CHAPTER VIII 

 NIGERIA 



I. The Rivers, Ports and Forests of Nigeria. 



Starting from Lagos, the first port of call, the coast is flat, sandy, 

 and low-lying as compared with the typical seaboard of Europe with 

 its cliffs. Long sandy beaches with scattered coconut palms in the 

 background are more prevalent in this part of Nigeria than the water- 

 covered mangrove swamps, showing rather a stunted growth. West- 

 wards from Lagos there are the scattered mangrove formations in the 

 estuary of the Yewa River, near which is the trading station of Badagri. 

 Following the line of the coast, somewhat better mangrove areas are 

 found towards the mouth of the Benin, Escravos and Forcados Rivers. 

 The estuary of the Niger, extending from the last-named river as far 

 as the Sombreiro, shows varied development of the mangrove type of 

 vegetation, as well as the first admixture of other hardwood trees at 

 the edge of the mangrove zone. On the way one passes the Ramos, 

 the Brass, Nun, St. Bartholomew and St. Barbara, each forming outlets 

 for the forests further north. Beyond the Sombreiro the estuaries 

 of the New Calabar, Cawthorne and Bonny Rivers contain further 

 mangrove areas, usually in the form of large islands. Eastwards of 

 the Bonny River the mangrove to some extent gives way to compara- 

 tively large areas known as rain forests, owing to the comparatively 

 heavy rainfall in those localities. The Andoni, Opobo, Kwaiebo 

 form the outlets for these forests. 



The Cross, Calabar, Kwa and Akwayefe are the most easterly 

 rivers in Nigeria. In the estuary of each, more especially of the Cross 

 River, the finest mangrove forests are to be seen. Next to these in 

 point of height and straightness of bole are the forests on the banks 

 of the St. Barbara and Forcados Rivers. 



The Lagos River, with its present bar-draught of 19 feet, is followed 

 eastwards by the port of Forcados, showing 19 feet. As subsidiaries, 

 and northwards from Forcados, are the inland ports of Warri and Koko, 

 both, and especiall}' the latter, being timber-shipping centres. Sapeli, 

 another 40 miles up the Benin River beyond Koko, was and still remains 

 a timber port of some importance, and from it the trade name of one 

 kind of mahogany, namely Sapeli wood, is derived. Brass, considerably 

 further eastward, is practically a seaside port, to which some produce 



