctly visible from a great distance. 
 We arrived here on the 8th September, and continued off 
 and on until the 6th October. Kipo is most pleasantly 
 situated. Only two years ago it was overrun with long 
 grass and thickets; but now it has become a desirable 
 habitation. Its elevation, and the fact of there being 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 33 
 
 no villages at the back, ensure for it a pure atmosphere, 
 and nothing hinders it from being made an excellent sani¬ 
 tarium. Over and over did I test its superiority over other 
 parts of the river as a place of residence. Egan enjoys the 
 unenviable reputation of being as hot as an oven. Scarcely 
 a whiff of air blows to cool your panting breath. But just 
 when you are so tormented with heat, go across to Kipo, 
 and you will there enjoy the delicious breeze that perpetually 
 blows over it from the hills. The native village, from which 
 the Hill derived its name, is about a quarter of a mile on 
 the east of it, and the market town of Kasa is a mile 
 beyond that; so that we are almost, but not quite 
 solitary. But this is a wonderful country for villages 
 and towns springing up with the rapidity of mush¬ 
 rooms. Since our occupation of Kipo Hill, the local 
 governor of Egan has made a most extensive farm on our 
 left, stocked with maize and other marketable products. It 
 took the Bishop, Mr. Paul, and myself about half-an-hour 
 to get from one end of the farm to the other; and I was 
 told that before long we shall have large and flourishing 
 villages beside us. The truth is, that the people long for 
 protection, which, under the present system, they do not 
 enjoy; and they are gradually strengthening themselves in 
 the belief that their safety largely depends upon their 
 making themselves our friends and neighbours. 
 
 An interesting and pertinent illustration of this is to be 
 found in the following story. I must premise that the whole 
 of the Nupe Country is considered as the personal property 
 of the King, who is himself subject to the Sultan of Gondo. 
 The latter monarch, though politically independent of the 
 Sultan of Sokoto, yet yields him precedence, and offers 
 annual presents to' him as the elder brother. It is the 
 
 custom to assign districts and provinces as mensal lands for 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 the support of each of the children of the Sultans; and 
 these Princes appoint officers over their possessions to 
 gather the taxes. Some of the officers are a rapacious set, 
 who grind down the people by exacting nearly as much again 
 as the princes may have chosen to impose. Wherever their 
 Highnesses pass, they take away from the inhabitants their 
 hard-earned property, so that their progress through any 
 district very much resembles the ruin caused by a plague 
 of locusts. On such occasions they would never limit 
 themselves to the lands regularly made over to them, but 
 would settle down upon any that lie in their route, and 
 make the most exorbitant requisitions. Once, news came 
 that a son of one of the Sultans was going to Lokoja via 
 Kipo. The villagers in the neighbourhood were frightened 
 out of their wits. Some left their houses Entirely and went 
 to stay in the bush until this tyranny were overpast. The 
 majority, however, brought their beds, cooking utensils, 
 cowries, and all their belongings to our Mission House for 
 safety, and filled the parlour, bedrooms, piazzas, and garret 
 with their worldly goods and chattels. Mr. Paul was away 
 from home, but had left word that the Prince should not 
 be allowed to enter the house, but that his wife was to send 
 him handfuls of kola nuts, the usual token of welcome and 
 goodwill. In due time the Prince came, and Mrs. Paul 
 faithfully observed her husband’s directions. He was too 
 polite to take advantage of the absence of the master of the 
 house to force himself in, and so, after gazing about a few 
 minutes and expressing his admiration of the house, he 
 took his departure. The next thing heard of him was, that 
 he had plundered a distant town of all the sheep, fowls, 
 goats, and corn, and compelled the unfortunate inhabitants 
 to provide ever so many bags of cowries. 
 
 It is needless to say that the villagers to whom our 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 35 
 
 premises proved such a refuge iu a time of distress were 
 profuse in their thanks, and when I saw them last they 
 were all settled at their homes in peace. When the man, 
 who is the governor of the villages, and who had been 
 absent with the King on a war expedition, heard of the 
 conduct of the An-nasaras (as we are commonly called) to 
 his people, he was full of joy, and is said to have remarked 
 that he never expected it of us,—and that those whom at 
 first they were not pleased to see in their country had 
 turned out their best friends. I need not say that I was 
 glad of the observation. Little incidents of this kind will 
 help to clear the confused vision of the people as to our 
 real character. By being punctual in observing the duties 
 of reciprocity and benevolence,—obligations which are 
 scarcely recognized by others in their dealings with them,— 
 we shall find a key to their hearts. Practically, these 
 natives are hostile to us on account of our creed ; we need, 
 therefore, to be cautious and circumspect in our movements. 
 Having already obtained a footing, it will be difficult to 
 turn us out: we may, therefore, safely strengthen our hold 
 by buildings, and other evidences of a full possession. There 
 being no large towns in the immediate vicinity of Kipo Hill, 
 is by no means a permanent drawback to its utility. I have 
 already stated my grounds for believing that in a short time it 
 will be the centre of flourishing towns and villages around it. 
 Besides, our aggressive movements require that we should 
 have such a place as this for a rendezvous. Evangelistic 
 tours can issue from it to Egan and other large towns on 
 the Kworra branch, and return to it after a few weeks or 
 months, both for the purpose of enjoying a needful rest, and 
 of maturing fresh plans of attack on the strongholds of Satan. 
 
 Everything about Kipo has a commencing appearance. 
 While we were there, the Bishop pointed out a very eligible 
 
3 6 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 plot of land, which will serve for the purposes of an 
 Industrial Institution. It was being rapidly cleared when 
 we left, and a list of plants to be cultivated was given to 
 Mr. Paul, the Missionary in charge of the Station. I look 
 forward with a very sanguine hope to the future usefulness 
 of this advanced post in our Mission. 
 
 BIDA, the present Capital of the Nupe Country, and 
 residence of the King Umoru, was the utmost limit of our 
 northward journey. 
 
 Mr. J. Crowther, second son of the Bishop, and Agent 
 General of the West African Company (Limited) very kindly 
 allowed us a passage in his steam launch to Wunangi, where 
 we disembarked, and took the land journey to Bida. 
 
 We were detained at the former place, first by the 
 lateness of our arrival there, and then by frequent and 
 heavy showers of rain. A messenger was despatched to 
 announce to the King our near approach to the capital, and 
 to request him to send horses for our party. That same 
 evening he forwarded to us a kettle of kola nuts as a token 
 of welcome, and horses to convey us to Bida. But it 
 was impossible for us to set out that night, and, as I have 
 said, the next day was a rainy one. Evidently the King 
 did not think the rain a sufficient reason for our remaining 
 so long behind, for he sent horseman after horseman to 
 meet us; who, seeing nothing of us, came on to Wunangi. 
 Our number gradually increased, so that when we set out 
 we formed a cavalcade of 14 horsemen, accompanied by a 
 large band of footmen. One of the messengers informed 
 us that the King could not sleep all night, from the excite¬ 
 ment occasioned by our arrival. 
 
 The road to Bida is by no means a bad one. Minus a 
 little depression in one or two places, it is generally level, 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 37 
 
 and a good tramway might be laid to the Capital from 
 Wunangi, to facilitate the carriage of produce. We passed 
 through fields of guinea corn. The land is rich, and the 
 eye could wander freely over a vast sweep of country until 
 it rested upon rising hills at the distant horizon. The pedo¬ 
 meter registered 8^ miles, and this distance we cleared in 
 two hours. But for the wretched country saddle put upon 
 my horse, I should have enjoyed the ride both ways. As it 
 was, it was like doing penance, sitting upon that hard horny 
 substance, and no wonder that I felt the effects of the ride a 
 long time afterwards. 
 
