lira 



OAMRIA COLONY. 



OABD. 



11M 



gross) amount of customs duties received at the port during 1851 

 was 88,7572. 18* W. 



Oalway Bay is a noble (beet of water, and with the harbour offers 

 great advantage! for an extended commerce. 



(Hanliraan, Uitlom of (Jalicay ; Ingli, Inland; Frawr, Handbook 

 of Inland ; Thorn, /ruA .fUmaiwr.) 



GAMBIA COLONY, the British settlements on the Gambia, a 

 river in Western Africa. The source of the Gambia ha* not been 

 definitely ascertained. According to the moat reliable account* it 

 riaea in the country of the FontavJalon, very near and a little to the 

 south of the source of the Rio-Grande, in 10 36' N. Int., 11 18' 

 W. long., in a valley surrounded by mountains. The river flows first 

 east and then north till it reaches 13 22' N. lat, whence it turns and 

 flows south to 11* 18' N. lat, where, after having flowed upwards of 

 400 miles, it is less than 50 miles from its source. Its course is then 

 Kenerally north-west as far as 14 30' N. lat., 13 16' W. long., whence 

 it flows westward with many bends to the sea, which it enters in 

 13* SO' N. lat, 16 40' W. long. The Gambia has many affluents, 

 especially in the upper part of its course. The most remarkable on 

 the right bank are the Ba Creek, the Neolacaba, the Nyarico, the 

 Nicolico, and the Nanijar. On the left bank it receives the Pore, 

 the Jelata, and the Eropina, 45 miles below which the Gambia throws 

 off a considerable branch named the Casamansa, which by numerous 

 channels flows into the St Domingo. The width between Cape 

 Ste. Marie and the island of Sanguoinar is about 20 miles. The 

 width gradually diminishes. For nearly 400 miles the Gambia 

 presents a fair water-road into the interior. Early in 1851 Governor 

 Macdonnell, at the close of a tour of inspection on the river Gambia, 

 proceeded up the river as far as about 160 miles above the Rock of 

 Barraconda, which has generally been considered to be 450 miles 

 above Bathurst The governor's party included Mr. Bage, the 

 colonial engineer, Staff-Surgeon Kehoe, and Lieutenant Mostyn ; they 

 proceeded in open boats, accompanied by a canoe. In their progress 

 they observed few signs of cultivation or of inhabitants along the 

 banks. Near the junction of the Nyarico the inhabitants of a town 

 called Jallacoota waited upon the governor, soliciting the visits of 

 traders to their district The influence of the British has been 

 beneficially exercised in abating the violence of intestine strife among 

 the native tribes in the interior, and cultivating commercial inter- 

 course, thereby promoting agricultural industry, and fostering 

 conciliatory feelings amongst the tribes. By the exertions of 

 Governor Macdonnell and Staff-Surgeon Kehoe vaccination has been 

 brought into very extensive adoption among the native tribes on the 

 Gambia. 



The English have trading establishments at intervals along both 

 banks of this river for many miles into the interior. The whole of 

 the establishments are included under the title of the Gambia 

 Colony. The colonial revenue for 1851 was 84142. The exports from 

 the Gambia are African teak, ship-timbers, ground-nuts, ivory, hides, 

 gold, palm-oil, gum-arabic, and bees-wax. The value of the exports 

 in 1851 amounted to 186,4042., of the imports to 107,0112. In 1852 

 the exports amounted to 217,8562., the imports to 110,1742. The 

 number of vessels arriving at the colony during 1852 was 258, 

 tonnage 29,274, of which 81 ships of 5307 tons were British. The 

 number and tonnage of ships cleared outwards during 1852 were : 

 Ships 260, tonnage 30,188, of which 30 ships of 4994 tons were 

 British. The number and tonnage of vessels registered as belonging 

 to the port of Bathurst on December 31st 1853 were: Under 50 tons 

 49 vessels, tonnage 923 ; above 50 tons 14 vessels, tonnage 1270. Of 

 the amount of exports for 1851 (186,4042.) the article of ground-nuts 

 alone furnished 1 33,1332. value. The quantity of ground-nuts raised 

 by agricultural labour in the countries immediately bordering on the 

 Gambia River and exported from Bathurst has risen from 47 tons 

 in 1835 to 11,094 tons in 1851. The ground-nuts are chiefly exported 

 to France. The increased demand for this produce has tended to 

 encourage settled and industrious habits among the native African 

 population, many of whom travel hundreds of miles from the 

 interior and hire from the chiefs whose lands lie on the banks of 

 the Gambia such small portions of ground as their circumstances 

 allow them to cultivate. After the produce of two or three yean 

 has enabled them to purchase supplies of European goods, they 

 usually make up parties of from 20 to 100 strong and return to their 

 homes in the interior. These migratory labourers are called 

 ' tilliebunkas,' or men from the east The principal establishments 

 of the Gambia Colony are at fiathunt, on the island of St. Mary, at 

 the mouth of the river, whence the produce of the country is shipped 

 for England, and at Mac Carthy's Island. A colonial steamer has 

 been stationed at Bathurst for some years, and has been of consider- 

 able benefit in facilitating communication with Mao Carthy's Island 

 and with the trading stations on the banks of the Gambia. The 

 land and sea breezes blow regularly over St Mary Island for a 

 considerable part of the year. The surface is a low plain, with a 

 slight descent on the north and east towards the centre, which during 

 the rainy season is much inundated. The soil is sandy, with a very 

 small admixture of loam. In the shade the thermometer does not 

 rise above 90*. Water is scarce and not of good quality. Bathurst 

 town does not stand more than 12 or 14 feet above high-water mark. 

