INHABITANTS ON ITS BANKS. 105 



mining the chart, five large rivers, more or less 

 navigable, will be found between the Benin and 

 the Nun rivers. The branches to the eastward 

 are all of them small, being only navigable by 

 canoes, and intersect the country in all direc- 

 tions, forming a labyrinth whose windings and 

 extent we are fortunately not required to ex- 

 plore. The whole of this country within the 

 influence of salt water is covered by mangroves, 

 and above the influence of the tide by a dense 

 mass of vegetation, principally composed of va- 

 rieties of the palm species. Its population is 

 scanty, and confined to the banks of the princi- 

 pal streams, which from the force of their cur- 

 rent in some places throw up a bank of sufficient 

 consistency to support the mud-huts of the na- 

 tives ; and wherever this is the case, the bank 

 is crowned by a village containing from one 

 hundred to one thousand inhabitants. The total 

 population between Eboe and the sea on the line 

 of the Nun branch does not exceed four thou- 

 sand adults, if so much. The women and chil- 

 dren are employed in collecting palm-oil ; the 

 men, in trading to Brass and Eboe, kidnapping 

 their neighbours, and drinking the worst de- 

 scription of spirits. 



