284 GREAT BASIN OF THE CAMEROONS. 



He then introduced us to a dozen of his wives, 

 and accepted Colonel Nicolls's invitation to ac- 

 company us back to Fernando Po. We re-em- 

 barked immediately, and proceeding a short dis- 

 tance up Bimbia river, we struck off to the east- 

 ward, through a narrow mangrove creek, that 

 communicates with the river of Cameroons. In 

 common with similar creeks, it had a bar at both 

 ends, with only seven or eight feet water over 

 them, inside of which there were four or five 

 fathoms. This creek is about seven miles in 

 length, and not more in any part than one hun- 

 dred yards wide. 



We entered the great basin of Cameroons 

 river in the afternoon, which appeared about nine 

 miles wide ; and after visiting the Doddingstons, 

 a large Liverpool ship lying ready for sea near 

 the entrance of the river, we came to anchor in 

 the evening, between King Bell's and King 

 Agua's towns, and received a visit from both these 

 potentates immediately on our arrival. The 

 only vessel we found at the towns was the Ame- 

 lia* of Jersey, trading with the natives for 

 palm-oil and ivory. 



* The melancholy fate of her commander and the at- 

 tempt to condemn two innocent Kroomcn are well known. 



