TKADE IN PALM-OIL 147 



^\ith muskets, rum, powder, tobacco, strings of beads, calicoes, 

 ;iiid cotton or woollen caps. Every black begs for "dash," so 

 that there is no escaping their importunity, and though they 

 return the gift with a " dash " of their own, yet they take good 

 care not to lose by the exchange. 



The cabin and the deck now swarm with negroes from early 

 morning till noon. The dealers breakfast with the captain, in 

 tlie chief cabin, and, when they come too late, ask for refreshments 

 without ceremony, frequently raising their pretensions to cham- 

 pagne, though ultimately satisfied with a bottle of brown stout. 

 ( Jonerally these black gentry bring one of their little boys or 

 slaves with them, leaving him on board to learn English. All 

 preliminaries having been adjusted, the trade begins by making 

 advances to the dealers, who go into the interior, to purchase 

 tlie oil with the goods they have obtained on credit. 



A cask-house is erected on shore to put together the pun- 

 cheons, the staves of which, along with the iron hoops, are 

 brought ready-made from England. 



The palm-oil, or pulla, is of a rich orange colour, and of the 

 consistence of honey, at the ordinary temperature of the air. 

 When eaten fresh, it is a delicate and wholesome article of diet, 

 differing as much from the palm-oil imported into England as 

 fresh from rancid butter. 



Bonny itself produces no oil ; most of it comes from New 

 Calabar, Ibo, and the Brass country, and, owing to the dif- 

 ference of preparation, is of different quality, according to the 

 place of its origin. 



The trade is constantly on the increase, and cannot fail to 

 introduce some civilisation among the barbarians of the coast ; 

 though, to judge by their present state, it needs must be a work 

 of time. 



In the year 1830, only 800 tons of palm-oil were imported 

 into England; while, in 1854, Bonny alone exported 15,124 

 tons. The exportation from the Brass Eiver amounted in 1856 

 to 3,280 tons ; from Old Calabar, to 4,090 ; and from Camaroons, 

 to 2,110. 



The various ports in the Bight of Benin (Benin, Lagos, 

 Talma, Badagry, Porto Novo, Ahguay) exported in the same 

 year 17,480 tons, so that the whole coast of Guinea probably 



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