Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
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King Boy And King Forday Were Very Glad
To See Me Again, And Say I Am No Man But A Devil.
I sail this evening
and, expect to reach the Eboe country in four days, and feel quite
confident of success.
I find Mr. Alien sent out by the admiralty a
very agreeable companion.
(Signed,) Richard Lander.
From the account of the seaman who was the bearer of it from Richard
Lander to his brother in Liverpool, some further information was
obtained, that all the vessels of the expedition had reached the
Eboe country previously to the sailors leaving the Nun river. The
seaman stated that the steamers stemmed the current bravely, and
ascended the Niger with apparent ease.
The following extract of a letter from Sierra Leone, dated May 23,
contains some interesting intelligence respecting the expedition:
The boats of his majesty's ship Curlew had boarded the Columbine
about the 20th April, the master of which vessel had died a few weeks
previously. The doctor on board the Columbine had received letters
from Mr. Lander dated from king Obie's palace at Eboe, about three
weeks after they had sailed from the entrance of the river Nun. King
Obie had treated them with much kindness, and had made Lander a
present of some canoes, with people to pilot them up the river. A few
days before their arrival at Eboe, the steamers sent their boats
ashore to cut wood. They were fired upon by the inhabitants of a
village, and obliged to return. The next morning a large number of
men were sent armed, these were immediately fired upon by the
natives. The Quorra then sent a signal rocket into the town, and
continued firing her long gun at intervals for an hour and a half.
The natives still continuing to fire, the crews of both the steamers
landed and drove them out of the town or village, and then burned it
to the ground. Three of the natives were found killed, and one was
dying, one or two of the English were slightly wounded. The news of
this engagement reached Eboe before the steamer, and Mr. Lander is of
opinion, it will have a salutary effect on the natives up the river,
and be the means of preventing any further resistance. Nine men are
said to have died before they left the Nun, and two or three
afterwards. There was also an American merchant brig, the Agenoria,
lying in the Nun. She had been fitted out by a company of merchants
of New Providence to explore the Niger. She had with her two small
schooners, which were to proceed up the river, while she remained at
the entrance. Nearly all the white men belonging to these vessels had
died, and the remainder appeared in the most wretched state, and they
had abandoned all intention of attempting to proceed up the river
with the schooners, it being considered impossible to do so with any
sailing vessel. The brig intended to procure a cargo of palm oil, and
proceed to the United States.
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