 We rode straight on to the King’s, accompanied by the 
 Ndeji (lit. father of the country)—an officer that may be 
 regarded as Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor rolled 
 into one. We found the King sitting among his Chiefs, 
 Captains, and people of distinction, anxiously awaiting our 
 arrival. The welcome he gave to the Bishop and his son, 
 with whom he had been long acquainted, was extremely 
 hearty. Short of embracing them he showed a warmth and 
 genuineness of affection which was extraordinary, as coming 
 from one whose religion inculcates a by no means concilia¬ 
 tory spirit towards Christians. I was introduced, and the 
 King shook hands with me cordially, and then we were 
 ushered into the reception room. It was a large and 
 spacious rotunda, called in Nupe a Kata?nba , where 
 business is usually transacted by the King. As soon as he 
 was seated, he again saluted us, and expressed his great 
 pleasure (which was very evident) at seeing us. Though 
 King Umoru could have conversed with us directly, yet 
 Court etiquette forbade his doing so. The Ndeji was 
 commonly the medium of communication between him and 
 us. The Nupe, Hausa, Foulah, and Yoruba are equally 
 familiar to him, and he can express himself readily in each. 
 
33 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 He is a man somewhat above the middle stature, much 
 inclined to obesity, of a very pleasing countenance, and 
 keen powers of observation. Unlike the former King (a 
 description of whose acts puts one in mind so much of that 
 infamous Pasha of Acre, surnamed A 1 Jezzas, or the butcher), 
 Umoru is of a religious turn of mind, quiet in disposition, 
 and fonder of the arts of peace than those of war. The 
 Bishop told him that good friends in England enquired 
 after him, at which he was much pleased. We alluded 
 cursorily to the Russo-Turkish war, and to the strong 
 hostile feelings at present existing between the two brothers, 
 Abeokuta and Ibadan. 
 
 The general reception over, we were conducted to our 
 lodgings,—the Bishop and my self occupying one, and Mr. 
 Crowther and his assistant another. Before our arrival, 
 the King had caused a herd of bullocks to be driven to the 
 front of his palace, that he himself might have, he said, 
 the pleasure of pointing out the two which he had 
 intended to give for our entertainment. Besides the 
 bullocks, the King sent us fowls, turkeys, yams, shea 
 butter, oil, mats, rice and other things, for our use while 
 we remained his guests. Over and above all this, 
 every evening two large bowls of cooked provisions were 
 usually brought in. The quantity would have sufficed for 
 twenty-four persons, however hungry they might have been, 
 but we never could touch them owing to the peculiar mode the 
 Nupes have of preparing their dishes. No people are more 
 scrupulous in showing to strangers the rites of hospitality. 
 The house at our disposal was of similar construction 
 to the King’s reception room, — only that it was of 
 much smaller dimensions. A thoroughfare ran right 
 through, and horse, sheep, and rude little urchins came 
 and went incessantly. After a little while it was found 
 
39 
 
 ' A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 impossible for us to allow of such obtrusion into our privacy, 
 and hence the Bishop requested the landlord to have the 
 animals taken elsewhere, and thus put a stop to the needless 
 going to and fro of the children. The request was instantly 
 complied with, and we proceeded leisurely to arrange 
 everything to suit our convenience. We had hardly shaken 
 down properly when an occurrence took place which set the 
 whole compound adjoining our lodging into a most frantic 
 commotion. At first a subdued moan arrested my attention, 
 and I observed to the Bishop that something was wrong 
 with our neighbours. I had no sooner made the remark 
 than we were hastily called to the scene ; and what was 
 our astonishment to see our landlord, who, but a few 
 minutes before, was arranging things for our comfort, 
 stretched helpless in the hands of his waves? He w r as 
 suddenly seized with a fit of epilepsy. The Bishop ordered 
 some hot water, took a piece of cloth and gave me another, 
 and w r e began to bathe the hands and feet of the patient, to 
 restore animation. In the mean time some one had gone 
 and prepared a drink of cayenne pepper, which was poured 
 down his throat, and the pungency of it made him turn 
 about a little. Still he v r as not restored to consciousness. 
 Not long after, a regular doctor came and took the case in 
 hand. He went about it with the air of one who knew his 
 business. When we next looked in, the sick man was sitting 
 up and expressing his thanks to those who had shown such 
 anxiety on his behalf. His wives and children contributed 
 not a little to increase the confusion that prevailed. They 
 were uttering piercing shrieks and ejaculating prayers for 
 help to Mahommed. Had the man died, the weeping, 
 mourning and woe, could not have been more loudly 
 expressed. Poor souls ! no doubt they were being tormented 
 with apprehensions of what the future would bring to them 
 
40 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 should their worst fears be verified. But the Lord was 
 merciful, and before many hours were over, their sorrow . 
 was succeeded by unbounded joy. 
 
 The day after our arrival was the time fixed for entering 
 upon regular business. All the morning we waited in 
 vain to be called. It was not until after 2 p.m., that is, 
 after the mid-day prayer, that a messenger came to say that 
 we were wanted. Accompanied by the Ndeji we went 
 direct to the reception room, where we met the King looking 
 after trading affairs. Immediately all the men and women 
 present were ordered out of the room, and we were seated. 
 The usual preliminaries having been gone through, Mr. 
 
 J. Crowther began to address the King on the subject of 
 trade, and after concluding, he produced a few pieces of 
 cloth, extremely beautiful, which he offered to the King, 
 as the annual dash or present from the Firm which he 
 represented. The cloth was very much admired. It 
 was handled and viewed from different points, and there 
 was but one opinion entertained in regard to its wonderful 
 texture. The King thanked him again and again, renewed 
 his protestations of friendship, and expressed in hearty, 
 grateful terms his special obligations to Mr. Crowther for 
 certain help rendered him last year. 
 
 The Bishop followed, but before bringing out his presents, 
 he introduced me in a formal speech, and told the King the 
 object of my visit to his country. He was informed that I 
 could read and speak the Arabic language,—at which the 
 King was greatly surprised. When he was further told that 
 in order to do this I was sent to the East, and that I visited 
 Egypt, and was two years in El Kuds (Jerusalem), more 
 surprise was expressed. But the climax was reached when 
 the Bishop said that I was a native of this part of Africa, 
 as my father came from Ilorin, where also my grandmother 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 4i 
 
 died last year. The King stared. It provoked a smile to 
 see the marks of astonishment standing out in bold relief on 
 his ample brow. He seemed puzzled to understand what 
 could have been my object in travelling so far to study the 
 Arabic, being a Christian. The Bishop gently insinuated 
 that it would be well if his co-religionists could try to make 
 themselves acquainted with our books, as we are trying to 
 learn theirs. He replied mechanically, “ Gaskia, gaskia,” 
 “true, true.” Seizing the opportunity I produced my copy 
 of the Koran, which he took and examined. That it might 
 serve my purpose, I had had it interleaved, and had made 
 my notes everywhere. The King wanted to know what my 
 writing meant, and I explained everything to him. He 
 requested the Bishop to stop his speech until he had sent 
 for a young man whom he attached to himself as being a 
 good Arabic scholar. There being none to satisfy him at 
 Bida, he had requested his friend the Sultan of Kano to 
 send him this young man, who could always read Arabic to 
 and with him. He came, took up the copy of the Koran, 
 and read on without any hesitation. His reading was clear; 
 his accents pure ; and intonation very pleasing. I compli¬ 
 mented him with some Arabic phrases, and the King turned 
 round and asked in the same language whether I had 
 understood the reading of his Chaplain; I replied in the 
 affirmative. He was very much pleased. As a specimen 
 of my handwriting, I produced an extract from the Gospel of 
 St. Luke, “ Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord : 
 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God, &c.” The King read 
 the extract fluently and in a manner which convinced me 
 that he understood its meaning. I was greatly impressed 
 by what I perceived of his intellectual powers. 
 
