72 [March, 1902.] 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
Vol. VIII. No. 87. 
mines were alluvial, though lodes had been found and worked. Rich beds occurred in the 
stream valleys at the bases of the hills in Selangor and Perak, and were worked by the 
Chinese, who dug to no great depth, and washed the alluvium with very primitive sluices. 
The tin was sold to European firms, melted into ingots at Singapore, and then exported. 
In conclusion, Mr. Ridley said that in the course of a single lecture it would be im- 
possible to give more than an idea of the great wealth of resource of the colony. He had 
attempted to describe rather the peculiar vegetable products of the country, so as to show 
what had been done in the introduction and cultivation of new and exotic plants during the 
last half-century. When Sir Stamford Raffles planted the English flag on Singapore Island 
in 1819, it had been inhabited only by about 200 fishermen and pirates ; now it was the most 
important port in Eastern Asia, with a population a thousand times as large. Then the 
Native States had been in a constant state of war and anarchy, and the natural wealth of the 
country was neglected ; now, owing to the energy of the white man, aided by the patient 
hard work of the Cl : naman, the forests had been felled, mines opened up, cultivation 
introduced, and commerce developed. An era of justice, freedom, and peace to all had been 
inaugurated, and the country had become one of the most thriving of our tropical colonies. 
There were still, however, large areas of country practically unexplored, and doubtless 
much mineral wealth untouched ; and Mr. Ridley was of opinion that the colony was only 
really in its infancy, and that gradually and steadily the work of progress would continue year 
by year, and he was confident that the future of the Malay Peninsula would be one of great 
and increasing prosperity. 
The lecture throughout was illustrated by a well-selected series of slides, many of which 
had been specially prepared. 
The chairman, in proposing a vote of thanks “for a very attractive lecture,” referred to 
Mr. Ridley's commendable simplicity of language, and to his avoidance of technical expres- 
sions, which had enabled all those present to carry away every single piece of information 
which he had been good enough to impart to them. 
Sir Cecil Clementi Smith said he should like to take this opportunity of drawing 
attention to the work that Mr. Ridley, and the Directors of other Botanical Gardens, were 
doing in going out to the Colonies and devoting themselves with ardour and zeal to economic 
botany. They, in a quiet and unobtrusive way, were winning victories over nature of which 
the ordinary man in the street knew absolutely nothing. They did not get honours thrust 
upon them or mentioned in the newspapers, but their work was nevertheless of extreme value 
in forwarding our efforts of making human life more endurable and more delightful. 
Mr. Ridley’s labours — only a small portion of which he could have referred to that evening — 
in experimenting on the cultivation of plants, and the similar work of the Directors of other 
Botanical Gardens, were of immense benefit to the Empire. Most people in this country 
knew Kew as a place where they could see beautiful and attractive things grow. It was, 
however, much more than that. The making the gardens attractive formed but a small 
part of the duty of Kew. It was a mighty organisation and the centre of the botanic activity 
of the Empire ; and Mr. Ridley would probably be the first to acknowledge the great 
assistance he had received in his botanical efforts from the Authorities of the Royal Botanic 
Gardens, Kew. 
“ FEDERAL FULFILMENT.” 
{By The Hon. Sir John A. Cockburn, K.C.M.G.) 
Admiral Sir Edmund Fremantle presided, on the 27th January, at a lecture given at 
the Imperial Institute by Sir John Cockburn on “Federal Fulfilment.” 
To twine together into an efficient federal fabric the strands of six independent 
communities was, said Sir John, an intricate task, and patience, courage, and talent were 
necessary to the process. Abundant proof, however, of the possession of these qualities had 
been given by the Federal Government during the course of a year which had been brimful 
of events of paramount importance to Australia, and portentous to the Empire. 
After making fitting allusions to the late Queen, one of whose last public acts had been 
to send a message of greeting and goodwill to the new-born nation ; to the voyage of the 
Prince of Wales to open the Federal Parliament ; and to the recent resolution of the 
Commonwealth Parliament making common cause against the slanderers of our soldiers — ■ 
Sir John reviewed some of the more important events of the year. 
The long desired consummation of Australian free trade had been achieved last October. 
As had been anticipated, the tariff combined provisions for producing revenue with moderate 
protection, a necessary resultant of the policy and requirements of the individual States. He 
had no doubt but that the tariff would pass the Commonwealth Parliament without any 
serious alterations. To some minds the proposals put forward might appear novel and even 
heterodox ; the growth of necessary manufactures was to be encouraged by bonuses, and a 
rebate of excise was to be allowed on white-grown sugar. 
