June 29, 1841-The arrival of the long-looked-for Niger Expedition has caused great excitement throughout the Colony, and has become the general topic of conversation, both among Natives and Europeans; the Natives speculating as to the probability of their returning to their native countries, which they are ever ready to do, if the Missionaries will go with them, or, as they say, "if the Queen would make towns there."

To-day, one of the Captains, who appears to take a lively interest in all that concerns the welfare of Africa, was present at the Quarterly Examination of the Monitors of our Schools. After he had seen the progress made by them, he asked if some of them could accompany the Expedition, for the purpose of learning engineering, and being otherwise useful. After a little consultation, some boys were asked, and sent to call their parents; but, to our surprise, though a considerable salary was offered, some of the parents refused to allow their children to go. Several boys were anxious; and the next morning I had a number of parents waiting, at an early hour, to see me about it. Upon talking with them, I found that they were not afraid of losing their sons, but, as they expressed themselves, they did not want their children to be taken

out of the Missionaries' hands. However, when I told them that they would be helping forward the work of God by this sacrifice, and that their sons would be under the care of the Missionaries and Schoolmasters going with the Expedition, several hastened to Freetown, and offered their sons to the Captains; and two from Bathurst, and four from other Stations, were selected. The Natives were allowed the gratification of looking over the steamers; and great numbers availed themselves of the permission, notwithstanding they had to pay for boats to convey them. While on board, I saw a number, who had never seen any thing of the kind before, examining the machinery connected with the engines. Nothing could exceed the surprise and delight with which they viewed this, to Africans, more than human work. They broke out in continued exclamations: "Ah, White Man he sabby past all!" "White Man he sabby something, for true!" One of our Schoolmasters said to me, "This looks like God's work: I never see such thing like this."

July 2-To-day the Expedition left us, with our friends, the Rev. J. F. Schön;

Samuel Crowther, Catechist; Thomas King, Schoolmaster; six boys, Monitors, from our Schools; besides Interpreters, most of whom were members of our Church;-so that our Mission has been highly honoured, in supplying upward of twenty persons to aid in carrying out the grand design of this Expedition.

Notice of Cape Coast.

The first Letter received from Mr. Schön, after leaving Sierra Leone, was dated off Cape Coast, July 24, 1841; in which he thus speaks of that Settlement:

I was much pleased with what I saw at Cape Coast. The Governor has an excellent school in the fort, attended by about 160 Boys, and the Wesleyan Missionaries have a Girls' School. I saw a farm here yesterday, with which I was much delighted. There are several thousand coffee-trees in full bearing, the bread-fruit tree, and other West-Indian plants; and the soil is apparently fertile. There are sixty people employed on it, whose wages are about 2 d. sterling per diem. They gave up planting cotton, as the price was too low for it.

Voyage to Ibo-Anxiety of the King for Instruction.

munication, written when the "WilWith the exception of a short comberforce was at anchor near the mouth of the River Nun, giving a favourable account of their proceedings up to that period, Mr. Schön's next Letter was dated" River Niger, 15 miles beyond Ibo*, Aug. 30, 1841."

After a stay of five days at the mouth of the river, during which time every preparation was made in the vessels which was deemed necessary, we left our anchorage on the 20th instant. The whole company was in excellent spirits, as well as in the enjoyment, with no material exception, of bodily health. The prospect of seeing new countries, other people, customs, and habits, and of entering upon the proper business of our Mission, cheered and enlightened every heart. The interesting, the banks of the river on both first ten or twelve miles presented nothing sides being covered with mangroves. I thought that they would continue to a much greater distance, and was therefore not a

The town of Ibo, or more correctly Aboh, is about 120 miles from the mouth of the river.

little delighted when I observed their disappearance. In their places, the banks became covered with a great variety of trees, differing as much in size as in shades and varieties of colour, extremely pleasant to the eye. We saw but a few persons the first day, and those whom we saw made their escape into the bush as fast as possible, on our approach. On the second day we saw more; and some had the courage to come to our vessels in their canoes, but could not be persuaded to come on board. The" Wilberforce" separated from the other vessels in the afternoon, to examine another branch. The people were much alarmed at us in several villages, and crowded to the water-side, armed: they had no intention of attacking us, but came to defend themselves. We had an Interpreter on our vessel who could speak to them in the Brass language; and I observed that he always first told them that we were no Portuguese, but came as friends of the Black People. Their apprehensions were generally soon removed; but still they could not put confidence enough in us to come on board. the third day we entered the main river again, before the other vessels of the Expedition. The country appeared beautiful, and the weather was uncommonly fine. On the evening of the sixth day we anchored at the creek leading to Ibo. From all I have hitherto observed, I am inclined to think that we have come, if not at the best season of the year, at least in a very good season. The river is high, and the weather fine, with occasional rain, which is by no means unhealthy. The "Albert" and the "Soudan" arrived on the following day, the 27th, in the afternoon; and we had the unspeakable joy of hearing that there was not a single case of fever on board any of the vessels. Truly God has been gracious unto us hitherto. He has crowned us with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