 The Bishop then continued and ended his general remarks, 
 and brought out one by one the presents which he had 
 
42 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 chosen for the King. A large arm-chair, made at Kipo 
 Hill, by one of our carpenters, of the wood of the shea- 
 butter tree, was the first present. The King had thought 
 that the chair was brought from England. He could hardly 
 credit the fact that it was made so very near his own door. 
 After that, half-a-dozen pieces of brick, burnt at the same 
 Kipo Hill, were also produced, and the Bishop tried to 
 show that it was possible for the King and his people to have 
 improved dwelling-houses if they wished, and also told him 
 that we should be quite ready to teach carpentry and brick¬ 
 making to any number of children that the King might send 
 to our establishment. Before we left him he promised to 
 send three. The next thing brought out was a globe. The 
 relative position of places was pointed out. Russia and 
 Turkey were shown, and the Bishop gave some information 
 about the war between the two countries. The King said 
 it was all true, and that it confirmed a report which he had 
 received from the Sultan of Kano, who had heard par¬ 
 ticulars by the overland route. Last of all came two 
 splendid rolls of carpet, which exhausted the Bishop’s store. 
 I have no language to express the exquisite satisfaction 
 evinced by the King throughout the proceedings. He 
 listened intelligently to information, and took in good part 
 whatever advices were given which were intended for the 
 good of his country. In this pleasant interview three hours 
 sped away imperceptibly. But the interview was not carried 
 on with closed doors to the end. The most important 
 things being said, those who had business with the King 
 were freely admitted. Some brought presents for the 
 entertainment of his strangers. Tributaries came with their 
 accustomed offerings. Debtors brought payment for what 
 was due, to each and all of whom the King gave audience 
 while conversing with us. He transacts all business in 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 43 
 
 propria persona , it matters not however humble; and he 
 does all with ease and despatch. 
 
 I must now point out one or two dead flies in the oint¬ 
 ment. that my account may not seem to have a partial and 
 one-sided appearance. With all his enlightenment, the 
 King has not yet seen that it is for the advantage of his 
 country that the cursed and degrading system of slavery 
 should be abolished; on the contrary, no one seems more 
 earnest in upholding the institution. While in the audience 
 chamber, a poor man who could not pay a debt of 
 2 \ head cowries (5s.) offered instead a little slave boy. The 
 King accepted the exchange with a smile. Himself pointed 
 out to 11s a white horse for which he gave ten slaves, and 
 told us that that beauty and another, which I afterwards 
 saw, were attended daily by fifty slave boys ! Slaves are a 
 medium of exchange here like cowries. They are offered 
 for sale in the public markets daily. It is nauseating to 
 hear accounts of the miseries which these wretched beings 
 suffer from the cruelties of their owners. 
 
 There was another thing which distressed me very much. 
 The former King had a set of cannibals kept in the town, 
 who were used on special occasions as ministers of his 
 vengeance. The present King retains them apparently for 
 the same reason. He told us that at a recent war in which 
 he engaged by the special request of his suzerain of 
 Gondo, he actually caught the King of the enemy with 
 his own hand. (By the way, this extraordinary feat has 
 since raised him very high in the estimation of his subjects 
 and near neighbours.) On the army returning home, the 
 King gave the unfortunate Chief to the head of the cannibals, 
 who with his companions devoured him greedily. We were 
 told that we might see the skull if we would, but none of us 
 showed any curiosity that way. Most sickening are the 
 
44 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 stories told of the habits of those wretched specimens of 
 humanity—the cannibals. The Turkey buzzards, which are 
 so numerous at Bida, are not more fond of offal and carrion 
 than these human buzzards are of the flesh of incurables. 
 Lepers are not permitted by them to live ; like scavengers 
 they would pounce upon them and devour them with a 
 gusto ! I was told that on one occasion they made a 
 journey to Lokoja. No sooner did the news that they were 
 approaching become known than seventeen lepers crawled 
 away and effected their escape to the other side of the river, 
 and thus saved themselves from the horror of being killed and 
 eaten. While we were at Egan they got hold of an incurable, 
 and we could see them paddling away at a distance, and hear 
 them singing merrily and rejoicing at the prospect of the 
 good feed they were going to have. Why should I continue 
 any longer in this strain ? There is much to distress the 
 heart of a Christian man when he contemplates the dark 
 deeds which are daily perpetrating in this dark corner of 
 the earth. 
 
 I have dwelt long enough on Bida, and must therefore 
 wind up my story. We had intended to have left the day 
 after the long interview with the King; but he advised the 
 Bishop to delay a day longer, in order that we might take 
 occasion to visit four of the principal chiefs, who are all 
 nearly related to the late King Masaba. The day came, 
 and we went the round of the four authorities, who received 
 us more or less cordially. When the time came for us to 
 depart, the King could not be seen early. It was not until 
 io o’clock that we were invited to the Palace. He had no 
 mind to let his guests go away so soon, and so he went on 
 spinning long yarns on the same topics, till we were fairly 
 wearied out. He offered to accompany us by the way, but 
 this offer the Bishop declined, as it would have involved 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 45 
 
 further tedious delays. In fine, instead of getting to 
 Wunangi at 9 or 10 a.m., as we had hoped to do, we did 
 not arrive there until 3 p.m., when it was _altogether too 
 late to embark in the steam launch for Egan. 
 
 Bida is a very large town, but the population is rather 
 sparse. It is not remarkable for its neat and well-kept 
 appearance, for grass grows everywhere, and large pits and 
 ditches are left uncovered. Not unfrequently, as I learnt, 
 fatal accidents have taken place, owing to this culpable 
 neglect of leaving the pits open. The blind, in their haste 
 to get out of the way of the tramping of horses, have often 
 dropped in, and there ended their cares. The people all 
 seemed hard-worked, as in all countries where everything 
 is performed by slaves. The state of things will not last 
 long, let us hope. I look to Christianity and civilisation to 
 repair the broken fabric of society, and to impart their 
 peculiar and special blessings to the thousands who are 
 thirsting after them. 
 
 Before we left, the Bishop prepared the King for a visit 
 from the British Consul, who was said to be on his way to 
 Bida. On reaching Egan again, we found the Consul had 
 already arrived there. He was the bearer of'some costly 
 presents from the Home Government to the King, for the 
 protection which he had afforded to the lives and property 
 of British subjects carrying on trade within his dominions. 
 There is nothing that the King prizes so much as friendship 
 with the English. We are thankful for this disposition in 
 him, and hope that nothing will happen to mar the good 
 understanding at present existing. It is said that a gunboat 
 will ascend the river regularly every year, with a view to 
 keep it open for free navigation. Annual visits will also 
 be paid by a Consul. Might not the Society use its 
 influence to prevail upon the Government to re-establish 
 
46 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 a Consulate at Lokoja? I am of opinion that, considering 
 the rapid growth of commerce, and the steady influx of 
 British subjects in the river, such a step is more desirable 
 now than at any previous time. Six steamers are now 
 plying backwards and forwards every year. I understand 
 that two new Companies with two or three steamers will 
 open trade next year. The Binue will soon receive a due 
 share of attention. This being so, I conceive that British 
 interests here are of a substantial kind, and that they need 
 being well looked after. 
 