Sir John was very enthusiastic with regard to this Federal Tariff, and contended that a 
middle course had been taken which was not only to be commended, but was, in fact, the 
only satisfactory one that could have been adopted. 
Australia had a habit of knowing what it wanted, and generally took a pretty straight cut 
to the point to be reached. One thing with regard to the parliamentary representatives of 
the Commonwealth was worthy of comment, viz. ; that they were drawn from every class of 
the community — certainly a most excellent sign for a new nation. 
A good deal was said in the lecture about the labour problem, and of the action of the 
Federal Parliament in setting a term to the Kanaka traffic. This question of a White 
Australia was not confined to any class, but was a serious national matter. It was easy for 
those at a distance to lightly regard the prospect of racial admixture, but the Australians, 
having before their eyes the difficulty of the coloured problem in America and South Africa, 
did wisely to determine to profit by the experience of others in the direction of prevention 
being better than problematical cure. 
Australia was only a few days’ steam from the vast coloured populations of the Pacific, 
and the country was naturally apprehensive of a condition of things which might at any time 
result in the loss of the very object of Australia’s existence — the upholding of the interests 
and traditions of the British in the Pacific, for the Pacific was going to be the great inter- 
national arena of the future ; and the loss to the Empire, if Australia were to become 
denationalised, could not be measured. No Government could have dared to have trifled 
with the question. In fact both the political parties in the Commonwealth Parliament 
claimed the copyright of the phrase “ White Australia,” and there was no class in the 
country that did not dread the possibilities of a large coloured invasion. 
Although this action with regard to the Kanakas had been denounced by an influential 
class in Queensland, the decision had been inevitable ; in fact the proposals of the Opposition 
party with regard to the recent coloured legislation had been, Sir John maintained, more 
stringent than those of the Government. 
The decision not to subsidise steamers employing coloured crews had been regarded by 
some as a new development, but it was in reality the outcome of unanimous resolutions 
arrived at by the Australasian colonies at the Postal Conference in New Zealand in 1894, 
and Tasmania in 1S95. It had been stated in the debates in ihe Senate that 25 years ago 
we had 200,000 white men in our vessels and to-day but 100,000. It was impossible to 
contemplate with equanimity the weakening of our mercantile marine as a potential naval 
reserve, and, in its patriotic stand against further depletion, Australia deserved well of the 
Empire. 
The question of broken seals on ocean steamers’ stores was a corollary of Australian 
Free Trade. Previously, vessels trading from one port to another port in the same colony 
had to carry duty-paid stores. Now, all the ports in Australia were on the same footing, 
being all within the Commonwealth, and, therefore, all inter-State steamers had now to carry 
duty-paid stores. As ocean steamers competed with these for the local traffic, it would seem 
to be unfair to allow a privilege to one competitor which was denied to another. 
The Federal authority had studiously refrained from attempting to overshadow the 
States. At the Convention it had been decided, without a division, that the State Governors 
should continue to be the channels of communication between the States and the Imperial 
Parliament, and Mr. Chamberlain was too wise and too sympathetic an interpreter of the 
Constitution to ignore, for the sake of official convenience, so definite a landmark of 
autonomy. 
The retention of the direct appointment of the State Governors by the Crown had secured 
the services of men so well able to maintain the dignity of the office as Sir George Clarke and 
Sir Herbert Chermside ; and Lord Hopetoun, by his perfect sincerity and earnest devotion 
to duty, had surpassed even the high expectations based on his previous record. 
The tone of Sir John’s lecture throughout was most optimistic, and he expressed himself 
thoroughly satisfied with the first year’s achievements of the Commonwealth, which augured 
well for its future. At the conclusion of the lecture a number of slides were shown of the 
various statesmen who had been connected with the federal movement, of the Commonwealth 
fetes, and of several of the industries of Australia. 
Sir Edward Fremantle, in proposing a vote of thanks “ for a most interesting, eloquent 
and attractive lecture,” said that he entirely agreed with Sir John Cockburn as to the import- 
ance of maintaining the efficiency of the mercantile marine, and considered that it must on no 
account be allowed to decay. He had listened with great interest to the references made to 
Sir George Grey, whom he had known personally, and who had frequently been on board 
his ship when he had been in Australian waters. 
“ THE NATIVE RACES OF NIGERIA.” 
(By C. F. IIarford-Battersby, Esq., M.D.j 
Mr. T. F. V. Buxton presided on the 3rd ult. at a lecture given at the Institute by 
Dr. C. F. IIarford-Battersby, Principal of Livingstone College, on the “Native Races 
of Nigeria.” 
