102 
KGGA. 
into the subject of the treaty, when he at once said, 
that it was not in his power to engage in anything of 
the kind. They then asked him, whether he would 
send a messenger to Rabbah, with a message from the 
Commissioners of the Queen of England. He also 
refused to do this, on the ground, that the king might 
suppose him to be intriguing with the white people. 
In his opinion, if one vessel was to visit Rabbah yearly, 
slavery might in time be done away with. 
Egga appears to be the largest town we have as 
yet seen on the Niger. The population is not much 
under 10,000. The houses are of a conical form, 
somewhat similar to those at Iddah. The doors are 
higher, and therefore render ingress and egress much 
more convenient. They are closely packed together 
and in some places there is not room for two to walk 
abreast, in the streets. The walls of the huts are 
built of clay, rendered more cohesive by having grass 
mixed up with it. Some of the walls are fifteen 
inches thick, while others do not exceed six inches. 
Some of the fronts of the huts are beautifully smooth, 
and stained with indigo. As at Iddah, there is 
generally an outer circular wall, between which and 
that of the hut, a piazza, which is the general place 
of resort. Besides this, it serves to keep the inner 
apartment cool. There is seldom more than one door 
to each hut; windows are a luxury not yet intro- 
duced. The town is entirely surrounded by swamps 
at this season, which the inhabitants say become dry 