 One other evil the presence of a Consul will tend to 
 eradicate. I am ashamed to say that many in the Niger 
 have grown so bold as to be carrying on the odious traffic 
 of slave dealing. Under cover of the word “ ransom,” they 
 unblushingly pursue that nefarious system from which their 
 fathers and mothers, and in some cases themselves , had 
 suffered so cruelly before they were providentially rescued 
 by British ships and landed at Sierra Leone. Their so- 
 called “ ransomed ” ones are by no means free to stop or 
 go as they please, but are treated not one whit different 
 from domestic slaves—let me say like goods and chattels— 
 for when the whim takes possession of their owners they 
 would sell their victims as coolly as if they were bargaining 
 for palm oil or shea-butter. The Consul took away from 
 Lokoja, and sent down for trial to Lagos, a Sierra Leone 
 young man who was said to have been deeply compromised 
 in that foul practice. He sent him down hand-cuffed, and 
 one of the victims of his unrighteous traffic was also sent as 
 an evidence against him. If he is convicted of the offence, 
 it is said that he will be safe for fourteen years’ imprisonment. 
 A striking example is wanted to frighten others, who are 
 equally guilty—perhaps more so. A few names of notorious 
 offenders in this line were supplied to the Consul; but he 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 47 
 
 could not bring the parties to book, as those who knew 
 were afraid of giving public evidence. That men whose 
 relations and friends have been rescued from the iron fangs 
 of that “ accursed thing ” should yet be found practising 
 the same themselves, is one of those strange developments 
 which make one feel quite “ashamed of his own species.” 
 
 THE COAST STATIONS. 
 
 The inspection of the lower Stations of Brass, Bonny, 
 and New Calabar, concluded our tour; and having made 
 brief observations upon each of them I shall close my 
 remarks on this interesting visit. 
 
 BRASS.—We arrived at Brass on the 31st of October. 
 The hand of civilisation was plainly visible in the superior 
 buildings put up by the European merchants along the 
 river. The front view of our Station appeared, at a distance, 
 most charming, and I can testify that a nearer inspection 
 did not deprive it of much of its real beauty. I was pleased 
 to see every thing trim and neat. A dense impenetrable 
 bush formed a pleasing background to this picture of 
 neatness and order. I was greatly struck with the advanced 
 character of everything about the Station, the comparatively 
 short time that has passed since work was commenced 
 there being considered. 
 
 In the year 1867, Bishop Crowther met with King 
 Ockiya at the Nun. The King hailed the “ God man,” 
 and begged of him to come to his country to establish 
 Schools, and do for his people what was being done for 
 Bonny. “Assuredly gathering that the Lord was calling 
 him ” to work in Brass, the Bishop hastened to that place, 
 where he was soon joined by the King. It did not occupy 
 
4 8 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 a long time in making arrangements and fixing upon a 
 suitable site for the new Station; and the following year 
 saw the work actually begun. The Lord greatly assisted 
 His servants, so that in less than three years the work had 
 assumed such a decidedly aggressive attitude as to alarm 
 the Juju priests, and make them tremble for their own 
 reputation and their future means of subsistence. About 
 this time a Chief was won over to the cause, and also 
 several young men from the influential families in the 
 country; and when the priests saw that the interests of the 
 gods were being neglected, they felt that the strange 
 religion should be at once crushed. Smallpox having 
 broken out in the year 1871, the cause was traced to the 
 introduction of the new religion into the country, and so a 
 violent persecution was set on foot at the instance of the 
 crafty priests. The lives of the converts were exposed to 
 the utmost danger. The Chief above alluded to was 
 obliged to run away stealthily from Brass town, leaving his 
 family and property behind him, when he was apprised that 
 a Council had been held to murder him. One of the 
 converts was tied so cruelly that the cord made a deep 
 indent into his flesh. In this manner he was dragged to 
 the place of sacrifice, and frightened with a drawn sword; 
 but his faith stood firm and unshaken, and his persecutors 
 were foiled in their purpose to induce recantation. Powerless 
 to stem the torrent of popular passions, the King could 
 afford no protection to those whom he himself had invited 
 to the country; but, thank God ! he would not encourage 
 the persecuting zeal of his subjects. Feelings ran high, and 
 matters came to such a pass that the resident Teacher, 
 Mr. (now Rev.) T. Johnson, found it prudent to follow the 
 advice given to him to betake himself to the shipping for 
 a time; as his house was threatened to be burnt over him, 
 
A JO URNE V UP THE NIGER. 
 
 49 
 
 and his life was otherwise in the greatest danger. But in 
 the midst of all this excitement he did not cease to go 
 among the converts to encourage by his presence and 
 advice those whose faith was undergoing such a severe 
 trial. At length the fiery storm blew over, but only to 
 revive in a fitful blaze in 1874. However, its force was 
 spent, and it soon died out, and in all human probability 
 will never be revived again. 
 
 Now, what is the result of nine years of unremitting 
 labour at Brass ? The Church has been enlarged once. On 
 Sunday, November 4th, there were no less than 480 persons 
 present at the morning service (including six Europeans), 
 and in the evening, notwithstanding a drenching shower, 
 there were as many as 226. The next day being the first 
 Monday in the month, the usual Prayer Meeting was held, 
 when the Church was nearly half filled. I had thought that 
 being held at a busy time of the day, (10.30 a. 111.), the 
 attendance at the Prayer Meeting would have been small; 
 but I was agreeably surprised to see a great many men and 
 women present. The King and some of his Chiefs residing 
 at the Village of Tuwon were present at both the services 
 and the meeting. It was most edifying to see them listening 
 to the Gospel of our salvation. The next day, (November 6th), 
 saw the Church once more filled. A Confirmation Service 
 was held, and the Bishop administered the holy rite to 
 fifty-eight persons. Those three days—Sunday, Monday, 
 and Tuesday—were among the happiest I spent in my trip 
 to the Niger Mission. In no other place did I observe 
 such a striking exhibition of the mighty power of the Gospel. 
 I am sure that you will soon hear that the present Church, 
 though recently enlarged, is becoming too strait for the 
 worshippers. On the Sunday I have already referred to, it 
 was almost full to its utmost capacity. 
 