On

Negociations were immediately commenced with the King of Ibo, who came on board. Our objects having been largely and clearly explained to him, he expressed himself willing to enter into a treaty with England, and to abolish the slave trade altogether. He admitted that that was a hard thing; but, notwithstanding, agreed to all the proposals. Our Interpreter, Simon Jonas, acquitted himself very well: he is a Liberated African of Sierra Leone, and a member of our Church. He spoke most touchingly to the king of the miseries

which slavery brings on the people at large, of the tears of their parents, the desolation produced to the country, and of the kindness of England in rescuing them from the hands of the Spaniards and Portugese, making them free, and teaching them how to make this life comfortable, and to prepare for the next. The king listened to him with the greatest attention, and expressed his approbation and surprise very frequently. He could not have believed that slaves could be treated with so much kindness: that they were ill treated, he well knew.

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The object of my coming, and my desires, were explained to him by myself and my Interpreter; when he expressed an earnest desire to have Teachers sent to him and his people. He most readily confessed that he was ignorant of God, and dependent on white man' " for instruction. I directed Simon to read some verses of Scripture to him, which astonished him not a little. That White Men should be able to read and write, he expected, as a matter of course; but that an Ibo Slave should read, was more than he could ever have expected. He seized Simon's hand, squeezed it most heartily, and said, “ You must stop with me: you must teach me and my people: you must tell it to the white man: I cannot let you go, until they return from the country." He could not be diverted from his object, but insisted on Simon's remaining; to which, after much consideration, we agreed. I much wish that he had more knowledge, and was better qualified for teaching, as a great door is opened to him. I have had an opportunity of watching him daily for the last ten or twelve months, and I believe him to be a sincere Christian. He has a correct knowledge of our Religion; and I believe that he joined the Expedition with a desire to do good to his countrypeople. I trust he will daily pray for Divine direction, and be made the instrument, in the hands of God, of much good to his benighted countrymen.

This occurrence proves that the objection so often raised-that the Africans would not listen to their own country-people, if they were sent to them with the Gospel-is perfectly groundless. The King of Ibo is willing, yea anxious, to hear of the wonderful works of God, from the lips of one of his own country-people, formerly a slave. I am also confirmed in my opinion, that Sierra Leone will yet become, like Jerusalem of old, a centre from whence the

Word of God will go forth to many a benighted tribe of Africa. And I call upon the members of the Church Missionary Society, not to slacken their efforts, and not to spare their money or exertions, toward accomplishing so great and glorious an end, by all the means in their power. I must be the more earnest in my entreaties for native agency, as the place appears to me to be very unhealthy, and prejudicial in a high degree to European constitutions. The town is an entire swamp at present: I was obliged to walk up to my knees in mud to the very door of the king's palace. Mr. Laird and Mr. Lander must have seen the town at a more favourable season, from the description which they give of it. A few pious intelligent Ibo men-there are such at Sierra Leone might be further instructed by the Missionaries, and a Schoolmaster or two might, no doubt, be obtained for them.

Horrible Opinions respecting the
Slave Trade.

A few passages from Mr. Schön's Journal may be appropriately introduced here, as they bring before us some of the notions prevalent among the Native Tribes inhabiting the country adjacent to the lower part

of the river.

Aug. 23, 1841-Simon Jonas and myself had some conversation with an Ibo man, from which we gathered, that there was not much traffic in slaves carried on at present, and that the people were chiefly engaged in preparing palm-oil. He was told by the Interpreter, that he himself had been made a slave, but had been liberated and kindly treated by the English. The Ibo man could hardly credit it. He had hitherto believed that

slaves were purchased by the White People to be killed and eaten, and that their blood was used to make red cloth. This notion is very prevalent among them.

