Jan. 11, 1858.] REPORTS FROM THE NIGER EXPEDITION. 
91 
three hours’ walk brought me within the boundary of the Yoruba 
country, and at a very large and most important town, called Sare, 
when, after an interview with the chief, second in actual, but first 
in executive authority, whose title is Balogon, or war chief. I was 
furnished with comfortable quarters, and with what pleased me 
equally, assurances of their pleasure at my visit, and willingness 
to forward me on my journey. Sare is a large and important Yoruba 
town, several miles in circumference, and it was impossible for me 
either to attempt a measurement or obtain reliable information 
during the few hours I remained there. The inhabitants are Mo- 
hammedan, and up to the time of my visit the town was unvisited 
and almost unknown to Europeans. 
Towards the close of the day I was summoned to a more social 
interview with the Balogon, at a large piazza full of inferior chiefs, 
when I enjoyed a very lengthened conversation, affording me an 
opportunity of publicly explaining the objects and intentions of 
white men in visiting their country, our arts and manufactures, our 
numerous useful discoveries, our sentiments upon the slave trade, 
our social laws and customs, and many other subjects, which were 
received and understood in a manner and to an extent which sur- 
prised me. The chief promised that a horse and a messenger should 
be both ready for me at an early hour in the morning. 
Dr. Baikie could only furnish me with two inconsiderable pre- 
sents for the chiefs at Ilorin ; so that, on quitting Sare the following 
morning, I had nothing to offer but apologies and explanations, 
which were better received than I had a right to expect ; and the 
Balogon having requested that a pair of pistols might be brought 
to him on my return, Consul Campbell at Lagos has undertaken to 
procure them if possible, and, if unable, to send him some other 
suitable present. 
To-day’s travel — the 3rd instant — was about 20 miles, terminating 
at half-past 5 at the town of “ Osin,” on the left bank of the tri- 
butary of that name previously mentioned, during which I passed 
two towns, “Akpado” and “ Kpani,” the road throughout lying 
either through well-wooded ridges or hills, or crossing numerous 
small streams ; the ground in the higher parts strong and bad, with 
ironstone, granite, or a conglomerate of quartz and mica predomi- 
nating, and in the lower parts level and sandy. 
I left “ Osin ” before daylight on the morning of the 4th, passed 
the considerable towns Keyi and Okanshi, and, after with some 
difficulty crossing the Unyu and the Aza, two branches of a con- 
siderable tributary, said to fall into the Niger at Sangan, arrived at 
Ilorin at noon. 
Ilorin, situated on a slope two or three miles south of the conspi- 
VOL. II. i 