 D 
 
5o 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 More good news. King Ockiya has now asked for a 
 Teacher for Nembe, his capital, which is about thirty miles 
 from the Coast. Thus the work is gradually extending, 
 under the auspices of the King himself, and the influential 
 men of the country. The influence of the heathen priests 
 has collapsed ignominiously. To show with what contempt 
 the gods are now treated, it will suffice to say that wood 
 is cut and carried away from the sacred grove, at 
 which formerly the people would not venture even to 
 look, on account of its reputed sanctity. Social customs 
 which offend against decency and morality are being 
 abolished by the natives, of their own accord. Besides, 
 they are advancing as rapidly in material prosperity 
 as in their knowledge of Divine things. On Saturday, 
 the 3rd November, we, that is the Bishop, Rev. Thomas 
 Johnson, and myself, visited the village of Tuwon, about a 
 mile distant from the Mission Compound. I could scarcely 
 believe what my eyes saw in the house of one of the Chiefs, 
 Samuel Sambo. Very few houses are better furnished 
 either at Sierra Leone or Lagos. The most cultivated taste 
 will admit the house to be a splendid one. Much money 
 has been laid out in pictures, time-pieces, carpets, and every 
 luxury that may be considered indispensable in the residence 
 of a rich civilized gentleman. He has 300 dependents, 
 and through them is accumulating a great amount of 
 substantial wealth. We were taken to every apartment in 
 the house ; but there was one room, simply furnished, which 
 gave me the most interest. There was a table, and a great 
 number of forms. That was no other than the prayer room, 
 where, morning and evening, the good Chief assembles his 
 vast household for their devotions. Nine short years ago 
 tfcis man was full of the superstition which reigned in the 
 country. I will not venture to say that, being of a tribe 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 5 1 
 
 that practised cannibalism, he has never tasted human flesh. 
 Nine years ago he venerated Juju superstition as devoutly as 
 did his meanest slave; but now, he is another man—a 
 Christian,—and is emulating the practices of his brethren 
 in Christ throughout the world. Once, and that not long 
 ago, he was ignorant of the saving truths of Christianity, 
 and was as poor in worldly goods as in his spiritual health ; 
 but now his outward and inward conditions have altered 
 most materially. “ Verily, the Lord hath done great things, 
 whereof we rejoice.” I look forward, with an assured 
 hope, to the future, for still greater triumphs of the Gospel 
 among the tribes in this part of Africa. In countries like 
 Brass, you can readily understand that the slaves and lower 
 orders of the people dare not entertain an independent 
 opinion of their own, or if they do, to express it in the face 
 of opposition from the King and Chiefs. Exceptions there 
 may be, and often are; but, as a rule, slaves are timid in 
 their disposition, every particle of manliness of spirit 
 having been squeezed out of them by their oppressive 
 masters. But these masters themselves having embraced 
 the Gospel, and the fear of detection and consequent 
 punishment in the case of slaves doing the same having 
 been removed, it requires no prophetic spirit to foretell that 
 not many years hence multitudes will become faithful 
 adherents of Christianity out of the surrounding tribes, and 
 that the Brass people will themselves become the heralds 
 of the Gospel. It is no news to you that one of the Chiefs 
 has presented the Church with an oak pulpit of the value of 
 ^38,—that another gave a reading desk of the value of 
 jQ 6 15 s. ; and that another has given two chairs for the 
 accommodation of those officiating within the Communion 
 rails, besides a sweet toned church bell. 
 
 The prosperity of this Station is not of a superficial*or 
 
5 2 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 ephemeral character; there is substance in it, and such as, 
 with God’s blessing, will continually expand and become 
 wide-spread. My heart has again and again ascended to 
 heaven, in gratitude to God, for the glorious results which 
 have followed the establishment of the Station of Brass. 
 
 Having got into Brass river it was not easy to get out 
 again. The steamers run irregularly. The business of 
 inspection was over on the 6th of November, but we could 
 not leave, much as we wished to, until the afternoon of the 
 14th. Bonny should have been our next stage, but the 
 Captain of the steamer in which we took passage shaped 
 his course according to his chances of obtaining cargo in 
 any particular place. He steered for Opobo, a town at the 
 mouth of one of the oil rivers. By the strange bungling 
 of some one we were taken past the place in the night, and 
 it was not until the grey dawn of day revealed to us the out¬ 
 lines of the Cameroon mountains, that it was perceived that 
 we had shot past the mark. The vessel was immediately put 
 to the right about, and we came back, after three or four 
 hours, to Opobo. Here we stayed all day and all night, the 
 Captain looking up some palm oil. The next day he 
 steered for New Calabar, and as that was one of the 
 remaining Stations to be visited, the Bishop concluded to 
 land and perform his business there at once, and reserve to 
 be last visited that which would have been the first, had all 
 other things been equal. 
 
 NEW CALABAR. —We arrived here at n a.m. on 
 Friday, the 17 th November. The Station is built entirely 
 by itself, as the swampy nature of the soil prevented our 
 having a dry footing in the town, which is about nine miles 
 off by water. But as regards the natives, the distance is 
 by no means formidable, and does not act as a deterrent 
 
A JO URNE Y UP THE NIGER. 
 
 53 
 
 against their coming to us. As a matter of fact they make 
 nothing of it, for they come nearly every day to the shipping, 
 which is but half an hour from us. 
 
 Work was begun here only in 1874, and, therefore, there 
 are not many of those peculiarly interesting details about it 
 which may be found in Brass. 
 
 The chief feature is the Boarding School, which has been 
 established on the self-supporting principle. It has been in 
 existence nearly three years, and very encouraging are the 
 results in that short space of time. Soon after our arrival, 
 the Bishop ordered letters to be sent to the town, inviting 
 the King and Chiefs to an examination of the School, on 
 Tuesday, the 20th. The letters were received, but they 
 were not opened. As soon as they learnt verbally from the 
 messenger that the Bishop had come, and that, according 
 to custom, an examination would take place, without sending 
 a messenger to apprise us of their intention, on Monday we 
 saw them all coming in their gigs with streamers flying, and 
 their canoe-boys keeping time with their paddles to music of 
 their own composing. When they arrived, they said that 
 they had come to see the examination, and to have a good 
 dinner after. There was no help for it, orders were given 
 that the children should be got ready, and at 11.30 o’clock 
 the examination was begun. King Amachree and eight of 
 his Chiefs were present. I need not enter into the details 
 of this examination, which bore the same likeness with those 
 of a similar kind which have been held elsewhere. I cannot, 
 however, refrain from expressing my profound astonishment 
 at the progress made by the children. They were examined 
 in reading, writing, arithmetic, &c., and the result reflected 
 much credit on themselves and their teachers. The senior 
 boys were told to write letters on their slates, while the 
 other classes were being examined. It was amusing to hear 
 
54 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 how some of them expressed themselves. Some were very 
 original. Others preached pointed sermons to the Chiefs 
 present, on the evil of worshipping the Juju, and refusing to 
 receive the Gospel. The Chiefs merely smiled, and said 
 nothing. 
 
 There are 41 children, each of whom is supposed to be 
 paid for by his guardian. Unfortunately, many of these 
 guardians have been shockingly remiss in their duty, and 
 the Bishop found it necessary to expose them to the censure 
 of the rest. They had once complained that the fee of one 
 puncheon of palm oil (valued at ^12 sterling) was too 
 much, trade being very dull; and so it was reduced to half 
 a puncheon, or J 6 . But notwithstanding this liberal 
 reduction, many of them had not paid for two years—the 
 chief offender being King Amachree himself, who had 
 recourse to many subterfuges in order to evade payment. 
 Being fairly caught now, he was ashamed of himself, and 
 there and then promised to pay his seven puncheons (the 
 remainder of his share of payment for the founding of the 
 Mission) the next day. He was wise. The Chiefs had 
 determined to come down upon him for thus disgracing the 
 country by his conduct. The King having paid, it was easy 
 to deal summarily with the ordinary delinquents. At a 
 Council held three days after, a law was passed that the 
 24 puncheons due shall be paid within as many days. The 
 penalty of non-payment was heavy ; the obstinate debtor 
 was to be debarred from trade. His canoes were not to be 
 permitted to go to the oil market, or come down to the 
 shipping, and himself was to be deprived of the privilege of 
 taking breakfast on board with the Supercargoes. (The 
 latter is considered a very severe punishment.) I am happy 
 to say, that from letters since received by the Bishop from 
 Mr. Carew, payment is being made as rapidly as possible, 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 55 
 
 and in a short time I believe all will have paid their 
 dues. 
 