 Many good and substantial government and public buildings have 



been erected, as well as numerous handsome and convenient ware- 

 bouses and dwellings ; the remainder of the houses are rude African 

 IniU. The European residents average only about 50, but the number 

 nf Kuropean and American sailors and other* visiting Bathurst every 

 year is little short of 1200. There is a Roman Catholic chapel, 

 capable of accommodating 600 persons, but no suitable place of worship 

 for Protestants. The circumstances of the colony having been some- 

 what prosperous of late years several improvements are being effected. 

 Among these may be mentioned the placing of a light-ship at the 

 mouth of the river ; the sinking of wells in Bathurst for the use of 

 the shipping ; the erection of a public hospital, a market, a wharf, a 

 church, a court-house, and public offices at Bathurst ; and the con- 

 struction of roads in the neighbourhood. About the close of 1850 a 

 piece of ground in a very healthy spot, about 8 miles from Bathurst, 

 was obtained from the King of Combo. The ground is about 

 24 miles in length, and stretches along the shore of the Atlantic, with 

 an elevation above the sea varying from 50 to 90 feet It is situated 

 near Cape St Mary, and being intended to be built upon by merchants 

 and others, residents of Bathurst, it has been called Clifton. 



The population of Gambia Colony, according to the census taken 

 March 31st 1851 was 5693, as follows, namely : 



Whit. 

 Main. Femaln. 



Inland of St. Mary . 

 Mao Carthy'i Inland 

 Barn Point . . . 

 Cape St. Mary . , 



167 

 8 



1 

 1 



Total ... 177 



IS 

 

 



1 



14 



Coloured population. 

 Males. Female*. 



sm : 



6S7 i2B 



131 74 



36 18 



Of the total population 82 were returned as engaged in agriculture, 

 330 in manufactures, and 278 in commerce. 



Mac Carthy's Island, the Janjan Bure of the natives, has an area 

 of about 3 square miles, and is 180 miles from the mouth of the 

 rirer, following iU windings, in a populous district, 60 miles below 

 the falls of Barracundo, up to which spot the river is navigable for 

 vessels of 50 tons burden. Fort George, on the island, is in 13 33' 

 N. lat, 14 45' W. long. Like St Mary Island, it is but little raised 

 above the level of the sea, and both are in a great measure covered 

 with water during the rainy season. Tropical remittent fever occurs 

 at both places, but with most intensity at Mac Carthy's Island. Mao 

 Carthy's Island has a rich alluvial soil, which in the dry season 

 becomes a mass of burnt clay. The thermometer frequently rises to 

 106 or 108 in the shade. 



The Wesleyan Methodists have schools at Bathurst, at Mac Carthy's 

 Island, and at Barra, opposite Bathurst ; the total number of scholars 

 is about 600. The Roman Catholics have a school at Bathurst under 

 the care of several Sisters of Charity. 



GANDERSHEIM. [BRUNSWICK.] 



GANDICOTTA. [CUDDAPAH.] 



GANGES. [HINDUSTAN.] 



GANNAT. [ALLIER.] 



GAP. [ALPES, HAUTES.] 



GARD, a department in the south of France, Is bounded N. by 

 the department of Ardoche, E. by Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhdne, 

 S. by the Mediterranean, and W. by the departments of Hcrault, 

 Aveyron, and Lozere. The form of the department is irregular ; its 

 greatest length is, in a direction nearly east and west, about 76 miles ; 

 its greatest breadth, at right angles to the length, is about 70 miles. 

 The area is 2250 square miles. The population, by the census of 

 1851, was 408,163, or 181-4 to a square mile, being 6'81 above the 

 average per square mile for the whole of France. According to the 

 census of 1841, the population of the department was 376,00:!. A 

 large number of the population are Calvinuta, who have consistorial 

 churches at Alais, St-Ambrois , Veze'nobres, St-Jean-du-Gard, Anduce, 

 Uses, St-Chaptes, Ntmes, Vauvert, Aiguos-Vives, Calvisson, Le-Vigan, 

 Sommieres, Valleraugue, St-Hippolite, Snuve, and La-Salle; and 

 above 70 meeting-houses in other localities of the department 



Surface, Hydrography, Communication*. The north-western port 

 of the department is occupied by the branches of the Ccvennes, of 

 which the principal ridge is for the most part without the boundary 

 of the department From this part the face of the country gradually 

 declines to the south-east, in which direction the principal rivers flow 

 to the Rhone and the Mediterranean. The coast and the lower banks 

 of the Rhone are lined with marshy lakes of considerable size. 



The principal rivers are the Rhone, which bounds the department 

 on the east, and its feeders the Ardbche, which has the lower part of 

 its course along the northern boundary [AHOECUCl; and the Cose, 

 which flowing from the Cevennes, in the most northern angle of the 

 department, runs south-east into the Rhone below Bagnola, after a 

 course of 65 miles. The feeders of the Ceze are the Lucch, the Auzonet, 

 the Aiguillon, and the Tave. The Gard, or Gardon, which gives name to 

 the department and drains its central districts, falls into the Rhone a 

 little above Beaucaire, after a course in a general south-east direction of 

 about 70 miles. It is formed by the junction of three streams which rise 

 in the CoVennes in the department of Lozcre, and are distinguished by 

 the names of Gardon-d' Alais, Gardon-d'Anduze, and Gardon-de-Mialet. 

 All the rivers mentioned as flowing from the Ccvennes are subject to 

 inundations, which sometimes cause great ravages. The Vidourle flows 



