36 TOWN OF EGGA. 



about two miles. On visiting the town, I found 

 it considerably larger than I had anticipated: 

 it appeared to contain an immense population. 

 The huts are crowded close together, in order, as 

 I have been told, to prevent the entrance of the 

 Felatah cavalry. The king is a man far ad- 

 vanced in years. We had intended paying him 

 a visit, but the immense number of natives who 

 flocked on board prevented our leaving the 

 vessel : sometimes there were more than one 

 hundred of them on board. I learnt from them 

 that the commodities exposed for sale in Egga 

 market are tobes, antimony from Bornou, cloths, 

 English and Nufie beads, slaves, &c. &c. The 

 natives grow rice, yams, corn, pomatas, and 

 onions, as well as indigo. Thermometer, 87°. 



On Sunday, September 8th, at 11 a. m. we got 

 the steam up, and in five minutes afterwards 

 were under weigh. As we lay at anchor off 

 Egga, many of the natives, some of whom ap- 

 peared to be men of great respectability, applied 

 to me for medicine. Some came to consult me 

 respecting their eyes, having laboured under 

 hard cataract. In this place alone, of some 

 hundreds who applied to me, the majority of them 

 with complaints in the eyes, were incurable. 