 Of the 41 children on the roll, only three are girls. The 
 natives could not see the smallest necessity for educating 
 girls. It will take some time before the notion which they 
 entertain on the subject is exploded. There was a Chief, 
 however, who promised in my presence to send a girl in 
 place of a boy already in School on the ground that “ the 
 fee for a woman -boy was not so great as that fora man- boy.'’ 
 (They have no word for either “ girl ” or “ sister ” in their 
 language, so that the expression above is a literal rendering 
 from his vernacular dialect.) 
 
 There was another thing I observed which looked very 
 stupid and absurd. Not more than six or eight of the 
 children were free born. The Chiefs would send their 
 slaves rather than their own children,—as if education were 
 such a degrading thing that none but slaves might partake 
 of its benefits. This used to be the case at Lagos formerly, 
 as Bishop Crowther says; it is only of late that the 
 absurdity, as well as mischief, of the notion has been 
 perceived, and heathen parents and guardians are now 
 regretting their past folly and ignorance. 
 
 The boys are being trained in correct style. The teachers 
 are taking care that the inculcation of intellectual and 
 civilised habits shall not render them weak and useless. 
 They can cut down bushes, hoe the ground, and handle 
 their paddles with the same earnest purpose as they manifest 
 in their studies. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 21st November, we paid a visit to 
 the supercargoes on the river, in seven hulks, and enjoyed 
 friendly interview with them. It is a pleasure to speak 
 of them as a very nice body of men, kind and liberal, and 
 not gifted with that narrowness of mind which is the fruitful 
 
56 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 source of all kinds of prejudice. Their intercourse with the 
 Rev. W. E. Carew, the Missionary in charge of the New 
 Calabar Station, than whom none is more frank and straight¬ 
 forward in his manner, is of the most friendly character; 
 and, unless hindered by circumstances, they are always 
 regular in attending the Sunday Services. 
 
 We spent a day at New Calabar town. Leaving the 
 Mission House at 3.30 a.m. on Thursday, the 22nd, we 
 were carried on by the tide, and landed at 5.30 a.m. Chief 
 West Indy, at whose house we lodged, is a man who affects 
 the English style, both in his dress and in the furnishing of 
 his house. His is such a house as I have described that of 
 Sambo, of Brass, to be. Even the King does not boast of 
 such a comfortable residence; and the best part of the 
 matter is that he did it all himself, with the aid of his boys, 
 and never employed a professional carpenter or builder. 
 Whenever Europeans go to the town, West Indy’s house is 
 always their place of common resort. 
 
 New Calabar is a most filthy place. It looks much like a 
 fever-breeding den, with its surroundings of mangrove and 
 swamp. The streets are so covered with mud and water 
 that you do not know where to set your foot. They are 
 even narrower than those at Egan. Houses may be seen 
 falling on their sides on either side of the road, and kissing 
 each other in the middle ; and if you must needs get to the 
 other side of the road„ you have no alternative but to crawl 
 under as well as you can. The premises of the King and 
 Chiefs are well filled up, dry, and comfortable; but they so 
 love their town that not one of them cares to clean a yard 
 beyond his own door ! 
 
 We were paddled to the town by sixteen of the boarders ; 
 and as they all came from New Calabar, no sooner was 
 permission granted to them, than they were scattered all 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 57 
 
 over the place, enjoying themselves. Each one spoke of 
 going to see his “ father ” or his “ mother,” and they looked 
 quite pleased to have a few minutes at home. And I must 
 say that, generally, their “ mothers ” received them kindly, 
 and treated them as if they had been their own children; 
 for they gave them food to eat, and in going away loaded 
 them with yams, corn, and other edibles. 
 
 I could not help being drawn out in soul towards these 
 poor slave boys, who, in the spirit of true philosophy, have 
 fallen in with the conditions of the situation in which they 
 have found themselves, and made the best of them. Their 
 real fathers and mothers have no doubt been killed in slave¬ 
 hunting wars, or sold elsewhere ; and the children now call 
 “ mothers ” those who shaved their heads when they were 
 first brought down as slaves. I allow that their treatment 
 is often good and gentle, but this is only during good 
 behaviour. And what are they but slaves ? And who can 
 ever love a slave as he does his own child ? I learnt that, 
 should any of them commit an offence, he is immediately 
 put in irons; and for the second offence, he is liable to be 
 sold to the cannibal tribes, who make savoury dishes of him. 
 My language in speaking of slavery can never be apologetic, 
 let the form which it assumes be ever so mild. I have no 
 patience with those who, being themselves free, would scruple 
 not to hide the system under a heap of mitigating pleas, as 
 if it were not a thing which deserves reprobation and total 
 execration. You will often hear,— ££ Well, the masters are 
 kind and good to them, and value them highly,” &c. Not 
 a doubt of it. They take pleasure in them just as I do in 
 my nice breed of poultry, or cattle, or any other thing from 
 which I derive my wealth. No, liberty is the birthright of 
 every man, and no treatment can reconcile me to the idea 
 of being deprived of my freedom. What is it that has 
 
53 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 degraded the people of Africa so that efforts to elevate them 
 have been all but unavailing ? It is the state of servitude 
 in which they have been for three centuries. But I fervently 
 trust the day of redemption draweth nigh. 
 
 To wind up my account of New Calabar. For an 
 indefinite number of years past the natives have been in the 
 closest contact with Europeans ; first, during the slave trade 
 period, and then since legitimate commerce has superseded 
 it; but notwithstanding, they have professed and practised 
 Jujuism most zealously until now. They themselves have 
 openly confessed that their country is becoming different by 
 Missionaries living there. The leaven is working silently, 
 and faith in the gods is much shaken. We went to the 
 town on what is called a Calabar Sunday—(their week 
 consists of eight days)—when nothing was done but eating, 
 drinking, dancing, and sacrificing to Juju. We called at the 
 grand Juju temple, and the Juju king, as well as its priest, 
 came to us. They looked confused as those who are caught 
 perpetrating an unlawful act. A figure-head, dressed up, 
 answered for the deity. The Bishop asked them whether 
 they thought that the Liverpool merchants would have 
 permitted them to have that figure-head if it had really been 
 a god that could have done good to themselves ? They 
 smiled and replied “ No P There are a great many of whom 
 I heard, who though they have not yet openly professed 
 themselves Christians, are yet so indifferent about their 
 country’s gods that they are never to be found in a Juju 
 temple. All power belongs to God, and I believe He is 
 quietly causing all things to conspire towards the universal 
 reception of the blessed Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 by the heathen tribes in this part of Africa. 
 
 % 
 
 On the 24th (Saturday) we left for 
 
59 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 BONNY, where we arrived at io o’clock in the fore¬ 
 noon. This was the last Station visited. The steamers 
 which I saw lying inside of the river, and the many hulks 
 also, were evidences to me of the importance of Bonny as 
 a trading port. Large vessels can come in without difficulty, 
 as the mouth of the river is deep and more easy of naviga¬ 
 tion than either the Brass or New Calabar or Opobo rivers. 
 
