89 
entering these creeks without a trustworthy pilot ue tac ше tah be 
lost. While I was staying at Abassa the Britis n-of-war, the 
* Alectro,” came in to go up the river on some "iplomate ett e 
and a captain of one of the Company’ s boats was sent as pilot. 
As we went further up the river the vegetation slowly changed its 
character. The country still continued level, but in place of the 
mangroves, which almost wholly prevailed when we started, cocoanut 
and oil- -palms (Zleis guineensis) began to make their appearance, - 
as we proceeded the giant silk-cotton tree vie sp.) reared i 
colossal head high above the surrounding vegetatio 
While the Niger flora seems to be wanting in go lofty grandeur 
which one almost савету анньа with the чоь yet the 
compact and dense masses of palms, alternating and intermixed with 
trees of a sturdier habit, from whose branches hang petilatit climbers, 
give the scene à charm peculiarly its own. The eye looks in vain for 
a bold striking effect, and is сеси сее to pick out and admire 
the individual beauties of leaf and fro stem 
r getting past the creeks of the delta, we emerged into the Niger 
proper. Here the true width and volume of the river was at once 
manifest. We were on a Pare rushing flood, of width varying from 
two to six miles. Not a bank to be seen. They are all covered by 
the expanse of water. Like a huge lake the river looked, and hurrying 
on to split up and divide itself among the countless creeks that compose 
the jungle delta, and thence ultimately to жт м way to a sea. It 
is while the river is at this flood that banks are swept away, and even 
ati 
and Уже хк "he, making te Pes to reel and lifting all light 
articles and popping them overboard. The fury of the wind and rain 
was terrible. Suddenly there eame a dreadful cry from the side and 
ushing over we saw the steam-launch rapidly sinking. It was 
ineredible the aie with which she went down. Two of the 
men managed to scramble on board, but the third, the engineer, was 
washed away. The тый was at once manned and sent after him, 
but the poor fellow was lost. The rain fell in torrents. Within 
15 minutes from the commencement the tornado ceased, and all was 
over. 
Tt took three days to get to Abutshi, where I am at present. I found 
Woodruff here. He has shifted from Asaba, as the latter place is totally 
unfit for a botanic station, the soil being mostly sand. Consequently he 
has started here, and has made good progress. The plants and seed I 
brought out arrived in excellent condition except Eugenia malaccensis, 
which had lost all its leaves. As we have others, that will not matter. 
all that; coffee doing ga well ; eocoafairly. Віха orellana oe 
a ‚ы nt, as before 
cu “for long. Plans are not definitely settled yet. The work of the 
day commences early out here, and also all over the West Coast. At 
half-past 5 the bell rings and all the “boys” (boys is the name 
general to all the black labou urers) turn out and work until 10, when 
they stop an hour for “ chop," turning to again at 11 and working on 
