WEST AFRICA. 



79 1 



nels, benni-seed, earthnuts, cola-nuts, rubber, 

 gum-copal, and hides. The protected territory, 

 extending to the French boundary, has an area 

 of about 30,000 square miles and 375,000 inhabit- 

 ants. 



The British protectorate of Nigeria has an es- 

 timated area of 400,000 square miles, with over 

 30,000,000 inhabitants. In the delimitation of the 

 Lagos protectorate from Nigeria the Yoruba coun- 

 try is included in the former, while all Borgu 

 towns go to the latter. The prolongation of the 

 boundary-line eastward across the Niger divides 

 Northern Nigeria from Southern Nigeria. The 

 northern territory was administered before 1900 

 by the Royal Niger Company, which collected 

 heavy import and export duties, since abolished. 

 The southern territory, a part of which consti- 

 tuted the Niger Coast Protectorate, included 

 Benin. The revenue collected in the financial 

 year 1900 was 164,108. The value of imports 

 was 725,798; of exports, 888,954. In 1899 

 there were 379 vessels entered, of 559,912 tons; 

 cleared, 375, of 551,555 tons. 



Southern Nigeria is inhabited by pagan tribes, 

 backward in civilization and addicted to fetish- 

 ism and savage practises. The exports are palm- 

 oil and kernels, ivory, rubber, camwood, indigo, 

 ebony, gums, barwood, and hides. The High Com- 

 missioner is Sir R. D. R. Moor. The military 

 force consists of 1,080 native troops. The revenue 

 collected in the year ending March 31, 1901, was 

 164,108, and the expenditure was 176,140. Of 

 the revenue 156,491 was from customs duties. 

 The imports amounted to 725,798, and exports 

 to 888,954. The imports of gin and rum were 

 less than in the previous year, but were still very 

 heavy. Exports showed a large increase, due to 

 the growth of the trade in palm-kernels, palm-oil, 

 rubber, and cacao. While British trade forms 69 

 per cent, of the total, trade with Germany is on 

 the increase. A forestry department has been 

 formed to secure the preservation of the rubber 

 forests in Benin, and the natives seem disposed 

 to conform to the regulations. The region of 

 Ishan northeast of Benin City never having been 

 brought under control, Major Heneker, who was 

 attacked there in November, 1899, conducted an 

 expedition into that country in the spring of 

 1901, as soon as a force was released from the 

 Ashanti war and other expeditions in Southern 

 Nigeria. The Ishan natives fought obstinately 

 for the defense of their independence, and the oc- 

 cupying force, having met with severe losses, 32 

 casualties being reported in the first engagements, 

 was strengthened to 500 men and remained till 

 the rainy season set in. The Benin people seem 

 to be thoroughly pacified and contented with 

 British rule. The British have to subjugate thor- 

 oughly the tribes inhabiting successive zones be- 

 tween the coast and the interior in order to open 

 the way for trade, because trade and the carrier 

 service has been the monopoly of each tribe over 

 its own strip of territory, and no whites or other 

 strangers can interfere with their profitable privi- 

 lege except by conquering them. In November, 

 after the rains were over, a great expedition 

 marched against the Aro tribes between the Cross 

 river and the Niger. There were four columns, 

 each 400 strong, composed of all the available 

 forces of Southern Nigeria, 500 men from North- 

 ern Nigeria, and detachments from other colo- 

 nies. The Aros are superior to other tribes in 

 intellect and physique. They carry on the prac- 

 tises of slave-raiding and human sacrifices. Their 

 country is exceedingly productive and is believed 

 to be capable of yielding a revenue of 500,000. 

 The first operations were against the villages on 



the creeks, which wore shelled by gunboats. The 

 Aros were armed with Snider rifles and defended 

 themselves from behind breastworks. While the 

 British columns advanced into their country they 

 fell upon the British posts behind them, and 

 where these were not strongly garrisoned they 

 burned the towns and killed the inhabitants. 



Northern Nigeria embraces the Fula empire of 

 Sokoto and its vassal states of f.Jundu, Kano, 

 Bakundi, Takum, Zaria, llorin, Nupe, etc.; a 

 great part of the kingdom of Bornu; the pagan 

 confederation of Borgu; and the pagan tribes to 

 the south of the Binue. There are populous cities 

 where the native industries of weaving, tanning, 

 and metal-working are carried on. Such places 

 are Kano with 100,000 population, Bida with 90,- 

 000, llorin with 50,000, and Yakoba about as 

 populous. Cotton and indigo are grown and used 

 in the indigenous manufactures. The leather pre- 

 pared by the natives is sought in Europe for orna- 

 mental applications. The Haussas, who form the 

 bulk of the population, are an intelligent race, 

 educated in Moslem learning, industrious agri- 

 culturists and handicraftsmen and adventurous 

 traders. The Fulas constitute the ruling caste. 

 The High Commissioner is Sir F. J. D. Lugard, 

 and the commander of the troops is Col. Sir J. 

 Willcocks, who has ordinarily a force of 2,500 

 trained native soldiers. 



The action of the British since the appointment 

 of Sir Frederick Lugard as Administrator of Ni- 

 geria at the beginning of 1900 was confined for 

 a long time to organizing the administration of 

 the more settled regions on the middle Niger and 

 for a short distance up the Binue. The greater 

 part of the West African frontier force was des- 

 patched to aid Sir Frederick Willcocks in the 

 Ashanti campaign. All the rulers and people 

 were hostile to the English and prepared to fight 

 for their independence. Spurred by the activity 

 of the French about Lake Chad and the Germans 

 in the Cameroons Hinterland, Col. Morland, com- 

 mandant of the West African frontier force, was 

 sent up the Binue to Yola to reduce to subjec- 

 tion the Emir Zuberu of Adamawa, the most 

 powerful of the Fulani rulers of the Socoto em- 

 pire, who plundered traders and raided the coun- 

 try for slaves in defiance of warnings from the 

 High Commissioner, finally sending back a letter 

 from him unopened. The punitive force started 

 from Lokoja on Aug. 26, picked up detachments 

 at Ibi and intermediate stations, landed at Yola 

 on Sept. 2, and formed in a square, the Emir 

 Zuberu having given warning that he would at- 

 tack unless the troops reembarked. His horse- 

 men and foot attacked with much spirit, but were 

 easily repelled with case-shot, Maxims, and vol- 

 leys from magazine rifles.. The troops, 380 in 

 number, entered the town, and Col. Morland, Ma- 

 jor McClintock, and 25 per cent, of the Haussa 

 rank and file were wounded before they took 

 the palace, which was defended by the emir's 

 body-guard and 300 Arab and Bornuese deserters 

 from Fadelallah's army, with rifles, bows and 

 arrows, and two old French guns. The emir, 

 whose losses amounted to 150 men, fled with a 

 mounted escort, and the acting High Commis- 

 sioner, William Wallace, set up Zuberu's brother, 

 Bobo Amadu, as emir, appointed Capt. Ruxton 

 English Resident, and established a fortified post 

 commanding the town. The new emir promised 

 not to engage in slave-raiding, while the English 

 agreed not to interfere with domestic slavery. 



The farthest point on the Binue occupied before 

 this was Ibi, half-way between Lokoja and Yola. 

 Beyond were the hostile Munshi people, whose 

 poisoned arrows cause death in a few minutes. 