 Bonny would have been one of the most flourishing of 
 our Stations, if not the first of them all, but for the fiery 
 persecution which has been raging these three years.* Instead 
 
 * The Bonny Mission has a chequered history. It was founded in 
 consequence of a letter from King Pepple (the present king’s father)? 
 who had visited England and embraced Christianity, to the Bishop of 
 London, in 1864. Bishop Crowther forthwith visited the place, and in 
 the following year a school was opened ; the “Juju ’’-worship rapidly 
 fell into disfavour, and in 1867 the lizard-gods were publicly 
 destroyed. Two churches were subsequently built, one for the native 
 converts, and the other for the English-speaking (though mostly 
 coloured) traders and super-cargoes. The Juju priests, however, could 
 not surrender their power without a struggle ; and in consequence of a 
 crowded service at the native church on Christmas Day, 1873, they 
 persuaded the chiefs to issue a decree forbidding their slaves, from 
 among whom the converts had mostly been made, to attend church. 
 For the last three years the persecution has been continued, notwith¬ 
 standing the expostulations of the Bishop, and the friendliness of King 
 George Pepple, whose power is only nominal. One convert was 
 cruelly murdered in November, 1875, and others were confined and half 
 starved for many months. (See Church Missionary Gleaner , August, 
 1876, and July, 1877.) Another, as Mr. Johnson relates above, has 
 recently been starved to death, and of this case the Rev. Dandeson 
 Crowther writes :—“ Another convert, I regret to say, has—as recently 
 as the 25th of October—sealed the faith by being starved to death. His 
 name is Asenibiega (=‘ I cannot make any progress ’), belonging to 
 the same house and master as the late Joshua Hart. From the reliable 
 account that reached us, it is said that a sacrifice was made to propitiate 
 the gods on behalf of two canoes about to set out to the markets to 
 
6o 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 of abating, the storm seems to be gathering force; but the 
 edicts that have been issued this year have made the 
 prospect more gloomy than ever. At first, the unrelenting 
 persecutors were satisfied with merely imposing fines, or 
 imprisonment, or both ; but finding that these punishments 
 have failed of their intended effect, they threatened death 
 to any convert that is seen going to Church. Spies are put 
 in different places to see who would dare to break the law. 
 But the poor converts often evade them successfully, for 
 they will leave home long before service time and hide 
 themselves in the bush. As the first bell rings the spy comes 
 and takes his position where he can see all the church¬ 
 goers. The second bell being rung, and the service having 
 proceeded awhile, on seeing no convert, the spy returns 
 home; then all those who have been hiding themselves 
 will come forth and enter the church, perhaps while the 
 hymn before the sermon is being sung. 
 
 Quite recently, as Mr. Crowther told me, a converted 
 slave was tied and sent to the plantations. The master 
 
 bring down oil. The convert was asked to partake of the sacrifices 
 cooked and shared among those who were to be the pullers in the 
 canoes. He took it, but would not eat, on the ground that he was a 
 Christian. They persisted on his eating his portion, and refusing, was 
 brought before his master the chief. On being asked why he would 
 not partake of the portion of sacrifice given him, the simple answer was 
 given thus :—‘My master, I am on God’s side ; therefore I cannot eat 
 things offered to idols. ’ This was enough. He was instantly ordered 
 to be bound, and taken to the plantations called Minima, four miles 
 from Bonny, out of sight and hearing, and the keepers received strict 
 orders not to give him a morsel of food or a drop of water. This cruel 
 act was kept so secretly, that our first intimation of it was when the 
 death was heard of and reported to us, which took place six days after 
 the imprisonment. Thus another martyr at Bonny has been enrolled 
 among the band of the noble army who are now praising God, in the 
 person of Asenibiega Hart.” 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 61 
 
 gave strict orders that not a morsel should be given him to 
 eat. The order was but too faithfully obeyed, and the man 
 was starved to death, but so constant was his faith that up 
 to the very last he refused to eat the sacrifice offered to 
 Juju, and astonished all who went near him by his calmness 
 and willingness to die. 
 
 Sometimes when their slaves are found to have imbibed 
 the principles of the new religion, the Chiefs would send 
 them right away into the interior of the oil markets, and 
 keep them there for several months together; but after a 
 time report would come down that these slaves have been 
 holding meetings among themselves, and even getting the 
 natives to attend them. On Sunday, 25th November, 1 
 saw, after the evening service, a young man who had been 
 kept in the plantations for twenty-one months—in chains for 
 the best part of that time. He was only permitted to come 
 down a day or two before, but on Sunday he braved all 
 chances of detection and came to church. Illustrative 
 anecdotes of unflinching courage under the severest trials 
 for the sake of the religion of the Lord Jesus are numerous, 
 but I leave them to be related by the Agents who have 
 witnessed them. 
 
 For a long time now St. Stephen’s Church has been 
 empty of the usual congregation, though last Christmas 
 over 300 members and adherents were present there. But 
 in spite of their being defeated in every point but that of 
 might, the Chiefs persist in their obstinate refusal to allow 
 liberty of conscience. They would not rescind their cruel 
 edicts, and proclaim universal toleration—leaving it to 
 “ Baal ” to hold his own against Christianity, if he can. In 
 the case of the one Chief especially—the severest of all— 
 more converts have been made from his house, and more 
 baptized, than from any other; but he would not be con- 
 
62 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER . 
 
 vinced of the futility of all his efforts against our religion. I 
 trust that the prayers of good Christians will be more 
 earnest than ever on behalf of the suffering converts of 
 Bonny, that God would grant them relief from the oppres¬ 
 sion under which they are groaning, and that they may be 
 permitted to serve their Heavenly Master without any let 
 or hindrance. 
 
 One good thing the Chiefs have done,—unintentionally, I 
 am inclined to think, for they scarcely know the full conse¬ 
 quence of the act,—they have willingly sent their children 
 to school, and about forty of them are now under instruction. 
 The Boarding School here is being carried on on the same 
 principles as that of New Calabar, but with this striking 
 difference, however—whereas at New Calabar the majority 
 of the scholars are slaves, at Bonny they are all free-born. 
 
 Mr. Crowther officiates every Sunday morning at St. 
 Clement’s, a pretty little Chapel built by and at the entire 
 expense of the Supercargoes. Both the Bishop and myself 
 preached there on two successive Sundays to attentive 
 congregations. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 27th, a platform Meeting was held 
 there, the first of the kind at Bonny, when the Bishop gave 
 a hasty sketch of the growth and progress of the Niger 
 Mission; and I followed with a lecture on Jerusalem. 
 About ^3 was collected after the Meeting, and all appeared 
 perfectly delighted with its success. Nine Europeans were 
 present, the rest being natives of Bonny, Sierra Leone, Lagos, 
 &c. A School-room is being built adjoining the Chapel, 
 and a house for the accommodation of a Minister. The 
 European gentlemen on the river would have their Kroo 
 boys, and pantry boys, and others connected with them 
 educated. The influence which these gentlemen are 
 exercising here has been of a most salutary kind. They 
 
6 3 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 have done much, directly and indirectly, to strengthen 
 the hands of the Agents of the Mission, and their inter- 
 course with them has been characterised by unvarying 
 courtesy and kindness. 
 