Aug. 24-Anya. Never has the slave trade appeared so abominable to me as to-day; when I found that the Natives in general entertain the most fearful ideas of the miseries to which they expose the helpless victims of their avarice by selling them. The circumstance by which this information was obtained, or rather confirmed, I having often heard it before, is too interesting to be omitted. Our Brass Interpreter was peculiarly anxious that one of the large number of persons who

surrounded our vessel this evening should come on board, because he thought he recognised him. Though many years had elapsed since our Interpreter was sold, and the other had, in the mean time, become an old man, they instantly recognised each other; and I cannot describe the astonishment manifested by the Ibo man at seeing one whom he verily believed had long since been killed and eaten by the White People. His expressions of surprise were strong, but very significant. "If God Himself," he said, "had told me this, I could not have believed what my eyes now see." The Interpreter then found out that Anya was the very place to which he had first been sold as a slave, and at which he had spent nine years of his early life; and that the very person with whom he was speaking, had been his doctor and nurse in a severe illness, on which account he had retained a thankful remembrance of him.

Aug. 26 King Obi sent one of his sons to welcome the strangers: he was a very fine-looking young man, of about twenty years of age. Both himself and his companions attended our morning devotions; after which I told them what book it was, of which I had been reading country to tell the people what God had, a portion; and that I had come to this in it, revealed to us. They were surprised, and could not well understand how it was possible that I should have no other object in view. They are sensible of their inferiority, in every respect, to White Men, and can therefore be easily led by them either to do evil or good. When I told one, this morning, that the slave trade was a bad thing, and that White People wished to put an end to it altogether, he gave me an excellent answer: Well, if White People give up buying, Black People will give up selling slaves." He assured me, too, that it had hitherto been his belief that it was the will of God that Black People should be slaves to White People.

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Cruel Superstitions & Theology of the Ibos. I this forenoon satisfied myself of the correctness of various particulars, which I had previously obtained of Ibo People, respecting some of their superstitious practices. It appears to be but too true, that human sacrifices are offered by them, and that in a most barbarous manner. The legs of the devoted victim are tied together, and he is dragged from place to

place till he expires. The person who gave me this information told me that one man had been dragged about for nearly a whole day before his sufferings terminated in death: the body is afterward cast into the river. Interment is always denied them: they must become food for alligators or fishes. Sometimes people are fastened to trees, or to branches close to the river, until they are famished. While we were at anchor inside the bar, the body of a young woman was found on the sand-bank, having been dead, apparently, only a few hours; and as no external marks of injury were observed, except those produced by a rope fastened around her loins, she may have been sacrificed in this manner.

Infanticide of a peculiar nature likewise prevails among them: twins are never allowed to live. As soon as they are born, they are put into two earthen pots, and exposed to beasts of the forest, and the unfortunate mother ever afterward endures great trouble and hardships. A small tent is built for her in the forest, in which

she is obliged to dwell, and to undergo many ceremonies for her purification. She is separated from all society for a considerable time; her conjugal alliance with her husband is for ever dissolved; and she is never again permitted to sit down with other women in the same market or in the same house. To give birth to twins is, therefore, considered to be the greatest misfortune that can befal a woman of the Ibo Nation. If any person wishes to annoy an Ibo woman, he lifts up two fingers, and says, "You gave birth to twins," which is sure to make her almost mad. If a child should happen to cut its top teeth first, the poor infant is likewise killed: it is considered to indicate that the child, were it allowed to live, would become a very bad person. To say to any person, "You cut your top teeth first," is, therefore, as much as to say, Nothing good can be expected from you: you are born to do evil: it is impossible for you to act otherwise."

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"God

and Black," is continually on their lips. Some of their parables are descriptive of the perfections of God. When they say, for instance, that God has two eyes or two ears, that the one is in heaven and the other on earth, I suppose the conclusion that they have an idea of God's omniscience and omnipresence cannot be disputed. On the death of a person who has, in their estimation, been good, they will say, "He will see God;" while of a wicked person, they say, "He will go into fire." I had frequent opportunities of hearing these expressions at Sierra Leone; but though I was assured that they had not learned them from Christians, I would not state them before I had satisfied myself, by inquiring of such as had never had any intercourse with Christians, that they possessed correct ideas of a future state of reward and punishment. Truly God has not left Himself without witness!

Arrival at Iddah, and Proceedings there.

