GEOGRAPHY. 
223 
would reach it in 2 : he thinks it can scarcely be 70 miles ; but 
calling it 80 as above, and supposing 54, two thirds, to be the 
horizontal distance made good, equal to almost 47 G. miles, 
Abomej would lay in 7'' 12' N. Yet Mr. Dalzel writes it lays in 
about 7° 59' N. : Whydah being in about 6° 25' in the map affixed 
to his history ; this requires 108 B. miles to be made good on the 
horizontal distance, whereas he calls that of the whole journey but 
96, and Mr. Norris, who drew the map, 112. The pubhc were 
certainly indebted to Mr. Dalzel for the History of Dahomey, but 
it was his duty, as an intelhgent and considerate man, to correct 
such an error as this ; and if the author of the preface had reflected, 
he would not have written," The map, is that of Mr. Norris, with a 
few additions, which for the places on the coast, and the position 
of Abomey, is near enough to the truth." Mr. Dalzel should have 
corrected a greater error in this map, the course of the Lagos river, 
for altering which I shall presently quote his own authority in 
addition to others. 
An officer in this service, who resided at Lagos three years, and 
is the only European resident who has survived of those who have 
made the attempt, enables me to correct the following errors. The 
Pelican bank is much smaller than it appears on the charts ; the 
Doo island (which lays N. W. and not IST. of Lagos town) where 
the natives go to make fetish, is not more than one mile in circum- 
ference ; and there is no river of that name. The beach over which 
the Portuguese and French (who never cross the bar, where there 
are 3 fathoms water) transport their goods to the canoes, is not 
more than 100 yards wide, instead of one mile. In Norris's map 
prefixed to Dalzel's History, the Lagos river is made to cross the 
path to Dahomey near Tore. In the Sailing Directions for the 
Coast of Africa, to which Mr. Dalzel was the chief contributor, 
and who revised the work, we find, " River Lagos is the mouth 