 In striking contrast to them are the native Chiefs, who 
 have been throwing all sorts of obstacles in our way. 
 Pampered and spoiled by being made too much of, they 
 have entirely forgotten themselves, and are behaving in a 
 most swaggering manner. The Bishop went the round of 
 all of them, in a complimentary visit, and then requested 
 that a day might be fixed when he could come and tell 
 them some news which he had brought from England, and 
 converse with them on matters affecting the welfare of 
 themselves and their country. Two of them promised that 
 such a Meeting should be arranged for either the next 
 day or the day after. Well, I am sorry to say that the 
 Meeting never took place. The Chiefs, with one solitary 
 exception, betook themselves to their respective planta¬ 
 tions, and avoided every opportunity of an interview with 
 the Bishop. We were at Bonny for a fortnight, but not 
 one of them came near the Mission, or sent a message 
 of welcome. It is certainly a disappointment that people 
 who have enjoyed so many exceptional advantages should 
 have made such a base return. In no other place did I notice 
 so much shocking incivility on the part of native rulers. I 
 would charitably believe that, being conscious of the wrongs 
 which they have done, they were ashamed of themselves, 
 and therefore tried to avoid a Conference, where they would 
 surely have heard words of reproof most faithfully given. 
 
 As regards the material buildings, this seemed by far the 
 best and most complete Station. The houses rest on iron 
 and solid brick pillars, and are covered with galvanized 
 iron sheets. I fervently trust that the time is not distant 
 
6 4 
 
 A JOURNEY UP The NIGER . 
 
 when, the ghost of persecution being laid, the Church will 
 flourish vigorously, and give us more than double comfort 
 and encouragement for all the present sorrow and distress 
 caused by the great enemy of souls. 
 
 With the addition of a few general remarks, I shall bring 
 my account to a close. 
 
 The short visit of three months which I have paid to the 
 Niger has been very instructive and edifying to me, and has 
 left on my mind a most favourable impression in regard to 
 the future. There may be, as I doubt not that there are, a 
 few things requiring to be amended or improved upon. It 
 would have been a most singular Mission—one of a kind 
 that has never been known since the Apostles first went out 
 to convert the world—if some drawbacks did not exist, to 
 prove the imperfection of the best of all human endeavours. 
 Cavillers who are disposed to exercise their ingenuity that 
 way, can find ample scope to direct the shafts of adverse 
 criticism against the character of both the Missionaries and 
 their work ; but I am firmly persuaded that every unbiassed 
 mind will acknowledge that it is a matter no less of justice 
 than of charity to admit that the good which has been 
 effected in the Niger Mission, these twenty years, has by far 
 counterbalanced any drawbacks that may be found still 
 adhering to the work. Whether at Brass, or at Onitsha, or 
 at Lokoja, there are substantial evidences of real, solid work 
 having been done. Slowly, but surely, the few handsful of 
 Missionaries are influencing the tribes among whom they 
 labour, and in many places the heathens themselves admit, 
 without a question, the change that has taken place since 
 the entrance into their midst of the teachers of religion. 
 
 I feel particularly grateful and encouraged when I 
 remember that those who have been instrumental in 
 effecting this change are my own countrymen. Some 
 
A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 65 
 
 of them ara almost without education; but God, who 
 “ is no respecter of persons,” accepts faithful service by 
 whomsoever it is performed. 
 
 Not the least interesting feature of the work which I have 
 had the privilege to see and examine, is the tendency to 
 expansion observable everywhere in the upper and lower 
 Stations. From no less than seven different places (perhaps 
 more) came pressing invitations for Christian teachers. I 
 am sure that Bishop Crowther could find room to-day for 
 any number of good men and true that may be had. It is 
 much to be regretted that, from a variety of causes, the 
 services of many have been dispensed with. Men are 
 wanted indeed, but certainly not of the stamp of some of 
 those who have gone, or been sent, about their business. 
 
 While we are lamenting the paucity of the existing staff, 
 death has been thinning the ranks still more by the removal 
 of the oldest labourer. When we left Onitsha, on the 27th 
 of October, the Rev. W. Romaine was suffering from 
 diarrhoea, contracted from a patient whom he had been 
 attending. The disease had refused to yield to treatment, 
 and as it was thought that a change might prove beneficial 
 to him, he was removed to his brother’s house near the 
 river. Though much weakened by the wasting effects of 
 the diarrhoea, yet there was nothing to indicate that the 
 patient was rapidly approaching dissolution. Just a fort¬ 
 night after we had left, news came to say that his spirit had 
 taken its flight. It was a great blow, and the more keenly 
 felt in that it was unexpected. We pray the Lord, to whom 
 belongs the work, to thrust forth qualified labourers to the 
 field already white unto harvest. 
 
 The time has no doubt come when, on account of its 
 important and increasing developments, the work should 
 have constant and continuous supervision. From sheer 
 
 E 
 
66 
 
 A JOURNEY UP THE NIGER. 
 
 necessity the Agents in some places in the Upper Niger had 
 often to be left to themselves for something more than 
 eleven out of the twelve months in the year. Many a time 
 Evangelistic work was interrupted, and almost brotight to a 
 standstill, because there was no resident controlling autho¬ 
 rity to guide, and direct, and remove obstacles. So long as 
 the Bishop was dependent upon the trading steamers for his 
 movements, it was impossible for him to have ordered his 
 visits otherwise than he has hitherto done. The new 
 Mission Steamer, which is being so anxiously expected, by 
 affording facilities for rapid locomotion, and being at the 
 service of the Leader of the Mission, will be of the greatest 
 service. It will enable the Bishop to regulate his stay at 
 the different Stations with due regard to the wants and 
 importance of each. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The steamer to which Mr. Johnson refers is the Henry 
 Venn , which has lately been built by Messrs. Lobnitz and Co., 
 of Renfrew, for the Niger Mission. Such a vessel is urgently 
 needed, as Bishop C-rowther has been much hampered in 
 his movements on the river, and his plans for extension have 
 been greatly hindered, by his having to depend upon the 
 trading steamers, notwithstanding the personal courtesy of 
 several of the owners and captains. The Henry Venn is a 
 paddle steamer, schooner-rigged; measures 120 feet in 
 length and 16 feet beam; draws about 3 feet 9 inches when 
 full, and will make ten knots an hour. She will be under 
 the general direction of Mr. J. H. Ashcroft, the Society’s 
 experienced industrial Agent in West Africa. 
 
 It is hoped that the Henry Venn will bear a part, not 
 only in direct Missionary work, but also in the exploration 
 of the little known eastern branch of the Niger, the Binue. 
 In 1854, Dr. Baikie and Mr. Crowther (now the Bishop), 
 ascended nearly 300 miles above the Confluence. But beyond 
 that point no traveller has yet penetrated, and almost th^ 
 last blank in the map of Africa has yet to be filled up. 
 
u Eet tj )t beauty of the Eorb our #ob be upon us; 
 anti establish <Eljou the toork of our Mantis upon us; 
 $ea, tfte toork of our Ijanfts establish Cftou tt”— 
 Psalm xc. 17 . 
 
 “ $|e shall habe bomtnton also from sea to sea, anb 
 from tije rtber unto the enbs of the earth*”— Psalm 
 lxxii. 8. 
 
 JAMES SEARS AND SON, PRINTERS, II, CRANE COURT, FLEET STREET,, E-C. 
 

 
 
 
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 now Native Archdeacon of the Upper Niger. With Map. 
 
 The Development of Central Africa- A paper read before the African Section 
 of the Society of Arts, by Edward Hutchinson, F.R.G.S., F.S.A. This 
 paper received the Silver Medal of the Society of Arts for the Session 1876. 
 
 The Best Trade Route to the Lake Regions of Ceutral Africa. A paper also read 
 before the Society of Arts, by Edward Hutchinson, F.R.G-.S. F.S.A. 
 
 The River Niger. A paper read before the Royal Geographical Society, 
 and a brief account of Missionary Operations in the Niger Territory, by the 
 Right Rev. BISHOP CROWTHER.