As the Expedition proceeded up the river from a little above Ibo, the people inhabiting the right side were found to speak the Egarra Language, and to be subject to the Attah or King of Iddah, whose dominions were found to be very extensive. Some described in Mr. Schön's next Letter, of the proceedings at this place are which was written near the confluence of the Niger and Tshadda, and dated Sept. 18th.

Our proceedings with the King of Iddah were as encouraging as those with King Obi at Ibo. He entered upon the treaty in all its details, agreed to give up the slave trade and human sacrifices, and will be very glad to receive Christian Missionaries. He also requested that the Interpreter might remain with him, to teach him and his people our fashion. I am sorry to add, that the Interpreter, William Johnson, a Communicant of our Church, fell overboard, and was drowned, on the very day that the treaty was concluded.

March, 1842]

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were driven away by the Foolatahs but a few months ago. They depend on English protection, and have expressed their desire to return to the place: if they should return, I shall be better able to express an opinion as to its eligibility for a Missionary Settlement, after our return from the Niger.

We all enjoyed excellent health until we departed from Iddah, when fevers of the worst type broke out in all our vessels: eight persons have already died, while many more are as near the grave as they can be. The "Soudan" is taking eighteen or twenty invalids to the sea, in the hope of recruiting their strength; while many will remain in a sick and weak state, hardly able to do any work for some time, if they recover. There were fifty-five on the sick-list of the squadron yesterday, two of whom were buried last evening. The people from the West Indies and East Indies are no less subject to these fevers than Europeans; while not one of the SierraLeone people has yet been taken seriously

ill. The Commissioners have hitherto remained very well, and unremitting in their exertions. Through God's mercy, ,I have enjoyed excellent health ever since I left Sierra Leone. As I have observed the ill effects upon others of exposure to the sun, I see that cautions were not inapplicable. The place where we now are appears to be healthy; but the daily cases of sickness speak louder than appearances. Prevalence of Fever, and consequent Re

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turn of the Vessels to the Sea. At the Confluence, it was decided by Her Majesty's Commissioners, that the "Albert" should proceed up the Niger, and the "Wilberforce up the Tshadda. As the country bordering on the Niger was more particularly the object of Mr. Schön's investigations, it was agreed, by the kind permission of the Commanders, that he should remove from the "Wilberforce" to the "Albert," and exchange duties with the Rev. T. Müller, the Chaplain of the Expedition. The distressing prevalence of sickness, however, very soon rendered it necessary that the "Wilberforce" should proceed without delay to the sea. Mr. Schön writes, in a Letter dated Oct. 16, 1841

The "Albert " left the Confluence on the 21st ult., to ascend the Niger. Very

few men were able to do duty; and before the first day was over, several even of these exhibited decided symptoms of fever. On our passage to Egga, which we reached on the 28th, we lost two of our seamen, all our engineers were laid up with fever, and nearly all the Europeans were either ailing or seriously indisposed, so that to proceed was altogether impracticable. We lay at anchor for a week off Egga; during which time I went on shore several times, to collect information. On the 3d instant, Capt. Trotter was taken ill with fever; and there being only one officer able to do duty, and two or three European sailors, Dr. M'William advised Capt. Trotter to return with all speed to the sea.

We here extract from the Journal a few passages relating to one or two occurrences which took place between the Confluence and Egga; and containing some of the information obtained by Mr. Schön, during his detention at Egga.

Disregard of Human Life.

Sept. 24, 1841-One of the Kroomen fell overboard, and the stream took him down with great rapidity. Many of the Natives were close to him in their canoes, but none moved a finger to save his life: our own boat brought him back, safe and sound. This is a bad feature in their character. They might always be sure of a reward for any service of this kind; but unless a bargain can be made with them beforehand, they will do nothing. How hardhearted is man by nature! How little does life appear to be valued!

Appreciation of Kind Motives.

Sept. 28-I buried one of our seamen early this morning. An old man was present when the grave was dug by our Kroomen; and when I arrived, accompa

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nied by an Interpreter, he expressed his surprise at the liberty taken by our people in digging a grave, without previously obtaining the Headman's permission, and paying for the place 7000 cowries. made the Interpreter tell him our object in coming to Black Man's country, and that the very person who was to be buried in child, to come and do them good; and their sand had left his parents, wife, and then wished him to tell me whether they were doing well in making much palaver about a spot where his body might rest. He was now joined by a great number of his country-people, who replied, as with