In his introductory remarks the chairman referred to the great interest that was now 
being taken in the expansion and consolidation of the British Empire, and also to the 
consequent responsibilities such dominion imposed upon us towards the millions of people, 
belonging to innumerable races and tribes, who were now our fellow-subjects. An added 
interest, however, attached to Nigeria, as it had only as recently as last year been taken over 
from the Royal Niger Company, who had governed it for about twenty years, and incor- 
porated as part of the British Empire. Dr. Harford-Battersby possessed an intimate 
personal knowledge of the country about which he was going to speak, and since his return 
to England, necessitated by a breakdown in health, had in several directions taken an active 
interest in West African matters. He was the Principal of Livingstone College, an 
institution which provided elementary medical training for men who were, or who intended 
to become, foreign missionaries ; and he was also the hon. secretary of the Native Races and 
the Liquor Traffic United Committee. 
The development of the British Empire was, said the lecturer, a subject which had 
occupied the public attention to a remarkable extent during the last few years, and the recent 
addition to the title of our Sovereign indicated the recognition of the bonds which united us 
with our fellow-subjects beyond the seas. It was important to remember that the majority 
of the inhabitants of those vast dominions belonged to races and colour different from our 
own, and that the greatest problems of our Indian and African Empires were bound up 
with the welfare of Jiie native races of those lands. 
Undoubtedly in the past there was much to regret in the influence of England upon 
uncivilized races, notably with regard to the history of the slave trade, and on this subject 
Dr. IIarford-Battersby had a good deal to say in different parts of the lecture. 
Native races were still sometimes regarded much as if they were objects of interest 
in a museum, and as if their customs, superstitions, and even cruelties ought to be carefully 
preserved, and any attempt in the direction of civilizing them, or opening up their countries 
deprecated. Another more or less general way of treating the dark races was to altogether 
ignore their rights, to regard them as mere chattels to be used for the benefit of the 
white man, and to endeavour to deal ruthlessly with their customs and laws, and to 
introduce in the place of these various ready-made ill-adapted substitutes. Happily, this 
attitude was no longer common, and an increasing number of people now took a more 
reasonable view of the position of the native races, and recognised the desirability of 
stimulating the native’s patriotism and cultivating all that was useful in his habits, only 
endeavouring to eradicate such as were cruel and barbarous. 
The great district now known as Nigeria, and which had been secured to Great Britain 
mainly by the energy of Sir George Taubmatt-Goldie, was only one of the numerous British 
possessions in the West Coast of Africa. The native races of the country might be divided 
roughly into two great classes — those of Lower Nigeria and more particularly of the Niger 
Delta, to the south; and those of Northern Nigeria, including that territory known as 
the Hausa States. 
The people of Lower Nigeria, in their natural condition, were pagans of a very degraded 
type. Cannibalism, infanticide, and human sacrifice, had been practised by most, if not all, 
of them until they had been brought in contact with British influence, They had no central 
government and there was a great variety of dialects in the district, owing to the fact that 
the people of the different tribes, and even of different towns, had but little communication 
with one another. 
In Northern Nigeria, the chief races had adopted, somewhat recently, the Mohammedan 
religion, and many of them were governed by powerful rulers administering considerable 
territories, and intercourse between one tribe and another was common. 
It was not surprising that the inhabitants of the Niger Delta, as a whole, were a 
barbarous and superstitious people, considering that their villages were situated in the 
mangrove swamps. At Brass, however, something had been done to improve the condition 
of the natives, although the work had not always proved successful. 
The Ibos, the most important tribe in Lower Nigeria, were found in large numbers on 
both sides of the river to the north of the Delta. They were typical negroes, hut did not, to 
any large extent, disfigure their faces like many of their neighbours. Several views were shown 
of this people, notably one illustrating their method of loading a river steamer with barrels of 
palm-oil— the chief article of commerce with the British. The Ibo towns usually extended 
over several miles, the houses being built among the trees and divided into villages. The 
people had not many handicrafts, but industrial work was now being developed among them, 
at Onitska, under the guidance of Bishop Tugwelk They possessed an elaborate system 
of fetish or Ju-ju worship, which was very closely connected with most of their national 
customs. Except, however, for their degraded superstitions, they were a very fine race and 
well repaid any trouble that might be taken with them, and there could be no doubt as to 
the intellectual capacity ol.the people if they received suitable training. 
ihe country between this savage region ot the Delta and the more civilized district of 
the Southern Soudan was inhabited by a number of pagan tribes, whose habits and customs, 
