348 
MALLAM SABAH. 
a great part of the uight, the vessel remained aground 
until the following afternoon, when by renewed hard 
work she was got off. In the meantime the Attah’s 
head Mallam, Massabah, came on board, bringing a box 
of letters from the settlers, written five months pre- 
viously, in which they described their anxiety for the 
return of the vessels, as the Filatahs had, on two occa- 
sions, threatened an attack. Mallam Massabah inquired 
why Lieutenant Webb had not visited the Attah, on 
his way up here, and was told, that there was no time 
to be lost, and if the chief of Iddah had been so 
anxious to see the white officer, he would not have 
kept him waiting as had been required when an inter- 
view was sought; moreover, the letters had been detained 
a long and unreasonable time, instead of being for- 
warded to the coast as they ought to have been, accord- 
ing to the stipulation in the treaty to that effect. The 
Mallam replied that the Attiih of Iddah would have 
broken through a long established custom, if he had 
received a visitor the same day that he arrived, and as 
for the letters, there had been no opportunity of trans- 
mitting them. It was then explained to Massabah, 
why the vessel had come up on the present occasion, 
and he was requested to return to the Attah, and 
obtain permission to accompany or follow the ‘ Wilber- 
force’ to the Confluence, that a final settlement might 
be made on the spot, concerning the purchased terri- 
tory, and to prevent any unfavourable impression from 
a supposed want of courtesy, a handsome silk tobe was 
